Mobile app development ideas to turn your boring mobile app into an interesting one!

There was a time when mobile app development was good enough to guarantee you high installs. But standing in the present times, no matter which user group you are serving, just having an app up there does not always guarantee success. While the end users are expecting entertaining apps, the mobile app developers on their part are struggling to give an interesting turn to the otherwise boring apps. The psyche of the modern day users is to get more out of their time investment, every time. And as an app developer you have to cater to user's interests; if you want to win the hearts of your clients. This is why we thought of bringing some mobile app development ideas that turn a boring app into a fun-filled affair.

  • Design a Mascot: Your transition from boredom to fun starts by designing a good (happy going) mascot for your app. Remember, this mascot appears in most screens and accompanies your content through the app. So, the mascot has to be designed after much thought. It should not only symbolize your brand values but also carry a certain emotional context. Moreover, it should imbibe a sense of fun!
  • Crack some Jokes: You might be dealing with a very dry subject, but it does not hold you from cracking a joke or two while showing the users their exact results. There are two ways about cracking jokes. Firstly, some of the apps are adding one-liners with their search results itself. A weather app in the US, shows you weather readings with an additional funny comment, and no wonder the app is seeing the highest installs. The second way is a bit safer. While you load pages or show results, there is always a couple of seconds where you can play with the users. A friendly banter or some jokes, even while the users wait for the actual results to show up, keeps the users engaged and they love it!
  • Sprinkle some animations: If a static image is worth a hundred words, then an animation is worth hundred static images! At least that is the norm as far as mobile app development goes. So, you have to find a way to utilize this in your UX. Some of the apps do it smartly. They use attractive animations in their results screen. While the users get their usual results, they get add-ons in the form of hilarious animations. (NOTE: You might also use your mascot in this screen to create brand bonding.)
  • Add some artwork: Including some artwork in your relevant pages is also a good way of giving an interesting turn to your app. If you have the Google Calendar app, then you would well understand what is being referred to here. Google Calendar not only allows you to set the day's schedule it also gives you the opportunity to name tasks. And when you name the task, they would intelligently allot an artwork resembling your task. Artworks often take us back to those childhood days, and they become a reason for using one app over the other. Smart use of artwork, can be a game-changer for your app.

As the competition for installs intensifies in the mobile app world, it is important to cater more to the users every time. To attain success with your mobile app development you need to choose a capable service provider. At Keyline we have been fulfilling dreams of our clients with mobile app development projects. Do care to take a look at our offerings.

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Why is selecting a free web hosting service a bad business decision?

As a business owner you might be in search of ways to cut down on your expenses, but there are certain key business areas where taking the immediate shortcut leads to huge future losses. And the selection of a free web hosting service is just one such decision. When the "free web hosting" services first hit the Internet world, they became an instant rage. Most businesses found it a very lucrative deal. And each year they were surely able to save some money from their business operations. But as the years passed, the business owners quickly realized the flaws of choosing a free web hosting package. If you look at the web hosting world today, not many businesses are relying on the free web hosting services. They are ready to pay for web hosting in expectations of superior services. But having said that, we have still not answered the question as to: why free web hosting is not a good business decision. So, let us go through some reasons for such an assumption.

  • Least Security Options: As history proves it, free web hosted sites are most vulnerable to the hacker’s raids. The web hosts who are providing free services, do not earn sufficient revenues from their services. And this they are incapable of spending resources and technology to beef up their security. In 2009, a free web hosting service provider named 2ip became the heartthrob of the web hosting world. They offered free web hosting to thousands of business owners. But within some months, they succumbed to an attack by hackers. As a result, the data of their users was lost and went out there in public. You do not want such a predicament to befall you, right?
  • Lackluster Services: In the initial days you might be impressed by the services of your free web hosting service provider. But those days of happiness quickly vanish. As the hosting service gains popularity, you will soon find your website loading times going in the wrong direction. More and more visitors leave your pages in the wake of slow loading time. You will find many pertinent options missing from the dashboard, making a large work of simple tasks. Most of the time, such free services do not even have a quick problem resolution mechanism. By opting for a free web hosting service, you are allowing your competitors to race ahead!
  • Free can become paid: Again, many web hosts are today launching their free services as a promotional ploy. Once they get enough publicity, they will eventually go for the Paid model. As a result, you might have to shift all the content to a new server within a short time, and that can lead to a huge business disruption. There even instances where the free web hosting service providers decided to close their business, leaving their users high and dry! You do not want to be stranded like this, right?
  • Free is never Free: You would have heard: there is nothing free in this world! And free web hosting makes you experience the same. As a first, you cannot monetize with a free web hosting site, here all the cards lie in the hands of the web hosting service provider. You are just populating their websites with your unique content and designs. You will also not have an original domain extension, which makes you look novice to the visitors out there. So, free can cost your business dearly.

