Tag: Prescott valley

How To Protect Your WordPress Website | Prescott, AZ

In this day and age, it is important to realize that hackers are always going to be a threat to you and your personal information. You may not think you’d ever become a victim, but people are being hacked every day. So, in order to protect yourself, you need to stay on top of your information. If you have a WordPress-built website, make sure that you take the necessary steps in order to keep your website safe. Don’t worry – it isn’t all that complicated.

Ditch the “admin” username. When creating your WordPress website, your default name will be admin. And for the most part, it never changes. Change this name in order to make it more difficult for hackers to guess.

Strong passwords are key. Your password is the electronic key into your website and hackers use software that can test every word in Wikipedia against your password. When creating your passwords, don’t use actual words, like your child’s name, first car or anything that makes sense. The best passwords contain random lowercase and uppercase letters, as well as numbers and symbols.

Keep updated. WordPress sites can become insecure only when not kept updated. So, make sure all updates are in place so hackers cannot gain access.

Limit your logins. You should install a plugin in your WordPress website that limits logins. Hackers use software that runs Wikipedia words and names against your password until they can gain access. Limiting logins will prevent this from happening.

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!

Gaining and Retaining Customers Is All About User Experience | Prescott, AZ

User experience is arguably the most important thing your website can offer. If a visitor has a bad experience navigating your website, they leave before they can absorb what you have to offer. Hiring an experienced website designer to consider your needs and produce an effective website for your business can make all the difference for user experience.

Navigation works to guide visitors through your services and enhance search engine optimization. Words such as “services” or “shop” don’t share what your business is about or work to accentuate your online presence. Utilizing popular key phrases for your navigation bar is an easy way to increase your page ranking online.

Most sites feature an abundance of information, products or services; how visitors work through these elements makes a difference in what they view. If you want visitors to focus on specific elements, you want them at the top of your navigation, not buried in a dropdown. How dropdown menus are organized matters as well; mega menus are more appealing than those broken down into smaller sections.

Mobile navigation is also crucial to the experience, especially as people start getting back out into the world and technology continues to advance. When your website is where you want it online, it’s important to take a deep dive into its mobile presence. Have a friend or two log onto your site from their phone and provide feedback; it’s okay if they “don’t understand” how websites are created - it’s actually better if they don’t. Raw, honest feedback about their user experience will help you decide how to adjust the mobile presentation of your services.

Limiting the amount of menu items serves visitors and search engines, so it’s important to evaluate what you have on offer and how it’s presented. A good rule of thumb is to keep your menu at or below seven. Ideally, each page on your website is optimized to be found as easily as possible for existing and potential consumers. Interior pages tend to get lost in the mix, but keeping things streamlined goes a long way in getting them found.

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!

SEO-Enhancing Website Additions | Prescott, AZ

Whenever a web designer or copywriter discusses the importance of incorporating Search Engine Optimization (SEO), they are basically referring to the ability of Google to find your business online. Essentially, their goal is to build and write your website in a way that uses as many relevant tags, both in the background and on landing pages, as possible. If they are able to do that, it kicks off a positive cycle of events that help grow your business.

Here’s a brief description of how it works:

When someone types something into a search engine, tags and keywords work to drive your website up the URL results hierarchy. The higher up you are, the more clicks your website receives and the more a search engine will associate you with those keywords; over time, enhanced SEO works together with organic website traffic to keep you there. The more discoverable your business is, the more potential you have to generate new clients or consumers. Here are some easy ways to update your SEO:

Blogs

Blogs are a great way to add or increase your ability to get found by search engines. They are usually between 350- 500 words and offer readers a variety of information from the latest updates on a given topic to insight into your business or field of expertise. A blog writer’s goal is to create structured content in a way that allows for the greatest volume of keyword use within that length parameter. A succinct, single-topic, in-depth blog can say a lot in 350- 500 words, both to the reader and search engines.

Meta Data

Metadata refers to the “unseen HTML elements that directly communicate and clarify website information for search engines” according to bigcommerce.com. Image information, titles, tags, structured data, and code all fall into this category of HTML elements. Metadata is embedded into what is referred to as the “back end” of a website; the space in which website developers work, and can even pull information from image tags.

Landing Page Copy

Landing pages are simply where visitors to your website “land” when they click on a given element of your website. A website can have any number of pages on it, but it’s important that those pages are information about your business or service. When a website is written, the person writing it uses the same technique as the blogger, it’s just disseminated differently. Ideally, the two work to complement one another providing a seamless experience for viewers and search engines.

We are proud to offer clients the SEO services they need to get found online. Visit us online at jellywebsites,com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Blogging for Discovery and Engagement | Prescott, AZ

Blogging is a great way to enhance your website’s search engine visibility, and keep visitors to your website updated on the latest news on your enterprise or within your field. Blogs can cover a range of topics from niche insights to the latest trends or research, and can even provide readers with a glimpse into how your values drive business decisions. Whatever you want to convey to your audience, captivating and informative blogs may be the addition you’ve been missing.

