There are a lot of WordPress Plugins we love and use frequently. Here are 5:

1. Contact From 7: Studies show 50% of web users like to actively use contact info on a page (to call or find you), and 50% of users are more passive and prefer to fill out a contact form. Unless you know how to code using PHP, and install a PHP plugin, it might be difficult to allow users to fill out a form on your site. Contact Form 7 solves this problem! It’s a contact form that is simple but flexible. Other programmers have added plugins to expand this plugin, making it even more robust.

2. Link Within: This plugin does not work with all themes, but when it does it keeps readers engaged and increases traffic by putting links to additional posts from your blog’s archives under a post. It’s a great way to expose new readers to old posts they might not otherwise read.

3. Add to Any: Lets readers share, bookmark, and email your posts and pages using  Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, Digg, Delicious, and well over 100 more sharing and social bookmarking sites. Also includes a Facebook Like Button and Twitter Tweet Button. You need to test this out though, and make sure it plays nice with your theme on both Posts and Pages before using it.

4. Content Slide Plugin: Create a customizable slideshow anywhere on your WordPress site with rotating images.

5. Embed iFrame: Easily embed bits of code that is typically shared within an iframe, such as a Google Map or Youtube video. WordPress can’t handle these items correctly without a plugin. They might seem like they are working at first, but when you go back to edit the post or page they disappear. This plugin helps you avoid that with one tiny line of code.

If you are looking to solve a functionality problem of your WordPress site, contact us – we might just know about the plugin you don’t even know you’re missing! We’ve also designed custom plugins to manage databases of baseball players, price items in a shopping cart based on dimensions, and track which shoes a runner wore for how much mileage… Every website we create opens up a new world to us, and we’re ready to use our skills to help you today!

Images are made of dots of ink when printed or electronic pixels when viewed on-screen. Pixels are small, colored squares that together form a digital image, like tiles creating a mosaic. When there are enough pixels or enough dots of ink, and they are small enough so as not to be seen individually, a digital image can achieve great photo quality.

Increased magnification of a digital image will reveal the individual pixels. Rather than tiny dots that fool the eye into seeing one uninterrupted photo, you would see blurry squares. The photo becomes a mess. This effect is often referred to as pixilation.

Resolution refers to how many dots, or pixels, are in a given amount of space. The higher an image’s resolution, meaning the more dots there are in the same amount of space, the less pixilation will occur, and the better the image will look.

The resolution of an image on your computer screen is often measured by ppi (pixels per inch). A printed image’s resolution is often measured by dpi (dots per inch). An image that is 72dpi contains less information than one that is 300dpi. Images seen on a computer screen are usually 72 ppi, because 72ppi is what most monitors display, but 300dpi is the “industry standard” for photo quality printing. This leads us to the two different levels of resolution that a designer uses; screen resolution and print resolution.

Screen Resolution: How you see an image on your computer screen depends on a couple of factors. The properties of your computer monitor need to be taken into consideration, as does the image’s quality. If an image has 16 million colors but you are viewing it on a monitor that can only display 16 colors, the image won’t appear as it should. Again, the common resolution for on-screen images is 72ppi. When a picture has more dots than the monitor can support, those dots are wasted. An image at 72ppi will look fine on your computer screen and its small file size will load quickly. A higher-resolution image (300dpi) won’t look better on your computer screen, and its large file size will make it take longer to load. Similarly, when a picture has fewer dots than the display device can support, the picture will not be as sharp.

