Google Announces: Gmail Motion

The Future has arrived! In Gmail, you no longer have to use obsolete technology such as a mouse and a keyboard to write, compose, or reply to emails: you can do all of those simply by moving your body.

2011 It's Time for a Web Site Review!

Hello Friends,

With a new year just around a corner it’s time to review your website.

In October, we discussed the web site statistics that are available from your web hosting provider. This information told you how many people have been visiting your site and which pages they checked out. I invite you to dust off your web site statistics and take a look. If you are content with the quantity and quality of visits then read no more – we can talk in January.

Any of you left?

Let’s make the most out of the visitors that are already coming to your site and then you will be ready to improve your online marketing. Ready?

Let’s go to Google and find your web site. I want you to start @ Google (any search engine would work) to make sure you could be found if people don’t know your web site address. Enter “your company name” in the search box and click “search”. Find your business and click on it. If you aren’t there, we need to talk!! Side note: Google has a new “Instant Preview” You can click on the magnifying glass to take a peek at your website. You can learn more about this @ http://omoriginals.com/2010/11/google-is-it-again/.

As soon as a visitor clicks on your homepage you have 30 seconds or less to catch their attention. That’s because the average web site visit is less than 30 seconds…..Tick. Tock.

Here is a quick checklist to make the most of the visits you are getting:

1) Professionalism: Is your Logo/Company name professionally and prominently displayed? Are you impressed with your site?

2) What you Do: Are you clearly outlining what you do (your services) with links to learn more? Be sure to also include the regional area you service. This is VERY important for visitors and the search engines.

3) Who you Are: Assume that visitors have never heard of your company. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward. Educate them.

4) Call to action – Do you have a compelling offer or invitation for your visitor to do something? For example, Buy Something, Sign-up for eMail newsletter, Contact you, download a free report or any other value you can offer. > Check up on this page. Is it working? Are people clicking on this (check those web stats). Why or Why not? Is your offer still a good value? Consider changing your offer.

5) Fresh News – Here is a multiple choice test for you. If you have news to share should you publish it on; A) Your BLOG, B) Facebook, C) Twitter, D) LinkedIn, or in an E) eMail newsletter? If you know me, the answer is easy – “YES!, all of the above. ~:-) It takes a lot of work to create content so be sure to publish it efficiently and to as many eyes as possible.

6) Don’t make them scroll. All of your important stuff should be visible above “the fold”. Meaning they should be able to see it without scrolling. Scrolling vertically is ok, but make sure the 4 things aren’t buried. If they have to scroll to find stuff, they will won’t.

7) The death of Flash. Flash is a cool technology from Adobe. You can create beautiful slideshows and add some interesting interactivity to your site, but flash has two major issues that may lead to its demise.
a) Most mobile users can’t view Flash.
b) Search engines don’t really know what to do with Flash content (they are still working on this).

Ask your web site developer about alternatives to flash. Speaking of flash and mobile devices. How does your site look on a mobile phone? Note to omOriginals clients: We have a dynamic and affordable way to create a mobile version of your existing site. Contact us for the geeky details and pricing. ~:-)

WOW: We just made your site better to serve your visitors (and you). I encourage you to get on the line with your favorite webmaster and/or online marketer and to plan for a more prosperous new year. Work Smart and Play Hard in 2011!

Oscar Myre IV is the owner and Creativity Director at omOriginals Marketing in Longview, WA. He spends his free time playing with his family, running the lake or checking out new and splendiferously geeky toys. If you have questions regarding your web site, please call him @ 360-575-9839 or online: omOriginals.com

Google is @ it again.

Google is changing the the look of search.  The new “Instant Preview” allows web surfers to take a look @ your website before clicking on it.  I’ve seen them doing this in the past, but now it is official.  I encourage you to do a google search for your web site and see how it looks to you.

If it doesn’t put your best foot forward let us know, we can help.  ~:-) Here are a few links to learn more…

Article from Fast Company.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1701256/googles-instant-preview?partner=best_of_newsletter

Info from Google

http://www.google.com/landing/instantpreviews/

~:-)

Can you put a visitor counter on the web site?

Many of these geek speak articles are directly from my bag ‘o FAQs (frequently asked questions. So here is a question I was asked at least 2x last month…. “When you build my new site can you put a visitor counter on the web site?”

