October 24, 2008
By Taymar Pixley
If you feel overwhelmed even thinking about starting or improving your website, you’re not alone. The new frontier of online media may seem intimidating, but with a little information you will find that getting a killer website is simple. A good design is not necessarily the flashiest, coolest looking website, it is one that is simple to use and works effectively for the end user.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or just need a redesign, the first step in getting a killer website is always the same:
Step 1: Know Your Business
A common assumption is that a good web designer will be able to whip up a cool design with little or no effort from you. For a web designer to create a great design that works, they must have a good understanding of what your business is, who your target market is and what goals your business is hoping to accomplish with your website.
Before you approach a designer, revisit your business plan and revamp your marketing strategy. By thinking about it ahead of time you will already have laid the groundwork that your web designer needs to help you accomplish your goals.
Step 2: Gather Your Materials
Being prepared up front will create a faster workflow for your designer, saving them time and you money. Here’s a simple checklist of materials to gather before meeting with a designer:
- Marketing Materials: Digital copies of your logo, your brochures, your print ads and any photographs and literature you have on your company.
- Business Information: Mission and vision statements, target audience and marketing strategy.
- Website Content: Craft some rough copy for your pages like a company bio, product or service descriptions.
Having content ahead of time will help your designer understand your brand better by paying attention to the way you 'speak' to your customers. If you are having trouble writing for your website, consider hiring a copy writer.
Step 3: Find a Good Web Designer
Your website is one of the most important tools you have in your business. A vast majority of your clients will find you and compare your product or services through your site. There are many other ways to save money in business, so please do not try to save money by letting an inexperienced web designer handle your website. I cannot emphasize this enough.
To find a good web designer ask people you know that have good websites. If a friend of yours has a site that you admire, ask them who designed it.
Check the Internet. Was their website easy to find? Is the information on their site organized? Does their portfolio contain sites that look good and are easy to use? If so, you can expect similar results for your own site.
Interview several designers. When initially interviewing designers be very clear about any budget restrictions that you have, but do not ask “How much is it going to cost?” at the offset. Instead, explain your goals for your website, and ask them for suggestions. Listen to how the designer approaches the goals.Talk to several different designers and pick the one that you feel the most comfortable working with.
Step 4: Work closely with your Web Designer
While building or redesigning a site do not plan on being gone on business trips or on vacation without remaining in contact with your web designer. You need to be on hand to answer important questions and provide appropriate materials.
Before the project begins, make sure you have a clear idea of what is expected from you. You may need to set aside time every week for the length of the design process to review and discuss design comps, write web copy, select photographs and illustrations, and make final decisions. Be on time with getting back to your designer with your approval or content. The more you are engaged in the design process, the happier you will be with the final design.
Step 5: Keep Your Content Fresh!
Regularly changing the content of your site has many benefits. One of the easiest ways to update content is by incorporating a blog into your site. If you love to write, blogging can be a wonderful way to keep your content fresh, attract new traffic and keep visitors coming back. Even if you don’t like to write at all, a blog can work for you.
Text is the best way to help search engines find your site, but pictures, audio and video will direct traffic and inspire user loyalty as well. A combination of all three is the best.
These are the first steps to getting a killer website! Implement these steps and you will see a vast improvement in your online visibility and accessibility, which will in turn catapult your business towards success!
October 9, 2008
Whether we call it a recession or a depression, things are looking a little scary out there.
My grandparents lived through the Great Depression, and from what I can gather, there is a good reason that it was called a Depression. Not having enough money to meet your basic necessities can be very depressing. Many of us are looking at this time of change with great anxiety and fear. However, with a few major changes in your lifestyle and habits you may find that this is an opportunity to re-examine your priorities, build better relationships, live healthier lives and have more fun. Call me crazy, but if I have your attention, read on.
Here are some tips that I learned from my grandparents, and from my own experience, about how to stay happy and healthy during times of great economic crisis:
Tip # 1: Don't Spend What You Don't Have
My grandparents lived into their mid-eighties, bought four homes and helped my sister with the downpayment on a fifth, always had at least two cars, and helped pay the way for my two sisters and I through college, all without ever establishing credit. That's right, they always paid in cash. They didn't have incredibly lucrative careers either; my grandmother was a school teacher and my grandfather was in the airforce. They were just very thrifty, always spending within their means and saving up for a rainy day.
