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Knowledge
5/14/2021

Google announced in January 2020, that it would begin phasing out third-party cookies over the next two years. Read on to learn exactly what

cookies on a baking sheet with a dark overlay

Google announced in January 2020, that it would begin phasing out third-party cookies over the next two years. Read on to learn exactly what that means for marketers. 

Dark blue image with photoshop logo repeated in background

With Adobe Max wrapping up a few weeks ago, we saw some pretty cool new things being developed by Adobe for creatives. One of the features that stood out the most to us is Neural Filters in Photoshop and we decided to try them out on our portraits!

Laptop on desk with persons hands typing on keyboard and "Google" on the screen

There’s no excuse for not using this valuable free tool to increase your online and in-person traffic! Continue reading to learn more.

 

Top left corner of a computer screen with gmail on it

Email spoofing is one of the most common ways that cyber criminals get your data. Read on to find out everything you need to know and how to keep your data safe.

Two gray pencils for writing alt text for a website sitting on a yellow background

We recently posted about why and how you should align your website with guidelines that support the American with Disabilities Act. A key part of that is making sure you’re using alt text for your images and using it correctly. Read on to learn more.

Image of an Amazon Alexa device sitting on a table with a dark overlay

Voice search is no longer a trend to watch for, it’s here to stay. If your website isn’t optimized for voice interaction, you may want to take a look at updating it so that you increase your SEO results. Continue reading to learn more.

Image of an up arrow next to a blue handicap sign on a lighted sign

If one of your customers has accessibility issues at a physical location, you see the problem and address it promptly. Your online presence shouldn't be any different. Click here to find out how to ensure your website is ADA compliant to avoid problems later.

Alignable Logo on Gray background

Just when you thought you had your social media management under control, along comes Alignable, a social media platform for small business owners. Read more to find out if you should be using this new service to market your business.

Glasses with an ipad and macbook pro on a table

Influencer Marketing has changed the game for companies around the globe. With thousands of followers on varying social platforms, influencers can reach audiences traditional marketing efforts may not. Read on to learn more about advertising with influencers.

Typing on computer

Wondering if its time to update your website? Read more for our recommendations.

Benefits of a Custom Website

Hopefully, the vast majority of companies today are past the point of simply knowing they need a website and are looking for ways to maximize their online presence. So that naturally leads to the debate between templated or custom-built websites. Continue reading to learn more.

How to Improve Your Quality Score

Google Ads can be overwhelming, to say the least. Keywords, ad groups, quality scores… how does it all work? Never fear. We’ve summarized the process and included a few tips to help you up your Ads game.

EU Controversial Copyright Directive

If you’ve noticed YouTube’s recent #SaveYourInternet campaign and wondered “from what?”, you’re not alone. So, in a nutshell, here’s what’s going on.

Social Media Dos and Donts

Now that you know what all you can do with your social media accounts, it’s time to learn what you should and shouldn’t do. The following lists of do’s and don’ts for managing and posting to sites will set you on the right path for an enjoyable and successful social media experience.

Social Media Management Blog Part I

Managing your business page on social media can be intimidating. With so many posting options, how do you know what type of content will be the most effective to your audience? Read on to find out the differences between content types and when you should use them. 

WordPress logo

Wordpress 5.0 has launched, and with it comes an exciting new change: the Gutenburg editor.

Computer Security Day Tips To Keep Your Data Safe

Happy Computer Security Day! As electronic devices continue to be an important part of our lives, it is important to know how to keep your data safe and secure while using them. We put together a quick list of things to watch for so you don’t run into trouble later.

10 Things That Make Your Website Look Dated

Most business owners know how important it is to have a website, but once the new site launches, it tends to be "out of sight, out of mind." Without regular updates your site could have little to no activity. Read on to find out if its time for to make a change to your site.

You may have seen "Managed Hosting and Support by Pleth" at the bottom of some of the websites that we developed. We've since moved on to using a hashtag, #plethpowered, but we want to take a minute to explain what that line means, exactly.

