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Aug 30, 2020
We’re Focusing on the Wrong Problems – What Golf Can Teach Us About Making Websites
The game of golf has undergone some spectacular technological advances. We can measure distances using GPS, the balls are more consistent, and shiny new drivers launch the ball further than ever before. Despite this, there is an uncomfortable truth: the majority of golfers aren’t getting better. How can this be? Perhaps it’s because the equipment isn't the greatest problem, it's merely the easiest problem to solve. At the end of that beautifully crafted golf club is still a silly human, and that's where the trouble starts. Many golfers suffer a disconnect between what will make them better and what they think will make them better. Many claim to be great at the more boring aspects of the game (putting, for instance). According to many instructors however, this is often not the case. The oddity here is that these findings are nothing new. This isn't a dark secret in the golf world – in fact it's commonly known. So even after identifying the core problem with golf scores, many aren’t willing to address it. We don’t solve the problem that matters – we solve the problem that is easiest and offers the best feeling. Unfortunately, this problematic thinking is everywhere in our lives, and the business of building websites is no exception. When you're just a website builder We often think of ourselves as “website builders”, and that can have implications when we deconstruct how difficult building a website actually is. As the tools get better and better, the job of creating a website gets a bit easier. When I first began working in this field, Adobe Dreamweaver was going to make the job of the web professional obsolete within 5 years. When Square Space and Wix came out they were going to kill off the need in the same way. Today it’s builder themes that are the next big thing. The commonality between them all is they are solving the simplest problem that faces us, while not touching on the greatest complexity – the human component. To apply our golf analogy, technologies like Dreamweaver and services like Squarespace and Wix are the shiny new drivers. They promise to deliver results that feel great – and they do – but the scores aren't changing. Websites still suffer from many of the same issues that have always plagued them because we're not focusing on the people. What's hard? The problems that the shiny drivers can’t solve for us happen to be the barriers to successful web projects. So what’s hard? Communication When the client says they want a “web store”, do you have the same thing in mind? Did you ask the right questions to understand what they expect it to be able to do not only on launch, but in 2 years when they’re offerings have expanded 10 fold? Timeline Management Does your client know how long that last minute request is going to take? More importantly, do you? Budget Management If you don’t have a good handle on your timeline, you’ll most definitely screw either yourself or the client. Whichever ends up happening, it’s a poor strategy. More Communication How many delays are the result of people unaware they’re causing a holdup? The number of problems we can solve with a simple check-in email or phone call is incredible. Managing people is scary, unpredictable, and necessary. Making a website for everybody Most sites fail at even making a site that appeals to anybody. A successful site should appeal not only to the customers it serves, but also to the people tasked with updating and maintaining it. All too often we hear from potential clients about their current site, saying “it’s a great site, but we haven’t updated it months/years because the person in charge of it moved on and we don’t know how to do it.”. Can it look good when the real content arrives? If content isn't ready at the design stage, the designer will use filler content and it will look amazing. They will ensure the paragraphs are all equal length, the photos are beautiful and sized to fit. You may not think this is a bad thing, but what happens when the final content arrives and not all those things apply? These are not tool problems These are people problems. There are tools that can help you with the above, but none of them will do the heavy lifting for you. Asana can help keep you organized and communicating, Harvest can help you track your time. Despite that, neither of those protect you from the fact that you still need to give them the attention they deserve. This is why I pause slightly before I tell someone I build websites. In truth, building the website is often the easiest part of the entire process. It’s your ability to problem solve, handle restrictions, communicate well, and develop strategy that determines how well we execute a site. -- This post was originally written by Russ Fee of FS Creative in August 2017. Some of the content has been updated to reflect updates to our processes and tools. The post We’re Focusing on the Wrong Problems – What Golf Can Teach Us About Making Websites appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreJun 18, 2020
The Cost of Cheap
If somebody offered you a car for $500, you’d be quite right to question whether what you’re getting is actually a bargain. It might have 4 wheels, some doors and it may move forwards and backwards, but you’d still have a couple questions. The raw materials alone probably cost more, so something is clearly missing. A cheap website isn't much different. We find ourselves in a time when making websites has never been easier. At our disposal are countless free services or low-cost templates, and if either of those fail there’s that nice lady in your office who has a son who’ll whip up a site for little more than positive reinforcement. So why go with a professional? I’ve been told more than once that “anybody can make a website”, so why go with a more expensive choice? You’re Paying For My Mistakes More accurately, you’re paying for the mistakes I made yesterday. Making mistakes is an absolutely critical step in becoming good at anything, and