QoftheWeek - Ever use a DIY Website Builder?

This week I'd like to know if you have ever used a do-it-yourself website builder like Wix or SquareSpace?  If so, are / were you happy with the site?  Did it perform well for you?

Please feel free to elaborate on your experience with a comment.  Whether your experience was good or bad, I'd like to hear why you felt that way.

Results from last week's question:
I did not get very many responses to the question.  There were a two people who said that they do believe color has an effect on productivity and mood. And I got a lot of 'like' clicks on the question. But, no one told me the color of their workspace and how it effected them.

If you would like to respond to last weeks question, please feel free.  The questions are really never closed.

QoftheWeek - Color Effects

Well, I did say in the first QoftheWeek (Question of the Week) post that I probably would not
actually get around to having one question each week...

But, here is the second question in this series: Do you believe the colors in your work space make a difference on how you work? (If so, what is the color of your primary work space)?

I have read many times that the color of your work space (or any space) can effect the way you feel and your productivity.  For example, red is supposed to make you feel more aggressive, blue more calm, orange more social.  I would like to find out how many people really feel the color of their work space actually influences their mood/productivity.

As a reference:

• Red accelerates the heart rate, giving you a jolt of energy. Your eye is instantly drawn to red, and it promotes physical activity and emotion.
• Orange is a social color, encouraging interaction. It works well in meeting rooms or other social spaces, though it might not be the most productivity-inducing shade.
• Yellow stimulates creativity and optimism. If you’re a designer or creative professional, this could be your workspace accent color.
• Green behaves almost as a neutral for the human brain. It is calming, and also causes zero eye strain over long periods of time.
• Blue is the most universally productive color. Calming and stable, it helps most people focus on intensive tasks.
• Purple stimulates problem solving, despite not being a very popular color in workspace decor.
• Rainbows make us happy, creative, energetic, productive unicorns. (Okay, fine, that last one is not backed up by science.)

Please provide your answers in the comments section.

Results from April 20 Question:
Q: "What was the last app you used on your phone or tablet that WAS NOT a social media app?"

Results:
60% of the responses were 'business apps.'  The most common business app was Basecamp.  Other popular apps: TimeTrack (or other time tracking apps), cloud storage apps like Dropbox and Google Drive, and email apps. Skype for business was also mentioned.

32% used their phone / tabled for sports apps with the ESPN app taking the majority share of responses.

The final 8% was a mix of 'utility' apps.  These included the camera and apps to customize pictures, Wi-Fi phone apps and other communication apps like Skype (used for family/friend communication), apps for maps and directions, and apps for watching TV and listening to music.

My Thoughts:
Honestly, I thought the TV / video / music apps would take the number one spot!  And I was surprised that sports apps took a whole 32%!  Finally, where was Slack?  I keep reading about how Slack has taken off.  But it was not mentioned even once (and Skype was).  My only guess there is that people consider Slack a social app and not a business / communications app.

May Special

In May we are offering 25% off the quoted price for all mobile applications.*

How it works:

1) contact us for a quote. Tell us about your mobile application idea – DO NOT tell us that you know about this special.

2) We will send you a quote for your review.

3) If you would like to proceed with your project, give us the promo code MAY2016 and we will take 25% off the quoted price we sent you. (If you don't remember the code, it's really not a big deal. Just tell us about this post and where you saw it).

Did you get a quote on your project earlier this year? You are not left out! Contact us about a quote we provided you January – April 2016 and we will extend this offer to you as well!

Contact us by phone at 407-259-2856 use the sales extension.

Or online at http:www.freelanceitsolutions.com/pages/contact_us.phphttp:www.freelanceitsolutions.com/pages/contact_us.php

*To take advantage of this offer, you must contract for your application in May, 2016. This offer is good for all quotes provided January through May, 2016. This offer is not good for projects in progress or already completed – sorry.

Question of the Week (Something New)

I spend a lot of time online looking at statistics... how often do people access sites on their
phone vs. a computer, % of sales online vs. brick-and-mortar, how many people drive red cars... blah, blah, blah.

Now, out of curiosity, I'm going to start something new, the QoftheW - "Question of the Week." (I might not actually get one out once a week). Please use the comment area to answer the question, if you want. You can make your answer as long or as short as you want.  Give it a little humor or be very serious.  Tell me why your are answering the way you are, or don't.  The whole thing is up to you and is meant to be fun, while also gathering a little data.

The week after each question is asked, I will post the results (if appropriate) for each question that I've posted across several social media sites and through email.

This weeks question: "What was the last app you used on your phone or tablet that WAS NOT a social media app (like Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?"

Google Ranks Secure Sites Higher

Recently Google announced that they have begun giving preference to sites that use the HTTPS protocol – this is the secure version of the more common, HTTP. Google is doing this because the process of obtaining the security certificate to use HTTPS (an SSL Certificate, more on that later) involves some research and vetting of the company / person applying for it. (Although maybe it's because, secretly they invest in companies that supply the certs – where are all the conspiracy theorists*??)

