How To Get Your Website Across Smartphone Users in 2013

First off, why would you even worry about Smartphone users? And weren't there plug-ins and stuff for all that? To answer the first question, there really is no reason to to worry about whether smartphone users browse your site or not. All you'll lose is about 73% of traffic from users between the ages of 18 and 44 who use their smartphones to browse. If your desired target audience does not fall into that age group, then, nope - you got nothing to worry about. If, on the other hand, you are like most other marketers or webmasters, you should be very, very worried. 

As for the second question - plug-ins just don't cut it any more. Not if you want your site to appear the way you created it. Plug-ins render a mobile version of your site while you'd normally want it to appear the same across all devices and platforms because you optimized everything (presumably) on it for the most perfect browsing experience (and, therefore, possible sales). 

Fortunately, the Web grows as a whole, and when there is a need, there is a way. There are ridiculously simple ways to make your website accessible to smartphone users in 2013. All you have to do is know about them - and the fact that you do actually need them.

1. Get a 'smart' hosting service provider

To begin with, you can find a host that will provide you a convert to mobile (read, smartphone) option as part of the hosting features. Godaddy is currently advertising such a feature, and it looks good. You have to design the site - which is no big deal since everything is DYI - but that takes time. Also, it will still be a 'mobile version' of your site, somewhat like what the plug-ins do. You cannot use this feature on sub-domains - which means, if you have a blog with your main site (as in yoursite.com/blog), the blog will not be accessible by smartphones. Still, in spite of its limitations, this could be the beginning of a great idea that others will soon take up and improve upon.

2. Get yourself a Responsive Theme

This is by far the easiest. If you are on Wordpress, find a theme that is Responsive - and that means, your blog / site will display similarly across all platforms, including smartphones. The HTML in a responsive theme remains constant, and the CSS3 responds to the queries for site display by offering the most compatible rules for the device (and screen size) the query originated from. In plain English, that means your theme will have separate CSS rules for a smartphone and a computer. A single URL (as opposed to the usual redirection to the mobile site with its own URL) is generated no matter the device being used, and that makes it easy for Google to index your site. No wonder this is Google's preferred method of making a site mobile friendly.

3. Get your own apps

If you've browsed Facebook on your mobile phone, you have probably also installed an app to make the browsing simpler. The pages load faster, and your overall experience is enhanced. Apps make downloading a site on mobile devices a less complicated job, and everything, from ads to content is displayed effortlessly. You can design apps for your site too. If you have a huge audience base, it makes sense to create and app and let all your subscribers know where to download it from, as well as advertise on social networks and anywhere else you can think of. Otherwise, your loyal visitors might eventually get tired of your site because it refused to keep up with the changing times. 

How do you create an app? On your own, if you know how - or with a few clicks from sites like Conduit.Com. 

4. The 30 second solution

If you are in a hurry, head over to bMobilized.Com, type in your site URL, click the 'Mobilize' button and you are done. Okay, this takes a little more than 30 seconds, and the customization can require more than just one click, but you have to admit, this is one of the simplest methods available anywhere. This method works on redirection, as we mentioned earlier in passing. It takes only $9 per month to keep the site running with the bMobilized support team behind you. If you think you can manage on your own, you pay just $5 (still per month, of course). The best part is that you get a full featured 7 day trial. So go ahead and try it!

5. The elaborate solution

For an elaborate business solution that claims to deliver a mobile experience as seamless as that which an app can provide, head over to Mobify.Com and check out the features and pricing. $495 is the starting price per month, and it goes to a negotiable price per requirement in the Enterprise Class. Don't back off yet if such a big budget solution is not for you: Mobify has a free alternative for smaller sites where you can access all the core features (in a limited way) for no charge whatever. This is suitable for sites that have no more than 10,000 page views on mobile devices per month. All features are activated by the inclusion of a small tag in the existing site header. Simple, huh?

6. Promote

Don't just create a smartphone friendly site and be done with it - promote it with paid advertisements. Your ads will flash across as many devices as you choose, and since this is a relatively new concept, now would be the time to cash in on it.

7. Facebook it

That 73% user base we talked about right at the beginning? Well, in the same age group of 18-44, about 70% access Facebook from their mobile devices. These stats are from a survey conducted by Facebook, and we are talking about a test group of 75,000 owners of smartphones. The percentage may go down a little if we refer to worldwide studies, but the actual number of users shoots way up. What does that mean for you? It means you've got to get your site 'out there'. In addition to paid promotions, get active on social networks and let people know about your site. On social media, you'll find a ready and waiting audience with smartphones in hand, and what sense does it make to waste such an opportunity?

