November 7th, 2011
There are many very good do-it-yourself programs that will allow you to build your own website, however, do you want to learn to use that program and do what it takes to keep your site updated, maintained and secure? For some, that answer is yes, it is worth the time to save some money and have total control over the website. However, for many, do-it-yourself leads to frustration, wasted time and ultimately an abandoned site.
http://www.bloggodown.com/2010/08/pros-and-cons-of-do-it-yourself-web-design.html
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November 18th, 2010
One of my favorite blogs is on the website Sitepoint.com. Here is some information on how to use LinkedIn to promote your business:
http://blogs.sitepoint.com/2010/11/19/use-linkedin-promote-business/
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July 19th, 2010
As you might expect given my profession I spend numberous hours each week in online research. When I finally find a website that gives the appropriate answer to a question without charging me it becomes a favorite. Here is a list of some of my favorite websites, my go-to list for answers to web design and web development questions.
www.sitepoint.com – Great information and insight for everything webbie. A vast variety of web design tutorials and articles coupled with a vibrant and well informed community.
www.alistapart.com – Articles about web design, code, content and the web design process, a very informative website.
www.tv.adobe.com – Online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products.
www.lynda.com – A fee based website offering video tutorials for Abobe products, Microsoft, Apple, and much more!
www.wise-women.org – An international online community of women web designers, developers and programmers.
These websites are targeted for website designers and website developers, however, many of them have valuable information for website owners as well. Check back for my list of favorite websites for SEO, Internet Marketing and Search Engine Marketing.
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July 16th, 2010
With the rising popularity of Facebook and Twitter mini blogs it’s good to know that you can save time and energy by integrating your blogs so that you only have to write them in one site and if you have things set up correctly they will appear in the other social networking sites you use as well. Wordpress plug-ins make it easy to copy your blog to facebook.
Check out this video to help get you started: http://wordpress.tv/2009/07/22/import-your-wordpress-blog-into-facebook/
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June 23rd, 2010
As a web designer and developer I have heard the questions and confusion many times – “How do I get ranked higher searches?” or “Why am I nowhere to be found in Google?” The answer is simple, but far from easy.
When building a website a designer should build with SEO in mind. Search Engines look at the content of a website for keywords, so content is always king. Researching keywords appropriate for your business and your target audience is the first step in the process to create content for your website. Your designer should then make a list of the keywords and include them within the content of your website. They should also pay close attention to the page names and the headings of text. Search Engines consider this information very important in indexing your website and determining under which search words and phrases to show your website. Keywords should also be included in the meta tags, that is in the HTML code – this does not show up on the pages of your website, only in the code behind the scenes.
Links also help in your rankings. Incoming links, such as from social media websites and local directories help customers find you and helps rank your website higher in the search engines. Building links going from your website to other websites is also helpful, but only if the link is relevant to the content of your website.
Making changes on a regular basis is very important to rank well with Search Engines. This requires time, energy and usually additional money on the part of the website owners. It is recommended that you make changes to your website at the very least every couple of months. Revamping your website every 2-3 years is also recommended to keep it fresh, up to date in design and technology.
The age of your domain name carries some weight as well. If all else is equal, the website with the oldest domain name will win the higher rank.
“What about the guy telling me he can get me to the top of Google for $X.00 per month?”
Usually this means that they will manage a Google Adwords Campaign for you. That is a pay per click advertisement rather than showing up in an organic search within a search engine. In many cases this is an effective way of advertising – but it is not Search Engine Optimization. Organic Search Engine Rankings are never guaranteed, so beware of anyone who makes such claims. Search Engines cannot be controlled. Manipulated and managed, yes. Organic search engine rankings take time to accomplish.
Once your SEO friendly website is created building links, making regular changes to your website and doing frequent keyword research and analytics to determine your ideal market will ultimately be of the most benefit in your search engine rankings.
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May 24th, 2010
Springfield, MO – The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 27th, for the grand opening of Point Web Design.
Laurie Goslee is excited to celebrate the opening of Point Web Design, formerly called Web Design by Laurie Goslee. “I have changed the name to more accurately reflect the business – it is no longer a one person operation, I now have a team of professionals and am positioned to handle upcoming growth.” explained Laurie Goslee, owner of Point Web Design.
Early in Laurie’s professional career she worked as a graphic designer in Dallas, TX and Denver, CO. Using her acquired software knowledge and her love of helping people she transitioned into a software training career, eventually working at Missouri State University’s Continuing Education Department for 8 years. While teaching at MSU, Laurie completed web design courses and knew that web design was her future.
Laurie Goslee has been growing her web design business since October of 2008. She takes the time to understand her clients’ business and identify their present and future needs, and then creates a website to help them grow and promote their business.
Services Point Web Design offers include the creation of new websites, improvement on existing websites, management and updates of the content, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing, Consulting and Training.
For more information about Point Web Design visit http://www.point-webdesign.com or contact Laurie Goslee at 417-693-0483.
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