Everyone knows that you should back up your devices on a regular basis, but your website needs regular backups too.

Despite how important websites are to building a business, many businesses don’t have a regular backup schedule. However, without backups, your business loses all website changes made since the last backup.

It’s never too late to start scheduling backups to prepare for the worst. While you hope it never happens, being prepared takes only a few minutes and you’ll be glad you did.

1. Cybercriminals Don’t Take Holidays

Cybercriminals don’t care whether you have backups in place or if your business is large or small. Every website is a potential target. A shocking 46% of UK businesses discovered cyber breaches in 2017. While poor passwords and phishing emails are common entry points, poor website security is also a problem.

In a matter of seconds, your website could be compromised, leaving your business without an online presence. Without regular backups, you’re left without any quick way to recover. With a recent backup, you’d be able to upload the backup, patch any vulnerabilities and be back online within a day.

2. Vulnerabilities Happen

WordPress consistently releases updates to create a more secure platform, but vulnerabilities happen. Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for ways to exploit even the tiniest vulnerabilities in the code. WordPress is often targeted because it’s the most widely used CMS, leading to millions of attacks every year.

If you haven’t updated WordPress, your website could be vulnerable. Having regular backups means even if your site is attacked, you can shut it down and recover from a backup. All you’d have to do is update to the most secure version of WordPress before going back online.

It’s also important to note that vulnerabilities in plugins and themes can also cause problems. Ensure you keep these updated as well.

3. Downtime Is Costly

For ecommerce sites, you likely already know how costly downtime is for your business. What you might not have considered is how much site traffic you’re losing when your website’s down. Instead of gaining new customers, potential customers are being directed to your competition.

You want your website back up and running as quickly as possible. This is impossible without regular backups. Every minute your site’s down is costing your business money.

4. Recovering From Scratch Is Impossible

If you’ve never performed a backup, recovery becomes a nightmare. Take a moment to think about how much content is on your website. Could you remember every blog post, product description, About Us details and other content? No one can. Without backups, you’d have to start over completely from scratch should something happen to your website.

5. Simple Human Error Could Erase Everything

Even the most secure website isn’t immune from simple human error. All it would take is someone to click the wrong button to suddenly compromise your website. They might accidentally erase a database or delete a line of code that cripples the site.

Luckily, if you have a recent backup, you’re back up and running in no time. Without it, you’d have to find a way to manually fix any issues and hope it fixes your website.

6. WordPress Changes Go Awry

Sometimes WordPress changes don’t always go as planned. For instance, uploading a new theme might seem simple enough, but after uploading, your visitors just see error messages instead of your website. A new plugin might negatively impact another plugin. A WordPress core update could render an older theme useless. The truth is, making changes isn’t always guaranteed to work out perfectly.

This is why you need regular backups. If changes don’t go well, you just go back to your most recent backup. You can then work to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

7. Building A Brand Takes Time

Part of the reason you have a website for your business is to build your brand. However, building a brand takes time. You can’t rank high on Google overnight. However, a compromised website can ruin your brand’s reputation in just a few days. Google might penalise your site if it’s not repaired quickly. Plus, visitors may be hesitant to come back after noticing your site’s down for an extended period.

Don’t let all your hard work go to waste. Instead, set up regular backups so you always have a way to get your website back online quickly. Plus, you won’t lose any new content, such as your latest blog post, that keeps visitors coming back.

If your site’s not being backed up regularly, contact me today to find out how to implement easy to use backup plugins today.

Image: Patrick Lindenberg

When it comes to creating a business site, one of the top platform options is WordPress and for good reason.

WordPress isn’t just a simple blogging platform. It’s capable of running some of the top websites in the world from major brands.

While it’s great for personal sites too, businesses are opting for WordPress too as a way to take their companies online in an easy, yet powerful way.

WordPress Popularity

WordPress is used by over 29% of websites worldwide and has a 60% market share among content management systems. While there are numerous personal sites and blogs out there, business websites make up a large portion of that 29%. If you’re curious about which brands are using WordPress, see:

• 8 Examples of Major Sites Using WordPress (by yours truly)
• 40+ Notable Big Name Brands That Are Using WordPress
• Notable WordPress Users

Tiny Learning Curve

So why choose WordPress when there are other options for your business site? The most obvious reason and the one you’ll notice the quickest is the tiny learning curve. Getting started takes minutes. The straight-forward dashboard gives you easy access to publish posts, add/update pages, add/change media, check out stats, optimise your site and much more.

