Posts tagged Vancouver

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 , , , , .

Web Design for Portland Small Business Owners

By on August 28, 2009

In today’s business environment, small business owners cannot continue with business as usual. Every day we here of another small business going under – or even a not so small business. Even the big dogs are going under. And while there are hopeful signs on the horizon, the forecast is there are a lot of economic storm clouds in the forecast.

Web Design for Portland small business owners is a necessity, not a luxury.

If you don’t have a website for your business, there is no better time than now to contact a Portland web designer and begin the process of having one designed. Or perhaps you already have a website but it is outdated. Now is the time as well to have your website updated with all the latest information.

Keep your website up to date with current information

How long has it been since you have updated your website? If you are facing a slowdown in your Portland business and are afraid of the added expense of upgrading your website, there is good news. If you work with a local Portland web designer, he or she should be able to work with you in helping you decide what the most important updates to your website should be and keep costs down.

Nothing can hurt a business more than when someone drives by the office or store front and sees overgrown grass, dirty windows and trash. However, many Portland Small business websites have their paint pealing off and weeds growing all around.

Your company’s website is by far the most effective and economical marketing tool your business has. So make sure you give your website the time, care and investment it needs.Take time to find the right Portland small business web designer that is hard working and committed to your success on the Internet.

Global Link is a Portland web design & SEO company that can help your business effectively market your goods and services online.

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

Web Design for Portland Home Sellers

By on August 28, 2009

So you live in Portland and have had your house on the market for months, but the market is flat. Your real estate agent has your house posted at his agency’s website, but there’s no way to tell how many people have even found your house and the pics there just don’t do your home the justice it deserves.

Or perhaps you are thinking about selling your home yourself. Either way,  it’s time to give your Portland home an extreme makeover for the web and beat the Portland housing market.  Here are a few quick steps on how to design a website that will effectively market your Portland home on the web and get your website indexed by the big search engines.

First, you will need to have a website designed with the sole purpose of marketing your Portland home effectively online. Even though the Portland housing market is weak, the reality is people are still buying homes. So the key is to make sure your home stand out from the crowded field of homes for sale. The best and least expensive way to do this is to have your own website turbo charged using effective SEO.

Second, register a domain name for your Portland home that can include your address. For example: www.pdxhome-121burch.com, or something like that. if you put part of your address in your domain name, people will be more apt to write it down and refer to it later. Also, make sure your domain name is clearly visible on your home’s for sale sign in your front yard.

Third, you need to locate a Portland web design firm that understands SEO or Search Engine Optimization. This is the practice of creating your website’s layout, content, architecture and graphics so that search engines can index your pages and Portland home buyers can find you on the web.  Resist the temptation to find the cheapest web designer that can throw up a page or two with text and photos of your house. Almost anyone with a computer and simple software can design a website like that. But this will be a waste of time.

Fourth, have a good balance of quality descriptive text and quality photos of your home.  Portland home buyers will want to see the photos on your website, but search engines won’t be able to find your site if there is not well written and descriptive text.

A good Portland web design & SEO company can design a website that will meet all the above SEO standards and others that are beyond the scope of this article. The cost involved should only have to do with the design and hosting of your website and should be quite reasonable and a great value considering the high returns on your investment once your house sells.

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Global Link is a Portland web design and SEO company helping small businesses and individuals succeed on the Internet.

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

E-commerce Web Design Solutions

By on August 26, 2009

Global Link has developed a strong track record developing e-commerce websites for clients in the Portland metro area, Seattle and various other locations. The e-commerce solutions we develop enable businesses to sell their products online effectively with real time credit card processing, secure and encrypted transactions and product databases that are easy to update.

We develop shopping carts and online catalogs that enable your customers to easily purchase your products. All transactions are encrypted, so you and your customers can be confident that all their information is safe and secure.

Our ecommerce solutions are robust and highly secure systems that are easy to navigate and customize for your unique business needs.

Contact us for more information how we can help your business sell effectively online.

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Global Link is an web design firm located in Portland specializing in e-commerce solutions.

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