Tag Archives: tips and tricks

Video Marketing 101: How to Add Video to Your Website

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Hosting

Want to quickly and dramatically improve the engagement that website visitors have with your brand?  Add video to your website!  According to Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D. (also known as “The Brain Lady”), there are a number of biological reasons that we tend to pay more attention to video content, rather than written text.  Specifically: The Fusiform Facial areas of our brains compel us to pay attention to other faces.  Evolutionarily, this tendency leads us to treat the face as a starting point for information and believability.  As a website owner, faces can be used to call attention to important points and marketing content. Voices convey more rich information than plain text.  When used in the context of web video, webmasters can use vocal inflections and other mannerisms to form a stronger bond with site visitors than they can using text alone. Emotions tend to be contagious.  Want to get your visitors excited about a product or service?  It’s a tall order to accomplish via text alone, but easy when your website displays a video of an enthusiastic person. The human brain is attracted to movement.  Text doesn’t move.  Adding video to your website allows you to capture the same attention that our caveman ancestors would have given to movement in the bushes that would have signaled imminent danger.   The benefit of all these different biological processes is obvious.  When you add video to your website, you tap into a number of key evolutionary mechanisms in order to boost both attention and engagement amongst your website visitors.  But what if you aren’t a professional videographer with Hollywood-level equipment?  Do you need to make a major capital investment in order to bring the power of video to your website?  Absolutely not!  Any of the following tools can help you to create powerful video clips without blowing up your marketing budget:   Animoto  When it comes to video creation, there’s no easier option than Animoto.  With both free and paid versions available, the program allows you to drag and drop images into a pre-designed slideshow and to set your video to a musical background.  The resulting video clips aren’t quite as compelling as a “talking head” style video would be, but they’re a great place to dip your toes into the waters of web video (especially if you’re camera shy!).   Screencast Want to avoid having to face the camera, but still want to capture the benefits that vocal inflection can have on message retention?  Screencast videos are the right option for you. In a screencast video, you use a program like Screencast to record both your voice and the content that’s displayed on your monitor.  In this way, you can create simple tutorials and educational videos that allow you to boost your perceived authority within your industry while capturing the benefits that web video can bring about.   Youtube  Ready to take your web video marketing techniques to the next level?  Record yourself speaking directly into your webcam using Youtube’s built in web video recorder!  This style of video allows you to take advantage of all the different benefits listed above without any expenses beyond the use of your computer’s webcam.  It can be scary to put yourself out there in this way, but the results will be well worth it.  As you’re making your first web video, keep the following guidelines in mind: Web videos should be short.  Limited viewer attention spans make it a good idea to limit videos to no more than 5-10 minutes in length. Think in terms of visitor value.  Don’t make web videos just to make web videos.  Think about the subjects that will bring the most value to your visitors and use these topics as the starting point for your new video marketing campaign. Not every video will go viral.  One common misconception about web video is that every clip you create will go on to be a Youtube success.  Obviously, this isn’t the case, but don’t let this discourage you.  Keep experimenting with different video techniques until you find one that resonates with your audience.   Once your video clip is ready, the easiest way to add it to your website is to upload the file to Youtube and then use the embed command to add it to your website.  As an added bonus, utilizing Youtube in this way will give you access to the company’s internal analytics program that will show you how exactly viewers are engaging with your clips. Don’t be scared when it comes to web video.  Using the tools above represents a quick and easy way to bring the incredible power of video marketing to your company’s website. Continue reading →

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How to Optimize Your Bing Local Profile

