INKJAM

There has been a big push in recent years for employees of small to medium businesses to telecommute. The growing power of technological resources has enabled this movement toward a more mobile workforce.  Cloud implementation of many software applications, and the effectiveness of internet based communications like Skype, have helped spur the adoption of telecommuting. Three key trends in telecommuting are core time mandates, the green movement, and specialty focused recruiting. Core Time Mandates As companies discovered the benefits of telecommuting, they encouraged more and more employees to work from home. Over time, employees and managers realized that the lack of face to face interaction presented its own problems - a disconnect with the corporate culture on the part of the telecommuter, for instance. Connecting with co-workers in person enables the development of more productive working relationships that are more difficult to foster electronically. To balanc...

Over 200 factors go into making up the Google algorithm (algo), but not all of these factors are equal. Some factors – like Page Rank – have more weight than others, and some seem to change regularly, while others stay the same year-on-year. As an Search Engine Optimizer, it’s hard to keep track with the algorithm changes that take place, seemingly every day – it’s been said that Google makes hundreds of algorithm changes every year. This post will cover some of the major updates that have occurred since the early days of Google.  “Florida” – 2003  Florida is widely acknowledged as the first major “modern” algo update; one where it made life significantly harder for SEO’s than it was hence. Florida hit many sites hard, and mainly came down on spam tactics such as cloaking, keyword stuffing and aggressively optimised anchor text. Florida was a game changer – it was a signal from Google that they were not going to tolerate spammers polluting their algorithm....

Do not put all your eggs in the same basket - so goes the old saying. In your quest to achieve higher search engine rankings, you cannot be devoting all your attention to Google and ignoring Bing altogether.  And, for those of you who believe in numbers here is a fact. In 2012 Bing (along with Yahoo) accounted for almost 25% of all searches on the Internet. Individually Bing accounted for 15% of all searches. (Source: ComScore) While Google may still be sitting pretty at the top, Bing is fast catching up, and it's high time that you gave Bing its due consideration in your search engine strategies. In this article we will identify some 'SEO strategies for Bing' that will help you optimise your website to rank high in Bing search results. 1. Sign up for the Bing Webmasters tool and submit an XML sitemap for your blog or website. This will ensure that all your pages are discovered and indexed by Bing. 2. Use a Meta Description tag to describe the ...

A Meta Description Tag has practical relevance for SEO for it tells search engines what a particular page is all about. This is how the meta description tag looks like: <head> <meta name="description" content="This is a concise summary of your post that may show up in search engine results."> </head>  When we talk about search engines, we tend to focus on the 'Big 2' - Google and Bing. As far as optimising your page for Bing is concerned, meta description tags are of paramount importance. In other words adding meta description tags to your posts will help them rank high in Bing Search results.

In the last year, it has been reported that nearly 12% of all website visits were made from mobile devices. This means, that websites are now being accessed by mobile devices, more than they ever have been. And it’s unsurprising really – I mean there are so many great gadgets out there for us to choose from – and many of them are becoming more and more affordable by the second. It’s not something that’s gone unnoticed though – companies such as Apple and Samsung have recognised the sheer demand for mobile browsing and have released cheaper products to compete in the market more effectively. And it’s not gone unnoticed by the webdesign world either. In fact more and more individuals in our industry are noticing this huge increase in mobile browsing and developing and changing their projects and developments to adapt and survive. It doesn’t, however, mean that web designers are completely stepping away from desktop design – as this is still a huge part of the browsing experien...

It’s almost a new year, which means that new design update and new design trends are going to hit us. But there are amazing web sites shooting up every week, with some hidden gems offering a real amount of inspiration and true creative flair. The thing is, unless you’re actively looking – a lot of these amazing sites can easily slip under the radar, never going viral or getting the attention they deserve. Here are some of my favourite websites – where the design and content fall so nicely into place – and then, suddenly, my inspiration levels are suddenly off the chart. I thought I’d share them with you – because with the New Year right around the corner – we could all do with a spark of inspiration to keep us going! Food Sense Awesome example of responsive design, and keeping things clean, fresh and simple. I don’t like over-complicating thing if they needn’t be – so this site works for me on every level. Goosebumps Pickles Again, another food site. I love...

You create a blog with one object in mind - getting more and more people to see your work. While creating a blog is easy, driving traffic to your blog is turning out to be an increasingly difficult proposition given the number of blogs the 'paint' the blogosphere today. In this article I will discuss some of the strategies you can employ to give your blog traffic a much needed boost. 1. Identify your audience and deliver to their needs Begin by identifying your audience. Once you have identified your target audience, you need to find out what their information needs are. You do so by putting yourself in your audiences' shoes and thinking from their perspective. By identifying your audience's information needs, you put yourself in a better position to create 'content' that delivers to their information needs. Remember great content is like a magnet that attracts traffic. 2. Go Social Social media is where your target audience most likely is...

Its great news for all iPhone users for Google Maps has made a triumphant return to the iPhone. I say triumphant because within hours of its launch, Google Maps has claimed the top-spot among free apps in the Apple’s iTunes store.  The new Google Maps App for the iPhone features Google's much acclaimed 'voice assisted turn by turn navigation' - a feature that was missing in the earlier app. In addition to the navigation system, the app also includes 'Street View' - a feature that will allow iPhone users to preview destinations with with 360-degree street-level imagery. 'Local search' which enables users to find local businesses and services, complete with reviews and ratings, is another interesting feature of the new Google Maps App for the iPhone. Plus there is the 'compass mode' which enables you to find and orient yourself on the map. The new app, with its sleek navigation, has been received well by users and critics alike. The CNe...

Twitter is a micro-blogging website that allows you to share your thoughts with people across the globe. Twitter as a social network has not just cut ice with individuals. Business - both small and big have recognised the tremendous potential that Twitter entails in bringing them new leads and increased sales. However just like any other social networking website, to  benefit from and to get the most out of Twitter,  you need to make your voice heard by the masses. In other words you need to increase your Twitter following. In this article we will recognise some of the ways in which you can increase your Twitter following. Gain more Twitter followers by 'following' these simple tips. 1. Tweet and Tweet often. That's what you are supposed to do on twitter. By Tweeting often you become more visible to other Twitter users, and if you are able to impress these individuals they will start following you.  Tip: Use Hashtags  (#) to mark 'keywords' so th...

As a micro blogging website, Twitter is accessed by millions of individuals every day. You can use Twitter as an effective tool to drive quality traffic to your blog. This post identifies some of the ways in which you can find readers for your blog using Twitter. 1. Share Your Content on Twitter You begin by sharing your content on Twitter. Make sure that the tweets that you send out introduce your followers to your content and link back to the respective blog post/article. Never use tools that send out automated tweets each time you post. Instead craft your own tweets. The challenge is to come up with tweets that instantly captures the audiences interest and induces them to follow the link back to your blog/website. Given Twitter's word limit, sometimes asking direct questions help. Consider the following tweet for example: "Are you getting enough traffic to your blog via Twitter? [Include a link to your blog post here]" Tip: Use a URL shortener to sh...