Thursday, June 14, 2012

piano removalists in Melbourne

I like to recommend using this piano removalists in Melbourne. Mike from Sunshine is one of the NetBlots clients.

He's a great guy, and runs a top notch small business!

 

For more info on removing a piano or Melbourne removalists

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

My Home Distillation website!

Is found on page 8 on a world wide G-search for home distillation.

Cant wait to start selling me booze book on it.

....Sweet!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Take Part In Mattress Recycling


Living a green lifestyle is likely something that you have considered over the past few years. When you take part in mattress recycling, you will be doing your part to ensure that the earth is not impacting by improper disposal of your bed. There are many reasons that mattresses recycling has become so popular, it is important to understand them before you decide to go ahead and purchase a new mattress. Throwing away anything at all will eventually have an impact on the earth, garbage sits and waits to decompose. However, something like a mattress can take a very long time, this results in a significant impact to the environment. Very often, we do not think about the actions that we take and how they will harm the earth for generations to come. You do not have to spend a lot of time or money on proper disposal of mattresses, all you need to do is contact professionals that will provide you with an alternative method of getting rid of your garbage. When it comes time to get rid of my mattress, you can call this company and ensure that someone is there to remove the mattress when you get your new bed.

There is no work for you to do when you have mattress recyclers that are willing to do all of the heavy lifting and moving. There are many people that will simply leave their old beds out on the sidewalk because they do not know there is an alternative available. When you do not properly dispose of such a large item, it is left to sit and this can be very harmful to the environment over a period of time. If you want to reduce your impact on the environment, mattress removal is a simple way to accomplish that without having to do almost anything at all. Since your mattresses disposal will be handled by a team of professionals with a lot of experience in removing mattresses from homes, you will not have to worry about paying someone to get rid of your old item. Do what is best for the environment by contacting this company.


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Marketing Your Small Business Through Signage Melbourne

If you own a small business, you need to come up with innovative ways to advertise your products and services. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, or an office, you must make sure that the sign that you place at your premise is attractive. There are many stores, in Melbourne, have weathered signs, and this is not conducive to attracting customers. The first impression that a potential customer gets is very important to how they will perceive your products and services. Ensure that you have the proper signage for your business.

 

You can get building signage for your store front. The most common are the ones that you hang just outside the entrance of the store. Most of these are made of fluorescent boxes. You cam also have some that are made out of LED bulbs, and others made of fluorescent tubing. The kind of business that you run should determine the kind of signage that you place at your store.

 

You can also get engraved, or embossed, office signs for your office. These are important in guiding potential clients to your office, especially if you operate out of an office complex. If you do not put a sign at your door, the clients will have no way of knowing which office to enter.

 

Another innovative way of getting your brand out to potential customers is through vehicle signage. This is where you create a sign that you paint on your vehicles. Others can be made of fluorescent boxes, which you can place on top of your vehicles. This way, people who do not pass by your store, will get to know about your business and visit your store.

 

Signage Melbourne has qualified and experienced staff members, who will create wonderful signs for your business. They have been producing Melbourne signs for several years, and you should pay them a visit to discuss the creation of your new sign.

 

Monday, May 28, 2012

Why You Need To Get New Signage For Your Small Business

Getting your company found by customers is the key to guaranteeing you have a steady flow of business. The problem you may encounter is not knowing about why you should get new building signage for your store itself, but also signage on the road front and traveling vehicle signage. Some of the reasons to get this includes it can help with getting your great logo design out in front of customers. This can become a focal point of your small business marketing plan. You may also notice this type of item can help let customers know where you are located. At times this will be affordable for any marketing strategy budget. Finally this item will generally make it easier for the customers to recall the store where they are shopping at.

 

Getting your logo design out in front of customers is key. When you have this chance, it will be easy for you to have the customers know about your company. For example, if you are selling outdoor products, the customers probably know about the larger retail stores selling these because of the fish jumping in the water or something else catchy. With the new signage, you can put your logo and make it something which relates to your store and the products you carry in your store.

 

Small business marketing is a challenge because of the competition a smaller business faces. With the new signs, though, these can help attract customers to the business. However, if the signs are placed in strategic locations, it is easy to see these will outrank the competition and lead to even more of a customer draw for business. If these are not placed in the proper location, though, it is easy for the competition to not only get more customers, but drive the improperly placed sign company into the ground causing them to go bankrupt. 

