Staying on the crest of the new wave of web design.

Building on our last article, we’d like to mention a few of the most prominent things to keep in mind regarding the programming of your new website in 2012.  Keeping the technology of your website up to date along with the graphic look is very important in keeping your website competitive!

Make it Mobile!

According to a 2010 report from Morgan Stanley, mobile web surfing is estimated to outstrip desktop usage by 2015.  That is not that far away!  Is your website easily accessible from a smartphone or other small mobile device?  If not, you should consider having a mobile website designed to work in tandem with your current site.  Mobile sites are programmed in mobi format, and are designed to be easy to view and navigate on smaller touch-screen devices. Also something to keep in mind with the rise in mobile web surfing is how to encourage mobile device users to visit your site.  QR codes and email marketing are both great ways to drive traffic to your mobile online presence.

Flash is Flaming Out

While Flash animation hasn’t sung its swan song just yet, it is becoming less and less popular as a choice for putting animation on the web.  This is due in large part to Apple, whose mobile products (including the iPod, iPad and iPhone) do not support Flash.  What does this mean to you?  It means that if you have Flash animation on your website and one of the tens of millions of US residents who use an Apple mobile device surfs your website, they will not be able to view it in its entirety.  In fact, depending on how much the website depends on Flash for its function, the visitor may not be able to view the site at all. Don’t panic though!  There are other programming languages that allow for fun and funky animation that can be viewed across operating systems: HTML5 and JQuery, just to name a few.  If you have analytics set to monitor your website, you should be able to see where your visiting traffic is coming from.  If indications are that you are getting a lot of visits from Apple products, it is time to consider alternatives to Flash so that your visitors receive the best possible experience when they view your site.

Content Management

Having an up-to-date web presence is vital to supporting your current customer base and allowing it to expand.  In this age of a struggling economy, however, many small businesses recoil at the thought of having to pay someone every time they need a minor update to their site.  IGV offers a cost-effective solution to this dilemma by offering websites based on a Content Management System!  A CMS website allows the owner of the site to log in and make content updates themselves without having to resort to paying a 3rd party to add images to a gallery, update an events list, etc.  Most content management systems have a user interface that resembles programs that most computer users are familiar and comfortable with.  For those more adventurous users, the HTML can frequently be accessed and changed as well.

Share and Share Alike

What did your dear mother tell you about sharing??  Well, in terms of the modern internet, shareable content is incredibly important in spreading the word about your website and your business.  Including social media share buttons on each page, each FAQ entry, even every product in your online store encourages visitors to share that spur of the moment enthusiasm about something on your site with their digital network.  These “social shares” have the potential to drive waves of new traffic to your site!  Writing a blog and including RSS links is another way to get people to plug in to what you have to say and what your business has to offer.