Atlanta Web Design – DoubleDome Web Technologies

The creation of a website should be viewed as a cooperative venture. The web designers bring to the table expertise in web design, knowledge of the latest html features, the ability to integrate whatever special features the client desires, techniques for search engine optimization, etc. At first blush, this may make it sound as if the web design company needs no help, such that the client may feel that they should just stay out of the way.

Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s your website and your content that are going to be on display and no one knows better than you which items are most important. That’s why it is critical to spend some serious time organizing your website content in advance. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be as complete as possible. It will ensure that your web designers have a clear picture of what you want to say before they begin work. This will allow them to structure the web design in a manner that is best suited to getting your message across. When websites are built in this manner, everyone wins: the client as well as the web design company.

Do you think marketing your business?s product or service alone is enough in our fast paced, social media addicted, ADHD medication taking world?

If you answered no, you answered right. With people?s attention spans and free time getting shorter and shorter, a slick and user-friendly website might be the most important tool your business has.

Yet, time after time many businesses leave marketing their website?s to the wayside. Having a website truly isn?t a ?build it and they will come? situation.

If no one knows about your website, they can?t visit and learn about what you have to offer. That?s why marketing your website online and offline is just as important as marketing your service or product.

Here are some suggestions that will make your site a VIP:

Offline Marketing

Many website owners forget that they need to be visible offline where their target market lives. Offline marketing of your website is crucial. Here are some ways to start:
???? Your? business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, flyers, folders and newsletters should all include and emphasize your web address.
???? Print your URL boldly on the front side of direct mail postcards. Printing your URL in a large, attention-getting style will cause the recipient to turn the postcard over and read the other information you want to share with them.
???? Issue a press release announcing anything new or newsworthy on your site. Maybe you’re offering a free report, a free e-course or a different approach to the marketplace that the media will be interested in. Remember to include the URL in the content of your release and in your contact info section as well.
???? On-hold messages are now very ?in? right now for directing people to a site, especially with phone systems that use automatic attendants.
???? If you ever get the opportunity to be interviewed on the radio, make sure you find ways to drop your URL. You can say things like, “On my website, www.buzzyseeds.com, I offer free tips and articles to help customers in their gardening endeavors.” Don’t just say, “On my website …” without mentioning the URL. You should never assume the listener knows the site?s address or how to search for it.
???? Publications are always looking for experts in different fields to write guest columns or articles. At the end of the column or article they’ll usually let you include a few sentences related to your experience and ways to contact you called, a byline. Don?t forget to take this golden opportunity to drop your URL and email address.
???? Key chains, pens and pencils, mouse pads, coffee mugs, as well as any apparel that carry your logo and brand should also include a website address.
???? Billboards, fax cover sheets, vehicles, Yellow Page ads, other printed ads, T-shirts, golf balls and bags should also include your URL.

Online Marketing

Online marketing should be done in junction with the offline marketing mentioned above. Here are some ideas:
???? Online directories. There is thousands of industry related and city based directories. List your business on as many as you can, don?t forget that URL.
???? Ask any marketing partners or business partners to mention your website on their sites. You can also trade mention on sites with partners.
???? Post to online wire services, use online press releases and articles just like the offline method mentioned above.
???? E-mail signatures
???? Social Media, why not let your friends and their friends know about your site. Twitter and Facebook are great sites for fun with a side of networking.? Include your website on your personal page or posting. You never know, your next customer might be the cousin of an old college fraternity brother!
???? Banner advertising on your website, as well as other related sites that your target market visits.
???? Even though people are at your site, mention it often within the text of your web copy. This will reinforce it in the viewers’ minds and help with search engine optimization.
???? Mention your website or include it in your signature for all news group, discussion group or blog postings.
???? Pay-per-click marketing
???? Viral video/You Tube. A funny video could get a laugh and also drive potential customers to your website.

Just remember to be creative with both your online and offline. Remember the girl in New Jersey who auctioned off her stomach for a URL to be displayed on it, or the guy who offered his head for a Super Bowl ad to be tattooed on? Now that’s way to get your name out there!

