Top Tips for Effective Web Design

Do you have a website?

Are you looking for a way to increase the traffic to your site?

Are you worried that your site doesn’t look as professional as it could?

Do you want to make sure potential clients and customers trust your website?

Having good and effective web design seems like a no-brainer, but the truth is that many businesses lose business because their websites aren’t well designed. Don’t make the same mistake!

To make sure that you have the most effective web design possible, follow these simple tips!

1) Have a clear purpose: Make sure that each page on your site has a specific purpose. Part of web design involves fulfilling a need for your customers, and the easiest way to do that is to give them a site that’s easy to navigate.

2) Don’t go crazy with fonts: It is easy to get carried away when designing a site, but remember that your customers need to be able to quickly get the information they want. Stick with a maximum of 3 separate typefaces, and remember that the ideal font size for easy online reading is 16px.

3) Colors and images: Take time to think about the color scheme of your site. Contrasting colors for the text and the background will make reading easier for your visitors, and vibrant colors should be used sparingly. Choosing the right images for your site can go a long way when it comes to marketing and the overall image. High quality photos are best.

4) Mobile Friendly: Making sure your website is “responsive” is probably not something you worried about before, but with some new changes Google has made, this new element of web design is critical. Responsive design allows your site to be viewed on all devices (including smartphones and tablets) at a high resolution.

If you’re unsure about your web design, ask someone else to use your site and see what they think. Getting an outside opinion can help to see your site from the customer’s point of view, and can let you know what you can improve. Or, contact SEO Ann Arbor for a free website evaluation! We can help with website design, SEO, PPC advertising, blogging and more! Visit us at www.SEOAnnArbor.com or call us at  877-815-6974.

5 Best Web Design Tools

To attract visitors to your business, you make sure that your office or storefront is pleasing to the eye.

Why should you approach online business any differently?

If you’re unfamiliar with web design, this can seem like a daunting task.

Don’t be afraid of web design! There are many people just like you who are looking at web design with a critical eye in order to make their businesses more successful.

Here are five great web design tools (according to quickonlinetips.com) that are sure to make your website function better, look better, and grow your business. The best part is that you won’t need to learn a bunch of HTML or CSS to make it work!

1) Firebug – Firebug is a web development tool that lets users edit code on any live site. This program also provides diagnostic and debugging tools to make fixing problems easier.

2) Colorzilla – Colorzilla is an add-on for Firefox that lets the user pick out individual colors on websites instead of trying to eyeball the exact shade of blue, for example. This will also give you the code you need to use that color on your own site.

3) Colour Lovers – This site is for sharing palettes or patterns and is great for users who are looking for free to use background images or header images. This site also provides design tools for users to create their own.

4) Pingdom – This site loads your website in real time including all images and other aspects of the code. When it tests your site, it will test your load time and give you stats on how long all your objects take to load. This is important because, as you know, 20 seconds on the internet can seem like an eternity!

5) Foundation 3 – This program essentially acts as a blueprint for all your web design projects. Foundation 3 will help you design your website in a way that will make it responsive, or able to be viewed on a bunch of different mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Of course, any web design tool requires a bit of knowledge of coding. If you’re unsure of how to approach better web design, we can help you! Contact us at SEO Ann Arbor for a free website evaluation and we’ll be happy to help you make your website function as well as possible!

3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Website Design

SEO Ann Arbor Website Design Tips

Website Design is an easy thing to get wrong. There are plenty of businesses out there whose website designs are holding back their business! Having a bad website can lead to slow loading times, confused visitors, fewer sales, and less business. Don’t let your website keep you or your business from its full potential!

1. One Topic Per Page!

Having a cluttered website design means that people will get confused and not enjoy using your website. You need to make sure that each page is only about one topic. This not only helps to make your website more easily navigated by customers, but it also helps out your search engine rankings. Talk about a win-win! It’s a good idea to occasionally check how your website is organized and make sure that everything is clear and well organized.

2. Keep it Simple!

Your website should be sleek, well organized, and easy to navigate. Everything should be clear and fool-proof. Minimalism is almost always the best option, because too much stuff without any real direction is bound to confuse most visitors. The simpler your website is to use, the more people will enjoy using it.

