The winner of the 2024 Rochesterfest Button Contest has been announced, and if the above title didn’t give it away, it’s Mike Pruett! The winning design for this year’s theme, “Live Your Dream,” is Mike’s fourth Rochesterfest button design win in a row. Along with his winning designs in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, Mike also won in 2008. That makes five winning designs—way to go, Mike!
RochesterFest
Rochestefest buttons are available at $5.00 per button at a number of fine businesses in the greater Rochester, MN area. The celebration and festivities begin on Saturday, June 22nd, and wrap up on Sunday, June 30th. The Rochesterfest Grand Parade will take place on Saturday, June 29th, starting at 2:00 p.m. Click this link for the 2024 parade route.
MLT Group LLC
Mike is the founder and CEO of MLT Group LLC Creative Solutions in Rochester, MN. He oversees the team and general business operations, and he works closely with designers and clients to develop engaging marketing and advertising solutions. MLT Group provides services across all media for a diverse range of clients and markets throughout the country. Mike’s exceptional talents also include the creation and editing of video and audio content. His services are in demand across the country, and many of his repeat clients feel he is truly a master at his profession!
Mike continually supports and engages in a wide variety of community organizations and community service opportunities in and around Rochester, MN. When it comes to putting forth their best efforts and creating the best image possible, many local civic and private non-profit organizations have gained from Mike’s participation, contributions, and creative talents.
With his generous support, wealth of creative ability, and unparalleled commitment to excellence and community service, Mike lives and works to fulfill his desire to provide the best services available and support every opportunity that comes his way with 110% of his energy and expertise!
Again, congratulations to Mike Pruett, winner of the 2024 Rochesterfest Button Design contest!
Our digital world moves quickly, and there always seems to be a new rule or standard. Every year, the web is flooded with articles talking about the year’s latest trends and game-changing techniques. It can be hard to keep up or to even know what to pay attention to. This leads to a lot of misinformation and myths, especially when it comes to web design. Most of these myths are built on a grain of truth or were true at one time but staying loyal to these outdated ideas will do more harm to your business than good. Today, we’re going to bust the 7 most common web design myths!
1. Visitors Won’t Scroll/Place Your CTA Above the Fold
These two myths go hand in hand. When the internet was still in its infancy, users weren’t used to scrolling through pages for information, so anything below the fold would largely go unnoticed. This led to sites religiously placing their calls to action (CTA) above the fold. However, both the internet and users have grown up a lot and it’s time we act like it. If your site is engaging and your message is strong, users won’t have any problem scrolling below the fold.
2. You Don’t Need a Mobile Site
This is another myth that used to be true. When internet use on cellphones was expensive or unavailable, mobile optimized websites were more of novelty than a worthwhile marketing tool. Now, the number of mobile users is only growing. Mobile devices allow consumers to search for products and services in their area right when they need them, so it’s no surprise that mobile ecommerce traffic has surpassed desktop traffic. Have you ever tried using a non-mobile optimized site on your smartphone? You’ll only tolerate the slow load speeds and poor navigation for so long before you go somewhere else. If your site isn’t mobile optimized and responsive, visitors will find a competitor’s site that is.
3. Leave No Whitespace
With limited real estate per page, you want to use every inch of it right? Not quite. When used correctly, whitespace not only improves the aesthetic of your site, but can even increase your ROI. When met with a cluttered page, visitors become overwhelmed and have difficulty finding important information. Whitespace makes your content easier to digest and even improves comprehension. It can also be used to guide users to the areas of your site you want them to see the most.
4. The More Options, the Better!
Consumers always say they want more; more options, more variety, more features. However, this isn’t quite true. It’s not that consumers want more options, but rather they want to easily find the option that best fits their needs. Cluttering your website with every possible option will actually decrease conversions, as consumers find it difficult to commit and choose. This doesn’t mean you can’t offer variety—it just means you have to guide users to the options that best fit their needs, rather than bombard them with all of them at once.
5. You View Your Website the Same Way Visitors Do
This is similar to the myth that you should like your website. This may sound counterintuitive but hear us out. You have an understanding of your business that your target audience doesn’t. They have questions, concerns, and may not understand certain elements of your business. It’s your website’s job to address their needs and guide them to what they want. This disconnect between businessowners and users can cause a lot of problems, but if you’re able to put yourself in their shoes, you’ll be able to better address their needs.
