Sitepro Blog

Five Things Your Site Can Learn From TV

Adam Knight — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:07:00 -0600

As much as you might enjoy CSI or 30 Rock, it’s probably hard to see how those shows relate to your own web page. After all, they’ve got to create a compelling story in a short amount of time through a fast-moving visual medium. Nothing at all like the internet.

After you’ve washed off the sarcasm dripping from that last sentence, take a look at these five things web writers can learn from television – remember that TV has been pretty much the same for the last 60 years, they must be doing something right.

Deal Me In

Steve Allingham — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:56:00 -0600

Are you a manufacturer with a network of dealers who sell your product? If so, you could be missing out on a terrific opportunity to significantly increase sales. Yeah, I know I sound like a TV pitchman, but for a small investment and support, your dealers could be selling your product online and making money for themselves, and for you.

Wai Tie Mai Tie

Steve Allingham — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:38:00 -0600

Selling well means interaction with customers. And before you can sell your product you need to sell “yourself.” Sales people who look their best tend to come across as more confident, assertive, professional and most importantly, more productive.

Driving Directions, powered by Google Maps©

Matthew Martin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:48:00 -0600

Driving Directions, powered by Google Maps, are a great way to add an inexpensive feature to your website that allows your users to find you from virtually anywhere in the world.

Let’s Go ‘Kamping’

Steve Allingham — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:24:00 -0600

Wouldn’t you like to know what visitors to your site are thinking? Certainly an unhappy or pleased visitor could email you through your capture form, but I’ve discovered a better way. One of my clients turned me on to a new program; it’s great for all flavors of sites, but extraordinarily important for ecommerce sites.

In-House versus Out-House – I mean Out-Source

Steve Allingham — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0600

So you’re going to hire your own team to build your business website. But wait – is that really the cost effective way to do it? At the very least you’ll need a web designer and developer and probably a technical writer if you aren’t skilled in writing. And do you know how to best optimize your page in the search engines?

Effective Content - Like eating dessert first!

Matt Mink — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:14:00 -0600

When writing for websites, don't waste time. You don't have much to start with. Forget the appetizers and side dishes. If you want readers, get to the goods right away. That's right, dessert first!

Social Media Helps You Provide Excellent Customer Service

Matt Haller — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:26:00 -0600

We all hear the words “social media” every day; this is just one of the new buzz words. The overall number of businesses using social media to market their business grows rapidly each day. The goal for most of these businesses is trying to build relationships with their customers.

Websites are Successful with Excellent Marketing Strategies Behind Them

Matt Haller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:02:00 -0600

When creating your website you should make sure you can answer this question. How does our website fit into our short-term and long-term marketing strategy? The website will be a key element of any marketing strategy so keeping the focus on the role it will play is imperative.

Five Tips for Fine Content

Adam Knight — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:20:00 -0600

Whether you're writing a corporate manifesto or publishing the latest press release, it's important to realize the differences of web vs. print. And no, it's not just that one appears on your screen while the other gives you ink stains. Take advantage of these internet tweaks to get the most from your every word:

Five Things to Remember When Selling In A Recession!

Matt Haller — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0600

Just the other day, I was listening to a conversation between a couple of businesses on the current state of the economy and how they needed to hone their sales skills in this marketplace. We discussed many things, but came up with these five points to remember in your sales strategy when business is scarce and competition is even tougher. In your next sales presentation, focus on these five things to separate you from your competition.

Have you ever wondered what a Sitepro website....Brett Favre and a Snowflake have in common?

Matt Haller — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:38:00 -0600

Well, the simple answer is that they are all optimized to be hearty, robust, competitive, unique and original!

Now, seriously, I bet you never even considered that these three items have many similarities so let's explore this......

Sitepro Now Offers VeriSign SSL Certificates

Kate Rafko — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:56:00 -0600

Sitepro now offers SSL certificates through VeriSign, one of the most recognized trust marks in the world, displayed on over 90,000 websites in 145 countries.

What a blog can do for your small business

Matt Haller — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:51:00 -0600

We Often Hear What Can a Blog Do for a Small Business

In order to best answer this we must all agree on what a Blog is. So the most common definition used for the word Blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically-the term is actually weblogs coined by Jorn Barger in 1997.

Why You Need a Website

Matt Haller — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:57:00 -0600

Even if you're not planning on selling online, a well-crafted site is an essential for any business. Many times we hear my business is very small, just me and a couple employees and our product really isn't sold online so why do I need a website?

Content is King in the Online World

Matt Haller — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:43:00 -0600

You are asking yourself seriously, content is that important, well this does assume that you have already developed a great product and are now in need of a great website.

Sitepro Podcast Episode 7 - Building a Branded Multimedia Campaign. pt 4

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:00 -0600

Episode 7 of the Sitepro Podcast is now available. The Sitepro Podcast was created to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content. This is the last of four episodes of the podcasts that focus on the the Grace Lutheran Foundation and all the multimedia work that Sitepro has produced for them. Be sure to subscribe to get all of the episodes of the Sitepro Podcast.

On Top of the Hill with Google

Matt Haller — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:22:00 -0600

Recently I read David Viney's "Get to the Top on Google" and fortunately for you, the whole book can also be read online.

In the last chapter of the book, Viney summarized his top tips for search engine success:

SEO Tips: Find Keyword Phrases to Target on Your Website

Jeff Gibson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:08:00 -0600

Introduction:

In this blog post I will provide simple instructions for finding the right keywords to focus your SEO efforts on targeting. Search Engine Optimization or SEO is simply getting the search engines to give you high rankings for certain keyword phrases. Since ranking higher is directly related to getting more website traffic, everyone wants their website to rank higher in the search engines.

Seven Simple Things Everyone Needs to Know About Internet Marketing

Matt Haller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:56:00 -0600

Seven Simple Things Everyone Needs to Know About Internet Marketing

Fruit Baskets – Comparing Apples to Apples

Steve Allingham — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:01:00 -0600

I recently met with a client to discuss some updates for their site. The first thing they brought up was a quote they had received from a local web development company to redo their site for just $300, which supposedly “offered everything Sitepro offers for a lot less.” Well, I know lots of companies like to claim they do what we do for "less", but it’s just not true, and this quote was a prime example.

Social Media

Matt Haller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:52:00 -0600

Common Factors of Social Media Success

Question: Don't you think its tough to measure social media?

What do mouth watering State Fair Mini Doughnuts and Your website have in common?

Matt Haller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:39:00 -0600

..."These doughnuts are a family tradition". "I wait all year long to get my fix". "Just the smell brings back such great memories". Do these sound familiar to you?

They both should inspire someone to buy!

Being a Leader in a New Global Economy

Matt Haller — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:45:00 -0600

"If you think you are a leader and no one is following you, you're actually just going for a walk"

- John Maxwell

One of the best quotes I have seen in a long while...

What does it really take to be a leader in this new global economy?

KISS Me!

Steve Allingham — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:22:00 -0600

Don’t all stand in line with your lips puckered! What I’m talking about is “Keeping It Simple, Sweety.” I read an incredibly useful and informative book recently called “Don’t Make me Think,” by author Steve Krug. The premise is that if your site visitor has to think too much about what to do on your site, they’re not going to do it – they’re just going to move on.

