Why Are Reviews Important?

Do you rely on reviews when purchasing an item?

Do you look at reviews to ensure other customers had a pleasant experience?

Do reviews make or break your own selling decisions?

Your customers do the same thing when searching for your products and services. Do you have a hard time asking customers to review you online? We can help you!

To ensure your business obtains good reviews on the internet, make the process as simple as possible. To learn more on how to get reviews, search engine optimization, and website design for your Ann Arbor, Michigan, business, visit our website!

Want more detail? Call!

We're always happy to talk about ways you can get more awareness, leads and sales by improving what you do online. Give us a call. No time to call? Send us an email instead! 

Don’t Ignore Your Website – Find Out How to Get More Calls!

Why aren’t you getting calls?

Are you showing up in the search engines?

Do you update your website on a regular basis?

One study found that 90% of searchers click on one of the listings on the first page of Google, and 14% of searchers click on the #1 result! That means you should try everything in your power to get on page one. The bad news is that (1) everybody wants their website to be at number one, and (2) it takes a series of things done right to get there. 

Some of these things are page titles, meta tags, headers, keyword rich text, clear syntactically correct html, robust content, and the number of other sites that link back to yours. 

Here are a few more SEO boosting tricks used by SEO experts:

• Include your location information on the home page
• Include descriptions of potential client categories
• Include a prominent call to action
• Employ social media to get more links and more traffic to your site
• Write a blog to get current information in front of your web visitors and links back to your key pages

Need more advice on how to get ranked? Do you want to pay someone who knows what they’re doing to help you?

Increase Leads and Awareness With SEO & Website Design For Your Ann Arbor Business!

The good news is there are people (like SEO Ann Arbor) who know how to get your site moving toward page one, and perhaps on page one. Those people are trustworthy, they’re hard-working, and they’re real people who live and work in the Ann Arbor area. They’ve got a track record of success, and they are constantly studying the science of SEO to make sure their methods are at the cutting edge.

If you have questions about how to optimize, our SEO experts are willing to chat with you to help you better understand our process. Feel free to browse our site. We’re sure you’ll find plenty of great information. Also, make sure you sign up to receive our FREE GUIDE – Seven Essential SEO Tasks You Can Do Right Now!

From day one we’ll work with you on a strategy and a way to execute on your plan. If you want to get started or if you just have questions, please shoot us an email or give us a call. 877-815-6974

7 Reasons Why We Love Re-Designing Websites!

Need a reason to consider a website design?

We’ve got a few!

A new website design can:

1. Communicate your message more clearly
2. Generate more traffic
3. Develop brand identity
4. Help you stay competitive
5. Improve your website’s functionality
6. Make you look more professional

We’ve helped many businesses like yours here in Ann Arbor. They gained the traction they needed to boost their sales and keep their business growing. Our client Steve Mussio said it best, “The owner, Nick, is willing to meet you face-to-face, listen to your concerns, and meet your needs. Let Nick and his team at SEO Ann Arbor help you increase your business opportunities. They are experts in marketing and will take you to the top! SEO Ann Arbor is important part of my business!”

                                                            

If you would like local help with your website design for Ann Arbor, call SEO Ann Arbor at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to meet or get your questions answered. If email works best for you, contact us at: info@seoannarbor.com

                                                                        

Let’s sit down, have some coffee, and let SEO Ann Arbor get to know you!  

Are you Accountable?

SEO 'experts' are a dime a dozen these days. Every time I go to a new networking event, there are a handful of SEO gurus, social media managers and email marketers in the room. A few of them are pretty good at what they do. Most are struggling to make ends meet, often because, while they understand their core competency well, they haven't yet learned what it takes to run a business. And that missing skill set is not only killing them, it kills the work they do for their clients.

One of the most critical skills needed to run a business well is also critical to getting the online presence for your business where it needs to be: staying accountable to the goal, and to the strategic plan.

If you're not accountable to the goal, you find that you change campaigns frequently, based on what area is currently 'hot' or 'cold' in your field. That's okay, but if you have a clearly defined long term goal, you're going to build a much stronger web presence by focusing on that for a sufficiently long period of time.

If you're not accountable to the strategic plan, your posts will stray from your core theme, they won't be as consistent over time, and you'll lose the parabolic power of leveraging your creative energy across multiple platforms using best practices.

So, assuming your 'expert' is strong at what he or she offers, or if you know enough digital marketing to be dangerous, the next level of inquiry should be: is there a system of checks to keep us accountable to our goals, and to our strategic plan?

