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March 17, 2010

Have a green St. Pat’s!

Posted by Heidi under General, Musings
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Green your routine!

Green your routine! small changes = Big Results

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s a wonderful day to be green. I was speaking with a client Monday and they were telling me what constituted being “green” in their industry. I found it immensely interesting – partly because I started my career as an environmental engineer before it was “cool” and before most folks really understood what I did for a living – and party because what I was hearing sounded like good business sense.

Educated environmentalism is an incredible thing. I’m very pleased to see that folks are concerned about our environment – have you ever visited the landfill? If you haven’t, you should – it’s an eye-opening experience. I’ve also visited hazardous waste landfills and hazardous waste incinerators – actually much neater than standard landfills because of the care that is put into monitoring those buried wastes.

On this green St. Pat’s, please review your habits. Buy larger concentrates and take the time to dilute them for use instead of buying lots of smaller bottles. Our environment is impacted by both the bottle’s manufacture and the bottle’s ultimate disposal – even recycling produces waste products. The same goes for bottled water – filter your own whenever possible!

A few simple steps everyone can try (things you probably heard from your mom anyway):

  • turn off the light when you leave the room
  • turn off the water when you brush your teeth (do you seriously need it running the whole time?)
  • turn off the TV or radio when you’ve not watching or listening
  • filter your own water
  • buy concentrated cleaners
  • recycle what you can – newspapers, soda cans, plastic bottles
  • wash full loads and if your washer doesn’t sense load size, choose the right size for your load
  • plan your errands and save gasoline (saving gas = less pollution and more $$)

Be a little green today. Every little bit does help and small changes add up to big results!

 

March 11, 2010

What makes a great keyword?

Posted by Heidi under General, SEO, internet marketing
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If you’ve spoken to anyone who is worried about their web site rankings, you’ve probably heard them talk about their “keywords.” Another word they may use interchangeably is “key phrase.” No matter which term they use they’re talking about the word or words that folks type in to the search box of their search engine of choice.

The major mistake that business owners make is assuming their customer searches for the product or service the same way the owner does. Usually business owners or managers are so deeply enmeshed in their industry that they think everyone else uses and understands their industry jargon. Don’t expect your customer to have the same intimate knowledge of your industry. There are lots of free tools that will let you get a feel for the way users are searching. Take a look at your web site analytics – they’ll give you some great insight into what words your customers use to find your web site online. Try a variation of the “Grandma Test” – ask a friend who’s not overly familiar with your business to find your web site using their favorite search engine.

If you’ve determined exactly how your customers are searching online, make sure your site reflects those keywords and key phrases. Believe it or not, search engine optimization is not all about the links in to your web site – it’s really about providing compelling content in a search engine friendly web site structure! I’m sure there are folks who will disagree, but for MOST businesses who are interested in selling their product or service to a local market – the site and its content is the foundation.

Get the basics right first – the traffic will follow with time and hard work.

 

February 8, 2010

Setting Basic Web Site Development Objectives

Posted by Heidi under General, Web Development
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Professional Website Design and HostingLately we’ve seen a troubling trend – businesses who are extremely unhappy with their web developers for various reasons. Usually, most of the problems stem from a mismatch between developer and web site owner. Granted, it can be quite difficult for a business owner to fully understand all the nuance of web development and even more difficult to know if each web developer interviewed is the best fit for their business.

So how is the business owner who isn’t a tech geek supposed to evaluate web development companies fairly and find the right match? The process should begin with a fair and impartial assessment of business needs, employee skills, budget, desired site deployment date and internal work loads. Businesses should be ruthless in their self-examination – since unfair or inaccurate assessments will only hurt the business by wasting time and money. Once needs are clearly defined, the business is ready to interview web developers.

These are some basic questions that the business owner (or business stakeholders) should ask themselves to develop a clear set of web site development objectives.

  1. What should our web site accomplish?

    Are you trying to build your brand, provide detailed information about your products and services, sell your products online – or some combination of these? The answer to this question will influence the answers to other questions because different web site objectives will drive discussions of budget, project timeline, employee needs, and so on. Web sites may be as simple as a “brochure” style site that showcases your business product or service or a complete on-line storefront.

  2. What other web sites do we find attractive?

    When you finally choose a developer, this will be one of the first questions they may ask to gain a better understanding of your vision. Look at other web sites to spark ideas before you talk to developers – develop a clear vision at the outset so that you approach prospective developers with finite objectives. You may want items included in your site that require a specific skill-set, and developers who use that skill-set regularly may be more reasonably priced than a developer who will have to outsource that work to someone else.

