Indiana website development has been improving year after year as the competition gets thicker and as businesses understand the web's capabilities better. As an Indianapols web development company, we get many projects that really allow us to use the dreaded "think outside the box" cliche. We recently completed a project for ProCLAD, Inc. that challenged our team to be creative and in the end achieved amazing results.

The website design was complicated and built in many layers. There was a need for a rotating image section on the home page and the placement of a flash piece representing the ProCLAD engineering wheel. Additionally, there were many angles incorporated into the design that would make any developer cringe.

One of the immediate challenges we addressed was the ability for ProCLAD to be able to easily update the rotating images on the home page. To save the client trouble from using Photoshop or other photo editing software, a transparent image was placed over the top of the slideshow to create the angled look while the full images are located below the white angle. The photo gallery module was implemented with a JQuery rotation script for smooth transition from image to image, and the client is in full control of the imagery that is implemented.

The site is also tied into a content management system to allow the client to fully customize the content that is entered from page to page and to allow control over search engine optimization properties including page title, keywords, description and web URLs.

Fusework Studios is proud to work with ProCLAD, Inc. on this project, and as a team, we love to be challenged. We hope this is one of many Indiana website development spotlights to come.  Check out the new site at www.procladinc.com.

Inevitably in this business, I get pulled into the never-ending debate on what is the best content management system (CMS). I get asked which are best for search engine opimization, social media community integration and flexibility. Every website design or website development company has their preferred CMS they design and implement for. Some of these are proprietary, but most are likely third-party provided. At Fusework Studios, we have a proprietary software, but there are some cases in which we go with third-party integration.

Almost all content management systems now have tools for search engine optimization and other tools to complement your web based strategy. A company can spend from nearly no money to thousands of dollars for the top-of-the-line CMS. Unfortunately, all that money will do no good without a keyword and search marketing strategy behind your content.

Tips to utilize your CMS' capabilities:

• Title your pages with keywords in mind
• Use keywords in your links
• Use keywords early in your content (first or second paragraph)
• Use keywords in header tags
• Create inbound marketing by generating buzz or links to your content (preferrably with keywords) by utilizing your social media community tools
• Utilize business blogging to drive traffic to your site

For a successful web based strategy, you cannot rely solely on one marketing medium. All of the tools around the web, including your CMS, play an integral role in Internet marketing.

Contact Fusework Studios for tips or if you have questions regarding search engine optimization and your content management system.

You've taken the plunge in setting up your corporate blog. Business blogging is new to you, and you're starting to put out content that is attracting both new and existing customers. Then, something happens that you may not have planned for--you start getting comments.

Search engines love comments on blogs. The blog post and page shows that it has been updated with new content (user-generated) and tells the world that your blog is active.

When responding to your readers (which you should do soon after you get a comment), it is important to keep in mind in how you relay your valuable input. It is good practice to attempt to include some keywords in your response to further encourage search engines that the topic of your post has continued in the direction you originally intended, and the new content of the post is related to what their customers are searching for.

If you have questions about comments or maintaining your corporate blog, feel free to post a comment for me. I'll be glad to help!

As a leader in your industry, you may be very involved in business blogging. Your corporate blog may be very active, and you have a nice following of readers that are glued to what you have to say. The question is, what is your goal with your corporate blog? Are you using business blogging to win over search engines, or are you only trying to communicate with your clientele without any real goals to increase your traffic?

Many businesses (Fusework Studios is not so different) try to write regularly in their corporate blog and try to always deliver a message that will floor their readers. They want to provide something that will create "light bulb moments" for their readers to win them over immediately. 

We are beginning to find that is not always important. Sometimes what is important is you deliver a quick message that focuses on a service, product or perhaps another client, that is focused on keywords. These keywords and frequent posts will win you search while still telling a story. We are challenging ourselves and our clients to write about subjects that matter, so don't worry if your next post doesn't move mountains.

Previously, I discussed how Indianapolis web development has changed, and I provided a theory on what the next trend will become. I talked about how business blogging and social media community interaction has become the latest trend in providing relevant information to customers. Now we will see search engine marketing at the forefront in how web development is approached for businesses.

Customers have been using search to find goods and services rather than looking for specific businesses. While it is important for your business to be visible (e.g. Fusework Studios) in the search engines, it is even more important that your business is found for specific keywords based on your goods and services.

The next phase in Indianapolis web development will be about playing an integral role in search engine marketing and finding ways to get new content out and fast for what customers are looking for. Search engines are looking for sites and blogs that update often and have relevant content to what their users are searching for. It's not about "if you build it, they will come" anymore.

