September 15, 2015
Google has always recommended a responsive web design and rolled out an important update earlier in April this year. This updates works to rank mobile-friendly sites higher based on web design. The secret behind the updated is, it doesn’t specify you use responsive designs, more that your site be accessible from mobile devices, with a good user experience and performance. Keeping that in mind what are the options available to those who are looking at starting their own site? We have already spoken about responsive design in a previous series of post – which if you haven’t read, we suggest you do to find out more and you can find them here!
August 4, 2015
Welcome to our last post for the responsive design series. If you missed our previous posts, be sure to check them out here. In this post we will provide you with a check-list of things you need to consider when making your website responsive. 1. Lighten the load Make sure our website is fast when being loaded. According to Google, around 70% of mobile users will leave a page if it takes more than 5 seconds to load. Make sure the images you use on the website are compressed as much as possible to allow short loading times. 2. Make it touch screen friendly When using fingers to navigate around websites you are less precise than when using a mouse. Make sure the buttons on the site are big and easy to spot. Allow your content to interact with the device it is being seen on. 3. Be clearly readable Smaller screens mean smaller fonts, make sure you choose a font that is just as clear when being read on a big desktop pc or on a smartphone. 4. Be shareable Enable shareable content for users to quickly like, comment and share to other users from any device and across platforms. 5. Stack elements Work out which elements are important for your users when accessing your site on the go and make sure all your core information is there. If you feel like your website needs a makeover or isn’t responsive enough then get in touch and see if we can work with you. [contact-form-7 id=”400″ title=”The contact form”]
July 30, 2015
The Island are looking for graduate developer to work with us on our exciting projects and websites. Get in touch if you are interested...
July 23, 2015
Welcome to part 2 of our responsive design series, if you missed the first post, be sure to check it out here. In this second post we will talk about some of the benefits responsive design has to offer. 1. Flexible web design No matter what device the user experience will be the same. It helps your business be recognized and to be honest people enjoy a good user experience, there is nothing worse than waiting for ever to load a page or complete a login. Happy customers definitely mean happy business. 2. Cost effective website Compare the cost of ‘owning’ one site or owning two…maths aside, you can easily save money and time as you will be able to concentrate on functions, content and updates for a single website that will work seamlessly across devices. 3. Search engine optimization Google itself recommends a responsive web design and the importance of SEO in today’s market means that everything must be on point. If you use the one website for your business you will be able to concentrate properly and create effective SEO. Also all your results will be in the one place. 4. Improved conversion rates A well designed website that is optimized and consistent will for sure have a positive impact on the conversion rate of your site. People will be familiar with functionality and layout, therefore providing them with a better user experience that translates to engagement. 5. Future viability of your website Responsive sites are made to adapt to different systems and characteristics, meaning it is pretty sure that once designed, and designed properly, it shouldn’t require too much work when newer devices hit the market. This point links back to cost effectiveness. [contact-form-7 id=”400″ title=”The contact form”]
July 13, 2015
There is a lot of buzz around about websites needing to be responsive. But what does that mean? Responsive web design is a collection of techniques that allow a website to adapt to different device specifications, such as screen size when being viewed. What it means in a more ‘practical’ way, is that, the website is able to recognize the features of the desktop, smartphone or tablet, and easily adapt to it to give an optimal user experience without limiting the functionality. The reasons for this adaptability are very clear. In the second half of 2015, and the beginning of 2016, the usage of smartphones to browse the web is estimated to increase by about 20% compared to the last two years. Therefore, it is increasingly important to keep these users in mind and understand how to properly engage with them to offer the best user experience on all devices. How can we make a better online user experience? Before responsive design, the mobile experience usually translated poorly. The first step towards a better user experience was to create mobile versions of the traditional websites. This is one type of solution but still their capabilities were limited. This is where responsive design comes into play. Thanks to responsive design your users won’t be worried about having to be careful of where they click if using a touch screen or zooming in and out, they simply will enjoy the site as if it were tailored to that device. The image provided above is a perfect example of what we have done with one of the best bars in London, Nordic. Now their website is perfect for big screens and even better on your smartphone. Our next posts will cover further benefits of responsive design plus a checklist of what you should […]
July 9, 2015
A digital marketing strategy is essential for any business that is looking to use on-line tools and platforms to grow their business. But how do you start creating a digital marketing strategy? Here is a list of 8 reasons why you should have a digital marketing strategy and some tips on how you can create your own, or refine the strategy you currently have. 8 reasons to create a Digital Marketing Strategy 1. A strategy can help you identify goals and objectives. A company with a digital marketing strategy is one with clear cut objectives when it comes to increasing their client base or to build on existing relationships. A digital marketing strategy will give you direction to reach these goals. 2. Empower your on-line value proposition with a digital marketing strategy. A well-defined on-line customer value proposition will help you separate your on-line service and encourage existing and new clients to engage and stay faithful. A digital marketing strategy will also help you differentiate yourself in an on-line crowded market place. 3. A strategy will help you better understand who your on-line customers are. Your on-line market in most cases will be different from your traditional one. Therefore with the help of a digital marketing strategy you will be able to tailor your offer to those people. Digital is often referred to as the “most quantifiable medium ever”. Yet, Google Analytics and similar will just give you information such as how much traffic you can expect which is not based on sentiment or perceptions. There are a wealth of client feedback tools to identify your potential weak points and to find ways to solve these issues. We suggest starting with Kampyle, PollDaddy or UserSnap. The first two are survey creators great for feedback on blogs, and the latter is a simple visual feedback tool. 4. A […]
April 14, 2015
The Island are looking for digital design and developer interns to work with us to continue building the better web for our clients and users. We are offering extremely beneficial work experience across some great projects so please get in touch if this sounds interesting to you.
January 16, 2015
At The Island we work with our clients to setup and implement strategies, designs and processes that make the most of vital digital channels to increase awareness, leads and sales opportunities. Click to find out more
December 8, 2014
The Island are an established and highly experienced hands-on creative, digital design and brand leisure agency, focused in quality creative delivery and organised implementation.
We’ve helped develop brands, websites and marketing campaigns for many leisure businesses over the past 20 years.