Category: HTML

Take Your Advertising Campaigns to the Next Level with Our HTML5 Banners

Our HTML 5 Banners

Advertising has always had a huge significance for businesses of all kinds. In the tough and highly competitive world of commerce today, though, it has acquired even greater importance than ever. 

Nowadays, all companies realize the value that online advertising can bring them. The leading position among online promotion methods is rightly occupied by the HTML5 banner ads.

HTML5 banners are highly engaging, visually attractive, and efficient means of conveying business messages and acquiring leads.

We at the Site Slinger saw the value of HTML5 banners right from the start. Now, after many years and thousands of successfully completed projects, we proudly hold the status of a leading provider of this type of display ads. Want to know exactly what we can offer you? Read on.

WHY HTML5? 

First, a few words about the technology itself. This is what makes HTML5 so desirable for making banners:

HTML5 Benefits

  • HTML5 banners will look perfect, regardless of the screen resolution of the device where they’re displayed. The Site Slinger builds completely responsive banner ads. 
  • A number of major advertising networks (e.g., Google Ads) accept ads built by using HTML5 and nothing else (e.g., Flash). 
  • HTML5 banners can have moving design elements. 
  • No add-ons are necessary. The target audience will see your message without fail. This is not always possible with Flash if a user has disabled it in their browser or simply forgot to update it. 
  • HTML5 banners weigh much less than ads built with the use of other technologies such as animated gifs. This significantly increases the page loading speed, contributing to better user experience and higher click-through rates.

These and other advantages of the HTML5 technology convinced our banner development professionals to make it our principal tool of the trade, and we’ve never regretted our choice. We’ve already built thousands of beautiful-looking, high-quality HTML5 banners of the following types. Take your pick!

Interactive

Interactive Banner One

As the name suggests, visitors can interact with this type of banner. For instance, they can see more information about the advertised products by using a slider right inside an ad or play a simple game without leaving an ad. 

In the end, a prospect or customer is taken to a landing page where they can view the corresponding offer in detail. That contributes to better brand recognition, plus a higher conversion and increased click-through rates. 

It’s true that interactive banners are the most expensive type of HTML5 ads we build: $124 for one. That’s because they require more effort and time it takes us to make one such banner. That said, interactive banners can hit the target three times more often than other types of ads on average. 

Simple Animated and Complex Animated 

Simple animated

Complex Animated Banner

While just a bit less engaging than interactive ads, these types of HTML5 banners are still very powerful tools in any digital advertiser’s arsenal. 

They represent design elements that move, hiding other design elements that appeared before them or taking their positions inside other elements at certain time intervals. Thanks to this effect, you have an opportunity to provide more information about your business propositions within the same square or rectangular area. 

Images or other design components can move once only in accordance with a specific animation effect (e.g., slowly appear on the background or float from one side of the ad to another) or do that a specified number of times. In addition, some elements can remain stationary while others are moving. The final price depends on how elaborate and effect-rich the ad is. 

Even though one complex animated banner costs $86, this is not expensive, considering what benefits these display ads can bring you (higher click-through rates and better engagement). 

Static 

Static Banner

Owing to relative simplicity, one such ad is way less expensive than its more exquisite “relatives.” Our price is $22 a piece. 

There are other positive aspects:

  •  Static ads are not annoying, taking up their portion of a page without “dancing” before a user’s eyes.
  • You can still send your message to the world loud and clear.
  • Static ads are always in sight. That contributes to better brand awareness.

The types of HTML5 banners we build

WE CAN HANDLE ANY OF YOUR REQUESTS  

We know that you may require something unique, something to produce the wow effect among your target audience. This is why our HTML5 banner ad service is not limited by the banner varieties we’ve described above. Just tell us what you need. We’ll implement any feature not included in our list. 

Have no design yet? No problem. We take care of the full development cycle, starting from the initial design and ending with the final delivery, and all this within one business day on average. We can also integrate a video file into your banner if necessary. 

In addition, we’ll make sure that your HTML5 banners seamlessly integrate with any advertising network, including IAB, Display & Video 360, Celtra, Google Ads, SIzmek, and others. 

So select a standard HTML5 banner or give us your own ideas. The Site Slinger is always here for you!

7 Tips on Creating an HTML5 Banner Ad None of Your Prospects Will Miss

 

Tips on creating effective HTML 5 banners

No business can survive without advertising, obviously. Banner ads are among the most effective means of attracting new customers on the Internet. Just open any serious website and you’re bound to see enticing banners for products or services on almost every page. 

Banner advertising pursues several goals:

  • drive more traffic to a website 
  • make a product or service more popular and recognizable 
  • create a positive brand image

Banner ads have another important benefit. If a visitor clicks on an ad and lands on the advertiser’s website, it means that they’re truly interested in the offer. Thus, their status is close to that of a prospective customer.

To judge how effective banner advertising is, the Click-Through Rate (CTR) indicator has been introduced. It measures how many people have clicked on a banner per one thousand times it has been viewed. For instance, 20 clicks/1,000 views = CTR of 2 percent.

How can you achieve a higher CTR? By choosing the right type of banner for your specific case and applying certain time-tested techniques. We’ve collected 7 best tips to help you boost the CTR for your banner ads. Follow these guidelines and you should soon notice a steady increase in your website traffic.

  1. Choose the Right Technology

It’s simple: HTML5 is the King of Kings when it comes to building banner ads. HTML5 has outperformed the previous leader in this field ― Flash ― by the widest of margins:

HTML 5 benefits

The latest version of the markup language is particularly valuable for building responsive websites that perfectly render on mobile devices. Result: a much wider audience coverage. 

In addition, you can edit your HTML5 banner ad as if it were an ordinary web page. Changing the text, videos, or images inside your banner is a breeze (if you know how). Flash-based banners are much harder to modify. 

