Yeah Can’s mobile friendly websites

Heard of mobile friendly websites? Yes heard of it but not sure what it means. And still don’t know a Static from a Liquid layout. Or Adaptive from a Responsive one. Whaaat…

Mobile friendly websites that is websites that change shape, snap into place or morph into something new when viewed on different mobile devices are changing the way we have access to content on the internet.

It’s a significant change in approach to website design. Before the days when hand held gadgets forced web designers to rethink websites, the only concern was whether a browser such as Firefox or Safari would open the site without any breaks or errors. What added to this problem were the many different versions of browsers. In fact older versions of Internet Explorer probably contributed to the highest headache tablet count that web designers consumed.

Now the main concern is all about screen size and how the site will reformat/resize itself to be easily and comfortably viewed on a mobile gadget such as smart phones or LED TV screens. And of course how does it look on screen sizes in between these two extremes. Never mind that within each category, such as for instance smartphones, there are hundreds of different sizes to contend with as well.

So here’s a great article to mull over. It will easily and without too much industry specific jargon give you a nice explanation as to you what all these different concepts are about.

Visit the blog post on Team Treehouse here.

The post 5 Terms you need to know for Mobile Friendly Websites appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

The Real XC

Google’s 21 April has come and gone. For those not in the know, Google announced that they would be expanding their use of mobile-friendly as a ranking signal. It would affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and would affect search results. This would happen from April 21.

Never underestimate Google’s commitment. And here is an example. Google wants to ensure that users have frictionless experiences when using mobile to search the web. And you better believe it.

As much as the results have been changing slowly, research carried out by a bunch of people and organisations have shown that non-mobile friendly sites are slipping in mobile research results. As an example, a study by Moovweb states that they found that 83% of the time, the top result was tagged as mobile-friendly by Google. 81% of the time the top 3 results are mobile-friendly and when looking at the top ten results on Google’s first page, 77% of the search results are labeled mobile-friendly.

See more here for Moovweb. For a more comprehensive view of the state of the mobile-friendly web according to Google check this article at Unbounce.

It’s therefore really important for websites to be mobile friendly according to Google’s directive. That is if one’s site should come up on search on smartphones. And unlike other times, this time Google has spelt out the requirements and is providing Guides and a test your site facility and check their mobile site SEO Guide.

And Yeah Can does just that. Latest new client website to go live ranks mobile friendly according to Google. The Real XC is not only a great site from a visual and content point of view but also for Google’s April 2015 algorithm recipe for success.

Yeah Can does work for direct clients as well as for White Label Web Design Partners. The Real XC website was designed and built for a direct client.

Want to find out more about our White Label service? Talk to us about your requirements.

The post Do your sites rank mobile-friendly with Google? Ours do! appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

Yeah Can’s  Responsive Web Site for MartialPreneurs

MartialPreneurs goes for a Responsive Web Site

When Scott Paterson discussed his new website with Team Yeah Can one of the points that came up was responsive web design and having his new web presence be a responsive web site.

Scott Paterson is not only an innovator in the martial arts space but he also knows what is happening in the technology environment. And one thing that is becoming hugely important is having a web site that is responsive to the different sized gadgets people now use to access the web with.

What is Scott Paterson offering?
Scott, a highly respected and well known martial arts personality, has built a career first as competitor and participant in the sport and in later years as professional martial arts trainer.

It’s a good time to work in martial arts. From a very small beginning, appealing only to a handful of people the sport field of martial arts has grown into a very popular form of sport and fitness activity.

What Scott has realised is that although martial arts specialists might be passionate about their sport and highly skilled they generally don’t have the knowledge to make a decent living from it.

It’s now more important than ever
One thing the recent global recession has taught us is that we can no longer be assured of full time employment. It’s therefore always good to see a business person set up a comprehensive web resource to help people become entrepreneurs.

Everybody has some marketable skills. Add to that passion and you have the possibility of a successful business. But skills and passion are not necessarily going to make it easy for you to set up a business that will make you a living and that is sustainable in the long run.

