Phoenix AZ web design blog

EU, GDPR and you

  • By Ian Shere , on May 25 2018 07:07
  • 3 min read

Today, May 25 2018, marks the introduction of a new law in the EU regarding privacy of data. For most of my clients (primarily based in the USA and some in New Zealand and Canada), the EU seems an awfully long way away. At best, if you're in New York, it's a little over 7 hours flight time to London. Or, if you remember that Britain is, technically, not part of the EU anymore, it's about 7.5 hours from New York to Paris. Unfortunately, in internet time, it's a few seconds at most. And that's where, if you're not ready today, you could be leaving yourself wide open for legal action through your website's behavior.

The EU is tightening up on how and when companies collect, then store, then use private information. We agree that data protection is an extremely important topic, one which most companies fail to take anywhere near enough care over. Just Google data breach 2018 to see the woefully long list of high profile companies who have been hacked. However, we believe the EU has really over-stretched itself with this one. And the reason we believe, or at least part of the reason, is their previous data

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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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