Estimating the size of your Website

There are no set rules in Website design but these are the pages users expect to see on a Website. Read on to find some helpful tips for determining the size of your Website.

Home page

This is the page which the user will typically see first.

About Us

Here you can inform the user about your company, your goals and history.
Staff

A list key staff their functions and contact information.

Events

This page can be used to keep visitors informed about events going on within your company.

Products and Services

Here you can showcase your products and services.

Contact Us

Self-explanatory, but you need to give users a way to contact you.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.
View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/estimating-the-size-of-your-website.html

Elements of Good Website Design

It is easy to make a bad website, but it’s just as easy to make a clean, professional-looking Website by following the guidelines below.

Text

• Background does not interrupt the text
• Text is big enough to read, but not too big
• The hierarchy of information is perfectly clear
• Columns of text are narrower than those in a book to make reading easier.

Navigation

• Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use
• Navigation is consistent throughout website
• A large site has an index or site map

Links

• Link colors coordinate with page colors
• Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor

Graphics

• Buttons are not excessively big
• Every graphic has an alt label
• Every graphic link has a matching text link
• Graphics and backgrounds use browser-safe colors
• Animated graphics turn off by themselves

General Design

• Pages load quickly
• First page and home page fit into 800 x 600 pixel space
• All of the other pages have immediate visual impact within 800 x 600 pixels
• Good use of elements (photos and subheads) to break up large areas of text
• Every web page in the site looks like it belongs to the same site; there is consistency throughout pages

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at:  http://mckinleymediagroup.com/elements-of-good-website-design.html

4 Reasons to Start a Video Marketing Campaign

We all recognize the power and popularity of video on the internet these days, yet not all businesses are leveraging this avenue to direct traffic to their websites and connect with their audience at a greater level. Here are 4 reasons why you should be using video to generate web traffic and new business leads.

1. Quick and simple - With many computers featuring built-in cameras, shooting and uploading video can be easier than typing and editing articles.

2. Cost effective part of your overall strategy – If your computer is not already equipped with a video camera, inexpensive video recorders such as the Flip video camera are inexpensive and efficient ways to capture video, and simple editing tasks can be accomplished on virtually any PC or Mac.

3. Video sites attract tons of traffic. Video-oriented sites tend to attract a significant amount of traffic. For example, YouTube’s traffic is ranked #3 in the U.S. and #4 worldwide.

4. Videos are 50 times more likely to get indexed by Google - While blog posts and articles are helpful in directing traffic towards your site, video can have a substantial impact on improving the visibility of your site.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/reasons-to-start-a-video-marketing-campaign.html

5 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Worth Your Time

Quick Results

Building a successful website takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Search engine rankings, for instance, can take years to build in a competitive niche. On the other hand, with social media you can develop content and be seen by thousands of visitors within the same day.

It’s Flexible

There are so many different social media websites that just about every imaginable niche is covered in one way or another. There are social news sites, bookmarking sites, and general networking sites. Whatever your needs and your audience, there should be an option to use social media for your benefit.

Links Can Help Your Search Engine Rankings Rise Quickly

Earlier I mentioned that social media can provide instant results. Well, in addition to sending loads of traffic directly, the links that result from social media success can get your new posts ranking very well with search engines almost immediately. It’s not uncommon for me to see a very respectable number of visitors from Google searches to a brand new post that just drew a lot of links through social media. While it will take a while to build search engine rankings as a whole, it is possible to create specific posts to rank well right away.

It Allows You to Leverage Your Existing Traffic

Do you already have a solid blog with a steady flow of traffic? If so, chances are you could leverage that traffic to draw even more visitors with social media. You may want to use voting buttons on your posts or ask some of your readers and friends to give you a vote occasionally.

The Future of the Internet is Social

Social media and social networking aren’t going away any time soon. The major players and the types of social sites may change of the course of time, but this is a trend that online marketers need to adjust to. Without finding ways to build a website or blog through social media you could be left behind by your competitors.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/5-reasons-to-have-a-web-presence-now.html

Social Media has gone Mobile

Social Media Marketing and Mobile Marketing are fast becoming the way to communicate with your customers. The iPhone and other smart phones have changed the way people use the internet.

The Internet has gone mobile and so have your customers. The days of sitting in front of a desktop computer or watching TV are fading fast.

Engage your customer anytime, anywhere with Social Media Marketing and Mobile Marketing.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/social-media-has-gone-mobile.html

If Google can’t find you then neither can your customers.

So you have a Website, that’s great? Now try this, Google your business name and then terms relative to your company. What comes up? You or Your competition?

Avatar Your Website

The movie Avatar is the only film to gross over 2 billion dollars in the box office. It’s the most successful movie ever made and is visually stunning.

I was watching a NBC comedy the other day and one of the characters said he was waiting to read the book before he saw the movie.

Avatar is proof that video marketing works and that people prefer watching over reading.

The same is true for your company. Don’t just give your customers something to read. Engage them with short, entertaining and informative videos that spark interest faster and more effectively than text or images.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/avatar-your-website.html

Keyword Research Service, Baltimore,MD & Washington DC

Benefits of Keyword Research Service

• High Quality Traffic - you would get the traffic that makes you more money – not all traffic is equal.
• Increased Traffic Volume – by targeting the keywords that get higher search volume or by targeting a higher number of keywords you have potential to get more traffic.
• Improved Sales and Revenue - with increased quality traffic comes an increase in sales. Everyone likes more conversions and more money.
• Less Competition - you have the power to target keywords that have less competitors. These low volume keywords are a good place to start while you are building towards ranking for the more competitive phrases.

Before you start marketing a website, it is crucial to first do effective keyword research. Your website’s traffic, income and overall success depends upon it.

