Everyone starts off as a beginner and the real question is where to begin? This article discusses 10 tips to becoming a great website designer, and what you can do to succeed and become great.

Copy, Copy, Copy

Did you really say copy? Yes that’s right, copy! I’m not saying to go out and steal someone else’s work and pass it off as your own. Everyone starts somewhere. Many musicians listen to others and repeat or copy what they hear until they have built a foundation to create something of their own. The same is true for designers. Mimic your favorite web designers, learn from them, master the skills needed to become great and eventually your work will be original. Remember, it takes time to become proficient and great at anything, so don’t expect to wake up one morning and be an expert.

Start Over

When you’ve been burnt out trying to design your next website and you are all out idea, start over. We’ve all been there before, don’t be intimidated by the blank screen. Instead overcome it and take charge. Sometimes starting fresh will lead you to the inspiration you are looking for.

Keep Focus Points to a Minimum

When you’re designing, make your focus points stand out. For instance don’t add to many call to actions on one page. Your user’s will be distracted and the usability in your design may be off. Keep your efforts specific and know the goals of the website. This is a major failing point for new web designers. They try to do to much on one page.

Be Mindful of your Colors

Just because you have all the colors in the world at your disposal, doesn’t mean you should use every color in your design. Instead, limit your designs to two maybe three colors. Highlight specific elements and draw the user’s attention through effective typography, images, and structure.

Keep in mind your audience as well as the type of website you are designing. For instance, if you are designing a corporate website and your primary audience is male and female between 40-60 years of age, you will want to select colors that will allow for easier readability and more subtle highlights.

Contrast is your Friend

Contrast will play an important role in your web design efforts. When you design, look at other websites and determine what elements stand out. Generally, bright and saturated colors pop off the screen, creating a more engaging website design. Keep in mind, designing for the web is much different than for print media. Black backgrounds with text may look good on paper, but online it is treacherous.

Typography Gives Meaning

The use of proper typography can be a make it or break it point to your website design. The fonts you choose can drive a specific purpose or emotion for your users. Let’s say you are designing a website for a wedding. You are not going to choose a regular serif or sans serif font for the headings or even logo, but rather something more elegant like a script font. Your fonts should help tell the story of your website and create a personal connection with your users.

Designers often spend hours searching and finding the perfect font or fonts for a website design, so when deciding on your fonts, take your time and select the most appropriate and readable fonts for your design.

Also be careful and don’t use too many different fonts in one design. Limit yourself to 2 may 3 fonts and your website design will be great.

Designing to a Grid

When you design a website, focusing on the aesthetics is very important, but alignment and proper placement of boxes and other structural elements is very crucial. As a result, you should design your website to a grid. Many beginner web designers struggle to understand the concept of grids and how to properly use them to your advantage. We are not going into detail on designing to a grid, but stay posted as we will discuss this concept in detail in a coming tutorial.

Keep your elements aligned to each other in an organized fashion while allowing enough space between each element. This will help when you take your website design from PSD to HTML. Following this suggestion will ensure a very tight and accurate design and creates a perfect design composition to show your client.

Spacing

Spacing will help increase readability, usability, and visibility in your design. Items to close together make it very hard and difficult to read at first glance. Remember, don’t clutter your design, instead separate elements and bring out what’s important.

Whitespace or negative space can also be criticial in your spacing. When placing elements, try giving it more whitespace to see if that draws more focus to the area.

Gradients

Gradients are great and add depth and feeling to your website. It makes your website pop out and not look so flat. However, many people don’t use gradients properly. When using gradients, make sure the hue and saturation are not too far off. Many times, using either a dark or brighter version of your first color works very well.

Don’t be Afraid of Failure

This may be the number one thing to consider. As a designer you will find people that don’t like your work. It’s not that your work is bad or that you are not a great designer, it’s that every person has their own vision of what they want and how they perceive their design. You will fail at times, but take that as a learning block to becoming greater.

Conclusion

If you are passionate and serious about website design, then I encourage you to follow your passion and become great. It takes many years to master any craft, but the journey is well worth it. I have been working in the web industry for over 8 years and have only really gotten to a point where I feel great about my work.

If you are looking for information on expanding your website design skills or looking for professional education, I recommend looking at Full Sail University as they provide the skills, tools, and experience to help build your website design career and make you a great website designer.

The web design industry has become over saturated in the last 10 years. Many people set up shop with little or no professional industry experience, skills, knowledge, or even education. They put up a website, open doors, and call themselves professional marketing experts.