While you may want a developer to help with creating a custom theme and ensuring plugins are implemented correctly, WordPress itself is incredibly easy to use and makes managing a site a stress-free process.

Update Content With Ease

You likely already know the importance of blogging. If not, take a quick look at these inspiring statistics from Writtent. Blogging helps businesses gain more customers and boosts conversion rates. WordPress has an easy to use content editor for creating and uploading content. Plus, SEO plugins and WordPress’s built-in SEO features help you to easily optimise every post for better traffic.

This means you spend less time on formatting and optimising and more time on what’s important – creating engaging content for your readers. Plus, you content is optimised to bring in more traffic, leading to more business.

Flexible For Any Use

In the past, I covered how WordPress goes far beyond blogging, which is what makes it ideal for any business website. Whether you want ecommerce or a membership style site or anything in between, WordPress has the features you need. For instance, a fashion retailer might need interactive product images and a stylish theme to match the personality of the retailer.

On the other hand, a B2B company may require a minimalist theme and a simple blog to effectively connect with customers. WordPress is flexible, plus it’s open source, which means you can customise it to your needs. For instance, if you can’t find a theme or plugin that fits your needs, a WordPress developer can work with you to create just what your business needs most.

Scales With The Business

Scalability is crucial with any business website. It might be tempting to use a free site builder, but stop and consider your limitations first. Your site will always be limited by the platform you use. With free site builder tools and even some other CMS platforms, you’re limited to only a small number of plugins (if any at all), basic themes, little to no customisation options and the amount of content you can upload.

This isn’t going to help you grow your business. This is why so many businesses choose WordPress for their business website. You download and own your installation of WordPress. All you need is a web host that offers the storage and bandwidth you need to continue growing your site. Whether you’re a business selling a few products a week or a giant like Amazon, WordPress scales as your needs change

Are you ready to use WordPress for your business website? Contact me today to find out how I can help.

Image: Anders Jildén

It’s a satisfying feeling to finally get your WordPress site up and running. You’re feeling so confident that you’re ready to take on the world, or a least, your own WordPress maintenance.

After all, the hard part’s over, right? Before you get too excited, you might want to think about hiring a WordPress service provider.

Regular maintenance and site tweaks are more difficult than you might believe. If you’re already trying to do it on your own, you can reduce your stress and save your sanity by considering the following three tips.

Stay Within Your Budget

Saving money is always a good thing. It’s also why managing your site yourself seems like a great idea. Instead of a monthly fee, you save money by doing it yourself. However, you may not be saving as much as you think.

First of all, maintenance tasks take time. This is time you’re spending away from your business. Add up all the extra hours and hiring an expert service provider suddenly seems more cost effective. Another thing to consider is experience.

How much do you know about WordPress? Is it enough to reduce the risk of a hack? In 2016, data gathered by Sucuri showed that WordPress is still the most hacked CMS, accounting for 74% of all hacked CMS platforms in 2016. A hacked site could ruin your business. If user data is leaked or data destroyed (that’s not backed up), it could easily cost you thousands or more to handle everything.

A professional WordPress service provider knows WordPress inside and out. You’ll save money and headaches simply by letting an expert take control.

Gain More Time

WordPress compares WordPress maintenance to getting regular work done on your car. In most cases, it’s usually quicker to let professionals handle the maintenance than try to do it yourself. The same holds true with managing your site.

You’ll not only save your sanity, but gain more time for managing your business. WordPress has created a monthly maintenance calendar. A quick look is enough to show you that it’s not something you can do in a few minutes each month. Plus, you also have to consider the learning curve.

Trying to find the right settings and plugins, without corrupting your site, takes valuable time. Figuring out how to tweak your site for optimal performance isn’t a skill you learn overnight. Experts have spent years studying WordPress, which allows them to take care of your site far faster than you could do it on your own.