Early on in web development, it was about telling your story -- the whole story. Unfortunately, this requires time and money to be able to put all that work together. When print marketing is put together, it is customary to hand out a brochure, poster or some form of quick communication about the product or service. I recommend you actually follow suit for initial website release, and over time, you can add the additional content you probably would have initially included before.

The reason is Google and other major search engines value up-to-date content. New content is very important. The sites and blogs that are most active about putting content up for their visitors are getting special treatment because they are viewed as more likely to be current for their customers - those people that search. There is no magic tool or button you can use to get these results. It's about building upon a foundation to be found in search.

Contact Fusework Studios for more information about building a strong foundation to win customers through search and inbound marketing.

The year 2010 brings on new opportunities for businesses across the country including Indianapolis. The economy is slowly on the mend. Jobs are starting to come back. Businesses are strategizing on how to attack their marketing plans and grow. Indianapolis, in my opinion, is no different from this trend.

When I first came onto the web development scene, it was primarily about having a website. Your website was more of a brochure. There was little thought to a full web based strategy or social media community involvement for businesses. The primary focus was having a great looking web design and plenty of content for people to read.

Then came the next phase which was to measure the analytical data provided for your website. Soon, it was found that people often didn't spend more than 1-2 minutes on the site. This didn't help support the theory to have more than twenty pages of content. The next step was to find a way to convert those visits into money by creating calls-to-action. These calls-to-action were provided as forms, buttons and/or videos.

The most recent trend is how to use social media marketing and business blogging to benefit your business. Search engine marketing is taking the forefront, and more businesses are implementing corporate blogs and social media as a part of their web strategy. I believe this trend is going to add a new twist to how websites will be developed beginning in 2010.

With Google Live Search and the rise of blogging as the premiere method in getting recent and relevant content, the next trend is all about flexibility and the process of getting search content out to the masses. It will be about monitoring what people are looking for and providing that information. Businesses will be taking an ever-more increased role in talking WITH their customers (not just TO their customers). Websites and strategies will be taking on a new look to feed how people will find out about their business(es), goods and services.

I will be touching on how to take advantage of this new trend in my upcoming post. For now, I wanted to get you thinking about how sites will be developed differently with this in mind. I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts from you on what you see coming in the next year.

Discipline.

For most people it's an ugly word. It makes you think of a dog that misbehaves, an athlete making wrong choices during a sporting event or sometimes even more frustrating of a child that just won't listen and needs...discipline.

Throughout 2009, I spoke of many different ways to utilize tools and third-party programs to enhance your web based strategy, and I spoke in many ways how Fusework Studios is a great Indianapolis web development company that can help touch all facets of an effective strategy. In 2010, I want to focus on things that are a little more intangible.

By now, most of you know about the tangible objects that go into a web based strategy such as business blogging, web development, website design, social media communities, search engine optimization and an email marketing strategy. When used correctly, all of these tools work, but there are things that are never seen that go into a successful strategy.

Discipline is accepting a challenge and having the fortitude to see it through. When embarking on a new marketing strategy, whether it's television, radio, print or the web, you will never know the true extent of its results until you see it through.

What are ways you can practice discipline in your web based strategy?

• Make a plan. A web based strategy is a plan to achieve a goal. Put it on paper and keep it where you can see it.
• Make a habit. Practice working on your strategy every day until that goal is achieved.
• Do it when you don't want to do it. Some days it feels like too much work to participate in a social media community for your business, but those days are probably the most important to do the work.
• Have a coach. Even professional athletes have a coach to help set goals and achieve them.
• Form a team. Don't try to do this alone. Find skill sets that are needed to accomplish your goals, and find the people with similar discipline and passion to achieve your goals.

Find the intangibles that make your web based strategy great. I certainly hope this can energize you when you embark on 2010.

Need a coach or a team? Contact Fusework Studios today to discuss your goals and ambitions in 2010 and to create a web based strategy to work for your business.

There's only a week between Christmas Eve and today, and everybody is finishing up their Christmas shopping, planning their breaks and starting to think about those neatly wrapped boxes under the tree. As a part of your Web based strategy, have you thanked your customers and business partners for doing business with you? Have you incorporated holiday wishes as a part of your email marketing strategy? Have you said "Merry Christmas" to your social media community?

Companies are becoming more transparent due to social media, email marketing and as they take on more and more of a personal role in their customers' lives. Your fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter are following you to keep in touch and learn more about your business. Make it a part of your social media strategy to wish everyone well this holiday season. Your followers would like to hear from you.

