http://www.parscale.com/blog 2010-01-28T17:38:33+00:00 en julie@parscale.com Copyright 2010 2010-01-28T17:38:33+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/pulling_out_the_big_guns/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/pulling_out_the_big_guns/#When:17:38:33Z An interview with Brad Parscale, owner of Parscale Media, and Michael Hahn, owner of HCC Development, is currently featured in the Showcase section of the ExpressionEngine website. EE is the CMS (content management system) of choice at Parscale Media, due to its scalability and flexibility in development and empowering clients to manage their own websites.  Leslie Camacho, the President of EllisLab, creators of EE, was gracious enough to grant me a mini interview on the expanse of their product and how they chose Parscale’s work.  To give you an idea of how big a deal this is, Leslie shared that there are over 110,000 registered members at ExpressionEngine. What does this mean? It means there’s a lot of freakin’ people developing websites using their product and Parscale Media is pret-ty darn good at it.  So how exactly did they choose a Parscale site to be showcased? According to Leslie, “We've wanted to showcase a well-done commerce focused site for a while. We had a lot of options to consider but when we saw the extent of Dury's Gun Shop we knew that was the one to go with. When you start thinking through the complexities of putting a Gun Shop online you begin to get an inkling of the task involved and its great seeing how EE was up to the challenge.”  This speaks to the capability of the product but as for its effectiveness he says, “I think that really shows through in what can be accomplished with EE in the hands of a pro and Dury's Gun Shop is an excellent example of that.”  For the third time in five months Parscale Media has been nationally recognized for various aspects of web development within the industry, twice for www.durysguns.com. The Dury’s website also won the first annual FoxEE “Best Site” competition, held by HCC Development in December.  Not too shabby for a very humbled web marketing firm from San Antonio. Please see more of our work and visit our friends at: www.parscale.com/portfolio www.expressionengine.com www.durysguns.com www.hccdevelopment.com General 2010-01-28T17:38:33+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/dominate_your_target_market_online/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/dominate_your_target_market_online/#When:18:24:12Z As people increasingly utilize Google to assist them in finding their next purchase, there is no better time than now to reach these individuals. This type of marketing was dubbed "Inbound Marketing", which means the consumer already knows what they need, and are in search of it specifically. The goal is to make sure you are in front of their eyes when they search for your product or service. A great example of this is our client Steak House Steak Knives. Parscale Media created a website for them that sells a niche product, engraved steak knives, which is a perfect gift. The owner and I came up with a game plan to attack SEO and SEM collectively. After both campaigns were completed, the outcome was extremely beneficial to say the least. Not only was the website in the #1 position but it was in the #1, #2 and #3. This allows Steak House Steak Knives to have the best chance of reaching the individuals searching for "engraved steak knives". This type of web marketing gives Steak House Steak Knives an extreme advantage over their competion and allows them to convert more online sales.   I have attached an image with the results below. If you too would like to "Dominate Your Market"  contact me to discuss a strategy that fits your needs.   • • • Lee McNiel is an online web marketing specialist and is a certified Google Adwords Professional. With several years of web marketing and development experience he is a regional leader in helping businesses grow on the Internet. With a degree in marketing and a complete understanding of Search Engine technology he is a vital resource for Parscale Media customers. Contact: Lee McNiel, Web Marketing Specialist Parscale Media Email Lee 210-348-9522 Web Marketing 2009-12-11T18:24:12+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_wins_national_website_development_award/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_wins_national_website_development_award/#When:20:02:57Z San Antonio-based Parscale Media won the first annual FoxEE “Best Site” contest, held by HCC Development in Chicago, IL. The winning website, www.durysguns.com, was selected by the HCC management team out of dozens of other entries. The website was chosen for its use of technology, user interface, ExpressionEngine integration, design, and ratings.   Parscale Media specializes in website development using ExpressionEngine, one of the most advanced and user friendly content management systems available. HCC Development are the creators of the most robust and popular ecommerce module for ExpressionEngine, FoxEE. Combining the capability and technologies of both, Parscale Media has produced some of the most successful shopping websites currently on the internet.   The winning website for San Antonio-based Dury’s Guns has experienced not only significant revenue increases, but is also consistently found in the number 1 spot, out of millions, on most gun related searches. This is due to optimized coding, providing constant relevant content, and overall functionality of the site.     