Web design Archives - Phathus Designs

Why NASA Chose WordPress for Revamping Its Website

Phathutshedzo Rakhunwana — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 11:00:53 +0000

NASA has removed the beta label from the new nasa.gov website, which was launched on WordPress, replacing Drupal as the CMS. After a lengthy process, which required 18 months of active web development, data migration, and content building, NASA has emerged with modernized flagship and science websites, showcasing the innovation and discoveries that have defined the agency for more than 65 years.

The multi-million dollar project began a few years ago when a combination of the IDEA Act and Drupal 7 EOL provided an opportunity for NASA to reconsider the CMS they were using for nasa.gov. Lone Rock Point, a WordPress.com VIP Gold Agency Partner, led the project, which began with a year of UX design and an evaluation of various enterprise CMS’s that would ultimately end up supporting 456 CMS users, 68,698 migrated pages, and 3,023 new landing pages. As part of the project, NASA’s website infrastructure was migrated from an Amazon Web Services environment to WordPress.com VIP.

“In earlier discovery phases of the project, content authors were were vocal that they were interested in a CMS that allowed them to break free of templates that were perceived to be rigid,” Lone Rock Point President J.J. Toothman said. “The block based authoring approach of Gutenberg is delivering on that and user testing showed that WordPress could provide that. Now that the site is live, the different types of landing pages being created with block based approach further validates that.”

NASA evaluated both proprietary and open source solutions, and Toothman said they took a high level look at over a hundred CMS platforms. They narrowed it down to four CMS’s – two were commercial and two were open source (WordPress and Drupal). The team completed high level prototyping and user evaluation on all four of the finalists, and used this data in the CMS selection process.

Toothman outlined a few of the factors that set WordPress apart from the others:

Access to resources. Simply put, there’s a huge community around WordPress. That community is extending WordPress in innovative ways; sharing knowledge and training for WordPress; and continuously building up WordPress skills amongst the community. That makes it easier for an organization like NASA to acquire support. There’s options for that. What was found with commercial CMS solutions is that, more often than not, NASA would have to go back to the original CMS vendor to find resources. That’s limited flexibility, which is undesirable for them.
A plugin ecosystem that delivered real time content analysis capabilities within the WordPress admin environment in the ares of SEO and accessibility. The fact that content could be analyzed by the author before it was published was significant.
Ease of use of the content authoring environment

“It’s a big win for open source,” Toothman said. “There were a number of CMS capabilities that would have been more time consuming to implement without previous work by others in the WordPress community.”

He cited the integration that the NASA WordPress site has with NASA’s image library at images.nasa.gov as one example. Content authors in the CMS can search for images in the library and include them in their content via an augmentation that was made to the WordPress media library. Human Made did some previous work with commercial digital asset management solutions that NASA was able to leverage for the images.nasa.gov integration.

NASA Goes All In on WordPress’ Block Editor

The block editor’s flexibility for authoring landing pages and breaking free of a rigid templating system was one of the most important factors in NASA’s selection of WordPress as a CMS. As part of the project, Lone Rock Point created 55 custom editor blocks to help NASA website authors share discoveries and tell their stories.

NASA’s Tabbed Content block – source: Lone Rock Point

“There’s over 400 content authoring/editor users in NASA’s WordPress CMS,” Toothman said. “With that many users, there’s a lot of variance in pre-existing familiarity to WordPress and Gutenberg. It was challenging. The learning curve was more significant than expected and change management was a big part of this project.

“Some took the block editor quickly, others needed more support. It wasn’t just learning the mechanics of a new CMS, but learning about the storytelling options available via the new design system and the block editor. We built a lot of custom of blocks to bring the design system to live in WordPress, while also attempting to adhere to the intention of those design system components.”

Toothman and his team found strategic ways of helping new block editor users become familiar with the authoring tools. They created hands-on training and working sessions to build pages in real time alongside users and created an online knowledge base.

