Thursday, August 23, 2007
Web Site No Worries
Web Site No Worries
by: Florie Lyn Masarate
How should it be promoted? What should it look like? Can it be done on my own or should a professional be hired to do it?
These are just some of the questions that need to be answered first before designing a web site. Experts on this field can be turned to help and do the job for you.
Doing it yourself would also be an option if you are taking into consideration the expenses and the time that can be saved by doing so. There are things that needed to be considered in designing your website. And questions, too.
What is the goal of the site? It would be helpful if you know from the start what you want your site to do. Simple as it may seem, you need to get ideas organized into clear details first. Think of the site in the point of view of others.
The impressions that they would surely have upon seeing your site. Putting graphics and pictures into the site as attention-seekers is important to keep up with the many sites available nowadays. Having a site does not only mean having information to give and share. It also means creating an art work that people will be interested enough to see and read through.
What have the others got? By doing your homework and looking up probable competition sites, you can get an edge on what your site should possess.
Do your homework. You can get lessons, feedbacks and even inspiration in seeing the works of other people. Looking them up does not mean you have to copy them. It means you have to think of other ways to get leverage over the others. Once this has been done, consider yourself on the frontline and be ready to set some trend.
How do you find a good designer? In this case, you have chosen someone to do the designs for you. In finding the right designer, choose someone who understands and is in harmony with what you want your site to be.
It is important to note that some designers want their designs put into your site and not your designs into yours. Consider someone who is interested in what you’re doing, think your thoughts and makes them the center of their goal.
Is it accessible? Make it easy for people to see your site and contact you for any complaints or suggestions. Putting contact details would make it easier for people to not only get into your site but you as well.
What is there to remember? Keeping it simple. From the words to the logos to the graphic designs. People did not come into your site for those so stick to the more important things.
For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.webplacements.com.
by: Florie Lyn Masarate
How should it be promoted? What should it look like? Can it be done on my own or should a professional be hired to do it?
These are just some of the questions that need to be answered first before designing a web site. Experts on this field can be turned to help and do the job for you.
Doing it yourself would also be an option if you are taking into consideration the expenses and the time that can be saved by doing so. There are things that needed to be considered in designing your website. And questions, too.
What is the goal of the site? It would be helpful if you know from the start what you want your site to do. Simple as it may seem, you need to get ideas organized into clear details first. Think of the site in the point of view of others.
The impressions that they would surely have upon seeing your site. Putting graphics and pictures into the site as attention-seekers is important to keep up with the many sites available nowadays. Having a site does not only mean having information to give and share. It also means creating an art work that people will be interested enough to see and read through.
What have the others got? By doing your homework and looking up probable competition sites, you can get an edge on what your site should possess.
Do your homework. You can get lessons, feedbacks and even inspiration in seeing the works of other people. Looking them up does not mean you have to copy them. It means you have to think of other ways to get leverage over the others. Once this has been done, consider yourself on the frontline and be ready to set some trend.
How do you find a good designer? In this case, you have chosen someone to do the designs for you. In finding the right designer, choose someone who understands and is in harmony with what you want your site to be.
It is important to note that some designers want their designs put into your site and not your designs into yours. Consider someone who is interested in what you’re doing, think your thoughts and makes them the center of their goal.
Is it accessible? Make it easy for people to see your site and contact you for any complaints or suggestions. Putting contact details would make it easier for people to not only get into your site but you as well.
What is there to remember? Keeping it simple. From the words to the logos to the graphic designs. People did not come into your site for those so stick to the more important things.
For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.webplacements.com.
Why Accessibility Is Easy
Why Accessibility Is Easy
by: Paul Grant
Anti-discrimination legislation did not happen overnight. Indeed, the process of inclusion for citizens of all demographics has been on the agenda of governments and human rights activists the world over for many years.
It’s not a new agenda
Most policy makers and corporate watchdogs actively encourage the employment and inclusion of all people regardless of ethnicity, social or economic standing, religion, mental capacity or physical attributes.
Some countries also enforce these policies to create a fair and socially responsible business climate.
Private and public organizations likewise have long understood the importance of providing facilities for staff members and visitors with special needs, particularly in their legal place of business or operations.
Not providing such amenities would likely result in litigation, and so in many cases these companies feel compelled to address any inadequacies as a high priority business agenda.
What about the Internet?
Surprisingly many companies had not even considered the idea of ensuring their business’ Internet premise was also accessible.
After all, why would a person that has vision impairment use the Internet?
Well of course they would want to use the Internet, just as any sighted person would want to access such a vast and rich resource. Vision impairment is also only one of many other conditions that can potentially inhibit the use of information resources like the Internet.
Many people who have difficulty using digital or interactive media may not necessarily be technically classified as having a disabling condition either.
Thankfully, there are now various technologies to aid users with special needs in their use of media.
Included in a large variety of assisting technologies are items such as screen readers or Braille machines for people with vision restrictions, subtitles for those with hearing difficulties, and speech recognition for those without the full use of their appendages.
In spite of the existence of these tremendous technologies, the ability of a machine to accurately render content in a meaningful way often relies on that content being formatted with careful consideration of accessibility standards.
Why is this suddenly so important?
