What Businesses Should Know When Hiring A Website Developer

                                          instantshift.com



Have a plan

Before the first meeting, take time to think about your company’s wants and needs in terms of website functionality. What is your grand vision? Look at other sites to illustrate your vision. The better your explanation, the better the developer can plan and execute a functional web site.

Listen to the developer’s ideas


After sharing your plan, listen and consider the developer’s suggestions. As the expert, he or she will know the most effective way to deliver an outcome. The developer’s enthusiasm in the project can also be a good indicator of the type of work to be performed.

Add strategically

Often times, developers get over excited about projects and suggest additional items you may or may not need. Make sure additions bring value to the user experience. If you feel the developer is trying to increase the price of the project by recommending items you do not need, look elsewhere.

Consider maintenance

With any website comes maintenance. Ask the developer upfront if you’ll be trained on how to use the site, if you will be able to make changes yourself, and if there are any limitations in terms of content. All this information will be beneficial to know at times when you need to change text, add pages, update products, or add new items to the site. Also, ask if the website can be transferred to another developer in the future.

Don’t pay for everything upfront

Some developers ask for full payment upfront and then fail to complete the project. It is common practice to require 25 to 50 percent up front, and the rest after key milestones or when the work is complete.

Remember: Don’t be afraid to ask “interview” questions, just like you would when hiring a full-time employee. Ask for references, examples of “live” sites, and credentials.

Do you think a developer’s personal appearance is important? Would you feel more comfortable with someone wearing glasses and a pocket protector, or someone with piercings and tattoos?

- See more at: http://www.bbb.org/blog/2013/08/checklist-for-hiring-a-web-developer-to-manage-your-site/#sthash.UEToPPMP.dpuf

Whether running a big business or a one-man shop, having a strong presence on the Internet is important. For this reason, enlisting the help of a qualified web developer can help ensure a website’s functionality and effectiveness.

Business owners looking to hire a web developer should consider the following five tips to ensure they obtain the desired outcome:

Have a plan

Before the first meeting, take time to think about your company’s wants and needs in terms of website functionality. What is your grand vision? Look at other sites to illustrate your vision. The better your explanation, the better the developer can plan and execute a functional web site.

 Listen to the developer’s ideas

After sharing your plan, listen and consider the developer’s suggestions. As the expert, he or she will know the most effective way to deliver an outcome. The developer’s enthusiasm in the project can also be a good indicator of the type of work to be performed.

 Add strategically

Often times, developers get over excited about projects and suggest additional items you may or may not need. Make sure additions bring value to the user experience. If you feel the developer is trying to increase the price of the project by recommending items you do not need, look elsewhere.

Consider maintenance

With any website comes maintenance. Ask the developer upfront if you’ll be trained on how to use the site, if you will be able to make changes yourself, and if there are any limitations in terms of content. All this information will be beneficial to know at times when you need to change text, add pages, update products, or add new items to the site. Also, ask if the website can be transferred to another developer in the future.

Don’t pay for everything upfront

- See more at: http://www.bbb.org/blog/2013/08/checklist-for-hiring-a-web-developer-to-manage-your-site/#sthash.Qngvl1Tz.dpuf

Whether running a big business or a one-man shop, having a strong presence on the Internet is important. For this reason, enlisting the help of a qualified web developer can help ensure a website’s functionality and effectiveness.

Business owners looking to hire a web developer should consider the following five tips to ensure they obtain the desired outcome:

Have a plan

Before the first meeting, take time to think about your company’s wants and needs in terms of website functionality. What is your grand vision? Look at other sites to illustrate your vision. The better your explanation, the better the developer can plan and execute a functional web site.

 Listen to the developer’s ideas

After sharing your plan, listen and consider the developer’s suggestions. As the expert, he or she will know the most effective way to deliver an outcome. The developer’s enthusiasm in the project can also be a good indicator of the type of work to be performed.

 Add strategically

Often times, developers get over excited about projects and suggest additional items you may or may not need. Make sure additions bring value to the user experience. If you feel the developer is trying to increase the price of the project by recommending items you do not need, look elsewhere.

Consider maintenance

With any website comes maintenance. Ask the developer upfront if you’ll be trained on how to use the site, if you will be able to make changes yourself, and if there are any limitations in terms of content. All this information will be beneficial to know at times when you need to change text, add pages, update products, or add new items to the site. Also, ask if the website can be transferred to another developer in the future.

