mysite blog

Dos and Don’ts of Website Revisions - Part II

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:00:00 -0500

Are you paying a fee for business web hosting, but aren’t placing well in search engines or capturing new customers? Despite your best efforts, you may have overlooked the importance of web design in search engine optimization. Here are 5 more great tips on easy ways to improve your website’s traffic and appearance. Extra tips can be found in part one of this article.

1. Blogs

DO Update often. Constant updates will get search engine robots visiting your site more frequently, and will help improve your search engine rankings.

DO NOT Blog about topics unrelated to your business. Focus on keywords that are associated with your business and try to include them in the post titles.

DO Organize your blog posts with category tags. Most blogging content management systems offer the option to categorize your posts with different keywords relating to the content. Choose 4-5 category keywords relating to your business and stick with them. Displaying a navigation list of category keywords helps your visitors find the information they are looking for quickly, and will help search engines learn what you’re all about.

2. Hierarchy

DO: Analyze the hierarchy of your website. Paragraphs should have one style, links should have 1 style, header tags should have 1 style. Search engines look at the content between the <h1> tags, so only use these tags for page titles.

DO NOT: Compromise the hierarchy of your page to emphasize featured content. Consider other ways of pointing out important paragraphs besides using jarring bright colors, unusual fonts, or giant font sizes.

The heirarchy of this page is very confusing. The navigation is not prominently displayed and doesn't have clear styling. The sizing and placement of images is erratic, making it difficult to spot important content.

3. Personal Information

DO: Obfuscate your business email and phone number to prevent spam! www.obfuscatr.com is a great service that transforms your personal information into a garbled string of code that humans can read but spam robots can’t.

DO NOT: Display your e-mail address with any unnecessary characters. (ex: yourname {at} mail {dot} com). It makes copying and pasting your e-mail address difficult for your customers.

DO NOT: Post your address on your website if you do not cater to walk in customers.

4. Errors

DO: Double check for broken links, images and typos. A beautifully designed website and lyrical product descriptions are instantly damaged with oversights like these. Even the smallest typo in a file name, or just one missing end tag can lead to a major problem. If your website is in need of maintenance, customers will think your business is too. So double check, or ask someone with a fresh perspective to do it for you. Interactive Palette offers a monthly maintenance service, contact us for more information

DO NOT: Use direct external links to display images or PDFs on your page. Save all materials on your own server, and always ask for permission to use images obtained from 3rd parties.

DO: Archive all press releases and blog posts. Keeping old pages on the server helps eliminate broken links. .

The broken images on this website are distracting and unprofessional.

5. Footer

DO: Add a footer if you don’t already have one. A footer can be a great way to put company contact info, a site map, or call to actions on every page.

DO NOT: Keyword stuff” in small type in your footer. Search engines will pick this up as spam and it will hurt your rankings.

DO NOT: Hide essential information in the footer. Important pages should always be visible in the main navigation, and can be displayed as callouts at the top of the homepage.

Dos and Don’ts of Website Revisions - Part I

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:00:00 -0500

With the decline of Flash and the magnificent rise of HTML5, trying to keep up with web standards can be daunting. Or, if you’re still mourning the loss of Geocities Site Builder, depressing. Are you paying a fee for business web hosting, but aren’t placing well in search engines or capturing new customers? If your website is heavily flash based, table based or has been gathering dust for over 2 years, it’s time to get better results by rethinking your design and site structure. The good news is, you can probably start that process today, by yourself, without enrolling in a community college night class. For those savvy enough to attempt a few refreshing changes themselves, allow the following simple suggestions to assist you in turning your ancient eyesore into a beautiful, modern website. And for those who have no idea what a tag is….allow me to direct you to our contact page.

1. Using Unique Typefaces

DO play with fun display fonts in large headers and titles on your website. When used correctly, typefaces are a design element that can make a statement about your company’s personality.

DO NOT use small caps, hand writing fonts, or anything illegible in your body copy. Stick to the classic web fonts here: Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, etc.

DO Use free type services like Google Web Fonts, or paid services like Typekit. They make it possible to use real, custom-designed fonts on your website with no subscription fees and no coding knowledge. Don’t go crazy though – 2 fonts per page is sufficient! Installing too many fonts on one page makes it difficult to read anything, and will slow down your loading time.

DO NOT Display custom fonts as images! Search engines cannot read type as image, which could be a reason why your website isn’t ranking well or showing up for certain keywords. Overuse of type as image also affects site readers for Internet users with disabilities, slows down loading time, and cannot be translated for international viewers.

2. Flash Animation

DO: Remove your flash intro. Flash landing pages deny access to your website for some users and test your visitors’ patience. The iPhone and iPad and iPod Touch are becoming popular internet browsers, but do not support flash player at all. So if you require visitors to watch your new ad, click on a tiny hidden button, or really do anything before they can access the information they want…don’t.

DO NOT: Continue to use an entirely flash based website. With the rise of smart phone browsers and the increasing popularity of Apple products, businesses have been rushing to phase out their flash websites. Contact our Web Design Team to find out how we can help you with an HTML redesign and optional mobile website that will get picked up on any device and display correctly on every browser.

DO: Remove any animated gifs still lingering from 1999. Animated gifs slow down site loading time and are outdated relics of the Geocities years. Save them for your ironic Tumblr. See item 1 if your animated gifs include text as image.

DO NOT: Use flash as a solution to display videos on your website. Contact our Web Design Team to find out how we can help you implement the most recent HTML5 solutions instead.

Too much moving imagery creates visual clutter that dominates your message.

3. Photo Galleries

DO: Start with large, high-resolution photography, and always scale the images down before posting them online. Scale them down to no larger than 960px, and make sure the resolution is 72 dpi for quicker loading speed. Photos freshly imported from your camera often have dpis of 200 or higher.

DO NOT: Post pixilated images on your website. Pixilated images are unattractive and unprofessional.

DO: Organize your photo galleries into neat columns and categories to avoid visually overwhelming your visitors. Limit the amount of thumbnails you are displaying on one page, and make sure you have enough white space between thumbnails so each image can be appreciated.

DO NOT: Use flash photo galleries. If you are currently using flash for your photo galleries, video galleries, or entire website, contact our Web Design Team to learn how we can help you use javascript and HTML5 solutions instead.

The chaotic arrangement and varied sizes of these thumbnails makes it impossible to discern categories
and is unappealing to browse.

4. Navigation

DO: Keep your most important pages easily accessible, and no more than 1 click away on all pages. Users will get frustrated if they can’t get to the content they are looking for easily.

DO NOT: Change navigation menu location, styling or linkage as you click through the website. Navigation must be consistent on every page, or your visitors will get lost and will look elsewhere for the information or services they are seeking.

DO: Consider displaying your logo near your navigation. Your logo should be displayed in a clear & highly visible location, without being too big and dominating. Visitors should be able to see your navigation, logo, and beginning of the page content without having to scroll down in their browser window.

It is unclear how to navigate this website, since there are multiple levels of navigation
all being displayed at once, and no focal point.

5. Social networking

DO: Keep up with a few social profiles. Depending on the needs of your business, these profiles can be a great way to promote yourself and generate new interest.

DO NOT: Litter your website with an excessive amount of buttons and badges. Too many social networking profiles can be difficult to keep up with, can hurt your search engine rankings if left unattended, and will create visual clutter on your website.

