Random shots of Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
Kingston-upon-Thames presents the photographer with a vista of superb opportunities. Objects from the 9th to the 21st century combine here to give an eclectic panorama of Surrey’s finest town.
In Local SEO
What is the Google RankBrain?
Google, with its search algorithm, uses an artificial intelligence ‘machine’ system called “RankBrain”. How does it work, and what do we know about it? In this article: What is RankBrain? How does RankBrain work? What are the implications for Google users? The word embedding approach How to optimize RankBrain? What is RankBrain? RankBrain is a machine-learning algorithm based on deep learning developed and used by Google to improve the relevance of search results. It is able to interpret new requests which have not been looked for previously. The first official statement from Google RankBrain was made by Greg Corrado in...
In Website Audience
, Websites
What is the Google “Zero Moment of Truth”?
In this article: Traditional Marketing What the digital revolution has changed The Zero Moment Of Truth How is it affecting your business? To summarize Following the increased development of social media and the use of search engines, consumer ways have completely changed. Indeed, before making a purchase, we are now able to access information online. To define this behaviour, Google modified the purchasing process by adding a step called “ZMOT” (Zero Moment Of Truth). This is the first connection between a consumer and your company. Traditional Marketing A traditional purchasing process is divided into several stages: The “stimulus” The interest...
Stay at home, stay safe in Kingston, Surrey
Those pictures were taken during our (very) early morning walks
In Mobile Apps
8 reasons why your company needs a mobile app
“The future of mobile is the future of online. It is how people access online content nowDavid Murphy, Founder of Mobile Marketing Daily In this article: Advantages for your business Advantages for your clients Everyone uses them: mobile applications are now an integral part of our daily lives. However, it is still challenging for a company to make the choice to develop, or have developed, a mobile application. Mobile technologies are evolving at a staggering rate, and their full potential is known only to experts and the most passionate. How do you know if a technology meets a need by...
In Local SEO
Is it necessary to set up a local SEO strategy?
46% of all searches on Google are looking for local information. (Source: GoGulf) Local SEO allows local businesses to promote their products and services to local customers. Many professional sectors have local clients. Therefore a good local referencing is essential. What is Local SEO? Local SEO is a set of techniques that allow your business to position itself well in the engine results for a localized query. A local SEO search looks like: Service or product + town or county. For instance; “Plumber Kingston” or “Plumber Surrey” Local SEO allows you to: Increase your online visibility to clients in your area....
In Websites
What is a web developer?
The job of web developer appeared, as its name suggests, with the birth of the web as we know it. That is to say the setting of pages in HTML mixing text, links, images, addressable via a URL. In this article: What is web development? What is the function of a web developer? The 3 types of web developers Front-end web development Back-end web development What is the difference between web design and web development? What is web development? Web development generally refers to the tasks associated with the development of websites intended to be hosted via an intranet or...
The importance of first impressions in website design
According to Canadian researchers, Internet users form the first impressions of a web page in less than 50 milliseconds (1 / 20th of a second). In the blink of an eye, users instantly judge a website based solely on its visual appeal. Researchers led by Dr. Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University in Ontario wanted to know how people can make first impressions so quickly. They presented web pages to users by making them flash at 500 ms and 50 ms on a screen. The users then had to give an assessment. The results at the two time intervals are similar...
Can my website be hacked?
The chances are that sooner or later you will be the victim of a hacker. If so, the most important thing is to be able to detect it quickly so that you can react quickly and correctly to the incident. When a house has been broken into, the signs are usually obvious: the forced front door; the broken window; house contents turned upside down, and valuables stolen. In contrast, a hacking of a website is much more subtle and therefore difficult to detect. In this article: Hacker vs Cracker Why do hackers do this? Types of hacks How do they...
