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    Our Sharing This Week: SEO – the way to go!

    At Carbon, we believe in continuous learning and enjoy sharing our knowledge and expertise. Every week we gather to share and learn from one another in our weekly team sharing sessions. And because we love sharing, we decided to post some of the things we’ve learnt on our blog!  This week’s topic – SEO!


    How Search Works

    Search Engine Optimization, or “SEO” for short, is the process of improving both the volume and quality of visitors to a web site from search engines, via “natural” or “unpaid” search results. In other words, SEO is the process of increasing the search ranking of your website, by taking steps to help search engines locate it easily.

    Before proceeding any further, here’s a short video to explain how a search engine like Google works when we perform searches.

    How Google Search Works

    You might ask “why should I do SEO? Aren’t modern search engines smart enough to find my website as long as it is there?”

    Our answer is “Yes, search engines today are very advanced and would most likely find your site.” However, the ranking of your website in a search result, will greatly affect how many and what kind of visitors will navigate to your website.

    Good search result ranking is important, because most searchers (92.5%) will not explore beyond the third page of search results before trying another search1. So making sure your site is found to be relevant and ranked higher in search results, is important to having it clicked by the people whom you want viewing it.

    So how do we increase “natural” or “unpaid” traffic to a websites? This can be done by taking several steps. These include having a relevant title for each page of your website; page titles should provide accurate descriptions of the content being offered. Another way is to ensure that you have tagged your pages to keywords that users will type in a search engine, when looking for the content that you are providing.

    It is important to note, SEO is nothing without good content! This is even more true on the web where content is king! The more relevant your content, the more likely search engines will define it as ‘credible’. This will also get you more inbound links to your website, which in turn will improve your search rankings.

    So as you can see, there are so many steps that can help you get your website better traffic volume and quality. So many in fact, that one blog post can’t contain everything we have to share!

    We’d loved to share more with you. If you’d like to find out more about SEO and how we could help you in optimizing your site, just drop us an email info@carbon.com.sg. We look forward to hearing from you! Cheers!

     

     

     

    1. Jansen, B., A. Spink, and Koshman 2007. “Web Searcher Interaction with the Dogpile.com Metasearch Engine.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 58(5):744-755

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    The LASALLE SHOW

    The LASALLE SHOW – Graduate Online Showcase

    The LASALLE SHOW marks the finale of an artistic education and the transformation of young talents to professional artists in the larger creative industries’ ecosystem. As South-east Asia’s foremost art institute, LASALLE College of the Arts is the first in the region to own a Graduate Online Showcase for graduating students to sign up, create their own profiles and upload their work portfolios. They can showcase their best works, share and get public appreciation as the website is extensively integrated with social media plugins.

    As a strategic agency on the leading edge of web technology, we understand that over the last few years the way people access the web has evolved. A user may access the web on a number of devices in a single day – so a website needs to offer an optimised user experience across different screen sizes. Hence we have designed and developed the LASALLE SHOW to be a responsive website that allows the layout to change, depending on what screen resolution the viewer has.

    Responsive web design involves planning about what the mobile user will require first when visiting the website and then laying out the content accordingly. Thus the information may be presented in a different order for an optimised viewing experience across different screen sizes and devices.

    These are the key steps behind the design and development process:

    - Research/Scoping: Understanding the additional requirements for a responsive website i.e. What different goals will a user have on different devices?

    - Wireframing: Grid structures and layouts for the website considering different screen widths.

    - Look and feel: Style considerations to optimise user experience across different screen sizes and orientations.

    - Coding: The website will need to load in full size images even if the CSS scales them down. This is when we deploy some nifty JavaScript tricks and advanced CSS styles to make the website run smoother.

    Although responsive web design requires more effort, it is the way forward for web development. We are proud that once again, we have proposed a first-of-its-kind solution for LASALLE College of the Arts.

    Check out LASALLE graduates’ creative works on your smartphones and tablets here.

