Jun 14, 2023 | Website designer
So you have an innovative business idea and are looking forward to starting it in Nevada? Nevada provides numerous support programs and incentives for small businesses.
No matter whether it is a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation – they all need an EIN from the IRS – this number acts like your Social Security number for tax purposes.
1. Business License
Nevada is widely considered one of the best places to launch a business due to its favorable tax rates and minimal regulations, but it is still vital that you know which licenses will be required and their processing times. As there are multiple kinds of licenses that require different forms to be filled out and submitted directly to relevant agencies, seeking advice from both an accountant or attorney is strongly suggested in order to submit all required documents correctly.
Once you’ve established which business entity you plan on creating, the next step should be registering it with the state. This can be completed easily online but for optimal results, it is advised that a corporate service provider such as CorpNet handle this step for you as they will ensure all documents are filed and submitted accurately.
At the time of planning to open your business in any given location, it is also wise to contact the city in which it will operate and inquire as to whether a local business license will be necessary. Since each city can impose its own set of requirements and you should consult an attorney or resources from the Small Business Administration in order to gain clarity as to which licenses you might require.
As part of your business planning process, it is also essential that you determine whether your company will need to pay any state, county or local taxes such as sales use property excise and sales taxes.
Determine whether you require a permit before beginning construction of your commercial space for your new business in Reno. This will depend on local zoning laws.
When hiring employees, you will be required to register with the IRS for an employee identification number (EIN) and issue each individual with their own federal tax ID number. This process can usually be completed online in just a few days. In addition, payroll taxes for employee wages must also be filed as well as filing workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance bonds where applicable.
2. Website
Reno SEO, Marketing & Web Design can help you design a professional website design. Whether a small 3 page website or a huge e-commerce website design, we can handle it all. Sandy has been helping Reno business owners for several decades and offers quality services and support.
Nevada is an excellent location to start and run your business, boasting one of the fastest-growing economies in America and boasting highly regarded infrastructure at both city and county levels, as well as pro-business laws at both state and local levels. Furthermore, Nevada provides various tax benefits that may help offset some costs.
Reno, commonly referred to as “The Biggest Little City in the World,” lies along the Truckee River and boasts a stunning and varied landscape. Home to over 200,000 residents and an active performing arts scene as well as world-class restaurants, local breweries and numerous shopping opportunities, Reno offers something special.
Reno and Truckee Meadows area provide endless outdoor recreational activities in all four seasons, from golfing and fishing to biking, swimming, horseback riding, skiing and world-class casinos. Furthermore, this region is home to an abundant herd of mustang horses that freely roam public land.
If your startup requires funding, Reno offers multiple sources. The Small Business Administration offers loans to get it underway, while private lenders also can be useful sources. If possible, angel investors or venture capitalists (VCs) might also provide an investment.
As soon as your business employs employees in Nevada, you may also need to register for payroll taxes with the Department of Labor and Employment and file a new hire report with your local government. Furthermore, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation premiums must also be paid on their behalf.
Greater Reno-Sparks startups can rely on several resources for support, including the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada and Reno Startup Deck. Both organizations can offer workspace in Reno as well as mentoring services and capital funding support services for startups. Furthermore, The Reno Collective can offer coworking space at a fraction of the cost associated with purchasing and operating an office themselves.
3. SEO Marketing
As part of starting up a business, one of the first requirements will be an effective marketing plan to promote it. Utilizing both old and new media will enable you to reach your target audience cost-efficiently. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is one of the best digital marketing services available to small businesses in Reno. Most customers use Google as a research tool before purchasing services and products. With SEO, Sandy can position your company’s website at the top of the search results in as little as 30 to 90 days.
Decide the type of insurance coverage needed for your business. Depending on its nature and type, certain forms of coverage may be mandated or strongly suggested by state government; additionally, many businesses with employees require workers’ compensation and unemployment coverage as well. To best assess which policies suit you best, speak to a licensed agent.
Once your plan is in place, the next step should be securing financing for your business. According to U.S. Bank, most small businesses fail due to insufficient funding. Securing this capital may involve working with lenders, equity crowdfunding platforms or angel/VC groups operating in Nevada.
