Recently I met with a client regarding a website redesign we are doing for them. We are working on trying to streamline their content, make it more user friendly in the navigation, and be more client focused than it has been to date. The client, who happens to be the CEO of the company in this case, agrees in concept with all of these ideas, but the implementation of that in a way that he likes is not so simple. He wants “warmer,” he wants people to feel “drawn in” and he took us to a site he really likes and feels does that. As it turns out, that site had the opposite effect on me!

Twelve days before Christmas, John, a small business owner in Chico, CA wrote a letter to Santa. Why? Because his children knew he was struggling and needed help, and they knew Santa would answer their father’s Christmas wish. At first John brushed it off, but after much urging his children had him convinced. John started crafting his letter to Santa. He wanted to be as clear as possible to ensure his wish would come true.   

If you have been so busy with the hustle and bustle of the season that you have missed the Christmas Spirit of WestJet, a Canadian based airline, then check out this YouTube video:

So what’s all the fuss about Instagram’s secret that they are supposedly unveiling to the world in New York on Thursday?

Well, with the word of the year being “selfie” Instagram is kind of a big deal. Didn’t you know? Not impressed yet? How about this—Instagram’s 130 million users share roughly 55 million photos each day. (Mashable) Also, it’s owned by Facebook.

Instagram is a more user oriented photo sharing social media site, but it's also becoming popular with businesses, especially clothing brands and companies that have a lot of visual products or services to offer.

Are you having issues bringing traffic to your blog posts? Well there is most likely a reason why no one is reading your blog. Here are five things you're probably not doing, and should be to help answer the question why blog, even when it isn’t getting the love and attention you are hoping for.

At Half a Bubble Out we sometimes make up our own words – known as “seussing” (think Dr. Seuss). A couple of examples include: using the word “funner” in a tagline for a client; and combining the words “simple” and “uncomplicated” for another client to create “simplicate,” helping explain how their business helps people easily navigate the health insurance industry.

Internet marketing uses its own vocabulary too, and new terms are popping up constantly. So we decided to look up some of the terms we frequently heard in 2013 to understand exactly what they mean.

If you are at all familiar with link building services or in need of them, then the terms Google, page rank, link building, Penguin, Panda, and now Hummingbird are probably familiar to you as well (if they aren’t, keep reading!)

Christmas is 19 days away! That’s it! Then comes the New Year. Looking back on this year and your business, what have you done to improve your marketing and get new business? For some of us 2013 is a blur; you had no time and no resources to even think about marketing for your business, or changing any of your current marketing. This is why I am proposing a New Year's Resolution free of gym memberships and making promises to lose 10 lbs.

Landing pages are an extremely important part of your internet marketing strategy as a business. Having landing pages is how you bring in leads and eventually (well, hopefully) convert them down the funnel and turn them into customers. But, unfortunately there are some mistakes that can destroy even the best landing pages out there. Read on to find out what those mistakes are so you don’t make them!

Provide marketing people want. Be honest. Just try. It will make for a better world and a happier inbox.

I know that you probably get as many spam emails as I do in your business from anonymous folks who claim they have reviewed your website and can solve all your traffic problems in 30 days with their genius methods! I typically just delete them, but this one came on a day when I was feeling particularly snarky and I just can’t let it go. We’ve been working hard on our own marketing so I am sensitized to this, but I also know our clients get stuff like this all the time and it drives me nuts! Here was the meat of it: