Prairie Magic Design

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Capture More Leads With a Customer-centric Web Design

Customer-centric Web DesignWe’re going to play a little pretend today.  Start by closing your eyes and envisioning yourself in your favorite store. What do you like most about it? The displays? The lighting? The friendly associates?

There are just certain things a brick-and-mortar store can offer to enhance the entire customer experience: attractive merchandising, a well-planned layout, and someone who’s always a few steps away just in case you have a question (even though you’re usually “just browsing” right?). All these elements―right down to those bins of irresistible goodies near the checkout counter―should ultimately lead to that ring at the cash register. (Or the swipe at the card reader, if you will.)

Now, let’s apply this scenario to our world―the digital world. More specifically, customer-centric web design. As the name suggests, it’s all about making the user experience as positive as possible, so the customer can quickly and easily find what he needs. In other words, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and look at your web design through his eyes.

To continue the store analogy, look at it this way:

  • Your homepage is like the big window display. Does it create a good first impression and draw people inside? Does it reflect your brand? Or does it appear dusty, poorly-lit, and outdated?
  • Your navigation is like a store’s layout. Does the flow make sense? Are the aisles nice and wide, or cramped and cluttered? Is there signage to help you find what you need?
  • Your FAQ page is like having a helpful salesperson right there to answer questions. Even if someone is “just browsing” through your website, chances are they’ll look for an FAQ page to see what questions have already been answered.
  • Your visuals take the place of having tangible items to see and touch in person. Poor visuals will give the perception that your products/services are sub-par. Don’t skimp on high-quality pictures or graphics!

Customer-centric Web Design Conversions

So when all of these things come together on your site, what does this mean for you? Increased potential for more leads and conversions. This could be in the form of someone signing up for your e-newsletter, calling you for a quote, or actually making a purchase. Whatever action you want someone to take, your site must guide them there in the most helpful and efficient way.

A lot of time and research goes into retail store planning and merchandising. The same applies to a customer-centric website! (And just to be clear, the most fancy website in the world can still turn people off if it’s not user-friendly.) If you think your site might need some help in this area, contact us… We’re just a phone call away.

P.S. We really are curious… what is your favorite store? From a customer’s standpoint, tell us why you enjoy the experience and how that might translate to a customer-centric web design. Share in the comments below!

Website Enhancement Checklist: Top 10 Essentials

In the last blog post, we shared the web design trends to watch for this year (bonus points if you remember, but here’s a refresher in case you don’t). However, there’s much more to a beautiful and effective website than simply plastering it with all the shiny new trends (which, by the way, we don’t really recommend doing).

With that in mind, we wanted to put together this handy checklist for anyone considering a redesign―or a brand new site―this year. Here are PMD’s top 10 essentials for an effective, well-designed website:

  1. User-friendly ― The first half of this word says it all: it’s about the user and his experience. Try looking at your site through the lenses of a potential customer. It should be fast, functional, and easy to navigate.
  2. Readable – Piggybacking off of the user-friendly aspect, a website’s readability is oh-so-important.  In addition to well-formatted content that’s easy to scan, the colors of background and text should have good contrast. It’s a basic design principle, but one that still gets overlooked!
    Responsive Website
    Responsive website design by PMD
  3. Responsive ― Since mobile viewing has now surpassed desktop viewing, it’s more crucial than ever to have a responsive web design that offers an optimal experience across a range of devices.
  4. Simplistic ― If you overwhelm viewers with a complicated or cluttered design, they will get frustrated and leave your website. It’s as simple as that!
  5. Purposeful ― Your overall site design and every element within it should serve a purpose: to keep your message in front of the viewer and ultimately convert them into a customer with clear calls to action.
  6. Quality content ― High-quality, original content not only engages your audience, but also has far-reaching benefits including higher search engine rankings. Here’s a helpful blog from Kissmetrics about creating great content. Also, triple-check for correct spelling and grammar―or have someone else help if that’s not your strong suit.
  7. Clear contact info ― This one may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many business websites are lacking in this area! In addition to an actual Contact page, the phone number, email, etc. should also be included in the header and/or footer of your website template.
  8. Optimized ― If you want your website to show up on Google search results (and who doesn’t?) Search Engine Optimization is critical. Here’s the kicker: SEO is ideally built into your site’s infrastructure and should be taken into consideration early in the design process. (If this wasn’t the case for you, don’t worry, there’s still hope!) Check out Google’s SEO Starter Guide to learn more.
    Purposeful Website
    Purposeful website design by PMD
  9. Sharable ― Include social sharing buttons on relevant pages throughout your website to encourage people to share your products, blog posts, videos, or other interesting content. Social media can drive a large volume of traffic―and if you have a large social media reach it can even have a positive impact on your search engine rankings!
  10. Tracking analytics ― One of the most powerful tools you can have is the ability to track website statistics. We use Google Analytics and can also help connect our clients’ sites to this valuable (and free!) tool. Check out our post on finding your comfort zone with web analytics.

What do YOU  think is the most important characteristic of a great website? Share your comments below!

 

 

Top 2016 Web Design Trends

Happy new year! We hope your 2016 has been fabulous so far. Here at PMD, we like to start every new year by researching and reviewing what’s hot in the ever-changing world of web design (because it’s fun and, well, it’s our job!). Along with a continuation of last year’s trends, here’s what you can expect to see for web design trends in 2016:

 

Customer Centric Website Design by PMD

Customer-centric design
Everyone knows that an outdated, clunky website isn’t going to give viewers a very good first impression, much less convert them into customers. On the other hand, even the most visually stunning website in the world won’t do you any favors if it’s not easy to navigate. A customer-centric web design should focus on solving your customers’ problems and enhancing their journey through your site. Personally, we’re thrilled to see customer-centric design come to the forefront! At PMD, we always strive to make our websites user-friendly for our clients’ customers as well as our clients.

