KS Technologies
Making the web work for you.
KS Technologies, LLP
P.O. Box 62328
Colorado Springs, CO 80962
Phone: 800.762.7690
Fax: 866.794.9487
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What's Up With KST?
What is “Google Suggest”?
You may have noticed something new and interesting when doing Google searches these past few months. They have taken their “Google Suggest” technology out of their labs category and into the wild. Why do you care, and what does it mean for your business?
Google will now suggest popular keyword searches based on what you type into their infamous search bar. For example, if my Honda Odyssey is not working to my expectations and need a repair shop, I can start typing …
And this is getting me pretty close. It’s interesting to see that Google is now trying to anticipate what I really want to find. Now, based on these results, I don’t really want a repair manual. And I’m not looking for a forum. But, I do notice the names of some major cities in there, including Atlanta, Seattle, Austin (TX), and Denver. Now we’re getting closer to what I’m really after!
If I keep typing now, with a city name in mind (in this case, Denver), the number of potential searches drops substantially (three!), and now I’ve converged on what I was really after and how people typically find that information using Google. Here is that result:
So, now that you’ve seen the technology, why should you care? At KST, I wouldn’t say that we are “Search Engine Optimization Experts”, however, we do build great code that takes advantage of modern trends in search engines. And this new tool from Google is something that must be taken advantage of by your business. After all, Google is now telling you how people are finding you! You may think people find you a certain way through Google, but why not test out that theory before optimizing all of your meta and website content?
Optimizing your website content by the way people search Google and other major search engines is vital, and now you have a simple tool to see how others may find you. If you type in a search term that you think people are using to find you, and if Google’s Suggest feature returns nothing, that’s an indicator that you may not want to optimize to that particular wording.
Typing all of these different suggestions into Google may be tedious and slow. So, at KST, we’ve scoured the web and found numerous tools to help you understand what people are searching on in multiple search engines, and, statistically, how many of those people type that term daily and into what search engine. These are great tools for yourself or for your website developer to use - one such example can be found at SEO Tools; it’s a great start to understanding how customers may be finding your business.
Harlan’s Out For Awhile
Due to health reasons, I’m stepping back from KST. I hope this will be a temporary step, but for now, please route all KST correspondence to Bob: bob [at] kstechnologies.com / 719.337.0314
Working With KST: Periodic Review
This is the fourth and final installment in my Working With KST series. This series is intended to give you a taste of what working with us is like and, hopefully, give you a sense for what makes us different. If you’re just getting here, you might want to start with the first post.
Step Four: Periodic Review
Ahhhhh…the fourth and last step. A great deal of work has been accomplished by this point. Together with the client, we defined and documented what we wanted the site to achieve. Next, we crafted a graphic design to meet that purpose. Finally, upon approval of the design, we implemented and launched the site. Now what?
One of the first things we defined at the very first step, the Website Development Strategy (WDS) step, is how we would measure the site’s success. We came up with metrics like the number of forms submitted, items purchased, increased calls, or software images downloaded. Whatever the specific goal was, we cannot evaluate the success of the site without measuring results.
KST employs various tools to measure a site’s performance. We have used Google Analytics extensively in the past and continue to use it today. However, there are some things GA can’t measure–or doesn’t measure well. Because we host on our own servers, we have access to data that Google does not and that becomes very handy in some situations. In fact, we can measure nearly anything about your site.
Access to analytics data is critical, but let’s face it, most businesses already have a Google Analytics account. The problem isn’t really collecting the data, it’s making sense out of it. What does it mean? What is significant? What is just noise? We solve this for our small business clients by doing the analysis for them, then presenting them with a written report, in plain English, explaining how their site is performing. If at all possible, we meet in person to deliver the written report and verbally explain our findings and recommendations.
Since we are evaluating goals set in the WDS, this is usually a good time to revisit the WDS and update it if necessary. Although we provide customized content management systems (a future blog series 
), allowing our clients to update the content on their site, sometimes the site needs major additions or a redesign to continue delivering results.
Typically, we do our reviews twice a year, but we can accommodate higher frequency if needed (a marketing campaign, for example). As a client, this service is part of your standard hosting fee. In addition to our small business clients, some larger companies may have their own analyst. In this case, we can provide them with data, pre-filtered to their specifications, in the format of their choice. Finally, decision-makers in an organization may want real-time access to certain metrics. We can create custom, real-time dashboards (even for mobile platforms), allowing them to make decisions informed by real data. Very cool stuff
Poor communication is a common complaint in our industry. At each step, we intentionally hold ourselves accountable to the client, and this is perhaps never more evident than with the Periodic Review. Here we judge whether we have actually achieved what we set out to do. You might ask: doesn’t handling both the design and analysis represent a conflict of interest? Not really. Ultimately, this can’t be faked, either business improves or it doesn’t.
