More SEO tips for Designers

Placement Matters
When using Social Media as a method to attract viewers to your site you should think about other media outlet models. TV has prime time, radio has drive time, magazines have the first half, and newspapers have above the fold for a reason. Send your tweets and facebook updates when your audience is likely to receive them. For adults that means between 7 and 9 in the morning, around lunchtime, and again between 3 and 5. These are the times most people check their social media accounts while at work.

You can also capitalize on a big news day. If there's a political scandal, if a Kardashian gets married (or divorced), if there's a significant weather event, or any big news story. More and more people are turning to social media to check out their friends' opinions and responses. Use this for a spur of the moment sale that you tie into the event. For example a clothing store could easily have had a Herman Cain Sale: All Pants Half Off!

Ask sometimes...
SEO is really about generating interest in your website. Sure there are lots of little tricks and tweaks but sometimes we ignore the big stuff in spite of ourselves. Whether your on a date, in a marketing meeting, or an elevator one tip that always works is: "Let the other person talk." People enjoy talking, writing, and posting, so give them an outlet to do so on your website. Ask questions for viewers to answer! That is the easiest way to get started.

Social Outlets? No. Social Inlets!
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. should not be viewed as alternative ways to get your message out. Instead they should be strategically managed to create interest in your website. Post a short introduction to the content on your site and include a link directly to that content. This works best if you keep your website updated every few days with new and interesting information that relates to your website's product or service. How should you do that? Ummmm... blog.

Keyword linking... to do or not?
Keywords should both be used as links and also as regular text within paragraphs on your site. Using keywords as internal links makes sense for websites where individual pages can be devoted to a single topic or keyword phrase. Obviously though you should not use them as links going away from that page.

Folder Names
Yes, the names of the folders you use to organize your site are important. They should relate to the subject matter of your site content. For example the URL http://www.autostuff.com/cars/coupes/under30k/nissan.html is a huge improvement over http://www.autostuff.com/vehic/2whl/000175/x_7/nissan.html.

Be the Master of Many Domains
If you have several subjects within a website or even several important keywords that you want to dominate, it might be worth having multiple domains. Why? First, search engines usually list only one page per domain for any given search, and you might want two or more. Second, directories usually accept only home pages, so you can get additional directory listings this way.
I created a domain and pointed it to my Tumblr blog... there is very little SEO friendly content but because the domain is joeburroughs.com it makes the first page of listings when you google my name... go figure!

With Links Context is Key!
Links found inside paragraphs of text relating to the subject of the linked page are more valuable than those that are isolated or separated from copy. This is true when talking about inbound links, internal links, and outbound links. So to make sure you are getting the most out of all your links include them in copy relating to the subject of the page you are linking to and most importantly ask vendors or others to include links to your pages within text copy on their site that relates directly to your keywords and page titles!

Don't hide your pages in folders!
Search engines consider folders a way to prioritize content. Those pages closest to your root folder are seen as more important and more central to the purpose of your site. The closer your pages are in your sub-directories to your index page, the better they will rank in search engines. This is because pages that are listed right off the root directory are viewed as being more important than pages that are found four or five folder levels deep in the site.

Don't Create Link Pages
While inbound links are a huge goal in the SEO game, creating a page on your site devoted to outbound links is a bad idea! If you agree to link to another company's website do so in a way that is meaningful to your viewers and to search engines. Consider writing a short blog post about a vendor that has agreed to link to your site for example. Face it, link pages are wasted content for your customers and not favored by search engines. Search engines highly value links that are in context and appear related to the linked page. Some social networking sites (like Digg and del.icio.us) do favor pages that are lists of links, but don't expect them to improve your page rank with search engines.

Think Local
It may be very hard to get high page ranks if your company sells a common product or service. Being on the first page of search results for terms like "Pizza" or "Electronics" is quite a challenge. However you may not need that to increase business. Most people shop locally for goods and services when they can and always for things that don't ship well, last minute purchases, and perishables so capitalize on this. Focus your keywords to include the name of your city, town, or even neighborhood to maximize your results when someone is searching for a local vendor. Camera stores for instance could benefit from people who need an extra memory card or battery for a special event taking place soon. So instead of competing for "Cannon replacement batteries" try "Cannon replacement batteries specific neighborhood." I have a few customers that even go so far as to include major highway names or street names in their keywords!

Optimizing Pics for Google Image Search
A large number of Internet searches are image searches. To capitalize on this you need to optimize your web images for image searches on search engines like Google. Here are a few key tips: use keywords in your Alt tags, use descriptive text around your images, name your images with a keyword, and use keywords in any links to those images. This should push your images closer to the top of images searches!