    Mace Command Centre_Home_Pg

    National Environment Agency M.A.C.E Website goes live

    Enlisting cyber warriors in the fight against dengue, the NEA M.A.C.E website is now live.

    An internet-based game, termed “Operation M.A.C.E” (Monster Annihilation and Control Enforcement), Operation M.A.C.E builds upon a story that is set in a futuristic Singapore that has been invaded by a race of aliens resembling Aedes mosquitoes.

    Riding on the popularity of cyber gaming, this is a first-of-its-kind outreach programme that promotes dengue awareness among the youth.

    Before the revamp, the entire website was developed in Flash. We took on the project and developed it into a full HTML website with dynamic features like rotating banner. While we are focused on better navigation and usability, user experience is also a key consideration during the design process. As such, we maintained the cyber military feel so that after a total revamp, existing players will still feel ‘connected’ to the new website. Understanding gamers’ characteristics, we also proposed a leaderboard on the home page so that players can check out others’ scores, intensifying the competitive spirit.

    On top of the website user log in, a Facebook log-in is also implemented to facilitate easy signups and lower barrier to participation.

    Ready for some action? Log on to www.macecommand.com.sg and sign up as M.A.C.E agents now!

    Singapore Institute of Technology Website Revamp Pitch

    Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Website Revamp Pitch

    Last month, we were invited to partner with another agency in a pitch for Singapore Institute of Technology website revamp. The challenge was that we only had 4 days to produce two different concepts inclusive of rich media banner storyboards.

    With the experience of website development for higher learning institutes like LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) under our belt, we took on the challenge with much zeal.

    Defining the problem is the first step of the design thinking process and we tackle this with our 3I approach: Insights, Ideas, Impact.

    1. Insights – we dissected the brief, researched and analyzed the current SIT website thoroughly and uncovered a navigation issue. It was difficult for different groups of users to find crucial information on the website.

    2. Ideas – besides conceptualizing an overall design that is more vibrant, we also proposed a user centric navigation in order to solve the navigation problem. With a future ready website in mind, we also recommended a responsive website so that users enjoy optimal mobile viewing experience across different screen resolutions.

    3. Impact – the result is not one but two website concepts that are dynamic, user-friendly and socially connected, enabling SIT to engage different groups of users.

    In the end, though we did not win the pitch, all was not in vain as we sharpen our thinking process with every opportunity. It was a fun, learning journey for the team as we shared much laughter over late dinners of sushi and pizza.

    Most importantly, what made everything worthwhile is the fact we love our work. Looking forward to more fun coming along our way!

    LASALLE_College_of_the_arts_showcase_website

    The LASALLE Showcase Portal

    We are excited to be working with LASALLE College of the Arts again for the LASALLE Showcase Portal. This new portal is envisioned to be a creative network for LASALLE graduates and alumni to showcase their portfolios and get connected with the leading professionals in the creative industry.

    Being South-east Asia’s foremost art institute, LASALLE College of the Arts will be the first of its kind to own such a platform. Contemporary in focus and innovative in approach, LASALLE has been nurturing some of Singapore’s leading creative practitioners.

    Watch this space for more.

    Funny pictures in Carbon

    Days of our lives at Carbon

    Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in creative advertising agencies?

    Our digital marketing agency works hard and plays hard. We grow as a family and learn to be disciplined through rather effective means, that is, by doing random funny stuff.

    For starters, one way to remember things is to tie a ribbon around your finger. Well, we took it a step further with a red ribbon in Melvin’s hair.

    Funny pictures in Carbon

    Latecomers for yesterday’s meeting had to do something sexy and funny.

    Late Carbonites had to do the shuffle.

    The Carbonite Shuffle

    Screen shot 2012-02-24 at PM 03.58.18

    EGov Contest: Vote for your favourite eGov service now!

    We are currently running the eGov contest for Infocomm123’s Facebook page. Simply vote for your favourite eGov service and stand to win a snazzy iPad2!

    Head to Facebook now http://on.fb.me/yTAgzQ to join the contest!

