Designing a website isn’t always about the aesthetics or the overall look of it. While the design itself matters a lot, the speed and efficiency of your website should also be at the top of your list. Now, designing a website that is both fast and efficient can be a daunting task. However, by following a few simple tips, you can create a website that both looks great and performs well. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to design a fast and efficient website.
1. Track Your Website’s Performance
Tracking your website’s performance is essential for ensuring that it is running as efficiently as possible. There are a number of tools and services that can help you do this, such as Google PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom. By tracking your website’s performance, you can identify any areas that need improvement and make the necessary changes.
2. Optimize Your Images
Images are an important part of any website, but they can also slow it down if they are not properly optimized. To optimize your images, you should save them in the correct file format and compress them to reduce the file size. You can also use a plugin like WP Smush to automatically optimize your images.
3. Minimize HTTP Requests
Every time a user visits a web page, their browser sends an HTTP request to the server. The more requests a website makes, the longer it will take to load. Therefore, it’s important to minimize the number of HTTP requests your website makes. To achieve this, you need to combine files wherever possible and use CSS instead of images for styling.
4. Use a Cache Plugin
A cache plugin can help speed up the loading of your website by caching your website’s static files (images, JavaScript, CSS, etc.). This will allow the browser to load these files from its local cache, which will result in a faster loading website. There are many different cache plugins available, so be sure to choose one that is compatible with your theme and other plugins.
5. Minimize the Use of Plugins
Plugins are often responsible for slowing down a website. If possible, minimize the use of plugins or use lighter alternatives.
6. Use a Fast Web Host
The type of web host you’re using plays a big role in the speed and performance of your website. Make sure to choose a reputable and fast web host to ensure that your website loads quickly for your users. Some considerations when choosing a web host include the number of servers they have, their response time, and the amount of bandwidth they offer.
7. Rely on a CDN
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of servers that caches web content for faster distribution. By using a CDN, you can reduce the load time of your website by sending requests to the nearest server. There are dozens of different CDNs available, so be sure to choose one that is compatible with your theme and other plugins.
8. Use JavaScript Sparingly
JavaScript is a powerful programming language that is used to create interactive web pages. While it can make your website more dynamic, it can also slow it down if not used properly. To avoid this, you should only use JavaScript when necessary and minify your code to reduce the file size.
Conclusion
Making your business website fast and efficient is key to attracting more customers and maximizing its potential. By following some simple tips, you can ensure that your company’s website loads quickly and is easy to use. Additionally, using online tools can help you optimize your website and make it even more efficient and reduce loading times.
If you want to make sure your website is running at peak performance at all times, it’s best to seek help from a professional web designer or developer. Nerdalert Solutions has the answer for you through our digital marketing services. We’re not here to just help you market your business, but we’re also a web design company in Riverside that can help you build a beautiful and functional website. Partner with us today, and letâs make your business stand out from the competition.
The past year was a big one for UI design, and this year is shaping up to be just as eventful. The trends that emerged in response to the challenges of 2021 are likely to continue to evolve 2022 as new tools and technologies become available. That said, it is important to know each and every one of them so that we may be able to make the most of them.
Below are just a few notable examples.
1. Dark Mode
Dark Mode is nothing new, but in 2022 it became more popular. This is a feature that allows users to switch from the regular background to a darker one. A dark mode makes it easier on the eyes and is more suitable for night usage. Some companies like Twitter and Facebook have introduced dark modes for their users. The concept might sound simple, but it is quite hard to get your head around. Designing with dark mode requires a lot of thought and consideration.
2. Voice UI
This is, in fact, one of the most innovative UI trends of 2022. The introduction of voice UI has led to the demise of buttons and handles. With voice UI, the whole process is automated. You just have to speak, and the machine will do everything that you ask it to do. It is also very efficient as well. Voice UI is also making things easier for the user. It is, in fact, very convenient to ask a machine to do what you want than to go through the troubles of finding the relevant buttons and handles.
3. Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality is no longer something out of sci-fi movies. It is an everyday thing. It has been, in fact, designed to make your life easier. In 2022, seeing people using their VR devices everywhere was not unusual. In fact, it has now become a basic need in many people’s lives. With VR, you can do a lot of things like watch movies and TV shows, listen to music and even attend a meeting. All you need is to put on the VR glasses, and you are good to go.
4. Scroll-Hijacking
As you browse through your feed, you will find that content is automatically loading as you scroll down the screen. This is called scroll hijacking. This is a good strategy for brands as it ensures that their attention is held for longer periods of time. This allows brands to get their message across or sell their product as the user is engaged for longer periods.
