Web design, logos, graphics, and ecommerce

Advantages of joining freelance design contests.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 May 2015 08:37:00 +0000

As a freelancer, participating in design competitions on crowd-sourcing sites can bring benefits to your graphic design career. Although some are easily turned off by the fact that there is only a small chance that your work will be paid, there are still valuable positives to be gained for your long term career.

Experience

• The process and formulation of your entry will give you practice on designing a project based on the specifications and requirements of your client. It also allows you to get updated with the trends and workings of graphic design in that particular business area. Some contests are open and you can see how other designers present their work and learn new techniques that might help you in your next project.

Exposure

• Your entries that doesn't get selected can still be of use by adding them to your portfolio. They can also be used as references whenever the time comes that you land a project with similar specifications and themes. Potential clients will be given a sample of your work that might be related to their field. Opportunities are limitless and the more your design reaches out to people. the better it is for your career in the long run.

Reputation

• Winning contests or getting high scores on your designs will help you land more bids. Clients will always trust those designers with an extensive portfolio and good crowd sourcing site ratings.

How to get more online work as a Web Designer.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 May 2015 08:20:00 +0000

Getting online work as a Web Designer is not as easy as it sounds. Yes, the web holds thousands if not millions of potential customers, however the competition is extremely
fierce and the competition for these clients is numerous as well. The problem lies with how you can connect to your potential clients and make conversions to get work.

1.) Boost your chances of getting hired by providing easy access to your portfolio and previous works.

If potential clients like what they see on your portfolio, chances are they will hire you to design their website and potentially form a long term client-designer relationship. Keeping an updated portfolio is a must to show your clients that you are up to date with the latest trends and can design a website for them that will be well received by their market.

2.) Stay up to date with the latest in Web Design.

Web design is always evolving. It is one of the fastest evolving fields and is always changing with new design tools, search engine optimization practices, cross platform compatibility, and user interface design. Customers will always want the new and trendy design for their sites. It will be harder for you to connect with clients if you are not familiar with the latest in web design and will make you look like the wrong choice of a web designer to them.

3.) Improve your communication skills.

People will always find it easier to work with someone that

they can communicate well with. In web design, team work is essential in making the best possible website to satisfy the customer's needs. Confidence and being able to market yourself well are a great help whenever there are discussions or disputes along the development stages.

4.) Be an expert in Responsive web design.

Mobile-friendly browsing has been the craze since the rapid growth of users who search the internet using their phones and tablets. Businesses around the world are learning it's importance and are beginning to change their websites to target the mobile consumers. The ability to make a responsive website is now a must for designers and will also increase your job opportunities as customers are looking to jump on the mobile-friendly wagon.

The world of web design is a jungle and is a survival of the fittest arena. As you gain more experience and skills working as a web designer, you will become better and more adept at this field and along with hard work will be bound for long-term success.

by: masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

5 Questions to ask before hiring a web design firm.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 11:08:00 +0000

Before you finalize a purchase or a contract with your web design firm, it is best to make things clear and ensure that you are getting what you pay for. Web design can be a tricky endeavor, one that can directly affect your business. Like all important decisions in life, you must be careful in checking out all the details first and how they fulfill your business needs before finalizing your decision.

1. How long have they been in the Web Design business?

Upstart freelancers and small firms can offer you lower

rates compared to well established web design companies. The risk though, is that they may not have the required experience to effectively build the web design to cater to your various needs. Web design is a very complex field, one that has a very steep learning curve and is regularly evolving. It would also depend on what you want the designer to do with your site. If it's a basic and simple model , inexperienced designers would be able to do the job but an experienced hand would still be the better option in the long run.
Usually web design for small businesses start as a short-term project. However, since web design is an ongoing venture and one that will evolve as your business expands, a firm that has in-depth knowledge on how to prepare your site for future developments will be better equipped to help you start a potential game changer for your business.

2. Can they show you some of their recent works and clients?

Portfolios or past projects can give you an idea on what

they can do for you and will give you an idea on which features from their past projects you'd like to be included in your design. It will also give you an impression of whether or not they are the right people to build your website. It will also allow you to determine the quality of their work. Web design firms with years of experience in the field are a reliable option for long-term web development.

3. Will they charge you everything upfront or will they have additional charges later on in the development stages?

Making sure that everything is black and white and that you don't have to pay extra for something after the start of the project will protect you from hidden charges. Getting a fixed price for the whole project and being given a reasonable time table is what you should ask for from your design firm. Other elements like web hosting and support should also be included in the design.

4. Can they provide you with a Content Management System or CMS?

When you get your website, it is important that you have

access to make updates and certain changes to the contents of the site. Whenever you need to update your products or release new articles about your company, having a CMS in place will allow you or your staff to make the changes yourself without having to call your web design company or a freelancer to make the changes for you for a certain fee. This eliminates unnecessary costs for you. Websites with industry standard content management systems are the best. Some CMS sites that are free and popularly used are Wordpress, Joomla!, and Drupal.

5. How good is their customer support service?

It is important to have a web design company that offers practical and reliable customer support. Running and maintaining a website can be complicated with many elements like web hosting, domain name, eCommerce, and content management training. Having an ongoing support system in place from your web design firm will save you from a lot of frustration as well as extra charges from hiring freelancers to do the job for you instead.

Google Chrome Beta 42 release can help your business retain mobile users.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:14:00 +0000

image from blog.chromium.org

With the push for a better mobile browsing experience, Chrome Beta have released it's new update that includes support for ES6 Classes and several new features that allow developers to create more immersive web applications. This will allow website owners to send push notifications to visitors of their site and to add a home screen icon.

This is a huge step in mobile browsing as it aims to make the browsing experience of mobile users better. It also allows website owners and web admins to keep their users engaged and up to date. Mobile users usually browse the internet to pass time and timely push notifications coupled with home screen icons will not only keep them up to date with all the new features of your business, it will also make it easier for them to access your website.

