Helpful articles about web design, development, and marketing.
The failure rate of businesses over 10 years is 60 percent, going as high as 96 percent. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the rise and fall of our economy that causes a company to fail. Most of the reasons a company shuts down can be attributed to these factors.
If you work on a freelance basis, you don’t have the luxury of identifying yourself with an established company’s brand. Crafting your own brand can differentiate you from the rest of the pack. It’s not just one single thing — it can be many facets put together that create a distinguishing mark that makes you easily identifiable among the competition. There are three main components that establish your brand as an individual:
After years of enduring a long commute to and from work, sitting at a desk all day at a job you are not too crazy about and listening to your co-workers gossip during lunch, you are definitely ready for a change on the job front. Lately, you have been dreaming of starting your own business and working from home.
As people, we are hardwired to share things that affect us in a major way. Whether it’s inspirational, funny, or simply popular, we love to share. Today I’ll show you some of the ways you can appeal to this common desire through your content. We’ll follow that up with an infographic that will give you […]
“I’m a big fan of meetings!” said no one ever. Even for the most extroverted personalities, meetings are often something to be dreaded, especially when they happen too frequently. The main issues tend to be that they’re boring or a waste of time for at least one person in the room, if not a majority. […]
In a world where more and more people make important decisions based partially or entirely on what they learn via the Internet, safeguarding your online reputation becomes more important every day. If you’re a professional or a business owner, maintaining a positive reputation online can mean the difference between success and failure. Here are a few simple tools that will help you get a handle on what’s being said about you online.
Creative problem solving is one of the soft skills employers consider most valuable and hardest to find, according to a Bloomberg. One reason problem solving is so rare may be that creativity is not usually taught in schools as a specific skill set. Employers can help bring out creative talent in their employees by taking steps to nurture it in the workplace.
First, there was Mobilegeddon, now there’s Mobile May. If you aren’t already familiar, that’s the nickname that has become attached to Google’s latest algorithm update, which will further incorporate mobile compatibility into search results.
Or, to put it another way, it’s yet another wake-up call that you can’t afford to ignore the growing majority of mobile web users if you plan to be even remotely competitive in Internet marketing.
To look at things in a little bit more detail, here are three things every business owner or marketer should know about Google’s Mobile May update…
In theory, RFPs sound like a good idea. You know you need web design and development done, so you poll your team, narrow down what you’d like done, set a budget, and set out to find a talented agency that can deliver exactly what you need. Really, it should be the best of a capitalistic system, with agencies competing to do more for you for less if they want to snag your business.
In truth, many agencies — ourselves included — are hesitant to accept RFPs. There are many reasons why they’re not great for us, but more importantly, we actually find they’re not ideal for our clients either. In fact, RFPs most consistently produce work that isn’t quite what the client was looking for which winds up driving up costs — and frustration levels — for all involved parties in the long run.
So, while we certainly get the appeal for RFPs, we have several key reasons for not accepting them — and we think you’ll be more hesitant to issue them once you see our reasoning.
Beauty may only be skin deep, but when it comes to a customer evaluating your business, it goes clear to the bone. What consumer hasn’t had the experience of being interested in a company’s service or product, only to be turned off by a shabby image? Think about all the things that can go wrong with your image: tacky and fly-by-night, cold and impersonal, dodgy and dishonest, or just plain incompetent. Avoid these pitfalls by following these tips to spruce up your business’ image.
Starting a small business is a venture rife with struggles and unforeseen challenges, but the right investments in employees and products could mean the difference between success and failure. Once you’re off the ground, you’ll need to consider marketing issues, customer retention, and a host of other worries in order to remain successful, but with the right foresight, your goals could be within reach.
According to Think with Google, 70 percent of users leave a website because it takes too long to load, and 40 percent of online shoppers will leave a retail or travel site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Google takes website speed seriously enough that it’s rolling out a new initiative to make mobile pages load lightning fast. The new Amplified Mobile Page initiative (AMP) introduces a solution with a new open source HTML.
