With Search Engines the math is simple:  Content + Authority = Visitors.   If you have a good staffing service and a Killer Staffing Website, then Visitors = $$$.

So content is one thing, but what is Authority?

Authority in the simplest terms are other sites and people who think your site is important enough to pay attention to.  Authority most commonly takes the form of links.  Links back to your site, links to your blog, subscribers to your newsletter, ‘Likes’ on your Facebook profile, followers on Twitter, etc.

There are many ways to come by these links and none of them are easy – they require effort and consistency.  So if you have a good staffing service, then this should be right in your wheel-house.

How do you add links to your site, you say?  Well Google spells it out pretty simply: be interesting, relevant, and participate.  Here are a few ways to build your Websites Authority.

• Participate in the Community: LinkedIn is the most popular Staffing forum around and they make it quite easy to help people with their questions.  They even have a ranking system where you can be seen as an expert in your field.  Whatever format you choose to help out in, make sure someone you respect in your company is offering their insight and leaving your Website link behind.  The more respected you are in the online community the more likely people are to link to your site.
• Original Content:  Be interesting, whether it be  a funny story, advice, unique offers, original research, whatever fits your style or your mood.  Think, Why would anyone want to listen to you?  What do you have to offer?
• Newsletters: Do you expect everyone you know to wake up everyday and ask themselves if they need staffing services?  Of course not.  Make it easy for them with Newsletters and RSS Blog Feeds.  Already have these?  Make it easier to sign up.
• Social Media: Participating on Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed or Facebook can be another great way to build links.  Think about where people spend their time. Getting to know those people can pay off, and not just in getting links.
• Blogging: “Establish yourself as an authority. There’s no excuse for a company these days not to have a blog. Just building that up as a resource of good articles … another good example is how-tos and tutorials.”  Matt Cutts, Google

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about HTML5 lately. What exactly is it?

A: I promise to keep this as non-techy as possible. I feel that even non-programmers will benefit from having knowledge of new technology being developed for the web. If you are looking to update your website, this will help you ask knowledgeable questions when finding a website vendor. It will also help you decide what direction your website should take.

So, what is HTML5?

HTML5 is currently being developed as the first major revision of HTML since 1997, when HTML4 came out. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and it is the main markup language of the World Wide Web. Every website you visit is built using some form of HTML.

How is HTML5 different from the current version of HTML?

• Video is supported in HTML5. Up until this point the only way to implement video was to use a third party plug-in such as Flash. But Flash doesn’t work on all devices (iPad, iPhone, and other smartphones). HTML5 will work on all of these.
• HTML5 is open source, not proprietary like Flash, and the interactivity capabilities are better than Flash.
• HTML5 eliminates the need for plug-ins such as Flash or Silverlight.
• HTML5 uses less computer resources than Flash (20% vs. 40%).
• HTML 5 is backwards compatible. This means that even though all browsers don’t support HTML5 yet, we can start using some of the new HTML5 coding techniques today without sacrificing the look of the page. We do this by telling the browser how to display the elements they don’t recognize in the css.

So, what are we waiting for?

HTML5 has not been officially released, and currently only some browsers support the different features. But don’t worry; Haley Marketing is staying on top of the web game. We have already started implementing HTML5 standards that work in every browser, and we’re learning/researching how to do the really cool stuff that soon will!

Now for the fun!

Here are a few examples of HTML5 on the Web. Please note that you must use a browser that supports these HTML5 features in order to enjoy completely! I would recommend Safari or Chrome. In addition, IE or Internet Explorer is not currently HTML 5 compatible, so these samples will not work on that platform.

HTML5 Video Player

Video Destruction

Some fun with Atoms

HTML5 Slide Presentation

Far too often when designing client websites, I run into the challenge of trying to help our clients avoid the challenge of “looking” like everyone else. The messages across the industry generally do not vary tremendously from the “top quality”, “great service”, “great people” and “guarantees” which everyone tries to use as their differentiators. My challenge is to try to harness the power of the key value words and show that visually through imagery.  I usually try to keep a finger on the pulse of what some of the larger national staffing agencies  may be doing to try and set themselves apart from the pack.

Below is an example of images from across numerous top national staffing agencies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tech2Resources was new to the market and wanted to establish a strong presence both online and in print.  Their new website is easy to navigate and provides a strong overview of their service offerings and key value proposition. 

http://tech2resources.com/

In conjunction with the website, Haley Marketing created sales collateral pieces that could be used both online and in print.  Each sell sheet offers a brief overview of services and carries through the same look and feel as the new website.

