The forums are geared towards two groups of individuals. The first is the site owner(s). If you are working on your own website and have questions that you need answered when it comes to designing your website – you can get the answers in the forums. All facets of the design process will be discussed ranging from simple HTML design to advanced programming. In between you can find help on graphic design, search engine optimization, and more. We are happy to help those who have decided to tackle their own website, and we hope to be of help to any and all.
The second group is the web designer. There are numerous designers who work on equine related websites that doing wonderful work and we want to learn from you. We also want to lend our knowledge to you on any topics that you need help with. If you are a web designer you know that there is plenty to have in building state of the art websites. Some of us have better skills in one area as opposed to others. We can all lend a hand to help each other so that all horse websites in the future look the best they can.
We hope you share in our passion and mission of marketing the horse on the world wide web. If we can be of help to you please let us know by posting in one of the forums. We will try our best to answer all questions so that your horse website is top knotch.
Enjoy!
Rob
]]>The first of the resources we are making available is a listing of web designers that cater to the horse industry. You might think this category is a little off the wall for us to be publishing. Why would a web designer and his company develop a resource guide that gives free publicity to other designers in the horse industry? The answer is simple. Not everyone is going to want to use SEMS Design services, and there will be times when SEMS Design might not be able to meet your deadline for the creation of your project. At the same time, there is some confusion about what a web designer is. There are some designers out there that have the whole package; graphical design skills, programming skills, search engine optimization skills, etc. Then there are those that only have one or two of the skills and your project needs one of the skills that are missing from your current designer. We will list the skills we think these designers have to help you to make the best decisions in picking your designer(s). These listings are in no particular order. They are from the first 2 pages of Google with the search phrase “horse website design”.
Pros: We really like the work this company does. All of their websites look original and have great appeal. The websites we looked at showed they take the time to learn the background of their customer and they work to blend a template in with the look of the customer’s identity.
Cons: Looking at a couple of the sites they created we took notice that they could implement a little more search engine optimization tools, but nothing major. By far one of the best design companies for the horse industry.
Pros: Their website could you some help but that is not the focus. I think they do a fine job of given the websites they create a fashionable look with a different look then the other sites they create.
Cons: Some of the websites they have created a behind the times in valid code and some break the rules all together. I looked at some of the sites and did not see any search engine optimization on any of the pages. This simply could be due to the fact that they require clients to pay for this. Not for sure.
Cons: The only thing I can say is that I was on a big high when I went to the website and then was let down a bit going to the sites in the portfolio. This is not a bad thing, just something I noticed that I felt going from the design site to the client sites. I really did not see any extra integration of interactive scripts on the client sites.
Cons: It would not be right if I did not mention something here, so the con is that we wanted that domain name.
Pros: They must do some good work, or marketing, because they have a good list of clients in their portfolio.
Cons: It looks, to me, that they could start to catch up with the current changes in valid coding practices of websites.
Pros: For the sites they have built, the design does have some nice graphical design principles behind it.
Cons: For the sites that were looked at, they used some bad design principles for web design. First, the whole design must have been created in a graphics program and then sliced. This includes the text, which means that there is no text for the search engines to pick up. Then a real no-no, they used text with a same font color as the background color, trying to fool the search engine robots. This is a HUGE penalty for the website. Get rid of these 2 practices and I would say they do a good job.
Cons: Most of the sites look like they had been built off of templates you can buy from template selling websites. Did not see much use of search engine optimization on the client sites. Using new valid web code was not found nor was any new age scripting techniques.
Pros: I don’t care for the site they have, but LOVE their work. They, he/she, look to not only know design, but they also know programming. That is what you call a complete package. I get happy when I find someone who can put some juice behind the pretty look. Love their work and give the 5 thumbs up on it all.
Cons: Don’t like their site.
Pros: Why did I put none for services? Try to go to their site, but make sure you have anti-virus software because they try to hit you with a virus. So because of that I suggest you stay away from this site and block it from any of your searches.
