SEO

Web Accessibility for Everyone: AODA and WCAG

May 26, 2015 in Accessibility / Communication / Design & Development / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tagged AODA / assistive devices / SEO / WCAG / web accessibility by Pat

WCAG – short for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – is a set of international standards aimed at making the Web more accessible to everyone. The AODA is shorthand for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. As of January 1, 2014, the AODA requires not-for-profit organizations and private businesses with 50+ employees to comply with the WCAG when launching a new website or undertaking major revisions to an existing website. (Reference: http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/info_sheets/info_comm/website.aspx) It’s not just Ontario that is pushing for […]

One Page Websites – Pros and Cons

July 21, 2014 in Content and Format / Design & Development / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tagged meta data / mobile devices / Search Engine Optimization / Search Engines / SEO / tabs / WordPress by Carrie

Mobile devices have become the driving force for recent changes in website design. Handheld devices with small screens have created a demand for responsive design; layout that changes automatically to suit your device type and screen resolution (see our blog post titled Responsive Web Design: The Silver Bullet for Mobile-friendly Websites?). This means Web Designers and Developers are on the lookout for new ways to present information that will work on both large and small screens. Enter the “one page” […]

4 Reasons to Start a Business Blog

June 5, 2014 in Blogging / Communication / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) / Website Management / WordPress Development tagged blog / blogging / CMS / Search Engine Optimization / SEO / social media / target audience / web content / WordPress by Carrie

If you’re like most business owners, your goals likely include improving the SEO of your website, positioning yourself as a leader in your field, marketing your products and services, and gaining new customers or clients. Adding and maintaining a blog on your business website can help you achieve all four of these objectives and save you money in the process. 1. Improve your Organic SEO If your website displays on the first few pages of an online search, you will […]

Black Cap on TV

March 19, 2014 in Event / Website Management tagged Avant Garden Shop / Black Cap Design / blog / CHEX Daily / E-commerce / e-newsletters / Ontario / Pat Kenney / Peterborough / SEO / social media / The Garden Gate / web designer by Carrie

A longtime Black Cap Design client Brenda Ibey, owner of The Avant-Garden Shop, asked us to join her on the CHEX Daily show to talk about her e-commerce website. Brenda’s show is called The Garden Gate. The Avant-Garden Shop is a retail store located in downtown Peterborough, Ontario. They provide quality garden accessories, backyard birding supplies, outdoor décor, and many other unique products. They specialize in products crafted by Canadian Artists. Black Cap Design designed and developed The Avant-Garden Shop […]

My website is old…how do I know if it’s time for a new one?

February 5, 2014 in Design & Development / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tagged Black Cap Design / HTML / mobile devices / SEO / web designer / web developer / Web Standard / website structure by Pat

You have a site that you really like. The only problem: it was built 10+ years ago. Does that mean it’s time to bite the bullet and have it redone? Not necessarily. Like anything (computers, cars, people) “old” doesn’t necessarily equal “ready for the junk pile”! Like an old faded pair of jeans, sometimes websites can look and feel more comfortable with age. People often judge a website by the way it looks. The way a site looks has nothing […]

Managing Your Online Presence with a Personal Website

January 29, 2014 in Blogging / Communication / Marketing tagged blog / career blog / career management / career portfolio / Google ranking / SEO / social media / WordPress by Carrie

Develop your online brand with a personal website or blog built by Black Cap Design! Website Designer and Developer Pat Kenney will create a customized site and Project Manager Carrie Wakeford will help you develop content to showcase your skills and experience. In addition to being a Web Project Manager, Carrie offers her skills as a seasoned Career Management Consultant and Résumé Writer. It all starts with the results of a Google search. Have you Googled yourself lately? Are you […]

4 ways to Evaluate your Website?