As an industry professional with over 8 years of experience and two professional degrees in both Web Design & Development and Internet Marketing, it has become a nightmare watching amateur web firms take clients for all their worth. This article goes over how you can find the right web designer (agency or freelancer), what to expect during the web design process, and understanding what a custom website solution means.

Agency or Freelancer

Let’s first discuss the difference between a professional web agency and a freelance web designer. Professional web agencies consist of a team of professionals, all with their own skill set, contributions, talents, experience, and education. When you hire a team of professionals the costs can be high and rightfully so, as you are getting their whole team. Several key players, usually a project manager, design lead, and a web developer will manage your project, although many more individuals may be involved based on the type of project. This option is definitely a great and secure way to go, however you must be careful when choosing an agency. Just because someone says they are a professional web agency, doesn’t mean they actually know the web, how to successfully launch a solution, or even market the website online.

Do your research. Find out about the company, does the owner or founder have any prior web experience or did they just pop up out of nowhere and begin making websites? Your website is your online home and having the best user experience integrated with the highest quality work will ensure the greatest conversion and return on investment.

So then what’s the deal with freelancers? A freelancer is an independent contractor. They take on projects for many types of clients, businesses, or even web firms, and assists with overflow. Some people try and discredit a freelancer, however a freelancer is generally an expert in one or more specific areas and works directly with a client. No more in between conversations or talking with a project manager who doesn’t understand the web process or how your goals and website should be connected. A freelancer has the ability to understand each client’s needs and build a personal relationship. Don’t get me wrong, many large firms can do this too, however when dealing with a large agency you may be sharing resources with many other clients all at the same time.

So in general terms a freelancer deals with a few clients at time to ensure quality and deliver a great experience. By the way, did you know some of the best web developers are freelancers?

Budgets and Costs

When you are determining who to hire for your website design, a big factor to consider is your budget and costs. You will usually find that freelancers charge significantly lower than a web agency and that’s due to the fact they have reduced overheads and work from anywhere.

Whomever you choose, it’s not going to be $500. Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly find someone, maybe a friend of a friend, who knows HTML, but at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

Web design is both an art and a science. Understanding the complexity of design, development, and marketing is critical for a successful launch. If you want to gain a high return on investment, then expect to invest in your company. A solid brand, online web presence, and effective marketing strategy are key components to a successful online business.

The Web Design Process

Once you have determined a budget and decided between freelancer and firm, begin outlining your goals. Layout a foundation or the structure of your website. This will help the web designer understand what you are trying to accomplish.

Gather your content or discuss this with your designer and work together to create an engaging website. Don’t expect your web designer to read your mind and know what content you want where. Remember you are the most familiar with your business and providing direction with your content will create a smooth flowing process.

What is a Custom Website Solution?

Many companies offer custom website solutions, however they never actually provide anything custom. This has become a growing concern in the web industry. A custom website solution refers to a website being completely design and developed from scratch to your specific requirements and is completely unique to you. Many companies save on time and charge a client for a custom website which can be tens of thousands but never provide anything custom. In fact some agencies will just buy a template and modify design elements and pass it off as a custom solution.

If your business requires a custom designed website and you are paying for custom prices, inspect your website solution and determine if in fact you are getting what you paid for.

We find this frequently in web designers or agencies that have little or no experience or education and we classify these firms as amateurs trying to get in on the .com boom or think you can make a quick buck through web design.

Conclusion

The web is the perfect place to grow your business, but finding the right web designer is big step to ensure quality and professionalism. Do some research, determine your budget, and overall just make sure you get what you pay for! If you are interested in any web design services or solutions, Mark Fasel Design is a professional Sarasota Website Design & Internet Marketing Agency with over 8 years of industry experience.

So why don’t businesses utilize this strategy? Many companies are interested in email marketing, but most assume that running a campaign can be too technical, expensive, or have concerns of SPAM abuse. The truth is, an effective campaign is quite the opposite. It’s simple, affordable, and very effective. We will discuss the benefits of an Email marketing campaign, the top Email marketing services, and how you can start achieving greater results through an Email marketing campaign!

Maximize your Return on Investment

Marketing is an investment into your company. and as such we all want to increase the return we expect to receive through our efforts. Email marketing is a solid channel to maximize your return on your investment and boost your bottom line.

Traditional advertisement can be very costly and drain valuable company resources, however, with email marketing,you can email messages yourself and send them within minutes. The costs of running an email campaign is next to nothing and the return can be exponential.

