Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What is this SEO that we keep hearing about?
SEO is the acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It means optimizing your site so that it can be easily found and properly indexed by the search engines.
This means knowing how to design your site and its content so that search engines will rank it high within the search results. There is a definite basis as to which key words you should use in the title and description of your pages and in the content of your site so that the search engines will rank your site higher. You can use one of several on-line tools to help you find high ranking keywords such as the one from Google Adwords, which can be gound at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal, but you are then asked to pay per click for ads on a Google account. A totally free tool can be found at http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/.
You may have also heard the term SEM which is Search Engine Marketing. This is the process of paying search engines so your site appears in the small text ads or sponsored links on a search engine's site based on the words and terms that someone is searching for. For example, you may buy the keywords "designer New York City" so when someone searches for a designer in New York City, your website will appear in the sponsored links section which is often above or beside the other search results.
This means knowing how to design your site and its content so that search engines will rank it high within the search results. There is a definite basis as to which key words you should use in the title and description of your pages and in the content of your site so that the search engines will rank your site higher. You can use one of several on-line tools to help you find high ranking keywords such as the one from Google Adwords, which can be gound at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal, but you are then asked to pay per click for ads on a Google account. A totally free tool can be found at http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/.
You may have also heard the term SEM which is Search Engine Marketing. This is the process of paying search engines so your site appears in the small text ads or sponsored links on a search engine's site based on the words and terms that someone is searching for. For example, you may buy the keywords "designer New York City" so when someone searches for a designer in New York City, your website will appear in the sponsored links section which is often above or beside the other search results.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Internet Directories - How valuable are they?
Many people know that high rankings on Google and other modern search engines can be achieved if a website has both optimized web page content and good inbound links. A relatively easy way to get inbound links is to submit websites to Internet directories. But how valuable are these directories when it comes to search engine rankings?
An internet marketer tested three pages that were created to provide valuable content to search engines.These pages were submitted to some high quality paid directories (Yahoo, BestOfTheWeb, Joe Ant) and free directories. The marketer reported tat about 45 days after the paid directory links went live, the web pages had increased visibility on search engines. Visits and conversions also increased and the tracking of the marketer indicated that at least 50 percent of the results could be attributed to the directory links.
The final results included a lift of traffic to levels that other highly visible site pages receive within 90 days and an increase in monthly conversions for the business line of 45 percent year-over-year
Therefore, getting links from Internet directories should be a fundamental part of any search engine optimization strategy. You should submit your website to all big Internet directories and to Internet directories that cover your niche.
Links from Internet directories are only one way to get links from other sites. If you want to outperform your competitors, you also need links from websites that are related to yours. Links from blogs will also help. Don't forget to optimize your website content before building links. The better your website content has been prepared for search engines, the better the links to your website will work.
An internet marketer tested three pages that were created to provide valuable content to search engines.These pages were submitted to some high quality paid directories (Yahoo, BestOfTheWeb, Joe Ant) and free directories. The marketer reported tat about 45 days after the paid directory links went live, the web pages had increased visibility on search engines. Visits and conversions also increased and the tracking of the marketer indicated that at least 50 percent of the results could be attributed to the directory links.
The final results included a lift of traffic to levels that other highly visible site pages receive within 90 days and an increase in monthly conversions for the business line of 45 percent year-over-year
Therefore, getting links from Internet directories should be a fundamental part of any search engine optimization strategy. You should submit your website to all big Internet directories and to Internet directories that cover your niche.
Links from Internet directories are only one way to get links from other sites. If you want to outperform your competitors, you also need links from websites that are related to yours. Links from blogs will also help. Don't forget to optimize your website content before building links. The better your website content has been prepared for search engines, the better the links to your website will work.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Why does a small business need a website?
Today, most businesses need an online presence as much as they need a phone or mailbox. Clients simply expect you to have one. For some small businesses, a website is the primary selling tool, and for others it is little more than a directory listing with contact information. From simple to complex, websites have become a requirement for doing business.
Most people begin their search for a product online using a search engine like Google, Yahoo, MSN, or Dogpile (which searches several search engines at once). Having a website that is designed to be an effective Internet marketing tool, can be very valuable for small businesses. Without the right web site, people may not be able to find your business.
Should you hire a graphic designer or do it yourself?
Yourself:Pros: You'll save money by doing it yourself, and you'll have complete control over the look and feel of the site. If you have a working knowledge of basic web design there are free tools that will allow you to create a website on your own. Cons: If you don't know much about computers and/or web design it could take a while to learn enough to get your site up and running. Also, you will have to spend even more time dedicated to making any updates and changes in the future.
