RB Design Studio’s Blog

Well, what a dumb question, right? Everyone “Google’s” these days. The name has changed from a proper noun to a verb!

I thought it might be interesting to note some of the top Google features I use most:

Google Web Search

I, like the vast majority of the world, use the classic Google search as my main web search tool. It goes without saying that search is critical to business in many capacities. It is an invaluable tool for finding information and for getting others to find information about me and my company.

Gmail

Probably Gmail runs a close second. Many times my clients need to send large file attachments and Gmail can handle it. Some ISP’s also accept Gmail when my other email addresses are blocked for some reason (although I never knowingly send spam). The spam filter in Gmail is one of the best I have seen in the free email accounts. Messages are stored in the spam folder so I can go there periodically and check to make sure a “real” email hasn’t slipped though marked as spam. If that does happen, I just check the email and mark it as Not Spam and it is back in my Inbox where it belongs. And for a chuckle, I click on the Spam recipes that Google posts on the Spam Folder page.

Maps

I use the Google Maps feature frequently. This feature cannot only be of use to potential customers looking for your business, but also another time saver for when you need to find other businesses. I also use it when driving to unknown locations to get correct driving directions. It has been, in my opinion, the most up-to-date of the mapping sites online.

iGoogle

What can I say? I Love iGoogle. It can be customized with all sorts of widgets and everything I want to read is right there on one page. I love being able to customize it and change the theme so that it has a different look anytime I want it to.

There are many other features that Google offers like the image search (which I use sometimes for web design inspiration or just to see what some image looks like). I never take images from that section of Google because since they are already on the internet on a web page somewhere, they are copywritten to that site’s owner.

If you haven’t used Google for anything besides their classic search feature, you might want to look into the many other areas that this fine company has to offer.

Wishing all our valued clients (both old and new!) a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Prosperous 2008!

Rhonda Bartlett and team
RB Design Studio, LLC

By Mike Tekula (c) 2007

SEO is a trade that exists solely on the internet, and even then it is comprised almost entirely of the hot air of so-called “expert opinion.” Plenty of it blowing around these days as search maintains position as one of the most important marketplaces in the modern business world. Many DIY webmasters will end up searching for blog entries, articles, informational web sites, etc to help get them up to speed. The problem is that in most cases certain key terms are flung around like household names while the people doing the flinging are way out of touch with the average web browser. What some of us don’t realize is that not everyone knows even the basics of SEO.

This líst of twelve SEO-related definitions in alphabetical order (with notes) serves as a great companion for your initial SEO reading. Read alone it will get you up to speed on some key terminology that you’ll need to know to intelligently engage the ever-changing world of SEO.

• Algorithms. A search algorithm is, in short, the incredibly complex mathematical formula that a search engine uses to “rank” web sites for keywords. Based on a huge number of variables and calculations, algorithms are among the most closely-guarded secrets on the internet. Why? Imagine if they were leaked - suddenly the less-than-honest would have a very specific guideline to follow in climbing to the top of search results in a less-than-organic way, ruining the quality of Google’s search results and their entire competitive advantage with it.

• Bot or Bots. See also “crawlers”

• Crawlers. Googlebot, for example, is a search engine crawler. Googlebot periodically traverses the web in record time, indexing content, links - everything contained in page source code - and storing it in Google’s search index. Then, when a user visits Google and enters a search phrase, the index, filtered by the algorithm, is what the user gets. Please note: there is some delay in this process since the results you’re getting are from the index and not the live web.

• Directories. When webmasters realized just how much power inbound links have in determining search rankings they quickly set out to do two things: 1) get inbound links and 2) set up web sites where other webmasters could achieve inbound links (meaning big traffíc revenues for the site). Hence the directory farms you’ll find today. Link building has been a priority on the líst of any SEO-savvy webmaster for years, and as a result “quick fix” directories that allow streamlined listing submissions get a ton of traffíc. However, Google and the other major search engines are on to this tactic, and the word among SEO “experts” is that the benefits of listing your site at directories are diminished if not gone.

