InSites // Dream Seed Multimedia, Lancaster, PA

InSites: February 2012

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
How do you choose the right pages for your new website? Plus, save on setting it up!

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
February 2012

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Are you faced with putting together a new website? Have you planned a website previously but had difficulty thinking about what to include on it? It’s no easy task to plan a truly successful website. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t realize that choosing the same old pages can result in a dull, ineffective website. Check out my article below on choosing pages for your website to learn the best tip that will make all the difference for your website.

Follow Dream Seed for more useful tips and hints on Facebook and Twitter, and look for me on LinkedIn. You can always forward this newsletter to someone working on their own website.

All bests,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Design How to choose the right pages for your website

Facing a new website can be a challenge. There are so many decisions to make, from selecting a domain name to choosing what colors to use. One of the major decisions is planning what sections or pages a website will have. The wrong pages can mean spending time and money on developing content that won’t really make a difference, or worse, turning off potential customers. However, remembering one simple tip will make planning the right pages and sections to your website simple, and it should lead to more customers…

How do you choose the right pages for your site?

February special: 15% off a new website

If you need to build a new website from scratch, contact us today to receive 15% off the base price of one of our three website design packages! This special expires February 29, 2012, is exclusively for current InSites email newsletter subscribers, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip Did you remember that it’s 2012?

When the year changes, there are often a few pieces of buisness to take care of on our websites. Simple updates as the years pass help keep your website fresh and updated.

Quite simply, one thing you can do is change the copyright date in your footer to the new year. That can be a subtle sign to visitors that your website is still kept up-to-date. You may also want to read through your text to change any time references that are relative, such as “last year” or “five years ago.” Better yet, why not think about changing those references to specific years? That way, you won’t have to worry about updating those again.

There are other things you can check on your website, too. I wrote an article a few years back about giving your website an annual checkup. Now would be a great time to make sure all is humming along as it should!

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February special: Save 15% on a new website
Planning the right pages
Updating for 2012

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InSites is published by Dream Seed Multimedia. Each month, we’ll bring you some useful information on getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to your website, all geared toward the empowerment of your small business or nonprofit!

InSites: January 2012

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
What’s the best thing you can do to improve your website’s success?

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
January 2012

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Happy new year to you and yours! I am happy to be sharing 2012 with you. I’ve just wrapped up a wonderful year, both with Dream Seed and in my own life, and I am looking forward to a bright year ahead.

To help you off to a great start to your new year, I’ve included in this issue an article about the single best thing you can do to promote the best success of your own website. Additionally, there have been some recent changes to Google Analytics, so I have some information for you about that, too.

Keep up with Dream Seed for more tips and hints on Facebook and Twitter, and look for me on LinkedIn. Please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

Wishing you all the best in 2012,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Marketing The best thing to determine your website’s success

For most of us, our websites are an important way to find new business or activity. We create them hoping that people looking for the solutions that we provide will find us on the internet and then buy from us or contact us for more. However, this may be one of the greatest challenges we face—getting found by these web surfers. But there is one thing that you can do, more than anything else, that will help your site find its right audience.…

The most effective change to your website…

January special: Free Google Analytics setup!

Start the new year off right! Newsletter subscribers can get Google Analytics set up for FREE on their websites! If you host and/or maintain your website with Dream Seed, contact us today to get Google Analytics set up with you at no cost. This special expires January 31, 2012, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip New changes to Google Analytics

There have been some important changes to Google Analytics made in 2011, and more will be rolled out in 2012. Any website owner or manager would benefit from the incredible amount of information Google Analytics provides about how visitors use a website.

You can keep up with the changes directly from Google on their Analytics Blog. If you prefer learning by video, take a look at the Analytics YouTube channel. You can also take a look at Robbin Steif’s article for her list of the most important changed that were rolled out. This is an easy way to see at a glance the new features.

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January special: Free Google Analytics setup
Best thing for website success
Changes to Google Analytics

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InSites: December 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
How have business websites changed over the years?

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
December 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Every year, the holiday season always seems to creep up faster than the last. Regardless of your plans, to me, this time of year seems to be a natural place to stop and take stock of where I’ve been, what I’ve done, and where I’d like to go.

