Category Archives: Web Design

HTML 5 in a Nutshell

SEO, Web Design, , ,

HTML 5 – What it Is and How it Affects You

HTML 5 is about to completely redefine how websites are created and experienced. HTML, or Hyper Text Markup Language, is the code with which websites are written. With the release of HTML 5, many things that were difficult or impossible to do in HTML 4 are now easy. Read on to learn more about the release of HTML 5 and what it might mean for you.

Graphs, Charts, Complex Graphics – On the Fly
In the past, you had to use outside plugins or code to generate graphs, charts or other graphics. Now HTML 5 will support an element called the Canvas Element that allows you to generate graphics right on the fly.

Embedded Video and Audio

HTML currently supports a rudimentary method of embedding video and audio that nobody really uses. It’s slow, the player is unattractive and is often buggy. HTML 5 is aiming to change that.

Currently, most people use 3rd party plugins like flash to display video or audio. YouTube, for example, is a flash player. Most other players are also written in flash.

With HTML 5, you’ll be able to embed video and audio directly into the browser without using a third-party coding language like flash. It’s designed to be fast and efficient.

Run Applications – Without the Internet

Most web applications don’t work when you disconnect from the internet. Google Docs for example – If you disconnected from the internet, you could keep browsing the doc you’re on, but you couldn’t pull up another document or make edits.

With HTML 5, you’ll be able to run web applications as if they were desktop applications – Without needing to download anything. It’s called “Offline Web Applications” and it works just like it sounds: Web applications that work even when you’re offline.

Accurate Geolocation

Currently, locating someone online is possible by decoding their IP address. However, IP addresses aren’t a sure thing when it comes to location.

HTML 5 will come with its own Geolocation technology to help website owners decode where visitors are located. This will help them tailor web content to the location of the browser. For example, news sites will be able to show you only news stories that relate to you based on where you’re at.

More Styles, Better Forms and More

HTML 5 will feature stylable elements, which can be visually altered with CSS. This means more dynamic and more visually appealing websites

Forms too will be getting an upgrade. You’ll be able to add sliders to forms, pick data and more.

HTML 5 Summary

HTML5 is an upgrade of the very framework that the internet runs on. Once all the browsers adopt HTML 5, you can expect a significant jump in the quality of websites everywhere.

If you’re a website designer, HTML 5 will give you wider range of tools to play with. It’ll speed up and simplify how things are done currently in addition to giving you completely new elements to play with. If you’re a website browser, you can expect certain things to speed up, improved designs and graphics as well as better video, audio and web software.

Enjoy the new and ever evolving internet!

Using Social Media to Acquire Customers via Forms

Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Design

The goal of every business is to attract as many targeted customers as they can. Businesses create websites with the goal of increasing their chances of acquiring more customers either through direct sales or as prospects.

With the number of websites increasing, there is a need for business owners to either learn good search engine optimization (seo) practices or hire someone else to do the work for you. With good seo, you are assured that your website has a constant flow of visitors who need your product or service.

Other than using search engine marketing, progressive companies have embraced social media marketing as part of their marketing efforts. Companies can use social media marketing to:

1. Acquire new clients,
2. Use social media networks for customer support, or
3. Create a buzz about their products

Proper use of both seo and social media marketing can lead to a never-ending stream of visitors to a business website. There is one more thing that remains after a company gets visitors to their site. One needs to turn these visitors into buyers. In other words, you need to convert these visitors. This is especially true if the company had used social media to acquire its customers. To convert visitors into buyers or potential customers, the best tools to use are efficiently laid out forms.

Forms that work are easy to use, easy to find and are inviting to your web visitor. It is imperative for the visitor to find the form on your site. The form should entice the visitor to sign up or input their details. There is nothing wrong with ensuring that it is the most prominent section in your website.

Forms that aquire customers ask for limited information. For example, if your company does not need to know the zip code of the client, then do not include it in the form. Your web visitors want to spend as little time as possible on your site and give as little information as they can. It is prudent to assure them that you will use their information legally. A link to your privacy policy is essential for a form that works.

If you have used social media to attract a customer to your form, tell your website visitors what they will receive from filling in the form. The visitor should know what to expect once they have filled out a form. For example, you can tell them that they will receive a free newsletter, or a free book, or special offers. If the visitor values what they will get, you are likely to get more customers.

Finding potential customers is the first step for any business. However, implementation of forms that work can have a dramatic, positive impact in your business.

Copywriting Tips that Can Make or Break Your Marketing Campaign

Copywriting, Web Design, ,

Copywriting is the one skill which all online business owners should learn. As an online marketer you communicate through words – if those words aren’t effectively conveying your message, then you’re in for a long and bumpy ride or a short drive off a cliff!
Here are a few copywriting tips to help you get started:

1. Know your Target Market – Good copywriters know exactly who they’re writing for before starting. They speak directly to ONE person and keep that same person in mind at all times. If you try to reach too many people with your copy you’ll end up missing your target altogether and not reaching anyone at all. Before starting, know exactly who you’re writing your copy for and stick to it.

