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8 essential elements that a website should have

In today's digital age, having an online presence is essential for any business or venture that wants to be known to the world. So a website has become a powerful tool to achieve that goal. 

Are you looking to create an effective website, but don't know where to start? 

Don't worry, in this article we are going to share with you the essential elements that you should take into account so that your website is effective, captures the attention of your audience and retains visitors.

What elements are essential for an effective website? 

Define the objectives of your website

Before you start creating your website, it is important that you define who you are targeting and what your goals are. Once you have a clear idea of your target audience, you can design a website that responds to their needs, desires and appeals to them.

Choose a domain name and web hosting

The first step in creating a website is to choose a domain name and web hosting. 

Regarding the domain name, you have to select one that is easy to remember and related to your business or brand

As for web hosting, be sure to choose a reliable hosting provider to ensure that your website is easily accessible, secure and loads quickly.

Choose a suitable platform

Before you start creating a website you should be clear about which platform and how much time you are going to invest in it.

One of the ways you can consider when developing a website is to have a programmer do it with code (HTML, CSS, JS, PHP...). 

On the other hand, there are many platforms to create websites: WordPress, Shopify, PrestaShop, Magento. 

Therefore, it is key that you choose the one that best suits your needs and objectives. 

Web design and structure

The interface of your website is the first impression that visitors will have of your company. That's why it must be user-friendly and easy to use. 

Make sure the navigation is intuitive and that visitors can easily find what they are looking for. 

Avoid overly complex navigation structures. The simpler it is, the easier it will be for your users to access the pages containing the information they are looking for.

Also, use a clear and concise menu to guide users through your website.

And don't forget to make sure that the design is responsive to improve the user experience, that is, that it looks good on different devices: PCs, laptops, cell phones and tablets.

Create relevant and quality content

Once visitors are on your website, you need to capture their attention with content. So it must it must be relevant, informative, useful and easy to understand. so that it responds to the needs of your potential customers. 

Some ways to do this are by creating a blog, offering useful resources, sharing case studies or interesting stories, among others.

The content has to be organized in a clear and coherent way. Use headings and subheadings, bulleted lists and short paragraphs to make your content easier to scan and read.

This can help you to improve the positioning of your website in Google search results.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is essential for your web page to appear in the first search results on Google. 

Therefore, it is essential to use keywords and have good content to improve positioning in search results. 

In addition, having a clear and concise URL structure, descriptive meta tags and a sitemap is taken into account by search engine algorithms to rank pages.

Web accessibility and speed

Accessibility and web page loading speed are two key elements to improve the user experience. 

If your website takes too long to load, users will leave before they have had a chance to explore it. 

So make sure it is accessible from different devices and has a fast loading speed to prevent visitors from getting bored and abandoning the page.

Website security

Web security is essential to prevent cyber attacks and protect your customers' information. 

So use strong passwords, regularly update your software and have an SSL certificate to keep your customers' information secure and prevent hackers from accessing it.

In short, these are some of the essential elements you need to have an effective website that attracts and retains visitors and improves the visibility of your online business. 

Remember that the main goal of your website is to provide a positive experience for visitors.

And now tell us, have you already created the web for your business? are you thinking about it? If it is the second option, we can help you with it, you just need to contact us

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The 6 phases of Design Thinking and why they are important

The Design Thinking is a working methodology that has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its user-centered approach and its ability to generate innovative and creative solutions. 

Below, we explain the phases of Design Thinking and give you an example of a logistics company that can use it to design a mobile application that allows customers to track their shipments in real time. 

What are the phases of Design Thinking?

As every process has its phases and Design Thinking was not going to be less. So here we go: 

Phase 1: Empathize

Every company must know and understand the needs, desires, limitations and expectations of the end user. 

Therefore, empathy is key to design effective solutions, since it allows identifying the real problems that users face on a daily basis.

This requires field research and interviews with users, observing their behaviors and experiences, and putting yourself in their shoes to understand their perspectives and needs. 

In the case of the logistics company, the application development team can use techniques such as observation and interviewing to understand the needs and desires of customers in terms of tracking their shipments.

Phase 2: Problem definition

In this phase, the information obtained in the previous phase is used to establish a clear and specific definition of the problem in order to generate effective ideas in the next phase. The objectives to be achieved with the proposed solution are also defined.

For our example, one of the purposes may be to reduce the time it takes for customers to obtain information about their shipments.

Phase 3: Ideation 

The problem has been defined, so it's time to start thinking of solutions. Don't set limits, since the wider the range of ideas, the more creative, innovative and effective the solutions will be.