Mixed Messages

Steve Allingham — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:52:00 -0600

A few weeks ago an email circulated pointing out one hapless company’s image problem. Their website was upbeat, bright, with neon green highlights and a hip feel. But the actual company’s retail location was drab, old, with ancient signage and really the opposite feel to their site. While they may have intended to capture the web audience and show them how hip they were, their actual location was anything but, and the mixed message was killing them.

Top Five Web Browser Tips

Adam Knight — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:08:00 -0600

Your web browser is like a car, it can give you a great ride through the internet if you know what you're doing. Here are five tips to help tune-up your trip down the information superhighway:

Quality Control

Adam Knight — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:13:00 -0600

When countless blogs and pundits are throwing their opinions and deals onto the internet, it might not seem like publishing standards apply. Spelling and style errors are everywhere. It’s all about getting out your message; nobody cares about the technicalities, right?

Using Sitepro’s Testimonial Feature to Get Customers

Steve Allingham — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:39:00 -0600

Your company probably has at least one – a lovely handwritten letter from a well-served client pleased to let you know how wonderful you are. (Makes up for the handwritten note from an unhappy client pleased to let you know how rotten you are). If nothing else, that school class you gave the tour to probably sent you a thank-you note, as well. Either way, if it was positive, you probably passed it around the office, pinned it to the company bulletin board, or sent it to everyone via email. But did you think to pass it around to your customers?

Sitepro Podcast Episode 6 - Building a Branded Multimedia Campaign. pt 3

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:05:00 -0600

Episode 6 of the Sitepro Podcast is now available. The Sitepro Podcast was created to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content. This is the third of four episodes of the podcasts that will on the the Grace Lutheran Foundation and all the multimedia work that Sitepro has produced for them. Be sure to subscribe to get all of the episodes of the Sitepro Podcast.

What is Bing.com?

Cleo Gilgenbach — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:28:00 -0600

Bing search service launched in early June by Microsoft. It is their version of Google. It is different because you can ask it questions, as opposed to Google, where you mainly search for just information. Bing is capable of answering questions; it is like a decision maker.

Why You Need Comments

Adam Knight — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:58:00 -0600

You’ve put together a brilliant blog post illustrating your company’s newest product, or an upcoming event guaranteed to make your business the talk of the town. The post goes live, and then a couple of hours later you check back and notice a comment sitting at the bottom. Expecting lavish praise, you find instead someone claiming your company cheated them, did a poor job, or (worse yet), fired them for no reason. This isn’t a nightmare, it’s an opportunity.

the Mobile Web - Part 2

Jessica Janiuk — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:45:00 -0600

After spending a little more time with the mobile web, there's a bit more to be said about issues surrounding designing websites for the mobile browser. Differences in phone technology as well as new software technologies in development are changing the field of mobile web design. This post takes a look at some of those phone issues and new developments.

reCAPTCHA: Blocking Spam and More

Jon Karna — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:40:00 -0600

A few months ago, I developed a ColdFusion/Mach-II implementation of the reCAPTCHA API. This type of CAPTCHA requires the person to enter two words rather than a single sequence of random letters. In addition to protecting your website from spam, reCAPTCHA helps digitize text books. They do this by using a mystery word as one of the two words, until there is a consensus about what the correct answer for that word is.

Widget Wizardry - Part 2

Adam Knight — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:12:00 -0600

Armed with a tag cloud and an RSS feed spitting your company’s insights into the twitterverse, you might think you’re good to go. Don’t. Like most things, there is always something else you can do to make your social media presence more effective. The first of these is a flickr widget.

Sitepro Podcast Episode 5 - Building a Branded Multimedia Campaign. pt 2

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:57:00 -0600

Episode 5 of the Sitepro Podcast is now available. The Sitepro Podcast was created to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content. This is the second of four episodes of the podcasts that focus on the the Grace Lutheran Foundation and all the multimedia work that Sitepro has produced for them. Be sure to subscribe to get all of the episodes of the Sitepro Podcast.

Widget Wizardry - Part 1

Adam Knight — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:45:00 -0600

Continuing my series on company blogs, I’m now going to describe for you the myriad benefits that come from what MTV might call "Pimping Your Blog". These nifty techniques have nothing to do with the words you write, but rather how people see, interact, and (most importantly) broadcast them around the web.

Just One More ...

Kristen Cooley — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:11:00 -0600

I have been heard saying that from time to time when I am photographing weddings, senior pictures or any portraits with children. My son says he is going to need therapy when he is old because of the nagging dream he has of his mother saying, “just one more!” Kind of like the dreams of being chased by something and not being able to run.

Websites for the Mobile Web

Jessica Janiuk — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0600

With the rise of the iPhone, Google Android, Palm, Blackberry and several other touch screen phones out there that are not only web enabled, but offer a browsing experience similar to the one we are familiar with on desktop computers, the need for mobile friendly websites is becoming greater. I've had several web enabled phones, but the most recent one I purchased has given me a much more fluid and intuitive web experience. It's shown me, though, that most websites aren't coded with mobile phones in mind.

YouTube Video 101 :Part 2

Keif Oss — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:03:00 -0600

Your Company Video: The Pro’s and Con’s of YouTube Hosting

This is part 2 in an onging series called "YouTube Video 101". See this post and others to learn how hosting videos through YouTube may apply to your business.

Social media is all the rage these days. From building company Facebook profiles to placing videos on YouTube, a lot of businesses are jumping on board. YouTube is a great medium for putting the right kind of video on (I’ll get in to what may be the right kind of video in another post). With an audience of nearly 330 million user’s world wide, the format cannot be ignored. You can use YouTube hosting to present your video content to this audience as well as embed video feeds from YouTube in your company website. While YouTube presents some incredible new possibilities, there can be some drawbacks that companies may not be fully aware of. This post explores both the pros and cons of using YouTube’s service in business applications.

Creating Content

Adam Knight — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:36:00 -0600

In my last post, I overviewed a few of the ways to get your company blog in front of interested people. In this one, I'll try to help you find enough material to keep them coming back.

If you're not a media company, you're wrong. Every business has news and events, products or services to sell and a need for the public to know about them. And if you think that your latest contract or the opening of a new plant in Oklahoma isn't worth talking about, just take a look at what we're saying on Twitter every minute. Believe you me, there are eyes out there that want to read what you can provide.

Sitepro Podcast Episode 4 - Building a Branded Multimedia Campaign. pt 1

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:54:00 -0600

Episode 4 of the Sitepro Podcast is now available. The Sitepro Podcast was created to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content. Hosted by Sitepro's own Steve Allingham, the next four episodes of the podcasts will focus on the the Grace Lutheran Foundation and all the multimedia work that Sitepro has produced for them. Be sure to subscribe to get all of the episodes of the Sitepro Podcast.

What Makes A Website Successful?

Paul Her — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:18:00 -0600

We’re not going to focus on the design or the layout of a website, although we may mention some basic elements that will relate to the design, but more importantly, we’re focusing on how the website is structured so it can be successful.

There’s no question on arguing how a website can help you obtain a successful online presence and that it’s the most effective marketing strategy one can have as a designer or a company. A successful website should already have basic information where a site visitor can learn, identify and quickly understand how you can help. Essentially, a website provides a solution to a problem.

