I love taking tests. Sounds weird, I know, but I love learning, and tests are a quick way for me to discover what I don’t know and immediately pinpoints an area or two that I can improve on. And I found a website SEO tool that tests your website and gives you a grade. Sandstorm Design got 99/100!

When it comes to SEO and marketing your website, the high level concepts don’t often change (write strong original content, continue to add to that content, attract quality links, etc). What does change are all the new things you can do to increase your odds that people will come back to your website and promote your content, which in turn drives more traffic. Of all the website SEO tools, I like Website Grader. (and no, they didn’t pay for that link). When I find a tool I like, I share it. And what I like most is that Website Grader put together in a very organized fashion what they look for in the analysis, what you can do to improve your website, and if you want more help, where to go. And it’s free.

Are you an overachiever? Sandstorm Design is hiring! Our interactive agency in Chicago is seeking a part-time Interactive Copywriter to join our team with an entrepreneurial spirit :) We want to hear from you!

Candidates must have a minimum of 2 years of Interactive Copywriting experience in an agency environment, with a heavy background in SEO copywriting. We are looking specifically for web sites, articles, press releases, e-newsletters, and blog entries that really capture the personality of the client you were doing the copywriting for. (We don’t need you to have any CSS or html skills as we have a web development team on staff.) If you have link building experience, that’s a plus!

Our dream candidate for this job is a quick and sharp copywriter, with exceptional writing skills and attention to detail who understands SEO and internet marketing. A copywriter who is ambitious, driven and a self-starter to come up with your own ideas, conduct your own marketing research, and be comfortable researching new SEO opportunities. Your deadlines will be your responsibility in our fast-paced environment.

To apply for this copywriting job, please submit resume, hourly rate, writing samples/urls and hours you are available to jobs@sandstormdesign.com. Resumes without interactive copywriting samples will not be considered. Please NO phone calls. If you have any questions, please comment to this post and we will respond for all to see.

According to wikipedia, user interface design is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user’s experience and interaction. Utilizing the same source, web design is the skill of creating presentations of content that is delivered though the web.

I searched google to see if I could find anyone debating the two terms as they are used often interchangeably, but I don’t necessarily agree that they are one in the same.

Our agency is a user interface design firm that utilizes a user-centered design approach to improve the user experience in a creative and conceptual way. Google searches done today are looking for a web design firm in Chicago, but are they really? Hmmm…

To the average google researcher, the two key word phrases ‘web design chicago‘ and ‘web design firm chicago‘ may seem like the same thing so you would assume you would get the same results, but it’s not entirely true. Interestingly enough, google considers Sandstorm Design an incredible find for a web design firm (maybe because we’re a full service interactive agency?), but for the average web design search, we’re not. In my next life I would enjoy being a google algorithm strategist.