The  following is a series of the most common questions we are asked on a regular bases.  If these to not answer your question(s) please feel free to click here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573.
COMMON QUESTIONS WE GET ABOUT US


WHAT KIND OF MARKETING COMPANY IS CORNERSTONE?

Our goal is to be a long term partner and trusted advisor in helping you accomplish your revenue and company goals.  That begins from day one in understanding every aspect of your industry, your position in it and what sets you apart from your competitors.  

We believe that if all of your competitors are doing it the same way you need to stop and do it completely different.   Fundamentally people buy from people that are like themselves and from someone they trust.  In todays world everyone of your competitors has features and benefits that they try to use to say they are different.  Truthfully prospects and customers don't care about any that since technology is basically the same from one provider to the next.  

What if you could craft the story that has you more concerned about understanding the customers real problems at an emotional level, in order to provide solutions that address them with the products/services you can actually provide verses trying to just get the sell!   The result!  The long term, loyal customers you want.

Cornerstone is known for crafting a companies story that will help you "speak prospect" that connects your company to your prospects and existing customers.  Once done it will draw in targeted,  new customers and will make the competition nervous!

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT KIND OF MARKETING DOES CORNERSTONE SPECIALIZE IN?

While any agency can do everything you tell them to do, few can craft a story that is at the heart of why it is your company does what it is you do!  

We will challenge you to question your long standing "sacred cows" in order for you to challenge the status quo within your company and your industry that will ultimately help your customers do and accomplish more from the products and services you provide.  At the core of this is to begin to think differently and to learn how to effectively speak prospect (the language of your customers). 

Often we become a virtual marketing assistant to an existing CMO or VP of Marketing as a way to reduce cost and bring the depth of an agency at a cost that is often times less than hiring a full time person.  Another option is to hire Cornerstone as your virtual marketing department.  Use us when you need us or as an ongoing partner to grow your business.  We provide a seamless way that your clients would never know that our team is not part of your company.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT BENEFITS WOULD MY COMPANY GET FROM WORKING WITH CORNERSTONE?

That is a great question!  The best way to answer that is by asking your current agency or marketing team(s) the following questions:  

  • Can you provide you real time data that shows a real ROMI (Return On Marketing Investment)?  
  • How do we speak prospect to our various markets so potential and existing customers will know we can solve their problems? 
  • In one sentence can you tell me exactly what it is we do?
  • What is the agenda for our next quarterly review and strategy meeting?
  • What is our company's story?
  • Why should someone do business with us?
  • What separates us from the herd of competitors ?

These are just some of the questions we want to know in order to help you drive your company's growth and long term success.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


CAN YOU PROVIDE ME EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS STORIES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO MINE?

The answer is yes.  We have worked with many companies over the last 25+ years that we can provide you with success stories once we better understand your business and what is you are trying to accomplish.  Each company has its own unique solution so often times we will share examples from several of our past projects to best illustrate the results you can expect from working with our team.  

Prior to engaging with us we will provide you with any references should you need them.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


BRANDING YOUR COMPANY


WHAT IS A BRAND, AND WHY IS IT CRITICAL TO MY COMPANY'S SUCCESS?

Branding is about developing a customized, uniform image for your business—your brand—internally and externally. It attracts attention, tells your story, sets you apart from your competition, and makes it easy for them to buy. Successful brand marketing is a crucial factor in increasing initial and repeat sales.

Branding speeds up your success timeline by integrating many elements of your marketing and advertising at one time. Instead of writing your marketing plan one quarter and designing your logo the next, Spot-On Branding works on them at the same time, as two elements of one big picture: your brand.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHY SHOULD I BRAND MY COMPANY?

If your brand identity isn’t strong and recognizable, there’s a disconnect between you and your audience. You’re sending the wrong message or sending too many confusing messages. You want a brand image for your company that not only creates awareness but also encourages prospects to engage, buy and cultivates their loyalty long term. Branding is a strategic plan to tell your story to the world!

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMPANY LOGO AND BRANDING?

Your logo is just one piece of the puzzle that is your brand. Your logo is important, and it plays a significant role in your brand marketing because it’s the visual representation of your company. But it’s not your brand. Branding ties together all the elements of your marketing and advertising—including, but not limited to, your company logo.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CONSIDER UPDATING OR REFRESHING MY BRAND?

