When Brew City Marketing first started in February 2009, we had lots of drive but only a few projects in our portfolio. 4 years and 200 clients later, we’re EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE that took a chance with us. We’d like to highlight one of our first AND favorite clients, P.L. Freeman Co., headquartered in Brookfield.
There are a number of companies out there currently advertising this kind of service, or something very similar. The specific offers might change, but the basics of the arrangement are something like this: You log onto their website, choose a template that somewhat fits your business, and then “fill in the blanks” with your own text and images. The whole thing is supposed to take just a few minutes, and cost you only a very small fraction of what a custom-built small business website would.
Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?
It can be, so long as you don’t mind trading a few dollars now for profitability later. That’s because a “build your own” type of website is virtually useless in terms of online marketing. It doesn’t give potential customers much insight into what kind of business you’re running or make any kind of positive impression about your company at all. In other words, you tend to get what you’re paying for – which in this case is almost nothing at all.
Of course, it’s understandable that many entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, and others are facing tighter budgets than they might like. Still, is getting a website that doesn’t set you apart from the competition in any way – or even makes you look worse – really the best answer?
Here are a few better ways to save money on your next business website, without resorting to useless templates:
Start with a smaller business website. Lots of marketers mistakenly assume that they need dozens of pages to show off their various products, services, staff bios, etc. The reality is that slimming down your site isn’t usually just less expensive, but also makes it more user-friendly for the potential customers who view your pages. See if you can boil your business, and your new website, down to a few key ideas and then build pages around those. If you need more in the future, you can always expand later.
Use a good content management system. A quality CMS is the backbone of your business website, allowing you to grow, refocus, or change your site structure and content as you choose, and without any help from your business web design team. Brew City Marketing utilizes WordPress for many of our websites. In addition, most will have advanced marketing and analytics features that make your site more functional and valuable from the date it’s launched. You might spend a few extra dollars upfront for a quality CMS, but it’s an investment that will pay you back time and time again as you change and update your site for free.
Get your money back faster. As in many parts of business, the best way to save money on a business website is to actually spend a bit more and make a wise investment. That’s because a quality design won’t just last you years longer than a template will (meaning that you won’t have to pay for a new site), but it can also help you grow your business. How many new sales or clients would you need for a quality business website to pay for itself? What would it be worth to have your business growing every month?
It’s easy to understand why so many people are tempted to use “build your own” style services for business web design. Unfortunately, they hardly ever turn out to be the kind of value you’re looking for.
Brew City Marketing understands the challenges that start-ups face. Give us a call today and we’ll provide product or payment options to make it easier for you to have a professional website and internet marketing strategy that will bring you new business.
If you Google “Web Design Milwaukee” check who is #1. Yep, Brew City Marketing. How did we get there? Search Engine Optimization.
In an extremely competitive keyword landscape, that’s an accomplishment. Ask us about our Milwaukee SEO services to learn how your business can rank for the most popular keyphrases in your industry.
Brew City Marketing is #1 “Web Design Milwaukee” on Google Search
It would be great if the biggest decisions we had to make in life and business could always be certain, but that’s hardly ever the case. That’s especially true when it comes to business web design, where there seem to be more companies than ever trying to get a piece of your attention, not to mention your marketing budget.
A simple search of Milwaukee Web Design Companies on Google will undoubtedly show you hundreds of options, both within your geographic area and farther away. So how can you find the business web design team that’s the best fit for you… and avoid making an expensive mistake by choosing the wrong one in the process? While a lot of the decision will probably ultimately come down to your tastes and personality, and those of the web design teams you meet with, here are five solid ways to tell you found the right business web design team for you:
This is the first place most clients will look, so it makes sense to mention web design samples first. It goes without saying that you’ll want to choose a business web design partner with an artistic sense that closely matches your own. If you don’t like any of the work they’ve done for previous clients, then you’re probably not going to be enamored with the layouts they do for you, either, so pay a lot of attention to their existing portfolio.
They ask a lot of questions… and not just about design. A great business website is only one part of your company, and it needs to fit with your overall business objectives, rather than seeming like a standalone project. For that reason, a great business web design team is going to ask you a lot of questions about your company, your goals, your industry, and more. Beware of any team that wants to move into the design part of the process too quickly.
A business website, like any marketing tool, is only as powerful as the effect it has on your customers. An experienced web design team is going to know that and arrange everything they do with the purpose of helping you to find more customers or otherwise improve your business. Our industry, like most others, is all about results. Work with a business web design team who understands that and can tell you how their work will help you for years to come.
