WordPress

10 Essential Web Design Tools Your Business Should Be Using

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Creating a website is one of the biggest steps you can take toward achieving your goals. From individual artists showing off their work online to businesses boosting their bottom lines with eCommerce, a website is the key to unlocking new opportunities and audiences.

It’s no wonder web design is becoming such a sought-after skill in today’s market. Thankfully, developing an impactful website has never been easier due to the dozens of web design tools available on the web.

Whether you’re a total beginner or an experienced web designer, many web tools offer easy-to-use drag-and-drop interfaces and code editors for basic languages like JavaScript and HTML. It’s never been easier to achieve the vision the web developer wants.

Your choice of what tools to use depends on your budget, the languages you will be using, and how much ease of use matters to you. Here are our top 10 recommendations for essential web design tools to help you get started quickly and easily.

1. Adobe Dreamweaver CC

Starting off with a product from a well-established brand name, Adobe Dreamweaver is a well-respected web design suite for professional developers. If you want a responsive and fully-customizable website that meets high-end standards, Dreamweaver does the job at a price to match.

The software combines a mix of visual editing and HTML coding so that even intermediate designers can interact with the code without significant programming knowledge. It’s decently easy enough to learn the platform, and the customizability ensures that you won’t be limited to someone else’s template.

Dreamweaver includes support for:

  • HTML5
  • Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF)
  • Git (allowing the user to edit source code directly)
  • Responsive design (optimizing the user experience for both mobile and desktop platforms)

Dreamweaver CC is part of Adobe’s subscription service known as Creative Cloud. The package includes PhotoShop, another incredibly useful web design tool, and a free trial of Adobe Stock for finding image resources.

2. Bluefish

The most minimalistic web design tool we’ve come across is Bluefish. Lightweight and fast, this web coding platform allows its users to modify online code.

Upon the fast installation, you are greeted to a text-only interface that lets you modify HTML, PHP, Java, XML, CSS, and many others. Working with remote files is also an option.

While the interface takes time to get used to, Bluefish is still suitable for relative beginners. It’s free of charge too, so there’s nothing to lose.

3. InVision Studio

Many web designers will agree with us when we say that InVision Studio is a complete package for web development. Globalgraphics Web Design recommends InVision Studio for designers who are especially interested in prototyping.

One speciality InVision supports is complex and creative transitions and animations that are sure to impress. You can even program in gestures like hovering and swiping.

4. JumpStory

In web design, stock images are tools of the trade. JumpStory gives you a huge number of image, video, and clip art resources. It even includes a commercial license for legal use on your website and editing options to help you tailor them to your individual needs.

One feature we many users find especially useful is TextMatch, an AI-powered search engine that finds the best images based on your search terms.

5. ProofHub

Proofing is an essential step in the web design process that many developers make the mistake of neglecting. ProofHub will tell you whether or not your design works before you settle on a final version.

It’s not a platform for creating websites directly, but we think it can help you plan and communicate your changes with your team during development.

6. Sketch

Another excellent prototyping tool is Sketch, which specializes in vector-based user interfaces. Businesses and online stores can benefit from Sketch the most.

With Sketch, we were able to create UI elements and reuse them throughout the website, resulting in a consistent user experience.

Straightforward to use and inexpensive, Sketch is an excellent option for those dealing with many vector drawings and graphics.

7. Webflow

We thought to include a cloud-based service in this list since those are becoming more and more common. While the user interface of Webflow does take some getting used to, the drag-and-drop interactivity ensures that little coding knowledge is required to get the most value out of it.

Webflow automatically generates HTML and CSS code for your website. Because it’s web-based, you get excellent cross-platform support. The starter package allows users to keep up with a maximum of two projects at a time, so upgrade to the premium package when you need it.

8. Weebly

Often described as the “DIY eCommerce builder,” Weebly should be on your list if you’re a marketing or online seller. Weebly creates professional-looking websites that are customizable and functional on a variety of platforms, including mobile devices.

Weebly is a content management system with drag-and-drop tools and online store templates. Even those without too much coding experience should have a good time with Weebly. And don’t forget about some of the eCommerce-focused features, including search engine optimization and sales analytics.

9. Wix

Are you a beginner with no technical coding skills? Fear not! Wix is a user-friendly web design tool with plenty of features to let you hit the ground running.

