Tips For Success 2 - Old City Web Services

A Breakdown of Image File Types

April 18, 2018 by anoadmin

Have you ever gone to save a photo and wondered whether you should save it as a JPG or PNG? With so many types of files to choose from, something as simple as saving your logo can become quite a challenge. While there are over 20 common types of files, these are the ones you need to know about!

GIF – Graphics Interchange Format

Think memes. GIFs are the second most used graphics format on the world wide web, after JPGs of course. A GIF can be a static image, but are usually animated graphics and used for sharp, crisp imagery. Although GIFs don’t permit sound, the graphics usually move or are a piece of a video. No quality is lost when you resize a GIF.

When to use: Use GIFs on your website for animated buttons or banner ads. GIFs should only be used for online purposes.

JPG – Joint Photo Expert Group

JPGs are the most recognizable file type and are predominately used for their flexibility. These file sizes are small, which makes it easier to share them through emails and texts. JPGs allow graphics to be compressed into smaller sizes without losing much of the graphic's quality, unlike other types of files. Small graphics come in handy because they can be stored on smaller devices! However, although they retain much of the quality of the original photo, each time you resize or save a JPG, the graphic loses a piece of itself. So, limit the number of times you alter them.

When to use: Use JPGs to display or send images in social media posts, texts, and in emails.

PNG's transparency ability allows you to easily apply a watermark to your photos.

PNG – Portable Network Graphic

PNGs are commonly used for logos because they allow for transparency. Unlike a JPG, a PNG won’t lose it's quality each time you save it. But, it will lose quality if you resize it.

When to use: Use PNGs for logos and images on your website.

TIF – Tagged Image File Format

TIFs are normally used by professional photographers and designers for printed material. They are of higher quality and higher resolution, making them much larger files. Since larger files take longer to load, TIFs should not be used on a website.

When to use: Use for all imagery you plan on printing.

PDF – Portable Document Format

PDFs are one of the best universal tools for sharing graphics and documents. They are versatile (although not transparent) because they can be saved in high or low resolution. This makes it easy to send high-resolution photography, mediocre images, or a document.

When to use: Use PDFs for flyers, contracts, graphics, promotional pieces, forms and other documents.

A Tip for Success

An integral part of good customer service is listening to the customer. When meeting with a new customer, it’s important that you listen well so you can determine exactly what their needs and wants are. Otherwise, you risk providing the wrong service. This applies to established customers as well. They may contact you to make updates or changes to their service(s), but they might not know exactly what it is they want. By listening and asking key questions, you are better able to provide what they need. Occasionally, it’s good to listen because they might have something to get off their chest or just need an ear. Listening to your clients is the key to good customer service and in helping your business succeed.

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – manage their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

We encourage you to share and repost this blog. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing.
Photo credits: OldCity.com, Twitter.
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.

3 Restaurant Plugins All Restaurants Need

March 16, 2018 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

3 Restaurant Plugins All Restaurants Need

Years ago, restaurants relied solely on word-of-mouth (one of the most difficult and best ways to advertise,) to promote their business. However, that changed when smartphones became as common as wallets. Now, everyone from teenagers to elders has unlimited access to information at the click of a button, the internet.

Since 85% of people search for local businesses online, it is important that your website reflects how great your business is; you can have a supreme product and establishment, but, customers won’t visit you unless your site is up to par as well. Each niche is a little different but, when it comes to restaurant plugins these are the three your site needs to give customers a satisfying online experience during the research portion of their path-to-purchase.

1. A Customizable Menu Plugin

: Panera Bread’s Desktop Menu Restaurant Plugin

: Panera Bread’s Mobile Menu Restaurant Plugin

There are no ifs when’s, or buts - the most important restaurant plugin to have is a customizable menu that is mobile-friendly.

In fact, 70% of consumers say it’s important that they're able to read the menu of a restaurant on their smartphone and 62% of consumers won't visit the restaurant if they can’t. Customizable menu restaurant plugins are mobile-friendly, include description spaces, and the option to add several photos to one menu item. Furthermore, you can choose to have your products set up as a grid, one column, or several columns depending on the layout of your site!

Note: Many restaurants will create a PDF file for their menu or hire a third-party company that creates their menu and provides them with a link (under a different domain,) that they can add to the restaurant's site. These are not good alternatives because PDF files are difficult to view on smartphones and users do not trust being tossed from site to site.

