Autumn image of women shopping in Black Friday Sales

Optimising your website for Black Friday Sales

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It’s that time of year again – Black Friday is just around the corner! If you’re running an online business, this is a great opportunity to boost your sales and get ahead of your competitors. But how do you make sure your website is ready for the influx of traffic? In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on optimising your website for Black Friday sales.

Can your website handle the traffic?

Firstly, make sure that your website can handle the increased traffic. This means ensuring that your hosting plan can accommodate the extra traffic, and that your website is fast and responsive. I tend to use and recommend Siteground for hosting. They are really affordable, plus you get lots of extras included. SSL and HTTPS enforced, daily backups, 10,000 visitors a month on the lowest priced package, user friendly interface, super friendly support and great value.

SiteGround Website

Are your products easy for people to find?

Additionally, your website should be easy to navigate. This means having a clear and easy to use navigation bar and making sure that your product pages are easy to find. People should be able to find your products as soon as they enter onto your website. I would strongly suggest having your shop as an icon or listed as a menu item on the top bar. Better again, include a Call to Action button in the header to drive people to your products.

Is your website mobile friendly?

Not forgetting that you need to ensure that your website is mobile friendly. This means that your website should be responsive and easy to use on a mobile device. Over 60% of online traffic that you will get will come from people wanting to buy items from their phone. This is convenient for most and is a good reason why you should have your website optimised for mobile use.

Are you prepared?

Finally, it’s important to make sure you’re prepared for the influx of orders. This means having enough stock to meet demand, and having a fulfilment plan in place to make sure your orders are processed with ease for all those people who will be buying from you. If you are struggling with any of the above, please get in touch for more advice.

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The Big Instagram glitch

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Instagram has become one of the most popular social media platforms in recent years. With over 1 billion active users, it is a powerful tool for businesses to reach new customers. However, the platform is not without its problems.

The Big Instagram Glitch

Recently, there was a major Instagram glitch that caused a lot of businesses to lose their account verification and followers. Many accounts lost huge followings and were locked out. This caused a lot of frustration and inconvenience for those businesses and users. It just goes to show how important it is to have a website for your business. While social media platforms are a great way to reach new customers, you can’t rely on them completely. Having a website gives you a place to control your own content and build a relationship with your customers.

Your Website can be your storefront

Let your website be your storefront for your business where everything is in one place. A website is a perfect way to show your business easily for users. They don’t have to scroll down your feed, then check highlights and click a link in your bio to find out more about you. They simply have a one stop shop for everything they need in the form of a website.

Tips for your website

Your website is one of the most important tools in your business arsenal. It is your virtual storefront, and first impressions matter. A well-designed website will inspire confidence in your potential customers and help you convert visitors into paying customers. Here are some tips to make sure your website is working for you:

1. Keep your design simple and clean.

2. Make sure your content is well-written and relevant.

3. Use high-quality images to make a good impression.

4. Use calls to action to guide your visitors to where you want them to go.

5. Make sure your website is responsive so it looks good on all devices.

6. Use analytics to track your website’s performance and make improvements.

By following these tips, you can make sure your website is an effective marketing tool that will help you grow your business. Don’t let another major Instagram glitch have an impact on your business and get in touch with me today to get your business a much needed website!

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What are WordPress website rates?

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If you’re considering building a WordPress website, you’re probably wondering how much it’s going to cost. The rates for a website can vary depending on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the website, the number of pages, and the level of customization.

Costs

In general, you can expect to pay from £500 upwards for a website. But if you want a custom website with all the bells and whistles, you’ll likely need to pay closer to £5000. Whatever your budget, there’s a website solution out there for you. So don’t let the cost deter you from building the website of your dreams.

Self Building Costs

Of course, you could do a website yourself. The cost for this would be your domain name, hosting and theme. These would cost £150 on average to get you started. Here are some factors to consider when creating a website on WordPress yourself. Get your domain through websites like GoDaddy https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk. Get your hosting through Siteground https://www.siteground.co.uk/ for as little as £2.99 a month, charged annually. This includes SSL Certificate and daily backups.

DIY WordPress Website

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows users to create a website or blog from scratch, or to improve an existing website. There are two parts to this to consider. The WordPress.org software that you install on your own web server, and the WordPress.com service that you can use to create a free website. WordPress.com is a good option for people who want to create a simple website or blog, but it has limitations on what you can do with your website. If you want to have full control over your website, you need to use WordPress.org.