This HTTP / HTTPS / SSL stuff might be causing some confusion. So, here is something that will help … at least I hope it helps.

HTTP and HTTPS, What are They?

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It handles the formatting and transmission of data between the Web server and your browser. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP – that's what the “S” means. This version of HTTP encrypts the data moving between your browser and the server.

What is SSL

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. This is a protocol that creates a unique key and uses it to encrypt and 'de-encrypt' information being sent between two computers. The encryption code is shared between only the sending and receiving machines, making it very hard for a third party (machine) to figure out what is being sent back and forth. This is why websites that gather and send payment information often implement SSL. (In some states, the use of SSL is required for sites that collect credit/debit card info, Social Security Numbers, or child information).

An SSL Certificate is a digital signature that says, “this owner and/or domain have been checked out.” Installing an SSL Certificate on your website is what gives you the “S” in HTTPS. Note that the HTTPS protocol can be forced on a website without a valid SSL Certificate. But, the major browsers will popup a nice big warning letting you know they can not verify the security. If you really trust the site, you can bypass this warning. But make sure you really trust it before entering any personal info!!

Getting a Certificate

You can purchase a Certificate directly from a company like Network Solutions, DigiCert or RapidSSL. But, I highly recommend that you ask your developer or hosting company for help. They may charge a little to get everything set up. But, this charge will be less painful than trying to get this all together yourself! Also, many hosting companies offer a service with includes the purchase of the certificate, installation of the certificate on your domain, and the changes that are required to go from the HTTP to the HTTPS protocol.

There are three different types of SSL Certificates. They involve different levels of research/investigation into your business and domain (none are intrusive and this research takes place behind the scenes, except for a few emails you might receive).

First is the Extended Validation Certificate. It checks the right of the applicant to use the domain that will be protected and the certifying company conducts a thorough and detailed vetting of the organization represented by the site.

Next is the Organization Validation Certificate. The authorizing company will check the right of the applicant to use the specific domain name and will also check into the organization represented by the domain or the company that owns the domain. This check is not as thorough as the check for the Extended Validation Certificate.

Finally, there is the Domain Validation Certificate. With this type of certificate, the applicant is checked to make sure they have the right to use the domain covered by the certificate.

All this information is available to your visitor / buyer when they click on the Secure Site Seal. **I highly recommend that you have your developer put this seal and link (provided by the authorization company) on your site in prominent locations, such as the home page, cart and checkout pages, or form pages that collect personal information or information about children.** If you are on a site where you are asked for any of this kind of information, you may want to click on the seal to see what kind of certificate the domain has.

Why So Many Different Prices?

Prices can very greatly for SSL Certificates. Factors effecting price:

• the issuing company for the certificate.
• what level of compensation you want if the data is stolen during transmission.
• what the certification covers – a single domain, the domain and its sub-domains, or multiple domains.
• the number of years you purchase the certificate for (most certification companies now allow you to purchase for multiple years).

Another things that may increase the price is the cost charged by your developer / host provider to install the certificate for you. If working with your developer / host provider, I recommend you ask for an itemized list including the cost of the certificate type, plus the cost of the 'add on' features, and the cost of their services and assistance.

Some Final Notes

Watch your site - when your certificate is installed and takes effect, there may be links to other pages, sites and images that are broken. Also, make sure your developer / host company sets up your site to automatically go to HTTPS even if someone types or uses a link that still has the HTTP protocol specified.

It is worth remembering that with the cost of an SSL Certificate, you are not only providing assurance to your visitors, you are protecting yourself / your business, and you are helping your Google search rankings!

It is my hope that this post helps you understand HTTPS and SSL. If you have questions, please feel free to comment here or ask questions on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other social media site you came here from.  You may also ask questions using the contact form on our website.

*This line is a joke, please no comments about it.

10 Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring... A time for renewal. A time for new flowers, leaves, grass. A time for... yes, cleaning. Not your house or garage - well, maybe they need it too, but I'm talking about your website. Doing some 'Spring cleaning' on your website is not only a good idea, it is critical to search engine optimization and customer retention. Here are 10 tips to help you get started with your website Spring cleaning.

1) Clean up, optimize, and change images. It is important to keep images fresh. New images can rejuvenate a site – make it look new and different. Images grab attention and with new images you can grab the attention of even regular visitors to your site. Also, pictures can become dated – hair styles, cars, and furniture can show the age of an old site. And old images may give the impression of neglect.

Images should also be optimized to reduce load time – something that can really effect how fast your pages load.

While you are reviewing images, you should also work with your developer to review the 'alt' and 'title' tags used with each image. The values used with these tags can effect search engine results.

