Great NEWS!  If you haven't already taken steps to comply with Google's "Mobile-First Indexing" you still have time to get your website up to date!!  According to the Google blog:

Google has Extended the deadline of "Mobile-First Indexing" to March 2021, according to the article they released this past July.

"If you have a responsive site or a dynamic serving site where the primary content and markup is equivalent across mobile and desktop, you shouldn't have to change anything." ~Google Blog

At WebsiteForge, we only build websites that meet this standard.  If you are looking for a way to get your website or online store updated to meet the Google deadlines, please contact us right away!

"For the sites that are not yet ready for mobile-first indexing, we've already mentioned some issues blocking your sites in previous blog posts. Now that we've done more testing and evaluation, we have seen a few more issues that are worth mentioning to better prepare your sites"

And YES, Google is taking measures to BLOCK YOUR WEBSITE if you do not comply!  This is seriously important to understand as a business owner with a website or online store.

They have also added some new changes and updates to their requirements for "Mobile-First Indexing".  So even if you had previously made some updates and changes, be sure you are still complying with these standards.

Contact Us Today to get your website up to date!

🥋 Easy to edit content editor -  Our content editor is an easy click and add content editor, so you will spend more time with students and parents and less time working on your website!

🥋 Fully customizable Forms - Our forms can collect as little or as much info you want and need to move things forward.  They are easy to edit and are very flexible to meet your TKD studio's needs.  Including a contract style option that allows you to add a digital signature that is legally binding!

🥋 Full HTML Access - This makes it super easy to embed content on your site from anywhere like Youtube, to sites that have custom live chat widgets!

🥋 Social Media integration - get the word out quick, with one post about upcoming events and classes at your Martial Arts Dojo and Taekwondo studio.

🥋 Location-specific SEO marketing -  Our team has over 15 years of SEO and Marketing expertise and we know exactly how to target and attract your new clients to your dojo.

Read More...

You don't want to find a storage unit to park your car in and never touch it again...You want a pit crew you can count on to keep your business engine running smoothly.

This is what sets WebsiteForge apart.  We don't piece together random elements from 20 different coders to try and just "Make things work".  We have in-house Designers, Programmers, Project Managers and tech support so that you get the very best option for your business.

We are your unfair advantage, here's another reason why:

WebsiteForge's Managed Services Broken Down for you...

Our monthly managed services are so much more than "just hosting".  It's an all in one bundle of savings that no one comes close to offering!     WebsiteForge offers an incredible monthly package that includes Hosting AND Services:

What is Mobile-First indexing?

"Mobile-first indexing means that we'll use the mobile version of the page for indexing and ranking, to better help our – primarily mobile – users find what they're looking for."

What is WebsiteForge.com?

WebsiteForge.com is an easy to use professional ecommerce web design platform that allows you to build, manage and edit your informational or ecommerce website. Most importantly, the site not only saves you money when it comes to building a website that truly helps draw in traffic, but they also help you create a website that functions the way it should to help draw in financial means so you can become profitable. Not all hosting sites that offer free or small fees for building one are capable of offering these assets.  No experience needed.  But experienced users too, will enjoy the familiar tools and control that comes from our expert mode.

What are some of the assets WebsiteForge.com offers?

Some of the assets WebsiteForge.com offers are:

• Specific websites built particularly for your needs and business
• A very easy to use Content Management System (CMS)
• A professional project manager that helps ensure your website is designed and setup properly to draw in traffic
• Custom graphic designs tailored to your personal or business needs
• Unlimited access to bandwidth and customer support when help is needed
• Automatic and unlimited website updates to ensure your site is always running the way it is design too
• The professional ability to have your website setup with search engine optimization
• Most importantly uniqueness, which is essential for drawing in traffic to your website.

Why is uniqueness important to your Company's website?

To your website's visitor, your website is the face of your business.  Consider a successful company like Apple.  Whether it's their stores, products, websites, even their packaging - they all share Apple's unique styling.  That uniqueness and consistency, if designed professionally, makes your products and services feel more dependable and on a higher level.  Whether intentionally, or sometimes (sadly) un-intentionally - your website's design let's consumers know who you are as an organization.  It's wise to consider, the Designer making cookie cutter designs, hoping their design will be purchased and used by many different websites - at NO point did they have your company in mind.

How can you contact WebsiteForge.com?

If you would like to build a professionally unique website that attracts new viewers and keeps your business or profession growing you can contact WebsiteForge.com by calling 1-888-558-2446, or by visiting their website.

I can summarize this whole post in 1 word. Speed.

But I want to offer you a more detailed explanation of how important speed is, and why we are the unfair advantage for your website vs your competition.

Google on many occasions has emphasized how they value speed and show preference to sites that load quickly. (this isn't new, it's been something they've announced and place more and more focus on in the past few years.  They announced yesterday that this is going to play an even bigger factor for mobile search queries than it had in the past (effective in July)

Do you have questions about your website?  Feel free to contact us to discuss your website's performance.

*NOTE: This is not a boost in the rankings for being fast -- but rather a penalty for those who are not.  We speedtest every new website and responsive redesign.

Need more proof? 

See below here, Shopbakersnook.com is a client of ours that works really hard on their site.  In a speed test comparison with a HUGE competitor Wilton (you know the cake pan manufacturer...a GIANT in the industry)

Our client NOT ONLY out speed tests them...But also beats them in the search engines NATURALLY (not paid)

Your Business Website Is Likely Ignoring up to Tens of Millions of people!

How are businesses ignoring nearly 20% of the population in the United States? Most websites, including business websites, are not designed to meet the American Disabilities Act (ADA) / 508 compliance standards. When your website is corrected to meet disabled-friendly standards, meaning ADA / 508 compliant specifications, you're opening your business to wider audience.

WebsiteForge offers several options for you.  Feel free to contact us to see what your options are.

6 Traits of a Successful Website

1. SEARCH ENGINE RANKING, Where does your website rank?

  93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
– Search Engine Journal

If you don't know, it's a good idea to find out, ASAP. Ranking is important because of the two main jobs a search engine has:

1. Crawling and indexing the seemingly endless amount of web pages, files, videos, and news that forms the internet's rich world of content.
2. Providing answers to the most frequently searched terms or questions from sites it deems credible.

Search engine ranking is influenced by a variety of factors including how old your site is, what kinds of links you have to related outside sources, relevancy of the content on your site, and so much more. In fact, Google relies on around 200 different factors when determining your site's rank. Unfortunately, even though you're the website owner, you have no control over these!
 

2. LOAD TIME, Is your site taking too long to load?

47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
– KISSmetrics

The truth is: load time can affect your bottom line. Time has to be on your side when it comes to how long it takes your site to load – on mobile, desktop, and laptop devices. Something that seems so small can make a big difference in terms of how users interact with your website or if they move on to someone else. Sometimes slow loading time is caused by added third party scripts or large image files, which can be fixed relatively easily.

 

3. MOBILE OPTIMIZATION, What does your website look like on a mobile device?

 62% of companies that designed a website with mobile in mind saw increased sales.
– Econsultancy

This trait is extremely important. A responsive site is developed, designed, and optimized so that it functions efficiently on all types of mobile devices. Navigation has to be easy, design elements should be simplified for better usage, content will flow for mobile consumption, phone numbers and addresses are clearly visible/functional, and calls to action are tied to a form or email address for quick communication. How your site responds to mobile users is also important so you can please Google and get more organic search traffic.

