A Focus On E-commerce Fundamentals
Mauer’s Quickswing has been selling their baseball training products online for years, but their former e-commerce site had holes in it.  We took the Joe Mauer approach and focused on the fundamentals:

• An engaging, unique and clean custom web design
• Clear navigation, content and links to view and buy products
• Well structured and simplified product detail pages
• Search engine friendly build-out leveraging SEO best practices
• Easy e-commerce check out steps
• Flexible and easy back-end management for the client (SMC)
• Secure shopping with SSL & Merchant account services

We’re pleased with the overall outcome of the website and look forward to driving an increase in sales online for the Quickswing.  We’re not mad about having the Mauer team in our dugout of great clients either.

Check out the website: http://www.mauersquickswing.com

Two packed sessions of Minnesota business owners, marketers, web designers and more soaked up an incredible amount of Internet marketing knowledge from leading experts as well as staff from Google and Bing.  GetListed.org’s Local University delivered as promised with solid education, best practices, approach, tools and more that anyone can implement at some level for marketing online.

Personally, in helping bring the Local U event to the Twin Cities it was satisfying to hear so many of the positive comments following each session and read all of the tweets.  Below are just a few Twitter comments from the day:

This is one workshop that is only out to educate it’s attendees, not sell.

Thank you to all involved, local sponsors Deluxe & ReliaCloud, the attendees, speakers, promotional partners and friends that help me pull this together.

The amount of valuable local search and online marketing information that was shared is awesome.  Smart people that enjoy sharing their vast knowledge is what Local U is all about.  How great is that?  I’m proud to have been part of this great group and event.

Here are a few photos from the event ….

Learn more on GetListed.org and the Local University series, who’s next stop is Cleveland, Ohio in June.

Making A Good Website Great
4 Quarters was already ahead of other deck builders when owner Brian Jacobson came to Five Technology. He had a custom web design, decent content and had educated himself on search engine optimization best practices.  But Brian also knew he could and should do more.

Five worked with Brian and enhanced the following aspects of his website:

• Custom web redesign – The old site was good, but a new design was sought to punch up the visuals and also give proper attention to further upgrades outlined below.
• Content management – Brian had long sought to be in control. Five built the new website on our CMS and now he can manage text, photos, add new pages and more.
• Enhanced content – Five worked with 4 Quarters to increase the amount of valuable content on the site.  The website went from 9 pages to over 25 by getting more specific on construction services like cedar wood decks, composite decks and remodeling.
• Custom blog design – 4 Quarters was already blogging, but used a WordPress site and not their own.  We moved the blog within the website to give users easier access to the posts and 4 Quarters the SEO benefits.
• Photos, photos, photos- Five added more photo elements to all pages as well as created photo galleries that will show clients what 4 Quarters can do.  It also allows 4 Quarters to add to and create more galleries.

A Complete Design & Build
Just as the 4 Quarters name says, Five executed a great web design and solid build of new features in this web project. We were also impressed with the level of decks that 4 Quarters builds, they truly are exceptional.  We really enjoyed this web design project.

View website: http://www.4qdb.com

Who is this conference for?

This has been a big question I get when talking about the event.  I thought I would offer a small summary of what I feel every level of business owner, marketer or SEO can get from this great opportunity.

Entry Level - If you are a business owner, running a business or a small business marketer you may very well get the most out of Local University.  A solid amount of the information and sessions are gear toward baseline education, do-it-yourself tips and giving you a clear understanding of how things work and how you can benefit.  Confusion on Internet marketing will be replaced by clarity.

Intermediate Level- Where some of the information covered might be a good refresher, you’ll still get some new angles and information.  There is no doubt that the local search expertise presenting will give you more insight into this exploding area of the web and business.  The Q & A sessions will also give you access to ask questions in some areas that might be of specific interest to you.

Expert Level- Here is a great chance to support the industry you work in.  The chance to learn may still exist within the local search presentations, but the chance to network with other great Internet marketing minds as well as business owners and other local marketers is fantastic.

This 4 hour workshop will cover fantastic information on search engine optimization, local search , social media and more.  It’s a jam packed line-up that can benefit all levels of Internet marketers.

• Register now and use the code five2010 to get $40 off, dropping your cost to just $89 for this event.

Thank you to the local sponsors helping make this event possible, Deluxe and ReliaCloud.

A Web Design With Style & Simplicity
During the early project discussions it was clear that we wanted to bring a stronger style to the Simonson’s website.  Finding the balance between elegance and approachable was important.

Simplicity was a driving factor to make the website easier to use all around.  Clear navigation, focused services, content areas and new features combined to make the website easy to interact with for the user.

Simonson’s also is engaging with customers on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook.  You’ll notice the emphasis we put into letting website visitors know they can further connect with Simonson’s via social media.

Location, Location, Location
It’s no secret that the goal is getting customers in the door.  We put a strong focus on the Simonson’s four locations by making it the first item left in the main navigation, prominent footer information (see below) and the detailed page of each location.

Below is the website footer that displays a photo, phone and address of each location on every page.  These are also clickable to the location detail page.

The location detail page, like this one below for Plymouth, features the address, contact information, photo gallery, online appointments, store hours,  interactive Google map and other helpful links.

Finding the Right Stylist or Technician
Simonson’s has an experienced and talented staff and knows that their people make the biggest difference.  We created an easy to use search and filter tool for users to find the right stylist or technician for their needs.  If you’re looking for a stylist, specializing in red hair in Maple Grove, you’ll find it!

Recap of This Web Design Project
As you can see from the details above on a few features, a lot went into this web redesign in both form and function.  Here are a few more areas to hit upon in closing that we engaged in:

• Custom web design
• Content management with the SMC
• Custom blog design
• Search engine optimization & local search
• Salon & Spa Team search filter
• Enhanced location pages
• First time guest feature to market to new customers
• Online gift card purchase
• Online store integration
• Online appointment integration
• Prominent social media channel placement

We enjoyed the web design project, the great team collaborating together and the final outcome.

