Web Design for Baton Rouge, Louisiana Businesses

Directories...If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

2010-07-01T12:33:00.001-07:00

There are so many of what I call "super" or "mega" directories out there. Somewhat like the online yellow pages, but often geared to a specific industry.

If you are having troubled getting your site ranked well (and you've done all the right things), you may want to consider looking at who shows up when you type in your specific keywords in a search engine.

The top 10 results may likely include some directory-type websites. It may be worthwhile to invest a few dollars (sometimes they are free!!) towards this form of advertising. I look at it like this: If you cannot get your site in the top 10, you should at least be listed in the directory of a website that is listed in the top 10!

Smart Web Design for this Baton Rouge Web Design Company

2010-06-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am always providing advice that will serve my Baton Rouge, Louisiana web design (and surrounding areas, of course) customers.

Shame on me for neglecting my own company's website. Time changes things and I certainly know that Google, for one, is often changing their algorithm (how search engine rankings are determined).

So starting at page one of my own web design site, I recently took the time to review and update my content, as well as review keywords being used on my site and how they were being used.

We do well with the search engines, but other web design companies are always making their way to the internet and my goal is to stay on the first page -- where we have been for the last nine years!!

Importance of Keyword Research

2010-05-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Had a discussion with a client earlier today about their website. Their website is doing well in Google rankings for keywords we have used to optimize their site. That is great.

But those keywords were words and phrases THEY thought or I thought consumers might be using to find their service. What I had to stress is that we really need to be using a good keyword research tool to find out what the rest of the world would be typing in Google to find her service. Perhaps others would be using different words or phrases.

Small steps. We will hopefully work on that next!

King (or Queen) of Your Domain

2010-03-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

Granted, we charge a few dollars more to maintain a client's domain name than if they went directly through a domain registrar.

But here is one thing that will never happen if your domain is maintained through us: It will not expire!

I cannot tell you how many times clients call us and say "my website is not up and running", only to find out that their domain expired. 99% of the time, this is because the email address they had on file when they registered their domain name is no longer valid. So when notices are being sent to the email address that the domain is coming due for renewal, no one receives those notices.

If you have a domain that you registered, make sure the email address you used to register that domain name is still active and accessible by you.

Website Security

2010-01-19T15:30:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it! Somebody pinch me! Is it really possible that it is 2010 and, in doing some research for a client, I just stumbled upon yet another website (not my clients!) that has an online form to accept credit cards AND THE WEBPAGE IS NOT SECURE!!!

Not sure who to blame more - the company who owns the website or the web designer who created the website. I suppose I will blame the web designer first because they should know better. But then at least a "bad, bad boy/girl" goes out to the website owner. Doesn't everyone know that if you are going to include any type of online form that captures private information (credit card numbers, social security numbers), the web page MUST be secured.

If your site gathers any personal information from your customers, check it. Make sure you at least see "https://" in your address bar and look for a little security lock icon somewhere in your browser window.

Testing 1, 2, 3

2009-10-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox, Google Chrome... So many browsers out there to choose from now and all have their pros and cons. Could be a web designer's nightmare, though, when it comes to web design.

Each browser has their own 'issues' with dealing with certain HTML code, CSS styles, etc. Be sure to test your web site in several browsers to make sure all your users see your site the way you intended.

While you are at it, test your website in several different screen resolutions as well. Though there are still some 800x600 resolution monitors out there, most are viewing your site at a higher resolution, but you need to think about EVERYONE.

Happy Halloween!

Let's go phishing. Let's not!!

2009-09-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

While I would love to have won 500,000 GBP (what is a GBP anyway), I know better than to believe this phishing scam. Make sure YOU know better. If it sounds too good to be true (and this one is just too silly to be true), then it is probably not.

Please be CAREFUL!

EMAIL I RECEIVED:

We are please to inform you that you just won the sum of 500,000.00 GBP,from our YAHOO/MSN RAFFLE DRAW 2009. Fill the details and send it to claims agent.

1.Full Name
2.ResidentialAddress
3.Age
4.Sex
5.Telephone
6.CellPhone:
7.passportcopy
8.Occupation
9.FaxNumber

SELECT A MODE OF DELIVERY:
1. BANK TO BANK TRANSFER.
2. COURIER DELIVERY.

