Google recently launched their +1 button, and everyone is scrambling to add it to their websites and ads.

According to Google:

“+1 helps people discover relevant content—a website, a Google search result, or an ad—from the people they already know and trust. Adding the +1 button to your pages lets users recommend your content, knowing that their friends and contacts will see their recommendation when it’s most relevant—in the context of Google search results.”

So I’m thinking this rivals Facebook and their like button. It will be interesting to see how this progresses. Google’s +1 button will help to increase your site’s visibility, which may increase the odds of someone clicking through to your page. The +1 button can be seen by users who are signed in to Google.com, and to any signed-in user who has a social connection to a +1. However, any Google user can choose whether or not to display their +1′s on their Google profile.

Google doesn’t have plans to include the button in mobile search results right now, but I’m sure that will come soon. Mobile users will be able to see any +1 buttons you place on your website though.

So will you use Google’s +1 button? Do you use Facebook’s Like button?

Last time we spoke about Skype and their ads. Not to be outdone, Apple has just rolled out their ads for your iPad. The first iAd has officially shown up on the device today – with many more to follow.

Unilever is the first company to put an iAd out; they’re the guys that make Dove’s Men Care products. They set up a series of video ads called “Journey to Comfort”. These will feature  three National Collegiate Athletic Association stars: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, John Thompson III, and Bobby Hurley. Hmmmm…with March Madness kicking off…do you think this was a coincidence? Or damn good timing?

Besides the videos, fans will be able to access the Game Day Fan Zone to check daily schedules, as well as access a Trivia Timeout, where they can answer NCAA themed questions.

Unilever iAds are the only ads on iPads currently, but look for more launching in the coming weeks.

Have a great rest of the week!

Enjoy St. Patrick’s Day – Be responsible!

Image via Wikipedia

On March 7, 2011 Skype officially launched their new advertising program with some of the world’s most premier brands. This will be the first time ads will appear on Skype, giving brands a unique opportunity to be part of Skype’s video experience.

Among the first advertisers will be Groupon, Nokia, VISA, and Universal. The Home page ad unit will measure 650 X 170 and will expand to 650 X 340. It will also include the ability to embed audio and video. Advertisers can add a Click & Call button in the ads as another call to action, and users can share ads to their Facebook or Twitter accounts and also close ads with one click.

When asked why they chose to start adding advertising, Skype CEO Doug Bewsher said, “The user experience on Skype is always job number one. So, we’ve spent a lot of time working through the best way to show advertising in the Skype environment. We believe our daily sponsorship ad from one brand per day is valuable for premier advertisers, but doesn’t detract from the experience for our users. We are just taking our first steps in this space and we expect to test and learn a lot as we move forward.”

In the fourth quarter of 2010, Skype saw 145 million average monthly connected users and 29 million concurrent users. This platform will enable millions of people around the world to do things together when they’re apart through voice and video calling, instant messaging, conferencing, and more.

What do you think of Skype’s new advertising? Smart move? Well, being that it has been estimated that advertising could bring the company $200 million in annual revenues – I’d say so!

If you’re interested in advertising on Skype, start here: Advertising on Skype. They partner with Meebo for the US, Ad2One in the UK, and Ströer Interactive in Germany. It will be interesting to see their pricing and if this will be a viable alternative for small businesses. 

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

May each of the three hundred and sixty-five days of the New Year be a happy one for you.

“True satisfaction with one’s life is an acceptance of what is, continuing to prepare for what can be, while letting go of what we thought needed to be.”

Merry Christmas to all.

Remember what matters most in your lives.

Today, on Thanksgiving, let’s remember at least one aspect of our life where we can give thanks. Whether you’re facing illness, job loss, debt, foreclosure, or the loss of a loved one – please remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I believe our paths are pretty much set for us. We have to trust in ourselves and know we can endure.

Posted below are a few sayings I’ve found and wanted to share with you this Thanksgiving.

More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we’re poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We’re wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you’ve got;
Realize it’s a lot,
And you’ll make all your cares go away.

