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Website Builder Comparison

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Hosting

The post Website Builder Comparison appeared first on HostGator Blog . When the time comes to build your new website, you’re going to have a lot of different types of website builders available. Even though the search might be a little overwhelming, this is actually a good thing. Back in the day, it was much more difficult to build a website and use to involve having to hire out the work. But, the plethora of beginner-friendly tools available today makes the process of building your website much simpler, and even enjoyable. The two main options you’ll probably consider are using WordPress or a website builder . Although they both accomplish the same general goal you’ll find that the process for doing so differs greatly. Below we’ll explore what a website builder is, how it works, provide a website builder comparison,and finally offer you some advice for choosing the best option for your needs. What Is a Website Builder? At the core, a website builder is a tool that lets you quickly create a website without any previous design or programming experience. Most of these builders will come equipped with drag and drop or point and click functionality that’ll allow you to easily add and remove site elements. Website builders are usually equipped with dozens or even hundreds of different starting themes or pre-made templates. These act as the foundation for your new website. Usually, you’ll find themes that cater to different niches or industries, as well as offering eCommerce specific themes. They’ll also be fully responsive, mobile-friendly, and based on the latest web design trends . Depending on the builder you’re using you might also have access to tools that allow you to turn your site into an eCommerce store, including shopping cart capabilities. You’ll find dozens of different website builders to choose from. Some are purely built for eCommerce, where other’s let you create a myriad of different types of sites.   Right here at HostGator, you’ll find a website builder that’s perfect for beginners, that includes the option to add eCommerce functionality to your website. Advantages of a Website Builder Website builders are incredibly popular, because they make building a website almost too simple. Here are some of the biggest benefits of using a site builder : 1. Very Easy to Use Website builders shine in how easy they are to use. Even if this is your first day on the internet, you could figure out how to use a website builder software. If you’re intimidated by things that are technical in nature, then a website builder is perfect for your needs. Not only are website builders created to be very intuitive, but you’ll find a wealth of tutorials that’ll walk you through building your site step-by-step as well. 2. Speedy Site Creation Website builders are fast. Fire up the tool, select your theme, drag and drop your site customizations, then hit publish. With website builders, you don’t have to worry about things like domain name propagation, site maintenance, and other technical tasks that might slow you down. 3. No Technical Skills Needed When you use a CMS like WordPress you’re responsible for all the technical tasks required to get your site online. Plus, things like ongoing maintenance and website updates. When you use a website builder all these things are taken care of for you from your web host. Also, when you’re building out your site, you’ll never have to adjust or code anything yourself. Drawbacks of a Site Builder Even though website builders are great for a variety of reasons, they’re not a perfect fit for everyone. Here are the most common drawbacks you’ll find when using a site builder: 1. Limited Site Functionality With website building, you’re limited to the features that are included with the builder. Any new features or functionality need to be added and approved by the team who created the tool, so new features will be added at a slower rate. If you need to create a site with extensive features, you might want to consider using something like WordPress.   2. Stuck to a Platform Depending on the website builder software you’re using, you might be stuck using that tool for the lifetime of your site. Most website builders aren’t cross-compatible, so if you want to move platform or hosts, then there’s a good chance you’ll have to rebuild your site from scratch. 3. Might Run Into Builder Limitations If you want to build a content heavy site or a massive eCommerce store, then you’ll probably run into the limits of whatever website builder you’re using. Overall, it depends on how well your website builder can scale up to support larger projects. In some cases, you might end up paying a very high monthly fee just to be able to support a larger site. When Should I Use a Website Builder? Website builders are generally best suited for specific types of websites. Simple sites that don’t require too many pages or complex functionality are well-suited for website builders. Generally, this applies to several types of websites you can create , like portfolio websites, small business sites, creative sites for musicians and other artists, sites offering your freelance services, and even simple eCommerce shops. If you’re building a site like one of those mentioned above, and want to get your site online as fast as possible, then consider using a website builder. Website builders will help you save time and get rid of any complex tasks standing in the way of getting your site online. Popular website builders often come with web hosting included, so you don’t have to worry about finding a host and going through the technical steps of configuring your hosting account to work with your new site. What is WordPress? WordPress originally started as a website builder, but in time has morphed into a full-fledged content management system (CMS). This makes it perfect for sites that either has a lot of content or are planning to scale up content creation in the future. The single aspect of WordPress that trips up a lot of beginners is the fact that there are two different versions of WordPress available. The first is a self-hosted version of WordPress, where you host a site using the WordPress.com subdomain . In this case, your URL will read something like “catsanddogs.wordpress.com”. Using this version will give you access to a handful of themes and some basic features. However, taking this route isn’t recommended as your theme customizations and plugin access will be limited. Along with only getting access to a restricted feature set your domain name won’t be the most professional or sharable since you won’t have a branded domain. The other version of WordPress is fully downloadable and you install the CMS on your own server. If that sounds difficult, don’t worry, most hosts have bundled software installers that make it incredibly easy to install WordPress and configure it properly within minutes. Similar to a website builder, WordPress also relies upon themes that act as