There’s a misconception out there that every web designers’ the same. This is such a bad assumption. Just because some people call themselves web designers doesn’t mean they know how to design a good website. A professional web designer will know what fonts to use, how big the headers need to be, what colors to use and what not to use and how much text to put on a page before the reader pops a blood vessel in their eye. I say talented web designers need to stick together and join forces to fight against bad websites. So many times I see a business owner decide to go with someone who calls themselves a marketing company or a web designer that has poor taste. They think if they pay money for these services, that means they’re going to get a great site. I know I seem pessimistic and harsh, but I’m getting tired of hearing the same old stories. I say to you business owners do your research! Find out who’s working on your site and I don’t mean just the company you’re going with. I mean the actual designer. How much experience does he or she have? Did he or she ever take art lessons. Make sure you convey what you want on your site. Get down to the details. Remember, it’s your money, you’re business.
Well, out with old and in with the new. Gobie has made a major leap since it first began. The company started in 2007, but didn’t really offer web design services until september 2009. That was only 4 months ago. I don’t want to brag about it, but can’t help it. I am very proud to say we have doubled our client base in a very short amount of time. With this success in mind, we are heading into 2010 with extreme motivation and a positive attitude. Gobie will be making some changes that we can’t tell you yet, but it’s going to be pretty cool. We want to offer our clients more options with our web design service that will help their business be even more successful and stand out from the rest. We will be looking forward to launching our new marketing campaign and services very soon. Stay tuned for more details!
We are proud to launch a redesigned website for our client Scott Shaw of KLS Controls LLC! KLS Controls‘ website had many challenges. We turned those challenges into a website with several integrated features such as Blog Integration, Database Driven Web Pages and a Content Management System. With these new features, our client will be able to deliver up-the-moment company news and product updates in his industry. He will also be able to have exclusive access to make modifications to his website without relying heavily on a developer. These features will not only lower his maintenance costs for his website and marketing, but they will add value to his business.
At Gobie Creative, we want to wish Scott Shaw good luck with his business KLS Controls LLC, and remember as Scott perfectly states, “Keep Life Simple!”
We are waiting to launch a new website for this month of December. The official launch date for klscontrols.com is December 4. Stay tuned for more this week!
Also, we have been busy with other exciting new projects that will be finished up in January. Sorry we can’t tell you, you’ll just have to wait and see.
Make sure you check back with us periodically after the holidays for more tips and marketing specials. It will be like Christmas all over again!
We are very excited about some of our new developments this month! Some of these developments include a new website redesign for KLS Controls LLC and a logo design for a new company called Expert Car Care, Inc. We were very fortunate to take such important roles in the marketing for both companies.
KLS Controls is a company that handles product lines for automation manufacturing. It’s based out of Menomonee Falls, WI and is run by Scott Shaw. KLS will be launching a brand new website in the first week of December 2009. There were several challenges to implement into the new design. We wanted the website to be more user-friendly and updated with a sophisticated, clean style. We also had to implement Search Engine Optimization and a Custom Blog Integration along with some database pages.
Expert Car Care, Inc. is a automotive repair shop located in West Allis, WI. The owner Ben Marjamaa needed a logo that stood out from the rest. We created the logo in Adobe Illustrator using the gradient mesh tool. We didn’t want the logo to look flat, but rather with a more 3-d style to it…something that you can almost touch and feel the chrome texture. We will also be looking forward to designing new business cards and a website coming soon in January 2009.
We will keep you posted on these developments and more in the next couple months! Stay Tuned!
Ever wonder how many people are going to your website? Can they even find your website? How long do they stay on there to read all of your content? These are very typical questions asked by several owners of websites.
Google Analytics is a free and powerful traffic reporting system that you can easily find the answers you’re looking for regarding your website. It measures the amount of traffic and behaviors of your visitors each day. You can get in-depth results about your site on printable reports or you can e-mail them out to whomever. Using Google Analytics will save you alot of time and money figuring out where your audience is and how to connect with them. You can use it to your advantage for your marketing strategies and campaigns.
This tutorial will be an overview on how to get started and understanding the basics of Google Analytics. In future articles, we will go into more specifics.
Please check out this video on how to setup a free Google Analytics account first before reading on. It will show you step-by-step how to get started.
The Dashboard
Now that you an account, we can start analyzing your website! You have several features in the Dashboard section including what looks like a blue graph. Scroll over the dots. You will notice the date and amount of visits per day. If you want to see the amount of visits per week or month, click on the small square icons in the top right corner to change the views. Okay, let’s explore the other features.
The Site Usage section gives you a nice summary of Visits, Pageviews, Pages/ Visits, Bounce Rate, Average Time on Site and New Visits. Here’s each feature broken down:
1. Visits give you the number of visits within a certain time period. You start off with 30 days, but you can later change this number once you get more comfortable.
