May 20, 2013

Google Penguin 2.0: SEO Changes and Importance

Another Google update has been announced by Matt Cutts, head of Google’s web spam team and our face for all Google algorithm information. This one has been lovingly named “Google 2.0″ courtesy of the internal Google team. As always we don’t know how much the changes will affect your rankings, and as always the affects are determined by your SEO practices.

Below is the a short YouTube video by Matt Cutts on Google 2.0. Keep reading for what this all means for SEO, both recovering bad past work, and moving forward with white-hat ethical SEO from here.

For the best of every business, I hope that your employed SEO company is bringing you forward thinking SEM tactics, such that you are not worried at all after watching that video. If you are unsure at all, please contact us and have us evaluate your current tactics and link-profile.

Algorithm Opportunities

With every change there is momentum towards great loss for some, and great opportunity for others.

Too often I am seeing people write about what needs to change in order to abide by the new “algorithm law” and if great SEO/SEM companies were to focus on what really matters, we might never care about algorithms given our unconditional affection to drive a flawless user experience for your industry.

Authority in Your Industry

To focus on the good before the bad, there is a great opportunity for websites who are an authority in their industry to jump in rankings. With the highest of hopes we would love to hear that you have moved forward with white-hat link building practices to not deter your authoritative site from jumping.

Matt Cutts said, We’re doing a better job of detecting when someone is more of an authority on a specific space… And try to make sure that those rank a little more highly if you’re some sort of authority or a site, according to the algorithms, we think might be a little more appropriate for users.

Hopefully, that is great news for your business!

Quality, Unique, Authoritative Link-Building

This update is also great news if you have been engaged in good link-building practices, all the websites which are buying into link farms or the “too good to be true” promotions of 10,000 unique links built every month should be greatly affected by this update. No one knows how substantial the effects may be.

Webmasters Evolution

I like that Google has been updating and advancing tools within Google Webmasters.

That being said, more functionality will be added to Google Webmasters:

Detect hacked site
More communication with Google Webmasters to receive info after they have been hacked

Algorithm Regrets

Link-Spamming Engagement

Google is going higher up in the chain and beginning to deny value to link-spammers and companies engaging in these practices.

Google Penguin has always been about link-building and preventing webspam.

Dominating Site Listings

If you dominate a particular keyword, such that you have multiple listings show up on a page which are referred to as “clusters of listings” your website will show up less and less as you go more pages back. For example, it is highly desired to have clusters of listings on the first page because you will more than likely receive more clicks due to a great amount of positions you hold both organic and AdWords.

But, as a user goes back deeper into listings it will become more rare they will see your site.

This change, I assume is due to creating a better user-experience. For example, a user would only be driven to dig deeper into listings on page 2+ if the dominant site (cluster of listings) is not helpful for their query. Therefore, as you dig deeper down into listings, it would create a less useful experience by displaying more listings from the same website.

We are excited to see what the results of this algorithm are. One beacon of hope for many websites Matt Cutts says if you are engaged in high-quality link building practices then this algorithm is not an issue.

If you are concerned with your current SEO company or practices, please contact us and we’d love to help evaluate if you are engaged in white-hat ethical SEO practices with a forward thinking mindset.

Please join our Facebook page to keep up to date with Google. Join Here

Apr 17, 2013

Magento Programming: Adding a “Home” link to the top menu (Magento Way)

So, in this article I’ll give you a handy script to add a home link to the top menu.

In magento 1.7, the menu is now created via an *event* (page_block_html_topmenu_gethtml_before)

The catalog observer hooks into this and adds menu items as Varien_Data_Tree_Node objects.

I have some samples here to show you how to add a link at the beginning of this menu.

config.xml portion:

Copy The Code:


===============================
<pre>
<config>
....
	  <frontend>
	  	 <events>
            <page_block_html_topmenu_gethtml_before>
                <observers>
                    <catalog_add_topmenu_items>
                        <class>cp_layout/observer</class>
                        <method>addTopMenuItems</method>
                    </catalog_add_topmenu_items>
                </observers>
            </page_block_html_topmenu_gethtml_before>
        </events>	  	
	  </frontend>
</config>

</pre>

observer portion:
=================================
<pre>
<?php
Class Cp_Layout_Model_Observer
{
    /**
     * Adds additional links to the top menu
     *
     * @param Varien_Event_Observer $observer
     */
    public function addTopMenuItems(Varien_Event_Observer $observer)
    {
        $nodeId = "home";
        $menu   = $observer->getMenu();
        $tree   = $observer->getMenu()->getTree();
        
        $data   = array(
            "name" => "Home",
            "id"   => $nodeId,
            "url"  => Mage::getBaseUrl(),
            "is_active" => Mage::getSingleton('cms/page')->getIdentifier() == 'home'  && Mage::app()->getFrontController()->getRequest()->getRouteName() == 'cms' 
        );
        $homeNode = new Varien_Data_Tree_Node($data, 'id', $tree, $menu);
        $this->_prependNode($homeNode, $menu);
        
    }

    protected function _prependNode($node, $menu)
    {
        $menu->addChild($node);
        $nodeId = $node->getId();
        $readded = array();
        foreach($menu->getChildren()->getNodes() as $n)
        {
           if ($n->getId() != $nodeId)
           {
               $readded[] = $n;
               $menu->getChildren()->delete($n); 
           }
        }
        foreach($readded as $r)
        {
            $menu->getChildren()->add($r); 
        }        
    }
}
</pre>

===============================
<pre>
<config>
….
<frontend>
<events>
<page_block_html_topmenu_gethtml_before>
<observers>
<catalog_add_topmenu_items>
<class>cp_layout/observer</class>
<method>addTopMenuItems</method>
</catalog_add_topmenu_items>
</observers>
</page_block_html_topmenu_gethtml_before>
</events>
</frontend>
</config>

</pre>

observer portion:
=================================
<pre>
<?php
Class Cp_Layout_Model_Observer
{
/**
* Adds additional links to the top menu
*
* @param Varien_Event_Observer $observer
*/
public function addTopMenuItems(Varien_Event_Observer $observer)
{
$nodeId = “home”;
$menu = $observer->getMenu();
$tree = $observer->getMenu()->getTree();

$data = array(
“name” => “Home”,
“id” => $nodeId,
“url” => Mage::getBaseUrl(),
“is_active” => Mage::getSingleton(‘cms/page’)->getIdentifier() == ‘home’ && Mage::app()->getFrontController()->getRequest()->getRouteName() == ‘cms’
);
$homeNode = new Varien_Data_Tree_Node($data, ‘id’, $tree, $menu);
$this->_prependNode($homeNode, $menu);

}

protected function _prependNode($node, $menu)
{
$menu->addChild($node);
$nodeId = $node->getId();
$readded = array();
foreach($menu->getChildren()->getNodes() as $n)
{
if ($n->getId() != $nodeId)
{
$readded[] = $n;
$menu->getChildren()->delete($n);
}
}
foreach($readded as $r)
{
$menu->getChildren()->add($r);
}
}
}
</pre>

Mar 12, 2013

Customer Paradigm Adds Three New Magento Certified Developers

Last Friday, Customer Paradigm has three more developers successfully complete the Magento Certified Developers exam:

Three more programmers from Customer Paradigm passed the Magento Certified Developer exam.

What does does a Magento Certified Developer Mean?

It means our developers have gone through the process of learning the Magento commerce system – inside and out. Need a Magento Certified Developer? Call Customer Paradigm – 303.473.4400 or visit here >>

But don’t take our word for it.
Our developers know Magento’s 150,000 lines of code inside and out, and have been tested directly by Magento and certified to work on Magento Websites.

Dec 4, 2012

Customer Paradigm Loves David and Goliath Tees

David & Goliath

If you need to ask us, which you shouldn’t, it’s clear that we are the coolest people in the world.

What makes us so cool? First, we are the best Magento Ninja’s for all your Magento eCommerce programming needs.

Second, the fact that we own David & Goliath shirts and our characters are known without us even having to speak. Yep that’s us in this picture.

Check out their collection >> HERE

They offer a sexy, smart, and sleek clothing all in one. Their offerings don’t stop with t-shirts, they offer tank tops, pajamas, accessories, and gift cards for the indecisive. Check them out! You are sure to find a Christmas gift for everyone in there!

Nov 30, 2012

Cyber Monday: Traffic and eCommerce Impact Deciphered

It is easy to see the traffic at the mall and hear the honking horns as fervent drivers are trying to race to Walmart to save $50 on a TV for Black Friday. But, where the silent day of sales to follow is Cyber Monday. I have grown to love this sales day more and more, I don’t have to wait through long lines, battle my way through the left over goods, or look for the one product I want only to find it’s not in my size (Thank goodness for eCommerce filters!)

Nope, what does Cyber Monday beg of me? Nothing more than to stay in my PJ’s and start surfing my favorite stores for their deals armed with my PayPal passwords and ready to open tabs for price comparisons. As a consumer great!

Importance of Cyber Monday & Holiday Shopping Gains

Year after year with the emergence of shopping online, the traffic and sales of Cyber Monday continue to grow. Each year anticipating more growth than the year before. The truth is, that the more visibility you have through SEO the better your chances of sales growth are. According to comScore there was $1.46 billion dollars in revenue made this cyber Monday of 2012.

Graph Provided by ComScore

As you can see the trends continue to increase year after year, with the highest point being Week 7 (12/16). Just as Black Friday stands as the kick-off shopping day for the holiday season equally so Cyber Monday represents the kick-off to holiday shopping online.

How Important is the Holiday Season?

17% Increase in revenue in comparison to sales (to date) of 2011

47.1% of all online purchases are done from a work computer

5.7% of sales are from international locations

What you should learn from this…

1. There’s money to be made through eCommerce Shopping

2. People are shopping while they’re at work so sending out email campaigns during the middle of the day is not always as big of a no no as marketers may tell you.