Traditional advertising tactics are still effective — when the message is right. Read up on the basics of content marketing and how to get started today.

abstract blue clocks

The Internet and everything that runs through its wires has been growing and changing... quickly. In this post, we look at an old post of ours from 2012 and compare it today to see what changed and what hasn't.

random letters

For a designer to create easily parsable documents, they must have a strong understanding of typography. How do you get better? Read our five commandments.

iPhone X with notch

Now that we have super-rounded corners, the notch, no home button, and oddities when viewing websites in landscape, we'll let you know how to deal with them.

gold foil wrapped chocolate coins; your content should be just as good

There's no way around it: the amount and quality of the content has a direct effect on the effectiveness of the website. Read on to learn why and how to avoid common pitfalls. 

websiate accessibility

Imagine trying to use this website without looking, or using only one hand with your keyboard. What would YouTube be like if you couldn't hear? This is the reality of millions of people with disabilities.

many colors of paint in buckets

In the last entry in this series, we talked about the initial steps Pleth goes through when preparing to design a website. Now that we have all of this information, we’ll give you more insight into where we go from here.

a computer on a desk with flowers

We’ll give you some insight to what Pleth does behind the scenes to translate your idea into a website, including how to be clear about what you want and expect from us, and what we want and expect from a good client.

pencils on top of a book with notes written inside

We’ll let you know what information you should have and what to expect when you’re expecting a website, including tips on how to make your life — and ours — a little easier.

a woman at a desk with a laptop

Now that you have an idea of the general direction in which you want to go, you can start exploring the information that will help you set goals and objectives. Step 2 involves digging deeper.

search engine optimization

Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google and changed the way websites were found in search engines. Ever since, people have invested billions in time and money to figure out how to get to the top of the list.

branding

Pleth loves brands. In this series, we talk briefly about what a brand is and how to begin developing your own.

an abstract pattern if lines

If you haven't opened Chrome to a new tab page or browsed to google.com in a while, you may be surprised when you do. Instead of the tried, trusted, and true thin, colorful, serif logotype we've all become used to, we are instead greeted with... something new.

The Internet is here to stay, and if your business or organization isn’t on it or isn’t keeping your info up to date, you’re missing out some prime marketing opportunities. Many consumers will check out your site before doing business with you and, most of the time, will judge you based on it.

While the basic concept of marketing seems simple enough (put it out there and people will buy what you’re selling), there are so many mistakes that businesses make on a daily basis. We’ve compiled the following list to help you sidestep such blunders.

a hamburger

Within the past few years, a website and app navigation trend deliciously named the “hamburger menu” has come into vogue.

While most smartphones take great photos, they’re often not high quality enough for publishing anywhere other than social media. So for all you amateur photographers out there looking to sharpen your skills, below are some tips and trends to make you look like a pro.

Congratulations on your new website! You have made the hard choice to invest in your business online, and you should be commended.

Now, as you get comfortable with your new business tool, you will find out that you have to get people to come to your website.

We know our customers have ongoing needs with their websites and the other services that we offer at Pleth. That is why we have multiple ways to receive those requests.

If you’re in business (of any kind), you have a logo (or you should). And chances are, at some point, you have been asked to send your logo to a third party: ad agency, billboard company, printer, embroidery shop, etc. Or you have placed your logo on marketing materials yourself, such as your website, your Facebook profile pic, forms, letterhead or brochures.

When building a website, writing a blog post or creating marketing materials, it is a great practice to use images, including pictures and graphics. Just using any image is not a good practice, so it is best to use well-made, professional images.

We often tell people they need a purpose , or a goal for their website. It definitely helps to clarify just what you want your website to accomplish. At Pleth, we use Google Analytics , one of the most commonly used tracking tools, that is provided free of charge by Google.

Let’s face it—social media isn’t going anywhere. And as a businessperson, why would you want it to? While your marketing strategy should not ignore other mediums, it should include social media. Why?

