Villing Web Articles
Tech Tip: Low-down, Dirty Search Engine Tricks (And Why You Should Never Use Them)
Nathan DeSelm (February 5, 2010)
If you are responsible for a Web site, you've probably been approached by search engine companies making remarkable promises. This article explains why you should slam the door in their faces.
Tech Tip: What You Need to Know About the Browser War
Nathan DeSelm (January 6, 2010)
Need to be able to speak intelligently about Web site browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome? Nathan DeSelm explains the current browser landscape and the main issues that are involved in this volatile market.
Tech Tip: Use Google Trends to Gain Valuable Insights for Free
Nathan DeSelm (December 11, 2009)
It's important for marketers to keep their finger on the cultural pulse. One way to do that is to use Google Trends.
Preparing for Launch: Social Media's Place in Marketing Cyberspace
Mathew Siecker (November 30, 2009)
I think we should be looking at social media as more of a satellite instead of a launching pad. Satellites gather data, connect sources of information and deliver messages to a wide range of media.
Tech Tip: The Four Critical Questions Every Home Page Must Answer
Nathan DeSelm (November 2, 2009)
Your home page is one of the most important pages on your Web site. To be effective it must quickly provide the answers to four basic questions.
Tech Tip: Don't Underestimate the Importance of Your Subpage Design
Nathan DeSelm (October 9, 2009)
There's something that's always bothered me about the traditional Web site design process. The focus is too often on the home page design, with the subpage design thrown in as an afterthought. This is dangerously misguided.
Social Media and the Economy
Scott Tingwald (October 5, 2009)
It's no coincidence that the meteoric rise of social media occurred during the worst recession in decades. How might social media be affected by an economic rebound?
The World of Webinars
Lesley Langfeldt (September 21, 2009)
Technology has brought many conveniences into our lives. In my opinion, webinars are one more convenience to add to the list.
Social Media: Think Before You Drink the Kool-Aid
Thom Villing (September 16, 2009)
Social media is being touted as a magic elixir for marketers — providing incredible impact at little or no cost. Sorry, but that’s not reality.
Concept to Completion - Building a High-Impact Financial Web Site: Part 2
Nathan DeSelm (September 11, 2009)
In the previous article, I discussed the planning and design stages of building the Lake City Bank Web site. Of course, you can have the coolest design out there, but if the site doesn't work right, or is difficult to maintain, it just won't be useful.
Concept to Completion - Building a High-Impact Financial Web Site: Part 1
Nathan DeSelm (September 9, 2009)
Villing recently launched a Web site that may be one of our most ambitious projects to date - the Lake City Bank Web site. This article gives a behind-the-scenes look at the project.
Social Media: Hype or Hindrance?
Thom Villing (August 28, 2009)
All those who are sick and tired of all the hype about social media, raise your hands! It's not that the end game isn’t worthwhile. It just needs some perspective.
Tech Tip: Advanced Search Techniques To Help You Google Like a Pro
Nathan DeSelm (August 4, 2009)
Using special keywords and operators in Google's normal search box can greatly improve the quality of your results. You may have heard of some of these, but my guess is that some will be new.
The Other Uses of Twitter
Lesley Langfeldt (July 29, 2009)
The popularity of Twitter is unbelievable. But why on earth would anyone want to know every mundane detail about your day?
Tech Tip: Top Four Web Optimization Myths
Nathan DeSelm (July 6, 2009)
Myths about web site optimization can often lead to unnecessary usability restrictions or inappropriate goals. These are some of the more common web optimization myths that I run across quite frequently.
Tech Tip: If You Use Google for Everything, You're Missing Out
Nathan DeSelm (June 17, 2009)
With the recent release of Microsoft Bing and WolframAlpha, I thought I'd discuss some situations where Google isn't your best choice for finding information online.
