Choosing the Right Website Style for Your Business | Prescott, AZ

For new business owners, establishing a strong online presence is critical for success. The foundation of this presence is your website, which serves as the face of your brand on the internet. However, before diving into the design and development process, it’s essential to assess your business needs and choose the right style of website that aligns with your goals. Here’s why this assessment is important and an overview of different website styles to consider.

Importance of Assessing Business Needs

Assessing your business needs helps you determine the primary objectives of your website. Are you looking to sell products online, provide information about your services, build a community, or showcase your portfolio? Understanding these needs ensures that your website is tailored to meet your specific goals. It also helps you prioritize features, streamline the user experience, and allocate your budget effectively.

Different Styles of Websites to Consider

  1. E-commerce Websites

If your primary goal is to sell products online, an e-commerce website is the way to go. These sites are designed to facilitate online transactions and provide a seamless shopping experience. Key features include product listings, shopping carts, secure payment gateways, and customer reviews. Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are popular choices for building e-commerce sites.

  1. Business/Corporate Websites

For service-based businesses, a corporate website is ideal. These sites focus on providing information about your company, services, and expertise. Essential elements include service descriptions, client testimonials, case studies, and a contact form. A professional design with clear navigation helps build credibility and trust with potential clients.

  1. Portfolio Websites

Creative professionals such as artists, designers, and photographers can benefit from a portfolio website. These sites showcase your work through galleries, slideshows, and project descriptions. A visually appealing layout with high-quality images is crucial for making a strong impression.

  1. Blog Websites

If your goal is to share insights, news, or personal stories, a blog website is the best choice. Blogs are content-driven and focus on regular updates through articles, videos, and podcasts. Features like categories, tags, social sharing buttons, and comment sections encourage reader engagement. WordPress is a popular platform for building and managing blogs.

  1. Community Websites

Community websites are designed to facilitate interaction among users. These sites often include forums, discussion boards, and social networking features. They are ideal for building a loyal user base around shared interests. Platforms like Ning and BuddyPress can help you create a vibrant online community.

For new business owners, or owners looking for a change, understanding and assessing your business needs is the first step in building an effective website. Whether you need an e-commerce platform to sell products, a corporate site to showcase your services, a portfolio to display your work, a blog to share content, or a community site to connect with users, choosing the right style of website is crucial. By aligning your website with your business goals, you can create a powerful online presence that drives growth and success.

Interested in learning more about optimizing user experience for your website? Visit us online at jellywebsites.com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Jelly Website Optimizes Your Online Presence | Prescott, AZ

So, you’ve crafted your business plan and are ready to open your doors. Now, it's time to optimize your online presence to effectively advertise your business. While platforms like Squarespace and Wix offer quick and cost-effective solutions, they might not provide everything your business needs to start off strong. Before settling for these options, consider what a custom-designed Jelly website can offer.

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The Vital Role of a Website Designer and Ongoing Management for Your Business | Prescott, AZ

In today's digital age, a business's online presence is as crucial as its physical storefront. A well-designed and expertly managed website serves as the digital face of your company, influencing customer perceptions, driving sales, and establishing brand credibility. The roles of a website designer and manager are integral to achieving these objectives.

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User-Friendly Websites For Your Business | Prescott, AZ

When designing your website, you need to ensure that you are making it user-friendly for your future customers. After all, they are the ones that will be using your website to find information, products and services – making things overwhelming or confusing isn’t going to do a service to anyone. You want to make a good first impression and your website is their first introduction. Provide your visitor with a seamless and user-friendly experience if you want them to think about returning to your website by considering the following tips:

Welcome your visitors. When a visitor lands on your homepage they are usually in search of product, seeking information or looking for some sort of assistance. Your homepage must be able to clearly identify who you are and what you do to assure your visitors they are on the right webpage.

Provide value. Point out why your company is different and unique from your competitors, while making it simple to read and understand. Try incorporating original and credible content such as testimonials from happy customers or clients.