Cons: If they do try to get business, I don’t know how much they can get when they throw a virus at you.
Pros: I have to say even on the worst of sites for web designers, the sites I can get to, there is a positive. They are trying to built sites that will help promote, kinda.
Cons: The work looks like that of a 5th grader. Not much for your money, even if you are spending $1. Money is money.
Pros: Sheri Gordon has a beautiful eye for horses and her painting are AWESOME. What a gift to have that and then be able to put it into web design. Great work.
Cons: Looked at a couple of her sites and the only thing I noticed was that some of her coding was against validation standards. Nothing that would hurt a site that much, but it is always better to be safe then sorry.
Pros: I am a little confused by this company. The header and title of the page says White Horse Web, but I do not see anything in the portfolio or in the rotating pictures on the front page that are horse related?
Cons: From the couple of websites we checked there is no search engine optimization and all the site is a photoshop image sliced. Not good coding practices.
Cons: They could catch up with the times in their coding practices and the use of newer technology that would help websites run faster and efficiently.
Pros: From a general glance of their sites they look pretty and they have a general design principle behind them.
Cons: I could not find enough horse related designs to tell you if they have what it takes to market the horse on the world wide web to the best.
Pros: The general appearance of the website templates do look good. It looks like there is a general SEO tactic used for the sites.
Cons: The downfall of the pros is that there is no blending of what goes inside the templates that makes the site really stand out. And the SEO tactic is generic which means it is not customized for each individual site.
Pros: Build some of the hottest websites I have seen. The designer there really finds a way to blend in the identity of the client with the creation of the website.
Cons: Very little, if any, search engine optimization is used, and no new technology on the sites, They are all static.
Summary
For the most part these are the sites I would tell you to visit if you do not have any use for our services or you are in need of a particular design. I added the Curly site for your protection when browsing. I really do not feel the need to prioritize these sites, just know that they where the only sites I found worthy of actually looking at, giving my opinion, and looking at some of their client sites. Any other of the design sites, that I found, I would tell you not even waste your money, because if you did spend $1, consider it wasted.
This list is not about fair or about getting more exposure for one person/company over another. It is about the mission: expanding and improving the identity of the horse on the world wide web.
]]>Have you ever taken the time to see how much you have spent on ink and paper making brochures? How about the time you have had to spend making the brochure? Did you know that with server side scripting you can have your brochures created for you. This takes away from the time you would use to make the brochure. Once the server has created the brochure, a person could then request the brochure in PDF format that they could download. Once they have the brochure on their computer they can then print it out, using their ink and their paper. This process alone has saved you time and money that you can then use in other areas of marketing. We can also take it a step further by having a database set up so that when someone requests the brochure there is an entry put into the database to count the download. This can keep track of how many times your brochure has been downloaded. Much easier then keeping track of how many times someone has picked up your brochure at a horse show or an expo. This can also help in targeting a specific audience as you will know only those who have an interest will download your brochure.
What are some possible uses for a brochure on your website? Let’s look at some.
a) Stallion brochure – For our example we our going to go with the fact that you do not have time or money to spend on making a stallion card. If you are not familiar with a stallion card, it is double sided and on one the front side is the picture of the horse and on the back side is the pedigree with some information and contact information. We could put all of the information into a database so that the stallion card is created automatically when someone requests the download. Then using some dynamic PDF coding we can have the PDF stallion card created dynamically without having to do anything. Just to expand our creativeness, let’s say someone wants to print the stallion card and have a fantasy pedigree on the back. They simply would fill in the dam information of the pedigree and the stallion card would not be unique to what is of interest to them.
b) Sales Flyer – This concept would pretty much be the same as the stallion brochure with a couple extra twists involved. Their is the possibility that you have multiple sale horses available. We can set up a database to handle all of the information for each horse including photo, horse information, pedigree, show results, history, etc. Since all of the information is in a database, each horse will now have an unique id associated with them. This will help when you have a list of horses for sale on your site. When someone finds a horse of interest and they want to click on the link to download the flyer, the unique id will be added to the link and the PDF that will appear will be for that horse. So all we have to do is create a template that would be for your flyer and the rest will be inserted for us.