Sometimes that's a checklist, sometimes a digital calendar, sometimes an elaborate purpose-built accountability system. Whatever form it takes, it should work, and it should work specifically for you. 

Want more detail? Call!

We're always happy to talk about ways you can get more awareness, leads and sales by improving what you do online like website design, content, optimization, social media, and more. Give us a call. No time to call? Send bacon. We'll think of you.

Do You Need a Web Designer?

Do you need a website re-design?

Are you in need of a customized solution to fit your website needs?

Do you need to hire a professional website designer?

Are you committed to truly being the best in your industry?

If you want the job done right the first time, you should consider hiring a professional website designer. A professional will know all the ins and outs of creating a website design for your Ann Arbor business.

You may be asking yourself, “Why should I pay thousands of dollars to redesign my website when there are free services that let me create one on my own?”

There are many shortcomings to the free services. One of them is that they are built on a public network where almost anyone who understands a bit of coding can gain access to the backend of your website. If you want your site to be secure and virtually impossible to penetrate, you need a professional. 

If you’re committed to truly doing the best you can for your company, make sure you have: (1) robust, redundant web hosting; (2) a website installed in a professional, SEO friendly, content management system; (3) automated backups; (4) a professional website design that does more than just look good, but also utilizes current best practices for user engagement and analytics; (5) consistent, thoughtful SEO to make sure your website appears as high in the search results as possible and stays there; and (6) a dedicated person or team making sure that the technology is monitored, fully functioning, and updated regularly.

Contact Experts For Web Design in Ann Arbor!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and how to optimize your website using SEO? Call the experts for website design in Ann Arbor at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered by our experts! If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.

You can even sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News! We report on the latest in SEO news and research findings.

How to Use Infographics Effectively

Are you trying to refresh the look and feel of your website?

Has it been more than 3 years since you’ve done anything new to your site?

Does your outdated website embarrass you in front of your customers?

You’re not alone! Many businesses struggle to create a useful, customer-friendly website. There are many best practices that the best website designers follow, and we’re happy to discuss them with you if you’d like to learn more. But one easy way to make a big impact is through infographics. If you create a simple, compelling infographic, that alone could create a more effective online presence for your company!

Here are 5 tips to help you take your website to rock star level! 

1. Don’t go crazy with fonts

There are 3 main categories of font. Stick to them. Serifs fonts are commonly used for block text because they are easy to read in large blocks. Times New Roman is one of the most commonly used serif fonts. 

San Serif fonts are generally best used for captions, headers, lists, and titles. The most common examples of this family of fonts are Helvetica and Arial. 

Display fonts are typically playful. Some common display fonts are Apple Chancery, Stencil Chalkduster, and Papyrus. These should typically be used only for headers to set the mood or theme. Display fonts are generally a focal point for important areas in your layout, so don’t crowd them. Give them the room needed to create impact. 

2. Stick to your theme

Think about what you’re trying to convey. Are you being serious or playful? Modern or retro? Reach out to your audience with your infographic. Who are you trying to reach? Is your site meant for kids, for parents, or for professionals? 

3. Stick to your font palette

Pick a font palette the way you would a pick color palette. You can have different fonts for your headers and body text, but they must compliment each other. Your fonts should fit a common theme. The size and weights play an important role. For example, you should avoid using body text larger than the section header or title. 

Lots more information and examples can be found at:

fonts.google.com 

fontpair.co

4. Pair your icons with the proper font

Your website will look its best when you keep your style consistent. A strong title font with a minimalist icon shows professionalism. A strong icon with a thin, minimalist font helps create an organized look. 

5. Don’t forget to align

It’s important to place similar elements in the same vicinity. Poor alignment can be distracting. Run through this quick checklist for help thinking about alignment:

-       Are your headers aligned vertically? (left, right, or center)

-       Is the spacing between all headers and body text consistent? (double, single)

-       Is the spacing between sections of text consistent?

As you might guess, there’s a lot more to designing a good infographic or website. This is one area where “do-it-yourself” can be difficult and time consuming, and may not end with a result that serves you. If you need help with your website design, call Michigan SEO Group at 877-815-6974. We’d love to learn more about what you do, and share our thoughts on creating a strong online presence for you! 

What's the ONE Thing?

Recently one of our clients asked us a tough question. 

