If your business is ready to move into the twenty-first century, you will need the help of a web designer. We designers can have many specialties, and can help your business to expand and grow. Here are some tips on picking the right web designer or design company for your business.

Decide what you need. There are several different types of websites, and your company should decide what, and how much, you want to put online. If your company only needs a website to be informative, you can build a simple website with a one-time fee. Web set up can be a simple process with the right software yourself, but a web designer will help you to make it professional and appealing.

You may also be in need of a little more for your site. If you plan to sell items from your site, want the site to be interactive, or are in need of regular maintenance, you will need to find a designer to fit your needs. Some designers are only capable of simpler designs, and do not write involved code for websites. Web programmers, however, will be able to build a website that is reactive, interactive, and even build a store for your products.

Decide your budget. A budget is important, but when it comes to a great website, you must realize that you get what you pay for. Great web designers and programmers can charge $100 or more per hour for their services, but you will get the design you want with all of the features you require. If this is not in your budget, you may want to consider putting together simpler websites for the time being, until you can afford them. Make sure to prioritize everything you want your website to do for you, and make sure to speak with your designer to see if they have any suggestions for you.

Decide if you need and can afford an in-house designer. If your website will require almost-constant maintenance, you may want to spring for an in-house designer. Bringing the designer in as part of the team will allow the designer to get to know the business, allow them insight into what is important and what is attractive to your client-base. If you plan to begin selling your products online, and also begin a social media marketing project, hiring designers for in-house work can make a big difference in the quality and continuity of your work.

Hiring the right designer or firm. So how do you pick a good candidate for your company? There are several websites that list rated web design companies in the Houston, Texas area, such as yellowbook.com and whichwebdesigncompany.com. These sites allow you to read reviews about designs and design companies.

If you are looking to hire a full-time employee, make sure to explain everything you are looking for, and will be looking for in the future. Most web designers know what they are capable of and will let you know if everything you are looking for match their skillset. Head hunters can also match your company with a designer based on skills and languages the designer is familiar with.

The web can be a big and scary place, but don’t let that stop you from using it to your advantage! The web will allow you to reach customers you could not before, and can grown your business exponentially. Finding the right web programmer or designer can make your transition into the digital world a pleasant one.

So you have decided to get your business online. The internet is a vast place full of interesting sites, so you have to make sure yours is just as interesting and more exciting, so people will target your site over everyone else’s. Here are some easy rules that can help make your site a hit.

Don’t sacrifice easy-to-use for pretty. If you have a design in mind, it may be tempting to sacrifice the site’s usability to keep the design you want intact. However, make sure that your design is professional, simple, and easy. If the user feels as though the website is a jungle to navigate, they will lose interest before they get the message of your page. Before a site goes live, make sure it is tested by the average internet browser. If they have a difficult time deciphering which buttons will lead them where, or are confused by too much going on at once, you may need to pair down or change the design. Professional websites don’t have to be busy or crowded to look good.

Don’t just build a website. Never just build a website! Even if you blow your internet marketing budget on your website, there are tons of free sites you can list your business on. Facebook and other social media sites are all mostly free, and offer a new way to interact with customers. Also look into building blogs. Make sure each department of your business has their own blog, and each blog is optimized for search engines.

Don’t ignore SEO. Search engine optimization is overlooked way too often. Make sure your site is rich with keywords, and try to get high quality inbound links. Keywords will bring in people searching for general topics related to your business, and inbound links will help your list ranking on search engines all over the internet.

Don’t forget to list your site. Listing your site with Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Search will allow your site to be seen by potential customers when they search for keywords associated with your website.

Don’t go overboard with the fireworks. If you have a loading video, make sure your customer can skip it. Too much flash is also a bad idea; if the customer has too many things flying around the screen and jumping up and down in their faces, they will quickly click out. Make sure that only one or two things on your entire site move, rotate or change on a page. Also make sure the movement is not spastic or jerky; it will again remind internet consumers of spam, and they will click away from your site in a heartbeat.

Don’t forget your potential client’s information. Offer a free weekly newsletter, or a monthly coupon if your clients offer you their e-mail address. Make sure that all addresses are collected, compiled and used. Many customers who are savvy enough to have found your site and are willing to give up their email address to your company are also willing to let you e-mail them. But make sure your site only asks for their information once! Don’t force them to sign up or sign in to see your company information and contacts.

Don’t break the golden rule of keyword optimization. No more than 10% density of keywords! Over 10% will make your site look spammy, and will force Google and other search engines to block your site from searches.

Sources:
http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2010/06/07/newscolumn3-Avoid-the-top-10-Internet-marketing-mistakes-by-software-companies.html
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-internet-advertising/3969-1.html
http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2010/08/top-internet-marketing-mistakes/

SEO is a great tool you can use to promote your website. It can draw new customers and viewers to your site, and if used properly, can even make you money. This marketing tool is valuable to your blog, your company website, social media sites, and even personal websites.

So what is SEO anyway? SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s the use of keywords inside of the text of a website or blog that makes your site show up when a user types those keywords into a search engine.

