VGM Forbin: HME WEB STUFF

IntroAs a website development company, VGM Forbin is always working to create websites that are accessible for all online users. We follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure web access to all users including those who require the use of assistance devices. We’ve recently committed to a Web Accessibility partnership with a company known as AudioEye, that conforms to WCAG guidelines and will aid us in holding ourselves accountable for digital accessibility.What is WCAG Compliance?The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), are a set of standards that ensure the internet is a more inclusive and accessible space for everyone. It’s a set of formal guidelines that allows site owners, writers, designers and developers to create accessible web content for website users of all abilities. The guidelines state that digital content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust in order to be accessible to all users.This Episode’s guest is the Partner Program Manager at AudioEye, Shenyse Lujan.What is AudioEye?AudioEye was founded in 2005 by a set of brothers, Sean and Nathan Bradley. Nathan was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease. Because of this they began to start thinking about how Nathan's ability to access the internet is going to change over the next 10 or 15 years. They founded AudioEye with the belief that equal access to digital content was the right of everyone. AudioEye is a fully managed end to end accessibility solution whose mission is focused on eradicating all barriers to digital accessibility.How does AudioEye contribute to the accessibility of websites?Utilizes JavaScript that is embedded in the global footer of the website and gives the ability to manipulate the DOM(Document Object Model) and re-mediate errors of accessibility. Some examples of this are adding alternative text to images to help someone who is blind and uses a screen reader, tab focus for someone with motor skill disability who is utilizing the tab key, the ability to pause a carousel image for someone with a cognitive disability, and much more.WCAG and ADA standards are always changing, how does AudioEye stay up to date with those changes and implement them on websites?WCAG is the primary focus of AudioEye so it is always something that is at the forefront of everything they do. They are constantly changing and updating their standards so that their clients’ website is adhering to the latest changes of the law and is accessible for all users.How does AudioEye compare to other similar services available out there?Some companies are only providing the front-end toolbar and web enhancement tools but don’t provide that back-end maintenance to ensure that the website is accessible. Many digital accessibility companies are only pointing out what should be changed but AudioEye is pointing out the issues and also re-mediating them. AudioEye also tests the websites with different devices that are going to be used by people with disabilities. Sites are tested by someone using a screen reader or other assistance devices to ensure that the changes that are made are being tested by the devices that they are meant for.How do Forbin website customers benefit from the partnership with Audioeye?AudioEye works very closely with developers at Forbin when sites are being developed so that from the beginning a site is following WCAG standards and always improving. Forbin has its own website platforms and AudioEye meets quarterly with Forbin developers for training sessions to ensure that the Forbin development team is up to date with all WCAG standards. This ensures that the development team at Forbin is equipped with the right tools to make the best improvements for web accessibility. Shenyse Lujan:Partner Program ManagerCertified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)slujan@audioeye.comhttps://www.audioeye.com/marketplaceMobile: 520-425-1783  Sean Dever:Web Marketer/SEM Strategistseand@forbin.comhttps://www.forbin.com/  

In today’s digital marketplace, it’s not enough to simply have a website. If you’re looking to drive sales and help your customers, your business’s website needs to be user-friendly on desktop and mobile, and users need to be able to find it easily when searching online. That’s where having a user-friendly website that’s optimized for search engine rankings is going to put you a step above the competition. As a business owner, you’re going to want a website that’s easy to update while looking sleek and meeting HIPAA compliance regulations. We get it. That’s why VGM Forbin designed our own website platform for the healthcare industry called PowerWeb.You often see advertisements for website builders that claim you can get your website up and running in less than a day for very cheap if not free. When your business is relying on something as important as your website it’s important to focus on how it will meet your business goals more than how fast the project is completed. A good website takes time to design and takes several areas of expertise to build a finished product that works effectively for your business. Today we will be discussing what you should look for in a website platform and how that will help you meet your business goals.What functions should every healthcare site have?User friendly and easy to use for people of all ages and abilitiesWCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliance, so that people with disabilities, for example those who use an e-reader, can feel confident and able to access the websiteHIPAA compliance - to be secure and private so medical professionals can communicate with their customers in a safe environmentBe designed and written with healthcare customers and best website practices in mindHow does Powerweb meet those functions? All of our websites are built by experts to be mobile responsive user friendly and able to be accessed from every browser.They are built with WCAG in mind, which means they feature text resizer and the design elements that have the proper font and contrast to ensure the website is readable.We also write alternative text on links and photo to help those with e readers know what they would be clicking on or viewingOur websites are built securely and we have our own custom Content Management System called the VPanel, where our clients can view form submissions (careers, contact, etc.) from their customers in a stable, HIPAA-compliant environment. In contrast to an email, which can be hacked and infiltrated more easily.Our healthcare websites are designed by our team of experts for customers to find the information they need straightforwardly and easily, while also having content that is still warm and not too much jargon or hard to understand.

