MJM Design’s web design blog. Featuring articles and information about web design and web development.

5 Mistakes most eCommerce stores make on a regular basis

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1. Not Adding Schema Markup For Local Stores

Covid-19 has changed the dynamics of the eCommerce industry, with more local stores using the internet and adopting digital marketing. For this reason, local SEO has become more critical for local stores that are searched by its customers.

In addition, one of the most common mistakes in SEO is to be inconsistent with the NAME, Address and Phone Number or NAP across platforms. Their address has to be unique and consistent so that Google would not get confused and could therefore could help when it comes to local citations as well as pass on local SEO ranking factors more efficiently.

2. Targeting High Competitive Keywords Early

When some people are just starting, they make the mistake of aiming for high competitive keywords for new websites. Way back then, when off-page SEO was very powerful, they could figure out their way around Google Algorithms and get rankings for the most competitive keywords.

However, at present, when a website is just new, it is nearly unimaginable to rank for the most highly searched keyword. Most Las Vegas SEO companies will sugges to use Ahrefs and other tools to check the keywords’ difficulty score and make a well informed decision at the same time as they target the right keywords.

3. Forgetting to Optimize Offers, Deals Sales and Pages for SEO

The eCommerce industry usually involves discount offers and seasonal sales. These marketing strategies can be seen on most eCommerce sites. Most often than not, though, marketers forget to optimize these web pages for SEO, which is easy to do.

Since sale pages have higher conversions, they draw audiences with their additional benefits. More often than not, they directly boost traffic on their website. The combination of top-sellig category keywords and focus keywords such as “Sale” or “Discount” increase the probability of conversion manifolds. Therefore, the business owner should remind the Las Vegas website designers to not forget this, and SEO optimize their sale or discount pages.

4. Homepage and Product Page Titles Have Multiple H1 Tags

Google already mentioned in the past that a website can have multiple H1 tags however, the Bing Webmaster tool considers this as an SEO mistake.
The H1 tag has to be unique on all pages. This is since multiple H1 tags look like a powerful way to target their main keywords. Now, if there is a duplication of H1/H2 on a particular page this on-page SEO error should be fixed.

5. Not Optimizing Meta Tags of Product Pages

Since product pages are designed to make a sale, optimizing these pages for SEO can result in increased conversions on their site. Nevertheless, optimizing all product pages can be a challenging for eCommerce sites. There is no way to go around it, though, since this is known to very important.

So, if people have a small business that sells 10 to 15 products, they should prioritize this. When it comes to medium to large scale stores, business owners should try their best to optimize the pages with the top-selling products to rank better on Google, as well as draw their target audience to their site.

5 Standards That a Great Web Design Company Will Match

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1. They Keep Businesses Updated with the Latest Design Trends

No business would like to have a new website with a design that has been popular a decade ago. Web design needs to be constantly updated with the latest trends in technology and design. Businesses with a fresh, constantly updated and modern website are more likely to be trusted by customers. Technologically advanced design companies incorporate the latest trends into their websites.

Web designers should be familiar with responsive design, flat design and parallax scrolling, among numerous other styles and elements. This does not necessarily mean, though, that they should go for all the latest fads. They should use the best of modern and traditional yet proven elements. A website should not only look attractive and fresh, it has to convert as well.

2. They Plan Ahead, Thinking About the Big Picture

About twenty years ago, not too many people used the internet. During these times, a website was created using leftover yellow pages and the budget meant for radio commercials. In this digital world of today, people are more interconnected.

Website companies should show that they fully understand about digital space and have the ability to create a website for businesses thinking about the big picture. In addition, they should be familiar with the differences between on-site and off-site SEO; the difference between traffic and rankings; the way citations can help/hurt them; and the relevance of link building.

3. They Document their Success Process

Leading web design companies record the approach that helps in achieving their success. This evolves together with the industry and can be tweaked a little bit for some particular projects or special circumstances with a systematic plan to become successful. This only shows that the best website designers have the experience required to make a business just as successful as they are.

4. They Establish Goals, Measure Progress, & Are Always Improving

Web design companies that are the best in the industry do not stop at the creation and launching of a website. This is only the point when they let things take off. A web design company that stops at the launch of a website is not worth investing in.

The top web design and marketing companies establish goals, measure progress and continue to improve their work. Today, when a website remains stagnant, the business will lose to competition.

5. They Have Experience in Local and National Level

Businesses, whether known as a local or national brand, should hire a web design company that is knowledgeable with the strategies used in both. Designers who only have experience in working with small/local businesses will not be a good choice for businesses that would like their website to let them become larger and even more successful.

