SmartGuys Design - Web Design Professionals | Kansas City's Premier WordPress Website Design Firm http://smartguysdesign.com Kansas City's Premier WordPress Website Design Firm Sat, 11 May 2013 13:52:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Signs and Symptoms of Bad Web Design http://smartguysdesign.com/signs-and-symptoms-of-bad-web-design/ http://smartguysdesign.com/signs-and-symptoms-of-bad-web-design/#comments Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:16:02 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/?p=1361 There are no doubt a great number of talented and skilled web professionals out there. It would be a lie for us at SmartGuys Design to say that we don’t have some really great competition! Many of whom have greatly inspired us and left their creative impact on the web! But there are without a doubt a lot of bad web designers out there whom just aren’t thinking artistically or in regards for coding semantics and whom are truly creating Bad Design.

We at SmartGuys Design want to draw attention to a few of the red flags that we’ve seen in the web design world that will hopefully help you avoid the signs and symptoms of a bad web design.

 

  1. Pixelation.

    Nothing bugs us more than seeing pixelated images. A web designer’s job is to understand how to use scale and understandings of resolution for images going onto a web page. Images that are scaled up beyond their ideal viewing resolution will appear pixelated. If you’ve got a pixelated flurry of images on your website, brace yourself: you might be victim of bad web design.

  2. Lack of Transparency.

    Another common symptom of bad web design is lack of transparency when there ought to be transparency. For example, if one was generating a logo image, they ought to consider the use of that image and take transparency into an effect. If the image is not designed with transparency, it might look nice on the web page, but the moment it is taken to another medium — or anything with another background color other than white — it won’t look so nice anymore.

  3. Broken forms, broken links, lack of testing.

    Nothing is more frustrating than broken functionality. Have you ever filled out an online form only to receive an error and waste your time? How about clicking important links only to receive a 404, page not found, error? How about opening the page in Internet Explorer and seeing a whole mess of overlap and confusion on the page? These are the signs and symptoms of bad web design. Your web designer likely failed to: test forms, check links, check for browser-compatibility. Just like your kitchen at home needs a little, “TLC” from time-to-time, some maintenance love for your website can go a long way.

  4. Color clashes or bad text color choice for poor reading visibility

    Another sign and symptom of a bad web is designer: color clashes. The eye-ball version of nails screeching on a chalk-board. Aaahhh, my eyes! Color choice is really important. Just like when we pick out our clothes for the day, we want hues to match, or if we’re really hip, we want to even accomplish something by those color choices. Even if your web designer is not this deep, it’s important to make good decisions with color that will be soft on the viewers eyes, or that will ensure the clean and clear visibility of text. If you’re website viewers are straining because of the wavelengths of light you’ve reflected at them via your color choice, or if they’re nose is almost touching the screen to read your text, you’ve been hit by bad design!

  5. No Metadata, Metadescriptions or Keywords.

    Metadata, metadescriptions and keywords provide information about your website to search engine robots and the other digital creatures that trawl through the wired world of the web. These descriptions live in the <head> portion of your website code, and tells search engines (and other web robots) what your website is about. Keywords can exist defined in the <head>, as well as placed within body text. These terms are often chosen to reflect the terms one might use in a search if they were looking for the content. If all of this stuff is missing, search engines have less to go off when placing you amidst search results. This would be considered Bad SEO, a component in bad web design.

  6. Slow or unreliable hosting.

    Bad hosting can make your web experience difficult with poor page loading times and an all-around unpleasant user-experience. If you’re trusting your web designer to do the hosting for you — make sure you’re getting something reliable. If you begin to notice your page load times increasing in ways that are abnormal in comparison to page-load times with other websites — you’re probably hosted on a slow server. If you find your website randomly is unavailable for short periods of time — you’re probably hosted on a poor capacity server. There are many cheap web hosts out there, but finding ones whom provide quality up-time and support are a different story. Get off that slow server and make sure your web designer is giving you adequate hosting with enough bandwidth for your needs!

  7. Hard to locate contact information.

    If people can’t find your telephone number or mailing address, this isn’t good! Believe it or not, it’s not that uncommon. Have you ever had a time when on a website you actually had trouble finding a contact point? One thing to always remember: make it easy for them to find what they need.