4.CONVERSION, Do you have an easy-to-use website with clear calls to action?

50% of potential sales are lost because users can't find information, and 40% of users do not return to a site when their first visit is a negative experience.
– Forrester Research

Remember the last time you visited a site that was really bad? The design was totally outdated and so was the content. We'd be willing to bet you didn't even take advantage of the offer that brought you there in the first place or find the information you were looking for. Successful conversion (or getting people to do what you want) starts with having clear, concise, calls to action. Just remember to keep it simple. Don't make a potential patient have to jump through hoops to reach your office, because chances are they won't. Make sure your site navigation is straightforward and uncomplicated.

5. CURRENT ANALYTICS, Are you taking a look at what kinds of users are coming to your site and what they're doing?

90% of business managers believe analytics have the ability to improve sales, and another 62% report they believe analytics can increase sales by more than 20%.
– KISSmetrics

Having the power to review and do something about your website's user activity is definitely something you need to be doing if you don't already do it. It's crucial so that you know what's working, what's not, and what changes you can make to mitigate these issues.

6. LEGIBLE FONT SIZES, Are you making your site easy for users to read?

Although 12 px has been a standard for some time, 16 is the newest standard for easy reading on websites

- Google

To ensure readability, the font size on your website needs to be, at minimum, the browser default size of 16 pixels (100%). These days you may see your style.css have the pixel setting first then a rem size for modern browsers. Font sizes for websites run small if they are more than a couple of years old. Most people have heard 12 points is great for websites. Actually it was pixels, but you get the idea. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the recommended size for a while now.

Your website is not a book; 12 points looks great for a book because you hold it fairly close to your face. Computer monitors and mobile devices are frequently held further away so that a 12-point sized font is too small for a website.

The 3 U's that you get with WebsiteForge

1. Unlimited Bandwidth

To really understand how this benefits you, you need to ask the question "What is Bandwidth?"
In its most basic definition, bandwidth describes the level of traffic and amount of data that can transfer between your site, users, and the Internet. When you are looking at web hosting companies this is often one of the more overlooked features. Failure to estimate the bandwidth needs of your website could produce an underperforming website, additional charges.  Websiteforge uses 5 Tier-1 OC-12 Backbone Connections with Unlimited Bandwidth - It's like recruiting the "Fantastic Five" of internet connectivity.

2. Unlimited Pages and Content

This feature is huge!  You may not realize how many pages you end up wanting to have on your site.  And in our system you don't have to "budget" pages.  You get an unlimited number of pages FOREVER.  I hear a lot of people say things like "I need a simple 1 or 2 page website" 9 times out of 10 those people end up with about 30 page websites.  Because when you realize the benefits that come with having quality content on your website it only makes sense to populate your website with as much relevant content as you can to make your website an authority on whatever product or service you offer.  And when you have the option of unlimited pages why wouldn't you?

3. Unlimited Products and Categories

This is another HUGE benefit!  You can have 300,000 products or 3.  There are no extra charges for offering more products on your website!  You also get unlimited storage for your products!  When you have a complex system with thousands of products, you will most likely also need to have a large number of categories.  NO PROBLEM, we got you covered!  Have as many categories as you like.  We don't limit you, we want your business to be your main focus, not tedius things like tracking how many products, pages, or categories you are allowed to have.

Have you had to count out pages before?  Tell us about it in the comments below!

Weekend Homework: Increase your website's Ranking (SEO)

Follow these suggestions, and watch your website rise the ranks to the top of search-engine results organically.(meaning, without paid ads)

1. Publish Relevant Content

Quality content is the number one driver of your search engine rankings and there is no substitute for great content. Quality content created specifically for your intended user increases site traffic, which improves your site's authority and relevance.

Identify a keyword phrase for each page. Think about how your reader might search for that specific page (with phrases like “Become a Dog Trainer in Michigan,” “Dog training certification courses,” or “Michigan Canine Certification Programs”). Then, repeat this phrase several times throughout the page—once or twice in the opening and closing paragraphs, and two to four more times throughout the remaining content.

Don't forget to use bold, italics, heading tags, and other emphasis tags to highlight keyword phrases, but don't overdo it.

Never sacrifice good writing for SEO. The best pages are written for the user, not for the search engine.

2. Update Your Content Regularly

You've probably noticed that we feel pretty strongly about content. Search engines do, too. Regularly updated content is viewed as one of the best indicators of a site's relevancy, so be sure to keep it fresh.

3. Metadata

Metadata is the content that the Search Engines use to identify a page.  You should insert metadata, or information about the contents of your page for every page.

• Title Metadata
  Title metadata is responsible for the page titles displayed at the top of a browser window. It is the most important metadata on your page.  In the "Page Settings" you can add your "title" wich is the Metadata Title. (Click image to enlarge)
  
• Description Metadata
  Description metadata is the textual description that a browser will use in your page search return. Think of it as your site's window display—a concise and appealing description of what is contained within, with the goal of encouraging people to enter.
  (Click image to enlarge)
  
• Keyword Metadata
  Keyword metadata are the search phrases that people type when they want to find your page. You'll want to include a variety of phrases. However, don't get greedy: if your list becomes excessive, the browser may completely ignore the data. As a general rule, try to keep it to about 6-8 phrases with each phrase consisting of 1-4 words. A great example would be "Dog Training, Canine Certifications."

4. Have a link-worthy site

Focus on creating relevant links within the text. Instead of having “click here” links, try writing out the name of the destination. “Click here” has no search engine value beyond the attached URL, whereas “Dog Certification Course Outline” is rich with keywords and will improve your search engine rankings as well as the ranking of the page you are linking to.

5. Use alt tags

Always describe your visual and video media using alt tags, or alternative text descriptions. They allow search engines to locate your page, which is crucial—especially for those who use text-only browsers.

These are only a few of the many methods for improving your search engine ranking.

Have you tried any of these techniques to boost your website Ranking? Are there others you've found success using? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

1.Webmaster Tools

• Go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
• Add a "new property" and use the https://www.YourDomain.com version of your webite to create a new property. (and make sure you are verified with Google)
  
• Add Sitemap for the new property

2. Google Analytics

• Go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ login and go to "property settings" and make sure you are using the HTTPS version there as well.(the below screenshot is located under "Admin", and "Property settings". in your Google analytics account)
  

You can also add your site and update the sitemap on Bing as well.

Didn't secure your site yet? You should...

Click here to learn more

2. Don't hide what makes you unique!  Use that thing that does set you apart as a major point on your site.  If you have a unique product or service make a big deal about it!  If you offer an awesome shipping policy (Free shipping or flat rate) make a big stink about it!!! Blog about it.  Let people know!  If you offer awesome customer service, let people know that.

3. Don't use poor quality images. 
This seems like a basic thing that may even be common sense.  But I see it EVERY DAY!  A website that is " just looking to get online" and they take pics of their products or services with their phone.  DON'T DO IT!  There are ways to get better images and not break the bank. 

These are of course just 3 simple rules to follow.  Please contact me for a more thorough analysis of your website and for ways it could be improved.