if you ask professionals they'll admit to making some unspeakable errors. If you hire somebody without experience, guess whose site they're going to make theirs on? I have a friend that will help with any home renovation project. Part of it is that he’s a genuinely good person, but the other part is something he’ll repeat often: “we’re going to make a lot of mistakes today, and I’d rather make them in your home so I don’t have to make them in mine down the road”. That's a frighteningly honest thing to hear from a man holding a sledgehammer, but you have to admire how smart it is. I don't blame you for asking why I'd let that man into my house. At the same time though, you can't blame me for asking why you'd let somebody do the same to your business. How a Cheap Site is Built Cheap sites are built by cutting corners. Some times the corner-cutting is intentional to keep costs low, and other times the developer quoted way too low and the corner-cutting comes when they're angry and exhausted. The easiest way to keep cost low is to have a set process that can churn out a product in very little time. That's fantastic when the goal is getting a site quickly, but that's ignoring the fact that launch speed is just one factor of many in a successful website. Were you properly trained in how to use it? Is it easy to update what you need to update? Was it even designed and built with you in mind? Was there adequate user testing performed before launch to ensure users are able find what they’re looking for? What happens to the site after launch? I’ve made cheap websites in my day (we all have), and unfortunately the result is generally the same. The bargain price doesn't include post-launch support or training, it wasn’t designed with you in mind because it’s easier to make things fast than make them easy to use, and if suddenly you realize something is broken on mobile you’re totally on your own. Now you're stuck in an unenviable position. Instead of investing money into your site, you're now investing time and sanity (and likely more money). It Doesn't Take Much to Turn People Away Everybody has given up on a website in frustration. Maybe the information is difficult to find or the products are difficult to purchase. The truth is it doesn’t take much to turn people away. If a user becomes frustrated, it's a sign that an important aspect of your site wasn't given the attention it deserves. I’ve always maintained you should treat your website the way you treat your storefront. How it looks, feels, and operates reflects directly on you. It gives your first-time customers an idea of the kind of job you’re going to perform. Having a website that looks like it was given a half-effort will only convince people that you’re the type who thinks half-efforts are acceptable. So Are Cheap Websites Always a Bad Idea? Not at all! It's important to note that there is a time and place for them. If you have zero budget and the site isn't connected to a business venture, then a cheap website can be perfect. I've recommended them for friends who need travel blogs or wedding information sites in the past and the results have been beyond acceptable. Those types of sites were very personal or were for single occasions. They can have quirks or imperfections and it isn't going to be a disaster. In The End... Whether it costs time, effort, stress, or actual revenue, more often than not taking the road of least expense can end up costing far more than a site done well. There are few things more disheartening than meeting with a client who’s ready to pay for a proper site only after burning through several bargain sites. If you’re on the market for a company to help you build a site, do your homework and be sure to contact clients that have worked with them in the past. Are they happy? How was the overall experience? Have they seen tangible results? Be sure to ask these questions before moving ahead to ensure success. -- This post was originally written by Russ Fee of FS Creative in April 2016. The post The Cost of Cheap appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreApr 2, 2020
Give Your Customers the Price
My wife and I recently went through the initial process of building a home. We love the neighbourhood we're currently in but wanted to build a house with all the features missing from our current home. After placing a hold on the lot, deciding on a style and getting our mortgage in order, we sat down with the developer to review options. To no surprise, what was presented in the marketing was a far cry from what you'll actually end up paying for your home. We were given the base price and then needed a calculator to keep up with all the add-ons. Do you want a few more meters of green space? $20,000. Do you want to upgrade the bargin cabinets that come standard? $10,000. Do you hate 'popcorn' ceilings? $500 to get rid of them. When Build puts together an estimate for a customer, we want to make sure all the costs are laid out and easily understood. You tell us what you want and we’ll tell you what it will cost. It’s not going to be higher and it’s probably not going to be lower. All told, if we didn't want the standard, lower quality finishes, we were going to pay for it. This didn't surprise us. We should have to pay for quality. What annoyed us was how the home builder hid these costs from us until after we were already in love the home and dead-set on building. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed (my wife's) and we withdrew the deposit on our lot and decided to wait to build our dream home. This got me to thinking about pricing in design and development. When Build puts together an estimate for a customer, we want to make sure all the costs are laid out and easily understood. You tell us what you want and we'll tell you what it will cost. It's not going to be higher and it's probably not going to be lower. Like home builders, if what you want is above and beyond the standard, it will cost more. However, we'll lay those costs out to you in the estimate and explain why there are additional costs. We'll also include suggestions for items you may not have included in your project outline that we suggest all self-maintained websites have. Things like web analytics and a content management system. We aspire to be transparent and forthcoming with our pricing. Surprises piss us off and I'm sure they do our clients as well. Dropping an additional cost bomb on them will likely mean they won't be returning for repeat business or referring you. Don't give your customers a reason to distrust the numbers presented to them. Be clear and up-front. But most importantly, show them the numbers. This post was updated from an early post dated August 14, 2012 The post Give Your Customers the Price appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreMar 10, 2020
