GA4

GA4

by | Dec 19, 2022 | Lead Generation, Website

As a business owner, you may have heard of the change that is on the horizon. The coming of the new age is upon us, and on July 1st of 2023, Google will officially move away from Universal Analytics (UA) and transition into Google Analytics 4 (GA4). You may be wondering to yourself, “what does this mean for me and my business?” No need to worry! Root and Roam is here to help.

While the full step-by-step of changes and differences can be found in google support, we wanted to highlight the biggest changes that may affect you most. In this blog we will cover:

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What is GA4?

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What is changing from UA to GA4?

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How and when to set up GA4.

WHAT IS GA4?

Google Analytics 4, also known as GA4, is Google’s next generation of analytics. Within this new platform, Google will track event-based data from BOTH websites and apps. GA4 has made it possible to collect both website- and app-based data to better your understanding of your customer’s journey and behavior. With the fear of personal data sharing rising, GA4 has created a property that mitigates this behavior and tracks cookieless measurement as well as behavioral and conversational modeling. Within their predictive capabilities, GA4 now offers guidance without having to work through complex models: Introducing the next generation of Analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Analytics Help

WHAT IS CHANGING FROM UA TO GA4?

One of the biggest changes coming to GA4 is the tracking of events. In the old Universal Analytic properties, each event had a Category, Action, and Label with their own hit type. In the new GA4 properties, every hit type now triggers an event in your analytics. GA4 events don’t register Category, Action, and Label. Ultimately, we will need to rethink our data collection to now fit the new GA4 event structure instead of using the same data collection structure we used in Universal Analytics. 

Another key component with GA4 is the integration of both web- and app-based data. Before, Universal Analytics would solely track what was happening on your website, and you would have to track your app-based data through firebase. GA4 has combined both features to show all your data in one place. 

GA4 will provide simplified reports. Previously, Universal Analytics would show you multiple lists and reports that could be intimidating to some business owners due to the vast amount of data being thrown at you. GA4 will track the key metrics it thinks you will be interested in and will provide simplified reports to speed up your data-tracking process. This new feature can be seen as good or bad, but for the majority of people, it will make Google analytics much easier to understand. For the more experienced data expert, GA4 will come with a new analysis tool that allows you to drill into your data and get the more advanced metric you may be looking for. GA4 will also track more events by default without extra coding, whereas in Universal Analytics you had to implement code to track things like outbound clicks, site searches, video engagements, etc. GA4 automatically tracks these events without the headache of adding code to your site. A more technical breakdown of differences can be found through Googles Analytic Help section.

HOW AND WHEN TO SET UP GA4

While the official date of transition is July 1st 2023, we here at Root & Roam suggest preparing your business for the switch today. With Google understanding that this is a big change for most companies, they have made it so that both properties can run side-by-side while you and your employees get used to the change. One of the biggest reasons we suggest adding GA4 today is that there is no upgrade plan from UA to GA4, meaning that you will not be able to compare historical UA data to the new GA4 data. With that being said, installing the GA4 tag today allows your business to begin tracking data for the future to better understand your month-over-month, and eventually year-over-year data.

Another reason we suggest installing GA4 today is to get yourself up to par on all of the differences before Universal Analytics is shut down. With both platforms running side by side, both you and your team can take this time to compare the two properties and get comfortable with using GA4. Another key fact is that GA4 doesn’t currently offer everything that Universal Analytics offers. Some metrics are still being added and upgraded on the GA4 platform, so having your old Universal Analytics account will ensure that you aren’t missing any data before the transition.

With the world of analytics changing rapidly, we at Root & Roam understand that GA4 installation and reporting can be difficult. If you or your business need any help or guidance in this transition, feel free to reach out and talk to one of our experts!

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    Wireframing

    Wireframing

    by | Oct 4, 2022 | Website

    Wireframing your project can be helpful to your team. What may feel like an extra step will help in the long run to communicate purpose, placement, and action.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

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    What is wireframing?

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    How to make a wireframe?

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    How to read a wireframe

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    Key takeaways

    What is wireframing?

