When choosing an SEO firm or web design company, you should be careful about what factors you use to evaluate them.A company with experience that spans several decades might not have much experience with what’s going on today. And in the ever-changing world of SEO and web design, today is all that matters.

How we design websites today has dramatically changed from years ago. Your experience in the 90s – or even the early to mid 2000s – doesn’t translate to current experience. The tables we used for web design back in the day – the colors, patterns, gradients, shadows – it’s all changed. A browser-compatible, user-accessible website looks completely different.

Google has changed their algorithm literally hundreds of times since then. And each time, the competition adapts and changes its approach.

If you’re a small business looking for an SEO or web design company, you shouldn’t be looking at total years of experience. You want to find a proactive company. Someone who is continually modifying their approach, reading new articles in the industry. A company who explains to you that SEO is an ongoing process and not a one-and-done solution.

We don’t have 20 years experience in SEO, web design or email marketing, but we know exactly what’s going on today, and that’s why we’re successful.

Well, hopefully you are not. But lately I’ve heard a lot of others who are.

Playing 52 minutes of commercial-free music every hour is not a big deal. Neither is free shipping on orders over $75, the dollar menu, and $0 down and no payments for 18 months.

There was a time when they were great perks. But now that everyone offers it, it’s no longer special.

You should still continue to offer it. But maybe you want to spend your marketing dollars on something that’s actually remarkable – something worth talking about.

• You have to actually use it
• your annotations need to help you make sense of the data that they correspond to

Annotations should help you answer these questions:

• Why did my traffic spike on this day?
• How come we converted 300% more visitors last week?
• Where did all these visitors from Maryland come from?

This is not a comprehensive list. I’m sure it only scratches the surface. If you’re new to Google Analytics, or looking for ways to leverage it for your company’s benefit, this list will help get you started.

What kind of things should you annotate in Google Analytics?

• Email marketing campaigns
  You could include: name of the campaign, number of recipients, time of day the email was sent, total/unique number of opens. (tip: if you use MailChimp & WordPress, here’s a great plugin)
• Networking events you attend
  You can’t directly measure statistics for your attendance at these events with campaign identifiers and special code, but if you hand out 50 business cards, chances are a few of them will visit your site. You could include: time of the event, event duration, approx. number of new contacts made, number of business cards handed out (count them before you leave)
• Speaking engagements
  It could be a keynote address, or you’re on a panel leading a group discussion. You could include: number of people in attendance, location of the event, the topic being discussed, new contacts made, business cards handed out.
• Changes to your website
  This is the obvious one, but still worth mentioning. You could include: what changes you made, time of day, which pages were affected, the reason for the change.
• Filters that will affect your data
  This might be excluding (or including) traffic from a domain or IP address, or re-writing certain URLs. You could include: details of the filter, time it was put in place, the reason for implementing it.
• Changes to your tracking code
  You might make changes if you add a sub-domain, want to start tracking external clicks, or setup an ecommerce site. And it’s always possible you make a mistake that causes your data to become inaccurate. It would be helpful to have a record of it. You could include: what changes you made, why you made them, and when you made them.
• Blog posts
  These you will most likely have a good record of in your blogging platform, but they could be useful to see alongside your website data. You could include: topic of the post, post popularity, time of the post, the exact post title.
• New business that you receive
  This could be tough to annotate, and it will vary depending on what type of business you have. We just had a partner of ours find out that one of her new clients found her by searching for “life coach midlothian va.” We tracked it back and were able to identify what day the search occurred. We annotated ‘new client,’ along with the search terms they used.

We’d love to hear how you’re using Google Analytics annotations. Please let us know in the comments.

• We’ll perform a free SEO evaluation on your site
• We’ll also setup analytics to capture information about your website traffic & visitors — and send you one custom report, on the house
• And if you refer someone to us, and it ends up working out, we’ll cut you a check for 10% of the deal. No questions asked.

You can reference our wonderfully crafted HTML-email for all the details. And if you’d like to be notified next time we have exciting news to announce, subscribe to our newsletter.

Thanks to all our friends and family for their help and support along the way.

Most of us are aware of the SEO benefit of inbound links. Before you make a name for yourself, it can be difficult to get others to link to your website. As we continue to build Escape Creative’s web presence, we are always looking for free directories to list our site with. This post is our best attempt at a comprehensive list of all the places a web design company can list their website for free.

