in black and white

The Stylish Man’s Guide to Concealed Carry

admin — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:41:01 +0000

I found this to be a very interesting article on creative ways to carry a concealed weapon and still look stylish. Read more at The Art of Manliness.

Some of the ideas are good, but I’m just not a fan of carrying a gun loosely in my pants pocket…I can think of too many things that can go wrong. I think Plexico Burress would agree.

However, I do know a certain private investigator in Greenville that swears by the practice. To each his own.

Google + Local Changes Explained

Doug Fowler — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:54:48 +0000

As you know Google Places was recently replaced with Google + Local. Until now, we have only been able to make limited updates due to numerous issues that Google had with the change. Plus, Google provided no mechanism to manage all of the changes.

The good news is that Google has finally given users a way to merge their Google + Local and Google + Business pages. The one catch is that the merger has to be initiated from the Google + Business page by the page administrator. So, if you do not have a Google + Business page, you will either need to create one or wait on Google for another update.

Right now, we are recommending the following:

If you already have a Google + Business page, then go ahead with the merge process. The process requires verification by post card and can be a bit of a hassle, but there is no reason to wait.
If you do not have a Google + Business page, then we advise you to sit tight and wait on the next update.

We are currently completing the merge process for existing clients that we provide SEO services for on an ongoing basis.

The final step of this process requires that the business owner receive a verification code via postcard. We will let you know on an individual basis when to look for those verification cards from Google.

How to rank #1 on Google

Doug Fowler — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:14:43 +0000

Here’s a funny mashup on Matt Cutts from Google

Inkscape: An Open Source Software Review

Matt Cleveland — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:35:17 +0000

Inkscape is an impressive piece of vector graphics creation/editing software. And, like music to my ears, it is distributed for free under the GNU GPL. It is also available on PC, Mac, and -nix platforms.

The good news:

It can import and export most vector file formats, but it plays best with it’s native SVG file format. As of now, Inkscape can import SVG, SVGZ and PDF and export SVG, SVGZ, PDF, PostScript, EPS, EPSi, LaTeX and POVRay. It also has partial support for AI, CDR, and SWF.

I’ve used Inkscape on several projects and the quality of the software is remarkable. It has a significantly smoother learning curve than does Illustrator or CorelDraw. The creation process is actually fun because you aren’t bogged down with gritty controls and such.

The bad news:

The newest version seems to have some stability issues on Vista. I didn’t have these issues when running on Linux or OS X.

Some of the higher end functions are rather technical. So, to be able to use Inkscape to it’s fullest potential, you’ll have to do a bit of learning.

The bottom line:

There may be a few functions and such that Illustrator can do that Inkscape cannot, but they are hardly worth the $300 you’ll have to shell out to get them. Hit up www.inkscape.org and start playing around.

Oh, and did I mention that the maximum page size in Inkscape is 304.8 X 304.8 km. As in over 189 miles. Might not be terribly useful, but that’s really cool. No other program even approaches that size.

SEO Reflections

Josh Fink — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:52:48 +0000

Erin Weinger recently published an article in Entrepreneur Magazine’s February issue entitled What You Don’t Know About SEO. As an Search Engine Optimizer I found the article both extremely helpful and somewhat misleading. Below are just a few of my own thoughts as I consider the article in light of working for an SEO company in Greenville, SC (Yeah, I’m totally loading this article with keyword phrases).

Erin quotes Peter Kent, author of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies when he says “The SEO business is 80 percent scam.” He’s RIGHT! I don’t know how many times we talk with new clients who tell us that they’ve been paying one of the other Greenville, SC web design companies for SEO services, only to find that they’ve done “jack-(insert appropriate keyword phrase)!” If you are going to pay for SEO services (which I still recommend) you need to equip yourself with some knowledge before you go into an agreement with a web design company in Greenville, SC or some other place.

1. META Data.

There are 3 basic components to META Data and this is the most absolute basic part of SEO: Title, META Keywords and META Description. If your SEO Consultant in Greenville SC is talking about these a lot, you should hear sirens and see flashing red lights. This is child’s play and anyone could do this stuff. What makes it a helpful piece of your SEO campaign, is the specialized keyword research behind it. When you pay an SEO consultant in Greenville, SC (sorry, my kid needs to eat), you should be paying for loads of research and the trained eye to know how to read the numbers. Anyone can type in “web design company in Greenville, SC” but what if more people are searching for “Greenville, SC web designer?” That might be the market you’re after. An experienced so consultant will be able to tell you that.

