tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82647944449247423412023-11-15T12:44:53.831-06:00Landon's Web Development BlogLandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-34174236928025348972012-10-22T23:13:00.000-05:002012-10-22T23:13:14.916-05:00CTR VS Conversion RatesIn an effort to start blogging more frequently, I have elected to share a few thoughts I had recently regarding the focus on click through rates (CTR) versus conversation rates when managing a pay per click (PPC) campaign.
While many highly successful search engine marketers place great emphasis on a strong click through rate with regards to PPC, I feel a focus on conversion rates is certainly more advantageous. However, that's not to say a decent click through rate is not important, because without any clicks, the possibility of a conversion is effectively zero. On the other hand, a strong converting keyword phrase that exhibits a relatively low click through rate is not only most likely beneficial from a cost per conversion (cpc) standpoint (unless the cost per click is too high), but it's also increasing brand awareness at no additional cost to the business.Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-78664670526397650212012-05-23T12:19:00.000-05:002012-05-23T12:24:12.955-05:00Google Algorithm Update History & DatesThere have been a lot of questions going around regarding Google's latest update commonly referred to as the Penguin Update. Below is a great historical timeline including descriptions of Google's major search engine updates over the last several years.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change">http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change</a><br />
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-83046554255477199042012-04-11T11:31:00.003-05:002012-04-11T11:36:30.833-05:00How to Remove Blogger's Blog BarA work colleague of mine stumbled upon an extremely easy method for removing Blogger's blog bar. You simply need to set the display status to "none" for the Div ID "navbar-iframe".<div><br /></div><div>Implement the following CSS declaration into the head section of your Blogger template:</div><div><br /></div><div>#navbar-iframe { display: none !important; }</div>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-76191696058714527002011-05-23T21:50:00.003-05:002011-05-23T21:52:13.968-05:00Damn you Blogger Bar!I now remember why I hate hosting a Blogger blog on Google's server--the damn blog bar. However, I will hide that thing somehow and share my findings..<div><br /></div><div>Landon</div>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-81914163898666375642011-05-23T21:26:00.002-05:002011-05-23T21:31:19.335-05:00The Blog is Back!Well, it's been a very long time. I was so upset when Google announced that they would no longer support the Google Blogger platform on private servers, I abandoned my blog. However, after an extremely long break I hope to start blogging on a regular basis once more.<div><br /></div><div>Landon</div>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-24876830853904708072009-10-06T12:23:00.001-05:002009-10-06T12:25:00.376-05:00Windows 7 Information<p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Windows 7 (codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the latest version of Microsoft <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Windows and is set to</span></em><em> </em><em><span style="font-style: normal;">be released on October 22, 2009. According to Microsoft, the new operating system includes the following enhancements:</span></em></span></p><ul style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li>Improved power saving features</li><li>Greater power and performance</li><li>Easier wireless networking</li><li>Advanced computer search functionality </li></ul><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If you're impatient, as I am. You can download and try out the new operating system </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/download.aspx">here</a>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-51986186800709286082009-09-03T09:45:00.003-05:002009-09-03T09:55:58.026-05:00Google Insights<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Google has recently released the beta version of their new online product called "Google Insights." With Google Insights, you can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, and time frames. Insights can also help you determine which messages resonate best or keyword seasonality. For example, a ski resort may want to find out when people search for ski-related terms most often and what terms they frequently use. With Google Insights, this research is easier than ever. </span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://www.google.com/insights/search/">Click here to use Google Insights</a>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-60827856920506183782009-09-02T09:05:00.002-05:002009-09-02T09:11:32.870-05:00Gmail Outage<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The third largest email provider in the world went offline yesterday for approximately two hours. The problem appeared to mostly effect their web-based email service. Google engineering director David Besbris said in an official blog posting that "although the issue is fixed, the company has not yet determined the root cause of the issue." Gmail recently moved past AOL into the top three email services. While closing in on </span><a id="KonaLink4" target="undefined" class="kLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" href="http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com/2009/09/gmail-went-down-but-world-survived.html#"><span style="color: blue ! important; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",Verdana,Arial,Sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12.6167px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",Verdana,Arial,Sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 12.6167px; position: static;"></span></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hotmail, it's far behind Yahoo! Mail.