How To Craft A Website Design That Turns Heads

How To Craft A Website Design That Turns Heads

With millions of websites competing for attention in today’s digital age, ensuring that your site stands out from the crowd is essential. Here are our top tips to help you achieve a memorable and engaging website design that will attract and retain visitors.

 

know who you are.

The importance of having a strong brand identity can’t be overstated. Before diving into the web design process, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your brand’s visual identity and voice. Your website should reflect your brand’s personality and values while speaking to your target audience, whether it’s students, professionals, or families. 

Use consistent design elements such as colors, typography, and graphics throughout your site to create a cohesive visitor experience. 

 

design is psychology. use it to your advantage.

Our brains are wired to process information in specific ways, and design can leverage these cognitive tendencies. Visual hierarchy is a powerful tool that can guide users’ attention to the important parts of your website through the use of headlines, images, and eye-catching CTAs. A good design can influence what a user sees first and how they interact with your site. 

Emotions are heavy hitters when it comes to people’s decision-making processes. Evoking the right emotions through a design—whether it’s a sense of trust, excitement, or nostalgia—can help foster a stronger connection between the user and the brand.

Another psychological tool you can use to elevate your website is something called the principle of social proof. For better or for worse, we live in an age of social influence and people are more likely to take action if they see others doing the same. Incorporating testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content can help build trust and credibility with visitors, encouraging them to engage further with your website.

 

dare to be different.

While it’s essential to adhere to design principles and best practices, don’t be afraid to break the mold and experiment with unconventional elements in your website design.

For example, the internet is made up of boxes—people are used to seeing grid-like layouts. Consider shaking things up by using an asymmetrical layout to create visual interest. Experiment with big, bold typography choices, vibrant color schemes, or whimsical illustrations to infuse personality into your website. Introducing unexpected elements can surprise and delight visitors, making your website more memorable.

By daring to be different and embracing unconventional elements in your website design, you can set your site apart from the competition and create a unique online experience for visitors. Remember to stay true to your brand identity and objectives while pushing the boundaries of what’s been done before.

 

don’t forget about user experience (ux)!

When considering these things, it’s crucial to strike a balance between creativity and usability. Ensure that unconventional elements enhance rather than detract from the overall user experience. Nobody likes a site that’s hard to navigate! Conduct user testing to gather feedback and make adjustments as needed to ensure that your design choices resonate with your target audience.

 

final thoughts.

By following these tips and implementing thoughtful design strategies, you can make your website stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on visitors. Remember to continuously monitor and optimize your website’s performance to ensure that it remains relevant and engaging in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

We recognize the uniqueness of each brand and the importance of individual visions. By seamlessly integrating client ideas with our technical expertise, we produce websites that not only meet but exceed the expectations of the target audience.

Whether you’re a startup looking for a bold online debut or an established business in need of a digital facelift, Threshold is ready to cater to your specific needs. Our bespoke solutions take into account your brand identity, target audience, and business objectives, ensuring that the end result is more than just a website – it’s a strategic tool for growth and engagement.

In the dynamic world of web development, Threshold remains your trustworthy ally, navigating complexities with finesse. Entrust us with your digital aspirations, and witness as we transform your vision into a tangible reality, connecting you with your audience in meaningful ways. Allow us to be the catalyst to elevate your brand, captivate your audience, and explore the limitless possibilities of web development together.

 

about the author.

When we think about someone who can literally do it all, Heather is always the first one to come to mind. From designing and developing stunning websites that always out-perform, to understanding branding in a way that would put even the most experienced professionals to shame, Heather is our go-to girl in all things creative. 

Unlocking Success: Threshold’s Data-Driven Marketing Across Verticals

Unlocking Success: Threshold’s Data-Driven Marketing Across Verticals

 

ava headshot threshold marketing blogAva Page

 

In a digital era dominated by data, marketing success hinges on the ability to harness insights strategically. From creative endeavors to website development, digital strategies, financial institutions, and promotional products, Threshold leverages data to drive unparalleled success. 

Let’s take a look into how our commitment to data-driven marketing sets us apart in each of these crucial areas in today’s saturated marketing landscape.

 

creative excellence.

Our creative mastery stands as a testament to the power of data in shaping compelling narratives. By analyzing audience preferences and market trends, our creative team crafts visually appealing and emotionally resonant campaigns that perform – like the fact that Threshold websites hold a 40% or below bounce rate for organic traffic.

The result? Creative endeavors that not only captivate, but convert.