 

Letting customers know where the company is located is rater important. When the customers know where the store is at, they are more likely to stop in. If you think about this, how often have you tried to find a store only to see the signs are hidden away. When the signs are hidden away and the same with entrances, customers are very likely to leave the store because they cannot find the place. So the signage can easily lead to people knowing exactly where the store is located and know they are in the proper location to buy the items your store is offering. 

 

Affordability is something you need to consider when looking at the signs for your company. Generally this type of building signage or vehicle signage is easily afforded. However, this does not mean it will not take some of your marketing strategy budget, but it will take quite a bit less then if you decide to use a full out blitz campaign on the radio or television ads. Not only that, you can reach the customers you are trying to reach and those are the ones who live close by your area. 

 

Generally when a company has a new sign it will draw quite a bit of attention. However, the new signs will serve as something which makes it easy for people to remember where they are. Consider an older sign which is worn out. The customer may remember the sign and tell friends it is the place with the sign which is hard to find and worn out. However, if the signs are new the customers will remember the landmarks and be able to tell their friends about the location as well. 

 

Finding the perfect marketing strategy for your company is very difficult to do. However, if you take your time and evaluate your old signage it may be easy to see where your small business marketing funds should be directed to. When you have new building signage or vehicle signage you can see a marked increase in your customer levels. Without knowing about how this new signage can help your company, though, it is easy to think the best results will be produced by getting a new logo design for people to see or even looking at the television or radio ads to pay for.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Bendigo web design

NetBlots has now decided to help out our country bretheran in Bendigo, by offering Web design bendigo for any interested clients!

Any country folk from Bendigo are welcome to give us a buzz, and depending on your needs, we may happily head up your way from the big city of Melbourne!

Monday, May 21, 2012

How long does it take to register a domain fully?

One would think not too long, however I have been waiting over 48 hours to even have access to it!!

Just when you think of a great idea for a business like Mattress recycling, the internet has to break! haha

 

At least I have great small business support through my domain registry company.

Graphic design Melbourne - front page material!

Hey guys,

I'm extremely happy to note that we have made it to the front page for graphic design Melbourne!

With 9000 searches every single month, this will be great news for the future of our small business!

:D 

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

How To Have An Effective Small Business Marketing Strategy To Create A Profitable Business


Small business marketing is all about strategy. It can be seen as an intricate framework of mechanisms all working in unison. You can also compare it with the sales process. In the sales process, consumers first look for products or services. Once the consumer finds a product or service he/she likes, the consumer will contact the retail outlet, then finally end up at the checkout counter. Marketing is similar to this process. Because if one part of the process fails, then the entire process is negatively affected.

Therefore, if you want an effective marketing strategy, then you cannot allow any weak links in its chain of events. A chain is only strongest at its weakest link. This applies to all types of marketing from traditional marketing to branding. If you manage to make all the links in the chain strong and connected, then you will have a much more effective marketing strategy.

Traditional Techniques of Marketing

Traditional methods have always been employed, and they are constantly changing to meet the various demands of the times. These days, we have various effective traditional marketing methods such as print advertising, contests, specials, free giveaways, and more. Furthermore, many people combine new techniques with traditional methods to further promote their advertisement campaigns. By doing this, the possibilities become almost limitless. Modern methods combined with methods that have been tested time, can significantly improve your advertising campaign.

An effective modern marketing technique called Quick Response (QR) can highly benefit your business. This technique integrates online marketing with smartphones and other mobile devices. Many fundamental techniques such as vehicle signage, building signage, print advertising, etc, can also be very effective.

Branding

It is important to know that the designs can affect almost all aspects of a business. From logo design to advertisement design, having proper designs is extremely important to the success of a company. Designs for a small business marketing is not just about aesthetics and subliminal messaging, but its is also an essential part of branding. Branding is an entity that speaks for your businesses as a whole. Therefore, it is vital to establish a brand that is both attractive and extremely easy for people to identify.

You can use Coca-Cola's brand as a good example. The red and white coloring of the brand is well known worldwide. In addition, the color and logo are both attractive and easy to notice. As a result, Coca-Cola is one of the world's leading drink brands.

Marketing on the World Wide Web

We live in a 'IT' era where almost everything is computerized and on the internet. Therefore, it is important to establish a presence on the internet. To do this, small business websites will need professional and great web designs. The graphic design of the website can determine whether it will be successful or not. Basically, the web design is a visual sales pitch that plays an essential role in making sales.

Effective eCommerce, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Niche Authority, are all excellent internet marketing strategies. SEO in particular, takes advantage of both on-page and off-page methods. Also, it enables search engines such as Google, to better recognize your website and rank it higher. Fortunately, if you manage to establish effective modern marketing techniques on the internet, then you will rake in the profits.