Promotion Potential

Adam Knight — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:53:00 -0600

There are millions of blogs out there, with more created every second. Yet, it's still vital to the health of your company to have one. The key to success is not to join the rest of the blogs in yelling for the world's attention, but to whisper into the ears of those who matter most to your business.

This isn't so daunting as you might believe. No matter what industry you're in, there's likely already blogs or forums full of passionate people discussing your field. For example, a simple Google search of "welding forums" turned up over 7 communities, on the first page. Any one of these would make, for a welding company, an ideal place to make a social media mark.

It's Official: Microsoft and Yahoo! team up to fight Google

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:26:00 -0600

CNN Money is reporting that Microsoft and Yahoo have reached an agreement to integrate search technologies and share revenue in their ongoing battle for search supremacy. Both companies trail Google, who currently enjoys a 65% market share. Even though Microsoft attempted to purchase Yahoo last year, this is a somewhat surprising development in the world of search advertising.

Read on past the break for more details about this new deal!

YouTube Video 101

Keif Oss — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:03:00 -0600

5 years ago clients typically wanted videos in a format that they can easily hand out such as DVD or interactive CD. As a multimedia supplier, Sitepro.com was unique from other production companies in that we were streaming videos within client websites as well. While physical deliverables and inter-website distribution have still been a stronghold, more clients are inquiring about services like YouTube, Facebook and other social media applications.

While there are lots of other social video sites out there, YouTube has proven to be the top of the crop. Did you know that YouTube is the number one video site on the internet? Get this: It’s the 4^th largest internet destination in the world and the #2 search engine behind Google and before Yahoo…….just huge. Often clients ask me questions like :

"How can I get my Video on YouTube?"

"How can we create a Facebook account and put my videos in it?"

"We just want to make some simple videos and upload them. Where do we start?"

Follow this series, YouTube Video 101, to gain some insight on these questions as well as thoughts you may not have considered when developing videos for social media and website use.

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder…

Kristen Cooley — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:38:00 -0600

Photography is a key element to any website. A good image captures attention, conveys emotion and can even tell a story. In the last Blog “A Picture is worth a thousand words” we talked briefly about what actually makes a good image. Cropping, using black and white versus highly contrasted color, and using natural lighting were just a few things that can help make a good image, but what makes the best image for your client’s website?

Backing up your data - Part I

Tim Kiekhafer — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:06:00 -0600

"I've never had a hard drive crash on me." That is the phrase I kept using as an excuse to put off setting up a backup system for my home computers. That and the tons of space that I would need to fully backup my important data. Images, mp3s, videos, important files, etc., on multiple computer... oh the logistics! Well you can pretty much imagine what I'm going to say after the break...

Who Wants to Know?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:10:00 -0600

Have you ever wondered who’s been on your site? Well, I suppose it would be nice to know names and addresses of people who browse your site, but that’s not possible – yet. I’m talking more general terms, specifically, how often your site gets visited.

Sitepro Sponsors Business Competition

Kate Rafko — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:37:00 -0600

Sitepro is proud to be a sponsor of the 5th Annual Jump-Start Downtown Business Plan Competition. The competition is for entrepreneurs interested in opening a business in Downtown Eau Claire. It is open to any type of business, from high-tech to office services to gift shops. The grand prize is $5,000 start-up capital.

Google Enters the OS Wars

Benjamin Stroinski — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:59:00 -0600

Not content with Chrome browser for desktop platforms and the Android OS on mobile devices, Google is planning to release Chrome OS later this year. Beyond that, it has plans to partner with hardware manufacturers to include the new OS as a standard install on netbooks.

According to the news posting on their blog, "Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve."

Read Google's blog here, or read some additional thoughts about Google's Chrome OS after the break.

Invoking My First Web Service with ColdFusion

David Bishop — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:42:00 -0600

Are you new to ColdFusion? Are you new to the Mach-II framework?
Do you often use the web to find solutions to your development needs?

Yes... Yes... Yes...

I have been writing software and web applications for quite some time. Every now and then,
I have the opportunity to work with a new language or structure. Today... happens to be one
of those opportunities!

I am new to Cold Fusion and Mach-II. I did what I usually do when I am working with a new
application: search the web for a solution or answer! I spent some time searching for an example
of how to retrieve information from a ContentService using SOAP. After a while of reading
numerous pages/documentation/blogs/etc., I realized that I was not going to find a specific answer
to my task. With some guidance, I was eventually able to piece together the code to retrieve and parse
the appropriate data from the contentservice API.

Hopefully, this code snipet will help you. Click below to see the code...

Top Five Pages Every Website Should Include

Kate Rafko — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:55:00 -0600

A successful website will stand out from the crowd; it features a unique design and interesting content. However, there are some pages that every website should include no matter what products or services are offered. Your site visitors will be looking for these...

Web Applications: Return of the thin client!

Mitchell Schultz — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:15:00 -0600

Many modern day websites (in addition to being a source of information for customers) are now providing applications to clients and employees in order to improve customer service and allow instant access to information such as current inventory levels, custom pricing and sales quotes. These applications built into the website for ease of access and “hands free” administration are the reappearance of a software architecture that appeared with the original mainframes.

Why Use a Content Management System (CMS)?

Steve Allingham — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:07:00 -0600

Websites grow old and die for a variety of reasons, but most notably because site content goes out of date. Since visitors to your site equate the quality of your site with the legitimacy and credibility of your company, you want to make sure that the information you present is clear, concise, relevant, accurate, and up to date. Here at Sitepro, we make it easy to keep your content fresh.

Using Friendfeed to Automatically Post Your Blog Entries on Twitter

Jon Karna — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:46:00 -0600

Friendfeed is a feed aggregator that groups together updates from twitter, facebook, digg, youtube, your blog and much more. It can also publish entries from your friendfeed to twitter. This article shows you how to tap into that twitter publishing feature of friendfeed to automate the posting of your blog entries to twitter. Watch my screencast to create a seamless connectioin between your blog and your twitter account.

How to Excel in Musky Fishing and Sales

Steve Allingham — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:50:00 -0600

Believe it or not, there are some striking similarities between fishing and sales. Here are four proven personal attributes that will help you catch bigger fish both on and off the water...

Why Live Chat On Your Website …

Jan Hilton Koepke — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:49:00 -0600

I recently read the article "3 Reasons You Need a Live Chat Agent For Your Website - Make Every Visitor Count" The article supports the mindset that if you own a website that provides a service you should incorporate Chat into the site.

Why Ecommerce?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:35:00 -0600

While the recession continues to batter brick and mortar stores, online sales are still pretty hot (in comparison). When gas prices climbed through the roof last year and no one wanted to leave the house – everything you needed was just a few mouse clicks away.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words - True or False?

Kristen Cooley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:34:00 -0600

Are pictures worth a thousand words? In regards to websites, most definitely true. Images are a very powerful way to convey many different things about you and your company. Images also add visual concrete evidence to back up text in your website. Studies have shown that our brains are more easily drawn to familiar real life objects than words. A good image captures attention, conveys emotion, and can even tell a story. Large, dominant images tell the viewer’s eye where to look first. Directing the viewer’s eye along a very specific path has been designed into the website.

Using Twitter To Promote

Paul Her — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:55:00 -0600

Hard economic time brings less people and traffic to you making you second guessing your advertising strategies. Don’t have to spend a dime if you don’t want to but how are you still going to drive traffic? How are you going to announce your next big thing without any advertisement?

