Website Optimisation Archives - Website Love

Why you need a WordPress Maintenance Plan

WSL Admin — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 23:09:26 +0000

Learn more about our WordPress Care Packages now.

Do you have a WordPress website?

If you do, you have plugins and themes that need to be updated or your site can crash, get hacked or be slow to load.

WordPress is amazing because it is so flexible on what it can do.

You can add a shopping cart, blog, e-courses, memberships, quizzes, landing pages, etc. Basically anything you need to grow your business, WordPress can handle with easy add-ons.

But the downside is that you have things that need to be kept up to date ongoing. Why...?

The importance of website maintenance:

WordPress uses a theme which is where your design sits, and plugins, which is the added functionality your site uses, like email opt-in forms or pop ups or the ability to accept payments.

If these are not updated then your site can crash or get really slow.

I have seen a lot of sites go down due to lack of maintenance or have major glitches, like people not being able to buy or fill out web forms without the owner knowing.

If you have not updated your site in a while or never have because you did not know you needed to, here are some important things to consider.

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Here's why you might need a WordPress Care Package:

Updates come in small sizes or really big ones to themes, plugins and even WordPress itself. If there is a big update sometimes that can cause issues or plugin conflicts that need to be tested to make sure they are still working after you update.
It's important to run backups on your site in case something goes wrong so you don’t lose everything. These can be tricky to manage.
WordPress runs using a database and overtime this grows and grows and slows your site down. This should be looked at from time to time and cleaned. Without a fast site you get penalised by Google and won’t be listed high in the search results.

To keep your site running well and protecting your visitors' data, you need to maintain it.

And if this is all sounding too hard or overwhelming, we have a Website Care Package where we do everything for you.

Learn more about our WordPress Care Packages now.

LEARN MORE

The post Why you need a WordPress Maintenance Plan appeared first on Website Love.

What to put in your website menu navigation

WSL Admin — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 02:24:31 +0000

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The primary purpose of your website menu navigation is to allow website visitors to search for and find the information they are looking for with ease. What you put in your website navigation menu should be easy to understand and use, with links that go to the most important pages on your website.

94% of consumers say they want an easy to navigate website. You want to create a streamlined user experience. Is your WordPress website menu helping or overwhelming your visitors?

Here's what your website menu should have:

Link to your most important pages in your top menu

In order to capture your visitor's attention, your main navigation should be visible. Typically this should include; home, about, contact, services, products and a blog.

You can choose to remove the word “home” and just link the logo to the home page. Whether you do this or also have the word home, this allows users to always have access to their starting point.

In your footer menu or menu at the bottom of your site, you can show things like privacy policies. If your website has a lot of information, it might be helpful for people to use the footer to find other useful and important links you can’t fit into the main top website menu navigation.

Simplify the pages and paths you link to

In the context of user experience, simplicity is key. Combine topics or use further navigation paths, like junction boxes, or visual next steps, on your core pages. The primary goal of your menu navigation is to allow website visitors to search for and find the information they are looking for quickly and easily.

Think about what your customers need and move what they don’t to the footer menu. You can use Google Analytics to review your top visited pages or a heatmap tool like hotjar.com to see what people are clicking on.

Use submenus to help people get to specific topics faster

Try to limit your dropdown submenu to only go one level deep. Keeping it to a minimum will allow your website visitors to quickly find what they are looking for.

However, if you have a lot to share, like with an eCommerce site, try a mega menu. Mega menus are a great way to present a navigation system when you have a large amount of menu items. A mega menu is essentially a large dropdown menu that displays a collection of categorised links.

Highlight important support pages in a secondary top menu

Consider your demographic and current customers. What do they need to contact you? You can use a contact bar at the top of your menu that will allow your visitors to get in touch with you either by phone, email, and whatever other options you choose to include.

Do you have a member’s or customer’s area that requires a login? You can put this at the top where you can add things that won’t be used by all visitors and make it easy for your clients to find.

