Category: Web Design

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Web Design

How Google’s Cloud Vision API Will Set You Apart

How Google’s Cloud Vision API Will Set You Apart_web design nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN

Web design has a lot of various factors that play into how effective your internet presence can be. The best rule of thumb is to make use of every tool at your disposal. And new tools are coming out all the time.

Google’s Cloud Vision API is an exciting development that helps anybody who uses recognition software to streamline their processes. 

But what is it? And how can it help?

What Is Google’s Cloud Vision API?

Google Cloud Vision API is a tool that expands the capabilities of your website with the help of artificial intelligence. As defined by Google itself:

Cloud Vision API allows developers to easily integrate vision detection features within applications, including image labeling, face and landmark detection, optical character recognition (OCR), and tagging of explicit content.

But what does that mean in layman’s terms? API stands for “application programming interface,” which is a type of software that helps define actions between intermediaries.

Cloud Vision API is essentially an analytics tool. It allows developers to imbue applications with the ability to analyze images. This can take the form of the application finding certain objects within an image or even recognizing faces.

This technology can be taken a step further and incorporated into a camera which is connected to the application. Facial recognition can connect faces with individuals and even detect mood. This is done by analyzing the positioning of the person’s eyes, mouth, and nose.

Emotions such as happiness, anger, and sorrow can be detected by Google’s Cloud Vision API.

This opens up the application to be used for a variety of purposes. Analyzing images for specific content creates the potential for targeted and more relevant search results.

Visit NoSweatWeb to learn more about our web design services in Nashville, TN.

How Is It Used?

Cloud Vision API essentially helps your computer to “see” and image. Computers have been able to separate content contained within an image only through the internal code, file name, and alternative text. This makes it important for the user to properly label the image in order to make it appear in searches.

Google’s Cloud Vision API makes it possible for the program itself to do the work of labeling the contents of an image.

This capability can be very useful for websites and applications that need to sort through various images to find a particular object. It can also be used to analyze images to glean useful information from trends and other similarities. 

How Does It Work?

Computers don’t have years of evolution to train their ability to interpret the physical world like human brains do. However, they are able to process information much quicker and develop new capabilities based on patterns.

Essentially, computers can be taught to “see” by recognizing patterns and having this capability reinforced through a large amount of repetitions. 

The technology takes an image that is normally analyzed through a series of numbers acting as the internal data and looks at the pixels themselves. These pixels, when taken from a distant vantage point, are what creates the image. But close up, they simply look like a series of dots. 

These pixels are analyzed for familiar repetitions learned over time. And when a familiar repetition is found, it’s interpreted as that particular object — a cat, for instance.

Training data is included in the technology so it can test its predictions at the start. These initial readings will be wrong, but they are refined over time.

What Are the Benefits of Google’s Cloud Vision API?

The ability to analyze photos helps provide insight to your company. You can find images related to your services and learn how it’s being used, how people feel about it, and what you can do to improve.

It also can be used to filter out explicit content in user-generated content. Message boards and comments will no longer require such a strict amount of oversight.

You can use it to find your logos across various platforms. This helps you learn about who is using your products and in which manner without being tagged in the image.

Data is king in the world of internet marketing, and Google’s Cloud Vision API can help your company learn more from previously inaccessible locations.

How Do I Start Using It?

The first step is to set up a Google Computer Engine account. Then go to the Cloud Console and create a new project. The API can be enabled which will give you the ability to start the authentication process.

  • Go to the create a service key page
  • Select New service account
  • Enter a name for the project
  • Set your role to Owner
  • Click Create

Set the environment variable to “GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS” to the JSON file that has your service key.

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Web design, internet marketing, SEO services — NoSweatWeb has the tools to help set your company apart.

Contact NoSweatWeb today!

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Web Design

8 Web Design Considerations for Nashville Websites

considerations-for-nashville-web-design_web-design-nashville_nosweatweb_nashville-tn

Nashville is unique. That’s why it’s become not only a popular place to live, but also a frequent vacation destination. We have a lot to offer and it’s no longer a secret. And with this upward trend of popularity comes an increasingly competitive economic market.

Unique Nashville Business and the need for Local Websites
Nashville Local Businesses

This means you need to make use of every opportunity to set yourself apart. And there’s no bigger tool to bring attention to your business than your website. This is your online headquarters. It is how many potential customers will first learn about your goods and services.

So how do you tailor your web design to Nashville? What systems can you put in place to bring attention to your website. What can be done to make the most out of these visits once they occur?

