How Much Should You Pay For A Website?

I call it 'business terrorism'.

Businesses - holding others hostage, or using fear - to charge WAY more than they should for website design, web maintenance, hosting, social media and more.

Lately - I've seen several local 'web design' and 'SEO' agencies and firms preying on small business (and doctor's offices mostly, that I have seen).  I have been watching people pay hundreds of dollars for things that take less than an hour to perform (adding links to copy on a page for example, or a new link from the drop down menu on a custom Wordpress site).

I've seen instances this year - where doctors paid more for their website - than they would a luxury car.  

I have seen cases - locally - and recently - where these webdesign and marketing companies 'host' and design the sites for the client, then do not give them access at all or full, free reign to manage their own site, AND then - they charge them unbelievable money to make small changes. (over $1000 to add a link to the navigation? really?)

Now, I'm not talking about a website that provides an interactive, multi-programming platform experience that does something AHHHHH-MAZING.

And if anyone needed that - it's not something we do - it's out of my league and skill set. I'm talking about a Wordpress site design. Or a standard HTML (page by page) small business website.

For this same type of website - which we do every day - our website design rates start at $1500.00 and go up to around $2500 - and it all depends on time involved. We post these rates directly on our website - we try to be as up-front as possible - from the start and communicate the entire way through. Of course - it can cost more - sure - but it rarely is.  We do small changes, updates for our hourly rate and a two-hour minimum. And - I can get a TON done in two hours.  We work hard, one on one try to include as much as we can - to give added value to our clients and do quality work, efficiently. 

Bottom line: we're nowhere NEAR $20k, $30k and even over $50k. (all of which - I have seen here LATELY - as in the last 6 months on more than 5 different local clients)  Makes me wonder if our prices are that far below the ballpark?

And - we don't 'host' sites and mark up that cost with another fee. We charge money for a providing a service to you. We don't need to make more money by marking up hosting. We refer our clients to our favorite web hosting company - Host Assured, and then let our client set up their own account - billing and management so that they can manage that fully moving forward. Why, you ask? We find this works best on a number of levels - 1/ they can get support directly from the host and 2/ if they choose to leave us, or go with another company - they have full freedom over their website, it's content - and who has access to it. These poor companies I've been working with lately seem to be in the dark on their access and what they are paying for. That's just wrong.

Of course, Kari & Co. is just me, and Kim - and a couple of other quality folks. We have some help from time to time with blogging and content, but for the most part we do all of the design work, we have a WONDERFUL programmer friend in Bangkok who is a brilliant jQuery ninja - but beyond that - what you see is what you get with us. We stay busy, we work hard and we feel we provide a quality end result at a competitive price.

But I see an opportunity here. As a consultant maybe - helping clients (especially medical companies needing medical practice websites) save money from the business terrorists.

Competition Sabotage? Hacker? What You Need To Know About ROBOTS.TXT and SEO

 

Does your site have a robots.txt file? Mine does. In fact, my website has had the same robots.txt file since 2008, barring adding or removing a non-relevant directory from the search bots.

But suddenly - this week - my rankings for ALL my keywords on ALL search engines disappeared. The nice page breakout and descriptions in search results that I had earned for services, contact and other pages that had been stewing online for the last 7 years were gone too. SHIZZ NITS!

So Karebear started freaking out. Went into my Google Webmaster Tools to see an alert, from this last week, to inform me that Google could no longer access my site. Do what? I had made no changes to this file.

I've either been a victim of a hack, or perhaps negative SEO. So let's investigate this Robots.Txt Mystery.

Nutshell - What is a robots.txt file? This is a text file in the root directory of your site that tells Google and other search engines whether they have permission to crawl your pages. It looks something like this:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /directory-you-do-not-want-to-be-crawled/
Disallow: /file-you-do-not-want-to-be-crawled.html
Sitemap: http://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml 

It is a best practice to have a robots.txt file, even if you allow your entire directory to be crawled. Here's what I found last night:

User-agent: *
Disallow: / 

This file is telling Google, and ALL other search engines - NOT to crawl ANY of my site. Disallow from the root directory onward. Not good.

