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Best Social PPC Platforms for Your Business

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Hosting

When it comes to PPC ( Pay Per Click ), there’s no doubt that the big search engines are great places to advertise. With Google now reaching at least 80 percent of all internet users, Google Adwords has become a powerful force in PPC advertising. However, you can’t talk about PPC these days without giving at least a mention to social media. The larger social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have their own PPC programs that allow you to target your ads to a specific audience. Social networks collect plenty of demographic information from their users. This means that – even when they’re not searching – members can still see ads tailored to them and their interests.  So the question then becomes: Which social network PPC program will serve your business best?   Things to Consider As with any advertising campaign, your budget and target audience should be your main focus. It’s true that PPC costs much less than traditional advertising methods by comparison, but the daily costs can quickly add up and you’ll really feel it if your campaign isn’t getting the results you expect. Test and retest your chosen platform(s) before making any major financial commitment. Time spent on testing is well worth it in the long run. Also, don’t advertise on any particular PPC platform just because everyone else is doing it. Find out where your demographic congregates and take your advertising dollars there.   Who Uses Social Media? This is the first thing to consider when you’re thinking about going the social PPC route, as targeting the right demographic is crucial to the success of your PPC campaign. Though marketers and webmasters are singing the praises of social PPC, the truth is that not every business can benefit as much as the next when it comes to this advertising channel. The following are a few of the different types of users you’ll find on social media networks: Age: According to data from the Pew Research Center, the age demographic with the largest social media usage rate is 18 to 29-year-olds (83%), followed by 30 to 49 year olds (73%). Not surprisingly, this age stratification has stayed constant since 2005, with the younger subset being the most frequent social media users. Education: The data shows that social media usage pretty much spans across all education levels, with 65% of users holding a college degree or higher, 69% of people with some college education, and 66% of participants with a high school education. Gender: Roughly 71% of women engage in social media, compared to 62% of men. Location: About 70% of people in urban areas use social media, 67% of people in suburban areas, and 61% of people who live in rural areas.   Comparing PPC Programs Facebook is probably the most widely used social PPC program, since it was the first one to make a huge splash on the social media scene (it’s also the most widely used social network by a landslide). With over 800 million users and a minimum daily budget of only $1, it’s a good choice for advertisers who want a wide reach on a budget. When advertising on Facebook, you can choose from the CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per mille, or cost per thousand views) methods of payment, though costs have been rising since last year for those paying by CPM. Twitter is currently the biggest well-known micro blogging platform – with 500 million registered users as of October 2012, they’re fast catching up to Facebook in terms of user base. Twitter offers both sponsored tweets and sponsored hashtags for advertisers, though advertising here is considerably more expensive than on the other platforms. For this reason, you most often see sponsored content from big companies, media giants, and well-known celebs on Twitter. Because of its succinct nature, this platform is fast paced and suitable for promoting hot and trendy things that you want to quickly build a buzz around. Though this social network has a broad swathe of users, account holders tend to be young (with an average age of 18-29), African American (26%), and/or urban dwellers (72%). LinkedIn is the place to advertise if you’re offering B2B or employment services and products. With its very specific demographic (professionals and job seekers), LinkedIn allows you to target business professionals in specific industries. Right now, the minimum budget is $10 a day, which could be well worth it if your audience is mostly found on LinkedIn. At the end of the day, experience is a great indicator for future success. If you’re still unsure about which social PPC platform is right for your business, the best thing to do is test. Run test campaigns on the platforms you feel would best suit your needs, and see which ones you perform well on. Then, optimize those campaigns so that they perform even better. Social PPC popularity is showing no signs of slowing down, making now a great time to dig your business’s roots into the social PPC soil. Continue reading →

