Posts tagged Web Design

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.

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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 , , , , , .

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 , .

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 , , , .

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 , .

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 , , , , , , .