    A wireframe is a two-dimensional creation of a digital or print design that focuses on content, call to action, placement, spacing, and functionality. Wireframes also establish the interaction between the user and the page.

    Making a wireframe is important to your project because it helps you plan ahead what your project needs to work and what it should include before you think about aesthetics, branding, and imagery. Wireframing needs no special software, just a place you can quickly think out ideas and identify your key elements of the page.

    Wireframing is a tool that a team of designers, developers, and users can use as a blueprint for their project.

    Wireframes include but are not limited to:

    • image placement
    • call to action button
    • location and placement of copy
    • navigation placement
    • logos
    • search field
    • breadcrumb
    • headers, including page title as the H1 and subheads H2-Hx
    • navigation systems, including global navigation and local navigation
    • 1234
    • body content
    • share buttons
    • contact information
    • footer

    How to make a wireframe?

    This is a hot topic with lots of suggestions on the internet for software and technology, but the only thing you need to make a wireframe is your brain. Low fidelity wireframes can be sketched out on a piece of paper. High fidelity wireframes can be more thoughtful on a digital platform, but the results are the same. Digital software allows easy collaboration and duplication, but starting with sketches may help you think through your customer’s journey. There isn’t a wrong way to make a wireframe, but below are the steps I typically take.

    1. Sketch out a low fidelity wireframe to think through the customer journey, needs, and channels.
    2. Recreate the sketch in a high fidelity wireframe using a collaborative software such as Adobe XD.
    3. Illustrate the user experience above the scroll, and connect any interactions in the prototype tab.
    4. Try making wireframes using a phone first, since this is the most typical digital use and the most challenging for accommodating information.
    5. Share the wireframe with your team or client, making sure they have a place to give feedback and adjustments.
    6. Revise and approve.

    Once your wireframes are approved, start working on design and development.

    How to read a wireframe?

    Remember—wireframes are meant to provide just a little information, so make sure you are asking the right questions when you are looking at a wireframe. Make sure you can navigate through the customer journey and make sense of placement.

    Rectangles with X often represent photos, and buttons are symbolized with a rectangle. Below are some awesome resources from Adobe that identify the symbols and uses: {Download these Free Resources from Adobe.}

    Summary—Don’t be afraid of wireframes. The time they require can be intimidating at first, but the time they save in communication will be essential in later levels.

    CTA—Need help planning your next project or wireframe? Let Root and Roam help you plan your next customer journey. Call today for a consultation.

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      Ensuring your website ADA compliant

      Ensuring your website ADA compliant

      by | Aug 29, 2022 | Creative Services, Website

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

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      What is ADA compliance, and why does it matter?

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      How do I make my website ADA compliant?

      What is ADA compliance, and why does it matter?

      The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the United States’ most important law regarding accessibility and civil rights for people with disabilities. Signed into law in 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against anyone based on ability or disability.

      The ADA is a broad piece of legislation covering many aspects of accessibility for people with disabilities. The part of the ADA that affects how businesses serve customers is called the “ADA Title III.” The ADA Title III covers public areas and accommodations that apply to businesses, restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors’ offices, libraries, parks, and almost every other place of work.

      All types and sizes of businesses have to comply with ADA legislation—for their customers and employees—if there are over 15 workers. The ADA affects places of entertainment, restaurants, large enterprises, small to medium businesses, retail stores, government offices, employment agencies, and more.

      As the internet and websites have played a bigger role in how consumers interact with businesses, the way that the ADA applies to web accessibility has changed. In 2017, a clear consensus emerged that the ADA also covers the online world. Today, U.S. courts apply ADA accessibility requirements to the internet, meaning websites should comply with ADA rules.

      Ensuring your website is ADA compliant is the responsible and right thing to do. But, in recent years, ADA title III-related lawsuits have skyrocketed. There were at least 11,452 federal filings in 2021, which is a 320% increase over a short, eight-year period. And, as of 2020, 265,000 demand letters were sent to businesses that operated inaccessible websites.

