Article Categories

• Advertising
• Affiliate Marketing
• Article Marketing
• Blogs & Podcasts
• Branding
• Business
• Cloud Technology
• Ecommerce
• Email Marketing
• Facebook
• Google
• Keywords
• LinkedIn
• Linking Strategies
• List Building
• Local Search
• Marketing
• Miscellaneous
• Mobile Applications
• Page Rank
• Pay Per Click
• RSS
• Sales Copy
• SE Optimization
• SE Positioning
• SE Submission
• SE Tactics
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Security
• Social Media Marketing
• Social Networking
• SPAM
• SPN Featured Articles
• Technology
• Video Marketing
• Virtual Office/Telecommuting
• Web 2.0
• Web Design
• Web Development
• Webmasters
• Website Promotion
• Website Traffic
• WordPress
• Writing

SiteProNews Blogs

• Editor's Corner
• Darren Dunner
• Jerry Bader
• John Sylvester
• Kalena Jordan
• Mel Strocen
• Titus Hoskins

The Explosion of the Mobile Web… Is Your Website Ready? – A SPN Exclusive Article

By David Jackson in Featured

Just a few short years ago, it was a good bet that you would read articles like this one on your PC or laptop. Today, it’s just as likely that you are reading this article on a smartphone or tablet computer. So what’s changed, what happened? The mobile web happened, that’s what – and the Internet will never be the same. So, what’s the mobile web?

Loosely defined, the mobile web is a way of accessing the Internet via a wireless network, using a handheld mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet computer.

The Explosion Of The Mobile Web

The mobile web is growing at a phenomenal pace, and is forecast to overtake the desktop web in 2014. In other words, more users will access the Internet using a mobile phone rather than a PC for the first time.

Approximately 900 million people currently access the web with mobile phones, compared to 1.4 billion desktop Internet users. In 2014, mobile web users will outpace desktop users (approximately 1.7 billion mobile users to approximately 1.65 billion desktop users). By 2015, the number of mobile web users is expected to increase to 2 billion.

Assuming an annual growth rate of about 2 percent annually between 2010 and 2015 in cell phone subscriptions (77 percent of the world’s population will have cell phone subscriptions in 2010 and 87 percent will have subscriptions in 2015), about 6.35 billion people worldwide will have a mobile phone subscription and approximately 1 out of 3 subscribers (or 2 billion out of 6.35 billion) will be accessing the Internet on mobile phones. (Source: Wikimedia)

Increase Sales Using A Smartphone-Enabled Website

By Steven Johnson in Featured

“This is the time for us; now is the time for us to get behind this… We understand that the new rule is “Mobile First.” – Eric Schmidt, Google CEO

“One-third of all Google searches via the mobile web pertain to some aspect of the searcher’s local environment.” – Diana Pouliot, Director of Google Mobile Advertising

By 2013, Google expects that 50% of all internet traffic will be from mobile devices. The smartphone industry is growing faster than any segment of technology in history.

It is mandatory to have a smartphone-enabled website in order to have mobile searchers find you. A lot of effort and funding is going towards “find a business near me” technology. If you owned a restaurant, wouldn’t you want to reach the Blackberry user that performed a search on their phone to “find restaurants near me?”

Would it not benefit you to reach those with GPS that use Google maps? Practically every business and service can increase revenue by having a smartphone-enabled site. The applications are far-reaching. Virtually any product or service that relies on direct consumer contact would be able to saturate the market and reach consumers anywhere and everywhere.

Mobile sites are designed to provide the best possible viewing experience exclusively on handheld devices, including iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Kindle, etc. All pages must be scaled to read easily on a small screen. Most content is presented to facilitate thumb-scrolling, the most accepted method of reading content on a mobile device.

The number of “hallways” are reduced to help keep the viewer organized. The navigation buttons are placed where they are easily accessible. Since many devices do not have clear “back” buttons, these are provided on the site where appropriate. Flash is never used, as Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, has banned it from the iPhones, citing performance and bandwidth concerns. All websites must have detection and redirect scripting that senses which device is being used and sends the customer to the best site optimized for their device.

Over 70% of the world’s population now has a mobile phone, that’s over 5 billion mobile subscribers, and in places like the US, it’s 9 in 10 people.

So why aren’t more businesses optimizing their websites to mobile phone technology? Most website design firms have not pushed website owners because they know that the websites they have already created have not delivered the ROI the owner hoped for. Therefore, it is difficult for them to go back and revisit them about adding another piece of technology.

Since it is new technology and one whose full potential has not been realized, many smaller design firms have not taken the initiative to learn the new programming language. Many are waiting for technology which is expected to launch in a few years that will enable smartphones to access the internet and websites to display as automatically as desktops do now. Then there will be no need to learn the programming modifications.

Savvy business owners are reaching out and finding web developers to get to their target market where they live- on their smart phones and on the go.

For businesses wishing to gain a competitive advantage, a smartphone-enabled website now presents one of the most high impact means of expanding a client base and securing greater sales volume. Look at your competition. Lead your marketplace and establish your company where your prospects live before they do.

