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What makes a great website?

Businessman Using Phone Whilst Working In Coffee Shop what makes a great website

Creating your own website is a fun project – you’ve got the freedom to make it look exactly how you want it…but what if you have no design experience? Or what if you don’t feel like you have the time to create an effective website for your business? Using a simple website builder can help you streamline the process, and we’ve created a list of elements that you should include to make sure you have the best website design possible.

Simple visual web design

First things first, the overall look of your web design is going to have a significant impact on a visitor’s first impression of your company. According to web credibility research from Stanford University, 75% of users admit to making judgements about a company’s credibility based on their web design. 

Don’t worry though, the easiest way to create a simple web design is not to overcomplicate it. Even if your website builder offers a plethora of interactive features like videos and animated logos, only use them very sparingly; they can result in an annoyance for the user. 

Clear Navigation

This is such an important feature we’ve written an entire blog on how to optimise your website’s navigation. Good navigation means a good user experience, which helps to keep visitors on your site and hopefully increase conversion rates. 

Focus on the customer’s viewpoint when designing your navigation. You want to make sure that at any point the visitor knows where they are and that they can easily get to where they want to be. If you have lots of different products and you’re not sure how to condense them, consider using a hamburger menu (below) that opens out into further options. 

Clear Call to Action (CTA)

Your CTA is a short phrase (two to five words maximum) that tells the visitor what you want them to do. Think about it from a visitor’s perspective; if they arrive on the site and you haven’t told them what to do, how are they going to do it? HubSpot research found that CTAs in anchor text (text with a link to another page) increased conversion rates by 121%.

Good examples of CTAs are “Contact us”, “Register now” or “Click here”. It’s also good to add a sense of urgency; “Download our Ebook today”, for example, to make it seem like there is a time limit on the resource. 

Make sure your web design is mobile friendly

Use of smartphones has skyrocketed over the past decade. According to marketing company Digital Next, in 2016 mobile usage overtook desktop for the first time, which makes it clear that having a website that looks good and works seamlessly on a mobile device is crucial in 2020. Our website builder is fully compatible with mobile and tablet devices, and you can even edit and upload content to your website on your phone!

Google is also using mobile friendliness as a way to rank a website for SEO, and sometimes indexes just the mobile site rather than the desktop version, so website designers are forced to make their sites responsive. 

Optimise for SEO

You might think SEO is a confusing list of 200 algorithms that Google uses to rank content – and it is! But there are really simple things that you can make sure your website has that will make your web design easier for search engines to index and boost you up results pages. 

Does your website work on all browsers? Do you have an SSL certificate? Have you put alt tags on your images and meta descriptions on your written content? Do some keyword research and make sure you use these words in your content, and you’re already far better than many websites on the internet in terms of SEO.

Fast load time

Your website needs to load quickly – 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes too long to load. This is also another reason why a simple web design is better than a complex one, as it will load faster. If your page is taking a long time to load and you’re not sure why, it could be to do with the file size and type of your images; have a look at our blog on how to edit the images you use for your website to optimise your load time. Simple things like saving the file as a different type or running it through an online compressor could make a huge difference. 

If you’re ready to get going with a website builder, then why not try ours? At Go Sitebuilder, we offer ready to go website templates that you can adapt to your brand and style. Our pre-made web designs mean that you can be sure that your navigation will be easy to use, your visual design will be clear and simple, and your website will be fully optimised for mobile devices. 

Still not convinced? Try our 14-day free trial today to see how quickly you can have a beautiful website up and running. 

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Why do lawyers need a website?

Lawyer researching why he might need a website and to use Go Sitebuilder

Whether you’re an established law firm, a brand-new company or if you’re starting out as a freelance lawyer, a website could be an invaluable resource to expand your business. Although law firms traditionally provide very face-to-face service, there are multiple ways that switching to a more digital platform could bring you new customers and increase brand awareness. If you’re on the fence as to whether a website would be worth your time, a website builder with ready to go templates could make creating a beautiful web design easy and quick! 

A website means more people will find and contact you

According to Transaction.Agency, 85% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. That is a huge potential client base that you can tap into, that you would miss out on if you didn’t have a website for them to browse. Having a website means it is more likely for people to find you, without having to spend money on television or print adverts, which are swiftly losing their utility in our increasingly digital world. 

With these traditional adverts, people would have to pick up the phone to contact you. People are becoming much more reticent to call people directly without having done any research or if they aren’t sure whether you would be the right law firm for them. By adding a contact form or an email to your website, you’ll find that many more people send enquiries – and once you’ve got their contact information you can stay in touch with them reminding them of the services you provide. 