You might need a different mobile version of your menu 📲

In order to create a great user experience, make sure to test on a phone.
Best practice is using a hamburger menu. The hamburger icon is a universal symbol for a menu on mobile.
If you have customer logins or booking buttons, move them out of the menu so they sit above and can easily be clicked. No one wants to deal with the frustration of trying to navigate through a tiny menu or a menu with too many links.

Set up your menu to get leads

Lastly, remember your menu is your greatest tool to help guide new visitors to take the first, or next, step with you.

Here are a couple of quick tips to use your menu to get leads and build your email list.

It is crucial to make sure that your website is accessible and easy-to-use for all of your visitors. If you are unsure where to start, we are happy to review your menu and other areas that might stop visitors from being customers.

Book your website audit here now.

The post What to put in your website menu navigation appeared first on Website Love.

What is the best WordPress Page Builder?

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 04:58:15 +0000

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Do you want an easier way to build and update your WordPress website’s pages? We recommend adding on a page builder.

What is a WordPress Page Builder?

A page builder is an add-on that allows you to visually edit your pages by clicking and dragging content around, or easily adding or removing different items, like modules, rows, and templates.

First of all, some of you might be asking, why do I need a website page builder?

Well, out of the box WordPress is not the easiest platform for creating and editing pages.

And many of its themes, or design templates, are not easy to work with either, especially if they are over a few years old.

A page builder means you can build or edit your content visually without code.

They are amazing to have and make your life easy if you need to update your website yourself.

The problem with some is that they really slow down how fast your site loads, and your visitors and Google hates that.

This is because many of them have extra unneeded code, called 'code bloat'.

Here are the most popular WordPress page builders:

WordPress page builders are a great way for users to create professional-looking websites without having to know how to code. There are several popular page builders available, each with their own set of pros and cons. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the most popular ones:

WP Bakery

Pros:

Widely used and well-supported
Easy to use, even for beginners
Offers a wide range of design elements and templates

Cons:

Can be slow and resource-intensive
Limited flexibility in terms of design
Premium add-ons can be expensive

Bricks:

Pros:

Provides a unique, block-based approach to page building
Allows for a highly customizable design
Good performance and load times

Cons:

May have a steep learning curve for beginners
Limited templates and pre-designed elements
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins

Divi:

Pros:

Highly customizable and flexible
Wide range of pre-designed elements and templates
Easy to use for beginners

Cons:

Can be slow and resource-intensive
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins
Premium add-ons can be expensive

Thrive Themes:

Pros:

Provides a suite of conversion-focused tools and features
Easy to use for beginners
Good performance and load times

Cons:

Limited design flexibility
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins
Premium add-ons can be expensive

Elementor:

Pros:

Easy to use for beginners
Wide range of pre-designed elements and templates
Good performance and load times

Cons:

Limited design flexibility compared to some other builders
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins
Premium add-ons can be expensive

Oxygen:

Pros:

Provides a unique, visual approach to page building
Highly customizable and flexible
Good performance and load times

Cons:

May have a steep learning curve for beginners
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins
Limited pre-designed elements and templates

Beaver Builder:

Pros:

Easy to use for beginners
Wide range of pre-designed elements and templates
Good performance and load times

Cons:

Limited design flexibility compared to some other builders
Limited integrations with other tools and plugins
Premium add-ons can be expensive

Here are the fastest 3 WordPress Page Builders:

If you want a fast site you should consider only using one of these. Whichever one you decide to go with, it is important to ensure that it meets all your requirements at the beginning.

At Website Love, we have chosen Beaver Builder. Why? Because it is so easy to use! And it’s fast!

The right page builder for you will depend on your needs and preferences. If you're looking for something easy to use and with a wide range of pre-designed elements and templates, WP Bakery, Divi, Elementor, or Beaver Builder might be a good choice. If you're looking for something more customizable and flexible, Bricks, Thrive Themes, or Oxygen might be a better fit. Keep in mind that some builders may be slower or more resource-intensive than others, so it's important to consider performance and load times as well.

The post What is the best WordPress Page Builder? appeared first on Website Love.