• Google, Yahoo & Bing local business centers
  Please refer to this post for detailed instructions on how to list your site.
• DMOZ – The Open Directory Project
  Link text: [company name], Nofollow: NO
• DesignFirms.org
  Link text: “Visit website”, Nofollow: NO
• WebDesignFinders.net
  A Javascript link that redirects to your site
• WebWorldIndex.com
  Link text: [company name], Nofollow: NO
• LinkCentre.com
  Link text: [company name], Nofollow: YES
• Infignos.com
  Link text: [company name], Nofollow: NO
• Jayde.com
  A business search engine, they find other pages on your site and create summaries of them automatically. Link text: [url], along with the title tags on whatever pages it’s spiders crawl. Nofollow: NO
• LittleWebDirectory.com
  Link text: [company name] and [url], Nofollow: NO
• YellowPages.com
  Link text: “Visit Web Site” and [url], Nofollow: YES
• Richmond.com Directory
  Only list address & phone for free. They do offer payment options to include company URL.
• WebDesignersByState.com
  Nofollow: NO, Requires a backlink on your site from any page
• VirginiaWebDesignDirectory.com
  Link text: “Website” & [url], Nofollow: NO
• Best of the Web
  Only list address & phone for free.
• GetFreeListing.com
  Link text: a custom title you choose & “Visit Web Site”, Nofollow: on 1 of the links but not on the other
• Yelp
  Link text: [url]. Nofollow: n/a because they use a redirect URL (i.e. yelp.com/redir.aspx?url=escapecreative.com)
• Yellowbook.com
  Link text: [url], Nofollow: YES
• Sortfolio.com
  Link text: [url], Nofollow: NO, owned by 37signals
• Superpages.com
  Only list address & phone for free.
• MyHuckleberry.com
  Link: image button, Nofollow: YES

I can’t say certain strategies are either right or wrong. SEO doesn’t work that way. However, I will make a claim for an ethical approach to link building. And I’ll briefly discuss the path we chose to take.

The 100% free directory listing

This one’s pretty simple. If you find a directory that is willing to list your business/website, free of charge, with no reciprocity, you take it. The only exception is if the directory promotes a message that your company does not believe in. Although, most directories are just a collection of links. I have not found any such directory that we were not comfortable submitting our website to.

The free directory listing with reciprocal link

This one requires a bit more thought. Should you provide a link back to the directory’s site? If so, where do you put it? Do you nofollow it? Do you hide it with CSS? Do you place it on a page that you’ve blocked from search engines? These are questions you have to answer. And there is no right or wrong, per se.

This is how I think about it:

First off, never hide it with CSS. That’s misleading. Not to mention, just plain wrong.

We ask ourselves, “Does it add value to our visitors to have a link to a whole bunch of web design directories?” The answer for us right now is no. Our target audience is small businesses in Richmond, and really, all over the East Coast. I can’t find a good reason to force these links onto our site somewhere. Therefore, we have chosen not to participate in directories that require a reciprocal link.

An alternative

If you manage a web design blog, a useful post for your audience might be “Local directories to submit your website to.” This fits in the organization of your site. It is not forced. It’s valuable content for your blog’s audience. So here, I see nothing wrong with listing out all the directories. And since you’ve now listed them on your website, you might as well go tell them you’ve linked to them, and they’ll do the same for you. (If you’re wondering why we haven’t done this yet, it’s because I just thought of it. Another post with a listing of directories will follow.)

If they require the link to be on your homepage, I say move on. Your homepage is important, and it should be completely yours. I would not allow a local directory to dictate the content on our homepage.

The affiliate link on a colleague’s website

Another web designer in the area would like to exchange links. Should you do it?

Again, don’t force it if there isn’t a place for it. If there is a logical place, then ask yourself, would you do business with them? Could you recommend them to a friend, with no reservations? If so, go for it. That’s great business. If you wouldn’t do business with them, or can’t recommend them, you’re only devaluing your content by linking to them.

A couple alternatives

• Allow them to write a guest post on your blog, and link to their website. As long as it’s valuable content you stand behind, you’re doing the right thing for your audience.
• If you have done business with them, but you don’t have an affiliates page where a link makes sense, include them in your portfolio when you do a writeup on the project.

Your link on a client’s website

I’m sure you’ve seen a footer or two with a link (and sometimes a logo) back to the designer who built the site. There’s nothing wrong with this. However, we always leave this up to our clients. It’s 100% their choice. The ones that have a powerful brand, and want to stand alone, will leave it off. Others who can’t stop talking about the great work you’ve done — will want to include it.

