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Is A Progressive Web App Right For Your Business?

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Software development for apps may have just taken a surprise turn. With the majority of people using apps every day in some shape or form, they have proven to be extremely useful. No matter if you are checking your email, grabbing a ride to meet friends, or checking the weather, chances are, you are using an app. 

Our experts on mobile development in Kitchener are informing clients about a recent change in apps and how it may affect their business. Regular apps are the ones that most people are currently downloading and using, but many people don’t understand the way they work or how they can be improved upon.

Short for applications, “apps” refer to programs that are downloaded and installed onto your phone or other mobile devices. These apps rely on available storage space on your system to run successfully. 

Who Uses PWAs?

Progressive web apps (PWA) are the newest mobile development that many businesses are turning to, including Starbucks, Instagram, Uber, and Tinder. PWA’s are stored on a server and are always available as long as the server is up. This new type of app acts just like a mobile app, and users shouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. 

Exceptional User Experience

The goal of a PWA is to deliver the best possible user experience. This means that no matter if a customer views the app on the latest iPhone or a much older one, it will always work the same. Some of the features of a well built PWA include:

  • PWAs load instantly, meaning there is no downtime
  • They act just like the standard app, complete with the same functions
  • They can be installed on the user’s home screen without having to install through an app store
  • PWAs are quick to respond to a user’s input
  • They have smooth scrolling and animations
  • They can take advantage of web push animations. 

How a PWA Can Help Business

Perhaps one of the best things about PWAs is that they can help small businesses or those in a start-up phase tap into a much larger audience. By utilizing a PWA instead of a native app, users on multiple types of devices can be reached. These apps can allow businesses to showcase what they want to display using their preferred devices instead of a specific one. This means that the content can be accessed by people in a crowd, sitting at the office, or travelling on a plane. 

Users of PWAs don’t need to worry about extra storage as these apps are not downloaded. Research has shown that 25% of users delete apps to install new ones on their devices. If yours isn’t a PWA, you may run the chance of being deleted. 

Your customers will never miss out on the latest version since PWAs do not need to be updated by the user. Nobody likes having to update an app when opening it to use. But with PWAs, are like websites, so they always stay up to date. 

For smaller businesses and start-ups who don’t yet have a loyal customer base willing to download an app, a PWA means that customers just need to find the website and immediately interact with your business. 

The Right Digital Presence
To compete in your marketplace and gain your customers’ attention, you need the right mobile digital presence. For mobile development in Kitchener, the experts at Unwired Web Solutions can help make sure your business has the app best suited for your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our services and what we can offer.

What Plugins Are Slowing Down Your WordPress Site?

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WordPress is a great platform to host a website. But from time to time, these websites can be slowed to a snail’s pace. Many times the speed of your website is slowing down due to plugins, So it is essential to figure out which ones are causing your site harm.

At Unwired Web Solutions our team of experts offer a selection of services from creating a content management system for small business to figuring out which plugin is slowing your WordPress site. No matter what your needs are for your business, our team is here to help.

Slow Site

Not only is a slow site annoying for your customers, but Google is also watching how fast your site runs and is ranking you according to your speed. When your business relies on the Internet, you cannot afford to ignore site speed issues. Experts believe that each time your website fails to load slower than three-second timeframe you risk losing a customer. Slow load time is one of the major contributors to site abandonment.

It is vital to monitor your site speed regularly to eliminate issues that could be slowing it down. When you use WordPress it is even more important as it relies on plugins to improve functionality and boost the user experience.

Don’t shy away from plugins simply because they could slow down your site. It is just essential that you identify which plugins may be the culprits of a decrease in speed in your website. While staying on top of these things can be tricky, our experts at Unwired Web Solutions are here to help.

Quantity or Quality?

You may assume that is the quantity of plugins that you have for your site that will slow it down; however, this is not always true. According to WordPress experts, it is common for business websites to have around 20 to 30 plugins installed, and for larger business sites it can quite easily reach 50 to 60 plugins.

With these websites regularly having a large number of plugins it stands to reason that it’s not the quantity that can cause the most damage to your site speed. It is truly about the quality of the plugins that are the real issue.