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.” -Native American Proverb

Thank you God for giving me another day, another chance to become a better individual, another chance to give and experience love. Thank you God for giving me health, for the food you provide, for the awareness you have awaken in me…Thank you for the energy that feeds my soul, the sun that warms our bodies and the air that fills our lungs… Because of you I believe in the good without the bad and the ugly, because of you I am learning to love and accept myself, because of you I believe in believing. My source, stay connected to me today and always, for I need you in order to fullfil my spiritual tasks…God, show me how to love myself, to be able to love others. Help me become the type of person that I would like to befriend, help me forgive myself and forgive others… God, make me a channel of your energy and help me understand. I thank you God for giving me another day, another unused opportunity to do it right. Keep us all close to you and listen to our prayers.

Today is a special day. Today I feel connected to my source. Today I feel that I am a step closer to what I should and will become. No need to ask for favors, for I know everything comes when the timing is perfect. TODAY, LET’S GIVE THANKS TOGETHER!

Happy Thanksgiving To All

Here are 7 easy things you can do in Linkedin to help with the search engine optimization of your website. With over 60 million users, Linkedin is the world’s largest and most powerful professional network.  SEO is all about keywords and back links and you can leverage your Linkedin profile for both with just a few easy tasks. 

And as I said in the title:
Google loves to crawl Linkedin profiles!
So let’s get started! Log into your Linkedin account and follow along: 

1. Use the vanity url when posting your profile. 
Go to Settings – Public Profile
Use your own name, for example, mine is http://www.linkedin/in/lifebydesigns. Not only is this easier for business contacts and future clients to remember, and looks prettier on your business cards, but more importantly makes this url SEO friendly and helps your own name rank better in search engines. 

2.Customize the anchor text for your links.
Go to Profile – Edit Profile – Additional Info – Websites
Use the ‘other’ link category, and choose good keywords for your anchor text, don’t use the default url.
For example, instead of http://www.lifebydesigns.com, I’ve used  Charlotte Web Design. Get the picture?
Use keywords, not the default “My Company” or “My Website”.  This will pass “linkjuice” to your other domains, especially because Linkedin is such a trusted domain. 

3. Use keywords in your Summary.
Go to Profile – Edit Profile – Summary
You should describe your business in detail here, and incorporate some keywords that your website is focusing on. Also remember to include the areas you serve, if you have mostly local customers. 

4. Join Groups.
Go to Groups –  Group Directory
Look through to find groups in your industry, join them, and participate in their discussions. This will help you get found, and also add value to your profile. 

5. Put your profile out there.
Go to Settings - Public Profile - Choose Full View
Need I explain the value of this? This allows search engines to crawl your profile, and allows potential clients to scan your profile.  

6. Add the Linkedin WordPress app to your blog.
At the main menu of Linkedin, go to More – Application Directory – WordPress
This will sync your WordPress blog posts with your LinkedIn profile, keeping everyone you know – in the know. 

7. Link to your profile.
I know, this is a given, but some people need reminding!
Put it everywhere.

• on your website
• on your blog
• on your twitter account
• on your facebook page
• on your email signatures
• on your business cards

Now please bookmark this post, but promise me you’ll find the time to make these 7 easy changes soon. It won’t take long, and you’ll be on your way to reaping the benefits of increasing your exposure on the wings of trusted Linkedin.

I mean, come on, life’s getting too complicated these days, it’s time to start simplifying. Especially if your goal is to get a lot of traffic to your website and better yet, transform those visitors into customers and money!  If someone visits your website and can’t find everything because it’s so cluttered, they will be likely to leave and not come back. No matter what your website is trying to convey.

So the key is: no more information overload! Take a step back, only include truly necessary information, and help your visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.

Now don’t just take my word for it, even J.D. Power is agreeing with me. Check out their article on Usability and Auto Websites. High ranking auto websites feature clear, easy to access information for their visitors, such as Honda. The edgy sites fare much lower – why? Because they seem to be putting brand marketing ahead of their shopper’s needs. Streaming music, interactive backgrounds, confusing navigation – yes – an avante-garde designer’s dream, but for attracting business – a big no-no. These will ultimately distract your visitors and may entertain them, but see how many actually stick around to bring you business.

We all want to be unique and stand out from the internet crowd. And we all know how difficult that is to do. But maybe that’s because we shouldn’t be trying so hard. I’ll no doubt be posting another article at some point showcasing websites with all the bells and whistles that completely deviate from the norm, but I guarantee these won’t be created for customers or shoppers, but more for the designers to showcase themselves. And that’s how it should be.

