As we talked about earlier in the week, the principles and components of web design are continually changing. What needed to be a key consideration a couple of years ago could very easily be something that needs to be avoided today.
It\’s because of this why you don\’t often hear people designing and building their own website today. It obviously still happens, but when people begin researching what\’s involved and realise it\’s no longer about some basic HTML and CSS, their thoughts often go towards hiring a professional.
And simply put, this is almost always going to be the best way forward, as it\’s difficult for anyone but those involved in web design regularly to fully understand just what\’s needed to design and develop a high quality, effective website.
There\’s without doubt some obvious points that everyone can become aware of, but there\’s arguably just as many – if not more – that only those who keep up with the latest trends in web design and the digital user experience will have a great awareness of, with the topic of social feed integration being a perfect example.
Social media is one of the most important considerations for anyone delivering a digital strategy. Customers want to be able to engage and interact with companies on a greater level than they ever have done and social media is a perfect way to do this. There are few quicker ways to speak to a company than by logging on to Twitter and sending a tweet to them.
As such, it makes sense to integrate your social feeds into your website, making it even quicker and easier for your customers to see what you\’re saying.
However, there are some instances when we\’d advise against doing so – and generally speaking, they\’re all to do with how active you are on the social networks you\’re looking to integrate.
If, as a company, you have an account on Twitter and Facebook, for example, you need to be maintaining an active presence on them. You need to be updating them regularly, whether that\’s a dozen times a day or two or three times a week. However, as much as this should be the case, we know it doesn\’t always happen for whatever reason.
As such, before you go ahead and integrate your social feeds into your website, you need to question whether or not it\’s going to have the impact you desire – and if you\’re not updating your accounts regularly, chances are it won\’t.
Integrating your social feeds into your website isn\’t about just showing you have accounts on the networks. Your customers aren\’t overly concerned about this. Instead, they want to see you\’re active on them. They want to feel confident that if they reach out to you on a social level, they\’re going to get a reply.
Therefore, simply put, if your social networks are worth shouting about, get them integrated into your website – and if they\’re not, you may want to develop them first before you do.