So what does this mean for businesses? It means if your customers are on mobile, then you need to be there too with the same quality of design and content that you have for your desktop site.

Mobile responsive websites are quickly becoming an expectation on the part of internet users, which is why the leading web design company in Coimbatore offers responsive designs that can suit screens of different sizes and platforms. We are far more impatient and have far higher standards now when it comes to website design and functionality than ever before.

What is Responsive Website Design

Responsive website design means that your website performs with the same speed, functionality, and quality design as your main desktop site.

In technical terms, it’s designing your website using flexible elements (forms, pages, images) that intuitively respond to the dimensions through which a user is viewing your site.

If you don’t employ responsive web design, users may end up zooming in and out of your website on their smartphone trying to click hyperlinks, calls to action, or read the text. A frustrating experience like this can be all they need to click straight back out of it. So, it would be great if you worked with a reliable web design company that would provide you with responsive designs.

Why Use Mobile / Responsive Website Design

In fact, the statistics undoubtedly back the need for responsive web design. Various studies have shown that:

• 57% of users say they won’t recommend a website with a poorly designed mobile version
• 85% of adults think a company’s mobile website should be as good or better than the desktop version
• By Q2 2018, smartphones held a 63% share of all retail website visits

But let’s get specific. What’s the impact on your business? Here are six reasons why a mobile responsive website design performs better and what that means for your bottom line.

• Website Speed

In a world where internet users expect instant information at the tips of their fingers, nothing kills a user experience quicker than slow loading times for web pages.

47% of Users expect a maximum of 2 seconds of loading time for an average website. If you’re not optimizing your website for mobile use, chances are it’s taking longer than that.

Long loading times are the easiest way to get a user to click straight back out of your website and onto a competitor’s site. 

• User Experience

The importance of user experience in website design cannot be emphasized enough. Aside from loading speed, UX comprises:

• The design, look and feel of your site
• How quickly and easily users can find the desired information
• The ease with which users can jump from one logical step to the next
• The overall functionality of your site

Users make up their minds about your website in a startlingly quick 0.05 seconds. If a smartphone user clicks onto the mobile version of your website and a clunky version of your desktop website is what appears, it leaves a bad impression. 

It will also make your website much harder to navigate, which brings us onto the next point.

• Conversion Rates

The point of any website is to maximize interaction with your business and increase sales. A conversion on your site may be filling in a form, contacting your company for a quote, or making a sale in the case of eCommerce platforms.

Poor UX on a mobile site has a hugely negative impact on conversion rates. With 50% of total eCommerce revenue coming from mobile browsers, your mobile website must be primed for capturing leads and making sales.

Responsive web design can ensure that:

• Your contact/request forms are easy to fill out
• Customers can view your contact information easily
• Any images/cart options/payment screens are easy to view and navigate

• Search Rankings

Search engines like Google are always looking for ways to rank pages in a way that will benefit the user. So it’s no surprise that mobile responsive websites are therefore ranked higher in search results than those that are not. 

Google incorporates responsive web design into their algorithms in the following ways:

• Page load speed
• Decreased bounce rate
• Less duplicate content
• Increased social sharing

So if SEO is a part of your digital strategy, you should definitely be taking responsive website design into account especially when it come to recruitment website design.

• Consistent Brand Experience
  

On a less technical note, webmasters and digital marketers should also be thinking about mobile website design in terms of brand experience. If you have a beautifully designed desktop site and have not optimized it for mobile usage. You could be negatively impacting people’s perception of your business.

A web credibility research report from Stanford showed that 75% of consumers make judgments on a company’s credibility based on their website design. With trends only pointing towards a continuing increase in mobile usage, responsive web design, and brand perception go increasingly hand in hand.

• Analytics

We’ve mostly discussed mobile websites in terms of responsive design; which is optimizing your existing site for use on both desktop and mobile.

Another tactic is to create an entirely separate website for use on mobile devices. There are pros and cons to both tactics. But a significant advantage of responsive website design over separate websites is streamlined analytics.

