Is Google Taking Advantage of You? And Is That So Wrong?

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for Albany Web Design (and Albany SEO)

When you're Googling something, do you ever stop to think about who else knows you're Googling it?

Relax, I'm not trying to start any mass paranoia about Big Brother or anything like that. What you search for is probably just between you and Google.

But it is between you and Google. And everything you type into Google, along with everything your Google accounts do, joins Google's massive pool of information.

Endless Supply of Data...Courtesy of Us

Think of how much information Google is able to collect every day. Between activity in Google accounts, data collected through Google Analytics, and just plain old Googling, internet users yield an astounding amount of information to the company around the clock.

Once this information is gathered, Google can connect the dots and identify trends, which in turn allows the company to make improvements. So by utilizing Google in all its forms, we're giving the company the information it needs to build itself up even more. And we're giving them this data free of charge.

Or Are We Returning the Favor?

It's kind of an eerie feeling to realize that you and everyone else you know is freely giving away important and sometimes personal information to a major company each and every day. Of course, the reason we're giving it to them is because we're using their services...which are pretty amazing. Even as just a search engine, Google is top of the line, but when you throw in Gmail, Google Chrome, Google Analytics, Google Earth, Google Docs, Google Alerts...there really are a lot of phenomenal features. And we're giving Google that information for free while we're using all of the services Google provides...for free.

Maybe Google's using us for our data. Or maybe we're using Google for its powerful capabilities. Or maybe we're just working together.

Design For Conversions with CTAs

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for Albany Web Design (and Albany SEO)


Website design is an art not to be overlooked. The design encourages visitors to explore the website and can assist in making it “user friendly.” The design can also help increase the conversion rates of calls to action (CTAs). Your CTA is more than just the words that comprise it. Its success is also based on how easily it is found in your website design.

When creating your website design, be mindful of the content that will be on the page. Consider how a person will read the content, and place the CTA in a place the eye naturally travels to. Typically, this is the right hand margin of your webpage. Design a special section for the CTA to increase click-through rates.

Separate your CTA from the rest of the copy by using different font styles and colors. Create a clickable link that is bolder than the rest of the font. Of course, make it fit with the general aesthetic of your site, but don’t make it difficult for your reader to find.

Don’t wait until the end of the page to highlight your CTA. Place it throughout the copy, and make sure your reader doesn’t have to scroll down endlessly in order to identify it.

As a final tip, use an image-based link instead of a text-based link. It will increase the “clickable” area the link has and will help the CTA stand out from the rest of the design and content.

Design and content are simultaneous processes that should coordinate to help boost CTA visibility. By knowing what language and how much space is provided on your website, your CTA will have the best chance for being found and followed.

Digital Distribution and You

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for Albany Web Design (and SEO!)



Remember video stores?

Or when the only way to buy the music you loved was to drive to the record store?

Technology has turned the music and movie rental industries upside down.  And the e-book craze is spreading like wildfire. And it looks like the video game industry is on its way to making the big transition from physical media to digital media as well.

Advances in technology have always moved toward making things smaller and more powerful. And since there's nothing smaller than invisible, it makes sense that eventually anything that didn't have to exist physically would take on digital form.

What Digital Distribution Means For Your Business

If your company is part of one of the industries that has already taken the leap into digital distribution, then certainly you're familiar with the way it's changing your world. If you haven't done so already, you need a plan for how you're going to keep up with your competitors by digitizing your business.

But let's say you're not involved in an industry where digital distribution has taken over. Let's say you're a hair stylist. Digital distribution doesn't affect you, right? You obviously can't offer a digital haircut, right?

Or can you?

Sites like this one provide users with the opportunity to upload photos of themselves and see how various hairstyles will look on them. Why couldn't you have a similar application on your site? Or instead of reinventing the wheel on your own site, you could just provide links on your website to existing sites like that one. You could even set up a computer in your salon and allow customers to surf sites that provide this service (provided that you choose sites that allow for commercial use, of course).  To make your waiting area more fun, you could even have your clients design a digital hairstyle for you before you provide them with a real one!

What I'm getting at is that even if your industry doesn't seem to lend itself well to digital distribution, there are probably ways you can make your business more digital. Whether it's making use of fun websites or apps related to your specialty, setting up an online ordering system to replace a printed order form, or offering digital coupons, there are ways to take advantage of the digital world that's developing. And even though making changes like these might not revolutionize the way you do business, they will give your company a Netflixy, iTunesy, 2011-ey “cool” factor.

Has Marketing Hijacked Social Media?

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)


Social media sites started out as a way for people to connect to people. For college kids to keep in touch with their friends from high school. For cousins living on different continents to catch up. For people to get 284 happy birthday messages from around the country. For friendly, happy socialization and fun.

But it wasn't long before social media became more than just a free fiesta.

Little by little, marketers started getting in on the party. Now, businesses everywhere have social media accounts. And meanwhile, Facebook takes the details that individuals supply on their profiles and decorates the sides of their pages with advertisements that match up with their interests. So what was once a way for friends to socialize is now another way that advertisers are getting their messages to us.

If You Can't Beat 'Em...Join 'Em

Whether you feel good, bad, or indifferent about the commercialization of social media sites, one thing is clear – if you want to keep pace with your competition, it's in your best interest to take advantage of the entrance of marketing into the social media world.

