The Most Popular Websites

Drudgereport.com is the ugliest website I’ve ever seen. The font is too small and difficult to read. There’s no consistency with image sizes. It’s not an engaging website, and most of the links towards the bottom of the page are useless. The website’s search function is not easily accessible.

Despite its lack of aesthetics, Drudge Report is one of the most popular websites in the United States. It shows that a beautiful website isn’t everything. Drudge Report is responsive and built-well technically.

I wouldn’t encourage new website owners to follow Drudge’s lead and completely disregard the aesthetic component of a website. However, many new website owners go overboard trying to make their website look perfect. This often includes large images and a lot of CSS, which can slow down a website.

The Website is Perfectly Functional

I would have to go with CarlyAyres.com as the ugliest and most visually unappealing website design that I’ve ever come across since the dial-up era. Carly Ayres uses a Google Doc as the actual website, claiming that it possesses all the functionality she requires. So with contributions from people all over the world, her blog is a mishmash of colors, comments, and edits that contribute to its grotesque aesthetic.

Once you get past the looks, her website is perfectly functional, and the concept of hosting an entire website on Google Docs is unique and brilliant in its own right.

Mobile Is Even Worse, Forget About Responsive Design

sponsorshipaustralia.net. I stumbled across this site from a friend who sent it to me for review. Needless to say, there really wasn’t much for me to say other than, “The entire site needs to be redone.” What I love the most is the logo that someone just slapped on the site, thinking it was the same color as the background. Mobile is even worse, forget about responsive design.

Looks Very Old And Out Of Date

The ugliest website I’ve ever seen is the IL tax website. It is ugly and hard to use or find documents on, which is ironic considering how much state income tax IL takes from its residents each year: mytax.illinois.gov

The site is bland, uses antiquated buttons and links, and looks very old and out of date. Luckily it serves its function, making it ok, and something I would not suggest the state pays someone to update.

The Advancement Of Chatbots In 2021

One thing I’m interested in is the advancement of chatbots in 2021. It feels like client-side AI has become much more advanced in just the last few years. The algorithms controlling the responses are tighter and often much more comprehensive. Many customers can be helped through chatbot alone. It is a great resource in addition to standard customer service.

I’d like to see chatbots speak in more conversational tones, however. Right now, they still definitely sound like AI. While there’s no need to “trick” customers into thinking they’re talking to real people, chatbots can only be improved by having more intuitive responses that fall in line with those of a human.

My Web Design Trends For 2021

Technology development is fast-phased, and so is web design. Your website is the “silent ambassador” of your brand. It gives your clients the impression of who you are and what you do. If it is beautifully designed, intelligently built, and provides up-to-date technology, it will keep the existing users and bring in new ones. As for me, here are the web design trends for 2021:

Minimalism – “Less is more” is back. It is commonly known as flat designs with a clean and sleek look. It is associated with white, but also using the right vibrant colors to achieve that minimalist look.

Personalized content – [This content] is based on the data collected on the user’s behavior and preference. This is a practical way to target a segmented audience and an effective tool in delivering your message to the right people at the right time.

AI Chatbots – Chatbots are an effective tool to address the repetitive task. It answers simple queries like product descriptions and frequently asked questions. It is a reliable way to reach out to customers in real-time who want to find vital information about your company.

Smart Informative Videos – [Some] people are always in a hurry. Uploading a video on your site is the way to address the needs of this particular group. These people want to obtain information fast while commuting or traveling. Remember to create a video that is short but packed with information to capture the intended audience.

Fast – No matter how well-designed your site is, if it is not fast enough, it is a big turn-off to visitors. They will check your competitors instead.

2021 Web Design Trends

Voice automated websites
Companies will most likely level up their websites by putting in a chat box that is human-like to cater to the needs of the visitors. Instead of typing, customers will just need to speak, and their conversation will start up and keep going on until they find what they are looking for.

Browsing and Loading speed
Websites will be easier to navigate even if they contain a lot of graphics and videos. Users will not get bored or annoyed with their loading speed.

You’re not a coding genius, but you do need a website for your business. Fortunately, web building platforms have your back with “drag and drop” interfaces that allow you to create beautiful, intuitive websites—even if you know nothing about HTML, CSS or Java. There are a lot of platforms out there to get you started so we asked the experts to narrow down the choices. Read on to learn more.

WordPress

Why is WordPress Best for SEO?

WordPress is the best website building platform because it has significant third-party support. Many online tutorials and guides assume that the reader uses WordPress. It’s much easier to follow a tutorial to the letter, rather than adapting it for another platform.

