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Best Web Design & Web Development Service In Modesto, CA

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Best Web Design & Web Development Service In Modesto, CA

web-design-modesto

The Internet’s constant state of change is always inspiring us to grow into a brighter, updated version of ourselves. That means continually adding the latest technology to the backend of our website designs, like responsive web design that ensures our client’s customers can easily navigate their website on any device, from the desktop, tablets to the smartphone. Or providing branding services to help our clients tell their story to their customers and boost their position in the market. We’re constantly hitting refresh. We’re are a local design company in Modesto offering a full menu of web design, branding services, advertising agencies, and public relations.

At MHD Group, our mission is to find the best way to strategically communicate your message to evoke the reaction you want from your customers. Our goal is to produce unique visual solutions that speak clearly and powerfully. Our talented team of website designers and web developers work with clients to create fresh and innovative websites that are as intelligent and functionally effective as they are visually compelling.

We help our clients elevate brand awareness above the competition, motivate buyers and ensure customer loyalty by effectively integrating design, web design, marketing, and public relations solutions.

Contact us at 213-494-4672 or click here to request an appointment online.

Request a responsive web design quote today to see how our web design team can improve your website’s mobile user experience. Call 209.521.0388 or send us a message to get started.

Why Website is Necessary for Business

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Why Website is Necessary for Business

A simple question, What is a website? In its bare form, a website is a single domain that consists of different web pages. We should all know that by now, but surprisingly what we don’t all know, is the benefits a website can provide for your business, and it’s shocking to witness how many businesses don’t actually have a website or online presence.

If you have a business and don’t have a website, you are losing out on great opportunities for your business. A website itself can be used to accomplish many different marketing strategies to help your business grow.

As a business owner, you need to know where your consumers are. But what if consumers know your business and what you can offer, but they can’t reach you? That is one of the risks you take by not having a website for your business.

What are some other benefits of having a business website?

Cost-Effective

You know exactly how much your website is going to cost you and its ongoings – a brick and mortar store on the other hand is susceptible to many out of the ordinary occurrences which could blow out the costs such as leaving the lights on, theft, damage, extra staff, etc.

A strategically developed website and online presence solution provides tremendous benefits and costing outlines.

Accessible around the clock

Your website and social media accounts are accessible 24/7/365. Imagine that you want to buy from a store. You put in all the effort required to go to the store, but when you get there, it’s closed. We all know how irate we feel in that situation. You’ll think twice about going back given the bad taste it left (ok might have been your fault for not checking but hey, this is proving the point here!). You will just find another store that is more easily accessible.

Since your website is operational around the clock, from the convenience of the local coffee shop, their couch, or their bed, your customers and clients can easily access your website and services.

Convenient

What is more convenient: driving outside to look for different stores that are available to shop in, or sitting in the comfort of your own home and shopping for the products you’re looking for? The pretty obvious answer, unless you like aimlessly driving around. Smart businesses realize this and thus have their own website housing their products and services so that potential customers can browse online for the products they want to purchase.

Credibility

By building a website you are giving your business the opportunity to tell consumers why they should trust you and the testimonials and facts to back up those opportunities. Believe it or not, most people will search the internet for a product or service before the purchase to check the credibility first. When you provide good service or product, positive word-of-mouth about your business is likely to spread. Which in turn, delivers more repeat and new business.

People tend to trust a business after they have done business with it. Using your website, you can continuously serve consumers online and increase your credibility as a business owner.

Your website is the front door to your business. MHD Group has provided results-driven website design solutions for hundreds of businesses. Website design must be planned, defined, and executed as a priority in your marketing strategy.

Custom Web Design & Development In Modesto & Fresno

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Custom Web Design & Development In Modesto & Fresno

MHDGroup’s web design & development team is obsessed with the latest trends and web technologies. That passion drives our design process and assures the development of high-quality websites that thoughtfully incorporate technologies that make sense for your business. We want our clients to have the latest and greatest when it comes to your website and we are already thinking about next year’s web design and development trends.

Our websites are custom-designed, user-focused, and intuitive. We develop compelling online experiences to bring you the traffic, leads, and conversions to boost online sales, drive revenue and maximize lifetime customer value.

Responsive Web Design

Responsive website design, also known as mobile web design, provides a unified approach to your overall digital marketing strategy. Instead of creating multiple websites to display on different devices, responsive design allows for one website to scale, move, and rearrange into multiple layout variations. Responsive sites require advanced CSS coding techniques and design principles including fluid grids, flexible image sizes, and media queries.

This design style allows us to adapt layouts and content to screen sizes and orientations for a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, game consoles, TVs, laptops, and wearables.

