Google+ (and how the +1 button can benefit your business)

The launch of Google’s new social network has web-savvy businesses and social media marketers eager to get their foot in the door early.

One of the most appealing aspects is the “+1″ button, which Google+ users can find next to every listing in Google’s search results.  By recommending a website with this button, your friends, acquaintances and contacts will see this recommendation when it appears in their search results.

In short, it’s Google’s answer to Facebook’s “like” button, but with the potential to embed itself far more fundamentally  into daily internet use.  Most significantly, there have been strong hints that the “+1″ will soon play a major role in future search engine placement.

Google's new "+1" button in action.

When it comes to Search Engine Optimisation, it pays to keep track of just how rapidly Google’s algorithms are changing.  Search results now vary depending on the user’s location, the time of day and previous browsing history.  This is why a well-optimised website will give Google all the information it can, including listings on Google Maps and Places.

The +1 button is one more tool in that arsenal.  Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get in on the action before the rest of the world notices.

How can we help?

Online Visions is a website design agency based in Brisbane and servicing all of Australia.  As online marketing, SEO and social media specialists, we’ll give your business the head start it needs on Google+, including +1 buttons embedded into your new and existing website design.

Contact us today to learn more about our search engine optimisation and online marketing packages.

WordPress Mobile

Manage your WordPress powered website from your phone.

WordPress users may not be aware of the range of mobile applications available to manage your wordpress website or blog.

You can download applications for Iphone, Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows Mobile at http://wordpress.org/extend/mobile/.

For iphone or ipad users you can find the free WordPress app at the app store.

Online Visions specialises in building WordPress powered websites and blogs, as well as WordPress customisation, upgrade and installation services. Read More

Why Magento is the best choice for your online store

Magento is Online Visions’ favourite content management system for ecommerce.  At the end of the day, our biggest goal is giving our clients around Australia an online shop that can grow along with their business.

A good content management system should offer complete control to the layperson; the ability to manage everything (just like any bricks-and-mortar business owner) with little to no training or technical knowledge needed.  Magento offers the best of both worlds: easy content management and fine control of essentially every aspect of an online business.

Why Choose Magento?

• Easy Content Management - Simply put, Magento will never get in the way of you running your business.
• Open Source and Adaptable – Every day, Magento website designers around the world are developing new functions and extensions to cater to practically any specialised need.  If Magento can’t do what you need it to, anybody with the right technical skill can create a plug-in that will.
• Comprehensive Analytics - Every time you log in, Magento will great you with a useful summary of sales and store activity
• Search Engine Optimisation - Magento will help you take control of how your website appears on Google, Bing and other search engines, giving you the chance to make a great impression from the very first second.
• Flexible Designs - With the help of a Magento developer, your online shop can take any shape or form you wish, perfectly matching your business, brand and personality.

How can we help?

Online Visions is an Ecommerce Website Design agency based in Brisbane and offering Magento Online Shopping to all Australian businesses.

Contact us today to discuss the Ecommerce Package right for your unique budget and online shopping cart requirements.

New features WordPress 3.0 offers to your website

WordPress 3.0 has recently been released and offers many new features to website owners.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with WordPress it has long been a popular blogging platform but is now used by many website owners and developers to create full websites. It offers easy website publishing and is used by many large, high traffic, websites across the globe (as well as smaller websites of course!).

If you already have a WordPress website then consider upgrading. Keeping your WordPress install up to date will ensure you have access to the latest features, security and optimal performance.

If you’re not already using WordPress here is even more reasons why it should be your chosen website platform.

• You can now manage multiple websites from 1 wordpress installation..
  

  WordPress and WordPress MU have merged, allowing the management of multiple sites (called Multisite) from one WordPress installation.

• Contextual help text accessed under the Help tab of every screen in the WordPress administration.
• A lighter admin color scheme to increase accessibility and put the focus more squarely on your content.

For WordPress developers extended functionality includes:

• New default theme “twentyten” with customisable headers
• New link shortener: WordPress 3.0 offers better micro-blogging (e.g. Twitter) integration with its new feature called Shortlink, which gives you the ability to generate branded short links (in a similar way as is.gd or bit.ly) for sharing your posts and pages in social media.

Online Visions specialises in WordPress website solutions. Contact us for a free quote.

Tips for planning your new website

A website is now proven to be an essential part of every business, large or small. Before you start on getting your new web design created, or your existing website revamped, here are a few points for you to address with your web designer.

With the ever growing number of people using the Internet to find products or services, the way your website represents your business has never been more important.

Consider your website as your ‘online shopfront’ – do you really want your customers visiting a website that is out of date, slow to load or in general just looks ordinary? How will this reflect on your business?

Having a bad web presence can be more damaging that not having one at all.

If you’re going to go to the effort of establishing website, or revamping your old one, then here’s a few factors you could consider to make sure you get the job done right:

• Consider what information you need on your website, what do you customers need to know, what information can you provide to improve or make sales more efficiently?
• Don’t necessarily make web design choices around what you like. Consider your products and/or services you are selling, and your target market. Choose colour schemes that would match this, for example if you’re a florist selling flowers then generally you would not choose a dark colour scheme for your website being that flowers are colourful. If you’re unsure, be open to suggestions.
• Be competitive. What are your competitors doing on their websites, what features or information are they providing? If you don’t know then research it, this is important in deciding on the design, features & functionality of your website. Consider what your competitors are doing & how you can do it better.
• Decide on your budget and be open about it. If you don’t want to spend more than $2000 then say so and see what options can be offered to you. Allow some funds for marketing your website, this is particularly important for newly established online stores.

Find out more…

Browse our range of web design, ecommerce & internet marketing options available, or contact us to discuss creating or revamping your website.