BrainWeb Blog
Our Take on the Latest Online Trends and News
Discover the latest in web design and digital marketing trends, and industry insights in our blog. We provide valuable content to help your business navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
A Beginner’s Guide to SEO: What It Is & Why It Matters
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a crucial aspect of digital marketing that helps businesses improve their online presence and attract more customers. This beginner-friendly guide will provide a comprehensive introduction to SEO, explaining its key principles and...
Turn Browsers into Buyers: Applying Cialdini’s Principles of Influence to Web Design
The success of a website often depends on its ability to captivate visitors and persuade them to take action. Whether it's subscribing to your newsletter, making a purchase, or reaching out for further information, the power of persuasion is integral to your online...
The Psychology of Easter Eggs: Why We Love Finding Hidden Surprises
Have you ever stumbled upon a hidden message or surprise in a product or advertisement that made you feel excited or delighted? If so, you've experienced the power of Easter eggs in marketing. Easter eggs are hidden surprises or messages that are intentionally...
9 Essential Tips for WordPress Security: Safeguarding Your Website from Hackers
As a small business owner in the UK, you understand that a strong online presence is crucial for your business. Your website is often the first point of contact between you and potential customers. But what happens when this online gateway, the heart of your business,...
The Science of First Impressions: How Neuroscience Informs Web Design Principles
So, you have a remarkable product or service, and you're keen to share it with the world. You know that, as the online world continues to dominate many aspects of business life, your website is your virtual shopfront. It's the place where potential customers will meet...
PPC vs. SEO vs. Content Marketing: Which is Best for Your Business?
Digital marketing can be a challenging landscape to navigate, and with so many options to choose from, it can be tough to know which strategy to invest in. We often deal with small business owners looking to improve their online visibility, and a common question is...
10 Tips for Making Your Website Fast and User-Friendly
As a small business owner, you know that having a website is essential to attracting new customers and growing your business. But what many small business owners don't realise is that having a slow or clunky website can actually do more harm than good. A fast and...
Optimising Website Design: Applying Cognitive Load Theory for Better User Experience
When it comes to designing a website, it's important to focus on not only the aesthetics, but also on creating a user-friendly experience. The user experience is directly related to how much cognitive effort users have to exert to accomplish their goals on a website....
10 Proven Strategies for Boosting Your Local SEO and Climbing the Rankings
Are you struggling to get your local business website to show up in search results when people in your area search for products or services like yours? If so, you're not alone. Competition for top spots in local search rankings can be fierce. But don't despair! There...
Designing for Mobile: Why It’s More Important Than Ever in 2023
So, mobile web design is becoming more and more crucial as the days go by. You see, mobile devices are now accounting for more than half of all internet traffic in the world. And as the planet Earth revolves, this trend is only set to continue, with predictions of...
What is sustainable web design?
Ah, web design. We've all seen it, we've all used it, and we've all had our fair share of frustrations with it. But have you ever stopped to think about how sustainable web design might help us move away from the same old, same old and into something more... well,...
The Carbon Footprint of the Internet
The internet is one of the most significant contributors to global emissions, with digital activities powering 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. But what exactly is the carbon footprint of the internet? To start, it’s important to understand the...
Zombie Marketing Channels: Resurrecting the Dead for Your Business
Halloween isn’t just a time for spooky costumes and trick-or-treating; it’s also a perfect season to unearth the forgotten arts of marketing—those so-called "zombie" channels that many assume are long dead. In a digital age where new platforms and technologies pop up...
Writing a WordPress post with the Gutenberg editor
Writing posts with WordPress is as easy as using a word processor. With the latest release of WordPress (5.0) comes a new page and post editor called Gutenberg. This is a very different experience from the old WordPress editor. However, it's here to stay and it's...
New Pay Monthly Web Design Norfolk
This month we are rolling out our new pay monthly website design service to clients around Norfolk. For the past few years we have, like most web design companies, price each project individually according to the work involved. Once the project was finished we simply...
Free Stock Photography, Where to Find the Best Images
There are lots of reasons you might want access to professional quality photography. For a new website, a blog post, a printed article or an advert, or even a homework project. Until recently professional images came at a price. Photographer’s after all are like the...
