This week marked the completion of a new website, solarispropertygroup.com. Now, I hate to play favorites, but this site is my favorite to date. Why? One reason: hometown flair.

When a company has targeted a geographic region, like Solaris, it’s important to develop a website that makes it recognizable to its particular market. In this case, our client needed a website to establish its image as a player in the Indianapolis market, offering  turn-key investment properties.

Roundpeg’s very own Peter Wolfgram was the artistic genius behind the website’s focal point – a replica of the Indianapolis skyline. The Indy skyline featured in the site’s web banner and interior page buttons gave Solaris immediate association with the Indianapolis market and created the hometown flair our client was looking for.  Rather then using “stock” photography in the rotating banners, we used photos of local houses, which added to the  unmistakable Indy feel of the site.  To check out the site, or to learn more about Solaris Property Group, LLC, click here.

About Solaris

Solaris Property Group, LLC is an Indianapolis-based real estate investment group. Since 1998, Solaris has focused solely on renovating and selling properties to investors in the Indianapolis market.

Look, I get it. You want to look cool.

But looking cool means nothing if no one finds you in the first place.

As an Indianapolis web design firm, as we work with clients, we usually get the same wishlist. Our clients want websites which:

• Look cool
• Look fresh
• Look up-to-date

While we agree it’s important to build sites with the fresh, clean, cool look our client desires, in the long run it is the words and content the site’s pages hold which will be far more valuable in the long run.

As the web has grown, search engines (which can make or break a site’s visibility) have placed a high priority on site content. Google wants to display the most relevant results possible to every user. Because of that, we encourage small business owners to focus on solid copy on each page and consistent blogging to generate new content.

While the old adage is true that 90% of communication is nonverbal, when it comes to your digital presence, what you say matters. Consumers have trained themselves to find fresh, relevant, reliable information. If you’re not providing it, I don’t care what your site looks like, you’re not cool, fresh, or up-to-date.

You’re living in the past.

Need to start developing your own content? Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm, can help! Contact us here.

There is no such thing as bad student…only bad teacher.

-Mr. Miyagi

As I was trudging through 16 years of school, I never thought I’d be the one teaching. As an Indianapolis web design firm, we choose to provide training for all of our clients. We like small business owners to feel empowered to manage their websites to support their business objectives.

Training is a standard part of every web design project.  So as we are wrapping up the design phase, I always set a side a few hours for training on how WordPress. I’ve taught clients of all ages and skill levels. Working with this diverse group of students has taught me more than I could ever teach them. Here are just a few of the  things I’ve learned along the way:

• Set ground rules and goals-Some people can become overwhelmed easily or (worse) attempt to camp out in your office for hours at a time. Spending 45 seconds at the beginning of the training allows me to reassure them and set reasonable expectations for what they can learn in one session. It also allows me to reinforce that there is a cutoff time for the end of the lesson. Learning to establish a timeline and ground rules has helped me not just in a training setting, but also when it comes to having productive meetings in general.
• Don’t just talk…listen-It would be easy for me to spend the hour of training rifling off WordPress methods without taking a second to breathe…and odds are my students would absorb about 10% of whatever I was saying. I’ve found it is far more effective to stop every 5-10 minutes and genuinely ask if they have any questions. Once you start losing your students, if you don’t catch them, the rest of the training is pointless. Please trust me on this.
• Gauge and adapt to learning styles-It would be easier if everyone processed information the same way, but they don’t. Each individual is different. They figure things out differently, learn at a different pace, and grasp some things easier then others. It’s the responsibility of each instructor to adapt their teaching style to the student. Luckily, I’m usually in a one-on-one setting, so adaptation is a bit easier and more straight forward. All I know is I have much more respect for my 5th grade teacher than I did three years ago. (Hi Mrs. Heller!)

Learning to teach has been one of my more rewarding experiences while at Roundpeg. Have you ever taught a class or student? What did you take away from the experience?

