Kiss Your Flash Goodbye

Published by in New & Emerging Technologies, Web Site Tips on September 23rd, 2011

Well, it’s official – last week Microsoft announced that the upcoming release of Internet Explorer (IE 10) will not support Adobe Flash.  Instead, IE 10 will join some other popular devices (such as iPads and iPhones) that do not support Flash technology.  So if you have a Flash-based website for your business, it will soon become useless to an even larger number of today’s web users.

We’ve been advising against Flash-based websites for years, since they are typically complicated, difficult to update/maintain, and slow to download.  But more importantly, Flash-based sites are invisible to search engine spiders because the spiders cannot read or index proprietary Flash programming. 

Last year, Apple’s Steve Jobs cited Flash’s poor performance on mobile devices (such as significant battery strain, among other issues) as one of the reasons Apple products would no longer support Flash. Jobs noted that “Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice,” and stated that this older plug-in technology is not needed to run Apple’s new mobile devices.

Apple V.P. Danny Winokur points out, however, that Flash content will still be visible in desktop versions of IE 10 (but not visible on mobile devices, smart phones, tablets, etc.).

So when it comes to Flash, small businesses need to be aware that this legacy plug-in technology is becoming more of a problem all the time. If your business has a Flash-based website, or if your website relies heavily on Flash animation or programming, now is the time to plan ahead.  Upgrading to a standards-based site could help your business gain additional visibility on the web today, and prevent you from being inaccessible to your customers tomorrow.

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Beyond Your Website: 5 Ways to Improve Search Rankings

Published by in Marketing & Advertising, Search Engine Optimization on September 23rd, 2011

A few years ago, standard SEO techniques such as on-page keyword densities and link-building programs were very effective in helping small business websites improve their rankings in the search results.  Today, however, optimizing your website using only standard techniques is just not enough – the search engines now evaluate a multitude of additional factors to determine whether your website will be listed on page 1 or page 101 (or worse!).

So what does this mean for your business? It means that Google and the other search engines look for ranking signals not only from your optimized website, they also look at other sources all over the web.

So what can your small business do to build a stronger online presence? Here are 5 things to try:

1.  Get Social Now!
Search engines now use social “content” in search results (e.g., “sharing” on Facebook, re-tweets on Twitter, etc.).  However – don’t just slap together a business profile or two on the social sites!  To be truly effective, your social profiles should match your existing branding (colors, logo, message), and you must have a solid going-forward strategy for providing valuable content and connecting with customers. A social profile that just sits there (or spews pre-canned robo-posts) provides little value to visitors or to the search engines trying to evaluate your online relevance.

2.  Get Blogging
Blogs are great for attracting search engines, since they are updated often and contain lots of content for search engine spiders to index. Blogs are also extremely popular with users, and can be a great source of additional web traffic and new leads. In addition to posting on your own blog, be sure to visit other industry blogs and participate in those conversations as well. Leave comments and feedback, and always include a link back to your own blog in your signature. Remember, however, you need to add something useful – don’t self-promote or advertise your business on someone else’s blog.

3.  Build a Content Pipeline
Create a “Content Pipeline” (similar to a sales pipeline or editorial calendar) and fill it with pre-planned marketing activities. Start by adding at least one online marketing activity per week; e.g., post an article on your blog, post a useful tip on your Facebook wall, tweet a link to your monthly special, etc. Keep your content pipeline filled so your customers and the search engines will always find fresh, new, useful information across all your online “properties” on a regular basis.

4. Send Out Press Releases

Today, online press outlets accept press release submissions from all types of businesses, large and small. One of the key benefits of using online outlets for press releases is that even if your news isn’t “picked up” by a major news site, it can still generate some new, high-quality inbound links back to your website. It also gets your business name and message out to a variety of quality websites, improving your overall visibility and credibility online.

5. Integrate Your Online Marketing
Integrating your website, social profiles, blog, etc. is really the key to creating and maintaining an effective online presence for your business.  Be sure to add your social networking links to your website, create custom pages in Facebook, use widgets and apps that allow you to cross-promote, take advantage of RSS feeds, etc.  All of your online properties should form one seamless, branded experience for visitors (and search engines) that shows your business is relevant, engaging, and visible online through more than just your website

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Go Mobile or Fall Behind

Published by in Mobile Web & Tech, New & Emerging Technologies on June 14th, 2011

As you already know by now, your customers are using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn in record numbers.  So if you aren’t up and running with a well-managed social marketing program by now, you may want to hurry up, because the “next big thing” – Mobile – is already here and being adopted at a staggering rate. 

