Digital Canvas - Graphic Design : Web and Interactive Design : Illustration - Houston, TX

Develop an Effective E-Commerce Design

2010-03-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Beyond assessing the aesthetics of an e-commerce website, many designers often forget to test the usability of their sparkling shopping cart.

In an article posted by DesignersCouch, 5 Usability Tips for an Effective eCommerce Design, Damian M. lists 5 important concepts to focus on to ensure maximum usability in combination with customer needs & appearance. He also provides a few examples of well planned shopping carts for inspiration.

Email Marketing | 7 Myths & 2 Truths About Inbox Placement

2010-02-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

Think you know what it takes to achieve maximum inbox reach for your email campaigns?

Check out the facts in this recent Email Insider article, 7 Myths and 2 Truths About Inbox Placement. Email Marketing Analysts George Bilbrey and Stephanie Miller of ReturnPath present hard data about email deliverability & optimizing email campaigns.

Find out the truth behind popular myths such as Revenue equals subscriber interest, Marketers/senders are getting better at reaching the inbox & Sender reputation is irrelevant for B2B marketers. Discover methods for controlling your email reputation & how to avoid being blocked by filters.

Why You Should Start Mobile Marketing Now

2010-02-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

The age of digital has become the age of mobile; and if you're not wired, you'll be left behind. This isn't just your social life we're talking about, it's your business as well. If the launch of the new apple iPad hasn't convinced you mobile media is important, check out these fun facts:

Mobile Internet usage is ramping even faster than Desktop usage did between the early 90s and today. The iPhone + iTouch have 8x the amount of market penetration that AOL did at a similar point in its trajectory (Morgan Stanley)
Smart phones are predicted to out-ship PC's soon as 2012 (Morgan Stanley)
The number of smartphone users tapping into mobile-application stores are expected to reach 100 million in 2013 (In-Stat)
There are now more than 450 million Mobile Internet users worldwide; 1 billion + users expected in 2010 (IDC)
Globally, mobile data traffic will double every year through 2013, increasing 66 times between 2008 and 2013 (Cisco)

This growth in mobile internet usage has led to a large development in mobile marketing technologies. There are plenty of creative uses emerging including location-based advertising, click-to-call ads, text message coupons, & pay by phone apps. If you're not already on board, now is the time to start utilizing mobile technologies or develop your own.

6 Easy Tricks To Get Found in Real-Time Search Results

2009-12-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

6 Easy Tricks to Get Found in Real-Time Search Results

Search engine giant Google has recently integrated real-time into it's search results and others including Yahoo! and Bing are not far behind. But what does this mean for SEO? Real-time search is essentially a collection of "what's happening right now". When your content is instantly shared across social media, via a tweet or repost, search engines catch the content and promote it as conversation happening this minute on a particular topic. Real-time results are separate from traditional organic results and allow you an additional opportunity for getting the to top of search results. Want in on the action? Here are 6 easy ways to improve your chances of getting found in real-time search results.

Include Keywords in Everything
It's the number one rule of thumb for any type of SEO, yet most often looked over. From your content to your titles, always, ALWAYS, use keywords. When people share content across social medias, a short headline is all you get to represent your piece- so make it work for you. Now that search engines are including social medias in results- when those keywords are searched for, your content is more likely to appear in their results- including tweets and status updates.

Reference Current Events
Your chances of being found in top search results are exponentially increased when you're referencing a popular topic. You'll be battling a bunch of spam, but if you utilize the right keywords and provide quality content, you're sure to attract attention. According to Tribune SEO Director, Brent Payne, the recent news about Tiger Woods brought more than 1.5 million visits to its website in one day. Not sure what the current popular topics are? Check out google hot trends for a list of the top 40 keywords people are searching for a daily basis.

Build a Following
It's simple, the more followers or friends you're connected to, the greater exposure your rate. The more interesting and relevant your content is, the further it will spread as your friends and connections share it with others. Building your network will take some time, diligence, and promotion, but if you consistently provide high quality content, you'll keep 'em coming back.

Promote Sharing
Make it easy for people to share your content by providing easy to find social media buttons. Pelfushion.com does a great job of this by placing popular social media buttons vertically along the edge of the browser window which maintain visible while the viewer is scrolling. A one-step click to share button is ideal for fast and easy content forwarding. The more often your content is shared across the web, the more likely it is to appear in real-time search results.

