Interesting Back-linking Thoughts
I have a client that I do SEO and back link work for. When working on her project, I noticed an interesting trend by other companies in her field. A lot of companies are back linking to sites that have no relevance what so ever! I am not talking a hardware store linking with a doctor office. I am meaning like a dentist practice using backlinks from a unrelated blog site in Vietnam!
I know, I know many say this is common practice and many do not see anything wrong with this, yet let us think on this for just a second. We are in the post panda and penguin era. Google is out to crush any companies gaming the system. So, does it make sense to put your client in jeopardy of another google update attack?
All I am saying and advocating is backlinking with some common sense. If you do this for your client or business, they can be rest assured that they can weather any storm that google throws at them.
New Photoshop Illustration
Here is the newest Photoshop Illustration
This is a personal piece and prints are available for sale. Please email for sizes and prices.
Google targets web spam
Google’s Matt Cutts announced the release of a new google algorithm. Cutts stated
“In the next few days, we’re launching an important algorithm change targeted at webspam. The change will decrease rankings for sites that we believe are violating Google’s existing quality guidelines.
We’ve always targeted webspam in our rankings, and this algorithm represents another improvement in our efforts to reduce webspam and promote high quality content.
While we can’t divulge specific signals because we don’t want to give people a way to game our search results and worsen the experience for users, our advice for webmasters is to focus on creating high quality sites that create a good user experience and employ white hat SEO methods instead of engaging in aggressive webspam tactics”
What does that mean for you? Means that good old hard working SEO is the only way to get on top and stay there. Google is continuously looking for companies that are trying to take the easy way out in SEO and pay for multiple links, mass distributions and the sort.
When considering someone for SEO, please ask them what are their practices. Tell them to go into detail. It could mean the difference between being on top or being de-indexed.
copywrite free photo sites-part 1
Here is a set of five sites that are great for grabbing some photos for learning purposes.
http://www.altered-book.com/copyright-free-images.html
http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/
Last Stand – New Photoshop Illustration
Lately the web section of the business really been booming. The SEO and web sections of this business have really been taking off. That has left me only a little time to show off my more creative side. I am wanting to take on more creative ( illustration) gigs, but to do that, well guess I need to get back into the grit and grime of photoshop. My latest project is Last Stand.
Last Stand Illustration
Alcoholism Kills Poster
It was been a while since I have had a chance to create a piece of art/illustration, let a lone one with a cause or a message. As ones that follow my work knows, many of my photoshop/illustrator illustration I do have a message to them. This one is particularly close me. This was created with a combination of Photoshop & Illustrator. Comments are welcome. I will be adding this piece to my portfolio. If enough people want, I will post how I created this poster.
Why Social Media is Important to Your Business
Why Social Media is Important for Your Practice
I still run into business that ask, well why do I need social media? This is a bit surprising to me because don’t business want to be where the people are. In the brick n’ mortar world its all about location location location. It’s the exact same online.
If you haven’t yet integrated social media into your online marketing mix, consider the following benefits of social networking in order to drive sales & prospects.
If your business has a website then you’re already aware of how critical it is to implement online search marketing strategies, like search engine optimization. When you create a profile for your practice on leading social media sites, you are essentially creating a new website for your practice. Search engines index these profiles and include them in search results when prospects search for keywords relevant to your business. Also, the more people see your sites, the more potential backlinks, which helps your SEO rankings.
Your competitors are on social media sites. What this means for you is that if you don’t connect with your customers and potential customers, someone else will. Anther great benefit of social media is social networking. Use current customers or clients to heighten word-of-mouth referrals for your business. Social networking is its ability to Social media users have a network of followers, some with thousands of contacts that are following one another on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.Every social contact offers the possibility of all of their contacts becoming one of yours and will continue with every new contact you make.
If you want to grow your business, you need social media. Yes, it may or may not directly effect your sales right away; yet if your competition seems more reachable than you, take a bet who the potential clients or buyers will go to?
Optimizing your site to sell you.
Almost all business today want and need to have an optimized site in order to gain Business. Like or not google is king of internet search and has no doubt become the new yellow pages of todays’s time. But, then there is the question, why isn’t the traffic numbers to my site converting to leads or sales?
Now it is time for a hard truth and the answer to that question. SEO isn’t the magic pill and neither is SMM (Social Media Marketing). Yes I said it. Don’t get me wrong they are and should be an integral part of any web strategy, and I in no part want to take away from how important SEO & SMM are. Yet the truth is they aren’t enough.
