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Posts Tagged ‘website design’
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Do you have an online media kit? Do you need one?
I think, if you are an expert in your niche and you have a website, then you should have a section of your website that is set aside just for the media. Call it a media kit, or call it what you want. But you should have it. I have one and I call it a media kit.
Your media kit can be as basic as providing a bio and publishing your press releases to something more dynamic that involves video and multimedia presentations. No matter how you do it, you should present information that media professionals, journalists and reporters, and potential publication editors would be interested in as background information on you.
Amy Lynn Andrews does a good job of telling you how to put together a media kit for your small business. And I agree with her that you should keep it simple.
I think another important aspect to a media kit is highlighting your successes. If you look at my media kit, you’ll see that I do quite a bit of that. It’s not bragging. OK, maybe it is, but it’s bragging with a purpose. Successful media campaigns tell the world that you are an expert in your niche more than any other tool. If other media professionals think you’re an expert, then shouldn’t the one that you are pitching to right now?
It takes a little time to put together a good media kit, but it’s well worth the effort.
Tags: media kit, public relations, small business, website design
Posted in PR for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Is it better to design a website using HTML or a content management system (CMS)?
To be sure, there are pros and cons to either method. Here are a few things to think about when making your decision about whether to design your website using HTML or CMS.
- Security: In terms of security, HTML is superior; however, most CMSs have security plugins or add-ons that you can use to make your site more secure.
- SEO: It’s easier to SEO an HTML website, but most CMSs these days make SEO easier and more effective.
- Control Over Design: You have more control over design elements with HTML.
- Time Management: Designing your website and updating your content can be done much more quickly with a CMS than with an HTML website.
- Upgrades: Constant upgrades to a CMS can be annoying, but they are necessary. HTML updates come much less often.
- Support: Most CMSs have a built in and strong support community.
- Enhancements: Website enhancements are easier with a CMS since most have a library of plugins or add-ons.
- Coding: You don’t have to know any coding languages to use most CMSs, however, they can often be code heavy and slow your page load speed, which affects your SEO.
- Compatibility: HTML has no coding limitations. Virtually any coding language can be made to interact with your website. But if you use a CMS, you might experience difficulties trying to incorporate other languages, depending on your server type and the specs of your CMS.
All things considered, most small businesses can benefit from using a CMS as opposed to coding their website in HTML.
Tags: CMS, coding, html, web design, website design
Posted in website development | 3 Comments »
Sunday, July 10th, 2011
More and more, I’m seeing small business websites using WordPress as a CMS. Even churches and community service organizations are using WordPress as a CMS and designing their websites using this free open source software. Is that a good idea?
In a word, there is nothing wrong with using WordPress as a CMS. In fact, that’s what it is.
However, WordPress started out as a blogging platform and branched out from there. The reasons WordPress is such a good tool for building blogs and websites is because it is flexible, easy to use, and has natural built-in search engine optimization benefits. But it helps to know a little bit about web design before you use it.
There are a number of ways you can go with WordPress.
- Many businesses use the default theme, which is limited in its functionality and creative uses.
- A step up would be to find a free off-the-shelf theme that you can use, and perhaps customize.
- Another step up is to purchase a theme from one of the many WordPress theme websites online. You can often find a good theme that is used less than the free themes so it is a semi-original look. But you still need to make sure your theme has SEO benefits. Many don’t.
- Finally, you can go all out and spend money on one of the premium WordPress themes on the market. There are a number of these so shop around.
Each of the above options has its benefits and pitfalls. Some WordPress themes claim that easy design work is possible, but it helps to understand how HTML, CSS, and PHP work together, and if you can program in those languages then you can often build a much better looking and more functional website.
WordPress does make designing a website easier, but there is no substitute for experience. You can often find a WordPress web designer who can design your website for you, then teach you how to upload your own content.
Tags: CMS, SEO, website design, wordpress
Posted in website development | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 9th, 2011
If you’re new to Internet marketing and you’re not sure what an IM package might consist of, relax. They’re all different. In fact, the first step to designing a good strategy for marketing your business online is to analyze your business and plan a strategy that is based on the needs of your market and your business.