From everyone at Fusework Studios, have a happy and safe holiday season.

There are various tools that you can use to build your own website. This would be a very long post if I tried to list all of them. Indiana website development has taken on many different faces during the economic downturn as individuals and other businesses have taken use of the many content management systems (CMS), social media tools and most likely one of the many Google tools available. There are some good results, but then there are some very bad results.

Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner spoiled us with the notion "If you build it, they will come." There is still a common misconception of Indiana website development that as long as you have a website you will experience a boom in traffic and knowledge of your online brand presence. This is hardly the case. Here are common pieces of a web based strategy that are often overlooked:

• Search Engine Optimization through keywords and content
• Social media community awareness
• Conversion funneling
• Analytical data and marketing decisions based on that data

As we approach 2010, I urge everyone to look at their online brand presence and future plans for website development. Talk with Fusework Studios about your future plans. We can help answer your questions and advise you on some steps to take with your web based strategy.

As Director of Internet Services at Fusework Studios, I have the pleasure of working with many different parties on any given project: project managers, designers, clients, executive staff and other developers. Whenever you have many different intelligent people working on any given project, there are tendencies in which opinions can cloud an objective web based strategy. The goal of any project should be what needs the project addresses and the long-term plan after completion to carry on the goals.

My colleague, Jim Switzer, approached the sometimes difficult task of designing by committee with a great article. Many of the steps are no different.

How can you proceed on a web development project with an objective mind set?

1. Follow the leader.
Much like picking a leader in design, you must be willing to follow the direction and leadership of a project manager or head. They have to make the tough decisions, but their goal should be to ensure all parties are working to the final objective.

2. Know the full web based strategy.
No matter what your role is, you must be aware of what the team is trying to accomplish. Every cog in a clock is working to keep time. Each cog has a specific role, both small and large, to reach success.

3. Communicate.
This can be the most difficult task of any team environment. The left hand must know what the right is doing. Lay out a to-do list for everyone. Set some milestones and make sure everyone is aware. This is similar to creating a site map, but you are creating a map for a successful web based strategy and team.

Each member of the team must be committed. When hiring a company to assist you, be sure they are as completely vested in the project as you are. Contact Fusework Studios for an expert team of web consultants to develop a solid website strategy for your business.

Since I graduated in 2005, I immediately found a home as a database programmer for a local Indiana website development company. The company's primary focus was to build new websites using their proprietary CMS, and everything had to revolve around this software. The problem with this tactic and approach is that rarely does one piece of software accomplish everything you can dream about. 

We live in an age where SEO, social media communities and Internet marketing reign as kings, and website development becomes only a part of the overall web based strategy. To some, this may seem as a threat to the existence of traditional website development, but I do not feel any personal fear that this is the case. The role has changed, but the need is still very real.

More and more now the "custom development" tag and approach is becoming less prominent. Most ideas have been put to code before. The trick is how do you utilize or critique these tools from several third-parties and create something spectacular. One of the easiest examples of this trend is the inclusion of social media communities with corporate websites and corporate blogging. Unless your need is so specific, you're likely going to be using a third-party application already created for your corporate blogging needs.

Talk to Fusework Studios about website development and about creating a winning web based strategy. We would love to help your business be on the cutting edge of your online web presence.

You are launching your new business. You have done all the right things. Now you need to at least get something on the internet letting the world know about your brand, and you'll be coming soon while you put together a winning web business strategy. You have joined nearly every social media community and have invited everyone you know (and some you don't) to follow you as you embark on an amazing journey.

There have been several articles in the blogosphere that have been circulating recently that ended up getting my gears turning again. How to make a great "Coming Soon" page is a great tip sheet that will help you develop a winning "splash page" for your business. The final tip, "Offer links to social networks," I feel is unfinished and can be improved.

Social media optimization is a tricky term and can be used loosely by many people. My interpretation is to optimize your social media community by providing avenues to interact with your brand and company. Here are various ways to interact with social media and provide interaction with your "Coming Soon" page:

• Send updates to your fans and followers on news about your company
• Create an email marketing campaign offering discounted services or products upon launch
• Offer a code to be entered on your "Coming Soon" page to receive special discounts
• Get feedback from your community on ideas about your new Web site
• Offer an email registration on your "Coming Soon" page to keep updated
• Advertise and talk about your social media plans with your company site
• Offer "Refer a Friend" promotions to grow your base

Incorporating some or all of these ideas can make a big impact on your business when you officially launch your site and continue to market your business.