Regards,
Mr. Howard Paul
Email:claimsagentofficer07@gmail.com
Tel: +447024082613

Site Statistics

2009-09-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

If you care enough to know how many visitors are coming to your website, you really should consider caring MORE. While it is nice to know how many visitors are coming to your website, it is more important to know things like what pages they visited on your site, how they navigated your site from page to page, and also what pages they were on when they left your website -- to name a few things.

There are some great tools out there to help you see all this for your website. Google Analytics is a great FREE tool, you can incorporate into your website. Call Crystal Clear Solutions if you need help setting this up. You won't regret it!

Bad dates and bad websites

2009-08-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was single and dating. I can recall a number of first and only first dates. Why only one date? Usually it was because he just did not have the qualities I was looking for...and, no, it was not just about looks!

Funny, but that's how it is with your website visitors. If they come to your site for the first time and they do not find what they are looking for, chances are likely they WILL NOT come back.

Whether you are preparing for a first date or a first website...always make a good first impression!

Google Calendar

2009-05-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

A client called and asked if there was a way to use Outlook to share calendar information in her office and sync to her director's Blackberry.

I had looked at Google calendar briefly once before, but decided to give it a second look. What a wonderful FREE tool!

I was able to (relatively easily) take the Google calendar I established and sync it to my Outlook AND to my Blackberry. Now my schedule is always at my fingertips. I called the client back and told her about this FREEBIE! She emailed me a while later, very excited, to tell me she set it up and synced it to her director's Blackberry.

Now everyone is happy. You'll need a Google account, but click here to get started:
http://www.google.com/calendar.

What's the Plan?

2009-03-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

One thing I have learned over the years is that to have a good web design, you must have a good web design plan to start. Before creating your web site you need to know what you wish to convey, who you wish to convey it to and how to organize your ideas into an easy-to-navigate and user friendly website.

I have seen and acquired numerous websites that seem to have tons of information thrown together on one page and I have seen sites that contain very little information at all. I have looked at sites...and then looked at them again and again, trying to figure out what this company did..it just wasn't "Crystal Clear".

Plan it out. Write it out. Think it all out...before you start creating your web site.

K.I.S.S. Websites

2009-02-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Keep It Simple Stupid. This catchy little acronym (KISS) and phrase applies to so many things in life, including web sites.

That is not to say that a web site cannot have loads of great content and relevant information pertaining to your business. It should. But by KISSing your website, you want to make sure that:

1) you don't bore your visitors
2) you don't overwhelm your visitors.

Unless you are some type of educational site (and even then I'd recommend being careful on this one), you want to make sure that what you have to tell your visitor is clear and concise. Use bullet points rather than long stretches of paragraphs. Don't bore them into leaving your site. Entice them into calling or emailing you.

You also don't want to overwhelm your visitors with too much 'stuff' - flash, scrolling text, tons of boxes and pictures. While you may think having Flash on your website will really jazz it up, statistically speaking, most users press the 'skip intro' button on the opening page and never see the Flash...can sometimes be a waste of money, quite frankly.

As always, continue to provide great, relevant content on your website, but think about your audience when you do.

New Year's Blog Resolution

2009-01-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

I really hope I don't break this resolution because, in doing so, it only makes me and my web design company look bad: I vow to keep my blog updated regularly, at least once a month.

As a web design and search engine marketing expert, I am always asked about blogs. Should you or shouldn't you. A blog on your website can be a valuable tool for your potential customers, as well as existing customers. You can use your blog to share tips relating to your products or services, articles pertaining to your company's industry or even to post news on your company's new products or services. A blog is another great way to help improve your search engine rankings, as long as the blog content remains relevant to the products or services you provide.

BUT...If you are going to have a blog, be sure to be consistent. You want visitors to keep coming back to your site for blog updates. Don't make them wait 6 months or a year to see your next posting.

The cost of SEO

2008-08-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Picture this:

You have a website. You are not to be found in the search engines. An "SEO" company calls you and tells you that for $500 a month, he can get you in the top 10 listings of Google.

Question:

Do you bite?

Answer:

Only if you like paying for things that you can get, most often, for free.

There is a very good chance that what you are going to be paying for is PPC - Pay Per Click advertising. Those are those "Sponsored Links" that appear usually at the very top and to the right of the search engine results.

Now, I am not saying that PPC doesn't work. Sometimes it does. But what I am saying is that you probably don't need to go that route.

