Ever heard the phrase link juice?  No its not a drink, are from the popular Nintendo character.  Link juice is the benefits you receive by getting inbound links to your web site.  These links to your site could be from blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.    Link juice is just a cool phrase, its not a program, a service or anything you can subscribe to.  When other sites that link to yours start getting indexed by Google it gives your site more authority, and this is what we call link juice.  That’s all.  Just thought I would clear that up for those of you wondering.  

Happy Webbing.

We have a client really needed a photo that put focus on the building without street lights and cars in the way.  Jefford Photography came in and took this awesome shot.   There wasn’t a good angle to avoid cars and lights, so we fired up Photoshop and made it happen.  Check out the before and after!

Before

After

You may read the phrase “call to action” fairly often on this blog and if already work with us then you know we use that term quite a bit.  But what is “call to action”?  A call to action or CTA, is something that moves a prospect from one step of the sales process to the next.  Here on the web this might be something as simple as a button or a sentence.  All the pages (not blog posts) on this web site have a call to action on them, its a simple sentence at the end of every page telling the person to call us and we give them our phone number.

We have found with our sales process that the best thing is for people to call us and then we like to meet in person.  Some businesses may do everything VIA online contact forms, or maybe drive the customer in to their store.  If you are running an e-commerce web site the natural CTA would be a “buy now” button of some sort.  Most people assume that they don’t need a CTA because its implied they think “the prospect is on my web site, I don’t need to tell them to call me”.  Yes, you do.   Prospects on the internet may be virgins to your company and don’t understand how you like to be best contacted or what manner suits them best for what they need.  So, it is very important to always include that call to action to take them in the next step of the sales process.  Don’t assume anything, its best to think of your web prospects as children.  Children are ignorant (not stupid), they need things clearly explained to them, they have short attention spans and attracted to pretty shiny things that move.  (Insert Smile).   When you think like this, you provide a better web experience, because your online prospects do need that extra bit of information, they need to be guided and it needs to be simple…and don’t forget fun.  Everyone likes to enjoy what they’re doing.  Some processes are just not fun, you may love your job…but if you’re an accountant or mechanic, your customer doesn’t enjoy your service…no matter how great it is and wonderful you are…they’re doing something that they’d rather not have to do.  So, make it as enjoyable as possible, keep it simple and always guide them along the way.

Happy Webbing.

A couple weeks back we launched some updates to Molyneaux Insurance.  The updates for Molyneaux included some enhanced call to action features, a new front page and revised search engine optimization.  Here we are just two weeks later and we’re already seeing movement on Google, for certain search phrases that they were five or six pages back on Google (which is no man’s land) they are now on the front page of the search results!  The folks at Molyneaux have made the smart decision to enroll in our search engine optimization program, this is an on-going service where we will continually perform site updates and other SEO tactics to continue to move Molyneaux up the ranks in Google for all the necessary search phrases.  We worked closely with Molyenaux to identify the phrases people might be using to seek out their services, with these targets we are able to have a strategic plan and help keep them at the top of their game.  This new optimization will gain Molyneaux more traction and generate more leads, provide better customer service and an overall even more positive experience for their customers.

More and more, mobile devices are starting to dominate.  Smart phones and tablets are quickly becoming the mainstay. In Apple’s Q1 earnings call, Macstories.net reports Apple sold 7.33 million iPads and 16.24 million iPhones.  Apple predicts the tablet will soon replace the home computer.   It makes a lot of sense, mobile devices are fun, they are fast and are relatively affordable compared to a computer.  How often do you use a phone or tablet to surf the web?  Its always nice to view a web site that has been optimized specifically for a phone or tablet.  Why wouldn’t your web site also have those optimizations and goals?

Except for certain circumstances we, as an industry, have been operating under the model that the desktop (or full size) site is primary then mobile is secondary.  Now, with the advent of mobile devices and increased mobile usage it really makes sense to start thinking mobile is at least as important.  For some businesses it make sense to also have a mobile app.  A mobile app is the ideal computing experience when using a mobile device, but this doesn’t apply to everyone.  If your web site is simply a lead generating tool then you don’t need a mobile app.  If you are communicating with your clients often, exchanging files and giving them upates on various projects, work orders, etc then you might need a mobile app.

We closely monitor our client sites and we’ve noticed a trend in, mobile usage.  Mobile access of web site usage often spikes as high as 50% on the weekends, evenings and weekday lunch hour.  Of course, peak mobile times are when most people at work and school sitting in front of their desktop/laptop.  If you have customers on their mobile devices viewing your site and its not optimized, there are times of day when half of your customers may not gain the full effect of your message.  Its something to seriously consider.  You have to know your market and know your client, to really make this decision.  However, it won’t be too long and this will no longer be optional, it’ll be as standard as the Facebook like button on your web pages.

Happy Webbing

UPDATE (1/30/2012 1:00 pm CST)  We just learned from an official source that Magic Cyclops’ performance on American Idol had nothing to do with B100.  Magic Cyclops created the character “Magic Cyclops” himself without any contribution from B100.   Our information was based on B100′s Facebook post and a local newspaper article, we saw the results of their effort and decided to write this marketing commentary.  Again, at the time this article was written we were under the impression based on information provided by B100 that they in fact did have a relationship with Magic Cyclops and had an active part in his performance on American Idol.  We never had any intention of somehow causing problems for Magic Cyclops by affiliating him with B100 and the information they provided stating that is was not a real audition.  We extend our most sincere apologies to Magic Cyclops and his fans for this mix-up and misinformation.