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Hosting

Most potential customers find their local businesses by sitting down to search online. They often do so by searching for their city and the type of business they’re interested in. For example, if they live in San Francisco and need the help of a contractor, they are likely to search for “San Francisco contractors”. More than anything else, this is how users are currently finding their service providers. As a result, it’s very important to make sure your business is well positioned to rank highly in the search engines for these specific keyword phrases. When discussing search engine optimization, many companies focus on Google to the exclusion of all other search engines. Still, traffic to your website is important, no matter what the referral source is. That’s why making sure you optimize all your profiles – including your Bing Local profile – is so important. So if you haven’t already, sit down and take the time to optimize your Bing Local profile in order to drive traffic to your website using the following tips:   Claim Your Business Listing It’s very easy for businesses to set up listings that they never visit again. This can make it difficult for search engines and customers alike to determine which businesses are still in operation – or whether the information on the page is even accurate. Claiming your business listing is an easy way for you to verify that the information on your page is correct and that you’re an active participant in your business. While you’re doing this, make sure to add a branded image to your profile and to verify that your business information is indeed correct. Check that your address, website URL and phone number are all accurate so that you can really get the most out of your Bing Local listing.   Set Your Hours of Operation Bing Local has a great feature that allows businesses to set their hours of operation. When you’re open, an icon appears on your listing indicating you’re open. This lets customers know that they can call or visit you right away and receive an instant response. Especially if you’re open for more hours than your competitors, this is a great way to get an edge in the marketplace.   Strategically Add Categories and Specialties Adding categories to your Bing Local business profile can help you to rank higher in search engine searches. Be sure your listing includes what category your business falls into. From there, be creative in adding all the possible descriptions for your business. For instance, if you’re a lawyer, you’d want to add the individual categories for lawyer, attorney, legal, legal services and more. From there, look at your firm and any additional services you offer. If you have a paralegal, add that to your categories as well. This ensures that, however potential customers search for what you’re offering; you have a great shot at showing up in the search results.   Develop Citations In order to rank well in Bing searches, it’s important to have citations and inlinks incorporated into your profile. These citations can include links to sites like YP.com, Superpages.com, Yahoo! Local, Manta, Judy’s Book and more. Sites known as vertical directories – like Restaurants.com, Dentists.com, Contractors.com, etc. –can also help add to your citations and inlinks. These sites are great ways to drive traffic, but they also add power to your Bing Local profile. In essence, every link your business has adds to its credibility with the search engines, earning you higher rankings. It’s worth noting, however, that in order for these citations to truly help your business profile, they should be filled out fully and accurately.   Incorporate Deals into Your Profile Bing appears to have integrated with Groupon so that adding information on any deals you’re currently running can add oomph to your profile. You can also directly add deals into your profile through the Bing Business Profile. This lets any deals you’re running be offered directly to those who have found your profile through search. This is a great way to help convert leads into sales directly through your Bing Local profile. Optimizing your Bing Local profile is a great way to rank higher in Bing searches. This is important when it comes to driving traffic to your website and – ultimately – cornering more of your target market. As search continues to become more important for local businesses, knowing how to and taking the time to optimize your Bing Local profile can make a major difference for your company’s success. Are you currently using your Bing Local profile? If so, how has it helped your business? Continue reading →

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Domains & Hosting, Metaphorically Speaking

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Hosting

A topic that seems to generate a fair amount of confusion among those new to building websites is that of domain registration, web hosting, and the difference between the two. One of the best ways to effectively explain the difference is by using analogies.  This is especially true because in today’s society, there seem to be two groups — “techies” and everyone else. If you are a techie, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. My goal is that after reading this page, you’ll feel competent and comfortable enough to discuss these topics with a techie and feel like you’re on the same page.   Domains are Television Shows? A domain is like the name of a television show. Every show on TV has a different (unique) name. Imagine the confusion that would result if this were not the case [Related Article: Tips for Choosing Your Domain Name ]. A website is like the show itself. All the files, text, code, graphics, etc. that make up a website are like the props, sets, actors, lighting, sound, etc. that comprise a TV show. Before a show goes into production, it is just a name, or concept. You can register a domain and choose not to create a website, although you may have grand ideas or a general concept of the kind of website you’d like for your domain to have someday. A hosting provider is like a network that provides studio space (disk space on a server) for the show (website) and also broadcasts it into people’s homes (like when visitors view your site in a browser).   Web Hosting is an Art Store? Another way to look at web hosting is that it is similar to an art store. An art store provides you paint, brushes, canvases, and other tools you need to paint a masterpiece, however the art store does not create the actual painting for you. You purchase the tools you want to use from the art store, and then use those tools to build your website. Or hire a painter to paint a picture for you. Similarly, a web hosting company like HostGator, provides you with a variety of tools that you can use to build your website, such as a server and web space where you can upload your files, control panels that make it easy to configure your hosting account, and even provides the ability to install scripts like WordPress, or use one of our many site building solutions. However, the web host does not actually create your website. You can choose to build it yourself using the complimentary tools provided, or hire a web designer to develop your site for you. We specialize in providing the tools you need to build your website. But just like an art store, HostGator does not actually build the site for you. This is your creative space, allowing you to build the site of your dreams, any way you choose with the tools provided (and of course, you can always provide your own).   A Word on Domain Registration Let’s get a little more in-depth now. First we’ll take a closer look at domain registration. You can register a domain name at any domain registrar and then host it with HostGator. This is because domain registration and web hosting are two totally different things (just like a TV show’s name and its network are two entirely different things, although they do work together).  To host a domain that is registered elsewhere with HostGator, all that needs to occur is the updating of what are called nameservers.  Nameservers tell your browser not only which hosting company (TV network) a domain (TV show) is with, but also which server (think of a big broadcasting antenna) it is located on. When you sign up for web hosting with HostGator, we send you our Welcome Email. This email contains, among other items, the nameservers for your hosting package. You’ll need to log into your account with your domain registrar and update the generic or predefined nameservers already there with the ones that we sent you in the Welcome Email. HostGator has produced video tutorials to assist you with updating nameservers at many of the major registrars. If your particular registrar isn’t listed, I recommend watching two or three of these videos anyway to get the general idea of how the procedure works: HostGator Video Tutorials – Managing Your Domain With Another Registrar Now let’s move on to hosting. Assuming you already have a registered domain, you now either 1) wish to build a website (or have one built for you by a designer) or 2) have a functioning website.  You will need hosting 1) for the disk space that the website files will reside on and 2) so that the website can be transmitted to visitor’s browsers or phones.   Hosting Packages are Swimming Pools?  Why Not?! We have various types of hosting packages available.  In sticking with our analogy theme, here they are explained via a swimming pool metaphor: How Do I Choose Which Hosting Plan Is Right for Me? No matter which pool is right for you, happy swimming!  Um, happy art-making?  Happy television show production?  Happy hosting! Continue reading →

