Tips to Provide the Best Website Experience

The business world used spreadsheets long before the invention of the computer. It should come as no surprise then, that most businesses use spreadsheet applications. They're easy to work with and contain many features such as data display, reporting, and analysis. They are versatile and inexpensive. In the hands of a knowledgeable expert, they can even be useful as an engineering analysis tool.

With all of these benefits, how can spreadsheets possibly be a problem? When they cease being a single user tool, when they are used to store critical business data, and when they get shared among different people and departments, they become a liability. Multiple copies of spreadsheets that are passed around a company make version control nearly impossible. Important data can be accidentally or intentionally changed. Important analysis equations and macros within spreadsheets can be accidentally changed. A slip of the finger that changes a coefficient or an exponent, drastically changes an equation's behavior. Correct data that's incorrectly analyzed leads to wrong business decisions.

Spreadsheets do not scale well. As your business grows, the size and complexity of your spreadsheets increase. They get larger, and the complex interrelationships among cells within the spreadsheet turn into spaghetti. They slow down and become prone to crashing. Why does this happen? Because the people who create spreadsheets are not software developers. While experts in their fields, they lack training in creating software systems that scale well. Spreadsheets created by other people are also difficult to understand and modify because there are no design protocols.

Why Web Application Development Is The Better Choice

Data that's critical to your business belongs in a separate database. Data storage in one central location solves the problem of accidental and unauthorized data changes because data input can be limited to a few authorized individuals. Those without authorization can have access to the database for data use only. Still finer access control is achieved through the adoption of a user permission system.

Rather than increase the size and complexity of a spreadsheet by adding equations and macros to accommodate increasing business needs, web applications can be created that operate off the database. Different uses for the data such as reports, business intelligence, inventory control, mobile apps for field agents, customer service, and so forth can be realized as separate independent web applications. Whenever an additional use for the data is required, another application can be created without increasing the system's complexity. Therefore the system is scalable.

Web applications are universally accessible to all authorized individuals with Internet access. Multiple user access doesn't entail duplicate spreadsheet distribution with its attendant version control headaches. Web applications can use multi-tenancy which allow individuals some customization of their instance of an application without affecting other users' instances of the same application. Multi-tenancy also allow a user to create and maintain a personalized database that is isolated from the personalized databases of other users.

Other web application features not possible with spreadsheets include having it email an alert when critical data reach a threshold level such as when inventory levels of a product or part are getting low. The functionality of web applications can also be augmented through their integration with third-party web services.

Spreadsheets are meant to be single user tools that allow you to analyze, view, and report data. However, when the spreadsheet itself becomes a vital company asset, it subjects your business to the dangers previously discussed. Spreadsheet reliance has proved costly to many businesses. Don't allow the same to happen to you. If you wish to transition away from spreadsheets and enjoy the benefits of web applications, contact us at Contensive.

For some website owners, responsive web design amounts to fixing a problem by adding a plug-in or adopting a responsive theme. After doing this and making some adjustments, they check their websites against a common range of device screen sizes. If it looks OK, the problem is ticked off their to-do list and they move on.

To approach responsive design as an after-thought is to miss the point of it. What is wrong with the above described approach? A replica of your desktop site that uses software to accommodate different screen sizes does not address its usability on mobile devices. In short, the "design" part of responsive web design has not been addressed. Here are four of these design considerations:

Keep The Navigation Simple

A common responsive navigation technique is the menu icon button which displays or hides the navigation menu when it is toggled. A variation to the technique of hiding menus is the off-canvas effect. The off-canvas menu is positioned out of sight and slides into view when a button is clicked. Often there is an array of category buttons that activate the associated menu.

While these techniques make good use of space, they will not compensate for an overly complicated, multi-level navigation scheme. Keep your site structure and its navigation simple. Provide a prioritized set of links to the main features and content of your website.

Test Your Website On Lots Of Devices

While web-based mobile emulators are convenient, they are not suitable for testing purposes. Many provide information on your site's appearance but do not simulate your site's interactions with the various mobile operating systems. The only way to do this is visiting and using the site with a device. Only then will you get a good sense of how easy it is to navigate, to click buttons, and to fully use the site as intended.