This website builder has over 500 templates to get started with. Just drag and drop images, animations, buttons, and other elements to create your perfect site. While the use of premade assets may limit your design choices somewhat, Wix offers a free trial that’s definitely worth trying.

10. WordPress

We couldn’t make a web design list without including WordPress. The WordPress platform offers an unparalleled degree of flexibility and customizability. It’s easy to use, comes with endless features and templates, and serves everyone from individual bloggers to large companies.

WordPress is another content management system, but arguably its biggest selling point is seamless integration with third-party add-ons. Add-ons let you customize and add extra functions to your site without too much programming skill.

WordPress is the best way to get a website going quickly. Community support in the form of add-ons and templates sweeten the deal. By the way, did we mention that WordPress supports around 38% of all websites on the Internet?

10 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders  

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With the tremendous increase in social media users, it isn’t shocking to see that most companies have started moving online. In today’s time, companies that operate online need to have a functioning webpage at all costs that can help attract customers. For this purpose, WordPress is an actual lifesaver. WordPress is the least difficult and most well-known approach to make your personal site or blog. Furthermore, WordPress controls over one-third of the considerable number of sites on the Internet. Indeed – more than one of every three sites that you visit is likely to be controlled by WordPress.

Drop WordPress Page Builders

Source:chrislema.com

With approximately 75 million websites using the platform, WordPress remains as popular as ever. One of the attractions of WordPress is the user-friendly setup and content management system. The platform, though, is not as simple as some would like, requiring a level of expertise when it comes to finely tuning themes and coding elements.

Thankfully, there is a large number of drag-and-drop page builders to simplify the process even more. The following products can be used to build attractive pages and sites from scratch, using drag and drop facilities to create custom designs.

Divi

Divi, from Elegant Themes, is a front-end editor that lets you immediately see each change you make. You can shape the page by adjusting factors like fonts, colors, page size, and column styles. The next stage is to add various elements like tabs, galleries, social buttons, and pricing tables.

MotoPress Content Editor

Source:youtube

MotoPress offers an editor alongside their other plugin products. The visual builder lets you choose the elements you want to include on a page, while also supporting a number of third party add-ons. You can integrate the builder with any WordPress theme, allowing you to maintain a consistent website design using, according to proactiveseosolutions.com

Oxygen

Oxygen lets you adapt every element on a page, making customization of paramount importance. You can build unlimited page styles, mixing different columns and sections to design your ideal pages. One of the best aspects of Oxygen is the template library, which allows you to quickly adapt attractive pages and sites. If you need to develop landing pages in bulk, Oxygen makes the process simple.

Themify Builder

The Themify Builder plugin can be used as a standalone plugin or within the Themify theme framework. The standalone plugin is free, with the ability to use with any theme of your choosing. You simply drag and drop elements into place and use the front end viewer to look at the results.

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder is a high-quality plugin that offers front end editing across any WordPress theme. You can develop unlimited theme styles and save them for future use. There are a number of templates included, so you can get an effective landing page online in no time. The plugin is also responsive, providing a quality experience across all devices.

WPBakery Page Builder

WPBakery Page Builder is a hugely popular plugin that has achieved millions of sales. The tool includes both a front end and back end page builder to suit each design style. There are also a huge number of premium add-ons featuring parallax elements, portfolios, feature boxes, and much more.

Elementor

Elementor is another intuitive tool, allowing complete customization of each page. The product also includes helpful features like a popup builder for collecting emails and promoting offers. Elementor provides over 80 elements, with a number of WooCommerce integrations that will benefit e-commerce store owners.

Thrive Architect

Thrive Architect offers a simple drag and drop page builder, with some useful advanced features. You can create custom columns by dragging boxes to the right size, allowing you to build unique page designs. You also get access to over 200 landing page designs, so you can quickly adapt an existing style.

SiteOrigin Page Builder

Source:winningwp.com

SiteOrigin Page Builder is not as advanced as some other options, but it can be downloaded for free. To get the most benefit, though, the premium version comes with numerous add-ons like sliders, a contact box, an accordion, and more. The plugin integrates with any theme, so you aren’t restricted by any particular design.

Cornerstone

Cornerstone has been optimized to work with the popular X theme by Themeco, but it will also work with any other theme you choose. Along with a simple front end editor, you can also adjust the back end coding if you are technically proficient. Cornerstone comes with a library full of elements to help create visually stunning pages.

