eCommerce + Content Management

April 3rd, 2013

With more and more people shopping online, considering an eCommerce shopping cart system for your website may be just what you need. Integrating an eCommerce system into your existing site will allow you to sell your products or services online and keep the same look and feel of your current site. Whether its books, accessories, groceries, clothes and more, the Internet allows consumers to purchase products quickly and get it shipped within a matter of days.

Here is a list of some eCommerce features:

  •     Unlimited number of products
  •     Products assigned to an unlimited number of categories
  •     Multiple product images
  •     Ability to highlight featured products
  •     Generate discount coupon codes and gift certificates
  •     Several online payment modules
  •     FedEx and UPS shipping calculation
  •     Inventory tracking
  •     Password-protected administrative access
  •     Google Analytic’s integration
  •     Dashboard widgets to easily view sales and product history
  •     Control the cart from anywhere in the world using your web browser

*Not all of these features are included in our eCommerce systems, therefore additional charges may apply for select features.  

ECommerce systems are considered to be a cost-effective and favorable alternative for small businesses who wish to expand nationally and larger businesses who wish to expand internationally.

Old City Web Services offers eCommerce solutions that fit your specific business needs. Not only will we add the first 5 products to your online store, but we’ll teach you how to manage it yourself! Let us help you expand your growth and become more profitable by giving us a call at: 904.829.2772 or emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com to set up your free consultation!

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Outdated website? Why you should consider Content Management

March 6th, 2013

Is your website outdated or at least 5 years old? Before you answer this question, click on this link and read the article titled: Top 10 Signs Your Outdated Website is Due for a Re-Design and then you will really know if your site is in dire need of a new system or not. Here are 3 signs the article discusses that will reinforce the fact that your site needs some freshening up:

Your website is made entirely in Flash:

Yes, you want to stand out and attract people on the web, but I promise you Flash is not the way to do it. The reality is that Flash sites are dying…and they’re dying quickly. News Flash (pun intended)– keeping a Flash-based website will only be detrimental to your rankings, but incompatible with most mobile devices (i.e. your iPhone or iPad)!

There are no “Calls-To-Action”:

Let’s face it–your website must serve a purpose or there’s really no reason in having one. Each site has a goal and as soon as someone lands on your Home page, this goal should be prominent. For example: if your goal is to promote current specials / discounts, you may want to include a custom image that when clicked, links to a printable coupon.

All the content on your site is static:

Are you able to easily update your own website? The best websites thrive by providing relevant and timely content that will engage visitors and keep them coming back for more. A Content Management System allows your business to promptly and simply update fresh new content whenever you’d like.

If you would like more information on how Old City Web Services can give you a fresh new website, call us: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com to set up your free consultation.

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Be Smart: Mobile Friendly Sites & Apps

December 5th, 2012

By 2014, it is projected that more users will access the internet from their phone than from a computer! Creating a mobile site does not have to be fancy or expensive…in fact it’s typically a more simplified version of your actual site. The most important part in developing your mobile site is identifying the key actions you want your users to take.

Here is a list of things to keep in mind when designing your mobile site:

  • Keep forms simple–Name & Email are sufficient enough!
  • Minimize the content…just keep the important stuff–who, what, where, when & why.
  • Limit the size of the files–whether its 3G, 4G or 10G, phones are going to take a lot longer to load files that are too big.
  • Always include ‘click to talk’ phone numbers, allowing users to simply click “Call Us” and be connected with you in seconds.
  • Smart phones have GPS–make sure that your location is set-up for users to get directions to your business wherever they may be.

Let Old City Web Services help you reach your customers at their fingertips at any time of the day! We can design & program a custom mobile friendly site for your business in a timely & professional manner.

Posted in Mobile Applications, Mobile Plug-In, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Take Your Website Outside!

August 8th, 2012

40% of OldCity.com’s Traffic in July was Mobile.

Step out on St. George Street on a busy Saturday and you won’t have to wait more than five minutes to see someone searching the web on a smart phone. Mobile devices are becoming incredibly popular for people on the go, and visitors to St. Augustine are no exception.

In the month of July, OldCity.com received over 19,000 visits from mobile devices — 40% of our total unique visits for the entire month.

iPhones and iPads lead the way.

Of our 19,000+ visits from mobile devices, more than 13,000 of them came from iPhones and iPads. With Apple products dominating the mobile scene, that means we all have to be cautious about using Flash and other components on our websites that do not work with Apple devices.

If your website has a lot of Flash — a type of programming that makes your website look animated — mobile visitors on Apple devices will have trouble using it. This may translate to lost business for you, which is why it’s so important to keep with the times and have a mobile website.

