Lone Bird Web Design Blog

Building Findable web sites

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:48:00 +0000

I didn’t make that up, it’s actually a book so I can’t take credit the title. But it was a good book and it re-enforced much of what I feel and what I propose to my clients. The idea behind the book is accessibility and how to build it in to your overall web design. By accessibility I mean two things, proper code and really good content.

First, let’s look at the code. You many know that good ‘search engine positive code’ is important, but I think few really understand how important. Think about it. What do most new site owners think about when they picture their site? What it is going to look like and what functions they want. “I want it to look like this” and “I want it to do that”. Rarely do they think of what goes on behind the pretty picture. Most know nothing about it or how it has an overall effect on the success they achieve with the search engines. And that is important to the success of the project itself. When they shop for a designer all they want to see is the portfolio. Proper code is an essential part of your on-page optimization and includes things like the order of your content, header tag hierarchy, and special needs accessibility.

When you design web site code to follow the basic accessibility rules you will automatically build a very search engine friendly site. This includes all the small things, header tags, link titles, link text, alt tags, text navigation, placing your main content first. These are the things that quite often get missed. Or, if you use a WYSIWYG editor, they don't get done not at all. These things not only look good to the search engines but are for TTYs and auto readers and other devices used by those with special needs.

Why does this work? The search engines send out “bots” to crawl the web and gather information. Because there are a zillion web pages, when they reach a page, they need to get the info and get out quickly and move on. Anything that will speed the reading and indexing of a site will gain points with the search engines. So, the bottom line is accessibility. The same rules that increase accessibility for people also work for the “bots” and they love it.

Next is content. Your site content is the next most vital part of the project. Properly laced with key words, it has to be quality writing, relevant information, and user friendly. General rule for the search engines, a web page should contain more content than code. Web content that is well written, has value and is meaningful works like gravity. It brings traffic to your web site design and holds them there. When a user finds something they think is cool and exciting on the web they tend to spread the word. This is a human nature that good advertising is built around; everyone wants to be the first to bring exciting new things to their friends. If the site offers nothing to hold their attention that user is gone.

The search engines use the content to decide what your site is about and where it will show in searches. They also judge (and that is the word to use) the quality of the writing, keyword / phrases, titles, tags and headers. They look at who you link to and more importantly, who is linking back to you. And, the quality of their site can have an effect on your ranking. So don’t build links for links sake, content counts!

So to sum up, a good web design is a blend of code and content where they reinforce each other with the goal of accessibility. And accessibility helps everything from sales to the search engines.

***
By Chris Kaminski. Asheville web design company Lone Bird Studio provides web design Asheville NC services, SEO, search engine optimization. One of the top web designers in Asheville for custom website design.

Content That Brings People in to a Website

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Web content that is well written, has value and is meaningful works like gravity. It brings traffic to your web site design and holds them there. When a user finds something they think is cool and exciting on the web they tend to spread the word. This is a human nature that good advertising is built around: everyone wants to be the first to bring exciting new things to their friends. If the site offers nothing to hold their attention that user is gone.

Think about how you shop. Say you are looking for a TV and start with a general Google search. The first thing you see is the search results. This is the first chance to grab attention and is why you need a properly designed domain name and search description. You have questions about TVs, like who has the best picture, best service record, how do I hook it up, do I need special wiring or equipment, HD or not to HD, etc.

You go through the list. The first site just has a list of where you can get TVs; nothing useful there. The next site is just a catalog with pictures and 'buy now' buttons; nothing helpful there. Next you come across a site that catches your attention. It has catchy graphics but a simple to follow layout. Besides the normal online store the site offers product and user reviews. There are links to "how to" articles answering the above questions. The site provides links to other web sites that have more useful information. All this quality content has eased some of your stress, answered your questions, given you choices and made you feel like this company wants to help you.

Human nature number two: since you found everything you need at that site: they sell TVs and you are comfortable with this company, you order the TV from them.

Now a few days go by and the TV arrives. The first thing you do is go right back to the web site to find guidance with the set up procedure. Because your experience with this web site was so positive you tell all your friends. You also go back to the site and post your own review. You are so excited you even mention the site, with a link, on your personal blog.

Everything that happened was due to great content and meeting the three goals of findability: help people find your site, help people find what they are looking for within your site, and encourage repeat traffic. All these goals were met because of quality content.

Let’s look at how this was achieved through content.

1- Keywords and phrases located in the articles and reviews created search engine results.

2- You were able to find what you needed through links in the reviews and articles.

3- You returned to the site multiple times to read more articles.

4- You created more useful content by posting your reviews.

5- You were so pleased with your experience that you do not hesitate to recommend the site.

Not only did the web site's findability improve your experience by including relevant and well produced content, it actually caused you to add to that findability by adding your review. This is how great content works.

***
Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

The Google Canonical Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Did you know that Google sees www.lonebird.com and lonebird.com as two different sites?

This is called the Google Canonical Problem, and it will not only have a negative affect on your hit count and your page rank but can get you dinged for duplicate content. This is really important to you SEO content people. This is also another spot for me to reinforce something I feel very strongly: your SEO and code writer need to be joined at the hip.

So what is canonicalization? According to Google it is the process of picking the best URL when there are several choices, and it usually refers to the home pages. Here is a better example: take lonebird.com, www.lonebird.com, www.lonebird.com/index.html, lonebird.com/home.asp. To most of us these are the same. But technically they are four different URLs. In theory, during a search a web server could return completely different content for all four. When Google “canonicalizes” a URL, they try to pick the best representative from that set.

