Category: Uncategorized

Find your Niche

For a better chance of success, start with a market, the trick is to find a group of people who are searching for a solution to a problem, but not finding many results. The internet makes this kind of market research easy: Visit online forums to see what questions people ask and what problems they’re trying to solve. Keyword research will help to find keywords that a lot of people are searching, but for which not many sites are competing. Check out your potential competitors by visiting their sites and taking note of what they’re doing to fill the demand. Then you can use what you’ve learned and create a product for a market that already exists–and do it better than the competition.

Write Excellent Sales Copy

Throughout your copy, you need to focus on how your product or service is uniquely able solve people’s problems or make their lives better. There’s a proven sales copy formula that takes visitors through the selling process from the moment they arrive to the moment they make a purchase. Arouse interest with a compelling headline. Describe the problem your product solves. Establish your credibility as a solver of this problem. Talk about the product and how it benefits the user.

Make a strong guarantee. Create urgency and ask for the sale.

Design and build your website

Once you’ve got your market and product, and you’ve nailed down your selling process, now you’re ready for your small-business web design. Remember to keep it simple. You have fewer than five seconds to grab someone’s attention–otherwise they’re gone, never to be seen again. Some important tips to keep in mind:

Make your navigation clear and simple, and the same on every page. Only use graphics, audio or video if they enhance your message. Include an opt-in offer so you can collect e-mail addresses. Make it easy to buy–no more than two clicks between potential customer and checkout. Remember your website is your online storefront, so make it customer-friendly.

Use search engines to drive sales

Pay-per-click advertising is the easiest way to get traffic to a brand-new site. It has two advantages over waiting for the traffic to come to you organically. First, PPC ads show up on the search pages immediately, and second, PPC ads allow you to test different keywords, as well as headlines, prices and selling approaches. Not only do you get immediate traffic, but you can also use PPC ads to discover your best, highest-converting keywords.

Establish yourself as an expert

People use the internet to find information. Provide that information for free to other sites, and you’ll see more traffic and better search engine rankings. The secret is to always include a link to your site. Create articles, videos or any other content that people will find useful. Include “send to a friend” links on valuable content on your website. Become an active expert in industry forums and social networking sites where your target market hangs out.

 Email marketing turns visitors into buyers.

When you build an opt-in list, you’re creating one of the most valuable assets of your online business. Your customers and subscribers have given you permission to send them email. That means you’re giving them something they’ve asked for.

Email marketing is cheaper and more effective than print, TV or radio because it’s highly targeted. Anyone who visits your site and opts in to your list is a very hot lead. And there’s no better tool than email for following up with those leads.

Not sure where to start? Contact our design and marketing team here or if you want to grow your online shop further with Magento extensions talk to us today

One of the most important decisions when thinking about building a Website is whether or not to have a content management system (CMS) or a hand-coded custom site. Before you start, think about the following points as more often than not you will end up saying “sorry, our CMS won’t let us do that”. Unless you have your own in-house coder then the limitations of a CMS can cause any business a range of frustrations.

Training & Maintenance

Training can be time consuming and expensive, making small changes to your site can end up taking ages. For example, updating the site yourself may create errors (i.e. inserting images that are too large, inserting flash, javascript, video files) that result in substantially altering the design of the template. In the wrong hands, an unmaintained and outdated CMS can do a lot of harm to a website and lead to security vulnerabilities. Not to mention the implications if your server fails.

Flexibility

Businesses change and grow daily and new technologies, processes and customer needs may affect your site and if you cannot react quickly then you could lose that important sale. CMS sites primarily use templates for design. They are easy to recognize because they have a standard format of say 2 or 3 column design with boxes placed in various positions to accommodate the content. Working within the confines of this type of template limits the uniqueness of the design.

Slow Loading

CMS sites are usually database driven so you need to wait for the pages to be processed by the server. If there are hundreds of pages they may be slow to load. This could cause a high bounce rate as most internet users have a short attention span. A site should only take a few seconds to load. A CMS site on a slow server or on a server that includes many other sites will also take a long time to load. A static site that is built using CSS (cascading style sheets) and doesn’t use lots of tables in its design will load much faster than a CMS site.

SEO Maintenance

CMS sites often contain hundreds of pages so it may be difficult to optimize them. For example it will take a long time to change the keywords and meta tags, keywords for web pages need to be refined and altered regularly to keep pace with the changing demographics of peoples’ searches.

How Should you Choose a CMS?

Make a list of features you know you need, and start trying all of the content management systems you can find. There are often demos online that you can use without installing anything, but you shouldn’t have to pay before trying. If you’re totally lost, you can usually get the features you need with WordPress for blogging, Magento for large e-commerce, and OpenCart for small e-commerce. This will help you try before you buy and get a feel for whether a CMS is right for your business.

If you need more help and guidance why not give us a call or click here to contact us and see how we can help you grow or launch your business.

The visual content of your site is one of the most important factors when selling products on-line. Your customers want to feel as though they are almost touching the product before they make the important ‘add to cart’ step. Your images must be well shot, hi-resolution and clear. However, you do not want high definition images taking ages to load, not only will this put your potential customers off but Google will soon see this and your SEO will be less effective. It is important to find the perfect balance between file size and image quality with this in mind we have compiled a brief description of the image file types and how best to use them.

