Website Development

Building a Successful E-Commerce Website

August 18th, 2010

At Digital Peabody, we’ve developed e-commerce websites for all sorts of different businesses, and we’re often asked what goes into a successful one. Though the answer has lots of different facets, at its most basic level, it boils down to two requirements: an idea and a platform with which you can realize that idea to its fullest potential.

Planning

The site planning phase will be different for every business. It depends on your business, your existing model and how e-commerce will fit in. When we built a site for Scribbles, a stationery and invitation shop in Denver, we recognized that the company already operated a successful physical store. Scribbles’ online storefront, then, needed to offer the full functionality of the store for their online storefront — specifically, product customization. So we built them a site that offers just that: nearly all of the stationery and invitations can be tailored to a customer’s needs. Custom font faces, ink colors, monograms and names are all at users’ fingertips on Scribbles’ site.

The extreme ski movie producers at Matchstick Productions, on the other hand, have a completely different model. Matchstick sells extreme skiing DVDs and ski merchandise worldwide, both through various vendors and directly through its website. For this site, we needed a whole different set of capabilities, so we integrated a state-of-the-art ExpressionEngine content management system to stream high-definition video and display photo galleries, among other things, in order to showcase their products and athletes.

Execution

Coming up with a great idea for a website is one thing, but it is meaningless if your web design company can’t fully execute it. At Digital Peabody, we specialize in the Magento e-commerce platform, which has the unprecedented flexibility you need in order to realize your web goals.

To begin with, Magento has every feature you would want and more — the average e-commerce site doesn’t need half of the functionality it offers. We’ll run through a more complete list of features in an upcoming article, but here are a few of the most popular ones:

• offer coupons and gift cards
• allow users to compare products and create wish lists
• ability to ship to multiple addresses for one transaction
• create product bundles
• display related products
• product personalization
• much, much more

In addition to its out-of-the-box features, developers worldwide have created, and continue to create, every sort of extension imaginable to expand Magento’s functionality. Chances are, if you want a certain feature for your site, it either comes standard with Magento or there is a tested, proven extension that does exactly what you want. Magento is also easily integrated with other inventory and accounting systems through its highly flexible application programing interface (API). This means that our developers can seamlessly integrate Magento into whatever software you are already using to keep track of everything.

Another key benefit of Magento is its excellent SEO (search engine optimization) performance right out of the box due to its support for customizable URLs, an auto-generated site map, meta information for products and more. In an increasingly competitive e-commerce world, Magento’s SEO advantage makes it that much easier for potential customers to find your site — and potentially buy from you.

Digital Peabody can give you the expert help you need with both the planning and execution phases of building a successful e-commerce site. Our specialty, and our passion, is helping clients dream up their websites — and then making those dreams a reality.

Want to learn more about building an e-commerce site with Magento? Contact Digital Peabody at 303-468-5707, and take a look at our featured sites for more examples.

Posted in Content Management System, Search Engine Optimization, Tips, Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
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WordPress: The Right Fit For Your Company?

August 4th, 2010

In our last article, we went through some of the benefits of ExpressionEngine, one content management system (or CMS) that Digital Peabody works with on a regular basis. But for many of our clients, a website built with WordPress as its CMS is a perfect fit for their needs. (Learn more about content management systems, and why your site needs one, here.) Below, we’ll highlight a few areas in which WordPress shines.

Perhaps WordPress’ biggest advantage is its cost-effectiveness. WordPress is a free platform, eliminating at the outset of any website project the cost of paying for a CMS. Better yet, WordPress isn’t a substandard product by any stretch of the imagination — its content-management capabilities are right in line with many other top CMS competitors, with features like workflow management, multimedia posts, blogs and more.

WordPress also has an enormous array of so-called “plugins” that allow users to extend their site’s functionality in nearly any way imaginable: e-commerce, social networking, Web analytics and more. Another popular WordPress feature is its support for widgets, which allow users to control the content that appears in the site’s sidebar without needing to make any edits to its code. The widgets that appear on any given page can be customized by page or section — or they can remain constant throughout the site. Among hundreds of others, popular widgets include one that displays upcoming events, another that shows a Twitter feed and another that displays a summary of the most recent post on the site’s blog.

Redesigning a WordPress site is also relatively fast because of the platform’s use of themes to control design and content presentation. Themes are essentially templates into which content fits. If you think your site needs a new look, our designers can code and upload themes to control its appearance and interface without losing any of the content already on the site. And as a CMS, WordPress is well-known for its ease of use: you don’t need any technical experience to maintain a dynamic, interesting website using WordPress.

