How to Increase Your Website ROI: Design and Marketing Tips from a South Florida Expert
We spoke with partner Paula Moore of Moore Design Solutions for expert insight into the world of web design and the best way to make sure you get conversions from those who visit your site.
Q 1: Can you please tell us a bit about your professional history? How you founded Moore Design Solutions and your background in general? How did you get into the field of web design and digital marketing? (this will serve as an intro at the beginning of the article).
A 1: Graphic design in the print industry is where I began my design career many years ago. Back in those days, printed design was the main way for small businesses to visually gain notice with customers. As time went on, it became apparent that print was becoming less prevalent for marketing and promotion; marketing strategies were changing, moving rapidly into the web. So, around 2003 I worked on expanding my skill set to include web design and development, and in 2005 launched my web design and development business.
Q 2: One of the things that makes Moore Design Solutions unique is the company’s emphasis on creating websites with clean, search-engine friendly code. What would you say are the top factors business owners should look at when making a website that they want to be competitive in today’s SEO environment?
A 2: Look for a web design and development company that is experienced in creating websites specifically for SEO marketing. And then, pair that design company with the right SEO marketing company so the two specialists can work together to create the best website for the business owner’s target goals and objectives. If a business owner is concerned about being found on the Internet, they must first map out their marketing goals and clearly outline their marketing strategy before doing anything else. Their “plan” should be established first, then the website can be designed and developed to be the best vehicle to achieve the goals of the plan. The old adage is still true: ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail’.
Q 3: Now that you’ve told us what makes for a good website, what makes for a bad one? What are the worst mistakes you see businesses making with their sites?
A 3: Many business owners focus solely on the price of a website, and the cost of related services. They try to cut corners in every area including eliminating the number of web pages, skimping on marketing services, even trying to manage their website content themselves – all of these types of cut backs, ironically, come at a big expense. There are literally millions of websites on the Internet. Each website is just a “needle in a haystack” on the web unless the owner recognizes the fact that they must have the best website and a solid marketing strategy to gain traction with the engines so their site can be found.
Q 4: Moore Design Solutions rightly focuses on giving each client a personalized site ideal for his or her business, industry, client base. With so many factors to consider, what are the guiding principles or rules of thumb you use to determine what kind of site is best for a client?
A 4: Quality customer service and attention to detail is a key factor in every project. Each client’s business and situation is different. We listen to each client carefully, getting to know their business and what they are trying to achieve, and then we set out to make it happen. If our client is successful we have succeeded too. It’s a “win-win” combination. One could say that is our overall guiding principle – “a client’s success is our success”.
Q 5: You have experience making websites for both local and national companies. You also create niche sites dedicated to specific products or services. What unique challenges do each of these types of sites present, and how is it different working with one or the other?
A 5: No matter what type of project we take in, each one has its own unique challenges. All projects have challenges that need to be identified and studied before beginning any design and development work. Every project gets our full attention.
Q 6: Part of your success has come from cultivating strong long-term relationships with your clients. What’s your secret to building these kind of relationships and retaining clients?
A 6: All of our clients receive personalized attention and quality customer service. We treat our customers the way we would like to be treated; their project is important to us and we convey that to them. All projects are custom-tailored to fit the client’s target audience, goals and objectives.
Q 7: What off-line marketing tactics have personally given you the best results?
A 7: In a nutshell: Quality, reliable customer service. Customers first. A referral is the best compliment there is.
Q 8: Based on all the experience you’ve acquired, what would you have done differently at the start of your business?
A 8: The focus has always been forward, adapting as needed along the way. So I can’t really think of any regrets or anything I would have done differently. 😉
Q 9: As a businessperson, what motivates you to keep going forward?
A 9: The love of the pixel, the shifting sands of the web business, and the fact that the sky is the limit. If you dream it, you can make it happen on the web.
Got any more questions for Paula? you can reach her at mds@mooredesignsolutions.com and for a Free Report on your SEO needs you can fill out our form.
