Easy SEO Tips Big Ideas for Hudson Valley Business No. 1

David — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:34:55 +0000

So what’s SEO? SEO is the acronym for “Search Engine Optimization”. If you have a website and you want any measure of traffic, you’ll need to know that Search Engines hold the key to your website’s success. This is the first issue in a series of SEO Tips that are easy to follow and will improve your web site’s “visibility” in the elusive world of SEO.

“Content is King” - Provide your website’s visitors with useful, informative and relevant content

The most important thing to know is that a site that looks great must also provide relevant content. Like a Coney Island barker shouting “Hurry hurry step right in…”, a website that looks great may be void of any worthwhile information. For search engines to take your website seriously and index it properly [ranked high in search results], it’s not all the flash counts but the substance.

What is “Relevant” Content?

There are many different ways to add relevant copy (text) to your site. In its most basic form, it’s information that would make your website worth revisiting. For example; you have a retail business that sells organic foods. You might want to write a monthly article [within a permanent section of your website] with recipes using ingredients that you sell.

DO NOT mistake SEO for stuffing text on your website with keywords and repetitive brand names in an attempt to increase ranking.

Call (845) 247-0909 to discuss your advertising project or if you need some creative inspiration. I offer complete Web site development and graphic design services for Hudson Valley businesses.

How to Prosper in a Shrinking Economy

David — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:38:45 +0000

Like the country as a whole, Hudson Valley has also been negatively effected by the recession. Retailers have disproportionately felt the effect of a shrinking economy. There’s less credit available to allow discretionary spending. The rest are saving for the uncertainty that lie ahead. So how does a retailer stay afloat, or even prosper with a lessening customer base?

“Creative” is what I always thought was the premise behind advertising. Getting someone to pay attention is hard enough. It’s especially difficult in today’s marketplace. And even when you got their attention, how do you make them act on your message? So, shouldn’t creativity be a prerequisite when employing the services of an advertising firm?

Ad strategy for the economic squeeze; Quantity or Quality?

Generally, there are two schools of thought as to how to advertise. The first is primarily focused on the frequency of your message. Which is to say that the more ad spots you buy, the better. It would make sense that the more often your message is delivered, the easier it is to recall. Of course the Quantity strategy would be great if money was not an issue.

The second, is the necessity for a more creative approach to advertising. This is the approach I follow for all of my clients, including Mother Earth Storehouse; a health food and organic foods retailer in Hudson Valley, New York. The Quality of their advertising meant:

Improving the visuals used in their advertising
Emphasizing proper placement of ad
Targeting specific (narrower) audiences
Refraining from placing ads based on “Specials”
Preparing artwork and budget prior to negotiating ad space
Changing ad designs and copy on-the-fly with a volatile marketplace

Incoming search terms:

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How to modify WordPress Themes – Part#1: Overview of Parts

David — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:20:16 +0000

Blogging needn’t be visually boring. Beneath WordPress’ deceptively simple layout lies the ability to create a sophisticated blog design. WordPress basic theme structure is built to be powerful. In a 3 Part Series, I’ll walk you through the basic theme modifications needed to make your blog rock!