In keeping with this idea, I’ve written an article about the top six changes I’ve seen in the last six years Dream Seed has been in business. You may find it interesting to see where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Keep up with Dream Seed for more tips and hints on Facebook and Twitter, and look for me on LinkedIn. Please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

Wishing you the brightest of holidays,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Marketing Top 6 changes in business websites in the last 6 years

This holiday season marks Dream Seed Multimedia’s sixth. When I reflect on the kind of work I was doing for clients by the end of 2006 and what I’m doing now, I find it interesting to see just how online marketing has changed is such a short time. In honor of my sixth Christmas with Dream Seed, I thought I’d share with you six big changes I’ve noticed in effective small business and nonprofit websites.…

How has your business website changed…

December special: Win a free copy of a great SEO book!

Keep an eye of our Facebook page for your chance to enter to win a free copy of Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day, a $29.99 value (plus a $25 Google AdWords credit)! Get tons of excellent tips for improving your website’s performance. Look on our Facebook page for an announcement sometime in December!

Insightful Tip New ebooklet for small business and nonprofit websites

While I’m waxing nostalgic about all the changes that have happened in small business and nonprofit websites over the years, know that I haven’t forgotten about the ebooklet I first published in 2007: Website Planning and Design: 17 Proven and Money-Saving Tips, Tricks, and Tools to Create and Improve Your Small Business or Nonprofit Website. It’s currently in its second edition and now up to 21 tips, and a new third edition is right around the corner!

So much has changed that even more tips with the latest advice will be added, and some older ones need to be revised or discarded as technology evolved. Just like websites, it needs to keep up with the times or risk irrelevancy.

As a subscriber to this newsletter, you’ll receive your own free copy in a few weeks, and you can feel confident that your own websites will be up to date. Consider it my Christmas gift to you!

Read InSites

December special: Free SEO book
Biggest website changes
New ebooklet coming soon

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InSites: November 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Seeing your website through different eyes?

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
November 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Dealing with technology is always a challenge. Sometimes it’s a fun challenge, and other times, it can try the most patient of people! Creating websites is no exception. To take a design and break it down into computer code and then make that code do what you want it to is rarely dull.

One challenge you may have noticed with your own website is how it may look different from one computer to another. I thought I’d take a look at this phenomenon in this month’s issue.

Look for more great tips from Dream Seed on Twitter and Facebook, and look for me on LinkedIn. Please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Design Why does my website look different on certain people’s computers?

One of the little joys (or annoyances, depending on how you look at it) in website design is the inevitable challenge of getting a website to play nicely with all the different internet browsers, computers, mobile devices, screen sizes, etc., out there today. For anyone who has a website, it is also inevitable that someday you will look at your website on a different computer and see subtle changes in how the site looks. So what causes this, and is it possible to be avoided?

Is it a problem when your website looks a little different?

November special: 50% off social media integration

Have a Facebook or Twitter account for your organization? Link it to your website! If you host and/or maintain your website with Dream Seed, contact us today to save 50% on your integration! This special is exclusively for newsletter subscribers, expires November 30, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip Internet browsers are improving!

In the early days of the internet, it was like the Wild West. It was just about anything goes. There were no set rules for creating a website. Browsers then, notably Netscape (remember that one?) and the newcomer Internet Explorer made up their own code. This meant that web designers needed to create, for all intents, two versions of the website to work in both browsers! And as Netscape and Internet Explorer released new versions, they each introduced new codes and rules, which kept breaking older websites!

Fortunately, the landscape is much better today. Current web browsers, for the most part, follow the same standard rules, so it’s much easier to make one website work across multiple browsers. In fact, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome all keep on the cutting edge and are fast to introduce new standard agreed-upon rules as they come. These browsers are the ones that keep web technology moving forward. Internet Explorer is still a little slow to catch up. The newer versions, 8 and 9 in particular, are quite better than older ones.

If you’re still using Internet Explorer, you may want to try another browser. Each one is free and has its own perks. Try Firefox, Safari, Opera, or Chrome.

Read InSites

November special: 50% off social media integration
One website looking different?
Try a new web browser

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InSites: October 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Have a local business? Get more local traffic...online!

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
October 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Local businesses and organizations sometimes have their own special set of challenges. Hotels, restaurants, and contracting services are usually limited to a small geographical area, to name a few. While the internet is filled with possibilities (and competition) in dizzying amounts, search engines offer some helpful tools to get your own local business or nonprofit listed…and listed well.

