Content organized well on the web is becoming more important.  If a page is too difficult to navigate through or too hard to find the information one needs, a visitor usually gives up and goes elsewhere. Having certain pages be created as a “list section” rather than just an HTML page helps you avoid this problem.

A list section is a “page type” that displays structured or record-like information really well. Articles, news items or photo/video galleries can be displayed cleanly—and better yet—can be sorted and searched by your visitors. Numerous book listings, for example, can be sorted and found based on a title or author’s name. The ideal vacation property can be pulled up first based on a visitors’ query.

Most Content Management System’s (CMS) don’t offer a list section, but Pixelsilk does. If your CMS doesn’t, you basically have two options: go research possible plug-ins or go hire a developer to build you the right fields for your list section.

With Pixelsilk, you won’t have to do either because it comes with default property fields that can work for any list section type right out of the gate. Pixelsilk lets you define how you want your list section displayed and used. Personalization can be done on a section-by-section (or page-by-page) basis giving you and your visitors many options.

I’m Susan Sano Berado—here are some samples:

http://www.blackbutteranch.com/accommodations/vacation-rentals/

http://www.blackbutteranch.com/Recreation/Whats-Happening-at-the-Ranch/

http://www.smartz.com/about/testimonials/

http://www.ironhorseprineville.com/Available-Properties/listings/

If you’re already a Pixelsilk partner, you know the value of the Partner Portal. It can speed up your development time ten or a hundredfold depending on how many sites you’re creating.  For those of you less familiar with the Partner Portal, think it’s time we shared the secret with you.

Webmasters Take Note

A Webmaster, like you, can leverage the work of one site in the Portal for the benefit of 1000 sites simply by clicking a box. Once clicked, themes will automatically transfer; CSS files will also seamlessly transfer; and files containing images, text, and media will transfer. In a matter of minutes, you will have created lots of new websites—and be ready for a coffee break.

Ongoing updates are also easy.  Let’s say you, and your team, want to release a new red banner on the homepage that promotes a short-term offer. All you, the Webmaster, need to do is make the “resource” (or red banner) available to site in the Portal. As soon as the homepage reloads,  the new red banner will be present on your multiple sites.  Not bad for a day’s work.

I’m Susan Sano Berado. More thoughts and tips forthcoming.

E-commerce catalog pages can provide search spiders with rich SEO content. However, if one’s cart isn’t well integrated within their CMS, it can block spiders’ access. You can probably guess the result: only some of your site is SEO optimized. Not good for online storefronts looking for new customers.

Pixelsilk’s flexible architecture gives customers seamless integration with BV software. Pixelsilk web developers have ensured that the CMS communicates with e-commerce cart via the API, allowing page layout consistency for branding—and page SEO rendering for spiders.

Through its tight integration, CMS and product information are under one roof.  Bet you can guess the result: your catalog pages rank better and your prospective customers find you.  Not bad, I’d say.

I’m Susan Sano Berado. Thanks for listening.

Hi, I’m Susan Sano Berado. Technology and what you can do with it excites me. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Silicon Valley where I had the advantage of seeing amazing technology companies’ blossom as plentiful as the Valley’s former orchards.

Technology makes things better—just look at the semiconductor, computer and mobile device industries. The underlying technology platform of Pixelsilk also makes things better. It uses the most popular and functional programming languages to enhance the user experience. Basically, anything a browser can render is available to layout in Pixelsilk—thanks to how easily it can work with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Most people know that HTML defines the objects of a web page, but not everyone knows what CSS and JavaScript do. CSS is a style sheet language that displays the look and formatting of a web page. Its name to fame is being able to separate document content from document presentation including elements such as layout, colors, and fonts.

And JavaScript is a scripting language that allows manipulation of all types of HTML objects. All three languages are powerful, which makes Pixelsilk a powerful rendering platform.

Welcome to a new feature on the Pixelsilk blog!

