website design Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Westchester Marketing Cafe, LLC

Sound Earth

Visit SoundEarth.com The Challenge Sound Earth’s website was nearly 10 years old and its age was showing. As they moved into their busy season, and when what looked like a promising solution didn’t pan out, they needed an alternative fast. The small e-commerce business needed an online shopping experience that was easy for customers but also simple to manage on the backend. They didn’t need a lot of bells and whistles but automatic shipping calculation with label printing was a must, as was a responsive design. Customer accounts that would remember past orders was also on the wish list. Solutions By using WordPress, WooCommerce and a pre-built theme we were able to get things rolling in short order. Simple style edits made the site match the Sound Earth brand. Many “wish list” items were included out of the gate as well; recommended products, coupons and free shipping for larger purchases. Within…
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Wellsoft

The Challenge Wellsoft.com was built on a relatively unknown Content Management System which was difficult to add new content and attract new prospects. With limited lead generation and lead capture forms it was challenging to identify and follow up with prospects. The non-mobile-friendly framework negatively impacted the site’s placement in the search engines and made it harder for visitors on mobile devices to engage with the site. Solutions We focused on three fundamental elements for the new website: messaging, lead capture and mobile-friendliness. The messaging was written, and pages organized, to address concerns specific to various decision-makers. Within the messaging was a call-to-action encouraging readers to request a demo, which then captured contact information allowing the sales team to follow up. A mobile-friendly website was a must-have for search engine optimization as well as site usability, especially given the high number of international visitors who were more likely to be visiting…
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Balancing Life’s Issues

The Challenge The Balancing Life’s Issues (BLI) website had become overgrown with too much copy and an on-boarding process that hadn’t been reevaluated in years. The BLI team needed to simplify and streamline the website to include only essential elements. Solutions The home page was designed to feature a company video that had been filmed previously but had no home on the old website. Contact information for staff was laid out in an easy-to-scan table that works just as well on a phone as it does on a desktop. Information for new trainers was consolidated into a single page with step-by-step instructions and all necessary documents readily available for download. Key Successes Focus On ActionGetting rid of extraneous pages and content brought readers straight to Calls To Action and simplified site maintenance. Good HousekeepingAn issue with the hosting account for a secondary website provided an opportunity to merge the external…
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responsive web design: computer, laptop, tablet, phone

What Does Web Design Look Like These Days? Responsive Design

There is an obvious shift in the approach surrounding web design. The rise of flat design, two-dimensional figures, and shapes is a major design trend and long gone are the days of distracting, flashing graphics. Full-screen background videos are on the rise (when it makes sense) and many companies are opting to have custom apps built alongside their mobile web sites. With such a high percentage of potential customers and clients using smartphones and tablets, not moving in the mobile direction could be costly. Which leads us to responsive design. If you don’t have it, get it. Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to web design aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience—easy reading and navigation without having to zoom and pan—across a wide range of devices from desktop computer monitors to mobile phones. A major advantage of a responsive design that it is aesthetically…
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Miller Grossbard Advisors

Visit MGALLP.com The Challenge Miller Grossbard Advisors, LLP (MGA) had been serving the Houston-area for decades. Their clients had grown to rely on them for much more than tax and accounting however. MGA needed their website to reflect not just their full range of advisory services but their unique personality. An ordinary website would not do. Solutions We worked with MGA to create a simple website with a very modern feel that reflected their mission of making the complex simple. Taking inspiration from the advertising sector, we used great visuals to help tell their story. Key Successes Strong VisualsWith attention spans at a minimum and competition around every corner, standing out in the crowd is very difficult. We made this possible by using images, as well as words, to tell the story. Thought LeadershipMGA’s is full of innovative, forward-thinking professionals. With all that talent, they are committed to being thought…
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Accreditation Guru

The Challenge Three years after we merged Accreditation Guru’s old website and blog into a single platform, it was time to give the site a fresh look! The original design was fussy relative to the clean, pared-down aesthetic that had become popular. Solutions The website redesign built on the original style standards but focused on simplifying the look and the copy. This approach created consistency in branding between the old site and the new but eliminated distractions that could divert readers. Key Successes Building a new theme presented us with the opportunity to create a template for simplifying the creation of future landing pages. As Accreditation Guru expands its reach, this will allow for better tracking of paid marketing efforts. What You Can Learn Often a website redesign project, just like redesigning a room in your home, provides opportunities to address pesky problems. There may be a way to automate…
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CoveCare Center

The Challenge CoveCare Center, formerly known as Putnam Family & Community Services, needed a new website as a part of their rebranding initiative. More than just a new logo, they needed a website that would be mobile-friendly to accommodate their many clients accessing the site solely on mobile devices. The new site would start with a deep pool of content and grow from there. This made it crucial to create a well-designed and flexible navigation structure. Top level pages would require fresh content regularly to encourage visitors to dive deeper into the website but not take up valuable staff time with fussy changes. Solutions We worked with CoveCare Center and their team from content strategy to site launch. Work started with content strategy development. We focused on identifying the needs of the target audiences and created the blueprint for the website. Using the content strategy we were able to determine…
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Events To Remember

Visit EventsRemember.com The Challenge Events To Remember, a full-service event management agency, was growing. They added public relations to its list of services and were building on their reach with the nonprofit sector, working with development officers on large, gala-type events and fundraisers. Their site, however, was dated and because it lacked a content management system they were unable to easily update it. As a result, there was no mention of their public relations services nor any focused messaging for nonprofits. A blog had been created on Blogger but had long since languished as a separate, stand-alone site with a single link from the primary site to help visitors find it. Once there, the look and feel of the site did not match the ETR branding. Solutions We pulled together the main website and the blog and moved both into WordPress. This allowed staff to easily add new content and…
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7 Keys To Managing Your Online Presence

Clients often ask how they can optimize their websites. We give them the wheel once we’ve built the car so to speak. This gives them more control of their online marketing efforts. Below we have comprised a list of seven key tools for clients who want to manage their online presence. Of course, we wrap all of this up in a bow by using our favorite Content Management System (CMS), WordPress! Content is still King! Fresh, relevant content is necessary to move the needle in terms of both Search Engine Optimization and effective communication. Take advantage of the blogging function on your website and share information about your products, services or upcoming projects with your consumers and clients. The last thing you want to do is squander your investment in a great new website by having it go stale. Engage your consumers and clients with Social Media. Devoting time to 2…
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Humane Society of Westchester

Visit HumaneSocietyOfWestchester.org The Challenge The New Rochelle Humane Society was changing its name to Humane Society of Westchester at New Rochelle to better reflect all 19 communities they serve. They needed to rebrand and update their website as well. They already had a lot of great content on their website but lacked a way to highlight upcoming events. While users could make donations online, the process was confusing and cumbersome. Many tasks such as reporting a lost or found animal required calling the Shelter and having office staff take down the information to then manually enter it into their database creating a disruption to staff workflow. Solutions A content management strategy provided staff and volunteers with a road map for adding new content; everyone understood how and where to include new articles and information. By moving to WordPress we enabled staff to take control of editing and updating the website…
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