Project Type: Custom WordPress

Features: Education Center Blog

Case Study: Dr. Henson of Field Foot and Ankle hired our company to create two sites, one for his practice and one for his invention (coming soon!). This site is the practice site which gives patients information and provides information about various procedures and foot afflictions.

Project Type: Custom WordPress

Features: Private Client and Employee Areas

Case Study: Designed for a B2B audience, this site is an informational brochure for current and potential clients of The A. I. Group. The site features a private employee area as well as a client login where clients can see their policies, billing and documents.

Project Type: XHTML/CSS

Features: Menus, Online Reservations

Case Study: The site was created for a new restaurant in Alpharetta, Georgia. The site features online reservations and menus as well as forms for employment and private dining reservations. The site reflects the beauty of the restaurant itself in the design.

Project Type: Custom WordPress

Features: Patient Forms, CMS

Case Study: We developed a new logo and custom WordPress site for this client in Whitefish, Montana. The site is easily managed with WordPress and will include videos in the future as well as a backend for dentists to train using the latest laser equipment.

Project Type: Custom WordPress

Features: Galleries, Product Catalogs

Case Study: This client has been with us for over 12 years and wanted a redesign into a platform they could control. We built their new site in WordPress with a custom design and they were thrilled with the result. We also designed a new logo and branding materials. This site has also been on the 1st page of Google for over 11 years for the word “staircase” due to our world-class search engine optimization as well as many other keywords.

http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=staircase

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, it is a virtual pinboard. It allows users to organize and share the images they like. Users “pin” pictures to their boards of varying subjects and can share with others. Pinterest is a community where users share pictures of crafts, design, and really any image they feel is popular. There’s also a box for a description, caption or link back to a website.

Pinterest has about 4 million users. According to Desiree, “Pinterest is the new Facebook.” For every one new Facebook user there are three new people joining Pinterest. One of the benefits of Pinterest is that that users can also post their pins to Facebook and Twitter. This enables even more sharing and more reach for a business.

So, how do you get started? Pinterest is a bit different in that you don’t just sign up. You have to be invited to join. Chances are, if you have even a small social network, someone in that network is on Pinterest and can give you an invite. (You can ask Desiree!)

Once your invite is approved sign in (via email or Facebook). You’ll then be prompted to click on some categories of interest and start following some others. When starting out it is a good idea to create boards of specific topics so one board doesn’t get cluttered. Additionally, you can also choose to let others share photos on your board.

Here are some tips on how you can use Pinterest to increase your business:

• Invest time – As is true with all social media, the more you invest the more you’ll get out of it. With Pinterest, post quality pins than will make others want to repin.
• Share your words – You don’t have to just have images. You can share pictures of quotes or funny sayings or information. People share these kinds of images on Pinterest quite often.
• Follow the biggest users  – They have lots of users paying attention to what they are posting. When you follow them AND have quality pins they will likely follow you back and repin.
• Make sure your business is a match – It may sounds obvious, but keep in mind, Pinterest is about interesting pictures and content. If your business sells copy machines, it may not be the best match.
• Promote more than your business – It is tempting for businesses to only post pictures of their products. However, users want to see a variety of interesting pictures. When you do this, it keeps others interested in your content and makes you appear less self-serving.

Want more ideas? Check out Desiree’s Boards: Pinterest.com/dscales Just be careful…we’ve heard there is a “Pintravention” for people who get hooked on this service!

Last year, Desiree spoke at the RETSO convention on the topic of Twitter: The Art of Engagement in 140 Characters or Less. Desiree demonstrated how to she engages her audience of 50,000 and keeps them interested in her message.

This year she will be demonstrating how to set up a mobile site using WordPress and talking about how to get your site found on Siri.

RETSO is a campground for the real estate industry’s brightest minds, most innovative companies, and greatest doers to gather each spring in North Atlanta. They share ideas and knowledge that is ready to implement to make agents, brokers, vendors, partners, and the industry better. – RETSO website

Although RETSO is real estate based, there is plenty to glean from the insightful information shared by industry professionals. This valuable information on how to better use technology can be translated and put to use in other industries as well.

Some of the past topics covered are:

• Using tools like Twitter and Blogs to get business

• Mobile – why it’s hot and how to use it

• You don’t have to be a techie use social media successfully

• Making videos to market yourself and your business

• Paying it forward: how helping and promoting others can help you

• Using Location based marketing

• Photography – taking the best pictures to showcase homes

Who: Realtors and other tech savvy professionals

What: Real Estate Technology Conference

Where: Gwinnett Center | 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway | Duluth, GA 30097

When: April 2012

Don’t miss out on attending RETSO this spring. Tickets can be purchased at RETSO.com.