My name is Jon and I am one of the “Websters” (web developers) developing sites with Pixelsilk and pushing the boundaries of what Pixelsilk is capable of doing. As you may (or may not) know, Pixelsilk has a fairly extensive front-end Javascript API (application programming interface) and combining that with the popular Javascript “JQuery” library (not to mention HTML, CSS, and judicious use of Flash) there are some amazing things that can be accomplished.

Hence this new “Cool Things to do with Pixelsilk” feature: a series of ongoing articles from me and my fellow Websters highlighting many of these examples and pointing you in new directions and towards new ideas. Feedback, questions, ideas are all encouraged, and you can either leave comments on these posts or email me directly at jon.abernathy -at- pixelsilk.com.

Pixelsilk is again sponsoring this year’s annual SearchFest, put on by the great folks at SEMpdx.  Another fantastic lineup of speakers to fill their roster this year, keynoted by Stefan Weitz, Director of Bing.

Interested in seeing some of the best speakers in the SEM industry and learning more about Pixelsilk?  Swing by Portland, Oregon next week and check out this fantastic one-day event. Whether you’re a beginner or at the advanced level, SearchFest promises to deliver techniques to enhance your customer’s websites.

Interested in coming to SearchFest?  Use the discount promo code: SPO-SEMPDXSF1020 for 25% off the regular registration rate.

Pixelsilk is sponsoring the SEO track, so please stop by and introduce yourself to our team!

Details: Full Agenda and Speakers

When: Tuesday, March 9th 2010

Where: The Governor Hotel, Portland Oregon

Time: 8 am (registration check-in at 7:30 am) to 5 pm; reception from 5 pm to 6 pm.

In the world of the web, it’s a necessity that traditional branding principles and new marketing technologies such as search engine optimization and social media go hand in hand.  The Bend WebCAM conference, sponsored by Pixelsilk, offered up an incredible dose of information on these topics – bringing marketing and brand to the forefront of online success.  The ad/marketing and design community of Bend (and beyond) was the host and participants of this first-of-its-kind event.

Global caliber speakers including:
Adam Audette (@audette)
Dave Snyder (@davesnyder)
David Mihm (@davidmihm)
Chris Winfield (@chriswinfield)
Rhea Drysdale (@rhea)
Laura Lippay (@lauralippay)
Derrick Wheeler (@derrickwheeler)
Marshall Simmonds (@mdsimmonds)
Scott Polk (@scottpolk)
Todd Friesen (@oilman)

Jim Riswold (Weiden + Kennedy 12)
Tim Girvin (@tgirvin)
Matt Peterson (@creaturesez)

What did you miss?  You missed:

1. Jim Riswolds inspiring and controversial keynote on creating Hitler figurines. (Presentation Available)
2. Rhea’s 101 guide to managing your brand in a world of social media. (Presentation Available)
3. Each member of W+K 12′s journey and creative background to join W+K12 – and how they claimed they just never fit in.
4. Dave Snyder and Scott Polk’s stellar presentation on the ever popular topic of L-I-N-K-S.
5. Chris Winfield asking the Social Expert Panel about which social media profile is a necessity.
6. Tim Girvin’s keynote about how everything we brand, every connection we make is basically about love.
7. David Mihm’s expertise on getting found in local search, what every small business should be doing. (Presentation available)
8. Adam Audette’s breakdown on social media leader and the best business social media case study – Zappos.com
9. The ripping, shreading, fun and informative Hot Seat, where sites were critiqued in front of everyone (and they paid for that!)
10. The Brew Ha Ha’s killer local beer sampler, hosted by The Blacksmith.  Smoozing with the speakers

Pixelsilk’s Mark Knowles (@markknowles and @Pixelsilkcms) helped secure the lineup of search and social speakers for this hopefully annual event.  Thank you to AdFed of Central Oregon, for producing the event as well as all of those that worked on and sponsored the Bend WebCAM.