Apart from all this, you could create a strategy of promotion that would include super short videos (5 seconds sound good enough?) to consistently promote your mobile site. This is a very popular concept - has been, for a while now, and the more creative you are, the more popular you are likely to become in a very short while. Don't forget also to check the Net regularly for newer innovations in reaching out to the new generation of audience - everything is moving so fast these days that you sure can't afford to get left behind.

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6 HTML Validation Tools To Minimize The Errors On Your Sites

It is important to validate your blog's HTML code to ensure that is complies with the principles of the World Wide Web association. An authenticated HTML code makes it very easy to maintain your site. As well, it plays a huge role in reflecting the degree of your professionalism in the blogging industry. Besides that, it augments the compatibility of your site with future versions of HTML. 

Here is a review of some top tools for HTML validation

How to validate your site HTML

Firefox Add On

Firefox HTML validator is a small icon located on the status bar which validates the code as the page loads. The add-on was developed by W3C but has evolved over time in tandem with changing needs. The extension is embedded within Firefox and makes the validation on your machine without involving a third-party server. This is a superb option for those using FireFox. 

Google Chrome Extensions

Google Chrome HTML validator resides as an icon just adjacent to the address field. When it is auto-run, it displays a green badge. Number 0 is an indication of no validation errors. A red badge with a count is an indication of validation errors. If you click on the icon, it'll pop-up a small window at the bottom of the browser displaying more information about the errors. It is available free of charge and is pretty easy to use.

WDG Validator

This is one of the quickest ways to check the syntactical correctness of your HTML. The best thing about it is that it supports enormous pool of character encoding. W3C is highly accurate and even though it does not include a lot of extras it does provide useful links where you can easily find and run those tools on your site. 

HTML Toolbox

This is a subscription service (available online) that you can use to check your site for any bad links and HTML coding errors. It'll also check from browser compatibility. You pay an annual subscription fee of $60 for a maximum of 100 pages. You pay more for any more pages exceeding this number. The best thing about it is that it is compatible with literary all the major browsers. 

CSE Lite

CSE Lite is a fast, easy and reliable way to validate and edit your HTML code. The validator allows you to view the errors in your code without having to search for corresponding line numbers. This one is quite nice an option for casual HTML authors. 

HTML Power Tools 

This is a comprehensive package of Windows applications that helps you to manage your website. The best thing about this tool is that it will validate your site even when you're offline. It also checks links, spelling as well as orphan files. You however have to pay for the entire kit which comprises: HTML Rulebase editor, PowerSpell, PowerAnalyzer, Image Scanner, PowerSearch, Metamanager, HTML to Text Convertor and Date Stampler. 

Don't hesitate to give your blog that much needed breathe of life. Conduct a HTML code validation check soon and avoid errors that could hamper your future opportunities.

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10 Simple ways to improve your SEO

If you are a business owner, or otherwise, an individual trying to promote a certain product or service, you’ll most likely already know about a service called SEO. At first, you may find this service a little complicated to grasp, it is after all a very complex system. The traffic gained from this system is however phenomenal.

With so many variables involved in the making of SEO services, it can sometimes be a little hard to understand the ins and outs of this system. However, regardless of this, there are several simple things you can do to boost your SEO and in turn, rank higher in today’s search engines.

SEO as an essential way to gain traffic

SEO is one of the easiest ways to reach consumers today; this is mainly down to technology in the 21^st century. More and more consumers are choosing to use their smartphones and tablets to shop, and with so many expensive technologies on the market today, surfing the Internet is a widespread pastime!

All in all however, it comes down to the content you choose to share – if it isn’t interesting and it doesn’t grab the attention of those surfing the net, excelling in this field is quite simply impossible!

SEO is constantly changing and as such, it’s often improving, which makes it an asset to most companies and a great business tool. On average, Google supposedly makes more than 500 alterations to their search algorithm on an annual basis. This in actual fact means that they alter their algorithm on a daily basis. Despite this, there are always certain things that stay the same and such factors comprise of how you upload, manage and update the content you choose to broadcast online. Listed below are ten of the easiest rules to follow when it comes to SEO and following these rules will allow you to use this particular system in a successful manner. This is regardless of the service or product you wish to promote, and regardless of whether you’re in the business sector or the creative industry. In fact, SEO within the finance industry is extremely effective. Due to its competitive nature, international recruitment services benefit from this strategy hugely!

