May 12, 2022

Looking for a Florida Website Designer? Cost Isn’t Everything.

Posted by BAGM | Website Design | No Comments

What’s Your Plan for Finding Small Business Website Design & Marketing Services?

With more small businesses opening in 2022 comes the need for affordable small business website design and marketing options. If you’re new to setting up and managing a small business which includes managing your company’s website, you may not know where to begin. Choosing a Florida website designer or web design company can be an easy decision OR… it can be a painstaking process. We’re here to help small business owners make intelligent, informed decisions.
This begins with taking the time to communicate with you.

We cannot stress enough the importance of being able to communicate with your website designer. Asking questions shouldn’t be off putting, nor should you be rushed through a website design process. Equally as important, your website designer should also be asking you a variety of questions. Not doing so should signal problems or their lack of desire for communication which can lend to poor results.

Looking for a Florida Website Designer? Cost Isn’t Everything.

Don’t Forget to Ask Questions.

Whether you need a new website developed, website redesign services or you’re looking for a website marketing & SEO company in Tampa Bay who will provide website maintenance and search engine optimization, you will want them all to be good communicators. It makes perfect sense to ask questions of the person you will be entrusting your company’s website and website security to. Here are a few recommended questions to begin with:

Questions You Should be Asking Your Tampa Florida Website Designer

Do you sell hosting and templates or do you actually design my website?
Do I have to host my website with your company?
Does it really matter who I host my website with?
How long have you been designing websites?
Do you have any professional references or reviews?
Do you build my website ‘live’ or do you provide me with a “mock-up” first?
How long will it take for my website to be developed and launched?
Who will be responsible for optimizing my website content and data?
What is the process in which you optimize my website and do you include image meta data?
Are you a content provider or do I have to provide the content?
Can I manage and maintain my own website once it’s launched?
What if I need help with learning how to manage my website?
Do you offer website maintenance and marketing services? If so, what is the cost of website maintenance or WordPress website maintenance and SEO ? Will I have to sign a contract or is it mandatory recurring monthly charges?
Can you provide us with ranking results or reviews of other customers’ websites that you have designed and maintained?
Can I take my business elsewhere? Meaning, can I move my website and content to another hosting company or website design firm?
When I need website support or if I have questions, do I have to submit a form and wait for a response– or can I call or email someone directly?There are so many more questions that you could ask and we hope you will! When inquiring about website design services in Florida, the obvious questions such as the cost of website design packages and the value of the site that will be developed for you– is usually insufficient, so dig in!

What Questions Should Your Tampa Website Designer Ask You?

We take pride in being quite straightforward, but we’re friendly and patient too! We take the time to get to know what your needs are and ask our clients and potential clients A LOT of questions. Perhaps that’s why we enjoy that 5 star rating! Wondering what those questions are? Just give us a call and ASK US!

November 5, 2021

Google on Images, Quality Content

Posted by BAGM | Google Best Practices, Website Design | No Comments

Website Content Optimization

For decades we have been discussing the importance of the proper optimization of small business websites. Optimization should not be an afterthought and it is paramount to address and implement it during the development stage and prior to launching.

Image Publishing Guidelines for SEO

When we speak of optimizing website content, this includes image optimization. Google’s John Mueller recently provided insight as to how the search engines see and consider images when determining overall website content and quality. Image optimization isn’t simply compression but it includes meta data that permits the search engines to see the images and translate them into optimized content that helps your website rank well.

Pay Now or Pay Later
Many website designers can present an aesthetically pleasing, functional website. All too frequently however, they are missing a crucial step in the development process. What you don’t see can hurt you and this is why we focus on designing websites that follow Google’s Best Practices. Optimizing your content needs to be done and should be done before your website is launched or you’ll have to go back and complete that task at a later date. We are still surprised when small business owners call us for SEO services and we have to optimize content that should have been optimized in the original build. This is a costly mistake many small business owners make simply because they lack the knowledge to know what they’re expectations should be from their website designer.