  1. Pick the Optimal Banner Size 

Mark Twain famously said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” When talking about banner ads, though, “the size of the dog” matters no less than its fighting spirit. 

Visit the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) website. There, you can find the main requirements for banner sizes that various advertising networks have put in place. The list contains 15 different formats. Which is yours? 

Your ad design and business goals determine the answer. Vertical or horizontal―it’s all case-specific. Still, AdSense has found these five formats to be undisputed leaders in terms of performance:

The leading banner sizes

Play around with them before you look to the underdogs. You may also be interested to know that wider banners have shown better click-through rates than narrow ones. Why? 

As is often the case, it all boils down to UX. Most people feel more comfortable reading longer lines from left to right. A thin banner, by contrast, mostly contains one or two-word lines. That makes the reader’s eyes jump from line to line far too often.

  1. Put Your Brand Above All 

When you start designing a banner ad, the first thing to keep in mind is your brand. People should know what company is advertising the goods or services. Otherwise, they may not even consider pointing the mouse cursor at your banner.

You can establish a connection between your company and the ad in two main ways: 

  • By displaying your logo or brand name within the banner. The most typical location for a brand logo is the uppermost or lowermost portion of an ad. However, you can be more creative in this respect. No logo available? Place your brand name somewhere on the ad at least. Whichever option you select, website visitors will be aware of your business even if they don’t click on the banner in the end.

Put your brand above all

  • By following the pattern common for all your marketing materials. That includes fonts, colors, and visuals. Giving the call-to-action button the same color or style as that of the landing page, for example, will create a permanent link between the banner and your brand in your prospects’ minds. 

  1. Keep Your Text Short

Scroll up to the list of the most popular banner ad sizes. None of them is too big, right? It means that you have to be very resourceful if you want to get your message across within such a limited space. Pin down the most essential details about your offering. A few lines too many and your beautifully designed banner will send any potential customers running away. 

Ask someone to read your ad. If they can’t fully understand the message after two seconds, cut your text down. Make sure you keep your ad to 10 words in length or less.

Keep the text of your banner short

  1. Create a Hierarchy for Your Information

You should structure all your messages on the more important-less important principle. The larger or bolded words will let the viewers understand that they’re central to the ad. Smaller, unbolded letters will indicate that it’s something extra, secondary to the key message.

Create a hierarchy for your infromation

Also, make sure you use mobile-friendly fonts and colors: 

  • The black-white combination works perfectly well in the majority of cases. 
  • Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, Avant Garde, Franklin Gothic, or other sans-serif fonts make your ads easier to read than serif fonts. 
  • Avoid extremes: a text that’s too big or too small (10 points or less). Strive for the golden mean. 

  1. Draw a Border Around Your Ad

In certain cases, it’s hard to tell where the main website content ends and a banner begins. 

If the website visitors can’t find your banner at once, they’re less likely to click on it, you bet. A fix? 

  • Give your ad a border 
  • Pick a background for your ad that differs from the rest of the page. 

That will make your ad stand out from the other content. Any visitor will immediately notice it. The better people see your ad, the more likely they’re to click on it.

Make you HTML 5 banner ad different from the surrounding content

  1. Entice Them 

Finally, remember that you should give your prospective or current customers something that will really draw them in. When they see the words “free trial,” they’re more likely to click on your banner. You can also write something like “Only in May” or “Just Now!” That will create a sense of urgency. 

Another way to get people to click on your banner is to come up with a good call-to-action (CTA). Experiment with different CTAs by running A/B tests. Choose a CTA that’s more specific than the ubiquitous “Click here.” Consider what it is you’re offering and try to use a “buzz” phrase. For example, you may write, “Buy the full solution for just…” or “Get certified in 2 weeks.”

Entice_Your_Users

Conclusion 

Creating an effective banner ad is a science and an art. Try following the tips we’ve given above, and your next banner should bring you more new customers.  

If you need someone to take care of the technical aspect of your banner creation, the Site Slinger professionals are here to help. We can build several types of HTML5 banners: static, simple animated, complex animated, and interactive. Just give us your design and get back a perfect HTML5 banner tested on a variety of real devices and in the most popular web browsers.

We can also design your banner from scratch. Just provide us with the details of your offering and give us your ideas of how the banner should look like. You’ll be pleased with the outcome, we promise!

5 Hottest Web Development Trends in 2019

The hottest web development trends in 2019

We’re well into 2019 now, and the web development world is in many ways different from the 2018 edition. While all of the front-end technologies and practices that piqued people’s excitement in the last twelve months or so are still here, new trends are gradually cropping up. 

The key principle that all web developers, including the Site Slinger experts, strive to follow, though, remains unchanged. It’s the need to engage users and personalize their digital experience. We’ve prepared a rundown of the most notable web development trends in 2019 that focus on these goals exactly.

Progressive Web Apps Versus Responsive Websites: Meet the Winner

Progressive Web Apps

First, there were static websites with just HTML and not much else. Then came CSS, Javascript, and other technologies that made websites more dynamic and responsive. These days, however, responsiveness has transformed into a much broader notion.

Just a responsive website is no longer enough to meet the users’ growing demands in 2019. On certain devices, it may not look as attractive as you might expect. That limitation gave rise to an alternative solution: Progressive Web Apps (PWA).

A PWA is a website that perfectly adapts to the specifics of the device where it gets displayed: screen resolution and size, browser, and hardware features. As a result, it’s almost impossible to notice any differences between a PWA and a native app.

Here are the key benefits that PWAs give web developers and users: 

  • Since they can access the device’s hardware, you can use PWAs offline. 
  • They’re fast, even on outdated or poor-quality devices with a weak signal. 
  • They’re a step up in security compared with responsive websites 
  • They are cost-effective and less time-consuming to create. 

Your main takeaway? Lower bounce and higher conversion rates. 

