Sarasota Economy...

Sarasota Florida is rich in culture, beauty and wealthy people. Sarasota is also feeling the crunch of the bad economy as much as anywhere else. Now, more than ever, you need a plan of action for your business IF your business is to survive. Don't waste your money and resources on expensive advertising that has a narrow target audience or time frame. We all know by now that more and more consumers look to the Internet first before they make their purchasing decisions. Whether deciding on which restaurant to dine in, hotel to stay at or which new "toy" to buy, odds are they will type it into Google and then narrow their options.

If your website is not performing in the way it should be, it is time to make changes and make it happen! From a new marketing plan and approach, to a whole new design, your web site needs to be "in the game!"

Web marketing is the most affordable, 24/7, global approach for your business and is definitely the most cost effective.

Give me a shout and let me know what your vision and needs are. We can make it happen! :-)

New Year~New Web Marketing

There is something special about the new year... new beginnings... a time to reflect on the past year and a time to re-access and make changes.

This is an excellent time to analyze your current website and Internet marketing goals and strategies. Think about what's working and what's not. Why is it not working and what can be done to make your website a more viable tool for your business.

Think about what needs to be done to increase your traffic and how to persuade viewers into reacting positively to your marketing needs (conversion).

Here are some tips to improve the overall quality and user experience.

1. Create a better landing page. Make sure your home page is attractive, informative and SEO friendly. Make sure there is a reason for viewers to continue on to the rest of your website and be certain that your index page has valid web standards code, structure and keyword/content ratio so this page can be indexed and ranked.
2. Make sure you have solid web marketing goals and understand your target market. Be specific.
3. Make certain that your entire website has a great navigation system and is user friendly.
4. Get rid of unnecessary images and pictures. Be sure that relevant and needed images have the proper tags and are optimized for good download speed.
5. Plan your publicity for the upcoming year!
6. Review and weed out your content to make sure it provides value for your viewers and search engines.
7. Get active! No matter what your website is about, become the expert and share information and knowledge with social marketing sites... write in those blogs!

Take advantage of our FREE web design and marketing consultation report! Our consulting includes goal setting, target audience definition, marketing strategies, usability testing, copy writing, and search engine optimization.

Honestly, if your website has not had a professional consultation, has not had many changes over the last several months, or has outdated code and design, your website really does not have a chance in today's Internet marketing world.

Your website as an advertising and marketing tool is still the best value for your money with the highest potential to connect to your market. No other form of advertising can offer what your website can, all for the least investment.

Happy New Year!

Sarasota Business

I am on a mission... it is my goal to change the website presence of Sarasota businesses, one website at a time! While there are a great many well executed and lovely designs representing the Sarasota and the surrounding area business community, there are equally (actually more) that are poorly done. My definition of a well designed website is clean CSS code, easy navigation, valid and informational content, well planned structure, a well planned look - colour, layout, fonts, headings & images.

Like most people, when I go to a website, I want it to load FAST and provide everything I was seeking in a functional manner. I do not need Flash, pop-ups, java scripts, cheesy graphics, and poorly written content! Please don't make me have to search for your contact info, or anything else... like most people, I will leave and try the next site. Grab my attention in 5 seconds and give me a reason to hang around or I am gone.

After doing some local research on random sites, I was amazed to see how many have not even changed in months or even years! Website need to change as your business does, your web marketing MUST reflect that you are a valid and growing business. Old and stale websites are a waste of Internet space.

So if you have a website that has not been updated and refreshed in awhile, be it old code or the look of it, we need to talk! Web design is fun, ever changing and your best bet for your dollar for marketing your business!

Then there are the websites that are not optimized or maintained and do not stand a chance in h@!# of ever being seen... but that's another story entirely!

Until out next chat~~

Real Estate Websites

The real estate market is in a big slump in Sarasota Florida and nationally. Realtors have really got to be savvy with their marketing to get noticed. People looking for real estate are statistically turning to the Internet to search for properties and to select their Realtor. Having a functional, informative and user friendly website is a great beginning and an economical choice. Viewers want to see properties, good descriptions, clear images and find valid information.

Realtors need to present themselves perfectly on the web. "Cookie cutter" generic websites will not cut it... they are boring, unprofessional and real estate is BIG business. Show your personality, brand yourself, interact, blog, keep web content fresh, be inviting... become the expert in your field. Help your buyers and sellers by using the web effectively in your marketing. Search engine optimization is critical and ongoing in such a "tuff" market and saturated profession. Make sure your website is as visible as possible.

Optimize your website for people too!

SEO-SEO! yadda yadda- by now we all know the importance of search engines finding and spidering your web pages. The goal is to show up on the first three pages in a search for several keyword phrases. We work and re-work the pages to get the ranking ... the never ending story!