The issue was not really even on the corporate radar until a recent lawsuit mounted by the US National federation for the Blind (NFB) on behalf of claimants with disabilities, stated that they were being discriminated against because a well known company’s online content was only accessible by able-bodied people.
The NFB had raised concerns with the Target corporation (a major US-based discount retailer which operates more than 1,300 stores in 47 states) more than ten months before, and stated:
“The website is no more accessible today than it was in May of last year, when we first complained to Target.”
The issue bubbles away in boardrooms even now as legal teams scramble to advise their clients on the best way to conform to changes in the Disability Discrimination Act, Section 508, and other such legislative decrees from various governments of the world.
Whose problem is this?
Website developers have long known about the technical requirements and specifications as determined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Any developer that has been in the industry for a length of time has already had acknowledge and adapt to changing technological standards both in hardware and software design.
Why aren’t website companies just building accessible sites anyway?
Yet many website developers felt that the stringent requirements of the Website Accessibility Initiative (WAI) would restrict their design capability too much, when in essence the real issue was a reluctance to subject their working practices to higher standards that are easily measurable by anyone with a browser and a little bit of knowledge.
Their previously ‘easy’ way of doing things was in their opinion much quicker, cheaper, and visually more interesting.
The truth however was that this new (and improved) way of doing things would require busy agencies to take the time to retrain.
They do say that you ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. In this case, there are now quite a few old dogs in the maturing digital media industry.
Are there any other benefits besides avoiding legal action?
Actually not only is designing accessible websites easy, it makes a lot of sense on many different strategic levels. Consider the following insights as documented in the “Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites” (British Standards Institute 2006, ISBN_0 580 46567 5):
* The Family Resources Survey [2] found that there are almost 10 million disabled people in the UK with a combined spending power in the region of 80 billion pounds per annum. Furthermore there are millions of other individuals that are affected by sensory, physical and/or cognitive impairments, including those resulting from the ageing process.
* Research undertaken by the DRC “The Web: Access and inclusion for disabled people” [3] has confirmed that people without disabilities are also able to use websites that are optimised for accessibility more effectively and more successfully.
* Content developed upholding World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines and specifications can be more easily transferred to other media, such as interactive TV, mobile phones and handheld computers.
* Accessible content, for example where a text equivalent is provided for graphical elements, is highly visible to search engines, often leading to higher rankings.
Certainly these benefits will be of interest to executives considering the perceived expense associated with building accessible interactive content, yet there are also other benefits in the form of corporate social responsibility and public relations.
What does the stakeholder need to do about accessibility?
Whenever a digital media project is commissioned by a company the only consideration to be made by stakeholders is to what level of compliance the content should adhere.
There is a small amount of flexibility in this context because there are some elements within the standard which are considered compulsory, some which are recommended yet are not necessarily essential, and others which are desirable to create something which has the maximum possibility of being viewed by any user, regardless of their situation.
Ultimately, a design or development company can adopt a more stringent approach depending on the design criteria set by executives.
Should the stakeholder be reading more about the standards?
There are a lot of technical and specification documents full of jargon that can be overwhelming to conscientious companies attempting to embrace the need for accessibility.
In reality all of this content should instead be assimilated by the agencies that intend to create the content rather than the corporations who simply want to develop an interactive strategy.
Why is everyone trying to sell consultation about accessibility?
Given that there is suddenly some confusion amongst the corporate world as executives scramble to become legally watertight, many so-called consultancies have sprung up to exploit these vulnerable companies by charging great sums of money to analyse current websites or digital content for accessibility inadequacies.
There are certainly tools available that can easily interrogate the code of a website and examine the structure to identify any obvious ‘rule-breaking’.
Some consultants will go as far as to use these free tools to create reports on accessibility, when this is only one component of whether a website is usable and “friendly” for people with special needs.
These same ‘consultants’ would like to also have large corporations paying them to help with search engine optimisation (SEO), which should not really be an issue if a website is built correctly in the first place.
What alternatives are there to external consultancy reports?
Actually, corporate executives may be surprised to know that money spent on consultancy reports could be better spent simply paying some users with actual disabilities to visit the website in question and offer constructive feedback through a usability workshop.
So what about Usability?
Usability is a little different, and perhaps an even more important concept for consideration than the subject of this paper.
Usability could be defined very basically as how intuitive some content is for the ‘average’ person to use, regardless of any special needs.
If the website is accessible, is it also a good website?
It is possible to check all the boxes of the W3C Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and yet have a layout and content that actually makes very little sense to users of the site.
Usability on the other hand benefits everyone, which ultimately translates into a positive experience for all users as they interact with a company’s branded presence.
A positive user experience logically leads to results, such as increased sales, brand interaction, positive word of mouth, and other business benefits.
Isn’t accessibility a bit complicated?
Although there can appear to be some complexity (and therefore consultancy work) involved in building highly accessible or usable content, this is actually a fundamental service which should rather come as a standard inclusion with any development proposal that is worth its salt.
Indeed, commissioning an accessible website should be no different to commissioning any ‘ordinary’ website.
They are certainly the same thing in the eyes of an accomplished website development company.
It is really as simple as making sure the site is built correctly in the first place.
This means a good foundation, standards compliance, craftsmanship, good project management, together with attention to detail and great build quality.
Building a website is like building a house
The process could be compared to building a new house.