If you are looking for an affordable web hosting service then take a look at our offerings. Keyline has been hosting websites of some of the leading brands, for many years now.

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Why travel websites need to upgrade from shared web hosting service, right now?

As Indians are travelling more than they ever did historically, travel portals are becoming their go-to destinations for essential travel related services. While leisure travels in India do not follow any particular season, there are definitely the high and low seasons. Once, the summer vacation rush is over most travel portals would see a sharp decline in their business. So, this is the ideal month to start a revamp of your website and the first thing that you need to change around is the web hosting plan. But, the question that would be lingering on in your mind is: why do I need to change my existing shared web hosting plan? Well, we would give some logical reasons for this.

#1: Festival Season is Coming, are you ready?

After the lull during the monsoons, your website would again start receiving a high traffic. These visitors would come with an intent to perform some business with you. During the festival season, travel portals receive an unimaginable surge in traffic and most websites struggle to handle this surge. Your shared web hosting plan will not be able to support the volume of traffic during the upcoming months. So, you should start looking for dedicated web hosting plans right away.

#2: Downtime means Doom

Indian travelers are today wasted for options. If they find your website slow loading or even come across a “Time Out” message they will quickly move away and not return back anytime soon. Your loss would be the gain for your competitors! Quite a distressing scenario, right? You can avoid the downtime and manage the website speed with a reputed dedicated web hosting service. Make sure you do not disappoint another web visitor, ever. And for that you need to switch to a dedicated web hosting plan.

#3: Slow in Loading, sluggish in revenues

If the online statistics are to be believed: then modern day Indian web surfers are wary of those slow loading payment gateways. Even if you have the best services and most affordable rates, they will not be willing to do business with you. Fast loading and smooth payment gateways can be dished out only if you have a high speed web hosting running in the background.

#4: For that Wow Factor

Travelling is often realizing a dream! And it is the content coupled with high resolution images, videos and sliders that instigate people to dream about a travel destination. To get the desired impact, you need to run all or some of these media at the same time, to create the desired impact in the minds of the visitors. This can be achieved only with the help of a dedicated web hosting plan that offers a seamless experience to your web visitors.

#5: To Scale up

As a business organization your goal is to offer an array of travel services which the travelers find to their liking. And this means, you might have to add some new services and packages from time to time. A good reason than to choose a web hosting plan that will not only work for your present needs, but have enough scopes for your future proliferation as well.

If you are looking for the perfect web hosting services that would support the needs of your travel website, then Keyline’s services would delight you. We have various web hosting plans to choose from. Please take a look at our plans before moving on.

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How to set Facebook Ad Budget to fulfill your Digital Marketing goals?

Facebook Digital Marketing opens up huge business scopes, and it is no wonder that every brand today has great expectations from their Facebook paid advertising campaigns. With millions logging into this social media site, a well-planned ad could do wonders for your business prospects. But, the core business philosophy lies in getting more for less! And this is what most business owners want to achieve through their Facebook advertising campaigns. As a result they either under-budget or over-budget for their Facebook campaigns. We want to help the business owners overcome this dilemma. Our suggestions would help you set the perfect budget and help you achieve the business goals. So, let us continue...

What are your goals with Digital Marketing?

There are various business goals that the brands want to attain through their paid Facebook advertising campaigns. Some of them can be categorized (on a broader level) as:

  • Getting new Facebook Fans
  • Thousands of new Email Subscribers
  • Millions of Website Referrals
  • Getting trackable Product Sales
  • Increasing the app installs

Now that we have shortlisted the prominent business goals, it is time to help you set Facebook advertising budgets against each of these.

Goal #1: Earning Facebook Fans

You might have long dreamed of having thousands of loyal fans for your FB business page! Your dream could come true with a well thought out Facebook advertising campaign. Generally speaking, you need to spend $.50-$1 per Facebook fan. But you end budget should also account for business niche, brand reputation, presence in social circles and country (where the fans are sought). Based on these you might spend a bit less or more. There would always be some agencies offering unbelievable rates for getting you Facebook Fans, but cheap rates do not guarantee a good quality Fan club! You can start with a budget of $50,000 and take it from there.

Goal #2: Seeking Email Subscriptions

Facebook gives you a great scope to create a list of potential customers. The pricing for such a Facebook campaign varies on many factors. If your ad has an attractive giveaway, then the prices could be significantly lower. The landing page, in such instances, should also have convertible content. Your budget would fluctuate based on whether you are after simple subscribers or leads. Generally speaking, you could expect a spending of $.50-$1 for such a campaign. So, if you are after 10,000 email addresses stay ready to shell out $10,000.

