Taking SEO Into Your Own Hands
Every once in a while, we get a client who doesn’t just talk about wanting the best ranked website in their field, they are committed to going the extra mile to stand head and shoulders above their competitors. Dr. Jeff Yoder of Meridian Chiropractic is one of those clients. Dr. Yoder understands the importance of measuring each and every marketing effort he puts forth when trying to reach clients.
When we build sites in WordPress, we do several things to improve the overall search rankings of a site. We use All-In-One SEO to title pages. We work with the clients to develop a list of key words to be used in their posts. And then, after we build the site we train our clients how to manage their sites. Once complete, the responsibility is theirs to continue creating fresh, relevant content to maximize their SEO efforts. It’s important that clients create new blog posts and use the tools we give them to put their websites in the best position to be successful.
Often, our clients adopt a set it and forget it attitude. However, Dr. Yoder has continued to challenge us to find additional ways to help increase his visibility on the keywords he wants to build his SEO strategy around.
He caters to busy professionals who need a chiropractor located in downtown Indianapolis. For him, the words “Indianapolis chiropractor“, “downtown chiropractor“, and “Meridian Chiropractic” are keywords Dr. Yoder wants his site strongly associated with.
Dr. Yoder has been tracking his progress from obscurity to visibility on search engines. He has seen progress and we now as he continues to ad fresh content and optimize each new post for search engines, his rankings will continue to improve.
We always love when clients take an active role in their marketing success. It’s that drive that separates most successful business owners from the pack.
Web Designers Block
I suffer from writers block on a regular basis. While I have a gift for talking ( anyone who has spent time around me can attest to that) organizing my ideas on paper (or a computer screen) can often be challenging. As a result I have developed a number of coping techniques, designed to jump start my creative process. I have tried everything from flipping through magazines to going for walks away from my desk carrying a audio recording device. Enen with all the techniques in my tool kit, I am always looking for more.
I found some terrific suggestions in a post entitled Avoid Perfect Photo Syndrome. While the article is about selecting images for a website, many of the techniques can help unlock your creative process for writing or drawing!
My favorite tip:
Take advantage of bad ideas.
If you’re stuck for good ideas, then use a bad one as a stepping stone to something better. Keep thinking. Even an inappropriate idea could lead you in the right direction. And sometimes an imperfect match is better than nothing at all.
I have used this technique in brainstorming, but I never thought about is part of a writing or web design process. It is often much easier to edit then to create, so the process of putting anything in front of you, is better then a blank screen. Select an idea, walk away and then come back. The new ideas it generates may surprise you.
Of course, you have to be careful not to show the “bad idea” to a client. They might think you are an idiot, or worse yet, they might like it!
Straightening A Crooked Image
Many of the small businesses we work with, come to us with a “crooked image” . Just like patients visiting a chiropractor, they are walking around, conducting business, just not doing it well.
This was the case with Dr. Jeff Yoder, owner of Meridian Chiropractic Clinic. With a well established practice, his branding did not represent the professionalism of his practice.
He had a simple logo for his practice, which he used on business cards and letterhead. It was not, however, included in his website design, which featured only a generic spine image, that could have belonged to any doctor.
With a practice, serving primarily a professional community ( lawyers and accountants who spend too many hours sitting at their desks) we wanted to give him a fresh, distinctive look that would appeal to this audience.
Starting with new text treatment his company name presented some interesting challenges from a design standpoint. The long middle word made the stacking of the three words seem odd. The initials by themselves MCC looked too much like a local cafeteria.
We finally settled on a design which featured just the “M” in a distinctive font. The addition of a little yellow really brought a some life to the design. Once we finalized the logo, the banner came together very quickly. Then Allison took over an finished the design of the website.
Weddings and the Color Purple
At Roundpeg, our clients come from a wide range of industries. On any given day, we may find ourselves working with a HVAC company, Eye Doctor or DJ. I enjoy the diversity and have become accustomed to switching gears as I move from project to project. So it was unusual when we had two wedding planners ask us to design their sites, one right after the other.
