Benefits of YouTube vs. Flash Videos11/14/2016 2:51:19 PM
Everyone loves Flash.
Mo...
Everyone loves Flash.
Most people don't even know they are looking at a Flash Element, but they certainly are attractive "flashy" gimmicks on any website, and even more so as alluring video players. But are they really a viable solution, especially in a day and age where Search Engine Optimisation is the order of the day? Though this is universally debated by SEO Specialists and Flash Gurus, the fact remains that the end user - or viewer in our case - is the person it has the biggest effect on. So you are browsing for some product or service, and through the blood, sweat and tears of some poor SEO Specialist, you click on the Organic Link of a potential supplier. Not because you like the name of the company or because they are well-known, but simply because they came up on the first page of Google. You enter the website and is suddenly aware that there is a section that is lagging or seems to be loading dramatically slow. Most people ignore this or simply exit the page - especially if it's one of the main features of the webpage you are entering. But why exactly is this happening? On closer inspection you find that sometimes it is simply a Flash Element loading on the page. Of course if you didn't have a recent version of Flash Player installed, it might not even do anything. This is just one of the many pitfalls of utilizing Flash to run your videos. So let's look at the Pro's of using Flash Videos: » Customizable and "flashy" looking video players that fit the theme and structure of your professionally designed website. This adds that 'something special' to your website that creates impact and impression. In today's ever evolving online world, one of the big names that everyone frequents, is YouTube. We all love going on there to watch music videos, video bloggers, funny virals and practically anything you can think of. Many people however don't realize the benefits that YouTube have to offer as part of your Online Marketing Strategy. Since the video component is part of the "Google Experience" it will automatically be added to their search results. Something that those Flash Gurus can only dream of. Above this there is also the added benefit that the YouTube Player works on any browser. Yes it can't be customized, but there is no need for the installation of software to make it function. Let's jump into the Pro's of using YouTube Videos: » Video hosting can become expensive; YouTube eliminates this as hosting your videos with them is absolutely free of charge. » Your videos on YouTube come with their own MetaTags and therefore are added to any search results triggered by the ones on your website. In short; two relevant search results instead of one, both going to the same company - Yours! » You have access to the YouTube community. This means if your video is making some noise on YouTube it might lead to direct traffic to your website. » YouTube can be a powerful tool to brand your company, and can be accelerated by using Google Adwords to show your video to people already interested in your product using their browsing history. Four to one. Those are the odds stacked against you should you choose to rather utilize Flash above YouTube. But like anything it is a matter of perception as well as needs. If you want something that 'pops' and gives that 'wow' effect, then Flash Videos is definitely for you, but should you wish to utilize something that is not only practical, but also adept at supporting your Online Marketing Strategy, then there is no better option than YouTube. Not only does it cater for users of any demographic, but it also functions as an integral part of SEO, helping your website get to the front page of search engines such as Google, Bing etc. |
OnlineMarketing: How to SEO your Website.11/14/2016 2:49:46 PM
So often we get the question &ld... So often we get the question “So how do you SEO a website?” In this article on how to SEO your website we touch on various factors involved making your website Search Engine Friendly. Content is King!Writing quality pieces of content that is meant for people first, and search engines second, is essential. In essence it means you should write quality content that is useful and engaging for humans and search engines will recognize your efforts. Content that is engaging has a higher chance to be shared among social media networks, generating free traffic to your website. Links, links, linksIt’s harsh outside in the big world of the internet, and you wish to be popular? Well what you need is a vote of confidence. A Picture worth a thousand wordsFACT: Search Engines do not recognize the content of any picture at the moment. Ahoy Captain, drop the Anchor LinkI’m sure we all have seen the classic “For more information click here”. Those types of links are BAD. Why you ask? Count your words carefullyIt has been said people on the internet do not read, it doesn’t mean that we should deprive them of good quality content. When writing content try to stick around 250 words per page. 250 Words per page will give you a good length of text to include related terms and emphasis on your targeted keywords. Avoid Duplicate ContentContent on your website should always be unique from any other websites on the web. Duplicate content confuses a search engine on how to decide which one is more relevant than the other. It is most cases Search Engines will display the original before the duplicate piece. Title Tags & Description TagsTitle tags are part of the meta tags that appear in the top of your HTML inside the head section of your document. Title tags could be compared to the chapter titles in a book, it should tell people and search engines what the page in your book is about. Title tags should contain less than 70 characters to optimize how search engines will display you within the organic results. Header TagsHeader tags are headings, so treat them as headings (just like those you find in books and even magazines). In HTML we have various header tags for example; Meta what?Meta tags of course, pieces of code in the header section of your webpage. This is how they generally look like; SitemapA good sitemap is crucial so that search engines and visitors can easily find all the pages on your website. Imagine a sitemap as the “you are here” map in a huge shopping centre. As your website grows and expand it is crucial to make sure that search engines and people alike know what pages are available on your website. It also makes it easier for a search engine to recognize if you have any new content on your website, without re-indexing everything. I like you, please follow me…Social Media, everybody is part of it and has integrated it into part of their daily routine and schedule, the need to be constantly connected has infected nearly everyone. It is essential that your website works seamlessly together with all your social interactions on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Myspace, Google +, Pinterest, and the list continues |
Websites as a Consumable?11/14/2016 2:38:52 PM
Stop the bus!! A consumable i... Stop the bus!! Pre Industrial AgeIt is safe to assume that most of the information gathering processes were due to trial and error and by recommendations based on first-hand experience. Information was shared by word of mouth from one generation to the next. There was little or no form of record keeping, writing it down, due to the fact that the majority of people where illiterate plus there were no such things as pens and paper. Trust and memory was at the order of the day. Industrial AgeThanks to Johannes Gutenberg in 1439; a revolution in the information technology industry happened with the invention on the mechanical movable printing press. Suddenly more information was available in the form of books and so there was an increase in the literacy among people. 18th - 19th CenturyWith limited access to libraries, due to the class system; the use of the encyclopaedia became bigger and wider and suddenly more and more people had access to a very broad range of information. We all used them from time to time for school and varsity projects and even sat and paged through them just looking at pictures and discovering an odd fact or two. Birth of the InternetFrom its conception in the 1950s by Professor Leonard Kleinrock it was never imagined that it would become the global information super highway that it would be so aptly named towards the end of the 20th century. Websites became more and more accessible and so the demand for information went through the roof. Suddenly you had more data on millions of topics, places and people at your fingertips and businesses soon realised that this was a perfect means to an end, the end being capable of reaching many consumers and vice versa. The CloudSounds like a 1950’s B grade horror movie starring Vincent Price and Boris Karloff but actually it’s a recent day colloquial term for Cloud Computing; popularised by marketers to promote their and your products to the entire world. The internet has matured into a teenager full of energy and with an insatiable hunger. Website as ConsumableAs illustrated through this walk through the ages it’s clear that Joe Soap has a need for more information. Joe is no longer getting the info handed down to him from his parents and he is no longer limited by other people’s experience and advice but has a vast amount of information at his fingertips to inform him and help make up his mind. |