One of many great advantages the Internet provides over traditional media like print, TV, radio, etc. is the accountability. On your website you have the ability to track just about everything. You can see exactly how many users come to your site, what they did on your site and even how they got there.

There are many tools out there that you can add to your website to help track your analytics, some paid, some free. One of the most robust and useful tools comes from Google. One advantage of Google Analytics is that it flushes out all the search engine crawlers, spiders and bad data that can distort other traffic tools. This gives you the best representation of the true traffic and activity of your website. And the best part of Google Analytics....it's completely free!

The first step is to get signed up for an account with Google. Go to www.google.com/analytics/ and you'll notice a blue Access Analytics button on the right hand side and the ability to sign up below. If you already have a Google account, just use that and sign in. Next, provide Google with the URL of the site you wish to analyze. Then follow the steps of providing what country your site is in, your contact information, etc. Once you click Create New Account, Google will provide you with a block of code. Copy this code. You will need to insert this on your website.

Placing this code on your site is a straight forward process for most sites out there. You simply copy the analytics code in the footer. If you're not comfortable doing something like this, just give us a call. Our Service & Maintenance team can place this on most websites in under an hour. The benefits will easily exceed the time and small investment it will take to get you up and running.

I'm a very visual person. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing a web site with paragraph after paragraph of what seems like endless text. I like to have a break in reading once in a while to view a photograph or a graphic that relates to the content on the page.

Photography doesn't need to be limited to only photo galleries or banner areas on a web site. Content areas are an ideal place to utilize imagery and break up multiple thoughts on a page or even to create an illusion that there is more on a page than what might actually be there without a photo. For example: take a look at your contact us page on your site. It's ok... I'll wait until you get back. OK, so what did you find? I bet there is an address, directions, some phone numbers, maybe a form? Is there a photograph of your building or your office? No? What a perfect place to put a photograph! Give your customers a chance to see where you are located, and at the same time make that form they are about to fill out seem less intimidating.

Another example: do you list out your staff or management team on your site? Are there bio's and descriptive paragraphs about your team members? Are there portraits of those individuals? Adding portraits or even a group photo can bring a human element into an otherwise stale presentation of content. People tend to like to see who they are interacting with, and they tend to remember names better when they have faces to associate them with.

Adding photos to your site doesn't have to be a time intensive endeavor. I would bet that you have an "image bank" of pictures to use for print collateral and other marketing pieces anyway. Why not use them on your web site? A few words of caution however. Don't overuse photography. If a certain page does not warrant having a picture on it, then by all means, don't try to cram one on there. Also, be sure to properly optimize your photographs for viewing online. There are many free applications (http://webresizer.com/) that will resize, crop and edit your photos for you and provide you with a web ready image for your site. Don't upload a full sized picture directly from you digital camera, don't stretch or otherwise distort you photos, and don't apply any unnecessary filters or effects to your images. Remember, your goal is to enhance your web site... not detract from it.

I caught up with an old friend and colleague yesterday and he reminded me of something I on occasion I lose sight of.  He reminded me that the creating and construction of a new web effort, for the smallest and the largest of businesses, is a very daunting undertaking for a client.  It is not like ordering out lunch, you cannot simply say you want a new web site and have someone deliver it.  No.  You commit to it, you don’t just buy it.

In many ways it is like building a house.  You need to pick out fixtures, approve designs, select materials and so much more to assure it serves the purpose you desire.  You must be equally involved when architecting and building your website. 

Another analogy for you business owners is that your web site construction should feel a little like you are building a second location for your company; your new “cyber square footage” if you will.  You want to pay attention to the details because you want your new location to be perfect, something to be proud of.  Again, the same approach comes with building a website.

I don’t highlight this to scare anyone off.  My goal is to point out that your site is vitally important to your business and when selecting a vendor and developing a web site your involvement and commitment are essential.  Yes, it can be daunting, but like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it.

The good news when beginning a web project is that no one is better equipped to set goals, understand expectations, anticipate your customer’s needs and extend your brand than you are.  Use all that intellectual property you have been saving up and build out a web site you can be proud of. 


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Video on the web has exploded. Hosting it, posting it, and viewing it is no longer a problem. The problem now is, “How can I create my own videos that are effective tools for my business?” While hiring a professional video company to produce, shoot and format your video may be optimal, it’s not often a realistic option when it comes to budgets. For anyone interested in learning more about how to create effective videos for the web, here is a great new tool to consider: http://webwarriortools.com/ebook/making-web-video-that-sells

Once it’s created, LogicalSolutions.net offers our clients a great way to store, organize, create playlists and display video on websites we develop for them with LogicalSolutions.TV. For a great example of how one of our clients is using video to sell their products check out: http://www.leki.com/trekking/   . The juxtaposition of video demonstration next to product details and the immediate option to buy is an outstanding use of video on the web. It creates a level of customer confidence unmatched by static spec sheets or instructions.