Google is Ever -Changing but Content is Still King

Google has rolled out thousands of small changes and major core updates over the past few years. With every major update we have noted that one thing holds true– Content is still king.

Healthy websites are very important so keeping your site up-to-date by performing regular website maintenance tasks will keep you ahead of the game when rollouts do occur. Focus on site speed, security and engaging content for your customers then follow the recommended best practices with regards to onsite optimization.

Website Designers & SEO Experts

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing has decades of experience developing highly optimized websites at an affordable price. Teaching our clients about website design and search engine optimization is important to us so you can invest in your website and online presence with confidence.

For more information, call 813-778-9548 or leave us a secure message below.

February 10, 2021

Choosing the Right Small Business Website Services

Posted by BAGM | SEO, Website Design, Website updates | No Comments

The Future of Your Small Business Begins with Choosing the Right Website Services

As a small business owner, your revenue is directly connected to your website and your online presence. We understand the importance and influence your small business website has on both the consumer (visitor) and the search engines.

When considering website design services or marketing solutions, you should consider every detail to ensure success. Here are the most important decisions you will have to make to ensure the future of your small business:

Choose the right hosting company. **We do not recommend combining your hosting with your web development/developer.
Make sure that your website designer understands optimization. A business website that looks good must also be properly optimized prior to launching.
Decide what type of commitment you can make to promote consistency in maintaining and marketing your site considering both your time and budget

You Don’t Have to Sacrifice to Get an Affordable Small Business Website

If you have tried a DIY approach using web builders or even WordPress and you are stuck, you’re not alone. When WordPress first came out it was plausible for some people who had limited knowledge of web design to figure out the basics. WordPress has changed in leaps and bounds and you really do have to have a working knowledge of website development. From your WordPress installation to WordPress plugins, themes and security, it is highly recommended to work with a web design firm to get you off to a good start.

Nice Looking Website Templates.. How Bad Can it Be?

There is truth to the fact that there are plenty of nice templates offered with web builders. But, depending on what route you take, web builders can be highly restrictive to the growth of a small business. Once you figure out that you need more features to manage and promote your website properly, that’s where web builder themes, templates and bundled services become problematic. Generally speaking, when you choose this option, you are paying for hosting. The templates are provided as a “selling point.” The most frequent complaint we receive from clients who used web builders, was that they were locked into monthly fees that never ended and costs increased to get the functionality they needed. In essence, they weren’t just paying for hosting, they were paying for a site that wasn’t truly theirs because they didn’t own the license to the templates. If for instance, they wanted to move their website and contents including their theme or template to a WordPress platform it wasn’t possible. They could keep their domain name but would lose their website and have to start all over again. In short they never truly owned their website files and would have to pay every month for the “extras” rather than owning their website by paying one time for the development, while keeping their hosting separate. **This is how bad it can be and why we do NOT provide bundled hosting and only recommend hosting companies that we know will suit our client’s needs.

WordPress Website Maintenance & Updates

When you opt for a WordPress website, after it’s launched you must perform basic updates on a regular basis. This is true with any website. This is not “updating” as in adding new content which is also crucial if you want your website to rank well and to remain engaging to your visitors. WordPress updates, plugin updates, theme and other changes that may be unique to your website need to be preformed fairly regularly.

If you are not familiar with WordPress or content management platforms, we can teach you how to do the basic updates. Most small business owners simply don’t have the time to maintain their websites, so we’re here to help as needed. If you have already attempted to self manage your website and you need WordPress troubleshooting services Bay Area Graphics & Marketing offers affordable, flexible website maintenance and SEO solutions that are geared towards small business owners. You really can afford these services without getting locked into contracts and services that you may not need every month. Keep in mind we bundle our website maintenance with SEO so that you can get a better return on your investment.

Contact Bay Area Graphics & Marketing

The success of your small business website is up to you. Begin with an affordable, professional website design package and then opt for our Pay as You Go SEO Services for maintenance, marketing and optimization. Learn more about our website design packages and SEO pricing by calling 813-778-9548 or email us for a no hassle quote.