As a sole proprietor, it is imperative that you register your business with the state of Nevada. Furthermore, you will need to determine whether you require a resale certificate and pay sales tax accordingly. Furthermore, payroll taxes must also be filed while providing workers’ compensation coverage for your employees.
Reno offers startup entrepreneurs access to several resources for starting up businesses, including the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada – a non-profit that offers workspaces, mentoring support and capital funding – in their early stages. Pacific Workplaces, a not-for-profit that offers workspace to startups at flexible lease terms, is another resource. They also provide training sessions and networking events. The American Marketing Association (AMA) provides an invaluable resource for learning SEO and other marketing strategies, such as networking opportunities. Membership includes access to exclusive resources, expert advice, networking events and discounts on conferences, workshops and seminars.
4. Domain Name
Domain names are essential for businesses looking to establish themselves online, as it helps customers easily identify your products or services online. Finding one that is short, easily memorable, and relevant to your industry is the goal here; additionally, it may be worthwhile registering different extensions so as to protect both yourself and your brand against competition.
Nevada City is home to numerous small businesses and boasts an array of industries that contribute to its economy, such as tourism, gaming, manufacturing and warehousing & distribution centers. Nevada’s Free Port Law permits interstate commerce merchandise to be stored tax free in this state allowing warehousing & distribution hubs such as Nevada to thrive without taxation concerns being an additional benefit for business.
Reno is a city with an illustrious past and an exciting future, thanks to its proximity to Sierra Nevada range and Lake Tahoe for outdoor activities. Reno also boasts numerous shopping and dining choices as well as an active arts scene; additionally, technology companies have moved in recent years bolstering local economies further.
Reno enjoys a mild and dry climate with hot summers and mild winters; light snowfall occurs year-round; however, heavy snowstorms do occasionally occur. Reno is named for Civil War Union General Jesse L. Reno who died at Fox’s Gap during American Civil War battle of South Mountain on Fox’s Ridge during Civil War American. Today it serves as capital of Washoe County located within Truckee Meadows region with over 235,000 population making Reno one of the largest cities in Northern Nevada.
May 6, 2020 | Website designer
Did you know that people leave a website in 3 seconds if they don’t like the design? If a website layout or content is not attractive to a user, they usually leave in a matter of seconds. A user can determine if they like the layout of the website within the first few seconds and this is why you need to create an aesthetic website that keeps prospects engaged.
Developing an attractive website can make an impact on your bottom-line profits and increase customer retention for your business. The ‘bounce rate’ is the amount of time people spend on your website before they leave. The average website has a bounce rate of 15 seconds – this is the average amount of time a person spends on a website before they leave (even high-performing sites!). To lower the bounce rate on your website, you have to develop an aesthetic website.
There are two ways to develop a website 1) Develop it yourself 2) Hire a website design service. The latter is more practical choice because you’re hiring experts who have years of experience in the website design sphere. Investing in your website is one of the best investments you could make in your business. This guide will focus on the main benefits of hiring a website design service and what it could do for your business.
How To Hire A Website Design Service
Hiring a design service is not as simple as calling up the first web designer in your city and arranging a meeting. You need to research multiple agencies to find out what their rates are, past experiences, portfolios, and have a consultation.
This process can take as little as a few hours and as much as a few days. However, there are signs that let you know you’re dealing with a reliable design firm. Reputable design firm tend to have glowing client reviews, large portfolios, engaging websites, etc. Here are the top 4 reasons to hire a web design agency for your website:
✔ Make Your Business Stand Out
A design agency can make your website stand out from every other competitor. When a client is considering buying something, they usually look at 5-10 listings at once. This means they’ll be directly comparing your website to at least 5 other competitors. If a competitor has a better-designed website, the customer will give them their business.
- If you hire a web design firm, they can design your website in a way that it “pops” and stands out among your competitors.
This will improve user engagement, drive visitors, and help you get more customers. Web design agencies tend to get very creative and their abilities might exceed your imagination. You can get a fully customized website that is unique to the business and makes you more credible in the eyes of customers.
