Tag: mobile design

Two designers collaborate for mobile web design

The Best Web Design Practices in 2023

If you’re looking for a great starting point to kick off your 2023 web design journey, then you’ve come to the right place! As we all know, the world of web design is constantly evolving, and keeping up with the latest trends and techniques is crucial if you want your website to stand out from the crowd.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the best web design practices for 2023.

Mobile-First Design

In a world where smartphones and tablets have become the primary devices for accessing the

internet, it’s more important than ever to prioritize mobile-first design. In fact, Google’s algorithm now ranks websites based on their mobile performance, so if your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re in trouble.

So what does mobile-first design mean? Essentially, it means designing your website with mobile users in mind first and foremost. This includes using responsive design techniques to ensure your site looks great on any device, as well as optimizing your site’s loading speed and navigation for mobile users.

Dark Mode

Dark mode has been a hot topic in web design for the past few years, and it’s not going anywhere in 2023. In fact, more and more websites are embracing dark mode as a way to reduce eye strain and provide a sleek, modern look.

But it’s not just about aesthetics – dark mode can also help conserve battery life on mobile devices with OLED screens. So if you want to stay on top of the latest design trends, consider incorporating dark mode into your website.

Minimalism

Less is more in 2023, and minimalism is the name of the game when it comes to web design. This means simplifying your site’s layout, reducing clutter, and focusing on clean, easy-to-read typography.

Minimalism doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity, however – it’s all about finding the right balance between simplicity and visual appeal. By keeping your site clean and uncluttered, you can create a more enjoyable user experience and help your content stand out.

Animation

Animation has been a popular web design trend for a while now, but in 2023 it’s becoming more sophisticated than ever. From subtle micro-animations to full-blown video backgrounds, animation can be used to add depth, personality, and interactivity to your website.

But be warned – animation can also be overused, leading to slow loading times and distracting the user from the content. When using animation in your web design, make sure it serves a purpose and enhances the user experience, rather than detracting from it.

Accessibility

Accessibility has always been important in web design, but in 2023 it’s becoming non-negotiable. As more and more people rely on the internet to conduct their daily lives, it’s crucial that websites are designed with everyone in mind – including those with disabilities.

This means incorporating features like alt text for images, keyboard navigation, and high contrast color schemes to ensure that your site is accessible to all users. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it also helps improve your site’s search engine rankings and can broaden your audience.

By embracing mobile-first design, dark mode, minimalism, animation, and accessibility, you can create a website that not only looks great but also provides a seamless and engaging user experience. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start designing the website of the future!

ON Advertising is One of Phoenix’s Top Advertising Agencies

ON Advertising consists of brand strategists working synergistically to develop and support successful market influence. Our full-scale consideration of each facet of marketing and advertising operates with clear goals and objectives laid out for each client and their unique needs.

Our team of thinkers, creatives, and observers blend their talents together to help develop a brand that works for you. Whether you are seeking additional advertising advice for your marketing strategy or any other retail project, we can make it happen!

A Person holds her phone towards the camera to show ON Advertising's website on a mobile device

Why Marketers are Moving Towards a Mobile-First Strategy

Mobile devices are responsible for major changes in how consumers buy, research and ultimately view a product being advertised across a wide range of industries. We are in the middle of a specific digital transformation, which is an exponential growth of consumer activity on mobile devices and an extreme increase in mobile advertising. Life seemingly revolves around smartphones, which is why mobile-friendly websites have become so important.

Mobile devices have become the preferred method of accessing digital media. ComScore found mobile devices account for more than 60% of all digital minutes. To put it in perspective, the time spent on desktops has decreased by 20% in the past year alone. The reality is that mobile advertising must be a priority for a company to avoid stagnation or even failure.

Every day, businesses are encouraged to focus on a mobile-first strategy to stay successful within their industry and here’s why.

Thank Mobile Devices for Half of the Paid Search Clicks

Mobile has become a key role in the consumer’s journey specifically when researching and creating brand awareness. Mobile devices have become a leader in the number of paid search clicks. Acquisio found that year-over-year, paid search clicks have increased by 45% on mobile phones. This means that desktop clicks have decreased by 16% and in contrast, nearly half (48%) of clicks are now happening on mobile devices.

Befriend Social Media

Companies who fail to utilize and maximize their social presence on Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms are subjecting themselves to a very small advertising box. When you compare the total U.S. ad spend in 2014 to 2018, the shift is very clear. An MDG study found that “brands are devoting 33 percent of ad spend to digital platforms—up from 25 percent in 2014 while television’s ad spend is decreasing this year.” Because mobile advertising is becoming the most popular and effective type of advertising, it takes engagement, shared content, and an appropriate strategy to be successful as a mobile ad platform.