(Source)

2. A Google Map Plugin

A Google Map plugin that allows customers to easily locate your business.

When looking for places to eat, most people research local restaurants looking for two things; the type of food they serve and their location; making Google Maps the second most important restaurant plugin to have.

A study by GroundTruth found that 64% of people who searched for food on their smartphone visited or purchased food online within an hour of their search. This means that location is an essential factor for consumers because the 64% of people in this study were no further than an hour from where they purchased food. Hence the two frequently searched terms “nearby restaurants” and “restaurants near me.”

By adding a Google Map plugin to your site, you are lessening the steps a consumer must take to get to your restaurant and enhancing your chances of gaining a customer.

(Source)

3. A Plugin for Reviews

Review Plugin on La Fiesta Ocean Inn & Suites' Site

Since restaurants lead the pack of businesses in which the most reviews are read, review plugins are growing increasingly popular! Once consumers land on your website, reading good reviews by other consumers is a sure way to earn their trust because 85% of consumers consider reviews as trustworthy as personal recommendations.

Why not show off your great customer service and unparalleled products through a review plugin? After all, 73% of consumers trust a local business more after seeing good reviews.

(Source)

Whether you run your site on WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal,

all restaurant sites have access to and need these restaurant plugins.

Did You Know?

Mobile Pay is becoming an increasingly popular method of payment. Restaurants like it because it lessens the tasks of their waiters. Consumers enjoy its convenience! In fact:

58% of consumers sometimes or always use mobile pay at a restaurant.
22% of restaurants now offer Mobile Pay through an app!
44% of millennials prefer a digital receipt to a paper receipt.
73% of consumers agree that restaurant technology improves their dining experience.
30% of adults are more likely to use restaurant technology than two years ago.

(Source)

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Mobile Pay. Is it the way of the future? Or is it not worth the hassle? Leave your answer in the comments below!

Contact Forms and Responding to Emails

Do you have a contact form on your website? Are you the only one that is set up to receive it? What happens when you go on vacation, are out sick, or have a family emergency?
Here at Old City Web Services, our contact form is set up so that each inquiry is forwarded to three people. This ensures that our client is taken care of even if someone is out for the day or on vacation. It's imperative to respond to your clients in a timely manner because if they don't hear from you right away, they may move on to your competitor. Need help adding employee emails to your contact form? Give us a call or fill out our form!

Mission Statement

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing.
Photo credits: Panera Bread, Rodbender Fishing Charters, La Fiesta Ocean Inn & Suites.
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.

Top Five Advertising Ideas for Tourist Season

February 22, 2018 by anoadmin

As Summer approaches, businesses who invest in advertising now will optimize their potential revenue during tourist season. Since there are dozens of unique ways to advertise, we've created a list of the most effective advertising ideas for businesses targeting tourists and locals during tourist season.

Answer these questions before reading our list of advertising ideas, they will help you determine which method is best for your business!

What is your budget?
Who is your ideal customer?Note: An ‘ideal customer’ should mirror the following: loves your brand and region and is proud to associate themselves with it, writes a good review on Yelp, doesn’t ask about price and often spends more money on upsells. For example, the ideal customer for a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine is a repeat customer who loves the Old City, purchases upsell items such as champagne, and brags about your bed and breakfast to their friends.
How old are they? Are they male or female?

Advertising Ideas

1. Website Banners and Ad Space on a Reputable Site

It's important to choose advertising spaces on an outlet that will reach your ideal customer and is also trustworthy. Therefore, many businesses choose to advertise via banners and spaces on websites such as OldCity.com. Travelers often use these types of sites to research and plan their vacation making it easy for them to find your ad. In addition, 70% of global respondents, or travelers, consider websites to be the second-most trusted format to use while they are planning their vacation.

Ideal Customer: Locals, Travelers

Cost: Low

Select from the following ad spaces on OldCity.com:

Things to Do, Where to Eat, Where to Stay, Community.

2. Direct Mail

“Direct mail marketing is far from dead.” – Says Forbes Magazine. Direct mail is effective for businesses who are targeting locals because they already have their postal code and travelers don't receive mail while they're on vacation.

Here are a few astonishing statistics for restaurants, bars, and attractions in the Old City targeting locals.

