iTistic Inc. Blog

Do I need a mobile website?

2011-11-16T20:10:03+00:00

To take an existing website and make it mobile is quite simple. You will need to strip some of the unneeded items from your website to make it accessible. Some web frames and Flash cannot be viewed on iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices at this point, so if you have a navigation that is made with Flash, we would just restructure it to be plain text links Test to make sure all images look good and remove, replace, or update images that do not Remove pop-ups Restructure pop-out menus so that the navigation works properly Reduce large text size Look at your website colors and make sure they are easy to read on a mobile device It is important that your website is working properly and it is easy to read the content on a mobile device. Content like your phone number and address will most likely be the number one thing people search for on their mobile devices as well as blog posts or support pages. It's important that your contact page, supporting pages, and blog look good and are easy to read on mobile devices so your visitors do not get frustrated when viewing your website on their mobile device. According to the IDC (http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23028711) "By 2015, more U.S. Internet users will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline devices." This statistic alone would make me want my website to be easily accessible on mobile devices.

New Features in ExpressionEngine 2.3

2011-11-09T20:09:08+00:00

There are two new updates to Expression Engine 2.3. They are the new Member Search and File Manager features. These new features make ExpressionEngine easier to use! Member Search The new member search in ExpressionEngine 2.3 allows you to use search commands on the members listing page. This makes it easier to find your website members. You can view this feature in your control panel by going to Members -> View All You can search your list of members by member id, username, screen_name, and/or email. Here is an example of how to search: screen_name:"john doe" email:gmail.com Be sure if you use any spaces in your search, to put the phrase in quotes. You will also need to put a colon after the keyword you are searching for. To edit the members information, just click on the their username link and it will take you to that specific members information page. File Manager The new file manager in ExpressionEngine 2.3 lets you easily view and search for files associated with your website. In one place you can search for, delete, and upload your files. In your control panel go to Content -> Files -> File Manager. You will also go here to upload and download your website files. These new ExpressionEngine 2.3 updates will make it easier for you to manage your websites. The new Member Seach makes it a lot easier to find and edit members of your website. The new File Manager makes organizing and updating your website files a lot more time efficient.

Beware of Phishing Emails!

2011-04-18T16:17:46+00:00

It’s important that you be very cautious when clicking on links in email messages! Clicking the wrong link could cause irreparable damage to your computer. A client of ours recently sent in this email they received (below): From: Webmail Administrator [mailto:long-deb@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 1:53 PM To: undisclosed recipients: Subject: Dear Email Account Owner Your Webmail Quota Has Exceeded The Set Quota/Limit Which Is 20GB. You Are Currently Running On 23GB Due To Hidden Files And Folder On Your Mailbox. Please Click the Link Below To Validate Your Mailbox And Increase Your Quota. http://www.linkremovedforsafety.com Failure To Click This Link And Validate Your Quota May Result In Loss Of Important Information In Your Mailbox/Or Cause Limited Access To It. Thanks HELP DESK Although you may receive an email notification from our company regarding the quota of your mailbox we will never ask you to complete a form to increase your quota or resolve the problem you're experiencing. Not only should you be very cautious about the links you click in emails, you should be even more cautious about completing a form and supplying personal information (your name, email address, and password, for example). If you're unsure please just call us and we'll be happy to steer you in the right direction.

How does ProductCart compare to Magento?

