Skybox Creative Blog

What is the most important element of your website? If you as a consumer were asked to rank a group of sites in the same niche, you would no doubt focus on the visual aspects of the sites. Is the color combination pleasing? Are you able to easily navigate through the site and find contact information and purchase options? Were video or creative images used to enhance the design or are they overpowering and annoying? These are all questions our San Diego web design team asks whenever we build a website, but there’s more to creating a great site than just what human eyes see. We start our building in the back room first.

For those of you unfamiliar with web design terminology, the “back room” is where the coding is done. Your site may look great when you view it for the first time, but if search engines can’t find it, no one else is going to see it. The members of our San Diego website design team are also San Diego SEO experts. They have to be if our clients are going to experience any kind of success with their new websites. The design elements, content, and easy navigation of a site will create conversions, but it’s the coding that brings the traffic in the first place.

Preparing for Local Search Marketing

Are you in an industry where competition is intense, doing business in a saturated market where a spot on Google Page One could mean the difference between profit and loss this year? When products or services are so similar that consumers can’t tell the difference, those who are found first are most often the ones who will acquire the customer. One way to make sure you are that top ranked provider or retailer is to focus on local search marketing, beginning with modifying your coding in the back room. If you haven’t done it in a while it might be a good time to start.

Do your Meta Tags and Descriptions have your local community name in them? Adding the city is a good start; incorporating neighborhood names or nicknames could increase traffic flow even more. Does your site have videos or complex graphics on it? Those elements also have description tags. The term “Video SEO” seems to have been coined as a key marketing phrase by SEO companies this year. It sounds complicated; its not. The rules we apply when creating content for a website are the same ones we use when writing image and video tags – add local keywords, but don’t spam them, and make descriptions clear and concise so human visitors and search engine spiders know what they’re looking at.

The Whole Package – Not a Job Done Halfway

Skybox Creative provides our customers the whole package, not a job done halfway. Our visual designs are the finest you will find in San Diego. We credit this to the creative genius of our design team and the top of the line web design technology we have invested in, but that’s only half the equation. Our back room San Diego SEO team makes sure that you’ll see quality traffic when the site goes live – the kind of traffic that converts into sales. That is, after all, what you have a website for, right?

Google makes over 500 changes to its search algorithm every year, keeping Search Engine Optimization pros and web marketers on their toes. It’s hard to stay on top of what the search engine is up to. Recent changes, though, have been much publicized. Local searching – finding San Diego-based businesses if you’re in San Diego, for example – has gained importance as people access the internet on mobile devices. But now, precision in internet searching – and so in search engine optimization – is showing up in new ways.

Fresh Content

We’ve always known that new, current content on your website is important in ranking high in Google’s search results. But now it may be even more important. First, search results will include more text from your website, not just headers and menu. This means the more relevant content you have on your home page, the more meaningful your search listing will be to users. Google also recently tweaked their algorithm to check for levels of freshness for each user query. This will be used in combination with detectors that can tell whether sites are official, and thereby yield more authoritative results – official sites will rank even high in their search ranking. So people can’t game the system by simply throwing up new copy. Users can also specify date ranges in their search, with Google yielding only results relevant to that date range. All of this means that if you’re a San Diego retailer, you might want to consider homepage updates or blogs to keep ranking high for local searchers.

Verbatim Search

Another interesting change at Google is the “verbatim” search choice. When users select this, Google won’t suggest spelling corrections or alternative “close” search categories.  Verbatim searchers will find results that match their spelling (correct or not), tense (past, present, etc), exact verb form (“run” or “running”), and number (singular or plural), while using all of their search terms. This means that if you REALLY know what your customer wants, and you REALLY know the way they talk about it, you’re at an advantage.

Search engine optimization is an ever-changing part of marketing and Google’s secrecy can make it even harder. But when they DO let out some clues about algorithm changes, it’s worth taking a look.