DO: Choose your social networks based on how you can best market your business. Retail businesses may prefer Facebook to show off albums full of their latest inventory. B2B services may prefer Twitter to inform customers about the latest news and developments in their field. LinkedIn is a popular engine for any business to post their services and link to resumes of leading employees. YouTube is best used for demonstrations of new products, or to share ad campaigns that have been created for your business.

DO NOT: Mix your personal and business accounts. Create separate logins for each profile so you don’t accidentally post personal information where it doesn’t belong.

Shopping tips for the technologically unsure

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:00:00 -0500

With the holiday season in full swing, many people are in the market for the newest, most cutting edge gifts. Whether shopping for a new phone, mp3 player, tablet, or computer, there are a number of options to explore at various retail locations and at different price points. Some might argue that it’s worth looking at products that are perhaps more affordable, such as the Samsung Galaxy or Motorola Xoom. Others would argue that the iPad might still be better because of its technology.

For example, someone on your list may ask for an iPad, but depending on what they plan to use it for, a Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Xoom, or a number of other tablet options may be better and more affordable. It’s important to conduct some research before stepping into the store or clicking “add to cart.” You may or may not be able to determine the recipient’s plan for usage, but there are some things to be familiar with:

Understand the different operating systems. Depending on which brand you purchase, your product (specifically smartphones, tablets, and iPods) will come with a different operating system. Apple products have their own and utilize iTunes, many alternatives function on the android system with the Android marketplace, and there are some Blackberry and Windows options as well. There are pros and cons for each, and it may be worthwhile to find out what other technology the person has so it can all be synched. With that thought, for example, Amazon uses a different system than iTunes, so if you already have content on iTunes, look for a product that will support it. Apple products are somewhat agnostic in that they are adaptable. You might buy an iPad with an app on it, but if you have an android phone, for example, and the app is not on the android market, you may be frustrated.

So, if someone already owns an Android smartphone, it may be prudent to purchase a tablet that also runs on the same system so that settings, preferences, and apps can be imported.

Be sure the device is compatible with support technology. Depending on the device, the owner may need to download programs onto an existing computer. For example, a new Apple product may need to be activated and managed by the iTunes account on his or her computer. Does the person already have this? If not, can their computer support it? Older PCs tend to have a difficult time with the large memory usage of iTunes and can become sluggish when it is running.

Be aware of WiFi versus 3G. Many gadgets are currently wifi compatible, meaning they can pick up and use the wireless internet available and at no cost. The issue to consider here is whether or not wifi will always be available to the user. On the other hand, 3 and 4G are available anywhere there is cell phone reception, but come at a cost. Will the user be willing to take on this monthly subscription? It is especially important to decide this before purchasing because while 3G compatible products can also utilize WiFi, gadgets that only have wifi cannot be upgraded should the owner decide they would like it (this is true of iPads, for example). Additionally, some smartphone plans charge by the MB usage, so the user may require a pricier plan if he/she won’t always have access to wireless internet.

The web offers some great resources. There are a number of websites that provide reliable information on the different available options. Three of them are Engadget.com, Cnet.com, and gizmodo.com – all provide product news, ratings, and reviews, as well as holiday shopping guides. There is also gdgt.com, which is like “Facebook/Twitter for gadgets” and can be followed on your smartphone. Checking out these sites can be a great time-saver and provide you with information that a store salesperson might not.

Overall, your best bet is to be as informed as possible before making a purchase. There are plenty of items to choose from. Happy shopping!

Click here for the original article which was published in the Fall River Herald News.

Taking Risks with Color in Web Design

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:00:00 -0500

Everyone knows that wise use of color is pivotal in creating a strong brand. Decades worth of advertising has imbued our senses with a connection between specific colors and specific industries. Blue for health & medicine, black for entertainment & nightlife, green for environment & nature. But how much of that visual connection is an intrinsic response and how much of it is conditioning? Can those standards be bent without breaking the message?

Taking risks with color in web design breaks tired trends and can create an exciting new presence for a business. For color insights and inspiration, where better to turn than the factory of endless reinvention, the now-est, hippest, battle over cultural influence?

Check out 4 recently redesigned websites that caught the attention of Brand New, a blog that keeps tabs on the best and worst of brand reinvention. These bold, unexpected color palettes used in these designs were also seen in the 2012 collections of top fashion icons.
(photos from Vogue.co.uk)

1. Museum of Discovery

http://www.amod.org vs. Prada FW 2012

2. BEAM

http://www.beamglobal.com vs. Chloe FW 2012

3. Kickin' Chicken

http://www.kickinchicken.com vs. Prada FW 2012

4. The Hungarian Wine Society

http://www.hungarianwinesociety.co.uk vs. Gucci FW 2012

HealthCare Review - A technology “check-up” for the healthcare industry

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:00:00 -0400

The rapid and recent advancement of technology has benefitted many industries, and perhaps none more than the medical field. From research to preventative medicine to discovering new therapies and remedies, technology is the foundation of a wide range of remarkable medical advances.

But despite the prevalence of these amazing new tools, many hospitals, doctors, and others within the healthcare community remain in a technological stone-age when it comes to developments in digital communication.

The Internet in particular has transformed the way in which most people gather information, making it vital for businesses across the board to increase their search-engine visibility and efficiency of online services. It is essential for every institution to not only maintain a comprehensive website, but to keep up with technological enhancements that will provide the public easy access to the information they desire.

In the past few years there has been a sharp increase in the use of cell phones with Internet connection. The advent of “smart phones” such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid has prompted the exploration of new technological avenues, leading to the creation of “mobile websites.” According to industry reports, the current mobile landscape can only broaden due to the unprecedented growth of mobile platforms.

Appetites for the most up-to-the-minute and speediest mobile device are never satisfied, with manufacturers working against the clock to continually release more efficient upgrades. Expectations are steadily on the rise for easy to use mobile websites that offer immediate loading times…for when a website doesn’t deliver, chances are that visitors will quickly disappear.

In essence, a mobile website is a streamlined website, configured to easily fit a smart phone screen. This technology allows people easy access to information from their cell phones without the inconvenience of small, hard to read type or incorrectly rendered layouts.

Anyone who has ever attempted to navigate through a traditional website from a smart phone can appreciate the need for streamlining the process. This challenge can lead to frustration – and sometimes worse – for those in need of immediate contact information for a medical facility.

Some hospitals and medical centers are offering mobile versions of their websites to both attract new patients and build continued loyalty with existing patients. But others have not yet gone boldly into the 21st century. And it’s a shame, for according to a study conducted by the Pew Trust in September of 2010 nearly 60% of adults in this country over the age of 18 are accessing the Internet via a laptop or mobile device…and 61% of them are searching for health related information.

Mobile-ready access to websites eliminates the often tedious task of locating desired information by reducing complexity. It’s not necessary to scroll through large text screens since information on a skillfully designed mobile website is organized by importance and formatted for relevance.

With just a few taps, a mobile website can automatically enter stored data, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and directions, saving time and reducing frustration for smart phone users.

Within the health care industry, optimized smart phone accessibility can open new marketing doors. For example, a “physician search” button on a hospital or medical center mobile homepage could be designed to provide an organized list of nearby physicians based on the user’s GPS location. Hospital websites today can also offer online physician referral service for those in future need of a physician; applicants can be matched with appropriate physicians at the facility for treatment and care.