The stats
 

• According to several online stats, 50 or more reviews per product can mean a 4.6% increase in conversion rates.
• 79% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations
• 63% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a site which has user reviews. (iPerceptions).
• Site visitors who interact with both reviews and customer questions and answers are 105% more likely to purchase while visiting, and spend 11% more than visitors who don't interact with UGC. (Bazaarvoice, Conversation Index).
• Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted (nearly 12 times more) than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US internet users by online video review site EXPO. (eMarketer).
• According to many online sources, reviews produce an average 18% uplift in sales.

Did you know that your WebsiteForge website already has a built in feature for you to use product reviews?  See these videos on adding reviews to your site.

If you have an information website and you would like to get more leads off of your site for your services.  Blogging about your services and allowing people to review those blogs can do the same thing for you!  (I also strongly recommend putting testimonials up about your services and products) Here is a helpful video about blog reviews. 

Have you ever emailed a client post purchase and asked for a review?

Contact Support if you would like assistance in setting this up.

I get asked this question ALL THE TIME!  Let's make it as simple as possible without all of the technical jargon.    A responsive website RESPONDS TO YOUR DEVICE.   A Responsive Website adjusts itself, wrapping text and images, navigation or entire sections of content to fit whatever size device is viewing it.

 This replaces the need for separate pages served for mobile devices only.  Rather the same website is served to all devices and optimized for all devices.

This method saves the need for two websites, and or managing separate "mobile version" pages.  The responsive design method is recommended by Google and will receive favorability in the search engines - giving you a valuable advantage over your competition.

This means that if your are on an Ipad, Galaxy Tab, or Note a responsive website detects NOT ONLY that you are on an Ipad, Galaxy Tab, or Note (or any tablet) but it ALSO detects what direction the Ipad, Galaxy Tab, or Note is (wide or tall) and can display content based on that information. 

You can witness an example of this in the video below. You can also check by going to www.websiteforge.com on your Desktop, then on your smartphone or other mobile device..

Does your Website Look Great On All Devices?

You may think..."I just sell this...or I just do that" with my website.  Thinking that your site is not "big enough" to need to do this is a mistake.  This is the industry standard.  You will at some point need to move to a responsive design.  Why not now?  Why not beat out your competition and provide the absolute BEST experience on all devices for your customers?

You can get more info about responsive sites here.

If you are ready to take your website to the next level, please contact me today!

888-558-2446 x212

Mandi D.

Website

Is your website READY FOR CHRISTMAS?

Christmas is the busiest shopping season of year (as if you didn't already know!)

Let's go over some TO DO's to get your site Ready for Christmas:

Pass the Google Mobile test (I know you are sick of hearing this, but we wouldn't keep telling you if IT WEREN'T IMPORTANT)

Optimize your sites content so that when users are searching for products or services that you sell they can find you in the search engines (Contact me if you are interested in having some Search Engine Optimization done on your site)

Get some Fresh Images for your website(we can make new images for you, new banners etc...Contact me today to see your options.  If you are a Remote Hands customer we can do this for Remote Hands time.  If you are not a remote hands customer its easy to start just contact me or support to upgrade today)

Get an updated website or Fresh look for your website(Remote Hands customers you CAN apply your Remote hands time toward this.  Contact me today if you have been thinking about an update for your site)

"Google Merchant Center" integration - Its free! (Contact Support to get this setup today)

Free website analysis. Contact me to go over your website with you in a 1 on 1 call where I can make some suggestions and recommendations for your website based on current trends.(this option needs to be scheduled in advance)

Click here to opt out.

There is a new Google update arriving TODAY April 21, and this time around it is a large one that's pretty important for every website owner to know about. This particular update focuses on mobile content and mobile access for searchers, and if your website is not mobile-friendly, it is likely to suffer some serious consequences.

In this blog, I'm going to look at the top ways you can prepare your content for this mobile update, helping you stay on the good side of Google so your site doesn't get de-ranked in this big major update.

11 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CONTENT READY FOR MOBILE USERS

Here are the top ways to make your mobile content phenomenal for your readers AND satisfy Google's new update.

1. You MUST have a mobile friendly site. This is also called “responsive” or a “Custom Mobile Website.” If you have not contacted us about getting your mobile site ready, or converting to a responsive design you need to, I'm serious: pick up the phone and dial us right now. You, my friend, need a mobile site. (888-558-2446 x212)

Why?

First, because Google is claiming to de-rank ALL sites that are not mobile with their update. I don't want that to happen to you.

Next, let's actually think of the viewer's experience. When people view content on their mobile devices, they don't want to have to squint when reading it. You don't want to make your font overly large from the beginning, but you do want it to be a decent size to be viewed on a mobile screen. However, you should also make your content easy to make larger. If you have a smartphone or tablet, think about a time you needed to see the page clearer – you use your fingers and zoom in to make the font and content larger. This is what you want your content to be able to do, and it needs to be able to be easily zoomed in without distortion of images, videos, or text. You can make your site mobile-friendly. (For free, JUST CONTACT US)

2. Responsive Vs. Custom Mobile Website: Two Options For Your Website. A great way to prepare your content is to make sure you already have a conversion plan in mind and use one that will benefit your site. There are two different ones, Custom Mobile Website and Responsive Design. Mobile Friendly website is built just for mobile devices.  Content for the mobile site would be managed separately from the desktop version of your site, and responsive can help adapt to all sizes of mobile screens. Doing my research, it looks like responsive seems to be the better method. It is cheaper(in the long run), and Google also prefers it, according to Search Engine Land. Responsive design allows for you to use proper SEO for your mobile site, and gives you the opportunity to reach a wide range of people no matter their device or screen size. While Custom Mobile Website seems like it would be preferable, it does not account for larger devices like tablets.  Responsive designs will immediately adapt to future devices(according to hubspot).

3. Always Monitor that Your Website's Navigation is Easy and Stress-free. This is important whether it is on your desktop site or mobile. Navigation is a big part of user experience (UX), and you want to make sure UX is top notch. Google has already implemented UX into its algorithms, and it will be even more important once the mobile update is live. UX incorporates many facets from the usability of your site to the content you've written, and navigation is a big part of usability. Make sure it is easy for your customers to navigate on your mobile site to help make a better UX for all involved. This will help rank with Google and help you keep bringing clients back to your site from their smartphones or tablets.

4. Create a Mobile App for Your Business and Website. An excellent way to get your content to adapt to mobile and have an excellent mobile presence is to not only update your site, but also to create a mobile app. Mobile apps are a great way to get your company out there and make it more visible to your clients. Once they download it, it will be there on their phone, being a constant reminder of your business and services. It can also help you stand out from the competition, especially in industries that don't focus too much on mobile marketing. If you have been considering a mobile app, give us a call and we can help you.  Did you know we can build your mobile apps?  Call today to learn more. 888-558-2446 x205

5. Consider Using QR Codes for Products. You know those funny looking square, pixelated boxes you see on products and coupons? Those are QR codes and are great ways to link offline content to a mobile device. It can allow people to access deals on products or share information about a product after they've received it. QR codes are excellent for marketing, and you can do many things with them from engaging your clients to giving more product information, and many other awesome marketing ideas.

Now, let's look at actual mobile content improvements you can make:

6. Create Different Lengths of Content. When it comes to the content length wars, longer content is always the best idea for your long-form blogs and resource pages. Research shows that people prefer longer content because they love getting in-depth information and often feel a longer piece is more trustworthy.