Now that we know what canonicalization is the next question should be, how is your website indexed and how can you tell? Simple. Go to Google and type "site:your-domain.com" in the search bar. What you should see is a list of all the pages Google has indexed. Now type in "site:www.your-domain.com". Do the search results show the same number of pages? If not, then you may have a problem.

So how do we get Google to pick the URL we want and what do we do with the listings that are already out there? The best first step starts with the site itself. Be consistent with your internal links. Be consistent across the entire site. Don’t make half of the links go to http://sitename.com/ and the other half go to http://www.sitename.com/. Pick the URL you prefer and always use that format for your internal links.

Next, be consistent with listing the site. When listing and indexing the site be sure to use the same URL.

Now, the overall best solution depends on whether your site is hosted on a Linux or Microsoft server.

For those on Linux the answer is to use mod_rewrite. What is that? It is an Apache module which will automatically map all requests to a single and consistent URL. Basically you add a short script to the htaccess.txt file located in the server root:

Options +FollowSymLinks

RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^expression-web-tutorials\.com$ [NC]

RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.expression-web-tutorials.com/$1 [R=301,L]

The htaccess.txt file allows you to send instructions to the server on the fly. Obviously you need knowledge of Apache, php and you need server access. Most of you will need to ask your code writer or site host to help you with this.

If you are on a Microsoft host the process is similar. Windows uses IIS (Internet Information Services) and like Apache it uses modules to extend its instruction set. These are called ISAPI filters (Internet Services Application Interface). An ISAPI filter can be used to rewrite URLs just like mod_rewrite.

You can write your own ISAPI filter but it can be a little complicated. Your best bet is to search online for a pre written one. Though there are free ones the better examples are paid. Again you will need a little knowledge and you need server access so you may need the help of your site host or developer.

******
Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

SEO Elements that Search Engines Like

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:14:00 +0000

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an important component of your overall web strategy and you should be using several to build a finable website. BUT … successful SEO depends on your understanding of the search engines, what they like to see and how they like to see it. There are many important factors to keep in mind as you build find-ability into your website design. This list is just a few of the more important ones that will really help you build points with the search engines:

- Honest content and not trying to trick the search engines. Make sure your content is relevant and has value to your users.
- Content that is readily visible to spiders with nothing to block the full indexing of pages, such as old html and nested tables or content not placed properly.
- More content than code on your pages. If you are not up on things, html is old news. In fact, with older template and WYSIWYG created sites this can actually cost you in ranking (MS Front page for example). This is why your code writer is as important as your keywords. (See my article "You can’t separate the code from the SEO").
- Keyword rich and valuable and meaningful content. This means content that is not "stuffed".
- Content with a clear information hierarchy so spiders can tell what a page is about. Again this goes back to the code, the order and priority assigned to header tags for example.
- Content that loads quickly and easily for the spiders. This insures proper indexing. Bring your site up to standards using new CSS standards, and make sure your content is marked up correctly (bolding keywords is an example).
- Clean meaningful URLs with keywords when possible. This works for people too.
- Back-links to your web site that are from reputable sources. Search engines use this to determine the credibility of your website. And back-linking counts really high toward your overall ranking.

When you look at these you can understand what the search engines want. They want us to give them plenty of clean, relevant, honest, high quality content. On the coding side we have coined a phrase for this: we call it "Search Engine Positive Code". And as we build all this into our overall Asheville web design the benefits are more than just promoting SEO: there is accessibility.

For example most of the points listed are also part of the new accessibility standards. By building your website to meet these new standards you will broaden your overall audience. This includes users with disabilities and those using alternate devices like handhelds. Placing content in the "alt" and "title" attributes, (a couple of the tags that aid accessibility) provides context and relevance to you website. This helps the search engines understand your page and accurately connect searchers with your web site. Accessibility and find-ability overlap.

People and search engines both appreciate great content. When people find content useful they tend to evangelize and spread the word. They create links on their blogs and even talk about your content on discussion boards. Plus, those in-bound links not only bring more people to your website, they help build your reputation with the search engines. Search engines evaluate your site's reputation by the quality of the sites that link back to you. So it all strings together, good content, clean code, and back-links all blend to improve your find-ability, reputation, and search engine optimization.

**************
Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

The Importance of the Title Tag in Proper SEO

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:27:00 +0000

A month ago I started a series called "Essential Tags", which is basically a 101 on XHTML tags and their relation to the search engines. But for this article I decided to jump over some of the preliminaries and talk about one of the most forgotten tags, the title tag. You know how heading tags can be a powerful way to build findability in your markup code but what about the others. The title tag is simply one of the most important positions to place keywords or phrases.

Here are a few guidelines for an effective title tag.

1- Do not use it as a dump for all of your keywords. Keep it short and relevant. 12 words or less is what is recommended.

2- Make sure to make your tag readable for humans as well as the search engines.
Don’t forget, title tags are still an important part of site navigation.

3- First impression. Your title tag is the main heading and link when displayed on the search results pages. It also determines whether or not a user visits your site.

4- Write your title in a way that can be read by stat applications like Google Analytics.

Here is a tried and recommended format for a title tag:

page title | site name or organization | short keyword rich phrase

Let’s look at this format. Up front is the page title. Putting the page title first before the organization or site name gives the user a way to identify quickly the page they are on, This is followed by the site name or organization. At a quick glance the user will know what page and site they are on even if they have their browser minimized. The way you write your tag will also have an affect how you will be able to read the page traffic statistics. Normally stat pages list page view results by the page title. If you place keywords first it will be harder to follow what pages your visitors are viewing.