Want to learn more about WordPress and how we can tailor it to your business? Contact Digital Peabody at 303-468-5707, and take a look at our featured sites for more examples.

Posted in Content Management System, Tips, Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
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Why Build a Website with ExpressionEngine?

July 30th, 2010

We’ve designed and developed all sorts of sites at Digital Peabody — business and e-commerce, real estate, healthcare and more — most of which feature content management systems. (What’s a content management system, and why does my site need one?) Deciding which content management system (or CMS) is right for your company’s website requires knowing what can be done with each option. For many of the companies and organizations we work with, ExpressionEngine, an industry-leading CMS, is the right fit. In this post we’ll highlight the benefits of ExpressionEngine, and follow it up with a post about WordPress.

To begin with, there is almost no limit to what Digital Peabody can do with ExpressionEngine. One client, Matchstick Productions, needed a site that streams high-definition videos of extreme skiers and that was integrated with a Magento e-commerce system. We built them an ExpressionEngine site that does just that. Another client, THF Realty, needed a way to speed communication with retailers by posting documents for thousands of clients to download. We did that with ExpressionEngine, too. And we helped our friends at HuntFishGuide.com build a site to sort through thousands of hunting and fishing guides across the world, pick one out and book a trip, among other features. ExpressionEngine can provide all of that functionality and more — your imagination truly is the limit.

ExpressionEngine also has a huge community of creatives and developers all over the world, so that even if something isn’t immediately doable, there are thousands of people working on all sorts of extensions to suit any need a client may have. On its Digital Peabody-designed and -developed website, the St. Louis Jewish Community Center needed a massive calendar that serves over 15 internal departments, with both repeating events and one-off events, so we built in this extension to serve their needs. The Colorado Bankers Association wanted a site with member polls, so we found these two extensions and built them into the site. No matter how specific your web needs are, the vast assortment of ExpressionEngine extensions that are available ensure that your new site will work exactly how you want it to.

Another notable feature of ExpressionEngine is the ability to create customizable channels for your CMS. In other words, the information you are asked for when you are creating content for your site depends on what type of content you are posting. This allows us to exactly tailor your CMS to your needs.

ExpressionEngine has also never had a major security breach in over 10 years operating, and is very intuitive and easy to use. We’ll show you how to use your new CMS, and you’ll be keeping up a dynamic, interesting site in no time.

Want to learn more about ExpressionEngine and what it can do for your business? Contact Digital Peabody at 312-933-3430, and take a look at our featured sites for more examples.

Posted in Content Management System, Tips, Web Design, Website Development
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The Benefits of a Content Management System

July 16th, 2010

A content management system, or CMS, is a web-based interface through which site administrators can control what appears on their site — without needing any technical experience. Rather than having to code and upload a new static page for every additional page on a site, creating new pages with a content management system requires just a few clicks. At Digital Peabody, we’re often asked by customers about the benefits of having a CMS on their site, and we’ll run through a few below.

1. Ease of customization. With a CMS, quickly and efficiently changing content on your site is as easy as composing an e-mail. You don’t want your site to always look the same, nor do you want to have to call your developer every time you need to change a paragraph somewhere on your site.
2. Consistency. Pages created with a CMS automatically have a consistent aesthetic feel — you won’t have to keep tweaking minute HTML tags to get your pages to look the same. In addition, CMS-generated pages have the same meta structures, making the site more search-engine friendly as well as more navigable for users.
3. What you see is what you get. WordPress and ExpressionEngine, the two content management systems with which Digital Peabody works most often, both feature “what you see is what you get” (or WYSIWYG) editors, meaning what you see on the screen is what will appear on the page. Content creators don’t have to be HTML gurus to post through a CMS.
4. Separation of design and content. If your CMS-based site needs a design upgrade, it won’t mean you’ll lose the content you spent so much time working on, or have to copy-paste it into new pages. Instead, it’ll appear in the newly-redesigned pages, saving you a lot of time and effort.
5. Search engine optimization. Search engines value new content — easily posted through a CMS — as well as consistent site architecture, including metadata, URL structure, headings and more.
6. Multiple content creators. Since a site’s CMS is accessible over the web, anyone with the proper credentials can log in and post from anywhere with an internet connection.
7. Workflow management. WordPress and ExpressionEngine, as well as most other content management systems, can be configured so that users have different levels of access to the in order to ensure all posts go through adequate quality control before they are published to the web.
8. Multimedia posts. WordPress and ExpressionEngine make sharing photos and videos easy. There’s no need to go through all sorts of trouble with external photo and video hosting — just select and upload.
9. E-commerce. Digital Peabody also specializes in the industry-leading Magento e-commerce platform, which allows unprecedented flexibility for business owners looking to sell online. Magento has a variety of advanced features, including the ability to ship to multiple addresses for one transaction, create product bundles, offer coupons and more. Check out the business and e-commerce section of our portfolio here for some examples.