Don’t pay for everything upfront

- See more at: http://www.bbb.org/blog/2013/08/checklist-for-hiring-a-web-developer-to-manage-your-site/#sthash.Qngvl1Tz.dpuf

Whether running a big business or a one-man shop, having a strong presence on the Internet is important. For this reason, enlisting the help of a qualified web developer can help ensure a website’s functionality and effectiveness.

Business owners looking to hire a web developer should consider the following five tips to ensure they obtain the desired outcome:

Have a plan

Before the first meeting, take time to think about your company’s wants and needs in terms of website functionality. What is your grand vision? Look at other sites to illustrate your vision. The better your explanation, the better the developer can plan and execute a functional web site.

 Listen to the developer’s ideas

After sharing your plan, listen and consider the developer’s suggestions. As the expert, he or she will know the most effective way to deliver an outcome. The developer’s enthusiasm in the project can also be a good indicator of the type of work to be performed.

 Add strategically

Often times, developers get over excited about projects and suggest additional items you may or may not need. Make sure additions bring value to the user experience. If you feel the developer is trying to increase the price of the project by recommending items you do not need, look elsewhere.

Consider maintenance

With any website comes maintenance. Ask the developer upfront if you’ll be trained on how to use the site, if you will be able to make changes yourself, and if there are any limitations in terms of content. All this information will be beneficial to know at times when you need to change text, add pages, update products, or add new items to the site. Also, ask if the website can be transferred to another developer in the future.

Don’t pay for everything upfront

- See more at: http://www.bbb.org/blog/2013/08/checklist-for-hiring-a-web-developer-to-manage-your-site/#sthash.Qngvl1Tz.dpuf

Deep Blue Has Been Awarded One of the Best Responsive Website Design Firms

DeepBlue has taken the second place award on 10 Best Design’s list of Best Responsive Web Design Companies. Their use of images, bright color palettes and complex design elements help them stand out in a sea of pre-made templates and cookie-cutter websites. Established in 1999, DeepBlue is a grandfather of modern website design companies yet manages to remain the leader of the pack even as younger firms are born. Standing the test of time, DeepBlue has adapted to each fickle whim technology has thrown at them over the last fourteen years and continues to be an example for longevity in one of the most fast-paced industries on Earth. In that time they have helped over 1000 customers produce the perfect web design for the their product or service, created of 300 e-commerce sites, and completed over twenty-five responsive sites. Based out of both Los Angeles and Atlanta, the DeepBlue team is made up of thinkers, innovators, creatives, strategists, techno-geeks and fanboys who are dedicated to creating memorable brands and high impact websites that stay with the viewer long after the web browser has been closed. Their own website is complex and exhibits animation like features that give users a unique viewing experience. A masterpiece of dozens of minute details and large graphic pieces working together to beget a single vision, their site works as its own portfolio, showing a variety of different options without being messy or over the top. The mobile site is just as impactful despite the fact that many of the details have been toned-down and placed in the background to enhance readability on the smaller screen of a tablet or smart phone. In essence, they build responsive sites that manage to keep their quirks and branding elements regardless of the user’s point of access. Their portfolio is a living, breathing creature full of websites made not only to survive a new format, but to thrive in their new environment. Watching their work morph from the standard website to the responsive mobile website is a treat. Each element is amended to fit the intended platform and keep the company’s individual branding goals in mind. DeepBlue’s unique view of responsive web design has not gone unnoticed. The company has caught the eye of many national and multi-national companies including Mazda, Miramax Films, the United States Courts and even NASA. They’ve been awarded a Webby award and an Addy award. They have also been featured in both Forbes magazine and on CNN. DeepBlue has created a legacy of slick, modern, fun work that integrates all the right elements to make a website unforgettable to consumers. Unlike many companies that have surpassed the ten-year mark, DeepBlue continues to be a leader in pushing the envelope and creating formerly unseen solutions to complicated questions. The company regenerates constantly and learns how to not only keep up with new-fangled companies, but create new technologies and techniques before anyone else. Like a fine wine, DeepBlue’s web design just continues to improve. For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/10-best-design/responsive-web-design/prweb11016848.htm

Vivid Learning Systems Has Developed a New Redesign of Four Industry Websites

Why was this redesign needed for MSHA,Electrical Utility Safety, Healthcare and OSHA Compliance?

New design for these industries websites has provided benefits to safety professionals,from safely directors to those workers in the field of their specific industry. The new websites have provided content for education on the benefits of learning technology for safety programs.

“Our goal was to build a scalable and responsive multi-site content platform, that will allow us to easily implement new assets from game-based learning to videos and infographics" said Liz Bormida, Marketing Manager at Vivid Learning Systems. “The result is a new, mobile friendly website for each industry to help students and visitors have access to educational information and resources in an effort to help increase safety awareness in the workplace. Our vision is to bring mobility and convenience to occupational health and safety.”


