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Webdesign Stories

By Bruno Rony | Published March 10, 2010

Welcome! Yes, this blog is about web design because that is what we do! Since 1995, when Cybird inc first settled in Los Angeles/Pasadena, we have been servicing dozen of customers and projects: plain HTML web sites,  database driven websites, web design makeover, new features, e-commerce solutions, Customer Management Systems, SEO…etc you name it.  In the coming weeks and months this blog will highlight selected moments in the life of  the 1-stop webdesign center. We hope you enjoy reading and writing back:-)

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Cybird, Inc. Receives 2010 Best of Pasadena web design Award

By Bruno Rony | Published March 22, 2010

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cybird, Inc. Receives 2010 Best of Pasadena Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, March 15, 2010 — For the second consecutive year, Cybird, Inc. has been selected for the 2010 Best of Pasadena Award in the Web Site Design category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Nationwide, only 1 in 70 (1.4%) 2009 Award recipients qualified as two-time Award Winners. Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2010 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2010 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Commerce Association
Email: PublicRelations@us-ca.org
URL: http://www.us-ca.org

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When your first experience with webdesign goes sour…

By Bruno Rony | Published March 17, 2010

It happens! Over the years I have heard many stories about web design companies or webmasters who did not deliver. They no longer take your calls, they have closed down right in the middle of your project, they have decided a career change or can no longer service you because they now have bigger names on the line…etc. Sometime they are just plain bad: they do not understand  you or your business and they show very little concern  for  quality communication and customer feedback. And here you are, stuck, unable to recover your domain name or the files of your unfinished website. Besides, these guys are located somewhere in the country or outside the country and your frustration gets to the boiling point because unfortunately there is little or nothing that you can or even want to do to salvage  a deal that went so wrong.
Recently a customer told us about the package he had bought from an out of state company. The cost at first seemed reasonable but also included optimization and high ranking promises…Too good to be true? Not only the site was never completed, but it looked like a basic template from back in the 90's. No design or marketing expertise was ever provided to a customer who needed it. He was totally left on his own for structuring, writing and coming up with the right lines and presentation pieces. The result was a website without identity, very poorly organized and not at all on target to say the least!   This customer was lucky enough that he had registered his domain name himself and the site being strictly HTML-based we could easily retrieve it from the Web. Within 24 hours, the domain name was rerouted to one of our servers, the files were installed and a new account set up.
That's it? Well this is one case among others where we had to reassure our new customer about our profession: yes we are serious and dedicated and yes we make it a priority to satisfy you! When he first called in,  this customer said to me "I need someone local". He is not the only one to understand the value of hiring a local web design company that's been in business for many years and has an outstanding record (Better Business Bureau, D&B  business credit, Best of Pasadena in Web site design) and…most importantly, a company that makes its customers feel confident by working with them hand in hand, all along, at their pace!

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"How much do I have to write?"

By Bruno Rony | Published March 11, 2010

Some people are more comfortable at writing than others. Some really dislike writing  while others do not have any time for it. Unfortunately,  websites need  words to send a wide variety of messages to visitors: a company tag line, a menu,  a title and sub-titles, captions, company product or service descriptions to name a few.  Even an e-commerce website centered on a product catalog or a  photographer's website needs to have some promotional  and descriptive content. Words are needed to tease and make a difference.  And keep in mind that text is what Search engines like best!
We are currently working on two websites, one is  about On site Machine services, the other is about Roofing services. In both cases we are dealing with highly skilled customers, both very busy on the field and with little time  for elaborate writing.  How can we help when weeks go by and these sites remain stuck with  fake text? How can we help our customers with these paragraphs and introduction pieces about their services or products?

Well first of all, what our designer always do is calibrate the amount and type of text (title, intro text…etc) required on each page so that our clients can see exactly the kind of writing and the number of lines they need to provide to keep text space compatible with their site layout.  This takes care of the "how much text do I need?" question and usually makes it less of a mountain to climb. Just a hill maybe. At this point I should remind everyone that a successful layout is based on a delicate but adjustable balance between graphical and written elements…and yes, SEO requirements!  Nowadays visitors expect to be visually attracted to your website and understand right away what it is about. Even though they may not care too much for reading,  when they do, you need to go straight to the point!

Then, if this is not enough to unlock the keyboard, we will gladly sit down with our customer for an interview on the different topics of the site and write each piece.  A few more hours on the budget line, sure! But if this is all it takes to jump start a website that is otherwise stuck in the workshop then let's do it, don't you think?

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Add video to your website

By Bruno Rony | Published March 10, 2010

When David de Hoyos from DH media in Los Angeles first contacted me I was curious to hear what kind of video package they had to offer. And very surprised when I heard their numbers. So far all attempts I had made to see how much it would cost a small business owner to incorporate video in his/hers web site were disappointing to say the least. Who would want to spend 2 grants and up for a 1-2 minutes video?
Considering what it takes to produce a decent video I surrendered to financial realism and gave up on finding better offers. Until several weeks ago…
David and his dad came up with a very affordable package. Sure, they are making efforts to promote their business and in these days of economic difficulties, they had better come up with attractive prices like we all do, right? The result is $500 for a company presentation video that is now in the making but will soon appear on our Home Page. Who can beat that?
DHMedia worked with me closely and we came up with a detailed script allowing me to convey the essential of who we are and how we work . We had two shooting sessions to record the bits and pieces that will be put together and edited to create a professional look and feel. They gave me valuable professional tips on the purpose and content of this video and advised me on the acting which was a necessity as I am not a natural to say the least!
Shooting with these guys was a pleasure as they are the kind of video professionals without an attitude. And they made it very easy to work with them.
Small video clips can be very useful to present a company or a new product on your website. It enriches the content of the site by making your company personable. After all, when you google for web design companies, it is difficult to know who's better or who is more reliable in the long term… We all have very attractive websites and we more or less offer the same services. So how can I make a difference? Well, watch our video and you will hear it from me and from another client (special thanks to Claude Delgado from DGraphicsolutions for playing his own role in the video!). As we all know it, the strength of a small business is the personality of its owner. A video can definitely help promote a different style and most importantly let people hear and see who you are! And if they like you, chances are you'll get the phone call:-)
To be continued.

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Anchor Pacifica, more low cost storage

By Bruno Rony | Published March 8, 2010

The 1-stopwebdesigncenter is proud to announce its first collaboration with Pasadena Based Anchor Pacifica. We are committed to designing, building and hosting their latest web addition www.anchorselfstor.com. This new website will focus on promoting two storage locations, in Glendora and Paramount. It will provide customers with extensive information on storage space and sizes, storage tips, packing supplies and a moving guide. Launch date is not yet available but the new site should be ready to go by the end of March.

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