That feeling—however subtle—is what visitors experience when they land on a website that hasn’t been updated in months (or years).

Your website is your digital storefront, and just like a physical space, it needs upkeep, refreshes, and yes—some occasional remodeling. We believe that regular website updates aren’t just nice to have—they’re critical to building trust, improving performance, and staying relevant. That’s why we offer monthly maintenance packages that make updating easy, efficient, and impactful.

Let’s unpack the “why” behind fresh content, timely changes, and smart design tweaks—and why this ongoing investment can pay off in both the short and long term.

First Impressions Are Digital (and Ruthless)

You’ve heard it before – you only get one shot at a first impression. In the digital world, the clock ticks even faster. Studies show that users form an opinion about a website in just 0.05 seconds—and 38% will leave if the content or layout is unattractive¹.

That means your homepage, team page, service descriptions, and blog posts aren’t just static content—they’re active participants in that split-second decision-making process.

When your website feels out of date, users might assume:

• You’re no longer actively in business
• You don’t prioritize communication
• You’re behind the times (and possibly in your work, too)

Updating images, team bios, service language, and visual elements sends a clear signal: we’re alive, evolving, and ready to help.

SEO Doesn’t Sleep, and Neither Should Your Website Content

Search engines—especially Google—love fresh content. Websites that regularly update their pages, blogs, and internal links tend to rank higher than those that sit unchanged. Google’s algorithm isn’t just scanning for keywords anymore—it’s evaluating the freshness, authority, and relevance of your entire site.

Here’s what helps with SEO and your website:

• New blog posts or case studies every few months
• Updated product or service pages to reflect seasonality or industry shifts
• Optimized metadata and image tags
• Reorganized or refreshed homepage content to reflect what users care about now

In fact, businesses that blog consistently generate 67% more leads than those that don’t². And while blogging is one slice of the pie, content updates of any kind help search engines (and your customers) trust that your site is still worth visiting.

Your Business Evolves. Your Website Should, Too.

What you were doing six months ago might not reflect your current direction—and that’s a good thing. Growth, pivots, and new offers are signs of a business that’s adapting and refining. But if those changes aren’t visible on your site, you’re creating a disconnect between what you offer and what users see.

Let’s say you hired a new team member who brings a critical skill to the table. If that person isn’t visible on your team page—or you’re still showcasing an outdated roster—you’re missing an opportunity to highlight your bench strength and unique capabilities.

Same goes for services: if you’ve narrowed your focus, improved a process, or dropped something that no longer fits, your website needs to reflect that shift. An outdated offering not only confuses potential clients—it creates more work for you to “clarify” in person or over email.

Website updates help you reduce friction, build confidence, and close the gap between discovery and decision-making.

Security and Speed Matter More Than You Think

Beyond design and messaging, regular updates are essential for technical performance and security. Broken links, outdated plugins, and bloated files can slow down your website—frustrating users and hurting your search rankings.

Worse, an unmaintained site is a sitting duck for cyber threats. If your CMS (like WordPress) or third-party integrations aren’t updated frequently, your site could be vulnerable to attacks, malware, or data breaches.

Google has even gone on record saying that page load speed is a ranking factor in its algorithm³. And studies show that a 1-second delay in load time can result in a 7% reduction in conversions⁴. A website that loads slowly—or worse, fails to load properly at all—will tank your credibility and conversions in record time.

That’s where monthly maintenance comes in. We don’t just keep your site looking fresh—we keep it functional, fast, and secure. If you are an existing client that hosts with Kicks – don’t worry we already have you covered.

Consistency Builds Trust

Here’s a little marketing truth we swear by – consistency is what builds trust. That doesn’t mean everything needs to change every month. It means you’re regularly checking in with your digital presence to make sure it’s aligned with your business, your brand, and your customer needs.

Consistent updates signal that you’re:

• Active in your field
• Responsive to market changes
• Invested in user experience
• Proud of your brand and the team behind it

Whether it’s updating team headshots, swapping out homepage images, or featuring new testimonials, these seemingly “small” updates have a cumulative impact. They reinforce credibility, build rapport, and show your visitors that you’re not just here—you’re here to stay.

