EASY WAYS TO HELP YOUR WEBSITE RANK WELL IN GOOGLE AND BING

Just because you have posted your website online, doesn’t mean that people will automatically be drawn to it. You will receive very few visits unless you make an effort to tell the world who you are, what you do, and where they can find your site.

Quality Back Links

Now that you are prepared with some of the information to help your site gain exposure, you should know, that where ever you decide to submit your site, what’s most important is that websites page rank. Your websites search engine rank is determined by the quality and popularity of the website containing links back to your site. You can check the page rank of a site by using the tool below. The higher the page rank of that site, the higher the quality of the link back to yours. Quality back links are one of the essential factors determined in your websites search engine rank. Learn more about page rank and how to avoid linking mistakes.

Note: Google™ search engine and PageRank™ algorithm are the trademarks of Google Inc.

Learn How to SEO | WebSite Submission

1. Login to Facebook and become a Facebook Developer.

2. If you are not automatically brought to apps page, you can choose apps from the top blue bar navigation

3. Click grey button that says create a new app

4. Give it whatever name and namespace you want and agree to facebook policies

5. Click “opengraph” link on the left

6. Define actions in the text boxs. Write anything you want. “People can ____ a______” could be “People can upload a picture

7. Click Get Started

8. Change some default settings like “upload” to “download”. whatever, no big deal. We are just messing around to be able and get an invite

9. Don’t worry about changing anything else and click thru all the pages. Until your finished

10. Go back to your profile in a few minutes and you should see an invite above from facebook to try out Timeline!

No one else will be able to see your Timeline. I think timeline is super cool. There are awesome features like a map that displays where you took your pictures, and dedicated well organized pages for your about info, friends, likes, and more. Its different and new and will take a day or two to adjust, but I think if you give it a chance and look at it with positive wonder, you will enjoy the new Facebook.

Facebook is currently in a legal battle with Timelines Inc over the use of thier trademark “Timelines”. The exact date of Timelines official release is still unknown.

Take a look at my timeline!

Facebook Timeline | Enable Your Timeline Now in 10 Easy Steps

EASY WAYS TO HELP YOUR WEBSITE RANK WELL IN GOOGLE AND BING

Here is a video from Matt Cutts, a software engineer from Google. He explains very simply and quickly how Google search works. Knowing how Google search engines work will help you to understand why SEO and Keywords are an important part of the development of your website.

Learn How to SEO | How Google Search Works

Easy ways to help your website rank well in Google and Bing

Choosing a domain name is not only the most important part of your online presence, its also one of the tools that will help you rank well in search engines. Choose wisely and your website will prosper well.

Purchase a domain name with relevant keywords included

Example: If you’re an attorney who specializes in one field, you are more likely to be found by the domain name www.divorcelawyercity.com instead of www.yourname.com. Although, if your known for your name, than purchase a domain name that contains your name.

Yes, you can purchase as many domain names as you like and have them all point to your website.

When people search Google or Bing for divorce lawyers, they are going to type “divorce lawyers” or “divorce lawyers seattle,wa”. If you want your website to show up in Google before all the other divorce lawyers, it helps significantly to purchase a relevant domain name.

A divorce lawyer who also specializes in adoptions and other family law related terms could buy
familylawlawyer.com and adoptionlawyer.com or yourcityadoptionlawyer.com

Including a city will help localize your business. Including all your skills will help narrow down searchers.

Purchase powerful domain names

Domains should include

• Include a city, state or country
• Include skills
• Include services
• Include products
• Include your name
• Include your brand

Choose domains names that…

• Are easy to remember
• Roll on the tongue easy
• Sound silly, cool, or interesting
• Are easy to spell
• Has the “.com” ending
• Do not use hyphens, dashes or numbers. The shorter the name, the easier to remember.
• Don’t conflict or sound similar to another website as they can easily be confused for one another.

Learn How to SEO | Choosing a Searchable Domain Name

Download The PDF: “Hire a Web Designer/Developer Ultimate Checklist“

Be prepared.

Before you receive a quote, you should know somewhat of what you want for the website. You want to make sure what your quotes are apples to apples for the most part. What one designer offers can be different from what the other offers on many occasions.