Other applications offered by mobile sites include health information sections where users can search medical conditions and receive information about symptoms and treatments.

A wide variety of online tools are presently available for patients and medical facility personnel. And with website translation ability, these helpful and often critical online services can reach a significantly larger customer base. In fact, offering content in several languages besides English is fast becoming a crucial component to hospital websites in most regions of this country.

Secure web-based programs now exist that allow patients the ability to contact their doctor’s office online regarding non-urgent matters. These online medical services benefit patients in many ways, from viewing appointment details to reviewing prescription/refill information to receiving advice about routine medical issues. But perhaps of most value is a patient’s ability to receive test results in advance of a doctor’s appointment, thereby allowing time to digest the information, pose well-thought out questions and better serve as their own advocates.

Technology and efficiency are integral to the business end of medical treatment. Real time credit card processing for online payment is now available, providing patients with a simple way to address their health care bills…which translates into medical facilities receiving payment more expediently. A growing number of hospital websites also provide gateways for donors to aid specific programs and services in a secure and confidential manner.

Ultimately, technology is a proven component to building relationships between medical facilities and the people they serve – it is a key that can unlock innovative new methods of communication within the healthcare industry.

Click here for the original article which was published on the HeathCare Review website.

Connection is king in times of emergency

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:00:00 -0400

From hurricanes and tornadoes to blizzards and EEE, emergencies can happen any day. In a world where technology drives much of our daily lives and the use of “smart phones” is high, there is a surprising lack of efficient, coordinated, “smart phone”-friendly online emergency resources.

During Hurricane Irene, people in Southeastern Massachusetts and nearby states were unable to get real-time updates regarding power restoration and road closures. Without this critical information, frustration and a sense of isolation escalated for many. Lack of electricity and Internet ground many businesses to a complete halt, in some communities for nearly a week.

Without cable and landline connections, how do residents and businesses get information during emergencies? Luckily with cell phones, we are able to contact utility companies and (after waiting on hold) repeatedly ask “when is the power coming back on?” All utility companies had their hands full in the aftermath of the August 27th hurricane, but there are a few steps that they could have taken that would have saved them a few of those phone calls.

For starters, each utility company should have an Internet-based status page on their websites. This will enable the legions of “smart phone” users to be better informed and able to deliver updates to friends and family. With the number of “smart phone” users increasing exponentially, emergency sites and utility companies should all develop a mobile version of their website. In essence, a mobile site is a streamlined website, configured to easily fit a smart phone screen. This technology allows smart phone users easy and immediate access to information from their cell phones; and time is never more critical than during a disaster. Mobile websites can be developed for cross-browser functionality, meaning that an iPhone user and a Blackberry user can both access the same presentation of information. While cross-browser testing is a high priority for mobile website developers, not every utility provider invests the time and money to do this properly. Faulty browser compatibility can lead to broken pages and jumbled layouts. In an emergency, it is pivotal that everyone can access the same information and no one misses out on an important update.

Municipalities should also implement greater use of text messages to convey weather, fire, and health related warnings. There is no reason why a text message, cell phone, and e-mail based emergency contact system is not in place. Universities across the country already can blast information to students and parents about weather warnings, snow days, or campus emergencies. With the touch of a button, e-mails, phone calls and text messages alert everyone who needs to know, at any time of day.

Fundamental emergency information should also be included on municipal websites, allowing residents to monitor conditions in their communities. Municipal websites should be kept up-to-date with the latest in emergency preparedness information, an element that is lacking on most of the region’s sites. Often, volunteers take on the responsibility of updating town websites. While that’s commendable, it is clear that providing updates is a low priority in many communities – and that’s far from where it needs to be.

It should be noted that both the Attleboro and Taunton websites appear to have made an effort to keep residents informed during Hurricane Irene with current, continually updated data. National Grid and Boston.com also appeared to make a serious effort to provide updates. We did not see the same effort with the cable providers or some of the other utilities.

One site that consistently delivers real-time emergency alert information is the National Weather Service: http://www.weather.gov. This comprehensive site includes information pages for tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and other emergencies. In fact, websites – be they municipal, utility companies, the media or internet providers – should link to the National Weather Service site, or have a similar page with updates specific to their service.

A number of emergency preparedness coalition sites, like the Bristol County Coalition of Emergency Preparedness are linked to the National Weather Service. Coalition sites break disasters into categories, and provide valuable information of what to do before, during and following a storm or health-related alert.

The age of technology in which we live allows for constant connection to vital information. Residents should demand that the officials of their community take note of the good examples of informative websites above, and put their own in place. Municipalities should answer the call for greater coordination of online resources, while utility and cable companies should similarly step up and provide status pages for consumers.

And let’s not forget that a “smart phone” is only as smart as its user – people need to be aware of the local and global emergency resources already available, and be alerted when new ones are created. Putting this important technology to good use during times of emergency is not only intelligent, it could also be the difference between being in the know or remaining in the dark.

Take the static out of your web site with a Content Management System

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:00:00 -0400

That old saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may apply to many things, but not to business web sites where providing the most up-to-date information on products and services is critical to success.

Still, many businesses with a long time web presence rarely alter their web site, in large part due to the perception that it will cost big bucks. And while a complete overhaul of a web site comes with a certain price tag, adding a Content Management System (CMS) is extremely cost-efficient, typically more than paying for itself in short time.

In a nutshell, a CMS is a web-based interface that allows business owners and specified staff members the ability to add pages, edit content, upload images and PDFs and make other changes to a web site as needed. As examples, press releases, newsletters, special offers, testimonials and useful links can easily be added to a web site through use of a CMS.

The benefits of having a CMS on a business web site are many, starting with ease of customization. It’s not necessary to contact a web site designer to make changes or updates; with just a couple hours of training, changing web site content is virtually as easy as composing email. And since a web site’s CMS is accessible over the web, you or members of your staff with the proper log-in information can make changes from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Also, pages created with a CMS have a similar look and feel, eliminating the need to tweak for consistency. And not to get too technical, but CMS-generated pages have a high level of support for metatags – a special HTML tag used to store information about a web page, but not displayed in a web browser.

All you need to take from this explanation is that your web site will be more search engine friendly with the use of a CMS, allowing for increased traffic and potentially increased business. With a CMS, you don’t have to understand the technicalities of creating web pages, allowing you to focus on content and not layout.

It should also be noted that the most popular Content Management Systems use what is known as “what you see is what you get” editors, which means exactly what it sounds like; what you see on the screen is the same as what appears on the finished page.

A CMS can be an essential tool for business owners, making it simple to keep information current and in general improve the look and efficiency of a web site.

Tighten and refresh your web site with a “face lift”

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:00:00 -0400

There’s no denying that first impressions count – from personal appearance to the condition of our offices, we are constantly being judged on how we represent ourselves professionally.

Today, a company’s web site is the first thing many potential clients check out before deciding where to take their business, so it pays to maintain a web site that provides consistent up-to-date information, that is easy to navigate and in general reflects what your company has to offer in the most positive manner.

Perhaps the most critical “face lift” item is current content; here is where a Content Management System (CMS) can keep your web site fresh and inviting. Most Content Management Systems are now quite affordable and require a short period of basic training, so for a relatively small outlay of money and time, your web site can carry the most recent product lines, price listings, contact information, PDF’s and graphics.

