Salt Blog

Prince George has always been where our history—and our heart—is. So, it’s with great excitement that we are announcing the expansion of Saltmedia into Prince George. When Alex and I (Angie) moved to Grande Prairie from Prince George over 20 years ago, it was for the massive opportunities we saw. My first computer tech job was at the London Drugs in Grande Prairie, and I’ll always be grateful that the manager there was willing to hire a woman for a tech job (and I was really good at my job!). The city’s been good to us! While our offices and many of our fantastic staff will remain in Grande Prairie, Alex, myself, and our little one are setting up location #2 in Prince George. We are excited about bringing you all of our Saltmedia services: Web Design, SEO, Graphic Design, Digital Marketing, Content Writing, Data Centre, and Hosting . Some...

Given the dramatic increase in connectivity around the world, the option for thriving businesses to miss out on having an established online presence is a thing of the past. Be they at home, at work, or out and about, many people would rather obtain their information via the internet rather than coming to visit your business in person, or even using the phone. Having a website is a must to keep up with the ever-busy lifestyle of the average person, and so it’s important to represent yourself in a clean, professional way online in order to appeal to your customer. You might be thinking to yourself “How does one go about creating a website?” Well there are two answers, both quite simple: you can set yourself up on a DIY website creator such as Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly, OR you can have your website custom built by professional web designers...

And just how do you market like a Jedi? Well, first things first. Get a killer website! Here are some items that you can do yourself and cost you nothing but time. A Facebook Page Social Media Posting A Google My Business page Online marketing can get complex, and when it does get too complex, or you just don’t have time - hire the pros to get your message, product or service in front of people. Think of us as your in house marker. Below are some important digital marketing trends for the next year. Important online marketing trends for 2020. Video Since video hit the internet! Live videos are watched 3x more than recorded videos. SEO Search Engine Optimization continues to be a key factor to get a website on the 1st page of Google to get in front of your customers. If they cant find you, will they...

When looking to expand your presence in the online world, hiring a great Graphic Designer is a must. But what makes a Graphic Designer great, and how do we know that they’re an expert? Here, we’ll outline a few things that you need to know to sift through and find that gem you’re looking for. Education. You might think that a certificate is just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper shows that they are dedicated and took the time to learn about it from a professional standpoint. Experience. The more that an artist practices, the better they become. Think of the artist’s brain as a muscle that grows with more exercise! Portfolio. With experience comes a portfolio. A Graphic Designer’s portfolio not only shows you the volume of their work, but also the quality. By looking at their past work, you can see just what they have...

Saltmedia is proud to present our latest feature in the world of creating success online: Essential websites, internally we like to call these “Just a Pinch” because we are salty like that. Our first ever packaged based website for startup businesses that want a professional foundation to grow upon. For 10 years we’ve taken pride in delivering clean and polished custom websites to all our clients. Recently, however, we began looking at a project that would not only be clean and polished, but also quick and easy. Something a little simpler, so you have the choice to have your brand on display in a shorter period than with our custom websites, while still maintaining a professional appearance. This is where Essential Websites come in. These websites are powered by WordPress, so you can learn to update your new website yourself, if you want. Don’t worry, we are always just a...

It is all about high quality, relevant information sprinkled with an excellent user experience, built on a solid foundation. A Google friendly website requires careful planning. It requires professional grade relevant content writing, and web developer expertise to ensure the website is built properly from ground up. Building an easily accessible website for thousands of different devices is no small task! If your looking for professional quality, you have come to the right place! The single most important thing you can do for your website , according to Google today on Feb 27, 2020, is to have high quality content on your website– especially on your home page. Give visitors the information they are looking for. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of getting a website to the first page of Google for keywords people search for. There are two branches of SEO. On Page (your website) and off...

I love attending events at the Friendship Centre. We donated a website to this deserving not-for-profit in 2018 and we certainly didn’t expect anything in return. We were excited to receive an invitation and attend the Friendship Centre Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. I asked if our 2-year-old daughter could attend with us, and they said absolutely! That meant the world to me since being a new mom, a partner in two local tech businesses, and president of a large local not-for-profit keeps me busy. We were honored with a lovely presentation from a Friendship Centre board member, as well as this beautiful gift (pictured). The friendship center honored 7 sponsors altogether in alignment with the 7 sacred teachings. Our honor was for Truth represented by The Turtle. Being a Metis woman, this hit home for me. I want to give a special thanks to our talented designer and project manager Chris....

