Ok, we know it’s not the New Year yet and resolutions don’t really matter unless they’re serious commitments, but we have a New Year’s Resolution challenge for you and your business.
Look at how your business is represented online through your web development and web design strategy and make this simple commitment: I Will Care.
I Will Care enough to put thought into my website and how it represents my business online.
I Will Care that my website doesn’t look or feel like an afterthought.
I Will Care enough to put some of my own thought, time and energy into my website so it truly represents me and my business.
I Will Care to envision my website as an interactive forum with legitimate, current and valuable information people can use because I know this is what will create the “top of mind awareness” that I need.
I Will Care to seek out legitimate SEO and Internet marketing and NOT seek out the magic pills that tell me what I want to hear but ultimately don’t deliver.
I Will Care enough to be patient with my SEO if I’m just starting with it and active with my SEO to be sure it remains Google-friendly.
I Will Care enough to work with my web development and web design team on creative and valid new material to keep my site fresh.
Your site will be as successful as you want it to be…and that requires your input because no one knows your business better than you. Communicate clearly with your development and design team and with your SEO/Internet marketing specialist, as this connection is what results in the best and most powerful websites online:)
The following is the first in a short series of the best Search Engine Optimization techniques for your web presence. These post will be divided into best SEO practices as well as techniques to increase your ranking and avoid getting banned or blacklisted! There are so many SEO techniques currently on the web, almost too many, so we are going to “trim the fat” and give you the skinny on what really matters! *Note: we are not affiliated with SEO301.com nor does any of this information come from them or have anything to do with them.
Search Engine Optimization Best Practices
1. Keywords - It’s quite obvious and the most essential piece of the equation. Ultimately you want to establish a solid set of keywords (3-4) or a keyword phrase. You want to make these keywords or phrase good and sensible so don’t go picking random names or making words up. These keywords need to be relevant to your content as well as relatively short within your content. Try to pick a keyword or phrase that is popular (so people recognize it) but not so popular that your competition is overwhelming. Typically, the shorter the keyword or phrase, the harder it is to rank for it. You may try to establish a longer keyword or phrase however this is not recommended.
Use your SEO keywords or phrase in your domain name. This tip helps as much as a good title tag and is pretty simple to do once you’ve established a solid keyword or phrase. This technique may prove slightly difficult if your keyword or phrase is too short or too popular. You can also include the keywords within the URL of your site by setting up pretty permalinks or effective files names for your pages. (Example: www.keywordphrase.com/more-keywords-phrase) Individual page titles are also an area where you can take advantage of properly using your keywords or phrase.
2. Content - The content of your page needs to be unique, not just clever or well written although that usually helps! Provide an interesting or differing perspective from the typical competition. People are more interested in new ideas and re-thought practices because they have heard or seen so much of the same junk already. In other words be original, don’t be redundant, and bring something to the table.
As noted above, be sure to utilize your keywords or phrase within your page title(s) as well as the headings (h1) of your page. Best practices state that there should be only one “h1″ per page with all other headings receiving either an h2 or h3 if needed. When your site is indexed the spiders specifically seek out “title” and “h1″ tags so be sure to use them! Another useful technique is linking within the pages of your site to other areas of your site. You want your site to be intuitive and easy to follow. Adding links to pages within your site that you may be referencing from your blog or post will aid in the overall usability and navigation of your website.
Adding new content as often as possible is one of the biggest and best things you can do other then what’s already been said. Content is KING! Usually the larger sites with well-written and properly-sourced code and techniques are the ones that will show up first. Sites with consistently updated content will get top priority with spiders because they are always updating and adding useful information. Along with adding new content; the age of the site is just as important. It is possible that you can create a new site and get it ranking within a few months, however this is not typical. Not only do spiders like Google and Yahoo want to see original content but they also want to see it happening over a span of time. Think of adding content to your site as a marathon, not just a sprint around the internet.
3. In Bound Links - In Bound Links are links TO your site FROM other sites. It is always better to have more In Bound Links than Out Bound Links or links that go from YOUR site to ANOTHER site. Proper In Bound Links require a person to use proper keywords in the anchor text (link text) and proper coding in order for the IBL to be relevant. The simplest way to set up a proper In Bound Link is as follows: <a href=”YourURL”>Your Keywords or Phrase</a> –Not only will this link to your site but the anchor text attached to the link will count toward your overall searchability. *Note on Anchor Text: Be sure to use anchor text that flows naturally in speech. It isn’t always the best practice to ONLY use your keywords or phrase as the anchor text. Mix it up!