How to Increase Conversions on Your Website

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 05:07:48 +0000

Is your WordPress website set up to be a 24/7 salesperson, converting visitors into customers? Increasing conversions on your website could be as simple as a few little, yet very important, tweaks and fixes to your main website pages. Here's where to put your CTAs (call to actions) on your website so you can get better results.

You may have spent a fair bit of time and money getting more traffic to your site – focusing your efforts into getting your brand out there and tirelessly working to make your site more Google friendly with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). But now, are you left wondering why those visitors are not taking the next step?

Why improved Call To Actions might be the answer...

CTAs are one of the most critical components to help increase your website conversions.

You want visitors to buy, book, subscribe, or get in touch right? You need to clearly tell your visitors what action you want them to take. And you must make this easy for them to do as well through easy-to-see clickable links or buttons.

For it to be most effective, your website should have a CTA that can be spotted by users within 3 seconds.

So instead of allocating more budget to ads, it might just be that some small improvements to your website to optimise it for conversions can make a world of difference.

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Where do I start?

Here are some fundamentals to consider when it comes to the use of call to actions on your website:

Make sure your CTAs are visible and easily clickable. Test to ensure this is the case on different devices - desktops, mobiles and tablets.

Clickable buttons work best, followed by icons or images or banners. In fact, it has been found that CTAs in the form of buttons increase the click-through rate by 45%.

You should only have 1 or 2 primary CTAs per core page on your website. Remember, quality over quantity. You don’t want to confuse or overwhelm visitors with too many options or directions for them to take with you. These can change based on the page they are on. Just think about the best next step someone can (and should) take on each page of your site.

Where should I put CTAs to increase my website conversions?

Put them in your top menu - like a 'call us', 'get a quote', 'book online', 'start here' or 'contact us' button.
Place them in the top area of your home page. You can even use 2 here if you want - something like 'book now', 'how we help', 'shop now' or 'get free course' (to promote your freebie).
Ensure there are CTAs throughout all of your main web pages - such as your 'about' page where you can showcase your services, a 'book now' button on your services pages, or a 'buy now' button on your product pages.
Put them throughout your blog articles.
Include them in the footer area of your site.

Finally, one last tip - don't let anyone scroll too far without seeing a CTA. Your visitors should not have to search for what to do next, especially on a mobile device.

And if you’re looking for a way to make your CTAs even more attractive, check out our one simple tip to sell more!

The post How to Increase Conversions on Your Website appeared first on Website Love.

Website Optimisation Archives - Website Love

Why you need a WordPress Maintenance Plan

The importance of website maintenance:

Did you see this? Get instant access to our free training "The Ultimate Checklist to patch the “leaks” in your website so you stop losing business" 👇

Here's why you might need a WordPress Care Package:

What to put in your website menu navigation

Did you see this? Get instant access to our free training "The 6 Things your Website needs so you get more Customers" 👇

Here's what your website menu should have:

Link to your most important pages in your top menu

Simplify the pages and paths you link to

Use submenus to help people get to specific topics faster

Highlight important support pages in a secondary top menu

You might need a different mobile version of your menu 📲

Set up your menu to get leads

What is the best WordPress Page Builder?

Did you see this?

What is a WordPress Page Builder?

Here are the most popular WordPress page builders:

WP Bakery

Bricks:

Divi:

Thrive Themes:

Elementor:

Oxygen:

Beaver Builder:

Here are the fastest 3 WordPress Page Builders:

How to Increase Conversions on Your Website

Why improved Call To Actions might be the answer...

Did you see this? Get instant access to our free training "The 6 Things your Website needs so you get more Customers" 👇

Where do I start?

Where should I put CTAs to increase my website conversions?

Did you see this?
Get instant access to our free training "The Ultimate Checklist to patch the “leaks” in your website so you stop losing business" 👇

Did you see this?
Get instant access to our free training "The 6 Things your Website needs so you get more Customers" 👇

Did you see this?
Get instant access to our free training "The 6 Things your Website needs so you get more Customers" 👇