New Servers Up & Running

Happy 2015 to everyone! In 2014, we finished our huge project of moving everyone over to our new servers. We are looking forward to a great year and wish all of you the best in 2015.

Be sure to visit our Tech Support page if you have any questions on the new email setup, or give us a call. Thank you.

By the way, if you haven't already, be sure to "Like" us on Facebook. Our Facebook address is facebook.com/WordWebDesign

Email Tips

E-MAIL TIPS

• When sending an e-mail to a single address, most e-mail servers will accept attachments up to 10mb in size.  However, when sending an e-mail to a large group of e-mail addresses, it's best to keep attachments down to 1/2 a mb or less.  If you need help compressing a file (to e-mail), just let us know.
• If you need to transfer large files on a regular basis we recommend using an FTP account. We can set an FTP account up for you, just give us a call for details.
• Proper e-mail etiquette calls for a "signature". Be sure to include your contact information. Most e-mail programs can save a signature and add it automatically to all of your e-mails. Let us know if you need help setting up a signature on your computer.
• Enter a subject on all e-mails. An e-mail with a subject is less likely to get marked as spam, and is easier to organize and find if needed for future reference.

Holiday E-Commerce Traffic Sources

SUPPORT LOCAL HOSPITALIZED KIDS

Looking to make a charitable contribution before the end of the year? Today's the last chance, and what better cause to support than local hospitalized children?

Please join WORD Web Design in supporting The Molly Thompson Memorial Fund. A gift to The Molly Thompson Memorial Fund makes a profound impact on the children at Randall Children's Hospital (Legacy Emanuel).

Learn more at http://www.milesfrommolly.org/Donate.htm

THE IMPACT OF THE "FISCAL CLIFF" ON SMALL BUSINESSES

Will the USA still stand strong after the "fiscal cliff"

Higher taxes, increased health care costs, worsening economy - what are the positives and what is the plan of action for small business? Small Business Trends compiled information from several media sources, regarding the upcoming so-called "fiscal cliff". We picked out four of them to highlight the general impact to small business.

CBS Evening News said an estimated 941,000 small businesses in the U.S. could face tax increases as high as $8,000 more a year. Many business owners, according to this article, say this increased taxation will deprive them of funds they could reinvest in growing their business and providing jobs. This will ultimately result in slower economic growth, unless sales are extraordinarily strong.

The Washington Post reports - Many small business owners worry the new Affordable Care Act will be anything but affordable, and could end up in lost jobs or shortened hours for employees. Employees may end up footing the cost of their entire healthcare insurance.

According to The New York Times - Whether lawmakers avoid going over the "fiscal cliff" or not, small businesses could end up dealing with the following. Loss of some depreciation allowances for capital investments, and some work opportunity tax credits, as well as possible loss of a temporary exclusion of 100% gain on certain small business stock. The enhanced charitable deduction for donating computers to schools and libraries could also go away.

The Weekly Standard published an interesting article - A peculiar side effect of a proposal presently on the table in Washington. The report claims the proposal raises marginal tax rates on small business owners (to 39.6 percent on those making over $250,000), but at the same time decreasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent.

The above findings do not paint a bright picture, so again, what are the positives and what is the plan of action for small businesses?

First positive is tax deductions for start-ups are still available (reportedly they will even be increased).

A new 10% income tax credit will likely be introduced to counteract the cost of hiring.

Increased government spending for proposed infrastructural developments will likely boost some engineering firms, contractors, and material suppliers.

A new program started earlier this year, Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS) assists small businesses in sourcing financing.

Another positive, the current administration's failings could encourage them to come out with new tax cuts next year. It will likely be a political game (to make one party look better than the other), and it is unlikely they will fully compensate for (potential) increases, but it very will could ease the increased tax burden to some degree.

The importance of marketing, and building better relationships with customers, is greater than ever. Consumers still need your product, and sales must grow to compensate for any increased cost of doing business. User friendly up-to-date websites, online forms for patients, and social media are just a few of the ways to connect better with your customers.

Web design and marketing for small businesses and professionals is what we do. We are focused on making your business, clinic, or organization successful. That is our mission and we put it into practice in huge ways for many of our customers throughout 2012. Here are a few comments we heard this year from our customers and business partners:

After we enacted a new marketing campaign in October, for one of our customers, they said:  "November is usually a little slow, but this November was our best ever!"

Another customer: "8 out of 10 calls come directly from our website".

One customer had a slow beginning to the year, but they contacted us to build a new website and work on their online brand management. Since then, sales have increased dramatically. "We attribute all of our increase to the work WORD Web Design did for us".

We are looking forward to the continued success of our business partners in 2013.

ONLY 10% OF FRIENDS SEE YOUR POSTS

Facebook is now charging to promote posts. When you like a "Page" you will only see about 10% of their posts. To continue receiving all of their posts, go to their page, hover your mouse over where it says "LIKED" and click on "Add to Interests Lists". Be sure to add us, so you don't miss any of our posts.

Google & Facebook in the News

Misc. collection of recent news regarding both Facebook and Google:

• German official: Facebook must delete faces
• Google cutting 4000 jobs at Motorola unit
• FTC finalizes privacy settlement with Facebook
• Google to pay record fine for tracking Safari users
• Google to include people's Gmail in search results.