Successful search engine optimization utilizes a blend of both on-page and off-page SEO efforts. It is the marriage of these two techniques that produce long-term, sustainable results and page one ranking in search. Website owners - including myself - tend to get caught up with only one technique. They focus entirely on on-page SEO and forget about off-page SEO or vice versa. In real-world application, you really need both to rank in search. This is especially true if you are competing at a ... Read More
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An Introduction to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
What is Search Engine Optimization? Search engine optimization (SEO for short) is simply the process of obtaining website visitors (or traffic) from “free” or “organic” search results in search engines like Google or Bing. All major search engines have primary search results that are ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. We call these organic results, because they are free and not driven by paid advertisements. Search engine optimization helps maximize ... Read More
What is a Content Silo?
A content silo is a method of grouping related content together to establish the website's keyword-based topical areas or themes. Bear with me now. Content silos are important to both SEO and usability. Think back to your last visit to a library - you know before Kindles and iPads existed. How did the library staff help you find books of interest? They grouped content into sections such as fiction or nonfiction. Well guess? That is a content silo, but the old school kind. A Real-World ... Read More
My Epic SEO Fail
Ten years ago I had an epic SEO fail. I’m not referring to a little mistake that I was embarrassed to discuss. I mean a full on epic failure that should have cost me my job and reputation. Today I was reminded of this colossal mistake while I was sitting in church. Pastor Chris’s sermon was on managing failure. He began his message by discussing his epic failure and in turn he asked the congregation how many of us remember our epic failure. My mind immediately went back ten years to the ... Read More
Buying a Website is Like Buying a Car, But Worse
You walk into a car dealership with high hopes of purchasing a new vehicle. The dealership you picked is an amazing store that comes highly recommended and sells everything from economical Ford and GM cars, trucks, and minivans to luxury brands like Jaguar, Infiniti, and Ferrari. Everything under one roof! What could be better? As you walk through the door, you approach the salesperson and ask him or her to provide you a quick quote on a new vehicle. It’s a realistic request right? No not ... Read More
From McDonald’s Worker to Small Business Owner
If you asked a WordPress developer about the path they took in launching their career, you'll certainly hear a wide range of stories, backgrounds, and life experiences. I suspect mine would be just as colorful as any other developer, although I didn't realize this until Troy Dean went quiet during a recent interview. This month I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Troy Dean on this very popular WP Elevation Podcast. Troy started the episode by asking me about the career aspirations I ... Read More
SEO Coaching and that “Come to Jesus” Moment
This week I had a SEO coaching call with a law firm. It’s a service I offer to WordPress website owners and it is actually something I really enjoy. The client was a referral from another WordPress developer. The website was a number of years old and it had not had many updates in recent years. It was originally developed by another developer who specialized in legal website design, which sadly, ended up giving the client a sense of false confidence. After spending about 20 minutes ... Read More
Professional Website Design is Alive and Well
Contrary to what you’ve read recently, professional website design is not dead. In fact, the professional website designer is alive and well and business is thriving. While popular media outlets like Mashable.com report that artificial intelligence and low cost WordPress templates are killing the occupation of professional website design, these are headlines geared towards driving traffic and discussion. The claims are based on promotion and not on actual facts. Do you wonder how I can be ... Read More
20 Website Design Requirements Every RFP Response Should Include
I’ve recently been talking a lot about website design requirements, proposals, and contracts. I’ve done so because I know a successful website design launch is more than software code, text, and images. Website design success is a direct result of a structured process and solid documentation. Executing a successful website design project begins and ends with a solid documentation. This documentation can be a proposal, contract, or statement of work. The name of the document is less ... Read More
Can a Website RFP Improve Your Project Success Rate?
