I have come across several websites and wondered if those companies really existed. Outdated designs and boring layout put me off, leaving me with no choice but to log out of the website right away. Like most people even I like to Google products and services before I buy them and sometimes the website I am taken to really disappoint me.

This happens to most of us and we tend to judge the company based on their website, its design, user friendliness and technology used. At times we underestimate a company that is doing good business and whose services are highly recommended. What such companies don’t understand is the credibility a well-developed and maintained website can bring and the loss of businesses a poorly designed website can cause.

What annoys the visitors the most and gives them the feeling that the website is outdated. 

• Images that look like it’s from the 80′s. Web sites that fail to offer a visual impact does not generate any interest in a customer.
• Music playing in the background of the website with no option to pause. This is an issue that has bothered me a lot, especially when working on serious things.
• Boring layout with pop ups and unappealing color palette will not encourage a visitor to stay longer on the web site.
• No proper navigation and links to non-existing pages. There is nothing more annoying than the message, Address not found.
• Splash page with long loading time can disappoint the visitor even before he enters the site.
• Entire websites based around table design.
• Use of flash technology that increases loading time. Busy users won’t wait till your page gets loaded.
• Copyright date on the footer that gives the visitor an impression that the website is neglected.

These are just a few frustrating things in a website that could ruin the reputation of companies. With new e-commerce technologies and website development companies, building an up-to-date website won’t be a problem.

Set your websites apart from the rest with such features like these 

• UX designs with client interaction features
• Customer Login and other features that encourage user interaction
• Video/Blog Integration
• Intuitive user dashboard with WYSIWYG editors
• Social Media Integration
• The use of SEO features like Title Tags and Meta Tags

Check out the most revolutionary technologies and digital solutions here.

Given the complexity to edit on static site and increased maintenance costs, most of the small businesses are switching to a CMS. Since the website pages are stored in simple text, editing, publishing and searching is made easy. Developers and designers are the ones that benefit largely from it as they are offered with increased flexibility to alter the functionality and design. CMS makes use of a database that enables integration of extra features such as blogs, news feed, calendars, and mailing lists into the websites.

Content Management Systems are available plenty in the market and choosing the best one could be a hard task. There are things to consider while choosing an ideal CMS for your website.

User friendly and flexible
Unless a CMS have a simple Graphical User Interface, you won’t benefit from it. It should be effortless to use and look pleasing to the eye. A GUI with complex options will hinder you from managing and creating content. Developers should use a content management system that can be used by anyone without tech knowledge.

Rather than a CMS solution with a fixed design template, go for one which is customizable. WordPress and Joomla are known for their easily customizable options. CMS should be able to assign permissions and roles.

CMS that promotes extensions
You might want to expand the functionality of the site and in such cases opt for CMS that allows integration of site features. With a list of plugins and modules in your CMS this is made possible. If you choose a CMS with application Programming Interface (API) you can write extensions of your own.

Security
Boost the security levels of your contents by choosing a CMS that allows installation of specific plugins and edit files/permissions. CMS system that enables you to assign different username and password to individual user can ensure the security and the option to control each user. Lastly choose a CMS that is developed under web standard guideline and that promotes best practices.

Speed and compatibility
Page loading time is one aspect you should give special attention to. Multiple website support is a must have feature as you might want to manage more than one website in the future.

All these factors were considered when we developed a fully manageable content management system for our client.

It goes without saying that online travel industry is in the phase of rapid development. Tour and travel companies are seeking new technologies and applications that make online bookings and designation search easier for the traveller. How far have you explored these new online trends?

Online and mobile bookings will increase in the coming years and therefore, investing in a robust and highly secure booking system becomes a prerequisite for any travel company looking for future growth and sales. The data given below reveal the consumer purchasing trends.

In 2016, over 36.7MM U.S. consumers will book travel arrangements through mobile devices
By 2013 the figure will surpass 16MM consumers using mobile devices to book travel arrangements
More than 120MM consumers in the US will research travel plans online by 2013

Data collected from http://www.factbrowser.com/tags/travel/

Why people rely on travel and tourism sites
People can book, confirm, cancel tickets at the comfort of their home and make payments quickly. Browsing across the travel options, packages, hotels and add-on services become one effortless task with interactive systems. With the option to compare prices and packages, online travel sites are successfully offering a great value service.

