Template-Based Website Design vs. Custom Website Design

Posted on September 28, 2010 by nlbn

Almost every day we are contact by individuals and businesses looking to develop entirely new websites and those looking to re-vamp their existing websites. One of the first questions people often ask is: “Should I develop a template-based website or totally custom website?”

There are several factors to consider when making such a decision:

  1. Is there a template available that will meet my needs? We suggest searching on www.templatemonster.com to view over 20,000 website templates.  Templates can be searched in various ways including by Industry, Theme, Price, Background Color and Software Application (WordPress template, Joomla template, ZenCart Template, etc.).  Templates can be customized in many ways, including color, image and verbiage swaps. In addition, with many templates buttons can be added or removed and banners can be omitted from sub-pages.  Of course, despite all of the customization the site structure may fall short or your needs and a fully custom website design may be more appropriate.
  2. Is a template you like available in an appropriate software format? Some templates are offered in several versions such as Flash and HTML. Some sites are only available in Flash, which we recommend against using due to its inherent Search Engine Optimization limitations.  Check with your template customization designer or website developer to be sure to purchase an appropriate template for your needs.  The designer will also most likely need an Adobe Photoshop psd file for making customization revisions.
  3. Pricing. The difference between a custom and template-based site can be as little as $1,500.  That may seem like a lot of additional expense now, but if you’re planning to have your site running for several years that may be a small extra price to pay.  It all depends on what you need your site to do. Will it be a ‘brochure’ style website with minimal visitor interactivity, or will it be more complex with highly unique functionality, expandability, and back-end administrative access?  A few questions to ask yourself: Will it have a blog? Will you need a secure site? Will you need e-commerce capabilities?
  4. Design ownership rights. Be aware that when you purchase the rights to download and use a website template others individuals and businesses will also have the option to do the same with that base design. Only by purchasing the full-rights to the template will you be insured to be the only user of the design.  The website template company will generally remove the template from its available library after a ‘buyout’ purchase. ‘Buyout’ purchase fees often range from $2,500. – $3,500.

One additional item worth mentioning is that simply purchasing website template file is only a first step to designing and posting a professional looking website. If you plan to customize the site files yourself you will need to be fluent in web programming and web development software.

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10 Design Tips for a Business Web Site

Posted on September 28, 2010 by nlbn

I get this question asked all the time: "What do you think of my super duper galactic ninja in action business site?" In all honestly I really dislike this question because the expectation is for me to say "Wow, great site, nice design, and great layout."
Don’t get me wrong, I do give honest praises for the design and the creativity especially if the person creating the site doesn’t know that much about web design.

The person usually hears the hesitation in my voice and asks, "Well what’s wrong with it?" To which I reply "I look at your web site and I have no idea what you do, who you are or how to contact you."

Your web site is the new resume. The World Wide Web is the new digital newspaper. Here is an interesting fact: 83% of all recruiters Google their applicants and 43% discard applicants based on what they see. If your web site suffers you suffer.

Here are some of my personal 10 Design Tips for a Business Web Site to avoid your visitors guessing what you do and who you are:

  1. Before the designing begins you should have a good outline of content that will be on the site for its launch. How many pages, what those pages will be, navigation order, color scheme, etc.
  2. Content should include:
    1. A full complete description of your services or product. Your content should answer those basic questions mentioned above – who are you, what do you do, how to contact you.
    2. A way for people to contact you – email address, contact information page, or a contact form.
    3. Post comments or feedback from customers who have bought your product or used your service.
    4. Images of related to the content. It could be as simple as stock photo or more preferably a photo of your product or services. In other words, your images should reflect who you are and your services that you represent and should have appropriate ALT tags.
    5. Post a page of other businesses you have worked with. Link to their site. Ask to get a link back to your web site.
    6. If your site is large with lots of content, add a search function. Some search engines like Google will give you a free web search and the code you can just plug in to your site.
  3. Avoid overloading your pages. Web pages that a visitor must scroll down more than 2 times should be broken up into separate sections. Visitors jut won’t read that much.
  4. All pages should contain meta keywords and descriptions, and descriptive page titles. Meta tags are contained in the HTML code. Go to Wikipedia for examples and how to’s.
  5. Avoid over doing the design. Keep it Simple. Don’t mix and match colors. Use a design wheel to organize your color scheme.
  6. Avoid gizmos, widgets and gadgets. Just because you know how to make text blink or scroll on your home page doesn’t mean it is a good gizmo to have.
  7. Avoid using Flash intro pages. I might be going against the grain here, but in my opinion Flash intros are a distraction and a detractor from your web site. Visitors want to see and read about what you do and not a flashy advertisement.
  8. Write and post articles relevant to your products or services. This will fill out your website, keep visitors interested, and keep visitors coming back.
  9. Don’t let your site get stale. Keep adding to it in an organized way. Introduce new articles, press releases, new training, etc. A web site needs to be continually updated.
  10. Use spell check and grammar tools in Word or other editors before you post your content.
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Email Etiquette: Tips on How to Be Professional in Your Writing

Posted on September 22, 2010 by nlbn

Meeting in person you have the chance to impress with the way you are dressed. You set your tone through your body language. Over a voicemail, your tone communicates the message. But, what about in an email? The only tool you have to impress is the words you choose. So, choose them wisely…

Be sure to add warmth to your email messages. Use a form of “thanks” within the first or second sentence. (i.e. “It was a pleasure hearing from you.”) Incorporate the person’s name at the start of the email to make it more personal. Also, use “You” before “We” and “I.” Make the email about the receiver. Not about you.

A vital, yet, sometimes disregarded step is using proper spelling and grammar. Many think that emails are informal and, therefore, don’t require the necessary editing tools. However, you are always judged by the way you write. Proof your content and be sure to use proper punctuation and capitalization.

Gear your message to the receiver. If you are closer with the recipient, you have some room to be more causal in your writing. However, if you do not know the recipient or have a more professional relationship, keep your email in a more formal tone.

When unsure of the appropriate manner, write the way you would speak to the person.

Remember: Your email is a reflection of you.

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Three Secrets to Better Blogging

Posted on August 10, 2010 by admin

The benefits to establishing a company blog are endless. So why not create one? Well, easier said then done…

While blogging has many perks such as spreading information about your company, interacting with your audience and, of course, improving your search engine optimization efforts, it can be a daunting task to keep up with.

Soon the questions start flooding in… “Who’s going to write it?” “What will we write about?” “Will anyone read it?” You are not the only one with this thinking. With a few simple guidelines and a little added organization to your methods, blogging will become almost second nature.

1) Don’t put all the work on one person.

Starting out, you may have put all of the pressure on one person to update and manage the blog. As the weeks go on, you realize that there’s just not enough time in the day and other work begins to take precedence.

The Solution: Assign three different people to update the blog and rotate the schedule. This way, the blog continues to be updated on a regular basis, but the responsibility to do so is spread out.

2) Consistency is key.

Spreading out the blogging responsibility to more than three people may seem like a great idea at first. This way, the blog continues to be managed and other work can still be accomplished. But then another problem starts to emerge. The updating becomes inconsistent. You may have three posts one week and then only one the following week.

The Solution: Humans are creatures of habit. Doing something on a regular basis is more effective than remembering to do something once per month. Assign specific people to update the blog on specific days of the week.

3) Know your goals.

Assuming your writers know what to do can become a problem. “You’re writing for the customers,” is the thinking. How hard can that be? Well, even the most free-spirited writer can run into road blocks in creating a blog piece.

The Solution: Establish guidelines for what you want to achieve. Discuss some general topic ideas and themes for your blog. Don’t just write to write. Have a purpose. What are you trying to get across to your audience?

Keeping these three steps in mind can make all the difference in the effectiveness of your company blog. Adding some structure to your methods will have you blogging better in no time. Need some more tips? Contact Lee-Bennett Associates today!

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