What companies need now are ways to differentiate themselves, one of which is by having a website that generates leads. Generating leads on a website is not a passive task—it takes time, skill and intention.

Once we have launched your website, maintenance becomes priority. Just as when you purchase a new car or house, there is need for general maintenance and upkeep, and the same is true for your new website.

Launching a website is one of the most satisfying part of the custom website design process. However, it is not a quick, easy process. Launching a website at Pleth includes four different, yet complementary steps for the Pleth team.

What is content?  Why is it important?  Who is a professional copywriter?   How should content be planned?

Once your project has been scoped and the content hierarchy has been established, the fun part begins—making it visual. At Pleth, our sites are custom designed and developed, meaning we design your website from scratch and one of our developers makes it a reality using the latest technology.

With the dramatic increase in digital marketing over the past decade, it is crucial for a business or organization to have a user-friendly, informative, functional website. This is a large task and one that we don’t take lightly.

Did you know that Google provides a lot of information about your website that can help you get the most for your investment?

Making sure your website is mobile friendly

In a pile of business cards, does yours stand out? Business cards are a reflection of your company and should be memorable. Although paper type is one of the most fun and important aspects to me as a designer, there are a few other things to consider.

Did you know that Pleth offers more than just web and mobile development? That’s right! Pleth offers a variety of services from print and advertising to branding and marketing to support and technology.

Last week, we looked at what makes a good logo, but we're not stopping there! This week we'll take a look at the logo design process and revitalize the fictional company New Ideas with a logo that it would be proud of.

It's a question anyone involved in business or marketing departments should ask, and it's probably one of the most important questions for a business to understand. It's the difference between potential clients and customers loving your service or turning around and walking out the door. It's the single most important branding piece you'll ever use, so you'll need to invest in the most powerful one for your business.

Did you know in addition to all our creative and technical services we also offer tools for merchants? Whether you're a brick-and-mortar retailer needing point of sale (POS) systems or need e-commerce on your website, Pleth and our merchant services partner can help get you set up and accepting credit and debit in no time. Already processing these transactions? Ask us to do a rate review—you could be getting more bang for your buck.

Heard of Pinterest? It's the latest craze in the world of social media, and some enterprising organizations have already jumped on the bandwagon to help market their brands, draw new customers and extend connections with their audiences.

These days Facebook is making it easier than ever to use their social network to grow and promote your business online. There are a variety of resources that help business owners and professionals better understand the tools behind their pages and how to best use the social network to create a strong presence.

Good writing techniques are important no matter what the purpose. Unfortunately, the finer points of writing can be hard to remember. Here are a few pointers to help give the best impression to your audience.

Old standards like the press release still have their place in the marketing landscape. They're useful as informational sources about your product, business or event, giving the vital facts people need to know in an easily readable format that can lead to real exposure to an audience.

For content publishers, reaching the mobile audience can be a challenge. Smaller publishers like local newspapers or hobbyist news sites might not have the tech know-how, the time or the money to develop a dedicated solution for readers on mobile devices. Even for those with all three, it can be a pain to maintain a consistent experience across multiple devices and platforms.

Think of building a website like building a house. You do your research, find a builder, and say, "Hey, I want a four-bedroom house, how much will that cost?" The price of that house could be anywhere from $20,000 to millions of dollars, depending on different specifications like location, age, materials, surroundings, school districts, etc.

If you are looking for more information on mobile options for your business then you have come to the right place. With so many options out there—mobile websites, web applications, mobile applications, etc.— it's easy to get confused when choosing a solution right for you.

If you have a Facebook profile, chances are you've "liked" at least a few pages for businesses, people or products. Businesses jumping on the Pages bandwagon has become so widespread it's easy to forget a time when the social network was just for personal profiles.

Interesting post about Google+ today–Mashable.com interviews Chris Brogan, author of Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything, and addresses some of the big questions on how the social network fits into the social media marketing landscape.