There are a few ways blogs work to enhance your discovery online and retain the interest of those who visit your website. We are proud to offer blogging services to our clients, employing copywriters at the top of their field to write research-backed, informative, and enticing blogs that enhance your visibility online.

Discovery

Add or increase your ability to get found by search engines through keywords written in blogs. They are usually between 350- 500 words and offer readers a variety of information from the latest updates on a given topic to insight into your business or field of expertise. A blog writer’s goal is to create structured content in a way that allows for the greatest volume of keyword use within that length parameter. A succinct, single-topic, in-depth blog can say a lot in 350- 500 words, both to the reader and search engines.

Engagement

As visitors to your website or blog interact with it (click around, read content, etc.), the more favorable your service is over the competition. Why? The people who take time to read through and understand your practices, and philosophies or use your site to stay updated on the latest news are more likely to build a rapport. As they spend time on your website reading blogs, it increases the amount of engagement your site is getting which will allow it to rank higher on search result pages.

Interested in learning more, or want to incorporate a blog onto your website? Our developers, designers, and copywriters are here to help your business get found online. Visit us online at jellywebsites,com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Loading Time and Overall Website Performance | Prescott, AZ

The amount of time that it takes for your website to load can truly impact SEO. Your website's speed depends on many different factors. This can range from host design and optimization. As a matter of fact, loading time matters for both users and search engines. It’s a fact that many users are less likely to stay on a site that has a slow loading time and I assure you that Google will penalize your site for loading too slowly.

Page Speed Matters to Google- Google wants to provide its users with the best experience possible, and if your site loads slowly it will affect your rating with Google. Google has been focusing on delivering the best user experience possible. Chances are that if your site loads faster, your business has better chances that viewers will remain on your page.

Page Speed Matters to Viewers- While page speed is important to Google, other search engines, and for your rankings, it also impacts user experience. It is not a secret that a positive user experience often leads to better conversions overall. There are many ways that a fast-loading website creates a good user experience.

  • If your business sells a product, having a fast-loading page helps your visitors quickly understand what your company has to offer and complete the order forms.
  • If your website generates revenue due to the advertising of your content, a fast-loading site can ensure that your visitors navigate through all of your web pages and can increase the total page views.

Efficient page speed relies on many different optimizations. If you’re ready to improve your overall website speed, contact Jelly Websites in Prescott, AZ today at 951-371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com today!

Factors that Hinder Your Website | Prescott, AZ

Designing a website is not the easiest thing to do. Not only does the website serve a purpose, whether you are creating it for business or pleasure, but it also needs to continue to drive traffic if it’s going to be successful. After all, you are designing it for the visitor more than it is for you personally. While there are plenty of tips out there to help, there are lots of mistakes commonly made while creating them. Here are some of the more common mistakes web developers and web designers make that hinder the effectiveness of your website:

No consistency. When it comes to designing multiple pages for a website, keep things simple and consistent. If your page design is inconsistent, your visitor may wonder if they’ve been sent to another website.

Confusing navigation. If your website’s navigation isn’t direct, visitors are likely to get frustrated and leave. Remember the three-click rule – your important content should be accessible within no more than three clicks from your homepage.

Irrelevant/outdated content. Three little words: less is more. Make sure your website’s content is up to date and refreshed on a regular basis. After all, you want your visitors to come back wanting more.

Poor readability and legibility. Visitors come to your website in search of information, so making sure they can read it is extremely vital. Make sure to use easy-to-read color schemes and fonts to make reading easier for your visitors.

Non-responsive design. Most web browsing is done on mobile devices, so make sure you design your website to be mobile-friendly, in order to enhance its usability.

If you’d like to customize your website, contact Jelly Websites in Prescott, AZ at (951) 371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com for additional information.

DIY Website Platforms: A Guide | Prescott, AZ

Websites are advantageous investments in your business. They communicate to existing and potential clients that you either run a legitimate enterprise or are a serious sole proprietor. For many just starting out in their career or seeking to level up their business, it’s useful to understand which of the many website platforms will suit your needs the best. Here is a rundown of the various DIY website options and their best use cases.

Shopify: This is a platform for e-commerce-based businesses. As your business grows, it offers add-ons and upgrades that allow the site to scale with you. It also integrates other management tools to keep tabs on several aspects of your business.

WordPress: It may be the most recognized website-building tool; it's certainly one of the longest-standing DIY platforms. WordPress allows users to completely customize their website and often relies on code to get the details just right.

Wix: A website built on Wix can be crafted from a variety of templates to highlight anything from services to a portfolio or built out to support e-commerce. It’s a fairly simple and intuitive program to use, making it a popular way to easily create an online presence for your enterprise.

Squarespace: Another e-commerce-specific platform, Squarespace is a user-friendly website-building tool. If your business is mobile, the accessories they offer are an added bonus, and a large reason it has become a popular option.

