Las Vegas Web Design & Marketing Insights Marie Thompson

I really feel for those clients that come to us as their second or even third source, after getting burned by hiring previous agencies or web developers. Those clients usually present us with a half finished, semi-functional website and want to know if we can pick up where their last hire left off. As much as we want to say, "YES!" sometimes we're forced to explain that they need to start over from scratch because their unfinished website is on lock down and therefore inaccessible. And this is AFTER they have invested money, only to realize they do not own their own website and they do not have access to change any content or make updates to their site. So, before you hire an agency for your company website, here's a checklist of some important terms that need to be set in stone:

1. You Own Your Content

A reputable marketing agency will create a contract with you from the very beginning before any work is done protecting your rights to your deliverables. That way, once it's complete the way you want, you own ALL content and have 100% access to it. Plus, you don't ever have to worry about that agency going out of business because you can take your website anywhere and give them the log in credentials so they can make changes to it.



This is so important because your company's website is your store front online. It represents your company and therefore you should be the one making changes and updates to reflect your business. If someone else owns the content, you will be paying each and every time you need to contact them to make a change. You're also relying on them to do it promptly, and you probably won't rank high on their priority list. So it's best to outline who owns the content and accessibility to it from the beginning.





2. Use Open Source Software

Want to know a dirty little secret? A lot of web developers create job security for themselves by programming your small business website in their own custom coding, meaning they are the only ones who can make changes to it. You hate the idea of starting over and paying to hire a new agency to create a brand new website for you, so you keep coming back. But the truth is, a good agency will code your website using open source software that anyone can make changes to like WordPress (our favorite!), Joomla, Drupal, and Magento. If your developer isn't willing to program in open source, that should be a red flag that you are being trapped into working solely with them with no option of moving your website to another agency if you become unhappy.

3. Budget for Growth

A $500 website can be tempting, especially after all the costs you have already invested in your company. But a lot of people don't understand the difference in website costs and often get trapped into a low level cost that ends up costing more money in the long run to fix. For example, often times the upfront cost of a site is cheap because the developer offers no custom programming. You get whatever the preset theme is capable of, nothing more. Then unfortunately, when your company grows and you need to make changes and updates to your site, you can't. Suddenly need blogging ability? Too bad. Need your company site to sell your products online? Oh well. You get what you pay for. Don't let your website limit your company's growth. Try and budget for an agency that can expand your company's online marketing capabilities as you need them.

4. You Own Your Domain Name & Web Hosting

Do not allow any company to put themselves as owners of your domain name. This means you cannot take it with you and you cannot control it. It's perfectly acceptable to pay the agency to acquire and set up the domain name for you, but be sure you are listed as the owner.



Likewise,

2014 introduced a lot of new technology and evolution in the web world, much of which will become a staple in this year's marketing and design. We at Vegas Website Designs pride ourselves on delivering the latest user experience and want to keep you informed of the top web design trends for 2015. Resolved to improving your online presence this new year? Take a look below to gain some insight as to what to budget for when revamping your website.

Responsive Design

I've said it before, I'll say it again: for those companies still lacking a website that functions on mobile devices, you are missing an entire world of opportunity! There will be 2 billion smartphone users by 2015. The concept of responsive design was pushed at us back in 2012 as mobile users multiplied, but if you don't implement this web design trend in the coming year, there is a real probability you could start to see a decline in profits.



This design trend isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's growing. A shocking stat from ONE shares that more people have access to a mobile phone than a toilet! What's more is that 3/4 of those mobile users in the U.S. admit to taking their devices with them in the bathroom. So if you want unlimited access to your customers, taking advantage of responsive design will certainly get you there.

The Rise of Video



Make friends with this valuable content tool this year by incorporating video into your business website. With customers wanting to spend less time making a decision, implementing video tutorials and how-to's certainly speed up that process. Another great way to make the most of video content is to use it to tell your story. Visual content is one of the highest effective methods when it comes to customer engagement, so creating a video about your company that shows off its standards, processes, or kick-ass office space is an excellent way for customers to relate to you.



Another fascinating way this web design trend is being used in 2015 is through HTML5 video. Instead of having a static background image on your site's main page, an embedded video runs in the background, grabbing your customer's interest from the start. And the longer a customer stays on your site, the more invested they become. Plus, it gives your business a modern, high tech vibe that gives you a leg up over your competitor.

Infinite Scrolling

Users like to scroll. And it's easier for customers to get all their information on one page than to click around trying to find it. We're already familiar with this concept because of social media pages like Twitter and Facebook, so users have come to expect it. And with more and more websites opting for a one page design, fear of poor SEO ranking is dying.

Typography



Large, unique typography has become standard. With the endless possibilities of typography design out there, there is no reason a business can't be personally branded. When coupled with a large size, your unique typography will make a statement that can't be missed. So make sure the most important information is captured using this technique.

Simplification



Everything you need, nothing you don't. That's the design mantra websites are taking on this year, mainly driven by the small screen sizes of mobile devices. There is no longer room for fancy bells and whistles if you're trying to convey what's most important on a handheld screen. Removing non-essential design elements will give your website a cleaner, more functional look that will certainly be favored in 2015. And because smartphones aren't going extinct any time soon, it's a good idea to slim down your company's website now and opt for simplicity.