How Kicks Digital Makes Website Updates Easy

Updating your website isn’t always at the top of your to-do list and most people do not have the skill or desire to dive in and learn the ins and outs of HTML or styling. That’s why we created monthly support packages designed to take that work off your plate—while giving you the benefit of a site that stays updated, optimized, and on-brand.

Here’s what’s typically included in a Kicks monthly maintenance plan:

• Content updates (team, services, bios, etc.)
• Image swaps and design tweaks
• Monthly blog or case study uploads (if provided)
• SEO enhancements and metadata reviews
• Plugin and theme updates (for WordPress)
• Website speed checks and security scans
• Strategic recommendations based on trends or performance insights

We approach it like a partnership—not just a ticket system. Our clients often say it feels like having an in-house web team without the overhead. Consider us an extension of your team to handle all things web.

Your Website Is Never “Done”

Let’s retire the idea that a website is a one-and-done project. In reality, it’s more like a living document, one that needs regular attention to stay sharp, functional, and aligned with your business goals. Just like you wouldn’t let your storefront gather dust or your team go unintroduced—don’t let your website lag behind.

Your audience is watching.
Google is crawling.
Opportunities are knocking.

Let’s make sure your site is ready.

Ready to freshen up your website and keep things moving?
Reach out to Kicks Digital to learn more about our flexible monthly support packages. We’ll help you keep your site alive, aligned, and optimized—month after month.

Sources:

https://sweor.com/firstimpressions

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/why-blogging-works

https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/05/evaluating-page-experience

https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-websites/page-speed-statistics/

The post Keep It Fresh: Why Updating Your Website Every Few Months Is Essential (And How We Help You Do It) appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

A restaurant’s website isn’t just digital decoration—it’s your online front-of-house. It’s where diners check your hours, browse your menu, make reservations, order takeout, buy gift cards, and sometimes decide whether or not to visit you in the first place.

Let’s break down exactly what to look for when building a restaurant website and which WordPress tools can help make it happen—without drowning you in tech jargon or pointless features. Whether you’re launching something new or refreshing an existing site, this post is your blueprint.

Start With the Basics: Non-Negotiables for Every Restaurant Website

No matter your cuisine, style, or budget, there are several must-have features that every restaurant site should deliver. These aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re foundational elements that determine how usable, functional, and effective your site really is.

Mobile-First Design

Most people visiting your site are doing it on their phones—looking for hours, browsing your menu, or seeing how far they are from your location. If your site doesn’t load quickly or format cleanly on mobile, you’ve lost them. A strong mobile-first design ensures that your website performs beautifully on all devices, no matter where your customers are coming from.

Clear and Intuitive Navigation

Diners should never have to dig to find your menu, hours, or phone number. Intuitive navigation reduces friction, improves user experience, and keeps visitors focused on what matters most—choosing what to eat or how to reach you.

Key navigation elements to include:

• Menus (with food categories or dietary tags)
• Location and hours (always visible)
• Online ordering or reservation buttons
• Contact form or phone number
• Events or promotions (if applicable)

Sticky headers and mobile-friendly nav bars with icons can go a long way in keeping users engaged.

Searchable, Digital Menus (Ditch the PDF!)

Here’s a common mistake: uploading a beautiful PDF of your menu and calling it a day. While it might look nice, PDFs are hard to read on mobile, impossible for screen readers, and invisible to Google when it comes to SEO.

Instead, build digital menus right into your website. These are easier to update and more accessible for everyone—including search engines.

Best WordPress plugins for digital menus:

• Restaurant Menu by MotoPress
• Five Star Restaurant Menu

These plugins allow you to create interactive, categorized menus complete with photos, descriptions, prices, and even filtering by dietary preferences—all with a layout that works across devices.

Built-in Ordering and Reservation Options

Want more takeout orders? Fewer no-shows? A smoother booking experience? Then your website should make it effortless for users to reserve a table or place an order. You can either embed third-party booking systems or fully integrate ordering into your WordPress site.