Want to learn more about content management systems and how they work? Contact Digital Peabody at 312-933-3430. Ready to begin? Get a free quote today, and take a look at our featured sites for examples of what a CMS can do for your website.

Posted in Content Management System, Tips, Website Development, Website Tips
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Who Should Do SEO, and Why

July 6th, 2010

More and more, people find what they’re looking for online with search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. But for companies and organizations with websites, being found isn’t as easy as just throwing together a website and hoping for search engines to rank it highly. Search engine optimization, or SEO, aims to make sites more findable by improving their search engine rank. But who really needs to do SEO?

The short answer: everyone could benefit from SEO. Most companies will turn up in the first few search results if they have a website and someone searches for the company’s name, but when it comes down to competition over keyword searches, SEO is a vital practice for nearly any type of company or organization with a website.

E-commerce: No matter what you’re selling, customers need to find your site before they can even think about buying your product. If you’re one of the top results on Google, then actually achieving a sale is just a few clicks away — whereas if you’re on the second page, the third page or the 50th page, selling your product becomes harder and harder. In a competitive industry, SEO work can mean the difference between success and failure.

Other businesses: Even if you’re not trying to sell anything over the web, your web presence is key to direct physical traffic and attention to your business. If you operate X type of business in Y city and people search for X type of business in Y city, a strong search engine presence means you will be noticed and likely end up with new customers. A weak presence, on the other hand, will probably mean more business for your competitors.

Nonprofits: Nonprofits need SEO work, too. If you’re operating a nonprofit, you want people to find your organization, hear what you have to say, access your resources and maybe even make a donation. If your site isn’t easily accessible on major search engines, that entire interaction is lost.

Dollar for dollar, SEO gives you excellent return on your investment because it will send highly targeted traffic to your site. And it lasts, too: cleaning up a site’s architecture is a lasting improvement that doesn’t expire like a PPC ad campaign. Most of the work in a SEO campaign is done at the beginning, meaning that as time goes on, cost per new click decreases — and you get better and better value out of your investment.

Even if you’re already appearing toward the top of rankings, SEO can help you stay there. Chances are, your competitors aren’t going to be content sitting on the fifth Google page while you’re on the first, so staying up to date on the most current SEO practices is key.

To learn more about SEO and the practices Digital Peabody will use to keep you at the top of search rankings, contact us at 312-933-3430.

Posted in Search Engine Optimization, Tips, Website Development, Website Tips
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Get Smart - Get A Business Website

February 26th, 2008

Benefits of Building a Website for Your Business

There are a number of benefits to building a website for your business. A simple website can tell people about your company, provide them with directions to your location and give them your contact information. Most of all, it’s the best way to create a good impression for your customers and clients. A website can do so much more, and Digital Peabody can help in all of the following ways:

Branding Your Business
Your business will also benefit when you use your website to help brand your company. Branding, marketing and PR efforts become easier tasks when you do them online. You can make your press releases available to reporters outside of your region, you can also make sure your customers, prospective customers and clients understand your company’s mission, vision and goals. Your online marketing efforts definitely do not need to “match” your other collateral materials, but there should be some cohesive messages in all of your marketing materials about your brand.

Online Reputation Management
If you’ve had “issues” with complaints about your small business online, you can use your website, a powerful reputation management tool, to fight back. In addition to posting information that helps clear your good name, online reputation management has other benefits, too. Used as part of a smart organic SEO campaign, the information you provide will quickly begin showing up in first page Google results. And online reputation management will take the negative online posts about you, your team or your company and push them back, to the pages in Google that aren’t as well-traveled.

Unlocking Organic SEO
Organic search engine optimization (SEO) is the number one benefit of using a website to promote your small business. When utilized properly, a small business website can help improve your company’s search engine results. With the right mix of organic SEO techniques, like embedding keywords and tags within your content, there’s no reason why your website can’t get into first page Google results within a month or two of optimization. With organic SEO that focuses on conversions, you can also target specific groups of customers and increase sales through your small business website.