3. Check out your competitors!

This is one of the best ways to make your website design better. Check out your competitors’ websites and make a list of what you like and don’t like. This is an important step to figure out what others in your industry are doing well, and how you can improve your online presence. Researching competitors also allows you to see what your customers want and expect from a website. 

Looking for more?

For more tips on how to improve your website design, read the full list of SEO Ann Arbor Website Design tips. We have tons of other great free information for you to check out and help your business’s online presence. Whether you want to learn about SEO, Website Design, Social Media, or anything else related to digital marketing, we’ve got the tools to help you! Give us a call at 877-815-6974 or visit us SEOAnnArbor.com

Social Media Ann Arbor: Getting Started

Social Media Ann Arbor: Getting Started

Scenario: You run a small business in Ann Arbor, and you've heard that social media is important for your small business to succeed. So, you set up your company’s Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, et cetera, and set them all up to use in HootSuite (Learn more about that at SEOAnnArbor.com)

So, you’ve signed up, filled out your company’s information, and uploaded your company’s logo for the profile picture. Now what? You have 0 followers, and you’re not sure what content to write. You’re low on time since you’re busy running a business, and maybe writing isn’t your strong suit.

1. Have your employees, friends, and family follow your page

This is how most small businesses get their first likes on social media. It’s a small favor to ask of the people around you, and gives you a good head start.

2. Email your contacts

If you’re a business owner, more than likely, you already have a list of email contacts from previous customers. Put it to use! Don’t be afraid to let your contacts know that your business is now on Facebook.

3. Add Icons to Your Website

This is one of the simplest and easiest steps you can take. Not only does it add an additional link to your social networks (good for Google results) but it allows for people using your website to see that your business is also using social media. It gives them a quick link if they are interested, and helps to gain followers.

What Next?

Those are the first three tips! But take note, #4 is the most important! What is it? Well, for that you will have to go to our website and find out!

Finish reading Social Media Ann Arbor: Getting Started on our website! And be sure to check out the rest our Social Media Management tips too!

Social Media Ann Arbor: Local Social Media

Social Media Ann Arbor: Going Local

    Social Media in Ann Arbor. It’s an interesting idea. In the infinite universe of the internet, how does a small, local, brick-and-mortar store succeed, or even get noticed? Many people think that social media for a local business is like being a needle in a haystack, or yelling in a crowd where everyone else has a megaphone. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

    So, exactly how does a local business survive in a massive community of bigger players?

Here’s the secret: It isn’t that hard!

    You would be amazed at how well small businesses do online. You may not get the same recognition as Coca-Cola or Ford, but you can absolutely get a good number of followers and gain popularity.

    As you may know, Google, Facebook, and all the other major search and social websites have gotten smarter over the years, and they know that people search for local businesses. So, when you search for something in Google, local results are often the first to show up, not just results that don’t apply to you. Facebook also suggests pages that might interest you, including local companies followed by your friends.

    Plenty of small businesses even forgo having a website, using only Facebook for their business. Facebook offers the customer similar information and gives more interactivity for your visitors. It’s also easier to update content for people who aren’t web savvy.

    A local restaurant doesn’t serve customers nationally, so it doesn’t need to speak to a national audience. A Thai restaurant in Ann Arbor doesn’t need to be found by people in Wyoming. All the major social networks and search engines know this, so someone in Ann Arbor searching for Thai restaurants will most likely find the social media profiles of local Thai restaurants in the search results.

    There are a few things you need to do in order to gain these positive results, such as categorizing your profiles correctly, linking to and from your website, verifying your local listings, and keyword optimizing everything, but the important thing to remember is this: Yes, your business can be noticed!

    If you have any questions or concerns about social media in Ann Arbor, web design, SEO, AdWords, or anything else involving your business’s online presence, give us a call! Our number is 877-815-6974, or contact us Here. Or, if you’re interested in learning how to do some of this web stuff yourself, we have a lot of great, free information and guidelines at SEOAnnArbor.com to help get you started.

Do You Know How to Succeed on Yelp? We Do!

Are you struggling to retain visibility on Yelp?


Do you log into Yelp on a regular basis?


Are you finding it a challenge to get reviews?


Do you communicate effectively with your clients?