Good news for fans of the WordPress blogging and content management platform—a new version is out with improvements to the interface, an easier media uploading experience and more.

This past week I had the pleasure of presenting at the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce for their Summer Lunch & Learn series. I was asked to speak about social media and how to use social tools to further your website and online marketing efforts. We had a great group of business professionals from all over town who were very inquisitive and excited about the possibilities for their own businesses.

I was recently reading a Josh Jones blog post about web hosting and the challenges of providing free email services. This is an issue we know all too well here at Pleth, LLC.

There is a huge trend floating around many businesses on Facebook—giveaways, contests and promotions. This is a fun and interactive way to connect with your customers via social media, but there are a few rules you have to follow or you'll run the risk of getting the boot.

What's the difference? We get this question a lot. Let's go through a short definition of each.

One of the many services we offer here at Pleth is mobile application development. The world of mobile applications, or "apps," is a fairly new one to most businesses and it can be difficult to decide if it is something you could benefit from. The first place to start is to see who's using apps and see if those people are within your target demographic.

Facebook Questions has been in beta for several months now, but it has been released for everyone to use this week. This feature allows individuals to pose a question to their connections on Facebook about any topic.

 

Recently we had the pleasure of working with Baker Eye Institute in Conway, Ark. on some social media training and customization. Social media marketing is on the rise for many businesses this year and we are excited to provide hands-on training and customized landing tabs to our clients!

Managed hosting is one of the services we offer here at Pleth. We find this term can initially create confusion, so let us explain what this feature can do for your business and your website.

Person holding paint brush and pencil covered in paint

Working from home? Take a break and check out these great creative resources!

Stranger Brands

As avid watchers of ad campaigns, we’re naturally avid consumers of pop culture. So when creative campaigns starting popping up across the country playing off of the Netflix series Stranger Things, we couldn’t help but sit up and take notice.

Adobe Xd Blog

Adobe XD is still relatively new but has already made great strides in UI/UX and web design. After using it for the first time, I was hooked. Click here to find out why I love designing in XD and why you should start using it for all your UI/UX projects (if you haven’t already).

Game of Thrones: Our Predictions

After two long years, it's finally here: Game of Thrones Season 8. A few of us at Pleth are excited to see what happens in the final season and wanted to share our predictions for what's to come. If you're a fan, continue reading to find out what we think.

Why not to DIY your company's graphic design

Due to the advancements in technology, it’s easier than ever for business owners to DIY their branding and marketing materials. So why should you still seek the services of a professional graphic designer?

Facebook Reactions

Facebook recently unveiled a new way to interact with posts in the form of Reactions. Now you can say exactly how you feel about a subject. And in this post, we'll tell you how we feel about the new feature. ??

Puppy Monkey Baby

Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and with it the legendary Super Bowl commercials. In this post, we at Pleth give our take on a handful of this year's Super Bowl ads.

thankful emoji pattern

It's close to Thanksgiving, which means we've been thinking more about the things we're thankful for in our careers... aside from Pleth, that is.

As professionals, and more accurately marketing-crazed creatives, we love to give our two cents when it comes to logos, slogans, websites and all things advertising. The following top ten list discusses our favorites when it comes to the best product packaging of all time.

The world of advertising, particularly for global brands, revolves around a snazzy slogan—inspiring words that stick in the mind of the consumer and evoke the need to buy what you’re selling.

This past Sunday, Brittany Sims and I had the pleasure of attending the first Farm Dinner hosted at the Grange by the Wilson Café.

Just like fashion, furniture, photography or any other stylistic expression, graphic design is trendy. So why do some folks continue to use the same old same old?

Sometimes all you need to pull you through the after-lunch work blues is a jamtastic playlist (and maybe another cup of coffee). Here's what those of us at Pleth like to listen to when we need focus, energy or just some tunes to drown out the clacking of keyboards.

It's common for many people to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the work day. Many times we even forget to take a break to clear our thoughts and exercise our creativity.

