SEO (search engine optimization) Seminar in Austin, Texas

SEO (search engine optimization) Seminar in Austin, Texas

I constantly have people asking me about SEO (search engine optimization) so I'm going to put on a 2 hour live seminar on December 8 in Austin.

LEARN MORE

Divorce attorney in Austin, Texas

David Kazen is a divorce attorney in Austin, Texas who is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

sixteen 10 - Real Estate, Homes and Investments in Austin, Texas

New site launch:

sixteen 10 - Real Estate, Homes and Investments in Austin, Texas


Sixteen 10 Real Estate Brokerage and Investments is a full service real estate company located in Austin, Texas. Whether you are buying or selling a home, looking for investment opportunities or for commercial property, we can guide you each step of the way.

License plate search

Perform a Texas license plate search

NOTE: this entry may look like a duplicate of an earlier entry.  Actually it's a little different, in that the search phrase I'm trying to promote is "license plate search", and the URL I'm trying to drive traffic to is http://www.texaslicenseplatesearch.net/.


Do you want to find out who owns a vehicle by doing a Texas license plate search?

Click here to do a Texas license plate search.

Site Maps and SEO

Site Maps and SEO



I used to place a great emphasis on including a site map (some search engines call it a sitemap) with every website I built.

No longer.

After a long time of tracking the many bots that visit my website (and my client's websites), I have come to the conclusion that Google no longer places great value on self-contained site maps.

definition: a self-contained sitemap resides within your website and/or your web server.

In the good old days (before they went public) Google would take a look at your website and make a beeline for your sitemap in order to cut through the time factor of reading all of your pages and following all of your internal and external hyperlinks.

Now, thanks to their IPO, their worldwide database farms have progressed to the point where they can dispense with shortcuts and go straight to the meat of the issue - following every hyperlink on every website in the world!

I DO think that Google likes a Google sitemap and will archive your site as more relevant if you have one - read more about this at http://www.google.com/webmasters/. (Google will make you register/login to see their "secrets").

It is not difficult to install a Google sitemap - just follow their instructions.

Contact me if you need help.

That being said, I still maintain a site map on my own website.

Why?
Because it's a place to include hyperlinks to places that don't necessarily need to be in the public view.

and...
What if I'm wrong?

What if Google really likes an internal sitemap?

I doubt it, but...
Everything you're reading here is just my very humble opinion!

I do know a little something about SEO in Austin, Tx!

Here's some examples of sitemap items on my website -

These tidbits have no hyperlinks within my site - you can only find them on my site map and from external links.

I get a ton of hits on:

Slingblade Sounds
Email Scrambler
Look up a Texas license plate number
Barney Fife
My Kraut Mick Friend

Anyway - there is no harm in having a site map on your website.

The downside is that if you include your site map in your footer (or anywhere else on your web site) you will constantly need to modify it to keep up with changes on the main pages or your website - unless it's database driven...

and that defeats the entire purpose of the entire SEO exercise!!!

Have I completely confused you? Lo siento!

Look up a Texas license plate number

Look up a Texas license plate number

Did you ever want to find out who owns a vehicle by looking up it's license plate number?

Unless there is some compelling reason, like a criminal act, the Texas Department of Transportation will deny your request. After a lot of internet research and phone calls to TxDOT, I found a way to get them to play ball.

You can certainly do the research and legwork to obtain the info yourself, but if you'd like to avoid the hassle, I charge $8 to look up a Texas license plate number for you. It takes about 2 weeks to get the report back from TxDOT and I'll email it to you as soon as it's ready.

Just enter the Texas license plate number and your email below, pay the $8 through PayPal, and I'll go to work!

Click here to look up a Texas license plate number!

Water level logger, water quality equipment and professional weather stations.

NEW SITE LAUNCH:

Water level logger, water quality equipment and professional weather stations.

Remote Data, Inc. designs and builds custom remote monitoring systems for people who want to get real-time environmental data from distant locations.

Stop water from running down your arms when you wash you face!

NEW SITE LAUNCH:


Stop water from running down your arms when you wash you face!

ON THE CUFF™, the perfect solution to stop water from running down your arms. Made of a unique stretch material, ON THE CUFF™ is easy to use and comfortable to wear. The "one size fits all" design is perfect for both women and men.

Real estate appraisers and expert witness in Austin, Texas

Real estate appraisers and expert witness in Austin, Texas

Paul Hornsby & Company specializes in eminent domain, ad valorem tax and general commercial valuation. The firm also provides counseling services. Typical assignments include right of way and easement projects, appraisals for property owners and appraisal districts, and litigation support. Transaction due diligence is also performed.

Keep Austin Weird alternative: Kill Austin's Weird

Keep Austin Weird alternative: Kill Austin's Weird

an odd website i just stumbed across.

Fundraising, Development and Special Events Plans

New site launch: Fundraising, Development and Special Events Plans

Your FundraisingExperts.Com is a comprehensive online fundraising resource for nonprofit organizations, providing easily applicable tools and expert advice to help nonprofit organizations accomplish their fundraising goals.

List of email addresses

I recently came across an interesting blog where someone is listing the contact info of spammers in hopes that other spammers will pick them up, thus creating a perpetual motion spamming machine whose only victims are spammers. I send my kudos and happily include the following link:

Email Addresses

Business news writer and editor in Austin, Texas

Business news writer and editor in Austin, Texas

Quite simply, Laura Mohammad brings to you professionally produced, thought-provokingwords. Laura offers copy and editing skills that make your business shimmer,accommodating the trade publication, advertising needs and business facets ofall things to do with the English language.

Occupational health and safety in Austin, Texas

Occupational health and safety in Austin, Texas

GeoMed is a health and safety company based in Austin, Texas, providing customized occupational health solutions for the worksite. While insurance costs continue to skyrocket at greater than 20% per year, our goal is to decrease your costs associated with occupational injuries, while improving the health and well being of your employees.

Business Management Consulting

new site launch:

Business Management Consulting

Silversmith Business Services is an Austin based management consulting company specializing in improving your associate and customer satisfaction through direct personal interface to dramatically improve your revenue and profitability.

Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, Groundwater Economics & Planning in Austin, Texas

New site launch:

Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, Groundwater Economics & Planning in Austin, Texas

Southwest Groundwater Consulting, LLC offers a range of specialized services in hydrogeology, groundwater geochemistry, groundwater economics, water marketing, and the valuation of water rights.

Business valuation, intangible asset valuation, appraisal and consultants in Austin, Texas

New site launch: dh Business Advisors

Business valuation, intangible asset valuation, appraisal and consultants in Austin, Texas

dh Business Advisors specializes in business, machinery & equipment and real estate valuation.Typical engagements include financial reporting, dispute resolution, tax valuation, intangible asset analysis, fairness and solvency opinions, transaction due diligence and litigation support.

Horsehair Hat Bands, Western Accessories & Jewelry

New site launch: Austin Accent, Inc.

Horsehair Hat Bands, Western Accessories & Jewelry

Austin Accent, Inc. is a USA based wholesale, western accessory company that specializes in horsehair, leather & metal products. From hat bands to jewelry, belts to buckles, bolos to boot tips, tassels to conchos, keychains to arena tag holders, we strive to make your customer look great when steppin' out!

Forklift Safety Training

Forklift Safety Training

Irwin Training Solutions provides an interactive and OSHA compliant forklift safety course. Our instruction is available through live, in person training, through Webinars, and on CD ROM with do-it-yourself materials.

Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Herbs in Westlake Hills (Austin) Tx, 78746

Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Herbs in Westlake Hills (Austin) Tx, 78746

Source Wellness Center provides Traditional Chinese Medicine services in a serene and peaceful environment in Westlake Hills. We treat the whole person through the comprehensive use of acupuncture, massage, Chinese herbs, nutritional guidance and TaiChi/QiGong/meditation.

Homes and Real Estate for sale in Horseshoe Bay Texas

Homes and Real Estate for sale in Horseshoe Bay Texas

Patty Gillean knows Horseshoe Bay real estate. Whether you're looking for a home on the golf course, a view of Lake LBJ, or a condo as a second residence, Patty can help.

Texas Hill Country Land For Sale

Texas Hill Country Land For Sale

Mustang Valley is a new acreage ranch community offering Ag Exempt land with a true Texas Hill Country experience. Mustang Valley is located in the Blanco River Valley, 4 miles west of Wimberley, Texas and 30 minutes southwest of Austin. This beautiful property features stunning views, tranquil lakes, waterfront tracts, and gorgeous oaks in a serene wooded setting.

We are fully operational and ready to show you this exceptional Hill Country property. We look forward to visiting with you!

For a tour of Mustang Valley or for more information, please contact:

Mike Shutt
512-965-7298
5373 FM 2325
Wimberley, Texas 78676

mikeshutt@mustangvalleytexas.com

Visit the Mustang Valley Texas Hill Country Land For Sale BLOG.

This a proposed development subject to final plat approval by Hays County.

SEO vs. PPC

Do you need to generate traffic to your website in a hurry? If so, you may want to consider a PPC (pay per click) campaign, specifically Google AdWords.

While organic listings through SEO (search engine optimization) are ideal, it's probably unrealistic to think that you can achieve Google page one results in a short period of time.

There are a lot of factors to consider before setting up an AdWords campaign including

• competetiveness of search phrases
• geographic area(s) of your campaign
• average price point of your goods or services

I like to use the analogy of a car. Let's say you have a 1966 Mustang in your garage that you plan on restoring. The problem is that you need something to drive while you're doing the restoration, so you buy a Ford Focus to get from point A to point B.

The Mustang is SEO and the Focus is PPC.

I've managed a lot of PPC campaigns, both for myself and for former employers. It's not unusual to see ROI (return on investment) of over 500%.

Read more about SEO.

Read more about Google AdWords.

Recycling Pick Up and Services in Austin, Texas

Recycling Pick Up and Services in Austin, Texas

New site launch:

Trusty Pickup Recycling Service, an Austin, Texas owned company, handles the recycling needs for businesses that don't have city recycling service.

Just save up enough material to make a trip worthwhile. Trusty Pickup will come to your business when it's convenient for you, collect your material, and discuss the best way to keep up with your recycling program. It's very easy and worry free.

Custom Stonework - Stone Masons and Masonry Experts in Austin, Texas

Custom Stonework - Stone Masons and Masonry Experts in Austin, Texas

new site launch:

Established in 1982, Custom Stonework provides top quality masonry. Custom Stonework specializes in all types of stone work, brick work, concrete block and stucco. Services include:

Fireplaces (indoor and outdoor) in Austin, Texas
Masonry Homes in Austin, Texas
Patios in Austin, Texas
Stone Entryways in Austin, Texas
Retaining Walls in Austin, Texas
Pool Decks in Austin, Texas

Founder Scott Bonniwell has over 28 years of stonework experience and is committed to quality. Scott says "We promise to listen to you, the customer. Through one-on-one visits, we will work together to assure that what you want is what you get!".

Custom Stonework excels at matching existing work, and offers stone from all over the country.

512-461-0683

Educational Consultants and College Planning in Austin and Dallas, Texas

New site launch: Academic Answers provides comprehensive educational consulting services for students and parents. We support families in college planning, finding day or boarding schools, identifying therapeutic programs, crisis interventions and offer services for academic success, such as assessments, tutoring and test preparation.

UT Sorority ALPHA DELTA PI at the University of Texas at Austin

New site launch: Texas ADPi

The Delta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority is one of fourteen Panhellenic sororities at the University of Texas at Austin. Our chapter was founded in 1906 and is based on the principles of service, scholarship, and sisterhood.

Active vs. Passive SEO

As a web designer in Austin, Texas, whenever I build or redesign a website, I incorporate a lot of passive SEO. Passive SEO consists of hardwired code and content that will help a site achieve higher search results on key search phrases. Passive search engine optimiztion techiniques include things like:

• page titleing strategy
• meta tag use
• SEO page copy
• image alternative text tagging
• hyperlink enhancement
• site map construction

Once the site is built and launched, it's time to begin ACTIVE SEO, which includes blogging, article placement, and backlink strategies. I send every new client a document that outlines some key active SEO steps that they can perform themselves. Only a handful of my clients ever follow my suggestions, but those that do usually get results.

