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How do I choose the right website colors?
- Posted by Livecity In category Web Design
When you are thinking about how to create a website that attracts visitors and keeps them coming back, how much thought do you give to the color palette of your website? Believe it or not, the color you choose for your website can have as much of an impact as your content. The principles of using colors to attract visitors or customers goes back much further than the internet, and successful companies such as Walmart and Amazon still use them today.
3 principles for choosing the right colors
- Choose colors that sync with the background you have chosen. It will be important to choose light fonts with dark backgrounds or dark fonts with light backgrounds to have enough contrast to make your text readable.
- Keep your purpose in mind. The colors you chose will inspire emotion in your audience, and you will want to make sure that those emotions match the message that you are trying to convey and what action you want your viewers to take.
- Use no more than three colors. If you go to successful websites and play count the colors, you will invariably find that the most successful ones always choose three colors in their website palette. These are usually most recognizable as colors found in their logo. Used correctly, colors can be a powerful branding tool and people will think of your brand even when seeing the colors you choose elsewhere.
Did you know that...
- Red can generate energy, passion, and excitement or give a sense of power... but also implies anger, aggression, and danger
- Blue is a color that implies spirituality, freedom, patience, and serenity; yet can also imply coldness, sadness, or depression
- Yellow is generally a happy color full of brightness, optimism, happiness, and joy. It has very few negative connotations
- Green is seen as a natural and positive color that implies abundance and prosperity, yet can also allude to poison or decay
- Orange is a friendly and warm color that is among the most approachable of the spectrum. It is also the only color you can eat
- Violet implies wisdom, age, and a measure of sophistication
- Black and white are the absence of color and all colors at once respectively
- Gray is often considered neutral and boring, yet implies maturity and security
- Pink often is pigeonholed as a feminine color, but the more pale the pink the less noticeable it is
No matter what the purpose of your website is, the choice of color can clearly have a big impact on accomplishing what you want to with your site. While it may be fun to just play around with your color palette, always be aware that you color choices are sending a message. Be sure that message is exactly what you intend to send.
For more insight on how to create a website with great color schemes, visit www.livecity.com and check our their free website builder.
How do I choose the right website font?
- Posted by Livecity In category Web Design
There are lots of things that you need to consider when you are building your website, but the first thing on your mind probably isn't fonts. Nevertheless, fonts are one of the most important components to web design and choosing the right one could mean the difference between a successful website and a mess than nobody wants to look at.
We are only talking fonts, right? Well, Steve Jobs famously kicked a developer off a project because he didn't share his enthusiasm for calligraphy. Choice of font has been shown to have a big impact on readability, retainability, and comprehension. You want all three things in your readers no matter what the content of your website is. So how do you know which font is right for you?
Let's take a closer look.
Fonts are a visual medium
Your fonts will need to have a structure that makes it easy for your readers to scan your content. Some fancier fonts such as gothic or comic sans may not be the best choices. Take into consideration if a given font is distracting from the message that it is designed to convey. The very best fonts are easy on the eye and do not make the reader think too much about any given character.
Focus is key
The readability of a font is often determined by how well it brings a given word into focus. Take a moment to stare at the font letter by letter. Are there some letters that don't look right within the font? If a letter within the font alphabet doesn't look the way you think that letter should look, it may make it difficult to focus on what is said when it is used in a word.
Go for subtly over style... but not too much
Often the best font is the one that the reader doesn't even notice. Subtle fonts like Arial and Times New Roman are popular fonts, but they lack style and may seem boring. You may be able to find a reasonable compromise between the two extremes, with a font that is subtle enough to not distract from the message while having a little bit of a stylish kick that best represents what your product or service stands for.
When you have finally decided on the right font or fonts for your website, there will still be choices to be made. What will the ideal font size be? Will you need to code multiple fonts into a style sheet? Will you need other attributes, such as bold or italic text? While you may not have considered fonts to be as important of a design element as graphics or coloring, you may realize at this point that they take a lot more thought than you expected. Your fonts will be an essential part of how your visitors interact with your site and how well they connect with your message.
For more information on how to integrate intentional font planning into your web design, visit www.livecity.com and check out the free website builder.
5 most common web design mistakes
- Posted by Livecity In category Web Design
If you're building a website for the first time, it's important to give it a professional, modern layout that's easy to navigate. Even expert web designers aren't perfect, but if you don't have any web design experience, it's all too easy to repeat the mistakes of the past and create a website that turns visitors away. Avoid these five common web design mistakes to prevent that.
