Fact: the Internet is everyone’s source for information these days.  Businesses that realize this fact are often more successful because their information is easily accessible to the public and other businesses. Does your website contain the right information to attract customers?   Is it an accurate portrayal of your company?  Does it function properly? The majority of people research a business online (website, social media, etc.) before deciding to call or email.  Here are five common reasons why your website might not be as effective as you would like.

1. A badly designed and/or old (more than 5 years) website makes your business seem out-of-date and out of touch.   Customers are used to having new information right at their fingertips (thanks iphone) so if your website is old, customers might think your business is, well, old too.  Not old in a good way like those reliable companies that have been around for 75 years, but old as in outdated which could be a turnoff to new and existing customers.
2. You could be losing business for something as simple as a hard to find phone number or address.  Most people won’t take the time to search your entire website for the information they need.  Make it easy for them.
3. Self-made and free website services don’t work for everyone.  First of all, many of them do not contain any Search Engine Optimization capabilities.  Customers may not be able to find you on the web in general searches unless they know your URL.  Secondly, most of the free/self-made website services are based in Flash which does not work on iPhones or iPads, which leads to the next point.
4. Websites need to be specifically designed to operate correctly on mobile devices like iPhones and iPads.  This is extremely important since so many people use mobile devices to look up information on the go.  If your website doesn’t display correctly then the information the customer is seeking is not readily available.
5. Every aspect of your website needs to be fully functional.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a website that had an empty link or a contact form did not work.  A dysfunctional website does not make a good impression.

Use this information as a checklist for your website.  Google your business and any related terms, check out your website on a mobile device, look at your website as if you were a new customer.  If you’re not happy with what you see, give us a call.  Red Room is your one stop shop for graphic design and web services in the Lafayette area.

Contact Blake Berard @

337-349-1965

bb@theroomisred.com

An Expert is More Useful Than a Salesperson by Walter Dailey

6 Reasons Why You Will Fail at Blogging by Jeff Bullas

A Glimpse Into Google’s Search Engine of the Future by Marcela De Vivo

No Mobile Website?  You’re Probably Turning Customers Away by Jason Fell

2013 Federal Income Tax Update by James N. Phillips and Timothy C. Smith

6 Tips for Getting Government Contracts by Bill Murphy Jr.

We’re always looking for useful articles about business, graphic design, or web design, so if you find one, send it to lb@theroomisred.com.

Search Engine Optimization – (SEO) the process of adjusting the content, structure, etc, of a website so that it will be displayed prominently by a search engine.  (Thanks dictionary.com)

Since we started the Red Room WordPress blog last January we’ve had a noticeable spike in traffic to the website.  Half of the hits to the website are from the blog.  As a result, Red Room is now on the first page of Google results when searching for web designers in Lafayette, LA.  SEO for WordPress is simple if you follow the five steps below.

Focus on one keyword or phrase – 

Strategically place a keyword or phrase relevant to your business and/or blog post in the title and throughout the content of the post.  This is the basis of good SEO for Worpress.

Include keywords and search terms in the title (preferably as a searchable phrase).

Assuming your web developer has set up your WordPress blog correctly, the post should be easily found when people search for words relating to your post.  Here’s an example:  Below is the URL for one of Red Room’s previous blog posts.  In red is the actual title.  If your WordPress blog is not set up correctly, it won’t display the title making it harder for search engines to find.

http://theroomisred.com/logo-design-and-branding/red-rooms-rules-on-good-logo-design/

Titles should be short, searchable, common language phrases that include keywords.

Logo Design Good Red Room Web Design Rules = bad!

Red Rooms Rules on Good Logo Design = better!

 Use categories as keywords.

Like I said up there, whatever is in your URL is searchable.  Create concise, relevant categories and then choose which category to post your article under.

http://theroomisred.com/logo-design-and-branding/red-rooms-rules-on-good-logo-design/

Write quality content.

Blog to people, not search engines.  Keywords need to be strategically placed throughout well-written content.  Blog about issues that are relevant to your business, things that clients will find valuable.

Tag your blog posts.

Think of words that you would use when searching for your article and type all of those as tags.  Be sure to include your keywords/phrases.  This is an example from the Red Room’s Rules on Good Logo Design article.

SEO for WordPress is fairly easy to accomplish when following the steps mentioned above.  The hardest part is thinking of good topics to write about!  So get to work and you’ll notice a significant spike in your website traffic!

