Is your business missing out on a large volume of potential customers simply because you don’t come up in search engine results?

Do you focus all your efforts on print, radio or TV advertising and not worry about your website, SEO and whether you can be found in Google or Bing? The reality is that people will go to your website or look you up after viewing your ‘offline’ ads. And most people who are looking for your service will start by ‘Googling’ it.

Give it a shot now. Google your product or service (not your name) and see how you rank. How do your competitors rank?

If you don’t appear at all, or you do appear but on a few local directory listings with minimal information, it’s time for some search engine marketing.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Just because you have a website, doesn’t mean the search engines like Google or Bing will index your site to appear in their results pages. There’s a whole host of SEO activities that are required to get you up in the organic results on that first page – from correctly coding your website, keyword optimising your content, internal and external linking, submitting your site and site map to Google, and regular content updates. It’s an ongoing process, but with a bit of SEO effort up front, you should be able to maintain good visibility in search engine results.

If you are building a new website, we can build it for you with all the right SEO code, and for a small added fee we can provide a full Search Engine Optmisation service. If you already have a website, we can improve your results. If you don’t have a website, then it’s time to get one as people are more inclined to click on a company web address than a directory listing in search engine results.

Contact us for a free SEO analysis for your existing site or free SEO consultation for your new website.

Search Engine Pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising

These days, most people looking for your product or service will start with a Google search. Those text ads that appear in at the top and bottom of Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) are managed through Google Adwords. If you operate in a highly competitive market where’s there’s lots of competition for the first page of Google results, then we recommend that (in addition to SEO) you start running Google Adwords and pay to stay on that first page. We also recommend Google ads if you wish to target customers in cities and regions outside of your physical business address.

You can also widen your reach by running your Google text ads in the results pages of Google Search Partners (such as YouTube) and on relevant pages of other websites in the Google Display Network such as Perth Gumtree or Start Local.

With search engine advertising, you’re putting your ads in front of people who are actively looking for your product or service. This delivers better, more measurable returns at a fraction of the price of newspaper or television advertising. Mass media ads are still important for brand building and driving website traffic, but when mixed together with Google Adwords, you can achieve stronger returns. The cost will depend on a number of factors, particularly competition for your keywords. We can give you a recommended monthly Google Ads budget upon inquiry.

Getting your ads to appear in the top 3 ad positions requires advanced skills in operating Google Adwords. You have to ensure you are bidding on the right keywords, that your account is structured correctly, your ad text is relevant, the right prices are set AND that your landing pages on your website also meet a number of criteria such as fast load speed, strong keyword presence etc.

Our Google Adwords guru, Jen Hanrahan has been using Google Adwords for over 10 years. She was actually trained in Google Adwords by Google staff at their Sydney headquarters in 2007.

Contact us to get started with Google Adwords and watch your sales soar.

Search Engine Marketing Case Study

See how Blaze Digital helped to boost the sales of Geraldton steel sheds supplier, Aussie Sheds through SEO and Search Engine Advertising.

The post Search Engine Marketing – Are You Missing Out? appeared first on Blaze Digital.

I’d say mine would be a young(ish), caffeinated, barefoot professional with a broad grin. She wears glasses sometimes and is a bit of a nerd. But I digress…

Having an authentic, distinct and personal character reflected in your language can be the difference between converting a website visitor into a one-off customer, or into fan and follower.

The Power of Web Copywriting

While good web interace design plays a big part in creating your visitor’s first impression and guiding their pathway through your website, cleverly crafted text that’s written by a professional web copywriter, will help make a connection with the reader, draw them in, build their trust and ultimately, persuade them to take the action you desire.

Copywriting for Search Engines

What many fail to realise is that when you’re copywriting for the web, you have two key audiences: humans and search engine robots (sometimes known as web spiders, web crawlers or my favourite, web bots). The human part is about making a connection as outlined above. The search engine part is about giving the robots all they need to rank you highly in their search engine results. It’s simple really. Search engines want their visitors to see the most relevant and useful content for their search query. Websites which fulfil that need best will rank higher.