Start a Discussion
People love to give their opinion, so provide them this opportunity through your blog or social network. Ask questions, conduct surveys, and engage in conversations started by others. Being involved in multiple discussions will increase your potential for reposts and real-time search impressions.

Be Consistent
If you want to stay on top of the news feed, you've got to keep pumping out content on a regular basis. The frequency of your posts will vary depending on the size of your industry presence in social media. If you're not sure how often you should be sharing, research your competitors and how often they provide new content.

Successful Email Marketing | Analytics/Tools

2009-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

PART III: ANALYTICS/TOOLS

Whether your using your own service provider or a marketing agency to develop your campaigns, reviewing the analytics is an important part of measuring success as well as using the information to grow and improve future campaigns. These are some areas to check regularly to optimize your campaign.

Bounce Rates: A bounce rate is the immediate return of your email. There are two types of bounces which can occur. The first is a hard bounce which indicates a permanent error with the email address, i.e. a spelling error or deleted address. If the address no longer exists, the contact is most likely no longer there. This provides an opportunity for you to create a new contact with that company as well as find the old contact and acquire business with his/her new company. Alternatively, a soft bounce is a temporary server issue, i.e. recipients inbox is full or the message was identified as spam & blocked. Generally if the email is re-sent at a later time the message will get through.

Open Rates: Open rates track the interaction with your email, not the delivery. It's tracked by two codes hidden in your email. One is placed in the body, the other is in the embedded image you might have (i.e. logo). A key note here is if images are not enabled by the user- whether the function has been turned off by the email provider or the reader is viewing the email on a text only phone- the email will be marked as unopened.

Click-Through Rates: Click through rates identify how many people have clicked a link provided in your email and arrived at the designated page. You can use this information to determine which article or topics are of the greatest interest and which you may want to eliminate in the future. You can also create a list of contacts interested in a particular topic, so that you can direct future emails on that subject toward them in the future.

Function Scan: This is a great preventative tool to use before you send out your campaign. It scans your message to test for link and image functionality, as well as evaluate your subject & content for "spam-like" properties, so you can prevent errors which may deteriorate your message.

Good luck, and happy email marketing!

Successful Email Marketing | Content

2009-11-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

PART II: CONTENT
The most important goal of your campaign content is to create a message your target audience wants to read about. Your message should be worth saving and or sharing with others. Follow these steps in order to create clear & valuable content.

Determine the Objective: In general there are 3 types of objectives with email marketing-

Promote: motivate purchases or increase event attendance
Inform: increase awareness among potential or current customers or for differentiating your brand among competitors
Relate: build relationships, loyalty, & referrals

Determine the Form: Again, there are 3 types of forms used in email marketing and each has it's own frequency, content focus, and call to action.

Newsletters: Regular intervals (weekly/monthly), education info provided in bullets or summary, soft CTA (learn/read more).
Promotions/Invites/Surveys: Frequency follows sales cycle, limited & direct content, hard CTA (call/sign up now)
Announcements: Event driven, news, holiday, or thank you oriented, soft CTA.

Valuable Content: The key to a successful campaign ultimately lies in how worthwhile the content is to the audience. Be sure the immediate benefit is clearly defined for your reader. Some ideas for valuable content include:

Knowledge: Sharing your expertise, use facts & testimonials, give guidance & direction
Advantage: Discounts & coupons, exclusivity or VIP status, contests & giveaways
Attention: Acknowledge and response to audience

Keep it Concise: This goes along with ease on the eye- Presenting too much information at once will overwhelm your reader. To prevent burn out and ensure the reader can easily access the information s/he is interested in, follow these guidelines:

Host large bodies of content elsewhere- link to website or blog, PDF attachment
Limit to essential info- use bullets, summaries, or links to more info elsewhere

Structure: Getting people just to open, let alone read your emails can be strongly impacted by the external appearance of your message. Key areas to focus on are:

From line: Use a name your audience will recognize. For more targeted lists, this could be a personal name. For broad lists use the brand for both the name & email address, i.e. "SouthEastRep@mainstreetbank.com".
Subject line: Keep it short and simple, limit to 30-40 characters (including spaces) or 5-8 words. Identify the immediate value/benefit of reading the content. Avoid "spammy" grammar such as all caps and multiple punctuation marks.