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Branding Agency with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Should we thank the Android? Is it mobile device users searching for local restaurants and repair shops who are making the web so, well, local? Perform a Google search today and the first results will be marked on a Google map. These are local businesses and Google finds them using their Google Place pages. For example, even a search for Skybox Creative, returns a Google map of San Diego and our address. When did the web get so local?

Google search is getting more and more localized. And what does this mean for Search Engine Optimization? Aside from the general SEO rules about having updated, fresh and relevant content and using carefully selected keywords and terms, what else can you do to boost your company’s ranking in local search?

Local Directories

Local directories can be a great asset in your SEO strategy. Bing Local, Yahoo Local, and Yelp are great places to start listing your business to get it recognized in the local market – and boost your page ranking in Google. There are a lot of specialized local directories, as well, that often rank high for the kind of keywords you’d like to be found for. These are often organized around industries – legal, web design, dentistry — and you can search by region, for example, web design in San Diego, and find listings.

The best way to determine how you can boost your ranking in search results is to search keywords you think customers would use to find you and see what directories appear on the first page of Google results. Then make sure you’re listed in those directories. Many listings are free, but you might want to think about paying to be listed in the top-ranked – and most relevant – local directories.

Skybox Creative's Google Place Marker

Google Places

Google Place pages are another essential for SEO. Basically, you create your little marker on the Google map. This is the page that pops up most frequently on mobile devices.

Some of these pages are automatically created by local directories, so search your business to see if you’re already listed. If you are not the creator of the marker, you can contact Google to get a PIN number so that you can maximize the reach of Google Places. You’ll want to link the address to your primary website, instead of a directory listing and fill out your place page with your logo, keyword-rich copy, and even photos and video. You can also select relevant categories for your company, to make sure you’re included in a broad category of searches.

On the ever-changing landscape of SEO, it’s important to remember where you come from. After all, with the trend for searching local, that’s where your customers will find you!

Skybox Creative is a San Diego based Brand Consultancy with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO . Get in touch for a free quote on your next design project or search engine marketing campaign! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

San Diego may have beautiful beaches, great weather and a reputation for fun, but almost everybody here — just like almost anybody anywhere — is searching for something. A recent study on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) reports that outside of e-mail, the number-one activity people perform online is search. In fact, 72 percent of all Americans use the internet for search, with 60 percent doing it every day, primarily with Google, but also with Yahoo and Bing. If you think about your own online behavior, that’s probably not surprising. These behaviors are habitual, almost knee-jerk activities we perform as soon as we open our laptops or check our mobile phones. And with usage on mobile devices increasing — checking email on the commute home or looking for nearby restaurants — you can see that the findings make sense. So what does that mean for business?

SEO = Seriously Excellent Opportunity

This data means that Search Engine Optimization is as important as ever. And the good news is that the search engines want to help searchers — all of us, in San Diego and otherwise — find what we’re looking for. They are constantly updating their algorithms to root out sites that are simply trying to game the system and provide little real value. Which means that SEO can be less about percentage of keywords and tags and more about providing real content that customers want. For example, much was made of Google’s Panda update which helped users avoid “content farms” where content that was rich in SEO search terms but shallow on real information and could waylay users. Constantly changing to yield more valuable results, search engines are providing a perfect opportunity for businesses that want to provide substantive information to their customers online.

You can get a glimpse of this “only the real deal” strategy behind the algorithm adjustments at SEOmoz. They recently published a report that attempts to track all of Google’s algorithm changes since 2000. The approach is complex, but the objective is simple. Since almost everyone is looking for something, it’s just good customer service on the part of the search engines to help them find it. That’s something we can all understand.

And since we’re on the topic, we here at Skybox Creative have launched an SEO division serving our local San Diego clients as well as those from around the world.

Skybox Creative is a Brand Consultancy with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get a free quote for your next project! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Skybox Creative is expanding with a new focus on Organic Search Engine Optimization, introducing Skybox SEO! Elevate your online position through advanced search engine strategy. With affordable packages for business large and small, we offer a focused result-oriented approach. We’re so confident in our services that we offer no long term contracts, all campaigns are available on a month to month basis!