      Approximately 85% of ADA lawsuits in federal and state courts during 2018 were filed against small-and medium-sized retail businesses. Since it’s almost inevitable that the court would find in favor of the plaintiff, small business owners feel that they must settle out of court. The cost of defending a lawsuit could destroy even a medium-sized business, as the average ADA website lawsuit settlement comes to $35,000.

      How do I make my website ADA compliant?

      Web accessibility is essentially a set of rules, behaviors, code standards, and design guidelines that were created by the W3C and are called the WCAG 2.1.

      The WCAG 2.1 is a massive 1,000-page guidebook that encapsulates a range of disabilities, from hindering internet use to making internet use impossible without adjustments. This spectrum comprises 20-25% of the general population, depending on if we’re going with the CDC or WHO.

      There are many disabilities covered, and the primary categories that require attention are

      • blind people using screen-readers,
      • the motor-impaired using only the keyboard to navigate,
      • epilepsy, color blindness,
      • cognitive and learning disabilities,
      • visual impairments, and more

      With a 1,000-page guidebook to follow, it is obvious that making your website accessible and compliant is no easy feat! Here’s are a few of the simpler things you can do to work towards full compliance:

      • Every page should have a single H1 title, and titles should follow a consistent hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, etc.);
      • Images should be thoroughly described in image alt tags for assistive technology;
      • Fonts should be large and legible with enough contrast between background and foreground colors;
      • The entire website should be navigable via keyboard.

      With that said, simply following the guidelines above will not make your website fully ADA compliant. The current options in the market today are either free or low-cost plugins that do not provide you more than 10-15% of the accessibility you need in order to become compliant.

      You also have manual accessibility services that do bring you up to full compliance, but they cost 20-40 thousand dollars per site, and they take several weeks or months to implement.

      Those options, as you can imagine, leave 99% of businesses without a feasible solution, making them easy targets for lawsuits and preventing them from helping people with disabilities. To solve this impossible situation, Root & Roam Integrated Marketing Agency has partnered with a leading AI accessibility tool. This interface includes both accessibility profiles and enhancement features.

      Let’s touch on a couple of the profiles first. These profiles enable users with disabilities to instantly adjust the entire website to their specific disability. For example, enabling the epilepsy safe mode immediately stops all moving objects and tunes down potential dangerous colors. Enabling the visually-impaired profile scales the content by 100%, increases the website’s saturation, and also activates a text magnifier window using mouse hover.

      In addition to the profiles’ functionality, users can choose specific enhancement features, like increasing the font sizes if they are too small. They can also emphasize titles and links and set their preferred scaling, spacing, height, and alignment. The interface also enables people with color blindness to change the website to a dark mode or monochrome mode. These are just a handful of features included.

      We know that ensuring your website is ADA Compliant can be an overwhelming task. Root & Roam Integrated Marketing Agency is here to help! Contact us if you’d like a website audit or more information.

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      Building your Brand

      Building your Brand

      by | Mar 11, 2022 | Branding, Uncategorized

      Table of Contents

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      What is branding?

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      Why does branding matter?

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      What are the elements of branding?

      When you hear the word, “brand,” what comes to mind? The name of a company? A logo? Many business owners spend very little time creating a meaningful brand and instead jump right into marketing and sales after naming their business and designing a logo. Unfortunately, most of these owners discover that they have a difficult time connecting with the actual market that could benefit the most from their products or services. Skimming through the branding process leads to inconsistencies within your brand, which makes it difficult for your target market to recognize you.

      What is branding?

      We’re not talking about cattle here, but we are talking about truly owning everything in your business, from the fonts you choose to the products or services you sell. ALL of it matters. Branding is essentially creating consistent, purposeful messages to connect you with your target market and to build a lasting impression within your industry. Every detail of imagery, every word you use, and everything you stand for—it all contributes to the strength of your brand.  

      Why does branding matter?

      Think of some of the most popular brands out there—Nike, Ford, Target, Hallmark, Amazon, just for starters. Now think of some of the unknown competition…you can’t! They’re unknown for a reason. That’s why branding matters. Companies with strong, consistent branding will build brand recognition with their target audiences. You want to be like these companies. You want to be known.

      What are the elements of branding?