Our solution: It’s time for an all-in-one upgrade.

In about eight weeks’ time we can give your entire website an upgrade with a new look & feel, new content management system (which gives you the option of making your own updates) and a clean, easy to use mobile website.

Our mobile website plug-in takes the content from your regular website and automatically converts it for mobile users. You don’t have to have a second site, you don’t have to make updates twice, everything is controlled under one roof with one easy solution.

Test drive some of our mobile sites by visiting the sites below on your computer and a mobile device to compare:

  • oldcitywebservices.com
  • sunsetgrillea1a.com
  • atjourneysend.com

To receive more info, pricing or ask questions about our mobile website options, please give us a call or send us an e-mail:

(904) 829-2772

letusmarketyou@oldcity.com. 

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News, Notes & Content Management Systems

June 13th, 2012

Our workshops are continuing to grow!

Yesterday we followed up the success of our Facebook workshops by hosting our first Google Analytics Business Clinic. Our clients in attendance learned all about using statistics gathered from their website to improve their web presence, convert more customers and build their business.

We will be announcing another Google Analytics seminar soon, as well as additional workshops with new topics. If you have a topic suggestion or would like to find out more about signing up, please give us a a call or send us an e-mail!

A new content management site for Rodbender! 

Our friends at Rodbender Fishing Charters have a new home on the web with a built-in content management system. The optimized website features a photo gallery, contact form, custom Facebook icon and more! Visit the new website to see what OCWS put together for Captain Chuck and his crew.

The new Rodbender site is also hosted by Old City Web Services, which includes a link and listing on OldCity.com. Since we added the link a month ago, the new Rodbender website has seen a major increase in visits just from OldCity.com referrals!

If your website isn’t listed on OldCity.com, call us to find out how you can be added.

How can a content management system save you money? 

The benefits of a content management system on your website are endless. In addition to the ease of use the system provides for making changes and updates to your site, it can also save you money.

How? Well, even if you don’t have the time to make website updates yourself, we can make your changes faster using the content management system. Reducing our time reduces your cost as well, which means savings for you!

We’re always here to help. If you’d like more information about content management systems, give us a call and we’ll be glad to answer all of your questions.

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Understanding mobile devices.

January 18th, 2012

We’ve been throwing that term around a lot lately–mobile device–but what exactly does that mean? What is a mobile device and why is it important for your business to understand what they are and how people use them? We can answer all of those questions for you.

What is a mobile device?

A mobile device is a small handheld computer that can come in many forms. From iPads, Kindles and other touchscreen tablets to cellphones like the iPhone, Android and Blackberry, if you have a handheld device that connects to the internet, you have what the technology world refers to as a mobile device.

Why are mobile devices important?

With the creation of the iPad and the handheld tablet as well as the advances in smart phone technology, mobile devices are becoming incredibly popular tools for searching the internet. More and more, people are searching the internet on these devices instead of traditional desktop or laptop computers.

How do mobile devices affect your business?

Understanding how people use mobile devices to search the internet and what they are looking for can help your business get more traffic (both to your website and to your physical location).

More often than not, mobile device users want to find information quickly and easily. They are looking for your store hours, your phone number, your location or your menu/products/services depending on your business type. In short, they are making a decision about where to go to eat, shop or get help with something. They need to know if you’re available and how they can find you.

With this in mind, you should make sure that your website is mobile friendly or, where necessary, offer a mobile app to your customers to make it easier for them to find what they need when they need it. If a mobile user visits your website and finds it difficult to find what they want, they will quickly move on to something else.

Capture their attention, give them what they’re looking for and you’ll have converted them from a visitor to a customer.

Next week: Mobile websites vs. Apps

Next we’re going to tackle the difference between mobile websites and apps so that you can decide which one would be the better investment for your company.

If you have more questions about mobile devices or any of our other services, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (904) 829-2772 or shoot an email to letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.

Posted in Mobile Applications, Mobile Plug-In | Comments Off

2011 In Review: Part 1

December 7th, 2011

A recap of the knowledge we’ve shared this year.

It’s been a great year! We hope you have enjoyed our Customer Education Program and have learned some valuable tips and tools to promote your business.

Just in case you missed some of our articles, we’re going to do a quick recap this week and next week. You can also visit our blog to catch up on all of our tips from this year.

Here are some of the topics we discussed in 2011:

Website Development
This year we’ve shared some pointers on all the major parts that make up a great website including:

• Writing excellent, action oriented content
• Organizing your website navigation in a way that is simple and user-friendly.
• Creating a purpose-driven website for your business.
• Incorporating all the elements of a great design into a professional, clean look.

