Our department has started working for a month on our big project. Each of us tries its best to meet our daily tasks. As planned we are supposed to finish it in three more weeks. Actually, we are working on the last phase and hopefully we will be able to get it done before the deadline. Our manager has already proposed to the management that it has to be launched in the web in order to grab more attention. After some time the management approved it so my manager decided that our web site shall be designed with arizona seo. It has been proven to be the most effective internet marketing strategy and since we have chosen the arizona web design, it would definitely bring out the best quality in our project’s web site. We are now in the stage of finalizing our project and have already started coordinating with the Arizona web design company all our requirements. We have already seen their cool before and after gallery and we are confident enough for the success of our project. We can’t wait for the launching of our project and see the features of the web site. We are grateful that the management has been supportive to us all throughout.

I dropped by the E-Services Philippines event last Monday to check out the exhibits happening. A few members of the DigitalFilipino Club were there busy promoting a variety of services with payment gateway, software development, blog marketing & search engine optimization, training – to name a few.

SEMCON Bicol & IT head of Aquinas University, Alvin Perez, also attended as the club representative during the conference. Our conflicting schedule prevented us from catching up then.

There were around 140 exhibitors. As expected, visitors were not that many since this type of event attracts a specific audience niche. However, I find it interesting the level of interest for some of the services offered such as in the area of search engine optimization.

Perhaps as the local SEO community get organized, it can really establish itself with SEO/SEM as an important outsourcing service offering that local & international entities should take seriously – use it to position effectively in this time of crisis.

Whenever search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) gets talked about, different entities and individuals have their interpretation on its scope. For this Busby SEO Test participant who also renders consulting services, it can cover the following:

1. Content development

Creation of content based on popular keyword searches by target users.

2. Website fixing

If there is an existing website, this includes improving the code, url, meta-tags, text, navigation, sitemap and analytics installation, and others with the intent of making sure that search engines pick up the valuable information that is being disseminated by the site.

3. Website performance & maintenance

Analyze monitoring reports and update website based on findings. Common tasks are reduction of bouncing pages, improve page size, develop new content or navigation path to ensure visitors will find what they need from the site.

4. Directory submissions

Paid, free, reciprocal, deep link directories tapped though it is dependent on client’s budget.

5. Search engine submission

Paid and free search engines to ensure that the client’s site can be found.

6. Article writing and submission

Writing a high-quality article that gets disseminated to popular article directories for re-publishing. This in turn results to traffic generation and search engine visibility.

7. Online press releases

If the site has a major announcement, an online press release is also suitable as this gets picked up by major publications, e-zines, and blogs.

8. Link build-up

This is trading links with other websites that have similar niche.

9. Paid advertising

This can come in the form of online ads. It allows the client also to discover and validate keywords that were chosen for effectiveness.

10. Local sites and maps

Registering at country level directories and search engines. In addition, making the entity visible in various map sites.

11. Blog marketing

This can include creation of blogs and linking campaign from various blogs.

12. Social Bookmarks

Get your site, blog, video, or photo submitted to various social media and bookmarking sites.

13. Wiki

Get your entity mentioned in various wiki sites accurately.

14. Social networking

This may include creation of brand profile, product page, and invite users to become followers.

There is a lot more that can be mentioned but I hope the above 14 will give you an idea already on the range of services that SEO and SEM can cover.

I am not an expert in blog design although I know enough to get by. Like many bloggers out there, I use what is available and make the best out of it. However, as time passed by, I realized that blog design is important. Some of the basics I look into when checking out a blog design are:

• Titles
  Yes, I still get to see blog designs that does not properly reflect blog titles and make it appear at the browser title bar. This is important as search engines pick-up the information when indexing pages.
• Focus
  A blog’s purpose, primarily, is to inform its readers by sharing one’s latest insight, news, and even reviews. I prefer blog designs that brings that straight to the point. I partly frown whenever I see blogs that shows ton of ads before the actual post, some are also screaming at the sidebar, as it distracts the reader from getting what they came for, which is to read your blog. I think this is also the reason why more prefer reading blogs through RSS (really simple syndication) as it spares them from the clutter normally found in blogs.
• Personality
  Now I’m considering of having my own customized blog design, I would like to have one that properly reflects what my blog is all about and the business I’m into.
• Open to plug-ins and widgets.
  I recall changing templates from time to time as the one I’m using can’t seem to work well with plug-ins and scale with widgets. I think a good blog design should have that flexibility or at least provide room for it.

If done right, a blog design can or has influence in communicating a blog’s authority to its readers, advertisers, and supporters. It shows how serious you are in the blogging business and even the kind of blogger you are. Yes, I’m still very much learning and the above ideas are just ramblings. I hope to get my blog in order soon.

This post is a contest entry of Blog Design Contest, hosted by Blog Design Studio and the winner will get a free custom wordpress theme. There are some amazing prizes by Daily Blog Tips and Blogging Tips as well. The contest is being judged by WordPress rockstar Jeff Chandler, David Peralty (who has the same birthday as this Busby SEO Test participant), and Alex Cristache whose blog is in the Technorati top 10k.

I found the following entries to this contest so far and I encourage you to read them too:

• 10 steps for a perfect blog redesign

These days many hotels have their own web page and if done correctly this can draw significant clients.

Indeed, while I do not specialise in the hotel industry as a web designer I know of two different hoteliers who have confided in me that their near-100% occupancy rates are driven almost entirely by their web page traffic.

It is not unusual for a hotel web page to account for 90+% of guests as the web takes over from the good old fashioned yellow pages as the place to look for accommodation.

The benefits of hotel web page design of course are clear.

Guests feel safer as they are unlikely to experience any nasty surprises having been to your web page and checked you out.

As well as often seeing pictures of the rooms, guests may well have been able to see pictures of the outside (making your hotel easier to identify) and location maps to help visitors find you quickly and efficiently.

Local amenities are another useful feature when it comes to hotel web page design – giving potential guests an idea of their closest transport links, noteworthy tourist destinations and places to eat.

You may choose to give comments from your guest book directly on your hotel web page as a third party endorsement of the quality stay guests can expect.

So a hotel web page design should aim to satisfy all the above while presenting a reliable and trustworthy impression. Your web page design and colors should create a welcoming feel to potential guests – much as your hotel does.

If you operate a new, light and airy style of hotel, then design a page to match that and you will attract similar guests.

If your hotel is older, richer and more cosy then again try to suggest this through your design.

The question of *who* should design your hotel web page is a further consideration.

It is of course possible these days to do a very good job yourself if you have the inclination. This has the added benefit of saving you considerable money and giving you total control over every element of the design.

On the other hand you may opt to have a professional web page design company put your site together which saves you time but will of course increase the cost of the project.

Either way, a hotel web page can prove a real asset to your business and I wish you every success with it.