1. Conduct a full site on page SEO review/audit in order to determine the issues at stake.

2. You should always write content that is tailored to your target audience and not just to the search engines. Quality content is a must.

3. Using bold lettering, anchor text and html coding will help you to enhance your on-page content structure. Don’t also forget to use interlinking which can also benefit your SEO.

4. Use sites with higher page rankings as opposed to low quality link sites.

5. Use social bookmarking sites and add new content to these on a regular basis.

6. Use the likes of social sharing buttons on your site in order to promote content further.

7. Never duplicate content as this will put off users as opposed to draw them in. In order to keep the attention of existing consumers and attract new consumers, it’s important to keep content fresh and desirable.

8. In order to create successful content, use URLs that contain keywords and link these keywords to various sites and products that promote your own.

9. Add new content on a regular basis and at prime times when others are surfing the web.

10. Create effectual title tags and ones that encompass your target keywords.

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Local SEO Experts Will Take Care Of The Negative Ratings

Your web-page might have the best web-design and it has all the contents in it that are required for better rankings on Google. It’s a good thing, but it is more important to do the right things that will help you in retaining the position for long. This will help you in getting maximum customers for your business. There are many other websites that are offering services like you do, and there are chances that they might get better rankings than you do. Thus it is necessary to hire the best local SEO company that will cater to all your business needs in an effective manner.

There are quite different things that need to be done for increasing in the ranking of your webpage. Some of the steps are quite simple, while others are complicated and needs proper steps and procedure that needs to be followed for becoming successful online vendor. It is necessary to choose the right type of keyword that will improve or fasten the search process for your potential client.

Keyword in Title

A keyword in the title of your content will get direct the clients directly to your webpage, without consuming much time.  Also, on the title you can mention the name of the place where you render such a business. This will narrow down the search and help the potential customers in getting better and quick solutions without wasting much time. So if you haven’t been very serious about your title tag until now, then it’s time to be careful and thoughtful about the same. It is necessary to discuss your needs with the service providers so that they can take the right step and help you in the best possible manner.

The Other Details of your content:

You need to ensure that your webpage also has services like Google and Bing maps as these features will help your clients in getting the right information. With the help of a professional, you can get these things properly integrated on your webpage. No matter whatever type of business you might have, such simple things will help you in accomplishing the task perfectly and satisfactorily.

The other thing that can be done here is listing your business with Google. It will give you a list of names, places, and other details then it will help you in improving the Google rankings.  You can check the details and then claim for one as per your needs and requirements. All the listings are quite important and help you in different ways, to progress in your business. Also, you can easily cope with the competition in the best possible manner.

Give proper contact information:

In order to become successful it is quite important that you provide the right contact information to your existing and future clients. Special attention has to be paid to NAP, which is nothing but name, address, and phone number.

Benefits of Local SEO are as follows –

1. The experts will try and implement unique ideas to improve the listings on your webpage.
2. They will take care of negative ratings, and solve any problem arising due to the same.

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Internet Marketing - Tool for new economy

Tom: Hey Dick, check out my profile pic on this amazing social networking site.

Dick: Yah, did you read my blog on profile pics. Wait, I will send you the link.

Harry: Hey guys, I just booked three movie tickets on this amazing app.

Every tom dick and harry today is surrounded by internet. So why not use it as a tool for marketing in the new economy, the e-commerce. The giants and even the small businessmen have started promoting their product on internet. In past who would have imagined that a whole shopping mall can be built on internet and sell the products just by marketing them effectively. Today in this ever changing scenario more and more people business persons are using internet as a tool to promote their products ranging from a book to I-pads.

It’s the power of internet marketing that 2012 witnessed a business of 60,000 billion dollars. And 2013 is to witness even more. The reason behind this huge success is that the internet marketing is cost effective and reaches to majority of people. It doesn’t require salesmen, brochures, printers, employees, etc. All which needs to be done is to create a website and make it reach people or display the products/services on popular websites. Even social networking sites have created a huge platform for email marketing companies. Place the products on the page which is hit most or sponsor to make your product visible to all the users.

Another very important aspect of internet marketing is that it is quick. Things are done at the speed of light. It makes purchasing easier, just a click away. And the delivery of the products also occurs in acceptable durations. This planet loves speed that is why it revolves and rotates at such a high rate. The faster the things happen the happier the beings get. Gone are the days when salesman went door to door to Market Company’s product. Today the tool called Internet marketing has solved the purpose. Before internet everybody demanded quality. When businessman realised that thing, quality was not the issue anymore. The requirement now was the facility to avail the services right from a desk. Today people from various backgrounds, uneducated business persons have taken help of internet marketing to promote their product/services at lightning speed.