Coming in a close second on the “must have” list is a web site that loads quickly; that’s the best way to optimize traffic. Keep in mind that the catch phrase “too much information” can apply to a company’s opening or home page. If your web site overdoes content, you may be in jeopardy of scaring off potential customers, so word to the wise – pare content on the home page down to the essentials to allow visitors continued navigation on the web site.

Speaking of navigation, make sure that information is never more than a click or two away. And be sure your site is optimized for easy access to search engines. Providing a variety of navigational routes will go a long way toward ensuring customer satisfaction. Think image maps, hyperlinks and drop-down menus in addition to search engines—all say “user friendly.”

Back a number of years when web sites were still in their infancy, some designers fell into the “bigger the better” trap. Today’s most effective business web sites generally employ the “less is more” approach. As such, Flash – the use of animation tools and moving images – is best used in small quantities. You can still provide more than adequate visual impact without blinding visitors with every bell and whistle.

Remember, your company web site is a window display for business – by keeping it contemporary and current with the occasional “face lift” you may also see your sales lift.

Fall River, MA Herald News Community Voices: Hope for best, prepare for worst with online emergency alerts

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:00:00 -0400

Being prepared is the next best thing to avoiding disaster completely and today’s technology is making it easier than ever to be ready for whatever Mother Nature decides to throw our way.

It’s difficult to imagine that just a mere 20 years ago, the daily use of cell phones, email and text messaging was nowhere on the radar screen, yet today we count on all these technologies to keep us informed and in touch. And now that we’re at the height of the hurricane and tornado season, having instant access to weather alerts can be a literal lifesaver.

Town and organization websites can become “go to” sources for real-time emergency notification information by subscribing to a RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed such as CNN. RSS allows for the delivery of regularly changing content; this alert mechanism can be administered through the website’s content management system.

Also, many municipalities and organizations offer mass emergency notification services through automated “phone trees” which can simultaneously send an emergency alert to thousands of people over a wide variety of communications platforms, including email, land phones, cell phones, pagers, smart phones and faxes.

Through the use of these automated mass notification systems, messages can be sent via the Web or by phone, so that critical alerts can be sent and received in the loss of Internet connection.

Twitter is another remarkable tool for “getting the word out.” In fact, an increasing number of emergency management agencies are using social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to help circulate emergency information. This approach to information dissemination has a built-in positive domino effect; those following the Twitter user can “re-tweet” to their contacts, continuing the transmittal of vital alerts.

Also, smart phone users can sign on for applications that deliver real time notifications sent as alerts to their phones.

And in addition, some municipalities, schools and organizations implement a text messaging emergency alert system to convey weather, fire, health-related and other warnings.

With the technology available these days, there’s no reason anyone should be left in the dark.

Click here for the original article which was published in the Fall River Herald News.

Fall River, MA Herald News Community Voices: The extreme website makeover: Municipal edition

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:00:00 -0400

First impressions do count and when it comes to municipal websites, that adage couldn’t be truer. From current and potential residents to companies seeking to build or re-locate, a municipal website can paint a picture of what a community has to offer. So, in the spirit of constructive criticism, let’s take a look at what works and what needs improvement on a few regional community websites.

But first, one general observation – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is as vital to a website as location is to real estate. By including specific words or phrases that people are searching for, a website will see increased traffic and a higher search engine ranking. SEO is an area that needs improvement in all of the following municipal websites.

www.fallriverma.org

While this website offers a very useful calendar and its forms and publications directory is a great resource, the home page lacks a main focus. Content could be reorganized to create a hierarchy of importance and condensed so it doesn’t overwhelm visitors. It would also be wise to add a search form and redo the drop-down to speed up the flow of animation. While the overall design demonstrates a good effort, a different layout would provide a more consistent presentation. Another distraction to the website is pages showing “404 Not Found.” Broken links can be repaired by running a link checker.

www.townofsomerset.org

This website provides a large variety of valuable information, but it’s on the short side of visual appeal; it could benefit greatly from a re-layout so that it’s not so systematic. This site should incorporate jargon, colors and images that guide visitors to all the useful data it has to offer.

www.tiverton.ri.gov

The colors really pop nicely on this website, as does the photography, however navigation needs to be organized in a tight interface-minded presentation. A search form would greatly benefit this website, as would consistent page heights. Clicking through is confusing, making users feel as if they’re leaving the site. Also, the website is too wide for the screen width, an element that could be remedied by changing the integrity of the overall design layout for consistent presentation.

www.westport-ma.com

Widgets including Google maps and weather forecast tools are excellent additions, but this website has the disadvantage of not being wide enough. Pages are too tall, with right-side columns content heavy; also the search form should be moved to the top of the website. Navigation is difficult and should be re-structured to better organize all content. This site would also benefit from an improved logo display, color and photography.

www.town.freetown.ma.us

The advanced search form on this website is a great tool, but in other areas this site needs work. In fact, it has the look of a spreadsheet or series of Word documents, as opposed to a designed website. Too many words and not enough imagery, minimal color usage and no logo or visual identity make this website a candidate for a complete re-haul.

http://346swa.wycliffe.hostingrails.com/

First off, this town website needs a better domain name and design; it’s difficult to gather from the name that this is the official site for the town of Swansea. Also, its navigation is too low and should be moved closer to the top. The addition of a search form would be helpful and pages that don’t have content should be removed or redirected. The website is also too tall and lacks photography. Moreover, it needs a home page button. But on a very positive note, this website does have RSS (Rich Site Summary) which allows for the delivery of regularly changing content.

A well-designed and serviceable website allows a community to put its best face forward and showcase what it has to offer to the public and to commerce. The towns cited in this article have made good starts at building websites that – with the right assistance – could broaden their outreach efforts.

Click here for the original article which was published in the Fall River Herald News.

Search engine optimization helps drive website traffic

Fri, 13 May 2011 19:00:00 -0400

Business owners, organizations and individuals with an Internet presence share the same basic interest: drawing traffic to their sites.

Whether it’s for a business, an organization, a church, a school or a civic group seeking to build community awareness, the principles are the same. With a few fundamental search engine optimization measures, aka SEO, it’s easy to increase website “hits” and build that desired awareness.

In the same way that real estate is defined by “location, location, location,” in the world of websites, a top ranking on search engines like Google or Yahoo is king.

One of the best methods to increase search engine ranking is through the optimal use of keywords; that is, knowing what specific words or phrases people are searching for and then targeting those phrases in the text on the site.

A website designer can conduct the appropriate research to determine and target those keywords and provide further analysis to pinpoint the most important terms — or terms with “opportunity” — that help bring the right visitors to the site.

Website linking is another technique used to attract traffic to a site. In brief, this mechanism interlinks words or phrases key to a business website to other relevant pages on the site. In addition, consider linking images from your website to other important pages in the same way; this can attract traffic through “image search” results.

While less is more in terms of a company’s home page or contact page, a website’s news section is where content rules. Instead of short paragraphs or brief press releases, it’s wise to include articles of 500 words or more.

This approach not only allows for comprehensive information about your offerings or other newsworthy information, it also adds to that all-important keyword total. In fact, search engines are always on the lookout for expanded website content, so use it to your best advantage.