The Armada Group is a premier Silicon Valley-based professional services firm that helps companies implement their next generation technology strategy. They needed a website that displayed their unique technical competence and highlighted their core areas of specialization.

The new website uses an interactive movie on the homepage to walk through each of their service areas. In addition, video is used in key locations throughout the website to engage the visitor and present key points of differentiation. The website is also built on a Content Management System that allows for easy updates to content in order to keep things up-to-date and fresh.

As a start-up, Cooper May was looking for a cost-effective way to produce a new website. With our Value Website Package, Haley Marketing is able to offer a great solution that also allows Cooper May the ability to update their website content and post jobs through a Content Management System.   

http://www.coopermay.com/

Get more qualified candidates for every job order…
Leverage the power of social media for your recruiting…
Dramatically reduce your need to purchase job postings…

…All for less than $150 a month!

Introducing Haley Marketing’s Job Board with Social Media

Posting jobs to your website has never been easier. With Haley Marketing’s job board software, your website becomes an automated recruiting engine.  And with our new Social Media Integration, our software will drive great candidates right to your website from Indeed, Simply Hired, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites!

Great Features for Your Candidates:

• Search jobs by type, industry, location, or keyword
• Easy resume submission to apply to any posted job
• Automated job alerts whenever new jobs are posted

Great Features for Your Staffing Firm:

• Jobs can be easily posted and archived for future use
• Fully-integrated with ABD, Bullhorn, COATS and eEmpACT
• Jobs are automatically posted to Indeed and Simply Hired
• Jobs can also be sent to Facebook and Twitter
• RSS and XML feeds of job data
• Featured jobs can be emailed to your candidates to encourage referrals
• Resume submissions are automatically routed to the correct recruiter
• Our job board software will match the look of your website

Want to know more?
Call us today at 1.888.696.2900.

What is a web browser?

You are using one right now! A web browser is a program used for viewing web pages. There are a lot of different web browsers, but the most popular include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari.

Why is it important to test your website in different browsers?

Every web browser is built differently. Therefore, websites don’t display the same in every browser. Most of the time, inconsistencies between browsers have to do with the layout of a website, and interactive links and rollovers.

Why isn’t your website cross-browser compatible?

There are a few reasons:

1. One of the greatest challenges a web designer faces is cross-browser testing. A good web programmer will build a website, test, and edit the code so it works cross-browser. But a lot of time, programmers either don’t take the time to look at their website in different browsers, or don’t know how to fix the issues that different browsers create.
2. When was your website built? If your website was built before the release of a new browser, then your website may appear broken in that browser. That is why it is important to keep your website up to date. The good news is that most problems can be easily fixed, and your website may not need to be completely re-coded to work properly in a new browser.

But no worries…

Haley Marketing takes pride in making sure our clients websites work in multiple browsers. We want to make sure our websites are of the highest quality and usability. Learn more about our recruiting and staffing web design services, or email me at lac@haleymarketing.com and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

If you have only a superficial knowledge of building a website, it is possible to get quality work on budget and on time. You just have to know how to speak with your vendor, whether that firm is a small design shop, a larger ad agency, or an in-house team responsible for building websites.

Some simple questions to begin with in order to help begin the process.

1. What is the role of your website?
   • Informative.
   • Sales Focused.
   • Product Driven.
   • Company Branding.
   • Improve Business Operations.
   • Humorous.
2. How well do I know the Agency?
   • Reputation.
   • Industry Expertise.
   • Quality of Work(Technically & Design-wise).
   • Staff.
   • Procedures.
3. Who is my Audience?
   • Who is coming to my site?
   • Is the right message being stated for that group?
   • What do I want my audience to gain or do on my website?
4. How can I be different?
   
   • Content is King!
   • SEO
   • Design
   • Innovation

Each of these questions and points are a reference for a conversation with your marketing advisor and they can assist you with the decisions for your website.

On June 23, QPS was recognized by Ragan.com for their major achievements stemming from their new website.  QPS determined they needed a new site since their old site wasn’t meeting their client’s needs. So far, the new site has produced amazing results!

Quick stats:

• The QPS site has more than a 450% increase in overall traffic.
• It has a 250% increase in candidate applications.
• The average user spends an average of 4.39 minutes on the site. 
• QPS also went on to win the “Best Corporate Web site” and “Best in Show” awards from the American Staffing Association.

Read the entire article where QPS was featured.