Use a Web Design Company or Freelancer?

The question of whether to use an Atlanta web design company or freelancer is one people ask often. In these austere times, when every dollar is sacred and we need to stretch it as far as possible, the selection of service providers is one area where we have a choice.

The choice essentially comes down to cost vs. quality. As a caveat, we’re not going to say every web design company is great, because they aren’t. Neither are we saying that freelancers don’t offer quality or value for money, because they can. What we will say, is that in our 10 years of industry experience, it is the web design companies that consistently deliver.

The advantages of using a web design company are, value, scope, skills, reliability and guarantees. The advantage of using a freelancer can include cost, niche skills, responsiveness and flexibility. None of these are set in stone, but are typical advantages of using either.

Advantages of Using a Web Design Company

Most web design companies will have a brick and mortar location. Somewhere you can visit, see them in action and interact with them during a consultation. They will also be covered under US law, local trading regulations and offer contractual guarantees for their work. While they may not be created equal, your website and your money is protected.

Most web design studios will be made up of a team of people. Several creative minds will be capable of coming up with a wider range of ideas than a single one. That can work in your favor when it comes to conceptualizing.

A good Atlanta web design company will also have a project oriented approach. This offers a much more organized way of working, ensuring you are kept in the loop, have ample opportunity to input and offer a structured way of working. This method is much easier to manage as a client as you always know where you are and what’s going on.

Web design companies will probably also offer supporting services, such as hosting, copywriting, SEO, marketing, social media and much more. Each can add significant value to your website.

Using a Freelancer

There are many advantages to using a freelancer, but also some disadvantages. Many freelancers are grateful for the work and will go the extra mile for you. This can be useful for getting free or cheap extras during the project. As they generally work for themselves, they may be agile and responsive too.

The cost is the main advantage of using a freelancer. They will generally be cheaper than a web design studio, and can produce work of equal quality. That isn’t guaranteed though.

The downsides are that the freelancer could be anywhere in the world. The internet has broken all trade barriers and they work from anywhere. That could mean they aren’t subject to the same laws a web design company in your town would be. They can also be unresponsive, disappearing without a trace.

On balance, we would say your money is safer and you’re much more likely to get what you want with a web design company. Freelancers can be superb, but they cannot offer the same guarantees a company can.

The Importance of Great Web Copy

There is no point spending good money on a website if it doesn’t say what you need it to say. Pictures can be worth a thousand words, but they won’t tell readers to buy your products.

Writing for an internet audience is very different than journalism or book writing. Attention spans are shorter, pages are busier and there is always something more interesting to do. The art of great copy is to convince the audience that, for a few minutes at least, reading your page is the most interesting thing in the world.

That’s a big ask, especially as we generally have to so that with a headline and two or three sentences.

Having great web copy on your Atlanta, GA company’s website is important for two distinct reasons. Search engines and visitors. Depending on the kind of site you’re reading at the time, these two come in varying degrees of importance.

Search Engine Optimized Web Copy

To be a success, visitors have to be able to find your site. Without it being ranked highly in the search engines, the chances of that are slim. SEO copy writing is about finding the right words to increase your position within the search engines while still make sense to human visitors.

Copywriters are often given a selection of keywords provided by the SEO analyst. They are the words they think your audience are most likely to use when searching for you. TM Atlanta Web Design has two copywriting experts on staff to handle all of your copy writing needs in Atlanta, GA.

Audience Optimized Web Copy

Audience optimized web copy speaks to a target audience. To get it right, we study the likely demographic of your site visitors and talk in their language. We subtly, or not so subtly, direct them to the sale and through to completion. Targeting the audience and using action words, emphasis and energy can provoke the desired reaction in site visitors.

Juggling the Two

Good site copy will balance the needs of the search engines with the needs of the audience. This is no mean feat! Each has its own requirements and managing the two can be difficult. Each page must convince the search engines you’re worthy of rating highly while convincing visitors they should buy your product.

Easy right? Try it yourself and see how you get on.

The importance of web copy isn’t just about convincing search engines and people to do something. It’s also about building a brand and a voice for your company. A poorly spelled website, or awkwardly phrased marketing leaflet isn’t going to convert you to buy, quite the opposite.

Poor quality copy writing reflects on the brand as a whole, not just on the proposition you’re promoting. Many large companies have fallen foul of poor copy when they tried to do it themselves. Embarrassing retractions and failed products aside, the company looked bad until people forgot about it.

That’s why finding a high quality copy writer in Atlanta, or a web design studio who has one on staff makes sense. How a website says something is as important as what it says. Getting it right on all counts is the only way you’re going to succeed online.