1. Too much information
Today's internet users want simple, clean layouts with plenty of white space. They also want to understand your website's message immediately. If you overwhelm the eyes with too many graphics or large chunks of text, you will distract from your goals. A business website should zero in on its target audience immediately, so decide which three benefits or perks are the most important to convey to your audience. You can elaborate later, but save your homepage for this simple, straightforward introduction.
2. Browser and mobile incompatibility
Modern technology demands usability and compatibility. That means your website should be easy to navigate and free of errors, no matter which device or internet browser your readers use to open it. LiveCity technology already gives you access to easy mobile optimization tools, which adjust your website's content for different screen dimensions and devices. However, one of the most common design mistakes is forgetting to test your final product. No matter what, don't publish or share your website until you've tried to access it on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.
3. Outdated fonts and design
Some telltale website features can date your website, even if you only created it last week. If visitors spot fonts or layout features that they haven't seen since the early 2000's, they might assume your site is outdated and move on to a business that keeps up with modern times. For example, your navigation menu should consist of clickable buttons, not static graphics with links placed over them. Color and font are also very important indicators of a website's (or a web designer's) age. Don't use more than three different fonts on your website, no matter how many pages you have, and make sure none of these three are Comic Sans or Papyrus. These were too trendy a decade ago, and they're not as readable as simple sans serif fonts anyway. Stay away from bright neon colors, and make sure links change colors after they've been clicked. Other outdated features include hit counters that track page views, embedded Flash media, and animations or audio that play automatically.
4. PDF files and other static text
You want readers to access your information as quickly and easily as possible. That won't happen if they have to download Adobe Reader just to view your mission statement, or save an article to their desktop before reading it. Even more importantly, search engines cannot crawl images or PDF files for key words. Search engine optimization (SEO) depends on this. Make sure all the text on your website is entered in HTML5 or simply plain text, so that readers can find and read it without a problem.
5. No call to action or contact request
Many businesses and personal bloggers forget to speak directly to their readers. Make sure there's at least one actionable statement on your homepage, and ask readers for their contact information as well. Even if they don't stay on your website for very long or contact you, they might be interested eventually. When you know how to reach them, you can keep them updated with relevant news, reach out to them about promotions, or simply gather information about your demographic.
Luckily, LiveCity's free website templates and mobile optimization tools are your best defense against amateur blunders like these. If you want to make sure your customers or readers don't go elsewhere, try a free trial of our business website builder and start exploring your options. You'll be a pro in no time!
How to make your website attractive?
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
The key word in this title is attractive. This does not equate to beautiful, or artistic, or aesthetically pleasing, although of course some folks might find your finished design to be so. To misquote a proverb: “Attraction is in the eye of the beholder”. It’s about being a welcoming sight (or site) for those people who you want to visit, and then use, your business. Therefore our first rule of attraction is:
Appreciate your purpose in its creation
Have a clear and specific objective in mind, together with a series of goals to help you achieve this, when using our terrific Livecity tools to make your own website. Throughout the creation process, everything you do should be geared to helping you achieve that objective. Let’s go back for a moment to this starting point. Some folks set an objective of: “To present my business to potential customers”. Sorry – wrong! That’s what it will also achieve, if carefully constructed, but your objective is to get them to buy your products or use your services. Being impressed with the design, and then shopping elsewhere, is not what you want!
Make it quick to load and simple to navigate
The first of these will probably diminish in importance the faster that download speeds become. However, that’s not yet the case for many of your prospective customers. In the past, before we became an internet generation, people would wait for days or even weeks for an order to be delivered. Asking them now to hang on for fifteen or twenty seconds while your pages appear seems like a lifetime. It’s good to view your site on a slow connection just to test the speed.
Navigation needs to be as simple as you can make it, especially as it will be accessed on a range of different desktops, laptops, tablets and mobiles. How frustrating is it when you visit a site looking for a specific item or piece of information, only to have to fight your way through a seemingly endless procession of links? Or spending ages scrolling through unending paragraphs of uninteresting copy to get to the point where you wish to be? It’s also worth remembering that most people will enter your site by search engine and therefore might well not go first to your homepage. Therefore, each page viewed on its own should make clear sense and identify where they are. Finally, make sure the names you use for your links are clear and unambiguous. You don’t make sales by confusing potential customers.
