Tips for using your Social Media Profiles for SEO

Do you have a Twiter,  Facebook,  LinkedIn, Google or any other social network profile? Are you getting the full SEO (search engine optimization) potential from these profiles? Here are a few tips to maximize the possibilities they offer.

Direct Links

On just about every social networking site, when setting up your profile you will have the opportunity to link to at least one external web site. Make sure you fill out those sections and test then once your profile is live.  Links you may want to consider adding are your company web site, blog or links to your other social profiles.

social profiles links

Search Engine Page Results (SERP)
Building a robust profile and not just  completing the “bare minimum”  can really help dominate the search engine page results. The more information you can add to your profile the better, you are building authority. It is also important to not just build your profile but participate within the network too.  Here is a simple example of a Google search on my name, the social networks dominate the return of the search.

Brand Awareness
Present yourself in a consistent way across all social media networks so there is no emotional disconnect for users visiting more than one of your social network profiles and getting confused brand message.  Make sure your web site has links to all your social media platforms.

Drive Traffic
When participating in social media promote links in posts or tweets. The more useful the information you share the more others will re tweet or share which can build considerable traffic to targeted pages on your site.

Content
Delivery top quality content on your web site is so important for getting it to rank well in the search engines. Conversations, comments and ideas generated within your social media network can be great inspiration for blog posts or site content in general and help keep your content fresh and up to date.

©: 2010 Chicago Web Designer

Eye of the Chicago Web Designer: Creativity is Genetic

The holiday season started early for me today when I was presented with a fabulous homemade advent calendar lovingly designed and constructed by my 12 year old daughter.  Creativity is without doubt a genetic trait! She has no interest in web design and wants to be an architect. She has inherited her creativity from me but  is a spitting image of her Dad .

She will be highly annoyed that I have featured her on my blog but here she is with her wonderful gift. Today’s treasure was a packet of ice cubes, I’ll keep you posted on what’s behind each door.

©: 2010 Chicago Web Designer

New website for Equestrian Farm: Spring Willows Farm

What better way to start the week than the launch of a new web site.
Introducing  Spring Willows Farm. Based in Centralia, Illinois, the farm provides a multitude of equestrian services from horse boarding, riding lessons, horsemanship and stable management lessons.

The design of this site was inspired by a great selection of client  photographs which feature prominently throughout and with the high class level of facilities they provide it was important that the web site reflect this. Visit the site or connect with them via Twitter or Facebook.

Here is what owner Christine Hull had to say

“Zoe,
Thanks you so very much for the wonderful job you did on the website. Working with you was a pleasure and I’m really impressed with the outstanding workmanship on our project. Great job!”

Happy client= Happy web designer!
©: 2010 Chicago Web Designer

All Change

I have been writing this blog for … gasp … five years, that’s half the time I have been in business. Today marks the start of a few upgrades. Drum roll…

I have changed the name from

Indigo Thoughts

to

The Chicago Web Designer

Now back to blogging!

© Chicago Web Designer

Blushing: The Chicago web designer

It is my objective to provide exceptional service for my clients and getting a recommendation like the one below on Linked In makes my face break out into a wide grin … and maybe even blush a little!

“Zoe has that rare combination of broad vision and tactical expertise, especially when it comes to careful listening. She is able to form the concept into a distinctive message, and then follows through with outstanding execution. Really knows her business. Zoe is as much an astute advisor as service provider.”

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value

Peter Meder

I worked with Peter earlier this year on a web and branding project for his Chicago based headhunting company.

Thanks Peter, for taking the time to write such a flattering recommendation.
2010 © Chicago web designer

Chicago web designer jargon square

Every profession has its own lingo and jargon and web design is far from exempt.  If you are in the market for a new web site the last thing you want is to be bombarded with is a lot of techno babble. It’s more than likely you don’t care about RSS, XML, CMS, meta tags, optimizing, browser compatibility, hosting… that’s why you are hiring a professional web designer, right?  The important thing is you hire somewhere who understand and speaks the “language”.
Chicago web design jargon
2010 © Chicago web designer