Your lawyer website will build trust and credibility

Imagine taking a call with someone and telling them all your qualifications and how happy previous clients are with your work – it might end up coming off sounding like a sales pitch. An easy way to show potential clients that you are a trustworthy and high-quality lawyer is to prove it on your website. You can show certificates of your qualifications, provide references from large companies or more personal testimonials from smaller clients. This will help when potential clients are doing their research and choosing between you and other possible lawyer websites – if you have better reviews and more qualifications, they are more likely to opt for your law firm.

This builds credibility not just among possible customers but also among peers. This could help you build connections with other lawyers, and create mutually beneficial agreements where you recommend clients to each other depending on your specialisations.

Gives potential clients useful information

Not only does having your credentials and client testimonials on your site build trust among visitors to your law firm website, but uploading relevant and useful content to your website can show that you are well-versed in your field. It also is a way for visitors to see your areas of experience and expertise and whether it aligns with their needs, without having to call or visit your office to find out. This saves both you and visitors time; they can make an informed decision depending on your specialities, and you don’t get requests for services that you cannot provide. 

A lot of people search for legal advice online before they search for a lawyer, so it’s a good idea to put in the effort to create a long-form piece of content on legal advice in an eBook or PDF format. You can then only allow access to this resource if visitors give an email address, which is a great way for you to get warm leads, and for potential customers to see that you have the relevant knowledge to help them. 

Your lawyer website is online 24/7

The traditional 9-5 office hours are becoming increasingly blurred, and most people only have time to research and contact companies outside of these hours. This is where a website comes in handy; it is online all the time, so even if somebody sees your site and emails you at 2am, you can just pick up the email when you wake up. 

In fact, according to a study by Zahavian Legal Marketing, nearly 30% of conversions (in the form of email form submissions) happen between 6 and 8 p.m.

Ultimately, a lawyer website is a great – and cheap – marketing tool. People rarely search for lawyers unless they actually need one, so the people who are coming to your site are already receptive to your company’s services; with a website, you won’t let that opportunity go to waste. Have a look at our blog on how lawyers market and advertise themselves for more inspiration. 

Still not sure? With Go Sitebuilder, you can set up a site in minutes with our ready to go lawyer website templates, and you can track how useful it is to you with our integrated analytics software. We know you’re busy with your business, which is why we’ve made our website builder as simple as possible, and you can even update it on the go on a mobile or tablet. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How do online shopping websites work?

Happy African American family with daughter using laptop at home, shopping online and reading how online shopping websites work

We’ve all thought about selling products online; whether that’s our own handmade gifts or choosing items to sell on for profit, and with website builders you can set up an ecommerce site in minutes! However, there are other things that you need to think about to be able to manage a successful and profitable ecommerce business. Let’s have a look at them here!

What an online shopping website needs

When choosing a website builder for your online store, it’s important to create a checklist to make sure it has all the features you need and that it doesn’t have hidden extra costs. For example, many website builders offer a free ecommerce template, but charge you more if you sell more than a certain number of products. Here’s a list of the basic elements an ecommerce website should have:

Product catalogue

Your customers need to be able to see what you’re selling! A product catalogue includes a list of available products, descriptions, and images. You want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find what they’re looking for, so make sure you put your products in categories and if possible add a search bar. If your products don’t fit well into categories, then add a “best-selling” or “most popular” section – if others are buying it, that could persuade others to do so as well! 

Online payment processor

This is an absolute must-have. An online payment system is a third party software that handles customer payments, so you don’t have to worry about giving strangers your card details! PayPal and Stripe are popular options, but have a look at our blog on online payment processors to help you choose which one will work best for your site. 

SSL security

If you’re handling online payments and other sensitive information, then you need to make sure you have an SSL certificate. It encrypts the data passing through an online connection, making sure the information and your website are protected from potential hackers. It is the foundation of internet security, and you can tell if a website has one if it has a padlock symbol or https in front of the domain name. Without one, it is very likely that potential customers will not trust your site and buy from one of your competitors instead. SSL certificates can be complicated to get, but thankfully Go Sitebuilder gives you one with every website you create.

Ecommerce template 

You need to make sure the ecommerce template your website builder offers has certain features that make it easy for you to sell and easy for your customers to buy products. This means that each product must clearly state the price and allow the customer to choose different colours and different quantities. An extra feature Go Sitebuilder has is sending you an email when your stock levels start getting low – one more thing you don’t need to worry about! 