Clients who faced difficulty while booking or making a reservation will give up and return to an alternative travel website. If your online efforts are not strategically planned and developed customers will not get what they want and subsequently you will lose them. Other factors that prevent a client from completing a registration include high price, technical glitches, payment difficulty, booking problems and unavailability of sufficient information. Developing your travel and tourism website can win you clients, generate more sales and drive profits.

Travellers across the world are also relying on Mobile payment systems. A growth in use of travel apps and development of technologies like NFC and mobile wallets further eases the payment methods. The convenience offered by mobile payment systems are encouraging travellers to book from their handheld devices, regardless of where they are. However, more than half of us are oblivious of this technology and only 6% possesses a detailed understanding of it. In no time, this technology will advance and it would be widely used.

Apart from websites, other digital mediums used to promote services and travel ideas are blogs, online advertising and social media. Some of the popular online trends adopted by big names in the industry are given below.

Online booking systems and secure payments
Making reservations and booking have become easier, thanks to the advanced online booking systems. Business travellers, families and individual travellers use travel sites that offer a convenient and secure online booking option. What makes them very useful is the option for comparing prices. Travellers can make better travel decisions and make sure payments.

Mobile booking and apps
With the proliferation of handheld devices, accessing travel information is at the fingertips of customers. Online booking is also done via mobile phones. To gain more clients, online travel sites should invest on mobile optimized website and mobile strategies. Today, mobile platform has been transformed into a real travel planning channel for many. A recent report reveals that in 2016, 74.3MM consumers in the US will research travel purchases on their mobile devices.

Computer Systems
For large travel business, a well maintained computer system will be the best solution. These systems ensure quick and improved communication between branches and locations, consequently making reservations and other tasks hassle-free. Guest preferences, reservation details and other information can be managed and kept in a single system.

Read the success story of a European tour company here  http://digiora.com/insights

Social Media Services
With an effective social media presence, a travel company can build an audience interested in their services. Consistent social media strategies can alone win the marketing goals of the travel company. Invest on social media campaigns and strategies to endorse offers online and via mobile.

Unless online tour and travel companies embrace these online trends, they will not be able to offer total-trip experience for clients.

A world that loves to participate in real-time activities would certainly appreciate the idea of an online auction system that opens 24/7. Unlike the traditional auctioning method, this modern system brings together buyers and sellers from across the globe to a single location. Since the items are listed for few days, bidders can think and study the deal before bidding. Since, there is no geographical or time restrictions, the number of bids received will be more. The cost for conducting an auction online is less when compared to physical auction sales and the price of the items are also low. This way both parties the buyer and the seller are benefited. Retailers, distributors and liquidators can test new products, quickly sell off excess inventory and get new customers. Auctions taking place between customers, companies and businesses have gained popularity.

Online auctions are very useful for businesses, regardless of its type and size. Founded in 1995, eBay takes the credit of being the major online auction host. Many businesses have taken off because of the auction space offered by eBay. Bidders go through the product descriptions, shipping information and images of the item before bidding. Advancement in technologies and implementation of new features have made online auctioning simple than ever. From the initial development process to the integration of the online auction system, developers and software engineers encounters many challenges and difficulties. They think, plan, analyze, design, redesign, test and correct errors to set-up the most up-to-date online auction system for their clients.

Basic processes involved in Online auction system are Registration for both seller and buyer, Identifying the auction type, auction rules, names, product information, prices etc, Scheduling times for auction sessions including starting and closing time, Bidding that includes collecting bids and validating the collected bids, Closing the Auction and finally Trade Settlement.

Basic requirements for developing online auction system

An intuitive graphical user interface to make the navigation across the items and page easy.
• System should be able to provide real-time information and also make relevant bidding information such as current status of the item kept for auction, highest bid amount so far, time remaining to make the bid, etc.
• Options to allow multiple participation among auctioneer, bidders and guests.
• Log in method.
• Security measures like client authentication and authorization, bid validation and bid data encryption should be considered. By offering High security standards data disclosure and manipulation could be prevented.
• Privacy feature should safeguard the privacy of participants. Server should not disclose any relevant information to the participant.
• Robust Server to avoid frequent failures

The functional and technical requirements for creating an online auction system differ with each project. A perfectly designed and developed online system can alone deliver the needs of the client and prevent unwanted security issues.