Have you ever issued a website RFP and received limited responses? Did you wonder what went wrong and why design agencies failed to reply with earnest? You’re not alone. The breakdown in the RFP process can be attributed to both the RFP issuer and the RFP responders. And it is an issue that has been growing for years. On the client side, a lot of companies fail to publish a solid RFP, which makes it difficult for agencies to respond or even take them serious. On the agency side, design ... Read More
A Strong Logo Serves as the DNA of Your Marketing Efforts
A logo is the DNA of marketing. DNA is a molecule that carries genetic information. It is the material that houses the information about how a living thing will look and function. In marketing terms this equates to a company logo. A logo is a fundamental component of branding and marketing. Similar to DNA, it will establish the look and feel for all other branding and marketing efforts. A logo includes a unique combination of topography, color, shape, and form that represents the core ... Read More
Successful Website Design Projects Begin With Solid Project Scoping
Tomorrow I’m headed to WordCamp San Diego to present a session titled Expectations Management in Contracts & Scoping. The entire presentation is focused on establishing proper scoping and documentation for website design projects. The session is a collaborative one, so I’ll be joined by industry veteran Karim Marucchi (the CEO of Crowd Favorite). While this presentation is focused on helping WordPress developers, the same lessons apply to those who purchase web design services. After all, ... Read More
Creating the Ideal Home Page
You’ve got the perfect idea. I mean a good one. One you’ve been waiting your whole life to come up with. It’s good and you are going to be a superstar. You know this ever so perfect idea needs a killer website to make it come to life. Not just any website, but a good one that will quickly and beautifully illustrate your concept and why the world must embrace it. You pop on over to ThemeForest.net or Template Monster or any other website that offers thousands of WordPress themes. Somehow ... Read More
Find Your Superpower and Build a Great Online Brand
One of the greatest milestones we can reach in building an online brand is finding our inner superpowers. It isn’t an easy task, but one that is vital to building and growing a personal brand or company image. As I sat down to write this post, my phone started beeping with text messages. Not just one message, but many messages. I had not even gotten past typing the title. My daughter is at her first high school audition and she is trying out for the school play. As part of the audition ... Read More
Don’t be Greedy When Selecting Keywords
Of all the lessons I can offer on SEO, one of the most important lessons is about greed. And while it is an important SEO lesson, it is a simple one. My SEO lesson is merely this - Don't be greedy when selecting keywords. I learned this lesson through trial and error, through hard work, and through years of working on real-world search engine optimization. I didn't come to this conclusion lightly or even quickly. It is something I learned over time and as I advanced forward in my SEO ... Read More
Natural SEO is a Seed and PPC is an Over Ripened Banana
Natural SEO represents the planted seed that brings long-term growth and produces endless amounts of nutrients. PPC is the ripened banana you purchase to obtain a quick potassium fix. I have long believed in the power of natural SEO. I’ve been preaching it for about a decade and I’ve been screaming it from the rooftop for over five years. This isn’t just an idea or thought, it is a strong conviction that is rooted in the core of who I am and it is central to what I believe. This weekend ... Read More
The Power of Baseball and Life Lessons
Over the weekend, the Diamond Devils won the championship of 8U baseball. Yes I know this statement seems completely irrelevant to this blog and our standard topics. But it isn’t. You see, earlier this year I offered to have Web Savvy Marketing sponsor one of the 8U baseball teams in our local area. This is the league my son plays baseball on and it’s the same league where we have spent weeks and week each year for the last four years. I’ve always said community and giving back is ... Read More
Do You Need an SEO Advocate?
Your Website Can Be a Maze of Hidden SEO Issues Over the last month I’ve been helping a client with search engine optimization. Normally we help clients with both website development and SEO, but this time the website was already in process by a large firm in another state. The client reached out to me because the web development firm did not have anyone on staff that is knowledgeable about SEO. As the client prepared to launch their beautiful new website, we started to discover critical SEO ... Read More
Master the Art of Persuasion and Increase Website Conversions
Over the years I have realized that my children are easily persuaded. I can typically steer them one way or another with mere words. At first I just assumed my daughter was go with the flow and that her personality dictated the ease of persuasion. Once my son arrived, I realized the ability to alter one’s thinking was less the child and more the parent. I grew up in a family where Christmas was important. I’ve wrote about it before in my blogs, because when I think of my childhood, I think ... Read More
Saying No to Copycat Marketing
I love black cats. In fact, I own two of them. I adopted them from the local animal shelter after we lost two black kittens to a disease called FIP. My current felines are black cats number five and six. Yes I have really owned that many. Why do I like black cats so much? They are typically ignored at the shelters and they have very nice personalities. They are very similar and I’m generally safe in adopting one because I know the temperament will be consistent. But as much as I love my ... Read More
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