At Iceberg, we can often find affordable website-based solutions to your business problems. It can help to have a conversation with our team every couple of years so that your website can grow along with your business.

We recently looked at how to have a website built on a budget. But there are even more ways to save money while still getting a professional website.

What do you need on your website?

When building a website, it pays to sit down with a website consultant and decide what you need on the website versus what you would like to have. Get the bare bones down and the features that will benefit your business most now.

Scale Up with WordPress

One of the great things about a WordPress website is that it is so scalable. You can start with your immediate needs and then add features on later as you can afford them or need them more. You might add:

•       Newsletter Integration
•       Scheduling Integration
•       Custom Forms
•       Special Calculator
•       Online Payment Feature
•       Any other feature that would make your site more effective!

At Iceberg, we can often find affordable website-based solutions to your business problems. It can help to have a conversation with our team every couple of years so that your website can grow along with your business.

Be Responsive

The easier the developer can reach you, the faster the process will go. Good communication with your developer will aid in the project’s smooth progress, which can help you avoid hourly additions and late fees.

Plus, when you communicate well with the team working on your site, you develop a relationship with them. Often, people will go out of their way to help those they genuinely like to work with.

Invest in a Maintenance Package to Save Money

It can often be challenging to understand the benefits of a maintenance package and why they cost as much as they do. That’s because a maintenance package is a little bit like an insurance policy with added benefits. With an insurance policy, you might wonder why you are paying for it each month, but you are thankful to have it when an issue arises.

Monitoring for Downtime

There is a lot more to a maintenance package than just taking care of a downed website. However, this is an aspect of maintenance that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Several things can result in downtime for your site:

•       Problems with the Server
•       DNS Issues
•       CMS Failure
•       Cyber Attacks
•       A Lapse in Maintenance

When you have a maintenance package in place, your site will be continually monitored for downtime so that if it happens, we can get your site back up and running as quickly as possible.

Content Updates

One of the most important things you get with your maintenance plan is regular updates to your site’s content by a professional developer. These updates will help you avoid broken links, outdated information, and dead pages. The developer can also make SEO recommendations and marketing.

Updates to CMS, Theme, and Plugins

These might be monthly or quarterly updates, depending on the maintenance plan you choose. Updates to your site’s CMS, theme, and plugins will prevent many issues since outdated themes and plugins increase your site’s vulnerability to attacks. In 2019, over 56% of all CMS applications were out of date when hacks happened. (Source: Sucuri)

Do You Have a Budget and Need a Website?

Iceberg Web Design has options that can make a professional site affordable.

Contact Us

The post More Ways to Save Money on Your Website appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

We have two main products that result in beautiful websites: our turn-key websites and our custom websites. The process to get there is quite different, however. Let’s look at some additional factors and how they could affect which option you choose.

Size

If your site is five to seven pages, both turn-key and custom development will work well. But once you get beyond seven pages, you would be better served by a custom site.

Time

Semi-custom websites can be launched as quickly as six weeks from kick-off. This timeline includes content, design, and buildout. We do most of the work for you on turn-key sites, so if you are busy, all you will be expected to do is a content interview, review content drafts, and provide assets and access to your site.

Custom sites take much longer than turn-key sites. How much longer depends on the site’s features, the number of pages, and numerous other factors. You will receive a timeline once we schedule the content interview or content planning session. For customers who wish to be more involved in the process, the custom is the way to go.

Features

Our semi-custom sites are perfect for businesses that want to develop an online presence with a professional website. You can add features, but keep in mind that any additional features will also add to your site’s price and timeline. You may be better off going with a custom site if you want more than one or two features.

If you would like online business tools integrated with your website, complex forms, advanced search and filtering, multiple galleries, a blog, dynamic team section, events calendar, custom animation, video background support, e-commerce, and other features, a custom site is a perfect option for you. 

Design and Development

The design and development time for a turn-key site is much faster and does not include a mock-up. It will match your branding, resulting in a professional, attractive website.

