Let’s get past the pile of common, known and given truths of how to make your site wonderful, pretty or incredible. And let’s focus on the B-side, the converse and the uglies.
Let’s put our critical red eyes on the little things that help so many sites remain repulsive, confusing and costly.
More and more sites each day repeat the known mistakes or even go on to develop their very own mistakes and rough spots and keep turning visitors away, if not their visitor’s stomachs.
Looking Pretty Loud: Not every site needs a ton of flashy, shiney tech wizbang to be effective. In fact, a lot of flashy, shiney tech wizbang should really be called by what it is, two seconds of eye candy that quickly turns to distraction. Just think of it like this – Wow! Check this site out…sooo pretty…now what was I here for?
The White Elephant: My most favorite-to-hate sites always have two element fueling my disdain – huge font sizes and playschool colors. My second most favorite-to-hate sites get under my skin by doing the exact opposite and using a painfully neutral pallet and tiny type set. Your home page should not subtly whisper what it’s about, nor should it yell with 74pt fonts and primary day-glo colors. Keep it easy for your intended audience to recognize your site’s intention and either draw them in, or keep them surfing elsewhere. Your visitors should quickly just get it.
If I Had A Nickel: Let’s just assume that if one person has asked you a certain questio then another person is going to ask you the same exact thing. Rinse. Repeat.
Let’s also assume that a frequently asked question (FAQ) will be a real time saver for you, and your wallet. And any visitor who finds your site informative will be more likely to credit your site with the requisite trust necessary to make a purchase. You will most likely feel the FAQ remove a small degree of wasted time from you and your employee’s lives. This feeling may seem small at first, but over time will translate into great joy as you spend your time working on work rather than doing your FAQs job. Or hire a pro to do it all for you.Get your own pro.

Effective search engine marketing is a constant dance, with elements that need to be managed wisely and practiced frequently. And getting to the top usually just takes careful attention and time and not necessarily big big money
Sure, time is money. But in the SEO world, money is money, and time is a wastin’.
So don’t let the hype in, don’t listen to the advo-buzz. And don’t let pay-per-click or other high cost marketing methods rule your marketing days.
The Old Addage, “Don’t keep your eggs in one basket”, applies to internet marketing and optimization. There are many advertising firms and marketing firms that swear they can get you top results just by using their one ‘patented’ or ‘secret’ method.
Don’t listen. (And if you do listen, diversify anyway.)
And most importantly don’t throw your money away on these methods. If it really were as simple as pushing a single button over and over again, then we would all have calloused fore fingers and fat wallets.
But as is, my hands are baby soft, and well the rest is what it is.
You too may come across site owners that have used these unbelievably effective services, the button pushers, who swear they are making a killing just by the button pushers’ efforts. They may make is sound very interesting, even tempting, but watch your back. If there isn’t a catch, then there is a catch 22, or worse.
Every time I hear a site owner praise the power of the button pushers, I can’t help but think the whole thing would be funny as an SNL skit. But the reality is less than funny. In fact, some site owners are getting taken to the bank for services that can get their effective site blacklisted by the search engines.
Get blacklisted, and your site might as well be a digital canker sore for all the trouble and pain you will experience trying to reestablish credibility and ranking.
So keep an eye out for the short term fixes, the button pushers and the companies that promise you this or promise you that right now right fast right away.
Watch your back and look to the long run, because the sketchy companies trying to sell the SEO snake oil want your money NOW. If your marketing campaign gets expensive REAL quick or promises to move mountains by next Thursday, it really is time to shop for a company that is as interested in your success as your wallet.
Internet marketing is a science, not a quick fix.