Advantages of Using Content Management Systems

If you spend any time at all following web or website design subjects you will be familiar with content management systems. The number of custom WordPress development topics posted grows every day. Joomla development and Drupal development discussions aren’t far behind either.   At TM Atlanta Web Design we specials in custom Atlanta WordPress Development.

There are many advantages to using a content management system if you run a website that hosts a lot of changing content. A good CMS will allow you to manage a dynamic website with little technical knowledge and give you the ability to manage content without worrying about how everything works.

The main three free CMS platforms are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. Each does the same thing, but in a slightly different way. Custom WordPress development is a growing industry, as is Joomla development and Drupal development. Each has its own requirements and benefits.

Let’s discuss the three main CMS options in a little more detail.

WordPress

WordPress is probably the most well-known content management system. It is the power behind many large websites and is a flexible and powerful solution. WordPress is relatively easy to use, easy to manage and does a good job of separating you from the core of the site.

Custom Atlanta WordPress development means there are hundreds of templates you can use to give your site an original look and feel. It also means that if something is physically possible, someone will develop a plugin that can do it.

Joomla

Joomla is another user friendly CMS that does a good job of being accessible, easy to use and simple to manage. Like WordPress, the back-end is database-driven and offers a lot of freedom to how you run your site.

Joomla development is as advanced as that of WordPress, but there do seem to be fewer plugins and themes for the platform.

Drupal

Drupal is a little less user-friendly, but no less powerful. In many ways it is more flexible than the other two, and, depending on how you use it, faster too. The Drupal community is an active one and any problems can quickly be remedied by the helpful folks on the forums.

Drupal development continues apace, but there doesn’t seem to be as many plugins and themes as with Joomla and WordPress. That makes is no less viable, it just means you will have to use a good web designer or Drupal development studio to help you.

It’s important to realize that although these three CMS platforms are very popular, they aren’t the only kids on the block. There are a number of other open source options, plus many custom CMS designed and built by web designers themselves. These can often be very clever and very capable systems.

If you have the time and the money, there is no substitute for having a CMS built around your particular needs. However, WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are still the most popular CMS implementations out there and will continue to be for a long time yet.

How to Make a Great First Impression With Your Website

Making a great first impression with your website is vital if you’re planning on selling that visitor anything. Too many websites concentrate on the design, the pretty images, the descriptions and the SEO content while ignoring the basics.  TM Atlanta Web Design focuses on producing high quality websites for company’s in Atlanta, GA.

We’re going to discuss those basics today. They are too important to ignore, and are ignored too often. While design is extremely important, it’s how a site works and feels that makes that good first impression.  Follow these simple guidelines and you can help to turn your Atlanta website into something that leaves the best possible first impression.

I’m sure you have all visited websites where you didn’t exactly like what you saw. However, the site delivered what you needed so you return again and again. It’s those elements that help make that all important great first impression. They are the fundamentals of web design and many designers will perform them without thinking. Others, do not.

For example, Amazon isn’t the best looking site in the world. The font is old fashioned, the layout a little busy, advertising a little intrusive and there can be an awful lot of information on one page. Yet it gives you what you need to know and offers a really short path to purchase. That’s how to create a successful website.

It won’t win any prizes for its visuals, but the first impression is almost always positive. Why is that? It is because it delivers the information you need in the order that you need it. The page is structured in such a way that you can quickly see if you’re in the right place, if the product is the one you’re looking for and how much it costs.

Secondary considerations include stock levels, technical specifications, alternatives, the “also bought” section and feedback. All things that help a buying decision.

By allowing negative feedback as well as positive, Amazon builds authority as an unbiased retailer, telling you how it is. That also creates a good impression. We’re all used to spin, to marketing speak and to carefully orchestrated PR campaigns that stamp out negative comments like a bug. This is different, and it matters.

The page design caters to all kinds of users. Those in a hurry, who know exactly what they want can land on the page and buy with a single click. Job done. Those who want to browse and compare technical specifications can do so to their hearts content. Visitors who like to explore the options can check out similar items and read feedback from previous product owners. Everyone is covered.

To make a great first impression with your Atlanta website, it must have a clear goal and offer the visitor exactly what they are looking for. It must do this in a straightforward, honest way to build credibility and to convert.

Building websites is a lot about the visuals, but it’s more about the feeling of it. Get the feeling right and those first impressions will rapidly become repeat ones.