Here’s 8 Things you need to Consider when designing a Nashville website:

  1. What is on Your Competitors’ Websites
  2. Local Stories on Local Websites
  3. Web Design Trends
  4. Location Pages for Your Website
  5. Accurate Contact Information within Your Website
  6. Link Social Media Accounts from the Website
  7. Implement Internet Marketing into Your Website

1. What is on Your Competitors’ Websites

There’s a good chance you have others in your industry in the Nashville area. Do some market research by visiting their websites. Look for similarities and differences between them. Make note of what held your attention, what you found confusing, and what you would have liked to see if you were a potential customer.

Use this information to put together a list of wants and needs from your web design. The goal is to view your website from the point of view of someone learning about your company. What tools would you like to have at your disposal? What information would you like to have up front?

Web Design Services in Nashville, TN

2. Local Stories on Local Websites

Keep in touch with local events and reference them on your website when possible. This could be done either through a blog/news section, or banners that can be updated on top of your homepage. For instance, many websites currently have a COVID-19 banner letting their visitors know how they are addressing the pandemic.

Another example could be an HVAC company alerting people to new specials during the summer — or a trucking company addressing shortages in local supplies. Inserting yourself into local stories increases your ties to the area.

3. Web Design Trends

There are always going to be trends in music, books, movies, and television. There will also be trends when it comes to web design. It’s very easy to spot a website that was built ten years ago. Websites that look out of date will tell your visitor that you aren’t on top of changes within the industry.

A fresh-looking and current website invites the visitor to dig deeper into your content. It intrigues them because it’s more interesting and more attractive.

4. Location Pages for Your Website

Location pages help directly address your community. And if you have multiple locations, this helps call out that fact. Addressing each location individually — even if there’s only one — will provide SEO benefits as well as improve the experience of your local visitors. 

This is your chance to directly address the community. It’s also a chance to include relevant keywords and headers to better help search engines find your page when someone makes a relevant search query.

5. Accurate Contact Information within Your Website

Including accurate contact information is essential to effective Nashville web design. This includes your email address, physical address, and telephone number. These need to be included not only on a dedicated contact page, but also on the footer of each webpage.

Updated and consistent contact information is essential to help search engines find your website, and customers find your business. You still need to include this information even if you don’t have a physical location. It grounds you in Nashville and shows your visitors that you are local.

6. Link Social Media Accounts from the Website

Your business should have a presence on social media. This is where a large portion of people in Nashville find their information. You’re missing out if you’re not participating in this free avenue to connect with potential customers.

You can link these accounts to your website in two directions. For instance, your Twitter feed can automatically update a sidebar in your website. Your website can also have links directly to your social media accounts. User engagement can be hugely beneficial and this is a great way to facilitate that.

7. Implement Internet Marketing into Your Website

Integrating the various forms of internet marketing into your Nashville web design gives you the best chance of connecting with your audience. Content creation, PPC advertising, social media advertising, and SEO target the people that are more likely to be interested in your product or service. 

Nashville web design can be set up to better support these tactics. Strategic content placement, inclusion of a blog section, and optimized images can assist your website in finding your customers. It also helps assist your customers to find you.

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Web Design

Why Your Nashville Business Needs Responsive Web Design for Your Mobile Friendly Website

Why Your Nashville Business Needs Responsive Web Design_responsive web design nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN
Why Your Nashville Business Needs Responsive Web Design_responsive web design nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN

Responsive Web Design and Mobile Friendly Websites in Nashville is all the talk. Why? Because technology has continued to progress creating new challenges for websites made for Nashville small businesses. The images and text contained within the layout of a website can occasionally be cut off when viewed on various devices, the navigation bars maybe obstructed, or any other challenges making it difficult to peruse Nashville’s websites.

Nashville small businesses needing mobile websites that include responsive web design
Nashville Local Businesses on Broadway Ave. 2020

Responsive & Mobile Friendly Website Design takes these considerations into account when constructing the website. It is a specific way of programming the website to adjust the layout and adapt to a wide variety of screen sizes. Images and text can be shrunken and realigned and the navigation is contained within the screen.

Gone are the days of two versions of a website — desktop and mobile. Responsive mobile web design does the work for the visitor to adapt the web pages to display perfectly no matter what size screen they are using.

The Importance of Responsive Web Design

There are about 246 million people in the United States that view the internet on a mobile device. You want to be sure that your Nashville customers are presented with the best experience when they visit your website.

The previous mentality of designing two websites — desktop and mobile — is simply unsustainable. Changes are constantly being made to these mobile devices so it is crucial for your website to be able to adjust itself. You don’t want to risk a large amount of possible sales to be lost simply because visitors were unable to find your search function on mobile devices.

