Category Archives: houston website designers

houston website designers

My niece in college will design my website

10 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), web design advice, web design tips, Website Design

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Having a beautifully-designed website is the bare minimum of what is required for online success. There are many technical and strategic best practices that designers often overlook. New designers and graphic artists

in general aren’t usually trained in technical areas. They are trained to design and will almost always deliver a nice looking page.

First decide on the value of your online brand, then decide if it is worthy of professional services. There are billions of websites online and it’s likely that hundreds are those of your local competitors. Consider why your competitor’s website is showing up in search results when your website does not. Also consider that most consumers use the web as a first resource when researching or seeking services and products. Finally, consider the number of missed opportunities created because your website is not being found or when found, it did not present a professional appearance or one that best represented and promoted your brand.

Six Important Takeaways:

  1. Choosing a $4.99/month instant website will not deliver you business
  2. Choosing to have an inexperienced family member design your website for free or on the cheap will not deliver professional results and is not likely to generate any business or good search engine rankings. If consumers are unable to locate your website when using popular search terms (keywords) related to your business of products, why bother?
  3. Training and experience matters. There is added value to choosing a professional and experienced online marketing expert. A well-trained webmaster will know the internet from all angles (design, usability, development, writing, structure, etc.) and an experienced professional will know what strategies and tactics are going to be best in helping you achieve online success.
  4. It doesn’t have to be costly, but it does have to cost. There’s no way around the fact that if you want professional services, there is a cost. But there are creative ways to reduce cost. One option may be to barter for a professional exchange of services. Regardless, be honest about your budget so that your webmaster can help develop a best option… something that will deliver the most bang for your buck.
  5. Your webmaster cares to deliver a good product. Most online professionals want to be able to point other clients to your website as an example of their work. They also want to be able to showcase the amount and type of success they were able to help you achieve.
  6. You decide the value of your online presence.

If you aren’t achieving the results you want online, the link below points to a great Q&A article about why getting an inexperienced family member to help you establish an online presence is not going to help. The article is specific to social media, but it’s best to give the same consideration to your business website… http://www.mrelevance.com/04/why-cant-my-niece-build-my-facebook-page/

Marcia Hylton
Online Marketing Consultant
marcia@clickgrafx.com
713-859-5623
www.clickgrafx.com

4 important facts about mobile marketing

02 Thursday Jun 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Internet Marketing, internet marketing tips, web design advice, web design tips, Website Design

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Description Do Don’t
Provide a choice between the mobile and standard site. Provide options Leave out your website
Consider what you want consumers to see and do first. Prioritize Include everything
Content takes a while to load and needs to be readable. Use white space Overload
Know what your website looks like on a mobile device. Hire a professional Ignore this

Mobile web design – what happens next?

30 Monday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Internet Marketing, online marketing advice, web design tips, Website Design

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Mobile website designers houston

Mobile website designers houston

Web designers know that the industry involves plenty of change, and continuous adaption and development of skills is required in order to stay up to date. In the past few years, one of the biggest areas of change has been the amount of Internet users who are accessing websites via phones and mobile devices. As a result, Web designers have a growing need to be educated in this area and ready to design websites that accommodate this audience.

Because designing websites for mobile devices brings some unique situations and challenges into play, the subject requires a strategic approach from the designer and developer. Contact us to find out how we can help get your website designed and optimized for mobile surfing.

Does a good website design guarantee online success?

20 Friday May 2011

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Website Designers Houston

Website Designers Houston

Simply put… no! A great website design alone is not enough to guarantee online success.

Often times business owners are unwittingly taken for granted because they are unaware that having a website (even an attractive website) is not all that’s required for online business success.

It is important as it is to have a website that is well laid out with good color and font selection and good photography. It is even more important to have well-written, engaging copy and a navigation that is planned and constructed in a way that will be intuitive to the consumer.

There should be significant thought given to your target audience (often a missing but very valid concern). If a website is created specifically based on the personal taste of the business owner of the website designer (subjective design), then it may not attract or keep the consumer whose business you intended to capture. The end result is a website with little or no return. The website will only appeal to the people whose needs were considered.

Does your website appear trustworthy?

19 Thursday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, web design advice, web design tips, Website Design

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When consumers visit your website, it leaves an impression. Ask yourself, what impression is my website making? That impression leads site visitors to make immediate assumptions about your business. If the assumptions that are made by consumers are negative, it will be nearly impossible to modify their opinion of your level of professionalism, the type of service and the quality of products your business offers.

