CMS Web Design Client Audio Feedback

Another custom cms web design client has recorded an audio testimonial with feedback after the recent launch of their custom website project. Follow this link to the Atlanta recruiter cms web design project overview, and then listen to the audio recording of the customer's comments. A text transcript is posted with the audio, also.

Remarkably, within a month of the launch of this custom cms web design and matching blog, their site achieved Google page one listings for some very generic search phrases related to recruiting services in the Atlanta area. I never guarantee any client page one in search engines, yet following the search engine optimization advice for natural seo quality worked quickly for them.

The secret to search engine optimization is still "add original quality content often". Success begins with a quality web design as the foundation for performing well online. The kind comments from Fidelis Search LLC owner Brian Swaney about the custom cms web design are certainly appreciated.



TAGS: audio cms content management system testimonial website launch web design

Blog and Ping Tutorial Update

The podcast episode in August 2008 with the do-it-yourself desktop blog and ping tutorial presented a potential problem of broadcasting blog updates for owners with multiple blogs. From testing the free software it was apparent at the time that listing multiple blogs would ping all of them even if only one was updated.

Owners with multiple blogs faced the problem of announcing updates to blog tracking services when in fact only one of several blogs were updated. The solution given at the time was to have separate installations and icons on your desktop for each blog. From my experience since then, and facing this very problem, the solution was simpler than I imagined.

Rather than multiple desktop icons I only list one blog in the program and feature just one blog and ping icon on the desktop. When updating one of my 6-7 blogs I do a quick edit using copy and paste as follows. From the top tool bar select "Menu" and then "Your Blogs" from the drop down menu, and then "Edit Blog" for the single blog listed.

Next, change the title and then copy/paste your blog URL into the next 3 boxes being sure to leave the trailing RSS link in the last box. Save, exit, and then ping and you're done. Exit the program and then edit the title and URL with copy/paste the next time you update one of your multiple blogs.

This simple method takes 60 seconds to edit each time you post to one of your blogs, so it is efficient without the extra clutter of multiple software installation icons on your desktop.



TAGS: advice blog blog and ping tutorial update

GoDaddy Makeover and Email Tutorials

With the recent GoDaddy web design makeover for a revised look including new navigation, their email tutorials provide a great tool for customers who favor this very popular domain registrar and hosting service company. Follow this link to the list of GoDaddy email tutorials to learn how to setup email service on your personal computer.

Often my web design clients opt for the free email forwarding included with a new domain or hosting purchase. While you may easily have email for info@(your domain) forward to your free email account at services like Google GMail, Yahoo!, or AOL, there is a downside. For small business owners in particular your image as a professional organization will be enhanced if your return emails are sent directly from an email account that matches your domain name.

Customers emailing you from your website where an info@ or sales@ email link includes the domain name may feel you lack sophistication, or even be unpleasantly surprised, if the return message uses a free email service provider. The GoDaddy email tutorials make enhancing your corportate image easier than ever. The strategy of creating a favorable first impression will be reinforced with a gorgeous web design and matching email to your domain, and then make sure to send return emails from that same address.



TAGS: advice email setup GoDaddy web design

CMS Web Design for Atlanta Recruiter

A custom cms web design launched last week for Atlanta recruiter Fidelis Search, LLC, and includes an integrated matching Blogger custom blog template. Fidelis specializes in assisting Atlanta area corporate clients recruit qualified job seekers for accounting and finance related positions.


The custom recruiting web design includes the ability to easily add unlimited new pages using simple text content and graphics that are converted automatically to xhtml with css to meet W3C standards.

Visit the accountant and financial recruiter website of Fidelis Search, LLC, and check out their new Atlanta Job Blog custom matching blog.



TAGS: cms custom blog web design website launch

Google Search and Poor Spelling

Web design and search engine optimization strategy to misspell keywords to maximize Google search results for poor spelling is unnecessary. Graphics shown below provide evidence for a web design related search phrase that brought a visitor to my website earlier today. Google continues to improve processing of search requests for the most relevant results even if you cannot spell. In addition, Google will cross reference for similar terms to provide results based on synonyms.