Businesses or civic organizations with several locations should have a separate Google Places listing for each facility, thereby further optimizing Web presence.

And not to get too technical, but there is yet another principal method to increase search engine ranking, and that is through meta tags. A meta tag is a line of coding that contains metadata about a Web page. Although not visible to website viewers, meta description tags and meta keyword tags are used to optimize search results. This is an area where a website designer can assist.

No doubt having and maintaining an up-to-date website is essential to conducting business these days, but optimizing its potential should also be a priority. Through the use of proven mechanisms, the right traffic can be drawn to the right destination: your website.

Click here for the original article which was published in the Fall River Herald News.

Open source software; an economic windfall for small businesses

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:00:00 -0400

The cost of software required to support a small business can be significant, but with the rising popularity of open source software, these essential IT tools are one less expense to worry about.

While “code-sharing” has been a tradition among programmers for decades, open source has become mainstream in recent years due, in large part, to the explosion in Internet activity and the popularity of open source technologies like Apache, Linux, PHP and Perl.

In brief, open source commonly refers to software programs that are made available by an individual or group in source code form for use, modification and redistribution under licensing agreements that offer few restrictions.

From word processing to spreadsheets, databases to graphics, open source software is typically no cost and immediately accessible – not just initially, but for future upgrades as well. Need a web scripting engine? Download one from PHP.net. Need an update to your website's database? Surf over to mySQL.com. Need new blog software installed? Try WordPress.org.

Extremely flexible, open source software is usually inter-operable with other standards and provides freedom from “lock-in” to a single software vendor’s products. For instance, a business may work in Open Office software to import Word documents, but can just as easily export to RTF and PDF standards.

Whether a company’s website is based on open frameworks such as JQuery or CakePHP, languages like Perl and PHP, or databases such as mySQL, these technologies are widely understood by most developers and as such, strongly supported through the developer community at large.

By integrating open source software as part of a broad approach to business goals, a small enterprise can open itself up to other opportunities. Extending the software’s capabilities is often simple and advantageous; for example, a single added feature could complete your perfect solution, as that “missing link” complements a constellation of open contributors.

Fortunately, quality open source software often relies on a community of users more than happy to assist in making solutions work, in addition to providing continued contributions to the technology’s development.

As for licensing, open source usually carries an “alphabet soup” of various agreements, including GPL, LGPL, Creative Commons, MIT and Apache (a list can be found here: http://www.opensource.org/licenses ). In many cases, these usage agreements are quite permissive, allowing business the ability to make unlimited copies and transfers of the software without added concerns.

Even those that are more restrictive typically have rudimentary requirements – for example, if a business sells a product that is derived from the original open source software, under GPL, the source code of the derivative product must be available using that same license.

Ultimately, open source software offers many opportunities to businesses – it is free of charge and available to utilize immediately upon downloading. In addition, a wide pool of software talent is continually improving upon the types of programs small companies most often require to efficiently run their operations.

HTML5: more than a “flash” in the pan

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:00:00 -0500

While the general availability of HTML5 is not anticipated for a couple of years, the buzz on this next generation of HTML grows stronger with each passing month and with good reason. Its mainstream introduction will allow web developers to incorporate a broader spectrum of multimedia content into business websites. In addition to being more search engine friendly, it will also enable greater exposure to the widest range of emerging mobile devices.

HTML5, which has been under development since 2008, is the most hotly anticipated update to the venerable HTML standard in recent time. As with other impending standards, aspects of this “new and improved” version of HTML are already being supported in many modern web browsers.

Among the numerous reasons HTML5 has become such a spirited topic is its long overdue support for true multimedia content. Surprisingly, much of the video and animation shown on the web today is displayed by “Flash” – a custom web browser add-on that is most often installed and updated separately by users. HTML5 seeks to address this deficiency by supporting true multimedia and graphical content as an integral component of the openly supported standards that allow for the Internet to be so richly interconnected.

Currently, browsers depend heavily on one company – Adobe, Inc. – for multimedia experiences on all new platforms and browsers. Adobe has answered that call by rolling Flash support out to as many platforms and operating systems as it can, providing content authors a unified delivery platform that otherwise would not exist. Inasmuch, Adobe has labored tirelessly with its many partners, as the final arbiter of software support for each new graphics chipset, operating system, and processing hardware, resulting in inevitable bottlenecks; one of Flash’s biggest drawbacks.

In recent years, Adobe has sought to address concerns by removing many prior restrictions surrounding Flash, allowing other companies relatively unrestricted access to the full Flash format specification. This move opened the possibility of companies and independent developers generating Flash content and creating limited Flash playback options in ways previously unavailable.

Adobe Flash has nevertheless suffered setbacks, primarily taking a hit from the CEO of Apple who penned an open letter in early 2010, criticizing Flash for poor performance, security problems and limited functionality on touchscreen and mobile devices. Having experienced unprecedented success with the introduction of its web connected iPhone and iPod Touch devices in 2007, Apple had felt pressure to make a case for its continued resistance to allowing Flash into its products. That one letter touched off a stormy debate that led many businesses, including low-cost airline Virgin America, to replace the Flash on their websites with HTML5 animations, allowing the growing number of modern mobile web browsers to enjoy their content without requiring the extra add-on.

Apple further strengthened their argument with the highly acclaimed launch of their iPad tablet, bringing their total number of HTML5 enabled devices sold to well over 200 million by the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, Apple’s smartphone competitors were left anxiously waiting until June 2010 when Adobe finally released the long awaited Flash player 10.1, its first full featured solution for smartphones. As 2011 sees the release of Apple’s iPad 2, Adobe continues complete Flash support for the Motorola XOOM, Apple’s first large screen tablet competitor from electronics giant Motorola Inc.

Now, more than ever, HTML5 – at the heart of the first mainstream movement for open multimedia on the web – continues to steal more of Flash’s thunder, growing in usage from 10% early last year to 66% usage across the web as of early 2011, according to analytics from the video sharing site MeFeedia.

HTML5 is considered the future of the Web and as such, it could have significant impact on many businesses. The market is changing…if the use of multimedia hasn’t already affected your company, it most certainly will in the very near future. Business owners should recognize the weight that dynamic video, sound and animation add to a website. Regardless of language barriers, cultural differences or intellectual acumen, all potential customers can better appreciate messages enhanced with rich media. The mix of education and entertainment can make a lasting impression on current and potential customers.

And that brings us to an important point. Since its introduction more than a decade ago, Flash was primarily intended to enhance websites, not to build them. Despite this significant fact, developers have moved forward, attempting to make websites livelier, while unintentionally making them more difficult to interact with on emerging platforms.

The promise and potential of HTML5 lies in its simple interactivity – this highly anticipated standard will help deliver a more cohesive process, making available all content and material in as many platforms as possible, translating into increased traffic and visibility on business search engine rankings.

Mobile Web Design Article - Mobile websites a growing trend to keep customers satisfied

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:00:00 -0500

It’s hard to imagine that as recently as a decade ago, a significant number of businesses did not have a website or, at best, maintained a meager online presence. Without question, the Internet has transformed the way in which most people conduct commerce and gather information.

Today it is as much a staple of our daily lives as is the personal computer, making it vital for businesses to not only maintain a comprehensive website, but to keep even with advances in technology that will offer customers easy access to the information they desire.