In the first quarter we designed a website for Kim King Smith Events, LLC and Simply Perfect Events. Both sites were had elements which made the projects, fairly simple, and complex at the same time. One thing we noticed was both planners shared a common love for the color purple!.
With Kim King Smith Events, LLC we were recreating an existing site on a WordPress platform. Kim (owner of Kim King Smith Events) has been in business for years and she wanted to keep her image. Our primary objective, was to give her a tool which would allow her to make simple updates on a regular basis. A secondary objective was to update the site slightly to give it a cleaner look and feel. With so much existing content, we had all the information we needed to complete the pages.
Kim has been blogging for quite awhile on Blogger, so we added a blog to the site, and transferred all the content to here site. Now the posts bring additional traffic to www.kimkingsmithevents.com instead of Blogger. Check out the site, and tell us what you think!
Simply Perfect Events was fun to work on because we were starting from scratch. Kelley (owner of Simply Perfect Events) is just starting her business, and had no exsisting website so we had more freedom to create her site. The greatest challenge was the fact that she did not have a clear idea of what she wanted her site to look like. We went through several very different versions, including one usual version which looked like a planner laying on a desktop. Ultimately she opted for a cleaner, more traditional layout, with a lot of purple. Her logo font was an elegant script, which we used for page titles, and other emphasis points on the site. Kelley all had a number of photos she wanted displayed on her site so we added the Next Gen Gallery plug in to create a photo gallery page which will grow as her business grows. To see Simply Perfect Events website please visit: www.simplyperfectindy.com.
What Websites Have in Common with Trailer Parks
For many small business owners, the relationship between web site design, domain registration and web site hosting is often confusing. Whenever we start a new website project, we always make sure our client is clear on the relationship of these three elements.
To explain how the pieces work together, we often use the following analogy: .
Your Domain Name – This is the address of your website. Like a cell phone: number, you can change carriers or services, but your number won’t change.
You Website – These are the graphic and data files which allow your site to display properly when someone types in your web address. The website is like a mobile home: You have everything you need to create a home, but unless you are parked in a mobile home park, there is no running water or electricity.
Your Web Host is , like a mobile home part. They provide the “hook ups” to the internet, so your website is visible when someone types in your address.
At Roundpeg we focus on the front end of websites, the mobile home itself. We build all the features to make it attractive, functional and comfortable. Then we rely on our hosting company to manage the domain registrations, and maintain all the important information the site needs to operate, such as the data bases which drive the site, e-mail accounts and interaction with the internet.
When most people think of hosting and domain registrations, they think of GoDaddy. While GoDaddy is extremely well known, promising to make hosting simple, we find that is often not the case. For our small business clients, we expect a higher level of service then they can provide.
If you have problems, or even simple questions, a call to GoDaddy will typically include a 20-30 minute wait before you can talk to a human being.
In contrast, we understand the value of time, so when we have questions, we enjoy the personal connection we have with local web hosting companies.We pay a little more up front, but the savings continue all year long.
Oh, and one more piece of advice. DON’T ask my boss how she feels about GoDaddy.
Note to my readers, Lorraine is responsible for the images in this post.
Build a Better Website in Seven Weeks
These days, a website is an integral part oft he marketing plan for every small business! You probably have one, but is your website doing it’s job? Is it representing your brand, attracting visitors, and converting those visitors to qualified prospects or even customers.
Do you know how your website stacks up against your competitors and do you have a plan to improve?
To help small business owners answer these questions, and many more, we are launching a FREE even week program designed to help you build a better website.
Interested? Simply fill out the form below to get started.
This is part of our FREE On-Line Education Program. When you finish this class, we will send you a link to the others in the program as well.
Breathing New Life Into the Lung Care Group
Over the past few weeks, the Roundpeg staff has been working on a redesign for the Lung Care Group, a team of pulmonologists in Carmel, Indiana. The Lung Care Group already had a website in place, but it was obvious that the site did not adequately capture how talented the team at LCG was.
