Should Web Design and SEO Be Mutually Exclusive?

Why Do So Many Web Designers Neglect Technical SEO?

The web design community has been quick to embrace the benefits of having an awesome website, and we’ve seen a lot of innovation over the years with design software and techniques. But when it comes to the topic of SEO, the landscape has evolved so quickly over the last decade that many web design professionals are either unaware of the fundamentals or, worse, don’t care.

Web Design and SEO

In the past, SEO and design were two distinct disciplines that were largely mutually exclusive. While today the two go hand-in-hand. This isn’t to say web design is no longer necessary; far from it. As our world has expanded and digital media has become mainstream, companies have begun to see the need to create websites that are visually engaging and have functionality beyond simple navigation. There are many reasons why SEO and design are intertwined today. The most obvious reason is that web design is critical to the success of your website. As a matter of fact, web design and SEO are so closely related that you can’t have one without the other. So what does that mean? It means that when you create a website for your business, you should use design principles that are SEO-friendly. This includes things like using appropriate tags, keeping page load times as fast as possible, and optimizing images and video. There’s no arguing the fact that SEO is the most important factor for driving organic traffic. But as web designers begin to dabble in web development, they may find themselves neglecting many of the technical SEO aspects of the web. Technical SEO is a very important aspect of website design that often gets overlooked. It is the foundation upon which you build a site and helps determine the site’s overall ranking. The lack of attention to technical SEO can have a negative impact on the success of a website. I've reviewed a lot of websites and am always surprised when I do a basic site audit and find so many basic technical SEO elements not used correctly or missing entirely. To me this seems like a disservice to a client. How can you do good SEO without taking basic design into account? In an ideal world, a company’s website would be the best possible representation of its brand. In reality, this is rarely the case. In fact, most sites don’t even rank in the top 5 for anything. Let’s take a look at what technical SEO elements a web page needs to have in order to rank well in search results. In my opinion these should be mandatory and it's disappointing to see so many web design firms omit or ignore them altogether. The elements we think are important are based on our real-world research and testing - not on what someone wrote in an article somewhere. 1. Title Tag: Title tags are what you see when you click on a title in a browser. They are an important element of the link between the searcher and your web page. It is highly recommended that you use a keyword-phrase in the title tag. This helps to make your web page more relevant to potential visitors. 2. Meta Description: Each page needs a meta description that describes the content of the page with an optimal length between 70 and 320 characters. This should summarize the page and "sell the page". The meta description is what you see when you perform a search.   3. Header Tags: Header tags are used to structure a document and provide information to users about the document's structure. Each page should have only ONE H1 tag. Header tags should follow the correct heirarchy order (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6). Search engines will give more weight to web pages that have clearly defined headings, which help to improve search results. Headings also play a critical role when it comes to screen readers for someone who is visually impaired. 3. Keyword Consistency: Keyword/keyword-phrases should be distributed across important HTML tags like the Title, Description, Header tags, and page content. 4. HTML Structure: HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and is what creates a web page. HTML is also used to create forms, videos, and other documents. A web page's HTML should be clean, simple, and organized. It should follow best practices and be easy to read. 5. Alt Tags: Alt attributes are an often overlooked and simple way to signal to Search Engines what an image is about, and help it rank in image search results. Alt tags are used in place of images for web pages that cannot load any images. These tags are also used by screen readers. 6. Schema.org: Schema.org is a type of structured data markup that describes the content on your web page and is used by search engines to understand your content. 7. Content: Content is the information that you want to share on your web page. It could be text, audio, or video. Having good keyword-rich content helps reinforce your page authority to search engines. Ideally you want your content to have a mixture of text & images and contain around 1,000 words. 8. XML Sitemap: You may already be familiar with the concept of a sitemap. A sitemap is a list of pages on your site that outline the content and links within the website. When you make changes to your site, you can easily add these pages to the sitemap. The sitemap is crucial to a successful website. Google and other search engines use this information to determine what your website offers. 9. Linking: Internal linking of web pages is important and often overlooked. Not just using a menu - interlinking pages by the use of anchor tags can boost page rank. All of these technical SEO elements should be used correctly on every page of a website. Unfortunately in a lot of cases, that's not true. Here are some of the errors I see frequently: 1. Title tag too short or too long. 60 characters is optimum. 2. Title tag doesn't include the main keyword/keyword-phrase. 3. Meta description missing. 4. Meta description doesn't include keyword/keyword-phrases. 5. H1 tag missing. 6. Multiple H1 tags. 7. Keyword/keyword-phrase not included in header tags 8. Header tags out of order. 9. Header tags not used. 10. Alt tags not used. Good web design and SEO can live together in perfect harmony. It doesn’t matter how good your website looks if no one can find it. Search engines such as Google and Bing make decisions about where to rank websites based on various factors. Your website’s content and the structure of your website pages are often among the most important ones. However, a combination of both is best! It may seem redundant, but consider SEO as a part of the project, not an afterthought. Think about the keywords and phrases you want to rank for, how users will find your content, and what types of content they might want to find. A well-designed site that offers useful information, easy navigation, and an easy-to-read layout will make it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for and keep them on the site longer. A well-optimized website that ranks well for keywords in search results is sure to bring traffic and revenue to your business! We incorporate proven technical SEO elements during our website design phase on sites we develop at Team 218 Web Services. If you have questions about Web Design and SEO or anything covered in this post, send us a message and we'll be happy to help you out.