Get The Highest Quality

Your WordPress site deserves the best service and your visitors deserve the best website. Managing your site on your own means your site may have problems you don’t even notice, such as:

• Slow page loading speeds
• Broken links
• Major security flaws
• Outdated software (themes, plugins, WordPress core)
• Bad or no backups
• Site glitches

WordPress service providers know what to look for to prevent common problems. This means you get a smooth running website that offers the best experience for your visitors. You’ll also know that backups are available should the worst happen to your site. You’ve already invested in the site’s development. To maintain a quality website, you have to invest in its future as well.

Save Your Sanity Starting Today

It usually only takes two to three months to start feeling like you’re going crazy as you try to balance site maintenance, uploading new content and managing your business. Save time and money, while keeping your site at its best. Go ahead, save your sanity and hire an expert instead.

Does your WordPress site have issues? Find out today by contacting me about WordPress support.

Image: Carl Heyerdahl

Small business websites aren’t nearly as plentiful as small businesses, but websites are a crucial part of running any business.

Whether it’s just you or you have a dozen employees, your business needs a website. It’s not optional anymore if you want to stay competitive.

Think of a website as a partner that helps you to build and grow your business. When you look at it that way, it’s easy to see that investing in a website is a smart business move.

1. Works For You 24/7

Is your business open 24/7? Do you stay up 24/7? Of course not! Small business websites are open 24/7 and they continue to drive business to your door even while you’re sleeping or spending time with your family and friends. You never know when someone might be searching for the products you’re selling at three in the morning. If you have a website, they may see you as a result, check out your products and be waiting at the door when you open the next day.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool that works for your all the time? You could even sell your products online as well and make money while you sleep.

2. Aids With Branding

Every business needs a brand, including small businesses. Your brand is your reputation and a strong brand helps build customer loyalty. Part of branding means having a website. It gives you a platform to tell your customers and potential customers more about what your business is all about. You’re able to share your own unique message and create a voice that’s uniquely yours.

3. Helps Customers Research You

More and more customers are choosing to do a little research online before making a purchase in a physical store. They could even be inside your store, but prefer to research you a little more before buying. Customers love webrooming now, which means they check out your products or your business before making a purchase. If they can’t find you online, they might not see you as a reputable business. With 69% of customers webrooming, you need an online presence to help customers find you and choose you to make their final purchase.

4. Works As A Marketing Tool

You might see your website as just a few pages of contact information, details on the company and pictures of your products. Take a deeper look and you’ll see that small business websites are powerful marketing tools. For instance, word-of-mouth advertising is valuable, but once that advertising goes online, it spreads further and faster.

A website gives your customers something to share with others. If they loved the experience, they might share a link to your site with all their friends. If you’re blogging, a post could be shared among thousands of people, leading to new customers. All of this is because you have a website.

5. Stand Out From Competitors

Is there any business out there that doesn’t want to stand out from the competition? No. The question is – how? Small business websites not only set you apart, but they help you look like a bigger business. A study by GoDaddy shows that 60% of UK micro-businesses (5 employees or less) didn’t have a website. Of those businesses, 54% were afraid of experiencing no growth within the next 3-5 years.

If the majority of your competition isn’t online then that’s where you need to be. The same study found that 60% of small businesses with a website were expecting as much as a 50% increase in revenue. The growth is even better if you sell at least some of your products online or offer special discounts or promotions for services.

6. Stay In Contact

Even when you have customers, it’s sometimes hard to keep them coming back. Don’t always be so quick to blame yourself. Outside of bad service, one of the top reasons customers don’t come back is they just forget to. For instance,  a hair salon might remind customers to come back in for a trim every 6-8 weeks. With a website, customers can sign up for reminders, special offers or a weekly/monthly newsletter. Better engagement with your customers helps keep your business on their mind.

Small business websites also allow you to stay in contact by providing contact details. Providing a contact form, an address and phone number makes it easy for customers to ask questions or find out more about when you’re open.

Small Business Websites Help You Grow

Small businesses websites help your business grow. By having a website and updating it regularly, you’re showing the world you’re just as important as the big businesses out there. Go ahead and get online, build your brand and boost revenue.

Are you ready to introduce your small business to the world? Contact Darren today to get started. 

Image: Rob Sarmiento

It’s hard to deny that the Internet is a visual place, but how does that apply to conversion rates?