Your website is integral to the success of your business. A website is often the first interaction a consumer has with your business, providing an initial response to your brand. You can also use landing pages to convert leads into subscribers and customers, with a need to quickly create templates for testing. A WordPress drag and drop page builder lets you benefit from a robust platform, harnessing a user-friendly system to craft the designs your business requires.

Added Benefits of WordPress

WordPress is an open-source content administration framework that is authorized on a somewhat progressively specialized level, which means that almost anybody can utilize or alter WordPress programming for no charges whatsoever.

Worldwide Recognition

Due to its previous notable highlights, huge numbers of the top brands use WordPress to control their sites, including Facebook, The New Yorker, Sony, Disney, The New York Times, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Moreover, WordPress is free programming software. It implies you can download, introduce, utilize, and change it to coordinate with your needs. You can utilize it to make any site. While the WordPress programming itself is free, you need a name for your domain to introduce it to the World Wide Web.

SEO friendly

Source:techiexpert.com

WordPress is composed of engaging with standard consistent, top-notch code and creates semantic markup. In simpler terms, this makes Google and other web crawlers love WordPress.

This is the reason WordPress locales will, in general, position higher than others in web indexes. Lastly, it should be worth mentioning that WordPress is very friendly in terms of Search

Engine Optimization, as well. You can likewise utilize WordPress SEO modules to improve your site even further.

No need to learn about programming

WordPress’s board framework is a tool that fundamentally makes it simple to oversee significant parts of your site without having to know anything about programming.

Conclusively, WordPress makes constructing a site open to anybody – even individuals who are new to programming. While WordPress started as a blogging apparatus, it has developed during past times into a ground-breaking web designing and a powerful substance management organization. The best part about WordPress is that it’s anything but difficult to utilize and adaptable enough to make various sorts of sites. This is the vital reason why WordPress has gained such notable prominence.

5 Best Website Builders For Small Businesses – A 2020 Guide

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We all live in an era that is technologically-driven, which is why most businesses cannot survive without having a presence online. Besides offering your clients an easy way to see, read, and buy your services and/or goods, having a website is the most reliable way for promoting your company, attracting more and new customers, as well as improving your overall brand awareness.

If you are thinking about getting your business online, you should know that there are some platforms that enable you to quickly and effortlessly do so. And, this is exactly what the text below will assist you with. Let’s take a closer look at the 5, best website builders that you can utilize for your small business:

  1. Overall Best: Wix

Source:webhostingsrbija.rs

You have probably heard about “Wix” before, and there is a pretty good reason for this. A lot of people consider it to be the best option for smaller companies mostly because it is user-friendly and flexible, yet, incredibly powerful. This means that you can actually create and get everything up and running in several hours.

If your goal is to keep things minimalistic and simple, yet capable of developing your brand and its awareness, this option is probably most suitable for you. The program has a drag-and-drop option, meaning that you won’t need any specific IT knowledge nor skills to create an appealing portfolio of the things you offer.

  1. Best For Growing Companies And Start-Ups: Squarespace

Source:mobiletransaction.org

The first thing you should know about this option is that it’s not as simple to utilize as the previously mentioned one, however, by choosing it, you can pick from a lot of wonderful templates and if you are searching for an option that won’t lower the quality of our videos and pictures, you should opt for this one.

Your company might be growing fast, and in this case, you’ll see that Squarespace’s SEO features can aid you with the ranking you have on popular search engines. If you wish to see a detailed comparison of some of the programs discussed here, and some guides for using them, you can check out WebpageScientist for more information.

  1. The Cheap Option: Weebly

Source:moneyinc.com

Now, the first thing that is worth mentioning is that this program scores high on the great value for the money list. If you do not need a fancy looking website with hundreds of traits, you should opt for this tool, especially since you’ll be able to get your business online without spending a lot of money.

Most people recommend the “Performance Plan” since it allows you to use E-commerce features that you’ll definitely need soon. For instance, the mentioned plan can allow you to accept payments via PayPal which is one of the most preferred methods of paying for a lot of online shoppers. Additionally, it is extremely easy to use, which is another reason why so many business owners choose it.

  1. Best For Getting Your Company Online Fast: GoDaddy

Source:marketplace.whmcs.com

You might need to get everything ready and operational fast, and if so, you should choose this option for your small business. Firstly, it is quite easy to use, which is logical since it is the fastest tool out there, hence, if you do not have a lot of time, it might be convenient for you.