How you craft your title tag will have another direct effect on your users. When tags are stuffed with keywords, browsers will awkwardly clip your text if the window is not wide enough. Your viewers may not be able to view the name of the page or the name of the site they are on. This also carries on to bookmarks, another reason for a proper title tag. When your users bookmark a page in either a browser or social network these systems use the title tag to identify the bookmark. If the title tag is stuffed with keywords up front the important information like the name of the site is lost. And an important marketing fact to remember, a bookmark label that makes no sense is not likely to generate many return visits.

Finally, a short keyword rich phrase at the end of the title tag will provide viewers and search engines a quick summary of what the page is about. It is important to keep it brief and descriptive. To sum up, the title tag should efficiently notify both viewers and search engines about the title of the page they are viewing, on what site and what the page is about.

So there you have it, one humble page tag so much importance. As with all search engine optimization projects everything starts with good research and a very targeted keyword / phrase list. After you have your list, it is just as important how you use them and the title tag is right at the top.

*********
Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Why you can’t separate the code from the seo

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:08:00 +0000

When I wrote my first web site 13 years ago nobody knew what a keyword or Meta Tag was. I did notice that in the infant days of search engines some sites were easier to find than others and put 2 + 2 together. I didn’t know it then but search engine optimization was born. Since it has grown into an industry and has gone full circle.

For awhile keywords and Meta Tags were king and queen causing web development split. One person designed and wrote the site and then you took it to someone else to optimize.

Humans being what they are the Meta Tags were abused and turned into a spammers dream. The search engines reacted by demoting the Meta Tags to reference only. This was actually very good. Competition breeds innovation, in fact I have found that by using other creative techniques you can leave the keyword and many other tags out completely.

In the next phase, SE’s (Search Engines) relied mostly on the site content and the SE wars moved there. Competition grew even more fierce. But like Meta Tags there are only so many keywords and everyone is trying to use the same words.

Again, I noticed something curious. Web sites that had been re-built to bring up to current standards would move faster and differently in the SEs. This was especially true with re-done MS Front Page sites.

Light Bulb! The cleaner the code the better the rank. Others soon picked up on this and a few years ago Google made a big deal about changing their algorithms. The other major SEs followed and now your page code has become as important as content and the new SE wars have moved there, to the code and on-page optimization.

Competition is tough here too, and to be an effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) person you have to at least understand code. There are different techniques and tricks used today through code manipulation and on page optimization, the real “meat” of a site, that it will cost you if these are ignored. And that is why the code and search engine optimization cannot be seperated.

This is the new truth of business on the Internet for the 21st Century. For your website to succeed you need your code writer / designer and optimization person / team to be one and the same. If your designer is not an SEO person then be sure they work very closely with one.

This leads to another change I have noticed, an evolution of web design companies. Because of the necessity of this closeness between development and optimization many are moving the SEO back in house. And the SEO companies see the writing on the wall too, many have shifted their marketing focus. In the past they worked mostly with end users. Now they are marketing to design companies hoping to form this new code / SEO relationship.

This is what I meant about going “going full circle”. Web site design went from the domain of the code writer and now back again. It is so important for design and SEO to melt together that I think the days of individual companies doing one or the other is rapidly coming to a close.

________________________
Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Is the Keyword Meta Tag dead?

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Actually, how much value do the Meta Tags still hold in general? It still depends on who you are talking to, there are a few who refuse to let go and that includes some of the older search engines themselves.

Leading SEO companies have realized that the search engine wars as moved back to the code. There are just so many ways to use a keyword and everyone is trying to use the same keywords. So now the search engines look at the page code and that can help boost your rating more than Meta Tags but that is for another article.

For those who don’t know, the meta keyword tag is a way to insert text into an HTML page that is not visible when the page is viewed through a browser. Some search engines read the content of the tag and associate the words in the tag with words within the page's regular body copy. The first major crawler-based search engines to use the meta keywords tag were Infoseek and AltaVista which began supporting tags in early 1996. By mid-1997, four out of the seven major crawlers at the time supported Meta Tags. Since, experience with the keyword tag has showed it to be a spam magnet. Some web site owners insert misleading words about their pages or use excessive repetition of words in hopes of tricking the crawlers about relevancy. For this reason, Lycos quietly dropped its support of the tag in 1998, and newer search engines such as Google and FAST never added full support at all. Pretty much by 2000, the meta keywords tag was left with only two major supporters: AltaVista and Inktomi. Now Inktomi remains the only one, with AltaVista having dropped its support in July.

MSN and Yahoo place some importance (very little-but some) on Meta Tags. Google doesn’t use Meta Tags for anything besides your listing (if there is very little content on page). You won’t be penalized by Google for having a keyword tag providing you don't include words or phrase that are not present within the visible on page text. Google will ding you for this.

Indeed, my advice about the meta keywords tag is simple. For those running large web sites or short on time, don't worry about it. The stress and time involved in trying to craft a tag is not worth it, in terms of the minor benefit it might bring. It is far more important for site owners to instead concentrate on creating good title tags for their pages, a key page element that has consistently shown it can help with ranking across all major search engines.

I’m not going to lose sleep over the decline of the meta keywords tag. It has always been a point of confusion. How many times can I repeat a word on the page without getting banned? How many words are too many? If I don't list a term in the tag, does that mean my page won't show up? Those are common questions consistently raised over the years and represent time wasted worrying about a page element that a minority of search engines supported, and for those that did support it gave very little if any ranking boost.

***

Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and Asheville SEO company located in North Carolina.

Dangers of Social Media Networking Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Linked Out. When one door closes another opens. This tried and true adage has never rung more true than with social networking. Attackers frustrated by their inability to enter corporate networks because of sophisticated controls, now have a whole new point of entry with LinkedIn, which allows them to access personal professional information and spoof employee profiles.