the foundation for the rest of your site’s customizations. You’ll find a ton of different free and premium themes to choose from that will give you endless customization options. You select a theme, install it, then customize it to make your own personalized website design. The process of customizing your theme will depend upon the theme you’re using. Some themes will operate in a drag and drop fashion, while others will handle there customizations via a theme setting panel, or the use of shortcodes. Plus, you have access to a massive library of popular WordPress plugins , which will allow you to add even more features to your site. Overall, WordPress gives you a lot of control over how your site looks on the web. However, all of this control and flexibility means that there’s a much steeper learning curve when compared to using a website builder. Advantages of WordPress WordPress is a powerful and flexible tool.Here are some of the most common reasons people choose WordPress :: 1. Incredibly Flexible WordPress really shines in its flexibility. You’re truly only limited by your own imagination (and your technical skills). With WordPress, you not only have a massive theme selection but a nearly endless plugin library as well. Since it’s an open-source platform, there’s no limit to what can be built to unlock the power of WordPress. However, with this added flexibility and ability to create to your heart’s desire there’s a steeper learning curve and a lot more things you’ll need to master to get your site up and running. 2. Gives You a Lot of Power WordPress has a powerful internal engine. It has everything you need to get to where you want to go. That means you can build virtually any kind of site you desire. Plus, it has the necessary technical foundation to scale with you as your site grows. Some of the largest sites in the world, including TechCrunch, BBC America, and the HostGator blog, utilize WordPress to power their sites. Drawbacks of WordPress Still, WordPress isn’t perfect. Right out of the gate it has a higher learning curve. Here are some of the most common reasons people will opt for a simpler solution: 1. Higher Learning Curve WordPress is a beginner-friendly CMS. But, there are a bunch of technical tasks that you’ll need to accomplish before your site will be online. And the more features you want to add to your WordPress site, the more technical it’ll be to setup your site the right way. Luckily, you’ll be able to find extensive documentation, tutorials, and how-to guides that can walk you through almost everything. However, it might take some trial and error to get your site how you like it. 2. Might Need to Edit Code If you truly want to get the most out of WordPress you might have to edit some code. For some, this can be a very intimidating process, but others won’t mind getting their hands dirty and learn a bit about how their site’s work. You won’t have to write anything from scratch. But, sometimes you might need to copy and paste existing code, or fire up the HTML editor and add WordPress shortcodes and more. When Should I Use WordPress? WordPress will help you build content-heavy websites. The range of sites you can build using WordPress is quite vast, from basic blogs to massive highly-trafficked sites with thousands of pages of content. Put simply, it’s quite scalable. If you’re building a very simple website, then you might not require the power that WordPress can provide. However, if you have plans to scale up your website, or you simply want a higher level of control over your website, then WordPress is worth considering. You still might be wondering, is WordPress a website builder? At its core, WordPress doesn’t fit the traditional description of a site builder, but yes, it does help you build a website. Using WordPress will take more effort and technical knowledge. But, even if you’re starting at zero, you’ll be able to get a grasp on WordPress without spending too much time. Website Builder vs WordPress: Which Is Right for You? If you want to get a website online this afternoon and you don’t need any advanced features, then using a website builder can be a great option. By using a website builder all you have to do is select your template, make a few modifications, and publish your site. The entire process is very simple and straightforward. However, if time isn’t your biggest concern, and you want to use a platform that can grow with you and support any kind of site you desire, then using WordPress is a great idea. WordPress gives you more control over your site, and with access to the nearly endless supply of themes and plugins, you can create any kind of site you desire. Overall, a website builder will allow you to quickly build a beautiful and functional website without any coding skills. On the other hand, WordPress affords you immense flexibility and gives you a very powerful platform to build any kind of site. However, you can expect to put more time and learning into the building process. Hopefully, you have a better idea of how using a website builder vs. WordPress compare, as well as the right direction to take for your new site. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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How to Choose a Website Design That Best Represents Your Business

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Hosting

The post How to Choose a Website Design That Best Represents Your Business appeared first on HostGator Blog . Websites are online storefronts to showcase your products and services. When choosing a website design, you want it to satisfy customers and represent your business. Your brand values will serve as a starting point when building your site. You’ll also need to consider the visitor’s experience. Every design feature should achieve a component of your overall website goal . With more ownership over your design, you can illustrate your business in a unique way. Here are 5 fundamentals to analyze when choosing a website design for your eCommerce site . 1. Design for Emotion Every single day, humans experience multiple emotions. External factors can influence customers, sparking feelings of happiness, sadness, or anger. When they visit your site, it’s your chance to direct them to a positive emotion. Effective emotional design will ignite a sense of pleasure and security for your visitors. It draws you in like a child in a candy store. Alan Smith , a contributing writer at Usability Geek, adds more context: “Understand the emotional purpose and utility of every design choice you make, or a bad choice may come back to haunt you. Choose fonts that feel like your corporate image, not ones that conflict with it. When pulling the website together, verify that all the individual pieces fit with each other as well as your message.” TOMS illustrates emotion in its website with a header design focused on a community initiative. The brand wants to bring people together to end gun violence and uses the peace sign as a cohesive gesture. Website design centers around sparking interest in potential consumers. By appealing to their emotions, you give them an opportunity to experience your brand’s personality.   