We can even stretch this out so that a visitor can download a pdf that is created that lists all of the horses for sale with a short description of each one with the price tag and contact information.
Having a contact form on your website can be helpful in saving both time and money. If your site has a form that a visitor can fill in to send you a message, this can save you time and money. How will it save you time? It is a helpful way in screening requests so that you can decide who is important to contact by phone, or who can be answered by simply replying to the contact form via reply mail. How can it save you money? If you get requests from out of town, or out of your country, and the request is not an important issue, you can reply via email. This can help you to cut down on long distance phone costs
I can’t say this falls to heavily in either the saving costs or saving time category, but it can be of use to you when it comes to ease of use. Having a Google Map of your location on your website allows a visitor to find out exactly where you are located. If it is someone who you have invited to your place, you can send them to your website to get exact directions to your place. Google Maps is very highly configurable, even to the point to where someone can find out where all the traffic lights are and how heavy traffic is. If you are an equine professional this can help in cutting down office time that I am sure you do not have time for.
This is the technical term used, but you can call it what you will. I am sure you find a lot of time you are answering questions over and over. Having a knowledge base on your website will allow you to have defined questions and answers that can be answered for someone who goes to your website. This is not only helpful for professionals but also for farms. You might save a non important phone call from someone if they can find the answers on your website. A well built knowledge base will allow you to enter questions and answers into text fields and the program will create everything else for you.
So long for the days of having to send out newsletters by mail. You want to talk about spending money, look at what you have to pay for ink, paper, envelopes, and postage these days. Having a newsletter system on your server will allow you to send personalized newsletters to members email boxes whenever you want. And the program will do all of the work for you. We have set some newsletters up for as little as $100, and one of them has 2500 members they send to.
I have talked about this in other articles, but it is so helpful. Having a way for visitors to refer your website to their friends is powerful. It is very easy for them to do. They simply fill in their name and email, along with their friends name and email, and done. Behind the scenes there is already a pre-made message that is ready to be delivered. The email not only will refer the friend to your website, it will also give a brief summary about you. Easy and free marketing.
Using your website as your secretary can be a huge benefit when it comes to saving time and money. Before websites you, or your office secretary, had to put together forms for a prospective client, put it in a package, mail it, and then wait a couple days for it to be received. Not any more. Having any and all of your important forms on your site will cut down on those costs. For professionals it will cut down on sending out new client forms, and for farms, it can be an easy way to get out contracts. These are only a few examples of forms.
As you can see from the list above, the website is now your new secretary. For most people, if you don’t get screwed, it can be your cheapest. Using your website as a tool for communication can save you money and time. This can help those who are trying to cut costs or those that are trying to save time. This is always something you should be striving for, as there are always others areas that could use your attention.
This is only a small scale of what a website can do for you. I suggest you take a look around and see what others are doing on their site to help them. You should always strive to have your website up to date with not only content, but with the newest technology and newest trends.
Rob
]]>With the ever increasing complexity of the web environment and the proliferation of web programs, services, and designers, how can a small business create a web presence that achieves its desired goals without breaking the bank? In the face of numerous options and potential costs, many small business owners are considering building their websites in-house rather than hiring the services of a web design professional.
The Importance of a Quality Website
Ten years ago, typical small business websites often consisted of nothing more than the
following basics:
A person did not have to know much about coding or have any significant design sensibility to create a simple and relatively effective website. However, as web technology has evolved, expectations have changed and grown; a basic one-page site isn’t enough to maintain an adequate web presence or garner new clients anymore.