Using images within product descriptions, blog posts, calls-to-action and banners are all ways to improve views and website conversions. The key is learning to use images the right way.

The wrong image could cause your conversions to plummet. Before you add another image to your site, find out both the good and the bad to using images on your site.

Aids In Telling A Story

People are 80% more likely to read your content if it includes a colourful image. This is because the visual helps tell your story. It appeals to emotions, grabs attention and gives a quick glimpse into what the content might be about. If more people stick around to read your content or view product images, they’re more likely to see your CTAs and follow through.

The Downside To Bad Images

Not all images lead to better website conversions. Using completely irrelevant, phony looking stock photos or low quality images may drive visitors away. These images don’t add value to your site. Instead of helping, they simply send many of your visitors to competing sites.

Guides The Eye To Your CTA

When people see an image of someone else looking at something, their eyes are naturally drawn to whatever that person is looking at. For instance, if you want people to notice your CTA and convert, add an image of someone looking at the CTA. Using arrows works well too, but it’s not as personable.

Interactive Boosts Conversions More

Who doesn’t love interactive images? Adding features, such as zoomable product images, helps boost website conversions because it allows viewers to see the product more clearly. For the website Golfsmith, adding a rotating image to product descriptions boosted conversions by up to 40%.

Small Images Hurt Conversions

Some sites take images too far and add numerous small images everywhere. While you get more images, it also makes the page look more cluttered. Of course, it also makes images harder to see, even if you only have one or two on the page. Skinner Auctions saw a 329% increase in visitors filling out bid forms just by using a larger product image.

It’s also important to note that the file size of images can hurt conversions too. If your image takes too long to load, visitors may never see it. They may decide to move on. Keep image file sizes smaller to improve conversions.

Friendly Faces Encourage Click

Generic images are pretty to look at, but they don’t have much personality. When visitors are uncertain about performing a converting action, such as signing up for a newsletter or buying a product, a friendly face makes all the difference. For Medalia Art, replacing images of paintings with images of the artists (smiling, of course), website conversions increased by 95%.

Images Need Descriptions

No matter how perfect your image is, it’s not helping your site as much as you’d like if Google or other search engines can’t find it. Images help with SEO, leading more organic traffic to your site, but only if they have proper descriptions and names. Name your photos with a keyword or descriptive phrase. This helps Google find the image easily.

Stock Photos – To Use Or Not To Use

Stock photos are a highly debated topic. Most experts say they’re a bad idea. For instance, one site changed from a stock photo of a woman smiling to the actual company founder and saw conversions increase by 34%. The reasons they hurt conversions is because so many sites use the exact same images. They’re generic, too perfect and don’t provide anything original about your site.

On the other hand, stock photos are often free or cheap. This makes them appealing and easy to use, especially if you have small budget. The key is to make sure the photos you use are unique. A few ways to make stock photos help with conversions is by:

• Cropping
• Adding filters
• Inserting text, such as quotes or content titles
• Ensuring they match the content

While professional photography is still preferred by many, it’s also expensive. Testing custom stock photography first might be the better option for limited budgets.

Investing In Stock Photos

Investing in stock photos is an easy way to get high quality images to help boost website conversions. Free sites work well, but only if the photos are relevant and/or you customise them at least a little. If you’re customising, make sure the photo is listed as royalty free, meaning you’re free to edit it. With premium sites, the photos are higher quality and are used less often, but you will pay a fee per photo or per group of photos.

Does your website need a redesign before adding images? Contact Darren today to help boost website conversion with a better site to go with your quality images.

Image: Dai KE

Many site owners think of their web developer as someone who can do it all. While that’s flattering, it’s just not possible.

I’ve had many clients myself wanting me to not only develop their sites, but provide all the content as well. Most developers don’t write content because it’s not part of the development process.

Some might say they do it all, but odds are, they have a content writer on their team. If you need content written, which you will, look for a content writer, not a web developer.

Vastly Different Skillsets

Would you expect someone to be an engineer and ballet dancer? Probably not. Both require extensive training and practice. The same applies to developers and writers. Start talking to a developer about keyword density, Google friendly link-building techniques and the perfect length for blog posts, and you’ll likely be met with a blank stare. Ask them about the right plugins to use for optimal security and they’ll have a detailed answer waiting.

