The web is constantly evolving. As new trends emerge, what was a great website design a few years ago may not be now. When it comes time to revamp your business’s website, you need to find a designer with the right skills for your business’s needs. All designers have their own strengths and weaknesses. Make a list of what your business’s website goals and needs are before you start the interview process.

Research/Interview Tips

• Any reputable web designer should be able to provide you with at least a half dozen links to websites they’ve created for clients. Visit the sites and see if they all look similar or if they are tailored to the client’s needs. Good designers have a diverse portfolio.
• Don’t just visit the designer’s personal website and decide to hire him or her because you love their website design. Take an overall look at their work. Sometimes designers design better sites for themselves than they do for their clients.
• If SEO is important to your business, then make sure they’re experienced with SEO. Ask them how they can help your SEO and ask them to show you examples of websites they’ve ranked. If your business depends on local customers, make sure they have local SEO knowledge.
• If you need something specific, like a “Request a Quote” form, verify that the designer has experience creating forms. The same things applies if you want or need an eCommerce site.
• Check for contact information on the designer’s portfolio sites. Contact the small business owner, or whoever worked directly with the designer, and ask them how the experience went. Satisfied clients will be more than happy to give a recommendation. If someone is hesitant to offer a reference, it may be a bad sign.
• Ask them if they have a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn profiles are great because you can quickly see how many, or how few, recommendations they have.

Finding the right web designer for your business’s website requires time and patience. You may have to interview several designers before you find the right one. However, your business’s website is the linchpin of your online marketing strategy; it’s worth investing your time to insure that you’re putting it in good hands.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…I work with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.   I bring you a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.   In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.   If any of this speaks to you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

Whether you are starting a new website or modifying an existing one, picking the right WordPress theme is an important decision. There are dozens of existing themes to choose from if you can’t have one custom designed. WordPress offers many free themes and other websites sell reasonably priced premium themes.

SEO Functionality

• Some themes are designed to be visually stunning while others combine both aesthetics and good SEO. An SEO-friendly theme is one that is easy to update with meta tags, header tags, descriptions and other key elements that search engines look for. The best way to find an SEO-friendly theme is to include “SEO” in your search criteria.

Sponsored Themes

• Many themes, especially free ones, are sponsored themes. You can use the theme, even modify it, as long as you do not remove the links the creator has put in the footer. You may want to consider if the link(s) on a free theme will detract from the design of your website or make it seem less professional.

Support

• Free WordPress themes rarely offer support. Premium themes from sites like WooThemes or iThemes often feature tutorials, forums and email support. If you are managing your own website, the availability of support makes a premium theme a wise investment.

Popularity

• Check how often the theme has been downloaded. Not everyone who downloads a theme will ultimately use it, but the number gives you an idea of how popular the theme is. Avoid themes that have hundreds of downloads unless you have the resources to heavily customize it and make your site unique.

Suitability

• Does the theme suit your tastes? While functionality is important, choosing a theme that doesn’t appeal to you just because it has extra features will ultimately make you unhappy. Try to find a theme that has the best combination of the right look and features. You can always have someone customize the code later if you need additional functionality the theme does not support.

You don’t always want to go with the first WordPress theme that catches your eye. There are many things to consider during the selection process. Take your time and weigh the pros and cons of each theme you find to make sure your website will ultimately convey the impression you want and have the features you need.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…I work with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.   I bring you a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.   In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.   If any of this speaks to you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

One of the best ways to boost your online marketing efforts is to integrate social media with your website or blog. Many site owners have basic Twitter and Facebook buttons, but there are WordPress plug-ins available to help you utilize social media more effectively.

Twitter for WordPress

This plug-in displays an auto-updating stream of your most recent tweets by adding a simple widget to one of your sidebars. By displaying your recent tweets, you not only encourage people to follow you on Twitter, you give them a reason to come back to your website for the latest updates.

Sociable

There are multiple plug-ins to allow site visitors to share posts via Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. Sociable is one of the most popular ones. You can easily integrate attractive social media buttons on your posts and pages. Sociable supports up to 99 different social media sites. Another key feature is that Sociable allows you to add sharing buttons to your RSS feeds as well. Every time a user shares a post or page, it creates a link for you.

