I Do Web Marketing

It is easy to think that all people view websites in the same manner. It took me awhile to learn that every one is different, and therefore everyone tends to view web pages different as well. Just because I know where to find a link, or the site structure makes sense to me, it may not always make sense to the viewer.

Often times when I am creating a website, I have to stop and think about the viewer who will be looking at the site. It’s important to keep this in mind from the very beginning. Not only in the design aspect, but in terms of the development of the site as well. Think of your potential customers. What are they looking for?

Utilizing drop down menus can be an effective space saving tool. However, be sure that your links are organized correctly. Placing your products under your “About Us” drop down menu, might not be the best thing to do. You want to make things easily accessible to your potential customers. Your products and services should be something that stands out on the page. Don’t just use a textual link, you may want to also enhance the link with an image in the body of the main page as well. From an SEO standpoint, you want to make sure you also provide textual links as well, so that search engines know how to crawl your site.

In a past post, I mentioned things to avoid when developing your web site. You also want to follow those rules as well, to avoid just immediately losing potential customers.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

So your business needs a web page, and you think you’re up for the task. Afterall, there are billions of websites on the web, surely you can make one, right? Well, if you can work your way around the internet, odds are, you can also put up a website. There are hosts, which will make it relatively easy for you and you will be given a generic looking template that is used on thousands of various websites. The problem for you is, this is for your business, and you always want to make a good first impression. You only have one shot to make your first impression, and this is why I always advise customers to hire a professional, whether it is Novel Concept Studio or not.

A good web designer is worth their weight in gold. You will save literally hundreds of hours of learning the trade. Not only your own time investment, but if you hire a friend so that you can get it done cheaply, it may cost you later in terms of mistakes and missed opportunities. Also, if the web pages are not put together properly search engines may have difficulty “crawling” your website. Meaning, you won’t be getting good search results.

Your budget will obviously affect your decision. It is important to remember that if your website requires such things as flash, or e-commerce capabilities, you are looking at a very heavy time sink for your developer. If you have absolutely zero money, you may be able to find a quality designer that will share in revenue, but the odds of finding a quality web designer with no money are pretty slim. You will be forced to use a student, or someone very new to the field who needs something to showcase in their own profile. The old adage, “you get what you pay for,” still holds true.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of web designers out there. So how can you tell a good one from a bad one? Well, quite frankly, you want to look at their profile. If, for some reason, they do not have a profile available online, then ask for a few of the URL’s of sites they have developed. Take a look at those sites. Are they professional? Do they have clean layouts, with good color schemes and typography? These are important factors in your decision. Another important factor in your decision should be how well they communicate. I know at Novel Concept Studio we take great pride in responding to our customers immediately. However, there are several developers out there who take several days to respond, if at all! This, in my opinion, is unprofessional and shows you what kind of developer you’re dealing with.

Doing a website yourself will provide you with invaluable experience that can be used time and time again. However, if this is your first website and it relates directly to your business, then I highly recommend hiring a professional.

It’s a new month, and Novel Concept Studio has been hard at work. We have a few major announcements!

First and foremost, our website at www.novelconceptstudio.com has been COMPLETELY rebuilt. The new website is powered using the Joomla CMS. This gives the company greater flexibility moving forward and is something the company has been working towards for awhile.

The next major announcement is the fact that Novel Concept Studio will be providing web hosting solutions at great prices. This hosting will be backed by Host Gator, a reputable web hosting firm with many awards under their belts. Because of they will be utilizing Host Gator’s servers, Novel Concept Studio can offer the same premium hosting but at a cheaper rate! Great news for anyone or any business in need of a web hosting solution. Details on the web hosting options are being finalized and an official announcement will be coming shortly.

Lastly, and certainly not least, is the announcement of the Online Digital Mall (www.onlinedigitalmall.com). This Online Digital Mall is owned by Novel Concept Studio. It is a social networking site that will bring buyers and sellers together in a unique social atmosphere. Businesses will also be able to create listings on the web site for a reasonable fee of $60. This ad is placed on the site for 6 months and will be in front of people searching for your type of business/product!

We’re proud of what these options bring to the table. All of them should help to enhance our goal of becoming a premier web site management and marketing firm.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

Be sure and subscribe for the latest web marketing strategies and updates!

Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.