Web Design & SEO Strategies

As someone in the website design and search engine strategy marketplace, I am always curious when I get certain emails that come my way. Today I received one that made me laugh.

The title:
Free Website Analysis worth $399

Ok, so contrary to my own advice, I opened it. (There were no attachments!) The text of the email spoke of how ranking high in the search engines can be beneficial and how they could provide a free anaylsis of my website to make sure got good search engine rankings. At the bottom was the name of their website, so I went to check them out…

Here is what I got when I visited the website:

Under Construction

The site you are trying to view does not currently have a default page. It may be in the process of being upgraded and configured.

Please try this site again later. If you still experience the problem, try contacting the Web site administrator.

What? And you are going to help me get ranked on Google? How about finishing your pages!

Quite frankly, this is not surprising. There are a number of “SEO experts” out there that will offer you the sun and the stars, but with no validation at all. I mean if you can’t even get a simple website up and running, how are you going to offer me Search Engine Optimization?

I just found this amusing. What do you think? Should they at least have a website up first?

Google Top Ten in Under 10

As many of you know, I also operate a mortgage website ( www.EdNailor.com) which is a left over from my “prior life.” I still maintain my mortgage license and work with a select group of agents in helping them get their loans closed. However, that is more of a part time thing.

Even though it is a part time, I still maintain my website. Since I have done the right work using the right techniques, it is very easy to maintain the top rankings! But today I wanted to test the power of my own system.

In my prospecting, I ran across a search in Google for “Alaska Home Loans.” I decided to use this search term for a case study. The goal was to take my personal mortgage website which has been focused on the Charlotte, NC mortgage market and see if I could get it ranked on the first couple pages of the “Alaska Home Loans” search.

At 12.57pm, I posted a quick article about Alaska Home Loans (click on the link to see the article). I did not employ every single technique I teach, so this was a quick “rough draft”, if you will. However, just using the simple article on a super-charged website, at 1.08pm I found that my “Charlotte NC Mortgage Website” was now ranked on page 1 of Google for the same “Alaska Home Loans” search in the 8th position in under 10 minutes!

click the image for screenshot

Now, if you happen to view this article months down the road, I guarantee you I will no longer be ranked. I will not continue to focus on this keyphrase with my Charlotte mortgage website. But I do guarantee you that if I chose to, I could dominate that market!

This is the power of the Found By Design system. It’s more than just a website. While others are hocking “websites” we are helping you create a true online presence.. one that you have control over!

Can your current site do this? Email Us now or Call 877-376-7736 to harness this power for yourself!

Years ago before I knew what HTML even was, I knew I needed a website to have a viable presence. I called several website companies to see what it would take to get a great website up and running. The ones with quality sites wanted anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 or more before they would even talk to me. The ones that were affordable looked so simple I knew I could do better… and I did.

Many years later, having learned more than the basics and gaining a lot of knowledge and understanding, I now create websites that do more than just sit there. Employing the right strategy can make your website dominate the search engine results and truly create an online presence that gets you business, no matter what that business is!

I took my own mortgage website from nothing to owning the search results in under 90 days! The same can be done for my clients! And what’s more, it’s affordable!

If you are interested in having your website domainate the search engine results, submit your website now for a free website evaluation. We will review your current site and let you know how we can help. This is not an automated review… we actually sit down and look at the core items that make or break your online presence!

Is Pay Per Click better than SEO?

Many people use Pay Per Click for their main internet based presence. With a PPC strategy you are almost guaranteed to be on the first page of the search results for any keyphrase you want. But that comes at a price.

For example, using Google Adwords Traffic Estimator, the following term for a mortgage related website would cost the following:

“refinance mortgage loans”  would average $19.82 - $29.73 everytime someone clicked on the ad. Google estimates that you would get roughly 12 - 20 costing you $240 - $590 per day! On a 30 day cycle that can easily top $10,000!

In my humble opinion that is CRAZY!

Sure, a PPC campaign can provide opportunities, but so can a carefully crafted and executed SEO strategy for “Organic” results. In other words, with the right strategy and technique, you can make Google fall in love with your website and be ranked at the top of the search results for your industry! All of that at a small fraction (sliver even) of $10,000!

So which is better? How much money do you have? My money is on the SEO strategy. We can offer suggestions and advice on a specific PPC campaign to help you maximize your returns, but nothing beats the power and strength of a solid Website Strategy designed with solid SEO techniques! Those that rely solely on PPC campaigns simply are not ranked high enough organically.

(If you know one of these people, offer to refer them to a solid solution like Found By Design.. they may give you a fee for helping them save so much money!)

Here at Found By Design, we talk a lot about a “ Web Presence.” With all that talk, you might ask yourself, what is a Web Presence? Let’s take a look at that.

A website alone does not give you a Web Presence. As a matter of fact, a website is only part of a Web Presence. The total internet strategy employed that makes your website and your service or business top the results is what takes you to a Web Presence.

Google is a strong example of a Web Presence. Google is everywhere. Not only is the Google home page one of the most widely used and visited, but no matter where you go it seems you will find Google. You see “Google Ads” and “Search powered by Google” almost everywhere. When it comes to internet search engines, Google is the best known website. That is called a Web Presence.

Sure, your website isn’t Google. As a matter of fact, your website and service is probably more specialized and regional than that. But even if you are a real estate agent, a tax advisor or a baby sitting service, you can have a Web Presence that makes your service the tops when searched online.