We got to work on a fully interactive overhaul of the website. We created a new layout which included downloadable forms for patients who didn’t want the inconvenience of filling them out at the doctor’s office. We also generated an interactive map for those who need directions to the Lung Care Group’s office. Not only do we feel that the final product goes a long way in improving the Lung Care Group’s brand image, but the LCG team loves it as well.
We’ve had a blast creating a website that the Lung Care Group could be proud of. Below you’ll find before and after screen shots of the site. Make sure to visit the site and check out all the new features.
Great Web Copy Begins with a Word
Everyone wants the key to success. The one right way to do something. Unfortunately when it comes to web design, like many other marketing strategies, there is no one right answer. Especially when you are working to please multiple audiences.
One of the great challenges of web design is creating a site which serves the needs of the search engines and the real people who visit your site, and hopefully buy something along the way. How do you find a balance between the needs of these two very different audiences?
Your task is to develop content which is interesting and eye catching to your visitors, and informative for search engines.
Search engines like lots of copy, containing key words, repeatedly if possible. Your readers, with serious attention deficit want you to get to the point quickly. One strategy is to start with the very best phrases.
I use the keyword tool from Google Ad Words as a starting point for word selection in my copy. I simply type a phrase I believe clients will use when looking for a particular type of business and the tool generates a list of alternative phrases. It will also rank how often these phrases have been used in recent searches.
Example:
I tested ”small business marketing” and found the term ”marketing strategy” was searched significantly more often. I found it was used an average 201,000 times a month. I also noticed ”small business ideas”, a phrase I have never deliberately used, is searched more than 20,000 times a month. This is not the most popular phrase, but it has a steady following. I am going to try to adjust my copy to add it to the mix!
The Lesson
Researching key words will give you a great foundation for your copy. Be sure you don’t create copy which overuses the terms like this: Small business marketing strategy should include novel ideas for small business owners, which expand their current small business marketing activities. Search engines will love it, but your readers ( the people who buy from you) won’t!
Creating a productive website does not require more flash or more pictures. A great website requires simple navigation and great content.
New Year, New Beginning
This week I began as an account executive here at Roundpeg. As many of you know, I served as an intern here last summer, and I was lucky enough to be invited back to work full-time. It’s been awesome coming into a situation where I’m already so comfortable and feel I fit in so well. With that being said, there are some adjustments for a recent college grad that hasn’t been awake before 9 in the morning since high school (hello McDonald’s breakfast menu!)
With the new year beginning, we have all kinds of new projects. This is the time of year many companies decide it’s time to optimize their marketing efforts, which keeps us plenty busy. There are tons of new things I’ve got to learn and become accustomed to. Luckily, I have a great-and patient-crew around me to help.
The best part about my new job has been the opportunity to work directly with clients right off the bat, as well as be a major contributor to several campaigns…and this has all been in the first three days.
So far, it’s been one new adventure after another. In my first two weeks I will have already worked on designing websites, attended corporate events, contributed to the blog, and opened dialog with a handful of clients. I’m discovering and learning new things every day.
I’m really excited about all the possibilities 2010 has to offer. Here at Roundpeg we’ve done a number of things to improve our business strategy and put ourselves in a great position to achieve our 2010 goals. What changes have you made to start the year off right? How will you improve and make 2010 your best year ever?
Crew Property Improvement Specialists Announce New Website
We recently launched Crew Property Improvement Specialists new website – www.crewspecialists.com.
There old website had an attractive landing page, but without much text or SEO planning, it was not a productive site,
The new website provides more information regarding their home repair services, annual maintenance programs, pictures of past projects, testimonials from clients and company news. The creation of a blog was a major change for this site.
It allowed the firm to move away from a single testimonial page. After seven years in business this page was so long, the testimonials were lost. On the new site each testimonials is an individual blog. They don’t get lost in the shuffle.
The same was true with all the awards and press releases. This is a firm which makes news in the community. The blog allows them to share new information!
“Our old site was attractive, but confusing for the average visitor,” said Crew owner, Eric Schneller. “The new site makes it easy for consumers and realtors to easily find the information they’re seeking.”
To visit the site please go to: www.crewspecialists.com.
To learn more about some of the other features we added to the website Click Here.
