Archive for December, 2008

SEO 101: Use Your HEAD (Tags, that is…) Part I - The TITLE

Posted in SEO, Web Design on December 29th, 2008 by Bronwen

We have entered the part of this series on search engine optimization where you need to have some basic knowledge of how web pages are built. I’m not foolish enough to expect that you will become an über scripter (meaning a person who lives to code and has no social skills), but I do expect you to be willing to do a little studying so you can understand the fundamentals.  Read more »

Holiday Wishes

Posted in Misc, Opinion on December 23rd, 2008 by Bronwen

This past year has been full of trials, tribulations, challenges, adventures, losses and victories. Like so much of life, it has been a mixed bag, which leaves me with a choice: As this year draws to a close, do I choose to see the glass as half empty or half full?

My current state is similar to that of so many people around the country, and my holiday season is being tempered by “real world” challenges, low cash reserves, and worry about the future. My credit debt is high. My savings are nearly gone. And I have no job security, which often makes me toss and turn at night, wondering if I will join the ranks of those losing their homes.   Read more »

SEO 101: Weaving Your Keywords Into Your Website

Posted in SEO, Web Design on December 22nd, 2008 by Bronwen

By now you’re probably sick to the teeth with background information. You want to “get your hands dirty” and start applying all this search engine optimization theory in your website. Fear not! If it’s dirt you want, it’s dirt you’re gonna get!  Read more »

SEO 101: Text Trumps for Search Engine Optimization

Posted in SEO, Web Design on December 15th, 2008 by Bronwen

My last three posts on search engine optimization have dealt with gathering information about your customers or clients, their wants, needs and surfing habits. To help you understand why I keep emphasizing text, text and more text, let’s take a quick tour down memory lane for a short and sweet history of the World Wide Web.  Read more »

SEO 101: Making Web Analytics Work For You

Posted in SEO, Web Design on December 8th, 2008 by Bronwen

The past two articles have talked about what you can do to figure out your customers’ needs based on your own knowledge and expertise. But there is another very important way that you can discover what your customers want: analyze your web server logs!

Web analytics is possibly the best-kept secret when it comes to e-commerce and online marketing. The term “web analytics” can be translated into English to mean the study of how people use your website. But I’m willing to bet that better than 90% of people who have a website know nothing about analyzing their web server logs, let alone why it matters.  Read more »

SEO 101: Finding Your Keywords and Phrases

Posted in SEO, Web Design on December 1st, 2008 by Bronwen

Identifying the best key words and phrases for your website is a huge part of search engine optimization, and another area that is grossly misunderstood. If you’ve done the homework assignment given at the end of my last post, you have a good start on identifying the most important keywords for your business. The trick now is to distill those ten to fifteen questions into the core words and phrases that relate to you, your company, product(s) and/or service(s). Read more »