The Mobile App Landscape in 2025

Unlike websites, mobile apps provide a more personalized, faster, and engaging user experience. They allow companies to:

This level of direct engagement helps build stronger customer loyalty and drives repeat business, and it has become a convenient way of interacting with customers. Today, an estimated 300 billion downloads are expected this year, reflecting a steady upward trend.

Moreover, with AI simplifying what used to be a complex app development process, the cost is estimated to be reduced by up to 40%.

Given these shifts, is your brand ready for it? We list down and weigh the pros and cons below.

Benefits of Having a Mobile App

When done right, mobile apps can be powerful tools for boosting engagement, streamlining operations, and increasing revenue.

Risks and Cons of Having an App

While the benefits are compelling, launching a mobile app also has risks. Some businesses dive into app development without fully understanding the investment, technical complexity, or ongoing support required. Here’s what you need to watch out for:

An app can be a game-changer or a costly misstep. Understanding the risks can help you plan realistically, allocate resources wisely, and determine whether an app fits your overall business strategy.

Are You App and Ready?

Before committing, ask these critical questions:

Developing an app could be strategic if your answers align with your long-term goals.

At Smart Works, our mission is to help businesses build mobile solutions that aren’t just functional, but future-proof.

Take The Suites by Radiance, for example. They understood their stylists needed better visibility and stronger client engagement in a mobile-first beauty industry.

But rather than jumping straight to app development, Smart Works partnered with them to build a mobile-optimized platform. The solution included features like a profit calculator and a stylist directory—tools designed to help professionals grow their client base and manage their business from anywhere.

What Is Dark Mode?

Dark mode refers to a user interface (UI) setting where light text, icons, and visual elements are presented on a dark background—usually black, dark gray, or navy blue. It flips the conventional design of black text on a white screen, aiming to offer a more comfortable visual experience, especially in low-light environments.

Twitter, now known as X, first introduced dark mode for Android users back in 2016. Since then, the feature has been widely adopted across major platforms and operating systems. Today, dark mode is available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, as well as on popular websites like YouTube, Reddit, and X.

Many of these platforms now offer automatic dark mode switching based on time of day or ambient light settings.

Why Users Love Dark Mode

Dark mode isn’t just a passing trend—it’s become a default setting for millions of users across devices. But what’s driving this widespread preference?

It turns out, there’s more to it than just aesthetics. From eye comfort to energy savings, users are finding real benefits in the shift to darker interfaces. Here’s why so many people are embracing the dark:

How to Use Dark Mode In Design

Dark mode is a powerful tool, but it requires careful design to ensure a seamless and optimal user experience. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

By aligning website personalization with these stages, businesses can guide customers through a seamless buying experience, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Impact of Web Personalization on Sales

The numbers don’t lie—personalization has a direct impact on sales and customer retention:

Understanding Email Campaigns

As of 2025, nearly 4.5 billion people worldwide use email, projected to exceed 4.8 billion by 2027. This widespread usage highlights the immense potential of email as a powerful communication tool for businesses, regardless of industry. When used strategically, email campaigns can help companies stay top-of-mind, drive traffic, and ultimately increase conversions.

An email campaign consists of strategically planned and targeted messages sent to a specific group of recipients. These campaigns can be highly effective in achieving a variety of objectives, such as:

• Increasing engagement
• Driving conversions
• Promoting new content
• Building brand awareness
• Fostering customer loyalty

Key Factors in Successful Email Campaigns

While the goal of any campaign is to reach many individuals, an email campaign’s success depends on how well it resonates with each recipient. The two most critical factors in achieving campaign success are automation and personalization.

Automation: A report by HubSpot says that 76% of companies use automation. Automating your email sequences ensures recipients receive relevant messages at exactly the right time.

For example, setting up an automated welcome email series can engage new subscribers when they join your list. Further, triggered emails based on user behavior (such as abandoned cart reminders) allow for timely follow-ups that increase the chances of conversion.

Automated workflows help eliminate manual tasks, saving your team valuable time while delivering timely and targeted content to recipients. Automation ensures no opportunity for engagement is missed and messaging stays consistent and relevant.

Personalization: A study by Experian reveals that personalized emails achieve six times higher transaction rates than their non-personalized counterparts. Personalization goes beyond addressing recipients by their first name. It’s about delivering content that speaks to each subscriber’s interests and behaviors.

Businesses can craft email content that aligns with each subscriber’s needs by using customer data—such as past interactions, browsing history, or preferences. This creates connection and relevance, driving higher engagement rates and conversions.

Below, we explore several strategies that can help you elevate your email campaign efforts and drive meaningful results.

