Spring comes, and we all get lazy! But this is no time to let up on your learning or web design . . . follow along this issue of Web Update :
[*] New Internet Domain Extensions: Don’t Get Blinded by the Sunrise or Run Over by the Landrush
[*] Study: Search Campaigns Earn Double Conversion & Revenue Rates When Integrated With Social
[*] WhatsApp by the Numbers: Where It’s Popular; Teen Usage Stats
[*] Take these steps toward an effective landing page
[*] Google May Push Sites to Use Encryption
[*] 26 Tips for Overcoming Bloggers Block
[*] The Year of the Social SMB
…. and the continuing online world
Spring comes, and we all get lazy! But this is no time to let up on your learning or web design . . . follow along this issue of Web Update :
[*] New Internet Domain Extensions: Don’t Get Blinded by the Sunrise or Run Over by the Landrush
[*] Study: Search Campaigns Earn Double Conversion & Revenue Rates When Integrated With Social
[*] WhatsApp by the Numbers: Where It’s Popular; Teen Usage Stats
[*] Take these steps toward an effective landing page
[*] Google May Push Sites to Use Encryption
[*] 26 Tips for Overcoming Bloggers Block
[*] The Year of the Social SMB
…. and the continuing online world
26 Tips for Overcoming Bloggers Block
Do you create written content? Have you struggled getting that blog idea written?
While most of us aren’t immune to writer’s block, there are ways to work through the block until the words flow again.
Full story : Debbie Hemley for Social Media Examiner
New Internet Domain Extensions: Don’t Get Blinded by the Sunrise or Run Over by the Landrush
Why you should be paying attention to the hundreds of new domain extensions that will launch in 2014 What the difference is between a Sunrise and Landrush period of a new domain launch
2014 is going to be a landmark year for the Internet as the oldest and most basic form of user online navigation gets a major overhaul. The domain names that marketers and end users have relied on since the Internet’s inception—extensions like .com, .net, and .org—will no longer be the only game in town. New generic top-level domains (gTLDs), including extensions such as .app, .sports, .club, .healthcare and many more, have already started to launch.
Careful, this one has a pop-up ad splash screen and other stalker links and screen spam Full story : by Kathy Nielsen — www.marketingprofs.com
WhatsApp by the Numbers: Where It’s Popular; Teen Usage Stats
Active useage of WhatsApp, the messaging application that Facebook acquired for $19 billion, grew 230% in North America in 2013, according to a recent report by GlobalWebIndex.
The survey of mobile internet users found 7 million people in North America now use the app, still a relatively small number compared with its active user base in Asia (101 million), Europe (45 million), Latin America (38 million), and the Middle East/Africa (15 million). Full story : by Ayaz Nanji — www.marketingprofs.com
The Year of the Social SMB
What are the social media plans of small to midsize businesses (SMBs) this year?
“More than half of SMBs have increased spend on social media compared to the prior year, higher than that of any other marketing channel, including email marketing and events,” according to a recent LinkedIn survey.
See this INFOGRAPHIC Full story : i.marketingprofs.com
Take these steps toward an effective landing page
Although a “Landing Page” is one of the elements that originally said your wite sucks, people have now become numb to them, and designers are no longer designing web sites to be tasteful in favor of making money. But James George, a professional web and graphic designer, writes :
A landing page is an effective way to drive sales for any business. The majority of websites share a similar range of assets — about us pages, contact pages, etc. But a great landing page is something that takes time to produce. Landing page designs will vary, depending on the industry that you’re in. However, most effective landing pages have a few key elements in common that make them successful.
1) Negative Space is Key
2) Page Layout & Placement of Elements
3) Invest Time and/or Money in Great Imagery
4) Include a Powerful Call to Action
5) Use Practical, Trustworthy Colors
6) Social Proof Wins
7) Video Can Be Very Persuasive Full story : SitePoint
Study: Search Campaigns Earn Double Conversion & Revenue Rates When Integrated With Social
According to a new study from Marin Software, advertisers that leveraged integrated search and social ad campaigns experienced twice as many conversions, and doubled their revenue per click rates.
Using data from its Global Online Advertising Index, Marin evaluated the performance of paid search campaigns integrated along with social advertising campaigns.
The study found users who clicked on both search and social ads had approximately two times greater conversion rate and spent twice as much than users who only clicked on a search ad. Those results more than quadrupled when compared to users who only clicked on social ads. Full story : by Amy Gesenhues for searchengineland.com
Google May Push Sites to Use Encryption
In a move that experts say could make it harder to spy on Web users, Google is considering giving a boost in its search-engine results to websites that use encryption, the engineer in charge of fighting spam in search results hinted at a recent conference.
The executive, Matt Cutts, is well known in the search world as the liaison between Google’s search team and website designers who track every tweak to the company’s search algorithms. He has also spoken in private conversations about Google’s interest in making the change, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person says Google’s internal discussions about encryption are still at an early stage and any change wouldn’t happen soon. (Report) Full story : Rolfe Winkler for the Wall Street Journal
PLEASE READ: Who will own the Internet if America gives it away?
PLEASE READ: MORE: Web Updates for Web Designers
And that wraps it for this edition of Marketing Update from DTG.
Don’t forget … we encourage you to share your discoveries from the world of publishing, media, online and creative. Just give me a shout!
And, thanks for reading
Don’t forget … we encourage you to share your discoveries with other readers: Send an email to our editorial staff Contribute your own article Join the Design Cafe forums, or Follow DTG on Facebook!