The latest episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast was released earlier today, and includes the transcript of today's program: Web Design SEO Audio Ebook. The subtitle of the free to download PDF is "Search Engine Optimization Step by Step Guide", and this SEO tutorial provides detailed methods for optimizing keywords in a small business web design. You may download the ebook without obligation because you do not have to register or reveal your email address.

Download the PDF ebook to read as you listen along to the podcast episode as I read the transcript of the program. In addition, the PDF SEO tutorial has bonus information with added search engine optimization tips that are not included in the audio podcast. Here is one excerpt not in the podcast with another definition of the term SEO:

SEO has more than one meaning and stands for "Search Engine Optimizer", also, which means a consultant offering search engine optimization services. The true experts get anywhere from $5000 to $20,000 for optimizing a single website.

In addition, there are unscrupulous people who know the buzz words contained in this report, and they razzle dazzle clients into paying thousands in recurring monthly or annual fees with zero results. New clients have contacted me and reported ongoing SEO service payments for years without results, yet they accept lame excuses and just keep paying. Here’s one way they are deceived.

Search engines do not reveal their algorithms for serving up search results, so this secrecy is one weapon the unscrupulous SEO snake oil salespersons use to explain away poor results. Be very wary of anyone who promises page one. It is a lie.

Listen to the "Web Design SEO Audio Ebook" podcast episode, and then download or read the PDF tutorial "Search Engine Optimization Step by Step Guide" here (454kb, pdf). Learning do-it-yourself web design and keyword optimization can save small business owners thousands in annual fees. Your only investment is your time.



TAGS: advice pdf tutorial podcast seo search engine optimization small business advice web design

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, seo, tutorials, websites

                       

A new page of our main site provides web design advice for small business owners including a CMS web design video tutorial just released today. The video demonstrates how the Small Business Resource Center website was converted from static pages to CMS or Content Management System generated pages using plain text.

The video includes a tour of the backend admin section of this site, and a demonstration of how new pages may be added to a CMS based design in plain text without having to learn or know HTML code. An important aspect featured in the web design tutorial is how my custom designed CMS system provides simple methods of adding META information for search engine optimization, or SEO, also.

At the same time, a new episode on the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast provides advice and information about web design using CSS styles, or cascading style sheets. The podcast show notes link to the video, also. The new and easy-to-use technique for creating a new small business web design with CMS relates to CSS for separating content and presentation and is a big part of this latest web design service.

Existing customers with static web design pages created by me are welcome to inquire about converting their website to an owner managed content management system. A $500 discount off my published price is good for existing customers and valid through June, 30, 2008. Watch the CMS web design video tour and podcast episode about web design and css styling to learn more, and then don't delay as the end of the month approaches.



TAGS: advice cms content management system seo video tutorial web design

Labels: advice, cms, examples, podcast, seo, tutorials, video, websites

                       

As new technology evolves, the evolution of web development design and cms web design continues to make great progress. My goal has always been perfect code to comply with W3c standards with zero code errors, and creating websites designed with seo rich content for search engine optimization. Most CMS, content management systems, create code errors yet with 1000 files in the system to tweak, getting a perfect cms site has been nearly impossible.

With the newer wide screen format for personal computers, the layout of some websites are not displayed as well as expected. The reason in some cases is a stretchy design that fills the screen and creates long sentences in wide screen view. The advantage shows up on smaller computer monitors at 800 pixels wide, yet that goal is practicaly obsolete.

From tracking stats of visitor systems used to view my site, it turns out that fewer than 5% are on 800 x 600 screens. The purpose of a flexible design is filling the screen on all sizes without needing a horizontal scroll bar, yet accommodating older technology appears to affect very few people.

As a result, my choice for the future is fixed width site design of 960 pixel wide sites that will apparently display well on any size screen. By using xhtml with css these custom web designs will also display well on small screens like the iPhone or cell phones, too.

Meanwhile, the design evolution and cms web design has conquered the problem of creating a site the owner can manage, and finally have perfect xhtml and css. To begin demonstrating this newer cms method of web design, I've added a section for readers to view to see the development and evolution of cms. The concept and new feature is the subject of the latest podcast episode entitled Custom CMS Web Design Demo, so you may now listen about this breakthrough in design services that I offer. Email comments or questions from any page of this website.