Check it out: http://www.simonsons.com

It was great to be around and interact with people truly wanting to learn, improve, share and take steps to trying new things.  I met and talked with so many Realtors, Brokers and Mortgage professionals that are excited and dedicated to doing more online.

If the Bar Camp concept is new to you, it’s a user generated conference format.

I enjoyed leading 3 different Real Estate Bar Camp sessions today on:

• Why Good Web Design Matters
• Social Media Q & A with Kate-Madonna (she rocks)
• Local Search Marketing – Google Maps

The organizers of this Bar Camp event did a great job and kudos to Greg Sax, Jason Sandquist, Nobu Hatu and Teresa Boardman.  I’m glad to have been asked to attend/speak by Jason Sandquist whom I’ve know on Twitter (@jasonsandquist) for 2 years, but now finally in real life as well.

Here are a few photos I managed to snap and there are many more on the REBCMN Facebook page.

As you can see from the board above, a wide range of topics were covered.   Social media, iPhone apps, blogging, search, web, video and more was delivered for the Real Estate industry.  Many commented and tweeted they were ready to get back to the office and start implementing what they had learned.

Great event, great people, great day.

Mobile March

It’s no secret the continued rise of mobile in every aspect.  In many ways it is the new darling in marketing, and has the touch of “the Internet 10 years ago”.  Challenges, opportunities and ideas all coming together in this unknown but rapidly evolving space.

Five Technology developer Travis Neiderhiser and myself managed to cover both the business/marketing and development sessions of the event.  The mobile development side offered technical insight, code basics and overall approach for the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.

iPhone app development session with Aaron Kardell

The business track offered great looks into consumer mobile objectives, marketing integration and even the types of consumers and their behaviors by mobile device.  On the strategy end of things the thoughts were very general, but that’s what you get with a young medium I guess.

My two favorite sessions of the day were the development session (pic above) that walked through developing an iPhone app and the creative show and tell provided by Jamey Erickson of Seventhsin.  Jamey’s firm has handled mobile projects for the likes of JC Penny’s and others and he shared some great mobile projects and led an open discussion.

It was a solid first time event and it was great to focus on strictly mobile.  Both Travis and I were hoping for a bit more discussion on mobile web design, but hopefully that will happen at future events.

This 4 hour seminar features national experts as well as representatives from Google and Bing, covering an incredible amount of Internet marketing information.

• You can sign-up now for just $89 (Save $40!) by using Five Technology’s promo code:  five2010

This workshop will be held at the fantastic Westin Hotel in Edina, located just off France Ave.  There are two identical sessions, one morning and one afternoon, but seating is currently limited to just 200 per session.

Local University introduces, explains and teaches Internet marketing basics, aimed at the small business owner and marketing person.  Incredible insight, process, best practices, D-I-Y tips and case studies will be provided on:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Local search (Google LBC & Maps, Bing Local)
• Social Media (Blogs, Facebook & Twitter)
• Web Analytics

This event is truly one of kind to hit the Minneapolis & St Paul area.  Take advantage of the opportunity to learn Search Engine Optimization tips and techniques that will lead to sustained, long-term search engine rankings (and new customers).  The last Local University event in Spokane, WA was a huge success.

Local University Presenters
I’m also excited to be part of the outstanding line-up of presenters including David Mihm of GetListed.org, Mike Blumenthal, Matt McGee, Mary Bowling, Ed Reese, Ryan Hayward of Google and Mikko Ollila of Bing.

Register Today
Head over to the Twin Cities registration page (use our promo code) and reserve your spot.  If you’re coming from outstate Minnesota, the Westin is offering a $139/night rate for fantastic accommodations.

You simply won’t find another seminar, with this amount of information here in Minnesota for the price.

Local University Twin Cities is sponsored by Google, Bing, Deluxe and ReliaCloud Cloud Servers from VISI.

Showcasing The Work Of A Commercial Real Estate Firm
In just about any line of business, Five works to find the best ways to provide case studies and real world examples to feature on a company’s website.  West’s website has specific pages to view both their industrial properties and retail properties.

The West Real Estate sections feature a photo gallery per project, location map, details about the property and the ability to print, share via email, share via social media and bookmark.

Recap Of This Web Design Project
Here is what Five Technology provided for this website project:

• Custom web design
• Photography of all commercial properties
• SEO friendly web design
• Web content creation
• Property feature, photo gallery & details

The West Real Estate web design project turned out just like their commercial real estate projects, valuable and professional.

Visit the website: http://www.westreinc.com

A Complete Web Application
Rear Window Media runs their business right from their website.  The back-end is a web application that allows advertisers to manage their ad(s) showing, their ad budget and other campaign details.  This application (screenshot below) is the hub of their client interaction and gives complete control to their advertising clients.

Incredible Tracking
RWM advertisers also get to view detailed maps on just exactly where there ads are showing.  How’s that for tracking?  By integrating Google maps with their web application, an advertiser can see what block in downtown Minneapolis thier ad appeared or what mile market on Interstate 35W.  Real time advertising, real time tracking.

Here is a screenshot of the map tracking report.

Web Design Project Overall
Five completed the front end of the web design and as well for their marketing interface.  This project really shows our ability to handle both the marketing front of a project and the complex web application backend, far past our great CMS features.

This project included:

• Web design
• Search Engine Friendly build
• Custom WordPress blog for RWM news
• Advertiser account & log-in
• Web application management for advertising
• Custom Google maps reporting
• Content management platform (SMC)

If you haven’t yet, visit the site:  http://www.rearwindowmedia.com