5 Things to Know Before Starting a Web Project
If you’ve never been involved in the creation of a website before, there are some paths that can lead to delays or bloated budgets. We’ve identified what we feel are the biggest pitfalls and how to avoid them. 1. You’re Likely Underestimating How Long Content Will Take In the majority of sites we make, the client wants to create the content. The most common reason for this is the client feels they are the only one capable of doing it. They often miss one very important point though: the person on the receiving end of this decision is likely already very busy with their job. Even if that individual is an excellent writer, it is a process that demands great time, attention, and respect. It’s important to note that a command of the written language is just one tool of many that are required to produce good web copy. For many businesses asking an employee (or yourself) to carve out an extra hour each day for a week would be a huge request. Now consider the fact that depending on the site, content could take many, many times that. Once you factor in the reasonable chance of writers block, multiple revisions, exploratory emails, and maybe a spattering of procrastination, then perhaps you see why at times the act of writing content can throw a project off its timeline by months. When we provide a timeline to a client, we can generally nail it down tightly. We’ve been making sites long enough that we’re able to narrow down how long a given task will take to the minute. Once something as important as content is removed from our to-do list however, we lose our ability to forecast almost completely. Our advice? Don’t provide your own content. If you’re on a tight timeline, the single best thing you can do to keep things on track is to include copywriting in your budget and let us help you. Of course I’m the guy selling the website, so I won’t fault you for being skeptical. I will promise you this though: ask 10 people who make websites what their #1 reason for missing deadlines is, and you’ll get 1 answer. 2. If the Content Comes After the Design, Your Site Will Suffer Most of the time when a company wants to get going on a site, they want to get going on it yesterday. We’ll ask for content to be done first, but in almost all cases we’re told that won’t be feasible and we’ll just have to design in tandem. There’s one very important hitch though that most don’t realize: the content you start off with in your head is rarely the same as the content that is produced. Be it time constraints or the inspiration that comes during the writing process, things have a way of changing. In the past we’ve dedicated a large portion of the design budget to building an elaborate area with super cool functionality, only to find out 2 weeks before launch that the content didn’t come together and that section won’t be used anymore. That’s an opportunity where the client could have saved a boatload of money. What’s more is that if a new layout needs to be created for that content, there are now restraints on how that layout can be built, which could result in a less than ideal solution or added cost. Our advice? Sit down with whomever is building your site and lay out a content plan. If they’re providing the content, facilitate a meeting with the copywriter as soon as possible. If you’re writing the content, look at the sitemap together and go over best practices and what will be required for each page (eg. “this page will require a tagline in the banner, 6 product images and 2 sentences for each product). 3. There are Important Principles of Design That May Run Contrary to Your Preferences At the beginning of every project, we outline what the main goal should be (generating more money, more attention etc.). From that point forward every decision is made with that goal in mind. Preferences come in all shapes and sizes. Some are harmless (I love green), while others can flatline a site goal (I love tons of crazy fonts). It’s important to know the difference, and it’s important to know that your web developer loves you and isn’t just a big meanie. Sometimes when we speak up against your preferences, it’s coming from a place of research and love (but mostly research). Our advice? If your designer disagrees with something you want, ask why. They should be able to back up their opinion with a solid reason that relates back to the overall goal. 4. Getting on the First Page of Google is Likely Harder Than You Realize If getting onto the first page of Google for a given search term was easy, absolutely everybody would be there – and that would be one hell of a first page. Google takes many factors into consideration when it ranks sites, and they aren’t like flipping switches. It looks at whether your content is good enough to be shared, if your site displays well on mobile, if the images are properly tagged for blind people, etc. You’ll note that by doing this, Google is rewarding sites for being useful to users. Google’s mission with rankings is to serve the best site to the user, so sometimes it’s a lot easier to focus on making the best site possible and letting the search results happen organically. If that doesn’t sound appealing and you want to dive deeper into the world of Search Engine Optimization, it’s important to start by recognizing one key point: there is no silver bullet, and even the plain old