So I went into panic mode, and made some edits and am now hoping, praying that this resolves itself quickly and will be watching closely over my analytics accounts. I'd like you to say a prayer too, please. :)

So now, my next question is - why did this file change? First thing in head - could file have been hacked? Short answer - yes. Could a competitor hack your robots.txt file? Yes, by hacking your robots.txt file so it blocks the site and then submitting a removal request to Google - your competitor could theoretically block your site from search results. Entirely. 

First, there's this article on gaining 'competitive intelligence' by reviewing directories of competitor websites. And even better - is this story from a few years back on how a hacker used proxy hacking to effect a site other than their own. But this one, takes the cake. It's about negative SEO and how it can dramatically reduce your rankings on the internet. Here's an excerpt written by Scott Langdon, contributor/author from www.HigherVisibility.com:

For those who are unfamiliar, negative SEO is when one website either hacks into your website and makes negative changes, reports your website to Google for no reason, or purchases spam links and then points them to the sites of competitors. The idea is that your competitor will be penalized by Google; thus allowing your site to rise above. This is seen as unethical and in most cases it is considered worse than any of the other black hat SEO tactics.

What can you do? 

Your first step is to understand that robots.txt is an important file - and if not done correctly, or if there is a change - it can effect your SERPS in a HUGE way. That is, eventually dropping you completely if bots can't access your content.

Then - DO NOT let your robots get lonely. Or your website reporting for that matter. CHECK Analytics and Webmaster Tools Site Health regularly. If you see any changes, or decrease in traffic - as usual - take appropriate measures.

Use your webmaster tools to check your back links and do searches on yourself and your company. People are mean, try to stay on top of them. If people are wrongly linking your site, stealing your work (I just pasted in the first paragraph of my homepage in quotes to Google and found my copy stolen VERBATIM on another web designer's site. Nice.) or trying to sabotage your efforts in some way. A good side benefit of this is also checking reviews and for online reputation management.

Bottom line: I'm not sure yet what happened. I only have my guesses. I'll certainly report back and let you know everything I find out. If you find you've been a victim - it could be too late as it takes time to index and rank sites. You've been working hard for your positions - and especially if you depend on your rankings for income, this can be devastating to your business. So to me - the most important part of this is to stay on top of your positioning. If you notice a drop, investigate. Check your analytics and webmaster tools regularly, and if it's been several weeks - seek the help of a professional.

**UPDATE** - some nice folks on the Google Webmaster Tools Forums advised me that it is VERY rare for someone to hack your site and only change a robots.txt file. They would be doing other things, and wreaking havoc elsewhere. Negative SEO and Google Proxy stuff wasn't mentioned - and it's too over my head anyway. They did mention that the google bots 'crawl' your site and it has nothing to do with indexing. I guess this means that they just can't access the information to display, and that hopefully the index / search results will not be effected since I caught it early. They pretty much chalked it up to user error. Whatever the case - I will from now on check my rankings and analytics VERY regularly - so I can stay on top of this.

Web Design Company Clients Support MacArthur High School After Prom Party

I am wowed by our clients! Of course, without clients - we'd have no business. I am so lucky to get to be the one to design small business websites for them, or even do a custom Volusion design or Core Commerce design, or maybe do a some social media services for them. Kim and I work really hard to provide a great service, with a great end result, at a fair price - with some added value of good communication and the desire to go above and beyond. For our clients - I already knew they were amazing, but it's now confirmed - that they support us in s many ways!

