manager, Author at AdverGroup Web Design and Digital Marketing

Published: 9 October 2012

Written by manager

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Categories: Industry News, Search Engine Optimization

Are free website builders bad for SEO? ie Wix, GoDaddy Website Builder, Zenfolio Many business owners ask, “Why do I need to pay a web designer to create a web site, when there are so many Free Solutions?” The answer is very simple. You get what you pay for. A free web site may be quick and easy (cutting many corners in regards to SEO), while a professional web designer will not only provide a professional design, they would also ensure your site has been SEO Optimized. This includes more than just adding keywords and meta-tag descriptions. A site that is optimized for SEO, has many other facets that only a professional web designer is privy to.

With all due respect, if you are a Plumber or even a Dentist looking to build a website for your company, will you develop a more attractive and effective website than a professional web designer? The Free Web Builder may help you in the “Attractive Department”, but what about the “Effective Department”? Will your phone ring as a result of your SEO? Probably not!

I must say that my perspective in this article not only knocks the idea of using a Free Website Builder, it also stresses the importance of using a professional web designer to develop your CMS infrastructure. It is likely a professional is a bit more hip to the industry than the average small business owner attempting to set up their own website. Remember your competition may very well employ a professional to develop their website. Do you know about web design and SEO to compete? I do not mean to discourage the “do it yourself” mentality. I actually encourage it with the use of a content management system that is configured correctly for SEO.

Web Builders are Bad for SEO. Hire a pro search engine optimization professional The result of building your website using a free website builder provided by a Hosting Company is this:

Only people that you have made aware of your sites actual domain will find your site.
Nobody will find your site “organically” using any search engine. (Unless of course if they enter your company name, and if they already know your company name, searching for you in a search engine is not relevant to SEO.)

Testing SEO for FREE Website Building Solutions offered by Hosting Companies.

I implore you to test the SEO of any Free Website Building Solution. For Example, if you are business who has built your website using any of the free web site building solutions provided by . Google your Industry + town, you will see where you come up on the Search Engines. Keep looking, keep looking…………keep looking! I can guarantee that you will not find any websites on 1^st page Search Engine results that use Hosting Company Web Builders.

Another great tool to test your site’s SEO is this Meta-Tag Analyzer. SeoCentro designed this Meta Tag analysis tool to help webmasters analyze their web pages. This search engine optimization tool analyze not only the Meta Tags but try to use the same spider technology as the search engines spiders them self.

In closing, here is a quick run down of some Hosting Companies that provide Free Website Building Solutions. Many of their deliverables appear attractive and desirable. However it is what they do not list that is the most important items that you need, Search Engine Optimization and Expand Ability.

*** I must precede this next section of this article with this statement: I strongly advise against the use of any of the following solutions for a business website. If you wish to implement a “Do it Yourself Solution” I would suggest WordPress or Joomla. There are many FREE online tutorials that can assist you in configuring these same Open Source Solutions that all professional web designers are using.

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WIX They provide 100’s of customizable templates. Wix advertises that they have everything you need to create HTML 5 and Flash Websites with no web design experience required.

Put your business online! Get a $5.99 .COM/.NET from GoDaddy!

GoDaddy.com Website Builder boasts that you can get online in minutes with our new and improved “Do it Yourself” Website Builder, featuring hundreds of stunning drag-&-drop templates. They list what is included in there services.

Getting back to the word “Free”, it is not a bad word, as even professional web developers utilize free open source solutions such as WordPress and Joomla (which both provide “Quick Install” features on most major hosting companies). The difference from Open Source tools and Free Web Building Solutions offered by hosting companies is that all “Free Web Builder Solutions” are all the same in regards to targeting customers that lack sufficient knowledge in HTML language to code their websites. Open Source tools require a little more “know how” to set up and configure correctly, how ever they also provide easy to use content management tools and much more abilities to expand in regards to function abilities.

AdverGroup Web Design provides various web development packages that result in a professional website built in a Content Management System with Search Engine Optimization included! Contact us today to discuss how we can assist you in the building a website that will make your phone ring!