2) Figure out which pages are performing well and which are not. Using analytics, check to see which pages are getting the most hits per month and which are getting the least. Are those least visited pages necessary? Can they be re-purposed? If they are important, maybe reworking them (images and copy) will help to boost their visits. This can create a better user experience and boost your ratings with search engines.

If pages like your 'contact' page are not getting hits, try adding call-to-action buttons to other pages that encourage visitors to request more information.

3) Check for broken links. Broken links have a big negative effect on your search engine rankings. And they are really annoying to your human visitors. Pages may have been added or deleted from your site. Are you sure that all the navigation and reference links throughout your site were updated?

It's also important to check the links to external web pages. Are the links still good? And if the links do go somewhere, are you sure those pages are still relevant?

4) Have your developer check for old code. In the past few years there have been many changes to code that can speed up website loading and response times. Studies show that users begin to lose interest in about 13 seconds. Ask your developer if any of the code can be “minified.” (He / She should know what that means).

Images can slow down a site dramatically. In most cases, there is no need to have images load below the viewable area in the browser. There are a few new methods that will load the images only as the page is scrolled and they are needed.

5) Refresh the description for products and services. Your products and services may not have changed. But, the words and phrases people use to search for them may have. Review the descriptions you use for your products/services. Make sure they include the most used search words and phrases (those keyword and phrases you're always hearing about).

6) Evaluate your product offerings. Are there products or services that just don't sell online? You may consider removing them from the site to help streamline the website as a whole. Or you may consider reordering things on catalog listing pages, moving your best selling products to the top. Or highlighting the best selling services on your home page.

If these poor performing projects/services are your highest margin offerings and you would really like to push them, can changes to their descriptions and images make them more appealing? Consider special offers and call-to-action buttons on other areas of your site to highlight these products/services.

7) Can you improve navigation. As mentioned before, visitors begin to lose interest in about 13 seconds. If they can't find what they are looking for easily, they will quickly lose interest and leave. Your navigation system should be smartly thought out. Your most important links should be in the main menu (usually at the top of the page). If you have more links than can fit nicely in the main menu, consider a secondary menu in a sidebar or in the footer – both common areas to find larger menus.

Also, if you decide to use drop-down or popup menus off the main menu, pay attention to the number of items and their order. The most visited pages should be listed at the top. Likewise, list your best selling products or services in the most prominent places in your navigation system.

8) Review links to your social media pages. Marketing through social media content is more important than ever. Internet users are much more likely to follow you on social media than to visit your site. Make sure that visitors to your site know you have a presence on their favorite social media site(s). Place social media icons in an easy to find area of each page. Make sure the links are valid. Social media sites often change their APIs. Make sure your “like” and “share” links for those sites work correctly.

9) Review your “About Us,” FAQ, and “Contact Us” pages. Does your “About Us” page include the latest information about your staff and your company? Are all the questions and answers on your FAQ page still relevant? How about the information on your “Contact Us” page?

Making your business more personable is a proven way to impress and win over clients. Put some thought into what you say about your business and your staff on your “About Us” page. Replace 'cold facts and history' with a story-like presentation. Show friendly pictures of your staff at work.

Don't let the FAQ page become bloated. This slows down performance and makes it more difficult for users to find the information they need. Remove all Q and A's that are no longer relevant. If your list is still long, try some different presentation methods and search options to make it easier for the user to find what they are looking for.

Does your “Contact Us” page have the latest information on how to contact you? Are contact forms streamline and do they work? Are all the fields relevant? Visitors are more likely to use your form if it is short and does not ask for too much personal information.

10) Streamline checkout. If your site uses a shopping cart checkout or if you allow clients to pay online, make sure this process is as streamline and simple as possible. For example, if you ask for a fax number, remove it. In 2016, it's just not needed any more. If you have separate areas for billing and shipping addresses, there should be a simple way to auto-fill one after the information is entered in the other. If you already have a button or checkbox for this, make sure it works.

When making a purchase, users expect to have to provide more information. But, this process should be as easy and quick as possible. Your visitors may put things in their shopping cart and intent to purchase. But if your checkout process is frustrating or too long, they are likely to leave. Online users have come to expect 'easy and quick.' If your process is to frustrating and long, they will go to your competitors.

A few small changes, some review time, and some quick checks can revitalize your website and your visitors experience. It's worth a little 'spring cleaning' time!

If you have questions about any of these (or other) items, please feel free to comment here, contact us on Facebook, or visit our website - which might need a little Spring cleaning too!

And if you are looking for a fresh new website this Spring, check out our March WordPress Specials!

March Specials

I've fallen behind on my blogs.  With all the absences (both planned and unplanned) in the office and the equipment upgrades we've been doing, there just hasn't been time for the "luxury" of social media and blogging.

But, things seem to be getting back to normal, so I'll be getting back to blogging this month!

I did want to post the March WordPress Specials here - we are only halfway through March.  So, there is still time to take advantage of these great deals!  For more information and to see demos, click here.