bullets you’ll have to use probably won’t be easy or cheap. As mentioned above, SEO isn’t a switch you flip, it’s an ongoing process that can require months of attention, testing, and tweaking to see a result. Remember some companies take their SEO so seriously that they spend as much as they did on their entire website every few months. Our advice? Go into the project with some realistic expectations. Realize that to go beyond SEO basics could involve a financial and time investment that you may not have. 5. The Contract is Far More Useful Than Boring Many people treat the project contract like a user licence agreement on a computer. They flip through it at increasing speed until they get to the part that tells them it’s over. The contract is actually a pretty spectacular document that should be referenced by both parties throughout the process. It includes timelines and deliverables for everybody, and it’s an excellent way to keep things on track. While we always provide a weekly summary of our projects, it’s always good to have a north star. Our advice? Set up a time when the contract comes in to go through the contract together. That way if you require any clarification or notice an omission you can ask as you go. Wrap-Up The best advice we can offer is to spend a solid block of time with whomever is building your site and become acquainted with their process. Ask them what their pitfalls are, and how best to avoid them. While you may not be able to accommodate everything, you should be able to find a middle-ground that will ensure your project releases on time and on budget. The post 5 Things to Know Before Starting a Web Project appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreFeb 8, 2020
Your Role in the Design Process
Last month, we talked a little bit about some basic questions to ask yourself and prospective candidates when you're hiring a web designer. Now you've got yourself a designer, you're all (hopefully) excited about collaborating on an excellent project. How do you interact effectively to keep stress to a minimum and ensure the chances for success? Define your goals. Before you kick things off - and ideally, this was a topic of discussion during your hiring process - you need to take some time to formulate a strong goal for your website, and communicate that to your designer. In my experience, the thing that most often weakens an end product is a lack of clearly defined goals from the beginning. This is your mantra for the duration of the project and beyond. It can be simple: "I want visitors to sign up for my mailing list." "I want them to see that we have a new product." "I want to push our online store and start funneling sales to that." Good. These are all solid goals that begin to give your website focus and your designer a starting point. Directly tied to this goal is a clear definition of success. That should be based on an objective metric. You know you want visitors to sign up for your mailing list, but how many new signups would mean success? (Keep it honest and realistic - if you had 5 visitors a day before the project, it's probably not realistic to expect that your new site will bring in 50,000 visitors a day.) This is vital. If you're not directly tying your website to a goal (that is, if you're just getting a website because you want a website) you're setting yourself up to fail. Your feedback is key. You'll get to a point (ideally multiple points) when your designer will have taken your discussions together and distilled them down into a design, or some stage of a design. As you consider your feedback, keep those goals you've defined above in mind. Those goals enable you to judge the success of the project and each piece of it based on some fairly objective standards. Feedback is a tricky thing, whether you’re in a design project or anywhere else. Use your feedback as an opportunity to have a conversation with your designer about his/her decisions. That is, don’t be afraid to ask questions such as, “why did you pick this color?” or “what led you to place Section A above Section B?” If you can, do your best to separate your personal tastes (such as “I don’t really care for yellow”) from the execution of the project’s goals. (Now, if your personal tastes happen to coincide with the project’s goals, that’s great - but don’t confuse the two. Remember that the ultimate goal is to attract visitors and conversions.) Also, do your best to keep your feedback descriptive, as opposed to prescriptive. While you should always be honest and collaborative with your him/her, don’t forget that you hired him/her to solve design problems so that you don’t have to. You’ll get your best work from a designer when you present problems for him/her to solve (e.g. “I’m worried users will get lost on this page”) as opposed to deciding on solutions for him/her to execute (remember, that’s the work you’re paying for!). Noted designer Mike Monteiro of Mule Design (in San Francisco) recently wrote a book called You're My Favorite Client. In this book, he discusses the entire process of working with a designer, from hiring to launch (and beyond). If you're looking at hiring a designer for almost any size project, I highly recommend picking it up. -- This post was originally written by Tim Hamilton, a Chicago-based graphic designer in February 2015. The post Your Role in the Design Process appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreJan 8, 2020
Hiring a Designer