Popular tools to consider:

• OpenTable, Resy, or Tock (for bookings and reservations)
• WooCommerce (to manage in-house ordering)
• GloriaFood (a free and easy plugin for online ordering)
• WPForms or Fluent Forms (for catering or private party inquiries)

The best setup depends on your goals—but no matter the method, speed and clarity are key. Make the buttons visible. Use clear CTAs. And ensure everything works smoothly on mobile.

Location, Contact Info, and Social Links on Every Page

This might sound obvious, but it’s still overlooked way too often. Your hours, address, phone number, and social links should be visible on every page—preferably in both the header and footer.

Tools that help with this:

• WP Google Maps (adds an interactive map for visitors to get directions)
• Schema Pro or Rank Math (adds structured data so search engines highlight your info in local results)

Link to your social channels too—especially if you’re active on Instagram or Facebook. It keeps your brand experience cohesive and helps customers follow and engage with your updates.

Want to Stand Out? Here’s What the Best Restaurant Websites Include

Once the basics are covered, it’s time to think about how to elevate your site from functional to memorable. These features aren’t required, but they offer huge value to guests and give your restaurant a polished, modern feel.

Promote Events or Special Nights with a Calendar

If you host trivia, live music, wine tastings, or brunch specials, a well-designed event calendar helps drive traffic and build community around your brand.

Best tools to add an event calendar in WordPress:

• The Events Calendar (great for recurring events and ticketing)
• Modern Events Calendar (slick UI and customizable layouts)

These plugins let you display upcoming events, allow RSVPs or ticket sales, and even send reminders through email integrations.

Sell Gift Cards or Merch

Gift cards are low-effort, high-reward revenue generators. And if your restaurant has a loyal following, branded merch—like hats, T-shirts, or hot sauces—can build a stronger fan base.

How to do it in WordPress:

• WooCommerce (flexible and scalable eCommerce solution)
• YITH WooCommerce Gift Cards (adds digital or printable gift card functionality)
• Gift Up! (quick gift card setup for digital use)

Add these items to your site’s main nav or homepage. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to support your business beyond just dinner.

Collect Emails to Stay Top-of-Mind

Email marketing may sound old-school, but it works—especially for restaurants. Want to send updates about new menus, limited-time deals, or holiday events? Email lets you reach your loyal customers directly.

Plugins to grow your list:

• Mailchimp for WordPress
• FluentCRM (native to WordPress and privacy-first)
• ConvertKit or Klaviyo (more robust options for larger email programs)

Place your opt-in forms on your homepage, menu pages, and checkout pages for the best results.

Optimize for SEO and Local Search

If your site isn’t showing up in local searches like “best brunch near me” or “tacos in [your city],” you’re missing a huge traffic stream. WordPress has powerful SEO tools that help you rank better—and get more eyeballs on your site.

Top tools to boost SEO:

• Rank Math or Yoast SEO (on-page optimization and meta tags)
• Schema Pro (adds rich data like hours, reviews, and location)
• Google Site Kit (connects your site to Google Analytics and Search Console)

Don’t forget: great photos, updated alt text, and fast load times also factor into SEO rankings—especially on mobile.

Quick-Reference WordPress Tool Stack for Restaurants

Build a Site That’s as Good as Your Food

We’ve helped restaurants from fast-casual to fine dining build websites that reflect their brand, connect with guests, and make doing business easier. The secret isn’t just a great design—it’s building a site that works hard behind the scenes and serves your real business goals.

If you’re ready for a restaurant site that helps you get more reservations, more orders, and more love from search engines, let’s cook something up together – let’s chat.

The post What Every Restaurant Should Know Before Building a Website appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

When your branding loses its luster, you have two paths forward: full-fledged rebranding or a light brand refresh. Here’s the difference between the two, and a quick exercise to help you determine which one you need to take the next step for your branding.

What Is Rebranding? 

Rebranding is what happens when good branding goes bad. Rather than building upon the previous branding elements, a rebranding project often starts from scratch because there’s not much good to salvage.

When a designer starts a rebranding project, it’s a great opportunity to flex our design muscles. We get to recontextualize the brand in new contexts that the previous branding doesn’t speak to at all.

