Don’t Get Left Behind Because of Slow Loading Speed
It is important to note though that the speed at which your site is ready to be used is not purely down to the actual loading speed of your website. Factors such as poor internet connection, outdated equipment etc can also play a crucial role. However, this does not mean that every possible step should not be taken in order to ensure that your site is primed and ready to go.
At Footprint Digital, we like to go that extra mile to ensure that during the design process, we put everything in place to ensure that your website is primed to load quickly.
By focusing on 3 crucial aspects of web design (plus much more) we will help to ensure that your website is ready to load as quickly as possible for your customers.
- Correct implementation of Javascript and CSS
- Image optimisation
- Cache optimisation
Mobile-First Indexing
With the implementation of Google’s ‘Mobile-First Indexing,’ the loading speed of your website does now impact the rankings on mobile search results*.
Is it really possible that the loading speed of a website can impact the number of sales that you make? According to surveys done by Akamai and Gomez.com, approximately 50% of all web users expect a website to be loaded and usable within just 2 seconds and will look elsewhere if it hasn’t loaded within 3! Who was it that said patience was a virtue!!??
Perhaps even more concerning was the fact that over 75% of the web shoppers who were quizzed that had problems with web site performance expressed that they were unlikely to return again, with just less than 50% saying that would tell a friend if they had a poor experience shopping online.
Don’t Miss Out
Not only does this mean you may potentially be losing conversions from actual visitors to your site, but you may also even be losing on potential future custom from their friends and colleagues as well. The end result – missing out on lots of potential sales simply down to something which is taking a few seconds too long.
Need Some More Help
Would like to find out more about optimising the loading speed of your website? Give the Footprint Digital team a call on Tel. No. 01883 372488 today.
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How Important Is Your Website User Experience?
It’s no exaggeration to say that the user experience offered by your website can make the difference between a visitor becoming a paying customer and them not returning to your website at all. No matter how attractive your website is, poor user experience is very likely to result in their visit becoming just a one time deal!
Looks Aren’t Everything!
We understand that having a great looking website is really important for all of our clients, after all, this is your shop window. However, this is just the beginning of the web design process and we want to do all that we can to ensure that not only does your website look great, it also functions and performs to a high level.
Below we have identified 3 of our top tips to help keep your visitors happy.
No. 1 – Keeping Things Simple
Cluttered websites can be a nail in the coffin in regards to usability. If a website is too confusing, too difficult to navigate, contains too much information or any other issue, there is a very strong chance that users will find their experience to be a poor one.
Minimalist designs often make websites easier to take in and use, increasing their chances of being effective.
Top Tip – Find the right balance by ensuring that your website does not make users search too hard to find information whilst not overloading them at the same time.
Take all steps possible to ensure that your website is as secure as possible.
No. 2 – Usability & User Experience Are Two Different Things
A common mistake for many web designers involves confusing user experience with usability. Whilst they can influence each other, they are not the same thing.
To help break this down a little further, the fundamental difference is as follows:
User experience means that visitors to your website want to use it whereas usability means that a person can easily use it.
Although offering a good user experience is very important because it means your visitors will enjoy browsing your website, there are no guarantees that the site would be usable.
No. 3 – Don’t Underestimate The Importance Of Safety
Web users are more switched on to the risks posed by ineffective online security than ever before. If your visitors have concerns about the security of your website, it is highly likely that they will not make either online or in-app purchases.
Customers are quite rightly very wary of having their data stolen when shopping online. For this reason amongst others, they are far more likely to use websites they know and trust to make purchases.
Need Some More Help
Would like to find out more about optimising user experience? Give the Footprint Digital team a call on Tel. No. 01883 372488 today.
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Are Your Passwords Secure Enough?
The latest Google Chrome update has a tool that can tell you if passwords have been hacked or are too weak to keep you safe from cybercrime. Chrome users should already be aware of its password manager feature that remembers passwords and auto-fills them for you on different websites.
Once you’ve downloaded the Chrome 88 update you can access its new protective feature.
- Simply open the browser and click in the top right-hand corner to go to Settings.
- Then click on the key symbol to be taken to the password options.
- Here you should see a section called “Saved Passwords” and it will contain all the websites for which you have saved your login details.
- Then click “Check passwords” and Chrome will scan your details and let you know if any have been compromised.
It will also tell you if any of your passwords are weak.
If this is the case you can click on a link to make the passwords stronger.
This feature is available for Apple users with the Chrome app on iPhone or iPad. It should be coming to Android in the future. Google said its Safety Check tool is used 14 million times a week.
How to update Google Chrome
Follow these steps…
- On your computer, open the Google Chrome browser and click the More icon (three vertical dots) in the top right.
- Click Update Google Chrome, or if that option isn’t there, it means you’re already using the latest version.
- Once you’ve updated, click Relaunch.
- The browser will save your open tabs and windows and re-open them when it restarts.
- You can also restart your browser later on by clicking Not Now.
This will cause the update to be applied the next time you restart your browser.
The More icon will be coloured (1) green if an update has been available for two days, (2) orange if an update has been available for four days, or (3) red if an update has been available for seven days.
Need Some More Help
Would like to find out more about online security? Give the Footprint Digital team a call on Tel. No. 01883 372488 today.
