Wieting Design

Website Launch CransBaldwin, LLC

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We are very excited to announce the launch of CransBaldwin a Luxury Design Collection company based in Darien, CT. Crans wanted to make his new website faster, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly.

Our goal with this new website is to provide his visitors an easier way to learn about CransBaldwin’s services and to browse information based on their own choice. The new website gives better access to Who He Is, How They Work, Contact Information For Each Supplier, Galleries, Expertise & Services. VIEW WEBSITE

Why your website design could make or break your online sales

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Ample website traffic is only the first step in growing your online business and increasing sales. Once you’ve built that traffic, you need to analyze what makes a visitor become a customer, and that task can be much harder than driving traffic.

The reality is, consumers have very high expectations for websites now, meaning you better tailor a fantastic experience that wows them and makes the next steps apparent. And for this to happen, it all comes down to one thing: website design.

Your website design can make or break the sale. And with online sales continuously growing year after year, it’s the elephant in the room you can’t ignore. According to Digital Commerce 360, 2019 U.S. online sales accounted for $601.75 billion of consumer spending. That’s a 14.9 percent increase over the prior year.

While focusing on website traffic is good, it won’t matter if that visitor came from a search engine, social media, or email marketing, they’ll need a clean and clear design once they get there that sets forth everything that’s important about your brand and makes it clear what they should do next.

The troubling reality is, if you choose to ignore your outdated online presence, all your traffic could be for naught because visitors will just leave and find solutions to their problems elsewhere. So here are the ways your website could be sending your visitors to your competitors instead of converting on your website.

Your website doesn’t guide the user to important content

Today’s consumers are rather spoiled from outstanding online experiences. Whether it’s a car dealership that puts information in the header graphic to go here for used cars and there for new cars or Apple who sets up easy-to-read charts to compare their technology, consumers expect a lot out of websites now.

So if your website isn’t offering that guidance to your visitors, the consumer might feel misunderstood and fatigued from navigating your site. And so they leave and you miss out on that sale.

Good website design makes it so that the next step is clear. Bold calls to action that tell the user specifically what to expect when they click on them, effective value positioning, and suggestions for similar products you sell at the bottom of every product page can all help tell the user what to do next.

Clutter and slow load times frustrate the user

A slow-loading website is a website that most people don’t have time for. You have seconds to showcase who you are, what you offer and why all of that matters. After all, there are plenty of websites out there that sell what you sell or offer the services you offer. So why would a user stay on your site and wait for your content to load?

Even if your website loads quickly, if it’s cluttered and busy, you’ll overwhelm your visitor. For example, some websites have two or three calls to action before the consumer even scrolls. That’s too many and can weigh down your online experience unnecessarily.

Well-designed and executed websites load quickly, offer important information on the first page and compel the user to take the first step toward purchasing with your business.

Discuss with your website designer file types that provide the best user experience and quick load times. Even if that’s the only aspect of your website you can fix right now, it will have a huge impact on your online business.

Calls to action are lacking or ineffective

The calls to action throughout your website might be the most important content you host. They tell users how to get more information about you, where to go to purchase a product, how to navigate the purchasing process and what number to call if something goes wrong.

Some pages might have primary and secondary calls to action, such as make a purchase and join our email list. So what happens if both calls to action are strong and demand the user’s attention? Simply put, they won’t function as primary and secondary calls to action. Instead, they might confuse and overwhelm your visitor compelling them to take neither action and leave your website.

A website designer is skilled at presenting your calls to action in a bold yet inviting manner. Sometimes, removing hyperlinks from your body text or images can strengthen your buttons and primary calls to action to nudge the visitor to the pages and information you really want them to view.

In your preliminary conversations with your website designer, make sure you discuss the customer journey and the information consumers need to make a purchasing decision. This information can help your designer ensure that this customer buying journey is visually presented within your website and optimized for conversion.

The website is outdated and lacks the “coolness factor”

This aspect of your website is a bit more abstract but still very important. Outdated websites can be a serious turn off for visitors. They might exude a certain image that you don’t care what the consumer thinks and that isn’t a great look.