"Knowing what you know about marketing after 11 years in the business, what's the ONE thing that you'd do for yourself – and for new clients – to get the best chance of success at promoting your business online?"

The truth is more basic, then you think! Research!

Whatever business you may have, whatever online or old school platforms you may use, whether you're just starting out or you've been in business for decades, you simply must figure out: (1) how potential customers are searching for what you offer; and (2) what needs or wants they have that you can fulfill. Without that knowledge, you're just putting out there what you want. If you get lucky and make a living that way, great, but chances are you'd be leaving a huge part of the potential market untapped.

So, do your research before you start gathering resources and plan of attack.

What should you try to find out? Here's a quick and dirty list:

Keywords
What keywords are people typing into Google when they're looking for services or products like yours?

Trends
Is the market for what you offer stagnant, shrinking, or growing?
What changes are there in search trends and how could that affect your approach?

Pains and Problems
What pains and problems do those people want solved?

Who's Out There?
Who's already out there addressing those pains and problems?
Who are the major players online, who dominate the search results?
What are those players doing particularly well?

What's the Market Like?
What are the major players charging for services or products like yours?
What exactly do they offer at that price point?
Is the market big enough for another player (you)?
Is there price flexibility or a value equation you can provide to compete differently?

What Platforms?
On what platforms are the most successful players getting traction?

Their websites? Facebook? Blogs?

Advertising Dollars
How much is it going to cost to compete in the paid advertising arenas like Google Adwords and Facebook ads?

There's more to this, of course, but without this basic knowledge, you could be chasing a pipe dream, missing out on a lot of revenue, or at the very least wasting part of your marketing effort. Understand the market before you begin your strategic plan ... and sometimes this research can reveal things you'd never thought of before!

Contact The Website Design Experts!

If you'd like more clarity about how to create a healthy online presence or if you'd like to explore what it would be like to work with SEO Ann Arbor, please contact us! We’re committed to our clients’ online success!

To learn more about other helpful tips and news about SEO and website design in Ann Arbor, sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News!

What It Takes to Be an Effective Online Marketing Company!

Thinking about taking the plunge into the internet age, or trying to finally crush it online?

What should you look for in an online marketing company?

Finding an effective online marketing company may be a bit more complicated than most people realize!

The Basics, of Course

Look for an established business with a real office. Sure, there are a lot of folks out there ‘doing’ website and SEO, but the truth is most of them can provide only a minimal level of excellence without a support staff and a network of related service providers.

Should I look for somebody local? Yes. It really helps to be able to sit in an office with somebody and see their facial expressions, listen to the tone of their voice, and get a sense of how they conduct themselves in person. This is doubly helpful when you run into challenges (not getting to page one fast enough, ads not running in the right places, service outages). And you’ll always run into challenges at some point if you take this on as a serious endeavor.

Get a few testimonials. Talk to their customers if possible. You can’t expect every client they’ve ever had to be ecstatic, but if there aren’t a few true believers, they may not be capable of hitting home runs.

And, most important, try to figure out their “why?” Why do they do what they do? How will they help you communicate your core mission to the world? Plain old SEO “experts” are a dime a dozen. The ones that are truly worth working with can bring something more to the table. They’re A-players who relate to the world on a deeper level, and that depth will help raise your game, too. Look for people with a clear purpose.

So, then what?

So, now you’re looking for a company that is truly a full-service provider. You want a company with an integrated system for domain registration, web hosting, website design, programming, a dedicated content management system, and expertise in content writing, SEO and pay-per-click. Otherwise, they’re basically doing the same job you’d do for yourself – grabbing third party solutions and trying to get them all to fit together. Do they really have people who are proficient in all of those different areas? 

We think you get it...

We just hear too many horror stories. Companies signing up with some anonymous “expert” who contacts them by email. Businesses paying their receptionist’s sister-in-law to design their website. Entrepreneurs getting on board with the “free website” nonsense that ends up becoming the bane of their existence. Don’t let it happen to you!

Real success online takes experience, expertise, and hard work. It’s not necessarily inexpensive, but remember: price is what you pay, value is what you get. A little time invested in knowing what to look for and asking the right questions can make the value equation work in your favor. Invest in the right partner to position your company properly online.

We’re always happy to chat with serious people who want to get their business to the next level. Feel free to call if you’d like to dig deeper into what makes an internet marketing company worth hiring.

To learn more about other helpful tips and news about SEO and web design in Ann Arbor, sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News!