Choose your delivery method

One of the things many people forget to think about is how to deliver the products. If you’re selling homemade products that you keep in your house, then this is the easiest method; you just need to find a way to package your product. You can capitalise on this by using it as an opportunity to grow your brand; use your brand colours, stickers or add a handwritten note to make it seem personal. 

If you get your products from a supplier, you will have to decide whether to order the products in bulk and keep them yourself – you’ll have to make sure you have enough space – or dropship your products. Dropshipping is where a supplier holds the stock and sends it straight to the customer – less time intensive for you, but you can’t personalise the brand and returns can be complicated. 

You’ll also have to decide how much delivery will cost and what kind of returns policy you are willing to provide. Returns can be costly for a new ecommerce business, but equally not having one could put potential customers off as they cannot see the physical product – this is why good product photos and descriptions are so important!

Design a good online shopping website

When customers arrive on your website, they want to see a professional-looking site that they can trust. If this sounds like a daunting task, don’t worry! Use a website builder like Go Sitebuilder that gives you thousands of ready to use website templates, so you can have a stylish website up and running in moments. If you want a bit more autonomy, then our web designs are all easily changed to suit your brand colours and company style. 

Unlike many website builders, we have an ecommerce platform integrated into our website builder, so it is incredibly simple to use, whether you’re on a desktop, mobile or tablet. We designed our website to be as quick and easy to use as possible – so you can focus on the important bits of growing your business! Try our 14-day free trial today to see what your ecommerce website could look like!

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What homemade items are in high demand?

Woman selling homemade organic beautycare products in a shop which are in high demand

Now that you know how to make money selling homemade items, deciding the kind of product you are going to specialise in is an important step in making your homemade crafts business successful. There are so many different types of homemade crafts to sell, from  creating beautiful jewellery to personalised pillows. It all depends on your creativity and your skillset; but it’s also important to make sure there is a demand for the product you want to sell. 

A good place to start is to look at best-selling products on websites such as Amazon and Etsy to get a feel for what consumers are looking at when they buy a gift for themselves or someone else. Have a look at the most successful sellers on their websites to see how they market their products and interact with their customers on the platforms. 

The most popular homemade items vary from site to site and depending on the year. But in this blog we will outline some of the most popular homemade crafts to sell online.

Jewellery

If you have the skills and creative passion, jewellery can be a great homemade product to sell. There is the opportunity to create unique pieces which you can sell for a relatively high price. Jewellery also has the bonus that products can be easily personalised, allowing you to increase the price of the product and also give customers interesting gift ideas for birthdays and celebrations. 

There are many different types of jewellery you could create from rings to necklaces, and there is scope to use many different materials to make a product more or less expensive. Jewellery is also easily marketable, with the ability to create galleries of beautiful photographs and to use e-commerce facilities on website builders. The small size of these homemade gifts also means postage and packaging should be relatively low cost. 

Bath Bombs and Soaps 

One of the easiest homemade items to make, bath bombs and soaps can be a great product to sell online. With high demand for bath bombs from companies such as Lush and increasing momentum in the sustainable/plastic-free toiletries movement there has never been a better time to start creating these products. 

Before you start selling, ensure that your homemade soaps are safe to use, that they work effectively and smell amazing. Try to have a range of scents and types of soaps that you sell. Also consider selling items together as a gift set, so that when people go to buy a gift they are directed to your site. 

Planners and Notebooks 

Planners and notebooks are another example of a simple homemade gift to sell which is in high demand currently. If you can create beautiful notebooks and planners there is a high chance of sales and demand for your homemade items. There are many different types of planners and notebooks you could sell, some of the best selling types are:

  • Year diaries – a diary that starts in January and ends in December, usually has a few pages at the start for key contacts, addresses etc.
  • Bullet journal style planners – these are often very minimalistic, but have high quality paper and very aesthetic designs.
  • ‘Prompt’ diaries – these could be anything from a dream journal to a ‘one line a day’ type of journal.

Gift and Subscription Boxes

Gift and subscription boxes are a great homemade gift to sell, they can be so varied and allow you to create personalised boxes or set boxes depending on your customer base. You could market these as gift ideas or as a treat for the customer buying your product. 

Some ideas for gift boxes include:

  • Beauty boxes – this could be anything from drugstore makeup to luxury skincare. 
  • Food boxes – this could be a spice selection, different sauces for fresh produce. 
  • Book boxes – customers send you a book preference and you send them a book every month or a gift box of a few books. 
  • Interest-specific boxes – for example someone may be a fan of gardening or dogs and you send them speciality seeds or sustainable dog toys.