This allows developers to bridge the gap of accessibility between native applications and


image from blog.chromium.org

mobile sites. People are now living at a very fast pace and ease of access and push notifications are very crucial in keeping users engaged and notified with your site. This is very good news for online businesses who are making an effort to provide excellent service to it's mobile users.

Mobile friendly web design can get you more hits from Google.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 02:21:00 +0000

Recently Google has announced and implemented a change in their mobile search algorithms that will boost the search rankings of mobile friendly websites. Meaning that the more mobile friendly web pages you have on your site, the better your chance of getting a higher ranking on Google search results.With the aim to provide mobile users with the most relevant and timely results, Google have made yet another stride in giving it's users excellent service.

To check whether your web pages are mobile friendly you can do a test using Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.

The change is page level, having most of your pages passing Google's mobile friendly test will greatly boost your ranking. Desktops and tablets will not be affected by the change but since more people are browsing the internet using mobile, upgrading your website to meet the standards will boost your business in the long run.

If your site is not mobile friendly and if you haven't upgraded your online business to meet the demands of the ever changing market, now is the time to make changes and keep up with the ever evolving trends.

by:masterofvectors
http://yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com/

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

12 Best Website Hosting Providers in 2015

5 Best Tips on hiring a freelance logo designer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 09:55:00 +0000

When you are looking to hire a freelance logo / graphic designer online, it is important to consider some important issues that you'll encounter along the way. Since you are looking to get the logo design that will perfectly match your needs, it is important to consider some things before starting the process.

1. Research the market

Check out the different logos used by companies and businesses in the same field. This will give you an idea on what are the trends and help you in deciding on the look,feel and overall layout of your new logo.

2. Where do you find a freelance logo designer online?

There are a lot of websites that offer logo design services on the web but not all of them can deliver the quality and service that your business needs. Getting a freelance designer to work on your logo from one of the most trusted firms or websites will help you eliminate some of the common concerns when working with an unknown freelancer on the internet. Good websites to try and hire a freelance designer at are; 99designs, DesignCrowd, and Elance. Also a good firm to get logos done would be The Logo Company.

3. How to determine which designer to work with.

Freelance Designers display their previous works / projects on their profile. Browse through their online portfolio to see if their style and design techniques will suit the logo that you have in mind. Also look at the feedback and rating they receive from their previous clients. These will give you an idea if a designer is the right one to work with.

4. Take care of the Legalities

As a business you must secure the sole ownership rights to your logo that will be designed by your designer and that he/she will not retain any copyright. You need this to protect your logo and to make sure that it is unique and will not be used anywhere else.

5. Ask that a vector format of the logo be submitted.

In order for you to be able to use your new logo for all different types of purposes. You will need the vector file of the design. What is a vector? it is the resizable format of the illustration that will allow printing companies and yourself to print your logo in any size and can be altered to meet printing demands.

by:masterofvectors

yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

4 Things to look out for when choosing the right logo for your business

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

Top 3 criteria for choosing a web hosting provider

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:24:00 +0000

As a business your website serves as your online presence on the internet, making sure that it is operational and performing well is a top priority. Whether you are an online store owner or you use your website as a means to reach out to your clients and serve as a profile, getting the most out of your web hosting service will be beneficial to your business.

What is a web host?
It is a company or service that provides space on the internet for your website. If your website's domain name is your address on the internet, then your web host is your house or office. It's what keeps your site running and hosts all the files necessary to run your website. Files are stored and uploaded through your web host's server.

The performance and quality of the service provided to you by your web host provider will directly impact your website. As important it is, careful judgement is needed when choosing the best web hosting provider for your business. Here are the top 3 criteria according to various web experts and designers;

1. Server Reliablity
Since you are using your website for business purposes, any downtime or server failure will make you lose money. Your website should always be running and operational. Most providers will offer 99% server uptime( the time when the server is operational) but one that provides 99.5% or higher would be better. No matter how good your content is, being available and operational is still the #1 priority for websites.
Also check what security options and backup strategies they can offer you. A website that is always online and well protected is ideal.

2. Speed
How fast will your website load? Depending on whether you pay for the cheapest available plan, VPS(medium speed) or a dedicated server(best performance), the speed of your website will be factored by how many other websites are being run by your web host using the same physical server. The lesser you pay the more crowded is the server your going to be in meaning the slower your website will perform. Upgrading to a VPS service which is less crowded but a bit more pricey, or getting a dedicated server which will exclusively be for your own use, will improve your speed but cost you more money.

3. Technical Support
In an ideal world, you will never encounter any problems with your web hosting forever. Quite similar to buying your first car and never ever needing any kind of repair or maintenance for the rest of your life. However since we all live in the real world, as your website grows and the more time you have it up and running it will eventually need a few fixes here and there. Whether because of technical problems, upgrades or changes in the industry, there will be a time when you'd need technical support from your provider.
Check how their technical support quality is. A 24 hour availability with fast response is a promising start. If you can check their technical competency by placing a call or sending an e-mail, it will help you in determining whether they are the right provider for your business or not.

by: masterofvectors

yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

3 most popular tips for choosing a successful domain name for an online store

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 06:53:00 +0000

A successful domain name can boost the traffic and sales of your online store. It will serve as your identity on the internet and should be easily found while still fitting your business. Here are the 3 most popular tips for choosing a successful domain name for an online store.

1. GO for simplicity.

Keep it short and make it easy to type and pronounce. Avoiding misspellings and confusion will be key in making sure that your store's web address can easily be typed or searched by users online. This will also make it easier to remember for your clients which will help your branding.

