Calgary Web Design Network Forum

Hiring a web design company can be as difficult at times as finding an honest mechanic or real estate agent. The web industry is still unfamiliar territory to many, therefore knowing who to talk to or what to ask can be intimidating. What information should you have about a web design firm before enlisting their services? Answering these basic questions will help you make a better more informed decision. 

How Long Have They Been Around? 

This may send some so-called web professionals running towards the nearest exit but it’s a fair question. Unfortunately the web industry is full of fly-by-night companies who often have good intentions but limited experience or reliability. Remember your website is a long-term investment and you should have every confidence that the company you choose will be around 5, if not 10, years from now. 

Do They Have a Strong Portfolio or Work Samples? 

A credible web design firm should be able to provide you with several quality examples of their work, giving you a realistic idea of what to expect. You might be taking a gamble by trusting a company with a limited amount of finished projects and an unproven track record. Also don’t be afraid to ask for references from previous clients; a legit company has nothing to hide and will appreciate your interest. 

What Kind of Quality Assurance Do They Provide or Offer? 

Before you agree to a price on your website make sure you know what this amount covers and under what circumstances it is subject to change. It is important to get all major details in writing so you are not charged with any mysterious hidden fees or charges later. Also ask about their refund policy, payment options and even any discounts that might be available to you. 

What Are Your Rights In Terms Of Copyright and Ownership? 

Once your website is completed what ownership rights you have over any graphics, text or images that were produced? Are you free to change the design of your website at any time, even if you leave this company for another firm? Some comapnies will make it difficult for you to leave once you have signed on the dotted line so make sure you agree on any copyright issues in advance. 

What Are The Long Term Expenses Of My Website?  

A company may offer you what seems like a great deal on a website but may have much higher rates for ongoing fees such as web hosting and updates. Make sure you are aware of the long term costs of running and maintaining your site. Many companies can increase monthly maintenance fees with little or no prior warning so make sure you stay locked into the same deal when agreeing to terms of service. 

How Will This Company Help My Business? 

It’s one thing to build a website but what will it actually do for you once it’s up and running? Get an idea of what this company’s strategy will be in terms of accomplishing your website’s goals and promoting your business effectively. How a web design company brings in traffic and then converts it into sales often separates a good amateur firm from a professional one. 

I had an interesting question from a client who called in today asking me about search engine optimization and getting a “top ranking in Google”. This gentlemen informed me that he got a call from a company saying they would give him a top 5 ranking in Google for $70 plus $40 extra per month? Sound familiar? 

Unfortunately in the world of online business there are a lot of predators who get off on making quick money off of other people’s ignorance. Ignorance is probably not the right term because unless you are a professional is very hard to know what is what when it comes to search engine marketing.  

First and foremost there is NO SUCH THING as a guaranteed ranking in search engines, so the minute you hear anyone promise you this run the other direction. Getting a top natural ranking in Google often takes a lot of time and effort and there is no quick and easy way to get to the top. For more info in SEO read my article… 

http://www.calgarywebdesign.ca/articles/search-engine-optimization-basics.html 

Why so many people are suckers for an offer like this is because they WANT it to be true against their own better judgment. No one wants to hear getting ranked highly in search engines can be a slow, tedious, and potentially expensive affair. 

Remember though search engine marketing is expensive because every form of advertising is expensive, newspaper, radio, magazine, mailout, Facebook you name it. The great thing about search engine marketing however is that it works LONG TERM and when done right will be a consistent stream of revenue for your business. 

Leave your comments below if you have encountered anything similar… 

Hi my name is Shawn,

I’m currently starting up a small apps game company focusing on IPhone and similar devices. Right now we’re looking into possibilities on the web development front. Does anyone have experiences that might help us gain some perspective on the task ahead? We’re testing out products with flash and are considering demoing our games as flash based free to play products on our website during the conceptualization and beta phase as a means to drum up interest for the full retail releases. We’re hoping for a comments section to be feasible, but are unsure of the requirements and how best to set up the site.

Hi I’m Dawn I am a mom of 3 looking to sell soaps and bathroom products online. Not looking to buy just looking to do some research and talk to people who might be doing something similar. I will have more info on my products soom for anyone that is interested.

One of the trickiest yet most important aspects of web design is search engine optimization, or SEO for short. Regardless of how much time and effort you put into perfecting your website if you rank poorly in search engines it will likely fail. Although the finer points of SEO should be left to a professional there are many things the average web developer can do to boost their position in sites like Google or Yahoo. Here’s what we recommend…
Domain Name Selection: Choosing the proper domain name is one of the easiest yet most overlooked ways to get listed quickly in search engines. It’s more effective to pick a domain that not only includes your company name but also the product or service you provide. For example a book store named Benjamins will get better results using www.benjaminsbookstore.com rather than simply www.benjamins.com. Make sure you domain name clearly illustrates who you are and what you do for better results.
 