Custom websites will have a mock-up phase and will be completely customized. This is one of the reasons they take much longer than our semi-custom turn-key sites.

Price, Maintenance, and Access

There are no upfront costs for a turn-key site other than for content writing. After that, you pay a monthly payment. You do not have access to make changes to your site, but you will have 15 minutes of updates each month and quarterly plugin updates.

Custom sites cost more, and you pay for them upfront. Included in this are the more extended design and development time, hosting and full access to your site.  Depending on your monthly hosting plan you may also have 15-60 minutes of free support each month and either monthly or quarterly plugin updates.

The Choice is Yours

Both turn-key and custom sites have many advantages. The best for your business will depend on which of those advantages are most important to you. Either way, you will be pleased with the results. Contact us today to get your project started.

The post Turn-Key or Custom Website: Which is Right for Your Business? appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Subscription vs. Custom Sites

When we build a subscription site, we put content unique to your business on a framework that we have used many times before. It’s similar to how every adult has about 206 bones in their body, laid out the same way, yet we all look different on the outside.

When we build a custom site, many details have to come together in new ways. Often the process can be complicated. Because of this, subscription sites take far less time than custom sites.

The Time it Takes to Write Content

Before we can send your project to the developer, we need to assemble the content. It takes much less time for us to write your content than it does for you to do it. That’s because we do this every day. We’re experts at writing content that converts!

The first thing we do is schedule a content interview. That’s when we ask you about your business and decide how to communicate your passion to your customers. About five days later, we send you the first draft of your website content. You make any changes you would like, and after we edit the content, we go through the process again. After those two revisions, the content goes to design and development.

Some people choose to have us consult rather than write the content. This often means several rounds of revisions, so it takes longer.

The Time it Takes to Gather Assets

Assets are things that will give your site visual appeal, like photographs, logos, and custom graphics. Do you have professional quality photos ready, or do you need to hire a photographer? We have a photographer that can usually get the photos taken and edited within two to three weeks. If you employ -your own, the time it takes will depend on their schedule and speed.

Logos usually take about two weeks since there is a questionnaire, revision, and design consultation. Custom graphics will take more than a week. Of course, these things are done concurrently rather than consecutively.

The Time it Takes to Design and Develop Your Site

The basic design of your site will take about a week. During this time, we create a home page and an interior page. The time it takes beyond that will depend on how complex the design is and how many revisions are needed.

After approval of the mockup, the site will go into development. The development of a basic site without features takes about five to twenty business days.

Other Factors that Affect the Time it Takes to Build Your Website

The overall size of a custom site makes a big difference. If you need twenty pages, it will be more time consuming than a ten-page site.

Features will also add time—especially if we create unique custom features for your site.

E-commerce sites are time-consuming. Just how much time they take will depend on the number of products you want to be listed. Sixty products will take less time than 6,000. A small e-commerce site will typically take at least 6-months.

You have much control over how long it takes to get your site live. Revisions, changes, options, and delivering assets late will cause your project to take longer.

We are Experts at This

Our tried-and-true process will keep your project moving forward while focusing on its unique needs. We’ve built hundreds of websites, and we do it well. If you are looking for a professional web developer, contact us today.

The post How Long Will It Take to Build My Website? appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

5 Powerful Website Design Concepts You Need to Know

Ralph Caplan, a successful designer once said, “Thinking about design is hard, but not thinking about it can be disastrous.” Throwing a website together just to have one will do more harm for your business than good. Your design communicates your brand and your message.

To help your website communicate your message in a powerful way, here are five website design concepts you should consider.

1. Color & Whimsical Illustrations

Color has always been and always will be critical to the design of your website. Different colors reflect different emotions and help to tell the story of your brand. But, some brands are taking color to a whole new level by using colorful and whimsical illustrations to catch the eye.

Mailchimp’s new design uses eye-catching illustrations.

Mailchimp’s illustration shows a unique character seemingly juggling multiple planets, paying homage to the tag, “more than email.” It tells a story about what they do in an exciting and different way.

