Point and Stare http://pointandstare.com/ Web Design and Development for over 11 years en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://pointandstare.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif Point and Stare http://pointandstare.com/ 99 Website Rental http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=12

Brief:

Design and develop a Website Rental company website.

99 Website Rental is a unique service allowing SMEs and start-ups to have a bespoke website or online store by renting or leasing. Client : 99 Website Rental - design/ development

Visit 99 Website Rental

Tagged: design, development]]> Design http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=12 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:22:00 -0500 How to get to number 1 on Google - ORLY? http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=18
Well, I need to let you into a little secret. SEO IS EASY.

Yes, that's right, there is no secret, there is no magical formula and there certainly isn't any special 'hotline to Google' pre-requiste for joining the elite, (even though some claim that there is and that they are the 'chosen ones'!)

OK smarty pants, how is it done?
What is SEO all about?Simply put, it's about optimising your online presence to maximise your potential for high listing on the top 4 search engines or directories commonly known as Google, Yahoo, AOL and DMOZ.

Huh? You did what with what in a who what?

In other words, build your site using common sense, logic and cleanliness.
Seriously, that's all there is to it.
No chin stroking, no rocket science, no long beards.

I'll say it again:
Build your site using common sense, logic and cleanliness.

And for those that still don't get it, here's 3 easy steps to start you off:

1, The Domain/ URLs:
Choose and create specific and relevant domains and URLs.
It's no good having something like www.cheap-hosting-company.eu/customers/index.php?Page-1=SDDD4eer/~twelve/mybikeshop/Pages/ladiesbik - I mean, how good will that look on your business card?

If possible, a much better option would be something like:
www.mybikeshop.com
with URLs like - www.mybikeshop.com/prices
www.mybikeshop.com/contact_us
www.mybikeshop.com/ladies_bikes

2, Page title:
A bit obvious really but title your pages to describe their content.
Don't leave it as 'Untitled Document'.
Why not? well, if you do then you'll end up amongst the other 37,000,000 google results.

3, In page tags:
How a page is built makes all the difference. There are tags that need to be in the header, tags that need to be in the footer, all are relevant, but it's the ones in the body that a lot of developers seem to mess up.
Construct a page incorporating the following structure -
h1 tag -

Most Important

h2 tag -

Second Most Important

h3 tag -

Third Most Important

So there's 3 easy steps to get you started but don't get me wrong, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot more steps than just these 3.

I don't claim to be any SEO expert and I will never promise anything as ridiculous as "getting you to number 1 on Google" but I do try as hard as possible and sometimes the hard work pays off.
A site I designed and developed about 2 years ago flounders around page 20/ page 25 and wouldn't know what page 1 was if it was invited to a special one off 'be on page 1' open day.
Conversely a site I designed and developed less than a month ago currently sits at number 2 on Google page 1.
Try these keywords - "Bespoke Menswear"

So, developers, keep that code clean and structured and if you've got a website and someone promises to 'get you to Google page 1' ask them about their Snake Oil special offers.

Update : In the case of this article, maybe it should be renamed "How to get to number 12 on Google".

Tagged: google, seo]]> General http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=18 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:13:20 -0500 Top 10 tips for buying domain names http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=17 1, Make a list of 15 possible names in the order that you would want them
2, Prepare alternative extensions in case the .com isn't available
3, If the .com has been taken check the site out. If you're selling baby clothes and the .com is a heavy metal/ punk band crossover appreciation site do you want the 2 to be confused?
4, If the .com is on a holding page contact the owner to see if they want to sell.
5, NEVER check the domain until you are ready to buy. Some domain reg companies scrape domain searches and snap up the popular ones.
6, If you can, grab the .com .net or .org (if relevant). Next would be your country specific - .co.uk
7, Think out of the box and go for catchy domains wombl.es, get.in, local.tv
8, Don't go for extensions like .ws, .tc, uk.com etc unless they are the last remains that you simply must have
9, Avoid names-with-dashes-in-them
10, Keep your domain as relevant and as short as possible

Tagged: domain names]]> General http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=17 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:29:30 -0500 Solar Frenzy - Summer 2008 http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=15

Brief:

Redesign and rebuild - an online shop specialising in Solar powered toys and gadgets.

The store needed a refresh including redesign and rebuild from the ground up. Now includes a much easier to use fully integrated stock control and shopping cart solution linked to the client's payment facility. Client : Solar Frenzy - design/ development

Client : Solar Frenzy - design/ development

Visit Solar Frenzy

Tagged: design, development]]> Design http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=15 Mon, 7 Jul 2008 12:26:05 -0500 Ad Hominem on Google Page 1 http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=13

News

Within a few weeks of release Ad Hominem reaches Google page 1 position 2 for the keywords Bespoke Menswear.A lot of hard SEO work was put into the project from the outset and it seems to be paying off.
Needless to say the clients are very happy.

Ad Hominem on Google Page 1

Tagged: news, SEO, google]]> News http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=13 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:05:14 -0500 SEO Keyword Generator http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=11
SEO Keyword Generator.

Tagged: SEO, keyword, generator]]> Development http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=11 Thu, 29 May 2008 10:28:10 -0500 Ad Hominem http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=9

Brief:

Design and develop an online store for an Exclusive Bespoke Menswear company.

Ad Hominem is a true innovation in bespoke menswear - Their online store succeeded in reflecting that claim. Client : Ad Hominem - design/ development

Client : Ad Hominem - design/ development

Testimonial
"Point and Stare listened to our requirements and came up with a package that was both affordable and creative. They were efficent and flexible and any ammendments (and there were lots!) were dealt with professionally and quickly.
We are absolutely thrilled with the end result, it matches our identity entirely and we are very proud of our brand new website."

Visit Ad Hominem

Tagged: design, development]]> Design http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=9 Thu, 1 May 2008 14:37:14 -0500 Urban Egos http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=8

Brief:

Design a refreshed logo for Midlands based bespoke furniture company.

Logo to be usable across all mediums including on and offline.
Client : Urban Egos - design

Tagged: logo, design]]> Design http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=8 Thu, 1 May 2008 13:25:07 -0500 New Banksy http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=1

"Pledge Allegiance to the Bag" - Banksy
Essex Road, Islington, 5th March 2008
Full size copies/ prints of this photo are available. Email your request.

Tagged: banksy, islington, london, photography]]> Photography http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=1 Thu, 6 Mar 2008 20:29:00 -0600 StreamUK http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=2

Brief:

Design and build an internal video management system.

The project included upload, stream and player options with fully integrated syndication.

Tagged: design, development]]> Design http://pointandstare.com/index.php?itemid=2 Thu, 6 Mar 2008 20:26:33 -0600