TAGS: advice cms content management system search engine optimization small business services

Labels: advice, examples, podcast, seo, websites

                       

The latest podcast show comparing blog formats from Blogger and WordPress was launched today with advice for small business owners. If you're undecided about the benefits of blogging, or which format to select, the show gives comparisons of format, ease of use, and other features on these top blog formats.

The show features a review of a new custom matching blog done in WordPress for one of my personal sites, and features bonus tips for advanced plug-in options and themes or templates for WordPress. An integrated blog custom design to match your main site is one of the best search engine optimization techniques I can recommend. Contact me at any time for no obligation free advice about blogging for small business.



TAGS: advice blog blogger podcast small business advice WordPress

Labels: advice, blogger, podcast, seo, templates, websites

                       

Quite often professional voice talent creating video or audio production use a teleprompter. For small business website multimedia production, there's a low cost alternative to expensive dedicated teleprompter solutions when adding video or audio to your web design or podcast.

After considerable research of teleprompter software reviews, the Prompt! software from DataWay Multimedia Canada, Inc for $44 USD is my recommended choice. A free lite version may be downloaded, also. Here's the list of features from their website, MovieClip.biz:

• Text can be imported and exported
• Simple text editing is available
• Native files can be saved
• User customizable controls
• Macintosh or Windows playback
• Control over font size
• Mirrors text display on screen
• Mouse or keyboard control
• Lite version available
• Multiple resolutions
• Works with most remotes (not included)
• Cheap!

Prompt! version7.0 is a standalone application that allows keeping multiple windows open during recording. My advice is preparing your audio script in NotePad and then load it into Prompt! with copy and paste. The scrolling text may be adjusted by size, color and background, and scroll speed. The Lite version is limited to 2500 characters, so you may want to do a test drive with Lite before making a purchase.

Using a teleprompter for short clips or full presentations allows readers to focus on content to eliminate gasps, oohs, or aahs during recording. Speaking extemporaneously is very difficult for most small business owners, and a prepared message is more likely to enhance the multimedia production. Reading from an audio script will be faster and more professional when adding audio or video to your website, blog, or podcast. Download Prompt! here.



TAGS: advice audio small business services software review video

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, reviews, software, video, websites

                       

For owners looking for advice for a new small business website, the first 10 podcast episodes of the Small Business Website Mailbag may be the perfect starting point. The audio programs were intentionally presented in a logical order for business owners getting online for the first time.

Each show averages just over 10 minutes, so listening to each provides valuable audio advice for saving time and money with your first website. Listen online or download episodes to hear the expert tips at your leisure.

The 10 podcast programs are like a two hour audio course with advice for new small business websites. Besides paid web design services, I'm more than willing to provide free advice to small business owners without obligation, as well. You are welcome to contact me about problems or questions concerning a new or existing site.



TAGS: advice podcast small business advice website design

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, websites

                       

After meeting with an Orlando area recording artist last weekend, I offered to assist them in recovering a domain with their personal name being held by a cybersquatter. More details will be provided in an upcoming cybersquatting case study podcast episode.

Cybersquatting is the practice of registering a domain name strictly for gain without any rights or legitimate interests in that domain. For individuals using their personal name as the trademark for a small business venture, you have options for recovering your domain.

Recovering a cybersquatted site may be successful through arbitration which is usually less costly and faster than pursuing legal recourse. Your name is intellectual property and if used as a trademark in the course of doing business, the chances of success are improved.

Acquiring your domain from a cybersquatter when their intent is to resell at an excessive price, use the domain in bad faith, or unrelated commercial use will be presented in my upcoming podcast episode. Visit and bookmark the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast, and then return next week to hear the program and detailed advice.

Update: Listen now to the podcast episode on cybersquatting advice released 26 April 2008.



TAGS: advice cybersquatting domains podcast small business advice

Labels: advice, general, podcast

                       

The latest episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast features an updated tutorial for adding blog social bookmarks and matching graphics to blog posts done in Blogger whether hosted by them or hosted on your server. Each version includes a separate tutorial with bonus graphics, step by step instructions, and the actual code to add to your Blogger template.

This updated tutorial replaces one done a year ago that covered revised templates for the old Blogger and new Blogger (beta), and provides advice for alternate formats for WordPress, TypePad, and others. As usual, you do not have to register or give an email address to get your copy of the free download tutorials. Each zipped folder is 12Kb and includes a text tutorial, actual code for revising your Blogger template, and a set of free graphics of my top 12 social bookmarking services.

Readers are invited to listen to the Blog Social Bookmarks Tutorial episode and then download the free Blogger tutorials.