Creating a separate mobile website means managing a separate set of analytics. This, trying to combine both to get an overall sense of your online performance won’t be efficient.

With responsive design, all your analytics (mobile and desktop) can be viewed and measured from a single analytics dashboard. Thus, saving marketers a lot of time. When incorporating retrospective methods in UX design, it’s essential to know how to write a research hypothesis that guides your analysis and helps you make informed design decisions.

All the studies and stats are evidence enough that your users and customers are on mobile. In this digital age of UX and meeting consumers where they are, it has never been more critical to ensure your website is optimized for consistently good design and functionality across all touchpoints.

In the end, it’s about the impact on your business. And there is little doubt that a responsive mobile website design stands to have a significant impact on your bottom line.

The post Reasons Why a Mobile Responsive Website Design Performs Better appeared first on The Online Learning Platform.

Utilizing all of the available online research tools can prove to be essential in your internet search for relevant knowledge and effective web search. Understanding and implementing all of the available tools to identify and acquire the right knowledge is difficult without certain techniques.

3 Different Web Search Engine Options

Using web search engines is a pivotal part of online research. When looking at the different options available, it is not a matter of finding which is better. They all offer benefits in their own way.

Here are the 3 most common web search engine options:

• Google: Google is the most popular web search engine in the world. It offers more than just website search results. You can find images, videos from different sites, unit conversions and research papers
  Google also allows for the use of different built-in tools such as ‘-‘, ‘*’, ‘AND’, ‘OR’
• Bing: Bing was created by Microsoft and is the default web search engine in Internet Explorer (or the newest version called Microsoft Edge). It provides users with a different look and feels along with a cleaner layout.
• Yahoo: Yahoo web search engine is different than the rest in that it provides more comprehensive search results. The shopping option is also more comprehensive than the Bing and Google counterpart. What separates Yahoo from the rest is Yahoo answers. Results from this website are given priority when using Yahoo search engine and there is so much valuable information available there.

Understanding the features of each web search engine can help you to determine what will work best for you.

2 Ways to Use Video Websites as Research Tools and Extend your Web Search

Here are 2 ways to use video websites as research tools:

• Look for video tutorials
  Video tutorials in the area that you wish to learn more about can serve as powerful teaching resources that get straight to the point
• Look for events or university lectures
  Often times you can find some very relevant lectures from universities or TEDx events that help to clear up your understanding of specific topics

Knowing what to look for in a video website can serve to provide you with the information that you desire in a much shorter amount of time than learning things on your own.

4 Criteria to Identify Meaningful Web Search

Here are 4 criteria to identify meaningful research:

• Who funded the research?
  Funding information is often provided under the author information of a study. This is a great way to identify any conflict of interest. For example, if a sugar company funded a study suggesting that sugar was good for you, that would suggest a serious research flaw
• Which journal or institution published the research?
  The journal or institution must have a good reputation of performing good research. Simply searching for more information about the website where you are finding the research will provide insight into whether it is credible or not
• What type of study was it?
  There are a few different types of study designs:
• Meta-analysis is a way of combining data from many different research studies
• Systematic review is an evaluation of all research studies that address a particular topic
• Randomized controlled trial assigns participants to two or more groups randomly
• Cohort study is a type of study where people with a particular condition or treatment are followed over time and compared with a different group of people not affected by the condition or treatment
• Were there any design flaws that you can identify?
  Identifying design flaws can be difficult. An example of a design flaw is when researchers make a definitive claim even though their study involved a very small number of subjects. Small groups are not very good representations of the entire population

Understanding how to identify credible research will allow for a more accurate understanding of new topics.

2 Reasons to Utilize Online Forums for Effective Web Search

In our modern internet landscape, there are new ways of receiving and communicating information. One of these new tools is online forums. An online forum is an online discussion site. The most popular online forum is Reddit.

