Our opinions and ramblings about website development

Colours

When we are discussing a new website with our Clients one of the first decision areas is the colour scheme, often the decision is easy as the Client has an existing logo or corporate colours so we just fall in with that but for many the decision is a blank canvas and can be a difficult one to make.

We try to avoid too many colours as if you are not careful the website can appear garish and like a child’s colouring book, generally we recommend three main colours as this brings out a strong identity keeping the website message strong. Colurs should catch the eye but not distract from the content.

Twitter – the Unwritten Rules

To make Twitter work well for you there are certain unwritten rules you should follow, of course these are not compulsory but are sound advice iand as they say on those talent shows – in no particular order:

1, Post Regularly – If you can then post every day but follow the other rules carefuly to make sure you are not posting rubbish.

2, Be Helpful – If you can answer questions posed, this will help give you a good Twitter reputation.

3, Do not become a Sheep – Many people follow someone just because they follow you, in fact some people have it switched on automatically, make sure you want to follow someone before adding them to your list.

4, Retweets are good – If you see a good Tweet the Retweet it so you can share it with others.

5, Good Tweet information – Make your Tweets informatitive and share items you find interesting.
 
6, Say Thank you – if someone Retweets a Tweet of yours say thanks – in life it is good to be polite and the same goes on Twitter, people like polite people.
 
7, Comment – You will be part of a Twitter community based on your business or leisure interests so comment and be part of that community and do not just sit on the fence observing.
 
8, Be Personal – Give your Tweets a personal touch, unless you are a celebrity nobody will be interested what you had for breakfast but your personal views are interesting.
 
9, Post items other than Text – Twitter can be used to post links to videos, pictures etc.
 
10, Link to other items – It is good to have youur Twitter feed fed from other areas such as your Blog this allows Twitters to find out more about you aif they want to nd read longer posts than the 140 character limit .

Goodbye Googlemail Hello to Gmail

Followers of Gmail may remember when a few years ago Google stopped using the gmail address in the UK and started using googlemail instead, this was due to a trademark dispute between Google and British firm Independent International Investment Research dating from 2005.

It seems this dispute is now solved and all users of googlemail.com addresses will be given the option to change to gmail.com

We really like gmail and all the features it offers in fact we use gmail to collect our mail from our host of email addresses that we seem to accumulate over time – you can always contact us on bluewaveweb@gmail.com

Have a look at the tongue in cheek announcement over on the Gmail Blog here

Are you on Linkedin ?

If you are not then you really should be as LinkedIn is a professional, business networking tool. It has been viewed by some as falling into social networking area but even though many of the same modes of operation are employed, the focus is on professionals, professional dialog, professional opportunities, and companies in essence a business tool.

Many people like to network as part of their quest to get business and this can be in the form of shows, exhibitions, conferences etc where you meet like minded people but Linkedin can allow you to do this from your desktop.

There are a few things to watch out for if you are using Linkedin

  1. Complete your profile – ensure you add all your work and education experience and do not leave it part completed.
  2. Add a photo – add a photo but make sure it conveys the professional image you would like to show rather than an image of you relaxing on holiday.
  3. Build your Connections- Use the Add Connections wizard to see who you know is already on Linkedin and request connections from there as you meet people ensure you add them to your network.
  4. Endorse Me- Make requests for contacts to endorse your work and recommend you but be careful who you ask so that you avoid offending someone and avoid the situation when you see someone looking for a job suddenly getting lots of endorsements in a short space of time, be patient and build them gradually.
  5. Join Groups – By joining groups you are widening your networking circle

The more you put into Linkedin the more you will get back out of it.

Google Places

We have been talking a lot about Google Local Business – we promise to stop talking about it as Google have now renamed the service to Google Places :-)

The service will run as before with a few enhancements planned:

Service Areas: allows you to identify the geographic areas that your business covers.
Enhanced Business Listings: certain US cities will be able make their listings stand out in the listings with Tags.
Free Business photo shoots: businesses from specified cities in the USA can request a free photo shoot of the interior of their business.
QR code: Businesses in the USA can download a QR code (similar to a Bar Code) that is unique to their business, which can then be included on marketing materials. Customers will then be taken to the businesses’ mobile site once scanned with a mobile device.
Favourite Places: As part of Google’s Favourite Places program, 50,000 window decals will be sent to businesses around the USA These will include a QR code that can be scanned and will direct users to the mobile Place Page for the business.