In this episode we are joined by Web Marketers Joshua Schneiderman, and Bailey Lubben, to discuss the differences between marketing efforts on Facebook and search engine marketing on Google. There are many types of goals that a business may have for their marketing efforts. Goals such as brand awareness, post engagements, direct sales, business leads, etc. Many of our clients wonder whether they should be using Facebook for marketing or if they should be advertising on Google. Both are very different platforms and generally serve different purposes.On Facebook there are some tactics that are free and there are some that will cost money. The important thing with social media is that you stay active and engage with your audience. One of the best ways to engage with your audience for free is to create posts that interest your followers and allows them to communicate with you. This is a great way to maintain customers and keep them coming back to you for their HME needs. These posts can also be boosted by any amount of money that fits your budget. Boosting a post will allow you to more aggressively show up on the timeline of your followers or even users that fall into your targeted demographic that may not know your business. This is a great way to pay to get your brand in front of social media users and create new followers and/or customers. You can also create paid social media ads that also allow you to reach new customers and create more brand awareness, drive site traffic and potentially generate sales. While Facebook is a great platform to get in front of your audience, advertising on the Google search network serves a very different purpose.Advertising on the Google search network is typically much more direct in contributing to the sales and leads for your business. When someone is searching on Google for a solution that your business can provide, you want to make sure that you are serving an advertisement that can help them find you when they need you. Your advertisement will take them to the appropriate page of your website that meets the needs of what they are searching for. Facebook does a good job of getting ads in front of users that meets certain targeting criteria, but on Google, your ads are serving to users specifically when they are asking for the help that your business can provide.When working with the web marketing team at VGM Forbin we will work with you to piece together the right strategies that align with your goals and your budget. If you are interested in Forbin’s web marketing solutions or other services and products, visit our website at https://www.forbin.com/.

Topic 1 Nathan Hauser: UX Designer (0:44)The layout and design of your website can make or break a sale. Imagine walking into a brick and mortar store and not being able to find what aisle you need for a product or being able to find anyone working in the store to assist you. Because of this experience, you may leave and go to a competitor’s store. On the internet, it is even easier to lose a customer to a competitor because instead of getting back in your car and driving somewhere else, you simply leave the website and click on a competitor’s website instead.During this topic, one of Forbin’s senior UX (user experience) designers, Nathan Hauser, explains that a UX designers’ job is to maximize the experience for the customer in a way that is intuitive and pleasurable and makes their experience as seamless as possible. With improving the user experience on your site, you can expect to see an increase in sales and an increase in returning customers because you have made it simple for them to navigate your site and find the solution that you can provide.If you currently have a website and are looking to improve the user experience, you can use an empathy map to improve your site. An empathy map allows you to sum up your learning from engagements with people in the field of design research. Ask your customers what they are looking for in terms of using a website. Ask them about areas they believe could be improved to make their experience simpler. The more you know from your customers about their experience, the better equipped you are to improve the experience for them. Topic 2 Jade Manning: Programmer (13:37)In this topic, one of Forbin’s web programmers, Jade Manning, talks about the importance of web accessibility of your website, specifically WCAG compliance. WCAG stands for web content accessibility guidelines that are established by the W3 association. These are guidelines that you need to follow for your website to be accessible to all. 18% of Americans have some sort of disability, and in many cases, people with disabilities use special devices that allow them to utilize the internet. If your website is not designed to be compatible with those devices, you are losing out on reaching many individuals who could use your products or services.Some areas that are important to consider with WCAG compliance:· Color contrast· Text compatibility for different readers· Links with title text· Ability to adjust screen sizes for easy readability· Alt text on imagesHaving a team that is dedicated to staying up-to-date on best website practices and requirements for user access is important to all business owners, especially medical equipment business owners. If you are interested in Forbin's web solutions and products, visit outr website at https://www.forbin.com/solutions.

When selling products or services online, there are some challenges you will face that you typically will not deal with in a traditional storefront. One of these challenges is E-commerce tax when selling to customers outside of your state.Who Is Avalara And What Do They Do?In this episode we are joined by Laura Moses representing Forbin’s E-commerce partner, Avalara. Avalara provides technology to businesses of all sizes that allows them to automate their sales tax collection and remittance obligations.In the past, states could only tax businesses with a physical presence in their state. Today, economic activity in a state (economic nexus) can trigger a sales tax collection obligation. In June of 2018, South Dakota v. Wayfair ruled against Wayfair and said that they are obligated to register, collect and remit to South Dakota going forward. And since then all but 2 states have established a revenue threshold in which businesses are obligated to pay taxes based on that state’s threshold.Some businesses may want to keep up with the E-commerce obligation manually. For a business to keep up with their own E-commerce sales tax responsibility, the business would have to find the sales tax rate for every ship-to address of every order, and those rates would need to be verified every month because they do change monthly. They would also need to file the sales and use tax return with every jurisdiction that they file in and manually keep track of their sales volumes and invoices in every state, to determine if they are meeting the economic thresholds as their business is growing.Avalara Partnership with Forbin E-Commerce Sites.Forbin E-commerce sites have a pre-built integration with Avalara. This integration automatically updates monthly rates, rules and boundaries based on Avalara’s updates of over 10,000 jurisdictions and this takes all of the manual work out of your tax remittance.Avalara WebinarAvalara will be hosting a webinar  on October 15th at 2 pm EST. to further explain E-commerce tax and answer questions from attendees. Click the link below to sign up for this educational webinar. http://bit.ly/AvlrForbinWebinarIf you are interested in Forbin's web solutions or products, visit our website at https://www.forbin.com