Through one of the hotbeds of SEO – Bend, Oregon (see History of SEO), Pixelsilk was excited to announce the new SEO-Friendly CMS platform to our local community throughout this incredible event.

SEO Friendly CMS Questions Interviewed

Yesterday, SEO Friendly CMS Questions were answered by the CEO of Pixelsilk, Mark Knowles, plus Search Engine Marketing veteran Bruce Clay – offering his expertise on the operation of a CMS like the one from Pixelsilk.

Below is a question/answer summary of the of questions received during the interview.  To hear first hand, download or listen to the full interview on WebmasterRadio.fm.

(Daron) Q: Where did Pixelsilk begin and how does it scale to meet the needs of SEO?
(Mark) A: Pixelsilk was built from 13 years of CMS experience in the world of SEO.  It started about 3 ½ years ago with the idea of bringing SEO advice right to the page – Bruce Clay’s advice from his SEOToolSet.  In order to succeed online, Pixelsilk was developed from scratch – offering full HTML control for SEO.  From a clean database structure – beginning with the http calls, Pixelsilk was architected and designed for optimal control for SEO.

Q: Talk to me about source code control?
(Mark) A: There’s no legacy, no prior system.  Anywhere from up to 12 people daily have been involved in development and code was checked in daily. You break the build, you fix it.

Q: What are some of the most common hurdles moving to Pixelsilk?
(Mark) A: Moving a site can be quick. Best practice would have you fix some of your crawling issues as you migrate.

Q: How do you teach people the need to recognize the use of a system like Pixelsilk?
(Bruce) A: It’s easier to build SEO in as the content is created rather than bolting on SEO after the fact.  So for larger companies, this is typically a difficult challenge.  With Pixelsilk, you can SEO content as you build.

Q: Is there support for porting over a large site to Pixelsilk?
(Mark) A:  With a one-day orientation, and a knowledge of HTML and CSS you are on your way. Our partner channel can also aid in the service delivery of moving sites if you need some help.

Q: How much does Pixelsilk cost?
(Mark) A: Shared hosting per site license starts at $149/per month; enterprise level license is available.  The database can be scaled to a virtual environment and databases are transportable upon the need for growth.

Q: Is there a developer license?
(Mark) A: A full API is available; however, we’re working on a place for developers to play.  For more details, signup for the Pixelsilk community online.

Q: How does SEO Advice work?
(Bruce) A: Through our new SEOToolSet (which is still in progress) and calls to our API, Pixelsilk brings information through to Pixelsilk based off of a footprint of the top ranking sites in the engines.  There’s a big difference between data and wisdom of course, but this is the first step to get closer to target.

Q: What about off-page SEO?
(Mark) A: We will have some exciting announcements for off-page SEO factors available at SMX West 2010.  Stay tuned…

Q: What about analytics?
(Mark) A: Pixelsilk utilizes a token system, so that integration with your analytics package of choice is very easy.

Q: What about design control?
(Mark) A: There’s full HTML and URL control.  So, anything a browser can render is available for you to layout. You simply use HTML, CSS or JavaScript to get what you need done.  There’s FULL design control without the need to know any server-side languages such as PHP, .NET or ColdFusion.

Q: What about HTML5?
(Mark) A: After verification – Pixelsilk fully supports HTML5.

Q: Can you deploy a social strategy in Pixelsilk – can you “Tweet” in Pixelsilk
(Mark) A: That’s correct, Pixelsilk allows such control so that ‘tweeting’ or even ‘reverse tweeting’ is easy.  Pixelsilk was designed to integrate seamlessly with popular 3rd party social applications like Facebook and Twitter.

Validation and SEO crawlability go hand in hand.  If you’re a web developer or SEO, you know full well the importance of validated code.  Traditionally in the world of CMS, W3C validation has been difficult to achieve due to the inflexible nature of the CMS when rendering a page.  We know W3C validation isn’t everything – but it can help.

Pixelsilk is making waves in the SEO and development communities because of its flexibility.  With Full HTML control, you now have the ability to create fully validated web sites and create a DOCTYPE of XHTML 1.0 Strict.

