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Choosing A Web Design Training Course

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Choosing A Web Design Training Course

Website design training is a must for all businesses. In the current day and age, the importance of having an attractive and effective website simply cannot be ignored. The only trouble is that there are so many web design courses for you to choose from, which can be a little bit confusing and overwhelming.

But, there is no need to panic, as we are going to give you a helping hand by giving you an insight into the key qualities that all web design training courses should have.

  • Private training – You should always look for a training instructor who is willing to provide you with private training. This ensures that you extract maximum value from the training course, and that the content you are being taught is entirely suited to the needs of your business.
  • A good reputation – You are advised to read reviews that have been left by people that have already taken the course. The same applies irrespective of whether you are looking for HTML training, an Adobe Illustrator course, or any other form of training. If you come across a lot of negative comments, you know to look elsewhere.
  • Various design platforms – What platforms are you going to be taught about creating a website on? Does the trainer have the flexibility to adapt to your needs? WordPress training may be something you want to look out for in this respect. If you take a look at a reputable website design company today, they may specialize in one platform, but they will have a basic understanding and have probably received training in a number of areas.
  • Impressive portfolio – Last but not least, take a look at the trainer’s website design portfolio. After all, why should you trust them to teach you about website design if they can’t create impressive websites themselves?
  • Their own website – This leads to the next point: if you are going to choose the right website design training company for you, you should look at their website first. After all, if the website is slow to load and difficult to navigate, this does not leave a very good impression, does it? Experts working in custom website design company shouldn’t have excuses when it comes to making an incredible website, and so this is definitely an area that we recommend paying a lot of attention to when you are looking for the best courses for you.
  • Practicalities – Last but not least, you will want to consider all of the practicalities, such as course time and location. You should also consider the price to make sure that this is something you are happy with as well. These are all the sort of things that you will know yourself what is right for you.

If you take the points that have been mentioned into account, you can be confident that you have found the best website design training for your needs. This is not an area you can afford to rush into and make a rash decision.

Improving Customer Satisfaction As An Online Business

StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Customer Satisfaction|Improving Customer Satisfaction As An Online BusinessProviding ultimate customer satisfaction when you have no face to face interaction with your clientele can often seem like a bit of a tricky task. Giving customers the best experience possible involves more than just being respectful in your tone, as every feature of your business, products and services contributes towards the individual opinion of the people you serve. Luckily, finding out exactly how you can improve customer service when operating a business exclusively online doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might initially believe, as there are a few innovative ideas that you can utilise to start making beneficial changes today. So, if you would like to find out more, then read on to uncover some of the best top tips and tricks to make the most of now!

Design Matters

One of the biggest factors that you simply mustn’t skip over is the design of your web store, as this is the first thing that a customer will see upon clicking your link meaning you must take the opportunity to give off an amazing first impression. Focus on creating a design that will work for different people from all walks of life, making accessibility a key feature to ensure that those with impairments and disabilities can just as easily navigate around your site. Utilise white or yellow tones as a background colour and a strong dark black or blue for text, as this will make the words jump out from the screen whilst being extra handy for those with difficulties such as dyslexia too. Picking a colour scheme that matches in with your brand or it’s products and services can be a great way to include a little style, so stick with a couple of shades and use these to highlight and draw attention to important features.

Providing Information

A considerable issue that may be holding you back from achieving your full potential as an online business is the lack of information that you provide to your customers. Simply posting your products or services with a small brief description is not enough to give potential customers faith in your business, and it can give off the feeling that you put just as little effort into the quality of the items you sell, too. Providing as much information as you can about the history of your brand, the origins of your products and materials, your environmental pledge and other key areas will allow customers to get a better understanding of who they are buying from. If you sell your products and services outside of the country, all of this information should be provided in the correct language for local customers to understand your business too – investing in the help of a professional translator such as Para Plus Translations can provide you with everything you need to maintain your quality customer experience all around the world.

Improving customer satisfaction as an online business has never been so simple when you are able to make the most of the top tips and tricks detailed above!

