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Author Archives: John Kisha
Getting the Most Value from Google AdWords
Mar 22, 2011 -
Google AdWords (those sponsored links that appear alongside search results and Web content) can be one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise on the Web. Your ads are highly targeted based on keywords, and you don’t pay for anything unless they are clicked.
But often, small businesses set up a campaign and load it with relevant phrases, only to see little traction. Or worse, they get clicks (which cost money) but aren't converting them into sales.
If you’re struggling to hit pay dirt with Google ads, or you’re interested in signing up but not sure where to start, take some cues from these small business success stories.
Where to begin
Before you get started, “know that AdWords is a real commitment, and is likely to be a time drain,” says Chris Conn, founder of MightyNest.com, purveyors of organic and naturally made home wares and accessories. His company uses AdWords to drive potential customers to the online store. “It will take from other activities, so make sure that fits with your priorities.”
In that regard, start small, says Timothy Thomas, a small business consultant who cultivates AdWords campaigns for his clients.
“Focus on one campaign, lock your budget and use the tools provided by AdWords to learn how Google does its magic,” Thomas adds. He recommends that companies continue their standard SEO efforts in order to rank high in organic search for free (more on this in a bit), and then optimize an AdWords campaign accordingly. “Don't buy ads in areas where you are getting a top-five link already. Think about terms that are unique to your offering and try to make the most of those keywords by standing alone in paid search.”
If you’re trying to get the maximum value out of a small AdWords budget, don’t worry about appearing at the top of every search. “Keep your bids as low as you can and edge them up—you do not need to be the No. 1 paid search term, however being in the top three is va...
Apple Users Fix for Certificate Attacks
In light of the disclosure on Wednesday about 9 fraudulent SSL certificates being issued by a partner of Comodo, Microsoft was quick to respond with an update to protect users of Windows.
Apple however has not reacted leaving many OS X users in the dark. Mike Shannon from SophosLabs did some research for me this week so we could provide a guide on configuring your Mac to be secured against these bogus certificates.
Unfortunately not all browsers behave the same on OS X so we have to describe a few different processes to ensure maximum protection.
Apple Safari and Google Chrome both support the Apple Keychain application for managing digital certificates and determining who you trust.
You will need to open the Keychain Access application. Go to Applications -> Utilities -> Keychain Access or press Cmd+Shift+U and open Keychain Access.
Choose the Keychain Access menu in the Menu Bar and choose Preferences or press Cmd+[comma]. Within the preferences dialog choose the certificates button and set both OCSP and CRL to "Best Attempt"....
Wooden iPad 2 Cover Can Be Smart, Too
If you’re updating to the iPad 2, this cover might be something you want to consider.
While the iPad 2 isn’t a revolutionary device compared to its predecessor, one special accessory did bring that extra dash of glamour that usually adorns Apple’s product announcements: the magnet-friendly, self-adjusting Smart Cover.Now, the Holland-based company Miniot has revealed a wooden cover that works on the same principle: Magnets help it align with the iPad’s screen, and it rolls up into a a cylinder that can be used to prop up the device for easier typing or for watching a movie.Despite being made of wood, which gives it a high-end look that will appeal to a lot of users (Apple’s Smart Cover is available in polyurethane and leather, with a price of $39 and $69, respectively), the Miniot Cover has quite a reasonable price: €50 or $71.Check out the video of the Miniot Cover in action, and let us know in the comments how you like the idea!...
Posted in General, Mobile
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Embed video in Wiki Page Layout: SharePoint Foundation 2010
Ok so, I was never a radio star, although I often wanted to be! Instead I’m just a SharePoint admin who happens to help run a website. OK, now on with the story… The new Wiki Page layout in 2010 was a great thing to see in demos and is really a cool feature. The Wiki Page allows you to edit SharePoint content directly within the page and even add pictures without uploading them first. No content editor web parts are needed. Adding web parts to the page is easy, as well. My initial thought on this was “About time!” and I still feel that way most of the time. However, recently I came across an issue. I am very honored to be part of the Women in SharePoint organization. I have been helping run the website and I serve as secretary on the national board of directors with some amazing women. We have our site hosted through fpweb, and as part of shared hosting, you only get foundation. This is fine for most of our needs, and we are grateful that they have donated this service to us. We had s...
How to Access Gmail When It’s Down
During the last Gmail outage, IMAP and POP3 access weren't affected at all, so those using a desktop or mobile client to access their email were still able to send and receive without even knowing there was an issue. Even if you use the web interface as your primary method of email access, it's a good idea to at least keep a Thunderbird installation setup with IMAP access to your email in a pinch.
We've already got you covered with a complete guide to setting up Thunderbird as the ultimate Gmail IMAP client, but since then, setting up Gmail in Thunderbird has turned into an easy process, requiring only a few clicks through the account settings. If you are an Outlook user, you can follow a detailed guide I've written to set up IMAP in Outlook 2007. If you've got a mobile phone, the Gmail Help site has instructions on setting up just about any smart phone with IMAP access to your email. If you really want to prove your nerd credentials, you can even access your Gmail from the command...