Take EdNailor.com for example. This website is a mortgage loan officer’s website. The area served is North and South Carolina, with a primary market of Charlotte, NC. If you were to do a search for “Charlotte Home Loans” or “Charlotte FHA Mortgage” in Google, you will see EdNailor.com ranked in the top of Google. (You will also see another website with Ed Nailor listed within the top 10.) As a matter of fact, there are approximately 14 phrases that are commonly searched by when someone in Charlotte NC is considering a mortgage. For these phrases, you will see EdNailor.com listed in the top of Google consistently.

That too is a Web Presence. Of course, if you did a simple search for say “mortgage” you will find different results. But that is ok. The EdNailor.com website was not geared to reach potential mortgage applicants in Billings, Montana. What about you? If you are a Realtor, what searches are you found under? “Realtors” in Google would most likely never find you. But how about your home town? Where do you rank? Would you like to have a Web Presence?

Contact Found By Design Now, or submit for a Free Website Evaluation.

I Need a Website. Can you Help?

If you have to ask the question, you probably want to look elsewhere. For example, if you land at some website that advertises computer repair or networking solutions or some other computer related item, but you have to ASK them if they can build a website, then you should around more.

Why?

Where is their focus?  Believe me, running wires and setting up a network does not mean you understand HTML markup language or CSS or PHP programming or search engine results (SEO). These are many of the backbones of web design. As a matter of fact, there are so many different technologies available, which are changing and evolving everyday, that even the most seasoned web designers and builders don’t know all of it!

Results matter. When its all said and done, you need a website that works for you and gets you the results you need. So before you ask that PC technician is he can build websites, why not consult with the ones that build websites from the beginning. I promise you, with Found By Design you will get a great website and fantastic results… but we won’t fix your PC or run networking wires!

Blogging is a Powerful Tool

When I first heard about blogging, I really thought it was only for social web applications. I associated it to websites like Facebook and MySpace. Being in my mid 30’s I did not have a lot of desire to enter the MySpace world, so I ignored blogging.

Soon I began to notice that most of the top results in the search engines were related to blogs. After futher investigation, I noticed that blogs were for more than teens chatting to each other. Businesses could use “business blogging” to really connect with their clients. From that moment, I began a journey that has led me to establish Found By Design.

Blogging has tremendous power. You can connect to potential clients like never before, and since your website’s content is being updated constantly, the search engines keep coming back for more!

Of course, there are strategies that should be employed. You can begin blogging and some how luck up to get ranked, or you can follow steps to ensure your success. As much as you will personally invest with time, energy and passion in to your blogging, you might want to ensure its worthwhile with a well though out blog!

Thats where Found By Design comes in. We can help develop a stratgey to get you found online. Contact us today.

Can you be found online? What’s your Strategy?

There are few accidents in life. Rarely do things “just happen.” Normally it is the execution of a plan that leads to the results we get. Or as many website owners are realizing, its the execution of NO plan that leads to NO results!

So what is your strategy to get found online?

If you have a high dollar budget like major banks or entertainment companies, you can probably afford major marketing campaigns with resources like Google Adwords or Yahoo Overture. But if you are not careful, you can quickly spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to get yourself “Paid to the Top” with limited results.

If you are on a more limited budget, you may market your website on your business cards and mailouts. While people may visit your website because of these efforts, you aren’t really gaining new business… after all, you’ve already touched them for them to find your website.

Found By Design takes a strategic approach to create an online web presence that catapults you into the top of the search results. We don’t promise overnight results as those are difficult at best to accomplish, regardless of the budget. However, what we do offer is a very powerful strategy that will get you online and at the top of the search engines… and KEEP YOU THERE!

So stop hoping someone might happen across your website… let us help you get Found By Design!

Powerful Results for Website Needs

After creating and running several successful websites, Found By Design is being launched to help other business owners and sales professionals capture a tremendous share of business from online. With the right design, strategy and execution your website can rank in the top 10 of Google and Yahoo!

The results are dramatic! Consider the power your website could offer:

• You at the top of Google and Yahoo with naturally searched phrases!
• Since your results rank organically, you appear to be THE expert!
• Millions of people look online before calling someone. They SHOULD find you!
• No need to spend thousands of dollars on ADS! You are at the top ORGANICALLY!
• POWER: Add a search phrase and be at the top in MINUTES!

These are just a few of the benfefits we can bring to your business! You can have a website that just sits there.. or you can be FOUND by DESIGN!

You may not know it yet, but you have an internet presence!

In my opinion, there are 3 basic types of internet presence:

1. None : self explainatory. You can’t find you even if you Google your own name!
2. Validation : You have a website (basic or complex) that is there to prove you are legitimate. If you hand someone a card, or they are provided your website address, they can visit your website. They may even find you through Google if they already know your name.
3. Attraction : This is the most preferred type of presence. Your website attracts visitors. They find you when they don’t even know you exist. Your website pops up in the first 2 pages of search engine results. Instead of simply validating your existence, your website is providing you business.

As you can see, most people want a website of Attraction. But honestly, that type of a website does not happen by accident. You need to have a complete internet strategy, encompassing SEO, co ntent, visual stimulation, etc.

Found By Design can help you achieve the type of website presence you are seeking. We determine with you a full and complete internet strategy to help you accomplish your business goals while keeping your expenses to a minimum.

Contact Us for more information and consultation.