With all the interest in QR codes, it is no surprise that Microsoft wanted a piece of the action. Enter the Microsoft Tag.
The Microsoft Tag is a high capacity color bar code and works much like a QR code. However, unlike QR codes which are typically black and white (though some sites offer an alternate color rather than black), the Microsoft Tag can be created to have two, four or eight colors in a triangular grid matrix. They are designed to support four types of content, with optional passwords for each:
URLs
Free text – up to 1,000 characters with password optional
Dialers – automatically dial the embedded number
vCard – the ability to upload all or part of a form’s information requirements
It has been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same and when it comes to business marketing, this is certainly true. After all, in days gone by businesses promoted their services primarily with printed advertisements in newspapers and magazines. Today, those marketing methods are still standard, but they are combined with additional media advertisements like social media sites, e-mail campaigns and television commercials. A newcomer to the marketing scene is the QR Code.
A very popular concept in the world of web design and internet marketing is the “Landing Page.” But what exactly is a landing page? While there is much discussion, there is not an exact definition. However, Dave Chaffey of SmartInsights defines landing pages as “Specific pages on a website created for visitors referred from marketing campaigns which are designed to achieve a marketing outcome.” Or, one could say a landing page is a place to get targeted online leads.
We’ve all been there. You need to have some work done on your home, and you want the job done well and for a price that will not break the budget. So, you start asking your friends about which company to call and before long, you’ve heard about several contractors-some of which received rave reviews and other comments warning of those companies to avoid. As long as there is commerce, this will be the case.
As one of the most popular content management systems used, WordPress
has been making headlines since its first release by Matt Mullenweg in 2003. It’s security and ease of use makes it ideal
for web designers who want their site to be flexible with all of the plugins available, yet is still simple enough for the beginning
blogger who just wants a place to update a few pages on their website occasionally.
You’ve worked hard to build your business. Your website is user-friendly and perhaps you even send out a monthly newsletter. However, despite all this, you still need more people to know about your company. What else can you do to draw the consumer’s attention? You need to use link bait! Just as an angler uses tantalizing flies and spinners to lure “the big one” to his hook, today’s web companies are using link bait to draw more customers their site. “So what is link bait?” you ask. Good question.
With the New Year just around the corner, perhaps you are thinking about the past 12 months and what changes there have been in your business. For instance, did your sales increase? Why or why not? What could you have done to attract more online customers? Perhaps, you had planned to start a newsletter, but…Yes, there are many aspects of having a successful business, and as the New Year approaches, this is a great time to set some new goals for 2011.
At Page Progressive we want to see your business not just survive but thrive. Our professional web designers can assist you in determining how to best use your time, efforts and energy to make your business all it can be. To get you started, here are 15 website resolutions your company may want to make for your company in 2011.
Ongoing social media maintenance. Just having a Facebook page is not enough. You need to spend time each week adding comments, polls, answering questions, posting promos, etc. This helps build a following and improves your presence on the web. Whether you spend time on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, the benefits are there. Just be sure that you don’t cannibalize other productive time.
Create link bait. Write (or have someone do it for you) informative articles that link to your website. Effective link bait articles can contain lists, eye catching titles that use high ranking keywords and contain useful information that others will want to link to or post on their site.
Newsletters and blogs. You want people to know who are and what you are doing. Whether you opt for a daily blog post, a weekly blog post, a newsletter each quarter or any other schedule, making yourself known through newsletters or blog posts is the online equivalent of a radio or TV commercial.
Implement SEO practices. Be sure your website is search engine optimized through keyword rich content, blog posts and new pages. Set aside time each month to explore additional keyword phrases you can optimize your site for. Use the new Google Instant Search or the Google Adwords Keyword tool for suggestions.
Think about the future. Spend time implementing long term strategies (white hat vs. black hat, link building) with consistent payoffs rather than short term goals with big payoffs.
Good Website usability is a must. Make sure that you spend time designing your site to be mobile device and local search friendly. After all, website usability by -regardless of the devices being used- will increase sales and keep your guests longer.
Make your site interesting to visitors by having tutorials, videos, infographics, e-books, and other features-this is especially helpful if these features are only available on your website!
If you already have a company newsletter, work on reducing your bounce rates by 20-40%.
Have a holistic approach to ecommerce. Combine SEO, social media and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to improve business.
Remember who and what is important. Spend time improving current projects and keeping current customers happy rather that chasing after new clients and beginning more projects.
Link building is a must! Focus on getting more organic links and less paid ones.
Get involved in your community, industry events, conferences, etc, so that others will know who you are and what you do.
Have back up. If you don’t have a backup system in place, make it a priority. Whether you opt for external hard drives or online back-up services, having backup copies of programs, sales, client info, etc. is vital. Also make sure your web host performs regular backups of all files and databases as well.
Delegation-delegation-delegation! Everyone has different skill sets. Some excel in writing, others in designing, some in programming, and so on. When people work on projects that fit with their strengths and skill set, then your company can more easily reach its full potential. If you don’t have the people to within your company, consider hiring someone else. If you don’t know what skill sets your employees posses consider purchasing the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, (Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton) so that you and your employees can take the Gallup strengthfinder.com profile test.
Pay attention to what is happening in the world of the web and how it relates to business. According to Adam Audetter, there are 3 primary focuses for business trends. Paying attention to them can make or break your business goals. These focuses are:
Prices– The Internet has made comparison shopping easier than ever and customers are moving away from brand loyalty and toward price loyalty. Today’s consumers are looking for deals, discounts, coupons, incentives, free shipping and other reasons to support a specific site or product. E-commerce sites need to do everything possible to reach and retain customers.