For Better or For Work by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg

I’ve only gotten halfway through this book…You can’t think about business all the time, right? Anyway, it chronicles the trials and tribulations of of being an entrepreneur with a family.

Setting Boundaries & Saying No…Nicely by Elizabeth Grace Saunders

Everyone should read this article!  Elizabeth outlines polite ways to say “no” in different situations, business and personal.

Top 5 Mobile Apps for Online Marketers by Jeff Bullas

SEO is a big part of what we do here at Red Room.  Also, we both just got iphones so I’m anxious to try some of these out.  I’ll let you know which one I like best in another blog post perhaps.

Your Best Brand Asset is Understanding Yourself by Phil Cooke

Every business that is trying to create a good branding identity should read this article.  What makes YOU different?

The Excorist by William Peter Blatty

The 40th anniversary edition cover is awesome…dark crimson, black, lime green, satin finish.  If you’re in the bookstore at all this week, look for it.

Logos are everywhere…literally.  We see good ones, bad ones, and everything in between.  I mean, just looking around right now I see about ten of them.  Logos are the backbone of any company’s identity.  They help people remember who you are and what you do.  A good logo is simple, versatile, memorable, and relevant.

-        Simple

Most designers agree that effective logos use simple fonts and have no more than two colors (not including black/white).    A logo is not supposed to be an illustration: it’s supposed to be an icon,  a visual association tool.

-        Versatile

Logos have to work on everything from business cards and billboards to websites and storefront signs.  A logo needs to be designed in a way that it can be used in different forms and orientations.

-        Memorable

A logo needs to be unique and make a lasting impression.

-        Relevant

I can’t tell you how many times we see logos with graphics that have nothing to do with the actual business.  Case in point: fleur-des-lis and crawfish are everywhere in the Lafayette area…some of them relevant…most of them NOT.  It’s great if you want to support your heritage, just have the crawfish incorporate into your logo.  Red Room designed a logo a few years back for a local electrician.  He wanted a crawfish so the logo was designed in a way that made it relevant to his business.

So if you’re starting a new business of revamping an existing one, remember…an awesome logo leads to an awesome branding campaign!

super cool = anything that Blake can have a lot of fun designing.  ex: band, artist, food truck, restaurant, bar, pool hall, tattoo parlor, festival, event, fundraiser, team…you get the general idea.

So go. Tell EVERYONE.

The changes weren’t obvious when I first logged into my account, but when I went to upload my photos I thought, “well this is different…but cool.”  Drag and drop is the greatest thing ever invented.  Well, maybe not greatest, but it’s pretty cool.  With the dark gray background and new layout, the uploads are easier to see and the whole thing feels more organized and easier to use. I like that you can see the photo you are uploading right away, not just the name of the file. Flickr also changed the lingo from ordinary things like “cancel” to  ”Farewell, cruel world.” I found myself playing around with it just to see the funny/random stuff that would show up.  At one point a panda appeared on the screen.  Along with the cosmetic changes, the data limit was increased from 20MB to 30MB per photo for free users.  Awesome.

• Hand-drawn/Sketching –both images and lettering

Kutztown.edu

gnosh.co.uk

• Large scale photos as backgrounds – even Red Room does this!

• Typography

• One page layouts – vertical or horizontal

Scroll to the right…

Here at Red Room we are always looking for different ways to advertise.  We’re not really into traditional advertising (like radio and TV) because, let’s face it, they are expensive and don’t always work.  The main goal of advertising is to get the word out right?  So why not spread the word in different ways that create intrigue and make a lasting impression.

1. Make a bright and colorful t-shirt with your company’s logo and wear it to events.
2. Embroider/print your company information on dress shirts to wear to meetings.
3. Put your company’s information on your car.
4. Join your local chamber of commerce.
5. Leave your business cards on the table when you eat at a restaurant.
6. Talk, talk, talk, talk.  Meet someone new?  Tell them what you do while giving them a business card.
7. Sponsor local events.
8. Donate door prizes to organizations/charities.
9. Keep your clients happy.  If they are happy, they’ll tell other people how awesome you are.
10. Update your Facebook daily.
11. Make a big stencil of your logo or website address.  Get some chalk.  Stencil your logo/website on high traffic sidewalks.
12. Volunteer for local community events.
13. Always give potential new clients 2+ business cards so that they can give the extras to another potential client.

(If you are interested in the entire article, it is in the April 2012 issue of Inc. magazine, page 28)