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  • May

    30

    2011

     Google Testing Instant Website Previews on Paid Search! Google is testing a new feature which integrates the Instant Previews found on the organic search results, with the paid listings on Google as well. As with the organic search results, this will allow  browsers to view the landing page before actually clicking on the site, so user engagement will be on a top level stance. The result is either reducing cost implications as clients review more relevant content, or reducing the number of conversions as solo advertisers deliver traffic through irrelevant keywords.



    What has changed?

    This brings the paid search results more in line with Google's other inventory, such as organic listings and the recently launched mobile devices offering. As before, in terms of optimizing a paid search campaign, the landing page will play an important part.

    So what does this mean for paid search?

    Creative design of the page will have an impact on CTR:
    * Deep linking will become even more important. Advertisers with landing pages relevant to the search term will benefit
    * Trust in PPC Ads will increase for high quality sites
    * Sites designed in Flash will suffer

    Will this affect my Conversion Rate?

    Unlike organic search, paid search advertisers are paying on a per click basis and conversion is often the key to making this work as a channel. The potential for browsers to evaluate a website, before they click into it, means that the quality of the landing page becomes paramount. If anything some competition will receive a lower conversion rate, as Starfish Internet Solutions always serve only the most relevant of keywords - ensuring they're delivered to the best fitting content on your site.

  • Mar

    16

    2011

     Top 13 Social Media Ranking Factors for SEO Total visibility across all social media shows that your content is important to all people and not just a result of a large special offer for Facebook/Twitter users. How Sociable is a simple way of giving yourself a rating here.

    Depending on who you speak to, search engine optimization (SEO) is either largely influenced or not at all influenced by social media. I’m sure everyone has their own opinions, case studies, and sites that show greater or lesser correlations between their social media engagement levels and their natural search results.

    If you were to carry out an investigation into whether social media was a big influencing factor, which metrics would you want to monitor in order to base your insights on more empirical data?
    Here’s a list of 13 ranking factors below. Feel free to use these and any others you can get your grubby SEO mitts on!

    1. Number of Followers (Twitter)

    Any references to your target keywords in the title of the video will help ensure that any authority passed will be relevant to a specific theme. Keywords should also be in the tags and or transcript where possible.



    You’ll need your own corporate Twitter feed, which brings its own problems around brand protection and also the potential for dealing with customer service enquiries, but the more followers you have, the more authoritative your Twitter persona and the more value will be associated with your URL (assuming you have remembered to link to it).

    2. Quality of Followers (Twitter)

    The best followers are the ones with their own communities of followers. The more high value people who follow you, and retweet your stuff, the better.

    3. Relevance of Followers (Twitter)

    It’s one thing getting followed and retweeted by Stephen Fry with over a million followers, but it’s also important to get the same response from accounts that are more specific to your industry. Someone with “fashion” in their description who retweets your “20 percent off the new spring collection” offer is equally valuable.

    4. Number of Retweets (Twitter)

    Most likely as a ratio of tweets to retweets — the more your content is reproduced by others the more authoritative it is. Obviously the more followers you have, the more likely you are to be retweeted. However, it isn’t just about retweeting other people’s content or dishing out promotions. It’s about engaging in conversation with people in the industry.

    5. Number of Fans (Facebook)

    You’ll need to create your own corporate profile on Facebook, which brings the same potential banana skins as a corporate Twitter feed, only multiplied numerous times due to the sheer level of engagement of people on Facebook. However, if you decide to engage with customers and potential customers on Facebook, the total number of likes your page receives will add value to your URL.



    6. Number of Comments (Facebook)

    A large number of likes, but little engagement, is a sure sign of someone gaming the system. People will tend to like you if you talk to them. Successful Facebook pages include a lot of content written by other people.

    7. Number of Views (YouTube)

    An obvious one, but any content you upload to YouTube should link to your site in the description, and the more times it is viewed, the more value will be attributed to your video.

    8. User Comments (YouTube)

    YouTube is also about engaging with other You Tubers and commenting on popular videos. The more you comment, the more link juice is passed back to your profile.

    9. References from Independent Profiles (YouTube)

    Using YouTube can bring in some really good authority if done brilliantly — if your link from your video passes some value, imagine how much more value would be passed if you could get other people to parody your work and include links to you from their profiles. The prime example remains the Cadbury’s Gorilla, but there are lots of interesting mini-campaigns trying to leverage the above.

    10. Title of Video (YouTube)

    Any references to your target keywords in the title of the video will help ensure that any authority passed will be relevant to a specific theme. Keywords should also be in the tags and or transcript where possible.


    11. Percent of Likes vs. Dislikes (YouTube)

    Easy one. The more liked your content is, the more authoritative it is.