80-90% of direct mail gets opened.
30% of millennials agree that mail is more effective at getting them to act.
The return profit of direct mail is 7%, but, mobile is 2%, email is 1%, social media is 1%.
56% of people who responded to direct mail went online or visited the store.

Ideal Customer: Locals

Cost: Middle

3. Vehicle Wraps, Decals, and Bumper Stickers

Vehicle graphics are a great way to advertise because they discretely attract attention, are seen by thousands of drivers, and are at work 24 hours a day for 365 days a year. Restaurants, bars, boutiques, attractions, and other establishments looking to attract customers that are already in their region will benefit from vehicle graphics. However, lodging businesses should consider a different vessel since travelers book rooms prior to their vacation.

Ideal Customer: Locals, Travelers in your region.

Cost: Vehicle wraps are an investment, ranging between $1,500 to $3,500, while decals and bumper stickers can cost up to $1,500. Estimated prices, prices may vary.

Let’s get started on your bumper sticker or vehicle graphic design!

4. Print Design & Cross-Promotion

Cross Promotion: Using your social network to promote a business that in return promotes your business.

Amongst our list of advertising ideas, we had to add cross-promotion. Potential customers see cross-promotion as word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth is extremely effective. Since customers don’t know your relationship with the respective business, they’ll consider this recommendation as reputable. But, first, you’ll need print media to distribute to your joint advertisers, such as brochures, flyers, hanging posters, or business cards.

Ideal Customer: Locals, Travelers already in your region.

Cost: Low

Not sure which business you should trade your print media with?

Give us a call, we will design your brochures, flyers, hanging posters, or business cards and connect you with a partnering business.

5. Social Media Campaigns

Social media outlets use an algorithm (set of rules), to create a better experience for the average user. Algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram organize a user’s feed based on whether it's relevant to the user’s interests. However, Twitter has a natural in-real-time feed. This means that your Twitter posts will appear in your follower’s feed as soon as you tweet. But, posts on Instagram and Facebook may take two days, three days, four days, etc. to appear to your followers. Naturally, paying for a promoted post will get your post more exposure, because the platform overrides the algorithm for that post.

But, are your ideal customers using social media?

According to publications by Pewinternet.org, Forbes.com, and Businessinsider.com Facebook is the most popular outlet with the most demographically diverse user-base.

Ideal Customer: Locals, Travelers

Cost: Low

The graph below will help you find which platform your ideal customers use the most:

A photo of PEW Social Media Demographic Chart

This social media demographic chart is by PEW, from a survey conducted in January of 2018.

One thing clients can greatly benefit from is backing up their websites daily and automatically. This is especially important for site owners who go into the backend of their site to make edits, change text, photos and so on. Backups are very easy to restore, in an emergency, a restore can take only a few minutes versus spending hours or even days trying to fix a problem.

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing.
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.
Photo credits: Old City Web Services

How to Protect Your Business Against Ransomware

February 12, 2018 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a software designed to block users from accessing their computer, most times by using encryption until a ransom is paid. Of course, victims can opt out of paying cyber-attackers any sum of money. Attackers may then delete data from the infected computers and cause other havoc that will result in a costly damage-control bill.

Who does ransomware affect?

FedEx chalked up a 300 million dollar loss in 2017 to a computer virus that was inflicted by NotPetya.
Merck lost 300 million dollars in the third quarter of their fiscal year of 2017, also due to attacks by NotPetya.
A worldwide cyberattack, organized by ransomware WannaCry, infected companies in nearly 100 countries. The attack also targeted the National Health Service of the UK. In this case, the virus jeopardized the wellbeing of hundreds of patients.

So, is this a concern for small businesses?

The short answer to this question is that we aren't sure to what extent ransomware will affect small businesses. It's natural to assume that cyber terrorists will focus on large corporations because they have more money and more sensitive computer data.

However, despite the lack of news coverage, a survey conducted by Malwarebytes (a malware protection software) found that one-third of small businesses were victims of ransomware attacks in 2016. Therefore, we can also assume that the rise of ransomware inevitably puts businesses of all sizes at risk.

Ransomware is significantly more detrimental when the focus is on a small business. In fact, the same study that Malwarebytes performed in 2016 also reported that 22% of small businesses impacted by ransomware had to cease operations.

How to Protect Your Business Against Ransomware

Jordan, our Linux System Administrator, always warns clients, "You wouldn’t believe the number of clients who have been hacked because they thought they recognized the “From:” address in a spam mail."