Here's the document if you'd like to read it:

Austex Website Active SEO (search engine optimization) Suggestions

Love and Lemon Pie - Recipes and Cookbook by Peggy Grose

New website launch:

Love and Lemon Pie - Recipes and Cookbook by Peggy Grose

Peggy Grose has authored this unique recipe and cookbook that presents two ways in which we can show love - food and the loving words with which we serve it up.

SEO Questions

I get so many questions about SEO (search engine optimization) that I've decided to expand a column I write for Austin Articles. It's called "Ask the SEO Master" and it's hosted by my nom de plume, Huan Hung Lo.

Master Huan Hung Lo

Office Movers, Computer Movers, and Furniture Installation in Austin, Texas

New site launch: Cserv

Office Movers, Computer Movers, and Furniture Installation in Austin, Texas

C Serv Commercial Services offers office and warehouse moving, PC (computer) and server moves, furniture installation and Logistics to businesses in Central Texas. In addition to commercial moving and logistics, Austin's office movers also offer complete modular cubicle panel and chair upholstery steam cleaning services to companies during or distinct from a facility relocation.

Richard Archer - CPPI Discipline Investment Management in Austin Texas

New site launch:

Richard Archer - CPPI Discipline Investment Management in Austin Texas

Archer Investment Management provides conservative portfolio management for individuals and nonprofit organizations by following a modified version of the CPPI discipline, a discipline that engages the market on the way up and 'taps on the brakes' by raising cash to create a protective floor on the portfolio as the market falls.

Greek Restaurant and Greek Food in Austin, Texas

New website launch: El Greco Greek Restaurant

Greek Restaurant and Greek Food in Austin, Texas

El Greco, or "The Greek", is a fresh, new Greek Restaurant located on 31st & Guadalupe, North of the U.T. campus in Austin, Texas. Using generations of family recipes, Chef Jake Konstantinidis delivers truly authentic Greek cuisine that appeals to diverse palates.

Open for lunch and dinner, El Greco offers traditional appetisers, entrees, and desserts including vegetarian and vegan fare as well as Greek beers and wines to complete the Mediterranean cuisine. Delivery and catering are available in most of the Austin metro and surrounding area.

Commercial Photography and Freelance Photographer in Austin, San Antonio, and Central Texas

New website launch: Commercial Photography and Freelance Photographer in Austin, San Antonio, and Central Texas.

Jean Jenschke has over 20 years experience as a professional freelance commercial photographer. Jenschke Photography specializes in product, architectural, medical, industrial and location photography for catalog, brochure, annual report and web use in the Hill Country, Austin and San Antonio areas.

GSA Schedules Consultants and Attorneys in Austin, Texas

New website launch: Weitz Morgan

GSA Schedules Consultants and Attorneys in Austin, Texas

Weitz Morgan is an Austin, Texas based law firm representing clients in GSA Schedules contracting, insurance matters, international business transactions, and civil litigation.

Steakhouse and Grill with Steaks, Game and Seafood in Austin, Texas

New website launch - Mesa Ranch - Steakhouse and Grill with Steaks, Game and Seafood in Austin, Texas.

Gus McCrae, Woodrow Call and Web Design in Austin, Texas

Two new additions to my Hollywood Friends:

Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call of Lonesome Dove fame.

http://www.gusmccrae.com/
http://www.augustusmccrae.com/
http://www.woodrowcall.com/
http://www.woodrowfcall.com/

Out Googleing Google!

I have a working example of Google's AdWords pay-per-click (PPC) program on my website. Recently I've noticed quite a few new visits to my website about web design in Austin, Texas, and a lot of them were coming from searches done on the phrase "adwords example". When I tested this search phrase on Google, my website page came up as the NUMBER ONE ORGANIC SEARCH RESULT - ahead of Google's own result!

Now this could change at any moment, but for today I've out-Googled Google!

What do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have to do with Web Design in Austin, Texas?

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton don't have a damn thing to do with Web Design in Austin, Texas but it's been a while since I've posted anything to my blog and I really didn't have anything website related. Google really likes to see updated content so this is my lame attempt to weave today's headlines into my SEO tapestry.

Bibliotecas Mexicanas – Recursos de Información

Just published my first Spanish language website!

El presente “Directorio de Consultores, Recursos y Sitios de Internet Relacionados con Bibliotecas Mexicanas” constituye un recurso continuamente actualizado y una guía bilingüe con notas que contiene información sobre una amplia gama de recursos relevantes a:

la bibliotecología actual en México y la Frontera México-Estadounidense.

Un recurso electrónico en formato .doc (MS Word, 19Mb), con enlaces que han sido seleccionados, evaluados y categorizados por bibliotecólogos. Incluyen anotaciones o notas. Es posible realizar búsquedas temáticas por encabezamientos de materia (LCSH). Es un directorio analítico que facilitará la localización de personas o recursos de información en el área de la Biblioteconomía, la Archivística y la Documentación y otras áreas relacionadas.

Texas Wall Street Women - TXWSW

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH:

Texas Wall Street Women (TXWSW) is an exclusive peer network of professional women who are committed to making a difference in their community and to developing and growing professionally. They achieve these goals through philanthropic endeavors, educational forums, and networking events.

TXWSW is comprised of women in Texas in the investment management business including hedge funds, private equity firms, mutual funds, investment banks, and other money-management firms.

Membership is free and open to women in the institutional investment industry.

360 Degree Panoramic Photographs and Views in Austin, Texas

Austin Panoramic creates 360 Degree Panoramic Photographs that are ideal for depicting Austin, Texas views on an Internet website.

Austin Panoramic is a new venture of mine. I was fooling around with my camera over the holidays and decided to try some panoramic photography. Long story short - I got hooked and decided to offer it as a website service. My first two panoramic photos are of the Pennybacker Bridge and Neely's
Canyon - both in Austin, Texas.

If you have a view that you would like to display on a website, please contact me for a quote. I am just getting started and would welcome your comments and questions!

