Thinking about changing your WordPress site design? Here is what you need to know

There’s a reason why certain brands revamp their image, and some have done so successfully. There are different factors that usher in the change, but much of it is done for improved positioning to better appeal to their target audience. They want to reestablish their position in the market and re-engage those who have slipped through their fingers. By refreshing their public image while staying true to their core principles, brands can get a second lease at life in a very competitive market. The same can be said for WordPress site owners looking to improve their website design to appeal to their audiences. Due to the volatile nature of online marketing, there is more cause for site owners to need to re-design their site. Regular search algorithm changes require everyone make tweaks to their sites so they don't…

What are the hottest new design trends emerging this year?

When you take a look backwards at design trends from recent years and compare them with those that are just now emerging, you can get a great feel for the way that user needs grow and change. It is the job of design to meet users where they need it. 

Over the past few years, the digital landscape has been filled with Flat Design and responsive, drag-and-drop web templates. The rise of Flat Design was hardly a surprise given that its minimalist appeal is super-easy to replicate and personalize. Flat Design was a simple and adaptable design innovation that really embraced the medium of the screen. In doing so, it created new expectations for the harmony of usability and aesthetics. 

But now that we're a few years past the heyday of Flat Design, we're starting to…

7 Web Design Trends You Can't Ignore in 2017

What do some of the top web designers have up their sleeves for 2017? In an industry that thrives on innovation and creativity, it's no surprise that the web design trends that are sure to make an impact in 2017 both push boundaries and embrace clean simplicity.

This infographic explores seven trends that are sure to make a big impact in the web design world this year. There's something for every style of designer here, from clean and tidy to chaotic and daring.

It starts with open composition, a style in which elements appear to be leaving the screen, giving visitors the impression that elements still exist somewhere outside the monitor. A trippy and intriguing concept.

Asymmetry might be more up your alley if you like to colour outside the lines every now and then.…

Customer expectations are rising fast. Meet them or die.

Today, website visitors expect more than ever before from your website as they compare your user experience against the leaders from different sectors like Amazon, Facebook, HubSpot or Uber. Yet, often there are common flaws in how websites are designed and implemented which means they don't support your communications goals and the customer journey. While mistakes may not be fatal, if you think of every design or content mistake you make as a defect in the customer journey, that will be repeated thousands of time or more if it's not fixed, it's not going to help you compete since research shows that bad experiences mean that visitors or customers won't return. The quality of the Customer and User Experiences that businesses deliver through their customer-facing websites is now vital in most industries. The website experience must support the whole customer lifecycle from acquiring customers…

Chart of the day: User researchers are taking advantage of multiple user experience (UX) research techniques

A study discovering the UX research techniques used most often reveals that researchers are using multiple methods with key techniques and emerging techniques equally important. Task analysis, journey mapping, design reviews, user stories and prototype testing are the most popular methods. You can click on the chart below to see an enlarged version. The study by NNG, leaders in UX research, also found: Surveys are still heavily used, providing reliability Remote user testing is not as popular as in-person research Diary studies are used by just 2 in 10 (22%) researchers and just under half (47%) use search log analysis. Researchers seem committed to using multiple techniques, which should continue to increase the quality of user research, experience and conversions. Source: NNG - the study is referenced here and …

Chart of the Day: Predictive Analytics Users Get Better Results

Predictive Analytics isn't a new marketing technique, but interest in it has increased with the hype around using Artificial Intelligence for Marketing. This typically involves using Machine Learning, a key AI technique for marketing, by analysis of historical results of campaigns to inform future targeting and creative. In this research, analysts Aberdeen Group review the impact of Predictive analytics on different ROI metrics as presented in the chart below. But, before we take a look at the results, what is predictive analytics? Aberdeen define  predictive analytics as: 'A technology allowing firms to analyze structured and unstructured data, be it captured in the past or in real time. Such analysis reveals key trends and correlations while also predicting the likelihood of things such as customer churn'. This is a broad definition since most marketing applications focus on analysis…

Google will stop accepting new customers for Google Site Search at the start of April, and will turn the product off completely in 2018

You know that search box in the top corner of just about every website you visit? There's a pretty good chance that it's powered by Google site search. This means the site is paying Google to use its excellent search functionality to find relevant results for users. If your site's search uses Google Site Search, then we've got some bad news for you. Google has just announced it will be discontinuing the product, and although it will be fulfilling the contracts it already has it won't be allowing anyone to renew after April 2017. This will mean by 2018 the product will be switched off completely, and anyone using Google Site Search will have their site search function automatically switch to Google's 'Custom Search Engine' (CSE) product. This…

Our interview with Template Monster's CEO, David Braun

What are the challenges and success factors in creating online startups serving small businesses? To shed light on this with a case study, we spoke to David Braun about why he founded Template Monster and where he is taking the businesses during an interesting time for web developers looking to serve small businesses.

How did you come to a decision to start template monster ?

David: It all started quite a long time ago, although it seems as if it were yesterday. TemplateMonster wasn’t created from scratch, it was based on a local web development agency. We owe the idea of TemplateMonster to the customers who didn’t need a custom design, they needed a cheaper solution. At the moment we didn’t have anything that would meet their requirements. Once I saw a designer working with his templates and that was the moment when the idea…

Virgin Holidays Case Study: How to use virtual reality to show off your product

Particularly relevant for travel retailers, virtual reality provides an opportunity to showcase their product in a way that was previously impossible. Perhaps it's the best new technology for the sector since the jet engine! This first example shows how can now take your customers under the sea, to the top of mountains and onto the sunniest of beaches without them having to leave the branch, as this 360° video from Qantas shows.

The Virgin Reality initiative

Many travel brands have started experimenting with using VR to let customers 'try before they buy', and have done so by creating 360° videos which viewers can pan around. We've got to admit, they're pretty darn cool, and a lot of fun. But technically, they aren't virtual reality.  Virtual reality means being able to look around the virtual world…

Good web design is crucial for making the right impression

First impressions are important... Presentable clothes, matching accessories, getting to meetings on time – it all matters. It shows people around you that you care. Online, first impressions matter too. Website visitors make judgements about website credibility in as little as 50 milliseconds, and one in five website visitors will leave your website, not giving you a second chance. Staying on top of the current trends makes it possible to create a website that will impress your audience, and will hold users attention for the first crucial 10 seconds, and beyond. So what are the Web Design trends for 2017?

First things first. Web design is not art.

Art expresses feelings, raises questions, provokes emotions. By contrast, design helps people to find answers, take action, or complete a task. More than ever before, everything in web design, from imagery to navigation,…