Ryan Roofing Website Redesign by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com announces website redesign for Ryan Roofing.

Ryan Roofing specializes in roofing, siding of all types, replacement windows, gutters, as well as soffit and fascia in the Twin Cities MN area.

Visit www.ryanroofingco.com for a list of all services available from Ryan Roofing.

Make efforts towards getting a fresh web design by requesting a free quote for web design at www.webdrafter.com.

A Remodeled Website for Mathews Funeral Home

WebDrafter.com announces the redesign of the Mathews Funeral Home website.

Matthews Funeral Home is a full service funeral home offering funeral services tailored to your specific needs.  They offer a full line of funeral merchandise including quality caskets, burial vaults, burial garmets, cremation urns, cremation caskets, cremation vaults and associated products.

Visit www.mathewsfuneralhome.com for more information!

Want to better serve your clients and customers?  Visit www.webdrafter.com now to request a free estimate for web design.

The Galler Law Firm LLC Website Redesign by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com is happy to announce the website redesign for The Galler Law Firm LLC.

Galler Law Firm, of Georgia, is there to help if you are in the middle of a financial crisis and thinking about filing bankruptcy.

For more information on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, visit www.georgiabankruptcyattorney.net now.

Looking to better serve your clients or customers?  Visit www.webdrafter.com now to request a free web design quote.

BugStuff Ecommerce Web Design

WebDrafter.com is proud to announce the ecommerce web design for BugStuff.

BugStuff is a seller of quality VB Beetle parts.  Products include air cooled Volkswagen Bug engine, brakes, transmission and more.  Performance and restoration parts available.

Visit www.bugstuffonline.com to view all products offered.

Make efforts towards getting a fresh ecommerce web design by requesting a free web design quote at www.webdrafter.com.

Make SEO, SEM and SMM Easier to Understand

Talking about my job isn't always easy sometimes.

“So, what do you do?” I was asked the other day. “Oh, I do Internet marketing,” I responded. The conversation then went something like this:

“Oh, cool. Do you do SEO?”

“Yeah! You know about SEO?”

“It's where you get people to go to your website, right?”

“Well, kinda.”

The Internet marketing alphabet soup – SEO, SEM and the new SMM – can be understandably difficult to understand. Each piece interacts with the others, and the process doesn't work unless all three pieces run smoothly together. Without a properly optimized (SEO) website, you can't get search engines (SEM) to find it and without that, people won't discuss (SMM) it on Facebook or Twitter.

Here's how I tend to think about the three:

SEO = Smashing Every Obstacle

The basic premise behind search engine optimization is to get your site prepared to be found on search engines. Sounds easy enough, right? Depending on the product or service, you could be facing some hefty competition (obstacles) to people finding you. How do you break through these obstacles? Have your website optimized with great content and the right keywords. Your SEO is sure to be an optimization masterpiece and an obstacle smasher.

SEM = Sending Everyone to Me

SEO is merely the first step. The second part is to get the word out with some search engine marketing. This should be all about getting your message out there, telling your audience about the products and services you have to offer. In doing this, it's all about getting traffic to your website, as more traffic leads usually to more sales. And you do this with great SEM that is all about sending everyone to you.

SMM = Social Means More

I've had many tell me, “I have a Facebook/Twitter account, but I have nothing interesting to say, so I don't use it.” They're missing on the monetary rewards associated with great social media marketing. Having an account is only one part: using it reaps the rewards. Your fans and followers might be discussing you, so why not jump in? The more engaging you are, the better the chance you'll have at turning those fans into repeat buyers.

A Remodel for TitusContracting.com

Twin Cities commercial construction contractor Titus Contracting excels in commercial remodeling and renovation. They wanted the same for their website, so the WebDrafter.com team got to work. With some careful finesse, we gave www.TitusContracting.com a new look, built on WordPress.

Check it out and let us know what you think. And be sure to visit www.TitusContracting.com.

The Ins and Outs of QR Codes

You’ve probably seen them on business cards, flyers and other promotional materials. They are often referred to as “bar codes,” and many folks have no idea how to use them, while others whip out their smartphone whenever they see one. As QR Codes become more popular, however, you’re sure to see more people getting out the smartphone to scan them.

Quick Response

QR is an acronym for “Quick Response.” The quick response comes from the code being scanned and the object – a link, picture, information, etc. – being given to the scanner in short time.