Even if you’re not a business or nonprofit who has a particularly local clientele, you might be able to learn how directories and review sites can benefit you. There’s always something to learn in the world of the web!

Don’t forget to find me on LinkedIn, and and you’ll get more tips and advice on Twitter and Facebook. Please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Marketing Got a local business? Don’t forget local search!

If your business or nonprofit caters to a local population in any way, say through a bricks-and-mortar store or some kind of localized in-person service, you might be missing out on a great online opportunity. How can a geographical limitation become an advantage over other websites that have no local boundaries? The answer lies in local search, and capitalizing on it can make a big difference for your business or organization…

Get started using—and getting found on—local search…

October special: 25% off local search optimization

Get 25% off your website optimization for local search (with your locations served and your contact information). If you host and/or maintain your website with Dream Seed, contact us today. This special is exclusively for newsletter subscribers, expires October 31, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip More directories and review sites

There are a lot of choices for getting listed in local directories and review sites. It’s easy to feel both overwhelmed and obsessed! Instead of trying to get listed in each directory, it’s a good idea to start with the ones that your own competitors are in and also with the ones that come up when you do searches for your keywords and phrases.

Besides Yelp and InsiderPages, you may want to check out Manta, Metromix, and Foursquare. There are also popular specialty directories and review sites, like Angie’s List for services, Chowhound for restaurants, and TripAdvisor for hotels. No matter where you decide to list, it’s a good idea to keep a spreadsheet or some other kind of record of your listings so that you can easily find them when you need to make an update.

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October special: 25% off local search optimization
Local search
Review sites & directories

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InSites: September 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Learn how to use images and videos to improve your SEO!

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
September 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

It’s back-to-school time, so it might be the perfect time for you to think of learning some search engine optimization strategies that have worked for many others but that a good deal of small businesses aren’t using yet. Included in this issue is an article to help you think of new ways to use images and videos to increase your search listing presence.

Speaking of SEO, don’t forget that my next workshop is Thursday, September 1 in Lancaster, PA. Follow this link to register for this and other great low-cost business workshops with SCORE.

I’m happy to connect with you on LinkedIn, and you’ll find more tips and advice on Twitter and Facebook. As always, please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Marketing How to use images and videos for SEO results

In improving your website’s SEO campaign, you want to increase the positive exposure your site has in search engine results. But did you know that using and optimizing images and videos on your website can help you increase your search engine listing presence?…

Learn how to use images and videos to improve your search engine visibility…

September special: 25% off image optimization

If you host and/or maintain your website with Dream Seed, contact us today to optimize your existing photos for search engine listings. This special is exclusively for newsletter subscribers, expires September 30, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip What other “verticals” or special searches are there?

Search engines don’t stop at conducting special searches (and integrating results) for images and videos. It’s not like the search engines of the past that simply indexed web pages. Almost anything you can think of has specialized search.

For example, Google and Bing have searches for news, finance, blogs, recipes, books, places, shopping, even patents! Next time you’re on Google or Bing, take a look at all the different searches you can conduct. Are there any that open the possibilities to new search results for your business or organization? What are your creative ideas?

Read InSites

September special: 25% off image optimization
Image and video search listings
Verticals and blended search

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InSites: August 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
Will your next website improvement waste your money?

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
August 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities of your website? How do you handle lots of ideas (and seeing what the competition has that you don’t)? Well, I’m here to help with some advice on how to handle all those next great website must-haves!

By they way, it’s time for another workshop! (I know it seems like I plug them a lot, but I enjoy doing them!) My next search engine optimization (SEO) workshop is coming up Thursday, September 1 in Lancaster, PA. Follow this link to register for this and other great low-cost business workshops with SCORE.

Look for me on LinkedIn, and follow Dream Seed on Twitter and Facebook for more tips. As always, please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Design The latest, greatest website must-have

Smart phone apps. Embedded videos. Blogs. Flash intro pages. There’s always a latest, greatest, must-have feature for your website. With so many brilliant and creative minds developing new technologies, the choices seem limitless. Sometimes, it feels like all your competitors have adopted these features, too, and you’re stuck behind…

How can you tell if you’ll get your money’s worth?