Polishing Your Prowess In Advertising

These days, an eCommerce website that complements your company is crucial for success. It can become an extremely powerful tool in bringing in clients. Therefore, it is advised to polish your prowess in online advertising, as this will only positively affect your business.

Sometimes, it is a good idea to outsource. For example,  good product photography from a professional designer can significantly improve your advertisement signs. Also, a good web designer can make your website look attractive and professional. Some small business marketing strategies involve hiring a small business coach. This experienced mentor will help you gain a competitive edge and give you advice on how to become successful.

When you are planning your small business marketing strategy, it is important to remember that all aspects should be strong. Just like a chain, the businesses marketing strategy is only strongest at its weakest link.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Small Business Marketing Plan


It can be a real challenge to set up a new business, especially in the very beginning. A great deal of work is involved in finding a location, advertising and establishing a brand name that people will remember. A business can be promoted in several ways such as using signs that people can see easily or using websites with catchy phrases or words to which people can relate.

Along with finding the best location and advertising, managing requires additional effort in order to achieve success. A marketing strategy can be made more effective by maximizing the use of offline and online tools to become successful. Most big businesses have started as a small business and marketed their way to success by knowing how to manage the business properly.

Even though many people only care about prices, quality and service still win out as the most important factor to customers. Whether a customer is dissatisfied or satisfied, he or she will talk about the business and tell other people. Customer feedback is very important to a new start-up business. Providing contact information for customer comments and suggestions will enable the business owner to make improvements if necessary and will help to avoid negative publicity.

While it takes effort to promote a business, if resources are used well it will produce good results. For instance, when designing posters, ads or fliers or any other printed advertisements, use professional or high quality printing materials with easily readable content that gives pertinent information as they are the paper salesmen for a business. If signs are erected, be sure they are done in bold signage large enough to be read by people driving by as well as those on foot. Consider ordering vehicle signage as well, especially if the business is in a larger city.

Every company needs to have a presence on the Internet in the form of a well-designed website. When hiring a melbourne website designer, look at as many of the sites that he or she designed as possible. Ask if the person will work with you until you are satisfied that the website is properly representing the company and projecting the desired image to the public.

Offline, opportunities are everywhere to promote a business. Carry business cards and hand them out to acquaintances and when meeting new people. Consider laminating the cards and posting something evergreen on the back that people will not throw away. Calendars get old after a year, but a chart converting United States measurements to metrics is something many people will keep and that means they are keeping your business information as well.

When planning a marketing campaign always use the best possible people or materials to produce the results that will adequately represent your business. A professional photography shoot, for instance, can take delightful pictures that will be usable for many years to come.

Successful small business marketing is more than placing a few ads in the newspaper, TV or on the Internet. Every business needs a complete marketing solution of offline and online ways to make people aware of the product or service offered. Everything and everyone from printed material to sales people and customer service personnel should properly represent the business.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Heavy Metal Australia

Heavy metal outfit Knightmare are an Australian metal band that cover many epic stylings, ranging from traditional heavy metal, all the way through to melodic black metal and similar heavy stylings.

The combination between power and thrash helps to give Knightmare their musical edge with their amazing song writing abilities, catchy solos, and huge choruses!

Knightmare is guaranteed to fill your ears with many emotive tunes that will really get your head into some heavy windmil action!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

How To Find The Right Company For The Best Melbourne Website Design

Netblots is a professional Melbourne web design company that can help any website owner leverage their presence on the Internet. A successful small business online marketing campaign combines branding efforts, traditional advertising strategies and online marketing campaigns designed to drive traffic to any site and convert visitors to customers. A slick graphic package and compelling content are two more pieces of the online marketing puzzle that will lead to success. 

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With the help of the experts at Netblots, any website owner can reach their goals. Experts in the business provide online marketing solutions to small business owners who want to reach their target audience online.

 

Marketing is Our Specialty

 

Our team of professionals will implement a marketing plan that uses online and traditional marketing strategies that include print advertising as well as ads placed online. Our marketing experts can help any business owner reach their target audience, increase business authority and reach out to potential customers regardless of location with an attractive web design. We can provide the tools and strategies that will help any business owners achieve the success they desire. 

 

Small Businesses Can Rely on Our Design Expertise

 

Many business owners have a difficult time communicating with existing and potential customers. The key is to deliver a powerful and consistent message. Our professional designers will turn any website into a dynamic environment that encourages users to take action. 

