Helping You Build a Better Business Website

Google Abandoning Internet Explorer!

2010-02-03T06:29:00.000-06:00

A letter I just received form Google:

Dear Google Apps admin,

In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.

We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar.

Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.

Starting this week, users on these older browsers will see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser. We will also alert you again closer to March 1 to remind you of this change.

In 2009, the Google Apps team delivered more than 100 improvements to enhance your product experience. We are aiming to beat that in 2010 and continue to deliver the best and most innovative collaboration products for businesses.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

The Google Apps team

Email preferences: You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Apps product or account.

Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

MardiGras2010.net

2010-01-19T16:03:00.002-06:00

MardiGras2010.net is up! Check out the website, and if you'd like to be listed there, please contact us. It's a great way to rev up your SEO campaign and advertise to hundreds of people per day who are visiting the website because they are visiting New Orleans over the carnival season this year!

Louisiana Business Websites Commercial

2009-11-01T01:51:00.002-05:00

Pay-per-click Info

2009-07-15T11:52:00.001-05:00

An important aspect of running a successful Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is to identify strengths and weaknesses of the campaign and optimize based on relative data. There is a natural progression to this optimization process and it’s important to avoid knee jerk reactions if you do not see stellar results right out of the gate. Here are some ideas to consider when first launching a PPC campaign and what to look for when optimizing the campaign moving forward.

Unless you already have a targeted audience or demographic in mind, it is always good to cast a “wide net” when first launching the campaign. Be sure to conduct keyword research on popular search terms that are related to your business and identify the low, medium and high cost-per-click (CPC) terms. To gain the greatest potential audience for your ads, set the match type in your campaign to broad match.
Once your campaign has been active for a few weeks (timing may vary depending on how many clicks you generate at the start of your campaign and your budget) take a look at which keywords are converting and which are accruing multiple clicks without conversions. Isolating the campaign or adgroup with the lowest performance can be a first step in the optimization process. If you see your click-thru rate (CTR) is low, this could be an indication that your ad copy is not effective in attracting qualified visitors. Test different ad variations with different calls to action. If your click-thru rate is acceptable and your conversions are low, this could be an indication that your landing page needs work. Test different landing page designs, adjust content and message; even moving images can make a difference.
Be sure to analyze your keywords that are eating up a large portion of your budget without a return on your investment. This could be a signal your campaign needs negative keywords. Negative keywords can help limit your ad delivery on broad match terms that are relative to your business, but may also be associated with something completely different than your product or service. For example, I have a client that sells Corona paint brushes, but I want to make sure the ads are not being displayed if someone is searching for Corona beer!
If you find the “wide net” strategy cannot be implemented because of your budget, look to adjust the match types of your keywords. Test both phrase match and exact match types for your keywords to limit your ad delivery. This helps keep your daily spends in check while still having your ads delivered to highly targeted search queries.
Converting keywords should also be optimized to ensure that you are gaining the highest return on your investment (ROI). Review the average position of your keywords within the sponsored listings. You may find that you can maintain a high conversion rate at a slightly lower position. This can help bring down your cost per conversion, thus freeing up more budget to allocate to important keywords where the competition requires a slightly higher bid.

There are many ways to optimize a campaign but keep in mind there is no “standard operating procedure”. Let the campaign data be your guide in the optimization process. There is no better way to achieve success in your PPC campaign than to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and make smart decisions based on what the data tells you. Stay the course and optimize with your main goal in mind.

Making Money Via Advertising on your Site

2009-07-11T20:03:00.001-05:00

Lots of people want to sit back and earn money. Some people think you can do that simply by setting up a website and letting people flock to it. In reality, though, people do not visit sites frequently without having a good reason to do so.
If you want to sell advertising space on your website, you need to make sure that people have a very good reason to visit--whether that's checking out the latest celeb gossip, learning tips about building great websites, or viewing interesting pictures or video. If people like your content and the content changes frequently, you will have repeat visitors. And that is the key to having valuable ad space.

Welcome Squid!

2009-06-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

I brought it Squid from Mississippi to help with the Marathon Design weekend this past weekend for NOLA Renewal Group. I really like her work, and she liked it here so much, she decided to stay with us! Welcome on board Squid!

New Hours of Operation!

2009-06-29T15:57:00.001-05:00

Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 9:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. And we might just answer the phone after hours, too ;)

Email, of course, always works and is probably the most reliable way to contact us. Our turnaround is often fast and never late. We'll be in touch sooner than you think!