Internet users are more sophisticated than in the past – they want to see flashy,
engaging elements, but they want meaningful content too. In a nutshell, they want to be engaged by the websites they visit. If a site is boring or bland, it can seem unprofessional. A business website must evoke a feeling of quality while being appropriate for its intended audience.
Successful websites accommodate these changes in overall expectations, as well as the specific needs of the customers it will serve. Determining the target customer base is part of designing a quality website, and evaluating the needs of potential clients can contribute significantly to determining the make-up of the target market and what that market will expect.
Evaluating Potential Clients’ Needs
Before a business owner can decide whether to hire a professional designer or to
employ a DIY plan of attack, it is imperative that he evaluate the needs of the company. By considering a series of targeted questions, the decision maker can better determine whether a DIY approach is feasible or if a professional designer is required.
It might seem like DIY competes with your potential business, but this is not
necessarily the case. You don’t really want every dreamer looking to hang out a shingle as a client. You only want clients who have a solid foundation and the growth potential to work with you for many years to come, so it makes sense to weed out businesses that would be better served by doing it themselves.
By asking potential clients the following questions, you can evaluate their needs and determine whether they are ready to hire your firm or if they would get more bang for their buck from a DIY approach:
By reviewing these questions with potential clients, you can help them determine if designing a website is something they can handle on their own or if they should plan to hire a professional (namely, you). If there are additional questions that you think would be valuable for you or your potential clients, don’t hesitate to add them to the list.
You should decide at what point in the decision making process you want to get
involved. Depending on what will best serve your goals and desired approach to
interacting with clients, you can choose any of the following options for how you want to share your evaluation questions with potential customers:
DIY is becoming a maxim in today’s culture. Of course there are some things that absolutely require the services of a professional, but there is a growing attitude that is embodied by the idea that if I can do it myself and do a pretty good job, why should I pay someone else to do it for me?
In this sense the web services industry is no different from the home improvement industry. People want autonomy, they want to work on their own schedule, and they want to save money. If they think they can achieve similar results as a professional for less money by doing it themselves, they’re likely to make that choice.
The key is to know when the job calls for a professional. For example, while an
unskilled person might be able to hang his own wallpaper to his satisfaction, he is less likely to be able to repair a broken pipe. It works the same for the web. A static, 5-page, HTML site is nothing like a 1000-page, CMS-based e-commerce site with dynamic content. An untrained person might be able to create an adequate site if it is simple in format and intent, but complex and technical sites should be left to the professionals.
DIY offers the following positive features:
Professional web designers and developers are people who know their industry,
understand the requirements of the web environment, and are committed to their craft. In short, they are experts. When you market yourself as a professional web designer, you are telling potential customers that you know what you are doing and you will deliver a product that exceeds the quality they could achieve on their own. Hiring a professional brings all the benefits one might expect, but it can have some potential downsides as well.
Hiring a professional designer offers the following positive features:
Hiring a professional designer can be limiting due to the following potentially negative consequences:
DIY is a valuable addition to the web services family of options, but it does have its limitations. Business owners who choose to build their websites themselves are often disappointed in the overall results or the necessary time investment. Many end up passing the project off to a professional because of these (and other) frustrations.
You can view the PDF version of this article here.
This article comes from Linktogether, www.linktogether.com.
]]>If you have any questions feel free to contact us for help.
Download: Website Strategy Guide
]]>There is a Web Standards checklist that you can use to make sure that your website is set up in a manner that will allow it to maximize your benefits of having the site. Using this list will allow you to check off what you have and what you do not have. If you find something that is missing in the checklist, you can present it to your designer to fix the issue. If your designer can’t take care of the issue, you might want to think about getting different services somewhere else.
Here are the categories in the checklist:
1) Quality of code for horse and equine websites
This allows you to take a look at different parts of your site to make sure that there is nothing that is preventing different people from seeing your website as you see it. Not all web browsers get along, and if the code is not set up to meet all the needs of different browsers, you might not be happy with what others are seeing.