JPGS (JPEGs)                

Probably the most popular file type for images on the web as they have a huge colour pallet. JPEGs are perfect for photographs or images containing lots of colors, shadows, or complex patterns. JPEGs compression algorithm allows it to be saved with a reduced file size with no loss of quality. Plus, JPEG files can also include metadata that describes the contents of the file – helping Google to find you. JPEGs do not however support transparency, so if your image is an irregular shape or you want to use a different background colour you may be better with a PNG format.

PNGS

PNGs are another popular file format online. In Adobe Photoshop, you’ll have the option to save PNG’s as PNG-8 or PNG-24. PNG-8 has a color pallet of 256 colors. This maybe a smaller image size it is not  a good option for photographs or complex graphics. PNG-24 provides a much higher quality image but has a larger file size. PNG files do not lose quality during editing. PNG files tend to be larger than jpegs, because they contain more information, and are lossless. PNG files do not support animation. For this purpose, a gif should be used.

GIFS

Gif images are perfect for creating very low resolution files for your website. They support transparency. You would use a gif for simple logos, icons or symbols. Using a gif for photos is not recommended, because gifs are limited to 256 colors. Gifs support animation but not the level of animation that Flash files do, but it still allows you to add movement or transitions to your site, without a lot of programming or coding.

If you are looking to update your website or even start over completely, our team can help! Contact us today for your quote or take a look at some of the marketing packages on our website.

Searches via mobile is growing daily, with many people leaving a site if it isn’t mobile friendly, therefore your e-Commerce site must be mobile friendly if you want success.

A mobile-friendly Magento store isn’t a competitive advantage anymore, it’s a necessity.

So how do you know if your eCommerce store is optimised for viewing on mobile devices? Here’s a few key points to help you check:

• Fast loading
• Easy to navigate
• Light on text
• Large buttons
• Prominent call to actions

Google also has a Mobile-Friendly Test – all you need to do is fill in your URL and you have the results in seconds

Research has proven that people regularly use their mobile to explore available products before making a purchase decision. With 57.5% of eCommerce traffic coming from smartphones and tablets, it’s crucial your site is mobile ready.

The benefits of a mobile-ready Magento store are endless:

1. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites which means they rank higher

2. First impressions count, if your eCommerce site isn’t rendering well on someone’s phone, you’ll lose the credibility

3. The power of social media; everyone is quick to share their experiences make sure your site gives your customers a good experience worth sharing.

4. It’s a busy world, your customers expect a fast loading site, stats show that 40% of people will leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

5. A well-designed mobile landing page can maximise conversions by getting straight to the point with clear branding, USPs and eye-catching visuals that all encourage action.

6. When designing your mobile optimised Magento website provide visitors with clear calls to action such as a map, opening hours and direct call function.

If you’re ready to move your Magento store into the 21st century, utilising a responsive theme or mobile theme on your store is a good way to stay ahead of your competition. Our experienced developers will work with you every step of the way to ensure the end result meets your needs.

Call us today on 01992 552845 or visit our website to find out how we can help you take the next step.

1. Competition

The more competitive your industry, the more SEO will be needed for your website to reach the first page. If your competitors are well established on line they have probably established effective link profiles and have strong content all the things Google love. Rather than compete for the keywords with strong competition, go after long tailed keywords, but ensure you research suitable keywords before you start.

2. Optimization

It’s not just about having a mobile friendly site, for Google to see you there are certain musts when building or re-developing your site. You need to ensure Google Analytics are installed and tracking with relevant goals set and if possible with a monetary value. Make sure your Adwords Accounts are also linked to Google Analytics and all social widgets are installed. Check your bounce rate and session time, the more you know about your visitor the more you can improve your site. Google’s algorithm uses relevance to determine whether a page is the best result for any search keyword: Relevance is determined using the topic of the page (keyword density, headings, title tags and other on-page factors). Your title tag is the text that will be displayed by Google, make sure it tells your customers exactly what you do and feature relevant keywords. This is just a start, there’s loads more you can do.

3. Limited Links

Quality not quantity is the key, links should complement your site. Links with relevant anchor text inform Google about your page topic and increases your keyword relevance, this helps verify how trustworthy your site is. Links from social media sites can also benefit your site. Promote any new products, special offers or blogs you have on Twitter, Facebook and other relevant sits to encourage users to link to your page. Remember links need to be continually updated and checked.

4. Content

Sites that are content-rich perform better with Google and other search engines, especially if that content is relevant, well written and trustworthy. Descriptions, images and links to your site to help inform search engines and visitors a good idea of what your site is about. Remember if it helps people learn more about your page’s topic, it will help you rank higher. People naturally share useful content and content that has real value will attract links on its own. This will improve SEO and organically boost your page ranking, whilst building customer following. Don’t forget Blogs, another fabulous way of boosting your site’s performance.

