Just as many other companies and designers are doing, Mad Hatter will no longer hack up our code to make websites compatible with the dinosaur web browser, Internet Explorer 6. We wish we could drop support for IE all together, but we won’t do that to you.

So, don’t expect us to correct problems for IE6. We won’t do it. IE6 must die!

Clients – If your customers report problems accessing your site, please get the browser name and version number from them. It is important that you tell your customers that IE6 is no longer supported and that they should get with the digital times and upgrade to, at the very least, IE 8!

With this in mind, I thought it best to send a list of guidelines for submitting support requests to me. Should your customers report a problem, I will need NO LESS than the following information from you in order to repair the issue:

1. The exact URL of the page the customer is trying to access. Please have them copy and paste it.

2. The name and version number of the web browser your customer is using. Please note: If they are using IE6 or below, you must inform them that support has been dropped and they will need to upgrade their browser to view your site (and the rest of the web) correctly. Mad Hatter will not support technical issues for those viewing your site in IE6.

3. A thorough description of the problem, including any and all error messages.

Without these three items, your support request will not be processed. Please get as much information as possible from your customer. If you would like a “Report a Problem” button placed on your site that will send support requests directly to me, I can provide this service for you. Extra costs will be incurred as I would be handling any incoming emails and gathering the information myself. You are welcome to gather your own information and send it along to me.

Please see this article for more info on the death of IE 6: http://mashable.com/2009/07/16/ie6-must-die/

Muahhhhahhahahaha! The transformation is complete! That’s right – our blog redesign is complete! I’m glad it’s over. It’s harder to design for my own buisness than for my clients. I’m my own worst critic!

Anyway, it was a good way to make a slow summer more productive.

Today’s crazy market means that many online business owners must adapt to change. The public’s taste is changing, and so are budgets. People who could once afford your highest-priced items or services may no longer be able to spend money on them. How do you answer to such a tough call without lowering your prices? Simple. Revamp your website to draw budget-minded people in.

Here’s how to do it:

• Place your lower-priced products directly on the front page. Doing this will draw attention to the “thrifty” products you carry without cheapening your brand.
• Create and implement a marketing campaign featuring your lower-priced items or services. Spend a little money to do this if you need to. Show the public that you aren’t afraid to provide them with something they need and/or want for a price they can afford.
• Increase your “bang for the buck.” Instead of lowering prices, offer additional services or a more features with a product or service you already have. Then feature these new offerings on your product pages. If you’re a service business, develop packages that have true value for your budgeting clients. Blog and Twitter about your new packages, and feature them on your website.
• Offer something for free. How many times have you downloaded a free eBook or business checklist? Find out where your strengths lie and then give it to your potential customers! People love free stuff, and if the free item is good, they’ll come back for more.
• Put your contact information (or contact form) in an easily accessible place. Sounds simple, right? Think about how often you try to find a phone number for a company but have to click through 8 pages to find it. Not fun. Your potential clients will go elsewhere. Help them find you! Bonus if you include your phone number.
• Be focused. If you offer several different products or services, make sure your home page focuses on a theme. The easier it is to find things, the more sales you will make!
• Review your site. Keep this important fact in mind – your site is not built for YOU. It is built for your customers. Have several friends or even your current customers review your website. Then (mostly importantly) act on that feedback!
• Optimize! Make sure your keywords are relevant and working. Utilize Google Analytics to make the most of your SEO. The last thing you want right now is for Google to pass you by. Hire a pro to revamp your content or do some advanced SEO for your site. You won’t be disappointed.
• Be prepared to take a hit. Your sales might be down this year, so recognize that this is okay. Remember it could be far worse. Do what you can to draw customers in, but don’t feel like a failure if you’re not performing as well as you did last year.

Need help getting your site recession-ready? Contact Mad Hatter Design Company for help with graphic design, SEO, and custom blog design.

I’m not one to bring politics into business, but I would like to proudly proclaim that as a business owner, woman, and plain old citizen of the USA, I support Barak Obama for the next President of the United States.

There. I said it. Don’t agree with me? Fine. But don’t slander a good man in the name of lifting up a rich, pompous bastard. And all of you know that’s what McCain is. If he becomes president, it’s likely I won’t be able to express myself like this on my blog, nor will my husband and I be able to afford to support our family.

Barak is in support of small business owners and women. He is more middle-class than McCain will ever be. He IS the minority and he knows what we’ve all been through.

I read a comic strip once that said, “Voting for president is like trying to pick the best mosquito out of the swarm.” Yes, Barak might have his own set of shortcomings, but come on, people! He is the best choice we have. And personally, I think he’ll do a darn good job.

Oh, and this whole “lipstick on a pig” thing is out of control. McCain’s people need to shut the hell up and focus on their own problems – like choosing an inexperienced twit for vice president. Wow. Nice choice, McCain.

Ok, that’s all I really have to say. Mostly I wanted to publicly proclaim my support.