The Lowdown

Google Update Focuses On Websites That Are ‘Not Secure’

The latest updates to Google Chrome will soon show websites using HTTP as ‘Not Secure’. The new version of the web browser, Chrome 68, will be rolled out by the end of July.

Chrome 68 will contain a fundamental change to the way that people see the Web – any website not using HTTPS will show “Not Secure” in front of the URL, where you would typically expect to see a green padlock and “Secure” for a website that does use HTTPS.

This will become even more apparent in September when Chrome 69 removes the green “Secure” text altogether and will just highlight when a website is not using HTTPS.

Why Having A Secure Website Is Important

There are many reasons that using HTTPS on your website is A Good Idea™.

The main reason, and perhaps the most obvious is that it greatly increases the security of your website for your users. It prevents outside parties from interfering with the content of your website (something that happens disturbingly often!) and also shows your users that you care about their data. Even if you’re not collecting any sort of data or taking online payments, having HTTPS instils confidence in your users which is, of course, very important!

By enabling HTTPS you also indicate to search engines, Google in particular, that your website is secure. This is becoming increasingly important for SEO and will improve your rankings.

The past 12 months have seen big pushes to increase the prevalence of HTTPS on websites, with the idea that eventually all websites will use HTTPS – so why not stay ahead of the pack and update sooner rather than later?

If you need to update to HTTPS and secure your website, speak to our web developers today who will be happy to help.

< read more >

The Importance of Mobile-Friendly Design

Mobile optimisation sounds simple on paper. It is making your website, application, or digital advertising work properly on a smaller screen (like a smartphone) by altering its layout. Mobile optimisation is becoming a very important aspect of design and digital marketing. Here we have outlined a few points you need to consider.

Responsive Design Is The Future Of Design

When designing for mobile, there are a few basics to cover. Firstly, buttons need to become larger and easier to touch, whilst other non-vital elements such as decorative images should be made smaller or even hidden if they aren’t needed. Think about the way you use your phone and how frustrating a poorly designed website can be. I bet you can think of a handful of examples. This is something that needs to stop.

With the huge range of smartphones, tablets and laptop computers available, the implementation of this concept can be daunting. Your website needs to work perfectly for as many screen shapes and sizes as possible and in landscape and portrait as well. Simply shrinking your site to fit won’t work. Intelligent design decisions must be made to ensure a solid experience for users on any device.

Apps are no different. What works for your desktop computer, with a keyboard and mouse, will need to change for your phone. Advertisements must adapt as well. It is vital that you make effective use of the smaller size available.

why (and how) to make sure your website is responsive

– There is an increasing trend of visitors browsing the web on a mobile device. Many companies report seeing upwards of 50% of their traffic coming from mobile, so now is the time to change.

– Modern websites are often designed for mobile first. The layout is planned for use on a small screen before being scaled up for larger displays. This will help to avoid images and text ever becoming too crowded and will ensure you have the best site possible for all devices.

– Mobile devices often rely on touch for browsing. This means that buttons and links should always be large enough to tap with a finger. They should be easy to reach and simple to find with logical functionality.

– Websites loading on mobile will often use a slower Internet connection. To improve loading times for users, measures should be taken to optimise the size of your images. You should also look at the number of resources a website relies on to function. Lots of files and images result in a longer wait for users. A users patience can run out quickly.

– Although mobile browsing is relatively young (when compared to traditional desktop websites) a strong design ethos has already arisen around what constitutes a mobile-friendly website. Elements such as the so-called ‘burger’ menu act as useful shorthand for communicating meaning to users. Utilising these mobile design paradigms will improve the user experience, which is great for your audience.

Need Help With Responsive Website Design?

If you are looking to redesign your website so that it is mobile friendly our designers in Shrewsbury will be happy to help.

< read more >

Bang! On….. with a shooting industry award for best website 2016

< read more >

Arabic Translation for Deraya Insurance Website

< read more >

Dragons, Harrods and Hamleys at Source…

< read more >

Tools of the Trade

< read more >

Being mobile-ready is now more important than ever

< read more >

Getting to Page 1 of Google

< read more >

Positive Moves for Design Agency

< read more >

Source unveils stunning new website for 2015

< read more >