2. Design for Storytelling One Spot reports that “messages delivered as stories can be up to 22X more memorable than just facts .” This research is a compelling opportunity for your brand to focus on storytelling. When designing for storytelling, the aim is to capture your audience’s attention and persuade them to view more pages with the promise of value. Enticing visitors along the way means they spend more time on your site than your competitors. Think of your homepage as the appetizer where potential customers can immediately see your brand values. The main course is the additional pages of your site, like the blog or product pages. Beardbrand highlights its Instagram feed as a storytelling feature. Each image offers an inside peek at the brand lifestyle and what customers should expect. It’s not necessary to tell a grandiose story on every inch of your site. Storytelling can take shape in your choice of fonts, icons, and buttons. Word choice matters, too. For instance, will you use the word “shopping bag” or “shopping cart”? Be bold. Use your website design to bring your brand story to life.   3. Design for Navigation Navigation helps visitors explore your online brand. When done right, it will lead your audience to what counts most to the customer. So, how important is navigation design? David Hoos , head of marketing at The Good, offers his perspective: “Website navigation can make or break your visitors’ experience. After all, navigating a site without a logical, well-defined structure is like being dropped in the middle of a complex maze with no map and no frame of reference. It’s overwhelming, frustrating, and all-around unpleasant — not exactly the effect you’re hoping for.” Heatmap and usability recording tools are helpful with understanding visitors’ behaviors on your site. Then, you can use that insight to improve how you organize your content. KitchenAid takes navigation to a whole new level. Rather than use just text, the company adds images to direct visitors to their desired paths. It’s very convenient for a busy online shopper. Navigation plays a critical role in your website design. Represent your business well with an easy-to-use menu and well-organized layout. Your customers will love you for it.   4. Design for Accessibility Accessibility gets overlooked in website design. Brands desire to attract as many people to their site, but they often forget the different needs of their consumers. In a broad sense, accessibility is all about designing your products, services, and brand experiences to cater to everyone, including different abilities. For example, if you had a physical store, you would build a ramp for individuals who use wheelchairs. The same principle holds true for online shoppers. You can add alt text to all your images ; that way, screen readers can speak the text to visually impaired individuals. To accommodate people with color blindness, you can use symbols along with colors to convey a message. You might add an exclamation point to signify importance. Nike understands the significance of accessibility. You can navigate its website using your keyboard. With the tab key, a consumer can move through the different sections within a webpage. Accessibility is more than another add-on to your website. It’s your gateway to catering to all consumers and introducing them to your brand.   5. Design for Shopping Shopping should be an enjoyable experience. You want consumers to feel comfortable browsing the latest products and adding items to their carts. The brand-consumer relationship relies on trust. People want to patronize credible businesses. No one likes returning defective products or writing a negative Yelp review. With design, you can exude trustworthiness with testimonials from real customers, an honest pricing page (no hidden fees), and any recent brand achievements. These elements add to your brand’s integrity. Susan Ward , a s mall business expert and writer, agrees: “Successful e-commerce websites also provide information about customer service and contact information that is clear and accessible. Having to drill down through 50 pages to find an email address printed in a tiny font on the bottom of a page will give your potential customer queasy feelings, not good feelings.” Moreover, good design makes it effortless to shop. Fenty Beauty spotlights its featured products using categories and images. This design expedites the shopping experience. Move your brand forward with a design that emits trust. Your mission is to give customers a reason to come back to your site.   Represent Your Business Your website design is a reflection of your business. Take the time to decide how you want customers to perceive your online presence. To manage your website more efficiently, check out HostGator’s web design   services. 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Application Web Hosting 101

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Hosting

The post Application Web Hosting 101 appeared first on HostGator Blog . You’re still working out the details for your website and you’re facing two related decisions: what application will you use to build your website, and what type of web hosting will you choose? While it’s possible to build your website without using one of the popular applications available, using an application such as a content management system (CMS) is an extremely popular choice for good reason. They make website creation and maintenance easier and can help you implement more of the elements and features you want on your website. What Is Application Web Hosting? To understand application web hosting, you should start by understanding what web hosting is . Web Hosting Every website you encounter online is made up of a number of different files and elements arranged in just such a way to create your website experience. While we tend to think of the things we encounter online as existing somewhere outside of physical space (we even call it “cyberspace”), all of the different parts that go into making up each website do take up space. And it all has to be stored in a physical web server that’s powerful enough to hold the many files that make up the website, and to deliver them all up to every visitor that comes to the site. That requires a lot of space and bandwidth on a platform, which makes web hosting something that few website owners can handle on their own. Instead, the vast majority of websites are hosted by companies that provide web hosting on a subscription model. These companies maintain the buildings required to house thousands of physical web servers. They do regular maintenance on the servers, provide the climate controlled environment required to keep them in good working condition, and put protections into place to keep them from being hurt by bad weather or accessed by malicious hackers. In exchange for paying a set amount of money each month or year, you can rent out a space on one of these servers (or a whole server with