---

Wetcatwebs.com, Inc. is a cutting-edge website design, development and marketing firm specializing in web strategies and smartphone applications that produce sales results. We deliver a powerful online presence and supplement it with smartphone-enabled sites to bring tremendous exposure. Find out more about SEO and generating qualified leads at => http://www.wetcatwebs.com

Is Your Business Still Chasing Google?

By Roy Reyer in Featured

If you’re still chasing Google around trying to beat out their algorithm let me give you a little tip going into 2011, STOP!

Instead, here is a suggestion from Matt Cutts that he gave during his keynote address at Pubcon this year, “Don’t look at us where we are today, but look at the direction we are moving and what we are focusing on, the big five are the Mobile Web, Local Search, Social, Blended results in the SERPS and HTML5.”

The Mobile Web:

The mobile web refers to mobile applications or browser based access to the Internet from a handheld device, such as an iPad or a smartphone.

Morgan Stanley analysts have charted the most important online trends and they forecast that by 2015 the mobile web will be bigger than desktop Internet.

10 Predictions for Web CMS in 2011

By Tom Wentworth in Featured

It’s that time of the year when analysts, pundits, and vendors announce their bold predictions for the upcoming year. 2010 was a banner year for Web CMS, as companies realized the benefit of integrating Web CMS into critical business processes like marketing, sales, and customer support. Corporate websites took a giant leap forward, evolving from static to dynamic, and from generic to personal. The explosive growth of mobile devices in new form factors like the iPad caused CMOs to rethink their mobile strategies.

So let’s get started with my ten predictions for Web CMS in 2011:

1) WEM, the acronym, will remain vendor jargon. WEM, the concept, will transform the future of Web CMS.

WEM, or Web Engagement Management (or is it Web Experience Management?) has emerged as a potential challenger to replace CMS as the acronym that describes how companies use content to drive site visitor engagement and deliver business outcomes. Although WEM has been heavily discussed and debated among analysts and journalists, it remains a mystery to the only audience that matters- the users and buyers of Web CMS. While the capabilities described by WEM are paramount to the future of Web CMS, buyers will reject WEM the acronym but will come to expect that the existing acronyms WCM and CMS will include the capabilities of delivering and measuring site customer engagement.

2) Companies will evolve their mobile strategy beyond “mobile friendly”.

2010 was the year where mobile devices finally drove enough site traffic to compel companies to craft a mobile strategy. Yet most organizations stopped at mobile friendly, assuming the battle was over once the website and marketing campaigns rendered correctly on mobile devices. In 2011, we’ll see marketers take advantage of device capabilities and characteristics to deliver mobile experiences, not mobile friendly websites. Users are open to more immersive experiences on tablets but will look for more transactional experiences on smartphones. Mobile development will no longer be an afterthought, and innovative companies will develop for mobile first, and progressively enhance the experience based on the capabilities of the browser or device.

3) Web CMS vendors will differentiate through their decisions to build vs. integrate.

The decision to “build vs. integrate” has become a battleground for vendors trying to establish unique identities in the Web CMS space. Some vendors are focused on creating all-encompassing suites of capabilities, while others are more focused on integration with existing business applications. In 2011, vendor strategies will diverge even more strongly in this area, with vendors picking sides and aggressively committing to their strategy. For those vendors that choose to integrate, their success will be predicated on their ability to deliver deep technology integrations, not the fluffy “press release integrations” of the past.

4) Content is king. Context is queen. Together, they rule the fiefdom of web engagement.

It’s long been said the content is king, and as marketing shifts from outbound to inbound, content has evolved into a strategic corporate asset. While context is king, context is its queen. Context provides an understanding of the content consumer, and her unique set of circumstances. With context, you can match the right content, at the right moment of opportunity to encourage, support, or persuade the visitor to take action. In 2011, being able to understand the context of site visitors will transform how organizations view Web CMS and dynamic content delivery.

5) Web CMS acquisition fever will slow down, or maybe even stop.

The last five years have seen transformative acquisitions in the Web CMS vendor landscape. Oracle bought Stellent. Open Text acquired RedDot. Autonomy purchased Interwoven. Open Text bought Vignette. And most recently, Adobe acquired Day Software. In 2011, the acquisition fever will slow down as the remaining best-of-breed vendors focus on growth and differentiation in the next wave of Web CMS.

6) Multichannel publishing will drive a resurgence in structured content authoring

While newer authoring interfaces like in-context editing and drag+drop page creation have emerged as important tools for Web CMS users, the need for multichannel publishing will push users back towards more traditional, structured authoring interfaces. Publishing to multiple channels requires additional structure to ensure the right content is delivered to the right channel. Users will tag content for usage in specific channels, ranging from traditional long-form channels like the desktop web browser to short form channels like mobile devices and Twitter.

