Should You Be Thinking Mobile First?

Should You Be Thinking Mobile First?

It’s a fact that most website visitors are now accessing the web using a small screen device such as a smartphone or tablet, so doesn’t it make sense to design your website for these devices as a priority over laptops and PCs?

My Site Got Flipped Turned Upside Down

There’s a fast growing trend to flip the traditional way websites are designed and built on its head by thinking Mobile First. Mobile First does of course present different challenges when designing a website. So what might some of  these be?

Mobile Internet Is HUGE!

Firstly we need to change the way we think about mobile internet, this not a fad that will fizzle out, this is not the future of the web, this is right now and it’s huge. Vast amounts of data are transferred across mobile networks every minute of everyday, whether people are looking up businesses, web surfing, seeking directions, catching up on Social Media, sharing photos, watching catch up TV, the list goes on and on.

So ask yourself; Is this going to stop any time soon? Are people going to be quick to give up this way of consuming and creating content?

Some People Only See Mobile Sites!

Another staggering fact is this, many people will only ever see the mobile version of your website!

The internet is no longer that thing we use when we get home or to the office, it is in our hands, bags, vehicles and back pockets, and current trends would suggest this is only set to grow. If you are a website owner it makes sense to ensure that you offer a platform that is as inclusive and offers the best user experience as possible no matter how your visitors view your content.

So Why Take The Mobile First Route When Designing A New Website?

A major factor was an announcement by Google way back in 2010 that mobile was going to be the answer to everything, and Google have certainly backed this up with action. Not only are they producing their own smartphone and tablet hardware but more crucially they are now serving up mobile friendly search results to users of their search engine, as well as continuing development of the mobile platform for Youtube, and before you roll your eyes it’s worth remembering Youtube is one of the largest search engines on the web in its own right, and no matter how simple a channel you may have it is a fantastic resource for being found online.

Mobile Goes Beyond Just The Device!

It’s not just Google, big business is putting smartphone technology at the centre of their products. If you look at all the major hardware producers they all put a huge amount of R&D into mobile devices, not only Phones and Tablets but also other whizzy little add ons like TV streaming Dongles, bluetooth speakers and many more. Camera makers produce apps the can control, view and upload pictures from your camera wirelessly, carmakers are adding mobile integration to their vehicles that control specifically designed apps, such as Car Play, Android Auto and Alexa. Mobiles maybe small but their impact is big.

Isn’t Responsive Design Mobile First?

Traditional mobile sites tended to be cut down versions of the desktop website with technologies and graphical items removed as they were either to heavy for the processing power of a mobile device, it was difficult get everything on the small screen or were to big and data hungry for use over a mobile network. Then there is the Touchscreen, different devices deal with website elements, such as menus, in different ways. Responsive website design has gone a long way to alleviate these issues by helping designers to create a simple and easy user experience, however the trend is still to build a desktop site first then cut back on functionality for mobile devices.

Make It Mobile First And Your PC Will Be Happy

By taking the Mobile First approach a lot of these factors are overcome early in the project, it will also have the added bonus of offering the same user experience on all platforms. Browser compatibility is converging all the time, the popular browsers now offer support for the vast array of website technologies in use today, so by designing your website with lightweight yet powerful functionality that runs smoothly on smartphones and tablets you can be more confident of these functions working on larger more powerful laptops and PCs. This is not always the case if you reverse the process.

Will you think Mobile First when it comes time to upgrade your website? You probably should.

Is PPC Still an Effective Form of Marketing?

Is PPC Still an Effective Form of Marketing?

PPC has always been a fast and simple way to get a campaign online, it gave rise to the internet marketer and affilliate marketer who could sell or promote digital products with minimal overheads to anyone who surfed the web, and a good number of these marketers made a good, and on face of it, easy living.

As with so many online systems change is fast and continuous, with rising CPC prices affiliates are now moving away from PPC as the risk of paying for clicks and making a lower return increases.

So is PPC an Effective Marketing Tool?

YES, but don’t be mistaken, just creating a campaign and sitting back waiting for sales is not the answer, and could prove very costly. PPC now offers a fantastic array of demographic targeting that it’s critical to know your market and who your customers are, just as it is with any marketing. Would you display at a motoring exhibition if you supply outdoor cooking equipment to the restaurant trade?

What about Organic SEO Marketing?

Though we are concentrating on PPC, it’s worth remembering that SEO is a critical part of your online marketing, however this is a slower, long term process and much more competitive. It’s worth also pointing out that PPC can provide market data which can be applied to your SEO and help capture even more of the market share organically.

No Nonsense Branding

No Nonsense Branding

Crazes and trends are inevitable. There is one around every corner. Marketers unfortunately, for them and audiences tap into pretty much every one. But what would happen if you took the marketing budget and creativity away? Are there benefits to having a raw, authentic, simple brand?

Is branding suppose to look pretty or is it suppose to work?…Not for form over function.

Google

One example of a brand that keeps it simple, is one we all know and love. Google. You’ll have noticed that Google recently updated their branding through changing the font; something that doesn’t happen very much with this particular brand. Other than that, the colours have stayed the same. The search engine is still on a blank white screen. It really is as simple as that. And how successful is Google?

In fact, some people believe that Google’s makeover was a distraction or intention to seem friendlier as people are becoming more aware of the data that Google records of us and provides for other companies. A brand that we know and trust, that is there to help us when in actuality it is much more powerful than that.

Apple

Another well-known one is Apple. If you try to find the background behind the Apple branding you’ll find many conspiracy theories thrown out there and deep hidden meanings behind an apple, but ultimately be disappointed to find that the Apple logo was made the way it is because without the bite, the logo looked like a cherry when made small.

The apple in the first place, also had no significant meaning that has been confirmed, but what we do know for sure is that Steve Jobs worked in apple orchards when he was young. Perhaps this is the only reason. Nevertheless, it was a simple, no nonsense brand that has made it massively successfully in the tech world. No fancy branding. No pretentiousness about the logo. Just an apple.

You

A lot of experts, marketers, branding companies and other business people stress the importance of creativity, complexity and unique brands. There may be pros and cons to this, but at the end of the day, the brand image itself is not enough to be successful. Content and following through with the quality of your product or service is what really counts.

When is the best time to blog?

When is the best time to blog?

Why are you creating content? To build customer trust right! Right. So what do you need to do? You need to establish who your customers are and what they want.

Keep this in mind; nicely balanced with knowledge of consumer behaviour on different social media platforms and you have already got everything you need.

Don’t post all of your content across all of these platforms. Use them differently!

• Linkedin
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Google+

Think about what time of day your customers are using these platforms. It will make all of the difference when it comes to how much interaction you get on your posts.

Your blog is your story

They say that your blog should tell the story of your company. Like any story, there will be some highs and lows and different chapters in the life that is your business.

The more authentic you are about your successes and failures with your customers, the more likely they will trust that even if you make a mistake, you will resolve it. Lay your blog out in a chronological order. Tell your story.

We aren’t all experts! Don’t just be related, be relevant

You are the expert. We trust that you know what you are doing. All the way down to the final details. But we don’t need to know all of the final details. If you want me to buy a camera from you, we want to know what the camera’s selling points are and how this can make for better photos and videos.

We don’t want you to tell us about the mechanics of the camera and how it physically works. We just want to know that you know that. Try to talk about what the benefits are for the customer and not just talking about any feature of your product or service (that is related, but not relevant) because it is content you know that you can write.