What is a RESPONSIVE web site and why should you care?

Responsive design in a website means that the code used to design or develop it has been created so that a web site automatically adapts the size of a screen.  A web site will display correctly in a phone, tablet, or computer.

How do you know if your web site is responsive?

Take a look at your web site in your smart phone and on your tablet or IPad.  If parts of the site are cut off or if you need to move all over the place to get to links or parts of the navigation bar then you will know that your web site is not responsive.

If you can see the entire homepage and all the navigation bars you know that you have a responsive web site.

Why does it matter?

More and more people are doing research using tablets and phones and you may have even noticed that the latest computers are a tablet/pc combination so this means that you are losing prospects and frustrating clients every time that your web site is accessed via these devises and the result is difficult a difficult to read and navigate site.

So you need to ask yourself what is the cost of losing customers and prospects vs. getting your web site re-designed to be a responsive web site.  Rather than worrying about the cost of the re-design, you may want to capitalize right now and move the bar for your business buy doing what your competitors are not doing, making it easier to buy from you while the others frustrate them.

A few more important things to know about responsive web design:

Responsive web sites can be made in WordPress, HTML, and many other programs.

There are many responsive themes and templates available in many of the popular web site platforms.

These themes and templates are not as easy to install and customize as non-responsive web themes and it is easier for novices to mess up the very code that makes them responsive.

It is wisest to have a professional install and set it up for you and you do the content updates.

How much does it cost to get a responsive web site designed?

As with all design work, it much depends on what we, designers, are asked to do. Obviously a completely custom designed professional web site that is responsive is going to run about $2000.

On the other hand, if you or we can find a highly customizable responsive template or theme the price range drops dramatically to an average of $300 to $500.

Also, take a look at our Promotions page on our web site.  Every month we will feature two to three highly customizable themes or templates that we can make into an amazing responsive website at incredibly low rates.

http://www.animuswebdesign.com/promotions/

If the featured ones are not your thing, subscribe tour blog so that you are automatically notified when we post new one.

What if you have more questions?

You contact Maria, The Lioness at maria@animuswebdesign.com

By +Maria Ryan McElehnny

By +AnimusWebDesignSpringfield

#responsivewebdesign

Social Media: Not Enough Time!

Clients always ask me what I recommend doing about social media since there is a perception out there that every company should be doing “all these social media channels”.  At the risk of getting yelled at by all of the social media experts, I am going to tell my clients that I encourage them to think long and hard about a strong and solid social media strategy.  One of the best specialists in this area that I know in person, +Juli Monroe with 1 to 1 Discovery, has finally put me out of my social media guilt trip by helping me to see that not every social channel is appropriate to every business type; so selecting the channel that is relevant is key.

Then there is the issue of time. Simply put, I am not so unlike most small business people. I have work to do and clients to help so even if the conclusion for me was that I need to do most of the channels I just don’t have time, period.

So I now pass on to my clients the bottom line of what Juli taught me: pick your channel wisely, commit to it, and get it done in a strategic fashion.  If you don’t have the time, if you don’t care, and if you are simply not going to do it, either DO NOT DO IT or PAY someone to do it for you.

Please don’t put icons on your web site for every channel and then when one clicks all there is a ten month old post, a tweet with three followers that says “hi there”, and a Facebook page that has a nice landscape image (if that has nothing to do with your business).

As for me, if you look at our web site, you will only find the icon to Google+ because I like what I see in this channel and I find it relevant.  And as a proud baby boomer I will tell you that I still love most is doing my social media IN PERSON-that is networking where I can shake a hand, look at a person’s eyes, and let people like me or not, because this is who I am and I don’t happen to need 100 “likes” on what I have to say to feel comfortable in my skin.  I am not suggesting that others do or don’t place that type of value on their social media efforts, and surely I am not past doing my share of “likes” when I see cool stuff but on a day to day basis I just don’t have time.

By +Animus Web Design 

 

 

Win a $1700 Professionally Designed Custom Web Site

 

Win a $1700 Professionally Designed Custom Web Site

 

What Do You Get?

Website Design or Redesign:                                                                             

·        Up to 20 pages designed with an easy to update content management system.

·        Up to 3 proposed home page layouts.

·        Up to 3 proposed internal page layouts.

·        Logo provided by client, or designed by us if contracted separately for logo design.

·        Content and images to be provided by client or purchased separately if copy write images are desired.

·        Social media plugins installed when provided by client.

·        Video links installed when provided by client.

·        Contact form installed, if desired.

·        Photo gallery with up to 20 images installed, if desired.

·        Professional search engine optimization of the home page based on corporate identity profile

 

 

What Do You Need To Do To Win?

1.     Visit our Google+ page at 

https://www.google.com/+AnimusWebDesignSpringfield

2.     Post your business name and what your business offers

3.     Do a “+1” on our Google+ page

4.     Ask friends, family, clients, or business associates to do a “+1” on your post, and (optional) share why you should win.

5.     Get a minimum of 10 “+1” votes on your post.

6.     The company with the most “+1”votes over 10 on March 30, 2014 wins!

 

 

 

THE NO-FINE-PRINT: 

We will not design a website for gambling, dating, porn, or any subject that we find contrary to our moral or spiritual believes.

The winner is responsible for purchasing the domain name and the web hosting account.

