Latest blog entries

The pros and cons of cloud computing!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:43:34 +0000

Cloud computing

Small businesses need every advantage they can get, so many are turning to the cloud. While there are risks, cloud computing can help small companies grow bigger faster and save money. Get the pros and cons in this video.

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We hope this video helps in knowing alittle about cloud computing. If you would like more information on cloud computing, you can always give us a call, and we would love to discuss with you the whole idea of this new way to store your data and even applications! Devard Web Solutions is always there to help you in all your business ventures!

Special thanks to Manta for this great article!

Go the extra mile in thanking customers!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:06:31 +0000

Go the Extra Mile in Thanking Customers

When you ship out a product, include a hand-written thank-you note to your customers. Call a client to see how they liked your service earlier that day. They’ll be shocked you did it. These customers might spread the word about this amazing thing you did and potentially bring you more business.

We here at Devard Web Solutions would like to thank all of our loyal and awesome clients! Without you, we could not succeed... Thank you!

Make time for social media!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:07:34 +0000

Social media is a great way to market your business for little or no money. But it's not something you can set up and walk away. You have to invest time in order to see rewards. It's important to engage with your followers regularly and to be consistent with your interactions. The more you do this, the more likely you are to sell your products and services.

Keep your website simple!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:16:34 +0000

Time is a precious commodity these days. More than ever before, website visitors are looking for a solution to their problems in a quick and timely manner. They don't have time to dig. So keep your web copy concise and to the point using short paragraphs, bulleted lists and bold text to highlight items of importance.

Today, the internet is the most widely used medium for finding products and services, which means internet marketing is the best way to connect with potential customers and your first opportunity to make a great impression. Your success depends on your website design and functionality.

Don't talk about yourself so much!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:00:16 +0000

Marketing message simplified!

Your marketing message is not about you or what you do. It's about what your target audience is going through and what they desire to be, have or do. Make sure your marketing message is aimed at fulfilling that desire.

Example

If you sell insurance, emphasize how your product can bring them comfort in times of crisis.

Thank you the Manta Team for your great marketing information!

Sometimes Simplicity Saves the Day!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:42:24 +0000

The death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has cast a pall over the technology industry that he helped create. Arguably the greatest innovator of his generation, the products that his company introduced during his lifetime have dramatically changed the world in which we live.

What is often overlooked, however, is Jobs’ impact on the design community. Never formally trained in that area, he possessed the rare ability to know what would appeal to the masses better than any of his peers did. His commitment to elegance and usability has had a profound effect on the way people view consumer goods today.

Sleek and simple was Jobs’ philosophy when it came to design, and also one of the greatest contributions from a man who made many of them.

“That’s been one of my mantras,” he once said. “Focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

One of the greatest challenges for today’s designers is finding the clarity to keep things simple. In tribute of someone who accomplished the feat time and time again, below are ten reminders of how a sleek and simple Web design can speak volumes without shouting into the ears of users.

Apple

Google
When your brand and products scream excellence the way Google’s do, this is all you need.

Microsoft/Bing
A slightly different approach, but still very sleek and simple.

HBO
A recent redesign has helped to create a new image for this Web property.

Nike
If there’s any chance you forget what you’re looking for, Nike quickly kicks that notion to the curb.

Mint
This design is all business, which is highly appropriate.

Popa
Simplicity doesn’t necessarily have to be subtle.

Nine West
The most important text practically jumps off the screen.

Just Dot
In conclusion, keeping it simple can make both life and business far less complicated.

A huge thank you goes out to: Linc Wonham for a great article!

Social media marketing and our clients!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:33:18 +0000

Social Media Marketing

Well, we are enjoying that our clients are starting to get involved in the growing important social media marketing. Social media can be beneficial for your business, but monitoring different channels can take a lot of time and where do you start!

You need to learn how to manage your time monitoring your networks! You also need to grow your networks! This is very important, and a process that never ends.

Be sure to go to our social media page, and read a little about what is social media, then you should be able to jump into the grind of social media marketing! You can always give us a shout, we would love to help you in your venture!

So, happy social marketing...

September 11th - In Remembrance...

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:40:50 +0000

We just want to take this brief moment, to reflect on this day of remembrance, and pay our respects to all of those that died and put their lives in danger on this fateful day. You will never be forgotten...