Knowing the best search engine marketing practices when it comes to Yelp is always a good tactic so you can be one step ahead of your competition. Many people have heard of Yelp, but don’t know what it takes to succeed there. We have the inside scoop, so we’re going to tell you almost everything we know ... and more!

According to Yelp.com, there are numerous things you can do to succeed, they include:

•     Track how many people view your business page. You can use the info gathered here to inform your decisions on things like “When is the best day of the week to run a special?”
•     Add photos, a detailed business description, up-to-date information, history, and specialties.
•     Recommend other businesses.
•     Put a badge and link to your Yelp listing on your website.
•     Put a "Find us on Yelp" sign in your place of business, on the front counter or window.
•     Include a link to your Yelp business listing in your email signature with the words, "Check us out on Yelp!"
•     Allows you to communicate with your customers.
•     Respond to positive and negative reviews.

All these things have been tested and proven, so you know you’re getting the good stuff from experts who use Yelp firsthand. If you start using Yelp on a regular basis and still don’t see a lot of activity on your analytics page, you may need to consult with an SEO expert or online marketing expert.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time must I commit to my Yelp listing?


It depends on how much success you want! If you want to be successful, at least 1-2 hours weekly would be sufficient as a minimum.


Can I designate Yelp tasks to someone on my team?


Yes, you can designate Yelp tasks to someone on your team who is knowledgeable about your business. They will need to implement a description, history of the company, coupons, pictures, and more.


Is Yelp user-friendly?


Yes, Yelp is user-friendly. If you need help for any reason and can’t figure out the answer, Yelp has a business support section that answers common questions.


At SEO Ann Arbor, “We believe in helping people achieve their dream of a successful, growing business and an abundant life…starting today!” Feel free to give us a call to talk about what you’d like to achieve for your business. We’ll even take a quick look at your website and share our impressions without charging you anything. Even if you don't end up hiring us to do your search engine marketing for you, we like to think we can help educate and inform you. If your website is not on Page One of Google, contact us today!

We're an extension of your team. Please keep us in "the loop"!

Our Ideal Client Communication

“We believe in helping people achieve their dream of a successful, growing business and an abundant life…starting today!”  We do this by employing a vast number of internet marketing and SEO strategies and tactics. However, our work is not done in a vacuum! We need consistent communication and content from you to maximize your success. We encourage you to think of your SEO Specialist as an extension of your team. 

We design your SEO campaign to work best for your  particular customers, products, and services. Your expertise in your business and your knowledge of your customers’ needs is invaluable to us. 

Here are a few examples of the kinds of information you can help provide:

• Phone calls – who is calling or emailing you, and what are they asking for? – Let us know, early and often! 

• Upcoming sales and events:  If you have a big sale or open house planned – Let us know!

• Cancellations:  If an event or promotion is cancelled that we’ve advertised for you – Let us know! 

• Conferences and community service projects:  Your staff “Races for the Cure” or attends a special conference or training session – Let us know!

• New products or services:  You change your hours, launch a new product, recall a product, or find a new use for it – Let us know! 

• Awards and recognition:  If you or a staff person becomes a member of an organization, your business receives accolades, or the baseball team you sponsor wins a tournament – Yep, you guessed it! Let us know! 

• Industry news:  You recently read any interesting trade journals or blogs related to your business – Let us know!  [and please provide us with a link or copy of the article]

• Staff news:  You hire a new employee, an employee retires, or other notable events occur like marriages, certifications, graduations, babies, etc. – Let us know! Are you noticing a theme yet?

• Customer testimonials or reviews.  Stories about customers are worth their weight in gold.  Your staff went above and beyond to help a customer – Let us know! 

Are you wondering what a staff change or a community service event could have to do with your SEO campaign?  For getting the word about your business out there, ALL news is good news!  We can add your keywords into almost any content. Not only that, any “feel good” or personal news will tend to attract more human visitors via social media, especially if you provide us with photographs! 

Speaking of photographs, when you have an event, it’s really, really important to designate someone to take
photographs (with permission) of happy customers to post on social media and your website.  We’re serious! It would be wonderful if you would assign someone the task of taking photographs and ONLY taking photographs, to make sure photos don’t become an afterthought.  

The more you “Let us know,” sooner rather than later, the more successful your SEO campaigns will be!