In recent years  customers have come to expect more from their online browsing experience.   This has caused a change  in the standard for company websites.  A dynamic web site contains content that is continuously updated,  a design that is eye catching and inspiring which will give the consumer  a new online experience with every visit.

Maintaining Dynamic Web Page With Content

Maintaining a web sites content can be time consuming and can cost you money.   However, with our content management systems and Web Maintenance Plans,  even the least technical users have the ability and functionality to maintain dynamic web site content .

Content management systems give you the freedom to create dynamic web page content “in-house” rather than needing a third party.   You will easily be able to :

• Create  content schedules that automatically adds or deletes items.
• Update your events calendar, company news, or job openings.
• Add Pictures to your content to keep your website dynamic in appearance.
• Add dynamic data to all of your pages and keep your website fresh and inviting.

Our content management systems put you in control and give you the ability to maintain a dynamic web site.

Don’t have the time to do it yourself?  Ask us about our Web Maintenance Plan and Search Engine Optimization Plan!  Our trained and experienced staff can do it all for you.   Maintaining a dynamic website through design and data can be very time consuming.  Our staff is experts in many fields and we have created a team that can work to ensure your dynamic website stays attractive to all of your consumers.  Central Mass Web Design has helped many clients to maintain dynamic websites throughout Massachusetts and beyond, including Fitchburg, Leominster, Worcester, Cambridge, and Boston.

Want to view some of our recent works?  Check out our online portfolio to see our many designs, and request a website design estimate today.

In a recent story, published by Financial Times, Microsoft is considering paying Print Media Outlets for use of their content on their newest search engine Bing.  This move would force the Print Media Outlets that take the offer to remove their content from Google.  If Microsoft is successfull in this move, assuming that they do in fact move forward with it, Google may be forced to pay similar media outlets for their content, creating a content war within the Print Media.  You could see some high values paid for the content from the major news sources.  While Rupert Murdoch’s New Corp seems to be a part lead in this against Google…..I wouldn’t count them out for taking the money if Google made them a higher offer than Microsoft and Bing.

Microsoft is on this for one reason, and one reason only….they want to hurt the deep pockets of Google.  Google is claiming that their news results bring in little revenue.  I doubt that.  That is just postering to make it seem like this move isn’t going to effect them.

If Microsoft can court the top 5 Print Media Outlets in the country, then I think the Google News section could be doomed, as well as how the income they bring in from the search matches for the content.

Not sure where Yahoo fits in all this.  It seems like that are taking a back seat right now to see how this plays out before they jump in with their thoughts.

With so many newspapers struggling in the current economy, it seems that this might actually breath some life into that industry.  Keep your eye out for a bidding war…this could get interesting.

The SB2 small and home-based businesses support group will be holdings its first workshop of 2009 on Wednesday, May 6th at the Chamber offices from 6-8pm.

This month’s topic will be Internet Marketing, facilitated by Matt Ward of Central Mass Web Design, Inc.

Topics discussed this evening will include:
o Identify and refine your market using the internet
o Identify your competitor and their price points
o Search Engine basics
o Web-based Marketing Strategies
o Social Networking Basics
o Effective Email Campaigns
o Pay-per-click

About our presenter:
Mr. Ward founded Central Mass Web Design in 2002 and has since directed the operations of the company and its growth. Ward has continued to direct a team of seasoned professionals in the design and development of countless websites. From small business sites and non-profit organizations to larger-scale projects that enable companies to establish a corporate presence, Ward and his team have a proven track record of delivering high-quality work. He brings to each and every client the knowledge and expertise of his work with industry icons as well as his skills honed in working on hundreds of internet based projects

The event is FREE and open to EVERYONE. We do ask that you just pre-register by clicking here.

This NCM (North Central Mass) Chamber program is available to both members and non members interested in benefiting their business.

Keyword stuffing is also known as spamindexing.