Make plans to attend now as space is limited. The day long seminar is free but will fill up quickly. Details are below.

Some of the topics that will be covered during this one day conference are:

• Time Treasury

• Why Join a Chamber of Commerce

• Small Business Accounting

• Three Keys to Email Marketing

• Content is Key

• 5 New Ways to Look Smart Online This Year (Desiree Scales)

• Creating the Right Impression with Video

• Social Media Marketing Made Simple

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear first hand from those who’ve mastered the art of running a small business in the age of the Internet and social media. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Sign up for Constant Contact’s Get Organized! Email + Social = Success here. See you there!

Modeled on El Sistema, Venezuela’s National System Of Youth And Children’s Orchestras, the Atlanta Music Project is an after-school, youth orchestra and choir program targeting underserved communities in metropolitan Atlanta. Founded in February 2010, the Atlanta Music Project is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization.

AMP believes the pursuit of musical excellence leads to the development of confidence, creativity and ambition, thus sparking positive social change in the individuals and the communities they serve.

The AMP program is rigorous with classes taking place five-days-a-week for two hours each day. AMP believes all children are musical and there are no entrance auditions or requirements for students to have any musical experience. The only thing required for a student to be in AMP: commitment to attending all classes.The Atlanta Music Project provides for each of its students: an instrument, classes, world-class Teaching Artists and performance opportunities.  AMP classes include orchestra, choir, musicianship, African drum and dance and group lessons in the following orchestral instruments: violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet and trombone.

Desiree’s background is steeped in music. She began singing when she was 3-years-old on her swing set, swinging to the beat of her song as her mother often loves to tell people. She was involved in choir from elementary school all the way through college graduation and sang several solos and in musical groups such as madrigals. She has performed with school choirs all over the United States including New Orleans, Illinois, Atlanta, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana. She has also performed solos with her high school choir in Europe including Sweden, Norway and Denmark. She studied for three years Vocal Performance at Northern Illinois University on a full-ride scholarship, but later decided to major in Public Relations Journalism and minor in Music Performance. Desiree continues to perform with her church choir.

Desiree first heard of the Atlanta Music Project while attending TEDxPeachtree in 2010 where she was blown away by the greatest clarinet performance she had ever heard by Alcides Rodriguez who is a member of the Atlanta Music Project’s Board of Advisors. She approached co-founders Al Meyers and Dantes Rameau and couldn’t wait to hear more about the project and how it started. Thus began her journey to becoming a Board Member. Desiree is excited about the opportunity to spread the love of music to kids and communities who may not have a chance to participate in music programs without AMP. “Music is a language which breaks all barriers and speaks to the heart of the individual in every corner of the globe.” she states. “Giving the gift of music to a child is a gift that will continue to give long after the child has grown in teaching discipline, responsibility and providing creative expression. I’m so proud to be part of a powerful agent of social change which will make a big difference in our community and, eventually, in the world at large.”

The retail firm RevTrax just released some interesting findings by a study on ecommerce and retail. They conducted two years of research and found that ecommerce sales are linked to future in-store sales. What they found is that for every dollar of ecommerce there were six dollars spend in-store with regard to paid search. This means that online sales are a conduit of sorts to bring customers into a retail store.

That got us here at Bella headquarters thinking, if paid search generates in-store sales, couldn’t the same be true for organic search? Absolutely! The process is largely the same: it is about matching keywords to what someone types into a search engine. With organic search optimization, the more relevant the keywords, the higher you’ll rank.

Organic search is good because once it is in place via articles, blog posts, directory listings or the like, search engines index them, pushing a steady stream of visitors to your site. With paid advertising, once the ad is gone, the traffic goes with it.

The long and short of it is, that when done right, organic search engine optimization can bring buyers to your store. With the advent of smart phones and mobile marketing, the process has been made much easier. If done correctly, organic search brings customers to your site and landing pages display coupons that customers can print out and redeem in-store. Here is what is really interesting – one of the other key findings is that 40 – 50 percent of the customers were new customers. This is quite remarkable in that these weren’t existing customers that were looking for a deal from a retailer. These are newly acquired customers.

Savvy retailers, who capitalize on organic search ranking, may find it to be a viable alternative to the costly advertising found on the many deal-a-day sites that are popping up all over the internet. Read more about what we have to offer as far as organic SEO.

