1. User Interviews 

Go straight to the source. If you can have a one-on-one conversation with participants of your target market, then you find out directly what they want and need. While it is best to do this in person, this can also be done via virtual meeting or phone call. Pay attention to their attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and experiences. Start will simple questions, then based on their answer go deep into the subject. If needed, have a list of pre-planned question ready, but make sure you are not too focused those questions that you don’t listen to the client. 

2. Surveys

Sometimes you only need info on a specific topic, or you need reactions after the purchase and use of your product or service. This is when you send out a survey to a large amount of your customers’ email. Make sure your email subject is clean simple and avoid all caps, you don’t want clients making the mistake of thinking your survey is a scam or spam. Keep the survey short, users are less likely to complete a long survey. If you want to provide an extra incentive by offering a discount to your store if they complete the survey. 

3. Focus Groups 

Gather a small sample group of your target market to discuss your product, service, or experience. Let them share their perspectives amongst themselves in a guided setting. This allows you to gain insights into the nuances and different types of views as individuals. This is especially useful when tailoring products, services, and experiences for individual clients, not just a whole demographic. Include a moderator so that they stay on topic and that they don’t influence each other too much. 

4. A/B Testing 

If you have 2 designs for your project, you can test them against each other. You can use live users or use A/B testing tools that can analyze your design and determine which your target market will gravitate to more. This is useful for designs that are similar but have a minor difference or the information is presented in a different order. If results come back overwhelming to 1 version, you can scrap the other. If your results are nearly even, you can chalk it up to personal preference and merge the two or provide personalized settings for the end user to allow them more control. 

5. Card Sorting 

This method can help determine items like website architecture. You break your products or services into categories. Using virtual or physical cards, assign each card an individual product or service. Provide them to the user and ask them to sort the cards into groups. The groups can be based on criteria based on user preference for example color, size, etc. This helps you identify patterns in what user views, which indicates what a user will like search when looking for a product or service like yours. You can then organize your website based on the results leading to the exact user experience your target market wants. 

6. Tree Test

Findability and usability of website content can be tested with the tree test method. This can be used as a follow up from the card sorting method or it can be used when you have large amounts of content, have multiple navigation options, or are updating your existing website. The tree test method involves asking participants to find specific items starting from the home page to the contact page. You give no indication of what the internal navigation or call-to-action buttons are but are allowed a few hints. This helps understand how users find and interact with your web content. 

Start a user-researched web project today? Call 248.528.3600

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Logo

Your company logo is needed so that visitors know that it is your company website that they are on. Make sure your logo is visible at a small size and that the colors are in RGB (digital colors). If you have an old logo, it may be time for a re-design by a professional design agency. If you have an illustrative one or one with a lot of detail, you may need to simplify or have your logo visible embedded in your top image. Be aware that if you have it embedded in your top image it could mean for future images your logo must be visible or you will have to forgo sliders or videos where the logo isn’t there. Logos in the header are often hyperlinked to take the user back to the home page. 

Navigation Menu 

Whether you have individual links to each page, a mega menu, or a hamburger menu, you need to have a way for users to navigate your website. Usually access to a navigation menu is at the top. There are some exceptions to the rule like side menus, but those are usually reserved for apps where users will swipe to access the navigation. Before designing your website, it is ideal to have a sitemap where you can figure out how many pages you need and how they will be maneuvered. This will inform what type of navigation to use. 

Call To Action 

You want to encourage users to take the next step in the sale process. CTAs that are usually at the top-right of your webpage are:

• Company phone number
• Email Us Icon/Link
• Contact Us Page
• Request a Quote Page
• Support Link

Search Bar 

A search bar is needed if you have a large website with a lot of products, services, or information. Distributor websites will have a search bar at the top of their website so users can type in the brand they want, and it will directly pop up. The users will not have to go into layers of webpages to hunt down what they want. This will prevent clients from giving up on your website and bouncing out. A simple search bar can improve click-through-rates and improve the user experience of your website. 

Ecommerce Icons 

 If your business is ecommerce, then you need icons your user can use to complete the purchase and continue for future purchases. These icons are: 

• Login/My Account icon
• Add to Cart icon 
• Add to Wish List icon
• A Like/Favorite icon
• A Share icon 

Need help fixing your web design? Call 248.528.3600.

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1. Keep the Number of Fonts Used at a Minimum

Resist using more than 3 different types of fonts for your website. If you use too many it runs the risk of looking like a broken site, which in turn, leads to high bounce-rates. Usually there is one font used for heading, one for body copy, and one for your main home display image. You may have seen fancy websites that have a bunch of fonts and look cool, but those clusters of fonts are usually images and are not meant to be read. They often don’t have any important info about the company’s product or service. 

