What Is Your Preferred Door Hardware Color Finish?

 What Is Your Preferred Door Hardware Finish?

What is your preferred door hardware color finish? We have been taking a long look through our invoices over the last 15 years and determined the most popular and preferred color finish selections from our vast list of clients.

The stock photo above is an image of a piece of nickel. We include it here because of the sudden rise in the market price of nickel ore, just in the last 2 days. We suspect there are obvious reasons for this sudden spike, given the political and economic upheavals our world is currently experiencing, but this story made me think about the most common request for color finishes of door hardware, knobs, deadbolts, lever entrance sets. thumbpress entrance locksets, hinges, peepholes, door sweeps, blocker plates, wrap-arounds etc, among some of the products we have sold, serviced and installed over the years.

The common finishes in the market in the USA and other countries around the world are pretty much similar even though some places choose varying preferences, which could be regional among other reasons. 

I'm sure people across the industry and around the world, decorators, interior and exterior designers, locksmiths, builders, retailers etc would enjoy understanding why some color selections are made over others and if you would like to share your preferred color finish choices in the comments below that'd be great.

According to our deep dive into our books, the preferred door hardware color finishes are topped by the Satin Nickel choice.

Antique Brass comes a distant second followed closely by polished brass, with venetian bronze and florentine bronze bringing up the rear. Black is finding more traction in recent years but is still farther down the list of preferences.

We have been representing a few manufacturers over the last 15 years, including Serrature Meroni products, Assa-Abloy Lockwood, Schlage, Kwikset, Weslock, Hooply, to name a few. 

Many contractors and retailers will offer a variety of color options to fit the unique tastes of clients. Simply ask your chosen contractor if your desired door hardware color finish is available.

If you want to know more about door hardware color finishes and styles of door hardware, Contact Us on 314-266-1533 or by email and a customer service person will be glad to help.

The Locksmith Business Is Really A Global Business - Enjoying Globalization

Pictured here are some statistics showing the depth of penetration, our website has experienced globally over the last 8 years.

This chart shows the countries that lead the world in pageviews for our business.

Our business has been going a little under 13 years now but records available through our blog platform can only provide statistics since May 2010. Having started the website in 2007, we naturally have significantly more pageviews than reported in these charts.

Naturally, the United States leads the chart and by quite a significant amount. Obviously viewers in the USA are somewhat interested in what we have to say.
But you can see that many other viewers across the world also appear interested in our opinions and writings with increasing pageviews by many other countries too.

Listed herein are the top 10 countries and number of pageviews since May 2010,

 Here is a chart of the last weeks pageviews, to show that other countries are also showing interest in our articles too,

These are just the pageviews for the top 10 countries listed, as reported by our blog administration and just for the last week to Saturday 6/23/2018.

Writing a blog, I have found is the simplest method for new original content to fuel our exposure to the world wide web.

We have written well over a thousand articles since inception, on many products, services and locations that offer merchandise and expertise to help consumers, businesses, residents, governments, builders, building managers, real estate agents, aged care centers, hospitals and medical clinics, churches, temples, synagogues, universities and colleges to gain quality services and products at competitive costs.

Interesting too, is the amounts and types of differing operating systems that have found their way to our website.

Here is a chart that shows, over the last 8 years Windows operating system is by far the most popular choice for our visitors.

Obviously a Windows user still enjoys the full benefits of the modern day computer user interface, significantly more than other operating systems, but you can see that mobile operating systems are also putting in a good show too.

Interesting to note in the chart, is the prevalence of iPhone over Android. This may be due to significantly more iPhones used in the USA (and our other charts above showing USA as the largest geographic group viewing our pages)

It is quite well known that Android OS is far more widely used and adopted outside the USA, probably because it is more competitively priced than the Apple options.

Our final chart here depicts the usage statistics of pageviewers by browser choice.

You can see the period in the upper left of the image, May 2010-June 2018.

As mentioned above, we have been operating our business since December 2006 and the website since June 2007, so we are actually missing data from the early years (before 2010). We expect that our numbers will be significantly higher than what is shown,

You can see that Chrome enjoys a significant lead in market share, of pageviewers seeing our pages.

The number of browsers is an interesting statistic too. I had not heard of some of them (and I consider myself quite informed).