No matter which of our three affordable packages you choose, we’ve created a strategy that gets results! We’re offering both Geo-Targeted (location specific) organic SEO packages, as well as Non Geo-Targeted (national or global) organic SEO packages — and each package is tailored to generate the best results for your company. Read more about our services and SEO strategy here!

In as little as 30 days, you’ll see your website jump up the pages of Google and other major search engines. And, as a limited-time introductory offer, we’re taking off $100 every month from any of our SEO packages:

We’re positive that our services will help people looking for your products and services find YOU. Get a free SEO quote from us today: info@skyboxseo.com or call us at 619.537.9047.

Skybox Creative is a Brand Consultancy with an emphasis on Web Design and SEO. Get a free quote for your next project! info@skyboxcreative.com or call us at 619.381.3825

Any web designer, blogger or business owner should strive to understand how to employ SEO tools and tactics – for example, defining your keyword combinations and building a solid linking structure can drastically affect Google’s perception of your website’s quality. Yet, the most popular search engine on the Web has now handed us a huge new factor to consider: Google has revealed a change in its search algorithm, aimed to support high-quality websites over those that have less merit.

Read Google’s official announcement regarding the update

The effect of the algorithm change could have companies scrambling to tweak their online marketing strategies – nearly 12% of its queries will be noticeably impacted. Could this major change direct traffic away from your business’s web presence in the cyber world? Let’s take a closer look at the changes made and what kind of websites are affected.

The core of Google’s new algorithm is the use of temporal duration, data used to determine the quality of a webpage. In other words, search results will now be ranked by the length of time that a visitor spends on a particular website, before resorting back to the page of search results. Content used to be the determining factor for the order in which Google prioritized websites in the search results. However once companies understood the algorithm, useless sites began to cheat the system using duplicate content, high advertising-to-content ratios, or deviously embedded keywords. As a result of search engine manipulation, many high quality sites with less content were loosing their Google ranking. With Google’s new algorithm, websites that are more engaging in a visitor’s eyes will be recognized with a higher search results ranking.

Read a more in-depth study of who Google’s update affects

With that in mind, many SEO factors that previously influenced your website’s ranking still apply – the scope of your businesses social involvement (discussions, linking, sharing) is still an influence on the value of your site. However, now that content is no longer Google’s primary determinant of quality, website/business owners must realize that impactful web design is more crucial than ever – the focus has shifted to creating a pleasant user experience, in harmony with stimulating content.

So what can you do to make sure your business doesn’t go down under the new algorithm? Here are some secure ways to ensure that your website stays competent:

6 Tips to Keep Your Website High Quality:

1. Don’t forget that every page on your site factors into the equation – low quality individual pages could drag your whole domain down.
2. Don’t click the back button on your own site …and don’t tempt your visitors to click it either by presenting substandard content.
3. Avoid amateurish graphical errors. This means no clip art, no irrelevant artwork. Less is more.
4. Be professional, be trustworthy. Include an About Us page, Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, etc. Build trust by displaying professional trade association logos.
5. Add sticky content: videos or engaging photos or audio can keep a user occupied longer.
6. Prove the user with a comfortable viewing experience — if you’re going to keep your ads, make sure they don’t interfere with the content. With the content, use fonts designed for online viewing (try Georgia, Trebuchet, or Verdana), and take the time to choose colors/sizes wisely.

What page of search are you on for your target keywords?

Remember, Google’s new algorithm is a machine that reasons with time and statistics, but what determines those numbers are human users. Learning more about SEO tools and seeking quality design is a surefire way to keep your website in the loop – Email us at info@skyboxcreative.com for more info and a FREE SEO website evaluation.

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with SEO-conscious brand + web design.