Permissions: Always be sure to ask people before you send them your campaign. This can be done with a sign-up sheet on location or an opt-in on your website. You can also verbally confirm permission. Be as specific as possible about the content your reader can expect to receive. It's generally helpful to provide a preview or past email. Also provide an unsubscribe option; this will prevent you from unnecessary aggravation should a reader no longer wish to receive your emails, as well as show your respect for privacy.

Successful Email Marketing | Design

2009-11-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Like any campaign or marketing effort, there are certain ways you can maximize your ROI. Follow these tips to ensure your email marketing campaign is engaging your audience and providing successful marketing results.

PART I: DESIGN
The design of your email campaign affects your consumer perception as well as the potential engagement from recipients. Some key areas to focus on are:

Theme: The overall look & feel should match your brand image. Any fonts, PMS colors, or graphic elements used in your logo or other marketing pieces should be carried over into your email design.

Style: Use images and ample white space to break up copy and make the message easy on the eye. Images should support content by providing a visual representation of your message. If you're using a colored background, be sure the contrast between the background color & the copy is dramatic enough to provide clear legibility.

Format: The layout of your email can impact the comprehension of the over all message. The format should be clean, simple, and easy understand.

Header: You may be inclined to place your logo or an event logo at the top of your email, however, some email clients auto disable images or the reader may be viewing your message on a smart phone that does not enable images. If you’re logo or event title is an image file, it will be lost on these readers. To avoid this problem, keep your logo at the bottom and write your message title and business name in text at the top.
Body: Using a side bar menu or too many additional links will clutter your message and confuse your reader about the call to action. Keep the body of your message clean and clear. If your creating a newsletter, define different articles or events with graphic dividers and bold title fonts.
Footer: This is a good place for your logo image as well as contact, subscriber info, and disclaimer.

SEO For the Average Joe | Website Optimization

2009-10-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's easy to get lost in the "Geek Speak" of SEO when trying to understand and utilize the concept. Most of us aren't internet savvy and don't have years of experience researching and analyzing how search engines operate. If you lack the budget to hire an SEO expert to monitor your site regularly, here are some some simple ways you can optimize your website and bring in more business.

CONTENT

Start a Blog Search engines love fresh content, so the more you update your site the better your search ranking. However, if you are one of the many of whom do not have products and services that change regularly, this may be more difficult. A blog is the easiest solution to this dilemma. By linking your blog, the new content will refresh the overall site, thus ranking it higher with google. There are many sites which offer free blogs as well as easy content management systems which allow you to edit your blog using drag and drop features. Your blog posts should contain information about your industry. Avoid blogging about your own company products and services, but rather, topics which encompass a wider subject around your product.

Article Submission Following the same concept as blogging, Article Submission means writing about industry topics and submitting them to article sites such as ezinearticles or articlepro. The key here is putting your website address in your signature and/or bio. You can use this in conjunction with your blog, or as an alternative option to attracting visitors to your site.

Keep It Unique There's a difference between refreshing your website and updating it. Be sure you're not repeating posts or articles just to keep your site "fresh". Duplicate content is generally ignored and often frowned upon by search engines which can ultimately hurt your rank.

LINKS

Links are very important to pay attention to when performing SEO. Your ultimate goal is to achieve a number of link backs from quality, high-ranked sites. Link back simple means a link to your website which appears on another website.

Apply to Search Engines It might not seem so obvious until you hear it, but why wait for the search engines to find you? Tell them about your website yourself. You can submit your website address to the popular search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc) for free.

Submit to Directories Finding directories for your industry in which you can submit your website address is another easy way to build up your link backs. Though higher ranked directories usually require a fee or link back to their site as well.

Social Media Creating a social media profiles for company gives you yet another place to post your web address, among other benefits. You can search forums posted to these sites to answer questions or offer suggestions based on your industry knowledge and gain exposure. Don't forget to leave your website address next your signature!

ANALYTICS

Because the internet is constantly changing, your SEO strategy will as well. By using analytics on your site, you can find out where people are coming from and how they got to your site. Google offers a free analytics tool with plenty of useful information. All you need to do is sign up for an account and paste a code clip into your site.