2. Passionate Storytelling

What’s your brand’s story? A story not only draws your customers in but allows them to connect with you in a deeper way. That connection helps drive those coveted conversions. On your website, place emphasis on your story and what it means for your customer. This includes your mission, vision and values.

Airbnb uses customer stories to help tell their own.

Airbnb uses customer stories to explain their dedication to the customer. Because the company is all about the customer and their needs, they make the overarching story all about them as well.

3. Flat Design

Flat design uses two-dimensional elements to create a sleek and modernized look on a website. It’s easier to use and places focus on user experience. There are no 3D elements and everything is kept relatively minimal for easy scanning and viewing. A website that’s easy to navigate is always best.

Squarespace uses flat design to keep things simple.

4. Less Is More

Your brand’s message must be front and center on your website. Some brands, such as Apple, are using minimal design to take a “less is more” approach. And it works! Images catch the eye of the viewer and direct messaging tells the story. Just like flat design, the less–is–more approach is easy to read and scan, helping your customers find what they’re looking for fast.

Apple is known for minimal design that is simple to read and understand.

5. Goodbye, Symmetry

It’s often said that good web design provides a sense of harmony and balance. Symmetry, or using a design made up of the same parts on both sides, is used to create that balance. But, some websites are using asymmetry to make a bolder statement. They’re mixing shapes, elements, and typography to make things interesting to the eye, drawing the viewer in.

Slack uses asymmetry to draw website visitors into their message.

Slack’s design is slightly off center but communicates a feeling of collaboration—exactly what Slack does for its users.

How Powerful Is Your Website’s Design?

These designs have one big thing in common: they stay true to the company’s brand. Is your website doing the same? Is your website design as powerful as your message? To learn more about getting a powerful website design that ensures your website leaves the right impression on your visitors, send us a message.

The post 5 Powerful Web Design Concepts You Should Know appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

What does this mean when it comes to revamping your law firm website? The answer is, naturally, “it depends.” You can gain a clearer understanding of when it is time to update your site by performing an annual review.

Scheduled Reviews Keep Your Legal Website Current

Website design principles and best practices are constantly evolving. Writing for the web requires ongoing knowledge of what works well for users and search engines alike.

If you want your legal website to stand out from the crowd, schedule annual reviews with your website developer. Determine what updates you need to attract prospects and convert them into clients.

For instance, is your website mobile friendly yet? Does it look as though it was made in the early 90s? Your website has mere seconds to make a good first impression on a visitor. Do not make that first impression be its last impression—keep current to keep visitors’ attention.

Related post: 9 Surefire Signs Your Website Needs a Facelift

Updates That Should Lead You to Revise Your Law Firm Website

You should not wait for up to a year to make certain on your website, however. Here are five categories of updates that should incite immediate revisions to your website:

1. Major search engine updates: The search engines are constantly updating their algorithms, which means your website must adapt to continue appearing in search results. Some updates, like Panda and Penguin, affect content and SEO practices. Others, such as the mobile-friendly preference debuted by Google in April 2015, affect design and development practices. Waiting to adjust your site accordingly could cause you to disappear from search results for some time.
2. Major law changes: 2015 witnessed major changes in family law—specifically, in the realm of same-sex marriage. If you are a family law practitioner, does your website content reflect the updates that come as a result of same-sex marriage? This is one example of how your content can quickly date itself—and show your prospective clients that you aren’t as good about details as you should be.
3. Law firm staffing updates: New partners often bring about name changes, logo changes and more. You need these changes to take effect across your website. The same is true if a lawyer leaves your employment and goes elsewhere.
4. Law practice updates: Have you expanded your practice? Or perhaps you have decided you are going to focus and own a singular niche practice area? Either way, do not wait to update your website to mirror the services you offer. It is important to note this change affects content and imagery.
5. Other law firm updates: Perhaps you’ve moved office locations or you obtained a new phone number for your practice. Or maybe your firm or one of your attorneys recently won an award that you would like to highlight. Whatever the change is, update your website when the change happens.