As the homeowner you would want an architect and builder who are abreast of the latest trends, techniques, standards and processes to build your house.
You would not expect them to charge you a consultancy fee on top of the house design and build fees.
How would you feel if you then found your brand new home was illegal because it did not adhere to the current building code?
The enforcement agents would instruct for your house to be razed to the ground.
Likewise, building a new website in the new millennium should take all current design and technical specifications into consideration by default.
What if I have existing websites that need to become accessible?
As opposed to building, renovating an existing house can be considerably more problematic.
What can seem like a single simple task may end up becoming five other quite complicated tasks.
This can make budgeting quite difficult, and milestones seemingly without a definitive end.
In the same way the processes used in the original construction of an older website will be dated and likely no longer compliant.
This often means that major re-engineering may be required to bring the site up to the standards set in legislation.
Sometimes, it can be easier to knock down the outdated house (or website) and start again.
Are there any websites that can be easily updated to conform to accessibility requirements?
Fortunately database driven dynamic websites have a distinct advantage over static websites when it is time to ‘renovate’.
If the content is being loaded into a browser from a database, it is then also possible to modify the way that content is displayed (or rendered by aiding technologies) through page templates. These templates can be updated or replaced with greater ease to create an entirely new website that is completely accessible.
Will renovating an old database driven website be expensive?
Perhaps most importantly, this renovation process need not be tremendously expensive as there is no complete website rebuild, nor the creation of hundreds of new web pages manually as in the case of a static website rebuild.
Which websites will require a complete rebuild?
If a site has been built statically, it could be compared to a building that was originally set in concrete with steel reinforcement.
Unfortunately in these cases it is better to simply demolish and start again.
Of course this also affords the opportunity to use the latest trends and building techniques to create something fresh and contemporary, perhaps even prize-winning.
In these circumstances, the work (and therefore expense) involved in making the website accessible could be compared to a new build website project.
Recommendations for stakeholders
Certainly it could be said that if there is any one recommendation to be made in the design and building of websites, stakeholders should make sure that all content is dynamically driven from a database.
By doing this the company can ensure that the site can be continually modified as Internet technologies and standards change.
The content will at the end of the day always just be content.
Businesses that are maintaining websites with a content management system (or CMS) will have this functionality built in already and are a step ahead of the game.
That’s not so hard, all in all.
So accessibility is not complicated after all, nor is it necessarily expensive.
The foundation of a great interactive and accessible project that returns measurable results is starting with a great interactive strategy.
* Define the market, milestones, means, and measurement methodology.
* Direct the organization to ensure company-wide commitment, content, continuity, and contribution.
* Design the technical and aesthetic solution.
* Develop the content and assets in keeping with the latest thinking in website design and construction.
Deploy optimised and accessible content, and then enjoy the added advantages of creating a resource that people all over the world can enjoy…regardless of their accessibility constraints.
by: Paul Grant
Anti-discrimination legislation did not happen overnight. Indeed, the process of inclusion for citizens of all demographics has been on the agenda of governments and human rights activists the world over for many years.
It’s not a new agenda
Most policy makers and corporate watchdogs actively encourage the employment and inclusion of all people regardless of ethnicity, social or economic standing, religion, mental capacity or physical attributes.
Some countries also enforce these policies to create a fair and socially responsible business climate.
Private and public organizations likewise have long understood the importance of providing facilities for staff members and visitors with special needs, particularly in their legal place of business or operations.
Not providing such amenities would likely result in litigation, and so in many cases these companies feel compelled to address any inadequacies as a high priority business agenda.
What about the Internet?
Surprisingly many companies had not even considered the idea of ensuring their business’ Internet premise was also accessible.
After all, why would a person that has vision impairment use the Internet?
Well of course they would want to use the Internet, just as any sighted person would want to access such a vast and rich resource. Vision impairment is also only one of many other conditions that can potentially inhibit the use of information resources like the Internet.
Many people who have difficulty using digital or interactive media may not necessarily be technically classified as having a disabling condition either.
Thankfully, there are now various technologies to aid users with special needs in their use of media.
Included in a large variety of assisting technologies are items such as screen readers or Braille machines for people with vision restrictions, subtitles for those with hearing difficulties, and speech recognition for those without the full use of their appendages.
In spite of the existence of these tremendous technologies, the ability of a machine to accurately render content in a meaningful way often relies on that content being formatted with careful consideration of accessibility standards.
Why is this suddenly so important?
The issue was not really even on the corporate radar until a recent lawsuit mounted by the US National federation for the Blind (NFB) on behalf of claimants with disabilities, stated that they were being discriminated against because a well known company’s online content was only accessible by able-bodied people.
The NFB had raised concerns with the Target corporation (a major US-based discount retailer which operates more than 1,300 stores in 47 states) more than ten months before, and stated:
“The website is no more accessible today than it was in May of last year, when we first complained to Target.”
The issue bubbles away in boardrooms even now as legal teams scramble to advise their clients on the best way to conform to changes in the Disability Discrimination Act, Section 508, and other such legislative decrees from various governments of the world.
Whose problem is this?
Website developers have long known about the technical requirements and specifications as determined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Any developer that has been in the industry for a length of time has already had acknowledge and adapt to changing technological standards both in hardware and software design.
