Welcome to the blog at Turesweb.com! If you want valuable information about the web, why websites are important, or pointers for your website, this is the blog for you to read! Check back often for new posts.

How to improve your current website

June 17th, 2010

Most companies think that a new website means a better website. However, in some cases, it could be more beneficial to simply optimize the current website to increase visitors. Keep in mind that TuresWeb also provides consultation services and we can put some of the following points into action.

These are simply a few things that can be done or improved upon any website:

  1. Testimonials: The most powerful tool to engage visitors and turn them into clients is to provide realistic and honest testimonials. It’s always better to include as much information with the testimonial as possible. For example, if you own a restaurant, don’t simply quote your guest as: “The food was amazing.” Instead, include their quote, but provide details such as what they ordered, when they ordered and if possible include an image of the guest. All these details make the testimonial more personal and will provide quantifiable data.
  2. SEO: Search Engine Optimization is best way to create ongoing organic visitors to your website. SEO is the process of targeting your website to specific keyword searches so that your website ranks higher on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. We have many years experience in this field and can help you rank higher than ever.
  3. Contact Info: People need a way to get in contact with you. The easiest way is to provide a contact form directly on your website that sends an email any time anyone fills it out.  However, many people don’t like these forms because they receive no formal confirmation (via e-mail) that it actually went through and cannot look back in the future to see the contact form they sent. This can be solved by providing a contact email address along side the form or also sending the user an email with the information that they filled out. We recommend both.

With these few things you can get ahead of the majority of your competitors. Make sure that you are tracking your visitors (which we can assist wit as well!) before making any changes so that your success can be measured!

How to choose web hosting for your website

June 10th, 2010

There are basically 3 different types of web hosting packages that are available to most:

  • Shared (includes reseller)
  • Virtual Private Server (VPS)
  • Dedicated Server

The above are listed in order of cost, from lowest to highest. However, depending on where you choose to purchase hosting from, you can significantly raise or reduce your host. As with just about everything, in the web hosting industry you really do get what you pay for.

While shared hosting is the most inexpensive option, your site will typically be on a server with hundreds of other websites. Prices for shared hosting packages typically start at $5/month but can go as high as $20/month for some of the higher end providers.

A VPS is technically shared, but you have your own isolated operating system running your own processes. A VPS is more affordable than a dedicated server and provides full root access. A VPS is perfect for small businesses, but we would recommend making the jump to a dedicated server for anything that is mission critical.

A dedicated server is literally that. The complete server is dedicated to only the sites that you put onto it. This is the most secure and reliable option, and the best choice for mission-critical websites and websites that are expecting a lot of traffic.

Now that you know the type of hosting that you want, you will need to select an actual web host. We prefer a web hosting company that is local and operates their own data center. For example, since we’re an Orlando based web design firm, we have our servers with an Orlando based web hosting company. When choosing a web host, there a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Agreements - Ensure that all promises (such as guaranteed uptime) are backed by strong service-level agreements (SLA).
  2. Flexible - Make sure that the web hosting company you choose will allow you to grow your website between different hosting packages. This will help you avoid headaches when you need to expand your website as traffic increases.
  3. Cost - For a personal site, it may be alright to go with one of the low-cost hosting providers. However, for your business you do not want to go with a low-cost provider to save a few dollars as they are typically less reliable.

If you have any questions or need advice, we would be happy to provide the name of a few web hosting companies that we have experience with.

Web Design Referral Program

June 3rd, 2010

A referral is the greatest compliment we can receive, and as such, we want to say thank you for going out of your way to mention our web design firm. For any referral that results in a contract, we will provide you with a $75 gift card to Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Longhorn to name a few).

Remember, we are able to provide solutions for any scale project. You can find more information to pass along at the following URL: http://www.turesweb.com/services

Our services include, but aren’t limited to:

This offer is available to everyone, even if you aren’t in the Orlando area. Please just have the person you refer mention your named when contacting us so we can make sure you receive your gift card!

Why Web Presence is Important

May 29th, 2010

So, as a start up company, you’ve got your business plan. You visit your bank, and they decide to give you some money to get your idea off the ground. You then decide to start your marketing campaign, and book radio ads, small circulars, and maybe even get in the phone book.

But wait. What about web presence? Have you considered that getting your new business on the world wide web could open your new business to thousands of other people that you may have never even touched?

87 out 0f 100 Americans surf the web now-a-days, and the number 1 activity for those users are local business searches, or gathering information regarding an upcoming purchase. Small to medium sized businesses that have an interactive website have grown 46% quicker than a business without a website.

So, the question is, have you considered an online marketing campaign? This, of course, starts with a website. Turesweb.com offers,  many solutions that can benefit you and your company, regardless of its size. Contact us today for more information!

Another New Project

May 26th, 2010

Hey folks! We just got another great project. The site is for an online-dating review site, and the client wanted something that was romantic, fun, and appealing to visitors of all ages. Here’s the design:

Design for OlympicPC.com

What are your thoughts? Thanks for the feedback!