How to Make Your Website Design Look More Exciting Through Text 

Do you feel like your web page is too wordy?

                                                            

Is your text stale?

Do you want your website to look new and modern?

Is your website boring? 

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may need some help! Many people make their own websites from scratch but lack the skills to make them look exciting. Anyone can make their own website, but not everyone can make a kickass one! 

Where do you start? You may think adding pictures on your site will attract more readers, but that’s not always the case. Pictures help pull people in, but if the content looks like one giant essay, no one will read it. However, the text on your website is very important. Use friendly, everyday terms when writing and ensure that your text is easy to read.                                                                                                     

After sitting down with one of our clients, we came up with a new website design for their business that is visually friendly while also showcasing original, compelling text content. After making these changes to their site, they began receiving more calls. Keep in mind, it’s not always enough to get people to your website, you have to keep them there! 

                                                                                                                                                

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of SEO, but SEO is only half the battle when gaining more clients from your website. You must have a visually appealing website design to attract potential clients. Wouldn’t it be great if a client told you they decided to contact you because of their experience with your website? Having a visually appealing website helps boost your company’s credibility, and this will allow you to create lasting relationships with your clients. Your website is often the first impression for your company and it has to be stellar!                                  

As for the website text, it must be clear and concise. The use of large and bold text helps draw attention to your content. It makes the reader assume the content is important and therefore more likely to continue reading. You want your text to take up valuable real estate space. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so make your text encompass the space like a photo. Below is an example of how one of our clients is putting their best foot forward: 

                                                            

What’s great about having us manage your website is you can have the peace of mind knowing it’s getting done by professionals. We specialize in website design by sitting down with you one on one to figure out your wants and needs. We build lasting relationships with our clients so you can do the same with yours. Here are a few more tips to make your website kick ass! 

                                                            

Chopping up Text 

A paragraph should be no more than 5 - 7 sentences. You want to keep the text quick and to the point. Clients make decisions very quickly and if your content looks like too much to read and sort through, they will move on to another site. 

                                                            

Making your page look inviting

There are many tools to make your text look exciting. Companies are using bold text as the new anchor for their homepages instead of the traditional stock photo. Making your text bold creates importance and emphasis, but what about turning it into art? Make a grid layout to allow click through and be more interactive. Even give your text some flare with Merz- type style to give a nod to the history of graphic design. Artist Kurt Schwitters invented this style to describe his work made of scavenged fragments and objects. Also described as any material that can be used for artistic purposes. 

Easy to navigate

Creating a clear hierarchy is important to help your client navigate your page. When visiting your site for the first time, clients take a full scan of the page and decide where they should click first. Through your choice of typography, you can guide the customer where to go. A good website shows the client where to start and what to read. 

We’ve helped many businesses like yours here in Ann Arbor. They gained the traction they needed to boost their sales and keep their business growing. Our client Steve Mussio said it best, “The owner, Nick, is willing to meet you face-to-face, listen to your concerns, and meet your needs. Let Nick and his team at SEO Ann Arbor help you increase your business opportunities. They are experts in marketing and will take you to the top! SEO Ann Arbor is important part of my business!”

                                                            

If you would like local help with your website design for Ann Arbor, call Michigan SEO Group at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to meet or get your questions answered. If email works best for you, contact us at: info@michiganseogroup.com

                                                                        

Let’s sit down, have some coffee, and let Michigan SEO Group get to know you!                            

                                    

                        

Online Presence Could Be Your Missed Opportunity!

In our professional presentations lately, we’ve been running into this kind of thinking:

“Hey, I know you talked about all the ways people are succeeding online, but we get all our new business from referrals/networking/trade shows.”

“Why should I invest in a powerful online presence when nobody else in my industry is doing it?”

“There’s no way I’ll get new business from Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn. None of my business connections are on there.”

That sounds convincing enough, but the truth is, these are really just business people playing defense. They don’t know what they don’t know, and they’re worried about spending money on something they don’t understand. Which is fair enough, but there’s huge opportunity being missed.

Let’s explain.

You get all your new business from referrals/networking/trade shows 

What you actually mean to say is that you’ve put all your efforts into those methods, and little or none into online methods. Most business to business connections probably do happen in those old-school ways, but the truth is, you don’t know how much more business you might get if you develop a strategic online presence. 

Insider’s tip: The process of developing powerful online content often helps you discover new ways to talk about what you do even in your existing marketing channels! 