Goal #3: Boost Website Referrals

To be frank, website referrals in Facebook cannot be bought. If a post has engaging headline, enticing content and some great images - it has a great chance of going viral. On the other hand a boring informational article really struggles to get clicks to your website. Coming to the costs, you might have to spend $.50-$.10 per link click to attain success. So, if you are after 100,000 website referrals it might cost you $35,000 (on average).

Goal #4: Higher Product Sales

The biggest headache on the minds of business owners is how to increase their product sales. And Facebook being ever crowded by prospective customers, opens up many gates for product sales. But there are various factors which impact the budgeting for such a campaign. You have to match the cost of the product. Suppose a product is priced at $100 (and is highly relevant for your selected user group), then you might have to pay $30 per conversion. So, approximately speaking, you can set a budget of $150,000 to get 5,000 sales opportunities.

Goal #5: Improving App Installs

So, your desktop or mobile app has been taking off at a pace that is much slower than anticipated. A well budgeted Facebook advertising campaign can change all that. Given that your app is solving a big problem statement for the potential users, you can set a budget of $1-$2 per app install. So, your end budget should be set at $10,000 for 5,000 app installs (taking $2 per install as the benchmark).

Now, let us give you some words of advice. No matter what your online marketing agency tells us, do not start off with a huge Facebook advertising budget. You need to always start with a small sum and then increase it with time. There are some great Facebook ad measurement tools available which you can use to track the success of your campaign and change it around from time to time. Use Keyline’s Digital Marketing Service and we would help you set the perfect budget for your Facebook advertising campaign.

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How to boost sales through systematic email campaigns?

As you might have often heard, leads are the lifeline for any business. But, standing in the present times, leads do not necessarily mean sales. Your sales people might sweat it out to bring qualified leads, but then there is a glaring statistics in front of them. A recent business statistics found that more than 50% of the qualified leads are reluctant to do business with a brand or business they encounter first time! Does this mean, all the hard work done by your sales team goes waste? Not at all, the data they have brought would be useful for re-targeting the leads. And how do you attain that? Through a good email marketing campaign, of course!

Whoever says that email marketing is a waste of time and effort, has not approached this online marketing avenue in the right manner! Most of the brands expect high conversions from the first marketing email they send out. But that is not how the mind of a customer ticks. You have to persist and with time you will be able to convert leads into sales, through your email campaign. Now the question is: how to target the leads and convert them into sales? Here is a series of steps you should take.

Series #1: Educate them

Your first couple of emailers should be treated more like introductions. Think for yourself, how do you connect with a new person over the mail? Don't you give the person all requisite information about yourself? Similar is the case with this first series of emails. You have to educate the recipient about your brand, its history, its clientele and then about your services. You may or may not throw in a special discount to keep the emailer interesting.

Series #2: Project a problem and solve it

With the formalities out of the way, now you need to get down to business. And that too should be done quite tactically. Your products or services are certainly there for a cause. They are solving some problems for the end customers. You need to have an idea about what these problems are. In this series of emails you will talk about the problems that the customers are facing (and at times they don’t even know). Then you will provide a solution, and introduce your service or product. This is a good way of converting leads into sales.

Series #3: Give them examples

The recipient is still not ready to take action. He is still a bit confused. It is time to help him overcome the confusion and take decision in your favor. And the Case Studies do this task admirably. So, pick up some client or customer experiences, talk about the problem, obstacles and then the solution. You might throw in a quote or two from the customer to strengthen your content. In this series of emails you focus on giving real life examples and accolades that your company has won.

Series #4: Throw in some deals

If the recipient has not converted yet, then chances are getting really bleak. This ploy might be the last roll of the dice! So, it is time to come up with a really great offer or discount. Maybe the recipient would somehow have the urge to spring into action and do some shopping. The offer should be for email recipients only, and not just any ongoing offer available at your website.

With this series of emails you will be able to win the hearts of your recipients and convert them into customers. Keyline’s online marketing services uses these psychological ploys to boost the sales of our clients through email marketing.

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Essential Quick Checks before the Website Go Live

A website launch is always very exciting. You have worked for all those days to create dazzling design, organize and upload the content and choose a good CMS for your website. And now you are ready to share your hard work with the world! You are impatient and eager to get the website live, but this eagerness can be detrimental to your end cause. Most of the time in their eagerness, to launch the website, the web development companies forget some of the last minute checks that are essential for the health of your website in the online world. A checklist of these common facets would come in handy while you are giving the finishing touches to a website before the go-live! And here we would dwell on some of them.

