Our Blog
Every week we post something new to our blog – a new employee Q&A, an opinion piece about web design, cool & new things happening in the tech industry, and so much more. We know the web, and we want to share news and helpful tips with you so you can get the most out of your website – even if you don't have a website built by Visionary.
The Voice Assistant Revolution
Published on: Friday, April 13, 2018
There is no denying the growing presence of technology in our lives today. Even if you try to actively avoid it, it seems like more and more, the devices we utilize for our daily tasks involve some sort of voice technology…or will. Voice assistants have become vastly popular and seem to be a household staple these days. I happen to own an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot but...
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How A Children's Book Can Improve Design
Published on: Thursday, March 22, 2018
Recently, I’ve discovered a new phrase I’ve been saying more while planning and designing projects and discussing how features will work. “If you give a mouse a cookie…” Used as a prompt to make sure all options have been considered, it’s the title of a book from my childhood, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, written by Laura Joffe Numeroff. Others may be familiar with a few...
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A Crash Course on Social Media ROI
Published on: Wednesday, March 7, 2018
I once heard that social media is like the fun, unpredictable uncle of the marketing family. While some of that may be true as marketing trends seem to adjust and change daily, there are ways to expect the unexpected and see trends that can help you determine strategies to execute for the best results. People tend to view social media’s return on investment (ROI) like how an unceasing distant aunt at family reunions looks at you for the first...
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#TechTuesday: Big Data
Published on: Tuesday, March 6, 2018
#TechTuesday Background: We are aiming to bring monthly topics to you in four easy-to-digest subcomponents that will occur weekly on Tuesdays. These focus areas are going to be relevant to the technology and software industry that we serve in but they can also frequently span into other marketplaces as well. Overall, we would love to educate, bring awareness to important trends and ideas in the tech world as well as learn from you...
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My Tribute to Visionary: Celebrating 25 Years in Business
Published on: Wednesday, February 28, 2018
As you may all know by now, we are celebrating our 25th anniversary here at Visionary and while we’ve actually been in business for 26 years now, we’re just getting around to toasting to our latest milestone accomplishment! Established in 1992, Visionary has been helping develop and create tools for the World Wide Web before it was truly worldwide. What started as a dream from our President and fearless leader, David...
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Page Speed Matters and Google is at the Forefront
Published on: Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Have you noticed your website loading slower than others lately? Maybe a few large images or pop-up boxes cause a delay? The bad news is you have about 5 months to speed things up or risk seeing your site creep lower in Google’s mobile search rankings, the company announced on its blog in January. The good news is, slow sites can be fixed! Though website speed has been a factor in Google’s ranking algorithm for many...
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Have you heard the news? Facebook is changing the game (again)
Published on: Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Mark Zuckerberg announced early last month that the Facebook algorithm is once again changing. This time, they are aiming to create a more positive and engaging, community-based feel to the social platform by promoting account user’s personal posts instead of spotlighting news stories, viral videos and organic unpaid business ads. Before getting into how this affects everything and everyone, it’s...
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Visionary's newest website creation: Des Moines Performing Arts!
Published on: Friday, January 19, 2018
(Drumroll please...) We took our great partnership with the Des Moines Performing Arts team, put our creative minds together and rolled out an updated website that we're all pretty proud of! Local art supporters know DMPA best for their outstanding shows and performances. The new website has easy-to-use navigation which allows customers to find...
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Get to Know: Production Specialist Paige Sanders
Published on: Friday, January 12, 2018
Start of by telling everyone about yourself: I’m from Des Moines, which is obviously the greatest city in the world. I live in West Des Moines, which is obviously one of the greatest suburbs in the world, with my husband who I’ve somehow tricked into sticking with me since we were 16 years old (arguably the only good decision I made back then!). We have two dogs: Piper and Jaxson and two...
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Get to Know: Production Specialist Emily Schultz
Published on: Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Start off by telling everyone about yourself: I grew up in Marion, Iowa. I went to Drake University for a few years, but left Des Moines to finish my degree in New York City. I loved living in New York – Brooklyn in particular. But when we found out we were expecting our first child, we knew we wanted to be closer to family. So we moved to Chicago. We were...
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Get to Know: Software Developer Kit Kohl
Published on: Thursday, July 6, 2017
Start off by telling everyone about yourself: I grew up in the country in northwest Iowa, taking care of farm animals, gardening, and learning all about agricultural from my dad (an ag engineer). I'm pretty quiet, but I've got a thrill seeking side as well. This year I've gone down-hill skiing in Colorado, free water diving in Panama, sky-diving...
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Get to Know: Project Lead Joe Helmick
Published on: Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Start off by telling everyone about yourself: Grew up in Central Iowa and attended the University of Iowa. I spent the last 4 ½ years in Kansas city and recently moved back to the Des Moines area to work for Visionary and be closer to friends and family. I have a wife and dog and currently live in West Des Moines. What is your professional background? Worked...
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Why You Should Listen to Music at Work
Published on: Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Plato said music gives soul to the universe and flight to the imagination. Bono believed music can change the world because it can change people. My grandma Kay thought any album produced after the 1950s was just a bunch of “noise.” No matter how you think about music, here are a few reasons why music positively affects your productivity at work. Music...
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3 Ways to Make Google Analytics Work for You
Published on: Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Google Analytics can tell you a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of your website. How many people are visiting your site each week, month, or year? How much time are people spending on your site? What pages are people looking at the most? These insights are extremely valuable – even for teeny tiny sites that get just a few visitors every now and then. For most, these...
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We Love Our Clients: TS Sports Management
Published on: Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Meet Thomas Sherzan, Iowa's sports agent. As founder of TS Sports Management, Sherzan has dared to do what few would think possible in a state without any major professional teams--build a full-service sports agency. Read our Q&A with Thomas to learn how he mixes digital and traditional marketing to give potential clients and everyday sports fans a glimpse into the business side of...
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