The VoterGuideNow™ app makes it easy to research candidates, get information on state propositions and local measures, and select a candidate or measure to add to “My Choices” to save for later, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting your favorites on Election Day.

The VoterGuideNow™ app is a great opportunity for citizens to help government save money by reducing postage and paper costs as citizens can opt out of receiving the printed Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet in California. California has 17 million registered voters, most of whom receive printed election information, however, if they convert to electronic voter guides this could save about 500 million sheets of paper – equating to 60,000 trees and 2,000 metric tons of CO2.

At Atwoodz we are proud to be a part of this project and hope to produce VoterGuideNow™ for several more states in the near future. California has always been at the forefront of technological change and advancement, setting the pace for other states to follow. Once user download data becomes available we believe other states will find VoterGuideNow™ a smart and compelling solution.

Search quality is something Google works on constantly, so they can ensure relevant quality results come up in a search query. By creating filters, such as Panda poor quality sites will end up ranking lower. Google’s Matt Cutts said, “It’s an algorithmic change, it came from the search quality team, it didn’t come from the web spam team,” he also reiterated “This is not a penalty”.

We live in the Information Age, thus in today’s society people are extremely internet savvy and skilled at finding ways to trick or beat the system. To do this these individuals use several methods including using sites known as content farms. Content farms are websites that have mass amounts of articles for other websites to link to, on subjects that the site wants to rank for. Some websites even have pages within their own websites stuffed with keyword rich content because the theory is that more content equal’s better ranking.

While more content can lead to better results, Google Panda may see this as untrustworthy and irrelevant. If you have a blog and it’s on your website, making sure posts are unique with no duplicate content. No one knows Google’s  exact secret formula for determining if content is relevant or not, but its most likely a mix of keywords identified by the crawlers and length of time users stay on your webpage after typing in a specific search query;  it’s reasonable to think if a user types in “Best hair Salon, Las Vegas”  and clicks a link that appears to be a match, and  is taken to a page that comes up as “Blow Out Electronics Sale”  that the user will automatically leave, this is called a bounce.

Bounce rates are not the only factor Google and other search engines use to determine the relevancy of your site, and it’s not even the most important, but we think it deserves an honorable mention because it is a sign to search engines, i.e. Google Panda, that the site shouldn’t be ranked for that key phrase. How can a search engine even tell if a site has a lot of bouncing? One way search engines recognize your site has bounces is known as Pogo sticking. Pogo sticking is when a user types in a search term, clicks on a link, then goes back to the search engine and clicks on another link. Search engines can tell a user left and came back, so they decide they didn’t present a quality result, because they believe if it was the user would stay engaged on the page and not jump back to the search and click on another result in the query, so the more it happens the more likely you will de-rank for that specific term.  This however is not a penalty; it’s just the search engine’s way of determining what sites are more relevant to a keyword.

To reduce bounce rate Google’s Matt Cutts recommends,  adding related links or related post to help users have some place else to go from within your site. He also assures us that, for Google, bounce rate metrics are not as sensitive as other metrics because there are sites that are just efficient at delivering the information a user is looking for, which can potentially lead to the appearance of a high bounce rates, but this doesn’t mean they don’t use this information at all.

Google Panda was refreshed on March 23, and dubbed by the SEO community as Panda 3.4, but if you didn’t notice any changes to your site, great, you probably won’t, this “refresh” did not include any algorithmic changes, but it was Google running the algorithm again manually, so any sites that should have been hit the first time, may be affected this time around, and if a site was wrongfully  hit , the penalty will be removed, other than that your site should be safe.

A Native App is an app that such as the calculator on your phone, and is designed to run specifically using a devices operating system. (iOS for iPhones and Android for most other devices) One of the main challenges of Native apps is the infrastructure required to distribute and update the app, and each app must be duplicated and adapted for use on different devices, which can become costly for businesses. There are some advantages to Native apps including the ability to be used off-line and being able to take advantage of device specific capabilities.

A Web App, is an app that’s software must all or in part be downloaded from the internet, and which you will need an internet enabled device to use.  A web app’s main functionality and information is stored online, so it is dependent on web based software and services to function. Web based apps can be accessed by most mobile devices, and updates are automatic because a web app is essentially a self-contained mobile website.

If you need an app that requires Internet access to operate or interact with online content and services, a web app will work, but if you need an app that can function with or without internet access a native app is preferred. While Native Apps have a higher adoption rate amongst users, each platform must have an app that is adapted to its operating system. Usually, a Web App is cheaper, faster to develop, and can be maintained easily.

