business owner « Christopher Ross

Posts Tagged ‘business owner’

10
Nov
2009

How to hire a web designer

Before rushing into your big online business idea, there are a lot of things to consider and the first is how to hire a web designer.

Have a plan

Let’s take a look a few key points when hiring a web designer, first you need to establish what it is that a web designer is going to do for you. Before you even approach a web designer, know what you want. It’s far too easy for web designers to accidently overwhelm you with technical jargon and deliver something that might not meet your needs.

Understand their role

A web designer is a tool much like a hammer, you can build a great house with them but you can’t depend on them to be everything, all the time just like you can’t expect an architect to be a great plumber. What most people think of as web design falls into several special categories:

Web designers, the people who control the look and code static HTML for browsers to read
Web developers, who program website dynamic code for ’smart’ websites
Web marketers, who promote your website and create social media links
Web architects, the people who plan complex websites
Web content developers, people who write and edit text for your website

Freelance web designers are often great at one thing, sometimes two but rarely three or more. If you’re unsure if the web designer you’re talking to can complete all the tasks required, hire additional help.

Shop Smart

If you’re the type of person who wants (or needs) to succeed online, shop smart and shop around. Once you have a comprehensive plan for what you (the business owner) wants, talk to at least three web designers and get equally comprehensive quotes from each. Remember, you’re in control of your own website and need to feel educated and properly equipped to make the best choice possible.

If all else fails, ask me for an opinion I offer comprehensive consulting services designed to help business owners make better website decisions and build better websites.

Tags: best choice, Business Idea, business owner, business owners, Comprehensive Consulting, Consulting Services, Dynamic Code, Help Shop, Own Website, Plumber, Static Html, Technical Jargon, Web Architects, Web Content Developers, web designer, web designers, web developer, web marketers, Website Designers, Websites Web
Posted in Business Advice

17
Apr
2009

Fredericton Web Design

1 Comment

I can appreciate that not everybody in my sleepy little town can afford to hire a top tier marketing agency or print fantastic brochures but everybody deserves a great website, which is one of the reasons that I get so upset when I look around at the state of websites here in Fredericton.

As a business owner, I think it’s time for everybody in the city from tourism to retail and services to look at their own website and ask themselves some basic questions:

Has my website been updated in the last month?
Does my website reflect my business objectives?
Is my website meeting my marketing requirements?
Does my website link to other Fredericton businesses?
Am I proud of my website?

As I’ve written throughout my website, the purpose of a website is to market yourself and your business so if you’re not able to answer those five basic questions in a positive manner, perhaps it’s time to hire a local Fredericton web designer to help you build a better website? Here are some great local, Fredericton web design firms you can call to help build a great website (in no particular order):

Black Ink - www.blackink-design.com – (506) 454-6290
Smartypants.com Inc. – www.smartypants.com – (506) 455-3108
Mediacrossroads Web Media – www.mediacrossroads.com – (506) 450-9489D.
Creative Juices – www.thecreativejuices.ca – (506) 460-8347
Red Cow Technologies, Inc. – www.redcow.ca – (506) 458-1290
Firefly Design – www.fireflydesign.ca – (506) 459-4113
Emerge Designs – www.emergedesigns.net – (506) 458-2692
Nictech Designs inc. – www.nictechdesigns.com – (506) 451-9687
Vagrant Web Services – www.vagrantweb.ca – (506) 455-9321
Biggar Studio – www.biggarstudio.com – (506) 447-9144

What to look for in a website designer

When you’re looking to hire a website designer, be sure to ask for a few basic things to ensure that the website project goes smoothly.

Ask for references, web designers are notoriously cranky … make sure you can work with the person you’ve hired.
Look at their previous projects, do you like the style and creative energy they’ve put into it? Chances are, your website look and feel similar in the end.
Do your research by seeing how well their clients appear in Google. For example, if you’re a local car dealership search Google for other dealerships the web designers built to see how it ranks.
Shop around and get quotes from at least three web design firms before making your selection to ensure that you’re getting the best value for your dollar.
Ask your design team if they really have the time, experience and expertise to build your website. Remember, your marketing project shouldn’t be a learning curve for them.

Get a second opinion, it’ll save you in the end

As a consultant, I often help non technical businesses make sense of their online marketing solutions. If you’re moving forward on a web marketing project why not give me a call and let me help you work with your web design team here in town? I offer small and medium sized businesses a fresh set of eyes to review web projects and help ensure your site meets international standards, meets deadlines and comes in under budget.

Tags: Basic Questions, Black Ink, Brochures, Business Objectives, business owner, City Of Fredericton, Creative Juices, Design Www, Fredericton New Brunswick, Fredericton Region, Including Web Design, Marketing Agency, Nictech, Own Website, Red Cow, Redcow, Sleepy Little Town, Smartypants, Stunning Websites, Technologies Inc, Web Design Firms, web designer, web designers, Web Media, Www Ca
Posted in Blog Posts

30
Jan
2009

Fresh Post at Getaway Graphics: What do Search Engines Really See?

4 Comments

One of the most difficult things for the average business owner to understand is how major search engines work and what they can read from a website. All of the holiday and hotel websites we build here at Getaway Graphics are designed so that major search engines can properly read the content from sites.

Tags: business owner, getaway, Graphics Search, hotel web, Hotel Websites, major search engines, search engines work
Posted in Blog Posts

30
Jan
2009

What do Search Engines Really See?

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One of the most difficult things for the average business owner to understand is how major search engines work and what they can read from a web site. All of the holiday and hotel web sites we build here at Getaway Graphics are designed so that major search engines can properly read the content from sites.

To see what major search engines see, take a look at our free SEO checker found at seocheck.getawaygraphics.com. This tool was original designed as an internal tool for our development team to ensure quality marketing and online promotion for our clients so it’s not the prettiest tool but it gives you a great idea of what major search engines can see.

Why does it matter?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) isn’t really about making it possible for companies like Google or MSN to find you, it’s about making it possible for people who have never heard of you to find you. If you think of major search engines as a blind person, then you begin to understand that the single most important aspect of your web site is the text you display and that by extension the better the text you display, the more people can find you.

We call it organic traffic, it’s designed to save you countless marketing dollars.

Tags: Blind Person, business owner, checker, getaway, google, hotel web, Internal Tool, major search engines, msn, Quality Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, search engines work, Search Optimization, Seo Optimization, Single Most Important Aspect, traffic
Posted in Search Engine Optimization, getawaygraphics.com