The Seattle Publishing Journal
2008-04-11

In the News

In March, Bicycle Paper expanded to a new region with its first editions of the Rocky Mountain Tour Guide and the Rocky Mountain Racing Guide. Similar to the well-known and respected Northwest Racing and Tour Guides, these new additions to the Bicycle Paper roster present comprehensive cycling information for recreational and racing enthusiasts. The guides feature a full calendar complete with description, location and contact details; they also highlight some events through the “closer look” section. The Tour Guide content includes articles, tips, regional clubs and commercial tour operator listings, while the Racing Guide showcases teams and riders in all disciplines of the sport. Both publications cover Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.

“With so many great tour and races in this area, we are thrilled to bring the concept of two of the Northwest’s most popular cycling publications to the Rocky Mountain region,” says Claire Bonin, editor and co-creator of the Guides. They are now available in various bike and multi-sport shops, and other locations throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Bicycle Paper’s newly redesigned website, bicyclepaper.com, has been launched and is now available for viewing. The site’s new construction focuses on easy-to-navigate features and database-fed content. Cyclists can use BicyclePaper.com to browse the Northwest’s most comprehensive events calendar (it also shows the Rocky Mountain events), utilizing search criteria based on date, name, type and location. A monthly calendar has been added to the design, and each event listing provides a detailed description when clicked on. The “Archives” section contains each issue published since 1995, and the “Galleries” page showcases photographs from various Northwest cycling events. The Northwest Tour and Racing Guides, as well as the Rocky Mountain Tour and Racing Guides, are available at the top of the page for download.

Project Highlight — InlineParts.com

Seattle Publishing has collaborated with Seattle Bike Supply (SBS) to create InlineParts.com, a cycling parts and accessories website. Working with SBS’ designers, Seattle Publishing developed a structure in the Gutenberg Publishing System® that allows them to control and assign product groups to the website’s navigation. This eliminates the need to duplicate information across the company’s various sites and publications, creating a more efficient process.

John Quattrocci of Seattle Bike Supply says of the collaboration, “We’ve got a history with working with Seattle Publishing, we feel comfortable when we’ve got a project like that knowing they understand what we’re looking for every time. It’s super easy to add or delete items from those sites just by clicking a single box, that’s been the biggest advantage for us. It allows us to really customize how the product is displayed on the website or catalog.”

Tips and Tricks — Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines

With all the buzz that’s currently going around about maximizing your website for search engines, don’t forget about the basics of marketing when it comes to promoting your website. Let’s begin with your company’s web address. We believe in the “Keep It Simple Stupid” (KISS) rule, which means that when selecting a web address, make sure it is easy to remember and easy to spell. Many web addresses try to be too clever, which makes it difficult for online users to just type it in. This results in fewer visits to the website.

Another suggestion is to promote your web address like you promote your business phone number. Keep it up front and center for your customers, and they will refer to your website more often. Some recent examples of this practice include publication covers, email signatures, business checks, etc. One bicycle company put their web address on the inside chainstay of one of their bicycles, which provided a prominent position that was creative and easy to see.

By following these simple suggestions, your website address (along with search engine optimization) can be an effective tool for reaching potential website visitors (and ultimately new customers).

Did You Know?

Seattle Publishing offers editorial and graphic internships to qualified individuals each academic quarter. These unpaid internships require a commitment of 15 to 20 hours per week, and provide hands-on experience in many aspects of the publishing field. Editorial interns research, write and edit for Bicycle Paper. Graphics interns build ads and graphics, scan photos, assemble pages and assist with the design of publications. The experiences that interns receive while at Seattle Publishing prepare them for success in the professional world. In fact, three of Seattle Publishing’s former interns have stepped into staff roles at the company, working in the production and editorial departments. Rick Peterson, Seattle Publishing’s Project Coordinator and former graphics intern, says “What attracted me to Seattle Publishing was that it was a small company that would offer me a chance to get practical working experience, doing many different things involved with desktop publishing/the graphic design industry.” For more information on Seattle Publishing’s internship opportunities, visit SeattlePub.com.

The Gutenberg Publishing System's^® namesake, Johannes Gutenberg, defined modern publishing when he blended 1400’s ink, type and mechanical technology to invent the moveable type press. With the same drive towards efficiency, Seattle Publishing’s database-driven system helps organizations manage their information and streamline the production process for print- and web-based publications.

Seattle Publishing, Inc. is a 36-year old company that blends current technology with time-tested publishing techniques. The company is a recognized leader in database-driven publishing and is constantly working to be the standard by which all competitors are compared.

Press Contact

Amber Zapffel
Seattle Publishing
206-903-1333
amber@seattlepub.com