My answers goes a little something like this.

Yes, we can….but, there is an even better idea.

A web site visitor counter IS a visual way to show you the popularity or your web site. Unfortunately, they are terribly inaccurate AND everyone sees the results. A more modern approach is to have web site statistics. Here is what I like about website stats.

1. They are private. Only people with your account password can view your stats. Your visitors and your competitors don’t need to know your sites popularity.
2. Stats can show very detailed and specific information (more on this later)
3. Stats are archived over time so you can compare results chronologically. Let’s talk about stats. In order to view stats you first need to have a stats program or two installed. Ask your web host what they provide, if they don’t already have some installed I recommend you take a look at Google Analytics. For the sake of this article I’m not going to focus on any one stats program, but on the basics of what they record and what it all means.

When I hear people bragging out the web stats the will often talk about hits. They might say, “My site had 100,000 hits last month!”.

It sounds impressive, but what does it mean? The short answer is hits are just big numbers to impress people who don’t know what numbers really matter. But, this number won’t impress you because YOU are more interested in “Unique Visitors”, “Number of Visits”, Page Views, Hits & Bandwidth.

Unique Visitors: is a computer that goes to your site during a current time period. So if I visit your site, I will be tracked as a Unique Visitor. (Who are you calling unique, ha ha). If I like your site and return an hour later to your site, my “Visits” will be tracked and your stat software will recognize me as the same unique visitor as before. So your stats have recorded 1 Unique Visitor and 2 Visits. It will further tell you that while I was at your site I visited the following pages, home, about us, services & contact. Each Page view was tracked. Page view = 4.

If you are new to stats then just focus on the big 3. Unique Visitors, Visits & Page views – you will learn a ton about your web site. If you’re feeling geeky read on about more stats.

Skipping hits, we move on to Bandwidth. Bandwidth is total number of bytes for pages, images and files downloaded by web browsing. So a graphical rich page with PDFs to download and video to steam uses more bandwidth that a mostly text page.

Two sites with similar Unique Visitors, Visits & Page Views can have drastically different bandwidth based on the sites content. Here are a few more things you can learn. Entry Page is the first page people view when coming to your site, often it is the home page, but when people link directly to a certain page or when the your found in the search engines, you will have a variety of Entry Pages. You can also track the Exit Page which is the last page viewed before the left you site. Session Duration tells how long a person spent on your site site.

Most stats will show you if they (visitors) came there direct or if they can from a bookmark. Graphs can so what days of the week and even hours of the day are most visited. Pages outline how many views each page received, Referrers shows the addresses that people came from to get to your site, Search even shows the keywords and keyphrases people used to find you in the various search engines. Those are the highlights.

My 4 cents is to get a copy of your stats for last month and sit down with your favorite beverage and learn how many people are visiting your site and what they are doing during their visit. Compare to previous months and years. Do you like the progress? The stats can give you wisdom to connecting with more people. Want to learn more? Let’s us know.

So now if I tell you that CowlitzToday.com (or any site) has 500,000 hits this month, you will say cool, but how many unique visitors are you getting? And I will tell you…. hey wait, you didn’t ask. ~:-)

Time to Kick the Tires

Greetings!

Can you believe it? September is half over! As we begin to think about getting our cars ready for the fall and winter months, we can’t forget to maintain our client base. I am not just talking about you, our valued Web Site Maintenance and eMail Marketing clients, but yours.

“It is not what you know but who you know…”

On the web there is a bit of reality to this statement. I have been to web sites that were well marketed and easily found on search engines that didn’t have a lot of content. I have also been to web sites with amazing content that no one knew about.

In reality the phrase above should be: With the right knowledge and audience your business can flourish online.

There are a couple tricks to being highly rated with Google that are inexpensive and uncomplicated. When you buy a new car you have to drive it or the tires lose air and the engine coughs and sputters when you start it for the first, in a long time, the same goes with your web site; don’t let it just sit there.

If you have invested in a web site then make sure to use it to get you places on the web.  I understand that the basic content: hours, contact information, even your products and services might not change that much, but even a couple paragraphs in a blog entry about your product or services count as checking the oil. If you or your web master don’t maintain your web site it wont travel very far.

Another way to help your rating with Google continue to gain speed is to find a way to get traffic to your web site; You wouldn’t build your store front in a field with no streets.