    12. Positive vs. Negative Brand Mentions (All Social Media)

    Use a tool like Radian6, or a free tool, and ensure that you have significantly more positive brand mentions than negative. It won’t be 100 percent accurate as these things don’t pick up on sarcasm. But Google has already made investment in this area in 2011, so it’s well worth monitoring.

    13. Number of Social Mentions (All Potential Media)

    Total visibility across all social media shows that your content is important to all people and not just a result of a large special offer for Facebook/Twitter users. How Sociable is a simple way of giving yourself a rating here.

  • Feb

    24

    2011

     Starfish Philippines Success in Mobile Search

    Mobile advertising has become a buzz word in the last few years, and is gaining increasing popularity amongst leading advertisers. A substantial rate of growth is forecasted as smart phone prices drop, networks become faster and data packages cheaper. Starfish decided to tap into this new technology with a mobile paid search campaign.

    Mobile advertising campaigns generally have lower traffic volumes, especially when it comes to searches related to technology as it receives the majority of traffic from ring tones, wallpaper, and news and entertainment queries. However after recent site updates, Starfish thought of it as an excellent opportunity to trial a new mobile search offering and raise awareness of their mobile site.

    Google's mobile search is executed in a very similar way to their search network offering: keywords compete in an auction and are bought on a CPC model with a choice of search or content networks. The character restrictions for text ads are considerably smaller with only 2 lines of 18 characters each, creating quite a challenge for brand messaging. As smart phone keyboards are generally small, mobile search queries are mostly 1 or 2 word generic phrases.

    We used a selection of mostly 1 and 2 word mobile searches relating to Starfish's brand and small business solutions: Mobility, Small Business, Network Technology, Routers and Technology. The mobile search activity has been live for 8 weeks with traffic volumes steady but low as expected, however the CPC's were at 29% of the search campaign making it a cost effective way to deliver traffic to Starfish's site. The highest traffic areas were from Brand, Mobility and Network.

    Starfish Internet Solutions will continue to run mobile search activity while improving performance with regular keyword optimizations and the possibility of expanding into new networks and territories to move the account forward. Overall, it has been a cost efficient method of driving traffic and raising awareness of the Starfish mobile site. By embracing mobile search outside of its popular entertainment sector, Starfish is advancing their position as a technological leader.

  • Jan

    10

    2011

     Useful Web Design Fad for 2011 These days, the average internet user requires more. All beauty, with no substance, gets boring after a while. If your only goal is to impress a community of fellow designers with your flashy designs, you'll find yourself quickly beneath the tide. 2011 is not about beauty, it's about function. The trends for this New Year and emerging decade are responsive design, constant connection and virtual reality.

    Additionally, one can never under-estimate the power of simplicity. Of course, this has always been the case, but in 2011, you are no longer at the forgiving discretion of the desktop, or even laptop, computer. Now, your design must contend with smart phones, notebooks, tablets and the like. Are you ready?

    Take a gander at web design fad for 2011

    1. More CSS3 + HTML5

    What a gratifying sigh of relief! CSS3 and HTML5 have been on the distant horizon of web design for the past couple of years, but now, in 2011, we see an explosion of it. Designers are finally starting to let go of Flash. However you may feel about Flash, you do know that it does not play well with some of the hot, new technology available to your current and potential visitors. In 2011, you will slowly step away from Flash and embrace the magic known as HTML5. Look at the amazingly similar comparison:




    Now that's shown, please understand that Flash and HTML5 are not equal opponents. There is plenty of room for both in 2011. The problem  is that designers in 2010 (and before) misused Flash. Case in point, very rarely should your entire site be made of Flash, especially these days. HTML5 alleviates some of the burden we have placed on Flash. However, HTML5 cannot (yet) replace the extraordinary design elements we can achieve through Flash.

    2.     Simple Color Schemes

    Simplicity. There's nothing quite as impacting as an honest message on a quiet backdrop. Quiet can be interpreted several different ways. Forget black and white or shades of gray. Think of green, yellow or even red as your primary color. However, limit your palette to two or three colors. Work within the shades of each color for variety. It can be truly remarkable what a few colors can do for your message. Observe:



    Shades of green create this Twitter visualization tool. Side note: this site was created with XHTML/CSS and Javascript.



    Red can be jarring if done incorrectly. This site gets it right by subduing the color's overwhelming personality with easy-to-read high contrast text.

    3. Mobile Ready
    There's a dizzying amount of mobile products available to the consumer this year. This means your web design must be responsive to multiple view ports.

    Creating a mobile ready website is not simply removing the bells and whistles from your design. This can create a vacant and impersonal design. Although not impossible, distilling the magic from your original design into a pure representation of your brand is tough! Fortunately, technology is quickly removing this burden.

