Executionists - We Get Web Done

by Jessie Jo Blalock

Nearly 1 in every 5 Americans access the web daily and by 2012, 1 in 2 mobile subscribers will own a smartphone. Due to such a rapid growth of smartphone sales and mobile browsing, it is imperative that web designers and developers educate themselves with the best practices of strategic mobile web design. With new technologies comes a new set of challenges, in which case, remember what your mamma taught you:

Less is more

… Especially when it comes to mobile web design! Mobile design should be regarded as scaled down versions of their parent site. And since smartphone screens vary in size and shape, mobile website design must remain clean and simple.  If so inclined, you can always leave the option to visit the standard site through a simple link.

Actions speak louder than words

Literally. There is such little room for content on a mobile web page and mobile users are typically on the go, wherein mobile web designers must prioritize their content with actions (IE a login page, product search, store locator, etc.). Remember: person’s goal for browsing the web from a mobile device is vastly different than a desktop or laptop.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

Clean and semantic markup will guarantee that the browser is capable of accurately displaying the web page and provide the mobile users with a more pleasant experience with little to no errors or difficulties.

Better safe than sorry

An ample amount of white space is essential in mobile web design. Though the objective of most companies’ websites is to engage users and present them with as much information as possible about their products and services, too much content will appear chaotic on a smartphone.  Afford plenty of white space in your site design to ensure your site will be displayed properly on any mobile device.

Waste not, Want not

With mobile Internet connection speeds generally being slower than desktop Internet connection speeds and a variety of screen sizes, implementing images and pictures does more harm than good. Excessive use of images will produce an unfriendly user experience; mobile users want functionality over design aesthetics.

Executionists, Inc. offer mobile solutions for websites, click for a free consultation.

See Our Work

Search engine optimization, SEO, is an integral part of the web business and marketing strategy. People are more likely to locate a product, service, and/or website through search engines than by traditional advertising or social networking. Because of this, people will do anything to gain a competitive edge in SEO. Unfortunately, these dirty little tactics, once thought to outsmart search engines and increase SEO, will now actually lower your rankings and even potentially get you banned.  Google and other search engines have implemented several sophisticated methods to pick up on the following shady SEO practices and will automatically “blacklist” your website and dub you a spammer.

Keyword Stuffing: A common misconception is that search engines focus on the quantity of keywords in your website. Search engines can detect an over usage of keywords and ultimately label your website as “spammy.” Now, websites are given a higher page ranking if there is a balance between SEO techniques both on and off the website

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By Jansen Granflor

A common misconception about social networks is that you have to be on them 24 hours a day to see results for your business. The truth is, all you have to do is create a basic profile on a handful of social media networks, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, that your clients or customers already log onto. It doesn’t have to tell your entire company history, just some basic information regarding what you do, links to your website, and solid contact information. Your goal is not to gain thousands of fans and followers on these sites, but to spread the word around to a more specific clientele. The average computer user now uses social networks like Yelp to find businesses and reviews on products and services from real people. By linking your website to your social media networks, you can leverage testimonials from actual customers to web surfers. One positive review from a happy customer can open the door for so many more.

Social media profiles and company blogs are often setup by small businesses, but never maintained. The truth is social media information is very simple to update and can be used for marketing, customer service, and feedback via comments. It can also make you, the small business owner, seem hip and trendy in the eyes of your customers. The fanbase you build with these tools will bring you more business, and if you run out of things to say, you can post updates by simply announcing limited-time promotions or discounts, or introducing new products or services. Remember to always improve your SEO (search engine optimization) by linking your business to as many online directories and websites as possible, as this will not only put you on the map in your neighborhood and field of specialty, but it might also get you some media coverage, further boosting you up in Google search results.

Placing social media links on your homepage will help you increase web traffic, but keep in mind you don’t want your potential customers to link to a social media profile that hasn’t been touched in months, so update early and often. You can also use social media to get to know potential customers, by listening to their comments, and responding to their inquiries. Sometimes, they will be upfront and ask for a product or service you don’t offer, or tell you your prices are too high. You can address and reward them directly, and get to know them by name, which leads to referrals, and more business. It’s a sales pitch that doesn’t feel like one. Use social networks to tell your customers who you are, what inspired you, where you started your business, and how you got it all started. Set up a blog as a way to speak to your customers indirectly, and they can read and comment if they choose to.

