Omaha Web Design and Consulting – Google getting more social with the +1 button

A preview of the +1 button

Google has just released its answer to facebook’s “like” button with their +1 button.

“Our goal at Google is to get you the most relevant results as quickly as possible” Rob Spiro, a Google product manager, wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “But relevance is about relationships as well as words on web pages. That’s why we recently started to include more information from people you know — stuff they’ve shared on Twitter, Flickr and other sites in Google search results.

The +1 button will allow users to share what they “like” directly in the Google search results – or SERPS to us internet geeks.

Here’s how it works;  when a user looks at a Google.com search results page (and is signed into their Google account), a +1 Button will show up right next to a link, beside the current magnifying glass icon used for Google’s Instant Previews feature.

Here at Omaha Web Design and Consulting you can be sure that we will make proper and efficient use of this technology to improve your website’s standing in the search engine results.

If you visit the site, and like what you see – hopefully like the site here at Omaha Web Design there will be a +1 button on that site (if the webmaster chooses there to be) and you can click it letting people know that you think this page was helpful – or cool – or you just plain thought it was nifty for whatever reason.

Currently, the +1 button is only available to certain users, sadly Omaha Web Design was not one of them, while Google tests it and tries to work out any bugs in the system.   Google did state however, that they plan on letting users opt-in to the +1 system, as well as make it available for users and webmasters to easily install the +1 button on their own sites and directories.

You can be sure that Omaha Web Design and Consulting’s website will have their own +1 button as soon as it is made available to everyone.

To put everything simply, the +1 button is Google’s answer to facebook’s “like” button.  Websites all over the world are adding the “like” button to their websites to increase viewership and brand recognition.

Google’s +1 button will not replace the “like” button, however there is no doubt that this can make a significant difference in how we find the sites we are looking for – and judge the sites that come in the SERPS (search engine results).

I would love to hear your opinion on the Google +1 button, and since this information is very fresh and new, if you have anything to add please feel free as comments are always welcome here!

Omaha Web Design – Why does your business need a website?

Small businesses often ask themselves the question “why they should invest in a website?” Especially if business is going well. Often times the reason is – “my business has been successful for awhile without one, why bother?” The answer is as easy as this, the times they are a changing.

People are heading online to search for business nowadays. The old ways of picking up your yellow pages are starting to come to an end (even the yellow pages have invested millions into online campaigns) and if you and your business aren’t out there in cyberspace land, you may get left behind. And, the web isn’t just for businesspeople and kids either, the fastest growing demographic on facebook is women between ages 55-65. Everyone is using the internet to find what they want, they are using it to find you.

Omaha Web Design – What are the advantages to owning your own website?

There are other advantages of having a website. A site can hold a lot of content about your business, services, products, the history, contacts and other information. It gives your visitor a great idea of what you are all about, not just about your business, but about you personally.

Another HUGE advantage is that your business is open 24/7 with a website. It is more efficient and less expensive to have a website that clients can go to during non-working hours. It allows users to e-mail you from across the globe, regardless of whether you are at work, home or somewhere in between.

Of the course the biggest bonus of all is, if you are a small or medium size company, you can finally play with the big boys. There is no limit favoritism or class online. If you have the knowhow, you can finally get ahead of your competition.

Having a website and marketing around it doesn’t necessary mean you have to give up on traditional methods of doing business, here at Omaha Web Design and Consulting, we understand that and want to work WITH your current methods to maximize the benefits.

Having a website for your business is just another method of getting your business information out there so people can find both you and your business. Omaha Web Design is a company with small business in mind. We have very low overhead so we can keep our costs extremely low, maximizing your marketing dollar.

Please feel free to contact us here at Omaha Web Design, and we can send you a FREE personalized video proposal covering all of the marketing methods we feel will be beneficial to you and your business – and just how many customers you can expect to reach with those efforts.

Omaha Web Design and Consulting

Omaha Web Design and Consulting – Ignore your online presence at your own peril

Are you still trying to decide if an optimized website and a strong social media presence are right for your business?  Do you think that social media is a “fad” and will pass with time and that it’s not really worth your time or effort?

The harsh truth is, if you do, you do so at your own peril.  The world is changing at a record pace, information is passed back and forth at a click of the mouse “or screen on your phone” and if you are not willing to change and adapt to this, your business may very well be left in the dust.  Even if you choose to work with another company besides Omaha Web Design and Consulting, having an effective online strategy is crucial to your businesses success.

Search engines and social media is how your business is currently, and will be found in the future.  Omaha Web Design and Consulting can optimize your company’s website and social media presence to get your business in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

Your stagnant growth may have as much to do with your failure to apply an effective social media and online presence for your business and personal brand strategy as anything else.  Stop blaming the recession; it’s easy to say that it’s the economy.  The fact is, there are tons of businesses that are growing and expanding rapidly in our current economic state – maybe it’s your current marketing tactics that need to be changed, not just the economy.

If you are interested in working with us here at Omaha Web Design and Consulting, head over to our “Contacts” page and give us a call – we would be happy to send you a free personalized video proposal and strategic planning map of how we can help you and your business succeed in today’s fast paced world.