We understand the importance of mobile design for business owners. Using a ‘Mobile-First’ approach, we are able to design and develop user-friendly responsive websites that engage, attract and convert.

Request a responsive web design quote today to see how our web design team can improve your website’s mobile user experience. Call 209.521.0388 or send us a message to get started.

4 Design Tips for your E-commerce Website

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4 Design Tips for your E-commerce Website

Ready to launch your product online? But how do you harness the reach and power of your website to maximize a positive response and create the kind of exposure that leads to actual sales? That can be a challenge for many online businesses – especially start-ups. Designing a great website can turbocharge your launch, boost your conversion rate and start the engines of profitability.

Here are four design tips for a dynamic website:

Keep it simple
E-commerce websites tend to be loaded with information. A cluttered design only makes it harder for your potential customers to purchase. Menus should be kept to a minimum, with a reasonable number of categories. Your social media links should be readily available. Give users access to all the information they need to make a purchase without overwhelming them.

Design Message
One way to separate yourself and your product from the competition online is to make sure that photos, graphics, text and other items on your website are high quality. Your website is the front window to your e-commerce business. Making a strong first impression is critical. Beautiful photos of your products – accompanied by the right messages — not only catch potential customers’ eyes, they also can affect buying decisions

Clear Calls to Action
Calls to action are how you guide potential customers through the buying process. Make it easy for them to enter their contact information to receive email or text alerts about your new and existing products, sign up for your newsletter or receive special discounts.

Think Mobile
Most of the people accessing your website will do so via their mobile devices. If your site is not compatible, you risk losing sales. It’s critical that your site is optimized for mobile devices and your contact information is front and center. Working with a professional, experienced web designer is crucial. The goal should be a site that appears consistent and is easily accessed in multiple ways.

Keep these important ideas in mind and you’ll be well on your way to building an e-commerce website that works just as hard as you do to sell your product. Research has shown that online visitors make judgments about the quality of a company based on the quality of its website. Earn their trust and confidence with a professionally designed site, and you’re on your way to making a sale.

Have questions? MHD Group can help answer them.

Let’s talk

Good website design can grow online sales

Posted on by @maria

Good website design can grow online sales

Everyone appreciates the importance of making a good first impression. That’s among many reasons your business should invest in a consumer-centric, mobile-friendly responsive website. Think of your website as the front door to your business. If yesterday’s customers spent hours window shopping before deciding whether to enter a store, today’s tech-savvy consumers literally have the world at their fingertips. With a few quick keystrokes, they can find you – or your competitors – in seconds.

A professional website allows you to make that strong first impression. More importantly, with online sales mushrooming, there’s a good chance your website may be the only way some customers interact with you.

If you haven’t updated your site in 2-3 years you could be missing out. Here are a few reasons you should upgrade your website.

Create and Increase Brand Identity

Your logo is the entry point and the most critical item created when developing a brand. The logo sets the tone and provides the right visual atmosphere for how the brand will be perceived in the marketplace. Think of some of the iconic logos of all time – the McDonald’s golden arches, the Mercedes emblem, the Apple computer logo with a bite out of it. Each of them is ingrained in consumers’ consciousness with their company. Your business may not be of the same scale, but there is no reason your logo can’t become just as recognizable with your core customers as well as others in the marketplace. Your logo should be front and center on your website and resonate throughout the entire site.

Show Off Your Creativity

It doesn’t matter what your product or service is – people appreciate, admire and are drawn to creativity. Your website should reflect all of that in ways that are consistent with your brand identity and company culture. Investing time in creating a website that shows off the best of what you offer and the people behind it is an important way to convey who you are and how you stand out from your competition.

Focus on the User Experience

As online retailing and social media have exploded over the past decade, so too have user expectations about the ease of navigation on your website, the quality of the information and the ability to safely purchase a product. Today’s savvy consumers will not tolerate clunky sites that require multiple clicks. They expect their supermarkets to be organized when they shop there; it’s no different on your website. Frustrate them at your own peril; they will go elsewhere to find what they want.

Build Confidence in Your Service

Every company talks about exceptional customer service. Your website provides a strategic opportunity to deliver on that promise. Each time you quickly allow a potential customer to browse your site, evaluate your produce and service, place an order or simply communicate with you, you reinforce the perception of a well-managed, focused and serious business. Be sure to incorporate social media into your customer service platform, as todays users will be likely to comment or ask questions on Facebook or Instagram as well.

Organize Your Catalog or List of Services

Savvy consumers don’t want to poke around your site trying to find the information, produce or service they need. Make it easy for them. Like a neat desk, a clear, well-organized website sends an important message about your professionalism and your trustworthiness. Provide easy-to-understand navigation tools and flexibility without overwhelming potential customers with information and details they don’t need. Clean and simply is a good thing.