Optimize Your Site For Speed

Mobile Internet connections tend to be slow. If your website is a bit on the slow side for the desktop or laptop computer, it will be too slow for your mobile traffic. Therefore, you have to optimize your site for speed. Ways of doing this include:

• Caching - The benefits of database driven sites are many but these come at the cost of website speed. When someone visits your site, the web page is reconstructed on his browser through multiple database queries. More page elements usually mean more queries. Caching solves this problem by storing copies of the files that make up the page. Rather than asking the database to build up the page from scratch, the file copies are directly used to render the page.
• Minification of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files - Code that is easy for a human to understand takes longer to execute. Minification removes multiple spaces and lines, as well as comments. This reduces the file size and speeds up the code.
• Image optimization - Use lossless image compression that reduces file size without reducing image quality. Smart compression techniques also exist that dramatically reduce file size with unnoticeable quality reduction. Site speed is also improved by getting rid of images that do not add to the page in some way. In addition to image optimization, there is the issue of resizing images to accommodate different screen sizes. One approach is never using images larger than can be displayed on the smallest devices. This gives the quickest loading speeds. Another approach is using fluid image techniques that resize your images to the screen size.

Size Your Links And Buttons For Easy Clicking

Unlike the large screens of desktops with their small cursors, the small touch screens of mobile devices and the large fingers of their users make clicking links and buttons a more difficult task. The target size for a clickable area should be about 44 pixels wide and 44 pixels high. Areas smaller than this can cause accidental clicks of the wrong links or buttons. Another problem associated with small target areas is that it slows down usage speeds because the task requires more effort and focus.

At Contensive, our talented team of engineers, analysts and designers develop responsive websites that convert mobile traffic. If your site is not mobile responsive or requires changes to improve mobile conversions, contact us.

The Information Age has morphed into the Innovation Age. This is particularly evident in web app creation.

And examining the great ideas of others can often rejuvenate creative thinking -- like these five web app concepts:

1. Modest Mouse Is Not Just a Band Anymore; Now They're Into Web App Design

We'll start with the weirdest one. Yes, that's right, Modest Mouse is no longer just a band. They're designing web apps too. (Well, they're hiring people like us to design them.)

Their Strangers Linguistic Remix Generator takes words that you enter in a text box, and uses the rhythmic flow and length of the phrase to craft a custom-made, instrumental Modern Mouse song just for you, right there, on the spot -- complete with art house imagery flashing the lyrics you've written across the screen.

John Brownlee at FastCodesign.com, observed this about the new web app from Modest Mouse:

Modest Mouse calls its app the 'Strangers Linguistic Remix Generator.' Upon loading up the website, the generator asks you to input a phrase of up to 96 characters, then dynamically converts it into a remix based on samples from Modest Mouse's new record, complete with a seemingly random music video broken up into kaleidoscopic patterns.

'The algorithm compares common letter frequency data, and generates stems and patterns to match'...

Now that is music of the 21st century.

2. Flying Emojis

Remember the ancient screen saver from the '90s and early 2000s that made it look like you were flying through space with stars zooming at you (and by you)? Well, someone created a web app that make emojis fly at you. The flow of the emojis respond to your mouse movements.

Useful? No, not really.

Addicting, weird, and a classic example of the Internet's undying novelty?

Absolutely.

3. Create Your Own Fonts

Now on to something a little more practical. Ever wanted to create your own fonts? Now you can in a very user-friendly environment that's fun and easy, thanks to Metaflop, as explained in this article, quoted here:

Created by Swiss designers...Metaflop isn't just an easy online tool for creating simple typefaces, it's also a great tutorial on a lot of the terminology of type design. If you've ever read about typeface terms like ascenders, cap heights, overshoot, descenders, and contrasts, there's no better way to figure out what these terms mean than by using a slider to change their variables and see how it changes a typeface in real time.

Now when someone accuses you for not having a unique font for your brand, well, unfortunately now you have no excuse. Now we can all create our own fonts with a user-friendly, enriching web app experience.

4. YouNow: Broadcast Your Life Live

The YouTube generation -- pre-recorded and edited user-generated content -- has now arrived at its logical conclusion: user-generated live broadcasting.