      While much goes into branding, there are a few elements that absolutely must be incorporated into your branding strategy:

      1. Voice and tone
        Yes, this is a 2-for-1 special. All of your copy (your mission statement, company description, taglines, text on your website, or anything written by your company), both internal and external, needs to have a consistent voice. It should tell your audience who you are and who you’re not. Ask yourself, “whose voice do I hear when I think of my company as a person?” Maybe it’s Morgan Freeman or your Uncle Fred. Ideally, every bit of copy your company produces will sound as though written by the same person—and the right person. Your tone should attract the audience your brand is meant to serve. When creating your tone, determine how you want your brand to make people feel and what you want them to think of when they hear your company’s name.  
      2. Logo
        Your logo is essentially a visual symbol to represent your company. It can include images, copy, or both. It should match your voice and tone and convey the emotion of your choosing. Eventually, when a person hears the name of your company, this symbol will come to mind, so it’s important to already have a clear purpose behind your business (including voice and tone). Some logos that we like are Amazon and Tour de France. They have great symbols and messages hidden behind them! 
      3. Fonts
        While it’s fun to play around with fonts to convey specific emotions for each message, it’s more important that all of your materials, both print and digital, be consistent. Consistency helps people form connections and retrieve memories, even memories about companies they’ve encountered. Just as with a logo, the fonts you choose should add to the purpose of your business and the emotions you are trying to elicit from your target audience.
      4. Colors
        Again—consistency and emotions can’t be stressed enough. Our design experts understand how colors work together to convey specific emotions, and we’re happy to help you choose the best combinations for your company. 
      5. Styleguide
        Your brand styleguide is literally a document that outlines your company’s voice and tone, logo, fonts, colors, and anything else you choose to add. This document can be shared with your entire team and should be referenced and followed for every marketing effort. If you outsource your marketing (like maybe to Root & Roam), be sure to share your styleguide. This is how you achieve consistency and, ultimately, brand recognition. 

       

      If you’re interested in making lasting connections sooner rather than later, let our experts here at Root & Roam walk you through a structured process of building your brand from the ground up. Already have a business but need help rebranding? We’ve got you covered, too. Contact us today, and let’s get your brand on. 

      The History of Marketing

      The History of Marketing

      by | Jan 14, 2022 | Branding, Digital Marketing, Event Marketing, Graphic Design, Traditional Marketing

      The history of marketing – Marketing is defined as the action of promoting and selling products or services. For as long as there has been something to trade, barter, or sell, there has also been marketing. From the first example of branded materials to the invention of the printing press to modern technology, let’s take a trip through time and discover the history of marketing.

      The_history_of_marketing, The history of marketing goes back thousands of years. In this image, we explore the history of marketing from 1450 (the first appearance of printed advertising) to the more recent boom of social media in the early 2000s-2010s. This timeline of marketing history takes you through the major events that made the industry what it is today.

      Looking Forward

      As we step into the new year, marketing looks a bit different than it did 200 years ago. Cutting-edge technology and business practices, coupled with new consumer habits, require brands to step up with new marketing techniques in 2022. Forbes magazine predicts that this year consumers will be more inclined to purchase a brand than a product. Buyers want to do business with brands that share their values. Forbes also predicts that consumers will prefer to be taught, rather than sold on the ethics of a business. They understand that company X may have the best customer service around, but they are looking for companies to educate them on their biggest questions.

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      Why Adobe Libraries is a Key Feature for Designers

      Why Adobe Libraries is a Key Feature for Designers

      by | Dec 17, 2021 | Branding, Creative Services, Graphic Design

      Why Adobe Libraries is a Key Feature for Designers – Designers often need to maintain consistency across different projects and brands, using the same graphics, colors, fonts and vector graphics. But, before Adobe Libraries came along, there was no easy way to store all of these elements in one convenient place. The library feature allows designers to easily create templates that can be accessed from anywhere within the Adobe Creative Cloud and used in any of the applications it supports. In this article, we’ll examine the benefits of using Adobe Libraries and why it’s so important for graphic designers of all levels who use the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of tools.

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      What are Libraries

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      How Do They Work

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      What Can I Put Into a Library

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      How Do I Use a Library?