Although we have only listed a small number of ideas in detail there are many other types of handmade crafts you could sell. Here are a few more ideas:

  • Sewing or knitting crafts 
  • Printed t-shirts 
  • Pet products (e.g. toys)
  • Candles
  • Ornaments
  • Artisan sweets and chocolate 
  • Arts and photographs 

If you think you can sell these products but need a great website builder, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With built in e-commerce services, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How can I create a social media marketing strategy?

Black male sat at a desk building a website online with Go Sitebuilder

The way businesses use marketing has changed drastically throughout the years, especially with the invention of social media platforms. The sheer volume of people you can reach through social media means that you must consider creating a social media marketing plan when trying to promote your business. 

A social media marketing plan is a simple plan that a business will use to outline steps to promote their business through social media. Social media plans can be as complicated or simple as you want them to be, but you simply cannot ignore social media in your marketing strategy. If you want to find out how to create a simple but effective social media marketing plan, then read on!

Choose your Platform(s)

One key element of social media marketing is creating a presence across multiple platforms. This means creating a profile or a page on different social media sites. Something to consider when setting up your business on social media is to create a business email, as you will need an email to register with these various platforms.  Below are some of the most commonly used social media platforms and how they might be more beneficial for some businesses than others: 

Facebook: With over 2.5 billion monthly users Facebook is one of the biggest social media sites globally. Facebook is often the first point of call for many social media users as accounts are easy to find and can often be more information heavy than other sites.  

Instagram: Instagram is particularly useful if your business is reliant on visuals, like a photography business or a beauty salon. Instagram allows you to post photographs with captions, but you cannot add multiple links within captions. 

Twitter: Twitter can be a really useful tool to promote your business. Comprised of short “tweets” of 280 characters you can easily share updates on your business and can add photographs or videos should you wish to. Most businesses should have a Twitter account, but for businesses who need to correspond directly with customers (such as event planning) it is an essential tool. 

Linkedin: Linkedin is a networking platform for businesses. Once your profile is created you can make valuable connections with businesses and people that have skills that could complement your business. 

Other Smaller Platforms:

  • Tumblr: an informal blogging platform, good for visually focused related businesses such as art and travel 
  • Flickr: another visual platform, particularly used by photographers 
  • Pinterest: good for creating an aesthetic or developing a brand image

Other factors to consider when choosing which social media platforms to use are:

  • The age of your target market – generally speaking slightly older audiences are found on Facebook and Linkedin, whereas teenagers and Gen Z individuals use sites such as Instagram and TikTok more. 
  • The type of business you are – do you need somewhere that is image-focused or information-focused?
  • Do you have the time to dedicate to multiple platforms? 

Complete Your Profile

The best social media marketing plans have a completed profile to work with. Ensure you fill out every possible section of your social media platform to give visitors the most information possible. Also do not ignore the profile picture, make sure to use something that relates to your business or a logo.

Link to Your Website

Another aspect many social media marketing strategies use is linking your social media to your website. This can be done easily in your profile bio or about section, and can be reiterated in various posts as well. Your web design should also include a social media bar, which many website builders have as a feature, so that readers can easily share your content across various social media platforms. 

Create a Posting Schedule

As mentioned in our blog on how to make your blog stand out,  if you are creating content, posting regularly will give your social media more momentum and give you a larger following. Whether this is once a week or every day, having a posting schedule that you stick to is incredibly important in a social media marketing strategy. If you need more information about when you should be posting, check out this blog on how often to post to each social media platform. 

Use Promoting Features

Sites such as Facebook and Instagram have features built in to allow you to promote certain posts or images to visitors to their site. You do have to pay for some of these features, but they can be a great way of spreading the word on your business. You can also use features such as hashtags and location to increase the chances of people seeing your posts. 

If you need a great website builder to back up your social media marketing plan, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range features to link to your social media, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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How to make my blog stand out?

Female photographer sat in front of her laptop holding her camera uploading her new photos to her Go Sitebuilder website

In order to create a successful website you need an effective blog. A blog allows you to communicate with browsers to your website in a more informal way. This keeps them updated on any new developments in your business or personal life (depending on the type of website you have.) If you need more information on blogging, check out our post on What is blogging and how can I start my own blog?

With over 77% of internet users regularly reading blogs, updating yours regularly can help significantly boost the number of visitors to your website. Blogging can also be incredibly useful in increasing Search Engine Optimisation; find out more in our blog on the benefits of creating a blog for SEO purposes. 

To engage the most visitors on your website there are critical success factors to creating a unique, popular blog. Read on to discover how to make your blog stand out from the crowd! 

Professional Web Design

No blog will be successful if the website is poorly designed. Think about key aspects such as layout, colours, fonts and images to create a professional website that reflects your business. 