  8. Excessive Adobe Flash, animation or the use of other poorly supported technologies.

    We’ve made some flash websites ourselves back in the day. Not even that long ago really. It’s true. At one point in time Flash was a more common approach to the web. Before all of the fancy new browser additions (like jQueryUI or CSS3), it was difficult to create proper animation or visual roll-over effects without a heck of a lot of javascript or technologies like Adobe Flash. But, the world is changing. Many mobile devices and tablets do not support Adobe Flash based animations. The browsers on iPhones for example, have never, and will never, be made to support Adobe Flash technology. If your website is based in Flash, your viewers will see a blank screen. A good web designer will try and choose formats and methods that require the most minimal use of plugins and outside softwares. The more blockages or annoyances you put between your user and their desired content, the more you’ll frustrate people and lose viewers.

  9. Untested for mobile devices.

    It’s important to take the many devices that a webpage can be viewed from into consideration. With a world of smartphones and tablet computers, it’s important to note that not all of your viewers will be visiting your site on a laptop or desktop machine. Some will be doing so from a city bus, or from their couch. One of the fastest growing sectors on the web is mobile. If your web design has not been tested for mobile devices and looks poor, you’re in trouble.  Your web designer isn’t thinking and is missing some crucial details! Considering a large number of your traffic is likely to be mobile, this could make or break your first representation!

  10. Poor Digital Assets (copy text, photography, icons).

    It really is important with your website to take nice photographs, include nice graphics, and to take the proper time to assemble quality ingredients. Just like when preparing a gourmet meal, the better the ingredients, the better the results. A website is no different. If we take a beautiful theme, or a great logo, and fill it with poor imagery and bad photos, we’ll drag down the visual quality and aesthetic of the entire design. Remember, your website is a holistic unit, and the end-result is ultimately made up of the smaller constituents. If your website is full of bad imagery, bad writing and bad graphics, you’re suffering from bad design.

  11. Empty or’Skeleton’ pages, no content.

    Another web design pit-fall is empty, skeleton or no-content pages. All of these terms denote the same thing: a page lacking any real good content, and therefor lacking any real motive for the viewer to be visiting the page. We recommend taking the time to fill in good content, and getting rid of things that aren’t good. The internet is beautiful, but the ease by which information can be copied  and created has watered down the quality. Therefor, we are huge advocates of creating pages with purpose and cutting out the bull. Empty pages and hot air don’t help do anything but take up space. The more worthwhile stuff you give your viewers (like this blog article for example), the more people will have a reason to view your website and find real value in it.

  12. Bad Coding Semantics

    Another prime example of bad web design is the use of bad coding semantics, or the misuse of coding principles, or the complete lack of certain coding principles. Often this involves leaving out opportunities to inject proper keywords in post content and in the code. For example one might use code to display an image in the following way:

    <img src=”http://www.mysite.com/mylogo.png” />

    With proper coding semantics and SEO in consideration, one might change the previous line of code to the following:

    <img src=”http://www.mysite.com/mylogo.png” alt=”My Business Name Logo” title=”My Business” />

    By adding more information about the image to the code, Google and other search engine-bots when trawling data, will pickup the “alt” and “title information” (My Business Name Logo, and My Business) and will add these descriptions to its cache. This is how search engines work. A good web designer must understand the difference between good and bad coding semantics and how a search engine robot will interpret various website elements.

  13. Mismatching fonts and mismatching font-sizes.

    Fonts are a design element no matter how you want to look at it. They effect the visual representation of things. The large number of fonts out there shows you how important text can truly be to good design. If you see a website with ugly fonts, or with lots of font inconsistencies, you can place your bets on bad web design.

    Font size too makes a difference: Large font sizes are reserved for headings, advertisements or anything else whose aim is to draw visual attention. Small font sizes are reserved for descriptions, paragraphs and smaller tag-lines. The mis-use of font sizes are a common symptom of a wet-behind-the-ears web designer.

Just like anything else, we make mistakes and that’s how we learn. This article should not give the reader the impression that we’ve never made some of these mistakes ourselves. Because we’ve made many of these mistakes! That’s how we learned! If we hadn’t, we would have never learned the proper methods in web design and what a difference these good practices make.

There are surely many more errs than those listed above, however one must understand when building a website that it’s more than just text on a page. A good web designer is thinking in shapes, colors, font choices, spacing, and checking for technical issues of functionality and reliability.