There is a big difference between web design strategies used on a national/global level and a local level. When a web design company is familiar with a wide range of audiences and strategies, they could help businesses achieve their goals. It is best to choose a designer who can think big and small as well as combine both strategies to help them develop even more.

 

What Can Graphic Design Do for Increasing a Website’s Conversions?

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It is crucial for businesses, especially for startups, to use striking graphic design elements in their digital marketing strategy. This is since those who are just new in business are most likely to not have enough credentials for people to buy from their shop.

Graphic design is not only about the difference between interesting and boring. It is the distinction between prospects choosing a startup rather than its competitor. It subconsciously changes the game and influences the decisions of potential customers in a subtle way.

People often have their first impression of a brand just by merely looking at an image. When business owners create a solid visual dimension for their online shop, they will be able to manage and influence the perceptions of viewers.

Businesses should have the right brand identity because this goes beyond the qualifications/awards acquired plus gives potential customers a reason to trust their startup. A graphic design company‘s job is to communicate a company’s message by means of illustration. A skilled designer can create relevant content that encourages emotional response and boosts consumer intent.

If companies need material for their landing page, social media or email marketing campaign, a designer can create for them a strong, consistent message that radiates via their branding. They have to clearly present a call-to-action(CTA) in each startup marketing material to increase conversion rates on marketing channels including their site and social media platforms.

A CTA is a work/phrase that motivates viewers to take action. It is best for graphic designers to work hand in hand with their clients to come up with some keywords that encourage users to take action. More often than not, this will lead readers to go further down the sales funnel, bringing them a step closer to being a buying customer.

Graphic designers will consider the most important stages of a sales funnel in creating effective CTAs. Supposing potential customers land on a website, they need to take the necessary steps before becoming a paying client. In this case, a call-to-action will prove to be effective in conversions and sales.

An example of a CTA is to request the sales team to contact them. Therefore, the graphic designer will create a landing page that is meant to get a lot of visitors to request the sales the team to contact them.

When it comes to graphic design for startup businesses, there are a lot of things to consider including color schemes and typography, to name a few. However, there are also many things that can go wrong. The unique viewpoint and perception of the designer will make marketing materials come back to life with the company’s objectives, goals and aspirations at the forefront of their job.

Superior graphic design can transform a startup business, taking a company’s products and/or services to a whole new level while developing on their core.

Why hire a Las Vegas SEO company, you ask?

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If you want your online business to achieve success in today’s competitive world, it would be best to outsource SEO tasks. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an effective way to make a website, blog or video rank high in search engine results. You should aim to let your website attain an above average presence on the web. The key to having a successful business is to gain top rankings faster than the competition. This can be achieved with the help of an Las Vegas SEO professional company. these experts can assist your business in getting better visibility on the web.

What is  the SEO Service Structure?

Not everyone has SEO skills. Therefore, in most cases, it would be more advantagious to outsource the services of a professional company and achieve excellent results that can have an effect on your profits. SEO covers the following aspects: copywriting with the help of SEO techniques; extensive keyword research; eCommerce; email promotions; article submissions; PPC campaigns; Press releases; social media optimization; link building; blogging and content writing; local maps SEO; algorithm and metrics analysis. An important aspect is to make sure they get along well with your Las Vegas website designers – SEO and web design go hand in hand.

Effective SEO Component Execution

  • Coordination: SEO providers always keep the client’s needs in mind as they coordinate all aspects in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
  • Customization:Such services can be customized to a great extent and a majority of Las Vegas SEO firms have in-house experts that have the expertise and experience to manage these projects in a well organized and goal oriented way.
  • Evolving: SEO practices continue to evolve and have become more challenging due to the never-ending innovations in algorithms of Google, Bing and other big name search engines.

Strategic SEO Methods for traffic increase

SEO companies can help businesses in preparing for the sudden changes caused by the innovations of search engines. When the rankings of a website decline, this will most likely result to a decrease in traffic. SEO professionals work hard to avoid these kinds of situations. Websites that have less traffic often experience a further decrease in potential profits. SEO services are a mixture of tried and tested innovative solutions that are designed to protect your website from Google surprises.

Finding Highly Specialized SEO Solutions

  • By means of supplying optimization conversion services, Las Vegas SEO service providers make sure that people who visit the site execute a call to action. They may buy your products/services, sign up for newsletters or just fill out a form. Usually, visitors that leave the site without purchasing anything goes through an analysis.

  • One of the most imporant goals that majority of SEO services aim to target is to lower the bounce rate of the website. To improve the conversion rate, they see to it to provide relevant content to users, social sharing options and shopping cart security symbols.

