Search engine optimization, web design services, HTML authoring from Illuminova Technical Services in Wilmington, Delaware

Illuminova, Inc.
P.O. Box 7929
Newark, DE 19714

(302) 266-6660 phone
(302) 266-6665 fax

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Illuminova Technical Services, web design and hosting, network engineering, IT support, for small businesses, Wilmington, DE

Web design, web site optimization, web hosting for small businesses, Wilmington, Del.

Corporate? Quirky? Informational? Artistic? There are a LOT of ways to go with your web site. But if you're not designing your site with search engines in mind then why are you building it at all?

And while there is no one right way to build a web site, there is a best way to build YOUR site. Here's how to know it when you see it.

By Stephen Worden / Illuminova Technical Services, (c) 2006

Web sites convey information by the written word, images, and (rarely) sound. To write a great site you need to know your audience, how they want to be reached, and how to make the search engine spiders happy at the same time. Not an easy job.

A great web designer would be an excellent writer, gifted with Fine Art skills, and understand at a very low level all of the technology that makes web sites work. In the real world, the designers I meet are strong in only one or at most two of these areas. I have never seen a single person with a high degree of skill in all three areas. To be successful in your web site project you need to determine which of these areas is the most important — search engine optimization, artistic feel, or content. Then you need to hire a developer with the same view or philosophy. (Large projects require a team of experts with deep experience in each of these fields.)

For my clients, the two most important aspects of our web projects are content and optimization. Look and feel is important too, especially for art-related sites like high profile events, Fortune 1000 web sites, museums, etc. But I would rather have an informative, easily cataloged site than a gorgeous one that is invisible to search engines.

Search Engine Optimization

Like I said, if you aren't optimizing the site for search engines, why are you building the site at all? Think of the Internet as a gigantic encyclopedia. Search engines are the encyclopedia's index or table of contents. If you're not in the index, no one can look you up.

I've spent a lot of time researching, testing, and coding web sites that reach two audiences — visitors and search engine spiders. Not surprisingly, each wants to be spoken to in its own way. But once you know what to do, it's not too hard to write a site that makes both audiences happy. And it all starts with keyword research — not for meta tags, but to develop site content.

My philosophy is this: "Let's design a functional, nice looking site that gives interested buyers the information they want while maximizing page rank in search engine catalogs."

We design sites that have a geographic focus, because we don't want inquiries from areas we don't serve. And we augment that focus by using geographically restricted AdWords and Overture campaigns.

The main thing my clients want from their web site is business — they want the phone to ring. If we've done our work well, we've designed a fast-loading site that results in a phone call from a potential client. That's our definition of success — "Helping your business thrive through the wise use of technology."

Thanks again for your interest in Illuminova Technical Services.