Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Creating An Online Presence With Website Design

When I was growing up the minute you need to find out anything you hit a dictionary, encyclopedia, library or a phone book.  That was our "internet".  A lot has changed in the past thirty years!  Helping kids with homework and finding a good pizza joint are only a click away on our mobile devices; be it a laptop, phone or tablet.  With the internet and technology information is electronically at the tips of our fingers all day every day.  This is why it is so important if you are a business owner of any kind to have an online presence.  One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is with a company website. 

Many business owners don’t even know where to begin when it comes to their online presence.  It is so important that business owners align with an I.T. Company that specializes in a variety of fields within the tech industry including website design and website presence online. A company that is all encompassing is best as they really get to know your business and are always looking out for your best interest.  One call to update text and pictures on a website and to get rid of the virus one of your workstation computers has.  This saves time, money and employee resources.

When it comes to website design, your first step in creating a site that represents you and your company is to meet with the web and graphic designers.  They will sit with you and go over different aspects you are looking to offer to clients with your website.  If you are starting from level zero many designers will take you through the company’s portfolio to begin to determine elements on other sites that you like including fonts, pictures, colors and layouts. 

After the initial meeting your website will go through the development phases.  This is where website developers, graphic designers and search engine specialists come together to develop a plan, based off of experience and testing, to create verbiage to get people to come to your site and graphics to make them want to stay and explore more.  After this is done and mockups are created they will be sent to the client for approval.  The client’s opinion is of the utmost importance to website design.  Clients know their business and exactly what people will be looking for when coming to their site. 

The next step is to take the suggestions given by the client and integrate them into the website design.  Often you are given the choice to write text for your site or have a web team member who specializes in keywords and keyword density to write text to allure people to your site.

Creating a website with a qualified team of experts makes the process as easy as one, two, three.  Having a website created to improve your online presences doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  Once you give the final approval on design and text the site will go live.  From here search engine specialists will work to increase qualified traffic to your website and business.  

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Keeping Your Online Business Up To Date By Redesigning Your Website

It is so exciting to take your business online. It is hard to be unbiased when it comes to looking at the design of your online business. When evaluating your website you need to step back and ask yourself two vital questions; How long has your current site been online and How long has it been since it was last updated? It might actually throw you back a little to realize the amount of time it has been since you updated the information, design and possibly layout of your website.

It is common to have a website designed, online and functioning without paying any attention to it for years. Will it work for growing your online business or reputation? The answer is simple, NO! In order for you online presence to grow, as well as your business, you must keep up with your website. This includes keeping up with the information throughout the site and ensure that it is relevant and up-to-date.

If you current site has an outdated look it is time to update it. A full redesign should be considered as much of the information is probably just as outdated as the design. Think about it this way, when you are looking to purchase a home and the kitchen has not been update since the 80's what is your initial reaction? I am sure most of you simply pass on the home. The thought being that if the homeowner did not take time to keep up on the design and updates of the house what else has not been kept up on. The same is true of your website design.

The next item I will bring to your attention is more subjective and according to taste. People just enjoy different things. Some people prefer plastic bracelets some prefer gold however the perception is that plastic is cheap and gold in not. The same bias holds true for your website. If your site is done by a professional web designer you should expect a complete different outcome then if you attempt it on your own or higher a high school web designer. The more professional it looks the better the perception from your potential clients.

Another thing to think about when it comes to your site is upkeep. I know I have mentioned this more than once. It is so important that when visitors come to your site they see recent blog posts along with new products, services or even just fresh information.

When it comes to your website and the design a great way to attract customers is to have your contact information visible at first glance. There is nothing more hated than outdated contact information listed that is difficult to locate on the site. A lot of website redesigns include a fresh Logo presence along with strong contact information.

Your website is to the online world as a display window is to a store front. It is how the world will see your product and your company. Keeping up to date on your website will let prospective clients know that you are serious about your business and its longevity thus proving to them that you are in it for the long haul and that they should be as well.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Building A Handicap Ramp



Building a handicap ramp may look like a weekend project but for those inexperienced in building them the process soon becomes more than they bargained for.  There are many things that do it yourself handicap ramp installers aren’t thinking of when beginning a huge project such as this.  There are things to consider before even the planning process begins.

Before a licensed wheelchair accessible ramp contractor begins the project they will come in and evaluate who the primary user is?  They will also determine what device they will need to assist them while using the ramp will be used for: a cane, a wheelchair, a walker or crutches.  The contractor will want to know if there is a chance the mobility of the person using the ramp will change.  This will determine if the ramp being installed needs to be a permanent structure or if a temporary device will work.  All while determining what permits and codes need to be met through your local municipalities. 

Before trying to build a handicap ramp look into the costs of a local builder who is ADA certified verse the materials, your time and the headaches you will have once you have learned that you have done something incorrect. 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Tips On A Well Designed Website

Everyone is looking for ways to make their website design contain the right “ingredients” to ensure top search engine rankings. Below you will find several high priority musts for your website to start on the right road for SEO.

First of all you will want to make sure that the content and text on the site are of quality.  Your site can have all the “right” keywords in the world however without quality content people will not stay on your site and believe it or not search engines will find little value in your site overall.

It is important not only that you have quality content but that it is also unique to your site. Your site should provide content that is unique to your company and the products and services that you offer.  A great way to ensure that the content is unique and relative is to create a blog and post about the industry happenings as they happen.  This will also help as adding content to your site shows search engines that your site is up to date.

