The start-up business culture in Calgary is thriving. There are dozens of companies being launched each and every week, helped along by the city’s venture capitalists and angel investors and fueled by passion, drive, and just plain good ideas. We applaud anyone with the courage and fortitude necessary to basically forego job security for as…
I find meeting deadlines to be very easy to do. This is because I often push them back. It’s a terrible habit and one I am working to rectify. As an online content writer, it is very rare for me to miss a deadline a client has put forward for an article, but I have…
You’ve done it. You’ve taken the leap to start your own small business, putting your passion to work for you. I know exactly the kind of leap of faith it takes to leave behind the consistency of a regular paycheque, plus benefits (if you were lucky), and make a go of it on your own,…
In Calgary’s tough economy these days, small businesses are having to become more and more creative, and more and more clever, at capturing online interest and turning those people into dedicated, long-term customers. And that’s exactly where we come in. At Emphasize Design, we stay ahead of the trends and are consistently researching, working, and…
A brand is a business’s personality, and we all tend to hang out with the ones we like best. But let’s face it, we’re probably not going to go listen to a bunch of people from McDonald’s talk about how they managed to get where they are. We would (at least I would), go and…
I have been developing content for websites for nearly 15 years now, and I’m proud to have been able to weather the many developments in the field. Changes range from learning to write for a fully mobile web audience (when I started, data on phones was a luxury only the wealthy could afford, and tablets…
For small business owners, a work/life balance is hard to achieve. Managing both a staff and your company is a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week occupation. It’s hard to not think that you need to be in touch with your employees at all times, and that you have to be constantly on top of absolutely everything happening at…
Back in the day when we actually had to leave our homes to buy stuff, customer service looked a whole lot different. We (obviously) dealt with real people a lot more often. When we entered stores, we actually wanted – and expected – to be helped, and relied mainly on the expertise of the salesperson…
Writing a good blog is difficult. This I know, because I’ve been doing it for many years now. But part of the reason why I love doing it is because it’s hard. Because it’s challenging. And because it really, really makes a difference. Blogging for business still matters, which is great because that means I…
For our last blog post I went through a number of website design terms that are very helpful to know and understand if you are embarking on a site build or refresh. As a website designer I am very comfortable with the sometimes complicated vernacular that describes what I do. But I am well aware…
Every job comes with a whole lot of jargon, and website design comes with more than most. As a website designer for more than 15 years, I’ve seen many trends come and go, and trust me, it’s even hard for me to keep up with the constant changes in vernacular. When we discuss your website…
Social media is an amazing business tool that can help create a community of like-minded folks who can provide advice and support to each other. As I run the social media channels for our clients who request the service, I get to share the news and updates coming from both the business and overarching industry…
Online lead generation is what we do at Emphasize. The marketing side of the web design business is my specialty, and I have been helping companies find new customers on the web for more than ten years now. There is a misconception out there that all you need to do to create interest in your…
As Emphasize Design’s content developer, my main job is to help set up your site structure and create the content for your pages as needed. I work mainly with words, and am skilled at providing the correct meta data needed in order to optimize for SEO, otherwise known as good search engine results. Mike, our…
Among the many website design services we provide at Emphasize is the addition of ecommerce abilities. There are numerous benefits to including ecommerce on your site, the most obvious being that an online store helps you sell your products all day, every day. Other ways an ecommerce site can help your business include: Ecommerce shoppers…
After writing for websites for more than 15 years, there’s one thing I know. And that is that good website content creation takes constant practice and cultivation of skills. I look at writing as a lot like a sport. If you don’t keep at it consistently you’re going to lose the abilities you developed pretty…