What is Keyword stuffing? We will allow Wikipedia.org to explain it….
Wikipedia says “Spamdexing involves a number of methods, such as repeating unrelated phrases, to manipulate the relevancy or prominence of resources indexed by a search engine, in a manner inconsistent with the purpose of the indexing system. Some consider it to be a part of search engine optimization, though there are many search engine optimization methods that improve the quality and appearance of the content of web sites and serve content useful to many users. Search engines use a variety of algorithms to determine relevancy ranking. Some of these include determining whether the search term appears in the META keywords tag, others whether the search term appears in the body text or URL of a web page. Many search engines check for instances of spamdexing and will remove suspect pages from their indexes. Also, people working for a search-engine organization can quickly block the results-listing from entire websites that use spamdexing, perhaps alerted by user complaints of false matches. The rise of spamdexing in the mid-1990s made the leading search engines of the time less useful.

The success of Google at both producing better search results and combating keyword spamming, through its reputation-based PageRank link analysis system, helped it become the dominant search site late in the 1990s. Although it has not been rendered useless by spamdexing, Google has not been immune to more sophisticated methods. Google bombing is another form of search engine result manipulation, which involves placing hyperlinks that directly affect the rank of other sites. Google first algorithmically combated Google bombing on January 25, 2007.”

Why it’s bad for your site?
In relative terms, it’s sneaky, and no search engine likes sneaky people. Ultimately you want to appear number 1, especially on Google, however they don’t take kindly to you tricking them out. This is old school and it did work, but only for a limited time. People were considering the keyword stuffing to be content and while it is words, it is not relevant, readable, and engaging content and that is why Google and the other major search engines modified their algorithms to correct the placement.

The reality is that you need to add good content to your site. If you don’t have the time, then hire someone to do it. There are many companies that can do this for you and for that matter there are many unemployed people right now in the U.S. looking for any part time work and those people can be great resources for you to have writing content for yourself.

If you don’t have the time or the funds, consider adding a syndicated content source. They are available on the internet and could possibly help, however this is considered a last resort in our opionion.

Matt Ward

Google seems to have their hand in everything, and rightfully so.  They happen to be one of the few that have the Midas touch.   ( In Greek mythology King Midas possessed the ability to turn everything he touched to gold.)  To say that Google has the ability to do the same is an understatement.  What makes Google so different?  Its not the ability to develop applications that makes them have the golden touch, its the ability to do it right… or as close to right as possible.   Now that doesn’t mean that Google applications have had their share of problems and bugs.  All applications have their share of problems and bugs.  Usually after the first round of testing you have a laundry list of issues, and each testing phase brings less.   Not to mention, usually at some point the developers think of a “better” way for something to react.   What google does better than anyone else is project what technology is needed , when it is needed and how it is needed to interact with all other Google applications.   This is what makes Google King Midas.

I have tried to compile a useful list of Google top applications and uses.  I use most of these myself in one way or another, and find them to be not only addictive but as needed and as useful as my smart phone.

Google Application 1.) Gmail has to be one of the Internets top email tools.  Now because of its inventive message-organizing methods, it takes some getting used to, but once you master it, you will not be without it.

Google Application 2.) Do you need a chat program with no added features?  Maybe a way to communicate internally at your comapny. How about something that integrates with your Gmail?  Well Google Talk is for you!

Google Application 3.)  Google Calendar!  How about… yes… just yes!  Google Calendar enables you to manage appointments and discover events from other sources that different users have made public.

Google Application 4.) Ever wish you could crunch some numbers and and track some information when you were not at the office and able to access Excel?  How about Google Docs…. Google Docs lets you make calculations on the fly from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection and a browser.

Google Application 5.) Google Sketchup.  Way Cool Application!  Don’t know a thing about CAD?  Have no clue what CAD even is?  Well, Google Sketch lets you build your dream house in 3D detail without a lick of CAD or architectural expertise.

Google Application 6.) Google Reader continuously checks your favorite website for new content and puts it all in one place.

Google Application 7.) Google Secondary Search Engines:

A.) Google Scholar – This Google search engine is for people who want to search scholarly literature, such as academic articles, peer-reviewed papers.

B.) Google U.S. Government – You can use this search engine to limit your Google search to government websites.

C.) Google University Search – Search to a specific university website–great for finding information about admissions, school scholarships and alumni news.

D.) Google Product Search -  This search engine limits results to products and e-commerce sites.

E.) Google Book Search – Google has created a reference page for each book in its system that includes previews, reviews, publisher information and much more.

Google Application 8.) Now even though this is cool.  I am very cautous and have not used it myself…Google Health.  Organize your medical records online.

