Q:  What is Carolina Design and Build?

A:  Carolina Design and Build is an Internet Library of Photographs and Professionally written Web Pages/Editorials for Builder Products and Services exclusively for North and South Carolina. Architects, Designers, Builders, Land Developers and Contractors subscribe annually to participate in this web site. We have over One Million Readers viewing 5 full pages of content for each of our subscribers as a free service to the viewing public.

Q:  How much does it cost?

A:  Basic Subscription is $500 per year for 5 full web pages with large photographs and a professional write up.
    
     Optional  things to consider:
     If you need better Photography
     Add Professional Images for just $500
     If you want us to work with you on a special story or trend
     Editorials are $500 and this includes a print version as a PDF File
     If you want to always be on our home page and be on top of your given category
     Home Page Sponsorship is $500 per month
     If you want a special email address instead of a Yahoo, Gmail type
     E-Mail is $25 Per Year

Q:  What do I get for $500?

A:  Five full web pages with five large images that you supply and we edit! Your home page has one large image and four small images with a detailed write-up about your company.  Each of the four small images expands to their own page, becoming a large image with multiple ways to contact you.  The form field/leads go directly to your sales team, serving as a lead generator. 

We add you to up to 62 North Carolina City pages and 26 South Carolina Location pages, depending on where you do business at no additional cost!

Each page is written by us to Google, Bing, Yahoo, MSN and AOL Standards so that your web site is found. Your company’ name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, and direct link to your web-site is included . 

We also place you on our Home Page for 30 days and select your best image to rotate into our top spot on the home page.

Finally we add you to the proper category or create one just for you.

Q:  How does it work?

A:  Internet readers go on line and ask a search engine like Google and Bing for information about a builder product or service. They narrow the search by plugging in a city or state. We have thousands of words and photographs ready for those requests and come up on the top pages for what those readers are looking for.

Today readers are searching web sites for trusted sources, they want to find what they are looking for within seconds and they do on line with our service.

Consumers are smart, they know you wrote the information found in your web site. Carolina Design and Build often times comes up on the same pages as your web site with unique wording and only the best images. Clients are looking for that level of confidence before they spend money today, they know the web is filled with wrong choices. We drive you to the top three pages on the web and pull your web site into better search words then you can do on your own.

Your story is told with your top 5 photographs that we will edit for the internet.

Your story is also told with the proper wording so that it directs our readers to the exact products and services in the geographic areas that are most profitable for you.

Finally we write your story just for Google, Bing, Yahoo, MSN and AOL in a language that you never see. This is called Hypertext Mark Up Language. We have studied this language for over 15 years and are fluent in it.

Q:  Can we use our own images?

We will review and edit your images/pictures as part of the process at no cost. We will make sure all the architectural lines are straight and the images are cropped and sharpened for the internet. We can do this via email and will assist you in selecting the best shots from your pictures. We will discuss with you each image and this will assist us in determining why it tells your story.

Q:  Who is responsible for the write-up or words in the web pages?

A:  We ultimately collaborate together, but we do all the writing for you. Our publishing background with Builder/Architect Magazine has enabled us to understand this market very well and this will assure you that we will pick the correct wording for Our Industry.

It makes no difference if you have a great web site or no web site at all. We still need to uncover what you like to do and where you want to do that service or product.

We always create the web pages and then ask you to preview them on line prior to us launching this to the readers.

Q:  Who does the photography if I need it?

A:  Michael Valentine has been a commercial photographer for over 15 years. His work has been published in Hundreds of magazines including Architectural Digest, Southern Living, Builder/Architect Magazine and many more. Over 90 percent of all the images found in this web site where captured on location by Michael. Professional lighting, architectural consideration and balance all go into each of your 5 shots when on location.

The images are licensed to you for use in your marketing materials only.

Q:  Why would I want an Editorial and what does it include?

A:  Editorials are usually a page or two of content professionally written by both of us.

We interview you and determine the scope of the document and what value it would be to our readers. Next we write the document with your assistance, you proof it and approve the final draft prior to being published on line.

In some cases a manufacturer may be supplying you with new product information that we need to adjust for our region. We will assist you in creating this new version and launch it as an Editorial.

