What you need to get to the top

To get to the top of Google, and we're talking top of the organic (non-paid) search results, you have to convince Google that your site is the best one for whatever it is that the searcher is looking for.

If you operate in a competitive market, just having a great website won't be enough. By competitive, we mean there are more than half a dozen local suppliers in the same industry as you are.  This means they are fighting for the interest of the same audience.

If this is the case you've got to persuade Google that you are better than all of them.

Email spam, form spam and hacking attempts are an annoying reality of doing business on-line.

Around 2012, we noticed a significant increase in the amount of hacking attempts and spam enquiries being received by our client's websites.

We see this as a case of New Zealand catching up with what the rest of the world has been experiencing for some years.

So you've spent months and probably more money than you would have liked to, bringing your new website to life.

So now all you have to do is to sit back and wait the phone calls to come rolling on it - right? Sadly, no.

It has recently been announced that from September 1st, a new top-level domain name (or TLD for short) was going to be available i.e. ".nz"

So it means instead of having www.yourcompany.co.nz you could have www.yourcompany.nz.

The media's coverage have led some businesses to believe that they had to act immediately - but this isn't the case.

Do you have a website that despite being a thing of beauty born out of hours, days, weeks of effort and careful planning is failing to live up to expectations?

It could be your content – and your copy. As web developers and optimisers, we can’t do our job without having something to put on the pages we’re building – in other words, content. And it’s one of the hardest and most time consuming parts of a web development project. This is understandable, because quality content is hard work for most people who don’t do it for a living.

Although it may seem like splitting hairs, if you understand the difference between ‘content’ and ‘copy’, it can make the whole process simpler and faster.

"How much does a website cost?"

A common and reasonable question.

The answer most people get is that "It depends".

And this is correct, but a general rule of thumb would be useful, right?

You'll see it mentioned in many online marketing articles:

Thou Shalt Blog!

Sadly, many people in small business' don't. Which is sad because they are missing out on a really good way to attract visitors to their website.

A blog is a useful, flexible mechanism for adding new content to your site without having to shoe-horn it somewhere into an existing site structure. You can call it 'articles', 'resources' or something similar if you want to. The ability to comment and/or share your posts makes it easier to promote your content and engage with people on the topic.

The first myth on this list was going to be one about having to follow lists of do's and do not's about web design.

A lot of articles and How-To guides on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) include something called Bounce Rate.  It is said that it affects how high up in Google's search results you appear (i.e. your search ranking).

This is not completely correct.  Even though it is a statistic worth paying attention to, the Bounce Rate reported in Google Analytics is not used to calculate where you appear in Google's search results.

You know the saying - "If it looks to good to be true - it is". Or how about "You get what you pay for".

Yet hundreds of business owners are being duped by offers of cheap Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

When you setup a page on Facebook the URL will be something like www.facebook.com/your-page-name-1248972121.

This looks pretty ugly if you were to include it on any material like a business card or email signature!

But once you’ve got 25 people liking your page you can apply for your a URL that reflects your name or business name (also called a Facebook vanity URL).

Claiming a friendly username makes your Facebook page easier to find and looks more professional. Try and come up with one that is appropriate for your brand name but easy to remember and read.

Once you claim your username YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT – so choose carefully! *

Are you the proud of owner of a website that looks good, but for some reason isn't pulling it's weight?

Wondering why?

It could be that there is not enough on your website to encourage multiple visits or touches with your business.

Before your video is going to be a useful part of your content marketing strategy, you need to turn your raw footage into something entertaining, educational or otherwise compelling.  So lets first look at the more popular video editing software before checking out hosting options.

An application or 'App' is seen by many as the third option to deliver a better mobile user experience to their audience (along with responsive design and a separate mobile specific site).

Over the last year or two there has been a flood of apps appearing for everything from content delivery to music instruments, building tools, games, weather apps, calculators, e-commerce and of course social media.

However much kudos you might get from saying you have one, apps can be challenging to produce so they should make sense for your particular business. If your market is going to be looking for your product while out in 'the real world' and/or you can make use of mobile devices core capability (such as GPS) to add value, then it might be worth it.

If you want a mobile-friendly website – what does this mean and how do you go about it?

A mobile-friendly website is one that is easy to use on a smart-phone or tablet. Easy for many people means not having to struggle with tiny text. Pinching and resizing text, and trying to use navigation designed to be read on a PC sized screen is not fun.

But it can mean so much more than that.