A photo of ransomware protection rules

Believe it or not, many ransomware cases involving small businesses in the United States were initiated the oldfashioned way - via email. In fact, malicious email links were responsible for 37% of the cases! Thankfully, cyber security is always at the forefront of our team's mind.

But, preventative care goes beyond staying away from spam mail. A few other actions you can take to ensure your computer doesn't fall victim to cyber terrorists include:

Host your email and domain on a secure server. For example, you might consider hosting your email and domain through a reliable company like Old City Web Services.
Spread general "cybersecurity" awareness throughout your team and let your employees know the devastating effect that opening junk mail can have.
Backup, backup, backup! It is so important that businesses backup their data and do so often. In the event that you are attacked, this will prevent you from PAYING ransom. If you're hacked and don't have a backup, how will you access your important files and data?
Blacklisting and whitelisting. A blacklist is a list of domains and email addresses that you do not want to receive emails from. A whitelist is a list of domains and email addresses that you preapprove receiving messages from.

Mission Statement

All About CMS WordPress

January 29, 2018 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

When a client asks us which content management system (CMS) is best for their online needs we always recommend WordPress. In fact, we even suggest that clients with a different software convert to WordPress. It is the easiest application for business teams to manage, its user-friendly and powerful software can support a variety of small and large businesses, and it is also cost-effective.

WordPress is an Open Source CMS

The two most popular types of CMSs are open source and custom.

CMS (content management system) - Software for your website that allows multiple users to manage website content.

Custom CMS - A CMS that is built from the bottom up by a programmer and is costly. Pricing starts at around $5,000.

Open Source CMS - Software that is open to the public to create, edit, and transform. In most cases, no single individual owns an open source CMS, rather, a community of developers and programmers work on it simultaneously.

The most popular open source CMSs: WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal

WordPress offers more free plugins and themes. Overall it's more popular and has double the downloads than other CMSs. Photo from websitesetup.org.

Did you know that 29.3% of websites run on CMS WordPress?

User-Friendly Software

Back-end of CMS WordPress

Despite the complexity of designing and developing a website, business owners can make updates with ease to WordPress’s user-friendly software. Its back-end is structured with business owners in mind, unlike the back-end of Drupal and Joomla, which even developers have a difficult time using. This means that nearly anyone can make website updates and manage their own website. As you can see in the photo above, WordPress clearly lists a series of functions on the left-hand side of the dashboard.

However, the software alone is not enough for an effective website. Along with software, you will need a WordPress theme and plugins.

Plugins and Themes

WordPress has more free and budget-friendly themes.

A theme is the underlying functionality of a website. WordPress has a vast selection of responsive and quality themes. While some may require recurring fees, all themes require maintenance fees. However, WordPress offers twice as many quality themes than the competitor.

Check out these popular and responsive themes. See anything you like?

: Theme: News/ Blogs/ Content Functionality

: Theme: ECommerce Functionality

: Theme: Property Booking Functionality

WordPress also has more plugins.

Plugins are functions that you can add to your website such as a calendar, a reservation bar, a scheduling bar, or to convert to an eCommerce site. CMS WordPress offers over 45,000 quality plugins, exceeding offers from Drupal or Joomla. Furthermore, their plugins are far less expensive than the competitors.

Despite the budget-friendly perks of using WordPress, maybe you find Drupal or Joomla's plugins and themes more attractive. Keep in mind, the themes and plugins available for these two CMSs are going to be just as difficult to navigate as their confusing software.

The photo below will give you a better idea of how difficult it is, for developers and website owners alike, to navigate the back-end of Drupal and Joomla. WordPress' software guides you in the right direction when you need to update your site, add/edit/delete products, add a service, or add imagery.

: WordPress

: Joomla

: Drupal

Unless you enjoy labyrinths,

call us today and we'll convert your website to a WordPress site.

Steve here from OCWS coming at you with my second Tip For Success!
First off - happy new year! I've got one BIG and SIMPLE tip to help you succeed online in 2018. It will help your business more than you can imagine. All you have to do is go to Google.com/MyBusiness, log in, and add as much information about your business as you possibly can.
You're probably thinking, "I did that years ago when I started my business!" If you did, that's great! But guess what? Google has made some changes since then. Google now allows you to add different types of information. The search engine then uses this information every day to serve up search engine results in interesting ways. I'm sure some changes have been made to your business since then and Google would LOVE to know.