Of course, live broadcasting online is nothing particularly new. But YouNow facilitates the process, hosts the live streaming data, and makes the experience user-friendly -- just how YouTube did for posting videos on the Internet.

And, wow, is it catching on.

For example, in a March 2015 article, TheVerge.com described the sudden international popularity of a cashier who signed up to YouNow and just began streaming his life working in a gas station. The experience went from just filming mundane moments to genuine interaction between the cashier and his fans. His daily, ordinary life became a hit online:

Abuhamdeh’s routine was subtle. People would walk up and pay, he would ring them up, and then as they left, nail them with a zinger spoken to the camera. If a customer was in on the joke, Abuhamdeh would banter with them a bit. He shared stories from his home life, and slowly began to invite fans into it, broadcasting from his apartment, from a cousin’s wedding, while driving in his car or getting a haircut.

15 years ago society was still getting used to the idea of email. Now we're video broadcasting our lives online to the world 24/7. We live in a fascinating world.

5. An Oldie But a Goodie: Still Love the Coast

This is an oldie but a goodie, but to those who have grown to love this app since its 2013 launch, they will appreciate seeing it included here.

A couple of years ago, Opera created a browsing app called Coast -- exclusively for iPhone and iPad -- and finally did something about the web browsing concepts born from the '90s that still dominated the mobile web surfing.

It was a simple fix, really. Opera modeled the web browsing experience after the menus of our smart phones -- i.e. how the apps are represented by squares that can be moved at will to different areas of the phone.

Coast took this concept and added smoothness to all of the motions. It is notably less clunky than the effort it takes to move apps around an iPhone screen, for example. And it has a sparse, clean design to make surfing the Internet more enjoyable. Coast arranges your favorite websites like a buffet of easily organized apps with gorgeous, clean graphics.

What will be the next brilliant web app? Will it be yours?

Contensive loves designing web apps. Contact us to learn more about how our talented, hard-working team of engineers can help you with your next web app creation.

Soon, the question of "is there an app for that?" may be shifting to "is there a web app for that?" For a few years now, the operating systems iOS and Android continue to battle for supremacy in the mobile world - leading to the need for app developers to essentially duplicate their products for each operating system. That dynamic is beginning to shift with the emergence of web apps, which run through HTML 5 and are thus supported equally by all mobile and desktop operating system.

As a result, you may find yourself in the need of a web app. The Computer Business Review lists the emergence of web apps as one of its top app development trends in 2015, citing their speed and compatibility as reasons for the continued rise. In fact, the same article mentions that web apps have become so advanced, they're now "sufficient for most businesses. So if you're looking to jump onto this trend, here are 3 things you should know about web app creation.

1) The Advantages

We already mentioned compatibility with all operating systems as a major advantage. That advantage, in turn, leads to other benefits of web apps:

2) The Limitations

Of course, web apps also come with some limitations when compared with "traditional" apps:

3) The Development Process

Finally, how are web apps created? We're glad you asked! That's our specialty. Every app development company uses slightly different approaches, but we believe in the power of agile development. We've detailed that concept in past blog posts. For you, that means you'll be more integrated into the review process, able to make changes as they come up. The cost and development of developing your web app will also be more transparent to you than it is in traditional design processes.

Agile development is especially beneficial for web apps because it allows us to leave enough time to test the app on the multiple browsers on which the app may be viewed. In the end, our goal is the same as yours: to develop a great app that helps and improves your business. So if you're ready to create your own web app, contact us!

When it comes to web application development, many businesses do not understand the difference between web applications, mobile applications and traditional software. Additionally, many businesses do not understand the market reasons to engage in building custom apps and software for managing business processes, customers and real property (inventory, equipment, facilities).

From market-driven development to modern technologies, here are some key things to understand about web application development.

Development Systems

One of the older systems of development, waterfall is designed to build the large business software systems of the past. Modern web and mobile app development teams use a development system called agile. The difference between waterfall and agile is simple: in waterfall, each level of development (planning, engineering, testing) is done in succession by experts isolated from the various parts of the programming processes.

Agile is a system which employs experts across the entire development process in concert. Agile development creates your software swiftly, with each section of the browser based app or software being developed, deployed and tested within 1-4 weeks, so that you have the opportunity to develop your software systematically.

