Typically, Google releases their updates as a sort of sneak attack – it’s very rare that they give any warning to webmasters and site owners. This is because historically Google updates are designed to improve Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
It’s 2015 and the New Year is a great time to make some resolutions about your website, arguably your most effective marketing tool. You’ve been thinking a blog for a while now, but is it really worth the effort? The answer to that is a resounding yes!
Thinking it would be great to get more customers from your website in 2015, or that you haven’t been making the most of Internet marketing opportunities? You certainly aren’t alone – this is the time of year when we receive a particularly high volume of calls from business owners, managers, and executives who are looking forward to bigger things. In the course of our initial consultations, there is usually a handful of common recommendations we are able to make and get started with. Here are six things you can do to turbocharge your website and turn it into a marketing machine in 2015 and beyond: 1. Give your website a […]
In our previous series, Blogging 101, we talked extensively about many of the best practices associated with writing a blog. But what about the hierarchy of how your blog is set up? In other words, is it set up as a subpage or a subdomain of your website? If you’re not a web designer or copywriter, you’re probably scratching your head wondering what the difference is between the two. Have no fear! Tingalls Graphic Design is going to define each of them, as well as let you know which one is the better choice when you have a blog associated with a website. Your Blog as a Subdomain In a […]
Does your business outsource? Depending on the size of your company, you may outsource lots work to or you might currently have no partners you outsource to. Either way, we’ve got a question for you: what is your perceived value of outsourcing? Outsourcing can have an immense impact on the quality of your products or services, as well as the overall success of your company. When you alleviate difficult, time-consuming tasks that you might not be the best at (I have an immense shortcoming with accounting myself), you free up time to build your business. Being able to spend more time on improving sales, products or services means your company […]
Have you ever seen anyone using a metal detector on the beach? When they get close to a metal object, the device starts making noise because it can actually sense the metal. Search engines like Google and Bing function in a similar manner, but instead of looking for treasure, they’re searching for keywords. Two of the main areas search engines look for keywords are in your website’s title tags and “H1” headlines. If these areas are populated correctly, search engines have a better chance of detecting you, which can lead to higher page ranking on search results and increased traffic to your website. At Tingalls Graphic Design, part of our […]
Do you use Google Places? Many local and regional companies can greatly benefit from a solid Google Places account. But they either don’t know about it or haven’t been using it to its fullest potential. Let’s be honest, adding another thing to your to do list may not sound like any fun, but if you’re a company that’s looking to gain more local business, you’ll want to take the time to build your account well. Setting up a Google Places account from scratch will take you somewhere between 1-2 hours. Here’s how to do it … First, if you don’t have one already, set up a free Google account. This […]
Whether you have a website you’re looking to revamp, or are in the process of creating a new one, there are some best practices you’ll want to be aware of to make sure your website design is the best it can be. Not All Code is Created Equal Coding, or the language on which your website is built, is an important component of website design. If your code is built well, it will make for a better user experience because pages will function optimally and load faster. How your site is coded also affects your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which is critical to gaining more traffic on your site. Content […]
Are you using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your blog? Whether you know it or not, you definitely are. The real question is, are you using SEO effectively? Many of the topics we’ve already covered in this series contribute to successful SEO on your blog. If you’ve missed any of the Blogging 101 installments, you can find links to all of them below. Let’s take a look at one more element that needs to be discussed: the use of keyword phrases. But first let’s take a step back and answer the question … What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization is a multi-step process designed to help increase traffic to your […]
In this installment of our Blogging 101 series we’ll be discussing content — which are the words we use in each of our blog posts. We’ve already talked about content length and quality, and now it’s time to take a look at original content vs. duplicate content. Original Content So, this one’s pretty straightforward. Original content is exactly what it sounds like: made from scratch, unique, one of a kind. It’s content that you’ve written yourself, even if that means you’ve drawn from other material (which you can site in your blog post) for the information. Google likes this type of content, and so do readers. Duplicate Content Remember when […]
In the fifth installment of our Blogging 101 series, we’re gong to cover optimal blog post frequency and length. These are two more pieces of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) pie that need to be understood so they can be used effectively to reach more readers. Blog Post Frequency So, you’ve decided to start blogging and you’re wondering how many posts you should produce each week. And while one is better than none, and two is twice as good as that, the sweet spot for most businesses is three times per week. Why? Because it provides your blog with a good amount of fresh content each week, without producing too […]
In this installment of our Blogging 101 series, we’re going to talk about tags and categories —specifically what they are, and how to use them in your blog posts. Since tags and categories aren’t part of the actual writing of a blog post, they can easily be overlooked. But if you want to learn how to write a successful blog, you’ll want to make sure you include them in every post. Blog Tags Tags are keywords or keyword phrases that are placed in the tags region on the backend of your blog. Here’s what the input box looks like in WordPress: Tags are for search engines, and they let Google, […]
When most clients come to us for business web design and say they want “a great site,” they are typically thinking about the way they want it to look, not how they want it to act or what they want it to do. Development – the process of adding stability and functionality into your business website – has always been more important than people tend to think. But now, there is even more evidence that ignoring it can cost your company money. That’s because Google, the world’s largest search engine and most important Internet marketing hub, recently confirmed that it takes speed into account when determining search rankings. In other […]
If you’ve ever hired someone to work on Internet marketing or a search engine optimization campaign, you probably already understand how important keywords are to the visibility of your business website. But, do you know how to find the best ones… the terms and phrases that make it easy for new customers to find you online? Although a lot of business owners and executives don’t spend much time thinking about keywords, they can literally make or break your campaigns. When people search for information for companies on the Internet using sites like Google and Bing (or even social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn), the results are compiled and arranged […]
Search engine optimization and Internet marketing have gotten to be big enough, and complex enough, that most businesses wouldn’t even dream of trying to manage things on their own. There are just too many concepts to take in, and details to stay on top of, for the average owner or executive to handle in-house. In most cases, they turn to businesses like ours who can help them increase their rankings on Google and turn search engine traffic into a stream of new customers. But what if the advice or service they are getting isn’t accurate, or up to date? Unfortunately, that situation is more common than you might think – […]
There are a lot of reasons why websites don’t quite live up to your expectations but, by addressing the following issues you can help boost the popularity of your website, the number of visits you get, your leads and future customers/clients. 1) You’re not taking advantage of social media – Social media is the modern version of word of mouth advertising and it’s a very important way to reach new audiences and promote loyalty among your current fans. 2) You don’t have a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) framework built into your site – SEO is constantly changing, but defining your keywords, writing informative and engaging content, and entering your meta […]