Digital Marketing by Patrick LaJuett

The logo design process includes three main phases: Discovery Phase: Learning about the client's product or brand. It's important to also know the target audience.  The more you understand about the brand, the easier it is to visualize a logo concept. Conceptualization Phase: This is the fun part, in this phase you put "pen to paper". I like to rough in 3 different concepts for the client to choose from. Here are the applications used: Google Chrome (industry research) Sketch pad (a.k.a. pencil and paper) Adobe Illustrator (vector based illustration) Gmail (email communication) Google Fonts (downloadable typeface) Adobe Fireworks (drop-shadows, bezels) Refining Phase: After determining which style the customer prefers, it's time to finalize the logo. This includes experimenting with color combinations, and minor position tweaks, letter kerning, etc. Cost: Typical small business logo design cost is $200-$400, this is ballpark estimate ...

Dancing with WordPress We finishing up a new local website for Rochester Dance Lessons.  The Website was designed and developed using WordPress 4.5.2. WP Plugins: Visual Composer - Drag and drop page builder Wordfence - Security, anti-virus, firewall JotForm - Contact form UpdraftPlus - Secure site backups Yoast SEO - Organic search optimization Sassy Social Share - Sharing tool Photo Gallery - Responsive image gallery   http://rochesterdancelessons.com Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Rockin' with WordPress We launched a new local website this morning for Rockbridge Realty Group.  The Website was designed and developed using WordPress 4.4.2. WP Site Specifications: Hosting: GoDaddy Theme: Spacious (Mobile-friendly) Plugins: WP Property, Yoast SEO, UpdraftPlus Backups, HungryFEED, Header and Footer Other: Dedicated IP   Optimization and Metrics: Google Search Console Google Analytics Rockbridge Realty Group is a real estate brokerage firm.  Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Relax It's Parallax Here's an example of a parallax scrolling single page website built using DNN 7.4.  Parallax scrolling involves a background image moving at a slower rate than foreground content.  This creates a layered effect as you scroll down the page, providing a subtle element of depth. In the example below we focused on "call-to-action" from traffic arriving via a display ad banner campaign. http://replacementwindowmilwaukee.com Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

New WordPress website for Rich Beginnings child care in Brighton, NY http://richbeginningschildcare.com Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Easy, stable and connected to the Google Apps for Work product suite. Baseball team website developed using Google Apps for Work - Google Sites Enabling customers to manage their own content is the right way to go.  I choose Google Sites as my go-to web CMS platform.  Here are a few reasons why... Integrate Google Calendars Embed Youtube videos Instant micro blogging platform SEO friendly Hosted in the cloud Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Display Ad Designs for PPC Designing these mini advertisements is fun because it forces you to quickly understand and conceptualize the customer's business within the boundaries of a 300x250 rectangle. Adobe Fireworks can help you quickly develop ad mock-ups for client review. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

12 steps to follow for a building a successful WordPress site. Set-up a basic Linux hosting plan on a secure server environment. Bluehost, 1&1, GoDaddy, etc. Install the WordPress application (should be a 1-click install via host control panel) Purchase and install a WordPress theme Themeforest is a good place to start TIP - Make sure it passes Google's mobile friendly-test Customize the WordPress configuration and settings Upload your logo Modify colors to match your brand Set fonts and sizes Create or import content Add pages Author blog posts Upload images Bigstock (fee),  Pixabay (free) Enhance user experience Add desired menus (top, side, footer) Add widgets Connect with social media profiles Install plugins to extend WordPress functionality Security - Wordfence Backups:  BackWPup Search engine optimization - Yoast SEO Test, tweak and test some more Launch Submit website URL to Google Search Console Submit XML Set prefer...

New site features responsive design, interactive quoting forms and more. Here's a new Google Sites we developed for an insurance company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. BEFORE REDESIGN AFTER REDESIGN http://www.grubbsgroup.net/ Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

How Do I Appear First in Google Search Results?   Here are best practices for improving your ranking in Google search results: Provide high quality content on your site. Google tries to find the best answer for our users’ requests; if you write the best material, you’re in the game.   Make your site mobile friendly. Many users search on mobile devices; Google’s search results favor pages that they think answer the user’s request with the best possible user experience on their platform.   Use informative titles and snippets. Good, clear titles and accurate meta tag descriptions help Google understand the purpose of a page and generate useful snippets in our search results.   Add structured data to enable additional search result features such as stars, event information, or site search boxes.   Make sure that you follow Google’s guidelines and avoid pitfalls that could affect your ratings. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJ...

More Clickable Ad Banners It's been a while since I designed online ad banners.  Back in the mid-2000s, I did a lot of them for AOL's YP ad campaigns.  The small size constraints certainly can present a challenge.  Here are some things I have learned over the past decade or so. MY TOP 10 AD BANNER DESIGN TIPS: Use standard size ads ( https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/6002621?hl=en ) Make text as large as possible for legibility Adhere to existing branding specs Use glows and shadows to help text "pop" Use visually interesting photos Compress files as much as possible Test color blindness rendering ( http://color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator ) Incorporate ad size into naming conventions (i.e., WW-Puget-336x280) Get approval on one ad size before creating additional sizes A/B test design variations as well as call-to-action text Here are some example of our recent ad banner designs... Patri...

Building a WordPress Website in version 4.1.1 Just launched a new WordPress website for a custom home builder.  We took the html website originally designed years ago and migrated the content into a clean WP installation. WordPress design features: Mobile friendly theme (Real Property) Image slider (Revolution) Real estate property search widget Integrated Google Map Links to social media Responsive navigation Responsive form (Jotform) On-page SEO (Yoast) Most modern WP themes now have the ability to inject custom CSS (goodbye PHP code hacks). I like to use Chrome's built-in "inspect element" to reverse engineer the styles.  This allows me to preview CSS overrides in real-time.  Then it's a simple copy/paste/save to apply the site-wide theme changes.   Pinnacle Homes website Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

 Custom Google Sites developed for local small business New custom Google Sites web design for Plant Concepts in Webster, New York This is the 51st website we have designed using the Google Sites platform. Google Sites design elements: Mobile-friendly layout Responsive image sliders ( how-to ) Google Drive integration Micro blog Mapped domain Embedded forms For more examples, check out our  Google Sites demo website Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

 Flyer Design Using Adobe Illustrator CC Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Three's Company -  3 Custom Google Sites Launched This Week We've been working on these Google Sites websites for a while.  Finally received the green light to launch them.  The first two (Sarkis and Diplomat) are redesigns for existing html sites.  They are sister sites, so we linked them together using similar navigation systems and layout grids.  For the ATP site, we worked with their design team to put together visually distinct home page which links to a contact page and a Google Sites micro blog. Sarkis Caterers   Diplomat Banquet Center and Hotel   ATP Marketing Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

The LaJuett team would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to our clients whom we value greatly. We hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

 Here's a simple logo we designed for a customer in Western NY... Colors: #B8D758 (green), #DCDCDE (light grey), #000000 (black) Font used: Montserrat Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

 Here is an example of how Google Sites can be used to create a custom and compelling website. http://www.5ddental.com With a bit of design ingenuity, Google Sites can be used to create great looking Websites.  Start with one of the base templates, and modify the background images, color scheme, and page layouts. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

New TimelySites for Enhanced Communications Solutions Fast loading, search engine friendly, and integrated with Google Apps for Work   Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Two if by Google Sites We have many more Google Sites in the design pipeline, but here our the latest.  Freshly developed and launched for locally based clients. Projection Video Professionals Integrated Power Systems International, Inc. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.