Author: Eliyahna

  • What’s An API? How does it work?

    What’s An API? How does it work?

    What is an API? In some ways, it’s not as complicated as you think but in other ways probably more complex than you might imagine. An API is an “application program interface” like a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. It directs software components on how to interact with one another. An API may be for a web-based system, operating system, database system, computer hardware, or software library.

    Here’s a great analogy that was written by MuleSoft. “Imagine you’re sitting at a table in a restaurant with a menu of choices to order from. The kitchen is the part of the “system” that will prepare your order. What is missing is the critical link to communicate your order to the kitchen and deliver your food back to your table. That’s where the waiter or API comes in. The waiter is the messenger – or API – that takes your request or order and tells the kitchen – the system – what to do. Then the waiter delivers the response back to you; in this case, it is the food.”

    So specifically… how can they help your website? The following list contains several examples of popular APIs that add a lot of valuable functionality and interactivity to a web page:

    1. Twitter offers two APIs. The REST API allows developers to access core Twitter data and the Search API provides methods for developers to interact with Twitter Search and trends data.
    2. Google‘s APIs lets developers integrate YouTube videos and functionality into websites or applications.
    3. Google Maps APIs lets developers embed Google Maps on webpages. The Google Maps API is responsive and will work on mobile devices and desktop browsers.
    4. The Flickr API is used by developers to access the Flick photo sharing community data.
    5. Amazon‘s Product Advertising API gives developers access to Amazon’s product selection and discovery functionality to advertise Amazon products to monetize a website.
    6. FedEx or USPS API returns the current shipping prices required to ship products purchased through an online shopping cart system.

    If you’ve ever visited a website and received a message in your browser that the site is asking for your location, that website is attempting to use the geolocation API. APIs like this instruct the browser to access GPS or nearby Wi-Fi networks to find your current physical location.

    If you’ve ever wanted to capture photos or video from an iPhone’s camera, you wouldn’t have to write your own camera interface. You would simply use the camera API to embed the iPhone’s built-in camera in your app. If APIs like this didn’t exist already, app developers would have to create their own camera software and interpret the camera hardware’s inputs themselves. But Apple’s developers have done the work so that the developers can use the camera API to embed a camera, and then get on with building their app. Best of all, when a developer improves their API, all the apps that rely on it will get the same improvements automatically.

    This simplicity and ease of use offered to developers who take advantage of APIs apply to every platform. For example, if you want to create a dialog box on Windows, there’s an API for that. If you want to support fingerprint authentication on an app for Android there’s an API for that, too. APIs allow developers to make greater strides when building unique content or applications because they don’t have to spend a lot of time reinventing the wheel over and over but use the appropriate API to accomplish previously defined functionalities.

    If you’d like help installing and integrating an API into your website, contact us. We’d be happy to lend a hand!

  • How To Get Started With Ecommerce

    How To Get Started With Ecommerce

    If you’ve ever wondered how to get started with ecommerce, you’re not alone. Sellers with their own online stores have to really plan their e-commerce strategy to ensure success. They have complete control over their customers’ experiences which is a wonderful thing. Using a venue like eBay or Amazon comes with a lot of over-branding and restrictive seller policies that might rather be avoided. Whether it’s rearranging product placement or highlighting a store sale, merchants can use their own e-commerce website to directly connect with their customers and encourage purchases.

    You can browse industry-specific niches online right now to find conversations about products in your industry, trends, and how people view the current marketplace. This will help reveal a layer of information to you that will enable you to better understand the digital landscape. You can also go further by visiting specific niches that a majority of your users show interest in, even if they aren’t directly related to your industry. How do you think the buzz around their brand is converting?

    According to a Kissmetrics study, 93% of online buyers say the visual appearance of a website is the most important factor when making a purchase which makes knowing how to get started with e-commerce imperative. While it takes about 50 milliseconds for users to decide if they like your site or not, you never get a second chance to make that first impression. You’ll want to be as creative as possible because a first impression can last for years, and the right one helps you with gaining long-term customers. Take the time to invest in the best design possible, with a site that is optimized to perform on any device to ensure a positive experience for every visitor.

    To create a profitable online store, you can learn to code or sign up for a new website that is custom designed by a professional in the industry. Free websites, again, come with a lot of over-branding and proprietary restrictions that can cost you too much in the long run. Some of the best ideas to attract users and keep them attached to your site are offering the appropriate pricing, giving free shipping and making the purchase process as short as possible, while ensuring that the checkout process is as easy as possible with simplified shopping carts.

    People are more likely to click on links and read through content if it includes photos. When you can, it’s a great idea to take your own professional photos to keep people engaged. According to research made by 3M, the corporation behind Post-it Notes, visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. Additionally, 65% of people are visual learners according to the Social Science Research Network. As a result, one of the best ways to drive your message to your customers is through visual content like photos, videos, and graphic designs.

    Product and service reviews provide the best social credibility, convincing other customers to buy products based on real user feedback. How many times have you bought something online because of its ratings and reviews? Retained or return customers give you a longer opportunity to learn more about them and form a better long-term relationship. The more of a consistent audience that you build, the more effective your data analysis can be. Getting to know your customers and getting a better understanding of their needs will enable you to offer better, more effective products and services than your competitors.

    Work on ways to reward your long term customers for their loyalty. Developing a loyalty base is another way to increase conversions from your current customers while rewarding them for their repeat purchases.

    Last but not least, make sure you get your product or service to your customer as quickly as possible. We live in a “microwave society.” Everyone wants to push a button and have it done in 30 seconds. The faster you provide top-notch products to your customers, the more quickly their “itch” is satisfied and, typically, the faster they’ll come back to you!

  • Why Offer Instant Push Notifications?