Your proposal shouldn’t simply contain an amount you have to pay for a deposit and an expected delivery date. There should be a number of different steps along the way, including a handful that come before and after the launch of your new business website. A detailed plan of action shows you that your business web design team has been through this process before and knows what to expect in the future.
There are two important things to note about the pricing of your new business website. First, that it not be your first consideration (which is why we put it last on this list), and secondly, that it’s not just about what you spend, but about what you’re going to get for the money. Business web design fees are always going to be part of your consideration, but weigh them along with the rest of these factors.
There might be more business web designers out there than ever before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the perfect fit for your company. Just keep these tips in mind, remember what you’re looking for, and you’ll make a great decision.
Milwaukee business owners that are checking us out want to know if their new website will display properly on cell phones and tablets. The term they are looking for but may have not heard of yet is Responsive Web Design. You can view responsive examples here. As you can see, the layout of the website adjusts itself depending on the size of the screen you are viewing it on. You can also visit this link to see if your website is responsive: https://www.studiopress.com/responsive/
It was only a few years ago that web developers were building “mobi sites” for cell phones. Mobi sites are difficult to manage because even cell phones have different screen sizes and if you make a change to your main website, you’d have to be sure to make the same change on your mobile site! Not an easy task to keep up with!
Responsive web design became popular a few years ago but did not become affordable for small businesses until the advent of themes with pre-built responsive functionality.
One of our latest projects at Brew City Marketing was to create a responsive website for P.E.A. Builders – (Progressive Environmental Alternatives, Inc.). If you are on laptop or PC, visit their website and then minimize the screen. As you can see the website layout changes to fit the screen.
Can we make an existing website responsive? Well…yes, but the development hours are far less if we start from scratch. Not everyone needs a responsive website today, but if your client base regularly references your website from their cell phone, a new website with responsive functionality is recommended.
If you have any questions about responsive web design, please don’t hesitate to give us a call! 414-208-0700
Congratulations to A Custom To Roofing and Siding, LLC. for the launch of their new website! Brew City Marketing had the privilege to create an information driven site that includes custom design and functionality to showcase their home exterior improvement services. Brew City Markerting enjoys Milwaukee Website Redesign projects because it’s nice to start the project knowing we can organize and improve existing content instead of starting from scratch.
In this particular case, A Custom To had an existing website but it didn’t have a lot of content. We spent 6 hours writing and organizing new content for each page.
A Custom To, LLC is located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and services the southeastern Wisconsin area. Accredited by the BBB (Better Business Bureau) with an A+ rating, they specialize in affordable exterior restoration. From roofing, siding, windows, gutters, attic insulation, venting solutions, and all repair work for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
View their new website here: https://actesllc.com
BEFORE
AFTER Brew City Marketing Website Redesign!
Although many people outside the walls of creative agencies probably assume that designing business websites is an entirely artistic affair, that’s not always the case. To be sure, there are the odd moments of inspiration and unfettered creativity that make working on websites a joy, but there are also cold business realities to deal with.
As a business owner or marketing manager, your challenge is to get past the art you see when you think of business websites – especially when it comes to portfolios and sample layouts – and also consider some of the numbers that will be so important for the future of your company.
Here are just a few of the figures and details you should pay attention to in a web designer’s proposal:
The fee you’re being charged for your business website. While this is an obvious one, and probably the first place your eye is going to go to, there’s no denying that evaluating the upfront cost of your new business website as an expense is important. Take a look not only at the figure you see, but also the payment terms listed. Are they clear? Can you work them into your marketing budget?
The number of pages included in your site. Generally speaking, this wouldn’t be a major sticking point, but you do want to ensure that what you are seeing on your business web design proposal matches the end product you’re expecting.
The number of days or weeks needed to complete your business website. Time is always money, in one form or another. You might think there isn’t a big difference between having your new website launched in three weeks or three months, but every day that passes could mean a missed opportunity. And on the other hand, an unrealistic timeframe could indicate that your business web design team isn’t experienced, or may not be planning to give your project the attention it deserves.
The amount of time included for things like revisions and support. In theory, your new business website should be perfect the moment it’s launched; in reality, there may be changes, minor additions or edits, and other kinds of support that are needed later on. Figure out whether these are included in your proposal, or what they will cost if you need them.
And then, there is the most important number of all: the return on investment you expect from your website redesign. While this might not be listed explicitly on your proposal, you can still look a bit deeper to see whether all the work you’re paying for is likely to lead to an increase in sales and exposure later.
Look closely at items like search engine optimization, online advertising, e-mail marketing, social media consulting, and other marketing or promotional types of activities that are being included as part of your new business website. The more of them you see – and the greater commitment your web design team is showing towards making your company successful online – the bigger your return on investment is likely to be.
