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How to Find Quality Images

Where to Find Quality Images for Your Website

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If there is a thing that will make your website look more professional, trustworthy, and appealing in a second, it’s definitely adding high-quality images. How many times have you heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? You don’t have to be a graphic designer or a photographer to have access to high-resolution images for free.

The website background image is just the beginning…

Using better images on your website is the fastest way to brighten up the look and feel of your website with the least amount of work – regardless if it’s a personal website, business website, online store or blog. By choosing the right images, you can instantly make your products more attractive and desirable, make your ideas more influential, and show your expertise while inspiring trust. The visual part of your website can, therefore, make a noticeable difference in terms of the brand’s success.

People like nice things

Remember, people do like nice things: they favor and visit pages with visual and easy-to-scan information. High-quality and relevant images help visitors understand what your pages are about quickly, improving your audience’s experiences on your website. Images help increase views and user engagement – users will spend more time on your website and share it more often.

A search engine like Google Images will quickly show you any shot you could ever want, but using them will almost certainly violate someone’s copyright as many of the images have been used illegally. Fortunately, there is a simple and safe alternative: a growing number of websites with beautiful stock photography popping up all over the web. Yes, there are plenty of online libraries offering free images that you can use, even commercially, at no cost to you.

google images

Licenses – how to recognize free images

How free is free? Some websites allow you to download pictures for private use (wallpaper for your screen) but will disallow images for commercial use (e.g. business cards, websites, or posters). Thankfully, many photographs are free from copyright restrictions or licensed under creative commons zero public domain dedication (or CC0), meaning that you can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Some photos, however, may still require attribution.

1. Pixabay

Pixabay is a vibrant community of creative people releasing all content under CC0. You will find more than 1.5 million royalty-free stock photos, vector graphics, illustrations, and also videos safe to use without asking for permission or giving credit to the artist.

Pixlbay

2. Pexels

All photos on Pexels can be used for free commercial and non-commercial purposes, without any attribution required. You can be creative and edit the photos as you like. The Pexels team takes all images from other free image sources like Pixabay, Gratisography, Little Visuals, etc.

3. Unsplash

In 2013, Unsplash added the tagline “10 photos every 10 days” when they only had 10 photos for the first version of Unsplash. Then, it has grown into an industry-leading photography community. In April 2018, it passed 500,000 photos. Available for commercial and non-commercial uses, editing and copying allowed and no attribution required.

4. Picjumbo

It all started when all of the regular stock photo sites rejected photos of a Czech designer and photographer due to “insufficient quality.“ In 2013, Viktor Hanacek created Picjumbo with free pictures in full resolution and now counts more than 6 million downloads. All photos are free for commercial use, however, registered trademarks and brands must be respected.

5. Gratisography

They claim to be the world’s quirkiest collection of free high-resolution images, the world’s best, most creative images included. If you are searching for photos you just won’t find anywhere else, try Gratisography. You can find almost anything you can think of.

6. StockSnap

Hundreds of high-quality and high-resolution stock images free from all copyright restrictions (CC0) are added weekly on Stocksnap, with no attribution required. Check StockSnap’s tag-based category system to find images that convey the right mood, feeling, sense, or content that you need.

7. ISO Republic

ISO Republic offers thousands of high-resolution free stock photos under CC0, with more being added weekly. They also launched Foodie Factor, a website providing the best free food and drink stock photos. This website will make you indescribably hungry.

With these resources, we are confident that you will manage to get the best pictures to make your blog, personal, or business website unforgettable!

Below are some fun tools to take your images to the next level:

Canva

Canva is a tool loaded with enough easy-to-use features and functionality that anyone can create a variety of engaging content that gets shared.

Canva

Duotone by ShapeFactory

With Duotone by ShapeFactory, you can find beautiful free duotone images to use in any project, or make custom duotone images by uploading your own image and applying a duotone effect.

Duotone

Pixlr

Pixlr is a free online photo editor right in your browser. Experience next-level, intuitive photo editing with AI-powered tools for quick yet professional edits. 

Pixlr

Newsletter Design Principals

Why You Should Invest in Newsletter Design

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The emergence and continued growth of social media marketing have caused many organizations to put all their energies into these emerging platforms and, for some, email marketing has become an afterthought.

Did you know that 72% of people prefer to receive promotional information through email, compared to only 17% who prefer social media?

