Alex McArthur on search marketing, wordpress and anything else that comes to mind » Web Development http://www.alexmcarthur.com Your mom uses taglines Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Custom WordPress Templates http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2006 23:11:39 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/ If you’re interested in creating a custom wordpress template for your personal or business blog you should check out this reference. It’s not an easy road, but this tutorial will put you on the right path better than any I’ve seen.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/feed/ 1 Nice & Clean http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/15/nice-clean/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/15/nice-clean/#comments Thu, 16 Nov 2006 02:21:45 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/15/nice-clean/ I found a few really nice designs today.

  • Parcrittenhouse.com – I like everything about this site…nice use of white space, the colors and the googlemap on the contact page.
  • SteveKrach.com – People often tell me my taste in design is too plain. This site may fall into the “too plain” category, but I still dig it.
  • Geniuscreativepr.co.uk – Simple. The menu kind of bugs me though.
  • Artypapers.com – The way this site divides it’s main content from the tools on the right works out quite well.
  • ReachGroupConsulting.com
]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/15/nice-clean/feed/ 0 Ajax Tool List http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2006 22:43:54 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/ Ajax has been a hot topic on the web for some time now. However, I haven’t seen a list of tools built with ajax that are already available.

The list is starting out small, but please let me know if you have something to add to the list.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/feed/ 1 Free Stock Photos http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/free-stock-photos/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/free-stock-photos/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2006 22:43:30 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/free-stock-photos/ I found this free list of stock photos. I’ve used Stock Exchange for a long time, but it’s nice to find some alternatives have popped up.

Hope you find this useful.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/free-stock-photos/feed/ 2 Hundreds of Free Font Websites http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/huge-list-of-over-200-free-font-sites/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/huge-list-of-over-200-free-font-sites/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2006 20:33:49 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/huge-list-of-over-200-free-font-sites/ Found this article on Digg.

This article has a huge list of freeware fonts sites. There is also a good article about usage right, the different types of fonts, etc. Also at the end of the article, users can vote on their favorite free font site.

read more | digg story

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/01/19/huge-list-of-over-200-free-font-sites/feed/ 1 Portal Content Organization http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:00:31 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=26 I’ve made significant progress with Utahn.com the past few days. Most of the functionality is in place. So…now it’s time to work on the content structure. Most of my contract web projects are portfolio or small business sites so I lack experience organizing larger amounts of content. I’ve done some google searchs for content organization but can’t seem to find any useful advice. I guess I’ll just have to sit down and start organizing a hierarchy in excel and go from there. I’ll post any useful links I come across on the topic later.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/feed/ 0 Need to bump your search engine results? http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/11/21/need-to-bump-your-search-engine-results/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/11/21/need-to-bump-your-search-engine-results/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:19:22 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=14 Search engine marketing has continued to be a hot topic over the past few years and won’t be slowing anytime soon. I come across tips and discussions constantly on page rank, reciprocal links, and back link strategies. What does it all mean and what should be given precedence?

SEO Misunderstandings

  1. I’ve improved my search engine results and now I can call it a day. Wrong. If you are committed to remaining at the top it is a never ending process. Internet marketing practices must be ever present in your plans for a successful online presence. This means monies should be allocated to your businesses budget and resources/employees assigned to the task.
  2. I can work the system with unapproved techniques. Wrong again. Yes, I’ll admit there are some minds out there that are able to crack the system successfully. You, however, are not one of them. You may be bright. You may even know of a proven black hat technique, but is it really worth it? Your business ethics will reflect upon your continued success and scars are very difficult to remove. Also, the threat of being banned from search engines altogether is real. Just stay away from link farms, spamming, etc.

Practical SEO Techniques

  1. What are the search engine results above you doing to stay ahead? Take a look at the source code of your competitors. Do they have specifice keywords spread more prevalently through their content? How many link backs do they have compared to your site? This research is extremely valuable as they are doing something more effectively than you.
  2. Submit to every directory you come across.
  3. Place your link on websites found in the same category of search engine directories.
  4. Choose your domain name wisely. This actually does not pull as much weight as many think so don’t stress too heavily. Your content and back links are much more important.
  5. Add fresh content frequently. This is key to your positioning. Update news on your industry or new clients. You get the idea.
  6. Don’t give up. Your results will improve with your continued effort.

Contact MidScape in the Utah area if you are looking for professional SEM services. Sorry, I’m forced to solicit our services at any opportunity. The SiteManagement package includes search engine marketing management.

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