Here at Esultants, it has been a very hectic end of 2011/start of 2012.  We have been working on a number of different websites – everything from corporate limo websites to banking websites and everything in between.

One of the really cool aspects of my job is that during the course of building a client’s site is that I get to learn a lot about what it is they do. Despite the VAST differences from one client to the next, there is one resounding similarity that all of our customers seem to share - the desire to have a web presence that best represents their business to both current customers and potential customers.

Website design is kind of like fashion.  Looking at website designs dating back to the onset of the Internet can be similar to looking at pictures of someone in the 70s wearing a leisure suit*, in the 80s wearing acid washed jeans, or in the early 90s rocking a pair of Zubas.   When you encounter past images of yourself or others wearing these items, you probably feel a mix of nostalgia, combined with a little bit of embarrassment, along with awe at how far things have come.

Is this your website? (Metaphorically speaking)

So it looks like this Facebook thing is kind of a big deal.  Hundreds of millions of people use it every day to interact with their friends, play silly games, post interesting (and uninteresting) life updates, and to hear from companies like yours.

If you have already set up a Facebook page for your business, your customers and others who are interested in you can choose to “Like” your page.  This means that whenever you post something on your page, everyone who “Likes” your page will see it.  This is a great way to stay in touch with your customer base.

So how can you get more people to “Like” your page?  One easy way is to put a “Like Box” on your website.  By

The development team has had a fast start to August, already launching three new websites in the first 9 days.  All three projects were quite unique, although in all cases the main objective was the same - to create a more professional, modern and stylish design, and to give the website owner more control over the content presented on their site.  Here is a brief rundown of the project specifics. 

These phone books have been sitting on the porch of my apartment building for over a week.  Four apartments in the building, four sad, lonely phone books just sitting there, most likely never to be used.  That is, unless someone needs an impromptu doorstop.

So what happened?

Your phone book (if you even have one) is like Woody, from the movie Toy Story.  It used to be your trusty companion when you wanted to find a place to eat, buy a new piece of furniture, or hire someone to fix your sink.  Then the Internet came along. 

To complete the Pixar simile, Google is like Buzz Lightyear.  Even if you’re still the phone book’s “favorite deputy,” it’s easy to leave it behind in favor of some fancy search engine that seems to go “to infinity and beyond.”  With any piece of information just seconds away, it’s understandable to leave that old phone book on the porch like some old broken toy that you’re bored with.

In a way it’s almost sad.  I imagine that at some point in the future we’ll look back with nostalgia and miss the

I know this is a question that we all toss and turn about in bed at night. 

 
A quick multiple choice test:  Which of the following is the right way to write it?

 
A. web site

B. website

C. web-site

D. Web site

E. Web Site

F. Some cutesy spelling, like wEbsiTE  (Please don’t pick this one)

 
Maybe you have a preference that you tend to use yourself.  Maybe you just go with whatever you feel like in the moment.  But is there a correct way to write it that you should be using?

 
Let’s cut this Gordian Knot by taking a look at a few arguments for the use of different versions of it, and also see who uses it how.

The one and only Google appears to have chosen website.  Since Google is taking over the world, I think this carries some weight.  When I mentioned this in an office discussion, Rob, our Project Coordinator said, “If Google jumped off a bridge, would you too?”  Touché, Rob, touché.   If that’s what it took to get one of our customers’ websites higher on search engines, I just might.

 
Tim, one of our consultants, had an interesting take on it. He said, “What about a landing

We're excited to launch our new website, which will enable us to provide even more value to our customers.  The new site uses one of our content management systems, which allows anyone from our staff (web developer or not) to add pages, content, and more to the site.

We're just getting started.  Take a look around, and we'd love to hear what you think.

Don't forget to bookmark this blog and check back regularly for informative posts about how you can get more from having a website.

Testing, testing.  1, 2, 3...