Nobody else in your industry is doing well online 

We actually hear that. Is it really your reason for not building out your web presence? If so, that suggests you think doing what everybody else is doing is the path to success. But, are they really that successful? 

If you conquer the online space in your field, it will be harder for the next guy, and you may discover that there’s a huge, unexplored world of potential business out there that’s being missed with the usual methods.

Insider’s tip: Even if you’re “not online,” you’re online. A determined searcher can almost always find information about your business. Why not take control of what’s out there and start getting more of the right kind of prospects to contact you?

None of your business connections are on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn

We have two responses here. One is that the point of outside marketing is to reach NEW customers. If your current business connections aren’t on a platform, that absolutely doesn’t mean that other potentially interested business people might not be on there. The other is that – through real experiences – we’ve become agnostic about which platforms will capture new interest for a particular kind of business. We’ve been stunned to see how much new hard core industrial business we got for a client on Twitter when everybody thought it was just for posting about politics and celebrities. That kind of thing has happened on Facebook and LinkedIn as well. Don’t write off a platform until you’ve actually put a reasonable amount of effort into it.

Insider’s tip: Don’t just jump into posting about your idea, product or service. First, check on what the most successful online players are doing on that platform. Listen, business is hard enough without having to reinvent the wheel again and again. Copy what works. When you’re rich, then you can start getting creative fulfillment at work.

Contact Experts For Web Design in Ann Arbor!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and how to optimize your website using SEO? Call the experts for web design in Ann Arbor at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered by our experts! If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.

You can even sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News! We report on the latest in SEO news and research findings.

Online Marketing Trends Dominating 2017

Are you doing everything you can online to help grow your business?

Are you too busy handling everyday administrative tasks to focus on online marketing?

Are you worried that spending extra time and money on online marketing isn’t going to produce leads, sales, or new clients?

According to Forbes, you shouldn’t feel pressured to use all of the marketing tools available to you, but you should stay on top of the latest marketing trends to stay competitive in your industry!

Here are some trends that really took off in 2016 and are expected to keep rising in 2017:

1. Augmented Reality – Many companies are busy developing new, interactive apps to promote their brand.
   
2. Live Video Streaming – You can live-stream on virtually every social media platform, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!
   
3. Data Visualization – Infographics make it easier for online consumers to process information. There are dozens of tools to make these infographics available, and businesses can gain a lot from using them!
   
4. “Dense Content” is key! – If you’re doing online marketing already, then you know that the attention span of the average online consumer is low. More people are scrolling through social media feeds without really reading what they’re seeing, and sharing articles after only reading a headline. In response, “more marketers are learning that dense content is key, making every line and every word count”, according to Forbes.

If you haven’t heard of two or more of these trends, don’t worry! That’s what Michigan SEO Group is for! We work hard to stay on top of all the latest trends in online marketing in Michigan so you don’t have to.

Our team of experts in SEO, web design, and social media management are always looking for new and exciting ways to promote our clients and help them grow their businesses. We want to help you, too!

When you work with us, we do all the hard work for you, so you can spend more time on the continuing success of your business. If you want to ramp up your online marketing game, it’s time to give us a call!

Engaging Social Media!

Are you having a hard time getting engagement on your social media platforms?

Want to boost your social media presence?

Do you want more likes, comments and shares?

We’re big fans of doing what works rather than chasing the latest fad or esoteric theory, and we’re going to share some of the useful highlights with you. If you’re in business or you work for somebody who needs help getting the word out, these simple ideas may help inspire you!

Did you know…

Hubspot says the best times to post on Facebook are:

12-1 pm on Saturday & Sunday

3-4 pm on Wednesdays

1-4 pm on Thursdays and Fridays

Did you know…

Facebook says you should:

Start conversations by asking questions and responding

Reward your audience with exclusive content

Vary your post type - users don't engage the same way with every post

Did You know … 

That some of the most engaging social post types are:

One Little Known way to [solve a problem]: solution

Caption This! [Photo/Video]

Fill in the blank. My [activity] must-have is _______.

"Like" for [Option 1]. "Share" for [Option 2].

If [enticing scenario], I would __________.

"When [problem or situation is occuring], I _________.

And, don’t forget to…

Repurpose your posts for:

Different platforms – website, blog, social media platforms and video

Different learning styles – skimmer, in-depth reader, video watcher, infographic

Experts for Social Media in Ann Arbor!