Top 10 Best SEO Tools for 2011

Sifting through the maze of SEO information can certainly be a challenge, Organic Search Engine Optimization can be a full time job for multiple people depending on your goals. Luckily there are simple ways to educate yourself through a variety of free SEO tools offered online. Below we have compiled a list of the 10 best SEO tools for 2011 to help you understand your site, research your competitors, keywords and create a strategy to dominate the search engines. Because of the natural evolution of technology, we will likely have to update this list before 2011 is over, but here it is.

Initially, we hesitated to publish this list because these resources are that valuable… but we like to share! So here goes:

First things first, you have to understand what your site looks like in the eyes of search engines from an SEO perspective.

SEO Tool #1

SEO Website Grader
www.websitegrader.com

SEO Tool #2

SEO Blog Grader
www.blog.grader.com

SEO Tool #3

Check Backlinks & Anchor Text
www.bluebacklinks.com

SEO Tool #4

Search Engine Spider Simulator
www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider-simulator.php

SEO Tool #5

Alexa Ranking (Worldwide Rank, Search Analytics, Audience Stats, Etc.)
www.alexa.com

SEO Tool #6

SEO Book – Free SEO Tools (These SEO Tools tools can be used for ongoing website analysis and stats.)
www.tools.seobook.com

Next, it’s time to asses what your competition looks like. (Use the tools above as well as the tool listed below for this purpose)

SEO Tool #7

Spy on Your Competitors (Learn Competitor Keywords & AdWords)
www.spyfu.com

Now it’s a good idea to set aside a good chuck of time for research. This elaborate tool provided by Google allows you to research your industry keywords to learn about local and global traffic stats.

SEO Tool #8

Google Keyword Tool
www.adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Once your ready to move forward with an SEO strategy, the tools below will hep you with search engine & directory submission as well as PR article distribution.

SEO Tool #9

Search Engine & Directory Submission Tool
www.ubl.org

SEO Tool #10

Press Release Article Distribution
www.prnewswire.com

Overwhelmed with information? We’re here to help. Contact us today for a free SEO quote. info@skyboxcreative.com

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with award-winning brand + web design.

Search engine traffic, we all want it.

Google is at the forefront of every business owners mind, ranking high translates directly to business growth, there’s no denying that. So what are a few ways a website or blog can increase their search engine foot traffic? Here are 5 tips that can help get you started:

1. Title Tags on Your Website or Blog
This is one of those tried and true SEO tactics that has been around for a while and still makes a significant impact on your SEO today. One thing to keep in mind when writing your title tags is to think of the person searching on Google (or any other search engine for that matter), try to think of something that will make people want to click on your link. One way to do this is include the topic and a benefit, this easily allows for 2 keyword phrases to fit into the title.

A rule to remember: only 65 characters will display in the search results, anything after that will show up as … in the results.

Quick fact: 80% of top ranking pages include keywords in their title.

2. Blog Updates
We all know we should be blogging regularly, but who has the time right? People used to say once a week was good, but things are changing and fresh content is the key to search engine favorability. The new rule of thumb is to update your blog every 1-2 days (or more if you can manage that) to keep search engines indexing your pages regularly. Remember to use keywords in your title, URL string, body copy, categories and keyword tags. That’s the beauty of blogging, WordPress and other blogging tools make it easy to add keywords in a number of different places that really help you rank. Oh and don’t forget about linking…

3. Link to Other Blogs and Websites
As part of your SEO campaign, it’s a good idea to include outbound links. Google likes links to relevant and reputable websites.

4. Backlinking
This is one of the cornerstones of a good SEO campaign. The quality of your backlinks is very important though, the better the page rank and the higher the foot traffic, the better the backlink. Also what anchor text are you backlinking from? There are amazing free tools like BlueBacklinks.com that allow you to see how many backlinks you have and what anchor text is linking to you.

5. Internal Linking
If a blog post or page within your site has achieved a good page rank, use it to build in a few links to other pages within your site. Links will still hold search engine value even if they are coming from within the same site.

For an SEO website evaluation, contact us at info@skyboxcreative.com or call 619-381-3825

Skybox Creative, Inc. – Elevate your business with engaging brand + web design.

