A few months ago I got the distinct impression that people didn’t like me or my business any more. The first sign was way more people were leaving my site, once they found it, than sticking around to read it.

The problem was… Read More »

When I first started my small business over five years ago, I set up a few ‘web design packages’ to help me think about estimating and pricing projects. The smallest one was ‘The Business Card Site.’ It was a one or two-page website that would basically have a logo, a bio on the client, and a list of services.

No one ever hired me to create a small business card site, but I’ve had a number of clients in the past few years who had me create larger websites that they subsequently treated like a business card – look at it, put it away; out of site out of mind. Read More »

Recently I was approached by a potential client who wanted a quote for a custom website for his business. I’ll call the potential client Brian; his business is making beautiful, hand-crafted widgets.

Brian’s brick-and-mortar business is well-established, but only has a very small web presence. Due to pressures from web-based competition in the last couple of years, he now feels he needs a larger, more comprehensive and content-rich website to compete effectively.

Brian has put a substantial effort into mapping out his new site. His content is solid and focused Read More »

Your web site home page is often the first contact that a new client will have with your business. It needs to be inviting and engage the visitor into a relationship with your company that is positive and keeps them coming back.

Envision your home page similar to a magazine cover and table of contents. The cover engages the viewer with a powerful image that draws attention to the magazines content. The list of articles on the cover engages the interest of the various readers. The table of contents is an organized user-friendly map that drives the reader to specific pages of the magazine. Read More »

You could be making some common mistakes with your business website and not even realize it. Here are some common ones – and what to do about them.

Your website marketing is feeling neglected.

Does the copyright at the bottom of your site still say 2009? Do you still show the bio of an employee who left three years ago? Are there old broken links on the site?  Was your last calendar update last year? All of these are symptoms of simple neglect – and they’re typically easy to miss. How to fix this mistake: Read More »

You’ve got a small business, or maybe you’re just starting. Now is the time to think about your website.

The place to start is to determine what you want to accomplish through your website, followed by a review of options to help determine costs. Every business has different sets of objectives whether it is new client acquisitions, relationship building, and a source for referrals, selling products online or simply a site that validates them to the public.

Determining your specific needs will help define the parameters and set the goals for design, programming and marketing your site. Read More »

Thinking about giving your older website a makeover – or planning your first business site? Here are ten basic design do’s and don’ts to remember whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer or working with a web designer. They’re a solid place to start for many small business websites – and once you know the rules, you can bend them as needed to make your site as audience-appropriate as it needs to be.

1. Do be consistent. Read More »