Blog

Create a Google XML Sitemap (the free and easy way)

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 10:16 am

Sitemaps tell search engines about URLs on a website that are available for crawling. If you want to get visitors from search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, then it makes sense to use a sitemap to tell them about your website pages. I like to use XML-sitemaps.com.

1. Go to http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ to create your free and easy sitemap.
2. Enter your website address in the field “Starting URL” and press the “Start” button.
3. When the site is done generating your sitemap, click on the link to download your sitemap in XML format.
4. Upload your XML sitemap to your website.
5. Notify Google that your sitemap exists by entering the following URL into your web browser: http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ping?sitemap=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mysite.com/my-sitemap-location.xml.Be sure to replace www.mysite.com/my-sitemap-location.xml with the location of your sitemap on your website.

A maximum of 500 pages will be indexed in your sitemap. If you need to create a sitemap with more than 500 pages, you will need to use the unlimited version for the price of $19.99.

Color Scheme Inspiration

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 5:07 pm

Inspiring color palettes are everywhere. I like using ClourLovers PHOTOCOPA tool to create new palettes from beautiful photos I find on Flickr.

Web Design for Indiana House of Representatives Candidate Jesse James

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 2:18 pm

I am pleased to announce the launch of JesseJames2010.com, our newly designed website for Indiana House of Representatives candidate Jesse James. Jesse recently announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for House District 45. The district includes parts of Sullivan, Vigo, Knox, Daviess and Greene Counties in southwestern Indiana.

804 Studios is now a member of the Better Business Bureau

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 12:18 pm

I am happy to announce that 804 Studios, LLC is now an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau.

The BBB Standards for Trust

Bloomington Indiana Website Redesign for MedPro Services

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 12:09 pm

804 Studios recently completed website redesign/improvement project for MedPro Services, a Bloomington, Indiana medical billing services company. MedPro’s previous website was generating significant traffic from Google but was unable to convert the traffic into leads. The objective was simple: Increase the amount of leads received from the website by improving its usability.

I made two small changes to their website that have had big results:

• Redesigned the homepage to emphasize MedPro’s unique selling points and included a large call-to-action button
• Improved the “Free Office Analysis” form that is used to collect leads

Before Homepage Improvements

After Homepage Improvements

The new design has been live for only about 4 weeks now but the results are already promising.

• Leads have increased by nearly 300% over the previous month
• The bounce rate (percent of initial visitors that leave a site after viewing a single page) has dropped by 62%

So far the website statistics have confirmed the idea that small changes can have big results.

If you are looking to improve your website’s performance give me a call at 812-382-5100.

Learn more about MedPro Services.

Business.com Directory Listing Special Offer- Save $50

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 2:46 pm

From Business.com:
Business.com is where business people go to find solutions. Each month we help millions of business decision makers quickly find what they need to manage and grow their businesses.

Our Business Directory Advertising is a flat rate annual product, priced at $299/listing. Advertisers can select from over 65,000 business categories to place their listings. Business Directory Listings are a great, low-cost way to reach a highly concentrated B2B audience of 8 million monthly unique visitors on Business.com.

5 Simple Ways to Start Your Search Engine Optimization Efforts

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 12:19 pm

Starting your first search engine optimization campaign can be a daunting task. There is so much written about the topic that it becomes difficult deciding where to start. SEOBoy.com offers a simple guide that will get you started. Here are five small effort changes that can make a big difference along with examples for a fictional Mexican restaurant called Rosita’s in Bloomington, Indiana.

1. Keyword research

   This is where any good SEO campaign will start. Begin creating your keyword list by thinking of what your customers would likely type into a search engine in their attempt to find the products/services you provide.

   For our fake restaurant, Rosita’s, some phrases would include: Bloomington Indiana restaurants, Mexican restaurants in Bloomington, Mexican food Bloomington IN.

2. Meta data

   The title and meta description tags are where you begin to your newly discovered keywords. Your title tag should include your business name along with a specific keyword phrase.

   Ex:  “Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana (IN)”.

   Your meta description should provide an quick overview of the products/services your company offers.

   Ex:  “Rosita’s Mexican restaurant has been serving authentic Yucatecan cuisine in Bloomington, Indiana for over 15 years.”

3. Header tags

   Your H1 header tag tells the search engines what the content priority of the page is. It should contain your targeted keyword and should tell the search engines (and your visitors) what that page is about.

   Ex: For Rosita’s View our Menu page the H1 tag may be “Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant Dinner Menu”

4. Image alt tags

   The alt tag provides an alternative text description of an image. Every image on your page should contain a keyword rich description.

   Ex: If Rosita’s website has a picture of their famous lime soup, the image alt tag could be “Authentic Mexican Lime Soup from Rosita’s Restaurant”.

5. XML sitemap

   An XML sitemap lists all the pages of your website and helps search engine find and index your site. You can easily create your sitemap using a free tool like XML-Sitemaps. After creating your sitemap,  submit it to Google Webmaster Tools.

By following these easy 5 steps, you can make a big impact on the search engine optimization of your website.

The Web Design Golden Rule

Posted by Jonathan Kelp at 8:41 am

Here’s a simple rule to follow when designing your website:

“Everything that goes into your website must have a purpose.”

Every single element (color, layout, graphics, etc) must help users achieve their goals and the goals you’ve set for your website.

If you keep this idea in mind when planning and designing your website, you’ll be one step closer to creating a website that both you and your visitors will love.