Not every company is in need of the cutting edge, at all times. Your website doesn’t have to blow the minds away of everybody, it has to serve a purpose. It has the be the billboard that ultimately brings your company business.  However, here are some tips to keep yourself from being left behind.

Plan for the future

Phase Planning

One thing that we get a lot of is the whole “Phase based web development”. This can work for your organization, if you plan to actually complete your phase cycle. 9 out of 10 times, a poor planned phase process leads companies into never achieving the goals they originally want. A lot of this comes from the high cost of a good website, and I know companies and developers like myself are to blame, however we product good quality for a reason.

A great web sales person I met once said his #1 piece of advice for all incoming leads was “Don’t fix the car if you can’t afford to put gas in it”. I think I have shared this quote before, if not written a blog post about it. Create a good phase process, and include marketing in there, so that when Phase I is over you leave yourself in a position to not get to Phase II.

To Cross Browser or to Not Cross browser? Is your target marketing using Internet Explorer 7?

While planning for the future, think about web technologies. There are many languages that us developers use, and versions of those languages. For example, CSS 2 and CSS3. CSS 3 is not brand new, but it is the newest player in changing the way the web works and how users experience it. As Adobe Flash loses popularity, CSS3 is gaining popularity, however it is not 100% cross browser compliant.  That being said, I think that many companies that have the target market that fits using a higher-end solution, because 99% of their target market are using browsers that support CSS3. The same thing goes for HTML5.

This past week alone, I was sitting behind a designer who designed an amazing slideshow effect. I knew right off the bat, it could not be accomplished in IE7. We had a long conversation, and decided to pitch the client on a solution that would be revolutionary and cool, but not compatible for IE8 and below. Is it a good call? Yes.

Do not do it because its “cool right now”. Do it because it is right.

We see trends all the time in design and development across the internet. At this very moment, a trend called “parallax” has been sweeping development teams. Is it a new thing? No, not at all. What is it? It is easily described as layered elements moving at different speeds. More impressively, when those speeds are relative to lets say, your mouse scrolling down the page. Movements, Images, etc. are triggered by scrolling, and/or page location. My favorite example, biased because I own a 1969, is Beetle.com. Let the page load and scroll down. Cool, right? Except if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have known there are easily at least 20 other examples of the same effect. Its cool, but already old.

So does this make sense for your business? Are you going to run out the door and find the first person that can create you a cool parallax website? You probably shouldn’t. Be innovative, think of something new, don’t follow a bandwagon when you can create your own.

Adapt or die?

Yes and no. If the last time your website was touched was 1999, please find someone to redesign it.
If your website was designed by your nephew who was in High School, and just learned what Photoshop was, please find someone to redesign it.

If your website brings you leads, traffic, and people love it, but its not “cutting edge”, its okay all those websites will be outdates next week anyway.

Side Note: companies that update, maintain, and keep cutting edge websites, probably have the target market for it. I speak on behalf of small business and persona websites, not large organizations.

I want to inform people how honest web developers work and quote hours. It isn’t a number we make up randomly and quote you with. We don’t roll a 21 sided die a few times and say “here is your quote”. True web designers and developers take the care into making an accurate assessment. How do we do this? Well there are many hours spent that are NOT quoted for, that we take researching.

The Magical Quoting Process

When someone asks me “Hey Roy, can you do this?” I say “Sure, but to be more accurate in your quote, let me do some research and get back to you”. Now you may be mad at me for automatically saying “yes” or “sure” even if I am not 100% confident in building said website, however do you really expect any web developer to have experience doing EVERYTHING to the point that your precise requirements is something they have ALREADY done? Every website is different, and even if they were identical, we live in the technology age, things change. “State of the Art” one day means “Old and useless” the next. It is no different in coding. Sorry for that tangent.

Anyway… So back to the quoting process. I do research to figure out how to get what you want made. If there is a design involved, I usually turn to my colleagues that do design, like Justin. and see based on the pages needed to be designed, how much he wants in on said project. I am a web developer, while I like making money, I am not a greedy businessman, so for 99.9% of the time, Justin’s quote to me, is what you will get from me, I don’t need to make extra money there. So now I have a good understanding of how long it will take me to build, and a quote for design… and voila! you have a web development quote. You have just received 2-5 hours (at minimum) of a highly skilled web developer’s time.. for free. You Are Welcome.