Read: Avoiding DIY or Bundled Website Design/Hosting Services

October 18, 2019

Small Business Web Design & Marketing on a Minimal Budget

Posted by BAGM | website services | No Comments

Can You Market Your Florida Business on a Minimal Budget?

Developing and marketing your small business website is a must for any Florida business. If you’re a true small business, a mom and pop business or a self-funded entrepreneur, finding room in your budget for website services can seem challenging at best. But, allocating funds for website design and search engine optimization services should be on the top of your list of necessary operating costs. How do you know where to begin to find quality, affordable website services? If you choose incorrectly, how might it effect your expenditures and success going forward?

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing can help you to understand your options. We offer affordable website design and marketing services that will accommodate your business at every stage.

The Cost of Website Design Services in Tampa Bay

The cost of website design and the subsequent costs of website maintenance and marketing can fluctuate greatly from one firm to another. There are often very obvious reasons for the fluctuation. If you’re like most small businesses, you must first understand how to find the right Florida website design company , one that is small business friendly.

“You Deserve to Get the Best Return on Your Marketing Dollars.”

It can be extremely confusing for small business owners to understand the ins and outs of web design and SEO. Most do not know what they should look for, the questions they should ask and how to discern between the massive amounts of information provided online and by local website service providers. Small businesses are always searching for affordable web design and marketing firms in Tampa Bay and in Florida and there are many to choose from. Below are some quick tips on how to get the help you need to build and market your small business website, even on a minimal budget.

1. Do your research. Spending your money wisely doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone who promises you the moon. Anyone who promises you a top ranking is just not being honest. Look for a company who follows Google’s Best Practices and understands the importance of content, website health and functionality as it applies to visitor appeal and search engine ranking.

2. Web design and SEO pricing that seems affordable to some, may not be cost-effective or affordable for others. Know your budget, then, ask the company you are considering how they can work within your budget, and exactly what you can expect.

3. There are Florida web design and marketing firms who charge enormous fees for their services and yet they do not necessarily produce better results for their clients. Alternatively, the cheapest SEO and website design services may not have the longevity and stability that you want. Take your time, ask questions and be forthcoming with your answers, as well.

4. Understand that marketing your website to rank high on Google also means maintaining good health and functionality of your website. If your SEO firm cannot do both at a reasonable price, then you may wish to look elsewhere.

5. Social media marketing. Social media is important. How much time or money you allocate to it depends very much on your industry and your budget. Spending all of your money or time on Facebook and other social media platforms while ignoring the organic ranking of your website is always a bad idea. Using these platforms properly will get you more bang for your buck. Look for a company who combines services, such as SEO and Social Media Marketing as well as website maintenance. Not all firms have the experience to help you with each of these most needed services.

6. Work with a website design and marketing firm who isn’t opposed to working together WITH you to market and promote your business. After all, it’s YOUR business. How does this benefit you? One example: Many small business owners are contacted directly by companies who are selling paid directory listings. We have seen many businesses ruin their ranking simply because they were roped into paying for services that served no purpose at all, other than propping up the directory. To avoid costly errors, your SEO firm should be agreeable to work together with you, to help you to determine where your money is best spent. Additionally, ask if your rep can teach you or your staff the proper way to update your sites or even how to engage properly on social media.

7. Once you begin looking for a Tampa website design and marketing firm to assist you, remember if the company you are considering is using paid ads it doesn’t say much for their ability to get you ranked high organically. We would suggest moving away from these companies.

8. Maintain realistic expectations. Keep in mind that doing something is always better than doing nothing at all. If you have a very limited budget, discuss this with your website design & SEO firm. If they are truly small business friendly, they will be able to offer an affordable SEO package without contracts or strings attached.

9. Speaking of contracts. Avoid them. SEO contracts lock you into services that may or may not be beneficial. If your SEO firm is doing a great job, then you’ll stay with them. We think it’s just that simple.

