The F7 Blog
Figureseven, Inc. has been helping businesses maximize their offline and online marketing efforts for over a decade. This blog provides insight, tips and advice from our experts to help you achieve your marketing goals.
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Figureseven, Inc.
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Fitchburg, MA 01420
877-626-2771
Avoiding Blog Malaise
By Greg Czarnowski, Principal, Figureseven, Inc.
January 21, 2010 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing, Social Media
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Del.icio.usOne of the biggest challenges of interactive marketing is generating pertinent blog content that will be of value to your customers. They come to your site to learn about your products and services and to perhaps pick up some inside information that is unavailable anywhere else. Blogs offer access and immediacy – getting a “traditional” press release placed might require a 45-day lead time. Getting news out on your web site requires no such time lag. And blogs allow for subjectivity – these are your thoughts and views, so express them.
Having said all that, generating a blog on a regular basis can be a real challenge – tough to think about things to write about, and sometimes, even tougher to effectively express your views on your chosen topic. But make it a priority – it creates new site content that will keep customers coming back to your site for valuable information and it prevents your site from becoming static and ignored by search engines.
"Every time a bell rings, a site gets indexed by Google!"
By Jeremy Daly, President, Figureseven, Inc.
December 16, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing, Social Media, Branding, Marketing
This past weekend, in what seems to be an increasingly rare occasion nowadays, my wife and I were able to find some time to sit and relax on the couch and watch some television together. It just so happened that It’s a Wonderful Life was on, which is one of my favorite perennial classic Christmas movies. We didn’t start watching until the part where an agitated and frustrated George Bailey returns home to his wife and children after having realized that he can’t find the missing $8,000. But since nothing beats the way “Mary” sounds when Jimmy Stewart says it, we continued to watch and enjoy the remainder of the movie. I think what I like most about that movie is its clear demonstration of life’s interconnectedness. The effect that one man’s life can have on the world (similar to the butterfly effect) is no doubt akin to the dependencies and interrelations of the Internet.
When Clarence showed George what life in Bedford Falls (Pottersville) would be like if he were never born, we were shown the impact of a single force on that of an entire town. What many people don’t realize is that you as a single force on the Internet can affect much more than you know.
You Can Teach an Old Blog New Tricks
By Jeremy Daly, President, Figureseven, Inc.
November 3, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Site Design, Web Marketing, Social Media, Branding, Marketing, Email Marketing
I came to a stark realization the other day while watching my two daughters (1 and 3) play together. My oldest was rambling on about something (probably trying to explain nuclear physics) to my 1 year old. I overheard a series of statements ending in “okay?” or “see, Jules?”, no doubt trying to confirm that her messages were properly being conveyed and received. As I listened more closely, I realized that my 3 year old’s imagination was just running wild and was filling my youngest’s head with complete and utter nonsense.
Having an older brother myself, it got me thinking about when I finally realized that everything that an older sibling tells you is not as reliable as you may think. While their intentions may be good and their message sincere, little things like “facts” and the “truth” may get lost along the way. It’s kind of like a really bad game of telephone, but because you trust the source, unlearning the information may be a bit more of a challenge.
Are you excited about your website?
By Melissa DeLorenzo, VP of Marketing, Figureseven, Inc.
July 9, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Site Design, Web Site Management, Information Architecture, Usability
If you’re not, can you expect your potential customers to be? Consumers use the web – this is a given. This is where they get their information. From news to what’s going on with their favorite sports teams to where they buy their goods – people find what they want on the Internet. The quality of your site is crucial to the success of your business. Here are five essential elements of good web design that are the most important to viewers.
Visual Appeal
Your site needs to be clean and attractive. A website is a visual medium and, simply put, needs to look good. Don’t let your graphics outshine or clutter your message – keep it clear but eye-catching, making sure your marketing message is at the core of your design.
Can Google Find You?
By Scott Devlin, Director of Business Development, Figureseven, Inc.
June 9, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing, Web Site Management
I heard an old saying this morning that got me thinking: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? And that got me to thinking: if your website is online and no one can find it, does it really exist? Well, of course in both cases we know the reality, but if the question can be asked of your website, then you should think about how you can change that. These tips can bring your site to light.