However, when it comes to mobile content, you want to have varying lengths especially on your main pages to let people choose the length they want to read. Short content is easier to consume on mobile because many people are reading while on the subway or bus for their work commute or while they are on lunch.

You don't want to make all content short, though because readers might still read a longer piece on their mobile device, and you will still have desktop traffic.

7. Repurpose Longer Content into Mobile-size Bites. Obviously, you will want to keep writing your lengthier content, so what can you do to make it easier to consume for mobile users? A great way is to repurpose larger content into smaller pieces. This can be in a series of shorter blog posts, breaking the larger piece down point-by-point, creating infographics, podcasts, or making video content based off of it. If you want to go the blog route, you can always start a blog series that aims to focus on shorter content. This can help direct your mobile users to those blog posts and your desktop readers to the lengthier piece if they prefer. Giving people options is a great way to help broaden your reach, engaging more people than ever.

8. Focus On Using Images and Videos for Mobile Users. Images are a big part of web content, whether on social media or your website, and they are just as important for mobile users. They can help provide a connection for the reader, and, if you use infographics, can help create excellent content. Videos are much the same and provide people with the ability to watch a story or idea while on break instead of reading. Make images and videos available to your clients, giving them a better chance at consuming your content while on smartphones and tablets.

9. Make it Easy to Share Your Content on Social Media. The one thing about having mobile content is that it is much easier for a person to share on social media. This is simply because they are already on their mobile phone and just a finger-tap away from accessing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social channels. Because of this, you need to make sure you have social sharing buttons clearly defined for your readers. This will make it significantly easier to share your content as soon as they've read, listened, or watched it.

10. Use Social Media. If you weren't sold on whether or not social media was important for your business, now is the time to realize it is. When people are on their mobile devices, chances are their browsing through their social media timelines be it Twitter, Facebook, or another social channel. This means that you have a prime chance to reach out to them while they are browsing and share relevant articles, as well as your web pages and blogs. This can increase your site engagement, as well as help your articles get shared more. Yes, people can share your content directly from browsing your site, but they might be more willing to do so if they were already on the specific social channel.

Finally, one last tip I thought I'd throw in (although everyone probably knows this by now):

11. Don't Use Flash (Ever)!!!Flash can be okay on desktop sites because computers are able to process and download Flash data quickly. Flash data on mobile is tricky, however. First of all, many mobile devices don't use or support Flash for various reasons. Secondly, if the device does support it, it will still take a while for it to download on the phone. You don't want your page to take too long to load when people access it, but especially when it comes to your mobile site. Just think about when you use your smartphone to access web pages – you probably get a little fidgety the longer it takes to download, even if it is only a few seconds longer than normal. Your clients will feel the same way. Avoid using anything that requires flash to have a better mobile site and give your clients a better experience.

PREPARE YOURSELF: GOOGLE WANTS YOU MOBILE, 4/21

Call us so Google doesn't de-rank you on 4/21: I'm serious! 

I'll try to update you more often on features and upgrades.

The first one I can tell you about is this very blog.  Previously you would see some of the post then have to click to view our BLOG. 

This post *should*, if all things configured correctly, all post to the Facebook Page.

Let's give it a try shall we?

And hope your family enjoyed their summer. My kids go back to school today!  

Shane Merem

E-Commerce Website Builder

www.websiteforge.com

Here is an official list:

Flash for IOS - Now you can provide an alternative HTML (Image, Video, Etc) for a flash frame.  Since IOS (Apple mobile devices) do not play flash.  You can automatically swap it for something else when viewed by these devices.

Multiple Coupons - Now you can optionally DISABLE the ability for a customer to redeem more than one coupon code per order.  There is a checkbox that you can use to prevent multiple coupon codes.

Trace Forms - Look at your "Submitted Data" in your Feedback Forms area.  You can now look and see how a visitor found your form.  Including the search term used to land there.  Look for "View Visitor Path".   I will also have this info added to the emailed copy of the form submission soon.  

Trace Orders - View your order list and look for "View Visitor Path" on each order.  You can see how the customer found your web site and the full path before checking out.

Login "Tab Button" behavior - We changed the login box so that when you click the "TAB" key. It jumps to the next appropriate field.

Tracking Abandoned Carts - Some of you already know.  You can now view all abandonded carts in your "Visitor Tracking" area.  Just use the drop down to choose "Abandoned Carts".

"Direct FTP access to Template" - I'm a little nervous to announce this one.  For those who would like to develop their own templates.  Or modify their own templates.  We CAN provide direct FTP access to your TEMPLATE.  You must, of course, know how to code HTML and follow our "Template Specification" guideline.  Also any fixes or restores needed are at your own risk and cost.  That being said.  HTML savvy people can try this advanced access to the Website Forge system.

"Mobile Version" - Just a reminder that we can enable a "MOBILE FRIENDLY" version of your website with just one click.  Contact support to test it out.  90% of the time - this automatic conversion works perfectly without changes.  You can of course modify the mobile view if you wish using the normal tools.

Sitemap Upgrades - There are always many google sitemaps upgrades going on.  Recently we made some modifications to help Bing grab your sitemaps file.  This "Google Sitemap" file is now really a universal file for all SE's.

Those are the highlights.  Please provide your questions and comments!!

Shane Merem

Website Forge

www.websiteforge.com

Well -- originally a sitemap was a page on your web site that provided an easy way to find other pages within the site.  It was popular early on when websites weren't designed to be easy to navigate.

Many sites still include sitemaps in this sense.  However, a well designed web site shouldn't need a "map" for the visitor.

The term "Google Sitemap" has become popular and it's really an entirely different thing.

Web sites started as plain HTML which is generally easy for Google to read.  When sites became slicker with dynamic content, ajax, and flash -- the ability for Google to understand what the page contained was much harder.

Plus many of the url's (links) in the page might yield different dynamic content depending on what was searched or clicked.

This would cause Google to miss imporant product pages or "get lost" when trying to analyze your web site.

Of course this could hurt the rankings of your site.

So Google came up with a new standard originally called "Google Sitemaps"

Google said.  HEY!  Why don't you provide us with an XML formatted file that will show us a list of pages we can look at when analyzing your website.  And in return your web site could be fairly ranked with it's competitors.

PROS:

- Every single page of your site would be looked at by google.

- You have the opportunity to associate important keywords to each page

- Dynamic product pages would no longer be missed or undervalued

CONS:

- Most "web designers" and even people who fancied themselves "programmers" really could not build a proper xml file per Google's specifications.

- If you could manage to get the file built -- you were required to automatically deliver it anytime google askes for it.  This really requires a good programmer.

So even today many of your competitors fail to use this Google Sitemaps function.  The same format is the standard for other Search Engines like Bing as well.

I'm happy to say that all Website Forge web sites already have "Google Sitemap" functionality built in.

WHERE IS THIS GOOGLE SITEMAPS FILE?

This file is automatically generated every time you download it.

Just append  /sitemap_index.gz to your domain name to see it. 

This is the permanent location of your sitemap file.

Example:   www.yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.gz

Now, you probably won't be able to read the file unless you are a programmer.  Just suffice to know you have an edge over your competitors.