Ensure that your blog is easy to find on your website, with links to recent blog posts and a clear blog heading in your menu. Adding a search bar is a great way to make it easy for visitors to find blogs that align with their area of interest. 

Effective Titles

For your blog posts to have the most views, effective titles will go a long way. Ensure you keep your titles short and to the point and that they relate to your blog post. 

The content of your blog posts can be as varied as you like. However, if your website focuses on a specific topic or is for a business you should ensure that your blog posts link directly to it. Some examples are: 

Beauty Salon Blog: 

  • “Tips for creating the perfect manicure”
  • “Hairstyle trends you need for 2020”
  • “The skincare trick everyone is raving about”

Lifestyle Blog:

  • “How to interior design like a pro”
  • “My favourite fashion trends this year”
  • “How to organise your busy schedule”

Travel Blog:

  • “Countries to visit this month”
  • “The best ice cream I’ve ever tried: Rome’s food scene”
  • “Top tips for backpacking”

These are only a few titles for different types of blogs, but they all have one thing in common. They directly target an audience and tell you exactly what the blog post is going to be about. Using titles which will directly relate to and impact the reader is sure to gain you more views on your blog. 

Use Different types of Media

By using a variety of media you are more likely to engage a wider range of browsers to your website. Large portions of text can also put visitors off, so adding subtitles or different media like images and infographics can keep visitors on your blog and reduce your bounce rate.  Images are also a way to help engage your visitors with your content by illustrating the ideas and concepts in the blog.

You can include media such as:

  • Photographs 
  • Infographics 
  • Illustrations/paintings 
  • Longer produced videos 
  • Shorter informal videos 

If you need more reasons to include media in your blog posts, check out this blog on 8 data driven reasons why media is important to blogging success.

Create Unique Content

With so many different blog posts online, creating unique relatable content is paramount in making your blog stand out. Do some research on what competitors or similar blogs are posting about and think about how you can improve on this or offer a different perspective. Is there a topic that you are particularly knowledgeable or passionate about? If so focus on that for a number of blog posts to show your understanding of it. 

Another key aspect is to ensure that you are posting regularly to your blog. This is one of the critical success factors of your blog’s popularity. Without a regular schedule you will lose following and regular engagement with your blog by visitors to your website. Each time you post a blog, search engines will re-index your site and hopefully boost your page up the search rankings.

Some people will write a chunk of blogs at once (for example 10 blog posts on the same topic) and then make a schedule for posting them. Whereas, others may post on a schedule and write as they post. Whichever option works best for you, ensure you stick to it to get the best results. 

If you need a great website builder, then look no further than Go Sitebuilder. With a wide range of blog friendly features, our simple website builder design means you can have a professional looking website up and running in minutes. Try our 14-day free trial today!

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What is an ecommerce website?

Online seller owner take a photo of product for upload to website online shop. Online Shop, Online Selling , Online Shopping and e-Commerce concept.

Back in 1979, British inventor and entrepreneur created an online payment processing system, and the ecommerce business has been growing ever since. Buying and selling online is called ecommerce, and as internet reach grows worldwide, so do ecommerce sales; they are expected to reach 17.5% of all retail sales worldwide, up from just 7.4% in 2015. 

An ecommerce website is an online platform that allows a user to browse different products and buy them, but this could apply to multiple industries and multiple product types.

What are the different types of ecommerce?

Ecommerce can take many forms. Well-known companies like TopShop or Mountain Warehouse have B2C (Business to consumer) websites, which means the company sells their product directly to the buyer who will then use it themselves, but there are other ecommerce models.

B2B ecommerce sites are where businesses sell to other businesses, like Polygon, which sells video conferencing and content sharing solutions to other companies. Ebay is an example of C2C ecommerce, where an individual sells something to another individual. C2B is rising in popularity with the growth of freelancing and the digital nomad lifestyle, where an individual supplies products or services (like blog writing or stock photography) to a business for them to use. 

There are also different ways to carry out your ecommerce business. Do you sell physical products, like books, or digital products, like music, video or graphic design? This will impact whether you have to deal with postage and packaging and possible returns. You will also have to decide whether to sell B2C retail (individual items) or B2B wholesale, where items can only be purchased in large quantities, as this will affect your pricing and marketing strategy. 

How to build an ecommerce website

When designing your ecommerce website, or using a website builder to design it, there are some elements you want to make sure you include. The first is to choose a layout that represents your brand and the product or services you are trying to sell. When in doubt, remember to err on the side of simplicity; we know from experience that customising each level of your website can be time consuming and frustrating, so it’s a good idea to find a website builder that offers ecommerce templates. Then you can just drag and drop the information you need into the website without wasting unnecessary time. 

