Website Programming

June 17, 2018

PART 9: WEBSITE LAUNCHED! NOW WHAT?

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

Your website is launched! Congratulation, that is a HUGE set toward growing your business beyond, you local neighborhood. The internet is said to be the great equalizer. Small – Medium and local business can not compete with the big boys on equal footing.

So what is next. Like any digital media, it is not worth much unless it is seen by others. If you have done your design right, the site will flow and be easily to understand and use, but a wonderful site is nothing unless the right people get to it. This is where the world of SEO marketing, blogs and google ads kicks in.

No, said to say, just putting a site up does not equal instant money and fame. There is still a massive amount of work to be done.

STEP 1: GET NOTICE BY SEARCH ENGINES

How does one do that, other than to submit a site to the engine to be indexed (each page counted and logged for searching display). It is more, it is aligning your site with parameters that the technology likes, in order to get your site, your business, your service or product, on page number 1.

The inclination of most business owners, is how hard can that be..pick some words and enter them…right? Well not exactly. Each of those “words” has to align with the content on the page and at the same time fill a quality of readability. There is an art to this service. While SEO does not have to be off the charts expensive, it does have to be done by someone who understands the technology and how the search engines work. Picking the right person to do the job is job number 1. Read our blog article on the costs and staffing for SEO.

STEP 2: BLOGS

Blogs are nothing more that modern day magazine articles, but they are a key element in getting your site noticed. There is a saying that to make 20%, you have to give away 80%. This is what blogs do. You give your potential customers free advice and tools, to make their life easier. In the process, you give the search engines something more to catalog and list. The blogs also become a key element in the next step..social media.

STEP 3: SOCIAL MEDIA

Sorry, you can’t escape it! Creating and managing a social media account is also another way to get people to your site. Based on your desired market, is the deciding factor on which social media to invest your time in. According to PEW Research Center, is where the people are…and growing!

“As more Americans have adopted social media, the social media user base has also grown more representative of the broader population. Young adults were among the earliest social media adopters and continue to use these sites at high levels, but usage by older adults has increased in recent years.“

Generally speaking these:
FACEBOOK: 2.7 Billion users, ages 25-60.
INSTAGRAM: 1 Billion Users ages 25-34.
TWITTER: 187 Million users, ages 30-59.
LINKEDIN: 738 Million users, age 46-55
PININTREST: 400+ Million users, age 30-49
TIKTOK: 100 Million users, age 18-24
SNAPCHAT: 265 Million users, age 13-24
YOUTUBE: 2 Billion Users, ages 15-64

Of course there are hundreds more of these social media sites, but those listed above among the top. Advertising on these platforms, is one of the fastest and cheapest way, to get your site notice.

STEP 4: GOOGLE ADS

Everything they say about google is true…they track peoples clicks, links and interests. But that tracking is what works to your advantage. They know what a user is looking for and display ads on sites that have agreed to show your content on their site, when the user is looking at theirs. These 3rd party sites get paid for it, so it is a win win for everyone. For more information about google ads . read their information on the latest of their services. They have specialists that can help you via phone.

If you want even more help with the entire process, Multimedia Designs as the ability to help you fully or just get your started. It is always your call.

THE RESULTS

The name of the game is to get noticed, get seen, be visible and get your product or service, in front of those who already have a natural interest.

Want more help? Give Multimedia Designs a call or email to see how we can get your site launched.

OTHER ARTICLES IN THE SERIES

PART 1: DON’T LET THE INTERNET BUCK YOU OFF
PART 2: MOAN, i NEED A WEBSITE! NOW WHAT?
PART 3: GREAT! MY STUDENT OR WIX CAN DO THIS. (OR NOT)
PART 4: BUT I DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH GEEKS!!
PART 5: BE HONEST, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO COSTS ME?
PART 6: WALK ME THROUGH THIS
PART 7: STRAIGHT DOWN THE CENTER LINE AND HALT. (aka HOW NOT TO GET CHEATED)
PART 8: ENTER THE COMPETITION. LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE
PART 9: WEBSITE LAUNCHED! NOW WHAT?
PART 10: EXPLAIN THIS INTERNET THING TO ME … IN ENGLISH
PART 11: I AM A VET, FARRIER, BARN MANAGER. WEBSITES? COME ON, THEY NEED ME!

MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

HONEST ANSWERS – GREAT PRICES

May 17, 2018

PART 8: ENTER THE COMPETITION. LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

ARTICLE IS BEING RE-WRITTEN AND UPDATED FOR 2021

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MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

April 17, 2018

PART 7: STRAIGHT DOWN THE CENTER LINE AND HALT. (aka HOW NOT TO GET CHEATED)

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

ARTICLE IS BEING RE-WRITTEN AND UPDATED FOR 2021

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MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

HONEST ANSWERS – GREAT PRICES

March 17, 2018

PART 6: WALK ME THROUGH THIS

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

There are two ways a website can be designed and implement for any business:
1) Take the type and design a web designer/developer likes and apply it to your business. You have no say.

OR

2) An interview process takes place where looks, layouts, colors and styles are presented to you and YOU CHOOSE. It is not about the developers personal likes are dislikes, it about what you like or dislike.

Confused? Don’t be. Option #2 is the only option that you should accept from any desiger/developer. Is it more work…yes. But it also makes sure that you and your developer are 100% on the same page. At Multimedia Designs, option 2 is always the approach. Welcome to the Website Development Life Cycle.

Welcome to the Website Development Life Cycle

Here is how it works.

STEP 1: THE INTERVIEW

You have selected a web developer/designer for your business online present. Super, the next step is going to 100% about you. Here are some questions that any designer should be asking you, before a single design has been created, drawn or presented.

1. What is your favorite color or business colors?
Stupid, not really, that look is going to be your calling card. So what you have on your business cards, adverting and any digital or piece of paper is going to follow this color scheme. You want people to remember and associate a look with YOU.

2. What is the purpose of the site?
Seems obvious, but it may be not. The goal here is to fully explain what your goals are for this investment and what you expect the results to be. There will be some dialogue as to what is hoped for vs what is possible, this the question that you and the developer come to an understanding.

3. Who are you trying to sell to?
Before you say, everyone, let’s see why the who is important. Styles of website and the user interface, can be dramatically different based on age, gender, educational levels. if your audience/buyers is not drawn into the site, mo matter how many fancy techniques and visuals you have, you’ve lost out.

Why so different?

Millennials are a very tech-savvy generation that knows what they like. This is also currently the largest age group, making it likely the audience you’re targeting. When it comes to designing for millennials, this is the perfect opportunity to get creative.

Young professionals don’t mind a sophisticated navigation, provided it’s useful. Full-width layouts and well-designed landing pages are trending, and make for smart choices in this area.

However, your 50+ group, can get lost in the completely of what is not obvious to them. They just don’t get it. Fighting a website is the last thing on their minds. If they have to do that, they quit. Whereas your Millennials, will find that complexity, interesting and intuitive. Simply put, it is just a different brain set.

4. Ask for 3 different layouts
As a part of the interview, indicate that you will require at least 3 different design layouts prior to any programming to start.

5. Ask for a schedule.
Developers who know what they are doing, have a pretty good idea of how long it is going to take them to get a preliminary version of a site done. Usually this is done on a test site, behind a protective wall, until the launch date. Sometimes, they even develop it off line.

6. Require access during the development process.
This is YOUR site. Even as the site is under development, you have a right to see progress. So during the interview, ask how you are going to get access and when.

STEP 2: THE DOMAIN NAME

First things first, you should have a domain name available before any web development or contract is agreed upon. Above all else, YOU must own that domain name. Never ever let a developer own your name. If the worst happens, they then have control of your site, your market name, your online presence. If you own the domain, from a 3rd party registrant (hover.com is excellent), then you can always move the site to someone else in a matter of hours, by pointing the domain to some new hosting. Registering and owning the domain, put you in charge.

Now some developers are really not going to like this. Your domain, is their guarantee. So without that available to them, they may ask for a significant amount of deposit. Be prepared on what you are willing to supply up front and each year.