In conclusion, developers like to charge different prices for their services and websites. Some developers charge higher fees and they take longer to finish a project. Other developers charge lower fees and finish projects faster. Get in touch with us if you would like a quote on creating or redesigning your current website at https://thecreativeempress.com/contact-us.

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My WordPress Website is not secure

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As a WordPress website owner, it’s important to make sure your site is secure. There are a few steps you can take to ensure your site is secure, and we’ll go over those in this blog post. We are going to get a little technical in the first couple of paragraphs to explain a bit about website security and why your website might not be secure. If you struggle with any of the following, get in contact with me and I will advise you further or ask your web developer if there is an SSL Certificate and HTTPs Protocols in place.

Use an SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that is used to establish a secure connection between a web server and a web browser. The SSL certificate contains information about the organisation that owns the website, as well as the web site’s domain name and public key. When a web browser connects to a web server that is using SSL, the browser uses the server’s public key to encrypt the data that is being transmitted. This ensures that the data cannot be intercepted and read by anyone other than the intended recipient.

Use an HTTPs Protocol

HTTPs is a secure communications protocol for transmitting data over a network. It is the most common protocol used on the World Wide Web and is supported by all major browsers. HTTPs uses SSL/TLS to encrypt data being transmitted between a server and a client. This makes it more difficult for attackers to eavesdrop on communications or to tamper with data.

Secure sites are better

Secure websites are those that have an SSL certificate and use the HTTPS protocol. The main advantage of a secure website is that it helps to protect user data from being intercepted by third-parties. This is especially important for sites that handle sensitive information, such as online banking or shopping. In addition to data security, secure websites can also be faster and more reliable.

Search engines prefer secure sites

As the internet becomes more secure, search engines are favouring websites that are also secure. This is because secure websites are less likely to be hacked, and they provide a better user experience. Search engines want to provide the best possible experience for their users, and so they are increasingly favouring secure websites. There are a few reasons why search engines prefer secure websites. First, secure websites are less likely to be hacked. This means that users’ information is less likely to be compromised. Second, secure websites provide a better user experience. This is because users can be confident that their information is safe when they are using a secure website. Finally, search engines want to provide the best possible experience for their users. By favouring secure websites, they are able to do this.

In summary, if your WordPress website is not secure, hackers will exploit that vulnerability, break your website, and steal your information. Cybercriminals can use a vulnerability, such as a cross-site scripting flaw, to infect your website, and your website can’t detect this intrusion because it doesn’t have security software.

Why is web design important?

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Whether you’re running a small business or a large corporation, having a website is essential to your success. In today’s digital world, your website is often the first impression potential customers will have of your brand. And first impressions are important! A well-designed website will not only make you look more professional, but it will also help you stand out from your competitors.

Investing in web design is an important part of any business plan. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out these statistics:

• 97% of consumers say web design is important in choosing a website

• 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive

• 48% of consumers believe that a website’s design is the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business. It is important to keep in mind the following design factors when creating a WordPress website. 

Create a site that is easy to navigate. This is very important for overall user experience. A visitor on your website should get to the main goal that you have created for your website in under 3 steps. Anything more and they will get bored and click off to go to a competitor. Having goals in mind is a key factor when creating a website and one that I ensure I consult with my clients about from the start.

Use consistent colours, remember that there is a comfort in familiarity. Your branding and use of colours should be the same on all your platforms and throughout your website. Stick with a small number of colours and use them consistently. Keep buttons the one colour, backgrounds one to two colours and text one to two colours. 

Using white space is key to a website. Too much, too little or inconsistent spacing can be a turn off. It is also vital that white space is consistent on each device, your white space should be designed with this in mind. 

Provide a clear call to action from the get go. You should have a button on the first area of your home page where users will enter your website first before any scrolling. This is usually called the Hero Section of your website and you NEED to have a call to action here. This is to capture the attention of those visitors who won’t scroll. This can also be a variety of actions from reading a blog, buying a product, getting in contact or grabbing a freebie to name a few. 

