1-517-548-3437    December 2008 Newsletter

The ultimate gift this season...but where would you get a small enough box?

This guy creates art smaller than the eye of a needle using a hair from the back of a fly for a paint brush...just amazing...

http://www.maniacworld.com/art-in-the-eye-of-a-needle.html

Optimizing your Site for Search Engines

Previously we determined how to select the most profitable keywords, purchase unbeatable domain names, use the Website type most revered by Google for quickest results and how to get reliable inexpensive hosting with bonus features.

• Now we move onto the actual optimization part - how to get a competitive edge.
• Use two of your most important keywords per page; the primary and a secondary.
• Use your main and secondary keyword in the page or post title.
• Try to make each page about 500 words in length or more, using at least five paragraphs.

Mention your main keyword about four times on the page as follows: Once at the beginning of the first sentence, once in the second paragraph, once in the third paragraph and once towards the end of the final paragraph.

Mention your secondary keyword about four times on the page as follows: Once towards the end of the first sentence, once in the third paragraph, once in the fourth paragraph and once towards the beginning of the final paragraph.

Add your keywords and META descriptions to any areas of your site that are set up for them.

If you have an SEO analyzer tool, use it. This is a tool that goes through you site just like Google will, and does the same to your top competitors that dominate your search engine of choice, then tells you EXACTLY what you need to do to steal their top positions.

Well that's it. You can dominate any niche you want with little time, effort or expense.

Phishing for the Holidays...don't get your Identity stolen!

The number and sophistication of “pfishing" scams sent out to consumers continues to grow and is expected to be extremely high through the holiday season. “Phishing" is defined as an e-mail sent by a third party pretending to be from a legitimate company in an attempt to collect personal information (social security numbers and passwords) for use in fraudulent activity and identity theft. These e-mails typically try to deceive the customer by imitating the look and feel of the real company.

• While e-commerce is generally very safe, you should be careful about giving out your personal and financial information over the Internet.
• Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information
• Unless the email is digitally signed (an electronic signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender of a message), you can't be sure it wasn't forged or 'spoofed'
• Phishers typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in their emails to get people to react immediately
• They typically ask for information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.
• Phisher emails are NOT typically personalized, while valid messages from your bank or e-commerce company would be
• Don't use the links in an email to get to any web page, if you suspect the message might not be authentic
• Call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing in the Web address in your browser
• Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information
• You should only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure website or telephone
• Always ensure that you're using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser
• Make sure the lock icon in your browser is "locked" which identifies a secure website
• Regularly check your online accounts as well as bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate
• Ensure that your browser is up to date and that all security patches are applied:
  Microsoft Internet Explorer -- http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.mspx
• Always report "phishing" or “spoofed" e-mails to the following groups:
  Federal Trade Commission (send email to: spam@uce.gov with full email header)
  Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI at http://www.ic3.gov/
  

Should you use music on a website?

With all the beautiful holiday music around is this season, it's common to wonder - should I have music on my website?  Music is an important aspect of web design and development -- one increasingly important as rich media applications become more prevalent -- but understand that no one thing is going to make or break that's site's success - unless that one thing is so obviously out of place as to invite a disaster. On the other hand, why invite disaster. Some recent market research shows:

Placing high quality, expensive, prestigious items on a bright background (neon orange or chartreuse for example) will decrease online sales of those items by as much as 50 percent. Using contemporary music on a site merchandising upscale items decreases sales by as much as 75 percent. That's scary for something as simple as some "contemporary music". How about sound events? Things like clicks, voices, video or music clips....It depends. Sounds are just one element in the overall environment a site visitor enters into when they browse a website.

Say a site features a guitarist it make sense to have music clips play as you enter the site? Sure, if they are not glaring. Elevator music is elevator music for a reason! If it makes you feel calm, interested, drawn toward the subject of the site - it's good. On the other hand, if it blasts at you while you are trying to read and register information in your brain having to do with our guitarist's next gig - it may be a bad thing.

Some people are drawn towards sound events; others find them distracting. If a client finds your choice of music distracting it can kill the deal right there. Ouch!

The best way to determine whether you should or should not use music is age and gender. These are generalizations, and you should do your own specific market research, but for people under 35 with a western cultural orientation who are going to a site ABOUT sound, it is a good thing. People over 35 prefer low "background" noise - or that elevator music. For sites targeting males: guitars, bass and brass work better IF they are sound orientated sites. For females: strings, woodwinds and piano - or orchestra instruments and sounds work better.

If your site is not about music it's better to avoid music altogether. You don't want to invite that disaster. If you really must have music, it should fit the site and be in the background only. There should always have a way to turn it off.

What we've been up to...some are still under construction but they include a Word Press Blog site, a self-editable Content management site, a Redesigned Rescue site and an educational Affiliate site.

Cell Phone Tips, Tricks n' Myths

FREE Directory service for your cell phone...Cell phone companies charge $1 - $1.75 or more for 411 directory assistance.  The next time you need 411-directory assistance, instead dial 800FREE411 without incurring any charges.  Your regular air rates may apply though.

Open a Keyless lock  with a cell phone is a MYTH. Cars with remote keyless entry systems can NOT be unlocked using a cell phone and another remote despite what some Internet emails say.  RKE systems and cell phones utilize different types of signals and transmit them at different frequencies.

Hidden Reserve Battery Power for Nokia owners.  If your cell battery is very low, press the keys *#4720#. Your phone will restart with a reserve power and will show a 50% increase in battery.  This reserve will get charged the next time you charge your phone. The sequence *3370# will provide better sound quality at the expense of shorter battery life.

Disable a Stolen phone.  First you need your phone's serial number saved somewhere.  To get that number key in *#06# on some phones, and a 15 digit code will appear on the screen (does not work on Verizon).  If your phone is stolen call your service provider with this number to block your handset.  Even if the SIM is changed, your phone will be totally useless.  Revenge is sweet they say!

Don't forget - even if you don't need a website yourself, you can refer a friend! Earn up to $100 cash for each referral that becomes a new customer. Register Here 

It doesn't matter where you or your friend is located, we can work with clients wherever they are -  by email, phone and fax. We are in Michigan, and have satisfied customers worldwide.  Visit our website at http://c-omalley.com.