Facebook

Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category

Toronto Website Design Company: Cost Effective Website Design Solutions in Toronto

February 8th, 2010 | Author:

How can a Toronto website design company help you have a website that looks professional and within your budget?

 
Many people have asked me that very question. They know there is real value in have a website designed by a professional developer but also know the costs associated with that.  For many Toronto (also known as the GTA) companies finding a website design company that understand their needs seems to be an impossible task.  The Toronto area is broken down in to smaller regional locations that all tend have a design flare all themselves.  Website design companies in the west end of the city (such as Mississauga, Milton or Brampton) have been exposed to delivering web content for a specific type of client base.  Often the west end of Toronto is seen as a ‘white collar’ marketplace. On the other hand the east end of Toronto including area’s such as Scarborough, Markham, North York have long been seen as a more industrial business environment.  Website design companies in these area’s (east of Toronto) tended to offer services for website development on an industrial level.
 
The key to having a successful online presence is by building a strong foundation.  As a website developer that have developed website around the world and based in Toronto we understand the challenges small and mid-sized businesses face when going online. 
 

Toronto Website Design Check List

Page Layout

Does the design represent your company well?  Answer this question (which isn’t so simple when you think about it) and you will solve the dilemma of layout.

Browser Compatibility

Most people are still using Microsoft Explorer as there main web browsing client.  However, this may not be the case for your business.  Many people are moving over to new clients such as Google Chrome, Firefox and others.  Although all these web browsing clients meet the same basic standards they don’t all interrupt websites the same. Check and double check your design.

Navigation

Here is an often overlooked item to your overall design strategy.  I tend to have at least 2 ways for users to access the same page from any page.  I also feel very strongly that 2 pages should be named the same as every other page.  These are the About Us and Contact Us pages.  For most if not all business having a simple and highly recognisable way to access this basic and very valuable information can be critical to there online success.  Again, creativity is a great thing to have in your web design but not at a sacrifice to your business goals.

Color and Graphics

Your brand color is one of the most important elements to your website.  The internet is very visual and people react to color.  Let your website developer know your brand strategy or if you haven’t developed one yet work with them to build a strong one.

Multimedia

Having a very dynamic web site design is important for many audiences.  Make sure you’re speaking to yours and not your developers.

Content Presentation

Why can’t I find what I’m looking for?  Your website should be easy to read and understand.  Having a busy design will only cause confusion with your audience.  Often developers that are focused on Search Engine Optimization build a website that is designed solely for keywords.  Although this may sound reasonable from a ranking view point remember one very valuable piece of advice.
 

Search Engines don’t buy anything!

Functionality

This is a very subjective area of website design.  I have some simple rules when evaluating a design for its functionality.  KISS, yes keep it simple stupid.  Why this rule?  Trying to be too creative with your design may alienate prospects.  Make sure your website design firm is designing for you.  Too often developers what to show there own work first before showing yours.  So make sure it works for you.

Accessibility

Making sure your website is accessible to a wide audience is not as complicated as you may think.  A good website developer will design your website to be accessible by the target audience and more.  Some simple code changes in the design will allow you to reach many people and devices accessing the Internet.

Website Design Services For Companies in the Toronto Area

  • Basic Web Design
  • Website Redesign
  • Custom Web Design
  • SEO Optimization
  • SEO Copywriting
  • SEO Tracking
  • Logo Designs
  • Content Management
  • Free Consultation
 
When looking for website design companies in Toronto or surrounding area ask your self one question.
 

Does this website design company understand our needs? 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Choosing The Best Web Site Design Company

August 6th, 2009 | Author:

Are all website design companies made the same?

 
Picking a website design company often comes down to budget.  A skill and knowledgeable company will help you by gaining the most from your budget.  The relationship should be seen as a long term venture for both you and them. 

What are you goals for the site?

Many website design companies offer sites to fit specific needs.  E-commerce, dynamic database driven sites, catalog sites, video and so on.  Your business goals must be well understood by the site designer in order for the project to be a success.  Be wary of web site design companies that don’t take in to consideration your goals.

How are you going to measure these goals?

How will you know if your website is successful?  There are a varity of measurable or metrics web designers use to evaluate the success of a site.  The best web site design companies will help educate you and together pick the best options for your goals.  Typical measurables would be the number of page hits, how many pages an average user visited, where are they coming from, how did they get to your set and son.

Explore new strategies

 
When you approach a web site design company typically you have already decided how you want the site to look or behave.  Try to keep an open mind and ask your designer what trends are taking place in the online world.  A good website designer or online marketer will have strategies that are either new or emerging that may better address your goals.  The movement from website design to web marketing requires a special set of skills.  Ask your website design company what marketing experience they have and how the view your marketing goals.

See References

This may seem obvious but it is important to mention.  Not every website company or designer knows every market.  Most companies tend to have like clients mainly because they compliment their own capabilities.  If you don’t see a comparable example ask your designer why not, it may be a simple case of not knowing.
 