Why 64-bit Computing Doesn't Mean Faster Minesweeper

Mitchell Schultz — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:46:00 -0600

An American inventor, Charles Kettering, once said “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” Unfortunately even in an industry linked with incredible growth and innovation this saying holds true.

Website Reviews: A Great Source for Site Improvement Ideas

Josh Gore — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:14:00 -0600

Every month, all of us here at Sitepro gather together to discuss the websites that we've launched in the previous month (the photo to the left is Chris Landon leading this review session earlier today). It is typically accompanied by lunch, and the typical "employee banter" that one would come to expect at such a youthful enterprise. Yes, it's a lot of fun...but that's not to say that there isn't serious business going on here.

You might be wondering why we do this every month, and why it's given such high priority...It all has to do with learning what functions businesses are utilizing, and how they might apply to other types of businesses as well.

Over 50 and Blogging?

Cleo Gilgenbach — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:06:00 -0600

My childhood memories include sitting at the kitchen table doing homework while my mom cooked dinner. If my homework included a report or essay paper, my resources were limited to our set of World Book encyclopedias. My, has that changed. Now, you can subscribe to the World Books online for less than $50 a year.

Sitepro Admin Quick Tips #2- How To Create A Hyperlink

Kregg Knox (K2) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:22:00 -0600

One of the most common questions we receive from our customers is "How do I create a link to a page within my own website or link to another website using my Sitepro admin?" To insert a hyperlink is easy to accomplish, but there is one unique difference between linking within your own website and linking off to another website. In this edition of Sitepro Admin Quick Tips, I will demonstrate how to create a hyperlink within your Sitepro admin and explain how to hyperlink internally and externally.

Not All Browsers Are Created Equal

Tom Dzikowski — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:36:00 -0600

In providing Technical Support to Sitepro Customers I have noticed that at least 90% of customers use Internet Explorer to browse websites. Of course I realize the average computer user will use what is given to them, in the case of the Internet Explorer Browser it is pre-loaded onto all Microsoft Windows & Vista operating systems. Microsoft has done an admiral job in trying to keep Internet Explorer current with new versions that try to give their users a better web-surfing experience. But being the largest software producer in the world can make the process of getting out new versions of Internet Explorer a real production. Microsoft needs to issue a few Beta Versions before they can fully launch a new product that will securely function with all of the different versions of Microsoft’s operating systems.

What Is Lorem Ipsum?

Paul Her — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:43:00 -0600

First we’ll look into what is Lorem Ipsum? Then we’ll head into the magical wonders of why creative designers and publishers use lorem ipsum in their initial designs.

STEPS Promotional Video added to Youtube

Keif Oss — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:05:00 -0600

You may have read Katie Rafko's blog posting early in June related to Sitepro's sponsorship of the STEPS for Girls summer camp at UW-Stout. Sitepro was asked to produce a short promtional video made from video footage shot by the STEPS videographer, Jon Robinson.The finished piece was put together yesterday afternoon. Check out the video in the full entry.

Web Marketing 101

Steve Allingham — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:50:00 -0600

Web marketing is easy - put your web address on absolutely everything that will ever come in contact with a customer, prospective customer, or someone you hope may one day be a customer. Yet, how many times have you come across business advertising and marketing that omits a company's web address?

Go Viral: Office Depot and the Recession Aggression Bag

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:03:00 -0600

If you spend any amount of time on sites like Hulu or YouTube, you may have come across this clever new ad targeting small business owners. Advertising the "Recession Aggression Bag," a phony bean-bag style product that a small business owner can physically abuse and verbally demean to feel better about the economy, the ad does no promotion of Office Depot until you visit the intriguing URL promoted at the end of the ad: thesurvivalofthesmartest.com.

Click past the break for the full video.

Intense Debate Now on the Sitepro Blog!

Jon Karna — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:15:00 -0600

Recently on the Sitepro Blog, we have switched to using an enhanced commenting system called Intense Debate. Intense Debate provides many features that will supercharge the community, increase comments, and increase pageviews. Some notable features include commenter profiles, reputation scores, email notifications, reply by email, and facebook integration. Watch my screencast and read all about the awesomeness that is Intense Debate!

Sitepro CMS – Content Management System

Matthew Martin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:08:00 -0600

The Sitepro CMS allows you to quickly make updates to your sites WebPages without the need to contact a Sitepro representative. This saves you time, money, and allows you to keep your content fresh and relevant, important issues facing every competitive business. The best part is, the Sitepro CMS comes standard with each and every website we host.

Usability in Web Design

Paul Her — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:02:00 -0600

Usability testing determines the success (or failure) of a website. Site visitors click through the site with the mouse and decide what the next step should be. Whether your site is a product driven site and the main focus is to generate a profit through people buying things, or a content heavy site with just loads of information to educate or get a point across, all site owners have one purpose in mind and a single goal to accomplish, how will the site visitor interact with the web site and how they think.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing? Part 4:
Taking Action-What Do I Do With All This Data?

Jeff Gibson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:59:00 -0600

This is the final post in the four part series: Why do I Have a Business Website and How is it Doing? The first post expressed the importance of defining clear goals for your website, the second post showed you how to assign a dollar value to those website goals, the third post explained how to create Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) to measure the performance of these website goals, and this final post will show you how to organize and look at these KPI's to make real data-driven decisions.

Why call when you can Chat…..

Jan Hilton Koepke — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:00 -0600

So it comes down to competition - which team can produce the most informative blogs within a given time frame wins the pizza and the whole ..... well you get the picture. Obligation, arm twisting and team competitiveness wins every time and prompts the writing of this blog about Live Chat.

Firefox 3.5 First Impressions

Benjamin Stroinski — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:58:00 -0600

After months of release candidate testing, Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 just days ago. If you're a current Firefox user, upgrading is as easy as clicking Help>Check for Updates up there in the menu. And if you're on a different browser all together, you can download the Firefox installer here, or stick around to read more about some of Firefox 3.5's features and newfound speed past the break.

Sitepro Admin-Quick Tips #1- How to Insert an Image

Kregg Knox (K2) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:37:00 -0600

Every year your business is changing. From new employees, new office, new logos, new partners/affiliates, etc. With your business changing so should your website. One way to keep your website fresh is by updating your images .

In this first entry for Sitepro Admin-Quick Tips, I will be explaining how to insert an image onto your Sitepro Website. It's fun, exciting, and you might even learn something.

July Blog Survey: Your Opinion Matters!

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:35:00 -0600

Thanks for visiting the Sitepro blog. Every month or so we like to open the floor to try to get your feedback on how you think we're doing. Please, take a few minutes and leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to say about our articles and our direction. Are you a Sitepro client, or considering a future project with Sitepro? Do you want to learn more tips and ideas of how to get more out of your website? Do you work in web industry and want to hear more about our technology and process? How did you find our blog?

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What topics are of interest to you? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! W appreciate your input, and thanks for reading the Sitepro Blog!

*Don't panic! We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

5 Trade Show Tips

Susan Sudbrink — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0600

First, identify the industries/customers your company is trying to prospect. Research the trade shows that will attract those markets. Make a master list of all the shows. Analyze the list in terms of costs, travel, dates, etc. Then, create a short list of shows that meet your expectations and criteria.

