http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060615-165314 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. ]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060608-175453 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. ]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060601-173722 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 ]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060525-172951 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 ]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060511-190230 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.]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060307-175346 ]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060307-174344 Now the goog is known to be the biggest and the baddest, but that's only if you are the SEOM type. It presents SEO managers the ultimate hurdle and doles out equal degrees of trepidation and malicious power. The Goog makes no qualms about letting us all know that it will help us to the ends of the earth if we are looking for info. And it also makes no appology of letting us SEOMs know who is handling the short hairs. But don't fret. The Goog also tells us what's up and why.

Check out http://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html for the real skinny. Or get the Tiger Team Solutions RSS injection of the Googs SEO gospel as follows:

"Search Engine Optimizers
SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine optimizer." Many SEOs provide useful services for website owners, from writing copy to giving advice on site architecture and helping to find relevant directories to which a site can be submitted. However, a few unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to unfairly manipulate search engine results.

While Google doesn't have relationships with any SEOs and doesn't offer recommendations, we do have a few tips that may help you distinguish between an SEO that will improve your site and one that will only improve your chances of being dropped from search engine results altogether.

Be wary of SEO firms that send you email out of the blue.
Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:

"Dear google.com,
I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.

No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Google Sitemaps (Beta) program, and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.

Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.

You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.

Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.

Be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using our spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html. Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that violate Google's spam guidelines.

Make sure you're protected legally.
For your own safety, you should insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't be afraid to request a refund if you're unsatisfied for any reason, or if your SEO's actions cause your domain to be removed from a search engine's index. Make sure you have a contract in writing that includes pricing. The contract should also require the SEO to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion.

What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?

One common scam is the creation of "shadow" domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive redirects. These shadow domains often will be owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a client's behalf. However, if the relationship sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that happens, the client has paid to develop a competing site owned entirely by the SEO.

Another illicit practice is to place "doorway" pages loaded with keywords on the client's site somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently false since individual pages are rarely relevant for a wide range of keywords. More insidious, however, is that these doorway pages often contain hidden links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such doorway pages drain away the link popularity of a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients, which may include sites with unsavory or illegal content.

What are some other things to look out for?

There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

owns shadow domains
puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
offers to sell keywords in the address bar
doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results
guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
If you feel that you were deceived by an SEO in some way, you may want to report it.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on "File a Complaint Online," call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580
If your complaint is against a company in another country, please file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/."


Make no mistake. The Goog keeps the SEOMs preachings in check with hard to ignore gospels en masse. So the next time a SEOM tell you your next guaranteed #1 ranking is just a signed check away - put your pocketbook away and look for a company that won't give you the forked-tongue in the back.
]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060307-172601
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]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060307-172019 Face-to-face meetings are now possible in real time with anyone around the globe due to the evolution of the web-cam, combined with inexpensive emerging technologies. Tiger Team Solutions makes it easy to setup a live, high-quality streaming video or audio conference from virtually anywhere at any time.

Live video and audio conferencing began as a service Tiger Team designed for our own use. As we budgeted for the new expense, we quickly learned that video and audio conferencing could easily become very costly.
]]> http://www.arkansaswebdevelopment.com/weblog/index.php?entry=entry060307-171802

The Tiger Team Approach to internet marketing increases sales by using proven techniques such as search engine optimization, reciprocal linking, banner programs, pay-per-click search engine placement, organic search engine placement and informational pages. The goal is to build search engine ranking for your website naturally without so much dependency on pay-per-click programs and develop the specific strategies that prove effective for each client.

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