Strategies to Apply for Your Business

Email marketing can be a game-changer for your business, but you must employ the right strategies to maximize its value. The following tactics will help ensure your email campaigns are effective and drive lasting results.

Know Your Audience. A successful email campaign begins with a deep understanding of your target audience. Use data to segment your audience based on demographics, behaviors, preferences, and purchase history. Tools like CRM systems and email marketing platforms can help you gather and analyze this data.

Patricia Navarro, Lead Content Writer at Smart Works, highlights the importance of understanding your audience to create meaningful and impactful content.

Knowing your audience is essential for crafting emails that meet their needs. By understanding what they’re seeking, you can deliver tailored solutions that resonate with them,” she explains.

She further highlights that emails built on a deep knowledge of your audience naturally foster engagement and trust, guiding customers along their journey and strengthening their connection with your company. She also believes email writing is a conversation between people, even through a screen. As such, to set the right tone, ask questions like: “Based on who they are as customers, how would they want to hear about what I offer?”

By putting your audience at the center of your email strategy, you can turn every campaign into a meaningful conversation that drives results and builds lasting brand loyalty.

Set Clear Goals. Measuring success or ensuring your efforts align with your overall marketing strategy is difficult without clear objectives. You must align your goals with business objectives and be specific, measurable, and time-bound.

• Determine what you want to achieve with your email campaigns, such as increasing sales, driving website traffic, building brand awareness, or nurturing customer relationships.
• Use metrics such as ‘increase open rates by 10%’ or ‘generate 200 new leads this quarter.’
• You can set a timeline, such as aiming to ‘boost click-through rates by 15% within six months’ or ‘increase webinar signups by 20% by the end of the quarter.’

Nurture Relationships Over Time. Email marketing goes beyond immediate sales. Keep subscribers engaged by sharing valuable content and positioning your brand as a trusted resource.

• Share how-to guides, tutorials, and industry insights to offer solutions to your audience’s challenges. Smart Works client, Synapse, engages healthcare practitioners with relevant health tips and the latest medical news.
• Deliver 6x higher transaction rates by tailoring emails based on preferences, past purchases, or browsing behavior.
• Maintain a steady cadence of emails featuring product updates, exclusive offers, and relevant news to stay top of mind without overwhelming your audience.

By implementing these automation strategies, you can create winning email campaigns that drive growth and deliver measurable results. Remember, email marketing is an evolving field. It’s also important to stay updated on trends and technologies to refine your approach and maximize your success continually.

Transform Your Email Marketing with Smart Works

At Smart Works, we specialize in transforming email marketing strategies into impactful campaigns that drive results. Our expert content team ensures your brand stands out in every inbox, leveraging creativity, data, and innovative tools to deliver exceptional performance.

Whether you’re looking to boost engagement, increase conversions, or build stronger customer relationships, Smart Works is your partner for success.

With the right strategies, tools, and a commitment to ongoing optimization, you can transform your email campaigns into powerful drivers of business growth. Stay informed, adapt to trends, and continually refine your approach to maximize the impact of every email you send. Contact us today and elevate your email marketing with Smart Works.

What Is Email Marketing;
https://www.coursera.org/articles/email-marketing

Experian Marketing Services;
https://www.experianplc.com/newsroom/press-releases/2014/experian-marketing-services-study-finds-personalized-emails-generate-six

The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats That We Think You Should Know;
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats

Email Marketing Statistics and Trends for 2024 to 2025;
https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics/

Email Statistics Report 2023-2027;
https://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Email-Statistics-Report-2023-2027-Executive-Summary.pdf

Understanding Website Accessibility

Website accessibility is becoming increasingly important due to the growing number of individuals with disabilities, which can range from physical and sensory impairments to cognitive and intellectual challenges. With such a large population affected, websites must be designed to accommodate all users.

According to a study by the World Health Organization and the CDC, 16% of the world’s population and 26% of the U.S. population have a disability. This means that over 1 billion people globally, and around 86 million people in the U.S., could have difficulty using websites without accessibility in mind.

Making your website accessible ensures that all individuals, including those with disabilities, can:

• Navigate. Easily move through your site.
• Understand. Access content that is clear and easy to comprehend.
• Interact. Engage with your website through accessible features and controls.

In addition to creating an inclusive experience, businesses must follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide the standards for meeting this requirement.

Follow these guidelines to avoid expensive legal issues. In 2023, over 4,600 ADA-related lawsuits were filed, with the highest numbers originating from New York, Florida, and California, which could have been prevented with proper accessibility measures in place.