Socializing is only half of social networking – the other half is networking, so use your social hub not only to get more customers, but perhaps you can meet better vendors, and cheaper suppliers. Social networking sites increase competition, but you can embrace your competitors, and exchange tips and feedback since you both experience similar issues on a regular basis. If you have a problem you can’t solve, maybe a similar business has a solution, which you in turn can pass on to help another business owner. Social media creates buzz, helps networking, and, of course, increases business for everyone. It’s a genuine way of getting to know your customers, and it doesn’t take too much of your free time, and can actually be fun, and engaging.

Jansen can be reached at jansen@executionists.com

By James Copper

There are millions of websites on the internet all competing for the attention of users. This makes the design of your website very important if you want to stand any chance of surviving. You can spend huge sums of money promoting your site, but if the website design isn’t up to scratch then it’s not going to make any difference.

Before you look at SEO or other promotional campaigns, you should first experiment with the design of your site. All good web designers should already be aware about the importance of good website design.

Simple

Sometimes simple is better and this is true on the internet. It is possible to create stunning and very advanced sites. These are time consuming and can also take a long time to load. It is almost always best to stick to simple website designs.

Be careful if you are ever using pop-up windows as most people have pop-up blockers. These can also cause irritation if used too often. Simple websites will load quicker and will be indexed by search engines much quicker.

Titles

Every single page of your site should be valuable. All of these should have a clear aim in mind and should have a title. The title must contain your keywords as this will help to get your site indexed in search engines.

You can find out about keywords which you might like to use by using keyword tools like the one offered by Google.

Images

Using images on your website is great and will look fantastic. However you need to be careful not to overdo it. If you include too many images on your site then this can slow it down and make it take much longer to load.

The same goes for flash. Flash may make sites look professional to some people but it also makes it slow down. It also means that many people will have to download additional software to view your site. If you must use flash then keep it to an absolute minimum, not that many people appreciate flash websites anyway.

The main problem with flash and images is that search engine robots cannot see what they are. They will only index a site based on the text content. Set the alternate labels to try and reduce the impact this has on your site.

Meta Tags

When you’re designing websites it might be tempting to ignore meta tags and other information. However the meta description is used by search engines and should be able to encourage surfers to visit your site. Make sure you create a unique meta description and put the right one on each page.

Text Links

You must be very careful to create text links to different pages of your site even if you have another form of navigation. These are normally displayed at the bottom of each page. This will make it much easier for web spiders and robots to crawl your website and index it in search engines.

You need to be able to consider SEO at the time you design your website. If you design your website correctly then you should be able to make it look appealing to search engines.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.thebigagency.co.uk, and can be reached at info@thebigagency.co.uk

How Much Does A Website Cost?

Almost every potential client asks this question. I’ll get to the answer in a roundabout way but first some obligatory back story. Over the past 13 years we have developed hundreds of website with budgets ranging from $1000 to $50,000. We have also worked on Fortune 500 company websites in conjunction with other development companies, these total budgets have been $100,000 – $1,000,000. For websites of this scope the team can consist of 10 or more people working full-time for six months or longer.

Websites just don’t happen, they are the result of the execution of a methodology or process that arrives at a successful result. Our website design methodology is based on 13 years of experience, starting with a website for FootLocker.com back in 1996. Our methodology has evolved over time, to make the process more streamlined and flexible. Our basic approach is:

1. Discovery
2. Planning
3. Interface Design
4. Integration
5. Testing
6. Launch/Maintain

This simple 6 step process can be modified to fit a smaller project by reducing the amount of effort spent on various steps. For example the “Discovery” process can involve just one simple phone call with the client to learn about their brand and goals or it can involve several all-day meetings. The “Planning” process can involve a short document that addresses the creative and technical requirements or it can involve days of research into the competition and building matrices of features and functionality. So you can see that each step in this process is flexible and can be modified to fit a target project budget and requirements.

Flexible process = Flexible Effort = Flexible Cost.

So, how much does a website cost?