Coloring the impression you make
It’s a no-brainer to use a color scheme in your website that ties in with that of your company itself. Do be careful though to make sure that these colors don’t hamper the chances of your visitors effectively using your site. Therefore, dark copy on dark tinted backgrounds, a series of clashing bold shades, an explosion of too many colors for the eye to be comfortable with, all hamper performance.
Two final points
Errors are not attractive. Yet if you design your own site, typos can slip through. This is because when checking, your sub-conscious simply remembers what you meant to say. Ask someone else to go through carefully and check for you. Finally, as you view your “finished” site, declutter where you can. Simplicity is attractive, especially when your site is being visited by busy folk who want doing business with you to be a swift and simple process.
Working through these points allows you to make a website that does reflect your business but, more importantly, also does its job.
The basics of website usability best practices
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
Believe it or not, you can build your own website from scratch without any previous experience in web design. Blogs, photography portfolios, online shops, and business homepages all serve very different purposes, but no matter what your message or mission, it's always important to make your website as user-friendly as possible. Just learn a few basics before beginning, and make sure your customers can find you online.
Consistency
Colors and fonts should fall within the same color scheme, and your use of each color should be consistent. For example, if the hyperlinks are blue on your homepage, they should be blue on every page too. A consistent, muted background will also contribute to a seamless, professional experience. As you click through the pages, it should appear as though you're flipping through a menu instead of visiting separate, isolated parts with different colors in each background. Don't fall into the trap that defined the internet of the late 1990's, either; light backgrounds and dark fonts are ideal, but if you do want to use a lighter font color, don't pair it with a dizzying bright neon background.
Conciseness
Avoid large blocks of text and focus on readability and spacing instead. Social media blurbs and smartphone apps have shortened the collective attention span of modern internet users. If you want to keep and hold the attention of new visitors, create as much white space as possible by turning every list into a series of bullet points. Break up paragraphs into two or three sentences at the most, and if you're sharing an article or blog post that gets wordy, use a subhead between every two to five paragraphs. Writing your subheads first can help you organize your thoughts and prevent rambling, too.
Compatibility
LiveCity is proud to optimize each website for mobile devices, tweaking the display to fit a variety of screen shapes and sizes. You should do the same for internet browsers. Many an amateur web designer has spent hours poring over every detail of their new website, only to realize that it doesn't look nearly as good on a friend's screen. That's because competing web browsers and screen sizes accommodate the same features in different ways. From videos and pictures to font sizes and background dimensions, always make sure you've viewed your website from more than one device and every possible browser. If you don't, visitors may assume that an unfinished product or altered formatting is actually your best attempt at designing a usable website.
Navigation
Our templates offer built-in navigation menus and customizable ways to orient your website's readers. Take advantage of these. Don't try to squeeze unrelated pieces of information, such as your mission statement and FAQ, in the same page. Instead, settle on four or five pages and make sure they're all accessible from the main URL. Some websites don't actually need a navigation menu, instead relying on a site map for direction and using the main homepage to zero in on an important image, post, or sign-in form.
Designing a responsive website with an intuitive layout will always be worthwhile. Seek second and third opinions from people you trust, make sure to proofread for grammar and spelling errors, and keep your website updated as often as possible. Usability is a necessity if you want your online home to succeed, but thanks to interactive tools and resources like the ones we offer at LiveCity, that won't be a problem for you.
5 useful tips to improve your website design
- Posted by Livecity In category Web Design
It’s terrific that it takes only a few minutes to create a professional business website here on Livecity. With a superb range of templates to choose from the process is simple. Of course, as you work through it, you do want to make sure that your final creation is going to say what you want and present your business as you wish the world to see it. Here are five key tips to help you achieve this:
Take a step back when designing your site
There is a danger that you create your site from an insider’s point of view. Doing so often means you miss out on some key points simply because you already know all there is to know about your business. Imagine it’s your first visit and create a website that a stranger would find attractive, engaging, useful, informative and easy to access.
Speak in their language
Following on from the previous point, you and your team will be in the habit of using a language that is particular to your business. This includes jargon terms whose meanings are plain to you but a mystery to outsiders. It can also include a sort of shorthand – abbreviations you have fallen into using through time and experience. Where you do have to use any such terms, offer a quick explanation for the uninitiated.