2011-02-07T17:15:11+00:00

We’ve had our fair share of prospects and clients who have considered Magento to power their e-commerce website. In this post I’ll detail a few things you should consider. Before we begin, please let me say that iTistic Inc. does not specialize in Magento. Although we specialize in ProductCart we do feel that Magento has it's place in the e-commerce software world. We just want to make sure you're making the best decision for your organization. Feature Comparison Out of all the prospects and clients who we've dealt with and who have thought about Magento, the two biggest reasons are the following two features: Manage multiple online storefronts from one Magento installation Easily customize the look and feel of your storefront without altering the core software Magento has many other features, but these are the ones we hear about the most. These are two very nice features, ones we wish ProductCart added to their software if we're being honest. There is no current way to manage multiple storefronts using one ProductCart installation. This is certainly a customization that we could develop for you, but it's not something there's software out there for already. As for customizing the look and feel of your storefront: we do this for most of our ProductCart clients. We always integrate a custom designed template with ProductCart and customize the CSS, buttons, and images so your site presents well. If you'd like us to customize other aspects of the software (category pages, product detail pages, the checkout process, etc.) we can do this for you as well. The only difference with ProductCart is that these customizations will likely be overwritten by future updates and will need to be re-implemented afterwards. Now that we have the Magento features out of the way, lets talk about some ProductCart features. Please take a moment to review the Magento feature comparison. What you'll find is are two things: A lot of the features are only made available in the Professional and Enterprise editions (both whose pricing is exponentially higher than ProductCart) ProductCart provides a lot of the listed features at a much cheaper cost. A lot of these feature may not be important to you, but here's some features that ProductCart does provide that the Magento Community edition does not: Private (Club) Sales including Events, Invitations and Site access permissions (this will be released with the next version of ProductCart) Gift Registries Automated Email Marketing Reminders (can be easily accomplished using a few add-ons) Assisted Shopping, Manage Customer carts and more via the admin panel Advanced Administrator Roles and Permissions Category View and Purchase permissions per customer group (limited catalog access) PCI Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) Compliant Reward Points System Gift Certificates/Cards (Physical and Virtual) Customer Store Credits For more information, please be sure to review ProductCart's Complete Feature List. One other thing to consider is that ProductCart works with 36+ payment gateways out of the box without any additional add-ons or modules. Magento only works with a handful of payment gateways out of the box. You may need to purchase a third-party extension to get Magento to work properly with your payment gateway/ Cost Comparison A lot of organizations and website design & development companies choose Magento due to the relatively low-cost of entry (there is a free community version of the software available). This means it's easier for companies to sell it to you, and it could be cheaper for you to get up and running. In the long run, however, we don't feel most small and medium-sized e-commerce stores are served well by Magento. You will most likely end up outgrowing the Community edition and there will be a significant investment required to upgrade to the Professional or Enterprise versions. Even most large-sized e-commerce stores are better served by ProductCart, in our opinion. Summary: Magento's Professional and Enterprise editions require an investment of $2,995 and $12,990 per year, respectively. ProductCart requires a one-time investment of $695 to $1,495 depending on the version you choose along with a minimal $95 per year upgrades plan. Hosting ProductCart will perform efficiently in shared-hosting environments with many providers. For small and some medium-sized e-commerce stores this is more than sufficient. For large-sized stores we recommend hosting in a dedicated environment. It is suggested by many Magento professionals that you host your Magento installation in dedicated environments only. This is especially true when you're utilizing the Professional or Enterprise editions of their software. Our Verdict ProductCart provides a lot more bang for your buck! If you can live without the few advanced features in Magento we feel you'll be much better served by ProductCart in the long run. There are some instances where Magento should be chosen over ProductCart. Rest assured that we're an honest company and will always be straight-forward with you if this is the case. Further Reading Take some time to review the articles below if you'd like to know more about how ProductCart compares to Magento: ProductCart vs. Magento Commerce: comparing apples to apples Is Magento For Me? Some ProductCart Sites We've Designed/Integrated If you'd like to review some ProductCart sites we've designed and/or integrated please review the sites below: The Brace Shop Milk Nursingwear Executive Bullion Limited Decal Proxxon Tools

Why You Shouldn’t Use a Pre-Made Website Template

2010-09-17T17:46:09+00:00

One of the hardest things for a small business owner to do is to differentiate themselves from their competition. But what’s the one thing that we see all too frequently? Pre-made website templates that make them look like a million other people. One of the hardest things for a small business owner to do is to differentiate themselves from their competition. But what’s the one thing that we see all too frequently? Pre-made website templates that make them look like a million other people. To add insult to that injury some template providers break down the designs into categories so there’s a selection of real estate templates or ones “specially designed” for florists. So what templates are your competitors gravitating towards? The same ones you are because they contain the industry specialized sections that you need and that same pool of stock images. So here are your biggest issues with pre-fab website templates: Visitors will probably judge you by how professional and creative your website is (or is not) You’ll lose that edge, the distinction that you want associated with your brand and company One size doesn’t fit all You always get what you pay for The most popular pre-made templates (one of which you'd probably choose) are used on thousands of other websites (and can be easily recognized by potential customers who are browsing your industry in search of a resource) Your creative options are vastly limited and everything you do must conform to the pre-made template design While it’s true that expense is usually the number one reason that business owners flock to the template-style websites, the face of your business is the one place you shouldn’t skimp; what you’re paying for is a first impression. You need to use better, stronger, slicker tools than your opponents to set yourself apart. And if you stand out from the crowd, you need never look back.

