Yola – yes or no?

November 14, 2011

Yola is a web building platform that provides a means to build and host your own website. It is easy to use, can be free and provides all the necessary plug ins for a search engine friendly website.

 

The general consensus seems to be that Yola is a good way to go if you are looking for a quick, easy and cost effective way to put your business online. Yola, is only recommended for small websites.

 

The following features allow Yola to provide you with an online solution that works:

  1. A verification tools that tells Google about your site and gives them permission to crawl, or search, it.
  2. With a huge selection of templates to choose from, Yola also gives you the option to update and modify the templates to suit your needs.
  3. There is huge file storage capacity .
  4. Unlimited free email.
  5. With HTML, video, chat, forms, Google Adsense support and much more there is no limit to what Yola has to offer.
  6. Yola provides a blogging tool that allows you to optimise each blog with specific relevant keywords.
  7. Yola provides you with easy to use, easy to follow tutorials that guide you through the entire web building process, from start to finish.

 

Gone are the days where you have to spend huge bucks for small and simple website development. It would appear that Yola provides all the tools needed to create a simple to use, easy to build website.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

 

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Google Adwords

November 14, 2011

Google Adwords allows you to create and run online ads for your business, services and products, across the Google advertising network.

 

Google Adwords works on a pay per click system whereby you only pay for the advertising when someone clicks on your specific ad. This makes it a viable advertising option for any size organisation, regardless of the budget.

 

No minimum spend
In the past other forms of advertising have been prohibitively expensive, stopping smaller businesses from reaching their market. With Adwords, there is no minimum spend allowing even the smallest organisation to advertise.

 

Instant implementation and reward
Once you have a Google Adwords account you can create ads whenever you want. The format is simple and easy to use. It gives you the control over your campaign.

 

Almost immediate implementation
Once you have created your ad it will go live in a matter of minutes. No waiting for the time slot when it airs, the print material to hit the stands or the sign writer to take off. Once you set your ad to go live it starts working for you.

 

Pay per click account management
As the advertiser you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. And the clever folk at Google have safe guarded against multiple clicks for a single user.

 

Going Going Gone!
Google Adwords are created using the principle of keywords and phrases. You have to bid for these, and so the cost is dependent on the popularity of the words you choose to use. When you choose to bid you are setting the maximum amount that you are prepared to pay per click. If the next bid up is considerably less than yours, then the price per click will be set lower than your original bid.

 

Stop or pause campaign at any time
Google Adwords allows you to edit and update your pay per click ad at any time. You can also put a stop to the ad or put it on hold for a time. You control your own ads.

 

Google Adwords provides an easy, affordable and reliable way of advertising online. It opens up new markets and a whole new customer base.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

 

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Online Creativity

November 14, 2011

 

How do I use the multimedia platforms to drive traffic to my website?

 

Multimedia refers to mixed media, such as video, sound, images, messaging and animation that is used when building websites.

 

In the past the internet was predominantly text based, but today sites are built with a variety of different elements in them. Concentration spans are shorter, audiences have higher expectations and technology has moved on in leaps and bounds. All these factors have contributed to a range of components that are used in today’s websites.

In order to make an impact you need a wow factor, and the various multimedia platforms allow today’s businesses to wow!

 

When given the choice between reading a big chunk of text or watching video imagery that explains the text, most people will choose the video. The use of multimedia allows businesses to actively communicate with their target market while the target passively imbibes the marketing message being displayed. This will keep visitors to your site for longer, and is more likely to create a call to action. The use of a variety of media on your website will engage your customer, and keep them engaged for longer, and therefore more likely to carry out the desired transaction on your site.

 

But beware! Websites that are composed mainly of text and images load fast. The more multimedia you have on your site the slower the download time, and the faster you lose your visitor.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

 

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Is traditional advertising dying?

November 14, 2011

Traditional advertising refers to print, radio and TV ads. According to a range of sources the numbers are down. There are a variety of factors to consider when asking why advertising as we know it is a fast becoming an endangered species.

 

The Online Revolution
The World Wide Web has created an incredibly cost effective way for businesses to sell their wares. Digital advertising has a HUGE reach, is cheap and thanks to today’s stats and analytics is easily measurable. With people spending more and more time online, it makes sense that they are more likely to respond to online formats of advertising.

 

Budget Constraints
Traditional advertising is very expensive. There are so many more costs involved, from the creation of the ad to its production and placement. With newer forms of online advertising the costs are low, the rewards are high. With such a wide audience, the internet is a much more cost effective way to get noticed.