Each page within your site should be optimized for a keyword or phrase. Don’t overdo one keyword or phrase for the entire site.  Come up with a combination of keywords and phrases relative to your goals and add them in to the pages of the website.  Another thing to keep in mind is that you want common keywords however it is best to avoid the most popular keywords and aim for the middle ground. It will be easier to optimize your pages.

Make sure that your site is accessible to search engine spiders and screen readers.  The more accessible the better when it comes to drawing traffic and rankings to your website.
When selecting a domain name think about the keyword phrase that best suits your business and incorporate that into the domain name you select.  It is okay to use your business name just try to incorporate the keywords into the entire domain as well.  Be sure the domain is easy to read, spell and say.

Tips are great when it comes to having a healthy website that functions well with search engines but nothing can beat experience when it comes to designing a website.  Website developers are looking at a lot of data and trends when developing a site for you. They are also well aware of META tag needs and changes as well as incorporating key elements that are needed for better results into the whole website equation. It might cost a bit more to hire a web company to design your site but consider the time you are saving and the benefit you are receiving from their knowledge.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Does Your Website Represent Your Business Today?

Does your current website reflect your business?  This happens when you have had a website that has been running for years; it suddenly looks completely outdated and indeed needs a facelift.  There are many ways to evaluate your site to determine if it could use a bit of attention.

1)       How is your current site ranking within search engines?  If your search rankings are not showing up like they previously had it might be time to look at the sites design that is not visible.  Meta tag changes are just as important as the visual changes in website design.  Search engine optimization is a key element in your website design.

2)      When you pull up your website do you feel it accurately reflects your business?  If your business has grown or changed at all it is important that those changes are reflected within your website.  You want to make sure that the site is keeping up with your growing markets and that it is keeping pace with the industry.

3)      Another aspect to consider is the changes in technology that have happened since your website was programmed.  Is the site compatible with newer browsers or mobile applications?  This can be a common problem with so many people accessing information with mobile devices.  It is important to make sure your site is able to been seen when clients are using their phones and other devices.

4)      One more thing to consider is if the images on your site take longer than two seconds to load.  It is proven that web users are impatient and want instant gratification.  If it is taking forever for the images to load within your site they will close out and go elsewhere.

These are just a few of the many reasons to look into a website redesign.  Most business owners have a difficult time being impartial when it comes to marketing their business online or in print.  It is important to get several opinions on your website and the design when considering the growth of your company.  Online marketing campaigns can do a lot for your business however if your site is still missing something or lacking luster you could be losing potential clients.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Keeping Up with Technology



Technology is moving at the speed of light. With that comes problems and the solutions that accompany it.  You can’t have faster computers without technicians for computer repair on the new machines.  The same is true when it comes to online business.  You can’t keep up with online business growth if you don’t know how to keep up with it in forms such as search engine optimization. With the growth of technology comes the growth of knowledge that enables us to move forward with it.

Computer repair is a large sector of residential business for Computers Plus Service, LLC.  We staff four full-time technicians to handle a variety of computer and networking issues and that are in constant training as technology changes.  We work to repair corporate it computers, computers for residential clients, networking, wiring and server repair.

When it comes to your website and web design our dedicated staff works to improve your professional image online with a detailed website that is optimized to bring in traffic and rank well within major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.  Search engine optimization is a process in which our staff dedicates time to build your site recognition online. The SEO process is one that is developed through time and improved upon with continual effort. 

For more information on the services that CPS offers to clients you can check out our website at http://www.cpsmi.com or call the office and set up a meeting to sit down and discuss your business networking, computer repair issues and/or website needs – 810-224-5252.

Why Your Small Business Should Look Into Website Design For More Business

There are many reasons why your average small business should look into having a website. Not only does it help them to promote themselves, but it also provides them a medium in which they can sell products, with very little labor required. Although many businesses are aware that having a website can increase their business, very few actually follow through with having a good one designed in learning about the process of promoting a website properly. It website can bring you new customers, make it easy for you to take orders, and also connect with your current customers more easily. Not only can a website increase your business, but it can also streamline things and make it quite easy as well.

New Customers

The biggest benefit of installing a website for your business is the fact that you were going to be able to bring in new customers. Perhaps you will be able to reach customers that are in your area, but did not frequent your location, per able to find your website online through Google search. The ability to attract individuals that you would not otherwise be able to bring to your physical location is a huge bonus, and allows you to reach many new customers both locally and abroad as well if you are looking to ship across the country. It can be difficult to learn how to target new customers in the beginning, but after you have a feel for you will be able to expand your business by thousands of dollars per month all by using the Website Design process.

Easy to Take Orders

Having a website also makes it very easy for you to take orders. There are many programs out there that allow you to take orders, and then utilize those orders by Jeff shipping out the product. Because there are so many excellent organizational shopping carts available online for your website, selling products online has really never been easier. These products also handle almost all of the tax considerations that you need to take into account as well, which makes an excellent for small businesses.

Connect With Customers

Having the website also makes it very easy for your business to connect with customers. Not only can they e-mail you, but there are systems that you can install that allow them to interact directly with your website. This makes it easy for you to interact and connect with customers that otherwise you would not have any way to contact.

The more time and effort that you are able to put into finding the right web designer, the better off you will be in the long run. Find some in the not only knows how to design, but knows how to design from a marketing standpoint. A website does you no good if it brings in money, but is not optimized for marketing and therefore leaving a lot of money on the table. A website can be very beneficial for small and big businesses alike.