Incredible Performance by Low-Demand Keywords

I launched a new website last week for Reverse Austin (see 2 posts down). As always, when designing the site I incorporate solid SEO (search engine optimization) principles. Additionally, when the site launches, I include a link to the site on the web design clients page of my website, and a short post on this blog.

Because Google crawls this blog daily, sometimes I see some pretty quick results for my clients' keywords. The fastest results come from keywords that are not in high demand. For example, "real estate" is going to be much more difficult to get results on than "Digital Shape Sampling and Processing". Below is a list of my client's keyword phrases that result in Google page one listings less than one week after launch:

3D Laser Scanners Central Texas
Digital Shape Sampling and Processing
Digital Shape Sampling and Processing Austin
Digital Shape Sampling and Processing Central Texas
DSSP Austin
DSSP Central Texas
Rapid Prototyping Central Texas
Reverse Austin
reverse engineering Central Texas

Diamond Jewelry, Engagement Rings, Rolex Watches, Diamond and Sapphire Rings in Austin, Texas

New website launch: Ashbrook's fine jewelers in Austin, Texas featuring diamond jewelry, engagement rings, rolex watches, diamond rings and sapphire rings.

Digital Shape Sampling and Processing (DSSP) and Rapid Prototyping in Austin, Texas

New website launch - ReverseAustin.com.

Reverse Austin uses portable high resolution 3D laser scanners to leverage your legacy data. We specialize in Digital Shape Sampling and Processing (DSSP), reverse engineering and rapid prototyping.

Wedding DJ (Disc Jockey) in Austin, Texas

Just launched a new website. It's not complete yet but there's enough to get started. Apex Productions is owned by Jason Freeland, a Professional Mobile DJ (Disc Jockey) in Austin, Texas with over 15 years of entertainment and planning experience with wedding receptions, corporate functions, holiday parties, school dances, or any other special events.

Red-Headed Step Children and Austin, Texas Web Page Design

I spend so much of my SEO time on Google that I sometimes forget about the other 2 players, MSN Search and Yahoo. My philosophy has long been that any successful search engine optimization results on Google will by default produce like results on its lesser step-siblings.

I track all search engine traffic to my website and easily 99% of it originates with Google, but occasionally I get the odd hit from a non-Google search engine. Most of these are not really noteworthy, but one that caught my eye the other day was an MSN Search hit from the phrase "austin texas web page design". When I checked it's ranking on MSN it appeared as the number one listing. I checked it again about 10 days later and it's still there.

I have no plans to change my SEO tactics but it's always nice to have a number one result anywhere you can get it.

Door Hangers, Printable Raffle Tickets and Security Paper

I just finished doing some SEO work for a new client, Zapco. Zapco is a manufacturer of high quality die-cut paper products. Zapco specializes in Door Hangers, Printable Raffle Tickets, Security Paper, Mailers, Post Cards, Rotary File Cards, Table Tents, Tags, Business Cards, Club Cards, Name Cards, Buttons, Easels and other die-cut products. Zapco's blog is located at doorhanger.blogspot.com.

SimpleViewer - Website SlideShow

I was doing a little research for a client the other day when I stumbled across Airtight Interactive's SimpleViewer slideshow application (airtightinteractive.com/simpleviewer/). I downloaded the free version and found it to be a first rate slideshow viewer. My client loved it and its already been installed on their website.

I highly recommend SimpleViewer. If you know some basic HTML you should have no problem deciphering the XML gallery page where your picture list is loaded. There are demos at the SimpleViewer site and I just put one on my website for clients to see:

View SimpleViewer slideshow demo

Google search results and secondary web page listings.

I just received an interesting question from my other website, AustinArticles.com (need backlinks to your website in Austin?).

Here's the question:

When I type "Gina Henry" in Google, our website is the top hit, but the linked page is a secondary page and not the main page I want visitors to first go to? What do I do?

This is actually a pretty common occurence - you can read my answer at "ask the webmaster".

Online Articles and Information from Austin, Texas Businesses

As a web designer part of my job is performing SEO (search engine optimization) on my clients' websites, and one of the ways to improve search engine rankings is to have a lot of links to your website from other websites (inbound links). The problem is finding other websites that will link to yours, ideally without a reciprocal link.

That's what this website is for - a place for Austin, Texas businesses to post informative articles that include links back to their websites.

There are plenty of other article websites out there but I know of none that are dedicated to Austin, Texas businesses. If you are an Austin, Texas business it's absolutely free to post articles, and each article can have up to two links back to your website.

I am just starting out and need lots of content, so please SEND ME AN ARTICLE!

Texas Hill Country Land, Property and Real Estate for Sale

I just completed some SEO work for La Cancion.

La Cancion features Hill Country land and real estate for sale, located near Boerne and just 45 minutes from San Antonio. Your are invited you to come and explore this enchanting Texas Hill Country property.

CACH Capital Management, LLC

New website launch: http://www.cachcapital.com/

CACH Capital Management

CACH Capital Management offers an array of fund management disciplines and related investment advisory services for the unique needs of our exclusive institutional, domestic and global clients.

CACH Capital Management Team

Sada Cumber
Geoffrey S. Connor
Michael J. Hundley
Al N. Amlani
Scott B. Curran
John M. Dapper
John (J.P.) O'Sullivan
Robert S. Phipps, III

Utilities, Excavation and Sitework Contractors in Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Texas

New website launch: CCI - Commercial Consolidated Inc.

http://www.texascci.com/

Utilities, Excavation and Sitework Contractors in Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Texas

SEO Experiment

Above is a graphic image of the article I just posted to my other blog at

I didn't mention the name or URL of the other blog because I don't want to taint the experiment. For more information about this experiment, read the post just prior to this one. Stay tuned for results.

UPDATE: THIS POST CAME UP #1 ON GOOGLE FOR THE SEARCH PHRASE "parley baer web design" WITHIN 24 HOURS OF POSTING. SO MUCH FOR MY BLOGGER FAVORITISM THEORY. STILL AMAZED BY THE RAPID INDEXING OF BLOGS.

Who is Howard McNear and What is His Relevance to Web Design in Austin, Texas?