You’ll be able to choose from a lot of pre-designed templates and if you choose to change the template or try out different ones, it will automatically reformat itself. This feature is incredibly useful and it is what sets it apart from other ones such as Wix.

  1. Perfect For Blogging – WordPress

Source:wpexplorer.com

This is one of the names that you have definitely heard about, however, you should know that it is more suitable for blogging than it is as a place for showing or selling your goods. If you need to blog about your company, services, or products, then this is the one you should choose. Try it for something else, and you might find that it is somewhat limited.

But, why is it mostly used for blogging? Well, simply said, it comes with a wide range of features such as commenting, tagging, liking, categories, and your readers can subscribe to your blog in order to stay informed about the latest items you are offering. In a way, it acts as a newsletter for your consumers.

What to Consider When Choosing One?

Before actually choosing and paying for the program, you should first write down what you need from it, what your objectives are, and what features you might need. Next, you should consider these things:

 

  1. Ease of Use – the first thing you’ll want to consider is how easy it is to use it and the features it offers. As mentioned, you might not have the knowledge needed for creating your online shop, hence, check out whether or not the builder has a drag and drop option that you can use.

 

 

  1. The Features – what one program offers another might not. This is one of the things you should definitely keep in mind. Just because all of the platforms are used for creating sites, they might not have the same features. This means that you should ensure that you’ll get value for the money you’ll be paying.

 

  1. Is it Stable? – The thing that most people dread is their business site crashing. This can lead to downtime, which can in return, lower the sales and your general revenue. So, check what other people had to say about the functionality and up-time of the program you might choose.

 

  1. The Previous Experiences – to be 100% sure about a builder, you should read the testimonials of the people who already used the platform you are thinking about choosing. Besides reading the reviews on the official shops, do not forget to check out independent ones as well.

Conclusion

As you were able to read, there is actually a wide range of platforms that you can use for building a website for your small business. So, now that you know which ones you can choose, as well as what to consider when choosing one, do not lose any more of your time. Instead, go back to the beginning of the article and determine which platform might suit your needs and requirements best!

What to consider when choosing a WordPress theme

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There over 10.000 themes for WordPress out there. And there are so many of them that it would probably take you days to browse through all of them to find one that would be a perfect fit for your blog. So, how could you narrow it down to find the right one?

Choosing the right theme is probably the most important thing after all the right one will give your blog and content flair, keeping it responsive on all devices, while also loading in a few seconds. Yet, there are many themes out there and it can be a time-consuming task to choose the best one.

Before buying a theme or before investing a lot of time to customize one, make sure to check this list out to make it easier for you when searching:

Img source: WordPress.org

1. Make a list of features you want – before selecting a theme, it is totally important to determine which features are important and which ones your blog could not live without. The WordPress feature filter makes it extremely easy to customize your search for free themes based on specific features you would like. For example, being translation ready and allowing a flexible header. It is important to have the design in mind before making a choice. For example, it is important to know if you want your site to have one column or multiple ones. When it comes to choosing a theme for WordPress, less is always more. Building it from bottom up, the theme you choose to use should only have the features what will accomplish the goal of your site. An unnecessary thing will clutter your theme.

2. Do not choose an overloaded theme – you will probably not want a theme that is cluttered with features you do not need. After all, it will only hurt you in the future. A feature-rich theme might be nice, but it can affect your site performance. Make sure to stay away from installing every feature you think is cool.

3. Choose a responsive theme – simply put, responsive design means making your site easy to use and navigate. Not just on your laptop or computer, but on multiple, if not all devices. This means that it will be compatible with mobile and has widgets that are easy to navigate. Look for features that are like a fluid site grid and flexible images that can translate to non-desktop devices.

Img source: teamkgsr.com

4. Keep the color in mind – keep in mind that most marketing is based on the actual visual appearance, and color will most certainly increase brand recognition as well. If you have a logo, try to match the color of your theme to it. If you decide to stick with neutral colors, a splash of color here and there might make it more interesting. With WordPress, it is quite easy to alter the appearance, including the colors of a theme by going directly into the file.

5. You should consider buying a premium theme – while free themes are great for those who do not have a budget, there can be some issues with them. Besides the quality of coding not being up to par, by using a free theme, you take the risk of it not being updated regularly. Premium themes are dynamic, typically offering more features than the free one, which can stand out. You can check out these WordPress classified themes.