Create a ticket at http://ticket.websiteforge.com with any questions setting up your Google Sitemaps file with google.

Hope this was a helpful article. 

Shane Merem

e-commerce website design

Michigan E-commerce Consultant

www.websiteforge.com

Almost any data driven system deals with a way to import or export the information to other programs.  Salesforce.com, Quickbooks, and many other systems use CSV files to handle sharing of this data.

Salesforce.com and Quickbooks are what you might call a "Proprietary System".  Website Forge could be considered "Proprietary" because we don't share our source code with the world.   

There are also many different database system like MySQL, Oracle, And Microsft SQL server.  All use a "proprietary" storage format.

They don't make their "source code" available to the public.  However they use a common file format to allow other systems to share the data that resides within the software.

A CSV file stands for a "Comma Separated Values" file.  This is a universal file format used to allow dissimilar system to SHARE DATA. 

A CSV (comma separated Value) file might look something like this:

sku,price,color,description

1234,1.99,Red,Red Gloves

3432,2.99,White,Shooting Cap

4432,100,black,Mountain Bike

(each record is on one line and each field separated by commas.  Simple)

So you can dump your contacts from SalesForce.com to a CSV file and then import them into your Gmail contacts.  And vice-versa.

I know I rarely write articles this technical. I have a good reason.

I was insulted.  Yes - insulted.

I was told by a customer the other day that I was "holding him hostage" with my "proprietary system".  He asserted he could not get his products out.

You see he decided to move his website to another company.  That happens.  His web company asked him for a copy of his data in MySQL format.

Website Forge provides an EXPORT TO CSV feature for this very purpose.  And we sent him the CSV files, images and instructions for his new company.

Apparently his new host told him they cannot use it.  

I won't give an opinion about using a web developer that has no understanding of the most universal file format in existence.  You can guess though.

Here is the kicker.  The process of importing a CSV file into MySQL is well documented and extremely easy.

The command looks something like this:  shell> mysqlimport --local test imptest.txt

Thats it!!!

Now.  I googled the words "mysql import csv file" to find this example.  

So this post has a two objectives.  First, help you understand what a CSV file is.  

Secondly. I figured that if I was going to write more instructions -- I could blog it at the same time and make it educational.

Please understand I don't blame the customer for not knowing this.  In fact I'm happy to help.  I'm just offended that when I offer a solution over and over again -- he would prefer to believe that I would somehow try to mislead him.

I do my best to provide the best service, experience, and value to Website Forge customers.  I may not always succeed -- however I won't give up.

Thanks for listening.  Hope you find this helpful.

Shane Merem

E-commerce Web Site Design

www.websiteforge.com

It sucks trying to find a .com name that isn't already taken.

It sucks coming up wth a logo.  Site colors.  And a design.

It sucks when you have a picture in your mind's eye and the designer doesn't "get it".  It sucks having to go back and forth a million times to get it right -- and maybe you never do.

It sucks when you have to hand key in hundreds or thousands of products.  spending hours and hours "stealing" product photos form other websites.. Or worse -- taking them yourself.

It sucks when you talk to 20 "credit card guys" only to be more confused every time.

It sucks trying to come up with the words to put on your pages.  Trying to think of the "perfect slogan".

It sucks when you get lazy and lose two weeks because you are paralyzed with all the frustration and work still left to do.

It sucks the first time you get an order -- only to realize the customer meant to buy something else.

It sucks when your credit card company asks you to fill out a million question form about PCI compliance.  Whats that?  Right?

It really sucks.  I have done this for a very long time and I still think it sucks.

THATS WHY EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE A SUCCESSFUL E-COMMERCE WEBSITE!

Because only the people that get through the "sucky" part of the job get to enjoy the good stuff.

All of you that have succeded know what I mean.  Even if you have only succeeded in a little way.   Your first few hundred bucks.  Or the first time your site ranked on page 1.  The first customer testimonial.  In many cases pulling in thousands every week.

All of you that still think it sucks.  Get used to it.  As soon as you finally get used to it.  You will start to see the real progress.

So everyone.  Let's SUCK IT UP in 2012!  I know I will!

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Google 1+ integration is becoming widely used.

1+ is a way to say "This is pretty cool" or "I like this"..

What is it?  Check it out here http://www.google.com/+1/button/

Check it out on our home page at www.websiteforge.com (must be logged into your google account to use it).

MAKE SURE YOU Facebook LIKE and Google 1+ our websiteforge.com web site!!  And this blog!

Contact support at http://ticket.websiteforge.com asap to add it to your site. 

Other recent FREE e-commerce web site upgrades:

- Improved Checkout

- Facebook Integration

- Twitter Integration

Upgrades Coming Soon:

- Instant MOBILE SITE delivery

- Constant Contact API integration www.constantcontact.com 

- Go Data Feed www.godatafeed.com integration

Recent Feedback from Website Forge e-commerce web site customers:

Ginger Rushing says: June 28th, 2011 at 11:20 am   Edit Delete I upgraded both www.yourlightsite.com and www.coppergaslanternsplus.com a few weeks ago.  I LOVE the new checkout.  A lot of my customers call me to order due to the nature of my products and I am now able to enter their orders while they wait, with ease.  If I can do it quickly and easily, I know my customers can also.  The wait was worth it.  Thanks Shane for this great "free" upgrade.

Cary Anderson says:

Brian says:

June 28th, 2011 at 10:39 am   Edit Delete

We here at ShopBakersNook.com have seen a dramatic decrease in cart abandonment rates with the new websiteforge e-commerce check out process. This is a no brainer upgrade that is free and a great addition to the websiteforge e-commerce platform.

Thanks again for all the great feedback!  WE ARE LISTENING!!!

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

e-commerce web site design 

Go to http://videos.websiteforge.com to check them out!

Also you can subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://youtube.com/websiteforge 

Please provide feedback!

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

e-commerce web site design

It's true that Website Forge e-commerce web sites work perfectly on most mobile devices -- some people request that a smaller/ligher version run across a .mobi for a number of reasons.

So "coming soon" -- MOBI functionality for your Website Forge e-commerce web site.

Thanks Brian for making me jump on really fast and make this annoucement at 5:12PM .. LOL

I'm sure there will be plenty of typos in this post.  :)

Stay tuned

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

e-commerce web site design

P.S.  Brian's site is www.shopbakersnook.com 

We have started rebuilding our video library from scratch at http://videos.websiteforge.com 

You can also subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel at https://youtube.com/websiteforge 

Our goal is to add roughly 20-40 vidoes per month.  They should cover basics up to the more complex features!

Take a look at a few play lists on our YouTube channel:

It's really important we get your feedback on the videos.  So please feel free to comment!

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Website Forge

E-Commerce Web Site Design

As requested in the Forum http://www.WebsiteForge.com/forum (<-- shameless plug) here is a list of WF Updates from the past several months that you may not know about!  I'll get right to it...

Navigational Menu frame:
Many already know about this, but some may not.  This new frame allows you to add a Navigation Menu literally ANYWHERE in your website (anywhere that's an editable Content Area of course).   The process for adding buttons to the menu is similar to the Classic WF "Site Menu".

