What is Website Design?
Website Design is a very important Marketing tool for any business. The power of the Internet has grown and is helping millions of businesses to effectively reach new clients and markets around the world. Websites can be very complex, but there is no real need for this if the website is laid out and developed properly. Unfortunately, many businesses are not taking advantage of this powerful Marketing tool. The majority of businesses either feel that they don't have the time to develop their own website or technology is moving so fast that they have no idea where to start, let alone finish.
Please take a moment to realize that we're different than many of the website design companies you may have already seen. We've seen the good, the bad and the ugly and we can steer you in the right direction with a minimal amount of disruption from your regular job duties. We're here to not only develop your new website, but we want to help you keep your new website updated, Market it properly with Organic Search Engine Optimization, help you break into the powerful world of Social Media and we can also host your website and register your domain name(s) for you. We are a full service Website Design Firm and are 100% focused on your success in the online World.
When we're not coding a new website, we're researching the latest trends in desktop, mobile and tablet website designs, learning more about Search Engine Optimization and the changes that Google and Bing are making to their latest algorithms and we're also developing test sites with new features to implement into a website like yours for easier and faster functionality. There is never a slow period around here and that's just the way we like it!
What's the Diference Between a "Do It Yourself" Program and a Professional Web Designer?
One of the biggest issues we see with a "do it yourself" approach to a website is the overall layout and design of the website. Many times, the content is hard to follow and often times it's even hard to find from the website navigation menu(s). All of the CWS Website Designs begin by planning the navigation which is the key to the users experience. The one philosophy that always works is K-I-S-S (Keep it Simple Stupid). It's a bad idea to have your visitors guessing and struggling to find what he/she is looking for.
Another important factor to consider is one that you'll never see, but a search bot will notice this and visitors with a dial up connection will struggle with slower page loads. The majority of desktop software programs such as Front Page and Dreamweaver will include a ton of extra coding that is very unnecessary to properly construct your website.
What is Front End Website Design?
Front End Website Design is everythign that you or any visitor can see through a web browser. This will be the colors, layout, text, picutres and any animation included. This is where it takes a keen eye for detail to pick up on the elements that really make a website "pop" and connect with your visitors.
What is Back End Website Design?
Back End Website Development has to do with the elements of your website that you'll most likely never see. This includes the programming language and the way it's laid out and organized as well as the database(s) used to store your content and serve content to the web browser. This process is just as critical as the front end and can truly make or break a great website design. If the code is written poorly, it'll be harder for a search engine to read your content and it'll most likely slow down the load times for your pages which will frustrate your viewers as well as search engine crawlers. This type of programming also includes the interface that you'll see once you log in to update your content (select website designs only).
What Can a Professional Website Design Do For Your Business?
A professional website design can do many things to help enhance your business. For starters, a professional website designer can create a very strong and professional image for your company. Since you've worked so hard to build your business, dinstinguish it from your competitors and provide great services and products, why would you stop short and leave your website in the dark ages? Is it because you haven't found a trustworthy website design company that understands your business and needs well enough to execute a proper website? Is it because you believe that your website won't receive enough traffic to justify a nice website design?
Compare your website to your physical storefront. If your storefront looks bad while people are driving by, will they be interested in stopping to see you? More than likely, the answer is NO! The same holds true for your website. Once a visitor finds your website, and it doesn't look appealing, they aren't going to stick around and explore what you have to offer. Technology and the Internet are not going away and they will only continue to develop even further and more people will be looking for information via their computers, tablets and cell phones.
Your website can be as little as a brochure style website to one that has a blog and is interactive with your visitors. The bottom line is that the more you put into it, the more your website can become and the more valuable it will be to your business and more importantly to your visitors.
Where to Begin When Exploring the Possibility of a New Website Design
The most obvious points to start with are your current website and other websites in and out of your industry. Take a look at your current website and make a list of the things that you do and don't like about it. Perhaps you don't like the colors, it's hard to navigate, it takes too long to load or maybe it's other things. Don't dwell on this next area too much but it's always good to lok at websites that are similar to the industry you're competing in. After looking at a couple of sites, you'll begin to see the various things that you like about them.
From there, CWS can show you examples of websites we've developed and provide you with additional ideas to make your website unique and effective for your business and your customers.
Additional Elements to Consider
Your Website Shows Integrity and Trust in Your Business
Website are a Resource For Your Customers To Learn More About You
Effectively Use Call To Action. Tell Your Visitors What You Want Them To Do (Print out a coupon, Contact You, Stop by Your Store, etc.)
When having your new website designed, it's always nice to have your own unique look and feel. Many of the websites that you see today are template based and if you look close enough, you'll come to realize that most of these sites are the same with only minor modifications here and there. We understand the value in having your own unique design and image presented to your customers and that is why we continue to offer custom website design services.
These custom designed websites are all hand coded using HTML5 and CSS3 techniques, bringing you up to date with the latest in coding trends and allowing your website the potential to use all of the newest design features available. Here at CWS, we never use a special program to write the code for your site. Our philosophy has always been: if we have to use a program to develop your site, what is the point in you hiring us to do this when you could purchase the program and develop the website yourself?