Is the Favicon set?

A Favicon is a means to brand the tab where your website is open in the user's browser. It can also be saved with the bookmark and helps the users easily identify your web pages from the others. Most of the browsers pick up the Favicon from the root directory, but you need to test it out. If the Favicon has not been auto-picked you would have to code it.

Is it showing perfectly on all browsers?

Today there are so many browsers to surf the Internet and your website must appear pixel perfect in all of these. Overlooking any of the major browsers would mean that there is a chance of your website having a broken and pixelated appearance for some visitors. Yes, there might be very small variations in the designs and features, but most of the appearance and user experience should remain the same. Make sure to test it out on Chrome, Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, Opera and iPhone.

Is you website working with JavaScript turned off?

There are many users who would visit your website with their JavaScript turned off due to security concerns. Your website should be ready for this degradation. Today, the browsers offer an easy option to switch off JavaScript and your website should modify accordingly. So, if you are implementing any cool AJAX stuff or forms make sure they are tested sufficiently with the JavaScript turned off.

Have you checked the Contact Forms?

Contact Forms are important lead earning mechanisms in a website. While you were busy building all the other complex functionality, did you test out the functionality of the contact forms? Whether you have or not, it is essential to test them out before the launch. Try to use the contact form yourself and see how the information is being sent to the intended email address. Also ask your family members or friends to fill the Contact forms. It would help you find the glitches, and rectify them before the launch.

Are your links working as they should?

Most of the time we just assume that the links would work just fine, and later suffer for this conception. It is easy to forget adding “http://” to external website links. Also check whether a click on the logo is routing traffic to the home page. Also make sure that the links stand out from the common text. A good practice in this regard is to underline nothing but the links within a web page.

Do you have the Analytics in place?

Installing an analytics tool helps the business measure statistics regarding the website's performance. You can track the daily traffic, page views, conversion rates, etc. This is why you should always install analytics tool for the website. Google Analytics is the all-time favourite in this regards, but you may also consider others such as StatCounter, Kissmetrics, Clicky and Mint.

At Keyline, we make sure that all these essential checks are carried out before a website launch. If you need a web design and development service that would help you launch a perfect website, then check out our services. A Quick Check of your Website before your Website Go Live is very much essential.

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Which Security Features you should consider before choosing a web host?

Whether you want web hosting for a personal blog site or a business website, you should have half an eye on the security features your web host offers. The online world is not as safe as it once was. Today, your online presence could be jeopardized. When you open a physical store in a crime prone area, you always make sure that there are adequate security measures in place. Similar is the instance with modern day online presence. There are thieves and robbers everywhere, and your web hosting security keeps you safe from their dubious plans.

Why web hosting security is absolutely essential?

Today the Internet is accessible to most people. Its wide reach presents some money minting scopes for the unscrupulous minds. This is why hacking and data thefts are ever on the rise. With the help of some codes, the hackers can stop you from accessing your own website within no time at all. You could lose your years of hard work within no time at all. Now, that is not something you can take into the stride. This is why you should always check for the security features of your web hosting service provider. You should be very much careful before choosing a web host.

Security features to check out for

Keeping in mind the volatile online environment, most of the reputed web hosts are offering robust security features. They have implemented new measures to keep the miscreants at bay. But, if you are not too sure, here are some security features to check out for before finalizing a web hosting service.

  • SFTP: FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used to upload files from the computer to hosting account. The FTP client allows you to upload the files and use them in specific areas of the website. SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) does the same tasks while offering an extra layer of protection during such file transfers. Though FTP is fairly secure, yet there is a small vulnerability. Files can be intercepted and they can be modified without your prior knowledge. SFTP eradicates this vulnerability.
  • SSL: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) creates a safe and encrypted path between the browser and the web server. When you purchase SSL certificate, your website will open with a small locked padlock symbol displayed on the address bar. It will also have https:// rather than the traditional http://. SSL certificate is a must for e-commerce stores, where there is a high probability of customer's information theft. The SSL makes sure that visitor’s personal information (such as banking details, numbers, name, address, etc.) would remain safe.
  • Backup Mechanism: Though web hosts would take periodical backup of your website's content, but there should be an option at the back-end which allows you to perform the task yourself. For a busy website, data backup should be taken at the end of each day. But having said that, the web host should also take frequent backups of your website. Updated website backup can save you a lot of money and time in the event of a disaster.
  • Server Maintenance Regime: Only opt for a web host who cares to maintain the servers adequately. Web hosts with a close eye on server maintenance can limit the attacks and keep your website safe. Always check whether the web host has any published security protocol, which is a good indication that the servers remain updated.