Why High Quality Video Production is Important

The world around us is all based on perception. Business is no different. You have to be perceived as professional, capable and able to do deliver, otherwise you’re going out of business. That’s even more true when doing business on the internet. You need high quality Atlanta video production on your website to influence the audience’s perception of you in the right way. You want to make sure that your Atlanta, GA based company is well represented in all aspects of your branding.

Everything about your online presence has to give the right impression of your business. Think of your own experience as a web surfer. What is your immediate thought when you see a poor quality website or video? Whatever the specifics may be, it’s almost invariably negative. The product it might be promoting may be the next biggest thing, but it isn’t going to sell if you can’t convince the audience of that.

Advertising has taken video production to heart over the past couple of years. They are now the most watched web advertising medium on the planet. In 2011, web advertising rose by over 13 percent with an annual spend of over $5 billion. Video advertising is responsible for much of that, with a growth of 100 percent over the year.

Businesses quickly realized that video was a growth industry and for relatively little outlay, they could reach millions of people at a fraction of the cost of a traditional TV spot. Not only that, but by selecting their criteria carefully, they could display that video ad on selected sites with a much higher chance of conversion.

So, back to why high quality Atlanta video production is important. Essentially an online video is you. Not in person sure, but it’s still you. It’s your online presence, and maybe the first time anyone has ever heard of you. To stand a chance of turning them into a paying customer, you need to convince them your product or service is the best out there.

A poor quality video production is just going to tell them you’re a cheapskate. If you can’t advertise properly, how are you going to operate properly? So, a high quality video production improves that all important perception.

You may be a freelancer working in a garage, running around like a headless chicken and rushing to fulfill orders. As long as the front you’re putting on is professional and capable, it doesn’t matter. It’s the proverbial duck on water. What you can see is serene and calm, while the duck paddles furiously underwater to get where it needs to go.

A high quality video production shows the world you care about your appearance, about quality and about doing a good job. If you can’t manage to take care of your own business, how do you expect a customer to let you take care of theirs?

Video productions also show your audience that you keep up with technology. The internet is an ever-moving target. If you do business online, you have to at least show you can keep up. Using quality video production on your website to showcase products and services not only gives you the benefits the medium offers, but also shows you know what’s hot and what’s not.  If you are looking for high quality Atlanta video production, consider TM Atlanta Web Design for your project.

Essential Steps In Great Web Design

From a strategic perspective, website design is made up of six distinct steps. Each is vital, and each needs to be completed before the next one can begin. It is a logical process that gradually builds the website and ensures it is everything you need it to be.  If you are seeking a professional company capable of delivering the best Atlanta web design contact TM Atlanta Web Design now!

A strategic perspective is a higher-level view of what goes into designing a website. It doesn’t involve itself in the detail, but the necessary steps involved in getting a website from brief to delivery.

Those steps are:

• Goal setting
• Audience identification
• Branding
• Designing
• Testing
• Measuring

Goal Setting

Goal setting is all about deciding the purpose of the website. Will it be an e-commerce store? A site offering your company services? An educational site? And so on. Defining the goal from the outset is essential in order to design and build something that will deliver what you need.

Audience Identification

The type of people likely to want what your site has influences many things. Everything from the color, types of images, layout, font choices and language used in the copy. Knowing the target audience is essential if the site is to appeal to them.

Branding

If your business has an existing brand identity, the new website should reflect that. The brand will influence the color choices, the layout, the tone of voice, the typeface, the logos and the overall feel of the site. It is essential that the site reflects an existing brands, or creates a brand that reflects the business.

Designing

Designing the site itself is only possible once we know what its goal is, what it needs to achieve, who it needs to speak to and what kind of brand it needs to reflect. Only once we have that information can we even begin putting sketches and ideas together for the site itself.

Testing

Once we have a working design, we need to make sure it performs. That process involves a lot of testing. We test the site almost to destruction to ensure it can withstand everything the internet can throw at it and survive. We then ask selected members of the public to test it for us to make sure we haven’t missed anything.

Measuring

Once the site is live, it’s useful to perform analytics on a site to ensure it is meeting its stated goals. You can analyze to the nth degree should you want to, but usually a detailed study over a few days can tell

you whether the site delivers or not.

Each of these strategic steps are essential if you want to create high quality websites that deliver on their promises. We need to do them in order and we need to perform each to the best of our ability. That’s what you pay for, and that’s what you deserve.  TM is ready to serve your Atlanta web design needs with our full ensemble of e-marketing services.

The increase in the use of social media is the perfect way for the new or small business to compete on a global stage. No matter what your company size, or means, with social media marketing you can effectively engage the same audiences as huge multinationals, and win.