At Blaze, we speak fluent Search Engine Robot and have a track record in getting our websites in the top results through SEO. This involves optimising your content to include relevant keyword phrases (but not overdoing it); including links and pathways in and out of your site, to and from credible sources; and having quality, accessible content.

BLAZE DIGITAL COPYWRITING SERVICES

We start the copy writing process with a consultation to understand you, your brand, values and your offering. We review your market and competitors and then profile and understand your target audience and their needs.

Our web copy writing rates are not only affordable, they get results.

The post Web Copywriting: The Power of Words on Your Website appeared first on Blaze Digital.

Why you shouldn’t upload photos straight from the camera

It’s a no brainer. The larger the image inserted into the page, the slower the page loads. Aside from being annoying for your visitor (especially if they’re on a super tight data plan) Google will penalise your page for being too slow – impacting your SEO.

20Mb or even a 2Mb file is way too heavy – especially if you have several of them on the page. You want your page to load as light as possible.

As a general rule, I try to make my total page size less that 1Mb.  Some ecommerce and magazine style blog sites are heavier than this, but I work to the 1Mb general rule. You can determine your page size and other SEO gems at http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/.

How to reduce the file size of photos (and speed up your web pages)

Well, you can resize them in Photoshop, or your standard Windows/Mac photo editing program. But this can be time consuming. The easiest way to ensure your photos are uploaded at a reasonable size is to use a plugin that will resize the images when you upload them. Below are the two best WordPress plugin I recommend:

Imsanity

This plugin resizes and compresses images before they are uploaded to the server. So far I’ve found no problems with Imsanity across dozens of themes and installs.

Once installed and activated, Imsanity will resize all your photos to be no bigger than 2048px wide or long (you can customize this maximum size and quality). It also deletes the original large file saving your diskpace on your web hosting account.

For example

• Photo Dimensions/Size Before Imsanity:  4235px x 2918px (2.86Mb)
• Photo Dimensions/Size After Imsanity (max size set at 1024px): 1024px x 706px (266.4Kb)

It took me a while to find Imsanity because the name doesn’t relate much to the solution. Get the Imsanity plugin to resize images when uploading to WordPress.

WP Smush

This plugin takes things a step further than Imsanity by “smushing” or optimising images as well as resizing and compressing them.  Smushing basically cuts all the unnecessary meta data that’s stored in images making your images even lighter.

This plugin works a treat, but they throw a lot of admin messages at you to encourage you to upgrade to the Pro version. If you only have a small number of images, the free version is fine. If you have lots of images on a busy site, then it may be worth upgrading to the pro version.

Both plugins have a bulk-resize feature to selectively resize previously uploaded images to free up disk space.

The post Best WordPress plugin to resize images before upload appeared first on Blaze Digital.

If you are planning on running a trade promotion on your Facebook Page in Australia, you need to ensure your competition is run in accordance with both Facebook Page Guidelines for Promotions and State Government regulations for trade promotions.

Failure to comply with these legal requirement could result in your business being fined or your Page being removed by Facebook. All it takes is for a competitor or disgruntled customer or ex-employee to report you. Are you willing to run the risk?

Please note this post was originally dated August 28, 2013. On 2 January 2016 I updated it to fix some broken links and cite the latest page guidelines.

So how do you run a legal Facebook competition?

There are basically two type of competitions with their own unique set of State Government regulations.

1. “Game of Chance” (lottery/sweepstakes) where the winner is drawn at random or wins by element of chance; or
2. “Game of Skill” (contest) where the winner is judged or voted and selected for their skill (eg. the best photo or answer to a “Tell us in 25 words or less” question).

The most popular promotion run on Facebook is a “Like to Win” competition which is “Game of Chance”. Others run “Game of Skill” competitions where the best photo, video or answer is judged and awarded by the Page reps or is voted the most popular.

Each contest must be run in accordance with the guidelines and regulations below.

Follow the Facebook Competition Rules

You can now run Facebook promotions (eg. contests or Like to Win sweepstakes) on your Page wall and are no longer required to use a third party app.