This is the first part of a series on the designer-client relationship, specifically from the client’s point of view. When you’re picking a designer, there are a ton of choices out there. A quick Google search of “Calgary web designer” will give you literally hundreds - or more - choices of people and agencies to do business with, in our city alone. How do you decide which one can deliver what you need, and how can you effectively work with a designer to be sure that you’re satisfied with the final product? Remember that this isn’t a throwaway decision. You’re hiring someone to design what could very likely be the first impression a potential client has of you, whether it’s a website, an identity system, or a set of posters. If you can, schedule a face-to-face meeting with a potential designer to get an idea of the following: how she works, what kind and quality of work she can do, and whether you feel you can have a successful working relationship with her. (We’ll look at these three points briefly.) A half-hour over a cup of coffee should do the trick. How involved do you want to be? First, you’ll want to know how a designer works, and whether that matches the kind of working relationship you want to have with him. Do you want to work with one person, who’s going to produce everything, or do you want to work with a project manager, who will be in turn directing a team to handle your work? (The latter will likely be more expensive.) Do you want a designer who’s going to take all of your content, disappear for a couple of weeks, and then re-emerge with a fully-formed, ready-to-launch website? On the other end of the spectrum, do you want someone who’s going to check in with you every day to get feedback on even the smallest items? (Just a quick caveat - the closeness of your working relationship will likely directly depend on your budget.) Can they design what you need? Don’t forget that some designers will be more suited to doing the type of work that you require than others. Don’t be afraid to ask for examples of previous work that would reflect his potential to do successful work for you. For example, if you’re the director of an arts festival, but your potential designer specializes in websites for lawyers and bankruptcy consultants, there may be a conflict between his particular skill set and your vision for the project. (In other words, don’t be surprised if his first draft looks like a website for a lawyer.) As much as possible, don’t let your project hinge on a guess or a hope, but more on a provable track record for producing the kind of work that you’ll require. Do you like them? Finally, you'll want to get an idea of whether you can have a successful working relationship with her. If your designer is worth her salt, she won’t be afraid to tell you when you’re wrong, and to explain why they produced the kind of work they did. Remember that this could be a fairly long-term relationship, depending on the project, and if you get a bad vibe from her on the first meeting, you may be off to a rocky start. You might be saying to yourself, “Gosh, Tim, this sounds a lot like I’m conducting a job interview here.” Essentially, you’re right. You’re trying to find someone with whom you can exchange money for services, and you’re working together towards a common goal that will be beneficial for your organization. -- This post was originally written by Tim Hamilton, a Chicago-based graphic designer in January 2015. The post Hiring a Designer appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreDec 13, 2019
4 Social Media Mistakes Made by Companies
Social media can be an incredible benefit to your business but it can also be a bumpy road if you stumble into some bad habits. Being aware of what works and what tends not to work in social media can be the secret weapon your business needs to reach more clients. 1. Getting angry People are going to talk about your brand in social media and you don’t even need to be an active participant in something like Twitter or Facebook for this to happen. People talk about the good and bad experiences they have on social media, and unfortunately it is likely somebody is going to say something negative about you or your company at some point. The internet is a funny place. The removal of face to face interaction allows people to be far more aggressive than they normally would. This can produce results both good and bad. On one hand you may receive some harsh criticism that otherwise isn’t warranted or called for, but on the other you may receive some knowledge of a problem in your business that people are too nice to say to your face. Regardless of the type of criticism, it’s important to look at every critique as a way to strengthen your brand. Your business is your baby, and it hurts when somebody says something negative about it. You will be angry. You will want to retaliate. You will want to find everything this individual has ever loved and burn it to the ground. This would be a bad decision. The thing about social media is that it’s social (for a concept so basic a surprising number of people forget this). Everybody can see how you react to negative experiences, and if your reaction makes you look petty, cruel or angry it’s a reflection of your entire business. Take a breath (or a walk if it’s really bad). Respond to overly harsh criticism from a place of calm and offer an apology if it’s warranted. You’d be floored by the number of people who take to social media spewing fire when all they really want is to be recognized and apologized to. Sometimes you simply will not be able to appease someone, and that’s ok. What’s important is that you need to approach the problem in a tranquil, understanding and professional manner. People will see that and in most cases it will benefit you in the long run. You may lose one customer but you could lose many more by throwing a tantrum. 2. Solving problems privately For many the desire to solve an unpleasant situation one-on-one will be strong. Even though it may be difficult, there are many benefits to clearing the air in plain view of the public. For starters, if you take the conversation to a private place such as email, it gives the impression that you don’t solve problems or care. You could have made an angry customer your most loyal fan, but to the casual observer it appears you didn’t responded to the complaint in the first place. Nobody expects a business to be absolutely perfect, but they do expect that if something goes wrong a solution or explanation is forthcoming. Secondly, it lets people know how you handle situations and that you take them very seriously. A company that is willing to admit they were wrong or are willing to attempt an appeasement is a company I want to give my business to. It’s a big cold world out there, and sometimes a little warmth is all that’s needed to separate you from numerous faceless companies vying for your customers attention. 