Archive for the ‘Social Media’ Category

Google tells what matters most to increase your websites visibility in search results

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

One of the latest Google Webmaster Central blogs, explains the most recent viewpoint on earning quality links and traffic for your website. Whether your site is new or old you can benefit from this story.

Step One: Get involved within your community or niche online. Stick to your websites subject or topic. Social Media plays a big role.

Engaging within the community is simply a good way to get links and build credibility, which also will most likely lead to more links. Posting short articles around your subject is good for increasingly visibility outside of search anyway. Nothing new. Just reiterated by Google.

Step Two: Create content that is useful to others.

If your passionate about what you do why not share your expertise online using things like tutorials, videos, and tools, surveys, research results, etc. Users who find helpful content are more likely to share it with others.

Step Three: Directory Submissions are the back bone of the internet.

“Directory entries are often mentioned as another way to promote young sites in the Google index,” says Google Search Quality Strategist Kaspar Szymanski. “There are great, topical directories that add value to the Internet. But there are not many of them in proportion to those of lower quality. If you decide to submit a site to a directory, make sure it’s on topic, moderated, and well structured. Mass submissions, which are sometimes offered as a quick work-around SEO method, are mostly useless and not likely to serve your purposes.”

Step Four: Make it easy for others to share your content.

Online tools such as facebook and twitter can be a great boost to your visibility. Using them properly matters so before posting ask yourself: Is what I am about to post a “tweet” or a “turd”? Sharing meaningful updates matters most.

Would like help learning how to optimize your website, please contact us at (970) 901-0062.

Get to the Top of Google Serp’s and Own it!

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

Getting to the top of the Google Search Engine Results Page seems to be the holy grail for so many companies. Yet many business owners fail to realize that as far as natural search results go there are only 10 spots available. All to often as an SEO professional I encounter individuals and business owners with unrealistic expectations.

The best way to explain it is this, for many the reason to reach the top of Google Search results page is simple, the motivation is financial. In reality getting to the top of the search results can result in financial windfall second only to a lottery winner.

However therein lies the problem. When money is involved strong competition is sure to follow. You can bet that any business or organization thats sits a top the first page of Google for a coveted key phrase is sure to spend big bucks to stay there.

In fact the competition can be so fierce that it might make one wonder is it possible that reaching the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing, or others is almost impossible to attain? and actually even more difficult to maintain?

Getting to the top of the search results page can be a huge achievement, however, once there you need to vigorously defend it. There are literally hundreds and in some cases thousands of companies competing to reach the top. Simply getting there is not enough you must vigorously defend it with advanced seo techniques.

At Apples 2 Apples we help companies of all sizes and budgets get to the top of Google Search results and stay there!

Have a look at this example; it shows that Google gives preferential search results to organizations that support and advance the subject matter before displaying companies that sell items or services. Goto Google.com and type in the search field: interior design and you will find that the top search results are all authoritys in their space, like Design Institutes, Magazines, and Wikipedia

Optimized Search Results using your location

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

As mobile technology continues to heat up the lines are blurred where the traditional use of a PC or Laptop are being replaced by the use of mobile and smart phone technology. Google continues to see the wave of the future as one where mobile devices continue embrace a more central role. Recently we’ve posted videos of Google’s VP of engineering demonstrates the benefits of Google Voice recoginition software on mobile devices for the developer community. In this posting we refer to Google’s Official Mobile Search Blog to outline the user benefits of mobile search technology.  http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/01/optimized-search-suggestions-using-your.html?utm_source=tcm&utm_medium=ttl&utm_campaign=gmb

You’ll notice in some of the user comments that in some countries this type of search technology is already available.

Template Based Designs…Freeware…why it’s not such a good deal..

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

You might be thinking that a web designer or a developer like myself would be a little biased in writing a commentary such as this, actually though I am about to explain the importance of proper visual display.

Your website tells your story!

As human beings we have many things in common the Arts we enjoy such paintings, music, and theater all of these differents forms of entertainment are designed to appeal to the senses. Web Design is no different. When we design websites we are designing a visual display. What we are essentially creating is a form of media to engage the senses of our audience. We are in effect telling a story, the story of your business, your interests, your social circle you might say. The story is about you! So the question becomes how best to tell that story visually? What elements are important? Like any good book it should have a theme, basically what is this site about? Next every good book has main character the heroin you might say.  This person is you or your business or your interests. Next like any good social media site will tell you we need some drama. This is effectively the story or premise of your site and so on… Do you see my point?

Effective web design is a memorable experience

Most web templates do no such thing…Theres  no subject, theme, character or drama suited for your business story or interest. They are designed to appeal to widest possible uses. Like an encyclopedia, not a great novel. Certainly not a memorable website.

Your website has a purpose dont diminish it.

Are you considering having a website built? Before determining your budget determine what you are hoping to accomplish with your visual display, your website. I’ve heard many clients come to me and say well we just want to get a page up. Please the best thing to do is save your money in this instance. If you have a business, product or service you are trying to sell do you really just want to put a page online? There are now trillions of web pages on the internet. Chances are if you just put up a web page it wont be very easy to find. More importantly it isnt likely to tell your story like a great novel.

Web templates wont employ effective design principals

Theres is one more important point to consider, visually we as poeple see in patterns, we read in patterns, eye our is designed to follow certain lines and shapes. Placing certain elements within these patterns is what creates an effective web site or web presentation.

Would you like to know how we visualize shapes, colors, and fonts? Would you like help in putting together a beautiful and compelling web design? Call Apples 2 Apples today! (970) 901-0062 or visit us online at www.apples2apples.us.com

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