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Turn on and off dark mode on Chrome

Nitzan Solomon — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 13:55:52 +0000

This article takes you easily through the process of enabling Google Chrome Dark Mode on your desktop browser, Android, or iOS.

What is Dark mode?

Dark Mode (or Dark Theme) is a user interface display setting for applications, browsers, operating systems, and even websites. Dark mode replaces the default display of dark text against a light background with light text against a dark background. Dark mode minimizes eye strain and prolongs battery life by reducing screen brightness. It is also used solely for its aesthetics.

How to set dark mode on Chrome?

Enable a dark mode on PC (Windows)

Similar to most Windows programs, Chrome automatically turns to dark mode if you turn on the Dark Theme in Windows. However, that does not imply all the web pages’ content will adopt the Theme. Thus, the option is not actually a full dark mode.

Set dark Theme as the system default in Chrome

Chrome does not have an official dark mode for Windows users. However, if you change your PC mode to Dark, it will be reflected on Chrome.

That is to say, the way to set dark Theme as the system default is to make the changes through your computer’s settings.

You can do so by following these steps:

1. Right-click on Windows Desktop and select “Personalize”

2. Click on Colors and select Dark under “Choose your color”

The dark Theme will apply to Chrome’s toolbars, menus, settings, and homepage. However, it will not apply on websites.

Apply dark mode to web content on Chrome

As detailed in the above instructions, the dark desktop mode does not change Chrome’s display of web content. If your intention is to see websites in dark mode, you will need to make these changes within Chrome.

The browser has a hidden dark mode that is much powerful and useful when trying to achieve your use case. It will turn all the websites’ backgrounds to black and make text white for ease of readability.

Follow these steps to turn on dark mode for all web contents within Chrome:

1. Paste in the following Link in Chrome browser – chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark

2. Locate the option “Force Dark Mode for Web Contents”

When you copy and paste the above URL on the browser tab, it opens up the Experiments page and highlights “Force Dark Mode for Web Contents” for ease of notice.

3. Change the setting to Enabled

Click on the drop-down arrow and choose “Enabled” to turn on dark mode for Chrome and its web contents.

4. Relaunch the browser

The changes you make will take effect the next time you relaunch your browser. You can manually close everything and re-open Chrome, or you could simply click on the Relaunch button that shows at the bottom, right-hand side.

And there you have it! Enjoy your dark-themed Chrome plus all its web content!

FAQs

Dark mode vs Dark theme

The terms dark mode and dark theme are more of the same thing. Some Android devices will use any of these terms in their setting. When you turn the feature on, it will meet the same purpose regardless of the name used. iOS simply calls the feature “Dark” while Chrome uses the name “Dark Mode.”

Dark mode VS Night mode

Dark mode is designed to reduce screen brightness by changing interface colors to a darker shade. This is done in order to minimize eye strain when using your device in underlit surroundings, as well as conserve battery life.

Night mode is similar to dark mode in that it’s meant to minimize eye strain when using your device in low-lit surroundings.

However, as opposed to Dark mode, which darkens the colors and shades of a specific app or interface design, Night mode changes the backlight color emitted by your device. It filters out the blue-white light emitted from the screen which turns your screen yellowish.

Dark mode also differs from Night mode in that it’s manually turned on and off and set indefinitely, while Night mode automatically activates when the room light dims and deactivates when it brightens or is active between certain hours of the day (from evening to morning).

The unique purpose of Night mode is to prepare your brain for sleep by mimicking the changes in natural sunlight. The underlying reason is that the blue-white light radiating from mobile devices and computer screens sends a signal to your brain that it’s a day out, which keeps your brain artificially awake. When using your device in the couple hours prior to bedtime this makes it very hard to fall asleep.

The latest versions of Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android support Night mode as a native implementation or through third-party apps.

Conclusion

To wrap up, Dark Theme in Android, iOS, macOS, or Windows provides you an opportunity to have a great viewing experience in low-light environments. It does not matter what the device or OS calls this setting. It does the same thing. When enabled, you can easily read your Gmail emails without stressing your eyes.

The post Turn on and off dark mode on Chrome appeared first on WiseStamp.

How to accept payments on my website (2024)

Alessndro Tedeschi — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 12:02:54 +0000

In this article, we explain how to integrate credit card processing into a website. We’ll go through the various payment methods and the benefits of integrating them into your website. We’ll also cover some notable options that you DO NOT need to have on your company’s website.

What’s on this page

How to accept credit card payment on your site
Why should I accept payments online?
What are payment gateways
How to choose a merchant service provider
Ecommerce online payment options

The increasing popularity of online shops proves that digital purchases will continue to grow. E-commerce has brought about a fundamental change not only in the marketing activity and sales process but also in the business model.

Mobile payments are becoming more common and the use of debit and credit cards for online shopping is already the most popular way for people to pay for products and services.

Companies that are upgrading to offer their customers online payment options can grow and expand much faster and expand their user base geographically. Those that react slowly, and are late to adopt online payment will very likely get left behind.

How to accept credit card payment on your site starting this week

Every small business today should accept online and mobile credit card payments in a safe and secure way no matter if they are an e-commerce store or physical business that provides a service. It makes your life and your customers’ lives so much easier. Here’s how to get started.

The most obvious and intuitive way to accept online payments is to accept credit cards and on your business’ website. In order to accept credit card payments on your site, you need the following:

1) Choose a website or e-commerce platform

A website or e-commerce platform for customers to go to when making purchases. If you use an online marketplace platform like Etsy or eBay, it will offer you to connect your Etsy or eBay shop to an online payment processor like Paypal.

2) Setup a secured gateway

A secure payment gateway that encrypts credit card payments so customers can feel secure using your site to make purchases.

3) Add a merchant account

A merchant account to process online payments

There are a variety of online payment processing tools that come with both a secure payment gateway and help you set up a merchant account to process online payments.

Why should I accept payments online?

1) Your customers prefer it

Online payments are growing in popularity, and it’s easy to see why. Paying online is faster and more flexible. It supports multiple currencies and allows your customers to have more options for payment. The average American consumer has 2.6 credit cards. It’s important that your business can accept payments from each of them.

2) It improves your cash flow

The beauty of online payments is that the processing is extremely fast, which is great for your business’s cash flow. Unlike checks, which can take up to 10 business days to clear, credit card payments are processed instantly. The money clears from the customer’s account and gets deposited to yours within an average of one to two business days.

3) It protects against theft or fraud

Unlike cash, credit card payments can be reimbursed if you experience any sort of theft in your merchant account. Granted, there are more security risks with accepting credit cards. But you can recover losses from fraudulent charges through your merchant service provider (again, make sure you choose one with fraud protection).

