I had the opportunity on August 18th to speak to the Central Minnesota Wedding Association (CMWA) on web design, search engine optimization and business blogging at Reichel’s Event Center.   The CMWA consists of over 75 businesses with talented professionals in photography, video, catering, floral, dresses, jewelry, event venues, music and more.

My presentation went great and we covered a lot of great information on viewing your website as an employee.   The CMWA group has a great vibe and they had a flurry of good questions for me in the Q & A portion.  Somehow, I survived.

Here are just a few of the great businesses I was able to speak to and with last night:

Mestads Bridal,  Mulligans Event Center,  Yapuncich Photography,  Pianist For Parties,  Northern Lights Video,  Blooming Creations,  Icing Dreams Specialty Cakes,  Capture Video,  Blackberryridge Golf Course,  PrimeTime Wedding DJ and Reichel’s Catering.

Thanks for having me out CMWA!

It was over a year ago when I posted on if I should put my Twitter handle on my business cards.  I finally needed a reprinting of my business cards and my Twitter address, @AaronWeiche has been added.

Twitter is a valuable communication tool for me, the same as email or phone with many people. It has far more value on my business card then our fax number or my Skype ID.  If you want to contact me, Twitter works just as well as any other method.

Do you have Twitter on your business card? Send a photo my way and I’ll post it.

Do you have other social media on your business card?  Facebook?

It’s no secret that businesses have a lot of questions and misconceptions on how to have  higher search engine rankings for their website.  Search engine optimization for many is confusing and often even overwhelming.

With all of the complexity in SEO, we offer this simple question to help clients get a better grasp.

Is Your Website Worth Being Found?

Does your website answer questions?  Does your website provide service or process examples?  Does your content educate or provide insight? Does your website offer tips? Is your content well structured and linked?

The fact that you want more leads, does not make your website a good resource for others.  Rankings are not determined on how badly you want visitors and new business opportunities.

View search rankings as an evaluation of your website as a resource, a trusted resource.  If your website isn’t a resource for people searching Google, Yahoo or Bing for answers or information, then you won’t rank well.

3 Tips To Become A Resource Online & Improve Search Rankings

1. Be clear with your content on what you offer.  Stay away from marketing speak and deliver the concise message of what you offer/do.  Simple beats sexy … “We are a trusted Minneapolis air conditioning service and repair company.”

2. Develop better content ideas than “About Us”, “Products” and “Services”.  If you have a process, outline it.  If you have satisfied clients and experience, put together case studies.  Build a list of “10 things to know before selecting your car insurance provider”.  The more you help a website visitor, the more trust you create.

3. Web content that is easy to understand and valuable attracts links from other websites.  Links act as votes of trust for your website.  Getting back to #2, do you think your “About Us” page is worth linking to?

So the next time you head to Google to find an article on SEO tips, consider changing your approach.  Give some thought to how valuable of a resource your website is and what you can do to improve it.

The Crown Room, an event and wedding facility located in Rogers, Minnesota has released their new website from Five Technology.  The Crown Room is a premier event and banquet facility with a full offering of event services to accommodate groups up to 400 people for weddings, meetings, conferences, dinner galas and more.

This website design project involved:

• Custom web design
• Built on the SMC for content management
• Photo gallery and video tour
• Search engine optimization
• Custom WordPress blog
• Various flash elements
• Custom drop down navigation menu

We’re excited to work with The Crown Room’s exceptional offering and staff.  Check out the new website and consider their facility for your next event location.

• http://www.thecrownroomrogers.com