dedicated server hosting , if you need it). It’s a necessary service all websites need in order to be accessible online. Application Hosting Packages The short version: application hosting is the term used to describe web hosting plans that specialize in providing hosting services for websites built on a particular application. Many websites are now built and maintained using popular applications. This includes popular CMSs such as WordPress or applications specifically designed for building forums like phpBB. While many types of web hosting services will work fine for websites built with a particular application, application web hosting plans provide specific features and benefits related to the application you built your website with. They can make it easier to install the application software when you’re getting started, and provide special compatibility that ensures your web hosting account and application software play nice together. How Does Application Hosting Compare to Other Web Hosting? The main difference is that you never have to worry about compatibility issues between your application and your web hosting service. Application web hosting plans often include easy one-click installation of your application, so you can get the two services working together on a single platform without any real effort or difficulty. In addition, an application hosting plan may include features that allow you to more easily access or use the application’s features within your web hosting account, to make the experience of working on your website more seamless and efficient. In short, while other web hosting services may work just fine for your website, finding an application web hosting plan that supports the application you use can make your life a little easier. What to Look for In an Application Web Hosting Plan If you’ve decided to seek out an application web hosting plan for your new website, there are a few main features you should look out for: Compatibility with your preferred application This is the whole point of getting an application-specific web hosting plan to begin with. Make sure the application hosting option you consider works specifically with the CMS, forum, or wiki application you’ll be using for your website. Application hosting isn’t one-size-fits-all, so find the option that will fit your particular needs. Easy setup A web hosting plan that offers one-click set up for the application you use will vastly simplify the set-up process. But also consider how intuitive the web hosting company’s account management and cPanel tools are. And look into what kind of resources they offer to help you get started using the web hosting service. Your web hosting account will be where you complete important tasks like domain name management, setting up redirects, and managing your web hosting billing. You want to make sure it’s all easy to learn and use.   99% uptime One of the main jobs a web hosting company has is keeping your website up and available on the web. Realistically, web hosting servers do occasionally have to go offline for maintenance. And sometimes they go offline for other reasons, such as issues caused by improper maintenance, repair needs, hacker attacks, weather-related disruptions (the server warehouse floods, for example), or hardware glitches. One of the main differentiating factors between different web hosting providers is how much of the time their service is affected by these kinds of issues. If you choose an unreliable application hosting provider, your website could end up offline frequently while they deal with various issues. Ideally, you want to find an application hosting provider that promises at least 99% uptime and backs that up with a guarantee. Some of the most reputable web host providers go even further, such as HostGator’s 99.9% uptime guarantee. If you want people to be able to access your website every time they visit, make uptime a priority in your decision. 24/7 customer service Working with websites, no matter the application you use, will present challenges and issues on occasion. When that happens, you want to be able to identify the issue and fix it fast. If your application hosting company doesn’t offer customer service at all hours, you could be stuck waiting for hours to fix a serious issue with your website, delivering your visitors a disappointing experience all the while. Look for an application web hosting company that promises 24/7 customer support. And check that they provide your preferred option for communication when issues arise, whether that’s live chat, email, or phone. Security features Website hacks and data breaches are nearly everyday news lately. And the most popular website application are often targets of hacks because of their popularity. Website owners should always be on the offensive when it comes to security. While there are a number of steps you can take to keep your website secure , one of the first and most important is choosing a respected web hosting provider. A web hosting company that invests in the infrastructure to keep their web servers protected and sets up firewalls to keep hackers out is the first line of defense you have. Many application hosting packages will also offer additional features or add-ons such as an SSL certificate or security software that makes your website’s protection even stronger. Security should be a priority for every website owner today. If your website will be collecting any personal visitor information, such as names and emails, it’s even more important. And if you’ll be running an eCommerce store that collects customer financial information, it’s indispensable.  Do your due diligence when choosing your application hosting plan to make sure security is well covered. The 6 Main Types of Application Hosting As we mentioned previously, you don’t want a general application hosting plan. You want hosting that’s specific to the type of application you’ll be using. These are the six most common types of application web hosting to consider. 1. WordPress Hosting WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, with over half of the market share. That makes WordPress hosting the most common type of application hosting website owners are likely to consider. Websites powered by WordPress are easy to build, update, and maintain, even for people that don’t know to code. You can make changes to the website through the WordPress interface rather than having to update the page code directly. And with a library of over 50,000 WordPress plugins and thousands of themes, you can easily add a lot of features and functionality to a WordPress site. There are many reasons to choose WordPress hosting for your website and it is a smart choice that makes maintaining your website that much easier. 2. Joomla Hosting Joomla is another popular CMS option that falls behind WordPress in the number of users, but still dominates a certain segment of the market. Joomla is a bit harder to use than WordPress, but it’s a little more powerful and customizable, which makes it a popular choice for website owners and designers who want a step up in functionality. Joomla also has a comprehensive library of themes, extensions, and educational resources to learn how best to use the website. For anyone that chooses Joomla as the best option to build a website with, Joomla hosting is an obvious choice. 