Ensuring your website is accessible helps you meet legal requirements, promote inclusivity, and bring various benefits that can fuel your business’s growth.

How Website Accessibility Can Benefit Your Business

By prioritizing accessibility, you create an inclusive digital space and unlock key businesses that benefit you.

1. Broaden your audience reach. A survey by the National Federation of the Blind found that nearly 80% of visually impaired people can use the Internet if the website is designed with accessibility. By making your website accessible, you’re opening up your products, services, and information to a significant portion of the global population that may otherwise face barriers to access.
2. Ensure legal compliance. Complying with ADA and WCAG guidelines helps protect your business from legal risks, as non-compliance can lead to costly lawsuits. The surge in these cases underscores the importance of making your website accessible to all users.
3. Improve user experience (UX). Simple elements like straightforward navigation, descriptive alt text for images, and keyboard-friendly designs can benefit not only people with disabilities but also elderly individuals, those with limited bandwidth, and anyone browsing in challenging environments.
4. Boost SEO. Websites that comply with WCAG guidelines often perform better in search engine optimization (SEO) because they’re easier for search engine crawlers to understand, which can lead to more traffic and increased conversion rates.

Vanessa Revillas, Senior Web Developer at Smart Works, further highlights the significance of accessibility, stating:

Incorporating accessibility into our web development helps our clients expand their audience, improve brand reputation, and provide a better user experience.

By addressing accessibility, you go beyond compliance to create a more inclusive, user-friendly, and optimized website. This strategic approach enhances user satisfaction, broadens your reach, boosts SEO, and positions your business as forward-thinking and inclusive.

Practical Steps to Create an Inclusive Online Experience

Creating an inclusive online experience starts with understanding the fundamental principles of website accessibility. WCAG emphasizes four key principles, often referred to as the POUR principles:

1. Perceivable. Information should be accessible to all users
   • Add text alternatives (alt text for images, transcripts for videos).
   • Ensure sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 for standard text, 3:1 for large text).
   • Allow users to resize text without losing functionality.
2. Operable. Users must be able to interact with your website
   • Ensure all interactive elements (buttons, forms, menus) are keyboard accessible.
   • Avoid auto-scrolling or time limits for content interaction.
   • Organize content with clear headings and features like “skip to content” buttons.
3. Understandable. The site is easily comprehensible.
   • Use simple language and provide clear instructions.
   • Design predictable layouts and navigation.
4. Robust. Content must work across devices, browsers, and assistive technologies
   • Use clean, semantic code for compatibility with screen readers.
   • Regularly test your website to ensure functionality with assistive tools.

By incorporating these principles and steps, you can create a website that not only complies with accessibility standards but also delivers a better experience for all users, regardless of ability.

Make Your Websites Accessible to All with Smart Works

Creating an inclusive online experience is not just a legal or moral responsibility—it’s also a smart business strategy. Ensuring your website is accessible expands your audience, meets regulatory standards, improves user experience, and boosts SEO performance.

At Smart Works, we recognize the importance of accessibility in today’s digital-first world. Regardless of your industry or business size, making your website accessible is essential. Our team specializes in implementing practical, effective changes to help your site become more inclusive, welcoming, and efficient for all users.

Let’s work together to create a web that truly works for everyone, regardless of ability or circumstance. Contact us to learn more about how we can make your website more accessible and impactful.

Disability;
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines;
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

Disability impacts all of us;
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html

Understanding Website Accessibility;
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/20/understanding-the-importance-of-web-accessibility/

Backlinks, also known as inbound or incoming links, are hyperlinks from one website to a page on another. They act as digital endorsements, signaling to search engines that the linked content is valuable and trustworthy. High-quality link-building accounts for 30% of your page score on Google, making it a critical part of your website-building plan. Despite their importance, 66.31% of all web pages have no backlinks.

In this blog, we’ll learn more about backlinks, their value, and how they influence a website’s visibility.

Understanding Backlinks

Backlinks are an essential component of SEO, acting as “votes of confidence” from one site to another. When a reputable website links to your content, it signals to search engines that your page is credible and valuable. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Their roles depend on several factors, which we’ll further explore below.