6. Everything Should Be Accessible Within 3 Clicks
It seems consumers are only growing more impatient, so it would be reasonable to assume that if a visitor can’t find what they want on your site within three clicks, they might leave. However, this unofficial web design rule has been debunked by a number of usability studies. While ease of navigation is essential in web design, consumers are willing to click around and explore a website to find what they want. As long as visitors feel they are making progress and being presented with valuable content, they will be willing to explore your website.
7. More Feedback is Always Better
Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth?’ When you receive too much feedback on your site’s design, this is exactly what can happen. It’s not that feedback is bad, but it needs to be valuable. If you need feedback on your site’s design, make sure you only ask those who understand web design, your business, and your target audience instead of sending out a mass email asking for input. Too much invaluable feedback can derail your project and lead to a poor design as you try to accommodate everyone’s minor tweaks. If you’re really unsure about something in your site’s design, ask your designer. You hired them for their expertise and they will guide you to the best design solutions for your site.
Did you believe any of these web design myths? Does your website adhere to any? It may be time to redesign your website! Contact the web design professionals at MLT Group at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490 today! We partner with you to create a design that not only looks great but is also easy to use and appealing to your target audience. We also provide digital marketing services from SEO to PPC and more.
Your St. Paul business’ website has one mission- get visitors to act. Whether that be making a purchase, joining your mailing list, or downloading content, if visitors aren’t following through with your desired action, your site isn’t doing its job. Your site’s design plays a significant role in driving conversions. Learn how you can boost conversions with your web design alone.
Highlight Your CTA: Your call to action (CTA) is the ultimate tool in generating leads. It tells visitors exactly what you want them to do. “Sign up now!” “Get your free demo today!” “Start shopping now!” But if your CTA isn’t prominently displayed in your site’s design, visitors may not follow through.
Test Your Site: When a new visitor comes to your site, how will they respond? Will they be able to easily navigate your site and find what they’re looking for? The best way to answer these questions is to ask someone who is unfamiliar with your site and your services to test it. Have them go through your site and take the desired action, recording their questions or any issues they run into. This will give you great insight into what your visitors experience and how you can adjust the web design to make their experience easier, better guiding them to take action.
Use Negative Space to Your Advantage: Negative space is any empty space on your website. This can be space between large visual elements or even the space between paragraphs. Using negative space appropriately will make your site easier to read, benefiting the user. You can even use negative space to draw the reader’s eyes exactly where you want. For example, if you want your readers to be drawn to a particular area, make it stand out by using negative space around it.
Utilize an F-Layout: Users naturally look at a page, starting at the upper left-hand corner, moving to the right, then working their way down in an F shape. But why isn’t this an E shape? Because oftentimes, readers won’t get all the way through. They are just looking skimming for important details. This means the area of the page that gets the most exposure is the upper left-hand corner, while the lower right-hand corner barely gets any. Placing the most important information in the upper left-hand corner will ensure users will see it. Otherwise, if it’s in the lower right-hand corner, it may not be seen at all.
Use Personable, High Quality Images: Images are an important design element of any website. They promote your brand and make your site look professional, but did you know they can also increase your conversions? Using images that feature people that are representative of your target audience helps visitors to better identify with your business and services.
Does your St. Paul website follow these strategies? If not, you could be missing out. MLT Group offers custom web design for desktops and mobile. Contact our expert web design team at sales@mltgroup.com to learn how to maximize conversions on your website today!
The visual elements are often forgotten during the arduous task of building a website, especially if you’ve tried to build it on your own. But not taking full advantage of the power of a strong visual design can be costly. The human brain is able to process images at amazing speeds, making visuals a powerful marketing too.
This visual is helping you retain the information in this blog!
Why are Visuals So Important?
Strong visual content does more than make your website look good and professional. Visuals have a w犀利士 ay of hacking into the brain and doing amazing things.
In a world of instant answers, consumers have short attention spans. Visuals increase the likelihood of a custome犀利士 r viewing your content. But what’s the point of reading the content if you can’t remember it? Well visuals help with that too! When information is accompanied by a relevant image, 65% of readers are able to retain the information versus 10% when there were no images. Visuals instantly communicate what would take paragraphs of text.
Using visuals also helps tell your company’s story. It communicates what you stand for, allows consumers to relate, and can create an emotional response in your customers.
How Can I Boost the Visuals on my Website?
