Exploring a ‘Deep Web’ That Google Can’t Grasp      

One day last summer, Google’s search engine trundled quietly past a milestone. It added the one trillionth address to the list of Web pages it knows about. But as impossibly big as that number may seem, it represents only a fraction of the entire Web.

Beyond those trillion pages lies an even vaster Web of hidden data: financial information, shopping catalogs, flight schedules, medical research and all kinds of other material stored in databases that remain largely invisible to search engines.

The challenges that the major search engines face in penetrating this so-called Deep Web go a long way toward explaining why they still can’t provide satisfying answers to questions like “What’s the best fare from New York to London next Thursday?” The answers are readily available — if only the search engines knew how to find them.

Now a new breed of technologies is taking shape that will extend the reach of search engines into the Web’s hidden corners. When that happens, it will do more than just improve the quality of search results — it may ultimately reshape the way many companies do business online.

Categories | seo, web design
Choosing a Raleigh Web Design Firm      

Web Design Raleigh, Web DesignerIt’s certainly no secret at this point that if you own a business and that business sells ANYTHING - goods or services, then the ability to sell those goods or services on the web is an absolute must. Ignoring this simple fact can be devastating to any business - old or new.

If your business is not yet online, then it’s time to start scouting Raleigh Web Design firms. Here are some essential things to consider during your selection process.

Customer Service
We’ve all heard the old business adage - “The Customer Comes First”. This is especially true in web design. You aren’t just paying for a slick new business card. You are spending good money on a SALES TOOL. The purpose of a corporate website is simple and universal - to raise revenue. This is not a task to be left to web designers with no sense of customer service. Before signing on the dotted line, make sure your Raleigh web designer is someone you feel comfortable with in terms of answering your questions and helping you understand the process of designing a stellar web site.

There’s far more to it than graphics and a web address for most people. You are entering an exciting new frontier of sales and marketing that is more than likely completely foreign to you. Your web designer - whether in Raleigh, Los Angeles, or Spain - should be someone who listens and is willing to not only guide you through the process, but to help clear up any concerns or doubts that you may have. Your Raleigh web designer needs to be there for you.

Additionally - you need to keep your brand in mind. Be wary of designers who insist you go in directions you don’t feel are right for your company. YOU are in charge of your corporate identity, and are hiring a web designer to work within your vision - not the other way around.

Also - make sure your designer is knowledgeable in terms of keyword research and marketing. A beautiful website that has no traffic is a waste of money. Your Raleigh web designer should be able to not only design your new website, but to make it perform. Make sure the professional designer you choose can explain the ins and outs of search engine optimization in such a way that you can understand, and are comfortable with.

Competitive Rates
There will always be temptation, especially for a new business, to award the web design project to the lowest bidder. When bidding out the project - you’ll certainly want to choose a web designer with competitive rates, but heed this one warning. You get what you pay for. I have fixed MANY websites created on weekends and in dorm rooms and believe me. You are much better off making a solid investment up front than paying extra to have your site fixed after the fact.

Estimated Delivery Time
One other essential aspect of the web design process that you will need to consider very carefully is the estimated deadline. An experienced web designer should be able to bring the project in within the timeframe agreed upon - provided it’s realistic to begin with, but much like cost - you can not expect an effective website to be completed overnight. If a designer makes that promise, you can be sure that they are cutting quite a few corners. That said - an experienced web designer will be able to bring your website in on time - and exactly as you envisioned.
There are many Web Designers in Raleigh to choose from. When submitting your web design project for bid, keep in mind the advice above and it will make the entire web design process smoother from start to finish.

Categories | ecommerce, seo, web design
Web Design - Hall of Fame Academy, Cary NC      
Hall of Fame Academy - Cary NC

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The folks at Wiiibounce loved their new website so much they decided to apply the exact same style to another business site - Hall of Fame Academy.

Hall of Fame Academy is a Cary NC based baseball/softball center where kids of all ages can rent batting cages and pitching mounds. Not only that, players also have access to world-class instruction by former MLB players.

Categories | portfolio, seo, web design
Web Design - Wiiibounce, Cary NC      
Wiiibounce - Cary NC

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Wiiibounce is the Triangle’s premier birthday party and daycamp headquarters - located in Cary, NC. Wth Wiiibounce, you get not one but TWO of the most wildly popular, over the top entertainment options you can offer your guests. You get the wild fun of GIANT INFLATABLES and engaging action of Wii Game Systems on BIG SCREENS. Both activities can be enjoyed by ALL AGES, 2 thru Grandpa/Grandma.

Categories | portfolio, seo, web design
The Skinny on Keywords - Part 1      
KeywordsAnyone who has ever broached the subject of web design or search engine marketing is familiar with the term ‘keyword’. If you do any pay-per-click advertising then you should be spending a fair amount of time researching and tailoring your keywords to maximize your advertising budget.What I’ve found though, as time goes by, is that most people have truly only scratched the surface in terms of their knowledge of keywords and keyword phrases.

So What is a Keyword
A keyword - or more accurately - a ‘keyword phrase’ or ‘keyphrase’ is a word or phrase that people will use to search for a person, place or thing on the internet. Simply put, if I want to look into GPS tracking, I would go to my favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, etc.) and search for, you guessed it - “GPS tracking”

Yeah…So?
So if I’m in the business of selling GPS tracking devices, I need to make sure that my website will be one of the first sites displayed when my prospect searches Google for such a product - PERIOD. If your site is not showing up in the search engines, it’s a waste of time and money.

Research has shown that most internet searches find what they need in the first 10 results. Choosing the correct keyphrases is the first step in effective search engine marketing.


Choosing Keywords - A Primer
So where does one begin? The best place to start is with the obvious. If I own a website that sells amplified phones, then the cornerstone of my keyphrase analysis is going to be ‘amplified phone’.

But not everyone is going to search for the phrase amplified phone. Some prospects will search for ‘amplified telephone’. Some will search for ‘phone amplifier’ and some will more than likely search phrases like ‘telephone for the hard of hearing’.

Google has a great keyword tool that’s free to use. It not only gives you keyword ideas, but shows you their individual ’search volume’ - how often the phrases are searched. When I plug in amplified phone, I learn that the most commonly searched variation is actually ‘amplifier phone’. This is news to me. I have some work to do!

OK… Now What?
I’m glad you asked. Now you gather a list of what you believe will be your top 15 or so keywords. The more keywords you use, the less ‘relevant’ the search engines will deem them, so less truly is more.

In my next keyword post I’ll discuss long vs. short-tail keywords, targeting prospects who are ready to purchase, and proper implementation of HTML Meta tags.

Categories | seo, web design
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