I was recently introduced to a new website called Thumbtack.  They’re a local search directory, but not your typical Yellow Pages type of directory.  Instead, Thumbtack gives you the ability to research, contact and book service professionals the moment you find them. The best part about Thumbtack for me is that it’s FREE!!  Yes, FREE!!  There are a couple “premium” features that require payment but nothing that should stop you from setting up a profile.  

Another plus point in my opinion is that it’s HIGHLY search engine/Google friendly and we all need that when it comes to getting our business out to the internet masses. 

Some features of Thumbtack include…

Create a permanent online profile

• Pick a custom web address
• Get indexed by search engines
• Add photos and videos

Display your credentials to customers

• Verify your name, email, etc.
• You can show you pass a background check
• Share any professional licenses and certifications

Manage your appointments online

• Get booked 24×7
• Receive instant email confirmations
• Simple click-and-drag interface

Get help marketing your service

• Display testimonials from previous customers
• Import your email contacts & solicit testimonials
• Get access to other marketing tools like flyers

Now I ask you….what business couldn’t use thumbtack.com? 

Check out our profile at Website Design & Search Engine Optimization

Website Design & Search Engine Optimization

Blogging/CMS software WordPress announced the release and immediate availability of of the new WordPress 3.1 – named Reinhardt.

What are the changes?

Admin Bar – contains various links to useful admin screens. By default, the admin bar is displayed when a user is logged in and visiting the site and is not displayed in admin screens for single blog installs. For multisite installs, the admin bar is displayed both when visiting the site and in the admin screens.

Internal Linking - click a button for an internal link and it allows you to search for a post or browse a list of existing content and select it for inclusion.

Streamlined Writing Interface – new users of WordPress will find the write screen much less cluttered than before, as more of the options are hidden by default (author, excerpt, custom fields, etc). You can click on Screen Options in the top right to bring them back.

Refreshed Blue Admin Color Scheme – puts the focus more squarely on your content.

Post Formats - meta information that can be used by themes to customize presentation of a post.

Network Admin – move Super Admin menus and related pages out of the regular admin and into a new Network Admin screen.

List-type Admin Screens - sortable columns for list-type screens and better pagination.

Exporter/Importer Overhaul – many under the hood changes including adding author information, better handling for taxonomies and terms, and proper support for navigation menus.

Custom Content Type Improvements – allows developers to generate archive pages, and have better menu and capability controls. Read more in the article Post Types.

Advanced Queries – allows developers to query multiple taxonomies and custom fields.

So…the question remains…will these changes encourage you to upgrade?  So far, they seem to be much more productive for the general user as well as the developer alike.  If I run into any “snags” I’ll be sure to let you know, but overall it looks like another great release from the good folks at WordPress.

In a recent article by Axandra Search Engine Facts it was reported that last week JC Penney was penalized by Google for using paid links.  This week, Forbes.com has been penalized because they sell links.  Apparently Google is sticking true to their earlier announcement stating that they are going to fight web spam stronger than before in 2011.

This could be bad news for a lot of companies out there who are implementing these techniques, as well as search engine optimization companies who utilize these practices to get their client’s fast search engine results.  Fortunately for DL Web Works – it’s not a problem. 

I have to admit I’m happy to see Google is starting to crack down. It’s always been a “no-no” to pay for links in order to boost your search engine rankings but alot of people were clearly getting away with it.  At DL Web Works, we NEVER, EVER, EVER purchase links or submit our client’s site to link farms.  Yes, this means it will take a little longer to get the results we’re looking for, but in the long run the website will be safe and will build qualified, relevant traffic.  Is your website in danger?

In addition to paid links, Google considers the following spam:

• made for AdSense websites that consist of scraped content
• cloaking and false redirects
• keyword stuffing and pages loaded with irrelevant words
• hidden text or hidden links
• misspellings of well-known websites
• fully automated, unrelated and centralized link farms
• other methods that try to trick search engines

Websites that use these methods will be penalized sooner or later.  If we’re hearing about JC Penney and Forbes.com, I can only imagine how many smaller companies are being penalized that we’re NOT hearing about.  Has your site been penalized?

The following search engine optimization methods are safe to use and they lead to lasting results:

• optimization of existing web pages, HTML code and web page contents
• creating good content for your website
• organic link building to get high quality backlinks

If you use these methods to optimize your web pages, your website will get lasting results and if you plan on building a lasting online business, you MUST use ethical search engine optimization methods that are beneficial to the website, its visitors and search engines alike.  Trying to “cheat” your way to the top is ONLY going to cause problems.  Don’t be a cheater!! 

If you’d like more information on search engine optimization or would like us to take a look at your existing site to make sure you’re not implementing any of the “no-no” techniques, feel free to contact us and/or visit our website, www.dlwebworks.net.

Welcome to the new DL Web Works blog.

We’ll be posting new information as often as possible. New website ideas…new search engine optimization techniques…tools…resources…etc. A little bit of everything and anything we think might interest our readers.

Check back often. And don’t forget to visit the website, as well as our facebook page.