As many of you know, my niece is graduating this year from the same high school Kim and I graduated from many moons ago. Like most kids, they are getting ready for Prom, and the parties to follow. Kim took a role to support an effort to host a huge after-Prom party - sort of a lock-in - where kids can have a drug-free, alcohol-free good time at SpeedZone in Dallas. Kids attending the MacArthur High School after prom party will be able to race through the night, drinks, snacks, games and giveaways - until the sun comes up the next morning. The idea is to keep them off the streets, and off drugs and alcohol - for what should be one of the most memorable nights of their life. The alternative is often tragic, and parents decided a few years ago that after-Prom parties were a great way to protect their kids.

So - we reached out to our web design clients, because we needed financial support to pay for the venue, as well as donations and giveaways to encourage kids and volunteers to participate in this special event. We were nothing short of AMAZED at the return from our clients.

There are more too - coming in every day - supporting this effort in various ways. We will post more as we receive. WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. Our most sincere thanks and appreciation go out to all of these businesses. Please take a moment to visit their websites, share their info on your social networks.

If you are interested in donating a product or service to the MHS After Prom, or making a donation, visit www.MHSAFTERPROM2012.com or contact Kim - kim@kariandco.com.

Again - WOWED by our clients. You guys are the best in the world and we thank you!

Saving Taxpayer Money - Lightening The Load On Jail Cells

Pretty cool concept - new site launch this last week - E-Cell - is an offender home monitoring system. What's great about E-Cell - is that they charge the offender for the convenience of being monitored at home. So the costs to Taxpayers and court systems are extremely minimal - if any - and suffering from jail overcrowding declines.

These guys have a state-of-the art call center and the best equipment available (as far as technology) - they provide 24 hour GPS monitoring for non-violent offenders who meet eligibility requirements - and complete documentation for the court system.

And - what's more - is that E-Cell needs sales representatives interested in having their own business. They're offering a business opportunity for great sales people to have their own, protected area to service court, attorneys and offenders nationwide to sell and service the E-Cell system (both the devices and monitoring services).

For more information on the system itself, or the business opportunity in your area, visit their website at www.e-cell.com for more information.

Fall is Officially HERE - Vintage Couture Launch

Well fall is officially here with the launch of the newly-re-branded Vintage Couture, Inc. website. With some of the most beautiful and creative vintage-inspired clothing designs for kids (and now, ladies too!) - Vintage Couture offers very well-made high-end designer apparel.

This year, they've launched a new look with their website design that speaks more to their 'brand' and not so much the season.

Moving forward, look for eye-catching graphics on the homepage, and Fashion Stylists' sites to show off the lines from season to season.

As most of you are probably aware, Vintage Couture offers more than just the super cute apparel. They are also the exclusive manufacturer of Trista Sutter's apparel line as well. In addition - they offer exceptional business opportunities as an independent Fashion Stylist - offering direct sales of the product at in-home trunk shows for hostesses. It's just one more way that Vintage Couture is truly an exclusive apparel line - you can't get it in the store.

Welcome to the Web - Toni Briggs, CPA

Toni Briggs is a Carrollton, Texas accountant - who specializes in tax preparation and filing, payroll taxes and many other business and personal bookkeeping services. Toni graduated from Texas Tech, and received her BA in Accounting, and then her CPA certificate. She also loves soccer, and is on the board at a state and national level.

What's best - is that Toni is my accountant! I was thrilled when she called needing a new business website, because I know how important it is to have a presence on the internet. Toni's a skeptic - so hit her site A LOT and make her a believer!

Welcome to the internet Toni - and if you need any bookkeeping services or tax planning/preparation services - give her a buzz or visit her resourceful new website design at www.ToniBriggsCPA.com.

Time For A New Website Design - FOR US!

Well, the time came - and so it was - for a website redesign of our own little place on the internet.

Kim was reviewing our site - and our visitors to our site. She felt that our site was boring and a bit outdated. She thought it needed to 'pop' a bit more.

We spend so much time designing other small business websites and Volusion Store website designs, that we haven't even really taken the time to update our site - it's layout or look and feel - in over two years. And you know what - she was right. Our website needed some attention.