Downside of Neglecting Keyword Research Service

• Failing to properly target keywords – you may only get good search engine rankings for your company name. You shouldn’t need to optimize for your business name.
• Targeting low volume keywords – you may get very few visitors with limited room for improvement. You may even get good rankings, but it wouldn’t translate into sales.
• Targeting overly competitive keywords – you may struggle to get much search engine traffic if you can’t overcome the top ranked websites. Pick your competition level.
• Targeting low quality traffic – you may get traffic but suffer from poor conversion rates.

This is why you cannot afford to ignore keyword analysis. As long as you are targeting the wrong keywords, you are losing money and wasting potential.

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/keyword research service-baltimoremd-washington-dc.html

Manage Multiple Social Media Profiles

Start counting the number of social media websites you have a profile with, right now. Out of fingers yet? Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube are just the start of it for people active on social websites.

Hootsuite is a great way to save time and keep all your profiles current. hootsuite.com

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/manage-multiple-social-media-profiles.html

The Best Twitter Applications

What are Twitter Applications?

Twitter applications can be called by different names. They are sometimes called  “twitter tools”, “twitter add-ons” and the likes. But whatever the name, they are simply websites which have built-in scripts that complement Twitter.

Here is a collection of all the Twitter applications I have encountered on the internet. Contribute more applications to keep the list growing.

Visit us on Twitter.

Find Tweeters Like You:

Directories and User Search Tools

• Just Tweet It: A twitter directory sorted by interest
• Twubble: This tool will automatically find people who are compatible with your interests.
• Twittie Me: Search for similar users and advertise your twitter page.
• Twitdir: Search for words in user names, locations or descriptions
• We Follow: Follow people through popular tags
• Twellow: Find people by area of expertise

Find out what is the latest trends on Twitter

Sites that tell the latest stories and trends on Twitter

• Twitscoop: A search tool that tracks trends as well as certain events.
• Trendistic (previously Flaptor Search): A search tool that can be installed on your browser.
• Tweet Scan: Search keywords on Twitter
• Twitterment: Search Twitter users and topics
• Tweetmeme: Find out the latest Stories on Twitter
• Twistori: Find out what twitter loves, hates, believes, etc.
• Twitturly: Find out the most talked about stories on Twitter
• GoodBadMe: Keep track of the good and bad on the twitterverse
• Favotter: Find out the most favored (saved to favorites) tweets

Track Twitter Users

Find out who the top Twitter users are

• Twitterholic: Find out who the top twitter users are
• Toptweet: Find out the top twitter users on one place.
• Twitrank: a list of the top 150 Twitterers

Track certain keywords on Twitter

See keyword behavior on Twitter with these sites

• Tweet Beep: Find out who is talking about you or your website through certain keywords
• Site volume: Enter five keywords and see their activity on Twitter
• Tweet Volume: A more personalize version of Site Volume
• Monitter: Monitor Twitter conversations on three keywords. Good for catching the latest news
• Hashtags: Track a certain keyword on Twitter
• Twemes: See twitter memes or tags for Twitter
• Tweetchannel: Find out what people are talking about through certain keywords called channels.
• Twitter Meter: Find the trends of certain keywords
• Flaptor Trends: Compare the trends of three keywords on Twitter
• Twitter Spectrum: Find out the dominant keywords via a tagcloud generated.
• Serendipitwiterrous: Search for tweets of a certain person using certain keywords
• Twittertroll: real-time Twitter search engine

Schedule your Tweets

Auto-tools to schedule tweets. Use wisely. Do not use for spam

• Tweet Later: Schedule tweets, auto-follow and auto-welcome people
• Twittertise: Schedule your tweets. Very useful when you are advertising.
• Tweet Ahead: Schedule your tweets on Mac
• Twit Response: Imagine Twitter + Autoresponder. Send tweets automatically.

Track Yourself Through Twitter Statistics

Check out your status on Twitter

• Tweet Burner: Track the links that you post on Twitter
• Twitter Grader: Find out your twitter grade. Computed based on how complete your profile is as well as the number and influence of your followers.
• Tweet Stats: Graph your tweet activity
• Twinfluence: Measure your Twitter influence through tweets, reach of followers as well as second-order followers
• Tweeple Twak: Track your friend gains and declines
• Twit Graph: Graph your tweeting activity
• Tweet 140: Track your direct message and tweet frequency
• Twitter Ratio: Find out your friend to follower ratio.

Make Money with Twitter

Ways you can use your twitter account to earn money

• Twittad: Place advertisements on your profile
• Magpie: Advertise with 5 tweets and get paid

Twitter and Email

Receive and send tweets via email

• Twittermail: Update twitter via email
• Twitter Reply: Receive your replies on your email
• OuTwit: Update Twitter with your Microsoft Outlook
• mail2twitter: A free service that allows you to post tweets through e-mail

Twitter Downtime Saviors

Tools that will save you when Twitter has its downtimes

• Twit a Bit: The place to be when Twitter is down. Anyone can continue tweeting in this site.
• Tweetake: Backup your twitter account
• Twitter Safe: Another place where you can backup your account.
• Hahlo: Another website where you can tweet

Twitter Messenger Applications

Integrate Twitter with your Messenger

• TwitterIM: Integrate twitter with your MSN or ICQ Messenger
• Yahoo Messenger Twitter Sync Plugin: Integrate twitter with your Yahoo Messenger
• TwitterYM: Update your Twitter on Yahoo Messenger
• Twessenger: Twitter tool for Windows Live Messenger
• Twit4live: Update twitter via messenger as well as advertise the tweets of your friends.
• TikiTwit: Integrate Twitter with iChat

For more information visit mckinleymediagroup.com, sterlingmckinley.com, or read Sterling McKinley’s column at The Examiner.

View original article at: http://mckinleymediagroup.com/the-best-twitter-applications.html