2. GO for a .COM extension.

By far it is the most popular and widely used top level domain on the web. People are more used to it and mostly assumed by users to be the extension of a website they hear about. Like for example a customer refers an online store to a friend by saying " I bought these custom printed bags from Zazzle and their lovely " . The friend likely to search for the store's website on the internet would assume that the address would be zazzle.com and type it such.

3. Research the domain name you want.

Go to your address bar or search engine sites like google, and try searching for your preferred domain name. You should see based on the results if there are many competitor stores using similar names. Make sure that you avoid copyright issues and trademarks.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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5 Tips to improve mobile conversions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 09:06:00 +0000

More people are using mobile phones and tablets for online shopping. This trend is expected to continue for the next few years and possibly even more. As an online store, optimizing your website to work well with these mobile devices and converting on sales from them are vital to the success of your business now and in the future. Based from analysis and reports of top experts in the field, here are 5 tips to improve your online store's mobile conversions

1. Get a responsive web design.

If at this point your online store is still not optimized for mobile viewing then you are lagging behind the field. What is responsive web design? it's a technique that allows your online store to fit and be usable on any device be it desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. Non-responsive websites don't work well with small screen devices and make them unusable to mobile shoppers. Getting a mobile friendly design will greatly improve your mobile conversion rate and help your business.

2. Easy navigation and clear labels.

Mobile shoppers who browse through your website will have a hard time shopping if your navigation controls are either hard to use or if buttons like "add to cart" or "checkout" are hardly noticeable.

3. Think mobile

Mobile phones are commonly used for quick browsing or shopping. Usually done between breaks, to kill time while waiting for a meeting, or while in commute, these type of mobile shoppers have short attention span and are always on the go. Gearing your online store to cater to the special needs of mobile shoppers will work wonders for your mobile conversion rate.

4. Eliminate security doubts.

The number of mobile users who fear scams or accidental opt ins are a whole lot. Be sure that whenever you ask them for information for a simpler checkout process that you are clear on why you need those specific details. Give the customer assurance that you will not do anything that would violate their privacy and make them feel that they are protected. Addressing these concerns will gain more trust from your clients.

5. Make their shopping experience fun and engaging.

People on the go with their short attention span are more likely to make a purchase if the shopping experience is more engaging and fun for them to do.With fresh ideas and exciting events, your online store will have a higher chance to keep them shopping and even make them return..

by:masterofvectors
http://yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com/

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

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Top 5 Causes of Shopping Cart Abandonment and how to solve them.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 12:21:00 +0000

E-commerce sites or online stores rely on their website's shopping cart systems to sell the items they offer to their customers online.Shopping Cart abandonment occurs when a customer enters items in the shopping cart and then leave the site before completing the checkout process. A high rate of Shopping Cart abandonment means lower conversion and revenue loss.

What are the causes of Shopping Cart Abandonment and how to solve them?

1. Hidden Costs

By the time the customer clicks the checkout button, they are expecting to buy their chosen item at the price that was indicated before clicking the buy button. Charges that were not made upfront can turn off a buyer easily since people don't like hidden costs. Be upfront about charges and shipping costs. Estimating shipping costs early and offer free or flat shipping so you can win more clients.

2. Complicated Checkout Process

When a customer clicks on the checkout button, he/she is no longer shopping but making a purchase. A complicated layout with multiple stops and fill-in forms can aggravate the client and drive them away. People want to do their business at a steady and speedy way. A simple checkout process with easy navigation will speed up the transaction and satisfy your customers.
Make sure that there is a back to shopping link available in case the customer wants to go back to shopping for other items on your store. Make buttons that are easily visible and large enough to be noticed.
A progress indicator will inform your customer where they are in the process and numbering the processes can make things clearer for your customer.

3. Website crashes or offline.

It is really frustrating for a customer when they decide on buying a product and then the website suddenly takes too long to load or goes offline. This will really affect the image of your business to your clients in a negative way. Trustworthiness and competency are a must for an online business to survive and prosper. A website that has slow performance or a lot of downtime will frustrate customers.
Getting a reliable web hosting service either through a VPS or a dedicated server depending on the number of shoppers you get on your website can easily solve this problem. If your site still doesn't get that many transactions then a basic hosting plan can still suffice but make sure to check with your provider or try other companies that offer the same service to make sure that an unsatisfactory hosting provider does not hinder your business.

4. Checkout process takes too long.

Make sure to minimize the steps needed to finish the checkout. It is best to make the whole process as quick, and easy as possible for your customers. Forcing clients to register as a member can also drive them away. Most people who are buying for the first time will not be comfortable enough to give out personal information on a site they aren't sure they can trust. An option for guest checkout will be a great way to solve this.

5. Concerns about payment security.

The increase in online transactions also increased the different security threats to online buyers. This causes buyers to look for payment solutions they can trust when buying online.Setting up your shopping cart to work with trusted and well known payment services like Master Card or Paypal and ensure the security of all transactions. Minimizing information required from buyers while providing secure transaction signs or symbols can help gain the trust of buyers.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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3 Things to check before buying a website design.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:59:00 +0000

Not everyone is proficient when it comes to web design and computer coding which is one of the most common reasons why businesses choose to pay a professional designer or a firm to do the web design for them. However it is always better to be involved in the process of creating a website for your business. The cost of getting a professionally designed website is not cheap. Therefore, you'd want to make sure that you are getting what you pay for and that the end product is one that fills your online business needs.Even without the coding knowledge or web design know-how, there are still things you can do to make sure that you are getting the best deal.

1. Make sure that the website is designed to meet the requirements of your business.

During the initial process of website development, the designer / firm will consult with you to find the things that you need for your website as well as your visual tastes. It is best to be prepared for this stage since it is the most important meeting throughout the development process. The results of the initial consultation is where everything will revolve and be based on.
Do a bit of a research on your competitor websites and see what aspects or processes of their website you like and tell the designer how you want to incorporate those into your own website.