It depends on what you are trying to build. Here are some of the key elements that we need to consider:

• Online Marketing Strategy: Do you have one? Don’t think that “if we build it they will come”. It’s important to have an understanding of marketing channels and how your business will use them.
• Branding/logo: Do you have your logo developed? Do you have a style guide for your brand?
• Interface Design: How long will it take to arrive at the look-and-feel that you envision for your business?
• Features and Functionality: This is the meat of the website, what features do you want (online portfolio, media downloads, etc) and what functions do you need (ecommerce, interactive forms, etc.)? Although ecommerce, search and membership are commonplace on the web – that does not mean that this is easy to develop. There are a lot of pre-built (open source) solutions but they invariably have to be customized and that effort can be time-intensive.
• Hosting: This is usually a small cost but still an important part of the process. Will your hosting company allow us to easily configure the options we need for your website?
• Testing: The more complex your website, the more testing is required. Also what browsers do you want your site to work on? If you want IE 6.0 or Safari that could take a lot of additional time to test and troubleshoot.

The above list illustrates that there is a wide difference in requirements for websites and many questions that need to be answered.

More Requirements = More Complexity = Higher Costs.

So how much does a website cost?

When we estimate a project we try to get a good understanding of the project requirements and then estimate the number of hours required for the following 3 primary tasks:

• Interface Design = Design for all site graphics and page layouts, may also include Flash animation design (if required).
• Programming = Hosting setup, database setup, application design and programming, testing, technical project management.
• Project Management = Primary point of contact with the client, project schedule and milestones, communication, consultation and testing.

Other tasks like Logo Design, copywriting, and Marketing Strategy can also be added to the requirements if needed.

Once we have estimated the number of hours for each task we multiply that by our hourly rate which (at the time of this article) is approx. $90 an hour for most services. We then provide the final project estimate to the client and if accepted, our in-house team strives to keep the project within the approved budget. During development, if there is danger of the project exceeding the budget due to unforseen circumstances or new client requests, the issue is brought to the client’s attention so that the budget can be adjusted or compromises made.

Note about our rates: If you search for website design and development services you will find a wide range of fees. Offshore companies may have rates as low as $17 an hour. Students fresh out of school may charge $15 an hour, boutique development companies range from $75 – $150 an hour, larger national firms can easily charge $250 and more per hour. Keep in mind that there is a world of difference between the experience of a $17 an hour developer and a $150 an hour developer. Our rate is based on what we believe is reasonable for the bulk of our clientele which are small to mid-sized, Los Angeles-based businesses. Our methodology has been tailored to deliver design and development services based on that cost.

So, how much does a website cost?

Let’s walk through a few brief client scenarios to help you get an understanding of costs:

Client One: MJ Associates

This small, professional services business needs a website primarily for marketing purposes. They have an offline brand/logo and some website design ideas. They will provide the content for their website which consists of text, headshots, logo and a video of their CEO. They provide a short list of websites they like during a meeting that our Project Manager and Art Director have with them in our/their offices. They don’t require any databases but we will hook up a 3rd-party email management tool for them so they can collect client inquiries and send out email blasts. There will be approximately 8-10 pages.

Estimate is as follows:

Interface Design: 20 hours – will include some Flash design
Programming: 32 hours – HTML, PHP and CSS
Project Management: 18 hours
Total: 70 hours = $6,300

Deliverables:

Following is a semi-complete list of the deliverables from our team:

• Planning document that lists creative and website goals
• Content checklist and schedule
• Access to our project management tool (if desired)
• 2 home page design options that get modified based on client input to arrive at one  approved design
• Design for website pages (based on the home page design) and all associated graphics
• Flash design elements (usually a promotional animation)
• Programming for the website and integration of 3rd-party email management tool
• Integration of all client content
• Integration of Google Analytics
• Upload to client’s hosting server and setup of email addresses
• Testing and Launch
• Proactive submission of site to the major search engines
• At the end of the project we provide the client with a complete copy of all our original files on CD (.PSD, .FLA, HTML, etc)

This type of project accounts for about 1/2 of the projects we do. Post-launch, these companies often come back to us for content updates and enhancements. We bill these at our regular hourly rates or fraction thereof. Clients who require regular edits can save money by getting one of our Retainer Plans that offer discounted rates.