Twitter Tools

Twitter Tools is a necessary plug-in if you want to share your blog posts on Twitter. Twitter Tools provides full integration between WordPress and Twitter. You can set the plug-in to automatically update Twitter every time you add a new blog post, import your tweets as blog posts, or both. Twitter tools saves time by tweeting for you. You may want to avoid linking  your Twitter account with your Facebook account though because the audiences are a little different.

LinkedIn Resume
This plug-in may initially sound like it is just for job searching, but it takes your LinkedIn public profile information and turns into a Curriculum vitae for your blog. If you are a service provider like a message therapist or a writer, this can be a great way to show off your talents and experience on your blog. Include a link back to your LinkedIn profile page and you can build your LinkedIn connections as well.

The ability to add plug-ins to WordPress makes it the ideal platform for adding social media functionality to your blog or website. Your WordPress site is your online hub, so connecting it with your social media accounts, and making it easier for others to share your posts, should be a natural addition to your online marketing strategy.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…I work with service based business owners who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.   I bring you a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.   In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.   If any of this speaks to you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

WordPress is not just for bloggers. Most people think of WordPress as a tool for building blogs, which it is excellent for, but WordPress also offers features and options that make it an ideal way to build any type of website.

1. Picking WordPress themes is easy. You can literally change your website’s entire design with the click of a button.
2. Even novices can pick up WordPress’s visual editing system. You do not need a thorough understanding of HTML with WordPress. Some knowledge of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a plus, but many WordPress users do well without it.
3. All-In-One SEO Pack and Google XML Sitemaps plug-ins help boot your website’s SEO, but even without them, you can change WordPress’s built-in permalink naming option to a search engine friendly format.
4. There are plugs-in for creating a photo blog, a real estate site, and online invoicing system and many more. WordPress.org offers thousands of plug-ins to increase your website’s functionality, security and more.
5. You can integrate your WordPress site with Facebook, Twitter, and other social media profiles to automatically send site updates to all your accounts.
6. You can have a website and a blog and manage both the same way. WordPress offers both static pages and updatable blog pages. You can even do a dual-install of WordPress to have completely different designs for both.
7. People love visiting WordPress sites. The ability to leave comments naturally draws visitors looking to build links.
8. WordPress and its available plug-ins are constantly evolving. WordPress will keep pace with you as your website grows and even offer options you may not have thought of.
9. Plug-ins like WordPress Firewall alleviate any worry you may have about hackers attacking your website.
10. Website back ups are less complicated with WordPress. Most hosting companies allow you to go online and back up WordPress’s database file. If you want an even better back up, there are plug-ins for that too.

Over the years, WordPress has become a powerful website design and content management tool. A growing number of site owners choose to build their websites with WordPress because of its simplicity, flexibility and supreme online marketing value. Before you start banging your head against the wall trying to learn Adobe Dreamweaver, try WordPress.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…

I work with skilled and professional service based businesses who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.

I bring a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.

In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.

If any of this speaks to you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

Create the Best Landing Page for Your Business

Think of your landing page as your website’s “Call to Action.” A good landing page shows your visitors what you are offering and why it matters to them. It doesn’t matter if your goal is to gain a repeat customer, add a new follower, or make a sale. The landing page is your website’s chance to make a valuable first impression.  Landing pages are often the result of a successful ad campaign and it is important that you deliver on the promise of your ad.

Keep It Simple

A good landing page should have concise, direct copy that quickly gives visitors the information they are looking for. Keep the 30 second rule in mind. If your site visitors can’t scan your page in less than 30 seconds and find what they came to see, then your landing page it too dense and overworked.

Forms Are Your Friends

There is nothing wrong with collecting a little information in exchange for a give-away. However, do it discreetly. A name, email address and a brief summary of the user’s interest is all you need to follow up with a tactful email. Do not expect visitors to fill out a lengthy form that requires disclosing a lot of extraneous personal data such as cell phone number, address, etc. Keep it simple. The Army would say, “Name, rank and serial number.” On the Internet, “Name, goals and e-mail address” is equally sufficient.