The following list will help you and your future designer create exactly what you want. Knowing what you want is an essential part of the design process.

Preparation for your Website Quote

• Put together all kinds of information about your business, such as all the services and products you offer, industry information and history.
• Make a list of your competitors online and offline.
• What kind of information do you want your visitors to receive from your website?
• What kind of colors do you prefer/dislike?
• What sites do you find attractive and easy to use?
• Will people purchase items on your website?Would you like social networking? (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc…)
• Would you like internet marketing? (Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, etc…)
• Do you want users to find your website on search engines like Google?
• Do you have a domain name and/or hosting yet?
• Will you need photography? Or do you have all the pictures you need for the website?
• Will you write your own content information? Or would you like a professional to write your information for you?
• What is your budget? (sharing is optional)
• Will you want to maintain/update your own site, or hire someone to maintain it?
• Geographical area you would like to target users to coming to your site.
• What pages do you require for the site?
• What features do you NEED and what features do you WANT for the website? (Animations, contact forms, image gallerys, etc…)

SEO, Web Design and Development, for a business these 3 elements are essential. Why build a website that you can’t find on Google or Bing? Most businesses do want to be found. They also require attractive, easy to use websites that function correctly. This is why you should always receive a minimum of 3 quotes.

Don’t make a decision right way. You are investing a good amount of money and everything should be done right the first time. Who you choose to hire should be someone who is always dependable, effective, and reachable. There is nothing more infuriating than hiring someone who never returns your calls.
 

Choosing your Web designer/developer

1. What does their online portfolio look like?
1. Do you like what they have designed and developed for past clients?
2. How does their site look? Can you navigate it with ease? Find what you are looking for?
3. Are there references, testimonials or recommendations?
4. Can you find good contact information about them?
2. Will the design company/freelancer build your website with SEO in mind?
1. How much do they understand about SEO?
2. Do they do SEO in house, or hire a third party?
3. Ask them what their on-site SEO and off-site SEO strategies are.
4. Ask if they are Google Adwords Certified
3. Ask them how they plan to build your website.
1. Will they build it in a CMS? If so, what CMS are they using?
2. Sometimes they may not know this answer right away…
4. If the company/freelancer does not provide other services, who do they recommend?
1. Do they offer photography?
2. Do they offer copywriting?
3. Do they offer hosting and domain purchasing?
4. Do they offer custom programming?
5. Do they offer custom logo branding?
6. Do they offer custom graphics?
5. Will you be able to work with them?
1. Do you enjoy their personality?
2. Do they communicate well with you?
3. Are they too pushy?
6. Does the work proposal look professional?
1. Does it detail exactly what they plan to do with your website
2. Is there a sitemap included?
3. Is there an estimate of completion?
4. Is everything you requested in the proposal?
5. Does it enlist how many revisions you are allowed to make?
7. What are their maintenance and updating options?
1. What maintenance plans do they have?
2. Do they have a CMS option so you can maintain/update it?
3. Did they include maintenance in the proposal?
8. What do they offer for Pricing
1. Did the proposal fit within the realms of the budget you set?
2. Is the pricing fair in comparison to what you will receive for work?
3. How do they charge? Do they charge hourly? By Package?…
9. GO HOME AND SLEEP ON IT. Don’t let anyone push you to make a decision right away.

At the end of the day, you are equipped with enough knowledge from speaking with at least 3 different designers to get a good idea of who you would like to work with on your business website design. It’s one of the most important decisions you will make for your business, make sure its the last decision.

Hire a Web Designer/Developer Ultimate Checklist

I came across a very interesting website called What Was There. It’s a valuable web application that allows the user to view pictures of the past merged with pictures from today . Currently, there are 9 areas in Spokane,WA that are uploaded and merged.

It would be awesome if someone out there that had access to more pictures of Spokane would upload them to the website. This website is a great historical resource for future generations.

Spokane, WA | Merged Pictures of the Past and Now

When I started building websites in Thematic, I was always curious how others had modified it for their own purposes. So, I set out to find some of the best looking Thematic Theme built sites on the Internet.