3. If you have an international store extension, and must allocate your eCommerce efforts in one place, focus on you United States storefront.

Retailers: You Know, Now Where Do You Act?

Whatever you do, move forward…

Customer Experience

When is the last time you have been through your customer experience as they go through your site. When is the last time you have run a test to make sure that everything works in the optimal manner?

At Customer Paradigm we strongly believe that constant testing and maintenance leads to site changes to increase conversions. We do this through a series of tests making sure that every button and point on your site works the way it is intended to, or with our experience the way we have seen it be successful for eCommerce sites similar to yours.

Whatever you do, move forward…

Don’t Ditch the Questions, Complaints & Feedback

It’s like a brake screeching. It’s a signal that something is wrong, something should be changed for efficiency and if it’s changed everything will be more smooth and you’ll hear less screeching. Overall, take the questions, complaints, and feedback and turn them into results, changes, and areas of improvement.

With every project at Customer Paradigm we assign you a Project Manager to hear your customer feedback and issues as a manager of your business. If the phone is ringing without stop about the same reasons there are always modifications to your site that can be made to alleviate those calls. For example, one client was having issues with the phone always ringing because her check out system was set up wrong, with a few hours of work we were able to fix it stop the phones from ringing (for that issue) and increase her overall conversions.

Whatever you do, move forward…

Steal Ideas with A Passion

Have you ever been to Amazon and seen a shopping functionality that you like, and even made you purchase something more in addition to your original piece? Wait… did an eCommerce site just up-sell you without lifting a finger?

If you come across eCommerce sites and have the same idea for your website and want it to happen on yours, pick up the phone and call Customer Paradigm at 303.473.4400 to have an eCommerce expert talk with you and figure out how we can make it happen for your site. Steal ideas, make them yours, and capitalize on an increase in average order sales, conversion rate, or even simply usability.

From the Trends >> What’s Next?

If you see the year over year trends with the continual increase it is becoming more and more important that your eCommerce store is up to speed, SEO optimized, and converting. With the initial trend of Cyber Monday, we can only assume this is going to be the biggest year to date for holiday online sales.

This is great news if you are an online retailer.

3 Immediate Things To Do:

1. Get CPC Management – Great Efficiency

According to PM Digital – Product listing ads were the biggest component in ad performance, placing your ads in specific locations to target your market accordingly. This is also done great through re-marketing. Have you ever gone to a website and then slowly as you visit more websites throughout the week you begin to see their ads more and more? This is done through a re-marketing tag and strategic placement. Let us know if you are interested in CPC Management >> Contact Us

2. Make A List of Functionality You Love on Other eCommerce Sites

This comes back to my steal ideas with a passion. Find the functionality you love that can help you capitalize on sales and conversions.

3. Contact Us For A Free eCommerce Evaluation >> HERE

We will go through your eCommerce site tell you our “customer experience” and give you a few recommendations we see immediately.

Write: “eCommerce HELP” in the Comment section below >> HERE

Nov 1, 2012

5 Must Know eBusiness Stats for 2012

Being involved in internet marketing, you are well aware that inbound marketing is just as essential as opening the front door of your business. It’s the first step that allows leads to get to your business. But, unfortunately accomplishing/magento-development/internet-marketing/social-media/ this is not as easy as a physical location with people walking by. No, with a website you not only have to open your door (index your site) you have to open doors where the traffic is.

This is where inbound marketing techniques associated with social media come to play!

Don’t be mistaken social media isn’t solely an avenue for you to post all your products and shout about how great you are. Instead it is becoming increasingly influential in consumption behaviors. It’s becoming a new avenue for customer service. People are tweeting for customer help, and responses have been speedy and saved business relationships.

With the growth of social media, the skeptics were hesitant to get on board and dedicate time to managing their social media avenues. It has undoubtedly become an influential factor in business. Now arise the big questions, how can we leverage this factor for greater business?

5 Tempting eBusiness Statistics of 2012 & What to do!

1. LinkedIn for B2B Leads

According to Social Media B2B, LinkedIn generated the most B2B leads for any company. When businesses were asked if they were actively using LinkedIn as a social media medium only 45% of businesses said they actively used LinkedIn.

If you are a B2B company, and not actively using LinkedIn you could be missing out on business opportunities. The first step is to create a business page on LinkedIn. Let your existing employees know you have created a business LinkedIn profile, so that they can connect and more users can find you.

Follow Customer Paradigm on LinkedIn >> Follow Here

2. CEO’s Get Involved!

According to an article by eMarketer it is important to consumers that CEO’s are involved in their social media communication. Seventy-seven percent of consumers say they will be more likely to buy from a company if the CEO or upper level management is involved in their social media communication. Almost 95% of people said that they view the brand as more trustworthy and overall increase brand image when management is involved in social media.

We know that CEO’s are busy and their list of to-do’s seems like an endless pad of paper. If the head management is unable to directly facilitate social media channels, then always post on their behalf.

3. Lower Barriers of Involvement

Account Login Requirement statistics We know you are trying to collect information to keep involved with your customer base or viewers, but beware that collecting information as a requirement can be a huge barrier to entry and decrease your user involvement. According to Marketing Sherpa 86% of people say they are irritated when the website requires them to make a new account.

As a business you have two options, understanding that asking a user to sign up for your site to view it is asking a bit much. Why don’t you just marry me now and then I will talk to you later? This makes no sense.

Option 1: Take your barrier to entry out and write engaging content that brings users back because of genuine interest. Eventually they will give their information and sign up for your newsletter.

Option 2: Provide options for the user. Don’t give them one option, for example don’t make them sign in only through your services. Provide them with Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and other third party sign-in options.

4. Write Blogs & Share

It is argued that blogs are the single most important inbound marketing tool. Why? Because (according to Mindjumpers) blogs and social media reach about eighty percent of all internet users in the United States. There is a high correlation between blogging frequency and the number of customers acquired. According to Hubspot 92% of blogs that posted multiple times a day acquired more customers.

Blogging is an important tool for your inbound marketing strategy. Don’t doubt the power of a good blog with useful information. A statistic which should get the ball rolling on your blogging is that B2B companies with blogs generate close to 70% more leads than companies with no blog.

If your website needs to integrate a blog, call Customer Paradigm at 303.473.4400 to speak with a real person about how we can create a blog and generate more inbound leads. Remember, develop strong, useful topics, write clearly and spread the news.

5. Accessible on a Mobile Platform

E-mails and websites are increasing in viewership through a mobile device. 4.8 billion people own phones, and on average 50% of B2B sites are being viewed through a mobile device. The strange statistic is that 75% of all marketers are aware of the increase in viewership through a mobile device but only about 20% of marketers find it a critical move to develop a mobile platform.

I like to be ahead of the curve, not reacting to the change because it becomes a critical function for business to continue to survive. If your B2B company sees a trend for an increase in mobile device visits bring up a mobile website as a critical issue. Trust me, your business will be thanking you for pressing the development.

If your business is in need of a mobile platform development, call Customer Paradigm now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person. We listen to your business goals and help you market yourself to accomplish your business goals while meeting the consumers needs.

I hope you found these 5 statistics of 2012 interesting, and provided you with some great ideas to branch your business out and grow with the changes of technology and consumer behavior trends. Please follow us on Twitter @custparadigm to keep up with more trends ad updates.

Oct 30, 2012

Impact of Holiday eCommerce Shopping – MAGENTO

Is Your Website Ready For Sales?

Magento eCommerce Website Sales I’m not talking about any sales, I’m talking about holiday sales. Shoppers that are price-sensitive, impatient and quick to click to your nearest competition to get their holiday shopping done.

The holiday season is upon us and committing to the final changes to your website now can make all the difference for your sales and conversion rates.

Having the right Magento Developers can determine the success or failure of your site.

At Customer Paradigm we are Magento Certified Developers. We work hard to meet your eCommerce goals, communicate clearly with prompt project management and deliver to exceed your expectations.

Importance of Holiday Sales

Sometimes, words just don’t do the job. Here are some great info-graphics and statistics on holiday eCommerce consumption behaviors.

Magento eCommerce Development for Holidays

Revenue in the Holiday Season

The Holiday Season accounts for 41% of total annual revenue

The average conversion rate increases by 108% in December

It is projected that US Retail web sales will increase by about 17% this year in comparison to last years online shopping trends

How to Make Them Purchase

Are you asking the right questions?

How can I change my website to increase my conversion rate?

What can we offer that will make shoppers purchase with me over Amazon where they already have an account?

What matters to the consumer?

If you can understand what drives consumer sales, you will have a more profitable holiday season and overall profitable year. Adapting these strategies can make all the difference, start updating your Magento website today to convert for sales tomorrow!

Is Your Website Accessible?

With the variety of tablets, smart phones, computers with different browsers, is your site accessible and functional?

eCommerce Sales According to Invesp.com:

Shoppers via Tablets have an average sale of $110

Shoppers via Computers have an average sale of $95

Shoppers via Smartphones have an average sale of $70

What are Shoppers Doing Online?

If your store is getting a lot of visitors but the conversion rate is low, my first thought as a marketer is to understand the consumer. Get in their mindset. What are they doing online? What are they looking for? What matters to THEM?

Consumer Magento Online Shopping Habits Attributes of Online Shoppers:

Price Sensitive – 79% of users are viewing your website to compare prices

Deals – 73% are looking for what you offer in deals and promotions

Information – 67% are reading reviews about the product

Substitutes – 60% are comparing specs of one model to a close substitute

Customer Service – 37% are trying to get in contact with you

Know & Act

The first step is understanding your consumer and what they are doing on your website, the next step is acting to satisfy their concerns while keeping them on your site.