Conclusion?

Sure, why not.

In conclusion. Don’t yell at me for my quotes. They are thought out. If you want to pay me for my time as I work, great.. but 9/10 times you will spend more money because I always underquote myself, and I go above and beyond (ask previous clients).

The truth is.. I’m not here to steal from you, so give me the benefit of the doubt as the expert, and let me do my job. If you want a cheaper quote, find someone who knows less, and will do a much worse job from sake of CARING and knowledge.

By now you have probably seen a QR Code or two. They float around in advertisements, stickers, and on the web.

What are they?

QR Code or Quick Response Code is a matrix barcode that is readable by QR readers. Most smartphones can now read them or APPs are readily available. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data. More about QR Codes on Wikipedia.

Can I use them?

Anyone can use QR codes, even though they have been around for a few years, they are starting to gain mainstream popularity. Some smartphone cameras now already capable of reading QR codes without any additional software.

What can I put into a QR Code?

QR codes can be useful to store anything from text, to URL’s to even vCards. They pack a lot of information for a small square!

How do I create one?

I have found a number of great resources for QR code generation, some paid services will only create a shortlink to the information, while others allow you to easily create anything you want. My favorite so far has to be the QR Code Generator from ZXing

So do they work in the real world?

A few months ago I was asked to create a business car for Simplicit Technologies, an IT Outsourcing and IT Management Consultant firm. Being as they were rebranding and wanted to give off the feel of “tech” we went with a radical minimal design incorporating design elements and tech elements. First we started off with a clean business card front, a simple name and title followed by basic contact information.
Inspiration for the back came when we were discussing how the business cards would primarily be used in trade shows and conferences nationwide. “Trade show.. for tech guys?” That screamed “QR Code” to me. On the back a tasteful quote from Leonardo Davinci, master of innovation. Along those lines, like a true art piece, a QR code.
Why it works
How many times have you gotten a business card and stuffed it into your wallet and forgot about it. Now on the other end, how many times have you given your business card to have someone just shove it into their pocket? The QR code is the next revolution in Business Cards. When a member of the Simplicit Technologies team hands out a business card, they can make sure to ask or point out the QR code. The receiver of the card takes out their smart phone and snaps a picture, and within seconds a contact file is now ready to be saved to their phone. While it is not a guaranteed phone call or followup for a potential client, it is 1 step closer.
Everyone should do it
I love networking, I hate business cards. I collect them, great ones and dull ones. If every business card has a simple QR code, I could easily just scan in the QR Code and have a new contact with all the information I need (Name, Phone, Company, Website URL, Mobile Phone, etc.). With smart phones nowadays you can easily categorize contacts and when you sync with your computer or cloud solution you now have a list of people you met at a trade show, convention, or over lunch. Innovation.

Where else should businesses use QR Codes?
Once you start using QR codes, something clicks, you have to see what every QR code has stored. I think of this like a decoder ring of the 1950′s. What will the mystery message be! Last week I was reading through a copy of Rolling Stones magazine and saw an ad with a QR code. Not did it just take me to a website tied into the advertisement, think of all the analytics tracking that can be done as you have websites catered to specific QR Codes or Ad Campaigns.

So in the end, a QR code is an efficient way to store, and distribute vital information, what isn’t to love?

Some of you have may read my first two posts regarding mobile website design, it is a trend that can help a business greatly with their conversion rates. Having a mobile website could be the deciding factor in a client’s decision to spend money at your establishment. I have talked about the best ways to create a mobile website, how to tell if someone is on a mobile device, and how many people are visiting your website on a mobile device. The last bit of information I want to talk about is Shopping Cart websites or E-Commerce websites.

Should I offer purchasing of products on my mobile website?

I get this question here and there with individuals who run online-only businesses. After taking a look at their website and their analytics to tell how many people are using a mobile device and suggesting a mobile website, clients often wonder about this aspect. So is it a good idea?