WordPress Theme Structure

There are two (2) basic parts of every WordPress page which includes the XHTML page and the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet). At minimum, there are three (3) basic building blocks of the WordPress XHTML theme page; HEADER, CONTENT, and FOOTER. Topmost is the HEADER which contains the beginning of your XHTML page coding; the declaration, , <HEAD>, <BODY> and the first bit of coding which comprises the top of your new WordPress blog. These page parts are visible to the world though in the backend lies the WordPress template system that is extremely simple, bringing the building blocks together to assemble the complete page.</p> <h2>Templates, Tags and Queries</h2> <p>WordPress templates are like containers which when assembled build a completed page. Each WordPress template contains PHP syntax which can accomplish a number of important functions. The XHTML coding is interwoven within the PHP templates which uses WordPress’ powerful core functions to display a dynamic blog, chock full of useful information for your readers. These functions are implemented via “tags” which retrieve various information including data from the WordPress server’s MySQL database. There are many different tags (or shortcuts) which can be used to display anything as simple as the current time or a complex condition based data. In addition to the myriad of template tags, custom select queries can used to pull specific data recordsets and custom fields from your posts. With the risk of getting into the many intricacies of variables, conditional statements, and functions, I’ll keep it simple.</p> <h2>CSS for Stylish Blogs</h2> <p>Cascading Style Sheet design plays an important role for how your WordPress blog looks. While the templates control the overall content and functional aspects of your blog, the CSS gives you full control over the aesthetics of your website’s User Interface. Both the frontend and admin areas are CSS dependent, so you can even change the way the administrative sections appear. Using style sheets you can make the default theme look entirely different, changing virtually every aspect of its appearance. So, if the templates are like containers, then the CSS is the packaging with the fancy wrapping and bow. There are a number of excellent “real time” CSS editors available to help familiarize you with proper CSS coding. Check out Stylizer and CSSfly livedit to start with. You’ll be a style sheet designer in no time!</p> <h2>Backup Before In Case You Break</h2> <p>Backup the original file/s before your start editing: Before you change any template file, remember to either backup the entire theme folder that you have decided to edit, or create individual backups of the files you’ve edited. For instance if you decide to edit the index.php file, then rename the original file as index.php~ [index.orig, indexBK.php] or anything you wish. This way, if you break the coding in the new index.php file you can always restore the original file. There is no reason not to make backups and you’ll be very thankful you did when the inevitable “error” appears.</p> <h2>Keep Good Records</h2> <p>Comment your changes: When you start hacking one of WordPress’ default themes (WordPress Classic or WordPress Default), remember to always comment the changes you’ve made. Commenting (or recording notes) of changes are important in troubleshooting; So that when you return to that template or style sheet you’ll know what you’re mucked with and then you can revert back to the original if necessary.</p> <h2>Coming Next…</h2> <p>In the rest of this series, I’ll show you how to make edits to major parts of a WordPress theme to customize it for you. We’ll take a closer look at the parts of a WordPress Theme. Before you know it, you’ll be making adjustments to themes like a pro!</p> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/custom-wordpress-themes.html" title="parts of a wordpress theme">parts of a wordpress theme</a></li></ul> </article> <article> <h1>Web Tools for Web Designers : Part 1</h1> <p>David — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:28:59 +0000</p> <p>[singlepic id=306 w=400 float=none]</p> <p>Web design tools for those lazy, yet very inquisitive Web designers that actually do want to learn by doing. The truly good tools that aren’t just revenue builders for the folks hosting them are few and far between. Here are some of those few that I have stumbled upon either by accident or in search of the magic Online Generator, Web Design Widget, Time-Saving Web Tool or by following the breadcrumb left by a professional SEO expert. Some of them I’ve tested myself while others are far too intriguing not to include in this list:</p> <ol>1. Tableless Layout Generator via <a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/grids/builder/">The Yahoo Grid Builder- Part the Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI) </a> which is a set of utilities “for building richly interactive web applications using techniques such as DOM scripting, DHTML and AJAX. ”</p> <p>2. <a href="http://www.colorcombos.com/">Web Color Combinations</a> Tester and Palettes via ColorCombos.com which offers the user the ability to visualize different color schemes and ten test them alongside each other.</ol> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/web-tools-for-web-designers-part-1.html" title="google">google</a></li></ul> </article> <article> <h1>Business card designs for a professional image</h1> <p>David — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:25:27 +0000</p> <p> </p> <div id="attachment_2123" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 410px"><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/water-business-card-design.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Water Filtration Business Card Design</p></div> <h2>Business card designs that get noticed.</h2> <p>Professional business card design is crucial to successful marketing. If you’re a serious entrepreneur, you need well-designed stationary. Lots of companies don’t to give much thought to this basic tool. Like a confident handshake and bright smile, your business card will bring you more business.</p> <p>The sad fact is that there’s never a shortage of poorly designed business cards being used to represent very talented professionals. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to consider your business card as an essential advertising tool. Here are some essential design tips for basic business card design:</p> <ol> 1. <strong>Avoid dark colored papers and card stock:</strong> Using a dark colored stock limits the choice of ink colors you can use and can significantly increase printing costs, since you’ll have to use opaque inks. Instead, use 4 color process to use a dark-colored background. Full color printing has never been less expensive!</ol> <ol>2. <strong>Paper stock is important:</strong> Spend a little more for a quality paper. There’s a myriad of manufactured paper stocks to choose from which vary in their hues, textures, weights and strengths. Choose a stock that can hold the ink and has a substantive feel.</ol> <ol> </p> <p>3. <strong>The finished size should be small enough to fit in a wallet:</strong> Don’t get too fancy with your business card sizes. If it’s too big it won’t be very portable and if it’s too small, it will get lost, visually and literally.</p> <p>4. <strong>Stick to one (or at the most two) font styles:</strong> Keep the visual noise to a minimum. The more fonts you use the more difficult it is too read. Besides, it may look as though you are a bit indecisive.</p> <p>5. <strong>Steer clear of tacky clipart, as well as plagiarized artwork:</strong> There’s nothing worse that clipart that looks like clipart. Instead, use a photograph or hire an illustrator to create a unique image that will set you apart from the rest.</p> <p>6. <strong>Be descriptive with your business card’s text:</strong> Cute slogans are for huge corporations with the money needed to advertise nationally. Use a simple tagline or a list to describe your services or products.</p> <p>7. <strong>Remember to include your name, company, address, telephone, cell phone and website address:</strong> Don’t get in a hurry and pass around a mock-up of your new business card design to friends and clients to get their feedback. Remember, everyone is a critic so don’t get offended by negative or overly critical comments.</p> <p>8. <strong>If you don’t have a logo design, don’t try to fudge one:</strong> Take time a do your research before committing to logo design that is weak and unprofessional-looking. In the meantime, use a bold font or simple text. Then, when you get the cash you can invest in a professionally designed logo that you’ll use consistently in all your promotions.</p> <p>9. <strong>If you’re not the creative design type:</strong> Keep It Simple!</ol> <p>Don’t give short shrift to what could be the most important tool in your advertising arsenal: your business card design. It could make the difference between being one of the many languishing businesses or being one of the few that succeed in an ever-increasingly competitive economy. Remember, you do need a business card, just not a stinkin’ one.</p> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="professional business card design">professional business card design</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="NEW VISITING CARD DESIGN">NEW VISITING CARD DESIGN</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="graphics designer card">graphics designer card</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="water design">water design</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="design card">design card</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="name card design">name card design</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="card desings">card desings</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="water business cards design">water business cards design</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="water designs for business cards">water designs for business cards</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/professional-business-card-designs.html" title="water business cards">water business cards</a></li></ul> </article> <article> <h1>Logo Design Tips</h1> <p>David — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:20:14 +0000</p> <p>Creating a professional image is one the most crucial steps to obtain new business. Coca-Cola™, IBM™, Microsoft™ and other successful corporations spent millions each year refining their brand. Research has proven that people want to associate themselves with brands that they think represent their own good taste.</p> <p>Whether it’s for a auto repair shop or a nanotechnology firm in Silicon Valley, a logo design has to consist of several basic qualities:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Easy to Remember</strong> – The logic is obvious, though common mistakes in Basic Logo Design 101 can result in a image that no one will ever remember.</li> <li><strong>A Shape or Object</strong> – An effective logo is a shape or object and is never a typeface. The font used along with the logo design is an integral part, though it’s not the logo.</li> <li><strong>Distinctive Color and Contrast</strong> – The color selection is important. Choice of color is dependent on your audience, e.g. Toy Store = Bright and Cheerful, Industrial Supply = Bold and Serious, etc. and when choosing colors keep it to no more than two or three colors that have enough contrast between them that they are appreciable even when reproduced poorly.</li> <li><strong>Visual Symmetry</strong> – Depending on the type of business you’re in, most logos should have good weight distribution and visual symmetry.</li> <li><strong>Resize and Reuse </strong> – A wonderful design is only good if you can use it. So, keep it simple and avoid complex shapes or intricate lines.</li> <li><strong>Social Feedback</strong> – Post your new logo design online. e.g. Flicker. Start a Flicker account, upload your designs, then invite friends to comment.</li> </ol> <p>Above all: keep it simple! When you finally decide on a logo design for your business, test out by creating mock-ups of it in use. For instance, place a copy of it in a newspaper ad design and in any other media examples to see what it will look like in various sizes and colors.</p> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/logo-design-tips.html" title="creative ideas for logos">creative ideas for logos</a></li></ul> </article> <article> <h1>Brochure Design Tips and Tricks</h1> <p>David — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:45:09 +0000</p> <h2>Brochure design tips and tricks 101</h2> <h3>Effective Brochure Design has “White Space”</h3> <p>Brochure design is much like all other forms of advertising in that it requires some basic designing principles to be effective. Let’s take the obsessive need for some to want to cram as much information as possible into a brochure. Seems like good business sense to equate empty space with an opportunity to sell. Though the reality is quite the opposite. White space is good.