3. Not using social media in the first place As mentioned earlier, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the social media realm or not, people are going to talk about your business (both good and bad). You have an opportunity to win back scorned customers, generate a natural buzz about your business and create lasting bonds with people that equate to a consistent stream of revenue for you. Whatever field you may be in, there is a high likelihood that it’s competitive. Don’t ever underestimate the value of making a positive connection with a customer (even a very basic one). If somebody mentions a good experience with you, a simple “glad we were able to help, please let me know if there’s anything else you need!” could be the difference between a single one-way interaction and a customer for life. On the other end of the scale is the un-answered negative comment. As mentioned in the previous section, it is not only harmful to the angry individual, but also to the general audience who might see a complaint go unanswered. For the individual who made the comment the sting is a little more intense. Not only did they feel angry enough to post something negative about you, but now they’re being ignored. Double burn. Much as the positive interaction in the paragraph above turns somebody into a lifelong customer, this negative interaction could turn somebody into an disease for your company as they tell friends about how bad their experience was with you. 4. Using social media as a news wire Many companies will use something like Twitter or Facebook to post news about their organization. I think that’s great, but a lot of the time it’s all they’ll post. If you’re just churning out news then you should at least be commended for dipping your toes in the online pool, but don’t underestimate the value of the ‘social’ in social media (it’s only half the name, but it’s the most important half). Social media gives you the opportunity to form real connections and bonds, but you won’t do that if you’re just a conveyor belt of news. You come off as mechanical and not something that people feel comfortable talking to. I’ve hesitated to ask a company a question in the past based solely off the fact that I’d never seen them post anything that wasn’t a news release. Don’t be that company. That’s not to say you shouldn’t post your news. Of course you should, it’s an important part of your business! It’s just that it isn’t your entire business. By making relationships with your customers and displaying yourself as a living, breathing person with feelings and pants, you make others more receptive when you do send out news. In conclusion Interaction online can feel like a tricky thing to grasp at times, however it's important to remember that regardless of being online or face-to-face one single fact remains unchanged: people like giving money to those they find positive and trustworthy. It's easier to rip a strip off a rude customer, it's easier to ignore problems, it's easier to sit on the sidelines and it's easier to find the path of least resistance. These things may give you weekends off, but they won't give you new or returning customers. So many focus on building their businesses, but how many focus on building the relationships that keep their businesses moving forward? If you engage with your audience, own up to mistakes, and show the human side of your business, the relationships will follow. -- This post was originally written by Russ Fee of FS Creative in December 2011. It has been updated to reflect new processes and tools. The post 4 Social Media Mistakes Made by Companies appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreSep 5, 2019
How Long Does it Take to Build a Website?
The question "how long does it take to build a website?" is one of those inquiries that web folk get uncomfortable answering. Because it's such a loaded question, there's enough variables in play that it's almost impossible to nail down an overly accurate answer. If I give you a short time frame I risk not being able to back it up when I realize you want to recreate Facebook, and if I give you a long time frame you might become scared and take your business elsewhere. That being said, I'm not going to bait you in with a blog title like that and leave you hanging, so let's at least look at some averages. If we look at basic site, we can define it as a brochure style outlining what the business is and what it does. A basic website takes on average between 2-4 months to complete. Outliers of course exist on either side of that range, but most projects seem to fall into that area. On the quick end of the scale communication is clear and obstacles are few. On the higher end of the scale the project was perhaps larger, the scope changed, or there were some hiccups along the way. One of the most tragically overlooked factors at the early stages of a web project is the amount of teamwork and co-operation that needs to exist between the client and the designer/developer. While the question is often posed "how long will it take you to build a website?", it's more accurate to ask "how long will it take us to build a website?". Real Talk A healthy web project is only accomplished by a healthy relationship between you and whomever is building your site for you. Is it going to be bliss or will we return home to find our clothes burning on the front lawn? In order for any relationship to boldly sprint into the realm of "healthy", we need to have some real talk. We need to answer some questions that might be uncomfortable to address right now, but down the road it's these questions that'll keep us humming like a well oiled machine made of people. Do you procrastinate? Do you have a helpful staff? Do you let them do stuff? Are you stretched to the point that you are juggling 7 projects at the same time? What percentage of timeline targets would you say you meet? Are there any lengthy vacations scheduled? Does