 

We can provide an intuitive content management system with drag and drop features that are user friendly. Attractive graphic design elements draw users in and leave a lasting impression. Our convenient CMS makes it possible for business owners to make changes to the design in any browser window. There is no need to download and install anything. 

 

Count on Us for Effective Branding 

 

Every business owner is aware of the importance of establishing brand recognition in the marketplace. The professionals at Netblots can help create and implement a small business marketing plan designed to raise brand awareness. They will map out a marketing strategy that can include sophisticated and innovative sound branding and videography services.

 

You can count on the Netblots for more than effective online marketing strategies. 

 

We Offer a Full Range of Services

 

Success in business requires a diverse marketing plan that includes much more than just an effective advertising strategy. An effective web design includes dynamic graphics and crisp copywriting that grabs the attention of the reader. It all starts with choosing the right URL and building an attractive design based on a chosen theme. Complete the Creative Brief document and let us know exactly what you need. 

 

Small business owners can rely on the experts at NetBlots to offer professional Melbourne web design and more. Let us help you achieve your marketing goals.

 

Monday, March 26, 2012

Make Your Music Spring To Life With Stomp! Studios

Taking a band from garage area team to traveling celebrities can be enough of a obstacle in itself. When creating songs is all a team wishes to do, promotion that team can seem like an overwhelming obstacle. That is when it is invaluable to have a leader in the market on their part. At Beat Companies, we are experts at what we do. From arranging a team into our Melbourne  recording studio to developing the band cover art for their upcoming release, Stomp Studios can get it done.

 

Perfecting Their Craft

 

At Stomp! Studios, we allow our performers to do what they do best. We book them into our documenting recording studio whenever their schedule allows so that they can perform on fine-tuning their audio. While practicing at home in the spare room area might be excellent for a team just starting out, there is nothing like the sweet audio of a testing documenting studio to bring out the best in instruments and words. Quality studios catch the nuance of every audio, allowing the performers to modify their partnerships to perfection. By consistently working in a documenting studio atmosphere, a team is able to make the most of their audio prior to performing stay jobs in front of devoted lovers. Our expertise can reach that goal for cd duplication.

 

Selling the Live Sound Mixing

Stage-lighting-recording-studio-melbourne

 

In today’s songs business, a band’s efficiency is only half of the equation. Marketing is the factor that truly takes a team from bar team to arena performers. At Beat Facilities, we perform with companies to visualize and realize their promotion dreams. From team websites to team cards, we do it all. We can master the cd replication just as easily as we can take care of creation and generation of team merchandise. From tee shirts to less difficult and everything in between, team merch is a fundamental element of promotion a team successfully. Beat Companies performs exceptionally well at perfecting the promotion part of team promotion. We can perform with a team to catch the experience of the team for creating a team web page that truly represents who they are and what they do. From graphics to content, our web page designs are what other musicians dream of for their companies. We are able to include web design and team marketing effortlessly together for creating a natural overall look and feeling for a team. The art work on the cd covers ties into the marketing cards that tie into the web page. We plan each factor carefully so that a team ends up with an picture that they have worked with on and approved of for their team. That sort of interest to detail is priceless; it can truly result in the difference in getting a team from garage area team to big names.

 

Attention to Live Performances

 

Stomp Companies also specializes in the stay concert aspect of building a team. From arranging testing studios Victoria companies clamour over, to developing level lighting style for stay shows, Beat Companies specializes in the details. We contemplate and complete band photography for creating a look for the team that truly discloses the picture they want their lovers to see. Bands are free to concentrate on audio checks knowing that the level stage lighting style is in expert hands. We take stunning documenting studio photos for marketing pictures. We catch stay shows with still photos and video. We do not overlook a single factor, as each piece plays an important role in the generation of a band’s picture. 

 

At www.stompstudios.com.au our goal is to take the worry out of the promotion so that a team can concentrate on creating songs. We are true masters at what we do. We become a promotion partner with our companies, so that their vision for their upcoming can become a reality. When a band’s upcoming is at share, only the best planning and promotion execution will do. That is why Beat Companies exists; we make musical dreams become a reality.

Make Recording Studio Aspirations Come To Life With Stomp Studios

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Getting a team from garage area team to traveling celebrities can be enough of a obstacle in itself. When creating songs is all a team wishes to do, promotion that team can seem like an overwhelming obstacle. That is when it is invaluable to have a leader in the market on their part. At Beat Companies, we are experts at what we do. From arranging a team into our Melbourne recording studios to developing the cd packaging for their upcoming release, Beat Companies can get it done.