STEP 3: DESIGNING THE LOOK AND OPERATION

This actually is the phase that is just a picture. From the interview, the developer should provide you with 3 pictures that give your an idea of what you home page and a couple of sub-pages, would look like. From these you can choose the design that works best for your clients and make suggestive tweaks to the design. Be mindful that most designers are creating with your market in mind. If you have a question of why…ask, before the programming begins.

STEP 4: DEVELOPING THE SITE

There is a ton of work that has to be done for developing the site, longer than this article can cover. However the essence is this:

1. From the chosen look, a layout of all the different pages on the site, this is called the wireframe. This shall be reviewed with you, before any coding and artwork begins.

2. Development of graphics and/our modification of supplied photos.

3. Programming and blending of content management system with plugin extensions.

STEP 4: TESTING THE SITE

Essential the process, is the testing of the site. This is usually the most neglected portion of any project, simply because of money constraints. If you have the funding to hire a professional company, with all the different possible of display devices, computer, mobile, tablets..it is the way to go.

If you do not have the funds..the cheap way and weird way to announce your site is…friends, family and past clients. “Find a bug and get $5” or similar motivational methods.

If you do not have the funds..the cheap way….friends, family and past clients. “Find a bug and get $5

Is this the best way…no. But at least you will get an idea about how succesful the design is and what needs to be adjusted before the full release announcement.

STEP 5: YOU ARE NOT DONE YET...SEO, SOCIAL MEDIA PLUS... KICKS IN

Does this never end? You, as a business owner, may begin to wonder. But, even though you have a site, you may have even announced it, to the human world you are out there…to the internet engines, you are not. This is where the implementation of SEO and google kick in. It let’s the internet discover what you have built and places it, among similar pages.

How you get to the top of those search engine results…is for another article.

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MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

HONEST ANSWERS – GREAT PRICES

February 17, 2018

PART 5: BE HONEST, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO COSTS ME?

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

COST. The age old question of what does it cost and what do I get for that outgo. Skipping over the justifications of why you need a website, and money to value relationship is only something you, as a business owner can evaluate, this article is a straight up money evaluation. The most honest answer any web developer or do-it-yourself company can say is this…it depends.

If anyone gives you a flat fee, without knowing what your business is, what your goals are, who you want to reach and how broad you desire your reach to be, they are not being truthful with you.

At it’s essence, “Cost” aka Money, can be broken down into 3 areas:

Technology Costs
Development Cost
Monthly Cost

COST CONSIDERATIONS - THE TECHNOLOGY

The actual money required, is highly based on what company you use and their experience and technical qualifications. Dollar for dollar, not all developers are the same. The selection of such people will be discussed in our article of “How to Pick a Good Web Developer“.

Assuming that the developer is of equal calibare and integrity, the other primary area of cost consideration , is the type of technology to be used.

There are 4 popular methods: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla or custom development. Wordpress is the most famous and the most popular of all the platforms in the small to medium business web space, simply because there are thousands of developers, a whopping 50,000 available plugins and is available in over 57 different languages. As a result, there are over 64 million websites using this technology. This shear volume of sites and developers is what keeps the costs low.

For this cost discussion, we are going to use WordPress technology as a basis, simply because it is the most cost-effective custom website development tool on the market.

TECHNOLOGY COSTS

Technology costs are the items that allow the website to exist and operate.

DOMAIN NAME

$1-$50 Yearly

Style or Theme

$100-$500 Yearly

Plugins

Average $500 yearly.

Content Management

$0-$25,000 Yearly One Time

SSL Certificate

0-$1500 Yearly

DEVELOPMENT COSTS

Development is the process of designing the site. Creating all the images and building the backend structure that supports the display of the website across the many different platforms that exist in today internet market space.

Responsive Design

$1,000-$3,000 One Time

Pages (1 to 250 pages)

$500-$25,000 One Time

Social Media Setup

$500-$1500 One Time

Interactive Media Programming

$250-$25,000 One Time

Photo and Graphic Design

$1000-$25,000 One Time

Site Testing

$500-$5,000 One Time

MONTHLY COSTS

Once your website is up and launched, the work does not end. Technology is ever growing, changing and demanding. Hackers attempt to break in and even break your site, in a quest to steal information. Website Maintenance is used to backup your site and keep the plug-in operational as the internet makes demands of security and changes. This is not something you should do, leave it to technologist who know how to protect your information. Even if the hackers manage to get into you system, the backup is there to restore you quickly.

