Design To The Finish Line � santa rosa web designers

Using Google Trends To Analyze A Conversation

Forward Motion Studios — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:33:16 +0000

Google Trends is an unbelievably powerful business tool.

If you haven’t spent time with Google Trends then you have to take the time to dive in and begin analyzing conversations at a global scale.

In this video, Tippingpoint Labs quickly shows you how tracking the evolution of a conversation can actually help you position your company in search -

If you’re not using Google Trends and watching the way keywords appear and disappear, then you are not taking advantage of your market, where your market is moving, and how your customers might be referring to your business in ways you didn’t even know.

Are you trending today?

Having trouble understanding how to use Google Trends for search? Call us at 707-578-1390 today and we can design your website with content that will help you get found in search – and involved in the Internet conversation.

Our continued success to you,

About Forward Motion Studios -
Forward Motion Studios™ is a Santa Rosa Web Design company that builds, hosts and supports custom websites for businesses. This includes simple, brochure-like web pages to highly complex, software and database-driven eCommerce websites with B2B shopping carts. You can catch their Tweets at twitter/forwardmotion.

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Color: It’s All In The Environment

Forward Motion Studios — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:39:31 +0000

One of the most frequent questions we get.

“Why doesn’t my printed piece match what I have on my screen (my office printer, my friends iPhone, etc.)?”

Using color in print can be frustrating. Every printing device operates differently. These differences can cause the printed document to look different from one printing device to another.

To address this issue, the printing industry uses Pantone colors. “The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another” (wikipedia).

But viewing these same colors on the Internet, or on your own computer screen is a whole different ballgame.

Unlike print media where you are controlling where your materials print, computer screen colors are completely dependent on the settings on each individual computer.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a Pantone color matching system when viewing on-screen/online. It is impossible to take Pantone color and include it in a web design. Even if it looks right on your screen it won’t on others.

Why?

Because everyone has different computers and monitors. There’s LCD screens and traditional tube monitors. There’s the color settings on each machine and they can be set to 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256 millions of colors. Then there’s the quality of video card, along the quality of the monitor.

There’s all the different operating systems, and last but not least, there are all the different viewing browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Flock, Chrome, Safari to name a few). Add in devices like iphones with their own operating systems and viewing screens and you have a 100 different ways to view color.

And, there’s more -

Monitors emit color as RGB (red, green, blue) light and are capable of displaying only a limited range of the visible spectrum. Monitors emit light, while inked paper absorbs, or reflects it.

We use color management systems for calibrating monitors, scanners, printers, and digital cameras so they all “talk the same color.”

When was the last time you tested your monitor colors or changed them from the factory defaults?

Having trouble seeing your website in the right colors? Call us at 707-578-1390 today and we can recommend some inexpensive color calibration tools.

Our continued success to you,

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Santa Rosa Web Design

Forward Motion Studios — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:25:40 +0000

Looking for a Santa Rosa web design firm with 30 years experience creating innovative and search engine friendly business websites?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Based in San Francisco’s North Bay Area, we specialize in complete Internet marketing, custom design solutions and project management for business websites. We also offer graphic design and product photography. Our focus is on helping you achieve your business goals through successful design projects.

Benefits of working with Forward Motion Studios

30 years experience creating innovative solutions that work
Custom proposals with price quotes you can rely on
Social media training and expertise
Search engine friendly websites
Outstanding service and dedication to your satisfaction
Highest-quality work and product
Individualized, right-sized support for your project
Reliable team with leading-edge skills
Smart solutions to your project needs

Our Web Design Create

User Friendly, easy-to-navigate sites
Clean, elegant design
Sites that support your sales and marketing goals
Web experiences that integrate your on and off-line sales and marketing plans
Online environments that encourage repeated user visits
Social Media support
Search engine submission

To view a sample of our portfolio go to www.forwardmotionstudios.com

E-Commerce solutions

We work with your every step of the way to help you identify the feature you need. Here are a few of the options available:

Secure payment gateway
Inventory management
Streamlined order processing
Unlimited product support
Complete product administration
Integration with your shipping and bookkeeping systems
Content management – a content management system allows you the freedom to update information on your site whenever you want.