Having any online presence is better than none, so if you are considering the next steps for your enterprise, it’s important to analyze what you offer, and the platform that may best suit your needs. Of course, none of these options is going to provide a customized experience for your clients the way crafting your presence with a designer will.

If you are interested in curating or improving your online presence, contact Jelly Websites at 951-371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com today!

Five Key Elements of a Successful Website | Prescott, AZ

When considering the design of your website, it can be thrilling to consider all the different elements to highlight your work or products. It’s important however to keep in mind these five key elements of a successful website that play a big role in your ability to share a cohesive presence.

Relevant Visuals. We all know that when we log onto any given website, that they are a mix of visual and text elements. No website should be just one; a balance of each goes a long way. When considering what visual elements to use (color, photos, enhanced text, overall design) it’s important they all work to support the message you want to convey.

Mobile-Friendly Operation. More often than not, your existing and potential clients or consumers are navigating to you on their mobile phones. If you are working with a designer, he or she should direct the seamless presentation and operation of your website on a mobile device. If you are utilizing a DIY website tool, be sure to verify an ability to create or manipulate it’s compatibility with a mobile device prior to investing in that platform.

User-Friendly Navigation. The way visitors experience your website is just as, if not more important as the way it looks. Visitors should be able to experience the various elements of your website with ease and conveniently find the information or products they seek. If they encounter overcomplicated, unnecessary or generally poor navigation it’s likely they will leave your website and venture to your competitors.

Quality Content. As with visuals, so with words. The content of your website is paramount to the expression of your brand- it literally speaks on your behalf to existing and potential clients and consumers. When you sit to write your website, take time to consider what you really want people to know about the services or products your offer.

Security. This is particularly important for e-commerce websites. The ability to securely receive payment from clients or customers through your site is paramount to the success of your business. Not only should you not know their sensitive information, it should be as protected as possible from hackers attempting to commit fraud.

If you are interested in curating or improving your online presence, contact Jelly Websites at 951-371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com today!

Websites for Start-up Businesses | Prescott, AZ

One of the most immediate and prominent things you can invest in as a start-up business is a website that captures both who you are and what you offer. Your website says a lot about you, so it’s important to imagine where you see your enterprise in five years and curate that level of professionalism from the very start. There are several reasons why a website is an important first step of the process; here are a few notable ones:

New on the scene. If you are a start-up, you are not a household name (yet). While that can be daunting, it’s okay! Your success does not depend on being well-known yet, it’s about presenting yourself and the services you provide in an elevated manner. It’s more about how you present your drive and the experience you do have, rather than focusing on any “lack” there may be. When you present prospective clients with a website that highlights the best of what you have done, it will entice them to expand your portfolio by awarding their job to you.

Build rapport. Another crucial element of a website for a start-up is the ability to build rapport with potential clients or consumers. When you present a website that shares your story and provides insight into your services, even on a nominal level, you build rapport. The person on the other side of the desk has an opportunity to better understand you and your services, and make an informed decision about hiring you (even if the website doesn’t have a whole lot on it).

A Website Shows Dedication. Similar to the above tip “build rapport”, when you show a prospective client, investor or consumer that you are dedicated to the pursuit of your enterprise, it goes a long way. It tells that person that despite any conflicts of experience, you care, and are personally dedicated to the progression of your craft. If you are not invested in your progress, why should they be interested in hiring you?

When you work with the experienced professionals at Jelly Websites, we help you determine the message you want to send and beautifully capture your business to propel you forward.

Interested in creating a website that takes you from new to known? Visit us online at jellywebsites,com or call our team at 951.371.9327 today!

Designing a Website for Your Audience | Prescott, AZ

Web design is a creative art constantly intersecting with the latest trends. The trick it designing a website that captures your audience while being mindful of current trends tends. One should not be without the other if you are invested in the longevity of your business. Why? Trends may offer an interesting pop, but if you need to be taken seriously to succeed, you should evaluate the use of tends within your line of business before taking actionable steps.

Here are some things we think are useful when considering how to design a website for your audience:

Audience. First and foremost, consider your audience. If you are unsure, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

What sector does your business fall under (fashion, knitting, finance etc.)?

Who are you trying to attract to your services (parents, teachers, animal lovers)?

Brand Voice. This refers to the way your online and physical presence (website and marketing materials) represent your brand or services.

What is your brand voice (snarky, serious, mindful)?

How does your brand voice align with the message you want to send?

Will your target audience feel compelled to hire you based on this presence?

Services. How you portray the work you offer says a lot about it. Make sure your services are easily accessible and allow your best work to stand out.

What are you selling or offering to your target audience?

Do the ways you present these services online highlight the best of what you offer?

If you were to look from a third person perspective, would you hire you?

When you understand the answers to most of these questions, you can begin to build a website that speaks to your audience while retaining the unique qualities that make your business stand out.

When you work with the designers at Jelly Websites, we help you decode these and other important considerations to ensure your presence attracts the attention you want.

If you are interested in curating or improving your online presence, contact Jelly Websites at 951-371-9327 or visit www.jellywebsites.com today!