Where do small business owners hang out online?
We all find times when we need to connect with other, especially as businesses owners. Running my first business left me feeling quite isolated for a while. At the time I didn’t have a network of other business owners on hand to talk through problems or ideas, or...
Why is Your Brain Wrinkly
If you’ve ever wondered why our brains are so wrinkly we have the answer for you. This short video from PHD Comics describes how our brain fold up as they develop, and why some creatures have smooth brains while the more intelligent species have wrinkly brains. An...
Content Marketing 101: Expert Tips for Building a Strong Strategy
Content marketing is a critical component of any modern marketing strategy. It involves creating and sharing valuable and relevant content with the aim of attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience, ultimately leading to profitable customer action. However,...
Digital Marketing Trends
The world’s largest companies and brands are increasingly relying on digital marketing to get their message across. 72% of marketers agree that traditional marketing is no longer sufficient, and 80% expect to increase their digital budget in the next 12-18 months....
Your Amazing Brain in Numbers
Your brain is amazing, and here are a few numbers to prove it. This video created by PHD Comics takes you through a fascinating set of statistics on the brain. It also answers some important questions, like: What has the biggest brain? How many brain cells do you...
20 Graphic Design Principles to Improve Your Content
Graphic design is a complicated process, with many rules and sometimes conflicting approaches to the same goal. There is a lot to learn for the novice designer, more than can be covered in this post, but we’ll outline 20 of the most important principles to get you...
Storytelling for Business: Creating a Narrative That Sets You Apart
As a small business owner, you're always looking for ways to connect with your customers and build loyalty. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is storytelling. By telling the stories behind your business, you can create an emotional connection with your...
Star Wars Meets Local SEO Infographic
We love Star Wars and we’re all about local SEO, so we could hardly resist a Star Wars themed local SEO infographic. While the infographic takes a lighthearted approach to the subject, it makes some important points about the impact local citations. Read on if you’d...
How to Write a Successful Blog Post
How to Write a Successful Blog Post That Will Drive Traffic to Your Website Headline The headline is the most important part of your blog post. 80% of viewers never make it past the average headline. However, if your take a little time to get it...
Twitter for Business: How to Craft Engaging Tweets That Drive Traffic to Your Website
As a UK business owner, you know how important it is to have a strong online presence. With over 19 million active users in the UK alone, Twitter is a powerful tool to connect with customers, increase brand awareness, and drive traffic to your website. However, with...
12 Reasons Bespoke Website Design Matters
We obviously care about bespoke website design at BrainWeb, it’s what we do. But why is bespoke website design so important? In a world where website builders and pre-made templates are readily available, some might argue that bespoke design is a luxury rather than a...
Small Business SEO Checklist
For a small business search engine optimisation (SEO) offers one of the most cost-effective way to get more potential customers to your website. SEO can seem complicated and intimidating to those outside of the profession. There are well over...
3 Steps to Design and Build a Website
Having a well designed website for your business is a necessity. It can help establish your online presence, attract your target audience, and promote your products or services. Obviously, we'd love it if you want to take to us about our web design services, but if...
How to Outsource Your Blog
There are many reasons that may drive you to consider to outsource your blog. For most people it’s reducing the costs, the need for expert help, or simply freeing up their time. An additional reason to consider is producing more content, allowing...
Uncovering the Secrets of User Attention: Web Design Insights from Eye Tracking Research
The world of website design is continuously evolving, and staying informed about the latest research can be a game-changer for businesses looking to optimize their online presence. One of the most insightful developments in recent years is eye-tracking research, which...
Great Landing Page Design in 7 Steps
Great landing page design can make a big improvement to your websites performance in fulfilling your business goals. Many landing pages are put together with a focus on the product and business. However, for the design to be successful you need to shift your...
12 Good Homepage Design Principles
The homepage of your website is your shop window. Just like with people, an opinion of your business is quickly formed based on its first impression. The front page of your website is often the first contact people have with your company. Therefore, good homepage...
Website Trustworthiness Psychology 101
A quick bit of keyword research for this article revealed just how important website trustworthiness is. All the following are popular Google search terms. Can I trust a website Can I trust website How can I trust a website How to trust a...
