Category: Design Delight!

A dose of design to delight to brighten your day!

Which is Better: WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix?

Building Your Site: How to Choose the Best Website Platform

Establishing an online presence these days is paramount for businesses – your website serves as a virtual storefront, a platform for expression, and a gateway to the global community. However, navigating the plethora of website-building platforms can be daunting. Among the most popular choices are WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix. Each offers unique features and functionalities, but which one is the right fit for your needs? Let’s delve into the pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision.

WordPress: Power and Flexibility

is WordPress better?

WordPress is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the website-building world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. Its open-source nature and extensive plugin ecosystem make it a favorite among developers and businesses alike. Here are some of the pros and cons of using WordPress:

Pros:

  1. Flexibility: WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing users to create virtually any type of website, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce platforms. Its vast library of themes and plugins enables customization to suit specific needs.  It is any developer’s dream, as it allows for 100% customizability in terms of both layout and function.
  2. Scalability: Whether you’re a small business looking to expand or a large enterprise with complex requirements, WordPress can scale alongside your growth. With its robust architecture, it can handle high traffic volumes and extensive content without compromising performance.
  3. SEO-Friendly: WordPress is inherently optimized for search engines, with clean code structure, customizable permalinks, and plugins like Yoast SEO that enhance on-page optimization. This makes it easier for your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  4. Extensive (and often Free) Add-on Functionality: With millions of users worldwide, WordPress boasts a vibrant community of developers, designers, and enthusiasts who contribute themes, plugins, and support forums. This extensive support network ensures that help is always available when you need it, and there are thousands of plugins available that offer turnkey functions to boost the efficiency, maintenance and scope of your site’s potential.

Cons:

  1. Learning Curve: While WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility, mastering its intricacies can be challenging for beginners. Customizing themes, managing plugins, and troubleshooting technical issues may require a learning curve or professional assistance.
  2. Maintenance: As an open-source platform, WordPress requires regular maintenance to ensure security and performance. This includes updating themes, plugins, and the core software, as well as implementing security measures to protect against vulnerabilities.
  3. Hosting and Domain: Unlike all-in-one solutions like Squarespace and Wix, WordPress requires separate hosting and domain registration. While this offers greater control and flexibility, it also adds complexity and additional costs for users.

Note: We LOVE WordPress!!  Almost all of the websites in our Web Portfolio are build in WordPress.  Our clients love the ease of maintenance and updating. Take a look and let us know if you’d like to chat about building a new website.

Squarespace: Sleek Design with Simplicity

Squarespace has gained popularity for its intuitive interface, stunning templates, and all-in-one platform that includes hosting, domain registration, and content management. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Squarespace:

Pros:

  1. Beautiful Templates: Squarespace offers a selection of professionally designed templates that are visually stunning and mobile-responsive. These templates are fully customizable, allowing users to create a unique website without any coding knowledge.
  2. All-in-One Platform: Squarespace simplifies the website-building process by providing integrated hosting, domain registration, and content management tools. This eliminates the need for third-party services and reduces complexity for users.
  3. User-Friendly Interface: With its drag-and-drop editor and intuitive interface, Squarespace is incredibly user-friendly, making it ideal for beginners and non-technical users. Creating and editing content is a breeze, allowing users to focus on design and creativity.
  4. Customer Support: Squarespace offers dedicated customer support via live chat and email, ensuring that users receive assistance whenever they encounter issues or have questions. This responsive support is invaluable for users who may require guidance or troubleshooting.

Cons:

  1. Limited Customization: While Squarespace offers beautiful templates, customization options are somewhat limited compared to WordPress. Users may find themselves constrained by the platform’s design choices and unable to implement certain features or functionalities.
  2. Scalability: While Squarespace is suitable for small to medium-sized websites, it may not be the best option for large-scale or complex projects. Its simplicity and ease of use come at the cost of scalability, limiting growth potential for businesses with expanding needs.
  3. Subscription Fees: Squarespace operates on a subscription-based model, with monthly or annual fees for access to its platform. While the cost includes hosting and other services, it can add up over time, especially for users with multiple websites or advanced requirements.
  4. SEO Limitations: While Squarespace offers better SEO capabilities than Wix, it still severely limits the search engine optimization potential of your site.