Streamlined design. You may think that if your page is full of flashy photos, video or music it will attract more visitors, but the fact is this sort of content actually drives most visitors away. Utilize white space, colors and fonts appropriately.

Simple navigation. Making your website easy to navigate is key, no one likes to get lost or confused looking for information. Make sure your navigation bar is visible and easy to locate so your visitors are able to explore your page with ease.

Content changes. When a website remains the same, visitors will have no reason to return. Schedule periodic updates to create new content.

Interested in learning more about how to optimize user experience for your website? Visit us online at jellywebsites,com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Why ADA Compliant Websites Matter | Prescott, AZ

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 with the aim of ensuring companies and organizations provide reasonable accommodations to disabled individuals. Many associate this provision with the inclusion of wheelchair access ramps and similar accommodations we now view as commonplace around our communities. Since 1990, the internet has become part and parcel to the operation of commerce and as such, the ADA has evolved to include website provisions.

According to siteimprove.com, “Title 3 of the ADA requires that every owner, lessor, or operator of a ‘place of public accommodation’ provide equal access to users who meet ADA standards for disability.” Unfortunately however, much of this rhetoric lies in a grey area with websites that provide the ability to shop online being the most susceptible to this standard, many are out of reach.

Many lawsuits have come out of the debate about online accessibility for disabled individuals, but while every state has a different standard, it seems like a matter of time before regulations become more defined. It’s a good idea to be on trend with ADA compliance, especially for online stores. If you operate a non-profit or educational website, ADA compliance can expand your reach and show visitors your enterprise cares about the equal access of all people to this information.

A website designer is a great resource and can create or redesign a website for your enterprise that is ADA compliant. There are a host of considerations such as the four areas of compliance that a website designer understands and can incorporate for you. The four areas are perceivable, operable, understandable and robust- and there is a checklist provided by the ADA to ensure these standards have been met. While it’s not impossible to make your website ADA compliant on your own, it is a worthwhile investment to enlist the help of a professional who can ensure compliance.

An ADA complaint website “helps protect your business against lawsuits and fines in addition to providing needed accommodations for your potential customers” according toe businessnewsdaily.com

Interested in learning more about ADA compliance, or want to discuss your options with a designer? Visit us online at jellywebsites,com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Website Design Elements for Any Business | Prescott, AZ

It may seem intuitive that every business website, regardless of the enterprise would be composed, in part, of the same website design elements any other would have. However, if you are trying to DIY your website, it is important to keep in mind some of the elements that may work to highlight your unique business.

Flow. How a given client navigates your website goes a long way with how your business is received. Considering how you would like someone to experience your products and what content you want to share will inform the flow. Single-page websites are great if your website is more visual. For websites that serve to outline niche information, multi-page websites may better suit your needs.

Contact Information. Clients need a way to reach you, however, it is entirely up to you what contacts to provide. How you decide to manage communication between you and clients is your decision. An important thing to note is that if major search engines provide misleading contact information, it could cost you a client. It has been shown that inaccurate contact information alone can dissuade someone from using your services.

About Page. When potential clients visit your website, even if they understand the services or products you provide, it’s important to make a connection with them as well. About pages are a great way to inform visitors about yourself, your journey in business, or details about products a description may be too short to share. Adding an image to your about page is also a great way to relate with your clients, as it allows an opportunity to visually present your professionalism or personality.

Meet the Team. Businesses with a dynamic team of creatives or different departments benefit from a page where visitors can understand the people who make the operation work. It serves to inform visitors, and allows an opportunity for inquiries to be answered by the appropriate person or department.

For more ideas about how you can DIY your own website, or view the beautiful website Jelly Websites creates, call the team at Jelly Websites at 951.371.9327, or visit us online at www.jellywebsites.com.