Print resolution: This refers to how clearly an image will print. Laser printers, inkjet printers and imagesetters (used to output film for professional printing) require more information to produce a smooth and clear image than is available in a 72ppi file. Most commercial printers require an image to be at least 300 dpi or they can not guarantee the quality of the resulting printed piece.
There are two different ways to make the same digital image print at different sizes:

• Scaling – changing the physical size of the image for printing. An image has a fixed number of pixels. Imagine you have a 10-inch by 10-inch image at 72ppi, there are 720 pixels per line, and 5,184,000 pixels in the entire image. If you rescale the image to 2-inches by 2-inches, there are still 720 pixels per line, but the resolution would then be 360 ppi. The 720 pixels on each line are now only filling 2 inches of space, and therefore smaller. The image remains the same grid of 5,184,000 pixels with the same pixel data. Your image will print clearer, albeit smaller. Note that resolution and physical size are related to and directly affect one another. If you alter one, you alter the other.
• Resampling – adding or deleting pixels to change the resolution of a file. If you go back to our 10-inch by 10-inch image at 72ppi and attempt to resample the resolution to 360 ppi, the image would now have 12,960,000 pixels instead of its previous 5,184,000 pixels. The computer uses a mathematical formula, examining the current pixels to try to determine the color and location of the new pixels. The new pixels are not true to the image. They did not naturally exist in the image, and the printed result is often blurry or distorted.

Resampling changes the amount of pixels the image consists of whereas scaling changes how many pixels are being printed per inch. Resampling affects the nature of the digital image itself; scaling affects only that specific rendering of the image.

Before sending any marketing materials to print, be sure to check the resolution of your image. A file created entirely in a word processing program (Word, Publisher, etc.) instead of graphic editing software will most likely yield a 72 ppi image, and therefore a blurry print – making a poor impression on your customer.

It achieves your marketing goals, it represents you to an audience, it gives off the right feeling about your culture or what you stand for, it communicates a message…

Here is a blog post we enjoyed about what to expect from great design.

Did you know…???

If you have a Facebook fan page, you can create a custom page that NON-fans will see first when then find you on Facebook. You can use this custom page to encourage them to “Like” your page – with a contest, promotion, or just great info and graphics. (See the iPhone special at right.) Not only does this allow you to converse with more people online, it also broadcasts their decision to “Like” you to their Friends, spreading the word about your business.

Did you know…???

If you have a Facebook fan page, the amount of space available for your profile photo is a lot longer than that of personal pages? This allows you to have a bookmark-sized graphic full of info about your business down the left side of your profile at all times. (See the long, blue image above.)

Did you know…???

You can use your LinkedIn account to help your search engine rankings by using keywords in the area that links your profile back to your web site? Rather than just “My Website” or “My Portfolio”, we can help you add custom info here that will benefit your company web site.

Don’t go it alone! If you need help rounding ouy your social media presence, give us a call today: 727-521-1386.

1. How do you start a new web site?

First, we speak with those involved with the project about the goals for the site, the products and services of the company, competition in their industry, things they do and don’t like about other web sites, corporate colors or graphics we need to match, marketplace trends — and a lot about their audience.

Next, we sign a contract with each client ensuring that they will own the finished product, and can receive all of their web files and passwords if they need them.

Finally, we hit the drawing board. Our staff members talk about design ideas and elements that should be included in the site, and some sketches or samples are emailed to the client and discussed.

2. What makes RDesign great at web design?

There are graphic designers who are visual people. They focus on colors, style and pizzazz. They’ll pull everything out of their bag of tricks when it comes to the visual appeal of a website and the way information is displayed.

Then there is the programmer. They love computer code. They are enthralled by databases. They tend to make websites that are well built but look about as exciting as a spreadsheet.

Is a website that looks great and functions well too much to ask? Nope! That’s where we come in. We like to take a multi-dimensional approach to your goals. Some of us are designers, some of us are programmers, and some of us spend a whole lot of time studying trends in internet marketing and search engine behavior.

Why? Because that’s what it takes to succeed on the internet. That’s what gives you an effective, productive, exciting web site.

3. Are web sites easy to update and change?

We can include a Content Management System, which allows you to log in with a password and change all of the text on the site. For this purpose we typically build a custom WordPress web site. Lots of clients rely on us to make regular updates and changes to their sites for them. Some have a staff member familiar with web design software, such as Dreamweaver, and we give them the FTP information to make changes themselves. Blogs, social networking sites and database-driven websites (such as online stores listing multiple products) always include a system for you to log in and add, edit or delete information.