Building a Trustworthy Brand

Getting down and personal with your customers has never been easier. Companies can take the time to know each customer, their needs, opinions, and wants, and create a trustworthy brand. Remember, a happy customer means a positive brand. Think of it as building a public relation with your customers. Your customers will spread the word about your product or service and generate buzz for your business.

Sending personalized emails to subscribers will depict that your company is real with a live person sharing their concerns and interests. Answer questions and respond to their needs, but most importantly connect with your users and establish credibility and rapport.

Drive Sales

Driving sales should be a primary focus. Utilizing direct marketing through email is a great way to promote your website, share a special offer, or distribute an upcoming event. When creating your campaign, understand your business goals and how you will implement the campaign effectively to cater to your needs.

Boost Social Interaction

Social media has grown significantly in the last several years and as a result social interaction has become an integral part of all businesses online. When connecting with your subscribers, allow for social interaction, whether it’s through Facebook like button, Google’s Plus 1, or even Tweeting, to share your email campaign. If your subscribers find the information valuable, most likely they will pass it on to their friends and family.

Don’t be afraid to include your social profiles in your email as well. If your subscriber passes it on, their friend may want to connect and check you out!

Choosing an Email Marketing Service

When you are ready for a game changer and decide it’s time to take your marketing to a new level, finding the right service for email marketing campaigns can be overwhelming. There are many companies available and the options are endless, however there are a few we have found to offer the best features and the lowest cost to you.

Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor is one of our absolute favorites for several reasons. They are very affordable, they have a keen touch for design and quality of default newseltters  is superior, and their integration with websites is top notch. This company  focuses on providing a solid product packed full with the features that you need to run a successful email marketing campaign.

MailChimp

MailChimp is another great solution. We frequently utilize their service for clients as it provides many robust and advanced features for an affordable low cost. Their email newsletter editor is very good and they provide great website integration with little programming requirements.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact is a great platform for businesses and features advanced social media campaigns. Their service is also very affordable and a great option for businesses of any kind.

Aweber

AWeber’s email marketing tools like professional email signup forms & autoresponder services make it easy for you to build your email list and stay in touch with prospects.

Conclusion

As a business owner, selecting your marketing strategies is an integral process for growing online. There are many other options available for marketing your brand, but utilizing an effective email marketing campaign in addition to other marketing techniques, will guarantee a greater return and increase your visitor conversions. If you are interested in learning more about email marketing and how it can benefit your business, we encourage to you to reach out and contact us with any questions or comments. We are here to help you in anyway!

This article will go over the most significant changes to your Facebook timeline and address the most frequently asked questions about the release of timeline. If you run stuck on anything, feel free to contact us anytime, we’ll be happy to help you with this transition.

What’s New for Fan Pages

Many things have changed, some good and some may seem to be a bit of a draw back to marketing your brand on Facebook. Below we outline and discuss each change timeline brings to Facebook and marketing your brand.

New Look and Feel

The old style is completely gone and the all new timeline feature takes over. In fact, timeline for pages is very similar to those of profiles. It allows for a custom cover photo at the top of the page and the page is divided into two columns. This new feature allows brands to display their corporate milestones and really connect with their audience on more personal and engaging experience.

Removal of Tabs

The new timeline format has removed tabs as we know it. The left side panel which formerly housed your links and custom tabs has been removed. Your apps are still available, but are presented differently directly under the cover photo. Timeline allows you to display your top 3 applications (following the photos app) to your users, while all others will be hidden until viewed. For marketing professionals, this will require careful consideration when determining which applications should be displayed first.

Good Bye Default Landing Page

The removal of the default landing page is by far the bigest concern many marketers will face. This option has been a favored feature for quite some time and the removal will definitely require careful and strategic planning for Facebook marketing. It had allowed brands the ability to create a memorable first impression with potential customers. Since tab pages have been removed, there is no way to set one as default.

Brands will have to focus efforts on their message through their timeline cover and choose their default applications very wisely. Facebook advertisements for brands will also become much more important as ads will allow brands the ability to control a user’s experience. Brands will be able to link users directly their custom application, whether through ads or a direct link.

Pinned Posts

Pinning posts is much like that of creating “sticky posts”. When a brand pins a post, it is denoted by an orange flag and remains at the very top of the post as well in chronological order within timeline. This added features will allow brands to display most important items to their fans. Brands can only pin one item at a time, so when a new item is pinned the old one is automatically unpinned and then only exists in timeline.

Custom Applications

While the removal of current tabs is a bit disappointing, custom applications get some great added features. Applications now feature an 810-pixel layout and old applications will be centered in the middle without any adjustments. Another added feature is the ability to set custom application icons from within your timeline and page application. This allows users to set custom icons for their application which are now 111px x 74px.