“How may I help  you?” — AI and Chatbots

Artificial Intelligence

According to a recent report from Gartner, 37% of organizations have implemented Artificial Intelligence in various forms, and this trend is going to continue in the foreseeable future.

Almost every business website uses a live chat as a permanent point of connection with consumers. Now, this feature has become more sophisticated. No more need to hire a human support agent waiting for a customer to text a question at 3 a.m. 

Just get a chatbot made and keep it running day and night. Thanks to the breakthrough in Natural Language Processing, chatbots no longer resemble mechanically speaking toys. They’re now able to answer typical questions from the Q&A page in a much more meaningful way and even solve simple issues that users may encounter. 

So, expect chatbot development to remain in high demand in 2019 and years to come.

Push Notifications: Everywhere, Anywhere 

Email newsletters are still a popular way to inform consumers of new services or update them on company news. However, they are slowly but steadily being replaced by push notifications. 

In the past, these unobtrusive messages used to be limited to mobile devices. In 2019, an increasing number of website owners regard push notifications as a more valuable tool to stay in touch with their users. 

Which is better: the inbox drowned in hundreds of newsletters or a tiny notification icon on the toolbar? We would choose the latter. You can add the push notification feature to a website by subscribing to a service like PushWoosh. WordPress website owners can also take advantage of various dedicated plugins like PushEngage. 

The Site Slinger has implemented thousands of WordPress projects over the years. We are providers of all the services related to this most popular CMS in the world, including theming, customizing existing or building custom plugins from scratch.

No More Coding! Use Blocks

Blocks

New versions of content management systems provide more powerful features to their users than ever before. Know nothing about CSS rules or HTML tags? It’s OK. You can still put together a sleek web page just like a professional web designer does (well, almost). 

Simply take ready-made blocks or modules and mix them together. The website module building is only expected to grow in popularity in 2019 and beyond. That’s particularly true for WordPress users, who can use Gutenberg to “make adding rich content to WordPress simple and enjoyable.” 

Smooth Website Navigation: Motion UI

Websites with visually appealing and simple navigation elements are likely to hold users’ attention for a longer span. When they know where to go and find surfing a website enjoyable, they will keep returning to it. 

Creating smooth and straightforward navigation by using CSS animations/transitions is a trend that shows no signs of stopping in 2019. Motion UI is one of the best web development libraries for that purpose, flexible and customizable.

The Site Slinger web developers are skilled in creating dynamic and modern-looking interfaces by using a range of cutting-edge tools and libraries. 

Concluding Thoughts 

There’s no doubt: the web development industry is going to keep on flourishing. Websites and web apps are going to be faster, more secure, interactive, and AI-wise. Whatever modern technologies you select for your website, the top-of-the-line developers from The Site Slinger are always at your service.

Top 10 Free HTML Templates with PSD Included

When it comes to building a website from scratch, many bloggers prefer ready-made HTML templates. Why? It’s simple, just fill in the blanks with your content, and your site is actually ready to go.

When it comes to building a website from scratch, many bloggers prefer ready-made HTML templates. Why? First, it’s simple. Just fill in the blanks with your content, and your site is actually ready to go. Next, high-quality HTML templates are compatible with all the modern browsers.

free-html-templates

Here, I’ve hand-picked some of the finest site templates you can find. All of them are absolutely free. Most of them are responsive, easy-to-navigate and integrated with social networks. Furthermore, each one includes source PSDs so you can make some design tweaks if you want to. Read on for more details about each template and remember to back up your site before installing the template, after you choose the one you like best. This is only a just-in-case measure.

Free HTML5 One Page Template

1

Demo | Download
The first free HTML5 template on our list is meant to create a professional CV for programmers, designers, and photographers. Designed in the infographic style, the layout contains sections revealing candidate’s skills, experience, portfolio, testimonials, and location in a built-in map. In such a way, you will get an online résumé that speaks to the point and shows your candidature to the best advantage. It’s a single-page template, so all the information is available within one-click reach. You can also complement your CV details with appealing images. To add them, the template uses the following jQuery scripts: Camera Slider, TouchTouch Gallery, and JQuery Isotop.

* * *

Free Responsive Design Agency Template

2

Demo | Download
This HTML template is developed specifically for a design agency, but it can also be easily adapted for any other company. Featuring the latest web design trends, this well-structured theme boasts a large hero area, ghost buttons, refined fonts, social media icons, and built-in map. A parallax effect will help you represent your company in a more dynamic way. In addition to its visual aesthetics, visitors will find it easy to browse through your website thanks to a dropdown menu fixed in the header and a convenient back-to-top button. Moreover, this responsive template will give you an opportunity to target people using mobile devices to browse the web.

* * *

Free Responsive Corporate Template

3

Demo | Download
Here is an ultramodern corporate website template that will help you expand the reach of your business at no cost. Clean and simple in its nature, the theme’s layout is flavored with such visual accents as hero images, large readable titles, ghost buttons, and a slight 3D effect set by a parallax scrolling technique. The theme feels formal and somewhat lively at the same time. Thanks to its fully responsive layout, your site will be accessible to any customer, should it be a user of a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

* * *

Free HTML5 Template for Dance Studio

4

Demo | Download
This free HTML5 template is a perfect option for various organizations, particularly dance and music recording studios, sport clubs, cultural centers, etc. Its content organization is based on a comprehensive presentation of different kinds of information, e.g. the studio history, staff and classes, to name a few. The content is embellished with effective visual knacks such as streamlined fonts, purple UI elements, and cool images incorporated into the layout with a Camera Slider and TouchTouch Gallery. In general, this uncluttered theme presents a balance of elegance and simplicity.