Website Hosting

$120-$5,000

Monthly Management

$1200-$12,000

SEO

$250-$5,000

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

$250-$3,000

THE GOOD NEWS! SMALL BUSINESS & EQUESTRIAN: THE REALITY

For a small business and equestrian related business, those numbers can be pretty scary. So here is the reality:

Most Small non-commerce business are under 10 pages
Most Small non-commerce business do not need heavy duty hosting
Most small non-commerce business can do their own social media.

What that means to your bottom line, is the costs to develop an online presence is as follows:

MMD SMALL BUSINESS/ EQUESTRIAN PACKAGE

Responsive Design

$250
Use of customized Template

Plugins

Average $299 yearly.

Pages (1 to 10 pages)

$500 (1-5 pages) $1000 (6-10 pages)

Photo and Graphic Design

$200 with supplied photos (one time)

Style or Theme

FREE when on Multimedia Designs Server

SSL Certificate

FREE on Multimedia Designs Server

Website Hosting (Small load sever)

$35 Monthly

Monthly Management
(keep the site working & make changes)

$100 – $250 monthly

Social Media Management

Do It Yourself option
(Post all those students. clients and show pictures!)

There you have it. The truth about what this really will cost you, with Multimedia Designs. You can have an online presence, customized to you, with your picture, show schedule and talents, OR present your small non-ecommence business for about: $1275.00

The monthly costs would range from : $135 to $285.
The yearly flat fee would be for the domain name and plugins. $224. Using only free plugins: $14 self pay.

These prices are using Multimedia Designs, server and tools. We also do, off-server work, but this adds to your overall costs for themes and hosting. You will be online, for the world to see just what your talent and services can do …even for those who don’t know you. Get ready to introduce yourself to the world.

You will be online, for the world to see just what your talent and services can do …even for those who don’t know you.

We would love to help!

Want more info?
Continue with our next article of PART 6: WALK ME THROUGH THIS

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MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

HONEST ANSWERS – GREAT PRICES

October 10, 2017

Part 2 : Moan, I Need A Website! Now What?

Equestrian Web Technology, Website Programming

You have done it! You have made the decision to get a website. Congratulations.

Of course the next steps can feel overwhelming. Let’s actually skip to the fun part, let’s think all about YOU!. Think of this as your own personal horse show, an interactive resume, in which you get to show off the best of who you are.

Better yet, YOU are the judge. The style or “look” of the site is totally up to you. It depends on what you like. No reliable and honest designer should ever tell you how you want to present yourself to the world. That is your call. They can make recommendations, however, ultimately it is you. All about you.

But first you need to answer a couple of questions. Knowing the answers to these questions a head of time, will make the development process much easier, get the results you need and save you money. It will make sure that your website becomes that virtual you.

“THE STEPS”

STEP 1: ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR ASSUMPTIONS

What kind of students/clients are you looking for?
This is actually a key element. Do you want beginner riders? What age group? Would you like a barn full of hobbits or is your dream to have a competitive group with showing aspirations? Does a client need to have their own horse? Do you have school horses? There is no wrong answer.
What kind of trainer/instructor are you?
What levels are you showing? Are you more of a trainer or riding instructor? Are you formally educated? Do you like showing, breeding? Would you rather deal with horses or people? Is your perfect world a barn full of beginners, a few years along or rather experienced? Look at your own idea of perfection for yourself.
Are you comfortable with technology?
Are you the like to learn type or is this just something you have to do? Again, there is no wrong answer, but it is essential to being honest with yourself.
What are your favorite colors?

Why do I need to answer all these questions?

All of these questions are key components as to the type of website you need. It will guide a designer to a sets of websites designs that you will need to make your site successful. To represent “you”. Before a single layout is done, you must know what you want. The designer is going create a pictorial look that with one glance is going to tell a story. A story of you. Will it make you different from your competitors?

PICTURES? STORY TELLING…ME?
I can just write my qualification. Should that not be enough?

People Do Not Read.

