News

The Marriage of Twitter and FourSquare

7th April 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

March 2015 saw an announcement from Twitter that they will partner with Foursquare to pinpoint ‘location tagging in tweets’. But, what does this mean for you and your business… if anything at all?

Let’s examine the facts…

Recently, we have looked at how local business, who rely on local customers can harness the global power of social media for their business. There are times, however, when appealing to the local population is the driving force behind a business and letting people know where you are is one thing, but your customers tagging their location is another game entirely.

We have all seen the tweets, status updates and the like that advertise to the world where someone is enjoying *lunch/shopping/white water rafting/car servicing/haircut/everything (* delete as appropriate).

This newly announced partnership between Twitter and Foursquare could essentially mean that specific landmarks, businesses and other points of interest could be tagged.

Can’t we do that already?

Kind of. All it takes is a quick sign in to your Twitter, announce you are enjoying the hospitality and creative, strategic thinking @LocallyHQ and the world knows where you are… or does it?

This partnership of geotagging between these two platforms is being rolled out across the US and Canada in these next few weeks, with other ‘additional markets’, as Twitter called them, to follow.

A partnership based on common sense

It is, according to a variety of industry experts, a marriage made in heaven. Foursquare has seen to be struggling of late, with a large number of users migrating to its spin off app, called Swarm.

Twitter, on the other hand, is always looking to improve user engagement; in a conference earlier on in the year, they announced they had run a ‘test’, sending tweets to users based on where they were at the time. The hard data from this experiment was that users were more likely to open their account within 30 days than those who were not sent ‘geo-tagged’ tweets.

What or who is Foursquare?

Foursquare is a company that produces two apps to guide in you a world “full of amazing experiences”, a direct quote….

Foursquare – launched in 2009, this app is intelligent in that it realises that all out tastes are different, so why produce the same search results? Based on the places you go/have been and the reviews etc. you give them, the app suggest new places that they it thinks you will like (based on this past data).
Swarm –this is the same app essentially but in real time; it is the fastest and easiest way, or so say Foursquare, for you and your friends to ‘keep up and meet up’.

Backed by a variety of investors, some huge names and individuals they call Angel Investors, the numbers behind these apps is quite staggering;

Community – More than 55 million users worldwide with over 6 billion check-ins, millions of which are made every day; however, finding the number of UK users of either app is a tough number to find. Stabbing in the dark, some people the number could be anything up to 5 million. This partnership between Foursquare and Twitter, a social media platform with a strong UK base, they are probably hoping or betting on the fact that their UK numbers (along with the rest of the world population of users) will significantly increase.
Businesses – more than 1.9 million businesses have claimed their location on the apps. A bit like filling in those details on Yell.com, the idea is that you control your business information and input. Clearly worth a punt, if your business is essentially local and fixed.
Employees – around 170 apparently, with headquarters in New York and offices in an Francisco and London

A start-up unicorn?

Those who spend their lives immersed in the stock exchange have called Foursquare a ‘start-up unicorn’ or, it has the potential to be one.

This means that as a new business, it could have the ability to break the $1billion value bench mark in in its first few years of trading. And it seems that once again, as a business, it has multiple ways that it can do this.

Is this a partnership worth following?

It could be.

Twitter is a social media platform that is incredibly popular. Facebook has a 5 year head start over Twitter, so boast bigger numbers but, the power of Twitter’s reach is still strong. Plus, its acquisition of Cardspring in the summer of 2014 means that soon it could be accepting payments online, as well as Twitter businesses being able to offer discounts online that can also be applied in store.

And it seems that Twitter has also become the leader in terms of real time news and breaking stories, as shown by recent events over in the US. With the UK election looming large, its newsfeed was awash with comments and discussion relating to the big 7 leader debate from only last week.

It is certainly a social media platform that packs punch when it comes to authority and credibility; the fall out of Jeremy Clarkson, BBC Top Gear and the now infamous ‘fracas’ featured heavily across the platform but without drowning out other news stories. Again, as quick as tweets appeared, they would disappear down the newsfeed.