 

Sensory Overload
The average person is bombarded with over 3000 marketing messages a day. With today’s busy lifestyles, constant media bombardment and technology it is much harder to hold people’s attention. Advertisers have to work harder, spend more money and still they reach fewer people. In the past their audience was concentrated to a couple of radio stations, 3 TV channels and a handful of newspapers and magazines. Today there is DSTV, a variety of radio stations and a veritable feast of print media all competing for attention, and none getting it. The winner, hands down, is the internet. We are spending more and more time in front of our computers, and are becoming more and more responsive to online advertising and media.

 

As long as we continue live and breathe in the real world, traditional advertising as we know it will never become extinct, but perhaps obsolete in time.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

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Social Media Networking

November 14, 2011

 

Before we get started it is important to define what is meant by social networking.

 

Social Networking is the use of dedicated websites to communicate informally with other members of that website by posting messages, comments, status updates and pictures. Social networking provides and online platform that puts people with particular interests together – some social network sites are dedicated to specific interests, while others such as Facebook and Twitter are not. Most social network services are either web or phone based and provide an instant way to interact over the Internet.

 

It is important to work out a solid social media marketing strategy before you get started. It is vital to research the various social media sites before you get started. Look at what each site offers and how you can benefit.

 

Unlike past forms of marketing social media marketing relies on word of mouth. Content is created to be spread virally – it is conversational and topical.

 

Social Media Optimisation occurs when traffic is driven to your website using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. SMO is linked to search engine marketing but it focuses on driving traffic to sites using social media.

 

Benefits of SMO
• Reach new customers
• Increase traffic to your website
• Generate exposure and links that help you convert more users
• Grow your revenue and profits
• It is inexpensive therefore easy to implement social media marketing campaigns

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

 

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What is a ‘powered by Google’ site?

November 14, 2011

 

Google has developed a range of products to make your online experience broader, easier and more accessible.

 

More commonly known as the largest search engine, Google also provides a range of products that allow users to create a complete online profile. Among these products is Google Sites.

 

Google Sites is an online application that allows you to create any website for any business, service or product. It is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

 

  1. Putting together a site powered by Google is as simple process – it is no more complicated that editing a text document. No more expensive agencies, you can create your own site for no cost!
  2. Because Google Sites in an online application there is a single place to store all you content so that anyone in your organisation can access and update your site. Store text, video and pictures easily and with very little space limitations.
  3. Sites powered by Google allow you to invite contributors to add to and edit your site keeping it fresh and up-to-date. You can also control who views your site.

 

Reasons to use sites powered by Google:

  1. Create a new page with just one click
  2. No HTML to learn. Sites powered by Google are as easy to use as working in a word document
  3. Customise your site to create your own look and feel
  4. With an ever growing selection of templates, you can create whatever pages you need to, and it’s as easy as filling in a form
  5. Upload files of up to 10MB – you get 10GB of storage with Google Sites.
  6. Google Sites works in conjunction with other Google products so you can embed video, text slide show and images into your pages.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

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10 tips to increase traffic to your website

November 14, 2011

1.     Give them what they are looking for!
Make sure you provide relevant, original content that is easy to read and full of information. Your content should be dynamic and regularly updated.

2.     Enrich your copy with keywords
Content that is keyword rich is picked up by search engines. Therefore keyword rich content will rank highly and be displayed in the search results, making visitors more likely to click through and increasing the traffic to your site.

3.     Easy on the eye
Your website should be slick, professional and should look great! At the end of the day, when there are so many sites out there competing for your audience’s attention, yours needs to stand out visually. Steer clear of garish colours and too many bells and whistles. Keep it clean and simple, well designed and easy to use.

4.     Navigate your way home
There is nothing more frustrating than getting lost in a tangle of winding weaving roads. Transfer this frustration to a moving your way around a website, and it feels just the same. Make sure your site is easy to move around. Display your information in a logical sequence. Your site must be effortless to navigate – no hidden one way streets, no dark alley ways to find your way out of. Provide your user with clearly marked map to move around your site.

5.     Get listed
Submit your site to the search engines. Most web traffic comes from search results submitted to search engines. When people search using keywords your site comes up and hey presto! New visitors, which means increased web traffic.

6.     Linking up
The more links that point to your site the more traffic you will drive towards it, and the more search engines will pick up your site.

7.     Social media
Today’s world is driven by social media – if it’s not Facebook it is Twitter or blogging. These can be very useful tools to drive traffic to your site, and are often integral elements of an online marketing strategy. Create a social media presence and use it. Post updates regularly to let your followers know what you are doing. By making use of social media you can actively drive traffic to your site.

8.    Listings
There are a number of online directories out there. Find the one that deals with your specific business and get listed. The more you are out there the more likely you are to be found.

