For all the current moms and future moms out there. Happy day from NLK and from www.google.com too
Friday Office Humor?
Really, you want me to rinse the dishes in the toilet? That just doesn’t seem like a good idea… And on an unrelated note, CTIA Wireless conference went real well, though I still need to gmap-pedometer total up how many miles I hoofed all over NOLA, and hope to get a follow-up blog post or two up next week.
I love it when kids lip sync
I too love this song by Gotye.
Surviving Google’s Penguin Update
If you haven’t heard by now or read in our previous blog, Google is making an important algorithm change known as the Penguin Update.
This update is centered around Google’s quality guidelines and namely concerns the following 8 principles outlined by the search engine giant:
Get To Know Google’s Penguin Update
On Tuesday, Google officially announced the name of their new algorithm change…the “penguin” web spam update. The latest information about this update can be found on Matt Cutt’s blog, listed here:
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2012/01/page-layout-algorithm-improvement.html
Essentially, this update focuses on the page layout and the overall experience users have with your website. Sites that have traditionally had too many advertisements “above the fold” are the ones searchers typically have trouble accessing the content; and those are the sites most prone to be affected by this change.
Search Engine Land also has a great article summarizing this latest change.
Google makes algorithm updates all the time and these changes have all been geared towards providing searchers with a better user experience. Keep that in mind as you design, build, and rethink your site design. Your M.O. going forward should be the same as Google’s – build a site that meets the needs of your target audience. Easier said than done but with FREE Google Analytics tools at your side, you can easily see how your customers behave on your site and can make informed decisions on ways to better improve their experiences.
If you’d like a free web assessment, contact us at info@ninthlink.com today!
Something About This Is Unsettling
Is it just me, or is there something just kind of unsettling about Eric’s cube setup? Macbook hooked up to giant Apple screen? Check. Windows XP Screensaver? Check… ?
Greetings from the War Room
More and more it seems that the Internet marketing space has become more like a war zone. The constant changes and major announcements from the search engines and social media sites, the dissemination of this information from Industry and non-Industry leaders alike, and the confusion surrounding each piece of news has created a constant state of chaos for everyone participating in this arena. It seems that with every Facebook “conversion to Timeline” we get a Google “exact and phrase match update” right behind it. The intents of the changes are highly positive but the collateral damage has been grand. In the twelve years since we’ve been working in this Industry, we have never seen such a state of frenzy as we currently see today.
It didn’t use to be like this.
Once upon a time, there was a simple set of rules for marketing effectively online. These days, you need to treat your online marketing program like you would an entrepreneur of a business. You need to stay informed, flexible, and be able to pivot quickly to take advantage of new feature rollouts, new technologies and ever-changing landscapes.
That being said, we think you can relax amidst the chaos and take a deep breath. The fundamental basics of online marketing [that have been in place since day one] still apply today. Start with a great website, one that fills a market niche and meets the needs of your users.. and go from there. Next, ensure you optimize it properly for the search engines. Search still accounts for a vast majority of quality visitors and organic optimization should still be at the cornerstone of your online marketing plans. Next, consider setting up advertising campaigns, participating in social media, and experimenting with new traffic channels. Each business will be different but there are hordes of traffic available to you, if you plan properly and have budget for experimentation. Finally, ensure you are tracking goals and conversions and analyzing your traffic patterns. You will quickly see which areas of your site need a refresh and what traffic channels are the most profitable.
Yes, you should pay close attention to the rapid pace of change occurring right now. But don’t panic! And don’t go off course just because a new feature has been released. Stick to your basics and you will ensure continued and continual success. You can’t get out of the war zone anymore but you can shield yourself from the noise by remembering the fundamentals.
Ninthlink Flips Turn.com from WordPress to Drupal 7
Ninthlink was tapped by Turn, a leading technology firm that builds and delivers cutting-edge marketing solutions to clients based on real-time data insights – to flip their existing website, originally built in WordPress, to the more powerful and flexible Drupal content management system.
Turn decided to make the switch from WordPress to Drupal because of its ability to scale up with more complex features and the functionality necessary to meet the growing demands of their business needs, which in this case, include both increased security and internationalization.
Hall and Oates from a Tour Van
Fresh from the homepage of MSN, but in case you missed it, here is a cover of “I Can’t Go For That”, from the tour van of Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, filled with radness for your Monday listening goodness.
Can you go for that? READ MORE
Big Site Updates Lead to Bigger Average Order Values
We launched a redesigned online store for Petunia Pickel Bottom, featuring new Ecommerce software, a streamlined checkout process and improved site navigation – the results were immediate.
Since launching the site, the average order value has increased nearly 40%, from $120 to $170 per transaction – and here are a couple of reasons why..