Worth keeping an eye…?

We think so yes, as for those businesses with a high street presence or location, it could be a great way to get your business out there.

BUT, it depends on how popular Foursquare continues to become in the UK. If predictions and forecasts are anything to go by, it linking with Twitter could be the upward bounce that it needs. Since it created the off-shoot Swarm, it has given off the impression of an app struggling to not only grow in the crowded app market place, but maintain its position.

There again, is your local, online business ready to take on this new challenge?

Have you optimised your website for mobile devices?

17th November 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

If not, why not?!

Type in to any search engine “how many people own a smartphone/mobile/tablet?” and you will get a whole heap of information, the statistics of which make the mind boggle. Depending on where you look, headlines and statistics will leap out at you…

“By 2014, there will 1.75 billion smart phone users”

“1 in every 5 people across the globe now own a smartphone”

“7 out of 10 people in the UK own a smart phone”

“Two thirds of Americans have a smart phone or tablet”

“Smart phone global sales increase by 25% in 2014!”

We could on and on but what is our point?

Statistics, data, analysis, research and studies all point to one thing; the way that people (your customers) are accessing the Internet is changing. Not everyone is sitting in a comfy office chair, stationed at a desk. They are more likely to be curled up on the sofa, with cup of tea in hand, half watching the TV and half surfing the web, either on a mobile phone or a tablet.

Nearly 50% of your audience will be using a smart phone as their primary internet access device.

So what?

Not all websites are mobile friendly. Fact.

If your company website was created within the last few years – and you still think it modern – you may be surprised to find that it is not fully optimised to be viewed, successfully, on a smart phone, android or apple, or a tablet.

So, creating a mobile optimised is about creating a mini version of your main website? Er… no.

It is about making sure that it ‘fits’ with what your mobile user wants, rather than shoe-horning the website from a shoe box in to a match box. Websites can be optimised for mobile devices but, we have come across several key design practices…

Simplicity is Key

Trying to cram everything onto a smaller screen than a laptop is sheer folly; it will look too busy, there will be no white space on which your peripheral vision can rest and users will simply navigate away. It should be a simplified version of what is on your main site, with a link to your website included for users who may want to take a deeper look at what you have to offer.

Think of it as giving the headlines, rather than the whole article…

WHITE SPACE: a known ‘trick’ in the world of design, this is where the use of white space around articles, graphics etc. allows the eye to rest, rather than being bombarded with too much text and information. It allows the eye to ‘see’ the shapes of words and content and makes for a tidier, more organised appearance.

5 seconds

That is really all you have for your mobile optimised version to load. We are an impatient lot and research has found that 58% of smart phone users expect websites to load quickly – they expect your website to load faster on their mobile device that when they access it on their PC or laptop.

So, check that your graphics are not making the loading process slow and cumbersome.

Flash!

On one hand, the use of flash-based videos etc. may add a certain something to your desktop website but, for mobile users it makes the loading time on their mobile device s-l-o-w. You will also need to check that images and other graphics are also set to resize automatically to fit the smaller screen of a smartphone.

Touch rather than click

Smart phones are now touch sensitive and it is the way that the majority of users now expect their experience to be on a smart phone and other mobile devices. Think ‘click’ on the laptop, but ‘touch’ on the mobile!

Hence, your mobile-ready website needs to incorporate these changes. If you have a form for example, try to make it as simple as possible, with pre-filled boxes and questions that only need a touch of the screen to answer them.

Drop down menus work well in helping the user on a mobile device to navigate effectively and quickly around your website. Organisation of information is key in a website ready for smart phone users.

Re-direct mobile users automatically

You have probably come across this yourself and can be done on your website but basically, it is possible – in the darkest vaults on online technology – for your website to detect from which device customers are accessing your website from and can, re-direct them to the easier to use website for mobile user automatically.

Track it!

There are also online programs and applications that can also track users of your mobile-ready website and we suggest that tracking your mobile website users is imperative for understanding how your customer behave differently (if at all!) when they access your mobile website, compared to your desktop site.