Why aren’t website companies just building accessible sites anyway?
Yet many website developers felt that the stringent requirements of the Website Accessibility Initiative (WAI) would restrict their design capability too much, when in essence the real issue was a reluctance to subject their working practices to higher standards that are easily measurable by anyone with a browser and a little bit of knowledge.
Their previously ‘easy’ way of doing things was in their opinion much quicker, cheaper, and visually more interesting.
The truth however was that this new (and improved) way of doing things would require busy agencies to take the time to retrain.
They do say that you ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. In this case, there are now quite a few old dogs in the maturing digital media industry.
Are there any other benefits besides avoiding legal action?
Actually not only is designing accessible websites easy, it makes a lot of sense on many different strategic levels. Consider the following insights as documented in the “Guide to good practice in commissioning accessible websites” (British Standards Institute 2006, ISBN_0 580 46567 5):
* The Family Resources Survey [2] found that there are almost 10 million disabled people in the UK with a combined spending power in the region of 80 billion pounds per annum. Furthermore there are millions of other individuals that are affected by sensory, physical and/or cognitive impairments, including those resulting from the ageing process.
* Research undertaken by the DRC “The Web: Access and inclusion for disabled people” [3] has confirmed that people without disabilities are also able to use websites that are optimised for accessibility more effectively and more successfully.
* Content developed upholding World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) guidelines and specifications can be more easily transferred to other media, such as interactive TV, mobile phones and handheld computers.
* Accessible content, for example where a text equivalent is provided for graphical elements, is highly visible to search engines, often leading to higher rankings.
Certainly these benefits will be of interest to executives considering the perceived expense associated with building accessible interactive content, yet there are also other benefits in the form of corporate social responsibility and public relations.
What does the stakeholder need to do about accessibility?
Whenever a digital media project is commissioned by a company the only consideration to be made by stakeholders is to what level of compliance the content should adhere.
There is a small amount of flexibility in this context because there are some elements within the standard which are considered compulsory, some which are recommended yet are not necessarily essential, and others which are desirable to create something which has the maximum possibility of being viewed by any user, regardless of their situation.
Ultimately, a design or development company can adopt a more stringent approach depending on the design criteria set by executives.
Should the stakeholder be reading more about the standards?
There are a lot of technical and specification documents full of jargon that can be overwhelming to conscientious companies attempting to embrace the need for accessibility.
In reality all of this content should instead be assimilated by the agencies that intend to create the content rather than the corporations who simply want to develop an interactive strategy.
Why is everyone trying to sell consultation about accessibility?
Given that there is suddenly some confusion amongst the corporate world as executives scramble to become legally watertight, many so-called consultancies have sprung up to exploit these vulnerable companies by charging great sums of money to analyse current websites or digital content for accessibility inadequacies.
There are certainly tools available that can easily interrogate the code of a website and examine the structure to identify any obvious ‘rule-breaking’.
Some consultants will go as far as to use these free tools to create reports on accessibility, when this is only one component of whether a website is usable and “friendly” for people with special needs.
These same ‘consultants’ would like to also have large corporations paying them to help with search engine optimisation (SEO), which should not really be an issue if a website is built correctly in the first place.
What alternatives are there to external consultancy reports?
Actually, corporate executives may be surprised to know that money spent on consultancy reports could be better spent simply paying some users with actual disabilities to visit the website in question and offer constructive feedback through a usability workshop.
So what about Usability?
Usability is a little different, and perhaps an even more important concept for consideration than the subject of this paper.
Usability could be defined very basically as how intuitive some content is for the ‘average’ person to use, regardless of any special needs.
If the website is accessible, is it also a good website?
It is possible to check all the boxes of the W3C Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and yet have a layout and content that actually makes very little sense to users of the site.
Usability on the other hand benefits everyone, which ultimately translates into a positive experience for all users as they interact with a company’s branded presence.
A positive user experience logically leads to results, such as increased sales, brand interaction, positive word of mouth, and other business benefits.
Isn’t accessibility a bit complicated?
Although there can appear to be some complexity (and therefore consultancy work) involved in building highly accessible or usable content, this is actually a fundamental service which should rather come as a standard inclusion with any development proposal that is worth its salt.
Indeed, commissioning an accessible website should be no different to commissioning any ‘ordinary’ website.
They are certainly the same thing in the eyes of an accomplished website development company.
It is really as simple as making sure the site is built correctly in the first place.
This means a good foundation, standards compliance, craftsmanship, good project management, together with attention to detail and great build quality.
Building a website is like building a house
The process could be compared to building a new house.
As the homeowner you would want an architect and builder who are abreast of the latest trends, techniques, standards and processes to build your house.
You would not expect them to charge you a consultancy fee on top of the house design and build fees.
How would you feel if you then found your brand new home was illegal because it did not adhere to the current building code?
The enforcement agents would instruct for your house to be razed to the ground.
Likewise, building a new website in the new millennium should take all current design and technical specifications into consideration by default.
What if I have existing websites that need to become accessible?
As opposed to building, renovating an existing house can be considerably more problematic.
What can seem like a single simple task may end up becoming five other quite complicated tasks.
This can make budgeting quite difficult, and milestones seemingly without a definitive end.
