A photo collage for your website is an ideal method for creating a positive first impression, and rearranging elements may improve the composition. In the following sample website photo edit the 6 jpg photos illustrate before and after with the elements separated and then assembled to create an improved layout.

Before view (above) of 6 separate photos with background cropped

Tip: The trick using vector graphics software is to zoom in up to 25,000 times actual size to outline and clip out the background. My choice is Xara Xtreme for advanced photo edits.

Finished layout (above) using cropped photos combined to create a new look

Perhaps you want to try this advanced technique. You may download Xara Xtreme (affiliate link) for a free 30 day trial. This sample edit may be viewed on the home page of the custom website I designed for Commercial Door and Access, Inc., a security products company in Palm Bay, Florida.



TAGS: photo edits design tutorials

Labels: advice, photographs

                       

The following is an excerpt from a published article about "My 5 Second Rule for Small Business Owners" which included this bonus sales technique when a client states something you know is wrong:

As a small business owner, you know your business and as an expert, reacting to an email or face to face comment that you know is absolutely wrong will work wonders if you answer with two magic words: "You're right!". This works for several reasons. Most importantly, your customer may be expecting an argument, so they will only hear half of what you have to say if you reply saying they are wrong. The listener will be busy mentally sorting comebacks and supporting evidence, and may not hear any of your expert advice.

Telling someone "You're right" will have them on the edge of their chair waiting for your next comment. Shifting your argument to what you know to be the truth is easy. With a brief pause after your magic two words, continue with "...and there are many people who feel the same way. From years of experience, I've found that in fact (insert the truth based on your expertise here)... etc." and you give them the opportunity to accept your slant on the subject without having their opinion challenged. It works. For those concerned about ethics, the phrase "You're right!" is simply an acknowledgement that they have one view, and it is valid because that's how they feel.

The full article includes advice for making a favorable first impression, and is available at my article directory of small business advice on my main site.



TAGS: small business advice sales technique advice articles

Labels: advice, articles, general

                       

Many small business owners spend very little time doing proactive planning. An annual physical for your personal health makes sense. Don't overlook giving your website a checkup each year, also.

My advice is based on problems reported by custom website design clients. To stay online you need a www domain, monthly hosting, and the design. Protect your investment. Your checkup should take 5 minutes, or less. To find the status of your www domain quickly visit GoDaddy WhoIs each January to prevent any surprises.

Enter your domain name in the search box, and then press "Go" to verify that all data is current. Be aware of the creation date and expiration date for your domain. Have you changed credit cards in the last year? Don't let your domain expire or have your website disappear because hosting payment is outdated. The next one is critical.

Are you listed as the Administrative contact? Confirm that your email address listed is current. If either is untrue, contact your service company to have this corrected. Renewal warnings or problems in your registration are only sent to the administrative contact, so make sure it is you and your email address is active.

Contact me if you have problems and want advice for your website status.



TAGS: small business advice website design domain registration website problems

Labels: advice, websites

                       

For this set of tips, our subject is an imaginary realtor with a new www domain, and they need a custom website design plus full color real estate business cards for their agents. A logo and card design are the first priority.

However, plan your website content first to allow a consistent presentation on your real estate business card. A summary of the site text content can be emailed to the designer along with graphics. With your logo and market identity established in print, you have the basics for your website design later. The look on your card should match your website when prospects begin to visit your site.

Photo business cards for real estate are very popular. A successful image for your company often depends on making a favorable first impression in print and online. Cards limit the amount you can say, so using a photograph of the realtor and perhaps a nice new home helps tell your story without much text.

As you gather text and graphic content for your website and card, consider the following advice:

1. Website real estate photos can be low resolution, so most photos are okay (20K to 50K).
2. Printed realtor business cards need high resolution photos (200K or more).
3. Text content should be typed in a word processor which may be copied into an email using CTRL-C (copy) and then CTRL-V (paste).

Note: It is always better to provide high resolution versions of your logo and photographs when available. Your designer can create 96 dpi graphics for your website, and use the originals at 300 dpi for printed materials like your card.

Finally, once you have the first card approved, new cards should be less expensive as you add realtors because the basic artwork is done. My real estate clients save 33% to 50% on subsequent designs for multiple agents. Most graphic artists will discount future orders, also. Visit my business card gallery and custom website design gallery to see examples of my work.

Comments and questions about websites, graphic art, or small business advice are welcome.



TAGS: small business advice business cards card examples gallery real estate realtor

Labels: advice, artwork

                       

Internet telephony is a very cost effective way for small business owners to communicate and conference call worldwide. Skype's VOIP is even better.

For the price of a stereo headset with microphone from Wal-Mart which is less than $20, you can talk online using Skype because it is totally free. This system for communication uses voice (talking), not chat (typing). The software is freeware and you may speak real-time with anyone with a Skype ID anywhere in the world. One advantage is you can conference up to 5 people in the same conversation, so long distance small business meetings are very convenient.

Here is how I use Skype in discussing custom website design projects for long distance customers. Once a client has a headset, they visit Skype to download the software, and then create a user name. Next, they email me the user name to add to my contacts and we set the day and time to have our Skype meeting. While connected we can view site progress of pages held in a development section online, and transfer concepts or files via MSN messenger. I've had meetings with people in Australia using this technique, and it's very productive.

New or existing customers are encouraged to try Skype, and then contact me to discuss their projects.



TAGS: small business advice small business resources skype telephony custom website design

Labels: general, reviews

                       

Writing small business articles for syndication has worked well in establishing backlinks to my commercial site. I may want to feature other guest authors and consider posting their articles in my Article Directory for small business advice.