Site Structure Google Analytics will tell you which search words people are using to find your website. These are also known as "keywords". Keywords are important because they help you identify what that person is looking for. Analytics also tell you which pages people are looking at your website and how many times they've been viewed. You can use this information to determine which words and pages are the most popular and further promote those products or services related to your company on your site. Set up a featured section or spot light them on the homepage.

Blog Driver Still wondering what to write about on your blog or in your articles? Use the keywords as a guide for topics and see how your traffic and subscription database grows!

AdWords Management If you have an AdWords account, you can link the data to your analytics report, keeping all your SEO information in one place. The keyword information from the analytics report is a great way to determine which keywords to focus on in your online advertising campaign.

Free Icons | Graphic & Web Design

2009-10-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves free, including us! So we've rounded up a few sites with note worthy free icons from generous designers. Enjoy!

Ultimate RSS Feed Icon Collection, from CreativeNerds

35 Original and Creative Free Twitter Icon Sets, from SpeckyBoy

Cheers “Social” Icon set, from Smashing Magazine

Crystal Clear icon set, by Everaldo Coelho

Vector Social Bookmark icons, from snap2objects

Webset Icons, from GraphicRiver
*Note, must link back to the GraphicRiver website if using the icons for commercial projects

iPhone applications Icons, from Glyphish

6 pack of Status icons, from JankoAtWarpSpeed

Free Icon sets, from Icon Shock

Free icon sets, from artua

Content Ideas for Social Media Posts

2009-09-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone's talking about it, everyone says you need it, you get it. You're all set up with Facebook and Twitter, great! ... Now what?

It's time to start posting. But forget your well versed product pitch, the purpose of getting into social media is to interact with your consumers. This is not to be confused with selling to your consumers. Sales may be your ultimate goal, but for now, that's not what people want to hear. So what should you write about?

Before you touch the keyboard you need to keep two things in mind-
1. Social sites are casual. Twitter only gives you 140 characters to get your point across; people aren't trying to read a novel, they want fast information. This means there's no room for long winded terminology or impressive vocabulary normally found on your website. Keep it simple and to the point, i.e. "Check this out, great idea or not? www.link.com", done.
2. You must be interesting. You'll never get followers if you're posting old news or lame company facts. To achieve interesting your posts generally need to be one of three things- new, helpful, or humorous. And that's just the attention grabbing part. But you don't want just anyone following you. Sure, it may make you feel special, but remember the ultimate goal is to turn followers into customers, so keep your information industry related. This will help narrow your following into a well targeted audience.

With these two golden rules in mind, you're read to start posting. Here are some ideas on what you can do with your social media accounts:

Update your status regularly. What's going on? Literally. Talk about the pros and cons of a new item/program you tested out, or that last office debate on whether "X" was more effective than "Y", then ask for your fan's opinions.
Share the last interesting article you read and give your thoughts. Impress your fans by showing them your industry knowledge base is wider than your own doors.
Start a discussion or a pool. People love to share their opinion! Giving others a chance to express their views not only shows respect but builds trust as well.
Post pictures of the office or people at work, your last office party, and networking happy hours. Seeing your faces and the office life makes a company that much more personable with the average consumer. Not to mention, more interesting!
Retweet and Facebook share. If someone else you're following or reading up on has uncovered something interesting, share it with others by posting an eye catching tag line followed by the info link. *Hint: This is a great way to keep up in the social world when you're limited on time.
Link to your blog. You've got something new, helpful, or humorous to say and it's more than 140 characters. Post it to your blog then, as with other articles, put a title and site link in your post. While it's more time consuming to write your own article, links to your blog will bring more traffic to your website.

For more ideas on specific things you can do with Facebook and Twitter, check out these articles:

TWEET IDEAS: 13 Things to Do on Twitter, Besides Tweet
32 Ways to Use Facebook For Business

6 Ways Social Media Can Help Your Business

2009-09-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

So you keep hearing that you need social media, but you're still not sure why? Let me explain. The world is in a constant state of change and the internet is no exception. As with everything else, if you don't keep up, you'll be left under the proverbial rock. It's no longer enough just to have a website or to simply be listed on yellowbook.com. Adwords are a start, but people are slowing turning to ward social media outlets, rather than search engines, for information. And why shouldn't they? With collaborative readers like Netvibes, all the information normally requiring multiple site visits is instead, placed on one page, with real-time updates. So how do you continue to reach these consumers? You get into their news feed. Here are the top 6 ways doing just that will help to improve your business.