To achieve this, you can employ different creative thinking techniques, such as brainstorming or mindmapping. 

In the case of the logistics company, one of the ideas would be to create a real-time shipment tracking system through a mobile application for customers. 

Phase 4: Prototyping

In this stage, a tangible version of the ideas generated in the previous phase is created. 

This version is known as a prototype and can be a drawing, a paper model or a software design, which makes it possible to visualize the idea in a more concrete way.

This is done with the intention of getting early feedback from users to know which solutions are the most effective.

In our example, a mockup or simulation of the mobile application could be designed to get customer feedback and make improvements.

Phase 5: Testing

Now is the time to test the prototypes with users in order to validate or reject the proposed solutions, to iterate and improve.

In the case of the logistics company, usability testing of the mobile application can be done with a group of customers to validate the prototype developed in the previous phase. 

In fact, the feedback obtained is used to iterate and improve the solutions.

Phase 6: Implementation

Once the solutions have been tested with users and improvements have been made, the final implementation begins. 

In this phase, the team executes the solutions designed to solve the problem and improve the user experience. 

Here it is key that the team is committed to the implementation and ensures that the objectives established in the definition phase are respected.

In the case of the example, once the improvements have been implemented in the mobile application and we have ensured that the essential functionalities are working well, the application is released to the general public.

You can see that each phase has a specific objective and different techniques are used to achieve it.

We hope this explanation has helped you to better understand how Design Thinking works. 

If you have any questions or need help to apply this methodology in your business, do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you solve any problem you may have using effective technological solutions focused on your customers' needs.

Y tú, ¿utilizas el design thinking en tu empresa?

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Go digital or go away

Why should an SME go digital? What is the need to complicate your life if everything is running smoothly, just as we have it? 

Well, even if it seems to you that everything is running smoothly in your SME, you may not be considering all aspects. 

Nowadays, SMEs face a constant challenge to stay competitive in an increasingly connected and globalized world. 

That's why they must adapt. And one of the ways they can do this is through digitization.

What is digitalization?

Digitalization and digital transformation are often confused, but there are some key differences. In this article we already talked about Digital Transformation, which is the goal we aspire to in order to differentiate ourselves, offer an optimal experience and get our users to choose us every time.

Digitalization is a previous and essential step, and refers to the use of digital tools to automate and improve the processes of a business. 

This includes the automation of administrative tasks such as electronic invoicing, inventory management or order tracking. It also encompasses the use of tools to manage customer relationships (CRM), analyze data, make video calls, collaborate and share information in real time with your employees or partners.

By digitizing their processes, SMEs will improve efficiency and reduce costs.

In addition, the digitization makes it easier for SMEs to reach a much wider audience,as they can create an online presence and use social media and search engines to reach new customers around the world. 

Digitalization must be strategic and orderly, with a well-structured implementation plan to ensure that we are using the appropriate digital tools or adapted to our business efficiently. Digitalization yes, but personalized. Let's not forget that our business must differentiate itself and reflect who we are.

This is especially important for SMEs operating in local markets and looking to expand internationally where they will be competing with multiple suppliers.

It is proven that small and medium-sized companies that digitize correctly have the greatest chance of success in an increasingly competitive and connected marketplace. 

Benefits of digitizing your SME

Digitization offers SMEs several advantages. Some of the most important are:

  • Improved efficiency: ya que permite automatizar muchas tareas y procesos, y esto reduce el tiempo y los costos necesarios para llevarlos a cabo, pudiendo dedicar ese ahorro a tareas más creativas.
  • Longer range: Thanks to digitalization, SMEs can be seen by a much wider audience. By creating an online presence and search engine optimization, we have unlimited access to new customers worldwide.
  • Improvement in communication:Digitization enables SMEs to communicate more efficiently with their employees, partners and customers, using online tools to collaborate on projects or solve problems (such as cloud drives, shared calendars, time and vacation management applications, task tracking, etc.).
  • Customization:You can collect information on your customers' use of services or products and use it to improve your services by adapting them to the needs detected.
  • Improved decision making:Using data analytics tools makes it easier for SMEs to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of their customers, their buying habits and their needs. This helps them make informed decisions, adapt quickly to change and take advantage of opportunities to grow their business.