The honest truth is this:
One Size Fits All Solutions Do NOT Exist!
However, with our help, you'll have a much easier time getting organized and making your new website become a reality.
No matter what size your website is, we can help you design and develop it from start to finish. If you need Website Hosting or a Domain Name, we can help you with that as well.
The Process:
Initial Meeting
Before we begin developing your website, we'll meet with you either in person or over the phone, depending on your location. During this meeting, we'll use this time to further understand your business, hear your ideas and possibly provide you with additional thoughts to make your website amazing.
Estimate
After we've met and discussed your project, CWS will prepare a detailed estimate within 1 week to complete your new website.
Acceptance of Estimate:
Once you've accepted our estimate, we'll draft a contract with all of the details, including deadlines for content to be submitted to us, payment schedule as well as dates for completing your project.
The Design
Once CWS begins to develop your website, we'll work hard to meet or beat the deadlines set within the contract in order to get your website ready to be launched. Your new website will be developed and hosted on our servers until the project is paid for in full. Once we've received the final payment, we will transfer the design to your web server and replace your existing website.
So you're at the point where you want to expand outside of your retail location(s)? - Building an online store and establishing an online presence can often seem like a horrifying task. You know that your business could benefit from this, but you have no idea how to proceed or even feel extremely overwhelmed.
Here at CWS, we know how beneficial a solid Ecommerce Website Design can be for a business. Ecommerce is growing at a high rate with online purchases in 2011 totaling more than $194 billon with $35.3 billion being spent during the Holiday shopping season and Cyber Monday alone totaling $816 Million, which made for a 16% increase for the year over 2010. By 2015, it's estimated that online purchases will top $279 Billion. If you've got products that you can sell online, it's time to get up to speed and start broadening your customer base around the world!
Over the years, we've worked with a few different shopping carts which require software licenses. We've also worked extensively with Open Source software and have found a very complete solution that we now work with and recommend to our Clients. We have chosen to work with Opencart which has no license cost and has many great features that will make your shopping cart very user friendly for your customers as well as an intuitive administrative area for you to manage your customers and sales.
When you're investigating a shopping cart software program to use, it's very important to keep your customers in mind. Options to make it easier and quicker for them to purchase can make or break the performance of your online sales.
Here's a brief list of the more important features to make sure your cart has:
Clear Navigation - Make it is easy as possible for a customer to find their way around your site.
A very well functioning Search option - Most carts have a search feature, however, some will only locate your products if the words are included in your product title, but they won't locate the words if they appear in your product description.
A mobile website version - The importance of Mobile is one to closely look at. Today, many people are using their mobile phones to shop while riding the train, having their lunchbreak or on the go in general. A mobile site makes it easier to find products and eliminate the need to scroll and zoom on their mobile device. The mobile site will also load faster for them and streamline the process to reach the checkout.
Search Filters - If you're selling clothing or products that have many options, such as something in 5 different colors and 3 different sizes for each, make it easy by allowing the customer to narrow down your products with a search filter.
Guest Checkout - We've found that it's very important to have a cart that allows for guest checkout. Many customers prefer to not have to create an account in order to place an order. With Opencart, your customer can use the guest checkout or create an account, letting them use the option that works best for them.
Product Compare - Many times, customers don't know the exact item that they want, and because you won't have a direct interaction with them, it's really helpful to give them a product comparing tool on your website to help them narrow down their decision(s).
One Page Checkout - Many Shopping Cart Software companies use a multiple page checkout process. The important thing to remember is that Customers have a short attention span when online. With a one page checkout option, your customer can get in and out fast and you'll see less abandoned shopping carts.
Hosting:
With Opencart, your website hosting package is very affordable. This shopping cart does not require any high end hosting components to run the site efficiently. You can host your website(s) with us for as little at $120 ($10 per month).
Customization:
With Opencart, the source code is included giving us the access needed to fully customize the look and layout so that it looks unique to your business. Many other carts charge for the source code in addition to the license required to use the software.
CWS has created many online stores for businesses just like yours and we have more under development. We've done a lot of research and we can make the best recommendations for you and have your new site(s) developed and ready to perform. We also offer website hosting, SSL certificates and we can set you up with any payment processing services that you may need.
We've helped businesses build online stores from as little as 10 products to over a thousand products and we've helped them manage these sites for many years. We can help you setup online payment processing through Authorize.net, install your SSL Certificate, provide you with an Affordable Website Hosting Package as well as a Domain Name for your new E-Commerce Website.
Authorize.Net Payment Gateway Application
The Process:
Initial Meeting
Before we begin developing your website, we'll meet with you either in person or over the phone, depending on your location. During this meeting, we'll use this time to further understand your business, hear your ideas and possibly provide you with additional thoughts to make your website amazing.
Estimate
After we've met and discussed your project, CWS will prepare a detailed estimate within 1 week to complete your new website.
Acceptance of Estimate:
Once you've accepted our estimate, we'll draft a contract with all of the details, including deadlines for content to be submitted to us, payment schedule as well as dates for completing your project.
