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Filter The NoiseBlog

We blog about design, technology, internet marketing and business on the web. As the name implies, we aim to "filter the noise" and share only the most relevant information. Feel free to chime in anytime with your thoughts and comments. Established 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado by HighTouch Web Design and Internet Marketing.

Social Media Frenzy: Time and Benefits

Kim Kolb - Friday, April 17, 2009
Social Media, Inbound Marketing, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In....AHHH.  I know what your thinking...I don't have enough time in the day to get regular work done let alone this.  Breathe.....Yes, the Social Media Frenzy can seem overwhelming at times.  Believe me, it is overwhelming to talk about it.  I get so excited about  the two I am using right now, that I get that "deer in the headlights look" from people I am talking too.

Time seems to be a factor when talking to people about Social Network Marketing as well as what to say.  I tell my clients, sign up for the accounts and then start linking and following others to get an idea.  This usually gets them jumped started.  The time factor those is like with anything new you start.  It will take a little time to get your profile set up, but once you have that and you start inviting people to follow you and  you following them, it because exciting and almost addicting.. Soon they will have a Social Media Anonymous. :)

A recent report put out by Marketing Charts provides a range of the amount of hours people spend working their Social Media Marketing.


48% of those surveyed said their efforts resulted in more qualified leads and 35% said it helped them close more business.  Below is a chart to depicted what areas benefited the most.


This next chart is kinda mind boggling since Social Media was started by marketers, yet a lot of marketers I know haven't even tipped their toe in the water. 



The Numbers Don't Lie

Dave Kolb - Friday, April 10, 2009
According to Net Applications

Search Engine Market Share (Full Report)
  1. Google holds 81% of the Search Engine Marketshare
  2. Yahoo has 10%
  3. MSN has 3%
  4. Microsoft Live Search has 3%
  5. AOL has 2%
  6. The rest are irrelevant
Web Browser Market Share (Full Report)
  1. Internet Explorer (all versions) holds 67% (this was a lot lower than I thought)
  2. Firefox has 22%
  3. Safari 8.23%
  4. Google Chrome 1%
  5. The rest are irrelevant
Screen Resolutions (Full Report)
  1. 83% are viewing on screens larger than 1024x768
  2. Only 4% are viewing on 800x600 (Yippie)!
  3. 13% are reporting "other" (iPhones, Net Machines???)

Great Design From a Local Restaurant

Dave Kolb - Friday, October 10, 2008
Your phone number is "one tap" away.

I was coming home from work the other day and pulled up a local restaurant's website on my iPhone.  First of all, I was not driving...I'm firmly against the "I'm going to try and drive, have a smoke, tune the radio and reply to my daughter's text before the light turns green" technique. That's another post...

I pulled up the website and the phone number was right there in front of me (as expected).  Not only was it there, but it was hyperlinked and when I tapped it, my iPhone swiftly dialed the number and I was immediately connected to the restaurant. 

Wow, talk about the Internet doing exactly what it's supposed to do! I was so impressed by this simple feat of great web design that I started searching the web for other brilliant designers. Not many others get it.  In fact, there seems to be a conspiracy to "hide" the phone number and replace it with a web form that my fat fingers will never fill out on a phone.  But, one tap to get a human?  It doesn't get any better than that! Best of all...it's easy to do.

If you are going to rush off and get your contact info on the homepage, here' s some advise.  If possible:

  1. Put it above the fold
  2. Do NOT make it an image (phones can transform .jpgs or .gifs into numbers)
  3. If you can, get a unique phone number from your phone provider so you can track the ROI on this simple, low cost investment. Only use this number on your website and measure away.

Think SEO When Considering a Content Management System

Dave Kolb - Friday, September 26, 2008

SEO Requirements when considering a Content Management System (CMS)

If you're planning on getting serious about SEO, you need a good Content Management System (CMS). Whether or not you do it in house, or outsource the SEO work, an intuitive, SEO-based CMS system will save you loads of money in the long run.

Here's why: There's no magic to SEO. Sure, there are a few general guidlines to follow when properly optimizing content, but a lot of the work is trial and error. A good CMS will allow you, or your SEO professional to modify text and keywords without EVER accessing the code. This will save time for whoever is doing it, thereby saving you money. When considering a Content Management System (CMS) for your website redesign, there are some very important SEO requirements you should consider. Any CMS you consider should allow you to modify the following with ease:

  • Page title
  • URL (especially the stuff after the ".com/")
  • Page Headings (H1 tags)
  • Hyperlink text
  • 301 Redirect pages you want to remove, or point to other pages (very important)
  • Navigation text
  • Meta keywords
  • Meta description

If you are evaluating a CMS without all the above requirements, you should look elsewhere.

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