1. Exposure. Once your business name is recognized by a consumer, your chances of being called upon for a particular service goes way up. Getting your name out in the online social world works the same as advertising for a much smaller price. Plus, you avoid being viewed as another annoying ad.

2. Better SEO. Posting links back to your site will increase traffic and boost your page ranking with search engines such as Google. If you can provide content that requires a minute or two to read or watch, it will prevent bounce hits (people who visit your site then immediately leave) which can bring down overall page rank.

3. Become an Industry Leader. As I mentioned earlier, technology is constantly changing. Thus, being on top of new and upcoming products and events is an important part of staying in the race. Subscribe to blog feeds, tweets, and fan pages related to your field; find out what's going on out side your doors. This will not only keep you well informed, but enable you to be the first to share information with others and attract fans.

4. Watch the Competition. Much like the social window you're creating for your own company, you can keep an eye on your competitors and what they're doing. Find out what they're saying and who they're saying it to, then do it better!

5. Feedback. People are already talking about you and/or your services so get in there and talk back! If someone's given you a poor rating, find out why and offer a discount on their next purchase. You might commend a positive rating in the same way to let consumers know you appreciate their support.

6. Valuable Employees. By displaying your company philosophy through your social media presence, you're more likely to attract potential employee candidates. It might not always be people who are actively seeking employment that are a good catch, so be sure to pay attention to who your fans are as well as their individual skills and achievements.

Michael Jackson Tribute Party

2009-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Remember that Rock to the King of Pop party we co-hosted? Well it was a great success and we took pictures!

more pictures

2009-09-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Digital Canvas has submitted a panel for next year's SXSW conference (March 12-20, 2010). Voting closes the end of the day, so be sure to check out it and cast your vote today!

Interactive Agency: GTD For Your Clients
Organized by Digital Canvas

At the heart of every creative agency is their client roster and the work done for these clients. Balancing the client's happiness, your shop's collective creative ego, and your/their budget is a challenging experience. We hope to share our experiences, mistakes, and successes and learn from other panelist/attendees on how to Get Things Done from the agency perspective.

Questions Answered:

Should clients choose you, or should you choose your clients?
How much is too much for your clients?
How do you accurately define your clients requirements and manage QA?
How do you get things done within your client's budget?
What happens when account management and creative/development clash?
When it comes to client changes, when is enough, enough?
How do you manage a long-term project with many rounds of changes and keep everyone happy?
How do you lose a client on purpose?
How do you find or instill your philosophy with vendors?
Protecting yourself, what goes in a scope of work?

Level: Beginner

Category: Advertising, Business / Entrepreneurial / Monetization, Career / Work Concerns, Design Thinking, Self-Help / Self-Improvement

Type: Panel

Event: Interactive 2010

Digital Canvas Hosts Rock to the King of Pop party #mjtribute

2009-08-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Digital Canvas is co-hosting the Rock to the King of Pop party, a benefit for the International House of Blues Foundation. Come out and rock with us as we celebrate the music and birthday of legendary Michael Jackson!

With the city's hottest DJ trifecta spinning the best of MJ, we 'Won't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.' It'll be a 'Thriller' of a time when the Houston Ballet and Planet Funk perform the most memorable Jackson music videos. Food provided by Quattro and drinks generously donated by LeBlon Cachaca. If you want to be really 'Bad', join us for the after party at House of Blues going on until 2am. Be there or 'Beat It'!!

Saturday, August 29
7:30 to 10:30pm
Four Seasons Hotel / Fourth Floor Pool Pavilion
1300 Lamar Street

After party at House of Blues
10:30 - 2am

Don't miss out! Get Your Tickets Now
$50 individual tickets include Quattro cuisine + cocktails + access to HOB after party.

To purchase tickets:
-Go to http://bit.ly/rocktothekingofpop
-Call the House of Blues Box Office at 832-667-7732
-E-mail michellephillips@livenation.com

New Account | Uptown Sushi Website Design

2009-08-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Digital Canvas is excited to announce it's winning big for Uptown Sushi's website re-design. We are thrilled at the chance to relay the restaurant's unique culture and message through captivating, yet strategic design. Stay tuned for the final product, you won't be disappointed!

