Choosing the right web design company is a big factor to the success of your website or redesign. The first thing you should do is look at their portfolio and see the work that they have done and if you like the overall design of their work, get pricing information to see if they can work with in your budget. If you don’t see something similar to what you want done but like the work in their portfolio contact them as see what they could do for you as if they are priced right and have done great work before they could probably do what you want done as the work in their portfolio is actually just what their clients needed at the time.

Get references and check them. Their portfolio examples should all have websites up and a link to the design company should be on them confirming they are responsible for the work you see.

Most web design companies will gladly provide contact information if you need it to help you make a good decision on hiring them.

Reliable and honest web design companies can be tough to find according to our newest clients who have had bad experiences in the past. Be sure you own all the code and artwork in your website development agreement and pass on a company who won’t provide you with that data affordably. You should also always own your domain and have it in your name hosted with a company like GoDaddy that will provide you 24 hr support and be able to help you if needed. Again, an honest web design company will have your best interests in mind always and be able to recommend 3rd party hosting which we always recommend. Never host with your design company. GoDaddy.com and Hostgator.com are 2 great top choices for domain hosting and web hosting and will provide you with top level support if and when it is needed. If your site is a (CMS) Joomla, Drupal or WordPress solution, it can get hacked and having a solid backup plan in place is a necessity to restore your site quickly and affordably if disaster happens. This is often overlooked and should be a requirement you specify upfront. Hostgator.com makes weekly backups free, GoDaddy does not.

There are also 3rd party companies like http://www.site-vault.com that are affordable that monitor and backup your site at intervals you specify for protection. Also, your site should be made secure as possible by the design company and that should be an additional requirement covered up-front in the web development agreement.

Again, honesty, talent and happy clients will tell you if you have found a web design company you can rely upon to get you where you need to be. You may also want to invest in some SEO services to ensure that traffic will go to your site and if your web site developer offers that service all the better as when they are developing the site they can include SEO best practices into the framework.
SEO is harder to do correctly today so ask for references from clients who have has success with these services as well. Do this homework and avoid making a bad decision. Price should not be the determining factor in choosing a web site development company, value should be the determining factor.

Shelby Craft is president of Craft Tech Solutions and can be reached at shelby@crafttechsolutions.com
for more info Visit www.CraftTechSolutions.com

Just do a search for “remote computer support” and pick one that looks good to you. Craft Tech Solutions also offers this service!
Your computer will need to be able to access the internet for this to be an option though.
What if you don’t know if it could be solved remotely? You can call us and we will advise you free of charge even if you are not in the Nashville, TN metro area!

1/2 of the most common computer issues can be solved remotely but more serious problems require an expert to get you back running right.
Have you backed up your files? A back up of your critical data will prevent you from hearing “we need to do data recovery” from your technician.

Data recovery is always expensive. Lot’s of technicians will use this situation to add hundreds of dollars to the repair invoice and that is if your data is easily recoverable.

If you don’t have a tech you trust, this issue can be overwhelming. Who to call? The big chain companies charge top dollar and are expensive and you are just a number to them.

Smaller independent techs you can find on Craigslist are hit and miss and you never know who you are dealing with. The local computer repair shop can be a good choice but they have overhead to pay and I know from experience working for one that your bill is determined by the car you drive up in!

So I suggest you need to call around and describe your issue to some established, local technicians using Google Places and get some feedback on your issue. Once you have an idea of what your problem may be, you can try a remote service and get a good deal as they are typically less than a local repair shop would be and less than a on-site technician costs.

If you do need a good, honest technician in your area to help solve your problem, contact Craft Tech Solutions and we will find one for you in your area free of charge!

Remember, if you have a badly infected computer that has been running very slow the best value is to have a clean install done. Tools used to remove malware and viruses never really get everything removed from your computer. That is why a clean install is a better value in the long run. All of your data will need to be backed up, disinfected and restored and your applications reinstalled too, but your system will run like new for years if you install a great virus protection application that protects you from the internet as well as spyware, adware, malware and scareware. AGV is the one I recommend. Feel free to email me if you have any questions on your computer problems!

Shelby Craft is president of Craft Tech Solutions and can be reached at shelby@crafttechsolutions.com
for more info Visit www.CraftTechSolutions.com

Who would have thought that Facebook would become such a hot place to advertise online? I have to admit that the thought escaped me as well. But nonetheless, it seems to be surpassing even Google AdWord campaigns as we speak. It is much more cost effective and since there are currently 500 million active users of Facebook, there seems to be no better way to target prospective clients than at the very place where so many people spend so much of their time.

The more fans you can acquire through consistent contact and familiar branding techniques, the more effective your Facebook advertising will be. Since your ads will be targeted towards consumers who are already familiar with what you have to offer, the more likely they are to be repeat customers, and even more importantly, they will be more apt to tell their friends about you, too!

If you’re looking to acquire more customers for your business, we highly recommend that you give Facebook Ads a try. You wont be sorry.

Shelby Craft is president of Craft Tech Solutions and can be reached at shelby@crafttechsolutions.com
for more info Visit www.CraftTechSolutions.com

How Important is Social Network Marketing to your Business?

It should be VERY important. The Internet has definitely changed over the last several years and so has the way online users respond to marketing techniques. Social networking has become so popular these days, that consumers are more responsive to how they “relate” to a company’s approach rather than what they are being offered. It seems that when the relationship and the offering blend into a likable duo is when the consumer is more likely to take the plunge and become one of your “fans”, so to speak.

Branding is also important in this aspect of social network marketing since the consumer will need a recognizable source to keep them coming back to your particular venue. This is just one more aspect of the relationship that your company can form with online consumers. And the more consumers you acquire through these networks, the higher chance that they will pass your word along to other people since social sites such as Facebook and Twitter make it so easy and fun to do so. So, “sharing is caring” and vice versa.

Shelby Craft is president of Craft Tech Solutions and can be reached at shelby@crafttechsolutions.com
for more info Visit www.CraftTechSolutions.com