“To encourage the user community as they learned the new CMS, we created weekly blogs and newsletters that featured screenshots of pages in progress,” Toothman said. “Seeing their peers’ work and out-of-the-box use of the custom blocks, users were inspired to try different things and ask more questions. Our content team held weekly office hours for managing editors to answer questions users may have, hold live demonstrations, and collect feedback to produce more user resources.

“By creating an environment that invites discussion, collaboration, and creativity, the content team was able to enforce content quality control standards on a massive scale while delivering a high-quality end-user experience.”

Toothman said he was surprised and delighted by the creative ways authors utilized certain blocks.

“Content authors figured out ways to use some of the custom Gutenberg editor blocks as design layout options and broke free of the content intention they were originally designed for,” he said.

NASA will be open sourcing some of its custom blocks and other pieces of the project to give back to the WordPress community as part of the roadmap. The completed project stands as a high-profile testament to the agency’s confidence in the block editor and the wider ecosystem of available tools. It also highlights WordPress as a reliable CMS with exemplary adaptability for enterprise-level projects with complex publishing requirements.

“For years, myself and many of us in the WordPress community have been mythbusting the perception from customer stakeholders in 2 areas: (a) WordPress isn’t enterprise. It’s just a blogging platform. (B) WordPress is not a secure CMS,” Toothman said.

“While I don’t expect NASA choosing WordPress to wipe out those pre-existing perceptions, it is further evidence to support the fact that WordPress is enterprise class, and that it can meet security benchmarks.”.

Website Vs Facebook Page

Phathutshedzo Rakhunwana — Fri, 05 May 2023 20:12:42 +0000

Introduction

Welcome to the 21st century where entry into the business world has become more competitive than ever before. In order to have a successful business, it is imperative that your business stands out both online and in the real world. Word of mouth and social media while effective, are not sufficient. Consumers need to be made aware of the niche or gap in the market that your product or service is.

This article does not serve to discredit the usefulness of social media in the marketing of a business (a Facebook page for a business has its place). It aims to shed light on the shortcomings of Facebook when considering your business’ online presence. This article sets out 5 main reasons why having only a Facebook page as your online presence for your small business just doesn’t cut it and why you need to invest in a business website.

1. A business website builds credibility for your business

The current business market is heavily saturated and if you want your business to thrive it is imperative that your business stands out. In the online world without names, faces or people the effectiveness of your online presence must speak for you. One way to stand out is to build your online credibility. Anyone can have a Facebook page, and let’s be honest, we have all come across some rather suspect looking pages on Facebook, but only a credible and professional business will have invested time and money into a business website.

Facebook

Credibility is the first place where Facebook will fall short for your small business needs. It is generic, free, and widely available to everyone, including scam businesses. Whilst this tool is beneficial for a small business to get their name out (or ensuring a comprehensive online presence) it also puts all businesses into the same box. When a business only has a Facebook page to represent their online presence it prevents the consumer from distinguishing a well-established, credible company from an at-home start-up business.

There is no filtering option or standard upon which to compare businesses and this means that a company such as Dunkin Donuts will have the same ranking as the small coffee shop down the road. In addition, when searching for a service or product, the consumer will be returned many identical Facebook pages to choose from. So without a website, you will receive no preferential ranking for your growing company and your online presence will remain stagnant.

Your Business Website

In contrast, by investing in a well made and professional business website, your online credibility will only improve. Having a user-friendly, well designed, and professional website gives an excellent first impression of your business to the consumer and aids the legitimacy of your business (as a scammer is unlikely to go through the effort and cost to create a beautiful website). By having a professional website, a certain level of trust is built subconsciously and confidence is instilled in the consumer. They become less sceptical and place a trust in you that puts you above your competitors. Now, factors such as price, quality and service become your arsenal for gaining new clients. Credibility also aids your SEO ranking meaning more people will find your business faster.

See: What Is SEO And Why Do I Need It For My Website?

2. A business website allows for more accessible, well organised information

One of your most vital roles as a business owner is fulfilling your customer’s needs. If it is a new customer, they have no allegiance to you so if you don’t give them what they want (promptly) they will look for it elsewhere. While social media aids in making some of your information accessible and expanding your online presence, it is generic which ultimately results in the customer suffering.