Always make sure you opt for plugins that are made by professionals and have a good reputation with great reviews. These plugins should follow WordPress coding standards and should not negatively impact your site speed or performance.

Regularly Check Speed and Performance

By regularly checking the speed and performance of your WordPress website you can be sure your customers are not being turned away because they are waiting too long for your page to load. Google offers an easy and simple way to check your site speed. Their page speed insights tool is free to use by simply entering your URL and letting it do the work analyzing your site.

If you do find that your site has dramatically slowed, chances are that it’s because of a rogue problem plugin. Our experts at Unwired Web Solutions can help find the plugin that may be causing the problems and help to get your site back up to speed. Contact us today to find out more about our WordPress services. We also offer various other services such as content management systems for small businesses, local SEO, website design, social media marketing, and more!

How To Assess Your Website With Google Lighthouse

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Google Lighthouse is an open-source automated tool that measures the quality of web pages. It can audit performance, search engine optimization, and accessibility, helping you get an accurate reading of your website design. With Google’s Lighthouse, you can essentially see your website through Google’s eyes which could be crucial to the success of your online business.

Keeping up with Algorithm Updates

Trying to keep up with the numerous algorithm updates from Google can be tough. Many people are unaware that their website has an unfavourable design or content flaws that may be costing them when it comes to ranking. But Google does offer a host of free tools designed to help improve websites, and one such tool is Google Lighthouse.

How Does Lighthouse Work?

Google Lighthouse provides powerful insights that can help improve your website. With Google recently increasing its emphasis on-page experience, it is more important than ever to ensure your website makes the grade. By generating a Lighthouse report, you can access any web page’s experience and get valuable tips to help improve its performance.

Since Lighthouse is a Google application, it is the perfect way to see how Google may see your website. It can offer valuable, detailed information which can help you improve performance.

With a clear grading system, Lighthouse allows you to audit pages and find areas for improvement. You can get in-depth insights and find places where you can quickly and easily improve your page so it meets more of Google’s standards.

Using Lighthouses metrics can give you an idea of how fast your page loads and how quickly the user can interact properly with it. Google has found that loading speeds make a big difference in how people interact with the website, which is why it considers it to be an important aspect of a website.

Easy to Use

Even though Google Lighthouse gives you a fairly technical analysis of your website, you do not need to be tech-savvy to run it. In fact, it simply takes two clicks of the mouse to get all the information you need. Lighthouse can be run through developer tools or a Chrome add-on.

Each Lighthouse report has five categories, including performance, best practices, accessibility, SEO, and progressive web app. As Google has recently confirmed the aspects such as load speed and mobile experience factor into its algorithm, these metrics may give your business the ability to see how it’s performing in these crucial areas.

Once you have the reports from Google’s Lighthouse and follow their helpful tips on improving performance, you’ve got exactly what you need to make technical improvements to your site and increase your ranking. Once you’ve implemented your changes, you can then check back with Lighthouse to determine if your score has been improved.

The Difference Between Page Speed Insights and Google Insights

Page speed insights is another common application that people use to get information about their website.  There is one main difference between page speed insights and Google’s Lighthouse. Page speed insights only focus on page performance, whereas Google’s Lighthouse offers a complete picture of the user’s page experience by analyzing best practices, SEO, accessibility, and progressive web apps.

A Sneak Peek

Lighthouse can provide a sneak peek into how Google judges your web pages. With page experience becoming an increasingly important factor for Google, it needs to become equally important for website owners. If you would like more information about Google Lighthouse or are looking to upgrade your website design, contact Unwired Web Solutions today.

Why More Brands Are Going Direct To Consumer

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COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we live our lives, including how we shop. More people are turning to eCommerce instead of going to brick-and-mortar locations. This has sparked a new growing trend of direct to consumer (DTC) commerce. This type of commerce involves the process of the manufacturer selling directly to the end consumer.

To understand just how much this trend is growing, eCommerce is expected to account for 6.6% of all consumer packaged goods sales, and the DTC movement accounts for 40% of the sales growth in this sector. This means the DTC industry is not going to die down anytime soon. Customers increasingly want brand loyalty and accessibility, and DTC provides both of these. 

Why Would a Brand Choose the DTC model? 

