First congratulations on deciding to have a professional undertake your project. To try and do this yourself takes you away from your business and may not be productive for you.

1 – What software will the agency favour?

This is important for many reasons. The most important is that the use should be easy for you and adaptable to your needs. You will be the one doing updates once the web agency has finished. Also, what are the costs such as the monthly software fees and is there a cost per transaction/sale associated with the use of the software. Understand the pros and cons of the software.

2 – Experience of the web agency

It is important to ask for testimonials of the agency you are considering. Ask for access to sites they have developed and visit them. Years of experience is not always a key decision maker here in choosing the agency. Their team and talent pool is a factor in choosing them. Another component is, do you get along with them and your main point of contact.

3 – The agreed deliverables

This is a business agreement, terms need to be spelled out and in writing. Key components of the agreement are the costs. Not just the initial costs for developing the site but also the post site support cost options, the hosting fees and cost of required certificates. Have a clear timeline for when the deliverables are due not just from them but also from you. Your web project needs to be properly managed.

4 – Communication

How will you communicate during the process of your website development. How will you be updated on the process. There should be no surprises if you maintain regular and appropriate contact, let them do their job but stay informed.

5 – Site Capabilities

Insure you are getting a site that is fully up to date and meets the end user device options, such as the responsiveness of the site to smartphones and tablets. How will the site be set up for SEO, how will performance be tracked using such tools as Google Analytics? How will the site be tested before going live?

Contact l’Atelier Web to create a professional online store!

At Atelier Web, we focus on customer communication and participation. We will be happy to talk to you about your project! Get in touch with one of our specialists today.

L’article 5 Basic Points When Choosing a Web Agency for Your Online Store est apparu en premier sur L'atelier web.

An eCommerce is a website that allows for commercial transactions to take place over the internet. It is a site that is managed by the seller as a branded website, such as Home Depot, a marketplace website, such as Amazon that represents many sellers and a social media website, such as Facebook.
How significant is eCommerce growth today? eCommerce site sales are growing at a faster rate than physical retail or wholesale outlets that have invested in bricks and mortars. The magnitude is significant, 12% growth for eCommerce sites and 2% growth for bricks and mortar outlets, based on 2017 outlooks from the National Retail Federation.

What are the cost advantages of eCommerce?

The growth in eCommerce transactions is compelling enough a reason to adopt this go-to-market strategy. However, the cost factor is another interesting reason along with the speed to set it up. Setting up a bricks and mortar facility is time consuming, location risky and costly. With an eCommerce site the costs are more easily managed along with the risks. You can start small without the physical appearance of looking small. As your business grows you can reinvest more effectively through campaigns such as AdWords to target specific customers and products. This helps to increase your market penetration on a global scale. Finally, the need to invest in additional physical sites to reach other clients in other geographic areas is not necessary.

What about your ability to get market recognition?

Having an eCommerce business allows you to gain better brand recognition. Most consumers today conduct online product comparisons before making a purchase. Your eCommerce site allows you to better inform your potential clients and showcase your products or services. This makes it important that your site is properly set up and kept up to date with appropriate content that is relevant to increase search engine optimization (SEO).

Why is an eCommerce site more effective?

An eCommerce site will improve the productivity of your organization. It allows for transactions to take place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without requiring your active involvement at odd times. It makes you more efficient and provides a better level of customer service. You also have the advantage of better inventory control.

Adapt or perish?

In summary the key advantages are lower costs, better market coverage, easier branding and improved customer service. Over 40% of consumers today make their purchases online, according to comScore. Your business website will greatly benefit by an eCommerce portion, otherwise you may well be left behind by your competitors.

L’article What is an eCommerce website and why is it advantageous to have one? est apparu en premier sur L'atelier web.

Why are we talking so much about Ad Block technology?

It is simply to insure a positive experience on the web. More and more advertisers are trying to generate clicks. Their objective? Generate advertising revenue or income through reference partnerships.

Internet users, they do not like it. Technology giants like Google, Apple, etc. generate tons of money in revenue through their advertising efforts. They also want to maximize the use of their own platforms. They will produce technologies inside their products or their applications that will block the abusive advertising in their eyes. They will however leave advertisements that respect their respective frames.

A good example is the advertising that is increasingly present in the videos on Facebook. Or a content article that will highlight products or solutions as a simple information piece addressed to the general public.

The impact on paid advertising

With the announcement by Apple, that it wants to offer an ad blocker on its future operating system on iPhone, paid advertising will be disabled at different levels as on the search results page on Google.

This can be problematic, for example, if you are a restaurant owner and you are targeting mobile users nearby. You should however know that ad blocking technology must be enabled on every device. Not everyone knows how to do it. In the example above, the same person doing the search on his desktop computer will not be “protected” from your ads.

Google will provide users with an option to block ads on their Chrome browser. At this time the information is not yet clear on how it will be put into place. Google needs to find a balance between revenue and user exposure to ads.

Regardless of the technology, you should know that web advertising will survive and that it will always be possible to reach your audience. You just have to make wise choices in your advertising placements to generate action. Forget the ads that rely on simple impressions that can not be measured on your website.

The importance of what you write in order to optimize SEO.

To counter these technologies that block advertisements on the web, you need to understand two advertising approaches: outbound marketing and inbound marketing.

