How to pick a web design firm....

There are a lot of web design firms, and it seem that there are more growing daily. Most of my clients have been burned by one or more web firms. Usually they are leary and just want a solution that will work. So how do you know your firm will work for you?

1. Reasearch the firm. How long have they been in business? Do their current clients like them?
2. How big is the firm. This is double edged sword. You don't want a firm that is huge and you a number, however, you don't want a firm that is a one man show. Ask for company history.
3. Pick a firm who is specific for your needs. Find a firm that specializes in the language you require. For example, if they are a jack of all trades and a master of none, you can bet on getting mediocure work. Find a firm that specializes in what you need done.
4. Ask for samples that are not on their site. A company usually displays there best work on their site. See what their not so good work looks like. Make sure it's acceptable.
5. If they say it can be done tomorrow or really quick chances are they don't know to estimate time and have already acheived failure. Programming is hard to estimate, however, it's can be done. Make sure the firm has a resonable estimate on time.
6. Judge them by their site. Make sure you like thir site.
7. Follow your gut instinct. Usually you gut is a pretty good indicator of something good.

If you are intersted in services by H4 Technology, we're happy to help in any way possible.

"I want to buy your products".... but cant, see why SEO can help

Recently I've been thinking a lot about our clients, and how I can help improve their businesses. To me, I feel like when I gain a client I'm not just their IT department, but I'm one of their business partners.

For this reason, I feel like search engine optimization is so important for a small business. I think everyone has seen those ads where someone is holding up a sign that says, "I want to buy your product / service." Next to that person is a different person holding up another sign that has the basic same message. Often times, I feel like my clients hold up those signs. All of my clients have great services, and I think a lot of small businesses are in the same boat.

What can you do?
I think why most people don't understand the importance of SEO is the misunderstanding that it's way expensive. The myth is, SEO caters completely to your budget (that is if you do a ad word campaign). Organic SEO (where you actually re-write your content to make it more friendly to search engines) requires more steps to be taken to improve the overall content.

I give this advice to my clients.

1. Identify a budget within your means, but get started today.
2. Figure out how your clients are going to search for you. (define keywords)
3. Make sure your overall content has those keywords in the title or body of your pages.

The advice is simple. It can help people find your products and services, and start driving people to your site.

If you are interested in learning how to optimize your site, check out our SEO Services