Content Management Systems
We’ve also discussed the value of a content management system and what all it can do for you including:

• Giving you the ability to make changes to your website with any computer connected to the Internet.
• Expanding your website with additional plug-ins like slideshows, picture galleries, blogs and calendars.

Mobile Websites
Another advantage of Content Management Systems is the ability to add a mobile plug-in that will automatically convert your website into a mobile friendly format for your visitors.

Search Engine Optimization
This year we spent some time talking about the importance of using search engine optimization to drive traffic to your website. We went over some of the important keys to SEO including:

• Understanding how Google works.
• Using keyword rich content on your website.
• Targeting specific, relevant keywords and phrases.

To read more about each of the topics above you can review all of our weekly tips, tools and tricks on our blog or just give us a call at (904) 829-2772!

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5 Seasonal Updates Your Website Needs

October 13th, 2011

Keep your website fresh and up to date with these seasonal changes.

1. Business hours.

Summer is long gone and the holiday season is around the corner. Has your business changed its hours accordingly? Make sure your website has the correct hours displayed on every page.

2. Holiday promotions.

Are you offering any specials for visitors during Thanksgiving or Christmas? What about discounts during non-peak hours or mid-week? You should let your clients know by displaying the information on your website.

3. Seasonal events.

Is your business participating in a seasonal event? From special tours to Christmas open houses, get the information out there now so that people can start making plans to attend. Also include details on where customers can purchase tickets to your event (if necessary).

4. Holiday Closings.

If your business is going to be closed over the holidays, let your customers know with a short message on your website along with the dates and/or hours that you will be closed.

Special Tip for Restaurants: Let people know now if you will be open or closed for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas so they can make their plans accordingly! Also give out information if you’re offering a special holiday meal on those holidays.

5. Photos and graphics.

Last but certainly not least, decorate your website for the holidays with seasonal images and graphics. If you don’t have a content management system that allows you do this yourself, give us a call and we can give you some information and ideas on what we can do for you!

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5 Ways to Add Extras to Your Website

August 31st, 2011

Add function and flair with ease.

Many websites today go beyond the basics to provide visitors with interactive tools and professional displays that help illustrate the importance of your business. If you have a content management system, Old City Web Service can add these extras for you to take your website to the next level:

1. Monthly Calendar: Share events and activities on an easy-to-use calendar that you can update from home.

2. Photo Gallery: Display photos in a professional slideshow or give visitors to the option to browse through a thumbnail gallery of your images. Either way, customers will be impressed with what they see!

3. Mobile Plug-In: Are your customers constantly on the go? Let them view your website on their phone with a mobile plug-in. This addition will automatically convert your content into a mobile friendly format.

4. Contact Forms: Give potential customers an easy, instant way to contact you with a short form that’s sent directly to your email.

5. Social Media: You can not only add a link to your Facebook/Twitter, you can display recent posts/tweets and other features from your social media pages right on your website.

Let us help you make your website more exciting!

To add some new features to your website (including a content management system) contact your team at Old City Web Services via phone (904) 829-2772 or you can send an email to us at letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.

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5 Things You Need to Know About Writing Excellent Web Content.

August 16th, 2011

Once you’ve got a great, professional web design, the next step is to create professional text that will inform your potential customers about what your business does and how they can sign up for your services. We have put together a couple of quick tips to help you write excellent website content:

1. Be Original: Don’t start off your home page web content with a generic “Welcome” message. As soon as a visitor sees a standard greeting like that, he or she will stop reading and move on to something else. Grab their attention, give them the information they need to know and finish with a call to action.

2. It’s okay to be repetitive: Users can enter your site on any page, so it’s okay to repeat some content. Make sure the key points of your business—services offered, target clients (are you reaching out to contractors or soccer moms?) and a point of contact—are mentioned on every page.

3. Break it up with headlines: Separate long paragraphs of text with headlines to point out certain sections. This is another way to grab the visitors’ attention and pull their eye to certain sections of text, it also creates visual appeal in your content.

4. Keep it relevant: Focus on the most important things you want your customers to know. You want your text to be long enough for people to get your message and decide that you’re the right business for them. Any extra information will just create confusion and steer them away from what you want them to do.

5. Call them to action: Just like the rest of your marketing materials your website should drive users to contact you. Close out every page with a call to contact you for more information or to schedule an appointment, whatever it is that people need to do to engage your services.

We can write professional website content for you!

If your time is maxed out doing all the other things it takes to run your business, contact us about writing your content for you. Whether you have a new website in progress or an old website that needs some updating, we have talented writers on staff who can write great content for your website.

For more information call (904) 829-2772 or send an email to us at letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.

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