In the same way the processes used in the original construction of an older website will be dated and likely no longer compliant.
This often means that major re-engineering may be required to bring the site up to the standards set in legislation.
Sometimes, it can be easier to knock down the outdated house (or website) and start again.
Are there any websites that can be easily updated to conform to accessibility requirements?
Fortunately database driven dynamic websites have a distinct advantage over static websites when it is time to ‘renovate’.
If the content is being loaded into a browser from a database, it is then also possible to modify the way that content is displayed (or rendered by aiding technologies) through page templates. These templates can be updated or replaced with greater ease to create an entirely new website that is completely accessible.
Will renovating an old database driven website be expensive?
Perhaps most importantly, this renovation process need not be tremendously expensive as there is no complete website rebuild, nor the creation of hundreds of new web pages manually as in the case of a static website rebuild.
Which websites will require a complete rebuild?
If a site has been built statically, it could be compared to a building that was originally set in concrete with steel reinforcement.
Unfortunately in these cases it is better to simply demolish and start again.
Of course this also affords the opportunity to use the latest trends and building techniques to create something fresh and contemporary, perhaps even prize-winning.
In these circumstances, the work (and therefore expense) involved in making the website accessible could be compared to a new build website project.
Recommendations for stakeholders
Certainly it could be said that if there is any one recommendation to be made in the design and building of websites, stakeholders should make sure that all content is dynamically driven from a database.
By doing this the company can ensure that the site can be continually modified as Internet technologies and standards change.
The content will at the end of the day always just be content.
Businesses that are maintaining websites with a content management system (or CMS) will have this functionality built in already and are a step ahead of the game.
That’s not so hard, all in all.
So accessibility is not complicated after all, nor is it necessarily expensive.
The foundation of a great interactive and accessible project that returns measurable results is starting with a great interactive strategy.
* Define the market, milestones, means, and measurement methodology.
* Direct the organization to ensure company-wide commitment, content, continuity, and contribution.
* Design the technical and aesthetic solution.
* Develop the content and assets in keeping with the latest thinking in website design and construction.
Deploy optimised and accessible content, and then enjoy the added advantages of creating a resource that people all over the world can enjoy…regardless of their accessibility constraints.
Proper Keyword Selection Can Save Money
Proper Keyword Selection Can Save Money
by: George Morris
Google AdWords™ are increasingly becoming widely used in the product and services sector as a sure fire method to rank on the first page without scrolling, or as the industry calls it "above the fold". AdWords give businesses a way to control their search engine ranking through a bidding process. The concept is simple, the more you pay, the bigger your budget, the higher your rank.
In search engine speak the terms "natural / organic results" and "paid results" are often used. Natural results are what most people think of when looking for the search engine results. These results are often flanked by the paid results, in Google these adds appear in the very top, very bottom and the right of the natural search results. User experience studies have shown the 80% of the clicks on search results go to the natural results, while only 20% click on the paid results.
Paid results, as they pertain to product and services are more "relevant" then natural results because an interested party is paying for the placement of a particular add.
Paid placement is highly recommended, however you must be careful in the keywords you choose. Follow this rule when using pay-per-click ads, general terms = high cost and low quality traffic, specific terms = low cost and high quality traffic.
Keyword Choice is Everything
Selecting the proper combinations of keywords can make a significant difference in the traffic received and the cost paid for a particular keyword phrase. Take for instance our company, Imulus. Quick background, we are a full service design + interactive agency which means we build websites, web applications and marketing collateral. Also, we are located in Boulder, Colorado. So here goes:
Campaign 1 / Local
We are trying to reach out into our own backyard, where we ultimately have greater success they compared to trying to reach clients in Portland, Oregon. The few selected terms below give you an idea of the level of traffic we might expect. Google allows us to select a budget to keep that number reined in.
Denver Web Design
Returns 44 Clicks per month / 2,681 times shown / Avg position 2.2 ?Total 1 Month Cost $240.89
Boulder Web Design
Returns 13 Clicks per month / 1,115 times shown / Avg position 1.2?Total Cost 1 Month $62.36
Obviously market size will have a direct link to the number of times your keywords are searched upon.
Campaign 2 / National
In this campaign we are going to reach outside of the Denver metro / Boulder market. Our new target market is the United States. Qualifiers of Boulder and Denver will be dropped in favor of more national terms. These numbers are not actuals, just estimates.
Web Design / 1290 Clicks per month / $8,550 per month
Web Developer / 168 Clicks per month / $497 per month
Website Design / 1110 Clicks per month / $5,146 per month
Notice the cost per month, as we market more general terminology the number of clicks per month increases drastically and so does the cost. The only part of the equation which diminishes is the quality of the leads.
Better Traffic Quality
Campaign 2 will drive more traffic then Campaign 1 but will the traffic be worth it? Using the terms Web Design, those ads will appear when anyone searches using those terms even if they have qualifiers on the term. By using general terminology we might be picked up on searches for "Alaskan web design" in which case the odds of us landing that client are pretty remote. Adding qualifiers narrow the clicks to just those which are qualified for our business, adding Denver and Boulder gives us focused results.
