Web Designs for Small Business

Fishermen and angling enthusiasts now have another online source for saltwater and freshwater fish and fishing t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, coffee mugs, art and other gifts.

To see the latest fish artwork and logos, freshwater fish and fishing t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, coffee mugs, art and other gifts, visit our Fish-Fishing-Seafood Zazzle online store.

Anglers and fish art enthusiasts can also browse our fish-fishing artwork section of our Outdoors USA Cafepress online store.

Creating content by group allows authors to interlink pages by topic, which in turn seems to drive traffic much more effectively than having a stand alone page.

An example of this can be seen on Squidoo, a web 2.0 site. An older series of lenses included 6 species of American salmon. Next in the series was a lens for Arctic char, a related fish:

More recently, lenses were added for several North American freshwater trout:

brook trout
brown trout
lake trout
rainbow trout

During the research the process,  several other species  were noted that may warrant additional pages.

To compliment this content one or more categories of T shirts, stickers and other artwork were created for each species, some of which can be displayed on pages where content exists related to each species.

An example of  this can be seen in this  section for rainbow trout artwork.

More examples of products create to accompany content can be seen in this category of fish art.

Promoting content is also easier as a group. The technique allows creation of articles that provide important backlinks to several pages at once.

Examples of this can be seen in these articles:

Trout and Char of North America

Trout and Char Art

This following is Part II of Creating an Arts and Crafts Website

Once the business owner has a clear set of goals for attracting customers via the internet, a good idea is to create a list of features that are needed for the website. A blueprint of the site may include only a single page or a menu which includes several pages. Essential to any arts and crafts website is the home page, which may feature a few photos and a brief description of products and services. Larger sites will have a full menu on the home page, listing all the important sections that clients may need to access.

Many crafters and artists will need a photo gallery which accurately depicts the products they offer. For some artists, this section may include descriptions, pricing and in some pricing even and a buy now link.

Many artists will include sections on their experience, influences, sales policies, upcoming events and other important information. These sections can eliminate mix-ups and provide customers with a clear understanding of the products and services available from the artist.

Some arts and crafts venders include a blog on their website. Blogs, news pages and events sections are extremely popular among audiences and can be a vital tool for building a portfolio of repeat customers. Most blogging tools combine artist’s entries, photos and guests comments to create an interactive experience that attracts a loyal following of readers throughout the season.

Once the website is launched, a specialist can show you cost effective ways to improve your search engine ranks, target specific search terms and bring more readers to your site. The end result of these steps should put more paying customers aboard your boat.

For help with setting up an art or crafts website, improving your search engine rankings or online advertising, visit Daybreak Web Designs.

Back to Creating an Arts and Crafts Website – Part I

Before launching a website to represent an arts and crafts business, owners may want to review their options for website layouts and consider which components their site should include.
Setting up a website for your arts and crafts business is one of the most important decisions to make.

A key aspect of most arts and craft sites will be their ability to be found via web searches. For many niche crafters, having their website ranked well for relevant search terms is vital to their success. For artist and crafters that need internet traffic, the choice of a web designer will rely heavily on their search engine optimization experience.

Before selecting their design company, the business owner should learn the basics of keyword research, create a list of important search terms that relate to their business and choose a specialist that can create a successful site. Not all web design companies specialize in search engine optimization, so it is important to review past examples of success when choosing a web design company. Do they have existing clients that rank high in search engine results? Are they up to date on the latest technology?

A reputable designer can explain all the factors that influence a website’s search engine rankings, suggest which key phrases might be important and offer services to help your site perform well on Google, Bing and other search engines. After all, the most exquisite and artful website in the world cannot serve your business unless they can find you online.

Creating an Arts and Crafts Website – Part II

The following list of niche websites offer free resources to organizations, artists and other business owners.  Several of these sites offer business-organization directories where listings are free. Each of the sites accept submissions of press releases, announcements, news, events, articles and other information.

www.tidewater-virginia.net – this site accepts business and organization listings, press releases, news, events, etc. Listings on this site are free and most business categories in or near Hampton Roads are welcomed. The site is in its early stages, more features are forthcoming.

www.virginia-beach-va.net – this site accepts business and organization listings, press releases, news, events, etc. Listings on this site are free and most business categories in or near Virginia Beach are welcomed. The site offers more features at present than the Hampton Roads – Tidewater site.

www.chincoteague-island.net – this site accepts business and organization listings, press releases, news, events, etc. that are related to Chincoteague Island Virginia . Basic listings on this site are free and paid advertising is available.

www.chesapeake-bay.org -  this site accepts press releases, news, events, etc. related to the Chesapeake Bay.

www.nautical-art.org – this site accepts business and organization listings, press releases, news, events, etc. Listings on this site are free but are limited to artists and organizations that offer nautical, maritime or beach art. An artist does not have to produce nautical art exclusively to be listed.

www.fresh-seafood.net – This site includes a directory with categories such as seafood art and regional blogs, which may allows artists to qualify for free listings. In addition to directory listings, artists or organizations can submit news, press releases, events, etc.

www.commercial-fishing.org – This site also includes a directory with categories such as nautical art and regional blogs, so artists may have resources that qualify. In addition to directory listings, artists or organizations can submit news, press releases, events, etc. This site is among the top ranked commercial fishing sites, so being listed here is a good way for artists to get exposed to national and international audiences.

Submitting information to these sites is a good way to gain links to your site, which in turn helps to boost your search engine rankings. Each site directory has a “submit link” button to list your site or simply contact daybreakwebdesigns.com with your business information. Articles, press releases, events, announcements, etc. can be emailed to daybreakwebdesigns.com. We can format those and get them posted to all sites that apply.

In addition to the free tools listed, we offer a wide range of affordable services for small business including online advertising, press releases, article marketing, social media, search engine optimization, backlink building, computer graphics and more.

While working on several of our projects, it became obvious that there is tremendous interest in nautical art. To serve this niche, we created www.nautical-art.org. The resource provides online sources of nautical art, with listings by category. The site is a niche web directory for artwork related to marine subjects.

For artists the site has a variety of services. Basic features include press release and article submissions, as well as standard listings in the site’s directory. In addition to basic free tools, the site offers paid advertising and an array of other promotional tools. For businesses that lack a website but want to get listed in the directory, special pricing is available for custom websites. This service enables small businesses to have an online presence and full use of the directory’s features.

The site features an online store which showcases an extensive collection of fishing, seafood, waterfowl, sailing, birdwatching and nature t-shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, raglans, jerseys, golf shirts and other apparel.

The site uses a software platform that allows for simple navigation, user friendliness and offers advertisers more options. We use a proven design which works well for both art enthusiasts as well as the artists that need to promote their work. Our goal is to provide an easy to use resource that brings together artists and art lovers.  This platform allows artists to get exposed to traffic from specific market niches.