3. Drupal Hosting Drupal is the third most popular CMS is in the world. While it lags behind WordPress and Joomla in number of users, it has a reputation for being more sophisticated and powerful than the other two. The tradeoff is that it’s harder for any beginners or amateurs to use, meaning it’s mostly used for websites that have professional developers behind them. If that describes your website and you choose to go with Drupal, you can keep the web hosting part of running your website simpler by choosing a Drupal hosting plan . 4. Magento Hosting Anyone building an eCommerce website will need an eCommerce app that enables shopping cart and checkout functionality on the website. The most popular option for that is Magento, an open source shopping cart option that’s currently used by over 240,000 websites. Magento’s eCommerce features are both customizable and easy for even beginners to set up and work with. Magento is the obvious choice for anyone building an eCommerce website, and by choosing compatible Magento hosting you can ensure that your web hosting service works well with your eCommerce software. 5. Wiki Hosting While slightly less popular than some of the other most common types of websites , Wikis are an important part of the web. They deliver valuable information on a variety of topics in a way that’s easy to browse, search, and contribute to. The most popular Wiki apps, such as MediaWiki, TikiWiki, PmWiki, and WikkaWiki all help users create functioning Wiki websites. If you’re specifically building a Wiki, then you’ll want to use one of the Wiki apps to get your website up and running. And for that, investing in Wiki hosting is a solid choice. 6. phpBB Hosting User forums are another important part of the web, enabling users from all over the world with common interests to find and communicate with each other. For websites that are either forum-based or plan to include a forum , phpBB is the primary application available for building online communities. phpBB is an open-source bulletin board software that makes it easy to build a space for users to communicate with each other online. If you choose to build an online community with phpBB, consider phpBB hosting to provide easy accessibility to your users.   Choose the Right Application Hosting Provider You have a number of choices when it comes to finding the right web hosting plan for your website. If you’re using one of the applications described here, you’ll benefit from finding a provider that specializes in the application you use. HostGator is one of the most respected application hosting providers in the industry. We offer hosting plans for all the most popular applications, and have a variety of plan options at different price points that are compatible with each. We provide a 99.9% uptime money-back guarantee, and 24/7 customer support. We can offer both compatibility and reliability for your website. Sign up today. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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Web Design Trends 2019

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Hosting

The post Web Design Trends 2019 appeared first on HostGator Blog . Looking at the latest web design trends will allow us to peer into the future of where the web is headed. This doesn’t mean you need to fully switch up your current design to adhere to the latest trends, but they’re good to keep an eye on nonetheless. If your website has been in need of a makeover, then maybe this will be the year you finally switch things up. If you want to learn how to create a beautiful website that follows the latest web design trends, HostGator can help. If anything this year bodes well for web experimentation. It seems that people are bored with the same old same old and want a new and exciting take on classic design. This doesn’t mean making sites so experimental that they’re hard to use, but instead more interesting, engaging, and unique. Learn about the biggest web design trends in 2019 and what they mean for the future of your website. Then, we’ll include a website builder comparison to help you decide on the best option for you and your needs. find the best website builder to bring these to life on your website. 1. A Focus on User Experience Offering your visitors a solid user experience should be at the top of your list. Today’s web users demand an enjoyable user experience above all else. If your website is confusing and hard to use you’re not only going to be annoying your visitors, but you’re going to cost your business a lot of money. This is doubly true if you’re directly selling anything through your website. The act of finding a product, adding it to the cart, and completing the purchase should be entirely seamless. In the past it seemed like web design trends and most websites would neglect the journey of the user and instead placed a focus on having a trendy design. No matter how “cool” your website looks, there’s really no point unless it’s converting your visitors and they’re actually enjoying their experience. As competition online continues to grow more fierce, expect those websites that place a focus on user experience first to have long and successful futures. 2. Clean and Clear Design Having plenty of whitespace has been an important web design trend for years. However, recently it’s grown in its importance and application. The biggest reason whitespace continues to be a dominating trend is because it makes your website much easier to use. By incorporating a lot of whitespace into your design you’re not bombarding your visitors with too much information. It also gives you the room to focus on important areas of your site. Or, direct your visitor’s attention to areas that are the most beneficial to them. Having plenty of whitespace is a central tenet of minimalist design. Minimalism will continue to be a dominating trend well into the future. By having a minimalist design you make it easier for your users to find what they’re looking for. As you’ll soon learn below other trends like increased use of video and scrolling-based websites both enhance this minimalism trend. 