One of the most important aspects of web site maintenance is content updates. New content in the form of new products and services, monthly special offerings, useful tips and noteworthy news articles and press releases will give your audience a reason to keep coming back to your site. This will also increase your chance of converting your visitor into a customer. If your web content is stale, visitors will search elsewhere for the things they need. It is therefore very important that the company web site is updated and enhanced regularly with new content and technology. See it as a way of protecting your site and investment.

As you think about upcoming maintenance you would like to perform on your site please consider these two tips that will help encourage returning web site visitors:

Whether you are a project manager like myself or not, we’ve all experienced the problem of expanded goals and objectives sneaking their way into an otherwise well-planned project time-line. We embark on a new project thinking we have sufficiently outlined all the potential objectives. We’ve spend hours planning and predicting a strategic project with reasonable goals and deadlines. Yet once started, we invariably find that we need more, less, or just something different. The dreaded scope creep…simply defined as the growth or change of project requirements. Project managers and clients, alike, hate scope creep because it almost always delays project schedules and increases project costs.

It might not be possible to completely avoid scope creep, but we can take measures to minimize it. And when it does happen, there are ways to manage it. Here are some suggestions for minimizing and managing scope creep:

If you have a website, chances are pretty high that you spend a lot of time looking for ways to market your business online. In today’s economy, paying for advertisements might be out of your budget. That’s why Blue Water Media has put together a few ideas for promoting your website inexpensively.

Add Your Business to Google Local
One of the easiest ways to bring visibility to your business is by using Google Local. It’s free, easy, and only takes a few minutes. By registering your business with Google local, you increase your chances for people to find your business through Google Maps and localized searches on Google.  When potential customers search Google Maps for local information, they’ll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even photos of your storefront or products. Register at www.google.com/local/add

We often meet with potential clients that are justifiably looking to redesign their current website.  Depending on how long an organization has been in existence many organizations may be on their third, fourth or even fifth iteration.  With fast-moving technologies like website development, everyone seems to want the latest and greatest, but at times we often wonder at what expense.

With all eyes on our struggling economy and growing concerns for the environment, a majority of companies are looking for solutions that both save money and the environment. Blue Water Media’s web and graphic design departments are here to help companies move towards going green while saving green. Here are a few things to consider when beginning your next project.

Web Updates and E-newsletters
Keep your web site fresh and up-to-date, adding new content and/or features you will keep your visitors intrigued. Through the very nature of their business some companies update their sites consistently. Whether it be new products, services, events, promotions, specials, press releases, blogs, or message boards each of these help to build the interactivity of your site, and will improve traffic to establish a stronger web presence.