Signs That it’s Time for a Website Redesign

When was the last time you updated your website? Chances are, if it is more than a year old, it could now use a little update. There are all kinds of reasons why a change may be required. Whether it’s to keep up with new technology, make adjustments to the products and services you are offering or simply to boost your SEO marketing results; sometimes an update is essential to maintaining a positive, strong online presence. If you’re unsure whether your site is now outdated, below youíll discover some of the top signs that an update is long overdue.
1. Your site isn’t compatible with all browsers
A good website will be compatible with all of the major browsers including Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. It should never be solely focused on one. Consumers today use a wide variety of browsers to search for local businesses. So if youíre only focusing on say internet Explorer, you could be missing out on a lot of visitors using Firefox and Chrome. You can test out how well your website performs on every major browser before deciding whether it needs an upgrade.
2. It isn’t mobile optimized
Over the past couple of years, mobile optimization has become absolutely essential in web design. It is more frequently known as responsive design and it ensures your website can be easily viewed on any mobile device. Millions of consumers now use their tablets and Smartphones to search for local businesses. Make sure you donít miss out on this significant target market and give your site a responsive design to provide convenience for these users; this opens the doors for them easily access, contact, and learn about your business.
3. Your products, services or brand image has changed
Have you changed the direction of your business or introduced new products and services? If so, now is the perfect time to revamp your site and highlight whatís new. You need to make sure your site perfectly captures your business and what it stands for. So if any changes have been made, it is vital you reflect this in your websites design.
When needed, website redesign provides all kinds of benefits for your business. Not only does it ensure you are keeping up with the latest design trends and technology, but it also gives you the opportunity to grow your business by implementing new age website strategies that could consistently increase sales and revenue.

Think it might be time for you to update or redesign your website?  Give us a call at 919-838-7334. Or, if you need web design in Raleigh, come by.  We’ll be happy to work with you!

3 Valuable Web Design Tips for Small Businesses

Designing a business website isn’t as straightforward as you might think. There are so many factors you need to consider from the actual design through to the content that goes on it. Making just one simple mistake could have a significant negative impact on your brand. If you’re setting up a website for your local business, then below you’ll discover 3 valuable tips that will help.

1. Always keep it simple
By far one of the most important tips to follow is to make sure you keep the design of your website simple. This doesn’t mean it has to be boring, it just means ensuring the site is easy to navigate and doesnít contain too many graphics or multimedia. A minimalistic design is more valuable to your visitors and can still manage to stand out with the right content.
Above all else, you should ensure you arenít cluttering up the homepage with unnecessary content. An image, catchy slogan and small blocks of interesting and useful content will go a long way to converting visitors into customers.

2. Organization is key
Itís a good idea to sit down and think about what you want and need from your website. How many pages does it actually need? Will you have an opt-in form, videos, graphics, and images? Establishing what will be going onto the site before you start will help things run a lot more smoothly than trying to figure it out along the way. For example, it is important to make sure the site is easy to navigate so it helps to compartmentalize the different pages. The actual navigation structure will depend on the type of product or service youíre offering. In any case, splitting things down into subcategories can be useful and will help you to keep it simple.

3. Keep the design consistent
The design you use on the homepage should be followed through to other parts of the site. Keeping the style of the site consistent gives visitors the impression that youíre organized, professional and it will greatly enhance the user experience. It also gives the site a complete, unified design. So what does consistency mean? Well at the very least you should be sure to stick to the same color scheme and typography throughout the different pages.

Following these tips will set you on your way to creating a useful, attractive, well-designed business website. Want a good idea about how effective your new site will be? Look at it through the eyes of a potential visitor. Simple, consistent, organized content are definitely the main things you should be focusing on for the best results.

Importance of Designing a Homepage That Converts

One of the biggest challenges you face with your business website is getting visitors to get further than the homepage. It takes just a matter of seconds for them to decide whether or not they want to stay on your site. Even then, they might not even make it to the end of the homepage. So what’s the solution? Simple – create a homepage that converts!