Client Two: Ecommerce Website

This mid-sized business needs a marketing website and ecommerce for their product line. They have an offline brand/logo and some design ideas. They will provide the content for their website which consists of text, headshots, logo, product photos and PDF downloads. They provide a short list of websites they like during a meeting that our Project Manager, Art Director and Tech Director have with them in our/their offices. They have a merchant account.

Estimate is as follows:
Interface Design: 24 hours – will include some Flash design
Programming: 60 hours – HTML, PHP and CSS plus integration and customization of Php-based cart for online shopping.
Project Management: 30 hours
You can expect to pay a little more for the hosting and an SSL certificate
Total: 114 hours = $10,260

Deliverables:

Same as client one above but add a few hours for training on the ecommerce solution.

Client Three: Membership Website with CMS

This business needs a marketing website for a new brand. They also need membership and email marketing components. They will provide the content for their website which consists of text and video clips. They provide a short list of websites they like during a meeting that our Project Manager, Art Director and Tech Director have with them in our/their offices.

Estimate is as follows:
Branding design and online style guide: 36 hours
Interface Design: 60 hours – will include some complex Flash design
Programming: 140 hours – HTML, PHP and CSS plus integration and customization of Drupal or similar CMS and membership modules.
Email template design and programming: 16 hours
Project Management: 48 hours
You can expect to pay a little more for the hosting and an SSL certificate
Total: 290 hours = $26,100

Deliverables:

Same as client one above but add a few hours for training on the CMS solution.

Cost of Website Add-ons

There are a thousand add-ons you can use to enhance your website. The estimates below reflect the general requirements we have seen, however there are many factors that can push these estimates higher. If you don’t see your add-on here just give us a call and we can provide an estimate.

• Custom Content Management Systems- For clients who want to manage their own content we integrate and customize  content management systems (CMS). We work with PHP-based open-source CMS solutions like Drupal. Costs for integrating and customizing Drupal can range from $4,000 to $20,000 and up.
• Custom Blog- Many clients want a WordPress blog within their website customized to their website branding and design. This ranges from $1,250 – $3,000 and up.
• Email Marketing Campaigns- Clients that want to gather emails and send out branded email blasts for announcements or newsletters require an Email management tool. We integrate the 3rd-party tools (graphicmail, mailchimp, constant contact,etc.) and create an email blast template design, we can even manage your email blast. $720 and up.
• Branding/Identity Development- Logo design is something we are often asked to do. We start with an 8 hour process that generates about 6 rough logo concepts. If one of these is chosen we go through several rounds of edits to arrive at a final version.  $900 – $3,200
• Style Guides- An online styleguide is important because it establishes brand consistency and provides a guide for all your print collateral and online marketing. Basic styleguide $1,440.
• Targeted Landing Pages- Landing pages are pages that promote a specific product or service. They are usually part of an email, social media, or banner ad campaign. We can design and create these pages starting at $650.

So that’s how much a small business website costs.

One final note: If this website will be a significant part of your business please don’t skimp on the design and development. If you’d expect to pay $100,000 for a brick and mortar retail shop (inventory, interior design, furniture, rent, utilities, staff, equipment, insurance, etc) – then don’t balk at paying reasonable rates for the creation of your online business.

Feel free to send us your requirements or call 310-754-3807, and we’ll get back to you quickly to let you know how much your website will cost.

Download this white paper

An important factor in successful social media marketing is to continue to create engaging communities.

1. Create focused communities around a central issue or mission where people gather to discuss similar topics, interests and news.
2. Offer resources, training, and host events to interact with community members. Gather feedback on how users would like to get involved and continue to build open relationships.
3. Promote your products and services by rewarding members for their active participation.

If you are paying for clicks, you must ensure that the landing page where consumers end up post-click can convert. Impressions count more than ever when it comes to PPC landing page design so let’s review what sites are doing right (and wrong) and perhaps even find some inspiration for our own PPC campaigns and the landing page designs they feature.

When you want to analyze what works best in PPC landing page design, you want to start with the most competitive terms. We took a look at ten landing page designs (only nine are featured as one was was ultimately just a parked page) to determine similarities and differences that the design concepts have. You might end up applying some of the techniques on your own site, but before settling on one, remember that testing is the only sure fire way to ensure that the right elements are available to convert your specific audience of consumers into buyers.