Any help a budding self-employed person can find is therefore always welcome. Scott Paterson certainly offers this to martial art professionals.

Helping people become good business people
Scott is building his new responsive web site to become the go to resource for martial arts specialists who want to make a living from their sport. Currently his site is focusing on his TV show where he interviews prominent martial arts exponents and practitioners and finds out what has made them a success. Easy to learn messages broadcast in informative and entertaining videos.

It’s definitely a website to look out for especially if you are into martial arts.

The post A Responsive Web Site for Martial Arts Entrepreneurs appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

Google’s research on users on mobile friendly web sites

Google posts White Paper on Users and Mobile Friendly Web Sites
It’s always worth checking out when Google publishes guidelines and this one on mobile friendly web sites is no exception. The guidelines are underpinned by 119 hours of research on user complaints about supposedly mobile friendly web sites.

1 Add a prominent search bar
Users on mobile devices don’t have the time or the budget to spend on wasted efforts trying to find what they are looking for. Most mobile users do not have limitless air time or data download facilities. Unless of course they find themselves in free WiFi zones. No matter the cost, make it easy for users to find what they are want from your site.

2 Break up large items into small bite sizes
It might seem logical that on a small screen a long form is not a good idea. But it’s not always obvious to the developer who is working on large screens and who might be used to filling in applications on a desktop computer.

For mobile device users break up an application form with many fields into bite sized screen sizes with each screen checking that the information has been entered correctly. Nothing is worse than spending what seems like a long time in completing fields and only at the end finding out that one has an error.

3 Let users browse without signing in
A most off-putting feature on any website is when one has to sign in to view content. It feels as if one is being watched by Big Brother right from the first moment on landing on the site.

Allow users to browse content anonymously or as guest. Don’t force new visitors into signing up to an account. Offer the freedom of having a look. Like walking into a store. There should be no ticket required to view the information on offer.

4 Calls to action everywhere
It’s easy to miss menu items on mobile phones. Make sure that calls to actions are where users can easily see them. Navigation was the easiest for users if calls to action were prominently displayed in the main body of the site with secondary tasks available via drop down menus.

5 Keep menus short
This is one area where the difference between desktop and mobile friendly web sites is the biggest. On desktop computers extensive drop down menus may be viewed with ease and navigation is easy. In fact users have experience navigation large menus.

On mobile view menu items have to be short. Show the fewest menu items on the mobile site. The list needs to be clearly-defined and easy to navigate. Perhaps in a way, the brevity of mobile sites should filter back into the desktop sites. After all, if it can work in short form on mobile devices, it would work just as well on desktop.

6 Make the home button easy to find
In Google’s study users indicated that they would want to use the logo to tap on to find the home page again. If that did not work on a site it caused frustration. Use the logo as a navigation button to return to the home page. Of course also use the Home button.

7 Allow users to save where they were
Most mobile users will have their search on a website interrupted. As users browse the web on the go they will often have to stop their activity due to ordinary activities interfering. Make it easy for users to find their spot again once they are back online. Perhaps a quick email option or other ways to allow users to bookmark where they have reached.

It seems obvious
As much as the above pointers as well as the other results of the Google study appear to be blindingly obvious on reading this is far from what is being presented by companies and their web developers.

Of course most of the pointers might appear to be more useful to eCommerce sites than to the more common information focused website. However, whether presenting info or selling a product making your site easy to navigate on mobile devices should be of prime importance. Your website users are migrating to their mobile devices to view your site. Look after them.

Click here to download the white paper.

The post 7 Great Tips by Google on Mobile Friendly Web Sites appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

Yeah Can’s client base is growing and at the same time spreading across the globe. Soon the office will have to have a row of clocks so that we know when our various clients are up and ready to talk to us.

Currently we have one client here in Hue, although it’s actually an NGO from Norway, so not entirely local. Then we have several based in Australia and one in New Zealand.

We have just finished a site for a Montessori school based in Singapore. Finished a site for our favourite client in Hong Kong. Then the Netherlands client has just paid us our final bonus and we are doing work for two different clients in California one based in San Francisco and the other in LA.