- SCFD #488

A short website design compilation video!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:03:28 +0000

We have been designing and developing websites for over 10 years now, and we put together this short video (1:28 to be exact), for you to take a look at and see just what we have worked on over the years. Thank you, and enjoy!

Cut your website design project cost in half!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Template to Personalized Website!
The best economical way to get your web presence going, and look great in the process!

We have been working on getting our new service up and running. Well, the time has come, and we have our templates up on our site and ready to purchase! These are exciting times for all those out there on a tight budget. This new service allows you to get a premium website, at half the cost.

The simple process...

Go to our template shop
Pick the template you like the best
Purchase the template - and be sure to pick the number of pages needed!
Then we will call you and start the personalization process
We will collect your logo, ideas and content
We transform your template to your website

It really is that simple. Each template design can be used for the following types of websites:

Joomla
WordPress
DotNetNuke
Drupal
Blogger
and even HTML sites!

So what are you waiting for, do not be left out, if you own or are planning on owning a business, your website is one of the most important tools in your marketing box!

Devard offers templates!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:46:15 +0000

Hello from us here at Devard Web Solutions and Deckard & Company Inc. We want to talk to you alittle about our new service, for website design options. We know that everyone out there today, well, you are looking for ways to cut costs. We understand where you are coming from, so we have been working on putting together a wide variety of template designs.

What does this mean?

Well, with our great looking templates, they are already built website templates, just waiting for you to personalize it with your logo, even colors and content! So, what does this mean? Well, you will save a lot of money on this form of website design!

Here is an example

Kennedy General Contracting Inc. is one of our awesome clients, and we offered this service to them, to save them money on their website re-design project. You can look at the finished design by simply going here: http://kennedygeneralcontracting.biz

Our Template

Kennedy's personalized website from our template!

In conclusion

So, what are you waiting for? Soon you will see a shopping cart with our templates. Then all you have to do is go in and pick your template design, number of pages you will be needing for your personalized website, and pay, right online! After purchase, one of our designers will call you, or email you, and we will then go through the design process for your website! We are planning for a website design cost of only (5 pages) $399.00!

Google Launches +1: The Like and +1 Battle Begins

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:57:15 +0000

Google launched Google +1 which mirrors the Facebook like button. To turn +1 on just join the experiment at Google Labs Experimental Search. Then +1 acts as a public recommendation of the site or link that you have found through Google search.

You will find +1 integrated in Google’s search results and all your +1′s can be managed and or found on your Google profile page. Soon it will start appearing on websites just like all the other share buttons that exist across the social web from twitter to every social network under the sun. One important element that sets +1 apart is its integration with Google search and how it could it impact the results you get and the ads you see in the future.

One thing I wonder is if you are searching for something and click on the link how likely will it be that you go back to +1 it? Would you +1 it without knowing what it is first? I think I see a Chrome extension in +1′s future and additional Google toolbar functionality for Firefox and Internet Explorer users as well.

If you find a link through Google and have +1 enabled a +1 button will appear right beside the link, which reminds me of how Bing integrates Facebook like into their search results but the results are not influenced by the likes according to Marketing Mag’s article about +1. Having +1 as part of search combines Google’s strength with the ability to share what you think is interesting with your contacts.

One concern I see is that your contacts on Google don’t work the same way they do on Facebook because they are simply that, contacts whereas on Facebook the entire ecosystem is built around your network. The Google video that explains +1 says that it is for those things that you may not post an update about but if that is the case then how much weight does a +1 actually hold. I think that we will only know that with time and once it becomes more widely available.

So will +1 have the same impact as Facebook likes? That is the question because while what you +1 will show up in your Google profile how often do you really look at profiles on Google to start with. You may also see what your contacts +1 if it is relevant to your Google search but by that very same token that may limit how far it can spread and Google is playing a game of catch up since Facebook likes have been around for (what seems like) ages.

In a Mashable article on what ad agency execs thought about +1 Alisa Leonard, the director of strategy and planning at iCrossing said that she too wonders if your Google contacts could be as influential as your Facebook friends and that is a question that will only be answered with time. Overall the article says that reactions were mixed but the hope is that if +1 takes off that it will lead to more marketing transparency which is never a bad thing.