Proper Keyword Selection: It is important to research in advance what keywords or phrases people are most likely to use when searching for you on the web. Online resources such as Google AdWords will help you determine which keywords are most popular and sought after as it relates to your business. Also pay attention to your competitor’s websites (those who rank highly in search engines) and try to incorporate the keywords they consider most valuable.
 

Acquire Quality Backlinks: Many experts will tell you that backlinking is one of the most crucial elements of SEO when maintaining a strong long term ranking. Search engines interpret any website linking to yours as a “vote” for your web page when evaluating its importance. When approaching other companies for link exchanges try to target sites with similar or complimentary content to yours. Attaining links with similar subject matter will carry more weight than simply random links.
 

Write Quality Content: One of the first rules of SEO is “content is king” meaning the written portion of your website plays a critical role in your search engine success. Make sure all your copy is written professionally and error free while also including your most important keywords and phrases. Don’t overuse keywords however, keep it to a reasonable amount (about 5-15% is recommended) or risk penalties for “spamming” or unethical SEO practices.
 

Use ALT Tags for All Your Images: Alt tags are descriptive tags used to name any graphics or images found on your website. Search engines can’t read images therefore they rely on ALT tags to decipher their meaning. Be sure to use ALT tags for all of your webpage graphics and include your major keywords wherever appropriate. Remember that ALT tags are sometimes visible in your browser so make sure you use names that accurately reflects the image at hand.
 

Frequently Update Your Website: It may sound simple but making a conscious effort to update your website regularly will keep you active in search engines so you don’t drop due to inactivity. Search engines are always looking for fresh content and frequently monitor how often any changes or updates have been made on your site. It Try to update your website at least once a week and even more than that if your schedule permits.
 

Include Keywords In Title Tags: Your title tags are the first place search engines look when going through each page of your website. Make sure all titles contain your most important keywords or phrases as you believe users will look for them in a web search. Also don’t give every page of your website the same name. Each should have their own unique description based on the most important content of that particlar page.
 

Give Each Page of Your Website an SEO Friendly Name – The file name you choose to give each page of your website is just as important as the title itself. For instance if your house cleaning website has a category called “services” you are better naming the page home-cleaning-services.html rather than simply services.html. Give each page a file name that tries to include your most important keywords as it relates to that particular page.
 

Header Tags: Search engines look specifically for header tags when scrolling through your website believing that headers contain more important information than simply regular text. Don’t just bold your headers, make the effort to take the next step and use proper header tags in your HTML code. As is the rule make your top keywords and phrases are written into your headers wherever possible.

By Jeff Moyer (Calgary Web Design Network Owner)

I’m Darren Lo, graphics designer/flash developer. To learn more about myself and my business, check out the web design network here or go to titanintel.com

Hi everyone this is Jeff Moyer Owner & Creative Director of the Calgary Web Design Network. I am personally interested in speaking with other web professionals in the industry as well as those with experience in online marketing and promotion. Please take a moment to join our forum and looking forward to meeting everyone.

I received a request from a client the other day asking for a quote regarding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services. He informed me he had been trying to promote his website up until this point using various pay-per-click services online with “very poor results”.

This asks the question is pay-per-click advertising actually a good way to try and promote your website?

In my personal opinion although it can save you a short term buck PPC advertising should NEVER be used as a substitute for professional SEO services. PPC advertising may claim it can expose you to thousands of new customers daily but these ads are often untargeted and don’t often bring in the kind of traffic that leads to sales conversions.

Many also view PPC advertising as a scam and not overly trustworthy. Kind of like when you receive a message in your inbox telling you that you’ve won a free seven night cruise, there is a lot of natural skepticism. SEO specialists sometimes will use PPC as part of their marketing campaign but do so with a more researched perspective.

In short trying to gain a natural result in search engines (with the help of an SEO specialist or company) is a much wiser long-term investment despite the often expensive costs required. It is very unlikely you will ever promote your website successfully using pay-per-click advertising alone.
 

In this section we will be posting common on the job questions we recieve from new clients. This is advice we have passed on to new customers during the consultation process that may be of interest to website builders. Check back regularly for posts.

Hi everyone my name is Lisa I am the marketing manager for the CWDN. I also help out other small businesses in Calgary with promotional advice and ideas. If you want to talk to me about your company and bounce ideas back and fourth let me know. TTYL…

Webiste: www.calgarywebdesign.ca