Important Web Design Questions

http://www.ourchurch.com/design/articles/important-web-design-questions/

SEO Guarantee? Does Any SEO Offer a Guarantee?

http://www.ourchurch.com/marketing/articles/seo-guarantee-does-any-seo-offer-a-guarantee/

How to Use Meta Tags

http://www.ourchurch.com/marketing/articles/how-to-use-meta-tags/

6 Questions to ask a Web Designer

http://www.ourchurch.com/design/articles/6-questions-to-ask-a-web-designer/

Wanna Know What People Are Saying About You?

One of the more difficult aspects of being a local organization is trying to keep track of what people are saying about you around the web.  Whether you have a local business, church, school, or local ministry, there are so many places where someone can post a review of your organization that you would literally have to check a couple dozen sites every day just to try to keep up, and you d still probably miss some until now. Google Reviews Around the Web: Google has released a new feature in Google Places that will tell local organizations about all the reviews that Google finds around the web (except for Yelp*).  If you log into Google Places and click the Reviews tab on the left, you can view all the reviews Google has found.  This gives you a good overview of how much people are talking about your organization and what they are saying. Respond to Reviews: You can do more than just see what s out there, you can click to view the entire review (the dashboard may just show a snippi

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How to Get Ranked on Page 1 of Google

http://www.ourchurch.com/marketing/articles/how-to-get-ranked-on-page-1-of-google/

You Need to Know This Before Hiring a Web Developer Consultant

http://www.ourchurch.com/design/articles/you-need-to-know-this-before-hiring-a-web-developer-consultant/

A great looking new website does not have to break the bank!

Last year when OurChurch.Com made the switch from using Joomla to WordPress for custom websites, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Caledonia, MI took the opportunity to go with a completely new look and new content.  So how did they do this and still stay within budget? Used an existing WordPress theme.  When building a new website, many churches like to have a design that is completely unique and custom created from scratch.  However, this increases the cost of the website.  For those who have a tight budget, going with a pre-existing, professionally designed WordPress theme is a great solution.  There are so many good designs that are already made; sometimes it is not necessary to start from scratch.  In fact, OurChurch.Com took some basic guidelines provided by St. Paul, searched for designs that met the criteria, and presented them with several design options.  All St. Paul needed to do is pick their favorite. Get the only the functionality you need now.  St. Paul knew exactly w

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9 New Transformational Internet Technologies I’m Thankful For

We’re coming up on Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and I’ve been reflecting on the many things I’m thankful for. While I’m most thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus, my wife & kids, extended family and friends, it never ceases to amaze me at how blessed I am to live in this day and age. Technology has been transforming the way we live for decades, but 2013 has been particularly transforming for me. While some of the items described below are more “new to me” than new, they have all produced significantly positive change in my work and my life. 9 New Transformational Internet Technologies I’m Thankful For 1) Virtual Assistants – This year we added some virtual assistants to the OurChurch.Com team for the first time. They help us with administrative and other tasks. This has freed up me and others on our team so we can focus more of our time and energy on serving clients, development, communication and leadership. It’s been a huge step forward! 2) Jing – Jing is a gr

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Our Fabric Quality Is Guaranteed to be Perfect

When you are working on that perfect fabric project, you want to be sure the fabric you purchase is flawless.  We, at My Fabric Connection, want that for you too. We Guarantee It Because we know that if there is a flaw in your fabric, you will see it every time you look at your project.  Even if it looks perfect to others, you ll still see the flaw.  We re perfectionists about fabric too, and that is why we only sell First Quality, guaranteed fabric. When it arrives at your door, and you look over, if you see even one tiny flaw, send it back to us!  We ll do the work with the manufacturer to get your fabric replaced as fast as possible.  We want you to very happy with the fabric you’ve purchased. Don t worry; it s very rare that our fabric isn t flawless. It doesn t happen often, because My Fabric Connection only sells first quality fabric.  First quality fabric is fabric that is the highest quality from the manufacturer and it should be flawless.  It s not the fabric you wil

http://blog.myfabricconnection.com/2013/11/our-fabric-quality-is-guaranteed-to-be-perfect/

Happy Thanksgiving from Google and Bing

Sometimes it seems that Google and Bing s sole purpose is to mess with website owners, constantly changing how they do search and keeping us all on our toes.  Well, keeping with the holiday spirit, Google and Bing have delivered something this month for which we can all be thankful.  No major updates. Sure, there were still updates, we ll never get off completely scott free, but there wasn t anything that rocked the search world and scattered everyone s rankings. There are some nice updates this month that are actually quite helpful for webmasters.  I ll tell you all about it in this month s SEO update. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiLLblWMWTA Happy Thanksgiving!  It’s Kurt Steinbrueck with OurChurch.com, and I’m here with this month’s SEO update Click here for a full transcript. Video Summary: Bing updated their Webmaster Tools to give more control over their Bing Smart Search previews. Bing launched a new music video search. Google modified the Google+ Local pages. Share

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Fabric Testing: What is the Fabric Rub Test?