After seeing how fast Google indexed my last blog post regarding web articles, I've decided to conduct an experiment.

If you're a fan of the Andy Griffith Show, you are sure to remember the town barber, Floyd Lawson, who was portrayed by veteran character actor, Howard McNear.


Howard McNear as Floyd Lawson

Howard McNear has absolutely nothing to do with web design in Austin, Texas; my experiment is to see how fast Google will index this blog post.

It is now 10:03 p.m. Central Standard Time. I'll be searching on the phrase "Howard McNear Web Design" to find out if and when Google has indexed this article. Stay tuned for results.

UPDATE: Monday, September 24, 8:53 a.m.

This blog is the NUMBER ONE RESULT for a Google search on "Howard McNear Web Design"!!!

I am absolutely amazed at how fast Google indexed this blog post. Ever since Google bought Blogger, I've speculated that Blogger posts get preferential treatment. My next experiment will be to add an identical post (except for the name of the obscure actor) to my WordPress blog. How long will it take to get indexed by Google? Stay tuned.

Steve Cook - Published Author

A common SEO technique is to write and publish articles on the internet. Of course these articles will contain your tier-one keywords, as well as links back to your website.

Until this week, I'd never gotten around to posting anything. I Googled "publish web articles" and came across EzineArticles.com. I registered as a member and posted my first article, a re-hashing of an earlier post on this blog ("Pay Per Click vs. Organic Search Results in the Eyes of the Consumer "). The article was accepted and published (huge surprise).

Furthermore, I received an email from the publisher notifying me that I had earned "Expert Author" status. Boy, will my folks be proud!

Anyway, I tagged the links back to my site so I'll be able to track any hits that might come from my articles.

Read the article

View my Expert Author Bio

UPDATE - Sunday, Sept. 23:

I posted this article on Thursday and as of today Google has already indexed it and it's appearing on page one of the results for the search phrase "Pay Per Click vs. Organic Search Results".

Widening the Search Engine Spotlight

I've achieved excellent SEO (search engine optimization) results by focusing my efforts on tightly defined search phrases, the top two being "web design austin texas" and "website design austin texas". Obviously the narrower your search phrase, the less competition you have to deal with.

What's much harder to do is achieve high rankings for just "web design", without any further qualifiers. You are now competing world wide with everyone who is optimizing on "web design". Further, all my efforts are focused on Google, because generally if you do well there, you will do well on MSN and Yahoo.

I track all visits to my website that come from search engines and I'm able to tell what search engine the visitor used and what search phrase was entered. Sometimes I can tell how my site was ranked just from looking at the data I receive. Other times I have go to the appropriate search engine and manually type in the search phrase that was used.

After receiving a visit that originated from the search phrase "website redesign", I entered that phrase in to MSN search and my website, http://www.austexwebsites.com/, appeared on page one of the results.

"website redesign" is not a tier one search phrase for me, but I'd still like to know what's making my site show up on page one for that phrase. Right now it's the last result on the page and could be gone at any time. I plan to watch this closely and I'll report back if I learn anything more.

My Hero

When I started this blog about a year ago, my whole purpose was to influence search engines to rank my web design firm in Austin, Texas higher. I've never understood why anyone would want a "real" blog. I don't see the appeal of reading the boring postings of ordinary everyday people, and I can't for the life of me imagine anyone wanting to read mine (as stated in an earlier post on this blog, my target audience consists of search engine robots).

Well now the unthinkable has happened! I came across an article that is so compelling that I have finally strayed from my SEO (search engine optimization) mission and posted something non-web-related. At the risk of becoming another inane blogger, I hereby submit to you, dear reader, this post:

As a kid growing up in Austin, Texas I quickly realized that normal athletic endeavors led to perspiration and exhaustion. As I matured into my teen years and my intellect began to evolve, I discovered indoor sports - pool, bowling, shuffleboard, darts, pinball, etc. What a revelation! Not only could I now pursue these worthwhile athletic avenues, I could do it in the comfort of air conditioning! By that time I had a pretty serious smoking habit, so the proximity to ash trays was helpful. I also discovered the performance enhancing effects of alcohol.


When John Daly exploded on to the PGA tour by winning the 1991 PGA Championship, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Over the years he has never let me down and it was with great satisfaction that I read of Fox Sports decision to name Daly the worst-conditioned athlete in all of sports.


The ever inspirational John Daly

Over the past several years I have gradually relinquished most of my bad habits. I no longer smoke. I've lost 60 pounds over the last 3 years. I exercise regularly and drink less.

I sure do miss my vices. Thank goodness I can still live vicariously through my hero. Keep fighting the good fight John.

Read the article: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7128994?MSNHPHCP&GT1=10437

Google Austin Texas

A long time ago I programmed my website to send me an email anytime it received a hit from anyone who had been referred by a search engine. The email gives me the date of the search, the searcher's IP address, the search engine used, and the search phrase used.

Being able to identify what keywords are being used to find a website is very helpful in my SEO efforts. Today I got a hit that resulted from the search prhase "Google Austin Texas". I checked my Google ranking for that phrase and my web page titled "SEO - Search Engine Optimization in Austin, Texas" appears on page one of the Google listings.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization in Austin, Texas

Recently I had the opportunity to speak about web design in front of a group of business people. A lot of the questions I got had to do with SEO - Search Engine Optimization. One question in particular was "How do I find a good SEO firm in Austin?"

I have a pat answer for that question: Type "SEO Austin Texas" into the Google search bar. In my opinion any SEO firm that comes up on page one of that search probably knows what they are doing.

When I returned to my office I decided to try my own suggestion and was very pleasantly surprised when my website page titled "SEO - Search Engine Optimization in Austin" appeared on PAGE ONE! I still don't profess to be an SEO expert but I'm getting some excellent results.

As of today Austex Websites, specializing in web design in Austin, comes up on Google page one for the following queries:

adwords example
austin design firm
austin texas website design
austin tx web design
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design firm austin
page one SEO austin
SEO austin texas
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Basket Weaving Classes in Austin, Texas

There's a page about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on my website (Austex Websites - Web Design in Austin, Texas) where I use the phrase "basket weaving" as a keyword example. I explain how the search process works from the prospective of a fictional Basket Weaving School.