7) Platform will become less important in the Web CMS selection process

In the past, companies would have a strong preference for platform when selecting a Web CMS platform, typically Java or .NET in the enterprise. The platform requirement will become less of a decision point as the viral growth of Sharepoint created .NET expertise in even the most formidable Java strongholds like financial services and insurance. While some companies will still prefer a particular platform, it will become increasingly less important in 2011. Buyers will pick the products that best fit their business and technical requirements, regardless of platform.

8 ) Enterprise search is sexy again

Search and Web CMS have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, and the relationship will grow deeper in 2011. Enterprise search platforms provided by vendors like Microsoft, Endeca, and Autonomy do far more than just keyword searches. They power mission critical business processes like commerce and customer support, and play a significant role in the overall customer experience of a website. Search is an important part of a customer engagement strategy, and Web CMS vendors will use enterprise search platforms to provide new sets of capabilities focused on engagement and experience.

9) Social media will permeate the corporate website

The website of the future will be a seamless blend of corporate generated and user generated content. Social is no longer just a disconnected feature of a website, it’s a fundamental shift in how companies embrace customer relationships, transparency, and authenticity. In 2011, we’ll finally start to see companies and brands adopt the principals outlined by Jeremiah Owyang in his 2007 blog how on How to Evolve Your Irrelevant Corporate Website.

10) Developers. Developers. Developers.

Web CMS vendors have spent the last few years catering to marketing departments and business users, addressing usability and innovating new ways to use Web CMS to run marketing campaigns. Web CMS vendors will place the same emphasis on transforming the developer experience, providing better tools, APIs, code samples, documentation, and more.

So those are my predictions for 2011. 2010 was a great year for Web CMS, and I think we’ll look back and identify 2010 as an inflection point in the market, driven by both the emergence of web engagement and the growth of new channels like mobile and social media. Please share your thoughts and predictions in the comments, or on Twitter using the hashtag #futurewcm.

---

Tom Wentworth is an experienced, versatile, and passionate technology executive with over 15 years experience selling, marketing, and designing enterprise software. In his current role, Tom is the VP of Web Solutions for Ektron, where he’s responsible for corporate strategy.

SMX Melbourne : All About Mobile Search

By Kalena Jordan in Featured

Live blogging of SMX Melbourne presentation by Gillian Muessig, President of SEOmoz.

Mobile is here to stay. If you haven’t already investigated how to use mobile marketing, you are already way behind.

Why do you want a community platform? Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce. Gillian mentioned LivingSocial.com – already in Sydney, very big in the US. It’s a way to get deals / coupons for things in your community. Also Groupon.com is a similar thing. These ideas are similar to @square, which is a way to pay for things using your cell phone, popular in the US and hopefully coming to Australia and New Zealand soon.

You can make your own QR code at www.qrcode.kaywa.com – download the QR code to your mobile for coupon / discount / offer / invitations / news. Mobile coupons are about levels of offers therefore all about social status.

You can also play games with QR codes. Send hints / clues / instructions etc. Data has come full circle and now gone offline. You can get your codes offline now, from billboards, physical stores etc.

Should you or shouldn’t you jump on the .mobi bandwagon? Gillian says no. It was always a stop gap measure. But DO create mobile-friendly pages. Search engines will use transcoding to auto show your page on mobile devices. Make sure your pages provide value and are designed for mobile and put them in folders on your site.

Cindy Krum is a mobile marketing evangelist and the world’s foremost authority on the subject. Gillian suggests looking at Cindy’s mobile directory list.

If you can blog, you can build an app. You don’t need a huge audience, you can make a mobile app just for your biz or your few customers.

For application building, try AppBreeder. Also, Hunch.com launches tonight – it’s a mobile community builder that allows you to build your own mobile local app on the fly. It’s a brand new service that Gillian thinks will take off after launch.

Mobile is easy, it’s out there and now is your chance to grab the opportunities in mobile marketing before your competitors do.

The Next 10 Online Trends

By Patrick Stafford in Featured

It’s never been harder to keep up with the latest web trends with the expansion onto mobile platforms, the growth of social media and the need for start ups to be aware of new SEO techniques.

As a result, we’ve assembled a team of web experts to help you and your business keep on top of the most important trends on the web. Constructing a mobile website, creating social media campaigns and selling online are just some of the challenges businesses will face during 2010.

Here are top online trends for the next 12 months.

5 Ways to Make Your Website Mobile (And 1 Reason You Might Not Want To.)

By KatFrench in Featured

As of August 2008, mobile handset penetration in Italy was at 140%. You read that right: there are now more mobile devices than people in Italy. According to Engadget, some studies are predicting 100% mobile phone penetration in the United States within 4 years; at present, it’s estimated at around 84%.  Some research indicates that as of 2008, as much as 3-10% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices.

© Copyright 2012 All rights reserved. Jayde Online, Inc.

Home Newsletter Archives SEO Forums Webmaster Tools Webmaster Resources Link to SPN Top SEO Tools Website Templates SPN Partners Contact Us Privacy Advertise

ExactSeek SiteProNews MetaWebSearch SPN Videos EzineHub ISEDN DropJack NewWebDirectory.com SEO-News SEO-News Forums Blog Search FreeWebSubmission SmartWebGadgets