Money-Saving Opportunities
There are some important ways to save money with your small business website. You can cut back on inbound customer service calls by providing a list of frequently asked questions about your business online. You can reduce mail processing and inbound calls when you accept payments online. Providing information on your website that you used to have to print and mail to clients and customers can also save you money. And, providing employees with information about benefits online can help ease the phone calls into your already overtaxed Human Resources area. 

There are a number of other ways you can use a website to benefit your small business. You can conduct market research online, utilize e-commerce options to help move inventory more quickly and generally provide your customers and clients with the kind of 24/7 service they demand.

For more information about online reputation management and organic SEO, please contact Digital Peabody or call 303.468.5707. 
 

Posted in Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
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Your Small Business Website is More Important Than Starbucks’ Website

February 22nd, 2008

Think about it…does Starbucks really need to be worried about their website?  Is General Electric worried that they don’t get enough internet traffic?  Of course not.  Because large corporations rely on their sites as mostly a bonus for a large existing customer base.  But for the small business owner, a great website can mean the difference between scraping by, and really being successful.
 
Owning a business can be rewarding on many levels. The idea of responding to the wants and needs of a group of people can bring great satisfaction to a small business owner. The twenty-first century entrepreneur has embraced the fact that not only is the physical location for their business important, but also a virtual address for their customers as well. The small business’ website can introduce products to new customers, increase income from ad programs, and communicate more effectively with new and current customers.
 
In addition to efficiently presenting your services to the world, website can save a great deal of money in advertising costs. Spending $400.00 to place a 2″ x 2″ ad in a local newspaper, to be posted for one day, can quickly deplete an advertising budget for the month, with little impact since describing a business thoroughly in such a small space is nearly impossible. The development of a great website can be affordable, and initially may be as simple as a one page description of what and where the business is, and what the product is. A website is not just viewed by people locally, but it can be viewed by anyone, at any time, from all over the world, thereby, introducing a product to a greater number of people faster.   Digital Peabody can customize a website that does everything you need a site to do to help grow your business.
 
Increasing product awareness to customers via a website will increase direct revenue, but a website can also earn additional income for a business from online ad programs. Ad programs, such as Google AdSense, accrue money by cost generating links, search engines, or referral programs. Each program may generate money a bit differently, but generally the idea is a visitor clicks a link on the website, and money can be earned. Also, affiliate link programs, which are large online companies like eBay or Amazon, links visitors to their website, where they are prompted to make a purchase. Once a purchase is successfully completed, the referring website gets a percentage from the sale. Additionally, once a website has a large number of monthly visitors, other online businesses may be interested in paying for advertising space, and this form of income can be very prosperous.
 
Establishing a good rapport with customers is essential, in keeping a business alive and healthy. A website gives a business an easier way to connect with its customers, where a feeling of community may be felt. Innovative features, such as a forum, are open streams of communication where visitors can learn about products and services through other customer’s experiences. Newsletters can be sent out to include new product, or discounted product information.  And posting a fun interactive contest on a website where coupons can be won to use on a next purchase of products can inspire people to revisit your site and become a regular customer. And as your business grows and you have need of gathering information about your customers, surveys can really gain insight on their likes and dislikes, and a guest book is where visitors can sign up for newsletters and emails. Simple, open, and honest communication with customers is Digital Peabody’s specialty, and helping you create a site that will lead your business to understand your customer’s wants and needs in the present, and in the future.

Posted in Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
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Why Does Your Company NEED a Website?

December 9th, 2007

In the United States, it is exceedingly rare to find someone who isn’t online. Just about everyone uses the internet. Some people shop on it; some people us it to gather and analyze information; some people use it to make new friends; and some people use it for business needs. Everyone is online line for one reason or another so there is absolutely no excuse not to have a web presence. If you are still wondering what an intelligent website can do for you, take a look at the results of a recent study conducted by the world-famous Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center from Georgia Tech University:
Nearly 85% of all U.S. households have Internet access, and more than 90% of users say they find businesses and services through internet search engines.

Now, let’s get into the numbers.

According to the U.S. Census bureau there are over 300,000,000 in living in the United States. Roughly speaking, that means that well over TWO HUNDRED MILLION people use the internet to find businesses. No matter what you think, that’s a heck of a lot of people.

Let’s be really conservative and say that only 1% of the U.S. population is interested in your business or services. That’s 3,000,000 people. We know that 85% of that group are on the internet. That’s 2,550,000 people. Of that group we know that 90% are potential customers searching for your business or service. That means that potentially 2,295,000 customers can find your website!

