Insights
Every article we’ve written on web design, WordPress, SEO and website maintenance. Search with a question or pick a topic.
Designing simplicity in a complex field: case study for LabKey
We all spend a lot of time online, and much of that time is spent scrolling, skipping from tab to tab, following links for a few moments and then following another one. We rarely spend much time on any given website or app. Instead, we continue jumping and moving. Our online attention is short and easily pulled away. So then, how do we communicate complex ideas and show visitors the true capacity of our products and services? This is where good design steps in.
Read the story
Hosting basics, and why we often recommend WP Engine
Finding a suitable hosting provider for your WordPress website site can be confusing. The internet is awash with one glowing review after another – meanwhile, many of them are fluff pieces designed only to get you to click on an affiliate link. What’s the difference between shared hosting, managed hosting, and dedicated hosting? Which providers are most reliable? We address these questions and others that you might have about finding a great host for your site.
Read the article
A guide to typography in web design
One of the most important goals of a website is clear communication. Great websites organize information well and communicate it clearly, harnessing all the elements of design to get the message across. One central element in this effort is typography. Alongside layout, color, site architecture and content, typography is a make-or-break element of the site’s design. If the typography is not done well, then the website suffers enormously. Back in 2006, the design studio iA argued that web design is 95% typography, since most information on the web is written text. With all that text out there, you want to make sure yours is as good as it gets.
Read the article
Making your website accessible
Web Accessibility is the idea that each and every person should be able to use the internet and that every website be designed to accommodate various user requirements. These accommodations pertain to disabilities in the areas of vision, hearing, cognition and motor skills, and also accommodate for device limitations.
Read the article
Chicago’s design legacy is our inspiration
When it’s good, web design appears effortless. The elements come together to be more than the sum of their parts. But when you’re in the middle of designing a website, you often need a breath of inspiration to cross the finish line. For us, we often visit other websites we love for inspiration. But another way that we find inspiration is by engaging with the architecture around us. There are vast and crucial parallels between architecture and web design, and for anyone who lives in Chicago like we do, a feast of inspiration is never more than a short drive away. From the stately Marquette Building, to Frank Lloyd Wright’s “organic architecture”, to the Bauhaus minimalism of Mies, there is hardly a place in the world more architecturally inspiring than our home here in Chicago. The parallels between architecture and web design are countless, and we look to Chicago’s rich architectural and design history every time we need a jolt of inspiration.
Read the story
Want to start your own ecommerce site? Here’s what you need to know
Ecommerce is here to stay. In the second quarter of 2026, online sales made up 17.1% of all US retail sales, according to the US Census Bureau. If the pandemic has had one lasting effect on our society it is that all of us have learned to buy things online, and have come to expect that an ever growing number of products can be purchased there.
Read the article
5 reasons your website is turning customers away
We get it. You spent time and resources building a great website. But for some reason when you look at the analytics, you see that a vast majority of your visitors are bouncing. Or they just aren’t spending much time on your site. Or, they aren’t getting in touch with you. What’s going on here?
Read the article
Redesign or redevelop? How to know when it’s time to update your site
We often get folks calling us because their website is getting out of date and they don’t know exactly what to do. Maybe the business has changed, or has scaled up, and they need the site to better reflect that. Maybe their marketing materials have been updated but their website has not. Perhaps they are having site speed issues, or security issues. Or perhaps the site has been through many different redesigns and updates and has become something of a Frankenstein, pieced together with digital masking tape.
Read the article
Staying on top: how to audit your own website, and why you should
If you’ve been in the website game for a while, you know how much work it takes to get your website launched and looking great. But, like anything in business, once you’re on top, it’s even more work to stay there. It’s like the rapper Dr. Dre says about success, “Anyone can get it – the hard part is keeping it”.
Read the article
Everything we need to get started on your web design or development project
If you’re starting a web project and looking to get involved with your friendly neighborhood web designer/developer (that’s us!), it can understandably seem a little daunting. If you haven’t been through this before, you may have a lot of questions about the process. “Where do I begin?” or, “Is there anything I should prepare?” Millennial Web Development gets these questions all the time, and we’re here to answer them for you.
Read the article
Keeping the spark: how we stay creative and inspired at Millennial Web Development
At Millennial Web Development, if we’ve learned nothing else, we’ve learned that there’s a lot to this web development stuff. You have to be organized, focused, smart, communicative, informed, up-to-date, professional, unique, and yeah, you’ll probably be burning the midnight oil more than a few times.
Read the story
The benefits of Google Analytics
Congratulations, you’ve done it! Your professional website is up and running, and the business you’ve long dreamt of is now a reality. Time to pop the champagne, right? Not so fast! In today’s highly competitive online business world, having a great business idea and a world-class website is only half the battle. Keeping up with what’s working, what’s not, who’s coming and who’s leaving your site is crucial to the success of your business. So if you haven’t already, it’s time to get familiar with Google Analytics.
Read the article