Update: Check out Vladimir Sobolev’s Youtube Embed Player Customizer for way more options and a coding-free method of customization. As the third most-visited site on the web, YouTube is unquestionably the most popular method of online video distribution. YouTube does have its strongpoints: anyone can post an unlimited number of videos for free, basic analytics […]
Ready for a word association test? Tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase animated GIF. Did you just picture a mid-1990s amateur website? Perhaps one created by your uncle, and hosted on GeoCities? If you didn’t, here is a great example of a common use of animated GIFs […]
While “LinkedIn” is a great website, remember that it’s also a company, a company that knows how to innovate and productize very well. They have created a web service for professionals that has allowed us to connect, find jobs, increase sales, help others, generate content, and more; all of which is absolutely fantastic. But like […]
As online marketers, we follow user trends closely, including Litmus’ monthly report of Email Client Market Share. Even a casual observer of email users has noticed that mobile email use is increasing; the speed of the increase might surprise even the most tuned-in email marketers. Email opens increased 48% in 2012 and 138% over the […]
For over a decade now, eCommerce has been an integral component of the lives of consumers. In fact, eCommerce sales have more than tripled since 2003. Mobile web use has also exploded, increasing by 39% over the past year. Naturally, the number of consumers making purchases via mobile devices is on the rise. As such, […]
During the past several years, mobile web use has exploded. Currently, mobile devices account for about 12% of web traffic in the US, and this number is widely expected to continue to grow rapidly. Apple devices, which account for about 50% of mobile traffic, offer a handy feature called “Add to Home Screen,” where users […]
As a local business owner, your lifeline is based on foot traffic to your retail location, or local leads for your services. SEO, websites, etc. were “easy” to do in the earlier part of this last decade, but have become increasingly more difficult and competitive as large brands and other businesses in your market step […]
If you read our blog often, you know that we love MailChimp. MailChimp is an easy-to-use, affordable, and incredibly full-featured email newsletter service that’s used by us, as well as many of our clients. Email marketing and social media are two of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing channels currently available, and SocialPro combines them […]
We see them all the time: “Like us on Facebook!”, “Tweet this to your friends!”, and to a lesser extent (sorry, Google), “+1 this page!”. The vast majority of these requests are ignored. What causes us to share X with our friends, but not Y? What’s people’s motivation behind sharing the things they do on […]
Out of the box, WordPress sites are very easy to manage, and come with a lot of helpful features built in. Thankfully, the developers of WordPress don’t try to include every feature anyone could ever want, as this would make the CMS harder to administrate, and would decrease performance. If your WordPress site is lacking […]
Looking for an easy way to increase subscriber engagement in your email newsletter? Why not try video? Video attracts interest for a number of reasons, including: It’s a change of pace in users’ workdays. Many people spend a large portion of their working hours reading, and video can give them an excuse to take a […]
If you’re using an iPhone with iOS 6 installed, you may have seen, or even used, Apple’s new app, Passbook. Passbook aims to replace coupons, tickets, and customer loyalty cards with one centralized application. Instead of scanning your gift card at Starbucks, the barista can now scan your phone. Your new balance gets updated in […]
It has long been suggested that having a web server located in close physical proximity to the majority of your user base is an important element to having a fast web site. This assertion makes sense in that the closer one computer is to another, the shorter the distance data has to travel. Additionally, when […]
If you’ve ever spoken with a web designer for more than five minutes (myself included), you’ve heard complaints about Internet Explorer’s non-standard methods of rendering web pages. While Google, the Mozilla Fondation, and Apple (makers of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, respectively) have made every attempt to adhere to web standards, Microsoft (creator of Internet Explorer), […]
Quality content and great design are paramount to conversion optimization of your email marketing. But perhaps when you send matters as much as what you send. As most of us can observe from our own behavior, most users decide whether to read, save, or delete emails soon after the messages hit their inboxes. A great […]
Every website owner’s goal is to increase traffic to their site. But what if your site gets too much traffic in a short period of time? Will your site go down? Will it run so slowly that impatient users will leave prematurely? From having your site linked to from a major blog, to a traditional […]
Adding video to your website can be a great way to add interest and educate your visitors. You spend time writing scripts, shooting footage, and carefully editing your videos; they look great, and you’re confident people are captivated by them. You’ve seen a higher conversion rate since adding video to your site. Great! But just […]
SEO (and online marketing in general) is a funny thing. What we find most interesting about it is peoples perception of what is involved and what should be focused on. The hard truth is that there is no cut and dry process that works for everyone, and the reason for this is that, not every […]
Introduction If you’ve recently purchased an Apple device, or are just a fan of Apple products, you may be familiar with Retina displays. Retina displays feature a pixel density so high that Apple claims the human eye cannot distinguish between individual pixels. You can find Retina displays on current iPhone/iPod Touch, iPad, and MacBook Pro […]
Yesterday, Wednesday October 3rd, SEOmoz from Seattle put on a great online marketing event that focused on SEO, social media, conversion optimization, and more at the Harley Davidson Museum. It was a fantastic event that was kicked off with an hour of networking, drinks and appetizers, and ultimately just getting excited about actually having a […]