* * *

Free Responsive HTML5 Theme for Photo Site

5

Demo | Download
Consider this magnetic HTML5 theme to create a striking photography portfolio. Its design represents the golden mean between reserved and relaxed styles, which makes it a versatile solution for any creative professional. A dark palette, ghost buttons, large background image with a blurred effect add a chic touch to the template. Valid coding of this vibrant theme will ensure faster performance of your site and its easier customization according to your preferences.

* * *

Free HTML5 Theme for Religious Site

6

Demo | Download
If you run a religious website, this is a perfect HTML5 theme for you. Gentle shades of purple and red set a soothing tone in the overall design and add a sense of spirituality to it. Purple also visually separates content blocks, making it easy to perceive different information that is wisely arranged across the template’s layout. Scrolling through it, visitors will learn about the mission of your organization, upcoming events and other details. The theme is very easy to navigate with its thought-out structure, fixed menu bar, and back-to-top buttons.

* * *

Free HTML5 Theme for Marketing Agency

7

Demo | Download
The following HTML theme is designed for companies involved in marketing, finance, insurance, consultancy, or almost anything that crosses your mind. The strong focus on content and orientation towards users are two fundamental principles that the developers of this theme followed when working on its design. Eventually, they came up with a clean, mobile-friendly layout balanced with vibrant graphic elements and supplied with handy features.

* * *

Free HTML5 Theme for Architecture Bureau

8

Demo | Download
If you are eager to refresh an architecture-related website, check out this free HTML5 template. It is clean, minimalistic and has an intuitive navigation. To showcase your projects in close-up, you can take advantage of Carousel & Owl sliders. Due to the responsive nature of the template, its well-defined layout can be scaled to parameters of various devices, from ultra-high resolution displays to smaller smartphone screens.

* * *

Free HTML5 Theme for Entertainment Site

9

Demo | Download
This is a festive, entertainment-related HTML5 template. It has lively visuals and some nice hover effects. It can help you showcase your party planning ideas, recent events, and even testimonials, which will let you seem more persuasive to potential customers. Responsive design of this theme will provide impeccable viewing experience for people visiting your site via mobile devices and desktop computers.

* * *

Free HTML5 Theme for Cleaning Company

10

Demo | Download
This HTML5 template is designed for a maintenance service, e.g. cleaning, laundry, home repairs, etc. This tastefully simple theme is also enhanced with images in a slider at the top and carousel gallery at the bottom. With neat social icons, you can unobtrusively inspire the audience to subscribe to your profiles on Facebook, Twitter and other networks. What’s more, this well-coded theme will enable you to build a future-proof site that will be easy to maintain and fine-tune to your business needs.

* * *

As you can see, all of these free HTML templates are pretty sweet and have some handy features. For more freebies and inspiration, visit the Template Monster. These guys have decent templates powered by various engines (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, OpenCart, etc.) and their themes can be a nice fit for a wide range of business niches (art, cars, fashion, education, religion, real estate, technology, etc.). See for yourself!

AUTHOR’S BIO: Nick Campbell, the author of this article, is fond of writing posts on various subjects, particularly web design, e-commerce, social media, marketing, business, and education. He has been involved in the content creation sphere for more than two years. Nick is primarily focused on covering modern trends of a certain industry to help his readers keep abreast of the latest news. If you don’t want to miss any brand new achievements in the mentioned topics, follow Nick Campbell on !

Christmas is coming! Download a Free Holiday Email Template! (PSD + HTML)

In the spirit of the holidays we’re giving our customers and blog readers a free holiday email template. It’s a responsive email template in a fully editable PSD format, with the full HTML markup included, hand-coded by our own Site Slinger team. It’s available for free download for your personal or commercial use. Edit away and have your mobile-optimized email template ready to go for your next email campaign.

Download a Free PSD + HTML Responsive Email Template!

In the spirit of the holidays we’re giving our customers and blog readers a free holiday email template. It’s a responsive email template in a fully editable PSD format, with the full HTML markup included, hand-coded by our own Site Slinger team. It’s available for free download for your personal or commercial use. Edit away and have your mobile-optimized email template ready to go for your next email campaign.

Great for advertising your holiday news or sales!

As the winter holidays are already upon us, you’re probably gearing up for those Christmas sales and other holiday events. Whether you are in marketing, event planning, or just need to send out a mobile-optimized email to your mailing list, we’ve got you covered with this free responsive email template. We’ve designed a great looking email ready for viewing on all major devices and email clients, including iOS, Outlook, and Gmail.

Mobile-optimized.

This email template was designed and hand-coded by experts to ensure a great mobile experience, along with full desktop viewing. Now days, more than half of emails are opened on mobile devices! It’s imperative your email reaches your audience when it’s convenient for them to view and act on it… without compromising the desktop aesthetics. We’ve put great effort into ensuring the email elements are mobile-optimized and appropriate for this holiday season.

We hope you’ll enjoy editing and using this free responsive email template, shared as a fully editable PSD and provided with hand-coded HTML – by our web development experts. If you need other PSD email designs converted to code, we can help! We’re experts at PSD to HTML, whether for emails or websites! Get your free holiday email template today!

Download

What’s Included:

  • Fully editable Photoshop file (PSD)
  • Hand-coded HTML template
  • High resolution image comp (JPG)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Preview

free-holiday-email-template-image

Download Yours Now: Free Email Template! (PSD + HTML)

It’s Valentine’s Day and because we [HEART] our customers and blog readers we’re giving away a free email template in a fully editable PSD format, available for download for your personal or commercial use. Edit away and have your mobile-optimized template coded and ready for your next email campaign. Perfect for advertising your next event!

Download a Free PSD Email Template!

It’s Valentine’s Day and because we [HEART] our customers and blog readers we’re giving away a free email template in a fully editable PSD format, available for download for your personal or commercial use. Edit away and have your mobile-optimized template coded and ready to go for your next email campaign.

Perfect for advertising your next event.