Pages can now:

• collect entries via users (fans and non-fans) posting on the Page wall
• collect entries by users commenting on or liking a Page post
• collect entries by having users message the Page
• collect votes via likes (new fans, post likes)

View the revised Facebook Page Guidelines for Promotions and read the official announcement here  https://www.facebook.com/facebookforbusiness/news/page-promotions-terms.

No “Share to Win” or “Like and Share to Win” or “Tag a Friend to Win”

According to the new Facebook Terms: “Personal Timelines and friend connections must not be used to administer promotions  (ex: “share on your Timeline to enter” or “share on your friend’s Timeline to get additional entries”, and “tag your friends in this post to enter” are not permitted).”

If you want to promote your competition wider than your current fans, then ask them to Share the competition post, but don’t tell them they have to in order to enter. Or use a third party app which has built-in viral sharing posts for each entry.

Follow State Government Competition Rules for Trade Promotions

You also need to follow the competition rules for each State or jurisdiction in which you are running the promotion (not just the State in which your business is registered or operating). If the competition is open to anyone in Australia, then each State has it’s own rules regarding trade promotions covering disclosure, notification and awarding of prizes.

Some jurisdictions require you to apply for a permit when running a trade promotion lottery (Game of Chance). They also require you to publish the winners names in a newspaper. It’s to ensure winners are selected fairly and the contest is not rigged.

A licence or permit is not required in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania. In South Australia and Northern Territory a permit is required if total prize value is greater than $5,000. In the ACT a permit is required for prizes greater than $3,000.  And in NSW, you need to purchase a permit for any trade promotion lottery run.

In my experience, it’s simplest to run a Game of Skill or contest as you don’t require permits.

Australian State Government Guidelines for Trade Promotions

• ACT
• Queensland
• NSW
• NT
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Include a link to full Competition Terms and Conditions

All states require you to publish a set of terms and conditions that are readily available from the competition notice or entry form. If you only want to target entrants in your local area or state to avoid the red tape from each state, then put that as one of your Eligibility conditions in your competition terms and conditions (eg. only people currently residing in these postcodes or this state are eligible to enter).

Facebook requires a complete release of liability by each entrant. Sample wording is below:

By entering and participating, entrant agrees to hold harmless, defend and indemnify Facebook from and against any and all claims, demands, liability, damages or causes of action (however named or described), losses, costs or expenses, with respect to or arising out of or related to (i) entrant’s participation in the Sweepstake, or (ii) entrant’s participation in any Prize related activities, acceptance of a Prize and/or use or misuse of a Prize (including, without limitation, any property loss, damage, personal injury or death caused to any person(s). 

Also include the following wording:

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.

Consider using a Third Party App for your Facebook Competition

From 27 August 2013  you are no longer required to run your promotions through a third party app. You can now run your promos directly on your Timeline.

Third Party apps have a number of benefits over using your Page Timeline:

• Apps collect and store all the entries (Likers, email addresses etc) in a database and then run an algorithm to randomly select a winner for Like to Win sweepstakes – saving you having to keep track and do this manually.
• Using the app templates, you can create slick branded competition landing pages and entry forms to create a strong first impression to new fans. You simply upload banners, logos and set your brand colour scheme and fonts.
• Some apps allow you to embed a competition entry form in your web page (by sending people to your website, you can install the Facebook pixel and cross-sell).
• You can have a custom Facebook Tab for your competition so that it’s easy to find.
• You can collect email address through a mailing list opt-in on your entry form. These can be downloaded to into a spreadsheet or even sent straight to your list in Mail Chimp, Mad Mimi, Constant Contact or other email service provider.
• Having collected their email address, you can easily contact the winner to notify them.
• Some apps have viral sharing mechanisms where entrants can choose to let the app post that they have entered the competition in their news feed. The viral post can contain your custom branded image and text. See below

Facebook Third Party Competition Apps

Below are a few third party Facebook competition app platforms that essentially host your competition on Facebook.com for a small fee. They are simple to use and you don’t need to know any technical app development stuff to get up and running.

