The Pain of a Website That Isn’t Working for You

What can a business in Sonoma County do when their website is not up and working for them?

I have been talking to business owners about their websites and I have been hearing some common themes.  Most of them painful to hear, and certainly not helpful for the local businesses here in Santa Rosa or anywhere.

I was talking to a local winery from Alexander Valley, near Healdsburg.  They paid an experienced web designer a big down payment to create a new web site for them in December.  It is now 4 months later and not a single page of the new web site is up.  There has been much frustration and broken promises.

Whenever you are thinking of working with a web designer, a very important question to ask is, “By when?”  Some designers are very upfront with you and will tell you they can’t get to your project for weeks or months.  Others are eager to take your downpayment or deposit, because they have cash flow problems, and then move on to the next victim, whoops, I mean client, and get another deposit to tide them over.

We have learned how to do business with most people, but it seems to me that web design has led business people to neglect the normal best practices they would follow with other vendors.  Most business owners would not give money to a vendor before a job was started without have a very clear, written commitment and production schedule.

For some business owners, websites are this fuzzy area that they don’t know very much about and aren’t even sure what questions to ask.  As a consequence they look to the professional that a friend recommends and don’t ask many questions because they don’t feel very confident about what to ask.

I will be offering a series of questions to help you make intelligent choices by asking the right questions when you are going through the process of wanting to put up your web site or getting something improved on your website.  Web sites are important and can be a big help for your business.  At Ajalon we are always happy to help you succeed.

Having a good looking website is a little better than nothing, but what you really need is a site that will do the heavy lifting of bringing in more business, not just look pretty. All  businesses, whether in Santa Rosa or Sebastopol, or really anywhere, need to have hard-working websites.

What most people think about when putting up a website is, “How much will it cost and will it look good?”  These are important concerns, however, since your site can be attractive, but not attract much business.  Having a site that is pleasing to you does not mean that it will get you business.

A site might be pleasing to you and not cost very much, but if it doesn’t attract business, it is not worth it.  A site might be beautiful and have cost a lot of money and still not help your business much.  Having a website, no matter what it costs, is not the answer.

First things first

What you want from your website is that it work for you.  Being a pretty face is not enough.  Simply hanging out on the web is not enough.  There are over 183,000,000 websites.  What you need first with a website is to get found.

The most basic reason, in my mind, a website is put up is so that the information on it is found by those who might be interested.  Most of us would not hire a person who simply looks pretty or to just show up and hang out at work.  But some of us want a site so that we can say we have a site, not asking if the site really WORKS for us, beyond being there.

In the case of a website it is important what it does, not just that it be.  I have reviewed many business websites in Sonoma County, most of which are not working very hard for their owners.

You can be one of the best dentists in Santa Rosa and have a beautiful site, but if it is all in flash, it only about as effective as the simplest one page website.  The only people who will find you are those that are specifically looking for you.  Search engines see the flash and move on, not being able to read the flash content, they don’t index it.

So if you want to talk to someone who has walked the walk and is not into just creating pretty pages, but websites that work for you and are productive, call Ajalon Printing.  707.528.0288

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

There are some marketing materials that are particularly appropriate for doctors and dentists.  These are referral forms or pads, practice brochures and welcome packets. Ajalon has been providing these for medical and dental professionals in Sonoma County for over 50 years.

Referral Pads or Forms

Some specialties such as periodontics and orthodontics rely on referrals from general dentists.  Ajalon has been involved in providing attractive, effective forms for dentists from Ukiah to Petaluma for many years.  Whether you need pads or individual forms.  Carbonless forms are no problem.  Maps and postcards are easily provided.  Whatever you need is only a phone call away.

Practice Brochures

It is especially important when someone comes in contact with your office, whether it is in Sebastopol or Santa Rosa, that you have a well done brochure to explain your practice to them.  Your brochure should communicate the particular focus that your practice has and provide a warm, welcoming message.  We are proud of the many medical and dental professionals that we have been honored to help over the years in designing and printing their practice brochures.

Welcome Packets or Pocket Folders

When a new client comes to your office for the first time there is a lot of information that needs to be communicated and forms to be filled out.  It is a good practice to have a welcome folder with the forms to fill out and information about your practice for them to take home.

At Ajalon we are experienced experts in planning and producing presentation materials that fit for your office.  If you are looking to upgrade your look, and to present your practice in the best light possible, call or email Ajalon today.  707.528.0288 ajalon@ajalon.com

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

It used to be that books were something that big, mega sized companies published and the rest of us bought  in bookstores. But that is no more.  Ajalon Printing & Design has printed as few as 20 books for a gentleman from Oakmont.  Conversely, we have printed tens of thousands of books for John Lee MD Solutions in Sebastopol.

With the computer and the digital world upon us, it is possible to print most any size or quantity of books.  It can be a short run of poetry books for a reading in Petaluma or the book faire in Santa Rosa.  We can do perfect binding (soft bound), so that the book looks like a regular trade paperback.

Or for that especially precious biography, we can do a hard cover book in a large or small quantity.

We do many different types of binding from plastic spiral binding or comb binding.  Wire-0 or velo binding.   Or the traditional saddle stitched pamphlet or chapbook.

We love helping our clients with their books.  For some people this might mean even scanning something previously printed for which there is no digital file.  Scanning can be done quickly and it is a lot easier than retyping many pages.

Some people bring in books created in Microsoft Word and we can format them for printing into a book of a traditional size paperback.  We can add art or pictures to a book and help in the layout.

So book printing is right up our alley.  We have been helping folks from all over Sonoma County with their bookmaking needs.  After we do a book, often times people bring in their friends so that we can help them.

With our letterpress we can produce beautiful poetry books where the type kisses the fine 100% cotton paper and leaves a sweet impression.  The quality of the written document literally makes an impression that is beautiful and classic.

So we aren’t one of those big publishing houses, but if you want to self publish a book or just get a few copies of a manual printed, Ajalon Printing can help you.  Give us a call today.

Yesterday I was at a trade show in Santa Rosa and stopped to talk to one of the vendors.  He handed me his business card.  I looked at it and held it in my hand while I talked to him.  I noticed that I was rubbing the card between my fingers.

After I finished talking with him, I walked away and looked more closely at the card.  It was embossed.  I have known about embossing for many years but had never had such a personal experience with it.  It had really drawn me in.

Embossing and debossing can certainly draw attention to your printed pieces. Embossing is  usually subtle and adds a sophisticated and elegant touch to a business card or letterhead.

How is it done?

Embossing, or its opposite cousin, debossing, is typically done with a die and counter.  The die is usually made from metal, often copper or magnesium, and the counter is made from a plastic or polymer based material that is capable of taking the pressure and still keep the details present.  It is usually done on a letterpress.

The die is a convex impression of the image and the counter is the positive or concave impression.  When the two are fitted together a nice impression is created in the paper or card stock.

Types of Embossing

You can use embossing by itself, with no ink, called blind embossing. It can also be used in conjunction with ink, called  register embossing.

It also can be used with foil stamping, which when embossed with foil is known as foil/embossing or combination stamping.  This can produce outstanding results, but it is more expensive since a specialized die needs to be created and two passes need to be made through the press.  The first press pass stamps the foil and second pass creates the emboss.

At Ajalon Printing we can do all of these processes in our own shop, ensuring consistent quality.  So when you are wanting to improve the ‘feel’ of any of your printed material give us a call, 707.528.0288, or visit our web site at http:/www.ajalon.com.  We have been right here in Sonoma County for over 50 years and are ready to help you.

Written By David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design