RawkMedia Website Design and Web Consulting Group » Saskatoon

Ensuring your website gets infront of your target audience through link-building

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:47:11 +0000

So, you’ve done a little research in the efforts to understand how better to position your website in search engine search results. What you’ve quickly disc0vered is that one of the most important factors in getting your website positioned well is by getting your website’s URL in as many places as possible. The most effective way to do this is through link-building and business listing directory submission.

There are literally thousands of business listing directories on the internet, each with its own group of business categories. If you take away anything from this article, it should be the fact that choosing the right category to submit your website’s listing in is paramount as google (in particular) not only looks for “backlinks” to your website but also tries to understand how relevant that link location is to the products and services your website is advertising.

Some directories may charge a fee to have your website URL listed with them, but many many others are free. The downside of ‘free’ directories is two-fold; firstly, it can take quite a long time to get listed (sometimes more than a year). Secondly, if the business listings directory has a low editorial checking quality, or automates the process, the directory can quickly fill up with irrelevant spam content and your website’s business listing can get lost in a sea of website garbage.

We recommend going with both the free and paid directory submissions…

Below is a list of questions you should ask yourself when considering whether or not to pay to have your website listed in a paid-for business listings directory:

1. How relevant is the directory to my business (extremely important)
2. Does the directory rank well for the search terms that are relevant to your website’s products and services (some quick googling should tell you the answer to that question)
3. How many website’s are listed in the business listings directory?
4. Does the business listings directory look professional?
5. What is the business listings directory’s Google “pagerank” (use the page rank tool here to check)
6. Does the directory allow you to link to your website? (If not, it’s not worth your time)
7. Does the directory insist on you providing a link back to them (this is common, they’re looking for the same “backlink” relationship )

And last, but not least, “how much does it cost?”. Understand your budget and use the above list to prioritize which directory your business’ website should be found in (paid / free or both).

Now, you’ve listed in a couple of directories, how do you measure their performance? Google has a tool called “Google Analytics” that can track not only traffic to your website, but also can determine that traffic’s origin. If you’re not sure how to install and use google analytics, contact your website designer to ensure that it’s incorporated into your website’s design.

How do you find directories to list in… well, considering the RawkMedia Web Design Group offer such a service, we like to keep our directory list tight to the chest… we can offer the following Search Engine Search suggestions though

“business listing directories”

“website marketing” + “add listing”

“” + “add listing”

“free business listing”

Good luck with your website marketing campaign and please feel free to contact a Saskatoon Website Design Consultant for information regarding your best approach to getting your website’s design infront of potential customers!

Different Website Design Elements for Different Saskatoon Business Needs!

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:23:11 +0000

You’re a Saskatoon business owner and you’ve come to the realization that you need a website.. congrats! You’ve searched google (or the search engine of your choice) to determine what Saskatoon based company could best facilitate your website design. In discussion, you’ve developed a vision of your website… your vision however may not be exactly what your market or industry requires with regards to effective design and overall website strategy. We’ve put together a list of website elements that may help you structure the way your business website might best effectively convey your products, your services, and your corporate image.

Here are some examples of website elements (in order of importance) that best fit each market:

Architecture / Landscaping / Interior Design / General Contracting
- Definitely Show samples of your work via a photo-gallery
- Offer a few customer testimonials
- Always offer customers a way to contact you and get more information
- Breakdown your services into pages (1 service per web page)
- Offer preliminary pricing
- Maintain a blog to interact with your customers and the search engines for your segment!
Restaurants / Cafes / Bakeries/ Coffee Shops
- Display your menu items and prices.. and keep it up to date!
- Display your address, directions, and a Map to your establishment
- Display photos of your dishes, possibly also a photo gallery of your establishment
- Display coupons and specials
- Maintain a blog to interact with your customers and the search engines for your segment!
Real Estate / Rentals
- Display home listing each with photos and a structured information set
- Maintain a blog to interact with your customers, the search engines, and your market!
- Display general photos of your previous offerings in a photo gallery
- Display links to community information (i.e. Schools, Hospitals, Shopping areas …)
Schools/ Colleges / Universities
- Allow registration online
- Offer information on amenities and the community
- Display Class schedules
- Display Events and Holiday calendars
- Provide access to parents to School forums
- Maintain a blog to interact with your students and the search engines!
Professionals
- Breakdown your products and/or services into pages (1 per web page)
- Display office hours
- Display Direction and Map to your organization
- Allow request of information online
- Maintain a blog to interact with your customers (potential or existing) and the search engines for your segment!

Ofcourse there are many other market segments requiring their own unique set of website elements incorporated into their website design but the aforementioned offer a good start to get you thinking about how you might want your website to communicate with potential and existing customers!

Contact a Saskatoon Web Designer today to understand what we can do to ensure that your web design serves to enhance your business!