Selecting the perfect furniture upholstery fabric can be a tough decision.  At My Fabric Connection we have thousands of different colors and styles to choose from. We recommend as you re searching through our many options, you first focus on the color and style that you like best.  After all, you want to like the way the fabric is going to look in your house. After you have decided on a color and style, then you can focus on the fabric s durability.  What you are using the fabric for will determine how durable a fabric you need. Double Rub Fabric Testing When searching your options at My Fabric Connection, one of the most important things to look for when considering the fabric durability is its Double Rub score.  The Double Rub is a fabric rub test that scores the fabric durability.  Companies have machines that do fabric testing to simulate a person sitting down and then standing back up.  These two actions constitute the “double rub”.  After the double rub fabric testin

http://blog.myfabricconnection.com/2013/11/fabric-testing-what-is-the-fabric-rub-test/

If you have a website, read this!

So, you’ve got a good website with good content, but few people seem to be responding. Maybe you’re missing this one, small but important thing that can make all the difference: A clear, compelling call-to-action. We all see hundreds of articles, web pages and ads every day. We process them very quickly. And what do we do with the vast majority of them? Nothing. We move on to the next thing. That’s because with every piece of information we read, we ask ourselves… 2 questions… Is this for me? If so, what’s my next step? If we can’t answer both questions immediately, we simply move on. Think about your own experience. Think about the last few ads or articles you’ve seen. Maybe you didn’t consciously ask yourself these two questions, but sub-consciously isn’t that what you were looking for before you either moved on or decided to take action? Now, that you see it from the perspective of a reader or consumer, let’s turn that around and look at it from the perspectiv

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WebMD Fails to Disclose $4.8M Obamacare Contract per FTC Blogger Guidelines

The latest Obamacare controversy involves $4.8M in contracts paid to popular medical advice website WebMD, contracts that were not disclosed by either WebMD or The Health and Human Services Department. The investigative report published by the Washington Times states the contract includes: As much as $126,826 for a single 5,000-word review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic. Up to $68,916 for a four-minute video from an opinion specialist. More than $140,000 for an eight-question online quiz. The first thing that popped into my mind when I read the article was What about Federal Trade Commission s Disclosure rules? If you re not familiar with the FTC s .com Disclosure rules they mandate that bloggers and social media users disclose when they are receiving any kind of compensation for a blog post, Tweet, product review or affiliate link. Failure to do so can result in a big fine. I m not sure whether WebMD violated the FTC rules or not. If they did, it seems unlikely th

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When Should My Fabric Arrive?

You search through the many options online at My Fabric Connection for the perfect fabric for your project. You ve narrowed your choice down from the hundreds of thousands of options we have available.  So first of all, we want you to know that you made a great fabric choice! Now, you re ready to get started on your project and you want your fabric to arrive quickly.  At My Fabric Connection we understand that, and we will work to get your fabric to you as fast as possible. How it works: When we receive the order at My Fabric Connection, we will begin processing your fabric order and getting the order setup with the manufacturer. This typically takes us 1-2 business days.  Once your order is processed, it is then shipped to your front door using UPS or Fed Ex ground.  The length of time needed for your fabric to arrive at your door depends on where you live.  Most of our fabric ships from the East Coast, with the majority shipping out of South Carolina. Estimated shipping times b

http://blog.myfabricconnection.com/2013/11/when-should-my-fabric-arrive/

How @BrandonACox is Using Social Media to Plant a Church

When Brandon Cox began planting Grace Hills Church in Bentonville, AR, he didn’t want to drop a ton of money on massive but impersonal means of announcing our arrival. So they used Facebook. In a recent blog post, Brandon wrote: We started with two couples (including the Cox’s). We spent $0 on traditional advertising but had 35 at our first gathering in July of 2011. We grew to approximately 80 within six months by word-of-mouth and while spending $0 on traditional advertising. We launched with 176 on our first Sunday, mostly gathered through Facebook, word-of-mouth, and search engines. Sounds like a pretty good start. So how did they do it? Brandon included some great tips! 1) Start with a website “It’s a content hub, of sorts. Sometimes your goal is to move people from social platforms to your site. Sometimes it’s the opposite. And sometimes they simply co-exist for different purposes, but having a hub on the web is essential.” 2) Use Facebook Pages Well A few key tips:

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What is the difference between Marine Upholstery Fabric and Outdoor Fabric?

