Building a Website Doesn’t Have to Be Scary

Solutions by Design

But for many business owners, nothing feels more terrifying than the idea of building or redesigning a website. Between technical jargon, design choices, mobile responsiveness, and SEO it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Good news…developing your business website doesn’t have to be scary when you partner with a full-service company like Solutions by Design in Fresno, CA.

With over 30 years of experience helping businesses across industries look great and perform online, Solutions by Design takes the fear, frustration, and guesswork out of website development.

A Full-Service Approach Means You Don’t Have to Worry About a Thing

When you work with freelancers or try to DIY your own website, you're left juggling designers, developers, and hosting platforms often with mismatched results. But Solutions by Design offers everything under one roof, including:

• Custom web design and development
• Mobile-responsive layouts
• SEO optimization
• Content creation
• Hosting and support
• Analytics and ongoing updates

This means one team, one vision, and one stress-free path to an exceptional website.

One of the biggest fears businesses have is ending up with a cookie-cutter website that looks just like everyone else’s. At Solutions by Design, every website is custom designed to reflect your brand identity, business goals, and user experience needs. Whether you’re a medical practice, retail store, or nonprofit, your website will be built to represent you.

From fonts and colors to layout and features, our designers bring your vision to life with creativity and clarity.

The team at Solutions by Design builds all websites to be fully responsive, meaning they look and function great on phones, tablets, and desktops. We also integrate key search engine optimization best practices from the start so your website is discoverable by the customers who need you most.

A website isn’t something you build once and forget. It needs to evolve, grow, and be maintained. Luckily, you’re never alone with Solutions by Design. We provide ongoing support, updates, security, and performance monitoring, so you can focus on running your business and not worrying about broken links or outdated content.

If the idea of building a website gives you chills, it’s time to call in the experts. Solutions by Design doesn’t just create beautiful websites, we build strategic, user-friendly platforms that drive results and reflect the professionalism of your business.

 

 

The Crucial Role of Excellent Website Design

Solutions by Design

In the vast and competitive landscape of the internet, where attention spans are fleeting, the importance of excellent website design cannot be overstated. A website is often the first point of contact between a brand and its audience, and the design plays a pivotal role in capturing and retaining visitor attention.

Imagine walking into a store with disorganized shelves, dim lighting, and unclear signage. The chances are you wouldn't be enticed to explore further. Similarly, a website is the digital storefront of a brand, and first impressions matter. Excellent website design serves as a visual handshake, creating an immediate connection with visitors. The aesthetics and layout of a site contribute to the overall perception of a brand, influencing whether a visitor decides to stay and explore or navigate away.

Visually appealing design elements, such as a well-chosen color scheme, high-quality imagery, and a clean layout, convey professionalism and attention to detail. These factors not only attract visitors but also instill confidence and credibility, setting the stage for a positive user experience.

User experience is at the heart of excellent website design. It's not just about creating something beautiful…it's about crafting an intuitive and seamless journey for the visitor. Navigation should be straightforward, with clear calls-to-action guiding users on their digital exploration. An easy-to-use website enhances the overall user experience, making it more likely that visitors will engage with the content and offerings.

Well-designed websites prioritize logical information flow, ensuring that visitors can effortlessly find what they're looking for. Whether it's a product, service information, or engaging content, a well-organized website keeps visitors engaged and encourages them to delve deeper.

The digital landscape has evolved, with a significant portion of internet traffic originating from mobile devices. Excellent website design is synonymous with mobile responsiveness. A website that looks stunning on a desktop but becomes cumbersome on a smartphone is likely to lose a substantial portion of its audience.

Mobile-friendly design ensures that visitors have a consistent and enjoyable experience across devices. This adaptability not only caters to the preferences of diverse users but also positively impacts search engine rankings, as search engines increasingly prioritize mobile-friendly websites.

Loading speed can make or break a visitor's experience. Excellent website design includes optimization for speed, preventing potential visitors from bouncing away due to slow-loading pages. Users expect websites to load quickly, and a delay of even a few seconds can lead to frustration and abandonment.

A fast-loading website not only contributes to a positive user experience but also has implications for search engine optimization. Search engines factor loading speed into their algorithms, making it a crucial component for achieving higher rankings in search results.

Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship, and the digital realm is no exception. Excellent website design builds trust and credibility by presenting a professional and reliable image. Visitors are more likely to engage with a website that looks trustworthy and reflects the authenticity of the brand. A polished and well-designed website communicates that the brand cares about its online presence and is invested in delivering a quality experience to its audience.