These stats make it clear that web design is not something you should skimp on. If you want your website to function be designed with all the above in mind, get in touch and see how we can help you. We pride ourselves on our WordPress website designs, just take a look at our reviews to see for yourself. 

3 Considerations when choosing the perfect font

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Can your fonts be read easily?

This is a mistake I see a lot. People choosing gorgeous handwritten style fonts that looks beautiful but people struggle to read.

Some fonts work well on Social Media but don’t work when applied to a website. It’s good to test out different fonts to see which ones work before committing, think of it like trying out multiple dresses for a major event. You rarely try on one thinking it will be the one, you try on multiple choices before choosing.

Matching your Fonts

Now you have a gorgeous font, what next?

It’s good practice to have 2/3 font choices. If you pick 2, have a font for headings and a font for the remainder of your text.

Play around here with different fonts, use Google to figure out which fonts pair well together.

Remember there is a whole psychology to fonts so make sure you take careful consideration when choosing the right ones for your brand.

Do you need a licence?

I use “Le Major” for my social media and website. I had to purchase two different licences in order to do this. I required to purchase a licence for my website and a licence for social media. I bought mine through The Creative Market for $18 each.

This is something you need to consider. How much do you love your font? What platforms are you going to use your font on? Are you willing to pay for your font?

It was a no brainer for me, I am totally in love with the font I chose so I paid. The licence was $18 dollars each which gives me the peace of mind knowing that I won’t encounter any fall back from using “Le Major”.

5 Website Myths

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❌Websites only need to work on a mobile
✅Websites need to work on all devices. That means desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices.

❌The homepage is the most important element of your website
✅Yes it’s important but so is your services, contact, about me pages along with a shop or blog

❌Once I launch my website, I’m finished
✅A website is a continuous process for SEO reasons and also due to your business needs. Your business should always be moving forward as should your website

❌Website Launch equals loads of traffic
✅This is not the case, it takes time to build up traffic with video, blogs and backlinks. It’s not an instant piece of magic

❌Custom websites cost lots of money
✅I can create a bespoke website that is secure, has lots of functionality and is responsive on all devices

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6 must haves for every website

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A cracking above the fold – This is the first piece of your website that a user sees the moment they click onto your website without doing any scrolling. This should be compelling, include a hook or solution to a pain point to entice a user to scroll.

Responsive on all devices – This means your website needs to work on any variation of a desktop, laptop, tablet and phone. Basically whatever device a user is on. Your content should look great on each device and be spaced evenly on each also.

About me section – Speak to your audience and give them an insight into you and why you set up your business. This is the perfect opportunity to speak about your core values. This section can make all the difference between a person purchasing from you or not. Remember people buy from people.

Contact form – Have a form where users who visit your website can get in contact with you. This is to encourage more engagement to help increase sales if people know they can contact you. This gives the illusion that you are always present even if you are not. Contact forms work really well for those users who do not use social media or have anxiety over making phone calls.

Glowing testimonials – Testimonials can often be that nudge a user needs to book your service or make a purchase. Reading or seeing first hand from previous clients gives you credibility and helps to build social proof. Even better if your testimonials include a pain point that you helped a client with.

Excellent user experience – Apply the three click rule to your website, don’t have a user take more than three clicks to take the action that you wish them to take. Consider your goal for your website and pages within the website and place call to action buttons to highlight the action you want people to take. Simplify a user’s experience, if not they might get bored and leave.

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3 Reasons why you need a website for your business

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I could go on and on here as it is my speciality of course but rather than bore you let me just highlight some key reasons. 

Reason 1: Credibility – nowadays most people search the internet before purchasing a product or service. They will look at the testimonials and prices before making a decision. If your business is not online then this is more difficult for clients to do and in turn you are losing out on business. 

Reason 2: 24/7 – I say this over and over again but your website runs 24/7 365 days a week which if you were to do, you would not be alive to tell the tale. Get yourself the work/life balance and have a website working for you when you aren’t working. Think of the accessibility of that person who can buy from you or book in with you from the comfort of their own home. 

Reason 3: Convenience – This is also convenient and we are in an age where we all crave more convenience. Have everything on one website so that potential and existing clients know your website is a one stop shop for them to browse, book and buy. 

There are plenty more reasons to go into but the main take from this blog is that you get your business a website. Have a window shop online for your business outside of the hustle and bustle of social media.