September 1st, 2010
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Chances are if you’re in any kind of sales or marketing related position, the company’s website has come up. You’ve likely been part of a team considering updating the website, redesigning the site or looking at ways to better market the site. Website costs vary.
So what do you do? Ask around for referrals, likely engaged in a Google search and even checked out competitor sites to see if there was a link to “website developed by XYZ Company” at the bottom of the site.
The proposals come in and you’re floored at the wide range of estimates. Depending on the kinds of companies you contacted for estimates – from smaller web design firms, a web “guy” or freelancer who’s done a few websites, your internal IT guy to a larger web design or development firms – there were remarkably low prices, very high prices and some in between.
This is an industry where it seems like everyone has a different approach to your website design costs.
- Some will give you just what you ask for – a new design, with your input and brand materials, using the same content and navigation from your old site.
- Some will make suggestions on improvements to copy, calls to action and likely address some elements of the on-page SEO (search engine optimization) elements. They may even touch on admin capabilities or a content management system.
- Some will make a bigger deal of the whole thing. This company will educate or share with you a thought process of planning the site for your target audiences, addressing a lot more detail of the site structure for SEO(search engine optimization) and have a team to assist in your website design.
You’ll find a different answer from everyone you ask or consult with. Then look at their portfolios, work that is similar to your company or industry (or not) and weigh the pros and cons for each company.
Remember that your website is a marketing tool, and this is not an “expense,” it is a marketing investment – be sure to invest in something that will help improve and grow your business now, and well into the future. Here are a few things to consider:
- Admin control and content management – how much do you want?
- Current technology& access to updates – the web changes fast, will your site be flexible?
- Video players – video is very important, what formats will your site support
- Social media integration – your website is only part of your online presence these days
- Great design – it has to look professional, yet be easy to navigate, think usability
- Web success – takes more than a good looking site to make successful online
So what’s right for you? I’m not answering that for you, because everyone’s goals, needs and resources are different. Consider what’s important to you as part of your new or improved website, as well as your new Web partner. Good luck out there. I’d love to hear your experiences and insights for others considering a website update in the future.
-Rebecca Dutcher
Tags: B2B Internet Marketing, successful website, web design, Website Development
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Website Development | No Comments »
August 26th, 2010
I am SO happy to see Mashable.com report that Facebook Chat is dropping IE6 support. As long as people are forced to use IE6, they are forced to use a browser that doesn’t take advantage of the latest and greatest technology.
PLEASE let this be another nail in the coffin.
You can read more about it here: http://bit.ly/drozV7
Have a great day,
Paul
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 19th, 2010
If you’ve written off SEO (search engine optimization) as a search engine marketing tactic in favor of the presumably easier PPC campaign (pay-per-click), boy are you missing the boat!
I am not going to talk about HOW to optimize your site for the search engines, but rather, showcase the tremendous importance it has for the success of your campaign, your website, and even your company related to traffic.
Before we talk about the future, let’s go back. Way back. Remember BANNER ADS? Sure, they’re still around. Actually, they’re still all over. But when is the last time you recall seeing a banner ad on a site and clicking on it? Chances are, you don’t…because you didn’t. This is so common, there’s a term that’s been created called “banner blindness“.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: google, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines, search heat map, SEM, SEO, SEO vs PPC
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
March 29th, 2010
Ok, if you’ve spent any time inviting friends on Facebook to become a fan of something, you know it can take forever. Here’s some quick instructions on how to invite all your friends instantly.
- Click “Suggest Friends” under the profile image.
- If you’re using Firefox, Chrome, or Safari as your browser, copy this code:
- javascript:elms=document.getElementById(‘friends’).getElementsByTagName(‘li’);for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === ‘object’){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}
- Paste it into your browser’s address bar and hit enter on your keyboard.
If you’re using IE, you still have to click all your friends manually.
That’s it. Hope this helps.
Tags: facebook, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, social media | 1 Comment »
March 23rd, 2010
Something I experienced over a 3 second period on my walk into the office building this morning inspired me to write this.