- Content: Search Engines nowadays are scanning the content you have on your site. Previously, you could just update your meta tags and be set, but now the content you have on your site is more important than ever. You can’t fool the search engines anymore – the content must be quality and relevant to your customer. It is important that you set time aside at least once a week, but daily if possible
- Freshness: Search engines are smarter than you and I. You may think, “I have the greatest content on my website and it will get my website noticed.” At first it may, but if you do not have fresh content on your site, search engines will eventually stop tracking you as much. Many companies have started to write blogs to counter this.
- Structure: Ask yourself this question. When was the last time I read anything that did not have a compelling heading? You may have to think for a while. Be organized with your website. Correctly order things for your users and for the search engines. It will help.
- Well Coded Sites: Did you build your website yourself using some kind of template? Did your business have a company build your website without properly coding it? If that is the case, the coding may be hindering your ability to be found. Having a website that is properly coded can aid with visibility across multiple engines.
(As a side note, did you know that every website we develop is coded by hand? Just checking.)
The Importance of Lead Generation
By Scott Devlin, Director of Business Development, Figureseven, Inc.
May 4, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing, Web Site Management
Today, more than ever, the manner in which a company positions itself online will determine how likely they will succeed in this continuously evolving marketplace. Cultivating potential customers has never been more challenging. Consumers, who once relied on brick-and-mortar establishments for their retail goods and services, now seek the best deals online and rely on the sites that can provide those goods and services at the best prices with the most ease.
Your website needs to generate leads, and if it isn’t, then it is not working for you. Here are a few rules to live by to turn your website into the lead generator that it has to be.
The Value of Redundancy
By Jeremy Daly, President, Figureseven, Inc.
April 30, 2009 in Technical Information, Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing, Web Hosting, Web Site Management
To most marketing and communication types, the term redundancy often refers to “the part of a message that can be eliminated without the loss of essential information.” Verbose and needless repetition often waters down your core message and ultimately results in less effective communications. Bottom line? Don’t be too redundant!
But in the online world, redundancy takes on a whole new meaning. It’s not just a good thing to be redundant, but an absolute necessity. Below are a few examples of the role that redundancy plays on the Internet and the value that it adds to your business.
How Much Are You Really Spending on Pay-Per-Click Advertising?
By Jeremy Daly, President, Figureseven, Inc.
April 27, 2009 in Search Engine Optimization, Web Marketing
Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC), or Pay-For-Performance Advertising, is a very cost effective way to achieve top engine placement for your relevant keywords across the major search engines. PPC programs are available on engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN, and they are all fairly easy to use. Some, like Google AdWords for example, even allow you to geographically target user search results, further optimizing your budget by limiting your search radius to regional prospects. And the best part? You only pay when somebody actually clicks through to your site!
While the advantages may be apparent, some of the disadvantages aren’t so clear. For example, what many companies fail to realize is that the true Cost-Per-Click (CPC), or the amount paid when a term is clicked, is generally much higher than reported by all those seemingly informative graphs and statistics they provide. The actual CPC should be determined only after factoring in the Bounce Rate of your PPC traffic.
Welcome to the new F7 Blog!
By Jeremy Daly, President, Figureseven, Inc.
April 24, 2009 in Technical Information, Search Engine Optimization, Web Site Design, Web Marketing, Web Hosting, Web Site Management, Information Architecture
Since 1999, Figureseven, Inc. has been developing scalable, secure and reliable web solutions for businesses and organizations throughout the United States. Since we’ve been working with the web for so long, we thought we’d share some of our insights and experiences to help you maximize the value of your web marketing strategies and achieve your online marketing goals.
Over the course of the last ten years, Figureseven, Inc. has developed small sites for local companies like Butler Furniture and Halstead Insurance. We’ve worked with larger organizations like the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center to develop content managed, application driven web sites. We’ve worked on sites and built applications for the University of Massachusetts, Fitchburg State and Babson Colleges. We’ve even had the opportunity to develop web-based applications for multi-national organizations like CVS/pharmacy, NBC and Fox Broadcasting.