Here’s how your Nashville Website stands to benefit from a Responsive Web Design:

  • Responsive Web Design Provides Better User Experience
  • Responsive Web Design Improves SEO
  • Your Reduce Bounce Rates with Responsive Web Design
  • Responsive Web Design Prepares You for Future Innovations
  • Expand Your Reach with Responsive Web Design
  • Responsive Web Design will Save on Maintenance Costs
Mobile Friendly Websites by NoSweat Web

Responsive Web Design Provides Better User Experience

The main goal of responsive web design is to improve the experience of the people that visit your website. Internet users have a lot of options. They are looking for reasons to leave your website and look elsewhere. Any annoyance or difficulty will be met with immediately leaving the website.

But a quality user experience holds the visitor’s attention. You are much more likely to create a customer from your visitor if they are able to quickly and easily find the information they need.

Responsive Web Design Improves SEO

Google rewards websites that incorporate responsive web design. This goes back to the idea of an improved user experience. Search engines want to provide their users with the highest-quality options when displaying search results. This is because they know that if they provide subpar options for users, they will start using a different search engine.

Responsive websites are rewarded with more favorable rankings on search engine results pages. And this can make all the difference when attracting new customers.

Your Reduce Bounce Rates with Responsive Web Design

Imagine visiting a website on your phone that isn’t set up for a mobile device. It generally involves a lot of scrolling, possibly some zooming. But either way, it looks bad as soon as you pull it up. This will frequently be punished by users immediately clicking off the website to look elsewhere.

Your website’s bounce rate is the tendency of visitors to leave your website without moving past the initial page. Responsive web design gives the visitors a reason to stay, which results in a better bounce rate. And the longer they’re there, the more likely they are to become customers.

Responsive Web Design Prepares You for Future Innovations

As we said earlier, technology is always changing. An unresponsive website isn’t going to be able to keep up with the innovations. This will mean your website is either going to be incompatible with new technology, or you’ll have to do a complete redesign as technology progresses.

Responsive web design is made for this inevitably. Altering the images and layout depending on the type of device used will continue to be an asset as new technology emerges.

Expand Your Reach with Responsive Web Design

Higher search result rankings and the ability to easily view your website on a wide range of devices will open your website up to new visitors. Many people find information and products through the use of social media. And social media is often viewed on mobile devices.

Position yourself to convert these new visitors by making use of responsive web design. Ignoring this consideration will leave room for your competition to pick up any slack you leave behind.

Responsive Web Design will Save on Maintenance Costs

Responsive web design is going to have a larger upfront cost, but it will save you money over time. Managing two versions of your website will create twice as much maintenance work and fees. You also stand to incur more fees as technology progresses and your current website becomes out of date.

Do your Nashville business a favor and make use of a professional responsive web design company. NoSweatWeb serves the Nashville community with responsive design, ecommerce websites, content creation services, and more.

Contact NoSweatWeb today!

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Web Design

Should You Use WordPress for Your Ecommerce Website?

Should You Use Wordpress for Your Ecommerce_ecommerce web design nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN
Should You Use Wordpress for Your Ecommerce_ecommerce web design nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN

More people are doing their shopping online. The ease of shopping from your couch can be advantageous for many reasons, but the most salient is that it’s incredibly convenient. However, this ease of transition between a potential customer recognizing a need and being able to immediately make a purchase is also advantageous to the provider of that product.

You stand a much better chance at selling your products if they are easily available. And an ecommerce website puts your products at the fingertips of everybody with internet access.

A lot of businesses know this, which is why there are millions of ecommerce websites on the internet at any given time. So how do you set yourself apart? How can you be sure that you have the tools necessary to compete with these other websites?

You need to be sure you have an attractive and functional website.

Small businesses don’t have a lot of money to throw around. So how can they get a quality website that will perform all the necessary functions?

They get a WordPress website. Here’s why WordPress is a great option for small businesses in search of the perfect ecommerce website.

Easy to Use

The first thing new WordPress users realize is that it’s deceptively easy to use. Many of us don’t have a lot of technical know-how. The idea of designing and updating a website seems impossible. But WordPress has been around for a long time. They’ve been able to hammer out the kinks and have made great strides to improve the usability of their interface over the years.

Adding products, pages, and listings can be done quickly by anybody. Their functions are intuitive. And if you find yourself confused, they have a great library of support videos to help you find your way.

Visit NoSweatWeb to learn more about ecommerce web design in Nashville today!