How To Use Your Website As An Effective Customer Service Tool

StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Customer Service Tool|How To Use Your Website As An Effective Customer Service ToolMany businesses don’t consider how important their website is when it comes to customer service, but it’s actually one of the best tools that you have at your disposal. It’s important that you have a well staffed customer service team that has the right training and knows how to deal with customers, but you also need to consider making changes to your website. If you manage it in the right way, your website is an incredibly effective way to improve customer service throughout the customer journey. These are some of the best ways to use your website to improve customer service.

Set The Right Tone

Many people don’t consider how their website sets the tone for your customer service strategy, but it’s important that you think of your website in the same way as you would any other customer service operative. If somebody calls your customer service line, do you want an operator that answers with no enthusiasm or do you want somebody that is friendly and welcoming? Do you want a long and complicated menu system that is frustrating for the customer to use or do you want to connect them to the right person immediately? These same questions can be applied to your website and they should direct your website design from the outset. If you create a website that is vibrant and welcoming, and take steps to improve the user experience so the process of browsing products is quick and easy, that sets the tone for your customer service experience as well. People will feel more comfortable buying products from you because you have given them a good first impression and they will feel confident that they will receive good customer service from you.

Make It Easy To Contact You

If people want to contact your company, they will probably start by visiting your website and looking for contact details. It’s important that you make it as easy as possible for people to get in touch with you if you want to improve customer service. You need a ‘contact us’ page on your site but you should also display your phone number throughout the site. Don’t just put it on one page, have it on the header and footer of every single page so people don’t need to search through the whole site to get in touch with you.

As well as a phone number, you should also include a simple contact form on the website. Many people prefer to contact you via email, and a contact form makes it quick and easy to do. If you just display your email address, the customer still has to open their email and input the details etc. But with a contact form, it’s all there for them.

Live chat features on your site are a must as well because they’re perfect for customers that don’t have much time and want to chat with you directly. Say, for example, somebody has a quick question about a product before they buy it. They’re not likely to take the time to call you up or send an email, so they will probably just leave the site and forget about the purchase. However, if they can fire off a quick question and get an answer right away, their first interaction with your customer service team is a positive one and they’ll be more likely to buy products. It also improves the service for existing customers because the response time is so much faster. Live chat apps also help you to save money because one customer service operative can deal with multiple queries at the same time, which is far more efficient than dealing with customers over the phone.

Provide Useful Content

Content marketing is a brilliant way to drive traffic to your website and it has many other benefits outside of SEO, but did you know that it is also a great opportunity to improve customer service for your existing customers? If you post content that addresses frequently asked questions about your products, you can solve customer issues without them having to contact you directly. You can also provide content that gives tips on how to get more out of the product, so you add value and improve the customer experience long after they have made their purchase.

Make Returns Simple

If a customer needs to return a product for any reason, it’s important that you handle it efficiently. If the returns process is long and complex, the customer will leave with a bad impression of your business and they are far less likely to use you again in future or recommend you to friends and family. It’s important that you have a simple returns process on your website so people can easily send products back and get a refund or replacement. Before any product is purchased, you need to make sure that your returns policy is clearly stated because this will avoid any conflict later on when a customer wants a refund but you will not accept the return.

Integrate With Social Media

Social media is one of the most important customer service tools that you have at your disposal. Many people prefer to contact companies directly on social media when they have an issue, rather than emailing or calling you up. That’s why it’s important that you integrate social media with your website. Adding simple follow buttons to the website helps you to build an audience on social media and makes it easier for customers to contact you on social media without having to manually find your account. You can also use social media to promote the useful content that you provide, which will boost likes and shares and expand your audience.

Many businesses make the mistake of viewing their website as a sales tool and considering it separately from the customer service branch of the company. However, the reality is, your website is a hugely important part of your customer service strategy and you need to consider that when building and maintaining your site in the first place. If you make these simple changes to your website, you can improve your customer service in a big way.

6 Tips For Increasing Conversion Rates For Your E-Commerce Business

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Increasing Conversion Rates|6 Tips For Increasing Conversion Rates For Your E-Commerce BusinessOver the past decade, e-commerce has risen to prominence in all industries. The marketplace has taken a swift turn to digital platforms, and it looks certain to continue that way. Worldwide e-commerce sales are set to hit the $4.1 trillion mark by the end of 2020.