Talk to their outcomes
You naturally are keen to present, through your website, information about what you are great at. That’s fine, but only if it’s presented in a context of what the visitor to your business wants to know. Aim to answer a question that is always front-of-mind for anyone visiting your site: “What’s in it for me?” Help them to appreciate the relevance of your products or services, how you meet a need, offer a benefit, or solve a problem. Only then will they be ready to be told how you deliver. Also let them know at this point what makes you unique and how you are better than your competitors.
Design easy-to-action pages
Whether you wish them to call, click through to your online shop, or complete an application or contact form, let them see how easy it is to do so. The less effort you appear to ask for, the more likely are people to stay with you. At the same time, give key reasons for taking this next step without delay – through special limited time offers, the dangers of not taking action – whatever best works with your products or services.
Present your business personality through your website design
Many websites are full of information, present valuable content, but are also incredibly dull. Not every website can be entertaining, but it can have a personality that reflects the business. This can be to-the-point and professional, fun or family friendly. Suppose a stranger viewed your website and then walked through your door. They shouldn’t find the real-life that different from the web-impression!
Now, go to it! As you create your website design, using our terrific Livecity software, apply these tips to produce a truly user-friendly, business-reflecting, results-gaining website.
5 tips for designing a website to showcase your art
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This certainly holds true when it comes to an artist's website. Whether you are an illustrator, painter, or photographer, keeping images front and center is key to a great website. Here are five ways to make sure your website showcases your art.
1. Use a portfolio page
One of the easiest ways to showcase your art is with a portfolio page. Having an art or photography portfolio on your website gives visitors a way to see what you can actually do. Showing examples of past work can say much more about what you offer than anything you could write. Having this on your own website is better than directing them to an external site, such as Flickr, because you can ensure they have the ability to get in touch with you while they look at your work.
2. Include e-commerce
If you have prints available for sale, an e-commerce section of your website is essential. While you might have work featured in galleries or other online shops, including a place for customers to buy directly from the artist is a big part of increasing your exposure. After all, if they've looked through your portfolio, they'll want to have some of your work in their home or office! Make it easy for them by including a place to easily buy your art.
3. Add a blog
Blogging isn't just for writers. They are an important part of any website design, whether it's a photography website or a local business. A blog is a way to share what you are working on, important news about shows and exhibitions, and more. You don't have to write lengthy posts every day, but having a weekly post with a few work in progress photos and a brief story of what you're doing can get people excited about your artwork. It can also encourage them to come back when the final product is available to buy,
4. Choose the right look
All this great content also has to be presented in the right way. Know what market you are trying to reach with your website and choose a website design that suits that audience. If your work focuses on natural landscapes, you will want a different look to your site than you would if you were a street artist. You don't need to design this from scratch yourself, though, as you can find the perfect template for any style of site. This makes it easy to get the ideal website design to showcase your work.
5. Keep it updated
One of the biggest mistakes artists make when it comes to their website is not updating it often enough. When you have a complicated web design, this can be difficult. However, using an easy drag and drop website designer, you can ensure that your website is always current. Along with a blog, this can encourage customers and collectors to keep coming back to your website. If they know it's the best place to see your most recent work, your website will be one they bookmark and keep coming back to.
If you need a website for your photography or art, get in touch to find out what we can offer.
Why Do I Need A Website?
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
It seems like everyone has a website these days, but do you really need one? In this day and age, the answer is clearly yes. There are many reasons why you may need a website, from promotion of your business to expression of your personal beliefs, but more and more both business and personal interactions are moving online.
Whether or not the benefits of having your own website are obvious to you, you may be curious why they have become so indispensable. The answer can be summed up in one word: millennials. It has been projected that millennials get between 90-100% of their news and information online, and as the years go by this is not expected to decrease.
Here are four big reasons why you should have a website right now:
1. You competition already has one
No matter who you are, you have competition and they probably already have a website. No matter if you are a local business competing with a large chain store or a small nonprofit that has another political action group opposing your efforts, a website can help to put you on equal footing with them on the web.
2. People are already looking for you online
You may not know it yet, but people are already looking for you online. Somewhere, someone is typing something into a search engine that would lead directly to your page if it existed. Right now, they have nothing to find so their attention is going to your competitors. People that want to find services that you offer are always going to look online first. What are they going to find?