Mission Statement

OldCity Web Services – Highlights of 2017

January 12, 2018 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Check out a few highlights from our year in 2017.
From website and print designs to new content services, SEO efforts, and pro bono projects – we’ve been busy!

Advertorials

Advertising and Content

In 2017 we implemented a new type of advertising on OldCity.com, called advertorials. We now offer a 300-word blog, made-to-order for our clients. Advertisers can use advertorials to spread the word on sales, services, general awareness and more. Our first client was the franchisee of the local chain, Dunkin’ Donuts. Check it out.

Content Writing

St. Augustine Historic Inns

In other content news, the St. Augustine Historic Inns requested we create intriguing blogs for their customers, which are then published on the bottom of their Home Page. The blogs vary in topic, but all pertain to things-to-do, holidays, and events in St. Augustine. Now, when potential customers navigate to the Inn’s website, they are greeted with material that is persuasive, making them more inclined to book a trip to exciting St. Augustine!

Print Design

Bluewater Adventure

Front and back of rack card designed for Bluewater Adventure.

Bluewater Adventure’s made a big move from the waters of South Carolina to the Old City that prompted them to redesign their rack card, which was no longer accurate. Our team decided the only way to fully capture their quality tours was by taking on the Intercoastal Waterway ourselves! We set up a Bluewater Adventure photo shoot and scored photos of the catamarans in action along with phenomenal photos of The Great Cross and Castillo de San Marcos. Now, on the front of the rack card is a proper representation of the sightseeing opportunities you have when sailing with Bluewater Adventure.

Magazine Advertisement Design

Gator Door East Inc.

Gator Door East used this advertisement for their big debut in St. Johns County Parade of Homes magazine! After learning they’d be a featured business, Gator Door sat down with our team to create an influential and compelling ad to catch the attention of shoppers! Don’t you just a-door this ad?

Business Card and Site Design

Jack Ward Fire

Jack Ward Fire, recently under new ownership, desired a brand with a haute look, reflecting their field of work. Working through fire and flames, we presented them with what is now their company’s business card. They were so pleased with the fire-hot cards, that our design team is currently working with them on a smokin’ hot site.

: Gator Door magazine ad for St. Johns County Parade of Homes.

: Jack Ward employee business cards.

E-commerce Solutions

Minorcan Datil

After facing multiple issues with X-Cart commerce solutions, Minorcan owner decided to upgrade to a more modern system, WordPress. Our development team knew that WordPress’s, user-friendly, Woo-commerce theme would satisfy her desire to add new products, edit old products, and raise her customer satisfactory level. Now, Minorcan can concentrate on managing customers and products without the hassle of learning how to navigate a difficult system.

Site and Logo Redesign

Rodbender Fishing Charters

The fishing charter industry in Northeast Florida can be compared to a shark tank, it’s a competitive field and standing out in the crowd can be difficult. After a consultation, it was clear to Chuck Stearns, owner, that Rodbender Fishing Charters needed a fresh logo and easy-to-navigate site. The design team created a few mockups and Chuck decided on this creative logo and simple site. Now, the Homepage of his site subtly answers frequently asked questions and has three call-to-action charter packages. As for the logo, if you can think of a better design, let minnow.

Site Design and Launch

R.V. Cooper Construction

R.V. Cooper Construction is a local construction company servicing St. Augustine and surrounding areas. Remarkably, since 1998, the company has relied on word of mouth to reach new clients; their quality workmanship and attentiveness in guiding customers was their business strategy. However, the competitive nature of the construction field prompted them to make their web presence concrete. Ricky Cooper, the owner, desired a platform that would showcase the construction process, to ease the customer experience. Our team raised the roof by creating Cooper’s beautiful new site; straightforward, simple and user-friendly.

: R.V. Cooper Construction’s Home Page.

: Hook, line, and sinker logo for Rodbender Fishing Charters.

Search Engine Optimization

Ranking Efforts

Search engine optimization (SEO), is imperative for every business to incorporate into their business plan. In 2017, our SEO team worked with nearly a dozen local businesses, developing key-terms and strategies to gain a higher ranking in their search engine results.