The end result of rebranding is a brand-new logo, color palette, typeface, and other visual elements. It’s like looking in the mirror and seeing a completely new you — and trust me, it feels goooood.

Rebranding In Action

Remember when The Facebook Company changed its name to Meta? Along with the name change, Meta’s visual identity got a major rebranding, too.

First up we’ve got the new infinity logo, that speaks to the company’s plunge into the metaverse. It’s a mark that’s completely distinct from the original Facebook “F in a bubble” thing that recontextualizes them for the modern era.

Next up is the color palette. While the base infinity mark is similar to Facebook blue we’re all accustomed to, Meta has also shown off variants that pull in colors from the fully family of apps including Instagram and WhatsApp.

Last but not least, Meta is sticking with a custom typeface that they rolled out across their family of brands back in 2019. It turns out that typeface was just a sneak peek at the total rebranding project that took years to fully execute.

Source: Meta

What Is A Brand Refresh?

Compared to a full rebranding project, a brand refresh offers a lighter touch. Think of it as sending your brand to the spa rather than sending it to a plastic surgeon.

With a brand refresh, elements are updated rather than rebuilt from the ground up. It might involve a new logo that’s similar to your existing one but modernized, or a cleaner typeface, for example.

A brand refresh is a great option if you’ve got history with the logo and there’s more you like about it than you dislike. It gives you the opportunity to make changes but maintain the identity that you’ve got stake in.

Brand Refresh In Action

A great example of a brand refresh is our work with Deskimate, a virtual claims partner for insurance adjusters. 

Deskimate has a positive reputation in their industry and recognizable branding that they have a stake in. They were a natural choice for a brand refresh to keep what’s working about their visual identity and revitalize it.

Our first step was to settle on a modern color palette. We settled with a turquoise that invokes the secure feelings of blue and the wealth implications of green — which makes perfect sense for an insurance company.

The next step was to bring Deskimate’s logo in line with their sister company’s branding. The sister company’s logo was thicker and bolder than Deskimate’s, lending legibility and confidence that Deskimate’s logo lacked. Our refresh helped Deskimate get its logo groove back.

The overall result is branding that keeps the embedded value of Deskimate’s legacy while bringing it up to the current year.

Do I Need Rebranding Or A Brand Refresh?

That’s a pretty subjective question, but you can answer it yourself without too much trouble.

Make a list: what do you like about your current branding? Put a Love column on the left and a Hate column on the right, then have an honest chat with yourself and your team.

If the “Love” column turns out longer than the “Hate” column, you probably want a brand refresh. A brand refresh will emphasize what you like about your current branding, and tidy up some of the elements you aren’t particularly fond of.

If the “Hate” column is longer, it’s probably a sign that rebranding is the right path forward. It’s an opportunity to start with a clean slate and reimagine your brand for the modern day.

Whether you need a rebranding or a brand refresh, outside perspective always helps. The branding bosses at Kicks can help you take the next step forward. Learn more about our process and see some of our proudest branding wins by tapping the button below.

The post Rebranding vs. Brand Refresh — What’s The Difference? appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

It came down to practicing what we preach. We tell clients constantly to define and differentiate their brands with messaging, content, and designs that are truly representative of their brand, what they stand for, what they believe in, what they care about, like, don’t like, and want to achieve… Yet there we were with a website and a brand that felt like a shell of who Kicks Digital Marketing truly is. 

Why We Did It

We spent some time—okay lots of time—discussing why we liked working at Kicks. Why we thought we were different when everyone thinks they’re different. What made our work significant and what made it sing. We went on long walks, held pow wows on front porches, picked apart what we liked and what we didn’t, and we learned that as an agency, and a team, we had bigger, better, braver ideas swirling in our minds—so we threw caution to the wind, and we acted on them. 

We didn’t want to be another agency because we’ve never felt like one. We’ve managed to dodge the stereotypical ideals, heriachires, and egos, and have operated on our own definition of what it means to be a creative, digital agency. It didn’t take long for us to figure out, we’re sort of… the anti-agency. We’re not what you think of when you think of marketers, and we think that’s a good thing. So we decided to be bold, show our true colors (which we absolutely adore and hope you do, too), and make a brand we’d be proud of. 