Wix: DIY Website Building Made Easy

Wix is another popular website-building platform known for its drag-and-drop editor, extensive template library, and affordable pricing plans. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Wix:

Pros:

  1. Drag-and-Drop Editor: Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for users to create and customize their websites without any coding knowledge. This visual interface allows for quick and effortless design changes, empowering users to bring their vision to life.
  2. Extensive Template Library: Wix offers a vast selection of professionally designed templates across various industries and categories. These templates are fully customizable, allowing users to personalize their website’s look and feel to suit their brand or style.
  3. Affordable Pricing: Wix offers a range of pricing plans to suit different budgets and needs, including free options with limited features. This affordability makes it accessible to individuals and small businesses looking to establish an online presence without breaking the bank.
  4. App Market: Wix features an extensive App Market with a wide range of third-party apps and integrations that add functionality to your website. From e-commerce tools to marketing solutions, these apps allow users to enhance their websites with additional features and capabilities.

Cons:

  1. Limited Flexibility: While Wix’s drag-and-drop editor is easy to use, it can be limiting in terms of flexibility and customization compared to WordPress. Users may find themselves restricted by the platform’s design constraints and unable to implement advanced features or functionalities.
  2. SEO Limitations: While Wix has made improvements to its SEO capabilities in recent years, it still lags behind platforms like WordPress in terms of search engine optimization. Users may encounter limitations in optimizing their website for visibility in search engine results.
  3. Platform Lock-In: Unlike WordPress, which allows users to migrate their website to different hosting providers, Wix operates on a closed platform. This means that users are locked into the Wix ecosystem and cannot easily transfer their website to another platform if they decide to switch in the future.

Choosing the right website-building platform depends on your specific needs, preferences, and technical expertise. WordPress offers unmatched flexibility and scalability but requires ongoing maintenance. Squarespace provides sleek design and simplicity but may be limiting for some. Wix offers DIY website building made easy but comes with limitations in flexibility and SEO. Ultimately, weigh the pros and cons of each platform carefully to make a decision that aligns with your goals and resources.

Contact us to chat about your web goals and see how BluErth can help you build a beautiful and functional website.

The Power of Aesthetics: How Good Design Elevates Business Website Success

In the online realm, where attention spans are fleeting and first impressions are crucial, the design of a business website plays a pivotal role in shaping its success. Beyond mere aesthetics, good design encompasses usability, functionality, and brand identity, influencing user perception, engagement, and ultimately, conversion rates. Investing in thoughtful design is a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to thrive in the competitive online landscape.

BluErth has over 20 years designing and building successful websites.  Check out our recent web design portfolio!

good web design

Capturing Attention and Creating Engagement

In the vast expanse of the internet, where countless websites vie for attention, capturing the fleeting interest of users is paramount. Good design serves as a powerful tool for grabbing attention and creating engagement from the moment a user lands on a website. Visually appealing layouts, striking imagery, and intuitive navigation draw users in, encouraging them to explore further and delve deeper into the content.

Fostering Positive User Experience

User experience (UX) lies at the heart of good design, encompassing the ease of navigation, clarity of information, and overall satisfaction derived from interacting with a website. A well-designed website anticipates the needs and preferences of users, guiding them seamlessly through the browsing journey and minimizing friction at every touchpoint. From intuitive navigation menus to responsive design that adapts seamlessly to different devices, every aspect of UX design contributes to a positive user experience, fostering trust and loyalty among visitors.

Enhancing Brand Identity and Perception

A business website serves as a digital storefront, representing the brand to the online world. Good design plays a pivotal role in shaping brand identity and perception, conveying the essence of the brand’s personality, values, and positioning. Through cohesive visual elements such as color schemes, typography, and imagery, a well-designed website reinforces brand consistency and authenticity, leaving a lasting impression on visitors and strengthening brand recall.

Building Credibility and Trust

In an era rife with online scams and dubious websites, establishing credibility and trust is paramount for businesses seeking to attract and retain customers. Good design instills confidence in visitors, signaling professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail. A clean, well-organized layout, accompanied by high-quality imagery and polished typography, conveys professionalism and competence, reassuring users that they are dealing with a reputable business worthy of their trust.