If you have moved on from email marketing to strictly utilizing social media outlets, you might want to rethink this strategy. Not everyone is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but EVERYONE has an email address. 

Here are some ways email marketing design matters in email marketing best practices:

Design for Mobile Devices

Mobile Newsletter

More people own smartphones than a desktop or laptop, and that means people spend significantly more time on their mobile devices.

Most email design platforms now come with a wide array of mobile-optimized newsletter templates. It makes sense to consider how the layout will appear on the smallest screen your subscriber may be utilizing and begin with a mobile-first approach.

Single column designs and slightly larger fonts are a safe bet to make sure that people will be able to easily view the entire width of your message on any smartphone.

Use a Clean and Organized Layout

Keep things clean and simple to avoid unnecessary distractions and hold your readers’ attention from beginning to end.

It can be helpful to begin by making a simple sketch of the general layout of the newsletter and then begin plugging in the necessary content elements as you refine your design.

Below is a perfect example of how single-column design can facilitate easy scrolling on mobile devices.

Single-column design

Tip: Evaluate and compare a number of different email marketing platforms. There are a wide variety of choices that allow non-technical users to easily populate and customize visually engaging templates.

Keep Text Short and Sweet

With declining attention spans, it is essential that you carefully strategize not only the right content but also how many different topics you want to introduce.

Many people receive various email newsletters almost every day of the week. Think about your own inbox and the newsletters that you no longer read or have unsubscribed from. What was the reason? Most likely it was because you did not find the information to be valuable on a consistent basis, the email was too difficult to quickly scan and read, or that it was sent too often.

Tip: Use a theme to weave content together and include a “Read More” button when promoting blog content.

Create Visual Hierarchy

Visual Hierarchy

This design principle requires creating a sense of what is important to the reader through the use of position, size, color, contrast, and shapes.

At a glance, it should be very obvious what elements are the most important and what you want the reader to focus on.

Effective use of font sizes and color are the easiest and most common ways designers can create a sense of importance within the body of an email.

Embrace White Space

White Space

Effectively utilizing white space allows the brain to scan, interpret and break down elements into easily digestible pieces.

Apple has set the standard that so many brands have tried to reach when it comes to effective use of white space and a clean layout.

Less is more. Give your content room to breathe and make an impact on the reader. All beautiful design makes strategic use of negative space to emphasize certain parts of your content.

Frame Content with Headers/Footers

Frame Content with Headers and Footers

The first 2 to 3 inches on an email are the most critical real estate you have to gain the attention of the reader. The header, in particular, is your first opportunity to make a great impression.

Footers may not be the first thing a reader sees, but they should provide a solid visual bookend to the header of a newsletter and help frame the look and feel of the entire email. You can use an email template builder to achieve the right frame.

Be sure to include social media icons as well as an unsubscribe button and other elements that will make your message CAN-SPAM compliant.

Set the Mood with Color

Color in Design

Plenty of research has been conducted on how different colors elicit certain feelings and emotions. Be very intentional with your choice of color schemes to create a message that resonates with your readers.

So, what do different colors mean?

In the west, there are certain cultural conventions that dictate which colors should be used for certain messages. For example, black has been traditionally associated with luxury and sophistication, while blue is often connected with the notions of integrity and tranquility.

Obviously, you want to utilize a color scheme that complements and reinforces your brand identity.

Use Stunning Images

Stunning images in design

When you have limited space to get a message across, a carefully chosen image can make a big statement.

The example above puts the product on center stage, accompanied by a background image that creates an outdoorsy, adventurous feel that is likely to resonate with the target audience.

Just be careful to not overuse images or choose pictures that are too large, as they can make your email more likely to be labeled as spam. Give images no more than 30% of the available real estate.

As always, if you need help with email marketing, give us a shout, we’re here to help!

 

content auditing_blog

How to ‘Spring Clean’ Your Website With Content Auditing

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Of course, you can’t physically dust off your website content to make it look shiny and new. But, nonetheless, you do need to give your website content the proverbial spring cleaning it deserves — with a content audit.

Conducting a content audit can provide you actionable insights into what type of content is performing the best with your audience, improve your content’s return on investment (ROI) and improve your content-marketing strategy for the future.

So, to give your website a refresh, follow these steps outlining how to “spring clean” your website, using content auditing.

