It was appealing to the eyes and definitely had the appearance of a website. At some point the HR started asking why I used every single element and all I could say was; “just to make it look nice”, funny yea?

It’s not about having a nice looking WhatsApp or Facebook or LinkedIn app & website, it’s about how easy you navigate through these app or website. The question now lies on why every element on the design is being used.

Here is an example, Imagine creating an e-commerce website and you had to put the social media handles on the header, knowing that the users of your website are likely to click on these handles which will direct them out of your website whereas the purpose of the website is to make users navigate through your contents and make their orders not to send them out of it immediately they get on the website.

It’s not just about having a visual appealing design but a very tough one to work around. It’s like having a beautiful partner who doesn’t impact your life or having a lot of money in a city where everything is free.

When creating UI Designs, know that the design is not for you, not for your client but the client’s audience. Now put yourself in the user’s shoe and see if you’ll be happy to work around your designs when it’s live!

The post Why You need a “Why” in design appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

Dear reader, I know you might be reading this article because you are contemplating whether to have a website for your restaurant, I am here to tell you that you are losing out on gaining more customers for not having a website for your restaurant.

Even if you have been in business for a long while without a website, remember that times have changed, and having a digital presence is almost as important as your physical one.

In this article, I’ll be sharing 5 serious reasons your restaurant needs a website. Let’s go!

1. Increase brand awareness & visibility

Do you want your restaurant to be visible to a large and wide audience? Then you need a website.

A website will help you strengthen your brand awareness. Over 3 billion individuals have access to the internet and without a doubt, your customers are among them!

Food is a basic human need and there are a lot of people searching for restaurants in their localities just like me. LOL.

2. Promote other services

Your restaurant’s website can be used to promote some of the other services you render. For example, a restaurant can also have a dispatch service or catering service, this can also be displayed on your website, so that is like using one stone to kill two birds.

3. Keep customers up-to-date on the menu

Keep your customers in the know about what is happening or is the latest in your restaurant.

Whether you just opened a new restaurant, have a new dish, your food menu for the day, your customers can get this information on your website.

4. Get reviews from customers

You can get reviews from your customers on your website. If it is a good review, that’s definitely good for business and if it is a bad review, do not feel bad, take it as a great opportunity to improve and ensure your customers have a great experience at your restaurant.

People naturally like to read reviews from people who have used your service, this can definitely influence their decision to use your service or not.

5. Reduce advertising cost

Instead of spending a large amount of money on printed flyers, etc. With a website, you can display ads or information about your restaurant and this information is there on your website 24/7 until you decide to remove.

Conclusion

If your restaurant does not have a website, you are missing out on a lot of customers. You need it for your business to grow.

To be relevant in this age and time, a website for your restaurant is very important. Even your competitors know this and they are not slacking on this.

Do you need a website for your business simply Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist.

Do you have questions or comments concerning this article? Please feel free to leave a reply below.

The post 5 Serious Reasons Your Restaurant Needs A Website appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

In this article, I’ll be sharing 5 reasons why your church needs a website.

1. A website welcomes first-timers to your church

Many people are using the internet daily, and a lot of first-timers will stumble on your church’s website. Some are seeking spiritual direction and love, your church’s website can put them at ease with messages that are warm and encouraging.

While some people might have just moved to your location and are looking for a church to attend, your website should be welcoming and it should express your desire to see them at your church.

2. It keeps members up-to-date on activities

Rather than spending a chunk amount of money on bulletins and flyers, relevant information can be uploaded on the website for members to see. Also, this is also good for our environment. Save a tree today!

3. To appeal to the younger generation

Another reason why your church needs to have a website is that the younger generation is flooded all over the internet and to appeal to these ones, having a website is crucial. In a search, they want to know more about your church, the values and so on.

4. It establishes credibility

Credibility is key! Having a website improves the image of your church. It shows that your church is legitimate and builds trust in the minds of the people that visit your website.

5. It showcases your CSR activities

Your church website can be used to showcase your church’s involvement in the community which also has a way of building your church’s credibility, trust and it ultimately shows that your church cares for its people.

Conclusion

Your church website is where people’s first impression about your church is formed and it helps you get discovered. Here is a recap on why your church needs a website.

• A website welcomes first-timers to your church
• It keeps members up-to-date on activities
• To appeal to the younger generation
• It establishes credibility
• It showcases your CSR activities

If you need help or guidance in improving your web design, simply Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist.

Do you have questions or comments concerning this article? Please feel free to leave a reply below.

The post 5 Reasons Why Your Church Needs a Website appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

In this article, I’ll be sharing 4 reasons Why Your Small Business Needs A Functional Website.