 

Perfecting Their Craft

 

At Stomp Studios, we allow our entertainers to do what they do best. We book them into our producing facilities whenever their schedule allows so that they can perform on fine-tuning their audio. While practicing at home in the spare room area might be excellent for a team just starting out, there is nothing like the sweet audio of a testing facilities to bring out the best in instruments and words. Quality studios catch the nuance of every audio, allowing the entertainers to modify their partnerships to perfection. By consistently working in a facilities atmosphere, a team is able to make the most of their audio prior to performing stay jobs in front of devoted lovers. Our expertise can reach that goal.

 

Selling the Sound

 

In today's current songs business, a band’s efficiency is only half of the equation. Marketing is the factor that truly takes a team from bar team to arena entertainers. At Stomp Studios studio, we perform with companies to visualize and realize their promotion ambitions. From team websites to team cards, we do it all. We can master the cd replication just as easily as we can take care of creation and generation of team merchandise. From tee shirts to less difficult and everything in between, team merch is a fundamental element of promotion a team successfully. Beat Companies performs exceptionally well at perfecting the promotion part of team promotion. We can perform with a team to catch the experience of the team to make a team web page that truly represents who they are and what they do. From graphics to content, our band websites designs are what other performers dream of for their companies. We are able to include web design and team marketing effortlessly together to make a natural overall look and feeling for a team. The art work on the cd covers connections into the marketing cards that tie into the web page. We plan each factor carefully so that a team ends up with an picture that they have worked with on and approved of for their team. That sort of interest to detail is priceless; it can truly make the difference in getting a team from garage area team to big names.

 

Attention to Live Performances

 

Stomp Companies also specializes in the stay concert aspect of building a team. From arranging testing studios Victoria companies clamour over, to developing level lighting style for stay shows, Beat Companies specializes in the details. We contemplate and complete band photography to make a look for the team that truly discloses the picture they want their lovers to see. Bands are free to concentrate on audio checks knowing that the level lighting style is in expert hands. We take stunning facilities photos for marketing pictures. We catch stay shows with still photos and video. We do not overlook a single factor, as each piece plays an important role in the generation of a band’s picture. 

 

At www.stompstudios.com.au our goal is to take the worry out of the promotion so that a team can concentrate on creating songs. We are real masters at what we do. We become a promotion partner with our companies, so that their vision for their upcoming can become a reality. When a band’s upcoming is at share, only the best planning and promotion performance will do. That is why Stomp Studios exists; we make musical ambitions come real.

 

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The Best Melbourne Web Design Company

Netbolts is a Web Design Melbourne company that is helping small as well as mid-sized business owners in succeeding the objectives of their business. Being more specific, it is providing a web marketing solution which is very helpful to the business owner in plotting their way to the destination they want. This can be thought as online success.

We Do Marketing

We offer various marketing services both online as well as offline. This consists of from printing, consulting, planning of web marketing campaigns and a lot more. We know that internet is a very powerful tool to reach out to the target audience of your business and provide you tools, advice and mechanisms that is needed for the growth of your business. Along with the services of small business online marketing we also work effectively offline which will make your business stand apart from others.

We Do Design

Design is not only the visuals but, it is about communication. It is really a hard challenge for the business owners for communicating the right message to the target audience in the best possible ways. Our Melbourne graphic design experts will do the job for you. We will also empower you with the consulting tools as well as services that are needed for you.

You can take the example of drag and drop CMS or Content management system for instance.. You can also tweak the web design of yours using our CMS from your window of browser which do not require any installation or download.

We Do Branding

All the efforts which are spent in advertising and marketing works towards the branding which is the grand endeavor for establishing your brand in the market. Netbolts will provide you all the implements that are necessary to launch the branding campaign of your own. This will help you to create the corporate identity of your company. We will also help you in pointing to the right direction when there is need of marketing campaigns. We also provide the videography as well as sound branding services which will help you to take your business to success.

We are not only confined to the online marketing.

We Do Everything

The success of small business marketing is not only about the offline advertisement or online presence but it depends on other factors as well like copywriting and graphics. It greatly depends on things like web design, choosing URL, product photography as well as color and schemes. That is why we do almost everything that you need to have a successful business.
Netbolt is more than just a Melbourne web design company. We will help you to drive you towards online business.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Planning A Website For Small Business Online Marketing

For those who are new to creating websites, the task may seem huge and complicated. However, even the more experienced website owners know that a successful website requires large amounts of effort. Fortunately, there are some tips that can easily be remembered to get started on the right foot.


There are four things to keep in mind when starting a website. These considerations will help a website owner plan carefully and execute such a plan accordingly. Before anything else, the owner should define the site's purpose, content, usability and design. When one of these things are overlooked, the website may not be able to realize its goals or even maximize its potential.


