Responsive Website Design Levels the Playing Field

Once upon a time, people sat around the fire telling stories that had been handed down verbally from generation to generation. Then, Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type and the printing press. His invention changed everything… books that were once hand-written on parchment made from animal skin – in Latin, no less – were now produced quickly and with much less effort, on paper and in various languages according to demand by the people buying the books. Everyone still sat around the fireplace but now they read stories from books. What progress! Then along comes electricity and… people sat around the radio, listening to stories and getting the news. Then along comes television… in black and white. Then color! Oh what a day it was when my parents brought home our first color TV. But my friend Shirley who lived next door had a TV with a remote! Wow! We had to get up out of our chairs and we actually had to walk over to the TV set to turn it on or off or to turn the volume up or down. Not Shirley. I envied her over that remote. Not because I was lazy. I just thought it was cool and I wanted to be able to turn our TV on with the click of a button.

Next, we all had calculators. I actually remember the first time I saw a calculator. My brother George bought one and brought it home. It was expensive. I could be wrong – I think I was only about 8 or 9 years old – but I think my brother paid about $300 for his calculator. Several years later, everyone had them and they could be bought for a whole lot less than $300. These days, I have to wonder how well calculators are selling. One in two adults now have smartphones or tablets… with calculator apps. But I digress. After calculators came computers. While programmable computers have been around since the 1930s, no one would think to put one of those bad boys in your home… on your desk. So, first we had floppy disks, then we had networking, and then we had consumer computers. Then, we had to have word processing software to use on these consumer computers. Next came MS-DOS and then… ta da! Graphical user interface… Apple invented the Apple Lisa Computer in 1983. And in 1984 (it was a very good year), Apple invented the Apple Macintosh, the affordable home computer that utilized (again) a graphical user interface. Next came laptops. Then cell phones. Then smartphones and tablets. And now? Smartphones and tablets are everywhere!

And now comes the point of this blog post… your website needs to conform to the various shapes and sizes of all this new technology. No more pinching and zooming to see your website. Just as it was uncool to have to get up and change the channel on our TV, no one should have to pinch and zoom anymore on their smartphones and tablets. People need to be able to read your text easily. You need responsive website design. Your website needs to respond to the smart devices available today and it needs to be flexible to adapt to devices of the future. One website that works on many devices. All the big brands are making their websites adapt to the sizes of the smart technology available today.

And that’s where we come in. Margaret’s Folly specializes in affordable responsive website design and search engine optimization and elegant web design. You don’t need a big budget to keep up with the big brands. We can level the playing field for you. Visit our portfolio and see for yourselves what Margaret’s Folly can do. We’d love to help your business grow. We’d love to help your business compete with the big boys. Call us today at 203-768-9553 and learn how affordable responsive website design by CT website design firm Margaret’s Folly can help you reach your business goals.

Margaret Tehan for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT
We make responsive websites that place on the first page of Google.
Connecticut Website Design Firm, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, CT Responsive Website Design

(The lightbulb icon used in the image above was made by SimpleIcon from www.flaticon.com and is licensed by CC BY 3.0)

Responsive Web Design is Smart Thinking to Reach People with Smart Phones

When I bought my first smart phone, the idea of “responsive web design” wasn’t even considered. My first smart phone was an iPhone 3. The term “responsive web design” wasn’t used until the iPhone 3GS came out. I was only slightly ahead of the curve. But it was a unique experience. I’d pull out my phone at the grocery store or when I was out meeting friends and, inevitably, someone would say, “Oh! Is that the new iPhone? Can I see it?” Many “oohs” and “ahhs” later, I’d get my phone back after it had been passed from person to person. I would have to give little demonstrations and show people how to “pinch and zoom” when surfing the web in order to read the miniscule text on websites. Today? The only way I could get that kind of reaction would be if I pulled out an iPhone 6 Plus… in the second week of September. One in every 2 adults owns a smart phone in 2014. According to Statista.com, 5 billion people will own mobile phones by 2017.

