A Mobile Website in 2013

 

You’ve probably already heard that have a custom website for your business is absolutely essential. What’s newer to entrepreneurs is the knowledge and importance of mobile websites. A website can load on a mobile phone or tablet, but that doesn’t mean it is mobile friendly. What’s more, a site that is mobile friendly is not the same as a mobile site. So where do you start, and what can a mobile website do for your business?

A mobile website is a compact, streamlined version of your desktop website. It has much of the same information, but with fewer images, smaller navigation, and a layout that will fit on those small screens. A mobile friendly site with load on a device and be fairly easy to see, but you may have to scroll around to see everything and zoom in and out. A complete mobile website may eliminate some of the information from the full site, but it will always have a “view full site” option so users don’t miss any information.

In 2013, more users are accessing the internet from their mobile phones that from their desktop or laptop. A vast majority of searches performed on a mobile device are for local businesses they want to find—they are out shopping and want to stop for lunch, they need a locksmith to get back into their car, and so on. Customers need a mobile site that is easy to view, easy to use, and loads quickly. Expectations are high for these websites, but if businesses keep up with a great custom mobile website, they will stand out against the competition.

Beyond CustomWebsites can be your web experts and build you a mobile website that is customized to fit your needs and represent you as a unique business. We do all the work for you and will communicate with you one on one throughout the whole process. No waiting around or worrying about meeting expectations with us—we do what we say we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it. Contact us today to find out more about how we can create the perfect mobile website for your business!

A Custom Website is a Must-Have in 2013!

The Internet has changed how we gather information and revolutionized the way businesses communicate with customers. In order to reach potential customers online, a business has to have a website. If your business is small and has done well so far without one, you might think: How important is it, really? In 2013, it’s more essential than ever.

2.2 billion people are online worldwide, and small businesses with a custom website experience 39% greater revenue per year than those without websites. One reason for that is 58% of customers are more likely to trust a company with a website than one who doesn’t have one, and people are more comfortable finding out more about a business through their website than through calling the business to ask questions. A professionally designed, custom small business website gives companies a chance to make a great first impression with new customers in a cost efficient way that reaches a large audience.

Creating a significant, successful online presence doesn’t stop there. It’s also very important for businesses to have a mobile optimized version of their website. It is estimated that by this year, more people will use their mobile phones and tablets to access the internet than their PC or laptop. Mobile websites need to be compact, fast loading, and especially designed for smaller screens. E-commerce plays a big role in the mobile web experience: 63% of customers prefer mobile sites for shopping and 50% of all product searches on a mobile device lead to a purchase.

Once a small business has a customized, functioning website, they need to be found online for the website to be effective. That’s why it’s important to integrate GooglePlus Local Optimization. Google Plus uses features such as a map to direct customers right to your door. Beyond Custom Websites helps businesses claim and optimize their Google+ Local Page to make sure the 95% of customers who are performing local searches find their business with a strong, search engine friendly online presence. Beyond Custom Websites offers complete website design services and do all the work, from layout to content creation to search engine optimization. Our experienced web experts leave nothing out and build a continuing relationship with clients.

Your Website as Your First Impression

You might think of a customer’s first impression of your business as the first time they set foot in the door or the minute they say “Hello” to one of your staff on the phone. Actually, your first impression comes even earlier than that. Before you even know your customer is one of your customers, there’s a good chance they have gotten an impression of your business already—from your website! Oftentimes, potential customers will browse your website before they decide to contact you. How often will people make it past this first step? Is this step leaving a lasting impression on people? What should your website have and do to get new customers?

Get them interested. Write with a personal style and voice. Use phrases that are unique to your business and come from a place of assistance and service. A great way to draw people in is through contests. These can be promotions in which they receive a free product or service or even contests that benefit your company, such as choosing the next slogan or fundraising event.

Get them involved.  A forum is an easy, fun way to get a two way conversation going with your customers. People love to express their ideas and hear positive feedback about them. When they feel as though they can ask questions from the comfort of their own home, they will feel more confident when using your products and services.

Get your visuals right. Research shows it only takes two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand once they’ve gone through your website, which they can do in less than a minute. The first thing they notice is your logo—they want to associate your company name with an image. The navigation menu is seen second, so they can figure out quickly where they need to go. Then users look for social media links, which indicate the business is actively involved in reaching out to their customers. The primary image on the webpage is what users look at next, so if a slideshow can be placed here, you’ll get more information across right away. Finally, potential customers read the written content. That’s a lot to do in less than a minute! That’s why all of these features need to be up to date and on point to get your business’ message across.

