This week’s #FridayFinds showcases 11 website redesigns that are sure to inspire you, a Matt Cutts’ video on linking, common mistakes made on Google+ and highlights of an interview with Dan Roth, executive editor of LinkedIn. I’ve also included a link to a free virtual presentation from PRWeek.com showcasing presentations from Pizza Hut, General Motors and the public relations firm Weber Shandwick.
11 Exceptional Website Redesigns
Thinking about a website redesign or you’re ready to create a new site? You can probably find inspiration from the sites included in Before & After: 11 Exceptional Website Redesigns on WebsiteMagazine.com. I think one of the most dramatic redesigns is the one for International Specialty Supply. Which is your favorite?
Matt Cutts on Linking to your Sources
I’m a fan of Matt Cutts’ videos where he answers questions. This week, he answered the question “If I write about another article, where should I link to the original source?”
Have you ever had a question that you would like Matt Cutts to answer? You can submit your questions at the Google Moderator page.
What Not to Do on Google+
I know many readers here (myself included) are paying more attention to Google Plus. One of the best posts I’ve read to help you navigate this social network is How Not to use Google+ by Mike Allton (@mike_alton). Rather than tell you what to do, Mike highlights some of the most common mistakes that people are making. Not only does Mike share his insights with you but there’s also a lively discussion going on in the comment section.
Thinking of Using LinkedIn as Part of your Brand?
Check out Anne Pelczar’s post How To Brand Your Business Through LinkedIn (Part 1) to learn more about LinkedIn business pages, influencers and groups. Anne’s article focuses on information she gleaned from Dan Roth’s, (executive editor of LinkedIn), presentation at the PRWeek Strategic Showcase event, Champions of change: Solutions for an evolving industry.
In addition to Dan Roth, there were also presentations by: PR director Doug Terfehr and digital and social marketing head Caroline Masullo (from Pizza Hut), Dave Barthmuss manager (General Motors West Coast Communications group), and Chris Perry, global head of digital (Weber Shandwick). If you’re interested, you can listen to a virtual presentation of the PRWeek event until September 25th, 2013 for free.
Over To You
Were you inspired by any of the website redesigns? Did you enjoy Mike Allton’s article or Anne Pelczar’s post? If you enjoyed Anne’s post, you may be interested in the remaining three parts. I’ll be sure to look for them!
About Sherryl PerryWelcome! If you're looking for help building an Internet presence that fits your needs and works for you, you're in the right place. I blog common sense articles about WordPress, social media and SEO. My goal is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs understand their core business. Together, we can develop and implement business strategies that make sense to you.
Hi Sherryl,
I really liked: 1) the video with Matt Cutts and 2) the article written by Mike Alton. I know Mike Alton as a serious, hardworking business man. He writes excellent posts and this one is no exception.
LinkedIn? I don’t have a LinkedIn account. I wonder why should I create one? In my mind you only need LinkedIn when you have a solid blog, a very well identified niche and good traffic.
What’s the advantage of using LinkedIn when you are a beginner?
Have a nice day
Silviu recently posted..Are you Afraid of Social Media Automation?
Silviu,
Personally, I believe LinkedIn is the number one social networking sites for building meaningful relationships. I don’t believe in self-promotion in groups but by being helpful and offering advice/solutions, I’ve been able to establish myself as knowledgeable on topics such as WordPress. I can attest that several of my clients found me on LinkedIn. Also, my referral rate from clients who found me on LI is much higher than the referral rate from any other source.
Agree with what Matt Cutts says. However, having listened to him I can’t help wondering what original content means to them? According to what he says it doesn’t have to be original you just have to link to your sources.
Have several times found blogs that refer to something I have written and comments on it – without leaving a link to it:-)
Am also tired of getting emails or personal messages from connections on Google + when they have published something new. It works against them.
Catarina recently posted..Will we all be business owners in the future?
Catarina,
I think Matt Cutts was referring to content when your post is inspired by (or based on) information from another website. For example, if you’re quoting a statistic, you would link to the original source.
As for Google+, if I don’t have a personal connection with the person who sent me the email or personal message, I almost always “mute” them.