How We Did It 

As a small but mighty agency, we decided to lead with that and prove whatever a large agency could do, so could we—but in our own, somewhat quirky yet professional way. We tore down the structure of our old site, our brand, and our former mantras, and in essence, stripped ourselves down to the bones so we could rebuild our body. 

We started with our colors: 

As a group of bubbly, vibrant, witty, silly, clever people, we thought our former muted colors just didn’t match our personalities. We took the colors we had and flipped them on their heads, unveiling a vivid, bright spread of hues that made us (and continue to make us) giddy. 

Then we moved to our messaging: 

We have never felt our content was weak, but it wasn’t always us. It was service-minded, results driven, and industry centric—but it wasn’t coming from the voice of our wildly creative, fun-loving crew. We wanted users to get an idea of who we are and what we stand for immediately, so we took our taglines, messaging, and content and overhauled it to present our services from our point of view. 

Out with the old: 

We strategize, create, and deliver Digital Experiences

Who we are helps define what we do.

We’re industry experts who’ve been in the marketing world for decades, absorbing a wealth of knowledge along the way. Over the years, we’ve learned dipping your toes in rather than diving head first produces the best results, creativity is worth more than following a formula, and intention behind action is king. We’re driven by collaboration, which means our clients are our partners, not just our business; fueled by being the best, not the biggest or the loudest, and we combine resourcefulness with imagination to make big ideas possible.

In with the bold: 

Strategy Inspired by Creativity. 

The Anti-Agency

We believe in inclusivity, humility and understanding, originality over uniformity, and we don’t abide by the saying, “it’s just business.” We believe good ideas can come from anywhere and clients can be creative. We never settle for what works, but strive to discover what works best, which means we don’t treat projects like production lines, value trends over fads, and champion for work that’s different, not expected. Because it’s not just business—it’s your business, and we believe it matters.

And we turned the volume up on design—way up 

From a more color-blocked design, to amping things up with some fresh ideas and creative displays:

What We’re Hoping 

We’ve known for a while we’re a little different, operationally, creatively, and well, pretty much holistically. We’ve always felt it was our strong suit, and we’re excited to have defined it in a visual way. Our new brand is a product of the entire Kicks team—you’ll find a bit of all of us infused within it, and we hope our clients, potential clients, friends, family, peers, and colleagues get as much of a kick out of it as we do. 

The post Why We Rebranded—After Our Spring Web Refresh appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

We’ve visited the subject of branding before. (How could we not? One of our services is branding.) However, when it comes to this topic, the conversation is as endless as coffee refills at a diner—and that’s because the elements of brands are ever-changing. 

Where in the 1950s, a logo and radio spots were the basis of a brand, in the 60s and 70s, TV commercials and ads dominated the market. As technology became more and more accessible, we began to see brands unfold beyond logos, billboards, and ads, and into websites, digital ads, social media campaigns, and emails. Not only that, but consumers began to care more about the people behind the brand and what it stood for just as much as what it offered. Now, core values, personality, and messaging are as important as whatever it is you’re trying to sell. 

In part 1 of our exploration into why branding matters, we mentioned  brands are like people. If that’s true, then branding is the thing we create to express who we are. Here’s what we mean: 

Logo: The Outfit

Whether you put hours into your look or no time at all, you’re making a statement with what you wear. Jeans and tees come off and cool and casual. Heels and pencil skirts, more professional and buttoned up. Your brand has a distinct look, too. Whether it’s trendy, hip, classic, refined, witty, or smart (or all of the above), your logo—just like your outfit— is what consumers see and identify with. 

Unlike outfits, once you have a logo to define your brand, you can’t just change it every day. That would be absurd. Instead, you need to create a symbol of what your brand is, what it does, and what it stands for that can sustain the test of time (or at least several years). 

Why does a logo matter for your brand? It’s the visual definition of who you are and what you do. 