Earlier this week on Fox’s American Idol there was a person who showed up to the Aspen Auditions billing himself as “Magic Cyclops”, he spoke with a British accent, wore a bandanna that said “Magic” and claimed to hail from Davenport, Iowa.  The audition was awful and ended with the judges all walking out of the audition (it should be noted this was supposedly the last audition of the day).

Being a Davenport native and still residing in the larger community of the Quad Cities (which Davenport is a significant part of) I found a lot humor in this audition.  Facebook and Twitter went crazy talking about this guy.  Whether the comments by viewers were happy or angry…they were talking.  Then we come to find out a local morning radio show “Red Hot Bryan Scott &  Tony Tone” were the culprits.  On Thursday morning they posted the following status to their All Hits B100 Facebook page : “Americas been punked…by us…we finally got our friend Scott Fuller aka “Magic Cyclops” to give D-port a shout last night on American Idol…nice work!!!!! we owe you!”.

It turns out that Bryan Scott and Tony Tone are friends with Scott Fuller of Denver, they met him five years ago and devised this plan to get him on American Idol and perform this character.

Now, I know what you’re thinking:  ”why is a web development company posting about American Idol?  Are they trying to cash in on some free web traffic?” Not quite. There’s a lesson to all of this.  This is what I would classify as “offline promotion” meaning, it was promotion about their show off their normal medium…radio.  They use Social Media very intensely for the promotion of their show and to engage with their friends.  The result for B100′s morning show after this Idol performance was publicity, they were being interviewed, people were calling in to the show and their Facebook page was blowing up with comments from listeners.

Am I suggesting to drive traffic to your business you con someone into going on American Idol?  Not at all, but you have to find unique and interesting ways to get people’s attention “offline” and they will certainly talk about it online.

On a bit of a side note, I think what they did was hilarious.  There were a lot of people making comments about how it puts Davenport and the Quad Cities in a bad light.  No, it doesn’t.  I seriously doubt there was someone out there watching American Idol, saw that performance and said “I can’t believe how stupid people in Davenport are, let’s cancel our summer vacation to Davenport!”.    If you are actually planning on taking a vacation or visit to the Quad Cities for some reason, the performance of a goofball on American Idol isn’t going to change your mind.  I also seriously doubt anyone is sitting there watching the show and Googling every city that the contestants are from.

Kudos to Brian and Tony, I don’t know if it was simply for the fun of it or for the publicity…or even a combination.  Either way, good job guys.

Here’s a video of that performance

Jason explains SOPA as simply as he can

Late last week we launched a refresh to Molyneaux’s web site.   Molyneaux felt it was time to maximize their web site, they needed to prove on their web site their biggest advantage…amazing personal service.  When Molyneaux was ready, they once again called on us to make it happen.  We sat down with their staff and worked with their suggestions and requests to come up with a new front page, attention to personal servid and new call to action items.   The result, a revised front page, online appointment booking, refreshed staff listings and a new search engine optimization campaign.  Molyneaux has worked with us for a few years now and continues to call on us for all their web needs.

Check out Molyneaux’s updates now at http://www.molyneaux.com

We want to know, what do you believe is the purpose of your web site?

Today the marketing landscape circles around the web.  There are so many outlets to list your business, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr,Twitter…the list goes on and on.  So, with all these free and popular outlets the question remains, is a web site still needed?  In short, yes a web site is definitely needed…even more so now.  Every business that is interested in building loyalty and/or gaining more leads and customers needs their own web site.  The single most important reason you need a web site is authority and trust.  Your web site is your virtual storefront, it should be the official voice of your business.   Your company’s website should function effectively for your sales people and customers that stumble upon you.  Think of your web site as the sun to your solar system and the orbiting planets as your various social media and online profiles.  You need the sun to give those planets life, direction and consistency.  A web site is the most powerful aspect of your online empire, it is here that you can say what you want and then track your sites performance easily. Anothee important aspect, that I believe is often overlooked, is control. What happens if key features you rely on with a social media or other online profile is suddenly removed? If your online properties are just a representative of your web it is not nearly as dire. Lets face it, in today’s online world things change so fast there is no guranatee that the 3rd party sites you use today will exist (or at least in the same manner) tomorrow.

It wasn’t but just 10 years ago when the phone book was still relevant and a mainstay, now with the advent of smart phones, tablets and social media, people are using the web and search engines even more to find solutions to their needs whether its a plumber, that new TV they want or to find the nearest ATM. When people go to Google and search your business, chances are they will find multiple links about your business, various online profiles (some you didn’t even create), social media profiles, and your web site. If the search engine optimization is done properly, your site will be number 1 and isn’t that what you want? Its definitely what I want when someone searches for us here at QC Total Tech. I want our own site to come up first so we can deliver our own message to our propsective customers. You have to create a message and be clear, consistent and make sure all your official online properties match up to that message.

So yes, you still need a web site, probably even more so than when you started reading this article, that’s how fast things advance here on the web.

Happy Webbing.