How to Use Videos on your Website

2010-09-08T17:14:50+00:00

While content is king and professionally designed websites are the best way to show your clients what you’ve got; videos are an excellent way to bring even more life to your site. While content is king and professionally designed websites are the best way to show your clients what you’ve got; videos are an excellent way to bring even more life to your site. We’ve seen examples of videos used to the extreme and they can really lose their effectiveness, but one of the most influential ways you can use videos on your website is on your testimonials page. Testimonials in general can really be powerful if they are genuine because people do like to read what other people’s impressions are about your goods and services. But the video testimonial brings an entirely new dimension to that power. A potential customer actually gets to hear the enthusiasm in your customer’s voice; they’re not just reading a string of exclamation marks!!! We’ve worked with customers who even go so far as to create a testimonial montage with graphics and music and really create an impressively professional show of it. In addition to using video for testimonials, they are also a great way to demonstrate how products operate and of course to provide tutorials. We saw a website that sells trailer hitches and they embedded a comprehensive video on exactly how to connect one to a truck. The installer held up every piece of the assembly kit so the buyer got a really good look and feel of the item they were ordering online. Besides getting to see what they were getting, they were also able to see for themselves that it was in fact something that could be installed in under 15 minutes. If you combine a how-to video on your website with e-commerce capabilities, you’ve really got a comprehensive way to give your customers a comfort level and put a face on your company. There are seemingly limitless options on how you can leverage video. How are you guys using video on your websites?

The Benefits of Blogging

2010-08-20T14:51:26+00:00

How can you connect with your client base today? You can blog with them. A blog is your brick and mortar storefront; it’s the next best thing to being there. How can you connect with your client base today? You can blog with them. A blog is your brick and mortar storefront; it’s the next best thing to being there. Blogging gives business owners the unique advantage of real time dialogue with their current and potential clients. Just as you log onto MLB.com and vent your frustrations about a blown call or squandered trade opportunities, bloggers can voice their opinion directly to the people that are involved in something they are passionate about. For your company, a blog is a literal porthole into the consciousness of the goods and services buying public. SO…what are the benefits of adding a blog to your website? There are at least 10 of them: You are creating a community – your blog can speak directly to interested parties and you can get as topical and granular as you want/need to. Once you establish the blog you can actively solicit comments in your blog posts and ask your readers what they think. Their comments will spur those of others and you’ll create a conversation. You can keep the conversation going; if someone takes the time to comment, make sure to get back to them via the blog so everyone else knows what you guys are talking about. Try not to use your blog as a podium or a soapbox…stick to the key issues about your company and industry; unless you’re selling politics or religion, you may want to steer clear and keep the focus where you need it. Neither your website nor your blog or anything written or video recorded should be all about you. You get one page on your website: About Us, that’s it. It’s more important that you post content that your target audience will find useful and informative. It is not worth establishing a blog if you are going to neglect it. It needs to be maintained with a steady stream of fresh and compelling content. Post to your blog at LEAST once a month, weekly or daily is actually even better… You can use your blog as a showcase for interesting projects that have either universal appeal or highlight a new trend in your industry; a blog is definitely the place to post case studies and featured projects. Encourage visitors to come back to check for updates or do a three-part series. You can re-purpose the content…take the month’s best blog posts and incorporate them into a monthly email newsletter so you can share the great info with your offline readers. The more effective the content you post, the more opportunities you’ll have to get your website ranked better by the almighty search engines. Need I say more? What do you guys think? Any blog success stories?