If you do a little homework by researching the proper keywords and phrases for your business, make a diligent effort to work on the content on your website and continue to keep the information on your site updated, there is a good chance you can obtain a top 10 ranking for free.

OK. Maybe you don't have the time or knowledge to work on your website. Then at least hire a SEO/web design individual that can do those things -- for a lot less than $500 a month! -- Like Crystal Clear Solutions.

We've gotten countless clients a top 10 ranking and without them spending a dime on PPC.

Email Marketing Overkill

2008-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

This entry is going to be brief.

If you are doing any form of email marketing, whether you are using email marketing tools like Constant Contact or Bronto, or you simply have a list of email addresses you maintain yourself, HEAR THIS: Do not email your customers or prospective customers too frequently or you stand a good chance of getting a lot of "OPT-OUTS".

While you think you are being informative, you might actually be considered a nuisance. Try to limit your email campaigns to once a month.

If you have different messages (or specials, or events or whatever) for different audiences, then send separate emails to each group, rather than each email to everyone.

Email marketing is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and prospective customers and also periodically point them to your website for more valuable information. Don't overdo it!

A pretty website doesn't guarantee good rankings

2008-08-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Question 2:
I have an attractive website which I designed, but I am nowhere on the search engines. Why?

Answer 2:
The expression “If you build it, they will come” is definitely not true on the world wide web anymore. There are several factors that go into play when you create a website, that are extremely important to establishing a search engine ranking on places like Google and Yahoo.

Content is very important – for the search engines and for your customers, of course. Think about your business. Think about the keywords or phrases a customer might use to find your business or your type of business. Once you come up with this list, you should make sure that these keywords and phrases are used on the pages throughout your web site. A program like WordTracker is very helpful in determining what keywords and phrases you might wish to include on your website. Another great resource is your existing customers. Ask them what they would type in to find your type of business. Sometimes the answers you get may surprise you.

I’ve seen some very attractive web sites that never show up in the search engines simply because graphics were used to design the entire site. Search engines read text, not graphics. If you must use a lot of graphics on your web site, be sure to include the ALT-TAG command with each graphic. That’s A-L-T T-A-G. If you are not sure how to do this, search the internet for this command and you’ll probably find some useful sites that explain how to use this HTML command.

Another important feature is the Title Bar. That is the line of text that appears at the very top of your browser window when you are on a web page. I know from experience that Yahoo places a lot of emphasis on this line of code and Google considers it important as well.

Search engines like Google also want to see relevant inbound or incoming links to your site. These are links to your web site from other web sites that are in a similar or associated line of business to your business (without being a competitor). Google’s technology shows that the more important Google thinks the associated site is, the more important they will think yours is, and establish your search engine ranking accordingly.

If you are looking for your website to have a good search engine ranking, speak to an individual qualified in search engine marketing that can help you establish your goals. Designing a website is only the first step in establishing your business on the internet. Incorporating search engine strategies into your web site is the next step and should be an ongoing endeavor.

Get what you pay for in a web site

2008-07-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've learned that getting the lowest price for a product or a service doesn't mean it is going to be the best deal. I've also learned that paying the highest price doesn't guarantee the best product or service.

Case in point - shopped around for a house painter a few years ago and decided on the "cheapest" one. What a mistake! After he took forever to do the work, was sloppy and did an extremely poor job, we paid him and, a short time later, hired someone else to paint our house the right way.

Why do I mention this? Well, I had two interesting things happen in the last two days.

Yesterday, one potential client called and insisted on paying $xxx to have a web site designed - no more than that. I don't haggle on price with potential clients. I do, however, provide potential clients with valuable, useful information about web site design and the search engines and what I can do to help increase their business sales via the internet. I'm not sure if that client will call back, but I feel comfortable and confident that I do help clients achieve their internet objectives and that in itself has a value.

What happened today proves my point. A potential client called who had called me last year about designing a web site for him. Ultimately, he had opted to go with another web designer whose cost was not extremely cheap, but apparently less than what I quoted him. This client called to tell me how he hated what the other web designer had created, how it wasn't what he wanted at all and how even after 9 months of being "live", his site was not showing up in the search engines unless you typed in the exact name of his company. I won't say how much money he spent with the other web designer, but he was not a happy camper. On top of what he already spent for something that doesn't work for him or, for that matter, the search engines, he will now have to invest more $$$ to make it "right".