A lot of the above will initially apply to the US only but we will have to wait and see if the services will roll out for UK businesses, one thing for sure is this is a great free service.

Direct me to a Directory ?

A question clients often ask is should we register on such and such an online directory ?

We are firm believers in quality over quantity so look at the Directory and see if it somewhere you want your company to appear, also look at the competition are they there if they are then you should probably be there to. Try to avoid registering on every directory going especially if they are not really related in any way to your business or area of business as this could convince Search Engines that incoming links that are not relevant may dilute your message about your business.

If you business relies on geographical coverage say for example you are an Italian Restaurant in Watford then however nice it is for the ego you will want to appear high on regional searches for Italian Restaurants such as in Hertfordshire and here Regional Directories can help your cause, make sure you are registered with all the directories in the area such as Watford and surrounding areas and Hertfordshire.

With a process like this take a methodical approach and gradually build your prescence on the web – Search Engines like to see a growth rather than explosion as this will lead to short term gain but long term damage.

Google Local Business Problems

Google have a free directory called Google Local Business that ensures your business will appear on Google Maps when searched for and this is a great service for your business.

Recently we were working with a client to add their details but we found that there were already some listings for their business and these had been unverified, various searches on Google told us we should be able to edit the listings but this did not prove so. The solution we found was to go to our Google Local Business Account and then add a new listing but we made sure this listing was 100% the same as the existing listings and once we did this Google gave us the option to Claim or Suspend this listing.

The temptation is to suspend the listing but think twice before you do as this may have an adverse effect on your Google rankings, we suggest you claim it and once verified you can edit it to suit you.

One point to bear in mind is that when you claim the listing it has to be verified either by phone or by post but the details used by Google will be those already on the listing so if these are incorrect then you have a problem, we believe you may have to contact Google for that one but not sure what response you will get.

Google Local Business

Most new businesses get worried about how they are going to appear on Google Search results, despite everything we read Google offer many ways for you to help yourself.

The first step is to get your business registered with Google Local Business so that you will appear on Google Maps, the process is simple just go to here and register your business, put as much information as you can such as opening times, photos etc and make sure you verify the listing, the quickest way to do this is via telephone confirmation.

This simple task will promote your business online and make Google more aware of your Business. It is amazing that many businesses do not take this simple step.

Twitter or Not ?

The question here is should a business use Twitter as a marketing tool to interact with their customers ?

The answer we would give is it depends…..not much of an answer you may say but we would look at factors such as the type of business you are, the type of customers you have and the messages you are trying to convey.

Twitter can offer any business a significant marketing opportunity, but making it work for brands requires a lot of thought and thorough planning and your expectations must be clear in advance of any plan.

Businesses should also note that even brands that have been relatively successful in adopting Twitter as a messaging platform have a relatively small number of followers compared with celebrities, politicians and marketing evangelists.

The use of Twitter is a balance as businesses need to avoid updating too infrequently with a danger of losing interest and on the flip side too frequently to avoid bombarding users with too much marketing information. Followers need to feel that the Tweets are coming from a human rather than a marketing machine, we often feel Twitter works best with informal messages.

It is important that Followers are rewarded so Tweets should include special offers, money off or information that is not released via other mediums or maybe in advance of other mediums.

So what is the answer to the question Twitter or Not ?………It depends :-)

Joomla or WordPress ?

We are big fans of Joomla the Content Management System on the web but we also like WordPress and currently they are the two leaders in CMS but we believe in ‘horses for courses’ and personally we prefer Joomla for website development and WordPress for blog setup, however we have see some very nice development work that allows WordPress to work well as a website CMS.

Both have great communities behind them and a great wealth of plug in modules offering some clever enhanced functionality.

Either way Bluewave are happy to have a foot in both camps.