Author: Jon Hart

Incredibly Useful Web Design Checklist

Website design is complex these days. This web design checklist will help you plan and execute a stellar website.

From creative design to the site launch, it is important to work from a plan so that you don’t miss any essential keys to website design that could negatively impact user experience, search engine optimization or conversions.

This website design checklist features important questions that will help you to organize your web design and content development process to ensure that the goals for the website are met.

This is not an exhaustive list because there are many technical website checklists out there. This is a guide with questions to help you make sure you design the best website possible.

So, let’s jump in and explore these essential web design questions:

1. Industry and client requirements

Audit the current website design, content, user experience, online footprint, social media and messaging.

Then meet with the client to learn:

  • What is the purpose of the website? Lead generation, branding, education, etc
  • Who does the website serve? Prospects, customers, stakeholders
  • What do they need to know to achieve the website goals?
  • How should the website position the company and its products/services?
  • What content is currently available and what content will need to be created?
  • How do competitors position their content?
  • What are your clients’ differentiators?

2. Planning for your Design

Journey mapping and creating use cases are an important part of the planning process.

Talk with sales and customer service teams to learn how prospects and customers engage with the company and its products and services. Then map out:

  • What is the most important information for each target audience at each stage of the journey?
  • What are the common questions at each stage?
  • How can the process enable the user to educate themselves and position the company as an expert/advisor?
  • How can the content engage the user interactively to cause them to learn, grow and solve problems on their own and then engage the company at a higher level when they need help?

3. Homepage Design

Remember that the home page is important but because of search engines and other marketing campaigns, much of the traffic to the site will come in initially through interior pages. Make the home page a hub for orienting the user to the appropriate content.

  • What is the most important message to convey to make the best first impression?
  • How can the homepage help a user self-identify that they are in the right place and can find the right content?
  • How can the home page present the most valuable content on any device?

4. Structure & Navigation

Architecture and navigation are an important parts of website design. The site should be organized to allow visitors to self-identify that the content is meant for them and find what they need quickly. Persistent top and bottom navigation make it easy for users and search engines to find content. Ask yourself these questions:

  • How can you keep the most important content within two
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Things To Consider When Choosing An Industrial Repair Company To Hire

When you own a business that works with complex tools, you will need to ensure you hire the help of a reputable company to repair your industrial equipment in a timely fashion. If you are looking to get something fixed, such as industrial circuit board repair, only entrust your equipment with professional and trustworthy companies such as the one found at www.industrialrepairstore.com. Below are some things to take into consideration when choosing the right company to hire.

Convenience

One thing to consider when choosing a company to hire for industrial repair is how quick and easy their process to submit a claim is. You need your equipment working correctly for your business to run efficiently. You don’t want to hire a company that takes longer than necessary to repair your equipment. Repair facilities that offer online forms, pick-up services and a quick process from start to finish will make it easier for your business to get back on track.

Free Evaluations

You should look for a company of industrial repairs that will give you free evaluations. When you have equipment that doesn’t work any longer and you have no clue why, the last thing you want to do is spend a fortune repairing it if its not worth it. Reputable companies can give you some answers without costing you extra money.

Warranties

No professional company of industrial equipment repairs should fix your equipment without offering you a warranty on the work they performed. Only work with companies that are willing to take responsibility if their work on your equipment wasn’t done to the best of their ability.

Communication

Find a company who is willing to let you communicate with the technicians that work on your industrial equipment. This can allow you to ask any questions you might have throughout the repair process or after the repairs are complete.

It can be tough to find a company you trust to repair your industrial equipment that you rely on to run your business. However, with some due diligence, you will find a company that you can trust and use for years to come.… Read the rest

3 Considerations When Buying a Commercial Blender

Commercial blenders aren’t like everyday blenders. In fact, they couldn’t be more different. It would be a mistake to think that you understand industrial blending machines just because you’ve used a kitchen blender to make smoothies. Here are a few tips for understanding the different types of commercial blending machines and what they can do for you.

1. Understand Their Capabilities

What do you need to blend? Some machines aren’t meant for things like volatile chemical mixtures. Others might not be able to keep up with your daily volume requirements, or they might require too much power for your mid-sized factory to handle. It doesn’t mean that the blender is <i>bad</i>. It just means that it isn’t the right one for you, and you’ll need to keep searching.

2. Get A Good Look

If you live nearby, ask the manufacturer if they have blenders displayed in a showroom. If they company is too far away for such a trip to be feasible, ask if they have pictures of the product from multiple angles and in different kinds of light. You can also look for reviews with user-submitted pictures that have nothing to hide. Ideally, you’ll be familiar with every inch of the blender before you hit the “order” button and set your decision in stone.

3. Ask About Warranties and Guarantees

What happens if your industrial blender gets damaged during transport? What if it stops working after two weeks? What if it requires multiple replacement parts? If you’re covered by a warranty, these things will only be a minor inconvenience. If you don’t have any kind of product insurance, however, you might be left holding a ruinous bill and wondering how it happened. Always agree to the warranty.

Whether you’re looking for ribbon blenders, rotary blenders, dual shaft blenders or something else entirely, let these tips guide you in the direction of a smarter purchase. You can also check out companies like AIM Blending Technologies for additional information. They’ll be able to teach you about commercial blenders and their many uses.… Read the rest

Ways to Make Your Billboards More Appealing

Business owners use different advertising methods to appeal to prospective customers. They might purchase ad space on local radio and television stations to grab the attention of those watching TV at home or listening to the radio while driving. Running ads on buses, benches and even buildings can help too. One of the best ways to grab the attention of your customer base is with a billboard. Whether you set up one billboard or multiple boards, you can make each one even more appealing and grab the attention of anyone who walks or drives by.

Add Some Movement

An effective way to make your billboards stand out is with the use of some movement. People sometimes drive right by billboards without taking a second look because they think that the ads never changed. Adding movement will make them want to stop and take another look. They can catch this movement out of the corner of their eyes, which will make them realized that something changed. You can also incorporate some type of digital display that changes regularly instead of using movement.

Include Contact Info

Have you ever looked at a billboard before and found the ad interesting but then realized that it didn’t really tell you anything about the company behind it? Some business owners become caught up in the idea of making an interesting ad that appeals to many people and do not stop to think about what they want to say or what they want customers to do. Your ad should include some type of hook that tells customers to take action. This can include the phone number for your head office, the link to your main website or a hashtag that directs customers to your social media sites.

Use Some Lighting

Using lighting is another great way to grab the attention of customers with your billboards. While some billboards are close to buildings or on city streets that produce more than enough lighting for customers to see the ad at night, others are in locations that are quite darker once the sun sets. Using billboard LED lights allows your ads to really shine and sparkle when there isn’t much light nearby. Your customers can learn about your company and see your ad at any time of the day or night. Make all your billboards more appealing with some contact info, lighting and movement.… Read the rest