A search engine is a website or program in which users can type a question or keywords, and the engine will present them with several, ranked choices. Some of the most popular web search engines are Google, YouTube, Bing, Yahoo, and iMDB. These allow you to search many different kinds of files and find the type of site or file you are looking for.

When a search engine presents a user with a list of links, there is an algorithm in place to list the top websites for their keywords first. A site is ranked first by the page title, and if the searched keyword appears in the title of the page. For example, if your website’s title is “The Best Apple Pie Recipe Ever” and a user searches for “apple pie recipe,” your site would be ranked higher than a site called “Peach Pie Recipe.” Search engines also index by website descriptions, meta tags, and the number of other websites that already have a link to your website.

A great way to make sure that your site is optimized is to make sure your site text is rich with keywords relevant to your potential visitors. For the “ The Best Apple Pie Recipe Ever,” the site should have the words apple, pie, recipe, and any other words associated with the content. The more relevant your keywords, the better you will reach out to those who are looking for whatever information you are presenting. But be careful! If you overuse your keywords in your site and have a density of about 10% or more, it may be seen as spam! Google and most other great search engines will block sites they see as overly-stuffed with keywords.

Also, make sure these keywords appear in the URL of your site. You may want to name your website BestApplePieRecipe.com rather then WeLovePie.com. All the important keywords should appear in the URL, to make sure to add to your SEO points.

Another great way to make your website high ranking in searches is to monitor the content. Keeping your content fresh and updating on a regular basis will give you high rankings and keep you at the top. Content should be unique and updated daily. However, make sure you do not repeat the same content; this will count against your overall SEO score.

SEO can be a difficult concept to master, but is well worth the effort. If your SEO attempts are not working out for the best, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a contractor or SEO company for help. The cost of SEO help may seem a little steep in the beginning, but it can be well worth the cost and effort.

Sources:
http://www.webconfs.com/15-minute-seo.php
http://websearch.about.com/od/enginesanddirectories/tp/most-popular-search-engines.htm
http://www.optimum7.com/internet-marketing/new-articles-content/how-does-seo-work.html

A little overwhelmed by the idea of making your business accessible online? You are not alone. Thousands of companies in the Houston area have begun to move into the digital age, and the first steps are definitely the scariest. For an individual or company who has never tried to create anything online, the internet can be a vast and daunting place. So where to start?

Your company will need a website. Think of the website as a home base of operations, where people can access your information, a store front, links to your companies other sites, and social media sites. Your website should include contact information, an about the company page, product or service information, and customer testimonials or samples of previous work. Any company that sells tangible product should also have a store front of some kind.

If you are looking for some help in creating a website, look to contractors for help. Sites like oDesk.com and iFreelance.com can help to match you with the perfect contractor to build your site. Also, check into local headhunters if you would like to meet with your contractor in person. A contractor will help to build the site and may even offer to maintain it for a small fee.

For the adventurous and creative company owner, you can also take a few classes in simple web design to be able to build a simple web site on your own. The HiMA, or Houston Interactive Marketing Association, holds classes for individuals looking to get their company online, such as social media marketing classes, web design, and other tools the internet offer for your company.

After you website is built, you will need to being social media marketing. Using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, your business can reach millions of potential customers with little cost to you. Facebook.com is especially useful; they have created an easy-to-use ad campaign plan to target certain audiences and display ads when they access their Facebook accounts. Get in the habit of posting on your Facebook between 6 and 10 times a day, posting links to services, pictures, sale information, and events.

The third most important aspect of internet marketing is the blog. You may also want to consider hiring a contractor for this project as well. Blogs should be updated with articles relevant to your company and your customers, and should use strong keywords that will make your blog pop up when potential customers search for those keywords in a search engine, like Google or Bing. This process is called SEO, or search engine optimization. If utilized properly, a blog can bring in money all on its own, and will draw in potential customers with SEO.

Although the internet can be a scary and frustrating place to try to expand into, don’t give up! The growth potential for companies moving into the digital age is unlimited. The internet is not going away, and embracing the technology that available can make your company expand in ways impossible with traditional stores. Don’t let all this technology go unharnessed!

If you are looking to take your website to next level, you may need a little training or help. Where can you turn for the digital marketing help you need? There are tons of websites and different organizations that offer classes and marketing help for your company.

In Houston, Texas, there are a few different associations dedicated to teaching companies and individuals about internet marketing and the newest technology that can help you to make more money with your websites. A great source of classes are local universities and community colleges. Many offer classes in Flash, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and other languages that can help you to build a better website. Although there is a cost associated with these classes, they can be great sources of information for you and your employees.

If you are looking for help on how to optimize your website for search engines, or are looking to begin a social media marketing campaign, there are also professional associations for that. HiMA, or the Houston Interactive Media Association holds classes and online seminars for professionals looking to get more business and clients from the internet. Ranging in subject from search engine optimization, to social media, to blogging, HiMA can help your business to grow online. Another such association is the Houston Internet Marketing Forum, which offers classes, some of them free, for expanding your internet footprint.

Social media marketing can be a strong part of your online debut; Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the three biggest sites. Facebook has some of the best resources for business, allow customers and fans to “like” you, which tells every one of their friends that they have just “liked” your business. The networking capability of social media sites is unmatched by any kind of website on the internet today.