So… do you have a smart phone? How do you use it? I think about this a lot. I often think that I have hundreds of apps on the phone but I only use a small, core group of them. But this morning, I realized that I use many more apps than I realize. I was only counting the third party apps that I use most often. That would be Google Maps, eBay, IMDb (I love to use it while watching movies), the app that turns our alarm system on and off, Etsy, Amazon, One Kings Lane, Houzz, Craigslist, SkyMotion, a number of apps that I use for business for billing and sending quotes, my banking app, a few games (solitaire is addicting but I’m over Angry Birds. Who has the time?), Shazam, Facebook, and Twitter. I also use the Hue app to control our lights but I mostly just set ’em and forget ’em. The app just does its thing. But I kinda forget that the phone is an app and I use the phone all the time. Messages, the app that I use to send texts… that’s an app that I use daily. My Address Book, the Notes App, the Clock App, the Camera App, the Photos app, iTunes, Music, the Calendar, the Calculator, iBooks… wow! I guess I use the apps on my phone a lot more than I realize. But mostly? I use the Safari app. I surf the web on my phone day in and day out.

Even when I’m sitting in front of my computer, I use my phone constantly to research whatever interests me at the time. When my husband and I go out, he does the driving and I do the surfing. I look up the address of the restaurant where we are going. I might call friends and look up a place for all of us to meet. With so many of the bigger brands using responsive web design on their websites, one gets accustomed to the ease of use of responsive websites. And suddenly, having to “pinch and zoom” is no longer cool or enjoyable. I’ve been gradually moving my clients’ websites over to responsive web design… just in the nick of time.

Infographic: 5 Billion People to Use Mobile Phones by 2017 | Statista
You will find more statistics at Statista

Is your website ready for 2017? If your web visitors are still pinching and zooming on your website, you could be losing business. If you don’t have a responsive website yet, give CT Web Designer Margaret’s Folly a call at 203-768-9553.

We make responsive web design painless. We’ll hold your hand throughout the whole process.

Margaret Tehan for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT
We make responsive websites that place on the first page of Google.
Connecticut Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, CT Responsive Website Design

CT Website Designer Margaret’s Folly Announces the Launch of APK Charities Website

On September 8, 2014, CT Website Designer Margaret E. Tehan of Margaret’s Folly, LLC launched a new, responsive website for APK Charities Corporation of Madison, CT. APK Charities is a newly formed Connecticut 501(c)(3) non-profit raising funds for military non-profits in memory of Capt. Andrew Pedersen-Keel, Special Forces (known by friends and family as “PK.”) The charity was formed by Capt. Pedersen-Keel’s parents, Helen Pedersen-Keiser and Bob Keiser after their son’s untimely death while serving his country in Irag in March 2013.

This responsive website boasts a slider on the home page which calls up both photos and videos. It allows Facebook users to post messages and memories of PK in a Guest Book. It accepts donations via PayPal and has a slider for the charity’s sponsors. It features an event calendar and a countdown bar for its upcoming events.

Margaret’s Folly specializes in search engine optimization. APK Charities is a newly-formed charity and the website was only launched a short while ago… on September 8, 2014. On 8 September, if one searched for the search term “Andrew Pedersen-Keel,” the APK Charities website was not placing in the first ten (10) pages of Google search results. By mid-September, APK Charities was placing at approximately 66th in Google search results for the search term “Andrew Pedersen-Keel.” Today, October 24, 2014, APKCharities.org is placed at 18 in Google search results. We’ll be watching its progress and we’ll report back here with updates as the site continues its climb.

CT Website Designer Margaret's Folly, LLC designed a new logo for APK Charities of Madison, CT

CT Website Designer Margaret’s Folly also designed the APK Charities logo, using patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. The triangle with white stars represents the folded flag that drapes the coffins of our fallen military heroes. And the three red, white, and blue stripes that comprise the lower part of the logo represent the three Medals of Honor awarded to PK, one posthumously.