Sam Houston EC Annual

2009-06-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sam Houston EC Annual is complete!

DIGITAL CANVAS RATES TERMINATOR

2009-06-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 21st the office headed out for a field trip to the movies. After all the type on the new Terminator Salvation movie, we just had to check it out. Here's what we thought:

Adam: "It sucked."

Alex: "You do have to suspend disbelief, but I liked it none the less."

Celia: "Entertaining; must be seen in the theaters for the full effect of the terrorizing machines. Too bad Arnold couldn't make a real cameo."

Jay: "It Rooooaaaaahhhcked!" (Devil horns in the air)

Vin: "Madmax meets Matrix meets Battlestar Galactica Cylons"

Going Green | Digital Canvas Recycles

2009-05-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Digital Canvas is proud to announce we are doing our part to decrease the carbon foot print we leave behind.

A couple weeks ago Jay bought some collapsible laundry bags and labeled them based on material, now we're proud to say we recycle soda cans, scrap paper, cardboard, mounting board, and even old electronics!

The dropbox at the school across the street accepts paper, but for all other materials, we take them to the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center. All you have to do is drive up and pop the trunk. The center employees scoop up all your recyclables, shut your trunk, and send you on your way- it's that easy. They except all materials except plastic toys and packing materials, like peanuts. They even take used motor oil and electronic scrap.

We're also looking into other ways to be green, like buying recycled paper towel and reusable bottles for water. Alex has been known to walk to work on nice days, and Celia is researching bicycles to use as her main transportation into the office.

Latest Website Projects

2009-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Our latest website baby:

Houston Hoops is a non-profit youth program designed for kids interested in basketball. The program focuses on teamwork and the importance of education to ensure a successful future. This website is designed to help reach out and create awareness for this elite program. Digital Canvas kept a younger audience in mind and displayed clear and direct information with urban imagery. (or an urban appeal?) This site was built entirely in CSS. You can view this website here.

Coming soon:

Rivers Run is a new community is located just east of State Highway 59 and south of FM 762 on Reading Road, River’s Run at the Brazos. The estates provides an attractive amenity package and will be close to an extensive commercial development offering large box and niche retailers. Digital Canvas utilized the 960 grid system for CSS development.

Waterview Estates is a family friendly community focused on quality living. Contracted with the best home builders Houston has to offer, Waterview has it all- location, amenities, and premium homes. Digital Canvas utilized the 960 grid system for CSS development.

SEO is the new Black: Part 3 - Social Media

2008-07-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Other than search engines, social media sites are the 2nd most popular source of information. People will trust each other comments over your marketing slick. There a multitude of sites that will allow you to share your world with the public, but be aware, this arena is a two way street. Search engines love social media sites purely because they're constantly updated through these feedback mechanisms. Here's the run down:

If you have videos (no not your boring marketing tape) upload them to Youtube and watch the masses tear it up.
Got tons of photos from your last company party? Or organize your product images or portfolio by posting them to Flckr (Yahoo!) or Picasa (Google), or Natuba.com, and feed them back as links to your website.
Want to instantly broadcast your event? Try Qik (video phone required) or UStream
If you've got a event or seminar open to the public, let people join in at Meetup.com (Yahoo!)
A FaceBook company page lets people become fans of your company and stay up-to-date with your company's news and announcements.
A Twitter account can be used to have people follow your announcements and keep up with your blog. Set up an RSS feed to Twitter using Twitterfeed.com
MySpace pages are great ways for musicians to upload sample tracks, sell their music via digital download and start a fan base.
Participate in forums and contribute to knowledge bases like Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers, or Google Base. If you're a noteworthy company, check to see if you already have a Wikipedia page. Sign your posts with a link back to your company.

The beauty of all things Web 2.0 is feedback from your audience and it keeps you and your marketing department honest by exposing yourself to people who haven't drank the Kool-Aid. Fortunately, many of these services also allow you to moderate comments. All in all, it helps to get out there and contribute to the collective knowledge base that is the internet - whether you're looking to sell something, inform, or just trying to get noticed, try these techniques, and be patient.

SEO is the new Black: Part 2, DIY SEO

2008-07-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Google Webmaster Tools is probably the first stop in any SEO DIY project. We're sure there are many different services from all the other major search engines, but we're most familiar with Google, so it may sound a bit biased.