August special: Free Google Analytics setup

Newsletter subscribers can get Google Analytics set up for FREE on their websites! If you host and/or maintain your website with Dream Seed, contact us today to get Google Analytics set up with you at no cost. This special expires August 31, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip Find out how successful your website is

In the article above, I discussed how important it is to keep focused on customer needs before pouring time and money into website improvements. In fact, that is probably true of all aspects of your business! But how can you tell what your website visitors are doing…how many you have, what pages they visit, how long they stay on your site?

For those who aren’t already using Google Analytics, you need to check it out. It’s a fantastic free resource that gives you useful and detailed reports at your fingertips about your website’s performance, and that can help make those important website decisions.

Take a look at my article on Google Analytics from a previous newsletter to help get you started on gauging your website’s performance. And if you’re just getting started (or you’ve been using Google Analytics for a while) and you’re not sure what all those reports mean, check out this tutorial. It’s the best I’ve seen that will give you a working understanding of Analytics without getting too technical. You’ll be glad you started!

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August special: Google Analytics setup
Wise website upgrades
Using Google Analytics

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InSites: June 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
Four MORE tips for great email newsletters!

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
June 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

I’ve had several great conversations with some of my subscribers about their own email newsletters. Some are just getting started, and others are looking for a tune up. It seems last month’s article on tips for a better email newsletter got some of you thinking!

There are lots of great tips and suggestions for helping your own email newsletter be the best it can be, so I decided to keep the conversation going by writing another article with four more tips. I hope you’ll find these just as valuable as the last ones.

By the way, you can always find me on LinkedIn, and follow Dream Seed on Twitter and Facebook for more tips. As always, please forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

Thanks again for reading and for the conversation!

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Email Marketing Four MORE tips for better email newsletters

Successful email newsletters that can help bring you business and keep your name in the spotlight rarely happen by accident. They are more often the result of careful planning and a little clever thinking. There are countless tips on helping anyone develop a more effective email newsletter, so continuing the last newsletter article, here are four more tips for paving your way to an excellent, hard-working newsletter!…

Learn more simple tips to improve your email newsletters…

June special: Email newsletter setup

Starting an email newsletter? Get 20% off the cost of setting you up with the features you need on MailChimp! This offer is extended to June 30, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip Help for email newsletters

There are lots of great resources out there for making your email newsletters successful. But where do you begin?

Your email newsletter service probably offers fantastic guides and resources to get you started. MailChimp offers downloadable ebooklets, videos, and other research, all free whether you use their service or not. Constant Contact also offers articles and videos as well.

You may also want to take a look at two newsletters that I read every time they hit my inbox. Granted, both of them appeal to my interests, so if you don’t find the topics interesting, play pretend for a moment! High Rankings Advisor is a newsletter for all things search engine optimization. Each issue features a main article, a question with responses posed on Twitter, a highlight of forum discussion, and a reminder of services offered. (The example you see here is formatted slightly differently for the web.)

The other is Garden Gate Notes, which weekly provides a link to an article or feature about new plants or garden tips, a short article on solving a garden problem, and a soft sell on a garden publication available. Both newsletters provide useful, relevant, and timely information; have simple designs; are clear and straightforward; and always use a gentle reminder of products or services to buy. Both are great examples to help get you started!

Read InSites

June special: Newsletter set up
MORE tips for email newsletters
Email newsletter help

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InSites: May 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
Four tips for great email newsletters!

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
May 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Thanks for reading my email newsletter! If your company or organization has your own newsletter or is contemplating starting one, this issue includes a few great tips for making any email newsletter better.

At just about the time my March newsletter went out, Google announced a major change in how it determines search results ranking. While this is bad news for some business websites, I think it’s great news for small businesses and nonprofits overall! Continue reading in this issue to find out why.

If you’re online, look for me on LinkedIn and follow Dream Seed on Twitter and Facebook for more tips, and feel free to forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

I hope your spring is shaping up to be a great one!

