Skin Switch

[swguy]

If you want to use links instead of having the template be chosen automatically, look at example1 in the download. It has a link to the template which is not being used in the header so you can switch back and forth.

[spminis]

If you want to use links instead of having the template be chosen automatically, look at example1 in the download. It has a link to the template which is not being used in the header so you can switch back and forth.

I am using 2 templates. One is for desktops. The link shows in that header.
The other template is for mobile devices and the link does show up in the header when it's viewed on a mobile device but it doesn't show in the header when the template is viewed on a desktop. I would like the header to also appear on the mobile template desktop view.

The website is spminiatures.com. If you click on the "mobile site" you'll see the template in question.

Thanks for your help

[spminis]

If you want to use links instead of having the template be chosen automatically, look at example1 in the download. It has a link to the template which is not being used in the header so you can switch back and forth.

I did it with the links. The links show up on my non-mobile template header and on the mobile template header when it's on a mobile device. What I would like is if the link also showed up in the header when my mobile template is viewed on a non-mobile device (computer).

Right now I have to use the side box link for customers who are on a computer on the mobile site in order to get to the non-mobile site.

The reason I would like this is that if someone is inadvertently on the mobile site on a computer it would be easier to see if it's in the header. It's also consistent with most other websites.

You can see the mobile site by clicking on my website and then click on "mobile view" in the header.
www.spminiatures.com

Thanks
Carol

[schoolboy]

While the idea of "switching skins" may sound appealing, I question its real value in the ecommerce environment. To me, it offers an unnecessary "distraction" and the risk is that it shifts the visitor's focus onto "trinkets", while we really want them to be focusing on the purchase process. Jacob Nielsen has been researching User Behaviour for well on 15 years (some of you may be familiar with his "F-Pattern" experiments) and Nielsen has stated many times that the more "conventional" the visual logic and navigational hierarchy of a site, the more likely it will be that visitors will stay on it.

Research by Apple (the IT company, not the fruit ) has also shown that visual "surprises" not only confuse people, but cause them to be wary. People develop a "brand awareness" that is critical to things like confidence, shopper loyalty, eyeball retention, etc...

If you start showing off by trying to "entertain" your visitors - rather than help them find and buy what they need - they will quickly navigate away from your site to one that makes them feel more at ease.

[spminis]

While the idea of "switching skins" may sound appealing, I question its real value in the ecommerce environment. To me, it offers an unnecessary "distraction" and the risk is that it shifts the visitor's focus onto "trinkets", while we really want them to be focusing on the purchase process. Jacob Nielsen has been researching User Behaviour for well on 15 years (some of you may be familiar with his "F-Pattern" experiments) and Nielsen has stated many times that the more "conventional" the visual logic and navigational hierarchy of a site, the more likely it will be that visitors will stay on it.

Research by Apple (the IT company, not the fruit ) has also shown that visual "surprises" not only confuse people, but cause them to be wary. People develop a "brand awareness" that is critical to things like confidence, shopper loyalty, eyeball retention, etc...

If you start showing off by trying to "entertain" your visitors - rather than help them find and buy what they need - they will quickly navigate away from your site to one that makes them feel more at ease.

I agree with you in principle but I don't see how your post relates to this plug in. I think you've misunderstood the point of the plug in because I don't consider it as entertainment or a trinket to glitz up on my website which is fairly bare bones.

I didn't put it on my site for people to play around with "skins" but rather as a practical solution to the problem on not being able to make a responsive template look the way I want it to on computers and mobile devices (I'm really a novice). The switch skins was an easy way out of the problem by allowing me to have a template for the website when viewed on computer and a separate template for mobile devices. Also, customers can still use the website view on a mobile device and vice versa. I've had it on my site for a few weeks now and sales are not down.

My site is www.spminiatures.com if you want to see how the switch skins is used in a practical way. I'm still not thrilled with the results and I'm still working on it but the customers aren't complaining.

I'm still waiting for a response to a question I posted a couple of days ago. I hope to get an answer.
Thanks

Carol

[schoolboy]

I agree with you in principle but I don't see how your post relates to this plug in. I think you've misunderstood the point of the plug in because I don't consider it as entertainment or a trinket to glitz up on my website which is fairly bare bones.

