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Category: Our Ideas

A Guide to Consumer Experience Online

 

In the yesteryears, it took quite a while before a shopper makes a decision on which brand to buy along the aisles of grocery stores or supermarkets. But as years go by, technology gifted men with exciting innovations. Handsets became powerful than ever before. From just sending voice calls across the globe to efficiently communicate, handsets became wireless and less chunky yet powerful.  It started sending short messages, then became integrated with applications such as radio and camera. It also became an all-in-one device that stores different type of media. And when the processors and new wireless technologies came in to play. A simple mobile phone became smarter that it began doing the sophisticated capabilities of a personal computer. It became faster and more efficient that people became more reliant on this technology wherever they go.

And at the birth of the web 2.0, it only takes some apps like the social networking sites, a mobile browser, and data connection to shift the entire user experience into what we call “digital precipice”. And as of today, the current global population spent an average of 135 minutes (2.25 hours) online.  That means that when the average sleeping hours of the global population is 387 minutes (6.45 hours), the global population is spending an average of 14.45% of their time online when they are awake.

Human Attention Span Getting Smaller than ever

Though the 2.25 hours seems a huge time span to capture their attention, it is important to note that it is the summation of all their online activities throughout the day. They spend it in between work and school breaks, traveling time, and idle times at home. That only means that when they are online, they are multi-tasking, making their attention span shorter than ever.

In a study made by Microsoft two years back, it was revealed the average human attention span is at eight-seconds, making it shorter than the attention span of the goldfishes at nine (9). And to be able to successfully send messages and ideas online, it should be useful and interesting enough that it can capture people’s attention in eight seconds or less.

And surprisingly, the new realities of the audiences and consumers right now are their experiences online within that eight (8) seconds margin. New statistics from Google revealed that you only have six (6) to eight (8) seconds to get online audiences’ attention. And whether we like it or not, the realities of user experience all happens within an average moment of 7 seconds – and that is what Google calls micro-moments.

What are micro-moments?

Micro-moments are the collective activities and experiences of people online. It is the usual things we look at or search for online. And usually, these moments are so short, menial, unnoticeable, but are collectively an indication of our total online experience.

When we search for something, yet we couldn’t find it in a snap of a finger, we tend to shift search terms, or applications used, even the people we talk to just to get what we want to know.  This is a perfect example of micro-moments.


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New Consumer Reality

Micro-moments are the new consumer reality these days. Consumer relies on their smartphones to make pre-purchase validations. before making actual purchase both online and offline. This is what has transformed purchase patterns of consumers over a decade.

In between those micro-moments online, within those quick tapping of their phones, and impatient waiting for seconds, a business has to be there with them – a brand has to be in there showing them the things they need to get quickly. This reality among consumers is slowly becoming the reality for brands and businesses.

Do you need to adapt to this new reality?

Technology brings life new experiences. And these experiences are either bad or good. If people feel good about these experiences using new technologies, it will remain as good memories and it will last for months or even a year. The same goes with bad experiences – they become bad memories.

And in relations to businesses and brands, the economy of mobile and consumer experience requires businesses to be on their toes always, especially in terms of improving their customer’s experience towards their brand, be it tangible products or services.

Why? Because consumer experience these days are easily shared with other people online. Good experiences spread like a heart-warming story, or like a Good-Samaritan story, people will love. Bad experiences, on the other hand, spread like a wild-fire that turn everything in its path into ashes. In short, customer experiences shared online about your brand can either make or break your business.

These experiences are the online consumer micro-moments that brands and businesses should be very particular about. These moments sandwiched in seven (7) seconds has gained powers to change the course on how businesses should reconfigure the way they used to do their businesses.

So, do you need to adapt to this new reality online? The answer is a clear YES!

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And if you are ready to take on this new challenge, let iManila help you make consumer-based strategies to enhance your business’s marketing. Learn more about our digital marketing services by clicking the link below.

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2017 Web Design Trends

 

It is a fact that everything about technology constantly changes and web design has no excuse. Like any other technological advancement, web design has also become unique and more experimental over the years. Now that we are less than three months away from 2018, your 2005 blog forum-ish website must move forward as well.