Facebook

Facebook pages allow businesses to advertise for free on the social network. Facebook is like an online Yellow Pages (telephone book), all of the relevant information is there, but it can be tedious to find and limits the way in which you can promote your product specifically. It allows you to give a description of your product, contact details, a picture in a specific spot, and an interactive news-feed to post and respond to posts. This all sounds great, and to a certain degree is great, however, every business’s Facebook page has the exact same layout. There is little individuality or Woww factor (excuse the pun) and this is hinders you as a business owner attempting to get your brand to stand out.

Business Website

A website gives contact details and other vital information, but also so much more. It is an opportunity to show off your businesses brand, your values, purpose, and lets you put your best foot forward. Time is money and having a website allows you to prioritize your information based on what your customers want to see first. You can make it uniquely yours by organising your information in a business specific manner, making it interactive, relevant to your business (such as your menu, reviews, blogs and news), and giving your customer an experience they will remember and come back for.

3. A business website helps your SEO and ultimately your Google ranking

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the rising star in the world of marketing. In essence it pertains to your ranking in search engine results. If someone Googles the product you sell, you want your business to be one of the first links on the first page. Think of how many times you have gone onto page 2, I’d bet you could count on one hand. Consumers are the same, they don’t want to (and won’t) search for you. You have to make yourself present and make it easy for them to find you. Good SEO will translate into a stronger more credible online presence that works all day and all night to get you more customers. The article “What Is SEO And Why Do I Need It For My Website?” is worth a read if you want to find out more about SEO.

Another goal, as a small business is wanting to rank organically. You want someone to search your product and have your business name appear. Organic ranking saves you money as you will have less advertising to do.

Facebook

In terms of online presence, a Facebook page alone is very weak. A weak or low online presence translates to a low search engine ranking. Compounding this low ranking is the indistinguishability of Facebook pages.

Business Website

To give your business the advantage you need to get your business to appear as one of the first links. Unless you are selling Iguanas in some remote Icelandic town, with a Facebook page as your only online presence and someone searches for you directly, it is unlikely that you will be highly ranked. You need to have a website. A website helps your organic ranking (as websites rank higher than Facebook pages) and allows you to to optimize your SEO. You can and improve your ranking further by creating content, such as this article, and building links between other websites. Think of your website as your hardest working marketer, available 24/7 bringing interested customers to your business.

4. A business website grants you access to Google Analytics

An incredible tool, Google Analytics, can’t be used by Facebook pages. Google Analytics allows you to learn about your audience. You can see who viewed your site, where they are from, how long they visited for, how they linked to your site and where they looked and what they clicked on your site. This information allows you to perform market research with minimal effort. Or to constantly analyse consumer trends, identify shortcomings on your website, and increase overall user experience.

Facebook

Facebook allows you to see who has liked your page (along with the rest of the Facebook community). That’s it. Facebook is a third party site, and doesn’t give you the permissions to access this information. As a result you have no idea of how your online presence is being received and utilized. This can even be a negative for your business. If few people have liked your page (say as a result of it being new) others may be misinformed about the quality of the product or service and you could even lose business.

Business Website

Google Analytics and all of the features it comes with are available to you when you have a business website. It allows you to target your customers more directly as you can see where they originate from. Be it from a link on Google from South Africa or a link on Bing! from the UK. You can identify what and where you need to change it. This will keep you on top of your sales trends.

5. A business website allows for your business to be identifiable

For a business to thrive, it needs to be individualized and distinguishable from the rest. Your business website design is crucial to building the brand of your small business.

Facebook

If you look on any Facebook page, it is the branding of Facebook that is most prominent. This makes any attempt to individualize your business from a competitor’s using a Facebook page very difficult. You can change your pictures and name but not the size or placements on the page. This makes your business look very similar to any other and defeats the point of your Facebook marketing.

Business Website

By having a business website, you are able to customize what you want. Create a website and you will be one step further to creating a brand for your small business. By knowing who your target market is, you’re able to design your website to suit their needs. You are able to add pictures, interactive features, and customize it. This will align your website with your business brand and goals.