• ShortStack
• Wishpond
• Heyo
• Promosimple
• Rafflecopter
• Woobox
• Offerpop
• Gleam

In summary, to run a legal Facebook competition you need to:

1. Check State Government gaming and trade promotions guidelines for each state where the competition is open (from where people are eligible to enter).
2. Apply for competition permits if relevant. It depends on the entry mechanism and the value of your prize.
3. Draft terms and conditions that comply with each State’s regulations and ensure they are accessible from your Facebook competition page or post.
4. Run your Facebook competition according to the Facebook  Page Guidelines.

So that’s the legals covered. The steps to running an effective or successful Facebook competition is a separate topic that I will cover in a future post.

Please Note:

Only businesses with an ABN (Australian Business Number) are eligible for permits and therefore subject to the Australian statutory laws/regulations. International businesses targeting Australia do not need to comply with these guidelines.

This article is intended only to provide a summary and general overview and does not constitute legal advice. We attempt to ensure that the content is current but we do not guarantee its currency. You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the content.

Photo by: João Silas

The post How to run a (legal) Facebook competition appeared first on Blaze Digital.

Are you a member-based organisation such as a gym or community organisation?

Do you provide an ongoing professional or personal service such as hair & beauty therapy, personal training or allied health?

Are you a retailer looking to set up a loyalty program or promote sales and specials to your regular customers?

Do you want to acquire more new customers?

If done right, email marketing is a great way to build a relationship with your clients and ultimately, grow your business.

Get results with a branded eNewsletter

Email newsletters or eNewsletters are a cost-effective way to keep in touch with clients or members, or even convert new leads into customers. They can be personalised to your reader and used to promote events and sales, offer discounts, conduct surveys, prompt word-of-mouth promotion, or simply keep stakeholders informed and engaged.

With the right targeting including time of day and relevant content, you can generate immediate action. Bear in mind a lot of people check their personal email on their phones.

Benefits of an online email broadcasting service

Using an online email marketing service like MailChimp or Active Campaigns provides a number of benefits over hard-copy newsletter mail-outs or sending out through your own email client such as Outlook or Gmail.

Powerful delivery & usage reports

You get real-time reports that show you who has opened your messages, forwarded them to friends, and which links they have clicked.

Cheaper than postage mail-outs

Instead of spending from 60 cents postage per newsletter, email broadcasting fees can cost from as little as nothing per email to just 10 cents an email (depending on features of the service, size of your list and how often you send).

Easy-to-use branded templates

You can present yourself professionally and present your content in the optimum way to generate action, without needing any technical programming or design skills.

You won’t get blocked as spam

When you send large mail-outs from Outlook or other mail clients, many incoming mail servers will think you are spam and block your message from getting through. Email broadcasting systems are set-up to ensure your messages get though.

eNewsletter Start-up Package

Blaze Digital can assist you with the following:

Additional eNewsletter Services

The post Benefits of eNewsletters appeared first on Blaze Digital.

The post SEO Basics: Competitor Research 101 appeared first on Blaze Digital.

I recommend either of the following two WordPress plugins. They pop out or slide out to display the Facebook Like Box when you click on the tab (or you can set them to slide out on hover). Then you simply click on them to   slide back in. Plus they can be disabled on tablets and mobiles if you wish so the tab doesn’t take up too much of the small screen.

Be-It Facebook Side Tab
This is the one used on my site. It has a number of display options you can even change the tab image (I’m using the default). Although the plugin hasn’t been updated for a while, I only recently installed it and it works a treat.

WP-FlyBox
I use found this one, because the plugin above didn’t work on certain sites. It works a treat. You can see it in action on the Mullewa Show website.

The post Add a slide-in Facebook Page Tab to the side of your WordPress website appeared first on Blaze Digital.

The answer depends on a number of variables including:

• your target market and how they seek and use your services,
• how competitive your market is,
• the type of business you are in
• your business plan and goals for growth.

In the majority of cases, I recommend having both as they complement each other in the overall marketing mix.