Some companies choose to use both types of apps.  When you begin deciding what type of app you want, keep the end user together with the pros and cons of both types in mind. Some developers argue that the native app offers a more user friendly experience while others prefer the speed at which an web app can be developed, used, and it’s congruence among multiple device types.  Just remember, focus on the needs of the end user, and what they’re expectations and behaviors will be.

Once you have decided what type of app is best for you, give our team at Atwoodz a call and we will work with you to create the perfect mobile platform from start to finish. We are experienced in creating both types of apps, and if you’re having a hard time deciding we will be happy to help you decide which one is best for your project.

Target Your Audience

Finding the best method(s) really is dependent on what you are trying to accomplish. Are you a “brick & click store”,” brick and mortar” only store, are you selling services, or products? Who is your target market B2C, B2B, women, men, young, or old? What is it you are trying to achieve, brand awareness, increased traffic, education, sales, or a combination of a few of these? Defining your purpose on the internet is where you need to start, after that you can begin to decide what type of Internet marketing channels will best suit you needs.

Focus

Since there are so many different marketing channels, paid, free, low effort, high effort, etc., we want to break down the channels we believe can help every small business boost visibility in search engines, increase brand awareness, traffic, and provide a high return on your investment. Make no mistake, just because these are a few of the methods we recommend, they are the only methods you should use… but they are a good start. As with anything worth the effort, you get out what you put in.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The first method that is critical to your on-line success is search engine optimization (SEO); SEO is the implementation of a combination of techniques with the goal of achieving high rankings in search engine results. If you have put time, money and effort into creating a website, SEO should be part of the expected costs of promoting it.

Purchasing a website is similar to purchasing a car; there are expected costs such as fuel, insurance, regular maintenance, and on occasion major maintenance. You could skip some maintenance to save money, but then don’t be surprised when your car begins running poorly. The more you ignore it, the worse it gets. The same is true for your website, SEO should be an expected cost; you cannot expect to show up in a Google search result if you neglect your SEO. There are several factors that go into SEO including, on-page optimization and off- page optimization. Optimizing a website takes time, know-how, and continuous attention usually best left to experts.

Be Social! Be! Be! Social!

Social media is your next best, and usually free, bet for reaching you target market. Again, this can be dependent on the type of business you are, but using social media has ALWAYS shown to be beneficial. One of the keys to successful social media is to not just talk about your business, or focus on “pitches” i.e. “come check out our new…”, or “get 10 percent off of …,” one rule of thumb is if it sounds like an advertisement don’t post it, because it is annoying to potential clients. Americans, in general, have an aversion to advertisements, and when we feel bombarded, especially in an area like Facebook, or our mobile phones that we view as personal and private, it’s like an evasion of privacy. The best strategy is to figure out what your target market is interested in and talk about that, offering advice, answering questions, and being a tastemaker or an experienced resource.

Email

E-mail blasts and e-mail marketing are relatively inexpensive ways to reach your target audience to remind them who you are, what you are up to, and if you have any specials or promotions going on. E-blasts should be sent to people who you know are interested in what you are offering such as current or past clients, and Opt-in’s etc. Individuals, who have opted-in, especially new opt-ins, tend to have high open rates.  Sending too many e-mails can annoy people, and is considered spam.  Plus nobody likes it! Being reported as a spammer will get you black listed; permanently. When integrated with other marketing channels such as social media, email marketing has strong potential for ROI.

Blogging

Blogging is our final topic! We promise! Websites with newly generated content gets crawled by spiders, and the more content your website has the better!  -Which is why blogging is so important!  If you create a website and never update it, it loses its momentum. Think of your personal Facebook or Twitter account, when you comment to your friends, family and followers, and make regular status updates, they reciprocate by commenting back; if you don’t do these things, they won’t either, because they want to engage with people who they know also want to be engaged. So, think of spiders as your Facebook friends, if your website doesn’t ever update, they will never stop by to search it.  And if they do, it will be deemed outdated.  By updating your site, with quality, useful, and unique content the spiders will crawl and index often. Similarly to Facebook, what you right about should be useful and engaging, and about what potential clients, patients, or customers find value in.

The Rest!

There are several more marketing channels small business owners can use to gain exposure, such as pay per click, affiliate marketing, video marketing, display advertising, on-line public relations, and viral content campaigns. For the ambitious business owner you may be able to take on several of these strategies yourself or at a minimum with a little bit of help from a professional consulting agency. Many business owners don’t have time to manage all the needs of their business as well as their website, so they leave all their Internet marketing strategies to the experts, some can handle a few things like Facebook, e-mail blasts, or blogging, but managing several can become overwhelming for even the most experienced Internet user.