    It may be tempting to just create a dedicated mobile site, but that may no longer satisfy your audience. Increasingly, mobile sites include the option to visit the original site. If you do not offer this option or if your original site is not optimized to mobile standards, you are simply not ready for 2011. Forecasters predict that smart phones will outsell personal computers this year. Bulletproof your design to meet this demand.

    4. Parallax Scrolling

    Parallax scrolling    : not just for old school video games. As aforementioned, the hot web design trend for 2011 is creating a sense of depth. What better way to create that than with parallax scrolling? The parallax effect uses layers to present the illusion of a 3 dimensional space. It can be accomplished with some simple CSS tricks or the help of j Query plug ins like Spritely. Parallax scrolling can be most effective as a secondary element on your design, for example, as a header, footer, or background. Making it an integral part of your navigation may prove frustrating for your site visitor.



    The Old Pulteney Row to the Pole website uses a top down parallax scrolling effect for the background. This adds a nice subtle amount of depth and lots of interest.

    5. Designing for Touch Screens, Not Mice

    Technology has become much more tactile. Usability is shifting from abstract to tangible. This means that instead of navigating your mouse to remotely connect, your destination is literally at your fingertips. Tablets, most smart phones and some desktops use touchscreens. Does your design accommodate fingertip navigation?

    How much of your design is mouse-oriented? As designers, we worship mice. Our links light up when the mouse hovers over. However, there's no hovering in touchscreen. How will your design indicate links to your visitors? What about drop-down menus? That's also a no-go in touchscreen design.

    Similarly, how will visitors peruse your site? As controversial as it may be for standard web browsing, horizontal scrolling may be more appropriate for touchscreens. Fitting nicely into this niche is a magazine-like layout where visitors virtually flip through your site.
    Lastly, consider using liquid layouts as part of your commitment toward responsive design. In 2011, you are no longer dealing with screen resolution size. Visitors can change their viewing orientation from vertical to horizontal. Your design must be flexible to meet any challenge, or you will be a relic of 2010.




    6. Depth Perception in Web Design

    Depth perception is about creating dimension in your web design, so that parts of your site looks nearer than others. It conjures a faux 3D effect when done masterfully. Remember what it felt like watching the blockbuster 3D movie, Avatar? The elements jumped off of the screen, quite literally.

    Although 3D technology has no yet made it to web design, you can still replicate depth in your design.


    Eye-catching and smart, this celebration of Jordan (both the man and shoe) is thoroughly entertaining. The 3D elements are crisp and simple, which what makes them so stunning.

    7. Large Photographic Backgrounds

    Large scale backdrops will surge in 2011. These images will be high resolution, and covering the entire site. Large photos are an instant way to grab your audience they cannot help but to see it and have an opinion about it. The background photo must be content-appropriate. Simply having a pretty image in the background without any context will disrupt your user experience. Trends point to soft and slightly transparent imagery that does not over shadow your content, but harmonizes with it.


    This site makes use of high-resolution photos and the predominant color is yellow throughout.


    This site adds playful animation with its grand scale imagery. Warning: auto-play music.

    8. Adventurous Domain Names & Integration

    Although not in the strictest sense a web design issue, look forward to seeing more creative domain names. The once-coveted .com domain has lost a lot of its appeal primarily because you have to think up words in order to find a domain that has not been thought up yet. 2011 will see a more wide-spread venture away from .com and into more whimsical domains like .me or .us. Think of the possibilities and scoop it up before it's gone.


    .me is a great domain to use for personal portfolios, or blogs, especially if you want a separate identity from your corporate brand.


    Another example of .me integration.

    9. QR: Quick Response

    If you have noticed those square barcodes popping on business cards, magazines or else where, you may already know that they are a hot trend for 2011. How exactly does it translate into web design? Amazingly well, in fact.

    The barcodes are called QR, short for Quick Response. Simply take a photo of the unique bar code with your camera phone. Like magic, your phone will call up the website associated with said barcode. The beautiful thing about QR is that you can use it in a myriad of ways. Feature your QR on your website, in order for site visitors to have a shortcut to your mobile site. You can also track your visitors through QR, by placing a special referral code on your URL. When you are leaving comments on sites such as this, use the QR as your avatar.

    2011 is all about mobility and it will be smart to take advantage of this new medium.



    This is the QR for the Starfish website. Create your own code here.

    10. Thumbnail Design

    The ever-enterprising folks at Google have introduced the average user to thumbnail browsing. Gone are the days of clicking through to see the content of a website. These days, you just click on the magnifying glass and hover (assuming you're not on a touchscreen). Magically before you is a glimpse of what waits on the other side of your click.

    If your design is Flash-based, that is definitely going to be a problem. The preview will not display those elements of your design.

    As the average internet user becomes more surfing-savvy in 2011, expect to see more people navigating by these means. It is just too great of a temptation not to judge a site by its thumbnail.