The Design
Once CWS begins to develop your website, we'll work hard to meet or beat the deadlines set within the contract in order to get your website ready to be launched. Your new website will be developed and hosted on our servers until the project is paid for in full. Once we've received the final payment, we will transfer the design to your web server and replace your existing website.
Think Mobile Design is a waste or not needed for your business? Think again, and think strongly about it.
The smartphone industry is growing at an amazing rate which is allowing users to surf the web while on the go with their data plans through the cell phone carriers. Even more so than desktop, users have a short attention span. Many companies have come to the realization that mobile use isn't going anywhere but up and they see the importance in developing a mobile specific website which fits the mobile phone screen, loads fast and is easy to tap the screen to get from page to page.
Below are statistics that should really get you excited and thinking about Mobile Website Design and the benefits it will have for your business and the customers reading your information. With the power of Google Analytics, you will be able to easily see the percentage of users who access your website with a mobile device versus a desktop or laptop computer.
Quick Facts About Mobile Web Browsing
By 2013, more people will use their mobile phones than PCs to get online.
Mobile searches have grown by 4x since 2010.
There will be one mobile device for every person on Earth by 2015.
60% of users expect a mobile site to load in three seconds or less.
71% of users expect a mobile site to load as fast as a desktop site.
78% will retry a site two times or less if it does not load initially.
57% would not recommend a business with a bad mobile site.
40% have turned to a competitor's site after a bad mobile experience.
23% of adults have cursed at their phone when a site doesn't work.
95% of smartphone users have searched for local information.
61% of users call a business after searching and 59% visit the location.
90% of these people act within 24 hours.
81% of users prefer mobile sites to apps for researching prices.
79% prefer mobile sites for product reviews.
63% prefer mobile sites for purchasing.
70% of mobile users have compared product prices on their phones.
65% have read product reviews on their phones.
50% of mobile searches lead to purchase.
Statistics were gathered from the following sources:
Gartner, 2010; Google Internal Data, 2011; Cisco, 2011; Compuware, "What Users Want from Mobile," 2011; Google "The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users," 2011; Adobe Systems Adobe Mobile Experience Survey, 2011; eMarketer 2011; Lightspeed Research, 2010.
The Process:
Initial Meeting
Before we begin developing your website, we'll meet with you either in person or over the phone, depending on your location. During this meeting, we'll use this time to further understand your business, hear your ideas and possibly provide you with additional thoughts to make your website amazing.
Estimate
After we've met and discussed your project, CWS will prepare a detailed estimate within 1 week to complete your new website.
Acceptance of Estimate:
Once you've accepted our estimate, we'll draft a contract with all of the details, including deadlines for content to be submitted to us, payment schedule as well as dates for completing your project.
The Design
Once CWS begins to develop your website, we'll work hard to meet or beat the deadlines set within the contract in order to get your website ready to be launched. Your new website will be developed and hosted on our servers until the project is paid for in full. Once we've received the final payment, we will transfer the design to your web server and replace your existing website.
Maybe you've heard of WordPress, and maybe you haven't - Either way, now that you're looking into having your website re-designed, it's important to learn about this highly valuable piece of software before having your website developed. Have you thought that you'd like to be able to update content on your website from time to time, even if it's simply adding a picture from your desktop or your mobile phone? This is one of the thousands of benefits to using WordPress as the "backbone" of your new website. WordPress is a free Content Mangement System which now powers thousands of websites across the Internet. Whether you want a website with many pages, a blog, or both, WordPress can handle all of this in one convenient package.
WordPress features many add on modules and templates to enable various features and looks and it also includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) feature to allow you to update the content on your website without knowing any HTML code.
WordPress websites can be hosted on any one of our website hosting plans which start as low as $120 per year ($10 per month). We're more than happy to help you choose the right plan and setup everything for you. Email Us or call today and you can be on your way to having a great new website!
What all can this software do?
FREE Software
FREE Software Updates
Hundreds of template themes
Hundreds of plug-ins and extensions
Full control of the site source code
Full blogging capabilities
User registrations and comment access
Flexibility
Ability to run multiple sites through one control panel
Full standards compliance
Password protected posts
WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get text editing tool
There are many other important features not listed here and they're constantly being updated and added to
The Process:
Initial Meeting
Before we begin developing your website, we'll meet with you either in person or over the phone, depending on your location. During this meeting, we'll use this time to further understand your business, hear your ideas and possibly provide you with additional thoughts to make your website amazing.
Estimate
After we've met and discussed your project, CWS will prepare a detailed estimate within 1 week to complete your new website.
Acceptance of Estimate:
Once you've accepted our estimate, we'll draft a contract with all of the details, including deadlines for content to be submitted to us, payment schedule as well as dates for completing your project.
The Design
Once CWS begins to develop your website, we'll work hard to meet or beat the deadlines set within the contract in order to get your website ready to be launched. Your new website will be developed and hosted on our servers until the project is paid for in full. Once we've received the final payment, we will transfer the design to your web server and replace your existing website.