In the past, applications and even mobile apps were developed over a period of months or years and tested on smaller markets before being released to the larger market. Currently both marketplace based apps (Google Play, Windows Store, App Store) and web software are developed and produced in weeks or months, because of modern development systems.

Market Driving Towards Web-Based Development

With increased access to internet round-the clock in any location via smartphone apps and browsers, businesses are scrambling to offer their products and services via web and cloud based deployments.

As more large enterprise companies are offering their software and services on the cloud (Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365, HuluPlus for TV), consumers and businesses alike are expecting more access to companies via the internet and apps. The expectation of access is driving more companies onto web applications, which drives market expectations. This cycle has been increasing over the last 3 years and shows little signs of stopping, as the Internet of Things (IoT) creates more and more opportunities for cloud based services.

For those unfamiliar with the term, the IoT is the term technologists use for the networking of non-traditional computing items, like refrigerators, lights, cars, and TVs to name a few.

Browser Based Applications are In

As tablet and cell-phone users face overwhelming numbers of apps, many businesses are moving from their own apps to in-browser software managed by a CMS (Content Management System). Web applications are now becoming a powerful way for businesses to access customers, vendors and employees without creating a mobile app.

Web based software brings several advantages to the savvy business owner. It reduces the need for multiple development plans for each device and operating system down to a much simpler design and development for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Browsers share much more in common than operating systems and with responsive web design, they adapt easily to different screen sizes as well.

Outsourcing is Easier than Ever

With agile development, cloud based deployments and development and browser based software, businesses have more opportunity and access for outsourcing software development than ever before. Expert development teams are available online, and can work closely with your business across any distance to bring you quality custom software.

The mobile nature of web based application development is great for outsourcing in both development and business processes later down the road. This moves businesses from rigid, cost heavy structures to more streamlined systems where many core business processes are outsourced to qualified staffing, engineering and virtual assistant firms. This gives your business the ability to increase labor results without increasing labor costs.

Whether you are looking for a web based system to manage your business, or just outsourcing your software needs via web based development, Contensive can meet your needs. Please contact us to find out more about web based development.

Poor website designs are a fantastic way to waste all the time and money you spent generating traffic. Despite most businesses knowing the value and necessity of having a website, many are completely lost when it comes to business website development.

Here are the top 6 web design mistakes businesses make and how to fix them.

Ineffective SEO

SEO is still the largest driver of traffic to websites and the largest driver of revenue. But sprinkling SEO throughout your content without any analysis into consumer behavior will have marginal results. When done properly, SEO not only attracts more traffic to your website, but when you optimize your content marketing with SEO, you have a way more powerful revenue driver.

However, topping the search results and dominating a niche requires more than just a few short tail keywords. You need to broaden your reach and find keywords within sub-niches of your main niche, particularly those that focus on consumer problems or interest. For instance, a keyword like “weight loss” has millions of search engine results every month, but the niche is too hyper-competitive to expect the top spot.

Instead, focus on sub-niches within “weight loss” that targets specific audiences and their problems. It could be “weight loss for mothers”, “weight loss for new moms” “ weight loss for vegetarian women”, etc. The purpose is to optimize your content with keywords found in sub-niches that relate to a specific category of your audience or a problem.

Absence of Testimonials

Testimonials are an excellent way to highlight the benefits of your product without coming off as salesy. In their absence, prospects seldom have the trust or the confidence to make a purchase based on your word alone.

But when your loyal customers share how your product helped resolved a problem, this makes a powerful impression on prospects who are still uncertain about your company. As a result, engaging and genuine reviews provides your brand with more credibility and increased sales.

Outdated Design

Google’s new search engine algorithm purportedly favors mobile-friendly websites over websites that aren’t compatible with smart devices. Thus, responsive websites will rank higher on the SERPs, and those websites that haven't adapted may even drop a few ranking.

Consider that 4 out of 5 consumers use their mobile phone to shop for products. Even without the Google update, a tremendous volume of traffic is coming from mobile; failing to adapt and provide a great mobile-viewing experience will wither your mobile traffic, increase your bounce-rates, and severely limit your profits.

Furthermore, an outdated website design is exposed to serious security vulnerabilities that can make you and your business a victim to cyber attacks, hackers, or malware.