There were some good redesigns and a number of them while subtle looked cleaner and simpler to see what the site was about and what to do Sherryl. The article on LinkedIn was good as I am having a rethink about how I participate and get value from the network.
Susan Oakes recently posted..Customers Can Be Tough Judges
I was impressed by the redesigns. In next Friday’s post, I’ll be sharing an article with examples of minimalistic logo designs. I think that type of post can be inspiring and a reminder to many of us (myself included) that our website design and logos could use a tweak.
I need to take another look at my LinkedIn profile. There are so many opportunities to optimize it. I’m always surprised to see how often my profile is viewed. It will be interesting to hear if you tweak your LI strategy.
We have redesigned our main site along with our blog site. I have always been under the impression that links should be at the top of the page, so I guess it really doesn’t matter. I plan to email your blog to someone who is in my Google + circle. I get an email from him every 3 hours about something he has just posted. In the beginning it was fine but now it is getting annoying. How do discussions on Linkedin help with SEO?
Arleen Harry recently posted..Jay Z + Samsung Reap the Benefits of Giving Things Away
Arleen,
Where the link is placed is important if it’s do-follow. Search engines are more likely to index the beginning of an article than the end.
As for Google+, I would have “muted” that individual by now. Hopefully, if you share Mike’s article with him, he could learn from it.
I think the value of participating in LinkedIn discussions lies more in building awareness and growing your personal network than in direct SEO. The number of connections that you have weighs into LinkedIn searches. So, that’s important. As far as SEO goes, the place for you to have the biggest impact is with your profile.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Friday Finds – Blog Reader Engagement, Google Penalties, Mobile Websites
What is the advantage of growing your personal network?
Arleen Harry recently posted..Jay Z + Samsung Reap the Benefits of Giving Things Away
Arleen,
Both Google and Bing have confirmed that “social indicators” are becoming increasingly important in search engine rankings.
I personally liked the first example of Vienna Beef on the web design article. The use of graphics in the revamped design is excellent.
About the video, even I find it sometimes annoying when people refer to a different source, but then don’t link to it.
I had read Mike’s post before, and learnt about a lot about the mistakes that I have been committing on Google Plus.
To be true about LinkedIn, I am not much active there. Maybe I am missing out something.
Sourav recently posted..Are You A Commenting Flop Star?
I like the Vienna Beef redesign too Sourav. It definitely looks more up to date. I totally agree that it’s annoying when someone makes a reference and doesn’t link to it. I appreciate not having to search for the source if I want more information.
Mike Allton provides great content. That’s good that you had already seen it. As for LinkedIn, I find it invaluable in building relationships with other bloggers. LI is my top social media site when it comes to client referrals. It’s a great platform to build credibility and authority. If you decide you would like to be more active there, quite a few of us are in a group called Bloggers Helping Bloggers. You might want to check it out. It’s a closed group which makes it nice. We don’t tolerate self-promoters. So, I think you might find it valuable.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..6 Ways Tablet Computing Influences Web Design
I keep looking at the webdesign before and after page. Lots to see. There are some subtle well-done differences on the From You Flowers website that pull together the design better in the new one. For example, the ribbon on the top left and the blue and orange boxes below.
Leora Wenger recently posted..Author Blog: Authors as Small Business Owners
Leora,
I just went back and took a closer look at the From You Flowers site. You’re so right about the subtle differences that they’ve made making an impact. Since you’re a website designer, I really value your pointing them out to us.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..Friday Finds – Website Redesigns, Matt Cutts, Google+ and LinkedIn
Great stuff this week. I agree with Matt. Putting the mention or resource link is courteous to the resources and/or individual and doesn’t get lost. The Google+ info was really good. I’ve bookmarket that as a reference and will used these recommendations going forward. The website redesigns were interesting. Some were more obvious then others. I agree with you regarding the International Specialty Supply one.
Susan, Thanks for letting me know that you liked Mike Allton’s post about Google+ and that you agree about linking to resources. I try to always link to the resource. It adds validity and can be of real value to the reader.
I am about to do a new design for my website and found this info to be very useful as I do almost all of your articles!
Martin recently posted..Turning your hobby into a job – Make money out of blogging
Thanks for the kind words Martin. I appreciate them. I’m a big fan of website redesign examples. Good luck with your site! I look forward to seeing it.