What Does NOT Help You Rank Higher on Search Engines - 12/28/07 09:44 AM
Search engines are not mystical beings that are moved by the correct sequence of cerimonial rituals. Search engines are simply trying to bring the best results to their users for their searches. If you just use some basic logic as to how a search engine might determine the best results you can rule out a lot of common myths that people claim help you rank higher, here are a few that I've been seeing lately:
Resubmitting your web site to the search engines regularly. This helps nothing, search engines are smart enough to know how often you update your web site, resubmitting … (18 comments)

Ergonomic Blogging - Avoiding Carpal Tunnel and Other Computer Related Health Issues - 12/26/07 04:09 PM
If you're like me, you spend more time on the computer than sleeping. This can be very unhealthy if you don't train yourself to use good ergonomics, here are some tips to help you make sure you'll be blogging until you reach a ripe old age!
Sit up straight. If you have one of those office chairs that let you lean back, lock it in the upright position while typing large amounts of text to help you remember to keep those vertebra lined up.
Keep your wrists straight while typing and clicking. Raise your chair or push the keyboard back and rest your … (2 comments)

Choosing the Right Font - 12/26/07 08:18 AM
Believe it or not, there is a philosophy and a method behind which fonts should be used depending on the situation.
Fonts are divided into two basic categories, Serif and Sanserif.
Serifs are the little tails that extend from the ends and various parts of some fonts.  The most commonly used serif font is Times.
Sanserif fonts do not have these tails, this would include fonts like Arial and Helvetica.
When should I use a font with serifs?
The purpose of these serifs is to create subliminal lines for the eye to follow and keep its place. Serif fonts are meant to be read in large … (13 comments)

How To Create A Fancy Email Using HTML - 12/20/07 10:18 AM

This will require all the knowledge covered in my former blog post, How To Update Your Web Site.
Creating a fancy HTML email is very similar to creating a web page, but there are a few details that are different to make it work as an email.
Step 1
Make your email as a web page using your HTML Editing Software. Go crazy! Make it look totally sweet!
Step 2
Make sure all image links are absolute and not relative. This means they point to the full address of your image, and not the short relative version.
Example:
relative = "/images/picname.jpg" This is not what you … (8 comments)

The Techy Skill Meter(TM) - New Blog Feature - 12/20/07 08:05 AM
I am implementing a new feature into my blogs, The Techy Skill Meter(TM), patent pending,  so don't rip it off.
It's purpose is for your amusement, and to help you quickly gage whether you should attempt this tech tip on your own or seek the aid of you high school age child. Bottom line, it save you time!I don't want to force a techy newby to read an entire blog post that will only be way over their head, and a waste of valuable time.
 Here is a an example:
 
Following this graphic I will usually post a brief outline of the basic knowledge … (6 comments)

How To Update Your Web Site - Beginner's Guide - 12/19/07 02:18 PM
If you have a web site, and you wish to make minor updates to it without subcontracting the work out, here is an easy guide to help you accomplish that.
What you need:
Your web site's FTP login info. You can get this from your web host, or anyone who works on your web site. An FTP program. There are numerous free ones on the net, FileZilla is a popular free one.  Dreamweaver and Frontpage have one built in.Web site editing software. Dreamweaver and Frontpage (which is discontinued and now Microsoft is pushing Expression as their new web design software) are the popular … (7 comments)

Effective Branding - 12/18/07 09:23 AM
In all of marketing wether it be the internet, signage or print publications, you need to create a brand and keep it consistent. Make a logo, pick a color, use it everywhere you advertise. This creates brand recognition.
What is brand recognition?
When someone sees your logo and knows exactly what it is instantaneously without reading the text or thinking about it. Just by seeing the color and distinctive shape they know it is you. Hopefully they have good feelings associated with this recognition, but that is not what we are discussing now.
The #1 way to ruin brand recogniton, by not having a … (3 comments)

Link Bait - The Art of Getting Inbound Links for SEO - 12/17/07 02:44 PM
In my past blog post "What is a Good Link?" we discussed that the best link to your web sites when it comes to SEO is a Natural Link (See cited post for more info on natural links). One individual asked how you can get a natural link, among other methods I mentioned "Link Bait".
Link Bait is particularly interesting web content that is designed to make webmasters want to put links on their web site to yours.
There is a brilliantly creative example of Link Bait floating around the net right now! Here it is:
http://www.elfyourself.com/
Career Builder did one a while … (25 comments)

Google Update, Good News for the Little Guy - 12/17/07 01:00 PM
You may have noticed an increase in your page rank if you don't spend large quantities of money on web advertising, but you do have a fairly decent amount of natural links to your site. This is due to the latest google update which removes the value from paid advertisements when calculating where your web sites rank in the search results. The big guys with multi-million dollar advertising budgets, who buy banner ads all over the web, may find themselves getting knocked down several slots in the search results.
How has this update affected you?  How are you going to capitalize on … (3 comments)

Email Etiquette - 12/14/07 12:55 PM
This is crucial. I've seen poor email etiquette lead to fights! In and out of the work place. Even if your email is completely written in a neutral tone, it can be interpreted as angry.
Here are some tips to keep your emails professional and polite.
Use punctuation, always.Never type in all caps (an occasional word in all caps for emphasis may be ok, use discretion).Never use more than one exclamation point.In a work related email never use abbreviations, especially "LOL".Never use Comic Sands, Papyrus, or any other hard to read or artsy fonts.Always say "Thank you" at the end of each email.Say … (9 comments)

Common Anti-Flash Web Design Myths - 12/13/07 12:47 PM
I want to take a moment to debunk a lot of common myths about Flash web design. Flash is an awesome medium for a web designer to utilize to set himself apart from the next guy (or gal). In the same respect, Flash is an awesome way for Realtors and Real Estate Companies to set themselves apart from their competition. But a lot of Web Designers actually discourage their clients from using Flash on their web sites. "Why is this?" you might ask. Well I think the main motivation behind this is that the Web Designers are either too lazy to … (2 comments)

What is a good link? - 12/13/07 08:19 AM
The best links are natural links from a web site that has a high google page rank value.
What does that mean?
Natural Link = A link someone gives to you because your site is the authority or at least worth looking at in regards to whatever the topic at hand is. The best natural links are text, in the middle of a paragraph, with link text that is a good key-word phrase someone might use to find your site in Google.
Example:
If you're looking for the best Gainesville, Florida Real Estate Company, visit the Bosshardt Realty web site. They are localy owned and … (21 comments)

Has Your Real Estate Web Site Dropped in the Google Rankings? - 12/12/07 02:15 PM
If it has, you probably pay to advertise on at least a few web sites. According to a recent interview with Google's spokesman Matt Cutts, Google has dramatically decreased the value of "paid-for links". Gone are the days when you could just throw tons of cash at your web site and shoot up in the rankings on Google.
 Didn't pay for links you say? Still dropped in the rankings you say?
 This is most likely a trickle down effect of web sites that do link to you and formerly ranked higher due to paid-for links.
 Good luck trying to get people to link … (4 comments)

 
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Robert Krames

Gainesville, FL

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Smart Media Creative Solutions

Address: 5522 NW 43rd Street, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32653

Office Phone: (352) 240-9109 x 355

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