Conclusion

When starting a business and planning your marketing strategy, you want to stand out from other businesses and a business website offers you an individuality that a Facebook page simply cannot. Social media is important, there is no denying that, but it has its place. It is insufficient to fulfill the ever changing and increasing needs of an online presence for a business. This is why you need a website, to set your business apart from the rest.

Woww offers you a professional website and websites will build credibility for your business, allows your customers more accessibility to information and will help your SEO ranking. It will also allows you access to incredible user insights with Google Analytics. The most important benefit is that it allows your business to stand out in the online market place.

Why Do I Need A Website For My Startup Business?

Phathus Designs — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 05:09:40 +0000

You may deny it if you want, but we are living in the age of technology and having a site for your business is no longer a nice addition – it’s a necessity. Your website is your online storefront and works like an extended business card. If someone is looking for you they should be able to find you, your product/service and contact information all in one place. This is why you should have a professional website up and running by the time you launch your business.

Online Storefront

A website for your business is like an online storefront; people get their first impression of your business from your websites. This is why it is imperative that your website is professional, and that you don’t compromise on its quality, or cut any corners in the process of making one.

Increased number of customers

There are more than 2.4 billion people on the internet each day and about 90% of those people who have bought something online. If you don’t have some form of good online presence you are losing out on a large portion of customers.

Free Marketing Demographics

Marketing demographics refers to data collected from the users who visit your site. This type of market research is invaluable, as it shows who is looking at your site, on which device and how they interact with your website.

See: What is Google Analytics

Better credibility

Having a professional website shows that you have put time and effort into your business and marketing plan. By having a good website, you can improve the credibility and value of your business to your viewers. You will also show that you are taking this business venture seriously and are not afraid to invest in important and worthwhile aspects of starting a successful business.

See: Website Vs Facebook Page

Runs all day, every day

Think of websites as your hardest working salesperson or representative. A website is up and running 24/7 without any supervision. Anyone, at any time, can find out important details about your business outside of the normal trading hours. You are always available to your customers with a website, which is always appreciated.

Communication with Customers

A website is a great way to stay connected to your customers. You can include a blog or feed to your site which allows for you to keep your customers updated with the latest promotions, details, events and gain feedback from them to improve their experience.

Free Marketing

You may not realise, but by having a website with good SEO, you are getting free marketing. You increase your chances of being found naturally from Google Searches, rank higher on Search Engine Result Pages and can use backlinks and referrals to get your company name heard.

See: Organic Versus Paid For Search Results

Personalized email address

By having your own website, that has its own domain, you can get your own personalized email address eg. george@phathusdesign.com. This is more professional than a generic or personal email through hotmail or gmail. It is also helps potential customers remember your business name

Customer Support

A website allow you to support your customers before, during and after the sale of a product or service. Users can easily ask questions and contact your business if they have any queries. It can also save you a lot of time to creates a FAQ page if clients and users ask you a similar set questions often.

Conclusion

Many startup owners are scared to approach a professional website designer because they expect exorbitantly high prices and don’t fully understand how important a professional website is for a business. Woww offers a service to create an affordable and professional website in just one week. With no compromise on quality, we will provide you with an amazing, affordable website for your business.

Check out our pricing or contact us if you have any questions.

Why Have A Mobile Friendly Website In South Africa

Phathus Designs — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 05:11:27 +0000

Mobile Friendly Websites

Smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other mobile devices are found everywhere. This means that more and more people are using these devices and not laptops or PC’s to search and shop online. Since mobile devices tend to have smaller displays and include touchscreen elements, your standard website will become ineffective. Image distortion, the incorrect display of content and difficulty in browsing on a mobile device will likely cause you to lose mobile traffic. Being mobile friendly is what your customers want and you need to provide this, but there are other factors that also require some consideration.

The world is going mobile

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know that smartphones are everywhere. This means that everyone is connected to the internet through their mobile device and websites need to accommodate for this. Today, 1.2 billion people are accessing the web from mobile devices. And an incredible 80% of all internet users use a smartphone. In other words, if they’re online, they are most likely doing it through their phones. Moreover, the number of mobile users is only increasing.

