Who We Are
Higher Media is a web and database development company that specializes in advanced programming and media-rich web projects. We have ten years of experience building cutting-edge web solutions, and we have formed a team of seasoned, talented, and reliable developers. We also understand that coding ability is only part of what is required to be a top tier development firm - we put special emphasis on communication and professional project management to ensure that ideas are understood and deadlines are met.
What We Do
Our specialties include:
Custom Dynamic Web Solutions
The most innovative ideas often don't fit into a mold offered by pre-existing software packages, and a poor software match is certain to cause unnecessary expense and frustration down the road. We enjoy the process of working with clients to create tailored solutions to match the needs of each organization.
Web-based Information Systems
We listen to the real-world needs of your employees and ensure the software truly matches how they do business on a daily basis. A well-conceived web-based information system will help your organization save time and keep information organized and in sync.
e-Commerce & Shopping sites
For many businesses, the web provides a huge opportunity to increase sales and better interact with customers, but a poorly engineered shopping site can be both a headache and a security liability. Higher Media has vast experience in high-security data systems and we can outfit a site with both packaged and customized shopping cart software
CRM Software Integration
Your website is an always-on hub for communication with constituents. It often makes sense to sync your website with the software you use to manage customer information. We can integrate your site with existing Customer Relations Software or get you started with advanced CRM packages including SugarCRM.These tools will help you gather and sort contacts and deploy email newsletters and promotions.
Video Integration
Web-based video is not just a trend, it has fundamentally changed the way people surf and communicate online. For site owners, video offers an opportunity to broadcast a rich message that in text form would likely get skimmed over. Higher Media not only provides professional video production, but we are experts at video encoding and online delivery methods including YouTube and other streaming video solutions.
Advanced Flash Programing
Along with being the best method for delivering video, Flash can be an an excellent tool for making a website more engaging and interactive. We believe that Flash works best when it is seamlessly integrated into the web design and purpose, rather than an obtrusive add-on that draws too much attention to itself.
Javascript & Ajax Technology
Modern web-browsers and programming techniques allow for a new level of user experience without excluding visitors who aren't using the lastest software. Javascript enables animations and dynamic interfaces that draw users into your message. AJAX can exchange data while completely eliminating the wait for extraneous page loads. Higher Media uses cost saving tools including JQuery to efficiently deploy these cutting-edge techniques for the front-end of your website as well as for internal management systems.
Advanced Database Integration
As your website becomes more integrated with the operations of your organization, it must be tightly and thoughtfully connected to your data systems. Unfortunately, most web firms see database development as a secondary skill to web design. But at Higher Media, we have been providing database administration and development services for small and large data systems for as long as we have been in the business. We can handle the most challenging tasks, and we will ensure your data system are well-planned and well-executed.
Open-Source Implementation
Higher Media embraces the open-source community and leverages open-source software to achieve great results quickly. Our preferred platform for web development is PHP / MySQL using a MVC framework (Model View Controller, such as CodeIgnighter or Cake). Other software packages that we use when appropriate include WordPress, Drupal, and Expression Engine. While open-source CMS packages can be a good match in some cases, we have learned that they often give up-front cost benefits only to cause wasted time and expense down the road. Fortunately, many open-source solutions can be tailored to fit customer needs under a well-conceived architecture.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO shouldn't be treated as an afterthought. It should be integrated into the code of every page from the onset. Because each industry has a different landscape of competing websites and keywords, we look at every website individually and ensure that the SEO coding falls in line with a greater strategy. It is also critical to have your website outfitted with proper traffic tracking and analysis tools to ensure you not driving blind. Finding a niche in search engine results is just like establishing your unique market position in your business plan, so Higher Media provides you with the tools to ensure that your web presence and your organization's identity are in perfect alignment.
Web 2.0 & Social Networking
The "Web 2.0" phenomenon of user-generated content and social networking has caused the industry to re-think how to market and network online. Higher Media helps harness the marketing power of the social graph by offering community tools on your website as well as Facebook integration and Facebook application development. We also can outfit pages with Social bookmarking and integration into other web tools such as YouTube.
