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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Google Maps – New Update for Business Listings
It used to be that if you did a business search on Google Maps you would only pull up 10 businesses at a time. Recently Google has improved on this highly annoying and barely relevant feature by adding dots to the map for ALL listings. Now you get 10 listings on the left hand side BUT all the listings they have are represented on the map with a single dot.
So why is this a big deal?
Well now you can immediately see the density of listed businesses on the map. In the past the search feature had been so incredibly poor that if you did a search for a web designer in Philadelphia you would pull up ten listings, randomly placed throughout the city. Now all you have to do is do a business search and then zoom into the are you intended to originally. Ignoring the 'top ten' results, which are vaguely ranked at best, you can click on any dot you like to get more information.
So you can now find all the businesses listed in a particular area.
You can see IF you're listed at all and you can sign-up if you are not.
I've been playing around with this feature and it's very cool. I can now find the density of coffee shops in my are with great accuracy as well as places to cut my hair. I can located 'dead spots' where no businesses are listed for a particular category, not just in my city, but at the state and national level as well.
Looking for a part of Pennsylvania that is devoid of insurance companies? Type in 'insurance' at google.maps.com and zoom in on PA. The dots will multiply as you zoom in closer and closer and so reveal an area of the state you may want to pitch your services to.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Company Blogs – Do's and Don'ts
If you have a website and you're considering putting together a blog there are a few things you should keep in mind when building it.
First, continue your branding techniques from your website to your blog. If your website is blue and gold, make your blog blue and gold. Include logos, catch phrases and similar navigation. Don't confuse people by thinking they've left your website. Don't settle for a 'template' blog if you can help it, because putting no effort into your blog design says you put no effort into the blog content.
Always link back to your main website and make reference to it in the blogs profile or about us page. I go so far as to include links in your sidebar that are the same on your website. Make it easy for people to travel back and forth between your blog and website.
When choosing a blog format, consider the ease of use for updating posts. If you've created a blog for someone but they have to know how to code or there are too many steps involved to make updates, you'll upset your client. Keep it simple. This is one reason I perfer Blogger over Wordpress, Blogger has a very simple, very easy to understand layout. For those of you who think Wordpress is just as easy, ask your grandmother to make an update and watch as she gets confused by the navigation.
Use images, to break up the constant stream of blocky text so that visitors are not overwhelmed by information. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words and will often be the factor that decides if someone will ready that post or pass it by without reading the title.
Use labels so that you can organize your blog posts by category as well as date. Most people are not going to be interested in what was posted on May 22, 2008 but a label like 'Knitting Tutorial of Doom” is descriptive and far more interesting.
Make sure that any widgets you use are user friendly and not terribly obnoxious. Avoid music widgets that blast songs at you as soon as they load, animations that draw the eye away from your posts or poorly designed widgets that don't fit the 'look' of the blog.
Allow Commenting, always. A blog is supposed to be a communication device between users and owners, use it. If you wanted to just post up info with no feedback, then create a newsletter on your website. This is a blog, let it live up to it's full potential. That being said, monitor your comments daily for spam and crazy people.
~
Alex Seigfried; Owner
Philadelphia, PA
First, continue your branding techniques from your website to your blog. If your website is blue and gold, make your blog blue and gold. Include logos, catch phrases and similar navigation. Don't confuse people by thinking they've left your website. Don't settle for a 'template' blog if you can help it, because putting no effort into your blog design says you put no effort into the blog content.
Always link back to your main website and make reference to it in the blogs profile or about us page. I go so far as to include links in your sidebar that are the same on your website. Make it easy for people to travel back and forth between your blog and website.
When choosing a blog format, consider the ease of use for updating posts. If you've created a blog for someone but they have to know how to code or there are too many steps involved to make updates, you'll upset your client. Keep it simple. This is one reason I perfer Blogger over Wordpress, Blogger has a very simple, very easy to understand layout. For those of you who think Wordpress is just as easy, ask your grandmother to make an update and watch as she gets confused by the navigation.
Use images, to break up the constant stream of blocky text so that visitors are not overwhelmed by information. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words and will often be the factor that decides if someone will ready that post or pass it by without reading the title.
Use labels so that you can organize your blog posts by category as well as date. Most people are not going to be interested in what was posted on May 22, 2008 but a label like 'Knitting Tutorial of Doom” is descriptive and far more interesting.
Make sure that any widgets you use are user friendly and not terribly obnoxious. Avoid music widgets that blast songs at you as soon as they load, animations that draw the eye away from your posts or poorly designed widgets that don't fit the 'look' of the blog.
Allow Commenting, always. A blog is supposed to be a communication device between users and owners, use it. If you wanted to just post up info with no feedback, then create a newsletter on your website. This is a blog, let it live up to it's full potential. That being said, monitor your comments daily for spam and crazy people.
~
Alex Seigfried; Owner
Philadelphia, PA
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