Digital Marketing by Patrick LaJuett

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.

Responsive WP e-commerce Project Responsive WordPress ecommerce website design for Valle Training Gloves Launched a WordPress e-commerce website yesterday.  The project was a conversion of an existing DotNetNuke website.  Here are my takeaways from the development process: The Good: Themes are inexpensive, plentiful, and super easy to install Plugins are copious, one-click activation makes life easy WooCommerce set-up is intuitive Dashboard navigation is straightforward Quality hosting providers are abundant The Bad: Theme documentation is sparse WP forums can be slow or unresponsive, so you will be on your own when troubleshooting Small changes to CSS can cause issues in responsiveness "mobile" view Media (images) can be a pain to upload and replace Performance can be sluggish In Summary: The development process was fairly straight forward.  But like every other WP site I have developed, it seems like there are always issues with managing media files.

More Customization of Google Sites Themes Now Possible! Earlier this week, Google Sites added improved functionality to enable more theme customization.  The update removes previous limitations set on the sizing of text, specifically in the horizontal navigation interface. To access the new Google Sites features: Manage Site - From the "More" menu, select "Manage site". Themes, Colors, and Fonts - From the "Manage Site" screen, select "Themes, Colors, and Fonts". Customization - Select "Horizontal navigation" to set font size, colors and backgrounds. When finished, Click the "Save" button. Result - Horizontal navigation font size is now customizable.  Previously the nav text size was locked at 10pt. These new Google Sites features enable customization of elements which were previously unchangeable. This flexibility is a welcome UI improvement for Google Sites web designers, site owners, and visitors alike. N

Responsive website design with Google Sites cloud based CMS The Brief: Use the website as a means of educating consumers about the new healthcare exchanges Create a website that is informative and easy to use Integrate with Google Apps   The Method: Strategy: The main function of this site is to educate and guide consumers through the new healthcare exchanges. Web Design and Development: Navigate the Exchange wanted to be portrayed as professional and authoritative. The overall style for the website is contemporary and clean. Technology: Built using Google Sites CMS platform .  The CMS allows for easy management and updates – from anywhere in the world.   The Result: The Navigate the Exchange website has a custom look and feel which matches the existing customer brand. Visit the Navigate the Exchange website Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agency where he supports his clients as a Web technology consultant and search market

How to design your company's business cards Digital marketing is replacing traditional print advertising for many companies.  However, a professionally designed and printed business card is still a great way to show off your biz.  To "plant seeds" with potential customers and guide them to your website for more information. Here are some tips to help you on your way: It's important to use elements consistent with company branding.  Logos are a great starting point.  I like to use shapes or angles from the logo and incorporate into the card's background.  Be sure to include all relevant contact info including your website address.  Readability is important, so don't go too small with lettering. Dawn of the Digital Press A digital press enables printers to offer "small run" print jobs.  Because of this, set-up time and costs are less. This allows for experimentation, more color and diversity in your card layouts. Business Card Option

Why Duct Tape Isn't a Long-Term Fix for Poor Search Rank Most of my clients, know just enough about SEO to be dangerous. Not meant to be a put down, as I probably know less about their field than they do mine.  They've heard the term SEO, they're not ranking, and they need to do  something .  That something, is to talk with an SEO...this is where I come in. I sit down with a client and they give me the lowdown. Then they throw some questions at me and hope I can give them a sensible answer.  I try my best.  It goes something like this: It's Broke Our Website is "better" than the competition, how come it doesn't rank?  Well turns out the competitor (whether by accident, hard work, or both) has established themselves as an industry authority.  Or they've been lucky...it happens.   Can't you throw a couple of keywords into the meta tags?  Sure, that's a good start, but you need some substance behind it.  Something for the search