Optimizing Conversion Rates

At the end of the day, the ultimate measure of a business website’s success lies in its ability to convert visitors into customers or leads. Good design plays a pivotal role in optimizing conversion rates by guiding users through the conversion funnel and nudging them towards desired actions. Whether it’s a clear call-to-action (CTA) button strategically placed within the layout or persuasive visual cues that draw attention to key offerings, every design element is meticulously crafted to drive conversions and maximize ROI.

Adapting to Evolving Trends and Technologies

In the fast-paced world of web design, staying ahead of the curve is essential for maintaining relevance and competitive edge. Good design goes beyond mere aesthetics; it embraces innovation and adapts to evolving trends and technologies to ensure that a website remains fresh, modern, and user-friendly. From responsive design that caters to mobile users to immersive multimedia experiences that captivate audiences, embracing cutting-edge design trends allows businesses to stay ahead of the competition and resonate with today’s digitally savvy consumers.

In an increasingly digital world where online presence is synonymous with business success, the importance of good design cannot be overstated. From capturing attention and fostering engagement to enhancing brand identity and driving conversions, every aspect of a business website’s design plays a pivotal role in shaping its success. By investing in thoughtful design that prioritizes user experience, aesthetics, and functionality, businesses can create immersive digital experiences that resonate with audiences, foster trust and loyalty, and ultimately, drive measurable results. In the competitive landscape of the digital marketplace, good design isn’t just a luxury; it’s a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to thrive and succeed in the online realm.

Contact us to get a free consult and let us show you how we can improve your traffic and ranking and sales with a better website design!

5 Things Every Good Website Homepage Should Have

Your customers come to your website asking “What’s in it for me?” If they don’t see the answer to that question within 15 seconds, statistics tell us that they’ll leave.  That’s how long you have to capture someone’s attention on your website – 15 seconds. So, if you haven’t captured their attention within this short time, then you’ve lost a potential sale.

Your homepage content can be divided into 5 sections that tell the story of your product and motivate your audience to a sale:

1. A Clear Header Statement
Clarity sells products and services, so its important to tell your potential customers up front, in the first glance, what your are selling.  Don’t get cute, and don’t be vague.   You want to immediately tell or show the product or service you are selling, and don’t make them hunt for
information. Keep it simple and succinct.

2. A Clear & Strong Call to Action
The easier you make it for your customers to give you money, the better.  Just under your clear header statement, place a strong and clear call to action. Avoid asking questions, or cryptic statements like “find out why”, “Learn More”, etc, if you can. Just keep it simple, like “Buy Now” or “Sign Up Now”.

3. Create a Failure Scenario
Illustrate to your customers what problem you are solving, and show them what bad thing will happen if they do not buy your product or engage your services.  For example, “Manual time card input wastes hundreds of man hours per year and costs you thousands of dollars”.

4. Create a Success Scenario
Illustrate to your customers how buying your product or hiring your services will make their lives easier and better.  For example, “Our automatic time card entry service costs saves you time and money, so you can focus on more important things”.  In this step you are delivering a message that appeals to the aspirations of the customer, so that they make an association between your product and their problems getting solved.

5. Spell Out A Plan
Show your customers how to engage with your product or your services.  Make it look really easy – you want your customers to feel that you can make their lives easier, not more complicated.  A stepped plan is typically the easiest to understand.  For instance, “Step 1: Download the Software. Step 2: Install. Step 3: Sit back and relax!” Keep it really simple here! A common mistake people make is to provide too much information so the customer can make an informed decision. But in reality, this hardly ever works, and visitors will leave your site if they don’t know what to do.  Make it dummy-proof.

Keep in mind that 65% of people are visual learners so the more you can add visual or graphic elements, the better you will hold their attention.  If you keep your content relevant, user-friendly, simple, and appealing, you’ll see results.

Hilarious Design Fails

These design fails are proof that graphic design has a major impact in business, and in life!

One fruit I will avoid for sure
No thank you, I'm not thirsty anymore.
this designer hasn't looked at a compass in a while
Don't store these in the same cabinet.
Sign fail.
Not very politically correct...
This college doesn't seem very good at planning...
Clock store sign in Benghazi, Libya.
Nope. Just, nope.
Time for a packaging re-design.