Multipurpose Online Designs

St. Joseph Academy

Old City Web Services also did a few pro-bono projects in 2017. One of our favorites was creating a series of 14 athletic-banners for St. Joseph Academy’s sports teams, the Flashes. It was important that the banners could be transferred and size-well whether they were added to newsletters, emails, print media, or their site. Our team sparked the Flashes interest with a lightning bolt and bold imagery. Go team!

Logo Design

The Ponce Hotel

Upon branching out from under the franchise, Magnuson Hotels, The Ponce Hotel needed a fresh look and logo. Our design team worked with the new interior designer at the Ponce on matching the color scheme used inside the hotel. In conclusion, they decided on the simple yet elegant logo.

Love what you see? Call us for a consultation.

Check out other work we've done for clients.

Two things clients can do to push security efforts is to never trust embedded URLs or unsolicited mail. This may seem obvious, but you wouldn’t believe the number of times a client is hacked because they thought they recognized the “From:” address in a spam mail. Also, be on guard for shady apps requesting unusual permission’s – especially mobile ones!

Mission Statement

5 Small Business Tools To Use In 2018

December 15, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

New Year’s Eve is a little over two weeks away, prompting small businesses to take a look at their business strategy. This year, make a New Year resolution for your business that is accomplishable and important! Commit to planning ahead with these small business tools.

Sale and Promotion Tools

In a city like St. Augustine, small businesses don’t necessarily need to create sales or promotions because of the large number of tourists, snowbirds, and travelers constantly passing through. However, who doesn't aim to enhance their business each year? Hypothesis: If a (small) business has few promotions and sales, then a customer will shop where there are more promotions and sales (corporation.)

Promotions and sales are important, but so are promoting your sales and promotions. Use these small business tools to plan your future promotions.

Use a Customer Information Sheet. Gathering customer information is crucial. Currently, email marketing is a huge part of many business strategies. In fact, here are 10 eye-opening statistics by Constant Contact to back that up. One shocking statistic is that 61 percent of consumers enjoy receiving promotional emails weekly. However, text messaging (SMS) marketing is becoming increasingly popular as well, because it is easy, fast, and reliable. Download and print our PDF file, Customer Information Sheet, located at the beginning of this paragraph. Place it by your register and have employees ask customers for their information.
Canva is a free graphic design tool that is used by professional designers and everyday people. They have numerous easy-to-use templates including a Sale Flyer template. Use Canva to create compelling flyers, coupons, and point of purchase material.

: Clothing Sale Template

: Real Estate Sale Template

: Art Sale Template

Social Media Tools

A few of St. Augustine’s small businesses have a strong social media presence like The St. Augustine Distillery, The Surf Station, The Hyppo, and Old City Web Services very own OldCity. Social media is a fickle thing, but the St. Augustine community is loyal to their small businesses. Therefore, with a little dedication and extra planning, you too can benefit from utilizing social media platforms.

HootSuite is a social media management tool. They offer a free plan which allows you to schedule up to 30 posts in advance and manage up to three social media accounts.
Trends Map is free and tells you what is trending on Twitter, in a specific area at that moment.
Google Trends will give you insight into what is trending in your area and nationwide. Type in your topic of choice, and Google will tell you how many times that phrase or word was entered into the search engine. Use the most popular search-terms in planning your social media posts. Google Trends is free to use.

Check out these unbelievable social media facts.

In the photo above, Google compares the search terms "Jacksonville" and "Orlando." Google scales the terms based on the highest amount of times they were ever searched. For example, if during Biketoberfest people searched the word Orlando more times than ever before, that is what the results for search term Orlando will be compared to.

Big Box Stores vs. Small Businesses

Luckily, St. Augustine’s community of residents and visitors are predominantly loyal to small businesses. However, with many more large companies moving into St. Augustine in 2018 and the years to come, will loyalty bring home the bacon? Let’s not find out.

A major difference between the marketing strategy of a large corporation and that of a small business is that corporations have entire teams dedicated to each segment of their business plan. Behind the scenes of a corporation are crews focused on enhancing sales and promotions and a social media strategy. But with the small business tools we share in this article, you won't need dozens of teams to beat out the large corporations.

Social media can scale businesses of all sizes. Therefore, it is important you put in effort towards learning how to manipulate your platforms for your business. Although each outlet has essentially the same purpose, different people (depending on their age, hobby, income, sex) use different platforms. Achieve a better social media presence by altering your strategy for each outlet.