Mobile websites are like mini versions of your main website. Mobile sites show the vital information someone needs when accessing your site on a mobile browser and make it extremely easy to navigate. These items include contact information, directions and operating hours.

Bella web design is offering a spectacular deal on mobile websites for 2012. Get your mobile website designed for free with the purchase of a custom website package purchase. Mobile sites are only $450 without a custom website purchase. Hurry, that offer is only good until January 31, 2012. That’s a small price to pay for the all the visitors you will be converting to paying customers. Bella offers websites in WordPress and non-Wordpress designs.

Mobile browsing is certainly on the rise. More people are constantly on the go and looking for businesses while they are out and about. You may have a great rank for certain keywords. Perhaps you fit the bill perfectly for what those customers are looking for. The next step is that your site is easy to navigate from a mobile browser.

Have you taken a look at what your site looks like on a mobile phone? View it here.

Here are some facts to think about moving forward in 2012:

• Mobile search has grown 4 times since 2010.

• There will be one mobile device for every person on earth by 2015.

• 60 percent of users expect a mobile site to load in 3 seconds or less.

• 50 percent of mobile searches lead to purchase.

• 40 percent have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience.

Can your business afford to ignore these facts? Contact Bella Web Design today to get started with a mobile website design. Mobile sites can be designed in just about two weeks, so you will be up and running in no time.

Project Type: Ecommerce

Case Study: The customer wanted to sell rubber expansion joints to his vendors through this new website. We set it up for both individual and volume pricing. The customers can also login and see their past orders, orders due and shipping information.

• Do NOT build any part of your site in Flash. Flash is an outdated animation software created by Adobe. It not only doesn’t work on iPads and iPhones, it doesn’t work on Google. Yes, you read that right. If you use the new Google Instant Previews and you look at sites that have Flash, the boxes with the animation don’t show up. (More here. http://bit.ly/hQS3Al) If your entire site is done in Flash, including the navigation, you’re pretty much a goner.
• Keep it simple and don’t add too many buttons or choices on the home page. Don’t make your site is too complicated to navigate or use large images. The simpler the better. The faster it loads the better. Small buttons can be hard to navigate with large fingers on mobile devices. 60% of people expect the site to load in 3 seconds or less!
• Your phone number should never be a graphic or picture throughout the site. You really want to make sure that you put your number on your site as text so people can click on it on any device and call you immediately like this one (which happens to be ours!) 770 509 8797.
• Look for a mobile theme (or plugin if you use something like WordPress). There are many out there which will plug right into your current theme and make updates easily synch between the regular and mobile site. You can also build a standalone mobile site using WordPress or many other types of content management systems.

There are some good reasons for building an “m.yoursite.com.” Here are a few:

• Portions of your site give critical data to users such as news, schedules, events. These would definitely work in a stripped down mobile environment.
• You sell online. Mobile sites are great for helping you sell easily and quickly online. Keep in mind that your branding may not come through well on a stripped down site. Take a look at the Ebay site example in this post. You can see the www. site version on the iphone looks much more inviting than its m. partner.
• Your competition is already there. 40% have turned to a competitors site after a bad mobile experience with a regular site.
• Your site revolves around social networking, is an application itself, or is a blog. If people are using your site to perform a task or read your articles only, you might want to consider a mobile version.
• Bonus Question: Should I build a mobile site or mobile application? I would go for the mobile site because people will mostly likely use a search engine on their phone to find it. Applications can only be found in the iTunes App store or Android store, not using Google. Also, don’t just build an app because you think it would be “cool.” People expect applications to entertain, teach, create a shortcut or perform a task. If yours does none of these, don’t do it.

The nice thing is technology provides us with choices. There is a way to make “smart sites.”  The site itself can detect if its being seen on a mobile platform and can conform to the stripped down version. However, I like giving the reader a choice between the online site and the mobile version. Only you can decide if its worth the extra money to create a second platform for your site, but you might want to do some research of your users beforehand to determine if they will really use it. Think about your potential clients and where they would most likely surf the web. Ask yourself, will people actually use their phone to find me? Something to think about–there will be one mobile device for every person on Earth by 2015. Time for you to get in their pocket.

What makes BigCommerce shine? Take a look at just a few of these awesome features that will blow you away:

Just a few years ago simply building or implementing these features would have taken countless hours of heavy programming, but now they are standard additions to BigCommerce. These three features we’ve highlighted are only scratching the surface – feel free to learn more!