The two graphics below display Google search result examples for the phrase "tutorial ebook web design" without quote marks. Each graphic has circled labels numbered 1-4 as follows: 1) underlined search box phrase (incorrect spelling and then correct), 2) position at #1 on Google page one, 3) total number of search results, and 4) the #1 result in Google.

Some SEO consultants would advise adding misspelling of key words to keyword lists anticipating that some people cannot spell. I disagree with using that tactic for search engine optimization. In this first graphic below, the visitor Googled "tutorial ebook web design" with commas between each word, except the word "design" was spelled phonetically as "desain".



In the second graphic shown below the correct spelling returned the same #1 result, and total results were similar except with 20,000 more results when spelled correctly.



The first screenshot graphic was taken after following Google search results while checking visitor statistics for my site. While on that SERP page I then corrected the spelling for "web design" and took the second screenshot. The total results were similar at 351,000 when "web design" was misspelled and 371,000 when "web design" was correctly entered, and each returned the same #1 result.

Next, testing each search without any commas provided identical results. Keyword lists for search engine optimization, or seo, in your web design META code are given very little importance by Google. Yahoo and others may still index keywords hidden in the META tags to determine the theme of your site; however, each key word in your keyword list should appear somewhere in the text that displays to visitors on that page.

Why would anyone intentionally include misspelling in their web design and risk offending their visitors? First impressions are important to keeping people on your site. If they see you cannot spell it could affect your credibility, so some visitors will leave immediately to the next Google result. Trust Google search results for poor spelling to bring traffic without trying to second guess potential visitor typing skills.

Finally, doing grammar and spell check of your web design text content is highly recommended before launching new web pages or blog posts. Poor spelling or grammar will strike a nerve with visitors and intentional errors are unnecessary as search engines become more sophisticated. The secret to success in web design and search engine optimization is summarized in my favorite phrase "add original quality content often". Misspelling violates the word "quality" in that advice for successful web design.



TAGS: advice Google seo search engine optimization spelling web design

Custom Blogger Author Blog Launch

A new custom blogger template launched earlier this week for the publisher and author blog of BlackHawkPress.com. The new integrated blog design color scheme and graphics match the pre-existing web design for a consistent look. Adding a custom integrated blog to any small business website enhances search engine optimization, or seo, and helps attract search engines.

Black Hawk Press is an independent publisher of counterterrorism novels by Ben Furman, publisher and author, as well as another genre with an adventure series of fantasy novels for young adults. Mr. Furman provides an inside look of worldwide intrigue and suspense based on real world experience aimed at adult readers. The childrens series of fantasy adventures offers excitement while providing positive messages for young readers.

The Black Hawk Press blog will feature posts with audio excerpts from their books, insider information about counterterrorism, and professional writing tips by Ben Furman. Follow this link to the custom integrated blog design for Black Hawk Press author Ben Furman to compare the look to their original web design.



TAGS: Blogger blog custom blog launch seo search engine optimization web design

Google PageRank Update Q3 2008

For small business website owners who like tracking site performance, the Google PageRank update for Q3 2008 took place over the weekend. Now forums will fill up with PR topics including replies by site owners wondering why their small business website PageRank remains unchanged, or dropped. Some will go up.

Google did a great job 11 months ago sending sites to oblivion who were involved in buying and selling links. Backlinks from other websites are still like votes when done naturally, and a related site linking to your site adds value. However, PageRank is only one factor of seo, or search engine optimization, in determining the success of your website.

Compare expectations with actual performance, and if you convert traffic and are at least modestly satisfied with site performance, my advice is don't get too hung up on PageRank. Some owners use social networks to boost traffic, yet high traffic is useless without converting visitors into buyers.

A better web design strategy is still my favorite 5-word phrase: "Add original quality content often" as the secret of search engine optimization and to improve the performance of your website design. The words "original" and "quality" within that phrase will get visitor's attention, and then those plus "Add... content often" will attract search engines. PageRank as well as performance is more likely to deteriorate if you build a site and let it sit without updates or new content.

Like anything, begin your web design with a good foundation as in quality code and content, and then continually improve on both as you apply natural seo strategies, and you should be smiling at future Google PageRank updates. An ongoing annual budget for website revisions will be key in staying ahead of your competition, while launch-and-forget-it web design strategy is bound to fail.



TAGS: advice PageRank seo web design web design strategy