For most of today’s business owners, their website is the front door to their business. This is where most consumers make an initial entrance and are introduced to your business offerings. How inviting is your front door? If your website were a true brick and mortar, would you enter or would you be wary? Does it deliver the message that you are a professional organization that exercises integrity or does it say grimy and sleazy? Just as with a brick and mortar, your website should be created in a way that makes it possible for you to attract the right clientele for your business.

Helpful Tips

  • Think carefully when selecting a design style for your business.
  • Use a professional website designer.
  • If something appears unusual during the development process, ask questions.

It is literally your business to know what is being done when creating your online presence. Stay involved and make sure that end product looks like something reliable, professional and is truly representative of your brand.

What is mobile web design?

18 Wednesday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Internet Marketing, internet marketing tips, online marketing advice, web design advice, web design tips

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Mobile Web Designers Houston

Mobile Web Designers Houston

Think iPads and iPhones. Then think of web pages designed specifically for mobile devices allowing consumers to successfully surf your comapny’s website. This ease of use increases online sales opportunties. In an age of crowded web pages, the simplicity of mobile websites can be refreshing for tablet and smartphone users (iphone, ipad, etc.) What’s important is there, and what is most likely excess gets cut out. The simple options that a user has can make a mobile website much more usable than it would be otherwise, as long as the options allow for actions the visitor wants to take. Contact us to find out how we can help get your website designed and optimized for mobile surfing.

6 important social media marketing considerations

17 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, internet marketing tips, online marketing advice, Social Media Marketing

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Description Do Don’t
Facebook requires businesses to use business Fan pages Set up a Facebook page Use a personal profile
Connect Facebook to Twitter. Post your content once. Repurpose Recreate the wheel
It pays to let your business have its own presencei Use your biz brand Use your self
Give consumers what they want. Build a relationship. Post relevant content Make it about you
The point of social media is to interact and relate. Allow commenting Ignore comments
Once set up with a strategy, you can do the driving. Hire a professional Do it yourself

What makes online marketing so affordable?

17 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Internet Marketing, internet marketing tips, online marketing advice

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Internet advertising, also known as online advertising or web advertising may be one of the most effective advertising methods used, as it provides the ability to target specific markets while they are surfing the Internet.

However, the effectiveness of an advertising campaign is only as good as the ads. A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of your success. And, the secret to a successful ad is your HEADLINE. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Your potential customer will most likely scan the ads and only read one if it catches their attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits. Contact us to find out how we can design and manage an affordable ad campaign that put you ahead of your competitors.

Once I achieve a good search engine rank, how do I maintain it?

17 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), search engine optimization tips, seo expert advice, seo tips

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Keep in mind that once you add new content to your website, it needs to be updated on a regular basis. You will also have to be sure that the way that your website is coded/developed and the way the copy was written (keyword-rich) will deliver that kind of SEO that has staying power. Contact us to find out how we can help get your website optimized for better search results and maintain it.

What are the keys to a well-designed website?

16 Monday May 2011

Posted by in houston website designers, web design advice, web design tips

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Website Designers Houston

Website Designers Houston

Good website design depends on the inclusion or three key principles: Balance, harmony and a consideration for the target audience. Balance means to keep in mind the scale and size of images, font sizes and placement of element within the grids of your pages. This is needed so that a website visitor will find your website aesthetically-pleasing and will be able to easily scan and locate content throughout each page.

Harmony relates to the use of colors that work well together and the use of font types that can flow together while creating emphasis and strength where it is needed. This is also helpful to the website visitor in terms of usability. Research has repeatedly shown that the majority of internet users do not read web pages as they would printed copy. Instead a website visitor is more likely to scan through the copy trying to quickly spot the word or topic of interest. Use of color and the selection of suitable and readable fonts will make this easier for consumers who visit your website and will reduce the risk of site visitors exiting your site before completing a transaction.

Your most important consideration is your target audience. Who would you like to attract to your website? Who are the people most likely to purchase your product? Knowing this is going to help guide you in your selection of all of the above. For instance, a children’s website will use colors that are more attractive to a younger audience and a site intended for an elderly audience would be created using font sizes that are larger than average. Contact us to find out how we can help get your website designed and optimized.