Quick Access

Many companies who WebDrafter.com has worked with have used the codes on business cards, advertisements, flyers and other printed materials to give quick access to their websites. As smartphones are becoming more prevalent, many business owners have recognized the popularity and marketing possibilities associated with them. The QR Code is just one of these.

Quick Usage

In order to scan a QR Code, you need a smartphone with a camera and a QR Reader. There are different applications available for the various kinds of smartphones available. Some of the more popular free ones include (click the app name to go to a page to download it):

• iPhone: QR Reader, NeoReader and Semacode
• Android: QR Droid, BeeTagg and EggMon
• BlackBerry: QR Code Scanner, Code Muncher and QRem
• Windows Phone: i-nigma and UpCode

Upon downloading it, install the application onto your phone. Many have a button that can be clicked to scan the code. Give it a try on the QR Code at left, and get scanning!

Border Buddie Website Design

WebDrafter.com is proud to unveil the newly redesigned website for Border Buddie.

Border Buddie is “the ultimate wallpaper border hanging tool,” and can help users to hang wallpaper borders by themselves.

Visit www.BorderBuddie.com to check out the site and to view the product. 

Don't Let Your Internet Marketing Fail ...

From Mashable.com

The death of British songstress Amy Winehouse was a stark reminder of the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but also reminded Internet marketing gurus why death is not a good marketing ploy.

Microsoft and Apple came recently under heavy fire for, as critics accused them, using Winehouse’s death to encourage the purchase of her albums on the Zune and iTunes services. Both companies offered an apology for their “tacky” tweets and advertising efforts.

So, it’s never a good idea to use any celebrity’s death for marketing a product. What else shouldn’t you have used in your Internet marketing efforts? Here are three things that are sure to set back any campaign, and that WebDrafter.com will never do:

1. Lack of research

When your SEM company launched your campaign, did they ask for your input about keyword research (i.e. what people are/you want people to find you under on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.)? Or did they just decide the list on their own?

When it comes to search engine prominence, you should be asked for what words you wish to rank under. There should be a dialogue between you and your SEO company about what keywords are likely to best serve you, and which aren’t. If you were kept out of the loop, this is an indicator the company didn’t put much effort into researching the keywords and what is being targeted will probably not result in the best ROI.

2. Sending unsolicited e-mail

Everyone hates spam. Blog spam, forum spam, e-mail spam, Facebook spam, etc. It’s annoying, but most spam can be ignored. E-Mail spam, however, is a little different. Even though most e-mail providers (GMail, Hotmail, etc.) have great spam protocols in place, unsolicited mail will every so often make its way into our inbox.

Spam will not gain you any customers. It will not increase your search engine results. It will not result in traffic to your website. It may, however, drive away business and cost you rankings. Offer persons a newsletter for which they can sign up, so those who are interested can receive it and you won’t pester those who don’t.

3. Deception

You should never lie to your customers. If you promise savings on a product, you better be willing to come through, lest you anger buyers and cause business to take a nosedive. Your clients will want to deal with a company that is forthright and honest. If you’re not going to be true to your word, then there’s no use for customers to deal with you. 

Long-Term SEO/SEM Gains

You’ve seen the banner ads: “We will get you to the top of Google quickly!” ”Guaranteed High Rankings Fast with Our Services!” “We’ll make you No. 1 in no time!” Self-proclaimed SEO and SEM (search engine marketing) experts touting their expertise, proclaiming themselves to be the Pied Piper of Search Engine Results: they blow their flute and the high rankings simply follow.

Oh, if it were only so simple.

Yes, these companies might be able to quickly get you to No. 1 on Google, Yahoo and Bing. You’ll see success: with more traffic comes more business.

However, it won’t last long.

Companies that boast how they have the “magic formula” or the “secret recipe” to search engine marketing success are blowing hot air. And businesses swayed by these braggers often end up to be Internet marketing victims.

How?

Say you own a restaurant in the Finger Lakes, NY region. Your specialty is Italian food. But, you find your business losing customers to the diner down the street, thanks to their aggressive marketing tactics. You decide to call XYZ Internet Marketing, which gloats about its amazing Internet successes. “We’ll get you to No. 1 on Google for ‘restaurant finger lakes,’” they tell you. They’re so convincing, how could you not believe them? A month later, your site is the top result for that query. Business picks up.

Then, business falls sharply. You find out your site is nowhere to be found on Google. You panic, wondering how this could happen. Then, you hear the term “Black Hat SEO” and wonder if that’s the reason why.