Your Next Steps

First thing’s first—set a schedule today for an annual review of your website that you will follow through on. Then, take a few minutes to browse through your website right now. If you notice aged design, outdated content or incorrect contact information, reach out to your website design and development team to start making updates. If you do not have a team you can rely on, we welcome you to reach out to our law firm website development specialists. Send us an email or call us today at 763-350-8762.

The post How Often Should Your Law Firm Revamp Its Website? appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Did you save the holiday cards that you received via snail mail? Well, break out the reminders of the 2015 holiday season and look closely at the images presented on the front and back of the cards. With websites such as Snapfish, Tinyprints, and Shutterfly making the creation of photo holiday cards a cinch, everyone seems to have morphed into a professional photographer.

Or, have they?

We bet that most, if not all of the holiday cards you received presented fuzzy, low-resolution images shot from smartphones. The cards that really stand out are the ones that appear shot by professional photographers. The photo holiday cards still clinging to your refrigerator door are the ones that taken by professional photographers.

Professional Photography: It Makes All the Difference

Now, apply the same principle to your business website. If you land on a website and the first thing you see is a full-screen slideshow featuring mediocre smartphone pictures, chances are you won’t take the company too seriously. Conversely, potential customers that find your website replete with amateurish photos flee to other websites presenting professionally taken photographs that effectively sell products and services.

You want your small business website to include professionally shot photos, such as the one below:

Our Minneapolis web design company helps clients upload professional website photography.

Professional Pictures of Your Business, Products, or Services

If your business has a storefront, and you take care of customers at your location, then you need a current picture of your storefront on the “Location and Directions” page of your website. Customers need to know exactly how to find you, and a professionally shot image of your storefront leaves an indelible visual impression that makes customers feel more familiar with your business.

Think of the photographs that you greet online customers as virtual welcome mats. You want online shoppers to feel welcome at a business that places a high value on its products and services.

Professional Head Shots

The “Meet Our Team” page on your website should encourage people to call your business for more information. Outdated staff pictures, photos of folks at their messy desks with coffee cups, and mismatched sizes for your staff can cause a person to hit the “Back” button faster than the roadrunner flees from Wile E. Coyote. Make sure that your employees look their best with professional, consistent headshots on your website. (They’ll even thank you when you send them a digital copy to use on their personal Facebook pages!)

Product Photography

Nearly 40% of customers take action, whenever the see professional photography on a business website. Professional looking photos account for 93% of the engaging posts on Facebook, which should already be an extension of your organic business website. Professional photographs receive 84% more link click throughs than the link click throughs prompted by text.

A Few Professional Website Photography Tips

Our Minneapolis website design firm walks clients through a process that ensures they upload the highest quality photographs. We offer a sampling of tips to get you started on your way.

Compress Photograph Files

Many small businesses think that large photograph files guarantee high-resolution images that attract customers and prompt them to take action. Yet, smaller photograph file sizes do not create low-resolution images. In fact, professional photographers know how to compress files and retain high quality images. Smaller photo files produce faster loading times, which keep customers coming back to your website.

You Don’t Have to Caption Everything

Sure, adding a product name caption helps customers make informed buying decisions. However, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousands words. Let some of your products do the selling for you by presenting professional images that capture the beauty of your products. This principle is especially relevant for businesses that offer high-end products, such as jewelry and luxury vehicles.

Don’t Cut Corners by Using Stock Photography

Yes, you can find professional looking photographs in online stock inventories. Your small business saves a little money, but you run the risk of violating copyrights. Do the right thing and invest in a local professional photographer to take headshots and high-resolution photographs of a few of your most popular products.

Free Professional Photography with New Development

Because we feel that professional website photography is so important to beautiful responsive website design, we are offering a free, one-hour photography session with a local photographer (local to Minneapolis, MN) for all new website development projects starting January 15 and running until March 31. This includes six professionally edited images for your website.

Contact us online or by phone to learn more about how your small business can increase sales by presenting professionally shot website photographs.

