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Google Acquires NEST

On January 17, 2014

January 17, 2014

Search giant Google has left the online world in frenzy with its acquisition of NEST labs, which manufactures the Nest Learning Thermostat and the smart smoke detector, Protect; both of which have redefined what thermostats are capable of. The company, which was founded by two former Apple executives, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, is popular for its intuitive products, which learn user behaviors and are capable of adjusting the temperature autonomously. The sale, which is expected to close within a few months, has been slated at $3.2 billion in cash.

Speculations are rife about how exactly Google intends to use NEST, as it seems that this move, when combined with Google’s language recognition abilities, could be Google’s way to enter the homes of the general public. This move is being seen as a “rocket ship” to the future, one that has the potential of transporting us into a future that we could only imagine so far. This could be a major step into realizing the vision of “conscious homes”, which could completely change the face of the world.

This is not the first time that Google has attempted to gain access to similar systems, the most recent being its own energy monitoring service. Sources reveal that Apple also showed interest in purchasing NEST, as a part of its wearable technology to counter Google Glass. However, Fadell was apparently only interested in a partnership with Google, or in remaining independent. Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, and now NEST, goes to show the belief that the company has in Apple’s vision.

Post acquisition Representatives for NEST maintain that privacy and user security has always been a prime consideration for NEST, and that is not expected to change. However, skeptics have a different view, as it is believed that with this move, Google, which has a history of compromising customer privacy for product sales, will get a closer view than ever into the activities going on behind closed doors of its users. This is a critical consideration for customers who use NEST’s products, since the company collects a wide range of information about their living habits. It remains to be seen if these users will continue to trust the company after its partnership with Google.

Tips on Computer Networking For Small Office

By centexitguy

On January 10, 2014

In IT Support, Networking

December 10, 2013

Small office computing differs from enterprise networks, in having modest computing and networking requirements. A typical small office network consists of about a dozen computers and a few printers or scanners. The key requirement of such a network is that it should allow the users to share information and peripherals. A small office network usually requires a single LAN with one or two servers, which can be managed by a single person with technical expertise.

Enlisted below are some basic tips for networking for a small office:

The most important step to establish a small office network is to ensure as strong foundation for the network. This includes investing in business-grade switches and routers for the network.

You will also need to ensure scalability for the network. This will make it possible to easily add or remove computers from the network, as per the changing needs of your company, as well as additional features and functionality as required.

It is a good idea to have built-in redundancy for your network, to ensure a good backup system for your network.

Opting for wireless access could enable a great deal of freedom for your small office network, through the use of devices like Wireless Laptops, P.D.A’s, printers, and cameras. It could also be useful in the event of having to set up a temporary office, where network access was not originally planned. The decreased use of cables also makes the office environment safer. However, wired networks offer the advantages of being more reliable, having a lower cost and offering faster connection speeds.

Some essential features that you should opt for include Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video surveillance, integrated messaging, and wireless applications.

It is advisable to use switches with inlet power, which will make them easier to install, use, and manage. While choosing features for your network, you should take into account their reliability and redundancy.

You can ensure prime security for your small office network by keeping the server room under lock and key, and ensuring that the VPN is administered internally. All the equipment and network gear should be password protected.

It is also advisable to use VLANs, which are LANs connected with a router. Public websites can be on a separate LAN secured by a firewall, and the servers can be on an individual LAN.

How SEO Will Shape Up In 2014

By centexitguy

On December 31, 2013

In Internet marketing

December 31, 2013

As the new year dawns, SEO forecasts are rampant, with webmasters and business owners trying hard to predict what the coming year holds for SEO. The two major highlights that mark the transition between the years 2013 and 2014 are the Google Hummingbird update, and the overlap between mobile and local. Talking of the Google Hummingbird, it has essentially crystallized the relationship between screens and their users, emphasizing on the need to effectively “design” language. The coming year will shift the current state of the web from being structured around privatization and power, to celebrating wildness and a deep sense of community.

As opposed to many of the previous updates from Google, the Hummingbird update actually gives SEO pros a reason to celebrate, as it is leading to more localized organic results for non-geo modified keywords. This can be seen as a gateway to more opportunities to attract local traffic in 2014, with an increase in the keywords triggering local results. Local businesses can benefit significantly by replacing catch-all location pages with regional vertical pages for their business, with specific content for each place of business.