“Black Hat SEO” is everything that is wrong and unethical with SEO/SEM. Companies that specialize in these practices focus more on short-term gains, winning you over early, and once the bottom drops out, they’ll say, “Well, we just need to do this and everything will be fine!” Of course, it’s going to cost you more money, and the results will be nil.

True SEM professionals look at your industry’s market down the road, and will be straightforward with you:

• SEM/SEO is not an overnight process
• SEM/SEO is not a magic bullet
• SEM/SEO is a great effort
• SEM/SEO can and will take a while for results
• SEM/SEO patience can reap great rewards

Do the terms “honest” and “forthright” describe your SEO company? Or are they focusing more on the short term rather than the long term?

Fine Archtops Webdesign by WebDrafter.com

Steve Wagner wanted an online home for all lovers of archtop guitars, so he got the idea for www.FineArchtops.com. Wanting to ensure the website got the proper exposure it deserved, he hired WebDrafter.com to handle the website design, SEO and SEM portions. The design is clean and simple, invoking the aesthetics of a classic archtop guitar.

If you’re looking to keep clean and simple, or even a little more complex, get in touch with WebDrafter.com by visiting www.WebDrafter.com.

Matthews Funeral Home Website Redesign by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com is happy to feature its recent website redesign of www.MathewsFuneralHome.com.

Mathews Funeral Home provides full-service funeral services tailored to clients in Albany GA and surrounding areas. For more information about Mathews Funeral Home, visit www.MathewsFuneralHome.com.

Make efforts toward getting a fresh web design by requesting a free webdesign estimate at www.WebDrafter.com.

Google+: A Plus to Social Media?

It was a day all interested in social media and search engine marketing were waiting for: Google’s answer to Facebook.

What would it look like? Would it change the face of social media, and make Facebook the new MySpace? Would the Google Buzz disaster repeat itself?

Then it rolled out …

The Google+ Project. “Real-life sharing rethought for the web.” The service currently isn’t open to the public, but two WebDrafter.com (@WebDrafter) staff members, lead developer Kevin Crider (@WDKevin) and Internet marketing head Thom Casey (@WDThom), managed to get their hands on invitations.

Despite the service not being open to the public at large, Google+ has gotten a lot of buzz (no pun intended). Is it the “Facebook killer”? Will people leave the nation of Zuckerberg to align themselves with the republic of Page and Brin? Kevin and Thom decided to tackle this question, as well as give an overall review of the search engine king’s newest offering.

Comparisons with Google Buzz

Thom: “Google Buzz came and went without much fuss, except the privacy issues. I never used Buzz that much, and it’s now being replaced by Google+ and the +1 button. I don’t think it’s fair to compare Plus and Buzz, except they’re both used to share content. Hopefully, Google worked out all the privacy kinks and Google+ won’t suffer the fate of its older, less liked brother.”

Kevin: “I disabled Google Buzz the day it went live. I never used it, never had the desire.”

Design

Thom: “Google is the perfect example of a ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ company. The default profile theme is atypical Google: black text on a white background. Google themes allow users to make it look anyway they want – yes, including giving it a Facebook look – so if one of your gripes with Facebook was the look, then Google’s newest addition might better whet your Internet palette.”

Kevin: “It's been said before, but I absolutely love the new look and feel. Google has done 'just enough' to make it right. It's strikingly similar to Facebook, yet different enough to establish its own identity. The concept is close enough to Facebook, with a Twitter twist thrown in, that it just might succeed.”

Usability

Thom: “I’ve used Facebook since college, so I’m too used to expecting all social networks to operate the same way. I’m not quite getting Circles, which allows users to organize people into groups. However, I give the developers credit for seamlessly integrating most of Google’s offerings in here, including +1 and GTalk. The Sparks feature is interesting as it will feed you news related to your interests, almost like a hashtag or RSS. The overall navigation is very easy to use, even if some of the features are confusing.”

Kevin: "I find the interface to be strikingly similar to Facebook, but when you're taking on a conglomerate as big as the ’Book, too much change will deter the 500 million-plus users you are targeting. Google+ has done it right, so far. They have capitalized on the weak points of Facebook, while improving upon the stronger points. Circles is a way to categorize your different friends, but that's only the beginning. Google also allows content sharing based upon these Circles, as well as so much more. The main difference is the lack of a friendship request. You can add anyone you want to your circle, a lot like following them on Twitter."

Is Google+ the Facebook killer?

