(And Why You Should Too)
Your website is more than a brochure or an online shopping center. It is part of your company’s brand identity and a vital part of your marketing efforts. The right website can deliver better relations with your customers, a larger audience for your organization’s message, and greater profits. But let’s be honest, your website isn’t going to do any of these if it’s ugly and un-engaging.
Enter the Super Hero Web Developer…
My goal is to create for you a tailored and optimized web presence unlike any other site, and I’ve found the best way to deliver a high quality product is building WordPress websites using the Genesis Framework by StudioPress. Let me explain just a few benefits of this product.
First, What IS The Genesis Framework?
According to TechCrunch, over one-fifth of newly-registered websites run on WordPress. Originally a blogging platform, WordPress has grown into one of the leading content management systems on the internet. Sites built with WordPress can easily be customized by the use of themes, but upgrading and customizing those themes can be difficult.
The Genesis Framework by StudioPress simplifies the construction and maintenance of websites using WordPress without limiting the content manager’s adaptability or powerful features, and it offers a host of advantages over other methods of WordPress management.
Genesis itself is a type of WordPress theme called a “parent theme” and manages the operation of your site. It uses “child themes” to manage your site’s look and feel without interfering with functionality. Genesis is just one big happy family.
Benefit #1: SEO Or Search Engine Optimization
When someone types “blue widgets” in a search engine, you want to be sure the first listing is for YOUR site, “Widgets R Us”. You do NOT want to see your competitors’ sites high in the ranks, “Widget World”, “Nothing But Widgets” and certainly not your arch-rival, “Widgets, Widgets, Widgets.”
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a hot topic for web designers because realistically, very few people look past the first page or even the first entry. Effective SEO is a complex process (almost an exact science if you will) that involves more than just stuffing keywords into pages.
Genesis has been developed from the ground up with SEO in mind. Pages published using the Genesis theme framework use code optimized for search engines, making it easy for search engine web crawlers to scan and index your site. These SEO techniques are constantly being refined by StudioPress as the search engines change their algorithms (fancy term for the highly scientific and mathematical formulas the search engines use to award rankings to sites), so you can be comfortable your site will retain its high ranking over time. See why it’s good to have a geek on your side?
Benefit #2: Personalization
One mistake site owners make is to become so obsessed with SEO that they forget about the next step: what will visitors do once they get there? Is your site exciting, engaging, memorable? Or is it just another cookie-cutter template like half the other WordPress sites? Your website is an extension of your branding strategy and should be designed with as much attention as you’ve given your logo, company name and public image. In today’s virtual marketplace, some would even argue your website should be given even MORE attention than those elements.
Customizing templates is tricky in WordPress, but is easy when you use Genesis. Infuse your organization’s identity into the site whether that means using a particular color scheme common to your stores, incorporating special fonts, or adding caricatures of the company officers to show your quirky side. Check out your competition’s site then ask me to blow it out of the water. Take the time to create a site that is truly unique and representative of your business.
Benefit #3: Functionality
In the early days of the web, company websites were nothing more than electronic brochures. They were static pages designed to do little more than display information. The only possible actions were clicking from page to page, and maybe sending an email.
Today’s users EXPECT a dynamic and interactive site. They want to follow links to relevant information and share your site on their social network pages. The Genesis Framework allows even the technically challenged to add widgets that add functionality to websites, and to change them as new widgets are created, or as the internet landscape changes, or as your business or customer needs change. Consider social media plug-ins. When Google+ went live, websites with Genesis were able to add Google+ widgets the same day. And if today’s hot social media site declines (Myspace? What’s that?), you can take those widgets down just as easily. Functions can be added or removed without having to know anything about computers, programming or web technology (but don’t worry, I’m always still a phone call away).
Benefit #4: Security
Your website is a potential security black hole. Site hacking incidents can be as benign as a vandalized front page, or as malicious as inserting spyware that funnels customer credit cards to third parties. Since WordPress is such a popular platform, it’s also a popular target for web hackers. Hang on, that’s not as bad as it sounds.
The good news is, StudioPress worked directly with WordPress developers to ensure the Genesis Framework was secured against the most common WordPress hacks. Yes, you can secure WordPress yourself, but without an extensive knowledge of network security you won’t know what threats to look out for. Genesis automatically uses recommended best practices, and is regularly updated to protect against known threats. Genesis makes it easier to update WordPress without jeopardizing your existing customizations, and that will also ensure you are protected against the latest threats.
Benefit #5: Unlimited Potential
I’ve told you why you should use Genesis, but you may be wondering why I use Genesis. When I build sites for clients using WordPress and the Genesis Framework, I can provide exactly the level of customization and support needed.
If you need a simple site, Genesis lets me put that together quickly so you get a high-quality site at a budget price. You can handle customization and updates yourself rather than paying me to do it, although I’m still available for support as needed. If you need a more complex site, I can do that as well and Genesis doesn’t limit me or get in my way. I can adapt the function and coding of the site to your exact specifications, and yet still work within the Genesis Framework so you can customize the site in the future.
I’m not called the Super Hero Web Developer for no reason, and I didn’t just pull my tagline out of thin air. I really do build, “bullet-proof websites,” and I stand behind my work 100%. So get on the horn and call me today! (so that you don’t have to navigate all the way over to the Contact Me page… I’ll make it easy for you: 626-794-9543). I will have your custom-tailored, SEO-optimized, robust and dynamic website up before you know it!