Professional Design

You’ve visited a lot of WordPress websites over the years. And most likely, you haven’t known they were WordPress websites. This is because they look great, can vary widely in appearance, and are just as professional-looking as something that was designed from scratch by a team of professional designers.

Templates and pre-programmed designs make it easy for a novice to quickly set themselves up with a great looking website. And soon you will have the functionality and attractive design that you might have thought would cost a small fortune.

Customizable

Don’t be fooled. Just because WordPress provides great templates and designs doesn’t mean your website has to look like everyone else’s. The wide variety in templates can help with this, but plugins can take it a step further.

These downloadable plugins can be easily added to your website to improve functionality and make sure you get exactly what you want from your ecommerce web design. Add galleries, track traffic, analyze SEO capabilities, and much more. The list of plugins is quite long so the only thing holding you back is your imagination.

Security

WordPress has many quality security systems in place to protect the users of their platform. Their security team consists of 50 developers and security researchers who are experts in their fields. They actively work to fix any bugs or potential issues before they become a large problem. And if they do become a problem, they release a report on the issue as soon as they have it fixed in an effort to be fully transparent.

SEO-Friendly

You can have the most effective ecommerce web design for your Nashville business, but it’s not going to matter if people don’t find you. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to get your name out there. It helps to get your pages to the top of relevant search results through targeted content on your website.

Blogs are a great way to boost your SEO. And it just so happens that WordPress was originally started as a blogging platform. This makes it perfectly set up to include a blog on your ecommerce website which will help drive traffic and spread the word about your company.

WooCommerce

We mentioned plugins. WooCommerce is a great ecommerce plugin that can help put your business on the internet and open you up to a whole new section of the population. WooCommerce integrates easily and smoothly with your WordPress website and quickly gives you access to functionalities that you can easily manage yourself.

Security is very important in ecommerce web design, and WooCommerce has that covered. It has a professional look, provides great analytics, and is very flexible.

Contact NoSweatWeb and get started with your ecommerce web design in Nashville!

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Web Design

Why Nashville Businesses Need A Website During A Down Turn in the Economy

How A Website Can Help Your Business During Hard Times

We have provided 4 ways websites help Nashville businesses stay in business

  1. Websites educate your customers
  2. Websites connect you with local customers and businesses
  3. Websites expand your potential reach
  4. Websites provides cost and value for your clients

Twenty years ago, websites were not as important as they are today. Potential customers often make judgements about the quality, health, and professionalism of your website.

An online presence is a good move for any business no matter what the economy looks like, but in the time of a down-turn, it is especially important that you take advantage of the Internet and keep your sales up until sales and the economy improves. The best way to do this is with a website that displays your products and services while improving your business image, reach more customers and cement your validity in the business community.

Websites educate your customers

Your primary goal is to make your website the most trusted informational resource within your industry.

A trusted website and image can build meaningful connections with local residence and customers. When they research their needs and find your business provides the answer to their problems, they are more likely to buy from you, either now or in the future.

In an economic downturn, trust-based relationships are more important than ever.

When times are hare, buyers are even more careful with their money. They will thoroughly research any purchase they are going to make, and you will need your website to show in the search results with the answer.

In order to build trust, you need to provide answers to customers’ most common questions and problems.

Websites connect you with local customers and businesses

More and more people are looking for bargains online. An online search is the quickest way to find out what is available in Nashville, as well as operating hours and driving directions to get there and other essential information like contact information. All the better if your products and services are listed and available on your website too.

If the economy shows signs of worsening, businesses should focus on producing content on their websites that closely relate to their products or services. You may find that a great many of your online customers are locals who are looking trying to solve a problem or researching for a place to drive to for pickup orders.

Websites expand your potential reach

Nashville’s brick and mortar stores, no matter how famous, can only reach as far as people are willing to travel. The Internet provides you with a way to reach local customers as well as those across the country and around the globe. If your website provides more than just a listing and description of services but a way to purchase products, gift certificates and/or subscriptions, then you can really boost your bottom line with an e-commerce website for online sales. Additionally, Nashville is a touristy area, and has the potential for future travelers who may find your website before they arrive in town and seek you out thanks to the services, photos and ideas you provided on your website.

Websites provides cost and value for your clients

During a recession, people are watching every dollar and researching online five things: cost, comparisons, reviews, potential drawbacks, and “best of” lists.

While these are all vital to the buyer’s journey, nothing is more important than cost. That’s why it’s important to list it on your website.

Remember, if people are able to find a better deal elsewhere, why should they buy from you? Is there an added value or service you offer? Is there something that differentiates your company from others?