We, SmartGuys Design, wish you the best of luck in avoiding these pit-falls, and hope that now you are more educated and more aware.

If you are suffering from the signs and symptoms of bad design, we recommend a diagnosis by SmartGuys Design for quick and immediate relief!

Please contact us and we’ll tell you how we can help.

]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/signs-and-symptoms-of-bad-web-design/feed/ 0 What are Google Apps and how can they help my business? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-are-google-apps-and-how-can-they-help-my-business/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-are-google-apps-and-how-can-they-help-my-business/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:30:07 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=44 Google Apps is a suite of applications for small businesses. For larger businesses, Google has an additional offering that includes more features such as email archiving and discovery (compliance).

You might have used the free Google Apps that are included for all Gmail users, such as Google Docs, which offers tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Also available are tools like Google Contacts for sharing contacts within your organization, and Google Drive for cloud-storage and sharing of files.

Google Apps are a great way to improve productivity and enhance your workflow, and all are backed by Google Apps support team. Of course, we at SmartGuys Design are always available to assist our customers with not only Google Apps but anything else web-related, so contact us today for a few consultation to see how your business can benefit from new tools like Google Apps.

]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/what-are-google-apps-and-how-can-they-help-my-business/feed/ 0 What is “email marketing” and how can a email-based newsletter help my business? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-email-marketing-and-how-can-a-email-based-newsletter-help-my-business/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-email-marketing-and-how-can-a-email-based-newsletter-help-my-business/#comments Fri, 02 Nov 2012 22:42:50 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=72 An effective email marketing campaign can be crucial for engaging customers and driving repeat business.

You’ve probably received email newsletters from online stores at which you’ve shopped in the past, business acquaintances, etc. You know what they are. But do you know all they are capable of?

Good email marketing platforms have the ability to track which users open an email newsletter, what type of device they used to read the email (ex. Outlook 2007 on Windows, iPhone with iOS version 6.0, etc.), which if any links they clicked, and much more. This type of information can be very useful in tailoring an effective email marketing campaign. Email newsletters encourage repeat visits and repeat business. They drive visitors to your website — visitors you know have a connection to and interest in your business.

Contact SmartGuys Design today for a free, no-obligation proposal for an email marketing campaign for your business.

]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-email-marketing-and-how-can-a-email-based-newsletter-help-my-business/feed/ 0 What’s the best way to gain exposure to my website? http://smartguysdesign.com/whats-the-best-way-to-gain-exposure-to-my-website/ http://smartguysdesign.com/whats-the-best-way-to-gain-exposure-to-my-website/#comments Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:41:46 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=68 We advocate a multifaceted approach that involves:

  • Regular updates to your website, as search engines use the “freshness” of a website in determining rank. We can help with this by updating your website with content you provide. We can also help write content for your website.
  • A well-thought SEO strategy. This first means making sure your website conforms to SEO “best practices”. The next step is backlinking, which involves listing your website in online directories, search portals, etc.
  • Results-driven PPC (Pay-Per-Click) online advertising campaigns to supplement the SEO strategy.

During this process, we track the effectiveness of our efforts and adjust the strategy accordingly to provide you with the most cost-effective means of promoting your website.

]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/whats-the-best-way-to-gain-exposure-to-my-website/feed/ 0 What is Google Analytics? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-google-analytics/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-google-analytics/#comments Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:20:36 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=303 Google Analytics is a metrics system developed by Google that enables users to view information about their website. Google provides a very complex and comprehensive suite of tools for the Analytics user:

  • Analysis Tools. Google provides an easy to use reporting platform, so you can decide what data you want to view and customize your reports.
  • Content Analytics. Content reports help you understand which parts of your website are performing well and which pages are most popular so you can create a better experience for your customers
  • Social Analytics. Google can measure the success of your social media programs. You can analyze how vistors interact with sharing features and engage your content across social platforms.
  • Mobile Analytics. Google Analytics helps you measure the impact of mobile on your business.
  • Conversion Analytics. Find out how many customers you’re attracting, how much you’re selling and how users are engaging with your site with a range of analysis features.
  • Advertising Analytics. Make the most of your advertising by learning how well your social, mobile search and display ads are working. Link your website activity to your marketing campaigns to get the complete picture and improve your advertising performance.
    • ]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-google-analytics/feed/ 0 What is a domain, how much do they cost and how long do I own it? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-domain-how-much-do-they-cost-and-how-long-do-i-own-it/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-domain-how-much-do-they-cost-and-how-long-do-i-own-it/#comments Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:16:57 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=294 A domain is the term used for the website address of your website. For example, “www.google.com“, is the domain name for Google.

