Archive for the Search Engine Optimization Category

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.

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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 , .

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.

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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.

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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 , , , , .

SEO tips for Portland Real Estate Agents

By on August 28, 2009

Being a Portland based Realtor in today’s economy and housing slump means that you cannot afford to put your website on the back burner. Instead, you need to make sure your website meets search engine optimization SEO requirements in order for home buyers and sellers to find you and the homes you are selling in the Portland area.

First, If you don’t have your own dedicated website, get one

It’s not enough for you to have a page on a Portland real estate firm’s website where you are listed with other Portland realtors. Instead, it is vital to have own website focused on your own business and real estate listings in the Portland area.  Portland home shoppers can find out more you via your own website designed with SEO as a main goal. Getting a professional website designed for your Portland real estate business should be affordable. You don’t need anything elaborate, flashy or complicated. Instead a straightforward and professional SEO website where people can find you on the internet should meet your needs.

Keep your website fresh with new content

With the rise of blogging software and dynamic content being updated continuously, a Portland realtor can no longer rely on a static website. A static website is one with content that does not change, or is not dynamic. A professional web design firm in Portland can design a website that will allow you to publish your own content quickly and easily. You can post listings of homes in Portland including descriptions and pictures yourself, without relying on a web designer.

Search engines like Google, MSN, Yahoo and now Bling all rank new and fresh content better than old, stale content. Which means that Portland home shoppers will be more likely to find your website when they search for you on the major search engines.

One of the big deterrents to a Portland home buyer is the lack of pictures a listing has.  So make sure you take plenty of pictures and post them on your website. And remember to write descriptions about the photos since graphics are invisible. Good SEO practices dictate that you give each picture a caption and fill in descriptive text in the photo’s “ALT” tag. This way, Google will be more likely to index your image which will help your website’s search engine rankings.

Write articles sharing advise on buying a home in Portland

This is where you can share your knowledge and expertise about the Portland real estate market. As Portland home buyers and sellers find your information valuable, they will be more likely to contact you directly and hire you as their real estate agent. You can build trust as people see how knowledgeable you are about the Portland real estate market. You can give tips to first time home buyers informing them on the do’s and don’ts to home buying.

Link to helpful articles on other websites

You can also post links to valuable home buying and selling information from other websites.

Building links

As Portland home buyers find your website valuable with great content, other websites will link to yours. These back links will help your website’s SEO rankings.

Consider starting a Portland Real Estate Blog

A quick option to begin publishing content right away is starting a Portland Real Estate blog. You can go to blogger.com or wordpress.com to sign up for your free account and start blogging immediately. These blogs have strong SEO functionality built in so you know your posts will be indexed by search engines quickly, making it more likely that potential clients will find you on the Internet.

A Portland web designer for real esate companies will understand your specific needs and recommend the solutions that are right for you. Global Link is a web design & SEO company in Portland. If we can help you design your website or redesign a current with with SEO, contact us today for more information about our Portland web design services and a free quote.

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

How to Write Great Content for SEO

By on August 27, 2009

It cannot be overstated how important writing helpful content for getting found and ranked well in Google, MSN and Yahoo.

But simply saying that you should write great content is not enough. How do you know if Google will find your content great or not? How will search engines rank your text? And what about keywords, key phrases and keyword density? What about links? and the list goes on.

As you have probably experienced, the field of search engine optimization can get confusing and overwhelming quickly. So as a starting point, I would like to lay out a practical how-to approach to get you started in writing great content that should be foundation of any effective search engine campaign.

First, you should answer the following questions:

1. What is your industry? For the sake of this example, let’s say you have a store that sells outdoor products and accessories. You also have an e-commerce website that sells outdoor products online.

2. What is your website’s target audience? You should be able to define what kinds of visitors are coming to your website and why the are visiting it. In our example here, it would be outdoor shoppers and enthusiasts.

3. What information would your target audience find helpful and valuable? What content would keep them coming back? Make a list here of  topics that your customers and readers would find valuable. It could be reviews on products, weather conditions for certain destinations, reviews about certain destinations, safety and / or travel advisories about certain areas, real life experiences etc. The list could grow as you brainstorm. But remember to stay focused within your industry and don’t wander into unrelated areas.