Google Application 9.) Google Custom Search.  Yes, I said Custom Search.With Custom Search Engine, you can harness the power of Google to create a search engine tailored to your needs.

Google Application 10.) Lastly, but not in any way the least, announcing Google Mobile! Stay connected on the go with Gmail, Search, Maps and other Google products.

Try them out.  I will be shocked if you are disappointed.

-Kimberly Veautour

Tuesday Google rolled out 2 new improvements to Googles search feature, both of which will help users to more effectively get the information they need.  The first improvement has an expanded list of  related searches.  Google has implemented this technology to better understand associations and concepts related to your search.   One of its first applications allows Google to offer better related searches.

Google says, ” For example, if you search for [principles of physics], our algorithms understand that “angular momentum,” “special relativity,” “big bang” and “quantum mechanic” are related terms that could help you find what you need.”  Google search is now able to look at  more queries and make suggestions more relevant to what you actually need.

Secondly,  is the addition of longer search result descriptions, or as coders would say longer snippets.

When you search, each result gives you answers that start with a dark blue title and is followed by text.  This text is called a snippet.  Both of these together help you to know what each page is about.  Furthermore, important words in the snippet that are related to your search appear bold.

Most queries over 3 words are to long to do you any good.  Now with Googles enhancements they have been able to increase the number of lines in the snippet, which will allow for more information.  Showing more of the words that you type in the text of the page.

Google states, “Suppose you were looking for information about Earth’s rotation around the sun, and specifically wanted to know about its tilt and distance from the sun. So you type all of that into Google: [earth's rotation axis tilt and distance from sun]. A normal-length snippet wouldn’t be able to show you the context for all of those words, but with longer snippets you can be sure that the first result covers all those topics. In addition, the extra line of snippets for the third result shows the word “sun” in context, suggesting that the page doesn’t talk about Earth’s distance from the sun”

What does this mean to the average person?  Easier methods to find exactly what you need.  As search items grow and become more refined, less time will be spent looking through irrelevant listings.  Now for the website owner, this becomes more important.  Search engine optimization will be increased through keyword recognition.  Longer snippets allows for more exact search terms and keyword associated hits.

-Kimberly Veautour

Acknowledgments: Google Blog

Alex Goldman of InternetNews.com writes “Salesforce Taps Into Twitter”, he goes on to say, “Customer contact centers have moved far beyond the phone, says Salesforce, embracing Facebook, Twitter, and other Web applications.”

Read the rest of this entry »

NIELSEN REPORTS , SOCIAL NETWORKS & BLOGS NOW 4TH MOST POPULAR ONLINE ACTIVITY, AHEAD OF PERSONAL EMAIL .

For months I have been on the social networking to grow your business band wagon.  We have personally seen the effects of its use here at Central Mass Web Design.  Now Nielson, www.nielsen-online.com has produced findings that show Social Networking and blogs via the internet is the fastest growing online category and is growing twice as fast as any of the other sectors.   Today, March 9, 2009, Nielsen released a report proving Social Media and Blogging are growing at a staggering rate.

Member Communities ( which includes Blogging) grew over 5 points in the past year, placing it above e-mail, and showing a growth of more than double any other.

Reports also show that time spent on social networks has increased globally by 18% in the past year.    Do you know what your employees are posting on their Facebook and Myspace accounts?  Do your employees know what you are posting on yours?

I recently gave a presentation to a local networking group on the benefits of using LinkedIn to grow their business and networking.  Part of this presentation talks about researching prospective employees via internet and social networking tools like LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Presentation

Time spent on Networking and Blogging sites is growing at over 3x the rate of all internet growth.  So much time is being spent on social networking sites it is eating into the time spent on other websites and activities.

The average age of online Community Networking Site Member has changed. Facebook started out as a service for university students but now almost one third of its global audience is aged 35-49 years of age, and growing.  Almost one quarter of all Facebook users are over age 50.

This is the way of the future, and I encourage you to get involved and grow with the times…before they leave you in the dust.  You can see the Nielsen report, in its entirety at http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/nielsen_globalfaces_mar09.pdf

Central Mass Web Design has actively been pursuing this avenue, and helping our clients to understand their Online Media presence.  All companies should be considering their Online Media presence when thinking about their website SEO.  Stay tuned for more information, on how to make MySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook work for you!

Kimberly Veautour