2. Use Standard Fonts 

If you are wondering “how can you tell what type of fonts you can use for web?” Well, Google Web Fonts and Typekit have you covered. They have downloadable fonts that are guaranteed safe for web usage. Whether you are custom coding or using a web template from a site like WordPress these fonts can be integrated. Keep in mind the other rules mentioned and not get too crazy with downloading too many fonts. 

3. Limit the Number of Lines 

If you have a have a lot of content you want to share, make sure to limit the number lines of text. A wall of text can easily tire out a user. A general rule is to break up paragraphs every 6-8 sentences and break up paragraphs with supporting graphics. Different types of fonts can also eat up width space so before going live test out your website on different browser, screens, and mobile devices.  

4. Choose a Typeface That Works Well in Various Sizes

Sometimes all you need is one font that comes in regular, bold, and italic. Find a font that has different weights, and you can use it for your body copy and headings. This will allow for easy contrast, and you don’t have to worry about mixing up fonts. 

5. Use Fonts with Distinguishable Letters

Certain fonts make letters too indistinguishable. Take the word “Illusion”. Can you tell which the capital “I” and which is the lowercase “l”? If your target market has vision problems or doesn’t use English as their first language you may want to find a clearer font. You are more likely to find fonts with distinguishable letters if your search for “serif fonts”.

6. Avoid All Caps

If you have a short headline or one word that you to emphasize using all caps it is fine. Avoid using all caps for any sentence longer than 3 words. Not only is it hard to read, but it looks like you are “yelling” at the user. Depending on what you are selling this can be a huge turn off. For example, you are selling psych services for people with anxiety. Which sentence looks more inviting:

“We here to help you calm down. Our company deals with patients with anxiety get back to living their lives.”

Or

“WE HERE TO HELP YOU CALM DOWN. OUR COMPANY DEALS WITH PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY GET BACK TO LIVING THEIR LIVES.”

7. Have a Reasonable Space Between Lines

In paragraphs spaces between lines, it is possible to be too tight or too far away. Usually, your template or code will default to even spacing, but you still want to check on mobile and other computer devices. If lines are running into each other or are too far away that they don’t look like the info is together, then this will negatively impact the user experience. 

8. Have Color Contrast

No light text on a light background and no dark text on dark background. If your logo or brand colors involve hard to read colors incorporate a neutral color (black, white, grey) into the web design. Neutral colors rarely destroy brand consistency. It is very important for text, especially if you want users to read it, to be in color that the majority of the population can see. 

9. Avoid Coloring Text in Red or Green

Speaking of hard to read text colors, red and green. Individuals that are colorblind cannot read red or green text, especially if it small. Avoid at all costs for body copy. You might be able to get away with large headings if your background is white, but it is best to avoid these colors. If these are your brand colors, incorporate them into the graphics instead. 

10. Avoid Using Blinking Text

While it fun to use flashing text for social media marketing or online ads, it is best to avoid on your actual website. Flashes or flickers can cause headaches or worse trigger seizures in certain individuals prone to seizures. Users want to able to read important info without interruption.   

Let us create a type-friendly website for you. Call 248.528.3600.

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Perfect for a quick website audit, Grow My Store gives a comprehensive report on your website. That report includes competitive benchmarking, recommendations, and tailored insights to help you optimize your customer/user experience. You should also check out Test My Site for developer-friendly tips on boosting site speed. It is important to have a fast-loading website to decrease bounce rate. Any corrections suggested may require you to hire a professional web agency for help. 

Do you have an app version of your company’s website? App campaigns help reach mobile shoppers and encourages them to make a purchase, or take action, for example, installing the app itself. Embedding deep links provides better mobile experiences by taking your app users from your ads directly to the corresponding app page of your app. This is key to the customer journey and the path to purchase. It makes it easier for them to complete their desired action, which is essential for good user experience.

Showcase Product Information Across Google

On Google, the Shopping tab helps to showcase your products across many places where customers turn to shop and directly integrates your product within an ad experience. You can increase your exposure at no cost by listing your products on Merchant Center or directly through your e-commerce platform such as WooCommerce for WordPress websites. 

With video increasing popularity, you now can include an interactive product feed directly within the ad unit to turn viewers into customers. Think of the product feed  as a way to turn your ad into a digital storefront. Well design ads that display your company’s brand properly will attract new customers and flag down existing customers to your product or service. Create a seamless path to purchase between brand awareness and the call-to-action.

