So, with the good, there is always some bad, right? Well, so far, not much bad. Let’s just say inconvenient. The main drawback really is the lack of plugins that just work right out of the box. I’ve found quite a good list of solutions that I’m not really starting to understand, but compared to Joomla or WordPress, ModX is miles behind. But what I’ve found is that for most of my clients that really just want a nice site up that they can add to and edit, there is nothing better than ModX. Most of the sites I’m making now have news, calendar events, photo galleries and more and ModX is doing the trick.

Take a look at a few of the sites I’ve done recently. My ModX skills are getting better with each new site I complete.

• Charles Mann Contracting
• Sports Chalet, PA
• Suburban Rescue
• Williams Township Fire Company (still needs lots of content)
• Easton Pennsylvania Freemason Lodge 152

I’ve done even more, but this is a good showing of what I’ve done since finding ModX.  I love creating 1 or 2 templates and then creating all of the pages right in ModX. So easy when I need to update something on the entire site. A quick change on the template and the whole site is updated.

Look for more information about ModX and what’s going on at my new design studio – Big Pixel Studio. Justin and I have been so busy our first year together that we just have so little time to do much other than client work. I’m also planning on actually updating and maintaining this blog a bit more as well. I may even switch it over to a ModX site. Not sure yet. ModX can certainly handle blogging, but nothing like good old WordPress.

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Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted here. In fact, this was just a little experiment to see how to work with Wordpress. But, it’s out there and things are changing with my business, so I might just starting using my Design Notes sites as more of a personal web site while my new company Big Pixel Studio gets rolling. So… Big Pixel Studio… I’ve partnered with two long time associates to form a new design studio. We’ve been working together for over ten years and finally decided it was time to get together and make an official business. I hope to post more info as we go but for now, visit our site: http://www.bigpixelstudio.com, check out our work and let me know what you think.

Look for me to actually update this site a bit more often and to make it look a little nicer. Again, this was just a test site that happens to be live.

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Well, for now I’ll keep writing in my little blog just to keep my foot in the water. I may even Twit now and again. Hey, I’ve got to keep busy while I’m waiting for the next big thing.

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You see it all of the time. A small business owner hands you his business card that looks like it was picked right out of a business card template book. It doesn’t look bad. The type is nice, colors are o.k. But then he hands you his brochure or catalog that looks like it was printed right out of Microsoft Publisher. Again, it doesn’t necessarily look bad, but it doesn’t look anything like his card. Then the worst part, you visit his website that definitely looks like he created himself or worse yet, his kid did it as a project for school.

When it comes to creating an image for their business, why do so many smart people make bad decisions when it comes to their brand? Even the smallest of companies can benefit from a professional image. A business card that has the same look and feel as their brochure, a website that also matches the look and actually provides some useful content can make a dynamic first impression. Yet people just don’t see the need to invest in these small items that make all the difference. Here are a few tips that can help you make the right move in making your business look great.

1. First, find a designer that you can work with. This is actually the easiest part of the process. Look through the business cards that you got at your last chamber mixer. Find the ones that stand out to you. Give the person a call and ask them who they worked with. People love to hear that their card made an impression.

2. Schedule a meeting with several designers. Make sure that you have a good rapor and that you feel comfortable with them. You want to use their talents to help you achieve the look you want. This is your image. Don’t get talked into a look that is just not right for you, but be open to the designers suggestions. That’s what you’re paying them for.

3. Have them design everything. Just because a printer will offer to layout your business card at no cost doesn’t mean you have to accept. Your designer will make sure that your card, letterhead, envelopes and brochures all match. They’ll make sure to use the same fonts, colors and images. This is important in keeping a consistent look.

4. If you designer does not program websites, have him give the web designer a general layout or at the minimum a spec sheet of colors, fonts, etc. to use as a guide.

5. Have all of your ads created by the same designer or again, have him provide a hi-resolution logo and a spec sheet to the magazine that has offered to do the ad for free. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean that it’s better. Consumers need to recognize your brand. They need to see it over and over again for it to sink in. Don’t make them try to figure out who you are each time you spend money on your marketing.

These tips may seem simple, but you would be surprised just how many people make these mistakes. Small businesses often have small budgets, but it really pays in the long run to create a recognizable brand that stays consistent.

Michael Smull is the owner of MDS Design, an Easton, Pennsylvania graphic design firm specializing in Print, Creative, Web and Identity. He can be reached at 610.438.4189, mike@mdsdesign.com or www.mdsdesign.com.

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Yeah? So do I. And, it’s getting harder and harder to make that happen. More web sites come online every day. .com addresses are harder and harder to come by. Search engine optimization changes all of the time. So, how can you make search engines work for your small business? You can hire a top notch SEO (search engine optimization) company, but as a small business that can get very expensive. Many SEO companies charge more than you will have paid to create your entire site. Or, you can share this article with your web designer and work together to come up with a plan to get more traffic to your site. Here are a few tips:

1. First identify your potential clients. I have a client who was concerned because his site didn’t come up in the first 10 pages of google when he searched for “automation”. First of all, a search for automation returned over 22 million hits. He was searching for a word that is used over and over again in literally thousands of businesses. Second, when I asked him what his client base was he stated that it was strictly Eastern Pennsylvania. So even if he came up on the first few pages of google for automation the chances of that potential client being from Northeast Pennsylvania was very slim.

He would be better off deciding on a few phrases to incorporate into his body text on his home page and other pages of his site that better relate to the clients he can potentially serve such as: Automation Industry in Northeast Pennsylvania. You need to target your text based on location and your capabilities. I recently looked in to purchasing an alarm system for my home. I search fored Home Alarm System Lehigh Valley, PA. It wouldn’t do me any good to get a great price from a company in Nebraska. That would be a long way to travel for an install.

2. Say it often and in as many ways as possible. My client is in the automation industry in Northeast Pennsylvania. He needs to make sure the text on his site states this everywhere that he can and in many different combinations. Pennsylvania Automation Industry, Industry Automation in PA, PA Northeast Industry Automation, you get the point.

3. Make sure that the pages on your site have good title tags that match the content and wording on your page. Search engines look at title tags to see how they relate to what’s written on the page. If they match you will be ranked higher. If you don’t know the difference between a title tag and a price tag, ask your web designer. If he doesn’t know, get a new web designer.

4. Pay per click – Pay per click advertising does work. That’s when you bid on keywords for a certain price and then pay the search engine every time someone clicks on the link. The problem is that the costs adds up quickly and many people simply click to see what your site looks like or they are just passing time. They may not be serious buyers.

5. Make sure that you put your website on everything that you have printed. Cards, Letterhead, envelopes, direct mail, brochures, magnets, hats, bummper stickers, etc. Anywhere that you can put your web site that potential visitors can see it helps. Also make sure that you always use a signature in your e-mail application that has a link to your site  in it.

6. Read. Search for articles about SEO on google and yahoo. There are a lot of great free articles out there that can give you valuable tips. Also, google and yahoo have information on their sites for Web Masters on how they index web pages. Why not get the info directly from the people who are creating the Search Engine.

7. And most important of all…hire a web design company that will build your site the right way. That means using web standards that search engines like google and yahoo use to rank your site.

Most small businesses just don’t have the time to do all of this on their own. Again, work with your web designer to put together a plan that will get your site listed in front of the people who are looking for your product or service.

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