your business have a wildly busy period where you aren't able to keep your hands on the wheel? How many people are involved in the decision making process? Fun exercise: take the answer to that last question and then apply every single other question to each individual. While some of those might be uncomfortable to admit to, an awareness of them at the beginning of a project can be a huge benefit. A while back it took me 2 months to realize that a client hated taking phone calls because he needed the written record of an email to help him make his schedule at the beginning of each day. Communicating about little workflow issues like that can be the difference between missing a deadline and hitting it right between the eyes. Target the Biggest Problem Area (Hint: It's Content) On the bell curve of web project problems, content is pretty much having the time of its life surfing atop the wave. Written copy, photos, and videos will quickly turn to quicksand if you let them. Getting content out of the way is key for a couple reasons. First, respect isn't often given to how big of a task it can be. Attempting to tackle it at the 75% stage of a web build can be overwhelming and paralyze you. Secondly, content helps frame the design. A design created without content often uses filler-text (such as lorem ipsum, or some other gibberish) to manage the gaps where content will eventually live. Guess what we tend to do? We use the optimal amount of filler text so it looks perfect. When the content arrives, our perfect pair of 6 sentence paragraphs are suddenly obliterated either by 3 lines, or 50 (regardless, I'll have to go find a hammer). Creating content can be a nightmare for many, and the reasons are both plentiful and valid. The most common issue we come across is that many people that are tasked with writing, dislike writing. This ensures that not only does it take a long time to arrive, but that it also isn't written overly well when it does. Throw in the stress that comes along with writing for their own business and suddenly they're in a blender of disaster. They don't like writing, they aren't particularly good at it AND what they write is paramount to their personal success. The solution here is among the most under-utilized tools available: the copywriter. Often times people get scared away from copywriters because they're trying to be mindful of a budget, and as a business owner myself I completely understand. There comes a time however that you need to bust out the scale and start weighing some importance. Is your content going to take you 15 hours to complete? What do you value your time at per hour? Is this going to make you hate your life? Have you considered writing with Google in mind? If this paragraph made your pulse quicken even a little, please consider a copywriter. Website timelines are hard to nail down because they involve multiple people with multiple skill sets and business styles. To successfully hit a timeline we just need to lay out some ground rules to set everybody up for success. By communicating openly we can prepare for potential issues before they arise, and by weighing the overall value of the tools at our disposal we can ensure some of the harder elements are completed with skill and delivered on time. If you have any questions about your website timeline, I'd love to hear them. -- This post was originally written by Russ Fee of FS Creative in June 2013. It has been updated to reflect new processes and tools. The post How Long Does it Take to Build a Website? appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreMay 6, 2019
Write Like Nobody is Reading (Especially if they Aren’t)
Finding an audience online can be an arduous task, but one of my favourite suggestions is to write like nobody is reading. I often talk with people who are either new to social media or own a budding business and the conversation invariably ends up at something along the lines of "why would I say something if nobody is listening?". While I can totally understand the position, in my opinion it's one of the biggest obstacles keeping people from attracting a quality audience online. Sharing is caring We will start off and use Twitter as an example because it seems particularly easy to abandon early on. One of the first big oversights that new Twitter users make is that many grossly underestimate the power of the retweet. While at times it may feel like the things you say are just a single snowflake in a blizzard, the retweet can snowball your tweet into a rolling ball of ice and greatness. For example, Calgary recently held the Calgary Comic Expo. Kevin and I decided to take our boys downtown to watch the kickoff parade. The event was, as you might expect, full of the typical nerd accoutrements. People dressed as Darth Vader, superheroes, fantasy characters, and everything in between marched themselves through the centre of the city. One special side-note about Calgary is how much better our Mayor is than yours. When the 2010 mayoral race kicked off, Naheed Nenshi was shaking very few hands and kissing very few babies in 3rd place. However, his mix of intelligence and ability to communicate as an engaging person and not a boring politician (as well as many other strong skills) helped take him over the top and win the mayoral race. One particular skill that endears him to the online community especially is that he often has no issue responding in an unfiltered and witty manner to people on Twitter. Pro tip: if you lose your dog and alert him of it, there's more than a decent chance he'll mention it to his followers. He's an awesome guy, so on the day of the parade it wasn't exactly shocking to see Mayor Nenshi hanging out the side of a replica 'Back to the Future' Delorean with a hover board like Marty McFly. I took a picture and decided to fire out a quick tweet to let my followers know that while mayors from other cities were trying to keep their jobs together amidst scandal and head-butting members of the press, ours was holding down the fort and refusing to stop kicking ass. Is your mayor in a Delorian? Didn’t think so. #yyc #FOREVER. twitter.com/russfee/status… — Russ Fee (@russfee) April 26, 2013 This is perhaps a good time to talk about the importance of spell-checking your tweets, but that's another post altogether. What's important is how many people I got my message to. I have a modest number of followers (469), but that's really beside the point. At the time of this post it was retweeted 62 times, which I believe is a personal best so you should definitely congratulate me or something. Those 45 people who were nice enough to share my picture combined for a total of 29,196 followers (an average of 470 followers per person). In the spirit of fairness, we should note that the majority of people's followers are often fake, so you can probably cut that number in half. That being said, I also didn't count the number of people who retweeted me using methods other than the standard retweet, or count people who just flat out copied the photo and shared it without attributing it to me (I know, the world is FULL of monsters). Prepare for the Creeping I know what you're thinking: "but Russ, my mayor is lame and I have nothing of particular value to say." First off, you have a horrible attitude. You have plenty of interesting things to say, you just need to loosen the seatbelt on your life and live a little. Very few want to talk to a dark void of nothingness, but the sooner you get over that hump the sooner you can start succeeding. So why talk to nobody? Much like the regrettable tattoo you received when you turned 18, Twitter is forever. One day you're going to say something and gather some attention. Maybe it'll be a witty retort on the local sports team or perhaps a hilarious jab at the weather. When people see it, they're going to wonder if you are "follow material". They'll click your profile and check out the last few tweets you made to see if you're going to be someone of value to their twitter stream. If they see 6 tweets spread out over 2 years and one of them consists of "just trying to figure this twitter thing out! #yolo", you might want to prepare yourself for a bumpy road. If on the other hand they see some tweets that link to things you enjoy, they may find that you are smashing and somebody they'd like to hang out with (in a totally non-social digital sort of way). But I Hate Twitter These points are no different for Facebook or blogs. Blogs are a different sort of beast in that benefits can be even greater. They let you speak your mind a little more and give you an opportunity to flex your expertise to your users. Perhaps you will spend your first 3 months, 6 months, or year writing to absolutely nobody. Some of my favourite blogs were discovered when I was searching out a solution to a problem and happened upon something written years ago. We recently began work with a local Wheel company, and in the process of moving over their old blog entries to the new site, I realized the goldmine of knowledge they had. The process took the better part of an afternoon to accomplish because I read most of the posts. By the time I moved every post over, not only did I realize these folks were true professionals in their industry, but it is also feeling we want all our users to have when they reach our sites. This can extend beyond blogs into the realm of Facebook of course, but I usually recommend people don't solely rely on Facebook. Using it as a satellite to your blog is a fantastic idea, but existing solely on Facebook is a recipe for keeping your information from getting into the hands of those who need it most. A good practice would be to make sure your message is getting out to everybody. Existing on just one platform will make everything a little bit harder. Let's Review While writing to nobody may feel like a fools errand, it is actually an essential step to getting yourself into the game. Always remember, even with very few active followers, your content can still find its way in front of tons of people, and when those people check you out further, you're going to want them to see a solid representation of what you're all about. -- This post was originally written by Russ Fee of FS Creative in May 2013. It has been updated to reflect new processes and tools. The post Write Like Nobody is Reading (Especially if they Aren’t) appeared first on Build Studio.
Read moreMay 27, 2018
WordCamp Calgary
WordCamp Calgary is my favourite event of the year. It's not a flashy conference. It's doesn't have a big budget. It's not held in a huge convention centre with holds thousands of people. WordCamp is the most practical, cost effective web development and design conference you can go to in Calgary. The majority of websites run on WordPress these days so learning how to be efficient and capable with the platform helps clients and employees. I've attended four of the six years it's been held. Each year has dozens of talks and at each session I learn at least one thing I can take away and apply to my business right away. Whether it's a piece of code, a better way to land new business or just meeting someone who can help me improve the way I do my work, WordCamp never fails to deliver. This year was no exception. We had a great, diverse turnout of people who seemed to enjoy every session. I had a chance to host a Site Clinic for attendees interested in having their website reviewed. I was sent 8 sites to look at and evaluate for design, user experience and conversions. It was the first time I had the opportunity to do something like that in front of an audience. I'm a huge proponent of constructive criticism and making sure every critique has a solution that follows it. Sometimes it's a balancing act but it's important to encourage designers and developers to improve. It's easy to take pot-shots on something without knowing the design brief, the committee who needed to approve it or how to solve the problem. We'll be doing it again next year so make sure you and your staff get tickets. The value of the $50, two day conference is crazy. take advantage. The post WordCamp Calgary appeared first on Build Studio.
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