TAGS: advice blog template podcast Blogger small business advice tutorials

Labels: advice, blogger, podcast, templates, tutorials

                       

The latest podcast episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag was released eariler with advice for small business websites and market branding. Here's an excerpt from the actual audio show:

The word consistent is one to remember. If your promotional materials begin with a business card, other print material with a similar logo and varied color scheme, and then a website that's still more varied, you lose the value of a consistent corporate image. Market branding will be more effective if you have a consistent image wherever your company name or logo is encountered by customers or prospects.

My advice is always develop your logo first, and then maintain the same look and color scheme on your website and printed materials.

Whether you name it market branding, corporate image, or corporate identity, a consistent look that will stand the test of time may depend on your logo which is the foundation of your small business image. A memorable and lasting positive first impression should be your priority.



TAGS: advice corporate image news podcast market branding small business advice

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, websites

                       

The latest podcast episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag features free resources for keyword advice for seo in web design. Tools for small business owners linked in the podcast include the websites of Key Word Discovery and DupeFree Pro.

Listen to Optimize Your Website Keywords here to learn about free methods for search engine optimization of key words and phrases on your small business website, and then consider this software review of DupeFree Pro.

The features in this quick review of DupeFree Pro software were not covered in the podcast episode. Besides the value of being able to easily calculate keyword density, DupeFree Pro may be used to test for duplicate content, also. Imagine doing copy and paste to insert content from your website, and then quickly finding out if any other site owner is using your content without permission.

Perhaps you write advice articles published online, and just want to check if others are giving proper credit when they choose to republish your articles. Maybe you have several articles on one topic and want to check the percentage of duplicate content between two versions. DupeFree Pro allows you to do this easily, also.

Duplicate content is a major problem trying to achieve positive seo results, so you may want to test for duplicate content within your site, also.



TAGS: advice keywords podcast review search engine optimization small business advice web design

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, reviews, seo, software, websites

                       

The advantages of a small business custom integrated blog have been covered many times on this blog. Previous topics covered advice about the benefits of blogging, my services for integrated small business blogs, blog writing tips, and blog promotion.

From reviewing a wide variety of blogs, one common error for many small business blog owners is still apparent. The purpose, function, and format of blog tags and labels is not completely understood, so the search engine optimization value of many blogs may suffer.

To further assist my small business clients enhance their blogs, I just released a new podcast episode with details and a lesson on blog tags and blog labels. I strongly encourage bloggers to visit the podcast and listen to this advice to help overcome any confusion comparing and using tags and labels.

Based on what you learn, it's okay to do edits on blog posts and republish each one.



TAGS: advice blog tags blog labels podcast search engine optimization small business advice

Labels: advice, blogger, podcast, seo

                       

For small business bloggers unaware of blog and ping promotional services, I assembled a list of blog and podcast pinging websites. These sites will broadcast your blog each time you make a post, and instantly notify a variety of search engines and sites that track blogs. Some offer special services for podcasts, niche blogs, and foreign language blogs.

Visit each to see which one best suits your small business blog. Each has checklists, so take some time on your first visit to review the list and avoid pings to unrelated promotional websites.

The list of sites with blog and podcast pinging services are in alphabetical order:

1. BlogFlux pings plus has a blog directory for registered members
2. FeedShark provides service for blogs, RSS Feeds and podcasts
3. KingPing pings 57 blog search engines, plus a podcast option checkbox
4. MyPagerank pings feeds to 25 networks that track blogs
5. Ping-O-Matic provides a simple and highly ranked pinging service
6. Pingoat easy one-button submission to 26 sites tracking blogs

The process is easy, and free. Select one to handle your promotion each time you make a blog post, and with a few clicks your blog is promoted to up to 57 different websites. This is fast and convenient with just 1 or 2 clicks after entering your blog name and web address, so total time should be less than 60 seconds.



TAGS: advice blog blog and ping blog promotion small business advice

Labels: advice, blogger, general, podcast, websites

                       

The latest episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast was released earlier and includes a bonus SEO Report in PDF for immediate download. The podcast episode Tracking Website Statistics gives a tutorial on setting up an account at StatCounter, and includes the free PDF download with step by step advice to add and track visitor website statistics to enhance SEO benefits.



Visit the podcast to listen to the small business website advice, and then download the accompanying PDF with no obligation. Visitors do not have to register or reveal an email address to receive the PDF report.

