The following are some of the critical elements that every lead capture form should have along with some extra tips for improving your landing page:

Basic Landing Page Tips:

The real measure of a successful website isn’t the number of visitors but rather the number of conversions. A conversion is when a visitor comes to your site and performs a certain task. These desired actions could be purchasing a product, getting a quote, signing up for a newsletter, or any other specified goal. Upon landing on a page, customers consider if they are in the right place, the trust level they have for the site, the amount of time the process will take, and the potential benefit from the conversion. The landing page should address these concerns and then proceed to display your introduction copy, any media content, product information, customer testimonials, and lead capture forms.

• Create a headline or tag line that really captures the interest of your visitors. A strong headline should urge potential customers to stay longer, learn more, and influence them to provide their contact information.

• Have a strong call to action that stands out and instructs your visitors to perform your requested action. A good call to action is found above the fold and will help urge your visitors to take immediate action.

• Makes sure that your landing page is visually appealing and easy to understand. Use visual cues to draw attention to the areas that you want visitors to focus more on. Using the appropriate colors, text, images, and layout can drastically impact

… Read the rest

How often should you be updating your website:

So, how often should you be updating your website? There aren’t any set expectations for how often a website should be updated. However it is suggested that you perform updates as frequently as possible in order to prevent your website from looking dated and losing your valuable web traffic. It is recommended that you try to update your website at least 1 to 2 times a month. These weekly or monthly updates should be designed for only adding or refreshing content unless the entire website’s design is fatigued. As long as you develop a site that is both visually appealing and easily accessible then your primary updates should focus solely on your content.

When asked, most webmasters and search engine marketers agree that the more you update your content the more impact it will have on your Search Engine Optimization. Updating is especially helpful when it comes to blog content. Continuously adding new blog posts leads to more of your pages being indexed and draws in more visitors and potential customers.

Reasons for Updating Your Website:

• Updating provides your visitors with a visually appealing user experience.
• Updating your website establishes fresh and relevant content.
• Updating helps your website get indexed more often.
• Updating attracts new traffic.
• Updating increases rank and influences other websites to link to your website.

Tips for Updating Your Website’s Design:

• Move to a popular CMS like Joomla!, WordPress. or Drupal
• Link your website to your blog.
• Use share widgets for social media sites like Facebook, Digg, and Twitter.
• Get rid of barriers

… Read the rest

Best Practices for Creating a Domain Name:

• Describe Your Website by Matching Your Domain, Website, and Company Name

A domain name is one of the first elements of a website that visitors see. Matching your domain with your company name will help target your existing as well as potential customers. Having a company and domain that describes your website will also let people know what the website is about and draw in targeted traffic. For example with the domain www.DeliciousPastries.com Delicious Pastries is the company name, website name, domain name, and also highlights Pastries a major descriptive keyword.

• Keep it Short and Readable-

There are several incentives for keeping your Domain name short which include it being easy to type, easy to remember, and easier to travel by word of mouth. A domain name that is longer than 3 words should use hyphens. However a domain name with more than 3 words and hyphens will raise the websites level of spamminess.

• Use Keywords-

Having a keyword in your domain name will help rank not only because it is part of your domain but also because it is the anchor text that others will use to link back to your website.

• Alternative Domain Top Level Domains (TLD)

It’s recommended that you only purchase the .Com version of your domain name. Additionally purchasing lower quality TLD in order to increase traffic is also strongly advised against.

Once you have established a domain name… Read the rest

 

from http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/08/submit-urls-to-google-with-fetch-as.html, August 2011

In order for Google to crawl and index a page it first needs to know that the site exists. The fetch as Googlebot feature may be a new and convenient method to submit a URL to Google but it’s not the only option. The process of discovery and can take place in a couple of different ways. Traditionally discovery occurs through links which is why it is extremely important to make sure that all your web pages are linked internally. Pages don’t always have external links connecting them, making internal links necessary for bots to travel from page to page.

Google also uses RSS feeds, XML Sitemaps, and Public URL Request to discover URLs that are not yet indexed. An XML Sitemap is a complete list of URL’s that you want Google to crawl for your website. The public URL request is an “Add URL” form that is available for anyone who wants to request that a URL be added to the index. Recently the add URL form has been renamed to the Crawl URL Request Form and to use this feature you must be signed into a Google account. Similar to the… Read the rest

<HEAD>
<TITLE>How to Create a Meta Tag</TITLE>
<META name =“description” content=”Everything you want to know about Meta Tags”>
<META name =”keywords” content=”Keyword 1, Keyword 2, Keyword 3, Keyword 4”>
</HEAD>

Are Meta Tags helpful? Meta tags are usually used for Search Engine Optimization and are thought to help web crawlers index your pages more accurately. Although at one time Meta tags held tremendous value for website ranking they no longer carry the same importance. Over time, less and less weight has been assigned to Meta tags due to their manipulation and user abuse.  Eventually websites began to perform keyword stuffing (excessive use of keywords) and listed irrelevant information in their Meta tags to try to attract and mislead traffic to their pages. As users caught on to the black hat SEO techniques for Meta tags the search engines started to divert their attention and place more emphasis on actual content. Shifting their focus allowed the search engines to  evaluate web pages appropriately based on visible content rather than depending on a Meta tag to deliver accurate information.