Published: 10 September 2012

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Categories: Joomla

✔ WHAT IS K2 ?
K2 provides an out-of-the box integrated solution featuring rich content forms for items (think of Joomla! articles with additional fields for article images, videos, image galleries and attachments), nested-level categories, tags, comments, a system to extend the item base form with additional fields (similar to CCK for those acquainted with Drupal), a powerful plugin API to extend item, category and user forms, ACL, frontend editing, sub-templates & a lot more!

✔ FEATURES

Since K2 is extensible with additional fields to its base item form, you can easily create category-specific content types, e.g. article, blog post, product page, directory listing.

K2 offers as standard:
– nested-level categories (no section/category restrictions)
– commenting, integrated with Google’s reCaptcha & Akismet
– tags
– item image (useful for articles/catalogs)
– image galleries
– videos
– attachments
– user pages (author blogs/user profiles)
– smart ACL for frontend editing
– unique plugin system to extend item, category & user forms
– ajax-based frontend editing
– ajax-based comments moderation
– Google AJAX Search integration

K2 is a FREE Component and can be downloaded at http://getk2.org.

AdverGroup assists both local and national web design clients. AdverGroup Web Design is located in Arlington Heights,IL. Arlington Heights is suburb just north of Chicago, IL. We can assist you in installing and configuring this component for use on your Joomla website. AdverGroup produces these video tutorials to assist clients and the general public in learning more about the Joomla Content Management system and third part components developed to work with Joomla. Contact AdverGroup Web Design today by clicking here.

Published: 28 August 2012

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Categories: Error Code Solutions

The error code appeared as follows:

Notice: Use of undefined constant JPATH_PLATFORM – assumed ‘JPATH_PLATFORM’ in /home/content/23/9673423/html/administrator/components/com_menus/tables/menu.php on line 13

Fatal error: Class ‘JTableMenu’ not found in /home/content/23/9673423/html/administrator/components/com_menus/tables/menu.php on line 20

AdverGroup Web Design can solve this issue. Contact us today for to achieve the solution to this common Joomla error.

Published: 3 August 2012

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Categories: Web Design Tutorials

I must share one downfall to this component: The Flash Magazine Deluxe Joomla Component is not viewable on iPhones or iPads. The PDF’s that result from this component are rendered in FLASH. FLASH is not currently viewable on Phones or iPads.

The special flipping effect raises visitor’s attention to the information you present. Using Flash Magazine component you can make attractive interactive services portfolio or shop goods catalogue. You can INSERT SOUND, PICTURES, TEXT, LINKS and even VIDEO into your online pages.

Flash Magazine component offers rich variety of features:

User-focused Navigation Panel
Thumbnails (quick page navigation with preview);
Page zooming and full screen mode;
Slideshow page scrolling mode;
Magazine printing and PDF download options to get the magazine offline version.
Feature-rich Interface Settings
You can choose the resolution for your flash magazine (book);
You are free to change background, elements and additional color to make your flipping book attractive;
5 professional templates are included;
Front page of the flash magazine (book);
Pop-up window with magazine or book description in Magazines Management, which is very suitable, especially if you have a lot of online magazines or books.

This extension requires registration to download at www.joomplace.com. AdverGroup Web Design can assist you in configuring this component for use on your Joomla website. AdverGroup produces these video tutorials to assist clients and the general public in learning more about the Joomla Content Management system and third part components developed to work with Joomla. Contact AdverGroup Web Design today by clicking here.

Published: 2 August 2012

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Categories: Industry News

Published on: Aug 2, 2012

In regards to Search Engines, Google is and has been the largest and most used search engine, As a powerhouse in the search engine world, Google certainly has the ability to integrate search with social! A result of Google owning the Search Engine Market is Google AdWords. Google AdWords is Google’s main advertising product and main source of revenue. Google’s net revenues for: “advertising & other” (as listed in Google’s 2012 six month report ending June30) were $14 billion. If it all relates to advertising, then another strategic move was the creation of Google Analytics back in 2005. Google acquired Urchin Software Corp. in April of 2005 and produced their branded version by November of 2005 (Source Wikipedia). Many of us experienced web designers are familiar with the name Urchin as the former leader in the Web Statistic Market prior to Google acquiring them. Google Analytics (GA) is a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. Google Analytics is a product that is aimed at marketers as opposed to webmasters and technologists from which the industry of web analytics originally grew. It is the most widely used website statistics service used by all of my fellow web designers. A valuable aspect of Google Analytics is its Integration with AdWords. This allows business owners to track and manage their online advertising campaigns in an environment where all the data lives under one roof.

