Image Design

Once we’ve designed your site and turned the content management over to you, we recommend you maintain it using these 4 tips to ensure it attracts attention and ranks high in search engines.

1) Take advantage of keywords and phrases

Crawler-based search engines, like Google, create their listings automatically. The engine “crawls” or “spiders” the web for key terms or phrases you enter then lists the results for you to scan.

It’s helpful to understand how keyword phrases help with searches, so check out the article Tips for Searching Effectively with Google.

What would you search for if you were looking for your company’s site or service? More importantly, what would your target audience search for?

Use these words and phrases within your site, but don’t overdo it. Compelling content is what you’re going for, not a list of repeated terms (which could actually get you banned from search engines).

Page titles, body copy and site organization all count.

2) Use links to your advantage

Another measure of how important or relevant your web page is how many quality websites link to your website.

If you have affiliates with quality sites of their own, by all means ask if they would like to yours. The best way to get more links, however, is to ensure your web pages are pumped full of relevant and well written info. In this way, other site administrators will link to your pages without you needing to ask.

Besides attracting repeat visitors and links with stellar content, consider rewarding online customer referrals or giving special offers on your website. As well, social media marketing sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Stubleupon are all great free tools to generate links to your site and connect with your audience.

In addition, don’t forget to create links that point visitors to other parts of your site. Internal linking helps because it easily allows web crawlers navigate a site. This is especially important when a website is new and has few incoming links.

3) Let people know about your site

Print advertising, business networking, and email/social media marketing are all great ways to spread the word. Get creative!

Don’t expect changes overnight, but if you follow these steps and are persistent, look forward to seeing improvements in your search engine rankings within 4-6 weeks or less.

We just received Crosslink Leaseholds’ varnished folders and business cards back from the print shop, and they look fantastic! It’s amazing how a little well-placed shine helps grab your attention. Have you considered using this printing technique on any of your promotional materials?

Varnishes can provide a matte, glossy, or satin finish, and they are often used on select parts of a graphic to emphasize certain page elements.

Just as varnish protects wood and gives it a quality finished look, the varnish used in graphic design enhances the appearance and durability of print projects.

What Varnish can do for your next print project:

• Adds visual interest and ups the “wow” factor of any piece
• Makes your colours pop
• Adds texture
• Protects from smudges and wear
• Maximizes the contrast between matte and gloss surfaces

Give our office a call if you would like to know more about this stunning effect.

The Grande Prairie Hospice Palliative Care Society is committed to establishing and continuing expert end-of-life care for community members with a terminal illness and providing support for their families. They came to Image Design earlier this year in need of a logo and a business card design, that incorporated both sunflower and butterfly imagery. To support their cause, we credited them $1,000 in design services as part of our 10th birthday $10,000 celebration mentioned in this page’s sidebar. gphospice.ca

Several months ago, Image Design was approached by the Grande Prairie Museum with a very ambitious project.

If you scanned last Friday’s Daily Herald (May 28), you may have read that the Forbes Presbyterian Church and the GP Museum is commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the arrival of Alexander and Agnes Forbes’ to Grande Prairie.

These missionaries were instrumental in establishing the Presbyterian Church and health care services in the region when settlement here had barely begun. In 1911, their home even served as the region’s first official hospital! This building (the oldest in Grande Prairie) has been restored to its 1940s condition, and it is now open for the public to explore.

Image Design was responsible for researching, writing, and designing the information panels located inside. To help promote the Forbes’ captivating story, we donated $1,000 in design time as part of our 10th birthday $10,000 celebration (explained in our first post).

If you have a chance, we highly recommend swinging by 96 St. and 106 Ave. to check out the finished project. Call the Museum at 780-532-5482 for more info.