SXSW 2014, anyone? Whether you are in marketing, event planning, or just need to send out a modern email to your mailing list, we’ve got you covered with this free email template – created for marketing and promoting events. We’ve designed a great looking email ready for viewing on all major devices and email clients, whether iOS, Outlook, or Gmail.

Mobile-optimized.

This email template was designed with mobile in mind. As of now, more than half of emails are opened on mobile devices! It’s imperative your email reaches your audience when it’s convenient for them to view and act on it… without compromising the desktop aesthetics. We’ve put great effort into ensuring the CTA button is thumb-clickable, the text is legible, and the imagery makes an impact, all within a minimalist and modern layout.

We hope you’ll enjoy editing and using this freebie email template, shared as a fully editable PSD and provided with example markup – we’ve included the HTML for a variation of this template so you can see how this might translate to code. If you need your completed PSD email design converted to code, we can help!

Download

What’s Included:

  • Fully editable Photoshop file (PSD)
  • Example HTML markup of a variation we made
  • Image comp (JPG)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Preview

Free Email Template Preview

Placeholder image used in design is shared under Creative Commons. Source: Unsplash.

 

Why Responsive Web Design? Here’s 3 Reasons

In today’s digital age, If you want to make sure your business succeeds, you have to make sure that you have an effective online presence. There are lots of ways to engage customers online – including social media and e-mail marketing campaigns – but one of the most important and effective ways to maximize your online business is through a well-designed website – and, more specifically – a responsive one.

In today’s digital age, If you want to make sure your business succeeds, you have to make sure that you have an effective online presence.

There are lots of ways to engage customers online – including social media and e-mail marketing campaigns – but one of the most important and effective ways to maximize your online business is through a well-designed website – and, more specifically – one using responsive Web design.

Responsive Web Design

A website designed responsively is able to detect what screen size is being used to view your site  and adjust itself accordingly so the user has an optimal experience. User experience is the main, and perhaps most obvious, reason behind responsive design.

A responsive site functions at its best possible level, no matter what device the user is viewing it on, and it guarantees the smoothest, most cohesive experience for a user. This encourages people to have a pleasant experience while checking out your service or product – leading to a greater chance at conversion.

UX and “wow” factor aside, there are some great behind-the-scenes reasons to implement responsive design on your website. Need more proof? Keep reading.

Reasons You Should Use Responsive Web Design

1. SEO

One of the best ways to attract new customers online is by appearing in search engine results – and to make sure you do that, you need to make sure you have a high SEO ranking. SEO rankings control how high you show up in search engine results, and they are essentially a measure of a website’s popularity and quality.

One factor that influences your SEO is by the number of clicks it gets, and if you have to design multiple versions of your website – for mobile and non-mobile devices – then your clicks will be split across multiple links. Also, responsive design helps boost SEO because your content isn’t duplicated across multiple sites on the web – which is another factor that can decrease your SEO ranking. If you have a high SEO ranking, you will show up high in search engine results, increasing the chances that you attract new customers online.

2. Time & Money

If you don’t design responsively, you’ll have to design multiple versions of your website, so that it works for customers trying to use your site across a huge range of devices: desktop, tablet and mobile. Developing multiple sites requires multiple updates every time you update your site, which means your developer will have to take more time and energy updating your site.

With a responsive site, you only have to make one update, and all versions of your site will appear with that update. Paying a developer to update multiple versions of a site inherently takes more time and in turn will cost you more money in the long run. A responsive design is more cost-effective and, calculating cost over time, a responsive site is much more financially and resource-efficient.

3. Tracking

If you have multiple versions of your website for mobile and non-mobile devices, it is hard to track the number and type of visitors you are getting accurately. Keeping track of site statistics is important for an online company in order to  tailor your business to the people who are actually interested in it – because they are often not the people you were originally targeting or expected to attract. Am I right?

Site statistics can both allow you to see where people are using your site and at what time, which will allow you hone it to suit who is actually using it – and convert potential customers to paying customers. Having a responsive site makes tracking easy, since your traffic will be coming through one site version and not split across multiple – so you won’t have to do the work required to piece together statistics from different sites.

A Necessity, Not a Trend

Responsive design is the forerunner in web design strategies today – and if you want your business to succeed online, it’s important to realize that responsive Web design is more than just a bandwagon. You’ll save yourself time, money, and headaches by choosing to have your site designed and coded responsively. There are multiple approaches – you can do this with or without a framework.  Just ask us for more info!

What is a PSD? The First Step to Web Design

As the top service for PSD to HTML on the Web, we throw around the term ‘PSD’ quite a bit. We’ve answered the question ‘What is PSD to HTML?‘ and provided a list of definitions of common web development terms, but now we break it down even further.

As the top service for PSD to HTML on the Web, we throw around the term ‘PSD’ quite a bit. We’ve answered the question ‘What is PSD to HTML?‘ and provided a list of definitions of common web development terms, but now we break it down even further.

What is a PSD?

Simply put, a PSD is a Photoshop design file. Technically, it stands for Photoshop Document, which is a proprietary file type from Adobe. Adobe’s Photoshop is the software most widely used for web design and works best for the design-to-code process.

PSD files are typically opened and edited with Adobe Photoshop, but can be opened with Adobe Photoshop Elements, and even certain non-Adobe products such as Corel’s PaintShop Pro and GIMP. However, programs other than Photoshop will not be able to fully edit or even read the complex layers utilized in many PSD files. Other advanced features within a PSD design may not be properly recognized, either. We highly recommend working with Photoshop from the beginning to ensure it will be universally accessible by designers and developers who may be involved with your project.

If you’re interested in a free program to simply view PSD files as flat images (no layers), Apple’s QuickTime, which includes Picture Viewer, will do the trick, but you can’t use the program to edit a PSD file. It is purely for viewing PSD files as images.

How Can I Create a Website with a PSD?