Here at Atwoodz we can help you create a package that work best for you,  whether you need us to handle all your Internet marketing strategies or just some of them , we can help you create a marketing plan that fits your needs,  and helps maintain your websites quality now and in the future.

Now let’s imagine you have an auto parts business, and you have a blog, maybe not about auto parts, but about cars, or racing etc. You can write about this subject and relevantly cross-promote to your auto parts store. Users that are interested in cars/racing/etc. read your blog will be more inclined to trust your advice on auto parts.

Blogging can take several forms; video blogging, via sites like you tube, where you can provide informative how to sessions, or simple show and tell to help users become familiar with your company and products. Photo blogging through sites like Pinterest is the newest form of blogging and is catching on like wild fire! It allows you to “pin” pictures to your pin board and start a discussion.  “Journal” blogging, the original form, is still the most popular. With sites like WordPress, you can include pictures, videos, and even sell products.

So, how is your blog found, after all, there are millions out there? Through many ways, such as; Search engines, Links, RSS feeds, and more.  Many times, instead of browsing the internet blindly for news, weather, special interests, or discussions, RSS feed readers are used.  An RSS feed reader lets the user “subscribe” to a blog they find while browsing the internet. RSS feed readers are often read daily because the user is “fed” only the information that they are interested in and want to know about.

Most RSS readers also offer a search feature so if a user is interested in blogs about cars, or a specific type of car, let’s say an Audi R8, and you have a blog about this topic, most likely it will display in the search results. If the user then views your blog and finds value in the information or content they will subscribe to your feed, so anytime you post something new they will see it when they open their feed reader. Pretty simple yeah?

Remember, if you want to drive traffic to your site and increase your click through rate your content/information must be engaging. By writing consistent, useful, and informative blog content that readers will want to subscribe to, Tweet about, share on their Facebook, pin to their Pintrest board and talk about with their friends, you can have a successful and valuable blog.

So, what is Pinterest and how will it drive business to your website?  I say it’s a fusion because you can post pictures of things you find interesting from websites you like and trust. People search for topics they are interested in and can comment and follow pin boards, or you, (or both) and clicking on the pictures can take you to a linked website.  It is essentially a more visual form of blogging, but any one person can have several unique pin boards related to topics they find interesting.

It seems unlikely that random people posting pictures about their interests could increase traffic to your business’ website, but if one person is interested in your field of work, chances are several others are similarly interested. Let’s take for example weddings:  many different businesses are associated with weddings including, florists, caterers, bridal boutiques etc. If you go to Pinterest and search weddings, numerous pin boards with pictures come up from all these categories. A bride may see a pin board with a “pinned” dress they like, if they click the picture they will be directed to the dress maker’s business. Voilà, potential client!

Internet usage is on the verge of surpassing the amount of time people spend watching television.  So establishing a presence on social Internet media can help increase traffic to your site by allowing customers to share pictures, videos and pinable information with others who have built their own follower base, thus increasing your exposure effortlessly.

We preach the notion that people rely heavily on the opinions of others, which explains the popularity of sites like Angie’s list and Epinions. This fact is a big reason why Pinterest has captured the interest of many. Is it useful to business? We say YES! Not only can a social site like this drive traffic to your site, it’s FREE advertising directed only at the people who are interested in seeing it. There’s no opting out, they choose to see this information because they want to. If you are interested in adding Pinterest or a Pinterest button on your website, contact us today!

In the early days of public Internet access, few knew the enormity it would become. .com sites popped up like wildfire, offering everything from coupon clipping services to instant mail- e-mail! This revolution took the world by storm and streamlined the way everything was done around the globe. It created huge competition for every industry and even more competition for those desirable high page rankings.

So, what is search engine optimization exactly? Put simply, it is comprised of steps taken to strengthen the visibility of a website. But if not done property, the process can actuallyin some cases, a website’s search engine results.  SEO experts use several criterion to “optimize” your site’s page rankings. One factor that is fairly simple, but quite time consuming, is on-page optimization. Not many know exactly how it can help or even what it is, so let’s discuss it!

On-page optimization includes the use of keywords, keyword placement, meta tags, internal linking strategies and, formatting. There are other strategies, but these are the basics.  These on-page optimization strategies will start a company on its way to better search engine results. Remember, patience is key. Even if a person goes out and implements all these strategies today, it takes months of refreshing content, researching keyword effectiveness, and re-formatting webpages to result in the optimal SERP.  With some basic knowledge, though, you can help your site move up in page rankings.

