Chicago SES – A Christmas Lover’s Conference
As I stood at the 8th Street Lobby at the Chicago Hilton Wednesday morning awaiting the shuttle to O’Hare airport, I was able to take in the beautiful hotel for a few more minutes. Every floor was decorated for the holiday season, with immaculate Christmas trees and a giant Gingerbread house that smelled of gingerbread as you walked by. It was 8 o’clock in the morning. Hotel employees just getting into work hustled in through the lobby entrance, several of them women who broke into a run...
Read MoreWeekly Picks on SEO, Design and Usability
I leave for Chicago SES next week to join the Usability and SEO panel. I’m very excited about this panel because after a conference call, it’s clear we will all compliment one another very well. The topics each of us will discuss focus on SEO and User Experience Sesign, the reasons why this powerful relationship works and how to implement practices that will provide long term successful results. Our panel is moderated by Anne Kennedy, Managing Partner & Founder, Beyond...
Read MoreRequirements Gathering for Web Sites: Do People Want What You’re Building?
In my guest post at Search Engine People on requirements gathering for web sites, I gently attempted to show the importance of business, user interface, functional and search engine marketing requirements to their SEO/M readership. One area not covered in that piece is considering the question, “Do people want what you’re about to build?” So many times a web site’s purpose is to do something for you. For example, when “flipping sites”, the entire reason for...
Read MoreGrow Your Skills with Website Optimization by Andrew King
Whenever I look at job descriptions for web site design positions, it amazes me the long list of expectations companies have these days. Most of them want someone who is skilled in programming, search engine marketing, graphics design, usability, and writing. Then, they ask for specific skills using particular software products, knowledge of standards and global laws, search engine optimization, and testing methodology. I’m not a believer in surface level skills. I’d rather hire...
Read MoreFortify Your SEO in One Hour
One quick peek at any place where search engine optimization is discussed illustrates the mountains of information passed along by generations of SEO’s. I used to spend hours into the night while the kids slept figuring out how to push web pages into the maze of search engines. I learned from Internet software QA methodology the value of time and paying attention to small details. This is why testing is valuable and should be done by someone other than those who design and build web...
Read MoreThe Key Ingredient for SEO and Web Design is True Passion
While presenting a class on web site usability in New York for Internet Marketing Ninjas Marketing Training, my husband was in the audience as cheerleader and teacher. I wasn’t connected at first and I could feel it. I wasn’t inspired. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be because the first part was the boring stuff I had to discuss, like business requirements. I said “um” 340 times. However, once I pulled up the screenshot of a web site I’m working on for an...
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