Creativepool describes the full extent of a web developer’s job. As you’ll notice, there’s no mention of content writing. Of course, the job becomes even more complex when you break down different types of expertise, such as WordPress and mobile.

Now, consider a content writer’s job. They have to put together words that describe a business in the best light while using the best possible keywords naturally so the almighty Google doesn’t penalise the site. They have to consider formatting, length of paragraphs, personality of the business/brand and much more. Above all else, the content has to be engaging and informative for readers.

Doing It All Takes Double The Time

Multi-tasking is a myth. Doing twice as much work in half the time doesn’t work. You might think it would be easy for your developer to write content in between creating one page and the next, but it actually takes twice as much work. Trying to switch between the two tasks back and forth only hurts the overall results.

In most cases, you likely want your site ready within a set timeframe. Unless you’re prepared to double that time, don’t expect your developer to do double duty. This is one of many reasons your developer asks you to provide the content, so they can insert it into your site and keep the project on time.

Backend Versus Frontend

If web development were easy, everyone would be able to do it. Though you don’t see what’s going on in the backend, it takes quite a bit of coding to create the frontend you see and use. While your developer is handling the extensive work on the backend, they don’t have time to worry about the content on the frontend. This is where content writers work with developers to create a finished project.

The writers prepare the content to give the developer a better idea of your site’s structure. While developers don’t write your content, they still need it early on for a better end result.

Quality Suffers Both Ways

When a web developer says they’ll do it all with no problem, they’re likely lying and you’ll get a website that barely functions with site content that’s low quality at best. Poor site development hurts your search ranking and so does cheap or low quality writing.

According to Ghost Blog Writers, there are plenty of copywriters out there, but focusing on the cheapest solution only leads to poor quality which hurts your site’s reputation. Trying to save money by asking your developer to do two jobs is just going to lead to a finished site with content that you’re ashamed of.

Let your developer focus on creating a high quality site and you focus on either creating content yourself or hiring a high quality writer to create the content for you. You’ll enjoy a higher ranking and more satisfied visitors as a result.

Conclusion

It’s not unusual for developers to be asked to write content as well. While doing it all would be wonderful, developers chose a career in web development. Copywriting just isn’t their specialty and that’s okay. With plenty of reputable and reliable writers out there, you can rest assured you’ll have an incredible website with content to match.

Want to hire an experienced developer for your website? Contact Darren at StuartMedia today for a developer who places all his focus on the site development. 

Image: Negative Space

When you hire a web developer, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is content.

The problem is, content is part of the development process and without it, your developer may have to settle for filler lorem ipsum text and blank image blocks. This only delays your final launch.

The best time to prepare your content is when you first start searching for a web developer. The sooner it’s done, the sooner your developer can add it to your site so you’ll see how the final product looks before launch time comes.

Work With Your Developer

The first step is to talk to your developer. This is a vital part of any web development process as you explain the purpose of your site, what features you want and of course, what the developer needs from you. Describe the pages you want and how you envision the content for each page.

Your developer can then create wireframes to show you how content will appear, showing you what types of content and how much of it is needed for each page. Think of the site architecture and wireframes as your site’s blueprint. While the final site might change slightly, this serves as you and your web developer’s initial guide.

Set Deadlines For Content

You don’t have to prepare all your content at one time. Talk to your developer to work out a content timeline. For instance, maybe your developer needs the content for the Homepage and header first, but doesn’t need the About Us content until a week later. Each type of content, including text and images, should have their own deadline. Establish this in advance so you and your developer are on the same schedule and no one’s left waiting.

Refer to your blueprint along the way to avoid missing any pages. If you discover you need additional pages as you prepare your content, contact your developer to let them know.

Upload To WordPress

Now that you have a guide and deadlines, it’s time to provide the content to your web developer. One method, especially for WordPress sites, is to upload content into a temporary WordPress site. Your developer can then move the content to your main site as they finish each section of the site. Your developer may add all the pages required and all you have to do is add in the content.

Send Via Email

Another method is email. You prepare your content and images in a Word document and email it to your developer. It’s important to label each type of content clearly so the developer knows where it goes. Lay out the content in your document as it would appear on the website. For instance, if your homepage has 10 blocks of text, use a table layout and enter each section of text in a different block.