My Two Year Old Has a Better Chance of Reading Your Content…

Chris Landon — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:53:00 -0600

I was playing outside with my son Jacob this weekend, and made an interesting observation. He was running back and forth from the yard to the garage, pulling out a different toy each time. He'd take out the soccer net, and before I could get out the soccer ball he was on to the next toy. I'd come up with a game to play with the new toy, and he'd already be on to the next. It dawned upon me that the challenge of keeping his attention long enough to get into a game is the same challenge faced when trying to get website visitors to reach your targeted message.

Into the Future of Website Pixel Trends

Paul Her — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:37:00 -0600

Statistics are important data to business industries. However, statistics regarding browser display and the trend of advancing forward are important concepts to web designers and developers. As computer technology advances, the size of monitor screen is increasing; thus resulting in technology companies designing and developing sites at a wider scale. However, this opposes a problem for the general public, especially businesses and individuals who are still utilizing smaller monitor resolutions or viewing sites at the ancient resolution of 800x600 pixels.

Sitepro Hat Tricks the Telly Awards

Keif Oss — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:33:00 -0600

For those unfamiliar with the term "Hat Trick," it's a sports term referring to any one player scoring three times within a single game. If you're like me and grew up on the local ice rink, it's a hockey term. Today's blog isn't about bone crushing hockey action, but instead the Telly Awards. The Telly awards (3oth anniversary this year) recognize the best in local and regional television, web and film production. This year Sitepro was fortunate enough to win three awards on three submissions, hence the "hat trick" reference.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing? Part 3: Site-Assessment - How is My Website Actually Performing?

Jeff Gibson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:23:00 -0600

Once you know what your website goals are and you have defined how much each goal is worth, the next step is to measure how well your business website is actually performing in getting visitors to complete the desired goals. To effectively measure your website performance, it is important to create and understand some Key Performance Indicators (KPI's).

Not subscribed to Sitepro emails? Here's what you're missing!

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0600

The Sitepro team wants to make sure you're getting the most out of your website and the technology we have available for our customers. To meet those goals, we send out two free monthly emails to provide value both to our existing clients and those interested in web tech and trends. Read past the break to sample some of what you're missing - we hope you'll decide to subscribe!

Using 3D Animation

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:42:00 -0600

As visual effects get better and better we see the use of 3D animations more and more. We've come a long way since the days of Tron. Actually the first use of 3D graphics in a major motion picture was in the movie Futureworld (1976). Now we see 3D effects everywhere, but why do are these 3D animations used so often? Well, the uses for 3D animations are endless. Mostly we notice amazing visual effects that astound the viewer, or are often used to create scenes thout couldn't be done without CGI (computer-generated imagery). There are really no limits to what can be created. If it can be imagined, it can be created. These CGI effects are used in much more than just high budget cinema.

Consider Paperless Billing

Cleo Gilgenbach — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:07:00 -0600

Take a few minutes and think of how many invoices a business receives every month. Telephone billings, utilities, and vendor bills are probably just examples of what you receive. Each invoice arrives in an envelope; each envelope contains an invoice, many include a return envelope for payment, which requires a check and also a stamp.

Meet Collecta, the latest real-time search engine to enter the market

Lauren Haugh — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:27:00 -0600

Collecta is a new search engine that returns results based on real-time content from various sources across the web including blogs, social media sites, news publications and more. It was released today and is one of the latest real-time search engines to enter the market.

Flex Examples: Week 1

Matt King — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:02:00 -0600

Every week I'm going to highlight an example of Adobe Flex technology that I feel showcases the power of this program.

For those who don't know, Flex is an Adobe tool that generates Flash-based content. Whereas Flash began as an animation program that expanded into multimedia, Flex is geared towards generating business applications. Here on this blog I'll locate great uses of this outstanding program and provide links and information regarding their uses.

The inaugural example comes to us from Philips Electronics.

Directory Submission Starter Guide

Lauren Haugh — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:21:00 -0600

If you’re new to Search Engine Optimization and looking for ways to improve your presence in natural search engines, link building through directory submission is a great place to start. Follow these tips and guidelines for navigating through the sea of online directories and choosing quality ones that are worth your while.

Acronym of the Day: AECCTE (Don't Try to Google It)

Chris Landon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:28:00 -0600

It's funny that after four years of higher education, a single answer provides the firepower I need to address almost all the questions I'm presented related to page layout and writing for the web. Clients and co-workers alike regularly ask how their content "sounds." They may wonder why a page doesn't look quite right, or how it can be improved. The answer rings in my head; AECCTE (provide your own pronunciation).

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing?
Part 2: Monetization - How Much are my Website Goals Worth?

Jeff Gibson — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:32:00 -0600

Last week we looked at why you have a business website and why it is valuable to you. In this discussion we concluded that every business website's goal is to make money directly or indirectly by getting visitors to do something on the website, and that it is essential that you clearly define what it is you want your visitors to do and to assign a value to each goal.

There's No Recession Online Presentation Video

Keif Oss — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0600

Recently Sitepro presented collaboratively with Lee Adelman from CURT Manufacturing at the 2009 Manufacturing Advantage Conference . The presentation, titled "There's No Recession Online", discusses CURT Manufacturing's success using online retail and company reseller sites coupled with engaging media. The company has experienced significant financial success despite manufacturing it's product in a declining market in addition to the current recession. This video featuring Lee Adelman (VP, E-commerce and Retail, CURT Mfg.), Mike Phillips (Owner, Sitepro), Keif Oss (Senior Producer, Sitepro Video), tells the strategy behind CURT's recent success. View this video and learn why "There's No recession Online".

Sitepro Developers Attend TCCFUG

Jon Karna — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:29:00 -0600

Last Thursday, a few Sitepro developers attended the Twin Cities Coldfusion User Group at University of St. Thomas. We were introduced to the future of Coldfusion, specifically Coldfusion 9. There was free admission, free food, free shirt, prizes, and an abundance of new Coldfusion features.

Just Point and Twit with TwitPic!

Josh Gore — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:14:00 -0600

Okay, I know that social media tools are flying at us faster than a teenager driving home with the latest version of "Halo", but this one's definitely worth taking a few moments to examine (and yes, this too is flying extremely fast).

Sitepro Podcast Episode 3 - Webwalk

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:49:00 -0600

In a continuing effort to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content, Sitepro has created a series of podcasts which will be released regularly. An RSS feed and "subscribe" option will be available shortly.

10 Steps to a Website - How Sitepro Builds Websites

Kate Rafko — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0600

So just how is a website developed? Building a website may seem like an overwhelming process, but we make it as simple as possible by taking it one step at a time. The following outlines the 10 steps that Sitepro takes with each of our website clients. For us, it's a tried and true process.

Sitepro Podcast Episode 2 - Content Management

Martin Cuccia-Nilsen — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:51:00 -0600

Sitepro Supports STEPS, A Technology Camp for Girls

Kate Rafko — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:43:00 -0600

The Science Technology and Engineering Preview at UW-Stout for Girls (STEPS) will be taking place again this summer in June and July. Sitepro is supporting this exciting program by sponsoring two girls to attend the weeklong technology camp.