My specialty is custom website design with matching graphics for print, and related advice. Articles about insurance, financing, taxes, and other general topics may be of interest.



TAGS: advice articles small business advice writers

Labels: general

                       

Here are tips and a brief review of freeware for easy photo edits or taking screenshots for the benefit of my small business clients. Real estate agents are often faced with uploading photographs of new listings to their website. The file size of high resolution digital pictures is usually impractical for websites, yet I see many sites with 1 megabyte and higher photos of real estate property. These may look great, but visitors on dialup will not appreciate the 20 minute load time.

Here are reviews of two programs for doing photo edits or taking screenshots that have worked well for me and they are easy to use, plus they are freeware (cost nothing).

ScreenHunter 5.0 from Wisdom-Soft.com
This program is great for taking screenshots, as in clipping portions of something you view online like your website, that you may need as a JPG file to forward to someone. This works in the background and takes up very few resources, so it shouldn't slow down your pc performance. Visit www.Wisdom-Soft.com to learn more.

IrfanView from IrfanView.com
This freeware program has screenshot capability, however, advanced edit features may be perfect for clients who need to crop photos, convert to greyscale as in black and white, plus more. Personally, this is my first choice for opening graphic files in My Documents. Once installed, right click on files in your directory, choose "open with", and then select IrfanView.

Like any new program, the best way to learn is jump right in, and then open the help files for advanced tips. Please provide feedback on your experience with either of these freeware products. If you are looking for royalty free photos, please check out my 5 Star Stock Photo Directory with links to over 200,000 photographs.



TAGS: freeware review photographs photo edits small business advice

Labels: reviews, software

                       

It happens, especially for small business owners. Hard drives crash, and for me the inevitable took 10 years to rear it's ugly head for the first time. Surviving a hard drive crash usually means long hours attempting to recover what you may have taken for granted. The computer gremlins hit me last year, and I lost months of custom graphic art because weekly backup of my new computer manually seemed unnecessary. What a mistake that was!

Fortunately, all the client website designs were online and recoverable through ftp. Recreating custom business card artwork and post cards was another matter. Clients looking to make changes have sent me their originals, and recreating cards simply took time. After researching backup software and external drives, the $250 that I spent was worthwhile insurance.

My system now executes automatic daily backups using Genie Backup Manager Home 7.0 software for less than $100, and a Western Digital 250Gb external hard drive WD2500B007 for less than $150 purchased from newegg.com. Each was selected after more long hours searching through product reviews. The hard drive has cool neon light effects that may be turned off, and after testing a few times for overheating, it fits snugly kept in a desk drawer.

The hard drive crash could have been worse. Don't let this happen to you. If you are at risk and do not have a backup system on your small business computer, do it today. After a few months of manual backups to DVD, I realized the effort could be easily automated. Check out the combination of software and hardware I chose by searching in Google, or visit a local retailer for advice.



TAGS: small business advice computers hard drive crash

Labels: advice, hardware, reviews, software

                       

The Trinity Lutheran Church and School website makeover was completed converting the site from a tables based layout to XHTML with CSS website design techniques. The last of the Trinity school faculty photos were furnished, so minus a few missing persons the pages look great.


Trinity Lutheran Church and School, Kissimmee, Florida

The Trinity Lutheran Church and School campus is located in Kissimmee, Florida within minutes of Disney World, and is a favorite with tourists looking for a friendly and convenient place for Christian fellowship while away from home. Visit the church if you're in the Orlando or Kissimmee area.



TAGS: website design website redesign Christian church Christian school

Labels: launch, websites

                       

I've chosen Feedblitz for visitors who want to receive posts by email instead of creating newsletters, and small business owners who blog may want to consider the option. Using an autoresponder to setup subscribers to send newsletters has not worked well for me. I'm convinced that the complications of subscribing and then having to confirm by responding to an email (double opt-in) is beyond practical for my small business venture. I'll let Feedblitz do it.

Website design and matching graphic art for printing business cards, plus advice article writing for small business owners has kept me busy with regular work by referrals. Posting on a blog and allowing clients to subscribe to receive advice by email seems more practical, and blog posts save me the headaches of compiling a regular newsletter.

What do you think? Comments and opinions are encouraged.



TAGS: small business advice small business blog website design

Labels: blogger, reviews

                       

Designing your next 8-1/2 x 11 trifold brochure to promote your small business just became easier. The latest addition to my commercial site, the Small Business Resource Center for website design and custom graphics for print or online is a trifold brochure design tutorial.

The illustrated lesson includes software requirements, technical advice, template dimensions, and then step-by-step instructions for do-it-yourself design. A major problem creating marketing materials for print is finding suitable high quality photographs. I researched over 150 sites and compiled a directory of my top resources for royalty free stock photos, with links to more than 200,000 high quality pictures. Sites were rated from 1 star to 5 stars, and only 18 out of 150 made my list.



TAGS: small business advice design tutorials trifold brochures stock photo directory

Labels: artwork, tutorials

                       

Hello, and Welcome,

This latest addition to my commercial site, the Small Business Resource Center for Website Design, Artwork, and Advice, allows you to view the latest news, comments, and reviews being presented for the benefit of small business entrepreneurs.

Future posts will include help for small business owners looking for resources for custom website design, graphic art including full color business cards, custom post cards and trifold brochures, or small business advice articles published online, plus more features to help save time and money.

Please return often. Appropriate comments are welcome.



TAGS: small business blog small business resources custom website design business cards post cards trifold brochures advice articles

Labels: general