 Mobile Web is Critical for your Business

In fact. “half of all Americans [are] predicted to have a smartphone by the end of the year,” according to Google AdWords Account Manager, Martina Agarpakis. 

What are customers using their mobile devices for? The web, of course! They are surfing websites, posting to social networks, following Twitter, watching what their friends “Like”, purchasing daily deal coupons, texting, and sharing information with other users all over the web – right from their mobile phones, iPads, and tablet devices.

So ask yourself, how is your mobile web experience for your customers? If you don’t provide a mobile option for customers, you may already be driving away customers who could otherwise be requesting more info, making purchases, or engaging with you via mobile technology.

A Mobile Presence is Becoming Essential

When is the last time you saw someone without a mobile phone?  Most people today carry a mobile phone with them wherever they go, even using it when they are at home.  Mobile is a direct connection to your customers, and a highly personal medium that can help build and maintain strong relationships with customers. 

Research predicts that by 2013, mobile devices will be the “first-screen” that consumers will use to access the web, so make sure your business is ready for this shift in how customers will find, interact, and do business with you.

How to Get Started with Mobile

There are three important points to keep in mind when planning a mobile strategy for your business: 

  1. From social to mobile to email, 78% of consumers today use multiple channels and devices to browse, research, and make purchases online.  Make sure that your main business website, e-newsletters, e-campaigns, etc. can all be accessed via mobile devices, as well as from a PC.
  2. Integrate your mobile “assets” (like a mobile-enabled website) into your other marketing materials. For instance, use QR codes on printed brochures to lead customers to your mobile site or to a cool video showcasing your business.
  3. Use mobile technology to improve or enhance the user’s experience with your business.  If you offer coupons, would your customers appreciate receiving them on their smartphones?  How about mobile appointment scheduling?  Mobile technologies have opened up an entirely new set of tools and conveniences for customers on the go, so be creative with your thinking.

Consumers today expect instant, anywhere, anytime communication, and they expect businesses to keep up.  Providing a mobile web experience gives customers a direct connection to your business, and demonstrates your commitment to meeting their needs and making it easy to do business with you – regardless of the channel, device, or technology they use.

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Google’s Farmer Update: Why Great Web Content Matters

Published by in Search Engine Optimization on April 8th, 2011

By now you’ve probably heard of Google’s latest update to its search algorithm (referred to as the “Farmer” update or the “Panda” update) that was intended to knock low-quality “content farms” out of the top search rankings. Apparently, the update was successful in removing a number of annoying, low-quality content farm websites from popping up at the top of the Google search results pages. This is great news for users who want better, more relevant search results, and also for businesses and organizations that already provide high-quality, useful content on their sites.

Knocking Out Content Farms

Content farms are typically defined as websites with very little original content, or sites that contain mostly “shallow, low-quality” content. This includes certain types of content writing services, article directories, and the websites and e-newsletters that re-publish this type of pre-canned content. This content is now being flagged in Google, so it can be dropped in the search results in favor of sites that publish useful, high-quality content; especially original content.

URL Blocking

Google is getting serious about rewarding websites that publish top-quality content, and the Farmer update was just one of the recent initiatives Google has implemented toward that goal. Last week, Google also added a new feature that lets users actually block websites that they do not want included in their search results, called URL Blocking.

To use URL Blocking, a user must be logged into his or her Google account, and then perform a search. After clicking on a result and clicking “Back” to the Google results page, Google adds a new link beside the “cached” link at the end of the listing that reads “Block all [name of site] results.” Users can click this link to block the site from showing up again in their search results.

So far, Google says it will not be using the domains that users block as a ranking factor, but also said it will evaluate whether this would be useful for ranking websites in the future. So even if you are getting good positions in Google right now, your website had better contain great content, or users could simply choose to block your website from showing up in their results – and Google will know about it. What Google ultimately does with the information remains to be seen, but don’t be surprised if it becomes a quality score or ranking signal of some sort.

