Are you new to Search Engine Optimization?  If so here is a great video explaining what SEO is and why you need it for your business.

While there is possibility hundreds of steps to Search Engine Optimization, here is an overview of the necessary steps to take in creating a successful SEO campaign.

Research:  The importance to researching Keywords, Competition and Current rankings is key when performing an SEO Campaign.  As it takes a lot of effort and time in order to rank on the 1^st page in Google for a keyword phrase.  And if you are focusing on the wrong keywords you could be wasting money.

Before you do anything with Search Engine Optimization, proper research is essential.  Be clear on the keyword traffic, competition and effectiveness prior to starting optimization.  Sometimes starting with a PPC campaign is a great place to begin to test and analyze keywords in the “wild” prior to spending money with natural Search Engine Optimization.

Onsite Optimization:  Once you have a clear understand of the keywords that you plan on focusing on.  Then next step is to optimize those keywords into your web site.  Making sure the keywords are used within your copy, title, headlines and Meta information.  How they are used and placed into the site is important as well.

Offsite Optimization:  This is the big one, which most all new to the Search Engine Optimization world miss.   While it is very important to have the proper keywords, and all your web pages optimized correctly for those keywords.

Although if your keywords have any competition you will need more than just online optimization. You will actually need to obtain backlinks pointing to your website.  Like I always tell clients there is only 10 spots on the first page of Google search.  So if you make it to the home page someone else has been pushed off the home page. The only other way for Google looks sites is too see who has the most backlinks. 

Summary:  Overall this is a simplistic view of Search Engine Optimization, as there are hundreds of factors within these 3 areas which can affect your rankings for keywords.  Although, these 3 basic steps are key to your success with Search Engine Optimization.  If you are looking at gaining rankings within Google and would like a consultation give us a call.

If you looking for a good book on the fundamentals of web usability I would highly recommend "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug.  Many people in the usability community consider this book as an excellent starting point to web usability.

While much of what he says is common sense and somewhat obvious. Definitely “Don’t Make Me Think" is solid book explaining web usability in layman terms.

Whether you are a newbie to usability or a veteran looking for a quick refresher course, go ahead and pick yourself up a copy.

Don’t Make Me Think: Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
 

One of the most common questions I get asked by clients is “what is the best platform too build my web site on, Drupal or Wordpress?”. Over the last 10 years I have probably used over a half dozen Content Management Systems (CMS) including Wordpress. And after internal comparison (in addition to client feedback) it has been very clear that Drupal is the far superior and overall winner as the better CMS between the two.

Traditionally Wordpress was designed as a single user blogging platform and tends to be good for building blogs and simple brochure type web sites.

While Drupal was originally built as an overall CMS giving it the ability to simply build blogs and brochure web sites (like wordpress), in addition too larger and more complex web sites. Drupal is great at building everything from e-commerce web site, wikis, forums, multi user blogs , online magazines, social networks and large enterprise web sites.

In addition too the overall scalability I have also found many of the modules including ones for Search Engine Optimization tend to be much easier and effective too use.

Overall I can say that Wordpress is no doubt a solid blogging platform, and have used in the past to build many web sites. Although once I started using Drupal (in addition to client feedback) it was very clear that Drupal was a far more flexible, scalable and overall smarter CMS.
 

I can think of many reasons why someone might start and maintain a blog:

Blogs? Yeah We Got That

1. You have something to say

2. You enjoy the craft of writing

3. You want to figure out what you think, and do so in public

4. You want to be part of a larger community of like minded individuals

5. You have a hobby or interest that you are really, really into

6. You want to maintain a presence

7. You have an expertise and you want to share it

8. You have an eye for content (text, graphics and video) and you enjoy leading other people to them

9. You want to create a online record of what you are reading, looking at or thinking about

10. You like engaging in debate with total strangers

That’s off the top of my head.

Note that each of these bullet points begins with YOU. Blogs are about what YOU want to produce, regardless of how many readers shows up. The Big Picture would
more or less be the same content with 100 or a 100,000 daily readers.