Web Desigh

Now a days portfolios are not just for web designers or models. Any person from any industry can show his/her portfolio online to gain exposure to potential opportunities.  In my personal experience if you are skilled at anything then you must to show it off online by having your own portfolio site. You can either use a free portfolio service to show what you have done and your capabilities. Following are some of the reasons, why you should have a portfolio website. 1. Easy Showcase There are many times you meet a potential client and he/she wish to see what you have done in past. Most of the times, you manually go to them with your laptop and show them your work every time. It takes lot of time, and it is a very boring process too. Why not create your own portfolio website and showcase your work at site. Whenever a client ask you for your previous work, just give them your portfolio website address and let your portfolio website convince them. 2. Online Presence A portfolio website makes your online presence. You can target your clients by better SEO, online free marketing techniques etc. Your portfolio website will assure that you are getting online clients as well. There are possibilities that you might earn better from online clients rather than offline clients. 3. Professional Look Your portfolio website will make you look much more professional. If you are having a good looking portfolio website then it might get more attention from the clients means better image and more people getting your services. Potential clients will think that you are really serious rather then just another next door web designer. 4. Professionalism Advantage Your portfolio website will give you much more professional advantage. You would be more exposed and professional looking when compared to your competitors. In short it meant that you are fully exposed to clients and availing all possible opportunities unlike your competitors. 5. Better First Impression Your portfolio website means a better first impression. Potential client might see your profile with a link to your portfolio website, its much often that he will click on the link to see what you have done. On your portfolio website, you might show your creativity for a better first impression. 6. Easy to Update Last but certainly not least, your portfolio website is very easy to update. You can …

A focused social media marketing campaign is a vital part of any online business. Even if you are not an avid user of social networks yourself, you should be harnessing its power to bring more traffic to your site and awareness of your brand. We have been in operation for over 15 years, longer than Facebook and Twitter, and have the knowledge and experience to create, manage and maintain your social media marketing campaign or, alternatively, train your in-house staff to take on the task. The Power of Social Media Creating quality content on your website is necessary for optimising Search Engine rankings and keeping potential customers or subscribers interested. But if you can also create content that is ‘social’ in nature, those visitors are likely to want to share it on the social networks they use. Social networks include Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linked In, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, and many websites now incorporate social media icons or share buttons to make it easier than ever to spread the word. Sharing via email, social media, websites, blog posts and other online channels is known as eWOM (Electronic Word of Mouth) and is far more efficient than physical word of mouth for getting your company or organisation noticed. Mobile Social Media Marketing The growth of Smartphone technology and its uptake by consumers has led to the development of mobile apps for all the major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc.), and the emergence of mobile-specific social networks such as FourSquare. This needs to be given consideration when designing a social media marketing strategy, for example by optimising your local profile so that people in the area can find you using their phone. Social Media Marketing and SEO Google and the other search engines understand that so-called ‘social media signals’, such as ‘likes’, ‘retweets’ and ‘shares’ are indicative of a quality, relevant site. When the Panda algorithm update was released in 2011, American media site CNET revealed that social networking sites were given higher priority in search rankings than previously, while 2012’s Penguin update used social media activity as a way of evaluating inbound links. Through social media marketing, Web Design Magic can help you become more engaged with your visitors which will breed loyalty. Engaged visitors will leave feedback and share experiences, becoming virtual (and free) marketing executives and focusing your R&D program. Other ways of boosting engagement include offering special promotions …