1. Increase in sales

A functional website where people can place orders or get your current contact information to make further inquiries is very important.

2. For Credibility

A website helps you establish credibility as a small business. Having a website does not only put your small business out there it positions your business or brand as a credible one.

3. Reach a wide audience

Having a functional website enables your business to reach a wide audience. The internet is accessible to a large number of people around the entire globe and it is a great opportunity to reach them.

4. Save money on printing

Instead of spending a large amount on printing flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials, a website can be your online brochure that people from anywhere in the world can view. Another good thing is that the information can be updated easily compared to a printed flyer or brochure.

Conclusion

As a small business owner, you need a website for your business, things have changed and your business should grab the great opportunities a website has to offer.

I hope you found this article very useful!

If you need help or guidance in improving your content marketing strategy, simply Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist.

Do you have questions or comments concerning content marketing? Please feel free to leave a reply below.

The post Why Your Small Business Needs A Functional Website appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

If your school does not have a website or any other presence online, there is a high chance that you have missed on a lot of potential parents and students.

In this article, I’ll be sharing 5 ways a website will help your school.

1. Give prospective students/parents a good impression of your school

Your prospective students/parents are on the internet and the best way to get their attention is to make a good first impression with your school website. A frequently updated news/activity column on your website can give a good impression of your school and can lead them to make an inquiry and enroll in your school.

Also, a neat, attractive and distinct website can also attract prospective students/parents to your school.

2. Keep parents and students updated on activities

As stated earlier, a website is a good way to inform people online about happenings in your school. It will also enable your school to provide timely and current information to existing parents, students, etc. this can include resumption date, school fees, deadline for payments, recruitment, graduation, etc.

3. Give your school a wider reach

Having a website is a great way to market your school because it has a wider reach. With the internet, you can reach billions of people.

4. Improve the school’s image

A website increases your credibility, it shows that your school is legitimate and ready for business. It will also give a level of trust in the minds of your potential students, parents, and teachers.

Most times, people’s first contact with your school is through your website, and if they search your name on the internet and they find nothing about you, it can tamper with your school’s image.

5. It strengthens your advertising

Having a website is a great tool for advertising your school. You can run Search Engine Marketing (SEM), or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which is very cost-effective, with good SEO you are sure to reach your target audience.

Conclusion

By having a web presence, a school can increase its market considerably as it will be more visible. Also, information can last longer and can be changed conveniently.

I hope you found this article useful!

If you have questions or any point you’d like to add, please leave your comments below.

The post 5 Ways a Website Will Help Your School appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

Note that before building a website, there are a few things you need to know. In this article, I will be sharing 5 things you need to start a website.

1. A goal

Before building a website, have a goal at the back of your mind. Identify what you want to achieve by building the website.

It is also essential that there is clarity in your goals at the foundation stage so as to ensure desired business results.

2. Domain name

After you set your website goal, you have to decide on a domain name which is also known as a website name.

According to Hostinger, the domain name of your website is equivalent to a physical address. It doesn’t end at choosing a name, you also have to register it. Also, ensure you choose a name that is easy to remember.

3. Web hosting

For your website to be accessible to individuals on the internet, you need a web hosting company. So when someone types your domain name in a browser, it will fetch your website content from your website host.

Basically, web hosting is essential for getting your website online.

4. Logo

A logo is very essential to have on your website. It is the heart of visual branding.

Your logo is a form of identity for your brand. A good logo should connote integrity, professionalism, quality, and trustworthiness to your website visitors.

5. Google analytics

If you are serious about increasing the number of visitors to your website you need Google Analytics.

Google Analytics enables you to track the number of visitors on your website, the keywords used, the amount of time spent on your website and a whole lot more. It helps you gain insights into how people are interacting with your site.

Conclusion

Building a website can be daunting, but once you are familiar with the concepts mentioned above the process would be easier.

If you need help or guidance in improving your web design, simply Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist.

Do you have questions or comments concerning web design? Please feel free to leave a reply below.

The post 5 Things You Need To Start A Website appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

1. For visibility

The rate at which individuals use the internet is increasing on a daily basis.

A website increases your online visibility as an NGO. It helps attract individuals who sympathize with your cause or have an interest in what your NGO does.

2. Confirms your legitimacy

A website positions your NGO as a legitimate institution. It helps verify the authenticity of your organization. Also, a well-designed website can help confer instant credibility with anyone when they see your website.

3. Increases awareness of your work

Having a website can help drive traffic to your website. There are a number of people checking out your page. Your website can help educate or influence these individuals. Knowledge is the stepping stone to bringing change, and your website will provide that to people.

