by Skip Sommer | Oct 14, 2020 | News From The Studio
Open To All
Thank you all for being such wonderful clients, customers, supporters and friends of Shadowbend Studios. During these recent tough times, we value your support more than ever, and we want to let you know that we support and welcome you—no matter who you are, what you look like, who you love, what you believe in or where you are from.
Joining Open to All® means we are making an explicit commitment to maintaining a welcoming and safe environment for people—including employees, visitors, customers, vendors, and clients—regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, immigration status, religion, or disability. Not only that, we’ve signed the Open To All pledge not to discriminate against any individuals or deny them goods or services based on any of these characteristics, and to provide all goods and services to everyone on the same terms.
We joined the Open to All® coalition of hundreds of thousands of businesses nationwide because we believe we all have something to contribute. We believe we can all learn from one another. We believe that when we work together, when we value our employees, when we care for our customers and one another, we all thrive.
The Open to All® campaign is also supported by more than 200 national and state civil rights and racial justice organizations; LGBTQ organizations and community centers; health and healthcare advocates, disability advocates, and inclusive faith organizations; and more.
Of course, we know that this is just a step on the long road towards achieving full equality for all. Shadowbend Studios is in this for the long haul, that’s why we’re committing to listening, learning, and continuing to find ways to better serve you.
If you’d like to learn more about this campaign, visit www.OpenToAll.com.
#shadowbendstudios, #opentoall, #enddiscrimination, #equality
by Skip Sommer | Sep 21, 2020 | Monday Morning Marketing
Optimize Your Site – Shadowbend Studios Monday Morning Marketing
Optimize your site – Most of us have heard about Website Optimization, Search Engine Optimization, Mobile Optimization etc. Website Optimization is the process of testing a new site using multiple platforms and devices to make sure that the site does not have any coding issues that are browser specific. There are instances where a site will look perfectly fine on one particular browser but may have some quirks when being presented on a different browser. Website Optimization is the opportunity to address and correct those quirks.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is used to help websites get found and ranked by search engines (such as Google). There are many elements which comprise an effective SEO optimization campaign such as relevant keyword research, backlinks, onsite optimization (alt tags for images, meta descriptions, header tags, etc.) and the appropriate amount of text on your pages with a good keyword density. Luckily there are many excellent tools out there to help you achieve this: From Yoast SEO and Schema – All In One Schema Rich Snippets to Majestic and Moz, there are ample resources to get your site in tip top shape.
Mobile Optimization is the process of making sure that your site loads quickly, looks good and is easily navigable on mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. Here are some interesting statistics according to an April 22nd, 2020 article on Oberlo:
- There are 3.5 billion cell phone users worldwide.
- Adults in the United States spend an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes on their phones daily.
- 2/3rds of people shopping on the internet use apps on their mobile devices.
- Mobile web traffic accounts for 52.6 of global web traffic.
- 69% of users shopping on the internet prefer to look up reviews on their mobile devices rather than asking in-store staff.
Optimizing your website is a critical step in the foundation for an effective business marketing strategy!
Visit our Blog Page for more Monday Morning Marketing!
You can also subscribe to the “Shadowbend Digest”, our “low-impact”, friendly and informative newsletter
by Skip Sommer | Sep 17, 2020 | Client Showcase
Shadowbend Studios Client Showcase – Advanced Eyecare Optometry
Our client showcase posts serve as an opportunity for you to meet and get to know some of the wonderful people and businesses I have had the chance to work with over the years. This week’s post features:
Advanced Eyecare Optometry
I have been working with Dr. Robert and Janet Turcios over at Advanced Eyecare Optometry for the better part of 10 years. We have provided photography, videography, graphic design, web development, website hosting, search engine optimization, web security and social media marking services for the entire office in their previous location as well as their new location right here in Pleasant Hill! On a side note, my family goes to Advanced Eyecare Optometry for our annual eye exams! It’s always very satisfying when business services can go both ways!
A little bit about Advanced Eyecare Optometry
(from the “Our Office” page on the Advanced Eyecare Optometry website)
At Advanced Eyecare Optometry, the doctors are thoroughly trained in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of vision disorders and eye disease. They utilize state-of-the art equipment such as the Zeiss OCT Optos Retinal Scanning Laser, and Humphrey Auto-Refractor and Visual Field Analyzer, which provides a higher level of care. This facilitates the early detection and management of eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataract which helps preserve your vision!Examinations also include the detection and treatment of eye muscle imbalance, poor eye coordination and reduced focusing ability, which are common problems among children and 40+ year olds.When indicated, the doctors fit any contact lenses required, including specialty lenses for astigmatism, monovision, (simultaneous far and near vision), or bifocal needs, as well as colored contact lenses for those who desire a “different look”.
