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One of the key points to remember when designing a video marketing strategy for your company or a client is to keep it short. Video has always been a most effective way to show and tell a story, but the general rules for online use of video clips differ from those of traditional video production.

When you think about Pepsi or Coca-Cola, you automatically think about soda, right? That’s the power of decades of strong branding in action. Both companies have spent countless years developing a brand identity that represents their products’ purpose, reputation and value. Even without decades of constant definition and refinement, a brand identity is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal of business tools.

Whether you're a business owner or a freelancer, you must associate yourself with the right people.

If you want writing jobs, learn how to say more with less verbiage. Writers love using language, but sometimes they go on a very circuitous journey to reach conclusions. Being able to get straight to the point is better. Learning how and why you should say more with less will improve your writing.

Homepage Makeover

Even if you have what they need, even if you believe your products are the best available or your services are unsurpassed, consumers have plenty of other websites they can visit. What they need is not to have their time wasted. They need to be able to get in and out of your website with the same expediency with which they can run into a convenience store.

Associating yourself with a brand name can boost your business prospects - even if you happen to be self-employed. Just as large corporations rely on successful branding for their continued success, building and growing your own personal brand can help you achieve greater success in gaining new opportunities throughout the creative field.

When Matt Cutts speaks, online marketers listen. Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team, recently gave a keynote speech at the Pubcon conference in Las Vegas where he outlined some of the key changes that are coming down the pipeline for the world’s biggest and most powerful search engine. In case you missed it, here’s a quick rundown on some of top takeaways from his speech.

Mobile Device Must-Haves

Designing websites specifically for mobile devices is currently one of the most rapidly growing web design careers. The large number of web users with mobile devices gives mobile developers strong reason to make websites easy to navigate and view with these devices. The primary factors that drive mobile design are the smaller display and lack of a mouse. Hongkiat.com discusses 10 tips for making websites more usable for mobile users, including screen size, breaking up pages and simplifying design. Here is a look at "mobile design must-haves":

You can also learn a lot from the failings of others. The good thing about this is that you don’t have to look far. They happen all the time, and many times on a grand scale.

What is Flat UI Design?

A flat user interface is a clean, simple approach to presenting information. A UI designer creates a flat UI design by displaying only essential information, which catches the user's attention quickly and motivates them to stay on the site longer. Software development firms are more likely to hire a web designer with experience in flat user interface design, due to the increasing popularity of this design technique. The Mobile Web Design Blog discusses the uses, advantages, and disadvantages of UI design.

You wouldn’t let a surgeon operate on you without certifiable credentials, or a “lawyer” who hasn’t passed the bar defend you in court, so why would you expect a person sitting at a computer somewhere to have faith in your expertise? Sure, you can throw up an "About Me" page that tells people who you are, what you do, and why you’re qualified in your field - and you should - but the next step is to build your online portfolio and give potential customers insight into why they should choose you over the next search result that comes up.

In every professional life, an opportunity to go above and beyond normal output often comes along. No matter your professional circumstances, you have a choice to make when the opportunity involves something undesirable or inconvenient. You can opt to ignore the job or take it on and dig in to do your best at something others avoid.

In days of old, when blogging online involved stuffing keywords, duplicating existing articles, and a small measure of personalized content, search engines permitted a broad and general approach to website design, content and focus. But search engines evolved and grew. Intelligent search algorithms‎ reshaped the age of information sharing. Readers learned to demand and to expect better management, grouping and presentation of data resources. Sharing digital data now demands a new level of expertise.

Mobile shopping is booming. And all indications point to that boom only continuing to increase in size. According to statistics, mobile purchases accounted for 11 % of all online sales in 2012. This year, that number is up to 17 % – accounting for close to $40 billion in sales. In another four years, it’s expected that fully one quarter of all online sales will be made from mobile devices. What do these stats mean for you? They mean that if you run an online business and haven’t yet optimized your website for mobile use, it’s time to get moving.

Having a clear, compelling About Me page on your professional website may not seem that important. Especially not when you’re embroiled in the midst of trying to design a site that’s "sticky" and functional.