Web Designers in the UK - Simple Effective Future Proof SEO for Your Small Projects

December 6, 2008 at 1:14 pm · Filed under Web_Design

I have been designing web sites for years now and I am definitely seeing a turn for the worst when it comes to the small business web site. Having your little web site with maybe 5 or 10 pages is just not cutting the mustard these days simply because the large web sites are overwhelming the search engines with thousands of pages. How can we as small business owners possibly keep up with these large corporate companies with little web sites with so little content.

Well what we have to do is design our own directory and list our own clients as part for the directory, this will in turn make our own web site look more like a viable source of better information simply because it will have more generalised information and not stay specific to our specific category.

I am a professional web designer with many years experience under my belt, I am also highly skilled at SEO. I believe that SEO as it has been in the last 3 to 4 years is now going to be an obsolete force when it comes to rankings. Interested? then you should read on.

If you consider reading your web page from a human perspective does the grammar and the content actually make that much sense or do you have a page stuffed with key words and phrases just to get boosted up the engines like a rat with a rocket up its …. well you get me..

Consider this. The bots that read our sites are trying to read our sites with the eyes of a blind man, in other words they have no eyes they are simply reading the text only and then judging your content accordingly. They do not see any of the content except the text. Also they are trying to read the text like a human who cannot see the fancy images and graphics, in other words they are reading the text only and reading it with the Bot like mind of an excellent english teacher. Criticising your grammar, spelling and also looking to see if your content makes real sense.

I am convinced though reading many articles regarding SEO that in the next 2 years the links you are trying to get and keep hold of will be as much good as a chocolate fire guard simply because your pages will be voted on for their content, not voted on by how many links point at them - this will be a spent force.

For my last around 10 to 15 projects I have given my clients free reign over the content of their web site by giving them a WYSiWYG editor to add text to their pages. All I have added is the page titles, meta tags and then made all pages W3C valid XHTML.

The only place I have linked to them is form my own online directory and of course my portfolio. The reason for this is my own directory of business will be the first point of call for the search engines before they crawl my clients web site. I don’t expect a great ranking for my clients web sites because they are mostly small sites but I do expect a superb ranking for my own listings so people will find my clients via my own directory because the content is so good the search engines cant help but rank them high.

To conclude forget your links campaigns for you small business web sites you are wasting your time. If you are looking for long term success for your clients web sites build your own directory and add your clients to that.

Simple Effective future proof SEO

Barry Mitchell

Business Directory Advertising for only

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How to Select a Good Web DesignerDeveloper

December 5, 2008 at 2:04 pm · Filed under Web_Design

Good web designs are very subjective and even the designs perceived as great by one person will not be viewed as so by another.

Before starting your search the first thing to establish is what budget you have. This determines whether you should be looking at a design agency or a freelance web designer.

So what do you need to look for? Do you look for someone with amazing creative talents, a history of excellent websites or simply rely on recommendations from others. Without doubt a web designer’s portfolio is of utmost importance, you are not going to contact someone if you are not keen on their previous creations. When looking at their sites check they don’t all look the same, check the pages load quickly and above all check they are easy to navigate through and that you never feel lost in the site.

When you approach a designer we suggest you ask the following questions:

1) If a logo is required ask them how they approach the branding process and how can they build on your current branding
2) Ask them how many design concepts they create
3) When coding sites check they validate all pages on the W3C validator? This ensures the pages are free from errors and any respectable coder will automatically ensure this is automatically carried out on all sites. A good test is to look at their recent client list and check those sites using the W3C validator http://validator.w3.org/).
4) You need to decide what audience you are targeting and hence what browsers you want supported. If you want a site that works in all version 4 browsers and above on PC and Mac then it will cost more than a site is developed for Internet Explorer 5 and upwards on the PC. When you have decided what browsers and operating systems you would like supported check the developer has access to all the relevant browsers and platforms you require (i.e. do they have a Macintosh if you require this)
5) If your site requires e-commerce ask the designer if they have experience in this area and get them to show you examples.
6) Do you require a content management system (CMS)? Content Management Systems help you manage the text on your pages without knowing any HTML. Many developers can offer this service so if you require one ask them for recommendations, as a CMS they have worked on before will be a lot more cost effective than using one they have not.
7) If you want your designer to market your site on search engines then experience in this area is vital. Many companies offer tools which promise to submit to 1000’s of search engines but most people agree these do not work as well as links submitted by hand. Find out what projects they have marketed on search engines, go to Google and if you have the Google toolbar installed find out the Page Rank of the site (a Page Rank of 4 and upwards is generallt regarded as acceptable, anything less than a 3 could do with further optimisation and site submission). Do bear in mind it takes time to get listed on search engines, and even longer for the Google Page Rank to be updated. (this process can take over three months)
Work out if you require affiliate marketing e.g. banner ads or other forms of online advertising. If you want to go down this route you need to make sure they have experience in this area or use a separate company for this work.

So where do you start the search for a designer? Google searches, Kelly Search (http://www.kellysearch.com) and the UKWDA (http://www.ukwda.org) are all good places to start but even better is finding a site you like the look of and enquiring who developed it.

http://www.netahead.co.uk

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Custom Web Design

December 3, 2008 at 1:08 pm · Filed under Web_Design

Custom websites are among the most important PR instruments used in modern business. Studies show that suppliers, vendors, clients and employees are all more likely to research your company online than through any other medium. Recognizing the value in effective custom web design brings better awareness and professionalism to your organization, using your website and the internet to its full potential.

Your custom website design team needs to create professional, custom websites that impress your visitors, build brand recognition, and sell products and services. Being closely-knit with the design team, in collaboration with you, using a proven strategy to ensure that the final design matches your specific needs and expectations. In addition, the custom web design team should have a grasp of what information your visitors will be coming to your website to view, learn and educate themselves with.

Custom web design is just that, custom to your needs. When looking for a web design firm, they should always be thinking of you and your business. Whether you are selling products online or services to your clientele, your website should reflect that. The internet is a vast and readily used tool, don’t disappoint your visitors, get a custom web site that is designed for you specifically.

The first step to finding the right firm is by discussing your business and its objectives. Once you have a clear vision together of your needs, you need a proposal that includes details about your custom website, marketing plan and pricing. The next step is deciding upon which firm you will choose.

After you sign your contract, the development of your custom website will begin. At this time, it would be a great idea to supply your designers with information for your website (i.e. copy, pictures, products, contact information, etc.). An outline of the pages you would like to include, breaking each section down with what information you would like to have in those sections. The development of your custom website should begin smoothly from here.

Once you are pleased with the final product, your website will officially be launched. Once you are officially “online”, sending out press releases of your new site and its wealth of information is a great idea to bring some traffic to your site.
Custom web design for you and your company is highly important. Just having a templated site that isn’t truly right for your company layout and image is just a waste of time. Websites are an investment, invest wisely in custom web design for better results.

Resources:
http://www.aarcmedia.com
sales@aarcmedia.com

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