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When it comes to building a strong online advertising campaign, you need robust social media outreach, effective, branding, and an excellent SEO strategy. However, you could have all these things in spades, but if you don’t have a responsive website you will lose 90% of your potential sales. Don’t believe us? Study after study has shown that a slow or unresponsive website will lose the vast majority of users within 8 seconds.  

Visiting an unresponsive website is like walking into a grocery store with sticky floors, dirty shelves, and unmarked aisles. Most people would immediately lose interest and leave after entering such a store, which is precisely what they would do with an unresponsive website. So in this article, we will let you know the importance of responsive web designs. 

Responsive web design will help you make sales and grow your company. Here’s how.  

1. Mobile Traffic Matters 
2. Faster Pages Features 
3. Lower Bounce Rates  
4. Better Analytics 
5. Stronger SEO 

Mobile computing power is growing, but mobile devices still have less processing power than a desktop. When was the last time you heard of a company and quickly searched for them on your phone?  

That means, when your website goes into mobile mode for a mobile user, it has to be light and responsive. With more than 80% of all online sales being done on mobile devices, you can’t afford to lose mobile traffic.  

Users enjoy websites that are full of fun and entertaining features. Keep them interested in your business! Responsive web design ensures that your pages and features work smoothly and quickly.   

Bounce rates are the rates at which people leave your site. It is measured in the amount of time people spend looking at your content. The longer they stay, the lower your bounce rate. Responsive website design services are key to keeping bounce rates low.  

Every marketing campaign needs good analytics for optimization and agility. Not only will your numbers improve with responsive web development, but your ability to track metrics will also improve. If you aren’t currently utilizing your website analytics, we can help with that.  

With more effective backlinks and responsive features, it makes more sense to have one mobile-friendly site rather than a desktop and mobile site. This solution eliminates the SEO problems of having one of each.  

Smithy is an innovative SEO and WordPress website design company in Tyler, Texas that offers attractive and highly desktop and mobile-responsive website development services for your small business. To learn more about what responsive web design can do for you, get in touch today.

Social media has become an essential part of people’s lives and daily routines. Some people are so dependent on it that when they wake up, the first thing they do is check their social media accounts.

Because of the importance of social media in the lives of consumers, marketers and businesses move to social media platforms in the hopes of interacting with their target audiences. However, there is a lot of content on social media, and the competition is very high. It can be challenging for your business to stand out unless you have a clear social media marketing strategy. Staying updated on the latest social media trends can help fuel your strategy and make you stand out compared to your competitors. Here are few social media trends that you need to be aware of for 2021 and beyond.

1. Live streams
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
3. Stories as a Content Format
4. Virtual Reality (VR)
5. Augmented Reality (AR)
6. Social Commerce
7. Video Content

The global health crisis saw many businesses going digital however it prevents the spread of COVID-19. Face-to-face meetings changed into Zoom conferences and live concerts turned into live streams of artists playing from their homes.

Live streaming is quickly expanding to other industries, especially “live shopping.” Live shopping is the latest online shopping trend to integrate social commerce with live streaming.

Instagram Live Shopping, which allows brands and creators to sell during live broadcasts, was recently launched. Many brands are taking advantage of this feature to collaborate with influencers and creators to increase their sales.

AI in social media holds the power to transform how brands market across networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. AI is the heart of global business and industry in the future. With the increasing use of AI, we can see how users behave online, what their buying patterns look like, and provide proper targeting for your target audience.

AI can help businesses understand how customers find their products and services by analyzing consumer behavior and search patterns, as well as using data from social media platforms and blog postings.

Stories are becoming more popular on social media. Unlike posts, stories enable more interaction with followers. Stories can also increase the interaction between brands and social media users through various story functions such as voting, question box and countdowns, and product stickers.

If you haven’t started using the Stories function, you should give it a try now!

Amid the stay-at-home orders and the need for social distancing, people are looking out for more meaningful interactions virtually. VR is one of the current technological trends that can provide them with those interactions.

When you interact with people through virtual reality, you get the feeling that you’re truly there with them, even if they’re halfway around the world. This is the exact kind of exposure that people need at a time when they must socially distance themselves.

2021 is likely to see VR gaining more popularity on social media as platforms move forward with this technology.

Because of the seamless integration of AR and social media, businesses of all sizes and types can take advantage of this latest technology.

More people use mobile devices today as the devices themselves become more effective and the apps integrate better with AR. Business owners will want to get in the game of engaging with their customers through AR before the competition does. Consider how mobile devices could trigger AR content for your brand that gives an outstanding experience by employing location targeting.

Creatively implementing AR into your social media marketing strategy for 2021 could very well help your brand stand out from competitors. As social media platforms improve their AR features, businesses can make AR a major element of their social media marketing strategy. Make sure to keep up with social media AR trends so that you can stay ahead of the competition and grow your business.

Social commerce is also emerging as a great trend. Users find it livelier to shop on social media platforms and are more engaged because they can like, comment, and share content.