Take a hard look at your website. Ask your self ” Would I by from me or would I put my contact info in?” Does it convince the viewer? Many time design takes a backseat and content designed to climb the rankings. Yet we must not forget the human element.
In truth, we are all selling something, even if it’s just for the viewer to put in their information to get something free. The design and content, need to hit their mark in terms of winning the viewer over. On example is a client who had worked with two SEO companies and had employed a marketer. At first, the marketer did exactly what the client asked including working on back-links, local SEO and run her social media. After two months sales still did not increase and the client was bleeding cash fast. After two months, the marketer took a look at other sites in the same category and found the problem. Each of those sites was “selling” the company, not just “here I am and this is what I do”
As a small business owner or even CEO, the cold hard truth is that even with getting to that coveted #1 spot on google, there are hundreds or thousands of companies out there that do the same as you. So to set yourself apart, remember to optimize to sell you. Give reasons why your company should be the one the viewers choose. Do that, and you will make that coveted #1 spot on google you have been working so hard to get pay off dividends.
Why Choose a Designer Over Doing A Do It Yourself Template.
We have all seen commercials that show companies (many of them hosting companies that show the ability for companies to be able to quick “ choose your layout, add some graphics and done.” Sounds good right? At first glance this great for businesses. If you need to get on the web fast, this is a good temporary option. Yet this really is not a good permanent idea, even if you are a small business just starting out.
When hosting or even other design companies offer do it yourself templates, many other companies have used those same templates. Even with the color and graphics change , there is a pretty good change there is someone’s website that looks similar to yours. Now at first, this may not fully bother some business owners. Some may counter that they put their money into SEO and original content later to differentiate their site on the web. These are good points. Yet let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment. Many companies that have started small and grown did not get there by looking the same or similar as the next guy.
Look for a designer that is going to put your needs first and not charge “an arm and a leg”. The designer or company you choose you should be able to grow with them as your needs change. The right designer can listen to your needs and design a site that fit the company, not just colors or products but match the company attitude and vision as well.
A quick note to designers: I know it easy to get frustrated with a client that doesn’t see your vision of the design. Yet do remember that it is their business on the line, many have poured their entire life into their business. As the title puts it, there are other options for business to go to. We as designers serve the business owner. If we want business owners to choose us over other options, you need actual customer service. That will go a long way into keeping repeat business,.
Difference Between Web Design and Web Development
I have noticed many jobs and projects out here that have called for web design, yet when I meet with them, they are looking more for a web developer. I don’t blame them, mainly because there is a lack of education of what the difference is.
Web Design
A web designer is responsible for the look and feel of the user experience. Icon creation to color choices to HTML & CSS, the designer always has the user experience in mind. Some Skills for Web Designers will have
Photoshop/Illustrator
HTML/HTML5
CSS/CSS3
Wireframe & Information Flow
Other possible Skills
Flash
Actionscript
PHP
Java Script (basic Knowledge)
Web Developer
A developer is more involved in the nuts and bolts (especially in bigger sites) Customer logins and data bases, creating e-commerce files, employee login and data base are all examples where clearly you need a web developer. Some Skills a Developer will Have
Wireframe & Information Flow
Database creation
MYSQL
Ruby on Rails
Perl
Java
Java Script
PHP
HTML/HTML5
CSS/CSS3
Other possible skills
Flash Development (advanced)
Action Script
Basic
Photoshop/Illustrator
Yes, there are crossover skill so one may ask, what is the biggest difference between the two? The biggest difference is what the position’s main focus in on. A designer’s primary focus is on the user, where as a developer’s main focus is making the site itself. My advice if you are looking to build a small basic business site is look for a designer who has connections with ( or partnered with) a developer. If you are building a larger site, you want to look for both a designer and developer or a developer who has connections ( or partnered with) a designer. Crossover skill do make the individual more valuable, but each position cannot fully cover the other.
tribal brush for Photoshop
For all of those people looking around for new photoshop brushes ( and I am one myself) I wanted post a couple brushes I created. Feel free to download and use to hearts content.
Tribal Brush Preview
Welcome
Welcome to my blog I just started. I am currently using a wordpress hosted version as I am currently also building my own hosted version.
What can you expect from my blog? In short a little of everything. Resources I find and like to share, post on how current projects are going, tidbits about the design or marketing industry. Many designers publish blogs, but how many really go into the mind of a designer, artist or marketer? Not many know what really make us tick. So this blog is not only for other industry professionals, but for people not in design or marketing or even illustration, but also for the business owner or project manager that asks ” why the hell do they think like that?”
hughbanksdesign 