• Frames. Frames are a way of laying out a website with multiple documents in one browser window. Essentially, there is one main document which contains the frameset tag - this document specifies the dimensions/placement of the frames and also the documents that will “populate” those frames. From an SEO standpoint the use of frames for your layout is not recommended. Since frames do not use links in the same way, and since links may point to one frame from another, they may cause serious problems for crawlers. Additionally, there are almost no uses for frames that can’t either be 1) duplicated with other methods or 2) thrown away without much fuss. If your site was built with frames and you’re thinking you don’t want to rebuild - it might be tough luck if you’re interested in optimizing for search. Consider it a learning experience - build yourself a CSS-based layout.

• Gateway Pages. Also “doorway pages.” Although there isn’t a real consensus about what these pages are, their function is always cited as their definition. In other words, these pages are created to “rank well in search engines” by playing to the algorithms. Often viewed as “spammy,” “gray hat” or even “black hat.” However, any page written with search in mind, and geared towards search, can be construed to be a “gateway page.” The difference between a page well-optimized for search and a “gateway page?” No clear lines there, but quality of content is probably the determining factor.

• HTML. Okay, most of you probably know this one, but there are probably some of you who don’t. HTML stands for Hyper-Text Mark-up Language, and it is the core building block that has made the web the greatest modern tool for business, social, informational, political and any other causes. Search engines look exclusively at a web page’s HTML code to determine its relevance. Therefore, it’s a good idea to pay attention to HTML and familiarize yourself with proper tagging techniques if you’re hoping to get a good handle on SEO.

• Link Popularity. Inbound links are probably the most important optimization point for web pages. Number, quality, trust - these are all factors that affect the value of an inbound link. Going back to the HTML root of search, link popularity (in terms of quantity) measures how many pages point to your site using anchor text.

• Link Building. In short, the process of gaining links at other web sites pointing in to pages on your own.

• Link Baiting. The process of generating high-quality content on your pages that users will appreciate and link to voluntarily.

• Meta Tags. Meta tags are found at the top of a page’s source code. They are used to specify certain things that might not be found in the page content. They also allow webmasters to put up certain “flags” that search engine crawlers can react to. There are many Meta tags available for use, and many of them can help with SEO to a great extent and for a variety of purposes. However, Meta tags are no longer used in the way they originally were - as a place to stuff keywords to drive your site up in rankings. Some webmasters out there are still doing this, but they are decidedly behind the times and unaware of the impending, or already cast-down, penalties.

• Robots. See also “crawlers.”

• Search Engines. If you don’t know what a search engine is congratulations on finally making it out from under that rock. Search engines are essentially programs that scan an existing index of the web based on a query of search terms, or keywords, that a user enters. However, the word more commonly refers to companies as a whole - Google, for example, controls a search engine, while Googlebot is the crawler that gathers content for its index, but most users and webmasters think of a search engine as the whole package.

• Search Engine Marketing. Most often this refers to Pay-Per-Click marketing in which an advertiser bids on chosen keywords and writes several ads to be displayed should their bid achieve placement. These ads are displayed in the “sponsored” section of search engine result pages (SERPS). However, in some circles this term is used to refer to any action taken to gain rankings both paid and organic.

• Search Engine Optimization. This one is open to interpretation. It is quite often used to encapsulate a huge amount of different tactics. On-site optimization, off-site optimization (link building, etc) and many other techniques all feasibly fall under the SEO blanket. However, there is an obvious difference between optimizing a page’s code to be clean and search friendly and writing link bait that will be popular and get linked to.

• Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The pages resulting from a search engine query run by a user. Webmasters review these pages to determine where their pages are ranking for certain search terms.

• Sp@mming. Basically, any unnatural effort to bring a page higher in search results. What constitutes sp@m is open to some interpretation, but the only interpretation you need to worry about is that of the major search engines. If Google, for example, considers a technique “spammy” you’d be wise to cease at once.

• Spiders. See also “crawlers.”

• Submission. For SEO this has traditionally meant submitting a web site to search engines so they’ll know about and crawl it. SEO firms offered submission services as a big selling point to bring in clients. However, for a long time now submitting your site to search engines hasn’t done jack. They’re all much smarter now - just focus on gaining quality inbound links and your site will be indexed in no time.