And let’s not forget our clients in the UK. A Lottery site and a fun iPhone App with a website for a film production house starting soon.

So far we’ve been really lucky. They have been a bunch of super people who we have worked easily and built great relationships with. We’re hoping it’s not just the lucky house we are living and working in right now. We have a very lucky Vietnamese spirit looking after us.

Maybe we should take him with us when we move to Spain at the end of the month. He’s been very good to us has Tao Quan the Kitchen God. Little altar in the kitchen where we put some fruit and something to drink for him and light incense sticks. Every now and then when we remember we actually put some yellow flowers into the big cactus in its pot.

Our garden is all in pots. We only have paved areas. It means we are in a wealthy house. Grass around a house is for farmers. How points of view differ across the globe. A beautiful lawn in the UK or South Africa means wealth. Here not so much. Your wealth is reflected by the size of the plants in the huge clay containers.

In November we will be moving ourselves and the office to Spain. Wonder if we will have a bit of grass then!

The post Web design for Clients from all corners of the World appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

The Myth about Above the Fold

Thank you to Luke Wroblewski for the content for this blog post.  View the original here. It’s something web designers get instructed to do almost daily. Place the Call to Action button way above the fold because this is where visitors will see it and react to it.  Wrong.

Placing a Call to Action above the Fold

His  succinct response to some queries on his slide show about the question of what people do when they land on a page and where one should place ones Call To Action were as follows:

This goes go well beyond the question of “do people scroll or not?” People use the notion of “above the fold” to validate calls to action, engagement, design layout decisions and more. Here’s why each of those don’t fly.

1) placing elements at the top of the screen does not guarantee they are visible because people often scroll. So just because it is “above the fold” does not mean it gets noticed. This data speaks to that:

Most focus on the page by visitors.

View also on: http://twitter.com/lukew/status/541986091960528896

2) If you are assuming people engage above the fold as a lot of design literature will tell you: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/scrolling-and-attention/

You’re likely wrong, more engagement happens right at and below the fold than above. that’s what this data speaks to:

There is no above the fold

View original here :http://twitter.com/lukew/status/541986175414575104

3) If you’re assuming the best way to drive conversion is to put big buttons above the fold, you’re missing out on the more important point of placing actions where people become convinced to act (this is key). That’s what this data speaks to:

Place the CTA where you will get a response

Original also here http://twitter.com/lukew/status/541986443598393345

4) There are design/development techniques that allow you to reposition content based on screen size. So if you do want elements visible on screen regardless of size, you can. This is “fold independent” layout. This video illustrates some of these techniques:

Where to place the CTA

Original also here http://twitter.com/lukew/status/542002504477573121

5) today’s device ecosystem renders any concrete “fold line” moot. there’s just too much variety in screen sizes. That’s the point this data makes:

Screen sizes.

View original here http://twitter.com/lukew/status/542002569392844801
Therefore designing in an adaptive/responsive manner (like in the techniques above) is required.

On the subject of scrolling alone. Yes, your layout can make it look like there’s nothing to scroll -not good. This image speaks to that:

No scrolling?

Food for thought for all web designers and their clients.

The post Breaking down the Myth about Above The Fold appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

Mobile phone users are online anywhere

Mobile phones take over from the computer
During 2014 mobile phone sales are expected to reach 1.9 billion units. What is even more significant is that smart phones are expected to account for two-thirds of this total.

There is no more growth in the sale of PCs, that is desktop and laptop computers. Analysts think that the best case scenario is in fact that there will be some replacement PC sales. That’s a terminally serious death knell for the desktop computer industry.

An interesting talk by Mitch Joel at INBOUND included a chart that showed that there are more people  who have phones than people who have electricity. And in fact there are a lot more phone owners than people who have access to safe drinking water. The 6 billion phone owners knock the close on 2 billion people with desktop/laptop computers out of the park.