KST’s goal is to establish long-term relationships with our clients by creating websites that actually do something for their business. Hopefully, this series has shown you how we go about achieving this goal while keeping our clients informed along the way. If you have any questions about this process or want to talk with us about it, please give us a call at (800) 762-7690.
Working With KST: Design & Launch
This is the third installment in my Working With KST series. This series is intended to give you a taste of what working with us is like and, hopefully, give you a sense for what makes us different. If you’re just getting here, you might want to start with the first post.
Step Three: Design & Launch
To review, we started the design process by documenting what we wanted the site to do and how it should do it–the WDS document. Upon approval of this document, we carefully created graphic designs to capture the expressed objectives. Again, we submitted these for client approval. At this point, the client knows exactly what we’re proposing to build and agrees it is the right design for their business. That alone is an achievement of sorts, but it’s useless unless the site is delivered on time and on budget.
After the graphic design is approved, we formally commit ourselves contractually to a both a budget and a schedule. The contract also clearly defines the client’s deliverables. Usually, we need materials from the client to complete the design. Since not having them can cause delay, we spell-out exactly what we need from the outset. This also, in most cases, triggers the first invoice.
Upon receipt of a signed contract, we immediately setup a test site for development. The link to this site is shared with the client so that they can follow our progress. If the project is large, we build additional checkpoints and/or design reviews into the schedule to ensure there are no surprises. This is the point where we actually turn that pretty picture into a working website.
If the site involves creating interactive tools, we create a safe way for the client to play with them, giving them a sense for how their customers will interact with the site. This often leads to improvements that we can make as we continue to build the site.
Minor improvements are one thing, but changing the site’s direction is another. I should point out that even after approving the WDS and graphic concepts, it is possible that a client can get to this point and want to redesign the site. …Of course, they usually don’t call it “redesign”. They prefer terms like “minor change” or “tweak” However, when the “tweaks” stray outside of the contract (or the WDS), it is clear the client has formulated a new direction for the site.
This is not necessarily negative. The client may have just realized what the site should do, and that’s good progress! However, it would be foolish to just start hacking away at this new idea. At this point, it is always best to stop and start over by changing the WDS and revisiting the contract. In fact, it’s not just a good idea, it’s our policy.
I know, I know… This prolongs launch and everybody wants to get the site done. But believe me, I speak from [painful] experience: you won’t save time by skipping steps. It always appears easier/quicker/acceptable to just make a few quick changes. It always costs more in the long run. We have learned and relearned this lesson many times. No more. When the project definition changes, stop and clearly document those changes before continuing development. Ultimately, it turns out better for everyone.
Even with a midstream design change, we will reach the specified due date. At this point, we have run the final site through our suite of checks, believe the site is ready to launch, and submit it for launch approval. Upon approval from the client, we “push the button” and launch the site!
That should be the end, right? Actually, it is just the beginning. How do you know if the site actually achieves its defined purpose? Periodically measure and review progress. Next time: Periodic Review.
Working With KST: Concept Review
This is the second installment in my Working With KST series. This series is intended to give you a taste of what working with us is like and, hopefully, give you a sense for what makes us different. If you’re just getting here, you might want to start with the first post.
Step Two: Concept Review
One of the chief complaints about web designers is poor communication. KST has designed a process to help solve that problem. The first step is to be very clear about what the client wants their site to achieve. In our process, this is captured in a document, approved by the client, called the Website Development Strategy (WDS).
After creating the WDS, we have everything we need to begin the site’s graphic design. At KST, we create Photoshop mock-ups of the site using web-safe fonts, graphics, and dimensions. We specifically create these concepts to look exactly like the live site will look when completed. This is critical because clients can’t look at a pencil sketch and see the beautiful picture in your head.
Yes, when we first started KST (many years ago), we did a couple jobs by creating concepts with clients by sketching on pieces of paper. Crazy, huh? Inevitably, there were all kinds of marks on the page indicating how the site would behave. There was much hand-waving, vague explanations, and a total failure of communication with the client. After we created the site, clients remembered agreeing to something totally different (not that!), promising all sorts of things, and, most importantly, the site we designed was not at all what they had in mind!
That’s when we realized we needed to create true electronic mock-ups. The best form of communication at this point is a full resolution graphic that represents the live site as closely as you can possibly achieve. We use Photoshop for this. We’re comfortable with the software and Photoshop’s layering makes it easy to switch between concept variations.
Typically, we upload the concepts to a private site where our client can see them on their screen in a browser. This gives them a very realistic view of the concept and makes it easy to solicit feedback from others. The purpose here is to converge on a graphical design, consistent with the WDS, before any code has been written.