4) Online payments are easier to measure

Most credit card payment processors will offer really helpful analytics reports based on your transactions. These insights help you measure the types of payment clients use the most, how long it takes clients to pay, and the average amount they spend with your business. And when tax time rolls around, credit card reports are a huge help when you file!

What are payment gateways and how to choose the right one

Payment gateways allow online merchants to accept payments through integration between their website’s e-commerce systems and credit card companies. Merchants use payment portals to accept electronic payments and process credit and debit cards.

When a customer wants to make a payment on your website the payment gateway directs them to complete the payment on their platform off-site and redirects the customer back as soon as the process is complete.

In more technical terms, Payment Gateways allow you to accept card payments in your website by processing credit card payments at the point of sale (PoS) by seamlessly integrating their advance payment processing on your web page. The host of the payment gateway takes over the transaction itself from your website via a payment platform or a processor.

Payment gateways offer greater control over security, rules, and customization. These are highly recommended in order to achieve an easy-to-use e-commerce store since they eliminate much of the complexity of accepting payments.

The gateway you choose is important considering that 75% of retail customers give up their shopping basket during the purchase process. Which gives these systems a major influence on your bottom line.

Choosing the right payment portal can be determined by the currency you accept, the transaction fees, how quickly money enters your merchant account, and the payment method you offer.

Offering different payment options to your customers is an excellent way to keep them happy. Before we get into the details of the integration of payment gateways, let us see which types of payment transactions exist and, depending on your company, whether you want to select a specific one for your e-commerce website or your e-commerce portal.

Most popular payment gateway and merchant account tools:

Paypal
Stripe
vcita
Square
Payment Depot

It’s important to keep in mind that each of these solutions makes its money by charging you, the merchant, fees. The fees will not be felt by your customer, which is very important. But it’s a good idea to research each payment processing solution to find out their fees and their payout schedule—find out how quickly you’ll receive the money.

How to choose a merchant service provider

The first step is to choose a merchant service provider to set up your merchant account. Merchant service providers are companies that give you the ability to process credit and debit card payments for your business’s goods and services. There are a lot of different merchant service providers to choose from, so it’s important to make sure that the one you choose offers these:

Fraud protection
Different ways to process payments- online, mobile and point of sale (POS)
Low fees for each transactionIt’s important to choose a merchant service provider that meets your business’ specific needs.

Once you’ve chosen the merchant service provider that you like best, you then need to open a merchant account with them in order to start accepting payments through their service. Once you are all set up with your merchant account, you need to sign up for an online payment gateway like Stripe or PayPal.

These services process your clients’ and customers’ payments for you with the credit card issuers (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and more). In return, they charge you, the business owner, a fee for each transaction. But, don’t worry, they do not charge your customer!

There are many online payments services out there, each offers different benefits and plans, the main ones are

What are the best online payment services?

PayPal.
vcita
Stripe
Amazon Payments
WePay
Dwolla
Braintree
WePay
2Checkout

Ecommerce online payment options

If you’re in the services industry and looking for an easy way for customers to pay their bills online, you don’t need a fancy full-service merchant account or custom payment portal for your business. Instead, we recommend you use one of the various shelf payment gateway solutions.

These solutions can make it easy to accept card payments such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.

1. Shopify

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that makes it easy for small, medium, and big companies to sell products online and accept credit card payments through a platform without the need for an external service provider.

If you build your website with Shopify, you get your payment gateway included. And if you are purchasing Shopify’s premium pricing plan, it is much easier to install and set up a seamless and faster checkout method for your customers using Shop Pay, at no additional cost.

Shopify is a great way for eCommerce companies to accept credit cards because it combines payment processing with e-commerce tools such as drag-and-drop stores, shipping solutions, and inventory management.

Video: Shopify payment gateway setup tutorial:

2. PayPal

PayPal offers the processing of all common credit and debit cards via its gateway and can also make payments by itself using various other methods.

Video: PayPal payment gateway setup tutorial:

3. Square

Square makes it easier for small businesses to accept payments by offering a few different solutions without a contract.

Video: Square payment gateway setup tutorial:

4. Stripe

Data security is a plus if you use Stripe as the backend payment processor for your website. Stripe offers tailor-made plans for Stripe that are tailored to your business needs. Their handling fees start at 2.9 percent (or $0.30 per transaction) for their integrated plan.

If you do not have a website, send a payment link to receive credit card payments via Square Checkout or set up recurring billing using the Square Invoice feature.

Video: Stripe payment gateway setup tutorial:

Payment processing fees

Payment processing fees average 2-3% and vary depending on how payment is routed from your credit card company to your business. You can accept payments in person, via terminals on the website, embedded in the cash register, or recurring invoices. This means that your company processes payments for other merchants for a fee.

While the associated fees can be a minor nuisance, there are costs and benefits to accepting card payments from your customers. There are clear drawbacks to making customers pay with credit, but that doesn’t mean they outweigh the positives.

The post How to accept payments on my website (2024) appeared first on WiseStamp.

8 best photo-sharing platforms to showcase photography & sell your work (2022)

Sandra Bateman — Tue, 18 May 2021 11:24:15 +0000

There are so many photo-sharing platforms available online. It can get pretty hard to determine which website is the best for what you need to accomplish; be it sharing, showcasing, storing, or selling your work.

To help you cut through the noise we’ve researched and organized all the best photo sharing platforms into categories where you can narrow down your search. With a bit of leg work, we’ve compiled an exhaustive list of platforms where you can confidently promote your photography online.

To get a bird’s eye view of all the different top photo-sharing platforms and their benefits, keep reading. Take your time to go over the options and consider the details to choose your best fit.

In order to find the best photo-sharing platforms, you should probably take into account a few things, one being the price, availability of features, and the significant downsides. Below you have an in-depth rundown of all the best photo-sharing platforms, go ahead and choose.

1. Flickr

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free	1000 photographs. Photo files are limited to 200MB. Video files to 1GB. Large selection of tools.	Only 100 megabytes a month for a free account. Videos are only for paying members.
Pro: $60 per year	Unlimited photographs Track statistics Extensive tagging features Large selection of tools	Error with uploading images. Flickr uploader is difficult to use on a MAC. No keyboard navigation support.

Flickr is one of the top photo-sharing and storage platforms that has been a long-time favorite of professional and novice photographers. The site offers a wide selection of editing tools as well as massive storage capabilities. Flickr is extremely user-friendly in all ways: posting, storing, sharing, selling, and creating.

