SoCal WebWorx – Website Design and Marketing in SoCal

March 25th, 2011 by Brennan Knotts. Posted in California, Custom Web Design, Flash, Pricing, SEM, SEO, Social Media, ecommerce

Our interview today is with Jeff Weissberg, a partner at SoCal WebWorx. As you might guess, SoCal WebWorx is a Southern California-based website design and eMarketing shop. Our interview with Jeff touched on a number of critical topics including how to prepare for the website designing process and how often your website should be updated.

1. What types of services does your website design firm offer?

Jeff: SoCal WebWorx offers a full range of website design and development services and in-house search engine optimization.

Our services include:

• Custom website design from simple landing pages to content management systems & ecommerce websites.
• Expertise in multiple platforms including: Drupal, joomla, ZenCart, Wordpress, HTML/CSS as well as jQuery and Flash animations.
• Template customization and branding, e-commerce websites and add-on shopping carts.
• On-Site and Off-Site Search Engine Optimization, hosting and on-going maintenance plans.
• Additional creative support services include: marketing copywriting, photography and logo design.

2. What work needs to be done BEFORE hiring a web design firm?

Jeff: Before actually signing a contract and hiring a specific web design firm you are well advised to do some homework.

Most importantly, you should make decisions regarding the functionality and features you desire.  Are there specific dynamic requirements that the site must have?  For example, secure on-line shopping e-commerce, on-line testing, blog or forum, etc. It’s helpful to research related sites. Find examples of your likes and dislikes. This will help you make decisions regarding your website needs and will assist in defining a realistic budget. It will enable web design firms to give you accurate quotes and proposals and for the chosen firm to move your site development in the right direction from the start.

In addition, you should give serious consideration to the Search Engine Optimization and marketing expertise of the company you choose. Many aspects of on-site SEO are more economical and efficient to do in tandem with your website design and development. When handled in synch decisions regarding site content and formatting will result in a site that is visually enticing to people as well as search engine friendly for maximum organic search engine traffic.

Lastly, if your website is going to be a marketing vehicle for your company or organization hire a firm that understands marketing communications to maximize your brand identity, develop a benefits-oriented website and create a positive experience for visitors.

3. What factors determine the price of a custom website?

Jeff: At SoCal WebWorx we like to gather significant information on a prospective website before providing a final price.  Ideally we can speak with the client on the phone, via Skype or in-person to gather sufficient information on the site requirements and functionality. This also gives the client a chance to ask questions about specific features and their pricing.

Following our conversation(s) we will draft a preliminary sales agreement with pricing determined by the following client determined factors:

• The platform the site will be built with. For example, is it static or will it utilize a content management system; does it require easy client access for frequent revisions and additions; etc.
• Design time estimated for project. Based on client expectations and provided reference websites.
• Number of pages to be designed.
• Animation desired if appropriate.  Simple or complex, Flash animation, animated giff files or jQuery?
• Form processing requirements. Standard e-mail information gathering forms for simple user contact or extensive form development?
• Search Engine Optimization services desired.
• Schedule – standard or rush?

4. What is the process like for designing a website and what can a client do to make it go smoother?

Jeff: At SoCal WebWorx we approach the website development process as a collaborative process with our clients. It is especially important to have an initial discussion with the client of their preferences and expectations.

Our process follows these steps, although the sequence is not cast in stone.

• Client provides input and assets. Assets include logo, photos and graphic files as well as verbiage. The page count and site scope are reviewed from the sales agreement and finalized. An in-person brain-storming meeting with the client is often a good way to kick-off the project. Having clients provide the needed assets in a timely manner is extremely helpful to the process.
• If we are incorporating search engine optimization services we request the client provides a list of keywords and a short company description of services. Knowing what terms and phrases are important for the client site to rank high is crucial to the effort.
• Following brain-storming we develop mock-ups of the site home page and sample sub pages for client review and feedback.
• Mock-ups are revised and refined for a second client review / revision cycle.
• At this point the design is firmed up and decisions are finalized regarding common website features including the banner and navigation.
• Once the common graphic elements are finalized our site programmers begin converting the graphic files to web pages.
• Individual sub-pages are propagated as content is provided by the client.
• The site is posted to a test location for client review, testing and debugging. We test the site on both Mac and PC platforms using all of the major browser platforms.
• Upon final client approval the website is switched to the appropriate hosting location and is posted to the Internet.