5. Vertical Videos
The introduction of high definition has been the reason for the emergence of vertical videos. With the consistent increase in the demand for high-resolution content, it is not a surprise that videos too had to change. Vertical videos allow you to get more content on a single screen. With more and more users preferring mobile phones, vertical videos are definitely the way to go. The introduction of Instagram TV has also popularized this trend.
6. Glassmorphism
We have already seen a lot of physical changes and alterations. This, however, is something new. It is the addition of physical and digital elements to enhance the user experience. The result is a blend of the two physical and digital worlds. In 2022, we saw this brought about by wearables, smart furniture, and even countertops. This trend is changing our perception of the physical world and reshaping how we interact.
Conclusion
Some of the trends that we have outlined above might not necessarily take off in 2022. However, it is not difficult to see that they are definitely shaping up to be the trends of tomorrow. The way we use interfaces and how we interact with machines will be totally different from how we do it today. One thing is certain â as we go deeper into the future, the changes that we will see will be huge.
If you are looking for a reliable web design company in Riverside, CA, look no further than our expertise here at Nerdalert Solutions. We are a Digital Marketing Agency offering local marketing, and digital marketing company strategies based in Riverside. Call us today and let us boost your websiteâs UX/UI in no time!
Digital transformation has shown us a new face of
marketing.
With the increased use of electronic gadgets and the IoT
(Internet of Things), the gap between businesses and customers
have reduced to a great extent. Finally, businesses realized
the importance of digital marketing and started hiring in-house
digital marketers.
Marketing mostly deals with the
advertisement and promotion of products. Marketers should make
a continuous search for the platforms where they can interact
with more people. In this context,
social media evolves as the next big advertising platform
after television and print media.
âAÂ media for interaction using
highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.â
Social media acts as the nexus that connects around 2
billion netizens worldwide. It would seem that social
media is a treasure trove of potential customers.
Leveraging the social media networks for business is
called social media marketing.
If you are a blogger, you can
generate traffic for your business. A service or
product-based business can advertise and promote their services
and products. These are the ways that businesses can use social
media.
Your specific strategies, however, depend on the niche of
your business. There are
so many social media networks available. Each platform
allows marketers to function in different ways. So, you have to
determine which platforms serve you the best.
Social Media Integration in Business
Social media is the perfect place for:
Brand promotion
Lead generation
Customer support
Customer relations management
The number of social users increases rapidly as the
business invests more time and resources into social
media.
And it seems that spending may rise dramatically.
According to the report, the spending will see a 3%
rise in the next 12 months and will be
doubled in the next five years.
In the below infographics,
you can see the social spending of B2B in 2016:
In the below table, you can see the social spending of
B2B and B2C businesses:
If you observe the table, B2C services are investing more on social media
marketing when compared to other businesses. This reason
is due to more exposure to their audience.
Well, the overall spending is in a healthy state.
But when they were surveyed about the integration of social media marketing with their
current marketing strategies, the results are not as
encouraging. CMOs are still failing in implementing strong
social media strategies.
Here is the report of the CMOâs survey where they
inquired the chiefs of around 289 businesses in the US about
the integration of SMM strategies with their business.
23% of social marketers strongly
agreed that they have integrated social media
strategies with their traditional marketing
strategies.
58% marketers simply âagreedâ.
And 40% of marketers feel that SMM has become
harder than it was a year ago.
In such a case, social CMOs should hone
their strategies to get the best outcomes from social
media.
What should the CMOs do?
The younger
generations are more familiar with social media networks. A
junior employee can know more about social media sites when
compared to the CMO of the business. We can call the junior
staff digital natives.
Digital natives can create good business pages on various
social sites. Digital natives can make outstanding
content. But digital natives may not know the best marketing
route to get the desired effect. They need guidance.
It is an undeniable fact that marketing, be it
traditional or digital, deals with strategies. And this is why
a social CMO, whose primary responsibility is to make
strategies, is good for social marketing.
So the CMOs should keep three things in mind for better
social media outcomes:
1. Give a break to the figures
Most marketers are thinking about their social media
figures:
Facebook likes
YouTube views
Twitter retweets
+1s on Google Plus
etc.
Of course, these figures are important. But they are not
the most important.
The count of people you have doesnât matter as much as
what you do with those people.
Simply guide your digital natives around increasing the
amount of likes. They will take care of it.
Once you get those likes, you have to focus on how to
turn your social audience into your loyal customers.
2. Enhance the social skills of your staff
As a CMO, you are the driving force of your businessâs
social media success. But you canât do everything.
