Post written by Robin Patrick.

Well we finally did it! And I do mean finally!

As the saying goes ? the shoemaker?s kids have no shoes?, so it has gone for us as well. We at Moxie have been so busy helping and serving other wonderful customers with their creative needs that our very own creative needs have had to be shelved for a while.

But now after a very long drawn out process of starting it, then putting it aside?working on it as time allowed and then shelving it once again (deep breath)?and then once again picking up where we had left off? we are very proud to say our website finally ?has a new pair of shiny shoes?!!! And we cannot wait to go out on the town and show them off!

In designing this website we thought long and hard on what we could do (and trust me the options and ideas we went thru were many). There are so many sides and styles that could have reflected who we are at Moxie. We could have created a super clean and minimalistic artistic site (which would have worked very, very well but are also like what so many advertising and design agencies are now doing) or continued with the simple retro website we had and just improved on it, or we could have splashed bright amazing colors on the screen (to express how much love for life and creativity we have here at Moxie). All of which would have reflected different sides of us here.

But in the end, we had to ask what REALLY makes us different from the other agencies out there? And for that we turned to our customers. In the end what made us different is our uniqueness and ability to push the boundaries of creativity (but only when the project allows and demands for it). So our goal became clear. And we went for it. We decided to create a website that showcased that specific unique creativity we have here at Moxie as well as one that wasn?t like anyone else?s in the industry. Because who wants to wear the same shoes to the ball? Not us anyway.

I admit, when we decided to go the route we did with our web site, we were also taking a chance. In the web world many now shy away from flash in their websites and are going strictly simplistic and functional, which we agree work very well for businesses if that portrays the company?s brand and accomplishes the marketing goals for that company. However as a creative company, our goal was ultimately to express the level of creativity that encompasses who we are, not what everyone else is doing. So with that, we decided once again to swim upstream and create a website that incorporates flash in a very fun intro page (should you have some time to play), while being SEO friendly, functional and communicative. Whew! And that is what we have done.

So at long last we present to you Moxie?s new website. A web site that finally reflects who we are! A web site that is a combination of our unique creativity, while being functional and giving you information about who we are and what we can do for you and your company.

As you review our site, please know that much of our success is in the details, so we have tried to incorporate as many throughout our site as possible. Please make sure to look around. This is a site where you will continue to discover new and exciting surprises about us and our website at every turn and throughout the year?so make sure to stop in again and again and again!

So with no further adieu?go ahead and try on our new ?pair of shoes?! And let us know what you think of our new Moxie Creative Studio website. Did we achieve our goal?  What do you think of our new website? We?d love to hear from you!!!

Everyone here at Moxie has a passion for design. For taking an idea and making it reality. For seeing a customer succeed, products take flight, businesses get noticed. But we also have a passion for helping others in need. With our creative skills, we?ve had the opportunity to help many local, national and international organizations.

HOPE Pregnancy Resource Center Web Site

One of our favorite local organizations is HOPE Pregnancy Center. We?ve had the honor of working with them over the last 4 years. We?ve helped tweak their logo and design (and redesign) brochures. We?ve created beautiful invitations to yearly banquets and outdoor retreats. But today, I?d like to introduce you to their web site.

Originally the site was designed back in 2006, but as the site grew and content became key, we saw a need to revamp it again in 2008. The target audience remained the same, women with crisis pregnancies in their late teens to early 30?s, but we didn?t want the design to be too feminine. HOPE?s web site is also a great source of information and support for families and fathers. The design had to be soft and welcoming, yet inviting to men as well. Not an easy task!
And so, the new HOPE web site was born. And it?s been a huge success. Information is at your finger tips, you can quickly contact them (and they will contact you back!) and they even have a Facebook group. So check them out, contact them if you or someone you know in the Central WI area needs assistance. And if you are able, they always have a need for donations.

HOPE Pregnancy Resource Center - Donate Page

Here are Moxie, we design to help others, to help you and to help fill our hearts with happiness. If you or someone you know is looking for a creative team that cares, please contact us! At Moxie, we are here to serve our customers, to help YOU SUCCEED!

SEO is a term that has been bouncing around the web for a while. It means ?Search Engine Optimization? and boils down to creating a website that people can find. That?s the point of most websites, isn?t it? To get visitors there to check out whatever it is that you have to say or sell.

Simple, right?

The concept is simple, to make your site as user-attractive as possible. Well-written copy, clean layout, easy navigation?all the basics for a user-friendly site. Thing is, first you have to actually get people TO YOUR SITE. And unless they already have the link (probably sent?by you? to everyone in your address book), chances are the visitor will find your site using a search in Google (or Yahoo, Dogpile, Ask.com, Bing, etc). These searches might bring up your site, but chances are it will also bring up a bazillion other links as well. Why not tilt the odds in your favor that your site will be at the top of this list by using words that people will actually be searching for?

SEO Tip #1 ? Use Searchable Words

This is an easy fix for any site. Use the words that best describe your site in the COPY on your site. Do you have recipes for vegan dog treats? Do you sell organic seeds? Do you have an affinity for collecting Pez? Use these words within your site, especially on the index page (you know, the homepage), as often as reasonably possible. Search engines will reference these words when someone enters a search for vegan dog treats or Pez collection. The closer your site matches the search, the more likely your link will show up.

Keep it simple. Try to avoid using obscure wording and complicated terminology. It is important to use the terms that visitors will actually be using, and to use these terms at least a few times within the copy. Use ?vegan dog treats? instead of ?scrumptious morsels of canine indulgence entirely void of creature products.? It seems obvious, but sometimes we just want to make our products sound unique, we forget people may not understand and probably aren?t using these words to search. Keep the bulk of the copy simple, and add those extravagances to a few of the details.

NOTE: Using searchable words more than once in your site is vital, but is important to keep the copy valid. Having a paragraph of a single word repeating or words that do not apply to your site is known as spamindexing, a form of Black Hat SEO. These kinds of tactics can have your site blocked from search engines, which means it won?t show up on anyone?s search.

The key is to know what people are searching for to get them to your site. After all, you are selling a product you want people to know about. You can also use Google Analytics to find out what people are searching for that are bringing them to your site. (More on that later.) Just remember, at Moxie, we are here to serve our clients, to help YOU SUCCEED!

www.thinkmoxie.com

? Post written by Cristy Wiza.