What is Responsive Web Design
A responsive web design is one way to make your website mobile friendly. Making sure you website is mobile friendly is now more important than ever. Over half of all google search now come from mobile devices, and mobile internet user have outnumbered desktop...
The Evolution of Web Design 1990 – 2016
The internet is so much a part of people’s lives today that it is hard to believe that the first website was created in 1990. In a little over 25 years websites have evolved from a simple page of static text, to huge interactive websites that include images, videos,...
Your Brain on Coffee
If you’re a designer, academic, or developer you will no doubt be familiar the the effects of coffee. It seems to be the beverage of choice for any activity that requires deep thought and concentration. This video created by phdcomics.com explains the effect of...
10 Ranking Factors for Local Search
As a local business owner, you know how important it is to get your business in front of as many potential customers as possible. And with the majority of consumers turning to the internet to find businesses near them, optimising your online presence for local search...
How To Live a Creative Life
This fun infographic was created for Fast Company. How to live a creative life maps out the many ways people keep in a creative mindset. While we’re not sure about some of their suggestions it’s a quick light-hearted read and worth exploring. We’re off to grab a...
56 reasons startups fail
There are many different reasons startups fail, and many companies suffer from a combination of reasons. There is no guaranteed path to success for a startup, but this article maps out the many pitfalls to look out for. The reasons for startup failure are...
5 strange habits of successful people
We all know of one or more successful people that are known as being a bit odd or eccentric. Whether is Einstein or Steve Jobs, many of the world’s most successful people are known to have a some strange habits. This infographic from the OPEN...
What makes a successful blog
There are 31 million bloggers in the United States, and over 150 million blogs worldwide. Finding some success blogging for business is generally quite easy. Businesses with blogs generate 67% more leads each month, so the is a good ROI for most sites. Blogging...
8 biggest newbie blogging mistakes
Blogging has become a popular way for individuals and businesses to share their ideas and expertise with the world. While it may seem easy to start a blog, many newbies make common mistakes that can hinder their success. In this post, we will discuss the eight biggest...
12 steps to write great content people want to read
Writing is easy, but great writing is hard. If you want to get read online your content has to be of the highest standard. Here is a 12 step guide to writing great content that people will want to read. First you need to decide what you are trying to achieve with your...
11 ways to create stunning visual content
Visual content can make a big difference to your marketing efforts and website. Articles with images get a lot more shares on social media. People tend to skim online content so you need to get your message across clearly, and visual content is a great way to do...
Writing strategies for frustrated bloggers
Writing can be a challenge for even the seasoned professional, but for some the mere thought of writing sends a cold shiver down their spine. I am one of the latter. This guide is for all the frustrated writers who, like me, struggle with the “I can’t write” syndrome....
Rise of the content hacker
Growth hacking is a term that been about for a few years now, it was first used by Sean Ellis in 2010. It is a marketing methodology popular with startups, where the focus is on quick growth of the companies userbase. Growth hackers use low cost marketing...
Small Business Social Media Success
Not so long ago people were questioning if social media was worth the effort for business. Now most owners except that for a small business social media success can make all the difference. It’s perhaps no surprise that social media is so popular with small...
29 ways to keep being creative
If you work in a creative business you’ll know that staying creative can be a challenge. There are many distraction in the modern workplace, and demands on your time and attention. To stay creative you’ll need to get on top of your work life and make a...
50 elements of a successful small business website
Most entrepreneurs know that they need a website to promote their business. However, they are less sure when it comes to what to put on a website. There are some key features a small business website design must include. This infographic...
How visual content is key to social media growth
Social media is an ever-evolving landscape that can be challenging to navigate. With so many businesses vying for attention, it's essential to have a solid social media strategy in place. One crucial element of any successful social media strategy is visual content....
Become a Twitter power user
Twitter is one of the best social media networks to promote your business, so you want to be a Twitter Power User. Its great for customer engagement and for content marketing, being one of the best methods to get people to click through onto your...