4. Getting volunteers/donors is easier

Websites make it possible for donors to contribute to your organization from the comfort of their homes. With a simple “Donate Now” button on your website it is easy and convenient for individuals to donate to your organization.

5. To build your brand

Having a website serves as a means of building and managing your brand as an NGO.

6. 24/7 presence

Having a website for your NGO increases the accessibility and approachability for your organization.

Conclusion

If your NGO wants to work with outside donors and have the opportunity to grow, you need a website.

We trust you’ve found this article helpful.

If you need help or guidance in building your website, simply Contact Us. We’d be happy to assist.

Do you have questions or comments concerning website design? Please feel free to leave a reply below.

The post 6 Ways a Website Will Help Your NGO appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

Below are the 10 pages that are standard to corporate websites, the pictures explain it all;

Home Page

This is where you provide a summary of who you are and what you offer. At a glance, a visitor should be able to tell who you are and what you do. Your message should be clear and concise.

It is important to make navigation easy for visitors. Use clear and eye-catching Calls-to-Action (CTAs) – what you want the visitor to do.

Also, make good use of visuals wherever possible to capture the visitor’s attention.

Website Home Page: Cardinal Stone Registrars

About Page

This is where you provide an overview of the history of your business and educate your visitor about how you are different from your competitors. Also, include your core values, vision, and mission statements. There are three key questions this page needs to answer:

• Who are you?
• Why are you doing this?
• What makes you different?

Website About Page: Red Star Express PLC

Team Page

This is a good place to show your resourceful team as part of your organizational work. People want to see the individuals who make up your company before working with you.

Website Team Page: Cardinal Stone Registrars

Services Page

This is where you provide information about all the services you offer. The information should be structured as below;

• Setup the value that your service provides
• Explain how you deliver it differently
• Introduce your proven process for delivering it effectively

Website Services Page: FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange

Portfolio/Case Studies Page

This is where you showcase your previous projects and show your visitors what you can do.

Website Case Studies Page: HMANSOFT INTERACTIVE SOLUTION

Testimonials / Clients

This is where you show your site visitors what your clients think about your service. It enhances credibility, trustworthiness, and your dependability.

Website Testimonials Page: HMANSOFT INTERACTIVE SOLUTION

Blog/ News & Media Page

This is where you post news or helpful content. This is your chance to show potential customers you know what you are talking about.

Website News&Media Page: iConcepts

Contact Page

This is where you provide your visitors with all of the different ways they can get in touch with you by putting the information they’re looking for -an email address, phone number, contact form, map, mailing address, etc. Use CTAs that allow the user to contact you easily.

Website Contact Page: HMANSOFT INTERACTIVE SOLUTION

Privacy Policy Page

This is the page where you need to outline how any information you collect will be used and if it will be shared or not.

Website Privacy Policy Page: SAVOL West Africa

Terms of Use Page

This is where you display rules your customers must agree to in order to use your services.

Website Terms of Use Page:  Red Star Express PLC

The post 10 Pages Corporate Websites Should Have appeared first on CKDIGITAL.

Website traffic helps you to see how well your marketing is working, gather insight about your audience to make better decisions on how to improve your brand. It also helps you to boost search engine credibility, help you generate more leads and increase conversion rate.

There are several ways to drive traffic to your website and here are some effective ways.

1. Check Your Baseline

To start growing your website traffic, it is essential that you check your baseline, i.e, know your current traffic statistics. This will help you know if every other step you take to increase your website traffic is yielding a result.

There is a way I know you can do this. You need to set up your google analytics.  If you’d rather not use Google Analytics, two good alternatives are:

• Clicky Analytics (some people prefer this due to it’s “real-time” features)
• Mixpanel

Here are some of the most important metrics you should note:

• Unique visitors (Users)
• Bounce rate
• Average time on site (Avg. Session Duration)
• Pageviews
• Pages per visit (Pages/Session)
• Traffic sources (direct, search, and referral), etc.

2. Search Engine Optimization

On-page search engine optimization (SEO) is very essential in making your website visible to users and potential users.  SEO is defined as the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines. Naturally, when people search, they go with the first – tenth result- the first especially has an added advantage. SEO helps entrepreneurs with delivering their spot to top rank internet searchers. It helps you attract and connect with a large number of the customer as well as reaching mobile users. It’s important to ensure that your site and content are as relevant as possible to those seeking your products or services. This would involve research on keywords that your potential customers will search to help them find you in time, also create valuable content and craft captivating meta tag descriptions.