If an online buyer is choosing between you and a competitor, price will likely be a deciding factor. You want to be able to explain why you charge what you do. Buyers respect transparency.

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Web Design

The Importance of Schema Markup for SEO

The Importance of Schema Markup for SEO_local SEO Nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN
The Importance of Schema Markup for SEO_local SEO Nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN

All websites are not created equal. There are many unseen factors that go into how your website shows up in search results. Strict attention to local SEO will help your rankings, but those who take an all-encompassing approach will be rewarded not only with higher rankings, but featured snippets.

Schema Markup is an important tool to help your Nashville business with your local SEO efforts. But what is it? And how does it help?

What Is It?

Microdata is a specification located within the content of web pages. Search engines extract and process this microdata and use it to provide stronger and more specialized search results. Schema Markup is a form of microdata. It adds what’s known as a “rich snippet” (which is basically an enhanced description) which helpsschema markup the page appear in relevant search results.

Schema was built back in 2011 through a collaboration between Google, Yahoo, Yandex, and Bing. Tools that help search engines return accurate search results helps everyone, so they worked together to provide better capabilities to achieve this.

There are a few different versions of Schema Markup codes:

  • JSON-LD (Javascript Object Notation-Linked Data): This is a method of structured markup that uses a system of name-value pairs. It is popular because of its ease of use.
  • RDFa: This method works with a variety of document types.
  • Microdata: This is the most common and easiest to use method

Contact NoSweatWeb for professional help with local SEO in Nashville!

What Can It Help?

There are a fairly wide variety of enhancements that can be made to a website through the use of Schema Markup. However, you need to be conscious of what enhancements will be useful for your particular industry. Otherwise you could spend a lot of time performing enhancements that won’t actually affect your search engine result rankings.

There should be a primary objective you are focused on completing. This will help dictate which markups you will implement and which ones you can skip. Read through the material on the Schema website for information on which enhancements will best benefit your website.

A few examples of possible enhancements include the addition of your address, upcoming events, or even images to your search result listings.

But this is where the specificity in relation to your industry comes in. You can dictate which of these possibilities can show up. For instance, the results for a web page including a recipe might want to include the recipe itself, calories, and website information.

Using Schema for Local SEO

One of the most useful results a business can get are the “near me” results. A person searching for your service without knowing local options might search for a keyword relating to your business with the addition of a tag relating to their particular location.

For instance, perhaps you’re visiting a new city and want to order some food. You search “pizza near me” and local results populate your screen. This is an advantageous list to be on.

Local businesses need to find the associated section of the Schema website which can be found here. You will find the applicable codes to help include your business’ name, address, phone number, and more.

This will create what’s known as a featured snippet for your company. These entries are very visible by search engine users and are a coveted position to hold. The addition of Schema Markups won’t guarantee your company to be at the top of these search results, but they will help your chances.

How to Implement It

The implementation of microdata can be daunting for those of us that don’t have experience with coding. It takes some work, but it can be done by just about anybody. And for those that aren’t feeling adventurous, the professionals at NoSweatWeb can help include the necessary tags to help your Nashville company improve your local SEO.

You will need a basic understanding of HTML processes and techniques. Tutorials for this can be found here.

You will also need the Schema library to find the appropriate codes for your industry.

Search through the library and locate the additions you would like to make to your search engine results. The results will give you the lines of code you will need to enter on your web page. Placeholder information will need to be replaced with your particular specifications. Simply swap these out, copy, and paste it into the lines of code for your website as dictated by the instructions.

Google provides a tool which tests the structured data of your website, which can be found here. This helps verify your work and find any errors in the codes.

Visit NoSweatWeb for help with any and all website needs!

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Web Design

Why User Intent is Important in Web Design

Why User Intent is Important_search engine optimization nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN
Why User Intent is Important_search engine optimization nashville_NoSweatWeb_Nashville TN

No matter what your industry, there is a lot of website competition for potential clients. This is true both in the physical world as well as online. And when it comes to attracting potential customers on the internet, the search engine is king.

Websites jockeying for position with search engine optimization has been a contested point since search engines were first introduced. The ways in which a website could position themselves at the top of these results have changed over the years.

Gone are the days of peppering your website and copy with specific keywords without regard to the rest of the content surrounding them. Internet users are more savvy, as are the search engines that serve them.

And that’s the main focus — serving the searcher.

This is where user intent comes in. The term “user intent” refers to what a person using a search engine is looking to find with their query. What question do they need answered? What product are they looking for? The most effective means of search engine optimization is simply to provide helpful content.

How Does User Intent Affect My Website?