Check this link to see the Frame Type:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-v6id-22kb

Here is a shot of the Config Screen with no options configured:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-tvud-38kb

As you can see, the advantage this menu has over the Classic "Site Menu" is that it allows you to control and edit the look of the menu.  You can even upload your own buttons to be used in the menu.  Here is another shot that shows more options:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-m7io-46kb

Automatic SEO-friendly URL's for products and categories:

Old URLs for Categories and Products looked like this:
/6.html?m5:cat=/Accessories/Wallets
/m5_view_item.html?mX:item=CODE001

We have made them SEO friendly without removing references to a page (6.html), a module (m5) and the SKU (CODE001). Now they look like:
/6m5/Accessories/Wallets.html
/m5/CODE001--Black-Leather-Wallet.html

BTW:  You can change the product title to whatever and it will not break old URL's because the system will only use the SKU from the URL to locate the product.


Layout Builder: Making fields Members-Only
Now you can make any field in a Layout Builder hidden unless a Member is logged into the site.  See here for an example:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-swlo-73kb


Search for Expiring Members:
In the Modules > Membership > Members & Groups section...  If you have Member Signup Packages, you can now search the Membership module for expiring Members.  See an example here:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-olj1-11kb

Mass Mail Members from search results:

In the Modules > Membership > Members & Groups section...  See the new button here:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-lcw5-18kb
This will send the list of Members below to the Mailer for a One Time email.  So for example, you could use the new "Expiring Members" option mention above to find Members who are exiring within 2 weeks, then with one click send those Members to the Recipient list of a One Time email.

Membership module: Expired and Unpaid Member Entry Pages.
Using this new Setting you can make expired and unpaid Members automatically redirect to specific pages when they log in.  These can be configured in two places: in General Settings of a Membership module, which will specify module-wide entry pages, and in Group properties (go to Members & Groups, then click Edit on a group), which will override these settings for particular groups.

If neither module-wide, nor per-group page is specified for one of these settings, normal entry page will be used instead.

FYI:  An "Unpaid Member" is a Member who selected a paid package and was directed to the payment form, but did not finish the payment.

Membership: Upon Purchase Redirect:

This parameter was added to the Frame Settings of an Edit Profile frame in addition to the old one Upon Profile Edit Redirect. This will allows for the Member to be redirected to specific pages depending on if they did a purchase or just edited their profile.  See here for an example:  http://my.jetscreenshot.com/4815/20101217-qvm1-18kb

Membership: Upon Free Signup Redirect To:
The "Edit Profile" frame, in addition to "Upon Purchase Redirect To" and "Upon Profile Edit Redirect To" settings, now has "Upon Free Signup Redirect To" settings. This allows for different behavior depending on whether the visitor signed up with a paid package or a free one.

Close Menu When Moving Mouse Out:

The option "Close Menu When Moving Mouse Out" has been added to the Site Template and Settings page.  Checking this option will allow your Site Menu submenu(s) to disappear when the mouse moves off of the menu.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe Holiday Season!

Sincerely,

Kevin Ledezma

Website Forge

E-Commerce web site design

www.websiteforge.com

ShopBakersNook's owners work relentlessly to provide an excellent web site and customer experience.  Couple that with the Website Forge technology and marketing team and you have the "Perfect Storm".

Without driven business owners --this would not be a reality! 

Check out this video:

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

e-commerce website design

We recently added a new feature called "VISITOR TRACKING" to your web site!  This feature includes:

• Real time list of anyone on your web site!
• What browser your visitors are using..
• The IP address of your visitor
• How much time your visitors spent on your web site
• How much time your visitors spent on each individual page
• The FULL history of each and every page visited and how long
• The CURRENT search used on your web site
• And more....

You have to check out this video to see the Visitor Tracking feature in action:

Login to your Website Forge Member's Area right now!  Check out who is visiting YOUR site!

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

e-commerce website design

1) New cross-browser editor is available.

Just use a non-IE browser (like Firefox or Mac Safari) and you'll see it. Users with IE are still using the old one.  Please test it out and report any bugs you find.  We will iron them out quickly.

2) Java uploader addition.

A Custom File option can be configured to accept either all files or images only, and in the case of images only, they can be forced to be downsized to a certain pixel size.

3) PayPal Pro DirectPayment Gateway.

DirectPayment Gateway now sends customer shipping address to PayPal allowing for third-party software which pull order info from a PayPal account.

4) General performance improvements.

We have done several performance improvements.

***DO NOT FORGET to sign up for one of our weekly tele-classes.  FREE TRAINING!  Go to www.support.websiteforge.com for class schedule.

Thanks,

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

-  Unprecedented FULL 12 Month Guarantee on Website Forge web sites!

-  Customer Service at it's Best!

-  Google struggles with SAAS solutions

-  Take full advantage of your SEO technology

-  A look at Dabble DB -- A great new web idea

Unprecedented FULL 12 Month Guarantee on Website Forge web sites!

Website Forge has long been the ONLY company to provide a real 30 day money back guarantee. 

The only company to survey their customers every 7 days during their project development. 

The only company to provide unlimited pages, products, and bandwith in a CUSTOM DESIGNED web site.  The only company that includes hundreds of thousands of dollars of improvements to it's clients every single year.... 

Once again we have gone over the top. 

We are so sure you will love your Website Forge web site we will back it up with a 12 month guarantee.  That's right.  If after ONE FULL YEAR you don't love your web site -- we will refund your entire purchase price!

No other web site company has the confidence in their company to offer such an amazing guarantee on their custom web site solutions... NOBODY!

Customer Service at it's Best!

I received a call Friday night from Dale Spenrath (CEO of www.posprocessing.com) around 7:00 PM asking me if Website Forge was having any techincal issues. 

I told him I was unaware of any problems.  Dale was already on the phone with the technical guys at Linkpoint to see why our mutual customer had called him with a card processing problem.

I hung up and a few minutes later Dale called me back on my cell phone and informed me that Linkpoint did, in fact, have some temporary problems and it would be resolved in a couple hours.  I was able to notify our clients so they could be aware of this issue.

When was the last time Henry Ford and Good Year's CEO called each other to work out a technical detail for their car owners?  I just call that "Customer Service at it's Best!".

Take full advantage of your SEO technology

I make it a point to run our clients through a few questions to make sure they are doing all they can to promote their online business.

1.  Have you enabled your "Google Sitemaps" feature in your web site yet?

2.  Have you exported your products (if any) to Google Base? (formerly called Froogle)?

3.  Have you spent time every day/week/month to improve your site copy with keyword rich content? 

4.  Have you considered rewriting your product descriptions to help prospective customers make the decision to purchase your product?

If you have answered NO to any of these questions.. Please reply here and we will have our team give you some specific actions so that you can get the most out of your web site...

Google struggles with SAAS solutions

I am a freshbooks.com customer and I ran across a couple good articles.  Recenly they posted a message about Google and some problems they have had supporting their SAAS (Software As A Service) products.  You will find the article interesting.

www.freshbooks.com/blog/2009/01/30/google-proves-saas-is-hard-even-for-big-guys/

A look at Dabble DB -- A great new web idea

If you are "show me the data" kind of person -- take a look at Dabble DB.  You can cut and paste any excel file data into a web page and create awesome drill down charts and graphs in minutes. 

I created dozens of charts from a bunch of my boring excel reports and it's a great concept.

Check it out at www.dabbledb.com

Thanks, Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Web Design and E-commerce

Love it or get your money back!