Increase your click-through rates and conversions by adding information about promotions, sales, free and fast shipping options, and return and refund options directly to your product listing. Shoppers are constantly on the hunt for good deals and want to know all relevant information up front, so it is best to have these pieces of information clearly visible.  

Engage New Customers

Customers shop across multiple Google surfaces every day. Google avenues are Search, Discover, YouTube, Maps, and the Shopping tab. To grow your online sales, it’s important to know which ad campaigns are right for your target market. Reach the right person and convert them into a loyal customer with Google Ads.

Back in April, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns gained an upgrade to Performance Max campaigns. Performance Max campaigns allow you to promote your products or services across all of Google’s advertising channels and inventory by creating one easy-to-manage campaign. This should be less stressful for small businesses due to fact they now can focus on one area of Google analytics instead of multiple analytics for separate campaigns. With new ways to discover, research, and purchase, customers are engaging across an ever-growing number of channels, and it is important to appear on most of them. 

As mentioned earlier videos are big in advertising right now. A Video action campaign is a simple, cost-effective way to drive more conversions on and off your company’s YouTube channel. This campaign helps you drive engagement with your video ads by scaling them across the YouTube Home feed, watch pages, connected TV, and more with a clear call-to-action button. These are perfect for businesses that require demonstration of their product or service.  

Inspired to start a Google Ad Campaign? Call 248.528.3600.

The post Insights to Grow Your Online Shop with Google appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

Reward Customer After They Complete a Task 

Offer a discount code or free shipping to customers that sign up for the first time or spend X amount of dollars. This creates a positive experience and rewards customers for giving up their personal information to your business. Customers will feel they are gain a bonus in addition to the product. Create trust and build a relationship between your company’s brand and the client. Building on that trust will help increase revenue and purchase conversion in the long run because your company will be helping the client make a valuable choice. 

 Add a “Last Item Left” Label 

Exclusivity and scarcity motivate customers to decide quicker on whether to make the purchase. If an item is never coming back or not coming back for a long time, they may want to purchase the item right away, so they feel like they own something rare and unique. Most CMS websites such as WordPress call it a “Ribbon” feature that you add to your product, and it will show up at the top corner of your product image. Say something like “1 left” or “gone Oct 15”. 

Send a “Item Left in Cart” Email    

Sometimes clients like to gather products but purchase them later. This can lead them to forget what they have in their cart. Send a reminder email 2-3 days later, notifying them that they have items in their cart. A lot of email campaign plugins on websites allow you to automate this task, it is called a trigger workflow. Depending on the type of plugin, it might ask something like this: send abandon cart email every _______ days. It will also allow your business to track your web visitors’ actions. This is helpful info for when coming up with a marketing strategy to keep user retention. 

 Partner with an Influencer 

An influencer isn’t just a young famous rich person, it can also be anyone with knowledge authority. Take a local boutique shop for example. If a travel blogger gives a raving review about how much they admire your hiking boots, reach out to see it they would like a free pair in exchange that they wright an article exclusively about those boots and send to their readers. This can help increase web traffic and brand awareness. Keep in mind a lot of followers doesn’t mean those followers have purchase power. Develop a social media marketing plan to include market research and specifically target potential clients that would be interested in your product and are able to purchase it. 

 Offer Free Trial Periods 

This tip is more for software or subscription-based services. Some products clients like to try before they buy. Keep generic tools free but provide one advanced feature that make your product special and different from the competition. Don’t make too difficult to cancel. Have turn-off auto-renewal payment available in their settings. Some companies make the mistake of putting cancelation too deep in the app or website account settings and this ends up frustrating the client leaving them never to return. In addition, have a survey that you send to gain feedback on how you can improve your product. This will encourage brand loyalty and make them feel included in the creation process. 

Update your E-Commerce Website with these features. Call 248.528.360

The post E-commerce Techniques to Get Customers to Complete the Purchase appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

1. What is the core flow of your user’s experiences?

How easy or hard is the experience suppose to be? Is it a website with games where tension is exciting, and friction is expected or it an ecommerce site that needs to be simply navigated to make the end-user happy? If you integrate a new feature, does it help or hinder this process? If unsure continue testing, if everything is working fine, launch!

2. Is the user’s ability to do a particular action going to determine the success of the launch?

In ecommerce, if a client completes a purchase by clicking a cart button that means the launch was successful. For a service-based company, a contact form was successfully filled out and sent to the correct email, it means the launch is successful. These processes should work smoothly. At least one test should be conducted on different browsers and devices to make sure everything if functionally correctly. If the buttons aren’t working notify the developer, and test again until it works. Once everything is working, launch! 