3. A Large Focus on Mobile Today more people access the internet from their mobile devices than they do from a laptop or standard computers. This means that your design must offer a stellar mobile experience. Offer a poor mobile experience or a site that doesn’t function properly on a mobile device, and you’re going to lose a lot of your users. If you haven’t gone responsive yet, here’s another thing to consider. Most users will start their search journey on their mobile devices. Plus, sites that aren’t mobile-friendly won’t rank as well in the search engines . So, not only will your site receive less traffic from the search engines, but any traffic that you will receive will have a difficult time actually using your site. Making your website mobile-friendly isn’t so much a “trend” as it is an essential web design best practice . The most effective way to embrace mobile devices is to upgrade your site to a responsive web design . With a responsive web layout your site will automatically adjust to the screen size it’s being viewed upon. 4. Embedded and Integrated Video Video is exploding in popularity online. All signs suggest that video is the future. Even social media networks like Facebook and Instagram are doubling down on video content. Plus, YouTube is already the second largest search engine in the world . If you haven’t embraced video, it’s not too late. In fact, one of the emerging web design trends is embedding video into your website . Video is an incredibly engaging medium. How many times have you continued to watch a video, just because it started playing on the site you’re on? And we’re not talking about annoying video pop-ups either that you can’t seem to turn off, no matter how hard you try. Instead, we’re talking about creating intentionally engaging videos that act as an actual part of the design of your site. Instead of standing out they play an integral role in keeping users on your site and informing them about your products and services. These don’t have to be incredibly long videos either. Think of them as moving design elements whose goal is to intrigue and capture the attention of your visitors. Adding videos to your website and content can also have the added effect of improving your site’s search engine rankings. Google has user engagement metrics which act as indicators of a quality site. Sites where users spend more time will be given a higher ranking, as these metrics suggests a site is very high quality. 5. Broken Grid Layouts You might already be familiar with grid layouts. A grid is essentially a hidden series of horizontal and vertical lines that your website’s elements will adhere to. You can see the classic grid at work on most existing websites. You have the logo in the upper left-hand corner, and the navigation menu extending across the top of the screen, along with any other elements arranged below it in an orderly manner. But, with a broken grid layout , you’ll see elements that make the grid seem broken. There will be overlap of design elements, along with text and photos that don’t adhere to the traditional grid. Usually, this is done to give emphasis to certain elements of your website. However, to be effective with a broken grid layout it needs to be done intentionally. Otherwise, you run the risk of having a website that simply looks confusing or jumbled. The worst is a website that ever-so-slightly breaks the grid. Upon first glance, it might not look like something is wrong, but you and your visitors will get the feeling that there’s something off about the website. Beyond the broken grid there’s also been an increase in the use of fluid and more comfort inducing shapes. With more natural and free form shapes you can induce a different feeling in your users when they land on your site. Instead of the purely rigid and geometric designs of days past, those pushing the edge of web design are introducing more natural shapes. 6. Nostalgic Design Elements The 80s and 90s are back in full force, and we’re not just talking about shows like Stranger Things and books like Ready Player One. A previous web design trend that’s been in place for years has put an emphasis on flat and modern design, creating minimalist websites that look like they were born in the future. But, just like fashion moves in a circular fashion, so do our web design trends. This doesn’t mean you should create a 90’s site that looks like the first rendition of a Geocities page. Instead, you should take design cues from previous generations as a whole. This means embracing color schemes and taking typography cues from generation’s past. By embracing the past you can create a new and wholly unique design. Since the web didn’t really exist back then in the state it does now, you can create designs that haven’t been seen on the web before. If this web design trend speaks to you, consider implementing color schemes from times past. Or keep an eye out for a cool old-school font you can use for your headers or your logo. 7. Sites that Encourage Scrolling If you’ve had your website online for any time at all, then you’re probably aware of the term “above the fold”. This means that all of your important graphic design and branding elements should be above the fold of your site, so it’s the first thing your website visitors will see without having to scroll. It seems that web users of the past used to hate scrolling down the page with their mouse, trackpad, or thumb. But, today’s web users are much different. Most website visitors don’t mind scrolling in the slightest. This trend could be rising due to apps like Instagram, which actively encourage scrolling down the app. Combine this with the preference to access the web via mobile devices, and you’ve got a scrolling match made in heaven. As a result, this gives you more real estate to work with when designing the style and layout of your website. Instead of trying to cram everything into the space above the fold, you can utilize your entire screen. This allows you to create more logical and enticing pages that hook your visitor’s attention as they scroll further down your screen. In accordance with making sites more scrollable, you’ll also want to think about implementing thumb-friendly navigation. When people are using their mobile phones to navigate a website they take many different actions and interact with the website in a different manner. One of the easiest ways to ensure your site is in alignment with this growing trend is to include a hamburger navigation menu. This allows users to more easily select the page they want to visit. 8. Intentional Data Collection Most websites will collect some form of data. Today, with the recently introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) , the collection and storage of data have become even more important. This has led website owners to evaluate how they go about collecting data and being more intentional with the kind of data they’re collecting. For example, if you have an intake form on your website do you really need their location data or even their phone number? Or, maybe you currently integrate with Facebook as a login alternative. Although this saves you time, it might not lead to the best impression for your company. No matter if it’s a contact form, email signup form, or even having tracking cookies on your site, you’ll need to be very transparent about the data you’re collecting, why you’re collecting it, and what you’re doing with it. When thinking about any forms you have on your site think about what’s the minimum amount of necessary information you can collect. Sites that place an importance on user privacy will not only ensure their sites stay compliant with the latest privacy guidelines, but will also be the sites that create a strong and trusting