Videos are the New Billboards

Video ads are the fastest-growing mobile category. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook are visible on mobile apps, emails, social sites and more. Mobile marketers can promote their ads on a pre-roll to capture the short attention span of the audience. This allows the user to watch the advertisement without making them feel pressured to purchase a product. Video advertising combines sound and motion to create connections between the buyer and the brand by evoking emotions. When it comes to social platforms, YouTube is on top. Forbes conducted a study and found that “73 percent of adults spend their screen time on the video-sharing site. Social networking giant Facebook ranks second, with 68 percent of consumers spending time on the platform.”Mobile users are viewing content more than ever, so logically they view more ads in the long run.

How can ON Advertising help?

There are many different ways to adhere to mobile-first advertising, which can be overwhelming and leave a little confused. Now is the time to work towards a mobile-first strategy. Not sure where to begin? We can help! ON has researched new and innovative ways to market, advertise and promote your business using a mobile-first strategy. Contact us to explore how mobile-first strategies can help your business grow.

Businessman typing on a computer and businesswoman looking over newspaper

New Website? 4 Things to Consider Before You Go Live

Whether you’re building a brand new site for a soon-to-be launched business or revamping your existing website with fresh content and design, chances are that you already know how vital your online presence is. The web is often the first place that potential customers or prospective clients will go to find information about you. And since you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, your website is not the place to take shortcuts or rush to launch.
We’ve helped 19 clients launch or revamp their websites this past year. And while we would love to say it was all rainbows and unicorns, that would be a total fantasy of, well…rainbows and unicorns. Instead of keeping all of the valuable wisdom we gained to ourselves, we like to share the love. In that spirit, here are four common problem areas that businesses run into when launching a website. Eliminating these issues can really have a positive impact on both SEO quality and the visitor experience.

1. The more options for engagement, the better for your website.

The whole point of a website is to showcase (and sell) your brand, products, and services. With today’s pressure to market visually and simply, businesses can sometimes forget one of the basics – How can someone contact you to learn more? You want your website to generate leads, so you need to provide multiple touchpoints. The most effective touchpoints we recommend during the website design process are:

Spread multiple contact forms throughout the site – not just at the footer or on the contact us page.
If you have an active social community, include direct links in the header, blogs and articles, and on product and services pages.
Offer email sign-ups throughout the site with details about email frequency. Once a month typically performs better than weekly on B2B sites.

2. Don’t let your images drag your website down

When you update your website with large, attractive images, the design team loves it. Executives love it. Visitors love it too. Who doesn’t love it? Search engines.
Optimization for speed is key for Google rankings, which we all know is one of the primary end goals of a website. What most people don’t know is that the compression tool in Adobe isn’t enough. Your development team should be using other methods to optimize the file sizes (for an average size decrease of 25-30%), to essentially increase your site speed. Studies consistently find that most visitors will bail on any websites that don’t load in 2-3 seconds. Website speed can make or break user engagement (and ultimately revenue), so it’s worth spending the effort on optimizing your images.

3. A mobile-friendly website is a must-have.

When a website ignores mobile users, it will diminish its ranking, visibility and usability. With just 10.6% of web traffic coming from non-mobile devices, gone are the days when a mobile-friendly wordpress template does the trick. There are occasions when the template you bought and paid a company to customize will work, but often the out-of-the-box “stack” simply doesn’t cut it. Don’t be afraid to question and change your mobile site. You might not need all of the content. Or you may want to rearrange images and text for easier readability on mobile devices. A truly mobile-friendly site should go beyond the standard responsive queries to consider the mobile site experience per device.

4. Be ready to learn and teach

At the start of a website rebuild or redesign, everyone is excited and positive. However, when reality sets in, the process can turn into a struggle for every pixel space. Decision-makers don’t all have the same experience or understanding; technical or design team members want to stick to a specific set of rules, and the company may even struggle to define the goals and priorities for the new site. We like to apply a variation of the 5 Whys technique, which is commonly used in process improvement exercises to find the root of any problem or unexpected situation. When a major change pops up, ask why it’s needed or why the change is important. After asking why five times, you’ll get to the cause of the change and uncover some really great solutions to consider along the way. The process is also an effective two-way learning experience: we learn more about the company and the company team learns about the best practices and benefits of the solutions proposed.

If you’re building a new website or thinking about redesigning your current site, contact On Advertising. We have the expertise you need to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible – rainbows and unicorns sometimes included.