Now back to Google Plus Local: Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus, sometimes abbreviated as G+) is a multilingual social networking and identity service owned and operated by Google Inc. It was launched in June 2011. As of July 2012, it has a total of 250 million registered users, many of which, are merely Google Accounts users who were registered automatically when the service was launched. Although the general public has come to understand the concept of an online social network, Google insists on calling Google+ a “social layer” as Google describes on their website, which is not just a destination site, but rather something that Google has added as a layer across many of its properties.

As Google steps up to bat in the Social Network arena, let us not forget that Google has attempted this previously. Google+ is considered the company’s fourth foray into social networking, following Google Buzz (launched 2010, retired in 2011), Google Friend Connect (launched 2008, retired by March 1st, 2012) and Orkut (launched in 2004, now operated entirely by subsidiary Google Brazil). That being said, I personally consider Google+ to be most viable competitor to Facebook. In November 2011 Google+ was integrated into the account creation process for other Google services, such as Google Mail. According to independent analyses of its growth in December 2011, the site was adding an estimated number of 625,000 new users a day, which may total 400 million members by the end of 2012. (Source Google)

Another 2011 Google acquisition was Zagat. Similar to Yelp’s business model, Google Plus Local will combine with Zagat to give users a more complete and detailed restaurant platform to review, rate, and choose restaurants to dine in and allow them to share their experiences on social networks. Google Plus Locall promotes the new endeavor as a way to discover great places through reviews and photos.

Something tells me Google Plus Local is here to stay! With that being said, if you are a business owner (even if you do not have a website) there are some actions you must take to ensure your company makes the switch to Google Plus Local. If you already have a Google Place that you have claimed, it is very likely that Google will migrate your “Google Place” into the new format. However it will be up to you to customize the look and feel of your new “Google Plus Local Page”.

In conclusion and returning full circle to the realm of Search Engine Optimization, (in which Google is a major player), we know that activity on social networks can generate referrals for your website. Knowing Google’s model of “taking over the internet“, would it be too farfetched to assume that as Google modifies their search engine algorithms, they might favor businesses and websites that are active in their community? I believe that it is a safe assumption that those who are active on the Google Plus platform, will enjoy better search engine results, specifically in the Google Search Engine. In any case, in the spirit of being a good content manager and social media blogger, join Google Plus Local and stay active on all fronts! Being mindful of SEO as it relates to Social Media will never change. Will Google Plus over throw Twitter and/or Facebook? Who knows? For now Google Plus has becomes one more place to add for Social Media Managers, to add to their list of performing weekly posts, status, tweets and now g+!

Published: 20 July 2012

Written by manager

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Categories: Content Management Systems, Industry News

With the advent of Web Content Management Systems, began an era where a regular person could easily update, edit, publish and modify a web sites content using a web based control panel. This means a person without web design training or expensive software programs could update their website as easy as posting status, text and images on social networking sites such as FaceBook or LinkedIN. A much added bonus is that, those who have developed their sites in a CMS no longer suffer from paying expensive hourly maintenance fees as they manage to keep their site up to date.

Features and function abilities of the various Content Management Systems differ from system to system; many simpler systems showcase only a handful of features, while others are much more complex and powerful. The industry offers “Open Source” (Free & Community Driven) and “Proprietary” (PAID and Custom Developed) systems. Both Open Source and Proprietary Options offer pros and cons. Whereas Open Source options, such as WordPress and Joomla have proven to be a more cost effective solution for many small business owners. While Proprietary Systems are custom developed resources that are built to achieve special function ability, security features and compatibility to offline systems. However in current times, it is a safe assumption that Proprietary software’s role as the primary innovator in the global market is most certainly over. As I often say myself, “Why try to rebuild the wheel, this has been done before”. Being that Open Source solutions are community drivin, the envelope is constantly being pushed!

