Tip 33 - Testing

I thought I woudl take some time to mention one area most website designers and developers struggle with and that is testing. Simply put just making sure your website works and looks the same on all browsers.

It is the norm for anyone who designs websites on a regular basis to have an array of browsers on their machine in order to check that their website works on different browsers, but you may be asking what about me I only have a single website and its too much to have all browsers on my machine.

The Solution

The solution lies in online testing, and although there are a lot of websites that offer this service both free and paid, the best one I have come accross is by the lovely people at Adobe and its called the Adobe Browser Lab this lovely service let you test you website in not only different browsers but different operating systems also.

Dont Forget

Whilst it is always a good idea to test your website in different browsers, never forget that not everyone is using teh same size or resolution of monitor, although the standard is still 1024 x 768 make sure you test on as many resolutions as possible, and remember a given resolution is not the same on a wide screen monitor as it may be on say a Mac laptop.

So in testing make sure you test both compatibility as well as viewability.

Are you making the most out of your website and social media. The answer will most definately be no. Ask for a FREE report now. Go to www.potissimus.co.uk for more info.

Tip 32 - Keywords (again)

Now we have all heard the hype about keywords over the years, and whether META tags and your text play apart in your search engine rankings, or whether they are just old school and not worth worrying about. Well the fact is simple Search engines work on a set of search rules called algorithms, simply put they make a decison based on lots of criteria to show people who search what they are looking for.

Normally these rules are a whole load of things, including inbound links (sites linking to yours), where you are mentioned, your actual domain name to name but a few.

Now why I mention this is that I get lots of people asking me the best keywords to use for their website, now in reality the only person who can answer this is you. There are lots of great programs to help you decide which keywords are best, and which keywords your competition is using. But my advice if use with caution, using these programs will give you a nice list. But try not to simply copy your competition, take on board the keywords they are using and try to think they they are using them, and if they are appropriate to you then use them, but make sure when writing your text on yoru site that it makes sense, dont throw in random words just for the sake of it.

Next use the excellent, and free, tools provided by Google along with using Google Analytics will give you everything you need to see which words people are using to find you, where their from. All you need to do now is look at the search phrases and words people are using to find you, and ask yourself are they the things your want to be found for?

You may by now be asking yourself, how do you come up with keywords, the answer is quite simply really. Get a pen and a piece of paper and write down everything you can think of about your business and your website, no matter how big or small. Out of this brainstorming you will see a pattern of the words your actually want to be found for. So whats next.

1. Make sure to include your new list of words within the text of your website.
2. Included them in your signature, both in your emails, forums, social networking, etc.
3. In fact any where you write online, try to put these words in the text (press releases, news letters, etc)
4. BUT remember although you now know what your keywords should be, make sure everything you write makes sense, and you are not just stuffing your keywords where they should not go.

Happy keyword searching, and remember getting found online is more about getting quality visits over millions of useless ones.

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Tip 31 - Keep It Real (Google Profiles)

You may or may not be aware of the latest debate over Google and its policy to force people to user their real names as their profile on Google. This has caused lots of different opinions on the web, but here is how and why you shoudl capitalise on this to promote your website.

In any business regardless of the size there is one simple rule to remember and that is "people by from people" not matter what your product or service people will always prefer dealing with people. This being the case you should try to make all of your profiles as real as possible, and make sure that people can connect your online presence with your offline presence.

How? the best way it to firstly make sure you have a profile online for yourself and your business "although not currently possible on Google". One you have your profiles make sure that your personal profile speaks to people about who you are, and gives them an insight into your world. Them make sure within your profile you link to your website.

So in short my tips are

1. Make your profile personal and show people you are a real person
2. link your profile to your website and make sure people know that although they are buying from your company. "its you they are dealing with"
3. Try to keep the link between you and your company as connected as possible but without your potential work prospects adding your personal profile as your work one. You dont want clients seeing your drunken photos now do you.

So remember in order to make the most out of social media you must be "SOCIAL"

Are you making the most out of your website and social media. The answer will most definately be no. Ask for a FREE report now. Go to www.potissimus.co.uk for more info.