4. Do you use design templates?

We prefer to create all of our web sites from scratch – both the design and programming. We feel this allows us to make a site for each client that is made to suit their needs. However, if there is a template you have seen that you want to use, we will use it. Or if you already have a site that is built from a template that you need help with, we will try to assist you.

If you need a custom designed template that your staff can use, we can create one for Adobe-based software, WordPress blogs, Constant Contact newsletters and other popular platforms.

5. Do you host web sites?

Yes, and our hosting server is dedicated to our sites and our clients’ sites only. You can learn more about our hosting here.

6. Do you host email?

Yes, email accounts are included with web hosting prices.

7. Do you need to know all about the business you are making a site for?

That depends. Some clients want to write the text for their web site. Some clients want to use text from their written marketing materials for their web site. However, the more research we do, the better we will get to know the products, services and audience – and then we can create a better site. We also make text suggestions that we think will help achieve sales goals and search engine marketing goals.

8. How are web sites priced?

All the work we do is billed at an hourly rate. When we meet with you and have an idea of what you want on your web site, we can estimate how much time it may take us.

9. Have you ever hosted or created a video web site?

Yes, we are familiar with embedding videos in web sites. We can create accounts for users to view and upload photos and videos. We don’t have samples here because of the copyright protection on the sites, and we don’t shoot or edit video ourselves.

But which words are those? How do you know which terms your customers are typing into Google when they look for sites like yours? You can do an impeccable job optimizing for “ballcaps,” but that won’t do you any good if everyone is searching for “baseball caps.”

Though this question can seem daunting, no actual mind reading is required to find the answer. The search engines themselves won’t exactly come out and tell you how many people search for particular keywords (that would make it too easy for unscrupulous types to cheat the system) but there are simple tips and tools at your disposal that will put you on the right track.

1. Do It Yourself. The best way to get started is a little simple brainstorming. Without limiting yourself, make a list of any phrases you believe are popular or important, then take those preconceptions and do searches for them in places like Bing, Yahoo and Google. Each of these engines will tell you how many results there were for your search. If “baseball caps” turns up 1.5 million web pages and “ballcaps” turns up 8,000, chances are good “ballcaps” is not a popular enough keyword to optimize for, simply judging by the fact that nobody else seems to think so. This method is also useful for finding out which phrases are too competitive to optimize for; if your keywords turn up 20 million other pages, you may be competing with all 20 million of them for a top listing in that search engine. It might be wiser to direct your resources to another phrase.

2. Play Before You Pay. In addition to the type of search engine listings most people are familiar with, search engines also offer “paid listings” that are basically keyword-based advertisements. Through Google’s Adwords program, site marketers can place ads or “sponsored listings” on Google’s results pages for certain keywords. Since no one wants to waste ad money on ads nobody will see, Google provides prospective advertisers with tools that give them a rough idea how popular those terms are.

Luckily, you may use these tools for free whether you intend to spend money on ads or not. Google’s Keyword Tool will offer up all sorts of related terms you may have forgotten about and give you a general idea of the terms’ popularity.

3. Get Serious. If you like the free tools that Google provides, you may want to consider doing even more in-depth analysis using Wordtracker.com. Wordtracker maintains a detailed popularity database using data from a number of search engines. It uses that database to calculate a given phrase’s competitiveness and feasibility as a search term. Like all good web sites, Wordtracker offers a free trial that will help you determine what your next step will be.

4. It Never Hurts To Ask. You will have all sorts of opportunities to communicate with your customers as your site grows. A vital question to ask in any survey or contact form you send out is, “How did you find us?” A follow-up question about the search engine or keywords your visitors were using will give you valuable insight into which of your efforts are paying off.

5. Don’t Panic; Your Site is Fluid. Though choosing keywords is important, don’t drive yourself crazy trying to find that one perfect set of keywords that will single-handedly guide your site to prosperity. There is no final, empirically correct answer to which keywords are right for your site, and choosing the wrong ones won’t doom you to failure unless you stick with them for a year. As a web site, your content should be in a state of evolution, and your keywords will reflect that.