As there are many other factors to consider when picking a web site design firm the above list is a good starting point.  When you’re looking for the ‘best web site design company’ make sure you’re prepared to test them.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

How to reach new markets with effective Website Design in Durham Region

June 5th, 2009 | Author:

Many small to mid-sized businesses desire to reach new markets but lack the experience or man-power to do so.  As a marketing professional in Oshawa, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby or business owner you may have asked yourself “How do I reach new markets economically”?  It is possible to reach these markets without spending your entire budget.  Having a planned approach that looks at strategic markets, local media and competitive landscape is a good start to building an effective strategy.  AMR Media has over 15 years experience building effective websites for the Toronto, Markham and Durham Region.  Our depth of knowledge on how to sell abroad and brand effectively has benefited many of our customers.  Businesses needing a website designer often miss the critical business components that go along with a profit driven strategy.  Understanding the technology and markets is fundamental in making your project a success. AMR Media has helped companies build strong markets both locally and around the globe.

You can reach new markets with proven and measurable results.  Contact us today to find out more on how your business can grow.
Tags: , , , | No Comments »

Web Analytics: The Hub of the Wheel

May 27th, 2009 | Author:

Gone are the days of the IT department measuring server “hits”.

A modern and robust website analytics package is perhaps the most important tool of anyone who depends on their website–marketer, the site designer, the sales manger, and the CEO. It is the hub of all of your site marketing—offline and on.
 
Decision makers depend on intuitive analytics packages to provide actionable insights and the answers to crucial questions such as:
 
  • Why do people visit my site and what do they do while they’re there?
  • Where and why are visitors abandoning specific pages? My shopping cart?
  • What sites send me my best customers? My most valuable customers?
  • Which market segment does any specific marketing message resonate with?
  • How successful was my last banner ad campaign? TV/newspaper/radio ad? What was my ROI?
  • What keywords should I bed on? How much should I bid? Which ads performed the best?
  • What marketing medium brings me the best ROI? With what visitor segment?
  • Is my website design driving people away? Which part?

Do you know the answer to the questions above? Should you?

 Google Analytics

The technology once only available to sophisticated enterprises with large budgets is now available from Google – for free.  It’s a powerful program when installed and configured correctly, and when combined with Google Website Optimizer and Google Adwords, it’s in a class of its own.

 
We offer the following Website Analytics services:

 

Evaluations: Different sites have different Analytics needs

 

  • Do you use ecommerce?  Host your own cart or use a 3rd party?
  • Do you have an internal site search?  Is it integrated with your analytics?
  • Do you have different domains/subdomains that you track?
  • Are you properly tagging & tracking email and offline campaigns that drive traffic to your site?
  • Are you tracking your internal/employee traffic separate from your site or are they co-mingled?

 


Our experience and expertise will allow us to make an honest evaluation of your site and recommend the appropriate analytics software and configuration to ensure that your analytics needs are being addressed.

 

Installation and Configuration: Getting it Right

Are you making business decisions based on corrupted data?  Industry audits show that 40-60% of Analytics installs are either incomplete or incorrect—including those that were “professionally” installed!  Having no data is bad.  Making decisions based on bad data is even worse.  The insights you’ll gain from solid website analytics are only as good as your data—make sure it’s done right.

Whether you’re an Analytics veteran in need of an audit or you require a from scratch installation, Our Google Authorized Consultants are happy to make sure it’s done right the first time.

 

Analysis and Strategy: What should I measure?

Successful online marketers know that web analytics is much more than just the install; it is a continual process of analysis and strategy.  As anyone who’s ever done The Test

knows, it’s easy to miss what you’re not looking for.  AMR Media can help you identify the specific, measurable goals of your website and your company, and develop an analytics strategy that makes sure you’re getting the metrics that matter to your bottom line.  Schedule an Analysis and Strategy session with us today.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , | Comments Closed

What your web designer should be asking you!

July 22nd, 2008 | Author:

 

A good web designer will know exactly what they need from you to do the job right.  When talking with them listen to what they ask not just what they say.  It’s easy to talk on and on about a topic you have more knowledge of then those around you.  However, a true expert in any field will ask questions of you to make sure they truly understand your needs.  Be very suspicious of web designers that don’t listen and assume or push there ideas on you.  Just like your business is different then your competitor so should your website.  Small business needs to be heard for them to be successful.  Branding your company online or offline is critical to the success of all your marketing campaigns.  Use your instinct to gage the true value of the web designer and their ability to create your online brand image.  If you feel uncomfortable or uneasy with what they say back off.   Many companies in Oshawa have found great web designers that know how to brand their business.  Toronto businesses also have benefited from the strengths of online branding too. 

 

So before you go off and spend your valuable savings research first what you need and what they can give you.

Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

 

Powered by AMR Media