Is Your Tampa Graphic & Web Designer Asking the Right Questions?

Asking your Tampa website designer the right questions prior to launching your  website is crucial, but in turn, your Florida website designer or graphic design firm should be asking questions that will enhance and expedite your logo design or website design project.

Communication is the key to success in any relationship, including one you have with your clients. Many Tampa logo designers or web designers aren't asking the appropriate questions and that's wasting time and money and can lend unfavorable results. Listening to what your client needs, often times depends on asking the right questions. Don't depend on your client to thoroughly understand the logo design or web design process. Many clients will have a general idea on what they want, but it's up to the designer to help the client understand the importance of the finer details of their project.

Logo design can be simple or complex, finding a logo designer in Tampa, Florida is easy, but be sure you choose carefully, and look for one that asks plenty of questions, and who has great listening skills. These are just as important as the artistic and graphic design ability and skill.

Same goes for website designers in Tampa. Florida website design firms come at a dime a dozen with varying skill sets so find one who can accommodate your project, who will engage you in your web design project, one question at a time. Read more about choosing a website designer in Tampa, Florida. >

Tampa Florida Search Engine Optimization Options & Advice

SEO or "search engine optimization" is a fairly well defined service and most Florida business owners understand at least the basics of SEO.  Deciding to hire a Tampa SEO or Florida search engine optimization firm is a big decision. Hiring the right company who offers the search engine optimization and marketing services for your Florida business that will  improve your business website will save you time and money. SEO simply put and properly done will over time, increase your revenue. Efforts to enhance your Florida website's ranking will pay off  but, if done improperly, you can certainly risk damage to your website and your business reputation including but not limited to your ranking.

Understanding the potential advantages, disadvantages of SEO services as well as the difference in SEO and SEM services for your Florida business, is crucial. Many Tampa Search Engine Optimization firms should be able to provide you with a good understanding of how they will develop or market your Florida website and should include some of these services to help you gain good organic ranking for your website.

• Review your website's content  and offer high quality content management and copywriting services for your Tampa, Florida website.
• Review the structure of your website and make improvements to boost ranking
• Provide you with recommendations regarding hosting issues, which can include necessary redirects, incorrect redirects or errors and back-end issues
• Provide you with analytic reporting and also be willing to provide you with physical keyword searches, which are very important
• services
• Provide you with blogging services, help you with directory and social media back links and listings, as well as ongoing support and service for these services.
• Manage and reduce or even eliminate costly online campaigns through SEO services that concentrate on building organic placement.
• Keyword research
• SEO training for owners -Some of our clients are very proactive in website marketing and SEO. Be advised that there are things that an owner can do that can damage your reputation. Ask an SEO expert before you jump in! Make sure your Tampa search engine optmization service will work together with you, should you wish to be involved.
• Demonstrate experience in SEO for Florida markets and geographical locations.
  
  Differences in SEO Services
  Keep in mind that the Google search results page includes organic search results as well as paid ads and inclusions. Although Google states that adertising on Google won't affect your ranking, or presence. "Advertising with Google won't have any effect on your site's presence in our search results." Even Google will tell you that it is preferable and should be a business owner's goal, to obtain good organic ranking.  
• Many SEO firms in Tampa bay, offer SEO services but really, they are setting up services for SEM such as PPC ads and other ad campaigns. Some are hardly proficient at producing organic ranking or using the recommendations that Google sets forth. Check to see if your SEO company has a "paid ad." If they do, you may want to ask yourself how they're organic ranking is. If they can't rank their own website, will they be able to rank yours? Although it is an owners choice to run ads or not, it is always preferable and in the long run less costly, to avoid them if at all possible. Save that money for other cross marketing campaigns for your Florida business.
• Other SEO firms, approach website marketing in a purely organic way, meaning, they are following Google's recommendations to a "T" and although it may seem time consuming, the lasting results on your organic ranking is priceless. Once established on the engines, depending on your industry and geographics, many companies can get SEO services on the fly, when needed, or proactively market their website with monthly SEO services such as blogging, link building, content management, and social media integration.
  

