The effects of this mobile push are two-fold:

• It’s become increasingly important to have an online presence that meets the needs of your customers, both at home and on-the-go
• It’s now easier than ever to manage your online business anywhere

Looking to expand your mobile reach? We’ve got you covered. Throughout this post, we’ll highlight easy ways to appeal to your site visitors when they’re on the go and manage your business when you are.

Make your website responsive

Ever since the dawn of Mobilegeddon in 2015, having a website that looks great on all devices has become imperative to getting found organically within search results. In fact, 82% of the Internet’s top trafficked sites are mobile-friendly.

Ready to make the switch? No problem. Our Template Gallery is full of modern web designs that come in a range of different business verticals, allowing you to select a professionally designed template that matches the vision of your business. And best of all – they’re free!

Make mobile interactions a cinch

Making your website mobile-friendly doesn’t end with a responsive website. In fact, there are a variety of things you can do to make your website easier to interact with on a smaller screen. One easy way Yola customers can get ahead of the game is by enabling Mobile Plus.

Mobile Plus, a premium feature available to Yola Silver and Gold customers, gives you the ability to add business hours, driving directions, and tap-to-call functionality, making it even easier for site visitors to get in touch with you.

Learn how you can add Mobile Plus to your website here!

Look like a big business with a mobile app

With apps accounting for 85% of total mobile time spent among mobile internet users, having an app for your online business could be a great idea. In addition to gaining the appearance of a big business, you’re also able to proactively reach out to customers with push notifications, in-app coupons, and more.

With companies like AppInteract, businesses can create their own app without any coding or technical knowledge.

Note: AppInteract is currently running a contest where users who sign up get a 60-day free trial and a chance to win an Apple Watch. You can check out the giveaway here.

Manage your store on-the-go

In addition to being able to create a website that looks great on all devices, the mobile revolution has opened the doors to greater productivity tools, accessible right from the palm of your hand. And with Yola, you have instant access to apps, allowing you to manage your business whether you’re at home or on-the-go.

Online Store subscribers can check on sales, update inventory, get in touch with customers, and much more! Learn how to manage your Online Store from the eShop app here.

Keep track of your success from any device

Want to check on your website analytics while you’re out of the office? No problem. Yola subscribers can gain access to free website analytics via mobile app through our marketing partner, SiteWit.

To access your analytics via the mobile app, simply navigate to My Yola > Site Traffic > SiteWit. From there, select your website, then Mobile App. SiteWit will then lead you through downloading and accessing your site stats.

What are your favorite mobile productivity tools for running your business? Let us know in the comments below!

Have you noticed a flurry of Privacy Policy and Terms of Service updates filling your inbox? A significant increase in websites asking you to accept their cookie policies (and they aren’t offering you baked goods)? The European Union recently released new rules regarding data privacy which come into effect May 25th, 2018.

As a business owner, you may need to follow suit to ensure your website is compliant.

What’s GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) aims to protect EU citizens from privacy and data breaches. Under this new regulation, citizens of the EU are given the right to knowledge and transparency into what personal data is collected and how it is stored. Further, they have the right to have their information removed from your database.

Why does it matter?

For those of you thinking “My business isn’t located in the EU, this regulation won’t apply to me.”  

False!

Regardless of the location of your business, if your website obtains site visitors from the EU, you will be affected by the GDPR. Fortunately, we’ve released a variety of features to help get you started.  

Where do I start?

Create a Privacy Policy
Per this new regulation, businesses with EU traffic are now required to:

• Have a Privacy Policy
• Ensure the Privacy Policy is written in clear and concise language
• Make your Privacy Policy easily accessible from your website

Don’t have a Privacy Policy? No problem. We have a Privacy Policy tutorial to help get you started. Once you’ve created your Policy, add the copy to a page on your website, then link to the page from your footer and your cookie notification banner.

Add cookie notifications
Websites built with Yola use cookies, ensuring optimal browsing for your site visitors. Websites that receive traffic from the EU are required to get visitors’ consent to use cookies.

We’ve released a feature allowing you to customize your own cookie notification and add it to your website. If you choose to add cookie notifications to your website, the notification will display on your website until your site visitor accepts your policy. Learn how to add cookie notifications to your website in this step-by-step tutorial.

Implement user agreement fields to your contact forms
One large aspect to the GDPR is obtaining consent whenever you collect data from your site visitors (including names, email addresses, contact information, etc.). To meet this requirement, all websites with EU traffic must include a field that requires customers to provide consent when they supply this information to you (i.e. contact form, email list sign up, etc.).