Facebook ads have enticed many companies and advertisers who want to use social media platforms to promote their products and services. In the past few months several allegations arose against the effectiveness of Facebook advertising however it is still one of the popular social media advertising methods adopted by small and large businesses worldwide.

Deciding whether to invest or not on Facebook advertisements can be a daunting task especially when there are too many misconceptions and doubts regarding the advertising potential of it. This article hopes to familiarize you with some common terms associated with Facebook advertising. Understanding them can help you bring your social media advertising efforts on track. With over 900 million fan base Facebook becomes the best medium to advertise and promote brands.

Facebook ads

Facebook ads consist of custom messages from the advertisers which targets the fans. Unless it encourages users to act spontaneously, the effectiveness of the Facebook ads gets lost, therefore a lot of thinking and planning should go while developing ads.

Facebook Ad campaign

When you create a Facebook Ad campaign, it gives you the freedom to combine groups of Ads, either for a single business or separate businesses. Same daily or lifetime budget and schedule is shared by all the ads in the campaign. In Facebook Ad campaign you can group ads with ease and at your convenience. The best part is that, Facebook offer updated reports where you can analyze the output of the ads. In case of individual ads, there are separate bids and targeting.

Clicks

Clicks are the number of times a Facebook user clicks an ad. It could also be a ‘like’ for the advertised page or event. With more clicks the visibility for the advertised product or page increases. Facebook adopts methods, where advertisers are charged only for authentic clicks. This means repetitive and unreal clicks are not counted.

Impression
The term impression in advertisement means the number of people reached by the ads. Details such as the reach and frequency offered by the Ads are offered by Facebook. Total impression of the Ads is the product of the Ad’s frequency and reach. Data on the reach and frequency of the Ad is provided by Facebook. Social impression is nothing but an Ad impression consisting of brand’s content and interaction of the Facebook user.

CTR

CTR is the Abbreviation of Click-through rate. The click through rate is the number of clicks on an ad divided by the number of times the ad appears. It is represented as percentage.

Promotion

In Facebook any type of competition or contest is known as promotion.

Promoted Posts

By promoting certain posts on your page, more number of people will view it. Administrator of the page can easily promote a recent post by using the promote button made available next to the page posts.

Premium Ads

This type of ads appears on the right hand side of the user’s home page when he logs in. If a person is a fan of that particular brand, then the ads show in the news feed. Through premium ads, brand can improve fan engagement.

Premium ads depend on the total impressions and are charged per thousand AD impression. It can be purchased from a sales partner or representative of Facebook. Page post, voice of friend and standard Ads are the different types of premium ads.

Sponsored Stories

This is a paid advertising service offered by Facebook to brands. With this service, advertisers can use content created on the Facebook page as an Ad. If a person likes a page, it shows in his news feed. The administrator of the specific Facebook page can utilize the news feed of this fan and the friends of his are notified regarding this.

A specific post of great importance and value to the brand can be promoted using Sponsored stories. Page like story, App shared story, Game played story and Page post like story are the different kind of sponsored stories.

Reach generator

With reach generator page post reaches 50 percent of the total fan base, when generally a page post reaches just 16%. It guarantees wider reach of the page post and increases fan engagement. However, to take advantage of this tool, the company should have at least 500,000 fans. Another eligibility factor is that the existing reach of the page posts should be less than 25% on an average.

Talking about this

This is introduced to evaluate the engagement level of the Facebook page. Facebook page administrator can view the Talking about graph and analyze the performance of the page. Since its launch in 2011, the’ People talking about this’ feature have allowed the companies to measure the page engagement.

These are just few of the common Facebook advertising terms, there are plenty more. Knowing and understanding all the necessary terms is crucial for any marketer and social media expert. There are also certain guidelines which should be followed while creating Facebook Ads. These guidelines are updated frequently by Facebook and you can read them at http://www.facebook.com/ad_guidelines.php.