10. Look to consolidate the tasks that you need the most into one service. In other words, avoid paying a web designer to maintain and update your website and an SEO & Marketing company to build your online business. Streamlining your services, get rid of services that are not producing results and put those funds into areas that give you the best return on your investment.

11. If you do not have a website, it is very important to understand the difference between a designer and an SEO specialist. Once you understand why, it will make sense to use a website designer who will optimize your site prior to launching. More often than not, we are optimizing websites that should have been optimized and were not. This is simply not cost effective.

Our Love for Small Businesses

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing has been providing help for Florida Small Business owners since 2001! We have always had a heart for the Florida small business owner, and we continue to derive great pleasure from their success! Find out how we can help your small business succeed too!

Reach out to us below, or call 813-778-9548.
You can also direct message us and chat with us on Facebook.

Reach Out to Us

“You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.”
Larry Page, co-founder of Google

Florida Small Businesses Website Design & Marketing Services. We Call Tampa Bay Home!

February 12, 2019

Website Marketing & SEO in 2019

Posted by BAGM | SEO | No Comments

Your Website Marketing & SEO Plans for 2019

We’re half way to the end of the first quarter of 2019 and many small business owners have been busy implementing their marketing and search engine optimization plans for this year. We have addressed some concerns and agree that Google and technology is everchanging. But, we also know that the more things change, the more they also remain the same. What do we mean by this? Well, we still know that website content is king as far as Google is concerned. Knowing how to deliver this content in a manner that makes the search engines happy while engaging your visitors is the key to success.

“Google wants to reward unique, relevant rich and informative content.”

Understanding & Improving Your Website’s Content

Your website’s content as well as any external content is a crucial part of ranking well on the search engines. We have said this time and again because Google keeps telling us. Going forward in 2019, it still holds true. Making a solid plan to develop content that will not be rendered counter-productive or otherwise problematic to Google is important to keep your website ranking high. But, for many small business owners, feeding your site with original, engaging content is way too time consuming. Without it however, your website will likely fall in ranking. If you have a new website, search engine optimization is crucial and getting ranked will very much depend on feeding your website as well as creating content on external sources. Link juice from higher ranking blogs and websites should be a part of your optimization plans. In essence, many small business owners could spend quite a bit of time writing, blogging, posting, pinning, sharing– well, you get the picture.

So What’s the Solution?

Time and money is the number one factor that prevents small business owners from being competitive online. Let’s face it– everyone Google’s and, or is using social media to find local services and products. So for 2019, the first step to success is acceptance. The second step is determining if you will spend your time, your money or both on ensuring a return on the investment you have made in your website. The third step is setting a budget for marketing expenses and then making a commitment to your SEO & Marketing endeavors.

Is Something Better than Nothing at All?

Frequently clients with budget constraints ask why they should do anything at all if they don’t have a large SEO and Marketing budget. This mindset may come from the fact that many Florida SEO firms are just too costly to employ. In addition to this, there is the fear of being locked into a contract. But, to answer the question, yes, something is better than nothing. Any time or investment you put into optimizing your website is better than nothing at all. We have covered the topic of being consistent with your SEO, even if it means you are doing a little something– it will always be better than nothing at all. SEO takes knowledge, but it also is busy work. Find out how we leverage this time and make our search engine optimization and marketing services affordable.

Learn More or Get a Quote

Easy, Affordable Search Engine Optimization

Whether you need SEO services for your law firm, pest control company, carpet cleaning company or your e-commerce website, we make it easy to obtain just what you need and can afford. Our focus in the past and going into 2019 remains the same— Providing affordable SEO services and solutions to Florida small business owners that will help you to remain consistent and ranking higher in 2019.

October 19, 2018

How Long Does it Take to See Results from SEO?

Posted by BAGM | SEO | No Comments

Florida Small Business Owners Ask, How Long does it Take to Get Results from SEO?

