Search Engine Optimization, or SEO

Just having a web site is not enough - you need to be proactive about maintaining, and improving, the visibility of your web site in the search engines by using today's SEO techniques.

What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is how we configure web site content for maximum exposure to the search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN, for example), ensuring proper placement of your web site in their database and search results. By optimizing your web site for key phrases that are important to your business, the search engines will send you highly-targeted visitors who have shown an interest in your industry, products, or services.

Do You Need SEO?
Our SEO services ensure that your web site will be up-to-date with the latest search engine trends and algorithms to improve and maintain placement. Web sites that are optimized by HSWD consistently perform well in the search engines. The result of our SEO service is increased Relevant Traffic - this means more potential customers for your products or viewers for your content. It does not guarantee you sales (your pricing might not be competitive, for example) but it does ensure that the customers you are seeking will find you online.

Good SEO Practices
Our optimization techniques do not use spamming tricks or gimmicks that try to fool the search engines. (Tricking the search engines will lead to long term disaster and the risk of being banned.) Good SEO practices work within the search engine guidelines to optimize and promote the web site as a whole. Another factor is ensuring that a web site has a great deal of meaningful content. Our optimization methods focus on giving a web site better visibility in the search engines while making the web site more valuable to visitors and potential customers.

Why Do You Need a Website?

Your web site can help you gain potential new business that you may not get with traditional media and advertising. Did you know that 71% of Internet users go online to research products and services for their area rather than using a local directory or phone book? What are the reasons people prefer to look online?

• Convenience - They can learn about your services and buy your product, even when you're closed
• Availability of Information - A website provides more information than the yellow pages, with pictures
• Lack of Sales Pressure (plus it's OK to wear a bathrobe to a website)

Providing information on your business and services is one of the most important ways to serve your customers. A website provides information on your business 24 hours a day, seven days a week, when it's convenient for them! When you put the focus of your website on serving customers and clients, it will be easy to find even more ways to use the Internet to promote your business and services.

Think about how much money you spend annually on print advertising. People may see your ad one time and then discard the paper. With a website, your business is available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People can come back to your website time and time again to view your hours, specials, sales, new products and services.

New Site Launch - HSCC

AlphaGeek Web Design recently completed a redesign of their award winning web site for the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce. The new chamber web site is built around a member database and incorporates a dynamic calendar of events. The tourist information for the Harbor Springs area has been expanded and is now more prominent on each page, making it easier for tourists to find the information they're looking for. Visit the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce .

Award Winning Web Design

AlphaGeek Web Design completed a redesign project for Little Traverse Bay Humane Society in May 2005. Soon after, the new site was awarded DesignFirms Web Design Award for June 2005! AGWD received high marks for Creativity & Design, Programming & Compatibility, and Ease of Use & Effectiveness. Visit http://www.ltbhs.com to view the award winning site.

Why More Than One Web Page?

For all new clients, we always recommend a minimum of three pages on an entry-level web site. Why is that? Surfers on the web are seeking interactivity, which is provided through the use of web site navigation, links to multimedia presentations, database information to search and sort, and links to click on that go to other web sites.

If your web site only has a home page and lacks in links, visitors might assume that your business won't serve their needs since you appear too small, plus your website is lacking in any kind of interactivity for visitors. A single-page web site is also communicating to the search engines that you only consider a single aspect of your business to be important, which might result in poor ranking on the search engines.

Instead of thinking of your web site as just an online billboard or business card, think of it as an online menu that conveys an idea of what your business does, and how you do it. Develop a content rich website, optimize it, and let the search engines increase website traffic naturally. If each page is optimized within your site, rankings with the search engine will increase.

Easy Ways to Promote Your Website

Even though most of your web site traffic comes from search engines and various online promotions, a little extra effort on your part helps bring more visitors to your site.

Phone Inquiries
Always share your web site address with potential customers who call your place of business. Let them know they can review your business information, see samples and/or read your FAQ's on your web site. If you're a retail business running an eCommerce site, let callers know that they can purchase products in your online shop at their convenience.

Marketing and Promotion Pieces
Put your Web address on everything possible. Here are some ideas:

* Front door or window - you're always open, even if your doors are closed!
* Business cards, letterhead, envelopes, newsletters, anything you print
* Receipts, invoices and packing slips
* Coffee mugs, pens, shirts and promotional items
* Brochures, flyers, catalogs
* Advertisements - newspaper, magazine, radio, TV
* Yellow Page ads
* Answering machine and voice mail messages
* Signs and vehicle magnets

E-mail Signature
Create a signature line with a link to your web site so you are always sending email with your contact information. Make sure your web site address stands out and is easy to click on.

Newsletters
Do you send out a printed newsletter? If so, make sure you dedicate an area in your newsletter for web site news. Let readers know what features they will find on your web site and, if they can shop online, tell them about your upcoming sales and specials.

Announce Your Web Site
If your web site is new, email your customers and clients to tell them about your web site and ask them to bookmark it for future review. If you just added new features that will benefit your clients, email them and let them know