Brainstorm, try what you think will work best and then reevaluate your efforts in a few months. Keep what’s working; change what’s not. Using your common sense and the tools listed above, you should be right where your customers can find you in no time.

Here’s how:

Some “big brands” offer thank you gifts online. Only those who have signed up for an e-mail list or check the site often will hear about the special promotion. When people share it with their friends it only means valued customers are sharing their love for a brand.

• Alternative Rock band Coldplay offers a free download of their live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, on Coldplay.com in exchange for an email address.
• Zappos, the largest online store, emails their shoppers about Free Shipping, Free 365 Day Returns and Weekly Free Clothing Giveaways. The weekly winner received merchandise of up to $200 from Zappos.com.

When people visit your site and fill out a simple contact form and hit submit, they probably get redirected to a Thank You page. Are you using this page to truly thank your customers? Are you also using it as sales opportunity?

As soon as a website visitor joins your e-mail list or fills out a form, s/he has one question: “What happens now?” First, let your reader know they have successfully accomplished the goal of the form that loaded the Thank You page. (eg: “Your message has been received by customer support. Someone get back with you shortly.”) Tell them in detail what comes next. Do you have a new product to direct them to? A great news story for them to read?

A thank you page can also be a great place for a video. Here you can describe in detail, as only you can, face-to-face, why you appreciate the user visiting your website and what you have to offer that no one else does.

If you’ve ever ordered printed items online from Vistaprint, you probably know that their website is the King of Thank You’s. Offers automatically appear after your purchase with notes like: “Thanks for purchasing your magnets from Vistaprint. If you act in the next 25 minutes, you can order matching address labels for Half OFF with no additional shipping! ACT NOW!” Only those who have actually made a purchase will be able to view these special offers.

Online Social Networking also offers opportunities to say thank you. You can “follow” a business or promote their content on Twitter, “Like” their page on Facebook, “Share” their online message with those you are connected with online, write a recommendation on LinkedIn, or you can contribute to a discussion on their blog. Obviously, these are smaller thank-you’s and are only appropriate for the smaller occasions. Someone who introduced you to your new boss probably deserves more than just a “Tweet”.

Hess Pediatric Ophthalmology Specialists is an experienced father-son team helping children in Florida’s Tampa Bay Area with their eyecare needs. From simply needing glasses to more serious eye surgery, they try to help children feel comfortable and part of the process.

The team just moved into the newly built Outpatient Care Center of St. Petersburg, Florida’s All Children’s Hospital, and used the move as an opportunity to develop a brand to match the look and feel of their new office space.

THE PROJECT

Over the years, the Drs. Hess never developed a brand, website, logo, etc. We started from scratch, using the interior decor of the new office as our guide. We were given the wall colors, the pattern of the brightly colored floor tiles, and the following adjectives: Clean, Euro and Streamlined. Everything in the office needed to be built to withstand hundreds of children each week – plastic, leather and vinyl in bright hues of green, orange and blue.

DISCUSSION

We were asked to develop a logo, business cards, a web site and a postcard to help referring physicians announce the Hess relocation. After meeting with Dr. Hess’ wife, we determined that the logo should reflect eyes, not eyeglasses, and should be kid friendly, modern and bright. We chose a font online together, and she also asked that the website background match the bright pattern on the office floor.

SOLUTION

Brand: The Hess logo design is simple black and white font-based art with the addition of a brightly colored eyeball. Marketing studies show that the human eye is drawn to other eyes (and the bigger the pupil the better), so this round eye creates a focal point and helps viewers absorb the message. It also reflects the kid friendly and approachable tone they required to lessen the seriousness of the “big words” in their corporate name.

The logo can be reproduced easily on a variety of marketing materials with a different colored background. We suggested the royal blue from their office as the standard background color, because blue often represents both trust and medicine.

The one eyeball in the artwork gave us a hint of a one-eyed monster of some sort. To this end, we imagined a one-eyed Ophthasaurus, with the idea of allowing their young patients to determine what an Ophthasaurus should look like. The kids’ drawings could be pasted up in the office.