Know: Price Sensitive >> Provide Perks that Diminish Price-Sensitivity

Free Shipping - Influences holiday purchases by 55%

Payment Plans – Having multiple methods of payment plans affects purchase intent by 8%. A potential customer will be hesitant to purchase from you if they have to create a new account or your check-out process is comprised of too many steps.

Know: Deals >> Give Them Discounts, Coupons, and Incentives!

Daily Deals – Having daily deals increases the urgency of the purchase, making users feel if they pass up the opportunity today the price may never come back. 1 in every 4 holiday consumers purchases a daily deal.

Coupons – Coupons offer discounts or rewards which are an incentive to the consumer to purchase with you over not receiving any discount. Many shoppers will associate a discount as more value even if the end price is higher than a competitor.

Know: Information >> Tell Them What The Product Is

Descriptions – Write captivating descriptions which describe the product fulfilling every specification they will need to know. This is very important for electronic devices, the more information you provide the less a shopper will research on other sites.

Reviews – Get in a habit of sending automatic e-mails a few months after the purchase of an item to accrue reviews on your website. Reviews are one of the most influential factors for the final decision on whether or not to purchase.

Know: Substitutes >> Internalize the Process

Compare Products – Add a compare products option to your eCommerce site. If a user is debating between two camera models, allow them to perform a side by side comparison on your site rather than getting distracted and looking for alternatives on competitors eCommerce sites.

Know: Customer Service >> Be Prompt, Be Thorough

Above and Beyond – Remember it is much easier to retain a customer than to attain one. With this in mind, be prompt to answer requests, be thorough so it is not addressed again, and go above and beyond to ensure that they are satisfied with your services.

You Know, You Understand, How Will You Act?

After understanding what the consumer is going through, what they are looking for, is your website ready for Holiday eCommerce Shopping? Are you set-up to provide what consumers are looking for and keep them on your site, engaged, and purchasing?

If you are in need of Magento eCommerce development contact Customer Paradigm now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person about your business strategy. If your website is in need of internet marketing to create incentives and deals for your shoppers, talk to our SEO team and see how we can work to increase your conversion rates.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Articles, Blog, Internet Marketing, Magento Developer, Magento eCommerce, Magento Programming, Magento Upgrade

Oct 30, 2012

Impact of Holiday eCommerce Shopping – MAGENTO

Is Your Website Ready For Sales?

Magento eCommerce Website Sales I’m not talking about any sales, I’m talking about holiday sales. Shoppers that are price-sensitive, impatient and quick to click to your nearest competition to get their holiday shopping done.

The holiday season is upon us and committing to the final changes to your website now can make all the difference for your sales and conversion rates.

Having the right Magento Developers can determine the success or failure of your site.

At Customer Paradigm we are Magento Certified Developers. We work hard to meet your eCommerce goals, communicate clearly with prompt project management and deliver to exceed your expectations.

Importance of Holiday Sales

Sometimes, words just don’t do the job. Here are some great info-graphics and statistics on holiday eCommerce consumption behaviors.

Magento eCommerce Development for Holidays

Revenue in the Holiday Season

The Holiday Season accounts for 41% of total annual revenue

The average conversion rate increases by 108% in December

It is projected that US Retail web sales will increase by about 17% this year in comparison to last years online shopping trends

How to Make Them Purchase

Are you asking the right questions?

How can I change my website to increase my conversion rate?

What can we offer that will make shoppers purchase with me over Amazon where they already have an account?

What matters to the consumer?

If you can understand what drives consumer sales, you will have a more profitable holiday season and overall profitable year. Adapting these strategies can make all the difference, start updating your Magento website today to convert for sales tomorrow!

Is Your Website Accessible?

With the variety of tablets, smart phones, computers with different browsers, is your site accessible and functional?

eCommerce Sales According to Invesp.com:

Shoppers via Tablets have an average sale of $110

Shoppers via Computers have an average sale of $95

Shoppers via Smartphones have an average sale of $70

What are Shoppers Doing Online?

If your store is getting a lot of visitors but the conversion rate is low, my first thought as a marketer is to understand the consumer. Get in their mindset. What are they doing online? What are they looking for? What matters to THEM?

Consumer Magento Online Shopping Habits Attributes of Online Shoppers:

Price Sensitive – 79% of users are viewing your website to compare prices

Deals – 73% are looking for what you offer in deals and promotions

Information – 67% are reading reviews about the product

Substitutes – 60% are comparing specs of one model to a close substitute

Customer Service – 37% are trying to get in contact with you

Know & Act

The first step is understanding your consumer and what they are doing on your website, the next step is acting to satisfy their concerns while keeping them on your site.

Know: Price Sensitive >> Provide Perks that Diminish Price-Sensitivity

Free Shipping - Influences holiday purchases by 55%

Payment Plans – Having multiple methods of payment plans affects purchase intent by 8%. A potential customer will be hesitant to purchase from you if they have to create a new account or your check-out process is comprised of too many steps.

Know: Deals >> Give Them Discounts, Coupons, and Incentives!

Daily Deals – Having daily deals increases the urgency of the purchase, making users feel if they pass up the opportunity today the price may never come back. 1 in every 4 holiday consumers purchases a daily deal.

Coupons – Coupons offer discounts or rewards which are an incentive to the consumer to purchase with you over not receiving any discount. Many shoppers will associate a discount as more value even if the end price is higher than a competitor.

Know: Information >> Tell Them What The Product Is

Descriptions – Write captivating descriptions which describe the product fulfilling every specification they will need to know. This is very important for electronic devices, the more information you provide the less a shopper will research on other sites.

Reviews – Get in a habit of sending automatic e-mails a few months after the purchase of an item to accrue reviews on your website. Reviews are one of the most influential factors for the final decision on whether or not to purchase.

Know: Substitutes >> Internalize the Process

Compare Products – Add a compare products option to your eCommerce site. If a user is debating between two camera models, allow them to perform a side by side comparison on your site rather than getting distracted and looking for alternatives on competitors eCommerce sites.

Know: Customer Service >> Be Prompt, Be Thorough

Above and Beyond – Remember it is much easier to retain a customer than to attain one. With this in mind, be prompt to answer requests, be thorough so it is not addressed again, and go above and beyond to ensure that they are satisfied with your services.

You Know, You Understand, How Will You Act?

After understanding what the consumer is going through, what they are looking for, is your website ready for Holiday eCommerce Shopping? Are you set-up to provide what consumers are looking for and keep them on your site, engaged, and purchasing?

If you are in need of Magento eCommerce development contact Customer Paradigm now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person about your business strategy. If your website is in need of internet marketing to create incentives and deals for your shoppers, talk to our SEO team and see how we can work to increase your conversion rates.

Oct 25, 2012

The Power of eCommerce Website Sales [Infographic]

Provided by flippa.com

Growth of eCommerce

Flippa.com has provided an awesome info-graphic displaying the factors which have affected our eCommerce worlds. With the power of the internet, businesses have shifted from the large factories of work, to the ability to sit at home and be the owner of your own business online. That’s incredible!

The info-graphic to the left has been a random sampling of $26 million dollars worth of transactions over the last eighteen months. If you are an eCommerce start up you should pay attention to these trends and invest in the right direction.

2012 eCommerce Platform Demand & Supply

In 2012 the highest demanded platform is Shopify with 39.8%, with Magento coming in second with a demand of 18.3%, and finally Open Cart with a demand of 13.4%. In 2012, the supply was met by Magento platforms taking over 30.3% of supply, with Open Cart following at 11.8% of supply and finally Shopify at 5.3%.

Why would Magento be the majority of supply over Shopify?

It’s really simple when you break it down why the demand doesn’t correlate directly with the supply. The first factor is brand awareness, new eCommerce buyers recognize Shopify whereas they are less knowledgeable about the other eCommerce platforms. The obvious reason that Magento provides the majority of supply is the ability for unlimited customization on this platform. Magento is a PHP / MySQL based framework, where Shopify is a SAAS solution. SAAS solution basically means that the core functionality of your website can not be modified.

It is clear that Magento is for the advanced eCommerce needs, if you wanted to add coupon codes to your products then Magento would be the platform for you. If you were selling extra characters for Angry Birds, then Shopify would be great for you. It is very important to match the eCommerce needs with the right platform.

2012 Content Management System Demand & Supply

A content management system (CMS) runs with your eCommerce platform to provide a blog for your website. This may not seem relevant to you as an eCommerce owner, but it is extremely relevant to the success of your website. Some eCommerce sites are run completed on a CMS using plug-ins or modules that are added for an online store capability.

Due to the Google Penguin update, which is an algorithm change that dictates your Search Engine Ranking Positioning (SERP). This directly affects the traffic to your website, so changes to the Google Algorithm are constantly on our SEO radar. Long story short, CMS and eCommerce websites go hand in hand.

In 2012 WordPress stole the majority demand at 82.9% and won the supply at an astounding 88.5%. The second most demanded CMS is Joomla at 4.6% and providing a supply of 3.1%.

Why is WordPress the Clear Winner?

WordPress is the clear winner because it brings simplicity, functionality, and flexibility for your website. And it’s FREE!

If you have any questions, or are interested in a WordPress website, call us at Customer Paradigm Now at 303.473.4400 to find out more information about how we can make your website a reality.

Custom Built Languages Demand & Supply

Very rarely do you get a website and it works exactly how you need it to function. This is where custom languages come into play in modifying your website. Some languages are: PHP, HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Ruby. In 2012 the highest demanded custom language is PHP at 46%, followed my HTML with a demand of 24%. In 2012 the supply was met by 61% PHP and following behind 21% HTML.

Customizing your website to work with functioning that you need in order to succeed can be the difference in your conversion percentage. For example, if you need to format your pages so that users are able to view products faster, that’s where PHP customization would come in handy. At Customer Paradigm it is all about the efficiency of your website to be found for the right searches, direct the customers to the right products, and check out with ease.