    The ending of a domain is called the “TLD”, or “Top Level Domain“. There are many different TLD’s, including the old favorites ‘.com’, ‘.net’ and ‘.org’, as well as new TLD’s like .info and .tv.

    You can check on the status of a domain to see whether it’s already been registered by using a “WHOIS” tool. We recommend whois.sc

    The cost to register a ‘.com’ domain for 1 year is typically about $10. You can also register a domain for a longer term to save money.

    Typically we take care of all of this for you. If you are in need of a new website we’ll help you develop domain ideas. If you’re hosting with us, we usually register it for you and take care of all of the domain management so you don’t have to. Your personal information (for WHOIS lookups for example) is kept private.

    If you decide at a later point that you no longer wish for our services, or wish for another web host, your domain can be easily transferred. We hold nothing over your head, no gimmicks, no nets. It’s yours.

    ]]>     http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-domain-how-much-do-they-cost-and-how-long-do-i-own-it/feed/ 0     What is a ‘DNS’ Server and what does this have to do with my domain? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-dns-server-and-what-does-this-have-to-do-with-my-domain/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-dns-server-and-what-does-this-have-to-do-with-my-domain/#comments Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:16:09 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=292 DNS stands for Domain Name System. Every website you visit has a unique IP address assigned to it. A DNS server simply turns the domain name into the IP address so your computer can connect to the website. Every domain name requires a DNS server, but luckily for our clients, SmartGuys Design manages all aspects of website hosting, including a DNS server. In fact, we have three DNS servers, in case one (or two) are unavailable, meaning a more reliable website for your business.

    ]]>     http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-dns-server-and-what-does-this-have-to-do-with-my-domain/feed/ 0     What is PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-ppc-pay-per-click-advertising-and-google-adwords/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-ppc-pay-per-click-advertising-and-google-adwords/#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:27:50 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=155 PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, is a form of online advertising. You’ve probably seen “Sponsored Results” when searching on Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.

    PPC Infographic

    It costs you nothing to appear in these sponsored results. Only when a person clicks on your ad. are you charged (hence the term, “Pay-Per-Click”). The cost per click is typically set in a bidding process, where the highest per-click bid gets the #1 spot in the sponsored results.

    PPC can be highly effective, as it gives you the ability to appear at the top of any search, including searches for your competitors! You can set daily/weekly/monthly budgets for individual search terms, and also by geographic area.

    Here are some questions to get you thinking about PPC:

    • What would be your daily/monthly PPC budget?
    • What search terms are your potential customers might use to find you or your competition?
    • What geographic areas would you like to target?

    When it comes to PPC, “the sky is the limit”! Contact SmartGuys Design today for a free PPC consultation, including an evaluation of your past online marketing efforts and a proposed strategy to improve your online reach and drive visitors to your website.

    ]]>     http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-ppc-pay-per-click-advertising-and-google-adwords/feed/ 0     What is a “CMS”, or, a “Content Management System”? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-cms-or-a-content-management-system/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-cms-or-a-content-management-system/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:58:47 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=80 A CMS or Content Management System is a software system that allows users to publish, edit, and modify content on a website. Different Content Management Systems have different features and capabilities. At SmartGuys Design, we primarily use the WordPress CMS. WordPress is great for our clients because it allows them to easily make changes and additions to their websites, without the need to hire us every time the content needs to be changed. While we always stand-behind the websites we build and are happy to help our clients make any changes the need, WordPress gives each client the flexibility to make immediate changes to their website when it’s convenient. Using WordPress, we can also create a structured system with different permissions for different users. Your sales staff can have access to edit the sales pages of your website, while your technical support staff can have access to edit the support pages. Executives can be granted access to edit any aspect of the website, while interns and new employees can be given access only to approve or delete comments from website visitors.