Marathon Design Weekend...

2009-06-29T14:41:00.003-05:00

The NOLA Renewal Group contacted us right before the end of the week and asked us to essentially give them a 48-hour brand! We had to design an entire booklet, a powerpoint presentation, business cards, and an accompanying website... AND get it all printed before Monday morning. Somehow we pulled it off!

Nick Gives an Endorsement to Louisiana Business Website

2009-06-25T19:23:00.004-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTwnNMEzorA

What your Website MUST Do to be Successful (and probably doesn't if it's not a WebCRED site)

2009-06-24T09:37:00.003-05:00

Not everyone builds websites of equal value. There are a lot of mistakes and pitfalls that stand between your business and generating new customers. Here's how to make a great website:

http://credllc.com/CRED/Successful_Websites.html

Check out our new Youtube Channel!

2009-06-22T21:59:00.003-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/louisianabusinessweb

www.LouisianaBusinessWebsites.com

Welcome Discount Zone

2009-06-22T09:44:00.002-05:00

Discount Zone has a brand new WebCRED website, please check them out at www.discountzone.org!

Check out www.LouisianaBusinessWebsites.com to get your own site!

SEO Info from Google's Webmaster Page

2009-06-20T21:53:00.002-05:00

Just brushing up on the latest Google knowledge:

Things to avoid

Don't fill your page with lists of keywords, attempt to "cloak" pages, or put up "crawler only" pages. If your site contains pages, links, or text that you don't intend visitors to see, Google considers those links and pages deceptive and may ignore your site.

Don't feel obligated to purchase a search engine optimization service. Some companies claim to "guarantee" high ranking for your site in Google's search results. While legitimate consulting firms can improve your site's flow and content, others employ deceptive tactics in an attempt to fool search engines. Be careful; if your domain is affiliated with one of these deceptive services, it could be banned from our index.

Don't use images to display important names, content, or links. Our crawler doesn't recognize text contained in graphics. Use ALT attributes if the main content and keywords on your page can't be formatted in regular HTML.

Don't create multiple copies of a page under different URLs. Many sites offer text-only or printer-friendly versions of pages that contain the same content as the corresponding graphic-rich pages. To ensure that your preferred page is included in our search results, you'll need to block duplicates from our spiders using a robots.txt file. For information about using a robots.txt file, please visit our information on blocking Googlebot.

Website Updates

2009-06-20T16:04:00.002-05:00

I finally updated our websites! Please visit www.credllc.com and louisianabusinesswebsites.com. Don't forget to post a testimonial on credllc.com, too!

How to Start a Website--an Analogy

2009-06-15T21:27:00.003-05:00

I want to share with yall a bit of an email I sent a recent curious peruser of our site:

"I am happy to explain whatever you like, but I do not want to bog you down with a lot of technical information (especially since our main purpose is to help you make money, not provide you with a new skill set....). Since you asked, however, here is a little bit that I will try to explain:

The first thing that you need to do to have a website is to buy a domain name (URL). This is something like buying an office/apartment/mortgage--

there is a yearly fee and some cost more than others; some are simply occupied and unavailable. There are a few basic but very important considerations to think through when choosing your domain name.

The second thing that you need to do is buy hosting. This is similar to an occupational license--it gives you the right to fill up your domain name with information (again there is a yearly fee). But just like an occupational license, you don't really get anything terrific back. So emphasis is on affordability. Companies offer a wide range of hosting plans, and some allow you to fill up your domain with different kinds of information.

The final thing you will have to do is to design your website. There are obviously lots of things to consider here as well. There are lots of different philosophies about design, types of coding, and strategies. All of our websites are designed with the primary purpose of helping you make money. If you choose us and we agree to work with you, then we guarantee that our websites will make you money. We think like google: they make a lot of money. Their website is deceptively simple."

www.LouisianaBusinessWebsites.com

Welcome to Alternative Body Solutions!

2009-06-14T13:15:00.003-05:00

Darren Colletti is a professional fitness trainer pioneering cutting edge functional fitness training, relying on his philosophy of using functional, usable strength.

Visit http://www.alternativebodysolutionsllc.com for more information! And welcome Darren to our group of satisfied clients!

Check out www.LouisianaBusinessWebsites.com to get a website like theirs!