Instagram was one of the first social commerce platforms. It introduced a shopping function in 2020, permitting users to visit a shop from a business’s Instagram profile, feed, and Stories. Visitors can browse products and directly checkout on the app, which provides a seamless shopping experience. In 2021 we expect to see other social media sites follow this formula.

Video content is one of the most engaging sorts of content and will eventually dominate social media – outperforming all other types of content. Whether it is short-form video, stories, or long-form content on YouTube, videos are the future of social media content.

If you’re not currently creating videos, it is the right time that you include them in your content strategy. Shortly, videos will dominate social media and anyone who doesn’t realize that will have a tough time.

Social media trends are everchanging, so it’s essential to watch out for new trends and act accordingly. Start your video marketing. Use stories to interact with your followers. Take advantage of social commerce, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality! These are some of the trends that will dominate the social media platform in 2021 and beyond.

Test and try different strategies to see what works best for your business. It’s never too late to start!

Smithy, a leading website development company in Tyler, Texas offers end-to-end services from web design and search engine optimization to social media marketing services. Our expert team establishes an authoritative online presence with the best marketing strategies.

Stop Stressing! Let us help you manage your social media platforms with the latest social media trends!

What is web application development anyway? Web app development differs from website development in several ways, and the landscape is often inconsistent for beginners. But with this beginner’s guide, you will have the tools you need to successfully execute web app development, effectively build its framework, and understand how it works.

What is a Web Application?

Web application development encompasses all that is involved with building a web application. However, some people do not know the differences between web applications and websites. Here is the breakdown of their primary difference:

• Web applications allow you to input: create, read, update, and remove information within their structure.
• Websites allow you to read the news, statistical data, business information, etc., within their structure or output.

Web application development is the process involved with creating a new website or application. It focuses on engaging with the browser rather than standard engineering processes. Most cases of web application development will involve defining the problem, mocking up the solution, engaging with users, using a framework/choosing a tool, and in the end, building and testing the web application - in most cases, iteratively with users.

Examples of Web Applications

The following four examples show what web applications look like and will give you an idea of what they entail:
Google Docs
Created in 2012, this popular web application is available on mobile and the web. It allows you to create, read, update, or delete documents.
Airtable
Popularly referred to as the “online Excel” because of its UI, Airtable is a powerful database business solution.
Salesforce
Rated the number one worldwide SaaS product, Salesforce is a complex CRM that comes complete with dashboards, tables, charts, etc.
Mailchimp
This web application, created in 2001, specializes in email marketing and is a highly multifaceted web application, complete with an easy-to-use UI.

What is the Web Application Development Process?

The web application development process consists of eight steps.

1. Assess and pinpoint the problem you will solve. Your solution will be simpler to figure out.
2. Figure out your web application development setup. Organize your workflow for how it will work.
3. Transform your workflow into a prototype. A prototype is your wireframe tool for sharing your solution with your targeted user.
4. Obtain feedback. Share your prototype with plausible users and make a note of their feedback.
5. Select your web application development tools. Select the most effective web application development software, tools, and framework that will best meet your development needs.
6. Web application construction. Remember, a web application (or a web app) is an interactive computer program constructed with web technologies (such as HTML, CSS, and JS) and stores as well as manipulates data for a person to perform tasks on the web.
   • Database
   • Frontend
   • Backend
7. Web Application assessment. This is an ongoing process that occurs during and after the building of the web app. You can complete testing automatically or manually to evaluate the web app’s functionality, usability, security, and overall performance.
8. Host and implement the web app. Hosting means that you will run your web application on a server, which requires you to purchase a domain and choose a cloud hosting provider. You will also need a CI tool to transfer your web application from your device to your cloud provider for deployment.

What is a Web Application Framework?

A web application framework helps make your process for building your app more straightforward and faster than coding it from scratch. Frameworks come in two types: front-end and backend. These frameworks use web apps development languages such as Python, Java, and PHP.

Examples of backend frameworks include Rails (written in Ruby) and Django (written in Python). (Web application development using Python is the fastest-growing, while Django and Pyramid are its most popular frameworks.)

Examples of frontend frameworks, which are all written in JavaScript, include React, Vue, and Svelte.

5 Tips for Affordable Web Application Development Services

Application development is becoming more and more significant to modern business. Your ability to create and deploy applications quickly, directly impacts your competitive advantage. But most businesses can’t afford a good website development company in Tyler TX.

Here are 5 tips for creating a web application!

1. Regardless of complexity, size, or feature set, break down web applications into these simple operational mechanics.
2. Keep Track of UIs and Websites That Inspire You.
3. Give developers the tools they require.
4. Keep the First Version Simple and clear.
5. Focus both on Behavior and Look-and-Feel.

Use affordable Web Services in Tyler Texas.

Conclusion

When it comes to web app development, web development companies in the USA and Website Development Services Tyler TX can help you with your app goals and initiatives. But in the meantime, this beginner's guide to web application development for 2021 should help you achieve your technological objectives for manifesting your state-of-the-art web application.

Smithy offers Web Design Services Tyler TX and  Website Development services in Tyler TX. Request a free consultation today with our web application development team.