PSD files can be “sliced” and turned into HTML code by a proficient web developer. PSD to HTML services, such as The Site Slinger, specialize in just this. We take the PSD files and hand back HTML/CSS markup that’s ready for implementation as a live site.

Sometimes other file types are used by designers. While we may be able to work with PNG, IDD, or AI file types, we highly recommend PSD files. Working form other file types can require the added step of converting designs to a PSD file.

A “good” PSD is layered, and well organized using folders and layer comps to show different pages and states. Be sure to design all animation states, and button states (click, hover, off). Read more of our web design tips and check out the other resources below. In the end, we take your design and turn it into code, producing a website that matches your design pixel-perfect.

PSD File Structure

Technical Stuff

The PSD file type supports all image modes (Bitmap, Grayscale, Duotone, Indexed Color, RGB, CMYK, Lab, and Multichannel), which is part of the reason it is so widely used. It also supports clipping paths, channels, transparency information, and multi-level layers while other formats merely present ‘flat’ images.

The PSD file type preserves a design as layered images which is extremely useful for future editing (and re-editing) of different parts of a design. Each layer can be worked on individually, without affecting the rest of the elements in a design. You can also use a feature called ‘layer comps‘ to present variations of the same design. Photoshop can convert PSD files to other formats, such as PNG, JPG etc… so you can export a design for a wide variety of uses, like web graphics.

It’s also interesting to note that Photoshop files sometimes have the extension .PSB, which stands for “Photoshop Big”. According to Adobe, “The Large Document Format (PSB) supports documents up to 300,000 pixels in any dimension. All Photoshop features, such as layers, effects, and filters, are supported. You can save high dynamic range, 32‑bits-per-channel images as PSB files. Currently, if you save a document in PSB format, it can be opened only in Photoshop CS or later.”

You can read tons more about Adobe Photoshop File Formats Specification, if you want to delve further into the technical aspects of the PSD file type.

And here are some helpful tips and tricks on how to slice a PSD file efficiently if you want to try your hand.

Alternatives to PSD in Website Design

Sketch

Sketch is a vector-based design tool that is gaining popularity among web designers. It is available only on macOS and is designed specifically for web and app design. Sketch offers a range of features that make it easier to make responsive designs and then convert those into pixel-perfect HTML markups.

Pros:

  • Sketch is designed specifically for web and app design, so it offers features that are tailored to these types of projects.
  • Sketch’s vector-based design allows for easy scaling of images without loss of quality.
  • It offers a large library of plugins and add-ons that can streamline the design process.

Cons:

  • Sketch is only available on macOS, which can limit its accessibility to some designers.
  • It does not have the same level of support as Photoshop, so finding resources and tutorials may be more difficult.
  • Sketch has a steeper learning curve than some other design tools, which may make it less suitable for beginners.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a vector-based design tool that is available for both macOS and Windows. It is designed specifically for web and app design and allows designers to create wireframes, prototypes, and finished designs all in the same tool.

Pros:

  • Adobe XD is available on both macOS and Windows, making it more accessible to designers.
  • It allows for easy sharing and collaboration with other designers and developers.
  • Adobe XD’s vector-based design allows for easy scaling of images without loss of quality.

Cons:

  • It has a steeper learning curve than some other design tools, which may make it less suitable for beginners.
  • Some users report performance issues with larger design files.
  • It has fewer features and capabilities than Adobe Photoshop, which may limit its usefulness for some projects.

Figma

Figma is a web-based design tool that allows designers to create, share, and collaborate on designs in real-time. It is specifically designed for web and app design and offers a range of features that make it easier to design for responsive web design and UI design.

Pros:

  • Figma is a web-based tool, so it is accessible from any computer with an internet connection.
  • It offers a range of collaboration and sharing features that make it easy to work with other designers and developers.
  • Figma’s vector-based design allows for easy scaling of images without loss of quality.

Cons:

  • Figma requires an internet connection to use, which can be limiting for some designers.
  • It has a steeper learning curve than some other design tools, which may make it less suitable for beginners.
  • It has fewer features and capabilities than Adobe Photoshop, which may limit its usefulness for some projects.

 

Searching for a super fast PSD to HTML conversion service? You are in the right place. The Site Slinger experts will turn your design into a stunning, responsive, pixel-perfect HTML template in just a few hours. 

Get in touch with us, tell us about your project, and get delivered a perfectly coded template whenever you need it. 

 

Resources

Read further for tips and how-to’s for web design.

This is How to Launch Your First Web App

Building your own web application is a complicated, challenging and exciting process. It requires mastering a number of skills, from design to development. Fortunately, with the tools available today, starting a website is both easy and fun. Let’s take a look at how to launch a web app.

If you work on the web, you know that the launch of a new web application is a complicated, challenging and exciting process. Every day we see new projects come to life during the first steps in the development process, when you turn your photoshop comps into live HTML code. Getting the application into a workable (and marketable) product from there requires mastering a number of skills.

Let’s take a look at how to launch a web app, website or what-ever-you-are-building.

How to Launch a Web App

Website UI and Design

The days of blinking scrolls and clumsy tiled backgrounds are (thankfully) well past us. Spoiled by design-centric startups like Airbnb and Fab.com, users have come not just to expect, but demand good design. Design is also one of the quickest ways to set yourself apart from your competitors. It is, after all, the first thing users see on your site.

Thankfully, good design isn’t terribly expensive. You can even create simple webpage mockups by yourself if you follow some basic design principles, such as:

1. Sketching: Before you create a single pixel in Photoshop, spend some time sketching the basic vision of your web app on paper. This doesn’t have to be terribly complicated; you can draw out anything you want as long as it has some design coherence. This sketch should serve as a very rough map of what your final design might look like. Don’t be afraid to create several sketches until you reach a more concrete vision.

