Calacles Interactive http://www.calaclesinteractive.com Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:53:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 The Power of Backlinks.. http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/search-engine-optimization-and-back-links http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/search-engine-optimization-and-back-links#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:51:10 +0000 Adam http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/?p=209
As you know, if you have a website, then Search Engine Optimization “SEO” can seem a little overwhelming. As this is the buzz word on the web – SEO companies can and do charge an arm and a leg for their techniques, tips and tricks to help you improve your rank  inside the major search engines. “Experts” will talk about “on page and off page”, “fresh content,” “algorithms,” “blogs,” “twitter,” etc. – and yet, the most powerful technique and what you should be spending your time and money on is getting a variety of back links. What are back links? Well, to put it simply – they are return links (direct links from another site to your site) to your website from other websites, directories, blogs, forums, etc., to your URL. For example, inside Sandiegorestaurantweek.com, each of you have a profile page with a place for your website URL. If this is complete, you will have a direct back link to your website’s URL. This is called a reciprocal back link and is a very good and valuable thing. Why? Well, major search engine results depend heavily on them for ranking. Page Rank (or where you fall on the search engine results page) is based on algorithms calculating three major things: Compliance or Friendliness of Site Code, Traffic, and Back links. Back links have the most weight but their value is not based on quantity but rather quality. Think of it as a democratic system: PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important."



In other words, PageRank results from a "ballot" among all the other pages on the World Wide Web about how important a page is. A page that is linked to by many pages with high PageRank receives a high rank itself. If there are no links to a web page, there is no support for that page.]]> http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/search-engine-optimization-and-back-links/feed 0 The World Wide Web http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/the-world-wide-web-for-small-businesses http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/the-world-wide-web-for-small-businesses#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:18:28 +0000 Adam http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/?p=136

The World Wide Web has a voice now. That voice is your customer “tweeting” on Twitter, posting reviews on Yelp, reading, participating in and sharing blogs, networking through social communities, and getting advice from trusted resources such as other clients and friends. The search for anything starts on the web.

Now more than ever — your business needs to be optimized. All things digital—from websites to press releases, news coverage to social profiles, blogs, podcasts, you name it—must be optimized. And, they need to be succinct to your brand message and intertwined for cohesiveness. That way, when your potential customers or current clients use any of the various and growing digital channels to find what they’re seeking, they will be more likely to find you and not your competitors. Also, don’t forget they’re also finding your social channels in search engine results. When optimization is done right, you can pretty much ensure they’ll have a cohesive and strategic brand experience.

Users are now savvy, smart, and well-versed in the way the World Wide Web works. More than ever, they are connected and are an extension of your sales force — thanks to social media. For example, Addthis.com is a pioneering social sharing tool used by over 500 Million people monthly. Holy Toledo–that’s 30 BILLION monthly uses—even more than Bing. That represents heavy digital dissemination.

Source: Mr. Mojo-Risin.com

If you think your business would benefit from optimization and social media tools– and, we are confident that your business can benefit from these strategies–we are happy to help you improve your digital position.

]]> http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/the-world-wide-web-for-small-businesses/feed 0 Websites for Small Businesses http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/websites-for-small-businesses http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/websites-for-small-businesses#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:14:26 +0000 Adam http://www.calaclesinteractive.com/?p=133 Websites for Small Businesses
We get this question all the time. What type of website is best for my business? If you’re a business that regularly puts content on your website (blog posts, images, web apps, videos, etc.), you definitely need something more dynamic than a static website. 95% of all businesses need something that will allow for quick and easy changes, edits, and updates. The industry has dubbed the software – content management system (CMS). The value behind a CMS is in its flexibility. Hence why I use such a system everyday — in fact I am using Wordpress right now to write this blog entry. What Does a CMS Do? Content management systems are very flexible, and thus you can use them for multiple purposes.  There are systems for simple blogs to advanced data repositories.  They all have similar features, though, including:
  • Design: It’s easy to create and switch out the look and feel of your websites
  • Editing tools: Most content management systems have tools for creating, editing, and publishing new web pages and articles.
  • Multiple user management: Multiple people can be logged into a CMS and change different parts of the website, based on their assigned privileges.
  • Upgradeable: It’s easy to add new plugins or functionality to a CMS
  • Community / Support Group: The open source community stands behind one another providing ample resources for DIY quick fixes / code snipbits for helping your small business add a new application to your existing website.
The top thing to take away is that the CMS makes it much easier to manage a website, especially for those without technical or programming experience. Reasons to Use a CMS for a Small Business If you intend to update your website often, then use a CMS system.  If you intend to blog, post press releases, or post pictures, go with a CMS.  If your website is very simple or if it is actually a web application that is not about managing content, still go with a CMS system, you never know when you will begin to need to make changes. It should not cost you anymore to purchase a CMS system as your website platform vs. a static website. If you are told something different then find a new provider. In fact many times it is easier / faster / cheaper for developers to use existing technologies (CMS systems) in their developmental process. We live in a social media world. Everything is tweet this or tweet that — so the need to integrate social media content through use of widget is crucial. Most CMSs come pre-equipped for rapid deployment of such technology. There are very few reasons not to use a CMS.
  • Excess Baggage: CMS systems come with a ton of features, most of which you will not use. Site loading can be affected by the excess files associated with standard installs.
  • Flexibility / Scalability: CMS systems are pre built to be flexibile – fit websites of all shapes and sizes. That said, as soon as you try to adapt a system to fit very specific needs, developers / site owners risk causing accidental code errors which ultimately can affect overal performance and site vulnerability. Joomla has over 32,000 files in its standard install.
Which One Should I choose? The best advice I can give on choosing a CMS is to go with one that you are comfortable with. Most are free and include templates and plug-ins to get started.  However, if you want your site to feel unique, you’re going to have to put in some hard work building your own design (or hiring an expert who can.) For our clients we use only the most proven and popular content management systems including WordPress (a very popular CMS for blogs), Drupal (an open-source solution), Joomla (created in PHP), and Radiant (written in Ruby). Related articles Modified and repurposed from OPENFORUM.com
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