Set clear goals.

Before diving into your content audit, first set clear goals. Setting goals for your content audit will help you better determine which content is working well, what needs improving and updating and what needs to be retired. By keeping the goals of your content audit in mind, you’ll find it easier to get the big picture on your goals overall. For instance, in terms of your content audit, do you want to:

  • Improve your SEO results?
  • Increase audience engagement?
  • Improve conversion rates?

Depending on your goals, you can consider different criteria for each page or post. For instance, to improve SEO results, you’ll look over and optimize internal linking. To increase audience engagement, you’ll determine what topics your audience is most interested in. And, to improve conversion rates, you’ll identify the most efficient content for each stage of the buyer’s journey.

Create a content inventory.

Next, you’ll want to create an inventory of all your content. So, compile a list of all your URLs and put them in a spreadsheet. In the spreadsheet DOWNLOAD HERE, list all the URLS in columns along with other details such as:

  • Title of the content
    Type of content (blog post, landing page, product description)
  • Date of publication or last modification
  • Author (if you have multiple authors on your site)
  • Stage of the user’s journey (awareness, consideration, decision)
  • Number of words
  • Metadata (title, description)
  • Metrics such as number of page visits, time spent on page, conversion rate, backlinks, shares, ranking for the main keywords, and so on.

Then consult your analytics tool to discover all of the key metrics you need to know. As you build this list of your content inventory, you’ll be able to easily identify which content is under-performing.

Assess your content and take action.

Once you’ve taken inventory of all your content in an organized spreadsheet, it’s time to assess your content and take action. In this step, you’ll identify what content is performing well for you, what you need to change/update, what you can merge and what you can get rid of.

Again, go back to the goals you set for your content audit. If your main goal is to improve conversions, you’ll mainly want to focus on metrics such as conversion rate and time spent on the page as well as what stage of the buyer’s journey your content is for.

For instance, when filling out your spreadsheet you may notice that you have lots of content for the decision stage of the buyer’s journey and not enough for the consideration or awareness stages. You can then go ahead and start planning more content to guide users through each stage of the buyer’s journey or edit your existing content as needed.

To make the process of assessing your content easier, create another column in your inventory spreadsheet to grade your content. You can use A,B,C,D grading or give your content a score from 1 to 5. If the content is performing well across all metrics, you can give it a top score. Other content that’s not performing as well can then be updated and tweaked to meet your goals.

online-resources

Digital Resources

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ONLINE CONFERENCING

WORKING FROM HOME TIPS

Science Backed Tips to Settle into Remote Working
AALU: The Art of Working from Home

WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK

Virtual tours of 1,000 museums
Free eBooks
Great Sci-Fi & Fantasy audiobooks read by celebrities
The Metropolitan Opera’s free nightly performance
Try a new recipes from this collection of budget-friendly healthy choices
Cirque du Soleil performances
Virtual tours of America’s National Parks
Road Scholar free lectures
Explore the Smithsonian Institution online
Frank Lloyd Wright houses virtual tours

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Khan Academy free online courses
Coursera
Udemy
Harvard free online courses

PRODUCTIVITY

Monday
Slack
Dropbox
Win the Day (chrome extension for goal setting)

SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES

SBA PPP Information
SBA Relief Options
Forbes Small Business Resource Center
Entrepreneur

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Home workouts
Mindfulness
The Science of Well-being (free Yale online course)
Ted Talks Playlist:  The Importance of Self Care
Isle of Calm 6 hours of chill music
7 Exercises to do at your desk

Comments on Blog

Blog Commenting and SEO Results: Engaging Your Audience

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There has been a debate bubbling on the edges of the internet for nearly the past decade.  Are comment sections on blogs a boon or a burden? You have seen the fallout of this argument first hand as some of your regular, go-to blogs have opted to either disable comments altogether or disable them temporarily only to bring them back later.  Whether or not to let your readers express their opinions about what you are sharing with them is not a decision to be taken lightly. As an advocate for free speech and the sharing of ideas, I fall into the camp that believes that open and even lively discussion can add value to any article.  In the end, however, the relationship between blog commenting and SEO results may surprise you. 

The End of Informational Tyranny

When the internet was still in its infancy it was nothing more than a collection of billboards and static information.  Businesses felt they needed a website because, well, other businesses had one. But if you are old enough to recall those digitally skeletal times then you will remember the incredible moment in the mid-2000s  when comments first appeared.