An excellent website design goes beyond attracting visitors; it encourages them to linger. Engaging visuals, interactive elements, and well-crafted content create a digital oasis that visitors want to explore. Whether through captivating imagery, informative videos, or thoughtfully designed interactive features, a well-designed website entices users to spend more time exploring its offerings. And the longer visitors stay, the more opportunities there are to convey a brand's message, showcase products or services, and establish a meaningful connection. A website that captures and holds attention has a higher likelihood of converting visitors into customers or advocates for the brand.

As we navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, brands need to recognize the pivotal role that  design has in shaping the online experience. By prioritizing excellent website design, businesses can create a digital presence that not only attracts visitors but keeps them coming back for more. 

 

The Importance of a Responsive Website

Solutions by Design

Your website is often the first point of contact with potential customers. A responsive website creates a positive and professional first impression. Outdated designs, slow loading times, and non-responsive layouts can turn visitors away. Conversely, a modern and user-friendly website conveys your commitment to staying relevant and meeting customer needs. By making a strong initial impact, you increase the chances of visitors staying longer, exploring your offerings, and ultimately converting into customers.

A responsive website prioritizes user experience. Responsive design ensures that your website adapts seamlessly to different devices and screen sizes, providing a consistent and optimal browsing experience for users. This adaptability enhances usability, readability, and navigation, regardless of whether visitors are accessing your website from a desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet. With a user-friendly interface, intuitive navigation, and fast-loading pages, you create a positive experience that keeps visitors engaged. Not only that…when visitors encounter a well-maintained and trustworthy website, they are more likely to perceive your business as credible and reliable, fostering a positive impression and strengthening trust in your business.

Did you know that a responsive website with updated content, design, and technical aspects contributes to improved search engine rankings?

Search engines favor websites that provide a positive user experience, including fast-loading pages, mobile-friendliness, and fresh, relevant content. Regularly updating your website with new content, optimizing meta tags, and implementing SEO best practices can enhance your visibility in search engine results, driving more organic traffic to your site, allowing you to outrank competitors.

At Solutions by Design, our goal is to create excellent responsive websites that are unique and functional. Our custom websites are developed in-house and without the use of templates, therefore it is easy and efficient to complete all the phases on time and within budget. Our system of personal communication and your understanding of the development process help to avoid costly mistakes and ensure your website will be developed in the most efficient way possible.

When combined with our outstanding Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Packages, your website is sure to gain more visibility and set your business apart from your competitors.

The Importance of an SSL Certificate on your Website

Solutions By Design

How we access information has changed significantly in the past few years alone. From websites to mobile phones, the amount of information we can consume is endless, all accessible right in our pockets. Internet privacy has been at the forefront of nationwide discussions for quite some time. With the potential of having thousands of users visit your website, you want to ensure your users are safe and deem your website as a trustworthy source. This is where an SSL Certificate comes in. Online security is an important factor in how we use and experience the internet.

What is an SSL Certificate? An SSL Certificate stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Its purpose is, “[having] an SSL ensures that the sensitive data of your website's visitors will be transferred over a secure network.” according to Forbes. All the information users put in your website will remain secure. Implementing an SSL Certificate on your website is an easy process that Solutions by Design can help you with.

Do I Need an SSL Certificate? The short answer is Yes! SSL Certificates tell Google (and other search engines) your site is secure. It increases your website’s security. If your website accepts payment information, has login details, sign up forms or a place where users input their personal information, an SSL certificate protects your visitor's data and personal information.

Having an SSL Certificate authenticates your website and tells your visitors your website is trustworthy. Not having an SSL Certificate will show up like this to your website visitors. “Your website will be displayed with a security padlock in the address bar of the browser. This will indicate that the connection is secure and will show your website’s visitors that you take their privacy seriously. If your website doesn’t have a certificate, some browsers may label it as “unsafe,” according to Forbes.

Another benefit to having an SSL certificate is an increase in rankings for your SEO campaigns. Google and other search engines recognize the secure website and prioritize it over websites that do not have an SSL certificate.

If Solutions by Design hosts your website, we can help set up your SSL certificate on your website to keep your website visitor's information safe.

Google decided in 2018 to make websites have an SSL certificate, making it mandatory in 2018. According to Google, “Beginning in July 2018 with the release of Chrome 68, Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure”. This is an effort to make the internet safe and keep user's personal data safe. Google will flag websites that do not have an SSL certificate and will let users now their website is marked as unsafe. Here is what it may look like, depending on what type of internet browser you are using.