Thom: “As of this moment, no. Could it be? It’s possible. No one thought MySpace would lose its footing as king of social network mountain. Facebook has over half a billion users, and while Google might be the authority on search engines, it still has a long way to go when it comes to social media. Facebook’s appeal is that brings everyone together. Until Google+ comes up with a feature akin to Facebook pages (be sure to like the WebDrafter page), it will never truly compete with Zuckerberg’s monster.”

Kevin: “There will be no motivation for most people to switch with the sheer amount of children and older people using Facebook. When Facebook launched, it was targeted at college students, who make up the majority of the trendsetters in today’s eWorld. Soon after, the kids looking up to them wanted to join and the grandparents wanting to stay in touch followed suit, and that demographic created the desire for everyone to be on Facebook. If Google can continue to capitalize on Facebook's downfalls while outdoing them at what they've done right, it absolutely could be the Facebook killer. Until then, we wait.”

Pinnacle Plumbing Web Design by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com is proud to unveil the website design of www.Pinnacle-Plumbing.biz.

Pinnacle Plumbing & Heating Inc. provides commercial plumbing and heating solutions to clients throughout Pennsylvania. All of their services can be found on www.Pinnacle-Plumbing.biz.

Make the first step toward ensuring online success by visiting www.WebDrafter.com and getting a free web design estimate.

Thoughts on the “new” Google

Every time Google does something different, the SEO and SEM worlds feel it. Algorithm changes require different approaches in the way search engine marketing is done. After all, it’s Google, arguably the “be all, end all” of search engines.

Well, there was another earthquake this week. This one was bigger than most. First, it was the announcement of Google +, the search engine’s king answer to Facebook. One can only hope this social network won’t suffer the fate of Google Buzz. According to the Washington Post:

“Circles lets you group your contacts — e.g. friends, work, family. Like Facebook, this features lets you share information with groups of contacts instead of hitting everyone with your latest update at once. Sparks acts like an RSS reader or Facebook news feed, letting you input things you’re interested in and pushing relevant content to you. Hangouts features live group video chats, aiming to foster spontaneous meetings with up to 10 people. You can also alert certain groups of friends when you’re hanging out.”

Alas, Google + is currently invite only and, well, there are no invitations being doled out.

The one change that every Googler can see is the “new” Google. It’s still the same Google, but almost looks completely different. “Just enough” of a change, said one member of the WebDrafter team.

The first thing that caught our eye was the black bar at the top. The front page, for the most part, looks relatively the same. The differences really attract notice on the results pages.

Google Instant, or searching as you type, has gotten a little faster. The former gray search box is now blue. Much like the smartphone app, you can now search by voice, eliminating the need for fingers.

It really isn’t that much of a change, but the new Google is in many ways totally different from what Google used to be. It’s taking all facets of the Internet together and merging them. It’s in many ways a perfect mesh of the mobile and desktop versions,.

And of course, there’s A Google A Day.

You get a question, you Google to find the answer and then a story is shared. A nice, fun feature for those who really love searching the Internet. One has to wonder though: Have all these changes been rolled out because the Android OS, a Google creation, has become the number one mobile OS? Has Google finally reached its peak?

We hope not. 

Hartmann Well Drilling Website Design by WebDrafter.com

The goal for the new www.HartmannWellDrilling.com was to produce a web design that honored Hartmann Well Drilling’s past, but look toward its future. This is most exemplified in the Flash header, which displays past and pictures of the MN well drilling company’s equipment. The rustic look makes this site yet another of our favorites, while we’re also proud of the SEO and SEM efforts being utilized.

Want to honor online your company’s accomplishments? Get in touch with www.WebDrafter.com to get your free website design quote.

Link Building FAQ

Here are five of the most common questions the WebDrafter.com staff gets about link building:

What’s a backlink?

Backlinks (incoming links, inbound links, etc.) are incoming links to a website or page. Every time you post to Facebook or tweet a link, you are giving the site a backlink.

What’s their importance in SEO?

The generally accepted theory is that the more backlinks a site has, the better it will rank on Google, Yahoo and Bing. While a good number of backlinks is still needed to rank high on search engines, recent changes have stressed quality over quantity, and sites with original, well-written content have begun to rank higher over ones with thousands of backlinks.

Is there good backlinking vs. bad backlinking?

Yes. One of the more popular, “black hat” tactics involves commenting on blogs and forums with good Google PageRanks (PR). You’ve probably seen these comments, the one that add nothing to to the conversation, are vague or have nothing to do at all with what is being discussed. Many so-called SEO practitioners do this only for the backlink, knowing the good PR gives them a valuable inlink. However, this is nothing more than spam and may hurt rankings (we’ll get to that in a little bit).