7 qualities of a great logo
Great logo design is difficult to get right, but it’s a job you’ll want done right. Your company logo stands and an instant reminder of what your company stands for. This guide will take you through the basics, help you avoid some of the pitfalls, and give your...
Eureka moments of famous entrepreneurs
Have you ever wondered how inspiration struck some of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, inventors, and one actor?
What market research can do for your small business
Market research can give you a valuable insight into your business. A well planned piece of market research can help you reduce risk in your business, identify small problems before they become big problems. It takes away the guesswork when...
6 steps to craft the ultimate about page
The about page is usually one of the most critical pages on a website, and one that is often overlooked. A look at your website stats will probably show the about page is in the top 10 most visited pages. Chances are that anyone looking at your about page is also...
What is Inbound Marketing?
In traditional marketing you would find ways to get a potential customer’s attention. This typically involved print, radio, or TV advertising designed to interrupt the viewer and grab their attention. It is a shotgun approach that is hard to track...
Traits of successful entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur’s come in all shapes and sizes, but there are some traits that are more prevalent than others. The following infographic from StartupBros draws together research from several sources to give an overview of what a successful...
What is marketing automation?
Marketing automation is generally seen as esoteric subject, covering a confusing combination of topics. These include online marketing, SaaS software, social media, online publishing, website design, and sales management. Marketo have suggested the following...
How to create better website content
Content marketing isn’t easy, and creating great website content that people want to link to and share is hard. However, with a little know how you can dramatically increase your contents effectiveness. The following 15 points will help you to tune your content...
2016 Digital marketing trends guide for SMBs
There are a lot of exciting new online marketing developments this year, and keeping on top of them all is a challenge. However, they also offer some unique ways to stay ahead of the competition and push your business to the next level. This article looks at the...
Strengthen your WordPress website security
Website security is an important issue, ignore it and it could cost you. Over 30,000 websites are hacked every day, that’s an average of one every 5 seconds. However, most of these hacking attempts could have been prevented if the website owners followed a few simple...
7 challenges of great web design
All web design projects come with their challenges. Its not just about making the site look good, it also needs to meet the goals of the website owner, meet various technical and usability standards, and keep viewers engaged with the content. In this article...
Unlocking the Power of Marketing Psychology: Strategies for Captivating Your Audience
In today's digital world, it's not enough to simply have a website - you need to understand the psychology behind marketing to truly engage and captivate your audience. Whether you're a small business owner or a large corporation, understanding the principles of...
4 steps to create a great marketing email
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies, with a stunning return on investment—on average, $44.25 for every dollar spent in the U.S. With over 3 billion email accounts worldwide and 95% of online consumers using email, mastering the...
Why you need a responsive web design
Almost all websites should be mobile friendly now, and the easiest way to make your website mobile friendly is to use a responsive website design. Responsive designs use some clever css (cascading style sheets) code that tells your browser to move...
The Importance of typography in web design
Typography is a key part of any graphic design project, and web design is no exception. Despite this, it is often overlooked by designers. This article covers the most basic elements of typography and how to apply them. Space is always as important as content, and...
When is it time to get a new website?
Most businesses will want their websites to look fresh and up to date, but you don’t want to rebuild your site every year. If you need to decide if it’s time for a website redesign this useful chart will help guide you through the decision process, and...
Why we use WordPress
We design a lot of WordPress websites in our work, more than any other content management system (CMS) or framework. So what you’ll want to know is what makes it so great? WordPress is the most widely CMS in the world, with over 100,000 new WordPress websites created...
21 ways to unlock your creativity
Our infographic for today looks at the process of creativity, a key skill for web designers. Being creative can be hard, especially when inspiration isn’t striking. However, you can take a proactive approach to get you moving on a project, and find your inspiration....
The 2016 social media cheat sheet
Setting up and maintaining a social media account can be time consuming. Each network uses different standard image sizes and different shortcuts. They are also used differently, with different optimal times of the day or week to post new content. This handy...
The Fast Guide to Keyword Research
If you want to be found online you first need to consider what you want to be found for. What words or phrases do your viewers use to search the internet for the content you want to promote? Keyword research is the essential first step to any web design,...