Whenever my website gets a hit generated from a search engine, I can view the actual words the user used that generated the listing. Imagine my surprise when I had a visitor last week who used the search phrase "basket weaving class austin texas".
Just for grins, I performed a Google search using "basket weaving class austin texas" and my website was the number 1 listing! I doubt that being the number 1 listing for "basket weaving class austin texas" is going to help my business any, but it's still fun to be number 1!

Ms. Dewey and Web Design in Austin, Texas

I just stumbled across a clever new Microsoft search engine called Ms. Dewey.

Ms. Dewey is a sassy lass who handles your search phrase, then displays results after a short quip or two.

Ms. Dewey is powered by MSN Search, where Austex Websites performs well on a number of search phrases. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Austex is the number one result (at least for today) for the search phrases "website design austin texas" and "web design austin texas".

Web Design and MySpace

www.myspace.com/austexwebsites

Another free opportunity to create inbound links to my website. I was pleasantly surprised to see that myspace.com allows HTML code, so it was easy to create links to Austex Websites - a web design firm in Austin, Texas.

3D Animation

An important aspect of web design is the ability to create compelling graphics. Adding sound and a third dimension puts icing on the cake!

And Baby Makes Three

One of my favorite lines from Barney Fife. Barney explains why the crime rate in Mayberry, North Carolina is so low. This is in the "fun" area of Austex Websites. Another attempt to drive traffic of any kind to my web design firm.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization, Global Warming and Amazon.com

I recently did a Google search on my name using the search phrase "steve cook austin texas". The number one result was a link to an Amazon.com review I had written on Michael Crichton's "State of Fear".

Well, this looked like a perfect opportunity to try some SEO tactics, so I altered my review to include web design keywords. I also wrote a review on the Tiger Woods 2005 PC golf game. I then created a new account with Amazon titled "Web Design Austin Texas" and I plan to start writing reviews galore under that name. You have to buy something under the new name before Amazon will let you write a review, so I won't be posting anything until the next time I need something from Amazon.

The second Google result for "steve cook austin texas" was a link to this blog!

Web Design Austin Texas NUMBER ONE!

WOW! On Sunday, May 06, 2007 I posted an entry on this blog titled "State of the Search Engine Optimization Report" (scroll down 2 posts to read it). The main goal of the post was to raise Austex Website's Google ranking for the search phrase "web design austin texas". At the time of the post, Austex Websites appeared on page 2 of a Goolge search on that phrase.

As of today "web design austin texas" in on PAGE 1!!!! Additionally, "austin texas web design" appears on page one as well.

Update on My Hollywood Friends

Jorel says "My little Kal-el".
I'm constantly amazed at what Google deems important enough to put on page 1 of their search results. Back in February, I created some web pages that were tied to URLs of TV and movie characters (see 5 posts down this page).

As of today, here are their rankings on Google:

Pal	Page
Emilio Barzini	1
Elly May Clampett	2
Pete Clemenza	1
Vito Corleone	*
Lucy Mancini	2
Fred G. Sanford	2
Lamont Sanford	*
Virgil Sollozzo	1
Gloria Stivic	1
Michael Stivic	*
Bruno Tattaglia	1
Sal Tessio	1
Salvatore Tessio	1
Grady Wilson	2
Jack Woltz	2

* not recorded if result was lower than Google page 2

UPDATE: AUGUST 18, 2007

I've decided to see if I can sell any of these - they are now parked at a domain-for-sale website. I've included links back to Austex Websites.

State of the Search Engine Optimization Report

I just ran a check on some of the most common search phrases that resulted in hits to my Web Design website, Austex Websites (web design is a search phrase that I'm trying to promote).

Austex Websites appeared on PAGE ONE of Google results for the following seach phrases:

austin design firms
austin texas design firm
austin texas website design
austin tx design firm
austin tx website designer
web designer austin texas
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P.S. Kudos to says-it.com, a really neat website where I created the curved text on the S.E.O. seal above.

UPDATE: As of Sunday, May 06, 2007 the search phrase "web design austin texas" is on PAGE 1 of GOOGLE!

Sling Blade Soundsand other Website Fun

I used to have a page on my personal website devoted to the "Sounds of Sling Blade". This page contained .wav files of my favorite short quips from the film's central character Karl Childers, played by Billy Bob Thornton.

The Sling Blade Sounds page used to get lots of hits from web searches on Sling Blade related keywords, and was very popular. I've decided to post it on my business website - again, my theory is that any traffic driven to my web design website is welcome. The link to the Sling Blade sounds page is located on a "Fun" page of Austex Websites, and will be joined by other goodies.

One of the basic principles of good web design is to provide useful content - things of value - to your visitors. Although most, if not all, of the Fun page postings will have nothing to do with website development, they will be entertaining.

SUNDAY APRIL 22 - UPDATE: I just ran some web searches to see where the Sling Blade page was showing and it's already showing on page 1 of MSN search (search phrase: sling blade sounds) and page 2 of Google (search phrase: slingblade sounds). That's just 3 days from the original post date! I'm amazed at how fast Google indexed this. Does Google crawl blogs at a higher rate than other sites?

THURSDAY MAY 3 - UPDATE: Both Austex Websites and this blog (websitedesignaustintexas.blogspot.com) are now showing on page 1 of Google for the search phrase "sling blade wav files".

Web Site vs. Website

I recently ran a check on the term "website design" using Overture's Keyword Selector Tool. The number one related keyword phrase, was "web site design" with 211,457 February searches.

I use the word "website" in most of my SEO, but the popularity of "web site" is pretty compelling. I've actually changed the spelling on my home page and my site map to include both versions. I also added a "Web Site Design Austin Texas" keyword line above the heading, since search engines seem to place more importance on words that appear earlier in the page.

The Google Search Distance Anomoly

As of today, Austex Websites comes up on page 1, 7th listing, when searching for "website design austin texas" on Google ... if you're in the right place!

