Often, the simplest things that can help a website get found on the search engines are neglected because of the immense amount of work that needs to be done. For instance, a lot of sites don’t use ALT tags for their images. What is an ALT tag you ask?

Well, scroll your mouse over the image to your right. You see that little box of text come up that reads “Example of an ALT tag”? Well, that is the ALT tag for that image. In the video below I will further explain the use of ALT tags and why there are important to include with your images on your website.

I hope this video was helpful. Feel free to leave your comments below and stay tuned for future tips and pointers from the TM staff.

“And meanwhile, you’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank that high on the truth meter. And with iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it’s putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.”

What exactly is the President trying to tell us? Are these toys we use in our everyday life bad? Or should we turn them off every once in awhile? Yes, they are just toys, but most of us now have come to rely on these “toys” as part of our everyday lives. At Trademark we make our living on using and building applications for these items.

During his campaign to defeat senator McCain, President Obama used blogs, Twitter, Facebook and a slew of other resources to get his message out there. Now all of a sudden he’s doing a 180 degree turn on us?

“Allowing you to compete in the global economy is the first way your education can prepare you. But it can also prepare you as citizens. With so many voices clamoring for attention on blogs and on cable, on talk radio, it can be difficult at times to sift through it all; to know what to believe; to figure out who’s telling the truth and who’s not. Let’s face it, even some of the craziest claims can quickly gain traction. I’ve had some experience in that regard.”

Maybe President Obama and his speech writers should have done some research before knocking these items, as many of them are now being embraced by schools and universities alike. The iPad and the kindle can easily replace a whole backpack of textbooks, all while making learning a whole lot easier!

My message to the President Obama: Make up your mind Mr. President!
Maybe the President needs to think back to when he was a regular man, and remember that us regular folks do use the internet, talk radio, social media sites and things alike to better our selves, and also for a little entertainment in our lives. I agree that maybe some of us go a little overboard in the use of these items, but there’s no need to tell an entire class of graduates (and the nation) to put these items away. Some of us need distractions like the iPad, an iPod, or the Xbox to make it through the day, not only for work, but for our sanity.

Twitter has a whole page dedicated to verified Olympians so we all know they’re real. You can follow anyone from snow boarder Shawn White @ Shaun_White to team USA curling team member Nicole Joraanstad @NicCurl . Think about it, have you ever been this close to such a major sporting event, or been able to read about what they athletes are really feeling? And no, the TV interviews that we’ve all seen from years pas do not count.  That’s what athletes are on their best behavior!  You get an inside look at the Olympic village, and how these athletes interact with one another. I’m sure twitter will be around in four years for the next winter Olympics, but I doubt it will have this big of an impact on our it. Will there be another social media outlet that lets us inside the minds of athletes and their sports? Or will there be a crack down by the IOC? I’m betting a crackdown will happen for one reason or another.  So I’d say embrace what we have at this moment, because we truly are living in a unique time that might not be seen again.

When websites first started appearing in the early 90’s, minimalism was what you saw, no big graphics, cool fonts, or javascript.  Although it wasn’t a trend at the time, it was that way because the internet was in it’s infancy and had yet to grow and expand.  Almost 20 years later, the new trend in web design is minimalism, clean and simple.  These days sites have less on each page, have a simple layout, and are organized based on the content.  They’re designed and created this way for several reasons though; less clicks to find what users are looking for, less clutter, more white space, the list goes on! And white seems to be the new black…god how I’m sick of that term, but there’s no better way of describing it.  I’m waiting for black to be the new black,  let me know when that happens would ya!?

Bigger sized fonts, more white space, no flash, less 3d animation and graphics are the way to go.  Clean and simple are in, cluttered and small are out.  So are you looking for a company on the cutting edge of the web design world? Well, you’ve found the right place. Contact TM and we’ll take care of the rest, because more than ever, design needs to engage the user, provide the information they’re looking for and allow them to go on their merry way.

Does your website look like you made it yourself? Chances are, if it does, you did. Don’t do that again. And I’ll bet that your website has probably not gotten a lot of traffic either, at least not as much as you’d like. Research has shown that when a visitor clicks into your site, you have approximately 2.3 seconds to make a good impression on them, if you don’t, they’ll hit that magic BACK button in the upper left hand corner and be gone. Gone, just like your opportunity.

Is your website even being found in search engine land? If it is, is it being found for relevant terms you think your customers/clients/associates/google searchers would actually search to find you? Didn’t think so. Another great reason to update or redesign your website; SEO has become a major part of the web, if you hadn’t noticed. So make sure your site is up to par on the SEO end.

