Some RDesign Web Design FAQs

1. How do you start a new web site?

First, we speak with those involved with the project about the goals for the site, the products and services of the company, competition in their industry, things they do and don’t like about other web sites, corporate colors or graphics we need to match, marketplace trends — and a lot about their audience.

Next, we sign a contract with each client ensuring that they will own the finished product, and can receive all of their web files and passwords if they need them.

Finally, we hit the drawing board. Our staff members talk about design ideas and elements that should be included in the site, and some sketches or samples are emailed to the client and discussed.

2. What makes RDesign great at web design?

There are graphic designers who are visual people. They focus on colors, style and pizzazz. They’ll pull everything out of their bag of tricks when it comes to the visual appeal of a website and the way information is displayed.

Then there is the programmer. They love computer code. They are enthralled by databases. They tend to make websites that are well built but look about as exciting as a spreadsheet.

Is a website that looks great and functions well too much to ask? Nope! That’s where we come in. We like to take a multi-dimensional approach to your goals. Some of us are designers, some of us are programmers, and some of us spend a whole lot of time studying trends in internet marketing and search engine behavior.

Why? Because that’s what it takes to succeed on the internet. That’s what gives you an effective, productive, exciting web site.

3. Are web sites easy to update and change?

We can include a Content Management System, which allows you to log in with a password and change all of the text on the site. For this purpose we typically build a custom WordPress web site. Lots of clients rely on us to make regular updates and changes to their sites for them. Some have a staff member familiar with web design software, such as Dreamweaver, and we give them the FTP information to make changes themselves. Blogs, social networking sites and database-driven websites (such as online stores listing multiple products) always include a system for you to log in and add, edit or delete information.

4. Do you use design templates?

We prefer to create all of our web sites from scratch – both the design and programming. We feel this allows us to make a site for each client that is made to suit their needs. However, if there is a template you have seen that you want to use, we will use it. Or if you already have a site that is built from a template that you need help with, we will try to assist you.

If you need a custom designed template that your staff can use, we can create one for Adobe-based software, WordPress blogs, Constant Contact newsletters and other popular platforms.

5. Do you host web sites?

Yes, and our hosting server is dedicated to our sites and our clients’ sites only. You can learn more about our hosting here.

6. Do you host email?

Yes, email accounts are included with web hosting prices.

7. Do you need to know all about the business you are making a site for?

That depends. Some clients want to write the text for their web site. Some clients want to use text from their written marketing materials for their web site. However, the more research we do, the better we will get to know the products, services and audience – and then we can create a better site. We also make text suggestions that we think will help achieve sales goals and search engine marketing goals.

8. How are web sites priced?

All the work we do is billed at an hourly rate. When we meet with you and have an idea of what you want on your web site, we can estimate how much time it may take us.

9. Have you ever hosted or created a video web site?

Yes, we are familiar with embedding videos in web sites. We can create accounts for users to view and upload photos and videos. We don’t have samples here because of the copyright protection on the sites, and we don’t shoot or edit video ourselves.

After months of setup, planning, designing, and redesigning, your web site is finally live and ready to rake in the cash. In order to fill those money bags, however, you first need to do everything you can to ensure that your would-be customers can find your site. Naturally, this means optimizing your site’s content for search engines and the people who use them, which in turn means making frequent use of your site’s keywords throughout your content. You have to convey to the search engines (and their users) that your site is about the keywords they’re searching for.

But which words are those? How do you know which terms your customers are typing into Google when they look for sites like yours? You can do an impeccable job optimizing for “ballcaps,” but that won’t do you any good if everyone is searching for “baseball caps.”

Though this question can seem daunting, no actual mind reading is required to find the answer. The search engines themselves won’t exactly come out and tell you how many people search for particular keywords (that would make it too easy for unscrupulous types to cheat the system) but there are simple tips and tools at your disposal that will put you on the right track.

1. Do It Yourself. The best way to get started is a little simple brainstorming. Without limiting yourself, make a list of any phrases you believe are popular or important, then take those preconceptions and do searches for them in places like Bing, Yahoo and Google. Each of these engines will tell you how many results there were for your search. If “baseball caps” turns up 1.5 million web pages and “ballcaps” turns up 8,000, chances are good “ballcaps” is not a popular enough keyword to optimize for, simply judging by the fact that nobody else seems to think so. This method is also useful for finding out which phrases are too competitive to optimize for; if your keywords turn up 20 million other pages, you may be competing with all 20 million of them for a top listing in that search engine. It might be wiser to direct your resources to another phrase.

2. Play Before You Pay. In addition to the type of search engine listings most people are familiar with, search engines also offer “paid listings” that are basically keyword-based advertisements. Through Google’s Adwords program, site marketers can place ads or “sponsored listings” on Google’s results pages for certain keywords. Since no one wants to waste ad money on ads nobody will see, Google provides prospective advertisers with tools that give them a rough idea how popular those terms are.

Luckily, you may use these tools for free whether you intend to spend money on ads or not. Google’s Keyword Tool will offer up all sorts of related terms you may have forgotten about and give you a general idea of the terms’ popularity.

3. Get Serious. If you like the free tools that Google provides, you may want to consider doing even more in-depth analysis using Wordtracker.com. Wordtracker maintains a detailed popularity database using data from a number of search engines. It uses that database to calculate a given phrase’s competitiveness and feasibility as a search term. Like all good web sites, Wordtracker offers a free trial that will help you determine what your next step will be.

4. It Never Hurts To Ask. You will have all sorts of opportunities to communicate with your customers as your site grows. A vital question to ask in any survey or contact form you send out is, “How did you find us?” A follow-up question about the search engine or keywords your visitors were using will give you valuable insight into which of your efforts are paying off.

5. Don’t Panic; Your Site is Fluid. Though choosing keywords is important, don’t drive yourself crazy trying to find that one perfect set of keywords that will single-handedly guide your site to prosperity. There is no final, empirically correct answer to which keywords are right for your site, and choosing the wrong ones won’t doom you to failure unless you stick with them for a year. As a web site, your content should be in a state of evolution, and your keywords will reflect that.

Brainstorm, try what you think will work best and then reevaluate your efforts in a few months. Keep what’s working; change what’s not. Using your common sense and the tools listed above, you should be right where your customers can find you in no time.