New Google Ads Option

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Google’s latest ad format is sure to be a hit among advertisers and consumers alike. Recently, the company revealed an ad format coming out later this year that will add a visual component to Google Ads.

You've probably seen it before: 404 Page Not Found. What's that? It's an HTTP status code. In this post, we highlight some well-known and a few not-so-well-known codes, so you'll know how to take action.

Pleth Loves Drupal

Pleth has begun to focus on Drupal as our website development platform of choice, and it's been a great relationship so far. And it's getting kinda' serious...

Independent Professional Seed Association (IPSA) represents the unique needs of independent seed companies who produce corn, soybeans, small grain and forage seeds.

We recently launched a brand-new site for Paul Harrell, the host of one of Arkansas’s fastest growing talk shows, the Paul Harrell Program. His political talk show, which seeks to keep local, state, and national politicians informed about the viewpoints of their constituents, airs in the River Valley (Conway) area as well as Northeast Arkansas and streams live on the Internet.

We hope by now you have noticed that we get to create really cool stuff for awesome clients in exciting industries. C2 Powersports is no exception. As a Conway-based dealer of new and used ATVs, UTVs and PWCs, they carry brands such as Polaris, Honda, Yamaha and Grasshopper.

Batesville, Ark. is a progressive, yet historic, community that is filled with stunning landscapes, beautiful parks and the breathtaking scenery of the White River.

Earlier this year, Liberty Bank launched a new campaign emphasizing their honest approach to both banking and customer service. The redesign for the site needed to compliment the campaign while completely rethinking the website user’s experience—so we developed a single, responsive site that covers the same information for users, whether they’re on a phone, tablet or computer.

Jonesboro Jobs, a service offered by the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce, is a powerful resource for employers, job seekers and interns in the Jonesboro area. The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce is a 4-star accredited chamber of commerce committed to being a first-class resource for approximately 2,000 dedicated Chamber members and counting.

Happy holiday greetings from all of us at Pleth, where this fun group is continually experimenting with web technology, marketing strategies and our own creativity.

Addy Awards

We enjoying contributing to our community and sharing our work and the perfect avenue to do it is the annual American Advertising Awards. Winning a few awards in the process is fun, too.

I’m still a student at our local university and because of this, I got a chance recently to participate in the study abroad program. 22 other students and I traveled to Rome, Italy, to study different subjects for four weeks.

A few weeks ago Team Pleth took home some bling from the Vegas-themed American Advertising Awards Gala held at the Jonesboro Hilton Garden Inn.

Team Pleth took home some bling from the Vegas-themed American Advertising Awards Gala held at the Jonesboro Hilton Garden Inn on Feb. 25. Hosted by the Northeast Arkansas chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the awards celebrate creativity and innovation in advertising.

As many of you know, Pleth recently turned 10! On Nov. 14, 2004, Stephen Smart, Greg Smart and Cotton Rohrsheib set out to change the web and have spent the past decade bridging the gap between business and technology.

Our second quarter Extra Mile Award goes to the man behind the scenes who always wears a smile…and a coat when it’s 60 degrees in Peru. Congratulations to Development Director Henry Tong, our fearless leader when it comes to all things web.

Fayetteville again will host the region's WordCamp for bloggers and web designers of all skill levels. Novices are very welcome. The fifth annual WordCamp Fayetteville will be Friday-Sunday, August 1-3.

This week marked a social media milestone for Pleth as we surpassed 1,000 “likes” on Facebook. Thanks so much to all of our friends and clients (who are also our friends) for pushing us over the edge!

Members of Team Pleth attended the annual American Advertising Awards Gala at the Jonesboro Hilton Garden Inn on Feb. 22. Hosted by the Northeast Arkansas chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the awards—called ADDYs—honor excellence across many forms of advertising.

Congratulations to Art Director Matt Smith for receiving the inaugural Extra Mile Award from Pleth, LLC. The award, which is to be handed out quarterly, recognizes Pleth employees who go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure client satisfaction and/or assist the team in doing great work. Nominations are made internally with management choosing the recipient based on peer comments.