"If you really want to wound a man, hit him in the pocketbook!"

The term "tithing" has a way of making a lot of people uncomfortable. Just talking about finances is considered tacky. It's either shrugged off as a practice reserved for the religious or it can make someone feel judged. But as business owners having gone through the process of giving away zilch to faithfully committing 10% of all our gross income, we have experienced the gambit of emotions that accompany parting ways with our hard-earned profits.



I remember when we first began attending church regularly and before each sermon there would be a call to tithe, that is to give 10% of your income to the church. For a long while, we felt this didn't apply to us and we would be satisfied donating $5 or $10 into the offering basket, having accomplished our good deed of giving. But the more we attended, the more we began hearing sermons on the importance of tithing, which began peaking my curiosity. I was under the impression that practice was done away with and reserved for the Old Testament as an old law. How relevant was it today, anyway? And certainly God would not expect us to just give away hundreds of dollars of our income each month; how could we live?!



God is so patient. He tells us in Malachi to test Him in our giving:



"'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.'" -Malachi 3:10







So in part faith and part curiosity, we started to write larger tithe checks made out to our local church. They were not 10% of our income, and they were not regular. But the funny thing is that we always seemed to have just enough at the end of each pay, when before we usually fell short before Friday. This did not go unnoticed. In larger (and more dangerous) faith, we gave more and worked our way up to regular giving of 10% of our net income. It's a scary place to be when you first begin to release those funds and are forced to trust God at His word. It takes a few wins under your belt to start believing He will supply everything you need, especially when the numbers don't add up. Even still I sometimes struggle with letting go of that much money, but I do it anyway because I don't want money to rule me. I do not put my trust in money, my trust lies with God. When something dictates your actions, it has become your master. How sad it is to live one's life chasing after more and never being content? So I let it go and that keeps my hope on God, not in my ability to manage finances. If you aren't watchful of your heart, man-made cotton paper can become an idol that cannot preserve your life.



"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." -1 Timothy 6:17-19.



I used to think this verse applied to wealthy celebrities until I heard my pastor state that if you make over $50k/year, you are in the top 1% of income earners in the world! Convicted. I guess my family is "those who are rich in this present world" the Bible was referring to.



"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income." -Ecclesiastes 5:10



"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

By now, we all should recognize our company needs it's own unique image and personality in order to market with success. People are drawn to originality and will remember a company's logo, mission phrase, or design theme (if it's a good one). Modern marketing has wrapped this process up into a term called branding. Branding your business should include everything from your logo, your promise to your customer, the image of who you are, what your business is about, your website, your voice, etc. So how do you use these qualities to brand your business so that it stands out?





Be Consistent

Consistency is probably the single most important tip for creating a strong branding strategy. Place your logo on everything from your website to your packaging, the sign on your store, company letterheads and email signatures. A uniform font and design theme should also be consistent. Steady branding develops a strong sense of value in a customer's mind, allowing you to charge more for your products than the competitor without a branding strategy. Consistent branding builds trust and credibility by adding a perceived level of value that people will pay more for.



There's also an intangible side of branding that many businesses miss. Once the company's logo is slapped on every box and whitepaper, many businesses fail to back up their branding because the voice they portray doesn't flow with who they are claiming to be. For example, could you imagine if McDonald's, with their family-friendly branding strategy, posted an article on Twitter in support of China's one child law? That would create a bit of distrust in their brand, being that McDonald's prides itself on helping children, yet they would tweet a child bearing restriction article. So make sure your voice is consistent with your perceived brand through all intangible avenues such as social media, customer service calls and even what you wear to business meetings. It all speaks to others about who you are.

Ask Yourself Questions

As a business, ask yourself questions that your customers are going to ask such as, "What's your purpose? Why did you create this business? What do you support? How can you help your customers?" By defining your purpose, knowing how to brand will become easier. Decide what you want your customers to know about you and be aware of any misconceptions they might already have about your field. Try to offer something different, and through clear description of the benefits you have to offer, invite customers to give your product or service a try. If you don't have anything different to offer, try offering it in a unique way to gain that extra edge over your competitor.



Take our agency, Vegas Website Designs, for example. When we first started branding, we began as just another "website design and development" company with a good cause. There was nothing special or unique that made us stand out from our competitors. As time progressed, we settled into our niche of who we wanted to be and what we truly wanted to represent. We now brand ourselves as a digital marketing agency movement that helps launch organizations into 21st century web marketing and maximizes their online presence. We understand new customers can be found online by the boatload and business marketing has moved in that direction. It's our passion to lead business owners to see the same and take advantage.

Branding by Association

It's your job to get others to see what you see. If you are having trouble with that, joining a network of other businesses that support similar values and products might help. Becoming part of a network helps brand your business by referral. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing avenues and being associated with a highly referred business ups yo...

Why Does My Business Need To Market on Social Media?