• Natural editorial links. These are organic links given by other websites without any action on your part. They are the most valuable type of backlink, as they indicate genuine endorsement of your content. An example of a natural editorial link is when a travel blogger writes an article about “Top Family-Friendly Destinations” and includes a link to your blog post about “Best Theme Parks for Kids” because they found your content helpful and relevant for their readers.
• Manual outreach links. These links are obtained through outreach efforts, such as contacting bloggers or webmasters to promote your content and request a link. An example of a manual outreach link is contacting and asking a food blogger to link to your “10 Healthy Lunchbox Ideas for Kids” article in their post about “Quick and Healthy Meal Prep Tips.”
• Self-created links. Self-created links, like those in forums or blog comments, can improve navigation, aid search engine indexing, and drive targeted traffic. For instance, RCM provider Synapse links its subsites to the main site, enhancing visibility and user experience. When used responsibly, these cost-effective links also build niche authority and brand awareness, avoiding spammy placements.

Learning the different types of backlinks can help you better understand how they work to help make your website perform better. While all backlinks contribute to your SEO strategy, their quality is what can significantly boost your website’s performance.

What Makes a Good Backlink?

While the number of backlinks is significant, their quality truly impacts SEO. A single link from a high-authority site can have more value than multiple links from low-quality sites. Some factors that contribute to backlink quality include:

• Relevance. Backlinks from sites within the same industry or niche carry more weight. For example, a link from a tech blog to another tech-related site is more impactful than one from an unrelated niche. A study by Moz found that link relevance (or the degree of thematic similarity between the linking page and the target page) was one of the top-ranking factors, showing how relevant links play a crucial role in improving domain authority.
• Anchor text. The clickable text of a link, known as anchor text, should also be relevant and descriptive. According to Google’s John Mueller, descriptive anchor text can help search engines better understand the content of the destination page, improving the chances of ranking for relevant keywords. While exact-match anchor text can be effective, over-optimization or excessive use can hurt your rankings. So, aim for a balance of varied anchor text types to keep your SEO strategy natural and effective.

Focusing on relevance and proper anchor text practices ensures that your backlinks improve search engine rankings and help build a trustworthy, authoritative online presence.

How Quality Backlinks Impact Your Website’s Performance

Using quality backlinks significantly affects your website’s performance in search engine results by contributing to various aspects of SEO. Here are four ways backlinks improve your site’s visibility:

• Improved search engine rankings. Backlinks are a significant ranking factor. A study by Ahrefs found a positive correlation between the number of referring domains (unique websites linking to a page) and higher search rankings.
• Increased organic traffic: Higher rankings increase visibility, which drives more organic traffic. Additionally, users may click on backlinks from other sites, leading to direct referral traffic.
• Enhanced domain authority: Consistently earning high-quality backlinks can boost your site’s domain authority, making it more competitive in search results.
• Faster indexing: Search engine bots discover new pages by following links. Backlinks from authoritative sites can expedite the indexing of your latest content.

This brings us to a real-world example of how strategizing backlinks can significantly impact SEO. In his Google review, Nick Muccitelli, a real estate professional, shared how Smart Works helped improve his website’s SEO. In just 10 months, his site ranked in the top 15 out of nearly 600 competitors in his market.

Smart Works’ SEO Specialist Michael Seda says that backlinks played an essential role in the success of this SEO campaign. In an interview, Seda noted,

“Using strong backlinks complemented and completed their SEO strategy, especially when working with an industry like real estate, which isn’t something the average person searches for daily.”

Seda further notes that a realtor’s reputation is vital in real estate. Thus, a solid online presence can attract new customers, particularly on major review sites like Yelp and BBB. Given this scenario, this case study underscores the significant impact backlinks can have on SEO performance. Quality backlinks improve the site’s authority and boost rankings, visibility, and long-term success. Visit our page to learn more about Smart Works’ SEO services.

Enhance Your Backlink Strategy with Smart Works

Building a strong backlink profile is essential for SEO success. To attract high-quality, natural links, create valuable content, such as in-depth articles, infographics, or research studies. Guest blogging on reputable sites within your niche is another effective way to earn backlinks.

At Smart Works, we combine technical expertise with proven strategies to ensure your website performs at its best and ranks high in search engine results. Here’s how we help you succeed:

• Content optimization. We boost website traffic and engagement by optimizing your content for search engines and your target audience.
• Content creation. Our team creates high-quality, SEO-optimized content designed to raise brand awareness and attract the right visitors.
• Ranking improvement. We understand what drives your audience and implement strategies to improve your website’s searchability and achieve top rankings.

Ready to elevate your website’s SEO performance? Contact us today to learn how we can help build a powerful backlink strategy that drives results.

Sources:

120 SEO Statistics for 2024;
https://www.demandsage.com/seo-statistics/

17 Top Link Building Statistics and Trends;
https://bloggingwizard.com/link-building-statistics/

124 SEO Statistics for 2024;
https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-statistics/

Nick Muccitelli’s Google Review;
https://g.co/kgs/N9GdGVu