Working with a range of industries can sometimes provide unique challenges. A web design which  works well for a dentist may be completely useless for a client trying to sell candles. Types of images, navigation styles and plugins will vary dramatically with the industry and customer objectives.

Workplace Safety, an industrial risk management firm based in Indianapolis, came to us for an update of their website. In a complex and technical field they challenged us to present an incredible amount of information in a logical, organized fashion.  They wanted a site which catered to engineers but appealed to everyone. Our worst fear was overwhelming visitors to the site as we worked to design a web site which would clearly communicate their mission of  ”protecting human capital.”

We decided to go with a clean, simple layout. While the site holds a virtual encyclopedia of information, visitors are not overwhelmed when they arrive on the home page. A well organized navigation structure directs visitors to the information they are seeking.

Want to learn more about how to streamline your website? Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm, can help. Take our web design quiz here.

When I was a Roundpeg intern in the summer of 2009, I oversaw our website redesign. Over the last two years, it’s been a point of pride for me to point to the site and say “I did this.” However, in the last two years web design has undergone quite a shift. While our site is still functional, it’s no longer  ”cutting edge”,  and quite honestly it seems a bit dowdy in comparison to many of our competitors.

As a web design company, we need to be ahead of the curve, not behind it. We are all about reinvention, and today we launched our new, redesigned website.

I’m not going to talk about the actual design aspects, we have covered that in a series of blog posts leading up to today’s launch. .What I will remember about this redesign is the way it brought our team together.

Our redesign followed four steps:

1. Vision-Forming a vision for what we wanted our new site to look and feel like was critical in pointing us in the right direction. We started by asking ourselves  ”what defines us?”, “how do we want visitors to feel?” and “how do we show off our personality?” The answers:   We are defined by our quirky sense of humor, sense of fun, and seriousness about our work. We love what we do and enjoy sharing what we know with others.   Roundpeg is a place where people feel comfortable and enjoy the visit.  The challenge was to create a site that made people feel the same way.

2. Plan-Setting goals and deadlines to complete phases of the redesign kept us on track. This was vastly different from two years ago. As an intern, the web design was my only project.   This time around everyone on the team was involved, and each of us had to block out time and dedicate energy toward our own marketing and still meet client deadlines.  It took longer, but we think it represents our best work so it was worth the time spent.

3. Buy-In-This was where the team really came together. When I helped redesign the site in ’09, I wasn’t an employee, so it wasn’t like a full-time, concentrated team effort. This year, we became a family. Every member of the Roundpeg team (including our interns and pets) was in on design meetings, giving input and suggestions for  improvement.  Each of us can point to specific elements and say:  That was my idea.

4. Review and Celebration-Two parts, both equally important. We picked this site apart at every revision. We poured over every word for spelling errors, tweaked code, and rewrote content. And just when we thought we were finished, we sent out drafts of the site some of our strategic partners who gave us even more feedback. What emerged was a stronger, more collaborative site.

And as far as the celebration, well… Lets’ just say we were going to shoot video, but we are not sure anyone out side of the family would really understand why we needed a screw driver and hammer to open the last bottle of wine.

In the end, the new Roundpeg site represents who we are, what we are, and where we plan to go. The strength of the site and the strength of the company are now one and the same … it is about the passion of our people.

So what do you think of the new site?  Share your comments here.

Want to update your image? Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm, can help. Start by taking our web test.

We’ve talked about nearly every visual aspect of the Roundpeg website’s evolution, from theme and font to color scheme, but it’s time to get to the good stuff: the words. Sure, sure, the look of a site is important, but it’s the words that bring it home.

The tone of the website has changed fairly drastically. When I first arrived, it was a fairly straight-forward site in terms of tone. The aesthetic of the site was fun and playful, but the words didn’t capture the Roundpeg spirit. The other main difference was that most of the content, and all of the testimonials, focused on Lorraine. The company was very different then, more like Lorraine and the Pegettes as her background singers than as the rounded, full company we are today.