Private Messaging

At long last, brands now have the ability to send and receive private messages with users. This will create more interaction and deeper engagement and allow brands to take messages off of timeline and into a private message.

Recap of Features

• Custom applications can be up to 810px wide (794px of content + 8px side margins);
• Ability to set your own application thumbnail (“Custom Tab Image”) which includes those you didn’t create!
• You can make status updates “pinned” to the top of your updates;
• A large Cover Photo
• Removal of tabs and it’s ability to set a custom landing page
• The Photo strip is gone
• Profile pictures are now 124px x 125px (although the uploaded image must be at least 180x180px)

Frequently Asked Questions

There have been many questions about Timeline for Facebook Pages. Here is a list of the top questions and some answers to help you out.

• How much time do I have to change my Page to Timeline?
  Facebook says: “On March 30, 2012, all Facebook Pages will get a new design.” You will have 30 days to prepare for the changes, update your apps, etc.
• Can I preview my Fan Page in Timeline before it goes live?
  YES. You can preview timeline and work on your page. When you are ready, you can publish it, at which point all users will see your new timeline page.
• How do I publish my Timeline Fan Page once I’m ready?
  When in Preview mode, you’ll see a “Publish Now” button. Click it!

Let’s discuss the various options available for creative mobile design and the benefits to each option as it pertains to your business.

Understanding your Business

The first step when deciding on your mobile experience, is to determine and understand your business goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to sell your products using mobile commerce solutions? Are you providing just information or blogs to your users? Understanding what you are trying to accomplish can often determine what direction to take when developing your mobile strategy.

Another factor we run into the constant change in technology. Every day new devices are introduced into the market and while this may be very exciting, offering new capabilities and ways of user interaction, it makes it very difficult to target all users. As a result, no two projects are ever the same, so it all comes back down to understanding your needs for your business and mobile strategy.

Responsive Web Design vs. Mobile Website

Responsive Website

Responsive Web Design has led to an influx of designers creating experiences that focused on one single website that could target multiple screens or in our case both the desktop and mobile. This idea of a fluid website has been around for quite some time, however the use of CSS3 media queries, has allowed websites to adapt between different resolution and screen sizes and display the content to the user while still promoting an engaging experience. This responsive web design technique, which was introduced by Ethan Marcotte, has led many developers and designers to adopt this idea as a standard solution for mobile web design.

Although responsive web design is a very good solution to creating an engaging mobile experience, it’s not as simple as changing a few pictures or content structure to fit within the smaller or larger screens. When you approach a responsive web design, you have to design your interface for the various screen resolutions and determine how you will redistribute elements. You also must evaluate your content strategy and decide what content is changed or even removed based on each mobile device and how the user will interact with your website. When you begin your responsive web design, you will need to create several mockups to target the various screen resolutions. For instance, if your mobile strategy is focusing on tablets, iPhones, and Androids, you would want a minimum of 3 – 5 design mockups that will plan the layout for each device. In addition, you will also need to ensure that outdated browsers that don’t support CSS3, will degrade gracefully. If you’d like to see examples of responsive websites, check out Media Queries.

So why not create a separate mobile specific website? Responsive web design is certainly an option, but at times the process of development may be to much to handle immediately or you may already have a website and converting your current site into a responsive website may not be a feasible option. In this case, we look at traditional mobile websites.

Mobile Website

The biggest issue with a separate mobile website is the need to maintain two independent websites. This means you would have two separate sites to manage content, design, and SEO. And this has certainly been a reason many people are now switching to utilizing a responsive website, however a separate mobile website at times is still the best option. If your website is full of content or information that needs to be optimized for mobile, then a separate site is usually recommended as we have the ability to determine what content should be displayed on the mobile site.

Take BestBuy.com for example. Their mobile website is a separate website and it makes sense. Having a separate website gives them the control to display what products and information or content to the end user and provide a single task they intend users to accomplish while on a mobile device. It would not be ideal to utilize a responsive design approach for a website of this magnitude.

At the same time, BestBuy has the resources to handle the management of two independently separate websites, while smaller companies may not have the time or money to manage accomodate a separate website for mobile devices.

Web Apps vs. Native Apps

And now we throw a curve ball. If you determine a separate mobile site is the best option for your business, you must then decide between a native app or a web app for you site.