As said earlier, your junior staff are likely already
very active on social media. So nurture their skills with
proper training on how to use social media for
business.
This mix of strategy and social media skills can do
wonders for your business.
3. Measure performance
Now you have some great social media strategies and a
well-trained team. And you are making good campaigns on social
media. But how do you analyze your performance?
Different businesses have different goals in social media
marketing:
Some marketers want to increase their brand
awareness.
Some want to generate leads.
Some want to make more conversions.
As a CMO, you have to maintain a checklist of
what outcomes you want from your social media campaigns. We can
call the checklist points key performance
indicators (KPIs).
There are many such KPIs to help you check whether you
are making any difference in your marketing. Letâs have a look
at them:
Key Performance Indicators
1. Rise in engagement
As said above, different marketers need different things
from social media. Facebook likes matter for some marketers and
YouTube views matter for others.
The increase in each parameter indicates your
success.
If you are a retail marketer, measure CTR for your
content on social media and for your sponsored posts. A rise in
these parameters can indicate the increased visibility of your
business on social media.
If you want to use social media for CRM, measure the
feedback for the support you provide on Twitter and
Facebook.
2. Conversions
In terms of digital marketing, getting someone to perform
the desired action is known as a conversion.
In a social media context, getting a response from your
call-to-action is the conversion (a key performance
indicator).
For example, you want to increase registrations on your
website. You use the call-to-action âRegisterâ in your
campaigns. The number of registrations you get from the
campaigns is the measurement of your performance.
You have to measure two types of conversions:
Conversions on your website.
Conversions on social media.
You might want to try
different types of content on your website to attract your
users. Determine what kind of content gets you more conversions
and make more of that content.
On social media, you may have tried different kinds of
campaigns. Measure how much budget you have allocated for each
campaign and plan how you want to manage your budget depending
on each performance.
3. Sentiment analysis
As people are so expressive on social media, you can
easily measure the sentiment.
Knowing what the public is saying about your brand is a
very important thing.
As a CMO of a business, you are responsible for the
reputation of your brand. So, you have to know what your
users are thinking about your brand. There are many tools available that analyze
sentiment.
4. ROI
ROI is possibly the most important KPI.
When you are investing valuable time, money, and effort,
it is so important to make sure you are getting worthy returns.
As per the social media industry report:
Only 41% of marketers said that they are able to measure ROI.
37% of marketers are still uncertain.
But social media is not just for posting content and
getting likes.
Itâs a great place for generating leads and driving more
traffic to your website. But this doesnât happen so easily. It
costs you time, money, and resources.
You have to get the best possible outcomes from social
media. So, CMOs need to measure the social media ROI.
Conclusion
Awareness, targeting, and lead generation (the
trifecta of marketing), have become easier with
social media marketing.
As of now, there are around 2.35 billion social
media users in the world. And it is predicted that
there will be 3 billion by
2020.Â
Integrating social media marketing with your traditional
marketing strategies should become the most prioritized task of
CMOs. They should utilize their young talent and implement
potential strategies to make a prosperous business in todayâs
digital era.
What are your thoughts on this article? Share your comments
below!
Did you like this post? Share it with your friends on
Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus!
Every user requires a single access point instead of multiple interfaces which are well connected, smart and fast. Almost every industry is investing in Internet of Things (IoT) recently. IoT is one of the transformational trends that will shape the future of businesses in 2017 and beyond. Many firms see big opportunity in IoT uses and enterprises start to believe that IoT holds the promise to enhance customer relationships and drive business growth by improving quality, productivity, and reliability. By having the right IoT model companies will be rewarded with new customers, better insights, and improved customer satisfaction to mention few benefits.
Top 7 IOT Trends
1. Internet of Things Platforms
Apps driven platform is getting replaced by Artificial Intelligence driven platform.
Good platforms provide enormous value by linking IoT to advanced analytics and applications to generate business outcomes. This enables the generated data to be meaningfully used by the users.
An IoT platform is required to collect data, connect devices, handle hundreds of vendors and dozens of wireless standards (like LoRa and SigFox etc.) and must be scalable enough to send messages across the network.
Platforms must be able and efficient enough to add close loop automation, privacy, security, cognitive and insight generation.
IoT can sometimes even act as an agent to transform business.
2. Security
Security is an important aspect, when everything is connected via internet. People rely on internet as it makes their lives easier and happier.Application developers, device Manufacturers, operators, consumers, enterprise businesses and integrators etc all have to follow best practices to keep their data secure. A multi-layered approach is required for Internet of Things security. Security approach must start with hardware devices then coming over to software / firmware.
