An engaged small business owner is someone who does not just “set it and forget it.” We are all constantly testing, tweaking, revising, and trying again to ensure we are continuing to offer the very best experience to our customers and clients as well at meeting or exceeding our own bottom line. The best way…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Small businesses are a true economic driver of Alberta. Businesses with 50 employees or less make up a whopping 95% of all the economic activity in this province, according to an article published by AlbertaVenture.com in October 2018. The revenue generated comprises close to 30% of the province’s GDP. Small businesses are creative and nimble,…
After you’ve had your much-needed (and well-deserved) rest and relaxation for the holidays, it’s time to get back down to business again. When it comes to web design and maintenance, there’s nothing worse than aimlessness. Rather than float into the new year without a solid plan, why not jot down a few goals to keep…
As owners of a service-based small business, one of the hardest learning curves for us was to figure out what to charge for services. We want to provide great value for what we do, but we also don’t want to find ourselves overworked and underpaid. This just leads to frustration and hurried work, and the…
Website updates happen all the time, but it’s usually stuff you don’t see. Meticulous care of the sites we build means consistently keeping up with security fixes to avoid hackers, maintaining the version and theme, and constantly downloading new plugins to stay up to date. All of this must be done to ensure the functionality…
The question most new site owners ask me is, “How do I get people to my website if they have never heard of me before?” The first answer is build your website thoughtfully, with relevant content development, ethical SEO practises and consistent analysis of analytics and data to keep improving on the honest results earned.…
I don’t think of myself as the boss of the Emphasize Design team, but my background is in business and management and my role involves a lot of the same types of principles. I see my main responsibility as motivation, and I am always doing my best to keep pushing us forward so that we…
A few years ago it was all about Yelp reviews being the most influential on your business’s reputation. But it’s now it’s the almighty Google review. Not only do they trump Yelp reviews for searches, they can also greatly improve your SEO. A good Google review not only reflects well on your business, it’s also…
Since the first version of the Penguin update went live in 2012, Google has been especially focused on weeding out Black Hat SEO and rewarding sites that offer valuable content. Google’s penalty algorithms will tag sites using unscrupulous methods of gaining visitors to their sites. One of the elements they have focused on is inbound…
Embarking on an online marketing campaign or website development project for your Calgary business without a solid understanding of your target audience is basically a lot of wasted effort. To maximize your marketing investment, you not only need to know where you want to sell your product. You want to know who wants to buy…