To answer this, I think we should really focus on User Experience, at GuavaWorks Website Designs, it is something we take a lot of focus into with our designs, making sure people are having a good time using your website, able to find things easily, able to search for things, and ultimately, find the path to make a conversion, either via a contact page or a checkout page. User experience on a mobile device is different, we have to take into consideration the device they are on, how large the screen is, and also what it is that people really need to get from your mobile website. Most mobile websites will be identical across any mobile device, meaning that if you are on a Blackberry or iPad, the website will look the same, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is about targeting the right information for those on a mobile device, and allowing them to access the information they want easily.

I could easily go into the details of products, whether a particular product on the whole, is worth having for sale online compared to another product, but I am just going say on the whole, shopping carts on mobile platforms will not help your business.

It is about User Experience

Users probably won’t buy anything from their mobile device, the shopping cart will just clutter up your mobile website, and cost you money that you will never see again. Sure, you may get 1 person here and there to actually buy something from their mobile device, but is it worth the investment? You would think I would say yes, hoping to drive more business to myself, but I just do not see it happening.

Exceptions to the Rule

Of course, there are exceptions, if your online business caters to the mobile devices. If your store sells apps, or maybe background images, etc. catered to the devices, then your best business will probably come from users on mobile devices. However, as a marketing tactic, maybe it is better getting into the Apple App Store, the Android App Market, or the Blackberry AppWorld. This way people searching specifically for your items can find you easily, in a place that they expect to locate you.

If you have a product that can utilize a person’s device, that is even better. Last weekend I went to go see a movie at the Arclight Cinemas. They announced they had an app available for mobile devices that allows you to buy tickets online, and when you go to the theatre they will just scan your phone. I know this is an app, and a whole different ballgame, but the same can be done for a mobile website. This I think, is a great idea. It allows people to buy tickets on the go, without having to wait for them to be printed (from home or at the theatre), and with the world it is at now, a very “green” initiative. Think if all people used mobile devices to buy tickets, how much paper the theatre would save by not printing or making others print tickets.

More on Apps later.

So don’t put up any products?

This is where it gets into marketing a bit more, and this applies to both brick & mortar businesses, as well as online only. I think to help your business with the mobile devices, your mobile website should have some products on it, especially “featured” or “sale” items. I know when I am looking for a good restaurant on my phone not just do I want to see the menu online, but if they have coupons or specials that would make me more inclined to visit the restaurant. The same goes for any shopping cart / e-commerce website. Imagine if you will a website that has their weekly or monthly specials on the front page of a mobile website, that would drive people to want to come back if they see a product they want on sale. How do you test this? Easy, one way to insure you get that user who finds something they like on their mobile device to come back and buy, is make sure on the mobile product page there is an easy way for that person to email to themselves. That way, when they get to a computer and open their email, they can easily click and go straight to the product, great for both the impulse buyer, and those who want to buy something and forget. An email is a great reminder that says “hey, you find a great product on sale.. now go buy it”. I am reminded of Orbitz who after finding a flight I wanted for pretty cheap, sent the email of the itinerary (before even purchasing it) to my friend, he clicks on a link and can also buy a ticket. That is just cool.

So yes, there are many ways to take your e-commerce website into the mobile website arena, however keep in mind user experience. Will a user really want to buy your product from their phone?

Apps?

Apps, short for Applications, is the newest thing in mobile devices. Little applications you can install and run on your mobile device. This is not a website, this is a program. I do not want to go into this too much, however if your business can gain from the mobile user an app would be the way to go to do commerce. Apps allow for safe purchasing through any of your favorite credit card processors (paypal, authorize.net, amazon). This works especially well with digital products. Does your company make apps? Does your company have an app that you want to charge for? Create an app that revolves around your product and you can easily sell on it. This is great for marketing as well, put it into the one of the mentioned “app markets” and include a FREE version. While in the free version a person can easily purchase goods, items, services, etc. from inside your app. This is how many game app developers do it, and some make great money from it. Look at the game “Angry Birds”, easily one of the most popular mobile games, now a whole franchise of products revolve around it. A simple $2-5 game with a free edition allows for users to get a taste for what the game is like, then when they are hooked, are sold on the extra few bucks for the full version.