Dramatically increase conversion rates

As many visitors don’t actually make it past your homepage, the amount of conversions you could be missing out on is staggering. By creating a homepage that actually converts, it enables you to reach those who don’t want to spend too much time browsing. That way, it doesn’t matter if they make it further than the landing page.

Ensuring your marketing efforts aren’t a waste of time

Let’s face it, the majority of your time is spent on trying to divert new traffic to your website. Every business is looking to get noticed by top search engines so that they receive more visitors. This means you need to spend a lot of time and often money, on various marketing techniques. It can be exhausting so the last thing you want after taking all that time and effort to draw in new business is for your visitors to simply click off the site after a few seconds.
It doesn’t matter how highly you rank on search engines such as Google if your visitors aren’t bothering to stay on your site. So having a homepage that converts is important if you want to get anything back from your digital marketing efforts.

How to do it?

Now that you know its importance, the question is how do you create a homepage that converts? The main thing to remember is simplicity. It is here that you need to make sure your content is 100% persuasive. Don’t make it too sales oriented and keep it short and to the point. Also ensure it is easy to navigate through. Entice visitors into the rest of your site with the promise of a solution to their needs or via a special discount code.
Overall, it really is important to make sure your homepage is as captivating and enticing as possible, without turning visitors away. If you dedicate some extra attention to creating a homepage that converts, you could drastically increase the amount of new leads calling you up and walking into your doors.

Local Marketing Campaigns 101

Local marketing is important for any small business. Even if your business is mainly web based you may find that local marketing is still beneficial. Here are some tips to help you build your local marketing campaign:

Build your reputation. Nothing ensures local marketing success more than positive word of mouth. Build a positive business reputation by going a little beyond what is expected and providing excellent customer service.

Many customers are willing to pay a little extra to get great customer service and individual attention. By building your business to provide this, you ensure that you can retain your customers longer and even raise your rates a little in some cases.

Spread the word. Tell locals about your business using a multi-task approach. Send out flyers or mailers in the local area. Place your business card on several bulletin boards. Barter with other related businesses so that you can promote each otherís services. Let your local paper run a piece about your business.

When you want to attract attention, it’s always best to try many different approaches to see which works best for you. Youíll also want to let friends and family know that you’re ready for business and ask them to help you spread the word too.

Use free media. Getting your local paper or television station to do a story on your business is fantastic opportunity for all involved. Firstly, many media outlets are looking for newsworthy stories. It may just be that they’re interested in featuring your business.

Free media attention is better than paid advertisement. When people see an ad they know that someone is trying to sell them something. However, if these same people hear about you through the local paper, they’re more likely to take a closer look at your business. Media attention also may mean more credibility for your business.

The best way to attract free media attention is to write a press release. This isn’t really all that difficult to do. You’ll just need to find an angle in which to present your story and distribute it to several local media outlets. With any luck, you’ll find a local paper looking for new stories to print and they may include yours.

Finding clients locally doesn’t need to be difficult. It does take a little effort and time, but once you build a local reputation then youíll just keep attracting the same people to your business over and over again. Better yet, they’ll tell all their friends and family about you and your services.

Pinnacle Web Solutions

About Pinnacle Web Solutions

If your aim is to stand apart from your competitors while connecting all the more with your local customers, then Pinnacle Web Solutions web design in Raleigh

is the solution for you. At Pinnacle they specialize in the creation of custom built, top quality websites. And these websites are proven to help in expanding customer reach and in providing businesses with a more prominent, highly professional online presence.

Pinnacle Web Solutions have worked together with hundreds of companies that reach over an expansive range of industries. It doesn’t matter what size your business is, and it doesn’t matter what industry you focus on, at Pinnacle Web Solutions they will create the ideal website for you to promote it.

Pinnacle Web Solutions have over 15 years of experience, and their web design experts understand how to go about the creation of a website that appeals to your audience, irrespective of who that audience is. By relying on the latest in web design technologies, you can be assured that your new website will not only be visually appealing, but will also be easy to utilize and 100 percent secure.