It’s important to note that Flickr has a reputation of being geared toward amateur photographers, all of the aforementioned benefits of the site outweigh any negatives connotations that may be associated with its status as a “beginner” photography site. Many professional photographers use the site in addition to amateurs. In our opinion, Flickr is the best photo-sharing platform available.

To organize and share photos on Flickr, you use “tags,” which enables you to sort your photos in whatever way makes the most sense to you. Many people elect to sort by location, or type of photo, or in any number of other ways There is a drag-and-drop system that lets you organize albums and a search engine that enables you to track who is viewing your photos.

2. 500PX

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free	Receive support when needed. Ability to join groups. Access to utilize the 500px blog. Clean looking portfolio templates	The maximum file size is 30 MB, larger files will not be added to the queue. JPG file type only Your limit is 20 / 20 photos in a week.
Awesome: $3.99 per month	Unlimited photo uploads. All the features of free with no advertisements. Ability to receive priority support.	Doesn’t offer priority directory listing. Upload up to 10 photos at a time.
Pro: $7.99 per month	Priority directory listing. Ability to customize profile.	Unable to print through the website

500PX is one of the best photo sharing platforms and sites that tends to appeal to professional photographers. This service allows you to upload your photos with varying levels of membership from “Free” to “Awesome” to “Pro” subscription options. 500px gives photographers the ability to license and sell their photos in the 500px Marketplace.

Generally, this site offers more than the amateur photographer would likely require in their photo-sharing platform. 500PX provides an opportunity to license your photos and to create a stunning portfolio that can be easily shared with clients or other professionals in the field. Sharing photos is easy to do both on and off the site, by promoting your portfolio wherever you like.

3. Behance

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free: there is no cost to use Behance.	No limit on photo uploads. Synced with Adobe software. Collaborating with other creative professionals.	No portfolio is available, except for upgraded service through the Adobe parent website.

Behance is another top photo sharing platform owned by Adobe. The service is free and offers unlimited uploads. The site is an excellent place for businesses to seek out and professionals in the creative fields and network across various industries. Because of Behance’s association with Adobe, many different adobe programs work seamlessly with the service, which is a huge plus.

Reaching customers works through a “follow” feature. This means that other members on the site can follow profiles they are interested in for networking and purchasing purposes. Acting as a social media feed, you can view your home page and see the new additions from profiles you follow. If your work is really getting a lot of attention, it may be featured in a “curated gallery,” which is determined by specific team members working for Behance.

4. Instagram

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free: there is no cost to use Instagram.	Ease of use. Upload an unlimited amount of photos Interact with followers Mobile friendly	The app is so widely used that it is tough to make a splash based on talent alone. Knowledge of proper hashtag use and other marketing considerations need to be made with Instagram.

Instagram is a social media photo sharing platform that is easy to use for anyone with a cell phone. The program is ubiquitous, as over 700 million users now have an account on the site. Instagram is one of the best photo sharing sites that makes editing, posting, and sharing photos incredibly straightforward.

Sharing photos is accomplished by the use of hashtags and the “share” feature depending on the user’s privacy settings. “Likes” and comments on posts can be seen by all users, and further analytics can be obtained with a professional profile enabled.

Some of the elements that make Instagram great, however, can also have their drawbacks: the platform is completely saturated with people taking pictures of anything they see. It can be extremely difficult for a photographer to rise above the masses and stand out on an app such as Instagram.

5. Smugmug

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free trial	The site does offer a free 14-day trial period.	There is no long-term free version of Smugmug.
Pro varying subscription levels starting at $7.00 per month and topping out at $42.00 per month for the pro plan.	Many options for templates. Unlimited storage.	Editing tools are slightly more simplistic than with other photo-sharing platforms.

Smugmug is a photo storage site focused heavily on design. The site enables you to upload and sell your prints directly. While the site does offer a free 14-day trial period, there is no long-term free version of Smugmug.

From reading through many reviews of Smugmug, it seems clear that users love working with the site. Their customer service is beyond compare and photographers love how simple and straightforward the site is, as it really only has two features geared toward 1) editing photos and 2) selling photos. Smugmug is also able to share and post photos from Dropbox and Flickr, so you have many options to reach your target audience.

6. Photobucket

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free	25 GB of storage, Easy editing capabilities, Good sales support	Max image size is 1024×768. Frequent advertisements. 2 GB of storage space and a limit of 1 MB per photo.
Pro: beginner $6.00 per month	25 GB of storage, No advertisements	N/A
Pro: Intermediate $8.00 per month	250 GB of storage	N/A
Pro: expert $13.00 per month	Unlimited storage	Slightly more expensive premium version compared to other options on this list.

Photobucket is a photo sharing platform that offers a variety of plans that allow you to edit and easily sell your photographs directly from the site. However, some photographers do complain about the sharing options for customers to view photographs. The site allows you to share a link to your photos on another web page, but there is a bandwidth limit when it comes to sharing.

On the other hand, tagging and directing other Photobucket members within the site is easy and straightforward. Like many other services, photos can be categorized by tagging the photos however you like.

7.Zenfolio

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free	14-day free trial when you first sign up.	There is no long-term free version available from Zenfolio.
Pro: $5.00 per month to $32.00 per month	Buying & selling photographs are simple and straightforward.	Complaints about customer service Most suitable for professional artists.

Zenfolio is a site that provides photographers with the capability of displaying and selling their work. This site appeals to photographers of any skill level, as in-depth technical knowledge is not required to use the service effectively.

Members of Zenfolio are able to upload, tag, and sell their work easily. Multiple keywords can be assigned to your portfolio drive traffic to your photos from various search engines across the internet as well as from the site itself.

8. Pixpa

Cost	Main benefits	Main downsides
Free:	15-day free trial only, no free version beyond that.	Not mobile-friendly Limited allowance of features
Pro: personal $7.00 per month	Easy it is to use 20+ customizable intuitive interfaces. Excellent Customer Support Mobile Optimized Websites 1GB Storage	Not mobile-friendly Only allows the user to create 15 pages or galleries.
Pro: expert $10.00 per month	20+ customizable intuitive interfaces. Flexibility & powerful editing features Excellent Customer Support 25GB Storage	Not mobile-friendly Photo Gallery Restriction
Pro: business $16.00 per month	Able to create an unlimited number of galleries. Drag and drop Excellent Customer Support	Not mobile-friendly

Pixpa is another site on this list targeted mainly toward photographers who are looking for a place to sell their prints. The site heavily promotes its portfolio capabilities for artists.