2. Check if the designer / firm will provide you with an easy to use CMS ( Content Management System )

CMS is a very important part in web design. It allows you to make changes or updates to your own website yourself, when it's up and running without having to learn coding. Most designers or firms that don't offer CMS in their web design plans require you to send the changes to them manually and to pay an hourly rate for them to edit your existing website. A few of the common let-downs of this is when you need to make changes to your site outside of their working hours or if you need to make multiple updates on a daily basis which would be expensive.
Being able to make changes or updates to your site yourself will greatly improve the performance of your website later on and will help you serve your customers better.

3. Responsiveness or Mobile Compatibility

The website design world have gone through a rapid makeover these past few years due to the quick increase of mobile phone and tablet users. Now more than 50% of eCommerce traffic is from mobile devices. Websites that are still non-responsive will not work well on a mobile device. The most common problem is the way the pages are displayed on the much smaller screens of mobile phones and tablets. Text and images are usually to small to read or are sometimes cut off from the screen. This makes the user experience terrible and would result with them leaving your website.
A good responsive web design will make sure that your website can be viewed and used easily on mobile devices. This will make your website mobile friendly and can improve your ranking on search engines like google and can even put you ahead of the competition.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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5 ways to increase the sales of your online store this 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:17:00 +0000

The year just started and it's that time when it's good to

make changes and improvements to your business. As an online store you always want to increase your sales and making the right moves or changes this 2015 can help you do just that. Here are five ways to improve the sales of your online store this year;

1. Improve your product photos

Investing on product photography can help you more than you think. Photos allow your customers to see the products that you are selling and will be a crucial factor on their judging whether or not they buy your product. A good photo can make a good impression while a shabby one will give a negative effect. A product photograph that is clear and well-lit will make your item look great and more appealing to buyers.

2. Be clear with Prices

The most common reason for customers who cancel or abort their purchase after adding items to a shopping cart is the unexpected charges that appear after they have made the decision to buy. Make sure that prices and charges are easily visible to clients and are easily understood so that when they make the decision to buy items from your store they clearly know how much they are going to be charged for it.

3. Recommend products that are related to items they are viewing

By showing other items that are related to the product they are viewing, users will have a faster time buying or browsing items that they might like. This equates to a better shopping experience for your customers. A good benefit in helping customers discover other items that they might like is the increased chance on additional purchases. When a customer intends to buy just 1 item and end up buying a few more because they liked the related products recommended to them which they wouldn't have found otherwise had it not been for that feature.

4. Make your store easy to use on mobile devices.

More than 50 percent of eCommerce traffic is from mobile devices. This is where an investment on a responsive website will pay dividends. By getting ahead of your competitors in this area, you put your business at the forefront of this new avenue of online shopping. A responsive web design will resize it's content to fit the smaller screens of mobile phones and tablets, and have images and texts large enough to be easily readable by users.

5. Improve your website's speed performance

There are many factors that can cause your

online store to perform slowly for your customers. It could be a slow connection from their end, coding, third party tools, or it could be that your hosting plan cannot handle the amount of transactions processed by your online store in it's busiest times.Investing on a faster and better performing hosting plan can increase your sales and provide a better shopping experience to your clients.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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Top 8 Strategies to start a successful online store

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:30:00 +0000

Starting an online store is easy. Starting a successful online store that will give you good profit and solid business is NOT. Like in the real world, you need careful planning, determination, and discipline. Whether or not you make it big in the world of e-commerce can come down to the decisions that you make when you are first starting out. Here are some strategies to make your online store a success;

1. Get an easy to use web design.

Ease of access will allow visitors to browse and purchase items from your online store easily and quickly. A fast and convenient visitor experience will equate to bigger sales. People are busy and are always looking to do things as quickly and as conveniently as possible. A website design that caters to that need by the buyers is bound to be a success and get ahead of the competition.

2. Cater to Mobile Shoppers

The number of people that do online shopping on their mobile phones or tablets have ballooned phenomenally the last few years. With a mobile-friendly website, you open the door to the major bulk of eCommerce shoppers that use either their mobile phones or tablets for web shopping to your store. Along with the boost of localized searching, the upward trend of mobile use demands the need for responsive web design and mobile-ready online stores.

3. Get a Web Address that works.

Your web address is a key part to the success of your store. An address or URL that can be easily remembered or identified with your business will bring you more customers. Marketing and branding with a good web address will greatly help you attract more clients. A web address / domain name that includes your business name or one that incorporates the products or services that you offer will be a good start.

4. Have multiple payment options available.

Having a variety of payment options on your online store will give you more sales. Everyone has his/her trusted and preferred payment method. You'd be surprised how many times a buyer will often decide on a purchase only to find out that the payment method they prefer isn't available and end up buying the same product / service on a competitor website that offers their preferred payment method instead.

5. Execute an effective social media marketing strategy and SEO plan

With the number of users that social media sites have like, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., a well executed marketing strategy will get you more views and extensive promotional reach. People are always online on these sites and having a solid presence on these social media sites will gain you more business. Social media presence together with a good Search Engine Optimization will be a good combination in promoting your business and getting noticed on the internet.

6. Learn from your competition

Learn from the success and failures of similar online stores. Carefully examine what works and what doesn't for your competitors. Through the experience of others you can evaluate which factors can work for your own online store and how best to tackle areas that may hinder you in the future.

7. Take care of your existing clients

Make sure that they are informed of all the new stuff that are available on your store by providing newsletters, social media updates, etc. Host promos and coupons as rewards for long time clients. The valuable feedback and recommendations that you can get from your existing customers will help boost the growth of your online business.