Most big companies freshen up their brand image every 7–10 years, regardless of circumstances, by doing minor alterations. Changing fonts and color combinations or eliminating shapes can keep your company from looking obsolete. If your company has experienced a transformation such as a merger, a new company direction, or a company name change, you need to update your company’s brand identity.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WEB DESIGN


I’M NOT SURE WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR OR WHAT MY COMPANY NEEDS?

No worries! Our team is here to help you develop your online vision. We will talk with candidly about your goals, budget and ambitions. Based on these factors our sales team will put together several options for you to choose from that fit your needs.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


DO I NEED HOSTING?

Yes. In order for your website to be visible online, you will need a hosting account. We offer hosting packages at competitive prices and can help you identify the package that’s right for you.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!

DO YOU OFFER PACKAGES?

Yes. We offer project based solutions (packages). So whether you’re looking for a website, branding, an ecommerce cart with hosting solutions or a full service marketing agency we are truly a one-stop shop and can put together a comprehensive package for your review.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF PURCHASING A CUSTOM WEBSITE OVER A TEMPLATE WEBSITE?

A custom website design enables you complete personalization and uniqueness of your website. Your website will be a one-of-a-kind in every sense of the word. A template website by contrast could have literally hundreds of identical designs. Even more frustrating is that you cannot change the image names or alt tags for search engine optimization. There will also be limitation in terms of design. Typically, templates have a flat background color, and set structure. Our custom website team have no limitations; if you can envision it – we can create it.

Perhaps the best advantage however, is that you own the website. Many template websites force you to pay monthly maintenance/licensing fees meaning you don’t ACTUALLY own the site, you’re simply renting it. Our custom websites are 100% owned by our clients and never duplicated.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


IS THERE A SETUP FEE?

No. There is no setup fee. Our pricing is clear and transparent. To avoid any ambiguity our pricing is typically 50% upon work agreement and then two equal payments when certain milestones are met. We also offer payment plans.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


HOW LONG WILL THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKE?

This can be a very complicated question. A marketing development cycle has many influencing factors including scope of work, timely feedback, type of project, content delivery among others. However, most of our client projects are completed within 30 – 90 days.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT POST-LAUNCH SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

We offer full support and maintenance services for all our clients. If you have further development or enhancement needs we can assist you. We also offer pre-pay maintenance programs so if you need updates our development team can process them expeditiously.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


IN WHAT FORMAT SHOULD I PROVIDE CONTENT AND IMAGERY FOR MY WEBSITE?

Once your project begins you will be given access to our project management system called Basecamp.  All content and imagery should be uploaded there. All textual content can be provided in MS word or similar word processing format. All images can be uploaded as well. If you are sending large files we suggest using a file-sharing service like yousendit.com

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WILL MY WEBSITE DESIGN BE SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY?

All of our designs are developed with the search engines in mind and search engine marketing. If you decide to participate in a search engine marketing campaign in the future – your website will have the framework and structure to support optimization.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHY IS CORNERSTONE THE LOGICAL DECISION FOR WEBSITE DESIGN?

There are literally a website design company on every street corner, and everyone has an uncle, sister's brother, pimply-faced nephew who thinks himself a web development guru. We are the best choice because we offer solutions to give you a competitive advantage over other providers:

  • Our Team – As soon as you sit down with our team you will know you are dealing with a group of true professionals. We are a turnkey and one-stop service provider.
  • Made in America – We only use in-house staff. Cornerstone believes that local business should strive to provide employment for local workers. It is a policy that holds great conviction with our company and has longtime been a cornerstone of our corporate culture.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


DOES MY WEBSITE REQUIRE A DATABASE?

This depends on the scope of your website and the functionality you are looking for. A detailed discussion with one of our result-driven team members can assist you in determining the need for a database solution.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


CAN I MAKE CHANGES TO MY WEBSITE MYSELF?

Absolutely! You will obviously need to understand html editing and basic programming but you are free to make any updates or changes to your website. A word of caution however, any damage to your site through your tinkering will be the sole responsibility of yourself.

A better option may be to include a Content Management System (CMS) in your next website design. You gt the advantage of simply updating your website 24/7. Best yet we have over 35+ videos and an online manual to show how built into the CMS.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


ARE THERE ANY MONTHLY MAINTENANCE FEES?