</span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-54184598145762394602009-08-13T09:03:00.003-05:002009-08-13T09:28:37.851-05:00Google Caffeine<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" >Google's next generation search engine (code named Caffeine) has officially been released for beta testing. At first glance you may not notice any huge differences. However, this next generation search engine is pushing the envelope in terms of indexing speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness. A few parts of the system have yet to be deployed, but you can still test the new Caffeine search engine at <a href="http://www2.sandbox.google.com/">http://www2.sandbox.google.com/</a></span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-12904976670294904942009-07-29T10:07:00.000-05:002009-07-29T10:08:50.113-05:00Microsoft and Yahoo Join Forces<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to CNN, Microsoft and Yahoo reached a long-awaited partnership Wednesday in a bid to challenge Google's dominance in online search. Under the 10-year deal, searches on Yahoo.com will be powered by Microsoft's new Bing search engine. Yahoo, in turn, will be responsible for attracting premium advertisers.</span></span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-74685295402279431642009-07-08T09:52:00.003-05:002009-07-08T10:06:51.244-05:00Google's New Operating System Chrome Announced<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Google announced late Tuesday night that they will be releasing a new operating system named after their successful internet browser Chrome. The new operating system is primarily design for netbooks and other low end computing systems.<br /><br /><span id="article"><span id="article"><span id="intelliTXT">The new Chrome OS will run in a new windowing system and utilize a Linux kernel. </span></span></span><span id="article"><span id="article"><span id="intelliTXT">Google intends to rely on help from the open source programming community to develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to begin running computers in the second half of 2010.</span></span></span></span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-72967952020864218322009-06-09T10:08:00.001-05:002009-07-16T21:10:15.446-05:00The Death of MySpace<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Second chances are seldom in the realm of the world wide web, but </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MySpace</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> is hoping to re-engage their user base with new features and management. </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MySpace</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> is trying to reinvigorate themselves, because in recent months </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MySpace's</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> popularity appears to have plateaued, while other social networking websites such as </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Facebook</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">andTwitter</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> seem to be on the rise.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In my opinion, the reason for </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">MySpaces</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> decline in popularity is simply due to increased competition and the over use of advertisements. While increased competition is something you really can't avoid, the overuse of advertisements is certainly an area for improvement. Over the last few years, I have noticed a rather substantial increase in the amount of advertising on </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MySpace</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Advertisements are not necessarily a bad thing and are common in this vertical, but MySpace has really bombarded their userbase with obtrusive advertising. While other online giants such as Google minimize their advertisments, MySpace literally turns their entire user interface in one huge advertisment which decreases the websites usability and astetic appeal greatly. </span></span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-68731812322576269242009-06-01T10:18:00.005-05:002009-06-12T11:59:33.464-05:00IE-8 Developer Console<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As I mentioned briefly in a previous post, Internet Explorer 8 features a truly wonderful selection of developer tools. These new developer tools allow you to perform a variety of trouble shooting tasks in a much more effective and efficient manner. For example, you have the ability to disable various CSS attributes or javascripts with the click of a mouse. Having the ability to temporarily remove various elements within your website is great for trouble shooting those odd css issues and javascript conflicts.</span></span><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">IE-8 can highlight table cells, divs, and positioned divs which is perfect for ironing out any positional issues. The developer console also has the ability to display various image attributes such as dimensions or alt/title tags. Last, but certainly not least, Internet Explorer 8 can run in either IE-7 or IE-8 mode. This feature is essential for assessing cross browser compatability. </span></span></div><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Overall, the new Internet Explorer developer console is fantastic and I find myself using it on a daily basis. My hat goes off to you Microsoft, keep up the good work. </span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:78%;" ><br /></span><br /></div>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-655040902635709612009-05-28T12:11:00.002-05:002009-05-28T12:19:41.989-05:00Microsoft Unveils their New Search Engine, Bing<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:85%;" >Microsoft recently announced the release of their new search engine called Bing. At first glance, Microsoft's new search engine, <a href="http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136847" title="Microsoft Aims Search Guns at Google" class="body"></a>bing, appears very similar to Google. There's a search bar across the top; a list of results down the middle of the page, and targeted advertisements above and to the right of the search results. However, for certain types of queries, Microsoft claims that bing will trump its competitors -- specifically market giant Google.