3. You are always open
You are only human. You have to eat, sleep, and even take weekends or vacations. Fortunately, your website doesn't. A great deal of web surfing happens during non-business hours, when people are home from work and relaxing. These people are your audience, and your website can keep your organization available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
4. Improve the flow of communication
You may already be in the yellow pages or have marketing materials in circulation, but what if you suddenly find out tomorrow that you need to move your place of business or you change the services that you want to advertise? In old-model promotional material, you are out of luck. People will call the wrong number or ask for something that you no longer have at a price that is no longer valid. If you have your own website, updates are never more than just a few keystrokes away.
With so many great reasons, why don't you have a website? The reason so many professionals don't have one is because they believe that it is too expensive to pay for professional design and it can be frustrating to do it on their own. But what if it wasn't? Livecity's Free Website Builder is the perfect way to quickly and easily design your own website. Click Here and start building your future today!
5 things to do after you've built your website
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
If you just finished building your website, congratulations! The hard part is over. You've secured a web host and a memorable URL, and built a website that conveys your message and appeals to your target demographic. But none of that matters until you've perfected and publicized it. If you want your new website to succeed, take these five final steps to increase its visibility, ensure its usability, and make sure all your hard work pays off.
1. Ask friends and peers to sample it
Whether your website is a personal blog or your company's official online headquarters, it's important to ask for a variety of opinions and perspectives before releasing it to the public. Ask colleagues, family members, and friends to browse the website and share their honest opinions. Don't make a beeline for your tech-savvy neighbor, though. To avoid driving people away or confusing your message, you must be able to accommodate a wide range of interests and experience levels.
2. Hone your SEO strategies
Your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts might be the most important part of the entire site-building process. Now that you've built the website, you need to make sure it won't get buried in search engine results. Use Google's Quality Score - or a similar page rank checker - to find out how effective your keywords, hyperlinks, and other SEO factors are. New visitors are the online equivalent of walk-in customers, so if you don't like the results you get, rethink your strategies.
3. Track views and activity
If you built ac or personal website in hopes of receiving ad revenue someday, you shouldn't waste any time tracking your page views. If you're a business owner, these can also help you understand your demographic much better. Google Analytics is widely accepted as the gold standard in website tracking. Create an account and insert their customized code into your LiveCity website. You can find out how long the average visitor spends on your website, which pages they viewed, whether they clicked a link to reach it, and even the country from which they accessed it.
4. Test its browser and mobile compatibility
Building a website isn't as universal as it once was. Each operating system, internet browser, and device has a unique way of receiving and presenting the exact same information. Unless you prioritized browser compatibility throughout the page-building process, you might be on the brink of releasing a product that only works for a fraction of computer users. Open your website with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. If text gets jumbled or the layout no longer works, it's better to make changes now than publish a product that will drive potential customers or readers away. If possible, you should also sample the layout on laptops, tablets, desktop computers, smartphones, and even gaming consoles. LiveCity already generates automatic mobile versions of every website you create, but you should still know how your design decisions translated into this condensed version.
5. Share your work!
Now it's time to start getting page views. If you have customers who can benefit from the website, create a mailing list and distribute the link to them first. Then hit social media, the cheapest and easiest way to reach a mass audience. Write a status that announces your website's launch, and include a promotion or a pop culture reference in order to make the status more attractive and memorable. Don't be afraid to network, either. Print business cards or flyers with your URL, name, and contact information. Keep them in your car, desk, wallet, or purse, and ask friends to pass them along if they meet someone who might be interested.
What is eCommerce and why does my business need it?
- Posted by Livecity In category E-commerce
eCommerce is the common term for any kind of commercial transaction that takes place purely through the internet. This transaction may be between a consumer and an online-only store, on the website of a big-box store chain, or even a business to business transaction. No matter what your business model is, you should take a closer look at eCommerce as a way to build your business.
What does eCommerce do?
eCommerce gives your customers the ability to buy from you without having any limitations imposed by time or distance. Think about that for a moment. A sale that you normally would not have made because the customer was unable to visit during business hours or lived too far away suddenly becomes not only possible, but likely. This shows why there has been such a rapid expansion of eCommerce over the last 10 years and why it shows no signs of slowing down. Businesses worldwide are racing to conquer the eCommerce landscape, but with virtually limitless potential for sales there is plenty of room for everybody.
What about B2B sales?