So - we took the week and redesigned the website, added some of our favorite colors and updated our content to keep it fresh. We kept the filenames the same, as well as most of the copy - in hopes that we don't lose our SEO rankings. Redesigns can often hurt or 'reset' rankings on the search engines, so we tried to change only the stylesheet and graphics - and then we pruned the rest of the files that were outdated on our server.

Every website needs to be freshened up from time to time. But this doesn't mean you have to totally redesign your entire site. In most cases, you can simply change out a few graphics here and there - change the font, colors or homepage a bit - and your visitors will know that you are on the ball when it comes to monitoring your website and keeping things new and exciting.

We hope our visitors will like what we've done!

Only The Best For Dallas Interior Designer

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and the home furnishings and accessories literally took your breath away? A space where every piece of furniture is a unique piece perfectly placed, and beautiful art and interesting pieces from around the world adorn the walls? Where everything fits into a clean and distinctive design? If you've walked into a home like this - and you're in the Dallas area - chances are - it was an interior design by J. Douglas Bradford of J. Douglas Design, Inc.

Kari & Co. is proud to present one of our newest websites - J. Douglas Design Inc. - This is the place to visit if you are ready to transform your home into the one described above - you know - the one that takes your breath away.

They offer the most exclusive brands in fine furnishings and accessories, window treatments, fine rugs, and interior design services to help you take decorating your home to the next level.

J. Douglas Bradford has been creating award winning interior designs in Dallas for over 30 years. He or one of his designers will meet with you with one on one during your consultation to help you envision your “perfect” palace. From suggestions on colors & textures, furniture selections, fine art options, window treatments, and accessorizing - J. Douglas Design has it all covered where designing interiors is concerned.

So the next time you have that 'feeling' that transforming your house into a true showplace is what you need to be doing - visit the showroom at J. Douglas Design, we are certain that you won’t be disappointed.

SvelteLIfe Program and Website Featured On NBC

Congratulations to Dr. Cluff, Irving Texas physician who developed the SvelteLife weight loss system. The program is gaining buzz in the news and elsewhere - with
a full online program of healthy lifestyle changes, effective exercises and even weight-loss workshops to help people achieve their weight loss goals in a healthy, lifelong way.

We're pleased to have helped Dr. Cluff with his new website - and I attended his SvelteShop on December 5th. It was jam-packed with great tips, ideas and a solid plan - complete with interactive web tracking and more. Visit his website for more details!

Welcome TINY DIMPLES

What a beautiful design - and what a fun store! It's EVERYTHING BABY at Tiny Dimples. Whether you need a car seat cover, baby apparel, or safe toys - even nursery decor and bedding - Tiny Dimples has it. If you're having a baby, or know someone who is - they've got what you need for the perfect baby gift.

This was a great client, who knew what she wanted - and the site turned out great in my opinion. She's got a knack for carrying the right products, organized them properly, and also displayed them with a common theme and branding throughout the site. The site is usable, easy on the eyes, and packed of products to choose from.

Speaking of babies......

It hasn't been too long since I had my first baby, he'll be three September 1st. We just had a positive experience getting off the pacifier that I'd like to share with you guys - (if you're interested in something off the beaten path of websites and such.)





He'd had it the entire time - that is, the pacifier. The pacie, as he called it was a staple of all events - eating, sleeping, car, school. He was attached. Any mom whose kiddo is on the pacifier kinows this is a tough habit to break. Everyone said to try and cut off the end - that didn't work. Others said to try dipping it in vinegar or hot sauce. Now my kid loves salsa. (hot salsa too.)

He'd gotten pretty good about giving it up during the day, but night time was terrible - and the pacie was a must to get him to sleep and keep him that way.

One morning - right before his typical time to wake up - I looked at him as he slept. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be great to lose this pacifier today?"

So, I reached down and unplugged it from my child while he was asleep. Just like that. Threw it in the garbage.

