One of the biggest content writing challenges is finding a way to create content that is both optimized for search engines and is also engaging enough for people to want to read it. It is more of an art than a science. The best way to approach content writing, however, is to always write for people first. Ordinarily, if you have created high-quality and intriguing content that appeals to people, you will already satisfy the search engine’s requirements. The next key element is in fact keywords. Good content writing requires a very thorough keyword research strategy and the ability of a talented writer to be able to naturally incorporate these strategically-chosen keywords into the content. [Read more…] about The Art to Writing Excellent Web Content
Search Engines
Tips for Increasing Conversion Through Web Design
Business owners new to internet marketing spend a lot of time getting traffic to their websites. Traffic is very important, but what happens once visitors arrive at your site is what really matters. So much time is spent focusing on getting hits and studying traffic patterns that the entire concept of conversions is missed. One of the biggest mistakes people make that kills sales is bad web design.
Conversions, not traffic, are what actually matter in business. Conversions mean that people who visit the website actually buy the products or services offered. Hits and traffic patterns do not help a business without that follow through where visitors actually make a purchase. So what are the elements of good website development and what will kill conversions? [Read more…] about Tips for Increasing Conversion Through Web Design
10 Websites You Can’t Live Without
The internet has been around long enough that most of us have come to grips with the general flavor of it . . . cat videos, movie reviews, baby videos, social networking, dog videos, and so on. But every once in awhile, there comes along a website that is—wait for it—actually useful.
Once you find this kind of website, you will soon wonder how you ever functioned without them. The web is littered with pages such as these; you just have to find them. Here are 10 websites that you may not have heard of, but once you start using, you just won’t be able to live without. [Read more…] about 10 Websites You Can’t Live Without
10 Best Social Media Secrets for 2013
As the internet becomes a bigger part of everyday life, you may become increasingly impressed or overwhelmed with what social media can offer. If you use your own common sense along with the following tips, you will be able to navigate social media sites like a professional.
Discussion is Key.
The first of the social media secrets is not really a secret if you think about it. Social media is about connecting with others or being social. So, ask interesting questions. Express concern about an issue you are passionate about. Find news that is relevant or entertaining. Respond to feedback as quickly as possible to keep the conversation going. [Read more…] about 10 Best Social Media Secrets for 2013
Alternative Photo Sites to Download Images
Daily, I scour the web for images that I can use for various blog entries. More often than not, I end up gazing at some photos of amazing landscapes or some other thing totally unrelated to what I need. There’s no denying it – images do tend to enrapture people, especially if a talented person is behind them.
Photos serve a million purposes, but whatever your reason may be for wanting or needing photos that aren’t yours, you are in luck today. I’ve put together a list of photo sites where you can find – or search for – photos and images.
As you can surmise from the title, these photo sites are not part of the usual suspects list. Don’t expect to find Google Image Search, Flickr, and Photobucket here. We all know they work excellently, but if you are looking to expand your photo sites horizon, these five names should be in your radar.
Picsearch
With more than 3 billion pictures indexed, picsearch is obviously set out to impress. (I got the number of zeroes in the home page right, didn’t I?) You can easily search from the home page with whatever keyword you want to use, and you can also set parameters to narrow your search: colors, size, orientation, and type (animations, faces). I’d recommend picsearch highly for school children who use the Internet for homework (which is practically everyone), as there is absolutely no adult content indexed. That should make parents feel better. [Read more…] about Alternative Photo Sites to Download Images
New Search Engine Inspired by Human Vision
That is, vision as in how we literally see objects around us. Everyone knows about Google, Yahoo, and the other search engines that we use today. No matter how good these search engines may be, though, they are still limited by the fact that we have to enter search terms to get results. That means we need to have a name, a word, or a phrase for what we are looking for.
Now what if there were a search engine that takes images as the search query? Say you’re at a supermarket and you find something in a nice package, but you are not sure if it is good. You can always go visit Google and enter the name of the product and look for reviews. Alternatively, you can use your smartphone to take a picture of the item and use it to search.
Is that really possible? With the new technology that Cortexica ((Cortexica)) is working on, searching this way just might become the norm soon. The basis of the technology is simple – it is “a bio-inspired vision system enabling intelligent image recognition using principles derived from the human visual cortex.” The platform is patented – of course – and it provides a whole new way of doing things, at least search-wise.
How do they do it? Much like how our vision system works, the VisualSearch platform recognizes objects by identifying key features. These key features remain unchanged in spite of differences in lighting, orientation, and size.
To see what this technology can actually do, they already have an iPhone app called WINEfindr, which can be found in the app store. Obviously, this app is limited to wines, but it showcases what can be done.
The technology is very new, but work continues to be done, making the possibility of visual searching becoming part of our routine very real. Exciting? Definitely! Something that will take the place of barcodes and QR codes? Perhaps.