<br /><br />Microsoft describes the change as a focus on being a "decision engine" vs. a search engine. Jon Tinter, general manager of strategic partnerships in Microsoft's online audience business group, said the idea is to shift work from consumers to search engines, by answering more queries on the search results page, without having to click through to a result.<br /><br />For example, if you search for "weather," Bing will use your IP address to figure out your location and display a forecast at the top of the results. Want to know if a flight's on time? Search the airline and flight number, and Bing will answer that query atop the search results rather than pull up a list of sites and links that can tell you.</span>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-59358148834906337682009-05-21T20:30:00.009-05:002009-05-22T09:47:23.076-05:00Google Chrome Updated<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Today, Google announced some upgrades to its Web browser, Chrome, which originally was released about 8 months ago. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;font-family:Arial;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Here are some improvements stated on the Google Chrome Blog:</span></span></span></span><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(1, 1, 1);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 16px;font-family:Arial;" ><blockquote><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Improved New Tab Page</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: The most requested feature from users was the ability to remove thumbnails from the "new page tab".<br /><br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Full Screen Mode</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: Now you can hide the title bar and the rest of the browser window by hitting F11 or selecting the option in the Tools menu.<br /><br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Form Autofill</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: Filling out your information in forms over and over again can be tedious. Form Auto fill helps by showing information you've previously entered into the same form fields automatically.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Increased Stability</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">: Google Chrome is more stable than ever, we have fixed over 300 bugs that caused crashes since launch.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Increased Speed</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">:Thanks to a new version of WebKit and an update to our JavaScript engine, V8, interactive web pages will run even faster. </span></span></blockquote></span></span></span></div>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-71729496229833615552009-05-18T09:39:00.002-05:002009-05-18T10:05:28.030-05:00Internet Explorer 8 is HereThe much anticipated Internet Explorer version 8 has been released. However, the hype may be short lived, because there seems to be quite a few compatibility issues with this new Microsoft concoction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Good<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span> IE 8 features a very nice developer console that reminds me of Google Chrome. IE 8 also features an IE 7 mode/compatibility mode, which is a nice tool for assessing cross browser compatibility.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bad</span><br />I am noticing some issues when using .png image formats as click-able elements and as transparent overlays. Also, a lot of our beloved scripts such as lightbox don't appear to work perfectly in this new browser, but I imagine these bugs will be resolved in the near future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ugly</span><br /> Overall, the browser looks pretty solid. However, it's extremely disappointing to see blatant cross browser compatibility issues.Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8264794444924742341.post-59116745125057841762009-05-15T14:31:00.007-05:002009-05-15T16:08:42.402-05:00The Power of Back Links (SEO)<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have been doing</span></span></span></span><span style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> SEO </span></span></span></span><span style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(search engine optimization) professionally for well over two years now and I have really started to see a few</span></span></span></span><span style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> interesting</span></span></span></span><span style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> changes in regards to the weight and power of back links. I would like to first state that I do not believe one should avoid creating back links. Back linking is very helpful when initially trying to get a website off the ground and into the realm of Google search results. Typically, if I am having trouble getting Google to index/catalog one of my pages, and I have already submitted an xml sitemap, I will initiate a back linking campaign specifically targeted to that page in an attempt to lead a Google bot down my link trail. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style=" "><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However, I am starting to question the effectiveness of massive back linking campaigns for increased Google placement. For example, I recently increased one of my client’s number of back links from about 60 to 150 via article syndication to a variety of directories with PR ranks of 6 or better.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Unfortunately, this actually lowered my clients PR rank from 3 to 2, but luckily their Google placements maintained their previous positions; which leads me to believe that back links don’t have the power they once did. </span></span></span></o:p></span></p>Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13239221978126493474noreply@blogger.com