Original post here: Should Web Design and SEO Be Mutually Exclusive?

10 Great Technology Advancements

How Technology Advancements Have Changed Our Lives

Just look at how technology advancements have changed the way we communicate, how we live, and how we work. Technology has created massive changes in our culture and society. It has changed the way we live, and even the way we die. We have learned how to use it, and it has helped us live longer. It has created jobs, and it has destroyed jobs. The world of technology has changed, and so has the world of business. Technology is an integral part of every aspect of business. Some businesses rely on it heavily, while others barely notice it. This post gives a brief overview of how technology advancements have changed our lives.

Communication

From mobile phones to email to text messaging, the way people communicate has drastically changed. With this change, comes a massive shift in the way businesses operate. Just think about it, we used to spend hours on the phone calling a company and asking them to provide us with information. Not any longer! Nowadays, we can simply send an email or text message to find out if a company is willing to provide us with the information we need. This has completely changed the way businesses operate. Today we can order just about anything online (including a car) and have it on your doorstep the following day. People order groceries online. Then a store employee does the shopping for you, sends you a text when your order is ready and brings your order out to your car when you arrive. Covid ramped up the curbside delivery model and caused retailers to scramble to implement this new way of selling their goods. Almost unheard of a few short years ago, it's now commonplace to see curbside pickup areas at stores everywhere.

Adapt or be Left Behind

So what can we take away from this? Well, in today’s world, it is absolutely imperative that businesses adapt and adjust to the ever-changing world of technology. When it comes to communication, technology has made it easier than ever to reach out to someone and inquire about a product or service. This allows businesses to respond quicker, and it keeps customers satisfied with the quality of service that they receive. Even if we don't have a smart phone, we can still find ourselves on the Internet thanks to an incredible network of Wi-Fi hotspots. It's not that long ago that we relied on landlines, faxes, and snail mail for the bulk of our communication needs. Now, we're always connected and online at the same time.

The Internet

Technology has affected all areas of our lives, but none as profoundly as the Internet. We have an incredible amount of access to information at our fingertips thanks to the Internet. With technology advancing every day, we have so much information at our disposal that we have to take a deep breath and slow down sometimes. There is hardly an aspect of our life where we are not impacted by technological developments. The technological advancements in society have occurred throughout health, communication, work and entertainment, and the changes brought about by technology are significant. While many people are concerned with the advances made by technology, there are those who embrace them and find great benefit in the many ways in which technology helps us. There is also a part of the population who are confused and stifled by technology.

Medical Technology Advancements

Civil War battlefield physicians routinely sawed off injured limbs. Today we marvel at artificial legs and arms and even wearable robotic hands. And a few years from now, we may be looking back at surgical robots as a primitive form of technology. Technology is changing health care at an unprecedented rate, and it’s a fact of life we can’t avoid. The field of healthcare technology has grown to encompass anything from wearable devices that track vital signs to automated decision-support systems that interpret MRIs. As healthcare providers try to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, this trend is only going to accelerate. 100 years of medical advancements have changed the world of health care in countless ways. From the creation of an entirely new field of medicine, to the rise of artificial intelligence, technology has revolutionized the way patients receive treatment. The use of technology in healthcare has evolved over time. As a profession, medicine has been around for thousands of years, but advances in the early 20th century brought about the rise of modern medicine. With the advent of the internet and the mobile phone, modern technology has drastically improved patient care by allowing doctors and other health care professionals to provide remote care to patients anywhere in the world. Technology advancements have changed our lives in many ways and for the better. It has helped improve the way we live our lives in many ways. There are many people who believe that we will soon be living in a digital world, where everything we need will be available through the Internet. This isn’t just a fantasy, as the Internet is becoming a more important part of everyday life for many people. It’s easy to forget the impact that technology has had on people and society since it became a part of everyone’s lives.