The Art Institute InSite Interviews Skybox Creative on how designers can effectively use social media to promote themselves. Read the Q&A below.

1.   Why do you use social media platforms?

We utilize social media to build relationships online that we further strengthen offline and vice versa. Say we go to a networking event and meet a few people, we usually try to add them as a friend on our company Facebook or LinkedIn, this allows us to stay in front of them and open up ongoing dialogue. We also search social media sites for companies/people with similar interests, for example being eco-friendly. We will add them as a friend and then post specials for our green printing company, this way the message is more targeted.

2.   What is the best way for an artist or designer to use these outlets?

Well, a lot of the sites are interwoven now, so it’s important to do a little research and make a list of things to do/profiles to set up/link together. For example, Behance.net allows you to display your portfolio on LinkedIn.com, that’s huge. LinkedIn is still the top Professional social media site, so to be able to have your portfolio displayed on your profile is huge. LinkedIn also offers the option to share your updates on Twitter, we linked this feature, now we primarily use LinkedIn and it will automatically keep our Twitter up-to-date. There are a ton of portfolio sites, like CarbonMade.com, Behance.net, Coroflot.com, etc. I think a designer looking for work should be on all of the top portfolio sites and actively add friends, get involved in discussions, join groups, etc.

Another smart thing to remember is that “to give is to receive”, its a good idea to give recommendations to people you know on LinkedIn, then you can ask for the same in return. Or help a friend get introduced to someone via LinkedIn, these kind of selfless actions can really help in building relationships and helping you get more recognition for yourself. Also when posting updates and links on Facebook for example, try to offer an idea or resource that will help others instead of only being focused on your work.

3.   How has Facebook and other social media outlets affected your business?

It has helped keep us in the forefront of people’s minds. Whether they are a potential client or not, if they are thinking about us, they tend to refer their friends and clients to us when they mention “web design” or “cost effective printing”. We host a lot of networking mixers and this has been a great way to promote the events as well.

4.   Are there certain social media musts for artists and designers or does it depend on the individual?

I think you should pick a few and focus on them. It’s very easy to become overwhelmed with social media because it can really be a full time job. As technology moves, more and more sites will pop up too, so it’s important to try to watch the trends. Sites like Mashable.com help keep you up on the latest trends. There are sites like Ping.fm that allow you to update several profiles at once and other applications like Tweetdeck.com that allow you to streamline the Twitter process, schedule tweets and sort your contacts into groups. One thing we’ve done several times is submit our designs to the Designer Spotlight on iStock. If you used an image from their site in a design, you can submit the artwork. If they accept the design, you get free iStock credit, but more importantly it is a form of recognition you can use to help promote yourself (as profile updates, blog posts, etc.)

5.   Any tips and tricks for successfully using social media for art/design work?

Networking is key to success online and offline. Sites like Meetup.com have great niche groups like “Web Design San Diego”, I would recommend finding groups that have similar interests and attend an event or two each month. Even if you are surrounded by your peers, you might be surprised by how many clients you can get from it. We’ve gotten quite a few clients from web design meetups. Not only can you learn from your peers but since people typically have a specialty, they often need good referral sources for everything they don’t do (and are asked for all the time).

Hope you found this information helpful! Feel free to add us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!

The Google Toolbar is full of great features including an easy access Search feature, easy Bookmarking, Page Rank information (Google uses a scale of 1-10 to determine a website’s relevancy and importance) and more. Recently, they’ve added a new Share feature which allows you to share a web page with your friends on the most popular Social Media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Myspace, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Blogger and more…

Share any web page with your friends right from the Toolbar
• Click the Share button on any page and select a service.
• Add an optional personal note and send to your friends.
• You can modify which favorites pop up by going to Share > Settings.

Click Here to Learn More

A few Google Toolbar features:

• Share any web page with your friends right from the Toolbar.
• Contribute and read helpful information on any web page with Google Sidewiki.
• Translate web pages instantly with automatic language detection.

Download the Google Toolbar