Category Archives: Web Development

Web Development Agencies – Offerings and Services

Web designers, whether creating websites on their own or within an agency, have become developers and more. They have started offering additional services on top of web development to stay competitive. Web development agencies are offering more services as the demand increases for those services.

While a designer can outsource a person with coding expertise, it’s necessary for a person designing websites to understand the basics of code and not have to constantly outsource for small tweaks and additions to the coding structure. Custom web design is the norm rather than the exception these days.

Aside from that, they need to know what can be done with code and what programming language it will be done in. When customers ask questions, it benefits the designer to be able to answer that a solution can be met affirmatively by using certain methods.

Most websites don’t need to be built from scratch with code. With content management systems such as WordPress, developers can use templates to get a design base that they can then build upon and customize as they choose with CSS and JavaScript.

Why are developers offering more services?

The website build itself has become the base from which an agency is built. Custom web design is no longer enough though. Both independent freelance developers and design agencies are morphing into full-service search engine optimization(SEO) and marketing agencies.

A website on its own is not enough to succeed on the internet and businesses of all sizes are looking for one-stop shops.

To succeed in ranking and get traffic, one must use SEO. Sophisticated SEO, from keeping up with Google algorithms to content creation, and technical SEO with backlinks, is a hefty job. When a developer offers these services, they offer crucial value and become more alluring to customers looking for website growth.

Developers often charge a monthly retainer for providing these services to clients who they’ve designed sites for. Typically, this occurs with smaller businesses rather than larger corporations who may hire their own in-house SEO specialist or a separate marketing agency.

To increase SEO and website visibility, some agencies and independent creatives are offering social media management and graphic design services. This can involve maintaining a social media presence, incorporating a unique branding proposition, and being the voice of their client’s company when interacting with customers.

As a special addition, web developers are offering more services, to include hosting. This provides a convenient way for them to make an additional percentage from clients while providing a necessity any new site will require.

Web development is a complex skill and one that requires the use of many related skills to provide full-scale services to businesses looking for a streamlined and growth-oriented approach. As the online business landscape changes, so do web development agencies who stay ahead of the game.

Why It’s Important to Analyze Your Marketing Efforts

If you are a business owner, it is so important that you not only have access to analyze data related to your business, but that you have concrete, measurable analyses that you can use in future marketing efforts. The most lucrative marketing efforts occur when one is well-informed about the targeted audience and product or service being offered. There are several various means to analyzing and utilizing data for marketing, and I’m here to tell you about some of them!

First, it’s worth it to consult with a marketing agency that can tell you how to best proceed with marketing based on the data that you have about your intended consumer for your product or service. Marketing agencies can direct you to the best methods for everything from internal business analysis to ensure your company and its employees are in sync to external business analysis which focuses on understanding the market for your business. A marketing agency can also guide you through establishing goals based on your market’s data and based on the unique advantages and methods of marketing that your business has access to!

Another resource useful for analyzing your marketing efforts is found through consultation with a web design agency. Most businesses make first impressions on potential consumers via online platforms, so why not work to market your online presence with professional guidance? A web design agency can help you to develop a custom web design that is best suited to your company needs. Many of your needs are established when analyzing the data about your consumers and their satisfaction with your service or product. If you can use this data in your consultation with a web design company or a web design agency, you will be better set up for success in your future marketing efforts.

Graphic design is another huge component to successfully marketing your business. What is going to attract potential customers to your business? Font, color, size, and design are all basic considerations to take when working with a graphic designer. All of these preferences should be established by studying your targeted market. If you know the preferences of your potential consumer, then you will know how to best market your service or product to draw them in!

When analyzing consumer data and past marketing efforts, it’s important to utilize the resources available to you if you want to have successful marketing in the future. Marketing agencies, web design agencies, and graphic designers are all potential resources for taking your data and putting it into a marketing strategy that can ultimately lead to the success and growth of your business!

Graphic Design Vs Web Design

You have likely heard of both graphic design and web design, but do you really know the differences between them? Whether you’re considering a job in either field or wanting to know more about which option suits your needs better, this article provides a simple breakdown of both graphic design and web design.