8. Product / Service quality.

   Even with all the right marketing and branding strategies, it will all boil down to the product or service that you are selling. A good product that is marketed well would be the perfect recipe for eCommerce success.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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Top 4 Advantages of having an Online Store

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 10:55:00 +0000

With the boom of e-commerce and mobile technology, more people are shopping online than ever Whether you decide to create an online store as a stand alone e-commerce business or to add one on top of your actual conventional store, a successful online store generally is bound to increase your profits.
However before you start your online store, it is wise to check and examine thoroughly how having an online store can be good for your business. Here are the Top 4 advantages of having an Online Store for your business;

Customer Convenience

Clients will no longer need to drive to your physical store to buy items that they can easily buy over the internet. A lot of people work irregular hours or don't have enough time with their busy schedule to personally come to your store. An online store will allow them to buy your products without compromising their schedule.

24 /7 Availability

Unlike a conventional store that operates under a specific schedule, an online store is always open and customers can shop online whenever they want.

Broader Customer Reach

A physical store's potential customer reach is limited to the population within reasonable range from it's location. On the other hand, an online store can be accessed by over a billion people on the internet. With good marketing and search engine optimization( SEO) an online store has great potential to serve a whole lot more customers.

Increased Advertizing and Promotion

With the right SEO strategy and social media plan, your business will get better promotion. More people will be aware of your business as they search online for products that you offer.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

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How a responsive website can increase sales.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 10:01:00 +0000

What is Responsive Web Design? It is the technique of designing a website to make sure that it will work on any screen size on any device(PC, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) . Since mobile phones and tablets have smaller display screens than laptops and desktops, non-responsive websites are often misaligned, incomplete, or way too small to be read or used by these smaller devices. Responsive web design solves all that and allows the website to be used as conveniently and as efficiently on all devices. A responsive website will adjust it's layout and content relative to the size of the display screen on a device to offer the best compatibility and usability. Hence the term "mobile friendly".

Responsive web design is all the craze on the internet. A big reason is the emergence of mobiles and tablets into the eCommerce business. More people are using either their phones or tablets to buy stuff on the internet and an online store that doesn't work with these devices will be losing out significantly to competition. A mobile friendly online store will benefit greatly from customer sales and overall satisfaction while a non responsive online store will pale in comparison.

More traffic from mobile users will lead to more conversions and more profit for your business. Most surveys online states that mobile users are more likely to return and buy products from online stores that are mobile friendly and easy to use compared to hard to use non-mobile friendly stores.

by:masterofvectors
http://yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com/

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

12 Best Website Hosting Providers in 2015

Top 4 websites to get a logo designed in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:11:00 +0000

A logo is a very important part of your business identity. It represents your company and serves as the face of your business. Getting a logo designed the way you want and to get a design with the quality and image that best represents your business is a tricky process. How your ideas and input can be converted into the perfect logo for your business depends also on the quality and skill of the logo designer. There are a lot of websites that offer logo design services on the web but not all of them can deliver the quality and service that your business needs. Here we list the top 4 websites to get a logo design in 2015 based on quality, service, customer feedback, and expert opinion;

1)

99designs is an award winning service and the premier marketplace for graphic design. Get your logo designed by a whole community of designers. They offer 100% money-back guarantee and full copyright ownership of the final design
Answer a brief regarding the specifics that you want about your logo and a design contest will be held for you. 99designs boasts 941,903 designers. You get tremendous value for your money by being able to choose from many submissions and get many different ideas that is more than what you pay for. By giving feedback, you can work together with many designers to achieve the result that you want with great quality. You will pick a winner after you are satisfied with the logo.
In case you want to work with a single designer, 1 on 1 projects are available for you and your chosen designer.

2.)
DesignCrowd is a marketplace for crowd-sourced graphic design like custom logos, websites, flyers, business card design and more. Businesses launch a design project and receive on average 100+ designs in 5 days from 400,000 freelance designers and agencies worldwide. DesignCrowd works much like 99designs where you can start a contest or work with 1 designer of your choice. They also offer 100% money-back guarantee and full copyright ownership of the final design. You can choose a 3, 5 or 10 day deadline. You
can expect to receive the first designs within 24 hours of creating your project and will continue to receive designs right up to the deadline date

3.)
The Logo Company has provided unique logo design to literally thousands of clients in a short space of time. They run their world-class logo design service as a loss leader and that means their price is very low compared to the true market value for this service.They offer no fuss money back guarantee , fast, stress free and fun design experience with Free unlimited design revisions and redraws. Previous clients include Exxon Mobil, L'Oreal, Duracell Inc, US Army and more.

4.)
Elance, the world's leading platform for online employment, helps businesses hire, manage and pay professionals in the cloud. Over 100,000 businesses use Elance to find Web Developers, Logo / Graphic Designers, Writers, Marketers and more.

by:masterofvectors

yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

Is your website slow and taking too long to load?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:16:00 +0000

As a business that relies on your website for income whenever you are getting feedback from your clients about your website being slow or having random downtime, you are losing money. As a business you want to have an image of trustworthiness and reliability. Your website being the medium in which you transact with your clients must be both efficient and easy to use for your client's satisfaction. Slow loading pages and an offline website will drive your paying customers away. It can also leave a negative impact on your business identity.

Websites usually load slowly if there is a problem with the visitor's connection /computer or if the server is experiencing technical difficulties or heavy traffic during peak hours. In a case where users from different locations are experiencing slow loading pages or offline connection, the problem can usually be pinpointed towards a slow server or web host.

A lot of websites use shared hosting because it is the cheapest option. The problem with shared hosting is that you don't have exclusive use of the server and there are many other websites that are being hosted within the same server. If these sites are experiencing high volume of traffic and data transfer, the speed at which your website performs will be affected. Your customers will experience slow loading pages and even website downtime. It's part of the deal when you entered a cheap option for your hosting plan.