Imagine for a moment that you re on a boat.  Wait, you don t get sea sick do you? Good, now back to the boat! The wind is whipping through your hair and the sun is beating down on you.  It s a perfect day to be on the water.  However, all the elements that make boating so much fun can ruin the fabric on your boat.  That is why you need to know the difference between marine upholstery fabric and outdoor fabric.  At My Fabric Connection, we offer both types of fabric to meet your needs, whatever they may be. Marine Upholstery – Scratchy and Stiff One of the ways marine upholstery fabric is different from outdoor fabric is that marine fabric is not designed to be used on furniture that you are going to sit on regularly, except possibly for some boat seats.  Marine upholstery fabric is scratchier and stiffer, so generally less comfortable than outdoor fabric. However, what you lose in comfort, you make up in durability.  Marine fabric is designed to handle direct sun light and re

http://blog.myfabricconnection.com/2013/11/what-is-the-difference-between-marine-upholstery-fabric-and-outdoor-fabric/

3 New Websites! How Lutheran High of St. Louis did it!

How did a high school association and two high schools make their websites better for students, parents, and future students? For the past five years, Lutheran High School South in St. Louis, MO has partnered with OurChurch.Com for their school website.  As part of their Custom Pro Website, they were entitled to a free redesign of their website.  However, when they started thinking about their redesign, their parent organization, Lutheran High Association, thought about the future of their website and the website of Lutheran High School North. 3 Benefits of the New Websites Now, all three organizations have new websites.  Below are some of the awesome benefits that Lutheran High School Association, Lutheran High South, and Lutheran High North are experiencing: 1) Beautiful custom design, kept similar for branding:  To establish a consistent brand among the three websites, a similar style and layout was used, while keeping the colors of each organization.  This means that when vis

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How can I use the web to find partners and raise funds for my ministry?

There are thousands if not millions of small churches and ministries around the world that are in needs of ministry partners and donors. The Internet has made it easier than ever to make those connections and partnerships, but there are some big barriers to overcome.  People with a heart to give are wary of scams, and the shear number of nonprofits online asking for money can be overwhelming, leaving people with donor fatigue. In this segment from our first Open Q&A with OurChurch.com, I provide some advice on how to overcome those barriers and use your website and other online tools to connect and partner with supporters. What part of the video resonates most with you? Do you have any other advice you would give to someone looking to connect with new supporters for their ministry online? If you missed yesterday’s Q&A, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. And don’t forget to mark your calendar for next week’s Open Q&A with OurChurch.Com. Hope to see you then!

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Feel Called by God To Blog For Ministry?

This is a guest blog post by Lisa DeSherlia. Currently I maintain two blogs. One is for general audiences and while it s not overtly and explicitly Christian, I do mention my Christian faith there. My blog is called My Prayer Page and I use it for ministry. Since I maintain two blogs, I spend much time examining other blogs to get ideas for optimizing my own blogs as well as to read others stories. The overwhelming majority of blogs that I have visited and read do not use blogging for ministry, including the personal or advocacy blogs. Yes, I realize that that a simple reason for much of this is that many of such bloggers very likely don t subscribe to a Christian worldview. I have seen exceptions. A Christ-centered child sponsorship nonprofit runs a blog of their own and I get its updates in my inbox almost every other day. I also use blogging for ministry for them, as they have a blogging ministry for the purpose of getting sponsors for the unsponsored children that they seek to he

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Win a Complete Set of Personalized VeggieTales Books!

If what your kids read is important to you…then read on! This is a sponsored post by VeggieBookClub. Keep reading to learn how you can win a complete set of all 6 books (a $100+ value)! Our line of personalized VeggieTales books are an ideal way to share Christian values with your child, your grandchildren…or any little person in your life that’s important to you! Each book is personalized with the child’s name in the story, and each book teaches a character value…. With 6 books in the series…the best thing about these books is that each adventure flows into the next with your child courageously leading the way. Also, each high quality paperback book is printed in full color with beautiful illustrations to go along with the captivating stories. We can keep going on…but the best way for you to learn more is to go to www.VeggiebookClub.com and see for yourself. And while you are there, enter coupon code OUR15 to save 15% on any of our book packages (offer ends December 15,

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How often should your website be redeisgned?

We see it all the time.  We go to our bank, church, or children’s school website and they have a new look.  Some of the time, we don’t mind the new look, while other times it makes it more difficult to find the information we want.  So what about your organization’s website?  How often should it be redesigned? There are many factors to consider when making a decision about redesigning your organization’s website: How long has it had the current design?  Design trends change every few years, as well as website technology.  So to keep from having a website that looks outdated, it is typically good to redesign your website every 2-3 years. What is the feedback from you hear from those visiting your website?  Do your visitors like your website?  Is it easy to navigate?  If those who are visiting your website like the experience and find it easy to use, then it is not urgent to make a change soon.  However, if much of the feedback you receive is negative or mixed, you pro

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What is Google Hummingbird? And What Do I need to Know About It?

Yesterday, I hosted our first Open Q&A with OurChurch.Com event, answering live questions about websites, SEO, social media and communications using the Google+ Hangouts on Air video platform. One of the questions asked by Ken Manesse was about the recent Hummingbird update to the Google search algorithm. Fortunately, I had invited Kurt Steinbrueck, our Director of Search Marketing to join me for the Q&A.   Take a look at the video clip below in which Kurt explains Hummingbird and how it affects you. What do you think about the Hummingbird update?  Does it affect your search marketing or the way you manage your website? If you missed yesterday s Q&A, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. And don t forget to mark your calendar for next week s Open Q&A with OurChurch.Com. Hope to see you then! P.S. Photo credit (c) my daughter, Ainsley.

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