There are a couple nice upgrades recently added to WebsiteForge.com

First we have added Product Ratings and Product Reviews!  Take a look at http://www.thehomefurnishingsstore.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=1651 and try adding a review.  You can also see the product popularity within your web site member's area.

Contact support for help with this new feature.

Fuzzy SKU search option is enabled by default for any Search Box frame.  "Fuzzy search" means that the system tries to match incorrectly entered SKU numbers. It ignores separators (dashes, spaces etc.) and does not differentiate between "O" and zero.

This "Fuzzy Search" may allow people to find products when your customers do not type the EXACT sku or product number -- increasing the number of successful searches.

I also recently decided to setup a Twitter url for WebsiteForge.com.  I'll let you know if I notice any marketing value.  If you are on twitter.com, follow us at www.twitter.com/websiteforge and we will post twitter updates regularly.

Shane Merem

Website Forge

Web Design and E-Commerce

- Froogle (google base) attributes are automatically mapped to fields on the Froogle Export form to reduce customer errors.
- Image Lists can show out-of-stock overlays.
-  Default distance for zip distance search can be specified.
-  Tree options performance optimizations - thousands of items should not be a problem to display in a tree.

- DHL realtime rating option.
- Zero-downtime publishing - the old version of the site will be 100% accessible during the publishing process, until the moment new published version is ready.
- Stricter validation of discount coupons.
- Detection of different error conditions in file uploader.
- File uploaders validates file types (won't allow to upload WMV when FLV is expected, etc).

Thanks, Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Web Design and E-commerce

This message is encouragement for the entire Website Forge community.  Your hard work combined with the power of Website Forge will equal business success. 

Shane:

Thought you'd also like to hear about our progress.

In the 13 months (June 2007) since we launched our website, www.diveprodivegear.com, we have gone from $0 sales to hitting $20K+ sales in July.

I expect we'll have our first $30K month during the Christmas season. This is just from the website. We have no brick & mortar business.

Thanks to the entire WF team for helping us achieve !! -- KOB.

_________________
Kevin O'Brien
www.DiveProDiveGear.com
Toll free: 1-877-55-DIVER

Related Article:  See http://www.websiteforge.com/blog.html?m17:post=important-credit-card-fraud-information-website-forge-shane-merem about Kevin's crash course in credit card fraud.

Ad Module:
- mX_edit_item.html page can be called with ?mX:cat=XXXX parameter which will cause the category to be preselected when creating an ad.
- If the Add button is clicked from the mX_item_list.html page and if this page displays only ads from particular category (mX_item_list.html?mX:cat=XXXX), this category will be preselected on the Add form.
- Item List interfaces have "No items found" text configurable, HTML allowed.
- When adding to cart a product with Custom File options and if at least one file is selected, "Please wait" will be displayed while files upload.

Import/Export:
- On the import pages, there is now a message recommending to split files into pieces.

Members' FTP folders: Are now named after member ID and email, i.e. mXXXX-yyy@zzz.com, instead just XXXX. So the owner always knows whom the folder belongs to. Also, on the Edit Member page there is now a quick link to member's FTP area.

Feedback forms:
- For File fields (with Max Number of Files=1), Please Wait message is shown while uploading.
- For File fields with Max Number of Files > 1, an in-page frame is now used instead of a separate browser window to select files for uploading.
- Form frame now has a new parameter, "Email Mode", which can be set to "Text" (suitable for automated processing), "HTML" (like before), and "HTML with Layout" (mimcs the form layout).

Multimedia Features:

- FLV thumbnail mode. On Product Types/Fields you can set fields of type File to display as a thumbnail. When clicked, the thumbnail will display a player in a popup window.
- FLV's and other media in ecommerce. COOL FEATURE!! Audio File, Video File and FLV file subtypes of File fields are now available for the ecommerce modules. This means you can put videos in your product details.

New File Upload Interface:
Multiple files and Java uploader support for Product Options. Product Options of type Custom File can be set up to allow multiple files, with limits on quantity and total size. They can also be set up to allow uploading via Java applet. If configured this way, the option will not display on the product list, but instead, when clicked "Add to Cart", it will open a popup for uploading. The popup can work both in regular mode and in Java mode (if enabled). All the uploaded files will be zipped and the link to this zip file will be added to the cart.

*** NOTE *** The Java uploader is not yet available to use in the Image/File store, it will be added soon.

Other features:
- Tree-like membership groups. Groups can now be organized in a tree like ecommerce categories. This will allow 3LG stores to divide users into companies, departments, subdepartments etc. This feature is systemwide and is available for all membership modules.
- Multi-level group selection. On Registration and Edit Profile forms, and also on Edit Ad forms of Ad modules, multi-level group selection is now supported. To enable, open the corresponding page in the memeber's area, select Frame Settings for the form frame, and change "Tree" setting to "Multi-level" for the group selection control. Republish the site. In this mode, the user first selects the first level of groups (e.g. companies) in one dropdown, the second level in the second dropdown etc. Like we have for tree-like options. This feature is available systemwide for all membership and ad modules
- Aliases in Google Sitemap. Made it possible to use aliases just like real pages.
- Membership. Trial Period for LinkPoint recurring payments.
- Site favicon feature.
- Login frames have now two configurable messages: a) for invalid logins and b) for inactive accounts. HTML is allowed.
- Shipping Source product field can be now exported and imported.

They claim that they look the same.  They are told they are unreliable and worse...  They are told that if they purchase a Website Forge site they will never be found in the Search Engines.

I think it is time to set the record straight.  For someone to relate templates to search engine marketing is no different than a car salesman saying "That car has ABS brakes -- that means the windshield wipers won't work".    Sounds silly right? 

It sounds silly because most consumers know more about cars than they do about web sites.

Here are the true facts. 

Fact:  Every major web site uses some sort of template system.  Google, Yahoo!, even Amazon.com uses templates.  If templates were bad do you think one of the largest e-commerce web sites in the world like Amazon.com would use them?

Fact:  Template does not mean ugly.  Every custom Webite Forge site has a great looking unique design.  Take a look at the portfolio page on www.websiteforge.com .  Every site is designed from scratch to meet our customers needs.

Fact:  A web site is only as good it's creator.  If a template engine is written poorly then the end result is a poorly performing web site. 

On the other hand -- if a web site is programmed by an experienced team then it will perform well for you. 

Website Forge has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide the possible platform for your business.  Every day we are working to improve the system so that you can make more money with your site.

Fact:  Website forge is the LEADER in search engine technology.  Our customers have amazing success.  

Without optimization, the Website Forge template engine will assure your site will do better than most.  Optimization will take your site to the next level. 

My inner geek could keep me talking and talking.  I could talk about how the Website Forge engine is more reliable than other technologies. 

I could go into detail about how my team is constantly upgrading the Website Forge engine to compete in the search engines. 

What about the backup system?  We take backups of your site every four hours!  Nobody does that!  We do.

I'll stop myself there. 

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

www.magnusoft.com

Web Site Design and E-commerce

Are you taking full advantage of the media player features of your Website Forge web site?

Don't forget.  You can stream audo and video in the following formats:

MP3

FLA Flash (Macromedia Flash)

FLV Flash Video (Macromedia Flash Video)

MWV (Microsoft Media Player)

MOV (Apple Quicktime Movies)

Contact support@websiteforge.com to start streaming audio and video from your Website Forge web site.

