Key Web Concepts was very eager to participate when we heard the news about Ian Stowe’s brain tumor. Recognized as a predominant athlete in the Virginia soccer scene, Stowe was connected to several networks and individuals in the community, including Key Web Concepts Inc..

“The tumor was determined to be Germinoma, a type of cancer caused by the improper migration of germ cells. The tumor was biopsied at Inova Fairfax Hospital, and after a week of pathology testing, Ian was diagnosed with Germinoma, a type of germ cell tumor typically resulting from a failure of germ cells to migrate properly in the body.” (Read more at strowestrong.com)

Ian has since moved to MCV here in Richmond and has begun chemotherapy and radiation treatments. We checked out his first “vlog” that Stowe released on Feb 5^th. You can hear the determination and dedication in his voice and feel honored to be involved in this fight, and we will win.

I know I can speak for everyone on staff, especially CEO Jim Thomas (soccer coach), when I tell you how eager and motivated we all were to get involved. The motivation remains and continues to grow with every day. We were  fortunate enough to get  the opportunity to design a logo and website for this amazing cause; having a chance to feel like you were a part of something special is a feeling no one can explain.

We encourage anyone and everyone to help build awareness around Richmond and the surrounding areas. By the looks of their facebook page – you would think not much was needed! The overwhelming support continues to rise by the minute. It’s very rewarding seeing the community come together for an individual who has been so driven and dedicated all his life, he deserves all the support we can provide, and then some. (Ian’s Story )

The Richmond Kickers together with Ian’s alma mater soccer team – William & Mary, have gotten involved and are hosting a benefit exhibition on Friday, March 23. All funds will directly benefit this campaign. (details here)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Another active way to get involved and to stay up to date is to join the growing number of facebook fans  for  #stowestrong. It was created to raise awareness and support for Ian Stowe, his family and the fight against cancer.

We hope to encourage others to support this cause and realize that each and every one of us, in some way, shape, or form has been directly or indirectly affected by cancer. And it’s nothing any of us are ever prepared to face. Let’s get through this together and stay #stowestrong.

The #stowestrong brand was created to align the universal goal of curing cancer, alongside the initiative to gain as much support for Ian Stowe and his family while he battles cancer today.

“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?

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

Introducing Daniel, our newest website designer.

He began just after the Holidays (does CEO Jim Thomas have this secret knack of hiring people when they’re already expecting presents?)

Daniel likes us so much, he travels an hour and half every day — to work with us lovely, crazy, creative people. Which is good, obviously; we wanted another awesome web designer to add to our already awesome team. He has several years of experience in graphic design and website design, including running his own company, Nextmark Design.

We’ve thrown him small clients to large clients, from simple to extravagant, and he has continued to impress time after time. Each challenge he has conquered, and each test he has surpassed, all with a smile on his face too. That’s more than we can say about a lot of folks.

But it’s true, “I have a passion for making beautiful user-friendly designs that help my clients succeed on the web.” And he shares that passion with the rest of us. Perhaps that drive and dedication to success and great design is exactly what convinced Jim to offer him the position. And we’re glad he did.

Fun Facts about Daniel:

Daniel Acree

• He is originally from Bremo Bluff, Virginia. » Heard of it? Neither have I. Sounds like a poker game if you ask me. Daniel himself says “it’s about an hour and half from Key Web Concepts… or any other semblance of civilization.”
• He’s a musician.  » Eh, most creative people have multiple talents, it’s just something we were born with. (ahem)  – But seriously, he is extremely gifted in creating original music and performing with his band, The Acree Brothers – his band was 1 of 3 finalists to compete  in LA at the National U Rock Battle of the Bands. Right on!
• When he’s not being creative at the office or in the studio, you can find Daniel playing family-man at his home with his lovely wife, Christan.

  Welcome to the team Daniel, you’ve already proven to be a valuable asset and we are happy to have you join us.

  PS – it was Jim’s idea to sit you next to J.

  

  Backstreets Back ?

  Oh, and Anthony wants to know if you’re a backstreet boy?

  Now let’s go meet The Intern!

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!

]]> http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/09/new-addition-to-the-keyweb-team/feed/ 1 http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/08/8-twitter-resources-for-businesses/ http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/08/8-twitter-resources-for-businesses/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:50:53 +0000 Shannon Sullivan http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/?p=1081

Just getting started with Twitter? Befuddled by the difference between a tweet and a direct message? Had it up to *here* with hashtags?

These resources will help you learn the lingo and find out how to use Twitter to boost your business.

1. Twitter for Business

Twitter has created a resource guide completely devoted to helping businesses learn how to use Twitter. It covers every aspect of Twitter, with sections about nailing the basics (Twitter lingo/glossary; best practices; how to manage Twitter on the go) and optimizing your Twitter presence (growing your community; case studies; resources/widgets; API integration), as well as using the Twitter advertising platform (promoted tweets; promoted trends; promoted accounts).

2. Mashable’s Twitter Guide Book

Mashable’s Twitter Guide Book is chock full of helpful how-to’s and tutorials. It breaks down retweets and hashtags and customizing your profile. It also explores tips for brands and executives on Twitter. The guide will walk you through sharing videos, music and images; you can also get tips and best practices for managing your Twitter account from desktop and mobile devices, and for making the information more digestable (i.e., using filtering, creating groups).

