Category: Articles 🔎

How many times a day do you access a website? To check your bank account balance, fill out medical forms or apply for a car loan? These simple tasks we perform on a daily basis become much more difficult if your vision or hearing is impaired and a website is inaccessible. 

Enter, the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA was passed in the early 90s, but in 2010, the Justice Department released the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, and it’s been determined that “design of the physical space” includes websites.

Though official guidelines for web compliance aren’t projected to be released until 2018, there are things you can do now to ensure users with impairments can still easily use your website and meet the guidelines of the 2010 update.

What does the ADA say?

The ADA’s guidelines for accessible websites are projected to look like the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA (WCAG 2.0), which the Justice Department has used in several lawsuits. WebAIM developed a checklist to assist businesses in meeting the guidelines, but here are the basics, straight from the WCAG 2.0 guidelines.

Perceivable:

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content (exceptions apply).

• Provide alternatives for time-based media.

• Create content that can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure.

• Make it easier for users to to see and hear content.

Operable:

• Make all functionality available from a keyboard.

• Provide users enough time to read and use content.

• Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures.

• Provide ways to help users navigate, find content and determine where they are.

Understandable:

• Make text content readable and understandable.

• Make web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.

• Input assistance: Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Robust:

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.

So … Where do I go from here?

Quite simply, make sure your website complies with these guidelines! Most of these items can be taken care of during website development, so simply ensuring your developers are aware of the requirements will go a long way. Plus, the WCAG 2.0 provides developers with handy dandy instructions on how to meet the guidelines.

But if your website doesn’t meet all of these requirements, don’t worry; the changes don’t have to happen overnight, and you don’t need to hire a lawyer to plead your case. Like with a physical space, the law allows for transition plans, exemptions, etc.

If you’re considering redesigning your website, make sure the agency you choose is aware of the guidelines and will ensure your website is compliant. Contact us today to learn more. 

David Ogilvy once said, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.” Some even say headlines are worth 90 percent of the advertising dollar. Those statistics don’t even take into account all the people who can’t find your article because it isn’t ranked highly in search results. With those compelling numbers in mind, we compiled some of the most important tips to help you write better headlines.

Know Your Audience (and Their Lingo)

Who is your target audience and what resonates with them? Surely you know this already because you’ve put in the research to write the article in the first place. But take a moment to really think about your audience, and look at them from two different angles:

• What kinds of words would attract them to read the article? Should the headline be playful, serious, funny or somber?

• What kinds of words, phrases or keywords is your audience using to search for an article like yours? Make sure you include a focus keyword in your headline. Try to optimize for your audience, search ranking and social (make sure headline is tweetable).

Tell It Like It Is

Nail down the specifics of your article, and be sure your headline clearly communicates the main point. Use the five W’s to help you do this—who, what, when, where and why. Consider adding a bracketed clarification—blogs with them perform 38 percent better than those without. For example, “[Infographic] How to Sell Real Estate in 5 Easy Steps.”

Show Them The Money

Your headline should communicate the value, benefits and/or urgency of reading your article. Use numbers in your headlines to grab readers’ attention. Show how your article will educate readers by using words like “how to.” Also, indicate your article is a list for those interested in a quick read.

Keep It Short

About 60 characters is a pretty safe number for your headline—it ensures your headline won’t get cut off in search engine results. Eight to 12 words is also a safe bet.

Make It Sexy

As you know, your article will likely have a lot of competition. Why would someone want to read yours, and does your headline communicate that? Entice them. Show urgency. Be a little weird. Elicit controversy.Alliteration is awesome if it aligns with the above advice.

Be careful, though; don’t be clever for clever’s sake. Be sure every word in your headline has validity. Make sure to stay away from puns, as web headlines should be able to stand on their own without any additional context needed.

Ask For Someone Else’s Help

Lastly, ask for someone else’s opinion about your headline. Does the headline make them want to read your article?

We know all this can be overwhelming. We’re here to help. Contact us to learn more about optimizing your web writing.

Got a new job? Congratulations! Now that you have won the job, it’s time to be the best employee you can be. Whether it’s your first internship or your fifth job, here are six steps everyone should follow to become a rockstar employee.

1: Make a Great First Impression

Whether you are fresh out of college or a seasoned veteran of the industry, the first day is always nerve-wracking! A sure way to take the edge off those first day jitters is by being prepared—and it’s better to be over prepared than underprepared. Get up early, make yourself a nice breakfast, dress nicely (even in a casual office, it’s best to save your jeans for day two, just in case), bring a notebook and any information requested by human resources.