Now if you could only get your website a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

Graphics

1. Smaller is Better, 10-12KB per image. Having a large image can cause a slow page.
2. Always use graphics that fit the content. Just because you have a very cute baby doesn?t mean that it should be your website?s background picture. Choose images that relate to the content of your website.
3. Do not use images that make people nauseous.? In other words don?t use images that blink, move, change, rotate or flash on your page. Or use them sparingly. Flashing graphics have been proven in studies to be distracting and annoying to people

Layout

1. Stick with standard layouts. The reason that the 3-column layout is so popular on websites and newspapers is because it works. You might think it’s boring, but you’ll keep more readers if you stick with something simple that they can understand.
2. Whitespace is just as important in a Web layout as it is in a paper layout. Be aware of how whitespace effects how the content of your web page is viewed.
3. Use your graphics in your layouts. Use graphics as actual elements in layouts.

Fonts

1. Serif for headlines and Sans Serif for text. You should use Serif for headlines and sans serif for text. These fonts are easy to read on computer screens.
2. Limit the number of different fonts. Limit your use of different fonts. Using too many fonts makes your site amateurish.
3. Use standard font families. Stick with fonts like Verdana, Geneva, Arial, and Helvetica. They may seem boring but will be viewable on most people?s browsers.

Advertising

1. Limit your ads. Don?t be greedy. Yes, it?s important to make money from your website, but too many ads will drive people away.
2. Keep ads small. Treat them like any other image you would use on your site, avoid blinking/flashing images and keep them relevant.

Remember Your Audience

1. Test your pages in multiple browsers. Don?t assume that your website will work on all browsers.
2. Test your pages in multiple operating systems as well. Make sure your site is viewable in all operating systems. Just because your site works in IE 6.0 for Windows doesn?t mean it will work for Firefox on a Mac.
3. Write what they want to read! Make sure your content covers topics that your readers want to read.

Mom always stressed how important first impressions are….

What does your home page say about you or your company? Chances are, if it’s like many websites out there, very little. Many companies realize that websites are a prime marketing channel for their business, but they forget that other people, including potential customers don’t eat, drink, breathe and sleep their products. This means that their website home page ends up being a showcase for whatever company project has the focus at the moment.

Some of the more common elements of a company home page are:

• Products for sale
• News and Press Releases
• Events and Announcements
• Navigation
• Search

What’s missing from many home pages is a clear and concise description of the company. If your customers can’t figure out what you’re trying to sell or do for them right away they might just give up and leave immediately.

What About Existing Customers?
You might be asking, “But our existing customers already know who we are and what we do.” While that is probably true, your Web site should be a ready resource for attracting new customers as well as retaining existing ones. But if the new customers aren’t really sure what you offer, they might leave for a firm that is more clear.

What you should aim for is a balance between providing the tools returning customers crave with the information that new customers need to make the decision to go with your company. This can be just a sentence or two, with links to more if they need or want it. Leaving this out may satisfy one department’s need for one more sentence about their product, but risks alienating new customers before they’ve even gotten to that product.

DoubleDome Web Technologies is an Atlanta web design company that provides a full range of Internet Marketing services including Professional Web Design, E-commerce Web Design, Mobile Web Design, Flash Design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Email Marketing Service, Website Support, and Web Hosting. DoubleDome is a single point-of-contact for all Internet marketing services for corporate websites, Ad Agency Outsourcing, Business web design and retail e-commerce across the country. For more information about DoubleDome, please visit their website: www.doubledome.com.

Running a search engine optimization campaign for all the major search engines is key to ranking well for your focused keyword phrases. When managing one of these campaigns, significant focus should be placed on Google since it currently controls the lion’s share of search traffic in the United States and beyond. Here are 9 design and content guidelines to help the SEO for your website.

1. Make a site with a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link.
2. Offer a site map to your users with links that point to the important parts of your site. If the site map is larger than 100 or so links, you may want to break the site map into separate pages.
3. Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
4. Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.
5. Try to use text instead of images to display important names, content, or links. The Google crawler doesn’t recognize text contained in images.
6. Make sure that your TITLE tags and ALT attributes are descriptive and accurate.
7. Check for broken links and correct HTML.
8. If you decide to use dynamic pages (i.e., the URL contains a “?” character), be aware that not every search engine spider crawls dynamic pages as well as static pages. It helps to keep the parameters short and the number of them few.
9. Keep the links on a given page to a reasonable number (fewer than 100).

DoubleDome Web Technologies is an Atlanta web design company that provides a full range of Internet Marketing services including Web Design, E-commerce Development, Mobile Web Design, Flash Design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Email Marketing, Website Support, and Web Hosting. DoubleDome is a single point-of-contact for all Internet marketing services for corporate websites, Ad Agency Outsourcing, Business web design and retail e-commerce across the country. For more information about DoubleDome, please visit their website: www.doubledome.com.