Before choosing a website builder, be aware that many providers have a base price for a website, but then charge extra if you want to use their ecommerce platform or if you want to sell over a certain number of products. At Go Sitebuilder, our monthly fee includes all our services, including an unlimited ecommerce platform, voucher and discount codes and automated warnings when you start running out of stock; and it’s so simple you can upload a product in a matter of moments!

What features should my ecommerce website have for shopping?

Let’s start with the basics: You need to get paid! Choose a payment gateway, like PayPal or Stripe that will allow your customers to easily purchase your products through your website; check out our blog on payment gateways for more information. 

The problem with ecommerce is that your potential customers can’t hold your product in their hands before they buy it. This is why high-quality product photos are so important; make sure you have more than one for each product and that the images are well-lit and show off all the product features. Detailed product descriptions also allow your potential customers to decide if your product has everything they need; aim for 150-250 words per product. 

Transparency is essential for an ecommerce website, so make sure your postage and packaging and returns policy are easily accessible. If a visitor arrives on your site and can easily find all the information they need without having to search for it, they are much more likely to order a product from your website rather than somebody else’s.

What features should my ecommerce website have to improve user experience?

Think about arriving at your site from a visitor’s perspective. If they know exactly what they want to buy, then having a product search bar will allow them to find it quickly and easily. If they’re just browsing, though, why not have your most popular products on the first page to give them an idea of what you sell, and persuade them to buy something. 

Most importantly, you need to make sure your ecommerce website is responsive – meaning it works equally well on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. According to Statista, in the US nearly 50% of ecommerce sales took place on a mobile in 2019 and you don’t want to miss out on this market. 

If you’re still looking for a website builder for an ecommerce business, then Go Sitebuilder is a great choice! We offer unlimited products, an integrated super-simple ecommerce platform, full responsive design and more! Try our 14-day free trial today to see what we can offer you and your ecommerce business.

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How to manage images on your website

Handsome man working remotely researching how to manage images on your website from the coffeehouse on Go sitebuilder

Images are an important part of any website. In fact, websites with images get 94% more views than those without, so if you want to entice potential customers to your site, you can’t ignore them. However, you can’t just upload lots of randomly generated images and hope that it will increase traffic. Check out our blog post on how images enhance a website to see how you can make your images work for you.

Having an image-heavy site could mean that your website homepage becomes slow to load, or could confuse users if the photos aren’t related to your product. We’ve compiled a handy guide to help you manage images so that your visitors will have a great user experience, regardless of how many photos you choose. 

How do I make images load faster on my website?

Google web research says that the best loading time for your website is under three seconds. It’s crucial to make sure that your website loads in this time, as if it takes longer, even between 3-5 seconds, there is a 90% bounce rate. Their research also found that 79% of online shoppers that have trouble with website performance – like slow loading speed – say that they won’t return to that site again. 

Use a loading speed analyser like GTmetrix to see how long your site takes to load – if it’s longer than 3 seconds then read on to find out what you can do!

Image file size

Most often, when you find a picture that you think is perfect for your website, you don’t think about whether it is the right size, and you upload it straight away. It’s good to start with a high-quality image, whether that is your own photo, one from a free stock image website like Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash, or Go Sitebuilder’s ready-to-use stock image directory. However, to streamline your site you might need to make the images smaller so they don’t take up so much space. 

Resolution

The resolution of your image refers to the quality of the image and is measured in dots per inch (DPI). The more dots per inch, the better quality your image will be. This is very important when processing images for print, but most computer monitors display a maximum of 72DPI. That means that any image with a higher resolution than 72DPI is overkill; your visitors won’t notice the difference and your image will be taking up unnecessary space. 

To see the resolution of an image on Windows, right click on your image file name and select Properties → Details. Click on the image tab within the window, and you’ll see the DPI labelled horizontal resolution and vertical resolution. On a Mac, open the image in preview and select Tools → Adjust Size and you’ll find the option under resolution. You can use Photoshop or Gimp Image editing software to change the resolution, or an online converter like convert.town.

Reduce file size even more

Reducing the resolution will also reduce the file size, but to make the file size even smaller, it’s a good idea to put the 72DPI image through an online compressor like Compressor, Tiny PNG or Optimizilla. This drastically reduces your file size but with an almost indiscernible difference in image quality. Don’t believe us? Have a look at the difference:

300DPI image from Pixabay
Reduced to 72DPI
Compressed 72DPI image

Choose the right file type

Most images in websites are found in three file types: PNG, JPG (or JPEG) and GIF. You shouldn’t be uploading any other image files to your website, so if you have a file type you’ve never seen before, open it and click File → Save as and change the file type, or click File → Export as + JPG/PNG/GIF. But which file type should you use for which image?

