Digital Marketing by Patrick LaJuett

We designed a brand new website for Vyzion Photo ! It's secure, mobile-friendly and features high-end photographic images.

We redesigned a website for Times Oil Corporation , based in Lincolnton NC! It's secure, mobile-friendly and features an interactive map of their store locations.

Doing a bit of searching this morning, and was quite surprised to not find a succinct weekly SEO checklist.  So I decided to take a few minutes to outline my approach.  Hope it helps! Monthly SEO Tasks 2019   Research: Industry, competition, target audience, target keywords. Tools: Google, Answer the Public, Word Tracker, Ubersuggest, Excel. Website Maintenance: Create backups, check for broken links, fix spelling errors. Tools: Plesk, Expression Web Weekly SEO Tasks 2019   Monitor Performance: Traffic analysis, CTR, keywords, sources, devices, demographics, funnels. Tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Data Studio by Google Website Audits: Check for valid HTML structure, URLs, metatags, mobile friendliness. Tools: Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, Varvy, Siteliner, Think with Google Create Content: Create core site pages, write Blog posts Tools: Blogger, Grammarly, Expression Web, Notepad, XML sitemap Social Sharing: Sprea...

How Do I Appear First in Google Search Results?   Here are best practices for improving your ranking in Google search results: Provide high quality content on your site. Google tries to find the best answer for our users’ requests; if you write the best material, you’re in the game.   Make your site mobile friendly. Many users search on mobile devices; Google’s search results favor pages that they think answer the user’s request with the best possible user experience on their platform.   Use informative titles and snippets. Good, clear titles and accurate meta tag descriptions help Google understand the purpose of a page and generate useful snippets in our search results.   Add structured data to enable additional search result features such as stars, event information, or site search boxes.   Make sure that you follow Google’s guidelines and avoid pitfalls that could affect your ratings. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJ...

Recommended WordPress SEO Steps These are the baseline steps I take when optimizing a WordPress website for search: Backup Plugin- Install  BackWPup : **Run backup job before installing plugins** Security Plugin - Install  Wordfence : Keep WordPress core and plugins up-to-date Organic SEO Plugin: Install WordPress SEO by Yoast Customize all Page Titles & Meta Tags Utilize Google Webmaster Tools Utilize Bing Webmaster Tools Tracking Plugin: Install Google Analytics -  Google Analytics by Yoast Performance Plugin: Install PageSpeed -  GZip Ninja Speed Note: The plugins listed are my recommendations only.  Many alternatives are available, just make sure they are compatible with your version of WP. Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

The How Search Works website gives us an inside look at how Google continuously works on improving the results of their search engine. http://www.google.com/insidesearch/ "Search. It happens billions of times a day in the blink of an eye. Explore the art and science that makes it possible." I have looked at the How Search Works site before.  But a recent video (below) from Google's Matt Cutts, prompted me to revisit, as he revealed some interesting nuggets. Matt Cutts  is the head of Google’s Webspam team. So it seems appropriate that he would be most excited about the Fighting Spam page. Here are a couple of interesting points he touches on. 1. Quality Raters:  People, not robots, determine which changes are implemented (1:48) When talking about search algorithms, he also mentions "quality raters".  These are folks who look at results pages side-by-side, and rate them based on the usefulness of the results for a given search. 2. The s...

Google Snippets in Search Results Snippet Discovery I recently discovered a unique occurrence of Google snippets that appeared in a Google search engine results page (SERP).  It happens to be one of my portfolio pages, so naturally, it peaked my interest. A Google snippet is a description of or an excerpt from the webpage.  A snippet refers to the description portion of a Google search listing. Take a look at the SERP snippet below: Note, the snippet is made up of an element count (40+ items), the meta description, and four excerpts from the page. Page Rendering in Browser Here's what the portfolio page looks like when rendered in the browser: Underlying Page Code In this case, it appears as though the Google bot has gone into the page code, and parsed out the top four image descriptions.  What's interesting is that the page contains an html table with alternating rows.  Images, followed by the company name and location. ...