Pay-per-click advertising, most commonly associated with Google’s AdWords programme, is an effective way for businesses and organisations to boost their search engine position or display advertisements on relevant third party sites. As suggested by the name, advertisers only pay for adverts or links that have been clicked on, making PPC a very popular model for companies of all sizes. Our Team can assist you with creating your PPC strategy and managing your PPC campaign to boost the traffic coming to your website. PPC is not compulsory for attracting traffic to your website, but is worth considering if you want to pay for a more prominent position in search engine listings or on relevant third-party websites. Flat-rate v Bid Models Some website owners offer PPC advertising on a flat-rate basis, so will charge advertisers a set amount per advert clicked, while others operate a bid system. Bid-based PPC models require advertisers to bid on relevant keywords related to their advertisement. When potential visitors type in the keywords, the highest bidder’s advert appears higher up in the search engine list or is selected to appear on a relevant website. AdWords and Advertising Networks Since 2002, Google have been operating a PPC network called AdWords. AdWords is a bid-based advertising network which places customer adverts in its sponsored links and/or on relevant websites, newsletters or emails owned by third-party affiliates signed up to the AdSense programme. Sponsored links are those that appear at the top of Google’s search listings and are separated from the ‘organic’ search results by a shaded background and horizontal ruled line. Other PPC networks place links or display ads adjacent to or below the organic results. Each time a potential buyer or subscriber clicks on your sponsored link or display ad, your cost will accrue until you reach your agreed budget. After that, your advert will stop appearing until the following day. AdWords provides businesses with a sophisticated array of complicated looking metrics to enable the fine-tuning of PPC campaigns. For example, bids can be set differently for each keyword or keyword phrase. Alternatively, the bidding system can be automated with business owners needing only to choose a maximum daily budget.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) improves website visibility in organic search results, so your website appears higher up the search pages without being a paid advert (PPC/Adwords); the higher the page ranking, the more frequently a site appears in search results, so the more visitors it will receive from that search engine. Web Design Magic boasts a talented team of SEO experts who have been at the forefront of search engine optimisation for over 15 years, so we are highly skilled in helping our clients achieve high visibility, to be seen and stand out amongst competitors in the vast and rapidly evolving digital market. We create tactical and strategic digital marketing campaigns to encourage and engage with your online audience, enhancing your corporate brand and complimenting traditional marketing activity, targeting your market, tailored entirely for your business needs so we reduce visitor bounce rates and increase visitor to customer conversions, your revenue and profits. Delivering tangible and impressive SEO results, we guarantee every client a top ten Google listing achieving a number 1 placement for the majority, with equally high rankings across all the popular search engines such as Yahoo, Bing and MSN. We have extensive experience in creating local, regional, national, international and multi-lingual SEO campaigns to attain a higher volume of traffic to and through your website. Our SEO expertise enables us to be very targeted and specific, so visitors land on the most relevant page for their search, not just your homepage, which in turn reduces bounce rates and transforms a higher number of website visitors into your customers. And because very client is different, we customise our SEO campaigns to suit each individual business and budget, helping you to achieve the most from your search engine optimisation. To enable us to recommend the best search engine optimisation strategy we need to establish the effectiveness of your existing website. Our initial assessment will highlight positive elements and areas for improvement, review meta data, analytics, traffic volumes and back links, and will access SEO keywords and current visibility on the web, enabling us to work with you to develop a bespoke digital marketing campaign for your business. Competitor Analysis Market insight is invaluable, discover vital information about your competitors website structure, online strategy and techniques with our expert analysis. Competitor analysis, combined with our initial assessment enables us to define a strategic digital marketing plan to put you ahead of …

People who do not just work to earn a living but who work to earn more money definitely would venture out into business. The realization that it is the surest way to get wealthy is infectious, obviously, more and more small and big businesses are sprouting. Businesses do not have to start big to be successful. In fact, watching a small enterprise grow over time seems to be more satisfying than having it big from the start and just maintaining it as it is. Planning and goal-setting are very important before starting out on any business, from how the business should go about daily to its financial workings. Moreover, these finances should always be well-tracked. When a business is about to start, people tend to focus on things that are already obvious. They feel the need to be credible. They feel the need to stand out on their fields based on their abilities, expertise and knowledge. Definitely, all of these are necessary and helpful. However, one thing which is equally important is the connection. In business, aside from what you can offer and how you do things, the people that you know plays a good role. Connection is an important aspect when doing business. More importantly you should consider asking yourself on the number of business relationships you have. It definitely pays to have different business relationships among the business circle, and it should not end there. Good business relationship should also extend to the clients. The right connections with the key people could determine a business’ success. A good exposure is an advertisement investment. When this aspect is established it is best to make sure that the products you offer speak for itself. Normally, when a business is starting, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing strategy. Getting the key people to speak about your business is the secret to sales. From there on, clients would find its way back if the product or services are worth it. When things are then doing well and business is flourishing, change and improvement should not be taken for granted. People change, and that is a fact. Their tastes and preferences change over time. A business should be flexible enough to keep its market, and innovative enough to keep its market proud and loyal. Advertisements should also be always updated yet always bearing the same principle and quality of the business. It …