With statistics showing that 46 percent of shoppers (nearly 1 in 2) use their phones to research local products and services, having a mobile-friendly website for your business in 2014 will not just be an option, but an absolutely critical task, essential for the profitability and longevity of your business. SoLoMo (Social Local Mobile) is likely to become more relevant than ever in 2014, as it is highly probable that search engines will begin indexing maps with an aim to create a directory of user preferences.

If you are looking to up your SEO game in 2014, the following is a list of some basic tips and strategies that can help you sail through:

Create great quality content, with each page having at least 300 words
Use text-based navigations
Use geo-tagging to let search engines and users actually see where you are located
Ensure that your hosting server is up and running with no less than 99.9% uptime
Detect broken links using software like Xenu, and address them immediately
Work on a citation building campaign, creating accurate citations on relevant directories
Use “share of voice” to address the entirety of SERPs for your business

For more information on how SEO can benefit your business, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Increase Your Conversion For Users Browsing Through Mobile Phones

By centexitguy

On December 24, 2013

In Internet marketing

December 24, 2013

Mobile search is definitely the hot topic in the world of SEO, with nearly all brands finding that a major fraction of all their searches are coming from mobile devices. Mobile SEO is a multi-faceted process, in which it is important to understand the differences in how people search on mobile devices as compared to desktops, and adopt techniques to ensure the site’s mobile content can be properly viewed and crawled by search engines. The following tips guide you on the essential elements of mobile SEO, and effective ways to increase conversion rates on your mobile site:

The most important aspect of mobile SEO is understanding how keyword search terms by mobile users differ from those of desktop users. Mobile users typically use shorter tail phrases and perform searches that are more local in nature. In addition to this, they are more likely to rely on Google’s Autocomplete to complete queries. It is important to take these factors into consideration when optimizing meta titles and descriptions for your website.

Considering that a vast majority of mobile users are likely to be connected to social media networks 24/7, it is a good idea to develop online content with a social-first, mobile-second approach.

Pressing a navigation link on a touch-screen device can be cumbersome, which is why you might want to consider a vertical menu for your mobile site.

Make sure that you actually develop an exclusive mobile site for your users, or adopt responsive web design, instead of requiring users to pinch and zoom on your desktop site.

Form-filling on mobile sites can be extremely cumbersome. Keeping form length on mobile sites to an absolute minimum by eliminating optional fields can help to significantly increase your conversion rates.

While you might get away with forcing registration on a desktop site, this is sure to backfire on a mobile site, where users are a lot less likely to put themselves through the hassle of filling out details, unless they absolutely have to.

Another way to increase conversion for mobile users is to offer quick payment options, to reduce the friction at checkout. You can do this by saving payment details of previous customers, and accepting quicker options like PayPal.

Considering that a large number of mobile users have local intent, you can boost conversions by offering in-store pickup.

Google Penalty For Repeat Offenders

By centexitguy

On December 16, 2013

In Internet marketing

Decmember 16, 2013

Being penalized by Google can be a major setback for website owners, with revamping your entire website and SEO strategy seeming to the only situation. However, this is not always the case, as is evident from the infamous Interflora example, where the website was back in Google’s good books just 11 days after being penalized. In the recent video by Google’s distinguished engineer, Matt Cutts, Google explains how this works, and how Google has a stronger penalty for repeat offenders than for a one-time spammer.

The bottom line is that if you receive a spam warning from Google once, you need to be extra cautious from that point on, ensuring that you do not tread close to the black hat SEO territory again. It is also important to keep a close check on other details of your SEO strategy, which could lead to your blacklisting. Once you decide to disavow links that are getting you into trouble, there are two approaches that you can follow. The first and more aggressive one is to disavow all links basically scratch from scratch, leaving only those that are obviously harmless. The other approach is more subtle, tackling one link at a time, eliminating only the ones that are definitely dirty, and going on until the penalty is lifted.

According to Matt Cutts, the first approach is the better one for those who want to bring their website back into the index immediately. This approach works well to resurrect a site that despite having a good domain name or great content has been killed by spam. Even though going the route of every single link the website got over the past year or year and a half may seem as too large scale an endeavor, that is the kind of impact Google is looking for when reassessing a penalized website.

Thus, if you are willing to recover from a bad backlink penalty, the best approach to follow is to simply disavow all the links that you got to your website during that particular frame of time. If you feel that disavowing all the links is too radical an approach, you must at least remove every link that seems suspicious. This could be your gateway to get back to into the index quicker- if you are lucky enough, within 11 days, just like Interflora managed to.