There are many ways to do this, but one that seems to be getting the attention of your customers is eMail Marketing campaigns that are interesting and relevant. If you have an eMail Marketing campaign, when was the last time you changed your offer? Our most successful clients have themed campaigns they have helped us to design for them that their clients love.

Not sure what to do? We have a client that gives us the coupons he runs in the local newspaper to send out to his clients via eMail. Another client has us eMail his newsletter and put it on his blog, which not only updates his site but brings more clients to his site for the other important resources he offers.

When it comes to marketing your business make sure you are a resource and that you don’t forget to fuel up your web site.

omOriginals Marketing! invites you to take advantage or our complimentary Annual Web Site Review. If we haven’t gotten to your name on the list, please Call, eMail or Find us on Facebook us to schedule yours. It’s good to get out and kick the tires!

Facebook Unveiled

This month I’d like to give you a peek into Facebook’s user data.. Facebook is doing an amazing job of collecting tons of personal data about it’s users. With over 400 million users the amount of data is mind boggling. First off how are they getting this info?
Read more >>

Get Listed on Google

Here is a question from my bag of Internet FAQs. “How do I get my web site listed at Google?”  a more geeky version is “how to I get Google to index my web site?” When they “index” your site they review all of the content of your site and add this info to their database so that when someone searches they can deliver relevant content. Hopefully your web site.

Just in: according to Compete.com Google is now getting 1 in 8 page views. This means 13% of web site views are Google. Let’s get you listed at Google.

1. Submit to Google.
   This is free and quick way it submit your site directly using their “Add URL” page. The page allows you to add as many sites as you’d like. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t add all of the pages to it’s index. Additionally they don’t guarantee when or if they will ever check out your site. This is very popular way to attempt to get listed, but I recommend you read on….
2. Submit to Yahoo! and the ODP (DMOZ.org)
   The second way is to submit your site to the Yahoo! Directory and/or ODP. Years ago (remember the 90s?) Yahoo!’s free submission service worked very nicely and the directory was very useful.They then created a paid submission service. This created a barrier that resulted in less web sites being submitted and thus a less comprehensive tool. The “Directory Submit” was a one time fee to get listed.

   Today however they charge $299/year. Consequently I no longer recommend using the paid tool. You can submit to the free service, but don’t hold your breath waiting to get listed.

   Another directory to consider getting listed with the the Open Directory Project. This free directory is owned by AOL/Netscape. It takes some time to get listed, but getting in the back door of AOL can help you get listed with Google.

3. Get Linked to from a Google Friendly site.
   The Google preferred method is for them to find you. Google is much more impressed by your web site if other sites that they already have indexed link to you.The more popular the site linking to you the better. Do some research to find who links to your competitor and ask them to link to you.

   Our BLOG has become popular site that is very effective for launching web sites. Google visits our site virtually everyday looking for fresh content. This allows us to get clients listed in less than a week after a new site is launched. Getting one popular site to link to you is good. Getting more is even better. This is why It can be worth it for you to take some time with Yahoo! and ODP.

4. Advertise
   Funny thing. Google advertisers seem to be automatically added to Google.Setting up a Google Adwords account and setting up a budget of $30/month or more seems to work wonders for getting listed very quickly as well. Tip: Before you jump into Adwords give me a call, I can get you $50 in Google money to get you started.

Today we’ve discussed 4 ways to get listed with Google. For best results I recommend a combination approach of the above and stay clear of Submit to Google, the thought is if no one else knows about you they are not terribly interested either.

Go get listed! Now your site has a fighting chance to be found!

Don’t forget the Map
The Map results show at near the top of the page for local searches. The Map is independent of your regular listing and advertising. You actually don’t even need a web site to get listed on the Map.

You are listed, Now What?
It is good to be indexed at Google, but that doesn’t mean people are going to find you. Your site should be built with Search Engine Optimization in mind. The bottom line is that – Google wants to give relevant results. If you want to be found give them content that talks about what you think people will search for. SEO is crucial for your web sites success. If you have the time and desire, you can research the best way to optimize your site or consult with an expert to build and grow your site in a way that moves you to the top.
~:-)

Oscar Myre IV is the owner and Creative Director of omOriginals Marketing! If your business has web development, social marketing or internet marketing questions or want some help with plans, please stop by or give us a buzz at the studio: 360.575.9839 or online @ omOriginals.com

First Look at Google Chrome

Google has launched new web browser to change the world. A web browser is an application that you use to view web sites. Most people (in the windows world) are still using Internet Explorer. For many users,  people have just used what came with the computer and never really consider other options. Google would like for you to consider Chrome.