A case in point is the sharp increase in the use of cell phones with Internet connection. The advent of so-called “smart phones” such as the iPhone or Blackberry has prompted those in the business of building and hosting mobile websites to explore new technological avenues, leading to the creation of “mobile web sites.”

In essence, a mobile website is a streamlined website, configured to easily fit a “smart phone” screen. This technology allows people easy access to information from their cell phones, something that consumers increasingly not only want, but expect. Anyone who has ever attempted to navigate through a traditional website from a smart phone can appreciate the need for streamlining the process.

Mobile-ready access to websites eliminates the sometimes tedious task of locating desired information by reducing complexity — customers don’t need to scroll through large text screens since information is organized by importance and formatted for relevance.

A “mobile” website is quicker to navigate than its full-sized counterpart would be. When a traditional website is optimized for use in a “smart phone” or alternative mobile platform it is redesigned to provide information quickly with just a few taps.

Moreover, a mobile website can save time spent on data entry; contact phone numbers, email addresses, and directions are immediately accessible by tapping. Think of what that means when, as a customer seeking information, all you need to do is tap and then another tap brings you directly to the phone number you want.

Regionally, applications for mobile websites have already been put into effect in an area hospital, with the incorporation of a “physician search” button. And a home inspection firm that does business throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island has a “find an inspector” application for quick and simple contact.

The desire for such applications is certain to expand exponentially. The newspaper industry, for example, has increased its online presence, making it easier for readers to access articles and advertisers.

It is likely that newspapers will find that mobile web design is an advantageous way to maintain and increase their presence and value with readers and viewers.

This instant information evolution is also poised to make waves within the hospitality industry, as restaurants and hotels recognize the importance of mobile web design options for menu viewing and reservations.

Ultimately, mobile websites are a win-win for business owners and consumers — helping to deliver a business’s message and most compelling website content to current and potential customers with just a glance at their mobile phone screen.

Click here for the original article which was published in the Fall River Herald News.

Content Management - Strategies for Sustaining Interest from Visitors and Search Engines

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:33:00 -0500

While the Internet ultimately caters to everyday people, we are faced with the fact that websites must be creatively maintained in ways that address both its visitors and the search engines that deliver them. Every organization should have a clear strategy for building and sustaining website traffic and online relevance. Correctly applied, an effective content management system is a vital tool with which companies can determine their own fate amongst their constellation of online competitors.

The first thing visitors and search engines see when they come to your website, is your homepage. Visitors will immediately scan your page for calls to action, fresh content and various points of interest. Search engines will scan your homepage for properly formatted content, new information and links to the rest of your website. How much does your homepage represent your website as a whole? Does it automatically reflect any changes in the rest of your website?

How easy it is for you to make important changes to it? These are questions that any good CMS solution will help to resolve. While these two guests have different methods of "seeing" your homepage, they also have important shared interests. Chief amongst these is the importance of having "fresh" content on a regular basis. What good is adding a press release if visitors are forced to go to a separate press release page in order to see it listed? Why add a new product or services page if you've no clear way to announce it to the rest of the site?

When properly designed and implemented, your content management system (or CMS) represents an interconnected ecosystem where visitors can quickly navigate to all pages and homepage visitors are presented with the latest changes made to the most relevant areas of your site. With the right security features in place, different members of your organization can be put in charge of updating specific pages quickly and painlessly. Your organization is further aided by "content versioning", a CMS feature that, when available, "remembers" every edit you make, allowing you to quickly "roll back" to a previous version of your content or undo a recent error.

Another important aspect of CMS that often escapes most users, is their level of support for metatags. Metatags represent extra information that users can add to their webpages in order to let search engines know what the content relates to. As users add new pages, they must remember to add "descriptions" and "keywords" to their metatag properties. Most CMS solutions allows users to make these edits, although depending on how this is implemented, these tags may not be updated or properly exposed to search engines. The more "unique" and "relevant" each page of content, the more search engines will pay attention to how interesting it is to incoming queries. One mistake websites often make, is to have the majority of its pages use the exact same metatag keywords. Sometimes the mistake is compounded by also repeating the same generic page title regardless of the content of a page.

By putting these matters in the hands of an organization, this material can quickly and easily be kept up-to-date, changed at a moments notice, and reflect the most compelling call-to-action as determined by your sales group. Frequent website updates, convenient links, vibrant copy, accessibility, and being search engine friendly, are qualities that will continue to define the top performers in any market.

Email and Web Security a Growing Business Need

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:33:00 -0400

Email and Web Security a Growing Business Need

Over the last decade, the Internet has become an integral day-to-day business tool, helping organizations to easily access and deliver information, communicate within the office or around the globe, and as a new distribution channel.

Unfortunately, as email and Web access and usage has grown to near ubiquitous status, so have the number of threats and risks to businesses that use these tools. Today's Internet-powered businesses need to continually address spam and viruses, which plague email worldwide, spyware that attaches itself to user PCs even through innocent Web surfing, and even new regulations that cover the retention and retrieval of all corporate email messages.

Without the in-house IT expertise or resources necessary to adequately address these threats, a growing number of businesses are turning to managed service providers, like MX Logic, for help. By using a managed email or Web security service, businesses can relieve their IT departments from the on-going burden of threat management, and help the company as a whole reduce disruption to the business caused by threats. In addition, managed email and Web security services can help to increase employee productivity, safeguard business communications and information, and drastically reduce the costs associated with threat management.

The right provider with the right solutions

Today more than 20,000 businesses choose MX Logic to protect their networks, users, and business information from the threats inherent in email and Web usage. The largest independent managed security services provider in North America, MX Logic takes a unique approach in the development of its services, which set it apart from other managed service providers.

Recognizing that the majority of businesses do not have large IT departments or a wealth of threat management expertise, the company developed the MX Logic® Email Defense and the MX Logic℠ Web Defense Service to be highly effective against threats, but also to provide easy administration, management and use. MX Logic specifically designs its services for businesses that require enterprise-grade performance and service, without the enterprise-level complexity and costs.

The MX Logic Email Defense Service uses more than 20 separate filters to effectively block over 99% spam, viruses and worms from entering the corporate network. The service successfully thwarts coordinated email attacks, which can shut down a network in seconds, while also helping organizations to control the information flowing in and out of the business with content and attachment filtering. In the event of email network outages, the Email Defense Service can also include MX Logic℠ Message Continuity, which provides email access and storage during outages, or the MX Logic℠ Fail Safe Service, a storage-only service.

Businesses looking to protect users and their networks from spyware, phishing (fraud), and Web-borne viruses can turn to the MX Logic Web Defense Service. Managed over the same Web-based administrative platform as the Email Defense Service, the MX Control Console, this service can also help businesses to control unauthorized Web surfing and to effectively enforce Internet usage policies.

In addition to email and Web threat protection, MX Logic can also help businesses to store and retrieve all inbound, outbound and internal email messages through the MX Logic℠ Message Archiving service, which is powered by MessageWatcher®. Available as an effective way for any business to protect its information assets, Message Archiving is particularly helpful for businesses – particularly public companies and those in healthcare, financial services, law and insurance – who are subject to regulations that cover the monitoring, storing and retrieving of all corporate email messages.