Note: Our website development company has offices in Anoka and Minneapolis, Minnesota. As such, we are partnering with local photographers on this offer. Free photography session is limited to customers within a 20 mile radius of either Anoka or Minneapolis, Minnesota. Contact us for complete details, or with questions.

The post The Difference Between a Mediocre Website and a Good One appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Having a modern, up-to-date website is not a luxury – it’s a business necessity. This is especially true considering people have access to on-demand, high-speed Internet connections nearly everywhere: at home, at the coffee shop, and on the boat at the beach home. If you do not have a website that attracts attention and encourages action, then you’re missing out on potential customers and new business.

If you aren’t aware of this already, your business website is your most important marketing tool. And if you haven’t had at least one major design change over the past three years, then you are not doing what you can to keep your website up to par with your competition. Indeed, the average business redesigns its website every 2-3 years. To keep hold of your market share, and to have any chance at growing it, you need to do the same.

So, is it time for your business’s website to receive an upgrade? If you relate to at least one of the 9 surefire signs listed below, then the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

1. Your site doesn’t show up well on mobile devices.

So many small business owners are utilizing mobile tools to enhance their business and their lives, but they overlook their most crucial advertising tool: their websites. Think about it. You spend a good portion of your day reading Facebook and news articles on your phone, ordering take-out, and playing Words with Friends. But have you ever visited your business’s website on your smartphone? No? Well your potential customers have. Are they getting the best experience possible?

Approximately 1 in 3 website visitors view those websites on their mobile devices. If your website is mobile-friendly, you have a greater chance at converting those mobile visitors into customers.

So what exactly does a mobile-friendly website do? It adjusts based on the device accessing it. It allows for easier use and clearer navigation. It cuts out unnecessary code for faster load times. Most of all, it is directly focused on that mobile user.

Wondering what your website looks like on a smartphone? Click here to test your website on our smartphone emulator!

2. You have a hard time making small updates to content or pictures.

Outdated websites or old programs can make it nearly impossible to change wording or add a picture. They require billable hours from computer programmers who speak old coding language.

3. Your site isn’t showing up in search engine results or your traffic is dropping.

Most traffic coming to your website is not from customers directly typing in your website address into their Web browsers. Instead, it comes from random search inquiries that people type into Google and other search engines. And nearly 30% of organic search traffic comes from mobile devices (refer back to #1 to see why this particular statistic matters).

If you have a newer website that uses search engine optimization (SEO), then you’re in good shape. But if you have an older website, you likely do not have access to tools to help you optimize for search. And even websites just a year or two old now face search engine problems due to the latest updates coming from Yahoo! and Google.

A redesigned website on a new platform can help alleviate many of these problems for you. You can optimize your site, you can add traffic reporting tools such as Google Analytics, and you can tie your site into social media for even greater reach.

4. Your copyright information is out of date.

If a website visitor scrolls down to the bottom of your website (and if your website is designed properly they should be scrolling all the way to the bottom), and sees “Website copyright 2011,” chances are they won’t continue clicking through your pages. If you haven’t taken the time to keep your business information current, why should they trust you with their business?

5. Your site doesn’t function right.

Your website is broken if it has dead links, a lot of errors, a contact form that goes nowhere or images that do not load properly. You’re even worse off if your site won’t load fast – or won’t load at all. This can be a huge problem, as statistics show that up to 80% of visitors will not return to a broken site.

6. Your competition has a better website.

Do you constantly find yourself saying, “I wish my website looked like John Smith’s”? Or, “I love how John’s site gives this information” or “that is a great feature my site can’t have”?

You CAN do something about this. In fact, you can make your site BETTER than your competitor’s site. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call your favorite website designer and developer.

7. Something flashes or blinks.

Animated GIFs, scrolling text, and flashing graphics were all the craze online…in 2001. And everyone knows that a site that still uses these items is out of touch with the times. What does that mean? Your visitors will leave your site and never return. This is behavior you just cannot afford. Get rid of those outdated GIFs and flashing graphics quickly with our help.