 

Story Telling Visuals Website Design by PMD

 

Telling a story with visuals
High-quality photos and videos are still as important as ever in an effective web design. But we’re starting to see a transition to other dynamic visual elements that tell your business’ story:

 

 

Hand-drawn illustrations, for instance, are a welcome surprise in contrast with the Hand drawn Elements in Website Design by PMDdigitizing of the web. Illustrations engage the viewer in a more relatable way, allowing someone to picture himself in the scene more easily. Also, expect to see more cinemagraphs, which are essentially photos with movement. (Take note: these are not GIF animations. Just think of the “live photos” feature on the iPhone 6S or check out these examples from Creative Market.)

As wonderful as all these visual elements are, remember they should always serve a purpose and enhance your web design―not detract from it!

 

More emphasis on color & typography
Color and Typography in Website Design by PMDColor and typography have always been the primary tools in branding and logo design. This year, expect to see big, beautiful typographical treatments and bold colors take center stage in web design too. We love typography! So as you might imagine, we’re pretty happy about this trend and look forward to stretching those creative boundaries.

 

Card-style interface
Pinterest or Masonry style in Website Design by PMDAppearing everywhere from apps to websites and even printed materials, this type of Pinterest-inspired design organizes information in user-friendly cards or blocks. Along with being easy for the viewer to scan, these “content containers”  are also easy to re-arrange or stack for viewing seamlessly across devices―from desktop to mobile and responsive design. WordPress, our preferred Content Management System, has many options for card-style interfaces which we can further customize to our client’s needs.

 

Simplicity reigns supremeSimplicity in Website Design by PMD

Yes, less is still more! A clean, minimalist website that enhances the overall UX (user experience) can be one of your most effective selling tools. The less “clutter” on your site, the easier it is for your message to stand out.

 

Staying up-to-date on design trends is important, but a great website must first and foremost have a solid foundation. If you’re ready to give your site a fresh new look for 2016―or maybe even a complete overhaul from the ground up―contact us at 316-617-2109. We’re here to help.

 

 

Gone are the days of print…NOT!

“Print will be dead soon.” “You need to go paperless.” “Are you still using a printer?”

We’ve all heard something like this at least once, but should you really stop printing marketing materials?

Definitely not.

The world of print is far from dead. In fact, it still serves an important role in marketing. While it is great – and necessary – to take advantage of digital marketing opportunities, to have a total integrated marketing approach, you will still spend some money on print.

So, what can print pieces do that digital marketing cannot?

Flyer for Old Town T-Shirts
Flyer designed for Old Town T-Shirts
  • Because printed pieces are tangible, they tend to hang around on desks and shelves and in homes and offices for a long time. A printed piece now could still be working for you later!
  • The physicality of a print piece can help establish your brand: weight, texture, look, and feel all say something about your brand. Did you use recycled paper or a high gloss, heavy weight? Did you go with a traditional post card or classic tri-fold or did you use a more innovative die-cut design?
  • A print piece gives you a few more seconds to get noticed! A Website is often skimmed in about 15 seconds. Some magazines are read for about 45 minutes.
  • By planning print pieces wisely you can still spend less money on print by driving viewers to your digital content. Integrating your print piece with coordinating landing page can actually get killer results!
  • Printing collateral is sometimes the only option, depending on your target audience!

Make sure to integrate QR codes and Social Media icons that will drive traffic online. Also, use special landing pages that coordinate with the look and feel of your campaigns so prospective customers will know they are in the right place when they find your page.

Postcard designed for Coupon Chuck
Postcard designed for Coupon Chuck. QR Codes are effective for getting people to take immediate action.    

If you’re not sure about when a print piece is the way to go, or if you could use some help integrating your marketing campaigns for better results, call us. We want to put the magic in your marketing!

How to Know When it’s Time for a Website Makeover

We often have people call us and ask how often or when they should look at an overhaul for their business’ Website. We usually poke around and ask a few questions to find out what they currently have: what platform they use, when it was last updated, and how much traffic realistically comes through their site. We ask a few more questions and of course we look at their Website and do some research on their business and industry.

It is relatively easy for us to know when to recommend a site redesign and when to tell customers they are good with just making some small tweaks. We do this all the time. It is not so easy, however, for others to decide when their own site is in need of major enhancements. A company’s Website can be like your favorite pair of flip flops…eventually they become worn out, but they feel comfortable so you don’t want to trash them and start over with breaking in a new pair. Are we right or what? When you know where to locate everything on your Website because you use it all the time, it can feel familiar and easy, but your customers are probably not as familiar with your Website as you are. Also, what is working for you does not always mean it is working for your customers.

To help you make a decision, we’ve put together this super short quiz. If you answer “no” to even one of these seven questions, call us. It’s time to at least get the dialogue started about what your site is really doing for your sales. It may not be a total overhaul. You might just need some content clarification or a responsive theme. Either way, it’s better to start talking about it now rather than after you’ve lost profit because of an outdated site.

PMD-Blog-Graphic

Now you know the basics of what we’re looking for when someone calls us and hopefully it will help you decide on your next step.