Cynthia Oswald

Surface Design, Fine Art + Branding for Creatives

website optimization

Adding CTAs to Your Website

website success tips

Best placement for calls to action on your website

Top 3 Things to Consider When Adding CTAs to Your Website

  1. What’s the number 1 goal of your website? Be sure to create CTAs (calls to action) throughout pointing users to that goal/next steps
  2. Include one above the page fold on each page, and throughout the content, as well as the bottom of every page
  3. Make it easy for your user to know what their next action should be

Today’s tip is all about creating calls to action throughout your website and making sure that you share it in the most important locations on your site. You are going to include it in your menu, which essentially are different calls to action, but you also want to have a button or some specific highlighted call to action below the intro copy so that people know exactly where they should be going next after they read that information. Always be thinking about what the number one goal of the page is and then make sure that your call to action relates specifically to that goal and points the user to the next logical location. 

Examples of CTA’s are: 

  • make a purchase
  • sign up for your email newsletter
  • learn more about a service
  • contact
  • schedule a call

You want to relate back to what’s the number one goal for that page and the content and really, your website overall. You would think that creating calls to action would be very natural, but a lot of times we overlook it and just think that people will find what they need to do by looking through the menu. As the user is scrolling through content, they may decide to jump off the page and take action on what you are sharing so include CTAs throughout the copy/pages in natural locations. Sometimes it looks like having four different links that all lead to the exact same location from one page. Website visitors are looking for next steps, so making it really obvious is going to be helpful for them and it’s going to make the user experience better. 

I have one more tip in this series all about consistent spacing and then I’ll be moving on to the next series. If you want to see a full list of all my top website tips, download my FREE Website Checklist!

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation

Top 3 Things to Think About Regarding Your Website Page Fold

Website Success Tips

Consideration of the page fold

What is a page fold? For physical projects consider a brochure, a natural break occurs when you open up a panel. It’s when you literally turn the page — creating those very apparent, natural breaks in the text and visuals. In the digital world, a page fold is considered anything you can see within the screen on the device you are using to view the web page, when you find yourself needing to scroll down to see more, you have found the page fold. 

On a website, there are a few things that you want to consider before a visitor starts to scroll down your web page. Below are my top 3 things to think about when viewing your website with the consideration of the page fold in mind.

1. Understand what is showing up on the screen when someone lands on our site from all devices

The first thing to consider is: what does the web visitor see when landing on your webpage? Do they see everything you are wanting them to see or are they not seeing enough? Make sure to consider the devices that someone could be using to view your website (phone, laptop, tablet, desktop). Every device has a different page fold, so you want to make sure to use the viewfinder to see what the screen view looks like on each device. Usually, your website should be responsive to different devices, but it never hurts to double-check that everything translates properly.

2. Including a CTA 

At the top of the page (and this goes for all web pages, not just your home page), you want to make sure that you always have a call to action above the fold. Consider having a call-out section above the fold that includes a header, a little bit of copy that articulates what they can expect to learn or find on this page, and a quick button so they can easily click into the goal location. Some web visitors are coming to your website to take immediate action, so you want to make sure that the CTA is up-front and center so they don’t have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the webpage to find the link they are looking for.

3. Create Natural Breaks

In the case that a visitor decides not to immediately click on the CTA at the top of the webpage, and begins to scroll, you will want to make sure that you have created natural breaks on the page. Why is this important? You don’t want it to feel like an endless scroll with no hierarchy.  It’s not visually pleasing and can cause your visitor to lose interest. Try these design elements to help create natural feeling page breaks:

  • color blocking
  • images
  • lines
  • whitespace

These options can create mental indicators to the reader which content belongs together and when the next thought has begun. Creating those natural breaks in the page allows the end-user to have a pleasing overall experience when viewing your website. It’s a way to create breathing room online versus the physical world. 

Want to know more website success tips? Download my FREE Website Checklist!

