Posts by gwdlv

I came across this great tool from another blog and decided to see if anyone was stealing our content, and low and behold I found a company in Florida that took my design, changed a few colors and called it their own.

They even stole our promotion we offer our web design clients. As if stealing wasn’t bad enough my concern is search engines flagging our site for duplicate content. I hope the search spiders are smart enough to know who was first.

Stealing content online happens all the time a simple click and drag of the mouse is all it takes. Check out Copyscape to see if anyone is stealing your web design or content.

After being in business for almost 12 years, we have learned a few things about Web Design (small pun). When we get a call or a quote request and the first thing said or written is “I want a small simple site”, I know this person does not know the value of their website.

In the Web Design and Graphic Design business we are constantly having to justify the costs for our work since the things we create are not tangible. Our clients are not able to see all the work and knowledge required to build a top quality website.

When a person says they just want a 1 page website, my first question to them is, “what are your offline marketing plans for your business, because a 1 page website will not get much search engine traffic?” For some they are thrown off by this remark, and give me a look of question, almost like I insulted them. I do this sometimes to verbally shake the person so they will better understand my explanation to come.

Google or any search engine’s job is to index content so people can search it. With the millions of websites online, why would a search engine waste its time with a 1 page website? It obviously can’t be that important if there is only 1 page dedicated to that subject, so yes the search engine will index that 1 page but you will not have someone find it unless they type in your company name directly.

If you were looking to have a storefront built for your business, and you were getting a bid from a contractor to do the work and said to them, I just want a small simple building, you might get a box with 4 walls and a roof.

That is how you must think about your website. For most, this is there first impression of your business. It is the job of your website to convey the true value of your business.

Is this starting to make more sense?

Do you want new potential clients to see a 1 page website, is 1 page enough to tell the story about your company? Whether you are a new company or you have been around for years, there is no way 1 page of text can tell the whole story about what you have to offer them.

Building a quality website requires a balance between being easy to read, and not writing a novel for each page of your website. If you offer a lot of different services, like we offer Web Design, Graphic Design, Web Hosting, and Printing, don’t try and make all that fit on one page, dedicate one page for each service. This has 2 benefits, the first is, it is easier to read, secondly a dedicated page to each service will help it rank higher in search engine results for that service.

Ok so you have your services on dedicated pages, now it is time to really show your potential new clients you know what you are talking about. Let’s face it when someone visits your website they don’t know you from Adam, so what can you do on your website to show you know your business?…that’s easy, you need to Blog. I know ugh, I am a plumber, not a writer, or I am a landscaper, why do I need to write? Again this is an easy question to answer, if you write articles on your website you are showing people you know your business inside and out.

Say someone is looking online for an easy way to clean the drain in their shower, and on your plumbing service site you write a blog post, about using common household items to remove hair clogging a shower drain, you have accomplished 2 things. You have passed along a small part of your experience which makes that person see you in a new light, they say to themselves, this person really knows about plumbing. Believe it or not, you have also taking a tiny leap into search engine marketing.

The key to search engine marketing is to not only have a search engine drive traffic to your home page but every page of your site. Writing blog posts on certain subjects in your field creates more entry points to your website. Maybe your next post is about fixing a leaking faucet, someone searching for this finds your post, and again, there is another potential client.

I know you are probably saying, well why would I want to give away all my secrets? I put the time and work in to learn this. I am not saying you give away all your knowledge, you write to show you know your business, and just because you tell someone how to do something doesn’t always mean they can do your job.

I can build just about anything out of wood. I have also been around people that can weld. I have watched them and I understand what needs to be done but I still can not weld.

I could write an article about how to use Photoshop to design a business card, it doesn’t mean everyone can do it.

Ok so what have we learned so far? Your website is the first thing people see about your company, you have your services on their own pages and you have a bunch of quality blog posts, that tells your visitors you know your stuff. Now can you see how there is no value in a simple small website?

Having a well constructed website also has the same effect, as the difference between a person having the high school diploma and someone that just got their GED. Having a diploma shows people you can commit to something and complete it. Having a strong web presence adds strength to your brand, it tells people you put the leg work in because you care about your brand.

Some small websites give people an uneasy feeling like you might be a fly-by-night company. You know you have been in business for the past 15 years but a tiny site doesn’t say that.

Now your next thought might be, “oh you are telling me to build a bigger site so you can charge me more”, and you couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I write this just like the blog posts I mentioned earlier. I am sharing my 12 years of experience with you on how to create a successful website, and just like you, I want to produce quality work. The success of your website is the success of my company. If I build a site that doesn’t produce, you tell your friends, that they shouldn’t use us to build their website because the one we built for you didn’t get you any new business. I would much rather build a site that doubles your business, and you tell your friends, if you need a website you have to contact Graphic Web Design!!! Our only goal is to help your business grow.

I just had a flower shop here in Las Vegas follow us, and wondered why? I looked and they had one Tweet, one Follower, and were following over 700 people. It is clear they need a lesson in Social Media. This article will show you what social media is.

The idea behind any social media site be it Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, is to be a part of a community. Most people that blindly start marketing their business with social media tend to make unrepairable mistakes.

Using the example above, let’s look at their mistake. Ok so maybe they thought let’s follow everyone in Las Vegas and maybe that will get us more followers. Sounds good in theory but it goes against everything in social media. It is right there in the name, "be social". You need to be part of the conversation, and following people that really have no interest in your business is a waste of time.

When you look to follow people on Twitter or Like them on Facebook, you have to be able add to the conversation. Simply spouting out special offers from your business is not part of the conversation.

