October 25, 2024
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5 min read
Meet Spark & Pony, your Edmonton website design company. You are in the right place if you need a high-performing website to help grow your nonprofit.
Having a website in this day and age is crucial, considering 29% of business is conducted online. The growing trends of online commerce and internet usage mean that if you don’t have a strong website, you’re missing out on clients, potential partnerships and fundraising opportunities daily.
A slow and outdated website isn’t doing you any favours, either. A whopping 88% of online users won’t return to a site after a bad experience. Making your website work for you with good UI design, fast performance, and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) is essential to fulfilling your online potential and growing your business.
So why us? We design and build world-class brands and websites for some of the most innovative businesses, social enterprises, and non-profits in North America.
With 34 years of combined experience, our team is here to help you reach your goals sooner with a strategic website designed specifically for you.
In this blog, we’ll run you through our web design process, Webflow Expert Certification, what you need to have a successful website, and how we can help you achieve your business goals through your new website.
Here are some reasons to consider a website redevelopment if you have a low-performing website.
Outdated website design can lead to poor end-user experience, either because your website is challenging to navigate or because 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.
Website speed is a Google ranking factor, so if your website is slow and glitchy, it won’t rank well on search engines, which means people can’t find you. Not only that, but it can frustrate your users and lead to fewer people using your site.
Your website is pretty but doesn’t bring in new leads or sales. There are dozens of reasons why this could be happening, ranging from poor content that doesn’t directly speak to your target audience to poor UI design and confusing lead forms. A strong website should look great and also deliver for your business.
Your website doesn’t show up on Google and other relevant search engines. Websites that rank poorly or not at all usually aren’t optimized, meaning they either lack optimized content, have an improper keyword strategy, lack backlinks, or have other more urgent issues in the backend.
Even if you had an optimization strategy when you first developed your website, it might be outdated as Google and other search engines tweak and change their algorithms. A lack of optimization is one of the top reasons businesses and non-profits often choose to redevelop their website.
Cybersecurity is no joke. A recent study showed 82% of organizations suffered at least one successful cyberattack in 2024. Leading cybersecurity threats include malware, phishing, account takeovers, and ransomware.
Not only can cybersecurity affect your organization, but it can also affect your end-users. If a donor had their credit card information stolen from your nonprofit's website, this could lead to serious legal issues. Depending on when your website was created, you might have security issues that need to be addressed.
Are you a small business entrepreneur or a nonprofit? We understand budgets can be limited, and you may need to prioritize your marketing efforts. Learn how to prioritize design and branding services below.
Read: Website, Branding, or Social Media: Which Comes First?
Search engines index and rank competing websites as they battle for visibility online. Google, in particular, uses over 200 ranking factors to decide if your content is more valuable to a person than a competing website with similar content.
We’ve included some of the most important ranking factors below.
Google rewards quality content. They define high-quality content as first-hand experiences, helpful information, original insights, and content that offers depth and credibility.
Your website content should be up-to-date and relevant, easy to read and original. AI content is being penalized, so search engine algorithms won’t reward you for spamming the internet with unoriginal content created by a bot.
Google loves websites with links. There are two types of links to focus on: internal links and backlinks.
Internal links connect you to pages from the same website. They help Google understand which pages on your website are important, and help search engine bots index your pages better.
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They help Google validate your website’s authority on certain subject matter and show that your content is quality.
Note: optimized blog posts should also have external links where you link to other sources and websites.
Ever had a question and gone to Google it? That’s search intent. If your website has pages or blogs that answer common questions or explain a topic to searchers in a valuable and original way, it will rank higher.
Alt text stands for “alternative text” and is the textual description of an image in the image’s HTML tag. An alt-text description helps search engines interpret and understand what the image is.
This is a crucial ranking factor. Alt text should be precise, descriptive, and on every photo used on your website.
Alt text is also essential to ensuring your website is accessible to the visually impaired. Learn more about website accessibility and why it's so important here.
Think of ranking factors as an endorsement or vote of confidence. Google won’t recommend your page to a person if it takes forever to load or has outdated content.
A quality user experience makes all the difference and includes mobile-friendly performance, page speed, and website security.
Does SEO confuse you? Not to worry. When you hire us as web design experts, we handle Google ranking factors for you. From page speed and security to alt text on photos, we know how to build well-loved and fully accessible websites. (By end users and search engines alike!)
Do you already have a website and are interested in improving your SEO on your own? Our blog post showcases some helpful free SEO tools here.
Want to understand SEO keywords better and improve the content on your website? Read: A Small Business Guide To Keywords
You need a new website, so why choose Spark & Pony?
We’re a winning team! Spark and Pony brings together 34+ years of combined experience creating beautiful digital products and meaningful brands. Ranked as one of the best website design agencies in Edmonton and with a 5 Star Clutch Rating and 5 Star Google Rating, we’re your top choice for an Edmonton website design company.
Best in Edmonton Web Design Firm
Best in Edmonton Graphic Design Firm
Check out our portfolio here.