Still not sure?

If you are still not sure about your product or service, and if it has any place in the mobile device realm, give us a call or shoot us an email. GuavaWorks Website Designs prides in helping individuals find the right solutions for your needs.

Part II to my Mobile Website entries.

A lot of people are asking me if it is worth it for them to really create something for mobile users, and the first question is.

How many mobile visitors are you getting a month?

I usually get a dumbfounded stare or silence. Before you even think about going mobile, you should think if there is audience on your website that is even in need of a mobile version. If you have an interactive website, with lots of traffic, then it is always a good suggestion. However, what about information business websites. Do you need a business mobile website? One that mainly shows services, about your company, etc. This question is answered by your traffic.

Traffic is easily monitored by Google Analytics, if you haven’t setup Google Analytics, you really should install it. If you need help, Contact Guavaworks and we will install it for you. Once you are in your Google Analytics account, click on Visitors, and then click on “Browser Capabilities”, I recommend then clicking on “Operating Systems” this will give you a good idea of what kind of computers the visitors to your website have, and in this list will also be iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.

Another option would be to click on “Browsers and OS”, this will give you a better glance of actual browsers within the operating system. For example someone using Microsoft Windows as an Operating System, might be using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox. For the most part anyone on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod will be using the Safari browser that is built into all iOS devices.

I see how many mobile visitors I have, So what now?

Look at your analytics, is more then 5-10% of your traffic coming from mobile devices? Remember to total both Android, and any iOS (Apple mobile) product. If this is the case, I would highly recommend moving with a mobile website. If you are having a hard time figuring out what kind fo mobile site, check out my Part I on Mobile Websites. I suggest a few methods of mobile  websites, choose the one that works best for your business.

Part III - In part III of my mobile website breakdown, I will talk about e-commerce / shopping carts – is it worth it for a mobile website?

I have been in Website Design and Internet Marketing for many years now. Through the years many ideas have changed, as new features are released, new tools come out, it is easy to get lost in what to use, and how to use it all.

Marketing, in a nutshell, is the process to gain leads. Plain in simple, no matter what you say you are doing as far as “marketing” goes, its really in the hopes to generate new leads. Whether you are using a lead generation service, paying for cold leads, or just opening the phone book and making calls, you are working to bring your company leads. One of the best ways of marketing has always been referral or word of mouth marketing. Before Facebook, Twitter, and other social media services arrived, the only way to really jump start a word of mouth marketing campaign is to get involved in networks of people. Find business-oriented mixers, luncheons, etc. This changed drastically when online social media services became available. Now your networking can be done strictly online, while I am not advocating to ditch your business lunch group (they are still a great way to market yourself), Social Media, if done well can be help you immensely.

I had the privilege to work with a very wise man named Gregg Towsley, owner of WSI Quality Solutions based in Los Angeles, CA. Gregg is a Social Media Marketing expert. Gregg has always used one quote to express social media, which I constantly use.

Social Media is like networking… ON STEROIDS.

His quote is true, social media, if done right is a great way to network your company. That is easily said, but how?

There are many people on Facebook and Twitter that I see that have thousands of followers, and friends. However, does having more people “like” your Facebook business page really mean you will  get more leads? In short NO.

Content & the SEO Connection

It is great that many people are involved with your Facebook business page, or maybe your Facebook profile, however it is about targeting the right people, and more then that, letting Social Media marketing work for itself by supplying and delivering quality content. This is where SEO and Social Media make the greatest connection. Any good SEO marketing campaign will include the creation of new, creative, content on a regular basis. Search engines love growing websites that grow towards the keyword(s) that you are trying to achieve high rankings for. If Google sees my website with 10 pages on “kittens” and then sees your website with 150 pages on “kittens”, they will clearly make sure you rank higher for the keyword “kittens”. Through good content, you may get people linking back to your website for the content, which is another great thing to get as far as SEO goes, back links that you don’t know about? What a neat concept.

