This week, you may have heard about three new Marriott Hotels that White Lodging Services opened in downtown Indianapolis. The area is dubbed as "The Place to Be," and the Merrillville Hotel Development company created not only some good looking buildings, but also a strong web based strategy at: www.ThePlaceToBeIndy.com.  I'm sure you'll have a chance to learn all about the scene in their press releases, on TV, and in the IndyStar.

What you'll only hear from Indianapolis Web Development Firm Fusework Studios is an evaluation of their Search Engine Optimization tactics. In short, I anticipate searches in Google for "The Place to Be" soon to show the new site at the top of the results for the following eight reasons:

1. The phrase "The Place To Be" is in their domain name: www.ThePlaceToBeIndy.com, which is one of Google's factors in SEO ranking. Notice they did not choose www.ThePlaceToBe.com, because is already owned by someone else. If you have a business or idea for a business, secure the domain name right away for future use!
    
2. All pages are titled with keyword-friendly phrases, including "The Place to Be in Indy" in every one.
    
3. Their URLs are short and meaningful. Google rewards you for telling them what a page is about in the filename before it scours the page for content, ie. http://theplacetobeindy.com/attractions.asp?s=walking-distance will tell visitors about the walking distance to attractions.
    
4. The Site Architecture (code on the back-end) is pretty solid. They separate the functional code of their site from the design by using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which makes the site easy for search engines to find, and effectively adds to your search engine optimization.
    
5. They use DIV Tags instead of Tables, which enables Search Engine spiders to crawl the site easier.
    
6. Heading Tags ie, H1, H2, H3, are used appropriately and hierarchically, which will tell search engines what content is most important to index.
    
7. They use the Keyword Metatag on every page and the Description Metatag on the homepage.
    
8. They generated an XML Sitemap, which will help Search engines index the content on the site faster.
    

These eight tactics are sure to help White Lodging Services in their Search Engine Optimization in Indianapolis. We implement all of these tactics and more in our web based strategies. If you need a boost in search engines, give Fusework Studios a call!

Previously, I discussed how Indianapolis web development has changed, and I provided a theory on what the next trend will become. I talked about how business blogging and social media community interaction has become the latest trend in providing relevant information to customers. Now we will see search engine marketing at the forefront in how web development is approached for businesses.

Customers have been using search to find goods and services rather than looking for specific businesses. While it is important for your business to be visible (e.g. Fusework Studios) in the search engines, it is even more important that your business is found for specific keywords based on your goods and services.

The next phase in Indianapolis web development will be about playing an integral role in search engine marketing and finding ways to get new content out and fast for what customers are looking for. Search engines are looking for sites and blogs that update often and have relevant content to what their users are searching for. It's not about "if you build it, they will come" anymore.

Early on in web development, it was about telling your story -- the whole story. Unfortunately, this requires time and money to be able to put all that work together. When print marketing is put together, it is customary to hand out a brochure, poster or some form of quick communication about the product or service. I recommend you actually follow suit for initial website release, and over time, you can add the additional content you probably would have initially included before.

The reason is Google and other major search engines value up-to-date content. New content is very important. The sites and blogs that are most active about putting content up for their visitors are getting special treatment because they are viewed as more likely to be current for their customers - those people that search. There is no magic tool or button you can use to get these results. It's about building upon a foundation to be found in search.

Contact Fusework Studios for more information about building a strong foundation to win customers through search and inbound marketing.

The year 2010 brings on new opportunities for businesses across the country including Indianapolis. The economy is slowly on the mend. Jobs are starting to come back. Businesses are strategizing on how to attack their marketing plans and grow. Indianapolis, in my opinion, is no different from this trend.

When I first came onto the web development scene, it was primarily about having a website. Your website was more of a brochure. There was little thought to a full web based strategy or social media community involvement for businesses. The primary focus was having a great looking web design and plenty of content for people to read.

Then came the next phase which was to measure the analytical data provided for your website. Soon, it was found that people often didn't spend more than 1-2 minutes on the site. This didn't help support the theory to have more than twenty pages of content. The next step was to find a way to convert those visits into money by creating calls-to-action. These calls-to-action were provided as forms, buttons and/or videos.

The most recent trend is how to use social media marketing and business blogging to benefit your business. Search engine marketing is taking the forefront, and more businesses are implementing corporate blogs and social media as a part of their web strategy. I believe this trend is going to add a new twist to how websites will be developed beginning in 2010.