Email Addresses

2009-06-12T08:52:00.001-05:00

It is unprofessional to use a personal email address for your business. xyz@yahoo.com, xyz@aim.com, xyz@gmail.com, xyz@hotmail.com, etc. all bad for your business. Always remind customers what your business is and where they can contact you by setting up emails with info@[yourdomain].com/org

Please don't forget this.

You can always have that email address forwarded to your own personal account so you don't have to check more than one every day. But whatever you do, don't make the mistake of having sexyqtbabyphat@aim.com on your business card!!!

Choosing a Designer

2009-06-11T09:35:00.001-05:00

Once you have made the decision to build a professional website, there are several important questions to ask your designer:
1) What language will you use? Programming in mostly Flash is not good for search engines. Html-based sites are not very stable or professional. Discuss this with him or her.
2) What kind of maintenance plan do they offer? Designers should not simply design a site one time and then leave you alone to fend for yourself--everyone will need to update a business website (the more frequently, the better), and it does not make sense to pay an entire re-design fee every time you will need a simple update.
3) How will each feature of the website help make you money. Let's face it--a successful business needs bottom-line performance. If you are being charged for something that you think wil not actuially make you more money, then do not purchase it. For most businesses, having the fanciest website will not make you the most profitable business. You want to convert customers, not impress them--look at amazon.com....

The Office Courtyard

2009-06-10T15:47:00.002-05:00

Color Schemes

2009-06-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

Colors are definitely important in website design, but more important is how your colors work together. Here are a few tips: 1) You should have Darker colors as borders--it draws attention to your lighter middle. 2) Avoid setting text against a background that does not contrast much. Monitors do not always display colors the same, and often your text will be difficult to read. 3) Stick to the basics--because monitors do display colors differently, don't have a lot of shades of a similar color. CHances are the color will not come through just right, anyway.

Welcome Katya!

2009-06-09T11:25:00.001-05:00

Katya will be interning with us this summer! She is working on helping manage our online campaign and with photoshop. Send her an email at catherine@credllc.com

Quick Update

2009-06-08T23:23:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update about the business--we are currently working on Dr. Karen Paul's website and graphic design, SHS, Discount Zone, and Pack Rat Shipping. From now on we will put welcome new client posts when we're actually finished ;)

Outside Our Office

2009-06-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

We're the left door

Flash is Dying...

2009-06-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

Flash is not the mighty beast it once was. Flash designs are going the way of the dinosaur, and for good reason. Flash is expensive and really cool, so designers love to charge for it. It's an easy sell. But it has a lot of problems.
1. Flash isn't compatible with everyone's computer. Some people may not have Flash installed or some other browser element that prohibits flash from displaying correctly.
2. Flash takes longer to load than other languages. It's pretty massive and you get an ugly loading bar.
3. This is a big one--GOOGLE DOES NOT READ FLASH. If your main navigation bar is flash, you lose YOUR WHOLE WEBSITE. If you have textual information inside Flash, google can't read it and you lose all of that when people are out there looking for your services.
4. More compatibility issues--flash doesn't integrate well into css or even html designs.

CREDit Website Discount Program!

2009-06-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

Your friends are valuable to you, and CRED respects that. That's why we give you CREDit for sharing your experiences with your friends! Every time you bring a new Super-Stress-free Package customer to us, CRED will give both you and your friend $20.Every time you bring a new Basic Starter Design Package customer to us, CRED will give both you and your friend $10. Just mention this ad!

Telling a Story

2009-06-03T20:30:00.001-05:00

Like any good story, each web page needs a "hook" to draw people in further. Each time people are "hooked," they dig deeper and click on more links. The more people read on your site, the more they trust you and your business as an expert, and the more conversions you can count on.

Don't think of each page as a simple explanation, think of each page the same as you think of a page in a great novel--a temporary destination along a long route. And to encourage people to continue, make sure to provide simple navigation and a reason to continue moving forward

Content Is King

2009-06-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

No one can design a site without something to put inside of it. The best websites have great content--lots of pictures, lots of pictures of people, and lots of easy-to-understand explanations. Website design is all about style, but style is nothing without content. Websites are nothing without content.

What people see when they visit your site IS your site. Unfortunately, this is what most designers fail to recognize or, at least, fail to remind their clients. WebCRED builds you a website, but what we are actually doing is translating your business and your pitch into internet media.