The benefits of knowing site traffic behavior, and how it relates to your core business, may allow owners to make adjustments in site content. SEO, or search engine optimization, is an added benefit of adding site visitor statistics.

You may want to read my detailed review of StatCounter services here, also.



TAGS: advice podcast search engine optimization small business advice tutorials websites

Labels: advice, podcast, seo, tutorials, websites

                       

Small business custom website design clients often ask about making page one in major search engines as part of website design projects. My latest podcast episode just released over the weekend with audio advice to Add an Integrated Website Blog helps answer that question. Here's an excerpt from the show notes:

Listen to learn about case studies of new small business website blog integration, and the positive results others have experienced from this advice. The blog of a recent custom small business website launch that I designed made Google page one in 1 week.

Search engine results found in Google page one and Yahoo page one were emailed to me by some of my clients in as little as one week from the time their site launched. Having an integrated blog and posting often helps small business website owners get listed sooner, and obviously some are making page one in major search engines in weeks. Blogs add fresh content often which is one of the methods for search engine optimization that I teach.

My policy when describing my custom website design services is still no guarantee of page one results, yet following my advice and blogging certainly has proven worthwhile. Here's the link, again, to listen to case studies of new small business website blogs in the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast.



TAGS: advice blog podcast small business search engine optimization

Labels: advice, blogger, podcast, seo, websites

                       

The latest show on the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast was released last weekend entitled "Website Content and Copyright" and the program runs just under 13 minutes.

The podcast presents a case study of photograph copyrights on a small business website that involved verbal permission for use of work project pictures from the original owner. A friendly relationship went sour, and the verbal agreement was replaced with a cease and desist order demanding removal of the photographs.

Listen to the program for additional small business advice about site content subject to copyright, potential copyright problems to avoid, resources for acquiring copyright free material for your website, and tips about obtaining and protecting copyright.



TAGS: advice podcast small business advice website design

Labels: advice, photographs, podcast, websites

                       

The next episode of the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast entitled Mass Mailing Website Promotion was released today. The program presents small business mailing campaign advice that earlier this week saved a client over $1000 on just one post card mailing.

The show breaks down the mailing campaign cost analysis in detail, and to save listeners from taking notes, I included each dollar figure in writing in the show notes. Comparing a 4 x 6 to 5 x 7 and 1/2 page post cards, the total cost of one mailing ranged from $1700 to $2750. The client was thinking bigger is better.

In discussing the half page size post card flyer, I asked if their budget was closer to $1700 or $2700. The decision was easy once I explained that a professionally designed 4 x 6 could be just as effective.

When considering the value of my advice, and the $1000 savings, this client saved more than the price of artwork and printing! Listen to this latest podcast episode about mass mailing to learn how you could save on your next small business advertising campaign.



TAGS: advice mail campaign postcards podcast small business advice website promotion

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, websites

                       

For clients interested in adding audio to their small business website, custom audio player color schemes can be designed to match your site. The graphic below shows 6 players slightly smaller than actual size, and the code used to generate these meets xhtml 1.1 standards per W3C to easily integrate into your website design.


Colors shown are two tone versions with light and dark each of silver, green, and blue. The choices for custom color schemes to match your site are practically unlimited with up to 16 million colors. The top view of each audio player is how it displays closed and ready to play on your site, and each bottom view shows the view during play.

Audio can be used for introductions, customer testimonials, a small business blog, or even regular shows similar to my Small Business Website Mailbag podcast. The latest podcast episode comparing dynamic and static websites was released earlier today if you want to listen and view a tan version of this player.



TAGS: advice audio audio player blog podcast small business advice website design

Labels: advice, audio, blogger, podcast, websites

                       

You may now listen to advice about how to analyze competitor websites in episode 003 of the Small Business Website Mailbag podcast. The tips for website analysis are appropriate for established small business websites as well as helping you plan a new website design.

Topics covered in this audio production and listed in the show notes include:

• Key factors for top search engine results
• Making a list of your search keywords and key phrases
• Doing a search in Google and Yahoo
• Details for analyzing competitor websites
  

Knowing how your competition stacks up for 7 key factors of search engine optimization may help you in your small business website design strategy. Listeners are encouraged to post comments or ask questions about this and other topics covered in previous shows on the small business website advice podcast.

If this website advice helps you, please consider forwarding the podcast link to other small business owners, and then bookmark the show and return often. Thanks.



TAGS: advice design news podcast search engine optimization seo small business websites

Labels: advice, audio, podcast, seo, websites