The 360 Blog

There's a long standing debate in the web design community over the use of stock imagery on websites. Opponents argue that stock photos are overused and noticeably staged, while supporters reason that not every business can afford the original high-quality photos that the web economy demands.

There's no doubt about it, writing strong, relevant content for your website is difficult, and writing content that is strong, relevant, and helps your site rank higher in search is even harder. Which is why so many people outsource that task to professionals like us. However, we understand not everyone can (or wants to) pass off the task of creating original content for their site. This is why we came up with this helpful checklist to help you optimize your content for your website.

We're frequently asked by clients, "How often should I redesign my website?" As experts in the industry, we get the impression they are looking for us to give them a golden rule for the number of years a website should last. In truth, however, some websites may need to be redesigned only a year after going live, and others will make it nearly a decade and still serve their organization well.

If you've been keeping up on your national tech news, then you've probably heard about the most recent security vulnerability that's making headlines: the Heartbleed bug. The bug preys on a serious vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL software library, allowing information that is normally protected through secure encryption to be accessed by outside parties. The vulnerable data includes private information that users enter into websites, applications, web email, and even instant messages.

The Google algorithm changes over the last few years have made many a business owner throw up his or her hands in despair. Just when you thought you'd mastered the science of ranking well in search engine results and drawing visitors to your website, the rules changed. It sometimes feels like you have to start all over again after one of these updates. Although these changes may seem overwhelming, savvy web marketers know that if you understand the history and trends, you are better able to anticipate where the future of search engine marketing is heading.

Lately, I've noticed what seems to be a growing trend on several large e-commerce websites: They offer you a discount for providing them with your email or a joining their mailing list... but they don't deliver on the discount until 2-7 days after the fact. While this is annoying to the consumer, in my opinion, it's also detrimental to sales. Here's why:

Everyone has jumped on the social media bandwagon and with all the recent updates, many companies are left scrambling how to drive engagement. It's easy if you're a retailer but what if you're marketing B2B? We have some tips to make sure your posts are getting in front of the right audience. 

A few weeks ago, I (Kelli) decided to poll the rest of the office to see what tech toys were on the top of their holiday wishlists. Although nothing mentioned was too out of the ordinary, I was really excited to learn about the Fuji Instax Mini - it sounds pretty stinkin' awesome. It's also worth noting that the new iPad was the clear winner with 5 votes (or about a quarter of the office).

It seems like every other week I come across a case study about how another company was blacklisted by Google because of bad links and how they fixed it. I always end up thinking the same thing, "While it's great to know how to get your site out of organic search exile, wouldn't it be better to never find yourself in that position in the first place?" So with that in mind, I've put together a few tips on how to proactively manage your link profile. 

As many of you may know, 360 PSG's websites are built on the Fission Web System, our very own CMS that has been the cornerstone of our company since its development. It is a very powerful tool, with many features and functions that do anything from publish content, to receive resumes, and sell products online. However, while we love Fission and everything that it's capable of, we understand that not everyone needs (or even wants) that much functionality.

The point of using social media as a platform for marketing is to drive customers towards your brand, or at least get their attention so they remember who you are and what you sell. Ultimately, it's all about making sales, making customers happy by giving them what they want and providing them with what they need.

This post was written by our Social Media Intern, Mary.

After eight weeks, many hours at a computer, and almost an entire summer that flew by, I have completed by time here as the social media intern at 360 PSG. I learned a vast amount of information about the tech world, the world wide web, and generally working in a corporate office setting.

This post was written by our Creative Director, Ben Shepard.

As someone who has sat on both sides of the table it is brutally apparent that the relationship between creatives and their clients is stressful for both parties.  Perhaps you're familiar with some of the pains that can arise from either camp, or worse, you've been burned through a bad experience already.  This is unfortunate since all it usually takes to avoid calamity is better communication and a little education.

In the world of social media, Facebook and Twitter are the top two contenders, ruthlessly battling it out over the latest and greatest forms of internet sharing and communication.

For the second consecutive year, 360 PSG was overtaken in the Buffalo Championship round of Social Madness. Sponsored by Business First, the social media competition pits companies against each other, gauging their social media success through an algorithm that tabulates votes and online social engagement.

This post was written by our Social Media Intern, Mary.

How much time do you spend using Social Media each day? If you add up every Facebook notification check, every tweet sent, each LinkedIn connection approval, every Instagram liked, and so on, it begins to add up. Between desktop and mobile devices, the amount of time tech-savvy generations spend on the Internet has resulted in a culture wholly supported by social media. It has created a global community like no other, and has become an indispensable tool for maintaining both personal and business connections.

What's the most important part about blogging? We think it's getting the audience you want to read what you have to say. It's all about content optimization, keeping your reader engaged, and ensuring that your audience can easily find your blog. Follow these tips and tricks to make your Internet writing a success!

This post was written by our Director of Operations, Dan Fritz.

Building a website from scratch is not a "process". A process is a series of repeatable tasks that produce a predictable result, like building a Big Mac. No matter how many times the sandwich is made and no matter who makes it or where, as long as the process is followed, the result will be exactly as expected.

Do you ever have trouble staying motivated during shark week? I mean... the work week. Same answer though right? No? Well, we all have times where we just sort of hit that wall at work. Here is a list of strategies that have been working for me lately, enjoy!