Use Google Docs

If you’re not comfortable using WordPress yet, you can collaborate and prepare content by using Google Docs or a similar service. Your web developer can provide a list of the pages and sections of content necessary. You create all the applicable documents and your developer can upload them to your site. If any changes need to be made, all you have to do is edit the specific document and your developer can make the change.

Hire Someone

The final option is to hire someone to handle all your content creation. You’ll still need to work with your developer to establish your desired pages and content areas. Some developers may even recommend copywriters and graphic designers to handle your text and visuals.

This approach is ideal if you’re not sure what to add or don’t have enough time to craft the content yourself. The people you hire can deliver it directly to you or the developer. For instance, if using WordPress or Google Docs, the content could be uploaded and you’d be notified. Once you’ve approved it, you could mark the content as Finalized, signaling the developer that it’s ready.

Conclusion

Content shouldn’t be a last minute thought. In fact, 76% of users said a well organized site that makes it easy to find what they need is more important than a beautiful design. Plus, content is what helps you drive new traffic to your site. Give your developer the power to make your site even better by preparing your content early in the development process.

Ready to talk with a developer about your new site? Contact StuartMedia today to start planning and to start prepping your content.

Image: Mårten Björk

It’s the dream of every business owner to reach their customers quicker and boost conversions.

Your website gives you multiple opportunities to reach your customers quicker. It’s why focusing on site performance and design is so important, especially for online businesses.

A few simple steps give you the power to bring more customers to your site and increase sales, newsletter sign-ups or any other type of conversion. Let your website work for you and increase profits and efficiency.

Optimise Your Site For Search

Many of your customers are likely searching for a keyword related to your business or even your business name. If your site’s not optimised, it might not show up in search results. WordPress already has some built-in optimisation, but you can make it even better. A few things to consider are:

• Using a responsive design to meet Google’s mobile requirements and the 1.5 billion mobile Internet users
• Using natural sounding keywords throughout content
• Developing a site with clean code
• Using alt tags for images
• Creating a clear site structure
• Using SEO plugins

These are just a few ways to optimise your site. When Google and other search engines are bringing visitors to you, you’re able to reach customers faster without as much marketing.

A/B Test Elements For Better Conversions

You’ve placed a sign-up form on the left side of your site, but what if it worked better on the right? The placement, font size and even colour of elements on your page affect how visitors engage with them. This is where A/B testing comes into play. You’re able to test the results of different strategies to see which works best for your audience. This approach works well for all aspects of marketing, such as email open rates, social media campaigns, content types and element placement on your site.

Showcase Feedback

Obviously, this works best if the majority of the feedback is positive. The idea is once visitors are on your site, you want to encourage them to complete an action, such as making a purchase. Just like you, customers like to know what previous customers think. Displaying real reviews from customers alongside a product helps customers make a decision faster without leaving your site to do research (and possibly find a competitor).

For instance, WikiJob tested conversions using real versus overly enthusiastic testimonials. The site saw a 34% increase in conversions with this one simple change.

Take Advantage Of Plugins

WordPress is highly customisable with thousands of free and paid plugins. Developers even create custom plugins to better meet a site’s needs. These plugins are designed to boost site performance, help you master SEO techniques, provide more control over a page’s layout post-design, integrate with social media and much more. Don’t be afraid to use them.

Utilise Analytics

Do you know where your visitors are coming from? What if you’re spending all your time marketing on Facebook, but your target audience is on Twitter? Analytics help you figure out who your target audience is, where they’re at online and what they like best. For instance, if you’re running social media and email campaigns, analytics software shows you which one is most effective.

The more you learn about your customers, the easier it is to tweak your approach to reach them faster and easier. Of course, the more customers you reach, the higher your conversions will be. Luckily, there are quite a few analytics plugins to help you out.

Engage With Your Customers

Your customers want to interact with you. This means being active on social media, providing a feedback/contact form on your site and providing useful content. Talking to your customers helps build a strong brand reputation, which increases social recommendations. Adding useful content to your site on regular basis gives your customers something to talk about and it also brings new customers to your site through organic searches. The more you interact, easier it is to reach your customers and boost conversions.