Defining the Purpose

When starting a new website, the very first thing any site owner should do is to clearly define its purpose. First, one has to decide the type of website. Is it a personal or business site? The next thing one must do is to list realistic, achievable goals like introducing a product or service, creating leads or closing sales. A well-defined purpose and set of goals will make the task of creating relevant content easier and more efficient.


Creating Content

Content creation may be the most critical of all all processes involved in creating a website. This is because both written and visual content are the ones that do the work of converting a visitor into a customer or client. Written and visual content should be appealing at first sight. It is widely known that any content only has ten seconds to impress and gain the attention of any website visitor. Those critical ten seconds can make or break a website. The home page is never the place for lengthy introductions about the company, nor is it the page in which all products should be presented. Also, it is wise to consider Search Engine Optimization during the content creation process in order to gain targeted traffic from search engines. Relevant keywords and phrases should be included in the content in order for the pages to rank well in search results. This is especially important for internet marketing.


Usability

There are three key elements to consider for webpage usability - ease of use, website speed and user interaction. It is said that a website should be uniquely well-designed and eye-catching. However, this does not mean that it has to be complicated. The entire website should easily be navigable through the use of clearly labeled menus and sitemap. If visitors could not get from one page to the next without being confused and rattled, they will leave, and with them leaves potential profit.


Page loading time is also important, as users have very little patience with slow-loading websites. The content, images and scripts should be able to load in only a few seconds. This is why images and scripts should be optimized properly, or else, they will take up a lot of time which will turn off visitors.


Design

A successful website is aesthetically pleasing. It should look presentable and professional, without sacrificing ease of use and page loading time. If a website looks as if it has been created by a student for a school project, visitors will lose faith in the website. A website should always be cleanly presented, and, when applicable, use current design trends. Investing on the services of a professional web designer is highly recommended. The website owner and the designer should work together in order for the designer to translate the website's theme and purpose into a beautiful, functional and usable design.


For site owners who like doing things by themselves, there are certain things to remember when creating a DIY website design melbourne.


- Keep the pages clean. As much as possible, avoid visual noise.

- Text should be in dark colors on a light background. The reverse (light text against a dark background) is very hard on the eyes and may cause eye strain after long periods of reading.

- White space is important for ease of reading.

- Use a maximum of two colors, one for text and one for background. Too many colors in one page screams "unprofessional."


Once these four aspects are clearly defined, the next thing to do is execute the plan. The owner should decide whether to hire a freelance writer or a company to provide content. Another is to decide between hiring a website designer or doing the web design by oneself. Budgeting also comes at this juncture.


To some, a bad website is better than no website at all. They could not be more wrong. Poorly written content and badly designed website will surely turn off potential clients. It is always wise to invest time and money for proper planning, creating, launching and small business online marketing. A great online presence is a bold website that catches the eye of the passing visitor, exudes professionalism, commands authority and persuades this visitor into becoming a client.

This is how a website can ensure success.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

What is 'CMS' and What is the Best CMS Available?

Throughout my years as a graphic designer for both print and web mediums, I have been asked many times what a CMS is, and what my opinion on the best CMS is. One of these questions has a definite answer and clearly defined benefits. One is rather open to personal preferences and desires, but both are questions that should be answered before anyone in today's data age purchases a website.

Simply put, a CMS is a Content Management System used in reference to websites that allow the user to edit the site content without the need for programming knowledge or dedicated software. The degree to which the content can be edited varies widely and a great deal of companies out there exist with their own Content Management Systems, offering different levels of customisation. This is a highly desirable alternative to the traditional system of having a website built for you by a web designer, then paying them exorbitant amounts of money each time you want to change an image, update your prices or add some news.

The benefits of having a CMS are plentiful and can help you achieve more with your website than you may originally have planned. Not only is it a cost effective means of keeping your site up-to-date, but it actually helps to improve your search engine rankings and user experience as well. If your site hasn't been updated for a few years and the content is old and irrelevant, search engines like Google will pick up on this and your page will rank lower and be harder to find. Users also want to know that your content is current and any information on your products, pricing, contact details or offers is still applicable.

There are a few things you should find out when seeking the right CMS for you and your business. Everybody has different needs and expectations when it comes to websites so the perfect CMS for one company may not be as great a fit for the next. These questions should help you work out which web design agency and which CMS is most suitable for your needs.

What are the capabilities of the CMS and how much am I really able to edit?