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation

Understanding SEO & Algorithms

website analytics

Understanding SEO and what it means for your site

I have to admit that it’s a bit hilarious that I work behind a computer. I barely watch TV and while I enjoy technology I’m much more drawn to the outdoors. That said, I absolutely love the time I spend on my computer developing brands and working on my own business. I look at it as a valuable tool that when used appropriately will enrich my customer’s business goals, my own business goals and my goals as an artist and illustrator. Since technology is so vast and always changing I find it important to hang on to tiny bits of information that come from credible sources—providing useful information quickly. That said, I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned about SEO and Algorithms in a quick and precise manner that can start pointing customers your way today.

Cynthia Oswald

SEO

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is simply maximizing the number of visitors to your website by ensuring your site appears high on search engine results (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo, Pinterest, etc.). This is done by using relevant content on your website and ensuring that the site is setup properly for present-day technology. For instance, if your website is not mobile friendly search engines will automatically push your site back in the rankings. When I work on a website I have a step-by-step process that I complete to ensure a site is set up properly from the start. This means that I am syncing the site to Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, creating a site map, installing and setting up plugins that are optimized for keywords and metadata. One way you can continue optimizing your site after you launch is to pay attention to your customers. What questions are they asking? What words are they using when referring to your services? These are keywords that you’ll want to include on your site. You should continue developing relevant content that may be added to your site in order to improve searchability over time.

Algorithms

An algorithm is defined as “a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.” Algorithms are used in so many different ways but what is most important for you to understand is how the specific habits of your potential customers effects what they are seeing on the web. We’ve all been there, scrolling the web or a news feed and we’re getting sponsored content or advertising that is specifically targeted to our searches and interests on the web. In some ways it’s fascinating and in some ways a little scary. I choose to look at the bright side. I’m constantly delivered information that is specifically targeted to my personal preferences. That said, when you are thinking about your website you need to create and deliver content that is specifically targeted to your customer’s needs. This is going to transform the traffic and the searchability of your web content.

3 Ways To Improve Your Traffic Starting Today

1. Optimize Your Visibility On Google
Google is by far the most utilized search engine. Its platforms are continually updated and optimized. If your site was setup by me then you are already synced to Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools—which is a great start. Another way you can improve your ranking is to create a Google business page and retrieve some reviews from your customers. This is an excellent way to show Google that your business is relevant and almost immediately you’ll see an improvement in your search ranking. Make your page stronger still by adding an address and phone number. Be sure to include your website.

2. Create Links Back To Your Website
Since many search engines are ranking your site by relevance the more traffic your site has the better it will appear among search engines. Are you using social media, email blasts or blog posts to point customers back to your website? This is something you should definitely be doing. It’s easy to add your website link to your social media platforms and remind people through relevant content that they can visit your website for more information. This is an easy way to increase traffic organically while showing the search engines that you mean business.

3. Incorporate Relevant Content
By now you’re probably saying to yourself “she’s used the word ‘relevant’ one too many times.” That’s because adding quality (or relevant) content is the number one driver of your search engine rankings. Algorithms are so advanced that they are looking for words that relate to your keywords within your content. That said, if you’re adding one or two words to drive traffic to your site but the copy isn’t matching the keywords than search engines may overlook your site. Take a look at the overall content of your website and make a list of words that you can include that will help potential users find you and relate back to the content that you have published on your site.

Anytime I mention SEO or Algorithms I’m immediately bored myself. My goal here was to provide quick and useful information to help you make better decisions for your web content starting today. If you’d like more information feel free to contact me directly by filling out a form here.

Is your website optimized to reach its fullest potential in search engines? Whether you’re looking to improve your site’s SEO strategy or start building a strong online presence from the ground up, I’m here to help. Let’s discuss how we can increase your visibility and attract more of your ideal customers. Reach out for a personalized SEO consultation, and together, we’ll ensure your website not just exists but stands out and attracts the audience it deserves.

Book Your Web Design Consultation