Google Now Indexing and Crawling Flash

July 2, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Judging by the buzz around the web today you would think that Google can now index all flash files. While this is partially true, I’m still a bit hesitant.

Adobe announced the news today, while Google explained things a bit, here and here and Vanessa Fox from Search Engine Land wrote up a very informative post explaining more clearly what Adobe and Google were trying to say.

One part that really puzzled me was the wording that Google used when explaining their new process for indexing flash files.
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SEO & Web Design - Are They on the Same Page?

June 30, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

When constructing a website, SEO design and web design don’t have to be two different functions. Sadly though, these two sets of features often come from different sides of the building.

Very few graphic people understand SEO or even what it entails and marketing people are focused on results and may feel that the design is secondary. But can combining SEO and web design be that hard?

If you breakdown the functions of both SEO and web design, they’re not really that different and can be easily and effectively integrated if thought through.
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Giving Back to Local Designers & Developers

June 15, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Just over a year ago, I moved back from the west coast. I originally moved out west to “spread my wings,” finish school and figure out what I was doing with my life. Seven years later, I had all my problems solved.

While I was there I got very accustomed to the Southern California lifestyle. There was always a hot new designer right around the corner and if you wanted to be competitive you needed to step up your game every day. SEO was a big deal too; everybody knew how to sell and market it.

As soon as I moved back to the east coast I immediately became aware that this wasn’t anything like Southern California. Weather, traffic and even the commercials were different. I moved for a new job and while I was surrounded at work with talented individuals, as soon as I left, I didn’t know where to turn. It was then that I realized that I needed to get back into the design culture.

I wanted to figure out a way to try and give back to local designers and developers by giving them a little link juice and some recognition.

I decided to start a Local Flavor section and I would like to invite YOU (designer or developer in the southeastern United States) to be a part of it. This is a way for local designers and developers to keep track of each other while still staying in the public eye for their next big break.

If you’d like to be a part of the Local Flavor or know someone who would make the cut, please send me an email and a link.

Technorati Tags: website design, website development, designers, developers, southeast

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Home Sweet Home, Part 2

May 30, 2008 // Jaimee Wolbert

Ok, so we already covered the move and house hunt, but a girl can still dream, right? Aside from looking for your dream home, nothing is more fun that looking at homes you can only dream about. The Prudential C. Dan Joyner website features some awesome Greenville, South Carolina real estate, including several multi-million dollar properties. The search tools are easy-to-use, and most listings offer detailed descriptions and multiple pics to keep your daydream going. Even if you aren’t in the market for Upstate, SC homes for sale, this site is a cool resource that will help you kill an afternoon…especially a particularly boring weekday afternoon at work after a long holiday weekend.

Technorati Tags: Greenville South Carolina, real estate,

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Bloggers Unite For Human Rights

May 15, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Throughout the hustle and bustle of everyday life we constantly get bombarded with outside noise and it’s important to remember to respect each other. No matter what happens in life we always need to treat each other with the same compassion that we would like to be treated with.

Check out any of these sites for more information about how you can help your fellow man or go over here if you’d like to learn more about Bloggers Unite.

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. They work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.

Human Right Watch is dedicated to protecting human rights of people around the world. They stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.

Youth For Human Rights is an independent non-profit that educates people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace.

Technorati Tags: bloggers unite

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How to Get Ideas (for Blog Posts)

May 6, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Over the last few years I’ve designed, built, and maintained quite a few blogs. Naturally, spending any amount of time writing you’re bound to hit a wall sooner or later, especially when you’re trying to create unique content on a regular basis. I get writer’s block just like everyone else.

Being a blogger, designer, and developer both for my full time job and freelance jobs, I stay pretty immersed in my industry for most of the day. Often, the questions that I get asked give me plenty of ideas for new content, but what if you’re not eating and sleeping your blog topics? I often get asked for blogging advice, so I thought I’d pass on this great tip.
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Wordpress Theme Development Presents: Elements of SEO

April 22, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Wordpress themes are an easy way to change the entire look of your website. Free wordpress themes are even better. Every time I develop a new theme for public use I end up using it myself. What can I say, I get too attached.

But as the saying goes, “If you love something, set it free.” So, I’ve decided to release my Elements of SEO theme.
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Keeping Clients Happy

April 14, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

It seems like there is a lot of negative feedback when it comes to website development and SEO companies. Every other client we speak to has something bad to say about the last company. We get very excited when we get one of these clients because it gives us the chance to blow them away. We know we are going to do a great job and we know the client is going to be excited about their new website. Here is a prime example:

You know the story of the Goldilocks? One bowl of porridge was too hot, one was too cold, and then one was just right. This analogy mirrors the experiences I had with website building companies until I was met by the team from Wildfire Productions. In this industry you often deal with way overpriced work, and on the other hand, lack of experienced work which will drag a project on forever. I dealt with both and was finally referred to Wildfire Productions who had fair, competitive pricing and more importantly, excellent work that was carried out in a timely manner. Here is my webpage to prove it: Popoyo House Rental.
- Chuck Jamison

Technorati Tags: happy clients, website development

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Start with Local Search Engine Optimization

April 7, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Whether you’re beginning a new SEO campaign or restructuring an existing strategy, you know that you have a long road ahead of you. Starting with local search engine optimization can be a great way to give your site an initial performance boost while you build long-term results.

This article is going to focus on two aspects of local search engine optimization:

1. What local search engine optimization can do for you
2. How to optimize for local search
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Organization + Exploration

April 4, 2008 // Drew Stauffer

Ever lose track of all the sites you like to read? Remember when you used to stumble onto new sites only to discover the perfect resource? The days of not having time to roam and losing urls like pennies are over. Now there’s Alltop.

Started by Guy Kawasaki, Will Mayall, and Kathryn Henkens, Alltop is an organized list of sites arranged by topic. Whether you’re looking for SEO, design, education, politics, sports, or even the twitterati, Alltop has it.

I found quite a few new sites to add to my radar and I can’t wait to really dive into them. Check out Alltop when you get some time and let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Alltop, blogs, blog marketing

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