But what happens when you achieve good SEO rankings? You've done it, there you are on page one in Google! Surely this means that the sales will come pouring in - or does it?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the answer is NO!
While a top SEO ranking does mean that your website is more visible which increases the odds of people clicking on it, it in no way means that people will react positively when they do. Your website presentation is exactly like the local store in your hometown.

Picture this - Shelia opens up a new store in town, she pays top dollar for the best real estate with the highest traffic in town. People naturally stop at the store to see what it's all about. Shelia's store is not very attractive, her products are poorly displayed and hard to find, her sales staff is crabby and unfriendly. The potential customers walk in and walk out without buying anything. I guess she put to much effort into her location and not enough into the store itself.

Online website marketing is exactly the same. Your website has got to please the customer when they stop by. It must convey a friendly atmosphere, be great looking, easy to navigate and offer something of real value, or they will travel on to the next site in about 8 seconds flat.

I have been noticing a great deal of websites that clearly put all their time, energy and money into SEO alone, while forgetting the main focus - persuading the viewer to react positively when they get there. This is where great web design and marketing come into play!

Online viewers seek on value, an emotional connection, ease of use, and a great web experience. Make sure your website offers all of these things, and more. After all, that is why you have a website to begin with. It is all about the viewer and their needs!

What your designer expects from you?

It takes two to tango! As with any good relationship, web design is a mutual effort. Do your homework, know what you want and what your goals are BEFORE seeking out a web designer. Take the time to understand your obligations... providing web content, images and needed materials in a timely fashion so your web designer can proceed on their end. Communicate in a timely manner to keep things running smoothly. Be prepared to give your designer their agreed upon design fee before the process begins. Many web designers break the fee structure into two parts, 50% to begin and the remaining 50% to launch the web site.

Sarasota Web Designer will help you reach your web marketing goals. We understand that you are busy, and will work with you efficiently to keep everything perfectly in focus. You will know up front and clearly how we, as partners, will get your website from start to launch as easily and effortlessly as possible.

Great Web Design in Sarasota?

Capture the interest and engagement of your users. A well designed web site should be easy to read, simple to navigate and contain relevant and interesting information thus providing a positive experience for the viewer. An effective website is always designed with the viewer in mind. Catchy headings, good sized text, easy navigation, and content that is valid, interesting and not misleading. Web pages should be concise and to the point. Your viewer should feel that they made the right decision to have clicked on your page and have a desire to return again or act upon what it is you are conveying. Do not distract your viewer with slow loading pages, pop-ups, garish music or any form of misrepresentation. The idea is to engage them, not annoy them. Make sure they can easily contact you from every page of your site... never make them have to search for information, they will quickly move on.

The beautiful website. Your website should please and interest the eyes. Proper color selection to fit your image, sharp clear photographs, clean graphics and a web lay-out that puts it all together in a friendly and appealing way. lf your web design is properly coded and executed, with your viewer in mind, it will create an effective and meaningful viewer experience and reaction.

Sarasota Web Designer is an excelent choice to design your website image and presence. We understand and we care.

WebSite Re-Design!

I spent the last two days doing a complete re-design for Sarasota Web Designer. Much needed, I may add. ;-) Fresh new CSS, keywords, and content. I love new & fresh designs! The goal of this website is to attract website and SEO marketing clients in Sarasota Florida and the Tampa Bay area. I feel this new web design will be successful in doing this. Would love your comments!

Cost effective marketing

Off to an exciting new start with my new computer and VISTA OS. Now I can design websites even faster! *smile* There is amazing growth here in Sarasota... huge new developments, business' and services. I have been studying the Sarasota business market in print ads, TV and radio, all very costly forms of advertising. I am somewhat amazed at the number of Sarasota businesses that do not have a website presence, and then some that I know for a fact do, but do not advertise their web domain in their traditional ad campaigns. Your business having a website and internet marketing is one of the most cost effective ways to spend your advertising budget, and obviously has the potential of reaching the largest market. As a basic example:

$1500 for website equals

$125 per month which equals

$28.83 per week

Now that is seriously affordable to most every type or size of business with a lot of "BANG" for your buck!Give us a shout and we can talk about what Sarasota Web Designer can do to benefit your business.

Sarasota Florida

Sarasota Florida is growing and is a "work in progress." New businesses seem to be emerging every day, which will make an even more competitive market. A comprehensive web advertising and marketing strategy for your business is crucial. There is also an ever growing presence of new website design companies in Sarasota making the decision to select your website designer a challenge. We believe that competition and choices are a good thing! When selecting a website company in sarasota or the surrounding areas, make sure you take the time to interview several and find a good "fit" for you business. Ask about web SEO and web maintenance. Make sure the website company you choose has your best web marketing plan at heart for the long haul. Web sites need to change and evolve, just like your business. Sarasota Web Designer understands this and will do our best to keep your website updated and fresh for free! Your website marketing does not end when the website is finished and uploaded... it is really just the very beginning.