So, why do I post these images of the charts displaying readership of our site?

I post this details to show potential advertisers and post sponsors the value of your advertising or post sponsoring through our website and blog.

Restaurants require bums on seats and plates of food sold.

Cinemas require tickets sales of films and cartons of popcorn sold.

Locksmiths and hardware manufacturers require eyes and ears on their offerings and a dedicated site that offers almost 7,500 pageviews a month and across the world, can provide you and your offering a wide readership.

Contact us to learn about our sponsored posts and how (for a small fee) you can enjoy additional direct marketing for your product or service too.








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Our Latest Statistics That Show How This Site Is Progressing

Pertinent information to any webmaster that provides vital information to determine how well your site is progressing, is an integral component of any marketing management program for any business.

Our latest statistics are captured above in the image provided and show that this site is maintaining a reasonable amount of web penetration.

• Now, what does this information mean to a business owner?

This information helps a business owner determine the popularity of website posts and provides engagement statistics that enable one to better determine the types and styles of posts that most interest our readers.

The information above is an indication of the number of pageviews our site has achieved for the dates tabled. These are NOT the number of hits to the site. These are the number of pages that viewers peruse and may be from a significantly lower number of individual hits.

• How is this important?

Many webmasters use search engine statistics to determine the value of a site, but many seem to only judge a site's value on the number of individual hits their site(s) receive. That unfair assessment of your sites value often can lead to over saturation of content, in attempt to bolster your numbers.
Engagement and site quality is better measured by the number of pageviews, because this indicates that your landing page may be creating enough interest in the reader for they to mosey around the rest of your site, reading additional articles, moving between pages etc. These actions directly power your sites credibility and authority with search engines and can be a contributing factor in having your site listed higher, naturally, in search engine results.

Without knowing the actual algorithms that search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc use to provide content to searchers, a webmaster needs to design their site based on content and optimisation. For many years the optimisation industry has developed to provide services to website owners aimed at improving their websites search engine penetration. Like others we continue to receive multiple calls, sometimes daily, from companies wishing to sell us "first page ranking on search engines". We have chosen to say NO to all of these companies because we believe the value of our content, provides better engagement to our readers that search optimisation has ever brought us.

We understand that optimisation companies want to/need to make money too and they offer (the lazy website owner) some quality products and services that can help a site progress up the search engine ranks. It's up to you if you want to pay for the white hat techniques to propel your site/s. We choose to simply provide better content. This is reflected in our statistics above.

Google Analytics - Website Analytics That Work For You

Like many websites, we also use and swear by Google Analytics to measure our penetration across the web.
In the last couple of years we have listed the top 10 search results that led visitors to this site.

We recently determined that between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 we enjoyed a whopping 72,866 visits to this site. On average, each visitor clicked through 1.5 pages each and spent an average of 1 minute and 8 seconds on the site.

There were visits from 171 countries and about 6200 different cities (includes separate IP addresses)

In the United States alone, we were seen by 45,039 visitors who spent an average 1 minute 53 seconds on the site.

Many Google Analytics users measure performance  by the % of their bounce rate. While this is not a super-accurate metric, it does tend to indicate how your visitors feel about the information presented on the landing page and whether or not they feel the need to look at other pages on your site.

During the same period above, we measure 77.05% bounce rate. This tells us that visitors to our pages, find the answer to their initial search inquiry 77% of the time on the first landing page. The lower the bounce rate, the greater likelihood that visitors are visiting more than just the landing page.

Any business person requires suitable data to determine the effectiveness of their websites and having Google Analytics in your corner, in my opinion is a given.

Most Searched For Terms That Lead People Here - January 2012

This graph indicates the quantity of search inquiries that lead people to this site during January 2012.

The 10 most popular search terms include:

Kwikset Smart Key Problems

Schlage Securekey Problems

Gloating...I Know....sshhh

Testimonials by neighbors or even others in your town, especially if they are unprompted and genuine, sometimes help another consumer decide to choose that company for service.

Many of the testimonials you might see below are from customers who have used our local services and there are a number from satisfied customers across the world who have also written.

We try to make available different products, previously unavailable elsewhere that are intelligent and suitably priced problem solvers.

You might see some of these testimonials repeated.

