As a busy las vegas company or business owner, there are only so many things you could do in a day, especially things where some element of skills is required. Designing your own website is one such activity, one which should really be designed by a professional Las Vegas website design company (we like to keep business local). If you are not a professional designer and developer, you should leave it in a professional’s hands, and a professional web design firm (like my company Perkolate.com) will work closely with you to ensure it meets your marketing goals and is properly and professionally designed.

Here are the key reasons you should hire a local Las Vegas website design company:

It’s Technical - Leave it to the Experts

Designing websites is definitely not something that just anyone can do. Sure, there are do-it-yourself websites out on the internet, but they have a lot of limitations. You neeed a professional company that can help you shape the design and flow of your website. You need a company that is experienced in specific coding languages like PHP, ASP, HTML and professional softwares like Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Flash. If you are not familiar with these languages and softwares, you may well have to learn them, because without them, you cannot even think of starting to design a website.

Time is of Essence - Don’t Waste Yours

If you’re the average business owner or run a company, do you really have the time to be trying to build and launch your own web site? Rushing through things at this stage, even if it is assumed that you have the appropriate skills for web designing could mean you making a complete mess of your website. That is why I recommend that you hire a professional web design company right here in Las Vegas who will get everything done quickly and effectively.

More Cost-Effective In the Long Run - Don’t Do It Yourself

If you hired someone in house, you would have to cover all of the costs associated with hiring an employee. That employee most likely will not have all of the marketing, strategy, programming and development skills you might need for your corporate web site. Or if you are trying to build the website yourself, I ask you, wouldn’t your time be more wisely spent doing what you do best in running and growing your business and leaving a professional web design company to do what they do best and in your best interested? In most cases, working with a professional web company works out to be the most cost-effective option.

For more information on professional website design and development solutions, visit my company’s website at www.perkolate.com. (We are located in Summerlin)

Cheers!

Okay, so your Las Vegas company or business has a website, that’s a great first start. In addition to a professional website design with good content, your website needs to rank or appear in search engine results like google.

Natural organic search engine rankings for your website bring your website listing to the first few pages of a google search. Organic rankings are the ranking google pulls when you do a search. They are not the paid or sponsored listings or links.

Here’s a visual to help (it’s my company Perkolate coming up #1 on a search for “las vegas marketing company”):

So, how can you improve the organic ranking for your website?

• Have a well written website with a decent amount of content, a couple of hundred words on each page if possible.
• Optimize all META tags on your web pages (title tag, keyword tag and description tag)
• Link to other websites, could be partners of your business, helpful links, articles, community links, etc.
• Have links going between your website pages that are rich in keywords and key phrases.
• Purchase your domain name for several years (tells search engines you’ll be around for awhile!)
• Have a professional SEO company in Las Vegas perform Search Engine Optimization services on your website.
• Consider adding a blog to your website (another great way to get more links and traffic to your website).
• Add your website to the google directory (and all other top 10 search engines)
• Keep your website up to date - search engines like fresh content.

Building your company’s first website can seem overwhelming at first.  It takes a bit of strategy and planning and really should be something you find blocks of time to work on during your work week or on the weekend. Be pro-active, not reactive.

Just keep in mind these simple rules and ask yourself the following questions to keep you on track:

• Do your have an online marketing plan?
• Do you have a logo, colors chosen and a corporate identity?
• Have you purchased a domain (URL), and a hosting plan? (It’s best to consult with a professional first)
• Do you have a basic outline of what will be on your website?
• Do you have copy written for your website pages or do you need the assistance of an professional copy writer?
• Do you have product photos, corporate headshots?
• Do you have collateral (brochures, flyers, etc.) available as downloads on your website?
• Research competitors near and far for ideas and figure out how you can make your unique selling proposition stand out.
• Create a clear and appealing call-to-action for your website (i.e. Call for free evaluation, 10% off first time order, etc.).
• Will your website require any special functionalty (i.e. ecommerce, shopping cart, flash animation, photo galleries, forms, etc.)?
• Do you have a professional company in mind to build your website (professionals companies know what they are doing, won’t close shop overnight and can help guide)

Focus on one piece at a time, and create a timeline for yourself for completion.

Here are some resources to help you out:

10 Tips to Planning Your Website

8 Simple Steps to Planning Your Website

Ecommerce & Shopping Cart Tips

Perkolate - Las Vegas Professional Website Design & Development