8. Your website no longer reflects where you are, who you are or what you do.

Perhaps you have refined your goods or services. Or you recently redesigned your logo. This makes sense, as every company evolves over time. What’s important is that your website evolves with you.

9. You’re embarrassed to share your website address.

As your website is your most powerful marketing tool, you should ensure that you prominently display it in all of your marketing materials. If you’ve been leaving your website address off of your business cards, email signatures, brochures and other collateral because you are ashamed of it, it’s time for a revamp.

The Question Isn’t Whether to Redesign Your Site. It’s When.

The time to update the company website will come for every business. Perhaps your time is now. If you find that your website meets any of the criteria listed above, then your time is definitely now. At Iceberg Web Design, we can help you identify ways to make your site fresh, vibrant and accessible for any visitor. Learn more about our design services by picking up the phone or sending us a quick email.

The post 9 Surefire Signs Your Website Needs a Facelift appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

“Can’t I do it myself?”

Of course you can make your own website! With access to different tools and programs and free content servers, the ability to create your own website for your business has never been easier. However, what isn’t included in these turn-key DIY website services are instructions for creating a website that gets your business beyond just having an online presence.

Hiring a professional website designer not only ensures that your business is established on the Internet but that it draws in the customers and the business that you need it to. Here at Iceberg Web Design we pride ourselves in our knowledge and expertise and strive to build a better website for our clients that does that and more.

Listed below are reasons that a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) website can actually hurt, rather than help, your company.

First impressions are everything

Your website is your business’s most important advertising tool. Your website will likely be the first place a potential customer will read about your business. It’s your first impression and your customers are going to form an opinion about your company based on your website. In this case, people do judge a book by its cover. If you don’t grab your customer’s attention in less than one second, or if your website has a confusing navigation structure or many typos, your customers will move on to your competition.

Quality will win a future customer over time and again. By having a quality website design, you are showing your future customers that your business is synonymous with quality. It will show that you care.

Cost: You get back what you pay for

One of the top reasons people turn towards creating their own website is the cost of hiring a professional. This is especially true for newly started small business. However, DIY websites will end up costing you more in the long run.

Not convinced? Think of it this way: it is not about the initial investment but the return from that initial investment. If you go the DIY route, you run the risk of not being able to capture your audiences’ attention because web design is not your expertise. Websites that are professionally designed will not only see more traffic, but they will invite your customer in to take a look around. You want your customers to stay on your website long enough to learn enough about your business to purchase your product or services. You don’t want them to go elsewhere for their needs.

Time

Time is money! Every minute you spend trying to learn Dreamweaver or writing content for your website could be used for improving your business. While you may think that a ready-made template will save you time, in reality you will spend hours learning how to install the template, add your content, and make modifications so that the template matches your current branding. It takes a lot of research to find color schemes, images, and fonts that represent your company’s brand the best.

It takes the average business owner 60-80 hours to complete a website development project that Iceberg can complete in about 10. What does that time mean to you? That’s 120 well-deserved lunch breaks. 60 meetings with your top client. 40 T-ball games. 20 romantic evenings with your spouse. Two weekends at the cabin.

You’re already investing a lot of time in running your business. When you are a business owner, your #1 time investment when working should be in your business. By hiring a professional, you save time teaching yourself how to create and update a website so that you can focus on your business.

Stand out from the crowd

One of the major downfalls of DIY and Template websites is the lack of individualization. If you’re buying a pre-made website, chances are that hundreds – even thousands – of websites have used that same template before. Most DIY website templates only allow for minimal customization, and some times custom changes are not even an option with a DIY website builder service. Without a custom design, your website will blend in with your competitors’ websites.

Iceberg Web Design will create a customized layout that will not only allow the flexibility of your brand, but also help you stand out from the crowd. Since our designers look at the bigger picture, they can recreate logos and design schemes that will help give your company a consistent brand image. Not only will it make your other marketing and company literature look well put together but it will give your company a polished look that will be sure to get you noticed.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

While the steps to designing a website may seem pretty straight forward, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into developing a website. To get your website to rank well on search engines, you need to know what you are doing on the back end, and the code behind the website needs to be Search Engine Friendly.

