I stumbled across this website called www.dontclick.it. Of course, the concept is intriguing, but the thought crossed my mind, How would this concept affect SEO if it were to roll out across the entire Web?

First, the site is designed entirely in Flash. In order for it to do very well in the search engines at all, Flash would have to move beyond its current state of interest and the search engines would need to capability of crawling them. That’s already happening to some degree. But Google would have to to do better than that in order for Flash sites to be indexed the same way that HTML sites are now. That’s for starters.

Another thing that I think would happen if the entire Web looked this way is meta tags would go out of fashion completely. There’d be no need for them. If the search engines could crawl the Flash files and read the text and images for indexing purposes then there’d be no need for meta tags whatsoever. They’d completely disappear.

The most obvious issues related to search engine spiders would be the links. Since we’re talking about mouseover effects inside of Flash, there might be an issue with the search engines being able to crawl those links - at least at their present stage of development. Google has been known, however, to find solutions for its algorithms based on new developments in design so it is not entirely impossible that Google couldn’t figure that out. And what Google does the other search engines are sure to follow.

Still, the biggest downfall of a Flash-dominated Web would be the interlinking. Would webmasters still want to link out using mouseover links? Today, if you want to leave a website to get to another, you have to click a link and that takes a conscious effort. What about if you simply had to mouseover it?

You could make the mouseover require an action like swiveling the mouse in order to activate the link, or add a timer, but each method has some drawbacks. No matter, there would still be some SEO ramifications to any of these solutions. Would link building still have the same effect that it has today?

I realize some of this may be over the heads of readers who are new to the Web development and are still trying to figure out why linking matters at all. But eventually these questions will have to be answered. I see Flash becoming a more important part of the Web, but just how important remains to be seen. And, of course, like any new development, there will be adjustments. But the SEO part of the equation is one that I find intriguing and am somewhat concerned. Does anyone else share that concern?

Here’s an interesting question posed by Marketing Pilgrim. Does Google have a right to give searchers the option to skip intro whenever they are about to visit a sight with a Flash landing page?

I think so. Google has no obligation to webmasters to show their site exactly as the webmaster wishes. Google exists for searchers, not webmasters. And the search engine has said all along that it’s primary mission is to help searchers find information. Webmasters should make it their primary mission to help Google, and the other search engines, do a better job of doing just that. Flash intros impede the information searching game for searchers.

You know what I’m talking about. You search for a certain type of information and find a result on the SERP that looks like it might be what you want. You click the link and you land on a web page that has a Flash intro. It loads slowly. Sometimes you have a “skip intro” option and sometimes you don’t. Webmaster’s choice, right? Sure. Webmaster’s choice. But, what about on the search engine’s search results page?

This is where it gets sticky. Google can do whatever it wants with its own website and since its mission is to help searchers find the information they want, if a skip intro option on the SERP helps the searcher save time and find the HTML version of a page quicker then Google is doing what it set out to do - help the searcher find the information it is looking for.

If you are planning to build a Flash intro into your website, you might want to consider that no one will ever see it. Personally, I think Flash intros are useless. Flash in limited doses is OK, but don’t force your website users to site through a slow-loading Flash intro just because you think it’s cool.

Learn more about website design and development at Small Business Mavericks.

Which Comes First??

The Importance of Website Design

Designing a website that is not only relevant to your market but also optimized for the search engines will lay the foundation for your success. Successful sites on the web today are driven by social media and Web 2.0 platforms; your website must have a few fundamental elements of Web 2.0 design interwoven to the site so that components such as articles, blogs, and video can be shared easily across the major social networks. Without these components, you could be left far behind your competition and fail to reach your target market. In the end, this means lower levels of traffic and infrequent visitors.

A website that is both SEO-friendly and W3C compliant is another important element to keep in mind; if your site isn’t indexable by the search engines, even the most creative website promotion strategy won’t bring you steady traffic for the long-term.

The Importance of Website Promotion

Promoting your website also plays a critical role in website development; with the right strategy and well-designed site in place, you will be able to build steady traffic while increasing brand awareness of your business.

The overall design of the site can help you branch out into different social media networks and develop successful website promotion campaigns. For example, having a simple ‘share this’ feature implemented on your website will enable any user to bookmark your content and share it with their social network. This is a very basic, ‘natural’ form of website promotion that can essentially help you market your site to your target market. Including a discussion forum or a blog where users can post comments is another way to build a high-traffic site; this is another form of marketing as word-of-mouth spreads when users share information and link back to their posts and comments.

Without the appropriate features in place – which are all a part of your web design project - none of this can take place.

How to Proceed with Website Design and Website Promotion

When you’re building a website with new features and custom content, you will need to make sure the content is applicable to your target market’s needs. This is where a strategic marketing plan may be required, and this will then turn into a formal website promotion plan geared specifically to your market.

From the launch stages to tracking your visitors and learning about their behavior on the site, building your site to accommodate for your marketing strategy will help you get the leverage you need to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace – no matter what type of industry you are in.

If you liked this article, please give me a vote!

Want to protect an image? There’s a new tool online to help you do just that. It’s called TinEye.

TinEye is the first image search. The best application I can think of for this tool for small business owners is to see how your images are being used online. If someone is using your image without authorization and in ways that you don’t approve of then you can stop them from using your trademarks illegally and unethically.