Plus, it's no secret that attackers follow the money. This networking site aimed at professionals also opens up a whole new attack vector for organized crime intending to pilfer intellectual property and corporate information, as well as the typical credit cards and social security numbers used in identity theft.

All About The Money. Reflecting current cyber crime trends, experts say that attacks on social networking sites will increasingly become more financially driven.And will wreak havoc on users' bank accounts as these attacks become more complex and organized. This also means that sites like Facebook -- which touts a more professional, white-collar user base, as well as professional networking sites like LinkedIn, will increasingly become targets for organized crime.

Having all of your information on a site that isn't controlled by users and whose security practices aren't paramount, isn't always the best deal. While experts say that they can't predict the future, it's likely that social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook will start taking more responsibility regarding their security practices -- especially if users significantly change their behavior or avoid logging on altogether.
Special thanks to : Channel Web, http://www.crn.com

Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Dangers of Social Media Networking Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Last week I started this series to introduce you to the dangers of social networking. I was not ready for the response. Yes I know we all use them and yes I know they are necessary for business, just be aware of the dangers. Use these services but think before you type and use them safely. So, now let’s continue.

It's A Worm. It's social networking at its finest.

Experts say social networking users can expect more threats to travel virally. Experts say that other rapid, self-replicating viruses will likely be more malicious, designed to steal or delete users' personal information like date of birth and passwords. That data can then be sold in numerous black market economies or used to acquire credit card and bank information. Often the same login credentials used on Facebook and MySpace are also used to access banking and other sensitive accounts.

'Poking' Holes in XXS Flaws.

In a recent attack, millions of Facebook users were left exposed to a cross site scripting vulnerability affecting the user interface of the site's Job page. Among other things, the vulnerability gave the attackers the ability to install malicious software as well as trick users into handing over their credentials through fake logins. The takeaway is that the same threats plaguing Web 2.0 are amplified on social networking sites. Why? Because these sites rely on the prolific and rapid spread of information between users.

Flash Attacks. It's the beauty of Web 2.0.

There are more attacks on Flash now than ever before. Applications such as Adobe Air and Microsoft Silverlight, which allow the browser to be used in a more effective way, also increase the attack surface.

Naturally, the prolific use of Flash is one of the evolutions that make Facebook and MySpace so lucrative to attackers. As anyone with a profile knows, these technologies are extremely pervasive, as well as fun, when doing social networking. Unfortunately, a recent exploit in Adobe Flash has become a huge security threat.

Experts say that so far hundreds of thousands of Websites have been compromised, including thousands of networking site pages, as the result of the Flash exploit loose in the wild.Next week, part three. Special thanks to Channel Web, http://www.crn.com.

Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Email Etiquette for Business

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Tired of endless forwards where nobody changes the subject line, tired of those stupid return receipts (which in the business world is a strict no no). As we become more familiar with it we tend to get careless.

Why every business needs an email etiquette policy:

Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional image. Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails. Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits. The most important email etiquette tips:

1. Be concise and to the point. Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be
2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.
3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text.
4. Make it personal.
5. Answer swiftly..
6. Use proper structure & layout.
7. Do not overuse the high priority option.
8. Do not write in CAPITALS.
9. Don't leave out the message thread.
10. Add disclaimers to your emails. It is important to add disclaimers to your internal and external mails, since this can help protect your company from liability.
11. Read the email before you send it. A no brainer.
12. Do not email or respond if you are angry. Another no brainer.
13. Do not forward chain letters.
14. Do not request delivery and read receipts. This will always annoy your recipient before he or she has even read your message. Besides, it usually does not work since the recipient could have blocked that function, or their software might not support it, so what is the use of using it?
15. Do not ask to recall a message.
16. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission.
17. Do not use email to discuss confidential information.

There are many more but these are the important ones. Every business should have an e-mail policy and enforce it. It can be a big liability issue if you don’t.

Dangers of Social Media Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Social media networking is very powerful and very effective, of that there is no doubt. But as I have showed you before, like everything else with the Internet, there are two sides to everything. Social networking is a curvy road and you need to beware of the blind spots. To that end, this is the first of a three part series to make you aware. And I would like to thank Channel Web, http://www.crn.com, who provided the original story.

MySpace. Facebook. LinkedIn. Orkut. Who doesn't have a profile on at least one of these sites these days? The explosion of social networking has reinvented communication as we know it, creating new opportunities to develop friendships, romances and business contacts all over the world -- a fact which has not gone unnoticed by the malware authors and organized crime.

Here's a look at some of the things experts say we can expect to see more of in the world of Web 2.0 social networking.

Spam, Spam and More Spam. Spammers that are getting the door slammed in their faces with e-mail spam filters now have found new ways to access users with social networking sites, especially in the workplace. Experts say that spam is more profitable than ever.

Third Party Threats. It’s no secret that as applications acquire more functionality, the more susceptible they are to security threats. As social networking sites encourage users to build add-ons for their network, users will be opening themselves up to exploits from vulnerabilities in third-party applications.

Surprise, You've Got Spyware. Perhaps nothing is more ironic than pesky banner ads claiming that your site is hosting every kind of virus known to man and then offering to clean it up -- for a small fee of course. As more social networking users increasingly fear malware on their computers, they become bigger targets for these kinds of pop-up adware, tricking them to download fake anti-virus cleaners which are benign at best and destructive at worst.
Next week in part two we cover Worms, Flash, Phishing, holes in XXS and more.

Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Importance of Web Design and SEO Combined

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:40:00 +0000

I’ve seen it many times now, a great idea, an outstanding web site and wham, nothing. Why? Because they broke one or both of the 2 golden rules for a successful web site. And the illusion put up a web site and you will make a million dollars. Nothing is more false.

GOLDEN RULE ONE. Just like a traditional store you have to market and bring in traffic. To put up a site and wait to be found is suicide. This is a solid truth whether the shop is along side a real highway or the Internet super highway. Know your market, know your competition. Seek out a web designer who has marketing experience and works closely with an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist. Not one of these “organic” people but a true specialist. They will provide the info and experience you will need to develop a good web marketing plan. Do this first!

GOLDEN RULE TWO. Ok, this is the second big mistake. It is also the most costly to fix or is in the end, fatal. Choosing a web designer. This rule is so important to success that I’m going to cap it: CHOOSE A WEB DESIGN, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TEAM! We are all tempted to save money but this is truly a “penny wise pound foolish” situation. If you go to anything less, if you go to ‘someone who does it on the side’ or a “graphic designer” who will do a site, or any number of “dream weaver developers “(as we call them) your idea failed the moment you handed over your deposit.

There is so much more to a professional and competitive site than a cute design and a few key words. So much has to be done both on and off page and during the launch that you want a company that has more than graphic design abilities. You need a company with combined marketing skills and proven e-commerce experience. Site development and SEO will probably be one of the largest upfront expenses in the project. But it will be money spent wisely and in the end, much less expensive then doing it over again. Your company image, web site, marketing all have to blend and work together, see rule one!

They chose poorly

The Yellow Dinosaur

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Traveling down the road a few weeks back I noticed the now familiar line of yellow bags lining the road. Later that day I caught 3 random remarks in different places. All were negative. All along the lines of litter, useless, and saving trees hence this article.
You have to ask yourself, in this communication age, an age of Google and cell phones do we really need the yellow page phone books? This only leads to the next logical question, in this time of global warming and green awareness, do they not get it or do they not care? Since all the major publishers are moving hard to build their web programs you can only assume they don’t care. That, and they do not understand market delineation, there are just too many of them for any one to be of value.
For example, at our office we get 8. We are in a small county, less then 200k and we get 8 phone books, 2 from Yellow Book, 2 from Verizon, 3 from Bellsouth and now a new one littering the road, PDC. Guys, how many do we need?
Now don’t get me totally wrong, I still believe we need hard copies of phone lists but as an advertising vehicle, their main reason for being, yellow books have outlived their time.
The environmental damage goes beyond the trees. It includes everything from first cutting, the chemicals used in processing and printing and the staggering amount of petroleum products used in production and transport. Who pays this bill, we do. Who pays the clean up bill for the books rotting along side the road and in landfills, we do.
The phone book as we have known it has become obsolete. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s just technical evolution. What is sad is their failure to adapt. Some call it revolution but either way, evolution or revolution there is only one survivor.

Pick a web designer

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:24:00 +0000

In today’s world a business without a properly designed website is at a huge disadvantage. And just not any site will do, but one created with usability and SEO in mind. To work well a site needs to be designed properly, logically and cleanly. If it’s not then all your online marketing / PR / advertising and social media promotions to sell the site will just be wasted.
So much depends on the site design it is important to choose the right designer. So, here are a few tips to help you make the right choice.
1) Check out some of the other sites the designer has created. All creative designers have a unique style to them and certain elements common to .coms they develop.
2) Talk with the designer, tell him/her what your needs are. A good designer will be completely honest with you and be happy to tell you exactly his/her capabilities. The sign of a great designer is one that will ask what your current .com is, talk to you about your company and its goals and really get to know you. This is above and beyond, and what separates the good from the great.
3) Don’t separate the design and coding of your .com. You want one person or company conceptualizing, designing and implementing your .com. Splitting this is never a good idea and you will never get as good a product as you will if everything is done with one person.
4) Do separate the web design and the external marketing. Everybody can’t do everything. You want a designer who works closely with an SEO specialist. A proper web design starts with SEO and design from the very beginning.
Having the proper design is just the first step. It also takes a solid commitment to get your site a decent amount of steady traffic. And remember, once you start, it is an ongoing process from both your designer and SEO team for a time after the site is launched to build and maintain results.
When the website is created properly from step one, it will be something that you can build upon. You will have a valuable piece of virtual real estate.

Save money and upgrade RAM yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:32:00 +0000

So, things are tightening up and you really can’t afford a new computer. And the one you have is showing its age. What can you do? Well several upgrades: add more RAM (Random Access Memory), add a video card, or add a hard drive. Since RAM has a direct effect on performance I’m going to start there. It is also one of the easier do-it-yourself upgrades.

Before we start there are a few assumptions we need to make. First, the computer is not more then 3 – 4 years old. Next, you are running WIN XP. For those of you who refuse to give up on WIN 98 or ME your only real choice is a new computer. And last, you have a little mechanical ability.

RAM is what the computer uses to run applications. When the machine was new it came with what was available. That was then this is now. Over the years software has been added, applications have grown and all these use RAM. Add to that tool bars (bad), messangers, and games the RAM gets used up.

First check the RAM. Right click on the Task Bar. Then select Task Manager. When the dialog box opens choose the Performance tab. Here you will see neat little graphs that show how much you have and how much you are using.

The next step is to determine what type of RAM you have. Find this in System Information from the Control Panel, in your computer documentation or online.
You will also need to know the maximum amount the system can support and how many memory slots you have and are being used. You can see this by removing the cover.