    CapitaValue Homes_Home Page

    CapitaLand: CapitaValue Homes Corporate Website

    We are proud to work with CapitaLand again for the CapitaValue Homes corporate website. CapitaValue Homes is a new strategic business unit set up by CapitaLand in October 2010 to capitalise on the untapped demand for value housing in Asia.

    CapitaValue Homes focuses on building good value homes in Asia, with an initial focus in China and Vietnam. The design of the website effectively communicates between CapitaValue Homes and its key stakeholders the company’s background, mission and vision, and key messages.

    The “Find a Value Home” feature allows key stakeholders to search by unit type for properties in different countries and cities, all within the corporate website.

    Jonah and the Big Fish

    My Bible Stories: Jonah and the Big Fish iPad app

    The story of Jonah and the Big Fish comes alive in this iPad edition that combines vivid storytelling and interactive activities!

    This is Carbon Interactive’s first iPad app production and the story follows Jonah’s adventure as he answers God’s call to send a message to Nineveh.

    Besides having games to engage and entertain children, every page comes with hidden interactive features to be discovered.

    FEATURES:
    -TAP on Jonah in the interactive maze games to help him reach his destination
    -DISCOVER little nuggets of information that deepens a child’s learning of the Bible e.g. what is the meaning of the name Jonah
    -NARRATE the story with own voice recording
    -FIND little interactive features on every page of the storybook
    -ENJOY original music composed just for this storybook

    Download My Bible Stories: Jonah and the Big Fish iPad app for only $1.99.

    My Bible Stories was started by a group of believers who are passionate to see the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ reach out to the people.

    LIKE My Bible Stories on Facebook for more news and updates.

    In the meantime, have fun!


    NEA M.A.C.E

    Revamp of National Environment Agency M.A.C.E Website

    National Environment Agency (NEA) enlists cyber warriors in the fight against dengue by leveraging on new social media platforms and taking advantage of the popularity of computer gaming. NEA has developed an internet-based game, termed “Operation M.A.C.E” (Monster Annihilation and Control Enforcement). Carbon Interactive has been awarded the mission of revamping the current Flash site and develop a user friendly version.

    This is a first-of-its-kind outreach programme that promotes dengue awareness among the young and the internet savvy. Operation M.A.C.E builds upon a story that is set in a futuristic Singapore that has been invaded by a race of aliens resembling Aedes mosquitoes.

    The programme was developed by NEA together with youth partners who saw its potential in helping NEA promote its messages more effectively.

    Stay tuned for more mission updates.

    CarbonThumbnailBCA

    Some upcoming projects

    BCA Corporate Site Revamp

    Having worked closely with BCA on various projects, we are excited to be working with them again for the BCA Corporate Website Revamp.

    In this project, we’ll be aiming to improve the overall design and navigational structure of the site. Being an information heavy site, we will be considering the presentation and readability of their information.

    Details »

    sgp-screenshot

    F1 Singapore Grand Prix Maintenance

    Carbon Interactive is proud to be a part of the Singapore Grand Prix race fever by being the agency appointed to maintain their website:
    http://www.singaporegp.sg/

    For a site like SGP to be successful, timely updates were key. It requires much dedication from the team to always be ready even during the wee hours.

    Some of the website updates include
    - Press release
    - Race results
    - Banners
    - Ticketing updates
    - Photo Gallery
    - Transport guides
    - Entertainment highlights
    - Race schedules

    Check out some of the photos from the event
    http://www.singaporegp.sg/gallery/index.php

    Home Team News

    Home Team News Website

    A new initiative from Media Studies Unit (Ministry of Home Affairs), the Home Team News website plays as an online newsroom and internet magazine to share news, department’s initiative and reports with the public. It also aims to build an online community of people who take a stake in Singapore’s safety and security.

    The website design presents a strong identity of Ministry of Home Affairs and on top of that, the highly flexible content management system that we developed allows reporters to manage website content such as text, photos and video easily.