It is still too early to say how this will all shake out but it begs the question what took them so long? It seems that this is the second foray into the sharing space, with the first being Google Buzz which became famous not for what it did but the privacy issues it opened for Google.

With +1 the most interesting thing is what it will evolve into, oh well let the battle of the share, recommendations or whatever you want to call it begin.

Check out the video that explains +1 in a little over a minute (1:08 to be exact):

Credit: Mashable, Marketing Magazine

Random Note: +1 is in the article 23 times (including the title) or 24 times if you include the one at the start of this note.

Devard teams up with Alliance for Success!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:42:39 +0000

We here at Devard Web Solutions are very happy to welcome Kate Holgate and the Alliance for Success team to our network of professionals. We are looking forward to working with her, and all of her clients, to help promote their talents and to succeed online!

A little promo!

Whether you need on-going support or a one-time project, they offer a broad range of speaker and author support services including CSP application processing; event, client, meeting planner and bureau partner support; database setup and/or management; clerical and accounting services; new business development; public relations; graphic design; copywriting and publishing assistance. They are also very proud to mentor new speakers who need assistance with branding, marketing materials and presentation development.

Contact Information:

Alliance for Success, LLC

P. O. Box 25455 Sarasota , FL 34277-2455

Phone: 941.554.8363

Fax: 877.537.1759

Website Address - www.allforsuccess.org

Regards,

Brian Deckard

Devard Web Solutions

Creating Winning Small Business Videos

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:17:00 +0000

Video content is in – it has been proven that websites yield better responses when a video is featured. It’s no surprise; the average Web surfer has a short attention span, and prefers a shiny moving picture to wading through pages of text.

Videos grab attention, engage viewers and, if executed properly, can succinctly communicate your entire value proposition in as little as two minutes.

The power of video continues to impress me. Some of my company’s videos have been viewed tens of thousands of times, and I can tell from our website’s analytics that customers who view our videos are more likely to buy from us.

Here are five tips that we learned about creating winning videos. These tips will not only tempt viewers to hit the play button, but keep them watching the whole way through.

1. Make it personal.

If your video doesn’t have a personality, then neither does your business – at least not as far as the viewer is concerned. Generic shots of b-roll office environments and stock photography tell viewers that your company is just that – a generic, stock, unoriginal service. People want professional, but they don’t want boring. Don’t be afraid to show footage of actual employees – maybe a few seconds of greeting from your CEO if possible. This will yield a more personal feel and a better connection with potential clients. A sense of humor can also establish a sense of personality – but don’t overdo it! You don’t have to be doing standup comedy in your office, but a few quirky scenes or funny lines can be what keep your viewers from clicking away.

2. You can get a big response without a big budget.

Just because you’re producing video content doesn’t mean you have to pay for a Hollywood movie. There are plenty of affordable services and software products that let you record, edit and produce videos from one interface. If your business provides a Web service or computer software, you can use applications to record screens of the product in action, and then add audio narration later. Just remember to try to get some human faces in there for the personal touch.

3. Make a tutorial.

Tutorial or how-to videos are a great excuse for providing video content. Not only will it provide another play button to hit, but the content can clarify any aspects of your service that are difficult to explain with text alone. Customers want to know exactly how a product or service works before purchasing. Providing a set of how-to’s will allow potential users a view into the user experience, and give current users a guide for using your product most effectively. Screen recording and adding narration is a perfect technique for this kind of content.

4. Add some tunes.

Adding light music to the background of your videos helps with flow and makes your content more memorable. There are plenty of open source tracks floating around the Net that you can use for free to add some character to your video. Music sets a tone for your content, whether that’s upbeat, fun, professional, modern or something else. In addition, music will help with the flow of the video by filling in any awkward gaps between voice narrations.

5. Post it on YouTube.

Posting your video on YouTube is a great way to increase the video’s views. Since your videos are marketing vehicles, you want them to be visible to anyone at anytime. YouTube is supposedly a bigger search engine than Yahoo, which means more people use YouTube to find information than most other search engines! Use the power of YouTube’s search to drive views of your videos. Pick short, optimized titles for the videos, and put keywords in the video description part of YouTube. When posting a video on YouTube, include a clear call to action both in the video and in the description. For example, encourage people to visit your website or call your sales number.

