Miriam Ellis' company, Solas Web Design, has been providing SEO-based Web Design and Copywriting for small businesses since 2003. Her main blog, the SEOigloo Blog offers SEO, Design and Copywriting advice to small business owners. In addition to writing for Search Engine Guide, Miriam guest blogs at 14th Colony and Cre8asite. Miriam runs her county's local birding blog, is a published wild bird illustrator and award-winning fine artist. Miriam divides her time between working for clients with her husband, Liam, working on her own projects, and running around in nature with the wild birds and animals. She's into organic farming, the principles of non-violence, and taking care of the planet.

Is Your Small Business Website's Voice Honest and True?

by Miriam Ellis    April 16, 2008

Who are you? An individual? A family? A group of people sitting at desks in an office? An entity with a physical location where I'll be standing in a line to speak with someone behind a counter? A co-op of professionals that will come to me to perform a service? When I hit your website, one of my first efforts is going to involve trying to determine who you are, behind that screen, those images, those words on your pages.

34 Google Local Maps Sources For Hospitality Industry Reviews

by Miriam Ellis    January 29, 2008

Today, I sat down and looked at approximately 1000 reviews listed in Google Maps for hospitality industry businesses. The following is the list of sources I found Google currently pulling this data from, in addition to their own Google Reviews source.

Homestead.com - Your Domain Name With Strings Attached

by Miriam Ellis    December 3, 2007

Homestead is one of the best known template-website-builder companies out there. They offer website design and hosting, have a pleasant user interface and convincing testimonials. Yet there is something about signing up with Homestead that must be located somewhere in fine print but appears to be escaping the notice of small business owners...until it's too late.

Blogs With Deep Roots - A Great Potential Use Of The Blogging Medium

by Miriam Ellis    September 18, 2007

The text-based Internet seems to confirm that we will never again attain the vast capacity for memory retention reputed to our ancestors. Taken to an extreme, the Internet can tell you what your own name is if you ever chance to forget it. Yet, there is the very positive side of the Internet acting as an unprecedented repository for the memories and knowledge of generations of mankind.