Mission Statement

7 Site Characteristics to Ditch

November 26, 2017 by anoadmin

As a business owner creating and managing a website can be difficult. Your expertise is in your business and not graphic design. However, a compelling website is just as important as a business manager. With the Christmas approaching, you'll want to be sure that visitors are captivated by your site because they have a limited attention span.

While holiday shopping, or preparing their own businesses for the holidays, the chances are that your visitor has a lot on their mind already, just like you! To ease their navigation issues, it is important to eliminate pesky site characteristics.

As a web design company, we urge you to consult with us with any of your web design issues. If two of these items are applicable to your site, we insist you call.

1. The site is not responsive.

If a website is not responsive visitors will have trouble viewing and searching for information. Text and photos that are designed for a desktop site appear small and difficult to read on a smartphone. Or, worst-case scenario, smartphone visitors will have to scroll up and down AND left to right - this can be frustrating.

Responsiveness is not a new concept. For years users have browsed the web using devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. In fact, in November of 2016, mobile browsing surpassed desktop browsing.

2. Contact information is replaced with a form.

Did you experience an outage after hurricanes Matthew or Irma? If so, then you understand why it is irritating when a company doesn’t have their phone number and email address readily available on their website. Basically, it is only acceptable for Florida Power and Lights to hide their contact information from their customers.

Old City Web Services Contact Page is a good example to follow - it includes contact information and a contact form.

3. An irrelevant About Page.

As soon as a visitor lands on a site several things should be apparent to them, for example, the company mission. At this point, if there is any confusion on what services, products, or advice the company provides visitors will navigate to the About Page. If the About Page is still unclear and has a ton of script that doesn’t describe what the business is selling, providing, or producing the visitor will move on to the competitor's website.

An About page shouldn't be boring, but it should be informative.

4. Pages with too little text or too much text.

Website content should be balanced. If each page has a few sentences on it visitors won’t stick around long enough to get a full grasp of your product. In the same sense, visitors are unlikely to read an enormous block of text. Break up large blocks of text with headings and subheadings and combine pages that have only a few sentences of text.

5. Too many Popups.

Advertising and call to actions are important site characteristics and depending on the business, they are non-negotiable. However, if popups are stopping users from navigating to different pages or straight up pesky, chances are they will opt-out of a site faster then they opt-out of spam emails.

Site Characteristics

6. Information is hard to find.

Websites should not resemble mazes - but sometimes they do. Information for visitors needs to be plentiful and well-placed. Large blocks of content, missing details, or missing prices will only frustrate site users and lead them elsewhere. For example, if you are a historic inn or bed and breakfast then your website should include prices, amenities, and the location of your business. Focus on which aspects are most important for your potential customers and be sure to add it to the website.

7. It is messy.

Websites that are eyesores are less likely to engage visitors for long periods of time. Eyesores can include different font styles, mismatched color combinations, blurry or too many photos and random placement of photos. This may seem petty, but if a website is tacky chances are so is the product.

When in contact with your customers or the public, it is extremely important to provide quality customer service. A friendly, courteous disposition goes a long way. That includes answering the phone with a smile on your face; it can be heard in the tone of your voice. Put the shoe on the other foot and treat your customers the way you would want to be treated.

Mission Statement

6 Tips for A Unique About Page

November 12, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

About Page

A customer’s first impression of any company is the About Page. It is just as important as a first interview and needs to stand out in order to wow an audience It is a critical element of each website. Every About Page should include factors such as a description of the company's mission, the company’s history, and what makes it unique. However, to grab the attention of an audience use these methods below.

1. Speak to your customers.

Every About Page describes the company’s purpose, but not every page stands in the shoes of the customer. Further entice an audience by meeting their needs off the bat. To do this it's important to understand what solutions the company provides. A local pub might say, “if you are interested in trying numerous local craft beers and unique beers on tap, head to our pub”, versus “our pub offers numerous local craft beers along with unique beers on tap.”

Every audience is concerned with their own problems. The sooner their headaches are relieved, the easier it is to earn their trust.

2. Add creative media.

There are a few ways to make an About Page visually stand out and media is one of the top methods. Since most pages include a large text and a few photos, consider using videos, charts, and unique employee or customer photos to stand out. A short video (under three minutes), describing the company’s mission is unique and visually appealing. Photos of creative workspaces, holiday work parties, or employee pets are also attention-grabbing. Or, consider displaying a timeline of the company’s growth like Moz.com does on their About Page.