Messaging: The Personality 

Have you ever had to go to dinner or a baseball game or a picnic with someone who has the personality of a wet blanket? Yes? Okay, take that memory and use it to remember what you absolutely do not want your brand to emulate. People have personalities—some we love, some we like, and some we just despise. Brands are the same way. You could offer the most useful service on planet Earth, but if your brand sounds like a total—let’s just say, “jerk”—people aren’t going to support it. And they certainly aren’t going to tell others to either. 

Your brand voice is the storyteller to who you are, so make it strong, make it relatable, make it genuine, make it unique, and make it count. 

Why does messaging matter for your brand? It’s the omnipresent voice of your entire operation that builds connections and trust. 

Website: The Brain

As people, our brains are the center of where we hold knowledge. Brands hold knowledge in many places, but websites are the epicenter for most. They’re the first place many consumers visit to learn everything they need about your brand before committing to buying your service or product. But just as our brains don’t contain singular forms of information, your website must also be a balanced mix of creativity, information, education, direction, and persuasive dialogue—you need to prove why you matter in an expressive and impactful way. 

How? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, which is why UX design exists. You need to gather who your audience is, what they care about, their habits, their demographic, and their needs so your website can show how your brand will solve those needs. Once you know who they are you can develop a website, which brings your logo and messaging into play, to effectively reach them.

Why does a website matter for your brand? It’s the home base, the center, the control system, the cortex of your brand, introducing supporting elements. 

Social media: The Connector 

You have your logo, you have your brand voice and messaging defined, you have your website, now you need to connect. Everyone has that friend in the group that knows all the trends, the news, the latest gossip, the biggest upcoming events—they’re the go-to for what’s happening. That’s what your social media channels need to be for your brand. Use the brand voice you’ve defined to share stories, triumphs, new launches, new products, services, successes, teams, etc. with your audience. The right stuff i.e. strong social graphics, engaging, catchy content, relevant topics—will help build your brand and gain you more awareness and loyal followers. 

And why does this matter? Because in time, those loyal followers turn into customers who turn into brand ambassadors. 

Why does social media matter? If messaging is what you stand for, social is the loudspeaker to project your voice. 

Brands, like people, are all different. They stand for different values, have different voices, believe different things, and are useful in many different ways. Not all people wear hats, or have loud voices, or bright colored hair, or know how to fix a broken tail light—and in the same sense, not all brands have intricate logos, blogs, heavily designed websites, or high-level email campaigns. Brands are diverse, and that’s what makes them interesting and meaningful. 

Need help figuring out your brand? We’re here to get to the bottom of your story, develop it, and share it with the world. Give us a holler to talk more about what we can do for you.

The post Why Branding Matters: Part 2 appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

What is a branded image?

A branded image combines your brand elements with the piece of content you are sharing to deliver visual information in a branded package. It adds an extra special touch to your online presence, infusing your brand into each interaction your audience has with your company.

Branded images also add a sense of professionalism to your feed. The extra effort in curating these posts to represent your brand is palpable to your audience. It creates a seamless experience with your company, down to the tiniest details. Either it is the cherry on top of a good experience someone has with you when they find you online, or it is a perfectly branded first impression when you first appear on their social feeds. Branded images don’t make or break your brand, but they are the je ne sais quois that shows your professionalism and attention to detail.

A branded image must contain at least one of the following:

• Logo
• Brand Colors
• Brand Fonts
• A custom image (a graphic or photo)

A good branded image most often has two or three of these. All four together can be overwhelming, but if done right it can work as well. 

Aspects of your brand that you can pull into a branded image are:

• Repeating shapes used in backgrounds, headers, or CTAs
• Color overlays
• Header styles and paragraph styles (as dictated by your brand guide) 
• Consistent backgrounds and/or borders you use on your website

Basically, anything you do anywhere else – like your website, print pieces, etc – can be redirected to fit for your branded images.

Where can you use them?

Branded images are very versatile. Use them across your social platforms to share content, in email campaigns, ad campaigns, and even on your website. Basically, anywhere you are sharing content with your audience.

Some great posts that turn into branded images rather easily are things like reviews, holiday posts, special deals and promotions, fun quotes or industry-specific memes, and important facts about your business. For example, instead of just screenshotting a google review and sharing it, sharing it in a branded format looks more curated and professional.