In other cases you may want to talk about your services from a perspective of durability, architectural value, use of color or protecting your home. Whatever the product or service it will be you as the industry expert and us as the contributing author. Writing this type of document for the internet is kind of like a Blog or a super concentrated easy to read educational piece. The words we select will point back to your areas of expertise and will boost your search engine results in a major way.

Next we place the Carolina Design and Build Logo across the top so that it takes on a third party In The News look. We create a high resolution version and enable you to download this for reprinting as part of your  marketing efforts.
See a sample

Finally we move it to our Home Page for 30 days for our readers to see and then permanently archive it in our web site and make it available on your 5 pages as part of your annual subscription.

The Top Search Engines will reward you with a higher ranking if you link back to this document and your basic subscription as In The News or As Seen In Carolina Design and Build.

Q:  How do people find Carolina Design and Build ?

A:  Carolina Design and Build has relationships with Google ,Bing, Yahoo , MSN and AOL (the world's top internet search engines) based on it's size and content. This enables us to escalate our clients to the top pages of the internet when viewers are searching for services and products in The Building Industry of The Carolinas.

Since we are exclusively working with Architects, Designers, Builders, Developers and all Contractors in this market segment we have become a trusted source with words and photographs that are easy to find on The World Wide Web. We are an internet library partner who Titles and Describes according to best practices for On Line Services.

We write the wording in our site about you in such a manner that it matches the way our readers search for services and products in just the building industry. Unlike an Angie's or a Craig's List we are a real web site and not a list service.

Q: What is Bing ?

Bing is the long awaited Microsoft search engine product that is supported by over 1 billion dollars worth of new technology and marketing. One of it's clearest features is the use of images. Images like we supply over 5 web pages.

We have been reading and planning for this new technology for about three years. Select Images from Bing Images and start your internet search based on what you want to see. Image libraries come up showing possible selections and linking back to the web sites of those images. Yahoo and Microsoft together are teaming up to be number two behind Google. This new technology has many more abilities that will change the way you do business.

This is why we developed Carolina Design and Build so that our clients could be found on this new technology!

Q:  What are meta-tags and keywords?  Why are they important?

A:  Meta-Tags and keywords are just a portion of what is needed to find builder products and services on line.

Think of it like an old fashioned library where you come in and search "The Card Catalog" by Title and Description. Those cards start you thinking as you flip through the possibilities until you find the right book or in this case a series of web pages.

You understand your business better than anyone. So why not allow us to assist you in extracting those words based on what we collectively know and write them as Titles and Descriptions that make sense to the surfing world.

We have found that over 95 percent of all building related web sites look great on the surface and fail our critical load tests for search engines. This would be like a builder not taking time to engineer his footers and the house falls to the ground when high winds come.

Q: What is an XML Sitemap and why do I need one?

A: An XML sitemap is a webmaster tool that outlines all the pages in your web site and submits them to the search engines weekly. This is a page that is only available to the search engines and is not seen by you or your clients. Many web sites have a visible sitemap that is not approved as a webmaster tool and is not written in the proper language required by Google and Yahoo the number one and number two search engines in the world.

Q: What is Google , Bing and Yahoo image searching?

A: It became clear to Google , Bing and Yahoo that people remember 80 percent of what they see and that web sites are all about stimulating the eye like television does today. They created a search by images library that would enable a new doorway to open up into the way people locate services and solutions. In order to help the search engines webmasters must name or title the images so that the words assist the process. Google has people manually identifying images daily to also assist with this conversion process. We solve this by titling the images with the type of service and the geographic location you want work in.

Q: Will you share the Search Engine Words with us?

A: Yes we will edit the words and share them with you via email so that you can generate more web site visitors on your primary site.

Q:  How do we sign up?

A:  It is very easy to enroll.  Fill out the enclosed contract (use this pdf link ) including your company name, contact name, web address, e-mail, phone number, billing and mailing address, choose between the $500 and $1000 option, and enclose your payment or use this web link for secure on-line payment. 

We accept Visa, MasterCard , Discover or American Express. 

We commit to having your 5 web pages up within 7-10 working days.

We also commit to a phone call reviewing your contract within 24 hours. We do not automatically renew your subscription or retain your credit card information.

Q:  Do you have testimonials?

A:  We have plenty of satisfied clients since we launched this company in December of 2006. For a builder testimonial click to see and read Doug McSpadden, for a contractor click and read Stoneworks Design Group and for a Designer click to read Studio C.