Clearly, no matter what you do – big or small – a professional website is an absolute must for your business.

Are you ready to get started?

If you would like to get started, please call Digital Peabody’s Web Strategist, Lauren Engel. You can reach her at 312-933-3430 or 303-468-5707. Be sure to ask about discounts for new websites!

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The “Must Have” for 2008: Every Company and Organization Should Have A Web Strategist

December 2nd, 2007

Every business has a plan, right? Some aim to make money and some want to find world peace. Whatever your goals are, you need a strategy to achieve them. Whether your business is strictly online or completely offline, a website is no longer a good-to-have item. A website is a necessity and a strategy for your website or web product is equally as important.
That’s where a Web Strategist comes into play.
A Web Strategist is responsible for defining the near- and long-term direction of your website. In order to succeed at this, they must have a keen understanding of your business, your customers, and the tools that are available to help you.
This is how it works.
Whether you are an established business looking to leverage your know brand assets, a small-sized company who needs to adapt to the internet or a new startup looking to quickly get up and running, a Web Strategist asks three crucial questions:

1. What is your website’s purpose and who is your audience?
2. How will your website get enduring results?
3. Will your audience find what they need?

The bottom line is that a fancy design alone isn’t going to define your company. Or a new marketing strategy. Or a better interface. It’s only when you consider all these elements simultaneously that you have the power to reshape your business into something enduring and category defining.
In today’s internet landscape, it’s essential for forward-thinking developers to conceive new ideas that strategically speak to your audience. A Web Strategist asks a lot of questions, they study how your audience uses the internet, and they learn about your industry.

Talk to Digital Peabody’s Web Strategist about our time-tested process that will produce a website that is totally aligned with your audience.

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Dot the I and Cross the T: A Smart Web Design Contract

November 30th, 2007

Ask for a Signed Contract and a Project Schedule

Like any other business relationship, you should make sure you have a signed contract before the relationship begins. The contract should include the start and completion dates for the project, as well as a firm budget for the project; the complexity of your site will be the primary determinant of the overall cost. Obviously, if you require streaming video and flash presentations, the development time will cost more than a simple, informational site. It is also important to get a flat project rate rather than an hourly rate because then you know what the total cost will be provided that you adhere to the terms of your contract.

The contract should stipulate how many revisions are allowed; at what point phases are finalized; and specifically what is being delivered.

Additionally, it should be clear that you own the completed project and domain name (you should require that the contract states that all content and graphics, and the domain name, become your property). Accompanying the contract should be a timeline of the project, as having a schedule will help keep things on track.

Use a Website Design Firm that is a One-Stop Shop

Unless you have the knowledge to host your own web server, you ought to hire a web design firm that can provide more than site design and development. One of the best ways to know who the professionals are and who are not is whether they offer additional services like hosting, domain name registration, search engine optimization, and ongoing maintenance. That’s not to say you should wash your hand completely of these processes. Find out what the average price is for hosting a website of your size and bandwidth requirements so that you know you are getting a fair price. For example, our web design and development firm offers hosting packages starting from $10 a month – so there is a package made for all budgets. In addition, they should be able to guarantee reliable uptime for hosting, at least 95%. Receive, in writing, the cost for monthly maintenance and what this maintenance entails. Finally, as your company grows so will your website, and your designer should be able to keep up with those changes. If you are dealing with an individual or just two people, chances are they will not be able to meet your growing demands. If you plan on success and growth you will be wise to seek out a web design company that has a full team of designers, developers, programmers, seo specialists, and strategists.

Other Questions to Ask…

• Can you develop a Content Management System so that I can edit my site?
• How long will it take for my site to load?
• Do you validate your code?
• Can you develop back-end functions (such as a database)?
• Will my site be compatible for multiple browsers (i.e., Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.)
• Can you develop secure e-commerce solutions?
• Do you have the capabilities of using creating hybrid flash, streaming audio/video, etc.?

Having a presence online is becoming a requirement in nearly every industry. By having a strong partnership between you and your web designer, you will have an effective, attractive and user-friendly website that attracts customers, builds customer relationships and helps your company grow.

Are you ready to get started?

If you would like to get started, please call Digital Peabody’s Web Strategist, Lauren Engel. You can reach her at 312-933-3430 or 303-468-5707. Be sure to ask about discounts for new websites!

Posted in Web Design, Website Development, Website Tips
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