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Web Design

The Process Web Design

The Value of a Design-Driven Web Design Firm

Website vendors and design providers are a dime a dozen these days, especially with the emergence of website builders and offshoring services. Do any search online, and you’re sure to find twenty or more vendors providing everything from premium consulting to out-of-the-can template generation for those on a bootstrap budget.

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The Process Web Design

Maximizing a Smaller Budget for Non-Profit Website Design

Top notch non-profit website design requires the same level of professionalism as is expected of any business web design, especially when accepting donations or aiming to increase awareness.

How do non-profits justify the need for a web design budget?

In today’s world, people browse online when they want to learn more or contribute to a cause, so a powerful web presence is a must to help stand out. Continue Reading

Best Practices Web Design

5 Musts for every Professional Services Website Design

Would you ask the kid in the mail room to represent you in court? Or hire someone with no experience to draw up blue prints for your new home? Most of us wouldn’t.

We would hire a professional, someone who can insure proper results. The same holds true when it comes to your business website design.

A professional designer knows the ins-and-outs of how to help you gain exposure online and will tailor your site to your business, ensuring new customers and returning visitors have a great experience.

So when it comes to online presences for professional services, such as accountants, architects, auditors, engineers, doctors and lawyers, here are 5 website must haves. Continue Reading

Web Design

How can website design push a non-profit to the next level?

A non-profit’s website should be a jumping-off point for visitors, helping educate and inform them on the core mission and values of the organization. From there, it should serve as a platform to convert them into a donor or volunteer, buying into the mission and helping to further the overall goals.

Powerful non-profit website design accounts for the fact that some people are ready to commit to the cause while others are just beginning their investigative journey.

With this in mind, let’s talk about four ways to pack more power into your website, ensuring it has value for visitors seeking to learn more about your organization and cause.

Use your blog wisely

Connect with like-minded people by sharing your successes and the positive impact of the organization regularly.

Having a blog is good for communicating with constituents regularly, but it’s also great for search marketing, as it helps your site appear relevant to Google. By focusing on regular content, your site will continue to be found, which in turn, helps share your mission and goals with others.

Use your blog to educate in an informal environment, showcasing success stories, video testimonials and press releases.

Also, make sure to keep people in the loop regarding upcoming events, plus, share photos from past events to show them what they might have missed.

Boost social media activity

Make those social sharing buttons pop to entice visitors to check-out what’s going at Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

Because people enjoy media in different ways, you will engage a larger following by diversifying your online presence and focusing on multiple platforms. But remember, only focus on as many as you can actively manage. No one likes outdated social media accounts that sit there empty.

Also consider having a “social wall” or clearing house for all your social accounts in once place on the website. Here, users can quickly see all your recent activity from across the various platforms, as well as related activity, such as posts you’re tagged in, or posts from affiliated accounts.

Grow your email outreach list

Whether it’s a first-time visitor or a returning donor, you need to make sure email collection is part of the process.

Email addresses allow you to reach out to individuals directly and at less cost than other marketing means, so make it a goal to grow your email list.

Services like MailChimp, AWeber and Constant Contact make it easy to setup and manage a list, and many donor database applications integrate with email marketing platforms to ensure the lists can be used for future outreach.

Also consider grabbing a browser’ attention by offering exclusive content in exchange for their email address.

Offer fundraising and volunteer opportunities for those ready to commit

Volunteers are the heart and soul of many non-profits, so make it easy for them to sign up and get involved.

Through volunteer portals and email lists, you can ensure they’re ready to serve and get mobilized. A great website showcases the current volunteer openings and makes it simple to sign up.

Following these simple tips will help you take a generic “brochure site” to the next level, a website that is ready to inform and engage. At Hub & Spoke, we regularly work with non-profits, helping tell their story while finding them focus for their marketing and creative design.

Best Practices Search Engine Optimization The Process Web Design

Auditing Your Website for a Successful Redesign

If you’re thinking of doing a website redesign, you probably have an inkling that there is something about your current website that is not quite working for you.

Whether you’re wanting to reorganize and update current content, work to improve your search ranking through SEO or just want a fresh redesign, a website audit is a great way to begin the process of figuring out what elements are amiss and how to right the ship.

An audit is also a good way to evaluate the effectiveness of your site overall and its marketing message, while helping you set goals and analytical data points to revisit after relaunch to gauge success. Continue Reading

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