As SEO experts serving Tampa bay and Florida since 2001, one of the first questions small business owners in Florida will ask (or want to ask) is “How long will it take to get results from search engine optimization?” If you do a search on Google and look at the average of what most (honest) Florida SEO firms are saying, improved ranking and results can take four to six months. Sure, you may find a few SEO firms making unrealistic promises. Avoid those firms. Many who promise miracles use black hat SEO. Google warns against these techniques. Although they may initially result in something that looks like progress, suddenly, those results will take a turn. That about-face could in fact have an end result of Google penalizing your website.

Answer: How Long does it take to Grow a Garden. What?

Unsavory SEO company’s unrealistic projections aside, in general, I can agree that four to six months is a fair estimate. However, in theory, the results of SEO on your website’s ranking will depend on quite a few variables. Much like growing a garden, variables such as your marketing budget, competition, state of your website when SEO begins and current algorithms or “conditions” coupled with how much work you put into your site, all effect results. We have websites that take just weeks to show improvement and some that take several months. If you’re growing what thousands of others are growing (industry competition) you must be realistic in your expectations. Being prepared to out-grow your competition means being committed to your SEO. Out-producing the other growers is a wonderful goal, but simply put, you will get out your garden, what you put into it. Expecting anything more is being unrealistic. Does this mean you shouldn’t try? Keep reading.

Investing in SEO – Cost of Search Engine Optimization

Investing in your online presence through affordable search engine optimization services to increase your organic ranking is a must. If you have a website, you must invest in it if you want it to work for you. If you need website design services and you are just starting out, you MUST consider optimization when you build it. Back to the garden analogy. You can plant the seed, and spend thousands of dollars or hard work on website development, but if it is not tended to properly, and consistently, it will not produce. Like a garden, your website needs certain things to grow. The costs of SEO can discourage some business owners. Some will end up doing nothing because they fear they cannot afford it. Competitors with more money or time to invest in their websites count on that way of thinking. But we fixed that. Since 2001 our goal has been to help small business owners compete by offering affordable SEO services that help put them small on the map.

SEO Techniques That Produce Results for Florida Business Owners

Water. Sunlight. Nutrients. A little Luck from the Weather Gods.

Watering your website? Sure. Flowing a steady stream of content into your website, is like pouring water into dry ground. Google still loves water (content). Adding fresh, well written content that is perfectly optimized is just one step towards a website that will rank higher and produce results.

Sunlight? Sure. You think we’re getting crazy right, but, keep reading! Shining a light on your website, particularly the new content you add to it is crucial to its growth. Picture your website sitting in a dark corner. Until you add some sunlight to it, it will just sit in the dark corner. Some may pull out a flashlight in hopes that will work. But it won’t. Eventually the batteries will die and the light will fade out. And flashlights don’t have what the sun’s rays do. Each ray from the sun adds to the particular growing stage of a plant. How is this applicable at all to your website’s ranking? Adding some artificial sunlight in the way of backlinking, adding proper anchor text, image optimization and sharing on social media sites are just a couple of ways we can introduce sunshine to your website. There are many more SEO techniques and tasks that we utilize– but let’s move on. See there? Our garden analogy is looking less silly already– Read on.

Nutrients. If you’ve ever grown a garden you know that sunlight and water are simply not adequate enough to produce fruit–(revenue.) You must enrich your soil by adding nutrients. Enriching your website through building proper directory listings, digital footprints plus a variety of other enhancements that SEO experts use, is a must. Without these crucial steps, you will not grow organically. “Grow organically?” you ask. Yes. We should have addressed this early on. Organic ranking of a website simply means that your website ranks well on the search engines without paying for advertising. Good organic ranking should be what every website owner strives for. Just like food produced in an organic garden is better for you, so is a website that ranks well organically for the business owner.