And not only that but websites that lack a modern look and feel are less likely to be shared. To show your consumers that you care about them and about engaging with them, you need a modern design.

Build in encouragement for social sharing. That doesn’t mean cluttering every page with social media buttons or saying “share this” on every webpage. Be strategic and highlight the most shareable pages. These might be your images, blog posts or product pages. Use subtle calls to action on these pages to share with a friend.

Or even include the option to share the fact that they’ve purchased with your company. Luxury brands or services that are social events, such as concerts or 5Ks, can benefit from a purchase thank you page that offers the option to share that purchase with the consumer’s social network.

Purchasing or completing a form from mobile is too hard

Just about every website platform on the market today has a mobile-first design because mobile is essential. So why are we still talking about mobile websites? Easy, because many still lack the features and ease for mobile that encourages purchases and engagement.

Whether you like it or not, the Amazon app allows consumers to make purchases with the click of a button. No, we can’t all be Amazon. But when you think about how convenient they make it, you have to at least come close.

All forms and your online purchasing process must have a mobile-first design. That means enabling autofill, simplifying the information you request to only what’s essential and offering the option to log in so that consumers can complete the purchase process using the information you already know about them.

Mobile e-commerce sales continue to take up more and more of the online purchasing marketplace. And with that comes the importance that your website design be ready to meet this demand.

At Wieting Design, we know that websites are a crucial aspect of all business strategies, even those that sell in-person at a brick and mortar location. We’ve made it our mission to help local small businesses convert more visitors into prospects and more prospects into customers. Contact us to learn more about our services and what sets us apart.

Wieting Design offers modern websites that delight customers and turn website visitors into prospects. We have experience designing websites for a variety of industries and would love the opportunity to discuss your project with you. Contact us to learn more.

Wieting Design offers Graphic Design, Website Design, Search Engine Marketing, Video Production and Logo Design to our clients.

 

 

 

 

When competition is fierce, branding and graphic design make you stand out

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Many industries and product verticals have immense competition. And while there are many ways you can choose to position your company to differentiate yourself from your competition, your level of professionalism and brand attractiveness could have an impact.

Branding and graphic design are crucial aspects of your business that you can’t ignore especially when the competition is fierce. Some companies think they can just outspend their opponent in ad dollars. And while that might be true, if your visual identity and ads lack professional graphic design, consumers might still choose your competitors.

Here are numerous ways that logo design and graphic design impact your business and help strengthen the bond between your business and your customers.

 

Effective design increases client awareness

Your logo design and graphic design need to be memorable. Effective design helps solidify your brand in consumers’ minds so you can build upon past experiences with a customer to increase their awareness for all that you offer.

A disjointed brand experience can make it difficult for your consumers to connect the dots on what you do and what you offer. For example, if your Instagram graphics and ad materials look different from your search network ads and website, it will be difficult for consumers to connect your messages.

The goal of advertising is to progressively tell your consumer more about what you offer to compel them to make a purchase with you or take the next step in your sales funnel. So if your consumers can’t make those connections between one ad or brand experience to the next, your online efforts won’t be effective.

Building trust and credibility through your brand promise

Once your brand is consistent across all customer interactions, you can begin weaving in your brand promise. When a consumer sees your brand, they can connect it to what you offer your customers as far as service and commitment. Your brand promise might include:

  1. An outstanding customer experience. Once a customer has a positive experience purchasing from or interacting with your brand, they might associate your brand with outstanding customer service, making them more likely to return. But for that to happen, your brand needs to be consistent. The website they made the purchase from needs to look like the email marketing you start sending them after a purchase, and graphic design can make that possible.
  2. The same service in-store as online. If your business operates under a hybrid model of both in-store and online, consider how to create a consistent experience. If you’re committed to offering expertise and insights to your customers, bring that experience online through helpful messaging and the opportunity to initiate an online chat with questions. Ask your website designer how to integrate this functionality into your website seamlessly.
  3. Your social media persona and tone. Who your brand is on social media is so important to the trust and credibility your consumers consider you to have. One of the challenges with social media is that it’s an easy place for consumers to go to share their dissatisfaction or challenges with your brand. And it’s all public. How you respond could impact whether or not your other followers choose to purchase from you. Set that tone with friendly and approachable graphic design that matches your overall branding.
  4. Responding to feedback. Brands that share their reviews and customer feedback online can help build trust with their customers. Online reviews are an important aspect of any business because they provide context and information to individuals who have never purchased from you before. As you create your online persona, you also need to showcase that you respond to customer feedback, even when it isn’t positive. Graphic design can highlight your brand’s evolution and how well you build trust with your consumers by responding to what they have to say.