This is actually far more important than most people realize. Most people are aware of how important a CMS is to the success of a website, but this is usually as far as the knowledge goes. What many people don't realize is that not all Content Management Systems are the same, and the amount of customisation varies hugely from system to system. What might seem common sense to include as a standard editable feature to the client may actually attract additional fees, so it is always important to find out exactly how much can be edited within your site. Can you add pages? Can you edit and change the menu? Can you change the footer? Can you set the link name and title of each page? Can you edit the design? Is there an editable master page which determines the layout and design of every page? Can you add extra URLs to your site? Do you need to know any programming to make major changes to the site? If you do know some HTML or CSS, can this be added to site? The more you have control over the better, because everything else that you don't have control over will more than likely attract high fees if you ever decide to change them.

What CMS is being used, or is it a proprietary system?

This may or may not be important to your business, but it can be good to know. There are a number of open source Content Management Systems available that many web design agencies use, such as WordPress and Joomla as well as closed proprietary systems developed specifically for some web design agencies, their partners and their resellers. With a well known open source CMS, in most cases you will be able to host your website wherever you like and should you decide to switch hosting providers, you will be able to quite easily with minimal help from a web programmer to assist the changeover. With proprietary systems, sites must be hosted with the company who owns the system as no other hosts have the capability to use that particular data. Whilst this may sound daunting, it doesn't really have a large impact on your website as once you find the right web design agency for your company, you shouldn't need to change service providers anyway. A good web design agency using a proprietary system will offer incentives and bonuses to make it worth your while to use their system and their hosting.

Can I add applications to the website like forms, videos or image galleries and will these cost me extra?

One of the benefits of a CMS website is that in general you do have the option to add extra applications to your site without having to know how to program them. Things like catalogues, video players or galleries can be great additions, but sometimes these can attract more fees. Open source CMS sites and some of the better proprietary systems are also compatible with third party applications developed by programmers and this can greatly increase the capabilities of your website at little or no extra cost. The more available applications the better, as this increases the value of your investment, and if you have full control over the customisation of these applications without needing to program or code, then you've hit on a winner.

Is there a limit to how many pages I can have and will additional pages cost extra?

No one wants to be limited to a set number of pages but the unfortunate truth is that many companies have set page limits with additional charges to add extra pages. Larger sites with legitimate pages and content do rank better on search engines so having no page restrictions can be a highly useful thing. The ability to change the menu to accomodate the additional pages is also very important.

What e-Commerce is available?

If you're considering selling products through your website, it is important to know what sort of e-Commerce is available through the site. Will the site be able to integrate with your chosen payment gateways? Will you have full cart capabilities and invoicing? Full featured shopping carts can potentially add thousands of dollars to your website whilst basic carts can cost next to nothing. Make sure you know exactly what you need out of a shopping cart before getting your site built or this could come as a nasty shock.

Are the sites Flash, HTML/CSS or both?

There are benefits to both types of sites and it is important to look at this objectively before finding a web developer. With good Flash CMS providers, you will undoubtably have the highest level of flexibility and customisation, with the ability to change everything, right down to elements of the design itself. You will also have much more interactivity for your site viewers. The downside to this being that unless you are aware of how to save your images and content specifically for web, Flash sites can load slower than HTML-based sites. Some Flash CMS sites are also not SEO friendly, so make sure that if you decide to go with a Flash CMS, it is one which automatically creates the content in HTML as well so that your content can be viewed by anyone without Flash installed, search engines and people on smart phones. A site using a CMS like WordPress uses HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) which requires programming knowledge in order to change layout and design. You can add and change text, images and pages as well as add third party applications, however it is a lot more restrictive and much of the real customisation will need to be done by your web designer or programmer. Many low-end WordPress designers just modify pre-existing templates to add your logo, giving you a site which looks like a cheap blog, so if you go down this path make sure you choose a reputable web design agency.

Are the sites SEO friendly?

There are a few things to make sure of when finding out whether your site will be compatible with Search Engine Optimisation. Is the content going to be readable by search engines? Purely Flash-based content will not be read by search engines and must always have a HTML copy to ensure your site will be searchable. Can you set the page links? Are you able to set meta tags, descriptions as well as the page and site titles? All of this contributes to how well your site ranks on search engines and will be important if you are planning on ranking well on Google.

Are the sites templates or custom designed?

No one wants a site that looks like a cheap template design, but if you pay $200 for a website, this is what you will get. It takes a very long time to design and build a site from scratch and the only way that a $200 site is going to be profitable for the designer is for them to have used a template and simply changed the logo and colours to suit your company. Of course, if you're just starting out, a template site is better than no site at all but you can actually go and get a template website on a CMS for free, so why pay someone else to do it?

