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Absolutely. Knowing this bit of information is fairly common in the web design industry, but I want to break down why WordPress is great for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with a few examples. First, I should explain which version of WordPress I will be talking about. You may not know, but there are two types of WordPress websites: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The difference is that WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress itself (often identified by a domainname.wordpress.com address), while WordPress.org provides a package that allows you to install WordPress on your own server—a do-it-yourself if you will. I’ll be discussing the…

Responsive web design (RWD) been a fairly hot topic over the past year in the industry so I've created a quick video to help you better understand it. I've also included an "in the wild" example of a responsive website that we've designed and developed on WordPress. Video: What is Responsive Web Design? (with EXAMPLE) - Graticle Design   Video Transcription Hi my name is Shawn, I’m with Graticle and we’re a web design company. I just want to go over what responsive web design is and a responsive website that we've built for an example. Responsive web design (or…

When a new business owner asks us about steps they should take online, our first recommendation is listing their business with Google Local Business Along with a website, a Google Places listing provides great visibility within local and regular search results (not to mention it’s free). For instance, if you search "Graticle Design" on Google, the majority of real estate on the page will be dedicated to our Google Business listing. You’ll notice our logo, a map of our location, contact information, and even our hours of operation. This is the next best thing to having a website. Here are a…

I've created a quick 2 minute video on how to sign up for a Facebook Business Page. I will walk you through the signup process and provide enough instruction so you can sign up right now. Video: How to Setup a Facebook Business Page - Graticle Design Video Transcription Hi, this is Shawn Hooghkirk with Graticle. We’re a web design and development agency. Today I want to show you how to setup a Facebook Business Page for your brand or company. I’m going to do a basic setup so that when you’re finished watching this video, you’re able to create…

As of 2012, in the United States alone there were 313 million people. Of those 313 million, 245 million were on the internet, and 166 million on Facebook. That’s more than half of the United States on Facebook. Even more importantly, half of those Facebook users log in everyday. I talk with many business owners that are unsure if they should have their business on Facebook. With numbers like I’ve listed above, it’s hard to believe you’d consider not having your business on Facebook. Now for some Facebook education. On Facebook, there are two types of accounts you can create:…

In this video I explain what hosting is and the differences between Dedicated Virtual Hosting (VPS) and Shared Hosting. Video: What is Hosting? Dedicated Virtual vs. Shared Hosting - Graticle Design   Video Transcription Hi, my name’s Shawn and I’m with Graticle. We’re a web design company. Today I want to go over what web hosting is, and the difference between Shared and Dedicated Virtual Hosting. What is hosting? Every website consists of many files that need to be served to the user when they arrive at your website. There are many different types of hosting, but we offer two:…

In this video I go over what a domain name is and how you can find out if the domain name you want is available to register. Video: What is a Domain Name? - Graticle Design Video Transcription Hi, this is Shawn and I’m with Graticle Design. We’re a web design and development agency. Today I want to go over what a domain name is and how you can get one today. I have a lot of clients that will ask me: “What’s a domain name? Is this something that I need to take care of?” A domain name is…

White space is a common topic that comes up daily in our design work. Someone will approach us for a job they need us to design (brochure, business card, flyer, etc.). We discuss their product or service, ask about their USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and talk about their current client base (among many other things). We move forward and the person sends over their content document (images and text). The majority of the time there is a lot of content here, especially for the medium we’ll be designing for. Depending on the marketing piece, audience, and message will determine the…

In this video I go over one of our client's websites that we've built on WordPress. I show the back-end and how easy it is for her to manage her blog that we've customized. Video: How Easy It Is To Use WordPress - Graticle Design Video Transcription Hi, my name’s Shawn and I’m with Graticle Design, a web design agency. Today I want to go over a platform that we use called WordPress for all of our client’s websites. I just want to show you how easy it is to use WordPress and what it looks like for our clients.…

I’m sure you've read Aesop’s Fable about the Tortoise and the Hare. The over confident hare challenges the tortoise to a race and the tortoise accepts. The race begins and all that’s left at the starting line is the tortoise and the dust from the hare. The hare gets halfway through the race and decides he has time to take a nap. Meanwhile, although tired, the tortoise keeps up his pace. The hare awakes to find that the tortoise has not only passed him, but has already crossed the finish line. A real life example of the Tortoise and the…

We want to share some advice and education on website hosting that most people aren't even aware of. Most people would think that website hosting is the same across the board. Meanwhile your website seems to be slower than ever, while you have visited websites that seem to respond immediately to your every click. What is exactly is going on here? Read on. A website consists of many files (among other things), and these files need to be “hosted” on a server so that the world can see it. This server hosting your files is what we call in the…

Learn how BEEM Outdoors enhanced their website with full product displays, competition comparisons, and support videos, all based on valuable customer feedback.

How do you stand out in the Yogurt market? Simple: quit copying what everyone else is doing, and focus on what everyone else isn't doing. Zoi is a perfect example of how to stand out from the competition. They've paid attention to not only taste, but texture—one of the most important aspects of yogurt that you didn't know about. You're probably wondering—what does this have to do with web design / business? Everything. Just because it's a yogurt company, doesn't mean you can't replicate what they're doing. Ask yourself: What is company (insert your favorite company name here) doing that…