Shocking? According to studies by the Nielsen Norman Group the average viewer will only read 20% of what is on a page, preferring to scan. Look at this paragraph below:

DOG WAITS FOR OWNER

In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took Hachikō, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. Ueno would commute daily to work, and Hachikō would leave the house to greet him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued the daily routine until May 1925, when Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, while he was giving a lecture, and died without ever returning to the train station in which Hachikō would wait.

Each day, for the next nine years, nine months and fifteen days, Hachikō awaited Ueno’s return, appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Initial reactions from the people, especially from those working at the station, were not necessarily friendly. However, after the first appearance of the article about him on October 4, 1932 in Asahi Shimbun, people started to bring Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

Even with the direction of reading the paragraph; do you know what it said? Just read the title? Or did you just look at the pictures? This is scanning.

In the day and age of instant, most people simply do not have the patience to read UNLESS they want to know. The picture, told the story! Your website needs to tell a story. That will keep your potential clients, interested and lead them to the next phase of actual contact.

STEP 2: DIG OUT ALL YOUR BEST PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

This is just fun and will be needed for your website.

STEP 3: START LOOKING AT OTHER WEB PAGES

Any page. It does not have to be in your industry, just pages that appeal to you. You are going to need to give that list to your designer, so that they can get an idea of your taste in sites.

STEP 4: PICK OUT A DOMAIN NAME

This name should be something that represents your name or business and is distinct to you. We recommend
hover.com. Best register for the dollar with domain names for $13.95 a year, as of this writing, and many free services.

What is most important about this domain name is YOU MUST OWN IT! Never ever transfer your domain name over to a service or web developer unless you have a specific in writing agreement that YOU are the owner of the domain. We shall discuss more about this in the section about Not getting Cheated.

STEP 5: START LOOKING FOR A WEB DESIGNER

One word TRUST. Who do you trust with your name and digital reputation. The company or individual who can build your vision, now that you have an idea of what you want. Of course we are going to plug Multimedia Designs, especially when we give a FREE 1st consultation and would be delighted to walk you through the entire process. You can get yours by filling out the “REQUEST CONSULTATION” form or clicking here.

You are on your way to creating the perfect virtual you!

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MultiMedia Designs, LLC
Digital Design & Technology Company
Office: +1.818.272.0819
Email: multimediadesignsllc@gmail.com

HONEST ANSWERS – GREAT PRICES

Website Programming

PART 9: WEBSITE LAUNCHED! NOW WHAT?

STEP 1: GET NOTICE BY SEARCH ENGINES

STEP 2: BLOGS

STEP 3: SOCIAL MEDIA

STEP 4: GOOGLE ADS

THE RESULTS

PART 8: ENTER THE COMPETITION. LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

PART 7: STRAIGHT DOWN THE CENTER LINE AND HALT. (aka HOW NOT TO GET CHEATED)

PART 6: WALK ME THROUGH THIS

STEP 1: THE INTERVIEW

STEP 2: THE DOMAIN NAME

STEP 3: DESIGNING THE LOOK AND OPERATION

STEP 4: DEVELOPING THE SITE

STEP 4: TESTING THE SITE

STEP 5: YOU ARE NOT DONE YET...SEO, SOCIAL MEDIA PLUS... KICKS IN

PART 5: BE HONEST, WHAT IS THIS GOING TO COSTS ME?

COST CONSIDERATIONS - THE TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY COSTS

DEVELOPMENT COSTS

MONTHLY COSTS

THE GOOD NEWS! SMALL BUSINESS & EQUESTRIAN: THE REALITY

MMD SMALL BUSINESS/ EQUESTRIAN PACKAGE

Part 2 : Moan, I Need A Website! Now What?

“THE STEPS”

STEP 1: ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR ASSUMPTIONS

Why do I need to answer all these questions?

PICTURES? STORY TELLING…ME? I can just write my qualification. Should that not be enough?

DOG WAITS FOR OWNER

STEP 2: DIG OUT ALL YOUR BEST PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

STEP 3: START LOOKING AT OTHER WEB PAGES

STEP 4: PICK OUT A DOMAIN NAME

STEP 5: START LOOKING FOR A WEB DESIGNER

PICTURES? STORY TELLING…ME?
I can just write my qualification. Should that not be enough?