Blog - Website Design & Development

You know those pop-ups you see when you first land on a website? The ones that say something like, “This website uses cookies, blah, blah…” This little “cookie banner” has become the center of a growing area of digital marketing compliance that brands cannot ignore because this cookie banner and what it represents is at the center of global data privacy regulation. And as regulations are implemented across the world and back home in individual states, the increase in privacy-related litigation has become noteworthy. So, in this edition of Plain Talk, we will dig into the somewhat murky world of “consent management” and what marketers need to know to stay out of hot water.

Every year, CMOs, IT, and agency folks like us are asked to deliver websites that are great looking, offer a great customer experience and accessibility, and ultimately drive business. Part of that process always includes the selection of a content management system (CMS) that will make the site easy to update and maintain but that also offers great security features because it’s a scary hacker-filled world out there. In the urban mythology of website content management systems, few myths seem to be as pervasive as the idea that somehow, sites built in the WordPress CMS are “not secure.” In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll get to the truth about WordPress website security and how you can build a secure site.

“No-code” WordPress website builder plugins have gained popularity in the past decade. Their shiny promise of simplicity and ease in creating decent-looking websites without the need for coding knowledge is enticing. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll delve deeper into the world of no-code WordPress builder plugins. We’ll reveal the hidden truths, costs, and considerations that businesses and website owners should be aware of before choosing the proverbial easy button. By understanding their limitations, challenges, and potential drawbacks, we hope you can make more informed decisions about whether these plugins are the right choice for your needs.

Depending on your level of knowledge about the specifics of website development, the process can seem like a black box. Having a good working knowledge of the parts involved can save your company from ending up in a situation, months or years down the road, where you find out you don’t have access to or even ownership of certain parts of your website or data. In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll discuss the most important facets of website ownership. We’ll outline the items you absolutely must control to ensure your company’s website is completely under your control.

If your website is currently WCAG 2.1 AA or AAA compliant, you can stop reading now. This is true if you’re concerned about the new WCAG 3.0 compliance threshold or potential negative SEO effects from not immediately adopting these new standards. Your website will still be compliant for likely three or more years. However, if you’re curious or interested in web accessibility, but it makes your head swim, then read on. In this installment of Plain Talk, we’ve spent some time to try and make WCAG 3.0 more understandable.

AI is now the cornerstone of big businesses like Amazon, Google, Apple and IBM. It continually reforms what is possible for retail, logistics and manufacturing. But, did you ever stop to think how AI could be used for a mom-and-pop business or small company? You may not have, but that hasn’t stopped AI from thinking about your business! In this edition of our Plain Talk newsletter, we’ll dig into AI implementation for small businesses. Learn how small (and even mid-size) businesses can benefit from AI and machine learning. We’ll explain how to take advantage of the AI that’s already embedded in your business (whether you like it or not).

In 2021, it’s safe to say that a big chunk of our days are spent online, whether thumbing through social media, shopping, researching a project or big purchase, or gathering information about current events. Of those daily website visits, how many of them stand out to you as being really great personal experiences? In this edition of Plain Talk, we’ll walk through some of the business-critical reasons you should focus on your website CX. We’ll explore ways you can deliver a personable website experience to your customers.

Welcome to summer! Remember when summer meant vacations with the family, sunny days lounging by the pool or even just sleeping in? Yeah, we remember that too. However, in today’s fast-moving world of digital marketing, summer also means planning time.

For years, you’ve had your website on a partner’s proprietary content management system. Why is now the time for a change? In this installment of our Plain Talk digital series, we’ll explain open source vs proprietary CMS (and why it’s time to switch to open source).

If you haven’t been following the latest trends and best practices for mobile web design, you may be leaving money on the table. So, how do you design a better, more effective mobile website experience for your customers? In this installment of our Plain Talk digital marketing series, we’ll discuss five trends driving best practices in mobile web design trends.