For a fun example of video check out: http://www.geneseebeer.com/Museum/TV/  . Genesee Beer is giving their fans the chance to view great old commercials to reinforce their brand connection and they’re doing in a way that supports the complete brand message.

Go beyond the expected “Welcome Video” and get creative with the way you use video to not only inform or entertain your customers and clients, but to Sell More!

Website design seems to be evolving much the same way that print media did with the advent of desktop publishing. Many professional Graphic Designers were saying back then, "just because you can use the software, doesn't mean you're a designer". I find myself uttering similar words under my breath often these days when I see what a website I designed a few months ago looks like once a client has actively been administrating it. My gripe is more along the lines of "just because you CAN add a graphic to your site, doesn't mean you should".

When I began designing websites some fifteen years ago, the sites were static html which meant once it launched it pretty much stayed the way the designer created it. Boring content, yes - but well designed and they stayed that way. Today, every website we design at LogicalSolutions.net is "adminable" by the client, meaning our clients can edit almost all text and graphics on their site. This ability has transformed website design in many ways. Designers must first understand what areas of the site are going to be dynamic and factor in the scalability of content and rules of the technology and design around that. Additionally, if a site is going to require dynamic or editable graphic features, the designer must realize that what works for a presentation may not work anymore when a completely unrelated graphic may eventually replace that well designed promo or feature image you've so carefully tailored to the site's look and feel. When you think about this, you'll realize why so many sites have become so simplified in their "ambient" graphics. If a designer keeps the navigational and supporting graphic elements simple and neutral then it won't be so noticeable that a client created image doesn't match the site's designed look.

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I was watching a home improvement show the other day and they were speaking about what makes a project budget go out of control.  They mentioned three things that account for this; customization of work, time delays, and indecisiveness.  I sat on my couch playing couch potato and thought that was really interesting how the same challenges in a home improvement scenario happen in the Website development industry.

I grabbed my iPod Touch, which was the only device I had handy to jot down these three items.  I knew I had something to say about this from my experience of being a project manager.  The good news is that there are ways to prevent these challenges from impacting your Website development budget:

1. Understand your requirements up front – This is something that is a challenge for most people to accomplish.  People have an idea of what they want, but, aren’t 100% sure of all of the bells and whistles they want to accomplish their goals.  Ways to get around this are to look at how other Websites are accomplishing the same goals you are looking to achieve.  Note what you like and what you don’t like.   Another approach is to go through a consultation prior to any design or programming time is spent on a project and document the results textually and visually.  In my experience, projects that have this type of upfront due diligence have less rework or customizations that affect project budgets.  In addition, it helps prevent indecisiveness when a thorough preparation has been made. 
2. Devote your time – One of the biggest contributing factors that affect timeline is when someone cannot devote their time to providing input or feedback on the Website project.  It is important to know key dates when your feedback is due and deliver on time.  Project budgets are affected by projects the go on hiatus and have unexpected delays like this.  It typically takes a good amount of time for a programmer to refamiliarize themselves with a project when being re-engaged.  Keeping the wheels turning on a project is key to keeping timeline and budget goals met.
3. Trust the experts – Sometimes it is difficult to let go of control and allow an expert to help you make decisions.  An expert typically knows the correct answer or approach to a project and is not afraid to let you know.  They are able to pull from past successes and failures to help you make decisions on the correct approach to your needs.  In fact, this is why you are paying someone to build your Website. 

We all know there are circumstances that are out of everyone’s control when engaging in any type of project.  It is important to know that you have the ability to affect the budget outcome.  Understanding this is the first step to a successful project.

Our job here at LogicalSolutions.net is to be an expert on the Internet and the websites that inhabit it. This being said, it only makes sense that we as a company know where to get our information from in order to stay current with the state of the Internet as well as the trends that are occurring and soon to be ‘the norm’. We feel that if we help to educate our clients on these topics as well as share how to obtain this knowledge, we are paying tribute to the old saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.  This being said, we would like to share some helpful websites that we recommend checking on a daily basis:

Techcrunch.com – Follows the latest news in startups & funding. Also tracks social networking trends, an ever important and growing part of the Internet.

Slashdot.org – Focuses on technology news that could be considered ‘mainstream’. How is technology being used by governments around the world, NASA, and in Science? Any time a new law is passed by a state or federal government in relation to technology, Slashdot will also keep you informed.

Engadget.com – Previews and Reviews of new hardware coming to the market. Any time a new mobile device, camera, or completely original and groundbreaking electronic component is in the works, Engadget has the scoop.
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