Search Engine Ranking… Either Be Patient or Pay

Clients always want to know how to get to the top of the search engine so that they can attract more visitors to their websites. It’s a very obvious question, but the answer to it always surprises everyone. PATIENCE.

In this fast-paced world, we want everything now.  But when it comes to organic search rankings with search engines like Google or Bing, you have to be still and let the search spiders find you, like you, and rank you.

Search engine optimization is basically using key words throughout your site ( in links, headings, and content) that correlate to what your website is about.  Sounds painfully easy, but it’s not.  There’s a science to it and it is something I do for many of my clients.   I’ve helped dozens of my clients’ sites reach higher in searches than they had with previous designers.  I typically charge $300 per average website to perform the optimization and charge monthly for continued analyzing and tweaking. Click here for 10 quick SEO tips.

But if you don’t have time on your side, be prepared to spend money on advertising to get more traffic on your site.  If people aren’t finding your business or organization through google, then you have to tell them you exist.  Market your site in magazine or newspaper ads and billboards.  Remember to make sure it’s on your business card and your letterhead.  A cheaper way to advertise is through the internet itself.  You can take a stab at email marketing and social media pages, but the most cost-effective approach is to start an adwords campaign through google.  (This is something I can help you with!)

With adwords, you set your budget and google does the rest.  Tell them which terms you want to be found under and they only bill you when you get “clicked” on.  Once your budget is used up, they stop posting your ad.  This is a fantastic way to get traffic on your site because you are targeting only those who are looking for your services.

At the end of the day, the old say, “if you build it, they will come,” doesn’t apply to websites.  You have to get people to your site.  And if you aren’t willing to be patient and let organic searches find you visitors, be prepared to pay for it.

Finding Stability in the Ever-Changing Web World

I recently had a client decide she no longer needed my hosting services because she found a website online that offered free hosting and she could save $50/yr. Yeah, free hosting has been around for years, but this new website was offering it with no strings attached. No logos, advertisements, surveys, nothing… just free hosting for budget-conscience folks and a user-friendly interface to help you pick out, edit and publish a pretty decent website on your own. (You just pay for the domain.)

At first this news rocked me to my core. I understand how someone could give away server space and website building tools, but WHY would they do it? It makes no business sense to offer something for nothing. It costs money to buy and maintain servers, program and update a website. Why would someone go out of their way to offer this service and get nothing in return? But more importantly, I wondered how I am supposed to compete in this new, ever-changing world of web giveaways.

It seems the services I offer can be found online for cheaper and cheaper with each passing day. First the internet offered cheap website templates, but you still needed some working knowledge of HTML to make it work. Then the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor came out. That allowed anyone with basic computer skills the ability to edit html text and pictures. The catch was, you had to know how to hook the new technology up to your template. Now, the art of web development has gotten down to an exact science and almost anyone can find a packaged design to suit their needs for free with no programming skills required to install.

Internet advances are overwhelming, frustrating, and sometimes downright discouraging. I love the internet and welcome new technology because it makes my life easier too. So telling myself and my client that free tools and resources aren’t beneficial when in fact they are… isn’t an option. That would be like keeping life-saving medicine from a cancer patient because I didn’t want to admit that someone else had a better treatment. At the end of the day, honesty wins out. So I have to find a way to not just survive in this dynamic world, but become a part of it. I have to find my niche in the chaos, find what’s timeless about me, what transcends a trend. I have to challenge myself to find stability in change.

So that’s where I am. I’m in a state of reinventing my business. While continuing custom web design and development, I’m brainstorming ways I’ll help people and businesses succeed online in the future. By combining the craftsmanship of yesterday with the new tools available today, I’m hoping to generate a new business model that exudes creativity, innovation, and stellar customer service.

To my client who wants to change hosting to save some green, I say, “Go, be free, enjoy the new service, and I’ll be here when you need me.” Because the help I provide, the advice I give, the ideas I plant and the many questions I answer in every email you send me doesn’t come standard with your new, free service. My expertise has value and that’s one thing that never changes.

Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF – Cyber Storage

Ok, day three of my “Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF” series.  And today I want to share with you a little bit of knowledge about keeping records using the fantastic portable document format.

So far we’ve learned how to save files as PDFs and I’ve given you some ideas of what to send out as pdfs to save paper.  Now I’m going to impress upon you the need to keep records as pdfs instead of always printing out “hard copies” for your files.