Design can use psychology to influence consumers

Color psychology in graphic design and marketing is fascinating. Every color the eye can perceive evokes a different emotion and good graphic designers know that. Logo designers will recommend certain colors based on your business and what you do. This includes secondary and tertiary colors that can weave into your other design elements to encourage certain actions from consumers.

For example, yellow is the friendliest color on the color palette. And yet, it can be challenging to design a website with tons of yellow because those with vision impairments might not see yellow well. Incorporating yellow in the right places can still evoke the right emotions but help the eye perceive your website or other brand elements effectively.

How a graphic designer applies your brand colors can encourage different actions or different thoughts within your consumers. So while your primary color might be yellow because it’s friendly, you might bring out more blue in your designs when discussing your philanthropic activity because blue builds trust.

Graphic design templates are not a one-size fits all, so while there are many DIY templates and programs on the market now, nothing beats a professional designer who has studied these concepts and knows how to use psychology to showcase your brand effectively.

Inspires your employees so you attract and retain top talent

When competition is fierce, one risk you face is losing your best employees to the competition. Employees find it easier to go to work for brands that they believe in and they can get behind. So not only is it important that your branding be consistent for your consumers but your employees too.

Hiring top talent means being the top business to work for. How cool your brand is can affect how easy it is to recruit these rising stars to help you build your business and beat your competitors. Give your employees something to get behind with logo design and graphic design that speak to them.

Businesses looking to stand out from the crowd and connect with their customers through logo design and graphic design should contact Wieting Design. We’ll help you build a brand that speaks to who you are and what you do while building trust and goodwill with your consumers.

Wieting Design offers modern websites that delight customers and turn website visitors into prospects. We have experience designing websites for a variety of industries and would love the opportunity to discuss your project with you. Contact us to learn more.

Wieting Design offers Graphic Design, Website Design, Search Engine Marketing, Video Production and Logo Design to our clients.

 

 

New Website Launch for WestPark Corporate Office

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Wieting Design launches new website design for WestPark Corporate Offices in New York.

Wieting Design based in Fairfield County CT was hired to create a new identity to brand the WestPark Corporate Office located in White Plains, NY. Wieting designed and built a custom website that engages potential clients seeking more information about this new office space including videos, information graphics, site plans and a beautiful gallery of photography. Wieting’s idea to produce videos was to support and to illustrate the new features such as touchless elevators, touchless bathrooms and more. Its a new way work!

View our new website project here: https://westparkny.com/

VIDEO CONCEPT:

 

INFOGRAPHICS

GALLERY

BRANDMARK:

Wieting Design offers Graphic Design, Website Design, Search Engine Marketing, Video Production and Logo Design to our clients. Contact Us

 

What materials help my website design project move smoothly?

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A website design project has a few distinct phases that you can help move through swiftly and smoothly if you’re well prepared. Here is a broad overview of some of the main phases you can expect with your website design.

  1. Consultation and information collection
  2. Website designer creates templates for main pages
  3. You provide your feedback about likes and dislikes
  4. The website designer tweaks your website design

Each phase will take a different amount of time to finalize. If you’re hoping to get your new website live quickly, there are several preparation steps you can take to speed up the process and ensure the best outcome.

The more preparation you do before initiating your project, the better your website designer can execute your brand and ensure your website highlights your products and services effectively.

Materials to prep to ensure a smooth website design project

While the goal is to begin your website project with as much preparation as possible, don’t feel like you have to have everything together before reaching out to a website designer. Your designer will let you know what they need to proceed with the project.

These are just some general guidelines that can help you get organized and prepare for your project.