Although there are opportunities within the world of online selling, it is an extremely competitive market. It’s vital for companies to carefully adjust their strategies to cater to the digital marketplace.

E-commerce conversion rates are increasing on average. However, a big reason for this is that larger companies are making a concerted effort to push online sales. Many SME’s (small and medium-sized enterprises) are not experiencing a conversion rate spike.
In a rapidly expanding market, here are six essential tips for increasing conversions for your e-commerce business.

Use analytics and be data-driven

In the digital age, it’s vital for businesses to become data-driven. When it comes to e-commerce, this is even more important. Any e-commerce business generates a huge amount of data relating to sales, marketing, and customers. This should be carefully analyzed and used to make decisions and to create future campaigns.

Have a well-designed website

A slick website with a clean look and high functionality is an absolute must for any e-commerce business. The site should be easy to use, customer-focused, and it should have adequate call-to-action.
The buying process needs to be optimized to make the customer journey easy and stress-free.
Consider hiring a website design and development professional to ensure that your site is at the level it needs to be.

Quality content

All website, social media, marketing, communication, and advertising content should be of high quality. This can be achieved through research, SEO, and excellent copywriting.
High quality and authoritative content rank highly on Google search algorithms, maximizing its effectiveness.

Use targeted social media ads

Social media advertising is a cost-effective way of reaching your target market, particularly when you are directing them to your online store. Facebook and Instagram allow you to target specific demographics with your content, giving you the best chance of conversions.
Social media campaigns can be analyzed thoroughly, providing you with valuable data.

Offer excellent customer service

Creating a loyal customer base is arguably the best way to sustain consistent sales figures. Good customer service gives your e-commerce business a familiarity that people can relate to. Customers want to feel valued, so customer service can be a powerful tool to increase conversions.

Some simple ways of establishing excellent customer services are:

  • Install a chatbot on your webpage.
  • Communicate with customers via social media.
  • Allow customer feedback.
  • Have straightforward returns policies and procedures.

Offer free shipping

Free shipping is one of the most important factors for consumers when determining whether or not to purchase online. It could be the difference in making a sale or not. In fact, 90% of shoppers claim that free shipping is the main incentive that would encourage them to purchase more online.

Free shipping costs can be covered, meaning your company doesn’t have to take a big financial hit.

Web Hosting Options for your Website

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Web Hosting Options|Web Hosting Options for Your WebsiteOwning a website is the best way to stay visible in the digital world and a pre-requisite for businesses which intend to leverage the power of the internet and expand their reach. For individuals, a website can be a way to gain extra income or keep in touch with one’s followers.

There are different types of websites, classified according to functionality and content – each serving a unique purpose. They include blogging websites, community portals, eCommerce websites, brochures, social media sites, crowdfunding sites, and personal websites.

A personal website is a great way to share your knowledge, experience and expertise with the world. From food blogging, travel blogging, and book reviews to sharing pictures of events with friends, a personal website provides you with the means to share what you love online at little cost.

Creating and hosting a website may prove difficult after the need for a website has been identified. With open-source content management tools like WordPress, you can model a good website without much difficulty. Obtaining a domain name using domain name NZ seller Discount Domains and hosting options must be considered before you can share your desired content with the rest of the world.

There are many web hosting options available, each with its costs and payment plans. The right hosting platform depends heavily on the kind of website you want to host. Ensure you keep your eyes wide open while searching for the company that best fits what you are looking for. Their plans not only have different prices and memberships but also their payment methods differ. There are month-to-month hosting plans, bi-annuals, and annuals. With all this information at hand, you will hit the nail when hiring the best hosting service.

If you are looking for a suitable host for your personal website, here are your best web-hosting options

Hostinger

Hostinger’s single web hosting package is ideal for personal websites. At just $2.15, Hostinger offers a complete package for a basic website. Hostinger has other packages which make it suitable for other types of websites too, but the low cost of its single package makes it personal-website-friendly.

It offers 99.9% guaranteed uptime and 24/7 online support which keeps your site online and helps you resolve any issues you may encounter. It is user-friendly, optimised for the best WordPress performance, has an easy SEO-optimised website builder, and gives you every resource to set your own rules.