Danny was very friendly and knowledgeable, although his apprentice seemed to do most of the work, Danny kept an eye on him to make sure it was done right. He had very reasonable pricing for re-keying.

Greg D (St Louis, MO) October 2011

He was extrememly fabulous and helpful and did a wonderful job. He was very professional.

Shannon M. (Arnold, MO) October 2011

Growing up spending so much of my time in Italy, the uniqueness of the Nova Classico left quite an impression on me. To be able to have and enjoy them in my own home here in the states is a nostalgic indulgence I'm enjoying beyond words. Thank you Danny for coordinating this transaction.

Joseph M (Chicago, IL) September 2011

great job. hired on the spot and he did job right then at great price

Ron B (Arnold, MO) July 2011

I searched the internet and found your services. I received three phone calls within several days. A service call was scheduled. Two gentlemen arrived promptly, analyzed the problem and fixed it.

James & Florenc M Saint Louis, MO July 2011

The repairman was on time and did an excellent job of fixing a very stubborn door lock. He was persistent and cleaned up the work area afterwards. I would use this service again.

Brenda F (Saint Peters, MO) June 2011

Danny at Master Key Systems has succeeded in making the purchasing of our Meroni door locks, from Italy, an absolute breeze. Even though I live in Australia with a 16hr time difference and was ordering door knobs from Italy that weren't in stock, the whole process was faultless. Danny was prompt and efficient with all his emails and made sure we had covered every possible variable so that the product I received was exactly as required. I would have no hesitation in recommending Danny for your next purchase.
Patrick Carr (Canberra, Australia)

Your product really helped because I needed to secure a nurse's station adjacent to a waiting room and needed a pocket door. Unfortunately, no real options were available to lock a pocket door effectively that would keep me compliant with HIPAA and secure an area that stores medical supplies. This was vitally important as this particular waiting room was for "waiting detox patients". Thank you very much.

Randall R The Fritz Clinic (Birmingham, Al) March 2011

Danny was very polite and knew what the problem was and how to fix it. He also gave me some information about other issues that could arise with my door and locks. Will hire again if I ever need that type of work done.

Jason M Imperial, MO March 2011

I had an exterior basement door that dragged when opening and closing. The hinges were not fitting properly and the door frame had shifted, probably due to the age of the house.The screwswould not go far enough into the wall without hitting stone...even using a special drill bit. Dan worked a long time drilling and sanding to shore up the door as best as possible. I know it will never be perfect. He could have easily sold me a new door and the same issue would happen. He was honest, thorough, and did an excellent job without charging me a fortune. I'm satisfied with the door now. If you want an honest, experienced man, Then Dan is the man

Roger M Saint Louis, MO March 2011

I purchased the Cowdroy P697 Pocket door lock with key over the internet. I emailed questions before my purchase and was provided with the answers quickly by return email. The purchase was quick and easy and the lock was shipped immediatly. Installation is quick and easy. But you do need to convert millimeters to inches (use the internet) in the installation instructions. And the lock looks great and works great. I will do business with them again. THANK YOU

Ed D (February, 2011)

We were very please. Didn't take that long and was glad to have this task checked off as done. Danny was great! Professional and knew just what to do

Marshall S (Chesterfield, MO) January 2011

Crime Report Creve Coeur MO

Here you see the last 14 days crime report for the Creve Coeur locality in September 2010.

We show here just the Breaking & Entering, residential and commercial Property Crime, Robbery and Theft incidents.

There were a significant number of Alarm incidents too (not pictured) but many were more likely false alarms with unit attendance.

Alarm - 81

Breaking & Entering - 3

Robbery - 0

Theft - 27

(source...)

Search Results for February 2011

Time for the updated search results that led searchers to this site. February 2011 Top Ten search terms across multiple search engines.

Schlage Securekey Problems takes the lead this time but it was a close race with Kwikset Smart Key Problems not so far behind.

These indices might also indicate that more consumers are experiencing problems with Schlage Securekey products than Kwikset Smartket Products, but that is not a given.

Koowy, our article about a small piece of software that we have been involved with as a beta tester has taken third this time.

Pocket Door Locks, continue to be an often sought for term, that also lead people here. Sales are through the roof for the product and no wonder. We are expecting replenishing supplies through in a few months, but there will likely be a price rise due to all worldwide costs having increased significantly.