Up to this point, not a dime has exchanged hands. We front-load the risk to make parting easy. After all, if we are not a good fit, let’s shake hands and move on. If you don’t really want to work with us, please keep looking. Shop around. We’re looking for long-term partners–is that what you want? On the other hand, assuming the client likes our work, we finish this step by providing a formal quote, contract, and schedule.
Next step: design and launch…
Working With KST: The WDS
As promised, I’m starting a series on how we do business. This is the first installment in my Working With KST series. This series is intended to give you a taste of what working with us is like and, hopefully, give you a sense for what makes us different.
Every business, when they begin to think about a creating a website, envisions a powerful business tool that will help propel them into the future. A tool that will achieve their business goals.
Then they choose a web designer and reality slowly sinks in.
When you talk to small business people about their web designer, horror stories abound. Either they didn’t get the design right (”I don’t think they heard a word I said!”), or they continued to pester them about small changes (”We already discussed that–why can’t they just get this done?!”). And after the site was finally launched, and changes needed to be made, their “web guy” was suddenly hard to find.
Over the past several years, we have designed a process to identify what needs to be done and keep the customer informed during the entire process. It’s really all about good communication and managing expectations. This is business 101, but in our industry, it isn’t so common. We want our customers to know what they’re getting, when they’ll get it, and how the product is performing after launch. We’re not perfect, but we strive to be as clear as we can each step of the way. This series explains how.
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be discussing our website design process. I have divided the process into four basic steps:
- Website Development Strategy (WDS): Define what the site should achieve.
- Concept Review: Make sure the design is right before development begins.
- Design & Launch: Get it done on-time and on-budget.
- Periodic Review: Answer the critical question, “Is my site working?”
So, without further ado, let’s dive into our first step, the WDS…
Step One: The Website Development Strategy (WDS)
So you want a website… Why? To make more money? To get your business “out there”? Seriously, how is your site going to advance your business? Whom will your site reach? What should they do on your site to advance your business? How many or what kind of interactions constitute success? How will you know if they have taken these actions? If they don’t, then what? What should your site look like? What should it do? Do you need Flash?
The purpose of our first client meeting is to begin answering these questions. The Website Development Strategy (WDS) begins by capturing the business purpose for the site including what you want the site to accomplish and how we are going to measure that goal. It continues by reviewing competitors, defining what makes the client’s business unique, and even touches required functionality and artistic message. The purpose of the WDS is to define clearly, before any design work is done, what we want the site to achieve, how we should evaluate the site’s graphical design, and how we’re going to measure the success/failure of the site. The document is sent to the client for approval. If we need to edit the document, that’s fine. We want to ensure we’re on the same page before going any further.
Note that it is important to have all your decision-makers present for this step. Occasionally, the person delegated the job of “getting the website up” is not in the best position to answer these questions. This document forms the foundation of all subsequent work and shouldn’t be shortchanged. Also, everyone has different tastes and ideas. Let’s get all the views of all the decision-makers represented up-front instead of resetting the project halfway through. It is important that everyone agrees on what the site is created to do and to whom it is directed before any graphic design work begins. This understanding both helps keep the team focused on the ultimate goal of the site and helps solve any design disputes later on.
The WDS forms the basis for the design and measurement of the site and is the first step in doing business with KST. At this point, we can usually provide a budgetary quote. The next step is the development of a static graphic concept…
KST Launches Penguin’s Coat
Penguin’s Coat is a different kind of insulation installation company. They take a systems design approach to providing the right solution. Penguin’s Coat is a Green company, Energy Star Certified, and install only spray foam insulation from renewable sources. Their solutions are incredibly efficient, and if you’re building in the Front Range, it’s worth giving them a call.
We had a great time working with these guys and look forward to future projects with them.
Back In Town
I am back from vacation. Actually, I got back Sunday, but have been buried. I am now surfacing More later.
Half of KST on Vacation
Until July 7th, direct all calls to Bob at (719) 337-0314
KST On the iPhone: Analytics
A common way businesses waste money is by ignoring their site analytics. How do you know if your site is achieving it’s goals if you never view this data? How can you get the most from your site if you don’t know what the data means?
There are two big reasons why businesses ignore analytics: 1.) they don’t have a clear, measurable business purpose for their site, or 2.) their analytics tool (if they have one) is too complex to understand.
For now, let me just address the second reason. KST has developed it’s own analytics engine to address shortcomings we’ve found in other popular packages. After all, we own our servers, so we have access to all of our server data. We then work with our clients to provide access to just the site data that they are most interested in.
Naturally, you don’t always have your computer in front of you, so we have created a mobile interface for this kind of data. Now, you can check the performance of your site on-the-go.
Do you have data that you want instant mobile access to? Let’s talk.