Think about this.  Up until that moment in time, we had to turn to television to get any sort of reaction to information presented to the masses and even then most of those reactions were scripted by the presenter.  Newspapers occasionally ran a few opinions on the previous edition’s editorial but real estate in these papers was limited and the opinions themselves were selected by the editors. Essentially there was no vehicle to share the thoughts and feelings a reader might have about an article with other readers.  The internet changed all of that and blogs with comment sections became that vehicle. Overnight, a sort of ‘democracy’ of information was born.  

Is A Blog Without Comments Still A Blog?

It is a question worth asking.  While blogs predominately began as glorified journals of everyday people’s lives they have since evolved to include opinions on current events, instructional how-to’s, anthropological musings on society, and more.  The internet, by its very nature of interconnected servers, is a global community and the information shared on it is accessible to nearly anyone with a connection. This communal aspect lends itself to comment sections.  I have a profound respect for authors of blogs and posts that leave themselves open to scrutiny in their comments sections.  

Depending on the topic of the post, criticism can downright dominate a comment section.  This aspect alone has led to more sensitive authors and corporations to disable their comment sections altogether.  This is where the difference between an article and a blog really comes into focus. One fears the critique and seeks to present information without a counterpoint whereas the other fosters a dynamic community and pits its ideas up against the voices of that community.  What a blog seems to understand is that not every voice is critical and that even criticism can lead to discovery.

Do Comments Add SEO Value?

Now we get to the meat of the matter from a technical standpoint.  I’ve already discussed that there exists, at least in a philosophical sense, tangible value in fostering a vocal community around your blog.  So, is there any value as far as search engines are concerned in providing your readers that voice? 

neilPatel

Let’s consider the findings of Neil Patel.  Mr. Patel is an SEO and digital marketing genius who writes broadly on the topic.  His marketing bonafides are well documented and he has been consistently listed in Forbes top 100 entrepreneurs amongst countless other accolades.  

Mr. Patel conducted a study of 560 of his blog posts that had an average of 126 comments per post.  What he wanted to know was whether or not the additional words from the comments would yield ranking results for keywords that he himself had not specifically targeted in the posts themselves.  What he found was that 26.7% of the keywords his posts were ranking for were from keywords found exclusively in the comments section. This, in turn, yielded a slightly better than 16% increase in traffic to those posts.  

He concluded that while these numbers were not staggering by any means, they were indeed a boost.  Moreover, they were a boost provided from content that he did not have to create himself. This, to me, is a solid value-add in favor of comments.  While other studies have been conducted that found less value than Neil, none of them found an argument against having a comments section as far as SEO considerations are concerned.  Google will not dock you, for example, for having some unintended spammy comments. (I’m sure we’ve all seen the “I made $3,000 dollars working from home part-time!” comments in some sections)

What are the Benefits to the Author?

The single greatest benefit of comments for the author of any article is the ability to see what your readers think about your information.  A teacher often learns from their students and the same principle can be applied here. What’s more, the ability to interact as the author with your readers in the comment section can yield positive results both from a branding and customer service perspective.  Engaging your audience can foster a personal connection with them and the topic your post is covering. Obviously, you must keep some ground rules for yourself. For example:

  • Never engage in an aggressive argument in the comments
  • Don’t patronize your audience in the comments
  • Encourage a productive discussion with your replies
  • Tend to the comment community with grace
  • Maintain the comments section and be sure to have software that can detect truly destructive comments that are universally offensive

Striking the right balance between author and audience member may be a tall order for the more introverted blogger, but it can yield both concrete SEO and community results.

Engage, Learn, and Grow  

Even if you find yourself hesitating to add a comment section to your blog posts, I recommend taking the risk.  You can always change your mind down the road. Encourage your coworkers to read and comment on the posts you create.  A lively discussion doesn’t only have to come from the wide world of the web. It can also foster debate and ideas within your own company.  At worst, nothing bad will happen to you or your rankings and the possibility that you might rank for new keywords while creating a loyal community can make for an exciting ride.  Live in the information democracy and see where it can take you! 

 

Work from Home

Working From Home

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Many people are suddenly finding themselves working from home without much notice. There are some great benefits to telecommuting but also some challenges. Our hive are seasoned remote workers so I thought we’d share some of our tips.