9.   Extra! Extra! Read all about it
Create an e-newsletter. You can send this out to your existing client base, and often they will send it on to their contacts. This increases your reach. Regular newsletter campaigns encourage a loyal following and are also conversational.

10. Pay attention to your visitors!
Your Google analytics and stats will keep you up to date and will let you know what visitors to your site are doing – what keywords they are using, which information they are gathering and what pages they are visiting. From this you can update and improve your site, therefore driving more traffic to your website.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

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What is a content driven website?

November 14, 2011

The Internet has exploded. There are hundreds of thousands of websites out there, so the competition is tough. With so many sites online, you need to make an impact! You need to hook your audience, and keep them hooked! Give them a reason to return.

Fancy design work and animations are all very well, but the novelty wears off quickly. The most successful websites, the ones that get the most traffic, are those that are content driven and that provide useful information.

What is a content driven website I hear you ask…?
Content driven sites are those websites that are themed around a specific topic and display content that is fresh, original and that is keyword rich. These sites are regularly updated to give existing visitors a reason to return, and to attract new ones. These websites contain useful, informative content, and are usually found as the result of a search through one of the various search engines.

Search engines favour websites that are driven by content as they provide answers to searches carried out by Internet users.

These websites contain copy that is keyword rich, and as a result the sites are ranked highly by search engines, producing an increase in traffic.

A website had two main functions:

  1. To increase traffic – to attract more new visitors to the site, and to keep existing ones coming back
  2. To increase the conversion rate  – to convert website visits into desired actions i.e. sales.

Before a website can generate any income it has to have traffic. The way to drive traffic to your site is through your content.

Give your visitors a reason to keep reading, and to keep coming back. Update regularly, be original and be interesting.

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

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The Power of Content

November 14, 2011

It is important to understand what is meant by website content. It is very simple – content is the collective term for copy and images that appear on a site. But, what we really mean when we discuss content is the copy – the written words. More and more search engines are rewarding sites for good, original, READABLE copy.

 

Content plays two main roles in the online environment:

  1. Provide information about your business, services and or products.
  2. Improve search engine rankings.

 

For either of the above it is imperative that the copy is well written, factual and original! The content on your website should be your own! Duplicate copy and copy that is gibberish peppered with keywords doesn’t cut it! Both search engines and visitors to your site will move away and NOT COME BACK.

 

The next step is to optimise your copy for the search engines.
It is important when creating copy to carry out thorough keyword research – that is to look into what words and phrases people most commonly use when searching in your industry. Often companies provide nonsense copy that is simply keywords – neither your reader nor the search engines like this kind of content!

 

It is important to realise that people read differently on the ‘net – no one wants to sit down at a computer and read reams and reams of content. Less is more, but the more copy you have the more keywords you can include and therefore the better your search rankings. There is a fine balance.

 

Make sure your copy talks to your audience. Don’t stray off topic! Not only will you lose your reader, you will also lose rankings with the search engines. It is very important to keep your content relevant, not only for your reader, but so the search engines can pick up a common thread and follow this. If you are a caterer, don’t start talking about construction.

 

Stay focused, create concise, well written, keyword rich content, and remember to strike the balance between your consumer and search engine optimisation.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact Frontline Studio today for a free consultation and lets get you out there.

 

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Google Continues To Build a Superior Web

October 1, 2011

Google

Google recently celebrated its 13th birthday. Happy Birthday!

 

Over the years Google has changed, driven and controlled the online landscape. One of the biggest brands in the world, and certainly the most used search engine, Google aims to be ahead of the pack when it comes to search engine technology and strategy.

 

The world class development team at Google headquarters are constantly updating and upgrading search techniques and tools to make the web a better place to surf.
Earlier this year Google updated their search algorithm to target low quality sites. The aim behind this was to put a stop to sites that use replicated content and add no value to users or the web.

 

“This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites – sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites – sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on,” according to a blog post by Amit Singhal, Google Fellow, and Matt Cutts, Principal Engineer.

 

Google is constantly changing and updating its search algorithm, but most of the time these revisions are so subtle that your average user has no idea they have happened. The most recent updates are much more significant – the new programming will affect almost 12% of the searches carried out on the web. The motivation behind this new algorithm is to combat the challenge of content farms, and to combat the problem of substandard content on the web.

 

The big push behind Google’s most recent algorithm update is clearly to create more user friendly web. The World Wide Web is an invaluable tool for most of us, and thanks to innovators such as Google, as long as its integrity remains intact, the web should go from strength to strength.

 

We are passionate about leveraging  businesses through  creative marketing . Contact us today.

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