Conclusion

These are some ideas of how you can narrow down your search for the perfect theme. What is great about WordPress is that if you decide to change themes, you will have the possibility of doing so.

How a WordPress Website could help boost your business profile

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If you are not online, your business could already be trailing your competitors. As more people use the internet for different business activities such as making purchases and researching products, as well as getting in touch with brands for customer service, Many businesses have set up a social media catalog, as well as developing a website. WordPress is the largest website builder on the internet, with around 30% of pages based on this open source code. It is very popular with businesses too, ranging from small start ups to large players. You could benefit from having your business online and more so if you are using WordPress to develop and host your site. Here’s how the content management system will boost your business profile.

It is affordable

Many businesses do not have an expense allocation for online marketing, even those with a large network on the internet. These businesses look o rely on an affordable way to grow their profile online. While other CMS will require some registration fees and other premium payments, WordPress is completely free. Click here to read the best reviews of wordpres. Since 2003 when it was first released, users have been able to install and set up their websites for free on the platform. You may be required to pay for your domain name, but that is a significantly low cost that will only recur after a long period of time. WordPress also includes free themes and plugins, enabling users to get their desired website build for no charge. While free plugins from third party sources can be appealing, you should not use plugins from suspicious third party sources because they could expose your business website to vulnerability, and may compromise the safety and security of both your brand and visitors.

It will improve SEO

 

People are always more willing to visit and trust websites that appear at the top of search engine results. You can pay to have your website at the top of Google search results, but this will not be as effective as organic listings and naturally high rankings. More people would be likely to visit an organic listing than a promoted website, even if they each have the same information. You can improve your SEO ranking by optimizing for speed, through practices such as constantly updating your site, removing any unnecessary elements, managing your content and indexing your pages. You will be able to provide visitors with a great experience on your website, which will organically raise your ranking. A higher ranking will increase your business’ visibility, which could translate to a better chance to achieve your business goals. Web hosting will play a big part in shaping your rankings. You should consider doing away with shared hosting in favor of dedicated webs hosting to reduce the possible consequences to your ranking by other unoptimized websites under the same host.

It will increase return visits

WordPress offers a number of features that will improve user experience to the point that these visitors will likely make a return visit. It can be optimized for speed, which is one of the biggest metrics that determine user satisfaction. By being on WordPress, you could improve your page load times and attract visitors who would otherwise look for alternatives if your page were to load too slowly.  There are many plugins available with a range of functions, including those that help website owners schedule posts. You will be able to maintain consistency with your posts, even when you do not have the time to make the posts yourself. Visitors will always have a reason to visit your website if the content is relevant to their interests and regularly posted. The multimedia support provided by the platform also enables website owners to diversify content, which keeps their website exciting and increases the rate of return visits. To maximize on the return visits and increase return rates overall, you should track analytics through Google’s analytic tools. You will be better able to understand the users’ interests and capitalize on them.

You could create a community

WordPress is scalable, which means website owners have the ability to choose their desired website type. WordPress started as a blogger platform, but has developed to incorporate all types of websites, ranging from social media, business websites, brand pages, social media, forums and even live prank counters. Certain website types allow for high levels of user interaction and engagement. As more people visit and contribute to your website, as well as interact with each other and your business, you will develop a close knit online community with your followers. They will be more likely to be loyal to your business and enjoy the experience. WordPress supports the creation of a community by providing social media integration, comment boxes and other tools that will help boost engagement levels. In order to maintain a great SEO, you should consider breaking down these comments into pages so as to reduce the total page load data.

Your business will increase its exposure

There are 4 billion active users on the internet, which includes a large number of uses within your target demographic. By going online, you will increase your ability to reach these people. The result of an increase in visibility could be increased revenues and higher conversion rates, which are likely to be part of your business goals. The exposure provided by having an online presence is unbeatable. As more people join the internet, it is becoming the premier platform for marketing and advertising. In order to maximize of this benefit, you should make sure to promote your website and business through strategic marketing and remarketing on social media platforms. If you cannot afford paid means, you may consider viable alternatives such as running giveaways.

Final word

Getting your WordPress website up and running will increase your likelihood of attracting more clients to your brand, as well as boosting the level of exposure. you need to have a website to maximize on the large number of potential customers who are using the internet for commerce. If you are not completely confident of making a great website, you should consider hiring professional service providers such s WPFixs to help make the best website for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It will improve SEO