Founders of AMP believe that studying music and being part of a band leads to many terrific character attributes including confidence, ambition and creativity. In turn, this fosters a positive impact and social change in the individuals and the neighborhoods they touch. The organization doesn’t require students to audition or even have any musical experience. All they must possess is a desire to learn and be committed to being present in all classes.

Upon joining the Atlanta Music Project each student receives their own instrument and attends classes taught by extremely accomplished artists. They also have the opportunity to perform in several recitals. Some of the classes that AMP offers are orchestra, choir, musicianship, African drum and dance and group lessons in orchestral instruments.

Who are these teaching artists? The AMP teaching artists are musicians with a special place in their hearts for serving communities in need. They have a true passion for what they do and want to share their talent with the next generation and help them reach their potential.

Teaching artists for AMP are extremely hard working and devoted who practice their skills by day, perform at night and spend many an afternoon giving back to disadvantaged communities in Atlanta.  They know that by teaching musical skills to the youth of Atlanta communities, they can set these children on a path of success.

Bella Web Design CEO, Desiree Scales, is a musician herself. She was a vocal major in college on a full scholarship and plays piano and cello. The organization is near and dear to her because of her musical history and her love of bringing music to kids. “The Atlanta Music Project is making a big impact in the lives of children who would not have the opportunity to ever know the beauty of orchestral music. Musicians require a lot of discipline as I know from experience. Music changed my life and I am so happy to be able to support an organization which will change the lives of so many great kids!”

Some may call this a social movement or a charity, and still others may refer to it as music education program, but all can agree that it has changed the lives of many forever. From humble beginnings in a parking garage with only 11 children to now helping hundreds of children in Atlanta, its effects are wide spread. Even more impressive is that with little or no prior experience, the quality of musicianship is astounding. Bella is proud to list this organization as one of the many charities we sponsor. More information about the holiday concerts can be found at http://atlantamusicproject.org/about-amp/concerts/.

Entrepreneur and Costco Connections have featured Startup Princess as a Top Resource for women entrepreneurs. In July 2011, Forbes listed it as one of the top 10 sites for Women Entrepreneurs.

The organization offers conferences and retreats for members. Startup Princess also provides free online resources of all sorts to support its members including:

• An Informative Blog
• Weekly Twitter Chats
• Online Networking

While these resources are invaluable to members, it would be terrific to have an expert to seek guidance from who could assist these entrepreneurs. This is where Fairy Godmother Consulting comes in. This is comprised of volunteer mentors who share their vast experiences and insights to help those women just starting out or who are in need of expert advice. Their role may be to speak at Startup Princess events or conduct teleseminars, or even write guest blog posts.

Fairy Godmothers serve as a panel of experts for the year.  Only 10 were chosen from hundreds of applicants. They will share their knowledge and expertise through online posts, teleconferences and will speak at live events.  They provide members with the additional resources needed to ensure a fantastically successful year filled with insightful nuggets of wisdom. So, what are you waiting for? Meet the rest of the Startup Princes Fairy Godmothers here (link to: http://startupprincess.com/announcing-the-2012-startup-princess-fairy-godmothers/), including our own, Desiree Scales!

Project Type: HTML Custom Design

Features: Client Shipping Login, Search Available Loads

Case Study: This is the second site we’ve done for this particular client. (Other site is at www.swantransatl.com) This was a redesign of a site built many years ago. We’ve given the graphics an upgrade and the navigation is much easier to follow. Customers can search available loads as well as login and check the status of their shipment.

These potential clients and customers are busy and don’t have much time to spend reading sales copy, but will take the time to watch a short video of a business that they are considering buying from. With video, businesses can engage customers in ways that motivate them to take action.

Video marketing works whether that business is a B2B or B2C. It allows companies to add a more human aspect because videos can feature the president or the owner of the company speaking to potential customers. As the old saying goes, people do business with other people. In other words, people like to buy from others they feel they know or have a connection. Through the use of videos, it allows the company to make a personal connection and seem more accessible. Videos show your business, product or service in a light that words simply cannot.

Another benefit of adding video to your marketing program is that videos allow a behind-the-scenes look at your corporation. So, for example, a potential client who is 1,000 miles away is still able to get a look at your warehouse operations or see a product demo. Video is also mobile so most video can be viewed on any device in any situation where the person has wifi.

So, what about the statistics? Does video help improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and your organic listings? You bet it does. One of the first reasons is that Google owns You Tube and videos are indexed very quickly. Adding video to your site can actually help it come up higher in search engine ranking.  It is important to put keywords in the description to help get ranked by search engines as well.

