Shawn - July 27th, 2010
We design and host websites for a living so we know how to manage a project and do all that great webmaster stuff that brings all the elements together.
And whether or not you as a client have creative sensibilities, you know what you like. While we can make just about anything work, your input is the thing that is ultimately going to put the unique stamp on the site.
We therefore think it is always a good idea for a client to take stock of the things that are important to them in a website before we even start the design process.
So here are our Top Ten Things to Think About (or Have!) Before you Sit Down with Us or Any Professional Website Designer:
-
You should have your content complete. There’s nothing more frustrating for everyone than to have the site complete and not an About Us to be found. Videos only go so far…you need tangibility of the verbiage kind.
-
Make sure you have a digital copy of your logo (the higher the resolution the better).
-
Pick two or three websites that you really like (if they are competitors of yours, that’s even better) and what you like about them.
-
Pick two or three websites you don't like (also competitors, if possible) and what you don't like about them.
-
Jot down colors that appeal and ones you can’t be bothered with.
-
Think about the primary goals of your website:
-
Are you selling products?
-
Lead generating?
-
Are you primarily offering customer service and support?
-
Do you need to reduce incoming phone calls?
-
Who is your audience?
-
Determine how frequently the website will be updated; you may or may not want a content management system, but it will enable you to revise your site’s verbiage.
-
If it's an e-commerce site:
-
What type of payments do you want to accept?
-
How do you want the shipping charges calculated?
-
How many products are going to be sold on the website?
-
Think a year ahead if you can…it is always easier and more affordable to build for growth in the beginning then to go back and add later.
No two projects are alike (good thing…otherwise we’d go crazy!), but these fundamental questions go really far toward getting your website working right out of the box.
Shawn - July 14th, 2010
Whether you’re building a brand or building a business, your first step is to establish your venue. And in the world of all that is virtual, that venue is your website. Without an effective and fully functioning one you’re kind of nowhere.
However, after the shiny slideshows and brilliant graphics are complete and your website is hosted and optimized for all mobile devices, you’re still kind of nowhere because you need to market your website.
So where to start? Well you know you need to be optimized to be found. But website optimization can be expensive and is an effort that takes some trial and error.
Our suggestion?...it’s never a bad idea to start with the free stuff first! You should absolutely go in true Gary Vaynerchuk style and leverage the ton of free marketing solutions through FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media. If you’re consistent and fresh, you can really establish a following.
Then, probably the best place to spend your marketing dollars is with Google AdWords or other Pay-Per-Click marketing programs sponsored by the major search engines. If you do opt for AdWords, we would suggest combining your social media marketing efforts in association with AdWords efforts. (Then you can follow with SEO once you have some statistics.)
For AdWords, basically what you’re doing is creating ads by choosing words or phrases related to your business so when people search using one of your keywords, your ad may appear next to the search results.
What’s cool is that you’re essentially singing to the people who like the same songs because they are searching for what you’ve got. In addition, you’ll be able to collect statistics as to what keywords convert well for your business. So you’re literally compiling market research from targeted audiences.
After you’ve pulled some statistics as to what keywords are converting well for you in your AdWords campaign, then you can launch your SEO campaign with some assurance that you have the signposts for the traffic you are seeking.
It sounds calculated because it has to be, but by monitoring these statistics you can consistently remain current on how people are searching and adjust accordingly.
You just need to bear in mind that while SEO takes time and patience, you can obtain more immediate gratification by leveraging Pay-Per-Click and social media marketing. And if you start out reaping some results, you won’t get as discouraged waiting for your SEO to hit its stride.
Bottom line -- your marketing plan is just as important as a good-looking, well-designed website. Just don’t get frustrated in the beginning or believe there is a fool proof plan to get to the coveted Page One.
You can do it, but in the interim, you can steadily build a solid fan base using social media and some Google Tools.
Shawn - July 7th, 2010
In website design, simplicity is strength. The presentation of a clean, clear message that gets you heard above the roar of the crowd is our goal. Making websites better, faster, and able to fly super-hero high is what we love to get up and do every day. The source of inspiration is not from the Planet Krypton or by a bite from a radioactive spider; it’s the passion we have for what we do.
And in our opinion, no one in contemporary business building has demonstrated how to harness the power of passion better than Gary Vaynerchuk. We think his book: Why Now is the Time to Crush It! has dramatically advanced how people see and leverage social media. He shows how web-based technologies can be bent into an infrastructure that will help support and promote the thing you love and turn it into a business.
While reading this book a few times will really enable you to absorb its impact, you can open to any chapter and find concrete examples and explanations of how to tap the power of the Internet.
