Keywords and key phrases are the core of any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program. In fact, the two main reasons SEO programs fail are poor keyword targeting (or selection) and failure to pursue keyword discovery on an ongoing basis.
 
Often, marketers target keywords that are very broad and don’t directly relate to their target audience. When selecting your keywords or phrases, choose 1) unique and/or specific words and phrases that apply directly to your business and 2) those that are being searched regularly by your potential customers. Targeting keywords correctly will increase the relevant traffic that’s drawn to your site. (See the end of this blog post to see how to select relevant keywords.)

Recently, I worked on a logo design project for a Catholic school. The goal was to align the school’s brand with the church’s brand.

I started by gathering the design elements I needed, such as colors and fonts. The problem was I couldn’t identify the font used to create the church’s mark.

I researched several places, including What the Font, but I couldn’t match it to anything.

Unfortunately, no one on the administrative staff at the church or the school, including the webmaster, could tell us what the font was. The webmaster knew he had created the mark many years (and many computers) ago, but he didn’t have any luck finding the original art.

So, I took a screen shot of the website, uploaded it to Adobe Illustrator and traced the letters that I needed to design the school’s new logo. It worked out exactly as I had first sketched, and the client loved the logo.

The experience reminded me of how important it is to record key elements of a logo or brand, such as colors and fonts. My suggestion: Create an electronic document AND a hard copy file containing all the information you – or the next designer – will need to duplicate or manipulate your current logo. 

A recent article in Advertising Age took a closer look at the very popular TV / viral video campaign for Old Spice Body Wash (aka: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like) starring Isaiah Mustafa. Although it’s “impossible” to tell how much of Old Spice’s recent 106% increase in sales is due to the videos and not other marketing efforts such as direct mail coupons, this article makes it clear that The Man is helping to drive home the brand promise and sell product.

“Old Spice had eight of the 11 most-popular videos on YouTube on July 16. In the six days following the start of Mr. Mustafa's personalized videos, he reached more than 100 million followers.

The effort sent Old Spice to more than 80,000 Twitter followers…and its Facebook fan base to 630,000. Facebook fan interaction jumped 800% since the launch of the personalized videos.”

And…”The effort also bumped traffic to OldSpice.com to 300%...”

Have you considered using videos that are more entertaining to encourage viral distribution, enhance your brand, and attract visitors to your website? We did. Check out our recent WebArt videos here and let us know what you think.

Small business owners often have an advantage over large companies when it comes to the "social" aspect of social media and how they can use the forums to interact on a more personal level with their fans and followers. Take a look at this piece from Jennifer Van Grove, Associate Editor at Mashable. It appeared on OpenForum.com.

It seems like social media is everywhere these days. But the 2010 Business Monitor United States report - commissioned by UPS - shows that when it comes to small and medium-sized businesses, social media is still a missed opportunity. A mere 24% of respondents said they’ve received sales leads from social media, with just 1% citing it as a factor for business growth.

The data would appear to indicate that in spite of all the positive press that social media gets and all the use cases we’ve seen emerge over the past few years, small business owners are taking social media for granted. When done right, social media can be a valuable source for customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction. Here are a few reasons to help drive the value home.

Welcome to the “New” WebArt

WebArt has undergone a total brand overhaul, including a new website and a revamped logo design.

As our agency grew, we realized it was time to review our brand, rethink our strategy, and refine our long-term goals, as our new positioning statement suggests. So, we started the process just as we would for a client.

One of our first steps was developing a new logo. Because we knew our old logo no longer aligned with our self-image or the look and feel we wanted to present to the world, we got to work on a new design.

We started by isolating key elements of our parent company’s (BusinessVoice) logo. It was important to maintain a sense of cohesiveness between the two brands, while still establishing a separate identity for WebArt. After many creative meetings, we focused on three concepts.

One priority was to design a logo that worked in both a large and small scale, as well as in a vertical and horizontal orientation. We kept the colors simple so as to stand out against both a light and dark background. Also, using a singular bold color would establish a connection between that color and our brand.

Ultimately, one logo option met all our requirements, and it allowed us the freedom to separate elements of the logo for a variety of purposes and layout requirements.

If you’re thinking about updating your company’s logo, don’t get overwhelmed. The creative process takes time, patience, and countless trips to the drawing board. With open minds and honest feedback, though, you’ll come up with a concept that meets all your needs.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is complex and constantly changing, so website owners are pushed to stay up-to-speed with today’s best SEO practices. I have found that three practices will always carry their weight when it comes to successful SEO. These should be the first steps you take when starting a Search Engine Optimization program.

Page Titles, Meta Tags and Descriptions

The first things that users see when they type a query in a search engine are Page Titles, Meta Tags and Meta Descriptions. Meta tags, also known as keywords and key phrases, are very important because they sum up your website in single words and/or phrases.

Page titles are important because they are the first descriptive content the user sees after typing in a query. The more closely your page title matches what the user typed into the search box, the more likely your page will be ranked higher and clicked on.

Keeping your website fresh is vital for everyone and every thing that is visiting. People like to see new content and features, and so do the search engine spiders that sample your website looking for updates to your pages. But what should this content consist of? Scott Randolph of 7xo Media has some sound advice in this area:

You need to craft all your content with an eye for the ultimate goal – conversion. You need to come up with a schedule and stick to it (this is much harder than it sounds). You will need to create content that is interesting and useful for someone, even if they aren’t your customer. You need to give options to share your content (social bookmarking buttons, email this buttons, etc…) - and encourage people to use them.

A website upgrade doesn’t have to be a huge task if you’re freshening your content on a regular basis. You can create customer tips and produce mini case studies. Add testimonials or begin a blog that lets you comment on industry trends and pass along great ideas. Open Twitter and Facebook accounts for your business and promote them both on your site, and vice versa. Piece by piece, you can build a better business website by never finishing the job.

Are you frustrated at how your smart phone displays the "mobile Internet" instead of the "real Internet"? Take a look at this piece below from Daniel Nations.

The latest marketing strategy of some cell phones, particularly the iPhone, is to push the idea of access to the "real" Internet instead of the scaled-down mobile Internet. This begs the question: is the mobile web a temporary solution that will soon fade as the 'real' Internet comes to the cell phone, or is it here to stay?

Look at what our client said about our work on the 2010 Battle of the Bands project:

"Steve Timofeev and Mark Peddicord did a great job on this program. I did very little work, and want most of the credit. Seriously, this is one of the best Internet programs I’ve seen." - Michael Mori / Advertising Director, The Blade

(Check out the site here.)

“My business uses pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Why do I need Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?”

That’s a question a lot of business owners are asking. And it’s a valid question. Why should a business invest time and effort into trying to get ranked on the first page of Google when they can just run a pay-per-click ad on the first page? Here are a few reasons.

Search Engine Optimization efforts help you keep your website populated with relevant and current information. When visitors click on your paid advertisement, the first thing they’re looking for is current information, just as search engine spiders are. Without fresh, pertinent content your visitors are more likely to leave without buying anything. And chances are good they won’t come back.

Search Engine Optimization also forces you to keep your site’s navigation efficient. Internal links are the keys to reaching any page on your site within two clicks. When visitors enter your website they want to find what they’re searching for easily; again, just as the spiders do.

Search Engine Optimization focuses on building external links. Search engines base the majority of your page rankings on the quality links that are leading back to your website. It’s also important that you have links from your site to credible information. This shows your visitors that you want them to have the best information available to them. The more credible and relevant the links coming into and going out of your site, the higher you’ll rank in the eyes of your visitors and with search engines.