Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category

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Using a Press Release for SEO

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Search Engine Optimization requires a combination of relevant content, search engine friendly copy and media and a solid link building strategy. Link Building is the part of the process that can often require the most time, patience and persistence. An often overlooked strategy to link building involves the creation and distribution of press releases.

Sending press releases to various news websites, community business websites and online PR websites not only helps you drive traffic to your site but also is a great way to build more links to your website. In addition, Google is now showing press releases as part of their organic search results and if it is well optimized, your article may appear for several days after it’s release and add to any front page rankings that you currently have.

Here are some tips for writing and optimizing your press release online:

1: Keep It Interesting: When writing your press releases, try to consider if the copy is truly “newsworthy”. Many bloggers will subscribe to multiple PR websites, looking for topics to include in their own blog. If your release is compelling, they may blog about your article and include a link back to the copy. In addition, you have the chance to have a journalist find your business’s press release and cover the topic in their blog, website,  magazine or newspaper for added exposure.

2. Optimize the Copy: If you have an internal copywriter or have a company that writes your press releases, be sure to get the article to someone who specializes in writing search engine friendly copy. It is important that the message is not compromised when it is optimized, but be sure to target your business’s most important key phrases and utilize best practices for your links.

3. Include All Press Releases On Your Website: When distributing your press releases to the various online mediums, you will find that the size of the copy will be limited. For that reason, include a full, detailed version of the press release on your company website, complete with a  name, email and phone for your media contact. Link to this page on your website on every press release that you release online.

4. Track Your Results: Monitor your referral traffic in your website analytics programs to see what online PR sites are sending you the most traffic. In addition, sign up for online alerts, such as Google Alerts, to know when websites and blogs are picking up and distributing your press release.

Press releases can be a great way to boost your search engine optimization efforts, in addition to increasing your online traffic and exposure. There is no set rule as to how often you should be releasing a press release,  but it is important to announce any accomplishments, awards or buzz-worthy news about your business or organization. Be sure to optimize the release and when it’s time to release the article, explore the online options methods of distributions to decide whether the free or paid route is best for your budget and marketing goals.


For more information on writing press releases or how to distribute them to increase your search engine exposure, contact a&g Digital Consulting at 317–417-7070.

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Posted in Misc | 6 Comments »

Good Dogs Looking for Great Homes

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

This post has nothing to do with marketing. Well actually, it kind of does. I am marketing and promoting a few great dogs in the Indianapolis area that are looking for a new forever home. It is no secret that I am a huge animal lover and I like to do whatever I can to help so I am going to start a new category in this blog called “Good Dogs Need Great Homes”. According to the IBJ, Indianapolis Animal Care & Control euthanized about 60 percent of the 18,000-plus animals it received at the city shelter last year and they are just one of the many shelters in the area.

Any time I hear about a pup that needs rescued, I will post it in this category. If I can help even one animal find a great family for the rest of their life, I will be happy.

Katy (Keady for all of you Purdue fans) – UPDATE – KATY WAS ADOPTED ON 6-28-2010!

Katy and her new Dad, Sam

Katy and her new Dad, Sam

Katy enjoying the Spring flowers

Katy enjoying the Spring flowers

Female – spayed

Approx. 1 Year old

43 pounds

Vaccines are up to date

Crate trained, good on a leash, house trained, rides great in a car, loves her belly rubbed

Hi! My name is Katy. I was recently rescued from a shelter where it is overcrowded. I got out just in the nick of time! I am now living in a foster home and my foster mom and dad are in love with me and would love to see me go to a home that can send them updates on how great I am doing. I am a very sweet girl. The vet said that I am about 1 year old. I was found wandering the streets but everyone knows that I have had a home at some point because I know how to go outside to potty and I even know how to sit. My foster mom is working to teach me a few other commands. Sometimes I jump up to get your attention but my favorite thing to do is to flop on my back and get my belly rubbed. I should probably be in a house with older kids because if I get really excited, I might knock down a smaller kid. My foster mom is also crate training me so that I have a nice bed to sleep on during the day.

I walk very well on a leash and love to go for a walk. I am living with a few other dogs right now. I like to play with them but if they get too close to my food or my toys, I might growl. I am not used to having good stuff and I want to keep what’s mine! I have also been known to chase a cat or two, so I might do better in a home without cats. Do you want to meet me? Call 317-417-7070.