January 15, 2014 in Website Management tagged Black Cap Design / blog / bounce rate / load time / mobile devices / SEO / social media / web content / web design / web security / website development / website redesign / YouTube by Carrie

Have you ever said “I have an old – but reliable website; why would I spend time and money doing an update or redesign?” You may be right; your website may be fine just the way it is, but before you can make a firm decision, take a bit of time to evaluate your current site. The team at Black Cap Design developed a list of questions that will help you think critically about your current website. We hope these […]

Blog vs Newsletter – Top 10 Advantages

January 8, 2014 in Blogging / Communication / Marketing / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) / WordPress Development tagged Black Cap Design / blog / blog post / constant contact / e-newsletters / keywords / MailChimp / newsletter templates / pull marketing / push marketing / RSS / Search Engine Optimization / SEO / social media / target audience / web log / WordPress by Carrie

In this corner, we have “Blog” the young up-and-coming contender, prepared to challenge for the title. And in the other corner we have “Newsletter” the experienced fighter and current crowd favorite. The result: a technical draw. Research shows that no one needs to throw in the towel just yet. Both Blog and Newsletter have their strengths, and when they work together they have the ability to captivate the entire audience. Ok, enough of the boxing references. Most people are familiar […]

If you could do just one thing to improve your SEO, what would it be?

December 18, 2013 in Content and Format / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) / Website Management tagged AdWords / blog / blogging / Search Engine Optimization / Search Engines / SEO by Pat

We recently conducted an experiment. It wasn’t the kind of experiment you read about in the daily news. It was more of a “oops, I wonder how long that tub of yogurt has been hiding at the back of the fridge” sort of experiment. Several years ago, I had a bit of spare time, and a few ideas, so I started writing articles for the Black Cap Design website. A few months later, I noticed a big improvement in our […]

Improving your Website SEO?

December 11, 2013 in Blogging / Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tagged CMS / keywords / organic search / Search Engine Optimization / Search Engines / SEO / sitemap / social media / web content / web developer / webmaster tools / website / WordPress by Carrie

Your web developer may have already explained that your website will move up and down in search. For example, today you may be on page 1 and tomorrow you may find your site on page 3 of a Google search. Your search results will also vary depending on which search engine you’re using, e.g. Google, Bing or Yahoo. Where your site shows up in search will depend on the specific combination of words you’re using, however there are many other […]

Selecting a CMS (Why WordPress is King)

November 12, 2013 in Blogging / Hosting and Domain Registration / Website Management / WordPress Development tagged CMS / Drupal / Hosting / Joomla / Linux / Open Source / PHP / Search Engine Optimization / SEO / static website / WordPress by Pat

“I need a website that I can update myself, but I have no idea where to start.” This is something we hear a lot from people looking to establish a presence on the Web. It’s not surprising given the range of options available. A quick search for “Choosing a CMS” will return a mind-boggling amount of sometimes conflicting information. So, where to start? Selecting a Hosting Platform (Choose Linux) It actually doesn’t matter if you’re opting for a static website […]

What is SEO? How to Get Found By Search Engines!

September 25, 2013 in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tagged alternate text / Bing / Google / HTML / keywords / meta tags / organic search / reciprocal links / robots / Search Engine Optimization / Search Engines / SEO / site redesign / text / web crawlers / web design / web developer / WordPress / XML / Yahoo by Pat

What is SEO? SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It’s nerd-speak for making your site accessible to search engines. Popular search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing are massive catalogues (think the phone book on steroids) of information about the websites that comprise the Web. Just how many sites are out there? As of October 2013, there are an estimated 767 million active websites! (Source: http://news.netcraft.com/.) No wonder it’s tricky getting your favourite search engine to find your […]

Can I Update My Own Web Site?

September 25, 2013 in Website Management tagged CMS / HTML / self-managed websites / SEO / software / websites by Pat

One of the most common questions we get from our clients is “will I be able to update the site myself?”. The short answer is “Yes!”. We can add a customized, browser-based Web Editor to your site that you can access from anywhere with an Internet connection or you can select a powerful Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress providing you the ability to manage every aspect of your site independently. Having said that, there are a number of things […]