If you are needing help on your eCommerce website, Customer Paradigm is a Magento certified business. We work to develop clean, efficient and profitable websites for your business. If you would like more information on how we can make your business goals happen call us at 303.473.4400 and we would love to hear the vision you have for your business and how we can work together to make it happen.

Oct 22, 2012

Unnatural Link Profiles – Causes, Actions and Solutions – Disavow Tool

Spammy Links, Give Me Back My Traffic! Please?

On October 16, 2012 Google has responded to the cries from websites who have lost their search engine ranking positioning due to an unnatural or spammy link profiles. A spammy link profile can be created without you lifting a finger or engaging in any black hat SEO tactics, or link-building scams. It can simply be born from “unnatural links” that direct back to your website.

For example, you are the owner of a flower business which sell bouquets of deliverable flowers and suddenly as a result of your poor link profile, your natural traffic is gone. You begin to panic, that’s thousands of dollars in revenue you’re losing every day. You begin to do your research and find that many websites not in your industry or related to you are linking back to you. This is frequently an issue when companies engage in black hat SEO tactics that gain links through spammy comments from anywhere they can. Being as smart as you are, you ask the important questions, “How did these poorly related links start?” “What do I do now?”

As they look through their link profile they begin to identify thousands of inbound links from unrelated sites such as house building, mechanical, adult content and more. It’s coming up on Valentine’s day, the day of their biggest sales and showing up on rankings is important. What do they do?

The First Steps Are Always The Hardest

Identify the Source of the Issue

With any issue it is important to look at the symptoms, identify the issue, and then take action. In this case, your symptom is that you have lost all search engine traffic to your website. The issue comes down to one of two: you are engaging in SEO practices that are building you spammy link profiles, or, you are not engaging in SEO practices and the poor links are being created naturally.

If you are paying for an SEO service, call them now and let them know you have received a notification that your website has received an unnatural link profile notification and your search traffic has dropped dramatically. Request a link profile analysis and instruct them to stop all link-building for your site. After you have received your link profile and have gone through it to mark all inbound links which you believe are hurting your profile, send it back to your service and request to have them fix the situation. (Note: This is a very long process. It is easy to have your links go up on a site that is poorly managed, but having the moderators search through the site for you is a very difficult task that rarely gets done.)

If you are not paying for any SEO service, and poor links have been born naturally contact us today or call us at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person about your unnatural link notification. We will analyze your website and your link profile, and help you work to bring your site back to full traffic.

To help the process be easier as you go, create a .txt file with all the links you are working on and their status. The best format is to have a commented out section stating the progress of that link. For example:

#contacted admin 5 times, last contact October 22, 2012

http://www.annoyingdomain.com

Cleaning the Grime of Bad Links With Persistence and Patience

As noted above, if you begin to clean your link profile it will be a long process and if it isn’t tell me how you did it. First, you must contact the moderators or site admins of each root link and the more work you can do to get rid of the link the better. For example, anticipate that the moderators are not going to be very happy that you are saying their site linking to your attributing to your poor traffic. That’s not exactly a compliment to them. The best strategy I have come across is being as courteous and helpful as possible.

Explain that you are trying to tailor your link profile to domains relative to yours. Find the exact page on their site and let them know the anchor text which is linking to your website and request to have it removed. If the moderator or site admin is polite enough they will e-mail you and let you know it has been done. If not, continue to check in on the link periodically.

Remember >> Persistence and Patience

If All Else Fails: Google Disavow Link

Google doesn’t want your website to fail, if you have been hit with a poor link profile. Sometimes it just comes down to the mistake of signing up for an all inclusive SEO package with too many confusing points to begin with. You hoped with all their beautiful testimonials circulating throughout their site that there was some truth to it. Who can blame you? Unfortunately, there are plenty of SEO companies who do not keep up on the new algorithm changes and still engage in old tactics that now cause harm to your business and more specifically website traffic.

You’ve Done It All, Still No Results… What Now?

Only after you have contacted all the administrators to have your links removed and have been persistent and patient, should you turn to the Google disavow tool. It is important that you understand this should be your last resort. Google has made it very clear that this should not be used loosely to heal your link profile.

Now that we are on the same page, here’s what you need to know about the Google disavow link tool.

What You Need: Google Webmaster Tools Profile

Make sure you have your website set up on Google webmasters >> Google.com/webmasters/

If you already have that set up then you can visit the Google Disavow Link Page >> Here

Select the website from the menu in your Google webmasters tools which you would like to clean up the link profile for.

You will then be prompted to upload a file which contains all the links you wish to disavow.

Creating a Valid Disavow File – BE CAREFUL

The Google disavow file is a very simple .txt file

My first warning, I say be careful for a reason. Matt Cutts from Google has said once a link has been disavowed, re-avowing a link will take a lot longer. So make sure that the links you wish to disavow have been properly identified as a spammy link.

It has been recommended to create this file while working on cleaning up your link profile (as mentioned above). It is important to add comments and work on the status of your requested disavow links, this one, keeps you organized, secondly, lets Google know you have been working on it.

Here is the format:

# Note about your Progress such as: Contacted siteadmin of badlink.com on 10/22 and have had no response

http://www.badlink.com/content4.html

http://www.badlink.com/content21.html

# Comment about next bad link

http://www.badlink2.com/right-now-help/

http://www.badlink2.com/mechanics-need-help-too/

The disavow links can be used on two levels. You can disavow links on a site wide level in this case you would put the root domain on its own line in the example file shown above. Or, you can request disavow links on specific pages within a site. This would be used for example, if you have built one good piece of content and have sourced it to that website, then you engaged in poor comment spamming throughout the site on irrelevant topics.

The disavow file will work similar to a .htaccess file for your website. You will be able to upload, download and modify the existing file if there are changes you need to make.

How Long Do I have to Wait?

After all the long work and organizing, you’ve uploaded your disavow list, now how long? According to Matt Cutts from Google it will take 2 weeks to a month for Google to crawl your requested disavow links and re-index your site.

It is important to know that Google will treat all the disavowed links as “strong suggestions” treated similar to a “no follow” tag on a link.

I hope that this guide has helped you understand the steps you should take if you receive an unnatural link profile warning from Google or have experienced a dramatic drop in natural traffic. It is important that you employ companies that engage in white-hat SEO tactics and are constantly working and staying plugged in with that’s new and next with Google. If your website is a victim of poor link-building please contact Customer Paradigm today at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person and have your website analyzed. Work with our professional SEO team to get your site back to health and move forward with solid proven SEO tactics today.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Articles, Blog, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Oct 17, 2012

MainFright (freight) Love!!

Halloween with Mainfreight customer paradigm

Who says you can’t share love with a basket full of cookies?

Well let’s just say that in a room full of computers, typing fingers and coding jokes – cookies are always welcome. We love to keep our clients happy and work day in and day out to make their ideas for the functionality, presence, and design succeed. Thank you so much Mainfreight SFO for the cookie basket and showing CP some love. We are so happy to be working with you, and look forward to continuing to grow together!

Oct 15, 2012

Easy Fix for Chrome Magento Admin Login

If you are having issues logging into your Magento admin panel while using the Chrome browser then this is the PERFECT solution for you. I have read through many solutions and have found people recommending very long fixes. One blog said that I needed to downgrade my Magento platform… um, don’t do this. Needless to say, here is the solution.

First thing to do when breaking down an issue, where is the discrepancy? Because, if you are able to login to Magento through another browser such as Firefox and are having issues with Chrome, then the issue is Chrome not Magento.

problems logging into magento through Chrome browser

Problem: Chrome Unable to Login to Magento Admin Panel

Once attempting to login the system seems to be redirecting back to itself.

Issue: Cookie Settings in Chrome

Chrome likes stable sessions and its opinion is that a cookie’s which only last for only 3600 seconds (Magento’s default cookie session duration) is not alive long enough to be stable.

Fix: Set your cookie lifetime higher than the default

If you are unable to login through Chrome, login through a different internet browser to change the settings in your Magento admin panel. To set your cookie lifetime higher than the default go to: System >> Configuration >> Web >> Session Cookie Management.

Magento System Configuration Settings

Magento Configuration Web for Cookie settings Web cookies for magento

Set your cookies to ’33600′ which is roughly 9 hours or some amount higher than ’3600′.

It is important to make sure that the proper cookie domain is set, Chrome, being a standard neurotic browser, doesn’t like it when cookies can’t be validated/traced to their domain.

Voila! You should be able to login to your Magento admin panel through Chrome. Let me know how it works, or if you run into any other issues.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Magento eCommerce, Magento Programming

Oct 9, 2012

Facebook Plans for A Search Engine: Opinions of The Crowds

Confirmed: Facebook is Building a “Search Related” Tool

Oh how the opinions are coming out as Mark Zuckerberg founder of the social media platform Facebook brings his serious face to discuss the growth into a Facebook search engine. As he calmly boasts without even trying at Disrupt that, “we’re [Facebook] basically doing 1 billion queries a day”. For years it has been in the game plan but with the expansion of dealing with many other trends business takes time.

The Facebook evolution has grown so much. He has revealed to us that Facebook will be starting their own search entity. Currently there are search queries such as “where to eat Italian”. He has admitted that the results are not worthwhile, but where there’s a demand a business will supply.

What Do We Know About the Facebook Search Tool

Everyone is crawling over the new details based on what Mark Zuckerberg has said in relation to the new tool. What functionality will it hold? What will dictate the search results? Does it really have the power to compete with Google?

To be honest we all know very little about what functionality the tool will actually hold. But, we do know one thing that the search tool is being created and the questions which have sparked interest to spur the project have been in relation to businesses and friends.

“Where have my friends gone to get sushi in New York?”