✔ Save Valuable Time
Developing a website takes a lot of time. Even if you have basic design experience, you may have to spend days developing the logo and figuring out how to tweak the theme. Not to mention, you’ll have to try out potentially hundreds of different themes in order to figure out which one works for your business. You may even have to draft up a custom design that matches your business’s vision and make it stand out from the competition thereby attracting customers. This can take weeks at a time.
Designing a website is a long and tedious process that will take days or weeks, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get it right. Meanwhile, a web design services with hundreds of websites under their belt will easily design your website because they have the experience and know-how to do this.
There’s also the pragmatic aspect of how this affects your personal life: If you have a busy schedule, you’re going to waste valuable time designing a website, when you could be engaging with customers, building your products, making sales, and promoting your business. As the CEO, your time is better spent focusing on the grand vision of the business.
Trust your designers that they’ll deliver for you and instead of spending your time designing the website, take your time to convey your vision to experts and make sure they get the job done for you. Website design services tend to be affordable and you can gain a lot from hiring them.
✔ Agency Design Experience
Design firms can bring years of experience to each project. When you hire a web design service, you’re getting decades of combined experience across a dedicated team. If an average designer has only 5 years of experience in the design field and the team is comprised of 5 designers, you’re getting a team with 25 years of experience in web design. This is why if they ever run into problems designing your website, they’ll solve it quickly.
Most design services have one designer who does the logos, another who drafts the websites, coders who put the design together, banner/advertising personnel, and more. These experts specialize in their own design area of expertise and they join forces to design your website – each contributing a small piece for the final project. If you don’t have experience building a website, you can greatly benefit from having a team of designers working for you.
✔ Optimize Your Website
An experienced design firm will optimize your website for customer retention and performance. If your current website has a conversion rate of 2 people per 100 visitors, an experienced design firm may increase that up to 4 per 100. This is a conversion rate increase of 100% with a single design makeover. The design of your website can significantly influence buyer’s decisions to hire you or buy your products.
Experienced web design companies know how to change the layout of your website in order to maximize its performance. They may change the images, text structure, overall layout, or entire brand. This creates an effective website that turns prospects into customers. If you want to increase the results your business is getting you should invest in the website design.
Jul 29, 2019 | Website designer
So, you’ve got a web design business. You’re working hard and you’re hoping it will pay off, but you can’t help but notice that your business isn’t taking off the way you think it should. That may be because creative industry freelancers and small business owners tend to make a series of mistakes that can become real setbacks, over time. Here are 6 business mistakes freelancers make that you should avoid:
- They work for free or for “exposure”
“This project doesn’t pay, but it’s a valuable work opportunity and offers wonderful exposure!” Who hasn’t heard this one before? If you’re a web designer or otherwise working in a creative industry, you’ve surely had your work belittled, minimized, and straight-up mocked before, usually after you refuse to work for free:
- “Anyone can do that”
- “I can do it myself”
- “But it only takes you 5 minutes”
- “It’s not real work”
- “It’s a hobby, not a job”
- “That’s too expensive for a drawing”
- “You didn’t even do anything”
See what I mean? When you’re doing a creative job, everyone out there will be trying to swindle you and get you to work for free, and if you’re young and/or inexperienced, it might even work. The most frequent promise is that of the infamous “exposure” or working to pad your portfolio, but you can do that without making someone else money, thankyouverymuch.
If you work for free, not only will the clients not respect you or think your work is worth anything, but your business will never take off. You’ve got to be making money to call yourself a business, otherwise you’re just a guy who draws pretty pictures for free. We all know that “exposure”, “experience”, and “portfolio work” don’t put food on the table, so don’t take the bait and work for nothing. And blacklist the clients who ask you to.
- They do not market their business
If you want to get anywhere in any business, you need to start marketing yourself, your products, and your services. And that’s something a lot of people don’t do, especially novices. But when you don’t make an effort to let the world know about you and your work, your business can’t develop and will not reach its full potential.
Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive; it can be as simple as releasing a weekly newsletter, setting up a website that you post on frequently, or even buying ads in strategic placements that may expose your business to a new audience.
- They charge too little
Every freelancer falls into this trap: “The less I charge, the more attractive I will look to clients!” But that is, unfortunately, a mistake. The race to the bottom doesn’t benefit anyone, and it only ensures that you are actively devaluing your own work. Knowing how to value yourself and your work is an important step when establishing your business, and it will ensure that you will be taken seriously. Plus, it helps you establish a reasonable price for your time.
