Category: Google


Is your website ready for the Christmas shopping rush?

Filed Under: Adwords, Google, Internet by Scott Hunt — Leave a comment
November 2, 2011

November is upon us and that can only mean one thing – it’s practically Christmas! Consumers are sure to start their Christmas shopping in the next few weeks and many people will be turning to online stores to beat the queues.

A recent study by e-commerce data quality experts at Postcode Anywhere polled a thousand UK consumers. The results show that while 25% of consumers plan to buy more Christmas presents online this year than last, only 5% will reduce their online spend.

Postcode Anywhere’s sales and marketing director Phil Rothwell said, “With 5% set to reduce spend and 25% to spend more, all things being equal, retailers could well be looking at a rise of around 20% in online sales this Christmas, a similar increase to last year. This is a fairly significant finding, but possibly not a surprising one given the circumstances.”

If you own an e-commerce website you should be thinking about how you can maximise seasonal sales. An easy way to do this is to start an Adwords campaign, which allows you to advertise on Google quickly and simply. You can choose your own monthly budget and even control when your ad appears.

If you already have an Adwords campaign, you should think about increasing your budget from now until January to maximise Christmas sales. Don’t forget that many consumers will be looking for great deals in January as well!

Here at eSterling we can provide you with assistance with Adwords, so if you would like to find out more please get in touch.

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Is it fair that Google likes paid links?

Filed Under: Google, SEO by Ivan Barnsley — Leave a comment
October 24, 2011

I’ve been asking this question to our SEO team for a while now. Why is it that Google ‘likes’ links? And how can this be fair?

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of ‘links’, here’s some background information:

  • Links (also known as backlinks) are from another site to your site
  • Links can help your Google rankings because ‘they are a useful way of measuring a site’s value’
  • The quantity and quality of links count towards your site’s rating

Google’s official guidelines state that links should be from trusted sources and should not be bought and sold illegitimately. This is part of Google’s commitment to make search results fair.

But in reality there is very little sanctioning to determine which links are legitimate and which aren’t. This means that successfully ranking sites often have links from what could only be described as ‘dodgy’ sources and are not penalised at all. Therefore many webmasters continue to buy their links from questionable sources simply because they are getting results.

As buying large quantities of links ultimately comes down to money, then companies with a higher budget can achieve better rankings. But isn’t this at the expense of search relevance?

So how can Google root out this practice? The trouble is that links are an SEO factor that is out of the webmaster’s control. In theory, you can’t help who links to your site and this means there is potential for interference from competitors should Google crack-down on ‘bad’ links.

This leaves Google with a conundrum. Either Google accepts that all links are a ‘vote of confidence’ from other users and gives them all a green light (no matter their legitimacy); or Google decides to ban all links (no matter the relevancy). Or perhaps, and in my opinion, the ‘right’ way would be to use a clever algorithm to root out those links that are irrelevant.

Unfortunately, SEO companies have very little control over Google’s decisions. We have to move with the times and do what Google says (and not necessarily as they do). But is the integrity of search being spoiled by this factor? I would certainly welcome your comments on links and how they should affect SEO rankings.

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Stop! Hammer search! MC Hammer launches his own search engine

Filed Under: Google, Internet by Cassandra Lilly — Leave a comment
October 20, 2011

I’d forgive you if you didn’t believe this headline (I had to check April Fools Day hadn’t come early myself!), yet it’s true – the Hammer-pants-wearing entrepreneur has launched his very own search engine.

It’s called WireDoo and MC Hammer is hoping that it will revolutionise search in the same way that Google has. The concept of WireDoo isn’t bad – Mr Hammer calls the way it works a ‘deep search’ and hopes it will return results based on relational topics.

MC Hammer, real name Stanley Kirk Burrell, discussed this in more detail at the Web 2.0 Summit inSan Francisco. He explained that today’s search engines work by connecting keywords (search terms) to one topic (not an entirely accurate view I must add). However, MC Hammer believes that when you search for a home, you will want to see information about the surrounding community, schools and crime statistics etc. And this is exactly what WireDoo claims to achieve, hence the tagline is “Search once and see what’s related.”

The rapper didn’t reveal much more about the how the search engine will work in practice and we’ll have to wait a little longer to try it for ourselves as it is currently in pre-beta. You can however sign-up to get access to WireDoo as soon as it’s ready.