“Our online visitors and students will now experience a more vibrant and seamless view of safety related content, from online training and best practices, to industry news and regulatory updates,” said Shawn Simon, Utility Manager for Vivid Learning Systems. “In the same way that the creation of Vivid Learning Systems Electrical Training Worker 1910.269 library brought top industry experts for an on-demand training solution for electrical utilities, the redesign of the Utility Safety Online website creates a new home in cyberspace for wide-ranging utility safety resources, making virtual visits to Utility Safety Online more exciting and informative than ever."

View the following websites and see what you think of the new changes made by Vivid Learning Systems.

http://www.utilitysafetyonline.com
http://www.mshatrainingonline.com
http://www.healthecaretrainingonline.com
http://www.complianceatwork.com

Tips To All That Are Involved in Relaunching Your Business Website

The first question you need to ask yourself is "why do I need to change my website ?".  Is the function and appearance of the website pleasing my customers.  If you think that a makeover is what you need then there are some great tips out there for you and your web developer.

Joe Griffin has served as the co-founder and CEO of a digital marketing firm and he shared some great tips in the article that he wrote.


Re-launching a website is a massive, multi-layered task for any business.
You have make decisions not only about design and branding — a re-launch requires a seemingly endless checklist of tasks: benchmarking, content strategy, audience research, SEO, back-end hosting … the list goes on. Plus, as a business every decision is hinged on ROI: What impact will the remodeled website have on your business’ traffic, engagement, and conversion?
Your business’s flaws and weak links are often exposed when it comes time to reinvigorate your web presence.
Whether this comes in tandem with an organizational restructure, a change in services or products, a reinvigorated brand strategy, or simply after realizing that your current website is not converting customers at the level you’d like, every business should re-convene on their web strategy at least every few years.


These tips can serve as a blueprint, checklist, and guide for your enterprise’s future website remodeling plans. 

1.Get everyone on the same page

Talk to each and every stakeholder about the impending re-launch. Meet with colleagues (within your department and cross-functionally), shareholders, clients, board members, industry mentors, and other key parties as you embark on your re-launch planning.
Ask each group similar questions:

• What is missing?
• What do you like about the current site?
• Do you think it’s the right time to re-launch?
• Do we have the capacity to do this as a company?
• Do you think we will come out better afterwards?
• Do we want a re-skin, which impacts the overall design aesthetic of the website, or a re-launch, a total overhaul?

Answering these questions early on – and getting buy in and feedback from all parties — will help you in the long run. When relaunching iAcquire.com, for example, multiple departments within our agency combined forces to create a vision for the website. Doing this helped us define scope, high-level direction, budget, requirements, and most importantly goals — all essential for the beginning strategy documents of a website redesign.

2. Allocate a budget and bandwidth

Your overall budget for your website redesign will frame your bandwidth. If your budget is in the tens of thousands of dollars, you have the budget to utilize a big agency to create a new website for your enterprise. If your budget is smaller ($7,500-$15,000) you may be able to utilize outside help on a consulting basis.
Either way, a large chunk of change will be needed for a website redesign. Hosting isn’t free either, so even if you do everything in-house you’ll need a budget.
Also, consider the project scope and if your in-house team has the capacity to complete such a large-scale project. Creative, content, promotion, SEO, and developers will all need to commit a large part of their workload to the project. For example, our marketing and strategy team dedicated a good solid three month to the project.
CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and legal need to be engaged from the beginning as well. And project status should be communicated at least one time per week to high-level stakeholders.

3. Ensure benchmarks are in place

Create benchmarking documents to track the current website’s design and content, layout, as well as audience targeting and current website analytics (visitor interaction and conversion) so you can accurately measure success after the new site launches. Define your current and future KPIs and keep track of them. Keep in mind that these may change as your organization grows, so be inclusive and collect as much as you can.
For iAcquire, we use the following key performance indicators:

• Leads
• Time on site
• Share of voice
• Number of links
• Organic search rankings
• Impressions
• Traffic

4. Define or redefine your key audience personas 
Consumers are getting savvier and savvier by the minute and modern technology allows users to tune out various messages. With that being said, it is crucial to craft your remodeled website around your converting, engaged personas.
Once you define audience personas, you can better direct:

• The tone of the copy
• The website’s overall design/look
• What type of content (images, copy, videos) resonates best
• Calls to action – where the are placed, what copy to use, user path

Creating audience personas helps all creative, content, and allows marketing stakeholders to maintain uniformity. Leverage audience market data, survey results, and need states to create personas and user stories. Use this template and create your own three to five personas. Utilize market research tools like Experian, Nielsen, Facebook data, and even Google Analytics to get to the core of your visitor base.