  3. How often do I plan to make changes or additions to our site?

    This begins the questions about a content management system (CMS). Developers love CMS systems because it allows them to disconnect from the client and move on to their next project.

    • Some developers have developed their own proprietary CMS systems that allow them to merely put together various modules and “skin” them for the client. This is very cost effective for the developers, but not always the best solution for their client.
    • Other developers use purchased CMS systems that are regularly updated and maintained by the software company. These systems are usually a much better choice for the client, but more expensive for the developer.
    • There are also open source CMS systems that are widely used by developers. These systems are cheap for the developer, but not very intuitive for the client and are sometimes the target of hackers intent on defacing web sites.

    Be sure you understand the benefits as well as the limitations of the CMS your developer proposes to use for your web site.

  4. Who (internally) has responsibility for updating and/or reviewing our site?

    We recommend clients update their web site monthly, but you must update your site sooner or later. It is important to identify who in your organization is responsible to periodically review and update your web site. This should be part of someone’s  job description and performance evaluation to be sure that this task is not forgotten!

  5. Do my employees have the skills necessary to perform their web related tasks?

    Once you have decided who in your organization is responsible for web site updates, you should evaluate their web related skills. Sooner or later you will discuss providing material for your web site and updating procedures with your developer – it’s good to know how much training your employees will need before you sign a contract.

  6. Is it more cost effective or efficient to pay a web professional to make periodic web site updates?

    If you plan to make only periodic updates to your site, it may be more cost effective to offer your developer a small monthly retainer to perform your updates. Not all developers will offer this service, as most don’t provide ongoing client service. However, paying for an hour of developer time once a month or once a quarter may cost significantly less over the long run than paying to implement an extensive content management system that you may or may not ever use. Although you don’t get the immediate gratification of a CMS, you keep your employees on task doing what they do best and allow your web developer to do what they do best.

  7. How will we market our web site?

    This is a loaded question that will drive some of your web development decisions.

    • If you plan to market your site through paid advertising either in print or online through pay per click (PPC) advertising, you can develop any type of web site using whatever you wish.
    • However, if you want your web site to appear in “organic” web searches your web site should be “search engine friendly.”
    • If you already have a web site, you can contact a search engine optimization (SEO) firm to evaluate your site for friendliness.
    • If you are interviewing web developers, be sure to ask how they insure their sites are search engine friendly. If they use a CMS be sure that the CMS uses search engine friendly URLs and allows the addition of standard search engine optimization tags.
    • If you’re buying a Flash web site, understand that they are not yet fully search engine friendly and you should budget for advertising.
    • Also ask if the developer adheres to the W3C standards for web development – it will make a positive difference in your search engine rankings.

Having a clear set of objectives before you interview web developers will help you make an informed decision. If you’re calling references or asking around about a developer, be sure you speak with someone who has had a similar type web site developed. If you are developing an extensive web site, you may wish to retain a consultant to help you evaluate developers and their proposals. And, if you feel at all hesitant about a developer – get another opinion. Don’t settle for a hit-and-run developer, find a firm who will be your web site adviser.

 

July 17, 2009

A new look!

Posted by Heidi under General
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Yep, we put up a new look for our internet marketing and seo web site (http://www.morrilltech.com) a little more than a week ago. So far we’ve gotten some good comments – but please let us know if there’s more info you’d like to see there. We’re putting up more educational material to help smaller business owners who may need a little help with SEO or PPC but aren’t ready or able to hire someone yet.

If you have any material or advice you’d like to see in our resources section, please let us know! Now if we can only find the time to refresh our blog look….

 

October 1, 2008

obstacles or opportunities?

Posted by Heidi under General | Tags: , , |
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The day I started this post it was raining – I’m not complaining, as we’re suffering from a dought and way below our normal rainfall. As I was watching the rain fall softly, I noticed something moving in our birdfeeder. We have a birdfeeder that is designed to allow small birds to enter and eat seeds while keeping out squirrels and large birds. It uses a wire mesh that surrounds the feed tube and seems to work quite well. The squirrels are able to hang on the wire upside down and scoop seeds out of the overflow tray with their paws, but not empty the feeder completely.