Helpful tip

If a client would like to link to your site, use keywords in your anchor text. Don’t simple link your company name. Link something like: “Web design by …” or “Design & development by …” This will help you with SEO.

We’d love to hear other approach’s to ethical link building, as well as those who disagree with our approach. Your feedback is appreciated.

A good 404 page:

• Looks like the rest of your site The same header & main navigation that is found everywhere else on your site should also be on your 404 page.
• Clearly states the page requested is not the one being viewed Include language on your 404 page that the link was not found or does not exist.
• Includes a link back to the homepage Your homepage is a good place for users to start. It should provide an easy way for them to get to most other pages of your site.
• Includes a site map (or at least the main sections of your website) Provide links to all pages of your site. If you have a large site, including the main sections, or most trafficked pages, is fine.
• Uses absolute links, not relative Since we don’t know how many folders deep a user might be when they find our 404 page, start all links with a preceding slash (<a href="/about/name.php">).

A great 404 page goes even further and:

• Contains your contact information At least a name, email & phone. Don’t assume they’ll continue to click around until they find what they’re looking for. They might just want to talk, or have a simple question.
• Has a search box Most content management systems come pre-built with search boxes. Google also offers a free, custom 404 widget that will insert a search box (and sometimes suggestions) on your 404 page based on the URL that is entered into the address bar. It takes seconds to install, and is customizable with CSS. We’re using it on our 404 page.
• Suggests other pages the visitor may have been looking for See the custom widget in the previous bullet.
• Has a personal feel Let your users know that a human being created the page, not some complicated algorithm.

Here’s what can ruin your 404 page, and send your visitors packin’. Please don’t be that guy.

• Don’t settle for the default 404 page that your hosting provider has setup for you. It looks nothing like your site. Your visitors might think something is broken. And chances are, that default page is as helpful as a pair of sandals in a snowstorm.
• Don’t allow the user to think he/she did something wrong. It’s your website, you take the fall. Be careful of your language. Read through it from a non-tech-savvy person’s perspective. If they question what they did to get there, and not what you did, that’s a bad thing.

A few examples of nice, functional 404 pages. Please share your examples in the comments (good and bad are both welcome).

• Science Overdrive – Written by a human. Contact info. Site map with annotations.
• Maxvoltar – Suggestions. Links. And a search box.
• Nectar Boutique – Accepts responsibility. Consistent navigation. Site map. Search box.
• carsonified – Very creative, yet still includes great information.
• STUDIO7DESIGNS – Simple. Highlights most important pages.
• KONIGI – Accept responsibility. Site map. Search option.

Benefits of being listed in the local business center

• All your contact information listed in one place.
  Includes your company name & description, website, phone number, email address, physical address, a map with one-click directions, hours of operation and parking.
• Upload photos.
  Our recommendations: your company logo, a picture of your storefront, a few portfolio examples, a recognizable face within your organization.
• Receive ratings & reviews.
  Customers can rate & write reviews about your company. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing a great job first.
• Include your YouTube Videos.
  (Google only)

How to add your business

Google Local Business Center

1. Go to Google Local Business Center.
2. Sign in with a Google account (Recommendation: Use the same account you are using for Analytics, AdWords, etc.). If you do not have an account, now’s a great time to start.
3. Follow the onscreen steps. Enter your information. Upload photos and/or videos.
4. Verify your listing. Choose the phone method. Google will call you immediately and give you a PIN number. Enter that PIN into the verification box.
5. It may take a few days for your listing to appear. Try searching for “[yourcompanyname] [yourcity] [yourstate]“. If it doesn’t appear within one week, sign back into your account and check it’s status (or ask us for help).

Bing Local Listings

*must use Internet Explorer or Firefox. Bing Local Listings does not support Chrome or Safari.

1. Go to Bing Local Listing Center.
2. Follow the onscreen steps. Be sure to list supplemental pages within your site that are of importance, especially pages with localized content specific to your area, or a contact page.
3. Verify your listings. Bing only offers snail mail verification. They will send you a PIN via the postal service. When you receive it, sign back into your account & verify your listing.

Yahoo! Local Listings

1. Go to Yahoo! Local Listing Center.
2. Sign in with your account, or sign up for a new one.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions. Enter all information.
4. Yahoo! will verify your listing for you, but it may take up to 5 business days. Sit back. Relax. Or learn how to jazzercise.