Ok, I think you have the gist of it now, so I’ll leave you with one of my all-time favorite web design quotes:

“Only when the design fails does it draw attention to itself; when it succeeds, it’s invisible.”

Don’t be like this guy! If you need a website that performs, contact me.

Today is completely different. There are too many shops. Too much competition. And with most people using the Web to find a shop, if you’re an independent auto repair shop without a good website, the harsh reality is you are not going to get the new business, because those cars will be rolling into your competitor’s shop down the street!

I’m not writing this blog post to scare anyone, but because I’ve been talking to friends who are auto repair shop owners, and hearing about how their revenue has dropped substantially in this economy. Then I talked to owners who are actually still doing very well, in spite of the recession. Guess what the difference is? The ones with the cars rolling in to get repaired have sought out the advice and services of online marketers. They have good websites that have been optimized for search engines, and have listings with Google Places, Yelp, and Insider Pages. They use the power of customer reviews. They offer specials through the Web, and have created a social media presence with Facebook and Twitter. They use email to attract new clients and to keep their current clients loyal.

Did you know that 90% of all people click links on the first page of their search results? Is your shop on that first page? And that customers use reviews as the #1 factor when considering to do business with you?

All this sound a little daunting? Auto Shop owners want to stick to running their business, like anyone else – they want to do what they do best. Most all of them tell me they just don’t have the time to do anything else.  Granted there will be some who want to take on all these tasks themselves, and if you have the drive and determination, it is all doable, believe me. But if you’re like most, and need some help implementing all or some of it, then there’s good news. There are reputable online marketers who:

• Know their business inside and out
• Know how your business works
• Will only sell you services you need
• Won’t charge you an arm and a leg!

If you have an Auto Repair Shop and are interested in learning more, check out ECommNow. From hosting and eye-catching websites and everything in between, they’ve thought of every tool needed to bring those cars to YOUR shop. And if you realize the importance of Social Media and your business, but don’t know where to start, here’s a good resource to get you on track and a step ahead of your competitors: KMBurck Please don’t discount this extremely valuable part of your online presence. If you think Social Media doesn’t matter for your business, I’m going to leave you to ponder over this video:

Yes, we all know Apple and it’s lack of Flash support. Steve Jobs has cut ties with Flash for all of Apple’s suite of mobile internet devices, and there’s no going back. “Flash was created during the PC era — for PCs and mice,” Jobs writes. “Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low-power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards — all areas where Flash falls short.”

HTML5 seems to be a game changer though. Even YouTube, one of the more popular users of Flash, has been getting on the bandwagon: Try it here.

For the newbies out there who are saying, “What the hell is HTML5, what’s the difference between that and Flash, and why do I care?” Oh, I could write for days, but take a look at this graphic I came across for some explanation: WTF is HTML5

So for today, let’s leave our differences at the door and just have some fun experimenting. Give yourself some time and try your hand at this collection of some HTML5 games and cool interactive Flash sites. (Some of them are really addicting!)

FLASH SITES

Flame – Create awesome drawings and export them.

Bubole – Build a weird monster and fight other ones.

Optus Whale Song – A must see Flash site!

Incredibox – Make your own rocking beats.

Echogenesis – Explore natural environments.

Record Tripping – Scratch a record and solve puzzles.

Screaming Beans – Oh, these beans are  fun!

Google Gravity – Poking fun at Google SEO.

HTML5 SITES

Let me first warn you that these will look like familiar 80′s games you used to love. They also remind me of Flash games from about 15 years ago! Remember creating games with HTML5 is evolving, just like Flash did in the early days.

Google Pac-Man – The fun original revived.

Asteroids – Classic shooter game.

Leave Me Alone – Platform game similar to Mario.

Wolfenstein-3D - Familiar id Software’s 1992 game.

Adventureland – Coins, jumping, kind of like Mario.

The Legend of Sadness – Remember beloved Zelda? lol

Solitude – Another classic shooter game from the 80′s.

UFO -  HTML5 recreates vintage shooter graphics.

I told you to leave some time for these!

In conclusion, I’m really liking HTML5, and what it can accomplish overall. We’ll need to give it some time for gaming, but it has great potential. (Think ColecoVision gaming from 1982 as opposed to Playstation 3 of today.) As far as HTML5 killing Flash? Not in our lifetime. Flash has a strong presence which will continue in future versions. Ultimately designers should have skills in both.

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