This was taken on Katy's first night at our house.

This was taken on Katy's first night at our house.

katy_3

Buddy – currently at the Hamilton County Humane Society – Looking for a foster home to give him a break from the shelter

buddy879

Male -neutered

Approx. 4 Years old

Vaccines are up to date

Crate trained, good on a leash, house trained, plays well with kids, knows how to fetch, loves car rides

Buddy is a very friendly, intelligent and outgoing 4 year old lab/chow mix named Buddy. He has been at the shelter since Valentine’s Day of 2009 and is really starting to show the effects of the stress and tension. If you come to meet him do not be surprised if he is spinning in his cage as unfortunately that is how dogs cope with the stress. Don’t let that sway you from meeting him because it will be a wonderful surprise to learn all Buddy has to offer a family.

This guy loves meeting new people, gets along well with kids, walks wonderfully on a leash, and plays fetch. He knows the commands sit, down and shake. He is very treat motivated so the possibilities are endless on all the other tricks he can learn for you. Buddy does have separation anxiety, but this IS easily correctable if you have the time and patience. Buddy comes with a crate and a blanket when you adopt him and it is recommended that he be crate trained following adoption. He will learn that his family always comes back and it won’t be so hard for him when the family does leave. Or you can just bring him along: he loves to travel in the car. With his high sociability, why would you want to leave him home anyway? Buddy is a real charmer and a ladies’ man as he prefers female dogs in the home with him.

Come by and spend some time with Buddy, he is neutered, house trained and ready to jump in that car with a tennis ball in his mouth and go home with you today.

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Posted in Good Dogs Need Great Homes, Misc | 17 Comments »

Help “Raise the Woof” for the Cass County Humane Society

Friday, March 19th, 2010

It is no secret that I am a huge animal lover. When I heard that the Cass County Humane Society was going to proceed with the construction of a new, much needed facility despite the lack of funds, I wanted to get involved. I was able to view the blueprints for the new facility and it is going to be an incredible place to house the homeless animals in the county.

If you live in the Cass County area or just want to help to support a great cause, plan on attending “Raise the Woof” at the Memorial Home in Logansport, Indiana.  a&g Digital Consulting will be donating a small business web design package to the fundraiser’s auction.

Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010 from 7:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Cass County Memorial Home | 706 E. Market | Logansport, IN 46947

• Silent and Live Auction
• Appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be provided by Amelio’s
• Entertainment by “Interplay” Featuring Ned Boyd

Monetary Donations welcome at the door and the proceeds will be used for the construction of the new Cass County Humane Society

UPDATE
Here is a list of the silent and live auction items available at the Raise the Woof event. Support the Cass County Humane Society and walk away with some great items:

~Silent Auction Items~
Soft touch Car Wash~certificate
Imperial Travel~bus trip
Springcreek Landscaping~certificate
Danely Stump eaters~certificate
Pharos-Tribune~certificate
Leffert Stone Company~Mulch or Stone certificate
IRT-Play Tickets
Dykeman Park Golf Course~ rounds of golf & cart
Engineering Aggregates certificate
Logan Roller Rink~skating party
Warners – Rozzi’s Greenhouse~certificate
YMCA~month membership
Maxx Tan~month of tanning
Kreuzberger Jewelers~purdue checkbook
Leffert Stone~certificate for mulch or stone
Logansport Golf Club~2 rounds of golf & cart
Dog and Cat Vase painted By Karen Smith
House of Beauty~haircut,wax,tanning
Hand painted birdhouse By Amber Michaels
Village Peddler~purse
Date Night-B&K West-Char-Betts-Family Video-McClure’s
Dale Hardy’s~Carhart sweatshirt
Fernbaughs Jewelers~mens watch
Cass County Animal Hospital~boarding,spay or neuter
Tammy’s Grooming~bath & groom
Angi Turnpaugh~Photo Package
Oakridge Farms~dog & cat food
Kent Feeds~Dog & Cat Food
Michael’s Pizza certificate
Sycamore~certificate
Logan Tire~car alignment
Tom Maggert~car clean
Partridge~floor care basket
Sesame Street(Elmo) Play Tickets
Myers Sport Bowl~gift certificate
The Look By Lynsey~haircut
Handcrafted Bird house By Larry Allread
Handcrafted Cornhole game By Larry Allread
Stolte Pools & Spas~mineral system
Adidas Wear
Indiana University~ Coaching shirts
Handcrafted Lamp~By Bob Brown
Dye Lumber
Top Hat Chimney
Peatie Bait & Tackle~rod & real
DDC Photo~photo package
Tye Dye Sheets-By Berkley
Graymill- gift certificate

