Maximizing Your Advertising Dollars

Wikipedia Needs Our Help!

2011-11-22T14:14:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia needs our help! The following is from from the Founder of Wikipedia:

Google might have close to a million servers. Yahoo has something like 13,000 staff. We have 400 servers and 95 staff.
Wikipedia is the #5 site on the web and serves 454 million different people every month – with billions of page views.
Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn't belong here. Not in Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others.
When I founded Wikipedia, I could have made it into a for-profit company with advertising banners, but I decided to do something different. We’ve worked hard over the years to keep it lean and tight. We fulfill our mission, and leave waste to others.
If everyone reading this donated $20, we would only have to fundraise for one day a year. But not everyone can or will donate. And that's fine. Each year just enough people decide to give.
This year, please consider making a donation of $5, $20, $50 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia.
Thanks,
Jimmy Wales

Wikipedia Founder

QR Codes - What are they?

2011-08-03T17:16:00.002-04:00

QR Codes - They're those odd little pixelated things that remind you of a bar code, but don't have bars! What are these critters?

Well, they work in the same way that a bar code does. They contain information that is coded and then decoded to enable you to see it.

If you use your Smart Phone to take a picture of the code, you will find our contact information. It's a quick way for your customers and/or vendors to get your information into their phones! We can also provide a link to a web site optimized for mobile phones!

Tips for Optimizing Your Web Site - Part Two

2010-11-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

1. Make sure your HTML code validates! go to: http://validator.w3.org/ and run your code to see if it is being flagged for errors that may effect the engines ability to decipher it.

2. Make sure your main key word or phrase appears near the top of your home page in text - not as a graphic. Use it again on your page, but do not overuse it.

3. Keep all text a legible size. Search engines do not prefer small text. They get suspicious of spamming!

4. Use Alt tags on all your graphics so that engines know what they represent.

5. Make sure all of your links are functioning.

6. Include a site map.

More to Come!

Tips for

2010-02-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

Tips for Optimizing Your Web Site - Part One

Many web site providers have no idea of how to construct a site that is not only search engine friendly, but also optimized for specific search terms, often called, "key phrases."

First, let me say, optimizing is not for the faint of heart. Each search engine uses their own unique algorithm to determine which sites get top placement for any given search word or phrase. The exception would be for paid placement. What I am talking about is "organic" positioning, or creating a site that the engines determine is relevant for a particular search based on its construction and content.

Following, is the first in a series of tips that can help you ensure that your site doesn't get blacklisted by the search engines. Check back for tips on how to construct a site that will improve your odds of high placement.

1. Do NOT "hide" colored text in the same color background that repeats your key words over and over.

2. Do not use keywords unrelated to what it is you sell. If you sell automobiles but your web site has meta tags ("instructions" that tell the search engines what the site is about) that say "sex, hot girls, new cars, used cars, automobile repair, discount autos", your site is likely to be penalized for trying to trick the engines into driving traffic to your site that is not relevant to its content.

3. The use of Flash is changing, but often times searches do not return sites where Flash programming is the first thing encountered. Skip the "sizzle" and get right to the "steak." Give potential customers the information for which they are searching.

4. Landing pages or redirecting. Again, give your customers the information for which they are searching instead of redirecting them to another site or a page constructed for a purpose other than what the searcher was seeking.

5. Watch your use of other programming languages. Often times, pages call from databases and other sources to display the page you are seeing.

6. Don't use all graphics. Yes, they should be present to provide interest, but search engines cannot see pictures. Images can be given "Alt" tags so that it is evident what the pictures represent.

7. Do not put identical content out under a bunch of domains. Don't copy your web site and put it out under different domain names. If you want to use different domains to try and capture traffic, change up your content.

Check back for tips on how to construct a "search engine friendly" site.

How to Choose an Agency

2010-01-26T12:40:00.001-05:00

You've met them... at every networking event you've ever attended. They are the "web site" people; the graphic artists. They can do everything from designing your new web site to designing that new brochure you've been wanting, and can probably fix your kitchen sink too.

Here are some things to consider before contracting anyone for the purpose of helping you grow and promote your business:

1. How long have they been in business?

Will you get started with someone only to find they have disappeared or taken a "real job"? We've hear it time and again. That freelancer just up and vanished, leaving the client without their needed materials and with no where to turn.

2. Are you dealing with a professional, a "hobbyist," or worse yet, a complete novice?

So many people these days are selling web sites and brochures. What they are doing is grabbing a readily available cookie-cutter template, putting in a few photos (if you gave them poor quality images, you get poor quality images) and adding some text. Often, the text is not well-written and it is full of typographical errors. Sometimes, it may even have come from you! But, you know you are not the expert in this field - that is why you are seeking to hire one. Does the message being delivered appeal to your target market? Do you know?

3. Can the Firm provide continuity across multiple advertising venues to maximize branding for your product, service, or company?

If you have one person working on a web site, another on a brochure, and a third on a trade show, how cohesive of a look can you achieve? Continuity is extremely important when trying to build a brand.

4. What is their expertise?

Before you hire anyone, ask to see examples of work they have done for other companies. Is it professional looking? When looking at their clients' brochures, web sites and or trade show displays, is it evident you are looking at the same company? Call one of those companies and ask to speak to the person responsible for developing marketing materials. Then, ask them about the quality, professionalism, performance, and effectiveness of the work they received. Would they hire that firm again?

5. Versatility - do they have any?

If the company you wish to hire has only done work for banks and you own a manufacturing firm, you may want to think twice. Good agencies can grasp the essence of the clients they serve and translate that into messages that will appeal to the client's target market. Some play only one song.

6. Financial Stability

Don't hesitate to check out anyone you are considering hiring through Dunn & Bradstreet or a reputable credit reporting firm. If they don't pay their vendors on time, you may not be getting your goods on time.

Check back for tips pertaining specifically to hiring web developers/designers!

Visit www.jdhillinc.com for some examples of our portfolio of projects.