 Read more >>

Ten Reasons Why Your Business/Organization Needs a Web Site

Thanks for tuning in for the latest version of geek speak. This month is dedicated to those businesses who have been putting off the improvement or creation of a Web Site. If your business is still sitting on the fence, do I have an article for you!

Ten Reasons Why Your Businesses / Organization needs a web site.

Today, small and medium sized businesses need to proactively promote their business. Any single reason below should be a catalyst for having an effective web site. The following are the The Top 10 Reasons Your Business Needs A Website TODAY! I think you will find that some if not all of these can apply to your company.

1. Relatively Inexpensive.

Opening a second location can increase your exposure to potential customers. For a small fraction of the cost to open a new locale you can setup a custom web site from a professional company.

2. Genuine Resource.

If you invest in your web site by adding useful information you can make your site a valuable resource. For example, “how to articles” or answers to “frequently asked questions” can be a great service to visitors and as a bonus show your to be an expert in your field.

3. Up-to Date.

Those shiny new post cards and brochures look great and can be a powerful tool. But, wait! You’ve made a change in your offering and now it is out of date. With a good CMS (Content Management System) running your web site, you can quickly and easily update your site whenever info about your product/ services changes.

4. Tell A Friend.

What is a the biggest compliment that a customer can give you? Words are nice but telling a friend is by far the biggest way to say well done and thank you. But, chances are they still don’t have your brochure or business card. They can give someone your number to call, but sending them to your web site allows the potential client to learn so much more and in your own words.

5. Consumer Habits have Changed.

I recently read that 70% of consumers pre-qualify businesses online before making contact. The modern sales process has dramatically changed. Consumers are making decisions based on what they see online. Today’s consumers are much more informed before they ever make contact. Is your business giving the right info? Is it giving any at all?

6. Have an Online Presence (Existence).

If you don’t have a web site or have a web site that cannot be found, you essentially don’t exist to your potential customers. Your business may be just down the street from someone looking for your service, but when they do a web search and only see two of your competitors – you don’t exist.

7. Collect Valuable Information.

Visitors can interact with you in a non-confrontational way. When they fill our your feedback form or comment on your blog they can give you crucial business feedback. All of this feedback is documented digitally. Additionally, with the use of web site statistics you can review the viewing habits of your visitors as they come into your site, as they check our your business and where they go when first leave and how often they return to your site. Note: their personal info is not tracked simply by them clicking.

8. The Death of Yellow Pages.

Yellow pages used to be THE primary source to find business info. Now before people can find the book they they can “google” “Longview, WA Company Name” or “Longview, WA Product/Service.” A popular tool for the local area is CowlitzToday.com – with detailed info about each business. With the increasing popularity of smart phones many visitors now have the phone book of the future in their pocket.

9. Now Open 24-7, 365 Days a Year.

Consider the additional cost to staff your business 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Your web site will likely be open 99.9% percent of the time and rarely call in sick. Your web site can have all of the right answers to FAQs (frequently asked questions) and to questions that you’d like for them to ask. Consumers are increasingly becoming busier and busier every day and by providing information and services online you are able to attract the people who are simply just too busy to handle all their needs during their 9-5 workday while working around your 8-6 office hours.

10. Put your best foot forward.

A well-planned web site is a great well to instill confidence in prospective clients. Your web site gives you the opportunity to present the best and most complete image of your company. You are in control to set the tone of your company. Careful preparation of your “first impression” is essential.

Do it TODAY!

Whether you decide to hire a professional web development company like omOriginals to design and build your business or organizations website, or have the time and desire to build your own, your business shouldn’t go any longer without one!

It is time to catch up ensure your success. omOriginals offers free consultations, and can help you outline your web goals and needs efficiently. Call (360)575-9839 today to get started.

~ Oscar not only wrote this article, he also read it. Imagine that! This has inspired him and his company to begin a major 2 phase upgrade to their own web site found at omOriginals.com Stay tuned.