By now, you've likely created a Facebook page promoting your business as a part of your web based strategy. You are also likely running several promotions for your business. You've been making countless posts on your site and your social media community of choice, trying to turn your latest promotion into a revenue generating machine. The problem is that, as you develop fresh new content, sometimes creating your promotion gets lost in the multitude of posts.

The good news is there are easier ways to make your promotion more promininent that should yield higher longterm results during the lifespan of your latest goal. Facebook has an application that utilizes Facebook Markup Language (FBML) which allows you to create custom HTML-based code and place it in tabs and boxes to feature on your Facebook page. I don't want to lose you in the details, so here's an example.

• Constant exposure to your clients and fans
• A marketable item on one of the most widely used social communities
• Creating a call-to-action on your Facebook page
• Capturing your audience in effective social media marketing

As with any web business strategy, I suggest planning what you want your custom tab to look like, what will be the call-to-action and how you will track the success rate.

In most cases if a customer is using search engines to find you by your business name, it's because they already know about you but may not know your web address. It's simply the easiest way to win search. In order to bring in customers that may not know much about your business, the best way is to utilize keywords that best describe areas of your business for which you want to be found. Developing a web business strategy around specific keywords and phrases of your products and services will provide you more ROI in the long run.

How can this be accomplished?

• Start a corporate blog and set a goal of 10-15 keywords or phrases to focus on
• Consistently post content to your blog, site and social media profiles
• Focus energy on conversion - whether it's a sale or conversion form on your site
• Consider digesting ideas from an internet marketing agency regarding a full spectrum of ideas, not just getting you to the first page of search listings
• Understand that the goal should not solely be getting to the first page of Google but to convert qualified traffic

We encourage social media optimization revolving around these keywords. First create a goal to strategize on how you would like to be found using search. Corporate blogging is a great way to fortify your brand and online presence and blogs that are consistent in producing content will get more attention from search engines. The final step is to use social media to enforce your blogging efforts and to drive traffic back to your site. All that is left is conversion.

Every time a customer walks through your doors, comes to your web site or even talks to a representative of your company, you are providing a touch point with that customer. Based on that experience your customer will buy your goods or services or walk away forever and likely tell others to stay away. The traditional methods on how to retain customers have been innovated and recycled time and time again, but in this digital age we must learn how to utilize a complete internet marketing plan to create positive digital experiences.

About ten years ago it used to be all about building a web site. It had to be beautiful, completely branded from stem to stern and had to have some of the neatest functionality anyone has seen in your industry. Businesses were always trying to outthink their competitors to come up with the next big thing that will sway customers their way.

Today it's completely different. It's not enough to build a web site. You must create a social media presence that speaks to your target audience, and once you have their attention you must give incentive to convert. 

Where do you have to be to reach customers?

• Corporate Web site
• Brand or product micro sites
• Corporate blogging
• Social media communities

How does your company utilize these tools to create positive digital experiences or touch points for your customers? Are you even involved in social media and marketing in your advertising plan? When you search for more information about your company on the Web do you find positive brand reinforcement, or do you find you have a bad Internet reputation? If you're using these tools, are they up-to-date with the latest news and promotions for your customers, or do you find Internet cobwebs are taking over?

All of these digital experiences are affordable and effective avenues to market to your customers. Do you have a strategic social media and Internet marketing plan to reach your customers and keep them coming back?

Read Now!

Now that I have your attention you have just converted for me. It really is that simple. There were no bells and whistles. I wanted you to read this post to understand that sometimes aggressive corporate internet marketing is the best way to get conversion.

Design and branding is important. There is no discrediting that; however, sometimes too much design can get in the way of what you really want for your business. Too much of anything can be a bad thing. Simplicity to get conversion is the key. Seth Godin's The Big Red Fez discusses lost opportunity by not making your goal for your customers the most apparent item on the screen. You have approximately five to ten seconds to capture your customer and convert. If you make a conversion six different steps you're losing on a lot of opportunity. Common practice is to place your call to action in the content where your customer will see or have two to three "bananas", as Seth calls them, on the side column in plain sight.

Consider your company's web based strategy and take a look at your web site. Pretend you have no idea what your company's initial intentions are as you navigate through the site. Is your point of conversion crystal clear?

The complete internet marketing life cycle is a lot like instructions on a shampoo bottle. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. From a development standpoint I often get to see how an internet marketing or web based strategy gets formed and the early stages of how we plan to apply the plan to reach the objective.