Consistency is Key

Any ad-based landing page should have some similarity to the original ad. If you use a dark background tone with light colored text for your ad, then your page should have a similar look. Certain ad venues, such as Facebook, offer limited options for creating your ad. However, you can still create consistency by ensuring that the same image in your Facebook ad is displayed prominently on your landing page.

Feed the Search Engines

Your landing page should be keyword rich without being obnoxious. Give search engines such as Google, Bing, etc. something to hone in on without sacrificing the quality of your text. Good landing pages often contain discreetly placed keywords that are not obvious to the reader, but readily apparent to search engines.

These four tips will help make your landing page more successful and boost your chances of making a successful connection with your visitors. When in doubt, whittle your landing page to the bare bones and then look at what else can be stripped away. Less is still always more. Keep your landing page simple, direct and to the point.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…

I work with skilled and professional service based businesses who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.

I bring you a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.

In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.

If any of this speaks to  you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

If you find this information helpful share it with others! 

If you would like to contribute, leave a comment below.

Your problem: Small business with big idea and limited web design budget.

Join the ranks of aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide!  What is the secret?  Shh…. it’s WordPress and premium themes.

WordPress is widely popular and supported.  There are endless resources for finding a theme that will give your small business that big idea image on a limited budget.

While you can find incredibly awesome themes for free, you may still need to hire someone that can adjust it for the main look you are going for and integrating all of the extra functions you need.  But, straight out of the box, you can have a professional looking website quickly.

Even though the popular content management system is free and open source, a person with limited technological ability will run into difficulties.  Attempting to do it all yourself without the proper knowledge will cost you in terms of time and money.

This is the point where you ask yourself what you are truly in the business of.  If you are not in the business of building websites it is most likely a better idea to find someone that is.  Find someone in the business of using WordPress for business websites.

A WordPress website specialist will know best how to work through the whole system, options, and endless resources to get you the results you want. They will know what to look for in a theme that will serve your online business model best.

Chris Darling and Methodic Pages…

I work with skilled and professional service based businesses who struggle with getting search engine optimized websites to represent their business online and want to benefit from standing out from their local competition.

I am different from other custom built website providers because I bring a rare talent that integrates overall site layout, presentation, and on-page SEO with every project.

In working with me, my clients receive an interactive, highly optimized website that lays the perfect foundation for any online marketing strategy you decide to put into action.

If any of this speaks to you or your online business goals contact Chris Darling to get a free project based quote.

If you find this information helpful share it with others! 

If you would like to contribute, leave a comment below.

Should You Hire a Professional Website Creator?

A lot of online business owners start on a shoe-string budget.  They try to be a “Jack of all Trades” and do everything themselves.  After awhile they find that it is best to focus on what they are good at.  As a bit of success starts to develop the new Internet business owner wants to expand.  Now, the home made website has some major problems.

Does this sound  familiar?   Chances are, you’re someone who started everything with no money too, so you’re pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself.   But, if you want to excel at the very thing you are good at which is the product or service you are offering, it might be best to outsource your web design project.

It is a bit similar to hiring an accountant to do your taxes or even a handy man to build an addition on your house.

Professional web designers, coders, and builders will take care of all the little details and make your online business run much more smoothly.  What you get from a professional website developer compared to what you would see from an online “site builder” or even a replicated website are extremely different.  Most site builders just don’t meet your need for flexibility.  Replicated sites are just that, a repeat of something that is already out there.  A site from a professional developer will give you something unique, flexible, and effective.

Your website is not “user-friendly”

There are two kinds of visitors that your site needs to speak to; the human visitor and the search engines.

If you require targeted traffic then your navigation and content must be readable by search engines. In order to turn that traffic into quality paying customers or even loyal followers of what you have to share then your navigation better be easy to follow, related to what the visitor came searching for, as well as worth those first 2 seconds of their time or they will split fast and never return!

The best way for the search engines to “catch” keywords and phrases in the written content of your page, is to keep the design simple and the message sensible.

