Impactible Development

Hosting site for Impactible Clients

design.attention.focus

5 Reasons Why I Recommend WordPress

by Leave a Comment

There always seems to be some level of debate about the best platform to build a vibrant, growing website.  You hear a lot of talk about Joomla, Drupal, and other platforms, but I would like to give 5 reasons today why I recommend and use WordPress as my platform of choice.

1. WordPress Is The Most Used CMS

Surveys have shown that WordPress is the most popularly used content management system (CMS) among websites today.  In one particular survey by w3tech.com, WordPress is shown to be used by 14.2% of websites, with Joomla placing a distant second with 2.7%.   This survey included the top 1 million websites listed on Alexa.com.

2. WordPress Is User Friendly

I often tell potential clients that if they can use Microsoft Word or any simple text editor, they can use WordPress. And if you happen to have need for any custom functionality, most likely you can find a plugin that will do it without you having to touch even one line of code.  Also, because WordPress is Open Source, the web abounds with free information on how to use this powerful platform.

3. WordPress is Search Engine Friendly

If you want your site to be found by the search engines, you want to use a platform that makes it easy to accomplish. If you understand the basic concepts of search engine optimization, WordPress can help you apply those concepts without a lot of technical expertise.  Plugins such as the “All in One SEO Pack” provide a free solution to enable users to optimize every single page and blogposts on a site.

4. WordPress Is Easy to Customize

Because WordPress is theme-based, it is very easy to give a custom look-and-feel to a website. There are literally thousands of themes available for WordPress, some free and some paid, that give a staggering number of options to personalize your site.  If you are looking to have a site that is entirely customized, there are many services (such as ours) that can design completely unique themes on a per client basis.

5. WordPress Is Popular with Successful Internet Marketers

You can’t be around internet marketing much at all to find out that many top earners in the field of internet marketing use WordPress as the hub for many of their activities. I have gone through many online courses taught by many “gurus” in the industry, and almost without fail, you will find WordPress is one of their tools of choice. If you want to be successful, do what other successful people do, and use the tools that they use.

 

 

What Do You Prefer? Text or Video?

by Leave a Comment

I must say that I consume a lot of video in my research for the work that I do. Video is great. Video is good. But…at the same time… video can be very annoying.

You see, I am one of those people who has the ability to read rapidly with great retention about what I’m reading. As a result of this, I can get through text on a subject much more quickly than I can sit down and watch a video about that same subject. So as a matter of preference, and in an effort to get the information I need as quickly as possible, I prefer to read than to watch.

Now, this is not a plea for people to stop using video on their blogposts, tweeting videos, posting video on Facebook, or broadcasting video on the literally hundreds of video distribution sites out there. Video is a must to be noticed online today! But don’t forget about the other guy, the guy like me who would rather read content than view it.

So, what can you do to make room for us avid readers out there? If you put out an instructional video, have it transcribed so that you can offer options on your web page or blog post. Trust me, it would be greatly appreciated.

And think like a fisherman.  Offering the “text option” is just another hook out in the internet waters to snag those people who are sincerely interested in your product or service, but would rather scroll through text than “push play.”

What do you prefer? Text or video? Leave a comment, and let us know what your preference is…

CWS 101 – Developing a Vision and Building Relationships through Your Church Website

by Leave a Comment

Your church website should be more than just a yellow page ad on the internet. It is important to develop the proper vision for your church website, and it is imperative to build relationships through your online presence. This podcast episode explains how to develop a vision for your church website, and the necessary vehicles to build relationships.

Ingredients of an Effective Church Website

by Leave a Comment

In today’s world, it is almost a necessity for every church, business, or organization to have a website of its own. While many church leaders understand the importance of having a website, many don’t know the necessary ingredients to make it effective.  It is not enough to just put up any old website, and expect it to bring people to the church, or minister to those who currently attend.

A common mantra in the internet world today is the phrase “Know, Like, and Trust”. One of the main purposes of a church website is to allow people to know, like, and trust your church. If your website is like an old-fashioned ad in the yellow pages, you aren’t helping people get a good “feel” for your church. What are some ways you could accomplish this…

1. Include a video welcome from the Pastor on the home page of your site.

Few things will keep people engaged on the home page of your church website than video content. Research has shown that people are far less likely to click away from a page if there is video content included.  Video has become the most popular form of internet content in the last couple of years, and there aren’t many churches that take advantage of it.

2. Be sure to have photo galleries of recent church events.

My analytic information has shown that many times photo galleries are the most visited pages on a church website. Pictures run a very close second to video.  For instance, when a Facebook user receives a friend request, the first thing he is likely to do is look at the persons pictures to make sure it is someone they know.  It is no different with a church website.  Let people see the membership and activity of your church through pictures.

3. Include a podcast of recent sermons.

The message is the most important part of  the church service. A podcast is a great way for people to know the atmosphere of your church.  You could feature the most recent podcast on the home page of the site, and then provide an archive page where site visitors can listen to the past sermons.

4. Be sure the site design is clean and professional.

If you are shopping to buy something online, you are less likely to trust the website that looks like it was designed 10 years ago. Web design changes as the searching and navigational habits of people change, and you need to make sure your church site reflects that.  Make sure the site is easy to navigate.  Name individual pages in such a way as to where people know what to expect when they click on them (this is important for the search engines, too!).

5. Start a blog.

One of the things that search engines use in determining site rankings today is the amount of activity your site generates. A blog is a very effective way to keep the content on your church website fresh. It also enables feedback from parishioners if you give them the ability to do so. (Note: In many church settings, it is advisable to review comments before they go live, as you don’t want people to get the wrong impression of your church).

6. Provide a livecast of your services.

For the medium to large size church, livecasting the services over the internet is fantastic way for people to get to know your church. This can be very technical and expensive (video equipment costs, monthly service for livecasting, etc) but if it fits in your church budget, it is a great addition.

Welcome to the Gaston Media Solutions Blog

by Leave a Comment

Thank your for visiting our blog.  In the coming weeks, we will be posting informative articles to help improve the web presence, in both the design and scope, of your personal or small business site.  We will also be posting tutorials on how to use the advanced features of the GMS framework to help take your WordPress site to the next level.  Stay “posted”!