Just as styles in fashion, cars, or anything change, they do so on the web as well. Give your site a new theme or look, we did to our site, tmprod.com. Looks nice doesn’t it!? We can do the same for you, and help your customers find you online!

So contact us today to see what we can do for you. Or if you’d like the tools and knowledge to be able to do these things yourself, sign up for one of our TM Web School classes. Either way, let’s get your website moving forward and doing what you want it to do!

Now, the bosses at TM (like any bosses in any industry) are just happy we have clients who want our services.  I’m happy that the clients are great people, especially since I have to deal with them every day, like I said.

Here’s just a few of our great Monthly Clients:
POAM – Police Officer’s Association of Michigan: PUT YOUR HANDS UP! Just kidding, but these are the guys who help cops behind the scenes, check out their great site.

DSC – Dealer Supply Company: Looking for some awesome auto, boat or motorcycle dealer supplies? These folks are the nicest people around, they’ll help you get what you’re looking for and they were the originals!  Over 75 years in business!

Flame Furnace: Did your Furnace break? Call Flame Furnace immediately, they’ll be out there in a jiffy!

HLS – Heartland Steaks: MMMMMHHHMMMM! Looking for some delicious steaks? This is the place, they’re absolutely yummy!

Screamers Costumes: AAAAAHHHHHHHHH SCARY! Select a costume to scare the neighborhood kids or some costume accessories from Screamers Costumes.

fG – foneGEAR: In need of a case for you phone, laptop, or GPS device? foneGEAR will have what you’re looking for.

RFC – Recycling for Charities: Got a bunch of old electronics like cell phones or pagers sitting around? Donate them to a great charity.  Plus, they have a smart car!

UGS – United Global Sourcing: If importing, exporting or prototyping is what you need, UGS are your people. They can help you get started with your great new product or idea!

MBA – Macomb Bankruptcy Attorney: Hopefully you’re never in need of these services, but if you are, check out Macomb Bankruptcy Attorney.  They’ll get you sorted out and back on track.

TEAM – Team Cleaning Solutions: If it’s kind of icky and dirty, hire TEAM for the job, they’ll take care of it for you!

Elder Automotive Group: VROOM VROOM! Looking for a new car? Elder Automotive has it all, from high class Jaguars and Land Rovers, to pre-owned cars for the rest of us. Check’em out.

These fine folks make my day to day job a pleasant task.  And if you’re interested in joining the elite club of TM’s Monthly Clients, give us a call, or fill out our nifty contact form, and we can see what plans fit you best.  Happy holidays!

According to the Department of Commerce, retail sales from an e-commerce level in the United States rose 4.5% in the third quarter of 2009, bringing the total from this time last year from $32.5 to $34 billion. As more consumers use the Internet to make purchases, e-commerce benefits tremendously, and its popularity shines through.One of the leaders in e-commerce sales is that of Amazon.com, who in their third quarter of 2009 reported an increase of 68% in net income, and a 28% increase in net sales. While Amazon is an Internet-only run business, retail stores, like that of Wal-Mart have found that with the success of e-commerce, they are able to expand their products offered online, as explained by MediaBuyerPlanner.

“In August, the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, introduced Wal-Mart Marketplace, a new program that expands its online product assortment to more than one million items. Wal-Mart Marketplace enables a select group of retailers to offer additional products at Walmart.com, expanding Wal-Mart’s assortment in categories including home, baby, apparel, and sporting goods.”

E-commerce gives retail businesses and companies the opportunity to expand into different markets, and their sales flourish. If you and your business are looking to see the same results through e-commerce, Metro Detroit’s Trademark Productions can help. Trademark Productions offers customized, cost effective, and secure e-commerce solutions that can be tailored to the unique needs of your online business. Contact TM today to get started!

Did you know that God is even on twitter? http://www.twitter.com/god yup, and he’s kind of funny.  I personally follow Lance Armstrong.  He has some great tweets, especially now since it’s the Tour de France.  Interested in what’s happening at the white House? You can follow it, http://twitter.com/whitehouse.  Just about everyone is on twitter these days

So do you twitter? Are you interested in twittering? Most of us in the office have a twitter account, mine is http://www.twitter.com/avfc13, Dwight’s is http://www.twitter.com/dwightz, Dean’s is http://www.twitter.com/deanduncanjones, Eric’s is http://www.twitter.com/erictm and Christel’s is http://www.twitter.com/christelmurray.  Heck, even our office has a twitter account, http://www.twitter.com/TheTMOffice.  We’re not sure who runs it, as the office is an inordinate object, but he tweets about what we’re working on, the temperature, world politics, or sometimes he’ll share Einstein quotes with us.  Strange, I know.  But if you’re interested in what we do here at Trademark, following our office twitter account will surely let you know.  Does your company have an account? If not, does it need one? Maybe you’re so busy with running your business, that you just don’t have time to run the account….well as you can see, we’re more than fit to do if for you.  Send us a message and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Remember though, twitter isn’t for everyone.  You have to decide whether having your company and it’s image out there on twitter will hurt or help.  Think it will help? or just have questions about twitter? Contact us, we’d be glad to help.