10 SEO Tips for Beginners

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SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of preparing your website so that search engines like Google will rank it as highly as possible when users enter keywords and phrases to be searched. Here are 10 SEO tips on how you can easily optimize your site for improved rankings:

1. Use the bold tags around some of your keywords on each page. Do NOT use them everywhere the keyword appears. Once or twice is plenty. Do not be afraid to be BOLD!
2. Be sure you have a unique, keyword rich Title Tag on every page of your website. If you MUST have the name of your business in it, put it at the very end. Your company's name will get very few searches, unless you are a huge brand like Apple. If you are a huge brand... hire me.
3. Flash animations look great, but there is no searchable content for search engines to see. Also Flash does not work on all mobile platforms. Plus most users do not have the latest version of Flash and can't see your content anyway.
4. I already mentioned that your title tags for each page should be keyword rich... so should your actual file name for each page. Many search engines, including Google, are now matching page content to the page title and the actual URL. The best way to add keywords to the URL? Yep, file name. For example http://www.jwprinting.com/products/businesscards for a company selling cheap business cards ;) Yes, that is also a shameless plug.
5. The longer your site is active the more reputable search engines assume it is. Also when you buy your domain name make sure you pay for 5 years at a minimum. Most search engines check to see how long your domain agreement is when ranking sites. Only buying one year appears like a lack of faith or seriousness and loses priority over a 5 year plus agreement.
6. If you must use Java script drop down menus, flash menu bars, image maps, or image links, be sure to put basic text links somewhere on the page for the search engine spiders to follow.
7. Updated content can help improve your search engine rankings. Add new, useful content to your pages on a very regular basis. Search engines see new content as an indicator that the information on your site is current and topical. This can boost your page rank compared with those stagnant sites where content is rarely or never updated.
8. Double check all the links to your home page throughout your site. If index.html appended to your domain name you’re splitting your links. Outside links go to http://www.domain.com and internal links go to http://www.domain.com/index.html. make them all go to http://www.domain.com
9. Get in the habit of including the words “image” or “picture” in your photo and video ALT Tags, descriptions and captions. Most user searches are for a specific keyword plus one of those words.
10. Having the same or very similar content on more than one page of your site can result in downgrading by search engines. This is especially important if you have multiple blogs integrated into your site that may have overlapping content. Keep each page or each blog entry singularly focused and remove old content before adding new more current coverage of old topics.

Hopefully these 10 tips give you enough material to get started optimizing your site for search engines like Google. Following these 10 tips will help to increase your site's page rank and allow more customers to find your site!

I wrote another book!

I have been working on this text for a few years now. Mainly I have been focused on getting images of student projects to include. However, when I realized that the only other text I could choose for my upcoming Comprehensive Illustration course cost over $190 I kicked the project into high gear.

Projects for Illustration: a workbook guide came together over the last few months and I'm happy to say has already had some sales success. This book contains a series of seven design projects to be created using mixed media. From raw illustration to complex paintings, this book explains how to make your design work. Filled with full color examples and illustrations this is truly a how to guide for creating art and design projects.

Again, I owe a big thanks to the students who were kind enough to let me use their work as examples. I have been lucky enough to have many talented designers in my program over the years.

My next project may end up being a photography text. I'm also in talks with a publisher about writing a web design text but more than anything I need some time off!

Anyway, please check out Projects for Illustration: a workbook guide and feel free to send me samples of your work to include in future versions. I really do get a kick out of seeing what other designers are doing and I'd love to update this book to include a wider variety of project ideas.

New Oil Spill Shirt Hits Home with Fans Across the US

Burroughs Bitches, a unique online clothing retailer, has hit what appears to be a home run with their new, "I'm tired of all this mother f**kin oil in this mother f**kin gulf" shirt. The oil spill based design features a cartoon on a red background. "The oil spill has been going on for 50 days now and people are fed up." says a spokesperson for Burroughs Bitches.

The Charlotte, North Carolina based clothing line has been quietly gaining popularity over the past year, and what started as a joke is growing into a pretty big deal. Online sales of this and other designs by Burroughs Bitches have been made as far away as Austria and they seem to be very popular in California, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas.

