Top Takeaways from The Partner Event

The Partner Event this past week was a blast for us at Azox who were fortunate enough to participate. We thought we would go over the top three reasons why The Partner Event was a worthwhile time for us.

1. A Boatload of Workshops and Valuable Keynotes
   

   With specific tracks for Marketing, Sales and Leadership there was no shortage of sessions that helped each member of our team gain new insights as to how to better market and sell our product as well as lead our organization forward. In addition, the keynotes provided attendees with knowledge of how to engage a company's workforce to ensure workers are satisfied at work. Other areas of focus during the keynote centered on the economy and the difficulties many companies faced in regards to innovating in a down economy and what companies need to do post survival to move ahead. Each of the workshops were worthwhile investments that are sure to give each of our team members the ability to reevaluate where we are as a company and how we can better run our organization.
   

2. Network and See People You Haven't' Seen in a While
   

   Perhaps the best part of The Partner Event is networking with other members of the Microsoft Dynamics Partner community. For many members of our team it was their first Partner Event and interacting with people that they work with really helps connect the dots better and assist in developing a deeper connection with others. Whether it was meeting other ISVs or VARs it's great to be able to talk to one another, exchange best practices and learn what other companies are doing to market themselves.
   

3. You Get to Have Fun
   

   Putting all the other important stuff aside perhaps the most enjoyable part of this year's Partner Event was the Welcome Reception which was held at the Fargo Billiards and Gastropub, which is dubbed as the largest pool hall in the western hemisphere. We found it to be a great way to meet other Microsoft Partners, network and challenge them to a friendly game of pool. In addition, there was a themed beach party as well as a live local band called The Shakers. Even though The Partner Event is place to network and learn, we found the activities were setup so well that you found it impossible not to meet, talk and have fun with other attendees.
   

So there you have it, the top takeaways of The Partner Event this year and the major reasons why Azox continues to sponsor and attend every year. Look forward to seeing you next year.

Find Us At the Partner Event

Partner Event in Fargo, ND from September 19-21. The Partner Event is the premier opportunity for Microsoft Dynamics Partners to build sales, marketing, and leadership skills by networking and learning from each other and industry experts. We look forward to networking with other Microsoft Dynamics Partners and learning from industry experts on what the industry future holds and how to prepare for upcoming changes. We will be posting our top takeaways from the event next week, so stay tuned. For more information about the event visit http://www.thepartnerevent.com/

SEO Tips: Meta Description Tag

Even though the use of meta tags in determining ranking order by search engines has decreased in importance over the years, properly using the meta description tags is still a very good practice for a number of reasons.



The meta description, as highlighted above in orange, is located under the title tag on the search results page, and should appear between the tag in the HTML. A Meta Description Tag is important because it will describe your website in more detail than the title tag. It will appear on the search engine results pages (SERPs) of queried keywords so it is important to display them properly. Creating a well written description tag will help provide visitors information about your site and encourage them to click and explore for more details.

Tips for Meta Description Tags

• Keep Character Length in Mind - Just like title tags, search engines limit the number of characters that are displayed on the SERP. In the image above you will notice the description concludes with an ellipsis (...) suggesting there is more to the description that can't be displayed. It's generally recommended keeping character length between 140 - 160 characters to avoid having descriptive content that remains hidden.

• Use Keywords where Applicable - In addition, to correctly describing your page you want to make sure you are including keywords in appropriate places in the meta description tag. Taking the above snapshot from Dell as an example, the keywords laptops, desktops, monitors, and Dell are all used in the title tag and description tag.

• Provide a Summary of the Page's Content - Make sure that the meta description tags on each page properly describe the content that is located on that page. Content that is unrelated to what was described in the description will result in users exiting the page.

• Keep it Unique on Each Page - Similar to title tags, you want to make sure each page has a unique description so users are able to distinguish each page from one another. Avoid using one similar blanket description for each page.

To find out more SEO tips request Azox free SEO Guide.