5. Plan as much as you execute

Draft a creative brief that includes all project requirements – from copy and SEO to technical hosting and color scheme requirements. This brief will serve as the blueprint for all parties working on the redesign.  The plan can be as long as 30 pages, though the length is not important; the content is the important part. If it helps you, then delegate specific sections to different leaders within your team. Come together and review the plan, and then from there start executing your strategy.

6. Consider your copy

A shiny, well-designed site is great, but like your looks it’s the first thing to go with age. If your content isn’t great, neither is your site. And it’s not just about well-written prose; it all has to be planned out, persona-driven content, created by understanding your key audiences and how they behave online. Develop a roadmap for content strategy and your copy will fall into place.
Within iAcquire, we know that governance and establishing an editorial calendar is just as important as setting up the content framework. Without structural guidance organizations can fall into content paralysis. These processes defines the players, topics, and requirements necessary to curate and publish content.

7. Keep the bot in mind

Within your re-launch two key “audiences” need to be kept in mind: your visitors and the search engine spiders. Search engines have a very detailed algorithm for ranking pages, and with your re-launch you want to make sure that you stay even or above in your rankings. Here are three key considerations you should have for SEO:

• Redirects
  If specific URLs are no longer active, or you are changing the site architecture, make sure 301s redirects are in place. Non-existent redirects can lead to a “docked” search position.
• Conversion end-points
  Your re-designed website will probably not have the same conversion funnel or path as your last site, so make sure someone is dedicated to checking the conversion points on your redesigned sites to make sure they are a) working, b) properly migrated, and c) tracked.
• On-page keyword analysis
  Target two to three keywords per page and intertwine them organically throughout the copy and metadata. If your organization previously targeted a list of keywords, look at them again as competition and volume changes from year to year and even month to month.

8. Who’s your host?

Consider where you are going to host your site.

Is it going to sit on a server that your enterprise owns and maintains, or will it live with a hosting company? Is your hosting bandwidth enough? Consider what frameworks you will use on the front end, and what Javascript libraries you will use, such as MooTools or jQuery. PHP, .Net, or Rails? WordPress or Drupal?
All of these decisions need to be made early on.

9. Utilize Google Webmaster Tools

Once your website is in development, have your organization set up a Google account (if you don’t already have one) and get acquainted with Google Webmaster Tools. This free Google tool can tell you any problems with site/page indexing and even click-through rates. If the content is being rearranged on your new site, it could be buried deeper, making it harder for search engines to crawl, which leads to a non-indexed area.

10. Strategize a post-launch plan

Your job isn’t over when your redesigned site launches. Create a plan to promote the new site on social media, PR outreach, and blog announcements. Plan on pushing marketing messages through these channels for at least two weeks past the launch. Connect with key influencers on social who can push your message further.
Then create a plan to organize, develop, curate, and publish new content so you keep luring new visitors in: inbound marketing at its finest. On an internal communications front, make sure that your organization is kept in the loop as well. Inform all departments of the re-launch. Be clear on what has changed and how they can utilize your “2.0” or “3.0″ website to optimally conduct their respective jobs.
While every organization has needs, adopting a process is a crucial element. Use this list as a guide, and customize it to meet your organization’s unique challenges, and develop a website that reflects your company
http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/07/10-essential-tips-for-your-companys-web-design-project/

 

 

 

Website Templates by MotoCMS

Moto CMS Now Include a Wide Variety of Customizable HTML Templates.

 MotoCMS, creators of the simple and intuitiveMotoCMS website builder, proudly announces the addition of HTML templates to its already extensive collection of beautiful and user-friendly templates. Featuring both HTML and Flash options, users can browse the entire selection of website templates by MotoCMS or select only the template type they wish to use.

Designed for both the seasoned professional and the newbie creating his or her first website, the website templates powered by MotoCMS are created with the principles of simplicity and functionality in mind. However, what users gain in ease of use, they do not lose in style and design. Each MotoCMS template is sleek, cutting-edge, highly professional, and creates a website that customers can be proud of that showcases their products, designs or services in a beautiful way.

According to an article on the website, "Since the moment we started developing complete solutions for website development and management, all our efforts were directed at building a truly convenient and user-friendly content management system for websites, starting from online business cards to complex portals. And we want our customers to get a real masterpiece in the end, but not a template half-finished product created only for profit."