2) Degree of seperation between content and presentation for horse and equine websites
I believe the title explains most of this section.
3) Accessibility for users at horse and equine websites
Having your site set up for every person is crucial in the success that your website brings you. This part of the checklist will help you to make sure that all visitors to your website will have no problems while visiting your site.
4) Accessibility for devises at horse and equine websites
Making sure that your website can be accessed by anyone and everyone is important. This part of the checklist will check to make sure that people on different browsers can all see your website just as you want them to. It also checks to make sure your site looks right when it is printed, and if need be, check to see if the content on your site looks right on a hand held devise. There are a couple other checks that are included in this section.
5) Basic Usability of a horse and/or equine website
Basic usability is used to check that all of the site is easily navigated and that visitors will have no problem getting around your website.
6) Site management of a horse and/or equine website
Site management refers to the proper use of a 404 error page, friendly URL’s, favicon, and more.
Download: You can download the Web Standars Checklist to start checking your website today.
Making your site accessible to all of your visitors is important to your online success. This checklist will help you in making sure that there is no visitor that is having problems at your site.
Hope this is helpful for you.
Rob
]]>With the amount of traffic that is on the internet these days and those people with websites, finding a website hosting company for a reasonable price is not hard. Most website hosting companies will offer hosting of your website for as low as $5/month. Our hosting prices are $6/month. This is very reasonable when you look and see what is offered with the packages. If you are using a company that has you paying more than $10/month you might want to start shopping around for a new company. Now keep one thing in mind, I do not want to tell you to leave a company that is meeting all of your needs. If you are paying a good chunk of change a month for hosting, and they are meeting your needs, don’t be so quick to want to get out. The old saying, if it is not broke do not fix it, should apply here.
Making sure that your website is visible to visitors as much as possible is very important. Finding hosting company that can guarantee your uptime being close to 100% of the time is critical.
Depending on your needs will depend on how much disk space and bandwidth you will need. There are hosting companies out there that offer unlimited disk space and bandwidth for a higher price. Most of the website hosting companies have different plans that you can choose from that will let you decide how much disk space and bandwidth you think you will need, each at a different price. The lowest plan SEMS Design offers is 25MB disk space with 100MB bandwidth for $6/month. We have only had a couple website go over this amount and they had well over 100 pages.
Having an e-mail address that reflects your website name is helpful when it comes to marketing. What better way to let people know the address of your website. Every time you send out an e-mail someone will have your website name. So if your website name is myhorsewebsite.com you could have info@myhorsewebsite.com. Most companies will offer multiple e-mail accounts that you can use.
Having access to the control over your website is important. Have a control panel that you can use to take care of the website is very helpful. We use cPanel which allows you complete control over your website. When you log into the control panel you can manage the following areas:
If you are having your website hosted by the company that also manages your site, it is important that they have a quick turn around time in getting updates done for you. If you are having problems with getting your information added to your site in a timely manner, contact me. My turn around time is 24 hours or less with minor updates, 1-2 days on minor additions, 2-3 days on major additons. Most content and image additions fall into the category of 24 hours or less.
Be sure you are smart when it comes to deciding on a website hosting company. Do not go with the first one you come across unless you are completely satisfied with what they propose to you. Be sure you can be guaranteed of all of the above when it comes to access of the backend of your website if you are going to do the work. If you are not going to do the work, make sure you can get an e-mail address, or multiple addresses, with your account. Most importantly, make sure the customer service is number 1. Knowing that your website is going to be cared for in the best way possible goes along way in the success you have on the internet.
Rob
]]>Having a consultant can be beneficial in that is gives you a third party to diagnose your website, marketing, optimization, and more. We will offer our ideas and tips that could shed new light that could help you to take a step in the right direction or get over a hump.
Request a quote today and we will get with you in regards to your consulting needs.
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