A Graphic Designer: Pros: You will get a clean well designed web page in a short amount of time if you hire a web designer. Also, the designer can take care of any changes and updates in the future. Plus, it will give you more time to devote to actually running your business.Cons: You may not always have as much control over the outcome of your site, and very busy designers may take a while to get your site completed. Make sure that the designer is available for one-on-one revisions.
Most people begin their search for a product online using a search engine like Google, Yahoo, MSN, or Dogpile (which searches several search engines at once). Having a website that is designed to be an effective Internet marketing tool, can be very valuable for small businesses. Without the right web site, people may not be able to find your business.
Should you hire a graphic designer or do it yourself?
Yourself:Pros: You'll save money by doing it yourself, and you'll have complete control over the look and feel of the site. If you have a working knowledge of basic web design there are free tools that will allow you to create a website on your own. Cons: If you don't know much about computers and/or web design it could take a while to learn enough to get your site up and running. Also, you will have to spend even more time dedicated to making any updates and changes in the future.
A Graphic Designer: Pros: You will get a clean well designed web page in a short amount of time if you hire a web designer. Also, the designer can take care of any changes and updates in the future. Plus, it will give you more time to devote to actually running your business.Cons: You may not always have as much control over the outcome of your site, and very busy designers may take a while to get your site completed. Make sure that the designer is available for one-on-one revisions.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
How to Increase Your Internet Ranking for Free
You can increase your web site's ranking without spending a penny. This can be done by blogging, submitting articles to directories, and creating a company page on Facebook or by posting on Twitter. You may also exchange reciprocal links with many of the free directories that can be found on the Internet.
One article directory that works well when it comes to search engine optimization is http://ezinearticles.com/. Registration is free and the process is very simple. Write about something of interest to your future clients.
You can also create Facebook and Twitter accounts. Registration is free for both these services and Facebook offers you the opportunity to create a company page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. Use these social sites to advertise your business through images, links to your website, and daily posts.
Blogs like the one you are reading can also increase exposure to your website. It’s also completely free. Make sure you include a link to your website in your blog posts and add your blog link to your website and Facebook pages.
The results of using any one of these methods, or even better combining them all, can be more traffic to your site and increased search engine standings for your company without spending a cent.
Sheryl A. Skutelsky http://www.sasgraphicdesign.com/
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Logos - Simple or More Elaborate?
Many clients have approached me about how complicated a logo should be. For instance, they ask if something as simple as the Nike check mark or the Target bulls eye will work for the average small business. I've found that such simple logos only work when the company has the revenue to do mass marketing. A simple logo is only recognizable when everyone has seen it over and over again.
Most small businesses are better off when they use an element that is descriptive of their business. A good example of this might be a cleaning service that has a broom or a duster as part of the logo rather than just lettering or a symbol. The key is to envision a simple item that reminds you of your business.
Most small businesses are better off when they use an element that is descriptive of their business. A good example of this might be a cleaning service that has a broom or a duster as part of the logo rather than just lettering or a symbol. The key is to envision a simple item that reminds you of your business.
Monday, August 10, 2009
What Do All These Graphics File Extensions Mean?
I commonly come across clients that seem so confused about all the commonly used file extensions used in the world of design. I hope this brief description will clear up some of the most common confusion.
Vector Files store images as a series of descriptions of simple shapes. They will split an image into lines, rectangles, circles etc. and will describe the positions and colors of all of these shapes on the page, and then reconstruct the image when the file is opened. There are advantages to using vector files, because you have a description of a scene you can increase its size indefinitely and still have enough information to keep a high quality image. Some programs use a vector format by default. All PowerPoint drawings are in a vector format, as is all Microsoft clip art. Vector images are suitable for putting simple images into documents and presentations, but should not be used in web pages.
Bitmap Images are analogous to taking a photograph. The whole image is split into a grid of tiny squares, called pixels, and the color for each pixel in the whole image is recorded. This format allows extremely complex pictures to be described (such as photos), but can produce extremely large file sizes. Unlike vector files, you cannot enlarge a bitmap file without losing resolution. One last point about these two formats is that it is easy to convert a vector file into a bitmap (that’s what happens when you look at it on your screen!), but rarely possible to convert a bitmap into a vector. Typically, BMP files are uncompressed, hence they are large; the advantage is their simplicity, wide acceptance, and use in Windows programs.
JPEG or Joint Photographic Experts Group files (DOS filename extension is JPG) suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved. The JPEG format also is used as the image compression algorithm in many Adobe PDF files.