Wanna get your website on your customer's iphones, blackberries, etc?

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:12:43 +0000

No problem, we can make it happen with you integrated smartphone module. Our Website Management System saskatoon website customers can now opt to have a smartphone version of their website created with a seperate URL that they can provide their customers with to access important product and services information on the go! Drop a line to inquire how a Saskatoon Web Designer can help you with the finer details… Get into the mobile game with the RawkMedia website management system!

Betty White teaches us all a lesson in Website marketing via Social Media

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:12:09 +0000

Last week’s SNL episode hosted by Betty White has proven much more than the obvious fact that she remains one seriously golden girl. She’s also proven what should be an obvious fact by now, that Social Networks can literally make or break a concept… In Betty’s case, Social chatter resulted in her hosting and pop’n the top off of SNL in terms of ratings. What does this mean to your business? What you should take away is the idea that an active network of targeted saskatoon web listeners can do more for you in a day than a costly sales campaign can in a year! Create your social profiles on facebook, twitter, etc.. But be active within the Saskatoon community web! Communicate with your listeners about your products, services, and your market.. Be patient with success, it will not come overnight, but it will come with hard work.

Design Work Complete On Saskatchewan Artist Akiko Mcdougall’s New Website

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:58:18 +0000

We’re proud to complete web design work on Akiko Mcdougall’s website, showcasing her exceptional artwork! Akiko is using the RawkMedia Website Management System, enabling her with the ability to manage her website’s content, image gallery, and more! Click here to have a look!

Big news in what will be one of the greatest innovations in mobile tech!

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 00:22:12 +0000

Since becoming serious fans of the Google Android smartphone flatform, we’ve been following updates closely. One of the most interesting innitiatives has been Google’s “google TV” Television on the Android. Although scant few details have emerged since releasing their TV news, we can now look forward to a full reveal at next month’s I/O Developer Conference. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google will unveil the platform at its annual developer event in San Francisco on May 19 and 20. Hardware partners, including Sony, Intel and Logitech, have already announced plans to release products on the Google TV platform. Although this post has nothing to do with websites, we’re nonetheless stoked enough to write about it!

We always recommend an effective Social Networking Strategy

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:17:06 +0000

First and foremost, recognize that the various social media outlets available today represent the most cost effective outlet for you to reach your customers.
And the potential market for business networking, both inside and outside of the Saskatoon business community, is enormous. Over 20 million businesses worldwide are members of local chambers of commerce organizations alone represent huge potential, but we’re talking about outlets like facebook, twitter, etc. Generating brand, product, and service awareness via social networking relationships are as compelling reasons to connect as finding old schoolmates or potential dating partners!

Contact a Saskatoon Web Design Consultant today to understand the potential that Social Networking can bring to your business.

Saskatoon strikes gold at world juniors

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:49:01 +0000

With A reported profit of slightly more than $15 million (highest on record for a Canadian-based world junior tournament revenue), Saskatoon has truly won gold where the Canandian junior team fell short. The preliminary-round and medal-round games were played in Saskatoon and Regina from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.

Congrats to Saskatoon, let’s see that money put to good use!

The Neil Young Trunk Show Opens in Saskatoon!

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:28:42 +0000

We know this is somewhat off-topic, given the general theme of our website and blog, but we wanted to push out our adoration for Neil Young and even more so for Saskatoon’s Broadway Theatre for boldly going where no other Saskatoon theatre generally goes. In this case, for showing an epic documentary about Neil Young’s epic 2007 performance “Chrome Dreams II performance” in Philly’s Tower Theatre. We had the privilege to catch old shakes perform in both Regina and Saskatoon and can vouch that this documentary is worth watching! Thanks again Broadway Theatre for giving us so much more than what CGI driven no-plots ever could

The Neil Young Trunk Show can be considered a “sequel” to Demme’s “Neil Young: Heart of Gold”. This time he gives us raw concert footage from Young’s 2007 Chrome Dreams II tour performances at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pa. Word is that Young and Demme are looking to make this series into a trilogy and a third film will soon follow. If you’ve read this far, you’re a fan of Young, Demme or both – so don’t miss this one.

Young’s work is characterized by his deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and signature tenor singing voice. His clawhammer acoustic guitar style and often idiosyncratic electric guitar soloing are the defining characteristics of a sometimes ragged, sometimes melodic sound.

The Neil Young Trunk Show from saskatoon-web-design on Vimeo.

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RawkMedia Web Design is committed to helping the Saskatoon community by offering your non-profit or community based organization with a website

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:05:56 +0000

Are you a Saskatoon based non-profit organization or an organization committed to serving your community… on a tight budget but looking to get a website designed and developed? Your organization likely needs a local Saskatoon audience to raise awareness and funding for your cause, let’s discuss some strategies to connect you with a website and an online audience and spread the word about how you’re doing good for the Saskatoon community!