The Weather Gods. (Google) Let’s face it, when it’s fair weather we have a tendency to forget about storms. Google can change their mind just like the wind can suddenly change direction. But, the good news is, is that we can count on Google for some basic weather patterns. In other words, some weather patterns are fairly predictable. Weathering changes in Google however, can be as simple as sticking to Google’s best practices. These are the things that they suggest every website owner must do to please them. Most of these best practices haven’t changed with time. When there is drought or heavy downpours, your Florida SEO expert is prepared to take these on without flinching.

Don’t forget the Weeds. Being choked out from weeds? Well, it may sound harsh but weeds are your competition. When your site is planted and tended to properly, weeds won’t overtake your crop. Think this is crazy? Maybe, but it’s true. You can never get rid of weeds (competitors) but you CAN keep them from overtaking your garden by improving the conditions in which your own website grows. Healthy, well maintained websites are less prone to pests (viruses, attacks, etc.) particularly with WordPress websites so you must consider how this effects ranking. Then there are weeds (competitors). If you are an industry with many local competitors, a realistic approach will result in production, an unrealistic approach will result in disappointment. We help our customers address both issues by keeping your website up to date (maintenance) while improving the overall health of your website through search engine optimization services.

So How Long does it Take Again to Rank Higher with Search Engine Optimization?

We tell our customers that it can take weeks to many months to see results from search engine optimization. The more you put into it, the better off you are and doing nothing at all is asking for failure. Again, compare good ranking to good gardening. Adding all of the above and expecting to produce fruit the next day is unrealistic but adding none of the above will result in a dead garden.

Tampa Florida SEO Experts – No Contracts, Affordable Small Business SEO

Do you have a new website that needs tending to? Perhaps your old website needs a boost or even a website re-design. Give us a call. Let us help you diagnose what problems you have, and give you an honest analysis on how to fix those problems. Most of the time, it’s not as bad as clients might think. Remember, we offer affordable SEO, website maintenance and website design services. Our no contracts policy help small business owners in Florida overcome the fear of obtaining SEO services. Affordable SEO services make it possible for every Florida business owner remain competitive. We are SEO experts in Tampa Bay with super green thumbs. We’ve been helping small business owners produce fruit (revenue) since 2001 and would welcome the opportunity to help you too!

Want to Learn More about Us?

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing – We offer website design, WordPress website design and website maintenance , SEO and small business marketing services in Tampa Bay and throughout Florida. If you have a question or need a quote, call 813-778-9548 or email us today!

September 19, 2018

DIY Website Design and Why You Should Avoid It

Posted by BAGM | Website Design | No Comments

Small Business DIY Website Design

Florida Small Business Owners Avoid Costly Mistakes

Small businesses are always looking for affordable website design options and who can blame them? With the cost of running a business, we know that every penny saved counts. But, when it comes to areas where you should cut costs, you shouldn’t neglect asking yourself what the return on your investment, or lack thereof will be.

“Affordable” Web Builder Services

Cutting costs by using the various web builders or “all in one” website design and hosting service options has proven disastrous for the majority of clients who have come to us for help after having chosen this route. We have countless stories of wasted time, money and effort by small business owners. Imagine, spending a year or more trying to get your site built and RANKING on the web, only to realize you made a huge mistake. Sure, some of these templates these companies offer look nice, but the functionality and capabilities do not. This is where the “up-sell” comes in, and where you will realize your necessity for other web design solutions.

One big issue with many of these DIY web builders, is that if you decide to host your website elsewhere, you simply cannot do so. Sure, you can copy and paste your content (text) into your new website on a new platform, but for the most part, what clients are being sold with free websites or web builders is hosting with some website templates thrown in to entice the user. We always recommend keeping your hosting and your web designer separate as by doing so, they will avoid many problems that come along with combining the two.

Is WordPress a Web Builder?