2: Take Notes

A lot of information will be coming your way your first few weeks on the job, so make sure you write it all down in a format you can reference later. Also, make note of any questions that pop into your head during onboarding meetings that you need to ask later.

Pro tip: Avoid laptop note-taking at first so there’s no question that you’re engaged.

3: Be Positive

Every great employee has a positive attitude, even when the going gets tough or they’re feeling lost. Remember to always keep a positive attitude about your work, your coworkers and your employer. You’d be surprised what a difference a smile and saying good morning to your coworkers will make.

4: Get to Know Your Coworkers

Odds are someone will want to take you to lunch during your first few days on the job, so don’t make lunch plans! Always accept lunch invitations when you’re new to the company and make an effort to engage in conversations and get to know your coworkers. Even better, work up the courage to invite your new coworkers to lunch.

5: Fake It ‘Til You Make It

When you’re drowning in new information, sometimes you’ve just gotta fake it until you make it… to a point. You’ll probably be able to figure out most things if given some time to think and go over your notes. But, if you’re really stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help! There’s no such thing as a silly question, particularly when you’re new to the job or company.

6: Deliver Awesome Results

In the middle of onboarding and training, you’ll probably receive assignments from your boss. You might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Remember to slow down, take your time and create an awesome product. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself or you might find yourself battling a bout of imposter syndrome. Remember, you were hired because you proved you were the best candidate for the job. Have confidence in yourself and your abilities, because your employer does!

If you’re looking for a new opportunity, Designsensory is hiring! Currently, we are seeking a Public Relations Director and Digital Media Planner/Buyer. Check out our other job openings on our careers page.

In our digital world, people are constantly bombarded with content, meaning that marketers must find new ways to make their brand stand out from the crowd and grab the attention of audiences. Though organic content and traditional paid advertising has its place, it is important to to include paid social media campaigns in your marketing strategy. Social media ads have a much higher click-through rate than traditional web ads, making them a key component of any campaign.

Step 1. Develop a SMART Goal

In order for your paid social media campaign to be successful, you need to develop SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Like any campaign, your social media advertising campaign should be well planned. For example, say your goal is to get more people to an upcoming event. Your SMART goal would be: In order to have a well-attended event, I will increase the number of RSVPs received to a total of 300 in the next two weeks by messaging people who have yet to respond.

Step 2. Define Your Targets

Once you have defined your goal, it’s time to identify your target audience. Beyond the audience that already follows you, how do you determine who else you should target? First, examine your demographic data from your social media and your website, and consider the following:

• What cities are website visitors coming from?
• What is the average age of your audience?
• What gender are they?
• What interests do they have?

Use this demographic data to craft a creative that will appeal to that audience. Which brings us to step three…

Step 3. Create Your Creative

Keep the text minimal on social ads, as the ads themselves are often fairly small, plus social platforms limit text to 20 percent. Also, make sure you choose a compelling image, as images can help drastically help increase your conversion rate.

It’s also important that you rotate your ads regularly to avoid what’s called ad fatigue. According to Hootsuite, this simply means that when users see your ad too frequently, they get bored and stop clicking it. This, in turn, causes your cost per click (CPC) to go up and engagement to go down. Make sure you create different versions of your ad to rotate during your campaign.

Step 4. Monitor Your Campaign

For the most part, ads can be set up then left alone for the duration of the campaign, but it is still important to check on them occasionally. Just keep a lookout to make sure your ads don’t go over budget, turn off for some reason or inappropriate comments have been left.

Step 5. Track and Report

This ties back into the first point, because if a goal isn’t specific, you probably can’t measure it. Part of creating a specific goal is identifying your KPIs–or key performance indicators. For example, if the goal of your campaign is to drive more traffic to your website from social media, then your KPI is seeing increased referrals and acquisitions from social media on your website. In order to determine if you’ve met your goals, you need to ensure you are using tracking URLs that point to a campaign-specific landing page. Otherwise, you may not be reporting accurate results. Make sure you are reporting on all ads regularly so you can identify which ads work best for your brand.

In the digital age, people turn to online resources for almost every need—including selecting their next doctor. Though traditional advertisements and word-of-mouth marketing still have their place, a good website is key to growing your health care practice. If you want to make sure your website is generating new business, make sure it has these four features.