For Users: From this, I assume that there will be a higher ranking for result within your friendship network.

For Businesses: Encouraging check-ins and ratings for your business will increase the likelihood for repeat customers or showing up higher in search results performed by friend networks.

“Do any of my friends work at X business?”

For Users: You may have a better chance of getting in contact with specific individuals that work at a location without having to go through the entire LinkedIn process of requesting people to be in your network or unable to message individuals without an upgraded account. You may also be able to research more about a business before you sign up. On a privacy note if you don’t want to talk about work or be contacted for an internal opinion you may want to change your privacy settings for employment.

For Businesses: The businesses who have been skeptical about getting involved in social media and Facebook should deeply consider there involvement and employee moral. A disgruntled employee randomly contacted could be the difference between a great new employee which you have been aiming to get. LinkedIn should also consider their accessibility to connect with other users.

Opinions: Will Facebook Search Engine Sink or Swim?

The first question for me is, “why now?” Is it because Zynga isn’t doing well and I don’t think will last much longer than another year? Currently Zynga is reported to be 11% of Facebook’s income. Are they trying to create avenues of revenue through this grand search engine idea?

Undoubtedly, as Zuckerberg explains many times Facebook is well positioned to create a search engine.

1. Their tool starts out with billions of users

2. An already well established social network and there is no learning curve of their existing customer base on how to use the product.

3. Users are already tapped into individuals with opinions that they trust.

4. There has been proven marketability through Facebook.

You couldn’t ask for a better starting point. But the question really comes down to, if they can succeed?

With the news of the new Facebook Search Engine coming out Greenlight Digital created a report asking individuals:

“Would you use Facebook Search Engine over your preferred search engine?”

The Big Opinions..

The Google Enthusiast

“This whole idea is a joke. Why would I want to use Facebook for search when I can use far larger and more comprehensive search engines like Google? I guess it depends on whether you’re looking for accurate information or something your stoner friend clicked “Like” on a couple of years ago. Regarding the example given above for sushi restaurants, frankly I trust the comprehensiveness of Zagat reviews more than the limited experience of a friend visiting New York.” -Yahoo User

“Man, when are you fools going to quit this, OH I THINK THEY CAN COMPETE WITH GOOGLE CRAP!, ZUCK talks alot , but maybe and truthfully , all of you will admit maybe, FB’s focus should be services that actually make money…” -Anonymous

The Facebook Enthusiast

“Zuck is a pimp he will killlll the goog.” -Facebook User

The Know-it-Alls

“Told you so 2 years ago!” – Facebook User

Your turn

What do you think about this Facebook Search Engine?

How will Google react?

Do you think Facebook can compete with Google?

If you enjoyed this article, please like our page: Facebook.com/Customerparadigm

Oct 9, 2012

Twitter Stepping Up SEO Factors

The wildest SEO moves by big companies are done in the secrets of the night.

You may not know this, but Twitter has launched a user directory which contains every twitter account. The full directory is accessible when you are logged out of Twitter, it is located in the footer and basically works as a Sitemap. A smart SEO move for websites is to always put the sitemap on the home page because it is the first page this crawled the most thoroughly. By placing this new user directory on the homepage Twitter is putting every user profile up for the crawl call.

First: Results on Hashtag Association

Well. I wouldn’t call this wild, but Twitter has made big changes in the crawlability of users accounts. For example, when searching for information on Google specific tweets are now showing up in search results. From my results, I have seen that it has mainly been in relation to keywords associated to hastags “#”.

For instance, if you label a tweet with a hashtag and it has been retweeted multiple times which increases it’s value and association it is probable that your tweet will show up in it’s own individual search result. Twitter has developed a page result, it displays the users profile with the specific tweet below and the interactions as a result of the tweet.

Follow Customer Paradigm’s Twitter: @custparadigm

Second: Results on Directory Profiles

Twitter has made the profiles of each Twitter user indexed. https://twitter.com/i/directory/profiles/

What does this mean for users?

For businesses this increases the SEO value of association to your username. Which makes creating and picking a username even more important. For example all the above names and associated Twitter accounts will result under the keyword search for “Annette”. Although, I say now that the importance of picking a username will affect your exposure of your Twitter account while that is true now. I am always thinking about what is to come next.

With the current downward trending of Exact Match Domain (EMD) url’s I think eventually the same will take affect for Twitter usernames. For instance, SEO accounts that do not active tweet will rank lower for their Twitter profile despite the fact that their profile url is Twitter.com/SEO. In the end I believe it will come down to the quality of tweets over time. Yes, we do tweet about the occasional weather update or something that is not within the collective interest of our followers, but essentially it will play the same role as new content.

Follow Customer Paradigm Twitter @CustParadigm

How to Make Your Profile Indexed?

Google bots are currently running through the new directory of millions of Twitter profiles to be indexed. There are currently 673,000 profiles that have indexed through Google and Bing crawls a bit slower than Google.

Why Hasn’t This Been Done From The Start?

If I was running Twitter I would be doing anything and everything to continue to gain traction for all my profiles and make Twitter accounts an even more enticing tool for social media bloggers and SEO guru’s.

So, why now?

1. Google Real Time Search Results

When Twitter first started out there were many issues between Google and Twitter. If you remember Google launched a “real time” search results to increase the relevance of people searching for issues at that moment in time. For example if you were searching about “Colorado Fires” Google wanted the search results to come up in accordance with the latest fires not the “history of fires in Colorado”.

With this real time change came a huge emergence of Twitter feeds showing up in SERP’s and taking over the top 10 rankings. Because Twitter was the “real time” of news, if there was an event people were tweeting about it and this was especially true during sporting events. As quietly as the real time change came into the search engine, it quickly slipped away.

2. Twitter SEO Value

Talk about a nightmare of content from an SEO perspective, even though you have plenty of content that is fresh and new and great interactions, you have an undeniable amount of duplicate content kindly named “re tweeting” and tweets in general are taking snippets from big articles and spreading them.

With the cleaning up of the content and information, Twitter has finally come to a position where there content will no longer create poor SEO value, so the timing is perfect for indexing profiles.

Oct 1, 2012

Integrate Magento with eBay

Combine your Magento Store with ebay

Having a Magento eCommerce store and running your product on as many eCommerce sites as possible such as eBay or Amazon just makes sense. If your goal is to get your product out there then tapping into the already existent customer base of eBay is a smart business move.

Integrating Magento with eBay

In June 2011 eBay bought majority share with Magento and since this purchase, the integration and usability has skyrocketed. The best part the once paid for extension with M2E is now completely free. They are currently offering this extension for free, if you need help installing and modifying this extension please call us at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person and get immediate support.

Is M2E the best Magento eBay Extension?

Here is a quick video about the M2E extension:

Integrating Magento with eBay for Efficiency

When creating this extension the developers truly thought about the integration directly from your Magento storefront to your eBay listings. Allowing each system to work seamlessly together creates a owners dreamland for efficiency. This extension not only allows you to create and manage listings, your product stock levels on hand are constantly updated. From within the extension you can manage different Magento or eBay accounts and allow your products to be available on any of eBay’s 23 marketplaces. So wherever your eCommerce products may be categorized, there are no restrictions for where it can be listed on eBay.

Functionality of M2E for Magento

Selling Format Template

This template is directly related for your eBay sales monitoring, it allows you to view all the products by the listing type, how many products you have on hand, auction duration and settings, and best offers.

Description Format Template

The description format template is used to determine the main listing attributes such as the title for your product listing, the product attributes which would characterize which categories you would filter your item into such as “Cell Phones” “Electronics”.

You are also able to add a item title and custom title which are limited to 80 characters. You are also permitted to add subtitles which are limited to 55 characters and require an extra fee. For items such as car parts that are specific down to models paying the extra fee may be worthwhile.

General Format Template

This section contains all the eBay basic settings which are required for an eBay listing, similar to what the user would need to fill out when listing a product on eBay.

Stock Level Synchronization

This is taking care of the biggest headache for store owners, is the ability to sync the selling platforms into one inventory screen. There is nothing more frustrating than making a sale on eBay and in your store and not having enough products to get the items out. With this integrated stock level you will have one stock showing for all available products on hand.

Unlimited eBay Accounts

Set yourself up with as many eBay accounts as you need. This is great due to the fact that eBay has introduced a policy which limits the amount of products for a seller. This was a policy which was started by eBay to make sure each seller had a good history of selling before they were able to make a profit off of eBay. Currently a new seller may only sell 10 items in their first month.

Magento Designs for eCommerce Sales

In order to see more information about your products from eBay many buyers will directly visit the website or do a bit of research about the product before purchasing it. It can be difficult to determine the full value and specifications of an item based off a poorly filled out eBay product listing. It is important to be prepared for buyers to visit your site for more information.

To build a strong reputable Magento eCommerce site for your products call Customer Paradigm today at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person about getting you an online storefront. If you are able to direct sales to your website, you may be able to keep that extra percentage that eBay takes and improve your cash flow instead of waiting till the end of the month to get paid for your eBay sales.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Internet Marketing, Magento eCommerce

Sep 28, 2012

Google AdWords: Unique Sitelink Extensions

Google sent out a policy enforcement e-mail in regards to the Sitelink Ad Extension. If you are using sitelinks now, or are considering using sitelinks extension then this a blog post for you.

What is the Sitelink Extension?

A sitelink ad extension is a feature on your Google Adwords campaign which allows you to add links to specific landing pages below your CPC listing. For example when searching for art supplies, dickblick.com comes up with 4 links to interior landing pages: Art Supplies, Clearance, Hot Deals of the Week and New Products. There is a limit of 10 links you can add to you listing, which helps the click-through rate for your campaign. Among 11 links inclusive of the main title link to your website you are bound to have one link which entices the user based upon their search query.