Parscale Media is a San Antonio-based web marketing firm specializing in custom web design, web marketing, branding and printing. www.parscale.com   See more of Parscale's featured ecommerce sites at Foxycart http://www.foxycart.com/seo-ecommerce-inspiration.html#featured_191 and HCC Development  http://www.hccdevelopment.com/Web-Based-Software/Showcase/ General 2009-12-03T20:02:57+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/the_evidence_is_overwhelming_your_honor/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/the_evidence_is_overwhelming_your_honor/#When:15:48:30Z Judge Karen Crouch is seeking a 5th term as judge for Bexar County Court at Law # 8. She has set a precedent for what she does and wasn’t going to settle for just anyone to create her first website. Parscale Media was pleased to have been bestowed the opportunity. She seems to be on the forefront of most everything she does, and her campaigning efforts are no exception. She and campaign manager, husband Gerald Flores, have done an outstanding job in her previous races, but they decided to take this one to a different level, the online one. They told us they wanted something different, something to really grab people’s attention, something to motivate them to get involved. This was music to Parscale Media ears. There are three main components to the project: the website, social media marketing, and email marketing. The website is beautifully designed with very straightforward calls-to-action. The navigation leads the visitor directly to Get Acquainted, Get Informed, Get Involved. These messages are repeated throughout the site. There is an event gallery that displays photos of the many functions and events that surround Judge Crouch. There are options galore on the Get Involved page, which is presented in a one-of-a-kind AJAX form. You will also find multiple places to donate, and a place to sign up for all the latest updates.  Another aspect of this campaign is social media marketing. Parscale Media created and is managing accounts for the Crouch campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Within one day of setting up the Facebook profile, over 300 people became friends. (Skeptics of social media please take note.) The last piece to complete the process was incorporating email marketing. The first email campaign was sent in conjunction to the launch of the website. The same design elements of the website were used to create a custom template for the email. It reiterated the messages found on the website as well as links to the social media outlets. The email was sent at 10 am and by 11am 200 people had opened it and clicked a link. (Who says email is done?) This is the epitome of a well thought out, well designed, and well executed web marketing project. Judge Crouch and her team knew they wanted something “different and kinda edgy”. Parscale Media was able to take their ideas, visualize them, and share the message with thousands of people within seconds. I rest my case. Parscale Media is a San Antonio-based web marketing firm specializing in custom website design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and branding. Please visit the Judge Karen Crouch site at www.judgekarencrouch.com and Parscale Media at www.parscale.com . General 2009-11-18T15:48:30+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/tour_de_success_parscale_media_partners_with_tour_de_gruene/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/tour_de_success_parscale_media_partners_with_tour_de_gruene/#When:17:48:49Z Parscale Media is proud to launch a new website for Tour de Gruene, an annual cycling event in Gruene, TX, since 1984. Will Rotzler is the founder and director of the event, which surrounds Wurstfest, and consists of three events – recreational tours, single time trials, and two person time trials. Mission Pharmacal is a sponsor and integral part of this partnership. Rotzler commented, “Mission's research in web design has paid off with our event’s largest pre-registration to date. I believe this surge in growth is largely in part to the professional looking and functioning Tour de Gruene website created by Parscale Media.” The new site is a complete redesign. It is a fresh custom design that is functional and easily navigated.  The home page features a transitioning banner ad, displaying photos and information on each of the events. You will also find video clips, an expansive photo gallery, time trial results, and how to get involved. It is a privilege for Parscale Media to participate in a community event that supports organizations such as the New Braunfels Chapter of the American Red Cross and Sally Kingsbury Knock Out Sarcoma Research Foundation, this year’s beneficiaries of proceeds. Check out some of the very avid followers Tour de Gruene has gained in 25 years, including a certain guy who’s quite fond of the color yellow. www.tourdegruene.com . To see other examples of how Parscale Media has made a difference, visit our portfolio at www.parscale.com. General 2009-10-30T17:48:49+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_two_new_websites_for_priest_holmes/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_two_new_websites_for_priest_holmes/#When:21:24:57Z Priest Holmes, one of San Antonio’s own, has definitely made his place in sports history and fundraising efforts, and will now expand his presence online. Parscale Media has been instrumental in working with Priest and his staff to ensure his websites appropriately convey the successes of his foundation and career after football. Parscale completed the second Priest Holmes Foundation website and the first Official Priest Holmes website. The Priest Holmes Foundation site provides the key information on events, programs, donations, and most importantly communicates the message of Encourage, Enhance, Empower. The new site has been completely revamped for a new look and feel, including a new logo, a blog and the addition of links to Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. It is more interactive and easily navigated. The Official Priest Holmes website focuses more on Priest. It currently features a bio on him as well as a blog and Twitter posts. This site will continue to evolve along with his post-football career. The partnership between Parscale Media and Priest Holmes combines professionalism, dedication to community, and goals to make good things happen. For incomparable San Antonio web design please visit www.parscale.com. To find out more about a great champion, football and charitable, please visit www.priestholmes.net and www.priestholmesfoundation.org . General 2009-10-12T21:24:57+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/do_you_know_what_your_pagerank_is/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/do_you_know_what_your_pagerank_is/#When:20:44:54Z Page Rank and back links are two big factors in search engine optimization. You might be wondering why your website doesn’t show up on Google for a popular keyword that relates to your product or service. The reason could be that your Page Rank isn’t high enough. Most websites that show up on the first page of Google for a popular search term have a Page Rank of 3-6. You can check your Page Rank here by typing in your websites address in the box and then clicking on check PR. If your Page Rank is anywhere from 0-3 you might consider some link building