5. Are clients asking more questions about social media and seo? What should they know?

Jeff: Yes, we have definitely seen a steady increase in concern for social media and search engine optimization over the past several years. As marketing preferences continue to shift away from printing and print-based advertising the competition for traffic on the Internet continues to grow.

Clients need to understand that organic seo (as opposed to paid Internet advertising) is an ongoing process. Simply adding a blog to a new site will not in and of itself help your rankings and traffic unless you are posting original content on a frequent basis.

The same hold true with putting up a Facebook fan page or Twitter account.

Other seo efforts also need to be ongoing for maximum effectiveness. This includes building ‘back links’ to your website, contributing to blogs and forums and getting listed in all important directories.

Even as your site reaches top positions for specific keyword terms you should continue expanding your seo efforts to reinforce your rankings and stay a step ahead of your competition.

6. What can clients do to make sure their website is found by search engines like Google?

Jeff: Having Google “find” your site is actually a very simple process of submitting your URL to Google upon completion after posting live to the Internet. At SoCal WebWorx we submit all completed sites to Google, Yahoo, and MSN.  If we are providing SEO services we also install Google Analytics so that Google search traffic to your site can be recorded and easily monitored. We have been asked to work on many websites that were never properly submitted to major search engines and even more sites that lack Google Analytics or any other traffic reporting.

Of course, just getting “found” by search engines is only the beginning of the seo process. With proper seo assistance your site will steadily move up in its Google page ranking and appear closer to the top for specific keyword terms potential visitors use in searching for your services.  For many businesses and organizations the Internet competition is fierce. Just being “found” buy Google is insufficient for viability. Ranking in the top five websites for specific keyword terms is what most website owners are asking of us, and that usually requires an ongoing seo campaign.

7. What type of ongoing maintenance is required with a website? How does your firm help with this?

Jeff: Despite the claims of some web design firms, the only maintenance required of your website is to pay your hosting and domain name registration bills on time. You can often save money by registering your URL for an extended time period up to ten years. The same holds true of hosting services.

At SoCal WebWorx we do provide on-going seo programs if desired, but this is certainly not required and can be easily customized to fit your monthly budget.

We also provide ongoing maintenance if desired by clients seeking to have us make frequent changes and update to their sites, such as monthly specials, newsletter posting, etc. Again, there is not a requirement for such fees if the services are not needed or you the client has the know-how to make edits by themselves or on a site developed for them to easily make changes from their side.

8. How often should you update your website design?

Jeff: Just as with brochures, catalogs and other traditional print-based marketing materials, your website will most likely eventually need some updating and revisions.

From time to time most websites need to be refreshed as information and images on your site become outdated. At some point you may even consider a total re-work of your website to reflect a timely image.  You may also have features you want to add to your website which require major rework.  It may turn out to be less expensive to simply start again than adding patches on an old website. Your website may be built for older browsers and some functionality may not be working properly on new hand-held Internet browsing devices.

The right time to rework your website is an individual business or organizational decision. Some companies redo their websites every year to reflect changes in products and services. Many companies rework their sites within three years of going live and within five years most companies are re-visiting their website designs. Many large companies have in-house web designers and developers for making on-going site changes. Of course most smaller companies cannot afford such a staff and will turn to a professional web design firm for assistance.

We live in a time of rapid social and technological change that demands a concerted effort to “keep up with the times”. Sometimes a “Marketing Makeover” is all it takes to revitalize sales, reach new customers and increase profitability.