I recently received this question from a client needing SEO help: "I have a website for my company XYZ...the site is a Google Site. For some reason, my site is not indexed at all. Can you help?" Diagnosing the Problem Using Google Webmaster Tools, it became quickly apparent that Google was aware of the website (site was verified and an XML sitemap was uploaded).  But for some reason the search engine was not indexing it. The first thing I looked at was the robots.txt file to make sure no-follow wasn't blocking the Google bot.  Seemed OK.  Next I took a look at the page's source code...here's what I found: Page Source (Before):   HTTP/1.1 200 OK Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 X-Robots-Tag: noindex, nofollow, nosnippet Last-Modified: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:27:23 GMT ... This is a problem!  Digging deeper...when I looked at the Google Sites Sharing and Permissions settings, it was set to " Anyone who has link can view ". This was ...

A look at the new "Search Appearance Overview" pop-up window that appears in the updated Webmaster Tools UI. I didn't catch this until recently, but Google has added a nifty little tool to help explain search results elements, and how we can influence the data they contain. Next time you login to Webmaster Tools , look for the Search Appearance interactive pop-up tool. It's accessed via the information (i) icon located in the left-hand menu: Webmaster Tools Search Appearance Overview When you hover over and click specific elements, a bubble will reveal helper text along with clickable links over to Google's Webmaster Tools help screens. Source: Google Webmaster Tools Title Element Write informative, relevant descriptions in the HTML title tag for each webpage. In Webmaster Tools use the HTML Improvements feature to help optimize the title tags on your site. Snippet  Element Provide an accurate, succinct summary of the page’s content in its m...

Stowe Law Firm website overhauled using Google Sites CMS New Google Sites website designed and deployed for local law firm The Brief: Internet showcase for local legal services Reach new customers via Web search Solidify Online brand ID The Method: Design:  Custom graphics designed in Adobe Fireworks CS3 Google Apps:  Google Sites framework with Google Docs and Google Maps Search Engine Optimization:  Author unique page titles/descriptions, XML sitemap, Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics Social Media : Integrate Google+, Facebook, and micro-blogging gadget The Result: Marketing tool will reach local audience and attract new business Site style is clean and professional which parallels the client's existing brand Content maintenance is accomplished via Google Sites browser-based Web CMS Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing stra...

The Brief: Create a website that is easy to find via keyword search Site will attract new customers and sell products The Method: Design wood grain theme using Adobe Fireworks CS3 Utilize Google Apps platform: Google Sites, Gmail, Google Docs Implement E-Commerce: JotForm with secure PayPal backend Search optimization: Keyword rich page titles and descriptions, micro-blogging gadget, XML sitemap, Webmaster Tools, Analytics. The Result: Website features custom UI which ties into the client's wood crafting theme E-Commerce enables client an inexpensive method of reaching and selling to national client base Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advisor.

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...

Just press the Rank Me button Inspired by the April Fool's post over at  Bing's Webmaster Blog Ah, if only it were that easy.  Everyone wants to be number one in search ranking.  The problem is, they don't want to put in the time, money or effort. So what can one do?  Well, you can go the route of pay-per-click, and many do.  But in my opinion, PPC should always run in parallel to a solid organic SEO campaign. Patience is a virtue, so I recommend a slow and steady approach to search engine optimization.  Follow the Webmaster Guidelines, and cultivate quality content over time. Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agency where he supports his clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advisor.

