Trendwatch 2012: Prevalent Elements in Website Design

Posted By in Web Design on 2012-05-15

Whether it’s a new year or a new season, design trends are always changing. And, much like almost every element in the online world, website design trends change quickly and evolve over time. While there are some elements to the design of websites that remain constant, as they reflect best practices, there are always new fads that pop up. We’ve complied a list of trends, as well as examples of the trends on websites, in order to show the direction in which website design is moving so far this year.
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Get Ready for Google AdWords Keyword Match Type Update – Phrase and Exact Match Close Variants

Posted By in Internet Marketing on 2012-05-10

In April, Google announced that in mid-May search terms will produce broader ad results than before. The previous method was “exact match,” which meant someone typing in “wooden picnic table” would generate ads utilizing the exact phrase “wooden picnic table.” The new changes, known as close variants of your exact match and phrase match keywords will also now produce ad results for “wooden picnic tables,” although the person performing the search typed in “wooden picnic table.”

The reason for this change is due to the revelation that Google’s costs per click, or CPCs, were down 12% in the first quarter and still didn’t bounce back in the fourth quarter, as they showed a negative of 4%. The solution for CPCs that are slipping downward is to increase the number of clicks. The more clicks, the more revenue Google makes.

So, what Google has done is update the keyword match types. Exact and Phrase match keywords will now show variants of the search term if the user chooses. This means that misspellings, plurals, stemmings, accents, abbreviations, and acronyms all count.

What Won’t Change?

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Canadians are Social Media Junkies

Posted By in Canadian Internet Stats, Internet Marketing on

A recent report from eMarketer shows the continued penetration of social media in Canada. But are companies leveraging it the way they should be?
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Search Marketing Expo – SMX Toronto Kick Off and Sponsorship

Posted By in Marketing Conferences, What's Buzzing on 2012-04-25

Search Marketing Expo Toronto
So another year passed us by and yet another growing Search Marketing Expo is upon us. Last year’s expo had record numbers as the industry continued its growth and I expect this year to be no different.  The conference will be running today and tomorrow (April 25 and 26) and boasts an impressive lineup of speakers talking about everything from keyword research, SEO, social media to more advanced paid search tactics and technical SEO know-how.

With over 30 sessions available across 5 tracks the variety and wealth of knowledge being shared is unparalleled and both seasoned and new search marketers will find value in attending.
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Introducing 9th sphere’s New Timeline Facebook Page

Posted By in Internet Marketing, Web Design, What's Buzzing on 2012-04-05

Earlier this week Facebook unveiled its Timeline for Brands public offering making the new Timeline layout mandatory for all pages and introducing a number of new exciting elements into the social marketing mix for brands and businesses alike.  The Timeline layout has a number of new features that we will be implementing over the coming weeks to fully make use of Facebook for our social interaction and engagement.
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How eCommerce Works in Canada

Posted By in eCommerce, Web Development on 2012-03-29

Are you a Canadian website owner who needs to know how to accept payment on your website?

I will provide a guide to how the system of processing and accepting credits cards from your website works.  This is not to be a technical guide for implementation, but is written instead to give website owners, entrepreneurs, project managers and others an understanding of how the systems work.
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How Important Are Domain Names to Google?

Posted By in Domain Names, Internet Marketing on 2012-03-14

The domain name address of a business website is often an element that is rushed when a business starts out and launches their company website.  A great “business name” is thought of and then when they go to register the domain name, 9 times out of 10 the great business name is already registered.  Often times at this moment a new name is thought up and registered in the hopes that it will somehow be just as relevant as the original, this is nearly never true.  What you are left with is a meaningless domain to Google and other search engines, when it is probably one of the most important factors you will need to consider.
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Canada’s Worst Retailers: Customer Service through Social Media

Posted By in Internet Marketing on 2012-03-06

In January 2012, one of Canada’s consumer watchdog’s, Marketplace, conducted a survey to indicate Canada’s Worst Customer Service retailers.  The research was conducted via surveys and in-store mystery shoppers.  They found that the worst customer service retailers were Zellers, Canadian Tire and Walmart Canada in this order.
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Google Ranking Checklist for 2012

Posted By in Internet Marketing on 2012-02-29

If you are an internet marketer chasing the golden nugget of first page rankings, you undoubtedly ran into some issues this past year. It’s no easy task, and the rules are always changing. The great Panda update of 2011 was sure to drive search experts mad with dancing rankings and penalization. Those who paid attention and followed Google’s rules were far better off. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you have to give Google what they want.
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