Soapbox

Update 8/04/2009 They have corrected my name on the web site, so I’m no longer Joan…

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A reporter from the Charlotte Business Journal asked Ewa if we would answer a question for this weeks ‘Expert Advice’ column. I don’t know if they asked fifty ‘experts’ or only two but our quote made it into the column, although it is credited to a ’Joan Boatwright’. Hmmmm, maybe a long lost sister?

Anyway, the question was ‘How can I generate more visits to my small business web site?’ This question made me cringe at first because most people seem to believe there is a quick, easy and guaranteed way to be number one on all search engines - which just isn’t the case. Basically it comes down to best practices and blood, sweat and tears (and sometimes a little luck).

You can read my edited quote, excuse me, Joan’s edited quote here. I have included the relevant portions of my original, unedited response below.

…"There is no one thing that will guarantee a higher Search Engine Ranking, and therefore more clicks. In fact an entire industry has sprung up around Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

With that said there are a few things you can do that will help over time.

• Make sure none of the important text on your web site is in the form of images or Flash Animation because Search Engines won’t be able to read it.

• Update your site often with relevant information. A company blog or news section is a great way to do this.

• Try to work key words into page titles, headings and body copy. Don’t overdue it, keep it natural.

• Links to your site are important, but never pay to have someone link to your site. It is better for the links to occur naturally, with people linking to your site as a useful resource.

• Make sure your web site is using current technologies and practices as outlined by the W3C (http://www.w3.org/). If you don’t know HTML from HBO then ask a web professional about this one.

This actually is a complex subject and I could go on and on"…

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Before launching Winkbox we had grand plans of blogging on a regular basis and creating fun little side projects for the Sandbox on a semi-regular basis. They were great plans. Exciting plans. Inspired plans. Totally unrealistic plans.

The reality of starting a new business is a constant strain on our time. This is not a bad thing, in fact the main reason our time evaporated is the amount of client work which quickly came our way. Client work does not account for all of it though. Accounting, networking and all the boring day to day details of running a business are fantastic time gobblers.

As we settle in to running our own business, we see a window of opportunity opening to get back on track with our original plans and this post is the first step towards that. We will be posting regularly from now on and will have something to add to the Sandbox in the near future. Soon. I promise.

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I would like to announce the official launch of Winkbox, a creative design studio based in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. My name is John Boatwright and I am one half the Winkbox team. My partner will publicly join the mix soon, so stay tuned for that announcement.

I won’t repeat the information you can find on our About or Services pages, but will instead cover some general points about the web site.

Drawing board

The first thing I need to address are the incomplete areas. For various reasons our Portfolio page will remain blank until my partner has publicly joined the company. This will happen in the near future so I will ask (beg) for your patience. In the interim we would be happy to present our portfolio in person to anyone who is interested.

The other area I want to discuss is what we call the Sandbox. An in-depth article about the Sandbox is in the works, but until then here is the Readers Digest version.

Let me begin by saying what the Sandbox is NOT. It is not our portfolio. Let me say that again, the Sandbox is not our portfolio. It is a place where my partner and I can play, experiment and create without the pressure of deadlines or creative briefs. It is where we can explore what interests us, sometimes as a creative team, sometimes as individuals.

The Sandbox may include finished designs, photos or animations but is just as likely to feature sketches, quick snapshots and rough cartoons. Currently the interface is so rough you might cut yourself if you’re not careful, but it will receive some TLC in the coming months. At the moment the only item in the Sandbox is an animation I did in design school. I created another version of this animation at the request of David Carson for a pitch to Quiksilver, but that’s a story for another day.

Shout it out loud

The other big area of our site is the Soapbox. If you are reading this then you are in the Soapbox (or maybe standing in front of it?). The Soapbox is the Winkbox company blog and will cover a wide range of topics from company news and announcements to our thoughts on design, politics or life in general. In short, whatever strikes our fancy. We will always try to filter the content through the lens of design and design related issues, but we reserve the right to post the occasional rant or ode to our favorite flavor of ice cream.

Wrap it up

Come back soon to check on our progress. In fact since you are here why not click one of those pretty orange buttons in the sidebar and subscribe to our RSS feed? If you’re not sure what that means check out our RSS FAQ. If you would like more information about what we do or you just want to get in touch, head over to the Mailbox. That’s all for now but stay tuned.

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