Optimizing your local search presence can have enormous benefits for your business. It will boost sales, increase your visibility (both online and offline) and help you connect with customers, increase local visibility and easier KPI tracking, as well as help you achieve better conversion rates. Latest Google statistics tell us that about 20% of search queries are related to location.

SEO has become highly competitive and it’s no longer enough to post consistently, you need to really nail your SEO, do a continuous campaign, check for meta tags, etc, to get (and stay) ahead of the competition.

Recent research also shows that SEO strategy has changed over time and this change is caused by  Google’s Hummingbird algorithm.

By this, it means instead of just looking at keywords, Google now understands topics and this affects 90% of users searches.

Hence, for Google to understand your content’s topic, you need to make use of what is known as LSI Keywords. through your LSIgraphs.  These are words and phrases related to your target keyword. For example, let’s say you just wrote a post on Event Planning, your LSI keywords would be words and phrases like:

3. Social Media Platforms

Social media can be a useful tool for businesses, as they help in engaging with your audience and boosting website traffic. Also, it helps in customer interaction, brand reputation and it is cost-effective. Managing your social media is hard work but when consistently done, the reward is overwhelming. However, it also has its disadvantages, including the resources required and negative feedback. Considering these pros and cons can help you decide the best approach to social media for your business. Social media is one of the most effective ways to get people to see the stuff you are made of.  You are also at an added advantage of tapping into the personal networks of your existing fans.

The icing on the cake to using social media is making use of effective hashtags. This has recently been discovered as the best tool to get lots of people to see your post. Smart use of hashtags enables you to precisely target your ideal customer and expand your reach beyond your existing audience. Other ways to get more shares on your post. is to use the ‘click-to-tweet’ button.

Another way to increase your traffic is to share videos on LinkedIn. Recent research has shown that LinkedIn growing FAST. The number of people sharing stuff on LinkedIn has increased significantly in recent time. That being said, but how can this be done? One major way that has been discovered is to post video content, especially personal stories that will inspire your viewers. Your subject must also be catchy and your content must be on point across all your social media platforms. They must be engaging, your words must be organized, use shorter paragraphs and bucket brigades, like Wait, Here’s the deal, For example, In fact, That said, etc.

Also, ensure that pictures drive down your point and are catchy enough for the eyes. Eye-catching photos can do wonders for your traffic. They make your posts are more appealing and so readers tend to stay on your site longer. Researchers have found that images on Facebook constituted 93% of the most engaging posts, compared with all other status updates. When you combine your title with an engaging image, you give it the best opportunity to generate traffic and clicks.

Another essential thing to note is to post during peak hours. You need to understand that it isn’t enough to just post content to social media whenever you feel like, there are special hours to post according to Hubspot. Some times are better than others. Although you may not be able to get adequate timing, with the help of this link above, you get more tips on how to go about this.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a highly effective channel for driving traffic to your website. It is advised that you generate your email lists from your website or already established client database. This is because it has been proven over time that organic emails work best and produces a good result. Building a sequence that nurtures new sign-ups and develops a relationship is now an essential part of email marketing.

5. Engage in Guest Post

Many have come to the conclusion that Guest Posts are ineffective, however, if strategically managed, it is one of the best ways to help generate traffic to your site. This is because they are likely to share the post with their large audience. It can also help to add more variety to your content and show your visitors that you are active in your field. Essential of all is to blog on sites that are relevant to your audience so that you generate high-quality traffic. Identify complementary businesses in your area whose audience is relevant to your business. See if you can contribute a post to their blog with a link back to your website. Make sure your content is relevant and useful to their audience so that it’s more of an even exchange.

Guest Posts entices new visitors over to your website. It will be nicer if you also allow other writers to blog on your site as well. You should, however, not limit yourself to only written posts but make use of other forms like Instagram takeovers and YouTube guest appearances. Also, include “helpful resource” sections throughout your guest post. Adding your content as one of the helpful resources is also an added advantage to this.

Conclusion

Having read through these 5 steps, you will agree with me that these are very essential to helping your business grow and make your brand known. Also ensuring you are creating contents that appeal to Influencers. The reality is if you want influential people to share your content, your content has to be appealing. By continuously doing these, you are positioning yourself as a trusted authority in your field.

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After building hundreds of websites using WordPress, you can say we know WordPress pretty well.

In this article, we share 7 reasons why we say WordPress is the best CMS for business websites.

30% of the entire web uses WordPress — a figure that rises every day!

Everything from simple websites, to blogs, to complex portals and enterprise websites, and even applications, are built with WordPress.