This amazing tool of internet marketing is not only limited to business. People use it to promote their talent, their work. Some of them get noticed and get lucrative offers. If someone is good at singing he or she can record something and upload it on internet. People hit, like it, the singer gets noticed, again at a lightning speed. It has minimized the duration of success. Gone are the days when millionaires happened at a fifty plus age. Today people are accumulating wealth as early as possible just because of this brilliant tool. There is an endless list of successful people to name them as examples.

One more benefit of internet marketing is that it creates a world in miniature. Today it is not needed to travel to another country to market the product. Internet does that for people who want to market. Someone in Australia can just send an email all over the world to tell about his products or services. All that needs to be done is to build a trust. Once a person buys product from a particular website and if he finds it of good quality he will definitely come over again. He may even refer it to friends and relatives. So internet marketing generates word of mouth marketing automatically.

Movie tickets, travel tickets, vacation trips, everything can be booked in one go. No need to stand in queue to get your jobs done. Even the bills can be paid online. What made this possible? Internet marketing! The business honchos tech and market, people use it the platform to make life simpler, better and easier. Internet marketing is definitely the best tool one can get for promotion. The future can only be imagined from now. The internet marketing was also imagined by someone, someday. Clearer the imagination, more the joy of freedom and wisdom will spread. Keep imagining!!!

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A Web Designer Should Know SEO Techniques

A web designer’s primary job is making things look great. Bring the beauty, let someone else deal with the code. But if you are fortunate enough to have worked with someone who has both the designer and developer skill sets, you know what a striking difference it can make to the finished product. The ability to incorporate SEO concepts into the very design of the page is priceless.

Since the days of hand-coded HTML sites, we generally have dealt with SEO by applying it on the back-end, once the site was aesthetically developed. However, with the advent of CMS solutions and other development platforms, we have the opportunity to make or break the SEO of a page at the template stage, and with the placement of every piece of content thereafter. The design of a site needs to incorporate the philosophy that SEO is the end-game of the project, not a bolt-on to be dealt with later.

Consider the scenario where a CMS template is employed. Perhaps it’s a sleek design, it has customizations based on the organization’s vertical, and it’s Responsive. Those are great functionalities that mean nothing without tight CSS, good use of header tags, and image layouts that are functional and don’t overburden the image/html ratio.

Speaking of tags, it’s within the typography portion of the design phase that a developer can make or break a site. Especially in a template scenario, a designer might elect to make the H1 tag flaming yellow, to discourage its use, when that could cause SEO problems for the rest of the site’s existence.

It’s a rare venture that has both a developer and a designer in one person, but if you can find that individual, you will pay yourself back one hundred times with a site that performs beyond expectations. If you are working with a design house and hiring your own developer or SEO consultant, make sure the entire web team gels well and have strong communication skills.

Kathleen Hurley, COO at Fidelity Networks, has over 15 years’ experience as a business services CIO, a background as a small business owner, and more than a decade as a web developer. Kathleen says that her MBA in IT from the University of Wales and her BA in English allow her to do two things really well: read the directions and speak to fellow humans.

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Best iPad & Tablet Apps of 2013

New apps are being developed every single day. It is almost impossible to keep track of what is available in the android and iOS markets. As the same apps are available for tablets and smaller devices, it is often difficult to know what applications will have the best resolution; features and work better on larger tablet surfaces. With some advice, it is easy to make the most of your gadget and get the best apps for you. As more people opt for smartphone, android and iOS devices, it is essential to take care of them with relevant gadget insurance and utilise them with the best apps on the market. Here are some of the best iPad and tablet apps of the year.

Solar Walk

Solar Walk is an impressive app that shows off the amazing visual capabilities of the iPad. It boasts a beautiful 3D model of our solar system and when used with Retina display, it really is a pleasure to the eye. It is the first app in the app store that supports 3D TV. Even when zoomed out, detail on the planets is visible. The pixel wide orbit lines of the moon are impressive but not in your face. Explore our neighboring planets and moons in a quick, easy fashion. The impressive high-resolution interface and texture of the planets makes it a really true to life experience. The app is not available on android yet, it is available from the Apple app store for €1.89.