Strategic Internet marketing takes time. It doesn’t just fall into place. What works for one business may not work for another. Therefore, it’s important to know your market.
Market analysis and competitive intelligence are both very important when approaching your online marketing strategy. Once you’ve done the initial legwork and you’ve determined what may or may not work for your business, then it’s time to get to work. Your Internet marketing plan might include some or all of the following elements:
To add to the variability of Internet marketing strategies, your business might benefit from local search strategies or global search strategies or some combination of the two. The first step, of course, is to see what you’ve done in the past and what you are currently doing with your marketing efforts. In most cases, you can get better results from online marketing on a smaller budget than you can from traditional marketing.
Of course, your first consultation is free. Let us check the health of your website today.
Tags: article marketing, blog marketing, internet marketing, mobile marketing, newsletter marketing, Pay Per Click, search engine optimization, social media marketing, website design
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 2 Comments »
Friday, January 28th, 2011
Most small businesses, when they decide to go online and establish an Internet presence, just build a website then muddle their way through marketing that website online and off line. If they achieve any successes it is usually an accident, or a planned happy occasion. The real essence of their Internet presence is only ever considered as an afterthought. But I have identified 5 key questions to ask before you build your website or establish any kind of Internet marketing presence.
The 5 Essential Questions Every Small Business Owner Should Ask Before Building Their Website:
- Why Do You Want A Website? This might seem like a basic question and somewhat unnecessary, but I assure you it is very important. Do you want a website for branding purposes? Do you intend to use it for lead generation or take in subscribers for your newsletter? The purpose of your website will determine how it should be designed.
- Who Is Your Target Market? Your target market is important. Your website will be designed with your target in mind so be sure you define it accurately.
- Who Is Your Competition And What Are They Doing? Do you know who your competition online is? Your online competition may or may not be the same as your off line competition. But you need to know. And find out how they are marketing online. Should you follow them or search for a hole in their plan?
- What Is The Ideal Structure For Your Website? Yes, you’ll need to determine how many pages you’re going to need, how your site will be navigated, and so on before you build your website.
- What Keywords And Social Media Will You Target? Your website, just like your business, will need to be promoted. There are two primary channels of website promotion online – search engines and social media. You’ll need to research your keywords and determine how you will target your search engine marketing, then you’ll need to research social media channels to determine which channels show the most promise for your website’s promotion opportunities.
After you’ve performed the proper website planning, then you can start building your small business website.
Tags: Branding, internat marketing, search engine optimization, small business, Social Media, website design, website development
Posted in website development | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 20th, 2010
Depending on how small your business really is, you might not have the money to pay for online marketing services. Then again, you might not have the time to do it yourself. What a quandary!
But online marketing is becoming – in fact, it has already become – an essential format of marketing in the 21st century. You’d be hard pressed to run a business today without some form of Internet presence.
So what do you do? How do you go about getting your business online without taking time away from your clients and without spending a fortune?
First, start with your website. If you don’t have one, get one. The good news about that is you can start with a small website that won’t cost you a fortune. It’s a one-time payment that will last a lifetime.
Next, get up fifteen minutes earlier every day and engage in a little social media interaction. Just fifteen minutes in the morning, a few minutes mid-day when you can fit it in, and another fifteen minutes at the end of the day can mean a lot to your business over the long haul. That’s right, just 30-45 minutes a day of social media marketing through two or three online media outlets can give you a start to your online marketing. Once you see how a small investment of your time can help you achieve minimal success, you’ll be ready to take it a step further.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Why not take that online marketing step today?
Tags: online marketing, small business, Social Media, website design
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 2 Comments »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
If you’ve got a website that you know is doing well, but you think could be doing better, is it time to conduct a site redesign? Is it ever OK to redesign a website when it’s doing well or should you redesign your site only when things are not going so well?