To see the shirt visit: http://www.cafepress.com/JoeBurroughs.453882447

Using New Media to Meet Your Small Business Goals: Part 5

The website acts as salesperson, secretary, and more for many small businesses. However many websites are all but invisible to the major search engines. One way to increase your company’s rankings on search engines is to create valuable content that both matches the subject of and links to your company site. Blogger is quite possibly the best new media tool to do just that. Think of Blogger as your company’s PR channel. Every noteworthy accomplishment, conference, new product, new hire, new client, etc. should be written up using the keywords you want associated with your site. The titles and first few sentences are the most important areas for keywords in your posts. Also be sure to include several links directly to the relevant pages within your site, not just to your main page. This will increase your rankings over time in the major search engines.

This is the fifth in a series of articles covering the topic of new media for the small business. For the complete article please visit www.workingcharlotte.com or pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Working Charlotte Magazine.

About the Author - With over 15 years in the Charlotte design community Joe Burroughs brings a range of skills to the table. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a concentration in Advertising from Appalachian State University and a masters of Science in print media from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently chairs the graphic design department at King’s College and is a sought after lecturer on various design topics. Joe is on the cutting edge of new media in the Charlotte community helping retailers and businesses cope with social networking and search engine marketing among other issues. Joe recently accepted the position of New Media Specialist with CGR Creative an advertising agency located in the South End area of Charlotte.

Using New Media to Meet Your Small Business Goals: Part 4

Another common source of lead generation is linkedin. Many businesses dismiss linkedin, as only for job seekers or companies looking to hire new talent, but upon further examination it is a lead generating nirvana for many small businesses. Consultants, printers, marketers, and any company that services either individuals or other businesses should be fishing in this pond. Linkedin provides access to both big fish, large companies looking to hire, and small fish, talent looking for their next opportunity. The key here is positioning your company as a solution to the larger companies or as a resource to the individual job seekers.

This is the fourth in a series of articles covering the topic of new media for the small business. For the complete article please visit www.workingcharlotte.com or pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Working Charlotte Magazine.

About the Author - With over 15 years in the Charlotte design community Joe Burroughs brings a range of skills to the table. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a concentration in Advertising from Appalachian State University and a masters of Science in print media from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently chairs the graphic design department at King’s College and is a sought after lecturer on various design topics. Joe is on the cutting edge of new media in the Charlotte community helping retailers and businesses cope with social networking and search engine marketing among other issues. Joe recently accepted the position of New Media Specialist with CGR Creative an advertising agency located in the South End area of Charlotte.

Using New Media to Meet Your Small Business Goals: Part 3

Generating leads is a goal of almost every business and there are several new media options available that help deliver new contacts. Twitter is an obvious choice but many businesses overlook the true power it offers. Not only can you accumulate followers who will receive your updates, but also you can actively network by using twitter’s search functions. A company that specializes in catering might search the phrase “Charlotte Wedding” or “Charlotte Event” and reply to any applicable comments. Again you want to be careful that you don’t abuse this process by being too sales heavy. Think of it as introducing yourself at a party or gathering... after all it is social media.

This is the third in a series of articles covering the topic of new media for the small business. For the complete article please visit www.workingcharlotte.com or pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Working Charlotte Magazine.

About the Author - With over 15 years in the Charlotte design community Joe Burroughs brings a range of skills to the table. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a concentration in Advertising from Appalachian State University and a masters of Science in print media from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently chairs the graphic design department at King’s College and is a sought after lecturer on various design topics. Joe is on the cutting edge of new media in the Charlotte community helping retailers and businesses cope with social networking and search engine marketing among other issues. Joe recently accepted the position of New Media Specialist with CGR Creative an advertising agency located in the South End area of Charlotte.

Using New Media to Meet Your Small Business Goals: Part 2

If your business has the ability to create videos of the services you provide youtube is a great tool. If you question the ability of youtube to create brand awareness simply search the phrase “Will it blend?” in your favorite search engine. This will undoubtedly lead you to Blendtec’s website. The buzz for this brand was created by simple yet funny viral videos uploaded to youtube. There is no way to assure your business will create the next viral phenomenon but it is a great way to capture Internet surfers who are already looking for products and services similar to yours.

This is the second in a series of articles covering the topic of new media for the small business. For the complete article please visit www.workingcharlotte.com or pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Working Charlotte Magazine.

About the Author - With over 15 years in the Charlotte design community Joe Burroughs brings a range of skills to the table. He has a bachelor’s degree in Communication with a concentration in Advertising from Appalachian State University and a masters of Science in print media from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently chairs the graphic design department at King’s College and is a sought after lecturer on various design topics. Joe is on the cutting edge of new media in the Charlotte community helping retailers and businesses cope with social networking and search engine marketing among other issues. Joe recently accepted the position of New Media Specialist with CGR Creative an advertising agency located in the South End area of Charlotte.