Working hand in hand with the design team Meat and Potatoes, this was a groundbreaking project for us in terms of collaboration. For one of the very first times, everybody in the company had a hand in the project– from programming, to design, to SEO, to hosting. Our team also effectively and efficiently coordinated with multiple 3rd parties throughout the process.

As the biggest yii site that we have built so far, HardRockHotel.com boasts a number of notable features including:

• Database management functionality for a variety of SEO features that used to be impletemented on the code level including 301 redirects and a URL module that allows for easy keyword optimization.
• Multiple self-contained widgets that were placed around the site. One of the benefits of yii is the ability to add these widgets with only one line of code as the behavior is saved in the base code.
  • Example: The share widgets that pull from multiple social media APIs.
• A more streamlined and easy to use booking process through RESNET.
• Joingo integration to allow for events and specials to be passed to the mobile app eliminating the need for data to be entered into two separate CMSs.

The new site also solved the client’s issue with fragmented data. Features like Backstage Pass connect directly to the Hard Rock Hotel’s CRM rather than storing data on the site. Previously, the company would often be managing one user’s information in multiple places due to the hotel, spa, casino, the Joint, etc. all having separate locations for data.

A fun project to work on, we look forward to working together with the Hard Rock Hotel in the future. And, with bias, recommend that you stay there on your next trip to Vegas!

WebSight Design Launches New Site for The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

The website is further strengthened with a sophisticated CMS (content management system) and SEO (search engine optimized) options, all of which makes the customer’s online experience that much faster and better.

Some exciting new additions to the site:

• A portfolio filled with images that showcase A&J Fencing’s services and completed projects
• A locations section designed to make it easy for customers to see and learn about the areas A&J Fencing serves
• Updated client testimonials – nothing like hearing the good news from previous customers!
• Admin tools that offer easy ability to upload videos, extra pages, and current news to their site as well as manage contacts and content integrated with Sales Force

A&J Fencing provides a variety of high quality outdoor construction from fencing and decks to retaining walls and patio covers, all to enhance the beauty of your home and/or business property.  Based in Walnut Creek, they serve San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the Tri-Valley areas.

As a website design company, our aim is to provide more agile, interactive and easy-to- navigate websites that really reflect the key messages, products and services of our clients.  As with A&J Fencing, we also provide businesses with on-going web site programming, web site hosting, SEO, and internet marketing services.

We hope you will visit the new website and check out the beautifully skilled work that A&J Fencing provides.  Got suggestions, comments or feedback about the newly launched site?  We’d love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below or call directly at (415)331-8697.

Proud to Announce the Latest Website Launch: A&J Fencing is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

WebSight Design has just launched a brand new site for Ethan Lynn Consulting.

Ethan Lynn Consulting (ELC) is the nationwide leader in Pathology software solutions and IT support. They provide excellence in service and a commitment to creating and maintaining the best pathology laboratory practices possible. ELC is setting the standard in lean-laboratory workflow, efficiency and accuracy.

The technology required to maintain relevance and a competitive advantage within the Pathology laboratory infrastructure is constantly evolving. It is clear that new and improved technologies have the ability to change workflow practices for the better. ELC strives to take IT processes to the next level and make pathology business more profitable.

ELC expert consultants evaluate current laboratory workflows, grade best practices and then provide recommendations and solutions that will work. Their knowledge and expertise have the ability to redefine and lead Pathology laboratories toward greater success

Visit ELC’s site to see upcoming events related to Laboratory Excellence, get a Free Laboratory Analysis, contact ELC for more information, or read more about the founder, Ethan Lynn.

Ethan Lynn Consulting Launches a Brand New Site with WebSight Design is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

The Law Offices of Adelson, Testan, Brundo, and Jimenez is a national law firm specializing in the defense of Workers’ Compensation claims of insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insure employers.

The firm’s guiding principal is dedication to service. And in order to make sure their clients are receiving the best representation possible, they arm their staff with the proper technology that allows them to be efficient yet effective. Along with their innovative voice recognition software, dictation services, and online research tools, the law firm is now armed with a robust website CMS that allows them to manage office locations, venues/legal districts, attorneys, and referrals.

ATB Law Says Goodbye to Its Old Cold Fusion Site is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

Doobons.com, who launched their website November of last year, now takes their services to a whole new level.  With over one billion smartphones being used every day worldwide, 9 out of 10 people using mobile devices in the US, and more than 50% of all local searches being performed from a mobile device, Doobons’ forward-thinking approach is benefiting patients needing medical marijuana by allowing them to find resources at their fingertips.

The Doobons.com website was created to be a one-stop, legitimate place for patients, caregivers, doctors and providers- new or experienced- to get valuable information and advice on every aspect of medical marijuana.  The site includes lists of dispensaries, headline news that covers the latest legal and medical developments, discounts and coupons, and a host of information for those new to using medical marijuana to treat illness or pain.

And Doobons knows how to go mobile.  Their new iPhone App has an easy interface, is super simple to navigate, and allows users to either use geo-location or search by city name or zip code to find nearby medical marijuana resources.  In the first week, without any promotion, over 100 people had downloaded the App, and the numbers are growing every day- attesting to not only the need for such a mobile service but how well designed and easy to use the App is.

To download the free app, simply go to the iTunes app store available on any iPhone, iPod touch (3^rd & 4^th generation), or iPad that runs on iOS 4.3 or later and search for Doobons.  For more information, visit Doobons.com or call directly (415) 524-8099.