10 Reasons Why Good Design Matters To Your Business

If you’ve been second-guessing the value of design for your business – don’t! Good design gives you a competitive edge, drives powerful marketing results and allows you to stand out.

1. Numbers Don’t Lie: Design Sells

In short, design is fiscally beneficial. In 2005, a group called The Design Council studied 63 portfolios of companies that traded on the FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) over the course of a decade. What they discovered was that the companies that put an emphasis on design did way better than the ones that didn’t – they outperformed the FTSE 100 index by 200% in fact.

A more layman-friendly figure that this study by The Design Council also determined was that “every £100 a design alert business spends on design increases turnover by £225”. So, investing in design is a bit like investing in future profits, it may cost a bit now, but a little down the track, these studies suggest that you’ll likely be glad you did so.

2. Good Web Design = Consumer Trust

Badly designed websites are often not read, trusted or visited for any length of time. Poor interface design is associated with mistrust of a website. If users don’t like the design of a site, then they typically will not explore any further than the homepage.

Now, don’t try to justify a poor website design by saying ‘at least my content is great’, because 94% of the reason users will reject a site is for design-related issues. So, your content could be stellar and as top-notch as ever, but a poor website design can bring it all to a crashing halt.

3. Good Design Makes Your Brand Memorable

What makes a brand memorable? Good customer service and a good product certainly help, but what about beyond that?  Of course, it’s design.

Design techniques like a selective use of color can trigger the memory and keep your brand fresh in the mind. So, perhaps incorporating a distinct design technique like color, a unique layout, an original concept etc. can be that one added element that ensures your brand stays memorable and recognizable.

4. Well-Designed = User-Friendly

One of the major focus points of graphic design is simply to make complex information easier to digest. Technology and content are becoming ever more complex and powerful. Good design in interfaces, data display, right through to physical product design and advertisements makes it all way easier and more welcoming for the consumer.

5. Good Design Makes A Good First Impression

As a consumer you encounter hundreds upon thousands of brands, products and businesses, all competing to get your attention and convince you to buy what they’re selling. So, what’s the best way to make a good first impression? You guessed it: good design.

Studies have shown that visual appeal can be assessed within about 50 milliseconds. This boils down to the fact that designers have to make a good impression within the space of 50 milliseconds.

We’re in a world now where just about every business is online in some form, in fact encountering a business’ website is often some people’s first encounter with a business at all. This, on top of the fact that a lot of businesses now are 100% online means that the impression your website leaves is more important than ever. And how do we leave a good impression? Good design.

6. Design is More than Just How it Looks

An all too common misconception about design and designers is that design is solely about the way a product or company looks. In reality, a good designer will consider how it looks as secondary to how it works.

To break the concept of a ‘designer’ down quickly, let me just say that ‘designer’ and ‘communicator’ should be interchangeable synonyms.

A designer isn’t just going to make your website look good, they are going to consider who you are as a company, what are your values, who your audience is, what will go on your homepage, what information is most and least important to display, what the competitors in your industry are doing. They are going to pull apart your content and reassemble it in a way that helps you communicate to your audience in the best possible way.

7. Invisible Design Makes Content Shine

There’s a popular saying: “Good design is invisible”. This is the idea that design should be experienced, not noticed.

I’m sure that at one time or another you have noticed design for all the wrong reasons – pixelated images, hard to read fonts, information that is hard to follow etc. In these cases, the [bad] design is extremely visible, and users ask why the designer made those choices and they consider ways it could be done better. But, when you encounter a really great piece of design, chances are you won’t notice the design at all. Instead, you’ll consume the content easily and associate good feelings with that site or brand. Why? Because good design is invisible.

8. Consistency is Key

Consistency is arguably the key rule to a successful brand, and therefore, a successful business. An inconsistent brand is utterly forgettable. It is a  simple and easily reinforced rule when you have a good, strong handle on design.

What happens when you don’t practice consistency in branding and design?  Well, you’re left with inconsistency. You risk your logo being used incorrectly, your colors being loosely adapted and your audience doubting your authenticity.  Using a similar color to your brand’s color seems harmless, but in the long term, little irregularities snowball and become a big problem.