Once you have the new RAM it is fairly easy to install if you are careful. ALWAYS remove the power. Lay the computer on its side and remove the cover. Always keep touching metal to discharge static! Line up the notch in the Ram with the notch in the slot and snap it carefully but firmly into the slot. You will here it ‘snap’.

Set the two locks on each side of the slot and you are done. Close it up and boot the system. If all went well the system will see the RAM and you’re on your way. If the boot fails and the machine is beeping like crazy, re-seat the Ram and try again.
Freeing up a resource like RAM goes a long way to overall performance. AND of course if you have any doubts call a professional.

Chris Kaminski is the head designer and web developer at Lone Bird Studio Ltd., an Asheville web design and SEO company in North Carolina. Clients include top companies in North Carolina health insurance, medical, news media, and government. Lone Bird Studio also specializes in creating niche market websites for that realize the necessity of e-commerce as the new marketplace.
.

Asheville Web Design studio combines design and seo techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:57:00 +0000

With the economy in a recession, business trends have moved online. Companies large and small are making the move to survive. What they are finding is competition for front page exposure in the top search engines is stiff. Increasingly , they are seeking out web design and SEO companies that demonstrate the experience and track record of proven success. Due to higher gas prices and increased internet security, shoppers are buying online.

According to the Census Bureau, revenues from online sales have grown by nearly fivefold from $7.4 billion in the third quarter of 2000 to $34.7 billion in the third quarter of 2007. In July 2008 alone, there were almost 12 Billion U.S. searches conducted on the top search engines, according to Search Engine Watch. With decreasing local sales due to the economy, many small business owners are investing in online virtual real estate by creating a website to expand their reach and market.

Internet competition for top page exposure in the large search engines has increased dramatically due to the influx of the number of new websites coming online. Many small companies are going online without a clear niche marketing target and plan of action for online business growth.

Lone Bird Studio has developed a method that involves a unique blend of combining the design phase closely with the (SEO) search engine optimization of the web pages. The SEO promotion is as important as the design. Working the two together provides the client with a highly targeted and cohesive website. That has proven better than using unrelated web design and seo companies.

Today’s web design techniques have evolved with the internet and the demands for search engine friendly technical web coding. This combination of marketing and web design are a natural reaction to changing market conditions. Top selling websites seek out teams of web designers and seo specialists who combine their ideas to create a successful and marketable website.

This method has also proven to be a more cost effective approach, especally for startup and small business. A well designed and coded website with researched and correct SEO optimization combined with a continuing off-page SEO promotion provides the client with a piece of online real estate that increases in value. An investment in your online presence, or virtual real estate, is becoming as valuable as hard real estate, and can be acquired for a whole lot less money. It's just a wise investment.

Chris Kaminski is the head designer and web developer at Lone Bird Studio Ltd., an Asheville web design and SEO company in North Carolina. Clients include top companies in North Carolina health insurance, medical, news media, and government. Lone Bird Studio also specializes in creating niche market websites for that realize the necessity of ecommerce as the new marketplace.

Software problems complicate computer repair and service

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Computer service has changed. We’ve gone from hardware based issues to mostly software problems. Basically we went from “something broke” to “how do I do this”. And, the industry has changed too. Plug and play has removed most configuration issues and the cost of computers for the masses has come way down. How does this affect us all? Let’s start with the software.

Today’s programs have become huge and complicated. They are becoming so difficult that it is getting beyond the average user to figure out. Add to this that it is almost impossible to get good support from the vendors users turn to the next person they know, the local repair shop. We are getting everything from “I can’t sync my iPod” to “I can’t log in to my AOL email.”

Because we fix computers we are expected to know every piece of software out there.
This is not possible. We can figure it out but time cost money. And to make it worse the vendors know this, so the larger ones charge a per incident fee knowing you will go to someone less expensive and avoid the phone support run-a-round. It is their way of controlling support cost.

That is the next point, the cost of providing that service. To be able to stay up on everything requires constant training and upgrading and all that cost money. Include the rising cost of running vehicles, insurance (what if I fry your machine), the general costs of doing business and it all adds up. This is what separates the $20/hr technician from the $100 technician, training and experience.

That leads to the final point, the cost of the repair or service. Computers have become so inexpensive that once the machine is a year or two old, many times, the cost of the repair is more than the system is worth. Or in the case of software, a few hours of service can cost as much as the program itself. So what can I do as a service company? I can’t afford not to charge what I need to charge. That leaves few choices. I can absorb some costs thought I couldn’t do that for long. Or, we can cut back on the service we offer which is not good for you.

Your choice is to fix it yourself, deal with the vendor’s support or pay your local tech. It is a true “Catch 22” situation for me the technician and you the customer. No matter which way we go it will cost us both. This is the new face of computer service.

Lone Bird Studio web design is based in Asheville, NC. CEO and head web designer Chris Kaminski built his first website in 1996. He has a passion for computer technology, web design and development and loves to share his knowledge and empower other internet businesses with tips and advice. Feel free to contact Lone Bird Studio with any questions, business or to link up with us!!