For more information visit Imulus at http://www.imulus.com
by: George Morris
Google AdWords™ are increasingly becoming widely used in the product and services sector as a sure fire method to rank on the first page without scrolling, or as the industry calls it "above the fold". AdWords give businesses a way to control their search engine ranking through a bidding process. The concept is simple, the more you pay, the bigger your budget, the higher your rank.
In search engine speak the terms "natural / organic results" and "paid results" are often used. Natural results are what most people think of when looking for the search engine results. These results are often flanked by the paid results, in Google these adds appear in the very top, very bottom and the right of the natural search results. User experience studies have shown the 80% of the clicks on search results go to the natural results, while only 20% click on the paid results.
Paid results, as they pertain to product and services are more "relevant" then natural results because an interested party is paying for the placement of a particular add.
Paid placement is highly recommended, however you must be careful in the keywords you choose. Follow this rule when using pay-per-click ads, general terms = high cost and low quality traffic, specific terms = low cost and high quality traffic.
Keyword Choice is Everything
Selecting the proper combinations of keywords can make a significant difference in the traffic received and the cost paid for a particular keyword phrase. Take for instance our company, Imulus. Quick background, we are a full service design + interactive agency which means we build websites, web applications and marketing collateral. Also, we are located in Boulder, Colorado. So here goes:
Campaign 1 / Local
We are trying to reach out into our own backyard, where we ultimately have greater success they compared to trying to reach clients in Portland, Oregon. The few selected terms below give you an idea of the level of traffic we might expect. Google allows us to select a budget to keep that number reined in.
Denver Web Design
Returns 44 Clicks per month / 2,681 times shown / Avg position 2.2 ?Total 1 Month Cost $240.89
Boulder Web Design
Returns 13 Clicks per month / 1,115 times shown / Avg position 1.2?Total Cost 1 Month $62.36
Obviously market size will have a direct link to the number of times your keywords are searched upon.
Campaign 2 / National
In this campaign we are going to reach outside of the Denver metro / Boulder market. Our new target market is the United States. Qualifiers of Boulder and Denver will be dropped in favor of more national terms. These numbers are not actuals, just estimates.
Web Design / 1290 Clicks per month / $8,550 per month
Web Developer / 168 Clicks per month / $497 per month
Website Design / 1110 Clicks per month / $5,146 per month
Notice the cost per month, as we market more general terminology the number of clicks per month increases drastically and so does the cost. The only part of the equation which diminishes is the quality of the leads.
Better Traffic Quality
Campaign 2 will drive more traffic then Campaign 1 but will the traffic be worth it? Using the terms Web Design, those ads will appear when anyone searches using those terms even if they have qualifiers on the term. By using general terminology we might be picked up on searches for "Alaskan web design" in which case the odds of us landing that client are pretty remote. Adding qualifiers narrow the clicks to just those which are qualified for our business, adding Denver and Boulder gives us focused results.
For more information visit Imulus at http://www.imulus.com
Proper Keyword Selection Can Save Money
Proper Keyword Selection Can Save Money
by: George Morris
Google AdWords™ are increasingly becoming widely used in the product and services sector as a sure fire method to rank on the first page without scrolling, or as the industry calls it "above the fold". AdWords give businesses a way to control their search engine ranking through a bidding process. The concept is simple, the more you pay, the bigger your budget, the higher your rank.
In search engine speak the terms "natural / organic results" and "paid results" are often used. Natural results are what most people think of when looking for the search engine results. These results are often flanked by the paid results, in Google these adds appear in the very top, very bottom and the right of the natural search results. User experience studies have shown the 80% of the clicks on search results go to the natural results, while only 20% click on the paid results.
Paid results, as they pertain to product and services are more "relevant" then natural results because an interested party is paying for the placement of a particular add.
Paid placement is highly recommended, however you must be careful in the keywords you choose. Follow this rule when using pay-per-click ads, general terms = high cost and low quality traffic, specific terms = low cost and high quality traffic.
Keyword Choice is Everything
Selecting the proper combinations of keywords can make a significant difference in the traffic received and the cost paid for a particular keyword phrase. Take for instance our company, Imulus. Quick background, we are a full service design + interactive agency which means we build websites, web applications and marketing collateral. Also, we are located in Boulder, Colorado. So here goes:
Campaign 1 / Local
We are trying to reach out into our own backyard, where we ultimately have greater success they compared to trying to reach clients in Portland, Oregon. The few selected terms below give you an idea of the level of traffic we might expect. Google allows us to select a budget to keep that number reined in.
Denver Web Design
Returns 44 Clicks per month / 2,681 times shown / Avg position 2.2 ?Total 1 Month Cost $240.89
Boulder Web Design
Returns 13 Clicks per month / 1,115 times shown / Avg position 1.2?Total Cost 1 Month $62.36
Obviously market size will have a direct link to the number of times your keywords are searched upon.
Campaign 2 / National
In this campaign we are going to reach outside of the Denver metro / Boulder market. Our new target market is the United States. Qualifiers of Boulder and Denver will be dropped in favor of more national terms. These numbers are not actuals, just estimates.
Web Design / 1290 Clicks per month / $8,550 per month
Web Developer / 168 Clicks per month / $497 per month
Website Design / 1110 Clicks per month / $5,146 per month
Notice the cost per month, as we market more general terminology the number of clicks per month increases drastically and so does the cost. The only part of the equation which diminishes is the quality of the leads.