Then, I grabbed a prize, and ran back in to him.

A few moments later, he was waking up - and I was THERE. Of course, little hands feeling around for his small rubbery friend that was now in the kitchen trash can.

When he opened his eyes and began to ask me, I cut him off and said (loudly and excitedly) "WOW - You didn't have the pacie ALL NIGHT! What a BIG BOY! You get a surprise today for NOT having the pacie all night!" and I presented him with a dollar-store book.

He was a bit confused, but happy to get a surprise nonetheless, and when I just kept on about what a big boy he was - making a HUGE deal of the occassion, (calling in Dad to woo him on the event, calling the Gaga to tell her, and Aunt Kimmy) - he smiled and looked a little proud.

I told him that each night he went without it we'd give him another surprise in the morning.

This went on for about a week. Seven dollars later - we're paci-free.

Enjoy your babies, your blogs, and your websites - until next time!

E-Commerce Suggestions From Kari & Company

So many of our clients come to us and say - "I'm not sure where to start" - we always try to help our clients along the way and offer suggestions based on their needs.

Of all the issues that arise during the process of designing an e-commerce template or website - we find that the products, features or promotions aren't always 'in your face' front-and-center of the store in a way that entices the potential customer to want to buy. So when you work with us - we will usually make suggestions like these - we want to share them with you now:

1/ Say who you are on your homepage: From the moment someone hits your site - they should know what you're about. Steve Krug's book - Don't Make Me Think - is a great primer to this concept. Sure, the book is a few years old - but the idea is forever. Your potential client doesn't want to click for days to find your products or what they need. They want to be in control; and know where they are. Say who you are and give them options RIGHT FROM THE START!

2/ Offer standard layout when you can: Store owners don't always like the standard layouts - horizontal navigation, side menus, etc - and want something different and unique. But the truth is - standard layout is what your user expects. They EXPECT to see your logo and branding top left. They EXPECT to see horizontal and/or left-side navigation so they can find what they are looking for - categorized in an intuitive way.

3/ Treat it like a REAL STORE: Store owners of e-commerce sites often think that what they are doing is totally different from owning a brick and mortar storefront. Really, it's not. E-commerce site owners have to prepare 'virtual endcaps' with great promotions, graphics and displays in and around their site, have 'point of purchase displays' throughout the shopping process to incent your client to click around, and showcase their product and/or services in a creative way.

4/ Keep it clean and fresh through design: Certainly - the end-user experience should be an aesthetic one; one that looks and feels nice. This creates a sense of security - a nicely designed website will give your client a feeling that they're buying from someone who cares enough about their store to keep it nice.

TIP: "Splash pages" are officially out. Just so you know. I still get people ask for these all the time. While they're cool - and pretty - it's an extra click for your client! People tell me all the time - "I leave a website that has one of those intro pages....." Now, if you really want one - I can make you a darn pretty one. Even a Flash one (which are more annoying to users than the static ones...) But don't be surprised if I try to talk you out of it - because I don't want you to lose visitors. :)

That's about it for now. Certainly each design or project has it's own needs - and we try to customize your results based on your vision and needs. Happy Surfing!

Holidays BLEW by!

I'm sorry I haven't written much lately - the holidays just BLEW BY - and now we're into 2009 already! I've got some great stuff to share about SEO, so I'll have to organize it and post it ASAP for you. Also - some great new sites are now live!

So, look for me to post again this week on some things about natural & organic SEO and the new sites Kari & Co. was working on over the 2008 Holiday!

So far for 2009, I've got a few Volusion customers that I'm working with to help them get their site BE-AU-TI-FIED!

Hope everyone is great, had a GREAT holiday season - and we're looking forward to a successful 2009!!

Great Gifts Galore ONLINE NOW

The holidays are fast approaching - and thankfully - it's been a busy time for us! We've had lots of new clients, and they're all great opportunities to get prizes and presents this holiday season. Check them out!

