News

CherishKids.org - Leveraging the web as a tool to help kids

Cherish Kids, a ministry of James River Assembly, was founded on the belief that every child is a gift from God and deserves to be cared for and cherished. Their mission is to raise awareness of the needs of children in crisis, offer resources and guidance to families and individuals who desire to help, and provide support financially, emotionally and spiritually to families and individuals in their effort to foster and adopt. It was a privilege to partner with Cherish Kids on the recent revamp of their web site. The new site keeps the same beautiful design while adding many structural and functional improvements. Web site enhancements included -

  • Facebook Connect Login - Facebook Connect allows users to log in to the site using their Facebook username and password. Making it easier for users to access the site leads to improved participation.
  • CMS integration - Moving from a static site to database driven site makes it easy to update the site from anywhere and provides a foundation on which new features can be easily built with quick "speed to market".
  • CRM integration - The new constituent relationship management solution provides the tools for connecting and communicating with supporters and volunteers.
  • Custom Media Player - For consistent branding all videos whether hosted on site or on YouTube are displayed in a custom player designed to match the site.
  • News / Update - News and updates display in the persistent footer at the bottom of each page.
  • Event Calendar - This simple tool makes it easy to manage and display events.
  • Recommended Resources - This tool assists in the organization and display of recommended books, web sites and other resources.
  • RSS Feeds - RSS feeds of new site content are now offered. Managed using Feedburner, users can sign up to receive automated emails consisting of new site content.
  • SEO Improvements - The new site was built with search engine optimization in mind in order to generate more free traffic through the search engines.
  • Site Speed Optimization - Earlier this year Google announced the inclusion of site speed as a factor in their search engine algorithm making site speed more important then ever. The problem with new sites which are mainly database driven is that they are by nature slower then the static non database driven sites of the early Internet years. To combat this problem the new CherishKids.org caches static copies of each page eliminating the need to contact the database on each page load and making the site much, much faster. In effect we were able to gain the benefit of having a static site without loosing the benefits of having an easy to update database driven site.
Eric Davis Construction web site now live

Eric Davis Construction believes in excellence and needed a site that reflected this core value. The new site is basic in function yet elegant in design. A major element of the site is the projects page which displays photo galleries from various jobs. The page is enhanced using jQuery which adds a touch of eye candy. View the site by going to http://ericdavisconstruction.com.

Multi-Campus Church website now live

As you can image, this multi-campus church had a few unique needs when it came to the development of their new web site. One example was that each campus needed to have its own content and branding managed within the same site. As another example, for their directions page they needed to be able to display multiple locations not just one - http://topekafirst.com/farmhouse/about/directions. The bulk of design was handled in-house or by a 3rd party while Web Marketing Services was there to manage, develop and offer consulting services.

New email marketing features - triggers, split-tracking, CRM

If you're looking for an effective, cost efficient way to connect with customers and supporters then email marketing just might be what you've been looking for. In addition to the many features that were already available, there are now a number of new tools you can leverage when sending your email campaigns. Options like triggers and split-tracking allow you to take your email marketing to a new level. If interested call 417.634.1869 for a demo.

IDCAG launches small group web site w/ geo mapping

Over the past several years, the forward thinking leadership of IDCAG has looked to Web Marketing Services, LLC for a number of cutting edge web development projects. For this project they wanted to be able to leverage the web in the formation of new small groups across the state of IL. Time restraints required that the site be planned, designed, developed and tested in just a few weeks. The result is a site that includes features like an interactive map that allows users to find and join a group in their area with just a click of a mouse. Once a user is a member of a group, functionality is in place for them to share and collaborate with other members of their group.

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Small business site w/ online payment/booking calendar

One of the latest projects by Web Marketing Services, LLC is http://www.kimshobbyhouse.com. Kim's Hobby House is a place where scrapbookers, quilters, stampers and other crafting enthusiasts can get away for a weekend or even just a day. The site boasts an interactive online availability calendar with the ability to book a reservation and pay online. To help improve search engine rankings the project included an SEO Tune-up.

Ozark Community Alliance site redesign

Thanks to Web Marketing Services, LLC www.OzarkCommunityAlliance.org is now sporting a new look. The Ozark Community Alliance is a partnership of Ozark community churches, businesses, service providers, civic organizations, City of Ozark, and Ozark School District for the improvement of the human community through designated service projects and community involvement. To find out more be sure to visit the site - http://ozarkcommunityalliance.org.

GateWay Assembly deploys custom podcast archive

Besides their home page, site stats indicate that the most popular area of the GateWay Assembly web site is podcasts. Here visitors can preview message trailers, watch full messages, listen to full messages, download messages as mp3s and even recommend a message to a friend via email. To cut monthly cost, the system utilizes free hosting, yet the display is customized to avoid a generic look and to maintain consistency with site branding. The tools provided allow GateWay Assembly to update the archive in-house, adding new sermons and editing old entries as needed which results in additional savings. View the GateWay podcast archive by visiting http://gatewayassembly.com/podcasts.

Sensory Integration - Audio, Video, Lighting site now live

Sensory Integration, Springfield MO is the area leader in audio visual systems, facility automation, and corporate communication systems. Web Marketing Services, LLC had the privilege of working with Sensory Integration to design, develop and search engine optimize their new web site. Beyond the basics, the project also included the development of a member access area. You can view the site at http://www.si-av.com.