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5 Infographic Creation Tools to Try Now

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Hosting

The recent rise in social media usage has taught us many things. One of the most striking is how visual human beings truly are.  As a result, websites, blogs and social media accounts that use great visuals are typically more successful and see more engagement from users than those that rely on text alone. Growing awareness of this trend has led to the rise of the infographic.   An infographic is a visual depiction of data that helps users to learn more about a topic.  This combination of visual imagery with statistics and facts makes information easy for a user to digest at a glance.  In fact, some studies even show that users remember information learned through infographics more easily than data obtained by other means. As a result, infographics have been successfully used in sales campaigns, marketing efforts, education initiatives, internal company trainings and more.  Given that, many companies are eager to create their own infographics to compete in an increasingly visual marketplace.  This is easy for firms that have a large staff of designers on hand, but not everyone has access to those resources. So how can people who are not designers make their own infographic? Check out these five tools:   Infogr.am Infogr.am is a simple, free tool that allows you to create more than 30 types of charts. For comparison, Microsoft Excel – the analytics tool used by many small businesses – offers only 11 types of charts. This allows for much simpler visualization of data. Data can be imported from Excel into Infogr.am and can then be published in PDF format or easily embedded on your website. If your data is sensitive, you can also password protect it before sharing it with others. Overall, Infogr.am is a simple infographic tool with many features, all at no cost to the user.   Piktochart Piktochart offers drag and drop infographic creation for $29/month. The service’s “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) platform makes it easy for users with no design or technical skills to use when creating infographics. Currently, the tool includes 90 templates of varying quality. These premade starting points give you an easy to use and effective way to turn your data into great infographics. You can then share your creations via social media or download print quality files. If you’re curious about the tool, but don’t want to commit to a paid plan, you can try the Piktochart editor for free for a limited time to give it a test run.   InfoActive Like many of its competitors, InfoActive lets you turn your data into visuals in a fairly straightforward manner. In addition, this program allows users to interact with that data. This means that users can add their own experiences to the data, allowing it to change in real-time. This feature allows data to continue to be “real-time,” whereas other infographics can quickly become outdated, making it the most “social” infographic tool currently on the market.   Many Eyes This IBM tool doesn’t offer the premade themes that other programs on this list provide. As a result, it may be better suited to those who are somewhat more technically inclined. However, the visualization styles included offer some features the others don’t – including heat maps, word trees, tree maps and word clouds. Many Eyes also allows users to compare a set of values, see parts of a whole or track rises and falls in data over time. If your data is more trend-based than statistic-oriented, the program is definitely worth a look.   Visual.ly This paid service creates some of the most widely seen infographics on the market. Visual.ly brings together marketers, designers and data experts to create stunning visuals that bring your message to life. One fun program feature that’s great for internal presentations is its ability to create web traffic reports based on your website’s Google Analytics statistics. In seconds, you can have a visually pleasing and informative report on how your website traffic has been trending over the past few weeks. If you don’t feel comfortable designing on your own, the program can match you with a designer (though this is considerably more expensive and time intensive than doing it yourself). *** These five infographic creation tools allow you to easily visualize your data and to share it with your community in a fun, engaging way. Depending on your design and technical skill level, you may prefer one tool over another, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different programs. But whatever option you choose, be aware that creating a visual representation of your data can take your firm to the next level. These tools can be used for internal purposes, helping you to understand your firm’s target market, goals and website traffic. Alternately, they can be used to help educate your audience, drive sales and distribute your marketing messages. Whatever your goals, creating stellar infographics is an important part of standing out in an increasingly visual marketplace – so get started with your first graphic today! 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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