All MX Logic services offer rapid activation and are scalable to grow along with the needs of the business. For more information on MX Logic services, call Interactive Palette at 781-930-3199.

The right provider with the right solutions

All MX Logic services offer rapid activation and are scalable to grow along with the needs of the business. For more information on MX Logic services, call Interactive Palette at 781-930-3199.

Image-based Spam Adds Volume to the Inbox

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:33:00 -0400

Today, a picture is worth a thousand bytes

With Email Defense Service, image-based spam will no longer find its way into your inbox.

Image-based spam adds volume to the inbox, stress to the user

Have you been wondering why you hear so many complaints about spam lately? You're probably thinking it's strange that spam is on the rise considering the Federal crack down on spammers and the increase in sophisticated spam-filtering techniques.

This phenomenon is not a global break-down in anti-spam solutions, but it is the result of a new take on an old technique called image-based spam. By definition, image-based spam contains its unwanted content inside of graphics. Embedding an advertisement's call to action in an image makes it extremely difficult for some spam filters to identify it.

The technique is apparently working: recent industry reports claim that as much as 30 percent of spam is image-based spam.

Because many anti-spam solutions rely heavily on text content to make a block/no block determination, these solutions are failing to identify image-based spam because of the way it presents itself. Image-based spam defeats traditional scanning techniques by visually portraying what would be normally a trigger word or phrase in a way that a text-based filter cannot interpret.

In addition to overflowing inboxes, which create frustration and stress, image-based spam is increasing the average size and bandwidth usage of spam. Images are larger than plain text messages – the average spam email was approximately 16K in the first quarter of 2006 and grew to 23K in the fourth quarter. The bottom line: spam is also wasting money!

In addition to the image, the unwanted messages have been relatively successful in bypassing many of the spam solutions used today when they contain:

Text to fool stand-alone Bayesian engines or weak heuristic mechanisms

Images sent as multi-frame animated GIF files

An image that is a hyperlink to a Web site but often doesn't link to anything

Images embedded as a background picture rather than a body image

Images created using random lines or dots – a newer technique that can fool Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and fingerprinting methods

Ransom note-styled messages in which each letter is an individual image to stop filters from looking for single images

Be a spam-fighting hero

Remember the complaints? Abate frustration and be a spam-fighting hero with MX Logic Email Defense Service. Our solution integrates a patented Stacked Classification Framework that uses multiple filters to identify spam. By running email through a variety of identification techniques, our solution is not dependent on any single technology to detect spam. With IP Reputation and Real-Time Blackhole Filters, the Email Defense Service analyzes the origin of the message – not the content of the message – so image-based spam can be recognized and blocked like any other spam email.

The Email Defense Service uses both industry and proprietary heuristic filters to detect spam based on rule sets. While some of the image-based spam is resistant to heuristic detection, Email Defense has mechanisms that can catch it. Sometimes, image spam is resistant to statistical analysis through Bayesian filters, but after image spam is identified, the information becomes part of the Bayesian data set.

Finally, the Premium Anti-Spam Multi-Language Filter uses a global network of spam submitters and an intelligent fingerprinting system. This filter is used not only to identify a message as spam but also to detect variants of the original message. This filter has proved to be very successful at blocking the variations of images caused by randomized colors, dots or lines.

With Email Defense Service, image-based spam will no longer find its way into your inbox. With the Stacked Classification Framework – which incorporates more than two dozen spam-filtering techniques – on your side, you will receive less spam no matter what form it's in or how it's being sent.

For more information on MX Logic services, call Interactive Palette at 781-930-3199.

The technique is apparently working: recent industry reports claim that as much as 30 percent of spam is image-based spam.

In addition to the image, the unwanted messages have been relatively successful in bypassing many of the spam solutions used today when they contain:

Text to fool stand-alone Bayesian engines or weak heuristic mechanisms
Images sent as multi-frame animated GIF files
An image that is a hyperlink to a Web site but often doesn't link to anything
Images embedded as a background picture rather than a body image
Images created using random lines or dots – a newer technique that can fool Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and fingerprinting methods
Ransom note-styled messages in which each letter is an individual image to stop filters from looking for single images

Be a spam-fighting hero

For more information on MX Logic services, call Interactive Palette at 781-930-3199.

Website Maintenance - Draw High Visibility to Your Professionally Maintained Website

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:33:00 -0400

For small companies in particular, the fairly small expenditure of a professionally maintained website can be a far better use of money and resources.

Today, when websites are central to the success of a business, companies of all sizes recognize the importance of retaining a professional website designer - and are increasingly aware of the need for expert assistance in maintaining that site.

No question, a well-designed website is a valuable commercial mechanism, acting as a proven source of information for present and prospective customers. Having a site in place and on-line may be one key element in improving your business presence, but a professionally maintained site will further increase your visibility on the Internet. In terms of "looks," an expertly maintained business website will ensure that styles and formatting remain consistent throughout. Perception counts for a great deal and if your site evolves into an amateurish hodge-podge of fonts, frames and columns, you could drive customers away.

Professionals know the "tricks of the trade" of correct and efficient website maintenance, so it makes good sense (and cents) to retain an expert. A business owner's time is valuable and while at first blush attempting to maintain a site in-house may seem like a cost-saving measure, the price tag on lost working hours can be high. For small companies in particular, the fairly small expenditure of a professionally maintained website can be a far better use of money and resources. While there are Content Management Systems out there that can be used to do all of your updates yourself, it may not be as cost effective as they let on to be. Remember, it costs time and money to learn and then train staff how to keep a website up to date - it's much more cost effective to leave it in the capable hands of someone who will provide quick and complete turnaround.

Regular maintenance by a pro will keep a site fresh for visitors. While many websites have a great initial "look and feel," if customers have the sense a site is stagnant and not evolving, they likewise may have the same perception of your company and its offerings. Keeping a fresh home page is vital to the success of a commercial website. If your last online press release is dated a year ago, that sends a negative message to visitors and may give your competitors the edge they need to attract potential business.

Certainly, there are some business websites that do not require a lot of change once online, and may never find it necessary to post traditional press releases. That said, most companies, however, do have regular pricing, product and personnel announcements and where better than on the "World Wide Web" to get the word out. That's where the importance of professional maintenance comes into play. You may have new fee or contact information, but by the time you get around to posting it, that material may be old hat. Websites that provide fresh content will in turn provide a company more revenue.

By adding news items, articles and listings of upcoming events relative to your business or industry in general, you can better see which marketing avenues are working and those that are not. The addition of photographs, ancillary graphics and charts and graphs to a business site can also make it stand out from the competition, but those added elements are best left to a professional who can make your inserts and edits stand out from the crowd. It is possible to have too much of a good thing and sometimes with adding graphics and text yourself it is hard to know when to say when. A professional can help you keep your website fresh, informative and not keep it from getting too cluttered or confusing.

By trying different approaches and regularly adding information, your company can become a "go to" resource on the web for existing customers, prospective clients and even competitors. And be aware that a site that maintains its "freshness" will increase its visibility in search engine ranking, a mechanism that adds great clout to a business. Search engines can be free advertising, a professional that knows how to properly maintain a website will do so with it's search engine friendliness in mind and may even be able to help you achieve better ranking in the search engines.