Below is a list of how hiring the right Atlanta social media marketing company can help your organization grow.

Increase brand awareness. You no longer need advertising budgets in the millions to get noticed. Come up with a product that fulfills a need, market it properly on social networks and gradually build up awareness of your offering. Whether your target audience engages with you directly or indirectly, they will see your name within the social networks they use.

Innovation. It’s hard to come up with an idea that’s truly original. By listening to what’s being talked about on the social networks you can find out what annoys people and what problems you could solve.  Devise a viable solution and you could be the next internet millionaire.

Brand loyalty. Social media can benefit your company by creating brand loyalty. This is the single most important marketing tool for the small, established business. By responding quickly to feedback or support requests you show your client base you care. People buy products but pay for service. Offer both and you’re halfway there.

Customer service. Building on the previous point, while not strictly marketing per se, using social media to answer support requests is a great way to build a solid reputation. Others will see fast, honest responses and will be encouraged by your continued support of your customers.

Reputation management. People can say what they like on the internet and there isn’t much you can do about it. However, taking an active role in social media marketing allows you to respond to public comments and address concerns being voiced on the internet.

Making sure what is said about you is truthful is key to developing the trust of your audience and maintaining reputation. By having an active online presence you can protect your brand reputation and influence your audience in a positive manner.

Search engine optimization. Social media marketing can also contribute to the overall search engine optimization strategy of your company. Each time your site is linked on any social network, it creates a backlink which is recognized by the search engines. While not enough on its own to get you to the top, it’s all going to help.

Lead generation. Social media marketing is all about getting new business for you. As long as you’re active on your chosen social network, you will begin to receive queries about something you said. You may also be able to add value to existing conversations which will build authority in your industry. All will help drive qualified leads to your door.

On its own, Atlanta social media marketing can benefit your business in many ways. Used in conjunction with an effective marketing campaign and it can contribute enormously to the whole.

Custom Atlanta Web Design

Anyone who is new to the idea of buying or ordering websites will need to make a decision about whether to have one custom built or use an off-the-shelf template. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and we are going to discuss them here.  TM is an Atlanta, GA web design company with a team of 25 us-based employees that specializes in custom Atlanta web design.

It’s important to quickly note that we are referring to pre-built templates here, and not custom templates used by content management system’s such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal.  These two items are very different things.

Custom Web Design

A custom web design has many advantages over a pre-built template. Some of which are obvious, but some don’t arise until later. The biggest advantage of having something built around your specific needs is comfort. Your website will do what you need it to do, in the way you need it to and you will never be faced with this answer from your web design company, “Sorry we can’t do that because of the limitations of the template that you chose”.

The advantages of a custom web design include:

• It’s unique
• Custom Fitted to your business and industry
• It can be tailored to your exact needs
• It can adapt to change
• Will generally be better quality
• Fully scalable

The disadvantage of a custom web design are twofold, cost and time. A great custom web design will take time to research, build, test and release. Sometimes a number of weeks. That time costs money, and custom designs do cost more, but so does anything of value.

Pre-made Templates

Buying a web template is easy. It’s generally just a matter of finding one you like, buying it, adapting it to your needs and uploading it to your web host. They are cheaper than a custom website design and quicker to realize.

However, they are also not as unique, not as flexible, or as scalable.

The advantages of a pre-made template include:

• Cheaper
• Faster
• Less input required

Templates are much cheaper than a custom website design, but in return they won’t reflect your needs as exactly as a custom build. You will have to mold your needs around the functions of the template rather than the other way round. Many templates will be scalable, of a high quality and be adaptable, but the majority will not.

The main downside of using a pre-made template is the fact that you have to do the work yourself. If you don’t know HTML, CSS or PHP, your options to tailor a template to your needs are going to be limited unless you hire someone to do it for you.

If budget allows, originality is always the right way to go. Any business who wants to succeed will need to stand out. That means bespoke web designs, original logo, distinctive branding and a service offering that also gets you noticed. Using a template that is also potentially in use by hundreds of other websites will not achieve any of that.

A custom website design should be regarded as an investment, not just a cost. Done well, an original site will earn you far more than it costs.  If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind, professional website in Atlanta, GA, then look no further.  TM is the leading provider of custom web design in Atlanta.  Our team of US-based professionals is ready to help you with all aspects of your project.