Books are also a great sources of knowledge. The Art of SEO is a brilliant book and website combination that utilizes both the printed word for a solid foundation, and a blog-style website for constantly updated additions. Another great book for any budding SEO and internet marketing student is the Search Engine Optimization for Dummies. This 10-in-1 book will go through everything you need to get your website on the map.

If internet marketing is over your head, or if you yourself do not have the time needed to devote to SEO and internet marketing yourself, you may want to consider hiring a contractor or full time employee to keep tabs on these for you. Some great sources for contractors are oDesk.com and iFreelance.com, where you can search out and interview several potential contractors at once. To hire a full-time, in-house internet marketing specialist, try putting an ad in the Houston Chronicle, or searching on Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com.

Moving your business online can be a big production, so make sure you and your employees are equipped with all of the necessary skills and programs you will need to make your make on the online business community.

Sources:
http://www.eventbrite.com/org/125608145
http://www.houstoninternetmarketing.com/

If you run a business that is offline as well as online, you may need to spend some extra time integrating your brand so that you have a uniform brand in both worlds. If customers find you online and then go into a physical store that looks and feels completely different, they may end up turning away – obviously not the desired result. In order to help you take steps to integrate your branding both online and offline we’ve assembled some tips to get started.

• Use the same logo online and off. It’s ok to have slight variations in your logo between your online and offline materials but the foundational elements should be the same. For example, you should pick a symbol and font for your logo that stay the same no matter what but it’s totally within bounds to make a red and green version for holiday time.
• Understand that marketing and branding go hand in hand. Often people want to create marketing campaigns that diverge wildly from their brand because they have a good idea for a promotion. However, over time this can be confusing and potentially damaging. Therefore you should work to ensure that your promotions are in line with your brand and the message, colors and taglines are consistent online and off.
• Focus on tone. What works for marketing online, may not always work offline and vice versa. However that doesn’t mean that you have to change your entire brand to respond to each medium. Instead, if you take the time to focus on tone you increase the likelihood that people will respond to your promotion whether they find you in a magazine or online.

Following these three tips will keep you from looking inconsistent on or offline. Additionally, if you have more questions or would like to set up a consultation to discuss how to more fully integrate your branding reach out to us through our contact form and one of our marketing experts will get in touch with you directly.

Millions of people go through life with challenges and disabilities that inhibit them from effectively understanding information online or offline.  As people who are working with online content, we have a unique advantage – we can make that content much more accessible to people with disabilities by designing our pages and producing content that is accessible to everyone.

Designing for accessibility ensure that all types of people regardless of ability can more easily get the information you are providing online. There are a variety of things people can do to make their information more accessible.

• Focus on end users rather than your own preference. If you want your website to be easily understood by a variety of people, you will need to design and write content with that in mind.
• Place things correctly. Read up on intuitive web design and understand where people naturally look for page elements like search bars or headings. Creating a design that adjusts for this can make it easier for people to find information on your site.
• Take Internet speeds into account. Some people may be working on slower internet, so if you decide you want a really rich flash based website you may alienate users who can’t load it.  The most common work around for this problem is to offer an adjoining text only or plain HTML version of the site that allows you to showcase your core content in a paired down way.
• Consider using text as a substitute for the images on your site. People who are visually impaired sometimes utilize automated screen readers which allow them to read the text on the site. If you are using an image to describe something, users with screen readers will completely miss your point. ALT attributes on your images create workarounds for people who use screen readers so they can get a sense of the full site.

In addition to these tips, you can also look at utilizing easier to read colors or slightly larger fonts in order to make the content more readable. To learn more about web accessibility, schedule a consultation with one of our web design experts.

As web design gets more popular and people are producing more and more content, the demand for professional images to go along with that content is increasing. We’ve assembled several resources for free and low cost professional quality images you can use with your web content.

Over 4 million photographs are over here for free or 0.20$/image.

Do you have a favorite site? Share it with us in comments.

If you have a personal website that is designed to get people to buy services or goods from you as an individual, having a high quality personal brand is important. Even if you have a business, if you’re the owner, having a big personal brand is as important as your business brand because having both can help you create conversions. How do you build a personal brand?

Find your area of expertise. Your area of expertise should be in line with or relevant to what you are selling. This means you should create content, microsites, videos and other items that present helpful information and thought leadership on an area of knowledge that you want to dominate. When people think of this topic, they should also think of you simultaneously.

Start networking, whether its through social media, your blog, or at events relevant to your field you need to network with other professionals. Building relationships is the first step towards making a sale or getting a referral that leads to your next big sale. People are more likely to do business with people that they know and trust. How will they come to know you, if you don’t introduce yourself?

Give away some freebies and do some favors. This may seem counterintuitive if you’re out to make a living, but offering some free content that people can actually use and doing favors for others in your area or even your audience can increase your personal brand which can lead to sales down the line.

Building a personal brand can be one of the keys to increasing your business and even helping you find additional streams of income. Take the time to consider topics that you are interested in and start working to become an expert in that field. At the same time, reach out and start building a network of people that you can help and can help you.