STEPS is an introduction to the exciting world of science, technology and engineering. Campers participate in a variety of workshops that give them hands-on experience with high-tech equipment and processes. An example of program activities during the week includes designing, manufacturing, and piloting a radio controlled boat. Campers will photograph and write articles about their activities that they will combine at the end of the week to create a newsletter in UW-Stout's Graphic Communications Laboratory.

Sitepro is proud to support a program that inspires young ladies to consider careers in science, technology, and engineering. To learn more about the program, visit STEP's website.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing?
Part 1: Purpose - What is the Ultimate Goal of My Website?

Jeff Gibson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:30:00 -0600

Before you can successfully market your website, it is essential that you truly understand why you have a website in the first place and what the value of your website is.

Get Followed on Twitter!

Benjamin Stroinski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:05:00 -0600

Regular readers and my colleagues know that I'm quite the Twitter junkie. It's been particularly great to use Twitter to speak in an open conversation with local businesses, get tips and news from design colleagues, get quick texts about upcoming area events, and even to send myself RSS feeds of great local shopping deals within a few minutes of being posted. I don't have a ton of followers, but that's ok - my goals for Twitter are mostly personal/professional communication, and to dialog in an interesting way with people I might not meet otherwise. Are you happy with who's following you?

So let's assume you've read the article I keep posting regarding 50 uses of Twitter for business (heck, why not browse all of our Twitter-related articles), and you've started your Twitter account. But what's this? No one will follow your tweets? What do you do? I have some suggestions about getting those elusive Twitter followers, so read on past the break to learn some simple ways you can encourage followers and gain that Twitter audience you crave!

NOW IS THE TIME - Start an Online Business TODAY!!

Kregg Knox (K2) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0600

As a whole society is cutting back on spending and focusing more on saving money. I'm sure you have all seen or heard the commercials for feedthepig.org.

Besides the mascot being outright scary, the site offers great information on how to pinch your pennies. With save instead of spend being on the top of people's mind, why is now the time to start up an online business?

Privacy and Social Networking

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:24:00 -0600

Still not sold on facebook, twitter, linkedin, and similar web applications? The most common reason I hear from people as to why they won't try social networking is the loss of their privacy. Well, if that's all that's keeping you from connecting with friends, colleagues, and potential customers, I'm here to share some simple things you can do to participate and maintain whatever level of anonymity you choose!

Read on for ideas for guidelines you can set for yourself, and settings relevant to several of the more popular sites to keep your personal information private.

Chippewa Valley Tweetup Recap

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:23:00 -0600

Kregg Knox and I checked out VolumeOne's Chippewa Valley Tweetup last night. It was a good opportunity to meet the people behind the twitter avatars, and link new people into my twitter network! Hi to Daisy (@phdaisy), Wendi (@Bibliomom), John (@johnthemember), Ben (@statetheatreguy) and the V1 staffers (Nick, Mike, and Kate) - it was great to meet you! Somehow I ended up on the front page of VolumeOne's site today, too... see the screencap after the break. (I'm the guy sitting at the corner of the bar on the right)

All in all a good time, and I'd definitely attend a second. Read Mike Paulus's writeup on the V1 blog!

IE6 Holding Ground

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:18:00 -0600

Love it or hate it, it looks like Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 is stubbornly clinging to browser market share. According to recent stats published by StatOwl.com, IE6 still clings to a 3rd place share, or 18.23% of all web users. This month, Firefox 3 took over the 2nd place position with 18.58%, and IE7 remains firmly atop the chart with 43.51%. The case for continued IE6 compatability becomes even more interesting when looking at the usage trends for corporate entities: In this case, IE6 leads the pack with over 41% , followed by IE7 at around 39%.

Want to know why the continued survival of IE6 is such a big deal? Read on to learn how not all browsers are created equal, and why IE6 looks to be sticking around for a bit longer.

June Blog Survey: We want to hear from you!

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:51:00 -0600

Are you reading the Sitepro blog? Leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to think about our articles and our direction. Are you a Sitepro client, or considering a future project with Sitepro? Do you work in web industry? How did you find our blog?

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What topics are of interest to you? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! Thanks for your input, and thanks for reading the Sitepro Blog!

*Don't panic! We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

Sitepro Podcasts Now Available

Keif Oss — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:46:00 -0600

In an effort to help educate clients and the community about various aspects of web, video and other multimedia content, Sitepro has created a series of podcasts which will be released regularly. An RSS feed and "subscribe" option will be available shortly.

Our first podcast, "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" can be accessed through the player below. Join our host, Sitepro's Steve Allingham, along with Joe Ruppert (Owner: First Recovery Solutions) and Lauren Haugh (SEO Specialist with Sitepro.com). Listen in to get useful tips on making your website more searcheable for your viewers or potential customers. SEO isn't just a fad, it's a critical part of online marketing which any business must have.

Click the "Play" button below to begin

Newbery Medal Award Speech Recorded with Sitepro, Recording Tech Messes with Complex AC System

Keif Oss — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:15:00 -0600

Having a full professional recording studio definitely gives Sitepro an edge when working with clients. Weather creating a quick sample for a project pitch, developing an audio CD for a client or recording a professional voice talent, having the studio in house gives us options that not all multimedia companies have.

Most projects we record for inevitably end up being used online, on the radio, in DVD or TV commercials. While we work with a variety of local talents, there is the occasional surprise guest. This is a story about one of those guests.

Chippewa Valley Tweetup

Benjamin Stroinski — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:33:00 -0600

Looks like next Tuesday, June 2 from 6-8pm, there's going to be a "Tweetup" (a meetup of Twitter users for the less web-savvy) held at the Livery (Downtown/Wisconsin St) and hosted by VolumeOne. Check out their site for more information. I'm planning to be there, so DM or @tweet me if you want to meet up!

In the meantime, check out my Twitter feed! (@benstroinski) This weekend I linked Twitter up to my mobile, so I'm more active on the service than ever. As always, feel free to Tweet me your web/design related questions, comments, or just to say hi.

Roth Sugar Bush Experiences 89% Increase in Online Sales in Q1 2009

Kate Rafko — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:09:00 -0600

Roth Sugar Bush, a maple syrup farm and manufacturer in Cadott, Wisconsin, had an existing online store where they sold maple syrup and products nationwide. Over the years, they had received a number of inquires about maple syrup equipment that Roth Sugar Bush did not provide.

Thanks to their website team and their dynamic online store, in early 2009 they were able to quickly react to this customer demand by adding maple syrup equipment to their online inventory. They have been receiving high volume sales ever since. In comparing 2008 sales with 2009 sales over the same month span, Roth Sugar Bush has experienced an 89% increase in sales.

To learn more about Roth Sugar Bush’s family-run business, visit them online at www.rothsugarbush.com.

Sitepro Presenting at 2009 Manufacturing Advantage Conference

Kate Rafko — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:32:00 -0600

On Thursday, May 14th, Sitepro will be presenting at the 2009 Manufacturing Advantage Conference at UW-Stout. Through dynamic, hands-on demonstrations, simulations and workshops, Manufacturing Advantage will help manufacturing professionals from across the state learn about practices to help them gain the competitive advantage. Sitepro's presentation, titled There's No Recession Online, will be presented by Sitpro client Lee Adeleman from CURT Manufacturing, Mike Phillips, Sitepro President, and Keif Oss, Sitepro Senior Video Producer.