  • Another effective solution is viral marketing, which is focused at creating enticing, viral content, which is strategically positioned in different social media platforms. This way, your brand becomes more popular faster as you present your product/services to your targetted market.

Hiring reliable and experienced Las Vegas SEO companies to perform these tasks sees to it that experts are managing search engine optimization and allowing more savings in the resources of your organization. This way, you are able to focus on other important online marketing aspects like branding and conversion.

Web designers come in many flavors – How do you find one suited for your need?

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Your Website Represents Who You Are

You would certainly not construct your new home on your own or let it be decorated by someone who knows nothing about interior design. Most people would not. We would hire a specialist to come up with the best results. An expert web designer knows how to let your website capture the interest of target visitors. First impression lasts so you would like your website to embody you in a more professional manner. This way, you would be able to draw more customers, especially those that have been missed.

Professionalism

Before hiring a web designer, make sure that in addition to knowing how to create a beautiful image, he/she should be able to provide an image that can be helpful to your business and industry. Moreover, he/she should know that creativity and marketing are very important. For a website to be effective, it should look unique but easy to view, simple to navigate, be able to load efficiently and work with all major Internet browsers.

Skills

Hiring a professional web design company to build your website rather than doing it on your own will allow you to save time, energy, money and also a lot of disappointment. You need a variety of skills to build effective websites and web development is more than merely learning the basics such as HTML. A web designer who has years of experience should be skilled in design as well as familiar with other aspects including marketing, SEO, communication, photo optimization, JavaScript, HTML, PHP, Flash and CSS, to name a few.

Customization

Since there are millions of websites on the internet, how will you make your site stand above the rest? While it can be a good option to purchase a regular template since it is cost-efficient and easy to use, there is a tendency for your website to look like many other websites. Aside from this, the various custom features that your website needs such as contact forms, galleries, forums and special scripts do not include pre-made templates. If ever you made use of a pre-made template to create your website and plan to expand it later on, you will have to rebuild the whole site to incorporate the custom features you want.

Clear Message

A web design expert knows how to effectively communicate your message. These professionals have the capability to market and relay your message with the help of fonts, colors, shapes and layouts, among others, as well as deliver a clear message that represents your business in the best way.

A Wise Investment

A professional looking site could propel your business way ahead of competition, which cannot be achieved by using a pre-made template. Lots of individuals across the globe may visit your website each day. For this reason, you have to see to it that it shows what you like them to see. A website created with the use of a pre-made template may be cost-effective and simple to make but hiring the services of experienced web designers can benefit your business more in the long-term.

Web Design Practices to Maintain in 2019

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Web design best practices continue to develop gradually and so, those that worked last year may no longer be relevant today. Companies that consider their website as their digital real estate cannot just ignore this.

In the past, it was enough for businesses to have an online presence in order to survive. However, the trend in consumer behavior changes from time to time, therefore businesses have to get ahead of the competition. This way, they will not miss the chance to engage with their target customers online. A well-designed website is among the most important tools to interact with customers.

Purposeful Landing Page

No one should take landing pages for granted. According to the best web design practices, landing pages should be designed for the purpose of letting visitors engage in the manner desired.

There are different types of landing pages, and each type depends on the nature of business and industry. Some can persuade visitors to purchase products/services. Others encourage them to provide their contact details in exchange of a blog, newsletter or eBook, and these practices are effective since these are what visitors expect.

As a tip, it is best to create a simple landing page by making it clean, focused and without anything overwhelming that could distract visitors.

Optimised CTA Buttons

Websites should be easy to navigate and read. Making visitors scroll or search for information is not at all a good practice. Visitors should have a great user experience. If a visitor does not feel comfortable going across a website, then a prospective lead may have been lost.

There is tough competition online, and the Internet is full of websites, content and businesses. Competitors are only a click away. Therefore, it is critical to let the users be engaged and interested in the business. In this regard, the website design process should have actionable buttons known as Call-to-Action (or CTAs) on top of the fold.

Responsive Web Design

Online best practices around the world say that it is a must to have responsive web design. Businesses should never assume the kind of device being used by customers in accessing their website. This can be a smartphone, tablet or desktop. The way a visitor

experiences a website depends a lot on the type of device, and its screen size. This makes responsive web design a very important aspect.

Social Media

Best web design practices stress the importance of a business’s presence on social media. The website is not the only digital marketing tool, but rather the epicenter in which other tools need to be built. Statistics reveal the millions of active users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, so it is important for a business to have a presence on the mentioned social platforms to make sure of the brand’s visibility, as well as create easy touch points for customers to ultimately boost affinity.