In addition to web tutorials, many popular SaaS tools have WordPress integrations. With WordPress, website owners don’t need to hire a developer to integrate a tool they find useful. Instead, they can install the plugin and connect the integration in a few minutes.

WordPress is the best SEO platform because of the friendly CMS and plugin support. The CMS makes it extremely easy to add metadata, optimize images, and edit permalinks. It also supports plugins like Yoast SEO, which makes it easy for any business owner to optimize their content.

WordPress isn’t the best, but…

Technically speaking WordPress isn’t the best platform to build a website on, but people will get more out of it as it is the most popular and every man and their dog has some kind of experience with it.

The forums, support groups and network for help around WordPress are fantastic – any issues you have you just reach out and somebody else will have had that same problem and will be able to give you the solution.

The guides are so widespread and available that it is simple to get going on WordPress from day one and start to optimise your site immediately.

The user interface is friendly and intuitive so even a beginner will be able to get a website up and running in a few days. Then for more advanced things they can self-learn or reach out for help from one of the many communities.

Benefits of using WordPress

Widely Supported

You might not have realized it but WordPress is everywhere. Almost 38% of websites were using WordPress in July 2020 according to w3techs. And this number is steadily increasing, as in 2019 this percentage was 34%.

Because so many websites are actively using WordPress, it is constantly being tested, developed, and troubleshot. If you come across a question or something you can’t quite get to work, chances are highly likely someone else has had the same idea and has come up with a solution or answer, meaning you can often find them yourself with a quick search saving you time.

Easy To Build & Customize Without A Developer

WordPress makes it easier than ever to build and customize your website with a steady supply of plugins, endless themes, and, most recently, the implementation of WordPress Gutenberg.

WordPress Gutenberg has come a long way from its first strongly criticized release. Not only can it be used to write articles, but it can completely customize your website’s layout, too—all without a single line of code.

And in the near future, there will be less of a need for additional plugins and page builders to design your website.

WordPress Is Reliable, Updated & Has a Strong Focus On Security

WordPress has been around for a long time since it first appeared in 2003, yet it is still steadily getting used on more websites year after year.

Why?

Because despite WordPress being old, it is still frequently updated to provide the best reliability, tools, optimization, and security possible.

If you use WordPress for your website then you can be confident that it’s not going to vanish tomorrow because WordPress has proven time and time again that it’s a powerful tool for creating your website.

WordPress Is Free & Open-Source, Resulting In A Huge Library Of Plugins

WordPress is an open-source platform and it is free to use on any web host that supports it. This has made it incredibly popular and easy for developers to work on.

Since WordPress has a feature called a plugin, this has resulted in a massive library of custom add-ons that you can add to your website.

If there’s something specific you want to do with your blog, you’ll probably find there’s a plugin for it already as the WordPress plugin library currently hosts over 57,000 addons you can use. This is the kind of feature that other platforms either don’t have or are lacking in terms of options.

With this level of customization through plugins, and the fact that WordPress is open-source, your only restrictions on what you can do with your website will be based on your developer, designer, and plugin usage.

SEO Friendly

WordPress can benefit your search engine optimization (SEO) so your website can be found more [easily] on Google as it comes with key SEO settings that are easy to access and customize through the WordPress dashboard. Not to mention WordPress websites are structured to make crawling and understanding your website as easy as possible.

Furthermore, let’s not forget about the SEO-specific plugins you’ll have access to that will help you optimize for on-page SEO even more.

If you are considering what platform to use to build your website then WordPress should definitely be a top consideration. Due to its many benefits including:

• Free to implement and use
• Widely supported and easy to troubleshoot
• Complete customization
• Easy to build without the need for a developer
• Frequent updates
• A proven platform
• Strong security
• Huge variety of plugin addons
• Google and search engine optimization friendly

WordPress stands out

Appearance.

WordPress gives you the autonomy to build on its platform as you see fit for the vision of your company. The theme offerings (if you choose not to build from scratch) I’ve found on Theme Forest, Creative Market, and Etsy can spice up any website. The customizations you can make based on what you need cause WordPress to stand out from the rest with very minimal investment. It takes only a few quick minutes to go from drab to glam.

Affordability.

WordPress does not have a monthly fee much like its competitors, Shopify and SquareSpace. With a self-hosted WordPress website, your only costs are a theme (if applicable) and hosting. Not to mention, you can leverage several versions of FREE plug-ins to enhance the user experience and increase functionality. Also, there’s no fee to connect WooCommerce, my go-to e-commerce platform. It makes it easy for creators looking to sell physical or digital products; low overhead = more revenue in your bank account. Lastly, with a WordPress website, you can build opt-in and sales pages on the backend of your website. See ya later, LeadPages.