Social Media works in much the same way, I admit I am not one to want to jump start my Social Media by adding as many relevant people as fans, and ask them to be fans of my business page, however once that stops I go full force into realizing that good content delivered through Social Media will bring you even more fans, quality fans. Having good content people actually want to read will result in more people following you, and ultimately more potential leads.

Think about it this way – if I see a plumber posting quality interesting posts, and I “like” them, next time someone I know mentions a plumbing problem I will remember that plumbing company easily as it is constantly in front of my face.

Be Involved

One thing I think most people neglect is the involvement. On a personal level most people spend hours of their day on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However when it comes to business, not so much. They expect their marketing efforts of spamming irrelevant content, becoming friends and following random people will actually work by itself. I find this hard to believe, or a much harder approach. If you have a Facebook business page, be involved with it, if someone comments on a post you made or “likes” it, make sure that you respond even if just a “thank you for the like”. Going back to Gregg’s quote, Social Media is networking on steroids, but you would never go to a business luncheon and sit in the corner by yourself. Don’t treat Social Media the same way either, be involved on a daily basis. If you are working on your own business’s marketing campaign, devote your work day to only being on Facebook and Twitter for business reasons, not personal, or at least try to switch back and forth (that is what I do!). With some of the new features especially on Facebook, it is easy to be in 1 account and still manage your business marketing.

Just like any other marketing campaign, Social Media takes time and energy, it doesn’t come overnight, and while it won’t necessarily help you be #1 in the search engines, if done well, it will kickstart your word of mouth campaign.

It is not something that you can ignore. The percent of users that are on mobile browsers are on the rise, from cell phones to tablets, people want their information to-go. So where does that leave you trying to create a business and reputation for yourself online? There are two trains of thought that we currently run into.

Build a whole website, geared towards all mobile users
A lot of clientele of GuavaWorks assume they need a whole new website to cater to their mobile clientele and visitors. Website Designs that lack the robust feel and quality of their full website, geared only towards the mobile user. All content would be duplicated to this mobile version. There are may benefits to this ideology, that a completely new website needs to be created for the mobile user. It obviously gives the user the best user experience while retaining all the information on your website.

Here is my biggest issue with selling a client on this. I always ask the clients the same thing “Do mobile users really need access to ALL your content?” Most of the time, the answer is no. If you have a 200 page website dedicated to content on everything relating to your business, great, but a mobile user will most likely not be spending their time reading every page. The other question that comes up a lot is “Why would you go to your website while on a mobile device?” most clients that can answer this, have similar answers. “To find directions” , “To find a contact number” , or for those who offer services / or food “To see our menu / services”. If a visitor is only going to be looking at a few pages, why put all 200 up? Why not have the basics, and a easy to use contact page?

Build a simple website with the right content
This is the other thought that comes to me when we work with clientele wanting mobile-friendly websites. As I said, I believe this is the better alternative, create a website that has vital content, is easy to navigate with touchscreens  and still exemplifies your ideology. Because “Apps” are the big thing nowadays, most consumers prefer to get their information from an App. Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc. all coming into smart phones, tablets, and mobile devices via apps. If users are so crazy about apps, why not make your website look and feel like one? This is exactly what Facebook did.

Their touch friendly mobile website is even my preferred method of accessing facebook over any app. It features all the information I need to get from Facebook, in an easy to use layout where even my cubby fingers can get around.

So if I am so adamant about doing things this way, taking the Facebook model as an example, what dilemma is there? Why even tease readers?

Technology is evolving, smart phones being the #1 phone being sold, where phones without internet and email are hard to find, and even laughed at. Today smart phones and tablets are taking over, in the past quarter we saw the amount of laptop sales decrease while tablet sales increased. This is an amazing achievement showing where the future is going, where a thin laptop is going to be considered a clunky piece of machinery.

As technology evolves and gets better, so does how the web is viewed on it. The day the first Apple iPhone was unveiled with “real web” the world was shocked, a mobile phone that could render websites in the same layout and style as a computer? Unheard of. Today devices are unveiling not that  can their browser can display a website design just like on a computer,  play movies on the website, load design scripts, and ultimately function identically. So with the mobile browsers displaying content as well as a computer, why even bother with a mobile website?