Instantaneous Information

Not only have technology advancements changed the way we communicate with each other, but it has given us an abundance of information at our fingertips. We no longer have to go through countless papers and books to find the information we are looking for.

Just Google It!

Now, we can access information right from our devices. As a result of this, we’re able to get more done with less effort. Have a question? Need to know something? Easy - just Google it! That has become a common phrase around our house. It’s also impacted the way we market ourselves and how we sell our products. In today’s market, it’s easier than ever before to reach a lot of people with the right message. The challenge is that most people don’t want to hear what you have to say, which is why you need to show them first. Technology advancements have made the buying process easier and more accessible, yet it hasn’t eliminated the sales process itself. In fact, sales processes continue to evolve with the advances in technology. This means that businesses must continue to invest in the sales process to keep up with the times.

Our Top Ten Picks

Here are our picks for the Top 10 technology advancements in the last 100 years.

These technology advancement examples have most likely touched your life.

1. The Radio: The first invention that came along after the printing press. It took about 25 years to get the radio to the point where you could hear it without earphones.
2. Television: The television is considered the first true mass medium. It allowed people to sit at home and watch something at the same time.
3. The Telephone: The telephone was the first time people could speak to someone else who was far away. The telephone revolutionized society and business.
4. The Computer: When the first computers were invented in the 1940s, they were very large, expensive, and only useful for big businesses and universities. By the 1970s, they became smaller, cheaper, and more useful.
5. The Internet: In the mid-1990s, the Internet became the world's biggest computer. Before that, it was just used by scientists. It changed the way we live, communicate, and interact.
6. The Personal Computer: The first personal computer (PC) was invented in 1951. The early PCs were big and bulky, but they quickly got smaller and more powerful.
7. The Mobile Phone: The mobile phone, which is smaller than a credit card, is now so widespread that almost everyone has one. The mobile phone has made communication between people easier and more accessible.
8. The GPS: A few decades ago, the GPS system was used by pilots and sailors. Now, anyone can use it to find their way around. This is a huge benefit for car and motorcycle riders, hikers, and bicyclists.
9. The Electric Toothbrush: The electric toothbrush was introduced in 1881. This invention led to the dental revolution. The first electric toothbrushes were made from copper and were incredibly expensive. They could only be used once or twice a week and were hard to use. Today, electric toothbrushes are the most popular and affordable oral hygiene device.
10. The Mobile App: Apps have been a huge benefit to consumers because they can be used on a wide variety of devices. People can download apps from the App Store on their phones, tablets, and even on the internet. Apps are an easy way to stay connected with people you care about.

Do you agree with our picks? What other advances in tech would you include? We'd like to know your thoughts. Let us know in the comments.  

Original post here: 10 Great Technology Advancements

We Refreshed The WebRidez Website

We just finished a little remodeling on one of our side project, WebRidez. We gave the site a facelift and made some nice improvements. For instance, you no longer need to register to post your events on WebRidez. You can also post your Car Club to help generate more exposure for your club and drive traffic to your club website. We have improved the ability to browse events and search for events by type of event, by state, or by the name of the car show or club. The overall user experience is improved and the whole process is faster and easier. When you post an event to WebRidez, it remains active and published until 1 day after the event. On the day after the event we don't delete or remove your event - we just un-publish it. That way we can resurrect it for the next year if you like. We're still working out some of the details on the republishing process but that's the goal. We invite you to hop over to WebRidez and check out all the new stuff. Here's the link: https://WebRidez.com  