As you know, clients will try to get you to lower the price, but that doesn’t mean they respect or appreciate your work or you, as a designer. On the contrary – they see it as work devoid of value, and they won’t start paying you more or sustain a long-term work collaboration, because you become interchangeable with all the other cheap freelancers who are racing to the bottom.
- They take on nightmare clients
Okay, back to the awful clients, because we’re not done talking about them yet. Many freelancers, and creatives, in particular, make the mistake of taking on any client who offers them work, for fear of missing out on the opportunity. And perhaps some would say that’s the right way to do it and that passing on clients is a mistake. However, the reverse can also be true: taking on difficult clients is counterproductive and a waste of time.
Here’s why: when you’ve got a client who doesn’t respect your work, like the ones we exemplified earlier, one who doesn’t seem to like anything, or one who doesn’t know what they want, you may be in trouble. Clients like this may sometimes pay well, making a collaboration very tempting. But when you’re stuck with vague briefs or redoing the work for the 42nd time because they still don’t like it, you’ll see why avoiding them from the get-go works out to actually be more cost-efficient. Think of all the time you sunk into this client and how many other projects you could have taken on.
- They work non-stop
Unfortunately, overworking is a symptom present in many entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, etc. When you work for yourself, you are tempted to keep working at all hours of the day and night. When you don’t, you feel guilty, or anxious, but all that work isn’t actually helping your business; in fact, it may be actively damaging it.
Why? Because the quality of your work is suffering, not to mention your mental health. Burnout is a very real thing, and as an artist, you can very well start feeling it pretty soon. Not to quote “The Shining”, but we know what all work and no play do to a person. For one, it depletes your creativity, so you will find yourself unable to focus or come up with new ideas, so both you and your clients will become dissatisfied with the work. Plus, you won’t be all that excited about working, in general.
- They take on too many projects
The old adage of picking quality over quantity rings true in this case, as well; it’s always better to take on fewer, bigger projects than to accept a million little projects that aren’t very well paid. You may think that it makes more sense, financially – take on 10 easy projects instead of two more complicated ones, but more often than not, you will actually find that the small projects end up taking way more time than you bargained for.
And while you’re redoing the same crappy job for a client who is perpetually unhappy, you’re still getting paid the same $15 you agreed on, even though you’re working as hard as you would have on a bigger project. Plus, think about it this way – the more high-quality the projects are, the better they look in your portfolio. Those small logos that you redid 8 times and the basic websites won’t impress anyone.
What’s the bottom line?
Setting up your own freelance business can be quite difficult, especially as a web designer or otherwise as a freelancer in a creative industry. It’s uncharted territory from many points of view, and learning how to deal with clients, value your work, use your time efficiently, and market yourself takes time. You just need to be aware of these 6 mistakes and hopefully, your business will flourish.
Jul 2, 2019 | Website designer
Redesigning a website is part of a regular marketing strategy for most successful businesses. Even if you have a well-functioning website, after a few years, you will notice that competitor websites are improving their sites with updated styles, content and services, thus increasing their organic rankings in Google. In order to compete, you will need to keep up the pace and update the look of your existing website.
Deciding to move forward with the redesign is one thing, but actually doing it is something else entirely. Here are some important things that you should consider before you start the actual process.
1
Back up your old site
When doing a redesign, a lot of things can go wrong. A small mistake in the code on a page might disrupt the functionality of several other pages. For instance, a new slider you were very excited about might render the entire website unusable.
In these scenarios, it is a good idea to revert back to the old version of your website while you pinpoint and fix new issues. So, before you start with the new design, create a backup for the old one.
2
Redefine your goals and target audiences
https://images.pexels.com/photos/990818/pexels-photo-990818.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=1&w=500
This is an excellent opportunity to get back to the drawing board and see if you can improve your business goals with the new design. In many cases, a website redesign happens when a business is experiencing growth. So, it is important to use this momentum and improve the very core of your business.
Talk about setting new, bigger milestones and work on redefining your target audience. The new design will welcome a whole new customer demographic, so be prepared.
