When I started designing websites about 10 years ago, it was all about design. Make it pretty and then, almost as an afterthought, just slap the content into the white spaces. Now content is the driving force and motivating factor. It drives the visual design, the page layout and the site architecture. Why? Because the internet is now so densely populated that if your content does not immediately engage, you may as well be invisible. Web-ready content - well-written, searchable, scan-able, keyword loaded and subtitled is key to the success of your site. So when approaching a design or redesign effort, we start with content and let it inform the other aspects of the process.

Design equates to trust. People make decisions about you the minute they land on your site. It takes them about 0.05 seconds to decide if your site is visually appealing. Don't squander that first impression. If your site looks unprofessional, opinions will be formed about the quality of your work and the professionalism of your business.

After the movie Julie and Julia came out, inquiries about blogs skyrocketed. This led me to do a little research on blogging and I've compiled 10 tips for successful blogs (most of the tips are just as important for successful websites).

1. Content is king - the quality of the posts you write is the single most important factor. This is true both for blog popularity and search optimization. Great content is shareable content, it gets around.
2. Titles and subtitles - Google pays particular attention to titles so make sure you get them right. Include keywords in your titles and subtitles.
3. And don't forget to include keywords in your posts, especially toward the top. However don't sacrifice good writing for keyword overloading.
4. Submit your blog to directories.
5. Images create impact - don't forget them. Whether it's a photo, or a graphic, it will keep the viewer's eye moving down the page.
6. Be generous - provide guest content on other blogs and the audience will follow you back. It's the quickest way to gain authority.
7. Comments build an online community. Work to elicit comments, and always respond.
8. Participate in forums - they help spark post ideas as you take note of the questions and concerns being voiced. It's also another way to build authority and relationships.
9. Summarize the post content in your first paragraph - this increases usability of blogs and websites
10. Consider twittering - it's a great way to listen, learn and network. And you can post a link to your latest blog entry on Twitter.