Original post here: We Refreshed The WebRidez Website

Why Should I Use Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing - Not Your Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing is based on one simple principle: You have to tell your audience what you want them to do. In other words, you have to "sell" them on something. Content marketing is different. Content marketing is about creating valuable content that your audience wants to read and share. Today's online marketing has changed the way businesses work. It's no longer enough to simply advertise and wait for people to find you. You need to be present and engaged in your audience. The good news is that internet marketing is easy to do and can be done in a way that allows you to focus on what you're passionate about. If you want to learn more about online marketing, I'm here to help you! Consumers want to be engaged with brands and businesses in a meaningful way. If you're not providing your audience with valuable information, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. By creating content that is helpful and entertaining, you're giving your audience something to talk about. Marketing has been around for thousands of years, and the goal of most businesses is to grow sales and profits. However, the way we do business today is very different from how it was in the past. Traditional marketing focuses on sales and growth, but what if you want to focus on creating quality content? This is where digital marketing comes into play. In the past, it was common for companies to have a catalog you would order from, or they would send you a brochure with information on their products. The internet has changed everything, and companies are finding that the internet is a great way to reach potential customers. The internet has also become a valuable tool for companies to help them find out what products their customers want. There's never been a better time to be a consumer. With the Internet, we're able to search for products and services to fit our needs. And thanks to social media, we're able to find out what others are saying about a particular product or service, and how they are feeling about it. This information is invaluable when making a decision. Digital marketing is all about creating, executing and measuring the most effective marketing strategies using technology. It includes everything from developing and executing digital marketing plans, to using digital technology to create and deliver content, to measuring the performance of digital campaigns. There are many definitions for internet marketing, but here's the one I like best: "Internet marketing is the process of using the web to promote products or services." Content marketing differs from traditional advertising in that it focuses on creating content that is valuable to consumers, and then promoting that content on the web.

Content - Give Them What They Need

If you're not delivering content, you're not selling anything. This is why it's so important to know your audience and provide them with the content they want and need. If you're just throwing up random content and hoping that people find it, you'll never see a return on your efforts. Think about your audience and what they're interested in. Provide them with the content they want and need, and you'll be successful. How should you deliver that digital content? Here are some suggestions for your digital marketing efforts:

1. Upload the digital content to a website. (get one here)
2. Email the digital content to a list of recipients.
3. Post the digital content on a social media page.
4. Send the digital content as an attachment in an email.
5. Create a video and post it on YouTube.
6. Maximize your GMB profile. (learn more here)
7. BONUS MARKETING TIP - Create a free account on Patch.com. Then create free classified ad. Include a photo and your brand information (website, name, address & phone number).

Creating high quality, targeted content is a great way to ensure that your audience finds value in your information and associates that value with your brand. By providing valuable content that is relevant to your audience, you can create a strong relationship with them and ensure that they continue to return to your site. It's clear that consumers want and need content. Brands are listening, and responding. This means that brand content should be a priority for marketers. But it's not just about writing content, it's about creating an experience with information that resonates with your visitors and leads to sales.

Paid SEM

Up to this point we have focused on organic SEO tactics. There is another side of marketing and that is Paid SEM. Paid SEM is a form of paid advertising that uses search engine marketing (SEM) to promote a business or product. Paid SEM can take many forms, including paid search, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and display advertising. This form of marketing more closely resembles traditional marketing methods than organic SEO. Paid SEM has a place in marketing and is useful in supplementing organic SEO efforts.

Opportunities For Marketing Your Business

The internet is growing and evolving at breakneck speed. If your brand isn't taking advantage of the opportunities to present your information and utilize available online marketing services you really need to get on board. If you have questions or need help please get in touch with Team 218.  

Original post here: Why Should I Use Internet Marketing

Technical SEO – What Web Designers Leave Out

What Web Designers Leave Out

Website Audits

One of the services I offer is website audits. A website audit looks at several key areas of a site and grades the website. I review on-page SEO optimization, off-page backlinks, social, performance, security and more. A higher grade results in a better experience for your users and improved ranking and visibility by search engines. Something that I see all too much is a website that has a good appearance but is lacking in the important technical SEO optimizations that are critical in ranking a website. Google has made a lot of changes to their algorithm in recent years that have made it more difficult for websites to rank well. Not utilizing on-page aspects of SEO optimization is like leaving money on the table. SEO is an essential part of a website's success, and neglecting it can lead to decreased traffic and lower rankings. A web designer who is not familiar with SEO can create a website that is difficult to find and rank, and may even result in a loss of business. The website might look great and be easy to use but without solid technical SEO it will never be as good as it could be if the SEO was correct.  If your website doesn't have strong technical SEO, it will likely not rank as well in search engines as it could. This could lead to a loss of business and customers. So why do web design firms leave out or ignore important SEO components? Is it because they only focus on the design of the website? Maybe they just don't understand SEO. Whatever the case, you should be looking for a different web design company.

What Is Technical SEO?

In this post, we'll discuss what technical SEO is and why it's important for your website. We'll also show you how to make sure your site is optimized for search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web page in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal is for a website or web page to appear at the top of results for specific keywords or phrases. Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website for the search engine. This includes all the things that you can do to improve your website's search engine optimization. It includes things such as the title tag, the meta description, the keyword tags, and other things. Let's examine the pieces of technical SEO and how to implement them.