Got a Facebook Fan page for your business? Video helps with that too. Facebook no longer ranks status updates by the most recent. While their exact algorithm is unknown, it is true that video and images do help your page to rank higher in the status listings with your fans than those that don’t have it. Of course, the more exposure of this nature, the better.

Dos and Don’ts of a Marketing Video

Do:

• Keep is short – one minute and under
• Include pictures of your office, workers and satisfied customers
• Tie the message to your customer’s current state of mind (ex. Relate it to a holiday)

Don’t:

• Use copyrighted music
• Make a video where it is hard to hear or understand you
• Leave them wondering, “What next?” – Have a call to action

Technology has made it easier to than ever to create videos. Webcams can capture your message and there are several inexpensive video-editing programs on the market today. If you still don’t feel comfortable editing or making them yourself, try sites like Elance.com, Guru.com or Odesk.com. Whether your business is large or small, there’s simply no reason not to embrace video marketing.

Written by Bella Web Design contributor Malika Harricharan from blueskyvirtualassistants.com.

The Social TV Event is a virtual conference taking place from 9:00am – 5:00pm EST engaging attendees from across the globe in live conversation surrounding:

• How consumers are using social TV today and how they will use it in the future
• Defining social TV strategies across products
• Which products, technologies and advertising initiatives are leading the pack
• Social TV content strategies and measurement
• How the social TV revolution stands to change the future of television as we know it

Also during the event, User Insight will reveal behavioral-based, social TV consumer insights, derived from the in-depth user research conducted over the course of the last 10 months. If you are interested in what consumers really want and how they interact with products in this emerging space, don’t miss this first-of-its-kind event.

The Social TV Event is open to anyone and everyone interested in Social TV, including technology, marketing, advertising and brand professionals; reporters and bloggers; general consumers; and technology enthusiasts.

Bella Web Design fans can get 10% off their ticket by using this link http://www.socialtvevent.com/bellawebdesign/. We hope to “see” you there!

So you’ve finally tackled that looming goal on your business’ to-do list: You’ve set up your blog.  The good news is that in all likelihood, people coming to your website are going to be looking to see if you have a blog. The bad news is that they will then click-through to see if you actually update it.

Hey, let’s face it: Scheduling your writing time can be difficult in your day-to-day world, even for those of us who get paid to do it!

Your blog gives you a unique opportunity to showcase your business, services, or even your personal opines and musings in a forum for immediate online publication. Besides, writing soothes the soul, and solid writing will never go out of style (no matter where it is published).

Not a good writer, you say? Neither are the majority of bloggers out there. In fact, the blogosphere has been so saturated with low quality writing that your own fairly decent blogging skills can make you a stand-out among readers.

Below, some helpful tips:

• Be concise and to-the-point. Folks today are really (way too) distracted to read like they used to. While they’ll skim many sites and bookmarks in a day, they’re just not likely to read verbose passages, especially on someone’s blog. Aim for roughly 500 or so words per post.
• Open strong. Grab their attention in the first 10 seconds or else they’re gone and not coming back today (or… ever?).
• Use bullets (like the ones you see here, for example). See first point.
• Create a routine.  Find a time that works for you, enter it in your calendar, and force yourself to work on those blog posts. As time goes on, the process will become easier and more enjoyable.
• Update your blog regularly. This is vital both for readership as well as Google crawler purposes. Three times a week is awesome, twice a week is satisfactory, once a week is imperative.  Your cool blogger friends will be happy to help, too, as this will provide them with added fodder and exposure for their own blog audiences.
• Keep reading/find your own voice.  As they say, “Practice makes perfect.” Keep reading the works of writers and authors whose voices you enjoy, but not just from the Internet, please. Newspaper and magazine articles are the real “go-to” source for proper writing style and form. While certainly not mandatory on your own blog, these articles can help you develop your own voice with continued practice.

Above all, don’t get hung up on too much of anything initially, other than getting some original (as in, yours and not copied from elsewhere) text posted to your blog on a routine basis. You can write about anything you want, really. Don’t get boxed in by anyone else’s vision. After all, isn’t that why you went into business for yourself in the first place?

Deborah (“Debbie”) Held is an Atlanta-based freelance journalist and business writer who has written nearly 600 articles for local, regional and national publication and does not always practice what she preaches. She blogs weekly for other people, usually in “ghosted” form, and she swears that this is the year in which she will tend to her own blog. She lives in Atlanta with her teenage daughter, her beagle, her Italian greyhound, and Gavin, the cat. In her rare snippets of free time, she enjoys knitting. Please contact her at www.debbieheld.com.