Congratulations Doobons!

New, Free Doobons App – Taking Medical Marijuana Mobile is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

WebSight Design is proud to announce Kilgore’s completely rebuilt and newly designed website:  DudeRanchJobs.com.  This simple yet comprehensive site is the premier dude ranch job listing service, offering employers and ranch job seekers a one stop source for finding just what they are looking for.

DudeRanchJobs.com lists every possible kind of ranch job one might have an opening for or be looking for.  Currently posted positions include job listings such as:

• ranch management,
• wranglers,
• chefs and bartenders,
• counselors for youth programs,
• general ranch managers,
• maintenance workers,
• guides for hiking, fishing, fly-fishing, white-water rafting, and hunting,
• horsemanship instructors,
• and the list goes on.

Every year, ranches in the United States and worldwide hire employees, both seasonal and year-round, to fill their many positions.   While many of the jobs require hard work and skill, the locations of the ranches are in some of the most beautiful country and offer unique opportunities to become part of a team of exceptional folk.  If you’re a ranch owner with jobs to fill or you’re looking to work on a ranch, DudeRanchJobs.com is the first and only step you’ll need to take!

While the site features jobs available in the United States, particularly ranch jobs in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Arizona and California, Kilgore’s ultimate goal is to have the site include jobs from ranches around the world.  And with such a great new site and reasonable subscription fees to employers, his vision is bound to be reality in short time.

Newly Designed Dude Ranch Job Site Launched! is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

Winning awards is not a new experience for FT Partners.  Over the last decade, FT Partners has gained industry recognition and won multiple awards acknowledging them as a leading investment banking firm delivering outstanding results for clients, CEOs and PE/VC firms.  In 2011, FT Partners were recognized as “Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year” from M&A Advisor for the third time in seven years and also won “Deal of the Decade” for their representation of Mercury Payment Systems in its 60% investment by Silver Lake Partners.

When asked about the ongoing success and acclaim, FT Partners’ Managing Partner, Steve McLaughlin says, “It is truly an honor to be recognized by our clients and peers and to again be named Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year.  FT Partners has had a truly thrilling decade building what we believe to be the leading investment banking franchise in the global financial technology sector, from scratch- and these recent awards seem like the perfect way to commemorate our 10^th Anniversary.”

Congratulations FT Partners!  Best wishes for great success in 2012!

Congratulations to FT Partners on Multi-Award Winning Year! is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

Six months and a few thousand dollars later, Sally was shown a mock-up of her site, and was aghast.  It was unusable.  She fired the designer, and came to WebSight Design, who confirmed that her instinct to move on was indeed a very good one.  We scratched all previous work and immediately began working on a design to match the “feel” of what Sally communicated she hoped the site would convey – reliable talent with a bit of pizazz and humor.

Sally, as a content writer with an eye for design and online marketing, wanted the site to clearly depict the professional services her business offered yet with a playful flair.  Unlike some new website owners, she did not need to be “found on the web” or have complicated functionalities but wanted to have a place to showcase her business and share her blog.

Less than 45 hours of work later, just as the calendar switched to 2012, the creative and witty site went LIVE!  Sally was delighted, saying “All of you at WebSight Design perfectly captured the “feel” I was looking for, from colors to layout to flashing my favorite quotes on the About Us (aka “Behind the Curtain”) page.  Thank you.”

Mission accomplished – one more satisfied site owner and, as reported by Sally, many happy site visitors!

Write by Design Site Live For the New Year is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

Kristin grew up in central New York, graduated from Harvard, and moved to the Big Apple, New York City. She has worked at a literary agency, taught creative writing, and freelanced for magazines and travel guides.

During her time as a journalist, she interviewed a man named Mark. Mark was a die-hard farmer who’s passion for agriculture caused Kristin’s interest to develop beyond that of her current profession.

In 2004, Mark and Kristin founded Essex Farm – the world’s first full-diet CSA. Since, Essex has flourished, and Kristin has been busy at work, both farming and writing. With the publication of The Dirty Life, Kimball has also written for O Magazine, Vogue, Gourmet Live, and a variety of other publications.

In addition to the critical acclaim of her book, ranging from the New Yorker to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Essex has been featured in magazines such as Food & Wine.

With her new website design, Kristin will extend her online presence to match that of her book and farm’s popularity.

Kristin Kimball Cultivates an Online Following with KristinKimball.com is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design

This data includes all searches run by each search engine. In other words, any image search, YouTube search, etc. would count towards Google’s monthly searches. In fact searches on the Twitter.com website are technically significantly lower, but the vast array of applications and other websites which implement Twitter API calls, or queries of the Twitter database for direct reporting and use at another web location, drive a significantly higher Twitter monthly search data point.

Twitter monthly searches are based on their system of social network microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text posts, or Tweets, of up to 140 characters. This huge search volume may very well have inspired Google’s newest change in algorithm which attempts to keep up with rapid news releases and posts.

In terms of search engine optimization (SEO), the revelation about the huge monthly search volume is Twitter yet another indicator of why social media is important for your website or other web based business.

Twitter’s Monthly Searches Exceeds that of Yahoo! and Bing is a post from: WebSight Design, Inc. company blog. With headquarters in the San Francisco bay area, WebSight Design, Inc. has been providing world class web engineering, creative design and hosting solutions since 1995. WebSight Design