One last note in the Open Source versus Proprietary discussion: As I finish rooting in the corner for Open Source solutions, I feel that I must point out that there are always anomalies. As I myself have experienced projects that have outgrown Open Source solutions, it does happen! Sometimes you have projects that push the envelope beyond what Open Source can do. Even though Open Source offers worlds of possibilities (being that extension are always being developed to extend the core function of open source), it is the core structure of data management that ends up being the defining factor in some cases of Open Source versus Proprietary.

Joomla-VERSUS-Word-Press | AdverGroup Web Design Chicago Again, most web design projects do not require special function ability that is setting the world on fire! As a matter of fact, there are many published stories of businesses that built million-dollar enterprises based on open source. One interesting piece of information is that as of July 2012, WordPress is listed as the 19^th overall busiest website in the world on www.alexa.com! While back in 2007 Joomla boasted that over 30 million of the worlds websites were using Joomla!

As I have already alluded to, the two big dogs in the world of Open Source Content Management are Joomla and WordPress. While both are designed to have easy install and set up (even if you’re not an advanced user) to achieve a custom design and correctly configured website, you are best served hiring a professional to set up and customize your site. Aside from ensuring that a custom and professional image is conveyed, there are many facets of a CMS such as component installation and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tweaks that are critical with the initial set up and configuration of these sites. Once your site is set up, accessing your control panel is as easy as logging into the Admin Section of your site. Here you can edit your web sites content (articles) using a Wordpad editor that is similar to Microsoft Word. You can edit text (fonts, colors, sizes, & links) add images to gallerries, post blogs, sell items and more!

In closing, there is another overall benefit to being able to keeping your site fresh. Aside form not looking foolish when your site holds outdated information, the more often your site is updated, the better search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing crawl or index your sites content! As frequency of site updates is one of the many criteria that is important to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Click here to view a Joomla Video Tutorial produced by AdverGroup

AdverGroup specializes in Joomla and WordPress web development. Contact us to discuss your needs, as we certainly can offer you a solution that fits your budget!

Published: 18 July 2012

Written by manager

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Categories: Industry News, Web Design

Published on: Jul 18, 2012

Before moving forward, it’s essential to understand what “copywriting” truly entails. Copywriting is the craft of creating text specifically designed to advertise or market a product, service, business, idea, or opinion. Its primary goal is to persuade the audience—whether readers, listeners, or viewers—to take action, such as purchasing a product, using a service, or adopting a particular perspective.

Good web copy is developed in way that provides an easy and informative read for your website visitors, while frequently hitting on all the key words and phrases a search engine may seek when querying the internet. Sounds easy enough, right? ….well not exactly! Obviously humans digest web content differently than robot algorithms set to scan your site’s content. The challenge in developing web copy that suits both search engines and site users.

Web copy developed by AdverGroup is carefully thought out, as weaving words is one of our specialties! You can trust that our extraordinary communication skills will be implemented as we ensure that your web copy adequately conveys all the services and products your company provides. We achieve this by first developing a content strategy which includes discussing your business with you in depth. We have developed an online form which assists our clients in communicating their company products and services to us, so that we may develop custom copy for your website that achieves both an easy read for your site’s visitors, while establishing all the criteria desired by search engine robots.

Copy or site content authored by a Professional Copywriter certainly provides clients with an edge in a content-driven market. A good friend of mine once said “in the realm of successful web sites, content is king!” This is so true! To achieve good copy or solid content for your website, employing a professional and reliable copywriter is a necessity! Our experience in writing copy for brochures, blogs and creative media of all kinds, ensures that we have the in depth knowledge and experience required to develop copy for your website that effectively supports your overall brand and content marketing strategy. Knowing that writing effective marketing content requires combining marketing and SEO strategy, while exhibiting informational and personal appeal, would you entrust the authoring of such a critical content to an amateur?

Now to put it all into perspective: Your business needs a web site and budget is always a concern. So you consider writing your own copy. On top of that you have selected a budget web designer. There are certainly web design companies that will sell you anything. They will promise you a web site that works within your budget. However they will cut corners and deliver the minimum requirements while satisfying clients with surface appeal. This means only Global SEO and Meta Tagging if you are lucky, or more likely no SEO or Meta tagging at all.

