Phoenix AZ web design blog

How do you handle a situation where someone has made up a story and falsely accused you of things that NEVER happened on social media?

  • By Ian Shere , on May 18 2018 07:08
  • 1 min read
First rule of ANY review - good or bad - is to reply PROFESSIONALLY, HONESTLY and COURTEOUSLY. There are 4 reasons for this.

First, you encourage those who have left positive reviews by thanking them and adding a little something about why you enjoyed their project.

Second, by adding something about their project, you showcase you areas of expertise and you'll likely jog someone's memory who will say, "Oh yeah, that's exactly what I need!"

Third, for bad reviews, it gives you a chance for damage control. But remember, honesty. If you screwed up, own up! Say what you did to remedy it. If it's false explain it. An honest, polite reply to a bad review will still show you in a good light to future prospects.

Fourth, Google loves seeing replies. Why? Because it tells them (right or wrong) that you're an engaged and active business person who cares about their online reputation. Online reviews are great but so are replies to them.

After that, unless the material is libelous there's not much you can do. As the Brits say, "Keep calm and carry on!"

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Yelp, Manta and Google are always asking me to use their services. How can I use these services for a better online presence?

  • By Ian Shere , on May 18 2018 06:41
  • 2 min read
There is no one right answer. How you can get clients is geographic, demographic and industry related. A properly constructed and optimized website is the foundation for any marketing strategy. Yes, I'm biased because that's what I ​do, but it's also a fact. Make sure your designer knows what they're doing with on-page SEO and it's IMPERATIVE your site is mobile friendly. If it's not, you've immediately driven away almost every Millennial on the planet.

​Google adwords. If you don't know what you're doing they'll send you bankrupt. It's a great way to spend money, but, without good knowledge of how to build campaigns that work, your results will be poor.

​Google business page. A MUST! Equally as important as a website. Why? When you do a search for a product or service and there's a list of 3 at the top of page 1, that's Google business pages. It's a simple way to get your business on page 1 with less effort. Again, it must be done right.

​Yelp, Manta, etc, etc. This is where it become geographic and demographic driven. Except maybe Yelp who I ​wouldn't pay a dime. Somehow they've wriggled out of every lawsuit brought against
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3 free & easy Windows productivity tweaks for 2018

  • By Ian Shere , on January 04 2018 10:22
  • 1 min read
Over the New Year I added a new SSD drive to my computer. Nope, THAT wasn't free, but it was pretty easy, AND it is FAST! In case anyone's interested, I bought a 1Tb Samsung 850 PRO III SSD. Note, get the Pro, not the EVO. They come in all the same sizes, but the PRO has better specs, with double the guarantee - 5 v 10 years.
A new drive meant reloading a bunch of software, so I finally decided to fix some of the little things about Windows that bug me a lot. Here are 3 that have already saved me a load of grief and time.
  • Windows/popups that open at stupidly small sizes. They're just never big enough, right? I am constantly resizing them, only to have to do it again the next time they appear. I found a little program called AutoSizer that allows you to specify not only a size, but a location as well (I now generally use "Center:). 
  • Add to My Places Bar. Ever wish you could add different, custom locations to the side of dialog boxes (like "Open" or "Save")? Now it's easy with PlacesBar Editor!  Download, install, and run (you
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Desktops/laptops/brick and mortar still popular shopping

  • By Ian Shere , on August 13 2016 07:20
  • 1 min read

If you're like me, you'll have heard that around 90% of all buying decisions start with an online search. And about 60% of those searches are done on mobile devices. A recent survey of 1000 people has revealed some very interesting shopping facts.

1. In store shopping is still popular though decreasing over most age ranges. The surprising trend is an increase in instore shopping among the 25-34 age range. Also, families with an annual income of less than $75,000 show an increase in instore shopping.

2. Desktops and laptops still remain popular methods of buying online, however laptops trump desktops. Interestingly, only smartphone ownership and use for shopping online is higher than similar numbers for laptops among 18-34 YOs.

3. Just over 1/3 of wearbles users say they shop with these devices! These devices are most owned by the 25-34 age rang, with 35-44 next.

4. Frequency of shopping decreased across the age range, except for for the 25-34 age range which showed a significant increase.

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