User intent is the main focus of a search engine. Therefore, search engines reward websites that most adequately address user intent. The goal of a website should be to align with user intent as closely as possible for the benefit of both the website and the visitor.

On average, you have around 15 seconds to prove your worth to a new visitor. They’ll quickly hit the back button and move to the next search result if you don’t address what they’re looking for. Search engines take note of this.

Factors such as the amount of time a user spends on your website, the percentage of users that view one page and leave the site without clicking around, and how many people click into your search result in the first place play a big role in your rankings.

Properly addressing user intent will positively affect all of these aspects. This will lead to higher search result rankings.

Your content should aim to address a concern, answer a question, or otherwise provide a service. The point of a website isn’t solely to get people to click in, it’s to keep them there. And for websites that offer a product or service, there’s an additional step of creating a sale.

But if your content doesn’t give visitors a reason to stay, you won’t be able to convert on the rest of your goals.

Does your Nashville company need help with search engine optimization? Contact NoSweatWeb today!

How Should I Think About User Intent?

User intent can be separated into three different varieties.

Informational

The searcher needs an answer to a question.

Transactional

The searcher is in search of something to purchase.

Navigational

The searcher has a specific goal in mind, such as a particular website.

These distinctions are important when considering how to address a concern. After all, you can’t address a concern if you don’t understand what the searcher is looking to gain.

How Do I Address User Intent?

The chances of showing up in a search are fairly low unless the searcher is directly seeking your website. Providing relevant information that directly benefits your target market is the best way to attract attention and build your search result rankings.

Think of it this way: Gain the attention of a searcher through an informational search and convert it into a transactional interaction.

People searching for information related to your industry will be predisposed to be interested in your services. But this only works if your content alights with your product and/or service. A really well-written and informative article on brake pads won’t do a tech website any good.

Your title should work in conjunction with your content. You don’t want to trick someone into your website with a title that doesn’t reflect what they will find. This will only result in a quick departure from your visitor. It also creates a distrust of your brand and can damage your rankings.

The goal isn’t to simply make it to the top of any list of search results. Properly addressing user intent benefits everyone involved — both the business and the consumer.

How Do I Figure Out User Intent?

Imagine yourself as the person typing in a query to a search engine. What are you trying to learn? What are you looking to find?

One way to do this is to actually type your topic into a search engine. The top results most likely align with user intent. Occasionally a top-tier website will usurp a better article or page, but you can generally rely on these results. See how others have addressed the idea or question and learn from their methods.

Buyer personas can be a big help in figuring out what your potential customers might be looking for. Learn about the motivations and needs of the people your business serves and learn how they interact with your site. Create content that addresses their needs.

Visit NoSweatWeb for intelligent search engine optimization in Nashville!

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Web Design

How Responsive Web Design Helps Your SEO

A Nashville customer on cell phone interacting with a responsive website and e-commerce site allowing them to place an order.
Responsive websites for cell phones.

No matter which industry you’re in, you want your website to show up in searches. This is how the majority of your visitors are going to find you. And as any SEO company in Nashville will tell you, not all websites are created equal in the eyes of search results.

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” The goal of SEO is to get your website to show up as close to the top of the list of search results as possible when someone types in a query that relates to your services.

There are many different practices that can be implemented to get your website higher in the search result rankings. In fact, just about every aspect of your website can be optimized—everything from the images, to the text, to the layout.

However, there is one particular aspect of a website that is continually growing more important: responsiveness.

But what does that mean? And why does it help in search result rankings?

What Does It Mean to Be Responsive?

A responsive website is one that loads smoothly and quickly on multiple devices and screen sizes. This has become increasingly important as a large number of internet users are moving away from their computers and relying on mobile devices.

In a literal sense, the term refers to the ability of a website to adapt itself to the size and shape of a screen. Various elements are utilized in order for a singular website to be able to display itself in a number of different ways.

For instance, a desktop website might have a large banner image across the top that will get automatically resized when viewed on a smaller, mobile device. Or maybe the content is laid out in multiple columns that simply won’t fit on a smaller screen. A responsive website will adjust the amount of columns, or perhaps move them to save the visitor the hassle of scrolling left-to-right in order to read all of the content.

NoSweatWeb is a Nashville SEO company that also knows website design. Visit us today to see what we can do for you.

Why Is It Important?

Google isn’t the only search engine, but they do have a massive slice of the industry. 76% of desktop traffic and 86% of mobile traffic, to be specific.  And they’ve recently altered their search result rankings to favor websites which are better-suited for mobile  use. This shift is a result of the increased tendency for people to use the internet on their mobile devices.