 

web dev mastery.

Websites are the digital storefronts of today, and our data-driven approach to web development ensures that each site is tailored to the target audience. 

On average, Threshold websites perform better than competitors:

  • 85% or higher health score on 100% of our websites
  • Organic users spend 2+ minutes on websites
    • visiting multiple pages & CTAs

From user experience to performance optimization, data insights guide the creation of websites that not only look stunning but also function seamlessly, contributing to a positive brand image.

 

digital strategies redefined.

In the digital realm, success lies in precision and relevance. Threshold’s digital vertical relies on data analytics to optimize campaigns across platforms. 

From social media to search engine marketing, data-driven insights guide strategic decisions, ensuring maximum impact and ROI for clients navigating the competitive digital landscape.

A recent campaign for Willow Bridge showed our ads out-performing our competitors – by a long shot. See the numbers for yourself:

  • 62% engagement rate (15% higher than industry avg.)
  • Users spent 2x longer on site
  • 18% CTR (over 2x higher than industry avg.)

 

tailored solutions for financial institutions.

The financial sector demands a nuanced approach, and we excel in providing tailored solutions driven by data. 

Understanding the unique challenges and opportunities within financial institutions, from ranging customer bases and demographics to maintaining compliance standards, our team leverages data to craft marketing strategies that resonate with the target audience, fostering trust and brand loyalty.

 

promotional prowess.

In the world of promotional marketing, data is the key to creating impactful campaigns. Threshold’s promotional vertical utilizes data insights to identify trends, preferences, and effective channels for promotional initiatives. 

From branded merchandise to interactive giveaways, each promotional campaign is strategically designed to leave a lasting impression.

 

to sum things up.

Our vision: to make everyone rethink what they expect from marketing.

By harnessing insights for creative campaigns, website development, digital strategies, financial institutions, and promotional initiatives, we’re setting a new standard for success in our field.

In a landscape where data is king, choose Threshold for an elevated marketing experience that goes beyond the ordinary, turning insights into tangible results. Elevate your brand with Threshold, where data meets creativity to unlock unprecedented success.

 

before you go.

For more tips and information about marketing your everything, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! 

You can also subscribe to our email newsletter (it’s got some great stuff), and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn!

 

about the author.

Ava is the SEO & Paid Media Specialist at Threshold.

In her role, she is responsible for the content creation and management of all Threshold and PromoShak social channels, blog content, and SEO maintenance, and aids in internal and client-facing digital marketing strategies. 

When she’s not busy creating content, you can usually find her picking out new plants, island-hopping, watching Duke basketball, or spending time with her fur babies.

Drive More Leads With A Mobile-First Website Design

Drive More Leads With A Mobile-First Website Design

Angel Roa

Now more than ever, people are accessing the internet through their mobile devices and tablets. Long gone are the days of desktop-only users! According to StatCounter, a web traffic analysis website, a whopping 59.25% of global online traffic came from mobile users alone, followed by 38.53% desktop users, and just 2.22% tablet users. 

This displays the importance of where we must start our design, and where we should be focusing our efforts in making an effective and dynamic real estate website that drives leads. Designing mobile first, and then expanding to a desktop friendly site, is the most user-centric and accommodating to most target audiences. 

What is mobile first design?

A philosophy which aims to create better user experiences by starting the design process with prioritizing the smallest screens first. This strategy is often referred to as the concept of progressive advancement. Once a mobile design is in place, designing for larger screens becomes easier and we have the core elements of the design established. Starting a design with mobile also enforces aspects such as bandwidth, screen size, and multitasking capabilities. As you progress onto larger devices, it’s easier to expand the functionality with supplemental elements and features. Remember: it’s always easier to add than to take away!

We’ve put together a few design principles to get us started in our mobile first design stage. 