Get up to speed. Finally, you want to be sure you website loads fast, in less than 5 seconds. If your site takes too long to load, users will think it doesn’t work and click back to their search for another website.

Your small business website is how you introduce yourself to potential customers. BeyondCustom Websites will make sure your website is attractive, easy to navigate, and engaging for your customers. We know that expertise in SEO, graphic design, content writing, and web programming all need to work together to get your website found and get customers in the door. The best part? We do all the work for you! Contact us today to start working with your own personal, professional web team.

Five Things Your Website Must Have For Success

For optimal website usability, there are some basic rules or guidelines your website needs to follow. While every site is unique, certain features are universally essential. Several aspects come together to make a website successful, but here are five key usability elements you’ll want your website to have.

Be sure the framing around your content is large enough for the viewer to read the text easily. A helpful tip to ensure this is to only include information you know your customers need and want to know. Users should be able to resize their window for the easiest view of your site’s content. If content is in a small box or hard to read, people will leave your site very quickly.

Avoid music on your website, especially music that plays automatically. That goes for video, too. The user is just going to mute or pause it anyway, because frankly, it’s annoying! If music or video is part of the message of your company, make it optional to play or have it on a separate linked page. Remember, no user likes being forced into anything.

Be sure to have a balance between pages that open in a separate window and pages that open in the same window to replace the page they were on. For the most part, separate windows are not needed, unless the page contains something that not every user will read, but some will, such as Terms and Conditions or a link to your Twitter page.

You may have heard this before, but it is vital that your site’s animated features are built in HTML rather than Flash. Flash does not work on mobile devices and will break down on the computer of anyone who does not have the very latest version of Flash. (Beyond Custom Websites doesn’t use Flash and knows how to create the same “wow factor” with HTML so it will actually work!)

Finally, include a site map feature and navigation bars with shortcut links to other pages so that users can easily jump around your site and find exactly what they need. An all too common mistake is to only include such links at the very bottom of pages or hidden on the side somewhere. Users need to get where they want to go quickly.

Beyond Custom Websites focuses on usability and our experts are savvy enough to balance your unique company image with features that get your site traffic, and in turn, increase sales. Contact us and we’ll be sure to create a website with an attractive design and effortless usability for your customers.

Keep Your Website Fresh and Exciting

When your custom website is brand new, everyone is excited about it! You get the buzz circulating and users are flocking to your site to see what you have to offer. What about a month, two months, or six months after that? Is your small business website still fresh in the eyes of customers? If you have the mindset that your website is completely done after the official launch, you run the risk of your website losing its luster over time. What keeps people coming back to your website long-term?

A blog feature should be an essential part of your website. You should post to your blog at least once a week and keep the content dynamic and exciting. Think of your blog posts as conversations with the customer.

Offering methods for customers to voice their opinions will build a sense of community on your website. Discussion forums allow for two way communication and promotions offered for feedback are always fun for customers. (One example: go to our website and take our customer service survey to be entered to win a $100 gift card). You can even set up submissions for an updated logo design or slogan to really get the customers involved.

Small business websites should connect with social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Links on your website can appear in users’ newsfeed and remind them about what’s new in your company. You should also be sure your custom website has photos, graphics, and written content that is unique to your business and up-to-date.

Finally, adding features that offer information at no cost such as videos and webniars will let customers know you truly want them to be educated about your services. BeyondCustom Websites can implement all of these ongoing methods because we continue to work with you on a long term basis. Contact us today to integrate these dynamic features into your company’s website

Custom Website Summer Sale

Save $$Money$$ and get a Custom Website for your small business by taking advantage of Beyond Custom Websites Summer Sizzle Sale! Pay less than $160 for a Custom Website Today!

Our Summer Sizzle Sale Package Includes a fully Custom Website with:

• Customized Content
• Free Ongoing Changes & Updates
• Free Unlimited Customer Support
• Expert Search Engine Optimization
• Web Hosting & Free name@yourdomain.com e-mails
• Cutting Edge Web Development Technology
• Mobile Websites Available
• & More Custom Website Design Services

Over 80% of all searches for services & products are made online. A custom website gives your business a professional image online & gets you found for the services you offer. Call to speak with a Website Coordinator Today and take advantage of these summer savings.


Our professional & friendly Website Coordinators will be happy to discuss how Beyond Custom Websites can help give your small business the competitive edge & leads you have been missing out on.


Already have a website your not happy with? No problem! Beyond Custom Websites also specializes in Custom Website Re-Designs. Turn that old dusty website into a sleek & efficient lead generating machine today! Call us toll-free at 1-800-900-0413 or visit our website at http://beyondcustomwebsites.com/! Our Website Coordinators are ready for your call!