It might come as a shock to you but I do believe that a site that is doing well in the search engines and that is making money can sometimes and often should undergo a redesign. Not every time, but some times. So the question is, When should that call be made? Furthermore, who should make it?
If you are a small business owner then you are responsible for everything that happens in your business, online and off line. That means you have a vested interest in what happens in every aspect of your business, including the website.
You know it’s time for a redesign when there are certain aspects of your website that are measurably doing well and when there are certain aspects that are below par. The idea behind the redesign is to capitalize on those things that are going well and to improve the weaker areas. A redesign can sometimes make a profitable site even more more profitable, but you have to make sure that you don’t take it backwards. That’s why it is very important that you measure results you get from your website long before you attempt a redesign and that you only redesign the site when you’ve gathered enough information to warrant the best decision.
It’s a big move to redesign a website, especially one that is making money. Don’t make it lightly.
Tags: redesign, website, website design
Posted in website development | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
If you hear a web designer discussing the difference between SEO and website design and you don’t hear any clues that perhaps the two are interrelated then don’t hire that web designer. I’m here to tell you that too many web designers don’t have a clue about SEO. You can tell by a quick examination of their websites.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Website design and SEO do go together like honey and bee.
For one thing, your website’s navigation is very important to both SEO and design. In terms of design, the navigation of your website ties it all together. It essentially tells your visitors how to interact with your website. But in terms of SEO, those internal links are very important. The number of links on each page, the anchor text used to link from one page to another, and even the placement of the links on the page are all very important.
But there are other considerations with web design as well. For instance, photos and videos can be used to enhance a website’s design, but if you don’t do them correctly you will miss opportunities to enhance your SEO. And there are other technologies like Javascript, Flash, and stylesheets that affect both design and SEO.
When it comes to SEO, website design is one of the most important things to consider. And when it comes to website design, no good designer will forget about SEO. They just go together.
Tags: SEO, website design
Posted in website development | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Small businesses thrive on repeat customers, and it’s no different on the web. The goal is to entice your viewers to return to your site again and again. How? By offering your viewers new content—discounts, helpful information, interviews, contests, and other fresh material.
The other easy and overlooked way to get viewers to return to your website is by bookmarking.
Yes, anyone can add you to their “favorites†list, but I compare that to remembering to take in my recyclable bags to the grocery store—I mean to, but most of the time I forget.
So why not help your viewers out by posting a small bookmark icon on each of your web pages, and including your blog. You’ll immediately notice a bump in traffic by bookmarking.
Since Microsoft Internet Explorer accounts for about 60% of the browser share, and MSIE 5.0 offers a bookmark icon, and you might want to consider it, but you do have other options such as. FastIcon.com and IconArchive.com have a collection of social bookmarks that you can download for your website.
Two other, and more popular, bookmarking icons that you can which are ready-made for using on your website are AddThis and ShareThis. You simply sign up for an account and insert the code into the content of your website. The icon will appear for your visitors to use for bookmarking your website at one of several bookmarking services online.
It only takes a few minutes to add a Bookmarking icon to your site, and your viewers won’t mind the friendly nudge. Continue to offer solid content that gives them a reason to return—and tell others about your small business website.
Tags: bookmark, building a website, we, website design
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, website development | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Your website is your window to the world. It lets everyone else get a little peek into your business while also allowing you some visibility on the marketplace. What the world sees when they look into your window depends on how you present yourself in text, graphics, and other website elements. What you see looking through your window depends on how well you gather user information on your website and analyze it.
The W3C is not a regulatory or government agency. You don’t have to pay attention to what they are doing, but it would behoove you to do so. These people do a ton of testing and figure out the best ways to present information through websites. They’ve offered the best ideas on making HTML leaner on websites, using XML and XHMTL for the most efficiency, and best practices for CSS.
These people work hard to come up with great ideas for webmasters to improve their windows. By incorporating W3C standards into your website you are using the best ideas from the best minds in the business.
You could just as well consider this a community service message from Small Business Mavericks.
Tags: w3c, web standards, website design
Posted in website development | No Comments »
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