Conventional wisdom states that consumer sales and B2B sales are light-years apart, but in the case of eCommerce your B2B sales can benefit just as much from an online presence as any retail outlet. Since B2B sales is such a complex arena, with companies dealing with hundreds if not thousands of other customers and suppliers, eCommerce gives these businesses a competitive advantage when they are able to automate and simplify the sales and shipping process. It is often a faster and more affordable way to run a B2B sales company.
So does my business need eCommerce?
Setting up an online store can be difficult, especially if you are not an expert web designer. If you don't have an advanced knowledge of online sales you may be daunted by the prospect of moving a significant portion of your operation online. You may be worried that your online endeavor may fall well short of your expectations and put the success of your business in serious jeopardy. The truth of it is that if you choose not to take the plunge there are a hundred businesses waiting right behind you that will. There is no doubt that eCommerce is here to stay.
When implemented correctly, eCommerce:
- Connects you to a customer base you otherwise never would have access to
- Lower your costs and raise your margins on sales
- Create an automated flow of repeat business and perpetual ordering cycles
- Save you a great deal of money in loss prevention costs
- Increase your brand recognition and make your business a leader in your industry
If any of this sounds good to you, and it should, you should take the time to look into building an eCommerce platform for your business. It may not be as hard as you think it is, and it could have a huge positive impact on your business for years to come.
Why use HTML5 instead of Flash?
- Posted by Livecity In category Website Builder
LiveCity is part of a growing global trend moving toward HTML5 (Hyper Text Markup Language 5), a website coding language that can handle the new demands of the modern internet. Everything from search engine optimization (SEO) to video embedding is easier, faster, and more accurate with this newest version of HTML. That's why so many websites are replacing their old Adobe Flash features with user-friendly HTML5. But why is it so much better?
Universal compatibility
If you use Flash to share content with your readers, not only do you have to download the proper software to create your content; you also have to bet on the fact that your reader will have the software too. Some mobile devices are actually incapable of handling Flash software, but HTML5 is now the standard, so most browsers and devices already support it. With HTML5, everything from graphics to videos to plain text can be created and viewed in the same exact place. Never expect your readers to revisit your website from a personal computer later, or to interrupt their browsing in order to download a new program. In this era of fast-growing technology and shrinking attention spans, you definitely don't want to alienate mobile users or interrupt readers. Reader retention is crucial, so make your first impression a good one.
Search engine visibility
Flash is primarily used to integrate video and audio features into websites, but it can also take up the entirety of a website's content, including text and navigation buttons. This is problematic if you rely on search engines for traffic, or if you want readers to be able to copy and paste your contact information elsewhere. That's because the entire website operates as an image, and search engines cannot detect the text within it. HTML5 text, on the other hand, functions exactly the same way as plain text and can be copied, which means search engines can crawl your website for key words.
Faster than Flash
"Flash" is a bit of a misnomer, because HTML5 is actually much, much faster. In fact, some estimates suggest that it runs up to 58 percent faster than Flash apps, no matter which operating system is used to access it. That's because it doesn't consume as much power as Adobe applications, and it also involves less complicated coding to translate your design commands into a viewable website format.
Videos can be more interactive
Flash videos look downright dated compared to the streamlined, modernized aesthetics of HTML5. You can incorporate text, images, and even interactive buttons into multimedia content that otherwise would have a very stagnant and limited appeal. Tap into your creative possibilities, and distinguish your website from others in the internet crowd. Create an inspiring, creative, and interactive project that will make your readers feel like they're participating in the experience of your website or your business. This is a fantastic way to connect with your potential audience and make customers feel welcome and important. If you're in an artistic profession, it's also a very easy way to convince your audience that you have what it takes to create unique, eye-catching, and unexpected works of art.
Good luck with your web designing! Don't forget to research ways to maximize your HTML5 use.
What is Email Marketing and why I need to use it?
- Posted by Livecity In category PPC & Marketing
There is no shortage of people telling you that you need Email marketing to succeed in today's business environment, but what exactly is Email marketing and why is it so integral to the success of your business?
What is Email Marketing?
Email Marketing is any number of things. It is both environmentally friendly and cost effective. It seems simple but in fact is deeply complicated. Put as simply as possible, Email marketing utilizes electronic mail as a tool of mass communication to engage a sizable group of diverse people. When it is done thoughtlessly and clumsily, people call it Spam. You doubtless have many examples in your email inbox at this very moment. When it is done with deliberation and with respect for the recipients of the message it can be a powerful way to effectively deliver your message.