3. 140 characters conference

According to the #140conf website, “the #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business.”

In addition to a live tweet stream, you can also follow news about the event and read the blog to stay abreast of all the latest developments with Twitter, and how those changes and trends could impact your business.

4. Social Fresh: Twitter Marketing Training

Social Fresh has compiled a robust list of articles, from a variety of sources, to help you get started with Twitter. The articles are organized around the following topics:

• Why Use Twitter?
• How To Create An Account And Get Started
• Twitter Branding: Your Avatar and Background
• How To Get More Followers
• Twitter Strategy
• Twitter Chats 101
• Twitter For Customer Service
• Twitter Advertising
• Twitter Retweets
• Scheduling Tweets
• Twitter For Events
• Great Examples

5. AllTwitter

This “unofficial” resource for everything Twitter covers a broad range of topics, from statistics and announcements about the platform to industry-specific recommendations for Twitter accounts to follow.

6. Tony Hsieh

The CEO of Zappos.com, and Twitter evangelist(!), has put together a “just starting out” guide to help beginners navigate the waters of Twitter. It’s wonderfully warm, and feels like your closest friend is helping you out. It really makes Twitter less intimidating.

7. CIO.com

CIO.com has put together the following resource, Twitter: How to Get Started Guide for Business People, in order to help business people gain a better understanding of why Twitter is valuable, and how to get started using Twitter.

8. SEOmoz.org

SEOmoz is a fabulous voice in the search engine optimization (SEO) space; their blog is full of fantastic (understatement) insights and analysis of optimization/online marketing trends. Their posts about Twitter highlight the intersection of SEO and social media.

What are your go-to resources when it comes to Twitter?

But where do you get started? How can a business use social media?  What are the benefits? What are the best practices?

With the recent launch of Facebook For Business, I decided to round up some of my top picks for tips, tricks and advice for using Facebook for your business.

1. Facebook For Business

Straight from the horse’s mouth – a great place to start to get insight into using Facebook to market your business. The Facebook For Business center compiles a bunch of great information from setting up a Facebook Page or creating a Facebook ad campaign to using the Facebook platform to add a social layer to your website.

2. Mashable

Mashable is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to social news coverage. Looking for up to the minute updates, as well as a great store of articles covering the basics? Check out Mashable’s Facebook Guide Book.

3. HubSpot

HubSpot is a big name in internet marketing research. Their Facebook For Business Marketing Hub has everything you need to know (and more) about creating your Facebook presence–and taking it to the next level.

4. All Facebook

AllFacebook.com is an “unofficial Facebook resource” with posts covering a wide range of topics, including how-to’s, updates about Facebook scams and analyses of the most popular Pages and apps.

5. Inside Facebook

Inside Facebook professes to “tracking Facebook and the Facebook platform for developers and marketers.” They have a robust article archive brimming with insights, data and advice.

6. Social Fresh

Social Fresh takes a fresh look at using social media for business. Check out their various articles about using Facebook for your business; they also have their own list of  Facebook marketing and training resources.

7. Social Media Examiner

Social Media Examiner is your guide to the social media “jungle,” offering up how to advice, reviews, case studies, videos, interviews and other resources to help your business make the most of Facebook.

8. Kiss Metrics

Kiss Metrics is all about analytics. The Kiss Metrics blog is a hotbed of data, and there are some great Facebook resources here. Take a look at their beginner’s guide to Facebook marketing, or check out this sweet infographic about the science of social timing.

What resources do you use to stay on top of your Facebook game?

As technology continues to infuse itself into every aspect of our daily lives, the need to keep up with the way people are using this technology is becoming more and more important.   10 years ago, only 34 million people in the U.S. had a cell phone.  Today, a cell phone is a MUST with over 310 Million people depending on these devices to keep in contact  with loved ones and business associates.   My 12 year old assures me that he must be the only middle school student that does not have a phone!

In the same respect, while websites were not uncommon 7-10 years ago, it was rare to see  many Mom & Pop businesses jumping at the opportunity to get their business online.   The Yellow Pages was still the best way to reach their target market.

Fast forward to 2011.  The Yellow Pages is dying.  Direct Mail is on the decline.  Smart Phones & iPads are commonplace in business as well as the residential market.  People no longer ask you to “mail a brochure.”  They ask for your web address.

While a large percentage of business owners still don’t know how it all works… they know that their target market has changed the way they search for products and services.  A comment we hear quite often is:  ” I don’t know what it involves… I just know I need to get my business on the internet!”

As many have learned, getting on the internet is only the first step.  It’s not as easy as just grabbing a domain and throwing up a few pages through a free site-builder.  There often is a false impression that thousands of people will start flooding to their website just because it exists.  Without proper design and good search engine optimization, people quickly realize the old adage “You get what you pay for” rings true in website design as well.

Your website is your new storefront to the world!  Finding someone that can help build one that will inspire confidence and be easily found on search engines is critical.

Give us a call and schedule a free consultation so we can better educate you on “how it all works.”   Let us help you do it RIGHT.. the first time!

Jim Thomas
President
Key Web Concepts, Inc.