One way to help is the process of using keywords in a natural way within your website. Doing so helps search engine spiders see what your site is about and decide that it’s legitimate. You should avoid placing too many keywords on any page; the rule of thumb is one to three percent of content should have your keywords.

Meta tags are weighted differently depending on the search engine in question. Meta tags include:  title tags, description tags, keyword tags, robot tags , heading tags and alt tags.  All of this are a form of key word placement, essential to helping search engines identify the name of your web pages and the information on them. As a result, each page should have its own unique set of meta tags.

Internal linking is one of the most important on-page optimization strategies. Linking from your websites homepage to your category pages is one way to accomplish some easy internal linking. This is usually accomplished through use of a navigation menu. Try not to place more than three links to the same page on your homepage; this could look bad to search engines, especially Google.

Formatting consists of many factors like content placement, proper keyword placement , using heading tags and alt tags , having a site map and trying to avoid flash and java script. Content placement is important because spiders read content much the same way as humans read books: top to bottom and left to right, so you will want to have your content as close to the top of a page as possible.

Heading tags and alt tags are forms of meta tags. Heading tags help indicate the importance of the content and alt tags describe pictures on your page. The main benefit to this is you can use keywords in these heading tags and the search engines will read them.

The use of Flash and Java Script should be limited, it’s simply not easy for search engine spiders to read them. However, this doesn’t mean you can never use them We all know how visually appealing Flash is,  just try to refrain from making entire pages of Flash and Java Script.

Sitemaps make it easier for spiders to crawl your site faster and they help visitors find content on your site. Experts recommend including short descriptive text for each link. Uploading your site map directly to search engines also has a positive impact on your SERPs.

There are many factors that go into on-page optimization and, as you have read, each category can be made up of several categories. With just this brief overview of on-page optimization, we hope you are able to help begin your rise in the ranks; don’t forget there are still many more ways to optimize your site, so check back for future articles on SEO.

Today’s consumers have access to mobile apps wherever they go because they always have their phones on them. This means a consumer could have instant access to your site whenever they want. A mobile app by Atwoodz will add value to your company, its services, and products by helping you create a functional and creative way for customers to interact with your business.  With tons of features and customizable options you can design an app that meets your specific needs, as well as those of your customers.

The Gartner Group reported over 15 billion apps were downloaded in 2010, with estimated app store revenues reaching over $5 billion.  Microsoft statistics show mobile phone searches are expected to surpass desktop Internet browsing by 2014 and 29 percent of mobile users are open to scanning mobile tags (QR codes) to get coupons.  Another source, mobithinking.com , stated mobile apps are expected to reach peek downloads by 2013 with the U.S. m-commerce market reaching $31 billion by 2016 and $119 billion globally. As you can see m-commerce is not just growing fast, it is exploding! These are just some of the several reasons that a successful business will want to optimize their site for mobile use and have a mobile app.

With the evolution of m-commerce it is imperative to include a mobile site as part of your business plan. Not only will you begin to create long-term relationships with active app users, but you will be ready for future innovations like the trending m-wallet, where you can pay for virtually anything with your cell phone using near field communication (NFC), thereby making your phone your wallet!

A recent press release from Google stated that after using a mobile phone to search for services, 61 percent of mobile users make calls to local businesses and the user’s experience on the mobile site directly affects their perception of the business.

If you are thinking about getting a mobile site, we can help you from start to finish. Our staff can help design and create a mobile website that offers a great user experience and features like click to call, click to-e-mail, mapping, QR codes, and social media integration.  Contact Atwoodz today to get started and be sure to find us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter and +1us on Google +  for all our latest news.

Off-page optimizati­on is the most important SEO strategy you need to focus on to start your climb to that number one position on Google. One of the best ways to achieve this is with quality (not quantity) inbound links to your site; meaning sites linking to you should have a higher page rank than your site, helping you to move up in SERP’s. A couple things you need to consider when link building: First, make sure any sites linking to yours have a higher page rank than your site does, and be sure that inbound link text contains your key terms. For example, “SEO consultants” instead of “click here”, so spiders associate your keywords with your pages.

There are three main methods for building links to your site: one-way links, reciprocal links, and three-way links. One-way links are the strongest because you are essentially getting endorsed by a third party website. Reciprocal linking is a link exchange between two websites. In this case, you would link to another website, and they in-turn link to yours; this has value, but not as much as one way. Three-way links are a combination of one way and reciprocal linking. How does this work? By linking to a site and providing your link for the website owner to link back to your site, but instead of linking back from the original, site they link back from another website they own; this creates a one-way link to your site and theirs, it doesn’t appear as reciprocal linking, even though it really is.