visitor relationship. What These Trends Mean for Your Website By keeping up with the latest web design trends you can help predict where the online world is going. If your website is a crucial part of your business, then it’s important to stay up to date with what’s currently going on online. Today’s web users are savvier than ever, and spend more time online than ever before, with the advent of smartphones and the advancement of the mobile web. Spend some time analyzing the trends above to see how you can apply any of them to your website, or where you can enhance your existing design. The quickest way to lose your visitors’ trust is to have a website that looks old and out of date. That doesn’t mean you need to adopt every single trend above, but instead see how you can bring your website into the future and in tune with the kind of website your users expect to see. Hopefully, you have a better idea of the trends you’ll start to see across the web this year. Whether you’re going to undergo a redesign or not, these trends are important to think about now and into the future. Ready to put these trends in web design into action? Get started with Gator Website Builder . It includes over a hundred mobile-friendly design styles and templates that were built with today and tomorrow’s graphic design trends in mind. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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Building an eCommerce Website

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Hosting

The post Building an eCommerce Website appeared first on HostGator Blog . It’s easier than ever to build your own eCommerce website and start selling products online. With the help of select website building tools you can have your site online in a day’s work. Of course, coming up with your product idea, along with product sourcing and creation will take longer, but the actual website building process can be streamlined. Plus, eCommerce stores are only primed to grow. By building your very own store now you can take advantage of this trend well into the future. Even if you’ve never built a website before, you can create your very own eCommerce store with ease. By the end of this post you’ll know how to find a good product and niche for your store, how to build out your site, and the approaches you can take to generate sales. Before You Build Out Your Store Before you start the process of building out your eCommerce store there are some foundational things you’re going to need to do first. The first of which is securing your domain name and web hosting services.Without these, there’s no way to actually have a live eCommerce website. There are dozens of different providers and services you can use to secure a domain name and hosting, and you can either purchase them together or separately. If this is your first time building a website, then the easiest course of action will be purchasing them together from the same provider. This will minimize the number of technical tasks you need to complete and speed up the process of getting your site online. If you’re looking for the fastest and most beginner friendly way to secure a domain name and hosting, then consider purchasing them both right here at HostGator. Just select your web hosting package and add a domain name to your order before you check out. You might not be ready to name your store and purchase a domain name just yet, so feel free to return to this section later once you’ve come up with the perfect domain name for your business.   What You Need to Build an eCommerce Website Building an eCommerce website will be a little different than creating a standard website or starting a blog . Beyond securing a domain name and hosting you’ll also need to consider tools and software for processing payments, along with actually creating and manufacturing your products. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s required to build a website from scratch for an eCommerce store: A domain A hosting provider An integrated payment processor A platform or tool to build your store Initial capital to create your products Packaging for product shipping When you’re creating an eCommerce store there will be some initial capital that you’ll need to invest. Building an eCommerce Website the Easy Way Building an eCommerce website is similar to the process of building any other website, except you’re selling physical products. This means there will be greater work upfront to help ensure the success of your website. Here’s the process of discovering your market, finding out what you’re going to sell, and finally building out your store. 1. Market Research and Finding Your Niche To start an eCommerce store you’re going to need a physical product to sell. But, it would be a heartbreaking experience to go through the process of building out a store only to find out that no one wants to buy what you’re selling. To avoid this fate you’ll want to spend time upfront finding the right market and products to sell. You might already know exactly what you want to sell, but if not, no worries, this post will walk you through the process of market research . Ideally, what you want is to uncover a pressing need in the marketplace and fill it with your product. Look for Trending Products One way to ensure that you’ll start selling products right out of the gate is to align yourself with products that are currently trending. By getting into a trending niche at the right time, you can ride the wave in the short-term and long-term. However, you don’t want to hop into a trending market when it’s on the decline. Instead, you want to find a product or a niche for products that are growing in popularity. There are tons of different tools you can use to spot trending products and niches, but here are some of the most common. Google Trends : This Google tool allows you to look into the past and future of certain product keywords. By using the data this tool provides you’ll be able to see if a market is growing or waning in popularity. TrendHunter : This site showcases a ton of different niches and products that are currently trending across the globe. Plus, there’s a nifty filter that lets you sort by different industries. Instagram Influencers: If you spend any time on Instagram then you probably follow a few influencers who regularly promote certain products. The chances are pretty high that the products they promote tend to sell well and can suggest a viable niche. Align With Your Passion Hopefully, by exploring the resources above you have a handful of products or potential niches you could go into. To narrow down that list even further we’re going to do some self-evaluation. After all, it’s going to be hard to sustain momentum with your store if you don’t actually care about what you’re selling. Spend some time with the following questions to determine if you have what it takes to sustain yourself in the niche: Do you care about the market you’ve chosen? Do you have any pre-existing knowledge you can rely on? Can you see yourself working in this space for 5 years or more? Do you care