Archive for the Resources Category

How to check your email account from the web

By on October 21, 2009

These instructions are for clients with Global Link Technologies:

There are times when you are away from your local computer and not able to view your email using Outlook or another email client. When this is the case, you can log into your email account from a browser similar to gmail and yahoo mail.

Here’s how to do it:

Open your browser and type in your domain name followed by webmail like so:

www.yourdomain.com/webmail

substitute “yourdomain.com” with your actual domain:

Enter your full email address and your password.

If you are given the choice of different email options choose: “Squirl Mail”.

You can view, compose and respond to emails just like you normally would in outlook.

——

Global Link Technologies is a Portland-Vancouver web design company located in downtown Portland next to the Pearl District.  We specialize in custom website design, search engine optimization SEO, e-commerce website development for small to large businesses.

This entry is filed under Portland Web Design, Resources and tagged , .

The Basics of Understanding Internet Marketing

By on September 9, 2009

What is Internet Marketing?

This is a brief introduction of Internet Marketing. Here we will differentiate between Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization. Actually Internet Marketing covers several different marketing strategies.

1. SEO: Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the process of generating more traffic to your website from search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo by having it ranked well in search engine response pages or SERPS.  When a user types in a keyword or keyphrase into Google’s search box, the search engine will return the most relevant pages. Usually the websites that are closest to the top of the first page get clicked on the most. SEO helps your website rank better in SERPS which in turn causes greater traffic to your website.

2. Pay Per Click PPC is paying for ads, usually in the form of keyword ads on search engines like Google. When a visitor clicks on your add and is taken to your website, you pay for that click. Google does not charge for impressions or when your add shows up on their results pages. You pay only when a user clicks on your link.

3. Banner Ads are graphic designed ads that are posted on a website and generate traffic to your website when a user clicks on them. Banner ads work on a PPC arrangement

4. Email Marketing: Keeping your customers and potential customers informed of your products and services, special sales and discounts is a key function of email marketing. However, with the explosion of SPAM, email marketing does have its challenges. If you send only to people on your list who want to receive your newsletters, you should be fine.

Together, these four areas above make up Internet Marketing. As the web evolves, this list may change and grow.

—-

Global Link is a Portland web design & Internet Marketing company specializing in SEO.  Contact us for more information about our web design services.

This entry is filed under Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing and tagged , , , , , .

How to Market Your Website

By on September 8, 2009

Tips on how to effectively market your website

You can have the most cutting edge and professionally designed website, but if people are not visiting it, then much of the effort and cost in designing it is wasted. If your website is not getting the traffic it should, then it is important to make sure you are working to promote your website.

1.  If you don’t already have a website domain, chose a domain name that is simple and easy for people to remember. If you can, use a keyword in your name. A keyword is word that people use to find web sites in your industry. For example. If you are a real estate agent in Portland, people would most likely type, “Portland real esate agents” in to Google’s search box.  Now, the domain “www.portlandrealestate.com” and similar ones are taken, so you need to carefully research domain name options.

Remember if you can’t weave a keyword into your domain name, that’s OK, too, as long as it is easy to remember. Amazon.com for example, says nothing about selling books or online shopping, but everyone knows the name and it is easy to recall.

2. Make sure your web site domain name is prominently printed on all your business cards, letterhead., brochures etc. Make sure it stands out from the rest of the information. If you have a physical office or store front, have a sign promoting your website. Many companies put their website domain on their vehicles’ windows. Also have your website url at the bottom of your emails along with your other contact information as an address. You can also mention your website address on your voice mail message.

3. Posting discount coupons for your products or services on your website that can be printed out is a great way for people to visit your website and become more familiar with your offerings.

4. Search Engine Optimization: SEO is the process of structuring your website’s content, design and architecture so that it ranks well in search engine page results.  SEO in itself covers a lot of ground, so I’ll just touch over it here. At the very least you need to make sure you understand the search terms people are typing into Google and other search engines in order to find your website and other web sites in your same industry. You can go to Google’s keyword tool to research your industry’s most popular search terms: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

The Google Keyword tool is very effective in discovering not only your industry’s top keywords and keyphrases but also how many searches each one is getting per month.

I recommend not only focusing on the top keywords and keyphrases, but also on niche keyphrases. These are search terms that may not be searched for as much, but will also drive traffic to your website when you optimize your web pages with them.