We have spent years building systems that make our website design agency feel different. With clear communication and thoughtful project management at every stage, our level of care helps us build long-lasting relationships with our clients.
No confusing timelines. No unanswered emails. No dealing with a giant team who doesn’t understand you or your vision. We are here to answer every question and support you so you not only leave your experience with a website you love but feel empowered to take the next steps to grow your business.
We build Webflow websites! In addition to creating fully customized websites with secure hosting, excellent customer support, and faster turnaround times, Webflow offers us a host of integrations and solutions that solve complex problems.
We also love how easy Webflow is for business owners to operate. Once your website is built, we teach you how to use and update straightforward content and asset changes yourself. Webflow truly is the next generation of web publishing systems.
Other benefits of a Webflow website include:
Compare the benefits of Webflow to other website platforms here.
Below, we’ve outlined one of our most common website design processes to help you understand what working with our agency might look like. This process includes customizing an eight to twelve-page Webflow template to your needs.
If you are looking for a fully customized Webflow website with multiple integrations, the process will look different. If this is you, please get in touch with us to develop a custom quote here.
Want a more in-depth look at our website design process?
Read our blog: Our Process As An Edmonton Website Design Agency
Controversial opinion: there is no point in a pretty website if it doesn’t convert new clients or rank well on search engines. Yup, we said it!
Spark & Pony creates optimized, responsive websites that utilize good design to create positive end-user experiences.
So here’s what you can expect from one of our websites.
Elevate your online presence, outrank your competitors and impress your audience with our beautiful and performance-driven websites.
Content is more than just words on a website. We extensively research your industry and keywords to create powerful content that performs online. Show up on your end-user's search engine results page (SERP) with higher rankings and better visibility.
Our websites look great on both desktops and mobile phones. That means everything from layout to navigation is fluid and easy to use.
We customize your website so that every element reaffirms your values and visual identity, from brand messaging to colours. Keep new and loyal clients coming back for more.
We optimize your site to increase conversions and grow your client base. Our websites incorporate custom integrations with intuitive design and drive interested traffic straight to your door.
Before you begin your web design journey, choosing a website design company that produces great results and aligns with your values is important.
Our dedication to treating our clients with care and delivering outstanding results has been the cornerstone of our success.
That’s why we have:
Let’s take a look at some of our previous work.
Toastography is an Edmonton LGBTQ+-inclusive boudoir photographer offering a body-positive experience for anyone wanting to express themselves through tasteful self-portraits. Stephanie needed a brand and website that represented her.
Our team first designed a modern and luxurious logo. We then developed a website that showcases her photography while funnelling new clients to book a session.
Her new website had an 856% traffic increase from the previous year, increased bookings, and 8x more form completions. Not only did her website represent her personal style and brand, but it successfully assisted in growing her business.
“After seeing my new website for the first time I cried from joy - they captured everything that I am and my business represents. I have seen an increase in website traffic and more contacts from visitors. I receive many compliments on my website from customers - and they fixed issues I was having with effective methods of receiving contact from clients.” - Stephanie, Owner of Toastography
Check out our portfolio work for Toastography here.
Zetna Collective is an organization that aims to foster positive life experiences for the 2SLGBTQ+ Black, African, and Caribbean communities in Edmonton. They wanted a timeless, easy-to-use website that provided education and resources, featured their events and programs, and supported fundraising efforts.
A templated Webflow website was the perfect base, allowing us to reach their launch goals while also empowering the Zetna team with an easy-to-use CMS for future internal updates.
Our team combined branding, illustrations, content, and intuitive web design to create a high-quality website that delivered while conveying their message of love and community.
Check out our portfolio work for Zetna Collective here.
Don’t just take our word for it - hear from some of our clients:
Adam | Founder - No Limits Collective & Red Plaid Developments
“Spark & Pony has provided a level of client care that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced from another company. (I deal with hundreds of other companies across many industries) Their skills in website, graphic, and content development is unmatched but it goes well beyond that. They make business personal and truly become involved in your vision. I don’t know where I would be without you.”
Junetta | Co-Founder & Board Member - Velma Carter Centre
“It was a pleasure working with a small, women-led team. It felt more relational than transactional, and they provided extras that really helped us out. We strongly recommend Spark & Pony, and look forward to more collaboration.”
Time is currency. As small business entrepreneurs or nonprofit leaders, you may be managing a million different tasks, and it can feel impossible to get all of them done.
Our team is here to support you with valuable insight, thoughtful conversation, and tailored solutions designed to make an impact on your business. With years of industry experience under our belts, we can brand, build and create your dream website and, most importantly, empower you to get the most value out of that investment for years to come.
Interested in booking a discovery call to explore your website options? Book a 30-minute virtual meeting with us here. We want to learn more about your business or non-profit and how we can support you.
Looking for more website, design, branding and marketing goodies? Our blog is written with you in mind. Check it out here.
Learn more: How Often Should You Update Your Website?
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