How To Optimize Your Wild Apricot Website

The ever changing demands placed on the modern website require quick and efficient adaptability in order to remain relevant to your visitors. This is especially true for designers, whose business is always evolving and challenging.

The goal of a great Wild Apricot website is not only to attract visitors, but to funnel those visitors into a desired action; to get in touch, to subscribe to your newsletter or to join your organization. This article will therefore provide several tips designers can use to improve their skills and meet the demands of their user-base.

1. Incorporate videos

People respond to videos more than they do to images and text. Why? Glad you asked. According to this article from iM Media Connection – it is because ‘[t]he answer lies in the ways our brains are designed to read and process information…” I agree there is some kind of weird visual/emotional/personal connection that is made or can be made via video that cannot via text alone. So, if you are considering video it can be a good thing.

2. Choose fonts carefully

Fonts and typography are an important aspect of every visual identity. Big brands, such as Coca Cola, Yahoo, and Skype have very distinctive typography which makes them instantly recognizable. This can be further emphasized if the typography is used for certain website elements, such as headlines.

Furthermore, font can also subtly indicate the type of business – serious or more relaxed, more visual or more factual and informative. The important thing is to make sure the fonts you choose function across all important browsers.

3. Images – the larger the better

Websites are not complete without images, and the current trend is to make them as big as you can. This relates to both hero images or banners, and product/feature images.

For banners, since they are usually the first thing visitors see when they arrive at your website, it is important to make a good first impression no matter the device. So responsiveness is also important. 

Google has very clear guidelines as to optimization of images as well. They effect page load times, and we all know in today’s web enviroment page load times are nothing to shrug at. 

4. Your logo is your visual identity

The optimization of a Wild Apricot website’s about design can’t be complete without mentioning logos. They have evolved in terms of design, from elaborate and complicated images, to simpler and cleaner approach. 

It is important to get the logo right from the very beginning. however understand that overtime your logo must evolve much like these famous logos have. You will change your logo, just make sure it is always for the better. Notice how McDonalds logo went from complex to simple over the years? 

One more thing which is important when it comes to logo is to always bear in mind its internet presence. It must be simple so that people can evoke it easily – attention span of an average internet user is very short. Furthermore, is should also function as a button, in the way social networks have incorporated elements of their logo to crate buttons.

5. Take print design into account

This feature doesn’t apply to all websites or organizations, but if your organization is more visually oriented in its promotion, you may want to incorporate insist that your design or brand carry over seamlessly to print. This will provide viewers with easily memorable bits of information and relate them quickly to your brand. Print, as usually that forgotten medium but note that it simply is an extension of your brand.

6. Make use of hamburger menus

Hamburger menus are an excellent way to make the design of a website cleaner, however there are alternatives like the use of [yes good ole fashion] Tabs.  According to Zalton at Medium .com hamburger menus are, well… hurting your UX metrics. See Google’s article on choosing the right UX Metrics.

An example of non-hamburger menus is Google’s News website. 

Conclusion

One of the key features of a kick butt Wild Apricot website is its ability to help you achieve your short and medium term goals. Weather conversions to memberships, or registrations to a key event… these are key points [we hope] you can use when taking on the task of putting your best Wild Apricot foot word. 

This article is a collaboration between Felix Figuereo and Steven Clarke from Seo Reseller.”