The following Thematic websites are hand-picked by me. I think they are each beautiful in their own way ^_^

Please feel free to leave a comment if you know of any good looking Thematic websites out there you would like to share. Don’t forget to add your Thematic website to Thematic Mondo

A special thanks to Scott Nix for his thoughtful contribution to this blog.

If you are the owner of one of these sites, please feel free to contact me if you would like your site removed from this post.

18 Thematic Built Websites for Your Inspiration

This article is in response to a blog written by Paul Boag at Smashing Magazine.

Paul invokes a challenge to designers everywhere asking that they post a blog that explains their reasoning behind their design process. This is my response to that particular article.

Hello readers and designers of the world. My name is Heather, Owner of Ravenous Raven Design. I graduated with an A.A.S in software development back in 2010. While attending college I learned very little about the design process as we concentrated more on programming. In fact, the most we learned was basic Photoshop skills. My talent for design is natural, self taught, boundless and probably very egotistical.

Before learning about WordPress 6 months ago, I was creating all my designs in HTML, CSS and JQuery. Since then, I have have been creating child themes utilizing the awesome Thematic Theme Framework provided by The Automatic Theme Team. So, for that reason, I cannot take much credit for the grid structure.

Ravenous Raven Design’s Death Sentence

So now I leave unto you, my website, my design, my heart. I expose my code, my creation and my world. Please, handle with care.

The following is an explanation as to why I do the things I do within the realms of the inter web.

Grid

Like I mentioned above, I cannot take credit for the grid. I made very little changes to the grid with CSS because the current structure provided by thematic was perfect in my eyes. I used a full page width on my services pages. After reading a few articles on how too long of a paragraph can tire the eyes, I do think I should break it up more for the reader, I just haven’t decided what to do yet.

Layout

1. Fixed flower like frills on bottom corners: Draw the visitors attention to the centerpiece, being that they are fixed gives an effect of light dimming and fading as you scroll. Helps relieve the dark gothic sense of my theme with some added light and frills.
2. Small grey frills on 4 corners of main content area: Draw the visitors attention once more by framing the centerpiece. Adds a little depth to the main content.
3. Shadowing the main content: Shadowing is always cool, isn’t that the new thing in CSS3? huh? I f*ckin love shadows! The shadow stays -_-
4. My logo above: I love Edgar Allen Poe and Outer Space, so I bring them both with me into my design.
   
   Why does the gold bar the raven sits upon extend the full width of the browser? Well, because I spent probably 3 hours trying to make fancy end pieces in Photoshop and failed every time. So I said, screw it. Go beyond and mystify the vistor. mwahaha. Plus, I think it says “This is me, awesome me at the very top upon a pedestal, and below you will find my work. These are separate entities, my ego and my job. Know who you are dealing with civilian, I design websites.”

Color

I wanted the visitor to feel that my site was elegant and mysterious. Purple, gold and silver gave me this feel so I figured it would give others the feel too. When something is mysterious, people want to find out more. Am I right or wrong? Oh, so you say its brown and grey do you??? hmmm, well why don’t you write me a blog that shows me the proper way to create gold and silver using gradients cause I can’t find a tutorial anywhere!!. Spank you very much.

Typography

I used serif for the main reading content and sans-serif for all headers other than H1. Does that look fancy or what?

Imagery

Well, the only image I really use is the raven photograph on my contact me page. This raven is obviously TooBadass and that’s why I chose it.

Styling

Ok, as much as I love doing websites for professionals, It is not my drug of choice. I would really love to opportunity to design for tattoo shops, bars, clubs, musicians, artists and the like. I was hoping my own web design would attract this type of business to me. I know I could express these types of clients very well as not only are they usually a more laid back people, but they are usually willing and wanting of something unique, powerful, grasping and eye catching. The type of design I would love to put my name on.

So there you have it infidels. Rip me apart all you want. I take constructive criticism quite kindly actually. In fact, I love it. How else could I become a better designer without this kind of opportunity? I would like to take this time to thank Paul Boag for writing a very interactive blog.

Smashing Magazine’s Web Design Challenge

The following information is to give the average consumer and idea of what websites cost. There are several factors that decide a websites costs and the following will give you some insight as to what goes into figuring web design prices so you may be able to budget yourself accordingly.