Why just having a Facebook Page is not ideal

1. Not everyone in Geraldton is on Facebook

I did some crunching of Geraldton Facebook usage statistics and found nearly half of all adults in Geraldton don’t have a Facebook account. A proportion of these adults may be elderly or the ‘other half’ of avid Facebook users, but I personally know dozens of people in my own circles who don’t because it’s not their thing.

Having a website can help you reach those non-Facebook users who will seek out your service in other channels (eg. Google, in the paper,  in print directory or old fashion word of mouth referral) and want to look at your web page before contacting you. A website gives you more scope than a Facebook page to create a strong brand impression and clear service offering – particularly to those who are not used to (or averse) to Facebook.

Sources: Facebook (people living within 50km radius of Geradton aged 15+); ABS: National Regional Profile: Geraldton-Greenough (% population aged 15+); Wikipedia: City of Greater Geraldton (estimated Geraldton population 2011)

2. Websites are better for search engine listings

Facebook pages don’t come up as high as web pages or directory listings for searches on your products or services. A website gives you much more scope to optimise for high search engine ranking.

You can get by with just a free online directory listing, but websites are generally clicked on before directory listings in search results so having a website  that comes up high in the results will put you ahead of your competitors. And having a website that is optimised for sales conversion will put you in front again.

3. Not everyone that uses Facebook uses it for interacting and transacting with brands

Of those 53% of Geraldton adults using Facebook, a great deal of them will be ‘light’ users – logging in irregularly and not necessarily interacting or following brands – preferring traditional methods to do this.

4. Only a small percentage of your Facebook followers actually see your posts

In late 2012, Facebook changed their EdgeRank algorithm to reduce the amount of brands’ Facebook page posts are seen in fans’ news feeds. This may have been a deliberate move by Facebook to force page owners to pay for reach using promoted posts. Whatever the reason, less people are seeing your updates now.

5. People new to town don’t have local connections for referrals

Are you missing out on these people?  Two years ago, I was one of them. Nearly all my current personal and professional service providers in Geraldton were found from Google. Most new residents will use Google to find new services. And chances are your Facebook page won’t come up in the results unless you have optimised it for keyword related to your products and services. Your Facebook page might come up high for searches on your brand name, but most new residents won’t be familar with it and won’t search for that.

6. Facebook search is not good for local business

Does anyone actually try to look for local services using Facebook search? If they created an advanced search that allowed you to target locations and categories, then it would be a different story.

When having just a Facebook Page is ok

Geraldton retailers with physical stores in town are prime examples of businesses that can use Facebook instead of a website.

Most NEW customers will find your store by going past it in the shopping centre or in town. Or they will find out about the store from friends on Facebook. Very few, if any, will find your store by doing a google search for “shoes” or “fashion” or “gifts” first. So it’s not so important for you to have a website that comes up in Google. Unless of course you want sell your products online and drive sales from markets outside Geraldton (refer to the case study below).

Facebook makes it easy for shop owners to promote new stock and sales promotions to drive repeat business to their store.

So what’s right for you?

Consider the purpose not the channel

My answer to whether you need a Facebook Page or a website is to take a holistic view of your marketing and start by considering your target market and how they use media and don’t start with the channel or medium and how to use it. Facebook may be the best customer retention or customer service tool, but a website may be better for branding and new customer acquisition.

When developing your marketing plan and deciding which channels to pursue always start with who is your target market and consider the following framework:

• Acquisition Strategy – how will you acquire NEW customers (eg. Google, Direct Mail, Advertising, Referrals)
• Retention Strategy – how you will keep existing customers loyal and generate repeat business (eg. Facebook, email, SMS)
• Growth Strategy – how will you get more value out of existing customers through upsells and cross sells
• Customer Service Strategy – how will you make yourself available to customers (service hours, service channels, response times)
• Brand Strategy – how will you create a distinct brand personality in the market (eg. PR, sponsorships, events, Facebook content marketing)

Consider your return on investment

When deciding whether to invest in a website, consider how many new customers/sales your website needs to generate to get a return on your investment – assuming you will have that same website for 2 to 5 years.  Websites don’t have to cost much money . Their are dozens of low cost online website builders for small business which are ideal if you have the time and skills. Hiring a professional web designer is best if  you operate in a competitive market and need SEO (search engine optimisation) expertise or if rely on your website to drive sales, quotes or provide a service. With a growing number of web designers in Geraldton, the cost is coming down.