A sequence of education, interoperability and decent design along with a proactive approach in designing security features is required to create better products and solutions.
3. Cognitive Computing
Internet of Things presents tremendous opportunities.
The commoditization of sensors, memory and processors has made things more intelligent rather than just being connected in a network and being identified with their IP addresses.
Traditional IoT implementations are accompanied by cognitive computing which increases the amount of data that helps in improving the learning environment and increases the possibilities of edge analytics.
Multiple data streams can be combined with cognitive IoT.
Sensors can be made capable of diagnosing and getting adapted with the environment, without human interference.
IoT value is further showcased by artificial intelligence, cognitive IoT and machine learning. To make use of existing IoT data and information new approaches are required
4. IoT and Many Mobile Moments
IoT is creating new opportunities and providing a competitive advantage for businesses in current and new markets. It touches everythingânot just the data, but how, when, where and why you collect it.
The technologies that have created the Internet of Things arenât changing the internet only, but rather change the things connected to the internet. More mobile moments (the moments in which a person pulls out a mobile device to get what he or she wants, immediately and in context) will appear on the connected device, right from home appliances to cars to smartwatches and virtual assistants.
All these connected devices will have the potential of offering a rich stream of data that will then be used by product and service owners to interact with their consumers.â
5. IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Containers
In an IoT situation, AI can help companies take the billions of data points they have and boil them down to whatâs really meaningful.
The general premise is the same as in the retail applications â review and analyzes the data youâve collected to find patterns or similarities that can be learned from so that better decisions can be made.
The year 2017 would see Internet of Things software being distributed across cloud services, edge devices, and gateways. The year would also witness IoT solutions being built on modern Microservices (an approach to application development in which a large application is built as a suite of modular services.
Each module supports a specific business goal and uses a simple, well-defined interface to communicate with other modules) and containers (lightweight virtualization) that would work across this distributed architecture. Further, machine-learning cloud services and Artificial Intelligence will be put to use to mine the data that would be coming in from IoT devices.â
6. IoT and New Business Models
The bottom line is a big motivation for starting, investing in, and operating any business, without a sound and solid business models for IoT we will have another bubble , this model must satisfy all the requirements for all kinds of e-commerce; vertical markets, horizontal markets, and consumer markets.
A new business model including sharing cost of devices with consumers, reducing the cost of ownership and making UX less hassle and more joyful. 2017 will see new categories being added to smart markets.
One key element is to bundle service with the product, for example, devices like Amazonâs Alexa will be considered just another wireless speaker without the services provided like voice recognition, music streaming, and booking Uber service to mention few.â
7. IoT and Blockchain Will Converge
Blockchain is more than a concept now and has applications in many verticals besides FinTech including IoT. Blockchain technology is considered by many experts as the missing link to settle scalability, privacy, and reliability concerns in the Internet of Things.
Blockchain technology can be used in tracking billions of connected devices, enable the processing of transactions and coordination between devices; allow for significant savings to IoT industry manufacturers.
This decentralized approach would eliminate single points of failure, creating a more resilient ecosystem for devices to run on.
The cryptographic algorithms used by Blockchain would make consumer data more private. In 2017 IoT will converge with Blockchain for better security and privacy opening the door for a new category in applications, hardware, and talents.
Conclusion
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem of ever-increasing complexity; it is the next level of automation of every object in our life and convergence of new technologies will make IoT implementation much easier and faster, which in turn will improve many aspects of our life at home and at work and in between. From refrigerators to parking spaces to smart houses, IoT is bringing more and more things into the digital fold every day, which will likely make IoT a multi-trillion dollar industry in the near future.
One possible outcome in the near future is the introduction of âIoT as a Serviceâ technology. If that service offered and used the same way we use other flavors of âas a serviceâ technologies today the possibilities of applications in real life will be unlimited.
Artificial intelligence is the new trend in tech and marketing. Consumers are loving it. Whatâs the ultimate goal of any brand or business? Engaging customers.
But what does engagement really mean in 2017? Today is the era of conversational marketing. If you want to win customers, you MUST make a real conversation with them. Even if you count how many messaging apps you have on your mobile phone, the chances are you have more than two or three apps.
Messaging apps have become important in our daily lives. 55% of the population of the planet use a messenger app every single day
And chatbot is the newest trend in messaging. A Chatbot is an interactive and interesting automated phone system which allows you to connect with a brand.