Search engines can only SEE words, so if your site design is too complex (using frames, image maps, databases, trailing cursors, animated GIFs, etc.) chances are the search engines will not be able to read your pages. This will render your site invisible to them.

Even if they happen to make it through a complex design, typically the deeper pages will not be read. If this happens, your site may as well not exist.

Often, I see Webmasters who put too much emphasis on making their sites appear to be what they consider cool, without once considering their largest audience – the all mighty search engines!

Not to mention, a complex design will drive your human visitors crazy.

Perhaps the most annoying thing is audio that plays as soon as a website loads without a way to turn it off.  If you don’t believe me, then I dare you to check out this really bad website:
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/main.htm

When you get design and layout right and you will be headed in the right direction to owning a successful website.

Getting it wrong could cause your site to fail.

Okay, now you know what NOT to do.

Let’s look at the “TO DO” Tips.

Usable Tips for Building Powerful Websites:

1. Use a practical font, size, and color.

• After all, you want what you write to be readable by the human eye.

• Here are things that will cause your message to be lost by the human eye: fancy font, font that is too small or so large that it looks obnoxious, and colors that don’t contrast with the background well and are virtually unreadable. It’s best to stick with black or dark grey text on a white background for maximum contrast.

2. Make your pages easy and logical to navigate.

• Most people drill down what they are looking for through categories in main navigation menus. Consider using a search tool if you have a lot of information to share.

• Leave lots of white space and use links to help people easily find what they are looking for.

• Keep your site neat. Advertisements are more powerful when they are relevant to the page content.

• Navigation menus should be kept simple. The average online user is growing accustomed to looking for certain navigation components in specific spots of a website. So, rather than re-invent the wheel, stick with something that is tried and true. The more simple and logical it is the better.

3. Use a common design and layout for each page.

• Think about it, when you go to large well known sites, you know exactly where to click to find the very thing you are looking for. If those sites used a different layout on every page, it would be much harder to navigate and not as nice to use. Humans are creatures of habit so put things where they are expected and it will decrease confusion leading to ease of use.

4. Content vs. Images

• Never confuse eye-candy with content. Yes, pictures are worth a thousand words but too many can not only distract visitors but also slow down how fast your site loads. Use images to complement your message and remember that the search engines read text and words, not pictures.

5. Test your pages for “load time”

• Studies have shown that if your page takes more than 4 seconds to load, then you lose visitors fast.

• Test your pages on a dial up network if possible to ensure everyone who visits your site can actually access it.

• To decrease load time, try reducing the number of files per page, along with the size and quality of your images. Web based images do not need to be as large as those meant for printing.

6. Use a *professionally designed* header graphic, logo, and/or template.

• While it’s true that nothing beats great content, if you can have excellent design it will complement your message.

7. Be very clear on what your site or web page is all about.

• Why would someone visit your website? When they arrive, how will they know they are in the right place? Web surfers are very impatient people, and if they land on your page but don’t immediately know what it’s about or how it will benefit them to stay, guess what…they will keep moving!

• They will click the back button quickly unless you immediately capture their attention and spark their interest.

• The best practice is to put all your important information, content, and navigation links, right at the top where it is seen without having to scroll the page.

8. Protect your virtual investment.

• It’s a shame, but well-meaning Webmasters and Internet entrepreneurs are under attack from those looking to take advantage of a “technicality” for their own selfish gain at other people’s expense.

• Always include a legal disclaimer and privacy policy on all of your sites to protect yourself and your business. If you place affiliate links and testimonials on your website make sure you follow the new FTC guidelines.

9. Include *visitor-friendly* features throughout your site.

• Provide your visitors with an excellent user experience by implementing cool features such as language translation, search tools, page personalization, related multi-media content such as videos or audio files, HTML sitemaps, polls, forums, and even help pages.

• The best way to get the above features in place is to use a content management system (CMS). A popular CMS is WordPress. But other powerful ones to consider are Drupal and Joomla.

Put your visitors first and your income will reflect the effort!
Successful websites are pleasant on the eye, easy to read, use, and navigate.