That being said, although you will see approximate prices for web design, good designers will usually charge what they are worth. The area you live in can make a huge impact on price as well. You should expect to pay a little less in a smaller city as apposed to a larger one. Why is this? There is more competition in a larger city than a smaller one which means more work on the designers part to compete in design and search engines. It goes without saying; you get what you pay for!

It is my recommendation that a person looking to have a website designed should look to a few local professionals and receive at least 3 quotes. Web design is not just a product being built for you. It’s a service you’re investing in for the future of your business and the professional you decide to hire should be made with great consideration.

Factors in web design pricing

1.Type of website you need
2.Payment options available
3.Type of Web Designer you hire
4.Website Features you would like
5.Needed elements to keep your website running

Types of Websites on the Internet

[wpspoiler name="Portfolio, Informational and Brochure | $300-$2,500+" style="wpui-green"]

Portfolio, Informational and Brochure

This type of website simply describes the business, services offered, hours of operation etc…
They typically contain less than 15 pages. This is a very popular choice of website for most small businesses and professionals.

Some portfolio sites include restaurant websites, lawyer websites and tattoo shop websites.

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Ecommerce Website | $2,000-$25,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Ecommerce Shopping Website

This type of website functions around a shopping cart system. Visitors can add to, or delete products from their cart and make a final purchase through the website. Ecommerce websites can be very small to very complex in size.

Some ecommerce sites include Amazon and Hoffman Music.

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Community Forums and Social Networking Websites | $2,000-$30,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Community Forums and Social Networking Websites

These websites revolves around socializing. Visitors sign up and interact with one another in various ways. A member starts a discussion topic and other members can reply. These can also be very simple to very complex.

Some social websites include Facebook and LinkedIn.

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Job Board, Bulletin and Classifieds Websites | $2,000-$5,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Job board, Bulletin and Classifieds Websites

These are websites that lets the owner or visitors create listings to post various messages or items for sale out to the community.

Sample classified sites include Craigslist and EBay

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Directory Websites | $2,000-$10,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Directory Websites

These sites allow business and individuals to post relevant information about their selves or business’s so others may search for their services or products.

Some directories include DexKnows and United States Web Design Directory

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Subscription and Membership Websites | $3,000-$20,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Subscription and Membership Websites

These are websites that usually require you pay a fee or sign up to have access to other parts of the website.

Sample membership websites include: Dating Websites and Weight Loss Websites

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Database Driven Websites | $5,000-$100,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Database Driven Websites

These websites have an immense amount of back-end work involved. Constant upkeep and security are priority. Sites like these include banking websites.

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Blog Web Design | $500-$5,000" style="wpui-green"]

Blog Web Design

These are usually informational websites. The content in these websites are normally updated by the owner. The purpose of these websites can be to generate revenue, create awareness of topics, communicate experience and professionalism, or just make people laugh. There are many small business sites that include blogs.

Some popular blogs include Blogging with Amy and The Oatmeal

[/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name="Newspaper and Magazine Websites | $3,000-$30,000+" style="wpui-green"]

Newspaper and Magazine Websites

These are websites that are full of information like your local TV news or local newspaper. They are constructed in a very simple but methodical way to attract the attention of visitors to certain topics of discussion.

Some sample magazine style sites include KXLY and The Inlander.

[/wpspoiler]

Types of Website Payment Options

•Per Page Website Pricing
Some designers prefer to be paid by each page. Sometimes they charge an initial fee to setup the site and include a price for each extra page added. This can be anywhere from $10 a page to $150 a page.

•Website Package Rates
A lot of designers will create one price website packages that include built in features with the price. Depending on the package these prices are usually between $300-$5000+

•Total Website Project Cost
Some designers don’t disclose pricing at all. They prefer to price accordingly to each project. You usually have to receive a quote or estimate after speaking with the designer to know what you will be paying for your web design. A lot of web designers and website firms offer free website quotes and estimates.

•Per Hour Pricing
There are also designers that prefer to charge by the hour. You can expect to pay anywhere from $15 an hour to $100 an hour depending on the type of designer you hire.

•Per Month Pricing
Some designers and companies offer a choice to pay by month. There is usually a setup fee and an agreed monthly price for the service.