Imagine for a moment that you were able to quickly and easily reach all of your target markets with personalized and custom-built advertising that costs little to nothing and provides sufficient value that your email recipients will be glad to see it in their new messages. What's more, imagine that they are so happy with what you sent initially that they will happily opt-in to receive additional messages from your organization. You don't have to imagine too hard, because it is happening every day for businesses worldwide.
A typical Email marketing campaign begins with a simple welcome email thanking a new contact or subscriber. This initial message is the key because it gives the recipient the opportunity to learn more about you and opt in to the kind of messages that they are interested in. As the campaign proceeds, your organization uses the information garnered about their interests from surveys and data from their visits to linked content to enhance engagement with your brand through regular email communication. This may come in the form of announcements, newsletters and electronic coupons or even media content and social networking. Every Email that is sent must add value to the online experience of the recipient and incentivize their further interaction with your products or services.
Why do I need Email Marketing?
Email Marketing may be the best option for marketing your business because:
- It gives you a monumental return on investment, being low-cost to implement and producing significant increases in both traffic and sales
- It is an interactive connection with your customers and allows you to learn about them as well as inform them about your brand
- It has a much greater reach than any other method of marketing, allowing nearly instantaneous response to your offers
- It provides measurable results for your analytic software, giving you crucial information that you need to evaluate your marketing strategy
If you are interested in starting an Email Marketing campaign, LiveCity has everything that you need to start generating leads and converting them into your loyal online audience. Click Here and connect to your future subscribers today!
Enhance your business with e-commerce
- Posted by Livecity In category E-commerce
Your business has a lot of opportunities available thanks to the internet. Customers can find your location, learn about what you do, and even make purchases. If you're missing an e-commerce portion of your website, you are missing a huge opportunity to grow your business.
If you sell any goods or services, you can use an e-commerce solution on your website. Showing your customers what you sell is no longer enough. A great website will include an online store where customers can actually make a purchase quickly and easily without leaving the site.
Why include e-commerce?
The short answer to why you should include e-commerce in your business' online activities is this: because your competitors are. Think about it from the customer's point of view. They want the most streamlined process for making their purchase. They will naturally choose the business that offers them the easiest solution. If they're already on a website, allowing them to purchase your goods then and there will be the best choice for them.
Make it secure
One concern that many businesses and customers have is security for online shopping. Payment solutions such as PayPal offer a cost effective and extremely secure way to process purchases. If you already accept card payments in your store or over the phone, you can check with your bank about adding an online component. However, many customers will feel more comfortable with a recognizable brand like PayPal.
Another benefit of offering PayPal payment, whether as your only method or in addition to your own credit card processing, is that customers can have a streamlined checkout process. PayPal stores their card information, so they don't have to reenter everything on your site, making them more likely to complete their purchase with you.
Make it attractive
As web users, we've all been to websites with a poorly designed web store. Whether it's images that are too small, or the whole thing is difficult to navigate, it can leave you frustrated. An unattractive online store can cut down on the number of customers who actually stay and make a purchase.
Using a web solution that can make your e-commerce site easy to use for both you and your customers is a great way to enhance your business. As a business, you need to be able to easily add and remove items from your online store, and manage orders as they come in. For the customers, your site needs to be easy to navigate, attractive, and secure.
With more businesses getting online, you need to stay ahead of the curve, and this means offering online purchases. Even if your business is service based, you can offer online purchases of your time. Your online store can be whatever you and your customers need it to be.
Luckily, creating the perfect e-commerce solution for your business website is easier than ever. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you create a secure and user friendly e-commerce website for your business. You'll be glad you did!
5 reasons a good website design can help you!
- Posted by Livecity In category Web Design
If you have your own business, or are thinking about setting one up, there is nothing more important than an expertly put-together website design. The great news is that you no longer have to spend a fortune to obtain a professional looking website. Livecity.com is a Content Management System (CMS) powered by the latest technologies in website building. With 10 years experience in the industry, we provide the leading software tools that make building a website simple, allowing you a professional finish and complete creative control.