Unless you have experience working with website code, your on-site SEO won’t compete with your competition’s professionally designed websites. Try it yourself – do a search for your industry on Google, and see who comes up first. The companies that paid for professional development will most certainly show up before the DIY websites.

Technological Know-How

Iceberg Web Design will test your website over and over to work out any bugs or technical difficulties that might occur with your small business website. We will also ensure that your website has cross browser compatibility with all major internet browsers and their various versions as well as for smartphones and tablets. Because we are constantly testing for technical errors, it allows you to focus on your company so that you don’t have to worry about the technical integrity of your website.

Additionally, we provide ongoing updates and support for any software we use on your website as part of our monthly website hosting service. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your website is being updated on a regular basis.

Future Cost Concerns

It can be very hard for a website designer or developer to work on a DIY website. Most turnkey template builders are set up such that a website developer can’t even make customizations to the template, or access the website code. Because of this, any customizations or changes you may need to hire in the future will likely end up costing more than a complete new website development project.

Additionally, most DIY template builder services don’t offer the flexibility of allowing your website to be transferred to other hosting providers. If your domain name changes, or if you need to move your website, you would have to invest in a new website. This will end up costing you more time and money and take away all of the work that went into the original site.

Added Security

Many DIY template building websites offer minimal security or are unable to meet the high volume demand. Often times these websites are hacked which can be fatal for companies if private information is leaked. Iceberg Web Design offers hosting server security to prevent outside hacking attempts. Not only do we have the tools to keep your website running but we also have the tools and the knowledge to keep it running securely.

Iceberg can offer you more than the DIY approach ever could. We dedicate our time, expertise, and attention to creating and maintaining the best website for your company. We take pride in the fact that we are able to provide a quick turnaround time in our website development projects. Iceberg Web Design works diligently to ensure that we meet our project deadline in two weeks or less.

We also guarantee a 24 hour turnaround time for small website maintenance and update requests. In most cases, changes to your website are done the same day they are requested! Don’t waste any more time struggling to keep your website updated and running properly. Give Iceberg Web Design a quick phone call or e-mail to learn more. Let us take care of your website so you can spend your time taking care of your business – and your life.

The post 8 Reasons DIY Web Design Can Hurt Small Businesses appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Don’t forget to take a look at your business website while cleaning up this spring! The average business redesigns their website every three years. If your website hasn’t received a major overhaul since 2012, chances are your competition is sporting a more modern, updated website than you are.

We have been doing a bit of house cleaning ourselves! Last week, we rolled out a new, updated website for Iceberg. We’ve incorporated some of 2014’s hottest new website design trends into the new site.

Fancy website features – the hottest trends of 2014:

• Flat Design: We cleaned up the layout and incorporated a flat design technique, to help emphasize content as the focust of the site.
• Responsive: As with nearly all of our recent development projects, our new website is optimized for Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, and Smartphone browsing.
• Modern Fonts: Google Fonts have become very popular in website design over the last few years. Our new site uses the Google Font Open Sans, along with a couple other modern fonts.
• Sticky Header: (Desktop viewing) Tired of scrolling up and down on a website just to access the navigation menu? Our new website features a navigation menu that stays put – no matter how deep into a page you are.
• Multi-Layer Home Page Slider: If there’s one feature for you to click on our website link for, this is it. The home page slideshow has been standard in website development for years. Now we’re taking it to the next level with multiple layers in each slide, animated text, and unique transition effects.
• Animations and Parallax Effects: Subtle text animations on the home page and in the footer add a nice little piece of interest to the site.
• AJAX Sortable Portfolio: Our website development portfolio has also been updated. Along with a few new projects in the mix, we have enabled an AJAX sorting, so you can quickly view projects by type with a click of your mouse (or tap of your fingertip!).

Hop on over to www.icebergwebdesign.com to take a look!

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