Many businesses are wondering if it makes sense to advertise on Yelp. Yelp is a very unique site that combines reviews with social networking. It has become progressively important for consumers to be able to read and share real opinions about businesses, and Yelp enables them to do just that. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, over 500,000
If you do business on the Internet and participate in social media, at some point you will field reviews and comments from your customers: both good and bad. Often, however, businesses run into trouble when they are forced to deal with the negative opinions of their customers and clients. Knowing how to respond to such reviews is not only crucial
While the creative brief provides direction and guidance to your design agency, the positioning statement clarifies your value proposition: the unique quality that sets your offer apart from others. Creating a clear and effective positioning statement can galvanize your company’s future as long as it’s convincing, genuine, and felt r
Note: This post was updated on November 24, 2025. One of my web design clients wanted my help finding a cheaper web hosting option. Her colleague, also a client, had recommended she try hosting with Network Solutions for a low $2.99 per month. Naturally I told her I would help her. Digital Housing, their existing provider were very cooperative an
Literally billions of YouTube videos are viewed every single day. Viral videos are an online phenomenon that attracts thousands to millions of viewers. Can you imagine the amount of traffic that could be driven to your site if you were able to get your products, services, and brand in front of an audience of thousands? Here are some simple tips tha
Social media marketers believe that you need to build a dynamic and ongoing presence on Facebook and Twitter to build awareness and attract new customers. There are definitely some success stories, but it is a mistake to think that it will automatically work for your business. Even if you execute a social media marketing plan flawlessly, social net
It can be quite disheartening to launch your new web site and watch it go unnoticed. Your website showcases all of your hard work, your brand, and your business. But instead of receiving an explosion of traffic, you get little more than the sound of crickets echoing back from the far reaches of the Internet. If your web site traffic is anemic, mayb
Professional academic writers often use style guides. These guides help the writer ensure that every paragraph and every page follows the same rules for formatting and for citing information. Following these guidelines allows for all of the information to be unified. These same strategies can be applied to web site design, as well as other design p
We are awash in data and like a town hit by a tornado we don't know where to begin. In the past few years, the volume of unstructured data — video clips, blog posts, forum threads, social media posts, online chats, and email — has grown exponentially. How can we capture, interpret and utilize this flood of information? Some may say why b
Designing a website is a very creative and imaginative process. But to ensure a successful outcome, it helps to write down the structure, style, content, strategy and other requirements in clear language that the whole team will understand. We recommend allowing some time to write what’s called a creative brief. A creative brief is a concise docu
Design Notes is our collection of practical insights on web development, digital marketing, and design. From SEO best practices and social media strategy to responsive design and content creation, we share tips and techniques that help businesses strengthen their online presence.
Whether you're looking to improve your search rankings, create effective Facebook ads, or build a mobile-friendly website, you'll find actionable guidance based on real-world experience helping clients succeed online.