9. Design Motivates People To Take Action

A call to action is a super useful tool that is given to you when you invest in producing good design. It’s not enough to engage your customers – you have to turn those clicks into sales to meet your bottom line.

Motivate your audience to take action and click that button, buy that product, share that image – whatever your goal is, convince them to take a step forward by pairing enticing type and even more enticing design.

10. Design Communicates Your Company Values & can Broaden Your Brand

The majority of your potential customers aren’t going to read your company’s mission statement, so the best way to go about communicating this is visually. Consider a way to capture your tone and values through imagery and typography and let the design do the talking.

A study by The Design Council determined that design-alert businesses are “twice as likely to have developed new products or services…” So, consider where your brand could extend to with just a few stylistic adjustments.

Boosting Business with Social Media

As we all know, social media outlets can be a quagmire, an overload, a jumble of messages.  There is a LOT of content out there, and let’s face it: most of it is useless.  It can be easier than you might think to make your business stand out in the crowd using social media outlets.  I have seen as much as 80% of a website’s traffic streaming directly from Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, so I know that it can be an extraordinarily effective tool, if used properly.  If you plan to launch a social media campaign to boost your business, follow these rules to increase your chance for success.

  1. Social Media is a 24/7 task, not a one-time stunt.  The most effective SM campaigns I have witnessed are those run by business owners who devote enough time to publish meaningful content at LEAST three times a week on any given outlet.  It all takes extra time we don’t have, but if you want to get your return on the campaign, I recommend 3 posts per week, whether it’s blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter.
  2. It’s okay to drive people to your site, rather than Facebook’s. The whole purpose of social media, from an SEO standpoint, is to drive traffic back to your website.  More traffic translates directly into better SEO for you.  Create content on your site, then publish the title and feature photo on social media outlets that links back to your site.  That way you are utilizing the best thing SM has to offer – traffic – and re-directing its attention to your business.
  3. Either update your page regularly, or delete it.  There’s nothing worse than a blog page or Facebook wall where the most recent post was dated over a year ago.  That shouts ‘abandonment’, and consumers immediately are turned off by such negligence.  I know you are busy.  Set a goal and make time for it anyway.
  4. Optimize your online content.  In previous years, it was all about beefing up your content quantity, and now with the refined algorithms of our modern search engines, it’s now all about creating relevant, quality content.  Find out what your potential customer are really interested in hearing about, how can you give them that information in a concise way, and how can you also use that info to generate interest in your products or services.
  5. Make your website and your SM profiles work together.  Social Media doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  It creates a seamless flow of information between users and URLs.  Let’s use this to our advantage: create content that links your profile to your website, create cohesive graphics that brand your profile pages to match all other marketing materials your company is putting out there.  Make Facebook, Twitter, Pintereste, etc, into extra arms of your marketing effort.

The above rules are taken from “The 36 Rules of Social Media”, infographic below, and are, in my opinion as a web and SEO professional, the most important 5 rules to which all companies should adhere.

using social media effectively

What Makes a Good Logo?

Logo design is all around us and serve as an instant reminder of a company or a product.  No wonder, then, that logo design features so prominently in our lives and our culture. In an age where everyone must have a website to support their company, the demand for well designed logos has never been higher.

More logos are out there than ever before, and with that comes the challenge of standing out from the crowd. How do you create something original that stands out in a sea of identities? The challenge for all designers is to create something unique and iconic that is not only memorable, but will endure with changes in the economy and culture.  These general steps guide most designers through the process of conceptualizing and developing a logo:

Simple
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable. Effective logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdrawn. Continue reading “What Makes a Good Logo?”

Why a Good Logo is Essential to Business Success

Logos are a critical aspect of any marketing strategy. As a company’s single most important graphical representation, a logo anchors a company’s brand and becomes the most visible manifestation of the company within its target market.

Let’s face it: we are a culture that judges everything at first glance.  It is part of our evolutionary advantage to make a split-second decision about whether something is good for us or bad for us.  We can tap into that innate aspect of human nature when we create a good first impression by putting a beautiful logo in front of a potential customer’s eyes.  Continue reading “Why a Good Logo is Essential to Business Success”