Is Your Website a “MAC” or a “PC”?

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If you have a business, you most likely have a website. 
Take a few seconds to actually look at the homepage of your website, and ask yourself: is it a Mac or a PC?
Remember those hilarious, popular Apple commercials with the two actors declaring “I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC”? Besides being an incredibly powerful branding concept that defined Apple’s ‘fanboy’ culture, these ads have relevancy in today’s digital world.
The same logic applies to the design of websites today. Google’s algorithms are placing more and more importance on the design of a website. In fact, 94% of website mistrust issues for Google were design-related. In other words, when a visitor comes to your site, how it looks and how easy it is to navigate is of critical importance. 
You’re probably asking yourself, “So how do I make my website have a great design that visitors (and Google’s crawlers) will love”?
Simple.
Make sure your design is a ‘Mac’, and not a ‘PC’.
The core Philosophy of Steve Jobs and Apple comes down to one word: simple. Simple is not easy to do. Simple requires discipline; it requires making hard choices; it requires LESS, not MORE.
Look at how Windows applications used to be laid out. The interfaces were overloaded with information, options and text. In other words, the design was horrible. Apple on the other hand epitomizes minimalism and simplicity. This is how they can create a revolutionary mobile phone that has one single button on it.
So take a fresh look at your website, and ask yourself: how can I make this page more simple like a Mac?
Need help optimizing your website’s design for usability and SEO? Contact us at info@protocolred.com for a free site analysis.

When it comes to Branding, Perception = Reality

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You may have noticed a post in your Facebook feed recently from Mark Zuckerberg. No, you weren’t selected as one of the lucky winners of Facebook stock. Zuckerberg posted a personal goal of his for 2016 regarding development of a simple AI (artificial intelligence) to run his home. “Wow, pretty cool” you might be thinking.
A friend of mine texted me saying “why is Zuckerberg telling me about his robotic daydreams???”.
It’s simple, actually: BRANDING.
This type of declaration is not so much about Mark beating his chest to the world for his ego; rather, it is a calculated move to position himself, and therefore his personal “brand”, in the same sphere as someone like an Elon Musk. Thousands and thousands of people revere Musk as a respected pioneer who continually pushes the limits of technology for the good of humanity. Believe it or not, being insanely rich and powerful does not fully satisfy all people. Respect and admiration are priceless commodities to anyone. For people on Zuckerberg’s level, it becomes even more important for self-satisfaction.
This post about his AI ambitions is the equivalent of Amazon.com announcing last year that they are exploring using drones to deliver packages directly to consumers in under 5 minutes via their Amazon Air program. The immediate reaction to reading that article was “wow, that’s incredible!”. You as a reader are subconsciously now automatically associating the Amazon brand with a concept once thought impossible: online ordering with immediate gratification via futuristic technology.
Perception plays a major role in branding, and there are many instances where perceptions can impact brand perception and consumer behavior, even when that perception is far from reality. This post by Mark Zuckerberg had nothing to do about sharing his goals or posting on his own platform. This was one of the many steps in a calculated branding effort to craft his image more on the lines of a Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.
As you embark on the New Year, ask yourself what your brand’s perception is, and whether that matches up with it’s reality.