Enjoy his talk here:

It’s all about mobility
Of course the laptop started the trend. A laptop, especially Apple’s Air range, allowed people to easily pack that ultra thin laptop into a shoulder bag and set it up where ever one wanted. Still, one needed a table top, at the least, to get into a more comfortable position. Standing and reading ones mail while waiting in a queue was never going to be easy to do even with an Air.

It’s the ease and speed with which the phone has taken over the computing function that is truly astonishing. Apple’s first generation iPhone was launched in January 2007 and went on sale at the end of June of that year.

Of course the smart phone, now available in a huge variety of makes and sizes, is more than just a computer. It’s a communication device with people and the entire environment. Whether chatting with friends, talking to clients, shopping, opening your car door, controlling the air con in the office, playing games or watching movies amongst tons of options. And you can do this wherever you are. Of course for many of these activities you need access to the internet

The internet connectivity is the crucial element
Ethan Marcotte has something really interesting to say about this during a recent interview.  Link here.  As marketers or builders of apps or websites for these mobile devices it’s not enough to be aware of the screen size that you are targeting your message to.

By virtue of the fact that your phone can tap into a WiFi spot near where you are standing, walking or sitting means that access is dependent on the speed of the service on offer. Most of these free WiFi zones are nowhere near the speed and capacity that you might have at your office or at home.

Add to that the cost of data downloads and slow speed if using the mobile phone network and you can see that your mobile shopper or visitor to your website is not going to have the same experience than if they were checking your site in the office.

Mobile phone users are that – mobile
When designing your website, your landing page, your mobile app or your online marketing campaigns via social media be aware that your mobile user, who is leaving her desktop computer in favour of her mobile gadget is going to have not only a small screen size but also a slow connection when viewing your online offerings.

Few words, less gorgeously big file sized images and shorter easier to fill in forms will give you better results than your media heavy website that you have in mind. Keep it short and light and you have a winner.

The post Amazing growth in Mobile Phone Sales appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

The changing face of B2B Marketing

Some very surprising B2B Marketing discoveries

Google with the assistance of Millward Brown Digital has put together an extremely interesting analysis of where B2B marketing is heading. And there are several assumptions that marketers will have to review. Soon. Times they are a changing.

Here are some quick points to start you thinking.

Who is looking for your products?

Over the past few years a dramatic shift has happened. In 2014 18 – 34 year-olds, also known as Millennials, accounted for almost half of all researchers in preparation for making B2B purchasing decisions. Why is this important? Millennials are the first generation to be born with a computer in their hand.

The older generation has grown up building face to face relationships with sales people and picking up the phone to get referrals. Not the Millennials who will use search to find what they are looking for.

C-Suits are not making all the decisions

But surely C-Suits, in general older than Millennials, are making all purchasing decisions? Not so. The Millennials are exerting strong influence within the purchasing process and in 24% of cases are in fact the decision makers.

The combination of young tech savvy people who are in position to make decisions should make one question what B2B marketing needs to focus on. Perhaps its no longer critical to take part in industry specific trade exhibitions and rather focus more on digital campaigns.

B2B Researches start with generic search

In line with a more educated customer research has shown that the B2B buying process starts with generic search. Your customer is getting general information to be able to make a more educated decision once they come to you.

Search is the number 1 resource for research. 90% of B2B researchers are using search to find out more general product info. On overage, B2B researchers do 12 searches prior to engaging on a specific brand’s site.

Part of the decision making therefore happens before the customer engages with your brand. Even before brand awareness sets in the purchaser has worked through 57% of the decision making process.

Mobile is it

According to the study by Google and Millward Brown Digital , 42% of researchers use a mobile device during the B2B purchasing process.  And there has been an impressive 91% growth in use over the past two years encompassing the entire research and purchase path.

Mobile phone users not only search via their device while away from their desktop but also while at work. 49% of B2B researchers use their mobile device while at work. And they use their phone to purchase as well. Mobile purchase rates are up 22% in the past two years.

Video is in

Online video has posted the most growth. 70% of B2B buyers and researchers are watching videos during their purchasing path. That’s a huge 52% jump within the last two years. Also relevant is that it’s not just light viewing. Nearly half of researchers are viewing 30 minutes or more of B2B related videos.