Web Apps

Let’s first talk about web apps. A web app runs in browser and is your normal run of the mill mobile website. It’s built using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and even server side languages such as PHP, so developers can easily deploy mobile websites using the skills they already have. These sites are generally found on a subdomain as seen in BestBuy.com, like m.bestbuy.com, although some utilize a separate domain, ie www.domain.mobi. This option allows your mobile website to be accessible across any device and doesn’t require any downloads or updates. The downside to this approach is that it requires an internet connection, so if the user is out of reach, your website will be inaccessible.

Native Apps

Native apps are device specific and utilize the mobile’s resources. For instance, your app can access the mobile device’s geolocation, camera, and even address book. The upside to this approach is that once your app is downloaded and installed, no internet connection is required. In addition, you can increase your visibility and depending on the type of application, even earn money through advertisements or purchases. The biggest drawback for native apps is that they are developed in specific programming languages, such as Java for Android or Objective-C. This makes it very expensive and even time consuming to develop apps for multiple devices. If your company doesn’t have a mobile developer on staff, then outsourcing would be your only option and can also be expensive. It also requires approval from third party companies for inclusion into their marketplace, such as Apple with iTunes and Google for Android. Not only can this be a lengthy process, it can also lead to disappointment if your app isn’t approved.

Conclusion

There are many different options available, and it may seem overwhelming. Just remember, when you are determining your mobile strategy, there are no right or wrong ways to achieve your desired results. Simply, you must determine what methods are right for your business, what maximizes your goals, and what fits in your budget.

I will discuss what you should budget for your website, what things you should look for in your web marketing plan, and how having a custom website design can benefit your online business. Understanding what goes into a custom website, the time it takes, the functionality that’s required, and how it will benefit your business will explain why successful companies budget this into their business to grow their online presence.

Establishing a Realistic Marketing Budget

A marketing budget for any business will vary based on the industry you are servicing. However, many experts have agreed that your marketing budget should be between 5% and 10% of your gross sales.

This means that if your business generates one million dollars, your budget should consist of about $100,000 depending on your industry, to market and promote your brand or product. As your business grows and you have established a name for yourself, you can slowly reduce the amount of money you spend on marketing.

A typical company looking to build their brand spends between $25,000 and $50,000 on marketing essentials. These essentials are:

• Brand Development - Logo, naming, tagline, online / offline communication of their brand image
• Print / Collateral - Brochures, Business cards, printed material, offline design and marketing materials
• Creative Copy / Content - Engaging and compelling content
• Custom website design - Interactive website that focuses on user engagement and product promotion
• Interactive Presentations
• Custom Blogs
• Email Campaigns
• Search Engine Optimization - Optimizing the website to be search engine friendly and build organic search results
• Social Media Optimization - Optimize social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to promote search engine optimization and drive more traffic
• Lead Generation Tools 
• Search Engine Marketing - Run pay per click advertisements and various other paid advertising to increase online exposure and drive more sales / conversions
• Social Media Marketing

The amount spent changes based on the size of the company, the target audience and goals for their online presence, and their industry. Larger companies or start ups may spend a bit more to boost their presence and kickstart their brand awareness to get maximum exposure.

Your Website is your Online Image

Most people don’t understand the importance of a website and as a result spend less time and money . Your website, in many cases, is your first impression to your client. It’s promoting your brand image online and while it may not seem critical, it can make or break your online and offline business endeavors. Society today turns to the web for everything, from reading reviews, finding directions, or looking for deals. Your company’s website gives your potential customers the ability to form an opinion about your company, before you have the chance to convince them about your offering. It’s the most critical element to your online brand image and it sets the stage for conversions.

This is why custom websites are important for online success. Don’t be fooled by do it your self websites or offerings for services that provide template solutions. Although you may receive a visually appealing design, the website wont function to promote conversions. When a professional creates your website, they discover your audience and customer behavior to craft a web marketing plan that will communicate your goals effectively. Remember, just because something looks good, doesn’t mean it functions properly. There needs to be a balance between form or design and function or communication.

So when you take the initiative to hire a professional or company to develop your custom website, the process will require in-depth marketing discovery to understand both your business and your consumers, in order to develop a marketing campaign that will yield results. Trying to build a website without this foundation is like trying to build a house without any blueprints. It will ultimately fail and break.