Advantages of JPEG images:
• Huge compression ratios mean faster download speeds
• JPEG produces excellent results for most photographs and complex images
• JPEG supports full-color (24-bit, “true color”) images
GIF or Graphics Interchange Format is limited to an 8-bit palette, or 256 colors. This makes the GIF format suitable for storing graphics with relatively few colors such as simple diagrams, shapes, logos and cartoon style images. The GIF format supports animation and is still widely used to provide image animation effects.
Advantages of GIF files:
• GIF is the most widely supported graphics format on the Web
• GIFs of diagrammatic images look better than JPEGs
• GIF supports transparency and interlacing
TIFF or Tagged Image File Format is a flexible format that normally saves 8 bits or 16 bits per color (red, green, blue) for 24-bit and 48-bit totals, respectively, using either the TIFF or the TIF filenames. The TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers. TIFF remains widely accepted as a photograph file standard in the printing business.
PNG or Portable Network Graphics file format was created as the free, open-source successor to the GIF. The PNG file format supports true color (16 million colors) while the GIF supports only 256 colors. The PNG file excels when the image has large, uniformly colored areas. JPG files are smaller than PNG files. Many older browsers currently do not support the PNG file format. However, Internet Explorer 7 and all contemporary web browsers fully support the PNG format.
I hope that this clears it up at least a little bit before you try to save your graphics.
http://www.sasgraphicdesign.com/
Vector Files store images as a series of descriptions of simple shapes. They will split an image into lines, rectangles, circles etc. and will describe the positions and colors of all of these shapes on the page, and then reconstruct the image when the file is opened. There are advantages to using vector files, because you have a description of a scene you can increase its size indefinitely and still have enough information to keep a high quality image. Some programs use a vector format by default. All PowerPoint drawings are in a vector format, as is all Microsoft clip art. Vector images are suitable for putting simple images into documents and presentations, but should not be used in web pages.
Bitmap Images are analogous to taking a photograph. The whole image is split into a grid of tiny squares, called pixels, and the color for each pixel in the whole image is recorded. This format allows extremely complex pictures to be described (such as photos), but can produce extremely large file sizes. Unlike vector files, you cannot enlarge a bitmap file without losing resolution. One last point about these two formats is that it is easy to convert a vector file into a bitmap (that’s what happens when you look at it on your screen!), but rarely possible to convert a bitmap into a vector. Typically, BMP files are uncompressed, hence they are large; the advantage is their simplicity, wide acceptance, and use in Windows programs.
JPEG or Joint Photographic Experts Group files (DOS filename extension is JPG) suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved. The JPEG format also is used as the image compression algorithm in many Adobe PDF files.
Advantages of JPEG images:
• Huge compression ratios mean faster download speeds
• JPEG produces excellent results for most photographs and complex images
• JPEG supports full-color (24-bit, “true color”) images
GIF or Graphics Interchange Format is limited to an 8-bit palette, or 256 colors. This makes the GIF format suitable for storing graphics with relatively few colors such as simple diagrams, shapes, logos and cartoon style images. The GIF format supports animation and is still widely used to provide image animation effects.
Advantages of GIF files:
• GIF is the most widely supported graphics format on the Web
• GIFs of diagrammatic images look better than JPEGs
• GIF supports transparency and interlacing
TIFF or Tagged Image File Format is a flexible format that normally saves 8 bits or 16 bits per color (red, green, blue) for 24-bit and 48-bit totals, respectively, using either the TIFF or the TIF filenames. The TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers. TIFF remains widely accepted as a photograph file standard in the printing business.
PNG or Portable Network Graphics file format was created as the free, open-source successor to the GIF. The PNG file format supports true color (16 million colors) while the GIF supports only 256 colors. The PNG file excels when the image has large, uniformly colored areas. JPG files are smaller than PNG files. Many older browsers currently do not support the PNG file format. However, Internet Explorer 7 and all contemporary web browsers fully support the PNG format.
I hope that this clears it up at least a little bit before you try to save your graphics.
http://www.sasgraphicdesign.com/
Does a Small Business Really Need a Web Site?
Many small business owners have approached me to ask if they already have a successful business, do they really need a web site. In today's struggling economy, the answer is an absolute "yes". For any business to achieve credibility in today's world, consumers expect to be able to go to their favorite search engine, type in the name of the business, and get the low down about that business. Can't find it on the Internet? How good a business could it be?
Even if you don't want to set up a site to specifically sell merchandise, today's consumer wants to be able to "check you out" on the web. A site also give the consumer another way to remember your business and your contact information.
http://www.sasgraphicdesign.com/
Even if you don't want to set up a site to specifically sell merchandise, today's consumer wants to be able to "check you out" on the web. A site also give the consumer another way to remember your business and your contact information.
http://www.sasgraphicdesign.com/
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