      What Are libraries?

      Adobe Libraries is a panel within your Creative Cloud account where you can store your design elements. These may be graphics, colors, fonts or vector graphics and images. When you add content to a library, it becomes available across all of your Adobe products that support Libraries and to anyone who has access. So when I create an element in Adobe InDesign, you can then access that object in Illustrator or Photoshop because they share my Creative Cloud libraries.

      How Do They Work?

      Adobe libraries are a great way to organize all of your assets, whether they are in Adobe products or not. The library links the element and allows you to access it from the Cloud quickly. This gives you access to them faster and easier with less effort, while helping you and your team stay organized. You can organize by any folder structure or by automatic groups that typically group by colors, vector graphics, images, character styles.

      What Can I Put Into an Adobe library?

      The good news is that you can put almost anything into an Adobe library. The bad news is, well, there isn’t any bad news!

      How Do I Use a Library?

      You can simply drag an asset into the library panel from whatever program you are working in. Once you save an element into your library, it will automatically sync with Creative Cloud, allowing access anywhere there is internet connection. Using Adobe Libraries simplifies brand consistency by keeping artwork items consistent from one project to another.

      Adobe Libraries is an awesome tool for our team. We are still learning our favorite perks from this Adobe tool.

      Below are the top 5 reasons I love to use Adobe Libraries.

      1. Togetherness—Keeping all our brand assets together has always been a challenge. Having one library that our whole team can access is key. Having one place to store and use universal graphics is super handy. Whether we’re working on an email, project brief or website, it’s all right there in one place. No more hunting through emails and files to find that brand asset you need. With Adobe Libraries, you can search by type of file or artwork (vector graphics, colors and fonts) across your library. That means everyone always has access to all assets they may need while designing and creating projects. In addition to giving us a place to store and use our brand assets, it gives us guidance when we’re designing new pieces of work. We use Adobe Libraries as inspiration during concepting phases of projects.

      2. Web, Print, and More—The constant growth of channels and tools keeps our head spinning. Adobe Libraries can access any of the Adobe programs, so we can easily utilize any output needed. Combining all of these platforms gives us a library that is limitless with opportunities and options to create beautiful art pieces! Also, it organizes our projects, making them easier to find—a designer’s dream! Efficiency at its finest.

      3. Logo changes—You can make universal changes, and if linked correctly, the change will apply anywhere you use the library element. If you use the library element by dragging it into the document you are working on, an icon appears in the top left letting you know it is linked.  If you have a change to make on the linked graphic or image, you can double click on the library element, make your change in its native environment, then save.  That change is then made anywhere that graphic was linked.

      4. Color consistency—Sometimes a color will change in the branding, and we never know where the new color originated.  Having a library of colors across all Adobe apps allows all users to apply color with confidence.

      To save a color in your library, follow these steps: 

              • Click on + at top left of window. 
              • Click on New Color Swatch. 
              • Fill in name (optional) and hex value. 
              • You can also add RGB or CMYK values. 
              • Confirm & click Add.

      5. Organization—Adobe Libraries makes it easy to rename artwork and organize it in a visual way. I love how it will create groups for you, including Colors, Typography, Vector Graphics, and Images, so you can quickly identify what you need.

      You can create an Abode library and organize your most used elements in a way that makes sense to you. You can customize colors, fonts, images and graphics using your library icons, so they’re easy to locate when working on projects. Since everything is linked, changes to one element will be updated across all documents where it appears, ensuring consistency of style throughout your work. Organizing elements visually in libraries also helps reduce errors by helping you find what you need faster and allowing more room for creativity. If everything looks good visually, then it will look good design-wise too. Adobe Libraries also helps manage large amounts of content—especially color swatches.

        Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Libraries are robust tools. We at Root & Roam are constantly using Adobe to improve our collaboration and teamwork. We find these tools help us become more efficient and consistent. Below are a couple of links that we find interesting from Adobe. 

         

        https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/products/creativecloud/business/enterprise/pdfs/productivity-gains-of-using-creative-cloud-libraries.pdf

         

        https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/libraries.html

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