How to Draw Inspiration to Write a Blog | Corona, CA

A blog is a great way to let the world know your views on whatever it is that you decide to write about. But for some, it may become a daunting task. What should I write about? Or, better yet, what should I write about now? Yes, it’s fun to take to paper and convey a thought you’ve had but to have a successful blog, it should be updated with content on a consistent basis if you hope to gain some traction on the internet. So, for those of you in a bit of a slump, here are some tips to finding inspiration:

Your community. Many of us choose to rely on our day-to-day conversations as fodder for our blogs. If you are writing about your business, writing about questions or concerns your customers have presented to you is a great way to not only help others that are looking for an answer, but also present yourself as an expert on the topic.

Mistakes made. Lessons are always learned when stumbling through this life. And it is these lessons that make us smarter. Imparting lessons that you’ve learned will make your readers feel less embarrassed if they know someone else has done the exact same thing before. Each one, teach one.

Life experiences. Let’s face it – no one wants to be bored and no one wants to be lectured. So, having an entertaining way of tying in life experiences into blogs is a great way to show someone something without pointing at it and making it a focal point. Sometimes the best teachers are those that aren’t trying.

If you’d like to find out more about writing a blog, contact Jelly Websites in Corona, CA at (951) 371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com for additional information.

Jelly Websites proudly serves Prescott, AZ and all surrounding areas.

Tips to Writing a Great Blog | Corona, CA

One popular way to get out some creative energy is to write a blog. Not only will it enhance your website’s content and drive traffic, but it can also generate more business your way. But there are some basic tips to keep in mind when getting started. After all, you want your blog to be read – why not make it the best it can be?

Find your focus. Ask yourself this question: Who do I want to target? Once that's settled, you can home in on a niche category and be the expert on it. People want to know that they are getting help from someone they can trust.

Be relatable, be yourself. What will set you apart from others is going to be your voice. Let them know what you’re about. Let them know that you can be trusted, and your voice will be that exact way to showcase that.

Use links within your posts. Linking sites within your blog is a great way to increase your search engine rankings, but it can also enhance your reader’ experience.

Include images. Not all posts will lend themselves to an image, but when they do, take advantage of it. There are plenty of ways to visually enhance each blog to keep the reader’s attention.

Respond to blog comments. A great way to connect directly with the people who are reading your work. Answer their questions and thank them for reading.

Post to all social media platforms. Don't be afraid to use social media to publicize your posts. Anything that makes it easier for potential readers to find your blog is a must. It may seem silly, but friends and family will love to support all your hard work!

If you’d like to find out more about writing a blog, contact Jelly Websites in Corona, CA at (951) 371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com for additional information.

Jelly Websites proudly serves Prescott, AZ and all surrounding areas.

Building Your First Website | Corona, CA

Here we are – ready to take a stab at creating your very first website. It’s incredibly overwhelming, isn’t it? We get it. There are good websites and there are poorly built websites – how can we be so sure that we can do this? Because we want a great looking website, one that will drive traffic to what you’d like to show to world. And there are lots of hosting sites that make it seem easy as pie. But not everything is as simple as it seems and using these sites may not be the smartest decision for your current goals. Here are some reasons why not to use these sites to build a website.

It doesn’t save money. It begins with a free offer and ends with a bait-and-switch. Sure, you can set up a basic blog, but it has ads on it (that don’t benefit you), you get terrible support with significant space limitations. Unless you subscribe. Third-party sites can become expensive as they try to get you to add on unnecessary features.

Third-party builder limitations. At first, you’re not going to be customizing your website much, but compared to a standalone content management system (CMS), you have very limited options when it comes to web design, functionality, file access, and customization.

Template platforms aren’t any easier to work with. The final reason that people are drawn to these website template platforms is that they promise beginner ease. But if you know what you’re doing, you can set up a WordPress business website in 5 minutes. And each time you do it, you’ll learn more and get better (and faster) at it.

If you’d like to find out more about building a website, contact Jelly Websites in Corona, CA at (951) 371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com for additional information.

Jelly Websites proudly serves Prescott, AZ and all surrounding areas.