Recent Projects: OpinionHead.com has a new look!

OpinionHead.com is my baby, and every time I get bored with a look, I change it, so, I can imagine that many others could want a fresh new look for their web domains, after all, why not?

One of those things that no-one ever agrees on, is changing the look of a business website, once users get familiar with one look, why change it? My reason is that just like anything else, you get tired of looking at the same ole thing all of the time. Another reason is that new features come along and to add them, you must make a change or two anyway, so, change everything while your at it.

I many cases, the cost to a client is minimal, compared to a new set up, most of the work is already done so the changes are mostly cosmetic and take less time.

Anyone looking to get a face-lift for their current WordPress site, let me know, and what you want, and I will fix it up for you. Any new clients looking for the most modern CMS website on the net should just drop me a quick note or call anytime, my rates are affordable, hosting and management may be  included.

BustinLooseHosting is now Live!

We have now completed (all but the fine tuning and content) our Hosting website, BustinLooseHosting.com.You will notice that BustinLooseMedia, BustinLooseHosting, and this site, WildWebDesigner.com, all have the same black brick, background, this has been done for a reason, this brick signifies the barriers that can prevent some small business owners from setting up a quality, dynamic, database driven website, where they can add as many new content containing posts or pages as they desire, thus providing more opportunities for the search engines to bring them even more new customers!

Bustin’ Loose defines my philosophy on what it takes to break free from the old restrictive way of doing things, such as a business that needs to break free from the hassles that operating a website can bring.

While any website can be of some value, a properly designed WordPress based site can offer things that a plane jane, old fashioned .html site cannot. There are many services out there for these “easy” sites, and yes, they are “cheap”, but, you get what you pay for, or, at least you should. With a modern, Web 2.0, dynamic database driven site, that uses a custom .css stylesheet, that makes adding new pages easy, you no longer have to pay a web designer to add each page for you, it is as simple as sending an email, just type, add images, select a category, and hit publish and it is done. A dynamic site also allows for interaction with your sites visitors, they may leave a comment about your products or services, which will encourage later site visitors to do business with you. If you sell products, you can also add this feature to your site and have a new source of sales as well that way, and, with WordPress, you may be able to use a simple plugin, and not even need an expensive shopping cart.

I could go on and on about the benefits of using WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS), but, the biggest, and best reasons are in it’s simplicity, affordability, and design, it just works better! Most plugins and themes are free, though donations are encouraged to help further development, and since WordPress is an active Open Source community, the future technologies are sure to be built in.

If you are a small business owner, you need a modern, customizable web-presence that can grow with your business, a Web Designer  and Host that is there for you, and will help you reach your goals, take a look at us, we are on your side and will help you Break Free!

BustinLooseMedia.com: Our new Parent Company!

After all of these years, I have finally decided to try and get paid a little bit for my work, what a concept, right? Now that I have several sites, many dedicated to website design, or promotion, I thought it would be a good time to pull it all together, under one umbrella, so to speak, so, I built another site, and this is the one that my business will be named from, BustinLooseMedia.com.

Where did I get that name, you might ask? Well, it is actually simple, the people that I most often help, are, or were, at one time, small business owners that had no concept of how they could utilize the Internet as another tool, just like a business card or newspaper ad. My goal is to help them Bust Loose from the old, and get into the new! Back when I got started, someone building a website was paid well, like $2,500 for a basic simple static html website, one with more than just a few pages that is. Times have changed, now, you can build a basic static html site, using WYSIWYG and paying a few bucks a month for hosting, but it is very limited as to what you can do.

Now that WordPress has developed into a full CMS tool, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination, and of course, your time, that is where I come in. WildWebDesigner.com builds the sites, and so on. TrafficComplex.com does the traffic promotion, and all of my other sites have the potential for generating revenue with ad space. I have one site, dedicated to the area where I live, the purpose there is to bring businesses that service our area together with those needing their services or products. I know, that sounds a bit like reinventing the wheel, but, it is not, because here in Burleson County, those without computers outnumber those with, but that is changing, so, through BurlesonCountyBusiness.com,  and BustinLooseMedia.com, I am going to Bust this place out of the old and into the new.

When you look at a Website, what do you see? Value, Budget, Functionality?

Often there is a habit, myself included, that the first impression of a website, is determined by a pretty picture or flashy display of some sort, but that is not what counts!

What counts is the functionality, ease of navigation, and of course, the quality of the product being sold.

If I am looking for toothpaste, I want to find toothpaste, but, if I am looking for advice on using toothpaste, well, you get the point.

Every website is as different as the website owner, or it should be. When you hire someone to build a website, there are many things to consider, besides cost. Even a FREE website is worthless if both the designer and the owner do not communicate properly, and that is the biggest problem for both parties. Why?

The designer wants to build the best site they can, but, they are often hindered by what the website or domain owner wants  to spend. Hey, enough money can get you the Mona Lisa, but who can afford that?

So, look at the value, what can the designer offer? What is the potential return? What is your budget? Will the site work? Once you put all of these things together, you are just getting started!

What are you plans for the website, now, and later? Can it grow with your business? Does the designer charge for each new page? What will your involvement be? Will you work to make the website better? Will you post new information about your products and company yourself? There are so many questions that you need to ask.

At this point in time, WordPress, no longer just a personnal blog, but a complete Content Management Solution, WordPress has so many plugins and such available, that it can be customized to do so many things! If you are a small business owner, that will tell people about your products, and get involved with your website, I can help you! If you know yur way around the web, you can do it your self, but, this is what I do, I can help you, and guess what, I work cheap! In some cases FREE, since this is my hobby.

If you would like more information, use the contact form, just tell me what you need, maybe I can help? If you are just starting out, and have an idea, bounce it off me, I have seen just about all of the stuff that works and doesn’t, just avoid the scams, drop me a note, I am here to help!

High Fuel Prices: Do bad things ever cause good things?

First off, I want to tell you that the high cost of fuel, primarily gasoline, but also propane, and the natural gas used to make electricity, are putting a hurt on me!

I have a pickup that I now drive only twice a week, just to haul off the trash, and to visit a buddy down the street! Why? well, I also have a car, a little one that is good on gas! Here is the biggie, I am now spending about 75 bucks on gasoline a month, just on that truck, the car, which takes me everywhere else, I am spending about $160 a month! I have another buddy spending like $350, so yes, we all feel that, but….

Something that I have had to do a lot of in the past, just because I live in the sticks, is order what I need online! Yes, shipping has gone up, but it beats driving across the country!

If there is anything at all positive in this, it is that business owners with websites, have an advantage over those that don’t. This world wide web can offer opportunities to those that use it, and use it wisely. I’m not saying that every Mom and Pop should go crazy getting a website, but, for those that need an advantage in competitive markets, the Internet can be a major tool.

As you have seen, my nickname is CarpetGuy, why? I am a flooring consultant. As we speak, I have a couple of flooring sites that are about to be completely overhauled! These two sites are in the very first group of sites that I built, so it is just time anyway, but, I have already noticed more traffic, and contacts from the websites. This tells me that instead of driving around looking for flooring, people are shopping on the Internet! Now is the time to make these sites stand out so that when the people finish looking on the web, and get in their car to go get a closer look, I will have a better chance of getting that customer!

Now is a good time to get a Web Presence, even if it is just a basic site with your business info and phone number, if it is set up right, it can help you, especially if you are in an industry that has avoided getting a website in the past. If you need a tip or two, just keep checking out this site, or use the contact us form and drop me a note, maybe I can help?