New to the team: The Frame Shop

2009-06-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Located in somewhat rural Raceland, Louisiana, The Frame Shop has offered years of terrific service for prices that can only be found far from the city limits. The drive is worth every minute because the quality and craftsmanship is unmatched--and the prices are the cheapest around!
Another shoutout to our newest client: The Frame Shop
www.theframeshopla.com

Local Deals: Kinko's Business Card Printing

2009-05-31T10:53:00.002-05:00

For those of you that want quality on a budget, the best deal around for printing business cards on a budget is located at your nearest Kinko's. $14 setup fee, $10 to organize your design onto a 5x2 grid, and then $0.31 per page to print on a variety of card stock, black and white business card printing is a steal there.

We're happy to design your business cards professionally for $49, and that will also save you the $10 Kinko's fee to organize them onto a 5x2 layout. That's just a steal.

Hi Sweetwater Guide and Marina!

2009-05-30T10:45:00.002-05:00

Just a shoutout to our new client: Sweetwater Guide Service and Marina in Delacroix, Louisiana and Cap. Jack C. Payne III
www.delacroixfishing.com
Thanks for joining our happy customers!

People Don't Like to Read

2009-05-29T13:33:00.000-05:00

Style beats out substance every time. If you don't have a good product, it's harder to convince people to buy it. If the product doesn't look good on a website (or wherever) it's next to impossible to sell. The key to making this happen is convincing people to dig deeper... and keeping things simple.

Imagine looking at a single word on a blank page and trying not to read it. It's basically impossible. Conversely, imagine looking at a page filled with text and trying not to read. This is very easy, and we do it all the time.

The key is to have little text and a well-planned simple layout that is easy to navigate through. Nearly all page views last 10 seconds or less. That's not much time to read.

Easy Directions for "Tethering" your Android G1 to the Mac

2009-05-29T11:50:00.000-05:00

Totally unrelated to business websites, but I thought some might be interested...

1. connect USB
2. run tetherbot, start socks
3. run terminal, type: "cd /Users/paul/Desktop/android/Tools" then click enter
4. type: "./adb forward tcp:1080 tcp:1080" then click enter. wait for it to say "* daemon started successfully"
5. Open firefox, click on preferences. Navigate to Network then settings then advanced. click the button for "Manual proxy configuration"
6. The only thing that should be in the settings is under SOCKS Host: "localhost" Port "1080".
7. Type in the url bar: "about:config" ignore the warning
8. Scroll down to network.proxy.socks_remote_dns. Under the boolean value, change to "true"

The End

To stop surfing:
1. Stop the proxy app
2. disconnect the USB
3. Reser firefox settings

Tips:
try rebooting the browser to update config settings
try rebooting the g1 if you get a only blank screens when trying to navigate
"./adb kill-server" ends the tcp forwarding on terminal

Welcome Greg!

2009-05-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome Greg to the team! Greg Grillot II was born and raised in New Orleans in Lakeview. He's a former gymnast, and was on the US National Power Tumbling Team for 3 years and is a Licensed Massage Therapist.

Contact: greg@credllc.com

What Does Conversion Mean?

2009-05-28T08:26:00.001-05:00

Conversion in website language is the desired outcome of a customer visit to your website, i.e. a sale (in the case of an online store like amazon) or a customer contacting you (in your case). The website should be built for that purpose and that purpose only--a real goal-directed affair. Like finding a target market. My job is to design a site that converts people to do what you want.

A Cute Idea

2009-05-27T20:18:00.002-05:00

Speaking with a new client today: (www.karenpaulmd.com) and Dr. Paul suggested having an interesting intro to her site. It was really a cute idea, but sometimes I think cute ideas are just that... a cute idea. Most business websites are built for the purpose of marketing and attracting new customers. So adding a layer of "fluff" like a cute intro only inhibits the conversion process. Advice to owners of all small business websites: remove fluff, concentrate on making conversions, and think like amazon.com--great product + easy navigation=high conversion ratio. If you want to make money, make it easy to make money.

The Beginning of the Blog!

2009-05-25T19:27:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time coming, but finally I've had a little time to work on our own site and put up the blog. We're so busy building websites for our customers, it's hard to find time to work on our own site.
Anyway, thanks for checking out the blog, and expect to visit back frequently. We're going to have lots of great information for anyone who is starting a website or using the internet to market in Louisiana or across the world!