Have you ever heard an internet marketing manager or internet marketing firm promise that they could get you a number one ranking on any given search engine? Probably. It happens all across the internet.
The truth is that any such claims are not only unsubstantiated, but often clouded by complex disclaimers and fine print that rebuke the original claim.
But that is to be expected. The internet is still the wild-wild-west of media and marketing.
Any internet marketing manager worth their salary knows that the industry is far too complex an environment to ever guarantee a first place ranking.
Internet marketing is just like any other business in that it will have claims and promises that sound very convincing, but are often times not likely, and sometimes not even possible.
Not to say that a highly skilled marketing manager is incapable of the coveted number one ranking, it’s just that a guaranteed ranking position is much like promising rain. Sometimes the promise is fulfilled by degrees of chance, but you won’t likely get either in writing.
The next time you hear a firm or manager say they have a guarantee for their positions, get it in writing. Make them put their money where their mouth is and offer proof and results, or keep shopping.
The ultimate aim of an internet marketing campaign is the highly prized number one spot, but don’t discount a number two ranking, or even a number fifteen ranking, especially if your site was previously number 64,235,001.
An effective campaign will bring in customers and help turn your marketing investment dollars into sales and returns.

Marketing Managers Worth Thier Salary

Company branding is important, or there wouldn't be an logo designers in the world.
But what do you do when your logo, or worse, your client's logo, is old, ineffective or just down right ugly?
You redesign, and approach the redesign as a chance to really build an identity for your company that will mesh with your business plan.
Don't let something as important as your logo and business identity lose touch with your business' ultimate goal - to make money.
There are hundreds of pitfalls that will keep an ugly logo in circulation. But the number one ugly logo rejuvinator is something that we all have and we all use daily - emotion.
I see client after client unable to move past an old and ugly logo because they have an emotional tie to it. Either they themselves designed it years back (rather than a talented designer) or their deceased business partner, or mother, etc. Reguardless of the reasons a person has for holding an emotional tie to a logo, it still boils down to bad business.
Keep an eye on the reason why a logo is there in the first place. Logos are designed so that people can instantly identify your company and it's services or product in the quickest manner possibly - visually without words.
Think of the visual power of seeing a red light.
It instantly musters the thoughts and associated ideas of stopping, or danger, or ceassment.
That is what your logo should be doing for your company.
Joe Blow on the street corner should be able to see your logo on a bilboard and instantly have an unconcious process unfold in his mind that makes him remember your company and it's products or services. Joe Blow doesn't care why he remembers, nor should you. But you should care that Joe Blow does remember.
Because now that he remembers - for what ever reason (in this case it's a professionally designed and effective logo on the billboard - he remembers that he likes your company and goes across the street and buys your company's services again.
That is the hypothetical scenario that happens often, and in reality ties a good logo design to a quality, money making business plan.
So if your logo isn't instantly triggering good, happy thoughts at a glance - then you must redesign and do so quickly.
And for heavens sake, let the pros do it this time.
Logo by Design

Search Engine Marketing is a term that has quickly become a standard with just about anyone who is interested in more Internet traffic.

It wasn't too long ago that if you mentioned the word everyone would look at you cross-eyed, especially if you mentioned the abbreviation SEO. People would say, "What is SEO"? And I would then commence to explaining what it was and how it works.

Now it seems the tides have turned and it almost everyone is using the term to the point that it is by far the most search word on the search engines when searching specifically in the Internet Marketing category.

This is a great indication of what's to come. It tells me two things. The people who have web sites are realizing that they must use Online Marketing and second the marketing dollars companies have budgeted are slowly shifting more and more to the online marketing.

I believe personally that if you have a website it is the most effective advertising a person could do. It's far less expensive than radio, TV or print ads and the longevity of the effects are off the chart.

Recently we had a client we were marketing for which sold his business and decided to take an early retirement. The new company did not decide to renew the marketing contract for one reason or the other. I was disappointed sure and expected the site to completely fall off the map. Much to my surprise months later the site is still on top and dominating.

The biggest reason for this longevity is a direct result of the foundation we built in the very beginning. We didn't build the program to do good in one area or try to put all our eggs in one basket counting on some magically trick. No we used solid techniques and focused on relativity.

It's a lot of work but it pays huge dividends. It's the only way to go if you're serious about your online success.