Meta tags no longer play the same critical role in SEO as they once did, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all worthless. It is believed that certain Meta tags can still generate greater website visibility. For example, the Meta description tag can help increase click through rates and provides website owners with a great opportunity to pre-advertise… Read the rest

 

from http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/about/, June 2011

This year, Apple plans to unveil their latest cloud storage service along with their next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X and iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which is used by the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

The past couple of months have given way to much speculation regarding the Apple “iCloud” Storage. It is said that the service would work similar to Amazon Cloud Drive and Google Music Beta. However, since Apple’s service would possess licensing agreements they will be able to offer extra features that will provide them with a competitive advantage. One of the features is said to be a scan and match action that scans the user’s hard drive for music files and automatically matches it to a music file already on their service, thus eliminating the time it takes for user’s to upload their music. The iCloud music service will also offer users the option to store and access their music from any location or device with an internet connection.

Apple has reportedly already signed cloud-music licensing agreements with EMI Music, Warner-Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and is currently finalizing a deal with Universal Music Group. In late April, Apple purchased the domain name iCloud.com from a Swedish company Xcerion which has now relocated their cloud storage service to Read the rest

Does code validation really matter and if so to whom does it matter to, a website visitor, a search engine, both? Not everyone thinks that code validations are all that important and feel that search engines do not consider validation when ranking a website. Regardless of the impact that code validation has on a websites ranking, both sides of this discussion can agree that code validation is useful for a number of other reasons.

 

http://validator.w3.org/

Code validation is the process of inspecting and amending the code or your web documents. This is done by comparing the code to formal standards like those established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The W3C is the main international standards organization for the Internet. This organization offers a markup validation service to check HTML documents for errors and ensures that they are in accordance with their standards. To fully validate a websites code two separate assessments need to be performed, one for the HTML or XHTML and another for the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Although a number of programs like XHTML-CSS offer code validation services that are based on the standards set forth by the W3C it might be best to use the actual html validator and css validator provided by the World Wide Web Consortium.

Getting back to why it is important to validate your code regardless of how it impacts the page rank, of the many reasons for validation there are 6 fundamental reasons why it should be done.

Debugging and Maintenance:

HTML and CSS validation works similarly to a spell checker by locating errors found throughout your web documents. During the validation process errors are identified and documented so that a user can easily fix them.

Learning and Prevention:

As the validation process identifies common errors you can learn from your mistake and therefore prevent the errors from reoccurring in your other web documents. At the very least you will gain the knowledge and experience from previously solving that certain error.

 … Read the rest

The following is a breakdown of the main functions a content management system provides.

• Allows large groups of people to add and share data
• Improves the ease of documenting
• Improves the communication between users
• Eliminates some of the duplicate content
• Assists in data storage and retrieval
• Restricts and grants access to users based on predefined user authority
• Ability to update and change your content
• Reduces maintenance costs
• Faster creation and change processes
• More consistency

Web content management keeps track of all the information and data contained within your website and applies any processes to the creation and maintenance of your website. Now that we have the basic understanding of what a CMS actually does let’s take a closer look at two different web CMS software. The two web content management systems that we compared were Drupal and Joomla.

System Requirements:

Both the Drupal and Joomla content management systems are open source, free of cost, and use the PHP programming language. They allow you to build everything from personal blogs to enterprise applications and offer a ton of add-on modules and designs. Drupal uses Apache application server as well as an Apache web server where Joomla uses a CGI application server and is compatible with any web server. In addition both Drupal and Joomla operate using the MySQL database.

Security:

Joomla and Drupal seem to be equally balanced when it comes to security elements. In this category there are only two elements that… Read the rest

Everyone will tell you that the mobile web is the future. Devices like iPhones and tablet PCs are giving people more and more access to the Internet on the go. However, these devices are not always equipped with what they need to view the Web as you do on a home PC. To this end, a lot of websites will make a mobile version of their site. Here are some questions to ask yourself about whether or not YOU need one.

Does your current layout rely on Flash or some other plug-in?

Flash is great for everything from online videos to creating a stylish menu. However, if you only use Flash for your site, then people with smartphones and some tablets won’t be able to read it. This denies them access to your page, and denies you a chance at their business.

Do you deliver content that could be viewed on the go?

