Monday Q&A- 12/5/11

Posted by AKZMeDesigns in Blog

Dec
7

If you missed our online Q&A session on Facebook this week, here’s a recap of some of the great questions and answers

Q: For a small business is a website enough? Does the small business need to have a fb page, twitter, Google+, etc. accounts? Is that an overkill?

A: In today’s social media heavy world, having just a website is not enough. A good website gives all the information and product you have to offer,and effective use of social media helps to drive visitors to that site.

Q: Should flash be used for websites? If not, please explain why and what other method could be used to make the website pop and appealing.

A: I definitely think its best to stay away from flash because it is not viewable on most mobile devices, if you choose flash make sure you set up a m. mobile site. A m. site will redirect users on mobile devices to a simple site where they can still view your information

Q: Quick question, should websites have multiple fonts?

A:You can and should have multiple fonts, it is and to the design of the site, but I suggest no more than 2 or 3 fonts. Also use them consistently throughout the site one font for titles, another for text, etc.

Do you have questions about starting or improving your website, online strategy, etc.; post them next week for our Monday Q&A session, https://www.facebook.com/AKZMeDesigns.

How Flash can kill the traffic to your Website

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Oct
9

I always warn new clients who say they want Flash intros and Flash site, and just this weekend I went to 3 small business and local candidate sites on my Ipad2 and got NOTHING!!!!!!

This made me wonder are web designers out there letting their clients know that Flash is not compatible with a host of mobile devices including Apple and Blackberry products? Or are clients ignoring or just not sure on how this could impact the amount of visitors to their websites. If your website is Flash or even if just your intro page is flash, when visitors attempt go on to your site from a mobile device they will see nothing but a download Flash link. This devices include all Apple mobile product, IPad, Iphone, Itouch, most Blackberry phones (including the new OS7 devices), other smart phones. On the bright side flash does work pretty well on Droid phones and tablets, although I had some issues scrolling down using the Droid X

So now I’m sure you are wondering how many people really use these mobile devices? Is it that bad if I only miss a few users? Well, in 2010 TechCrunch.com reported in that US Mobile users grew 110% from the year before, and 65% of that growth Apple devices (IPad, IPhone, ITouch). And GeekWire recently reported by 2015 about 40% of the world population will be accessing the web on a mobile device. So if your site is all flash or has flash components you are losing a much larger share of your web traffic than you though, simply because they can’t view your site.

To further prove the point I did a little test on my I Pad2 and Blackberry Storm 2

Flash site on Blackberry Storm 2

Flash site on IPad2

Flash site after clicking the “Click the Download” link

The Flash error up close

Now don’t get me wrong I love Flash and 4-5 years ago I was all all for developing the best and brightest Flash sites, but after seeing these pictures it further stressed to me why in today’s day and age sites should not use Flash, until it is compatible with more mobile platforms.

But all is not a lost there are some cases where Flash can still be utilized; such as small areas on pages (banner, video clip,etc.) On these pages visitors will not be able to see the Flash video but at least they can still access the page. And you can still use flash in cases where your business has enough capital to get both a regular www. site and a m. mobile site (separate site the automatically loads on mobile devices instead of your regular website). For example, I visited www.Wix.com (the leading provider of free Flash websites) on my Ipdad and found that even they have a non-Flash site specifically for mobile devises m.wix.com. That tells you something when even a sites who’s business is Flash are giving into the non-Flash movement.

Related articles:

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

http://www.bnet.com….8-simple-tips-to-make-your-website-mobile-friendly

How to Increase Online Visibility for Your Business [video interview]

Posted by AKZMeDesigns in Blog

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Sep
8

From http://denisewakeman.com AUGUST 26, 2011 BY DENISE WAKEMAN

Recently I was interviewed by Torrey McGraw about increasing online visibility for your business. Torrey hosts video interviews on his blog Grind & Thrive, where he features articles and interviews with successful entrepreneurs to help others thrive in their own businesses.

Torrey McGraw and I spent about 30 minutes discussing the ins and outs of boosting visibility on the web for your business. With Torrey’s permission, here’s the interview…

SEO obstacle course is tough on a 59 yr. old traveler

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Sep
7

This is a great read is you are trying to wade through the water of Search Engine Optimization.

Excerpt from SEO obstacle course is tough on a 59 yr. old traveler

SEO the same thing. I am getting a better handle on it. Plugins from wordpress have helped, though I did have to sort through them and find what I was comfortable with.

I settled on those that help me track traffic, tell me whether my site is SEO friendly, makes it easier to follow me and, of course, everything gets submitted to google analytics!

SEO Smartlinks: links to other pages in my blog that relate to the new post I am putting up. Supposedly, the google “secret robots” like the looks of this. A good example of a website that does this a lot is Wikipedia – they interlink everything. If you do not believe that the robots like this stuff, just do a search of something. Wikipedia will be in the top 10.

SEO Pressor: This keeps track of the key word on your post. It then tells you right out of the starting gate whether your post stays on subject. For example, this post is about SEO. So, the SEO pressor will tell me how well that word’s mentioned in the post to get me a good ranking. Right now I am at 78% – the key is to get above 90%. I do not have a picture and I do not have internal links.

Problem is it costs $47 for 1 site, $97 for multiple sites. I hate paying for these things, but this one seemed worth it. I’ve been pleased with the SEO Pressor so far.

WebNinja GA plugin allows me to keep track of traffic throughout the day. I do not do that often. When I have a lot of things to do that keeps me glued to the computer, it is a nice plugin to have.

15% off Back to School, Back to Business Special

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Sep
4

From now until 9/20 we are taking 15% off of any quote given in Sept.

It’s that time of year when the summer fun becomes a fond memory and we buckle done and get ready for the long winter. What a better time to ramp up or revamp your business with a fresh new look. Website, business cards, stationary what ever your needs.