Over the last year the blog has changed, as each of us has begun adding our voice, but the core site remained a bit stiff.  On the new site, we’re aiming for a tone that is more true to the Roundpeg we’ve become: playful, all serious when it comes to business–but irreverent when it comes to ourselves. We want the website to give you the same cozy feeling you get when you walk into our doors, grab a Diet Coke from the fridge, and have a cat jump into your lap.

Another major change to the site over the years has been the tagline. Check out the evolution:

• Solutions that Fit
• Every Business Deeds a Starting Point, and We’re It
• Marketing Services for Small Businesses
• Helping Small Businesses Become Big Businesses

As an Indianapolis web design company, we have learned that each client we work with wants a certain “feel” for their site. Some clients want to exude authority and confidence. Others want to be informative, providing a wealth of information and education.

Organic Health Alliance is a certified, licensed clinic with a distinctly natural approach to health. They practice physical medicine, and treat the whole person–not just the symptoms. This approach led Maria Bond-OHA’s owner-to redesign her site. In her opinion, not enough people in central Indiana were aware that high quality preventative medical treatments were right around the corner.  In addition to the informational elements of the site, she wanted her new site to elicit certain emotions when visitors arrived.

The OHA office is full of striking visuals, from the wall of treatment options that greets visitors in the entry to the soothing atmosphere of the consultation rooms. We wanted to bring that sense of calm, healing energy into the site. Through several photo shoots, we were able to capture images we knew would bring life to the site. Not only that, but the visuals in place are ideal to drive home the messages of serenity and education, two of OHA’s core values.

In addition to enticing visitors to visit and use OHA’s services, we also integrated e-commerce into the site with ecwid, our favorite shopping cart plugin from WordPress.

As an Indianapolis web design and marketing agency, we enjoy helping local businesses match their web presence with their culture. In the case of Organic Health Alliance, I believe we accomplished that.

Want Your Website to Have a Certain Feel? Contact Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design company, by clicking here.

Last week, I wrote a post entitled: Ten Reasons Prospects Hate Your Website.  While it is important what people think about your site, you have another group of visitors you need to attract and engage on your small business website – Search Engines.  Unfortunately, unlike people who generally respond the same way, there is a lot of conflicting information on the web about SEO and SEM, and the rules seem to change daily.

As an Indianapolis web design firm, we work with small business owners to improve their websites.  These are the type of things we keep in mind:

1. Too much flash - Or worse yet, an entire site built in flash.  A once popular designer’s toy, flash tools create visual interest to a site.  They are however; losing popularity as visitors become tired of the time they take to load and are frustrated by the fact flash animation isn’t visible on their iPhone.   But this list is about search engines, and unfortunately search engines can’t watch the video or see clever effects.    Our recommendation: Reduce or eliminate flash completely.
2. Unlabeled pictures – Web crawlers are getting smarter, and they have limited ability to “see” images, but why make them guess.  When you add an image be sure to name it correctly, with keywords/phrases (image1.jpg is not a good idea).  Be sure to include an <alt> tag and description. Supporting text such as a caption or description, explanation near, below or somewhere beside the image further clarify what it is.
3. Duplicate content – Search engines see this as a way to “game” the system.   If you share content from other websites don’t simply lift the entire article.  Your content will have more value if you pull just a segment and add your own unique spin.
4. Frame-based site structure- Until a few years ago, many websites were built with frames.  The box structure organizes information on the page, but makes it difficult for a search engine to figure out what is the most important content.   Cascading style sheets (CSS) provide a search engine friendly alternative, helping the search engine “see” what is most important.  (This is just one of the many reasons we enjoy working with WordPress)
5. Repetitive page titles and meta tags – (See note above) Meta tags and page titles are the bait which lure search engines.   If every page on your site has the same page titles and tags, the engines will be less likely to take a closer look.   It is fine to have similar phases, but every page has a reason for its existence.  Use page titles to identify the unique reason
6. No page titles, slugs or headers – A worse offense then repeating titles, is having none at all.   This is your opportunity to lead engines through your website in an organized manner, making sure they notice the most important information.
7. Too many key words –  More is not better!  When it comes to attracting the attention of search engines, adding in a large number of semi-relevant key words will actually lower your search engine rankings.  Instead of stuffing each page to capacity, use your blog to create lots of pages, and vary the key words by page.
8. Irrelevant tags or key words- If you want to win search, it is not enough to title a page Small Business Marketing and use the term in key words and tags.  Your content must contain the exact key phrase or Google will deem your key words and tags irrelevant.
9. Old content – Just like people, search engines get bored.  As search engines crawl your site, they look for new content.  If they find it, they are more likely to return again and again.   If you are neglecting your site, so will Google.
10. You don’t look good on all browsers – Ok, so this is more a “people” then a search engine issue, but I already had 10 items on that list.   The days of Internet Explorer dominance are long gone.  As of August 2010, Firefox held 45.8 percent of the browser market, Internet Explorer had fallen to 30.7 percent and Chrome was climbing with 17 percent. Safari with 3.5 percent and Opera with 2.3 percent made up the balance.  Each of theses browsers will display your website slightly differently.  Be sure you test design and function on all of them before you launch.