I’ll start with my own advice but please read on for some great ideas. Creating a routine is really important, as the lines between home and work become blurry very quickly. Make a schedule for yourself, write it down, and stick to it. I have a mid-day break routine that is non-negotiable:  a healthy planned meal (the kitchen can easily  become an escape with not so great consequences so I have to really focus on not wandering into it), 10-15 minutes outside for a short walk or stretching, a 10-15 minute power nap, and then an afternoon cup of coffee. It may take some trial and error to see what works for you.  

-Peri Lane

Tips from the Hive

sharon 1

Sharon Elsberry
Hive Support

“While you may be tempted to work from bed, the couch or dining room table… don’t. Not only does it hurt your productivity but also your back. Find a space with a supportive chair, make sure your desk is the correct height and be sure to stretch often. Here is an article with tips on setting up a safe work space:  https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-sit-correctly/ “

vijay-bio-new

Vijay
Hive Architect

“Get in the habit of taking frequent breaks to re-hydrate and take a 5-10 minute walk. Set an alarm every few hours for this. If possible, give yourself a target task to complete in 1 hour so you are focused on your goal.”

kendra

Kendra Elliston
Hive Traffic Controller

“Having a quiet space where you can shut the door and work is definitely important, as is having a routine to start and end the work day. Instead of your commute, take a walk around the block as your “commute,” where you can engage in the same sort of thoughts, music, podcast, etc. as your normal workday morning routine would involve. Same thing at the end of the day.”

danny

Danny McKeever
Data Pollinator

“I have found that the most important thing to have is a room with a door and a space that is all your own.  A bulletin board, a whiteboard, any office-like tools that can help you be more productive and keep you on task is a huge benefit.  

Also, some ground rules for the other people who aren’t working (i.e. music on headphones instead of Alexa blasting sad Billie Eilish songs)  If you have the room, make sure that everyone has an ‘office’ that they can go to and enjoy themselves while you work.  Find a space, make it yours and fill it with what you need to be productive.  Ask the people you live with for their help in this.”

jillian

Jillian Pearson
Social Bee

“I like to take breaks and chat with some colleagues to stay sane! I also switch up my workspace using different laptop trays and I always keep my favorite things close by. Music helps. Many times, I will get out of the house and go to my local coffee shop and work there (although that won’t work right now). There are seven people who live in this house and four of them are teenagers – I highly recommend a lock on your door! Claim your SPACE!”

Working From Home

Jeff Karbowski
Ninja Bee

“I found that getting dressed every morning is one of the things that keeps me going. I have tried wearing my pajamas to work, and while it seems nice initially, after some time (for me) it gets to be uncomfortable. I found that getting dressed in the morning as I would normally, I find that the work day is more productive and ultimately more comfortable than wearing ‘night wear’ to work.”

justyn

Justyn Hornor
Ninja Bee

“I create 1:1, 15 minute stand ups (or a touch base) with my team members daily for health checks. This is especially important for folks who’ve never worked remotely for extended periods. 

On a more serious note, home life can be a very difficult place for some people. Sometimes staff live with parents, have special needs family members, or even toxic partners. Working from home indefinitely is extremely stressful for these people. So the daily stand ups can be a critical means to make sure they’re doing okay. 

I’ve opened my home for occasional co-working sessions and will make house calls if needed as a way to provide some outside human contact for my staff. “

celine

Celine Wulms
Hive Beautifier

“A note from Penny, Tilda, and Bernie (pictured below): Our humans have been working from home and every so often they let us participate in the video calls. All the other humans cheer when they see us. We are the only thing holding everything together over here! GET A DOG – they make everything better! And don’t forget all those walks in-between work… so good for y’all! 

How to write blog post_blog

4 Essential Elements to Writing a Great Blog Post

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Writing for a blog can, at times, feel daunting. You sit down to write and the words don’t come. At times like these, a little structure for your blog can go a long way.

Depending on the focus of your blog and your personality, your approach may be slightly different, but I’ve observed that the most powerful blog posts typically have four important elements. Here they are:

1. An attention-grabbing headline

A good blog post is about one topic, one story, one idea. Not 57. Not 101. Just one.

Before you begin blogging, figure out what you want to write about. Choose a mock headline to give yourself some structure (you can always change it later), and start writing.

