TintedPixel News

Where is your portfolio

This is a question we get quite often; as a matter of fact "portfolio" is the most search key word on our site. So why wouldn't an interactive agency present a sampling of their work for others to see on their website? To some, this might not seem obvious - so let's take a closer look.

Presenting a portfolio gives agencies the opportunity to show off work they have done for others. Bragging rights based on; the type of client, quality of work or the results of a specific campaign can be a tremendous sales tool when it comes to bringing in new business. There is nothing wrong with this style of marketing products and services; and as a matter of fact it is extremely effective.

One might ask, if this method is so effective, who in their right mind would avoid it? Well... we do. At tintedPixel, we believe that the work we do for you is just that, "work we do for you". Our goal is to promote your products and/or services, not our own.

Most of the larger companies we service require this type of anonymity so we have grown accustom to providing the same courtesy to all of our clients, regardless of size.

Sure, as a new client, if you are interested in seeing some of our past work, we are happy to give you a guided tour of some of our recent projects. Often we will show you projects at various stages of development, in addition to projects that have been launched. If you like what you see, we will be happy to provide references to contact. Of course all projects showings and references are provided by permission of the site/application owner and in some cases will need to be arranged in advance.

Could we do things differently? Sure we could. Do we think that it would be easier on our sales team to have a long distinguished client list on the site accompanied by a portfolio and case studies? Absolutely! However; when all is said and done, we feel the best sales tool is a word of mouth recommendation from a satisfied client. Our goal is to deliver services of the highest quality so that you too will become a tintedPixel evangelist.

Contact us today for a free no obligation quote: 888-PIXEL-88 or 888-749-3588. You may also email use at projects@tintedpixel.com for more information.

Seeking Refuge?

All too often we hear the horror stories of clients who are dissatisfied with their current developer or designer. We have found that typically, this isn't due to a lack of talent or delivery. In fact, the most common reason for this phenomena may surprise you. Over the years, the staff here at TintedPixel have found that the this disappointment is usually caused by poor communication. Confusion and frustration stemming from the offenders lack of effort to educate their client and give them an accurate picture of what it takes to make the project a success.

From sales teams who say anything to close the deal to a technical staff whose jargon may as well be a foreign language - this all serves to leave the client dumbfounded and bewildered. Companies will promise the world and deliver it according to contract without consideration for the long term goals of the project or business.

TintedPixel believes that your success is our success - Let us be your advocate. We will take the time to review your needs and help you understand the costs and efforts involved in the process. Our team will present you with scenarios and help you choose the path to success that best fits your situation.

Contact us at 888.PIXEL.88 and our team will make every effort to get you on the fast track to success.

How to choose a web development firm

To help you avoid some of the more common pitfalls of this industry, we have assembled some questions to ask a prospective web developer when shopping your project. Their answers will tell you right away - whether they have the knowledge and skills required to make your project a success. If they can't understand a question, you should assume that may not be a good fit. If their answers leave doubts in your mind, trust your instincts: move on.

Questions to ask a prospective web development firm

Q: What do you do to help clients create their online brand and marketing strategy?
A: The response should include the need to understand; your target audience, your product and/or service, and your competition. The prospective firm should also ask about your goals and offer ways to measure your growth and success. It is important that they acknowledge marketing strategy.

Q: How do you help clients prepare copy?
A: This reply should reflect the understanding that copywriting is a specialized skill and that writing for online audiences and search engines is different than writing for other types of media.

Q: What do you do to promote search engine rank and drive traffic?
A: A good answer will point out the importance of determining which keywords/phrases are most relevant to your target audience. There is no magic bullet for SEO, if a firm starts making outlandish claims; they are probably not being truthful. Check out our SEO guidelines for more information.

Q: Can you tell me about the technologies you plan to use? Are they proven and reliable?
A: This is a question with numerous possible replies. The important thing to note here is that the firm should speak about their technologies intelligently without hesitation. They should be able to explain how reliable and well tested each specific technology is; and even mention platform, maintainability and scalability.

Q: Are your sites in compliance with web standards?
A: The answer should yes, they follow the guidelines provided by the W3C, the organization that creates the web standards. Make them prove it.

Q: What do you do to ensure good usability and accessibility?
A: The answer should indicate that they have knowledge of section 508. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.

Q: Do you use tables for layout?
A: The answers should be "not very often" - tables are useful for presenting some types of data. However, tables tend to be "clunky" when compared to the fluid capabilities of CSS styling.

Q: Ask the prospective firm to provide some ideas on how you may automate some of your routine business operations.
A: If they don't come up with several relevant ideas, find someone more knowledgeable.

By now, you may be asking yourself, "Why do I need to understand all of this? I'm hiring professionals to take care of these details." Shouldn't my web development firm know all of this?

The answer is :Yes, they should.

