I have always enjoyed building websites for churches and ministries. It’s a completely different type of project when compared to a commercial or service related website in that churches have so much more to offer online than a typical company does, and it still shocks me that some do not capitalize on the massive opportunity that’s in front of them to reach out and connect to more people.
The Internet and the technology behind it is constantly expanding at a rapid rate. Having a website simply because everyone else is getting one is no longer the reason to develop your own. Companies and organizations are using their websites to expand their influence online using their own website, social media, video, and other expanding mediums to get their message out.
Since 2005, I have developed custom websites for churches and ministries all over the world as well as websites for many secular companies. My company’s focus has always primarily been churches and non-profits simply because that’s the world I am most familiar with, and I wanted to offer a quality product to churches that would represent the organization well without charging outrageous prices
When it comes to organic search results, content truly is king. SEO or search engine optimization is simply creating engaging content to rank well in natural search results based the originality of the content, and the relevance to the search query. Google has two kinds of search results, Ad Words (or paid results) which are little more than a paid advertisement and natural or organic results. Organic search results happen as a result of search engine optimization based on the popularity and common usage of the content on that page or post.
Keep your personal profile and your organization’s page separate. Facebook currently limits how many “friends” you can have, but does not limit how many “likes” you can get. So, if you are using your personal profile to push your organization’s agenda, you are setting yourself up for a difficult transition down the road. Once you reach the limit of “friends” (currently set to 5,000), that’s it — no one else can connect with you. Then, you’ll spend countless hours trying to get your “friends” to “like” your organization’s new page, and only a very small percentage of them will because they are YOUR friends – not your organization’s.
Among the many evolving technologies and tools for web professionals that is also the most neglected is search engine optimization. Popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo! are constantly changing the algorithms that bring consumers the most relevant search results because the technology is still fairly new and evolving. Consumers have been relying on search engines for only a few years, so it makes sense that the technology behind it will only get better and more advanced, unlike the soon-to-be-extinct phonebook.
Many small to medium business owners ask me how to get their “brand” “out there more.” There is no single trick or formula that applies to every business, because different markets and demographics respond in different ways. Trends are important factors; so is the economy. When focusing on your brand marketing, you must be open to new things, and expect a learning curve to overcome. The point is: be flexible.
There has been an SEO service scam going on for well over a year now that I have noticed. It doesn’t seem to be going away, so this post is to educate business owners and non-profit organizations that have a presence online and need to do something about search engine optimization regarding their website, but are not sure how to move forward knowing they are making the right decision. After all, money doesn’t come cheap these days, and you want to make good decisions with your advertising budget.
I never intended to start a Tulsa web design and graphic design company. Graphic and web design was a hobby — nothing more than a “video game” that I did in my spare time for fun to relieve stress. Now it is the fastest growing thing in my life and probably the source of most of my stress!
Over the years, it has been a process of elimination, but I’ve noticed that some of the things we have done over the years are so simple, and to me seem pretty basic common sense, but continue to give us an edge in this industry and provide Tulsa Web Design Firm with some selling points. Here are a few of them:
I love the web design and graphic design industry — I really do. It started out as my “video game” and it became an addiction. I love fast-paced environments that change constantly, and where the process of learning new ways to do things never ends. I honesty never thought I’d make a good living doing it; it’s what I did (and still do) for fun. Although there are many other qualified people to speak on this subject, I write this post from experience from what I have personally seen in this industry regarding education.