As an agency eager to support professional organizations, one of the first places we look to connect with them is through social media. Too often, we're surprised to discover so many businesses either don't have a presence on any social media platform, or their content has not been updated for months (sometimes years!). If you are a business planning for success beyond 2015, marketing on social media needs to become a priority. Already, marketing analysis is revealing 50% of marketers see improved sales from social media, and that number increases as the hours spent marketing on social media platforms increases. Take for example, the 74% of reported marketers that gained new business by spending over 40 hours each week promoting on social media, all according to this year's social media tips report from the Social Media Examiner.



Encouragingly, it only takes as little as 6 hours per week of engagement to begin seeing lead generation benefits from social media. But if you're not one of the businesses interacting and advertising on social media, you're in the drowning minority. 83% of marketers report they have integrated social media into traditional marketing, with 94% of them using Facebook.

OK, So Which Platform Is Right For My Company?

So how do you know which platform on which to promote? That depends on whether your business targets business-to-business or business-to-consumer. The survey found Facebook as the most important platform for B2C, whereas LinkedIn is the most important for B2B. To gain any significant visibility on Facebook, your business needs a healthy advertising budget. The main goal here is to interact within your community, display your products and services in unique, appealing ways, and post content that interests your buyer. Twitter however, is more of a free-for-all. The more people you connect with, the better. Try to follow other experts in your field as well as prospective clients. Listening to others' concerns and problems, then offering a solution is the key to marketing on Twitter. When marketing B2B, LinkedIn provides that professional, credible approach for networking.

How Do I Build Connections?

But most importantly, be sure to connect, follow, friend, like, comment, share and re-tweet other individual's content to establish a natural relationship. Get to know them through their social media persona then from there, offer a solution to a problem of theirs once you have connected instead of immediately pitching a sale their way. Building relationships on social media outweighs generating leads.



Also be sure you're not being self-serving. When you post, try to give your clients an idea of what it's like doing business with you. Exclusively posting about your products or services turns clients away. It's all about personal relationships on social media. In order to build on those relationships, it's important for businesses to listen to feedback. Make your clients feel as though their voice is valued by responding to their comments and incorporating their ideas. Another way to remain generous and build relationships is by becoming an expert in your field. Offer free tips online to help your clients and build your credibility as the go-to source.



So, whatever social media platform you choose to promote your business,

It's time to go mobile, business owners. In 2013, we started to see companies encroaching on the mobile market and developing a new kind of website - not just a mobile version that spelled out your company's URL with an "m" before the web address, but a responsive website. As more varieties of mobile devices are invented (tablets, laptops, smartphones), there is a growing need for a single website that will function and respond flawlessly on all devices, hence, a responsive site. Those quick to catch on soon realized if they wanted to beat out the competition, investing in a responsive website for their business early on would give them a leg-up that would last. And they were right!

Will Consumers find your business or your competitors'?





In May 2014, Google discovered that local searches led 50% of mobile users to actually visit stores. In fact, 1 in 3 searches on a smartphone occur just before consumers visit a store and half of consumers who performed a local search on their smartphone will visit a store within 1 day. Google already knows that businesses that list local content are favored in mobile searches, so it's important your company's website can be uniformly viewed on whatever device your customers are using. What's more is that 4 out of 5 consumers perform local searches on search engines, with 88% using smartphones and 84% searching on tablets and laptops. Specifically, these mobile searchers want to know when your local business is open, where you are located, how to get there, and the availability of products. If this information is not quickly found on your company's mobile website, it's time to upgrade to a responsive design that clearly reflects these basics. Otherwise, you might be left out of the competition as this trend will only grow in 2015.



While rooting out which website trends are most popular for 2014, the movement toward a mobile responsive website nears the top of the list yet again and is expected to grow in the years to come. Currently, there are over a billion smartphone users worldwide and counting, so companies that fail to tap into this marketing mecca are declining into a serious disadvantage. Google Analytics is a great way to gauge how urgent your need is for a responsive design by helping you track how much of your site's traffic is currently coming from mobile sources.

Don't substitute social media as your company's website

Think posting all your business info on Facebook is enough? Sadly, what companies don't realize is mobile users are searching for you by name, product or service, and if you don't show up in local search results, then you have missed out on sales. That's why it's so crucial for your company to have its own space online, especially one that is responsive. This rule is especially true for companies that are in the retail or food business. Because many decisions about where to eat or where to shop are made impulsively and based upon a consumer's mobile search result, you want to be certain your business website shows up as a mini virtual version of your store.







Social media has gone mobile. More than half of social media usage is through a mobile device. So, if you're posting business content on a social media platform to lead customers back to you, be sure to have a responsive website so all the content will be viewed nicely and function properly on a mobile device. Otherwise, users will leave unhappy and your conversion will suffer. Having a responsive website will also give customers an easier way to contact you for comments or complaints, making it less likely they will plaster it all over social media.

Is Responsive Design Really Worth The Cost?

The truth is, making a website responsive is about as costly as making a conventional site, but in doing so, there are many costs you are eliminating. Once a site becomes responsive, the development,