Have you heard about Friendster, Facebook, and Twitter? Or perhaps You-Tube, Amazon, e-Bay?  Or surely Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia? Need not asked is it? Since the invention of Computers to the creation of the World Wide Web until today, Web Sites of all designs, purpose and features are exponentially growing. From e-mails, search engines, social networks, video streaming, To online shopping, banking, blogging and name it. However, how are these web sites created and designed?  What is Web Design and How to create a superior website design? Web Design is a kind of graphic design intended for development, presenting and styling of objects or information in the internet to provide them with high-end consumer features and aesthetic qualities. To create a superior website design, these are basic and most important rules and guidelines; Define the purpose of the Web Site.  This is the most basic rule in web designing. The site should be specific in its purpose because it will shape and define everything in the web site. Stick to the purpose of the website. If the website is intended for Social Networking, all its features should be about Social Networking. Decide and define the intended audience. Web design should be specific and tailored to a specific market or audience. It is the guiding principle in selecting features and contents of the website. Contents and features of the website should be sensitive, acceptable, easy and relevant to the intended audience. Readability and aesthetics. The most important rule in web design is that your web site should be easy to read. This means, there must be harmony between the text and the background of the website. Colors of text and background must be chosen carefully. Background must not obscure the text and text color must be easy to read. A perfect text-background blend is essential in the overall beauty of the website. Text sizesshould also be considered, should not be too small to cause an eye-strain nor too big to be intimidating to the reader. Avoid unnecessary clippings, pictures, icons and figures as it may steal the attention of the reader from the contents of the website. The simpler the web designs the better. Be consistent in the layout of the website, colors, text and design should be consistent and conventional so that Readers will be comfortable. Navigability. Ease in navigating the web site is a highly preferable attribute and is very important. …

These are a must for any business site that I design.  I have found all this information to be relevant and important to keeping your business credible on the Internet. Give Contact information. For personal pages this can be a simple e-mail address, perhaps not with your “real” name. For businesses you should also include a physical address, and phone number with area code. Have a privacy policy, Terms of Service, policy on spam, how personal information will be used etc… It only takes an hour of research and a hyper link to another page for your site to really spell out what you do with personal information. It makes me feel better knowing you are thinking about it. Be up front about why you need certain information. Don’t ask for too much personal info on a first contact. See this as a greeting with a shake of hands, not a shake down. Give a background of your company. Who are you? Why do you do this stuff? You may think that no one will read it but I assure you that those serious about looking into your business will give it a once over. Post official documentation online – for instance I have a copy of my business license on this site. Post anything that you are an official member of that holds meaning to the product/service you offer, i.e. member of the Chamber of Commerce, breed organization, or riding group. Reply to e-mail within 24 hours. If you can’t reply, get a ‘bot to send some sort of automated response (“we will be contacting you shortly” –) Reply professionally with a full signature and additional contact information. Keep your web site well maintained with working links. Realize that this is like a customer calling and in the middle of a conversation with you – you have hung up!  This is a must! Post references. These don’t have to include full name but can be something like – Ashley K. of Orlando, FL. You might be very surprised by what just a few simple sentences do to make a difference in how people feel about you and your site. Be helpful. It might surprise you how many times I have received rude e-mail just from asking a question! Some people don’t think they should bother in responding to e-mail that doesn’t look like it will be a “sale.” How …