The advancements in mobile phone software have led to a lot of new challenges for businesses. And with those challenges, new opportunities have arisen too. There are so many avenues to explore, many new markets being accessible, and a great new number of customers to gain access to. These avenues, markets, and customers were previously inaccessible, or very expensive to access. But all of that has changed now. You can access these markets and customers through mobile apps and websites. The question arises when we have to decide between any one of them. An app can be pretty expensive to have designed. A moderate quality app can cost approximately $30,000 to have custom designed to your exact specifications. Another problem that can arise with apps is that they have to be made for multiple platforms or operating systems. You have to make sure that you have both an Android version...

Smartphones have defined and personified the advancements mankind has seen in the past decade or so. They have made our lives easy to the point that our use of laptops and desktops has minimalized. Apart from work, most of us only use our computers only for things that we cannot do on our mobile phones. These devices have literally brought the whole world in our hands. The increase in usage of mobile phones in the world and especially in Canada has made it a necessity to have a mobile design for your business website. Mobile design refers to having a website that is compatible with mobile phones. The user does not have to unnecessarily scroll around and zoom in or out. If you have a mobile compatible website. With almost 60% of Canada’s online traffic coming from mobile phones, the need to have a mobile design does not really need...

Like every year, Saltmedia decided to do a free giveaway in 2018 too. This year the winner was of the giveaway was the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre . Saltmedia presented the GP Friendship Centre a state-of-the-art website inclusive of all features that the organization might need to continue in its endeavors smoothly in the future. The Grand Prairie Friendship Centre has been working tirelessly for a noble cause. They have worked day in and day out to support the Indigenous people and look after their needs. They have been striving to bridge the cultural gap between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community and have been successfully doing so for the past five decades. This giveaway is a way to reconnect with her roots for Angie Saltman, the President of Saltmedia. Having a Metis heritage herself, Angie has a deep connection with the work GP Friendship Centre has been doing. This website...

Regardless of your industry, chances are your customers are looking for your products or services online. Online marketing is the single most important form of advertising for businesses today. As a result, SEO (search engine optimization) is becoming more and more important for businesses who want to stand out from the crowd. SEO is the process of optimising your website so that it can easily be found in search engines. Let’s take a look at how customers are finding your business online, and how you can make sure your website is getting in front of them. Where are your customers? Chances are your customers are using Google to find your business. Sure, there are plenty of other search engines out there (like Bing and Yahoo), but Google takes up the largest market share with nearly 4.5 billion searches every single day. It’s important to remember, though, that not all Google...

Your website is your best employee. It works 24/7 and is always available to answer your customers’ questions, even when you’re not. And if your website isn’t on the first page of Google for important search terms, you have a lot of low hanging fruit you can harvest. The world of SEO (search engine optimization) is always changing, but there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure your website gets to the first page of Google. Here are just some examples of things you can do to reach that low-hanging fruit.   Have a good website This sounds pretty obvious, but you can’t underestimate the importance of a well-built website. While a basic DIY webpage might be enough to get your name out there, it likely won’t get you where you want to be. Investing in a professional website created by a reputable web design firm is...

Setting up a business is often complicated and costly, and it can be difficult to know where to spend your marketing dollars, especially when you’re just getting started. A strong online presence is crucial for just about any modern business. It’s no wonder, then, that the majority of business owners reach a point where they ask an important question: should I design my website myself, or should I hire a professional? If you have to DIY, do it right DIY website builders are a great option if you’re a startup on a very tight budget and need to set up a basic, quick online presence. If you choose to go the DIY route, make sure to keep things as simple as possible. We recommend building a basic website that clearly explains who you are and what you do. Of course, that’s not to say you shouldn’t spend any money at...