The main goal for Google is to provide an experience that is user-friendly. After all, there are plenty of options on the internet, and people are going to gravitate toward that which is easiest to use. A responsive website is inherently easy to use, and is therefore rewarded with higher rankings in Google’s search results because of it.

How Do You Make Your Website Responsive?

Make It Fast

Page load time is factored into Google’s search results. They know that waiting for a website to pull up pictures and text makes the user’s experience less pleasurable. And a website that has been designed with an eye toward responsiveness will generally load faster because it isn’t trying to fit something where it wasn’t meant to go.

Make It Easy to Use

The amount of time a user spends on your site is important. However, users are likely to go elsewhere if they can’t easily find what they need. Responsive website design ensures that no matter how someone is viewing your content, it will be laid out in a coherent fashion.

Make It Easily Shared

A responsive website will be tailored for social media shares simply because of its design. And while this might not directly influence your search result rankings, it can be a great source of traffic. Links on various platforms can be continually shared, exposing your content to new readers and potential visitors.

Make It Engaging

The bounce rate tracks how quickly people leave your website. Do they dig deeper or do they leave without exploring other pages? A website that has a short average amount of time spent on a website is an indication of subpar content. This is reflected by lower search rankings. However, design plays as much a role in a user’s decision to leave a website as content.

Minimize Duplicate Content

One method of making a website viewable on both desktops and mobile devices is to have two separate URLs with similar content but different layouts. However, Google doesn’t understand this idea and can lower your rankings based on the existence of duplicate content alone.

Are You in Need of Website Design in Nashville?

NoSweatWeb is your one-stop shop in Nashville for both SEO and website design. We know what it takes to get results and have been helping Nashville businesses optimize their content as well as their website design.

Are you looking for a Nashville SEO company that can also help with website design? Visit NoSweatWeb today!

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Web Design

The Importance of a Mobile-Friendly Website in 2020

A man looking at a cell phone and searching for local businesses and their websites. Using search engines to find the best web designers in Nashville TN for an affordable business website.

Everywhere you look, people are on their phones. And when they’re not on their phones, they’re looking at their tablets. This is no secret, but some websites have yet to optimize their layouts and displays to properly fit on these smaller screens. However, the time has come where this can no longer be put off. Internet users will only dig more into their mobile devices in 2020. And if your website isn’t set up to accommodate this, you’ll be in trouble.

Let’s look into why and how a mobile-friendly website is essential to compete in 2020.

Increased Use of Mobile Devices

It’s estimated that there are around 4.4 billion people on the internet. And of those people, it’s estimated that 2.87 billion people will use a mobile device in 2020. That’s almost two-thirds of all internet users. In fact, it’s been estimated that more people in the world own a smartphone than a toothbrush.

And this has changed the way people interact with websites. Gone are the days of sitting behind a desk, booting up the computer, and navigating search results with a keyboard and a mouse. Most people explore the internet with taps and drags. And if your website isn’t set up to accommodate this method of exploration, users are likely to move along to a website that will.

The attention span of the average internet user is pretty short. They won’t tolerate a slow-loading website or one that is difficult to navigate. You could have the most attractive website in the world, complete with animations and buttons, but you stand to lose a lot of possible visitors if it doesn’t flow on a mobile device.

This tendency can be used to your advantage. Optimizing your website for mobile usage can attract this large section of the internet-using population.

Ready to get make your e-commerce website mobile-friendly? Visit NoSweatWeb in Nashville for expert web design today

Enhanced Customer Experience

A good, easy-to-use website that is also attractive will bring visitors back. This is a simplistic way to look at it, but it’s true. There is a lot more that goes into website design, but visitors will appreciate a website that looks good. Likewise, a website that is difficult will convince your visitors to go elsewhere.

Mobile-friendly websites are intuitive, easy to navigate, and attractive on a smaller screen. This translates to a better experience for the customer because they don’t have to scroll around to find the buttons, task bars, and menus. Pictures will be an appropriate size. And the website will load quickly and cleanly.

This is an important factor. A mobile website that takes a long time to load is likely to lose visitors.

The convenience of a mobile website is one of the main reasons people are trending toward heavier mobile usage. Being able to download a ticket to a concert, for instance, means your chances of losing it are drastically reduced. Online shopping is another example of why mobile usage has increased so dramatically. The susceptibility of people to impulse purchases on their mobile devices can be a great advantage for e-commerce websites. And having a website that is easy to use from a mobile device is absolutely crucial to converting these visitors into customers.

