Client: US Air Ducts

US Air Ducts is an A/C and Duct repair franchise based in Virginia with branches in North Carolina and Florida . The project consisted of a multiple page website with a feedback form, video integration, rotating banner, and testimonial functionality.

Website Design: CSS, HTML, Flash, XML, DHTML, PHP, Video Integration

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Client: Palm Beach Business Review

If you are looking for an honest review of a local business or independent contractor, Palm Beach Business Review is the place to be. The project consisted of a dynamic reviedw based website with a submission form and payment gateway integration, custom banners.

Website Design: CSS, PHP, Paypal Integration, HTML, Flash, XML, DHTML

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Client: Digi-ERA

Digi-ERA is a network solutions corporation that provides IT resources, staffing and solutions to strengthen a company's infrastructure. The project consisted of a multiple page website with a feedback form, animated banner, custom logo and donation functionality.

Website Design: CSS, PHP, Photoshop, JQuery, HTML, Flash, XML, DHTML

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ASM Graphxx designs don´t just look nice; they convey a mood and a message. Our custom designs reflect your brand – whether it be corporate, entertainment, personal, fashion, non-profit or e-commerce . We do not let the bells and whistles get in the way of generating results.

ASM Graphxx's team specializes in providing a full range of multimedia solutions, including print. From customized illustrations to creative artwork, we design it and work diligently with printers to meet all project criteria. During the design phase, our designer works closely with you to ensure your branding is enforced and the message is clear. We also provide a list of the best qualified print vendors for each individual job and follow through with each project to ensure final print materials meet all required goals.

Client: Horizon Technical Institute

ASM Graphxx was hired by Horizon Healthcare Institute to re-develop an existing website. Horizon Healthcare Institute is an institute of higher learning that specializes in medical training. The website enables potential students to request information regarding courses and also to register online for upcoming classes.

Website Design: CSS, HTML, Flash, XML, DHTML, Java
Print/Graphic Design: Business Cards, Brochure, Logo

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Client: Gods Merciful Home

Gods Merciful Home is a non-profit organization that provides homes for orphans in Haiti. The project consisted of a multiple page website with a feedback form, slideshow gallery, and donation functionality.

Website Design: CSS, HTML, Flash, XML, DHTML

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Client: First Ride and Home Solutions

The client was in need of a one page design to provide information to their customers. The website details their contact information, locations and the services that they provide.

Website Design: CSS, HTML, Flash

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The Internet has been heralded as "the great equalizer": on a browser window, any company, no matter how small, can look as good as a large company with a long history of quality and service.  This situation presents an important challenge for small businesses: how can I convince my potential customers that I am not an unethical, fly-by-night operation?  The best way to do it is through a properly structured "About Us" page.

Your "About Us" page must not only introduce your company to your potential customers, but must do so in a way that it explains, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why they should trust you and your company. Often, this means answering six basic questions:

Who is behind this website?

People are getting tired of large, bureaucratic companies and their "your-call-is-important-to-us" service mentality.  As a small business owner, you can give your customers the personal attention they won't get from the big guys. Get that message across in your "About Us" page. Don't be afraid to talk about yourself and your passion for the business, and by all means include your picture.  The central message you want to convey is that behind your business there is a real human being who has his or her customers' best interests at heart.

Is this a real business?

Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to list your full physical address.  There is something reassuring about a "bricks-and-mortar" location, even if your customers will never visit you.   A physical address shows your prospective customers that you don't have anything to hide. Include your full contact information, including your physical address, in a conspicuous location within your "About Us" page.

How do they make money?

You know the cliché: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". If you don't make your business model evident to your visitors (in other words, if you don't show them how do you make money) the first question they will ask themselves is: "what's the catch?".  If you offer too many things for free, or price your products too low vs. your competitors, prospective customers will hold back.  Use your "About Us" page to explain what your main revenue streams are, and why do you charge what you charge. Remember to always talk "value", not "price".

How long have they been in business?

People tend to regard longevity and stability as important qualifiers to determine trust.  Since most small business (especially of the on-line variety) tend to be very young, it may be hard to use the longevity card to solicit trust. If that is your case, you can talk about your past experience instead.  For most small business owners, their past experience is highly relevant to their current businesses.  Use your "About Us" page to talk about it, and how does it relate to and benefit your current business.

How do I know they deliver?

