LaJuett - Digital Marketing Blog

Dancing with WordPress We are 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  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.

Responsive menus, adapative columns, and 100% width images One of the biggest benefits of a Google Site is it's built-in RWD (responsive web design) feature. Be sure to enable the general settings... mobile checkbox: "Automatically adjust site to mobile phones". The adaptive rendering maybe not as elegant as some WordPress themes, but the ease of set-up and rapid development is a benefit to small business owners with modest budgets. Update: I forgot to mention a feature that I haven't seen with other platforms.  Google Sites allows you to "Preview page as viewer" and toggle between mobile | desktop views.  Very cool UI tool. Google Sites pass the "mobile-friendly test" Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

I have done quite a few website redesigns over the past decade or so.  When taking on a new project, I suggest to customers that they utilize a content management system (CMS).  The ease of updating content (versus traditional code editing) is a huge winner for clients. My favorite web CMS platforms are WordPress, Google Sites and DNN.  See the benefits of each here . The Project: This project was for a local home builder looking to modernize and expand their online presence. Out With the Old: The old site was something I designed a while back using MS Expression Web (html 4, CSS and JavaScript).  It was functional, but not very easy to update. BEFORE REDESIGN - HTML4 Website before being redesigned. In With the New: For the new website I opted for Google Sites (, with embedded Google Drive documents, Picasa Web albums and YouTube videos. AFTER REDESIGN - GOOGLE SITES Google Sites for local home builder after redesign. Let me know w...

10 Questions Your Web Designer Should Ask You Here are ten questions I ask as part of the initial sales call and web design project kickoff meeting: Who is your target audience? (b2b, b2c, etc.) Where is your target audience located? (local, regional, national, global) Description of your 'typical' client? (general public, professional, hobbyist, etc.) What is the primary goal of your website? (sell, acquire, inform, etc.) Who are your main competitors? What marketing are you currently doing? (tv, radio, web, print ads, etc.) What are your branding guidelines? (logo, colors, typeface, etc.) What types of graphic files can you provide? (photos, graphics, icons, etc.) Do you have a content author available? (text, articles, social media, etc.) Do you have access to your current website analytics data? Each project is different, but this helps get us on the same page. For more etailed info, here is my " 6D Development Process " for Website Design Proj...

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.

Make Sure Your Website is Mobile Friendly. Earlier this year, Google Search expanded its use of mobile-friendliness as a "ranking signal". This change affected mobile searches worldwide and had a significant impact on Google Search results. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test Tool How to get the“mobile-friendly” label from Google. Avoid software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash Use text that is readable without zooming Size content to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom Place links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped If you want to make sure that your page meets the mobile-friendly criteria: Check your pages with the Mobile-Friendly Test . Read Google's updated documentation, " Webmasters Mobile Guide " on how to create and improve your mobile site...

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.

Need a Professional Looking Google Sites? We recently launched a redesigned website for a customer down in Atlanta, GA.  See the before and afters below: Before site redesign After site redesign Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Recommended WordPress SEO Steps These are the baseline steps I take when optimizing a WordPress website for search: Backup Plugin- Install  BackWPup : **Run backup job before installing plugins** Security Plugin - Install  Wordfence : Keep WordPress core and plugins up-to-date Organic SEO Plugin: Install WordPress SEO by Yoast Customize all Page Titles & Meta Tags Utilize Google Webmaster Tools Utilize Bing Webmaster Tools Tracking Plugin: Install Google Analytics -  Google Analytics by Yoast Performance Plugin: Install PageSpeed -  GZip Ninja Speed Note: The plugins listed are my recommendations only.  Many alternatives are available, just make sure they are compatible with your version of WP. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Redesigned website using latest version of WP Advanced Language Translation The Brief Showcase language translation services Make website easier to maintain Make website mobile responsive for phones and tablets The Method Design: Update WP theme with custom graphics and CSS tweaks Platform: WordPress 4 with plugins (W3 Total Cache, Gravity Forms and Revolution Slider) Social Media: Add links to Twitter, Google+, Facebook and LinkedIn The Result Marketing vehicle will reach potential business clients worldwide CMS framework will facilitate website updates Design adapts to user device for best presentation (desktop, phone, or tablet) Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Dear clients: I am pleased to announce a forthcoming alliance with Timely Sites . It is scheduled to take place officially on Sept 1, 2014. On that date our combined agency will begin conducting business as Timely Sites. Our company began offering web design services in 2001. Its success over the past 13 years has stemmed from the referrals of our clients. As a result of those efforts, we have experienced steady growth. We believe that our new larger organization will allow us to provide a wider array of services and top-notch support. There are several things we want to point out that will not change: You will continue to work directly with me. Our fee structure will not change. The services we have provided you in the past will continue to be offered by the combined firm. I will continue to operate from my current office. All the contact information will remain the same. If you have any questions about this exciting news and what it will mean for you, please contact ...

Site Launch: Costich Engineering - WordPress Costich Engineering The Brief Showcase engineering, land surveying & landscape architecture projects Reach new customers via organic search Update Online branding The Method Design: Modified theme with custom graphics and CSS tweaks Platform: WordPress with plugins (W3 Total Cache, WordPress SEO, Smush.it, Revolution Slider) SEO: Author unique page titles/descriptions, XML sitemap, Webmaster Tools and Analytics Social: Add links to Twitter, Google+, Facebook and LinkedIn The Result Marketing vehicle will reach potential engineering clients in Western NY Content management system will facilitate posting of new project details Design auto adapts to user device for best presentation (phone, tablet or desktop) Visit the Costich Website Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advi...

We recently launched a new DNN portal site for Royal EAP.  The site skin is mobile responsive, which means it auto adapts to the user's mobile device for best presentation. Here are some highlights: CMS: DNN 6 Framework: .NET Database: SQL Server Hosting: Cloud Skin: Responsive Web Design (RWD) Scripts: jQuery slider Editor: WYSIWYG Modules: Document Library FAQs Mashups: JotForm Google Maps Engine DNN CMS continues to improve as a Microsoft .NET alternative to the WordPress PHP framework. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

We are helping Monroe Framing with a "social media spring".  We'll be integrating social links and sharing tools directly into their website.  We will also establish a consistent brand identity across their social networking sites (Facebook, G+, and Pinterest). Most clients understand that social media can help their business, but they just don't have time. LaJuett offers a solution that encompasses strategy, content creation, monitoring, and social media administration. Visit client website:  http://monroeframing.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 Website: Fastball-U.com – Classes now in-session Local business gets new Google Sites powered website The Brief: Use the website as a means of attracting new pitching students Create a website that is easy to find via search   The Method: Focus on optimization for search and responsive mobile device rendering Light-weight and modern styling Utilize  Google Sites platform  to enable content maintenance via a web browser   The Result: Website features custom logo design, which ties into the business's educational theme Visit the FASTBALL-U website     Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advisor.