This is only a very basic look at SEO. In order to learn more, search on our posts using “SEO” in the search box. More content will be added regularly.

—-

Global Link is a web design & SEO firm in Portland. We serve clients both locally and nationally.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , , , .

Why hire a professional web designer

By on August 30, 2009

If you are a Portland small business on a tight budget, you may be wonder whether the costs of hiring a professional web designer are worth it. After all, the Portland economy is struggling and the hard times may not be over for some time yet.

So why go to the added expense of hiring a professional web designer when you can design some basic web pages yourself?

Here’s a list of several reasons why it makes sense to hire a professional web designer:

High quality web sites require professional design.
Anyone these days can slap together some web pages and post them online. Resist the temptation to hire your neighbors’ junior higher who’s taking a web design class. Word processors like Microsoft Word can save pages as HTML web pages. And there is FrontPage as well. But none of these create clean and streamlined HTML code. They can also add proprietary code to your pages that will slow down the loading of your page in a visitor’s browser. THe code it creates is also not optimized for search engine rankings which can make it harder for people to find your website.

A skilled professional web designer understands the latest technologies and knows how to craft a high quality website that will be indexed in all the major search engines. More on SEO next.

Search Engine Optimization
You can have the nicest, most professionally designed website with the highest quality graphics, but if potential customers and buyers cannot find your website when they search for your products and services in a search engine, then your investement will most likely be lost.

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of designing your website’s text, graphics and layout so that you will be indexed in search engines and rank highly in the search results. SEO is a highly competative business. It is also filled with contradictory information, misinformation and a lot of scammers.

This is why it is vital to find a web designer that specializes in SEO. If your web designer sort of tags on SEO as an afterthought to your web design, chances are your site will not be fully SEO compliant.

Professional Graphics design
Depending on the graphic requirements of your website, the graphics may be designed by a trained graphics designer that specializes in graphics optimized for the web. A professional web designer should be knowlegeable with the latest graphics design software, so your website has that professional look.

We have all seen websites that look like they have been designed by the visually impaired or graphically challenged. The colors clash, and the graphics are painful to look at.

But a truly professional and experienced web graphics designer can give your site that clean look and increase that “wow factor”. They will also design the graphics so that they load quickly.

Logical layout for ease of navigation
Web page layout is vital for good web design. Pages should be structured where the most important information is “above the fold” or contained within the computer screen. Less important information can be contained in the scrolling area of the web page. A reasonable word count for pages should be from 500 to 1000 words. No more than 1000 words.

Copy writing for Internet Marketing
Writing for websites is different than writing for print.  Since individual web pages are indexed by search engines, readers can visit your website from any number of entry points, not just your website’s home page. So it is important to make sure the content of each page is as self contained as possible.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , .

No Shortcuts to Good SEO

By on August 30, 2009

Let’s face it. Effective Search Engine Optimization SEO that get’s results takes alot of hard work and common sense approaches. There are no shortcuts.

There are many scam artists promising first page placement for a specific keyword. If you ever come across an SEO specialist claiming this, they are not telling you the truth. No one can promise your website first page placement for you keywords, especially the most competitive ones.

Some so called SEO professionals send out emails, essentially spam, making all kinds of claims how they can promise you first page ranking, but it’s not true. Sadly, these folks find unsuspecting business owners who don’t know enough how to detect fraudulent SEO claims, and the results can be tragic. Bad SEO can no only cause your website to slip in the rankings, but it can cause your website to be banned from the main search engines all together. Google, MSN and Yahoo all have ways of penalizing web sites they determine are using fraudulent or “black hat” seo practices. So be extra careful before you hire an SEO professional to optimize your website.

The reality is good SEO that uses best practices takes patience and a lot of hard work. Finding the right SEO professional is key in optimizing your website. A Good SEO professional should start out working to understand your industry. A major factor in SEO is whether or not you will be writing much of the content yourself or hiring an SEO copywriter to do it.

SEO copywriting is the single most important factor is effective SEO. There are many factors involved in good SEO, but copywriting with SEO in mind is at the center. If you chose to do the updating or creating the content yourself, then you need to understand keyword placement, keyword density and the importance of researching your industries top keywords.

If you decide to outsource all your SEO copywriting, make sure the copywriter has extensive experience in SEO and can give you referrals and show you a proven track record of web sites that have been optimized.

—-

Global Link is a web design & seo company located in Portland, Oregon.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , .

Web Design Tips for Seattle Architects

By on August 29, 2009

If you are a Seattle based architect, it is important that you have a website that clearly showcases your work. Further, your website must be search engine optimization compliant or else no one will be able to find you.

As a seattle based architect, you don’t need a fancy or expensive website. You only need a website that clearly communicates the work you do, highlights your key projects and does it in a logical and professional way.

Here are a few web design tips to help you either with a website that needs to be redesigned, or a new website all together:

Locate a strong Seattle Web Design & SEO company
It’s not enough to find a local Seattle based web designer. You must find a reputable web designer with good referrals and who is knowlegeable in SEO. If not, you may find yourself with a great website that no one can find on the Internet, which would be very tragic indeed.

Craft a Strong Home Page
Your home page should be a summary of your website, your company and your projects. It shouldn’t be too long. Perhaps a nice picture of Seattle or the Pacific Northwest on the front.

Make sure your web page content is well written
It is not enough to have content on your website. It must be well written that has keywords that are the most popular in your industry. As a seattle based architect, you will want to find the most popular and widely searched keywords specific to your industry. You can research keywords for Seattle Based Architects using Google’s keyword search tool. Once you have your industry’s top keywords determined, you can begin crafting your content.

Seattle Architectural Portfolio
Your web designer should develop a page that displays your projects both graphically and texually. Photos of your projects along with details well written displayed alongside. It is vital to have both images and text in a balanced way. Remember that search engines like Google cannot see text in images, so make sure to write content that details your accomplishments. It is the content that will be searched and indexed for keywords, and how your clients will find you.

Develop an About Us Page
This is where you can talk about your firm’s history, our educational background and also a brief personal glimps about your hobbies, interests, family etc. This gives readers a brief snapshot about not only your company, but you as a person without getting too personal. You can talk about why you like being an architect based in Seattle, why you chose the city, etc. This is a good way to connect with other Seattle residents and let them know you are like them.

Give Seattle residents an easy way to contact you and find your office
Have a contact page with your address and a map to your office and also a feedback form.

This list is only a starting point. You and your web designer can develop and customize it according to your needs.

—

Global Link is a Seattle Business web design and SEO company based in Portland. Give us a call if we can help.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Marketing, Web Design and tagged , , .

E-commerce Web Design for Portland Businesses

By on August 28, 2009

If you have a company here in Portland selling products out of one or several stores, your business can experience a powerful growth in business by having a Portland Web Designer develop an e-commerce website for your business.

There are a number of reasons to consider investing in an e-commerce website.

  1. E-commerce websites expand your business beyond Portland to the nation and possibly even internationally, depending on where you want to ship your products. As the economy recovers, we could still find that the local economy here in Portland recovers more slowly than in other places. As a result, cities and states that are experiencing stronger economic recoveries have more expendible income and greater buying power. If these buyers find your website and search your products, you could see tremendous growth in sales not limited to the Portland metro area.
  2. E-commerce websites are open 24/7.  These websites are always open for business, always showcasing your products, always ready to process orders. If you decide to expand internationally, then people won’t be limited to time zone differences.
  3. E-commerce websites provide high value and return on your investment. The initial costs of having your e-commerce website designed by a reputable Portland ecommerce website designer will have high returns. Once the ecommerce website has been developed and you are online, the daily operational costs are only a fraction compared to the revenue that will be generated for online sales.
  4. E-commerce websites are secure. SSL encryption provides powerful protection for online ordering and credit card processing.
  5. E-commerce websites provide convenient shopping and ordering. People don’t have to drive to your store. they can find you online provided your website is search engine optimization SEO compliant. They can shop from the convenience of their own home, coffee house, or wherever they have an internet connection.

Global Link is a Portland based company specializing in ecommerce web design & SEO. Give us a call or use our contact feedback form to find out more how we can help you sell your products effectively online

This entry is filed under Ecommerce Solutions, Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , .

SEO Web Design for Seattle Businesses

By on August 28, 2009

SEO web design, or web site design that is search engine optimization complaint, is a vital necessity in today’s internet marketplace. If your website is not streamlined for SEO, you are loosing customers and that effects your bottom line. In today’s economy, businesses need to use every tool and resource at their disposal to grow their business.

In order for Seattle businesses to grow in todays turbulant marketplace, your website’s investment must be top priority. Too often businesses allow their websites to become outdated with old content, broken links and old technology. If your website has the equivalent of 70′s era yellow deep shag carpet, your business in trouble.