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Email Marketing Four tips for better email newsletters

You probably don’t need to be told that email newsletters are an effective way to market your business or organization. For years now, business coaches and mentors have been discussing their benefits and excellent return on investment. But for those who have only dabbled or who haven’t even started, email newsletters can seem like a complicated, even mystifying, concept. Here, I’ll share four simple tips that are sure to help your email newsletter be a great success!…

Learn simple tips to improve your email newsletters…

May special: Email newsletter setup

Starting an email newsletter? Get 20% off the cost of setting you up! Included are a custom designed template, sign-up forms, and all other one-time set up items. This offer expires May 31, 2011, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip Choosing an email newsletter service

If you’ve decided to send email newsletters, you will most likely want to use an email newsletter service. Most services are low-cost (or free) and can help save you time by automating many of the mundane tasks associated with sending email newsletters.

Most reputable email newsletter services make it very simple to design and send newsletters. Dragging and clicking is pretty much all it takes to design your own template. You can save templates for future use, and most services keep your images saved in a gallery to make it easy to find them again.

Email services also make managing your subscribers easy. People can change their information or opt out of your list by clicking a link in your newsletter. You never have to be bothered, AND you stay in compliance with FTC regulations. You can access reports of your subscribers, find out who opened your newsletter, and even learn what each person clicked on. This can be a great help when analyzing your success.

Well-known email newsletter services include MailChimp (and is the one I use), iContact, Constant Contact, and many others. When evaluating a service, compare price, ease of use, options, and the help available to you as you get started.

Read InSites

May special: Newsletter set up
Better email newsletters
Email newsletter services

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InSites: April 2011

webspinner@dreamseedmultimedia.com (Adam Barkafski) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In this issue:
Google makes major change to listings, affecting business websites.

Dream Seed Multimedia newsletter
April 2011

About Dream Seed:

From the Editor

Timing is everything! In my February newsletter, I shared about some SEO experts’ frustration with Google. We, as business owners, can work hard at providing an excellent website and implementing solid marketing strategies to try to rank well in search engine results. However, at the end of the day, it’s still the search engines who determine the rank. Some SEO professionals were lamenting that it seemed that Google was ranking too many “not-quite-right” or even poor (meaning spam) websites near the top.

At just about the time my March newsletter went out, Google announced a major change in how it determines search results ranking. While this is bad news for some business websites, I think it’s great news for small businesses and nonprofits overall! Continue reading in this issue to find out why.

If you’re online, look for me on LinkedIn and follow Dream Seed on Twitter and Facebook for more tips, and feel free to forward this newsletter to a friend who may find it useful.

All the best,

Adam J. Barkafski

Web Marketing Big news from Google is good news for small businesses

If you’ve been paying attention to internet marketing news in the past month, you may have noticed something unusual: Google made a major change to how it determines search results, and it announced the change. This is big. Google rarely, if ever, gives clear indications of how it ranks its results. And this change is more than a drop in the bucket: roughly 12 percent of web searches saw major shifts, and several websites tumbled in their listings literally overnight!…

How Google changed the playing field…

April special: New web page discount

Creating new and compelling content? When newsletter subscribers purchase a new web page, a second new page is half price! This is $30 off! This offer expires April 30, 2011, applies only to the base price of web pages, and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Insightful Tip So what makes unique and compelling content?

Looking at the article above, it’s clear that Google and Bing value original and compelling content. They’ve said that this kind of content is what people searching the web look for, and search engines seek to reward this kind of content with higher rankings in search engine results. So how can you tell if your website’s content is original and compelling?

First, the more unlike anything else your content is when compared to every other website out there translates to greater originality. I’ll admit that’s hard to pull off. Those of us in competitive businesses can only say so much that’s completely different from our competitors. After all, there have to be some similarities in what we offer. However, if we think about what makes us different and what our unique selling proposition (USP) is, we’re off to a good start. Also, republishing articles from royalty-free websites may no longer be a good way to build up our own content because it isn’t unique.

Compelling content can be thought of as something that attracts people to your website. It’s so useful to people that they need to see it and share it with others. The best content is irresistible! You can start with making sure that everything you publish electronically or in print (newsletters, press releases, instruction manuals, worksheets, etc.) is also published on your website. Blogs, so long as they are useful, say something new, and are frequently updated, can be quite effective. If you can also take full advantage of your website and create fun, interactive experiences (a furniture arranging tool, a color visualizer, a personalized e-card service, etc.), you may find people visiting—and linking—to your website in droves. Search engines love that!

It takes time, careful thought, and a solid marketing plan to build unique and compelling website content, but doing so should pay off in higher search engine rankings and, more importantly, more customers as well!