One of the best ways to avoid the above situation, when deciding on a web designer is to do three things: 1) View their portfolio of work and see if their style is in line with your business, 2) Visit Google or Yahoo and see how easily their site comes up in the search engines (if they can get their site a good ranking, chances are, they can get your site a good ranking, and 3) CHECK REFERENCES! Speak to some of their clients and see what their experience was like in dealing with this web designer.

I just wish I had checked a little further on that painter, instead of just looking at his price!

The cost of a web site

2008-07-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Question 1:
How much does a website cost?

Answer 1:
Much like buying a house, what you spend on a website depends a great deal on how many features that website will have. Will it be a small, informational website? Or will it be a larger, ecommerce site where you intend to sell products?

Do you want a custom website or are you okay with using a template website? A custom website typically costs more than a template website because, as the name implies, the site is custom built for your business. A template website is a website where you can usually choose colors, fonts and possibly some images, but you are limited in how flexible the website can look and, you stand the chance of having your site look much like someone elses.

The cost of a website can vary, depending on how you answer some of these questions. Even a custom website can vary in price from one web design company to the next. Paying the highest price for a web site doesn’t necessarily guarantee good results, nor does paying the lowest price offer the best deal.

An experienced and internet-saavy web designer can help you decide on the type of website your business needs and will offer valuable input into the features your web site should include. They should also be able to guide you in terms of the content you use on your website to help with getting your site listed in the popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

What to look for in a web designer

2008-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

So you've decided to take your business online. You are not alone! Based on research data found at Netcraft, provider of internet research and analysis, the number of web sites grew from 29.4 million in October 2000 to 97.9 million in October 2006. It appears the world wide web is not going away any time soon!

Whether you are going to have a simple, informational web site, an e-commerce shopping web site or something more complex, there are several important elements to look for when hiring a web designer. We will review each one in detail.

Portfolio - Be sure to ask for the web designer's portfolio of web sites they've designed for their clients. A diverse and creative portfolio would typically indicate that the web designer can build your web site with the right look and feel for your business, whether you are selling pet supplies or pet rocks. Don't just look at the web sites this web designer has created, dig deep inside of them! Make sure the web sites flow smoothly. Make sure page links are all working properly. If pages are marked "under construction", find out why. By doing this you help ensure that if the web designer's other client sites are attractive AND functional AND user-friendly, chances are, your web site will be also.

Communication Skills - First, unless you can "talk tech", make sure your web designer can communicate to you in easy-to-understand non-technical terms. If you are not sure of something they've mentioned, ask them to clarify it. Second, make sure you feel comfortable with the general lines of communication. Look for feedback from the web designer. Make sure they understand what you are wanting and make sure you understand what they can provide. An unhappy customer with a new web site is typically the result of poor communication between the customer and the web designer.

Online visibility - How important is it that your new web site be displayed in the top rankings of major search engines such as Google, Yahoo or MSN? If it is important, be sure to discuss this with your web designer and find out what they can do to help make that happen. (Note: Contrary to popular belief, a new web site doesn't just appear in the search engines. There is work that needs to be done to help make this happen!) A good web designer will be able to share those techniques with you or, minimally, recommend a search engine marketing firm that can help you.

Pricing - Pricing is always important no matter what you are purchasing. Many web designers charge by the hour, some by the page, some by the entire site as a whole. Others charge ongoing monthly fees. Find out all the pricing details up front. Provide specific details about your web site and expect a detailed estimate in return.

References - Before hiring a web designer, ask for references -- as many as you feel comfortable with. When calling references, be sure to ask about the web designer's communication skills, timeliness in completing the web site and knowledge of web design. An important question to ask the reference: Would you hire this web designer again or refer him/her? Make sure the answer is yes!

Having an online presence can greatly increase your business exposure when done properly. The right web designer can help make that happen!

Three steps to having a web site

2008-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS NEEDED TO HAVE A WEB SITE

So you’ve decided to create a web site for your business. That’s great! Having a presence on the internet can help your business establish credibility, increase sales and serve as a means of communication with your current and potential customers. But to some, the thought of creating a web site is overwhelming. This article will help to clarify what is required to have a presence on the internet.

STEP 1 - Purchase a domain name

A domain name is the unique name that identifies an internet website. (e.g., google.com, amazon.com). As the internet grows, getting the perfect domain name to represent your business may require some creativity. Most, if not all, of the more common names are already taken. You can visit sites such as godaddy.com or netsol.com to see if the domain name you wish to use is available. You can also purchase your domain name from these domain registrars or, if you’ve hired a web designer to assist in the creation of your web site, they can purchase the domain name on your behalf.