Like most of you, I have a LOT of file folders in my office with information in them ranging from projects to purchases.  And while it’s good to know that if I ever NEED that information, it’s here in my space.  They sure do take up a lot of space in the mean time.

As much as we like to have our records with us, they are just that… RECORDS.  They are piece of past information.  And I’ve learned that if I’m not currently working on that project or with that client, it’s probably best to bundle it up the files, scan them in, and send them out.  Let them junk up someone else’s office.

Want to save space and resources?  Here’s what you do:

• BUNDLE – Gather up all of your old paper, documents and sketches and separate them into easily recalled bundles. You can categorize by client, project, month, type of document – or whatever works for you and your business.  Include with it files from past emails or online receipts.
• SCAN – Take time to scan in all of the data and save as pdfs.  If you have receipts, scan them in together.  And save all like files together in corresponding folders.

And I know what you are thinking.  I don’t want to chance my records to a computer that could crash or get stolen anytime. Not to worry.  I don’t want you to weigh your computer down with past records and your head down with worry.

• SEND – Upload your folders to a cyberspace storage unit.  Yes, the internet has these.  You pay roughly $50/yr to have an account (some accounts are even FREE) and upload however much stuff you want to this secure site.  You can access the data whenever you need it, which If you’re like me, is probably never.  My video blog is using the site box.net for an example.  Check out this article full of lots of storage site information.

Now.  I know this takes a lot of work to do, but I promise it’s worth the time and effort.  You can clear out some of your old file cabinets and get your space back!  Put a tree is that corner instead of that rusty old piece of metal.

The great thing about using the pdf and cyber storage to free up space around the office is that once you do it, you’ll find yourself printing less and saving files as pdfs to begin with… more. You’ll find yourself uploading information to your cyber unit daily… which will mean less paper waste and more office space for many years to come!

Follow the “Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF” series:

• Part 1 – How to Save File as PDF
• Part 2 – Finding Uses for the PDF
• Part 3 – Cyber Storage

How to Edit Ez-Pages in Zen Cart E-Commerce System

This tutorial shows you how to edit the content on the static ezpages of your zen cart e-commerce website.

Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF – Find Uses for the PDF

Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF – Part 2

So now that you know how to save files as PDFs, it’s time to learn what to do with this new found knowledge.  Whether you put it to use in your home or your office, I’m certain there is something you can digitally print to save money, time, and space.

Most people laugh in disbelief when they hear that I started out and ran my business successfully for two years without a printer.  I did.  It’s true.  I’ve always been the type of person to denounce a need of such technologies mainly because I was too lazy to go out and purchase one, but my resistance here paid off, because I soon found the next best thing… the PDF.

Things that most people print – invoices, contracts, proposals, receipts, project documents – I saved on my computer and accessed digitally only whenever I needed them.  I sent invoices to my clients (and still do today) via email and a pdf attachment. My clients can review the invoice,  get the total due, write the check, save the invoice into a business expenses folder on their computer and drop the check in the mail (or pay online).  It’s a win-win situation. The client got an invoice for his or her records and my business didn’t spend a penny.  No paper, no envelopes, no stamps, no trips to the post office.  When you send out 20+ invoices a month, all of those things add up.

Sure, there were definitely times when I needed to print something to have a hard copy or to sign and send back to a client, and those were the times when a printer would have come in handy.  Instead, I just made a quick trip down to Kinkos with my jump drive in hand.  I probably did that 4-5 times a year.

But I’m digressing here. I’m not saying that you should dump your printer.  No, not at all.  I just want you to start to think of new ways to send information without using paper.  Make it a game and take it one step at a time.

Think of all of the things you send out of your office to clients, customers, business associates, and vendors.  Is there something you can digitize?  The following are some ideas:

• Invoices, contracts, proposals
• Project notes
• Receipts from online purchases or bills payments.
• Posters and other promotional items
• Manuals and how-to tutorials

The PDF isn’t the end of printing, because there are still many things that should be printed and people out there who have to print EVERYTHING.  But using pdfs for everyday documents limits overall paper consumption and shifts the burden of paying for the printing to the person or party wanting it.

Follow the “Save the Earth; Embrace the PDF” series:

• Part 1 – How to Save File as PDF
• Part 2 – Finding Uses for the PDF
• Part 3 – Cyber Storage