Use website analytics to improve your listing

Now that you’re sending people to your website, you should probably know what they’re doing. You can use Google Analytics (for free) to provide information about these visitors. There’s a whole other post on how to analyze this data, but here are the basics.

Look at the “source” of your visitors.

• Your local listing traffic from Google will probably show up as maps.google.com
• Your local listing traffic from Bing will probably look like all other search engine traffic from bing, bing.com
• Your local listing traffic from Yahoo! will probably show up as local.yahoo.com

Once you single out the source of your traffic, you can then begin looking at:

• The location of your visitors
  If they aren’t from the area your business is located, maybe they’re planning on moving to the area… or they’re just lost.
• Which pages they are viewing
  Are they viewing your supplemental pages from Bing? Are they finding your coupons? Discounts? Store hours?
• How long they are sticking around
  Do they hit your homepage and leave within 10 seconds? If so, you should evaluate your listing information with the info on your homepage. It might not match up.

Take advantage of negative reviews

Once your listing is up, don’t just let it sit there. Check back in and see if anyone has reviewed you. This can be especially important for restaurants, retail stores, or anyone interacting with a high volume of customers.

It’s free, unsolicited feedback. Learn from it. And improve.

And take action on the positive reviews too. If a customer gives you a great review, next time they go to buy something, be extra nice. Or if someone mentions an employee for providing phenomenal service, give credit where credit is due.

Thanks to Jeffrey Zeldman for teaching me some of the following techniques in his book, Designing with Web Standards. You should buy it. It’s fantastic.

Never use .jpg

For most of us, it’s obvious, but for the sake of being thorough, .jpgs do not support transparency. They will fill your transparent area with a white background.

JPG images are best used with photographs that contain millions of colors. JPGs also get compressed each time they are saved. And with each compression usually comes a loss in quality. For all lines, shapes & gradients containing a limited number of colors (essentially, everything except photographs), JPGs get saved at a much larger file size than both .pngs & .gifs.

To check the file size of your image before saving it, Photoshop has a helpful tool.

• Go to “File” > “Save for web & devices”
• Click the tab in the top-left corner that says “4-up”
• Now you can select each of the 4 boxes individually, and change your file type on the right
• In the bottom-left corner of each box, the file type & file size is displayed
• Compare file sizes & evaluate the visual end result. Then choose the appropriate file type.

.png is best for transparent images

PNGs are the way to go. In all modern browsers (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, IE7 & IE8), .pngs share excellent support. The transparency of the image is retained, and the desired look is achieved. PNGs also come with a smaller file size.

IE6 does not support transparent .pngs

If a user views your transparent .png using IE6, they will see a blueish/gray fill where the transparency is supposed to be. There are a few ways around this.

Microsoft’s proprietary css filter, AlphaImageLoader

Basically, you apply a css rule to the element that you want the transparent .png background image to show up for.

#content div {
  background: none;
  filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(src="imagename.png", sizingMethod="image");
}

Official link from Microsoft about AlphaImageLoader

The problems with using this method:

• It is invalid css
• It bulks up your code
• You have to apply it to each element you want IE6 to support .png transparency for
• Since we set background: none;, other background properties like background-position and background-repeat no longer work

JavaScript library, DD_belatedPNG

This JavaScript library converts the .png images into VML objects, displays them correctly in IE6, and allows for all background css properties to be used. It’s setup is a little more involved than the AlphaImageLoader, but much more efficient. To learn how to implement this method, please reference the DD_belatedPNG site.

Using .gifs with a matte color

Another alternative is to use the .gif file format to serve up your transparent images in IE6. (This can be accomplished thanks to conditional comments.) However, the Photoshop default for saving a .gif with transparency will create an image with a jagged edge.

In most cases, we can improve the look of transparent .gifs in IE6 by saving them with a matte color. The following image contains a screenshot of a transparent image saved in different file formats, with different matte colors. I used both a white background and a multi-color background to provide two real world examples.

When you use a matte color that is exactly the same, or very close to, the color of the background behind the image, the image looks crisp, and the jagged edges are gone.

How to save a .gif with matte color in Photoshop

• Go to “File” > “Save for web & devices…”
• Choose “GIF” from the dropdown menu
• Click the “Matte:” dropdown, and select a color
• Then click “Save”

I’ve included a sample file here to display all file types tested in this article.