Create a sitemap (outline of webpages you want to be included)

Your website designer will create templates based on the types of pages you’ll need and what content you expect will be on these pages. Create an outline of your website. This is also known as a sitemap and shows the hierarchy of parent pages and their child pages that sit underneath them.

Most often, a website includes a homepage, about information and services/product pages. Based on your business and your content, you might also include a blog, staff page with bios, or industry-specific information.

Once your website designer sees this information, they can make recommendations for menus that are user-friendly and guide the website visitor toward the content that’s most important on your website. A skilled website designer will consider the customer experience and the customer buying journey to encourage visitors to take the actions you want them to take to grow your business.

 

Write content for each webpage

Now that you know the webpages that will be on your website, you can begin building out that content. It’s helpful for your designer to see how much content goes on each page and the nature of that content. That way, your content can be in short, readable snippets to avoid overwhelming your website visitor and help keep them engaged as they scroll.

As you write your website content, try to break up your content into short paragraphs with headings, subheadings, and bulleted or numbered lists wherever possible. Long, bulky sections of text might discourage your website visitor from continuing down the page. Plus, today’s consumers expect to be able to skim content on websites and still get the most important messages.

If you’re unsure about how to engage audiences online or you feel uncomfortable writing the website copy, consult your website designer. Your designer might be able to recommend a copywriter with experience writing for SEO and customer engagement. Website copywriters are skilled in making complex concepts or products simple with just a few words to engage readers and guide them toward your calls to action.

 

Outline your brand in brand guidelines

In the initial phase of getting to know your business and your brand, your website designer will ask for more information about who you are and your visual identity. Brand guidelines can communicate who you are clearly.

Even if you don’t have full-fledged brand guidelines, information on your logo, color palette and tone can be extremely helpful in creating a website that speaks to your customers. Many website designers are also branding specialists. If you are still working to build out your brand guidelines, consider hiring a designer that also does logo design and branding services.

Wieting Design offers additional graphic design and logo services to help you develop your branding. We then build custom website designs that match the overall branding and look and feel we’ve created for your brand.

 

Organize your branding files in an online folder for your website designer

Use a cloud program, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, to organize your branding files and share them with your website designer. This folder should include the following:

  • Logo
  • Illustrations or photos
  • Brand guidelines (if you have them)
  • Graphics you want to include in your website design

Having all these materials in one place with easy access can help speed up the website design process and ensure your website matches your brand and meets your goals.

 

Find a skilled website designer near you

You’re all set now to execute an organized and smooth website design project. All you need is a skilled website designer to make the project come to life. Many small business owners have never hired a website designer before. But don’t worry, here’s how to ensure you’re hiring a good designer.

  1. Take a look at the website designer’s online assets. Their website should be impressive and easy to navigate. Read up on any blogs or case studies on their website to learn a bit more about them and what makes them unique.
  2. Read online reviews from previous customers to learn more about the website designer, their skills and how easy it is to work with them. Some skilled designers take too long on projects or are not enjoyable to collaborate with. Avoid hiring a designer who doesn’t meet your requirements for collaboration by reading online reviews.
  3. Interview the website designer to learn more about them. Ask about previous projects that are like yours, such as other websites in your industry or other websites with functionality like what you’re looking for.

Wieting Design offers modern websites that delight customers and turn website visitors into prospects. We have experience designing websites for a variety of industries and would love the opportunity to discuss your project with you. Contact us to learn more.

Wieting Design offers Graphic Design, Website Design, Search Engine Marketing, Video Production and Logo Design to our clients.

Free Online Marketing Tools For Connecticut Businesses During COVID-19

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Small businesses have been hit hard with the shutdowns and market disruptions due to COVID-19. As a business owner in Connecticut, I’m here to support others as we work together to make it through these challenging times. Serving as a graphic designer with a heavy emphasis on website design, I am a marketing expert supporting the local community and beyond.

That’s why I’ve put together these free marketing tools your business should be using to bring in leads and new business. If I can assist you in spreading the word about all that your small business has to offer, please reach out to me.