The Ultimate 20 Usability Tips for Your Website
Usability is ridiculously important to your website. It doesn’t matter how cool your website looks or how amazing your content is if visitors can’t quickly, easily, and enjoyably access and use it. Many of them will eventually just give up and look elsewhere.
So how do you make your website as usable as possible? Well, you’re in luck, because this article features 20 usability tips for your website. Technology will always change, thus changing the usability tips. So make sure you share your own tips and tricks with the rest of us.
1. Structure your website design around update frequency
If you’ll post new content less often, have a more static and feature-focused design. If you’ll post more often, go for a blog-style design.
2. Put the logo in the top-left, menu to the right or below
The reason for these? Accepted conventions – it’s what most web users expect
Place your logo in the top-left, and put the menu either to the right of or below it – and make sure the logo is clickable and takes the visitor back to your home page. The reason for these? Accepted conventions – it’s what most web users expect, so there’s no need to get creative deciding where to place the steering wheel in your car design, so to speak.
3. Have the search in the upper left or right
Include the search bar in the upper left or right (if applicable of course ie. you have enough content to warrant search). Also, include the word “Search” in-form so people know what that type-able bar is for.
4. Make your contact info or form easy to find
Either have the contact info or form as separate page with a dedicated link in the menu or footer, or include the contact info in the sidebar or footer.
Posted in General, Tips, Web Design
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Six Essentials for a Successful eCommerce Website
Image via Wikipedia
E-commerce business is booming at a fast pace. “The first quarter returned the U.S. retail e-commerce market to healthy double-digit growth rates.” Also, it has been seen that though larger online retailers have continued to generate higher growth rates than the smaller retailers. Nevertheless, the small online retailers are finally beginning to see positive growth once again. So, if you are starting up an e-commerce website, or already running one, then, you must look into the essentials of designing a good and a successful website. Because this is the only medium which would be driving traffic and creating a substantial conversion rates. As in this case, websites are the first interface between the customers and the seller, so your website needs to be designed in such a way that it should be easily handled and worked upon by customers without any hassles or confusion. Let’s see what constitutes a successful ecommerce website development.
- Let Customers reach to your product with lesser number of clicks: Always avoid creating a lengthy path leading to the product or may be which involves too many clicks. This annoys the customers and in this way, you are creating obstacles and increasing the time when they think and convert their thought into a substantial buying decision. There should be well planned categories of the products and further, these must be divided into sub-categories so that it becomes so that it becomes an easy reach for the customers.
- Sell Products and not Design: Sometimes, we happen to see e-commerce websites that contain complex designs as if they are not at all selling products and want people to get confused by the complex designing of the website. Always remember, keep your eCommerce web design as simple as you can. The navigation pattern should be easily followed up. For example: If we look at Amazon.com, it has a very simple and clean appearance. It has no design as such but still the products are well categorized and can be clearly seen and selected.
Scheduled Server Maintenance
We will be performing updates and maintenance on servers between Wednesday January 26, 2011 and Friday January 30, 2011. Some websites and some SharePoint sites may be unavailable for short periods during this time frame. We will try to perform the majority of updates that could possible result in any downtime after business hours and on the weekend. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Global spam e-mail levels suddenly fall
The amount of junk e-mail being sent across the globe has seen a dramatic fall in recent months.The volume of spam has dropped steadily since August, but the Christmas period saw a precipitous decline.One security firm detected around 200 billion spam messages being sent each day in August, but just 50 billion in December.While the reasons for the decline are not fully understood, spam watchers warn the lull may not last.Around the Christmas holidays, three of the largest spam producers curtailed their activity, Paul Wood, a senior analyst at Symantec Hosted Services told BBC News.”But its hard to say why,” he added.
Read More via BBC News – Global spam e-mail levels suddenly fall.
Chiropractic Marketing 101: Facebook Marketing Secrets for Chiropractors – Social Communities
Facebook can be a powerful chiropractic marketing weapon. I have a client that got 12 new patients within a week of using Facebook. I’ll tell you exactly what he did to get these patients and I’ll list the best ways to use Facebook to grow your practice. Let’s get started!
Why should chiropractors be using Facebook?
Sheer size: Facebook has over 200 million users. Facebook is so big that if it were a country, it would be the 8th largest country in the world.
- Very active and loyal users: 4 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide) and 100 million users are logging into Facebook at least one time per day.
- Great demographics that chiropractors should love: Two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older.
- Big marketing opportunity: The average user has 120 friends on Facebook.
That means if you can connect with 200 of your patients on Facebook, this gives you potential access to 24,000 future patients!
Here is a three step system to get patients from Facebook that yields patients: Read more here.
Posted in Social Networking, Tips
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