WordPress is a content management platform that is free to use. WordPress uses themes, but it is not a web builder. You can host a WordPress website with any host of your choice, although we do recommend some hosts over others. A WordPress website is very different from the web builders such as what you get with WIX or Godaddy and are far superior depending on your designer. DIY website design using WordPress can be difficult at best for most, however, once we design a WordPress website for our clients, providing they have the time and willingness to learn, we can teach you how to make simple edits and even manage the basic aspects of your website. If you need help after we’ve launched your site, we have affordable pay as you go options to help you to maintain, update and market your new website.

Are WordPress Websites More Affordable?

Because we charge a one time fee for a WordPress Website Design, once this fee is paid and your site is launched, you pay only for your hosting. This cost will vary depending on the host that you choose. Our minimum website design package is a 6 Page website design package, which start for as little as under $1000.

Learn More:
WordPress Website Design Packages
Choosing the Right WordPress Theme

Read:
DIY Website Builders

July 18, 2017

Tampa Florida Website Design Special Offers and Coupons

Posted by BAGM | Website Design, Website updates | No Comments

Website Design Special Offers

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing has Florida small business budgets in our focus and have since 2001. Providing small business owners with affordable website design and SEO and marketing services while maintaining quality and customer service is what we continuously strive for. We do this by extending special offers and discounts off small business website design services, SEO services and graphic design services. (YES, we do that too!)

Coupons Small Business Web Design Services, Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey

Below is just an example of how we keep your budget in mind. Our website design packages are already priced right for any Florida business. We know that every dollar counts thus, we find ways to save you money on design and marketing services that are necessary to the success of every small business. For example, every Wednesday is Web Design Wednesday at Bay Area Graphics & Marketing! Every Wednesday we have a special offer for website design services which can include:

$100 OFF WEBSITE DESIGN PACKAGES & E-COMMERCE WEBSITE DESIGN SERVICES

Below you will find our current special offer that takes $100 off any of our website design or e-commerce website design packages. Remember, Bay Area Graphics & Marketing provides “full-service” website development services. We aren’t selling hosting and throwing in templates for “DIY” websites. In fact, many of our clients previously used these types of web builders, and aside from not passing the website optimization or search engine ranking test, these sites are restrictive and generally lead to more expensive plans. Just mention “100OFF” when you purchase any of our website design packages.

Web Design Wednesday, Tampa Bay

#WhatsupWednesday – Every Wednesday, we offer discounts and special offers on any website service.
Contact us for our current discounts on website design and website services.

If you’re interested in our special offers, or you would like a custom quote for services, please reach out to us. Call 813-778-9548 or simply email us. We’re confident that you will be pleasantly surprised at our “truly” affordable small business website design and marketing services!

May 15, 2017

You’ve Launched Your Website Now What

Posted by BAGM | Website Design, Website updates | No Comments

What to Do Once Your Website has Launched

So your website has just launched and after the excitement wears off you will hopefully be ready for the next steps. Depending on the type of website you have and the industry you are in, the answer may differ. Additionally, the tasks could be much more extensive if your website developer neglected to do some of the more obvious things, such as including the proper meta data, alt tags for images, analytics or other “optimization” tasks. You should always insist that these things are included and completed prior to launching your website. Unfortunately, far too often they are not. Below you will find a few basic steps you will need to take once your website was launched properly :

Perform Your Website Updates and Maintenance – Crucial with WordPress Websites
Read More About WordPress Websites Here
Regularly add Fresh Content to your Website
Set up Blogs and Social Media Accounts Properly, Particularly Google Business Listings
Create Proper Back Links to your Website via Directories, Blogging and Social Media
Analyze your traffic and Google Webmaster Account Information
Maintain a Good Footprint on Social Media
Perform Direct Online Marketing When Applicable
Website Design Problems – Most Neglected Tasks Prior to Launching

Those are very BASIC tasks that you must perform once your website is launched. We cannot stress enough how this can vary, however. Making sure your website is responsive and mobile friendly, adding schema or optimizing your website properly is something we do regularly for newly launched websites. Some of the most neglected tasks that should have been included prior to launching your website are as follows and are included in our website design service.