Social media is one such element and in the digital era of today, the audience expects fast, easy seamless interconnection between a website and social media platforms. Adding social media links on a site can help viewers navigate fast on social media profiles so they can learn more about a business and brand.

Looking to hire a reliable web design company? You can’t just place your online image in the hands of any website designers – you have to hire a professional and experienced service. Contact us today!

Reason to Hire a Las Vegas Web Design Expert

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Creativity and dedication

Every Las Vegas web design team should be skilled in web design, with a very creative ideas, and should get to know the target audience very well before creating any website. Whenever the team  is around, nothing will be missed, from all angles. A perfect example is the know-how on different fields – like color psychology. Without a doubt, colors influence human behavior. For instance, red is attractive, captures the interest and encourages consumers to take action. Most web platforms choose colors based on the positive impact they give.

Maintenance is the Way to Succeed

Those who create a website do not intend to just leave it to run by itself. When a website is built by someone who is not a professional, it is likely to have bugs that may pose some possible threat to the business enterprise in its entirety. Hackers can easily detect software vulnerabilities, as well as access control loopholes on sites – so they can steal data – committing what they call “cyber attacks”. Small businesses may think that they are safe from hackers, but they are mistaken. Businesses that have below 100 employees are often targeted by cyber-criminals. So, whatever industry or size of operations a business may have, it is very important to invest with reputable Las Vegas web designers on a regular basis, even if the website is running well, as this is the right thing to do.

Shift from Traditional to Digital Marketing

According to studies, there is a fast reduction in the use of television and print media. This is actually caused by the continuous rise in the use of social media. In addition, because of the technologically advanced devices – such as cell phones, tables and laptops, among others – people seldom watch television, listen to the radio or read newspapers unlike before. In the past, companies used to promote their products and/or services on traditional media, which has declined and is nearly being substituted by digital media.

Speed is Vital

There are times when board exams, universities or colleges publish their results, then suddenly traffic shoots up, leading to a rare occurrence called traffic spike. This is brought about by limited server capacity, which causes the website to breakdown or crash – since it is not prepared for traffic spikes. This can be addressed by investing in tools that can enhance security, and boosting the speed, as well as the user experience score of the website.

When a website performs at its best, it boosts the morale of users, increases the probability of converting into consumers and enhances the website’s SEO quality, increasing its visibility as well. According to a recent study, websites that load fast (within 10 seconds) have greater chances of showing up in the SERPs than those that take more time. Si, it is very critical for businesses to aim on optimizing their website in a way that it runs smoothly and fast. In short, a professionally designed website is always efficient in whatever device it is viewed on. So don’t waste precious time and choose a reliable Las Vegas graphic designers team.

What are the common steps when you create a new website?

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Coding

To start with, open up your text editor and main browser then start typing. Keep on typing code till a page appears in the browser, which combines the planned structure in your wireframes and planned style in your style tiles. Continue until you are satisfied. Everything has got to do with iteration.

Throughout this process, you will keep on resizing the browser to view how the website appears on a variety of screen sizes. You will commit some typos, but later on, figure out things by means of trial and error as well as spend time returning to search for those typos.

Testing

The moment all the basic code is set, it is about time to test your site on different kinds of browsers earlier mentioned. This may result to more bug fixes.

To begin with, do not worry about the small inconsistencies among browsers. (When testing in Internet Explorer 8 or lower, do not worry about the big inconsistencies.) See to it that people can access all the information found on your website. Aim to ensure that people will see the products/services you are selling and take some kind of action in connection with what they see and read.

It is okay if other browsers display a number of pixel-for pixel differences. Such is life. What is most critical is making it work.

Launch

Are you prepared to display your website online? Choose a domain name (like mydomain.com) and web host (computer space that has continuous Internet connection). Upload your files, sit back and relax.

What to do After Launching your Site

Fix everything you disregarded.  Yes, these are the things you planned to fix before the launch. How could you forget that? This can happen to anyone. Post-launch bugs cannot be avoided. When you have a big site, there is a tendency to miss or forget something.

Ask Whenever You Need To

There are things that you still do not know about. You will keep on facing new challenges, issues, strategies and browser bugs. Spend some time asking the help of professionals when it comes to accomplishing things and research about them.

As mentioned over and over again, consider Google as your friend. Whenever you need answers, you need to search for specific words and phrases in relation to the technologies you want to know more about. Read a lot to get used to the lingo. This way, you can easily get help.

Get Feedback

To improve your site, know where you made a mistake. Though you can learn from time and experience, you can learn more from others. If you are just a newbie, my suggestion is for you to be a member of a community of web designers so you can get help in terms of feedback.

