Shea Media : Custom Website Design » Blog

Getting into the Holiday Spirit by Giving Back

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:39:06 +0000

The holidays are the perfect time of year to practice charity, and this year Shea Media has partnered with a local Austin non-profit organization, Austin Rescue Ranch, to help them launch their website and create their identity. Austin Rescue Ranch (ARR) is a newly formed 501(c)(3) organization that works to find housing and shelter for death-row dogs, cats, and horses. Founded by former Austin police office Mike Flippen and his wife, Kendall Flippen, ARR supports the movement towards Austin’s no-kill status, striving to ultimately eliminate unnecessary euthanizations.

It’s been a pleasure working with ARR, and we hope to volunteer with them in the future.

Visit Austin Rescue Ranch at http://www.austinrescueranch.org/

Best Business Podcasts

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:13:38 +0000

We’re always on the lookout for ways to enhance our entrepreneurship and business skills, and business podcasts are a great way to continue professional development on the go. Here’s a list of the best business podcasts we’ve found to be extremely helpful:

Mixergy

Mixergy introduces small business owners and entrepreneurs to successful businessmen and women and enables them to learn from their experiences through online podcasts, interviews, and more.

Small Business Big Marketing

Small Business Big Marketing focuses on how small businesses can optimize their marketing plans through online interviews with other business owners.

Harvard’s Ideacast

Harvard’s Ideacast features groundbreaking ideas and commentary from the business world’s leading thinkers.

Success U

Hosts Christian and Ben share their experiences as business owners and discuss opportunities in Internet marketing, e-commerce, and more.

E-Commerce Podcast

This podcast reviews best e-commerce principles and practices and features discussions from retailers who continue to run successful online companies.

Small Business Podcast

Features everything and anything about running a small business–from starting a company with the goal of acquisition to how to write a business plan.

The Power of Viral Marketing

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:32:31 +0000

Or, The Power of Facebook. I snapped this screen shot a couple months ago from a Facebook group that I joined, and the numbers are simply astounding. 16,000 fans in 1 week! How would you like to reach 16,000 fans in 1 week–and with no investment except your time!

Websites Heavily Influence Purchases

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:07:47 +0000

Just a quick post to share some news-worthy information we thought you all would appreciate: a new report by RainToday.com shows that 97% of consumers are influenced by companies’ websites when considering purchasing a product or service. Literally, only 3% of the 200 individuals surveyed by RainToday said that a company’s website has absolutely no influence over their purchases. A company website informs your audience, makes you an authority, and improves your brand recognition.

This graph by Hubspot shows the breakdown:

Hubspot is a great resource for internet marketing information. If you liked this newsbit, check out their article on marketing tips in exactly three words–it’s clever, informative, and funny!

So You Need a Website… Now What?

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:50:30 +0000

Maybe you’re a professional wedding photographer who hasn’t had time to invest in a portfolio website, or maybe you run a small business and know you need to build your company’s online identity but have no idea where to start. Whether you’re an architect, musician, retailer, realtor, a newly formed company, or just about anyone else needing to promote themselves, a website is the #1 place people will go when they want to discover more about your products or services. So when someone conducts a search for you or your business online, will they like what they see? Will they see anything at all?

It’s the beginning of a new year, and maybe you’ve decided that now’s the time to start targeting the market of 1.7 billion internet users—228 million of which are located right here in the United States. So what’s next? How do go about getting a website?

First off, you need a domain name and web host, or server. It’s best if your domain name is your company name. If you’re an individual self-proprietorship and your company name is your name, using your full name as the domain name is a great way to channel traffic to your site. In general, it’s a good idea to purchase your first and last name as a domain name if at all possible. You never know when you’ll need to use it.

After you’ve settled on a domain name, you can purchase the domain from companies like godaddy.com, or, if you are planning on purchasing web hosting right away, you can get your domain for free when you sign up with most major web hosts. Purchasing space on a shared or dedicated server is recommended for anyone who needs consistent, reliable hosting so that your site is always accessible for your users. It’s a small yearly fee, and it’s worth it. We use Bluehost, which is a reliable web server that offers affordable hosting packages. Your domain name registration is free when signing up with them. Sign up for Bluehost.

Now that you’ve secured a domain name and web hosting, it’s time to start digging into the web design and development process. For more information on what to expect throughout the design, visit our web design processes and services page, or check out our portfolio to see what we’ve been working on.