Welcome to the internet!

Defend Max - Owned and operated by an ex police officer who knows and understands the need for such products - DefendMax offers tons of articles and resources to help you in your choices. Visit DEFENDMAX - for all your personal security products, including mace and pepper spray, video and surveillance cameras and more!





Electric Smoker Pro - Commercial and Personal Smokers, Grills and more - Michael's motto: "Smoke like a PRO from the very first day" - this sounds like a GREAT gift for DAD!!! (or ANYONE!)








Evolution Import - If you've got a Volkswagen or Audi, this is your one-stop parts shop. Specialized German stuff for specialized German cars!! Check out their world-famous aluminum skid plates!








Sleep Well Baby - is not new to the internet, rather - it's redesigned and reborn anew! Check them out for great specials on wellness products, bath, body, aromatherapy, rest and relaxation products and more.

and finally...





The ULTIMATE Home Journal - if you're a realtor, the key to referral success is client gifts. What better gift to give your client - than the Ultimate Home Journal - to help them manage the hectic day to day needs ot moving and settling into a new home. Earn your client's referrals with this great client gift.

Gosh, I've been busy... but new GREAT sites are up!

Hi Everyone, I've been busy lately! But there's some newcomers (at least, new designs for me - some of them have been around!) to the web I'd like to take a moment to introduce!

A great big Texan Internet "HELLO" to:

Inspired Endurance:
Marie is a crafts-woman who creates custom gold and silver jewelry for the inspired athlete. The perfect gift for someone in your life who is training for a marathon or running event, or any sort of endurance sport. She's got the best, most unique jewelry.

I have to say - she sent me the CUTEST bracelet (or, RACE-let!) and I just love it. You'll be inspired by her, and her products. Check out her new site.


Wine Christmas
Chari and her team at SuVino Winery have
been working hard to get their ultra-cool new site, Wine Christmas - up and running for you to browse holiday ornaments, decor, wine stoppers, items for the home and table - and more!

The Winery is great fun too - and look soon for DIVA WINE SHOP for all your whimsical wine gifts!




And also for your holiday season shopping needs....
Christmas Dealz
Brandon and his team at Christmas Dealz have the best electronics, Wii, Nintendo, Games, and so much more - for great GREAT holiday gifts for the kiddos, or grown ups (like me) who still love to play.

He's a very smart guy, super-nice, and extremely customer service oriented. He'll provide quality, authentic products - and great service and support with your order. You can't go wrong buying your Holiday gifts here.

Get ready for Holiday shopping with these great sites!!

Congratulations POSH PUPPY BOUTIQUE

Congratulations to Jen over at the Posh Puppy Boutique! She's won TWO Webmaster Awards on her fun website - where you can buy DESIGNER DUDS FOR YOUR DOG, BLING COLLARS, DOG BOWLS, PET BEDDING and more.

It's nice to see a website that takes off and does so well after we've edited the Volusion Template. Volusion is the e-commerce platform for Posh Puppy Boutique.

So - again, CONGRATS, JEN - for webmastering your new website to success of these two niche awards! Not an easy task!

Awarded by: Next Day Pets

Dogs, Pet Supplies, Dog Breeders Frontline, Pet Meds, Revolution

	Awarded to quality pet websites. (dogs, puppies, cats, horses) Type: Dog Site

NEW WEBSITES - And some REDESIGNS

WELL, it's been a busy couple of months for Kari & Co. - which is great! And, thanks to all my clients who have sent me referrals. Most of my business lately has been repeat and referral clients, and this is great to me, because that is how I always envisioned my business - trust and cooperation, effective communication is really important to us - so we're pleased to get the referrals and great feedback.

So, without further delay...

Welcome to the Web


Better Bronze, owner Allyson Adair, has started the ultimate business, providing mobile tanning services to the Austin, Texas metro area. Welcome to the web! If you're in Austin, you're in for a treat, because she uses Fantasy Tan products, featured on ABC's Dancing with the Stars! WISH I WERE CLOSER TO AUSTIN....