Wireless broadband needed in USA

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Since 2001, the U.S. has fallen from 3rd to 16th in worldwide broadband adoption, an alarming trend that seriously threatens American competitiveness in the digital age. Wireless broadband is the most promising way to extend affordable, ubiquitous, high-speed Internet connections to all Americans, particularly in under-served rural and low-income areas (Wireless Innovation Alliance). Roughly 15 million households cannot get broadband from their phone or cable provider because the companies have been slow to expand their high-speed networks in areas where there are not enough customers to generate what they regard as an adequate profit.
“If you don’t have a broadband connection, you’ll be left in a backwater and won’t be able to take part in the economy,” said David J. Leonard, WildBlue’s chief executive. “There’s a growing unmet demand in these markets.”
Wild Blue is a fast growing satellite based technology designed to bring DSL comparable speeds to rural areas that can not receive DSL, cable service.
What are your choices if you live in one of these un-serviced areas? Well there is dialup (eech) which is the whole reason for switching to broadband. Now if all you do is email and the occasional browsing then dialup is fine. But, if you are like the rest of us you would like to take full advantage of what the Internet has to offer. And, if, you are in business you need high speed.
So what are your choices in this new wireless realm? Well wireless is a broad term and covers everything from your home laptop to huge wide area networks. We are talking about wide area. This comes in several flavors, mesh, multipoint, and satellite.
In areas where mountains are not a problem mesh and multipoint work fine. Mesh and multipoint use ‘line-of-sight’ antennas. In areas where terrain is an issue then you will need satellite.
Now all of these have their strong and weak points, like I said terrain is a factor, weather can be a factor and of course cost. You will need to do your homework to see what is available in your area and which service is best for you.

Lone Bird Studio web design is based in Asheville, NC. CEO and head web designer Chris Kaminski built his first website in 1996. He has a passion for computer technology, web design and development and loves to share his knowledge and empower other internet businesses with tips and advice. Feel free to contact Lone Bird Studio with any questions, business or to link up with us!!

Is Vista the next ME?

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:24:00 +0000

Remember Windows ME? I can’t really blame you if you don’t and if you do, like me, you are trying to forget. ME was rushed out to fill the gap between WINDOWS98 and 2000 and the release of XP. In fact ME made the #4 spot in “The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time” (http://www.pcworld.com/article/125772-2/the_25_worst_tech_products_of_all_time.html).
It was only on the shelves a short time, it was buggy and at times hard to work with. But, what I think really helped kill it was that Microsoft was touting XP at the same time it was releasing ME.
Now where am I going with this? I recently had a chance to see a demo of the new Windows 7, yep, another operating system (OS). It was kind of cool but it is still in progress. It has some cool new touch screen support, all new security .. bla .. bla. But nothing to really wow me. If all goes well it should be released some time in 2009. It was while at this demonstration that I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between ME and Vista.
While Microsoft marketing was out pumping the new release of Vista, Bill Gates was on TV announcing that MS would release a new OS every three years.
Now, true XP has been out for seven years and that’s the point. It is relatively stable, everyone has become familiar and comfortable. Why switch now and then have to again in three years. So, for the most part I think Vista is going to get skipped over, just like ME.
Now there are other reasons Vista hasn’t caught on. Reasons like problems with driver support and running legacy software. It is really really top heavy and not meant to upgrade older machines. I also think that there are too many versions and it is just too expensive especially Ultimate. And again, there is nothing to really wow anybody.
The public has resisted Vista so much that MS has extended the life cycle of XP twice. And, to combat poor Vista sales the major manufactures are still offering XP.
So …why give up my XP? The service life of a system is around 5-6 years anyway, why not just wait and upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out next year. Get a new system, get my six years out of it then get upgrade to what ever OS is out then.
I think MS misjudges the public’s willingness and or ability to tear their homes and business apart every three years and learn new software.

What is in a .name?

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:17:00 +0000

The Internet has grown no argument there. It has replaced ground mail and the phone book. It has revolutionized business and banking but, there is one little piece that has gone un-noticed until now. In fact it has become the fastest growing segment in the private sector (a little corporate talk) and that is personal web sites.
And, that is because of the .name web extension. We are all familiar with .com, .net, .biz, .tv, but the real sleeper has been .name.
Why a personal web site?
- It's memorable. Use your first, middle, last or nickname in any order. The only thing anyone needs to remember is your name.
- You can have your own personal email.
- It is a global top level domain, .name works for individuals in exactly the same way .com works for businesses.
- It is personal. Use it to show off your family photos, or as an online portfolio, your .name domain is the best way to express yourself online.
- It's non-commercial. No companies no third parties in your domain. It's your name ending in .name, and that's it!
One of the great things about the Internet is freedom of expression, the opportunity for anyone to publish something on your own. It can be about your favorite sports team or music celebrity, personal or family news, political views, anything. There are a huge number and variety of individuals' web pages already online, including some very professional family and personal websites intended to keep relatives and friends up-to-date.
It is relatively simple to produce and publish your own pages, it can be great fun, and you also can learn some IT skills. Software for web page creation is easily available on the web, with many free or low costs. There are many websites that give advice and tips for budding designers. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer space to "host" personal web pages as part of their offers, and there are websites that offer free space for personal pages.
So, what’s in a name? A whole lot and you can take it global.

Computers Don't Smoke

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:07:00 +0000

If you have worked in the electronics field for any length of time you will have heard that you should not smoke around electrical equipment. It was one of those things you hear then quickly forget.

Fast forward a little and now I fix computers and I run across many that are killed by smoking. And I’m sure if you talk to other technicians they will have run across the desktop of a smoker. You remove the cover and everything inside is coated with sticky smelly amber goo. As a non-smoker I have to tell ya, it is not pleasant and it is not at all good for the equipment.

Why you ask? Simple, it is the same tar that is killing you. The same tars and goo that coat your lungs also form a nice consistent coating over everything inside the computer. It coats cables, cards, drives, and the motherboard, behind the motherboard, everything including the sides of the case.

How does it get in? The fans. The fans draw in outside air to cool the components on the inside. Anything in that air is going to be drawn in too. This includes dust, pet hair and smoke.