A domain name can typically cost between $4 and $35 for a one year registration. Once you register a domain name and continue to renew it each year, no one can use that domain name except YOU!

STEP 2 - Create a web site

Do-It-Yourself - There are many web sites out there that offer services that allow you to create your own web site online. Yahoo! Small Business is one example. For those of you that have no web design experience, this can be a great place to start. Costs can run from $5.00 a month and up, depending on the features you are provided.

Hire a web designer – If you do not have the time or the inclination to invest in a do-it-yourself web site, you may wish to consider hiring a web designer. While typically more costly than a do-it-yourself web site, a professional web designer can create a custom web site for your business. A professional web designer can also guide you in terms of the “look” for your web site as well as the content. Having the right content (text) on your web site is very important if you wish to appear in the popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.

So, if cost is your major concern when creating a web site, a do-it-yourself service may be the best choice. Otherwise, consider speaking to a web designer about your site requirements, the services they offer and how they may be able to work within your budget.

NOTE: If you are considering an e-commerce site (selling your products or services on the internet) there are other factors to consider including site maintenance and credit card processing.

STEP 3 - Select a web hosting service

A web hosting service stores your information (or website) on a server (computer), allowing it to be accessed by users on the Internet.

Pricing for web hosting varies and depends on the features offered by the web hosting service. Monthly costs for hosting can be $5.00 and up. Questions to ask your web host provider (or web designer if they provide web hosting services) include: How much web space am I allowed? How many email accounts are included? What statistics are available about my web site once it goes live? Am I under a contract or can I cancel my web hosting plan at any time?

Follow the three steps above and you will be on your way to having your business on the internet!

I want a top 10 search engine ranking!

2008-06-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone that had a web site could be in the top 10 rankings of Google? When you start thinking about rankings in terms of what keywords and phrases are being typed in Google, you start to wonder how could everyone that had a website be in the 10 ten rankings.

I think it is impossible. Here is why: Let's just say that most people when they are looking for a web designer in Louisiana type in the search term "Louisiana web designers" in Google. The page listed displayed (default settings) displays 10 website listings (not including sponsored links for which you have to pay).

Well, assuming that at least 20 web designers in Louisiana with a similar amount of page content and a similar amount of incoming links (other factors Google really likes to help determine your ranking!), were optimizing their site using the phrase "Louisiana web designers", someone has to lose. Well, maybe "lose" is a strong word. 10 web designers don't quite make the cut and end up in the 11th to 20th position (most times, the second page) of Google.

Why do I bring this up? Because I abhor these search engine optimization companies that guarantee 10 top search engine rankings on Google and charge an arm and a leg to do it.

I always caution clients that have received the tempting phone call from such companies to ask a question to the search engine optimization company: If you guarantee ME a 10 top listing for the search term (fill in the blank here) and you end up getting 10 more clients that are in the same business as me with the same search term, how can 11 companies end up in the top 10 listings???

Enough said.

OK - Just one more thing - good content, a well optimized web site, as many quality incoming links as possible and continual follow-up on your web site rankings - those are the factors that make for good search engine rankings. No guarantees... but it is a step in the right direction!

A website is much like a house

2008-06-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Often, I am asked: How much does it cost to build a website? Often, I respond: That depends.

Building a website is much like buying a house. Will it be a big website or a small website? Will it have a lot of bells and whistles or not? Will it be a custom website taylored exactly to the customer's specific business or a template website (like a spec home)?

Of course, budget plays a factor in answering any of these questions. But, really, you need to consider the value of the end result. If your business could potentially increase its sales by having a user-friendly, interactive and informative website, would it be worth the investment? Of course it would!

And even if you are using a website template, which typically costs less than building a custom website, your site could still be user-friendly, somewhat interactive perhaps, and informative. You must think about your customer. You must think like a customer. Build your website around the customer. What information could you include on your site that they would like to know about? What features on your site might entice the potential customer to call you or email or submit that Contact form that many sites have?

Just as you would want a good friend to enjoy their visit to your home, you should also want your customer or potential customer to enjoy their visit to your website. Build your website so that your customers keep coming back. Make it a website that all visitors will find useful!