Advantages of Custom CMS

One question that occurs to almost everyone looking for web design & development, is, whether to go for an Open Source CMS such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal or get a custom content management system developed for the website. The answer is simple, if you are looking for a unique and distinctive website with features relevant to you requirement, you have to go with Custom CMS website development services.

Some of the major advantages of a Custom CMS are…

•         Possibilities

The true beauty of a sculpture reflects when the artist’s hands shape itand not a predefined mold... similarly, in web development, when your website is developed with a custom CMS; you get the benefit of enhanced possibilities. There is no design or functionally related limitations, which allows the developer to create the website exactly the way you imagines it.

•        Design Freedom

Unlike open source CMS; custom CMS enables you to design the website and all the elements within it in your own way. There is no plug-ins to be added and you can make every website element look in line with your customized theme. There have been instances where the plug-ins have not been updated or discontinued which affects all the websites they are being used in. But, with a custom CMS, you never have to worry about updating stuff.

•        Secure

The term “Open Source” in itself explains the vulnerability of the system. Custom CMS is comparatively far more secure as the coding is custom and cannot be easily hacked.

•        Scalable

Custom CMS allows you to integrate/ connect your website with other applications such as CRM, ERP, and other custom web applications.

Therefore, while making this decision, consider carefully what you need and what you will get.


Source: http://www.stercodigitex.com/blog

eBooks The transformation of reading

From holding a book in hands and lying under a tree to turning pages digitally on your Galaxy Note, reading has come a long way indeed..

What determines the experience of the reader is not the fact that it is paper or digital screen, it lies in how seamless the transition from one page to another goes or how beautifully the graphics blend in. When it comes to digitizing books, these factors can only be enhanced which means eBooks are far more interactive, engaging and convenient than traditional book reading. The growth of this medium and increasing demand for digital versions of exiting boos has proven that this technology is here to stay.

Advantages of Interactive eBooks…

·         More comprehensive evaluation methods and instant results

·         Simplified navigation

·         comfortable night reading

·         Search for a term/ phrase in the entire eBook and get instant results

·         Interactive questions

·         Easy to carry – your iPad will save all your books without any heavy baggage

·         font adjustments to suit your comfort

In case of e-learning material, eBooks are helpful in many ways. The students get a virtual reading experience, which is more comfortable in terms of navigation, bookmarking, references, instant access to word meaning, definitions and related material. Moreover, it unburdens the teachers as the eBook takes care of the exercises. Students can self assess their performance through instant test results.

Interactive eBooks are developed using HTML5 technology y and ePub 3 format.

Why people leave your website?

Converting a visitor into a potential customer is difficult. Customer retention is even more difficult. A good design would minimize confusion for the visitor and maximize interaction thus leading to visitor conversion. The success of the website depends on its usability, and utility, and not visual design. The decision to click any entity of choice rests with the visitor, who browses your website. Major influences to the websites come from user-centric designs.

These examples may be responsible for your website not having a user-centric design. If you are a website design company, you may want to look at these examples.

Improper Navigation

What puts the visitor’s attention off is the poor navigation of a website. When user finds it hard to navigate through your website, he may well leave the website. This indirectly would affect your search engine ranking because of higher bounce rates. The first law of Krug’s for usability states that WebPages must be self-explanatory and clear.

Avoid:

·         Using unclear visual elements that confuse the user

·         Scattering main navigation links all over your website

·         Using main navigation links into the body

·         Using bad text for navigation links

What you can do:

Make your navigation clear, concise, and easy to understand. For example, Sterco Digitex makes use of a navigation structure that is clear and concise.

If people cannot find their way around website, they are bound to leave. Adding a sitemap or grouping elements in a common area always helps.

Improper Content Structure  

If you have been experiencing low conversion rates, it might be a possibility that your site does not have a good content structure. The search ability of the user is very volatile; therefore, easy-to-find content supports the credibility and usability of your website. Some sections like contact info, should be easily accessible. It has been found that 50% of the conversions are lost because of poor content structure.

Avoid:

·         Complicating things by communicating your content on multiple pages. If your content can communicate the purpose on a single page, it would serve a better option.

·         Forgetting introductory content

·         Adding long paragraphs instead of crisp content with bullet points

·         Appropriate linking of pages-the other pages under each section must be linked with the current page and vice versa

·         Sitemap

What you can do:

·         Introduce your web page through introductory content

·         Grouping content for easy navigation

·         Adding keywords, that visitors may be looking for. Using bold headings makes the content more readable.

Your design is boring

How many times you have visited a website and found it boring? The chances are 7 out of 10. A website that serves no purpose to the users is going to have tough times converting visitors to customers. In our blog, Interactivewebsites: Smart way of business promotion , it has been shown how user interactivity with the website affects your business.

Avoid:

Making your website useless and plain as possible

What you can do:

Updating fresh and unique content on regular basis not only benefits your search engine ranking but also builds reader base. Try including a blog section to your site and start blogging.

Poor Visual Language

A bad user experience happens because of bad typography, too much use of the typography, and sharp colors choice. It is a fact that colors are important elements of web design. Since mobile websites use light designs, the color themes may vary for mobile websites. Using sharp colors upsets the sites goal and sets off the user.

Avoid:

·         Using pixilated, complex and poor contrast typefaces

·         Using sharp and bright colors

What you can do:

If you are looking for a professionally designed & developed website to leave a strong impact on your visitors, you must get it done by an expert webdesign & development agency .Choosing the right typefaces affect your conversions. For example if Sterco uses inefficient typefaces, the design would entirely upset your eyes. 

The above example shows user-experience based on the typeface of both the images. The original image validates the fact that typeface augment the user-interaction. While the image after changing will definitely encourage the user to leave.