“So far so good”, says the two newbies.

I suppose they haven’t gotten to know J all that well yet.

Dun dun dun » The INTERN.

Yep, we have one of them too.

–I like my coffee to look like chocolate milk, Jim actually prefers that it is chocolate milk, Anthony likes his black, Daniel (well I don’t know about him yet, but I’d suspect The Intern does)… Ashley – I don’t think she drinks coffee and J? Well J is just a coffee snob so who knows when it comes to him… (I bet The Intern does).

Meet Michelle:  A blonde little lady with lots of ambition. Not to mention, it’s kinda nice having another female in the bullpen. The “man-lunch” outings were getting a little annoying.

Michelle studied graphic design in the Fine Arts program at John Tyler Community College. She worked as a graphic designer at a print shop for two years before joining us this year at Key Web Concepts. After doing graphic design, she realized her next goal was website design. She’s adapted well and is eager to grow as whole – in the design industry.

——-

Besides the silly errands we may, or may not have Michelle do, she keeps a good spirit and is anxious to prove herself to the “man up the hall”. We’re starting to move her into the conference room during our consultations and she just might have what it takes to make it in this crazy whole wide web world. (<– say that three times fast)

My only complaint with The Intern is that she needs a new football team. Greenbay Packers, really?

Fun Facts about Michelle:

• The girl is originally from Canada! » That might not be a big deal to some of you but, sheesh, color me intrigued. She moved to Chesterfield six years ago and already knows her way around the busy streets of Richmond.
  

• She’s a photographer. » (See what I mean? Creative people have talents, not talent. Ninja moves maybe?)
  Michelle practices in Real Estate Photography and loves capturing the right image at the right moment with just the right lighting. Editing and designing images comes with ease after the perfect shot.

• She says we are “very creative and friendly.” » Hey, if that’s not a fun fact, I don’t know what is!

  I must admit, Michelle seems to be fitting in just fine with us here — even if we do call ourselves “web-wizards”, “graphic-magicians”, and “word-ninjas”. After all, with so much creative buzz crawling the ceilings and walls of our office, we will need someone to organize our Key Web “Concepts”; the Project Manager position opening up anytime soon in the future, Jim?

  
  

  Welcome to the team, Intern, soon enough we’ll get over this whole “intern” gig and start calling you Michelle. You know, like when the next intern gets hired maybe?

  Keep up the good work, don’t give up, and always remember – “man-lunches” have nothing on us! Right, Ashley?

Google Says Content Must Change, and Must Change Regularly

I hate to say “I told you so,” so I won’t. But I will remind you: Content is King.

Google and it’s ever-changing ways. How do we keep up?
I will tell you how, ninja style. Stay ahead of the game and a step behind “The Google”.

(The Google: An important and demanding, yet, very valuable search engine on the Internet that controls a large majority of the traffic to your site, or lack there of – “The Google Knows Best”).

I know it’s frustrating when you think you’re ahead in your SEO tactics, then The Google throws another curveball. Entreprenuear.com headlines this change with: “New Google Search Update Could Spell More Trouble for Business Websites”. Now do we have your attention?

Google Demands Content Updates, standard SEO does not cut it

The Google reminds us once again that content means everything. With the ever-changing SEO guidelines that google seems to spit out every other quarter, it challenges businesses to stay on their toes. Then there’s the debate on whether Google penalizes those websites that don’t update their content on a consistent basis or not. On the web-waves now it’s either

* Update your content regularly because Google only favors fresh, updated content

OR

* Unless your constantly covering current and recent events, regular content updates are not necessary.

Search Engine Watch points out that many webmasters/publishers struggle with creating new and engaging content as regulary as Google demands it.  Search Engine Watch also warns  to remember, though, that quality, evergreen content can hold its value for years; keep the topic and immediacy of searches in mind when creating new content.

One thing we also need to keep in mind when battling The Google is that your product, in the end, is bought by the consumer – a human being, not a search engine. Yes, you must attract those google web crawlers to your site by keywords and relevant content, but those sneaky crawlers are smarter than you think. If it’s stuffed with keywords and not readable by a real person, they will know and it will find you, then shut you down.

This new update is basically a newsflash screaming “FRESH content is FAVORED”, but it’s only actually detrimental to those businesses that are challenged to to produce timely content, specifically referring to

* recent events
* hot topics
* recurring events
* topics with frequently updated information

So keep this in mind when updating your content, Google is taking a stab at another tool that in the end is geared towards giving the end-user the most accurate result for their search, google recognizes when the topic and immediacy of the search matters most.

SearchEnginewatch.com says  “If you don’t update your business website very often, you may want to rethink your online strategy.” That’s a pretty bold statement, stating that this change is expected to affect as much as 35 percent of all searches on Google.

Create a Blog

This is key.
This is actually your golden ticket to get google’s spider to crawl on your web. Blogs are constantly changing, so link it with a wordpress site and it’s automatically embedded in your site and therefore counts as content management. UPDATE your blog — it’s a win win, you’re with the times and Google likes you.

* Unique
* High-quality
* Relevent
* Useful
* Helpful
* Informative
* Current
* Create content with value that your audience can’t help but want to seek it out
* Make “sharing” your content/blog/article easy

Add to this content. Maintain this content. And continue to nourish to this blog!

Visitors trust sites when they can go to it and recognize that the site is useful and established, and of course up-to-date.
Blogs are effective in the sense that a lot of common businesses have no other way to produce new and fresh content that can be frequently updated. Just keep your posts short and informative on a specific topic, this could be news about your business, a new product, a new employee, anything new for that matter.

The SEO updates with meta tags and keywords is just NOT enough anymore says google, content content content.

