MG Voice

Merry Christmas!

meltonglobal — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:38:21 +0000

This is a very brief and simple message to everyone. In a time when all the signs say “Seasons Greetings,” or “Happy Holidays,” I believe that it is important to remember what we celebrate every December 25th.
We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on December 25th of every year. Of course, we know that the Church assumed the pagan celebration of Winter Solstice, and many of the traditions associated with the Christmas Season can be traced back to the celebration of that ancient pagan holiday. We also know that Jesus was not likely born at the onset of winter. Joseph had traveled to Bethlehem with Mary for the Roman census, probably in the spring. But, we traditionally celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas (Christ Mass), every December 25th.
When encountering someone, resist the urge to be politically correct. Instead of invoking a lukewarm “Happy Holidays,” greet them with a heart-felt “Merry Christmas!”

Statue of Liberty

meltonglobal — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:02:48 +0000

I took the family to New York City during Thanksgiving of 2008. The day after Turkey Day, we skipped the Black Friday madness and visited one of the world’s true icons of freedom, the Statue of Liberty. We took many photos that day, and many photographers have captured the grace of Lady Liberty. Even so, I thought I would share this one. Enjoy!

By the way, don’t forget Melton Global for website design, SEO, and more. Melton Global is based in Fairhope, Alabama, but reaches throughout Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and the world.

Preston

Search Engine Optimization – Naturally

meltonglobal — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:14:04 +0000

Search Engine Optimization is an interesting topic for discussion. Many Internet users are confused by all of the advertising on the web and in print regarding Optimizing a web site and promising top results on search engines such as Google or Bing. All of these promises and false hopes have a few of our own clients rushing to spend good money on bad ideas. The services provided by some of these Search Engine Marketing companies may seem like a good way to promote a website, but they can actually harm rankings and get sites blacklisted. I find it very important to try to explain SEO to clients in such as way that they will understand the real benefits of natural website optimization, and the dangers inherent in the tactics employed by some.

Without diving into a detailed, technical discussion about website design, I would like to describe natural website optimization. Note that I am using the phrase “website optimization,” as opposed to “search engine optimization.” The reason behind this is the simple fact that a properly constructed website is, by definition, optimized for search engines. By properly utilizing the META tags in web design, and peppering each page with relevant keywords and informative links, a website can be easily optimized for search engines. Googlebot and other web crawlers will find the website, and it will be properly categorized by the META tags and keywords used. Further, every time the bots find a link on another website pointing to yours, your site’s ranking and relevance will be improved. For example, this link is an outside link from WordPress to the Melton Global website. This blog page will be crawled, the links will be detected, and the relevance of my corporate website will be increased. Now, with only a few broad strokes, I have presented the basic idea behind natural search engine optimization.

Black Hat SEO or Search Engine Marketing is a shady subject, in terms of both ethical and effectiveness issues. At its least nefarious, this sort of thing involves link farms, and these ‘gurus’ set up domains loaded with keywords and links pointing to the ‘real’ site. Less ethical methods involve selling Google AdWords and other services with an outrageous mark-up, or the ‘experts; sending out spam in hopes of tricking people into visiting the site. Of course, these experts don’t mention to their prospective clients that their methods can actually get their sites banned or blacklisted from search engines. They let their unsuspecting clients fall into those traps all by themselves. The worst thing about these tactics is that as soon as the client stops paying, the artifically ranking stops, too, and their sites start dropping back in the searches. This can be tragic, if not fatal for a fledgling internet business, and is an unfortunate consequence of believing false promises from false experts.

So, what is the best approach to effective SEO? Firstly, make sure your site is being built by an expert, such as those on staff with us. Web Developers should know how to make use of META tags and have the know-how to employ your keywords effectively. Secondly, use free tools such as Google Webmaster Tools to check your keywords and website ranking. Also, a website should be updated at least twice monthly. The web bots like fresh material, and you will be rewarded for dilligence. Lastly, don’t rely on Internet Search Engines alone to bring customers to your website. Try advertising on sites interested in your products or services. For example, if you are selling luggage, advertise on websites geared toward travel or vacation destinations. Put links to your website in front of people visiting other sites. Also, look at print advertising in trade publications focusing on your area of expertise. Also, word-of-mouth and referrals, even e-mail referrals, can work wonders for website traffic. Whatever you do, keep it simple, keep it honest, and make sure your consultant is using the most effective and ethical best practices to keep your website at the top of search engines.

Something to Share

meltonglobal — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:24:37 +0000

Well, I decided it was time for me to start sharing some of my insight and knowledge I have gathered over the years. I am not claiming to be an expert or guru, and I will be the first one to admit that I don’t know it all (yet). Nevertheless, I have learned a few things about computers since I started programming back in 1980.

At the age of 13, I started teaching myself to program in BASIC on a Commodore PET computer. This was a green-screen desktop personal computer that had a cassette drive, and the mouse did not yet exist. I taught myself BASIC, and started writing programs. I managed to obtain a Commodore Vic-20, and eventually took home a C-64. The Vic and the 64 both connected to my TV in my bedroom. So, when I wasn’t watching Batman reruns or Battlestar Galactica, I was working on programming in BASIC. My interests were mostly in games, although my dad got me to write a program that would keep up with his mortgage payments. Over the years, amid various distractions, I have continued to develop my programming skills, and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way.

Through this blog, it is my intention to share some of what I have learned, and pass along some of the things that helped me build the self-confidence to start my company in the first place. Aside from telling all about Melton Global, I will share some stories, anecdotes, and some tips and tricks covering everything from simple program structure, Web Design, and organic Search Engine Optimization.

I hope what I share is enjoyable, and maybe even entertaining.

Until Next Time,

Preston