Title Tag

The title tag is the most important piece of technical SEO. It is the first thing that a user sees when they click on a link from another website. The title tag should be short and concise, but it should contain keyword phrases that are relevant to the page. There is almost an art to creating a great title tag. You need to explain what your page is about in 60 characters.

Meta Description

The meta description is the second piece of technical SEO. It is the description of the page that appears below the title tag. The meta description is what the search engine displays in its results page when someone searches for your page. You can use it to attract more clicks to your page.

Image Alt Tag

The image alt tag is used to describe the images that appear on your page. It helps the search engine to know what your page is about without having to see the image. In the event your image is not able to be displayed for any reason, the Alt text will be shown.

Page Hierarchy

Every page on your website should have an <h1> heading tag - and there should only be one. All too often I see multiple <h1> heading tags or no <h1> heading tag at all. That's a sure sign of poor technical SEO. When using more than one heading on a page it is important to use the correct hierarchy. Using the incorrect hierarchy level can affect SEO and could make using assistive technology, such as a screen reader, very cumbersome. Be sure to never skip heading levels. For example, the heading after an <h2> should never be an <h4>, <h5>, or <h6>. Follow the correct order.

Site Structure / Sitemap

How your website is structured is important. It's also important to make sure the search engines know the structure. That's where your sitemap comes in. A sitemap is a file that tells the search engines about all of your web pages. You should create a sitemap and upload it to your website. This will help your site to appear in the search engine results.

Linking

Inter linking is important for ease of navigation but it also plays a role in telling search engines how the content of your web pages should connect to each other.

Schema Code

Schema markup (schema.org) is a structured data vocabulary that helps search engines understand the info on your site in order to serve rich results. This markup will help search engines understand your content better by showing them the meaning and relationships behind your website's various content entities. Schema markup has become a hot topic for SEO because it lets you provide more details about your products and services.

Performance

How fast your web page loads and displays is an important metric when it comes to SEO. There are several websites you can use to test your site's performance. GTMetrix and WebPageTest are a couple I like.

Core Web Vitals

Core web vitals are a combination of several metrics designed to measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page. In this update, Google wants to ensure that only sites that provide simple and seamless experience show up on the top of search engine result pages (SERPs) for specific search terms or keywords. Core web vitals are a subset of Google’s overall evaluation of Page Experience, a longstanding ranking signal. The metrics that define Core Web Vitals will change over time along with changes in a user’s expectation of web pages. The current set of metrics focus on three important aspects of the user experience, including load speed, interactivity and visual stability. I wrote an article about Google's Core Web Vitals where you can learn more.

Conclusion

Technical SEO is not an option. You need every advantage to be competitive in the online world and your website will never achieve its' full potential without solid on-page SEO. If you would like a free website audit you can get one on our Free Website Audit page. Wait…FREE? Yes, it’s really free. No strings attached or obligation on your part. Just an honest review of your website. I’ll look at 3 areas of your website: SEO, Performance &  Security, and User Experience.. You will receive a detailed report clearly explaining the results in PDF format and a few ideas on what you might do to improve.

Original post here: Technical SEO – What Web Designers Leave Out

Destination Iowa Funding

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What Is Destination Iowa?

Iowa is serious about attracting visitors and pulling in new residents. How serious you ask? $100 million serious! The Destination Iowa fund provides $100 million in grants to counties, cities and non-profits located in the state of Iowa.

Destination Iowa consists of four separate funds.

1. Economically Significant Development
2. Outdoor Recreation
3. Tourism Attraction
4. Creative Placemaking

The federal American Rescue Plan Act is funding Destination Iowa grants. Applications will be accepted beginning on May 9, 2022. On Friday, April 15, at 10 a.m. there will be a webinar to explain the program. Link To Webinar

The contacts for Destination Iowa are:

 

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Alaina Santizo

515.348.6162

Email Alaina

 

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Maicie Pohlman

515.348.6161

Email Maicie

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If you are a nonprofit organization, make sure to review the links in this post to see if you might be able to benefit from a Destination Iowa grant.

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Original post here: Destination Iowa Funding

Custom T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatpants, Flyers, Posters & More

If you're in need of any type of custom printing you need to talk to Brian at BCMK Design in Corydon, Iowa. Their competitive pricing can't be beat and their virtual viewing process lets you see your products being made! Great quality products. Check them out at https://bmckdesign.com

Original post here: Custom T-Shirts, Hoodies, Sweatpants, Flyers, Posters & More