Similarly, when investing in Facebook promotions or campaigns (taking into account the costs of giveaways, advertising and Facebook application fees), consider and set sales targets for the channel and not just how many new fans you will get.

Case Study

Geraldton lingerie retailer, Pink Petticoat recently invested in setting up an e-commerce website (online shop) to complement their physical store. They also have a Facebook page.

The online shop sells only basics and popular styles – things that existing customers will re-order without needing to try on or come into the store. We ensured the website was optimised for Google searches (SEO) when we built it and now it’s attracting online sales from all over Australia – specifically women in regional Australia – women who wouldn’t have found the business if it only had a Facebook page/shop.  They’ve opened themselves up to a new market for growth just by having a search optimised website.

They currently use their Facebook page to primarily drive local in-store sales. They haven’t conducted any online campaigns to drive website sales, but plan to in future and should generate a positive return on their website investment in the first year.

The post Facebook Page VS Website for Geraldton Business appeared first on Blaze Digital.

Me, I’m a hair and beauty monogamist. I find ‘the one’ and I stick to him or her until either I move or they do. And I can honestly say that when that happens I feel heartbroken.

Hair & beauty therapy is about relationships

I left a 7 year relationship with my Melbourne hair stylist, Maryanne when I moved to Western Australia in 2010. I followed her to 3 different salons as she moved and ventured into her own business, and when it came time for me to leave we exchanged parting gifts, tears and promises to stay in touch.

So when I landed in Geraldton I was heartbroken. Lost. Wondering if I’d ever find that stylist bond again. I let my split ends go wild and my colour grow and fade out. It was months before I got the courage to find someone. And when I decided to plunge back into another hairdresser relationship, the first thing I did was hit Google.

Hair & beauty therapy is about confidence

As hair and beauty therapists, you’re in the business of making your clients feel confident with a self-esteem boosting new hair style, or freshly pampered face and body. But as you know, it takes trust for your clients to place their confidence in your hands in the first place. And for new customers (like me) it can be daunting to court a new stylist or beauty therapist.

That’s where a website comes in

Get ahead of the competition

I was surprised at how few Geraldton hairdressers had websites (or how few showed up in Google search results despite having a website). I had the same experience trying to find a new beauty therapist for waxing. And that’s crazy considering I’ve since learnt there’s over 40 hair and beauty salons in Geraldton servicing a population just under 40,000.

Instill confidence with potential clients

The only hair salon website I could see in Google was DY Hairdressing. I went through their site and was impressed by what I saw. They ticked all my boxes in terms of information I need to evaluate them and decide whether to entrust my confidence (and wash basin confidences) in them.

Other salons had directory listings with very little info so I discounted them. After a survey of work colleagues, I decided to give DY a go and we’re still courting (though I still miss Maryanne).

Take a leaf from online dating (we’ve all had a go at some point). When you’re researching the candidates, you want information and and photos to evaluate them. You screen. Hairdressing is about long-term relationships so put your salon and your brand personality out there. Set up a compelling profile and the dates clients will come knocking.

Capture the new arrivals to Geraldton

A website is most effective for people like me who are new to town. And if government growth projections are right, there’ll be thousands of new arrivals to Geraldton in the next decade.

When we’re new to town, we have very few local Facebook friends to ask. And Facebook’s search just doesn’t cut it. So we Google. Having a website that comes up in Google will put you in front of those who don’t for new business inquiries. No brainer.

Convert your print ads and word of mouth referrals

A website is also a great tool to convert clients from your print ads in the Guardian, Yellow Pages or Mid West Community Directory and from word of mouth referrals, as many potential clients will look you up before calling.

Key website content to convert potential clients

• Stylist and therapist profiles (very important, yet so few salons do this)
• Photos – of the salon, treatments and styles (preferably real client photos)
• Service list with prices
• Products and brands
• Location map
• Opening hours
• Client testimonials.