The three hour drive down was ok, a bit rainy, but nothing our group of 9 couldn’t handle.  While waiting in line to enter the parking lot though, we were hit with hail, rain, and wind gusts that must have been close to 40 m.p.h.  It was a site to see.

Inside the stadium before kickoff, the rain and wind gusts kicked up again, making this encounter with Mexico a raucous affair.  When these two teams usually meet, it’s anything but nice, this is a rivalry for the times, and this game was no exception.  From the kickoff the tackles were flying in, and fans were loving it big time.  Mexican fans are known for their loud horns and their all out fanfare.  They were dressed from head to toe in green, red, and white, and singing in unison, mostly in Spanish so I had no idea what they were saying. The American fans must have been out numbered 2/1 for the game, even though it was in Columbus, Ohio in the middle of a cold February.  But not to be outdone, the American’s came prepared with large flags, and red clothing to show their support.

The American team came to play this night, and dominated possession for large spells, although the Mexican team had one good opportunity to go ahead early in the game.  But American goal keeper Tim Howard was up to the task, making a great save off his legs.  America continued to dominate and throw balls in the danger zone, and in the 44th minute finally managed to get the ball into the back of the Mexican net.  Scoring from a corner kick, Michael Bradley roofed the ball into the net giving the American team a much deserved 1-0 home lead.

The second half was no different from the first.  The American’s dominated again, the cold windy wet weather might have had something to do with it.  But this is why games are scheduled in February in Columbus, to give the home team the upper hand.  Even though the U.S. was controlling the game, the Mexican fans never let up with incessant horn blowing and noise making.  They kept it up until the last minute of the game, when the Michael Bradley managed to score his second, and the American team’s final goal of the game, making it a well deserved 2-0 victory in this very important 2012 World Cup Qualifying game.

Our adventure was not over yet though.  The 3 hour drive back to Detroit proved to be an adventure in it’s self.  More rain, and wind gusts proved to be very hard driving conditions. The 3 flipped over semi-trucks should be a good enough example for you to understand just how bad it was.  As I mentioned, it should normally take 3 hours from Detroit to Columbus, but with all the slow moving traffic, rain, wind, flipped over semi’s, this return trip took close to 5 hours, and I didn’t get to bed until 3am!  Needless to say, I was back in the office at 9am the next day with posters of the game, and an American pennant for the wall.  Go USA!

Before joining the TM team, I was a graphic designer merely playing around with the internet, unaware of the full capabilities of coding, SEO, online email campaigns, and e-commerce. I would play around on the net, designing pieces here and there, nothing serious.   Since joining TM though, I’ve learned an enormous amount about hand coding sites, SEO, and how to properly market websites.  I’ve been given the opportunity to work on sites that sell thousands of dollars worth of products a day (www.heartlandsteaks.com , www.dealersupply.com ), something I could not have imagined doing.  I’ve also been assigned the task of designing sites from start to finish, doing the original design all the way through to the full launch (ex: www.kagealan.com, .www.macombbankruptcyattorney.com ). No templates, straight hand coded, the right way! The TM way!

If you don’t know much about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), let me tell you it’s an enormous market and part of the web, and not something that can be done easily, or in a few weeks.  I personally wasn’t too interested in SEO or how it worked before joining TM. I was more concerned with how sites looked and felt.  But SEO, done the right way, can work wonders and be pleasing to look at.  It’s something we pride ourselves on!  Take this very site for instance, in only a few short months we climbed the google ladder to be one of the top rankings for “Michigan web companies” (now if that’s not a good enough example of what we can do, I don’t know what is), plus, it looks nice, wouldn’t you agree!?  Want to get your site closer to that illustrious number one ranking on google? Contact us today and let us see what we can do for you.

Just some of things I’ve learned over the last year:
•    Some PHP
•    Some CSS
•    Basic SEO
•    Database import/export
•    Blog install and skinning
•    Forum install and skinning

Things I hope to learn in the upcoming year:
•    More in depth SEO
•    Javascript (tough one)
•    How do deal with database issues
•    How to deal with server issues
•    How to install and skin a “store”

I might not be on the same level as some of our other developers here, but I hope to be one day.

Need some examples of our stellar work? Visit our case studies and see what our current customers have to say.