If you haven’t already taken on the realm of video production, those tips should get you started. I recommend starting with an introductory video to outline your business, and then moving on to tutorials and specifics. From there, use your videos to enhance your website, fuel your blog, build your Youtube/ social media channels–and watch the page views climb.

Bigger and Smaller

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:11:00 +0000

High resolution, widescreen desktop monitors are now very affordable, and website designers will be taking advantage of that space. For many years designers had been using the Grid 960 system to optimize their design dimensions. It was based on 1024×768 pixels, which was the average monitor resolution just a few years ago. On devardwebsolutions.com, only 21% of visitors last month had a screen resolution narrower than 1024. Grid 1140 was created to adjust to this increase in average size. Expect to see most new grid designs for 2011 using this wider format.

Happy Mothers Day 2011

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

We just wanted to wish all of those fabulous mothers out there... HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

A list of awesome gifts, for those having problems with any ideas:

Gift baskets
Day at the Spa
A day of relaxation
Car wash & detail
Shopping spree
Breakfast in bed

Well the list can go and on, but it all comes down to this.... enjoy your mother!

Fresh Content!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:06:00 +0000

This month’s topic is a great concept and a must. We want to keep visitors coming back for more right? Of course we do, if your website never changes, then why would someone want to revisit your website? The point here is simple, they won’t. You have to keep your content fresh and updated on a weekly or monthly basis. This also helps in the area of search engine optimization – getting your website to the top of the search listings!

Thank you for your business, and make sure you update your sites!

Best Regards,
Brian Deckard

Devard Web Solutions

Increase in branded online experiences!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Simply having a Twitter account or Facebook page isn't enough this year. Small businesses must surround consumers with branded online destinations such as a blog, LinkedIn profile, YouTube channel, Flickr profile and so on. Consumers can then pick and choose how they want to interact with your brand. Of course, quality trumps quantity, so extending a brand across the social Web must be done strategically to maximize opportunities without compromising content and communications.

Regards,

Brian Deckard

Devard Web Solutions

Social's Impact!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:57:00 +0000

So.... the rise of social media has put an enormous emphasis on users' ability to share across multiple channels. It is no longer enough to be noticed, but the real value for web businesses today come in providing content that can be shared.

The design challenge is how to incorporate these social elements without coming off as too intrusive or without negatively affecting the look and feel of a page. Social widgets and icons inviting users to share content have become a necessity for todays businesses on the web, but it is left to the design team to ensure that those elements are presented as a true invitation rather than an annoyance.

It is another often-overlooked aspect of this new era of design that remains vital to the success of any business on the web.

Regards,

Brian Deckard

Devard Web Solutions

Social Media - Standard!

bdeckard@devardwebsolutions.com (Brian Deckard) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:25:00 +0000

Social media has become a standard in Web business and that includes design and development. In the past, providing eye-catching and functional social profile links and sharing options was a cumbersome process; involving hard-coding and scouring the Web for usable images.

Not anymore. Amateur bloggers (and sophisticated ones, too) can deploy any number of widgets with one click. Many of the social widgets also offer developers the ability to modify and implement the tools and offer APIs.

Enabling social sharing and providing links to various social touch points is not optional - today's online business environment demands it.

Regards,

Brian Deckard

Devard Web Solutions

Latest blog entries

The pros and cons of cloud computing!

Cloud computing

Go the extra mile in thanking customers!

Make time for social media!

Keep your website simple!

Don't talk about yourself so much!

Sometimes Simplicity Saves the Day!

Social media marketing and our clients!

Social Media Marketing

September 11th - In Remembrance...

A short website design compilation video!

Cut your website design project cost in half!

Template to Personalized Website!The best economical way to get your web presence going, and look great in the process!

Devard offers templates!

Google Launches +1: The Like and +1 Battle Begins

Devard teams up with Alliance for Success!

Creating Winning Small Business Videos

1. Make it personal.

2. You can get a big response without a big budget.

3. Make a tutorial.

4. Add some tunes.

5. Post it on YouTube.

Bigger and Smaller

Happy Mothers Day 2011

Fresh Content!

Increase in branded online experiences!

Social's Impact!

Social Media - Standard!

Template to Personalized Website!
The best economical way to get your web presence going, and look great in the process!