:  Resources

Marisa Design believes that knowledge is power. We believe that the more involved our clients are in the process of building their web sites, the more successful their web sites will be. Whether you want to know more about typefaces and stock photography, or about search engines and e-commerce, this page strives to help.

Web site resources

• Search engine optimization
• E-commerce and merchant account resources
• Fonts
• Stock photography
• Domain names

Search engine optimization (SEO)

• If you're writing your own copy for your web site, you might be concerned with how to give your site the best chance to rank well in the top search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo, and Alta Vista). This guide, by one of the top search engine professionals in the country, will help you do just that. Check out Jill Whalen's The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines.
• Or check the forum to read discussions on all topics relating to search engines.
• If you're looking for effective ways to add valuable links to your site, 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity in 2006 by SEO Book.com might be exactly what you need!

E-commerce and merchant account resources

• One of the most popular shopping carts is also free. Find out more at www.mals-e.com.
• Need to set up a merchant account? Let HostingCT.com help!

Fonts

• Test and compare different screen fonts: http://typetester.maratz.com/ allows you to select fonts from the "safe list" of web fonts, which are those fonts that are included with most operating systems. You can adjust font, size, spacing, and color to see different combinations and how they might look on your web site.
• Searching for the right typeface for a new logo or marketing piece? www.myfonts.com has a huge assortment of professional quality typefaces from a wide variety of type foundries worldwide.

Stock photography

When your web site needs just the right photo, but you don't want to hire a professional photographer, stock photography can be the answer. With advanced search features, these sites will help you to find the photos you need.

• www.istockphoto.com
• www.bigstockphoto.com
• www.dreamstime.com
• www.fotosearch.com
• www.gettyimages.com
• www.fotolia.com
• www.canstockphoto.com

Domain names

Do you need help coming up with ideas for your domain name? Get help at www.nameboy.com. Type in words related to your site, and get back a list of possibilities.

Professionals in related fields

Marisa Design networks with a variety of professionals in many industries. This gives us the ability to refer you to other sources of knowledge you may need to grow your business. Some of these resources include:

• Photographers
• Graphic designers
• Copywriters

Call us for referrals!