The service provides an easy way to sell photos through multiple payment partners such as Paypal and Stripe. This allows photographers to sell their work with ease. Another benefit of the site the superlative customer service and training tools. There are plenty of tutorial videos and any questions are quickly and thoroughly answered by whatever method you may choose: email, phone, or live chat.

9. Fhotomerchant

Cost	Main benefits	Main downside
Pro plans begin at $9.00 per month and end at $19.00 per month.	Unlimited storage is available with all plans.	No free option available.

Photo Merchant is a photo-sharing platform that easily enables artists to sell their work through the site. Additionally, the site provides an easy way for sellers to fulfill orders. Artists can choose to manually fill orders or enlist an auto-fulfillment feature which will allow the work to be sent directly to the customer.

Photo Merchant is affordable, customizable, and makes order fulfillment incredibly simple. Unfortunately, there is no free version of Photo Merchant available. Another downside is that, except for the extremely casual photographer, the beginner plans provide very few options. You are unable to employ your unique domain name unless you upgrade to the $19.00/month plan. Additionally, without the higher-priced plan, users cannot utilize the “direct fulfillment” option.

What’s next?

Flickr is, in our opinion, the best photo-sharing platform due to its numerous benefits as listed above and due to the fact of being the largest photo sharing site available on the web. However, all of the platforms outlined in this guide offer excellent products that would be helpful to any photographer: amateur or professional.

Depending on your own needs as a photographer, you may choose any of the above platforms, or you may even elect to use multiple platforms. For example, you will likely benefit from having an Instagram account to network and build a following, even if you use another site for your selling purposes.

As a photographer, you may be promoting yourself by email. WiseStamp is a tool that lets you create beautiful email signatures in 2-5 minutes. Try it out now, for free. You may also find it helpful to visit our page on how to create a great-looking photographer email signature to promote your portfolio with every email you send.

The post 8 best photo-sharing platforms to showcase photography & sell your work (2022) appeared first on WiseStamp.

25 best freelance job sites for 2023

Simcha Lazarus — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 09:54:00 +0000

Freelancing sounds appealing to many people. You get to set your own hours and work wherever you want. However, without the right freelance jobs online, you’ll spend more time trying to find clients than working.

Every freelancer has a story. You could try starting at the lowest level, working for pennies to get enough good reviews on a given site. Alternatively, you can start on the right freelancing job site and make the kind of money you can live on immediately.

What’s in this article?

Top general freelance job sites
Programmers & developers freelance websites
Freelance website designers & artists
Online writing job websites for writers & copywriter

11 top general freelance job sites

Below are the top freelance jobs websites in several niches. While no one guarantees your income, with a plan and persistence, you can reach your goals.

1. Fiverr

What is Fiverr?

Fiverr is a freelance marketplace rather than a job board. Like a marketplace, you set up your store and offerings called gigs. Then customers can visit your store, buy from you, or discuss the services you offer.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Fiverr is a solid platform for both beginners and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

To begin, you post your standard services on Fiverr using the gig builder. These include your gig requirements, which tell you about the assignment. People can buy your standard packages or request a custom one. Fiverr holds the payment in escrow until the order is complete.

Is it hard to open an account?

It is not hard to open an account on Fiverr. All you need is an application and an email address you can use to verify the account.

What does this website specialize in?

Fiverr does not specialize in a particular niche of services. Instead, customers can select from services ranging from app development to translation.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no fee to join Fiverr. However, Fiverr does charge you a 20% commission on any order over $20, regardless of size.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much you can make depends on your niche and your pricing plan on Fiverr.

2. Upwork freelance

What is Upwork?

Upwork is a freelancing job board website where people post looking for skilled talent to complete their tasks. Upwork offers several options, from working per hour to a fixed rate.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Upwork is suitable for both beginners and advanced freelancers. The proposal process may take some adjustment time.

How does it work?

You start by signing up for and filling out your free profile. Once that’s set up and your portfolio samples are loaded, you can browse jobs. Upwork relies on a proposal bid system, during which the customer selects the best option they receive.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not difficult to open.

What does this website specialize in?

Upwork does not have a specific niche.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no fee to sign up for Upwork. However, Upwork uses a sliding scale that applies to each client. For the first $500, it’s 20%. From $500 to $10,000, it’s 10%. Above that, it’s 5%.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much money you can make depends on your niche and how you price your proposal bids.

4. Guru freelance

What is Guru?

Guru is a freelance job board that you compete for jobs on with other freelancers in a variety of niches.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Guru is suitable for both beginner and advanced freelancers. The proposal system may require some adjustments.

How does it work?

First, you create an amazing profile. Then you can search for jobs that interest you and submit a proposal bid. If the customer likes your bid and profile, they will hire you for the job.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, you simply need to open an account and fill out the profile.

What does this website specialize in?

Guru does not specialize in a specific niche.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no fee to sign up for Guru. However, Guru does offer membership levels with additional features. On a free account, Guru takes 9% of your earnings.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much money you make depends on your niche and proposal bid pricing.

6. OnSite freelance

What is OnSite?

OnSite is an exclusive freelancing site that carefully curates which professionals make it into their matching algorithm. The jobs are centered around London.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This site is geared more towards advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

Initially, your application is reviewed by the freelancing website’s curators. Then, the algorithm matches your job preferences with companies looking for skilled professionals.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, it is difficult. OnSite is an invite-only platform that then subjects you to an approval process. The freelance site boasts that only 5% are approved.

What does this website specialize in?

The website specializes in making local connections.

How much does the platform cost?

The website is free.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

The income highly depends on your niche.

7. Working nomads

What is Working Nomads?

Working Nomads is a digital freelance job board. The company curates the jobs posted to its board from around the world.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

The platform is suitable for beginning and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

First, you open a Working Nomads account then you search through the postings for a job that interests you. From there, you apply on that company’s website and follow the protocol.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not difficult to open an account.

What does this website specialize in?

Many of the jobs are developer positions. However, there are other positions on the site.

How much does the platform cost?

The platform is free for freelancers.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Your monthly income will vary based on the jobs you apply for and take.

8. Hirable

What is Hirable?

Hirable is a job board that matches up software developers and companies based on your specific skills and expertise.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This site is more suitable for advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You sign up for a free account. Companies post their jobs to the board, and then you can choose which jobs appeal to you.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not hard to open an account.

What does this website specialize in?

Hirable covers a broad range of niches.

How much does the platform cost?

The platform is free for freelancers.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Your monthly income will vary depending on the jobs you take.

9. Truelancer

What is Truelancer?