MHD Group has more than a decade of experience designing and managing websites that not only look sharp, but drive business to your company … and your bottom line. Our innovative staff is on top of the latest trends in customizing truly interactive sites that include metrics to help analyze exactly how your audience and potential customers are using it.

If your website is a few years old or you’re not sure it’s meeting all your needs today, give us a call or send us a note. We’d love to collaborate with you to bring your online ideas to life.

Let's talk

MHD and Lucky Supermarkets 2018 “Where Warriors Shop” Campaign

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MHD and Lucky Supermarkets 2018 "Where Warriors Shop" Campaign

Our relationship with the world champion Golden State Warriors through Lucky Supermarkets and The Save Mart Companies remains an amazing journey.

This season, Lucky Supermarkets wanted to let their customers know that you can support the Golden State Warriors throughout the entire Bay Area — from the current home in Oakland to their new arena being built in San Francisco and from Marin County to Santa Clara County. We ultimately chose the tagline “Where Warriors Shop.”

First, we believe it communicates that Lucky Supermarkets are, in fact, the grocery stores of choice for REAL Warriors fans. Secondly, we knew this slogan would create the perfect opportunity for us to segue into raising consumer awareness of the actual, physical locations of Lucky Supermarkets throughout the Bay Area.

Here is a quick look into some of the other decisions and strategy that went into this year’s “Where Warriors Shop” campaign that can be seen at Oracle Arena.

MHD Group adds talent, experience of Martino Graphic Design to serve regional market

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MHD Group adds talent, experience of Martino Graphic Design to serve regional market

At MHD Group, we have collaborated with our clients for more than three decades to create visual communications strategies that stand the test of time. What began as a one-woman graphic design studio in Marcia Herrmann’s home now features 10 employees with the expertise to meet the sophisticated expectations of today’s business leaders.

Our clients have shown us that business success today is more than a function of simple hard work. It requires the determination and nimbleness to constantly innovate, the courage to take on appropriate risk, and the vision to recognize and adapt to emerging trends in the marketplace. With that in mind, MHD Group is proud to announce that as of July 1, 2017, we will welcome into our firm another leading Modesto company – Martino Graphic Design.

Marian and Paul Martino collectively bring more than 60 years of proven ability and success to MHD Group. Their diverse graphic design and communications portfolio includes some of the region’s leading companies and organizations. The Martinos have earned respect for their creativity, integrity and commitment to improving the level of professional design in the area.

MHD Group’s comprehensive offering of services will benefit the Martinos’ established client base and allow MHD Group to respond efficiently to marketplace dynamics.

MHD Group works with clients in these areas:

  • Brand strategy
  • Graphic design
  • Web development
  • Package design
  • Marketing strategy
  • Advertising
  • Social media
  • Digital marketing
  • Public relations, including crisis and reputation management
“We believe that the Modesto area and the greater San Joaquin Valley offer incredible opportunity for those who choose, as we do, to live and work here,” said Marcia Herrmann, owner and creative director of MHD Group. “We are proud that in the past 30 years, like the Martinos, we have partnered with hundreds of clients to help them elevate their brands, enhance their message and ensure customer loyalty. We appreciate their trust and their confidence. Many companies are repositioning themselves to respond to rapidly changing market trends. By adding Marian and Paul to our talented team of next-generation thought leaders, we increase our depth, experience and ability to provide businesses with the tools they need to plan and execute in this challenging marketplace.” “We are delighted to join the MHD Group,” said Marian Martino. “This is a great fit for us and a fantastic opportunity to blend our experience and creativity with this highly talented and dedicated team.”

Have questions? MHD Group can help answer them.

Let’s talk

9 Tips to a Successful Media Interview

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9 Tips to a Successful Media Interview

Having spent more than 30 years in newsrooms as a reporter and an editor, I have a pretty good sense of how journalists think. They’re not all alike, of course, but there are some shared habits and processes – whether they work for a newspaper, television station or, more and more today, produce content for a media website.

If you’re like most people, you might be equal parts anxious, nervous, concerned or curious when a reporter calls or an email from one lands in your inbox.Conversely, if it’s a reporter you’ve had a positive experience with before and trust, you may even look forward to the next interaction.

Whatever your impulse, dealing with the media doesn’t have to be a cringe-inducing experience – especially if you understand the reporter’s needs, her deadlines and her intended audience. It’s entirely possible to turn the opportunity into a powerful tool to connect in a positive way to your clients, customers and the general public – without spending a dime.