Use visual aids– A study by comSense showed that using video as a part of online shopping made sales 64% more likely to occur and that site guest stayed at least 2 minutes longer on the site.
Keep up with trends in technical SEO. Just as Google Instant was released in September of 2010, Bing is going to officially support the "rel canonical" Meta tag in January or February. Unfortunately, Bing is not likely to be able to support cross domain "rel canonical" implementations. The best tool for SEO in regards to Bing is the Bing Webmaster Toolbox. Companies who wish to have a visible presence on the web need to be aware of this and any other technical SEO changes, so they can have the greatest impact possible.
Depending on your business, there may be other new year’s resolutions you may need to include, these are just some to get you started. It is ultimately up to you to determine which of the resolutions you will focus on. According to PC World.com the following pitfalls should be avoided in making New Year’s resolutions:
Having too many. Rather than setting so many goals that you can’t keep up then feeling like a failure, pick New Year’s resolutions that are actually achievable. If you have a number of goals for the year, consider grouping them into manageable sets and focus on each group over a set period of time.
Be sure the goal is clearly defined and understood by all those responsible for accomplishing them.
Assessment. Take the time-whether weekly, monthly, or otherwise to assess how you are doing in achieving a particular goal. Make notes of what is, or is not, working.
At Page Progressive, we would love to sit down and help you assess your site and determine what your focus and goals for the New Year should be. We have the people available to see that your website meets all the latest web standards as well as writers, designers and graphic artist who would love to take your business to the next level. You can look us up on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or check out our portfolio to see what we can do to help you realize your New Year’s resolutions for 2011.
There is much more to successful link building than implementing the steps mentioned in the first part of this series on link building. Yes, you want to develop as many links to your site as possible, but you want quality, not just quantity. Here some things to keep in mind, if you are concerned about the value of your links.
What Makes Your Link Valuable
Just having links to your page is not enough. You want the link to bring the best return possible. To do that, be sure these elements are a part of the link building process:
Website Age – A link from an older website is more valuable than one from a new website.
Page Rank – The higher the page rank of a site that links with you the more significant the link. Check out the Google Toolbar for your browser to check on a site’s page rank (PR) score.
Link Source – Links from .gov and .edu are more valuable that links from .net or .com; however, the links from .gov are difficult, though not impossible, to get.
Anchor Text – Be sure your anchor text uses your site’s most competitive keywords and variations of them.
Link Position – Links at the top of an article are better than those at the bottom.
Relevance – This is a link from a site related to your own; a relevant link from a site with a lower PR is actually more valuable than one with a higher PR but of little relevance.
Does Your Link Pass Value?
If you want to check out your links values, then Gyutae Park of Winning the Web (Great site on Internet marketing) suggests the following:
Create a link on the target location with anchor text and a unique modifier. Be sure that the word is a somewhat related keyword, but not found on your actual website. (e.g. Page Progressive + decorating)
If after a time, if the page on your site that is linked with that particular term is being ranked for the term used, then the link is successful. Once it’s determined to be worthwhile, then change the anchor text on the link back to something more relevant if you can.
How to Tell if Your Link has been devalued by Google
Obviously, the goal of link building is to drive more traffic to your site so that your business will grow. So, with all the work you are doing to improve your business through link building, you want the work to be appreciated by search engines like Google. To see if your hard work is paying off, here are a few things you can do to see if it the links have been devalued rather than appreciated.
Page rank is low; although Page Rank is not quite as important as it was once thought to be, if your site is ranked lower than expected, you want to check your site for problematic links such as obvious paid links or duplicate content on your site.
Crawl rate. Thought by some to be the new PR, crawl rates indicate how often Google reads (or indexes) your sites. This can be checked by checking the Cache Rate link next to the search listing. If it is more than a month old, it’s assign that the page is not indexed very often.
Location of the link makes a difference. Google prefers links in the body of page rather than the sidebar or footer.
Link building is one of the most valuable tools in your website’s Internet Marketing tool bag. Make sure that you are using the right tools for the job you want to accomplish. If you are not certain about doing the task on your own, Page Progressive will be glad to help. You can contact us from our website or via Facebook or Twitter. We would love to hear from you!
With all the interest in QR codes, it is no surprise that Microsoft wanted a piece of the action. Enter the Microsoft Tag.
It has been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same and when it comes to business marketing, this is certainly true. After all, in days gone by businesses promoted their services primarily with printed advertisements in newspapers and magazines. Today, those marketing methods are still standard, but they are combined with additional media advertisements like social media sites, e-mail campaigns and television commercials. A newcomer to the marketing scene is the QR Code.
A very popular concept in the world of 
We’ve all been there. You need to have some work done on your home, and you want the job done well and for a price that will not break the budget. So, you start asking your friends about which company to call and before long, you’ve heard about several contractors-some of which received rave reviews and other comments warning of those companies to avoid. As long as there is commerce, this will be the case.
As one of the most popular 
You’ve worked hard to build your business. Your website is user-friendly and perhaps you even send out a monthly newsletter. However, despite all this, you still need more people to know about your company. What else can you do to draw the consumer’s attention? You need to use link bait! Just as an angler uses tantalizing flies and spinners to lure “the big one” to his hook, today’s web companies are using link bait to draw more customers their site. “So what is link bait?” you ask. Good question.
With the New Year just around the corner, perhaps you are thinking about the past 12 months and what changes there have been in your business. For instance, did your sales increase? Why or why not? What could you have done to attract more online customers? Perhaps, you had planned to start a newsletter, but…Yes, there are many aspects of having a successful business, and as the New Year approaches, this is a great time to set some new goals for 2011.
There is much more to successful link building than implementing the steps mentioned in the