2. Pageviews is the amount of pages visitors viewed.
3. Pages/ Visits is the average amount of pages a visitor viewed when visiting your website.
4. Bounce Rate is the percentage of visitors that realized after getting to your website, they were “bounced” out of your site. You can use this percentage to figure out if people are using the back button or realizing your website is not exactly what they had in mind. Use this to your advantage. Know what can attract visitors to stay and read your content. Try to keep you percentage below 30-25%. If it’s too high in the 50’s, consider doing some house cleaning on your website. Add some cool images, check you content, make sure your navigation is user-friendly and your search engine optimization is working.
5. Average Time on Site is exactly what the title says. It’s the average time a visitor spends on your website during a visit.
6. % New Visits is the percentage of visitors that are new compared to your overall count of visitors. You can see higher results especially when you implement a new marketing campaign. If the percentage is low, it just means that you have repeat visitors that keep coming back for more.
The Visitors Overview is a summary of who’s going to your website and how many in the last 30 days. You can scroll over the blue buttons just like in the top graph. It works the same way by telling you how many visits per day. To get more detailed, you can click on the “view report” in blue. In the report, you can see a breakdown of the action on your website. Feel free to take the time to look at each feature. We will go over these report in more detail in our next tutorial.
The Map Overlay is really handy because it gives you a geographical layout of your visitors’ origin. It pinpoints even down to the state/ city. You can use this tool to see where your market is coming from. Are you attracting more from your local area or is it globally? You can click on the “view report” to see more details and the breakdown of each visitor.
The Traffic Sources Overview is one of my favorites in Google Analytics. This gives you insight of where you traffic is coming from on the internet. Do you have more visitors from search engines or are your external links such as Facebook and LinkedIn doing their job? Again, you can click on the “view report” to see the exact websites that are helping you out.
Finally, but not least, Content Overview is one of the most valuable features to study. This overview will help you get understanding of your website and the people who visit. This feature lays out all your pages within your website to help you see who’s going where. Are visitors clicking on the contact page more than the services or are they just not even interested in contacting you? Do they get bored with you about page? These are vital questions you need answers for. This knowledge will help you design a successful website.
Thank you for reading our tutorial on Market Your Business Using Google Analytics: Part 1. We will be posting more articles that will explain each feature in more detail and how to use them to your advantage in marketing for your business. If you have any questions about Google Analytics, please contact us.
Social Media is revolutionizing marketing and communication. If you want to be noticed on the Internet these days, you need to network and plant your business on several social sites. It’s a great way to reach thousands of potential customers because it’s efficient and affordable. The cost of maintaining your profile on website such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is way more economical and effective than sending direct mail pieces (“snail mail”). Using those websites, you can gain the trust of your potential customers faster and easier for FREE. You can still maintain your two way communication with customers just like any relationship, but you have added advantages such as latest updates and creative ways to introduce yourself. You can also earn their trust and get great feedback from visitors like never before which can only bring you more awareness on how to improve your business.
Social Networking is the most effective and safest way to market your business! Since MySpace, YouTube and other social websites were implemented, the internet has seen a dramatic amount of traffic. That’s why you need to use these free networking websites to your advantage. Of course don’t “spam” your profile or website all over every community network. Spend the time to research and develop networks that are related and important to you. There’s a fine line between coming across as a “sleezy salesman” and a very interested member. Make sure you pick and choose people that will only help your development. There’s truth in “a little goes a long way.” You don’t have to be everybody’s friend or fan or connection. Also, if someone befriends you, look up their information before you just click approve. Know who your contacts are. In the end, you’ll know who you’re dealing with and they will appreciate the special attention.
There are a ton of networks out there, but here are some of the major Social Networks to join to get you started:
Here at Gobie Creative, L.L.C., we can help you establish your presence on major social networking websites for a minimal fee. We will implement your profile, set-up your pages and get you connected quickly and easily.Just ask us for details! We want to see you and your business succeed!
We have just added another service at Gobie Creative, Custom Blog Integration! Custom Blog Integration will help your website traffic and search engine rankings. We will be posting another article soon telling you how and why. Stay tuned for more details or if you can’t wait, send us a message!
A huge part of marketing your business is networking. It’s all about who you know. Sure ads, brochures, coupons, etc. are all good selling points, but they cost money…sometimes a lot of money. Networking can be little to no money. Tell everyone you know about your business. Sooner or later, this person you know will tell someone else and so forth. Don’t burn any bridges. Utilize that connection somehow. You never know when it will come in handy. Here are some tips about networking:
1. Get some business cards….hand them out to everybody, I mean everybody.
2. Maintain a good relationship with people.
3. Tell people about your business. Offer your services in the most discrete way. Make sure you don’t stalk them though.
4. Look to your family and friends for connections. Have them send an email to everyone they know about your business.
5. Get on the Social Media “train.” Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This is the easiest way to connect with a large amount of people without having to set up appointments.
6. Offer a good will gesture to someone. Who knows, someday he/she will return the favor.
7. Be genuine and down to earth when you do meet with people. Don’t come off as a salesman.
8. Tap into your community. Join a chamber of commerce. You can get yourself listed on their directory, receive area discounts and earn credibility.
9. Keep up with your current clients. Don’t let them think you forgot them. Drop them a line to just say hi and how are things going.
10. Follow-up on conversations with people. Let them know you are still there. Repetitiveness is the key to being remembered.