1. Submitting your site for indexing is pretty simple.
Google Submit URL

2. Verifying ownership of your site will require you to add a meta tag to a page on your site, or you can FTP a specifically named HTML page to your site that Google checks.

3. Submit a site map. Creating a site map for a non-dynamic site is fairly simple with XML-Sitemaps.

4. Set up Google Analytics. You'll need your webmaster to add a javascript to all the pages that you want to monitor.

5. Set up Google Adwords or Yahoo based on your keywords. Make sure to narrow your geographic search regions so you're not paying for clicks from Timbuktu. This is a fairly simple method of

6. Set up Google Maps for your location(s). Search for your business name after Google has acquired your information, or click on the link that says "Put your business on Google maps" and go in there and customize your business listing. Post coupons, hours of operations, etc. They'll actually call your business phone listing or send you a postcard to verify your business.

7. Set up a blog with Blogger. Why not post your news and press releases on Google's own servers? You can have Blogger host your blog or you can host it on your own FTP server, regardless, Google knows about it. This very page you're reading is a customized template that is driven by Blogger. You can also set one up on WordPress, Tumblr or any other blogging tool.

That should about handle it for search engine based tools. Again, if I've missed anything, let me know!

Part 3: Social Media - Silly rabbit, it's not just for kids!

Utility Belt

2008-07-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

Tools of the trade that I've found:

Making CSS faster and better:
CSS Sprite Creator
CSS Optimizer

Page running slow? Yahoo's YSlow integrates into Firebug's Firefox Plugin
Firebug
YSlow
Web Developer's Plugin

Create a sitemap for Google's sitemap submission
XML Sitemaps

This one you have to pay for
Power Mapper

Create a favicon online
Dynamic Drive's Favicon Generator

Post any RSS feed to Twitter
Twitter Feed

Cool Toys from Adobe
Adobe SPRY
Adobe Kuler

Validate your Site for Compliance
W3C
W3C CSS Validator
LitmusApp.com (Premium Services Available)

And the Crystal Goes To...

2008-07-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Digital Canvas has won a Crystal Award Certificate of Excellence for our work on Sam Houston Electric Co-Op's Do Watts Right campaign.

Avalon Dental

2008-06-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Our latest website for Avalon Dental is now online. Avalon Dental is a site for Dr. S. Dannie Yu, a Sugar Land Dentist. We utilized the 960 grid system for CSS development. You can view it here.

SEO is the new Black, Part I

2008-06-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Best practices require that a website goes beyond just the pretty veneer and the flashy bells and whistles. Careful consideration of analytics, information architecture, wire-framing, task or functional diagramming, QA, and proper optimization are all required to develop a truly successful site. Beyond that, usability testing (UAT), clear documentation and accessibility concerns creep into the mix with larger portal and government sites. Did someone say Section 508?

Let's assume everything is done correctly the first time around and the site is up and running. Now what? The client calls and says, "My site is not listed on Google." or "I want to be on the first page of Google." Typically, it's time to hire an SEO or search engine optimization expert. It's a bit of a misnomer, SEO experts, don't just optimize websites, they scour the web for sites, discussion threads, directories, and search engines that allow back-linking to the client's website, creating more roads to Rome. Your web design company should be charged with creating a site that is as optimized as possible. Which includes your basics, such as:

Descriptive page titles
Alternative text-based navigation for graphical links
Alt-text for images
Meta Tag Description
Meta Tag Keywords
A site map page
Dynamic Google maps

SEO work, as I explain to our clients is a "Voodoo Art". There's no guarantee of your site being listed as #1 on anything. If this were true, do a search for "SEO" on Google, and Wikipedia is number #1, ironic. An honest SEO person will be the first to admit there's no guarantee, and believe me, it's in the fine print. Honest SEO's use proven, and legal methods to get your site listed higher on search engines, and it costs a lot of time, persistence, patience, and money. There's no magic bullet, and there are many dubious techniques as well, but I can't say whether they're legal or not.

Here are Google's own rules on the matter:

Google Webmaster Tools

In part 2, I'll list out some tricks of the trade that I'm aware of. I'll discuss the use of online tools, social media sites, online marketing/adwords, and such. Stay tuned. If you're an SEO expert or company, please feel free to add to the discussion. We're all still learning here.