Making it happen

There are a myriad of ways to go about making a branded image. Apps like Canva and Adobe Spark have free versions online, and when you need more functionality you can pay for premium features. These apps let you create from templates and make branded images quickly and easily. Additionally, you can set up templates to ensure brand consistency each time you create a new asset.

Your marketing partner can also make these for you, and they will be more unique to your brand than an online version like Canva. It is more expensive to outsource the creation of branded images, but doing so will give you a more custom and creative solution. With our clients, we usually see their branded posts outperform a post with just a photo or link. (They all have their place and time, though that is a blog post for another time.) There’s an example of two posts below to show the difference. The top post is a branded image, and the bottom post is an article. The branded post’s reach was almost twice as high as the article.

Practice makes perfect, so don’t get discouraged! However, if you need some help making this work for your business, drop us a line. We love to chat anything social strategy.

The post Branded Images Breakdown appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

Oblige me for a moment, would you? 

Let’s close our eyes and take a mental walk to one of your favorite coffee shops (because that’s really the only way we can get there right now). It’s your favorite for a reason; perhaps you’re greeted with a color palette that makes you feel immediately at ease, or energized, or creative. The tables are made of wood, which reminds you of being in a cabin somewhere deep in the woods, and there’s an intricate and unique lighting scheme that sets the room up perfectly. Maybe the checkout counter is deep emerald green, or there’s particular wallpaper that makes you feel like you’re in the Art Deco era. Whatever it is about this place, the way it makes you feel is why you’re willing to pay five dollars for a cup of coffee.

The feeling our favorite places give us contributes to our experience in them, and that experience is what keeps us coming back for more—no matter the cost. This sentiment can be translated into digital experiences, which is why everything from the way your website looks and reads to the social ads you generate should be crafted with care. In real life, we call it emotional responses. In the digital world, we call it UX.

Give ‘em something to look forward to

Just as we look forward to walking into our favorite stores, your customers look forward to visiting your website—if you put them first when creating it. Before throwing together images and messaging and stitching it all up into a Frankenstein-esque layout, think about what you want your customers to feel once they’re on your site. A sense of urgency? Curiosity? Comfort? Excitement? Everything from the colors you choose to the navigation you thread together contributes to how visitors will feel, so be intentional. Don’t just splatter red all over because you like red. Don’t just flatly state what you offer. Figure out what color works with the feeling you’re trying to draw out and tailor messaging and language to reinforce it. 

Don’t lead them astray 

No one likes to feel lost, but chances are your customers will if your website has no rhyme or reason to its navigation, story, or purpose. The end goal is to lead them into action, whether it’s buying something, contacting you, submitting a form, or scheduling an appointment—but that won’t happen if your site is like the maze from The Shining. To keep things crystal clear, and more importantly, enjoyable for your visitors, map out your website in a manner that makes sense, guiding users throughout and leading them toward the solution you provide. Everyone enjoys a walk in the park. No one likes to get stuck in the weeds.

Make design and content work together 

Have you ever worked somewhere where two people just didn’t get along? Or tested out the old adage, oil and water don’t mix? Have you ever tried to wear dark brown with black? (A debate for another day…) They just don’t work. When you try to pair content and design that don’t mesh, it can feel like all those interactions, but with much more on the line. You can’t build real excitement if your site looks like an office painted entirely in beige, just like you can’t get anyone to pay attention if you have mesmerizing yellows and blues but content that puts people to sleep, or worse, doesn’t effectively explain who you are and what you do. Design and content should go together like peas and carrots, or Jenny and Forest. 

No one wants to be the odd man out 

When building your site, you’re probably thinking about customers you work with everyday. The ones you’ve come to know and understand. However, there is a vast pool of untapped potential customers out there, and they’re all different, which means you have to find a way for your website to cater to diverse demographics. 

For example, don’t assume your product or service only appeals to men—you’ll seem exclusive at the very least. Don’t forget to be accessible to those with disabilities and build your digital presence accordingly. Not sure how? Check out Google’s web store to browse accessibility extensions. By creating an experience that is enjoyable and beneficial for all, you’re not only giving yourself the opportunity to increase your customer base, but you’re just being a good person. Because there’s really no eloquent way to put it: being left out sucks. 