No. Once we launch your site there are no monthly maintenance fees. The only additional fees you will incur may be your hosting or domain renewals. These fees will be incurred from your domain registrar and hosting provider which may or may not be Cornerstone.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


DO YOU USE FLASH ANIMATION IN YOUR WEBSITE DESIGNS?

No. Since Flash has so many limitations ranging from not being seen by the search engines to not being able to be seen on a variety of tablets, we believe that other applications offer the same visual appeal flash does without the search engine indexing limitation, such as jQuery.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


CAN I SELL PRODUCTS/SERVICES ON MY WEBSITE?

Yes. Our ecommerce solutions provide you with a great way to grow and expand your company's bottomline. From merchant processing, gateway provider and more we can give you a powerful solution.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


IS THERE ANY TRAINING PROVIDED FOR THE SHOPPING CART MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

Yes, during the beta testing phase your project manager will walk you through the administrative area and demonstrate all the functionality available to you including category and product maintenance, product imagery upload and options etc.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHO OWNS THE WEBSITE UPON COMPLETION?

You do! Period! Upon launch of the site we will send you all the files for your website for your records. The website is yours and you can make any alterations, changes or edits to your website.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your sites visibility and rankings for web searches by making the site more search engine friendly and information relevant. Most consumers use search engines to find what they are looking for and as a result search engines have become an indispensable part of online traffic.

Consequently, search engine marketing strategies have become an essential attribute of any online marketing strategy.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHY SEARCH ENGINES?

The majority of all website traffic is sourced from the search engines and directories. Internet users visit search engines on a regular basis (19 billion searches were conducted in North America alone in July 2015, according to Statista and comScore). World-wide, Google itself is serving around 90 billion searches per month and 1.2 trillion searches per year (according to Search Engine land).

Each day, Internet users conduct more than 6 billion searches on Google, MSN, AOL, Baidu, Yandex, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and other major search engines.

  • 91% of Internet users visit search engines.
  • 78% of Internet users use search engines to research products.
  • 84% of heavy Internet users – those accessing the Internet 11 times within seven days – have researched a future purchase on the Internet.
  • Similarly, 84% purchased a product.
  • 80% percent of American Internet users, (about 113 million adults), have searched on one or more of 17 health topics. Search Engine Marketing helps you target your market better.

Through our Search Engine Ranking and Positioning strategies via our Search Engine Optimax, our search engine experts offer several search engine optimization solutions to meet our clients’ needs and expectations.

Our SEO specialists will work with you through the entire search engine optimization process, starting with a long and honest look at your website in its current state. We will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your site and work with you to improve your online presence in the major engines. Our search engine optimization staff will submit, track and analyze your results in order to achieve the ROI you’re looking to attain.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT IS PAGERANK?

PageRank is a 0-10 numeric value that represents how important a page is on the web. PageRank is determined through incoming link volume and PageRank of incoming links. Google assigns higher importance to incoming links with higher PageRank.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT ARE DOORWAY PAGES AND ARE THEY HELPFUL?

Doorway pages are websites or pages created specifically to manipulate the search engine crawlers through linking strategy. For instance, if I build 10 sites and point all of them to my site, theoretically it should help my site rank.

The general consensus among all search engine practitioners is that doorway pages do not help. Firstly, any visitors, because the pages are purely link driven will cause visitors to leave and generally have very little “stickiness” to them. Secondly, doorway pages can actually hurt you in the search engines because of their low PageRank and lack of longevity.

Truthfully, doorway pages are “so 2006″ and should be avoided at all costs. A quick way to determine the legitimacy of an SEO firm is to ask them about doorway pages. Any other response besides a resounding “hell no” disqualifies their SEO acumen.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT ARE META TAGS?

Meta tags are HTML codes inserted into the header of a websites. The two most popular tags are title tags and description tags. Description tags serve as a brief description of the page, and the title tag serve as a title for the page. There are many guidelines into what to use in meta title and tags and meta tags, while not as important as they used to be are still influential in search engine rankings. More importantly, well written title and description tags can also promote higher click through rates.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!

WHAT ARE RECIPROCAL LINKS? ARE THEY REALLY LESS VALUABLE THAN INBOUND LINKS?