2. Headlines that Intrigue – Use clear headlines throughout your copy to guide the reader. Your main headline should be in bold and large letters to grab the reader’s attention. It is often the headline which can either make or break your copy. Use a benefit-focused headline, which explains in powerful detail how you can help solve the customer’s problem. Then use sub-headlines throughout the copy to keep the reader intrigued so they will keep reading.

3. Don’t use Big Words – Online writing is different to the writing you did in English class. Throw out the text book and forget all those rules your teacher taught you. Online writing is casual and needs to convey emotion and a clear purpose. You need to speak to the person as though you’re sitting down with them and chatting over a coffee… stay away from big words and long adjectives or risk boring (and losing) your prospects!

4. Be Persuasive – If you love your product that’s great but it’s also a bit biased. Your customers want to hear from other unbiased people who have used your product. Include customer testimonials but not just any testimonial will do, the more information you can include the better. Try to include the person’s full name, city, state, website URL and if possible a picture of that person. The more information your testimonial includes the more persuasive and believable.

5. It’s not all about you! – In fact, it’s not about you at all. Effective copywriting is concerned with the needs of the customer. The writer doesn’t really matter… Of course, you may need to add a little personal information about yourself in order to gain trust and to explain why your customer should trust you, but even in this case it’s all about what you can do for them. Go through your copy, does it contain a lot of “I’s” then it’s time for a serious re-write. Go back and change most of those “I’s” to “You’s”. Your writing should always be about the customer.

6. Don’t forget the call – The call to action that is. You must guide your visitors and tell them what you expect them to do. If you want them to click over and purchase your weight loss product, say so, and say so in a clear way which promotes all the benefits of your products “Click here to learn how you can lose those last 10 pounds and keep it off for good” . You may want to “Twitclick” the hypertext to track its performance. If it is a brochure, flyer or self mailer I recommend you have a special splash page made to drive visitors to and use a free google analytics tool to see the ROI of your campaign.
Above all be precise in your wording and always include a clear call to action. If you can’t invest the time to write or lack the talent to do so hire a copywriter. It’s the best investment in advertising that you can make!

By Peter Marino

Keyword Research is Key to SEO that Works

Copywriting, SEO, Small Business Marketing, Web Design, , ,

When you say the words “keyword search” to most internet marketers you’ll get one of two responses. You’ll see them groan and shudder or you’ll simply see them shrug their shoulders. The fact of the matter is that many don’t know how to or have never taken the time to do a little keyword research. It’s not difficult and the information can be invaluable. Once you know what keywords your audience is using to find relevant information, you can position your company so they the find you instead of your competition.

The first step in any keyword research project is to come up with a few words to start with. You can pull them out of the air, do a bit of brainstorming – what do you think your clients might be using to find your business? You can check your Google analytics to see what they’re using or you can check the meta data on your competition’s websites to see what keywords they’re using. Pretty sneaky, right?

Once you have a handful of words to start with the next step is to choose your keyword research tool. They’re in abundance so you’re not stuck with the first one you land on. Google and Yahoo both offer keyword research tools and there are tools you can subscribe to like wordtracker.com.  Make sure if you’re choosing one which you have to pay for, that they offer a free trial so you can make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Once you’re in the tool of your choice the next step is to plug in one of your beginning keywords to create some results. For example, let’s say you’re creating a surf instruction school and hunting for keywords to optimize your website. You may use ‘surf instruction’ for your beginning keywords.
You hit enter and now you have anywhere from 10 to 10,000 more keywords. Some have potential and some do not. Look for keywords which have good popularity. Meaning they’re used often. Yes some people may use the words ‘riding the waves’ but if only a handful are using those keywords they’re not going to generate much in the way of traffic or profits.

You’ll also want to look for keywords which don’t have a lot of competition. That doesn’t mean you don’t use the words “surf instruction” to optimize your website if that is the single most popular keyword phrase people use to find surf schools however if everyone is using that keyword to optimize their website it might be difficult for you to rise to the top of the rankings – which is ultimately the goal.

If you’re searching for keywords to use for search engine advertising then it will also be important to pay attention to the cost of the keyword or keyword phrase. It’s easy to blow an ad budget in a day with the wrong keyword! Not all keyword tools provide this information. If you’re going to be using search engine advertising, use that search engine’s keyword tool to generate results.

Keywords change over time so it pays to make keyword research a regular process. Some business owners are fastidious and are often looking for the next best keyword phrase, while others prefer to analyze their SEO on a quarterly or annual schedule. Take the time to make sure you’re optimizing your site and do a little keyword research – it’s really not so bad.

By Peter Marino