With Google Live Search and the rise of blogging as the premiere method in getting recent and relevant content, the next trend is all about flexibility and the process of getting search content out to the masses. It will be about monitoring what people are looking for and providing that information. Businesses will be taking an ever-more increased role in talking WITH their customers (not just TO their customers). Websites and strategies will be taking on a new look to feed how people will find out about their business(es), goods and services.

I will be touching on how to take advantage of this new trend in my upcoming post. For now, I wanted to get you thinking about how sites will be developed differently with this in mind. I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts from you on what you see coming in the next year.

Discipline.

For most people it's an ugly word. It makes you think of a dog that misbehaves, an athlete making wrong choices during a sporting event or sometimes even more frustrating of a child that just won't listen and needs...discipline.

Throughout 2009, I spoke of many different ways to utilize tools and third-party programs to enhance your web based strategy, and I spoke in many ways how Fusework Studios is a great Indianapolis web development company that can help touch all facets of an effective strategy. In 2010, I want to focus on things that are a little more intangible.

By now, most of you know about the tangible objects that go into a web based strategy such as business blogging, web development, website design, social media communities, search engine optimization and an email marketing strategy. When used correctly, all of these tools work, but there are things that are never seen that go into a successful strategy.

Discipline is accepting a challenge and having the fortitude to see it through. When embarking on a new marketing strategy, whether it's television, radio, print or the web, you will never know the true extent of its results until you see it through.

What are ways you can practice discipline in your web based strategy?

• Make a plan. A web based strategy is a plan to achieve a goal. Put it on paper and keep it where you can see it.
• Make a habit. Practice working on your strategy every day until that goal is achieved.
• Do it when you don't want to do it. Some days it feels like too much work to participate in a social media community for your business, but those days are probably the most important to do the work.
• Have a coach. Even professional athletes have a coach to help set goals and achieve them.
• Form a team. Don't try to do this alone. Find skill sets that are needed to accomplish your goals, and find the people with similar discipline and passion to achieve your goals.

Find the intangibles that make your web based strategy great. I certainly hope this can energize you when you embark on 2010.

Need a coach or a team? Contact Fusework Studios today to discuss your goals and ambitions in 2010 and to create a web based strategy to work for your business.

As the Indiana website development provider for the Indianapolis Zoo, we have had the pleasure of taking on a complete web re-design of the Indianapolis Prize, the visible component of the internationally recognized conservation efforts being undertaken by the Indianapolis Zoo.

The Indianapolis Prize is the largest individual monetary award for animal species conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree.  The Prize is given every other year to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts involving a single animal species or multiple species.

For many nonprofits and small businesses in Indianapolis, online marketing is becoming increasingly competitive, so the Indianapolis Prize web based strategy was focused on embracing the social media community, creating a clean and direct design, and engaging users through video production.

Fusework Studios is proud to be a part of this project, both for the impact the Prize has on conservation and for adding to the great examples of Indianapolis web development.

Stay tuned for information on the 2010 Indianapolis Prize Gala that is scheduled for September 25 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Visit the new site at www.indianapolisprize.org. 

With all the talk these days about social media here in Indianapolis, web development often has become the forgotten focus. I go to conferences or seminars, and all I hear about is social media marketing and the social media community.

I agree that this is an emerging trend. I agree that it is here to stay in one form on another, but while everyone's focus has been distracted by the "shiny new coin," companies have been forgetting about web development and their web based strategy.

I always like to use the example with my clients of the grocery store. Grocery store chains spend millions of dollars researching where to place each and every item. They have a plan when a customer walks in the doors. They know exactly how they want you to walk through their aisles. Do you think it is a coincidence that the milk is always in the back of the store? Of course not. The strategists want you to walk past all the other more profitable merchandise before you can get your milk. This whole process has become a science. Sure they run ads in the paper, on TV, and with their Web marketing, but when they finally get you to their store, they have a plan.

This is the type of thought that should go into your web development and strategy. What do you want your customers to do when they reach your site? What makes you money? What do you want your visitors to make sure to do before they can get their "milk?"

Social Media is fun. It is the big thing right now, but please don't forget what your business is really all about. Use these other tools to drive traffic to your site, but don't forget about what you want them to do when they get there.