Minnesota small businesses revamping websites

Small businesses in Minnesota will be giving their web operations a makeover with the help of an entrepreneurial venture.

Upstream, launched by Chris Jensen and Steve Patten, hopes to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations improve their promotional operations through website design, email and event marketing, social networking and free consultations, the Austin Post-Bulletin writes.

The company was launched in May after Jensen and Patten realized that with their combined technical knowledge and background with multimedia materials, they could produce dynamic content inexpensively. Now, they help customers develop independence for content refreshing and updating.

Looking at area businesses and nonprofits, the duo believed theirs was a market for their skills, Jensen explained. "We can help them become that resource that customers are trying to reach by implementing social ties into current websites,” he told the paper.

The importance of a website’s visual appeal should not be underestimated, HeadlinesDotCom.com writes. Small businesses must pay attention to colors, typography, layout and “power tools” to allow visitors to access information easily and efficiently.