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We are seeing more and more businesses websites start to integrate blogging into their overall strategic Web presence. After all, it can only make sense to stay in touch with customers as the market for whatever product or service your company provides also changes over time.

The Simmons and Fletcher Blog is one of the best examples I’ve seen in a long time of a relatively small local business, in this case a law firm located in Houston, Texas, proactively using a blog platform to enhance its marketing.

If you own a small business that might not seem particularly well-suited to supplying regular updates for your customers as to your business, I suggest you take a look at the execution on the Simmons and Fletcher site. It just shows you how a little creativity can not only serve to inform readers but also undoubtedly lead them to bookmarking this informative website in the event they should ever need a trial lawyer or a personal injury lawyer in Houston.

As is usually the case with blogs that are installed on a sub-directory of a larger website, the Simmons and Fletcher blog is built on WordPress, which in 2012 is by far the most popular blogging platform. There is exceptional execution here with social media icons and functionality built throughout the site and every single post.

One element of web design that is exploding in popularity recently is to include a YouTube video on the sidebar to accommodate potential clients who would rather watch than read. This design includes that feature, as well as a contact form and even a link to an iPhone app associated with the law firm!

Whether you are a small business owner who is interested in looking for some ideas as to properly constructing your new business website to optimize it for conversions, or a person who lives in or around Houston, Texas and you would like to keep the name of an apparently well-known local law firm specializing in personal injury and trial law, the Simmons and Fletcher website is definitely a Internet destination to take a look at, and bookmark.

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Flashpack at Forty is exactly the kind of website we love to review here at The Weblog Review. It is a product of the personal passion and lifestyle of its two writers–Craig and John–namely traveling around the world on a budget at an age when most people have settled into a slower pace and just a few weeks of vacation each year.

There are dozens of travel stories on the site, dating back to December of 2009, and I would defy anyone to read a few of them without beginning to wonder just how possible it would be to hit the road themselves. Even if you’re an armchair traveler however, a site like Flashpack at Forty is terrific for getting a feel for self-guided travel nowadays, and how you don’t have to be wealthy to explore the globe.

The tone of the writing is frank and humorous, with Craig and John being unafraid to share both the high points as well as the annoyances that come with seat-of-the-pants travel. These are real life adventures, and I found it refreshing and interesting to read of unexpected little travel tidbits such as the difficulty one should expect when trying to find a Japanese ATM that will dispense cash if you have a non-Japanese bank card!

One of the best things about Flashpack at Forty is the really outstanding photography on the site, accessible from a link to the image gallery in the navigation bar. The best websites today tell stories using more than just the written word, and the subject matter of the site is well-served by the photos one will find on it. In addition, the site is further proof of just how versatile and compelling the WordPress platform can be for people who are more interested in communicating than they are getting too bogged down in technology.

Flashpack at Forty is an interesting look at at the sort of traveling most people will never be lucky enough (or, brave enough?) to do, and if you have ever wondered what it would be like to see all the places you dreamed of as a child, no matter what age you are, I would recommend giving this terrific site a look.NULL