While visitors to your site want a mobile friendly experience, they also want the option to view your site from a PC or laptop. There is an easy solution to this. Choose to have a responsive website which recognizes the device being used (laptop, PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) and will adjust and resize itself. This lets you accommodate all device users.

You can drop in your Google ranking

Google recognises pages that are mobile friendly and ranks these higher than sites that are not. So, if you want to have a good page ranking and keep traffic coming to your site a Mobile friendly site is critical.

See: What is Google Analytics

Mobile users behave differently

Mobile users tend to consume a disproportionately high amount of visual media, with a major focus on short video and images. This means you need a different approach to harness the power of these media forms to attract mobile traffic. Your mobile site needs to be simple, fast and succinct in order to capture attention and to be user friendly.

Social media referrals are on mobile

The majority of mobile consumption is for social activities. If your business is involved social media marketing of any sort, you will mostly likely be getting high volumes of traffic from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile friendly, it means you are negating your advertising efforts and wasting money.

A good mobile site can give you the edge

Although mobile browsing is the future, surprisingly few websites have made the change. This gives your business a great opportunity to stand out from the competition and increase your website traffic.

6 Top Professional Websites Build By Us

Phathus Designs — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 14:06:26 +0000

6 Top Professional Websites Built By Us

In today’s digital age, a professional website is a vital asset for any business or brand. At Phathus Design, we take pride in crafting visually stunning and functionally robust websites tailored to meet our clients’ unique needs. Here are six of our top professional websites that showcase our commitment to quality, creativity, and client satisfaction.

1. Oishi Sushi

Website: oishi.co.za

Oishi Sushi is a modern sushi restaurant that wanted a website reflecting its fresh and vibrant dining experience. We created a sleek, user-friendly design that features an interactive menu, online ordering capabilities, and beautiful imagery. The site not only captivates visitors but also enhances their dining experience, allowing them to explore the menu and place orders with ease.

2. MSC Sushi

Website: mscsushi.com

MSC Sushi approached us to revamp their online presence. We designed a clean and sophisticated website that highlights their wide range of sushi offerings. The site features high-quality images, easy navigation, and a blog section to engage customers with sushi-making tips and news. This new platform has significantly improved their customer engagement and online orders.

3. PD Grand Store

Website: pdgrandstore.com

As a tech and electronics company, PD Grand Store required a modern e-commerce website that showcases their product range. We developed a fully functional online store featuring seamless navigation, product categorization, and secure payment options. The website’s responsive design ensures a smooth shopping experience across all devices, increasing customer satisfaction and sales.

4. Light & Day Designs

Website: lightanddaydesigns.com

Light & Day Designs, a start-up specializing in women’s garments, needed a minimalist yet elegant website. We crafted a visually appealing site with a focus on their collections and brand story. The use of soft colors and floral elements enhances the brand’s identity, while the responsive layout ensures accessibility on all devices. This website serves as a perfect showcase for their products, driving online interest and sales.

5. Greahub

Website: greahub.ca

Greahub is an innovative platform that offers inventory management solutions. We built a comprehensive website that features user authentication, payment processing, and an easy-to-use interface. Our focus on UX design ensures that users can navigate the site efficiently, while robust back-end systems handle complex data management tasks seamlessly.

6. SUSCO (The Sustainability Communication Company)

Website: susco.co

SUSCO required a dynamic listings website that effectively communicates their commitment to sustainability. We designed a website that integrates powerful search functionalities, user-friendly navigation, and engaging visuals. Our collaboration resulted in a site that not only informs but also inspires visitors to engage with sustainability initiatives actively.

Why Choose Phathus Design?

At Phathus Design, we understand that each business has unique goals and challenges. Our approach is tailored, ensuring we build websites that are not only visually appealing but also functional and optimized for performance. Our team of skilled designers and developers work collaboratively with clients, turning their visions into reality.

If you’re ready to elevate your online presence with a professional website, contact us today to discuss how we can help!