5 reasons your website may need a facelift
by admin on June 6, 2011
When was the last time you analyzed your investment in your website? Is it providing a good return? Are your products and services selling? If they aren’t, you’re probably wasting your time and money.
Here are a 5 questions that can help you determine whether your website is in need of a makeover:
1. Has your website grown substantially?
Like most business sites, continual growth and change are essential to online success. However, your website should still maintain its effectiveness and, more importantly, it should still meet your objectives. Sometimes re-organization of information and content is needed so the site doesn’t appear cluttered and so customers can still find what they are looking for.
2. Is content outdated or unnecessary?
Successful websites have one thing in common, their content is continually monitored and updated. If your website isn’t, you can lose business. Do you need to update spec sheets, change promotion dates or add new material? Then now is the time.
3. Is your important content “above-the-fold”?
In the newspaper business, you won’t find important headlines scattered all about the paper. As soon as you pick it up, you know exactly what’s important in that particular issue. Believe it or not, this principle applies to your website. If you have something important to say, have a new product or service that can be a true benefit to your customers, don’t bury it or make it difficult for them to find it. Simply put, if customers don’t find it easy to shop your website, than it’s time to make it easy.
4. Are you using the latest technology?
If your website was created more than 18-months ago, it’s time to re-evaluate. There are loads of features and services released every day that make it easier to run a successful website. Things like search engine optimization, accessibility and content management. If you don’t know what these are, ask your webmaster. He/she should be well aware of these and other highly beneficial updates that should be implemented.
5. Does your homepage reflect your objectives?
The home page of your site should communicate the breadth of your company. Has your focus changed? Have you added new products and services? Or do you just want to communicate a different message to customers, than it’s time for a redesign.
If you don’t have a webmaster or are seeking the services of a design professional, we’d be happy to answer your questions. You can get in touch by emailing us at emma@3howards.com or by calling 573-289-8281.
Benefits of hiring interim design professionals
by admin on May 26, 2011
The trend towards hiring temporary staff for design and other functions is growing. According to CareerBuilder.com, 29% of hiring managers expect to use freelancers in 2009. In this post, we’ll examine the key benefits to hiring an interim design professional, how to find them, how to pay them and the outline the value they can bring to your organization.
The benefits of interim design talent are numerous:
- Bridging the gap between open or new positions and full time hires
- Controlling and managing workloads
- Exploring new products, services or business ideas
- Providing an outside objective point of view
- Backfilling maternity, family or medical leave
- Expediting a critical project
- Offering a skill set that you don’t currently have in your organization
- Access to skilled qualified resources without the risk of hiring full time staff
Companies now recognize the benefits of outsourcing design help and even using those workers on a “trial basis” for future hiring.
Where to Find Interim Design Resources
There are a number of temporary staffing services, however, many of them focus on less skilled staffing needs such as clerical, warehouse, and manufacturing. Although some may have access to design professionals, chances are, your best bet will be to perform a Google search for interim designers, freelance designers and temporary designers to find resources in your area. Word-of-mouth, professional networking groups and the Chamber of Commerce can also provide great insight into finding design professionals that will be interested in working with your organization.
Common Payment Structures
There are a few common methods used to pay for interim designers for their services.
Hourly: This method ensures that you, the client, only pay for the time/work provided. Hourly rates vary from designer to designer, and is usually equated to the level of skill and experience a certain individual possesses. We recommend that you speak to several designers to get an accurate “going rate” for interim help.
Project: This method is preferable amongst many employers who simply want to know the total cost to design, develop and launch a project. Many factors are taken into consideration when providing a project based fee, such as changes in parameters, delivery time of content, and unexpected delays.
It is important to remember that independent contractors do not have taxes withheld from their paychecks. They are still entitled to pay taxes under current IRS laws and are not entitled to any benefits that normal employees receive. We suggest you use a W9 form for interim staff and provide a 1099 form for the individual or company at year’s end. This is the freelance equivalent to a W2 form for employees.
Value Added Services
If you are looking for a skilled professional with established credentials to add value to your organization, to provide external insight into your design needs, or simply to fill in for absent employees, then hiring an interim design professional might be the perfect solution.
If you are an employer looking for a design professional, we’d be happy to answer your questions. You can get in touch by emailing us at emma@3howards.com or by calling 573-289-8281.