Professional Presence Designs » Website Information

Blogging & Ministry

Lakita — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:01:49 +0000

Blogging & Ministry was the latest topic for discussion on The Praise Dance Life hosted by Minister Jocelyn Richard. It was an honor & privilege to be selected to be interviewed on the subject. While Jocelyn & I are both dance ministers, the content regarding starting and building a blog should prove helpful to all types of ministries.

Some of the topics covered in the discussion include:

Why should someone else start a blog? (5:20)
How to get started (8:38)
Additional tips & encouragement for ministry bloggers (18:00)

Listen to the entire interview

(this will open a new window so you can keep reading)

What about you?

How are you using social media? Do you have a blog?

If you would like Professional Presence Designs to help you start or revamp your blog in 2010, contact us for a free quote and consultation.

When you DON’T need a website

Lakita — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:48:40 +0000

I’m sure you are wondering WHY on earth a web design company would write an article that at the surface would deter people from having websites. the The truth is, if your website does not reflect your company then you may be doing more harm than good.

There are some excellent businesses/services that I use continually because they are GREAT! However, their websites leave much to be desired. Typically, these are people I met before I saw their website. Had I seen their website first, I would not have given them a second thought! I would have missed out on a great service or product and they would have missed out on a patron.

How many people are NOT doing business with you because your website leaves the wrong impression?

You’ll never know! But in today’s information age your website may be the first impression of your company. Follow these tips to ensure your website exhibits professionalism and excellence.

- Flash & Animation….especially as an intro. Skip it! Too much is perceived as amateur. Limit this to a header banner or sidebar, not an entire page.

- Spelling & Grammar. Check your website for spelling errors. Everyone makes a mistake now and then, but a page littered with errors leave a bad impression.

- Outdated information. If your website is more than an electronic white page ad, then it probably has content that will change. Seeing a website with events that are over a year old with no new activity looks stagnant. People will think your business is stagnant and move on.

- Color combination. Unless you are advertising a Day Care or Pre-school your page should not be in all primary colors! Use color combinations that are pleasing to the eye.

- Animated GIFs & Cursors……don’t even think about it! OK, a few animated GIFs strategically placed are OK, but the cursors need to go!

- Layout, flow and consistency. If people cannot find the information they want on your page they are going to leave.

- Load time. Most Internet surfers are using some form of high-speed Internet. People are impatient. If your page takes more than 4 seconds to load (probably because of animated GIFs, cursors, flash and other things to avoid), they will leave.

- No pictures or poor pictures. Pictures have their place, especially if you are offering a product. Show off your best work with quality photos. Do not upload the photo you took from your cell phone (we can tell) or with a cluttered background. Take the time to create a nice backdrop and display your work.

Do you think your website is repelling business? Contact Professional Presence today for a free email consultation!

How Much Does a Website Cost?

Lakita — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:59:35 +0000

This is typically the first question someone asks when interested in a new website or a redesign. The answer depends entirely on what you (the customer) wants in a website. For example, if you ask “how much will a new car cost”? you will not be able to obtain an accurate quote without providing more information on the type of car you want. The price for a Porsche is going to be significantly different than a Neon. If you are interested in obtaining an accurate quote from Professional Presence Designs, be prepared to answer the following:

1. Do you want a static or databased driven website?
With a static site, the content does not change very often and is updated manually using an editor.
A database driven site provides dynamic content that is easier to maintain by usually providing an administration panel to edit your data.

2. Will you need our web hosting services as well?

Web hosting stores your files on the Internet on a public web server so the rest of the world can view your website.

3. Approximately how many pages will you need within your site?

4. Will you need components such as photo album, calendar, etc

5. Do you have examples of other websites that show what you are looking for.

6. Is this a new website or a redesign of an existing site.

If you would like to receive a free price quote from Professional Presence Designs, feel free to contact us with as much of the above information as possible.