If you’re going to post on blogs and forums for a backlink, then find ones that cater to your industry or specialty and have a high PR. Become part of the conversation and offer your input. This way is much more enjoyable as you’ll find pleasure in building links, and much less frustrating to users who comment for enjoyment.

Can backlinks harm SEO efforts?

Yes. In February, JC Penney was punished by Google and lost many of its rankings. JC Penney hired an SEO firm who got them top placements for terms like “bedding” and “area rugs,” but the problem is that these links were done through blog spam and paid links designed to fool Google’s algorithm. WordStream had a great post on this debacle.

Links need to be built naturally and over time to be beneficial to your SEO efforts. You can’t just go on a massive link spree and do thousands of backlinks in a short period. Link expert Eric Ward explained it like this in a recent Search Engine Land post:

If a site launches in response to a disaster, like GulfOilSpill.org, then 4,000 links is to be expected and is totally natural. But if you have a two year old bingo site with 121 links and you suddenly add 4000 new links in a very short period of time, chances are your bingo site will go bye-bye. It’s not likely to have been natural. 

Should I buy links?

It should be noted that paid links don’t refer to advertisements, like those on Google AdWords. They refer to those that are bought and sold only for the PR.

Paid links can quickly give you high Google rankings. However, it’s not recommended you buy links, although there are plenty of sites out there that will gladly sell you one. There are two types of links out there: follow and nofollow. Paid links with the nofollow attribute (pretty much a way to tell search engines, “Don’t follow us”) are OK in Google’s book.

Google looks at paid follow links as cheating, and developers are working constantly to develop tools and ways to find these links. From Google Webmaster Central:

Google and most other search engines use links to determine reputation. A site's ranking in Google search results is partly based on analysis of those sites that link to it. Link-based analysis is an extremely useful way of measuring a site's value, and has greatly improved the quality of web search. Both the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of links count towards this rating.

However, some SEOs and webmasters engage in the practice of buying and selling links that pass PageRank, disregarding the quality of the links, the sources, and the long-term impact it will have on their sites. Buying or selling links that pass PageRank is in violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines and can negatively impact a site's ranking in search results. 

Not all paid links violate our guidelines. Buying and selling links is a normal part of the economy of the web when done for advertising purposes, and not for manipulation of search results. Links purchased for advertising should be designated as such.

Got link building questions? Get in touch with WebDrafter.com today about our link building services.  

Carbide Construction Website Redesign by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com is proud to highlight the website redesign of www.CarbideConstruction.com.

Carbide Construction provides modular additions, and kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects to Northern Virginia. To take a look at their services, visit www.CarbideConstruction.com.

Get a fresh look, more traffic and better sales. Request a free website design estimate now at www.WebDrafter.com.

Why Twitter Is a Great Search Engine

When companies talk about SEO and search engine marketing, they are talking mainly about getting your site high rankings on the Big 3: Google, Yahoo and Bing. However, as Twitter continues to grow, it will be more than just a microblogging platform, but a search engine that can compete with the current search engine kings.

Twitter is a great search engine for Internet users because you will find only the most pertinent issues of the day. Apple apparently agrees, as it recently made Twitter the official social media service for iOS5, the latest version of the software that runs the iPhone, iPad and its other portable devices. The two will be integrated to the point that many results will come from Twitter, skipping over traditional search engine results.

For example, here's a screen shot of the Twitter search results for "cars":

We get a healthy mix of information, news and promotion, as well as a Dane Cook joke. It might not seem like that much of a change from Google or Bing SERPs, but this is what real people are talking about in real time. Twitter is essentially searching human interaction.

Here is what appears when you query "cars" in Google:

What appears is whatever the search engine robots have deemed most important, taking out the human element.

That's not to say Google, Yahoo and Bing aren't important for great search engine optimization efforts. You can't not focus on them. But, services like Facebook and Twitter are becoming more important for businesses to use to find out what potential customers are talking about, so they too can get in on the action. As more people sign up for Facebook or start Tweeting, you will need to have your business follow suit, lest you fall behind.

Delta Construction Website Redesign by WebDrafter.com

WebDrafter.com is proud to showcase the website redesign of www.DeltaConstruction.biz.

Delta Construction provides general contractor services to areas in Minnesota and Kansas. To view all their offerings, visit www.DeltaConstruction.biz.

Visit www.WebDrafter.com for a free website design quote.