PSA - NO ONE CAN GUARANTEE PAGE ONE ON GOOGLE, ACCORDING TO GOOGLE.
Google also advises:SEO Services to Avoid ( Not a comprehensive list )
Source: Google Webmaster Support

There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

• owns shadow domains
• puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
• offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
• guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
• operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
• gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
• has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google

Source:http://www.google.com

SEO "NO-NO's" Retaining Your Website Domain

I'm a business owner who cares very much for the success of my clients. For over a decade, my niche has been helping small business owners in the Tampa bay area develop market and increase their revenue on the web. Affordable pricing for web design and search engine optimization services for my Tampa area clients is coupled with quality work and personalized customer service. Let's face it; everyone is extremely budget conscious these days, but in particular, small businesses cannot afford waste. Each marketing dollar must be put to good use and have lasting effects.

The minute you build a website, whether or not you are aggressively optimizing (marketing) it or not, you will eventually establish a position on the search engines and your domain will be associated with your associated keywords. Maybe you have worked on marketing your website, or perhaps you have a Tampa area search engine optimization firm building your back links and social media presence, or like many, you've done a bit of both. Think about all the directories you've listed yourself in over the years, blogs that have referenced your site, people and businesses who have reviewed or referenced your site on their blogs, pages or directories and the results you have produced. Even if it's not high ranking, you're website is clearly indexed after a few years.

Taking that site (domain) down and building a new site, either because you no longer like it, or because some other designer, hungry for work and eager for a few bucks, has persuaded you to, is an SEO "NO." Often times designers who are concerned only about their own bottom line, have no problems running their businesses this way. They could do the right thing and suggest that you take the existing site and rebuild it, including in their quote the tasks that are needed to retain the integrity of your site-- But they know that this may be time consuming, forcing them to quote you properly, causing you to re-think your options. Often times, a designer will convince the owner of an existing website to build a new site because they don't know how to manage or make website updates their current site. Why? Not all designers speak the same language. Either way, this "hypothetical" designer is not looking out for the overall best interest of their client either due to lack of knowledge or lack of caring.

Perhaps you have convinced yourself there is a better way, or you think that you can save a few bucks to get an updated website, simply by choosing to purchase another domain and then by either opting for a DIY website template or hiring the cheapest web designer to build a new site for you. Again, I urge all new and nearly new business owners to get fully educated on how this will affect you and your business. If the revenue you may save becomes the same revenue you lose...plus some more, it will not have been worth the effort.

Maybe by posting this blog, I'll run the risk of sounding like a disgruntled service provider, but my intentions are to be more of a public service announcer. There is nothing I dislike more than another web design company in Tampa, Florida or freelancer to provide inaccurate advice to an unsuspecting, vulnerable client, in an effort to take their business. Further, allowing a client to let their old business website shut down or expire without telling them the truth about how this can affect their revenue, and doing so simply to make a few bucks while building a web portfolio, is very bad business. If a client of mine ever wishes to go on their way-- and I've had one or two over a decade do so, then I walk them through the correct process of shutting their site down. Fellow developers have asked me, "what if my client won't listen?" I tell them that you can rest knowing you did the right thing.

Shutting down an existing "seasoned" website without considering the effects of doing so is a bad idea on multiple levels. If you are still in business, and you wish to shut down your domain, move your domain, or create a new domain, ask a trusted source if it's a good idea. If that source does not provide you with information regarding how to handle your existing links, walk away. Don't be afraid to be up front with your current Florida website designer, or call other web developers to verify what needs to be done before you shut your site down.

The last thing you want is to have a bunch of dead links, going to an old site that makes you appear to be out of business. There are some fairly simple fixes, and there are also some time consuming and even costly tasks (depending on your site) that can be performed to ensure that this doesn't happen. Hiring someone to go back and fix year’s worth of bad or dead links to pages and subpages can get tedious and costly. If you insist on ditching your domain, and you are still operating the same business, do the work and don't be swayed just because you think the grass looks greener. There's an old saying, "Fast money goes fast." It will go fast for the designer who wants to make a quick buck and it will go fast when you lose business.

The truth is... nothing is free anymore. Look for a local Tampa, Florida search engine optimization and website design firm that can get you results with quality work, and who is reasonably affordable and honest. If you're tired of your designer, then take your content (everyone should have a copy of their own website that they paid for) keep your domain, and rebuild that website. Hire someone to do the necessary work to retain your status and make the changes that you desire before you let the old domain expire. If you insist on a new website for your business, and can afford to keep both, do so. Using both sites can increase revenue by enhancing your web presence.