  • Users should be at the forefront of your design

    • The design of your real estate website must help users solve a problem or complete a task quickly and effectively. Users should easily be able to view floor plans, virtual tours, check availability, call or contact your community, and ultimately, apply and sign a lease. Keep in mind user flow – convenience is key to generating more leads!
    • Look at your competitors’ mobile websites and check out what they do and don’t offer. How can you improve your user’s experience compared to your competitors? Maybe it’s adding a floor plan filter to make it easier for prospects to find exactly what they’re looking for. Or maybe you notice that a competitor doesn’t have virtual tours on the website. As crazy as it may sound, over 80% of renters apply and secure a lease without ever visiting the property, thanks to online marketing. Adding virtual tours to your website can increase website engagement and provide a convenient option for people who prefer to tour virtually as opposed to in-person.
  • Keep it simple

    • Improve content clarity on your mobile site while helping the user focus on what content is most important. This can be done by reducing links in your navigation menu, reducing the number of pages, and keeping borders wide and lines clean.
    • Use white space to your advantage to make the layout less cluttered and more readable, which will also improve your SEO and increase organic traffic. 
      • Prioritize the content you want displayed on the website: Ex: Floor plans, Location, Gallery, Amenities, Blog, etc.
      • Prioritize the hierarchy of that content. Understand what the user flow is and how to display the most important content. For example, we recommend prioritizing floor plans because data confirms that people spend the most time looking at floor plans on the website, and it’s usually the first stop after visiting the homepage.
  • Incorporate bold and consistent CTAs

    • A call-to-action needs to be easily located by users throughout your website. Not doing so can lead to a loss of leads and decreased conversions.
  • Adhere to mobile friendly practices 

    • Choose fonts that are web safe and keep font styles to a minimum. 
    • Select contrasting colors and make text legible according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

In Conclusion

Now that you know what a mobile-first design is and its importance moving forward, we hope you will incorporate this new knowledge into your real estate website to generate more leads. By remembering to put users at the forefront of your website design, improving content clarity, and incorporating consistent CTAs, maximizing your lead generation should be a walk in the park.

For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

How Having A Well-Developed Website Can Increase Your Lead Generation

How Having A Well-Developed Website Can Increase Your Lead Generation

Anooj Francis

How does website development impact lead generation?

Did you know that in today’s digital age, over 90% of prospective renters and homeowners begin their search for a new home online? Miles before most people decide to contact a realtor, online searches are the most common way to discover available properties. How are these properties found so easily? Strong website design and development.

When building a real estate website, there are two significant aspects to consider: your customers and search engines. When prospective customers search for properties, you need a well-optimized website to show up on Google or other search engines. Though, you can’t just leave it at that; you also need a well-designed and user-friendly website so customers can find their desired future home quickly and efficiently.

Additionally, websites are able to do the work when humans are not. Unlike landlords, property managers, and real estate agents, websites don’t have office hours. A prospective renter or homeowner could visit your website at any time, of any day, of any week. Let’s not forget, websites allow you the chance to brand your company as well as your properties. First impressions can be tough, but when it comes to having a well-developed website, the first impression of your property will always be a positive one. 

Don’t forget, your website is a way for you to not only showcase your real estate properties but also your organization. Include a section that can showcase all of your accomplishments, and show why you and your properties should be chosen over the competition. Any awards, client testimonials, and other ways to (tastefully) brag on your success is a great way to subtly set you aside from the crowd.

Why is optimized web design important during website development?

Nearly 80% of prospective renters will sign a lease without ever visiting the property. You read that right – without visiting the property. What makes them so sure about making such a commitment? Having all of the information they need right at their fingertips. High resolution photos, videos, and offering virtual tours are more often than not the deciding factors for prospective renters when it comes to committing to a lease. None of this could be done, however, without an optimized website design.

When we talk about optimized site design, we’re referring to the design process that is used during development which allows the site access to prime optimization for search engines such as Google and Bing. It also covers the on-page SEO best practices designers and developers must follow when building websites.

Think about it: how can you expect to generate leads online without a website strong enough to rank on the first page of the SERP (search engine results page)?

Any traffic to your website that is not the result of paid advertising is referred to as organic traffic. These are customers who landed on your site after performing a Google search based on its suggested results. Referencing an article from Smart Insights, the top ranked search result receives nearly 40% of all organic traffic clicks, followed by the second result at only 18.4% – less than half of what the first listed website receives. The third search result? Only 10% of clicks.

Ask yourself: when you’re conducting your own Google search, where do you start?

Because there are an astronomical amount of real estate websites out there to choose from, the challenge for many website owners and developers alike is finding a balance between user-friendly and SEO-friendly websites. Many organizations have independent teams for web development and digital marketing, which – while often formed with good intentions – can sometimes further complicate matters if not handled properly.

While the goal of the digital marketing team is to ensure the site has enough content for Google to rank it effectively for user search queries, the development team focuses on keeping the visual and user aspects of the site as simple as can be. Collaboration is only possible in companies that know the importance of digital marketing even before the site is designed. At companies like Threshold, the marketing team and the development team work hand in hand to give valid inputs to be considered at the time of creation.