May I remind you – CONTENT IS KING!

Now, don’t try and rush into developing new content, Google is smarter than you think. Trust us, we’re the professionals. Those google spies will catch you and significantly devalue your ranking if they find:

* copied content
* spun articles
* fabrications
* keyword stuffed content

Now back to driving traffic to your site, back to SEO tips. Staying up to date on these search engine trends can be exhausting, (you heard it here first)  it’s frustrating to figure out when Google is going to change it’s mind again or if THIS time, the rules are here to stay.

A lot of copywriters these days not only are content writers, but SEO specialists as well. (Hi, remember me?)

What I mean by this- is a new term hitting the “web waves” called a content strategist. I won’t bother filling this blog with technical terms on what a “content strategist” is by dictionary definition; BUT, I will do my best to clearly explain why you need one. 

It’s one thing to know how to write, it’s another thing to know how to write in a marketable way that makes people want to take action.

I like to call a content strategist a “word ninja”. I will defend your site against spam, skillfully and effectively promote your business, slash pages of useless stuff (if necessary), and use my special powers (SEO skills) to lure your target audience to your site. A word ninja rises above enemy lines (competition) proving to visitors of your site they came to the right place to find what they were looking for. And maybe I’ll throw a few ninja stars in there to boost the traffic too. Ninja stars = shurikens = what I call your social media outlets.

CONTENT IS KING: My ultimate goal with every client is to make them MONEY. Money can’t come if awareness is absent. How do you make your company known? By drawing people to your website and keeping them there. I know a bunch of SEO (search engine optimization) tricks to tell the web crawlers that your site is the one that viewer is looking for. (The Word Ninja’s Mission)

You would be surprised how important it is that the right words come across in the right way when compiling the content for your site.  If it’s not done right, your business could suffer. This is why hiring a copywriter could very well mean the difference between success and failure. Word ninja’s often work alone on their mission, but they train (prep/brainstorm) with other ninjas (web designers<– I like to call them web wizards) all working together toward same goal – ultimate success of assigned mission.

Some businesses don’t realize that you can’t simply create a website and think that’s good enough. Just because you’re on the World Wide Web doesn’t mean that your potential customers are going to find you. A copywriter ensures they will.  We know the right words to use and how to use them with an advantage to your business in a very marketable way. We drive traffic to your site through back links, social media, keywords, and… content, content, content. Did I mention CONTENT? Ninja style.

Personally, I like to really get to know the company inside and out. I want to know all about you, why you’re doing what you do, where you’re from, who is your client base, how big is your staff, what do you want from your website, what do your clients want from you? No matter what kind of industry I am working with, language is a key element. Words are what drive interest in any business, and ultimately words are what drive people to your site.  We work closely with the clients and pick out– sometimes the smallest thing you may mention– and turn it into an entire marketing campaign, maybe even a slogan or logo.

Hopefully you get the idea of why it is important for you and your business to focus on content. Keep up to date with blogs for continued advice and links to tools that will help your business and drive sales to your website.

Til next time………..
NiNjA exiT —-

]]> http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/09/content-is-king-hire-a-word-ninja/feed/ 0 http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/09/all-things-art-and-all-things-ferg-meet-our-newest-web-designer-anthony/ http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/09/all-things-art-and-all-things-ferg-meet-our-newest-web-designer-anthony/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:07:18 +0000 Erin http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/?p=1118

@artferg

Anthony joined Key Web Concepts just a few days after I started working here.

But who cares who’s first, right?

Since I posted a nice little introduction about myself, I deemed it only appropriate to do so for my new co-worker, Anthony Ferguson. He’s an extremely talented artist and was chosen as one of our web designers for a reason; he excels in illustration, print/web design and logo development.

“I graduated from the University of Richmond in May 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and Art History. After graduating college, I spent over a year working as the full-time graphic designer for Velocity Micro, and helped them launch a line of Android tablets called Cruz. I left Velocity Micro in September 2011 and currently work at Key Web Concepts.”

(good move Anthony!)

He’s hardworking and creative, and has quite the speedy turn around when handed a project. His talent is very unique and we are all happy to have him on board.

Anthony says: “…I almost always focus on the spiritually provocative with a dash of humor. I am unafraid to ruffle feathers and I refuse to hide behind ambiguous and convoluted meanings for my work. Bottom line, I believe that whatever I have accomplished in my life and in my art is not my own work, but the undeserved grace of God. Art is what I have to share, so I’m going to go at it full throttle! So don’t expect me to hide it away in an act of false humility!”

AKA – he’s going to bring a lot to the table. Want something exceptional created for your website that stands out from the rest? We got your guy.

J, you’re still a graphic magician and perfectly awesome in every way

The welcome I received here is just what I needed to assure me I made the right choice in coming on board. To top it off, I received the phone call from our company president, Jim Thomas, on my birthday! (talk about a “happy birthday”)

@ebthatswho

Little background on me:

I am a Mass Comm graduate from VCU with a concentration in Public Relations, and a minor in Marketing and Business. I have worked for production companies in the past as an Account Executive, and have over 5 years experience in PR and Marketing.

I am also the Co-Director of Marketing and Public Relations for RVA Fashion Week and have been since 2008. My experience with account management and campaigns will prove that I am the right person to meet our clients needs, and help continue the success of all projects that come through our door.

I am very appreciative of this opportunity and look forward to many days to come! I hope to contribute more to our blog and post some interesting as well as fun information for business and for leisure.

Let’s start with a nice little blog about the “dying press release” , still debatable? (figured this was specifically appropriate coming from me)

See you soon!

PS- Go Redskins!

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