We worked with a local sign company to make a vinyl version of their logo to stick on the wall of their waiting area (shown below). Office signs were also made for the front door and to direct parents from the exam room to the check out area using the same font and colors.

Business Cards: The business cards reflected the as-yet-to-be-seen Ophthasaurus, with the use of a white “blob” to house contact information on the front of the card. Because the office was not only new to the doctors, but new to the downtown skyline, we used the back of the business card to provide a map for patients.

Web Design: The custom designed website was built using WordPress software along with our own HTML and PHP programming, so that future updates, including posting patient forms, may be made easily by office staff. It reflects the approachable tone of the logo and office culture.

We utilized an eye chart in the site design to immediately let web visitors know if they were on the right web site. (Not every person Googling “Dr. Hess” would be on the right site, and not everyone being directed to the site knows what an Ophthalmologist does.)

Professional photos of actual patients gave us adorable photos for the web site. Rather than purchasing stock photography, we increased the probability of people in the local community recognizing a friendly face on the website and finding an immediate emotional connection with the Hess office.

Postcard: The same smiling photos found in the office and on the website were used on the postcard design. Pediatricians who recommend Dr. Hess’ office will receive a stack of postcards to hand out, which include the new address, phone number, web address and a map to the new location.

WHAT THE CLIENT THINKS

“The logo and map are fantastic!”

“I adore the business cards. I am so impressed.”

“I love the postcard and think it is perfect!”

“Putting our logo up on the wall of our office completed what was missing.”

“There is significant opportunity for retailers to increase sales by taking advantage of new technologies,” said Catherine Moellering, executive vice president of Tobe, an international fashion and retail authority.

In their 2010 Spring State of Retail Report, Tobe unveiled 10 key strategic initiatives that will immediately drive sales for online retailers: 

1. Treat your home page like a storefront window. Recognize it is the face of the brand and use it as a selling point, showing all features and enticing consumers to explore deeper into the site.

2. Blog. Ignoring the blogging community gives anyone the opportunity to become the voice of the brand. Whether penning their own blog or sending product to influential bloggers, retailers need a blogging strategy to ensure their point of view is conveyed.

3. Invest in new technologies. From streaming fashion shows to smart phone apps, a number of new technologies can directly translate to sales. Add expert commentary, and blast new promotions through mobile coupons.

4. Conduct tests through Internet exclusive product launches. The internet is a cost-efficient way to test new product lines and gain immediate customer feedback before making larger investments.

5. Improve customer service. Live-chat dialogues, online fit guides and personalized product recommendations can better serve online customers and reduce cart abandonment.

6. Build loyalty with a unique online selling proposition. A unique offering such as donating a percentage of sales to charity, matching competitor coupons, or providing year-round free shipping drives traffic to your site and makes your brand memorable.

7. Offer online gift registries and wish lists. These lists help you gain important lifestyle information about your consumers and the people who care about them. Anniversary reminders sent each year make repeat gift purchases convenient and build loyalty.

8. Reach your customers where they live online. Think beyond Facebook and Twitter to sites such as PopSugar, Tumblr and Delicious that are gaining traction with niche consumer audiences.

9. Keep search engines in mind. Social networking sites are important for maintaining a connection to the consumer, but purchases are more likely to occur through a search engine. Continue investing in SEO and keyword searches.

10. Build customer reviews. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase from retail sites that include product reviews. In-fact, sites that include occasional negative reviews are seen as being more credible than those listing only positive feedback.

In 2007, Clark’s wife asked him for a picture of the ocean to decorate a bedroom wall. Clark grabbed a camera, jumped in the ocean, and started recording the beauty and power of Hawaiian waves from the inside out, a point of view most people will never experience. Now people are paying to hang his point of view on their walls!

The ocean has become his office. I’m sure what is “all in a day’s work” feels like play to him. Where do you like to play? What could you new office space be? I know that my creativity and curiosity keep my design work from ever feeling boring or mundane.

Clark is actively seeking galleries, museums, surf shops, community groups and art schools interested in hosting his slideshow presentation and book signing events. Learn more and view pricing at http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/tour.php.