Good titles are interesting, descriptive, and engaging. It should read like a magazine headline or a TV newsflash, daring the reader to click the link. 

This is the first thing your readers see — and the only thing, if you don’t do it right. Take time crafting a great headline. This is the first step (and the last) before you hit “publish.”

2. A captivating lead paragraph

When it comes to the Internet — when people’s attention spans are even more limited than with print — your opening paragraph is crucial. Don’t blow it. Journalists know this. It’s ingrained in them. “Don’t bury the lede,” they say. If you don’t hook your readers immediately, you will lose them forever.

Start off with a quote, a question, or a bold, audacious statement. You only have one shot. Make it count.

3. Interesting supporting points

This is the body of the article. It’s the “meat” of the post — what will back up your main topic or argument.

Every story you tell or idea you share needs to have supporting rationale, something the readers can sink their teeth into. They don’t all need to neatly fit into a three-point argument or a seven-step process, but you can’t be all over the place.

Consider what you want to say and how you will back it up. A great way to organize is to make a list of bullet points. Then, write the body of the post using these as your main sections (if appropriate turn the points into subheads, like I did with this post).

If your blog post is a road, these points are the street signs leading your reader to the end.

4. A compelling call-to-action

If you’ve hooked your readers’ attention with a good title, drawn them in with an interesting lead paragraph, and then led them through with compelling points, now you need to wrap it up.

Don’t be vague. You don’t want your audience wondering why they bothered reading your post in the first place, do you? Give them something to take away.

Want your audience to reflect on a particular idea? To do something? Respond somehow? Whatever it is, be clear about it. This is the part of the post where you invite your readers to answer a question, leave a comment, or share your post. Make it clear and actionable.

Put it all together

When I write a blog post, I follow each of these four elements, treating them as steps. Here’s how I typically blog:

  • Choose a topic and write a headline.
  • Write the lead paragraph.
  • List a few main points in the body.
  • Write your call-to-action.
  • Edit and revise. (At this point, I usually revise the headline.)
  • Proofread.
  • Publish (checking the headline one last time to make sure it still works).
Wordpress54Blog

What’s Coming in WordPress 5.4 (Features and Screenshots)

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With over 41 million downloads and counting, WordPress 5.3 was the last major release of the year 2019. While 5.3 was primarily focused on expanding and refining the block editor with more intuitive interactions and enhanced accessibility, work on version 5.4 has already been started to improve the CMS further.

As a result of the active development, WordPress 5.4 Beta 2 was recently released with a host of new features and improvements that are available for testing. Slated for release on March 31, 2020, WordPress 5.4 will be the first major release of 2020 with the primary goal of facilitating users to edit the full-site using the block editor.

Let’s check out in detail what’s new coming to WordPress 5.4!

Improved Performance:
While Gutenberg is not yet the fastest editor, the block editor team has successfully managed to achieve a 14% faster loading and 51% time-to-type reduction, for a particularly sizable post (~ 36,000 words, ~1,000 blocks) in version 5.4.

The New Welcome Guide Modal:

WordPress 5.4 will offer new users a welcome guide popup to introduce them with the block editor. It’s a simple slide-show that shows information about blocks, directs first-time users to the Block Library to get started, and provides a link to block editor tutorial.

Want to relaunch the guide? Simply click the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of the editor and then select Welcome Guide.

Two New Blocks:

WordPress 5.4 brings two new blocks to the library.

  • Social Icons Block: Using this, you can easily add links to your social media profiles inside your pages and posts. It offers three styles – default, logos, and pills. Social icons are available in their brand colors and there is no option to change their colors.

Buttons Group Block: The Buttons block replaces the previous Button block and now allows you to add multiple buttons side-by-side.

There are two different styles to choose from: you can use text with background colors, and can also add gradient background colors.

More Color Options for Blocks:

WordPress 5.4 will bring more color options for the button, cover, group, and column blocks.

 

Inside a group block, you can now set text and background colors for all the blocks.

Likewise, you’ll be able to choose background and text colors for the columns block.

Drag and Drop to Upload Featured Image:

While the current version of WordPress doesn’t allow you to drag and drop an image to the featured image section, WordPress 5.4 lets you drag and drop an image file to set it as a featured image.

Image

Change Text Color Inside Paragraph Block:

While the current version of WordPress allows you to change the text color for the entire paragraph block, WordPress 5.4 facilitates users to change the color of selected text inside a paragraph.