A well thought out website will make it easy for customers to find what they're looking for, be simple and effective to navigate, and have clearly displayed information about the product or service on offer. Thanks to technological advancement, websites have replaced receptions as the first place you can make a first impression with your company – so it’s important to get it right. Here are 5 reasons why a good website design can help your company:
1. Establish yourself as a brand
A great website will help your company to establish itself as a brand. A professional looking website is a fantastic way to emphasize brand messaging, colors and logos, so you stand out as an industry leader in your field.
2. Increase the way you communicate with customers
If you’re looking to build your own company website, Livecity.com’s blogging platform enables you to post blog entries. This not only strengthens your company as a brand and highlights you as experts within your field, but it also gives you a more personable way to communicate with your potential clients. Blogging is a fantastic way to give your company a unique ‘voice’ that potential customers can relate to. Uploading relevant, frequent and interesting blogs is a great way to form loyal customers and long-lasting relationships and increase your search engine optimization.
3. Enhance your income potential
Livecity.com’s easy-to-use software allows you to add Paypal as a payment option for your customers. Paypal is a safe, globally recognized payment platform and will make your company look reputable and professional. Adding it with our simple software couldn’t be easier – just add Paypal buttons to your site and start increasing your profit margins!
4. Become a multi-platform company
Livecity.com’s free website builder uses leading, developed technology that automatically adjusts your website to become smartphone and tablet friendly. This means that customers will be able to clearly see what you’re offering when on the move, without awkward sizing problems. Not only this, but your customers can get further involved by downloading a smartphone app that syncs with your easily-built free website. Keeping up with the latest technology and social media platforms instantly outs you as a trusted expert within your industry.
5. Show more of what you're about
Making your own website is a great way to show off everything that your company is about. A fantastic way to do this is by using Livecity.com’s advanced image gallery software. With this, you can upload as much imagery to your site as you’d like, keeping it looking professional and expertly laid out. Galleries are a great way to showcase your products as well as people enjoying your product or service. Make sure that you caption your pictures clearly so that your customers know what they’re looking at.
10 simple way to optimize your website for search engine results
Whether or not you know how search engines work, you have probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO) and realize how important it is to have a website that is search-engine friendly. How do you accomplish this? Well, the good news is that it is easier than you think. SEO is simply improving the volume and quality of your traffic by giving search engines the information that they need to drive traffic to your site. This can be communicated to the engine any number of ways, but may include proper keyword utilization and content that attracts traffic. Media such as images and videos can also be very helpful components of an SEO strategy.
Here are ten easy tips that will help you to easily improve your search ranking.
1. Meta data
This is a website-building fundamental. Make sure that your title tag on each page matches the page's content. The more accurate the meta tag is, the better the results. It is also important that it is well-written, not stilted, because it is often used as the site description in search results.
2. Backlinks
Quality backlinks can really boost your traffic. Almost every search engine uses them to determine the popularity of a page. It may take a little bit of link analysis, but well-placed links can make all the difference.
3. Content
Having engaging content on your page can be the difference between sitting pretty on the top page of search results and dwelling somewhere on a page nobody ever gets to. This can be quality written work, photos, video, or multimedia presentations. Great content is a force multiplier.
4. Keywords for images
Use the keywords that are popular, but only if they accurately describe your image. Search engines punish sites that use bait-and-switch tactics with image descriptions.
5. Title and description lengths
It does matter how long your titles and descriptions are. Generally speaking, titles should not exceed 70 characters and descriptions should be under 140 characters. Try to include your keywords if possible, but not if they are awkward in the sentence.
6. Unique titles and descriptions
This may be difficult if you have multiple pages, but each page should have keywords and descriptions that are not identical to the other pages. You should also try to avoid those that are too close to other websites.
7. Avoid duplicate content
Duplicate content will get you in trouble faster than anything. Even duplicating what is on your other pages can be problematic. Try to have more than 500 words of content on your page that cannot be found anywhere else.
8. Keywords as site addresses
If you are able to include a relevant keyword in your site address, you will be surprised at how much of a difference it will make in your page ranking.
9. Create and maintain your sitemap
Sitemaps are little more than a listing of your pages, but they can have a huge impact. Good sitemaps will help the engines find your pages much more easily than they could without one.
10. Blogging
Your search results will often hinge on having fresh, updated content. Your blog is one way to make sure that you always have an update for them to take stock of and raise you in the page rankings.
Do you want more great ways to improve your website's SEO? Check out the outstanding SEO tools that are included with Livecity's Free Website Builder today!