Contact Pinnacle Web Solutions today and discuss the requirements of your business and how Pinnacle can help you to develop a custom site that you will be able to manage from any location. Pinnacle will offer you a detailed proposal which targets the individual needs of your company, will provide you a site that is pre-optimized for online search, and will serve you with SEO content that is regularly updated and that works in driving visitors to take a real interest in what you offer.

The Pinnacle Web Solution Process

At Pinnacle Web Solutions they believe in providing custom solutions suited to individual businesses. With a design that caters to small or medium-sized businesses, Pinnacle’s sites offer you a hassle-free environment whereby you can manage your customers more effectively.

The Planning

For every successful business, the first step is planning. Via a number of consecutive discovery sessions, Pinnacle will work so that they have a good understanding of your business, of your products, and of your services that relate to your target audience and the goals that they have. This information will then be used to define the ideal design and function for your website.

The Design & Development

Pinnacle will work together closely with you in the creation of a mockup which will fully illustrate the proposed website design. Upon the design being approved, the development team will handle the configuration and the coding that is required to have the site fully functioning.

When the framework of the website is complete, Pinnacle will generate custom content which is designed to not only promote your company but also to increase conversion.

Marketing

The successful marketing of any company is a process which is constant and regularly altering. Through an appropriate combination of Google optimization, SEO techniques, and online marketing, you’ll be in a position to consistently capture your potential customers’ attention.

Raleigh web design

Your business is always changing, so make sure that your web presence keeps up. https://t.co/NGd9XiDyeG

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from Twitter https://twitter.com/PWS_Marketing

Your business is always changing, so make sure that your web presence keeps up. https://t.co/NGd9XiDyeG

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from Twitter https://twitter.com/PWS_Marketing

Should You Hire a Marketing Consultant or Go for It on Your Own?

images-33As a business owner you already know that you wear many hats. You’re the accountant and sales person. You’re the marketing manager and the leader of product development. You’re in charge of distribution, customer service and brand management. The list could go on and on.

The trouble is that sometimes there just isn’t enough time, or energy, to prioritize everything. And marketing is one part of owning a business that must be prioritized. Without effective marketing there is no business. So the question is, do you hire a marketing consultant or handle marketing on your own? There’s no real cut and dry answer. Instead, let’s take a look at a few questions. The answers will help guide you to the best decision for you and your business.

1. Do you have the budget to hire a marketing consultant? Marketing isn’t free and hiring a consultant will add another expense. Do you have room in your budget to hire a specialist? Keep in mind that ideally a marketing consultant will grow your sales and profits, thus providing more wiggle room in your budget. Crunch the numbers and see what works for you.

2. Do you enjoy marketing? Marketing isn’t a dirty word and many business owners realize that the process of marketing is quite fun and rewarding. What’s better than sharing your joy and passion for your topic with others? Not much, right? That’s what marketing is and if you have a passion for communicating the benefit of your products and services then it may be best to handle your own marketing.

3. Willing to learn? With all of the information available to you and the abundance of easy to use technology, there’s really no reason why you can’t do your own marketing. However, you have to be ready and willing to learn these techniques and technologies. If you simply have no interest or no time, then a marketing consultant can take the lead.

4. Do you know who your audience is, what your USP is and how to effectively connect with your audience? No? Consider hiring a consultant who can help you figure out the answers to those questions. Yes? You have the foundation to manage marketing on your own. You don’t have to, but you are certainly on the right path.

5. Where are you with your business? If you’re new to business and just starting out, a marketing consultant may help you hit the ground running. If you’ve been in business for quite some time and aren’t getting the results you want, that’s another signal that a consultant may be beneficial.

Hiring a marketing consultant is a big decision. Realize that you can hire a consultant to assist you with some or all of your marketing strategy. You can hire them to help you create a plan or to see it through and to manage your marketing. The choice and the path you take are in your control.

Pinnacle Web Solutions

Pinnacle Web Solutions is a Raleigh web design, development and marketing studio. We provide full-service website development and online marketing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. Contact us today to discuss your business’ current website needs and how we can help you create a custom website that you can manage from anywhere. We’ll prepare a detailed proposal that targets your company’s individual needs, on-line search engine optimization and regularly updated SEO content that drives visitors to click-through for more information or to make a purchase.

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