5. Design

Finally, but most importantly design, if people don’t like the look of your site they won’t stay long and as mentioned earlier Google don’t like high bounce rates. The user journey needs to be flawless and engaging. Menus and navigation tools must be clear and simple to follow. Make sure your design is responsive and quick loading, there’s nothing worse than waiting ages for a page to load. Websites date quickly as technology moves forward, invest in a site refresh or re-design and you will see a difference in traffic and rankings.

Want to improve your rankings?

We have a range of marketing packages to help get you started.  See our website or talk to us today to see how we can help. 

•  POWERFUL AND SPACIOUS

The Magento platform can support up to 500,000 products on one site, and handle more than 80,000 orders per hour.

• VERSATILE

An intelligent, visual-based page editor allows you to build and customize your site easily.

• MOBILE-FRIENDLY

Magento shopping carts are developed responsively, making them viewable on all devices.

• ADVANCED SEO

Magento was built with SEO efficiency in mind, giving your products a better chance to appear on Google, Bing, etc.

• THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATIONS

Connect your ecommerce experience with Ebay, Paypal, Mail Chimp, Google Shopping, QuickBooks, and much more.

• CUSTOMIZE SECURITY

Keep your site safe and manage internal access with options to customize multiple levels of security permissions.

• INTELLIGENT USER EXPERIENCE

Improve user experience with dynamic search features that filter products according to a multitude of parameters.

• TRIED & TESTED

Over 250,000 businesses use Magento for their ecommerce needs. Magento have an ecosystem of 150,000 developers and a network of 300+ highly-trained solution partners.

• SAVES TIME AND MONEY

Magento is open-source, with an expansive library of customized & tested extensions allowing you to use and share tools with other Magento users.

• MULTIPLE STORES

Magento can run multiple storefronts from ONE backend system.

• DEVELOPER FRIENDLY

Magento developers find it easier to update content, add pages to the website and link pages to the sub or main navigation, saving time and money.

• GOOGLE SERVICES

Many services of Google like Google Analytics, Google Checkout and Google Base can be used with Magento.

• REPORTING

Administration & reporting is easy with Magento. Detailed reporting on site performance, stock demand, out of stock, current orders etc. are all available at the click of a button.

• GLOBAL REACH

Language and currency are two considerable factors when an ecommerce website caters to a wide geographical audience. Magento with its unique features allow you to receive orders from anywhere in the world.

Here, at Colourways Magento, we have solutions and services to help grow your business. Extention installation, site optimization and much more…

Take a look at our website for more.

A responsive website is a single website where the design instinctively adapts to the device it is being viewed on regardless of screen size. The result is that your website looks amazing wherever it is being viewed from mobile to desktop the view is perfect.

The screens on tablets and mobiles are not only different sizes but very different shapes and orientations and more radical changes are coming with the rise of wearables, such as smartwatches and smartglass. Each of these displays the image in a different way and a website that can’t adapt is going to be left behind.

Responsive Web design consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and the intelligent use of CSS media queries. As the user switches from their laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities.

So, is it worth having a responsive web design?

The answer simply is yes. During the period November 2015 to January 2016, 51% of UK online retail sales took place using smartphones and tablets (IMRG) and this figure is set to rise, as visitors become more confident using their smartphones for on-line shopping. Mobile platforms are now more secure, with faster payment processes. Google now labels sites as “mobile friendly” in searches originating from mobile devices. Wearables need a completely different display configuration which is going to make responsive design even more essential over the next few years. There is a continual debate between web designers as to which one to develop first: mobile or desktop, in our opinion there is no right or wrong answer as every website need is different.

Contact us now for advice on responsive design and how we can help improve your website.

www.colourways.co.uk/agency

studio@colourways.co.uk

01992 552 845

Magento is the world’s No. 1 ecommerce platform and as Magento 1 is slowly phased out it is expected that the number of on-line stores updating to Magento 2 will increase. Magento is an advanced, open source e-commerce solution. It requires developer implementation, and as such offers flexibility, complete customization and the ability to scale the software as your business grows. Magento provides an excellent user experience and is easy to use and manage. Magento’s software updates include new features and enhancements that help you improve the shopper experience. Here’s a few of the main benefits of Magento 2 so you can decide if updating will be a benefit to your eCommerce business.

• Performance and Speed

Magento 2 will be 20% faster, the pages will load faster and a greater capacity to handle multiple catalogue.

• Payment Functionality

A new range of PayPal and Braintree features will help streamline purchases an transaction processes.

• Performance Improvements

Static asset creation is faster and SQL media queries have been optimized to boost storefront performance and compilation.

• User friendly checkout

Highly customized and requires fewer steps and customer information.

• Admin Interface Improvements

Admin panel can be fully customized including a simple drag & drop functionality, helping to reduce the time required to manage online stores.

• Stock Listings

Magento 2 now displays the price of out-of-stock products on the product page.

• Reduced upgrade costs

In Magento 2.0, upgrading core Magento software and extensions is easier with lower upgrade costs.

• Better security

Magento 2 offers even better security.

• Modern theming and layout framework

Helping you to create and maintain site variations for, new product lines, seasonal campaigns and market expansions

These changes will help stream line your ecommerce business, to find out more contact our Colourways Magento team