Reciprocal links refers to the practice of pointing links to a site that points to yours. Reciprocal linking is a very popular form of linking strategy especially for websites within the same industry. Incoming links are simply when a link points to yours without a reciporcal link to theirs. It is a ONE-WAY link.

Link building is an essential part of any successful SEO campaign. The more links to a page the higher it’s PageRank and the higher propensity it has to rank for any given keyword/keyphrase. Yahoo and BING, especially are very link driven.

Reciprocal links however, are not nearly as effective as one-way incoming links. Not to say reciprocal links are useless, but incoming links generally, because they are one way add more value, especially if you can control the anchor text that links to your page.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)


WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your sites visibility and rankings for web searches by making the site more search engine friendly and information relevant. Most consumers use search engines to find what they are looking for and as a result search engines have become an indispensable part of online traffic.

Consequently, search engine marketing strategies have become an essential attribute of any online marketing strategy.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHY SEARCH ENGINES?

The majority of all website traffic is sourced from the search engines and directories. Internet users visit search engines on a regular basis (19 billion searches were conducted in North America alone in July 2015, according to Statista and comScore). World-wide, Google itself is serving around 90 billion searches per month and 1.2 trillion searches per year (according to Search Engine land).

Each day, Internet users conduct more than 6 billion searches on Google, MSN, AOL, Baidu, Yandex, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and other major search engines.

  • 91% of Internet users visit search engines.
  • 78% of Internet users use search engines to research products.
  • 84% of heavy Internet users – those accessing the Internet 11 times within seven days – have researched a future purchase on the Internet.
  • Similarly, 84% purchased a product.
  • 80% percent of American Internet users, (about 113 million adults), have searched on one or more of 17 health topics. Search Engine Marketing helps you target your market better.

Through our Search Engine Ranking and Positioning strategies via our Search Engine Optimax, our search engine experts offer several search engine optimization solutions to meet our clients’ needs and expectations.

Our SEO specialists will work with you through the entire search engine optimization process, starting with a long and honest look at your website in its current state. We will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your site and work with you to improve your online presence in the major engines. Our search engine optimization staff will submit, track and analyze your results in order to achieve the ROI you’re looking to attain.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT IS PAGERANK?

PageRank is a 0-10 numeric value that represents how important a page is on the web. PageRank is determined through incoming link volume and PageRank of incoming links. Google assigns higher importance to incoming links with higher PageRank.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT ARE DOORWAY PAGES AND ARE THEY HELPFUL?

Doorway pages are websites or pages created specifically to manipulate the search engine crawlers through linking strategy. For instance, if I build 10 sites and point all of them to my site, theoretically it should help my site rank.

The general consensus among all search engine practitioners is that doorway pages do not help. Firstly, any visitors, because the pages are purely link driven will cause visitors to leave and generally have very little “stickiness” to them. Secondly, doorway pages can actually hurt you in the search engines because of their low PageRank and lack of longevity.

Truthfully, doorway pages are “so 2006″ and should be avoided at all costs. A quick way to determine the legitimacy of an SEO firm is to ask them about doorway pages. Any other response besides a resounding “hell no” disqualifies their SEO acumen.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


WHAT ARE META TAGS?

Meta tags are HTML codes inserted into the header of a websites. The two most popular tags are title tags and description tags. Description tags serve as a brief description of the page, and the title tag serve as a title for the page. There are many guidelines into what to use in meta title and tags and meta tags, while not as important as they used to be are still influential in search engine rankings. More importantly, well written title and description tags can also promote higher click through rates.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!

WHAT ARE RECIPROCAL LINKS? ARE THEY REALLY LESS VALUABLE THAN INBOUND LINKS?

Reciprocal links refers to the practice of pointing links to a site that points to yours. Reciprocal linking is a very popular form of linking strategy especially for websites within the same industry. Incoming links are simply when a link points to yours without a reciporcal link to theirs. It is a ONE-WAY link.

Link building is an essential part of any successful SEO campaign. The more links to a page the higher it’s PageRank and the higher propensity it has to rank for any given keyword/keyphrase. Yahoo and BING, especially are very link driven.

Reciprocal links however, are not nearly as effective as one-way incoming links. Not to say reciprocal links are useless, but incoming links generally, because they are one way add more value, especially if you can control the anchor text that links to your page.

Ready to get Started? Click Here to contact us online or call us at 404.425.9573!


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