Google’s Change to Sitelink Ad Extensions

As always Google is catering to the end user. As a result they are constantly seeking out strategies which have created loopholes diminishing the end users experience. With the gracious amount of sitelinks (10) people are abusing the space and use by creating multiple links to the same page. For example, dickblick.com could be abusing this extension by adding Art Supplies to their interior page e.g. /art-supplies/and also linking the text “Cheap Art Supplies” to the same interior page. Shown Below:

Unique Sitelink Ad Extensions

There is going to be an enforcement change to these extensions which will prevent the linking of the same landing page with different link text. This is to not only increase the users experience by giving them genuinely different options, but to strengthen the value of your CPC listing by providing links to unique content within your site.

What does this mean for my existing sitelink extensions?

Initially Google says they will focus on new sitelink extensions which are being created in the system. If your ad campaign does not adhere to the new standards your ad extension will be disapproved and not appear in search results. Next Google will start going through the ads which are being served for search queries and grade the performance of associated ad extensions. It is important to not be complacent about this issue and allow your text ads to run without the extension, it will directly affect the value of your text ads. Having non-eligible sitelinks could result in lower CTR and ultimately less visibility.

How much time do I have?

I received the e-mail on September 28th, according to the e-mail they will be going through the links in the next couple months, so I assume near the beginning of December ad campaigns will begin to be affected by this issue. Let us know if you see any changes in your campaigns.

Questions about Your Existing CPC Ad-Extensions

If you would like more information about this sitelink policy visit here.

If you need help managing your existing CPC Campaign call us now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person about your internet marketing strategies. We will work with you to drive profitable traffic to your site.

Sep 24, 2012

Social Media Value of Profitable Customers on Magento

If you keep hearing that your website needs social media plugins, then the next question is, “which ones?” With so many social media channels it is difficult to know if you need to be on all of them or just the big ones? And, most importantly what does this plugin tell me where Google Analytics fails to cover? We will go over all these questions and the solution I have found so far.

Value of Social Sharing on Magento

Being a social media enthusiast I believe that people aren’t solely on their personal profiles to watch their personal profiles grow, but they are truly there to see what is going on involving their interests and friends. Saying this, I believe the biggest mistake any business owner makes is disregarding the influence of social sharing simply because they do not understand the relation to their store and more importantly conversions. I hope that after reading this article you will re-consider your business approach to social sharing and profitability.

First, the most important reason for sharing, is that the recommendation of friends in your network tilt the tables drastically on whether or not you are more inclined to buy the product. According to Ragan.com 75% of people don’t believe that ads tell the truth about their products and around 70 percent of people are more likely to buy a product if a friend has referred it to them. Unless your product is so revolutionary or perfectly fits the need of an individual it is rare that a user will work to post your product. But, if you make it a simple push of a button, it is much more likely your product will be shared.

Make It Easy For Users to Share Your Content With Social Plug-Ins

The second reason, with every individual who is engaged with your product whether sharing, liking or even referring, your product is able to be viewed by their entire social network. Talk about a pyramid of influence!

Think of Shares As Conversions for Media Reach

How Google Analytics Tracks Social Media

Google Analytics offers you the full flexibility to view your engagement through social media channels.

From this graph I am able to see how many visits I have received via a Social Media channel. I am also able to see a deeper breakdown of how many clicks are coming from what specific channels. This is a great way to discover which channels are driving the most traffic to your website.

You are also able to view the amount of conversions that come from social sharing, and the conversion value if your Google Conversion Tracking is set up correctly. This allows you to see the dollar amount in sales you have made directly from a user entering through a social media channel. This is very useful information if you are running a social media campaign and want to prove the profitability to a business.

If you are interested in learning more about setting up conversion tracking for your eCommerce store, pick up the phone and call Customer Paradigm today at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person today.

How AddShoppers for Magento Tracks Social Media

Add Shoppers is my favorite Social Media Tracking Extension for Magento.

Here is why, Add Shoppers takes basic information and gives you the pieces that really matter. It is great to have a large Facebook group and Twitter followers, but what if you were able to scale down

the mass of your Facebook followers and find the top 10 most profitable customers?

Once you have found those top 10 customers, what if you could market directly to them knowing they are more likely to share and recommend? What if you knew they would be fifty-percent more likely to convert? Would that be worth targeting?

With AddShoppers Magento Extension this information becomes readily available to you. With ROI tracking that is profitable for your business model I have yet to find another extension which gives you the same level of detail.

Three levels to track Social Media ROI on:

Single product level or SKU
Influencer level of a single customers
Store wide level

Not only are you now able to see how people are getting to your site, but you are able to view the other side how your products are being shared. You can now view a specific product and see how it has been shared via the social media streams. You can feature your most Pinned products or shared products on your screen. With this Conversion tracking you are able to view which social networks drive sales per product.

My favorite addition which shows to me that AddShoppers really understands the influence of Social Media on Magento eCommerce is their pre-purchase rewards application. This application gives shoppers and incentive to join your social channels by offering small incentives such as 2% of your next purchase. You have the ability to set different rewards based on different channels, through this users gain an incentive to join all of your social channels.

This can be a hard concept for many business owners to get behind because it seems like you are throwing away money to get one more like on your Facebook page, or one more Twitter follower. In reality, you are essentially paying for a targeted customer base. People that have an intent to buy will like your page in order to receive 2% off.

I hope I have cleared some confusion about the importance of having social media channels on your Magento website. I am so happy that I have found AddShoppers, if you are interested in getting this extension for your Magento eCommerce site call Customer Paradigm today at 303.473.4400 to talk about how you can add more shoppers to your social media streams! Or fill out the contact form below!

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Internet Marketing, Magento Developer, Magento eCommerce, Magento Programming, Social Media

Sep 20, 2012

CP's Alan Barber is now Magento Developer Certified!

Alan Barber Customer Paradigm Let it be known that Mr. Alan Barber has successfully passed the Magento Developer Certification Test!

Alan Barber is Customer Paradigm’s Production Manager and Senior Developer as well as ping-pong champion, and last but not least, Magento Certified Developer!

Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

If you don’t know what Magento is it is the most used and efficient eCommerce site available. It’s open source and at Customer Paradigm we say it so often you’d think it was a person in the office. Read more about Magento.

What does being a Magento Certified Developer Mean?

A person who has passed this certification has a thorough understanding of how Magento works. The test is a timed test with 70 questions. Given that Magento is such a complex system, they do not recommend that you work with developers who are not certified.

What Topics Are Covered In the Certification Test?

Request Flow
Rendering
Database in Magento
Entity Attribute Value Model
Adminhtml
Catalog
Checkout
Advanced Features

If you are interested in Magento Development for your eCommerce site, call us now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person today or fill out the contact form below.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Magento Developer, Magento eCommerce

Sep 20, 2012

CP’s Alan Barber is now Magento Developer Certified!

Alan Barber Customer Paradigm Let it be known that Mr. Alan Barber has successfully passed the Magento Developer Certification Test!

Alan Barber is Customer Paradigm’s Production Manager and Senior Developer as well as ping-pong champion, and last but not least, Magento Certified Developer!

Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

If you don’t know what Magento is it is the most used and efficient eCommerce site available. It’s open source and at Customer Paradigm we say it so often you’d think it was a person in the office. Read more about Magento.

What does being a Magento Certified Developer Mean?

A person who has passed this certification has a thorough understanding of how Magento works. The test is a timed test with 70 questions. Given that Magento is such a complex system, they do not recommend that you work with developers who are not certified.

What Topics Are Covered In the Certification Test?

Request Flow
Rendering
Database in Magento
Entity Attribute Value Model
Adminhtml
Catalog
Checkout
Advanced Features

If you are interested in Magento Development for your eCommerce site, call us now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person today or fill out the contact form below.

Sep 5, 2012

Facebook Taking Action Against Fake Likes

To many SEO companies it seems like an easy formula.

Increasing your social media interactions increases the user interactions which increases your Google rankings. So, start at the beginning and increase your social media interactions to increase your Google rankings. Voila! It’s done.

No. Be cautious of SEO companies which tell you they can increase your Facebook likes to 1,000 by the weekend. This may sound like a great perk, I couldn’t get 1,000 likes by this weekend or 3 months for that matter, but fake likes don’t increase your value.

If you haven’t, read my post on: Fake Social Media Fans or Google Reviews

Facebook Cracking Down on Fake Likes

The main goal of cracking down on fake likes is to stop programs which generate fake “likes” for a business. Although this is said to possibly influence only a handful of likes, Facebook wants to act now to take a stand against poor business practices. My theory is that they know that social media plays a role with Google, and by taking action to have integrity in their metrics they will continue to be included. I can understand this, if they begin to lose integrity for being a true source of reviews, they will become mis-leading and less used.

In all honesty, I would not say many users go onto their Facebook pages and view a business and determine if that business has 100 likes they must be great! There is not a cap on the amount of likes a page can have, whereas a true rating system is on a fixed scale. More or less I have found it true that many Facebook users like a business page as more of a way to “subscribe” to the business’s news feed. I personally liked SEOmoz on Faceboook so that I could see their news feed in the mix with all my friends post updates. Not because I wanted to check them out on Facebook and evaluate how many likes they had to determine if I was willing to visit their website. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the legitimacy of Facebook acting on this issue.

If not that, then this?

Here is my possible speculation on what is really going on. Some articles have quoted that with the improved elimination of fake likes it will only affect 1% or less likes on any given page. That seems like a very small amount to make a big deal about.

My theory is we should be expecting a rating system similar to Yelp and Google Local Pages. Since people are checking in quite often through Facebook pages linking reviews seems to be the next logical step. What do you think?

Oh… speaking about Fake “likes” you should like our page on Facebook >> Like Here

Sep 4, 2012

What is Reddit? Reddit for Marketing

If President Obama is on Reddit, there will be a following.