Unfortunately, most web development firms do not posses expertise in all the essential fields to make your site a success. Your developer may know graphic design and basic coding. But they may not have the knowledge and experience in internet marketing, copywriting for the web, accessibility, usability, web application programming, and web standards.

It is a known fact that the vast majority of web sites are not successful. Many of these failed sites were created by professionals who only know a fraction of what is needed to develop successful web sites. To have a successful web site, you need to find a web developer who has ALL the necessary knowledge and experience.

New Client Refferal Program

Tintedpixel has launched a new client referral program that will provide rewards in the form of cash payouts or free services in exchange for new client referrals. Just refer a prospective client to TintedPixel, and if they become a client, you will automatically be entered into our Referral Program and get paid for that referral! Feel free to refer as many people as you want, there is no limit, so the more you refer, the more you earn! Find out more about this program by visiting our resource center. Contact us to get started today!

Joe's Pizza, Burritos and Web Design Shack

In the first iteration of "doing business on the web" (early 90's), thousands of people rushed into the market to put money and ideas into a new and exciting frontier. Many (if not most) of these online ventures failed for various reasons, but it is clear that much of this happened because the new information highway was unpredictable and largely uncharted.

Now, 15+ years later, the internet has really started to come of age. Just about everyone in the US has a computer in their home and most of them are online. In many households, it is more natural to "Google" for local products and services rather than open the phone book.

It has been our experience that today's business owner is finding great value and ROI from a well conceived online presence. A professional web presence has truly become key due to the fact that more and more people enjoy instant access to; products, services, opinions and information about any given business or topic.

But here is where it gets tricky, how does one produce a high quality online presence that offers the most value while serving the intended purpose? While purpose is often the easy part of making a decision, quality and value are subjective ideas that can mean different things to different people. This is why it is so important to understand some of the significant factors that go into a successful online venture -- and why "low budget" design companies such as our fictitious example "Joe's Pizza, Burritos and Web Design Shack" may miss the mark entirely.

As we have already established, having a great web presence is key - but how much should that cost and what should you look for?

Suppose there is a real estate agent who sells 4.5 million dollar properties for a living. When going to meet a client, first impressions are paramount for him. It would NOT be a good idea to show up in shorts and a t-shirt driving a grey primer colored 1968 VW bus. Most likely this would not convey the image of a successful real estate agent who is ready to handle a multi million dollar transaction.

The same principal applies to a web presence, if a visitor is not visually stimulated in a positive way within the first 3 seconds; they are off to the next search result leaving your site in a cloud of dust. Internet users are finicky; extraordinary design is critical to capturing attention and keeping it. Typically solution providers such as "Joe's Pizza, Burritos and Web Design Shack" are not going to equip you with a presence that strategically identifies your company or organization.

Another important factor is efficacy, is it instantly clear what your site is about? Our real estate mogul would not be very effective if he showed up in his late model luxury sedan, dressed to the nines - but didn't show the client any properties. Can you say "defeats the purpose"?

In addition to presenting a visually pleasing experience, your web presence should effectively communicate information to browsers and search engines alike. Site content needs to be rich, relevant and engaging. The user should be drawn in to find out more, the search engine should be able to rank and index your site appropriately. It is not likely that "Joe's Pizza, Burritos and Web Design Shack" possesses the skill and knowledge required to groom an effective web presence, well... unless you're selling burritos online.

In keeping with our real estate mogul scenario, it is now time to buy that 4.5 million dollar property. The buyers sit down at the table with; the sellers, the selling agent, the title company and our real estate mogul. In the center of the table sits a stack of papers that would dwarf a New York City phone book. As the buyer's hand starts cramping from all the signature lines as he goes through the contracts, he realizes that; 1) his signature is starting to look like it did in grade school, and 2) he would have no idea where to sign if our real estate mogul hadn't put those cool little yellow arrow stickys at each signature block.

But wait, what just happened? Our real estate mogul did something right. He guided our buyers through to their objective making the process apparent and intuitive. Your web presence should be no different; users should be able to easily navigate through your sites content making the path to and from their objective obvious. Maybe our mogul earned his 6% after all (doing math 6% of 4.5 million) oh my.

So what we have learned in these few brief examples is almost too cliche to point out - that is, "You get what you pay for". When developing a web presence this is so true. Unless you are willing to spend the time and money needed to get the job done right and extend your project past the initial build to an evolving extension of your business, you may as well throw the cost of the "Joe's Pizza, Burritos and Web Design Shack" down a deep hole - it will be just as effective.

Okay, okay... for all of the cynical folks out there, yes, there are dozens of factors that I did not mention here like; speed, security, stability, extensibility, maintainability and so on. However, I hope that you get the gist of what I am saying and it leads you to ask questions and learn more about our process.

The bottom line: No, we are not the most expensive, nor the least. We will give you expert advice and equip you with the tools and knowledge to achieve success in your online venture. Our goal with every project is a mutually beneficial, long term relationship.