All our clients want to improve their search engine rankings.  Every week we are asked ‘how?'.  Alas, there is no easy fix or magic button to raise a website to the top of Google.   There are no ‘tricks’.  There is no shortcut.  Companies offering Search Engine Optimisation services are often more interested in Manipulating than Optimising.

What then do we tell our clients?  Focus on ‘Best Practice’?  What does that actually mean?  It means focusing on people, and one of Google’s updates to their algorithm (they do about 400 – 500 a year) in 2011 perfectly illustrates this. 

This update renders the page of a website and measures the relative usage of content and advertising... and negatively ranks those websites that are 'top-heavy' with advertising.  Again, what does this really mean?  It means that Googlebot is now proficient enough in website rendering to identify what a real user can see based on the Javascript, CSS and images in use in a page.  Googlebot is taking another step towards seeing a website as a human sees a website.  It is becoming more human.

The search engines will never stop in this quest to become more human.  Their robots are trying to see a website as a person sees a website.  In the context of the change to the algorithm we mention above, this means that there are penalties for putting too much advertising at the top of your website.  This is annoying for a user, as they have to scroll and search for the content the search engine told them would be on the page.  In the same way there are penalties for over loading a page with keywords, in an attempt to trick the search robots into believing your website is more important regarding a topic than it really is (this is an old trick, long ago rumbled by the robots).  This is a poor experience for a user, having to read the same word over and over and the search engines prescribe the appropriate penalty, a drop in ranking.

The change to the algorithm we mention above is not something that affects most of our clients.  Our designs promote the page content to the greatest possible extent and we don’t encourage our clients to make extensive use of advertising banners at the top of their websites.

Why do we mention it then?  Because it illustrates what Google is saying to publishers (our clients or you) and that is to continue to focus on delivering the best possible user experience on your website and not to focus on specific algorithm tweaks or tricks.  Instead of worrying about how you can get inside the head of a robot, try getting inside the head of a person.  This is after all, what the robot is also trying to do.  The days of Google only reading the page source and page text are long gone.  Search engines are becoming more human and need to be treated as such.
 

To find out more about SEO and Online Marketing you can do so through the Hammer Design Workshops.
 

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Sometimes called a ‘welcome tab’ or ‘landing page’, the ability to create a facebook ‘welcome page’ for your businesses facebook account is a key way to get more people to follow you or ‘Like’ your page.

So what is it?  Put simply, it is a page which normally contains a large graphic image that visitors will arrive on when they first come to your facebook page.   Normally when people arrive at your facebook page whether searching facebook itself or through a search engine they arrive at your wall.  Having a ‘welcome page’ allows you to say exactly what you want to say, in exactly the way you want to say it, to all new visitors.  This is in contrast to them landing on your wall which could be displaying any one of a number of comments.

What are the key points to consider with Facebook Welcome Pages?

Brand strengthening
Through a high quality graphic representation of your business you strengthen your brand image.
Crystal clear indication of the benefits to someone liking your business
With a welcome page you can clearly explain to people what they will be getting from you if they like your business e.g.: ‘follow us to be kept up to date with special offers, top deals and competitions’.
In a Nutshell
It allows you to explain succinctly what your business does and who you are.  Your wall might be engaging to someone who knows your business but says little about it to the first time viewer.
Indicates Facebook professionalism
A proper welcome page shows you care enough about facebook to make one and indicates a certain level of commitment to the platform, making people more likely to ‘Like’ you.

What can you do with a Facebook Welcome page?

The welcome page is highly flexible.  If you are trying to increase the number of people who ‘Like’ you or are following you then the graphic can focus on encouraging this.  If you have a one off promotion that you want to push then it can be used for this.  If you want the landing page to be clickable and bring people out of facebook, back to your website, this is also possible.
If you are thinking about creating a welcome page consider what step you want people to take when they see it: Click ‘Like’, enter a competition, visit your website etc.

What else is there to know?

It is possible to create a ‘revealable’ welcome page.  This means that someone who is following you sees a different page to someone who is not.  In this way you can encourage new visitors to like you so they can see your second welcome page, which, for example, might contain a competition available only to your followers.

What are the actual mechanics of getting a facebook welcome page?

We are not going to go into the details of how to create a facebook welcome page here.  It is enough to say that first you need a graphic 500px wide and about 700px deep and then you need to install a Static HTML: iFrame tab (this is really, really, easy).  That’s it.

The graphic is where Hammer Design can help you out the most (and we’re happy to explain about the Static HTML: iFrame bit too).  If you’d like to know more then Drop Us a Line or Give Us a Call on 01433 650555.

