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Business Tips From a Dog

February 21st, 2009

Dog cartoonEvening, this is just a light-hearted post prompted by some “dog quotes” that I stumbled across on some websites. This post uses quotes by people and I have put a business spin on them. I have noted the person whose quote it is if it is known.

“A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue”

In business this means that you should always be active. Don’t just talk about things you are going to do as chances are you will keep putting them off and never actual do what you intended to do. So, got great ideas? Put them into action now and give yourself a much greater chance of success.

“Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful” - Ann Landers

Have you just received praise from a client you have just done some work for? That’s great but don’t let it make you complacent. Always strive to be better. Think of ways to improve your services or even think of new services that you could offer.

“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Just seen a big contract on offer from a prospective client but not sure if your company will be seen by the client as big enough to handle it? Go for it. You may not get the work but you will be on the companies radar if you impress them and perhaps they may have some more manageable work for you at a later date.

Has this post given you food for thought?!


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Too many cooks spoil the website

February 21st, 2009

You’ve heard of the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”. Well this is the same for website design as well.

I know from experience when I have been making a website for clients that sometimes they have too many people involved in the decision-making process of a website and this can have negative effects.

For example, it invariably leads to delays in launching the website as well as general confusion over who is doing what job and when it is too be done by, and who it is to be given too when it is done, etc etc.

Overall, the focus and direction of a website development can be lost and before you know it frustration sets in and you start thinking that the website will be never be live!

My advice to avoid having “too many cooks” is as follows:

    • Before you contact your chosen website company set ONE person from the company as the person who will be the point of contact and will go back-and-forth with the website developer.
    • Use the chosen person to gather any opinions/information needed from around the office and write the feedback in a structured manner so it is easy to communicate to the website designer.
    • If you have some differences of opinion in what to put on the website from people around the office simply ask your website designer for their opinion. The website designer will have experience of what works and what doesn’t work on websites and they will ultimately be the best person to help you decide.

    Think about it, wouldn’t you rather have quality over quantity every time?


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    Video - Introducing Nicholas Swift & PanoConsulting Ltd

    February 20th, 2009

    Below is a video I have made. In the video I introduce myself and my company PanoConsulting. It is the first of a series of videos I will be making of various issues but this one is just an introductory video.

    Nowadays it is simple to create your own videos and upload them to a website. If you upload them to a YouTube account then you make them accessible to a worldwide audience which of course means you are spreading your companies message further afield.

    I think the video makes a nice touch as you can get a feel for the people behind the organisation. It makes them appeal more approachable and friendly. I’m probably not the best example of that though ;)

    Anyway here it is…





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    New Service - Content Writing

    February 20th, 2009

    When planning a website, content writing is often an afterthought. Few people write out content beforehand. It is often rushed after the website shell has been completed which means it may not be utilised to its full potential.
    Writing tablet
    The bottom line is that good content is king when it comes to Search Engine Ranking and this stems from the content writing.

    Because content is often an afterthought, it can delay the launch of a new website even by months whilst the website designer is waiting for the client to write some content.

    Even when the content is eventually written, depending on how knowledgeable the client is about best practices for websites, the content may not be optimised for Search Engines, Keyword analysis or indeed be concise.

    Therefore, PanoConsulting are pleased to announce a new service we are offering, Content Writing. This new service makes sense on a number of levels:

    1. We are experienced in making websites and know the best practises for websites.
    2. We know the difficulties clients can have in writing content.
    3. We have experienced delays ourselves from clients trying to write content for websites.
    4. We want to help you get your website “live” for you as quick as possible.

    So, if you are unsure about writing content for your website, contact us!


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    Custom Twitter Background

    February 20th, 2009

    This is my second post about Twitter and I’m still new to it but I come bearing good advice about how your company can ensure you are getting extra value from your Twitter account. In my first post about Twitter I discussed “Does Your Company Twitter?” which was basically about why you should signup for a Twitter account if you don’t already have one. Jump on the band wagon. Anyway… today I am going to explain how you can customise your Twitter account to your branding and why yo


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    Choosing a Website Designer - Ten Tips

    February 19th, 2009

    Choosing a Website Designer should be a decision taken with care. Here I have written some advice for people who are trying to choose a Website Designer for the first time. The ten tips below are not in any particular order.