Here are 2 reasons to utilize online forums:

• Different Perspectives
  People of many different levels of expertise can be found on online forums. With so many different perspectives you can find many different solutions to questions that you might pose.
• Develop A Positive Reputation
  Being a contributor to the community can cement you as a reliable voice within a forum sub topic. This type of trust will ensure that your questions will garner answers in future occurrences

Keeping these ideas in mind can help you to get started in your forum of choice.

4 Sources of Free Online Courseware you can use to Extend your Web Search  

Online courseware is beginning to dominate the educational landscape. Free resources are now very impressive sources of up-to-date and relevant information. While www.potential.com can provide you with all of the practical business knowledge you require, there are other sources for alternative topics.

Here are 4 sources of free online courseware:

• www.potential.com
  Potential provides practical lifelong learning courses with videos that could be watched for free. For the full course components, a minimum monthly subscription charge would need to be paid
• MIT Open Courseware & Coursera
  Both of these sites provide courses in university-level topics that include science and engineering
• www.allison.com
  Allison is a website full of free online courseware ranging from health to languages to personal development
• Khan Academy
  Khan Academy is a very practical online learning utility for many topics ranging from chemistry to calculus

These utilities provide their own unique upside and can help in mastering a new topic that you may be researching.

3 Different Approaches to Avoid Plagiarism and Copyright Issues

The World Wide Web is fully connected and exposed. Information is susceptible to misuse and must, therefore, be cited properly. This includes pictures, research studies and articles.

Here are 3 different approaches to avoiding plagiarism:

• Attribution
  For items such as photo’s it is often sufficient to attribute the image to the original owner and provide a link to the original. Some items are not open to this type of attribution whereas some are open source and can be used freely depending on the listed conditions
• APA citation
  APA citation allows for appropriate attribution of the original author or creator of information that you are presenting.
• MLA citation
  MLA citation accomplishes the same objective as APA but in a different style

There are many different types of citation that you can use to avoid plagiarism. It is dependent on your preference which one you choose to use.

5 Google Search Tools That You Can Utilize in Your Web Search

Google search tools are not utilized by most users. Although not very popular, they can have a huge impact on your search results.

Here are the 5 Google web search tools:

• Exact Matches Web Search
  Using quotations around words will cause google to search for an exact word or phrase, rather than any slight variations. Use this tool by placing quotations around the search terms that you want exact results for.
• Exclude Words Web Search
  Using a hyphen before a search term will exclude that word from your search results. Use this tool by placing a hyphen directly before the term you would like to exclude.
• Wildcard Placeholder Web Search 
  Using a star in your search phrase tells Google to attempt to fill in the appropriate word in place of the star. This tool is used if you don’t know the exact phrase that you are looking for.
• Combine Searches Web Search
  Using a capitalized “O” and a capitalized “R” in between two search terms allows Google to search for both terms simultaneously.
• Website Search Web Search
  Google also allows you to search specific websites. To do this, enter your search phrase in the Google search bar followed by site, a colon and the web address of the site you would like to search.

Utilizing these tools can reduce your required search times significantly. Having these tools in your toolbox should also allow for more confidence when seeking out new information.

4 Techniques to Memorize Any New Information That You Research

Memorization techniques are not usually taught very effectively. Effective memorization requires a large amount of creativity. It requires you to unlock your “child” mind.

Here are the 3 techniques to memorize any new information:

• Visual Markers
  Visual markers are very useful when reading or trying to memorize concepts. To use this technique when reading, you need to assign an outrageous mental image to each paragraph that you read. This image must somehow remind you of what the paragraph was talking about. After a few paragraphs you can make a story out of the different images that you have assigned. Replaying this outrageous story in your mind will allow you to remember the information contained within those paragraphs.
• Loci Method
  The Loci method is an effective way to memorize lists that can help with things ranging from a public speech that you are giving to a grocery list. This method requires that you explore a location that you know well (such as your home) while following a specific path. You would then choose a few notable places along that path that stand out to you. In each of those places, you would place a visual marker that reminds you of the specific list item that you are trying to remember. The more ridiculous the visual marker, the easier it will be to remember. Walking through the same path in your imagination, will lead you through the list that you have memorized. For example, if I wanted to remember a grocery list of bread and toothpaste, I would start by walking through the front door of my home. Upon opening the front door, I find that a baker is baking a fresh loaf of bread in a stone oven that he has built in my wall. As I keep walking into my home, I make it into my kitchen and see a cat in my kitchen sink licking the dirty dishes. Because of this, the cats’ teeth are very dirty. Replaying this story in my mind would remind me that I need bread and toothpaste.
• Spaced Repetition
  Spaced repetition is the most common of these memory techniques. Most of the time it is not used correctly, however. If there is a specific definition you are trying to learn, you would want to repeat the process of reciting it daily until you can recite it perfectly. When this occurs, you need to change the frequency of reciting this definition from daily to weekly. This will test your long term storage of this information. The more difficult the definition is to recite, the more likely it is to be encoded as a long term memory. An app called Anky is very useful in helping to remind you of things that you want to practice spaced repetition with. This technique works great for new concepts, definitions and languages.

Utilizing these techniques in conjunction with one another and practicing them daily can rewire your brain’s ability to take in and store new information. No one has a bad memory. It is all a matter of being taught the proper techniques and exercising your brain muscle every day to ensure that it stay strong.

The post Internet Search – Effective Web Search to Get Results appeared first on The Online Learning Platform.

Sales professionals are continuously challenged to uncover customer needs so that they can offer them the best solution to those needs. This process can be quite daunting and inefficient, as sometimes the clients don’t know what they really need and as such need guidance.

3 Steps to Use at the Start of Business Meetings

After initially welcoming the client and having a cordial social interaction to break the ice, it is good to set a structure for the meeting to get the most out of it.

Here are 3 steps that will help you kick-off your next meeting:

• Proposing an Agenda to guide the meeting
• State Value to customer so that they understand what’s in it for them
• Check for acceptance get a confirmation that you are both aligned

An example after following the above tips, you can start a meeting by saying:
I’d like for the next 5 minutes to understand more about your needs, then explain to you some of the our offerings, that would address your needs so you can have an informed decision about next steps, does that sound.

These tips would help you structure your next meeting so that you achieve the most out of it.

Uncover your Customer Needs

After opening a meeting and setting an agenda, then next aim is to uncover the client needs. You don’t have time to tell them about all your products, so first understand what their needs are and then you can tell them only about the products or solutions that meet those needs.

Use two questioning methods to uncover needs:

• Open questions that give the client an opportunity to shed light and expand on the question area
• Closed questions that force the client to give you a specific answer such as when a decision would be made

The aim of the questioning is to uncover the client’s circumstances and needs which would help you in suggesting the best solutions to their requirements.

Remember, listening is a much more effective skill than talking when in meetings.

Steps to Show your Understand of your Customer Needs

So that the client doesn’t end up doing the only talking and so you are able to ask more questions, you need to confirm to them that you understand their needs and have a solution for them.

Use the 3 steps to demonstrate that you have understood the client needs:

• Acknowledge that you understand the need by restating it in your words
• Describe your solution’s benefits focusing on the benefits and not features
• Check for acceptance and watch the client’s body language to confirm that the client is in agreement with your solution

After you have clarified to the client that you have understood their need, and have a solution for that need, you can go back and ask another question to help you uncover some additional needs and thus up sell your products and services.

You can keep on questioning the client until you feel you have a good understanding of their needs and can then close the meeting.

Steps to Take when Finalizing a Client Meeting

It’s critical that we walk out of a meeting with a positive impression and a clear action plan for the way forward.

Here are 3 steps to use when ending a client meeting:

• Review previously accepted benefits about your solution which were identified in the meeting
• Propose next steps for you and customer with a clear action plan and timelines
• Check for acceptance by asking: how does that sound?

As you return to your desk, plan to send a summary email outlining the above to confirm that no one forgets what was agreed on.

The post Customer Needs – Identify your customer needs efficiently and sell with ease appeared first on The Online Learning Platform.