If you are interested in laser eye surgery, (LASIK), the doctors will determine if you are a good candidate, and will provide the pre- and post-op management to insure a good outcome for this procedure.
Should you choose to wear eyeglasses, Advanced Eyecare Optometry offers a modern eyewear boutique with hundreds of styles to from which to choose. The licensed opticians are trained to help you select fashionable eyewear that compliments your lifestyle and fashion sense, all in a relaxed, friendly, caring atmosphere.
If you are looking for someone to help you with all your eyecare needs, then call Advanced Eyecare Optometry today. We’ll put your needs in focus!
You can visit the Advanced Eyecare Optometry website here.
Visit our Blog Page for more Client Showcases!
You can also subscribe to the “Shadowbend Digest”, our “low-impact”, friendly and informative newsletter
by Skip Sommer | Sep 16, 2020 | Wednesday Wisdom
Shadowbend Studios Wednesday Wisdom – Compress Your Images
Good morning and happy Wednesday everyone. This week’s bit of Wednesday Wisdom is about compressing the image files that you plan to use for your website to help keep your site load speeds fast and effective!
Nearly every website contains media files: pdfs, videos, photos etc. and an often overlooked aspect of web design and development is image compression. Websites like MachMetrics monitor site loading speeds and mention that the optimal time for a site to load is 3 seconds or less. I checked the Shadowbend Studios website on Pingdom and found that it loads in 2.97 seconds!
Why is this important?
Your website load speed is important for a few reasons. First of all your visitors attention spans are getting shorter every day. You want you site to load quickly so that your visitors can begin enjoying your site right away. Slow loading speeds can also trigger server time outs which will cause your site to lag or stop loading completely.
Compressing your images is one of the easiest and most effective way of speeding up your website load times. Websites rarely need an image file with a resolution larger than 72 or 96dpi and I try to keep most of my images under 1900 pixels wide. This helps to keep your file sizes under 100-200kb. There are many ways you can achieve image compression. There are WordPress plugins like Optimole, Imagify and Smush and you can always utilize software like Photoshop to get your images the right size before you even upload them to your site. On a side note, if you do compress your images before uploading them, always make sure to save a copy of the original (pre-compressed) image.
Visit our Blog Page for more Wednesday Wisdom!
You can also subscribe to the “Shadowbend Digest”, our “low-impact”, friendly and informative newsletter
by Skip Sommer | May 29, 2020 | Client Showcase
Shadowbend Studios Welcomes
Scot Harvest, Pirate Santa
At Shadowbend Studios back in late March, Sandy and I wanted to take some time to check in with our clients to see how they, their families and their businesses were coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and all it entails. So, we sent out a simple questionnaire to all of our clients. Typically our Client Showcases’ talk about a specific client, their business and what Shadowbend Studios did for them. Our Covid-19 Version asked each of our clients the same 5 questions to see how they’re responding and adapting to life during a pandemic.
We have known Scot Harvest for years and can honestly say “Yes Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus!” Scot Harvest embraces his roles as Pirate Santa or just Santa, often times with his beautiful wife, aka Mrs. Claus, for many different functions, special events and occasions. His specialty is unique Santa crossovers. If you are interested in having Scot attend a special event you’ll need to book him early because his schedule starts to fill up months before December. He is also open to charity events and good causes. Here is what Scot had to say:
1. How are you, your families and your business doing?
Our family is doing FANTASTIC! We rally as a family and keep each other in good spirits, healthy and supported.
2. How has this pandemic affected your business?
My trade (plumber) has suffered somewhat in that its impossible to do social distancing while working on someone’s bathroom / kitchen issues.
My seasonal work as a Santa Claus portrayal actor is MUCH worse and is in risk of loosing the personal visit side of the work. Santa with a MASK is not an option!
3. What strategies are you using to cope (professionally and/or personally)?
Personally I have a VERY upbeat and optimistic attitude… this too shall pass.
Professionally I hope to take Santa into peoples home with the virtual opportunities available to me and my brothers in red.
4. What could you use help with (professionally and/or personally)?
I need help getting the Holiday Season Santa options out to current/potential clients with as much grace and poise as possible with an online presence.
5. What are you looking forward to when the shelter in place mandates are lifted?
Physical contact with loved ones HUGS!
If you or someone you know, would like to connect with Scot Harvest, aka. Santa Claus, aka Pirate Santa, book an event or special occasion or learn more about him, here is his contact information:
Scot Harvest, Pirate Santa
(707)980-8980
Scotthered@aol.com
https://www.facebook.com/Pirate-Santa
Be sure to let him know Shadowbend Studios sent you!
For more from Client Showcase, check out Shadowbend Studios Blog Page
Open To All