Resources

White Papers by Weaversites

The following are course materials I developed for teaching at Blue Ridge Community College and AB-Tech as part of their continuing education programs.

Internet Marketing for Artists, Artisans and Craftspeople - March 2009 PDF

Internet Marketing for Accommodations & Hospitality - March 2009 PDF

Internet Marketing Courses & Seminars

HIPPO Internet Marketing Training offers courses and seminars in SEO, PPC, Blogging, and Social Media Marketing. These 1-3 day courses are ideal for beginners and pros alike, so whether you are just starting out with your web presence, or need to improve your return on investment with Internet Marketing, I highly recommend the courses offered by HIPPO. Courses are offered in Lake Norman near Charlotte, about 2-1/2 hours from Asheville.

Business IT Networks, Infrastructure, Technology and Security

I met the President (Daniel Russello) and Executive VP (David Casper) of Appalachian Network Services at a Better Business Bureau event. They provide the installation and support of office servers, networks, and online security systems & monitoring. They're certified partners with Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, and Symantec. Their client list is proof of their abilities and trustworthiness for mission-critical projects.

Website Design and Programming

Blue Ridge Solutions is an Asheville web design and development firm with whom I've collaborated on many sites. I am consistently impressed by their ability to do anything you need in a site, and to go above and beyond your expectations. Blue Ridge Solutions is a reliable, stable company and a pleasure to work with. I cannot speak highly enough of them. They deliver!

Allen Porter at Quasi Suave Digital is another master webmaster I've collaborated with. He builds the site, I do the SEO and PPC. Allen is particularly skilled at Flash design - and he understands how to do SE-friendly sites that include Flash.

Totsie Marine has been one of Asheville's top-notch web site designers and builders for over ten years. She combines excellent design skills with site building that matches the individual personality of the person or business being presented. Totsie now specializes in building sites you can maintain yourself using the Plone CMS (content management system).

C Gray Design offers a broad range of services covering website design and e-commerce solutions as well as print design, graphics, identity and branding development.

I've known the folks at Handwoven Webs for ten years, and have no hesitation recommending them. To my mind, their specialty and 'personal touch' is ideal for artists, healers, wellness and those in the heath care field, and anyone with a personal story to tell. Handwoven Webs offers a beautifully artistic touch to every web site they build.

In addition to their website design services, the owners of Handwoven Webs are also the publishers of WNC Woman Magazine (available both online and in print), and a new online showcase for women artists, writers, and crafters at Women's Art Space.

Bednar Multimedia LLC is new-media website design studio based in Asheville, NC, specializing in creating effective, affordable websites and other multimedia solutions. I have worked with the owner, Ryan Bednar, doing the SEO on several sites they've built. I can vouch for the clean and stylish professional designs of their sites, as well as the SEO-friendly site construction.

JacAlArt is a website design and programming firm in Asheville. I have collaborated on SEO work on a number of sites with their master of ceremonies, Alec Fehl. JacAlArt is particularly skilled at PHP programming and CMS (Content Management Systems.)

Professionally-Produced Banner Ads & Graphics

Need a great-looking, effective banner ad - FAST? I recommend BannersMall.com for quality work, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround. For examples, many of the graphic ads on www.Weaverville.com were produced by BannersMall, a company based in Canada with UK offices as well.
Ask for Senthu :-)

SEO-Friendly E-Commerce Shopping Carts

On the principle that "if Hippo IM uses it, it's gotta be good" - check out the Magento shopping cart from www.magentocommerce.com. I know the folks at Hippo well, and in addition to their own IM courses, they run several very successful online businesses. They know their shopping carts!

If you'd like to see an example of a superior e-commerce site - or if you run a hotel,  motel, or B&B and need housekeeping carts you should check out Housekeeping Cart Solutions for what I know will be excellent products, price, and customer service.

I also came across this SEO-friendly shopping cart program from 3DCart.com. It uses static URLs and allows for customized metatags from top to bottom. It also has many other features, such as a Google Sitemap Generator, and feeds to all the big online shopping sites. It is also very easy to work with. I definitely recommend checking out this e-commerce site/shopping cart provider.

Build Your Own Site

Bizamajig provides an all-in-one business solution for customer relations, marketing, project management, networking, communications, and more. You get a public website, plus unique login-based areas for your working partners and customers. This site does so much it is impossible to cover it all in one paragraph - check them out if you're a small business owner who needs to manage a lot of information in one place!

Free and low-priced software products for building and/or updating your site include www.CoffeeCup.com , www.xSitePro.com , www.komposer.net/download.php , and www.PageBreeze.com.

Photographers

Scott Lessing is a professional photographer in Asheville I have known for years - and have seen a great deal of his work. He specializes in wedding photography, but also produces stunning portraits, nature and documentary photos, and does commercial photography for those who want high-quality photographs of their products. Check out his portfolio!

Helpful Online Directories

I like Best of the Web! for their ease of use, quality listings, and well-organized categories. If a search engine fails you, try this directory.

It's also a great directory for listing your own site - I highly recommend it!

The Tiny URL Tool