FAQ

As technology improves, we’re seeing smaller differences between a blog and a website. In fact we’re willing to bet you are on blogs all the time, thinking they are traditional websites! We’ve been using the WordPress platform for several years, and have converted the majority of our websites over to a blog system because of the ease and accessibility of the systems. You really will be surprised at how much you can do, and how gorgeous your designs can be.

One of the reasons the template based do-it-yourself website programs grew in popularity is because you can take control over the content. As a small business owner, nothing could be more important. If you want to add a page, make a change, or add a special – at 11:30 on Saturday night – it may take days for your website designer to get it done. Why wait when you can do it yourself?

The problem with do-it-yourself website design programs is their limitations. They make it difficult to properly optimize your site for search engine ranking. The modules are non-customizable – what you see is what you get. And the design capabilities are limited at best.

When we design using the WordPress blog format, we can customize it any way you choose. It’s easy to add an implement hundreds of modules, and adding photos and videos is a snap. Search engine optimization? I’ve had some of my blog posts be ranked in Google in less than one hour, and have received number one placement with millions of pages of competition.

It definitely comes back to the old saying, “You get what you pay for”. Free programs give you a few templates to choose from – no customization. They don’t allow you to customize your graphics, navigation, templates, modules – you choose one of a few designs and stick with that. In many cases, you don’t control your own domain name – instead you use an extension like mycompany.blogspot.com. And if by chance the “free blogs” decide to shut down your site, you have no recourse. It’s free, and you can’t argue with a company about your content when you weren’t paying for it in the first place.

That’s the beauty of using a blog. There’s no software to buy. No special programs to invest in. You can control the content anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to the Internet. You simply pay a one time fee for customization of your blog design, and then pay monthly hosting like you would any website.

With any website or web presence, you have to have a place where your content resides. The code for your site, web presence, or blog is placed out on a portion of a server, and the hosting fee covers your ability to be accessible on the World Wide Web.

Yes. If you don’t already have a domain name purchased, we can help you select one that fits your business model. Or head over and see if your current choice is still available.

Yes. You have full control over every aspect of your blog. You can change content on your pages. Add new pages and posts. Add graphics. Even change the structure and layout of your design. Anything is possible with your blog design.

A content management system means you have full control and access to the content on your site. One of the major problems with traditional web design is you needed to have expertise in programming to create the site. Blogs make it easy to enter any page, and simply correct, add or delete anything you choose. If you can type in a Word document program, you have the skills to handle a content management system.

Yes. With just a few clicks, you can upload images directly from your desktop, or use a URL and the image will load into your page.

Yes. YouTube makes it easy – just copy the embed code from the video you choose. Your blog post makes it easy – just paste the code into your post in the html format mode. Publish your post, and there is your video.

Yes. While our Starter blog design has limited control over design and functionality, the Branding and Platinum packages give you control over everything. Customize it any way you choose. Change your navigation. Add as many pages as you choose. The choice is yours.

Yes. With traditional web designs, it was difficult to make changes to the navigation. Once the code was in place, it took quite a bit of work to add a new button, or expand the layers. With your blog design, you can control your navigation just by adding a new page. You can change your navigation in seconds.

One of the most common questions we here is, “How can I get to number one ranking in Google?” One of the reasons we’re switching all of our web designs over to blogs is because of the accessibility to Google. If you’re using your blog system properly, it’s easy to get almost immediate ranking in Google.

In February of 2009, I decided to run an experiment. I created a blog post entitled, “Growing Pink Roses In Colorado”. In days I was number one in Google under the term, “Growing Pink Roses In Colorado”.

One year later, I’m still number one in Google under the term, “Growing Pink Roses In Colorado”.

Yes, in the Branding and Platinum packages, you can have forms within your pages. Forms work well when you want to be interactive with your prospects and customers, like on your Contact Us page.

The checkmarks on our Blog Design page help you understand the differences.

The Starter package is a simple design, giving you access to a blog in its simplest format. It is set up similar to a journal. You can add posts, which appear and rotate down on your home page as you add more content.

The Branding and Platinum packages give you control to the content management system, and allow you to set up your home page different from your internal pages. You can control your static pages, and control your navigation.

The Branding package is our basic entry into a content management system. It gives you the flexibility of having a content management system, without adding the additional features that begin to add the customization and the creativity.

The Platinum package makes anything possible. We can add movement, Flash presentations, multi-tiered navigation, and help you select modules that are perfect for your business.

With the Platinum Plus package, we also give you accessibility to a professional copywriter to help you create up to five pages of content for your finished design.

One of the most important things with blogging is content. If you’re just starting out, or want to test the waters on a new idea, the Starter may be a good choice. When you’re ready to move forward, we can help you move to the next level, incorporating all of your current content into your new design. The goal is to get what’s right for you now, at your current stage of business.

When you hire us to create your blog, our most important goal is to help you use it effectively. We’ve created an array of videos that walk through many of your most important questions. Like how to build a post. The difference between posts and pages. How to get your post ranked in Google. And so much more! And when new questions arise from our customers, we add more videos! We keep them short and to the point so you don’t have to watch 30 minutes of video to get your answer. Many of our videos are 5 minutes in length, allowing you to watch and implement immediately. These are accessible in our backend membership area 24/7 – ready when you need it most.