Additionally, Margaret’s Folly designed the APK Charities Facebook Page and provides blogging services and social media marketing. Special thanks to photographer Nick Tomecek for permission to use his photo of the memorial mural at the Air Force Armament Museum for the APK Charities Corporation cover image.

[icon name=”bullseye” class=””] Click here to visit the APK Charities Corporation website.
[icon name=”facebook” class=””] Click here to visit the APK Charities Corporation Facebook Page.

Would you like to a responsive website that will achieve similar results in Google and Bing? Call CT Web Designer Margaret’s Folly, LLC at 203-768-9553 today.

Margaret Tehan for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT
We make responsive websites that place on the first page of Google.
Connecticut Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, CT Responsive Website Design

CT Web Designer Margaret’s Folly Announces the Redesign of Atty. Scott Orenstein’s Website

This morning, Margaret E. Tehan, CT Web Designer for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT launched the redesign of Atty. Scott Orenstein’s blog and website. Mr. Orenstein is an attorney at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy (UKS) in Hartford, CT and Middletown, CT. Atty. Orenstein initially began blogging about construction law and litigation cases occasionally but he soon discovered that his blog posts generated new business for UKS. As the inquiries from his blog became more frequent, he began to blog more often. The result? As of today, June 5, 2014, if you search for the term “Connecticut construction lawyer” (don’t include the quotes), Atty. Orenstein’s blog comes up in the first page of Google’s search results… in the third position of organic search results. In Bing, this same search term places Atty. Orenstein’s blog on page one, position one! Search again in Google for the terms “CT construction lawyer,” “Connecticut construction attorney,” or “CT  construction attorney” and you’ll get the same great results… page one, position three. (Again, leave off the quotes and the commas.) Search on Bing and Atty. Orenstein’s blog places on page one, position one or two. Better yet, if you search for “ct construction litigation,” Atty. Orenstein’s blog is the second search result on Google’s first page and Bing’s first page. Needless to say, Atty. Orenstein is very pleased with these results.

Margaret’s Folly designed Atty. Orenstein’s first blog and website in 2010 but when it came time for some updates, we decided to give the blog a facelift. Margaret designed the site in colors related to the construction industry, for example, the bright yellow usually used for hard hats and various shades of blue found in blueprints so that visitors know that they’re reading a website and blog concerning the construction industry. The new blog also utilizes responsive web design with a responsive slideshow.

Click here to visit Atty. Orenstein’s website and blog.

Would you like to a responsive website that will achieve similar results in Google and Bing? Call CT Web Designer Margaret’s Folly, LLC at 203-768-9553 today.

Margaret Tehan for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT
We make responsive websites that place on the first page of Google.
Connecticut Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, CT Responsive Website Design

Margaret’s Folly CT Web Design: New Website and Blog

I did the unthinkable. I took my website down last year in order to redesign it. It was late November and the holidays can be a bit slower than the remainder of the year so I thought that I’d get the redesign done quickly. I had misgivings about this plan because my clients’ always come first and I did worry a bit that I’d have to stop working on this project mid-redesign. And, sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. As such, I’m quite tardy in launching my new website and my new portfolio of Connecticut website designs (with a few New York websites and Massachusetts websites, too.)

The site has a JQuery filterable portfolio… it was worth the wait just for that feature! I also redesigned my Facebook Page and I added a Social Media Tab to my Facebook Page, plus I added an email blast/newsletter sign-up form on my Facebook Page. I also gave my Twitter page a facelift and I set up a new Google + page. Next, I redesigned my email blast template. Be sure to click on “Subscribe” on the lefthand side of your screen to sign up for our newsletter.

Watch this blog for more fun website design and graphic design from CT web designer Margaret’s Folly.

Margaret Tehan for Margaret’s Folly, LLC in Guilford, CT
We make websites that place on the first page of Google.
Connecticut Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, CT Responsive Website Design