John Ellis: Are you familiar with the term contextual linking?

Every week, John W. Ellis publishes his e-blast on SEO tips. I was remiss and didn’t post last week’s tip, so here it is now: Are you familiar with the term contextual linking? Before we get into that, here is a little history… It used to be common for websites to have a “Links” page [...]

Continue reading...

John Ellis: Are you using PPC?

Every week, John W. Ellis publishes his e-blast on SEO tips. Here is this week’s tip: Many people are still scared of pay-per-click, or paid search marketing. The fact is it can be a very profitable marketing channel. Paid search marketing allows advertisers to target specific searches and cities. It also allows for clear and [...]

Continue reading...

Social media avatars – photos, logos, or both?

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs all use avatars as personal ‘icons’ for members. Depending on the image you choose, these postage stamp-sized images can portray you as professional, playful, creative, silly or somber. The questions for business and individuals are, “Do I use a photo, logo, or combination of the two?” and “How do I [...]

Continue reading...

John Ellis: Do you have unique title tags?

Every week, John W. Ellis publishes his e-blast on SEO tips. Here is this week’s tip: Do you have unique title tags? It is essential for every single page on your website to have unique title tags. The title tag is, and has always been, the most important factor in achieving higher search rankings. Yes, [...]

Continue reading...

John Ellis – SEO Tip

In July, I had the opportunity to hear John W. Ellis speak at the Greenville Social Media Club. His presentation, while brief (only 1 hour), was very informative. Because of his expertise, I decided to subscribe to his e-blast on SEO tips when offered it. Here is this week’s tip: How fresh is your web [...]

Continue reading...

Social networking continues to grow

Small Business Watch surveys since 2007 have shown an increasing number of small businesses using the Internet to sustain and grow their businesses. “Social networking for business purposes is growing,” [Ryan Scully, director of Discover's business credit card] said. “With such small operations, small business owners don’t need a long time to tell whether something [...]

Continue reading...

Internet Explorer Bug Bites Us!

During our latest update, it seems we tripped over one of the many bugs in Internet Explorer. Always the squeaky wheel, Internet Explorer is throwing a fit over our CSS definitions. Rather than taking the site down temporarily, we are working tonight to correct the issue on the live site. Please excuse the mess as [...]

Continue reading...

Why We Don’t Do Spec Work

The asset of our studio is our artistry — the creative solutions to the communications problems and opportunities facing our clients. And innovative originality can be tough to define, or agree upon. One person’s passion is often another’s poison. So it’s no wonder that potential clients often ask us to take a project on speculation. That is, to try out our creative product in much the same way they may try out a car before purchasing. Unfortunately, we must turn down such projects.

Continue reading...

10 Harsh Truths about Websites of Large Organizations

Early this year, Smashing Magazine posted an article detailing the 10 Harsh Truths about Websites of Large Organizations. As a designer who has work in both agencies and marketing communications departments, I can attest to the validity of each one of the 10 truths. Here are the ten with our comments...

Continue reading...