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More Gator Art

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Hosting

It’s been a little while since we shared some good ol’ gator art with you. We received this drawing from a customer following us having assisted them with a support issue.  They were so pleased with the resolution that they emailed us this one-of-a-kind, hand-drawn image of a gator apparently drinking a cocktail on an island.  Of note are the nice boat there in the background, which likely served the cocktail to the gator, as well as the beautiful sunset that really brings the whole image together.  The artist did not sign their piece of art, so we can only thank them anonymously:   From time to time, as seen in our Office Art series , some of our own staff will get a creative inclination and produce some impressive HostGator-themed art.  One of our support staff created the following shirt, featuring a blinged-out Snappy!   Let’s take a closer look at this shirt, as it truly is a remarkable piece of bedazzle-y craftsmanship: We would love to see any HostGator-themed art that you produce!  If you’re feeling gator-art inspired, please send us your creations at feedback@hostgator.com ATTN: Blog and we can share your art with the world! Continue reading →

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Infographic: Kids of the Past vs. Kids of the Internet Generation

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Hosting

Kids these days… am I right?  The following infographic takes a look at today’s kids as compared to the children of the past.  In other words, it’s a no-holds-barred face-off: Kids of the Past vs. Kids of the internet Generation! Enjoy! Click image to see a larger version Kids of the Past Vs Kids of the Internet Generation via HostGator Continue reading →

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HTML 101: Your HTML Cheat Sheet

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Hosting

Once your website is up and running, you may find yourself wanting to make some small additions or edits. Contacting your designer or a webmaster for every little change can become tedious (not to mention expensive), which is why it’s so helpful to understand some basic HTML. HTML is the language that most websites are coded in – it drives the layout, fonts, colors and other formatting and functionality aspects of your website. You may be thinking, “That’s great! But I don’t know any HTML.” If you’re in this position, this short cheat sheet will serve as a guide to making basic HTML changes to your website. This way, if you’d like to change some minor formatting on a page, you can quickly make these changes yourself.   What is an HTML tag? An HTML tag is a snippet of code that tells the website how to read or format your content. HTML tags are surrounded by the < > characters. All HTML tags must be closed with corresponding tags. This tells your website where your formatting changes begin and end.   Where do I make HTML changes? Before we get started, it’s important to note where these changes get made. In most content management systems (CMSs), you’ll find that each page has two views. One is a design or visual view. This lets you see the page as it will look when it’s posted to your website. The other view is often referred to as the text, code or HTML view, depending on which CMS you are using. HTML changes should all be added to the text, code, or HTML view. To enter a change, you’ll need to find the section of the page you’d like to change. Simply scroll until you see the text you’d like to alter or the space where you’d like to add new content. There, you can add the appropriate tags. After this, make sure to check the design view or preview the page to make sure everything looks the way you’d like it to.   Make text bold using HTML To make text on a web page bold, use the HTML tag . For example, if you wanted to make the sentence, “This is important” bold, it would look like this:   This is important   Make text italic using HTML To make text on a web page italic using HTML tags, you would use the HTML tag . This is short for emphasis. For example, if you wanted to make the sentence “This is important” italic, it would look like this:   This is important   Add a link using HTML Adding a link is somewhat trickier than simply changing the formatting of your text to be bold or italic. If you’d like to add a link, you’ll use the HREF tag. HREF tags tell the website what text should be linked, where the link should go, and how the link should be opened.   For example, if I wanted the text “Google” to be linked to the Google website, it would look like this:   Google   For contrast, if I wanted the text “Yahoo” to link to the website for Yahoo, it would look like this:   Yahoo   Additionally, if you’d like your link to open in a new window or tab so that users aren’t directed away from your site, you can add some additional information to the HREF tag. For this example, you would tell the code that you’d like to open the link in a new window by indicating that the target is blank. In this instance, the HTML code would look like this:   Yahoo   Add a picture using HTML Adding imagery is a great way to help users connect with your content and become more interested in what you have to say. To add an image, you’ll first need to host that image somewhere online, either on your CMS or on another service. Once you’ve uploaded the image to the place where you’re hosting it, simply add an image tag. As an example, an image tag should look like this:     Images are somewhat unique because they do not always have an end tag. The code does not need to know where the image ends – the image itself can dictate that. However, you can link images to a web page. For instance, if you wanted to link your image to your home page, it would look like this:     You’ll notice that, in this case, the code for the image simply replaces the text in the HREF tag. Obviously, these few tweaks only scratch the surface of full HTML coding. However, simply knowing how to handle these simple changes on your own can save you big money by minimizing the need to contact your web designer every time edits must be made. Start with these HTML 101 steps and continue to grow your coding skills as you go! Continue reading →