Want the Celebrity Look for less $$? Get the hottest styles of accessories, handbags, and other great stuff
at the Celebrity Look! "Paris and Nicole" style, at "Kari" prices! Whooooooot diggity! Designer inspired, at an inspiring price. Get your celeb-style today!







REDESIGNED AND REFRESHED





Aim Higher Jets - what a neat thing. Owned by the Gilmore family, and operated by Jeff - a US Air Force Pilot stationed overseas (THANKS JEFF!!!). If you're looking for replica/diecast/custom mahogany aircraft models - this is the place.







Coming VERY SOON!

• The Anderson Law Firm (finalizing!!)
• My Seafood Gourmet
• Red Ass Gear (for all the Aggies out there!)

And a special thank you to my ongoing clients, if it weren't for you - I wouldn't be able to be a WAHM!! Work at home mom!

RACETIME

I've been helping on and off with a cool lil' project that belongs to my friend Shannon:
The US OUTLAW Nationals

Drag race enthusiasts - run what you brung! Get all the info here.

Need an Auto Loan?

Welcome to the web: The Auto Loan Group! Although still working on some final functionality things - this website is live, but not 'functional' yet. Look for it soon for all your financing needs!

A beautiful design (that I am particularly proud of...) - Ion Chi Patches - and a great client. (a VIP client!)Trust Jason and his staff at IonChi, for the lastes holistic and natural remedies and healthcare. Check out these cool detox foot pads!!!!

Also (sort of) coming soon - VMS Security Seals. The site is designed, and should relaunch in the next few weeks. Lad's been working up a storm on it!

Coming soon:
Hire Instincts
Muscle Car Mania of Texas

New Sites

New sites are hitting the web!

WELCOME TO THE INTERNET:

Elliott Consulting - Sherri Elliott, an HR Professional in the Dallas area, has taken her consulting firm online. She and the team at Elliott HR Consulting can provide assessments, training and other HR solutions for your business. Check them out!

Suburban Roofing is a new website for some long-time, experienced repair/remodeling/roofing company local to the Dallas area. Need some remodeling work? or a new roof? They handle residential and commercial repairs and remodeling solutions all over the Dallas Metro area. Welcome to the web, Jeff Peters and Staff!

Redesigns:
Check out the new look of The Purse Boutique and Red Carpet Bagz! Updating their look for the new year.

Although we don't get to take credit for the cool website design, we did recently made some website updates for Absolute Pitch Public Relations, and designed their MySpace blog. Looking for some cool music? Or are you a musician with lots of promise? Seek out Beatrice at Absolute Pitch PR for your public relations needs. Very cool stuff!

Coming Soon:
VMS Products (Security Seals and other Security Products)
Acrylic Designs, Inc.
Morgan and Son Racing
Muscle Car Mania of Texas
Fraud Consultants Online
The Anderson Firm (redesign)

Not New, But Very Much Needed - MySpace

Just stumbled upon a very good article and example of CSS to 'decrappify' MySpace web profiles. Great article, thought I'd mention it here - Mike Davidson's Blog.

I have to say, I tried this technique with a blog resdesign - here: Absolute Pitch Public Relations - and while it turned out fairly nice, I find that MySpace is crazy about cross browser compatibility, still. I had lots of problems getting my 'MySpace' project to look as nice as Mike Davidson did with his blog - but I finally realized that you can't allow HTML in the comments section, or the images and other doodads your 'friends' can put in your comments will throw your tables and design out of whack.

Took me a long time to figure this out, I'm a little embarrased... but lesson learned. So - for the most part, if you want a nice clean, contained look, you have to create new template with the default MySpace CSS, (as Mike provides in his blog at above referenced link) and then turn of the HTML Friend Comments. (or as far as I know.)

Still a learning process.....