4. What are you already knowledgeable about? Look at item #3 and list out what things you already know and can write about. Now prioritize these items by determining what you think your customers would find most valuable. You now have your “to do” writing list. You can begin by taking a topic and writing a blog post or a page about it; Keep the page to no less than 250 words and no more than a 1000 max. Next, make a list of the areas from #3 you find interesting but don’t know enough about. You can research each topic and as you learn, write and publish your work.

Notice I haven’t said anything yet about writing for search engines. The reason is you want to write primarily for your target audience and customers. If you have a website that your readers find valuable, then Google’s search will also find your site and reward your hard work by ranking you well in search engine results.

Once you get some pages posted and are feeling more comfortable about writing what is valuable to your readers and customers, the next step is to consider keywords.  While we haven’t focused specifically on keywords in this post, the reality is that Google will find and rank keywords in your text.

Of course, there is a lot more to Search Engine Optimization than what we’ve covered here. However, the important point to remember is that writing to real people should always be the primary focus of any winning search engine optimization strategy.

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Global Link is a search engine optimization and web design firm located in Portland, Oregon.

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

Most Important Factor in Seach Engine Optimization

By on August 27, 2009

When considering an effective search engine optimization strategy for your web site, it can seem overwhelming in knowing where to begin. The SEO industry is awash with contradicting claims and promises of first page placement on Google, Yahoo and MSN.  There are self appointed SEO experts that can create real and lasting damage to your website causing it to drop in search engine rankings or banned altogether.

The good news is there are some common-sense SEO principles that should be central to any search engine optimization strategy – regardless of the size of your company and SEO budget. Without a doubt, the single most importand factor in any effective search engine optimization strategy is writing great content for your target audience. If you have a website with well written content that your visitors find valuable, Google will also find it valuable.

While you certainly should write with SEO in mind, you don’t want to craft your text for search engines primarily. Content written only for search engines sounds choppy, unnatural and will cause readers to bail out of your website quickly. Instead, your first concern should be writing helpful content for real people. As readers find your web site valuable and link to your web pages,  you will find yourself rising in search engine rankings as well.

Of course, there are other key factors in developing an effective search engine optimization stragey, but under-girding them all should be a commitment to writing great content.

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Global Link Technologies is located in Portland and  focuses on effective search engine optimization and professional web site design.

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

Understanding Search Engine Marketing

By on August 26, 2009

Search Engine Marketing SEM covers not only Search Engine Optimization SEO, but also paid inclusion as well like Google Adwords and Yahoo’s Search Submit (formerly Overture).  If you are running a Pay-Per-Click PPC campaign for your website, you don’t necessarily need to have your website optimized for search engines, since you are paying search engines to advertise your ads as sponsored search results. It is possible to have a poorly designed website which generates a lot of traffic from running ads on search engines.

Search Engine Optimization on the other hand focuses on optimizing your website for search engine indexing. It involves a thorough understanding of website design, and how to effectively craft a website’s layout and content that will make it search engine friendly. Search Engine Optimization is a focused discipline in Search Engine Marketing. Good SEO focuses strongly on knowing your industry’s target audience and identifying your industry’s most effective keywords.  Well written content with those keywords crafted into your web page text should be seemless and smooth.

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

Welcome to Global Link – A Professional Web Design Firm

By on August 25, 2009

We are a professional web design company dedicated to developing custom web sites at affordable rates.

Global Link’s office is located in downtown Portland next to the Pearl District where we serve web design clients not only in Portland and Vancouver, but also in many states throughout the nation from Chicago to Hawaii.

We design web sites with a wide range of functionality and technologies including:

  • Custom web design
  • Search Engine Optimization SEO
  • Search Engine Marketing Consultation
  • Website redesign and updates
  • CSS based web site layouts
  • Graphic design for the web
  • Reliable and affordable web hosting
  • E-commerce systems including shopping carts and real time credit card processing
  • Website design for mobile devices such as smart phones
  • Content Management Systems CMS Including Joomla, Drupal and WordPress
  • database driven websites
  • Dynamic driven web applications using php, MySQL blogs and much more.

Our web design fees are realistic and affordable. We operate with integrity in all our business dealings, and you will not receive any surprises or inflated bills. We do not upsell. In short, we treat you the way we want to be treated.

We network with other professionals in the IT industry who excel in their fields, including graphic design, marketing, copy writing for the web and other specializations.

Take a look at our web design portfolio to see the kind of work we do.

Whether you are looking for a Portland web designer or are a company based in another state, contact us today for a free quote or for more information.

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