    The bottom line is that we can plan, develop, and customize a CMS-based website to fully meet the needs of you and your business.

    ]]>     http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-a-cms-or-a-content-management-system/feed/ 0     When my website is hosted with SmartGuys Design, what are the basic services provided? http://smartguysdesign.com/when-my-website-is-hosted-with-smartguys-design-what-are-the-basic-services-provided/ http://smartguysdesign.com/when-my-website-is-hosted-with-smartguys-design-what-are-the-basic-services-provided/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:56:55 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=78 Among other things, our website design clients enjoy the following features included in all of our hosting packages:

    • 24/7 website uptime monitoring
    • Google Analytics (visitor tracking) access & monthly reports
    • Automated weekly backups
    • Priority support for all website hosting customers
    ]]>     http://smartguysdesign.com/when-my-website-is-hosted-with-smartguys-design-what-are-the-basic-services-provided/feed/ 0     What will you need from me during the website building process? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-will-you-need-from-me-during-the-website-building-process/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-will-you-need-from-me-during-the-website-building-process/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:56:09 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=76 While all projects are different, typical requirements for new website clients include:

    • Your logo in high-resolution/vector format if available
    • Page content & copy text
    • Conversion goals for website visitors (i.e. what is the purpose of your website?)
    • A designated contact person who will be responsible for working with us to locate and obtain all project requirements
    • Accurate contact information to be used on the website
    • Photos and images you’d like incorporated on the new website
    • If an e-commerce component is required, merchant/payment processing and billing information
      • ]]> http://smartguysdesign.com/what-will-you-need-from-me-during-the-website-building-process/feed/ 0 How fast can you build a website? http://smartguysdesign.com/how-fast-can-you-build-a-website/ http://smartguysdesign.com/how-fast-can-you-build-a-website/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:43:29 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=74 The question should not be “How fast can you build a website?”; it should be “How long does it take to build a great website that will last for years?”. We will always take the time to do the job right. Different businesses have different needs, and there is no “one size fits all” approach to developing an effective website. Contact SmartGuys Design today for a free, individual website design proposal that fits your unique needs.

      ]]>       http://smartguysdesign.com/how-fast-can-you-build-a-website/feed/ 0       What is “Spec Work”? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-spec-work/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-spec-work/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:40:39 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=64 “Spec” work is an industry term to describe work done on spec; that is, without a guarantee of payment. We do not do spec work! You may find other designers that offer to build you a website with no up-front payment. When you find those services being offered, you can be sure that the work is sub-par, as the paying customers must subsidize the cost of doing spec work for the prospects who never agree to pay. When you hire SmartGuys Design, you can rest assured that your project will get our full attention, and not be taken away from by spec work for other prospective clients. Our No Spec Work policy ensures that our clients receive the best possible service for the lowest possible price.

      ]]>       http://smartguysdesign.com/what-is-spec-work/feed/ 0       What can I expect for my first meeting with SmartGuys Design? http://smartguysdesign.com/what-can-i-expect-for-my-first-meeting-with-smartguys-design/ http://smartguysdesign.com/what-can-i-expect-for-my-first-meeting-with-smartguys-design/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:39:33 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=60 Our first meeting will primarily focus on learning about you and your business. In order to build the best possible website, we must first understand what information your typical customers are seeking from your website. We will then create a list of objectives for your new website. We will revisit these many times throughout the process, so you’ll end up with a website built with your customers in mind.

      At our first meeting, we will likely start the requirement gathering process. During this stage we’ll ask you for your logo files, artwork and any additional content you may have. We’ll develop a list of other resources and content we may need.

      Finally, we will work with you to develop attainable goals and a strategy for measuring the performance of your new website. We will also determine a project schedule and deadlines, both for us, and for you. We rely on your timely feedback to complete your project on-time and within your budget.

      We’re now ready to begin designing your new website!

      ]]>       http://smartguysdesign.com/what-can-i-expect-for-my-first-meeting-with-smartguys-design/feed/ 0       When hiring a web designer what should I look for and what should I try and avoid? http://smartguysdesign.com/when-hiring-a-web-designer-what-should-i-look-for-and-what-should-i-try-and-avoid/ http://smartguysdesign.com/when-hiring-a-web-designer-what-should-i-look-for-and-what-should-i-try-and-avoid/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:38:05 +0000 SmartGuys Design http://smartguysdesign.com/dev12/?p=54 Hiring a web designer is an important decision. These people will be trusted with your most valuable asset: your business’s online representation. They are the ones building and crafting your virtual brick-and-mortar, choosing the colors and shapes to go on the walls, and effecting the opinions of your visitors. Not to mention, through the website building process, your designer gains inside-information about your business itself.