3
Create relevant content with SEO in mind
With the new design, you should also work on new content – a new homepage text, new articles for your blog, new texts for the services page, etc. Of course, the content you have on your old site will be of use, but – again – this is a new beginning. You should focus on creating content that is better than what you had before.
Your goal is to reach a better rank in terms of SEO, so creating a new set of keywords and defining a new marketing strategy is not at all a bad idea.
4
Think about making an explainer video
https://images.pexels.com/photos/313691/pexels-photo-313691.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260
The new design will hopefully introduce new features and services. There might be some new functionalities that you want to showcase. Your customers, both old and new, might have issues identifying these innovations.
A good idea here is to make an explained video where you will showcase your new design to everyone.
5
Broken link management
And, finally, when the new site is up and running, chances are that some broken links will emerge. Your new site map will be different than the old one. You should cross reference all links and see if there are any broken pages.
When you identify them all, create a redirect system where these broken pages will directly be diverted to the new ones.
Conclusion
A website redesign is a sign that you are moving forward as a company. Make sure to consider the aforementioned tips and be extremely careful. You want your new design to be a success, but if you don’t pay attention, it might end up hurting you more than you can imagine. So, play it safe and you won’t have anything to worry about.
Jun 25, 2019 | Web Design, Website designer
Are you planning on launching a new website? Whether it is a personal blog, business portfolio, or e-commerce website, you have to know all your options to make a smart decision. One of the most important factors to consider when building a website is: “How much will it cost?”
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of several ways to get your hands on website design and how much it will typically cost you.
Drag and Drop Website Builders
Drag and drop website builders are developed to streamline the website design process. These tools are designed as online platforms which you can use to create and launch a website without even knowing how to code or how to design a website. The most popular drag and drop website builders include Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace.
Design Cost
Designing a website via a drag and drop website builder won’t break the bank. In fact, if you don’t want to use any of the premium features, you can get your website up and running completely free.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using drag and drop website builders include:
- No design skills required
- Very cheap
- No coding skills required
- Get a website up and running in no time
The cons of using drag and drop website builders include:
- Generic templates make it hard to achieve a unique look
- Bad user experience due to slow loading times
- Questionable customer support
- Pricey premium features
WordPress Website Design
WordPress is the most popular content management system. Launching a WordPress website is also considered simple, but unlike drag and drop website builders, it requires some technical knowledge.
Design cost
WordPress comes with a completely free theme that users can use to build a website. Apart from the default WordPress theme, users have access to a number of free and paid ones. The design cost depends on your choice. If you go with a free theme, the overall costs will be minimal, but even purchasing premium themes won’t set you back much, as they usually come with an average price tag of $70.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using WordPress include:
- WordPress and the majority of themes are free
- Complete control over website files and data
- Access to free plugins and extensions to enhance the user experience
- Easy to customize
The cons of using WordPress include:
- Maintenance requires technical knowledge and experience
- You need at least some basic coding knowledge
- Expensive managed WordPress hosting services for those who want to automate updates
Custom Website Design
Designing a website from scratch is also a viable option.
Design Cost
The design costs depend on the overall functionality and number of elements of a new website. According to the current prices on the market, it’s safe to assume that hiring a web designer will cost you approximately $2000, $6,000 and up.
Pros and Cons
The pros of using custom website design services include:
- Get the exact design you want to
- Achieve a unique design and unique brand experience
- Outrank competitor websites with SEO Web Design strategies.
- Have complete control over the brand of your website.
- Mobile Friendly
The cons of using custom website design services include:
- Medium to High up-front cost
- It’s difficult to find a trustworthy web designer
- You’ll need long-term cooperation for updates and maintenance
Hopefully, this information will help you make a better decision and get the website that gives you the biggest bang for your buck.
Jan 19, 2018 | Website designer
Who are the highest paid website designers on the planet as of today? These website designers are some of the most sought after custom web designers in the industry. Although there are hundreds of world class web designers in the US alone, these are the top 3 that I follow and look up to as a website designer. These world famous web designers command tens of thousands of dollars per sign on bonus as well as over a hundred thousand dollars a year plus extras. Why do startups and large corporations shell out the big dough for these designers? It must be their ROI. Good design and programming married with excellent copy writers make for a winning combination for many business websites. Not to toot my own horn, but Check out my web design award honor with The Webby Awards, an international recognition for creative website designers around the world.
