Want your website to be successful in 2016?
Our friends at Brainstation have helped us compile the five most important skills you need to gain some major digital traction in the New Year.
1. SEO / Analytics
Search Engine Optimization focuses on increasing your website’s exposure through the use of strategic keywords, linkbacks and meta descriptions. This has become pretty tricky because Google has gotten very good at flagging spammy websites. Learning the proper tactics to help bump your website’s Google search page results is the most valuable thing you can do when marketing your brand online.
2. HTML and CSS
HTML and CSS are two languages used for building websites. They work together to provide different features to your site, and the building blocks of ‘front-end’ development. Consider HTML as the foundation, and CSS as the interior design.
A website that’s not only useful but also eye-catching is crucial for your brand, so learning HTML and CSS is a must for anyone looking to build their digital skill-sets.
3. Product Management
A product manager manages a digital product from ideation to launch. This could range from websites to apps to wearable tech. As a product manager, you’re responsible for managing the various teams that are involved in building and designing this digital product – the web developers, designers, marketers etc. A good Product Manager knows how to keep a team motivated and collaborative, can delegate, and uses the appropriate tools to ensure a successful product delivery.
4. Learn Photoshop
Nowadays, it’s important to be a jack-of-all-trades, especially if you’re working for a startup. Being able to whip up creative for various marketing initiatives saves time and resources (outsourcing creative can get very, very expensive). Photoshop is the most-used design platforms out there. It can do anything from designing website and apps, to creating social media images, or Google AdWords ads. Don’t worry if design isn’t your thing, Photoshop is an incredibly most user-friendly tool.
5. Focus on User Experience Design
User Experience Design “UX Design,” focuses on a customer’s interaction with a digital or physical product. This ranges from the site’s layout, to how a customer subscribes to your newsletter, to the videos and graphics. A lot of factors enhance or hinder a customer’s experience. Through wire framing, prototyping and user-testing, companies can take measures to ensure each customer’s interaction with a product is optimized.
Remember, one poor user experience and you can lose a customer forever.