To summarize, here is the equation:

Client Written Copy + Budget Web Designer (No SEO) = You have a new web site but it is blind to search engines!

Your site may look good, but is it working for your business? Are potential clients finding your new web site organically, or are you working and spending more time and money to drive traffic to your web site? You may have saved money on the initial development. However, did you meet you objective in developing a successful web site that yields true results?

Published: 3 June 2010

Written by manager

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Categories: Contractor, Web Design Portfolio

Website Design Client: Everlasting Exteriors

Location: Chicago, IL 60611

This experienced roofing contractor was ready to break away from the company he was working for to start his own roofing, siding and window company. When it was time to start his own business he knew that he needed a professional website and brand image that could compete with all of the other local roofing companies in the Chicago area. After researching various web design companies, Everlasting Exteriors chose AdverGroup for their website design project. They were impressed with AdverGroup’s portfolio and past experience working with other small businesses in the construction industry. Being a new company they also needed a company logo and were happy to learn that AdverGroup would include free logo creation with their new roofing contractor website design project.

Professional Video Production w/ Pro Voice Narration included with this Contractor Website Design and Development Project

This client was excited to execute the video production option that AdverGroup provided included in their new roofing contractor website design proposal.

Not only did our client gain a professional roofing contractor website, but they also gained a powerful marketing tool in the form of their video commercial production. This allowed them to effectively showcase their roofing, siding and window replacement services and expertise to potential clients through a visually engaging medium.

This Web Design & Website Redevelopment for local Roofing Contractor in Chicago

AdverGroup designed and developed a custom WordPress website design for this local Roofing Contractor in Chicago.
“Animate on scroll” (AOS) embedded into the custom website design to add visual effects, like elements fading in or moving, that are triggered by the user’s scrolling action on a webpage, enhancing the user experience with motion and interactivity.
Included custom page layouts for various pages that exhibits alternating text and image content.
Website included a full screen overlay slider on the home page for desktop users, and a still image slide show header for users on mobile devices.
Animation of client provided images produced using Artificial Intelligence (AI), plus creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Video animations required to create Custom Video for Headers.
Image Licensing and video licensing and vide header creation for use on their local doctor office website.
Custom website design included configuration of Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools.
Customized SEO strategies were implemented to improve the website’s search engine rankings and increase online visibility.

Yard Sign Printing Included with Roofing Contractor Website Design

At AdverGroup, a digital marketing company, we recognize the enduring impact of printed materials in effective advertising. Our extensive experience working with contractors has underscored the importance of strong branding and market saturation. That’s why we include yard sign printing as part of our roofing contractor website design services. These signs serve as powerful tools for visibility—showcasing your company’s logo and work quality to neighbors and passersby while your team is on-site.

In conclusion, this newly designed roofing contractor website design for Everlasting Exteriors in Chicago delivered a modern and visually appealing online presence for this new roofing company’s website .The added “Animate on Scroll” visual effect not only adds an element of excitement for visitors, but also improves user engagement by creating a more interactive experience.

We create professional, search-optimized contractor websites designed to improve rankings. As leaders in SEO-focused web development, we offer comprehensive packages, including training to help roofing companies and contractors keep their websites updated and growing.

Contact AdverGroup today for assistance in achieving a search optimized website specifically for roofing companies and contractors.

Author: manager

Are Website Builders Bad for SEO? ie Wix, GoDaddy Website Builder, Etc.

K2 Blog Component for Joomla | Video Tutorial

Error Code Solved: Joomla Admin Section Menu Manager Issue

PDF Viewer for Joomla | Flash Magazine Video Tutorial

Google Plus Local Replaces Google Places

Content Management Systems | Updating Your Own Website

Website Copywrite | How it Impacts Search Engine Optimization

Contractor Website Design, SEO & Video Production for Everlasting Exterior Roofing in Chicago

Professional Video Production w/ Pro Voice Narration included with this Contractor Website Design and Development Project

This Web Design & Website Redevelopment for local Roofing Contractor in Chicago

Yard Sign Printing Included with Roofing Contractor Website Design