Understand your goals and needs

In order to launch a successful website, you must uncover your needs and the complete scope of your project. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you selling a product online? How will you track conversions? What is your target audience or general user? Here are some key elements that should be defined prior to the start of your website project:

• Initial discovery and pre-production – understanding your company and goals, how we can marketing your website. This will include a project plan and creative brief. It’s the foundation to your online marketing strategy.
• Sitemap or Flowchart – an outline of your website that shows the structure and organization of your website. This is where usability comes into play. How will your users navigate your website?
• Visual design that communicates your message effectively to your audience
• A design and layout for your home page that is directed from the visual design of your website
• A design and layout for your sub pages
• Optimized and organized content / copywriting that focuses on your brand, product, and keywords for search engines.
• Interactive elements to engage with your visitor and promote conversions
• Integrated blogs to promote higher link backs and traffic. Content should be well written and provide the user with useful information.
• Online conversion forms. Provide contact forms, online ordering, live chatting, etc to allow the visitor to communicate become a conversion.
• Integrated site search. Let your users search content within your website.
• Calls to Action and or Landing Pages – Create pages designed to lead to specific conversions

As you can see this list is getting long, but following these recommendations will lead to a successful launch and growth of your brand. Now although these services range anywhere to a few hundred to a few thousand dollars each and will require a serious investment and commitment on both parties, the end result will yield a successful website that generates revenue and builds brand awareness.

So what does a custom website cost?

As you can see from everything that goes into the website design and development, there is no single answer for this, because the cost of your website depends on your goals and should ultimately fit into your budget like mentioned above. The larger your company, the more you should invest in your website and online brand, which will result in more functionality, features, interactive elements, etc that will enhance and grow your online web presence.

Many high end marketing agencies will charge in excess of $100,000 for a complete online marketing solution, while some freelancers will build you something for several thousand. What you’ll find is that most settle in the middle, utilizing a a full-service design and marketing agency that focuses primarily on building online businesses. For a complete marketing campaign, interactive website, design, development, Content Management System (CMS) integration, Onsite / Offsite Optimization, Social Media, and Marketing, a reasonable average fee would be between $5,000 and $30,000.

You can hire an inexpensive firm to build your website, or try those do-it-yourself templates, but in the end you will want a professional online brand that will earn its value proposition. A solid brand will increase your revenue and maximize your return on investment.

As an expert at both Web Design/Development and Internet Marketing, I have managed several online campaigns and built many successful websites. $5–$30k is a good range to start for the initial creation of your brand, including your your websites and image.  You should also plan for monthly management, maintenance, interactive enhancements, promotions, lead generating, advertising, search marketing, social marketing and more by setting a monthly budget consistent with your annual revenues as per the above budgeting guidelines. This will help you build your image and establish consistent growth.

What to Expect

Now that you understand what it will take to build an effective online presence and what kind of budget it will take, you will begin experiencing the benefits of a professional brand and online web presence. Some things that you can expect:

• Confidence in your brand. Your clients, employees, and prospects will feel comfort and a sense of security knowing that your brand is strong and effective.
• Increase in traffic and link backs. A better website and brand that establishes trust and authority leads to higher traffic and more inbound links.
• Higher conversions. Visitors will be more likely to commit or learn about your offering if you give them a brand image that communicates effectively.
• Measurement. You can track your conversions and traffic increase. You will increase your revenue and brand awareness.
• Increase in word of mouth. More people will refer your business.
• Your return on investment will be paid back in full and you’ll continue benefiting in substantial revenue growth.

This article will discus the various aspects and best practices in link building and what you can do to improve your website’s search engine rank through an effective link building campaign.

Link building factors

Before you begin any link building campaign, you must first understand the factors that make up link building.

General Popularity

The more popular a website is, the more their links back to your website matter to the search engines. Having lots of industry specific links is great, but in order to establish trust and authority, you will want to get links back from powerful and important websites. Some great websites are .gov and .edu as these are considered prestigious domains by search engines due to the process it takes to acquire these domains. More ideas are submitting your website to directories such as DMOZ or an online web gallery.

Industry Specific Popularity

Although general popular websites are great, getting link backs from an industry specific popular website gives you higher authority. Securing link backs from these are generally more difficult and takes more time, but will provide you with greater return.

Anchor Text

Anchor text is a big signal with search engines and can help determine your site’s ranking. If there are dozens of linkbacks pointing to your website with the right keywords, then your website has higher chances of ranking well for those targeted keywords and phrases.

Link Building Basics

Link building is a challenge for any SEO expert and one of the most critical aspects to online marketing success.

Editorial Accumulation

This refers to links that are given naturally to your website for access and reference to its content and or your company. These links have the highest value as they are considered the most natural. You can’t affect the creation of these links directly, however you can improve your chances of getting these links.

• Link Baiting - Creating content that is good and useful so that people will discuss it. They will comment on it and share it via social media and link to it from their own website or blog.
• Promotion - Promote your content through social networks like Facebook and encourage sharing, release press releases, participate and comment on blogs and communities. Remember the more people who look at your content, the greater the chance of increasing links.