I didn't put it on my site for people to play around with "skins" but rather as a practical solution to the problem on not being able to make a responsive template look the way I want it to on computers and mobile devices (I'm really a novice). The switch skins was an easy way out of the problem by allowing me to have a template for the website when viewed on computer and a separate template for mobile devices. Also, customers can still use the website view on a mobile device and vice versa. I've had it on my site for a few weeks now and sales are not down.

My site is www.spminiatures.com if you want to see how the switch skins is used in a practical way. I'm still not thrilled with the results and I'm still working on it but the customers aren't complaining.

I'm still waiting for a response to a question I posted a couple of days ago. I hope to get an answer.
Thanks

Carol

The point I am making relates perfectly to this subject - but looks at it from the perspective of how CUSTOMERS react to websites... which (to me anyway) is the whole point of running an online shop.

I design my sites to do two core things:

1. Attract, keep and derive income from paying customers, and to make their visit as safe, easy, quick and logical as possible.
2. Build the site on a "best-practice" principle, leveraging the software to comply with contemporary protocols that "govern" and "guide" the structure of the underlying technology.

As far as point # "2" is concerned, the research and knowledge-base on what is commonly referred to as the User Experience (UX), is extensive, and today is considered (by Google in particular) to be core to achieving top rankings on search results. Google (and all other search repositories and web data indexes) can only "evaluate" the facets of a site's "UX" by analysing the underlying technology. So if the technology is "clunky", redundant or "bloated", search engines will regard the site as "unfriendly for humans" and apply lower search rankings - usually beyond page 3 of any search results. In some cases, Google will re-allocate archived data to their Secondary Index if there is a history of "bad technical practice" on a website, or no evidence that the site is being "attended to in order to meet general compliance". If you end up in the Google Secondary Index, getting out of it is a mammoth task. Google rarely features results in the Secondary Indexes.

It is also essential that the technology AUTOMATES anticipated features - such as whether a person is on a desktop or a mobile. Google will not see (or even consider) your "manual" instruction to visitors to "switch" to the mobile template, and will apply its evaluations to the site as it stands.

So while your site kinda lets people know that there is a manually-operated "switch" to a mobile-friendly area, how can you be sure that:-

a) They will see it and activate it (right now it's way over to the RIGHT, so if the visitor is on a mobile device already, he/she won't see it easily.)
b) Google may find it and regard it (perhaps) as some kind of "duplicate" content.

All in all, it's bad practice to do what you are attempting - if (of course) your objective is to attract customers, get good rankings on search engines, sell products and make profits.

To apply sticking-plaster fixes for "personal" reasons and preferences is, in my opinion, not the way to manage an ecommerce venture. Compliance is essential.

[ideasgirl]

It is also essential that the technology AUTOMATES anticipated features - such as whether a person is on a desktop or a mobile. Google will not see (or even consider) your "manual" instruction to visitors to "switch" to the mobile template, and will apply its evaluations to the site as it stands.

Exactly for that reason I didn't understand the question, and I thought I was missing something and didn't reply with solutions.

While the idea of "switching skins" may sound appealing, I question its real value in the ecommerce environment.

The only real value of this module is for developers and template makers. I see its value for that purpose, not for store owners with online stores. I'm always hammering in my customer's brains to "BRAND" their businesses, and unless you have different departments/categories with different "coloring" (like Lego), you don't need different themes on your site, and even in that case it will switch automatically, not because of customer's preference.

[spminis]

The point I am making relates perfectly to this subject - but looks at it from the perspective of how CUSTOMERS react to websites... which (to me anyway) is the whole point of running an online shop.

I design my sites to do two core things:

1. Attract, keep and derive income from paying customers, and to make their visit as safe, easy, quick and logical as possible.
2. Build the site on a "best-practice" principle, leveraging the software to comply with contemporary protocols that "govern" and "guide" the structure of the underlying technology.