DILEMMA!

As many code resources that developers use get better and better at releasing mobile-friendly UI elements, the mobile browsers they are working to help, are getting and better and not needing their tone-down versions.

THE GUAVAWORKS FINAL SAY

It all depends on your audience and target market. Before jumping to conclusions, look through your analytics (if yo don’t have that running, another issue), see how many users you really do see accessing your website from mobile devices, take note at which mobile devices they are using. Is it a significant number compared to the total visitors? Are we talking 10%, 50%, or 0.5%? How does your website look on the most used device? If you dont have one, go to your local Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics and test it out… seriously, its important to know what your website looks like on these mobile devices.

Once you have that information, think logically about which direction you want to go in, and remember GuavaWorks can help you whether you decide which mobile website version you should go with.

A lot of website designers stick to a basic outline and will change coloring and if you are lucky, minor layout, for your company website. This is even more evident when they put their websites in their portfolio and you can see a common pattern or theme to all of them. A lot of companies do this, why? To save money. If the code is already in place for a certain template, then they will go ahead and redesign only minimal, thus minimizing their time and their costs. They offer these websites at a reduced price, and sometimes will nickel and dime for features like e-commerce, or limit the amount of pages you are allowed.

In comes GuavaWorks Website Designs. We treat every client the same, no matter your budget. Roy Sivan felt this was needed. It stems from a trip he took to a car wash. Roy was busy trying to sell a Toyota Camry and pulled into a car wash full of Porsches, BMWs, and other luxury vehicles. Not thinking twice he paid for a mid-level car-wash wanting his car to look good. This is where the level of service dropped, seeing the non-luxury car the team noticeably did a worse job on Roy’s car. Why? Roy brings this thought to GuavaWorks. No matter your budget, you will get a custom designed, custom fit website for your needs.

We Don’t Do Cookie Cutter

Roy Sivan makes sure any new team member understands that. There is no such thing as creating a standard “template” because 2 businesses are completely different. GuavaWorks will not purchase themes and alter to cut time/costs. Outside themes/templates are only utilized on client request.

We know you have many options when it comes to website design teams, but isn’t it good to know you will get the respect, no matter what your budget is?

GuavaWorks will still honor our clients with the same regard we always have. We treat each client individually, no cookie cutter websites built at GuavaWorks, guaranteed!

As we push through the last hurdle in moving forward to a brighter future, I have found the company at a crossroads with old methodology that used to work, but not so much anymore. What was a business run by an unemployed, starving, college student has turned into so much more. We are now receiving inquiries on a weekly basis for website design, redesigns, development, and even moving into custom web applications. As the clientele gets more sophisticated, mature, and advanced. So should GuavaWorks.

I want to step back for a second and look back at GuavaWorks, or what is GuavaWorks today. GuavaWorks is the new business that consumed (get it!? food?) both San Francisco Website Designs, and Los Angeles Website Designs. Uniting 2 geo-targeted areas into one. However, as I sit here contemplating the future, I realize that San Francisco Website Designs was not even the first “branding” I went through. No, in fact a now dead domain, roysdesigns.com was the original very first concoction of freelance hunger work from Roy Sivan. The play was Roy S, and Roy’s (I thought I was clever). Even simplewebdesignsolution.com became a possibility for a moment before San Francisco Website Designs took over.

So we come back to GuavaWorks, a few name changes, a few geo-location changes, and back to our company. A more mature company ready for what the future has to bring. In a world full of website design teams, designers, starving college students, and overseas outsourced teams, doesn’t it give you some piece of mind that we have been around for going on 8 years as a business? That may not be much, but its saying something.

Our new direction will stay with our old. Clients come first, strict deadlines, client management and transparency on all projects. Lastly, a team setup that is more mature, and more capable of handling higher-end clients. GuavaWorks is my graduation to a new level of website development, design, and doing business.

Watch our little video about Bob and his experience with his client who can’t make up his mind.  For help with your next web project call Guavaworks to help you 800.314.0466

Click here to view the video on YouTube.