MLT Group provides all of the services your business needs to boost its visual impact.
Custom web design for computer, tablet, and mobile platforms
Graphic design
Photography
Videography
Logo and branding design
Our experienced staff understands the importance of strong visuals and has a thorough understanding of SEO, web design, and branding. Check out examples of our custom web designs. To learn more about enhancing your web presence with a custom web design, please contact one of MLT Group’s versatile and dedicated staff members by calling 507.281.3490 or e-mailing us at sales@mltgroup.com.
Dr. Melissa doing a ‘Vanna White’ with the new Gentling Dental banner.
MLT Group recently designed a banner for one of our favorite clients, Gentling Dental. The big beautiful banner, featuring the company’s four partners and promoting “smiles and savings” at gentlingdental.com, was a fun project that will be seen by motorists traveling a busy Rochester roadway. Our team loves these kinds of projects because they represent a challenge in conveying a meaningful message with just the right imagery and very few words. After all, the experienced writer will say, “I’d have written less if I’d had more time”. Brevity is a beautiful thing, and a necessity when it comes to signage, banners and billboards.
Which photo types are the best for your business’ website?
Though stock photos can be tastefully used, at MLT Group we always encourage our clients to use photos unique to their business. Initially, stock images may seem like the best choice: they are sometimes cheaper, more readily available, and usually high quality. Sounds perfect, right? Before you decide, consider the benefits of having a photo shoot unique to your business and operations.
1) Photos look more natural and are relevant to your business.
2) Unique photos reinforce that you are a local business.
3) You legally own the photos used on your website.
4) No other business will have the same photos that you do.
5) You can garner trust from customers by using local photos.
Imagine a customer checks out your website before visiting your business, then walks in to find the same person on the home page greeting customers at the door. Your local branding and recognition is immediately reinforced by your digital presence!
At MLT Group, we provide a full range of services to help you make your new website look fantastic. From web design and development to photography and video services, we can help you with all of your digital and traditional marketing needs. For more information, please contact jeff@mltgroup.com or call our office at 507.281.3490.
Your online presence and website design can impact your brick and mortar business!
Having a credible looking website is extremely important. An outdated, cluttered website can create a negative customer experience and cause customers to spend their money elsewhere.
Your website design is a key part of your digital marketing strategy; its design is where real world marketing meets the internet. The impression you leave on your online customers translates into how they view your business in real life. Does your website make you look like a credible business or like you’re still doing business in the 90’s?
What makes your website look credible to users?
1) Make sure your website is arranged in a user-friendly format
2) Place the most important information “above the fold”
3) Ensure your design looks like quality, professional work
4) Leverage a blog to show expertise in your field
Don’t get stuck in the past! If you need a website redesign to keep up with technological advancements, contact jeff@mltgroup.com or call the MLT Group office at 507.281.3490. We’d be happy to provide you with a quote or more information about our many traditional and digital marketing services.
Video Production for Rochester on Tour at the Capital by MLT Group
Last Tuesday, March 11th, MLT Group – Creative Solutions provided video production, photography, and local business support for the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce’s Rochester on Tour. The annual event is quickly becoming a favorite of both residents and local business owners alike, as it gives Rochester, MN residents the chance to speak with legislative representatives and to advertise the opportunities available in our area.
The day began at the Rochester International Event Center before boarding the bus to the Capitol. After a tour of the capitol, participants were able to speak personally with representatives about current hot topics in Rochester, including Destination Medical Center (DMC), the expansion of the Mayo Civic Center, the High Speed Rail Study, and other legislative priorities. Since Rochester provides over $9 billion dollars in taxes to the state of Minnesota, participants were excited to make sure their voices were heard.
The bus ride up to the city was occupied with a video produced by your very own MLT Group to make sure each participant was well-informed about the current Rochester initiatives. MLT Group also provided photography throughout the day that will be available to the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce throughout the year.
Perhaps most importantly, the day-long event provided an opportunity for bonding between businesses and residents. Business owners from all over Rochester were able to take a day out of the office and really hear where residents and other business owners’ interests and concerns lay. MLT Group was proud to be part of such an impressive initiative from the chamber of commerce. One of our wonderful graphic designers even had the chance to make a new add for our business (see left).
MLT Group provides video production services in Rochester, MN to many local businesses, as well as many throughout the state. If you are in need of media production or marketing services, don’t hesitate to contact us at 507.281.3490!
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