As you read the list you may think winning the attention of search engines is about “gaming” the system.  It isn’t.  It is about content.  To attract people and search engines write smart, relevant content and everything else will fall into to place.

Want to know who your website measures up?   Give us a call!

Small business owners who have invested $1,500 – $3,500 in their company websites are often frustrated when the site doesn’t instantly appear on page one of a Google search.  But this takes time.

For most searches, Google returns literally thousands for responses, and moving to the top of the list requires a concerted effort.   I found this SEO Success checklist on which outlines the critical components for the long-term and lasting success of your natural search engine optimization efforts.  If you are interested in improving your search position, download this list.  Print it.  Paste it to the wall and refer to it often!

Some of the key points include:

1. Setup : Accept that results take time.  (Commit to the long haul or walk away)
2. On-Site: Grow content weekly (Blog, Blog, Blog)
3. Off-Site: Distribute Content Through Multiple Channels ( Comment on other blogs, write guest posts, share relevant links on social networks)
4. Results: Review reports and analytics ( And make adjustments along the way)

Sometimes I have to take my own advice.   A recent check out our keys words showed that we perform well for small business marketing  Indianapolis, marketing Indianapolis, social media Indianapolis.  We are not however on the first, second or even third page of Google for Web Design Indianapolis and Public Relations Indianapolis.  Those two terms are going to get a lot more attention from us over the next few weeks.

Every once in a while, we get a client who doesn’t just talk about wanting the best ranked website in their field, they are committed to going the extra mile to stand head and shoulders above their competitors. Dr. Jeff Yoder of Meridian Chiropractic is one of those clients. Dr. Yoder understands the importance of measuring each and every marketing effort he puts forth when trying to reach clients.

When we build sites in WordPress, we do several things to improve the overall search rankings of a site. We use All-In-One SEO to title pages. We work with the clients to develop a list of key words to be used in their posts.  And then, after we build the site we train our clients how to manage their sites. Once complete, the responsibility is theirs to continue creating fresh, relevant content to maximize their SEO efforts. It’s important that clients create new blog posts and use the tools we give them to put their websites in the best position to be successful.

Often, our clients adopt a set it and forget it attitude.  However, Dr. Yoder has continued to challenge us to find additional ways to help increase his visibility on the keywords  he wants to build his SEO strategy around.

He caters to busy professionals who need a chiropractor located in downtown Indianapolis. For him, the words “Indianapolis chiropractor“, “downtown chiropractor“, and “Meridian Chiropractic” are keywords Dr. Yoder wants his site strongly associated with.

Dr. Yoder has  been tracking his progress from obscurity to visibility on search engines.  He has seen progress and we now as he continues to ad fresh content and optimize each new post for search engines, his rankings will continue to improve.

We always love when clients take an active role in their marketing success. It’s that drive that separates most successful business owners from the pack.