For more information, visit us at http://www.websitestampabay.com

What You Should Expect From Your Tampa Website Designer

What Should You Expect From Your Tampa Website Designer

1.) Affordable website design. Shop around for web design services in Tampa. Many of our clients were amazed by the vast pricing of web design services. Find a design firm whose pricing is in-line with the services offered.
2.) Marketing your Tampa bay website. Be sure your Tampa, Florida web designer is proficient in marketing and SEO. Bay Area Graphics & Marketing has an extensive background in marketing, and we pay close attention to optimizing your website.
3.) Website Updates - Get your website updates when need them and without being ignored or overcharged. Monthly maintenance plans are available yet not required. Simply call us when you need us.     
For more information on what to expect from your Tampa web designer, visit us online at http://www.websitestampabay.com

Affordable SEO, Free Backlinks, Tampa

Connect with us on Manta or stop by and "like" us on Facebook and we'll give you a free link from our website links page ( http://www.websitestampabay.com/links.htm ) Plus when you email us with your information for your link, or give us a like on Facebook, we'll send you a special discount for design, SEO, marketing or even printing services for your Florida business.

We believe there's true value in supporting Florida small business owners.  We make our marketing, web and graphic design services affordable and we're always willing to share our talents and resources--What can your Florida business do for another? Join us on Facebook and let us know what you have to offer!
LA Fiore
bagraphics@gmail.com
http://www.websitestampabay.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bay-Area-Graphics-Marketing/114311105278114
http://webdesigngurutampa.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/florida-web-design-plus-much-more-marketing/

DIY SEO Florida Business Owners Can Avoid Costly Errors

Small business owners who are attempting to market their own Florida websites are often mistaking good SEO practices for bad. Relying on their own research and understanding of search engine optimization is resulting in frustration and low ranking websites.

Although we love for our clients to be proactive in marketing their Florida websites, what business owners need to understand is that SEO is truly a simple process that requires good copy writing skills and a knack for linking your keywords properly and knowing how to decipher your position for desired key phrases and adding content to your site accordingly. It is a strategic task and a talented, affordable Florida SEO firm who understands back links, social media integration and who inevitably will cut the costs associated with ad words and ad campaigns should be retained to get the proper results.

There is so much information on the web regarding Google, SEO, ranking, backlinking, social medial and Ad Words, and you really do have to be cautious about what advice to follow. Marketing your website incorrectly can actually cause more harm than good. It's recommended that if you wish to be involved with marketing your Florida website, that you consult with a knowledgeable firm. Ask plenty of questions before you take it upon yourself to "do-it-yourself" as by doing so you can avoid costly errors in your SEO.

For more information on how Bay Area Graphics & Marketing can assist your business with website design and marketing visit us online. If you want to know how to keep your Florida small business website marketing simple and straightforward take note of the three "O's in website marketing for Florida small businesses or contact us at http://www.websitestampabay.com .

Florida Printers Benefit From Our Graphic Design Services

It seems like many smaller printers in Florida have either eliminated their in house graphic designers, or are hiring Florida freelance graphic designers or graphic design firms to assist with their art requests. Hit hard by the state of the economy, some printers are struggling, and facing hard decisions. If they don't staff an in house graphic designer, they cannot offer assistance with their client's art requests. Many customers then opt to find a printer who can offer that service-- So, it's a double edge sword that plagues some smaller "mom and pop" printers in Florida.

There is a solution that some printers have been able to swing. Hire a freelance graphic artist or Florida graphic designer to design "on the fly." Printers can charge their client the fee to cover the designer's fee and a win-win situation is created. The key is to find an affordable graphic designer. Not too many customers will want to pay $80 or $100 per hour, but they will pay a reasonable fee to have their t-shirt logos or designs created and designed properly. Most of a printer's average customers don't have the slightest notion as to how to produce graphic files to provide to their printers or screenprinter, so they truly need their printer to assist in that process.

Bay Area Graphics & Marketing offers affordable graphic design service for Florida printers and for business owners and organizations who need assistance with providing the appropriate graphics files to their printers. Call us today for a no hassle quote.
For more information, visit us at http://www.websitestampabay.com or call us at (813) 778-9548.