3. Make your backstory relate-able.

Although every About Page should touch on the company's backstory, not each story is entertaining and sympathetic. If we’re being honest, most businesses don’t have an incredible startup story. Many business owners run into luck or money, have extra time or ambition, or the business is passed down from a family member.

Use the factor most unique and relate-able from a backstory and expand on it. For example, maybe you loved ice cream as a child and hence decided to open an ice cream shop. To sum it up, a relate-able story will win the sympathetic vote with an audience.

4. Speak in layman’s terms.

This may seem obvious but unfortunately many websites use terminology that is unfamiliar to their clientele. This applies to all businesses regardless of their products or services. The worst thing you can do on an About Page is to confuse potential customers. For example, words as simple as cataplana, (frying pan mainly used to cook shrimp), may be unfamiliar to some customers and might deter them from visiting a restaurant.

5. Include customer testimonials.

Customers largely rely on customer feedback from sites like Yelp and Google reviews when researching a company. Therefore, adding reviews to an About Page saves the customer a step and allows the business to monitor the reviews they have access to. Even if a company has received a few bad reviews, making the great reviews standout will reassure the audience’s nerves. Make sure the reviews are up to date.

6. Highlight products or services.

Do you offer a specific service or line of products? Your About Page is a great place to highlight what is available to your audience. This element on an About Page provides easy access to customers and depicts their relationship with a business. For example, the owner of a local bar, might highlight specific events regularly scheduled. Or maybe there are certain cocktails or food items that are unique to the restaurant. Brag about the business and highlight key products.

Other things to add

The list above is intended as a guide to make About Pages unique. They aren’t necessary but will help any business stand out. However, there are a few elements that each About Page needs to incorporate such as a mission, a backstory, and a method to contact your company.

The word responsive has many meanings, but in our industry, it is a word that is critical to your online presence. In fact, it is essential that we make it easy for our clients to use our sites regardless of the device they are using; a phone, tablet, pc, or laptop. Stay ahead of your competitor and make sure your site is responsive. Want more information on what all that means? We are a phone call away, email away, text away - we have the answers to your questions.

Is Google Turning Into a Helicopter Parent?

October 1, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Terms you Need to Know

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol): how we send and receive information on the web. For example, by typing "fall activities in St. Augustine," in Google's search box, you are actually sending a command to a server. In return the server fetches the information.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer): is the technology that allows information to be encrypted between the web server and browser. An SSL Certificate can vary in cost depending on the level of security needed. If you are in need of an SSL Certificate, contact Old City Web Services today

HTTPs (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure): is a secure way to send and receive information. The information you would normally get through HTTP is encrypted through HTTPs.

: Example of HTTPs URL (Secure)

: Example of HTTP URL (Not Secure)

Is Google Serious?

This past January, Google Chrome decided to become that uncool mom - who is so cautious that it is literally crippling. The number one search engine began marking websites that require sensitive information, like credit cards, social security numbers, and passwords, without the HTTPs in the URL as not-secure.

But, this crazy soccer mom, is only getting started. This October, they are taking security to the next level and will mark ANY website you interact with, that does not have HTTPs in the URL, as not-secure. So far they are defining interaction as, anything you enter into a text box, including search boxes. To promote a safer internet they are placing icons at the beginning of URLs.

: Secure

: More Info/ Not Secure

: Dangerous/ Not Secure

Will Google Standards Effect Your Business?

A secure website undoubtedly brings users comfort while they browse your site, but, it is not detrimental to your business plan. If you are requesting sensitive information, OCWS suggests you spend the few extra bucks and become SSL certified - to protect your clients and yourself from liability. The bummer is that adding SSL Certification to your website slows down the streaming of your page, because there is an extra step in place - which encrypts information. The good news is that it is possible to only certify certain pages or forms!

If you are interested in SSL certifying your website, or individual pages, OCWS works with GeoTrust, to provide certifications for our clients. Contact us today!

Rumor has it that Google's new standard will cause search results to place HTTPs sites above HTTP sites. We have not noticed this as yet. The reliability of information on your website at large, remains to be what will predominantly effect your SEO.

A tip for success:
Create A Newsletter
One simple way to stay in-touch with your customers is to create a newsletter. It can then be sent directly to your audiences' inbox wherever they are and they will know what's going with your business. Newsletters are also an awesome way to share current specials and events with your audience.

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