Why a Website is Important to your Marketing Plan

(And how to keep it affordable)

< snippets > I'm still surprised by how many people operate a small business and do not have a website...59% of consumers use Google every month to look for a good local business...less than 40% of businesses have claimed their spot on local listing sites...By directing people to your own website, you give them the opportunity to learn more about you while controlling the way this information is presented...designing and maintaining a website can also be one of your least expensive forms of advertising...< /snippets >

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Professional graphic design isn't just for the big budget projects

Why & How you can get great designs for less than you think

< snippets > Many people, even small business owners, often assume they don't need a professional graphic designer for their everyday projects. It's not that they wouldn't use a pro for every job... I worked for a national print & copy chain... once the company was bought out, individual stores were no longer allowed to design a customer's job in-house... at which point, the customers could have just hired a small, local design firm or freelance designer to do the work in the same amount of time and probably at the same price...< /snippets >

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Ever try to explain image editing over the phone?

Communicating with clients

< snippets > I was doing some work at this company's office when their tech support department got a call from a customer who was in panic mode... How do you explain image editing over the phone?... I'm sure this type of communication problem happens all the time on creative or visual projects... I actually like it when a client asks questions about the design process - it means they want to learn why an idea may or may not work... < /snippets >

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Why Web Designers hope Internet Explorer would just go away

Designing for different browsers

< snippets > I'm not the first to say this, but my hope is that I'll be one of the last: If everyone just stopped using Internet Explorer, the country would be better off...To be clear, I am not anti-Microsoft. I am not trying to start the usual pointless argument of Mac vs. PC...I was left with two options: either create an entirely different set of code for IE users. Or, ignore these inconsistencies and let visitors using IE see an inferior site which doesn't really work the way it needs to... < /snippets >

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A Free Website in Less than 60 Minutes?
Not so fast...

A look at Google's small business campaign

< snippets > A few months ago, I began hearing reports on local radio stations about Google's new offer to give "free websites to small businesses in Iowa"...I assumed the "free website" program was a scam, but because I like to have all the facts, I just had to look into this further...they're not the only company to offer a "free & easy website" service, and I think their offer gives us a good opportunity to compare a do-it-yourself website vs. hiring a professional web design company or a good freelance designer.

Here are Google's claims, followed by my analysis of each: < /snippets >

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