A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS: THE IMPORTANCE OF LINKS.

In addition to evaluating and ranking keywords, search engines place varying degrees of importance on the links between Websites. The vast majority of web pages in most search engine databases have been found via other Web pages that the search engine has already indexed. The more active links that exist to a particular page, the better its chance of achieving a superior ranking. Having your site listed in various online directories, for example, is one way to create a measurable effect on your site’s appearance in search results. Why? Well it’s a popularity contest of sorts. If other, well-established and well-trusted websites link to your site, they are in essence vouching for your site, or voting on its behalf. Your site looks better and more relevant simply by being associated with other respected sites.

Did you know: Yahoo! will return a list of pages linking to a given site? The search command is linkdomain:example.com.

YOUR BEST PROSPECTS ARE SEARCHING FOR YOU!

You’ve built a great Website. It’s strategically sound, professionally designed, and quickly meets the needs of various types of site visitors. Congratulations! Now what?

A recent Forrester Research report estimates that 80% of overall Web site visits begin in a search engine or directory service. Why is this so significant? Because it means your prospects are no longer waiting for you to find and sell to them. Instead, they are finding you, and your competitors, instantly via Google, Yahoo!, MSN and other search engines. In this new environment, by the time your phone rings, or you receive an online inquiry, your prospect has often already decided that yours may be the best company for them. Their business is now yours to lose. This concept is so important that it needs repeating. Today’s consumers buy, they do not wait to be sold!

Congratulations to Compass Education located in West Roxbury Massachusetts for launching their completely re-established branding yesterday. MetroCreate worked closely with Compass Education founder and operator to not only rebuild her company website to be more professional and functional, but we also put together a new logo for the brand as well.

This project has a tremendous amount of custom user access architecture in that all the tutors and parents are able to login to the website and view their own individual calendar of events and messages particular to them. The new Compass website sits on a Content Management System that will allow the Compass team to maintain the website on their own going forward.

From the Compass Education About page:

"Compass Education provides one-on-one and small group tutoring services in your home, school, or local library. Compass Tutors are teachers in training and certified Massachusetts teachers, many of whom also hold Master’s degrees in Education. Compass Tutors work with students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities."

Visit the live site here: www.compasseducation.net

I am excited to announce that today MetroCreate launched a new website for Boston author Edward J. Santella! Congratulations Ed!

From Ed's about page:

"Ed Santella lives in the Boston, Massachusetts area with his wife, Karen, and two feline life forms. Ed and Karen have two adult sons, two daughters-in-law, and a grandson. He remains addicted, despite treatment, to reading, writing, photography and the Boston Red Sox."

Ed's needs for a website really made him a great candidate for MetroCreate's micro website offering, in that he needed only a small website with 6 pages. Mico websites are great options for those on a budget or those that dont have the need for a large website. Perhaps the greatest aspect of a mico website is that it sets a great foundation for you to then build on as your companies needs increase.To lean more about how MetroCreate can get you going with a small, medium or large website-contact today!

Be sure to stop by Ed's website and consider buying his new book!

Live site: www.edwardjsantella.com

I am very happy to announce that for the 2012 Free Website Program, the MetroCreate team have decided to not offer only 1 free website, but 2! The response to this years Program was so great resulting in a very hard time for us narrowing down the selections. In years past and most likely in the future, we typically only select one Free Website Project per year, so increasing this for 2 is a big deal for  MetroCreate!

So without further adieu the 2012 Free Website Recipients are:

Massachusetts native, and author,  Kevin Carey is now online! Congratulations goes out to Kevin who today launches his first website- the first step in many for creating a larger internet prescience for himself. In the coming weeks I will be working with Kevin to build a blogging component onto this site.

Kevin's needs for a website really made him a great candidate for MetroCreate's micro website offering, in that he needed only a small website with 3 pages. Mico websites are great options for those on a budget or those that dont have the need for a large website. Perhaps the greatest aspect of a mico website is that it sets a great foundation for you to then build on as your companies needs increase.To lean more about how MetroCreate can get you going with a small, medium or large website-contact today!

Be sure to stop by Kevin's website and consider buying his new book!

Live site: www.kevincareywriter.com

For those of you not familiar with the Free Website Program you can learn more on this page. In brief the program was established in 2009 to offer marketing services to non profit organizations in the Metro Boston area. To date we have worked with Artspace Maynard, Cambridge Art Association, and Spontaneous Celebrations.

Spontaneous Celebrations is the 2011 recipient and we are in the final stages of launching that website. Look for their new site to be live this spring.

For 2012 we have recently received a number of great inquiries, and have today closed the request aspect of the process. Myself and team are currently reviewing 6 Boston area non profit organizations-all offering such amazing services to the city and state. We are geared to pick the 2012 recipient on Wednesday February 8th, and making final announcements on Thursday February 9th.

If you are a NPO interested in this program and would like to be considered for 2013 please contact me today.

Thank you to all that have expressed interest in the program!

Does your company have news that your industry would find interesting, useful, and important? Perhaps your company recently hired a new person, finished a big project, won a big account or is attending a trade-show; this is all press release content that if optimized correctly could be leading more to your website and generating excitement for your brand. 

If you are already writing and distributing press releases, how are you optimizing them to rise to the top of Google searches? Are you adding in key words, links, social media, and multi-media?

If you are not currently using the power of press releases to your advantage, perhaps you are not sure where to begin. Here are some great tips to get you started. Please note that MetroCreate Studios offers PR SEO as one of our services. If you are interested in a consultation or project quote please contact us today. 

Now. On to the good stuff:

Embarking on a website redesign project is never an easy undertaking – such projects can be cumbersome, intimidating, and expensive. Getting approval to start the project is the first hurdle, but once you do then comes the work of evaluating your project needs and establishing a strategy for execution. Regardless of whether you are outsourcing the project or handling it internally, for the average marketer or business owner knowing what needs to be taken into account for a successful website redesign is a foreign concept.

I've created this Website Redesign Checklist to help you focus your thoughts and formalize them into a clear framework. By answering the following questions you should be on your way to developing a comprehensive RFP or project-scope plan that has the potential to lead to a redesigned website that delivers on your organization’s core goals and objectives.

Please note that this blog post is pretty long. If you would prefer to discuss this via telephone with me, please feel free to contact me.

We are excited to announce the launching of our latest web project. Over Our Heads is a company founded by Lauren Briere, a Massachusetts native. The company is wonderfully unique in that Lauren paints and decorates the under side of umbrellas, for the user to find enjoyment from. 

The website features professional photography of Brian Furbush. In order to allow the photography to communicate the usefulness and beauty of the umbrellas, it was decided that going with a very large slideshow on the homepage is the best way to accomplish this. Big bold photos are found throughout the website.

Over Our Heads is now taking preorders for two of their popular designs, which you can learn more about here.

Be sure to catch Over Our Heads article in the February edition of Oprah Magazine. 

Live site: www.overourheads.net