How much will a website cost you?

Just 2 to 3 new clients could cover the cost of your website in a year. The dozens more you score will be a bonus!

Contact me for a quick quote. I can get you up and running in a couple of weeks and build your website right to get you strong exposure in Google. And I encourage you to ask other Blaze Digital clients about us first – just as  you would when choosing a new hairdresser.

Just remember that not all web designers have the SEO skills to get your website on the first page of Google or the strategic design skills to convert web visitors to customers. That’s why there’s a few Geraldton hair salons who have websites, but don’t come up in search engine results.  So choose your web designer carefully.

The post Why hair and beauty salons need a website appeared first on Blaze Digital.

So if you are considering having a website built, here’s a few things to consider when choosing your website designer.

What’s the difference between a graphic designer and a web designer?

Graphic Designers

Most graphic designers are trained in design principles and are taught the software and creative skills to apply these principals across multiple media. They have a strong understanding of typography and colour and how they interplay to create effective visual communications. Some people who call themselves graphic designers have simply learnt the software but don’t have the conceptual design training or knowledge. Graphic designers are the go-to for logo design, and while they work with multiple media, the majority focus on print media such as stationery, press ads, brochures, posters and publications.

Web Designers

Web designers like me specialise in online interactive media including websites, banner ads and web applications or ‘apps’. Some may have started out as graphic designers and then specialised in web. Others trained in multimedia and web design from the outset. Personally, I started out as a website manager, internet marketer and SEO specialist and then trained in web design. In all cases, we are web design specialists.  Just as there are graphic designers who have learnt the software but not the design theory, so too are there ‘web designers’ who have learnt the software or code, but don’t have training or experience in web usability or interactive design.

Web Developers

Then you have web developers – the experts in coding and building websites. While a web designer works on the ‘front end’ or interface, a web developer works on the ‘back end’ or code. Web developers interpret web designs and make them interactive using programming languages such as XHTML or HTML5, CSS, PHP, ASP, JavaScript, or the iPhone nemesis, Flash to name a few.  Most web designers have web development skills in HTML and CSS, while only a few can program PHP, JavaScript etc. On the flipside, most web developers or coders I’ve come across lack strong web interface design skills, but that’s another blog.

Traditionally designers create a Photoshop PSD front end web design and then supply it to a web developer to build, though it’s more common these days for web designers to purchase pre-designed themes or pre-built website templates and simply customise them to save time and money.

Graphic Designers vs Web Designers

A graphic designer who focuses on logos and print media may give you a strong visual design, but if they lack the specialist web development and online marketing knowledge your website may not be as effective as it would be if produced by a specialist web designer.

How to tell if a graphic designer is a good web designer

1. Google “website design in Geraldton”
   Do they come up in the first two pages of search results? If not, then they may not pay much heed to SEO. Be aware though that not all businesses that come up on the first page will be good web designers, despite being good at SEO.
2. Look at their portfolio
   Have they built many websites or do they mostly do logos, branding systems and print designs.
3. Browse their client websites on your computer
   Go through the site. Is it fast and easy to navigate? Or does it load slowly and do you get lost inside the site.
4. Browse their client websites on your mobile phone
   Does the website re-size to fit the screen? Is it easy to read on your device. If you have a touch screen device or smart phone such as an iPhone or iPad, does their website work? Can you tap on menus and buttons to navigate. As many people use touch screen devices to browse websites, you need to ensure your website works in these.
5. Ask them how they will SEO your website
   Be aware that it takes more than just writing keywords into your content to make your website search-engine friendly. If they don’t mention meta tags, internal linking, sub-heading hierachy, external links, anchor links or xml site map submission then you may find yourself having to pay extra for on-site SEO services that should have been provided by your web designer upfront.

Not all graphic designers are poor web designers. Just like not all web designers create visually appealing or intuitive websites.  You just need to be sure that whoever you choose to design and build your website, takes into consideration things like SEO, mobile phone and touch screen accessiblity, conversion optimisation and usability.

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