If you are searching for a secure and reliable web hosting service than Keyline has the perfect solutions ready for you.

by admin

What is the sufficient bandwidth for a new website?

One of the difficult questions that rears up its head while you are in the process of selecting a reliable web hosting company is regarding the bandwidth. Being a newbie into the online business world you are never quite sure about the bandwidth required for your business. More bandwidth will always cost you extra. This is why deciding on your sufficient bandwidth becomes pretty essential while comparing the various web hosting plans available for you. In a new business venture, the smart idea is always to minimize the wastage and maximize on your investment. So, paying extra for server bandwidth, that will not be used, is just a wastage of finances. This is why we thought of sharing some essential facts in this regard.

Numbers Crunching

To answer the question with which we started our conversation, it is essential to look through the figures. And the statistics clearly state that 99% of websites find a 5 GB server bandwidth (per month) sufficient! Your business is only taking baby steps into the online arena. It might earn high traffic in the near future, but for now there is only a limited traffic is expected. The 5 GB bandwidth per month would be more than sufficient to allow a smooth browsing experience to your visitors. So, unless you have a video streaming or image based website, always opt for a maximum of 5 GB bandwidth per month.

The Myth of Unlimited Hosting

No service can offer you something unlimited. You have to understand that the web host has to pay for your data usage too. This is why, unlimited web hosting is all but a myth. By “unlimited” hosting your web host only means that the bandwidth would be more than sufficient for your website.

Disk Space that you need

Now, the next significant question on your mind should definitely be regarding the disk space needed for your new website. Let us put that question to rest as well. Again, statistics suggest that new websites need no more than 150 MB. Each of your web pages take up between 1-2 MB. If you find a web page that is larger in size than 2 MB then you need to trim it down. With longer loading times, the web pages above 2 MB in size leak the traffic away from your website and that cannot auger well for your business.

What about the exceptions?

Yes, as we had hinted above, there are certain types of websites that might fall out of the norm. Websites that work with huge image galleries, video streaming sites, websites that are database driven are examples of such exceptions. If you happen to own such a website than you might need a bandwidth in the range of 10 GB to accommodate all the rich content.

Hope we have been able to answer some of the questions which bugged you about server bandwidth and disk space. At Keyline we can offer you a range of web hosting plans to choose from. It helps you save on money and stay high on performance.

by admin

Why Kid's Products websites need a cute Mascot?

Every business owner strives to attain that elusive goal - a high recall value. If you can not quite fathom what "recall value" means, let us explain. Recall value is the familiarity a brand creates in the minds of their customers (also end users, in this instance). A brand that has quick recall value does not have to spend exorbitantly in their marketing practices. Their brand has already built a tiny space within the minds of their target customers. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of burgers - MacDonald's, right? That is due to the high recall value this brand has been able to build over the years. This is what a cute Mascot can bring to your business!

Bygone are the days when there were only a few websites dealing with the kid's products and information. Today, the web world is flooded with such websites. And this is where a cute little mascot can be so effective to attain your marketing goals. A mascot can quickly help you stay ahead of the race and be seen in the crowd. When a mascot is well thought out and designed creatively, it can be the marketing push your business so dearly needed. Ever since their inception, in the early nineteenth century, mascots have always brought a high recall value (whether it is a sports team, a television character or a brand entity). And even today, their appeal has not gone down one little bit!

Why your kid's related website needs a Mascot?

You are primarily catering to the kids and their parents. And both of them are either happily or reluctantly (often the case with parents!) exposed to a lot of cartoons filled with those lovable characters. Kids just cannot have enough of those cute little characters. And when a packaging comes with a new character (in the form of your well thought out Mascot) they are easily attached to it. As for the parents, they are exposed to so many lovable characters, that your cute little Mascot sticks on in a remote corner of their busy brain easily. So, whenever they need to order for kid's products, they can quickly recall your brand. And if you can provide them the range of products they expect and at a price which fits their pocket then you earn revenues! In this regard, it has to be said that the animal characters work best as Mascots for kid's websites.

Brand Values and the Mascot

Before you get into the mascot designing project, think about your brand. What does your brand symbolize? What are its characteristics? Which animal would you associate your brand with? If your answers take you away from the popular kid's website characters (such as dogs, cats, frogs, teddy bears, etc.) so be it. Your foremost goal should be to have a mascot designed that defines your brand, its goals and philosophies.

As you can see, with a well designed Mascot your business can go places. This is why you need to choose a designing service that is both creative and skilled. At Keyline we have the apt Web Designing service to help you have the perfect mascot for your business.

by admin