Want to learn more about how to make your social media posts more engaging? Sign up for our newsletter today! We’ll share breaking S.E.O. news, Kung Fu marketing tips, and kick-ass success stories with you.

Still have questions? Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your social media questions answered. 

Why Google Hates Your Website, and How You Can Fix It!

If you’ve done any kind of online marketing for your business, you’re probably familiar with the basic concept of SEO.

However, do you realize there’s more to it than simply adding keywords to your website and posting on social media?

If you’re not satisfied with the growth of your business, you’re not alone! Many business owners find that they need to make a serious changes to their online marketing to be successful.

If you’re not showing up on Google or other search engines, there are several things you can do to fix this problem and start getting more calls and emails, and hopefully start making more money.

1. Update your website design – If your website design looks stale, or isn’t aesthetically pleasing, consumers won’t want to spend time on it. Additionally, Google is penalizing websites that aren’t responsive, or able to be viewed on phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
2. Make sure your internal links are strong – At Michigan SEO Group, we work on this every day! You should use links between relevant pages on your own website on every new piece of content you post. Google also likes to see you linking to authoritative websites (think “.org”, “.edu”, etc.) to show that you’re including quality information on your website.
3. Offer a lot of value on your site – All the content on your site should offer valuable advice, answer questions, and encourage interaction. If your content is worth reading and sharing, Google will see that and raise your search position.

Trust Michigan SEO Group with Your Online Marketing in Michigan!

If you think you need to step up your online marketing game, we can help! We have a team of friendly and enthusiastic experts in SEO, website design, and social media who want to help you achieve success!

We’ll work with your goals in mind to help you grow your business. To get started, or to have a conversation with us about your business goals, contact us today!

Web Design Guidelines Everyone Should Follow!

What are web design guidelines?

Should I follow them?

Are these guidelines necessary?

Web design guidelines will help you create a clear and concise outline of what you should focus on first in the design process. We’ll tell you exactly what you need to know and how you can prepare yourself for a website redesign. It can be a lot of work, but if you want your website to be an effective part of your marketing, it’s worth every effort. 

To give you an accurate estimate for your new website, we basically need to know three things:

1. How many pages will your new website have?
2. What will each of them do?
3. What do you want it to look like?

How many pages will your new website have?

Barring any special functionality, it typically requires more work to create a website with 100 pages than one that has 5 pages (thank you, Captain Obvious!). Therefore, it’s important for us to have a fairly accurate idea of the number of pages you’d like to have on your new site.

What will each of them do?

A simple website for a small business typically consists of 5-10 pages that each display a few paragraphs of text along with 1-2 images. Some websites and web pages contain special functionality, such as a product estimator, e-commerce capability, members only sections, etc.  If you want your website to do anything like that, you’ll need special programming services, so we need to know what that is and how you’d like it to work.

What do you want it to look like?

Do you have anything specific in mind for the way you want your new website to look?  A good place to start would be to find some other websites that you like. Sometimes it’s helpful for us to know what you don’t want your site to look like (i.e. “here’s a website I hate – don’t make mine look anything like that!”)

Color and mood preferences are also helpful, as well as anything else you might have in mind for your new site. 

Some people are very specific about what they’re looking for, while others only have a general idea and give us little more than a few clues our designers can use to fill in the blanks and come up with a kick-ass design.

Our Web Design Recommendations

Here are our recommendations, based on best practice and years of experience:

Remember the 80/20 rule. Focus 80% of your time on the content, and 20% on the look. Most people obsess on the look and neglect the content. Yes, you want your website to look nice, but it’s the content that’s going to drive results. Don’t make SEO an afterthought. Too many people obsess on the look of their site, and only when it’s complete do they ask, “Will my website show up in the search engines?”  If SEO is important to you (and it should be), then make SEO a priority right from the start.  If it’s important, SEO should be driving the content and design, not the other way around.

Do you have questions about your current website? Are you considering updating your web design for your Ann Arbor business? Do you want more visibility for your business?

Please email or call us if you’d like to go deeper on any of these topics.

THIS is Why You Need Professionals

It’s story time! Are you ready? Do you like scary stories? We’re going to tell you one that’s worth hearing! This is a bit long, but it illustrates a critical point that we make to our clients (and potential clients) all the time...

*This* is why it makes sense to have business class web hosting.

*This* is why it makes sense to go with a local company that knows what they are doing on all fronts (hosting, programming, design, and SEO), and has your best interests in mind.

