Top 5 Web Tips & Digital Tricks: Feb 2021 Edition

This months selection of articles are here to guide you in optimising your e-commerce website (including images), shed some light on 2021s digital trends, raise a creative smile and deliver another inspirational entrepreneur story.

So what are we waiting for? let’s get to it…

1. Write epic product descriptions to increase conversions

This one takes me back to my days of selling records & CDs on eBay. With dozens, hundreds or even thousands of competitor sellers, how did I maximise my chances of selling my LPs over someone else?

Other than making sure I had a great photo of the item, I made sure that the description was as detailed and honest as possible.

But that was eBay. What do you need to do to attract and convert sellers in today’s increasingly competitive online marketplace?

Ricky Hayes at Search Engine Watch takes a deep dive into the best practices for writing epic product descriptions to help your site get noticed and boost sales.

2. Don’t forget to optimise your images!

Sorry about the exclamation, but despite the obvious nature of the statement, so many of us forget to optimise images before uploading them to websites.

You know what it’s like. You have multiple deadlines looming but you still need to get that news article written for the company blog. Then you realise that you need some images to go with it, so you pull a few great photos from the company server and upload them directly to the site.

Later you realise that your new article is painfully slow to load. Perhaps it’s because you uploaded print-resolution files?

Michael McManus – also from Search Engine Watch – takes an in-depth look at optimising images with site speed and SEO in mind.

Top Tips:

1. If you’re not sure which file type to choose and when to use them, have a read of our article on image formats here.
2. Optimise your JPEG and PNG images using this free tool at tinypng.com

3. Creative Website Navigation

Every now and then the web design industry tends to get stuck in a bit of a rut. One of the areas that are most prone to stagnation is navigation and we think it’s time for a bit of a shakeup.

Thanks to mobile devices and the proliferation of the hamburger menu, which also gets used widely on desktop devices, we have found ourselves in a bit of a design cul-de-sac.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, as this article from webdesignerdepot.com illustrates.

Now, we’re not advocating design for design’s sake. At LWDA we are believers in the right solution for the right brand.

So, if you are a designer with the right kind of brand who needs a website, perhaps it’s time to try something a little different. Even if it’s just the way that the navigation reveals itself, it’s time to start pushing the envelope again.

4. Digital marketing trend predictions for 2021

This is one for those that have a little more time on their hands but will likely find some inspiration in its pages.

The good folk over at DAN asked 26 digital agency leaders for their digital marketing trend predictions for 2021 and produced a report detailing their findings.

One item that we’re already hearing more about at LWDA is the rise in virtual events, which will stop being a novelty and become part of the new normal. How will brands respond to this growth opportunity to further engage fans and followers?

5. From homeless to $4M award-winning business owner

If you’re not in the mood for reading, then head over to the-entourage.com and listen to an interview with Harry Sanders, founder and director of Studio Hawk. Australia’s largest SEO agency.

Harry was living on the streets when he was 17 but worked hard to build and SEO agency that makes $4m per year.

Half of the interview is about SEO itself and the other half is about the hard work that you need to apply as an entrepreneur.

Enjoy!

6. Baked beans on Weetabix for breakfast

Did we say we’d highlight five things this month? Sorry, we actually meant six. Five plus one fun bonus to make you smile.

Now, we’re sure you all at least heard about the ‘baked beans on Weetabix for breakfast’ hoo-ha, but how many of you read some of the tweets from other brands jumping on the bandwagon to roast Weetabix and in some cases poking fun at themselves?

Creativebloq.com have a nice little article with some of the highlights to this ridiculous piece of product promotion.

Thanks for stopping by!

We hope you found the above links useful and entertaining and that you’ll come back at the end of March for the next round-up of tips, tricks and creative inspiration.

If you have a little more time on your hands and would like to read last months tip & tricks articles, you can find January’s edition here.