The average yearly salary for a web designer is around $49k. Small business owners would be hard pressed to afford an in house web designer to design, develop and market their companies website for less than $60k if you include taxes, benefits and retirement.
Young web designer with a dream salary…
James Somers, a Web developer in his mid-twenties, planned to quit the field and become a freelance writer.
He had a sweet first assignment lined-up too. He was going to write a profile about Douglas Hofstadter, and magazines were already lining up to pay him $10,000 to $20,000 to publish it.
But then he got a job offer to go back into Web development.
These were the terms:
“$150,000 in salary, a $10,000 signing bonus, stock options, a free gym membership, excellent health and dental benefits, a new cellphone, and free lunch and dinner every weekday. My working day would start at about 11am. It would end whenever I liked, sometime in the early evening. The work would rarely strain me. I’d have a lot of autonomy and responsibility. My co-workers would be about my age, smart, and fun.”
Somers took the job. Read full article here: https://www.businessinsider.com/web-developer-its-a-little-insane-how-well-paid-and-in-demand-i-am-2013-6
Although I have dozens of website designers around the globe who I draw inspiration from, these website designers have set themselves up as an elite group of talent that you cannot ignore.
If there’s one man in the web industry who probably doesn’t need an introduction, it’s Ethan Marcotte. One of the web’s best-known designers Ethan is a regular and popular speaker on the conference circuit and, in his own words, the one who “started that whole ‘responsive web design‘ thing”.
A world-known CSS expert and HTML guru, Chris Coyier writes one of the most popular CSS blogs on the web, CSS-Tricks. Throughout his career, Chris has published many tutorials, websites, and scripts to help designers improve their skills. A designer at CodePen, Chris can also be found at web design and development podcast ShopTalk.
UX expert Karen McGrane motto is simple – ‘On a good day, I make the web more awesome. On a bad day, I make it suck less’. A content strategist and user experience designer, Karen has over 15 years experience of making big, complicated websites. Currently managing partner of Bond Art + Science, she is also the author of Content Strategy for Mobile.
Andy is a well-known speaker on the conference circuit, and is the founder of a Welsh-based design studio, Stuff and Nonsense, that boasts clients including the likes of The Home Office, STV and the International Organization for Standardization. Andy is perhaps best known for his book, Hardboiled Web Design, which combined the idea of progressive enhancement with responsive web design.
Twitter: twitter.com/simplebits
Dan is the author of five web design books covering everything from standards-based code approaches to Sass. As well as writing, Dan is a practicing web designer, and a popular speaker. Alongside Rich Thornett, Dan is a co-founder of the popular dribbble.com show-and-tell website that allows designers to upload micro-shots of their work in progress.
User interface designer Sarah Parmenter specialises in design for the web, iPhone and iPad. Owner of design studio You Know Who and co-host of the Happy Monday podcast, Sarah can often be found travelling the world to speak at the world’s leading web design conferences. Her client list includes Blackberry, News International, STV and The National Breast Cancer Foundation of America.
Dave Shea is most famous for his CSS Zen Garden project, which helped spearhead the move from table-based web design layout to CSS-based layouts. The website became very popular, both helping to push the boundaries of what designs could be achieved with CSS alone, and also encouraging web designers the world over to adopt the approach.
Jeffrey is perhaps the best known of all the people featured in our list. He’s the author of a must-have book, Designing with Web Standards, publisher of books via A Book Apart, Speaker and is the driving force behind the immensely popular industry-leading online journal, A List Apart. Jeffrey is also the founder of Happy Cog studios, a US-based consultancy with clients including MTV, Ben & Jerry’s and Stanford University.
Vitaly is well-known in the web design world for his web design blog, Smashing Magazine. The original blog has grown over the past few years to incorporate a huge set of web design resources, and has branched out into both publishing (with Smashing Books), and workshops/conferences which attract some of the web’s best experts.
Read Adobes complete list of top web designers here.
Sandy Rowley
Webby Award Winning Web Designer
www.Renowebdesigner.com
775-453-6120
Twitter: 
