I get requests all the time for search engine optimization and it usually starts like this: “I want to be the first website to appear on Google for the word ‘awesome.’ Can you do SEO on my site and put my website there?”

Answer: Yes and no.

Performing search engine optimization (or SEO as it’s often called) doesn’t guarantee any specific placement on any search engine. Search engines like Google and Yahoo! use a highly complex and secretive algorithm to determine which sites are best suited for that top spot — and in some cases, dollar signs play a factor.

So what is SEO and what does it do?

Search engine optimization means exactly what it says: optimizing your website for search engines by adhering to common standards and practices that will make your site more easily, accurately, and thoroughly indexed.

Most SEO practices include adding META tags (little pieces of coding) that pass keywords and descriptions to search engines. SEO might also include making sure you have all the appropriate keys and values used in your coding. In addition, SEO involves building a standards compliant site map, clearing out dead links, selecting relevant keywords, spreading those keywords around your site, and finally, submitting your website to the search engines to be indexed.

In the end, the most you can hope for is that your site has made full use of your important keywords. For the example above, this would mean making sure that the word “awesome” appears in as many relevant places as possible — both on the front end and in the coding.

Without paying for Adwords or some other form of Internet marketing, there’s no way to guarantee that place at the top — or even the top ten — but if you can make your site more search engine friendly, then you will certainly have a leg up on the hundreds, if not thousands or millions, of sites who haven’t.

So, be confused no longer, Hip Web Design is here to help you search engine optimize your site so that your website can look as attractive as possible to search engines everywhere. Get your quote today!

The internet allows customers to shop from the comfort and convenience of their home, where a computer monitor has become better for window shopping than a window itself. Now more than ever, it’s critical that business owners open up their own online storefront, before they get left behind.

With the economy in the slumps, online shopping begins to look more and more attractive. Why? Because the internet brings you and your product directly into the shopper’s home. It allows you to operate your business at reduced costs and, because the internet is a form of interactive marketing, it engages your customer before they even realize they’re shopping.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

But why the rush? Well, as more stores move their businesses online, they get a head start in establishing themselves within their niche.

Hip Web Design wants to help you get your online store started the right way. Don’t drop your business — literally, your entire business — into the hands of a cookie-cutter web firm. Hip Web Design will help you with original branding, design, search engine optimization, content management (cms), creative marketing (podcasting, videocasting, social bookmarking, blogging, etc.), and customization. With an online store built by Hip Web Design, you’ll have the ability to easily manage your store on your own, drastically reducing the maintenance cost of running your site.

I invite you to look through my portfolio and take a look at the ways I’ve helped others establish their own unique cyberspace identity. I give all my clients the individual attention they demand, and strive to offer an unparalleled web design experience. Just take a look at some of the testimonials my previous clients have left.

So stall no longer. Contact Hip Web Design with any and all questions, so that we can begin working together to build your new online store.

Why is IE so bad? Mainly because it’s the least compatible browser when it comes to web coding standards, not to mention that it uses more of your CPU power than the other browsers. But is it really that big a deal?

From a web designer’s perspective, there are few things more frusterating than having to make your websites compatible across several different browsers, especially when Internet Explorer needs special tweeks and hacks just to get it to function “simliarly.” Not only does this mean more time for the designer, but consequently, more cost for the client.

Instead, people should be using a browser like Firefox that is available on both PC and Mac, requires less CPU than IE, and adheres to all the web standards. Trust me, your web browsing experience will get faster, cleaner, and more consistant in quality.

Until IE launches a completely compliant version, you should seriously consider using a different browser. The differences at first will be subtle, but in time you’ll realize you’ve been missing out.

Look at this, then try firefox instead. It couldn’t hurt.

Fortunately, the internet has made running a business from your home easier than ever. But, if you’re going to be successful, you need to do it right, and I have just the tools you need.

Here are four key ingredients to any website: cost, design, accessibility, and maintenance. If you’re on a tight budget — as most people are — you’re going to need a flexible solution that can effectively negotiate your website’s needs.

Hip Web Design can help you develop that solution. My websites are custom tailored, meaning that there aren’t any templates or generic designs. Hip Web Design prides itself in being at the forefront of web design trends and functionality. My portfolio reflects a wide range of designs and businesses, from blogs and online stores to syndicated podcasts and corporate portfolios.

If cost is a major concern, Hip Web Design is happy to help you find a solution within your budget. Hip Web Design helps cut your long-term costs by using WordPress as the platform for your website’s back-end, giving you full control of all your content. This means less — or nothing — spent on making monthly maintenance and updates.

Also, Hip Web Design knows that once your site is made, it also has to be accessible. All our websites are search engine optimized (SEO) and can be fitted with all the latest social bookmarking tools (Digg, Myspace, Facebook, Reddit, etc.). In addition, my websites use validated RSS Feeds so that visitors can subscribe to your site and be notified whenever you make changes.

Getting a quote for your project is quick and easy. Just fill out my design form and I’ll contact you within 24 hours with a reasonable quote for your project.

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to invest in a website, now’s the time to do it. Hip Web Design can help you develop an internet presence and identity so that you can reach millions of people worldwide without leaving your home.

When the economy is down, get your website UP!

Sure, legit. But more often than not, you’ll be getting a template. It will probably be fairly clean looking, reasonable to manage, but it’ll still be a template. Many other people may have a site that looks similar, if not exactly, like your own. Your ability to leave a memorable impression goes out the door with your visitor.

That’s the reason some template sites allow you to purchase the exclusive rights to a template — for a price. What you get then, is template that you’ve had absolutely no input on, and that you can only hope will do, act, and feel like you want it in the long run.

Here’s a solution: Hip Web Design makes custom web sites. No one will have one like it. It will be yours, with your own vibe, with the ability to manage the content your own and still have it do, act, and feel exactly how you want it.

“Legit?” you might still be asking? Quite.

I’m a freelance designer, which means I only work on a handful of projects at a time. You get personal, one-on-one service that no corporate firm can offer you and at a price that is competitive.

So don’t be tempted by templates. In the long run, it isn’t worth it. You’ll grow tired of it. It’ll quickly become out dated. Your visitors won’t be wowed into coming back.

If you’re going to spend money on a website, you might as well do something that will get you noticed.