Blogs are a great example of this. Lots of us commute long distances to work. If you’re on the train or in a carpool, you might want to check the news or read your favorite blogs while you wait. Blogs that are text and images can translate well into a mobile version and can offer you another outlet for your audience.

Do users need to interact with your site regularly?

If you provide a forum or interactive service, you might want to consider making a mobile version. For the most part, this isn’t a huge consideration, but if your interactivity is dependent on Flash or Silverlight, you are preventing users from contributing when they can.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

Keeping people coming to your site is key in this industry. You don’t want them to visit once and then forget about you. That doesn’t do you any favors and it keeps your website from gaining influence on the web. Now, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is something we here at the Internet Beacon specialize in. However, once you get people to your site, you need to give them a reason to keep coming back. Now, this where your content comes into play. The only thing is, don’t let your content get stale. There are three major forms of communication used today in the blogosphere.

Audio – Listen Up

Today’s Internet user is doing multiple things at once. They might be shopping while listening to the news. Or checking their bank account while playing their favorite music. The common thread here is that the audio provides the user with content, without demanding their absolute attention. Providing content like podcasts or even streaming sound clips can get your audience’s interest, while still giving them freedom.

Video – Catch their Eye

Now, if you really want someone’s attention, video is a great way to do it. Video allows for massive amounts of data to be exchanged. The combination of audible and visual means creates an opportunity to share tons of information with your users. Some great video ideas are reviews or answers to popular questions about your products/services.

Written Word – Worth “X” Amount of Pictures

Ah, the classic standby. Text was the first form of communication on the Web and is easiest to post. A solid blog or post can inform users of your products and services, all while representing it an easy to handle format. PC processing power doesn’t come into play and text is easily managed on mobile devices as well.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

Apple and Adobe‘s feud has been appearing in the press more and more lately. These two industry giants are poised to start one of the next great IT wars. If you don’t know what’s going on, let me explain. Apple is pushing for HTML5, the open standard for the Web to be ratified by the W3C, the body that governs Internet coding standards, to be the way coders create exciting new content. Adobe, owners of Flash, among other things, are arguing that Flash is integral to the Web and Apple needs to build its devices to work with it. Here are some arguments for both sides:

HTML5

HTML5 will be the standard in approximately 2012, when it is ratified by the W3C. Pages are currently coded in a mix of many languages with a myriad of plug-ins. Proponents of HTML5 are arguing that it will be able to deliver all that we use now, but with one single language. This will make coding easier and require less powerful machines. This all sounds great. However, there is a downside. Programmers who have built their careers using plug-ins like Adobe Flash will have to learn a whole new language if they want to stay employed and relevant.  This could create a crisis for web design.

Apple is arguing that since this will be the adopted standard, that it is time to set aside plug-ins and use a unified language.

Adobe Flash

Flash has been the “go to” for creating powerful and creative web content for years now. Taking many forms over the years, Flash has definitely woven it’s way into the fabric of the Web. From simple navigation tools to graphically stunning games and media, Flash is what developers use.  The only downside to this is that these programs demand more and more as they grow. Additional bandwidth and more powerful machines are required to experience these items. Think of someone with a netbook. Odds are they can’t run Hulu.com’s streaming service or play graphically intensive games. And consider mobile web… Read the rest

Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon.

So you want to build your own website, eh? It’s hard work. There’s a lot of long hours of study of both the coding language and the programs it takes to manipulate it. There’s a reason professionals do this. However, if you need to throw together something quickly or just want to get your feet wet, here are a few program to try.

Apple iWeb

Bundled in for free with every Mac computer, the iLife suite is a series of software designed to let users start doing things with their computers right from the start. Far from shovelware, there products are quality tools. One of these programs is iWeb. iWeb is a great piece of software that takes away a lot of the need to know HTML, the coding language of websites. You can edit and create sites using templates, or start from scratch and make a site using a graphical user interface (GUI) rather than just text.

Adobe Dreamweaver

The de facto standard in web design, Dreamweaver is Adobe’s solution for building webpages. Be warned, it is not for the faint of heart. While Apple’s iWeb will give you a good tool to get a feel for how basic web design works, Dreamweaver is loaded with add-ons and tools for the professional web designer. If you are not accustomed to how this kind of software works, you may easily end up closing it as soon as you opened it.

Microsoft Expression Studio

The latest web design software from Microsoft, Expression Studio feels like a nice middle ground between iWeb and Dreamweaver. Microsoft claims that it is good for beginners as well as seasoned professionals. This is the only one I have not used personally, so I cannot comment in-depth on this software. All I can do is point you to their site and let you check it out for yourself.

-Josh
Internet Beacon

for More info on SEO, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. SEM – Search Engine Marketing in Maryland

More info on SEO, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.