The Hammer Design Facebook Welcome page. 
Visit our welcome page and Like Us to keep up to date with what we think and what we are up to.

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New legislation is making sure we don't store information about website users unless it follows the latest directives.

Some info on the EU regulations with respect to cookie storage

We are confident that the way our CMS currently uses cookies is in line with the requirements provided that clients have appropriate privacy policies or notes on cookies on their websites.

The grey area, affecting ourselves and our clients, is the use of third-party cookies for analytics - i.e. because Google Analytics uses cookies and these are 'third party', any and all websites using Google Analytics will need to have an appropriate measure in place to comply with the requirements. It may be sufficient to amend privacy policies / terms and conditions of use, but too be sure we feel that more action will be required later.

This blog entry from Paul Boag summarises it pretty well:

http://boagworld.com/news/do-you-need-to-worry-about-the-cookie-crisis/

The ICO provides a PDF document giving guidelines with respect to the new cookies regulations (attached) and more complete detail is held here:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx

A couple of weeks before Christmas the ICO produced a news release on how they view the UK's implementation of the requirements going, which is basically 'not very well'. That release is here and contains a link to their full report at the 6-month point of the implementation of the regulations:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2011/must-try-harder-on-cookies-compliance-says-ico-13122011.aspx

This is law, but there is a 'lead in' period of 12 months dating from 26th May last year (2011), so no-one can be prosecuted before 26th May this year (2012) unless they do not have a implementation plan in place to be in a position to comply with the requirements by 26th May.

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Ever into the extra curricular the team at Hammer Design were out and about in force over 2011.  Though we love our work it’s a cast iron fact that we also love our play.  This sometimes leads us to get carried away.  Last year Si needed to be evacuated from a hut in the Swiss alps when over exuberance at altitude led to dehydration. This unfortunately then combined with a dodgy contact lens to precipitate a speedy descent (skidoo) to the Grindlewald valley and proper medical facilities.  No one likes the idea of loosing an eye, fortunately Si suffered no permanent damage! 

Si taking on the famous traverse of the Auguille D'Entreves in the Alps

Just around the corner from here, at about the same time, Henry managed to get lucky and climb the North Face of the Eiger (without a hitch). 

Henry on The North Face of the Eiger

Closer to home and sea level Ben, Adrian, Meilee and Si have all been hammering the mountain bike trails the length and breadth of the country.  From Glencoe to Cornwall the Hammer Design team have been going further and faster whenever they can.

 

Steve (left) having just recieved his award with his little boy Sam

Burning slightly less calories, but putting the fitties in their place a little, Web Developer Steve won a top award.  Steve studies Web Systems Design at Sheffield Hallam and after getting the top grades in his year and in his faculty, two years in a row, he was awarded the Ede & Ravenscroft Academic Prize.  Well done Steve!

You can be sure that we’ll all be out in force for 2012.  Si’s already eying up the Matterhorn, Henry’s thinking about Alaska, Adrian’s eye is always on a trail centre somewhere…

Hope to see you out there!

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Look complicated to you?  Us too.  Fortunately, you don't have understand how this works to produce a great website.

At Hammer Design we pride ourselves on understanding each individual business model for every website we produce. Our client base has traditionally been highly diverse.   When we were invited to quote for a new website for a Marie Curie Initial Training Network being run out of the University of Sheffield we jumped at the chance.  However when we read the brief to provide a fully content manageable website to S³Nano, which will be investigating Quantum Dot Spins’ many of us were left scratching our heads.  Our Senior Developer, who holds a Ph.D. in physics, was only able to offer this useful explanation – ‘it’s complicated’.

Shortly however it became apparent that a complete understanding of what was being researched was not necessary and we could focus on the research group’s online needs.  These needs centred around creating a repository for research notes and a focus point for a research network, with 16 researchers, 11 Ph.D. students and 5 Post Docs based out of 4 countries: UK, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

With this in mind we have proposed and had accepted our plan to design, develop and host a website for S³Nano, a Marie Curie Initial Training Network.  Along with our Chameleon CMS system and standard levels of service and security the website will also encompass several other key features.  Different groups or members of the research network will have different access rights to various parts of the website.  This will allow specific content to be clearly directed and provide specific areas for the relevant links, files and information for members and groups.  Other features of the website include the ability to send regular newsletters, a registration system for events and workshops, researcher profiles and resources and notes that will follow on from those workshops or events.

Another unique client to add to our eclectic client base.

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