3.  Is this an area where we anticipate users could have difficulty?

Identify any pain-points a user may have. This may include the user interface design. Is the design accessibility-friendly? Is the design suitable for the target audience? Check if designs work on both on mobile and desktop. Are there any important instructional elements running off the page? Does one feature work on mobile, but not desktop? If possible, have someone from your target market or a group for your target market test at least once, identify any issues, and fix any problems in the front-end or back-end until 99% successful. 

4. Does this change the way current customers are accomplishing their tasks? 

Is this going to impact what customers are currently doing? Newer is not always better. Sometimes people can go too far into innovation that no one knows how to navigate your website. Make sure the basic principles of design are being followed. If a feature proves cumbersome for existing users to adapt to, it may be worth another look. You may need to replace it with an easier or more commonly used feature. Testing will also let you know if you need to invest in an onboarding experience to transition users accustomed to the previous version. This will come in handy for updates being made and whether you need to invest in instructional usage. For example, when we upgrade a php website to WordPress we send an instructional video or pdf for the use to refence for when they make updates. 

5. Is there already an industry best practice? 

For example, do you know that a green button signals success and a red button stops users from continuing? This does not need to be tested. If a feature is common knowledge and you already checked it functionality it does not need to be tested further. You should be ready to launch right away. 

6. Is what you are looking to test a matter of user preference?

Light mode vs dark mode is a good example of how certain users prefer different set ups but isn’t explicitly impactful on the overall project. If is your first test has a split percentage of reactions, it may be a simple user preference that you don’t need to spend too much time focused on. Your focus should be elements that focus on the main goal that will bring success. If unsure test one more time and if the percentage is still split move on or launch anyway.   

7. How much effort is this test going to take? 

Do you have the timeline necessary to undertake this effort? Always have due date for the project to be done, especially if you already spent money on it! Limit the number of tests that can be done. If the project is failing discuss a pause to the project and see it there is a way to exit the project or re-organize the timeline. This should be rarity if you discussed the timeline in the first initial discussion, but chaos happens and it wise to develop a web strategy with testing at the beginning of the project to avoid time wasting. 

Develop a web UX design with us! Call 248.528.360 

The post 7 Questions to Ask Before You Test Your UX Design appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

1. Clear, Non-confusing Navigation

You don’t want visitors to search too hard to find what they need. Label your navigation to each page intuitively. “About” should lead to info about the company. “Shop” should lead to an online store. There is limited space, so if the name is long, see if you can shorten it or put under a sub menu. For example, “Brand Name Manufactured Gears” can become a drop-down element of “Products”. On mobile default to hamburger menu, so clients only have to press one button. 

2. Different Options to Contact You

Have different ways for visitors to contact you. Include buttons to contact forms/pages, clickable email icons to your company email, phone numbers at the top and footer and a Google map available on a contact page or bottom of the home page. Social media links are also popular for ongoing client interaction. The easier it is the contact you the more likely they will become a customer. 

3. Social Proof 

Testimonials, reviews, and featured articles generate trust in your business. Clients usually like to make sure the claims a company is making aligns with what they are selling accurately therefore will look for reviews before spending their money. If you are a new business, create an email campaign or social post asking for honest thoughts on your products or services. 

4. Instant Explanation of What You Do

Have a tagline or a home page slider as the first graphic at the top of your website explaining what you do. Avoid fluffy vague words to describe your company. A bad example of intro text: dynamic solutions for everyone. A good example of intro text: dynamic web design for small business. Be specific and simple. 

5. Ways to Stay Up with Your News 

Having a newsletter sign up or subscription pop-up box, section, or form so visitors and clients can follow your blog creates long-term loyalty and EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Also make sure social media links are easily found in the footer and attached to your blog post articles. 

6. Legal Legitimacy 

More items that are important in building trust is to make sure you have a privacy/cookie policy, term & conditions, and other legal indicators at the very least at the bottom of your website. If you are a commerce website, an SSL certificate is highly recommended to make sure your website is secure for customers to pay online. When updating content make sure your copyright matches the current year. The general public is more tech savvy and if your website is lacking these items they will leave your website, increasing your bounce rate. 

7. Clear Pricing or Way to Discover the Price

Most customers like to price compare. Any online shop should have the price attached to the product. Services based websites such as consultants, hair salons, therapies offices, etc., should display the price near the description of what is included in each service. If your services are determined based on a variety for factors, make a clear indictor such as a “request a quote” button or “for the price call phone #”. 

8. Delivery & Shipping Info 

Most useful for e-commerce websites, have a return/exchange policy and delivery info easily visible. This is legal info that shouldn’t be shoved to the footer. Contain the info in an according near the product description. If you’re selling a product that does not need shipping or a service still include refund police even if it is a no refund policy along with info on how to handle dissatisfaction with the product or service. 