Today we examine one of the classic conundrums when it comes to web design: using advertising to grow and earn from you website while not turning your page into a seizure-inducing catastrophe. Fear not, this can be done. In fact, lots of people have done this already. Here are a few tips.

Carefully Examine Potential Ads

Unless you really didn’t look at the agreement before posting ads on your site, you should have had a chance to look at some ads that the company runs. If they are all “Click Here! You’re a Winner!” ads with strobe effects and smiley faces, you will probably want to stay away from them. Be cautious, as your ads will affect how people perceive your site.

Take it Slow

Placing advertisements on your site is not an  “all or nothing” deal. You can start slowly and examine how different types of ads work. Google, for example, offers very simple, low-impact ads that will give you a taste of how the ad game works in relation to your site.

Match Ads to Content

Some ad networks will do this for you. You tell them what your site is about and some demographic info and they provide you with ads. However, some may not do this and so you need to make sure the ads on your page make sense. If you are writing a blog about home remedies and your page’s ads are about savings on video games, odds are they won’t match your target market.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

How do the big search engines see your websites content?

Google, and most search engines, use robots to sort through your page for content. These are not actual robots, but computer programs with a single purpose, to crawl your website. Crawling means taking the time to read all the code that makes up your page. This is largely HTML, but other code like Flash is partially recognized. What is important here is tight design to aid the robots in reading your site. You can also assist them via scripting, but that is something best saved for professionals like your SEO specialist.

Is Flash a factor?

Yes. Google can read a little bit of Flash, but HTML and other standard code is where they get most of their data. Be careful when using Flash, as overuse will result in difficulties with PageRank and other methods of promotion. The same goes with splash pages, or intro pages, for your website. That may have been cool in the 1990s, but today people want to get to your content as soon as possible. There’s no need to make a separate page to welcome them.

How do images come into play?

Without ALT tags for your images search engines won’t know what to do with them. As clever as Google’s robots are, they aren’t discerning all the contents of your pictures. The “ALT” tag allows for users to put captions in the code for their images. This way, if there are visitors to the site who are visually impaired, they will still know what is going on on your page.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Reisterstown, Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we´re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.

Building a quality website is no easy task. Certainly there is software to assist the uninitiated in building a home on the Web (like Adobe Dreamweaver), but making sure that the site has value is something entirely different. The temptation exists to make your website big and flashy. However, the site’s quality often suffers as a result. Here are a few things to look out for.

Language

The language you use on your site says a lot about you. This is not limited to only slang, but the tone in which it is written as well as things like grammar and punctuation. Your website is the way the world will see you. Will they see someone who takes the time to make sure what they have makes sense or will they see someone who hurries to get things posted by sacrificing quality. Traffic is important, but repeat clients are what you want. Make sure that the language you use is tailored to your prospective clients.

Images

Images can be a great way to spruce up your site. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” You can save time and website space by using a picture appropriately. Conversely, if you use too many pictures on your site, it becomes cluttered with a lot of visual noise. Visitors will become frustrated and the loadtimes, even on a highspeed connection, could become unbearable. We’ve all seen pages that jump around a lot because of too many images fighting for their place.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

A blog is a great way to get your particular message out to people around the world. Whether you are sharing recipes, business strategies, or trading baseball cards, a blog can become a hub of activity. Naturally, there are people drawn to these places to take advantage of the amount of activity. These people are called spammers. You can tell who they are because they don’t usually add to the conversation, but rather promote their own site. Keeping these people off of your blog will go a long way towards building its legitimacy. Here are three ways to do that.

1) CAPTCHA Them.

First, please forgive the play on words. Okay, a CAPTCHA is a tool for many

blogs and other sites which requires the user to enter the text they see in an image that looks slightly garbled of distorted. We’ve all seen them. CAPTCHA is used to prevent automated software from just scanning a website and filling in their information. This is a classic method for spammers. The best part of this is that implementation is free and has very little impact on the end user. It is readily available for WordPress as an add-on called “SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam 2.2.9”. It’s free so go out and grab it if WordPress is powering your blog.

2) Papers Please

Another way to ensure that the comments left on your blog are legitimate is to require users to register themselves. This is an almost surefire way to make sure that comments left are legitimate. The biggest downside here is that many users may not wish to set up an account just to comment on a blog. Because of this, registration may be a better idea once your… Read the rest

I sure have.

I finally realized that my CSS sheet settings could fix this.

As with any HTML tags, just mention the tag in your CSS sheet and settings:  h1,h2,h3,h4 { margin:0px; padding:0px; vertical-align:top; } And that was my fix to remove space after a header.

As with any CSS entry we can also speak to the Header’s font in the style sheet.

h1,h2,h3,h4 {
margin:0px;
padding:0px;
vertical-align:top;
font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt; text-transform: none; color: #000066;
}

Sean
www.internetbeacon.com
Internet Marketing and SEO in Baltimore