2010 Is Here and We're Still Going!

Well you've probably noticed we haven't been posting much the past few months, and we do apologize for that. 2009 as you probably know was a rough year for most, and we certainly were no stranger to that effect. However, it's a new year and we're still kicking and ready to make it one of the best years yet.

We already have some nice projects in the pipeline and are making plans to start getting more leads coming through the door. With that in mind we'd like to take a few minutes to remind everyone what Ignite Media is all about.

Ignite is a small freelance website design and development company focusing on building search engine friendly websites for small and medium businesses. We've been in the field for over 20 years combined, and have worked with companies in every industry from retail to industrial. We take the time to listen to your needs and really get to know what it is you are looking for in an online presence.

We're not a full time shop, and we're honest about that. We put in the hours needed to make sure each and every project is built beyond your expectations. However, to keep costs down and overhead low we are based on a freelance model. What does this mean for you? Well you may have to leave us a voice-mail or send us an email but we'll get back to you. You may find that we like to talk a little after regular business hours, but we will communicate. We've worked on sites for large and small customers and there have been no complaints up to now about our schedule being an issue.

We're living in a new world. One that operates outside of the old style 9-5 but yet still works effectively and efficiently. Don't be afraid to try us out, we promise you won't be disappointed and better yet, we can almost guarantee you'll be please with our customer service and high quality design.

Here's to a new year, and a new start for everyone. May we all be healthy and prosperous for the year to come.

Website Usability

Well it's been a little while, but we're still here I promise. This week we're at SMX East 2009 in NYC. So far the event has been great, and the sessions very informative. One of the sessions we attended was about website usability I thought it would be good to touch on this point.

Website Usability
Everyone knows that a website is only good if the user can actually use it the way it was intended. What people don't always know is how to figure out whether the site is usable or not. When it comes down to it there are really two models for measuring the usability of a website. 1) is a reactive approach 2) is a proactive approach.

Reactive Usability
Now some might thing this term sounds somewhat negative. However, reactive usability is a great thing and is based on real world information. Reactive Usability is using data from tools such as Google Analytics, Urchin, Email Blasts etc to learn what is working and what isn't. Based on this data you then go and make changes or updates to your website/email campaign or other online media. Reactive usability testing and updating is probably the most widely used method (in my opinion).

Proactive Usability
This type of testing is as the name suggests, something that is planned to test the usability of your site or online media. You might do A/B testing, multivarient testing, discussion groups or user surveys. These tests allow you to plan what it is you want to be testing and get data specific to either confirm or reject a certain hypothesis. This type of testing is a bit more time consuming, but can give you extremely valuable data about a given variable.

What You Should Be Doing
At the end of the day, you need to take into account your users and constantly be testing and reviewing your data to ensure your online medium is working the way it should. Any testing is better than no testing was the big takeaway here.

Remember: Your website only works if your users say it does

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http://www.ignite-media.com/
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