      We at SmartGuys Design work to truly understand the importance of this position. We believe in trust and respect; we respect your privacy by keeping your information entirely confidential. Secondly, we want you to look your best, we want you to be proud of your website, and we want you to be happy about our services. It doesn’t make us feel very good if you don’t like your website and are disappointed. Thus we work to deliver our absolute best.

      When hiring a web designer here’s what you really ought to be asking:

      Can my web designer communicate properly with me? Can we get along?

      Building a website requires a volleying of information and an exchange of ideas. If you are having a “difficult relationship” with your designer, odds are further down the road it may get even worse. Choose a designer you can get along with and communicate well with. This will be crucial for your end success. At SmartGuys, we thrive on consistent and timely communication.

      Does my web designer’s own website look any good?

      If your designer does not have a website that to you personally is visually appealing, or, if their work is not reflective of your tastes, then bail now, as this reflects upon your future product. We think we have good taste, and consider ourselves classy.

      Do my web designers keep things from me? Do they hide my rights to my digital assets? Do they keep me in the dark about web concepts in order to capitalize financially on my missing knowledge?

      Believe it or not, this happens to a lot of people. A lot of web designers thrive on keeping people “hooked” either by holding ownership of their digital assets (their web files and their domain), or by keeping them baited on nickel-and-diming pricing strategies by keeping them ignorant. Make sure you understand if you can gain access to your domain if you choose to leave, and if you can have access to your web files before you pay someone large sums of money.

      With us, your domain can be transferred from us at anytime, and your web files are yours if you want them. We are clear about our pricing and prefer larger packages that are more-inclusive, over hammering you with options which add-$-up over time. If needed, we do provide long-term maintenance packages, bundled and priced for personal needs.

      How difficult will it be to edit my website later on? Do I have to route every little change through my designer?

      Understanding your use of your website is important; if you anticipate making a lot of changes, make sure when choosing a web designer that your website is constructed in a manner which allows for that. When we design our websites at SmartGuys Design, we keep your common use in mind. Some areas of your website can be more code-complex than others, but we work to set you up for success. If there are areas that will require frequent user-end updating, we can provide that for you.

      Will my website appear on the top of Google and other search engines? What if my web designer promises this? What should I be asking about ‘SEO’?

      One thing that is important to understand, is that search-engine rank is a product of many things. Often it is a combination of on-site SEO practices (good coding semantics), and off-site strategies (such as backlinking, social media use, and pay-per-click strategies). Be weary of anyone promising you a #1 ranking. This often takes great deals of time and a high-spending pay-per-click budget. Some very large traffic websites, for example, will spend up to $1.5K a month on Google Adwords alone. So one must be realistic when beginning their web endeavors.

      Traffic takes time, and the best foundation is quality content and hard work in self-promotion and other forms of marketing. Pay-per-click budgets are helpful if you have a lot of capital to put towards an online advertising campaign, but for those just starting out, keep yourself realistic about your goals. This is not discourage the beginnings of a great website, but rather to ensure that one fully understands how page-rank is obtained on search engine results. We may do another post on this as a subject of its own entirely. At SmartGuys Design we work to inform, we work to use good coding semantics to set you up for search-engine caching (digesting by Google, Yahoo!, etc – Yum!) and good on-site SEO practices. We keep it real with you.

      Summary
      Really, the most important thing when choosing a web designer is really making sure you go with someone you like and can get along well with. Someone whom has strong examples of work that I visually find appealing, someone whom is honest and truthful with me about what they provide and are clear on their pricing.

      At the end of the day, it’s like any other service-provider in your life: you want someone who does a good job, and who you like.

      We genuinely put our heart and sweat into our work, and like to think that means something in today’s world. Additionally, we try to please and really work to give our clients our very best. We hope this article helps you find the right shoe to fit your website needs! If you are considering building or re-building your website and hosting with us; we’d sure like to chat!

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