Redesign your Website

If your site looks outdated, maybe it is time to redesign it. Or else, you can opt to build a new one. No matter what the reason, use all your skills, knowledge and experience to redesign your website.

You should always invest money in your business image – including having a professional website. That’s why it’s advised to hire a Las Vegas website design company with experience in creating sites for your industry. If they also have a Las Vegas SEO department to prepare your On-Page SEO, that’s awesome.

Qualities you should look for in a web developer

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Unlike in the past, we can easily and freely get our ideas across by means of the Internet and a Smartphone. However, before you can communicate your great ideas to the masses, you need to transform it from a written draft to a functioning website or mobile app.

Most of the time, this means you need the help of a great web/mobile developer. However, this can feel like a very daunting task if ever you have never searched for a good web/mobile developer in the past. A lot of people waste time and cash going through numerous developers to look for the one that suits them best. This is since, you and the developer do not agree on the kind of website you need, the total cost and the time it would take to finish.

Do not bother about the technical skills (which are a lot easy to validate). If the project you are working on is technologically advanced, interpersonal skills are equally important. The following qualities will let you make sure to find the partner you are searching, the web host that can give life to your idea with no time or money wasted.

Trustworthiness

Finding a great web/mobile developer is not like hiring some contractor to do the work you require. They end up being your partner. They use both their skills and tools to bring life to your idea and transform your great vision into reality. If you feel you cannot trust them, you will not feel at ease to work with them.

When there is no trust, it is most likely that you and the developer will not come in agreement with anything. You will probably keep on guessing the decisions or motivations of your developer. Going on further will be more difficult since the process becomes delayed due to lack of trust in your partner.

Passion for Work

People who are very passionate about their work are obviously excited and optimistic with it. Their enthusiasm is carried over into the way they interact with you. When your developer is not too eager to work with you, this attitude will show in their behavior and communication. If that is the case, it is better to find someone else.

Prior Experience(positive) Working with Customers

Even if some developers are good at creating remarkable, high-quality work, they are not as good at working with customers. They are not “for the people”. If your developer does not have any experience working with clients, that will be a problem. When your developer has worked previously with clients, he has a process and workflow on hand, which will makes you have a smoother experience. This could avoid possible problems that may take place during your project, letting you save time and cash. Ask for references when you are unsure about your developer’s ability to deliver your project.

We are a team of experienced web developers Vegas . We help small and medium businesses to build a solid online presence through our website design Vegas services.

What are the Different Types of Web Designers?

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Choosing a website designer is crucial, especially since a great website can draw more potential customers, while a poor site can drive them away. Below you will find some essential things to keep in mind when deciding on a website designer for your project.

What are the Different Types of Web Designers?

Website Designer

He helps you in determining the colors, graphics, navigation, text location and page layout of your site, as well as how pages will cross-link. He may do the graphic art work and computer programming for the site. If he could not do the latter, he could outsource the work to a programmer. A website designer is also called the project manager for your website design.

Website Programmer

He gets the design from the designer, then makes the code to let the site run. He is in charge of all the technical work that takes place behind the scenes to ensure that the website works as it should for the visitors.

Graphic Designer/Artist

He is responsible for choosing the site’s colors, graphics, illustrations, page layout and logo, among others. He is a “visual artist” who creates your site’s brand image.

Internet Marketing Consultant

He helps you determine the role of your website in your overall marketing strategy, and how it lets you draw more sales and traffic.

Here are some questions you can ask your prospects:

  • If you plan to maintain your site, ask them if they can design your site in such a way that a business owner like you can easily maintain it. Your site can be designed on a blog/CMS platform such as WordPress, which lets you edit the text and some graphics.
  • Your contract should include the fact that you are the owner of the copyright to the whole website (excluding stock photos, as well as graphics since the copyright to stock images is owned by the original artist/photographer). You should own all content, the graphics custom created for you as well as the coding work.
  • Make sure you are the owner of your domain name, even though it was registered for you by the website designer.
  • Request your designer to give the original source files you can edit. You need to make sure that you can edit your website (or ask another designer to edit your site) without difficulty.
  • It is important to have a good working relationship with them. Do they have a good disposition? Do you enjoy talking to them? Do they remain focused on their tasks or do they roam around and waste time? Do you get along well in terms of personality and values? Do they provide you with valuable insights and advice on your website design?

Your website can make or break your business. Interviewing potential website designers extensively will give you a better chance of choosing the best one to do the work you need, who will listen to you and create the website that represents you and your brand, as well as follow your budget and time frame.

As you can see, choosing a team of web designers and graphic designers Vegas is an important process that needs to be done with care. Please get in touch with our graphic design Vegas team and let us know more about your project and expectations!