Better Traffic Quality
Campaign 2 will drive more traffic then Campaign 1 but will the traffic be worth it? Using the terms Web Design, those ads will appear when anyone searches using those terms even if they have qualifiers on the term. By using general terminology we might be picked up on searches for "Alaskan web design" in which case the odds of us landing that client are pretty remote. Adding qualifiers narrow the clicks to just those which are qualified for our business, adding Denver and Boulder gives us focused results.
For more information visit Imulus at http://www.imulus.com
by: George Morris
Google AdWords™ are increasingly becoming widely used in the product and services sector as a sure fire method to rank on the first page without scrolling, or as the industry calls it "above the fold". AdWords give businesses a way to control their search engine ranking through a bidding process. The concept is simple, the more you pay, the bigger your budget, the higher your rank.
In search engine speak the terms "natural / organic results" and "paid results" are often used. Natural results are what most people think of when looking for the search engine results. These results are often flanked by the paid results, in Google these adds appear in the very top, very bottom and the right of the natural search results. User experience studies have shown the 80% of the clicks on search results go to the natural results, while only 20% click on the paid results.
Paid results, as they pertain to product and services are more "relevant" then natural results because an interested party is paying for the placement of a particular add.
Paid placement is highly recommended, however you must be careful in the keywords you choose. Follow this rule when using pay-per-click ads, general terms = high cost and low quality traffic, specific terms = low cost and high quality traffic.
Keyword Choice is Everything
Selecting the proper combinations of keywords can make a significant difference in the traffic received and the cost paid for a particular keyword phrase. Take for instance our company, Imulus. Quick background, we are a full service design + interactive agency which means we build websites, web applications and marketing collateral. Also, we are located in Boulder, Colorado. So here goes:
Campaign 1 / Local
We are trying to reach out into our own backyard, where we ultimately have greater success they compared to trying to reach clients in Portland, Oregon. The few selected terms below give you an idea of the level of traffic we might expect. Google allows us to select a budget to keep that number reined in.
Denver Web Design
Returns 44 Clicks per month / 2,681 times shown / Avg position 2.2 ?Total 1 Month Cost $240.89
Boulder Web Design
Returns 13 Clicks per month / 1,115 times shown / Avg position 1.2?Total Cost 1 Month $62.36
Obviously market size will have a direct link to the number of times your keywords are searched upon.
Campaign 2 / National
In this campaign we are going to reach outside of the Denver metro / Boulder market. Our new target market is the United States. Qualifiers of Boulder and Denver will be dropped in favor of more national terms. These numbers are not actuals, just estimates.
Web Design / 1290 Clicks per month / $8,550 per month
Web Developer / 168 Clicks per month / $497 per month
Website Design / 1110 Clicks per month / $5,146 per month
Notice the cost per month, as we market more general terminology the number of clicks per month increases drastically and so does the cost. The only part of the equation which diminishes is the quality of the leads.
Better Traffic Quality
Campaign 2 will drive more traffic then Campaign 1 but will the traffic be worth it? Using the terms Web Design, those ads will appear when anyone searches using those terms even if they have qualifiers on the term. By using general terminology we might be picked up on searches for "Alaskan web design" in which case the odds of us landing that client are pretty remote. Adding qualifiers narrow the clicks to just those which are qualified for our business, adding Denver and Boulder gives us focused results.
For more information visit Imulus at http://www.imulus.com
5 Steps To Ensuring Your Website Is Secure
5 Steps To Ensuring Your Website Is Secure
by: John Lenaghan
Anyone who is doing business over the internet needs to have secure web hosting. There are many security threats, and anytime you're dealing with customer data you need to be sure it's safe from prying eyes. This is especially true if you're using a shared host, where multiple websites are hosted on a single server.
If you're considering shared hosting for your business website, check with your hosting company to find out what kind of security they use on their systems. You want to be 100% sure that your website is not accessible by any of the other people hosted on that same server.
You should also find out about the host's policies regarding scripts and software installed on the server. If unproven code is allowed, it can lead to problems if someone else on the server is running a program that is poorly written.
The third thing you need to check is what the host's policies are regarding operating system upgrades and maintenance. Windows gets most of the bad press about security problems, but they happen on Linux and Unix as well. You want to be sure your host applies these fixes quickly once they are released.
Fourth, find out how often your host audits their security, and whether they do it themselves or use a third-party to do it for them. Even the best maintained systems can sometimes fail, and having an audit done - especially by a third-party - can sometimes uncover problems before they get exploited.
Finally, take steps to protect yourself as well. Don't use easy-to-guess passwords for your website, and don't use the same password for everything. If someone can guess your password, they can wreak havoc on your site.
These five steps will go a long way to ensuring that your website and - most importantly - your customers' personal data are safe and secure from attack or theft.
by: John Lenaghan
Anyone who is doing business over the internet needs to have secure web hosting. There are many security threats, and anytime you're dealing with customer data you need to be sure it's safe from prying eyes. This is especially true if you're using a shared host, where multiple websites are hosted on a single server.
If you're considering shared hosting for your business website, check with your hosting company to find out what kind of security they use on their systems. You want to be 100% sure that your website is not accessible by any of the other people hosted on that same server.