What is Reddit?

Reddit was founded in 2005 and the name was founded as a play on words “I read it”. Being based in San Francisco, California, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian created this social news source.

How it Works: User Side

You are able to view Reddit without creating an account at >> Reddit.com

In order to participate, you must create a user account. The unique thing about Reddit, is they are promoting free speech in a public space. It is common that everyone will remain an anonymous user through their account name. For example the username: Icouldbeanyone. Protecting your privacy and the privacy of others is very important to uphold the core of Reddit.

How it Works: Purpose

Make no mistake, Reddit is not another Facebook or Twitter where you create your own world on the web and are focused on increasing your friends or followers. On the contrary, Reddit allows each user to post a link (there is a limit on how many links you can post in a given time increment to avoid spamming) that link is then voted up or down by other users. If the “redditers” as they are so lovingly coined, like your post it will get voted up and vice versa.

For example the link below was submitted of funny Morgan Freeman pictures in a Photobooth. It was voted an aggregate amount up of 2069 votes. There are many factors which play a role in the positioning of each link which allows for the home page to be constantly changing. Some factors which contribute to your positioning are the age of the link, the comment amounts and most importantly the voting.

Morgan Freeman in a Photobooth - Reddit.com

How it Works: Subreddits

Subreddits is the same as a subcategory. To find any subreddit simply search for your topic of interest in the search bar. There is no limit to how many subreddits you can create. If you are interested in Pine Needles >> View Here. The possibility of subjects is never limited because the possibility of interests are endless.

More frequently than not, people have certain interests that they will always be captivated by. For these Reddit users you can subscribe to those streams. If you are looking for new interests, going to the home page is a great place to start.

Entering the World of Reddit

Ok, so you’ve heard enough and you’re ready to get started with Reddit. It’s interesting, you’re a social media enthusiast and you want to make sure if there’s a train everyone is getting on you’re getting as close to the drivers seat as you can.

Warnings About Reddit

As pure respect to the veteran Redditers I implore you to fully read the Reddiquette >> Read Here

Not only is this to keep with their standards and not stick out like a sore thumb. It is to avoid your posts from being trolled. Trolled is being slandered for your contribution in a negative manner. For example if you post a link on Reddit and it is not anything interesting but you are in forms “advertising” you will get negative comments, this is to be expected.

Again… I implore you to full read the Reddiquette >> Read Here

My final warning… Reddit is addictive, have fun and don’t post advertisements.

Using Reddit for Marketing

So, how do you post information on Reddit and not advertise? How do you get the Reddit community to be interested in your material?

Blogging Topics of Interest

The hardest part about blogging is finding an interesting topic to blog about which will ultimately add value to your website and drive traffic to your website. I have found browsing through the subreddits has helped me find blogging topics very fast. Reddit does all the work on displaying topics that are interesting. All I have to do is pick through them and build the story behind the concept. It’s that easy.

Posting Articles / Images / Infographics

Of course – post your articles, images and infographics to Reddit. Every Reddit user when viewing your post will link directly to your website. If the users are intrigued enough you gain free traffic.

IMPORTANT : Post your content in the correct subreddit to avoid being voted down purely for irrelevance to the topic.

Reddit is a great Social Media source and unique in its purpose. I hope that this post has given you a better understanding of how you can use Reddit for marketing and gaining free traffic as well as a general understanding of the platform. If you have any other questions, please let me know via comments.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Internet Marketing, Online Advertising, Social Media

Sep 4, 2012

Magento Retailers Represent With Google Trusted Store Badge

Get the Google Trusted Store Badge

Magento is now a proudly offering the Google Trusted Store Badge. With Google’s great reputation of advancing the internet, there is a trust associated with their brand. As they continue to increase users experience with every click across the internet, we now see a visible rating for quality.

There are not many forms in which Google rates websites. At least not visible to the common public. We do see the ratings on Google local pages, but that is a reflection of user ratings.

Features of the Google Trusted Store Badge?

The Trusted Store Badge works as a “report card” of how well your eCommerce store performs. In order to earn the badge your site must exhibit fast, reliable and responsive customer service. Once your website has been approved, you will receive a grade. The badge will hover in a fixed position at the bottom right of your screen so it is visible during the entire shopping experience on your eStore. Upon hovering over the badge the grade will show. Below is a screenshot of the hover view from http://www.dickblick.com an art supply eCommerce store.

http://www.dickblick.com

Benefits & Drawbacks of Google Trusted Store Badge

Potential Benefits

Google has many case studies which support the benefits of having the badge >> View Here

Increase in average order size
Increase in conversion rate
Ability to show an essential rating system on your page
Badge show up in Adword ads

Potential Drawbacks

Forums have revealed an abundant concern for privacy, the code requires that the shipping address of every customer is revealed to Google.

Get the Google Trusted Store Badge

There are many resources for installing the badge onto your eCommerce store. Many people are coming across bugs trying to replicate the codes. My best advice is follow the steps that Google has put in place.

If you use Magento >> Get the Badge Here

Through Google >> Get the Badge Here

eCommerce Platforms for Google Trusted Store Badge

Although you are able to receive the badge through any eCommerce store, this is where people are coming across bugs trying to replicate the code for their own eCommerce platforms. Currently Google has easily integrated this feature with the three following eCommerce sites:

Magento
3dCart
Core Commerce

If your current eCommerce store does not have the full functionality you are looking for, consider migrating your eCommerce site to Magento. Magento is a eCommerce platform that was designed with eCommerce in mind and is tailored to maximize sales and usability.

Aug 28, 2012

Where does your Commute End? We Park on the Wall

At Customer Paradigm we know it’s not always the goal that makes the world keep turning, it’s the journey’s to get to those goals. And though at times we may feel we are just pedaling one motion after another, the goal at our work is a little bit more rewarding.

<<– I mean, check this out!

It’s like we are hanging a trophy on the wall, every day we make it into work! Who ever said four wheels is better than two was gravely mistaken.

I suppose that was what attracted me to the bicycle right from the start. It is not so much a way of getting somewhere as it is a setting for randomness; it makes every journey an unorganized tour.

- Daniel Behrman

Commuting to work is not a hidden lifestyle in Boulder, Colorado. I see people in suits waiting to take a bus into work, where in California this would be asking for a bad day. Boulder ranks number 1 for people who walk to work, work at home or carpool to work. Bicycling is held to such a high priority in Boulder, that sometimes snow plows will take care of local bike paths before the streets.

Don’t be fooled…. Bicycling isn’t just for the Boulder lifestyle.

According to the Outdoor Foundation, Bicycling is the second most popular outdoor activity in the United States. We all know that bicycling is a form of exercise and therefore it has great health implications for you. Some health benefits are weight management, cholesterol levels and even blood pressure. And, if you are watching you wallet in this economy, it’s less expensive than a car. Most car trips in the US are broken down where 28% are less than a mile, 40% are less than 2 miles, and 50% are less than 3 miles.

Next time you are considering hoping in you car, think about hoping on your bike instead! Happy Pedaling!

Aug 23, 2012

Lost Reviews on Google Local Business Profiles

Are you a business owner whose reviews have disappeared from your Google Local page? One day, you had a great review and when you scanned back through the reviews it was gone. Don’t let yourself believe this is a glitch in the system; there is a reason and a method to these lost reviews.

The disappearance of these reviews has been monitored and under suspicion since 2006. Google has placed a filter to avoid black-hat SEO tactics such as spam reviews. This is when a group of individuals posts false reviews on the Google Local Page to boost their page rankings. In their goal to avoid fake comments, there has been an unfortunate loss of legitimate reviews which has left many business owners frustrated. For more information on fake social media followers read: Fake Social Media Followers.

If you have lost a Google Local Page review and would like Google to restore it: Click Here.

Fair warning, with any communication to the great Google a response is never guaranteed.

What Are the Rules for Reviews?

Often to increase rankings, businesses solicit for reviews. For example: “Post a review on our Google Local Page and receive 10% off your next rafting trip”. This mass call for reviews results in a rush of evaluations within a close time frame which can result in solicited reviews being flagged and ultimately deleted from your business profile. Due to the flagging, you run the risk of losing legitimate reviews which have been batched into a specific time frame.

I believe it is Google’s goal to have people review on their own accord, without being prompted. If your customers are so pleased with your services they are compelled to write, it will result in a random pattern of reviews.

But, What if Your Business works in Waves?

A big question on my mind is, “What if I run an event planning company?” Events are not held on a consistent path, there are spikes and naturally with these spikes may come waves of reviews. How is a small business to hold these legitimate reviews if the natural cycle of business is moving from peak to peak?

As an SEO specialist I can say we are constantly chasing after Google and their algorithm change. As much as you try to cut them out of the chain of influence, it’s Google’s game with their rules. This may be one instance where Google needs to reconsider their filter to avoid losing legitimate reviews for business owners. One simple solution is for businesses to start looking for other forms of review sources to have people check out and post their reviews, one that will not filter the reviews without warning. I am not saying to avoid using Google reviews period, the reviews will always matter in your rankings and they will still occur naturally. But, instead directing your personal reviews to another website may be a profitable move.

Reviews With A Safety Net

If you are a business that does work in waves, you should be cautious of your reviews. A good practice to adapt would be copying and keeping any legitimate reviews you do receive. If they are deleted, you will have no other way to refer to the reviews without a copy. Make sure you set up your Google Local Page to send your e-mails whenever you receive a new review.

I know it is very difficult to receive business reviews and when you do get them they mean a lot. It’s a way for people publicly proclaim how you have been doing. As rare as it may be in some work places to receive feedback, you get the joy of feedback of your work from your customers and through a filter those legitimate may be incorrectly deemed fake. This is still a situation which is completely speculative, but under the microscope to be watched. If you have any updates on this situation or you have been affected please tell us about your experience.

