Great Website Design Article

This is a great article which describes and explains what is needed for current, professional websites.

15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have

Totem Media, L.C. will help your company start a creative evolution with an interesting, well-designed website!

We have designed, maintained, and updated the following company websites, meeting our clients' needs and budgets:

www.windsweptlandscape.com/portfolio.asp (Online Gallery)

www.rushcon.org (CMS customization, Content Maintenance)

www.johnclassenphotography.com (Online Gallery customization)

www.bikehouston.org (Content Maintenance)

www.blacktiecompany.com (Website Design & Maintenance)

www.hypnomike.net (Website Design & Maintenance)

As you can see from our current work, we can work with a variety of companies, styles, and budgets. Our work meets or exceeds industry ethical standards.

We can develop and implement any or all of these elements for your company's website. E-mail Totem Media, L.C. today!

It's Time for Your Business to Start a Creative Evolution!

Most companies have the basics: business cards, letterhead, sales brochure, and a website. Except for a simple contact form or e-mail link, all of these communication methods are one-way - impersonally telling potential customers about the company and its products.

Many websites are not visually connected with a company's branding, are not visually engaging, or are difficult to navigate.

Online stores often feel generic and although the customer is interacting with the website, the shopper can come away with no impression of the company.

As companies explore "social media networks" like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as the good ol' mailing list or blog, many will misuse the community they build by spamming, staying too impersonal, overposting, being too repetitive, being too unprofessional, or not interacting at all.

(Wikipedia has a list of many social media networking sites.)

Don't let the wonderful opportunities now available pass you by!

1. Have your website designer and company graphic designer work together to display your brand correctly and elegantly on the World Wide Web.

2. Make sure your website has current content your customers want and is easy to navigate.

3. Make sure your website doesn't contain malware or blackhat SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is a sure way to be banned by search engines, like Google or Yahoo and abandoned by your site's visitors.

4. Make your online store a favorite shopping site by having clear descriptions, high-resolution pictures, fast and friendly customer service, and a unique look so it will stand out from other stores.

5. Only join social media groups that pertain to your company's products, services, or industry.
Have a clear purpose and plan for every mass e-mail, blog post, or update. Make sure it relates to your company's mission and contains interesting content.

6. Update your website and social networks regularly with positive, on-topic content.

7. Never, ever spam.

8. Never, ever spam. (It's worth saying twice!)

As you are evolving your company's marketing, take the time to update your contact list! It is not only a waste of time and money to send materials to uninterested people, you build a bad reputation by continually e-mailing or posting to people who don't want to be contacted by you.

Don't build backlinks to your website by going to every blog and social network and commenting or posting only so you can add a link to your site. It's obvious to site owners you aren't really engaged with the people or topics, and when your name keeps popping up with uninformative or empty words, you will develop a bad reputation.

Both of these bad techniques will lead you to be banned from sites, blocked from pages, and your e-mail will be automatically deleted or will bounce back.

We'll discuss other multimedia options for your Creative Evolution next time!

Totem Media, L.C. will evolve your marketing and communication through the effective and professional use of multimedia and audio-visual technologies. We believe in well-planned growth and development of your company's image.

Major Celebrities and Wanna Be's Left Off List

Totem Media, L.C. has updated its website to include several business and other links. Our links list only includes companies, people, and organizations we feel offer excellent service, positive attitudes, and help in our communities.

We've also updated our Clients page with links to some of the hard work we've done over the years.

www.totem-media.com

Is Porn Hiding in Your Business Website?

I was recently checking out a particular business' website. It wasn't very professional, so I wasn't impressed. Not only did the website utilize poor design concepts, the content included poor grammar, useless information, few examples, and at least one unfortunate link.

The link was under the company's client list. I call the link 'unfortunate' for two reasons. First, the client company is apparently defunct, and has been for a few years. Second, the client's e-mail address is one he uses for personal messages. A quick search on this e-mail address led to his profile on an adult website.

If I want to learn more about a company's clients, the last thing I want to discover is some failed entrepeneur's perversions. The poor decisions made by this first company ensures I will never refer my clients nor use their services.

This is an extreme example of how bad external links can negatively impact your business.

It is a good idea to review your external links at least twice per year. Businesses open, close, move, change names, change websites, and change vendors. Ask yourself (or your web administrator) the following questions:

1. Are the links correct? Many websites use similar domain names. For instance, my company's domain name is totem-media.com, not totemmedia.com.

2. Do the links reflect your newest clients? Depending upon how often you add new clients to your roster, create a regular update schedule.

3. Do the links contain former clients? There is no need to waste your valuable webspace promoting companies that are no longer your clients.

4. Where do the links lead? Do the external link websites/e-mail addresses lead to a place you want potential clients to see? As in the example above, I don't want to end up in a business-inappropriate website while I'm working. Another issue is if the client's website does not reflect a professional, successful business. Potential clients want to feel that you will help their business grow. If all they see are low-end struggling businesses, they are likely to find a vendor with better business ties.

As employers are checking potential employees personal websites and looking for info on web search engines, so are your potential clients. How does your website, and the links therein, demonstrate you are the right business to hire?

For more information or assistance with your website, contact a multimedia consultant at Totem Media, L.C., because we know "You deserve to be seen and heard!"