It was a deep inhale of brisk, downtown Grand Rapids air. I actually had to take a double sniff. The first inhale caught my attention, but it was that second deep, lung filling gulp of air that whisked my mind away to the warm breeze of Cancun, Mexico.
It was that smell. A magical mixture of clean air and something on the grill that did it. I was no longer walking down the sidewalk of Ottawa Avenue, I was relaxing pool side at the Royal Caribbean Resort with my wife, being served a mixed drink as the sun beat down on me (my mind works very fast).
Ahh, what a feeling.
The point? Let me get to it…
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Tags: hiring, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Uncategorized, Website Development, social media | No Comments »
February 18th, 2010
We all want the best possible deal. However, the best possible deal is not necessarily the lowest price we can find. That is the point I try to make to people when showing them how to find what they are looking for online.
The internet gives today’s consumers much more power than they had 20 years ago. Today, I can easily compare the selling price of TV in California with the same one selling in North Dakota. The problem this causes for sellers is that they have to put as much emphasis on added value as they do on price.
Low prices are simply not enough anymore. Sure, it will get you listed at the top of an ascending search for having the lowest price, but that is just the starting point. Are you expecting all your clients to buy on pricing alone? What if your price isn’t the lowest in the world? Remember, this is the World Wide Web we are dealing with here. Users can research retail information from around the globe.
You have to do more today than just deliver a low price. Don’t get me wrong, price is a great starting point…but do you want to build your business around first-time and one-time shoppers? Or, do you want to do business with shoppers that come back to the same place because they feel like they get more from their purchases than just a low price? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: B2C Internet Marketing, business, helping others, Online Business, successful website
Posted in B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | 1 Comment »
February 16th, 2010
The web, as many know, is a new beast. Long gone are the days of first grabbing your phone book, flipping to the “Moving Company” section, and looking for the best looking ad or simply the nearest company. Back in those days the “leg work” of the sale was done after the initial contact. The rise of the internet era has completely reversed this train of thought.
Consumers are now looking to have the work done by researching online, reading other customer’s reviews, and gathering as many facts as possible BEFORE any contact is made with the business. As potential buyers, today’s shoppers first leverage the power of the internet in their shopping experience. They don’t want to be contacted until they are ready to be. A shopper empowered with search engines is able to gather vast amounts of extremely precise decision-making data before even thinking about contacting a seller. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: B2C Internet Marketing, business, consumer, data research, information, web marketing
Posted in B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | No Comments »
February 11th, 2010
I received an email today from someone who is taking steps to get their company engaged in social media and now that they’ve got a presence, they’d like to know how to get followers and fans.
I am sure this is a question you, and everyone else on the planet, has been faced with at one time or the other while wading into the social media-sphere.
I know it was definitely a hot question for me in the beginning days.
The famous line, “Build it and they will come,” from the movie Field of Dreams is just that …. a dream! It’s also NOT something that will happen within social media unless you are some HUGE celebrity and have an extreme amount of luck. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
February 2nd, 2010
I just received an email from Google Apps and am grinning from ear to ear. Google announced, “…we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.”
Amen!
IE6 was released in August of 2001! Yet people still use it today, not taking advantage of the latest technology. Could you imagine in 2001 using a browser from 1992. No, you wouldn’t because the experience would be so much different (Mosaic was starting development in December of 1992!)
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Tags: browsers, google, ie6, internet explorer 6, LinkedIn
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business, Website Development | No Comments »
January 25th, 2010
I have had this same question posed to me several times over the last year and I thought it would make a good blog post.
It’s no secret the last year has been very difficult for people personally and professionally. The good thing, however, is that the economy is looking up and the downturn has produced a lot of opportunity.
But here’s the question: How can I stay motivated when things are hard?
For me, motivation is assisted mostly from attitude. Keeping an upbeat attitude is key even when you feel like you’re getting kicked in the gut over and over again.
What else is a big motivator? Money. You need it to survive, and you really need it for your business to survive. So here’s a quick way to think positive and get motivated.
Start by thinking about how much money you NEED to make to pay your bills and be happy per year (that’s X). Something very realistic.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: LinkedIn, Motivation, Sales
Posted in B2B Internet Marketing, B2C Internet Marketing, Online Business | No Comments »