10 things you may not know about social media
Social media is an increasingly import part of digital marketing. Understanding the nuances of each channel, and who their audience is, can make a difference to the success of your marketing channels. Start by finding out the best time to post updates...
1001 reasons to visit Norfolk
BrainWeb is based in the beautiful county of Norfolk. The largely rural county is often viewed as a backwater. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. Norfolk has many thriving industries, from the traditional to the high tech, and a rich culture of...
Online Marketing Trends 2016
Digital marketing is fast changing and constantly developing in response to new technologies. If you want your business to stay ahead of the competition you’ll need to keep up with the latest online marketing trends. Mobile web design is one of the most...
6 ways to connect and grow your small business
Finding new business is never easy, and the smaller you are the harder it gets. Connecting directly with customers and other business owners is one of the best ways to drive your business forward. However, it’s something that many small business owners struggle...
Home page design for small businesses
Getting your home page right can make a big difference to your websites effectiveness. You’ll need to consider what it is that you want your home page to do for your business, generate sales, phone calls, or validate your expertise. Once you have a clear goal you can...
8 ways to improve your website
A great website design puts the user’s experience at the centre, and usability is key to getting it right. Create a good user experience and people will come back for more, your bounce rate will drop, and conversion rates will rise. You’ll may even notice a positive...
Do’s and don’ts for your small business website
Creating a great website may sound easy but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Great web design is not just about making your content look great, though that is a big part of it. You also need to think about who is going to use the website,...
Startups guide to social media infographic
For a startup social media can be an invaluable tool to help create a buzz around your new product or service. Find and connect with potential customers and investors, industry leaders, and the press. This infographic from Udemy will guide your startup...
26 things to think about when designing a new website
There are a lot of factors to consider when designing a new website. Its not just about good design, you also need to think about who will be using the site and how they will use it. There are the technical aspects to consider; what platform to use, where to host...
5 ingredients for the perfect blog post
You’re growing your business and you know you need to blog, but how do you do it well? The are five basic ingredients to any blog post, get them right and people will read and share your content. B2B websites that regularly update their blog get 67% more leads and 97%...
Mastering the Art of Branding: Leveraging Social Media to Boost Your Business
Hey there, friend! Are you looking to boost your business and build a stronger brand? Look no further than social media! With billions of users worldwide, social media is an incredible tool for connecting with customers and growing your business. So, let's dive into...
How colour is used by the biggest brands
Exploring the psychological impact of colour in the world of design Colour is more than just a visual component of design; it's an intricate dance of psychology, emotions, and associations that can profoundly influence how we perceive a brand. In fact, some of the...
Small Business SEO Do’s and Don’ts
Running a small businesses is hard enough without having to worry about your websites ranking in the search results. Professional SEO is complicated and constantly changing in response to updates of Google’s search algorithm. Methods that...
Web Design Trends You Need to be Aware of in 2016
Web design is constantly evolving with changing fashions, and more importantly with new tools and standards that allow us designers to do new things. There are several important trends to keep an eye on this year. Some could be called visual fashion, such as parallax...
In Search of Inspiration at the Sainsbury Centre Norwich
I escaped the office this morning, and went in search of a little inspiration at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. If you’re not familiar with the Sainsbury Centre it’s the one of the premier university based art galleries in the UK. Based at the UEA in Norwich,...
7 SEO Tips for Local Search Domination
If your business serves customers in a particular area, it's important to show up in the local search results when people search for your products or services. Local search results are when people search for keywords along with the name of a place, such as a city or...
The Anchoring Bias and Sales, Oldest Trick in the Book
The human mind is not always as logical as you’d like to think. We are all susceptible to a range of cognitive biases, a systematic deviation from rational judgment due to inferences based on illogical thought patterns. One cognitive bias often used in...
Priming Consumer Behaviour
Priming is a subconscious phenomenon where the activation of an association memory shortly before an action or task affects a subject’s response. In the example below a subject is asked to complete the word by filling in the missing letter. If presented...
Can psychology build you a better website?
Harnessing the power of human behaviour to create compelling websites When we embark on the journey to create a website, it's easy to get caught up in the technical aspects – the code, the design, the server-side settings – and forget that there is a more subtle, yet...