Include these items in your website today. Call 248.528.3600

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1. Ensure Your Account is a “Business” Account 

Business accounts have features that make marketing easier: audience insights, options to add more valuable info to help potential clients find or contact outside the app, and the ability to promote posts that reach more people on top of SEO practices.

2. Double Check Your Branding

Branding on all social media channels including Instagram should be consistent. Keep presence recognizable and memorable. For example, maybe all you post have your logo in a certain corner. Make sure your profile picture, style of posts and bio look like they belong to the same company.

3. Stay Consistent & Provide Value

Post regularly, whether it is a static or carousel post in addition to Reels and Stories. Try to avoid overly sales-y posts. This turns many people off or could come off as a scam. Showcase the value of the product or service will provide for the potential buyer. You can include links to buy, but make sure they fit organically. Audience engagement builds trust. Reply to comments and questions in the comment section of posts. 

4. Create High-Quality Posts

What does high-quality posts look like? Have high-quality high-resolution imagery that blends with the vibe or feeling of your brand. Make sure the information contained on the post image itself and in the description is valuable and relevant to your industry or give your audience something to think about. 

5. Post Reels Addressing Pain Points 

Specifically address the problem your potential client may have and have your product provide the solution which you can link in your bio and mention in the Reel itself or the caption. Skincare companies are excellent examples if you need an idea of how to create Reel content,

6. Use “Link in Bio” Strategically 

Instead of linking to the home page of your website, link to a targeted landing page where customers purchase said specific item. Add calls-to-actions to your “link in bio” on static posts. An example is to say something like this: “Discover more through the link in our bio.”

7. Link to Products/Services in Stories 

Stories allows you to directly link to your product or services with a sticker. Use it to show off your product directly with your camera or tell a short story of success a client had using your service, then add the sticker right on top pointing directly to page you want them to go to. Add additional stickers that draw attention or entice people to click, be careful not to add to much. 

8. Save Stories to Highlights 

Any product or service that sells well you can save as a Story Highlight. Make sure the content is clear and customers can easily identify which product/services is which. These will stay connected to you profile instead of disappearing.

9. Promote Posts Featuring Products/Services

Promoting (sometimes called boosting) a post is a way of creating an Instagram ad. As an ad it will gain more visibility which is great for lead generation. Don’t overuse this feature, only promote posts with the best engagement. 

10. Use Hashtags wisely

For your business to be discovered, research hashtags that are relevant to industry, target demographics, and customers’ needs. Tag the hashtags to posts, Stories, and Reels accordingly. 

11. Sell with Instagram Shopping 

Not many know that you can enroll and connect your online store to Instagram. Create a “Shop” on the app and link directly to your products/services in your shop in posts, Reels, and Stories. 

Need help set up your business for Instagram?  Call 248.528.3600

The post How to Sell on Instagram appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

 Product name

 Product images and/or videos

 Product description & specifications

 Pricing and delivery related information

 Customer ratings, reviews, photos, videos, etc.

 Alternate product options (color, size, etc.)

 Related or recommended product options

 FAQs and other detailed information

A study by Salsify found that around 70% online buyers agreed that they had abandoned product pages on a retailer’s site because there wasn’t enough information. When designed correctly you attract more clients that complete sales and drive high conversion rates. Here are 10 additional tips to design a successful product page:

1. Ensure easy navigation & discovery 
2. De-clutter & clean the page design
3. Add responsive & high-quality media
4. Pick a captivating color palette & typeface
5. Use smart & obvious calls to action 
6. Add details that matter & motivate 
7. Suggest relevant products
8. Add multiple proofs of confidence 
9. Allure with discounts & deals 
10. Extend assistance to help customers

Need help creating successful product pages? Call 248.528.3600. 

The post Tips to create eye-catching product pages for your online store appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.

1. PPC ads

2. Cart Abandonment Emails

3. Participate in Forums

4. Promote on Social Media

5. Add Social Shares to Content 

6. Use Specific Keywords

7. Encourage Customer Reviews

8. Reach Out to Influencers 

9. Revamp Old Blogs

10. Create Videos 

11. Keep Site Speed Fast

12. Create Valuable Titles, Meta Descriptions, & URLs

13. Re-Target Facebook Users

14. Make List Posts

15. Backlinks from other Brands

Need help to implement these strategies? Call 248.528.3600

The post 15 Easy Strategies to Increase E-commerce Website Visitors appeared first on Miller Media, Digital Marketing Agency, PPC, Industrial Web Design, WordPress.