Posts

Fix your search rank with super glue not duct tape

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Why Duct Tape Isn't a Long-Term Fix for Poor Search Rank Most of my clients, know just enough about SEO to be dangerous. Not meant to be a put down, as I probably know less about their field than they do mine.  They've heard the term SEO, they're not ranking, and they need to do  something .  That something, is to talk with an SEO...this is where I come in. I sit down with a client and they give me the lowdown. Then they throw some questions at me and hope I can give them a sensible answer.  I try my best.  It goes something like this: It's Broke Our Website is "better" than the competition, how come it doesn't rank?  Well turns out the competitor (whether by accident, hard work, or both) has established themselves as an industry authority.  Or they've been lucky...it happens.   Can't you throw a couple of keywords into the meta tags?  Sure, that's a good start, but you need some substance behind it.  Something for the search

Google Sites Web Launch for A Neu Design Interiors, Inc.

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Latest Google Sites design project launches A Neu Design Interiors, Inc. hired us to redesign their company website. Their primary requirement was to have an easy to manage website that showcased their home remodeling work.  Long-term they hope to attract quality leads by implementing a search optimization strategy, centered around social media and content-rich blogging. A Neu's new Google Sites features responsive architecture which adapts to fit the users device Technology summary: Google Sites (CMS) Picasa 3 (image management) SimpleViewer (gallery template) Google Drive (file hosting) Google Analytics (visitor engagement measurement) Google Webmaster Tools (SEO) Site features: Responsive web design (RWD) Social media hooks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest) Micro blog with RSS XML photo gallery Search optimization Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agency where he supports his clients as a Web technology consultant and sear

Manage Google Sites Permissions

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One of the most powerful features of Google Sites is the ability to control user access.  For example, you can create a private site (hidden from the general public).  This private site can be accessed via a secure login as defined in the Sharing and Permissions settings. The workflow we use when developing a new Google Sites website is to initially set permissions to "Private".  This way we can freely collaborate with stakeholders without concern of a random visitor stumbling upon the work-in-progress. We rough-in, then refine the site's content as a team.  When ready to launch, all we have to do is "flip the switch". Here's a tech post on how to make your entire Google Sites visible to the public: https://lajuett.zendesk.com/entries/23826192-Make-your-Google-Sites-public Note, permissions can also be set on a individual page basis. Google Sites permissions - Ready for the world. Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agen

Photo Gallery for Google Sites

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Photo Gallery Solution for Google Sites SimpleViewer Picasa gallery in Google Sites After hours of research, I finally came up with a method for displaying Picasa photo gallery thumbnails in Google Sites.  The default Google Sites Picasa gadgets (single photo and album slideshows) were not flexible enough (in my humble opinion). My solution was to utilize the new html hosting features of Google Drive and linking, via iframe, to the exported Picasa folder.  It requires a few steps, but the final product is impressive.  It even adapts (responsive) to mobile devices! Here are the steps: Get SimpleViewer app Download and install  SimpleViewer Picasa Template In Picasa (desktop version) From Picasa 3.9 , export your photos as HTML Choose the SimpleViewer template In Google Drive Upload the entire folder created in previous step to Google Drive Set the folder permission sharing to public Copy the folder ID In Google Sites Add iframe gadget to page Set URL