If you feel that the revenue you lose by slow loading pages and downtime is more costly than getting a reliable dedicated server, then investing for a better performing website hosting plan is what you need. A dedicated server is a physical server that your hosting provider will give you exclusive use of. It is the most reliable hosting process and is the best option for online businesses.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Related: Web Hosting: Benefits of having a Dedicated Server
12 Best Website Hosting Providers
Dedicated server hosting for less...Yes, get your own box. Click here to check OFFER!

Get discounts plus free 3 domain names & 25 email acocunts on longer terms with Register.com Premium Web Hosting

12 Best Website Hosting Providers in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 11:41:00 +0000

Much like last year we considered factors like uptime, customer feedback, expert opinions, and money for value stats when we came up with the list for 2015. Website hosting is an integral part of your business having a presence on the worldwide web. In making sure that your site is always online and is easily accessible to consumers, having a good website host plays a very important part for your business.

Here are our picks for 12 Best Website Hosting Providers in 2015

Register.com

is an industry leader in domain registration, web hosting and website design.
Register.com provides the essential tools that businesses need to build and manage their online presence.

1&1 Internet, Inc.

1&1 has shared hosting and dedicated hosting solutions for every budget and free domains with all hosting packages!

HostPapa

Simple, Fast & Secure Hosting that Works Perfect for small businesses, non-profits, and personal websites
offers Award-Winning, Feature-Rich Web Services

FREE domain for life, FREE set up
FREE Soholaunch site builder software
24/7 World class customer support available in English, French and Spanish
Over $500 in free extras
UNLIMITED disk space and bandwidth, UNLIMITED domains

DreamHost Web Hosting

DreamHost is a global Web Hosting and Cloud Services Company with over 370,000 entrepreneur and developer customers, and 1.3 million blogs, websites, and apps hosted. DreamHost offers a wide spectrum of Web services including Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers(VPS), Dedicated Server Hosting, Domain Name Registration and Cloud Services including cloud computing and cloud storage.

iPage Web Hosting.

Many web hosts seem identical on the surface, offering disk space, bandwidth, email, site builders and 24x7 support…but these are only a fraction of the benefits you’ll enjoy when you host your site with iPage.

Namecheap hosting

Namecheap is a leading ICANN accredited domain name registrar and web hosting company. Founded in 2000, today we have over 1 million customers world-wide and more than 3 million domains under management. In addition to some of the most affordable domain names in the industry Namecheap offers a variety of full-featured web hosting packages, secure SSL certificates, and other services. We won two of two best domain name registrar picks from Lifehacker readers in 2010 and 2012.

FatCow Web Hosting

Get the original Plan from FatCow Web Hosting for $3.15/mo. only!
Web Hosting by FatCow - Affordable and E-Commerce Enabled

iPower Web Hosting

iPower is one of the World's Fastest Growing Web Hosting and Domain Name Registration Companies. iPower currently hosts over 500,000 websites. Unlimited space & 2,500 E-Mails, + FREE; Setup, Domain, Web Builder.

Crystone Web Hosting

Crystone was founded in 1997 and is now one of the leading providers of shared/server hosting in Scandinavia. Our servers and headquarters are based in Sweden. We also have offices in USA and UK and we proudly serve customers from all over the world. Those include private individuals and companies of all sizes. We offer reliable hosting anyone can afford
Benefits for our Clients:
Value for money
Technical Support available 24/7 via free phone, ticket system and live chat
Comprehensive shared hosting plans including features such as Microsoft Exchange Email or easy Sitebuilder with 4,500 templates (build the site in 5 min with no experience in HTML or PHP!)
45 Days Money Back Guarantee

GreenGeeks Web Hosting Services

GreenGeeks is the World's #1 provider of green energy shared, reseller and VPS web hosting. We are owned and operated by Trey Gardner, a well respected industry veteran. We've been in business since 2006 and host clients in over 100 countries worldwide.

InterServer Web Hosting

InterServer.net has been providing the same services for the last 14 years! Although the technology has changed from the time we first opened in 1999. Our core principals of quality service and support have stayed the same. Over the years our company has expanded its product line to include dedicated servers, colocation and managed services. In 2006, InterServer built a datacenter in Secaucus, New Jersey. InterServer with its exceptional service is the leading choice for many online operations today. As a technology and product innovator, Interserver is able to provide its innumerable customers with innovative products and services designed to complement their existing businesses. Interserver serves customers ranging from individual freelancers to Fortune 500 companies in many countries. Over the years, Interserver has built a solid reputation for our commitment to security, reliability, technical expertise and the best in customer support. We aim to treat our clients well, and strive to provide uninterrupted service, comprehensive resources, and all the tools needed to run a business.

Web.com Web Hosting

Unlimited storage and transfer, host unlimited websites, free domain registration, up to $100 in ad credits available, and more. All for as low as $7.95 per month.

by:

yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Top 3 Web Design Trends for your business in 2015

Web Hosting: Benefits of having a Dedicated Server

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 04:23:00 +0000

Compared to the usual shared web hosting plan, a dedicated server plan with a reliable hosting provider is more expensive. The price although higher than the cheaper options is well justified. Any expert web designer will tell you that performance wise, dedicated server hosting is the best option for online businesses. A dedicated server is a physical server that your hosting provider will give you exclusive use of. No other neighbor customer website will use that server besides yourself. You have exclusive access to all of that server's resources such as processing power, hard drive, memory, storage capacity, and network access.

hard drive storage capacity, processing power, and network access - See more at: http://www.artofblog.com/vps-vs-dedicated-servers/#sthash.nXZb2ppt.dpuf

A website ideally should have as much uptime as possible and should be able to accommodate any number of users without slowing down in performance. If your website is key to your income and if any downtime will cost you loss of revenue, then investing in your web hosting will be a wise decision.