According to their sales page, TinEye uses image identification technology and pattern recognition algorithms to see if images have been modified. So if someone takes your original artwork and modifies it for their own use without paying you for the privilege, you’ll know about it. Other uses of this technology include:

• The ability to research corporate brands and products
• To see how others have used a particular public domain photo so that you don’t duplicate them
• Research the use of stock photos online
• See how images you know have been modified

I’ve got to hand it to the folks at TinEye for coming up with a unique and creative idea in image search. If this tool works better than Google Images then I can see partnership coming. Image search online needs some improvement.

Many small businesses put their all into getting their logo graphic design just right. They spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on that ideal logo, the one that will leap out at their potential customers and make them want to buy. But sometimes that perfect logo isn´t all its cracked up to be.

What a Logo Cannot Do for You

It can´t sell your product. Your logo may draw attention to your product, but even the best graphic design won´t make a bad product good.

It can´t earn back your money. The best of logos won´t bring money in on its own, you need to back it with quality service and great products.

It can´t do your job for you. Your job of selling and providing customer support, that is. While good graphic design can help your logo stand out and catch people´s attention, in the end you are the one who has to sell.

Your logo is important, but it isn´t a magical thing that will suddenly make your business popular. It will help you establish a brand, and catch people´s attention, which is why it´s a good idea to have a professional graphic design artist work on it. However, be careful that you aren´t spending more money than you have to. With a good logo instead of a “perfect” one, you just might be able to afford more publicity and get that logo in front of more eyes, something much more worthwhile.

Graphic design is something that has long been hailed as THE method of branding your business. Good graphic design is certainly effective, but there are so many poor examples of it out there that it´s hard to see why it works. That might be partly due to our perception of what constitutes great graphics.

André at Small Business Branding offers a little insight into why graphic design is one of the worst methods of branding these days.

Businesses think nothing of letting the secretarial staff design their materials. This is not the case however if they need legal work done. The books are not handled by the janitor, they have an accountancy handle it and rightly so. Many pass off the in-house design as a way to cut costs. What they fail to see and apparently forget from business 101, is that marketing should communicate their brand message and differentiate them - NOT something that must be accomplished for peanuts, by anyone who knows there way around photoshop. The computer industry defines this nicely - Garbage in, garbage out. Garbage doesn’t make you money. The sad thing is, the lack of response to these amateur materials only strengthens businesses belief that marketing is at best a crap shoot, and the first things to cut in a slow economy.

Branding and marketing are two of the most important things you can do for your business. Without branding, you will have to struggle to bring in new customers every time you make a sale. Graphic design, when done properly, can create an image that people will remember and think of whenever they need your products or services.

As André´s post points out, it is well worth spending some real money on a professional graphic design artist, but you will need to hunt for one who actually knows what he´s doing. Otherwise, you´ll end up with graphics for your ads that just don´t convert and actually look bad. If good graphic design can catch people´s attention and draw them to your business, what does bad graphic design do? It´s worth thinking about the next time you start to hand off that graphic design job to your secretary.

Caroline
Small Business Mavericks
Back to the Blog

Though not as common these days, there was a time when the internet was flooded with gaudy websites that featured a mish mash of colors that fried your eyeballs and weird designs. Unfortunately, many business websites haven´t quite made it up to the present with their graphic design and are still eyesores.

A website that is difficult to look at or read is one that no one will come back to. Why would they, with so many other options out there? Here are a few graphic design tips to make sure that your website is easy to read and keep your clients coming back.

• Choose a color scheme that works. Go with complimentary colors rather than opposites that are hard on the eyes.

• Forget the fancy effects unless that is vital to your business presentation. Your graphic design should be clean and neat, without a lot of clutter.

• Go with dark on light for text. There are a lot of website templates now that have white or gray lettering on a black background. While they may look classy, the truth is that this is really hard to read. Try it for yourself, read a whole article this way and you´ll quickly see how annoying it is.

• Watch the flashing banners. For some, graphic design means incorporating a bunch of blinking ads and banners into the website. While this may get people´s attention at first, it also distracts from your business.

• Separate the graphic design elements. Your sidebar and header should be neatly separated from the body of the website for a more soothing effect. Most people like to look at things that are neatly divided, so use different colors or lines to get your point across.

Graphic design can really make or break a site, make sure it´s not ruining your business reputation!

Caroline Melberg
Small Business Mavericks
Small Business Mavericks Blog

Graphic design is one of the most important aspects of your business brand. You can use graphic design services for your Internet marketing as well as you can for your traditional marketing. The concepts are not much different. The primary difference between graphic design for Internet marketing and traditional marketing is the purpose for the graphics in the first place. But whether you are marketing your business online or off line, you can’t do without some type of graphic design support. Here is a list of services that your graphic design firm can handle for you:

• Sales Brochures
• Corporate Identity Packages
• Instruction Manuals
• Getting Started Brochures
• POP/POS Display Materials
• Posters
• Tent Cards
• Catalogs
• Product Packaging
• Logo & Corporate Identity Design
• Newsletters
• Full Website Development/e-commerce
• Static Websites
• Web Pages/Landing Pages
• Web Graphics & Logos
• HTML Newsletter Templates
• Flyers, White Papers & Reports
• Business Cards & Letterhead

Notice that many of these products are off line products, but some of them are online marketing products as well. The thing to keep in mind about graphic design is that many of your products can be used for off line marketing and online marketing.

Caroline Melberg
Small Business Mavericks
Small Business Mavericks Blog