Truelancer is another freelance jobs site. The company matches freelancers and companies through their website.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Truelancer is suitable for both beginning and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You start by signing up for a free account and completing the profile. Then you can search for jobs within the site and place proposal bids.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not difficult.

What does this website specialize in?

The site does not have a specialized niche.

How much does the platform cost?

There is a free account option and subscriptions starting at $5 per month. Additionally, Truelancer gets 10% of each sale.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Your monthly income will depend on your niche and how you price your proposal bids.

10. FreeUp

What is Freeup?

FreeUp is a digital job board that curates the freelancers who can access it.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for both beginning and advanced freelancers. However, it is more aimed at advanced.

How does it work?

You sign up for an account and go through the interview process. Once you finish creating a profile, you can browse for jobs you want. When you find one, you can send a proposal bid for the client to consider.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, the process has many steps. You will need to fill out an application and briefly interview before you can use the platform.

What does this website specialize in?

This website does not have a particular niche.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no monthly cost. However, the platform does charge clients 15% on top of the rate you pick.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much money you make depends on where you set your pricing.

11. Freelancer

What is Freelancer?

Freelancer is a job board where you compete with other freelancers for one of the thousands of available jobs.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Freelancer is suitable for beginning and advanced freelancers. Beginners may need some time to get used to the proposal system.

How does it work?

For the freelancer, you fill out a profile and go through the verification checklist. Then you can browse jobs and place proposals on the jobs that interest you. Customers can then choose from the proposals they get and may message you. Once the customer places an order, Freelancer holds on to the money until the project is complete.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not difficult to open a Freelancer account. You will need contact information and an idea of what you want your profile to look like.

What does this website specialize in?

This website does not specialize in a specific niche. Rather, numerous varieties of jobs are posted here.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no fee to sign up. However, there is a 10% fee on fixed-price projects and a 20% fee on services.

Programmers & developers freelance websites

1. Gun.io

What is Gun.io?

Guru.io is an experienced developer’s freelance website that delivers high-dollar opportunities.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is aimed at experienced professionals.

How does it work?

You set up an account, including a profile. Then the platform’s algorithm matches you with projects.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, it is. The platform requires you passcode, reference, and culture assessments as well as vetting.

What does this website specialize in?

Gun.io specializes in the software development niche.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no monthly fee for this platform.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much you can make depends on where you set your pricing.

2. Turing

What is Turing?

Turing is a specialty developer’s freelance website focusing on software. The company prefers you to work a 40-hour workweek once you have a position, and each position typically lasts 6 months or more.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Turing is geared towards more advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

To begin, you fill out an application and pass your exams. Then Turing allows you to apply for positions as well as match you automatically. Once a company hires you, it’s typically for full-time work.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, it is difficult. There are 5 to 10 hours of tests for you to take.

What does this website specialize in?

Turing specializes in software development and engineering.

How much does the platform cost?

There are no monthly or percentage fees. Instead, Turing charges the clients to stay in business.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You can make the same or better salary than what you would make at the same level working in person in the United States. For example, a DevOps engineer was paid a minimum of $91,000 in 2021.

3. WP hired

What is WP Hired?

WP Hired is a specialized freelance developer website for all things WordPress. The freelance site offers both full-time and part-time positions.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This site is suitable for freelancers with WordPress experience, though advanced freelancers will have an easier time.

How does it work?

You start by filling out a profile. Then you can browse the job boards. Each job has an easy application requiring contact details, a resume, and a cover letter (you need both). Companies will communicate if they like the skills you offer.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it simply requires that you fill out a form.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in WordPress-related positions.

How much does the platform cost?

There is no monthly fee for this platform.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Your monthly income will depend on how you set your prices and negotiate each job.

Freelance website designers & developers

1. Stack overflow careers

What is Stack Overflow Careers?

Stack Overflow Careers sprung out of one of the largest coding forums around. It’s a job board-style site where you apply on the company website or using the Stack Overflow forums.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for both beginners and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You can simply browse the job listings. Many have you apply on the company website, though there is an easy apply feature that will use your account information. If a company likes your application, they will reach out.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not even necessary to find work on the platform. However, it is advisable to fill out the forms so the platform can suggest jobs.

What does this website specialize in?

Stack Overflow Careers specializes in web design, programming, and similar niches.

How much does the platform cost?

It costs nothing to use this freelancing job site.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much you make depends on what you negotiate with your client(s). However, ti should be in line with industry standards.

2. Smashing jobs

What is Smashing Jobs?

Smashing Jobs is run by Smashing Magazine, which focuses on all things design. The platform allows people to post available positions.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This site is suitable for both beginners and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You simply scroll down the list of available positions until you find one you like. Then you typically apply on the company site or send an email. If the company likes your application, they will reach out.

Is it hard to open an account?

There is no account necessary for this site.

What does this website specialize in?

This freelance job site specializes in developer and design positions.

How much does the platform cost?

The platform costs nothing.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

How much money you make depends on how you negotiate with the employer. It should be in line with industry standards.

3. Toptal freelance marketplace

What is Toptal?

Toptal is a curated marketplace where the staff match freelancers to projects in the design and development fields.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is geared towards advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You obtain an account and then wait for the Toptal team to match your skills to an incoming project. Then you have a two-week trial period with the employer. If you pass, you get to finish the rest of the project.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, it is difficult to get an account. You must pass skill-specific exams as well as interviews before your account is approved.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in developers.

How much does the platform cost?

This platform does not cost freelancers anything.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Toptal is a highly competitive platform, and you can set your own prices. How much you can make depends on where you set your rates.

4. Studio envato

What is Studio Envato?

Studio Envato is a hand-curated freelancer community that focuses primarily on design and development.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is geared more towards established freelancers.

How does it work?

First, you’ll need to set up your account and service offer. Then you wait until someone orders your service or sends a message. From there, you simply need to supply the work.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, it is. Each account is hand-selected for membership. If you want to try, you need to start with the ‘Registration of Interest form.

What does this website specialize in?

This site specializes in design and development, but there are a limited number of jobs from other niches.

How much does the platform cost?

The account is free. However, the platform receives 30% of all orders.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You control your pricing on this platform, and that affects how much money you can make.

Freelance website designers & artists

1. 99designs

What is 99designs?

99designs is a freelance platform where customers can either work directly with designers or start contests to receive the best options for their business.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for beginners and advanced freelancers, though advanced freelancers will have an easier time being approved.

How does it work?

First, you get account approval and update your portfolio. Then you can submit designs to the various contests in industries that interest you. If your design is selected in a contest, you get paid.