2. Wireframing: A wireframe represents an ‘X-Ray’ of your website. This is a rough schematic diagram showing the various components on any page. This wireframe can be as simple as a sheet of paper with different boxes denoting Header, Navigation Menu, Content and Footer. Ideally, wireframing and sketching should be done together. You can do this by hand, or use a tool like Photoshop.

3. Creating a Mockup: The third step is to create a mockup of your final design using the sketches and wireframing as a guide. Mockups can be created in Photoshop, or you can use design tools like Mockingbird or Balsamiq to create designs quickly. The mockup will reflect your final design, so take some time to flesh it out completely before moving on to the next step. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a mockup:

  • Adopt a Theme: “Theme” is a very broad term that describes your website’s overall ‘mood’ or ‘feel’. Fab.com, is urbane and modern with a hint of hipster flourish, while Apple.com is clean and minimalist with a distinctly hi-tech vibe. Before you create a mockup, think about your site’s overall theme. Ask yourself: what do I want my users to feel when they visit this site?
  • Use Color Appropriately: Color can liven up a dull page, make an element stand out and even help you sell more. Color trends keep on changing every year. While web 2.0 was all about brash frivolity, startups are using more muted colors today. Here’s a quick recap of the dominant color trends in the past year, and what to expect in the near future.
    Color also has an effect on how users respond to your web app. Different colors trigger different responses. Bright yellow, for instance, draws viewers’ attention to a particular element. Orange, on the other hand, is great for call-to-action buttons (such as ‘Add to Cart’). Here’s good chart explaining different colors and how to use them effectively in your web app.
  • Keep Up with Trends: Web design trends change faster than the fashion in Paris. If you surf a lot, you can spot these trends as new startups push the boundaries of what is considered ‘good’ web design. Infinite scrolling and fixed headers, for instance, are among the latest new trends. You can find more specific trends for 2013 on Hongkiat.com.
  • Keep an Eye on Performance: While you’re bringing your grand design vision to life, also keep an eye on performance. Large pictures and heavy graphic use can bring down the performance, frustrating customers and even costing you a few positions in search engine rankings. It’s a good practice to keep file sizes as small as possible, and limit the amount of images you use on your web app.

Now that you’re on your way to finishing your web design, let’s look at another crucial usability component: UX.

UX | How to Launch a Web App

UX – User Experience

User Experience or UX refers to how people interact with your web app. This is a very broad field that covers everything from usability to conversion rates. As you can imagine, UX requires years of expertise and experience to master. You can hire a UX consultant like Theresa Neil, or tinker around on your own by following some basic UX principles:

1. K.I.S.S.: When it comes to UX, you can’t go too wrong following Apple’s UX dictum – Keep it Simple Stupid! Don’t use two elements where one can suffice, limit the number of choices for the customer, and ensure that your app can be used by even the most tech illiterate of users.

2. Big Words ≠ Big Returns: It’s common for new startups to wax poetic about the features and benefits of their web app, all at the expense of the customer. Keep the text on your web site as limited as possible (except on the blog, about-us page, etc.). Wherever possible, communicate through pictures and videos instead of text.

3. Focus on Numbers: The great thing about UX is that you get access to a ton of data to base your decisions on. Analytics tools like Google Analytics and KISSMetrics can help you track how little changes affect the overall user experience. A startup that focuses on performance metrics will almost always outperform one that adopts a ‘see what sticks’ approach.

4. Get Feedback: Getting subjective feedback on your web app is as important as focusing on performance data. Websites like UserTesting.com can give you a great overview of how visitors use your sites and what you can do to improve the overall user experience.

5. UX is an Ongoing Process: There is never a time when you can’t focus on UX. UX is a constant, endless process. You should constantly try to improve the user experience, no matter how great your conversion rates are, or how happy the users may seem.

Testing

Testing is the process of measuring the effectiveness of your web app. This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s a hard, gritty process that most startups fail to master. Essentially, it involves creating multiple variations of the same page and measuring their performance against each other. This is a purely statistical exercise and can be done by anyone by following a few simple tips:

1. A/B Testing: A/B testing, also called ‘split testing’, is used to measure the performance of two variants (labeled A and B) of the same page. Different versions of a page are shown to different users randomly. You can then calculate how each page performed viz-a-viz the other, and select the right page accordingly.

2. Small Changes Can Equal Big Rewards: You don’t always have to make sweeping changes to see dramatic improvements in conversion rates. Sometimes, the simplest of changes such as using different colored buttons and links can equal big rewards. Try out these simple changes before overhauling the existing design completely, and be open to learning from the mistakes of others.

Universal Accessibility

Have you ever tried to use one of your favorite websites on a smartphone or tablet and found the experience completely disappointing? In this ‘Age of Many Screens’, it is important to optimize not just for desktops and laptops, but also smartphones and tablets. Basically, everyone, regardless of screen size or device type, should be able to access your web app.

One way to go about this is by using ‘Responsive Design’. A web app with responsive design automatically changes to fit different screen types. It can expand to fill all the space on a 27” monitor, and squeeze down to fit on a 4” smartphone screen without any loss in usability. The Site Slinger specializes in creating responsive designs that look great on any screen.

While you’re creating responsive designs for your web app, also make sure that you create corresponding designs for your email marketing campaigns. The Site Slinger can code responsive email templates, as well.

Responsive Web Design

Development

Development is where all the planning and design finally pays off and your vision comes to life. It is often the hardest step in the entire app creation process, depending on who you ask. If you have prior coding experience, development can be a relatively straightforward experience, especially for simple web apps. Otherwise, you should be prepared to pay through your nose for a top notch custom developer to take your design live.

Hiring developers is an expensive process wrought with trial and error. Quality freelancers are not only expensive, but also extremely hard to find. You should expect to go through a number of developers before you find someone who fits your requirements.