Manual Suggestion / Submission

Emailing links to blogs and industry professionals, submitting your site to directories, or paying for listings, qualify as manual suggestion and submission. As an SEO expert, you will have to convince these individuals or companies as to why your link or resource is of value.

Self-Created / Non-Editorial

Commenting or participating in forums and blogs can help generate a surplus of links back to your website. Although these links are considered low value, they can still lead to higher search rankings when used effectively. There are added benefits to this as well. It helps establish trust and authority for yourself within your industry and in return leads to higher traffic and link backs.

Link Building Best Practices

• Alter your Anchor Text - Anchor text should always reflect the content. By altering your anchor text, you will keep your site highly relevant and highly ranked.
• Deep Linking - Incorporate your link building strategy throughout your entire site and not simply one or two pages.
• Indirect Linking - Instead of just linking to your website and pages, link to sites that point to you. This will boost your rankings and as well as boost other sites.
• Steady Link Growth - Don’t rush to building links, rather take your time and be steady and consistent. Getting too many links too quickly looks spammy to search engines.
• Converse in Conversations - Establishing a name for yourself in your industry can be a big factor in gaining link backs. Converse through social media, blogs, and forums to build trust and authority.

Conclusion

Link building is an art and takes time to achieve desired results. Just remember, be patient and focus on creating quality content for your users. If you have quality content, then others will gladly link back to you.

We will also discuss various resources you can utilize to learn more about Drupal and its ability to help you develop a dynamic large scale website that is easy to scale and designed for performance.

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a content management system designed for rapidly deploying large scale websites. It is designed to allow easy flexibility and scalability for any website, thus allowing your online presence to grow with you. Many people automatically associate Drupal with WordPress and assume that they function in a similar manner. Now although WordPress is a very powerful open source platform for websites, it is not a full blown CMS. In fact, WordPress was developed as a blogging engine, which is why it has become widely popular for individuals and businesses seeking a dynamic blogging website.

Drupal on the other hand was built as a CMS. It provides functionality and performance for tasks that WordPress at times struggles with, for instance the Content Construction Kit (aka CCK), allows for the rapid development of new types of content within your Drupal powered website. Here is an example. Let’s say I have a website with a custom slider on my home page that rotates. In WordPress or various other publishing platforms, I may have to create a plugin or extend the core functionality, with Drupal I can quickly and easily create a new content type and add my content. The Content Construction Kit allows you to add custom fields to nodes using a web browser.

Why use Drupal?

Although the administration area of Drupal can seem a little overwhelming, once you understand how to maneuver your way around in Drupal, it becomes like second nature. Since Drupal was designed as a CMS, it assumes that there will be many types of users with various levels of control who are administering the website. This is great because it adds a level of distinction and control in your website and provides users with more flexibility. This means that the system can support many different features, from basic websites to ecommerce solutions, to even large scale social networks. Drupal provides a solid foundation that allows you to create anything you can imagine.

Here are top reasons why Drupal is a great solution for your project:

• Advanced URL Control — Drupal gives you complete control over URL structure. Each item of content in Drupal (called a node) can be given a custom URL (called a URL alias).
• Custom Content Types and Views — You can use the Content Construction Kit (CCK) and Views Modules to create new content types and create advanced custom views for them without writing any code.
• Revision Control — Drupal allows you to save a new version of your pages every time you edit them.
• Taxonomy — Drupal has a powerful taxonomy (category) system that allows you to organize and tag content. Your blog could allow free tagging much like WordPress while your news section may be more structured.
• User Management — Drupal was designed for communities. This means that your website can have custom user roles and access levels for extended functionality. This is better on team blogging and management.
• Better Page Titles and Meta Tags - You can easily create your page titles and meta tags in Druapl. You have complete control.
• Great Documentation - Drupal’s community is huge and solid and their documentation is widespread. You can find anything from theming guides to advanced modules.
• PHP Template - Drupal uses the PHP Template theme engine and theming in Drupal can be easier than theming in WordPress and at times doesn’t necessarily require any PHP knowledge. Drupal’s Theme Developer Guide is a great resource.
• Large Friendly Community - Drupal’s community is very large and friendly. Many people offering assistance and help to those in need. If you have a question, just ask and we’ll be more than happy to help. Drupal is also known for its meetups and gatherings!

Getting Started with Drupal

If you are like us, when we started learning the benefits behind Drupal, we were excited and ready to get started. But now what, where do you learn Drupal development or how do start deploying a Drupal website? Not to worry, we had the same questions and that’s why we are providing you with some great resources to get you on your way to become a Drupal guru.