Sitepro is hiring

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:26:00 -0600

Start a new career at Sitepro! We have immediate job openings for web developers and content specialists. Learn more about these employment opportunities.

50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:37:00 -0600

Several weeks ago I posted an article about joining Twitter. If you haven't yet, give it a try! It takes just a few minutes, and can be adapted for a variety of different business purposes. Still not convinced? New Marketing Labs President Chris Brogan has written about 50 ways you can use Twitter as part of your business.

Check out the complete article here!

Sitepro Joins Twitter

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:28:00 -0600

Sitepro recently joined Twitter where you can follow our latest news, events, and activities. Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/sitepro and become a follower! Give it a try and see how it can work for you or your company.

Sitepro Attending Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:19:00 -0600

Mike Phillips, president of Sitepro.com, LLC, is in Las Vegas attending the 6th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition at the Mirage with one of his long-time customers, owner of a Western Wisconsin car dealership. Phillips hopes to play his part in helping the struggling auto industry by leveraging Sitepro's online marketing and website solutions to help local dealerships succeed.

Fear of Blog? Don't Run from New Web Tech

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:27:00 -0600

Being a self-proclaimed web junkie, new ways of using the medium always fascinate me. When blogs became popular a few years back, I operated a personal one on LiveJournal for several years as a way to stay in touch with friends and family. This was early social network days, prior to Facebook and Twitter, and having a network of peronal blogging friends was the best way to stay in touch.

Around 2005 or so, blogs took an evolutionary step, growing from a tool for "personal journaling" into an accepted communications method for businesses and news organizations.

Still, working in Northwest Wisconsin with clients less familiar with web tech, I find that the common misconception of a blog existing only as a "dear diary" sort of personal journal is still prevelant. Clients frequently react negatively to hearing the word "blog," and don't always understand what a blog can do for them. Read on to see how flexible a good blog can be a key part of your professional communication!

Google Announces One-line Sitelinks

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:44:00 -0600

The subsequent links that are sometimes displayed in a column-like fashion beneath the first listing in Google's search engine results pages (SERP), known as sitelinks, have received a makeover. Google announced yesterday that they've changed the way they do the now called one-line sitelinks.

Simplicity: The key to good design

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:01:00 -0600

The old cliche Keep It Simple Stupid applies to website design as well. Though it's certainly my job to design whatever will make the client happiest, I always do my best to explore options and explain to clients how visitors might get lost on their site based on the overwhelming amount of information they feel is needed on one page or another. Recently, one client had me build in widgets on the home page summarizing and linking to nearly every part of their site over the course of several revisions instead of keeping the home page simple and building a flow through the site to ensure critical information was highlighted on the appropriate page.

I touched on some of this briefly in a previous article, but I'd like to take some to review why it's so important to keep things simple for your site visitors. Read on after the break to learn some of the benefits to bringing focus and simplicity to your site.

April Blog Survey: Reading the Sitepro Blog?

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:33:00 -0600

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What do you like? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! Thanks for your input, and thanks for reading!

*We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

You Get Out What You Put In

Josh Gore — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:47:00 -0600

Blogging is the best thing since sliced bread! I’d be willing to bet that as a business professional who is in tune with current trends has heard that no less than a hundred times within the past year. There are many reasons why a business/company would want to blog…

Rethinking the Sitemap page

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:51:00 -0600

The sitemap page is a critical addition for SEO and allowing search engines to crawl your site. Over the last year or so, sitemaps have been evolving. Once the standard stand-alone page that simply linked to every page, designers have found clever ways of integrating a sitemap into the framework as a usable site tool. Learn more about this new trend after the break.

Have a voice? Use it! - The Language of Blogs.

Matt King — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:15:00 -0600

You could be forgiven for not jumping on board the blogging bandwagon. As someone in business, I'm sure you understand there's always an inherent risk involved when undertaking something new. But there's a real benefit in putting yourself out there for the world to see. Read more about it after the jump.

The Business of Blogging

Susan Sudbrink — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:27:00 -0600

Aren't blogs part of this "social networking" fad for younger people, simply journaling to each other online about what's going on in their lives? As a professional who has been employed in the business sector for over twenty years that is exactly what I thought social networking was all about. Boy was I wrong.

This January I had the privilege of attending the Internet Retailer Conference in Miami, Florida. Read more about how it changed my perspective on social networking, and blogs in particular, after the break.

Blog?

Kregg Knox (K2) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:48:00 -0600

The word "Blog," makes many people cringe, roll their eyes or go huh?, but many companies are praising the application of a Blog on there website for many reasons.

Browser Wars Revisited: Microsoft tells a different story

Benjamin Stroinski — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:58:00 -0600

Last week I discussed a ZD Net report that indicated Safari 4 was found to be the "world's fastest" browser, particularly at tasks involving rendering JavaScript. Microsoft has responded, completing their own study of IE 8, and now say that it's faster than both Chrome and Firefox. See more of their results after the break.

Twitter wants to know: What are you doing?

Benjamin Stroinski — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:16:00 -0600

Today's the day. Are you ready to get started with social networking? Let's start up your very own Twitter account! Click past the break to see how easy it is.

NoRecessionOnline.com

Mike Phillips — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 -0600

Welcome to our new website "No Recession Online". This website is about hope and optimism. Every day we're immersed in negative news about the economy, lost jobs, housing foreclosures, bailouts... it's enough to keep you from getting out of bed in the morning. Certainly these are real concerns affecting millions of Americans. However, the fact remains that it's not all bad news. There are positive, inspiring stories that we hear every day. I want to share some of these stories with you.

Our company, Sitepro.com, is a website development company. We build websites for a wide variety of businesses. Certainly, not all of our clients are "booming", but there is a significant number that are! Before I go one step further with my story, I must emphasize that the act of building a website to sell "stuff" online is absolutely no guarantee of success. In fact, If you're looking for a "get rich quick" idea, this isn't it.

"No Recession Online" however is a collection of case studies about everyday people who work hard, produce a product or service and deliver that product or service to online buyers. Because we have the unique opportunity to observe this cross section of businesses in action, we see and hear success stories almost every day. Some are small successes while others... hit the ball out of the park!

Because we respect the privacy of our clients, we are somewhat limited in the descriptions we can provide about individual cases though there is enough to accomplish our mission, sharing hope.

Safari 4: King of the (Browser) Jungle

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:51:00 -0600

ZDNet News reported test results last week indicating Safari 4 is the fastest browser available, both on PC and Mac. While the data ultimately comes down to a matter of milliseconds, Safari still clocks in more than three times faster than Firefox 3 and more than five times faster than Internet Explorer 8 (release candidate 1).

These are results from a PC with a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo:

1) Safari 4 (Total time: 910ms)
2) Mozilla Minefield 3.2a1 (1,136ms)
3) Google Chrome (1,177ms)
4) Firefox 3 (3,250ms)
5) Opera 9.6 (4,076ms)
6) Internet Explorer 8 (5,839ms)
7) Internet Explorer 7 (39,026ms)

Bottom line, this may or may not mean much to you. Everyone likes a browser for a particular reason. If you're up for a new flavor of Internet, why not give Safari a try? You can download it for free here.

Make It Interactive – Design for how People Use the Web!