What kind of damage can it do? Well like I said the goo covers everything. If causes fans to stick, processors overheat, hard drives to stick and fail. Power supplies can overheat or CD/DVD burners stick or their optics fail and this is a short list. We can go into the damage the corrosives in the smoke do to the motherboard and video cards but you get the idea. There is also collateral damage, keyboards stick, monitors overheat or have screen discoloration. External hard drives and game controls gook up and fail, you get the idea here too.

How do you fix it? Generally you can’t. You just replace the part. Sometimes you get lucky by reseating everything cleaning pins, plugs and contact points as you go but that is rare. And if data recovery is involved it can become expensive fast.
How can you prevent it? Short of building an elaborate exhaust system over your head, don’t smoke around the equipment!
So take my advice, if you need to smoke step away from your computer because computers don’t smoke.

Lone Bird Studio web design is based in Asheville, NC. CEO and head web designer Chris Kaminski built his first website in 1996. He has a passion for computer technology, web design and development and loves to share his knowledge and empower other internet businesses with tips and advice. Feel free to contact Lone Bird Studio with any questions, business or to link up with us!!

How to Backup Windows XP

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:08:00 +0000

Last week my wife’s computer crashed, and, if you are as an addicted gamer as she is, every hour down is like a junkie waiting for a fix. So needless to say I had to get the system back a.s.a.p. Luckily I used the least used feature XP has, System Backup. I replaced the hard drive, reloaded the OS, ran a backup restore and wam, I was done in 3 hours. I didn’t have to spend days reloading software, favorites, my documents, pretty much everything including desktop icons were restored. Nothing was lost up to the day of the backup.

What is this little known feature and how do I use it? First you need something to back up to. I recommend a stand-a-lone USB drive’though you can also back up to another partition, drive or CD/DVD.

Take stock of how much space your hard drive is using and get a USB device slightly larger. Once you have that you can back up your system. Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Backup. This will open the Backup Wizard. On the Wizard opening screen just click ‘Next”. On the next screen choose ‘Backup files and settings’. When putting things back you would choose ‘Restore files and settings. On the next screen select ‘All information on this computer’.

Next browse to your backup device then enter a name for your file. I usually use the date. Then click ‘Next’. You will get a window confirming your selections. If they are correct click ‘Finish’, the system will do the rest. Don’t use the system while the backup is being created. How long it will take depends on how much data but figure about 15 minutes to half an hour. It can take longer.
That is about it, now you have a total back up of everything on the computer.

To restore the system backup, reload the operating system if you have to and here is the one catch. It has to be the same OS that was used to create the backup. Navigate back to backup under system tools, select ‘Restore files and settings’ and follow the prompts. When you are done everything will be back where it was at the time the back up was created. For this reason it is a good idea to keep the backup file up to date. I usually run a full system backup twice a month.
So there you have it, should the un-thinkable happen there is no need to panic. Just smile and remember how prepared you are.

Author Chris Kaminski is head web designer at Lone Bird Studio, an Asheville web design and SEO company located in North Carolina.

Please Don't Download

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:56:00 +0000

This week I had planned to continue with my series on online business. But, I had to stop to tell you this, stop downloading all that garbage off the net!
What I am talking about are all those little maintenance programs that promise to clean out the spyware or improve system performance.

You know, System this and Registry that or Spyware this or Destroy that (usually your machine). I know you have all seen them. They make claims about how great they are and what a wonderful job they do. Don’t believe it. Just because they say so does not make it true.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are good programs out there. But for the most part, even the ones with good intention just don’t deliver or conflict with other software on the system. They are not written well, properly tested or rushed to market. There are many malicious ones out there too that disguise themselves as system software but also as little devices to bring you weather or news.

These usually hide marketing and tracking software that compete for your internet connection. I had several come through the shop this week. That is why I write this article. One system to come in had downloaded a Spyware blocker. All it did was slow his system to a crawl. A major loss of system performance is a sure sign you got a bad one. Fortunately, we removed it without much trouble.

Another computer came in with a “Registry Cleaner”. After he installed and ran it the system developed a boot issue. The system was looking for a file no longer there. So what does he do? Download another to fix it! So please don't download unless you know what you are downloading and can be assured that it is a program that won't hurt your computer.

Google Website Optimizer

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:29:00 +0000

Ways to avoid identity theft

noreply@blogger.com (Lone Bird Studio Ltd.) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:18:00 +0000

Identity theft has been the fasted growing crime for years now. In fact some studies say one happens every 3 seconds. How do they get this information? Surprisingly, not from you. Most are the result of data theft, thousands of records taken from a retail store for example.
What can you do? Nothing really. Something like that is out of your control. But, you can keep an eye on your credit and be notified if someone uses it. All three credit agencies are required to offer a free monitoring service.
To sign up is easy and free. First contact one of the main three reporting agencies (www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, www.transunion.com) and sign up for their Fraud Alert program. They will have paid offerings but the free one is what we are after.
Once you join several things will happen. First, the company you joined is required to also notify the remaining two agencies so all three will be watching. Second, while signing up, select to opt-out of un-solicited offers. This prevents random credit checks and will end those annoying credit offers.
Third and most important, you will be notified of any suspicious credit activity. If you don’t receive any alerts (a good thing) you will at least get a monthly report.
Now there is a catch, a free account is good only for 90 days so you will have to renew, but hey, it’s free.
There you have it. This is what companies on TV are charging you for. But, for a few minutes of your time you can do it yourself and save the money. I still wouldn’t put my Social Security number on the side of a truck though.

By Chris Kaminski
Lone Bird Studio Ltd.
Lone Bird Studio Ltd. is a web design and seo company in Asheville,NC