Great Content is More Important Than Ever

The recent updates at Google underscores the need for your business to consistently offer high-quality, useful web content, or risk being dropped from the search results altogether. However, it also provides a unique opportunity for your business to gain significant ground in the search positions by ensuring your website has good-quality, search-friendly content on every page. If you would like your website to rise – not fall – in the search engine rankings, consider these tips:

  1. If you use a content writing service or re-publish articles as content on your website, be careful. Pre-canned content (like content produced by companies like Demand Media and eHow articles) are thought to be big targets of these new Google quality initiatives.
  2. If your website has old content, hasn’t been updated in a while, or has very little index-able content on the pages, it’s time to fix it. Pages with only a couple of paragraphs of text, or pages with stale content, are going to be dropped in favor of pages that have fresh content and top-quality information, articles, and other original material.
  3. Whatever else you do, your site must still be properly coded and optimized to be read and indexed correctly in the search engines, and you must have lots of quality inbound links pointing to your site. Those criteria have not changed. But now, you must also pay attention to the quality (and frequency) of the content being added to your website on a regular basis.

So if you’re not sure how (or if) the Farmer update affected your search engine rankings, now is the time to run some SEO reports and find out! (NOTE: Scan the QR code in the “Surprise SEO Discount Offer,” above, to save $100!)

It is also time to make sure your website has plenty of interesting, high-quality information that users will find compelling. Make a plan for adding great content to your website at least monthly, and make sure that your content is fresher and of better quality than what your top competitors provide. Websites that do not have fresh, useful content are going to be dropped from the search results – don’t let your site be one of them.

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QR Codes: A Hot Trend Getting Hotter!

Published by in Marketing & Advertising, New & Emerging Technologies on March 25th, 2011

In the January 2011 issue of Biz Talk, we gave you a little background on QR codes, and showed you five ways to use them to market your business (you can refresh your memory here). QR codes are catching on fast – a recent survey from Mobio revealed a 1200% increase in QR code usage during the last three months of 2010. In this article, we’re going to share some more examples of creative and innovative ways to use QR codes and help you learn more about one of the hottest marketing trends online today!

QR codes are showing up in all sorts of new and clever places, like on the back of this t-shirt at the recent MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Forum. It reads “R U Following Me?” with a large QR code printed directly underneath. (Photo courtesy of Aneta Hall’s blog.)

Although these codes are popping up everywhere, businesses must think of ways to implement QR codes so they provide something truly valuable to users. A business that simply re-directs a QR code to its website home page is missing the point. Using QR codes gives you a chance to truly impress and engage your users anywhere, and gives them something of value in exchange for interacting with your business.

To help encourage your creative thinking, here are some other clever examples of using QR codes:

New York City is now implementing QR codes on City building permits. This will enable residents to scan the code on the permit and get instant details on the project, read complaints that have been filed or violations that have been found, or log a complaint of their own.
Self-guided tours, walking trails, or historical attractions can be enhanced with QR codes. Scan the code to get more details, watch a video of an expert speaking, or get a special offer on related merchandise or events associated with the site.
Image compliments of www.nationalparkinteractive.com
At a conference, a QR code at the building’s entrance could deliver the day’s agenda, and QR codes outside seminar rooms could give users access to the start time of the next session, topic details, or a video of the speaker.

 
At public transportation stops like train or subway stations and bus stops, QR codes could be used to provide real-time info on current scheduling delays or alternate routes.
Image compliments of www.mobilestance.com
At a grocery store, QR codes beside a product could give users access to recipes that use that product, or to suggest related items and “go-withs”.
Image compliments of www.vestcom.com
Add a QR code to your vehicle’s commercial lettering that takes users to a mobile-enabled landing page with online meeting scheduling and other contact mechanisms – much cooler than dialing an 800 number or leaving a voice message!
On cocktail napkins at an event, a printed QR code could give users access to digital coupons for drink specials (compliments of your company) that can be redeemed at the event.
Image compliments of www.napkinsonly.com
Recently on the Jimmy Fallon show, the musical guest was introduced with Fallon holding up a large QR code (instead of holding up the CD or album cover) that when scanned, took viewers to a video clip of the musical guest’s latest release.
Image compliments of YouTube

QR codes are helping users connect the physical world with the digital world. You no longer need to be sitting in front of your computer to access information on the web; you can now access it from anywhere using a smart phone and other mobile devices. QR codes make accessing this information faster, easier, and more valuable for users, and provides businesses with trackable, measurable marketing data.

With the growing popularity of QR codes, now is the perfect time to explore using them to provide real value and convenience to your customers. It’s only a matter of time before these codes are part of our daily lives, so make sure your business is ready.

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