Here are nine tips to help you control the interview:

  1. Don’t assume the worst
    Some reporters will call with questions about topics you’d rather not discuss or ask you provocative questions. But sometimes the call will be about a product or service you’ve introduced, an employee or friend, or a local cause you feel strongly about. The trick is to not become immediately defensive. The best reporters have a strong sense of when someone is being evasive or outright lying, and only become more aggressive if they think someone is trying to hide something.

  2. Respond promptly
    Don’t naively think that if you don’t return the phone call or email, the reporter won’t write his story. He likely will – and if you blow him off, it might not include your side. If you don’t know or can’t answer a particular question, tell them that and ask if you can get back to them as soon as possible.

  3. Find out more about the story and its timing
    It’s appropriate to ask what kind of deadline a reporter has, what day it may publish or appear on air, and why she is writing the story.

  4. Remembering that photographers and camera operators are journalists too
    Treat them with the same courtesy and respect; in some cases, they may also ask questions. Whatever you say to them is likely to find its way back to a reporter.

  5. Understand what’s already public.
    Property, business and personal information all are accessible not just by the media, but by anyone with access to a computer. For instance, if a lawsuit has been filed the information is public. Don’t waste precious time debating how or why reporters have it, even if it’s not flattering to you or your company.

  6. Leverage your expertise, your brand or your product to become a source for breaking news stories
    Local media – newspapers, in particular – love to add local voices to a state, national or even international story. Positioning yourself as an expert on a particular subject or situation can do wonders for your image within the community.

  7. Quickly provide facts sheets about your company or organization
    The more basic information you can offer a reporter, the easier you’ll make her life and the better you may look in her story. Reporters juggle many assignments every day. Like you, they are very busy people. Don’t make them go hunting for things they should know about your business or agency.

  8. Dealing with television
    It’s important to chat with the reporter before you go on camera to get a sense of what will be asked. Unless you’re being interviewed on live TV, you can always ask a reporter to start over if you flub an answer.

  9. If asked “do you want to add anything,” always say yes.
    This is especially true if you’ve had a chance to prepare and haven’t covered one or more of your key points during the interview. It’s also an opportunity to re-emphasize an important fact.

Have questions? MHD Group can help answer them.

Let’s talk

No business or organization welcomes a crisis. But all should expect them

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No business or organization welcomes a crisis. But all should expect them

No business or organization welcomes a crisis. But all should expect them. A crisis can take many forms. It could be a fire or natural disaster that dramatically affects operations. It could be a legal dispute involving a lawsuit or charges against an employee. It could be a recall of a product or an accident, regardless of who’s at fault, or confidential data being hacked or compromised. It could be public perception that a company or its leaders have not responded appropriately to any of the above scenarios.

Whatever the circumstances, the threat to the firm’s integrity, reputation and even future will be immediate. Almost invariably, there will be media attention – in the traditional sense from newspapers and TV, and more and more from social media and individuals who share and attack in that form. In a perfect world, the company will have thought about what to do in a crisis situation before it actually happens. It’s much easier to plan and prepare when emotions are normal and anxiety is low.

One of the first decisions to make is to identify a company spokesman. Ideally, this will be the CEO or, in the case of a family business, the owner. It must be someone with authority and credibility. Being smooth and articulate in media interactions certainly are important, but honesty and contrition (if appropriate) are even more critical.

Let’s take a look at couple of the examples

Say a company has a product – food or otherwise – that’s been recalled because of potential harm to customers. Or maybe it got hacked and personal information is suddenly available to ID thieves.

The public will not want to hear about excuses or rationalizations. A real leader in a crisis situation will acknowledge what has happened, will offer genuine empathy to those affected and will talk about what is being done to ensure it doesn’t happen again. There will be no dodging of tough questions or outward displays of defensiveness. Projecting a calm, serious demeanor in the midst of the storm can go a long way to effectively navigating a crisis. That’s a difficult challenge, I realize – especially for business leaders unaccustomed to the glare of media scrutiny or public criticism. It also might run counter to well-intentioned advice given by a company’s legal team, whose important goals don’t always include reputation management in a crisis. Believe me: A tone-deaf response will do far more long-term harm to a company than the opposite. A leader demonstrating true concern and compassion will generate far more goodwill than one coming off as cold and calculating.

A crisis requires message consistency and coordination

A crisis plan is like insurance – businesses need it, even if they hope they never have to use it. Companies should devote quality time to planning ahead to identify the crisis team and the roles each of those people will play. Think of it like a playbook in football, where each teammate must understand and execute a specific assignment for the group to succeed.