    Why Offer Instant Push Notifications?

    Why Offer Push Notifications?

    Push notifications not only drive repeat traffic but also repeat and real-time engagement. There are a lot of profitable reasons to use them. Web alerts are an innovative way of letting your users know there is something new and exciting on your blog. You can use web push notifications to drive more traffic to your blog by pushing well-performing articles from the past as well as brand new posts. Not only does this help bring more traffic to your site, it reminds subscribers of old, yet relevant content. You can use push notifications as your main method of communication, or just to complement your other communication channels. Some writers use them to urge patrons to subscribe to the email newsletter so that they can engage with them through the email channels as well.

    Whether it’s a new iPhone or a new car, everyone wants to be the first to own it. Since people like to be first, use push to inform the early adopters on your list of your latest inventory to generate a quick boost in sales and maintain a good engagement rate.

    Web Push Notifications are by far the fastest way to engage with customers. You can reach out to customers instantly, even when the user is not on your site. There are many advantages of using Web Push notifications!

    Fortunately, a mobile app isn’t needed to receive any notifications – a Web Push Notification is browser-based and so without a mobile app, you can reach out to customers instantly with news, sales, or announcements. “Push” features a really easy opt-in for users with just one click and the user doesn’t have to share any personal details.

    Push gets a much higher opt-in ratio because the sign-up process is so simple compared to the old email opt-in methods.

    Subscribers receive instant delivery because the web Push Notifications are delivered in real time to the users’ browser.

    They’re even delivered when the user is not on your website. You’ll have the ability to re-engage with the user on any browser on a computer, apple, or android device.

    Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on items from their wishlist if they were available on discount? I know I would! Push is a terrific way to notify patrons of specials and sales. This single type of web push notification is capable of bringing a lot of repeat traffic to your website. Web push notifications are even more effective in communicating deals that are time limited. They create an urgency to check out an offer before the time on the deal runs out.

    If you’re starting a new fundraiser or a charity drive, sending web push notifications will get the word out to your subscribers faster than a speeding bullet. Sending out web push notifications and informing users of fundraising events or donation drives on a regular basis will help you achieve your goals much faster than traditional methods that are easily missed.

    Another great way to use push notifications is for gifting! (for example – Congratulations! You have been with us for 1 year already, and as a thank you, we’d like to give you a 20% discount on any item from our bestseller list).

    Location-focused push notifications can be used to invite local patrons to frequent your establishment. (for example – Our closest store is only 3 miles away from you, click here to receive a special discount coupon)

    Feel good messages are also a popular way to use Push. These kinds of notifications can be sent to encourage, provide daily tips for success, or just to say good morning!

    Of course, messages that are purely for marketing, like “come take a peek at our new line of products” are always a great way to draw repeat traffic. Once you have your push notification strategy formulated, make sure to use A/B testing on the messages. Even tiny changes in the copy-writing can have a huge impact on conversion. Take care that your users are not getting too many pushes.

    Keep a close eye on strategies to determine those that might lead to users disallowing push notifications. If there are no more deliveries for some segments, try to analyze what has annoyed your users.

    Overall, push notifications are a winning marketing strategy for businesses of all kinds. Sending well-considered, relevant, and timely notification messages to people who already have an interest in your company is a great marketing tactic. Through careful planning and a focus on your business goals, you can use push notifications to add engagement growth and to better retain your existing customer base. Sign up to add push notifications to your website today!

  • Website Anatomy – What elements are there?

    Website Anatomy – What elements are there?

    Website Anatomy 101

    The clients I’ve met over the years have had a wide variety of knowledge regarding website anatomy. Some are super savvy side-line coders and others are more like the analog type and know nothing of the internet aside from email. Most are somewhere in between the two with a working knowledge of some of the basics and maybe a few intermediate terms. One trend I’ve noticed when discussing web design with a new client is that they often don’t know how to explain their chosen alterations because they’re not sure how to describe the area of interest. I’ll talk here about the anatomy of a website’s exterior and explain the most common sections, elements, their names, and their functionalities.

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  • Is My Website Alive!? How Is It Changing?

    Is My Website Alive!? How Is It Changing?

    Is My Website Alive!?

    When things start changing on their own or your website suddenly stops functioning for no apparent reason, you might wonder “Is my website alive? What is going on here?” Well, you could say that your site is alive (more…)

  • Should You Use A CDN? Why or Why Not?

    Should You Use A CDN? Why or Why Not?

    Should you use a CDN?

    One of the biggest goals of website owners and developers is to serve their data quickly. When someone visits on a desktop computer or a pocket-sized smartphone, they should have equal ability to (more…)

  • How content is king on your website

    How content is king on your website

    There’s no question that with Google’s superior algorithms and AI that content is king on your website.

    Using the volume and depth of content to provide a better and more complete experience for your visitors is the best way to ensure (more…)

  • How to get the best out of your Graphic Designer

    How to get the best out of your Graphic Designer

    How to get the best out of your Graphic Designer

    Over the years, I’ve been through many different types of projects with graphic designers. I’ve seen project managers using various methods in working with graphic designers that either flew or flopped (more…)

  • What is Eliyahna Creative, LLC.?

    What is Eliyahna Creative, LLC.?

    What is Eliyahna Creative?

    Eliyahna (E-lee-YAH-nuh) Creative provides professional services to small, medium, and large businesses all over the world, remotely. Some of our services include custom web development, web design, graphic design, (more…)

  • How to use shapes to shout out loud

    How to use shapes to shout out loud

    Using shapes to shout out loud or just to accentuate a point can generate a greater response from your audience.

    A great deal of thought goes into the shapes and colors used in web and graphic design techniques for good reason. Different colors and shapes tend to convey a (more…)