Receiving In Bound Links from sites with better reputations is always a plus. Typically “.edu” and “.gov” IBLs are the best but are sometimes hard to come by if your particular keyword or phrase doesn’t exist within the realms of education or government. Receiving In Bound Links from sites with similar content to yours is also of great importance. By similar we don’t mean “same”… we mean similar as is related to your industry. Getting In Bound Links from another industry leader may greatly increase your visibility and help your overall reputation. Links from these sites will always trump links from random, unrelated sites.
And finally, to wrap up the Best SEO Practices, here is one that always seems to confuse people. Reciprocal linking, also known as “link sharing” or “link exchange”. Previously this practice was useless… sharing links basically canceled out the relevance of each link. Now however reciprocal links actually DO have SOME value. These links won’t be as valuable as other IBLs but they will hold some value. The reciprocal links must still be relevant and from reliable sources as well in order to count. Reciprocal links outlined in your “Blogroll” are more valuable as they are almost personal recommendations for the individual or business you’re linking to.
Hopefully these simple but powerful tips will lead you in the right direction for properly optimizing your website and content. Stay tuned for the next “SEO 301 Proper Search Techniques” where we’ll be covering the secondary techniques that will help increase the overall power of your web presence!
Many times when someone comes to our site or wants some graphic work done we usually hear, “Make it Web 2.0″. That is usually followed by, “…you know, shiny, rounded corners, stuff like that…” So now that you know what I’m taking about, rather what they’re talking about, we’re gonna go through a little tutorial on how to create these awesome graphics.
For this tutorial we’ll be using a simple lettermark from a chosen font in Adobe Illustrator. Pick a font that has rounded corners. If you can’t find one you can always edit a font of your choosing. You can edit a font by creating outlines and reworking the edges and specific areas you want to smooth or fix.
Step 1: Make 3 copies of your lettermark font. Each one will be used for a specific piece of the logo; background/outline, top-level gradient and bottom-level gradient.
Step 2: Pick a wave type. A wave in this example is the separation of gradients or colors. You can simply use an oval or draw one with the pen tool. Draw your wave or oval over the top half of the lettermark and remove the fill leaving only the outline.
Step 3: “Create Outlines” on your 3 lettermark copies. Clear the fill of one of your lettermarks leaving only the outlines. Overlay the wave making sure that it is above your lettermark. *Note this does not mean on a higher or separate layer in the file.
Step 4: Open the “Pathfinder” pallet (window/pathfinder). Select the outlines of the lettermark and wave together. Select “Intersect Shape Areas” and then “Expand” to clear the bottom half of your lettermark. This will leave you with the outlined top-level gradient piece. As the name implies, the top-level gradient has a gradient! Realistically you do not need a gradient but for this example one will be used… Also because it just looks sweet!
Step 5: Add Gradient (optional). Pick a color combo or gradient you’d like to work with and add it to your lettermark. Remove outlines by selecting no color.
Step 6: Take another of your 3 lettermark copies and add either a compatible gradient or color to the background. Remove the outline on this lettermark as well. This piece is now effectively the bottom-level gradient.
Step 7: Select both edited lettermarks and click on “Horizontally Align Center” as well as “Vertically Align Top” in the Align Pallet. This will center your edited graphics as well as align them to the top ensuring that the top-level and bottom-level gradients stay together and look cohesive. Group your 2 edited lettermarks.
Step 8: Select your final outlined lettermark. Open the “Appearance” Pallet and in the drop-down select “Add New Stroke”. Add 6-9 pixels to the stroke and make the stroke black. Go back to “Appearance” and add another stroke, this time make the stroke white and only half as many pixels.
Step 9: Align the 3rd lettermark with the grouped gradients and distribute them the same way you did with the top and bottom-level gradients. Then send it to the back. This will add the white and black outlines to your gradated top and bottom elements. Adjust the strokes on the background/outline to your liking.
Step 10: (optional) Add any filters or highlight graphics to your lettermark to give it that extra edge and really make it pop!
That’s all there is to it! Rock on with your bad self!