The importance of local SEO to your business cannot be overstated. More and more of your customers are starting their search for your products and services on the internet. They’re using search engines when they’re ready to buy. We’ll focus on Google here, but the same basics hold true for Yahoo and Bing. Google has about 65% of traffic, so it makes sense to start there. Local SEO involves three basic factors. Google Places is our starting point. Those listings with little red flags with a black dot in the middle are Google Places listings. There are up to seven on a page. The flag is dropped on to a Google Map on the same page and shows the physical location of the listed business. The good news about a Google Places listing is that it’s free. Now, that doesn’t mean your listing will make the list and display, and the cherished number one position must be earned. Google will not tell us how to get on the list and at the top, but citations and reviews seem to be the factors that will get you there. Citations are very simple. They’re the business name, phone number and address as submitted for the Google Place listing. Other pages from sites such as internet phone directories, a local Chamber of Commerce, industry directories, newspapers and your own website, blog, etc. that list the citation will affect the Places rankings. Reviews come from services like Yelp and Google themselves. Google searches the internet for reviews about your business. For small businesses like local restaurants, reviews will go a long way to determining whether you make the list and where you rank. Making sure you are listed in Google Places is a great start, but it’s not enough. You need to get to the top of those listings and that’s where the other two basics of local SEO come into play. You don’t need a website for a Google Places listing, but not having a well designed, content rich website is a mistake. People, your customers, are searching on the internet. They expect to be able to click for more information. They want their questions answered. Give them what they want with great website design and content that answers their questions. Use pictures and video and give them a way to contact you. Make your website to capture and keep their attention. Finally, …

While services like Guru and Elance makes it easy for you to find web designers from all over the country or even all over the world, sometimes you need to find a local web designer. Here’s some strategies for finding that local candidate. Do a local search- Google has gotten very good at doing local search. Say for example you live in Sacramento or Baltimore and you want to look for designers in that local area. You can start off by doing a Google search on “Sacramento web designers” or “Baltimore web designers”. Savvy local designers will optimize their web sites so that they will show up in local search results. Referrals From Your Colleagues- The most logical and likely source for finding a good web designer is by asking others in your field. Chances are that they have a website or know of someone who has just launched a website. If the designer did a good job, they’ll be more than happy to give you their contact information. Start off by asking the people in your field that you work with on a regular basis. You can also expand your search by joining message boards and forums for those in your field and asking the members there for leads on good designers. Family and Friends- Some of your family members and friends may also have had a website done recently or know of someone who has. You may even have a friend or a family member who is a designer who will have contacts with others in the field that you can inquire about. Trade Organizations and Clubs- If you are a member of a local professional or trade organization that may be another source for finding a web professional, especially if the guild has a website. You can also consider going to your chamber of commerce for information. Some web designers and agencies may be members. The Yellow Pages- If you’re uncomfortable with choosing a web designer outside of your local area, the Yellow Pages and the White Pages of your phone book, might yield some ads from local web professionals. Look for listings under “Internet Services”, “Web Page and Site Design”, or “Graphic Design”. Online Classifieds- The most popular of these online classifieds sites is Craigslist. If your city is big enough, it may have its own section on Craigslist.org. A lot of design companies and freelancers …

Using a custom web design for your website is the only way to make an impact with your business right away because you need to set your business apart from all of the other options on the Internet. Most people think they can just pick a generic template and start posting content on the web, but that’s not how things work in reality. You should always hire a specialist to take care of your web design needs because this is the most important aspect of your web business. Without the right design, you could be turning off visitors and forcing them to visit another website to find what they need. While there are plenty of different web design companies to choose from on the Internet, the best method for giving your website a makeover is to hire a freelancer. A freelancer will be able to put more time and effort into your website, and you will not be paying a large amount of money for their services. Since a freelancer does not have any overhead costs, you can simply pay them for their fine work and be on their way. There are a number of different places where you will be able to find web design freelancers, so don’t be worried about not being able to find the right person for the job. One thing that you need to look into before you hire someone to design your website is their past work experience. Take a look at the kinds of websites that they have done in the past, and think about whether or not they would be able to help you in the future. Instead of just trying to pick someone who has a relatively nice portfolio, try to find someone with a portfolio that contains some creative ideas. You will want your website to be unique as possible, so you need to find someone who has a creative mind. Being able to make a nice website is one thing, but having the creativity to create something that grabs the visitor’s attention right away is what you are really trying to find. You will also want to put some of your own input into the final product, so make sure that you are working with someone who is willing to take some of your own ideas and work with them. You can let the web designer do all of …