Mobile is growing at a fantastic pace, in terms of both usage and screen size! Is your website ready for this gentle revolution…?

Errors

Google Analytics recently released some interesting statistics that showed there were a huge number of websites that contained errors that made the mobile-version of their website either unreadable or ‘unloadable’. Ease of navigation, as well as making sure text is readable and not too small, are just two essential key elements that Google is looking for. Be warned that if your website is not mobile ready, it may start dropping down the rankings…

The future? Undoubtedly.

There are loads of articles and forum discussion out there in Internet Land that talk about pros and cons of the how and why mobile ready websites are a must for 2014. WordPress websites are also ripe for mobile-friendly devices – take a look https://www.wpexplorer.com/mobile-optimization-tips-wordpress/

WordPress – a counter argument

23rd September 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

Here at Locally, we use WordPress as the basis for great business websites. We work with a growing range of clients, all local businesses making their presence felt online too.

We work with start-ups through to larger companies who offer a range of high quality products and services locally, as well as nationally and, in the vast majority of cases, globally too.

We know that websites need to be creative showcases that have high quality content, great graphics that are not overdone and that the whole thing needs to search engine optimised.

We also know that every business is different and so every website needs to be different; what suits one free school in one area of the country will not suit another free school is another area. Businesses may occupy the same trade or industry, but it doesn’t mean they offer the same product or service, in the same way.

So, we don’t have ‘templates’ as such, although we have an innate understanding of what a business could want and, working alongside our clients, we create great websites that work.

WordPress – not everyone’s cup of tea

WordPress is an open source platform, which, without getting too technical, means that brilliantly technically minded people (like us here at Locally!) can create rather wonderful and spectacular websites for businesses (for anyone, in fact). Associated with a vibrant and fabulous blogging movement, you can create, with the addition of plug-ins and design creativity, a bespoke WordPress website.

But it’s not everyone’s cup of tea as highlighted in a recent article we came across and so, we think it is only fair to present the other side of the argument and why WordPress can create fabulous, creative websites that really do work…

The criticisms levelled at WordPress websites were:

WordPress sites are not ‘truly’ able to be updated or created in a bespoke way – not true! And we think we have a growing portfolio that points to evidence to the contrary. There is also mention that people who create such websites do not know much about code and that they hitch a ride on other developers, using their ideas and creations. Here at Locally we add to the WordPress community, as well as share ideas. Since when has this been a bad thing?
Plug ins – as an open and sharing community, developers from across the web community create plug ins that others can use of their websites to enhance it. Detractors suggest that these plug ins often conflict and break, suggesting that the security of the website will be compromised. With all the recent hacking scandals and dodgy photos making their way online this is, to all intents and purposes, playing on people’s vulnerability. With the right technical help from a company like us, these breakages and conflicts in plug ins can be avoided.
Security – continuing with the theme of security, some industry experts also suggest that the open community behind WordPress is also its greatest weakness. As the platform is written by and shared by large numbers of people, suggestions are it is easier to hack and therefore, your WordPress website could be compromised. Funny how the recent hacking scandals have not affected WordPress but other open source programs…
Every site is the same – again, a common misconception we feel around WordPress is that people assume that because there are thousands of themes to choose from that this means every website looks and feels the same; we disagree. We do create bespoke WordPress websites. Simple.
Lacking in originality – another criticism of WordPress is the perceived lack of originality and that search engines, such as Google, will note this, giving such website a ‘miss’ when it comes to page 1 rankings. This doesn’t seem to affect Beyonce’s WordPress site… hers seems far from lacking in originality and ranking. In fact, research any major topic online and you will come across many bespoke websites that use WordPress and do not seem to struggle from lack of originality.
Updating – apparently the penchant for updating WordPress every few months is an issue that some find deplorable. We think that keep your website fresh, with all the latest technical wizardry a rather fabulous thing…
SEO – ah, the old search engine optimisation argument. In fact, we think our earlier point about WordPress websites figuring high in the rankings more than blows this point out of the water…

For those that knock WordPress we think you are trying to kick an open door; it is a futile exercise! Take another look at what this platform can offer your business.