• Drupal.org - Drupal is a great place to start when it comes to Drupal development. They have great documentation that will help you understand the basic principles and fundamentals of Drupal development. It’s also a great place to learn about installing Drupal for the first time and the process to get a Drupal installation live online.
• NetTuts - Nettuts is another great resource, packed full of tutorials designed from beginners to experts. You can learn a lot here on web development principles.
• Level Ten Design - Level Ten Design is premiere Drupal development agency offering great resources for Drupal tutorials and documentation.

Conclusion

Overall, Drupal may not be the only solution to a website project, but if you are looking for a robust CMS with dynamic features designed for scalability and flexibility, then using Drupal on your next web project is a solid choice. We love Drupal and have been using it more and more. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us, we’re here to help!

Having an attractive website is very critical for churches to share their beliefs and values. As such having a very usable and functional website that conveys the information visitors are searching for will make it very helpful for churches to succeed online.

Elevation Church

Bayside Community Church

Blythefield Hills Baptist Church

Cottonwood Church

Mars Hill Church

Beautiful Life Experience

LifePoint Church

Calvary Church

Life Church

Mission Hills Church

Rhythm Church

Antioch Community Church

LifeChurch.tv

HighPoint Church

Hillsong Church

Newlife Uniting Church

Redeemer Church

Fellowship Bible Church

Kingsfield Church

College Park Church

PlanetShakers

Lake Center Bible Church

Kingsland Baptist Church

ChurchPlanters.com

NorthPoint Christian Church

Disciples Church Springfield

Damascus Road Church

Jerusalem Institute of Justice

Joel Scrivner

Bay Revival

Maze

John Kilpatrick

Christian Stewardship Network

Whites Chapel

Elevation Church: Extension

Let’s discuss the various aspects of pay per click advertising, utilizing Google’s AdWords, and how we can use pay per click to help our marketing efforts rather than just cost us excess money with no results.

Traffic vs. Conversions

When you first consider pay per click advertising, you need to understand its purpose. Many marketers and companies have mislead their customers into believing that the primary success metric is driving “traffic”. With pay per click this should not be your focus, in fact your focus should be on “conversions”. The reason many companies don’t approach pay per click from this approach is due to the fact that it is much harder to track.

Looking at conversions instead of traffic will guarantee a successful campaign and will generate a higher return on investment for your business.

So how do we get conversions? There are several things we can do to help increase our conversions and run successful pay per click campaign:

Landing Pages

The first thing you should consider is your landing page. We need to create a landing page that is optimized for conversions and promotes the product or topic for the ad we are running. Look at it this way, if our advertisement is for custom made cabinets but our landing page is promoting custom installed counter tops our conversions will be low (if any). Our landing page must be relevant and guide the user effectively to make a purchase or perform what ever task you need, such as signing up for a newsletter, contacting your company, etc.

Research shows that people who click on pay per click ads are ready to buy, they are conversion oriented. Guide users to make the purchase. Don’t send them to your website, instead a specifically designed landing page will ensure these conversions.

Ad Placement

Your ad placement is determined by how much you are willing to pay per click over your competitors. If the average cost per click or CPC is $3.00 and your competitors are paying $3.25, if you pay $4.00 per click you will achieve higher ad placement. The draw back on ad placement comes into play when your competitors have poorly optimized advertisements which will lead to an inflated cost per click for everyone. If you increase your quality score, you will be able to lower the impact of the inflated cost per click as a result of the poor campaigns.

Quality Scores

Quality Scores help your pay per click campaign based on the quality of your ads, the quality of your content and landing pages, the length of visitors staying on your landing page, and your conversion rates. Google will assign this quality score based on these factors which will ultimately lower your cost per click and increase your ad placement.

Return on Investment

When deciding on a pay per click campaign, you must determine your return on investment. Say you run a PPC campaign with a budget of $500 and it costs you $5.00 per click and you get an average conversion rate of about 10-15% (varies by industry) and your average product sells at $150.00. Based on these numbers your return on investment is worth it as you will gain about $1500 in total revenue. If you determine that the cost is higher than your return, then a PPC campaign may not be a good fit for your marketing campaign.

Conclusion

When you look at running any pay per click advertising campaign, you must determine first if this will generate the results you need and whether its worth your return. Calculate your monthly budget and focus on building a landing page and content that promotes conversions. It’s easy drive traffic, but if the traffic isn’t targeted, you are wasting money on driving people to your landing page that aren’t interested in what you have to offer.