Taking on Google will no-doubt be a tough one for MC Hammer and if he wants to prove he’s ‘Too Legit to Quit’ he’ll have to be prepared for a rough ride. Toppling Google has so far proved difficult for big-hitters such as Yahoo and Bing and many other failed projects (who remembers HotBot, AltaVista and Infoseek?).

However, if MC Hammer’s project does take off, eSterling will be the first to let you know. You Can’t Touch This!

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Google teams up with Citizens Advice Bureau

Filed Under: Google, Internet by James Carless — Leave a comment
October 18, 2011

Google, in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau, have launched an excellent new site called ‘Good to know’. The site aims to provide tips and advice about online security and privacy issues to users of all levels to help them protect their personal information on the web. Check out the site for yourself here.

The site offers advice on a range of issues from choosing online passwords, password strength and signing out of web sites correctly to more advanced issues such as secure sites, SSLs and cookies.

As you would expect from Google the site is well designed and easy to use, all the information is written in a way that can be understood by all levels of user, almost all the advice given comes with a tutorial video to explain the issues further and there are many links to other sites that you may find useful. There is also a handy Jargon Buster section for those who don’t know their spam from their cookies.

This site is an invaluable resource for almost all internet users, but it is also very useful for anyone who owns a web site. Web site owners (particularly those with ecommerce sites) should take a look at the Good to Know site and assess if their own sites conform to the advice given by Google about safe sites. If your site does not conform to Google’s advice then you may lose credibility; but more importantly you may also lose potential customers who do not trust your site enough to make purchases on it.

If you feel your site does not conform to the advice given on Good to Know or you want to discuss any specific issues around the security of your web site, give us a call and we will be happy to advise you of ways you can increase the security of your site.

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Do yourself a favour and upgrade your browser today!

Filed Under: Google, Internet, Web Design, Web Development by Phil Giles — Leave a comment
October 12, 2011

Having worked with many clients over the years, I’ve noticed that many people are still using old, out of date versions of their web browser. Many of them don’t even realise how much they are missing out on!

Most web developers and major companies have dropped support for older browsers like ie6, so some sites will not display how they are intended to. Although all good web developers will insert alternative code for older browsers to display correctly, a lot of new technologies will only work in new browsers

For example, all those nice rounded corners and shadows on your new design will not appear in older browsers without a lot of extra work and code that will slow down your sites performance. You could be missing so many features on your own or your favourite website without even knowing it!

The more you stay up to date, the more it will push the web industry to give a more innovative experience to you, the user.

Older browsers are also more and more vulnerable to modern threats. Of course you shouldn’t just rely on a browser to protect you, but an older browser can be an easy way in for these threats – so why not update?

The best part is that all of the major browser updates are free to download, so there really is no reason not to keep up to date and take advantage of all the great new features out there!

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Are paid links bad for my website?

Filed Under: Google, SEO by Scott Hunt — Leave a comment
October 10, 2011

I often hear people in the SEO world saying all paid links are bad news. If you’re buying links from link farms or spammy sites then Google may penalise your website, but there are also a lot of good quality links out there that are up for grabs.

These could include links generated through press releases, directory listings, article submissions or adverts. All of these sources create links that will bring relevant traffic to your website. They are also available from genuine sources. So why should Google penalise you for paying for these links?

In fact, Google likes to see your site being given a ‘thumbs-up’ by other websites, as this shows positive interaction with your brand. Think of the times you’ve shared a link to a site with a friend because you’ve found it helpful, or fun, or interesting…

So next time you hear the term paid links don’t automatically think ‘bad’, because there are a number of paid links that could be beneficial to your website. Simply give us a call for more information about how to create good quality links to improve your Google rankings.

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The Google +1 button is rolled out for use on the move

Filed Under: Google, Internet, Social Media / Networking by Tony Pardo — Leave a comment
October 4, 2011

Google+ has enjoyed huge success since its release in late June of this year, reaching 10 million users within the first two weeks! Now that Google + is available to everyone, its popularity is growing and this trend looks set to continue.

A lot of Google + users have described it as a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter – a new social networking tool that integrates with the web seamlessly. Both Facebook and Twitter are available as smart phones applications, so when will Google follow suit?