Remember, if someone doesn’t like your website, they can leave in less than a second. It’s just that easy, which is why it’s just that important to craft an exceptional UX experience—and we can help. If your website is in need of a refresh or a full-on facelift, we can design, write, and execute an experience that gives your favorite coffee shop a run for its five-dollar cup of coffee. Give us a call to learn how we can help. Want to try before you buy? Check out our work.

The post One More Time, With Feeling appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

Note: Not sponsored at all- we just appreciate tools that make our lives easier. 

Zeplin – Seeing the Schematic

The most important step when tearing apart a Zeplin project is formulating a plan. Like most endeavors, foreseeing pitfalls and safe paths will help eliminate wasted time and frustration. No matter whether it’s Web 2.0, 1.0 or Geocities, websites generally have 3 or 4 distinct regions.  The header, footer and content areas. While it’s not as common as it used to be, sidebars are another area of note in a webs design. When you’re viewing the design you should be able to visually identify these regions without much trouble.

One easy trap to fall into is to just consider the home page when you’re making these distinctions. To avoid this “time suck" look at all of the designs for the project at once and note similarities. Generally, a website is not just a home page.  It’s an about page, contact page, blog, etc… If you’re planning out the header, for example, make sure you take note of every design and account for differences. This will help you to avoid having really messy CSS with tons of exceptions. The simpler your CSS is the easier the code will be to view, understand and maintain. This is easy to do when viewing a project in Zeplin. You’ll be able to see all the designs by simply scrolling back and forth and taking mental notes on each one.

CSS – Build your Bread Base

One of the nicest features of Zeplin and a clear pro over working directly in Photoshop is the CSS that is automatically created. The global CSS for headings, paragraphs, etc… is a great way to start your CSS. This is where you create the consistency in your website. The more thorough you are at this step the cleaner your CSS will be at the end of your build. Zeplin will provide you with all of the font families, sizes and weights that you’ll need.

In addition, when you’re in a single page design, clicking on elements in Zeplin displays that element’s width and height. From there you can set element max-widths, which is a very important part of making a website responsive for everything from large monitors to tablets.

Images – Grab Your Assets

Another great feature for Web Developers working in Zeplin is grabbing all the assets for a single page design all at once, including all resolutions. Pulling images out of Photoshop files can be very time consuming and can result in missed images or lower quality images. The one drawback in this arena is the lack of ability to download all of the assets, project-wide. While being able to download all of the images for a single page is nice it can result in duplicate assets once you grab everything from all the pages.

Content – Tickle the Text

Adding content and images is perhaps the last thing a site requires, but it’s where Zeplin really shines. Of all the Zeplin benefits the ability to easily copy content straight from the design to your clipboard is by far the nicest. Unlike copying content from Photoshop which requires multiple clicks and can be difficult to see and select at times, Zeplin does it better in two clicks.

Clicking a paragraph or heading element displays the content in the Zeplin nav bar that can be copied completely by clicking the copy icon without having to select the entire thing.

Keep it Simple

This, of course, is a simplistic outline of building a fully responsive web design.  There are many more considerations you’ll need to make to end up at your final product, but the general idea of keeping it simple should help guide any decision you make in web design and implementation. If you have questions about this, drop us a line!

The post Building with Zeplin: Web Designers and Developers Unite! appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

Creating a website to floor their customers

Creating a consistent brand

Does your website need a refresh?

The post Client Spotlight: Web Design ‘From the Floor Up’ appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.

The most positive effect of single page design is the ease of use.

Pro: Controlling the Narrative

Single page design lets you easily control how your users experience your website.

Pro: Mobile Friendly

The less you have to do to get the information you need the better mobile experience you’re going to have.

Con: Disorientation

Where am I?

Con: SEO

One of the most glaring drawbacks to single page design is your ability to maximize your SEO efforts.

The Verdict

The post Scrolling Web Design: Pros & Cons of Single Page Websites appeared first on Kicks Digital Marketing.