Humans have always tended to gravitate toward things that provide instant gratification. The fact that mobile usage has now surpassed desktop traffic is further proof that we know what we want, and we want it now. The number of people searching from mobile devices for the goods and services they wish to buy continues to increase every year. Consumers can access the Internet virtually everywhere across Alberta, which means there are no limits to when and where people can shop online from their mobile devices. For business owners of any shape and size, this is a huge opportunity - don't miss out! Responsive Websites are Key to Attracting New Business In the not-so-distant past, mobile web development was a lot less common or, at least, very different from what it is today. Whereas, before, mobile website design typically involved a separate, mobile version of the website or mobile apps, today's...

There's a lot of planning and preparation that goes into a successful online presence. Especially on the Internet, it's important for you to put your business' best foot forward and, at Saltmedia, we feel the smartest web solutions start with a consultation and a well designed strategy. Complimentary Consultation & Quote When you choose to work with our Grande Prairie web design team, you will discover that we are whole-heartedly committed to meeting your goals and vision for a smarter website structure. Whether it's your business' first website or you're in need of a refresh, we start with a complimentary website discovery meeting to learn about what you hope to do and achieve online so that we can design the best possible web solution. This gets us all on the same page, right off the hop, and we'll provide you with a custom quote once we've got a plan in...

If you spend much time on the Internet, you probably know that there are a lot of websites that look really cool but load at a glacial pace and just don't function well, and other sites that aren't aesthetically pleasing but perform like it's nobody's business. At Saltmedia, we believe the best sites are not only visually beautiful, but super robust and designed to provide a great user experience. To build these all encompassing websites, we take an approach that's equal parts creativity and strategy - something which comes naturally to the founders of Saltmedia, two people who have always lived and breathed technology and design. Creativity & Aesthetically Pleasing Design Websites that aren't aesthetically pleasing fail to impress, and when you own a business, you've only got one chance to convince site visitors that they should become your customers. Our team is comprised of highly creative graphic and web...

One of the things that sets our Grande Prairie web design company apart is that we're willing to take the time to teach our customers how to make updates to content and images, once their sites go live. Of course, for those who wish to take a more hands-off approach, we're happy to make updates on their behalf, but if our customers want to be able to add new blog articles and other content to their sites themselves, to update their photo galleries with new images and share information on special offers or products and services, we'll show them how. As your website designers, our job is to not only build you a super slick website that's going to perform exceptionally well, but to teach you how to use that website and update it regularly, if this is something you wish to do. In fact, we ask all of our...

You'd have to have been living under a rock for the last several years if you've never heard the term 'social media' or ventured onto the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Instagram yourself. People of all ages, everywhere are tweeting, liking, pinning and sharing content on social media platforms, around the clock and throughout the week. Social media has taken the world by storm, broken down barriers that once existed for technology, and is now a part of virtually every aspect of some people's everyday lives. Despite the fact that some people are now receiving their minister's sermons in bite-sized tweets or ordering dinner at their favourite restaurants via Facebook, many small business owners still aren't putting the power of social media marketing to work for their brands. If you're looking for new, cost-effective ways to drive quality leads and sales to your business, social media marketing is...

In today's world, where everyone from tweens to senior citizens use smartphones and other mobile devices to surf the web, it's vital for business owners to market their products and services effectively. This means that in addition to a mobile website design, businesses will benefit from adding mobile marketing to an online strategy that's tailored for bringing more leads and sales. Mobile Marketing at a Glance So what is mobile marketing and why should you care? Mobile marketing consists of placing ads on mobile devices. There are several mobile marketing platforms to choose from, each offering their own unique styles of advertising. Some of the channels include app-based marketing, ads that appear in games or text messages, and QR codes that users scan to be directed to a specific website. Google AdWords has also jumped on the mobile bandwagon, and offers mobile marketing options, as well. Adding Mobile Marketing to...

Business owners are often under the impression that the customers they need will magically find and flock to their website without having to do any form of digital marketing. If only it were that easy! Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of several forms of digital marketing that businesses can use to drive targeted traffic to their websites. SEO includes various tactics designed to bring 'organic' or 'natural' traffic to a website, versus SEM, where you pay a fee each time someone clicks one of your ads. But how do you attract the attention of the web surfers who are looking for the types of goods and services you sell? The goal is to move your website up the search engine rankings for major search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. When your business appears on the first page of the search results for carefully selected keyword terms, you're in...