activities for your website. Link building is the process of having other related websites link to yours. This process takes time and dedication but in the long run you will be pleased with the results. Link building will increase your Page Rank and give you a better chance of showing up on the first page of Google. So if you’re tired of your website not being listed on the first page of Google for a specific keyword, then I would recommend that you contact us about some link building strategies. Right now Parscale Media is offering a free link building analysis to determine where your website currently stands. Google only updates your Page Rank four to five times a year, so it’s extremely important to get this done ASAP. • • • Lee McNiel is an online web marketing specialist and is a certified Google Adwords Professional. With several years of web marketing and development experience he is a regional leader in helping businesses grow on the Internet. With a degree in marketing and a complete understanding of Search Engine technology he is a vital resource for Parscale Media customers. Contact: Lee McNiel, Web Marketing Specialist Parscale Media Email Lee 210-348-9522 Web Marketing 2009-09-28T20:44:54+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_utsa_graduate_school_website/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_utsa_graduate_school_website/#When:18:17:47Z Parscale Media, a San Antonio-based web design firm, launched an extensive website for University of Texas San Antonio’s Graduate School last week. The site is very comprehensive and covers information associated to prospective students, current students, faculty and staff, and resources related to the graduate school. The web design maintains a look and feel that is also repeated in new printed collateral, done by Parscale Media, as well as digital billboards around San Antonio. Although the content of the website numbers in the hundreds of pages, it is organized by only four dropdown navigational titles. It is extremely straightforward, easily read and user friendly. Certain information, such as applications and forms, are linked multiple times throughout the site for optimum visibility and convenience. You will also find all the latest and greatest things happening in the News and Events sections. This website was a privilege and opportunity for everyone involved and Parscale Media will continue working with UTSA on additional projects. Please see the results of yet another successful relationship at www.parscale.com or www.graduateschool.utsa.edu General 2009-09-08T18:17:47+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/web_design_with_a_side_of_seo/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/web_design_with_a_side_of_seo/#When:17:24:56Z We receive inquiries on a daily basis regarding SEO (search engine optimization), and other traffic-inducing techniques. A lot of people know they need it, but aren’t quite sure about the what, why, or how.SEO is achieved by the use of certain key words that appear in the content of your website, relevant to your business, and are recognized by the search engines as an “organic” or “natural” search. These results appear on the left hand side of a search engine page. The websites that appear near the top of that list comes from (the optimization part) the association and recognition of these words by the search query, relative to your website content. Thus, increasing the rank of where you appear on the list.Other ways to drive traffic to your website include link building, social media marketing (SMM), and search engine marketing (SEM). It also takes time and research to make these efforts successful. While this is all increasingly more necessary and relevant, these methodologies should be considered in conjunction with a well thought out web marketing plan.It’s kind of like if you were having a dinner party and sent out fancy invitations and when everyone arrived, your house was a mess and you offered them cheese and crackers. Not exactly what you would expect, right? So, if you are going to invest money in these activities, you want to integrate a web design that is attractive, informative, easily navigated, marketing-driven and includes a call to action. Otherwise, the potential traffic you’ve invested in will not likely turn into a conversion, i.e. unhappy guests.To learn more about dynamic web design with optimized content, and how to increase traffic to your website, contact Parscale Media. Lee McNiel, our in-house web marketing specialist, is well-versed in SEO and is a Google Adwords Qualified Individual. General 2009-08-26T17:24:56+00:00 http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_lili_alessandra_website/ http://www.parscale.com/blog/article/parscale_media_launches_lili_alessandra_website/#When:19:40:55Z Sandra Gonzalez formed Lili & Co. in 2002 with a collection of unique and distinctive decorative pillows. In fall of 2008, Lili Alessandra became the new name and brand that represents their luxury soft furnishings. Sandra describes the aesthetic feel of their products ranging from “old world baroque” to “neoclassical elegance” to “modern naturalistic”.Parscale Media carefully collaborated with Sandra and her Creative Director, Craig Aple, for several months to create a vision for the logo, catalog, and web design that would accurately convey the essence of their products. The logo design is simple and elegant, and is used throughout the website and catalog. The website design is also very clean, which pays homage to the photography and lends itself to the easy navigation of site. Beautiful images of the products are displayed by using AJAX galleries. The Home page immediately gains attention by large shots of products that change intermittently. Once in the Products section you can click to make the images larger, which showcases the design detail and craftsmanship of the items. The catalog design closely mirrors the design of the website, again highlighting different collections with very detailed photography. Part of the satisfaction of any work is enjoying a great partnership with your clients. This project clearly shows the results of a great combination of vision, communication, knowledge, and undoubtedly a whole lot of talent!Please visit www.lilialessandra.com to see amazing San Antonio-based luxury soft furnishings, and www.parscale.com to see amazing San Antonio-based web design. General 2009-08-19T19:40:55+00:00