Here are some benefits of having a dedicated server;

You have total control of the server.
You can reboot the server anytime.
You can install any software you want on the server.(eg. Windows , Linux, etc.)
Increased server security.
Greatly improved server reliability and uptime.
Eliminates the risk of your site slowing down or crashing due to other websites on a shared server.
Priority Technical Support from your web hosting provider.

For a business website that relies on stable loading speed for clients

and reliable uptime, the security and stability that is provided by a dedicated server is optimal. Your website represents your business on the internet and a dedicated server will allow you to give maximum service to your clients and enhance your image through fast performance and reliable service.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Recommended: Best of 2014: TOP 10 Website Hosting Providers
Top 3 Web Design Trends for your business in 2015

Dedicated server hosting for less...Yes, get your own box. Click here to check OFFER!

Get discounts plus free 3 domain names & 25 email acocunts on longer terms with Register.com Premium Web Hosting

Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 09:44:00 +0000

As we enter 2015, we reach the perfect time to either start a new brand with a new logo or to update an existing logo that we feel can no longer keep up with the times and is in need of an upgrade. The design trend in general is changing and here are the top 4 logo design trends that we believe will be popular in 2015;

Typography based designs

With all the new fonts available to designers, logos based on typography will continue to be prominent in 2015. The design trend points towards simplicity and modernism. Designs based on neat looking texts with a twist are visually appealing while having the clearness / readability that is essential in any good logo.
Here are some good examples;

Symbolism

Logo symbolism is the design style of showing a symbol of either the name or the nature of the business on the logo. It can be considered as one of the timeless styles in logo designing. A logo that can visually represent the nature of the business will make it recognizable and add marketability to your brand.
Here are some good examples;

Hand drawn and Custom Lettering

Even with all the fonts available, a logo that is hand drawn features uniqueness and exclusivity. Although not fitted for everyone, hand drawn concepts express an individual quality that represents your company. It gives a feeling of innovation and being open to new ideas.

Here are some good examples;

Negative Space

Negative space to put simply is the space surrounding an object in an image. When cleverly used by designers, they can make a dual imagery and embed multiple symbolism in to their designs. It easily catches attention and make people look at your logo.

Here are some good examples;

Choosing a logo for your business is a delicate process. A logo will represent your business to the world and will affect the identity of your brand. How you choose your logo is up to you and will depend on what you want. We hope these can help you in making your decision. We believe that a great logo is timeless and can survive the shifts in trends and needs.

by:masterofvectors

yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

7 Ways to improve the website traffic of your business in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:16:00 +0000

As 2015 approaches, it is the perfect time to look back on things we did this year and to come up with a sound plan for the year ahead. The web traffic game is forever changing and now is a critical time for SEO strategy.

Here are seven ways to improve the website traffic of your business in 2015;

1. Self Evaluate

What are your business goals for the next year? What new products are you going to launch? How is the market changing? What are your competitors doing? Look carefully at the direction you want to go with your business for the next year before you plan your SEO strategy. Knowing your limitations and goals will greatly help with your SEO plan.

2. Be more aggressive on social media.

Sites like twitter, facebook, pinterest, and instagram, will drive

more traffic to your website if you increase your activities and promotions on them. Promo contests like those that give a small price or discount to users who can share a product / promo link to the most number of people, are very effective in getting your business recognized on the web. People spend a lot of time online on social sites as these and it still remains as a great avenue to drive traffic to your business.

3. Pay more attention to Mobile.

I can't stress enough how responsiveness and mobile focus will greatly impact your business website for years to come. You've heard this a lot of times, but it is a sure thing that mobile tech is where everything is headed. Having a site that is more focused on mobile will allow the increasing number of mobile internet users to have a better experience with your website.

4. One page scroll website design.

A move to a one page scroll design will be an excellent choice for better visitor experience. With the emergence of touch technology, more and more people are scrolling down and clicking is not as used as before. People want an easier experience when viewing websites. If they find a competitor's website that is a lot easier to use, they will likely shift to that website in order to have a faster and easier time doing their business. It is increasing in popularity and users are being more and more familiar with this type of web design.

5. Use Analytics more extensively.

If you can use analytics or whatever similar service you are using to have more information on what pages or elements in your site attract visitors most, you can adjust your content to suit the demand of your customers. It will also allow you to add to those things that are working for you and to improve on things that are not up to par. The more you know about what your users like, the better is the plan you can make to improve your website.

6. Use better quality images.

People are more attracted to good visuals than plain text. Images that captures the interest of customers will help keep their attention and make them stay. Images that are correctly formatted, sized, compressed, and optimized render more efficiently. Good photos are essential for online businesses. Product photos that are fresh and new will drive in more traffic and sales.

7. Good Web Hosting

Website Uptime is a very important factor in your online business. No use having a really good web design if your website is not online or down most of the time. It will frustrate your clients and will probably drive them away. Securing a reliable and excellent web hosting provider will be key in making sure that your site is up and running. If you think your web host provider is doing a good job, it doesn't hurt to double check and make sure that everything is set as you need them to be. A web host provider with great customer support will also make it easier for you to get things fixed in case a problem arises.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Reliable web hosting $3.95 per month

Top 3 Web Design Trends for your business in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 11:54:00 +0000

Web design has evolved rapidly over the years and with mobile technology getting even better the push for new trends in web design has also increased. Here are the top 3 web design trends for your business in 2015;

1.Mobile friendly

As more people surf the internet using their mobile phones, the need for responsiveness in web design has greatly increased. If your website is not mobile ready then it is clearly losing out to competition. As a business, you want to be at the head of the field not lagging behind. If a web design is not compatible with a browser or mobile, it will be jumbled and will be hard for users to use and navigate.