The best way to show your prospective customers what you can do for them is through testimonials from satisfied customers.  Ideally, the testimonials should come from companies that accurately reflect your customer's demographics.  To be effective, these testimonials must provide some form of contact information of those who offer them (usually, a name and a link to a website will work).  Presenting a small table with a list of previous clients and the type of work you did for them is also very effective. Make sure you ask for permission before listing your clients' name (most of the time, they will be more than glad to give you authorization, especially if you link to their websites).

Are they related to the business community?

Another way to establish credibility and trust is to belong to community, trade or professional associations. These entities usually authorize their members to use their logos.  For example, a repair shop's website can use the seal of the ASE to emphasize that its mechanics are well trained. Similarly, a business consultant's website can display a logo of the American Management Association, or a real estate agent can display a logo of the National Association of Realtors.  Use these associations to your advantage in your "About Us" page.

Should I trust them with my private information?

People are very protective of their personal information, especially on-line. You should have a privacy policy clearly displayed somewhere in your website, and you should link to it from your "About Us" page (and also from your homepage).   Aside from that, if you sell goods or services on-line, it is a good idea to become a Truste privacy sealholder. By becoming a Truste member and displaying the Truste seal in your "About Us" page, you will demonstrate that you abide by Truste's best practices. This alone may make the difference between prospective customers buying from you instead of from somebody else.

Some Implementation Details

If the information in your "About Us" takes too much space and makes your text too long, you can always split it among several pages (you will then have an "About Us" section instead of just a page).   If you do so, create a small menu of options that apply only to your "About Us" section. The links in that menu can be called: Our People, Our Business, Portfolio, Customers, Community, Privacy, etc.  The best location to place this menu is on a column to the right of the page, since usually the left column or the top of the page are reserved for the main navigation menu of the site. Finally, a link to your "About Us" page must be present in your homepage (it doesn't have to be in the most prominent location or in your main navigation menu, but it has to be visible and easily accessible).

Choosing a domain name can be daunting. Research the subject (after all, you're the type of marketer who researches, right?) and you'll be hit with a landslide of opinions, most contradictory. There are, however, two points that everyone agrees on:

1. Pick your domain before you launch your business. This is especially true if your market niche has lots of competition. Research your domain before you commit to a business plan.
   
   
2. Don't wait too long if you like a domain. While you're researching, you'll likely come across a couple of domains that attract you. You might be tempted to wait, since you haven't finalized or refined your business plan. Don't. A handful of domains isn't going to cost you much at an affordable registrar like GoDaddy, and once they're gone, they're gone. Chances are you can even resell the rejects at cost, if not a profit. Or "develop" them with unique content and point them to your main site for extra traffic.
   
   
   
   Now that we have the easy part of the way, let's wade into murkier waters.

   Which TLD (top-level domain) is best?

   If you're a juggernaut in the business world with a giant ad budget, the answer is dot-com (.com). If you're a smalltime business struggling for search engine positioning, the answer is still dot-com.
   
   People do disagree on the value of a dot-com TLD. Some assert that dot-coms have no particular value in the search engines, which may be true.
   
   However, the fact is, if you haven't yet seared your brand on the collective brow of the planet, dot-com makes you easier to remember. If you give up on dot-coms (they're harder to get), then in some deep dark place inside, people will remember you as "that hard-to-remember URL with the ending that isn't dot-com." What's worse, if you pick an otherwise memorable domain name ending in dot-net, -us, or (God forbid) -tv, some of your traffic will end up at that competitor who snagged the dot-com version of your domain.
   
   Okay, that's settled. Now for the controversial stuff. Which is best: the "keyword" domain, or the "creative-genius, snappy and brandable" domain?

   Keyword Name vs. Creative-Genious Brandable Name

   A Keyword Name is the boring, workhorse kind of domain. You see them everywhere. They bristle with hyphens: "best-anchovy-pizza-in-siberia.com." Or "super-labrador-accessories-and-golfballs.biz." On the face of it, they're hard to brand. They're hard to fit on business cards. They're really hard to explain over the phone to Aunt Martha.
   
   On the other hand, a Creative-Genius Brandable Name is the sexy kind. The successes are sparkling: Yahoo!, Google, Amazon.com. You can shout these URLs across the room and the other guy will probably get it right. But note: the dot-com road is littered with hip, snappy business who failed to brand their product successfully, or get listed high in the search engines. Now their URLs all point to the same page: "server not found …"
   
   The debate rages on, but the first question you must ask yourself is:
   
   How will people find you?
   