Outbound Marketing

That’s why ad blockers have been developed. These are commercials that you know: an advertisement at the end of a movie, the one in the middle of a radio interview, a video on YouTube, and so on. In short, it is an unsolicited advertisement that is there for a notoriety effect most of the time. It interrupts an action you were doing.

Inbound Marketing

It is a technique that aims to provide answers when the person is researching a specific need. Your goal is to provide the right information at the right time in the right format. Your site needs to be optimized for mobile phones and search engines. A blog that answers questions from potential customers is a necessity.

Opt for a website that will make you stand out in SEO

We recommend that you opt for inbound marketing using a blog on a standard site to counter Ad Blockers. Contact our team to find out how you can set up a website that will respond to this trend towards ad blocking.

L’article Ad Block, web advertising and SEO est apparu en premier sur L'atelier web.

Let’s start with the basics, what is a secure site?

You’ve probably seen the little padlock at the top of your Chrome, Firefox or Safari browser:

The small padlock simply means that the website uses a SSL security certificate. This is actually there to encrypt all the information that is sent and received on their server. By clicking on the small padlock, you will get a summary of the security related to the information on the site.

It is also a way of ensuring the integrity of the data that is shared on a website. Which is a very good thing in the eyes of the search engines. Finally, it is a means to ensure an authentication of the organization. This prevents attacks by a hacker who could create a site-mask between the true interface of the site and yours.

Two reasons why a website must be secure in https

The idea of ​​a secure site has always been a best practice on the web. Many organizations implemented it many years ago. Data security is becoming increasingly important to the various stakeholders of the web including Google. Internet users who are more and more informed are also paying attention.

Provide a secure experience for users

As described above, you can offer an online experience that does not compromise the data that customers can provide you with online information request or transaction forms. If you only have one field to take user emails, for your newsletter, you may not need an SSL certificate.

On the other hand, if you collect important information that you use to process orders or create lists of potential customers with sensitive personal data, you must implement the HTTPS. If you want to sell your products or services online, this is mandatory. The general public no longer leaves their payment information on unsecured sites.

Google: HTTPS is a ranking factor on the search engine

Did you know that having a secure https site was a ranking factor for the Google search engine since 2014? Depending on your competition, it may be a good idea to see what proportion has a https site. It’s an easy way to get authority from Google’s search engine.

The impact of migrating from HTTP to HTTPS for an already online business is easier than a new site. SMEs starting from scratch will follow best web practices from the start, you will not see it.

L’Atelier Web offers the security certificate in a systematic way on all its web sites

Because of the data security implications, the SSL certificate is part of any website we deliver. See our section on e-commerce for more information.

L’article SMEs and HTTPS: Why should my site be secure in 2017? est apparu en premier sur L'atelier web.

1 – Do you have any functionality problems?

Your site is a few years old. You know that there are two or three modules of your WordPress site that are out of date. This prevents your event calendar or registration form from displaying the information correctly.

No matter what the problem is, you are fed up and now you want your website to be 100% functional. You want to stop contacting customers for information that you should already have.

2 – Are your customers complaining about the online experience?

If you redesigned your website in 2014, you may have chosen a standard site. This version did not take into account navigation on smartphones or tablets. Customers often tell you that it’s complicated to navigate your website on a smartphone. Since January 2017, Google favors sites adapted to mobile phones in its algorithm. We must evolve.

You offer a transactional site and people give up their shopping carts because there are eight steps? A redesign will simplify your online sales process. It will most likely increase your conversion rate of your online store.

Maybe your design was effective 2 years ago. You have a lot less leads this year. This may be because your calls to action are highlighted text instead of being clear and obvious buttons. A redesign can put forward an efficient conversion path and give an impact on your SEO.

3 – What do your competitors do?

Copying what your competitors are doing will never be a winning formula. You must identify what they are doing wrong so as not to repeat it. We must also identify the things they do well to do it better. You must aspire to be the one who brings innovation to your sector. It is much easier to lead than to follow the parade of the competitors.

4 – Have your products / services changed?

In 2014, you were the king of concrete landscaping, but in 2017 the trends are for landscaping in river stones. You offer the services but it is not visible on your site. Another example is you are a law firm practicing family law but you have now added corporate law services and you want to highlight the corporate law practice as it generates more revenue?

If your business model is evolving and you want to attract the right people to your website, it is important that your online experience demonstrates that your business can meet the needs of this potential customer.

5 – Did you change your branding?

The classic case is that of the self-employed worker who moves to a company structure with employees. If the entrepreneur chooses to have a logo, a slogan and a brand new image, it’s normal to want to make a change on your website. You want your current customers to understand that your organization is growing and giving a good impression to your potential future customers.

6 – Can you highlight your value?

Rich, unique and quality content is essential to be showcased on the web. This is true when it comes to defining your products and services, but also, at the level of blog posts, you can create and showcase what your organization delivers to its customers.

Maybe your current site has taken into consideration the best SEO practice, but there is nothing wrong with reviewing it to make sure you maximize the benefits of great content.

If your situation corresponds to one or more of these issues that can lead to a redesign, we invite you to consult our section explaining the different benefits for SMEs who want to redo their website.

L’article Six Questions to Ask Before Rebuilding Your Website est apparu en premier sur L'atelier web.