Monthly Archives: September 2010

30
Sep

How to Resize Images Quickly and Easily

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

I’m sure by now you’ve come across at least one instance where you wanted to upload a picture – thinking it would be a simple process – only to find that your image didn’t fit in the allotted space. I know I’ve come across these situations in the past:

  • Trying to add your headshot into a profile page for Facebook, Linked In or Twitter
  • Wanting a photograph in your blog post but your original was three times too big for the post
  • Having a specific space in your website you want to fill with an image

Well, I know that not everyone has a fancy Adobe product that can resize images and not everyone is tech savvy. I have a very quick and easy-to-use solution for you.

Caution: The following example is for PC users only. If you are a Mac user, scroll to the bottom of this post for an alternative method.


27
Sep

If You Don’t Stay Current You’ll Fall Behind

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

The Internet is an ever-changing, incredibly fast-paced force. If you aren’t willing to keep up with it, then reconsider starting a website in the first place.

Every creative mind can come up with some ideas of how to improve whatever they are interested in – business, art, mechanics, personal development, etc. An entrepreneur will get an idea and think, “I know, I’ll make a website and make money online!” The excitement is flowing and it feels so right. (And, it is!)

But before you hire a designer and programmer to build your site, before you make your whole business plan, before you even buy a domain name… take a moment to make sure you are ready for the ultimate investment you’re gonna need to make – time. Sure, you can put up an “online brochure” for a website and tell your prospects to go check it out, if you’re not looking for leads to be generated from your site. This post is not for you.


20
Sep

My Internet Marketing and Online Business Philosophies

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

I almost feel a little bad for people trying to get into the online business world today. By now the Internet has been around long enough to where we’ve heard loads of “experts” say they have the “cure” to whatever your problem is. You’ve got one SEO guy screaming in your ear that they KEY to ranking well in Google is, “Keywords!” Then you have another SEO guy saying “It’s not keywords! It’s about publishing content frequently!” Then you’ve got one Social Media guy saying the KEY is, “YouTube!” Then another guy says, “Make a Facebook page!”

Really, how in the world are you supposed to know what to do?! Add keywords, publish new content frequently, build a following on Twitter, make a video viral, buy AdWords, lower your bounce rate, increase your conversion rate, study your visitation, get more friends on Facebook! As I said, I feel bad because everyone’s preaching something different and there are so many experts out there just trying to make a quick buck. Hard to know who to trust.


15
Sep

Top Social Network Sites – Are You On Them?

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

Do you have a website with only one, maybe two, social networking icons? Most I’m seeing jumped on the Facebook wagon, but what about the other power-houses? YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and the others…

I like to take a look at the Alexa report of top websites in the world from time to time. I love Alexa for so many reasons but this post isn’t about that. Instead, take a look where people are spending their time. Google #1, Facebook #2, YouTube #3. If you’re like everyone I know online, you’re trying to figure out how to get more traffic. If you know where people are hanging out, then go there!

Set up a Facebook Page, add a YouTube channel, get a LinkedIn account (which brings me consistent leads btw!).

Before you do any of that, watch this:



Need I say more?


13
Sep

A Lesson on Duplicate Content – Can It Do More Harm Than Good?

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

Duplicate content means large blocks of text copied from one website to another. Maybe you liked an article someone wrote and decide to copy a big block of the article to share on your website. This is considered duplicate content but Google says, “mostly, this is not deceptive in origin” and therefore is considered “non-malicious”.

In many cases (pay attention here) duplicate content is deliberate (or maybe you do it not knowing the repercussions, hence today’s informational post). You wrote an article and want it to be published on as many website as possible in order to get more traffic or as Google says, “manipulate search engine rankings”. There are dozens of ways you can reproduce that exact same article on dozens or even hundreds of other websites if you know the right tools. But, what does Google think about it?


10
Sep

New! Google Instant

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

When’s the last time you did a Google search?

Google has changed their search engine once again. Now, when you go to Google.com and start to type in a keyword phrase, Google immediately guesses what you are search for (you’re used to seeing that drop-down of suggested terms)… the difference is that the search results instantly appear under the search bar AS YOU TYPE! As you continue to type in your keyword, the search result content changes. Crazy!

Why would Google do this? Well, they say they are “pushing the limits” of what they are capable of. They want to deliver content to you as fast and accurately as possible. Also, that our eyes can scan and read faster that we can type (of course) – just another way to speed things up even more.


1
Sep

Zazzle, a Fabulous Resource for Business Cards and More

By: Amber Ludwig, Website Development • Social Media Branding • Internet Marketing Coaching

Zazzle.com has been around for 10 years and I am just as impressed with them as I was a few years ago. Zazzle is a website that allows you to create custom business cards, t-shirts, mugs, magnets, stickers, postage – anything you can think of, just about! (Nope, I’m not an affiliate, just spreading news about a great company.)

I originally discovered Zazzle a good 4 years ago when I was planning a local business conference for 200 attendees. We were seeking out companies that could provide goodies for our attendees such as pens, keychains, etc. We wanted something unique – something that stood out from what was given away at every other conference.

The neat thing about Zazzle is if you have a little time and patience you can custom design and create the coolest giveaways for your audience – or to sell in your online store – or to give as gifts to friends and family. You can add your logo, photo, custom text to any product they have.