Real Racing 2 HD

If you are a gamer, you are in for a treat with Real Racing 2 HD, available for both iOS and Android devices. It is the most critically acclaimed racing simulation on Android. Its high definition graphics, easy to use controls and high performance gameplay set you up for hours of gaming. Drive on a 16 car grid and test your racing power from 30 officially licensed cars. Choose from 15 different locations with over 40 miles of highly detailed graphics race tracks, speedways and city circuits. Handling power is amazing, with its touch or tilt to steer capabilities, as well as customisable options for your own personal driving style. The app is €4.49 and available in the app store and play store now.

Glasses.com

Glasses.com is a truly impressive app that allows you to try on thousands of styles of glasses and sunglasses. Simply upload your image, and you can view yourself on the screen at any angle wearing the specs of your choice, from Ray- Ban, Gucci, Versace and Burberry all scaled to perfectly fit your face. It may seem like a simple concept, but the quality of delivery is second to none. You can use the app for pure entertainment or genuine research before purchasing glasses. The 180-degree 3D facial mapping software gives you a real life 3D view in a fun manner. The app allows you to view up to 4 looks in a single view and tap to look at your head from each side. What’s even better is that the app is free!

NASA Earth as Art is another great app brought to you by NASA. It offers an amazing set of images of earth seen from satellites and are best displayed on larger iPad or tablet screens rather than smaller mobile screens for optimum display. The New York Times app is also best enjoyed on an iPad or tablet. Its high quality, easy navigation and stunning imagery are optimised on these impressive screens. Take the time to do research into the best apps for your device, to utilise your gadget to their full potential. You literally have the world at your fingertips. Happy downloading!

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6 Mistakes That Wordpress Bloggers Make

It is widely accepted that WordPress is currently the most popular blogging platform with features and capabilities very few content management system software packages can match. Most internet marketers love WordPress for the SEO value it adds to their e-commerce website although a good part of the population is more inclined to channeling traffic to websites or blogs they built using the CMS software. To keep you followers interested, below are six things you need to emphasize on if you are one of those who believe in the power of WordPress.

1. Always update your blog content

One of the reasons why most people's blogging efforts fail is reluctance to update their posts. It is understandable that some posts might only be valuable for a short period of time but this does not necessarily mean that you should overlook the essence of updating as it would cost you in the long run. For instance, if you have a post whose title is "Must have gadgets for 2013" it would be necessary to update it "Must have gadgets for the year 2014". If you have noted, a web user visiting your blog in the year 2014 would navigate away if the change and other modifications were not made.

2. Protect your website

Malicious software can cripple your blogging efforts and even discourage you from ever posting again. Consider a situation where you blog is banned from major search engines and not to forget the devastating message which warns visitors of malware whenever they land on it. The short term effects of such an attack would be losing your followers after which you would be forced to start all over again with an aim at seeing your blog get back on major search engine rankings. To prevent this from happening invest in an Antivirus software and security plug-ins which protect your site from malware.

3. Update your WordPress website and all your plug-ins

To ensure convenience for its users, WordPress makes regular updates to its software. The reason why installing these updates is necessary is because they fix bugs and other issues which might expose you to malware and malicious hack attempts. Remember, hackers are always looking for challenges and will soon loop holes which might cost you a lot if ignored. Update all your plug-ins regularly as one of your security strategies.

4. Keep abreast with information about new WordPress plug-ins 

As a WordPress blogger, it would be difficult to survive without using plug-ins. Most of them are intended to help you keep ahead of your competition by making certain webmaster tasks easier. For instance, a tool like WP polls allows you to get information from your web visitor and displays it in an attractive way which can be used to influence more people into making a certain decision. Most people like Plug-ins because they allow them to improve the look and feel of their website without necessarily reviewing their CSS files. 

5. Reply to those who comment on your blog

Replying to those who comment on your blog might not be necessarily a good strategy for SEO but it helps where one wants to improve their conversion rate. Communicating with your followers helps you win their trust and hence makes it easier to convince them into taking a required action. Besides, a follower feels good when a comment they made is replied to; this increases the chances of such a customer revisiting your blog for more information in the future. If you are after making a long emailing list, you could use your replies to manipulate visitors by promising them free informational products like e-books.

6. Take care of your wording

People read blogs because they need views or advice about something. Although it is important to portray yourself as an authority in your niche, your wording should not make you sound as if you are bragging about your expertise in the field. Always use a tone which will make your visitors believe that you intend to help them and all you are doing is sharing valuable information and not selling it.

With these tips, you will soon notice an improvement in your search engine rankings and more important your conversion rate. Emphasize on them and do whatever you can to keep ahead of your competition.

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