It’s 2021 and the way we access information, shop, set up appointments and ask for information is through websites. Your users personal data should be secure. Contact Solutions by Design for more information on SSL certificates or if you need one set up.

The Importance of a Responsive Web Design

Solutions By Design

If your website is not a priority then you may be losing more potential customers than you realize. Potential customers may not even be seeing your business in the first place when they search for the service you provide online. Responsive Web Design (RWD) has become the standard in web designs, designed for a positive user-experience first when your website is being visited on a mobile phone, a tablet, a desktop or a Montage Board.

The reality is, the success of your website depends on how your potential customers will experience your website. There are various aspects and features a website must-have, regardless of what you are providing, all websites should have one thing in common, a responsive design.

What is RWD? Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a design technique that adjusts a website to fit a wide variety of devices. A responsive website looks good no matter whether you're looking at it on a phone, tablet, or desktop. It is important that your website adjusts to fit any device your customers may be on. Responsive sites have quickly become the single, most important external marketing tool available for your business. It is all about online communications that translate well across numerous platforms.

User Experience
Websites are constantly being visited by a variety of customers at any given time through various devices and screen sizes. Thinking of your consumer first, you can give the best possible user experience, turning them into actual customers. A mobile-friendly website is a byproduct of a responsive design, which gives your potential customers a better chance of exploring all that your website has to offer. Nothing is worse than having to spend time finding information across devices or information not being found at all.

For example, if a potential customer is searching for a certain type of information on your website, they may find it on a desktop at work. That same customer may return at a later time, searching for the same information on their mobile phone, only to not find it at all. Ensuring your website is consistent in design, information and user experience across all devices and screen sizes, you do not give customers a reason to abandon your site.

Future Proof Your Website
The digital world is always changing, and while trends come and go, there are digital features and practices that become the staple in web designs. In 2018 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated by mobile phones. In our pockets, we have a wealth of information available to us through our devices, which means any information we want on a business or service is just a tap away.

The benefit a responsive website has is the best chance that your website will easily adapt to support new devices and screens, currently and in the future. As technology changes every day, and new devices are being released, a responsive website will be ready to adapt to those devices.

Search Engine Optimization
Responsive Web Designs are the standard and search engines such as Google, no doubt favor responsive websites when it comes to ranking for search engine optimization (SEO). If your users are not able to navigate your website, they will most likely not stick around and leave. Search engines recognize the ease of website navigation, helping rank your website higher than those with nonresponsive sites.

Page Loading Times is one of the main factors when it comes to SEO and rankings. Every website should be optimized to load as fast as possible and with a responsive design, your user's experience will be a more positive experience.

Bounce Rate is a ranking factor search engines such as Google pays attention to. The bounce rate is related to how much time someone spends on your site. How quickly do your visitors leave your website or return? Google pays attention to it all, using user behavior and determines rankings when it comes to entry and exit points for a website.

A responsive web design, elevates your business and its appearance greatly, allowing you to serve your customers first. Solutions by Design builds custom websites that are uniquely yours. Your website is an existential part of your business. We are one of the few firms that truly offer a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, search engine optimization, and social media services necessary to create effective and leading-edge websites. Contact us today!

SEO: What are Toxic Backlinks?

Solutions By Design

Optimizing websites to rank high on search engines requires strategies that meet the individual needs of a website. One of those strategies is acquiring quality backlinks.

What are Backlinks? Backlinks are when another website links to yours. They can often be referred to as “external backlinks” or “inbound links.”  These links all are part of how search engines, such as Google ranks your website. These quality backlinks can come from websites that point to your service or content. Think of them as positive referrals that essentially give your website authority and legitimacy, in the eyes of Google.

Toxic backlinks are quite the opposite and are links that will overall negatively affect your rankings.

Google’s view on how toxic backlinks negatively impact your site, is pretty straight forward. “Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. This includes any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site.”

These are a few reasons why Google will decrease your ranking with negative /low-quality backlinks. 

• Buying or selling links. This includes exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links; exchanging goods or services for links, or sending someone a “free” product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link
• Excessive link exchanges ("Link to me and I'll link to you") or partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking
• Using automated programs or services to create links to your site

Where do Toxic Backlinks Come From? A link that is pointing to your website can come from a variety of places, which can be categorized as toxic. Often these links have no connection to what you offer, your services or industry. They can come from:

• Spam websites 
• Un-indexed Google websites
• Websites containing viruses 
• Payday loan websites

A simple way to view if you have toxic backlinks is to review all the backlinks to your website and determine where they are coming from and their credibility.