Alisa Carscaden //
1 Comment //
Blog, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media

Aug 22, 2012

404 Errors – Maintaining Your Website Health Through SEO

There’s nothing more frustrating to a user who is trying to find a page on your website and up pops the lovely and usually creative 404 error page. As creative and funny as your 404 error page may be, there is nothing more disheartening to the user than attempting to find the information they need and be faced with a wall. There are two real issues at hand with a 404 error page, first being the risk of losing a potential clients, second being the loss in SEO value to your website. I will go over both of these issues in length and tell you why it is important to maintain the health of your website and the ways which you can do this.

What is a 404 Error?

A 404 page is an error page that results when a page does not exist. For example, if you were to create a page and the page were to be removed from your website, and the URL was to be requested again a 404 error page would result. Another way 404 errors can arise is the changing of pages, for example on a basic html site if you changed the services page from services.html to Services.html the old page would result in a 404 error unless both pages were kept. The only way these errors are shown is if the previous URL’s have been indexed.

Risk 1: Potential Loss of Clients

If you want more site traffic on your website, you should always be providing great service. Referrals and recommendations are the main contributing factors to a strong conversion. Have you ever tried out a new restaurant and what you intended to order they are out of? It lists the item on their menu, but whenever you order it, the waiter informs you they can not fulfill that request. This is essentially a 404 error in the restaurant. You know it exists because the menu shows you it does, just as Google knows it exists because they have crawled it and seen it. But when you order it, the request is not filled. Luckily in a restaurant the waiter is able to notify the staff that you are out of the ingredients to produce a certain menu item, and it is quickly brought to the staffs attention. Even better, the waiter is able to suggest other items or compensate a potential client for a meal.

In the website world, you do not have a waiter that quickly informs you when you are not providing a request. You don’t have the opportunity to reach out to the potential client and offer them a page they could request instead. With the inability to interact and maintain clients, it makes it even more important to monitor and have “waiters” that monitor the health of your website. This is why hiring an SEO service is fundamental to keeping the marketing of your website running smoothly to avoid losing potential clients.

Risk 2: Loss in SEO Value of Your Website

As always Google’s goal is to produce the most valuable websites for any given search query. The websites are determined based on a complex algorithm which dictates the strength, usability and how relative a website is. When Google crawls your webpages and finds broken internal links which lead to 404 errors as a result the SEO value is decreased in the usability metric.

Why is SEO value decreased?

For one the usability is less, because the internal links don’t lead anywhere. Second, the indexed page content has been lost which also decreases the SEO value because your page does not hold the same amount of information as it once did. Even if you have a page that has been renamed, the page authority begins to accumulate from the starting point. If Google crawls your website many times and it continues to run into the same errors, your page can be penalized.

If you are interested in finding how many 404 errors your website we are offering a free SEO analysis.

How to Identify 404 Errors on Your Website

There are many ways to identify 404 errors, but I am going to go over the 2 that are most frequently used.

1. Crawl Reports

A crawl report is a diagnostic report which goes through your website similar to a Google bot and produces all the broken links or indexed pages that result in a 404 error. Crawl reports also produce other SEO information which may hurt the productivity of your website. If you are interested in a free crawl report fill out this simple form >> Here

2. Google Webmasters

Google webmasters tools will identify the health of your website. If you go to http://www.google.com/webmasters/

Sign in –> Health –> Crawl Errors

Google will only show crawl errors as they are found by Google. With a crawl report you are able to have the advantage of identifying crawl errors before they get to Google and you are penalized with a devalued SEO score. Another disadvantage to Google webmasters over a crawl report is the need to fix each error manually. This is not a disadvantage if you only have a few 404 errors, but when you are handling thousands it can quickly become a cumbersome task.

Fixing a 404 Error

There are many methods to fix 404 errors, again I will go over my personal recommended methods.

1. Hire an SEO service

If you are one of those business owners that wants to handle everything on your own, guaranteed you can be doing better things with your time like looking forward to where your business will take its next steps to continue to grow and keep up with the times. Handling your 404 errors is a constant process of monitoring and checking the health of your website. Trying to handle 404 errors on your own can result in internal errors and an unintentional de-indexing of a webpage.

2. Create 301 redirects

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect which can be performed through your .htaccess file. A permanent redirect is saying to Google, “this is what the URL used to be, but now when it is requested I would like you to produce this new URL”.

This is done through your .htaccess file with the lines of : old URL/ New URL

3. Remove pages from Index

If the requested page is resulting in a 404 error, you can completely remove the page from being indexed and followed. This can easily be done through many CMS.

If you have any questions regarding your 404 errors please feel free to comment, fill out the contact form below or call us at 303.473.4400. If you are interested in quality white hat SEO services see what Customer Paradigm has to offer >> here.

Aug 21, 2012

WordPress Website: Xcel Energy – EnergyClassroom

Xcel Energy WordPress Design

Xcel Energy came to Customer Paradigm with the need to move their Energy Classroom website to a WordPress CMS system. Their new website www.energyclassroom.com assists children as an educational resource to make the next generation equipped to make educated decisions about energy.

Tasks Completed:

Installed WordPress
Migrated old website to WordPress CMS from Page Director
Customized the WordPress Theme to match their existing theme
Quality Testing
Rollover Image Features

Features of EnergyClasroom.com

With children’s increasing interest in energy sources combined with the need for interaction, Xcel found a need to update their existing website with more graphics and ability for interactions and engagement.

Rollover Image Captions

Xcel Energy Rollover Images

With children you are never sure where there clicking path may go, and to keep them engaged we provided them with a small caption describing each page in the navigation. This goes a long way in decreasing clicks to pages that fail to provide them the information the user is looking for.

Interactive Puzzles

Interactive Energy Puzzles

These interactive puzzles are strewn throughout the site. They work as educational tools for children to help them understand the process and how energy is created. You are also able to take a virtual power plant tour through the website under the Virtual Power Plant Tour category.

Teaching Material

Teaching Material for Energy

Xcel has done a great job at providing teachers with material to help educate their children about energy and how conservation plays a roll. They created the site with a goal of providing an easy-to-use, effective materials which meet state’s teaching standards. With teachers in mind, Xcel surveyed and consulted with teachers to develop a website which was truly useful.

Xcel understands that many generations take energy for granted, it is their goal to inform energy consumers to make wise decisions for the future and all generations to come.

If you are interested in WordPress Design for your webpage call us now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person or fill out the contact form below.

Alisa Carscaden //
No Comments //
Blog, Website Design, WordPress Websites

Aug 21, 2012

SEO and Fake Social Media Fans

Yes it is true that social media is playing an increasingly important role in the SEO value of your website. This is no surprise, after all if Google wants to produce websites that are relative it is intuitive that users will interact with a site the more they find it useful. It’s easy to think creating fake profiles and liking your page will help your social media profile, ultimately helping the SEO value of your webpage.

Below is a popular offer from a fake twitter follower company: Buy Active Fans. They provide 10 tiers of prices and quantity for Twitter followers. If you are interested in this service they are a great company.

If this is All I Have to do, Why isn’t Everyone Doing It?

You know the saying, “sounds too good to be true” well in this case, if it is so easy for a company to buy 100,000 extra followers and it increases their SEO value, why don’t you see the leading companies doing this? You would think an extra $95 a month to increase their Twitter followers by 2,000 would be a menial cost. It is apparent to search engines like Google and even humans when your Twitter followers jump by a few thousand in a night.

Fake Twitter Followers has been highly scrutinized as a poor politics move. Mitt Romney increased his twitter following by 100,000 new followers over night. Why did he do this? Simply, popularity gains popularity. If his campaign strategists were able to show a bounding leap in followers and support it might change the potential voters mentality seeing a leap in support through his Twitter campaign. Unfortunately the illusion of popularity was revealed as a lie.

Buying fake twitter followers is becoming a black hat SEO tactic. Twitter and Facebook strongly discourage the purchasing of fake fans and followers to boost your online campaign. With Google’s Penguin update placing a strong emphasis on the need for quality content at a consistent rate, you have to remain ahead of the curve and assume the need for quality will trickle into your social media efforts.

Fake Followers and SEO Value

By purchasing fake followers your number of followers may increase but the interaction will not. Every true social media campaign is chasing the goal of achieving engagement and interest. Having your numbers skyrocket with no engagement will not increase your SEO value and you will no longer be considered a contender for your competition if you engage in poor SEO tactics.

Here is a great tool to check the quality of your Twitter Followers: Fake Twitter Followers

If you are interested in engaging your website and social media campaign in white hat SEO tactics that form quality results please contact us by filling out the contact form below or call us now at 303.473.4400 to talk to a real person.

Aug 20, 2012

Google Algorithm Update: Copyright

As all Google algorithms roll out, Google states that:

“Transparency is a core value at Google. As a company we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that we maximize transparency around the flow of information related to our tools and services.”

The Copyright Update:

All you SEO lovers, Google has done it again. This new update to the Google algorithm takes into consideration the number of valid copyright removal notices your have received in relation to your domain name. A “valid copyright removal” is a removal request from the copyright owners and government to remove information a website has published without permission. As a result if your website has multiple removal notices, you will appear lower in results.

The Reason for the Google Copyright Update:

Google’s goal is to provide the best search results for a search query, mainly the issue that has been an embarrassment has been search queries in relation to videos. To avoid individuals who have stolen media clips and prevent them from rising above the original in search rankings. As a result of this algorithm change the big player websites such at NBC, Hulu, and Spotify will show up high in rankings for a search query due to their licensing reputation.

Google’s Control: Copyright Laws

Google does not go through webpages looking for copyright infringement, as always it is always up to the copyright holder to act. Where is Google’s role in this process?

I want to stress that Google can NOT decide if a copyright has been infringed this is up to the courts. Read here for More Information.

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