There are many reasons why brands would want to adopt the DTC model. With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on supply chains, companies realize that by taking a DTC approach, there is less of a supply chain that can be exposed to problems. 

While retailers in the past have been part of brand awareness and acquisition strategy, many businesses found the effort it takes to manage these different distribution channels outweighed the benefits. These stores are in complete control over where products are placed in their location. While this may sound like a small difference, it could have a huge impact on sales when continuously placed on a shelf that is not at eye level. 

Customers no longer want to rely solely on the stores to put the products out in the right places for the right people or for the local sales reps to be educated about it. They want the convenience of going directly to the brand to purchase the product. 

Taking Ownership of Customers

One of the most important upsides of going direct to consumer is taking ownership of the most important asset: the customers. By going DTC, companies can now manage how they interact with their customers. They can reach out to them directly about promotions or new products, unlike if the consumer had bought the item through a retailer. Selling DTC gives a business control over the entire customer journey. This starts from the moment someone lands on a website until the product is delivered.

Another reason for going DTC is that a customer is able to connect with more products, whereas some retailers may not always have every item in stock. The customer is able to communicate with a brand whenever they want, throughout their day, and on their terms. Brands can then proactively connect with their customers through push notifications, email, and so on. 

This will ultimately help to build brand loyalty. Consumers now show that they want to get to know the brands they buy from and feel as though they are appreciated as a customer. By connecting directly with consumers, a brand can build a relationship that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so through a retailer.

Now Is the Time 

There has never been a better time to sell your products direct to consumer and reach a whole new target market. The challenge is, many large corporations don’t know what to do or how even to start. If you are a business thinking of going direct to consumer, contact us today to learn how we can help integrate DTC with your B2B website. When selling direct to consumer you want to keep your message consistent while staying on brand. 

We are here to help! Contact us today to learn how we can help take your business direct to consumer. 

How To Create Product Descriptions That Convert

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Chances are, at some point in time, you have purchased an item online because the product description convinced you to click the “buy” button. Companies that know how to write product descriptions that convert deserve a round of applause. This is a skill that most people are not capable of achieving. 

Our website design company Waterloo specialists, know how to write descriptions that can get your customers clicking. Offering some suggestions, they advise starting with making sure you have great photos before beginning with the description. Once you have a good image of your product or service, you can start working on your SEO-rich product descriptions. 

The Basics

Let’s start with the basics. A product description is a summary that gives customers the info they need to know about a particular product. This may include details like product features, benefits, and common uses. A good description will consist of the what, who, and how all in at least 300 words. 

Writing these descriptions may take a bit of time, but think of it as a smart content marketing investment. Each description, if done correctly, can drive traffic to your store. It can also improve SEO and eventually increase sales. If your product descriptions are written poorly, they can turn potential customers off and leave them frustrated. Chances are they will leave your site and purchase from a competitor. 

 What to Include

When starting out, think about your audience. This will help to tailor your tone and language so they can connect with the words. How do they speak? Is it formal or informal? Are they using technical terms or slang? Some of the best ways to gather information about the tone of your copy are by turning to social media groups forums or comments to see what your target audience is talking about.

Remember to always stay true to your brand. If you stay on brand, your voice and tone will already match your demographic. 

One of the most important things to remember when writing product descriptions is to make the text as easy to read as possible. Everybody is in a rush all the time, which means most people who click on your product want to be able to quickly and easily read your description. Many people will only skim through your product descriptions so make sure the most important information is at the beginning. You will want to use short words and give as much information in as much detail as possible in as few words as possible. Bullet points and highlighted text can also be utilized to get your most important points across. 

There is no one size fits all template for product descriptions, so you need to be creative. If this is not your strong suit, think about hiring a writer that can help. 

Let Your Personality Shine Through

By adding in additional information, including real reviews, comments or messages about how your product benefited other customers, you can add value to your description. Don’t get too caught up in sounding too polished. Writing your own product descriptions can be a great way to give your brand personality. 

Our website design company Waterloo specialists, can assist you from the very beginning when setting up your business. Whether you need web design or content creation and management, our experts can help. Contact us today and get your product descriptions to start converting “window shoppers” into buyers!