Image

Caption Below Table:

If you use the Table Block, you can add a caption below it to display additional information.

Fixed Block Toolbar on Mobile:

Currently, if you edit a page or post using a mobile device, then you may have noticed that the toolbar moves around blocks as you type.

WordPress 5.4 fixes this by offering a floating toolbar at the top. The new toolbar shows or disappears depending on the block type you’re editing.

Easily Select Gallery Image Size:

In version 5.4, you can easily choose an appropriate size for all your images under Gallery settings.

Improved Latest Posts Block:

Starting version 5.4, you’ll be able to show featured images in the latest posts block.

Easily Select Blocks:

WordPress 5.4 offers a ‘select’ tool to help you easily select a block that you want to change. This feature will prove quite handy when you have nested blocks, such as columns or groups.

The TikTok Embed Block:

Given the growing popularity of the video-sharing social networking service TikTok, WordPress 5.4 offers an embed block to help you easily add TikTok videos to your WordPress pages and posts.

Accessibility Improvements

Accessibility has always been a serious topic for the WordPress Core Team and therefore various accessibility improvements have been made to the Block Editor, including:

  • Easier multi-block selection.
  • The ability to change the title of an image within the Image block.
  • With easier tabbing, tabbing now works with the block’s sidebar.
  • The ability to visually switch between Edit and Navigation modes and options to enable screen reader announcements.

Accessibility Improvements in the Admin Dashboard

Along with the Gutenberg editor, the WordPress Core Team has also focused on bringing several major accessibility enhancements to the admin dashboard:

  • Better focus state management in the Menu, Customizer and Site Health screens to fix several existing keyboard navigation issues.
  • Better keyboard navigation in the Media modal for better semantics.
  • Improved readability for Privacy Policy Guide.
browser compatibility apis productions social

Browser Compatibility

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Although web surfing is now predominantly performed on mobile devices, desktop users do still exist. It is important to not only design for mobile-friendly experiences but for multi-browser experiences as well. Below are three reasons why browser compatibility is essential for your website:

1. Not everybody uses the same browser platform. Whether page visitors are browsing the internet on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer, your web design must be compatible on all platforms. Each browser displays websites differently, which means web designers must accommodate accordingly. Designing for universality is key to ensuring your website will be responsive on all browsers.

2. Browser compatibility ensures a great user experience every time. User experience (UX) is the ultimate priority when it comes to providing the optimal web experience for your page visitors. This entails quality performance and user-friendly navigation no matter which platform they may be using. Your website must be usable by people of all ages and levels of technology experience.

3. Prevent steering away potential customers and clients. If you’ve ever encountered one of the various incompatibility error messages while surfing the web, you may have simply exited the site instead of adjusting your browser settings. In today’s age, technology is expected to work fast and efficiently. Compatible web design helps you to avoid risking the chance of losing potential customers who don’t want to change their browser settings in order to view your website.

There are multiple tools available on the internet that enable businesses to check the compatibility of their website. Here is one.

BrowserStack.com
Instant access to test your website or app on 2,000+ REAL devices & browsers anytime, anywhere. 

 

Responsiveness_Blog

What is Responsive Web Design?

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With responsive website design, your website (and its pages) can adapt and deliver the best experience to users, whether they’re on their desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. For that to happen, though, your website needs a responsive design.

What is responsive web design?

Responsive web design describes a web design approach that allows websites and pages to render (or display) on all devices and screen sizes by automatically adapting to the screen, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

How does responsive web design work?

Responsive web design works through Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), using various settings to serve different style properties depending on the screen size, orientation, resolution, color capability, and other characteristics of the user’s device. A few examples of CSS properties related to responsive web design include the viewport and media queries.

Is my website responsive?

You can quickly see if a website is responsive or not in your web browser.

Responsive Web Design

  • Open Google Chrome
  • Go to your website
  • Press Ctrl + Shift + I to open Chrome DevTools
  • Press Ctrl + Shift + M to toggle the device toolbar
  • View your page from a mobile, tablet, or desktop perspective

Why responsive web design matters to web designers and business owners

Responsive web design relieves web designers, user interface designers, and web developers from working day and night creating websites for every single different device in existence. It also makes the lives of business owners, marketers, and advertisers easier.

 

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