Updating your site is easy as filling out a form online. The system is password protected and allows you to add, edit or delete text and images without having to write any code.

Our Graphic Design services -

Advertising
Announcements
Annual Reports
Brochures
Branding
Business Cards
Direct Mail
DVD Design
Envelopes
E-newsletters
Flyers
Folders
Hang Tags
Invitations
Jewel Cases
Branding kits
Labels
Logos
Menus
Newsletters
Posters
Post Cards
Presentations
Quarterly Reports
Restaurant Collateral
Signage
Stationery Systems
Visuals
Wedding Programs

FMS Photography Showcases

Products
Commercial
Architectural
Advertising
Environmental
Food and Wine

Having trouble finding the perfect web design, logo solution or understanding the latest social media trend? Call us at 707-578-1390 today and we can design your website with content that will help you get found in search – and involved in the Internet conversation.

Our continued success to you,

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Does Your Website Have The Right Web Content?

Forward Motion Studios — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:01:22 +0000

Writing content for your website is not that much different than writing for anything else: you need to make your content interesting, you need to give it a purpose, and you need to give your visitors a “call to action”, whether this is to buy something, sign up for something, view a demo, or call you.

Here’s a brief video on the subject –

Using the right content hook gets your visitors attention. After that we need to create similar content to maintain their interest on the site, while gradually producing material that builds on what we’ve already demonstrated. We then should distribute visitors attention by directing them to related products or services throughout your site.

The flow should be simple, direct and engaging.

Period.

Having trouble deciding if your website content is effective? Call us at 707-578-1390 today to set an appointment for us to discuss how effective your website content is to your visitors experience.

Our continued success to you,

About Forward Motion Studios -
Forward Motion Studios™ is a Santa Rosa Web Design company that builds, hosts and supports custom websites for businesses. This includes simple, brochure-like web pages to highly complex, software and database-driven eCommerce websites with B2B shopping carts. You can catch their Tweets at twitter/forwardmotion.
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Where Is Your Call To Action?

Forward Motion Studios — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:30:30 +0000

Sometimes when I meet with business owners, they have a plan for exactly how they want their website to look before I’ve had a chance to really question them on the purpose of their site. While it is great to have a business owner who knows what they want, it can also be difficult to get them to focus on the real purpose of their website.

What purpose?

Every business website should perform a function for that business. One very important function is to have a call to action with a something your visitors are to complete from the website. Do you want them to call? Do you want them to sign up for something? Do you want them to buy? Do you want them to request a demo?

Then where is your call to action?

You need to tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do on every page of your website. Call to actions can be colored buttons telling them to do something, or a short form that collects information, or a coupon to be printed out to bring into your business.

Call to actions are statements like

Checkout Now
Subscribe Here
Call Us Today
Apply Now
Get Stared Today
Buy it Now!
Act Now. Before (date).
View Demo
Join Now!
Call us Now

When a visitor arrives on your website what should they want to do? What will they want to do? Using a clear call to action on every page makes it easy for your visitors to understand not only what you would like them to do, but also why to do it and what benefits the can expect if they do. Your call to action does not need to be the same for each web page. Instead smaller actions can lead your visitors toward your ultimate business goal – more conversions!

Right?

Having trouble thinking of your call to actions? Call us at 707-578-1390 today to set an appointment for us to discuss how effective web copy with a perfect call to action can reap big rewards.

Our continued success to you,

About Forward Motion Studios -
Forward Motion Studios™ is a Santa Rosa Web Design company that builds, hosts and supports custom websites for businesses. This includes simple, brochure-like web pages to highly complex, software and database-driven eCommerce websites with B2B shopping carts. You can catch their Tweets at twitter/forwardmotion.
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