Actually, this year is a bit overwhelming because we have so many web design trends to choose from. But, worry not! Because we have here some of the top web design trends that can help you improve your website’s look and feel for the better.

 

  • Flat design is out, geometric design is in
    geometry 2Let’s bid goodbye to those flat designs that have somewhat becoming unvarying. Today, make way for sharp, edgy, geometric designs and patterns for your website. The utilization of various shapes such as squares, hexagons, and rhombuses are all around the web these days. This approach gives certain class and branding that makes a website look distinctive from another.

 

  • Animation, animation, animation

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    This is the now. Yes, motion graphics, GIFS, VRs, and videos are still the name of the game. People like to see moving objects online since it’s more interactive. And your website shall give what the people want to see. It’s a lot more complicated than flat images but the experience that it can offer is definitely one of a kind.

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  • Uncomplicated menus for better navigation
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    I guess this trend is the one that will become timeless. Who would like to see complicated menu bars, right? Your web visitors have their reasons on going to your website. It’s either to just check out your products or services or to contact you directly to get some answers. So, why complicate things if you can provide them the information they need from you through simple and uncomplicated navigation? Let your website be straightforward. Then you will get clear-cut leads, too.

 

  • Diverse typefaces
    font
    In 2016, minimalist design is everywhere. That’s why you can see thin, simple, and minimalist typeface in all places. But, not for this year. Now, web designers are opting to use different typefaces to give flavor to a specific website. This approach jives to the geometrical patterns.

 

For some, web design is just a form of creating aesthetically pleasing websites.  But, it’s definitely more than that. The design of a website must provide specific function; a function that can give overall user experience to each web visitor, a function that can help you build a solid and successful online presence. And that is the role of the given web design trends mentioned above – to make sensible and functional web designs.

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If you are bound to give your website a revamp this year, better contact the best team that can do it for you. The ones who know how to make exceptional websites suited for your needs. Just dial (02) 490-000 or simply tick this link to get in touch with iManila – the best web and digital marketing service provider in the Philippines.

 

Reference: http://bit.ly/2ysKu8y

 

Is WordPress Still Secure?

 

It is not a secret to anyone that 26% of the world’s website population is powered by WordPress, and 60% of the entire global count runs on WordPress CMS. This has clearly revealed that WordPress has a wider reach over the net. It is a big global community that is continuously growing – an unstoppable force the powers more than ¼ of the entire internet. However, with this large user-base, it is also undeniable that it attracts the attention of the hackers – making WordPress websites prone to hacking incidents.

Now the question that website owners ask is, is WordPress still secure?

The answer is YES.

Surely most people will disagree but WordPress is still secured – diligence is the key for this.

What Constitute WordPress?

There are three elements of WordPress namely: the core code which makes up the WordPress install, the themes which determine how sites look and how it will function, and plugins which are small applications that extend WordPress in interesting ways.

What Causes Hacking Incidents?

Via WordPress.org, themes and plugins are made available from many other sources, that at some point, may even come from unscrupulous hackers who get their hands on commercial themes and embedded malware in them. The worse thing in this scheme is that these themes and plugins are given away online to people willing to get them for free. And that is where the threat lies. Because of the enormous size of the WordPress installed base and the complexity of its ecosystem, vulnerabilities could be just lying in a corner waiting for malicious activities to find them.

Why do We say It is Secured?

The core is maintained by a large group of volunteers who are incredibly good at their craft. These are coders and developers who secured the community by updating the system’s codes, themes and even plugins from vulnerabilities every now and then.

Like with app stores, WordPress sources take some measurable care in what is listed for users to use. Though there may have been unscrupulous themes on the internet, it is still safer to get from the main community. Themes on WordPress.org go through a testing process and plugins go through an initial vetting before they’re first allowed to be posted.

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Is WordPress Still Trustworthy?

According to ZDNet.com, WordPress is still trustworthy. However, if you would really like to make the most out of your site and keep is secured, there are still caveats that go with using WordPress.