Global Link is a solid web design and SEO firm located in Portland, just down the road from Seattle businesses. We have clients in the Seattle metro area and we want to help more Seattle business succeed online. We cannot overstate how vital a solid Internet Marketing Campaign is and your website should be at the forefront of it. Seattle businesses that are not keeping their website’s updated will be left behind. The reality is, if your competition has a stronger, more up to date website with good content and is SEO compliant, there is a very good chance they will jump ahead of you in grabbing market share.

While the current economic landscape in Seattle is certainly challenging, it is important to remember that there are new customers searching for your products and services everyday online. Seattle is a major economic hub with an incredible number of customers searching online and buying products online. Your website must be fully optimized in order for it to be ranked highly in these Search Engine Results Pages so people can find your business and purchase your products.

Whether you have a website that sells products online, or points people to your business in Seattle, Global Link can make sure your website is effective and helping drive customers and buyers to you.

—-

Global Link is a Seattle Business web design & SEO company located in Portland.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , , , .

Good SEO Web Design Check List

By on August 28, 2009

Whether you are designing a new website or redesigning a current one, it is vital that you make search engine optimization SEO a central focus and goal of your web design project.

There is so much fog out there in the SEO industry and many scam artists are making great promises of first page placement in Google, but they are nothing more than false claims.

In reality, good SEO that get’s results takes hard work. There are no short cuts to good SEO. That said, there are a few basic SEO best practices that are vital and foundational to any solid SEO strategy. Below is the “must have” SEO summary list.

Top to do tips for effective search engine optimization

  1. Write strong content with keywords. Know the words that people are using to search for and find your service or product in Google. You can use Google’s Keyword Tool to help you discover the top searched keywords for your industry.
  2. Make sure your web pages’ title tags are filled with accurate and popular keywords that describe your products and services.
  3. Fill in your website’s keyword and description meta tags. There has been debate whether to use these, but Google does look at them so it cannot hurt to make sure these are being used properly.
  4. Link building. If your content is valuable, people will link to your website.  Incoming links are important votes that tell Google you have a site that people consider valuable and important.
  5. Make sure there is little or no JavaScript in your main navigation menu. JavaScript can make it difficult for Google to find and index the pages of your website. Instead, you can make sure your web designer builds your navigation menus using CSS and no JavaScript at all.
  6. Logical and easy navigation. Make sure your website is structured properly so your pages are easy to navigate.

While this SEO check list is not exhaustive, it does cover the main starting points of a good SEO campaign.

—-

Global Link is a Portland web design and SEO company serving web design clients in Portland and the nation.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , , , , .

Is your website designed for search engine optimization SEO?

By on August 28, 2009

It is vital in today’s marketplace and especially the Internet marketplace that your website meets all SEO standards. If your site was built years ago and not updated recently, then chances are very good that your website is not SEO compliant.

The reason why SEO is a vital necessity these days is that most all the traffic that comes to websites originates from search engines. Google has become a part of our everyday vocabulary and activities. The first place I go when I want to find a store, a definition for a word, etc, I go to Google. It used to be Yahoo, but Google is now the undisputed king of the hill when it comes to online searches.

So if your website is not being found by Google, then customers cannot find you either. there are several reasons why your website may not be optimized. 1) You’ve tried it, but found the field of SEO is daunting and confusing, or didn’t get any results and gave up. 2) Your website has little contect (text) and alot of graphics or Flash. Your website may look terrific, but it is essentially invisible to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.  The reason is Google cannot see any words within images. 3) Your web designer did not understand or implement SEO when your website was designed.

For whatever reason, if your website is not taking advantage of the powerful results of SEO and the potential of increased sales or a growing client base, you and your business are losing out.

Here are a few questions to help you know if your website is optimized. What is in your title bar? That is the blue band at the top your browser. This should have keywords that a customer would use to find your product or service. Also make sure your web page meta tags are filled out properly with keywords and keyphrases. There has been a lot of debate whether Google still uses meta tags. They do and it certainly won’t hurt by making sure your website is utilizing them properly.

Lastly and most important, make sure your website has a lot of well written and accurate content. This is the single most import and factor is good SEO. If your website is week on content, this is a great place to begin.

—-

Global Link is a web design and SEO company located in downtown Portland, Oregon. Contact us today for a free quote.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Marketing, Web Design and tagged , .

Older Entries »