All about storytelling in websites

Yes, visual storytelling is quickly emerging into prominence in the web designing landscape. Though it’s not an entirely new phenomenon (you can come across write-ups focused on improved story-telling techniques on the web that were written 4-5 years back), it definitely didn’t enjoy the kind of attention as it does today. Visual storytelling is well poised to lead the pack of web designing trends.

Now, implementing visual storytelling in web design can turn out to be a daunting prospect, but acquainting yourself with a few tricks can always do wonders for you. Here are a few things that web designers can try out while telling a story through their works.

Storytelling does not necessarily have to be about complex visuals

Designers do not necessarily have to stuff their layouts with heavy images. If you can say your story in one or two images then you do not have to use ten or fifteen. However, if you do need more than ten images to weave a story, then don’t try to reduce it to 7 or 8 images.

Make your audience a part of your story

There are several ways to do it. One oft-discussed way is to “gamify” your site. It means you’re rewarding your user for fulfilling a task. They’re sites that even reward users for filling up registration forms. The Swarm App, for instance, rewards you for becoming a “mayor” of a place (where you have checked in quite a few times).

Another way to make your users feel like they’re characters in your story is by including a guided questionnaire for users where they can tell you about themselves and you can offer personalized experience to them based on the information procured.

Know which sites are best suited to accommodate storytelling techniques

Visual storytelling is a means to bolster interactive storytelling on the web. There are some sites that just don’t benefit from interactive stories. If you’re running a website which is primarily accessed to receive fast and continuous information, you wouldn’t really want to incorporate interactive content thereby slowing down the user experience. For instance, an interactive image will definitely not work well for a news site as it will do for gaming or e-commerce site.

Did you know that you have a lot of choices when it comes to designing a website?

You can choose a Dynamic, Brochure, E-Commerce, or Catalogue Website. It all depends on the type of business you have and how you want to engage with your prospective customers.

To decide on a website design that is right for you, ask yourself these questions:

• What type of business do you have?
• Who are your customers?
• Will you sell online?
• Do you offer a service?
• Do you sell products?

Once you’ve answered those questions, these are the website options for your business:

If you have a consulting business then you don’t have physical products. You offer a service to professional clients. A dynamic website with interesting sliding pictures of your business will grab the eye of your prospect and you can add all the relevant information about your services.

If your business is based on online selling and you sell to consumers who have internet access, then an online store with payment integration is ideal for your business. You want to make it as easy as possibly for a customer to navigate your website and make a purchase.

If you sell a lot of products in your physical store and you want to display these products to your customers, then a brochure website is ideal.

If you need to upload and remove products via a content management system, then a catalogue website will work best for you.

A professional website designer will be able to advise you during the process to ensure that you have the right option for your business. It is best not to skimp on your website, because it is the first impression that you will give your prospective customer about your business. A cheap sloppy website will give the impression that your service is cheap and sloppy too. Take the time to invest in a professional website to attract customers.

Content is usually the last part of a web design project that is left behind. Yet, it is among the most critical elements of a website. What might be the reasons?

This is because it takes time for words to convert users into customers. However, when you add a striking design to great content, this can result to a winning combination.

What is wrong with the content included in a number of business websites?

• Since they are not up-to-date and fine tuned on a regular basis, it makes a website seem to be stagnant, making business convey an entirely different (unwanted) message to the target audience.
• It is presented in the form of facts and statements like for example “We started in 2009 and provide small businesses with web design services”. This does not address the problems of customers, or give solutions to make their lives easier.
• Users either have a difficult time in finding the products/services they need, or completing an action on the website.
• Since the target audience may have changed over a period of time in a business, a website may appear to be obsolete in this regard.
• Are users able to find relevant information on the website? Is the information valuable enough and compelling to engage with the business?
• The website has a number of different visitors and each type may be looking for something else. Does your existing website cater to all users?
• A website (as well as other channels) does not include a video.

The downside of Website Builder products is that the Website owner is locked into the templates of the Website Builder product. What this means is that the Website owner cannot make modifications to their site other than those specified by the template that they are using. If asked, the Website Builder manufacture can make minor modifications to an individual’s product but they themselves are locked into the templates of their products.

Computer programming languages intimidate many people. One look at a computer programming script and the average person mistakenly decide that this communication technique is beyond them. Looking at the design of an airplane can be overwhelming to a person who is not an airplane designer. By the same token, looking at a computer program can be intimidating to a person who has little to no programming experience.

The key to overcoming this anxiety of computer languages is by taking the focus from the big picture and in breaking the software down into its component forms and server-side programming scripts and linking them together to perform the desired function. Breaking a language down to size is a workable approach to JavaScript, Java, Perl, PHP, Ajax, HTML, C, CGI, Visual Basic, and any other computer and Internet programming language that is now in use.

When a programming language is broken down into statements, functions, and routines it becomes easier to understand. Of course, you need to know the basics of a specific computer and Internet programming language to understand what you are looking at, and fortunately, there are many tools to help you do this, many of them are free via Internet sites.