Here's what joining the social media marketing party can do for you.

1. Show potential clients how modern and tech-savvy you are. Being part of the social media scene gives your company credibility as a business that is in tune with the way people live in 2011.
2. Connect you with your clients – for free. Having social media accounts can keep your clients up to date with what you're doing and keep your company present in their minds. All for free.
3. Allow you to advertise to the right people at the right time. Facebook offers PPC-style ads that appear on the screens of Facebook users who meet certain criteria – criteria you can select. There really is no better way to reach exactly who you want to reach.

Maybe marketing has hijacked social media sites. But marketing has a way of making its way into most types of entertainment. From sports arenas to movies to holiday light displays, advertising and fun seem to go hand in hand. And you know what? No one really seems to mind. People still watch TV and read magazines even though they are littered with ads. And people will still use social media sites if they have to share them with marketers. Facebook and Twitter have already made room for millions of friends ready to socialize and businesses ready to do business.  And there's plenty of room for you too.

HTML5, Coming Soon...ish

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)


There are new standards for hypertext markup language in the works. (Translation: You know that gibberish that web designers type to make a web page happen? Well, that gibberish is going to be replaced with somewhat different gibberish.)

Geeky web designer types like us get ridiculously excited by all this. But if you're not into web design, we can see why it might not top your list of things to think about.

Still, once HTML5 is completely in place, there will be some differences in how websites work, and that could be relevant to you, both because you're the owner of a website and because you're presumably a surfer of the world wide web. This article by Kevin Purdy does a nice job of laying out some of the features that will affect the average web user.

Here's a recap of a few of the features the article highlights.

• Get ready for a better video experience. When HTML5 is in place, it will handle videos better, making it possible for them to work well without the use of Flash Player.
• Store more of the internet experience offline. You know how the cookies on your computer save little pieces of the internet to make it run faster? HTML5 will make a lot more of the internet accessible in offline situations.
• The world wide web will know where to find you. Thanks to geolocation capabilities, websites will know where you are and may tailor their features to you accordingly.

 

And when is this all happening? Some browsers actually allow some of the new features to work already. But according to this site, we've got awhile to wait until HTML5 takes over the web.

How Do Search Engines Work?

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)
They could tell us, but then they'd have to kill us.

The details on how search engines work are closely guarded secrets, so unfortunately we can't give you the WHOLE story.

But here are the basics.

It's All About the Algorithms...

Complicated algorithms determine which sites make the search results, no matter which search engine you're talking about. They take into account a number of factors, including how often your keywords appear in the text of your page, how your website's meta info is set up, and how many links to your site are out there on the web.

Of course, Bing's algorithms are different from Google's. So the same page could be ranked differently on each search engine. And these algorithms are constantly changing, so the same page can move around on the search results list of the same search engine over time.

...Except When It's Not

But having a website that aligns wonderfully with a search engine's algorithm is not the only way to get your business to pop up during a search. Algorithms govern “organic” search results – the “regular” search results that are generally found in the center of your results screen. But you'll notice that when you use a search engine to look for something, those “regular” results aren't all you see.

For instance, if you're using Google, you'll often see special links on the top and/or right side of your screen. Those are pay-per-click advertisements, often from companies whose website wouldn't make it to the top of the list naturally. You'll also see “Local Listings” – businesses who have registered with Google Maps and optimized those listings. So while getting your website to cater to the complex algorithms is important to ranking higher, there are other ways you can improve your odds of getting your business noticed on the web.

At the end of the day, there's a lot that goes into determining whether your website gets a place in the spotlight on the search results page.  Those crazy magic formulas...the recent changes to how the Google Maps listings show up...the challenge of nailing down the right keywords for PPC ads...it can be enough to make you pull your hair out. And that's why it's so important to hook your business up with someone who lives and breathes SEO. No one knows everything about how search engines work...but we know enough to make them work for you.

You Should Have a Favicon

Original Article from IntelliSites, the smart choice for web design (and SEO!)


Little details separate good websites from the not-so-good ones.   And one little detail that can help your website to shine is a unique favicon.

Favicons are those tiny little pictures that show up on the browser's tab right next to the title tag. When you add a website to your Favorites list, its favicon shows up there as well. They're teeny, but they can make a big difference.

Here's Why

Visit the website of any major company, and chances are, you'll find it has a favicon. Your clients are used to seeing them as they travel around the web, and by adding one to your site, you're adding to the “professional” feel your website gives off.

Favicons are often designed to look like the company's logo, so enhancing your website by adding one can also provide more subtle advertising opportunities for you. Whenever a client visits your site or even sees your website on his Favorites list, that little favicon acts as a visual aid that will remind your client of your company.

Giving Your Site Something Extra

Any of the “extras” that go along with a website are optional. Some websites have blogs, e-commerce capabilities, “contact us” forms, favicons, and other features, and some don't.

Of course, even having a website for your business in the first place is optional.

But if you're here reading this, chances are, you have a website or are well on your way to having one, which means we don't have to convince you that it's important to reach out to potential customers and show off your business in the best possible light.

So why not ask your web design team to give your website a little extra awesomeness with an easily designed, easily implemented, mini-masterpiece known as a favicon?