What is web design?

Web design includes many different facets such as user experience (UX) design, authoring (which includes coding and software), search engine optimization (SEO), interface design, and web graphic design. Some web designers do all of these aspects, while more often than not, they work with team members to collaborate together.

What is graphic design?

Graphic design, on the other hand, includes photography, typography, and illustration. Graphic designers work to communicate messages visually by utilizing various symbols, images, and text to create one beautiful visual message.

What are the differences?

Visual components are utilized by web designers and graphic designers in different ways. For instance, color is seen in a different way. Graphic designers are usually relying on the impact of their work in print whereas web designers tend to stray from using too much color in hopes of creating a user-friendly visual experience.

In thinking about the presentation element of both graphic design and web design, graphic designers tend to create visuals that are static in nature while web designers need to consider more dynamic effects. The visual focus in graphic design tends to be stronger and intuitive, while web design has limitations based on the screen and the nature of website navigation.

The differences in the job descriptions for web designers and graphic designers are also vastly different. Web designers need to consider the relationship between their design and their audience and they attempt to create art as a way to support the technology. Graphic designers generally put the art first and they are less concerned with having a mutual relationship with the audience. Web designers apply engineering techniques to their work and they need to use concepts in psychology to consider user motivations and reactions. Graphic designers need to consider how their work will translate to print and they need to focus on how to effectively communicate the desired message to their audience within their artwork.

Overview

Graphic design is more artistic in nature and is focused on communicating a message to an audience through visual component. Web design is based on user experience and considers the relationship between the design and the audience to be of utmost importance. Both are necessary components to our world today.

Custom Web Design Vs. Template Design

So you want to get a website made- most likely for your business- but you’re unsure of which route to take? The word “template” might make you feel unoriginal and boring, but custom web design sounds daunting and difficult. This article will break down some of the pros and cons for each option, so that you’re prepared to express your vision to the web design agency you choose.

Possible Pros of Going Custom

A custom web design will be unique to your company and brand.
You can have it designed to fit the individual needs of your company.
A Content Management System (CMS) can be incorporated into the custom design, which gives the website owner the ability to manage content with ease.
A custom website can grow with your company.
The web design agency that created it can be a great support for maintaining and adapting your site.

Web Design Agency - IWC

Possible Cons of Going Custom

It takes much longer to have a custom website made than it does to use a template design.
The payoff may not be worth the time and money. If the goal of your website is to create a user-friendly experience, a template design is likely already user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.

Possible Pros of Going Template

It takes less time to develop a website based off a template.
It is cheaper to use a template- often less than $50.
Knowledge of HTML/CSS coding is not required to build a template website.
Modern themes and templates and designed beautifully and with great functionality.
Many templates come with updates and support.

Possible Cons of Going Template

Your site may not stand out as much, due to other companies and website using the same template as you.
There are limitations to how much you can customize within the template.
May not be practical for business as they are often designed with features that only web design companies would use.

There are many pros and cons for both custom web design and using a template for your website. Both options are valid, though hopefully it’s clear which one is more functional for your business and website needs. As you move forward with your website, make sure to consult your web design agency for their professional input!

Imageworks Releases New Website for Dodge-Chrome!

Dodge Color and Chrome Imaging joined forces in 2010 to become Dodge-Chrome. As a result, the market leaders combined over 30 years of photographic and print imaging experience, satisfying both private sector and government clients by providing exceptional solutions and exceeding their highest expectations.

The website redesign by ImageWorks Creative enhances usability and showcases Dodge-Chrome’s many services and successful projects, all in keeping with their personality and sensibilities.

Check out their site here: Dodge-Chrome

Images Provided from: Dodge-Chrome, Washington Branch.

Other Branches:

Dodge-Chrome, Silver Spring, Maryland Branch

Dodge-Chrome, Mclean/Tysons, Virginia Branch

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A blog about marketing, web design, technology, and other tips to make your business more successful!