Some Website owners feel that they need to be an expert in every facet of an Internet programming language to be able to properly program their Website. But here again, breaking your Website down is a better approach than trying to tackle the whole all at once. So, what does this mean to the novice computer programmer?

This means that if the Website owner wants to change the color, or layout of their Web page or how their Website starts and responds to Email request they should focus on the statements that will do that in either HTML, or whatever server-side scripting and general-purpose programming language that the site owner has decided to employ for those specific purposes.

It should be remembered that a computer and Internet programming language is just a means for nuts and bolts to communicate with other nuts and bolts, internal and external software scripts, and human beings. A + B = C. If this is true, then do this. Background-color: white. 1 and 1 = 1. 1 and 0 = 1. 1 Or 0 = 1. This is basically all that you are dealing with that is embedded within the coding of all computing and Internet language structures, so do not be intimidated by them.

I prefer to build my Websites in the raw learning different language techniques as I go, and when I want to experiment with software scripts. However, I am also using Website Builder products which have their drawbacks, such as, being locked-in to a template design and having to pay extra money for every change that the Website Builder manufacturer makes to your product at your request.

The bottom-line is, whatever works for you, go with that. It is cheaper and more satisfying to learn how to build a Website in the raw but many people do not have the time nor the patience to do this.

It should also be noted that some companies promote their Website Builders as being your key to success. They claim that their products will place you on the first or second page of a search engines search results. This all sounds good but keep in mind that you are competing with millions of Websites, many of which are owned by companies that have millions of dollars specifically allotted for marketing and advertising.

Website Builder products are functional but they fall far short of being a magic wand that will propel your business to the heights of recognition on the Web, and it is a good idea to wait for a while to see if there are any noticeable results showing on your Web page hits that translates into money in your cash register before you allow Website Builder companies talk you into spending more funds on their product.

Right Color Choices leads to call to Action

There is a wide range of color schemes that appeal to various demographics. Therefore, you need to use colors that appeal to your target audience. Fortunately, you can expect a call to action, and viewers really follow what they are told or requested to do, but you need a clever copy.

Easy to Recall Identity

Perhaps the first and most important word to think about is your business name. It should be easy to remember, but there should also be an available web domain so you can register. If it is no longer available, you can use a business name generator to find the most suitable and, at the same time, available name.

Communication via Visual Presentation

Some people are busy or impatient to read content. So, it would be a lot easier to convey what you want to say by means of visuals. In general, people just browse through long content. It would help to break up content into smaller sections and add bold subheadings.

Clear Hierarchy

Regular users are not fond of long and complicated processes. Therefore, if you are expecting them to do something, be very clear about it. Remember your primary objective and present secondary goals when the first one is accomplished. As an example, if you want them to like your FB page, do not ask it while a person is checking out, but only after he/she completes the purchase.

Mobile Compatibility

Many people use smart devices, so it is best to use a responsive web design, and avoid old designs that are cluttered and bulky. You can consider using a separate mobile app if it would help your business.

• Because Google said so. (This is kind of like your parents’ “because I said so” argument when you were little.) Google’s newest algorithm ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in search results on mobile devices. Now, if your website isn’t mobile friendly, Google will recognize that and be less likely to display it as a legitimate search result. That makes sense, since Google wouldn’t be doing its job if half of the results displayed were useless to mobile users.
• Set Yourself apart from competitors. Less than 10% of businesses have websites that are mobile-optimized, but it’s quickly becoming a top priority. So acting fast will give you a competitive advantage!
• It’s What Your Customers Want – and They Expect You to Provide It. In 2014, mobile users accessing the internet overtook desktop users for the first time in history! Increasingly, your customers are not sitting in front of desktops or laptops. Instead, they’re on the go accessing your website from their mobile devices. What does that mean for you? If you don’t give customers what they want (easy visibility and navigation so they can browse and shop while on the go), they’ll go someplace else. With mobile usage on the rise, having a poorly developed mobile website, or lacking one all-together, is just as useless as a screen door on a submarine; it will just sink to the bottom of customer’s minds.
• Getting a mobile website is relatively inexpensive and are often easy to create.
• A mobile-friendly website can increase user engagement. Research shows a mobile-friendly site is able to generate almost twice the average traffic per user than non-mobile-friendly sites. More engaged users spend more time on it and therefore will see more of what you have to offer.

Don’t try to simply “tweak” your existing desktop website to try to make it so.

Smartphones have smaller screens and will often distort images that look good on desktop websites. Trim down your site to only the essential features, with content that includes links to secondary information pages. You should also enlarge interface elements (buttons, etc.) for easy touchscreen navigation.

According to Google, 85% of Americans are never more than three feet from their cell phones. And a recent Search Engine Watch blog says that 80% of searches start on a mobile device. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, potential clients will quickly go find a site that is. It is simply smart business to design your website to be mobile-compatible, since so many customers are accessing the web on the go.