Ensuring Meta Data is Correct and Thorough
Optimizing images for search engines and speed
Set up Analytics and Webmaster Accounts
Create and/or submit Proper site maps to Google
Check for problems with copy or site structure
Testing forms
Checking site security

Launching your new website is exciting and reaping the rewards that comes with a good maintenance and marketing plan is even better. In short, make sure you don’t neglect your website for in doing so, you won’t realize the maximum return on your investment. If you are doing all of the things you think you should be doing, and yet you still can’t seem to get ranking, feel free to reach out to us. We have the experience it takes to troubleshoot problems that are often overlooked and at an affordable price.

Learn more: Call 813-778-9548 or email us for a quick response.

March 16, 2017

What WordPress Site Owners Learned

Posted by BAGM | Website Design | No Comments

Accommodating Florida Small Business Owners With WordPress Website Design Services

Some years ago we began to accommodate our customer’s demand for WordPress websites. As a Tampa, Florida website designer who for years developed websites the “old way” we quickly became aware of the perks and the problems of WordPress and wanted to make sure our customers were well informed about their choices. This was especially important to us because many expressed their desire to use WordPress simply so they could perform their own edits. The thoughts of “DIY” website updates, web maintenance and marketing was an attractive perk for business owners who believed they could save money by self-managing their sites. Many found that the alternative do it yourself website options were restrictive, unattractive and horrible for ranking. So they looked to WordPress as a great alternative and we sought to accommodate those needs.

What Our Clients Learned About WordPress Websites

Like just about everything, WordPress had it’s “quirks.” Customers found that the technical side of WordPress could be mind–numbingly confusing. From theme choices, data-bases and plugins, widgets and security, the DIY WordPress option appeared to keep business owners fairly reliant on Website Developers. However, we sought out to help minimize that reliance. Small business owners who wanted to learn the basics found our help. And we still help those who have the time to learn the in’s and outs of some of the most crucial things they need to know about their WordPress websites.

Starting with The WordPress Theme

If we design your WordPress website, the first thing we’ll ask you to do is to choose a WordPress Theme. For most small business owners, having a custom theme designed is just not in their budgets. However, finding and choosing a theme isn’t as simple as “Oh, that looks nice.” There are a host of criteria that one should examine before purchasing a WordPress theme and an experienced Web Designer will help you learn what those are. Choosing the wrong theme can be the first bad choice you can make–and it can cost you. When applicable, we show our clients what to look for and why it matters and do so without lengthy dissertations or too much “techy” verbiage. Why? Because if and when a customer needs or wants to cut ties with us or other designers, we want them to be equipped with knowledge that will help them manage their sites properly. Switching themes “Willy-Nilly” editing theme files or even using the wrong plugin can be a recipe for disaster and that’s never good for business.

Self Managing Your WordPress Website

We offer a second bit of advice— If you’re going to manage your own WordPress website, be sure you completely understand and implement security on your site. You should learn how to back up your website, both the content and database and update WordPress, Themes and Plugins regularly. Guiding our clients so they understand the basics of WordPress helps them to fully understand the depth of self-managing. Learn more about updating your WordPress website or contact us for help.

Who Really Has Time to Update Their WordPress Website?
Often, customers hoping to save money and who have chosen WordPress as their CMS realize fairly quickly that they don’t have the time to maintain their website properly. It doesn’t take very long for a website to become problematic, meaning; updates are not performed, security is a mess, and marketing simply went by the wayside. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Who really has time to do it all?

What WordPress Site Owners Learned

The root of the problem for most small business owners is finding affordable WordPress web design and website maintenance services. Bay Area Graphics & Marketing understands this and has made it easy and affordable for Tampa Bay business owners to obtain affordable website updating services, website maintenance, SEO and marketing services. We actually work with clients to offer them what they need, when they need it and at a price they can afford.

If you’re a small business owner who just can’t find the time to do everything, reach out to Bay Area Graphics & Marketing for friendly, reliable WordPress website maintenance and marketing services.