A lot of the best business websites have some really great artistic flair behind them. Before you hire someone to launch yours, however, make sure that the numbers on your proposal are just as inspired.
How do you choose the right Milwaukee web design company to create your new website? Having a great looking website is very important. But having a great looking website that is functional and optimized for the search engines is just as important – if not more.
So how do you find a company to build a website geared towards Internet marketing? Here are some options you will encounter during your search. We hope to enlighten you on what to look for while evaluating each company.
Large national companies are often too large to react to market trends. By the time they organize a new initiative and launch it, the market is on to something new. Oftentimes, these large companies are promoting internet tactics of yesteryear.
So why is a Milwaukee website design company so much better? First, consider this. Don’t confuse local company for local freelancer. While a freelancer may be good at developing a website, or even marketing a website, they typically are not good at both. Think about it, if a person is diligent enough to sit in front of a computer and learn coding, html, and site design, usually their brain is wired differently than someone who understands good marketing and advertising tactics. It’s not unheard of, but rare. Freelancers usually have too much on their plate, with the design, the marketing, their billing, and everything else needed to run their small operation.
So a local website marketing company is the best option? Well, yes, usually it is! A local company will (should) deliver a free face-to-face consultation. This is important so they can get an idea of your image, who you are, what you’re about, what does your business look like, etc. They also typically employ a number of individuals that specialize in their respective fields, all working together to deliver the best product, at the most economical costs.
Brew City Marketing is a local web design and Internet marketing company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We provide internet marketing solutions that fit your business needs. We will meet with and listen to your needs. We design a program that fits your budget and deliver a website that is clean, modern, well organized, and most important, well optimized. People are using search engines at a higher rate today then ever before (31% of people use a search engine first when looking for a business, product, or service). Brew City Marketing partners best with small to mid-size companies that need a strong web presence and measurable results.
Hollywood is known for taking huge liberties with the stories it puts on the silver screen. However, nearly every biographical film you see has certain elements of truth in it. This is certainly the case with Moneyball (based on a book with the same name). Brad Pitt and some dramatic screenwriting help to share an interesting sports idea with the public in general.
If you aren’t a baseball fan or haven’t seen one of the hundreds of previews that seemed to accompany the movie’s release, then we can sum up the premise of Moneyball easily:
Rather than sitting on established traditions, the general manager of a small-market team decides to evaluate players solely on statistics. The result was that the team won more games despite one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball.
Because so many people do that! Small business owners, marketing managers, and e-commerce experts are fascinated with the idea of trying to get more out of less. Whether it’s working with niche retailing outlets or trying to squeeze high-impact marketing out of low-cost avenues like social networking, we are always looking for a better return on investment. Like most things, there’s always room for improvement. And, there are always old patterns and ideas that seem to persist, even when they aren’t backed up by the numbers.
And so, the question is …
Here are a handful of tips to help you get started on trying to get more for less:
Even though Google analytics, one of the most powerful pieces of metrics software out there, is freely available, a lot of companies don’t use it. Or they don’t use it to its full advantage. Get up close with the numbers behind your business website. They’ll put you in a position to make better decisions.
Wherever you have found success in the past should be your starting point for future online marketing campaigns. Rather than throwing a big piece of your budget at something that might not work, put the biggest piece of it into what you know will be successful. The rest is an experiment that you just have to learn from.
Sometimes you have ideas that you just know will be profitable for your business someday. But, it’s getting hard to figure out when, and if, that day is ever going to arrive. Even slower-moving marketing tools like search engine optimization and social media marketing should be evaluated on a given timeline. Even if it’s six months or a year down the road. Otherwise, you could keep pouring money into something that’s never going to show a profit.
Believe it or not, there are businesses that survive, and thrive, without things like SEO or an online newsletter. However, there’s just as many that couldn’t survive without them. Since every business and industry is different, you need to make a point of questioning anything you don’t absolutely know will be successful. And don’t forget to always keep a close eye on the metrics.
Life isn’t ever the same as it is in the movies. But, when you’re looking to get the most out of your business website, following the Moneyball strategy is a pretty smart idea.
Call Brew City Marketing to talk with a digital marketing expert about how you can improve your website’s impact and success today 414-208-0700
“Brew City Marketing helped our West Allis roofing business increase calls by 45% in 4 months.”
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“Brew City Marketing helped our West Allis roofing business increase calls by 45% in 4 months.”
“Our Bay View retail store’s organic sales tripled after their SEO and content strategy.”
“They cut our cost-per-lead by almost a third. Great communication and real results.”
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