about the people that you’re serving? Explore What’s Currently Selling By now you should have narrowed down your list of potential products and niches to a group you actually care about. Now, we’re going to take this one step further and validate our ideas in the marketplace. The most effective ways to do this are using the Amazon product marketplace and a keyword research tool. First, head over to the Amazon bestseller list in the product category of your choice (link). Then, spend some time digging through the products to see what kinds of things people are actually buying. Look for product multiples and dig through the reviews to see if there are any glaring issues with the existing products. Second, head over to the tool Ubersuggest . This is a free keyword research tool that’ll give you tons of actionable keyword data. Then, all you have to do is input your target keyword and you’ll receive a list of related keywords and their overall search volume. This will help you determine the overall size of the market and maybe even give you a few ideas of products you can sell. 2. Getting Ready to Sell Before you settle on the product you want to sell there are a few more considerations you’ll want to take into account. First, you’ll want to make sure the product is light enough that it’s easy to ship. During the early days of your eCommerce store, you’ll be handling most of the packaging and shipping yourself. This will not only make your life easier, but you’ll be able to maintain better product margins, which can be crucial in the early days of your store. The last thing that needs to be considered in regards to your product is prototyping. With this approach, you’re not looking to create the perfect product the first time around. Instead, you’ll be trying to create an initial product and then iterate and improve based upon product feedback. This will help you get to market faster and build a better product over time. 3. Choosing Your Platform If you haven’t secured your domain name and hosting yet, now would be the time to do it. The easiest approach would be to pick up both right here at HostGator . When the time comes to choose the platform for your eCommerce store you’re going to have a lot of different options at your disposal. There’s all-in-one platforms, website builders, CMS like WordPress, and more. One of the easiest options is using a website builder to set up an online store. 4. Building Your Store Below you’ll learn the basics of building an eCommerce website with the HostGator website builder. For full eCommerce functionality, select the eCommerce plan. This will give you options like inventory management, shopping cart, coupon codes, and additional online payment methods for eCommerce sites. With the builder up and running the next thing to do is select your website template. From the ‘Category’ option select ‘Online Store’ and spend some time browsing through the templates until you find one that you want to act as the foundation for your site. Once you’ve found a suitable template hover over it and click ‘Select’. On the next page, you’ll be able to edit your website. Just click on any existing element of your site and a drop-down list of options will come up that shows you the changes you can make. If you want to design your storefront, then click on Pages> Store from the left-hand menu. To add products to your store, configure your shopping cart, and more, you’ll need to upgrade your service. So click on the blue ‘Upgrade’ button in the upper right-hand corner. Or navigate to Store> Upgrade Now . 5. Launching Your Store and Selling Products If you’ve done everything above, then congratulations, you’ve put in a ton of work and you’re just about ready to launch your store. However, it’s important not to launch your store before it’s fully polished. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Spend some time double-checking every page on your site for typos, broken links, or other things that don’t work. You’ll also want to run through a few sample purchases to make sure the checkout process works smoothly as well. Once you’re satisfied with your virtual storefront, it’s time to launch your store and start selling products ! Marketing Your eCommerce Website Now, if you don’t have any existing social media channels for your business, or a list to promote your store too, you probably won’t get much traffic to start. What you need to do is invest in marketing your eCommerce store to the world. Here are a few of the most common eCommerce marketing methods: 1. Content Marketing With an eCommerce store, you have a multitude of opportunities to create content. Whether you’re creating educational content that’s geared towards your selection of products. Or, you’re creating content that’s geared towards picking up backlinks or social media shares. Often, content marketing won’t give you immediate results, but instead, it’s something that can provide you with traffic over the long-term. Here are a few great resources on building a content marketing strategy from scratch: How to Make eCommerce Content Marketing Work for You Top 5 Tips for a Successful Blog Content Marketing Strategy 2. Social Media Marketing Social media can be a great way to increase brand awareness while driving traffic back to your eCommerce site. There are a lot of social media networks out there, but the ones you’ll probably find the most value in are Instagram and Pinterest. Both of these are more image-driven platforms, so they align well with selling products. Instagram will give you a way to showcase your product itself, along with how it’s commonly used. While Pinterest gives you the opportunity to create and share content that’s related to your niche and drive targeted traffic back to your site.   3. Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing has been used to build some wildly successful eCommerce stores. If you’re not familiar, it’s the process of reaching out to influencers on Instagram and having them promote your brand and products to their audience. You have the option of doing paid shoutouts, but you might also be able to find accounts who will mention your product for free in exchange for your product. If you’re interested in exploring this further, then check out the resources below: A Comprehensive Guide to Instagram Influencer Marketing A Simple Guide to Instagram Influencer Marketing in 2019 Building Your eCommerce Website Hopefully, by now, you have a better understanding of what it takes to build your own eCommerce store from the ground up. It’s a lot of work to make an online business, but with the eCommerce market continuing to grow you’ll be setting yourself up for success in the long-run. If you truly want to create your own eCommerce website all you have to do is get started. Use the information above and start implementing. You’re not going to get everything right your first go around, but the most important thing is to experiment, fail, and keep moving forward. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading →

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