Is it hard to open an account?

To a degree, it is difficult. You have to convince the curation staff that you belong.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in graphic design.

How much does the platform cost?

The account is free. However, the platform fee applies to your earnings based on your design level. It is 20% for the first $500, 15% for entry-level, 10% for midlevel, and 5% for top level.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

While you can set your direct order rate, you cannot set the rate for the contests. Your monthly earnings depend on how many contests you win.

2. Dribbble

What is Dribbble?

Dribbble is a creative community with the capacity for both freelance projects and job postings. Members of the platform also provide feedback to each other.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

Dribbble is suitable for both beginners and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You need a pro-business account to access the freelance job board. Once you have it, you can message potential clients, see all job details, and decide which ones you want to offer your services on.

Is it hard to open an account?

It depends on whether you want to spend money. If you want to post your work without a membership, you need to be invited by existing members.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in graphic design and illustration.

How much does the platform cost?

There are free, pro, and pro-business accounts. Pro costs $5 per month, while pro-business runs $15 per month. You need a pro account to sell your services, and a business account to access the job board.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You determine your prices on this website, so how you do so affects your income.

3. Behance

What is Behance?

Behance is a freelance artist website that allows people to post their work and portfolios. The site also offers job postings.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for freelancers of all levels.

How does it work?

Signing up for and filling out a profile is helpful, though you do not need it to browse jobs. Jobs posted on Behance are either applied on Behance or applied on the company site. If the company likes your application, you will be hired.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it simply requires contact details. If you do not have an Adobe ID, one will be created for you.

What does this website specialize in?

This website is for freelance artists of every creative niche.

How much does the platform cost?

Behance is a free platform.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You are in charge of negotiating your rate on this site, and your income depends on your success.

4. ArtStation

What is Artstation?

ArtStation is a freelance artist community that centers around games and movies. The site has many sections, from learning to prints.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for all levels of freelancers.

How does it work?

You sign up for an account and set up your portfolio. You can use that portfolio to apply for the jobs listed on the companies’ websites. Just make sure you confirm they allow remote work if you do not want to move. If they like your application, you will hear back.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not. The free account lets you set up everything you need.

What does this website specialize in?

This website tailors to artwork for games and movies.

How much does the platform cost?

The free version of this site lets you access the job board and sell items. However, the $6.99 per month plan offers more customization and perks.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

Jobs are competitive on this site and you will need to negotiate your salary with each employer. However, you also have the option to sell products for a commission.

5. Folyo

What is Folyo?

Folyo is an exclusive site for designers that you must have an invite from an existing member to access.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This site is aimed at experienced freelancers.

How does it work?

Folyo members must be invited. Once you are approved, you can set up an account with your preferences. Then you can look at the available jobs and put in applications, assuming people do not contact you straight out.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, you must be invited by an existing member.

What does this website specialize in?

This site specializes in design and development.

How much does the platform cost?

Folyo is free to freelancers, and there is no commission.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You control your price and which jobs you match to on this site.

Online writing job websites for writers & copywriters

1. Problogger jobs

What is Problogger?

Problogger is a blogging community with an extensive education base and job board.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for all freelancing levels.

How does it work?

You do not need an account to apply for jobs. You can view the job board and examine which jobs fit your freelancing level. Then most of the jobs will have you apply on the company’s website. If your application is chosen, you will hear back.

Is it hard to open an account?

No, it is not.

What does this website specialize in?

This website is for bloggers, writers, and editors.

How much does the platform cost?

This platform is free for freelancers.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You control your prices by negotiating with your clients.

2. Freelance writing jobs

What is Freelance Writing Gigs?

Freelance Writing Gigs is a writing community with a job board and educational resources.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for both beginners and advanced freelancers.

How does it work?

You only need to look at the job board, find one that suits you, and follow the application instructions. Generally, this involves an external site.

Is it hard to open an account?

There are no accounts on this site.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in blogging and copywriting jobs.

How much does the platform cost?

This platform is free.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You control how much you make by negotiating with your clients.

3. Constant content

What is Constant Content?

Constant Content is a unique platform for writers. It offers both the ability to sell prewritten articles and specific article orders.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for all levels of freelancers.

How does it work?

The first way is putting up articles you have already written for sale and waiting for someone to buy them. The second is writing to a specific order requirement and seeing if the buyer selects your piece.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, there are many steps. You will have to take a quiz and submit a writing sample before you can have an account.

What does this website specialize in?

This is a specialty website for content writers.

How much does the platform cost?

The account is free. However, Constant Content takes a 35% commission on every piece you sell.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You do control your prices on this website, and writing more can make up the difference from the commission.

4. WriteJobs.info

What is WriteJobs.info?

WriteJobs.info is a site dedicated exclusively to providing verified writing jobs and quality projects.

Not as popular these days but still a good source for finding a freelance writing gig.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is suitable for all levels of freelancers.

How does it work?

At this point in time, the site authors are posting all jobs on Patreon behind a paywall. You then click the link to apply for the job on the company website If the company likes your application, you will hear back.

Is it hard to open an account?

It is not difficult, and the main site does not require an account. Accessing the Plus job board requires a Patreon membership.

What does this website specialize in?

This site specializes in work for freelance writers.

How much does the platform cost?

The main site is free. The Plus job board requires a Patreon subscription of at least $3.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

The site provides pay rates on each job, so you’re in control of which jobs you apply to and how much you make.

5. Freelance writers den

What is Freelance Writers Den?

Freelance Writers Den is an online community with both an extensive education program and a job board.

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

This platform is geared towards beginners and medium level freelancers.

How does it work?

The job board is open to members. You simply find one that interests you and follow the application instructions, often on the external company’s site. If they like your application, they will contact you.

Is it hard to open an account?

Yes, there is a waitlist for an account.

What does this website specialize in?

This website specializes in writers of all varieties.

How much does the platform cost?

Membership costs $25 per month.

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

You control how much you make through negotiating with your clients.

Final thoughts:

Making a living freelancing requires careful planning and know-how. It also requires a good set of partner websites, so you don’t spend all your time hunting for new jobs. With some perseverance, you’re on your way to freelancing success. Just remember to file your taxes right along the way.

Do you know any other good freelancing websites that should be on this list? Tell us about them in the comments.

The post 25 best freelance job sites for 2023 appeared first on WiseStamp.

12 Things people absolutely dislike about your website

marcus.berkovitz — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 12:10:16 +0000

What is the most important factor in keeping website visitors engaged?

