Posts tagged Search Engine Optimization SEO

Web Design Process

By on August 31, 2009

During the web design process, we welcome any input from you. Some people want to have complete control over each step as we design your website, others want very little interaction, and want us to decide.  We are flexible and can work with you in whatever capacity you chose.

Here’s a rough outline of the process:

  • You can fax, email or post to us any content you already have.  Brochures, Flyers, vision statements, advertisements, etc. Or if you are local to the Portland area, we can stop by your office to pick up the material.
  • Send any photos and/or graphics you would like have on your website. If they are digital, you can simply email them to us. Otherwise, if they are printed photos, you can mail them to us and we can scan the photos, then send the them back to you.
  • If you don’t have much information, already, we can work with you in crafting the right content for your pages. We can craft the web page content for you with SEO in mind.
  • We can also create custom web graphics that will be highly optimized and professional. We can create logos if you need them.
  • Determine website structure: We can work on this together to decide on what each web page should contain.
  • View other websites in your industry and get an idea of what you like and don’t like. When you find several websites you really like, you can email us the links to them. If you are using Internet Explorer for your browser, you can go to file at the top left, then click on “send” then on “send page by email” or “link by email”. Or simply cut and paste the address from the browser’s address menu into an email.
  • Decide on what colors you would like for your site. If you already have a color scheme for your business, we can use that. Otherwise we can help you chose what colors are best for the web.
  • As we build the website, we will post drafts of the pages for your review and OK. These will be posted in a sub directory on Global Link’s server.

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Global Link is a web design and SEO company located in Portland. Give us a call or email us if we can answer any questions or be of any help for your web design needs.

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

Web Design for Beaverton & SEO

By on August 31, 2009

Global Link provides Beaverton individuals and businesses with custom and professional web design. Our office is located in downtown Portland, and therefore we are local to the Beaverton area.  We have web design clients throughout the US and are expanding into Europe. However, our main focus in the Portland metro area.

We offer a wide array of web design services from professional and custom web design to SEO and ecommerce. We have teamed up with top designers and developers so you can be assured your web site is designed with the highest standards of excellence. Our graphics designers will make sure your website graphics are optimized and fast, which makes your web pages download quickly.

We have a strong track record in search engine optimization and have helped websites rank highly in very competitive keywords and key phrases.  We thoroughly research your industry to determine the best keywords to use. These are the search terms that people use to find businesses like yours. We then craft your web page text with the best keywords. This way you can grow your business by driving customers to your website.

Global Link also provides ecommerce web design. Whether you are a small Beaverton business selling a few goods or a large corporation, we can develop an online store that will enable you to sell to customers throughout Beaverton and far beyond. Our shopping carts provide you the ability to showcase your products online. And our secure credit card processing system is safe and encrypted with state of the art technology.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your Beaverton business with custom web design.

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Global Link is a Portland web design and & SEO company.

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

Seattle Web Design & SEO

By on August 31, 2009

Global Link provides custom web design and SEO for Seattle.

Seattle businesses, from small to large corporations, must have websites that excel into today’s competitive Internet environment.

Web design continues to evolve in complexity, design and layout and technologies continue to improve. Websites that were cutting edge and state of the art yesterday are outdated today. Further, websites that were created before the days of SEO are hopelessly lost in the ever expanding Internet as more and more business go online with their own websites.

It used to be that websites could be found easily without even considering SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. But all that has changed with only a few search engines and an explosion of websites all competing for new customers and visitors. If businesses are not taking SEO seriously, they are loosing business and continue to fall behind. Global Link has a strong track record in SEO. We work hard in the art and science of crafting websites to rank high in search engine results.

If you want to reach new customers in Seattle, then effective SEO is imperative for the growth of your business.

We also build websites with the highest quality graphic design. We network with designers who are experts in their field and create the custom look and feel that will give your Seattle business website the edge to stand out.

Global Link develops website layouts that are simple to navigate and are also clean and optimized for quick downloads. Pages that are bloated with flashy and unnecessary graphics can slow a web pages download speed considerably, causing visitors to loose patience and click of your website before the web page downloads.

With mobile devices and smart phones expanding, it is also important to make sure your website is accessible to devices beyond computers.  For example: if you have a store in downtown Seattle, you can have a map on your website that is enabled for mobile viewing. This makes your store much easier to find, since customers away from their computers can pull up your map on their I Phone, Blackberry or other smart phone.

Global Link can enable your website to be fully accessible by Seattle’s mobile community.

Contact us today to see how we can help your business website reach more Seattle customers.

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Global Link is a web design and SEO company based in Portland and serves businesses in Seattle and throughout Washington.

This entry is filed under Search Engine Optimization, Web Design and tagged , , . | 1 Comment

Sacramento Web Design

By on August 31, 2009

Global Link originally started in Sacramento. Scott Powell, the company’s owner, lived many years there where he went to high school and college.

Global link offers high quality and professional web design to businesses in the greater Sacramento area and throughout Northern California. If you are a Sacramento business and need a website, give us a call to learn more how we can help you. We also work with businesses who have existing websites and need them redesigned or updated. Technology changes rapidly and it is important to keep your website up to date with fresh content and the latest technology.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is our strength. We can optimize your website so that people can find you in Google, MSN, Yahoo and the newer search engines. The field is SEO can be confusing with many people making false claims to guaranteed placement on the first page. Instead, we employ only ethical SEO practices that are practical and effective. We have skill in getting your website ranked with your industries most effective search engines. We do not use automated software to tell us how to optimize your website. Instead, good SEO is a skill learned over time by hard work and knowing the industry well.

We will research your industry and find out what people are typing in Google and other search engines to find businesses like yours. For starters, we do a thorough keyword analysis of your industry, determine the best keywords and keyphrases, then weave them into your web site text in a natural and non-forced way. The result is that your text is not only highly search engine optimized SEO, but also natural in flow so that your visitors and potential customers will find it readable and informative.

We also have extensive experience designing e-commerce websites complete with online ordering and credit card processing. If you have a business that sells products, we can enable you to sell your products online not only in Sacramento, but also nationally and Internationally as well.

Global Link company dedicated to professional web design for Sacramento businesses. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help your business excel on the Internet.

This entry is filed under Ecommerce Solutions, Search Engine Optimization 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.

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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.

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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 , , .

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 , , , , .

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.

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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 , .

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