Getting quality links to your site may sound like a simple task; however it is not as easy as it sounds.  Link building takes a lot of time and effort on the part of the website manager, often several hours a day and results of this hard work generally take six months up to one year to appear. How do you get other quality websites to link to your page? Popular methods like Google AdSense and similar programs can be very pricey.

Another method is article writing.  This method can take a lot of time, mainly because articles need to be submitted individually to several article sites. Each submission needs to be slightly different so that you are not penalized by search engines like Google for publishing duplicate content. Link building should be done methodically and consistently; don’t expect to rank number one in a week or even a month.

Another option for moving up in SERP’s is through social media; for example posting your link on FB, Twitter page and even You Tube. Once you have established a network, you can ask others to post and share your links on their sites, blogs and forums. Building followers can be tough and is also something that won’t happen overnight. Be sure to share you handle and your FB “like” button on any blog or webpage that you have and actively follow others yourself. Many people have automatic follows set up, so if you follow them, they will also follow you.

There are several other methods used to move up in SERP’s including press releases, forum marketing, RSS feeds and blogging. These create back links to your site; helping to increase page rank significantly over time. Remember, ranking first in search engines like Google is very competitive, with several industries and companies like yours all trying to rank number one.

Off- Page search engine optimization is not limited to writing blogs, press releases and spending hours on social media sites. Utilizing sources such as Google Places will also help. If you are not registered on Google places, register! This is one of the easiest methods to implement and it’s free.  When creating your Google Places account remember that complete and relevant profile information will help your search engine results.  Be sure to add as much content as possible, including soliciting customers to leave reviews. Also, don’t forget to add photos and videos.

Business owners, especially small business owners, often wear several hats. Some of those roles include project manager, customer service representative, outside sales, inside sales, accountant, human resource coordinator, custodian, logistical coordinator and the increasingly important role of Internet marketer and SEO analyst. With so many things to do in one day there is not always enough time to give one hundred percent effort in all areas of your business and for this reason, websites and businesses often suffer the consequences of neglect.

Having an amazing, user-friendly website with loads of bells and whistles may keep users searching your site and coming back once they’ve found it- but if your site can’t be found on a Google search, you will soon start noticing that you are not generating as much traffic as you would like. Many business owners spend a lot of money having highly sophisticated websites built without considering what happens after the site goes live.  For many, spending money on SEO just seems like a waste of money, but truly the only waste of money, absent a well planned SEO strategy, will be the money you spent developing your site.

One of the primary reasons for unsuccessful websites is the lack of time spent on SEO, and the biggest reason for lack of time spent on SEO is lack of time! Business owners are busy and SEO is the easiest task to put on the back burner. Why?  The answer is simple; SEO work doesn’t demand constant attention like customers, employees, and vendors. It’s understandable that we neglect the silent wheel and pay attention to the squeaky one.

Trying to implement a solid SEO plan can be overwhelming, but not to worry as there are plenty of reputable companies eager to help you. Many agencies including, Atwoodz, offer several tiers of search engine optimization packages, including on-page and off-page optimization. You can outsource article writing, press release drafting, e-blasts, link building, content optimization and just about anything else that can help move your website up the SERP.

Contact Atwoodz today if you are interested in learning how we can help you with website optimization. We will be happy to analyze your website and suggest a plan that will best optimize your site for the internet.

What you need to know:

• Google collects and keeps ALL information you give them when you sign up. If you type it in or upload it; it’s theirs. This means pictures, credit card info, telephone number, address, etc.
• Google collects data about websites you visit, how you browse the website, how much time you spend there and what you do while you’re there.
• Google collects information from your phone or computer like its operating system and your network, IP address; and, yes this includes your phone number.
• Google Collects information from every Google related service you use, and everything you do, ANY phone number you put in, anywhere you do it from (IP address), time and dates of calls or queries, and ALL associated information with them.
• If you decide to use Google maps, Google will access your phone location and information.
• Google uses “cookies” to collect all the information when you visit any Google service and any Google linked partner.

Okay, so this is the super abbreviated version, as you can see its pretty standard. This new policy is really just a more understandable way of re-writing the old policy. In this day and age, we should all be aware that any information you provide to any search engine is probably being tracked or monitored in some way and will be used for learning what can be done to improve services and offer users more relevant search results.

So, there is our summary of the new Google policy with different easier to understand language.  Need more information? Check out the entire new Google policy here.