Called the “ultimate driver’s manual for the modern business” whether you use all or some of Vaynerchuk’s techniques you’ll be renovated. At the very least, you’ll be able to develop a social media campaign enabling you to hit consumer markets that were either previously inaccessible or that you may never have considered viable.
This guy’s success story is genuine; but he wasn’t some overnight sensation. He took his Dad’s local discount liquor store, added passion and the effective use of existing social media tools and transformed the business, his life, and became a virtual pioneer of brand recognition and business promotion. Hate to use the word “inspiring” because it may sound overboard, but pick up this guy’s book or check out the site and prepare for the revolution.
Shawn - June 25th, 2010
We need to take a step back from website design in Tampa today. Friends of ours have an incredible opportunity to receive donations for their cause. To be perfectly blunt, we want to show our support and let you guys know a bit about their chance to be granted $250K by a program sponsored by Chase.
Chase Community Giving is contributing a total of $5 million to worthy causes and is determining the recipients based on community votes.
Two hundred local charities will receive monies to further their causes and create awareness and support research to help people in our neighborhoods and across the world who face challenges we cannot begin to understand. We’re not asking for a donation; we’re asking you to give this cause a shout out with your vote so an extraordinary non-profit organization can be heard.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia refers to a group of inherited disorders that can affect both boys and girls. The problem with this illness is that the child is deficient in an enzyme that the adrenal gland needs to produce two critical hormones: cortisol and aldosterone.
The human body strives to maintain balance and in the absence of something it needs, it will compensate with something else.
In the case of CAH, the body will respond by producing a surplus of the hormone androgen, one of the male sex hormones. The result is that male characteristics will appear either too early in a boy or inappropriately in a girl.
There are forms of CAH that are more severe than others and in the case of newborns, they will experience an actual “adrenal crisis” and develop severe symptoms shortly after birth including:
-
Cardiac arrhythmias
-
Dehydration
-
Electrolyte changes
Approximately 1 in 10,000 to 18,000 children are born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
The CARES Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of families and individuals affected by Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia through proactively advancing research for better understanding of CAH, better treatments and a cure; educating the public and healthcare professionals about all forms of CAH; advocating for universal newborn screening; and providing support services and resources vital to the CAH community worldwide.
We are asking for your support by visiting their Facebook page, clicking the “Like” button and just selecting “Vote for This Charity” in the sidebar under Ways That You Can Help This Charity.
It will take a second of your time (you’re probably logged into Facebook right now anyway!) and you’ll be giving this selfless organization a chance to make tremendous strides to help these children and their families.
Shawn - June 16th, 2010
While optimizing your website for search engine attention is the norm, the website design bar is now set higher to include optimization for mobile devices. This alternate version of your main site typically highlights the best and most significant features while omitting the battery draining, performance bogging videos and effects that just don’t translate to the small screen; most of them won’t even work. The act of zooming and scrolling alone is enough to make the most persistent iPhone Googler with the best eyesight search elsewhere.
But there are definitely a couple of things you should consider before you go to the expense of having a mobile version of your website created.
First of all, you need to take into account the type of information or services your site and/or your business provides. If you are a supplier of travel information, you’re going to want to cater to your subscribers on the move. Nothing would be more annoying for a commuter in Manhattan looking to obtain information on subway delays if a site takes longer to load than the train does to arrive.
Perhaps you provide information to paparazzi or news journalists on assignment abroad; they rely on immediate notifications of things like Lady Gaga sightings or directions to U.S. Embassy locations in other countries.
Another great example of a business that would significantly benefit from a “portable overhaul” would be an e-commerce one. Why lose a sale from a potential client trying to order Mother’s Day flowers on her BlackBerry while waiting for a connecting flight at the airport? Customers like her who no longer schlep their laptops on short business trips because they can tote feature rich hand-held devices are the perfect audience for a scaled down version of a website.
Amazon.com offers the ideal example of an effective sister site. Their mobile website is a perfect thumbnail of their main site, but stripped down to the hardcore essentials minus the ton of intricate graphics. It is completely functional and easy to navigate. (By the way, let us know if you find any other great ones!)
If you do think that creating a mobile version of your website is right for your business, you can actually take it to the next level by creating two mobile versions: one for Smartphones and one for simple phones. The sophistication of the mobile device is irrelevant; it’s the adaptation to the small screen that is essential.
As you know by now,optimizing for the search engines entails a complex balance of elements and methods that combine to enhance a website’s ranking. Optimizing for mobility on the other hand is about enhancing the site’s readability and transportable functionality.
Services