  • Use JPG for photos and photorealistic images
  • Use PNG for computer generated images and graphics where transparency is required
  • Use GIF for small animations

Top tip – if you’re taking a screenshot it will likely save as PNG. If you’re going to upload it to your website, make sure you export it as a JPG first. Adhering to these simple file type rules will make your images work better for you. 

Optimise your file names and alt-tags

This might be boring, but it’s very important! To help with SEO, you want Google’s crawl bots to look at your site and check that it is all relevant to your topic, and these crawl bots can’t “see” images in the same way we can. So, when it comes across a file name called DSC43953, it is not going to know whether it is related to your business or not. You don’t need to put in a long description, but if you sell bespoke ceramics and your image is called “white-glazed-pot” then search engines will understand what it is. 

The same goes for alt-tags. You should be able to alter these within your website builder, and you want to describe it as if to a friend who is wearing a blindfold, using as few words as possible. Avoid using small words like “a” and “the” as you don’t need them. “White pot on table” is fine. Ideally you want to use your keywords for both file names, but don’t shove it in there if it doesn’t make sense to. 

So, now you know how to manage your images to have a fast-running website, you’re ready to make your own! Try Go Sitebuilder for a super simple website builder that gives you ready made templates to personalise, so you can have a beautiful website up and running in minutes! We offer a 14-day free trial so you can see for yourself – happy building!

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How do images enhance a website?

Beautiful girl working from her home researching how do images enhance a website

Imagine a website without images. You can vary the text size and font as much as you want but it’s still not going to be pretty. These days, images are the simplest way to make your website look more visually appealing, but the right images can actually have a significant impact on how users interact with your website. We’re going to look at the different ways images can enhance your website, so you can choose the best photos for your company.

Images look good

Ok, so it’s not just about looking good, but that is an important part of using images. 

The last thing you want from your website is a homepage that is covered in text; users are likely to be overwhelmed and will click off immediately. Instead, try and use a high-quality image that reflects your brand with a call to action in large font; Do you want the visitor to buy your product, download a resource, or contact you?

First impressions are everything; 75% of people base their opinion of a website’s credibility on the web design, so you want to make sure yours stands out. 

Good images increase traffic

If you use high quality, beautiful images on your website, this actually has a significant impact on the likelihood that visitors will turn into customers. Photography provider Pic-Up reported that websites without images got 94% fewer views than those with them, and the more views you get on your site, the more chances you have that they will convert. 

Human beings are very visual creatures and we are drawn to images, which is why we use them so much on websites. It also has marketing results:

  • Increased user engagement. This means users spend more time on the site, making it more likely that they will contact you or purchase your product or service. 
  • Decreased bounce rate. This means that you will move higher up search engine rankings, bringing you more traffic. More traffic means more customers!
  • Well chosen images create a link between the customer and your company. This makes them more likely to convert because they feel a connection with your business.

Images make your brand memorable

To make your brand – and website – memorable, you need to decide on a style that best represents your brand and what your company stands for. Create a collection of quality images that have similar qualities, for example a particular colour theme or lighting style, and use these images across your website, on your office walls, in your brochures and on online directories. This will bring a sense of continuity, consolidate your brand image and make your products and services more memorable. 

You might only have stock images at your disposal, which is fine – Go Sitebuilder has a huge directory of stock images – but try and choose pictures that have qualities or characteristics that connect them – low-light photos, for example, or a minimalist style that makes the most of white space. Research has shown that we remember 80% of what we see, but 20% of what we read, so make sure you don’t get lazy with images!

Product photography drives sales

Never underestimate the power of product photography. First and foremost, having product photos that accurately capture your product aids clarity for your customers. Many online returns are due to the fact that the product looked different online to the item they received, so good product photos result in fewer returns, meaning less time and money wasted. 

Good product photos are also a way to hook in those viewing your site on a mobile device. People on their phones are less likely to have the time or the inclination to read a lengthy product description, so they are going to choose the product image that captures their eye. 

Good photos could make or break a sale. Think about how you shop; if there are two similar products at a comparable price, you’re going to choose either the one with the better picture, or the one that has more photos. A better picture makes you look more professional, and more pictures represents your product better, making you a more trustworthy company to shop from. 