Recently, a CMS validation showdown was run (credit due to SEO Consultants) and Pixelsilk passed with flying colors compared to WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Ektron, Plone and others.

Pixelsilk CMS Validation Showdown

BEND, Oregon – August 6, 2009 – Pixelsilk, an SEO-friendly content management system (CMS), announces the launch of Search Advice, which integrates SEO expertise from the Bruce Clay, Inc. SEOToolSet® into Pixelsilk. The new feature will be unveiled during this year’s Search Engine Strategies (SES) Conference in San Jose.

The SEOToolSet integration provides search engine optimization (SEO) advice and monitoring real-time, while users edit content within a Pixelsilk Web site. With an SEOToolSet subscription, keywords can be assigned to specific pages and recommendations will be delivered straight on the page while editing (View Video Demo of Pixelsilk Search Advice).

Pixelsilk Search Advice, patent pending, is designed to put SEO advice into the hands of the editor at the time of content creation or modification on a real-time basis.  Drawing from the on-going expertise of Bruce Clay, Inc., Search Advice allows Pixelsilk clients a new way of incorporating SEO into everything on their Web site and prepares the on-page content for spidering by Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Bruce Clay, president of Bruce Clay, Inc., stated, “The real problem that SEO has had is that it is always bolted on after somebody has written the content in a CMS.  The Pixelsilk-SEOToolSet integration provides a way to correct SEO issues at the point of content creation, and to have it be done by the original author.  That will revolutionize SEO.”

Initially, advice drawn from the SEOToolSet will offer on-going recommendations on attributes such as the Title tag, Meta Description, Meta Keywords, body, Heading tags and on-page links.  Search Advice is designed to update the recommendations as the editor makes changes to content.  Moreover, if the content edits fall outside of the recommendations, on-screen alerts and follow-up e-mails may be utilized to notify authors, marketers, SEOs, compliance managers and concerned production staff of the changes.

“This approach will provide content authors with preemptive advice during the creation process from the Bruce Clay SEOToolSet. This approach reduces and/or eliminates certain steps that our clients currently make to publish content to the Web,” said Mark Knowles, president and CEO of Pixelsilk.

Pixelsilk is a scalable, Web-based CMS that provides SEO, marketing and Web development partners with the features they need to maximize their online initiatives and gain a competitive edge in their organic search engine rankings. Cutting-edge tools that allow full control of the HTML code and URL, the ability to interact with business and social media applications, open framework structure, real-time SEO feedback — all while being easy and intuitive to content editors — are among the features that set Pixelsilk apart from any other production-level CMS available today.

Through the advice drawn from the Bruce Clay SEOToolSet inside Pixelsilk CMS and the Partner Portal (allowing single management across multiple sites) launched and demonstrated at this year’s SES San Jose, Pixelsilk is poised to set the standard for the content management industry.

The Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Jose 2009 conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center from August 11-13. To register for the SES San Jose conference, visitors may use coupon code 20Pixel for a 20% discount.  Or, visitors may register for the expo pass and see the Bruce Clay SEOToolSet in action by visiting the Pixelsilk booth (#106 next to Bruce Clay) for a demo.

About Pixelsilk
Pixelsilk is the first proven world-class SEO/CMS solution provider designed to meet SEO Best Practices requirements. Headquartered in Bend, Oregon (sometimes referred to as the “hub” of the Search Engine Optimization industry), the company has been integral in the fields of content management and software development for nearly 15 years. Its memberships and professional affiliations include: SEMpdx, SMX, SES and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The creators of Pixelsilk are SEOToolSet Certified, and the company is also a Microsoft Gold Partner.

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Media Contacts:
Wendy Roe
Pixelsilk
2525 NE Twin Knolls Drive
Bend, Oregon  97701, Suite 1
Ph: (877) 749-7455
E-mail: wendy.roe@pixelsilk.com