Accessibility.

WordPress is a low-cost barrier to entry for any level of entrepreneur. One of the features I enjoy the most is the never-ending list of integrations with email autoresponders, chat boxes, social media platforms, and more than business owners can use to leverage their online home. And if you really want to be extra, you can build your own “Members Only” area that resembles Facebook on the backend of your website. In addition, WordPress is SEO-friendly. Take all those traffic-driven hashtags you use on Instagram and use them in your content [to] draw the masses without being shadow-banned.

WordPress so far is the best.

When building a website, the most critical thing to decide on is what platform to use. As a digital marketing executive, I can say that I have worked on several platforms, but WordPress so far is the best.

Here are 3 reasons why WordPress is the best platform to build a website on:

WordPress is completely free.

Who doesn’t love to get free products or services? The WordPress platform is entirely free so there’s one less ongoing service cost to worry about.

WordPress is user-friendly.

It is good even for beginners. You wouldn’t need any knowledge in coding to create a website. The dashboard is so simple and easy to understand.

WordPress has superb security features.

This platform was made with security in mind, so it is safe to say that the makers of WordPress really put security on top of their list. It protects your information and content. They are also updating their security measures to fix any issues or concerns.

You have to design with the end goal in mind.

Web design isn’t fine art. No one takes a screenshot of their website, prints it out and hangs it next to a photo of their family. So, if your designs don’t scream purpose and point users in the direction you want them to go then you’re missing it.

I often see websites that are little more than an online business card. If you want to engage users and really see your presence on the web impact your business or organization, you have to start with the end. Start with where you want people to end up. If that’s buying a product or signing up for a service then great. If it’s to inform or educate then make sure you’re doing it intentionally and not leaving a ton of opportunity on the table. If you’re not doing it, you can guarantee your competition is.

Put yourself in the shoes of your audience

I would say if I had to choose a single best actionable design tip it would be to put yourself in the shoes of the target audience. Remember, design is there to serve a purpose in the most effective way possible. The design has to be both practical and pleasing to the eye. Think to yourself, “If I was the target audience, would this make sense to me and does it work as I would expect it to?” Ask what it is the target audience wants and requires and don’t let other things distract you from this.

Invest time in learning responsive systems!

Knowing how CSS Grid and Flexbox work will allow you to communicate better with your developers and design websites with an experience that stands the test of time and different device sizes.

Be memorable

In every memorable site, there is something that we like. It can be anything: interesting news or funny pictures, videos or useful information. The most important thing is that a large number of users like the content. So, I advise you to simplify user access to content. Good design in 90% of cases is not noticeable even for pros! Do you notice 9gag design?

Use free tools

Use free, in-depth analytics software (such as hotjar.com) for every single website that goes online for a client. Tools like this let you see exactly how your client’s website is being used in real-time.

You can then use this data to follow up with your client and suggest changes in order to increase conversions. To say they’ll be impressed is an understatement. It’s also a solid way to up-sell them to a monthly package!

A Great Way To Start a Site With an SEO Head Start

We own 41 domains. They just seem to multiply. We are online entrepreneurs and web designers, and we constantly have ideas for new businesses. The reason we have so domains is that when a new idea strikes, it is so easy and inexpensive (plus fun!) to jump on a registrar site and buy a relevant domain name. Maintaining ownership is also not expensive, and we view the domains in our portfolio as assets that will become more valuable over time.

More recently, we have started to acquire domains for a second reason. We recently started to acquire expired domain names at auction. These often have a long history and already have links pointing to them from other sites. This is a great way to start a site with an SEO head start.

To Cover Different Niches and Be Able To Host Content

[I own] 14 domains covering different niches. The main point in having 14 domains in my line of business, online publishing, is to cover different niches and be able to host content regarding various subjects. Diversification is not only a good way to change themes and feel more complete as a content creator, but [protects you against] search engine updates and trend changes.

Having interests in only a single website might be dangerous due to general public search interest changes, topic obsolescence, and also competition. It has proven particularly true and useful this year for example, as the whole travel niche fell down. Having websites with unrelated content was a great way to stay afloat despite big trend changes this year, which are always happening one way or another.

Use Them to Earn Money by Domain Flipping and Domain Parking

I am an experienced domainer. I currently own a portfolio of 65 domain names. The domain names cater to different niches, but primarily I cover niches like insurance, healthcare, education, and shopping. I am holding this portfolio of large domain names because I use them to earn money by domain flipping and domain parking. For domain flipping, I use platforms like Flippo and GoDaddy Auctions. For domain parking, I use platforms like ParkingCrew, ParkLogic, Skenzo, Voodoo, and Sedo.

Covid has Changed my Website in 3 Ways

As the nature of how people can marry [is fluctuating], I’ve had to ensure I have offerings for couples wanting tiny, fast weddings, as well as creating content around how to have small weddings, and what options are available to couples.

To that end, Covid has changed my website in the following ways:

1. During Covid, I’ve had to change the large-wedding images on my website to images that invite couples planning a small wedding or elopement. Couples, and indeed any consumer, only buy into what relates to them and their specific needs. It’s effectively meant switching around what is instantly visible on my website so that couples feel I have a relevant offering during Covid. Those that move the fastest are rewarded. It was incredibly important that my shopfront catered to a changed and emerging market in order to stay sustainable, rather than hanging onto what was.

2. During Covid, I’ve also had to ensure that I can be visible in Google for new search terms around Covid weddings, small weddings, and queries in and around that sphere. This has meant creating content and instructional blog posts that highlight and feature wedding planners and wedding venues that specifically cater to small weddings or elopements during Covid, so that not only can I position myself in Google with ownership over those search terms, but I can also latch onto the audience of those venues and planners with my own relevant offering.

3. As well as catering to the current climate as dictated by Covid, I’ve used the 4-5 months to also build up an enormous backlog of articles for SEO purposes to get a head-start in Google when the climate does indeed return, be that in 1-2 years time or beyond. Making a quick pivot to cater to things now while filling out the back of my site with articles and ideas to be indexed into Google for my domestic market as larger gatherings become an option in the mid-term, has been an important use of time.

My Website is a Robust Source of Resources About our Services – All as a Result Of COVID

Before COVID, my business website advertised our services in academic and test prep tutoring and also served as a hub of resources for students to access. It was a basic, no-frills website that spoke right to parents’ and students’ immediate desires for high grades and high scores. However, I founded my company on the idea that learning is so much more than just achieving high marks. My team of tutors and I utilize the tutoring sessions as opportunities to teach essential “soft skills” such as metacognition, executive functions, and interpersonal skills. Still, I did not advertise this beyond stating phrases like “we teach the underlying learning and life skills” because I found that many parents and students were mostly focused on grades and scores, and I did not want to come off too “foo-foo” and potentially deter clients.

Now, because of COVID, parents who have their children at home are realizing just how vital those skills truly are to areas such as task initiation, self-advocacy, and creative problem-solving. So, I re-vamped my website to reveal that we do assist with these needs. I also listened to my client’s pain points and added other services to my website, including a free blog geared towards helping parents and educators navigate schooling at home, daily Standby Tutoring “Office Hours” for last-minute help, live online Enrichment Courses for students ages 4-19 to get them excited about learning again, and more.

With this new content came many new viewers. The website began to experience hiccups. So, I hired a part-time website manager to help with upkeep and SEO. Now my website is a robust source of resources, guidance, and details about our services – all as a result of COVID.

How COVID has Changed Our Website.

1. More real estate is dedicated to COVID-specific information and offers. The pandemic has completely changed how people are getting married in 2020. Potential clients want more information about what weddings are looking like now and what steps we as vendors are taking to keep them and ourselves safe. Because weddings themselves are different (smaller and shorter), we have had to change the packages that we are offering. Potential clients also want to see information about that. So, we have had to devote more space to pages dedicated to COVID-related things. We have also had to display those pages and the links more prominently so that people can find them quickly.

2. Our SEO is much more COVID-focused. Potential clients are quite understandably changing what they are looking for with Google. They are searching for terms specifically relating to COVID and weddings, and COVID and wedding photography. With that in mind, we have created a lot more copy intended to get us found in those searches.

Added The “Pandemic” Tab On My Website

In the past fifteen to twenty years, I had a website under my name that was static and descriptive of my therapeutic philosophy and offerings as a therapist. When COVID-19 started, I did not change my overall website but opened a new “Pandemic” tab where I started writing about the pandemic. I also recorded a few meditations, which I connected to the “Pandemic” tab on my website.

My website still remains quite basic and homemade. What is different in the Pandemic tab is a change of tone which reflects an openness to share and be less of a blank screen therapist. I did not devise this change as a marketing strategy. If anything this tab is the scrappiest of the whole site, but it reflects the way I feel: deeply affected, coping, helping others, and also quite raw.