<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>SMT Conversion Site Blog</title><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/</link><description>This is the SMT Conversion Site Blog</description><copyright>Copyright (c) 2012 </copyright><pubDate>1/27/2012 3:58:08 PM</pubDate><lastBuildDate>1/27/2012 3:58:08 PM</lastBuildDate><ttl>5</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[ Building a Website - Do You Need a Site Plan? ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ What is a "site plan"?&nbsp; Well it is more commonly called a "site map" and it is exactly what it says.&nbsp; In the "old" days, when building a larger website, web developers produced a site map. The site map was the blue print for the website. It spelled out what pages would be created, where they would be placed and what would be on them. The site map helped the developer and the client have a meeting of the minds. The site plan helped the client to understand what they would be getting and helped the developer get everything in a logical order.&nbsp;These days, many companies are opting to build their website using a Content Management System (CMS). With a CMS, you don't have to be as specific up front. You can change things. Using a CMS, you can add and delete pages on the fly. You can modify and rename pages. With this level of flexibility it is easy to see why some folks are skipping the site planning process and just jumping to the building phase. We don't recommend that.If you want a site that is well thought out and easy to navigate, take the time to do a site plan. Even with a CMS, it is easier to move things around in a site plan than it is to do it after the site is already built. Working off a site plan will help your developer be more efficient which will save you money. Don't cut out this critical step.  ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/building-a-website-do-you-need-a-site-plan.html</link><pubDate>3/4/2011 9:17:00 AM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ What is a Blog? Why is a Blog Important? ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ First I believe a definition is in order:&nbsp; Blog &#8211; a blend of the  terms &#8220;web&#8221; and &#8220;log&#8221;, are literally online diaries with articles,  writings, photos, web links or other entries made by the blogs'  creators, or "bloggers.&nbsp; Whether it is personal or specific to an  industry, a blog allows a person to post their opinions about any  subject they want and can even allow readers to post comments back. &nbsp;Now - why it is important?&#8230;part  of the ongoing challenge of search engine optimization is making sure  the search engines have new content or copy that will draw them back to  your site more often &#8211; keep them interested in your website is the name  of the game.&nbsp; Since no one wants to rewrite the copy on their website  daily, weekly, monthly or honestly, even yearly, a blog can help to fill  the need.&nbsp; By posting a blog, daily or at minimum weekly, you are  putting new content on your website continually. &nbsp;There is one  thing that you need to remember &#8211; consistence is the key!&nbsp; If you are  going to post once a week then make sure you do it!&nbsp; Posting one today  and then not posting another one for several months isn&#8217;t going to  help.&nbsp; It is the consistency of adding new content that keep the search  engines interested. &nbsp;The other bonus to blogging is once you get  up and running people find your blog will tell others about it, or even  repost something you posted with a link back to your website!&nbsp; Making  blogging important for another reason &#8211; search engines take into account  how many back links you have coming into your website from other sites  that are relevant to whatever subject your website is about.&nbsp; The more  you have the higher you could be ranked in the search engine results! &nbsp;So  now you have two VERY good reasons to blog and last but certainly not  least, if you are blogging for professional reasons, the more relevant  and useful posts you make on your blog, you could eventually be seen as  an &#8220;expert&#8221; in your particular field! &nbsp;If you have decided a blog is next on your online strategy list &#8211; contact Sales &amp; Marketing Technologies!&nbsp; We can get you started blogging today!  ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/what-is-a-blog-why-is-a-blog-important.html</link><pubDate>2/4/2011 11:47:00 AM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ New Year!  New Website! ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ So what&#8217;s your New Years resolution? What will you change about the way you play, work, and live? One thing you should look at changing is the way you do business and the way you work with the internet. 2011 not only offers promise, but provides a proving ground for innovative strategies, brand new techniques and a plethora of new technologies both on and off the web. Companies all over the world and web are updating everything their web presence from content to design and marketing.