You should also find out about the host's policies regarding scripts and software installed on the server. If unproven code is allowed, it can lead to problems if someone else on the server is running a program that is poorly written.
The third thing you need to check is what the host's policies are regarding operating system upgrades and maintenance. Windows gets most of the bad press about security problems, but they happen on Linux and Unix as well. You want to be sure your host applies these fixes quickly once they are released.
Fourth, find out how often your host audits their security, and whether they do it themselves or use a third-party to do it for them. Even the best maintained systems can sometimes fail, and having an audit done - especially by a third-party - can sometimes uncover problems before they get exploited.
Finally, take steps to protect yourself as well. Don't use easy-to-guess passwords for your website, and don't use the same password for everything. If someone can guess your password, they can wreak havoc on your site.
These five steps will go a long way to ensuring that your website and - most importantly - your customers' personal data are safe and secure from attack or theft.
Ratings Of Web Site Building Software
Ratings Of Web Site Building Software
by: Shane Hunte
The ratings of web building software and how they stand up against each other can only be found through testing, trial and error. Websites must be user and search engine friendly which both are very important so you would need to find a software that cater to both effectively in order to have a profitable site. You need to make the search engines love your site by giving great content and making them aware of what the site is about; you also need to have a structure that even a baby could navigate through as well. They're a number of software packages out their but most doesn't balance the search engines and user friendliness effectively.
So I'm going to give you the top three I've found out there.
I rank them in the order of the results I have received from search engines, profits and amount of visitors to the sites.
They are:
1. "Site Build It" from sitesell.com
This browser based software gets number one in my ratings of web site building software. This allows its users to build web sites for the search engines and human users without any web site building experience. It has a step by step guide that takes you by the hand to building a web business; it helps you market that business as well. It helps you manage you pay per click campaigns, affiliate programs, site hosting, newsletter distribution; it also teaches you the fundamentals of building an online business. This is much more than just software.
The developers of this software also monitor the search engines to make sure you're following their rules at all times.
If you also have an existing web business then you can still use this software on that as well, it allows you to transfer your site to their software or you can just build another bigger better website from scratch; that would be my recommendation.
I give this tool 10 out of 10.
2. Websitewizard.com
This beauty is your next best bet to building a decent web based business.
It helps you do a lot of the leg work to get started, you get some excellent shopping cart and card processing software and you please your human and search engine users as well.
You can't ask for a lot more than that. Well actually you can but that is what they offer along with some great customer service.
I give this software 7 out of 10.
3. Instantestore.com
This piece of software is good because it sets you up to take orders from the first time you open up your e-commerce store.
Although it is great for building web sites and it can hold its own when it comes to the search engines, it needs a little work to become a full fledge marketing and web building tool.
For now it could get you up and running where site users and search engines are concerned. You will have to handle the other marketing aspects on your own.
I give this software 6 out of 10.
Balancing both search engines and human users can be tricky sometimes even difficult but these three software packages makes it easier for you to manage and to get targeted visitors to your site.
My ratings of web site building software are from experience and from that I can say these do the best job in balancing the important aspects of web building although they're more aspects you should consider.
by: Shane Hunte
The ratings of web building software and how they stand up against each other can only be found through testing, trial and error. Websites must be user and search engine friendly which both are very important so you would need to find a software that cater to both effectively in order to have a profitable site. You need to make the search engines love your site by giving great content and making them aware of what the site is about; you also need to have a structure that even a baby could navigate through as well. They're a number of software packages out their but most doesn't balance the search engines and user friendliness effectively.
So I'm going to give you the top three I've found out there.
I rank them in the order of the results I have received from search engines, profits and amount of visitors to the sites.
They are:
1. "Site Build It" from sitesell.com
This browser based software gets number one in my ratings of web site building software. This allows its users to build web sites for the search engines and human users without any web site building experience. It has a step by step guide that takes you by the hand to building a web business; it helps you market that business as well. It helps you manage you pay per click campaigns, affiliate programs, site hosting, newsletter distribution; it also teaches you the fundamentals of building an online business. This is much more than just software.
The developers of this software also monitor the search engines to make sure you're following their rules at all times.
If you also have an existing web business then you can still use this software on that as well, it allows you to transfer your site to their software or you can just build another bigger better website from scratch; that would be my recommendation.
I give this tool 10 out of 10.
2. Websitewizard.com
This beauty is your next best bet to building a decent web based business.
It helps you do a lot of the leg work to get started, you get some excellent shopping cart and card processing software and you please your human and search engine users as well.
You can't ask for a lot more than that. Well actually you can but that is what they offer along with some great customer service.
I give this software 7 out of 10.
3. Instantestore.com
This piece of software is good because it sets you up to take orders from the first time you open up your e-commerce store.
Although it is great for building web sites and it can hold its own when it comes to the search engines, it needs a little work to become a full fledge marketing and web building tool.
For now it could get you up and running where site users and search engines are concerned. You will have to handle the other marketing aspects on your own.
I give this software 6 out of 10.
Balancing both search engines and human users can be tricky sometimes even difficult but these three software packages makes it easier for you to manage and to get targeted visitors to your site.
My ratings of web site building software are from experience and from that I can say these do the best job in balancing the important aspects of web building although they're more aspects you should consider.
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