Can I switch my current site over on to a CMS?

If you have a website that you're happy with already, but want to be able to edit it yourself, it may be possible to rebuild the site on a Content Management System. Some parts may be transferrable, but some may not be compatible with the individual system. It is important to ensure that your desired web design agency has taken the time to view all current pages and content to make sure everything you want can be transferred or recreated using their system.

In terms of the best CMS out there, as I have demonstrated above I honestly do not feel there to be a single CMS which stands out as being perfect for every single situation. I prefer to evaluate the company's needs and from there choose a suitable CMS. It is rather like saying 'what is the best TV show?' or 'which car is the best'; without situational parameters it is just an open ended question. Hopefully, this guide will help you to make a decision on which web design agency is right for you.

small business online marketing & web design Melbourne

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6590278

Successful Websites - How To Get Started!

Starting a website can seem like a huge task if you are not sure where to begin. Creating a successful website is an even more herculean task, even if you know what you're doing. Luckily, there are some handy hints available that will help you get started on the right track!

Before you start getting ahead of yourself, there are 4 points that you should consider. These points will determine the proper course of action for you to take in order to get the most out of your new website. These are - purpose, content, useability and design. Without properly defining your intentions in each of these areas, your site will be doomed to failure before it has even been created.

Purpose

The purpose of your site needs to be the first thing you consider when starting a new website. Is the site for a business or is it personal? What are you trying to achieve by creating a website? Is it to create more leads and/or sales? Is it to showcase your services/products? Is it just so you have somewhere to direct prospects to in order for them to gain more information about you or your service? The more clarity you gain on the purpose of your site, the easier it will be for you to create content that is relevant and will drive the right traffic to your site.

Content

The actual content (both written, and visual) on your site will determine whether you gain a client or not, so it is of utmost important that it appeals to the right target market. The home page of your site is often the hardest to write content for, as you have about 10 seconds to convince the potential client to visit the rest of your site or risk losing them completely. You should never use your home page as a place to brag about your company or write copious amounts of information about your products. Remember, when marketing your business online or offline, it's all about the customer and their wants and needs. You should also take SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) into consideration as you write your content. If you want to gain traffic through search engine hits, you will need to include relevant keywords and phrases into your content.

For more information on creating content for web, stay tuned for my 'Writing for the Web' article.

Useability

Useability references a number of key issues that must be considered when creating your site:

Ease of use

Quick loading times

User interaction

If your site has numerous menus and confusing, twisted paths to get to each page, then chances are your viewers will give up trying to navigate fairly quickly and you won't be able to communicate everything you want to before they leave. It is generally agreed that you should be able to access any page on your website in just 3 clicks or less, otherwise your site navigation needs to be changed and simplified. Your site also needs to load quickly, so limiting your image file size by optimising them for web whilst saving is important.

Design

Your site design needs to be attractive and modern, not only to yourself but to your target market. If the design looks as if it was made by the son of a friend of a friend, then it isn't going to look professional, and it won't sell your product or service. Your site design should stay up to date with current trends, and when in doubt, always trust your designer. Designers spend most of their time researching the competition and current trends in design to ensure that your site will communicate the right message and will appeal to the right people. Interfering with this process can cause more harm than good. However if you do decide to design it yourself, remember the following:

Keep it clean. If there's too much going on it will look messy and will be hard to digest any information.

Ensure your copy is on a light coloured background, and is not reversed (light on dark) as this makes it harder to read.

Keep plenty of white space around your sections of text for ease of reading.

Don't use too many different colours and fonts, this looks unprofessional and does not help to reinforce your company branding.

Once you are clear on each of these four aspects, decide on how you are going to have your site made. Are you going to approach a website developer or a freelance web designer? Are you going to try build it yourself? What is your budget and what are your specific goals pertaining to your website? Whilst it may sometimes be true to say that it's better to have a bad website than no website at all, think about the damage that you could be doing with a bad website. How many people have visited your website thinking that because of the unprofessional image portrayed by the site, the rest of the company would be the same? If it is not in your budget currently to get a professional site, consider web developers who offer monthly contracts with no upfront fees, or perhaps utilise free and low-cost online directories, template websites and social media strategies.

Remember that a professional web design can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to thousands, depending on your requirements and level of interactivity you want. You also need to commit to constantly updating your site in order to achieve success online. However, if done correctly, a good online presence is well worth the time and effort. So take time to plan, and reap the benefits!

Small business online marketing



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6437253