Effecively Emailing Your Clients & Prospects

2010-08-16T13:58:38+00:00

To promote your business, we believe in the power of blogs and the benefits of social media to brand yourself and make contacts, but email marketing really completes that balance and gives you another avenue to target your market. To promote your business, we believe in the power of blogs and the benefits of social media to brand yourself and make contacts, but email marketing really completes that balance and gives you another avenue to target your market. While some companies subscribe to print ads and postcards (which can be very effective if your budget allows for it and you’ve got a really polished campaign that extends over a period of time) many companies leverage Email Marketing, Bulk Email, and Newsletters to keep their business on the consumer radar. Personally, we partner with iContact.com for their flexibility, their reasonable prices, and their feature-rich selection. While email is a more affordable solution than traditional print media, we’d like to recommend some guidelines that you’ll find useful or this whole electronic crusade could really backfire on you! The Number one rule for effectively keeping in touch with your database is to be consistent; twice a month is probably a good interval. Rule number two: Know the distinction between spamming your potential clients to death and consistently imparting interesting information about your industry while subliminally reminding them that you are an excellent resource for that need. Rule number three: Don’t make your emails or newsletters all about how great you are, but provide useful tips; you’ll spotlight yourself as a resource, not as a loudmouth capitalizing on a captive audience. (How do you know if you’re doing it wrong? You’ll find that your “unsubscribe” notifications will start to mount.) Basically, we don’t recommend emailing your entire client and prospect base from Outlook or other normal email software because it is not effective. Reasons for using a service like iContact.com: Reason number one: They focus on insuring your messages get delivered to your recipient's Inboxes and not their Spam folders. Reason number two: They are also looking out that you follow all spam regulations so you don’t get reported for not following the permission-based marketing etiquette. Reason number three: They provide really useful statistics so you know who is opening, reading, and forwarding your emails. You can even get reports on the unique click-throughs on the hyperlinks, so you get a handle on what people are responding to in your emails. Between blogs and social media and the good use of email marketing strategies, you can reach a ton of people efficiently and affordably…and spend the savings on a vacation.

Do You Need a Website?

2010-08-03T19:29:44+00:00

It’s not just because we run a website design company in Tampa Bay that our answer to that question is “yes!” The need for a website for your business is probably as important as having a stack of business cards on hand to give to potential clients. Do You Need a Website for Your Business? It’s not just because we run a website design company in Tampa Bay that our answer to that question is “yes!” The need for a website for your business is probably as important as having a stack of business cards on hand to give to potential clients. The reasons to have a website are pretty straightforward: Because people Google everything Because it’s the most efficient way to present your credentials and services in one easy- to-update venue Because every other business has one As small businesses grow and turn a profit they can start to afford things like PR professionals and marketing strategies to improve their business. But with I guess probably no exception, whether you run Joe’s Plumbing or Walmart…the website is your hub: the storehouse for your goods and services detail, your case studies, your testimonials; and it can also provide a platform on which people can pay you. Websites are available in zillions of sizes and shapes; they can be extraordinarily complex with all kinds of built-in blogs and bells and whistles or they can be a basic template that is customized with your colors and logo and a Home Page, Services Page, and a Contact Us Page. If it is designed correctly from the beginning, a website can grow with you. Easy to use content management system (CMS) add-ons will also enable you to tweak your content to reflect changes in business scope and to keep your verbiage current. Basically, there’s nothing static about a website. It’s not a brochure that you create and print and then have to update and reprint and re-disburse. Websites can be optimized and edited and can keep pace with your target audience. A website is a living/breathing thing, just like your business. It can be adapted and it can be enhanced, but you can never be without one.

Front-End Design Conference

2010-07-27T16:31:55+00:00

We recently had the opportunity of attending the second Front-End Design Conference right here in Tampa Bay! We recently had the opportunity of attending the second Front-End Design Conference right here in Tampa Bay! There are quite a few reasons why we enjoy attending these conferences. Most importantly, we feel it's our duty to support events in Tampa Bay that are related to our industry. Most people are quite surprised at the amount of talent we have here in Tampa Bay! Secondly, it's always great to network with others, hear some great speakers, and get reinvigorated! This years event marks the second Front-End Design Conference. We attended last year as well. Dan Denney and his family/team did a wonderful job putting together this conference. I'm always amazed at the speakers he's able to bring in from all around the world for this event. We had a great time, as always, and are eagerly looking forward to next year's event! Here's some of the slides from the keynotes at the conference for those that are interested: The Art of Self Branding by Lea Alcanantra Great Designs Start With A Great Idea by Larissa Meek