2.Flat Design

Not only web design but graphic design in general has moved towards flat designs and will continue at it for a while. The need for responsiveness as well as mobile focus have pushed the trend towards minimalism. A modern look plus simple visuals will make the user experience pleasant and the site easy to use.

3.Infinite Scrolling

It is a technique in website design that loads content as the user scrolls down towards the bottom of the page. It is very easy to navigate for users and removes the complexity of having to navigate through different pages that often lead to confusion. It also cuts down the website's loading time by showing content little by little. One page scroll web sites are popular because they are easy to use and navigate. It also works better on a mobile device and makes the delivery of your content more enjoyable to visitors.

by:masterofvectors
yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com

Recommended : 5 factors you should consider before hiring a web designer.
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4 Things to look out for when choosing the right logo for your business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:15:00 +0000

Getting a new logo for a business is a great thing. You are about to choose the face of your business. A logo represents the identity of your business to the world. Choosing the right logo can boost your brand and carry your business to new heights. Here are some things to look out for when choosing your new logo;

1.) Does it represent your business well?

A logo that will symbolize your business is often the best choice for any company. A logo that identifies your business will give you more recall to clients and more marketability.

2.) Simplicity

A logo that is not overdrawn but is unique will be recognizable and versatile. A good logo is not complex but simple, yet it will represent the business well and be memorable.

3.) Recognition / Memorable.

The most important thing in the logo is that people recognize and remember it. Similar to a recognizable face, a memorable logo will give the feel of familiarity and continuity to clients. Brand recognition is invaluable to business and a memorable logo can give just that.

4.) Will the designer provide you with a Vector format of the logo?

Vectors are resizable and will allow your logo to be printed in any size. One good thing to check is if the design will look good on it's smallest form or if it is as large as a billboard.

by:masterofvectors

Recommended: Top 4 Logo Design Trends for 2015
Top 3 Web Design Trends for your business in 2015

5 Signs to Identify an Amateur Web designer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 03:57:00 +0000

Web design has evolved through the years. With the emergence of site builders and web design programs, anyone with a little know how on web design can claim to be a professional web designer. As a business owner, you're gonna pay a considerable sum to a web designer to get your site made and up and running. Obviously you would want to get your money's worth. Working with a designer can either be a fluid process or one with a lot of frustration depending on whether you are working with a designer with a lot of experience and up to date skill set or someone who is still learning his way into the trade. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to being a highly skilled professional web designer and it pays to have a lot of experience and coding skills.

Here are some signs to identify an amateur web designer;

He can't show you at least three of his previous works.

An experienced web designer will have a portfolio and reference work from his previous clients. From looking at the designer's past projects you can get good judgement on whether or not he can deliver what you need for your business.

He wants to put some background music.

A professional website will not force it's visitors to listen to sound by automatically starting it after the page loads as background music. Sometimes people are trying to enjoy their favorite songs. Sometimes they just want quiet.You can give them the option to play it but it has to be their choice and not an automatic thing. A site without background music will also feel more professional.

He is not familiar with the latest design trends.

Chances are if he is still learning his way, he will not be up to date with all the latest design elements that are available on the market. The evolution of web design is very rapid. Without having a solid programming fundamental, keeping up with the changing coding and programs would be tough for an amateur.

He can't provide you with a good Content Management System.

As you get more activity on your website there will always be a need for you to make minor updates to your content and CMS will be the tool to help you.

He doesn't set goals and won't give you a solid time frame.

A professional web designer should be able to give you a time frame for the completion of the project. He can also set goals as to the different stages in development.

by:masterofvectors
http://yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com/

Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Professional Web Designer.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 04:50:00 +0000

With all the site builders around on the market, building the website for your business can easily be done by yourself. Even without knowledge in coding, the simple to understand and learn site builders can enable a non professional to create his or her own website. It's easy to think that you don't really need to hire a professional to make your site anymore. However most professionals and experts around the world firmly believe that hiring a professional will be the better choice for your business. Here are the top 5 reasons why it is still better to hire a professional web designer than to do it yourself;

A professional will make your website SEO friendly

Now what is SEO? It stands for Search Engine Optimization. Basically search websites like Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. will find your website easier. It will also rank your website higher making it appear as one of the top searches for websites in your field. No matter how good looking a website is, if no one finds it or sees it then it's no good at all. A professional will know what to do to bring visitors to your website.

A professional web designer will make your site stand out from the rest.

If you use a site builder to make your website, you will be making your site based on templates. Templates will make your site look just like every other site in the market. As a business you'd want to be unique and have individuality. A web designer can customize the look and feel of your website to suit your business and own individual flavor. There are billions of people on the face of the earth. What makes each of us special is that we are all unique and different. A website that blends in and does not stand out is simply not good business wise.

Saving you time and frustration.

In order to be able to create an effective website. You must have extensive knowledge and skills on different programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, PHP and more. There is a steep learning curve towards professional web development. A designer with great knowledge, skill set, and experience can make the design in suitable time frame with a better approach and fundamental concepts.

A professional web designer will make your site look credible.

As a business you'd want your website to look the part and have a professional feel. Credibility is a major factor in any business and by having a professional looking website you can boost your credibility to your clients. A website that looks trustworthy will always have more clients than a shabby looking one.

Mobile and Browser compatibility.

Not all of us use the same browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome etc.) to surf the internet. Nowadays more and more people use their cellphones as well to access the internet. A professional web designer will be able to make your site compatible to all these browsers. If a web design is not compatible with a browser or mobile, it will be jumbled and will be hard for users to use and navigate.

Having listed the top 5 reasons why you should hire a professional web designer,. it is still up to you to make the decision for your business. I can only hope you make the right one and best of luck.

by:masterofvectors
http://yourwebdesignjobs.blogspot.com/