Types of Web Designers Available

•Student Web Design[Free - $25hr]
Students usually receive homework that requires they make an entire site. Students are usually not the most experienced as they are just beginning, but if you absolutely can’t afford a professional designer; sometimes starting off with a student designer can help the both of you out.

•Bidding Marketplace [$12hr-$50hr]
These are community portals that allow a person to request a website project and offer a payment for services. Several designers can bid on the project allowing you to narrow down a potential designer.

•Offshore Web Designer [$10-$30]
These are website designers that work offshore of the continent you currently live. Their prices are usually lower for web services.

•Freelancer Web Designer [$20-$75]
Freelancers are web professionals that normally work from home. Sometimes freelancers are hired to do small projects for clients of web design firms and companies. Freelance Web Designers can usually do most work themselves, making them a more affordable high quality option for small businesses. Freelancers can be found all over by searching in Google or Bing for “freelance web designers in your city”.

•Website Company/Web Design Firm [$60hr-$300hr]
These are groups of web professionals that come together to create a web presence for a business. Each person usually specializes in a part of your website. Because they have a team of experts, web design firms are ideal for building heavy database driven websites and corporate websites.

Some features that go into considering the cost of a website

•Amount of pages needed on the website
•Content Writing / Copywriting
•Custom Graphics
•Large/Small Ecommerce shopping carts
•Link Building
•Social Networking
•Search Engine Optimization [SEO]
•Animations
•Maintenance
•Internet Marketing and Advertising
•Content Management Systems [CMS]

Some features needed for keeping a site running

•Domain Name [$8-$15 per year]
•Hosting Service [$40-$300 per year]
•Shopping Carts (for ecommerce websites) [usually comes with design]
•SSL (for ecommerce websites) [$70-$300 per year]
•Payment Gateway (for ecommerce websites)[Merchant Prices]
•Website Maintenance [$20- $200 per month]

Like I mentioned before, it is almost impossible to figure what your website will cost unless you venture on a quest and speak to a few professionals about your project. Most designers will be more than willing to give you a free web design quote or estimate. They can also give you lots of alternatives and work with your budget to get you online. Your website is a reflection of our work, so when your website succeeds, our web design business succeeds as well.

Please feel free to ask questions or give feedback on this article. Thank You!

How Much Does a Website Cost?

Having an attractive, functional and user friendly website for a restaurant is valuable to your business in this day and age. In fact, its imperative!

With the rise of mobile phone use, when customers are choosing their restaurant on a whim, they usually will access this information with their cell phone. If you don’t show up on the search results, there is no way you can even be considered as an option. You have just ignored a giant market of consumers and eventually your business may suffer the consequences.

Image by jackson017

Easy ways we get consumers to choose your restaurant!

• Mobile friendly website
• Search engine friendly code (so they can find you on Google and Bing)
• Attractive and user friendly site
• Good reviews of your restaurant (testimonials on your site!)
• Signing up with as many social networks as possible ( Trip Adviser, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Facebook, etc….)

What should be on my restaurant website?

Not all restaurants are created equal, but there are a few basic principles that consumers look for when accessing your restaurant website. These items should be easy for the consumer to find.

1. Menu
2. Hours of operation
3. Address with map
4. Phone number
5. Reviews
6. Pictures of your food
7. Like buttons

Also keep in mind that your site should also look professional and clean in appearance. Unconsciously, people may associate the appearance of the site, with the restaurant atmosphere. So the look and feel of your website, should reflect the look and feel of your business.

What if I have a catering business?

If your restaurant also does catering for special events or maybe your business is catering only, not having a website or a search engine friendly site is missing another mass market of consumers; wedding events, company parties, baby showers and all other social gatherings.

Make sure to let consumers know that you provide catering and also add a contact form so they can easily get a free quote on your website for their next special event.

Conclusion

Building a restaurant website is a small investment that will not only pay for itself with little time, but will make a great impact on the future of your business! Do it right from the beginning and hire a professional who can offer you a search engine friendly site, internet marketing and custom design!

It just so happens, I can do all that for you! Contact me today for a free restaurant website quote or analysis.

Why Your Restaurant or Catering Business Needs a Website