How does Threshold Agency develop well-optimized websites? 

If someone is searching for a specific floor plan in your area, how can you ensure that your listing will populate first in the Google search results? There are a few ways we can help with that. At Threshold, we know high-intent organic traffic is more valuable than any other traffic form, which is why we develop highly optimized websites to increase search engine rankings leading to more high-quality leads.

During the discovery phase, the marketing and creative teams ensure that we are creating websites that work well and are easy for visitors to navigate so they can find the information they’re looking for.

The designers will then take that information and design the website based on the ideas evolved from the discovery phase. Included in this second phase, a writer from our creative team will develop the website copy, which focuses on the target audience and a high-intent, high-quality organic keyword strategy.

Once completed with the second phase of development, the designers pass on their design to the developers. In this stage, the developers ensure everything the designers envisioned is working effectively with the site’s optimization so as not to cross the search engine boundaries.

To give you more of a focus, here are a few areas that our developers make sure to optimize during the early stages of development that impact the final rankings of a website in a search engine.

Website Speed

One of the most critical factors of Google page ranking is website speed, simply due to the fact that no one likes a website that takes an extended period of time to load. Anything past a couple of seconds and most users will bounce to a new site. To help decrease load time, our developers optimize the file sizes (images, videos, scripts), only use trusted plugins, and use an advanced caching system from the host site.

Mobile Responsive Design

Based on an article from CNBC, in the next three years, 3/4 of the world will use mobile devices to access the internet. A responsive website ensures your target audience has a seamless experience whether they are browsing your site from a computer or mobile device. This also helps to boost your search engine ranking, seeing as Google promotes mobile-friendly websites above those that are only desktop friendly. With 3/4 of the world moving to only using mobile devices, can you blame them?

As the website is created, run data scans and collect metrics through each phase of the development process. This allows for any changes to the website’s design or coding to remain monitored.

Sitemaps

Even though search engine bots are brilliant, it’s a good idea for us to point them in the right direction, and we do this through sitemaps. Sitemaps include all of the indexable web pages and links on a website. If we have a sitemap declared in the robots.txt, the search engine bots will first crawl through those pages. Simply said, if search engines are not finding your pages, this means means that organic traffic won’t find your pages. And as we said earlier, organic traffic is the most important traffic you want reaching your website.

Accessibility

While getting customers to the website is the main focus of an optimized site, many forget that the website needs to be accessible by everyone. At Threshold, we use Google Tools and User Way to ensure the website meets all the accessibility standards. This means your site is easily ready and accessible for people with physical and situational disabilities, as well as socioeconomic restrictions on bandwidth and website speed.

Indexable Content

Nowadays, in the web industry, we say content is king. Search engines use more AI technologies to crawl through the entire content of websites. If it can’t be crawled, it is not an SEO-friendly site. It means the likelihood of that page appearing in the search engine results is very low. At Threshold, creative writers write content for the targeted audience, and developers use the WordPress editor to apply the content where the content is in HTML and is easily indexable by search engines like Google.

The key to creating a well-optimized site is to bridge the gap between web development and search engine optimization. The collaboration between various teams from the start ensures that your website is fully optimized for SEO and usability. Providing value for customers is the key to impressing search engines. Where there is high-quality content, strong on-page SEO and excellent user experience, you will improve your presence on the internet and increase qualified leads.

In Conclusion

As the need for strong digital marketing in real estate increases seemingly by the day, so does the need for having a well-developed website. Today, real estate website optimization is so much more than metrics on a chart, it translates directly into potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of new leads.

So, ask yourself: are you confident in your real estate website?

How To Overcome Creative Blocks in Your Marketing Plan

How To Overcome Creative Blocks in Your Marketing Plan

Mike Krankota, authorWritten by Mike Krankota, Art Director

We’ve all been there: You have this magnificent idea, but you can’t get it out of your head and onto paper. Or perhaps you have grand hopes for a goal but are having trouble plotting out the concrete path to get there. Whether your project is visual, conceptual, or written, we all struggle with this process from time to time.

For clients working with agency partners, this creative block often manifests itself through statements like, “I’m not sure what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it,” a strategy that often leads to extensive trial and error that introduces added frustration for all involved. On the agency side, it can manifest in the form of hours spent staring at a screen until the imposter syndrome fully takes over and every idea feels equally terrible. In other words, creative blocks are no fun for anyone and often contribute to outcomes no one is satisfied with. So how do we combat them and break on through to the other side?