An easier (and cheaper) alternative is to hire a PSD to HTML service like The Site Slinger. The Site Slinger specializes in turning PSD design files into actual live sites. We have years of experience working with startups and takes care of all the frontend development work so you can focus on what’s really important – sales, traffic and customers.

The Site Slinger converts designs into code for companies, including startups like WPEngine, Capital Factory, OwnLocal, and more. Our PSD to HTML team hand-codes a full Photoshop design into HTML5, CSS3 and all basic JavaScript animations, which is perfect for an app prototype or marketing site. We also have an amazing custom development team ready for all of your WordPress or web development requests. It’s a far smoother process than hiring (and firing) dozens of overpriced freelancers.

Conclusion

Building your first web app isn’t easy. You will have to do everything from creating the mockups to optimizing for better conversion rates. With a little help, however, you can go from prototype to live in a few short weeks and set your web app dreams in motion.

Resources

Web Design and UI

1. Smashing Magazine
2. Hongkiat
3. Introduction to Typography
4. Niice Design Search Engine
5. Designer News
6. MockingBird
7. Basic Wireframing
8. Advanced Wireframing with Keynote
9. Creating Your First Mockup
10. UI Design Resources
11. Planning Your Website with Sketches
12. 16 Tips for a Better Website
13. Startup Tips from Pro Designers

UX

1. How to do UX
2. Six UX Mistakes to Avoid
3. A Project Guide to UX Design
4. Don’t Make Me Think: A Commonsense approach to Usability
5. 52 Weeks of UX Design

Testing

1. Ultimate Guide to A/B Testing
2. TechRadar Guide to Testing Your Website
3. Introduction to Web App Testing
4. Getting Started with Conversion Rate Optimization

Universal Accessibility

1. A Book Apart: Responsive Web Design
2. Responsive Web Design: What is it and How to Use it
3. 30 Useful Responsive Web Design Examples

Useful Terms for PSD to HTML Services

We know how important effective communication is for our clients on any web development project. So, we’re offering up this handy ‘glossary of terms’ that you will find helpful for your next PSD to HTML project, or if you’re just beginning to learn about the design-to-code process.

We know how important effective communication is for our clients on any web development project. So, we’re offering up this handy ‘glossary of terms’ that you will find helpful for your next PSD to HTML project, or if you’re just beginning to learn about the design-to-code process. This list of web development definitions is especially helpful for creatives and designers who are migrating from print to the web space.

PSD to HTML Definitions

  • PSD to HTML – PSD to HTML is the process of taking Photoshop design files (“PSDs”) and coding them into HTML. Each PSD design file is hand-coded by a front-end developer. No code generators or automation here, pure hand-coded HTML and CSS goodness!
  • PSD – A Photoshop design file. Technically, it stands for Photoshop Document. Photoshop is the tool most widely used for web design and development and works best the design-to-code process. A “good” PSD is layered, well organized using folders, as well as layer comps to show different pages and states.
  • HTML – HyperText Markup Language. This is a simple way to refer to HTML5, CSS, and  JavaScript, the basic languges of the Web. This is the code that makes your design function as  website. Read more about HTML5 on our blog post.
  • Design to code – This is the general term for converting the visuals (design files) into code (HTML). Technically, not all design to code involves PSD files, and other filetypes like PNG and Adobe Illustrator’s AI filetype are acceptable in some cases.
  • Email template – This is the theme for a reusable email employed by businesses with an email marketing campaign. We take designs for email templates and code them, just as with a website.
  • Bootstrap  – Bootstrap refers to the Twitter Bootstrap framework, a responsive front-end development framework that is sleek and powerful. Especially useful for application development teams, it allows you to design and code in a consistent and reliable manner based on a grid which adapts to a user’s screen size, such as smartphones. It’s one of our favorites. Read more about it on the official page.
  • Responsive – The feature of being adaptable to various screen sizes, usually at least 3 breakpoints: desktop, tablet, and mobile device. Recommended widths for responsive websites are 1024px, 768px, and 320px, respectively. We break it down in further detail in this post. While Bootstrap is a favorite, we also work with Foundation, 960gs, and others.
  • WordPress – The most popular, and arguably most powerful, content management system (CMS). With SEO friendly URL management and easy page templating, WordPress is a great choice as a platform for your website.
  • jQuery – The most widely used front-end JavaScript library used to implement animation and functions such as dropdowns, tooltips, sliders, lightboxes and more.
  • Pixel perfect – The highest standard for execution of the PSD to HTML process.We aim to have our deliverables match, down to the pixel, your designs as you presented them.
  • Pop-up modals – A ‘page’ that pops up or otherwise animates into the screen upon completion of a certain action, like a button click.
  • Long page – In line with modern web design trends, we often see long pages with aim to put as much information into a page as possible, usually in the form of horizontal sections. These can be considered as two pages for coding purposes.
  • Slice – Basically, this means cutting up your Photoshop design into pieces, which are then put in order by HTML and styled/positioned by CSS. Read more about slicing on our blog post.
  • NDA – Non-disclosure agreement. We abide by NDA as a standard practice and guarantee that information about you or your project will not be made public. As this is our default policy, there’s no need to sign an explicit NDA, though we are happy to do so if you feel this is absolutely necessary. Your privacy is key, so we offer our products as white-label.
  • White-label – We produce the code for your organization, but do not brand or otherwise sign our markup in any way.
  • Markup – This is the code that we present back to you once we’ve converted your PSD files. ‘Markup’ refers to the finished product in the PSD to HTML process.
  • W3C – Shorthand for The World Wide Web Consortium. This is the international community that develops open standards to ensure the quality and growth of the Web. Our code complies with the standards established by this organization, which can reviewed here. They also offer a markup validation service.

If there’s anything else you need clarified, please let us know. We’re happy to add to this list to make the PSD to HTML process easier!