1. Check your website design’s mobile-friendliness

Google’s search engine algorithms heavily favor mobile-friendly websites. Because of this, they offer a free tool that analyzes your website and informs you about areas you need to improve. As a website designer, I like how this tool gives you a good starting place to know what to do next with your website. Plus, no one wants to turn away mobile traffic in today’s world where mobile visitors outweigh laptop and desktop visitors. https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

2. Get on Google My Business (or update your listing)

Google My Business is great for SEO, especially local SEO. Getting setup or taking some time to improve your listing can mean you show up more often in results, especially when people are nearby your business. Regardless of your business strategy, Google My Business is a free way to earn added exposure. It also allows you to collect customer reviews (more on that in the next section). https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/business/

3. Ask customers for Google reviews

When people go searching for information related to your business, what are they finding? Are there other customers talking about what they enjoy about your products and services? Reviews help a potential customer learn more about you and what your products and services are really like. Plus, reviews make for great social media content for your business and callout boxes on your website. Now is a great time to email your current customers and ask for a Google review (and it can help you rank above your competitors on Google business results).

4. Setup Google Analytics on your website

Knowing who your website visitors are and why they are on your website can greatly affect your marketing strategy. And you can identify issues in your digital marketing strategy before they have serious effects thanks to analytics. For example, if traffic from organic search goes down suddenly, you’ll know something is amiss with your SEO strategy. Or if you’re suddenly getting more traffic from social media, you can evaluate why and do more of that as part of your strategy. https://analytics.google.com/analytics

5. Integrate Google Search Console into your analytics

Learn even more about your website visitors when you integrate Google Search Console into your Google Analytics account. Adding Google Search Console can give you more in-depth data than just Google Analytics. And when used appropriately, this tool can help you hone your SEO strategy even more thanks to insights on keywords your visitors use to get to your website. Plus, you can upload your sitemap to make sure Google is always using up-to-date information about your website when indexing. https://search.google.com/search-console/about

6. Learn more about your SEO with SEMRush (free version)

While Google Search Console is a fantastic tool, it only gives you so much insight into your SEO strategy. A free account with SEMRush allows you to track your performance over time related to 10 keywords. Learn about any glaring issues your website has and look for gaps, such as missing meta descriptions. https://www.semrush.com/

7. Explore relevant Facebook and LinkedIn Groups

Social media is a great tool for growing your business. And yet, you might feel like you aren’t growing your pages without advertising. Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn can help you expand your reach and grow your following organically. Just be sure that you abide by all group guidelines for promotions or you might get kicked out. This can be a time-consuming practice as you might have to view many posts to find ones relevant to your business. Choose your groups strategically and use them as a way to showcase your expertise through lead magnets or blog posts when appropriate.

8. Use MailChimp email newsletter sign-up forms to generate leads

Email marketing is a powerful tool to get people interested in your business. Some website visitors might not be ready just yet to make a purchase or reach out for more information. In these cases, a simple email newsletter sign-up can be a happy medium between leaving your website forever and staying in contact passively. MailChimp’s service is free for limited features for up to 2,000 contacts. You can send out a monthly newsletter to stay top-of-mind with your customers and give them a way to keep learning about you to make a purchasing decision. https://mailchimp.com

9.Manage up to 3 social media accounts with Hootsuite

When you’re on social media, you should be spending that time interacting not posting. Schedule your posts in advance using a tool like Hootsuite. You can manage up to three social media accounts and 30 scheduled messages at a time using a free account. And that limit on social media profiles might force you to be strategic in which platforms you choose to be active on. Not every social media platform is right for every business. https://hootsuite.com

10. Create basic graphic design using Canva

Canva provides graphic design templates that you can adapt to meet your marketing needs. Just remember that everything you put out with your business name or logo on it is a representation of your business. Use Canva strategically and work with a good graphic designer on important marketing materials, such as lead magnets, fliers and other pieces intended to convert prospects into customers.

 

Wieting Design is a Connecticut graphic design and website design agency offering a broad range of services to help local businesses grow. We’ve provided this list of free marketing tools as a service to our community but if we can be of assistance to your business, contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wieting Design, LLC
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o: 203.414.9692
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Serving: CT, Fairfield County CT
Hartford  CT, New Haven County CT