This is just a sample of the core vocabulary associated with SEO. Is this all you need to know? Absolutely not. But in my experience these are the words and phrases that newcomers have the most trouble with. If these definitions help one person have a better understanding of SEO, then I will be satisfied.

About The Author

Mike Tekula handles SEO, SEM, usability and standards-compliance for NewSunGraphics, a Long Island, New York firm offering Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, W3C-Compliant web design using full CSS layouts and all things web design/development.

Well, although I didn’t quite make my $1,300 bail, I was released from “jail”. The folks at MDA are so wonderful to work with!

May 8, 2007 - Well, today I had so much fun! I “did the drive” at Don Jacobs and drove a new BMW roadster to help benefit the Susan G. Koman Cancer Foundation. Billed as the “Drive for the Cure”, BMW donates $1.00 to the American Cancer Association for every mile driven in these beautiful new cars.

This is a national event, so if you get the opportunity to participate when the “Drive” is in your town, just do it!

What you don’t know CAN hurt you!

Saturday, April 28th, 2007

Well, I have finally come to the realization that what you don’t know CAN hurt you! My business is taking off and is a become a huge success! That is a GOOD thing! But it was a bad thing, too!

I was finally able to come to grips with this “monster” I created by reading a book by Michael E. Gerber “The E Myth Revisited”. The subtitle reads Why Most Small Business Don’t Work and What to Do About It.

This should be recommended reading for all small businesses! It “turned the light on” for me in so many areas.

My web design business had gotten to the point that I didn’t even like it anymore, much less Love it! Everything had gotten out of control. So much of my time was spent “running the business”, that I no longer had time to do what I love - design websites! That’s what I started the whole thing for! Good grief!

Mr. Gerber’s book, though, is getting me back on track and now I am taming the monster and getting back to doing what I love.

I found out that I know a lot about designing custom websites and making them work properly, but I knew very little about running a business.

I won’t give away details of the book, but believe me it was worth the investment of the price of the book and I’d recommend it to anyone in small business, or thinking of starting a small business.

To your success!
Rhonda

Do you always use a certain font in your Word documents? If you always find yourself changing the font of your Word documents from Times New Roman to another font, consider saving yourself some time by changing the default font. This affects all documents you create based on the Normal.dot template (or another template, if you have another template open when you make this change).

To change the default font, select Format, then Font from the menu bar. Make all the changes you’d like to font, style, color, size, and any other category you find in the Font dialog box. Instead of clicking OK when you’re done, click the Default button. A message box pops up, informing you of the changes you’ve requested. Select Yes to make the change. If you select No, Word automatically returns you to the Font dialog box where you can make different selections or click OK and save the changes to the current document only.

My Computer To Do List – Begin the New Year Right!

Learn to do Monthly Back-ups (at least)!

Backup: To copy files to a second medium (a disk or tape) as a precaution in case the first medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers is: Back up your files regularly. Even the most reliable computer is apt to break down eventually. Many professionals recommend that you make two, or even three, backups of all your files. To be especially safe, you should keep one backup in a different location from the others. You can back up files using operating system commands (Windows Backup), or you can buy a special-purpose backup utility. Backup programs often compress the data so that backups require fewer disks.

At the very least, backup your “My Documents”, “My Pictures” folders and other folders that have information that you have personally saved to your computer. You could burn the information to a CD or DVD or if you have a flash disk (sometimes called a Jump Drive) you could save your important data to that. If you use a money management program, there is probably a utility in the program to save and/or restore data. Transfer this backup file to save your valuable digital financial records. If your computer crashes, you would just need to reinstall the program, then recover the data and you are back in business.

What is a Firewall and do I really Need one?

Firewall: A term for any device that would prevent undesirables on the global Internet from getting at your computer. It also often prevents or controls users from getting out to the Internet from your local computer. This is a combination hardware and software buffer that many companies or organizations have in place between their internal networks and the Internet. A firewall allows only specific kinds of messages from the Internet to flow in and out of the internal network. This protects the internal network or your hard drive from intruders or hackers who might try to use the Internet to break into those systems. It keeps sensitive information (credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.) safe from hackers (intruders).