As far as point # "2" is concerned, the research and knowledge-base on what is commonly referred to as the User Experience (UX), is extensive, and today is considered (by Google in particular) to be core to achieving top rankings on search results. Google (and all other search repositories and web data indexes) can only "evaluate" the facets of a site's "UX" by analysing the underlying technology. So if the technology is "clunky", redundant or "bloated", search engines will regard the site as "unfriendly for humans" and apply lower search rankings - usually beyond page 3 of any search results. In some cases, Google will re-allocate archived data to their Secondary Index if there is a history of "bad technical practice" on a website, or no evidence that the site is being "attended to in order to meet general compliance". If you end up in the Google Secondary Index, getting out of it is a mammoth task. Google rarely features results in the Secondary Indexes.

It is also essential that the technology AUTOMATES anticipated features - such as whether a person is on a desktop or a mobile. Google will not see (or even consider) your "manual" instruction to visitors to "switch" to the mobile template, and will apply its evaluations to the site as it stands.

So while your site kinda lets people know that there is a manually-operated "switch" to a mobile-friendly area, how can you be sure that:-

a) They will see it and activate it (right now it's way over to the RIGHT, so if the visitor is on a mobile device already, he/she won't see it easily.)
b) Google may find it and regard it (perhaps) as some kind of "duplicate" content.

All in all, it's bad practice to do what you are attempting - if (of course) your objective is to attract customers, get good rankings on search engines, sell products and make profits.

To apply sticking-plaster fixes for "personal" reasons and preferences is, in my opinion, not the way to manage an ecommerce venture. Compliance is essential.

We seem to be having 2 different discussions. Your original post, as I understood it, labeled the template switch plug in as "entertainment" or a "trinket" and I disagreed with that idea and gave an example of a practical, albeit not great, solution to a problem.

Your current post finds fault with my use of it, and I can't disagree with that. I'm currently working on a good responsive template to eliminate the template switch but not having expertise in this, it is a slow process and I have to do it in between running my business.

I've had a website for 17 years now and much of my business (dollhouse miniature collectibles for adults) relies on word of mouth, advertising in magazines, and online groups in which I participate. I also have an Etsy and Ebay store which drives traffic to my site.

There is a lot of emphasis on SEO's, search engine rankings etc and while those are important especially to new website, there is little to no discussion about participation in online groups and other ways of getting your website known. There is also little to no discussion on keeping the products fresh and removing items no longer available. I add new products to my site Monday - Friday and send out a daily newsletter telling people about the new items. This keeps people coming back again and again. I've never seen any discussion about being an honest and fair online dealer. Many of my customers do business with me because they've been burned by other online retailers or because they list items that aren't in stock.

Based on my yearly sales I find no fault with my way of doing business as it seems to work for me without being fully "compliant".

Carol

[schoolboy]

Great that you've had a successful business for all these years, and yes... it "works for you". But if you are so satisfied with the way it has worked all these years, why are you now keen to make it mobile-compliant? Suggests to me that you are keen to grow the business.

If I had been running a website shop for that period of time, and was still so heavily reliant on hugely time-consuming marketing and advertising methods to claw in sales, I would come to the realisation that while I may have worked "hard", I have not worked "smart".

My online store - now into it's 3rd year - has 56,000 customers, and I just took a look in the admin panel to see how many of these had opted to "subscribe to newsletter" (Your mention of sending newsletters prompted me to look)... Over 6000 signed up - and guess what... ? That's the first time I looked at tat data... I have never sent out a newsletter... nor have I ever participated in discussion groups, nor advertised in any magazine. A little Google Adwords now and then, but only when we put in a new product that will take a while to get into organic search.

My site is way ahead (technically) of all my competitors - and as a result I get top rankings on practically all the important key phrases. By making sure to be technically compliant, and by having a good front-end UX, I get Google to do all that marketing for me.

It just puzzles me to see so many people not appreciating that by having a compliant website, the huge and expensive chore of attracting customers is greatly reduced.

[DrByte]

While these discussions have merit (and it's worth pointing out that in 2017 Search Engines are going to be ranking mobile-friendly sites higher than desktop-only sites, at least in search-results conducted on mobile devices), this discussion thread is about a specific plugin/mod, so we should try to go back to that topic.