Making sure that potential clients aren’t discouraged is part of the creed, of inbound marketing. Yet, there are still a lot of web pages that visitors complain about.

Whatever the reason is, never forget about prioritizing user experience when developing a website.

This article will discuss twelve reasons why people dislike your website. This list is not to discourage! Let’s make sure your website visitors are engaged. The following top points will help you avoid committing mistakes.

1. Your Website Is Sluggish

The advent of Vines, TikTok, and memes have shortened people’s attention spans. Pages with multimedia that don’t load fast will cause customers to leave. Once users experience high-speed internet they will never wait around this demands a fast loading.

Choose a reliable provider to host your site
Use a clear coding language.

2. Lack of mobile optimization

Most people visiting your site also own a smartphone, and currently, mobile users outnumber users of desktop computers. That is why it is almost compulsory in today’s worldwide web to have your website optimized for mobile phones.

Users that visit your website are most probably smartphone holders. It’s important to have a webpage that is optimized for mobile phones. You don’t want to have customers zoom in and click the wrong button.

Using a mobile-optimized theme or application will help improve your visitor’s experience. Your site needs to be ideal for mobile use in order to be effective and competitive in today’s digital market.

3. Difficult to navigate

People may dislike your webpage because it’s not user-friendly. Meaning it’s hard to understand which page leads to what. This leads users to want to withdraw from your site.

Poor navigation can negatively affect the SEO rankings, the number of traffic, and the bounce rate. Here you go, If you want to learn more about UX patterns and design from experts.

4. Media That Auto-plays

If your site has an automated voice when clicking on it, get rid of it. This can be seen as music, instruction, or a video. Get rid of it, it only causes customers to bounce. If the customer wanted a video they would go to youtube. Nevertheless, this is something that you can control.

5. Incomplete contact information

If a site visitor has a question or wants further information, they will go to your contact page. If the contact information isn’t filled out correctly the user will think your site is fraudulent or unprofessional.

To avoid this, make sure that your contact information is up to date and accurate. When you receive calls or queries make it your priority to respond in a timely manner.

6. Incomprehensible “About Us” Page

Believe it or not, visitors do check out the “About Us” page frequently. Visitors who check this part of your website may be driven by curiosity or care. The about page is the break it or make it a test. If a client is interested and the about page is unbearable to read. You will most definitely lose the client!!

Make sure that your “about page” speaks to the emotional side of your clients. Focus on the language that people can connect with.

7. Keyword bombardment

It was believed before in the world of SEO that more keywords would mean better content. Optimization previously would have meant such – inserting keywords into all corners available.

The good news is that the times and search engines have kept up with the changes. This means that overly optimized does not necessarily mean good.

SEO writing tips are available everywhere on the internet and putting up engaging content into your website will more likely make your visitor a believer.

8. A blog-less site

A website with a complimentary blog is more effective since a blog site can provide opportunities for your site visitors to get more information and to proceed with caution through research. Business blogging is an effective tool to boost your website and company further.

Blogging is one of the best marketing strategies to drive clients to your website. There are a lot of search opportunities to use to create a proper blog post.

A potential client may do intensive research first before making contact for a possible service or sale.

If your site visitors see answers to their questions in your blog and that your posts have reassured them, they are much more likely to contact you or your team.

9. User-unfriendly internal links

Internal links are really helpful except when done incorrectly. Readers or visitors of your site may be pointed directly to other parts of your website that may give them relevant information.

However, one of the reasons why people may dislike your website is because your internal linking is not user-friendly or worse, nonfunctional.

Avoid using internal links excessively, only add these links to pages that will lead your site visitors to other relevant pages that will improve their experience.

10. Excessive pop-ups

Pop-ups can be useful, but too many of them are very disruptive. There is a right way to use pop-ups, and you may start by using them in moderation and tracking them for effectiveness.

Make sure that your pop-ups are smart, which means these are directed to a particular type of visitor or used for a certain purpose in your marketing. Do not forget to assess their effectiveness and whether these clicks create a better user experience on your site.

11. It looks ancient

Modern graphic design is cool and accessible. If your website looks as if it is stuck/ frozen in time that is a bad sign. With GIFs, and flashing multimedia content that reminds you of the early 2000s, your visitors will leave.

There is a lot of available software and applications out there that can help you make your site look stunning. There are sites that provide templates and themes that can be modified to suit your brand or objectives.

You just need the patience to look for them and perhaps throw in a few bucks to acquire that domain.

12. Too Many Stock Photos

What people hate about certain sites is the excessive use of stock photos. This practice will make your site indistinguishable from other sites. This could make your marking go downhill.

Too many stock photos also make your site look generic which will increase the bounce rate. To avoid this, use images that are unique (definitely with consideration of their copyright).

You may also opt for illustrations or simply use your own company’s photos. Websites with high-quality images are more compelling, and thus, receive more views.

The post 12 Things people absolutely dislike about your website appeared first on WiseStamp.

3 Essential elements of a successful website

Tara Santiago — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 08:27:00 +0000

If you want to be successful in business you need an online presence, that’s a given. The question is once you choose the right website builder for you, where do you go from there? And how do you make your website look unique but professional?

Although great websites come in every shape, size, and color, there are some rules you should follow to give your visitor the best possible experience with your brand identity.

#1 Awesome visuals

Website visuals are composed of many things. It includes the images you use, the way you structure content on your pages, the way you present your videos, and the way you present your website interface.

Add original creative and high-quality images

Websites are visual creations. No matter how well you can explain your business, it’s the look of your website that will convey much of the information. That’s why it pays to put the time into finding the right high-quality images.

A large, full-width hero image can work beautifully to show off you and your product or services in the best light and make that first impression count.

Images can also work to break up the text on your website and keep your visitor’s attention, especially if your site is text-heavy. The general rule is to have at least one image on every page of your website. Any images should be related to your product, blog, or service and should serve to enhance your overall message rather than distract from it.

If you fancy yourself as a DIYer there are some nice photography tricks out there that make it easy to get creative and take your photos for your website. Alternatively, if you don’t have the time, there is a great range of high-quality stock photos that you can use for free.

Create a favicon (the logo that appears in the browser tab)

If you have a business, a great logo will make your brand stand out and add legitimacy. If you want a logo but are no designer yourself, there are some first-rate options out there without an eye-watering price tag attached.

We like 99designs, where you can sponsor a logo competition and a variety of different designers will post entries so you can just pick the logo that is right for you. Once you have a logo, you can use it everywhere—on your website, product packaging, social media accounts, and email signature.