What’s important to researchers? Videos about product features are the most popular ones. These are followed by how-tos and professional reviews. YouTube is the favourite channel. Start to finish video is starting to play an increasingly important part in the purchase process.

How to succeed in B2B marketing

This is a massive shift in how B2B marketing will need to be approached. With younger people making the decisions or assisting in the decision making process the marketing approach has to focus on how the Millennials source information and make their decisions. It’s seriously different to how it was done before.

Read more here.

The post Google’s Findings on the Changing face of B2B Marketing appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

Internet users using mobile devices to view products and services

It’s mobile

ComScore’s latest annual look at what the digital world is up to has one overriding prognosis. You better get into mobile friendly mode. This is not only for retail but is of course of particular interest to companies or individuals trying to sell any type of goods and services online.

Here are some telling statistics:

* 75% of US mobile phone owners have smart phones. Of these 53% are Android, 42% are on iOS and 5% use other mobile operation systems

* Consumption of digital content by US consumers on smartphones is up 394% over the last 4 years. Interestingly mobile devices are not taking away from desktop online time, consumers are adding on to their time spent online because they can with mobile devices

* 75% of internet users go online via multiple devices

* 12% of users only use mobile devices to use the internet

* smartphone search grew 17% and on tablets 28%

* 52% of all digital time whether web, apps, desktop, tablet, smartphone and even wearable is spent within a mobile app

Get the full White Paper here.

Reflecting on online sales in 2014

Another interesting study added to these findings. Demandware analysed 100 million shoppers worldwide. They found that in the fourth quarter of 2014, 47% of online retail traffic and 33% of online retail orders came from smartphones and tablets.

That means almost half of the searches to e-commence sites were made via mobile devices and  mobile gadgets accounted for a third of purchases. Demandware further expect these figures to move more and more in favour of mobile devices. It could even be that 2015 could see smartphones becoming the primary traffic driver and that smartphones and tablets could account for 40% of orders.

Is your website ready for mobile devices

The golden days of saying you could lose business if your website is not responsive are over. So does sticking your head in the sand and hoping mobile devices will go away. In fact it’s changed to – you will lose money! Perhaps there are some businesses that can afford to lose customers and money. Do you know of any?

The post Outlook for 2015 for the digital world – mobile and more mobile appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.

How visitors react to non mobile friendly websites : Graphic credit: Tealeaf/Harris Interactive

The importance of a mobile friendly website

If your website is not mobile device friendly you could have a big problem. Yes the following reasons tend to focus on retail websites. However, every website is selling something. Whether you are an accountant or a personal coach. The reason why you have a website is so that possible clients can read up about you and make contact.

So here are some reasons to make sure your website is mobile friendly:

• One quarter or one out of four people on planet earth own a smartphone.
• More than 50% of time spent online shopping is with mobile devices
• It takes a few visits before online shoppers actually buy. They make 6.2 visits to a site, using 2.6 devices, before making a decision to buy.
• Slow loading is a revenue killer. One second delay in mobile load time affects conversion and cart size by up to 3.5%.
• And the brand suffers too. 65% of consumers say their opinion of a brand is impacted if they experience a poor online experience on a website.
• One third of unhappy shoppers who hate waiting for your site to download say they will never come back.

Did you notice how important load time is?

This is a warning to folk who want to burden their websites with all sorts of bells and whistles. That’s so last year. Simple and uncluttered is now the winning formula. You want the site to load quickly on your phone. Make sure the one big message comes through on mobile and leave out all the pretty stuff.

Refreshing a website

If your website is older than two years then you need a new one. It is almost a certainty that two years ago your web designer did not build you a mobile friendly website. Even worse if you used your cousin’s kid to build it for you.

A website is an important part of your brand. Don’t allow some hobby web designer at it. Use a professional. And be prepared to pay a little for their expertise. It’s not as easy as it might seem. There are some skills required….

The post 6 Compelling Reasons why you need a Mobile Friendly Website appeared first on Yeah Can Web Design.