âIn its most basic form (weâll use basic as a relative term here), a chatbot is a form of artificial intelligence that combined with rules and algorithms that allows for a text-based chat interface to communicate with others. A chatbot is a tool that lets brands interact over chat with consumers.â
Let me make it more simple for you. Read this statement by Mark Zuckerberg,
âWe think you should message a business just the way you would message a friend.â
This statement means more than any other technical definition.
Hereâs an example to make it clearer:
If you wanted to order pizza from Dominoâs, youâd go to their site, look around until you find your choice pizza, and then youâd order that.
But with the help of a Dominoâs chatbot, youâd simply be able to message them on Facebook Messenger. It will understand your requirement by asking you relevant questions and you would simply tell it what you wantâĶ Simple.
âBots can provide anything from automated subscription content like weather and traffic updates to customised communications like receipts, shipping notifications, and live automated messages all by interacting directly with the people who want to get them.â
Watch this video  â Facebook showing what a chatbot can do.
Here are some examples of chatbots:
TacoBot is the Taco Bell (Fast food chain) robot. They unveiled it on the popular messaging platform Slack, which allows customers to order food by messaging TacoBot, which asks all the right questions.
H&M, Sephora, and Victoriaâs Secret have all recently introduced chatbots which make suggestions to customers and allow them to buy through the messaging platform. Burger King and Pizza Hut allow customers to order food directly through Facebook Messenger by messaging the restaurant chainsâ bots.
CELEB STYLE chatbot analyses what your favourite celebrities are wearing and tells consumers where they can purchase each wardrobe item.
With 300 million downloads, the Kik chat app is used by close to 40% US teens. Facebook Messenger is another major player with 1 billion users! Some other popular platforms are: Slack, WhatsApp, ChatFuel, and many others.
Do you wonder what is the potential impact of a chatbot on an ecommerce startup? Take a look at some stats:
Live chat users spend an average of 5%-30% more and The buyer conversion rate is 5 to 10 times higher following a chat session. (Source)
90% of our time on mobile is spent on messaging platforms. People are using messenger apps more than they are using social networks. (Source)
80% of businesses said they already used or planned to use chatbots by 2020.
So, a chatbot is a BIG opportunity for your ecommerce startup to get ahead of your competition. Jes Stiles, CMO Emerging Markets, Ringier AG, perfectly answers why chatbots are important:Â âA messenger bot can allow you to have personalised 1-1 conversations at scale, opening up a whole new audience who do not wish to connect with the brand over email or download an app. Moreover, when built in a user-friendly manner, chatbots can actually provide a better experience than a human for common use cases with faster response times (no matter what time or day of the week) and greater personalisation of content.â
The Role Of  Chatbots In Ecommerce
Letâs take a look at how chatbots will completely change the way you do business:
Customer Experience And Service
Chatbots are meant to replace traditional chats and other communication media like phone calls and emails. The days are not that far when it completely replaces all human interaction.
Chatbot will take your customer service to another level. A chatbot can give your customers a quick, personalised, and interactive customer experience. They are meant to deliver instant and round-the-clock services and support to customers in need, offering all customers a quick and instant resolution to their queries and complaints.
Improve Your Sales
An ecommerce company which has chatbots indeed offers a prominent feature on their brand.
Chatbots can help you in the generation of potential leads and drive sales. A chatbot quickly responds to the customers who are scrolling through your sales page, can help to capture all potential customers by supplying their useful information to the sales department.
Chatbot can also send notifications and reminders to your prospects.
Make Conversation With Users
You can shop or order something in a conversational style. For example, your order a pair of shoes online by using the shopping website or by downloading the app of an online shopping site.
But with a chatbot, you donât need to download an app or open a website. Just open Messenger, type XYZ shoes and a bot will take your order. It will ask you some relevant questions and show you shoes according to your preferences.
It will save a lot of time of your users. They serve the purpose in the best possible manner.
Help Customers To Make A Purchasing Decision
Chatbots help customers (who are not tech-friendly) in putting the items in the shopping cart and successfully completing the whole shopping process.
A chatbot stores your order history and suggests similar or complimentary products. If you have a confusion about any product, you can chat with a bot to ask your questions.
Do you want to register a complaint? Or do you need to return a product?
You donât have to write a long email and no need of a telephonic conversation. A chatbot will take care of it. A chatbot gives a personalised feel to your customers. And makes your users feel like they are talking with a human. It will help you to cut business costs.
About The Author
[The author of this post is Kunjal Panchal, Digital Strategist and a social media geek â passionate about content marketing and strongly believes in the power of storytelling for marketing.]
Note from Inc42: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views held by Inc42, its creators or employees. Inc42 is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by guest bloggers.
