For all the current moms and future moms out there. Happy day from NLK and from www.google.com too

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 too love this song by Gotye.

This update is centered around Google’s quality guidelines and namely concerns the following 8 principles outlined by the search engine giant:

1. Avoid hidden text or hidden links.

2. Don’t use cloaking or sneaky redirects.

3. Don’t send automated queries to Google.

4. Don’t load pages with irrelevant keywords.

5. Don’t create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content.

6. Don’t create pages with malicious behavior, such as phishing or installing viruses, trojans, or other badware.

7. Avoid “doorway” pages created just for search engines, or other “cookie cutter” approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.

8. If your site participates in an affiliate program, make sure that your site adds value. Provide unique and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit your site first.

Basically, this update like so many others is intended to weed out websites that are engaging in controversial or dishonest practices from those that offer a good, genuine user experience.

Surviving the update is simple if you follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Review Google’s full list of quality guidelines here

2. Make any necessary changes to ensure your website is in line with their policies

3. Submit your site for reconsideration by the search engine via Webmaster Tools

If you are unsure as to whether or not you are participating in questionable online tactics, be sure to consult a reputable online marketing agency or receive a free website analysis with Ninthlink!

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.

http://searchengineland.com/too-many-ads-above-the-fold-now-penalized-by-googles-page-layout-algo-108613

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!

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… ?

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 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.

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?

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..

The first order of business when looking to improve Petunia’s website was to replace  the existing Ecommerce platform- a custom solution with a tendency to crash if more than a couple hundred users were on the site at the same time- obviously not ideal from a user’s perspective, or a business’s when trying to sell products.

To improve the user experience and create an all around better shopping experience, we chose Magento as our Ecommerce platform, which allowed for better integrated shopping between brands & a more efficient checkout process.  Before we made the switch to Magento’s enterprise solution, Petunia’s customers had to leave the site in order to checkout – a practice known to decrease conversions.

In addition to upgrading Petunia’s Ecommerce software, we worked to improve site usability by making it easier for users to comfortably navigate between brands and around the site – removing any barriers to the products they were looking for.

One of our favorite additions in this regard are the prominent, tab shaped designs for the other brands carried by Petunia.  Having tabs, instead of ordinary links, for the Cake and Scout brands is both convenient and tempting for users to click on, whether or not they had any intention in looking at these brands in the first place.

As obvious as it sounds – making it easier for people to find other products to buy is an important part of encouraging people to spend more money than anticipated- although sites aren’t always set up that way.

Give us a call to see what we can do to improve your site’s performance.