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:27:00 -0600

Since the Internet went mainstream a little over 10 years ago, having a website has been an important part of a business marketing plan. You operate a website to communicate your message to the rest of the world, to encourage purchases, or maybe even to sell products online. Your site exists for visitors to visit, read everything they want to know, and then become a customer. It’s that simple, right?

Not exactly. A website must go beyond one-way communication, meet definable customer needs, and achieve company goals. Most websites are too wordy, asking viewers to read the site like a book instead of finding ways to use the site as an interactive branch of the business. Text-heavy sites are built with the incorrect assumption that visitors will patiently click one page after another and read every word, eventually finding what it is they are looking for. These sites fall short of quickly directing visitors to critical information, and fail to encourage an actionable goal out of their visitors. Read past the break to learn how your site can avoid the same fate.

Increase Sales & Customer Loyalty with Niche Social Networks

Kregg Knox (K2) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:18:00 -0600

Social networking has quickly become an integral part of everyday life. The use of social networking is not simply restricted to today's youth, but spans all ages. It was revolutionary when e-mail became mainstream many years ago. The idea that you could send a message and the recipient could read that message within seconds was groundbreaking. Social networking sites are the evolution of that: communication and community building using the power of the internet. Read on to discover more about this ongoing trend.

Have you thought about your logo lately?

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:24:00 -0600

Your company’s logo is a symbol representing your business. It serves as a visual representation of your place in the industry, your company’s culture, and your attitude to clients. Have you thought about what your logo says about your company? Read on to learn just how critical a clean, well-designed logo is the cornerstone to a solid brand.

Sitepro Launches Company Blog

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0600

Sitepro is proud to introduce our new company blog, built in-house by our talented team of web development, design, and marketing experts! The purpose of this blog is to create conversations about the online world in relation to your business or organization. From social networking and internet marketing to website design, development, and multimedia, we want to be your online resource for industry trends, information, tips, and more. We will also utilize our blog to share the latest company news and developments at Sitepro.

Come on in, read and interact with us - share your stories and give feedback. Let’s start conversations about the Internet’s role in our future and start to become well functioning components of the online world.

Top Five Advantages of CMS

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:34:00 -0600

A Content Management System (CMS) is computer software that allows the user to easily create, edit, and manage website content in an organized, consistent fashion. Not all CMS are created equal. Some allow more control than others and are developed differently. But, all in all, CMS definitely provide website owners with some serious advantages.

Exciting New Product: Sitepro WebWalk!

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:55:00 -0600

Add some pizzazz to your website with Sitepro WebWalk! This new product is Sitepro's latest creation, allowing you to capture your visitor's attention with a personal walk-on video that displays on your website. Use the video walkon to highlight your products and services, areas of interest, special promotions, and much more. Several packages and options are available for companies of all sizes and varying budgets. To learn more, watch the WebWalk in action or contact Sitepro for more information.

Top Five Web Resources We Love

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:40:00 -0600

This Valentine's Day, Sitepro staffers have compiled a short and sweet list of websites we love. Check it out, and then spread the love and share your favorite site or sites with us - such as gossip blogs, news sites, or industry-specific web resources - to be shared in next month's inSite e-newsletter. Send us the link and your description of the site. If yours is selected, we'll send you a box of chocolates from Obsession Chocolates in Eau Claire!

Top Five Ways to Use Web Analytics

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:21:00 -0600

When was the last time you checked your website statistics? Web stats or analytics say a lot about your customers, your industry, and the success of your website. Learn five ways to use web analytics to your company's advantage.

Top Five Ways to Keep Your Website Content Fresh

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:07:00 -0600

Maintaining relevant, interesting information on your website is key to getting your customers to return time and again. Here are five ways you can keep your website content fresh and exciting!

Office Space for Lease

Lauren Haugh — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:18:00 -0600

Starting a small business or looking to relocate your office space in Eau Claire, Wisconsin? Sitepro.com has

Create a Call to Action

Emmy Bill — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:31:00 -0600

So many website owners get caught up in the “rankings game”; so much that they forget what it was in the first place that their website was supposed to accomplish.

Keep Things Consistent - Basic Brand Management

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:25:00 -0600

Having worked for several years with small-to-mid size companies on a daily basis, the most common issue I find is lack of consistency in their visual identity. These businesses all have reasons for not developing consistent brand marketing ranging from belief that doing so would be cost prohibitive, to not believing the scope of their business is large enough for consistency to matter.

10 Ways to Start Improving Your Search Engine Ranking

Lauren Haugh — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:16:00 -0600

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be an effective form of website marketing within natural search engine listings; but, if you’re new to the industry, knowing where to begin can be a daunting task. So, to help out those of you who are new to SEO, I’ve created a list of 10 simple, yet effective tips and strategies that serve as an excellent starting point for improving your search engine rankings.

Introduction to Keyword Research

Emmy Bill — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:13:00 -0600

What is keyword research?
Keyword research refers to te practice of discovering the best keywords and phrases to target within the pages of your website. You want to find the keywords and phrases that your potential site visitor would type into the search box at one of the search engines to find your product or service.

Online Businesses Defy Recession

Emmy Bill — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:01:00 -0600

It’s no secret that most people are watching their pocketbooks these days, so what does that mean for current businesses that are struggling, people who are considering starting a business, or those desiring to take their current business in a new direction, or to the next level. The best option that entrepreneurs have today is the option to take their business online.

5 Strategies for Business Prosperity in a Down Economy

Emmy Bill — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:26:00 -0600

In a down economy many business owners find themselves low on funds, downsizing and sometimes forced to close their doors. No business is recession-proof… not even funeral homes. But just because there may be a looming recession, doesn’t mean your business has to submit to it.

Recession Proof Your Search Advertising

Lauren Haugh — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:52:00 -0600

Eight ways to get the most out of your advertising budget

Sitepro's Search Engine Optimization team recently attended a SEMPO webinar on Recession-Proofing Your Search Campaign where Abe Mezrich, Communications Manager at Didit, presented some great businesses strategies for making the most of your Google advertising budget during the economic recession.

What's in Store for SEO in 2009?

Emmy Bill — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:31:00 -0600

This year at PubCon Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. gave a talk in which he discussed the future of SEO and how it will be impacted by Google's behavior and intent based search algorithms in relationship to rankings. According to Bruce, this will become the most significant facotor affecting universal search come 2009. WebProNews did an interview with Bruce Clay after the presentation which is definately worth watching!

HD Video on Blu-Ray for Industry Trade Show

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:16:00 -0600

In partnership with CURT Manufacturing, Sitepro delivered our first HD video production for an industry tradeshow. Learn how we leveraged their video production capabilities to provide a cutting-edge solution for our client.

HD Video Now Available on Blu-Ray

Lauren Haugh — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:51:00 -0600

Sitepro Video now offers finished HD video via Blu-Ray disc! Our HD capabilities are a huge step toward delivering a very high end experience for companies interested in using video production for their marketing arsenal. Using the HD video format at tradeshows or in the boardroom, lobby, or waiting room will deliver a stunning experience.

Visit our Eau Claire studio or call to schedule an appointment to see the difference in action. 715.858.0000 | 866.748.3776 (toll-free)

Learn how CURT Manufacturing utilized a Sitepro HD video production for an industry tradeshow.