My office is in 78759. Recently I was at a client's office in 78758. At my office in 78759 I get the above Google results. When I'm at my client's office in 78758, Austex Websites is nowhere to be found in the first 5 pages of results!

I have no clue what's up with this but I've tested it for a couple of weeks now and keep getting the same results.

Some help from my Hollywood friends.

John Marley as Hollywood producer Jack Woltz in "The Godfather"

What do the following names have in common?

Barzini, Emilio Clampett, Elly May Clemenza, Pete Corleone, Vito Jefferson, Louise Mancini, Lucy Sanford, Fred G. Sanford, Lamont

Sollozzo, Virgil Stivic, Gloria Stivic, Michael Tattaglia, Bruno Tessio, Sal Tessio, Salvatore Wilson, Grady Woltz, Jack

Besides the fact that they are all fictional characters from TV and film, each one is also a domain name owned by Austex Websites!

In my never-endinq SEO quest to have this website show up prominently on search engines, I've taken to experimenting with different methods of accomplishing that feat. I also like the idea of owning domain names of fictional characters.Each of these characters has his/her own page on austexwebsites.com, and my goal is to lure unwitting searchers, then expose them to as much website design propaganda as possible!

Now what are the chances that someone searching for Fred G. Sanford will just happen to be in the market for a new website? Probably nil, but the fact that more search results pages are linking to my website can't hurt it's ranking.

Who knows? Maybe some bigshot Hollywood writer/director/producer/creator might want to buy one someday!

ellymayclampett.com
peteclemenza.com
vitocorleone.com
louisejefferson.com
lucymancini.com
fredgsanford.com
lamontsanford.com
virgilsollozzo.com
gloriastivic.com
michaelstivic.com
saltessio.com
salvatoretessio.com
gradywilson.com
jackwoltz.com

UPDATE: AUGUST 18, 2007

I've decided to see if I can sell any of these - they are now parked at a domain-for-sale website. I've included links back to Austex Websites.

Flash Animation and Website Design

As a website designer in Austin, Texas I don't normally like a lot of Flash animation on a website. My biggest problems with Flash are that search engines can't read Flash objects for keywords, and most Flash controls seem to have to be clicked twice to get them to work.

That said, a sprinkling of tasteful animation in a website can definitely add to it's appeal. I built the above animation using photos I took of the 360 Bridge over Lake Austin in Austin, Texas, as well as mine (Steve Cook Austin Texas) and my significant other's cars. I then merged the bridge photo with a graph paper background. Finally I layered in the cars, adding motion paths and size changes to create the illusion of 3 dimensions. I had to resist the temptation of adding boats, airplanes, helicopters, etc. - that would no longer constitute a "sprinkling" of animation.

The Google Keyword Tool

Google has a keyword tool that allows me to find the most popular search phrases related to keyword phrases. The following table represents the results for "website design", ranked by index, for the calendar year ending in September 2006. WARNING: This post is intended for search engine spiders/robots only - boring reading!

phrase index bad website design 1 dubai web design 1 seo web design 1 web design tool 1 web page designs 1 website design hosting 1 website designing company 1 affordable web design 1 effective website design 1 flash website designs 1 web design article 1 web designers in india 1 web designers sydney 1 web designs 1 website design leeds 1 graphic website design 0.95 website graphics design 0.94 website design tutorial 0.93 web database design 0.92 poorly designed websites 0.91 website design programs 0.9 website design tools 0.9 php website design 0.88 website design awards 0.88 website designing 0.88 top website design 0.87 web design glasgow 0.86 web design salaries 0.86 web design programs 0.85 website design good 0.85 website design logo 0.85 website design ideas 0.83 website design photoshop 0.83 web design class 0.82 charlotte web design 0.81 web design colleges 0.81 website design development 0.81 award winning web designs 0.81 web design tricks 0.81 designed web pages 0.8 web design conference 0.8 australian web design 0.8 best web design program 0.8 professional website design 0.79 web site designers 0.79 website design software 0.79 low cost website design 0.78 website designer 0.78 web design huddersfield 0.78 cool website design 0.77 design website 0.77 web design award 0.77 web design rate 0.77 website design 0.77 website design dreamweaver 0.77 cool web design 0.76 web design industry 0.76 web design layout 0.76 do it yourself web design 0.76 green web design 0.76 contract web design 0.75 top website designs 0.75 web page design tools 0.75 web design 0.73 web design careers 0.73 web designing courses 0.72 website design template 0.72 custom web design 0.72 interior design website 0.71 ecommerce web site design 0.71 create website design 0.7 portfolio website design 0.7 website design tips 0.7 website designers uk 0.7 business web site design 0.7 web design peterborough 0.7 web design competition 0.69 web design inspiration 0.68 website design examples 0.68 css website design 0.67 web design nj 0.67 web design software 0.67 website design best 0.66 website design agreement 0.66 website design brief 0.66 graphic and web design 0.65 web design backgrounds 0.65 website design proposal 0.65 website design costs 0.65 website design ecommerce 0.65 designing web site 0.64 band website design 0.64 web design fees 0.64