Meroni, the highly respected European lock manufacturer gets a mention too. We are expecting hard copy samples very soon. One of the last remaining independent lock manufacturers left in Italy, Meroni is well known across the continent for it's quality and consistency.

Search Engine Statistics for January 2011

Here are the top 10 January's search stats that lead people to this website.

Interesting to note how many people seem to be searching for information on the Kwikset Smart Key Problems and the Schlage Securekey Problems.

Our Keyed Pocket Door Lock continues it's amazing run in popularity, too.

While You Are Sleeping - Daring Burglars

Burglars are sometimes a crafty lot. They are indeed becoming more and more bold in their endeavors to outsmart residents.

Too often, many homeowners/residents who live with alarm systems actually leave the alarm switched off while they are at home.

Many may think, that a burglar is less likely to attempt malicious entry if someone is actually home at their chosen time of attendance. This is not so in the case of a Louisville KY resident recently.

Cheryl Effinger recently awoke to a disturbing revelation. Her home had been ransacked while they were sleeping. You see, they failed to arm their system upon going to bed. The bold burglars, broke through a downstairs door and caused damage and the loss of some very valuable home furnishings.

"We had turned it off," said Effinger, "because it would sporadically just go off."

Here in lies one of the problems with alarm systems. Many homeowners/residents are fooled into thinking that an alarm system is designed to protect them. Similarly to video surveillance systems, an alarm system cannot protect. An alarm system can only inform that a particular condition is occurring or has occurred.

You can pay a monitoring company to monitor your alarm system for a hefty monthly sum, but it does no good if it is switched off. In many precincts, the police, who attend to alarm calls for the monitoring centers, will invoice the homeowner for attendance, especially for false alarms. This adds to the real term cost of having an alarm monitoring contract. (something rarely divulged by an alarm system sales person)

Please dont be fooled by the alarm companies, especially when they use the closing sales spiel of 'your insurance premium will reduce by as much as 15%'.

Did you realize that the insurance companies and many alarm system providers are in cohoots? Insurance companies do offer some premium discounts if you have a monitored alarm, but rarely do they offer similar discounts for properly installed protective equipment, like good quality deadbolts, window security film or door frame strengtheners. Probably because they do not have an "arrangement" with protective equipment manufacturers.

Installing some of our products or similar, will greatly increase the physical security of your entries and likely thwart burglary attempts.

Often, locksmiths will provide obligation free security assessments with advice on methods to prevent attempted break ins. Yes, they can and do recommend products they stock and they often will provide expert advice on extra security prevention methods that are inexpensive/free.

For an obligation free assessment, contact your locksmith professional today!

(source...)

Search Engine Statistics for 2010

I have gotten into a habit of posting the annual results of searches online that lead people to this website.

Pictured to the left are the top 10 search terms for 2010 that resulted in 1124 hits to this website.

Total quantity of online searches across the many search engines, that caused people to click on this website = 6295 for 2010.

This site accounted for 17.48 hits per day in 2010 just from search engine inquiries.

The success on any website online, is best measured by the quantity of hits received in search engines.

Companies can tout all sorts of indices purporting to offer some sort of indication of your website's penetration, but the best results are those that directly indicate actual website hits.

Google Analytics is easily the best vehicle for reporting these results.

Other results about this site, for 2010 (from Google Analytics):

Direct Traffic : 1620 visits

Referring Sites : 25,246 visits

The above statistics combined also indicate 41,827 pageviews for this website during 2010.

These statistics help me decide where to place my advertising budget for the next year.

All Time Leading Pages Viewed

Ok folks! Here is what you have asked for. The all time leading pages viewed at this site.

The Home Page

Cowdroy P697 Pocket Door Lock

Biometric Thumblock

Changing Locks

Bilock 1

Bilock 2

Bilock 3

Bilock 4

Keys To Cars

Strikemaster 11

Car Remote Broken

Pocket Door Locks

Why Make Car Keys

Cost To Change Locks 1

Cost To Change Locks 2

Urgent Need For A Locksmith In St Louis

These are the past 4 years results we are looking at. 400,000+ pageviews might yield data that people are searching for. Using these results as a guide to future marketing is proving worthwile. It allows us to get inside of the minds of our prospects, to help us write articles that are of greater interest to searchers.