Poor Content Marketing

Content is the best channel to attract, engage, and educate your traffic. But if your content isn’t interesting to your audience nor optimized with SEO, it will fall short of its potential.

Engaging and interesting content not only creates loyal followers, but it also positions your brand as a market authority that serves as a mediator between the research and sales process. In addition, content has the ability to attract leads that convert long after a marketing campaign is over, providing you with a channel that can stay profitable for years.

However, your content has to be interesting and provide value to your readers. It is not a platform to further pitch your product or service, but to leverage yourself as a credible expert and authority within your niche. Therefore, craft content based on relevant keywords that address your audiences' problems, wants, desires, and needs.

Failing to Build a List

Attracting traffic is an expensive and labor-intensive endeavor that in no way guarantees sales. So you want to treat every click to your page as a potential prospect and lead that can be nurtured along the sales cycle. One way to do that is by building a list of subscribers or emails that can be leveraged to keep users engaged, promote products, and build loyalty.

Think of this list as fodder for future email marketing campaigns and an opportunity for upsells and cross-sells. In addition, it allows you to keep contact with your customers and prospects in order to keep active and engaged.

Unclear CTA

A call to action (CTA) is what turns your leads into conversions and is the culmination of all your efforts to drive and engage traffic. Yet 70 percent of small businesses lack a clear CTA.

Your CTAs aren't only vehicles to drive sales, they're also an effective way to increase subscription rates and build an email list. But their design is pertinent to their success at converting leads. Even a few tweaks and minor words changes can have a tremendous impact on conversion rates.

While it's best to build several CTAs, test them, and choose the ones that work the best, at the very least you want your CTA to be clear with a big button users can click on.

At Contensive, our talented team of analysts and website designers can help take your business forward. If you want a design that's optimized for conversions and successfully increases sales, contact us to find out more. 

Facebook's new Instant Articles mobile app -- a news publishing app that many say will change journalism as we know it -- has stirred quite a commotion as people try to grasp what Facebook has created, why Facebook has created it, and what it means for everyone else.

So What Is It?

Essentially, Facebook saw a way to improve the experience of reading news stories, and they crafted a mobile app around three steps:

1. Sign deals with major publishers
2. Host articles from those publishers directly on Facebook's servers instead of linking to the websites of the publishers
3. Using their new Instant Articles mobile app, place the self-hosted articles into the news feeds of Facebook users so that the load time on a news story when you click is instantaneous -- no more clicking on a popular news story and waiting several moments for the your phone's browser to appear, find the link, and load another website's page

So what does it all mean? Is this earth-shaking or not a big deal? Who will it affect, and how?

The End of Paywalls

One clear effect of the Instant Articles mobile app is, eventually, an end to the "subscription only" articles (i.e. paywalls) -- at least the poor performing ones that don't have enough demand behind them to compete with Instant Articles.

As Science20.com notes: "The smart money will tell you that Instant Articles will soon grow beyond iPhone-only access and the nine mega-companies already signed up. Unprofitable paywalls will become obsolete as the world’s major media players shift their areas of strategic importance."

Will This Be Bad or Good for the News Industry?

Many people are concerned that publishing companies are giving this much concentrated power to Facebook. Concerned pundits wonder:

1. If nine major publishers have already signed on to Instant Articles -- which will undoubtedly exert pressure on everyone else to sign up too so that they don't miss out on the massive Facebook traffic -- will Facebook eventually accumulate so many publishers that it becomes the most powerful news arbiter in the world?
2. Do we really want that?
3. Facebook is offering lucrative ad deals (70% of ad profits, total control over design, branding, and analytics) and other incentives (auto-play on videos, interactive maps, and zoom-in capability on images) for publishers to jump on board. Will Facebook eventually reduce these ad percentages and bully traffic-dependent publishers to accept terrible terms in the future?
4. Will outsourcing the hosting of articles (i.e. publishers giving their content to Facebook to host on their servers) -- and having Facebook's parameters become the context that defines the success or failure of a news story -- damage editorial standards and journalistic integrity? In other words, instead of having a large newsroom team working to maintain journalistic standards, it could eventually devolved into one person doing everything simply because they "know how to make stuff go viral on Facebook Instant Articles."