&nbsp; It is the time to jump on the bandwagon or get left in the dust.A good place to start in the new year is to think outside the box&#8230;look for new online marketing opportunities and the possibility of integrating mobile devices into your strategies. The world of cell phones, or smart phones and other hand-held devises, has expanded like crazy this past year and if your company isn&#8217;t taking advantage of all the benefits, it&#8217;s time to give it a good look. Whether it means creating a mobile-friendly website, advertising on already established apps or building your own, there are lots of benefits when catering to mobile customers. But while many are turning to apps, make sure not to forget your regular website.Search engines and the way they rank websites continually changes, so your site should continue to change as well and what better time to get it started than the start of the new year. Think &#8220;new year, new website.&#8221; While you don&#8217;t have to completely scrap the old one and design a new one, it can be very beneficial to update your content and change your look a little or add a blog to keep new and relevant content posted to your website. Dormant sites get you nowhere with the search engines, so spice things up, keep it unique and keep it fresh. The new year offers opportunity for growth in all online marketing areas, so take advantage of it. Don&#8217;t get left in the virtual dust!  ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/new-year-new-website.html</link><pubDate>1/3/2011 12:14:00 PM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Utilizing a Content Managment System ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ Website development and design has come along way from having to hire someone that specialized in complicated programming to be able to build a website.&nbsp; And then once it was built you would have to pay them more money to make any kind of changes &#8211; even if it was just to correct a typo!&nbsp; Not only did that get expensive but it usually didn&#8217;t happen quickly.&nbsp; You were at their mercy &#8211; they would get to it when they got to it or you could pay a &#8220;rush&#8221; charge if you wanted it done at least within a week.Not anymore!&nbsp; Open source content management systems, such as Joomla and Druple, as well as asp.net content management systems (more commonly known as a CMS) have made getting an online presence and then maintaining it easier than ever before.&nbsp; Once the initial website is built and live you are able to go in and edit text, add or delete pages, swap out images, integrate and manage your blog posts as well as capturing vital information from those that choose to contact you through the website.Being able to manage your online leads is critical in this day and age where every sales opportunity must be taken advantage of.&nbsp; Many content management systems allow you to track all leads coming in through the &#8220;Contact Us&#8221; form on the website.&nbsp; You can then login to the system and gather more information than ever before.&nbsp; You not only can get the name and contact information of the person wanting to get information from you but with many systems you can actually dig down and find out exactly where the lead came from &#8211; from what search engine or website all the way down to what exact keyword phrase they typed in to find you. &nbsp;Knowing this kind of information added to other website statistics that can be gathered from analytic programs like Google Analytics is invaluable in learning exactly what your target market is search for, allowing you to better target your website content as well as Pay Per Click keyword terms.&nbsp; You will know exactly what keyword phrases are driving contact and revenue for your business.Also by being able to capture their contact information in a database enables you to export that information and add it to your email marketing list. Keeping your business top of mind with these contacts.&nbsp; You can segment your lists in your third party email software by existing client/customer and potential client/customers and adjust your messages to them accordingly.Technology has gotten easier for even the person with little to know knowledge of website development. Finally giving control of one of the biggest marketing assets a company can have back to you &#8211; the owner!      Normal   0         false   false   false                             MicrosoftInternetExplorer4           /* Style Definitions */  table.MsoNormalTable 	{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; 	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; 	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; 	mso-style-noshow:yes; 	mso-style-parent:""; 	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; 	mso-para-margin:0in; 	mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; 	mso-pagination:widow-orphan; 	font-size:10.0pt; 	font-family:"Times New Roman"; 	mso-ansi-language:#0400; 	mso-fareast-language:#0400; 	mso-bidi-language:#0400;}   ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/utilizing-a-content-managment-system.html</link><pubDate>11/2/2010 10:14:00 AM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Search Engine Optimization Isn't a One Time Thing ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ Like all marketing initiatives, search engine optimization needs a strategy and more importantly commitment for the long haul.&nbsp; Just because you have a website doesn't mean you will automatically zoom to the top of the search results on the search engines.&nbsp; Even if you know you have a search engine friendly website - meaning it is programmed where the search engines can find their way through it, there are several other factors that play a roll in the search engine page rank game. Some of those SEO opportunities have to be worked on monthly, weekly, even daily.