~Live Auction Items~
The Gallery Home Furnishings~Ashley Rocker Recliner
Arnold’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts~Diamond Earrings
A&G Digital Consulting~Web Design Package

The future site for the new Cass County Humane Society

The future site for the new Cass County Humane Society

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Posted in Misc | 15 Comments »

Find Online Shoppers on Facebook

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

According to a December of 2009 study by ForeSee Results, Facebook leads the pack for online shopping in social media, with 56% of online shoppers using Facebook. EMarketer.com referenced that according to the “2010 Social Media Report” from ForeSee Results, 69% of online shoppers regularly use social media sites, which helps support the need for etailers to turn their attention to social network marketing.


online_shopping_1


While the numbers show that many consumers are using social media to shop online, another report shows that the consumers are loyal to just a handful of brands. 61% of shoppers focus their attention on 1-5 retailers or brands, while only 21% focus on 6-10 brands.


online_shopping_2


To find out how you can create a social network marketing plan for your business, contact a&g Digital Consulting.

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Posted in Misc, Social Media, Website Marketing | 7 Comments »

How to Claim Your Twitter Name

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

If you starting using Twitter late in the game, chances are that you may have missed out on getting your desired username. Twitter Counter now has a new tool, which will alert you via email if your username becomes available.

If you are not familiar with the Twitter Counter website, it is a great resource.  Use this website to find out all kinds of great information including individual twitter account stats, most popular accounts and lists and now and twitter account comparisons.  Recently, a new tool was released to allow you to be notified if your twitter username becomes available. There has been recent talk about an upcoming release of a number of old and unused Twitter usernames. When then is going to happen is not exactly known, but if you have been waiting for a particular name, now is the time to visit TwitterCounter.com.

Here is how it works:

Step 1: Visit www.TwitterCounter.com and enter the username in the box at the top.

step1

Step 2:  Click on “Claim this username” on the resulting page.

step2

Step 3:  Enter your email address and click “Notify me”.

step3

That’s all there is to it.  They will now notify you if and when your username is released.

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Posted in Misc, Social Media | 4 Comments »

Free Tools to Better Your Paid Search Campaigns

Monday, December 7th, 2009

As more and more businesses turn to paid search to generate cost effective leads, the resources are not always available to cover expensive software subscriptions for keyword research. This is where the free keyword and advertising tools from Google can come in handy.

Google Sets

Google Sets is a free tool which can help to expand your search phrases for your businesses. This tool allows you to enter up to five keyword phrases which pertain to your business. You can then choose a small set, which will generate 15 or fewer items, or a large set, which will provide a much more extensive list of phrases.

In my experience, you would not want to cut and paste the list of results to your pay per click campaign because the results are not always going to be exactly what you need. However, the results can help you come up with extended keywords and phrases to add to your paid search campaign.

Try it now at http://labs.google.com/sets

Google Ad Preview Tool

If you are a Google pay per click advertiser, how many times a day to you find yourself searching your keywords, just to find out who might be bidding against you? If you are monitoring your placement, as well as competitor placement, Google’s Ad Preview tool is something that you should be using. When you continuously run a search for your bidding keywords, without clicking on your ads, Google may determine your own ads are irrelevant to you and stop showing them to you.

Try it now at https://adwords.google.com/select/AdTargetingPreviewTool

Google External Keyword Tool

I have always used Google’s External Keyword Generator when I am formulating my list of keywords and keyword phrases to target for a search engine optimization campaign, as well as my paid search campaigns. This is a scaled down version of the tool that is available to you when you log in to your Google Ad Words campaign, but if you are not a Google advertiser, you can still use the tool to not only generate ideas for your other campaigns, but also export the results in a easy to manage form. If you are a Google Ad Words advertiser, log in to your account to use their keyword generator. It is much more in depth.