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

www.magnusoft.com

Web Site and E-commerce Web Site Development

Because of the updates we affected last Sunday to all the Website Forge web sites -- you are getting more traffic because your products and keywords are more effective than ever in Yahoo!, Google, MSN and more!

Imagine:  Your Website Forge web site is moving to a higher position in the major search engines right now as you read this article! 

Brian Shockly at www.shopbakersnook.com just sent me via email:

JUST BECAUSE IT'S SIMPLE DOESN'T MEAN IT IS EASY!  You still need to work at marketing your web site in the search engines.

Buying a car with all the latest features doesn't make you a better driver -- it just makes driving easier. 

Fact: Your Website Forge site is loaded with technology that exponentially increases your ability to rank well in the search engines

Fact: Garbage in -- Garbage out

You need good content to have good search engine results!  If you don't take the time as a business owner to make sure your web site and product descriptions are written with plenty of keywords  then your web site will not be relevent to search engines.  It's that simple.

If you have not yet talked to our SEO expert, email us at support@websiteforge.com and we will schedule a time for Kevin Gannon to contact you and see what things you can do to make the most out of your Website Forge web site. 

He will give you free advice and offer a strategy.  I cannot name any business  that is successful without good marketing of some kind.

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Web Design and E-commerce

Froogle (renamed Google Product Search) and Google Sitemaps.

Froogle is a version of Google that focuses on your product catalog.  If you provide an upload of your entire database formatted specifically for Froogle, your products will be indexed exactly how they should.  Froogle will insert every one of your products into the Google database exactly the way you intended. 

Google Sitmaps is another technology, if taken advantage of, will assure that every page of your entire web site is visited by the Google search engine.  No more wondering if your entire web site has been spidered and indexed by Google.

You will significantly increase your search engine penetration with Froogle and Google Sitemaps.  It's a must have.

Why don't more web developers encourge the use of Google Sitemaps and Froogle?  My guess is that the average web site developer does not have the programming skills to automate the delivery of these files. It wouldn't make sense for a web developer to suggest something they cannot provide themselves. 

Your Website Forge web site is fully Froogle and Google Sitemaps compatible "out of the box".  This means there is no coding neccessary to utilize these powerful search engine technologies.  It's just a matter of configuration.

If you are interested in configuring your web site to use Froogle and/or Google Sitemaps, please contact support@websiteforge.com and we will have one of our search engine specialists help you get it setup.

YOU CANNOT AFFORD to omit Google Sitemaps and Froogle from your search engine efforts!  It's a free boost up in the search engines.

Shane Merem

www.websiteforge.com

Web Design and E-commerce

It now has the more familiar Website Forge feel.

If you have not yet installed a BLOG on your site -- you really should.  The search engine and marketing benefits are well worth it.

Please post comments and let me know what you think about this BLOG and any questions you have about using a BLOG for your own site.

Shane Merem

www.magnusoft.com

www.websiteforge.com

Web Site Design and E-commerce

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Web Site Design and E-commerce

Several of our customers have received calls from  web design firms claiming their web site does not follow "WC3 Standards" and will show you a report that claims you have all sorts of problems with your web site.  This is meant to scare you into thinking your web site is somehow flawed or incorrectly built.

www.w3.org  is a very important consortium for the HTML standard. It revolves around the strict guideline of HTML programming.

Several of our customers contacted us worried.

Don't be worried.  Next time that happens, ask them show you a report of Amazon.com or Ebay.com before they claim something is wrong with your web site.  If you followed every WC3 standard exactly your web site would be boring and may lack important functionality to conduct business.

The WC3 standard is an HTML standard.  HTML is one of the technologies used to build web sites -- not the only one.  It does not mean every web site will or should follow this standard to the "T".  The rules to follow are the standards used by most common browsers used by your customers.  Microsoft, Firefox, Opera, and other web browsers. 

Thanks, Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Website Design and E-commerce

I had an urgent issue from a customer Friday where the formatting of his site was all messed up.  Turns out he was using cut and paste to place the content on his site and the source text had some hidden codes that were not "web friendly".  This happens occasionally depending on the source of your text.

He was obviously quite frustrated and wanted it fixed immediately (rightfully so).   I determined the likley issue and resolved it.  I found out after that he did not "PREVIEW" his changes before publishing.

Here is the main point of this post.  Using the "PREVIEW" feature to review the page before hitting the "PUBLISH" button may save you undue anxiety.  

It's easy to get in the mode of hitting PUBLISH each time you make a change to your site because usually things look fine -- however it's important to remember to PREVIEW your changes each and every time you update your site to avoid a similar situation.

P.S.  I am a big offender of this rule myself.  So this is a reminder for myself as much as a helpful reminder for our Website Forge customers! :)

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Website Design and E-commerce

Click here to see the updated video index: http://www.websiteforge.com/support/55.html

Videos on site management, import/export, and email configuration are included in this list.  There are many more.

Please post your suggestions if there is a demonstration video you would like us to add to the list.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Website design and e-commerce

We are glad to announce a new feature of Website Forge that will save our tech support team as much grief as it will save you.  :)

Before now -- if you needed a page recovered from backup we would need 24 hours to recover it from our backup system.  This used to take up to two hours due to the large size of our backup files.

NOW we can instantly un-delete any deleted page or module if you make the request within 14 days of the "incident".

If you need a page or module recovered please contact LIVE SUPPORT or email support@websiteforge.com and we will be happy to recover the page for you.

REMEMBER that the recovered page will be restored over any changes you made to it.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Website Design and E-commerce

In just a couple weeks I have found over 23,000 more Website Forge web pages pages indexed in Google since we upgraded Website Forge behind the scenes to improve search engine penetration.

This number will increase exponentially as the search engines revisit your web sites and as Website Forge continues to follow trends in Search Engine technology.

Just think of the people who might lured into purchasing a web site that they host as an individual application.  Their web site is obsolete as fast as it is complete without a team like ours to constantly improve and update their web site!

We are dedicated to make sure your Website Forge Website is always secure and updated to the latest technology and business standards.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Website Design and E-commerce

We will add many more very soon.  It's a high priority to provide a full suite of videos covering all aspects of Website Forge.  It's no small task!

Please take a look at http://www.websiteforge.com/support/55.html to check them out.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Web design and e-commerce

We have added a "Code Verification" field type to the Feedback Form module.  This is what you commonly see as an image displaying several letters or numbers that you have to read and retype to submit the form. 

This human readable image assures that your form is not mass submitted by a script or software.

You add this control just like you would add any form field.  Contact support@websiteforge.com if you have any questions.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
E-commerce and web design

To avoid a lengthy technical conversation, I will get to the main point.

Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and others are always making subtle changes in how they view your site pages.

We have made some substantial changes to the published code of the Website Forge system to maximize your search engine penetration.  So keep an eye on your site stats.

Also, if you have not yet received your free Search Engine consultation by Kevin Gannon.  E-mail support@websiteforge.com and ask that he contact you.  Kevin will get you started when it comes to getting your web site submitted in search engines.  He will also help you with the Froogle and Google Sitemaps submissions.

Shane Merem
www.websiteforge.com
Web Design and E-commerce