Which anti-virus software is best (or does it really make a difference)?

Symantec makes Norton’s Anti-Virus (www.symantec.com)
McAfee is another anti-virus checker (www.mcafee.com)
AVG by Grisoft is a third A/V checker (free version available – www.grisoft.com)
A free online anti-virus (A/V) scan program is at http://housecall.trendmicro.com

Any of the above are good A/V programs. Today’s internet activity though, REQUIRES A/V be installed on your computer. If not, you are just asking for trouble! Just as a doctor vaccinates children against diseases, your computer needs to be vaccinated against viruses and Trojans. Open one virus-laden email, and “boom” your computer is infected!

NONE of these programs will be effective though if the virus definitions are not kept up-to-date. Norton’s A/V has Live Update. Live Update connects to Symantec’s website and downloads the most up to date virus definitions. Viruses are literally coming out every day! Run Live Update at least weekly (I run it daily!).

It is MUCH easier to keep your A/V software up-to-date and scan your computer at least weekly to make sure your system is virus-free than it is to remove viruses and/or clean up after they have infected your system.

Clean up rarely used or unused programs.

Go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and uninstall programs you may have downloaded and no longer use or didn’t like. Uninstall anything that is just sitting there taking up space. In Windows XP, there is a date that says “last used” and if you aren’t sure, that is a pretty good estimate of how long it has been since you last used the program. NOTE: Be careful! Don’t delete programs you are unsure of. Things like Windows Hot Fix, etc., are there due to Windows updates and are there to protect your computer.

Spyware, Malware, and Viruses…. Oh MY!

How do these things get on my computer anyway? An invitation to download them can arrive via spam. Or you could get a pop-up offering them. Either way, they should be refused. Remember what Mom said about accepting candy from strangers. The same rule applies here.

Simple internet browsing sometimes causes things to happen that you did not know happened. The following is from Kim Komando’s website (www.komando.com) and she says it much better than I, plus she gets paid a Lot more!

Q. I heard you mention on your radio show not to download the password management program Gator. Are there other programs that I should avoid if I see them on the Internet?
A. First a word about Gator. Gator is a free software program that remembers Web site login names, account numbers, and passwords. It also fills out forms and keeps personal data encrypted. Sounds great, but Windows takes care of most of this, anyway. Besides, nothing is free. Gator is adware.Spyware (also known as adware) is typically a program placed on your hard drive that tracks your Web surfing habits. It reports back to a computer on the Internet. That way, you get customized advertising.The Internet has countless shareware programs, many of which are great additions to your computer. But some arrive with so much spyware and bad behavior that they are just not worthwhile.Below are some other programs to avoid. And in case you installed them on your computer, I have provided links for removal.* Bonzi Buddy: http://www.bonzi.com/support/bdyremove.htm#remove* Go Hip: http://www.gohip.com/remove_browser_enhancement.html* HotBar: http://hotbar.com/downloads/HbUninst.exeIf you don’t want this stuff on your computer, it’s up to you to block it. Here are some tips:– Read the terms when you download software. Yes, I know this is agony. But legitimate programs (most are) will tell you if they include spyware.– Install a software firewall, such as ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com) and Outpost (http://www.agnitum.com). Most will not let a program report back to the Internet without your permission.– Use spyware scanning programs, such as Ad-aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com) and Spybot Search and Destroy (http://security.kolla.de). Check regularly for updates.Spyware probably won’t hurt anything. But I don’t like having a program on my computer controlled by someone else.Before you download a program, check it in the database at SpyChecker (http://www.spychecker.com/). This database will tell you if spyware is included in the package.

I could download these pictures from my digital camera MUCH faster from the office!

Don’t! Would that be worth doing if it cost you your job? I think not! Did you know that your employer can track your history on your computer (even such things as downloading digital pictures from your camera). I even advise against such seemingly harmless activity as simple internet surfing unless it is directly related to your job. Most employers these days have very stringent guidelines about using their computers for personal business during working hours.