Archive for February, 2012


A computer for £22?! Say Hello to the Raspberry Pi

Filed Under: Internet, Uncategorized by Cassandra Lilly — Leave a comment
February 29, 2012

The Raspberry Pi computer went on sale today priced at just £22. The coveted device immediately sold out, crashing the product’s the website and leaving many gadget buffs disappointed.

So what is everyone so excited about? The Raspberry Pi doesn’t have any bells and whistles, in fact, you even have to provide your own keyboard and monitor to use it. The unique selling point is simplicity – the Raspberry Pi is fully programmable by the user.

The Raspberry Pi is capable of internet browsing and has a USB port, Ethernet port, SD card slot, and an HDMI port for video output. At its heart is an ARM chip, also found in mobile phones and tablets, and it runs a version of the free open-source operating system Linux.

It is hoped that the Raspberry Pi will inspire a new generation of children to learn computer programming, just like its forebears the Sinclair Spectrum and BBC Micro did in the 1980s. Eben Upton, the founder of the charity behind Raspberry Pi, thinks one should be given away to every child as they reach a new school year – something that will be achievable thanks to the low cost of the device.

Upton got the idea for the Rasberry Pit when he found that applicants for computer-related degree course places “[didn't] seem to know enough about what a computer really was or how it worked….”

As one of the non-technical staff at eSterling, I’m certainly familiar with knowing how to use a computer, but having no idea how it actually works. Perhaps the Raspberry Pi could revolutionise the way we think about computer programming and make technology accessible to schools and businesses alike.

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What is Link Building?

Filed Under: Google, SEO by Cassandra Lilly — Leave a comment
February 21, 2012

Link building is a SEO method that involves establishing relevant inbound links to your website. An inbound link, otherwise known as a backlink, is from another website to your site (not to be confused with out-bound links, which are the other way around!). Backlinks can help you to achieve higher rankings within Google and the other search engines.

This technique works well to improve rankings for many websites, as Google sees backlinks as a ‘vote of confidence’ from other sources on the web. The number of backlinks increasing over time is seen by the search engines as your site gaining popularity, and therefore relevance for the user. This in turn pushes up your rankings.

It’s likely that if your site has been established for a while; it will already have a certain number of backlinks that have been created naturally. For example, one of your customers may have posted a link to your site in a forum. SEO link building must function in a similar way for it to be successful – it needs to be (or at least appear) as organic and natural as possible for Google sit up and take notice.

It’s not the quantity of inbound links to your site that matters, it’s the quality. Spammy links from dodgy sources will not do your SEO efforts any favours. The search engine algorithms are engineered to sniff out these types of links, and it’s likely that Google et al will get better at this over time. If the search engine crawlers believe that your site has employed unethical link building practices to achieve a higher ranking, your site may be penalised and you could lose those rankings you’ve worked so hard for.

Don’t let our warning put you off however, as eSterling can offer a quality link building service that is reliable and effective.  Our team of experts work hard to ensure that all of the links built for your website will help to boost your rankings. We have already achieved some dramatic improvements for our current clients, with one client jumping 40 positions within Google for the keyword ‘scrap metal Birmingham’.

To find out more about the eSterling link building service, please give Cassandra a call on 0121 766 4080 or email cassandra.lilly@esterling.co.uk.

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Upgrade your Website with eSterling

Filed Under: Web Design, Web Development by Cassandra Lilly — Leave a comment
February 21, 2012

If you’re thinking of giving your website some TLC, you can rely on eSterling to help. Whether you are looking for a simple upgrade such as adding a page, or you are looking to completely re-design your site, eSterling has the solution at a competitive price.

Our experienced web designers and developers are always willing to listen to your special requirements and help you get the best out of your project, whilst our dedicated project manager will ensure that the job will be carried out to schedule.

If you are an existing eMarketing customer, our SEO team will be able to advise you of the best solutions to maintain your current rankings. This minimises disruption to your site and keeps the traffic following even when changes are being made.

Contact us today if you need to:

  • Add a new page to your website
  • Get a blog for your website
  • Re-design your homepage
  • Re-brand your site
  • Add a video upload page
  • Upgrade your CMS (content management system)

Call eSterling today on 0121 766 4080 or email helpdesk@esterling.co.uk to get things started.

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eSterling Launches Social Media Training

Filed Under: Social Media / Networking by Cassandra Lilly — Leave a comment
February 21, 2012

Due to popular demand, eSterling has launched a social media training course for our clients.

We have found that many of our clients are aware of the value of social media sites, but are unsure how to use them for their business. Many also find that they haven’t got the time to spend getting to grips with the technology and therefore keep putting it off for another time.

That’s why the team at eSterling has devised a three-hour training session that will get you up and running. The aim is to give you the confidence to run your Facebook or Twitter account without feeling overwhelmed.

eSterling social media training is jargon-free, with everything simplified into terms that you can understand. We actively welcome your questions during the training session and you will be given handy worksheets to take away so that you can refer back to your notes.

Our training course is one-to-one and can be tailored to suit which social network(s) you are interested in, whether you are looking to use Facebook, Twitter or another site such as Pinterest. As each training session is tailored to suit your needs, you can request topics of interest that you would like us to cover.

Examples of topics covered include:

  • Twitter/ Facebook layouts
  • Twitter trending topics
  • Suggestions of what to share using social media
  • How to increase followers
  • Social media reporting

As we predict that social media will have more of an influence on Google rankings over the next two years, it really does pay to get ahead of your competition and make a start with social media.

To book your training session please call Cassandra on 0121 766 4080 or email cassandra.lilly@esterling.co.uk.

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