Use white space

Too much information or clutter can be a strain on the eye. Though it may seem counterintuitive to leave space on your web pages, that “white space” makes it more visually pleasing and easier for people to focus on important information.

#2 Simplicity of use

According to Google’s research, users prefer simple and familiar designs —and they make a snap judgment about a website in less than the blink of an eye. Fortunately, most website builders offer templates and suggested layouts, so you already have an outline of where to start. Then you can just prioritize what is essential for your website.

Easy navigation

A clear and easy navigation bar should be short with a maximum of seven items. The more time people spend searching for what they want, the more likely they are to bounce. So prioritize your items to fit into one line of navigation. This makes for a more visually appealing website and is easier to scan through. If you need to add more items you can always create sub-pages.

Clear content

All the graphics and web design in the world won’t accomplish anything without some quality text that gives value to your readers. Quality text for your business doesn’t mean your website should be the next “War and Peace” novel, but take the time to think about what you want to say, then condense it in a bitesize paragraph or sentence. Asking a friend to proofread your work will make sure there are no hidden typos that can make your website seem unprofessional.

Scannable text

We live in an age where we can track news on our smartphones in real-time. People want to find the information they need and fast. Most viewers will likely skim-read your website, so try not to leave big blocks of intimidating text that people will just pass over. Break up your text into small pieces, use bullet points, headings, and images to add more white space.

Clear call to action

Of course, you want people to enjoy your website, but if you have an online shop or business, the chances are your main goal is to encourage visitors to buy your product or service. Once your visitors is interested in what you’re offering, a good call to action can help convert them into a customer.

Use a link or a button with an active tone to convey an engaging and snappy action to give the visitor a clear direction. For example “Curious? Read on” or “Let’s go!” The trick is to create a sense of urgency or anticipation and get people excited about your product in a positive way.

One call to action on each page is a good rule of thumb and will avoid your visitors searching around your site to get started.

Whether you love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. Everyone is getting on the bandwagon; from Barack Obama being the first #POTUS on social media to more established brands realizing they have to change with the times.

Social media buttons should have pride of place on your homepage so visitors can easily “like” or “share” your post. It is an invaluable tool that previous generations didn’t have, to build up a fanbase and maximize exposure on a global scale.

#3 Solid infrastructure

Building a good-looking and easy-to-use website is only the element that people can see, but some of the most important aspects of a great website are happening behind the scenes and under the hood. These infrastructure elements can make or break even the prettiest website. Things like your technical SEO, your domain name, and the responsiveness of your website architecture.

If you are commissioning a website you should make sure these aspects are addressed in the design proposal. If you are building a website for others you should include these in your proposal (you can use this website design proposal template to save time).

Lay down solid foundations for SEO

Think that only humans will read your text? Think again. Google spiders are also crawling your website. There is a whole industry around SEO and keywords to get the best possible competitive edge.

Try to use words that people would type into Google to search for your website. For example, if you’re selling spiralizers on your website, you might want to drop in a few associated keywords or terms like “healthy lunches” or “healthy diet” in your website copy. If you are ready to go further but don’t have the luxury of an SEO expert on your team, try using Google’s Keyword Planner to find more search terms.

With most website builders, there are SEO settings that you can fill in on each page with a title and description. That will help Google know exactly what your page is about, and make your pages look better in search engine results.

Use a custom domain

A domain (website address) will show that you are professional and committed to your business or blog. Try to keep your domain name simple and catchy, so it sticks in people’s minds. If they love the service and remember your URL, the chances are they will pass it on to a friend.

If you can grab a “.com” domain for your business— great! Otherwise, there are also some good alternatives that you can associate with your brand, for example, “.org”, “.co.uk” or something like “.consulting” which is related to your business.

Build responsive page templates

Every day more people are checking websites on their mobile. This means your site has to look great on a desktop, tablet, and smartphone.

If you are building your website, make sure you have a responsive template active to help out mobile visitors. This may seem obvious to a more tech-savvy generation, but time and again I have checked out a reputable company’s website on my iPhone to find that text is all over the place. As a bonus, Google rewards mobile-friendly websites in its search results, so having a responsive template will help your search engine ranking.

Conclusion

Simplicity is key when building a successful website. Be creative with your content and imagery, but stick to a basic layout that visitors can navigate and understand.

Most importantly, remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither will your website. Think of it as a work in progress that you can improve gradually. Even if you don’t have everything checked off your list, you can get started with the basics, and then finesse the details later. Your website should be a fun experience so enjoy the ride!

Article provided by Jimdo, a simple way to build your business website, with no coding or special skills required.

The post 3 Essential elements of a successful website appeared first on WiseStamp.

Websites - WiseStamp

Turn on and off dark mode on Chrome

What is Dark mode?

How to set dark mode on Chrome?

Set dark Theme as the system default in Chrome

Apply dark mode to web content on Chrome

Change to dark mode theme on Chrome for macOS

Set dark Theme as the system default

Activate on dark mode Android OS

Activate on dark mode iPhone iOS

Change dark mode theme on iPhone iOS

Why is dark mode not working on iPhone iOS?

FAQs

Dark mode vs Dark theme

Dark mode VS Night mode

Conclusion

How to accept payments on my website (2024)

How to accept credit card payment on your site starting this week

Why should I accept payments online?

What are payment gateways and how to choose the right one

Most popular payment gateway and merchant account tools:

How to choose a merchant service provider

What are the best online payment services?

Ecommerce online payment options

1. Shopify

2. PayPal

3. Square

4. Stripe

Payment processing fees

8 best photo-sharing platforms to showcase photography & sell your work (2022)

Top photo-sharing platforms for photographers for this year

1. Flickr

2. 500PX

3. Behance

4. Instagram

5. Smugmug

6. Photobucket

7.Zenfolio

8. Pixpa

9. Fhotomerchant

What’s next?

25 best freelance job sites for 2023

11 top general freelance job sites

1. Fiverr

What is Fiverr?

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

How does it work?

Is it hard to open an account?

What does this website specialize in?

How much does the platform cost?

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

2. Upwork freelance

What is Upwork?

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

How does it work?

Is it hard to open an account?

What does this website specialize in?

How much does the platform cost?

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

4. Guru freelance

What is Guru?

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

How does it work?

Is it hard to open an account?

What does this website specialize in?

How much does the platform cost?

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

6. OnSite freelance

What is OnSite?

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

How does it work?

Is it hard to open an account?

What does this website specialize in?

How much does the platform cost?

How much monthly income can you make using this site?

7. Working nomads

What is Working Nomads?

What level of freelancer works on this platform?

How does it work?

Is it hard to open an account?