by Link on April 13, 2010
There is always the argument that creative web design services are not as important in the success of a web site as much as the content and navigation of the web pages. I think you need both to succeed: good design and great content. Without a doubt, the content is the most important part. Look at sites like Craig’s List and Google. Neither of these sites will win design awards but are obviously very popular. However, don’t be too quick to disregard design and visual appeal when it comes time to redesign your web site.
If design didn’t influence peoples choices, then we would all drive the same kind of car, where the same clothes and live in the same kind of house. With a law abiding driver behind the wheel, a Ford Focus won’t get you to your destination any quicker than a Mercedes Benz. Both vehicles meet the functional need of transportation from A to B. A one story ranch provides shelter just as well as a 5,000 square foot McMansion. So clearly design has a strong hold on people and is part of our subconscious make up. People make snap judgments based on what kind of clothes a person wears and how they dress. They also make those decisions about a company based on its web site design.
Google may drop off tons of visitors to your home page but it is your site’s design and content that will either keep them there or send them to pressing the BACK button. I haven’t found any studies to show how much better good design converts site traffic and maybe it is because ‘good’ design is hard to quantify. After all, someone out there likes the off beat wall paper you find at Home Depot!
Pay attention to your web design. It takes just as much money and time to build a site with good design as it does a bad design. Creative web design services can help transform your brand and identity to an effective site. Just don’t forgot to pay even more attention to your content!
by Link on March 25, 2010
Windhill Design has been hired by Customer Perspectives in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Customer Perspectives provides mystery shopping services for its clients. I admit I didn’t know what mystery shopping was until I visited their web site and watched the short video on their home page. Here is how it works, let’s suppose you own a grocery store and you want to see how ‘on top of it’ your staff are when it comes to customer service. You’d hire Customer Perspectives to send a person in to your store, pretending to be a shopper. That person (the mystery shopper) would ‘test’ your staff by asking typical customer questions like, “Where can I find canned corn?” and then note their response and how helpful they were. I’m sure the feedback business owners get is very helpful in evaluating staff and making improving customer service.
by Link on March 24, 2010
I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to speak to local business owners at the MicroCreditNH annual, Entrepreneurial Exchange 2010. The Entrepreneurial Exchange is the premier training and networking conference for New Hampshire’s smallest businesses. The full-day event includes the keynote address, workshops built specifically for microentrepreneurs, and plenty of opportunity to meet peers from around the state.
I will conduct two, 1 hr. 45 min. workshops on how to develop a professional web site and print marketing materials on a shoestring budget. I will share resources for low cost, professional web designs, hosting and SEO tips and tricks to start creating buzz right away!
Betsy Bolan from last fall’s CBS reality-show, “Survivor” will be the keynote speaker. The event will be held at the Grappone Center in Concord on May 14th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. You can reserve your ticket online here.
by Link on March 18, 2010
I will be presenting a half-day workshop from 9 am to noon on April 29, 2010 at Hesser College in Portsmouth. The workshop is being organized by the NH Small Business Development Center. You can contact them to sign up. The session will discuss online marketing and how you can increase the visibility of your business online. We will talk about topics like search engine optimization, social media, blogging and content creation and how all of these relate to one another.