phrase index flash website design 0.63 website design forums 0.63 website designs 0.63 web design career 0.62 web design course london 0.62 design web application 0.61 web designing tutorials 0.61 web designing tips 0.6 website designers 0.6 easy web page design 0.59 web design links 0.59 web service design 0.59 webpage design 0.59 colorado web design 0.58 real estate web design 0.58 new york web design 0.57 web user interface design 0.57 web page design 0.57 nc web design 0.56 web design best practices 0.56 websites design 0.56 business website design 0.55 easy website design 0.55 web design online 0.55 web desing 0.55 photoshop web design 0.54 website design companies 0.54 website hosting and design 0.54 chicago website design 0.53 multimedia website design 0.53 website design tool 0.53 web design ecommerce 0.52 web design employment 0.52 web design sites 0.51 website design australia 0.51 website design content 0.51 designing web pages 0.5 html website design 0.5 web design sussex 0.5 website design layouts 0.5 ma web design 0.49 web design austin 0.48 learning web design 0.47 web design dublin 0.47 web site design cost 0.47 solutions web design 0.46 web design consultant 0.46 website design services 0.45 basic website design 0.45 new web design 0.45 web design gold coast 0.45 vermont web design 0.43 web design california 0.43 design my own web page 0.43 web design solution 0.42 website design tutorials 0.42 site design group 0.42 law firm web design 0.41 web design denver 0.41 web site design 0.41 marketing website design 0.4 web design manchester 0.39 web design devon 0.38 web design seattle 0.38 web designing companies 0.38 professional web site design 0.38 fusion web design 0.37 web design boston 0.36 website design resources 0.36 web design philadelphia 0.35 web design worcester 0.33 web site design company 0.33 web design for dummies 0.31 seattle website design 0.3 web design australia 0.3 good website designs 0.29 long island web design 0.28 website desing 0.28 dallas web design 0.27 virginia web design 0.27 solutions website design 0.26 web design internship 0.25 web design wales 0.22 website design layout 0.2 website design builder 0.19 php web design 0.17 website design templates 0.14 web site design and hosting 0.13 website design company 0.1 web design victoria 0.05 how to design websites 0.05 website design sites 0.03 web page design tips 0.02

Pay Per Click vs. Organic Search Results in the Eyes of the Consumer

I was in the office of a V.P. of an Austin, Texas financial institution yesterday and the subject of Google searches came up. He claimed that he would never click on a PPC result - only organic results.

That reminded me of an article I read in WebPro News several years ago. The magazine had done a poll of Google search engine users to find out what results were most frequently selected by the users. The results of the poll showed that most consumers clicked on the very first Google result, which is almost always a paid advertisement. Further, most users only clicked on listings that were displayed on the top 50% of the page, including the PPC listings in the right column.

When asked if they could tell an organic result from a PPC result, over 90% of the search engine users said they did not know the difference.

The V.P. I was visiting with was responsible for the marketing department of the financial institution and had some knowledge of search engine promotion. Why he refused to click on PPC results is a mystery to me, but it's clear that the general public couldn't care less.

From a website design perspective, I believe it's vital to be listed on the top half of the first page of Google search results for your primary keyword phrase, and if you have to pay to be there, so be it.

Images and Alternate Tags

When you run the mouse over the picture above, you should see the words "Website Design Austin Texas - Austex Websites" appear. This is an example of alternate text tagging of an image, and it is supposed to help with search engine optimization. As a further step, I've named the image itself "website_design_austin_texas.jpg".

Will this help my site ranking? I'll have to wait and see.

Site Ranking vs. Page Ranking

I received an email from a text link advertising company who wanted to sell me text advertising for my website. As part of their pitch, they commented that my home page (keywords: website design austin texas) had a relatively low Google page ranking of 3.

I still am not sure what the real relationship between page ranking and site rankings is, so I decided to experiment using them (the text link ad company) as a subject. First, I went to their website and found they had a page ranking of 5. Then I searched Google, Yahoo and MSN using the keywords found in their home page title. Out of three keywords (a total of 9 searches) they only came up on page one of the results 2 times - a ratio of 22%. My site, Austex Websites, has a ratio of 66% and my home page is 2 points lower than theirs.

Their competitor, who came up as the number one search result for one of their keywords on Google had a page ranking of 3! Go figure. I do think that page ranking is important, but it is clearly not the only factor in high site rankings.

Austex Websites Client Search Engine Rankings

The following sites were designed and coded with search engines in mind. Other than that, no search engine optimization has been done on any of them (with the exception of Austex Websites, which is the topic of this blog).

Google is generally the hardest search engine to achieve high rankings in, but there are exceptions - see Auto Headliners of Texas and Paul's Motor Werks - both have very high Google rankings, but do not even appear on the first five pages of MSN search!

I think that one of the biggest factors influencing search position is how long the site has been on the internet. If the site was designed properly, time will tell. The fact that these sites are listed and linked here may help their search engine rankings - we'll keep an eye on that.

				Search Position
Date	Name	Keyword Phrase	Google page rank	Google	Yahoo	MSN	Site launch date
10/22/06	Agape Pregnancy Resource Center	pregnancy round rock	3	1	2	1	3/05
10/22/06	Auto Headliners of Texas	headliner repair austin texas	2	1	1	n/l*	7/04
10/22/06	Discount Business Brokers USA	discount business brokers	0	n/l*	n/l*	1	8/06
10/22/06	Executrain of Austin	computer software training austin texas	4	7	25	2	7/04
10/22/06	National Data Services (NDSI)	mailing services dallas texas	2	n/l*	3	1	10/05
10/22/06	Paul's Motor Werks	bmw repair austin texas	2	2	1	n/l*	1/04
10/22/06	PrintMailPro.com	mailing austin texas	2	n/l*	10^	40	6/06
10/22/06	Reverse Mortgage Solutions of Texas	reverse mortgage texas	0	n/l*	n/l*	n/l*	10/06

* not listed on the first five pages of search results

^ search result for npsiaustin.com - former name and website - company changed name to PrintMailPro.com in June of 2006

Where is Austex Websites listed on the 3 major search engines now?

That all depends on what keywords you use for your search. The keyword phrase that I want to have high listings for is "website design austin texas". As of today, October 20, 2006, here's how I rank on that phrase in the 3 major search engines.

Google: 22 (3rd page, 2nd listing)
note: for "website design austin" Austex Websites is 16 (second page, 6th listing)

MSN: Austex Websites is on page 1, 1st listing!!!!

Yahoo: Austex websites is on page 1, 2nd listing!!!

Google is the tough one. More on that later. The current Google page rank for the Austex Websites home page is 3.

Blog author's note to viewers:

As stated in the header of this page, this blog is an attempt to increase the search engine ranking of

Austex Websites in Austin, Texas.

Most of the readers of this site are robots and spiders sent out by search engines to catalog content on the web. They supposedly give more weight to BOLD words, and words in large heading fonts (like "Austex Websites in Austin, Texas" above). They also like to follow links, so most of the links contained in this blog will be selfishly directed towards my Austin Texas Website Design Firm.

Wishing you great website designing,

Steve Cook, Austin, Texas Web Site Designer and Website Developer