If I were to place instructions on the back of a shampoo bottle for how to create a solid social media and internet marketing strategy they'd look similar to this:

• Plan. Think of all the details of your idea. Think of how you plan on getting them to your business through social media or other means. Then think of how to convert them into your bottom line.
   
• Apply. You now have an interactive strategy to attract customers and to buy your product. It's time to make each step simple but effective to convert.
   
• Measure. Now it's time to look at your conversion rates. Don't be discouraged if the traffic wasn't off the charts. Look at the ROI (Return On Investment). Was your conversion rate what you had hoped for?
   
• Repeat. You now have a picture on what your first plan was able to present to you. It's time to find ways to up the conversion, or if your conversion rate was more than satisfactory it's time to find ways to increase the traffic through.

It is my experience that suggests that almost any idea involving social media internet marketing is worth at least two cycles especially if conversion is occurring. Very rarely have I ever seen a plan that didn't at least deserve a revision and another "college try."

Do not get discouraged if the numbers aren't what you want right away. You could be one click or one form field too many. It's possible that your button isn't in the best location to catch the attention of your customers.

You wouldn't stop washing your hair if you didn't get all the dirt and grime out the first time would you? Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The lesson I've learned on how to retain customers through blogging is to keep producing relevant content to your corporation and to your readers. A corporate blog is your opportunity to interact with your customer and enhance your image while delivering the message on what your company is about. It is also increasingly one of the best wasy to win new clients through search.

At times this year I'll admit I haven't been the best at keeping up with writing in my personal blog. There was about a three month span that I just didn't write more than once a week. Most of the time they were simple posts that had little relevancy to each other and being so far spaced out the blog itself was not seeing very much traffic.

Since mid-August I realized what I was doing and decided to take it upon myself to write daily. There are some major trends that I'm seeing which I find quite interesting and can easily be applied to corporate blogging.

• In two days this week I have seen the same amount of traffic I saw over a two week span in July;
• I've seen more comments this month than I saw three months combined;
• Not only am I retaining my returning readers, but I am also attracting some new traffic.

I've found that corporate blogging is on the rise, and there are many sources out there to support this and give tips on corporate blogging. After my personal experience in the rise of traffic to my blog I've realized that blogging and producing content is important to any corporate internet marketing strategy.

The Wikipedia definition of interactive advertising agencies is an interesting one. It discusses the nearly meteoric rise of these types of businesses due to the explosion of technology and social networking. It explains these companies differentiate themselves by use of web design/development, search engine marketing, internet advertising/marketing or e-business/commerce consulting.

Just as any business would have a board of advisors such as accountants, attorneys and other business professionals to help them make decisions, consider employing the services of an interactive advertising agency or social media agency to help develop an interactive strategy, brand awareness and online reputation management plan that will help give your business a meteoric rise and turn web conversions into a return on your investment.

Ways to identify a strong interactive agency:

• Ask for references;
• Ask for a portfolio/case studies;
• They lead with ideas and follow up with steps to turn those ideas to reality;
• Look up their social media presence;
• And do they practice what they preach?

This week I was almost literally banging my head against the wall of my office trying to come up with a great topic to discuss. Usually I have a few ideas on my plate, but the words and topic just wouldn't come to me. The idea suddenly came to me as I visited a site I frequent, and the site was experiencing some major programmatical and server issues. Coincidentally this site was a social media community for gamers such as myself.

I know what you're thinking, "Nerd alert!" Hear me out before you pass judgment.

Generally the social community serves its purpose to bring gamers from around the world to enjoy and talk about one common topic which is "gaming." However this week has seen the site prone to many errors which is driving the community mad.

Here's a quick timeline of some of the things that have happened:

• In May and June the community received word the site was migrating to new servers which would be complete by July to better serve the growing community;
• It is now mid-August and the same server issues exist;
• Features such as choosing top friends now has JavaScript errors which prevents you from updating this area;
• Sometimes you could hit refresh on your browser up to five times before finally viewing the page you want to see.

On an average site, who would have the patience for this? Twitter experienced a major meltdown due to an attack less than a week which sent everyone packing to Facebook for the time being. Then Facebook experienced several issues as well which had everyone talking about it - not in a positive light.

Setting social media and marketing aside this message really is about your website. While you should never ignore the internet marketing benefits for your website, do not forget to take care of the issues that hinders your customer's experience. A new brand or product could be lost in the vast Internet maze without a shot to make it. A weak brand or service could crumble on an unstable foundation as well.