&nbsp;One thing that has to happen is being found in the search engines for keyword phrase pertaining to your product or service.&nbsp; And you really need to do research on what those keyword phrases should be.&nbsp; You might be surprised to find that the terms you would use, aren't necessarily the ones that "regular" people are using to find what you are selling.&nbsp; Sometimes being in the business puts you at a disadvantage because the typical person searching may not be familiar with terms specific to your industry.&nbsp; Be open to hiring a company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization to help you run keyword research, analyze your competitors websites and work out the best keyword phrases to go after. Then let them help you write content for your website because pages without well-written,&nbsp; keyword seeded content won't help you either.&nbsp; AND NO BLACK HAT PRACTICES.&nbsp; This includes Keyword Stuffing - adding a ton of terms that have nothing to do with your website just so you can be found or Invisible Text - which means adding text in the same color as the background to attract search engines spiders. &nbsp; If you are going to do it - do it right...don't try to cheat because Google especially, can and will, black list your website from their search engine completely - or in other words kick you off the internet.&nbsp; &nbsp;Search Engine Optimization is a must!&nbsp; SEO is an ever moving target which requires you to constantly be looking at ways to increase your website's visibility. Solid keyword phrase "themeing" of your web pages, backlink building from relevant websites to your own, implementing a blog on your site and then maintaining interesting, consistent updates, search engine optimized press releases for announcing important information, email marketing along with Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.&nbsp; These and many more online marketing opportunities have a roll to play in the search engine ranking game!&nbsp; &nbsp;Whether you do this yourself or hire a company to do it for you - all of these things need to have a well thought out strategy for implementation and continual work to maintain and (with luck) increase your website's position on the search engines for the keyword terms you are wanting to be found on. &nbsp;  ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/search-engine-optimization-isn-t-a-one-time-thing.html</link><pubDate>10/1/2010 3:22:00 PM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Marketing to the Mobile Device Generation ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ I am sure you have all noticed that the internet is now - mobile!&nbsp; How could you not notice that even if people aren't talking on their cell phones they are still walking with their heads down in them. With the invention of the "smartphone" consumers now carry everything they need with them in one, small, hand-held device.&nbsp; They can access everything - from anywhere - and do as often as possible.&nbsp; From email to games - phone numbers to websites - it is all there in the palm of their hand.&nbsp; &nbsp;According to statistics, Q2 of 2010 showed a 50.5% increase in the sales of smartphones over the same period in 2009.&nbsp; And with the introduction of wireless, web-enabled MP3 players like Apple's iTouch even the younger generation are cutting their teeth on accessing the web - on the go!&nbsp;&nbsp; Understanding the opportunities this presents to your business can become an important part of your overall marketing strategy.&nbsp; The "third screen" (as it is called in the industry) is a viable marketing venue as well as a possible revenue stream.&nbsp; Ensuring that people using these devices can view your website clearly and navigate easily can increase your online web statistics such as visitors, length of stay, number of pages viewed as well as your conversions.&nbsp; Or better yet, do what some of the big names have done, and create an application specifically for a brand of smartphones like Android or iPhone which can be downloaded for a fee or for free.&nbsp; This keeps consumers engaged with your brand, even if they aren't on your website - keeping you top of mind over your competitors!&nbsp; Looking into the not so distant future (by the year 2015) it is  estimated that consumers worldwide will buy almost $120 billion worth of  goods and services with their mobile devices! &nbsp;&nbsp;So the question becomes...Where do I sign up?&nbsp;&nbsp; ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/marketing-to-the-mobile-device-generation.html</link><pubDate>9/8/2010 2:26:00 PM</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[ Copywriters can take the pain out of content creation ]]> </title><description><![CDATA[ If writing is not your thing then we recommend hiring a copywriter to help you with the creation of your web site content. There are many great copywriters out there that can (with minimal input from you) turn those blank white pages into interesting and engaging content for your web site. You will still need to read it over and make some corrections, however, it is much easier to tweak than to come up with all the ideas yourself.&nbsp; 
 ]]> </description><link>http://www.smtconversionsites.com/blog/posts/copywriters-can-take-the-pain-out-of-content-creation.html</link><pubDate>5/13/2009 6:56:00 PM</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