  • If you are not keen or well versed with web maintenance, you might want to have it hosted via WordPress.com.
  • If you opt for freedom in customizing your website but couldn’t do web maintenance, you can hire someone who can maintain the website professionally, and who will update it regularly from themes to plugins.
  • As much as possible, refrain from downloading commercial plugins or themes from sketchy source especially those which you can get for free.
  • If you customized your WordPress with WordPress.org, you also need to make sure that you are hosting your website securely with a trusted hosting server.

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Despite the issues about the security of WordPress, it is still undeniable that it is probably one of the best platforms for website available. Again, all it takes to secure your WordPress is diligence or trusting service providers who specialize in creating WordPress-based websites.

iManila is a trusted provider of both web solutions and digital marketing services that surely covers small and medium businesses online marketing needs. Our lines are open 24/7 and our sales executives are available Mondays to Fridays to assist you with your web, IT, and digital marketing queries.

Emails: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]

Telephone numbers: (02) 490-0000, 01, 03 or at (02) 959-4807

Mobile number: (+63) 917-8476005

Why Your Website Page Speed Matters?

 

Website Page Speed — In this age of digital transformation, time is of the essence for all. What considers the best experience for most of the people is being able to do what needs to be done in the quickest time possible. And that holds true for most things, especially on the internet.

Websites these days are not just about design and functionality; it is also about the page loading speed. No matter how well designed and informative your website is, if it takes almost a minute to load a single page, then you are lagging behind your competitor’s websites who loads faster than yours.

There are more to your website loading time than what you’ve probably thought before. Below are the two crucial points that compel website owners like you to optimize your website’s loading time.

It matters to Users.

A website that loads fast leaves a good impression to the users. Aside from that, online users have a growing rate of declining attention span. According to an article of Timothy Egan posted on New York Times online, a survey of media consumption by Microsoft concluded that the average attention span of humans had fallen to eight (8) seconds from twelve (12) in the year 2000.

It is a crucial point showing that as technology improves, the attention span declines. Optimizing your website to meet this emerging user behavior will surely improve its performance.

And it matters to Google too.

Google puts user experience at the core of its technology and business. And what matters to the users, also matters to Google. It is the behavior and preferences of the online users that became the basis of all improvements applied to the search engine.

According to Google, the average loading time of a mobile landing page to fully load all elements is at 22 seconds. However, 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than three seconds to load. And that where the problem lies. While most websites take 22 seconds to load, the users’ attention span is only at 8 seconds – at the most.

Below are the critical points Google shared to webmasters.

 

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In the same way, a slow page loading time might affect your website’s search engine ranking. Since Google prioritize user experience, it will not let a slow loading website rank on the first page of Google SERP despite having marvelous content.

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What do you need to do?

To improve your website’s loading time, below are the steps that you need to take to optimize it.

  1. Using the webpagetest.org, check the loading time of every element in your website.
  2. Improve what needs to improve such as:
  • Compress large image and video files
  • Remove unnecessary plugins that slow your website loading time
  1. ALWAYS, depend on a reliable and high-quality web hosting server to make sure that your website loads on an optimal level. Servers are also responsible for loading time of the website, if your server is too old and lacks resources, your website won’t load fast enough.
  2. And you are covering visitors and audiences across the globe, you need to also use Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up the delivery of your website’s page loading on areas far from the location of your web hosting server.

Page speed is indeed a crucial part in the success of a website. In this age when human attention span is shorter than the goldfish, the only way website owners need to do to adapt is to optimize their websites from content to loading time according to the behavior of the users.

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iManila is a trusted provider of both web solutions and digital marketing services that surely covers small and medium businesses online marketing needs. Our lines are open 24/7 and our sales executives are available Mondays to Fridays to assist you with your web, IT, and digital marketing queries.

Emails: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]

Telephone numbers: (02) 490-0000, 01, 03 or at (02) 959-4807

Mobile number: (+63) 917-8476005

 

 

Sources:

  1. wisdekcorp.com
  2. nytimes.com
  3. thinkwithgoogle.com

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