Storm in a tea cup or something you need to take note of?

2nd September 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

The “Google Authorship is Over!” headline and what it means for your website

Here at Locally, we like to keep all our online, local businesses up to date with the goings on of search engines and how they will, or will not, select your website for in their rankings. And one announcement that seems to have thrown the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons – in other words, it caught the tech world off-guard – is Google’s announcement that Google Authorship is over.

Whilst those ‘in the know’ all sucked in their breath, tweeting and emailing their surprise to one another, us lesser mortals have been wondering if this has any implication for us, for our constant, yet brave struggle to outrank the big bodies when it comes to search engine ranking and whether we need to really do anything…

Scratching our heads, we take to the Internet and research the whole thing, only to end up more confused. Some may say that is has no implications but others may be more cautious… in this post, we attempt to explain the whole episode and what, if anything, it means for your online business.

Let’s start at the beginning: what is Google Authorship exactly?

Acronym alert! SERPs means search engine results pages: the further up the SERPs you are, the increase in website traffic you should get (as you are more visible)

You will have noticed across a whole range of websites the G+ button, the Google plus account that some people and businesses have. If you have a G+ account, you will have a profile and circles of people, from family to friends and circles for acquaintances/colleagues/business associates… in fact, you can create your own circles as you wish.

When you find something you want to share, you can share it on this platform and send it around everyone, or a selected few; in other words, G+ is a sharing platform.

As part of this platform, you could also tell Google you were an authoritative writer, blogger or sharer of information… in other words, you ‘owned’ an ‘authorship’ (however, as we will see, this was not quite all that it was cracked up to be…)

Hence, whenever you search on Google for ‘search engine optimisation’, at one time the top few results in SERPs would be authors you would eventually become familiar with as they are seen as an authority on the subject. What would spring up is their photo and some of the blogs they had written on the issue.

Now, clearly, it is Google’s ‘baby’ and so some of us opted for a G+ account; you can customise your profile, add a delightful thumbnail photo that shows your best side (but there were rules on this – the photo had to be good quality, not a cartoon or any other kind of graphic; this was all about authority, don’t forget).

And it is these photos and additional information that has, it seems, been creeping up the ranking in previous years. But many of us were simply unaware that there were additional steps to getting the very best out of this account; this has all changed now…

… BUT, it only worked if the person verified their accounts (told Google they owned it) and only 12% of people using G+ are thought to have done this. On researching the topic of Google Authorship, we looked into how authors verified ownership of their G+ accounts and it seems it was not easy…

In a nutshell, Google authorship was a nod to the reliable, trustworthy information, blog etc. that searchers would find useful.

And…?

Well, Google has stopped placing weight behind these authorship accounts and have effectively removed them as signal to its algorithm. The effects seem to have been immediate, whereas you would have seen results with photos or graphics, you will now not see these.

BUT, it seems that companies/business/people with G+ accounts are still figuring in these rankings. Which seems a bit odd but look on it as a minor tweak which could affect some people, but for others it may not make too much of a difference.

Why is Google getting rid of ‘authorship’?

Well it seems, according to Google that it was not giving its users what they wanted; it was distracting; and they’ve done their research too. By not having the results high in SERPs (some people say that authorship was removed in October 2013…), it did not reduce traffic to sites nor reduce the number of clicks on ads.

In other words, no one really noticed. Google have since said it was an ‘experiment’ that last three years and they have been tweaking it along the way.

As a result, Google have released results from 3 years of data collection that show it was not working how they envisaged it would because…

Those that did set up Authorship did not do so properly – in other words, profiles were completed
Users did not find any value in it

Right, what do you need to do?

Well, it seems that this announcement has caught people off guard and wondering if it is all a ploy by Google to get people on to G+ as they are using these results in SERPs; some people see it as an aggressive tactic to get people to use G+ as most people doubly-serious about their rankings will do anything to get the edge.

What not to do – panic!