We’ve made it easy for your site visitors’ to give their consent through a user agreement field that can be added to your forms to obtain consent. Learn more about user agreement fields here!

Add your Terms of Service to your Online Store
In order for your Online Store to be GDPR compliant, you need to obtain consent to process your customers’ personal data. Our Online Store has the ability to add legal documentation to your checkout flow, ensuring you always have consent while processing orders. Check out our tutorial on adding your Terms of Service to your Online Store.

*Note: The GDPR is a complex regulation to navigate. This guide serves as an aid in ensuring your own compliance and should not be taken as legal advice. If you have questions regarding the GDPR we suggest consulting with an attorney.

The Low-Down
While we’ve always strived to make transparency a priority, our new policies provide even greater insight into how we collect data, what we use that data for, and the rights you have to control your personal information. These updates comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please read and familiarize yourself with our full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The most relevant changes include:

1. Additional detail on the information we collect from our customers, visitors to our customers’ sites and Yola job applicants.
2. A detailed explanation of the purposes for which we collect information.
3. An explanation of where we store the information we collect.
4. Details of third party services with whom we share customer data.
5. An explanation of the rights of customers with respect to their data and how to make data requests under these rights.
6. An explanation of how to opt out of non-essential data collection.
7. A more detailed explanation of Yola security practices.
8. Compliance with EU GDPR legislation, noting that all customers in the EU must now be 16 years or older to use our service. The age limit for customers outside the EU remains 13 years.

Sign in to your Yola account to review these changes. Happy building!

As a company, Yola is no different and this year we resolved to update our appearance. Without further ado, we’d like to introduce our new interface!

As you may have noticed, we’ve updated the Sitebuilder to have a more modern appearance. That being said, have no fear – this update does not come with a learning curve. Our new color scheme will not change the build process but should rather be viewed as a fresh coat of paint!

And the revamp does not end there. In addition to a new Sitebuilder interface, we’ve also updated the appearance of our Online Store.

We’ve updated the Online Store to have a new, modern interface and dashboard, complete with vertical navigation. Like the Sitebuilder, this upgrade does not change technical pieces of the store control panel but rather modernizes the appearance in a way that is easy and intuitive for new and existing customers alike.

Along with our new appearance, we have made great strides in adding new templates to our collection. Did your New Year’s resolution include building a new website? Check out the Template Gallery and gain inspiration for your latest project!

Parallax Scrolling
We’ve upgraded the Panel Widget to include Parallax Scrolling, a technique used in which background images move more slowly than images in the foreground, creating the illusion of depth and immersion, enabling you to create sections with this modern design trend.

Parallax Scrolling has been included in all of our most recent templates or can be added to existing sites by adding a background image to a Panel Widget, then enabling the Parallax toggle.

Video Backgrounds
In addition to Parallax Scrolling, we’ve also added video backgrounds to our Panel Widget.

To take advantage of video backgrounds, when using the Panel Widget, select “Video Background” under Video Type, then upload your file, or browse our library of stock videos available for Yola Silver customers.

Minimum Height
Using the Panel Widget, you now have the ability to create content sections with both fixed or responsive minimum height values.

For example, a banner built using the Panel Widget can now be given a set height by pixel or percentage, giving you the opportunity to determine how much of the browser window the section displays in. If you want to create a section that takes up 100% of the browser window, no matter the screen size, you can set the Minimum Height to 100vh. Likewise, if you wanted to set a section to display just 600 pixels, you can do so by setting the panel to 600px.

Minimum Height values can be adjusted within the Spacing tab of any Panel Widget.

Content Alignment
We’ve added horizontal and vertical alignment functionality within the Panel Widget, allowing you to define where your content should be placed. This functionality creates a grid, making it even easier for you to build the design you envision for your business.

These alignment capabilities can be found with the Spacing tab of any Panel Widget.

New Templates

• Augustus – Restaurant
• Stanley – Hotel
• Fresh – Restaurant
• Ludwig – Attorney
• Oliver – Restaurant
• Surface – Coffee Shop
• Sterling – Professional Services
• Lily – Bed and Breakfast

Updated Form Widget
We’ve updated the Form Widget to have responsive input fields, allowing them to fill the entire width space in which they sit for a more modern and intuitive design.

Due to the fact that the Form Widget now behaves responsively, if your Form Widget is not constrained within a content section (for example a Panel or Divider widget), it will fill the entire content width of the page. To achieve your desired width, place the Form Widget inside a Panel or Divider widget.

If you have questions about these new features, we’re happy to help! Feel free to reach out to our Support Team at any time.

Happy building!