The keyword in focus (and of course the landing pages that result) are under the keyword “ringtone”. Clearly our choice of keyword will influence the type of landing page designs that resulted. Expect the sites that bid on those terms to focus on acquiring a younger, more socially-connected, technology savvy audience.

There are a few core trends which revealed themselves by comparing multiple PPC landing pages. The sites listed below are in the order in which they were found on the results pages. Once we can determine what’s going on with landing page design, we’re able to make informed decisions and perhaps even understand how to influence the quality score of those individual listings.

Trend One: Limited Paths For Users
Common among the first five listings are the limited paths users can take when arriving on the landing page. Ovi Store by Nokia (which occupied the first position during our review) had just three options: register, login, and a call for developers. FreeRingToneLocker, CellWare and ThumbPlay took a similar “less is more” approach (see trend four for additional information).

Trend Two: Prominent Images
The next trend is the prominent use of large images. In fact, on the landing pages of the first two listings this was the core design element. CellWare (within the third position) took the use of a prominent visual a step further by including a video of a young attractive woman presenting information on the offer.

Trend Three: Strong Call To Action
Several of the top five listings (Ovi Store excluded) had a clear value proposition presented that was coupled with a compelling call to action. For example, ThumbPlay‘s “Join Today, Get Ringtones” is a straightforward statement, leaving no doubt in the mind of the user what they need to do to get what they came for. Tonefor.Me is using dynamic keyword insertion on their landing pages coupled with a static call to action.

Trend Four and Five: Data Collection, Content Teasing or Registration
We’ve decided to combine trends four and give into one, but it’s the most important of the group. The sites we reviewed leverage three very different conversion tactics. While some required registration to proceed, others either focused on a basic data collection (name and email) or what I refer to as content teasing.

What I find fascinating about conducting a review of this nature is the insights that a basic study such as this might reveal about quality score. What other design trends do you see on these sites and how do you think this influences quality score?

Article Credit

Times are tough.  Business owners are trimming expenses wherever possible.  But now, more than ever, it is important to have a quality website that accurately portrays your product or service.  Statistics prove that companies that focus on their marketing during tough economic times do much better than companies that reduce their marketing efforts. Your website should be an integral part of your marketing strategy.

Don’t Lose Customers!

When visitors find  your website, they have already done a majority of the work for you.  They are seeking what you have to offer and if your website doesn’t paint a clear and compelling image of your product, then you have lost what could have been a potential customer.  Your home is the most important because the visitor makes a decision within seconds about the value of your brand, product or service.  The cost investment of redesigning an under-performing website is well worth it when you analyze the high “bounce rate” (the percentage of visitors who arrive to your homepage then immediately exit) because your website doesn’t properly promote your business.

A well-crafted website acts like another salesperson within your business.  You should make it easy for your visitors to navigate your site and gather the information they want  in order to make well-informed decisions.  If it’s difficult for the visitor to find what they’re looking for they will quickly be discouraged and jump to the website of your competition.

Experience Equals Quality

Don’t underestimate the value of a well designed website to market your business.  With over 15 years of experience we know how to work with you to build customized (not templated) sites that will deliver your business’ message clearly.  We can also implement search engine optimization strategies(SEO), online marketing solutions, and create social media profiles such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to maximize your online marketing goals and push your business through the tough economy.

Call us for a FREE CONSULTATION about your website: 310.754.3807 or check out our Design Portfolio.

by: Jeanelle Rabadam
Executionists Marketing Team
email: jeanelle@executionists.com

Image Credit

As a project manager at Executionists, Inc., I view website development in three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production (Can you tell we’re Los Angeles-based?). The quality of the pre-production phase will generally establish how quickly a client’s site will be completed. Clients love to help, sometimes to the detriment of the project (see: Executionists Take on Dogbert). However, this is the stage of the process where client input is crucial and greatly appreciated.

Meaning: content, content, content. The most important way a client can help us help them is by being prepared with content for all sections of the website. During our initial meeting with a client, we will establish a content checklist, complete with a listing of all the approved navigation within the site. While we do our job designing the site based on this navigation, we expect the client to do their job by providing all content that will eventually be placed on our neatly designed pages. (more…)