What makes WordPress so special? Well, this quote from the WordPress website, pretty much sums it up:

Beautiful designs, powerful features, and the freedom to build anything you want. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Still need some convincing? You’re at the right place!

Here are 7 reasons why we say WordPress is the best website CMS platform for businesses. Let’s go!

1. WordPress is Highly Extensible

WordPress does not limit you in any way.

Whenever you have a new feature in mind you would like to add to your website, it’s usually just one plugin away.

This means you don’t need to spend much time or money coding from scratch. It’s also very easy to add and configure these plugins.

Here’s a quote from the WordPress to drive home this point:

WordPress comes packed full of features for every user, for every other feature there’s a plugin directory with thousands of plugins. Add complex galleries, social networking, forums, social media widgets, spam protection, calendars, fine-tune controls for search engine optimization, and forms.

2. WordPress Makes it Painless to Redesign your website

With WordPress, your website can get a complete makeover within a short period.

Of course, depending on the size of your website, this can range from a couple of minutes to days (or weeks), but however long, it’s still faster than most CMS platforms.

For instance, at HMANSOFT, we either create custom-made WordPress themes or customize premium ‘ready-made’ themes. The latter is usually faster, but the approach depends on the project goals.

Here’s something else you should know:

If your website is built on WordPress, the advanced theming feature of the platform enables you redesign your website without having to re-upload your content. Sweet!

Even though the entire look and feel of your website will change, your content does not get messed up. How great is that?

Hear from WordPress:

…there’s a theme directory with thousands of themes for you to create a beautiful website. None of those to your taste? Upload your own theme with the click of a button. It only takes a few seconds for you to give your website a complete makeover.

3. Managing a WordPress Website Doesn’t Require Technical Knowledge

Unlike may other CMS platforms out there, WordPress doesn’t require a lot of technical skills or experience to use.

Here at HMANSOFT, once we’ve built a website for a business, after a short training, clients that have never used WordPress before are able to start managing their websites right away.

Here’s how WordPress’ simplicity is described on their website:

Simplicity makes it possible for you to get online and get publishing, quickly. Nothing should get in the way of you getting your website up and your content out there. WordPress is built to make that happen.

4. WordPress is Inexpensive to Run and Maintain

The WordPress software and most plugins are completely free.

If you are not willing to learn how to build websites yourself, you may still need to pay a web designer or an agency like CKDIGITAL, but even at that, the cost here cannot be compared to that of coding a website from scratch.

Also, in terms of hosting, you do not need a super-expensive server. For most basic websites, cheap ‘shared hosting’ plans are good enough.

5. WordPress is Search Engine Friendly

WordPress is built to be search engine friendly.

If you know us well at HMANSOFT, you know we love SEO. What’s the point having a website for your business that isn’t search engine friendly?

Hear from WordPress themselves concerning the SEO feature of the software:

WordPress is optimized for search engines right out of the box. For more fine-grained SEO control, there are plenty of SEO plugins to take care of that for you.

6. WordPress Makes Blogging Super-Easy

WordPress started as a publishing platform.

While it has grown over the years to become a much more sophisticated software, it still has great strengths for content publishing.

WordPress makes it very easy to share news, updates and blog articles (like this one).

WordPress also comes loaded with a powerful commenting system, so you can get feedback from your audience… and who doesn’t love feedback?

Read this quote from the WordPress website:

If you’ve ever created a document, you’re already a whizz at creating content with WordPress. You can create Posts and Pages, format them easily, insert media, and with the click of a button your content is live and on the web.

… and this one:

Your blog is your home, and comments provide a space for your friends and followers to engage with your content. WordPress’s comment tools give you everything you need to be a forum for discussion and to moderate that discussion.

7. Keeping your WordPress Website Updated is Easy

One drawback to the use of WordPress is security. Due to its popularity, it is a target for hackers and spammers.

WordPress however combats this issue actively by constantly releasing updates to address vulnerabilities and further secure the platform.

To learn more about securing WordPress, see this article we shared: 4 Simple Ways to Make Your WordPress Website More Secure

To take advantage of the security updates, WordPress enables you update your software version easily, just at the click of a button.

There’s even an option for automatic updates!

So there your have it! 7 reasons why we say WordPress is the best Website CMS for businesses. Hopefully, you can agree with us that…

Best Website CMS = WordPress!

Are you interested in discussing how we can help you with Web Design & Digital Marketing? Contact Us today.

Do you have questions or comments concerning WordPress? Feel free to leave a reply below.

The post 7 Reasons to Choose WordPress as your Business Website CMS appeared first on CKDIGITAL.