    1. Experience

    You will need a website designer that is experienced and knowledgeable in the field of website design. For example, ask them if they can “hand-code” and ask them how many years experience they have. Having said this, however many years experience they have won’t count for much if they have been developing inadequate websites all that time or sticking to website techniques they feel safe in.

    2. Web Standards

    Web standards are important. Web standards refer to guidelines set out by the World Wide Web consortium (W3C). These standards ensure websites looks and feel consistent across a broad range of computers and Internet browser’s regardless of any possible user disability. Your website designer NEEDS to know about web standards. Ask them if they make websites that conform to W3C standards. Better yet, you can check yourself by going to http://validator.w3.org/ and checking a couple of websites from the website designers portfolio. A couple of errors shown by the validation is excusable but more than a handful is not.

    price_tag3. You get what you pay for

    Website design is no exception to the saying “you get what you pay for”. A good-looking website that has been hand-coded and built to the latest web-standards with usability in mind will reap dividends and could mean the different between success and failure for your online adventure.

    4. Don’t expect to see a website designers costs on their website

    When you find a website designers own website that you like, don’t expect to see details of their costs on their website. There is no hidden agenda in this it makes good business sense. The reason I personally don’t display my prices is simply because I don’t want my competitors knowing how much I charge and I don’t believe in a one-price fits all model. Each client is different with individual needs so we don’t set a rigid pricing structure. We judge each website proposal as an ‘individual’ and as such quote a ‘custom’ price. Anyway, website designers offer a free quote so it wil cost you nothing to find out their prices.

    5. Don’t expect to see website designers on the high street

    Website design is a profession that can be done almost anywhere. Unlike car mechanics for example, Website design doesn’t require big heavy machinery for example so therefore, website designers are not restricted as to locations where they can trade. from That is why many website designers work from home offices. The main advantage of choosing a website designer that works from home is that this often means that there prices are cheaper as they are not having to finance an office. Don’t be afraid to ask them if you can visit them at their home many website designers won’t mind they will likely be more friendly and approachable.

    6. Choose a website designer that you like

    HandshakeWhen choosing a website designer, it is important to choose a website designer that you like. A website shouldn’t be considered “complete” once it has initially been built. For a website to be successful it will need to be updated and maintained on a regular basis with free content to keep visitors coming back to it. That is why you need to choose a website designer that you like as ideally you will be working together in a sense for a long time.

    7. Look at a website designers portfolio

    PortfolioTake the time to look around a website designers portfolio of previous work. This is a good indication of the type of clients they have had and also the experience they have in websites. Also, make sure their websites do not look too similar to each other. If they do look similar then this is an indication that the website designer is using a website “template” system and you don’t want that. You want a unique design and development built just for you, started from scratch. Not somebody else’s website that has been re-jigged and had the colours altered to suit you.

    8. Website designer creativity

    Painting paletteYou need to decide how much you want the website designer to be involved in the creative process of your website. You may think you know what the best way to handle your website is but a qualified and experienced website designer will always be able to give you insightful opinions on it. You want a website designer that has creative flair but they need to be able to bring your ideas for the website to fruition.

    9. Free quote

    Every website designer should provide you with a free quote when you provide them with a website proposal (detailed information of your requirements). Don’t be put-off if they don’t respond to you right away. They are probably crafting a proposal for you and paying attention to the costing they will charge. Anyway, you want a website designer that is busy don’t you? If a website designer is not busy then that should set alarm bells ringing. Also, only choose a website designer who quotes for the whole job rather than an hourly rate. A website designer should be happy to do this. From your perspective, this gives you piece of mind as you know when the job is completed the costs won’t have gone spiraling out of control.

    10. Suggestions from the website designer

    A good website designer will almost all of the time be more knowledgeable than you about the Internet and how websites work. Therefore, when you give a website proposal to a prospective website designer, a keen website designer who truly wants your custom will endeavor to get back to you with techniques or additions that can be made to your proposed website to improve it and they will explain the reasons why these additions/modifications will benefit your website.