A company that provides website design and maintenance can additionally ease the burden for a business owner when it comes to technology glitches. You can have greater peace of mind knowing that a backup copy of your website is in the safe hands of a professional and that your site can be easily restored should errors occur or information is lost.

Fresh content, graphics that impact and a "look and feel" that keeps visitors coming back - the ultimate goals of every business website and ones that can be met quickly and cost efficiently with the assistance of a professional.

Web Hosting for Businesses - Getting the Most

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:33:00 -0400

There's no question about it. In order to reach the largest audience possible, a business must have a well-designed website. But what good is that website when potential customers constantly find themselves gazing at an error message? You may have retained a knowledgeable and imaginative designer to create your site, but if your world wide audience cannot access it, then your business will suffer the consequences. Many professional website designers can provide you peace of mind by hosting your site, allowing you to focus attention on running your business-and not have to worry about current and prospective clients becoming frustrated because they cannot access the information they require.

Solid and reliable customer service is an essential mark of a reputable hosting service.

Web hosting basically describes your web server, where all information on your website, such as HTLM files, graphics and data is stored. Your web hosting also includes database support and DNS (Domain Name Service), the technology that maps a domain name to a computer's IP (Internet Protocol) address. Hosting allows your website to be viewed by a universal audience - the name of the game when it comes to businesses of all ages and sizes.

There are a number of web page hosting packages out there so it pays to do a little research and choose a hosting service that is right for your needs. The idea is to retain enough service to ensure your site is always "up" but not pay for a package that is too large for your needs.

Regardless of the entire package you choose, there are several basic components to look for when deciding on a hosting plan. Server space, a reliable backbone service to the Internet, reliable DNS service, professional Statistical Software for tracking visitors, technical support, data archiving, daily back-ups and retrieval and 24/7 monitoring are the most important criteria on which to base your choice of host.

Solid and reliable customer service is an essential mark of a reputable hosting service. Knowing that your host is able to and will troubleshoot any issues that arise with quality service and speedy response should be of paramount importance when making your choice. Oftentimes, the personal touch of a smaller design, hosting and content management firm will provide that round-the-clock service necessary to keep you satisfied.

While customer service and the human resources involved in providing that service is perhaps the most key element to a sound web host, a close second is a host's ability to provide a solid back-up plan. Daily, local and remote backups are imperative, as is 24-hour monitoring and alerting.

[b]Your ultimate goal[/b] when choosing a web host is [b]peace of mind[/b]. With the proper plan in place, you will have the control and reliability necessary to focus on providing your services to your customer rather than providing service to your website.

It's also important to team up with a host that provides a variety of plans, for as your business grows so will your web hosting needs. Size of your company notwithstanding, make sure your host offers a comprehensive package of services, including domain name purchase, e-mail address and account hosting, traffic analysis reports, real-time e-mail virus scanning, and personalized service. Secure socket layer (SSL) capabilities are also a "must have." Protecting a site's data from unwanted intrusions should be a primary consideration when selecting a host.

Also, bear in mind the amount of control you will have once you've made a hosting decision. You want to be able to utilize a variety of background applications, including online forms and data management specific to your business. Comprehensive record-keeping capability is also essential. Does your host provide you with the necessary records, such as IP addresses, registrar login information and the proper logins from your FTP (File Transfer Protocol) accounts to give you the comfort level you desire?

Another point to consider - are you able to handle the technology used by your host? If the software on your site runs, for instance, on a Microsoft Internet Information Server under Windows NT, then look for a host that supports that configuration.

Other key elements to consider include the amount of available web space, guaranteed "uptime," adequate data transfer (translation: the amount of bytes transferred from your site to a visitors site when they browse your pages), proper disk space, and I'll say it again - technical support.

Remember, you don't have to go it alone when choosing a host. Seek out the advice of the software company representatives you work with or get a few referrals from industry colleagues or personal friends. The more homework you do and the more input you have will aid in your final decision.

Your ultimate goal when choosing a web host is peace of mind. With the proper plan in place, you will have the control and reliability necessary to focus on providing your services to your customer rather than providing service to your website. Doesn't that make good business sense?

Website Translation - Add a Second Language (and Value) to Your Website

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:33:00 -0400

To some businesses, it is an emerging trend, to others a commercial necessity - whatever "language" you attach to it, the growing market for Spanish-speaking websites cannot be denied.

Statistics show an estimated 10 million U.S. Hispanics are online, a number that is expected to grow by double digits annually for the next several years. Eye-opening data indeed, but those figures should come as no surprise since according to the US Census Bureau an estimated 40 million native Spanish speaking individuals currently live in this country, a figure that is expected to increase to 50 million by the year 2010.

Additional data indicates that Hispanics own nearly one-half of all minority-owned businesses, generating $200 million in sales annually and that one in three Hispanic households have and use the Internet. The numbers tell the tale and increasingly are growing harder to ignore, with response to this fast-moving development starting to gain momentum.

Several large service-oriented corporations have for some time provided Spanish translation websites for their constantly growing numbers of Hispanic clients. Nearly two years ago, Southwest Airlines became the first major airline to offer a Spanish-language website, followed shortly thereafter by other major players within the consumer industry, including Verizon Wireless and Home Depot. Government organizations, medical facilities, retailers and even the Girl Scouts have added Spanish versions to their websites, underscoring the very real fact that diversity is vital to E-commerce and E-marketing.

Driven by this expanding Hispanic market (and other non-English speaking sectors, including a rising Asian population) the transformation of web-based economy will continue on the fast-track, ultimately making it imperative for businesses of all sizes to consider making their websites at the very least, bilingual.

Although the present and future market for other-than-English-language websites is vast, still less than 1 % of all US websites are offered in Spanish, and the percentages are even smaller for other languages.

So what's holding a majority of companies back from offering Spanish counterparts to their sites? Some may not have yet recognized the number of advantages a bilingual site generates. Others may think the cost associated with translation will be prohibitive.

In short, the advantages are many, while the cost can be minimal - and well worth the price if additional traffic is brought to your site.

A second language version of a website will not only bring additional potential customers your way, it will also get you increased exposure in search engines, providing for more flexibility with your "pay per click" marketing. Google and Yahoo have had Spanish language search engines in place for some time, targeted toward a Spanish-speaking audience living in the US.

You will also have the ability to obtain an entirely new sector for innovative market ideas and products when you go bilingual. The appeal factor of product lines can be vastly different among different cultural groups, opening up fresh territories for your business.

Translating a website into another language is an art unto itself, with content at the focus of attention. Consistency rules when it comes to disseminating information. If an English language site encompasses several pages of content, then its Spanish-speaking counterpart should offer the same amount of information. Website translation is an investment in a company's present and future, so it's probably wiser to go the entire distance and offer a comprehensive website in Spanish, as opposed to a cut-rate version that may only provide a home page or price list in Spanish.

Despite the burgeoning popularity of other-language websites, adding this feature to your business won't get you a desired number of "hits" if you have a weak "link." By placing a link to your Spanish-language site in a highly visible spot on your US home page, you will generate more traffic in a shorter amount of time, thereby expediting a return on the investment made in creating a bi or multi lingual site.

By integrating Spanish into its Internet marketing, a business will, without question, increase customers and sales. The size and importance of an emerging and constantly growing Hispanic audience cannot be ignored. Business owners who recognize the value of providing culturally diverse websites will reap benefits in many ways.