</p> <p>[imagebrowser id=5]</p> <p>The temptation to fill up “the empty space may win out over good graphic design practices. It may not seem obvious, though it can be tempting to add extraneous messages in your advertisement, ultimately drawing the reader’s attention away from your primary message. The result is a crowded brochure design, lessening its visual impact.</p> <p>There’s no doubt that advertising space is expensive regardless of the vehicle used; billboard, newsprint, magazine advertising and brochures . For that matter, many businesses find it hard paying fora professional graphic designer when ad space costs so much. For that exact reason, a professionally designed ad will help ensure a better return on your advertising investment.</p> <p>As a frugal business person, it’s hard not to fill up that valuable ad space. Resist the temptation. Make the most of your advertising investment by using “white space” wisely. Don’t drown out your primary message with”visual noise”. Keep it simple and clean.</p> <h3>Do your research<strong><br /> </strong></h3> <p>Do some research by performing a survey of what really concerns your customers. It’s not always price. There are many ways to do marketing research, though you may want to begin by visiting a Blog or threaded discussion whose topic is your product or service. Query folks. Ask them questions. Offer advice. Or better yet, create your own Blog and promote it as a way to better serve your clients.</p> <p>Blogs are a great way to increase your “link popularity” and ultimately your Google “Page Rank”. Page Rank is a deciding method that Google uses which will increase your chance of ranking higher in Search Engines.</p> <h3>Why so many questions?</h3> <p>When you decide to go ahead and hire a graphic designer, he/she should ask you a lot of questions. If they don’t, don’t hire them. Not only does a lack of questions show their inexperience, but also a lack of interest in your business. When the graphic designer asks questions about the way you do business , you can be sure that the graphic designer has advertising savvy. Creating a clever graphic design for your business should always be balanced with the need for common sense marketing.</p> <h3>Not just another widget maker…</h3> <p>Your company may seem like “just another widget maker” to a newbie designer, but in reality everyone runs their business differently. The benefits your customers have come to expect from doing business with you may not be so apparent to a prospective customer. So, an experienced graphic designer will find out what your strengths are and make them visual .</p> <h3>Brochure Design Tips</h3> <p>There are many different types of folds available by modern printing machines. Here are just a few.</p> <p>[singlepic id=26 w=320 h=240 float=]</p> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="brochure design tips">brochure design tips</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="brochure tips tricks">brochure tips tricks</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="good brochure design tips">good brochure design tips</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="marketing leaflet design tips effective">marketing leaflet design tips effective</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="effective brochure design tips">effective brochure design tips</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="tips on how to design a brochure">tips on how to design a brochure</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="whatsthebigidea ie">whatsthebigidea ie</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="graphic design tricks">graphic design tricks</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="graphic tips for brochure">graphic tips for brochure</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/brochure-design-tips-tricks.html" title="how to fill up a brochure">how to fill up a brochure</a></li></ul> </article> <article> <h1>Opaque text on transparent background</h1> <p>dave — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:22:01 +0000</p> <p>This tip was based on Mandarin’s Opacity Background: Fully Opaque Text . This CSS Trick example consists of essentially:</p> <p>Two (2) separate DIVs or other CSS rules (I used DIVS with id specified)</p> <ol> <li>The bottom rule (DIV#latest) is given a POSITION:RELATIVE property so that it knows its relation to the other page elements.</li> <li>Specify the width and height of the DIV layer (DIV#latest) which contains the transparent background which lays underneath the DIV layer (DIV#latestlist) that contains the opaque text. This is necessary, especially in IE7.</li> <li>DIV#latest is given these properties:</li> </ol> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">DIV#latest<br /> {<br /> background-color: #FDF6C4;<br /> padding: 15px 20px 10px 0;<br /> margin: 3px 10px -15px 0;<br /> border-top: 6px solid #897E32;<br /> border-bottom: 1px solid #3F3700;<br /> opacity: .50;<br /> filter: alpha(opacity=50);<br /> -moz-opacity: 0.5;<br /> height: 234px;<br /> width: 515px;<br /> } </p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">and DIV#latestlist:</p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">DIV#latestlist<br /> {<br /> margin: -243px 0 0;<br /> z-index: 2000;<br /> padding: 0 32px 0 0;<br /> position: relative;<br /> }</p> <p>Again, take a look at “Latest Articles” on <a title="Example of opaque text on transparent background" href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/" target="_blank">WhatsTheBigIdea.com</a> . Spy the code and I hope it helps someone!</p> <p>You might ask, “Why do I need transparent backgrounds anyway?” or “Why in god’s name do I need to know this?”. Well, I can give you an answer to the first question. More to come…</p> <h4>Incoming search terms:</h4><ul><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/opague-text-on-transparent-background.html" title="html opacity background tumblr">html opacity background tumblr</a></li><li><a href="http://www.whatsthebigidea.com/opague-text-on-transparent-background.html" title="opaque background html with text">opaque background html with text</a></li></ul> </article> </main></body></html>

WhatsTheBigIdea.com, Inc. » Design Tips

Easy SEO Tips Big Ideas for Hudson Valley Business No. 1

How to Prosper in a Shrinking Economy

Incoming search terms:

How to modify WordPress Themes – Part#1: Overview of Parts

WordPress Theme Structure