Tech Tip: How to Hire a Web Developer and/or Web Firm
Nathan DeSelm (May 21, 2009)
Hiring an outside web developer or firm can be very challenging. It often feels like you're wading through acronyms and certifications when all you really want to know is "Will this developer do a great job on my site?"
Protect the Mothership: Everything you do in online marketing should orbit around your Web site.
Thom Villing (May 15, 2009)
An organization’s Web site is truly its mothership on the Internet. And any online marketing initiatives are only as powerful as the mothership around which they orbit.
Tech Tip: How To Check the Quality of Your Web Site Code
Nathan DeSelm (April 22, 2009)
Most marketing managers and coordinators don't understand HTML. So how do you know if your programmer is doing a good job?
Social Media - Should I or Shouldn't I?
Lesley Langfeldt (March 23, 2009)
Wondering if you should be participating in social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Find statistics on who is using this new media and how they are using it.
Tech Tip: Useful Tools for Marketing Professionals (also, they're free)
Nathan DeSelm (March 10, 2009)
Over the years, I've found quite a few useful tools that marketing people might not realize they can use for free.
Tech Tip: So, You Want Online Animation?
Nathan DeSelm (January 28, 2009)
Web site animation can greatly enhance a visitor's experience on your web site. But you need to be careful or it could do more harm than it's worth.
Tech Tip: Four Things You Think You Want (But Really Don't) For Your Web Site
Nathan DeSelm (December 9, 2008)
Often during our early meetings for a new web site, the client begins listing some of the things they'd like to accomplish with their web site. Most of the time, these objectives are reasonable, but sometimes they are not.
Tech Tip: Personalized Search - Google is Changing the Ground Rules
Nathan DeSelm (November 22, 2008)
Do you spend a lot of money with sleazy companies who promise top search engine placement at any cost? If so, it's time to rethink your strategy.
Tech Tip: Three Interactivity Features That Will Improve Your Web Site
Nathan DeSelm (October 29, 2008)
In the last five years, we've witnessed the beginning of a major shift in the way people use the Internet. The Internet is moving away from being a collection of separate pages and becoming a single integrated experience.
Lost in Translation
Lesley Langfeldt (October 20, 2008)
Many companies are falling short when it comes to integrating their traditional marketing materials with their online marketing efforts.
Tech Tip: Blogging Alternatives
Nathan DeSelm (September 26, 2008)
While the traditional long-form blog might be appropriate for many companies, it’s also important to be aware of some of the alternatives for online communication.
Tech Tip: The Three-Month Google AdWords Trial
Lesley Langfeldt (August 29, 2008)
Learn more about Villing & Company's three-month Google Adwords trial and why we are going to continue the program.
Tech Tip: New Home Broadband Statistics
Nathan DeSelm (July 15, 2008)
The Pew Research Center recently released their Home Broadband Adoption report for 2008. Learn about some of the key findings of this report.
Tech Tip: Manage Your Identity on Google Maps
Nathan DeSelm (June 5, 2008)
Learn how to edit your business information on Google Maps.
MySpace: The new way to build your brand.
Sara Beckwith (April 5, 2008)
MySpace. Facebook. YouTube. LinkedIn. Welcome to the world of social media. If you're in marketing, you might be wondering what the significance of all this is to your company's brand.
The Dark Side (and the Bright Side) of Pay-Per-Click
Sara Beckwith (November 1, 2007)
Pay per click advertising, when done right, can be a very useful and effective advertising tool. However, companies often don't have a clue as to how to make PPC advertising work for them.
Don't Waste Your Time Browsing. (Let the Web Come to You.)
Nathan DeSelm (September 20, 2007)
You may have heard of RSS or feed readers. Basically, RSS is a method of distributing web site content, such as news stories, to everyone who has chosen to subscribe.
Why You're Not Getting Googled.
Scott Tingwald (June 21, 2007)
What do you say when the boss, asks "Why aren’t we showing up in Google?" "Good question!" is probably not a great answer. How to enhance placement on search engines is by far the question we hear most frequently.