    Hope this helps!

    Cheers,

    Nick


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    Does Your Company Twitter?

    February 18th, 2009

    No I’m not talking about the high-pitched sound that a bird makes, I’m talking about “Twitter” on the Internet, a free social-networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates and is gaining popularity fast (www.twitter.com).

    Twitter logo

    Firstly, before you continue reading this article, if your company/brand does not have a twitter account then you need to go and register quickly before someone registers a twitter account in your companies name before you get the chance. Then come back to this article and I will tell you why it is so important. Register on twitter at https://twitter.com/signup. Go…

    Welcome back. So, why did you just signup for a twitter account? To increase your brand awareness that’s why and to prevent someone ripping-off your brand. Let me explain.

    Brand awareness

    Of all the social-networking sites (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, etc), Twitter arguably comes the closest to enabling real-time conversation with one’s audience. The simplicity of Twitter’s interface puts peoples’ voices front and center, and the short format “posts” encourage brief but intense content exchanges. Also, you can make lots of contacts between people that could potentially become customers or fellow business owners. The only negative I can see in Twitter is the amount of time you would need to make it useful although I suppose that once you get into a routine the benefits should far outweigh the negatives.

    Preventing your brand being ripped-off

    When a user fills in the registration form on Twitter they can choose any username they want. If you don’t signup for an account in your brand name before they do then this could lead to your brand being ripped-off.

    Lets


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    Own Your Domain Names

    February 17th, 2009

    It’s essential that you ensure you’re the named owner of a domain name when it’s registered on your behalf. Domain names are so valuable that it could have a drastic effect on your business if you are not the owner of the domain name. Let me explain why…

    Domain names

    Once its gone, its gone

    All things considered, domain names are cheap to purchase and renew each year, herein lies the problem. If someone owns a domain that you like chances are unless you make them an “offer they can’t refuse” then you will never get control of it as the person that owns it doesn’t have to break-the-bank to renew it each year when it is due to expire.

    Just because a domain name has been used for your website doesn’t mean you own it

    You only own your domain name if your name is listed as the registrant. It’s a sad but true fact that some website designers register domain names for their clients and set themselves as the registrar for that domain name.

    Why is all this important?

    Consider the following scenario, it might sound crazy now but your website designer may hold your domain name “hostage” so to speak and not give you control of it if for example you decided to move to a different website designer. I hear cases of this fairly frequently and of course the “client” has the understandable feelings of outrage since it is them that owns the company and paid for the domain name and website to be developed etc. However, in the eyes of the registrars it is the person who is listed as the registrar for the domain name that is the owner.

    How do I find out if I own my own domain name?

    You can do what’s called a WHOIS search using a website like http://www.domaintools.com/. Simply enter your domain name in the search box a the top of the page and click on the “Search” button. The page will then reload and you will see all the information about your domain name like of course the registrant, and things like when the domain name is due to expire.

    What are my options to get the domain name in my control?

    If you don’t own the domain name you think you should then all is not lost, it won’t be easy but there are various avenues to explore to try and gain control of a domain name but they are too involved for this post.

    Don’t forget, if in doubt ask your website designer now. It could save a lot of trouble later on.


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    Welcome to a New Employee

    February 15th, 2009

    Welcome

    PanoConsulting are extremely excited to welcome a new member to the team, Miroslaw Sokol (Miro). Miro has over 5 years experience and his particular strengths are in Graphic Design, Web Design, 3D, and Flash Animations. Miro is Polish and has been using his expertise all around Europe. Welcome to the team Miro! (Look out for some of Miro’s exceptional Graphic Design work to be added to this website soon).


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    .info Domain Names ONLY £2.50

    February 15th, 2009

    .info Domain Names Only £2.50
    Until June 2009 .info domain names are only £2.50 for the first year (offer ends 30/06/09). This equates to a saving of £9.50. This is a great opportunity to register domain names for yourself or to offer your own customers domains at a really low price.

    Click here to read more about the .info domain name offer


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