Getting the best Atlanta Logo Design

Creating a great logo is one of the hardest things in graphic design. It may seem simple, a small image, a font, a bit of writing and that’s it. But that isn’t it, not by a long shot. A good logo needs to be unique, recognizable, describable, fit for purpose, hit a target audience and reflect your business. All in a space of a few pixels.

TM is a leading marketing provider in Atlanta.  One of the many digital marketing services we provide is Atlanta logo design.   To help you with your company’s logo we are  going to discuss some logo design best practices aid you in your future branding projects.

Unique

Originality is a rare commodity nowadays, but an essential one in logo design. If you design something too similar to someone else’s, not only do you come off cheap, or as a rip-off, you also open your client up to a potential lawsuit.

It’s much more fun to sketch out a few ideas and develop something that’s truly original. It’s why we do what we do after all.

Recognizable

While the client may be a mom and pop store right now, they may be a global force in ten years’ time. The logo design needs to be simple but contain enough character to sit in the memory of the audience to spring up when reminded of it.

Describable

Making a logo design describable is much harder but uses the same principles as making it recognizable.  The design needs to be clear, simple and eye-catching. Think of some of the most recognizable logos out there, the Golden Arches, the Nike Swish, Colonel Sanders and so on. Each is simple and distinctive, enough so that they quickly become part of our overall consciousness.

Fit for Purpose

Making a logo design fit for purpose means making it suit the business, the industry and the likely target audience. Some businesses use a logo as a figurehead, others as a symbol to show exclusivity, or just a visual signature. The logo design needs to fit the purpose the client imagines it to be used for.

Hit the Target Audience

This is the holy grail of any marketing campaign and also the hardest one to get right. For example, if you’re designing a logo for a gym, then the target audience is likely to be males between 20-35. If you’re designing for a baby store, then the target audience is likely to be females between 20-35. The design will need to speak to the most likely target audience.

Reflect the Client’s Business

We have touched on it already, but any logo design has to nail the client’s business exactly. It has to encompass the entire business, the people, the products, the services and where they want to be in 5 years’ time. Easy huh?

As you can see, there is much more to logo design that drawing a picture and writing a few words. Logo design best practices are a multistage, multi-pronged approach that needs to encompass everything the business is and wants to be. A difficult job indeed!  If you are looking for a logo design firm in Atlanta, Ga, please contact us today!

Finding the best Atlanta Web Design Company

The question of how to choose the right Atlanta web design company comes up a lot. As the internet is largely intangible, it isn’t like going into a brick and mortar store. That makes trust harder to earn for the web design company and harder to give for the client. Fortunately there are a few key characteristics that make up a good web designer, and we’re going to discuss them here.

Key requirements:

• Experience
• Skill-set
• Portfolio
• Approach
• Timeliness

Experience

There are dozens of programming languages and many ways of building a website. If you have something specific in mind, it pays to work with someone who already has experience in the field.

For example, if you want an e-commerce site, you need to find a web design company who has direct experience of putting together an e-commerce site. That could be working with a CMS and developing e-commerce templates, or with a specific platform like Magento.

Skill-set

The skills of a web design company work in conjunction with the experience, but they are not the same. While someone may have learned Java at school, unless they have used it in the real world, they may find developing with it a challenge. While everybody has to start somewhere, that somewhere should not be on your website.

Ideally, the skills and experience will be closely matched. Both the skills and the experience of the web design company you choose should reflect the kind of project you’re commissioning.

Portfolio

A portfolio is a chance for the web design company to show off their skills. It’s a showcase of previous projects and somewhere they can gloat a little at their achievements. That means anything that is featured in the portfolio should be the best the company can achieve.

If the examples in the portfolio don’t match the quality you’re after, move on. If the portfolio doesn’t contain similar projects to the one you’re offering move along.

Approach

The approach of any web design company includes many things. It includes how they are with you, how well they listen, answer questions and how quickly they can come up with a proposal.

The web design industry is a largely informal one, so you probably won’t see shirts and ties anywhere. The professionalism of a good web design company will be how they deliver on their promises and how they respect you as a client. If you have doubts about either, or if a company falls short, move on.  One way to gauge  how professional a company is by visiting their actual Atlanta web design office.

The amount of competition in the web design industry means you don’t have to settle for second best. It means that a professional web design company will work with you, and deliver what they say they will. The market is too competitive to do otherwise.

Timeliness

While all of the above aspects are very important when looking for the right Atlanta web design company, the ability of the company you chose to deliver the project within your time frame is also important.  Many web design projects are time sensitive.  You will want to ensure that both parties are aware of all the deadlines ahead of time and also that the company you choose has the resources available to meet your requirements.