This is not a massive change to search engine optimisation for some people but, it may be worth looking at Google+ as another platform to add to your website as a means of being able to share your content, offers, business, ideas etc., especially if you do not have an account yet. SEO experts are currently leaning towards this idea simply because one thing that has been noted is that blog posts by G+ authors are coming out near the top of the rankings.

If you have a G+ profile, you may need to make sure you are using it but, Google are currently telling us that the results are not much different when it comes to SERPs it is always worth keeping an eye on any changes that this search engine creates – after all, it is used billions of times every day across the globe.

The basics have not changed: quality content, regularly updated on your website and plenty of social signals via your chosen social media platforms – it is still a marathon, not a sprint.

Coming up next: top tips on how to not be punished by Google and then we are off to the Cloud…

The latest update of WordPress, 3.9 ‘Smith’, changes the editing experience, but do you know how?

25th April 2014 by Alan 2 Comments

WordPress 3.9 was released last week and it has some major changes, mainly focused on the usability of the editor. We feel these improvements will help make the WordPress editing experience easier, especially regarding images, which has traditionally been a bit tricky.

Editor

The WordPress editor has been upgraded to use the TinyMCE version 4 editor (from TinyMCE 3 ), this has editor multiple improvements.

The first set of changes to note is in the actual icons on the editor ribbon.

Below is the 3.8.3 editor ribbon

3.8icon

and this is the 3.9 editor ribbon

3.9icons

First the ‘expanded’ mode icon moves over to the far right.

A new ‘horizontal row’ icon is added, this will insert a horizontal divider.

The ‘Insert from WordPress’ icon completely disappears, this is because the new editor is meant to be able to handle copy and paste from Word directly, creating a much cleaner markup. We still recommend that for best consistency across your site, you only paste as text and then apply formatting via the WordPress editor, but if you are confident in the consistency of fonts and styles in your word document, this might make your life easy if you have a lot of formatted word documents you need to insert.

And finally, the ‘Text Colours’ icon no longer has the ability to specify completely custom colours, instead you are restricted to 40 standard colours. We believe this is a good move as it remove the temptation to have too many colour variations. Of course custom colours can be created using HTML and CSS, but in general for your site to look good, it is best to stick to the site’s predefined styles.

Images

WordPress 3.9 has made multiple improvements to the way the media manager interacts with the editor, all designed to make image handling a bit easier.

Drag and Drop

Now you can simply drag and drop images from your computer into the editor workspace. Once ‘dropped’ the media manger will open up where you can set options and captions etc.

drag_and_drop_images

Re-sizing images

Now you can resize images in the editor workspace by dragging a corner or side out to the desired size.

image_resize

Image Editor

The image editor has been restyle to be more intuitive and accessible. When you edit an image from the editor workspace the panel is simplified, and has a preview, but importantly also has a button to click through to the image editor, which whilst having the same features as before (crop, rotate, scale etc) is much cleaner and obvious.

image_editor

Gallery Preview

In WordPress 3.8 a Gallery in the editor just showed as a grey box. This meant you couldn’t easily see what images were included. In 3.9 the Gallery now shows these images in a preview style in the editor workspace. Of course this isn’t WYSIWYG but a big step forward.

3.9_gallery

Other Changes in 3.9

There are several other changes in WordPress 3.9, but we won’t go into detail here as this article is focused on the user editing experience. Hover changes include introducing media playlists for video and audio, improving the theme selection screen and adding widget previews to the ‘customiser’

You can watch the official WordPress TV 3.9 video here.

.UK Top Level Domain name coming soon, do I have to do anything?

3rd March 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

couk

On 10th June 2014 there will be a new Top Level Domain name (TLD) .uk . You may have seen many domain registrars urging you to pre register a .uk domain.

What do you have to do?

Up to 5 years – if you own a .co.uk, which has been registered before 28th October 2013. You have up to 5 years to claim the .uk.

Take action now – if you’ve registered your .co.uk today (or after 28th October 2013) you need to reserve the .uk too, as someone else could register it before you!

If you need help or advice on selecting your domain name please let us know.