Optimised images are better for SEO

If you optimise your images for SEO then you are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, giving you more traffic. To do this, choose relevant, high quality images and customise the file name. Google’s crawl bots can’t “see” images, so DSC16632 means nothing to them. Change it to something relevant and ideally including a keyword for your business; if you sell jewellery, for example, naming the file “green-necklace” is much more useful. 

This is the same for alt-tags on your images, which are also used by search engines to understand what an image is. You should be able to alter these in your website builder. Top tips: describe the image in a few words as if you were talking to a friend with their back to the screen, don’t include those small words like “on”, “a”, or “the” and don’t start with “image of…” as it’s not necessary. “Woman wearing green necklace” is ideal.

If you’re worried about an image-heavy website slowing down your website speed and making your site laggy, then check out our blog on how to manage images on your website. If you’re ready to create a new site with beautiful images, then try Go Sitebuilder! We have ready to go templates for you to upload your own photos, or you’ll have access to our extensive stock images section. Try our 14 day free trial today!

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Why do you need a responsive website?

Portrait of handsome young man using his mobile phone in the kitchen choosing his responsive website design with Go Sitebuilder

A responsive website design is a must-have when building your own website. Essentially, a responsive website adapts to the size of any screen that it is being viewed on – this is different to a mobile-friendly site, which is a separate, simpler version of your site designed solely for mobiles, which might have glitches and is difficult to navigate when viewed on high resolution devices. 

Nowadays, it is hard to deny that the internet is reshaping the way we typically buy goods: in 2013 internet sales of non-food products in the UK grew by 19.2% compared to the previous year. With 7 out of 10 people in the UK now owning a smartphone, it is hard to deny that there is a strong link between ecommerce shopping and mobile phones. If your website isn’t responsive, and therefore has to have two different versions of one website for different devices, you could harm your business’ growth. If you’re still not convinced, read on to discover just how a responsive website can boost your website’s chances of success. 

Reduce your costs 

Starting up an ecommerce business online can incur many hidden costs, slowly pushing up the expenditure for your website. To build your own website from scratch without a website builder means you’re already spending a lot of time and money on necessary features such as your website design and site coding. If your website is responsive then you only need one version of your page, but if it isn’t then you’ll need another version, with a different URL, so that it can be viewed on a different device. 

With a responsive website, you can cut down the costs of running your website, as you won’t be paying for two versions of the site. It also halves the time you spend doing maintenance on your site, meaning you can concentrate your time more efficiently in other ways to grow your business. 

Increased conversation rates 

As an unresponsive website usually distorts the way your website appears on mobile devices or tablets, that affects multiple aspects of your website design, such as your layout or your font sizes. Imagine you’ve spent hours perfecting your site design, only for it to lose all aesthetic when it’s not viewed on a desktop. 

Understandably, a website that isn’t easy to navigate is going to put off potential customers, damaging your ecommerce site or tarnishing your reputation. As 67% of mobile users are more likely to buy from a website with a responsive web design, you need to build a website which doesn’t exclude a large chunk of your target market. 

Having a responsive website also markets your image as a professional: with only one URL, users who share your content on their social media only have one link that they can share. With two URLs, a site user might share your link on their desktop, which is then seen and clicked on by another person who is viewing your website from a mobile device. As the link won’t respond well to their mobile device your website will seem clunky and poorly designed, prompting them to lose interest in your business before they’ve even properly explored it. With one URL, you can avoid this issue completely – your site will be ready to view on any device. 

Improve your SEO ranking 

Boosting your SEO ranking can boost your business’ success dramatically: considering that Google recommends a responsive website pattern, it’s best to follow its guidelines to make sure you rank as highly as possible on search engine results pages. Having a responsive website isn’t just good for SEO because Google likes it – there is actually a method behind it. By using a single URL structure, you’re giving Google’s spiders less work, as they don’t have to crawl and index both versions of your site, and then decide which version to show on its search engine results. 

Building a website with a responsive site design also improves your SEO ranking as it means site users are more likely to stay on your website for longer. Having a low bounce rate tells Google that your site is valuable and should therefore be listed higher on its search engine results, whereas a site with a high click-off rate suggests to Google that your website is of poor content, and should therefore be lower on its index. 

If you want to build a website, but don’t have the time to spend hours coding, or the money to hire a professional website designer, Go Sitebuilder offers ready to go site designs at an incredibly affordable price. One of the best things about our site? It delivers responsive websites so site users can access from any device, and you can even update or make changes to your site anywhere you want. Our website builder provides a professional finish, without the premium prices – to find out for yourself, start our free 14-day trial to discover all the benefits we offer, and more!