Technologies that you should implement in your SME

The technology has been changing the way businesses operate. Some of the basic technologies to implement in SMEs are:

  • Devices: that allow you to communicate with your employees, customers or suppliers in a faster and easier way.
  • Cloud security:will help you ensure the recovery of important data in the event of cyber-attacks or loss of information.
  • Protection applications:there are many applications that protect relevant or confidential information and keep it safe.
  • Online presence and sales:having a website or an online store will make it easier for you to keep your information available to everyone, sell your products or services through the Internet and thus increase your visibility, positioning and potential customers for your SME.

Keep in mind that having a profile on social networks is not being digitized, but just another step towards having a presence on the Internet. We say this mainly because in social networks you do not have ownership of what you publish, but the content is in the hands of each network, with all the risks that this entails (censorship, changes in the terms of use, content theft, identity theft), while on your website you have control. It is best to use the networks as a loudspeaker of what you can bring to your potential buyers and a way to bring them to your website, which would be your real place on the Internet.

In conclusion, digitization is a opportunity that SMEs should take advantage of to improve their competitiveness in an increasingly digitized market. 

Digitizing your company is not an option, but a necessity. And also, we would say that it is an obligation, because not doing so is to risk that your SME risks disappearing in the coming months or years. 

So if you have not yet gone digital, don't wait too long. 

Tell us, is your SME already digitized?

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5 reasons why your company needs digital transformation

Have you ever heard the term "digital transformation" and wondered what it means?

Well, you're not the only one. There are still many people, business owners, who are not clear. 

In fact, it is estimated that four out of ten companies will disappear by 2023 due to a lack of digital adaptation.

Because digital transformation, far from being a trend or a fad, is a reality. In this article we will tell you what digital transformation is and some reasons why your business needs it.

What is digital transformation and why is it important for companies?

The emergence of new technologies has changed the way we work, shop and even relate to each other.

That is why companies need to join this digital transformation process to avoid being left behind or obsolete.

But the lack of knowledge, fear of change and myths surrounding digital transformation make many entrepreneurs get goose bumps when they hear about it. That is why there are still companies that find it difficult to start this process.  

Digital transformation has accelerated more than ever, by leaps and bounds. And it has gone from being on everyone's lips to being a necessity. 

And 2020 highlighted the myriad benefits of digital transformation for businesses. 

So what is digital transformation and why should you care? 

Many businesses have not yet embraced digital transformation because they don't really understand what it's all about. 

In short, digital transformation uses tools, applications and technology to improve work processes, business outreach and customer experience

To help you understand this better, let's look at an example:

Nike, the famous sporting goods retailer, used to sell its shoes only through retail outlets in its early days. 

Now, customers can not only order their favorite sneakers online, but also have the ability to customize them, choosing color, graphics, text and even material. All from your website. That's digital transformation. 

So the next time someone asks you what digital transformation is, tell them this example to make sure they really understand its potential. 

Reasons for the digital transformation of your business

Here they go 5 reasons why you should seriously consider the digital transformation of your company

Reason #1: Improved efficiency and productivity.

Digital transformation can help your company automate manual processes and use technology to improve efficiency and reduce errors.

In addition, digitization streamlines internal collaboration processes between work teams. 

So an investment in the digitization of strategic processes will help you gain in competitiveness, agility and effectiveness.

Reason #2: More adaptability and flexibility.

Digital transformation helps your company become more agile. And even those that are open to adopting new digital technologies have a greater ability to adapt to market changes and customer needs.

Reason #3: Greater access to new markets and customers.

With the optimization of information analysis processes, you will be able to collect data of interest about customers and their consumption trends. 

This will give you the possibility to expand into new markets and also to achieve greater loyalty and digital trust of users in your brand.

Reason #4: Attract more customers. 

This is one of the main reasons why your company needs to go digital. 

Because the online environment where you are right now gives you the possibility to reach your potential customers. 

And if we add to that the improved user experience, you will attract more and more buyers interested in what your business offers them.

Reason #5: Improve customer experience. 

Thanks to digitalization, you will be able to communicate with your potential customers in a more direct and personalized way, providing them with a solution to the problems they have or have encountered. 

If you ensure that users have a good experience, for example, when browsing your website or through your social networks, you will have a point in your favor and you will get them to end up choosing the services or products you offer them.  

In short, digital transformation is essential for companies that want to compete in today's market, take advantage of technology and be prepared for the future. 

And while doing so will be a challenging process, the long-term benefit can be invaluable to your success. 

If your company doesn't evolve, it will fall behind. So if you don't want to be one of those, you know what you need to do. What are you waiting for? 

Tell us, have you already tackled the digital transformation of your company? 

If you need help to start your digital transformation journey, contact us.