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Viewer Behavior Differences on Mobile Devices vs Desktop Computers

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Hosting

It’s no exaggeration to say that mobile internet usage has exploded over the past five years. With the advent of smartphones, users have changed the way they interact online. A recent report published by investment firm KPCB says that in 2008, mobile devices accounted for less than one percent of overall internet traffic. As of May 2013, they account for fifteen percent. Here’s another way to look at it… In 2012, the world’s mobile internet traffic was twelve times the amount of all combined internet traffic in 2000. This is information that webmasters can’t afford to ignore, mainly because mobile internet users behave differently from PC users. If you want to succeed online, then a mobile-friendly web presence is a must.   Mobile User Point #1: Touch vs. Click While it’s relatively easy to navigate a website using a mouse and a computer monitor, it’s not always so straightforward with a small-screened mobile device. Most everyone who has used a touchscreen mobile device has accidentally touched or typed something they didn’t mean to. A mobile website should be easily navigable with large navigation buttons and a simple layout. You need to use every bit of precious screen space in the smartest way possible.   Mobile User Point #2: The “Always On” Mentality Mobile devices have become powerful tools for quickly accessing and retrieving data. Mobile users have an “always on” mentality, meaning that they expect access to data at any given time. This changes the way advertisers operate, and also brings about the need for webmasters to deliver a rich online experience “on-demand.” For one thing, a fast-loading, easily navigable mobile website is a must. It’s also a good idea to give mobile viewers the ability to access the full desktop site if they prefer.   Mobile User Point #3: Apps, Apps and More Apps Mobile apps are very popular right now since they allow users to easily and quickly access information and services. A 2012 report published by Accenture shows that 71% of mobile users downloaded one or more apps to their mobile devices. If your website generates sales, then apps could play an important part in your overall mobile marketing strategy. If your website is media-rich, then you’ll be interested to know that the average mobile user spends 82% of mobile media time using apps, according to Smart Insights and Comscore . Take the time to find out what percentage of your visitors access your website via mobile device, and what platform they use (Apple or Android). A useful app can go a long way towards promoting your website.   Mobile User Point #4: Accessing Email A 2013 study done by Experian shows that mobile users spend 23% of their mobile browser time checking email. Creating mobile-optimized email is just as important as a mobile-optimized website, especially if you send regular email communications to your subscribers. Email marketing firm Emma offers five tips for creating the perfect mobile optimized e-mail: Use a simplified header that is 50-100 pixels in height. Enlarge your text and buttons. Choose bold images with a single focus. Link to mobile-friendly sites. Streamline your layout (a single column layout works best).   Mobile User Point #5: Super Social Networkers The Experian study also notes that if total time spent online were condensed down to an hour, then the average mobile user spends sixteen minutes of that hour on social networking sites. The importance of a social media presence for webmasters can’t be stressed enough. With so many mobile users spending time on sites like Twitter and Facebook, social media presents a significant opportunity for webmasters to expand their online reach.   Mobile User Point #6: The Informed Consumer The Mobile Path to Purchase study by Nielsen, xAd, and Telmetrics suggests that nearly half of the consumers they surveyed rely only on their mobile devices for pre-purchase research. They also found that 77% of people using their smartphones for research convert while in a store. Furthermore, they found that 30% of smartphone users and 25% of tablet users have immediate needs and purchase within an hour. It’s also worth noting that consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with making online purchases through their mobile devices. This has significant implications for mobile advertising, and also underscores the necessity of webmasters making purchase information readily available. Webmasters should also utilize consumer review sites like Yelp and Google Places to bolster their online reputations.   The Bottom Line Although PC internet access is still going strong, people increasingly prefer to access the internet on the go. Professional demands, long commutes, multiple social activities, and other factors that keep people away from home make mobile internet access a necessity for many people. In fact, the CISCO global forecast estimates that global mobile data traffic will increase thirteen-fold between 2012 and 2017. Today’s webmasters must accommodate both PC and mobile users, as the need for mobile accessibility will only grow in the future. Continue reading →

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