The drag and drop website builder makes creating a website simple, with widgets available with every template. These highly-functional choices include Google Maps, drop down menus, photo and video galleries, Buy Now button, an advanced contact form and more. In addition, the built-in mobile editor allows users to build and create a mobile-friendly version of their site easily and quickly. With over 1,500 designs in a wide variety of categories, MotoCMS has the right design for anyone looking to make a website their own.

Now with the choice of searching Flash templates, HTML templates or both, customers can find exactly the type of site they want by look and feel as well as design. Each template is available to preview, and customers can build and try their website for free for 30 days.

About MotoCMS
Moto CMS is the powerful and feature-rich website builder that allows its users to make professional, beautiful and mobile friendly websites. Each template has an integrated admin panel through which users can easily customize and manage their MotoCMS websites in a matter of clicks. The templates collection includes more than 1,500 templates in a variety of categories.

Why Does Terradon Communications Use Kentico CMS Desk for Website Development?

TCG uses Kentico CMS because we can give customers a dynamic website with many options in order to communicate well to the viewers in which they are focusing in their business plan.


Kentico CMS is an enterprise Web Content Management System and Customer Experience Management System that provides a complete set of features for building websites, intranets, community sites and e-commerce solutions on the Microsoft ASP.NET platform. It supports mobile websites, SEO, document management, online marketing tools, multilingual websites, multisite management and it ships with 40 modules, 340 configurable Web parts and source code available.

Kentico Software (http://www.kentico.com) helps clients create successful dynamic websites, intranets, community sites and e-commerce solutions using Kentico CMS for ASP.NET. It's committed to deliver a full-featured, enterprise-class, stable and scalable Web Content Management solution on the Microsoft .NET platform. Founded in 2004, Kentico is headquartered in the Czech Republic and has offices in the United States (Nashua, NH and Seattle, WA) and United Kingdom (Reading).



Web Content Management Software Leader, Kentico CMS, announced in early July that Gold Partner BlueModus was recognized as a top 10 website in June for its responsive mobile engineering and web development with Martini (http://www.martini.com).

According to BlueModus President, Dave Baumgarten, “Martini needed a site that provided an upscale experiential interface, but did not want to sacrifice responsive behavior or the capability for its markets to translate the site to a specific region.” To achieve this, BlueModus leveraged Kentico as the Web platform. Working with Exposure, a UK-­based design agency, the website takes users through the Martini products and drinks, using an HTML5 approach to display products with lighting effects to highlight the imagery provided in these sections.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10956536.htm

Five Website Strategies for 2013

Do you have any strategies for your website development?   There is a lot of competition out there and you may need some advice to help your sites get noticed.

Once considered a calling card for your business or an online brochure, websites have now evolved into a visually packed battle ground for businesses. If you think your marketing is just fine with your standard website, think again! There’s a good chance your standard website just won’t be compelling enough in the new year. Make your web strategy a priority in 2013 by implementing these five trends.

1. Support Mobile Devices
If you haven’t updated your website to support mobile devices, this should be your top priority in 2013. People are accessing your website from a multitude of devices – including smartphones and tablets – at a record pace. The easiest way to support all devices is implementing responsive web design, which enables your website to be viewed on nearly any device. If your website is more complicated, consider creating a separate mobile website or creating a mobile application. Not sure if you’re ready for mobile? Test your website to check for mobile compatibility.

2. Make your Website a Place to Stay
Websites need to be more than just a home page and a list of services. Effective websites have become interactive playgrounds, using video and games alongside striking images and intelligent content. Make your website a place where people come for a long visit. Websites that entertain and educate the audience are much more effective than the traditional sales pitch.

3. Provide Great Content Marketing
With the numerous changes to search engine algorithms, you need to provide fresh content on your website on a regular basis to compete and be found. Strive to create relevant, timely content that people find valuable and ultimately want to share. And sharing is one of the best ways to drive traffic and obtain new, high-quality leads.

4. Tell Your Story Visually
The amount of information that people are accessing in any single day is staggering. Visual storytelling, often through infographics, is quickly becoming a popular way to communicate with viewers. A strong visual element allows visitors to scan information and absorb the data quickly. It’s a great way to get your information and website shared on social networking too.

5. Reignite Your Email Marketing
With the number of smartphones on the market, people have access to email instantly. Rethink your email marketing strategy with the ideas of social, local and mobile. Focus on segmenting your email list based on the preferences and locations of your subscriber, and send out information that is easy to view and digestible on the go. Be sure to make your email list subscription a focal point of your website to build subscribers.

 http://parkbenchdigital.com/blog/5-website-strategies-2013/