How Do I Remove Toxic Backlinks? You should try to remove toxic backlinks by deleting them and asking the site owner to remove them. Because most of the sites are spam websites, the most effective way to remove toxic backlinks is to use the Disavow Tool from Google. This can be done by identifying toxic backlinks and uploading a list to the Disavow tool. You can find the complete steps here. 

Backlinks are sure to reappear over time from new websites, which is why constantly monitoring your website is important. Think of backlinks as positive referrals and credibility to your website, such as when someone refers you to their favorite place. Backlinks ultimately help your website rank well on the search engine results pages. Solutions by Design offers various SEO packages to help your website rank high and attract new customers. We monitor backlinks through a backlink audit to ensure Google and other search engines are ranking your website correctly and efficiently. Learn more about our SEO services and contact us for more questions. 

Why You Shouldn’t DIY your Website

Solutions By Design

Everything in 2020 is digitally-driven and branded. From food to transportation to connecting with friends, everything is within the reach of our pockets and instantly recognizable through branding. Websites are the extension to what we offer, whether it is a service, e-commerce or a small business, professionally designed websites are a standard in any industry.

Website aesthetics, branding, functionality, and the user's experience all contribute towards how your website is received. On the customer service end, a website can be the deciding factor whether a potential visitor turns into a customer. On the technical side, a poorly designed website can rank well below search engines, making it difficult for people to find your website in the first place. While there a different website design and hosting services, to fully obtain your website’s potential, here are reasons why you shouldn’t do your own website.

• Branding: If you have a brand identity, it is important that it becomes part of your website as well. Your website is an extension of your business. DIY your own website can cause a mismatch on your digital brand and cause inconsistencies in your website. Design consistency matters more than most people give credit. We offer a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, SEO, social media, and clinical knowledge necessary to create effective and functional websites.
  

• No Cookie Cutter Templates: One thing all website hostings and building software services offer is the same types of templates across the board. Your website will likely have the same design and navigation as your competitor. Our services offer custom website development. No templates and no "canned" content. If you are DIY-ing your own website, you run into the challenge of overly complex templates that have unnecessary content and navigation and the same cookie-cutter design as your competitor. All this contributes towards unnecessary functionalities, empty pages and a slow loading time which can all cause a negative search engine optimization and most importantly, a negative user experience. Our clients choose us for the creation of their custom website after evaluating their other options and realizing that we are one of the few firms that truly offer a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, search engine optimization, and social media services necessary to create effective and leading-edge websites.
  

• Responsive and Mobile Friendly: Millennials and Gen Z’ers are now becoming the top consumers, all discovering and purchasing products from their phones. It is essential to meet the customer where they’re at, and with multiple pieces of technology such as tablets, phones, laptops, and wearable technology, your website and content should function across all platforms, different browsers and screen sizes. A responsive website looks good no matter whether you're looking at it on a phone, tablet, or desktop. Responsive sites have quickly become the single, most important external marketing tool available for your business. It is all about online communications that translate well across numerous platforms. If you DIY your website, you could miss a thorough quality assurance across all the multiple different browsers,  devices, and screen sizes, to ensure all content is being served no matter where a customer may discover your website.
  

• Easy Maintenance Your website is up and running, your business is growing, so what’s next? While you are busy running your day to day life, choosing Solutions by Design to manage your website will help keep your site up to date with the latest search engine optimization updates and be an extension of your marketing team.
  

While a DIY project is great for home improvements and renovations, when it comes to technology and websites, with the ever-changing technology, it is important to leave it to marketing experts.

4 Things Your Website Needs to Have

It's 2019 and people are searching for your business - through social media, Google and most importantly, the are landing on your website. Technology is ever-changing and if you have not updated your website in a few years, your business may be due for a digital redesign. You update your phone every few years, your website should also be updated.

Solutions by Design creates custom websites that are unique to each person. There are no templates we follow, which allows us to pay attention to every detail ensuring your website fits your needs and brand. We offer a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, SEO, social media, and clinical knowledge necessary to create an effective and functional website.

Here are 4 things your website needs to have to be effective.