Conclusion

Realising your dream of bringing in customers quicker is possible. All it takes is a few tweaks to your site and how you interact with your potential and existing customers. Make these improvements and you could finally see your conversion rate increase.

Need help changing your site for better performance? Let StuartMedia help you through the changes to give your business the boost it needs. 

Image: Marc Levin

We rebuilt the Olympia Foods website from custom content management system built in 2005 to a fully responsive(mobile friendly) WordPress powered website today.

The brief was to deliver a website that would work great across all devices and be easy for the client to manage but most importantly showcase their great food products.

A large part of the work on the website involved getting their 1000 strong product database from the old website into the new one. To achieve this we wrote some custom software to make the clients life easier and move the products across to the new website where they could be updated and have images attached to them. We also provided on site training to the staff along with phone and email support to get them up to speed and get the new website launched.

On the day the new website went live it started to bring new leads via its contact form for the client.

To see the website and the delicious food that they sell for yourself, head on over to olympiafoods.co.uk

Many businesses are implementing Google Maps into their websites, including WordPress sites.

They use them to help visitors locate their brick and mortar locations, get directions to destinations or for fun activities.

Some business owners don’t use this API because they’re not sure how it will look or if it’s really useful. These examples of sites using Google Maps showcase a wide variety of ways to use the feature on most any type of site.

Volkswagen

Maps on Volkswagen’s website are not featured on the homepage. Instead, the auto maker implements the feature in a natural way. They want visitors to the site to be able to find the closest retailer to their location. On their Find A Retailer  page, visitors enter their location and a map appears with locations for local retailers. The nearly full screen map is easy to see, even on mobile devices. Visitors can zoom in or out for more detailed maps to help them find local dealers.

Takeaway: Google Maps doesn’t have to be on your main page. Make it fit in naturally on a page where visitors would need a map most, such as an About Us, Find Us or Locations page. Professional developers know the best place to add maps to optimise use.

Airbnb

Airbnb provides a unique way to help travelers see the world without staying in a hotel. The site uses Google Maps to show visitors exactly where they’ll be staying. All you have to do is enter your desired location, such as a city or borough, choose your check in and check out dates and you’ll see a list of rooms for rent and their locations on a map. You can find areas located near attractions you might want to see or restaurants you may wish to try. By adding the map, it makes the more friendly travel option seem even more local.

Takeaway: Implement maps into your site to guide visitors and help them make the right choices for them. Maps let your visitors go beyond a few images and see their destination based on what else is around them. Consider using a professional developer to help you add in maps to help your own visitors.

University Of Manchester

Large campuses are hard to navigate, especially for new students and visitors. The University of Manchester provides uses Google Maps to help with navigation. Visitors can select specific buildings or search by items such as Student Information and Car Parks. The selections appear on the half page map. You can zoom in and out to find streets or buildings you recognize to help you better find your desired location. It’s easy to use and helps everyone on campus find classes, food, parking and more quicker.

Takeaway: Maps don’t have to be about gaining business. They can also simply be a tool to help those who have already invested in your business, such as students. Add maps to guide or aid your visitors in some way. Showcase the best parking areas around your business or related businesses, such as a dessert bar if you’re a restaurant that doesn’t serve dessert. Use a professional developer to help create filtered maps for your own site.

Expedia

The travel site Expedia helps visitors find hotels around the world. By adding maps, travelers are able to determine the best places to book a trip based on the availability of hotels, restaurants and attractions. Maps are accessible from several different pages to focus on exactly what the user is looking for such as hotels, attractions and more. Adding maps encourages more users to book using Expedia because they see actual maps versus just an address or city.

Takeaway: Use Google Maps to help visitors make better informed decisions. For instance, Expedia uses maps to help visitors find the best hotels based on where they want to travel and what they want to see. Consider using a professional developer to help implement maps throughout your site.

Conclusion

Google Maps isn’t just for finding your way between one destination and the next. Adding the feature to a website gives businesses the opportunity to help visitors find new fun places, get reviews, see travel details, exercise and much more. The maps can be tailored to meet most any business’s needs.

Ready to add Google Maps to your site? Contact StuartMedia today to implement the Google Maps API into your site.

Image: Duncan Hull