Strengths

Inline editor

Personally I like to be able to have a WYSWYG and an HTML option much like Wordpress offers but I can understand why the Eden Platform uses inline. Our clients are more visual so this helps them edit the site and see exactly how it will look. So we feel the inline editor, while not made for the advanced user, is a great strength to the Eden platform.

SEO Features

Business owners are always looking for easy ways to SEO their sites they want to rank higher and achieve more page views. While this feature is basic knowledge and a reminder at best for the experienced web design/developer it is a must have for the clientele Preation is trying to reach with the Eden Platform, small business owners. So for the Search Engine Optimization feature Preation get an A+.

Drag & Drop interface

Raise your hand if you like drag & drop! If you don’t have your hand up you’re not being truthful. Well Preation gets another A+ for their drag & drop interfaces. You can not only drag and drop the navagation and layout of your site but the actual layout of the page as well!

Pricing

Pricing is great and affordable for any business large or small. Not much more to say here!

Training

Personalized training is included with every Eden Platform account which is a must for a small business owner looking to dive right into building and managing their web site.

Weaknesses

While we have highlighted many strengths we have to be fair and note a few things that we see as weaknesses.

Hosted

Eden platform is a hosted solution built on the SaaS model, this can be viewed two ways. Some people see this as an advantage because they don’t have to manage hosting and they never have to upgrade software manually. As a web design/development company not being able to touch and update our software and code is something that can make us cringe. So depending on where you stand you can see this as a strength or weakness but as a web design/development company we view this as a weakness.

URL Structure/Control

The URL’s Eden spits out are rather funky. As you can see below eden uses a plus(+) versus the popular dash(-). Also a content folder is added to the URL, along with a lot of unneeded numbers. Anyone who has spent more then 15 minutes studying Search Optimization will know that the more relevant your URL’s are to your content the better your chances are to rank well in search engines such as Google, Bing,  Yahoo! and more. Preation does let you create custom URL’s similar to Facebook’s vanity URL’s but it will still redirect to an address like the one below.

Well we checked out some CMS’s last year to see which one we wanted to make a “flagship” CMS and we had three finalist. Two are really the most common CMS’s and one probably not many of you have heard of. Since I wasn’t in the typing mood I made a quick video and uploaded it.

Links

Wordpress

ExpressionEngine

Preation – Eden Platform

“In with the new and out with the old” as the saying goes. That’s exactly what we did at MDS Web studios when we created Red Metal Box. A new look, new mission and new goals bring in 2010 as we take what we’ve already been doing great and make it even better.

When we began brainstorming back in mid-2009 about our vision for our company in 2010, we realized that we needed a fresh start to achieve our goals. With a revised strategic plan and updated branding, we decided to hit the ground running in 2010.

At the heart of our “repackaging” are our clients. Our updated services and streamlined development process are designed to help businesses of any size get the most from the marketing dollars. As we head into the New Year, we will continue to build successful websites and brands for our client as well as grow our own business.

Here are just a few of our plans for the 2010:

• Create affordable websites for businesses of all sizes by working within the confines of a client’s budget as well as helping them set long term goals for their website’s growth.
• Expand our application design efforts for both mobile aps and software solutions for businesses.
• Offer branding services that provides cohesion between a client’s web, print and media marketing tools.
• Stay on the cutting edge of SEO by bringing our client’s websites to the forefront of the internet.
• Streamline customer service procedures allowing client’s to receive quick, accurate assistance.

Although we have a new brand and new name, Red Metal Box is still an extension of our original company MDS Web Studios, Inc. Please don’t let the name change confuse you. We are still the same great company we’ve always been.

As we head into the 2010, we are excited about the many opportunities available for both our company and yours. We look forward to a great year!

Online business owners and merchants: now that you have traffic driven to your website and your services are available for all to see, the next obstacle to conquer is to be able to make that sale, over and over again. Attracting customers is relatively easy compared to building a loyal customer base; however, with a little creative marketing and profit flexibility your business can have a repeat consumer clientele by trying these indispensable retention methods.

To start, as a business, you will want to be able to make your product or service as well-known to the largest audience possible; while avoiding out-of-pocket costs. Consider promoting a special on your site offering a certain percentage off of the first purchase (usually 10%) for customers who sign up for your email lists. Additionally, you may wish to include a notation on the email list, when sent, that an additional 5 or 10% off a future order is available when a customer is referred, places an order, and uses their name as the referrer. You can generate a specific code or manually look-up a customer’s order to verify details and send an online coupon code to the intended referrer. This method is an excellent way to retain customers while expanding your customer base by using word-of-mouth marketing.

Another way to retain long-term customers is to offer a loyalty program. Loyalty programs can vary but the premise is after a designated number of orders, or by spending a specified amount of money, a customer is eligible for an incentive, usually in the form of a certain percentage off of the next order, a fixed dollar amount off of the next order (ex. take $5 off of $50 order), or a coupon for the next order to either ship free or have upgraded shipping. Depending on the type and nature of the goods or services sold, all businesses can accommodate loyal customers by offering one of the suggested loyalty rewards.

Above all, remember that the customer is number one. If conducting business in the virtual world, just as with a brick and mortar business, keep in mind that a customer’s first-hand experience can either help or hurt a business. More importantly, in the online world, word-of-mouth can travel faster and reach more people than ever; so be sure to excel at customer satisfaction and your consumer base will be around for a very long time.