1. Contact Information 

This might seem like a no brainer. Of course, your contact information should be included on your website. However, one misstep we often see on a website is, users, having to search for contact information. Your contact email, phone numbers, business hours and address should be included in your footer at every single page, or at the top right-hand corner. 

2. Blog

If you are not constantly updating your website, search engines such as Google, may not know if your website is active. A blog is a must for websites because it tells search engines your website is active and constantly being updated. This helps with organic SEO efforts as well. A blog is also great for showcasing your latest business news, behind the scenes, employee culture and anything related to your business.

3. SEO Strategy 

Customers can easily find your website if they know who you are. If people are searching “your company’s name” on Google - of course they will find you and your related content. The strategy behind SEO is optimizing your custom website to focus on keywords that are related to your services, that customers who may not know your business are searching for. For example, Solutions by Design wants to be found on Google and other search engines for “social media marketing fresno” rather than “Solutions by Design.” An effective SEO strategy goes much more in-depth on keywords, content for SEO, meta tags and descriptions and much more.

4. Responsive Design 

Solutions by Design builds custom websites that are uniquely yours. Responsive web design (RWD) is a design technique that adjusts a website to fit a wide variety of devices. A responsive website looks good no matter whether you're looking at it on a phone, tablet, or desktop. Your website must adjust to fit any device your customers may be on. Responsive sites have quickly become the single, most important external marketing tool available for your business. It is all about online communications that translate well across numerous platforms.

Your website is an existential part of your business. Our clients choose us for the creation of their custom website after evaluating their other options and realizing that we are one of few firms that truly offer a unique combination of design, marketing, programming, search engine optimization, and social media services necessary to create effective and leading-edge websites. 

New Year, New Office

Happy New Year from Solutions by Design! Back in October, we moved into our new fantastic office space, that will allow Solutions by Design to work in a collaborative and open environment. Complex problems require diverse solutions and our team at Solutions By Design are skilled to help our clients accomplish their goals. From web design to social media marketing to our interactive display board - we maintain a unique balance of highly talented individuals, each specializing in his or her area of service. We love our new office space!

Reviews Are Your Word of Mouth Tool

According to a recent survey on customer reviews by BrightLocal (https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/),

92% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses

38% read reviews on their mobile device

73% of consumers form an opinion of the business after reading 1 to 6 reviews

69% of consumers believe that reviews older than 3 months are no longer relevant

80% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

So what can we take away from this? The more good reviews a business has, the more customers they are likely to receive. And since 69% of consumers believe that reviews older than 3 months are no longer relevant, it’s extremely important for a business to maintain a constant level of review gathering.

We also learned from Doug, our Google AdWords representative, that having a Google+ page full of reviews (along with other factors) definitely helps a business maintain a top place on the Google Map listings in the search results. This is even more important now that Google only shows the top three local listings on the map.

Need help increasing your reviews? We offer two services that are great solutions for any practice.

Reviewer

Our “Practice Reviewer” software is available as a standalone module accessed from your website or as a module within the technology of bLink and or Montage. Reviews that are submitted to Review Sites such as Yelp, Google Reviews and or Yahoo Reviews must originate from a unique URL or they won’t be permitted. That is where the SBD Review product shines. Learn more here.

Social Media Marketing

We have comprehensive program in place used to capitalize off of social marketing opportunities. Social programs are very much like any other task or responsibility in your office. We step in to execute, manage and monitor your social networks. We make it a point to include acquiring patients reviews as a key part of your social program. Learn more here.

For more information regarding our services please contact us today at 1-800-888-4084

New CMS Version Released

One of the best features of our custom website development is the Content Management System (CMS). Clients love the ability to make minor changes to their sites when needed, and the flexibility it offers is unmatched.

But as good as it is, we have made some major improvements to make it even better. Some of these key improvements are:

• The ability to upload images and files
• Easier-to-use interface
• The ability to designate more areas on a website for editing

In addition to these new features, there are many improvements behind-the-scenes that make this a more robust CMS and one that we know you'll love. Look for this new CMS to start rolling out in the coming weeks, with instructions going out to all of our CMS clients.

NESO Interactive Website in Development

The new NESO (Northeast Society of Orthodontists) website is currently in production and will roll out soon.  This is a greatly improved website with a minimalist look for easy navigation. The new site will feature “NESO Connected”, an interactive learning center for NESO members.  NESO members will be able to log into live webinars and participate in presentations and tutorials on various aspects of technology and marketing, and learn from the experts.