At first it might seem restrictive to only spend what you have. You might have to cut back dramatically on purchases that you once took for granted. However, at second glance, it is a great opportunity to recognize what is really important in your life.
When we buy stuff that we don't need because we can pay for it later, we end up with a bunch of stuff that clutters our lives. When we buy only what we need that we are able to pay for now, we end up with only the things that are very important. Take this moment in time to reflect on the significance of only allowing into your life that which is important. That alone can be a profound, and positive change.
Tip #2 Buy Local
For years corporate America has been telling us that the best way to improve the economy is to buy, buy, buy. Now it is time to tell corporate America Bye, Bye, Bye. Small local businesses provide the majority of sustainable jobs, creating money streams that continue to circulate within your community which will eventually make their way back to you, so make a point to support them.
Buying local produce at the Farmer's Market for example, is a huge way to support the local economy, and save the environment, and it is much healthier for your family. Since it doesn't have to be boxed up and shipped thousands of miles away, it is always fresher whether or not is is organic, so it is just better all around.
Tip # 3 Make it Yourself
Anything you can make yourself you will save money on and feel more pride and accomplishment about. Clothing, jewelery, artwork, furniture, food, toys...we each have our own skills that we can utilize.
Food is probably the most common and important one. If it comes in a box, a can or a sealed plastic bag it is probably not contributing much to the local economy, creating tons of environmental waste, and definitely not as good for your body. Eating at home and combining fresh, whole foods takes more time, but you will save so much money and live a much longer, healthier and happier life. If you grow it yourself it is that much better. Even if you live in an apartment you can grow some of your food yourself in window boxes.
Tip # 4 Barter, trade, exchange
All words for the same activity, and essentially what our money is supposed to represent; an exchange of goods or services. This works well with tip #3. If you can't cook but you can build furniture, make an arrangement with a friend to build them shelves in exchange for some healthy home cooked meals.
Bartering can be tricky if you don't establish values ahead of time. (Probably why the money system was created in the first place.) To avoid conflict, establish ahead of time an agreed upon value for the exchange. (The building of this bookshelf is worth ten home cooked meals for example, or even establish a money value, whether or not you have the money to exchange. I am giving you $200 worth of bookshelf building for $200 worth of meals, at $20 a meal. That sort of thing)
Tip # 4 Re-use and Share
My grandparents loved thrift stores and garage sales. Although I didn't appreciate it much as a kid, now I see how delightful it can be to treasure hunt this way. It isn't only economical, it's also environmental.
I recently took my son to an eco-birthday party. Instead of new gifts, the parents requested pre-loved items. I always have my son look through his old toys to pass on at birthday parties, so this was especially neat that it was specifically requested. It really teaches the gift of both giving and sharing.
I love sharing. Throughout my childhood I remember my grandparents had a little wooden plaque in the bathroom that said "Save water, bathe with a friend".
Sharing doesn't always come naturally. I often tell my son, "the more we share the more we have". I think that there is a perception that the opposite is true, that if we share we have to give something up. This is because sharing only works if there is an equal exchange. If one person is trying to share with someone who isn't sharing back, it is no longer sharing, it is now giving and taking. If we all shared with each other all of the time, the world would be a marvelous place.
The more we share the less we need, and the less we have to spend. Just sharing a ride to work or school in the morning can make a huge difference economically and it's so much more fun than driving alone. Which brings me to tip #5...
Tip #5 Decrease your own dependency on Foreign Oil
Ride a bike, walk, take public transportation. All of these things will take the money out of the hands of the greedy oil mongers and put that money back where it belongs: in your pocket.
I hope some of these tips are helpful for you. I may share more tips in the upcoming weeks, and I welcome your thoughts and suggestions as well.
Taymar
September 9, 2008
Kristin Frascella, developer of the Xtreme Career Makeover, has already recieved an award for developing this program, and is about to recieve another.
If you haven't already watched the video, check it out, it's definitely worth watching. This is a phenomonal program that is really changing lives. While filming this, I was personally inspired to see people who had been struggling in their lives make progress and create positive change through this process.
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