July 2016 Summaries

Webflow's July release includes eight new website templates designed to inspire and cater to different needs, ranging from educational institutions to creative professionals and agencies. The "University" template by Rowan Hartsuiker is a CMS site perfect for educators, offering features like event advertising and blogging, with responsive design and customization options. For agencies seeking brevity, Deni Bozo's "Nexus" is a one-page, parallax template with a focus on creative work, while Bozo's "Western" offers a similar design for photographers and freelancers. The "Gradient" template, also by Hartsuiker, is tailored for photographers to showcase stories and media with vibrant styles on minimal backgrounds, emphasizing the unique flexibility and responsive nature of each template.

Improving website accessibility involves simple practices that enhance user experiences for both disabled and non-disabled individuals. Accessibility, as defined by Jennison Asuncion, involves designing user interfaces that everyone can independently interact with. Key strategies include using unique and meaningful button and link names to aid navigation, particularly for screen-reader users who benefit from clear, specific language that indicates the destination and purpose of links. Additionally, adding descriptive alt tags to images is crucial for low-vision and blind users to understand visual content, while avoiding practices like keyword-stuffing, which can harm both accessibility and SEO. By embedding useful information in alt tags and ensuring content clarity, websites can be made more inclusive and user-friendly for all.

Unclear calls to action, non-mobile-friendly websites, confusing order forms, and insecure checkout pages are common pitfalls that lead to poor ecommerce experiences, often causing businesses to lose sales unknowingly. To enhance the online shopping experience and increase sales, businesses should focus on creating mobile-friendly websites, as mobile commerce is a rapidly growing segment of the market. Ensuring product detail pages are clear and informative, being transparent about pricing and fees, and building trust with secure checkout experiences are crucial steps. Utilizing tools like Webflow and Foxy.io can facilitate the development of responsive sites, while SSL certificates and third-party ecommerce solutions like Shopify can enhance security during transactions. These measures not only improve customer satisfaction but also positively impact search engine rankings and overall business success.