The designer of this particular feeder put up obstacles to the larger animals and birds, but has created opportunities for other enterprising individuals. One person’s (or animal’s) obstacle is another’s opportunity! A certain enterprising chipmunk has learned that if the larger feeders have been emptied by the squirrels, he can climb through the mesh of the small birdfeeder, sit in the tray and eat until he’s full. In fact, he’s also discovered that he can dislodge a loose metal perch and give himself just enough room to wiggle INTO the feeder tube and eat to his little heart’s content. (Personally I’m waiting for him to overindulge and get stuck inside the tube.)

Small businesses are often presented with similar situations. Small business can thrive by recognizing spots where they can out-perform their larger competitors. How can you find your opportunity? Get to know other businesses in your community, talk to your customers – where do you excel? How are you different? Find a focus, find a passion, be the best at something and let others know through networking. Small business is the heartbeat of our economy – we must succeed and we will succeed! Stay positive, stay focused, stay on track and keep being successful!! (BE the chipmunk!)

 

September 30, 2008

what do we hope to accomplish?

Posted by Heidi under General | Tags: , |
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When I’m not here, I’m helping clients market their websites. What is so interesting about that? Everything!

If I can help others focus on what they do best and help them be successful, then I’ve achieved my goal. I’m an engineer by training and focused many years on technology and its application to make life better for everyone. I worked in environmental engineering  for twelve years to help reduce pollution because I love science and wanted to make a positive contribution to the world we share. I loved both the science and the challenge. Life intervened and my focus changed from practical engineering and research to internet based programming and multimedia programming.

I wrote my first HTML code in 1995 as the co-owner of a new web development firm. I also wrote server side CGI code and client side javascript then multimedia code (lingo). We helped clients in a new environment. At first it was difficult to get across the point that their web address should be included in all their printed collateral. We had to educate our clients on Internet technology and how we thought it would impact business. As time went on businesses accepted web sites as a necessary part of business and it was easier to move beyond brochureware.

Since we were convincing clients that the Internet was a necessary part of business, we spent time optimizing their sites for search engines and closely tracking their traffic. Businesses were pleased they could see concrete data to support their marketing efforts and shore up their marketing funding requests, and end users began to be concerned about what data was collected by these same web sites.

Since we ran our own business and I had worked for large corporations we understood the need to provide feedback to our clients. Web site analytics was an extremely powerful tool that allowed us to show our clients how their site performed and gave us the information we needed to make realistic recommendations about the types of data presented on the site. Search engine optimization paired with accurate web analytics was (and still is) an extremely powerful combination.

Our current business offers internet marketing services to businesses as well as to web developers who are already overworked keeping up with the changing Internet technologies. We’re specializing in what I always found to be the most fulfilling part of development – helping companies make the most of their investment in technology. Our background with corporate entities and educational institutions as well as with web and multimedia design and programming makes us uniquely tuned to our clients’ needs. Technology in business is our focus as well as our passion!

 

September 23, 2008

why are we here?

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The most difficult part of most projects is getting started. We’ve needed to be here for a long time, but have put off and put off adding to the plethora of blogs available. That being said, why are we here?

First, what *is* lost in clover? You have to notice a few things about clover – it’s just about everywhere, it multiplies, and most of it looks the same! Then, you find that rare four leaf (or five leaf) clover. But, how exactly is the four leaf clover different from its three leaf bretheren? Apart from the obvious extra leaf, its overall shape is unique. Run of the mill clover is reminiscent of a triangle, it has an unmistakable shape and color in the carpet it lays across the fields. It’s different from the surrounding grass – its shape, color and texture are unique – and from it springs blossoms of purple or white.

It’s easy to get lost in a profusion of clover – one stalk resembling its neighbor. But when you pay close attention, you can occasionally see a difference in the pattern – a square rather than a triangle – and you’ve found the elusive four leaf clover! Some will go their entire life without finding a single four leaf clover. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t look or because they can’t see the differences nestled in the green carpet of clover. First, you must look – you must have faith that you will find the lucky clover – and you must be ready to recognize it when you see it nestled among its more common neighbors. Only its shape gives it away and in a profusion of clover, it can be difficult to pick out the true four leaf clovers.

What does clover have to do with anything anyway? Too often we get caught up in what we’ve always done – we see what we’ve always seen in the way we’ve always seen it. We’re not open to the beautiful differences that present themselves to us every single day. We don’t look with the eyes of a child, we look with the eyes of jaded adults – not looking for wonder in life and certainly not seeing it when it’s there.

Pause for a moment and look at a patch of clover – although it all may look the same, there are wonders to be found if you have an open heart and an open mind.