*This* is why you don't let "creative" people create your website on the platform du jour because it's "easy" with little or no thought to maintenance, backups, or security.

The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but this is real.  It actually happened.  Please make sure you are working with competent and reliable professionals so it doesn’t happen to you.

Here’s the story:

Anonymous Marketing Company [AMC]:  Hey, Michigan SEO Group, Client X’s website is messed up. We think you are hosting it.  Can you restore it from a backup?

Us:  Sure, we can take a look at that!  Hmmmm, it looks like we used to host it, but you guys moved the web hosting away from us last year.  We have backups of what was hosted on our server, but nothing since you redesigned the site using WordPress and moved the hosting elsewhere.  You’ll have to check with the new hosting company for recent backups.

AMC:  Oh dear, we’re waiting to hear back from their web hosting firm, but apparently they didn't sign up for a hosting plan that includes backups.

Why someone would even offer a hosting plan without backups is a mystery to us. Do you see the problem here? There was nobody in their marketing or hosting company with a sufficient professional mindset to make sure the client’s best interests were protected.

If you’re committed to truly doing the best you can for your company, make sure you have: (1) robust, redundant web hosting; (2) a website installed in a professional, SEO friendly, content management system; (3) automated backups; (4) a professional website design that does more than just look good, but also utilizes current best practices for user engagement and analytics; (5) consistent, thoughtful SEO to make sure your website appears as high in the search results as possible and stays there; and (6) a dedicated person or team making sure that the technology is monitored, fully functioning, and updated regularly.

Website Design in Ann Arbor: Contact the Experts!

We know this sounds like a lot of work, it is!  But if you'd like more clarity about any of these things or if you'd like to explore what it would be like to work with SEO Ann Arbor, please contact us! We’re committed to our clients’ online success!

To learn more about other helpful tips and news about SEO and website design in Ann Arbor, sign up for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News!

The Big Mistake Almost Everybody Makes

Here’s a quick “reality check” from Big Don Prior. 

Who’s Don Prior? 

He’s the one telling you how it’s going to be!

This SEO business can be tricky.  There are lots of moving parts.  There’s your website, blog, social media, online reviews, web hosting, and much more.  All these need to be monitored, optimized, and maintained.  It’s a lot of work, but someone’s got to do it. Your friends at SEO Ann Arbor are experts when it comes to SEO and everything that encompasses it!

Most people think that their website is a “fire and forget” situation. Once it’s up and running, they’re good to go and they don’t need to do anything else. 

That’s a mistake.  Big mistake.  Huge.

Except the Successful People 

If you don’t continually check the results, you won’t wind up where you want to be.  Updates need to be applied. Content needs to be updated. Results need to be checked.  People who are successful online make this part of a continual process. Not a one-time deal. There is no “set and forget” going on with the A players.

There are things that are beyond your control. Most people want their website to show up on the first page of Google, but Google periodically changes the rules of the game, and they do so with no notice to you and me. That’s why you need to monitor it, pay attention, and fix the issues that pop up. Or have someone monitor it for you.

We’ve seen Google stop indexing a bunch of pages on particular websites. Something like this can adversely affect your search engine rankings, especially if Google decides to stop indexing 50% of the content on your site. Fortunately for our clients, we keep an eye on just this kind of thing.

When was the last time you logged into Google webmaster tools to check the status of your site?  Even if you did, they aren’t going to tell you what the problem is.  They basically say “we stopped indexing a bunch of pages on your site.  You figure out why, because we aren’t telling!”  Usually this requires someone with a high level of proficiency in web design, web hosting, and SEO to figure this out.  Again, our customers are covered.

So How Are YOU Doing?

As Google continually changes the game, we’re on the case, monitoring how the changes may effect your search engine rankings. In some cases maybe what’s needed is an upgrade to your site to use https (secure hosting). In others it may be ensuring that the name of your site is referenced consistently (either with or without the “www” at the beginning of the domain name). Sometimes your site just needs to be resubmitted to Google and the other search engines. Other times, there are changes that need to be made to your content, hosting platform, or internal linking strategies. 

We have all this covered. Our customers have people for that. 

Do you?

Website Design in Ann Arbor: Contact the Experts at SEO Ann Arbor Today!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and successful website design? Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered. If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us here.

For more in depth news on how to stay on top, sign up today for our Black Belt SEO Tips & News! You’ll learn about the truth about how to stay on top and website design in Ann Arbor.