2. Link Building

One of the best ways to gain rank in search engines is to have lots of important links linking back to your site. Now, SEO companies in Greenville, SC and other places have tried over the years to be smart with things like “link farms.” This is where they make you pay a 3rd party site to host links back to your site. Google, however, is smarter than that. Link Farms and other web trickery does not work. When you hire an SEO consultant in Greenville, SC or somewhere else, you want someone that will put in the time to get you real links for real results. At WSI Webworks in Greenville, SC, we take real time to find real links for your site. This work is invaluable, but it takes hours, hours you could spend running your business.

3. Design Integration
One point that Weinger’s article misses is the necessary correlation between design and SEO. Usually, web designers and SEO consultants in Greenville, SC and other places are natural born enemies. SEO consultants want to design your site for search engines and web designers want to design your site for users: you want BOTH! So, make sure that you pay for the right combination of services. This is why WSI Webworks is the best web design company in Greenville, SC and the world. As the primary SEO consultant for WSI, I share my office with the best web designer in Greenville, SC: Sam Gerdt. Together we create a team, the likes of which has never been seen! We work hard to provide an integrated approach to web design and search engine optimization.

Corporate Jargon, Corporate Jargon, Corporate Jargon.

The BS-Free Paragraph.

But in all honesty, we work really really hard to be part of that 20% that is not a scam in the SEO world. We have had some amazing results with our clients and we are excited about the work to come. If you are looking for both a great design team and a hard working SEO team, contact us. We’d love to talk with you about what can honestly be done to help your company and offer it to you at a reasonable cost.

Josh Fink

Experiencing the Digital Divide

Julie Arsenault — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:37:00 +0000

So, I moved recently, and because of traveling, it took me about a week to make an appointment to get internet service. It didn’t matter much at the time because I’d spent every evening unpacking, cleaning, etc. Then, I found out that the soonest appointment I could get would be a week later.

That meant 2 weeks without internet!

I hadn’t realized how (relatively) useless my computer has become without a connection to the web. I do EVERYTHING online. For example:

I store all my documents and pictures online.
Some of my business meetings are conducted online.
I talk to my friends and family all over the world using VoIP.
I do all my banking online.
Before choosing a laundry service, I read reviews on Google user reviews.
Before going to eat at a restaurant, I look at the menu and make an online reservation.
All of my event invitations and social events are organized online.
I watch all television and movies online.
I listen to music online.
Before grocery shopping, I look up recipes and nutritional information.

Basically, if I need any service or a product, the hours of a business or directions to it, I can find it online in about 20 seconds – and then I can usually send the necessary information to my phone or purchase it right there online.

I found a Yellow Book last week while unpacking. I immediately put it in the recycle bin. I think the only time I’ve looked something up in one was when requested to do so by an 87 year old.

Being on the other side of the digital divide for a couple of weeks (excepting working hours), felt very strange. After a days of sitting around reading real books with pages and calling old friends to catch up with a phone, I realized a little why some people refuse to transition to web-based transactions (personal or otherwise).

Business owners resist new media because:

They don’t understand that most of the population under 35 spends a significant portion of their lives online, like I do.
They don’t want to lose the personal aspect of their businesses.
They don’t want to be intimidated by 20 year old computer nerds.

But it doesn’t have to mean that.

An online presence for you or your business doesn’t mean distancing yourself from people and things that matter. It gains you a wider audience for your message and a large demographic for your products or services. It actually makes it easier for you to connect with your customers. When you’re online with a comprehensive SEO plan, your customers can publicly praise you for your customer service or the quality of your work.

Wouldn’t it be great if the customers that are already loyal to your business could help you in that way?

I know we’ve talked about this before around here, but an online prescence for your business is an essential part of survival in the contemporary economy. If you aren’t joining the online conversation, your competitors are – and they are the ones I find and use.

Doing Our Part

Jenny Peterson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:03:53 +0000

Recently our company was enlisted to build a website for an upcoming charity event called Cargo: The Fight For Freedom Past and Present. Cargo is a musical by veteran songerwriter and producer Paul Field. First presented in 2007, Cargo was written to celebrate the bicentennial of the abolition of the British slave trade and to raise awareness about the continuing and widespread problem of human trafficking today. This presentation combines music, dance, images, and the spoken word to tell the story of human enslavement and the struggle for freedom in a unique and moving way.