 

By +Maria Ryan McElhenny 

#freewebdesign
#contest
#smallbusiness
#freewebsite

 

 

 

 

 

Small Business Propel: Getting Clear 1

If you are thinking about starting a business, or if you already have a business, it is of the essence to get clear about a number of things and over the next several articles that I will write about I will share my thoughts on key areas that deserve clarity.

I will start with one that becomes the basis for anything else that you are going to do, and please note that this topic should be revisited frequently even when your business is operational because you may find after a while that things changed or reality turned out to be different than you imagined.

Clarity #1:  Who is going to buy your product or service(s)?

·         Are you selling to consumers, other businesses, or both?

·         Do you expect that more men, more women, or a somewhat mixed genders will be your primary buyers?

·         What age range(s) do you expect to attract?

·         Will your buyers be the type that are attracted to luxurious purchases, average prices, deal hunters, or the cheapest option?

·         Will your buyers be tech savvy or tech adverse?

·         What competitor products or services do these buyers use right now?

·         Where and how do these buyers go about purchasing?

These questions may seem obvious to you but in my experience many small business owners have not taken the time to be clear and focused on the buyers.  Even if you did your homework and started with this clarity, it is time to re-evaluate if the client that you thought would be your buyer ended up being the most profitable and/or the happiest customer type for your business.

If the answer is “yes”, keep doing what you’re doing.  If the answer is “no”, time to go back to the drawing board.

Clarity in the area of buyers or target markets means that all of your efforts are speaking to your audience with a message that is appealing, effective, and targeted.

In the next segment: Small Business Propel:  Getting Clear 2, I will be talking about clarity on your product or service(s) offerings.

I invite you to add to this list, comment, and to pass it along. Also, if you found this “food for thought” useful join my blog to get the rest of the series.

 

By Maria Ryan McElehnny

The Lioness

 

Networking and the website from HELL

A few months ago I went to a business networking event that I found online and I thought I would check it out.  When I got there I was surprised to find about 50 people and the person that greeted me asked me what my business did.

“I run a strategic branding website design firm” I told him.

“Well, please go and speak to that woman over there and tell her, to see if it is OK for you to speak because I think she also does web stuff”- he tells me.

So I go to the woman.  I introduce myself and tell her that the guy suggested I check with her.

“Yes, I do web design.-She tells me- but my primary thing is marketing. So just go ahead and introduce yourself and not mention that you do web design.”

OK, I thought.  This is not my show so I am happy to respect that. 

Before I leave the event, she runs to me to give me her business card (which is very ugly and shows nothing to do with either marketing or web design) and tells me that it would be great to meet with me to see how she can help my clients with marketing needs.  I thank her and go my merry way.

So when I get back to the office (out of pure curiosity) I go to her site to figure out what the world she does… and there it is, right before my eyes: THE WEBSITE FROM HELL.

Just at a glance, it was painful to the eyes.  Easily the ugliest website I have seen in a long time and it was so bad that I knew not even a template could make this mess.  I have no clue how she did that, what she used to create this thing, or how out of touch one must be to use this thing.  Let’s see what the content is-I thought.  Since I was now even more curious as to what she did.

Well, somewhere in the content it mentioned that she creates and implements successful marketing programs and campaigns for her clients and in one line somewhere on a page she talks about designing websites.

What?

What?

All I could think of was that I had found the perfect example of what NOT to do.  And even right now I am wondering if I can find a way to remove all info that may identify her or her business so I can show you.  I want to use that thing on one of my classes!  But I am not into humiliating people.

So I put the card on my recycling can and I thought one day when I have a few moments I would share the experience-then forgot!

BUT.  I run into her a couple of days ago at another event and she comes to me: “let’s meet to see how we can work together”.

What?

 

Here is another preview into my mind:

Are you crazy?  Do you think I would ever refer a client of mine to a person who is so “all over the place that one can’t even figure out what she does”?  What’s your definition of “marketing”?

Maybe I am on my own world here… but to me, marketing has to do with branding the right message to the right audience.  I must be wrong because the only message I got from her website and business card is:

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Maria Ryan

Animus Web Design

 

How to attract CHEAP clients

What?  Are you crazy?  Who wants to attract cheap clients?

Well, I see so many examples of this that the only conclusion that makes sense is that tons of people want cheap, deal-hunting, bargain-masters, and unwilling to pay clients.

Surely you think I have lost it and this is not worth reading because you are not one of them.  I know I have not lost it simply because those few decent website jobs that I run into happen to belong to the companies that are moving forward, if not actually making money.

It is not just about the website.  The theme in common is that these folks take their business seriously enough to do things right in most areas.  They think, operate, expect, deliver, and brand consistently the message that they are worth good paying clients.

So… if you want CHEAP clients, please ask yourself the following questions to see if you are in this category without meaning to be:

Did you, your friend, or your relative designed your website because he/she did one or two and “knows how”?

Is your website one of the 10 templates available for your business category?

Do you love the way your website looks but have never gotten a fresh lead from it?

When people call you, how fast do they ask how much do you charge?

If your potential clients think they can “do it themselves” for whatever product or service you offer are you going to make it in business?

Why would they not assume that you are a start-up, low budget, or struggling business when you are visually screaming at them that you are one of the “do it themselvers”.


By Maria RyanIf you want to get serious about your website