   It was recently reported that "direct navigation" web traffic has started to outnumber search engine traffic. In other words, more people visit sites by typing in the URL directly than they do by combing search engines for results. So more gurus are recommending ‘brandable' domains.
   
   But think about this. As a small business owner, how will people find you? Word of mouth? Billboards on I-95? "Corporate sponsorships" on hockey arenas? Probably not: they'll find you through search engines. They'll type in "cheap purple widgets," and as a smart marketer, you will offer them a website optimized for the keywords "cheap purple widgets."
   
   Still, this doesn't imply you should automatically pick a keyword domain. There are pros and cons to both types.

   Brandable: Advantages

   The brandable domain is great for business cards. In fact, it's nearly compulsory if you're planning on offline marketing. In other words, if you're printing up stationary at Kinkos, you want a brandable domain name.
   
   If you're also a marketing genius, this is a fit challenge for your talents. Finding a memorable, apt domain to brand your business is something no software-driven suggestion tool can do.
   
   Most "hybrid" domains -- ones that are really crosses between keywords and brandable names -- are long gone. But if you create a unique idea for your brand, you can probably snag the dot-com name for yourself. Now all you have to do is burn that brand onto the world's collective forehead. If you do, you'll benefit from type-in traffic. That means that if someone hears about you, they can probably find you just buy typing in your domain.

   Brandable: Disadvantages

   The brandable name requires solid marketing skill, research and luck. Your name should be so catchy, it's almost viral. It should also convey your actual business – or you'll have to work hard (often meaning, spend money) to associate the two. Your name should be "tested" on coworkers, cousins and dishwasher repairmen to ensure it has no undesirable connotations. Finally, your name should be available as a domain, and not suffer from competitors with similar domains. Sometimes, pulling all this off is difficult.
   
   Keyword: Advantages
   
   By keyword names, we're not talking about the glorious generic keywords – the one-keyword kings such as drugs.com or business.com. No, we're talking keyword names you can afford.
   
   This is where you buy the domain name www.cheap-purple-widgets.com in hopes of getting a top search ranking for cheap purple widgets.
   
   Advantages are many. First, more keyword names are available. (They're ugly, and many people feel an aversion to hyphens.) Also, they do help you place higher in the search engines. It's true that search engines only give you a little credit for having a keyword in your domain, but "a little credit" counts.
   
   Second, keyword domains leave no doubt in the searcher's mind about what you're selling. If you decided to call your widget business "Ableeza," a searcher might not get at a glance what it is you're selling, even if your rank is high.
   
   Finally, if you can get people to link to you, those links will be valuable. No matter how Webmaster Joe describes you, the link part will always say, "cheap-purple-widgets." This is a powerful search engine strategy for moving higher.
   
   Keywords: Disadvantages
   
   You won't get type-in traffic for a keyword name. You can't really explain it across a phone. It won't look pretty on a business card, and it's almost impossible to pair up with a cute logo. But if search engine traffic is going to drive your business, the keyword name is worth a long, hard look.

   Wrap Up Time

   Regardless of which type you choose, don't play guessing games. If you go with a keyword name, use a search tool (like 7search ) to determine what keyword phrases people are searching on.
   
   If you choose a brandable name instead, test it out on a variety of real people first. Pay attention to their reactions. Reserve your domain early, since brandable domains go fast unless they're very unique.
   
   In the long run, both types of domains can work for you, especially if offline marketing is an option and you have a knack for branding. Overall, though, the keyword domain is probably the easiest path to success for the small-business owner.

   (How to) Buy a Cheap Domain Name

   Domain name registrars all do pretty much the same things: register domains. Yet they vary in price by quite a bit. Why?
   
   Generally, the reason has to do with reputation and name recognition. Older, more established registrars get to charge more. Newcomers drive traffic by undercutting their competitors and trying to over-deliver on services.
   
   In fact, the vast majority of the eighteen bazillion registrars you see today are really domain name resellers. Resellers buy in bulk from a handful of official ICANN registrars, which include such stalwarts as eNom.com, Register.com and Dotster.com. You can find a current list of actual registrars (not resellers) by checking out this list at the Internic. Not a long list, is it?