When you Google "how will Facebook Instant Articles change news" and skim through the many opinion pieces on what it means for journalism, there's a general consensus that, over time, Instant Articles could have a negative effect on the quality of journalism -- especially if the rest of the publishing world jumps on board with Instant Articles.

Vox.com summarized it well: "Skeptics believe that news organizations need the kind of control they get from running their own website. In their view, running their own websites fosters a stronger bond between readers and publishers and gives publishers more opportunity to innovate."

What Does This All Mean for Me?

These questions are great cocktail party topics, but unless you're in the news industry, it's a little harder to discern the relevance for your bottom-line.

It's effect on businesses can be summed up in one sentence: there will be more pressure than ever on content creators.

From that angle, the Instant Articles app might be frustrating news. Creating interesting, engaging content that breaks through the massive noise in our over-saturated media world is hard enough. Now your hand-made marketing content has to compete with professional news content that loads instantly and features incredibly interactive features. Users browsing through their news feed might be more tempted to click on the flashy Instant Article instead of your post below it.

What Does This Mean For Your Website Development?

To compete with Instant Articles, content creators will focus more intensely on making visually oriented content such as videos, images, infographics, memes, etc. that can be pushed easily to Facebook whenever a new article is posted to the business website. For that reason -- besides having high quality post content -- having a robust business website that supports a wide variety ofblog and social media features will give you a better chance of producing quality content that has visual or interactive appeal.

Contact us to learn more about how the latest social media trends will affect your business website development and discover how our talented team of engineers, analysts, and designers can turn your website into a wellspring of top-notch social media content.

Every business is small when it is first starting out. Even the massive conglomerates that exist today were at one point tiny enterprises. However, unlike those businesses of the past, today's business owner has a major advantage. He or she may use the website development process to grow a business and simultaneously make it appear larger than it is.

Natural Advantages To Appearing Larger

There is something quaint about operating a small business, but this does not mean it doesn't have disadvantages. In fact, virtually all small business owners intend to grow their business into something larger. This is because appearing like (or being) a large company has some advantages.

Just appearing as a company of respectable size often translates to a stronger reputation and respect. Potential customers surmise that a company that has grown to a reasonable size is trustworthy. They also often throw off the notion that a company is a "fly by night" operation once it has reached a certain size.

Every company has suppliers that sell them the goods which they resell to their customers. Suppliers charge prices based on a number of factors. One such factor is what kind of relationship they have with their customer. A small business frequently absorbs higher prices until it can prove that it is trustworthy to come through with its payments. Appearing as a larger business may work to the advantage of the purchaser of goods. It can help start to establish that trust that might not otherwise take hold.

A business that appears larger has a greater chance of being more involved in local community events. Taking root in one's community and being involved is a leading indicator of business success. Companies that do make their mark in their local community can count on good publicity from these moves. They frequently see an uptick in customer loyalty as well.

How To Create The Image

Even a company running on a shoestring budget can appear larger with proper work put into their website. The design of the website is the critical element as explained here by marketingdonut.co.uk,

The design of your website should reflect your business image and brand identity. A cheap, do-it-yourself approach is unlikely to give a good impression. But complex design and technologies are only worthwhile if these suit your image and help your website fulfill your goals. Above all, your customers must be able to find what they need quickly - via clearly laid-out information and straightforward navigation.

Essentially it is about hitting the sweet spot in terms of complexity. A modest yet engaging website is the goal.

Include Professional Staff Photos

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Online they are worth even more. Simply adding photos of the staff can help bolster one's image on the Internet. They give a human face to the company and help outsiders start to make their judgments of that company.

Do not just place any old casual photo on the website. When selecting these photos for publication, it is best to make sure that they are of the utmost quality.

Always Include Plenty Of Means Of Communication

One mistake frequently made by those who are creating their first business website is to not include contact information. Businesses that want to look established need to provide multiple streams of communication. At a bare minimum, they must providing professional business e-mail options to their visitors.

Showing outsiders that you are eager to hear from them helps with strengthen one's image even more. Though it is difficult to manage, having a twenty-four hour available phone line is ideal.

Contact us for more of the latest information on how to enhance appearance in a small business.