Better Rankings

Google’s search ranking algorithms take numerous factors into account when they compile search results. Mobile usability is one of the more important factors that are considered when someone searches for your keywords.

The increased visibility that comes along with this is essential to help potential visitors find your website. After all, you could have the best service in the world but no one will know if they can’t find your website.

This idea of optimizing your website for mobile devices is no secret. In fact, there’s a good chance your competitors are taking this into account for their own websites. Mobile usability is essential to remaining competitive. You don’t want your competitors to have an advantage, so you need to make use of every available tool you can use. And making your website as mobile-friendly as possible not only gives you the advantage of a better customer experience, but it helps with search rankings as well.

And if people can find your website easily, and then enjoy their time while they navigate it, you’ve already provided a positive experience for them before they’ve even engaged with your content.

NoSweatWeb not only knows how important a mobile-friendly website is for a small business, but we also know how to make it a reality. Visit us to see how we can help you today.

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Web Design

The Evolution of WordPress

Wordpress History

The Evolution of WordPress

WordPress is a platform to help almost anyone set up a website of their own. However, it hasn’t always been the same service we see today. Here’s a quick look at the WordPress history to see where it came from, what it is now, and where it might be heading.

How It Began

WordPress grew from the ashes of an earlier blogging platform. That platform, b2/cafelog, was shut down by its creators in 2003. Two users of the platform, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, decided to build a new platform on top of the old one. And thus, WordPress was born.

 

The interface was centered around blogging. A new version of WordPress came out the following year that extended the capabilities of the platform and allowed users to create and share their own plug-ins. At the same time, the largest blogging platform Moveable Type announced new licensing terms. Many users didn’t agree with these terms and began looking for a new platform. WordPress was there to fill this gap.

 

This influx of new users helped push the platform further. The community expanded upon what was already there. They helped introduce new features and continue a discussion that would inform the future of WordPress and what it offers.

 

NoSweatWeb has all you need to set up an engaging website for your small business in Nashville. Contact us today to see how we can help you.

How It Grew

Another new version was released in 2005 that expanded upon the customizability of the pages. It included a new default theme, the ability to moderate comments, pages, and a reconstructed theme system. Mullenweg released a statement ahead of the release of WordPress 1.5:

 

“1.5 has been our most user-focused development ever: we’ve listened closely to your requests, complaints, praise, pleas, and we’ve done our best to address these both in the core and through enabling plugin authors more flexibility. Any sentence that started “I love WordPress except for…” was fuel for the fire.”

 

WordPress 2.0 came out later that year with an entirely updated dashboard. Users gained the ability to avoid loading new pages for simple tasks such as adding tags and categories to their posts. This continued with the trend of addressing user issues and adapting toward accessibility.

 

These changes would continue as the platform moved forward. Changes to the dashboard, post capabilities, and general useability help guide the platform to becoming more than simply a blogging service. It was growing toward a fully-functional content management system (CMS).

 

Eventually, e-commerce capabilities would be added allowing users to operate their website as an online business. Media managers, theme updates, and a customizer helps users create image galleries which are used to display their merchandise.

 

The platform became adaptable to any screen type as mobile usage became more prevalent. New versions and updates were released multiple times per year to keep up with the changing market. This flexibility has helped WordPress not only remain at the top of their industry but become a leader.

What It Is Now

WordPress currently hosts 34% of all websites on the internet. There are an estimated 200 million active websites on the internet, which would put WordPress’s number around 68 million active websites. For comparison, the second most used website builder is Joomla, which hosts 2.9% of all websites on the internet.

 

Why is this? Ease of use. All of the updates throughout the years have made WordPress quite versatile. No matter what you want to do with your website, there is probably a WordPress design to help you accomplish it. And you don’t have to be a developer to figure out how to update your site. Plugins, tools, and themes all help computer novices create elegant pages with up-to-date information.

 

WordPress helps your website gain traction with built-in SEO boosts. Search engines throw a wide net into the ocean of the internet, and SEO helps your website to get caught in the drag. Permalinks, image optimization, HTML markups—all of this is built into WordPress’ websites and helps to rank better in search results.

 

Mobile usage is extremely popular these days. WordPress sites are optimized so your pages come through clear and usable, even on smaller screens.

The Future

The WordPress community continues to grow. Each passing year brings more updates and more features, which will only continue this upward trend. Updates to the available SEO features and improved functionality of the dashboard are expected to be coming soon. These improvements will only go to serve an already strong platform that seems poised to continue to grow.

 

Are you interested in an effective website of your own in Nashville? Visit NoSweatWeb today to see what they can do for you.