Saturday night, February 23rd, we attended the 2013 ADDY Awards Gala at the Jonesboro Country Club. The night was filled with success and honors as our team took home 8 professional awards and 6 student awards and 1 costume award.

Here at Pleth, we always jump at the chance to help a client redesign its website. This allows us to meet the company’s Internet marketing goals through our expertise in web technology, content organization and graphic design.

On Wednesday, January 23rd, Pleth, LLC participated in the Batesville Business Expo at Independence Hall on the campus of UACCB. With more than 75 vendors in attendance, the expo proved to be a great event for businesses to network, introduce new products and gain exposure.

We are, as they say, ‘Raring to Go’ in 2013! With five workshops scheduled for the first quarter of this year and many more to come, we are very excited about the opportunities to not only meet new people but show existing clients new tips and tricks.

At Pleth, we’re not only expanding our creative services—we’re also adding team members to meet our growing workload and keep the creative juices flowing. This month, we’re pleased to announce the addition of three graphic artists at our Jonesboro location: Matt Smith, Brittany Foster and Janie Walter.

This past Tuesday, Pleth attended an Online Healthcare Workshop at the ASU Delta Center hosted by Herb Lawrence, Director at the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center and Brad Hyde, Social Media Administrator for Delta Medical Center of Memphis.

Did you know that the online search for "local medical professionals" is the third largest category of queries on Google?

It is our pleasure to announce that Pleth LLC has officially launched a new service that is well positioned with our expertise and markets that we serve. We now provide full marketing services for clients with the intent to become their Agency of Record. These services include brand identity, outdoor marketing, print advertising and marketing consultation, among many others.

Mark your calendars! To celebrate the brand new custom-designed Pleth office in Jonesboro, we're hosting an open house from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24. Drop in for refreshments and the chance to win a $50 Visa cash card!

On Wednesday the Pleth crew headed to the ASU Convocation Center to participate in the 2012 Business Expo organized by the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce. We had a lot of fun, gave out a lot of candy, ate a lot of Andy's Frozen Custard and got to know lots of fellow businesses and community members. We hope to see everyone there next year!

Well, after a weekend of moving our Pleth-Jonesboro team we have successfully settled into our new office. We are still in the process of decorating but we didn't want to leave our awesome clients, friends and fans waiting in suspense.

This past weekend our team had the pleasure to take a fun road trip to the heart of Arkansas. We attended and sponsored the first ever Made by Few conference hosted in downtown Little Rock. The inspiring event challenged our team to revaluate the way we interact with the web from design to development.

It's been a little while since we've talked about our exciting new office. The interior space is being fleshed out, paint's going up and we're all anxious to settle into Pleth-Jonesboro's new home!

The year 2012 is starting out strong for our team. With a new office being built in Jonesboro and the launch of our new website, we are pretty excited about what this year has to hold for Pleth. Take a look at some of the new office progress below.

We've been busy, busy, busy and we've got some fantastic news! We have recently added another person to our design crew!

One thing that relatively famous designers, developers and writers in the Apple/Web/design community get asked to do is detail their hardware and software setups. The theory, I suppose, is that if you use the same tools as incredibly productive and smart people, you might become as incredibly productive and smart as they are. There are a few sites dedicated to such articles, serving as inspiration to the unwashed masses.

We've had a busy week at Pleth: meetings with new and current clients, designing websites, developing mobile applications and training business owners on social media—we haven't stopped moving!

We had the pleasure of spending our day yesterday at the Jonesboro Business Expo hosted by the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce. This was our first time attending this expo and due to our growth in the Jonesboro, Ark. area, we were very excited to meet new businesses, connect with old friends and enrich our relationships with current customers.

Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting with fellow members of the technology community in Jonesboro, Ark. at a local Refresh Jonesboro meeting intended to generate a conversation about the current health and growth of technology in the area. As a community-focused web development agency, we were honored to participate in the event.