TMD Hosting

TMD prides itself on being one of the few hosting platforms which provide a Linux-shared, cutting edge technology, and fully managed hosting for its subscribers at a low price. Its least package, the shared hosting, comes at $2.95 per month and has the same features as the premium versions of most web hosting platforms.

Thanks to its cutting-edge tech and many data centres all around the world, websites hosted under them work seamlessly, and at optimum speed. TMD Hosting also provides daily backups, regular updates and 24/7 traffic and content monitoring.

HostGator

With more than 8 million subscriptions, HostGator is one of the leading hosting platforms in the world. For as low as $3.13 dollars per month, you get a free website builder, page transfer at zero cost, free marketing plan, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.

For personal websites, HostGator’s Baby Plan provides scalable tools that grow with the site, unlimited domains, unlimited emails, and 24/7 support. HostGator is the ideal hosting platform for personal websites, as its tools make building and managing the website very easy. You also have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and more than enough resources in their knowledge base for every problem you may encounter.

SiteGround

SiteGround may not be among the cheapest web-hosting platforms, but it offers you a chance to enjoy premium features in even the most basic of their packages. Its basic package, StartUp, comes at $3.95 per month and its other two packages, GrowBig and GoGeek, cost $5.95 and $11.95 respectively. If you do not expect more than 10,000 visits monthly, then the StartUp plan is best for your personal website.

While it does not have all the great features other platforms offer, its fewer features make it faster and more effective than others. SiteGround provides daily backups even for shared packages – which is not common with all other web-hosting platforms. The platform offers one of the best protection options with its multiple layers of security, which is what helped the site itself survive a 2011 WordPress hack.

DreamHost

Depending on your needs, DreamHost has two hostings – shared hosting, and WordPress. To ensure 100% guaranteed uptime, the platform scales up its bandwidth from time to time – a very uncommon practice. Its shared hosting features unlimited domain names and websites with just one account, for as low as $2.59 per month.

DreamHost, besides hosting your personal website, also offers many tools that will make managing the site easy for you. This includes a page builder at $4.95 a month – Remixer – which aids you in designing your website. The platform is very easy to use, very reliable and provides 24/7 support.

Blue Host

Blue Host is one of the best hosting platforms for websites designed using WordPress. With more than 2 million subscribers, the platform is very popular and safe. For as low as $2.95 you get a basic website package, with a free SSL certificate, 24/7 support, and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Thanks to its alliance with WordPress, Blue Host offers a lot of great features for sites built with WordPress. The site is reportedly slow for basic packages due to the limited resources shared by its 2 million subscribers.

However, its premium package promises improved performance.

iPage

iPage offers a lot of awesome features at an introductory offer of $1.99 and a low renewal amount monthly. It also comes with a free easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder for better website efficiency.

With iPage, you also get free ad credits for your marketing campaign, free email addresses, unlimited disk space, unlimited MySQL databases, enhanced security suite, scalable bandwidth and you can host unlimited domains – all in one cheap package. You can also track your website’s performance with the analytics tool that comes with the hosting package.

Cloudways

Unlike most web-hosting companies, Cloudways offers a fully managed cloud hosting for all kinds of websites on a pay-as-you-go basis. This means you can select the feature or service you need and pay for that only. The account comes with a CloudwaysBot assistant that keeps users updated on the health of their websites.

Being a cloud hosting platform, Cloudways provides a better alternative to VPS and gives you a full package for your website. It also offers a free trial and a free migration from the previous host. It is easy for clients who are not tech-savvy to operate as it takes away technical complexities so users can focus on growing their website.

InMotion Hosting

InMotion has an optimised WordPress option for personal websites that will be run on WordPress. The option has the CMS already pre-installed in order to get you live as quickly as possible. Its drag and drop builder and pre-installed themes are made available to first-time users to enable the easy building of the website and navigation.

Inmotion’s shared Business plan, just like the WordPress plan, also comes with unlimited disk space, unlimited emails, ultra-fast performance, free data backups and malware protection. The account comes with a free SSL certificate, auto-updates on web apps, a custom firewall, and DDoS protection.