Since it’s debut, Cargo has been performed as the centerpiece of anti-slavery and human rights events across the UK and the US, and this spring Cargo is coming to the Upstate. We are in the process of building a website to promote these local performances, and we’ll let you know when the full site launches. For now, you can visit the temporary site for event times, locations, and registration. The full website will give complete event details and more information on how you can get involved in the fight against human trafficking.

A golden opportunity for small business.

Doug Fowler — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:55:57 +0000

If your business is one that sells anything to a local market, you need to be aware of a tremendous opportunity to gain online visibility. We’re in the midst of huge technological changes that present significant opportunities for local businesses. Specifically, I’m talking about the rapid advance of smart phones.

I just acquired a Droid from Verizon in January and I have been amazed at what the latest ’smart phones’ can do. If you already have a smart phone then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t and you’re a business owner, then you owe it to yourself to at least find out what they can do. It’s still a phone, but I find myself using it less as phone and more and more as EVERYTHING else! Here is a short list in case you were wondering…

Web browser, Camera, Music player, Calendar, Organization tool, Email, Phone Book, Alarm clock, Flash Light, Gaming device, Social Media hot links, and much more including a Local Search device.

Smart phone users can instantly search for local products and services, read about business details, get a map link for instant directions, read reviews on the business and more. This is all great news…if your business is listed. If you’re not listed, then someone else is and you’re losing business.

The good news is that most small business owners will be slow to react and by the time they do it will be too late. Savy business owners will have already claimed their online real estate and optimized it to ensure they keep it. We all know the yellow page directories are dying and local search with smart phones is only going to expedite their demise.

So what are you going to do?

If you’re not sure where to start, here are few quick tips.

Search for your business on your smart phone. Can you find it? Can you find your competitors? If you don’t have a smart phone, borrow one from a cool friend.
Claim your Google and Yahoo Local directory listings NOW! Populate them with as much information about your business as you can.
Claim your Business on Customer Review sites like Yelp! and Merchant Circle.
Develop a plan to get your Customer Reviews in order.
Enlist the help of a Local Search Engine Optimization specialist

Don’t wait. I think this shift is coming extremely fast and you have a golden opportunity to take advantage of it now.

Start Measuring Your Results

Doug Fowler — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:16:16 +0000

If you’re not running some sort of web analytics package on your website, then this should be the first thing you do in 2010.

One of the huge advantages of the internet over traditional media is that you can measure everything…if you have an analytics program. Google Analytics is a FREE program gives the average business more information than you’ll ever need.

Once you start gathering data, then you can answer questions that drive your future decisions on web design and search engine marketing. Questions, such as:

How many people are visiting my website?
How are they finding your web site?
How long are they staying?
How many site visitors convert and become real leads?

Your focus should be on conversions, leads and sales – not just visits. Once you start gathering data and determine your current results, then you can put a plan in place to improve the results.

Need help?

WSI is offering a Special Deal through January 2010 – Install Google Analytics for $88. Sign up for this special offer.

Develop a Social Media Strategy

Doug Fowler — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:49:38 +0000

You need a Plan to know where you’re going.

Social Media was all the buzz in 2009 and it will likely increase in 2010. For most B2B businesses, the return on investment is still low at best, especially when compared with other forms of online marketing, such as SEO, PPC, and email marketing.

Ignoring social media should not be an option for any business. I’m not saying every business should be doing it all. In fact, my opinion is far from that. For most B2B businesses, I still think the direct impact that social media can have on your business is minimal. My advice is understand it, educate your employees and participate where it makes sense. I’d rather see you spend time on online activities that offer a significant ROI, i.e. SEO, PPC, email marketing, conversion architecture and web analytics.

However, there is no denying the fact that social media is “where the eyeballs are”. People are spending a large chunk of their time online (over 50%) on social media sites like Facebook, Youtube, MySpace, Blogs and more. As a result, EVERY business needs to have a strategy as to how you’re going to address it.

At a minimum, every business’ Social Media Strategy should address the following items.

Educate yourself and your staff on social media
Ensure social media policies and guidelines are established
Ensure your brand is protected and consistent
Monitor your online reputation. Setup Google Alerts at No cost.
Create a social presence and community

Contact WSI for assistance in developing a Social Media Strategy kit for your business.