Google+ is taking its first baby step in to the mobile web world with the introduction of the +1 button to mobile browsers. It should already be available to anyone running either iOS 4.0+ or Android 2.1+ browsers. More browsers are destined to follow.

We should expect continuous updates from the search giant over the next few months. Technically, Google+ isn’t even out of the Beta stage yet – so who knows how powerful it will become once all the bugs are ironed out.

It is estimated that more than 1 million websites have the Google +1 button embedded into them – make sure yours is one of them and call eSterling to update your site today!

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Back to Basics Part 3: Domain Names

Filed Under: Google, Internet, Web Design, Web Development by Claire Jones — Leave a comment
September 29, 2011

A domain name is simply the address of your website – for example, our domain name is www.esterling.co.uk.

You will need to buy a domain name for your new website if you don’t already have one and there are a number of options to consider:

  1. Type of domain name. For a UK business, a domain name ending .co.uk is the best option. If you trade worldwide, you may choose a .com name. If you are a charitable organisation you may choose .org and so on.
  2. Should I use my company name? A lot of businesses use their company name as their web address, including eSterling. If you have a very long or complicated company name you may want to abbreviate it in some way. Think about how you will use your domain name. If you are going to be mentioning it to customers over the phone, make sure you have one that is easy to understand.
  3. What are the other options? Some websites very successfully use their product names or slogans as web addresses. The likes of webuyanycar.com or. diy.com (as used by B&Q) spring to mind. This type of domain name can be easier to remember than a company name and can also help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). For example, if you sell motorboats and you have a domain that contains this ‘motorboats’, you are more likely to get good results for this product in a Google search.

What else should I think about?

  • Who is your web site aimed at? Other businesses? Consumers?
  • Will you be printing your domain name on stationary or advertising it elsewhere?
  • Is your company name too long or too complicated? Or is it already taken?
  • Could you use a domain name which relates to one or more of your products or services?

To find a suitable domain name for your website, simply use the eSterling domain checker www.esterling.co.uk/tools/whois

This tool will show you which domains are available to buy. Then simply give us a call to get started.

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Facebook Updates – An Enhanced Experience or Just a Reaction to Google+?

Filed Under: Google, Internet, Social Media / Networking by James Carless — Leave a comment
September 23, 2011

This week Facebook launched its latest updates which has drastically changed the layout of the news feed.

So far the update has received very mixed reviews. It seems that lots of people are finding their new feeds overloaded and complicated, while others like the news ‘ticker’ as it offers a real-time experience even when you’re not on the home page.

Whatever your views on the update, most people doubt it is coincidence that this latest Facebook update has come in the same week that Google+ opened its doors to the public. Some might even suggest that the Facebook bosses aren’t concerned with whether you like the update or not, as long as your status is about Facebook (and not inviting people to join you on Google+).

While there is no doubt that Facebook is still the number one social network in the world, Facebook must be starting to worry about their status as top dog. Now that Google has joined the social networking revolutions Facebook is facing competition from the biggest name on the internet. Google is a massive brand and the billions of people that use Google on a regular basis for other purposes will surely be tempted to try Google +.

As Richard’s post last week explained, the use of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ should be a major part of any company’s online strategy. Ask us how to upgrade your website so that it is social media friendly.

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The world has gone social networking crazy… now Google+ joins the party!

Filed Under: Google, Internet, Social Media / Networking by Terence Ndikum — 1 Comment
September 21, 2011

The internet has changed beyond recognition. I remember the early days when an email address alone was considered one of the coolest things a guy could have.

Can anyone remember Geocities, Netaddress, Yahoo Chat etc? In those days if you could string a few pages of a website together; you were considered a Guru… Yeah. I recall my first encounter using the internet with much nostalgia.

Today the internet is (kind of) the same as it was, however, we have embraced it and are using it in such a way that is far different than a decade ago. Today we are accustomed to using social networking in our everyday lives.

To me, if you are not ‘part’ of the internet by having an active email address, website, social media presence etc, then you are missing out on a massive change in the way humans interact in the 21st century.

Now we have another social media network available to us – Google +, which I’ll be trying out as soon as I can!

I have no idea what is in store for us within the next decade of the evolution of the internet. However, I do believe we are going to see some changes and new ideas popping up all the time.

The internet is now very social…are you part of it? And do you have any fun memories of your interaction with the internet over the last decade or more?

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