Try it now at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Angie Commorato is an Indianapolis web designer and online marketing specialist and owner of Indianapolis web design and marketing company, a&g Digital Consulting, LLC.

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Posted in Misc, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Website Marketing | 2 Comments »

Indianapolis Web Design Available for Just $999

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

How much can you expect to pay for web design for your business? Rates will vary depending on the location of the web design company and the experience that they offer. For example, our business, a&g Digital Consulting, LLC, is located in Indianapolis and our Indianapolis web design rates start from $999 for our new starter website package.  While we offer over 12 years experience in web design, search engine optimization and online marketing, we wanted to design a website design package for small businesses and start-ups who want to start small and have the ability to expand their website later.

Our new affordable website design package includes the following:

• Your choice of two designs, complete with your logo and color scheme

• A contact form to allow your potential contacts to email you directly from your website

• Up to 5 pages of client supplied information for your website. (Page examples include Home, Contact Us, Services, FAQ, About Us)

• Basic web hosting for just $15 a month – If you already have web hosting, we can work with that as well

• Add a blog for an additional $199 – add the ability to easily add news, updates and information to your website

• Add additional pages for just $75 a page

    Here are a few website design samples built with this package:

    Web Design Sample 1

    Starter Web Design Sample 1

    Starter Web Design Sample #2

    Starter Web Design Sample #2

    Starter Web Design Sample #3

    Starter Web Design Sample #3

    Our goal is to have your website online in just 5 business days. When you sign up for this package, we will work with you to gather the information for the website. While that is happening, we will create your designs and have those to you for approval within 2 business days.

    If you thought that it was too complex or time consuming to put together a website for your business,  let us assure you that we want to make the process as easy as possible. Contact us today to get started on your website design.

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    Posted in a&g News, Misc | 2 Comments »

    a&g Digital Consulting, LLC Joins Fishers Chamber of Commerce

    Sunday, September 13th, 2009

    In August of 2009, a&g Digital Consulting, LLC officially joined the Fishers Chamber of Commerce. Offering web design and website marketing to Indiana businesses, they will actively be participating in local networking events to promote their services. With over 11 years experience in web related marketing, a&g hopes to help Indianapolis area businesses reach their online marketing goals.

    a&g's mascot, Hugo, getting ready to attend the Fishers Chamber of Commerce Pet Day and Business Market

    a&g's mascot, Hugo, getting ready to attend the Fishers Chamber of Commerce Pet Day and Business Market


    Many local Fishers business's displayed their products and services at the Fishers Business Market.

    Many local Fishers business's displayed their products and services at the Fishers Business Market.


    Hugo makes some friends at the Fishers Chamber of Commerce Pet Day and Business Market

    Hugo makes some friends at the Fishers Chamber of Commerce Pet Day and Business Market

    For more information:

    www.Consultagc.com – Indianapolis web design and website marketing

    www.fisherschamber.com – Fishers Chamber of Commerce

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    Posted in a&g News, Misc | 2 Comments »

    Planning for Your New Website

    Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

    When I meet an established business without a web presence, I find myself wondering how they have survived this long without it. Often times, they just don’t know where to start and the thought of putting together the site becomes overwhelming.

    My job is to make the process relatively painless for a business. Sure, I am going to need some general information in regards to company history, staff and services, but usually, I can take it from there. Below is a partial list of questions that I ask a potential new customer when planning their website.

    1. Do you currently have a company logo or color scheme?

    2. Are there any special features that you would like on your website? (Blog, database use, search capability, e-commerce  – don’t worry, I explain these)

    3. Are there any websites that you like? I always encourage companies to not only look at businesses within their industry, but also other websites which might catch their eye.

    4. Do you currently own your domain name (www.yourbusiness.com)? Want to see if your name is available, search here.If you business name is not available, try adding something short for your location, for example if I could not get consultagc.com, I may have chosen agcindy.com.

    5. Would you like free business emails included with your website hosting? If so, please provide a list of emails that you would like to have.

    This is typically enough information to get me started. If you are requiring some additional functionality, such as offering the ability to sell online or database information, there would be a few more questions that I would need before I could provide a quote.

    If you are needing a website, please contact us today for a free quote.

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    Posted in Misc | 2 Comments »

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