As an Art Director with many years of experience, I’d love to walk you through my process for dealing with creative blocks on the path to better real estate marketing (using a bit of good humor along the way).

Write Your Way Out of the Problem

The best advice I have ever received in my career—and one I pass on to my team—is that sometimes the messaging should steer the design and not the other way around. If you’re feeling like the idea isn’t quite there, often a great copywriter can pull it out of the trash with a magnificent tagline or bite-sized messaging idea that gets things going. Don’t be afraid to reach out for written inspiration to help get the gears moving again on your project. In lieu of external copywriting help, creating a word cloud of simple bulleted list of the big ideas you want to convey can also be a great place to start. You can also reach out to Threshold for help with your creative process! Our writers specialize in writing their way out of the problem and helping inspire messaging-driven content.

brand guidelines document for real estate brand

Walk Away For a Minute

A wonderful mentor advised me once to sometimes go walk a dog. Take care of your plants. If you must, mess about on social media or something. Just take that little break. Keep the thing in the back of your mind, let the ideas happen organically, and just see what comes up. It can be easier said than done (there is a certain inertia to overcome before getting away from your desk), but brains are excellent at working through challenges in the background and sometimes that’s the best path forward.

Personally, I rely on my garden and dogs for help with this. I didn’t acquire these things specifically for this purpose but they certainly don’t hurt. For others on the creative team, it might be pestering a cat, taking the trash out to the dumpster, or doing a crossword. Whatever your strategy, walking away from the desk is a fantastic way to consider, find, and explore new ideas.

Flip It Upside Down

So you’re looking at a possible idea. Say it’s a name. A logo. A website. But something isn’t quite right. What if you flip it all the way over to find new ideas? What is the opposite? And when you consider it, does it resonate? Is there a place to find a new perspective from flipping the idea and seeing the other side of it? Why or why not?

Often, our internal creative discussions start with “what if…” and that is why we succeed. Asking that question always leads to big ideas.

pencils on colored backgrounds representing inverses

Sleep On It

This tactic is like “Walk Away For A Minute” taken up a notch. It works best when you’re partway through your creative process or have reached the end of a certain stage and can’t decide how to proceed to the next. In these cases, sometimes, the answer is to just muse for a moment. Again, your brain is great at working through things in the background, so sleeping on it (literally or figuratively) can really help you wrap your mind around a complex project or elusive strategy.

For example, at Threshold, we always encourage clients to give immediate ‘gut reaction’ feedback but also to think about it for a few days and offer additional thoughts after they’ve had time to sit with it. Sometimes, the presentation is what draws you. Or a color. Or a feeling. But ultimately, you need to make sure this is the right call for you and your company/property/startup/etc. and giving it some time can sometimes be the best way to get there.

That said, make sure the time you take is intentional and structure. Give yourself a deadline and think about the questions you need to answer in order to proceed. If you wake up the next morning and still like everything you saw, consider why. What appealed? Why did it resonate? How can we turn this into something that sells?

At Threshold, we are experts in this process, so we try to guide feedback based on our levels of experience. It’s a fun process, especially when timelines allow the opportunity to involve multiple stakeholders in the creative process to ensure the end result is something everyone feels invested in.

Phone a Friend

Sometimes, a single creative can do this. Often, it’s a group effort. “Hey, I have this idea, any thoughts,” is all it takes. Creative teams are naturally collaborative. We are stronger than each individual part, and the sum of a true team is far greater than you can imagine.

This is a strategy we use constantly as an agency team, but it applies to client teams too. If you can’t come to a consensus among those you collaborate with, it’s often wise to ask someone who understands the larger goals of the project. Their feedback, whether positive, negative, or neutral can help push past the half-baked concept and illuminate actionable steps toward a more perfect execution.

Threshold has a collaborative environment that demands that the best idea wins, regardless of who came up with it. At the same time, we pride ourselves on being a client partner who can work with everyone to make sure it’s a win all around. After all, if you can’t successfully champion the ‘why’ behind a particular strategy, there’s likely a better idea out there and working together is the best way to find it.

creative marketers providing design feedback

In Conclusion

Creative blocks and “I’ll know it when I see it” attitudes are a pain for both agency creatives and client-side stakeholders. But a holistic thought process and a willingness to collaborate can turn something that seems impossible into some of the biggest wins of your real estate marketing plan.

submark tag
submark icon