How to Organically Optimize Google Sites for Search Here are the simple or baseline steps I take when performing SEO on a Google Sites website.  It is not a complete list of Google Sites SEO techniques, but the minimum that I recommend.  I hope you find it helpful: 1. Use keywords in Google Sites Name (i.e., Jeep FC-150 | 1959 Forward Control) 2. Make sure Page Titles are unique (i.e., Jeep FC-150 Specs) 3. Use keywords in Page Descriptions (i.e., Collection of Willys forward control Jeep print ads...) 4. Create a custom footer with name of company (i.e., Copyright 2013 My Jeep FC-150...) 5. Add a new Announcements page populated with interesting keyword rich posts* 6. Enable the auto-generated sitemap page in the links configuration 7. Register a domain with name of company, geographic identifier or service description (i.e., jeepfc150.com) 8. Map custom domain to Google Site 9. Submit sitemap.xml to Go...

National search marketing campaign initiated for New York State based business, Hunting and Shooting Related Consultants, LLC . http://www.huntsrc.com Let's Take a Walk The Analysis Website architecture audit Keyword research Local listing inventory The Good Client has an existing html website and a WordPress blog Site is aesthetically pleasing and well coded Client reputation is well known internationally The Bad The underlying search engine optimization is lacking National web search yields low ranking for related keyword phrases A couple of blog posts exist, but nothing substantive The Fixes Added Google Analytics code Modified page titles and descriptions Generated XML sitemap Submitted to Webmaster Tools Created a new G+ page Directory submission The Next Steps Establish an authorship schedule for relevant blog posts relating to hunting and shooting safety, accidents and incident investigation Attract quality incoming li...

Some fun, some not...but all 1.1K are done! My project numbering system is fairly straight forward.  For every new job that comes through the door, increment by one and add a customer code (i.e., 1100_WEB).  This morning we reached a milestone.  Well its not a big deal, but I liked the number.  It gave me an excuse to paint graffiti on the side of the building.  Just kidding. Milestone reached: 1,100 projects completed. It took us 11 years, and we've been consistent.  Completing roughly 100 projects per year.  All varieties, shapes and sizes.  From signage design to complete e-commerce websites, it's been a wild ride. Meetings, phone calls, emails and texts.  1,100 projects down, and here's to the next!   Thanks to all of our customers who have trusted us with their web and marketing needs.

My top Web design tools and innovations from year 2012. 2012 has certainly been an eventful year. Some good, some bad, and some outright ugly. Web design technology, internet marketing and social media have continued to evolve at a rapid pace. Staying current with the changing tide of SEO has been challenging. Reflecting back, I definitely saw my daily SEO routine change. I spent much more time doing "research". Keeping up on keeping up...my kids always tease me about that one. I am thankful for the generosity of the web development community, especially the "knowledge sharers". Reading their tech blogs and forums sure made my life easier when racing to meet another crazy deadline. For those of you out there...thanks for caring and sharing! My 2012 list of most useful web technologies & innovations OK, yes...a lot of Google mentions. And I know some of these technologies were around in 2011. But I have leaned on them a bit more than in previous yea...

If you need to author, develop, and launch a website quickly, consider using Google Sites. I'm all about efficiency...like most small business owners I am always on the lookout for new tools to help improve productivity. My preferred method of Website development is either hand-coding HTML, or using a Web content management system such as DotNetNuke or Wordpress.  Customer requirements such as budget, time frame and functionality is the major "driver" on which path I choose to take. The Google Sites platform has become be a good option because it allows me to deploy rapid website development solutions for my cost conscious customers. Below, I will summarize the pro's and con's of using Google Sites.   What is Google Sites: Similar to other website builders such as Wix, Yola or Weebly...Google Sites is a free Website CMS hosted in the Google Apps cloud. Benefits of Google Sites: Cost - Google Sites (as of now) is a free serv...

An updated warning and explanation from the Google Content Guidelines. My take away...play by the rules or be penalized. In summary: "The best way to get other sites to create relevant links to yours is to create unique, relevant content that can quickly gain popularity in the Internet community. The more useful content you have, the greater the chances someone else will find that content valuable to their readers and link to it." Read full article: Updated 10/02/2012   http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66356

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Knowledge Graph: things, not strings