When I look for someone to follow on Twitter I first look at how many Tweets they have posted. Then I look at what they Tweet. Do they Tweet quality content? Do they Tweet about content they wrote, or do the simply Retweet other people’s content? I then look at their website, this also tells me if this person is worth following.

If someone has a ton of followers and is following a ton of people but only has a few tweets, why would you want to follow them? They are not saying anything.

After I make the decision to follow someone I click the Follow button, then I take a look at the suggestions made by Twitter, and do the same thing all over again.

When you follow people that have similar interests you are bound to have them follow you back. These are also the people that will truly listen to what you have to say.

This is the idea behind social media. Don’t be over anxious, look for people that will hear you.

Again think about the example above. If you used that thought process when you went to a party, and you tried talking to people that do not have similar interests to you, how uncomfortable would that be?

So start with quality content, then look for people with similar ideas to follow, and be a part of the conversation. If you find something interesting that some else Tweets, retweet it, @mention them, and see how your followers will grow.

You might have seen these weird graphics while reading a magazine, and wondered what they are? I am going to show you how to make them, so you can market your business with QR Codes.

First off what is a QR Code, it is a 2D bar code that most smart phones can scan and be directed to do something. When I say scan I mean that smart phone must have a QR Code reader app installed and you use your phone’s camera to take a picture of it then the app decodes it for you.

With QR Codes you can point someone to a web address, display text, show a phone number, or send a text message.

So how would you use QR Codes to market your business? Let’s look at an example.

A current promotion we are running is you receive a free set of 1000 single-sided business cards with every new site we design, and we would like to advertise this in a local business magazine.

Because of the limitations of print media, obviously you can not go from the magazine print to the web page we would like to direct people so we make a QR Code like the one below. When someone scans this code it directs them to our Web Design quote form where they see the offer at the top of the page. So our quarter page ad could look like this:

This a just a quick example I threw together for this article. You can get quite creative in how you use QR Codes. If you have a QR Code in your phone try this out to see what happens. I use Google Goggles on my phone.

Another way to use QR Codes is to print one out and post it in your Las Vegas store. Let’s say you own a restaurant here in Las Vegas and you want to get more fans to Like you on Facebook so they can get special offers from your restaurant. You can make a flyer like this:

Scan This Code With Your Smartphone to Like Us on Facebook.

Be the first to get our specials and discounts

Say you do a postcard mailer, using a QR Code is a great way to get an instant call to action. Someone sees your offer on the postcard and can instantly act on it.

How To Generate a QR Code

If you search for QR Code Generator you will see a lot of services available. We use http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. It is really easy to use. First you choose what kind of QR Code you want to generate.

Then you enter the URL you want to direct people to if this is how you want to use it.

Select the size of the code. If you are using this for print choose the XL version.

After you generate the code you see the page like this.

Now you can save this image to your computer or copy it to place in whatever you choose like the flyer we discussed. It really is that simple.

There are so many ways to use QR Codes to market your Las Vegas business. Your creativity is your only limit.

Learn how to get people to follow your Las Vegas business on Twitter. I will show you why some businesses get followed and some don’t.

Before social media sites like Twitter and Facebook I would add RSS feeds to my iGoogle page to keep up to date on what’s happening in my industry, web design. I would seek out knowledgeable people to see what I could learn from them, and then translate that knowledge into my own business.

Now there is a faster more efficient way for me to get information I am looking for, it is a little site called Twitter.

I personally like using Twitter better for my business as it seems to attract a more “Tech” related audience. Facebook in my opinion seems to work better for businesses that want to attract a more general audience, like restaurants, and other retail businesses.

Using Twitter I get my information in short bursts where I can browse chronologically, and choose whether I would like to read more on that subject.

Now every morning I get my phone and open TweetDeck (one of the best tools for reading your social media info) and I see what is happening in the world.

I am not the only person that uses social media sites in this fashion. Most people want to find information that can help them and their business. So why is this so important to you? That is a good question.

There are a lot of people on Twitter that automatically follow anyone that follows them. This may work most of the time, but there are times when it merely clouds up the social sphere and causes you to wade through useless posts trying to find good information.

I feel strongly about this. When someone follows me I look at their profile. How many followers do they have? How often do they tweet? What do they tweet about? I look at all these things before I choose to click the “Follow” button. Why would I want to follow someone that their last tweet was over 6 months ago?

The mistake most people make when they start a Twitter account is, “If I follow a lot of people they will all follow me back”. In this case quantity does not win over quality.

If you sell custom pet supplies, and you follow a smoke shop, for whatever reason, why would that smoke shop owner follow you back? The only reason I see is if they are also a pet lover.

OK so now that your focus is on quality followers, how do you get them to follow you?…that’s easy, provide knowledge.

Look you are the expert in your field, that is why you felt confident enough to open your own business. Sharing your knowledge and experience is one of the best things you can do for online marketing. I know your first statement is, “why would I want to give away my secrets?”

There are a number of reasons. First to your potential customers/clients you look like an authority. This for some is their first impression of you and your company. Blogging and Tweeting your knowledge has the potential to help you rank higher in the search engines for topics you target. If you sell health insurance and you write an article about choosing the right insurance company, you might get someone looking for that exact phrase in the search engines.

Most importantly sharing your knowledge has the potential to be shared by others that read it. This last statement is the key to growing your business.

If a person reads something you wrote, and they say, “you know this would help my social sphere”, they are bound to share your knowledge with their followers. See how sharing your knowledge can turn viral?

Remember the Internet was first created to share information. Why would phrases like, “go Google it” be a part of pop culture if this were not the case?

So start writing, then share it on Twitter and see how many more quality people you get to follow you. You might even like this article enough to share it with your friends…see how this works?