A statement should be drafted as soon as possible when a crisis hits and circulated not just to traditional and social media, but also to employees, vendors, customers and others who likely are affected. The release should briefly summarize the facts as known at the time and describe the company’s response. As more facts emerge, updated statements should be released.

If there is a press conference or media interview and a question is asked that the spokesman doesn’t know the answer to, admit it and promise to get back to the reporter in a timely manner. Don’t guess or speculate. Responses should be based on verifiable data, not gut feelings. Again – telling the truth and telling it fast is by far the most effective way of managing public opinion during a crisis. It’s better for the audience to hear what happened from the company than learn it from a blogger or reporter. How long will a crisis last?

The duration of a crisis depends on the unique circumstances in each case. Every situation is different. Some will generate more public attention than others. It may take months for internal and external impacts to completely play out. But a company judged as honestly and skillfully responding to a crisis almost always will emerge on the other side in better shape than one that becomes defensive or withholds important facts. One last suggestion: Once a crisis has passed, convene the crisis team and evaluate what went right and what went wrong. Learn from what happened and apply those lessons next time.

Have questions? MHD Group can help answer them.

Let’s talk.

How Much is Your Company’s Reputation Worth?

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How Much is Your Company’s Reputation Worth?

No business or organization welcomes a crisis.

But all should expect them. A crisis can take many forms. It could be a fire or natural disaster that dramatically affects operations. It could be a legal dispute involving a lawsuit or charges against an employee. It could be a recall of a product or an accident, regardless of who’s at fault, or confidential data being hacked or compromised. It could be public perception that a company or its leaders have not responded appropriately to any of the above scenarios.

Buffett is recognized as one of the smartest investors in the world. He’s also one of the richest. His opinions can move markets. His investment recommendations are gold-plated. He’s called the “Oracle of Omaha” for good reason. So when Warren Buffett offers advice about the value of a reputation – personal, professional or institutional – it pays to listen.

The truth, however, is that many business leaders devote far less time to the potential economic harm caused by a sudden crisis than they do to day-to-day operations. In many ways, that’s understandable. The tyranny of the urgent can easily overtake hypothetical scenarios on any leader’s priority list. But that lack of preparation can exact a high cost when something unexpected happens. In an age when social media allows bad news to travel at the speed of light, failing to plan is a recipe for reputational disaster.

Just ask Target, Chipotle or Volkswagen.

All are national or international companies whose brands – and bottom lines – suffered in the past few years because of widespread attention to embarrassing or unhealthy situations.

  • Target’s computers were hacked and the credit card data of an estimated 40 million shoppers was exposed in an attack in November 2013. The Wall Street Journal estimates the incident cost Target and credit card companies at least $200 million to replace the affected cards, and that doesn’t even count the value of the fraudulent shopping. Minneapolis-based Target took a huge hit at the busiest time of the Christmas shopping season. Worse, it was an online blogger – and not the company itself – who publicly announced the hack.

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill, based in Denver, temporarily closed 43 restaurants in Washington and Oregon in November 2015 after 22 cases of coli were linked to its food. Later, 141 students contracted norovirus after eating in a Chipotle in Massachusetts. Sales fell 30% in December, the company’s stock plunged and a criminal investigation began in California. In late January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said it was safe to eat at Chipotle again. Still, the company announced it would close all its restaurants Feb. 8 to conduct a massive training on food preparation for its staff.

  • Volkswagen’s reputation took a heavy hit after the world’s No. 2 carmaker admitted its German engineers had found a way to cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests. As many as 11 million cars worldwide were affected. The company faces fines in the U.S. of as much as $18 billion – and billions more in costs to fix the vehicles. A survey by Autolist found U.S. car owners’ trust in the company dropped and that they were 28% less likely to buy a Volkswagen than before the scandal.

Most companies won’t face an equivalent crisis. But think about the business concerns that keep you up at night. What would you do if one of them happened? What if you’re hacked and your clients’ financial information is stolen, like Target? What if someone – an employee or customer – is sickened or injured because of your product, like Chipotle? What if your organization knowingly violates government standards, like Volkswagen?

A well thought out reputation management plan — created with the help of an experienced professional before a crisis hits – won’t completely eliminate negative attention. But it can provide critical guidance and structure when the worst happens. It is valuable investment in your company, just like business insurance.

The risk, as Warren Buffett suggests, is to watch decades of hard work and responsible behavior get washed away because of one critical mistake, intentional or not.

Have questions? MHD Group can help answer them.

Let’s talk

MHD Group provides results driven solutions that elevate brand awareness above the competition, motivate buyers and ensure customer loyalty by effectively integrating branding strategy, graphic and web design, marketing, digital media and public relations.