1: It’s Search Engine Optimized Around Long-Tailed Keywords

We can’t stress enough the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) to help users find you organically. If Google can not properly index your website, then your patients won’t be able to find you. The first step to good SEO is determining your long-tailed keywords. Long-tailed keywords like “pediatric eye care in knoxville, tennessee” are much more specific and easier to find than short-tailed keywords like “eye doctors.” Make sure to use your list of long-tailed keywords throughout your site copy, blogs and metadata.

2: It Has a Regularly-Updated Blog

Now more than ever, are patients empowered to search for and draw conclusions about their health based on information they can access online. Of course, this can lead to a lot of misinformation about their health. There’s nothing you can do to stop patients from researching and drawing their own conclusions about their health based on online information, but you can establish yourself as a thought leader by providing up-to-date and accurate information on your website’s blog. By regularly posting blog content, you will accomplish three things:

1. Increase your SEO and website ranking
2. Increase brand recognition by establishing yourself as a thought leader in medicine
3. Attract new patients

You might think, wait, why would I want users to diagnose themselves online? That takes away from my business! Well, because your patients aren’t doctors. They still have to come to you to confirm their suspicions and access medications. By providing them relevant information, you are establishing yourself as a source they can trust with their health.

3: It Looks Good

When it comes to websites, you can judge a book by its cover. Google might not care what your site looks like, but your users do! If your website looks like didn’t survive the turn of the millennium, your patients might think your medical advice will be too and search for another practitioner that’s keeping up with the times. They might not be web design experts, but your patients can recognize a site that’s looks nice and has an easy-to-follow structure.

4: It’s Mobile Friendly

In 2015, Google announced that in ten countries, including the U.S., there were more mobile searches than desktop searches. This means that if your website isn’t designed to be responsive, you are missing out on a lot of potential web traffic. If you have the budget, consider placing call ads so when users find your practice, they can call your office with one tap.

Interested in redesigning your website? We’d love to help—contact us today!

We may want to go outside and enjoy the last of the summer weather but alas, duty calls. Check out these 10 productivity tips our team uses to stay on track throughout the day.

Where’d all the time go?!

Designsensory uses Harvest to keep track of where we’ve been, and Forecast to see where we’re going. Harvest lets us organize our time and expenses by project, and Forecast gives us a visual representation of our workloads.

Bullet points.

Kristen and I use the Bullet Journal system to stay productive. It’s easy to implement, and your notes and to-dos can be as concise or as detailed as you like, all while keeping things neat and orderly—plus we can channel our creativity with fun, colorful page spreads. There are tons of bullet journalists we follow online to get inspiration.

Block it out.

For Susan, earbuds are the secret to her productivity. We love our open office space—and our coworkers—but it can get pretty noisy sometimes, so earbuds are an essential office supply.

Take a walk.

We’re fortunate enough to be located next to a walking track where you’ll find many DSers making their daily rounds. Likewise, Erin prefers to eat her lunch outside to clear her head. She comes back feeling refreshed and with a new perspective on her work.

Take it digital.

Ian likes to use Trello to keep track of his tasks. The beauty of Trello is it offers desktop and mobile versions, so you can stay on top of it no matter where you are.

Post it.

Post-it® notes are perfect for all those little random reminders for yourself, or for messages you need to leave for your coworkers. I personally take my Post-it noting to the next level—I have a dedicated Post-it note color for each of my clients. My deskmates might call me crazy, but I #ownit.

Stretch it out.

Tuyen and the design team regularly get up and stretch or do yoga at their desks. This helps them combat common “desk job” ailments such as sore backs, stiff necks and even stress. Fun fact: Tuyen demonstrated her desk yoga techniques in this video from our friends at HGTV.

Write it down.

Sarah and Justin always carry a notebook and a pen with them so, if they get stopped on the way to a meeting or when going back to their desks, they won’t forget what someone asked them to do.

Nix the dread.

Sarah also likes to get her most dreaded tasks out of the way as soon as she comes in. This makes her feel accomplished right off the bat and sets a great tone for the rest of the day. 

Fuel up.

Team Designsensory combats the morning and mid-afternoon drowsies with a good old cup of joe from the Keurig. And we like to satisfy our afternoon munchies with some fresh popcorn. But, not at the same time, we promise. 

How do you and your team stay productive throughout the day? Drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter and share with us!