Optimize your website images for better local SEO
In this article: Image optimization: what is it? How to optimize your images A few extra tips The original purpose of optimising images was to enable screen readers to describe to the blind and visually impaired, exactly what an image was displaying. Nowadays, with the evolution of Google and search engines in general, this tool has become a really empowering tool in its own right, especially for e-commerce sites. But is SEO image optimization really essential or even vital for your website? Image optimization: what is it? Optimizing your images is good SEO practice. Importantly, it allows you to strengthen...
In Local SEO
8 good reasons to use Google My Business for local SEO
In this article: What is Google My Business? What are the advantages of using Google My Business? Create your Google My Business listing Become the owner of your Google My Business listing if it is already listed Today, brands and companies, regardless of their size and budget, are on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and even Pinterest. Unfortunately, too many companies still underestimate the power of Google My Business! Claiming your Google My Business profile is the easiest first step to building your online visibility. Using Google My Business, you can interact with your customers, increase your chances of being found, and...
In Mobile Apps
What is a mobile app?
Now of course you already know where to find an application and where to download it on your mobile, but what is a mobile application and what are the different types of applications? A mobile application is primarily software. It’s a downloadable program on smartphone or tablet, that includes a file that is installed and then executed by the operating system of your mobile. Technically speaking, there are two types of mobile application that all users can encounter: The native app This type of app represents the majority of the apps we download every day. A native application is a...
WordPress – and maintenance
Wordpress is renowned as being one of the very best CMS (Content Management System) and blogging platforms. With its inherent versatile construct and flexibility of use, it enables the user to manage their website or blog with ease. However - it requires maintenance! This, in order to ensure its smooth working and prevent hacking. Yes – hacking. Sadly, WordPress is a victim of its own success and remains an attractive target for hackers. What maintenance does WordPress need? Well - ideally, WordPress maintenance is a task best suited to Website professionals. As such, it is recommended that you take out...
In Hosting & Email
, Security
What is Phishing?
Please report a malicious email or website to Action Fraud In this article: Phishing example How to recognize a phishing attempt What to do if you receive a phishing email What to do if you are a victim of a phishing email Phishing is a fraudulent technique encountered on the internet. The fraudster will use the identity of an official establishment to obtain confidential information about you (password, credit card number, etc.). The word "phishing" comes from the contraction of the words "phreaking" (hacking of telephone lines) and "fishing". In other words, phishing is a kind of victim fishing via...
In Security
What is a SSL certificate and why use it for your website?
While surfing different websites, you may have noticed that the display of addresses can change depending on the sites visited. This is due to the certificates which are known as SSL certificates. What is a SSL certificate? Developed by Netscape, SSL (Secure Socket Layer), also known as TLS (Transport Layer Security), is a certificate that allows a secure connection between the user and the server of a website using very high encryption. Do I have to use a SSL certificate for my website? A website can operate without a SSL certificate. In this case, though, you are not offering your...
Your website audience: The 3 types of buyers
Visitors (potential customers) with different types of goals will have different expectations when they get to a website. It is important to determine which of those behaviours is the most important for your site profitability and focus on it. Below are the 3 types of behaviours you need to be aware of. Trackers Know exactly what they want. They use the web to track down specific information and are likely to use the search facility to find it. Once they have found what they are looking for, they may need a little bit of persuasion or justification before purchasing/enquiring. Hunters...
Why is it important to maintain my WordPress website?
Some people think that once you have created a website then that’s the job done. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Getting your site online is one thing, but keeping it there, and keeping it safe is quite another. WordPress website maintenance is extremely important. In fact, keeping your WordPress healthy, safe, optimised and error-free, is essential if you want to keep your visitors and search engines happy. There are a lot of things that go into creating a website, and they change frequently. A WordPress website has many different parts and if these become too outdated, it can affect...
What is a responsive website?
Responsive design technology adapts the display of a website according to the type of device used and the size of its screen. Put simply, the same website has a layout that will automatically adapt to the screen size of the device. In this article: The importance of a responsive website The advantages of a responsive website How do I know if my website is responsive? The importance of a responsive website In 2020, more than 51% of global internet traffic is carried out from a smartphone. We know that if the content of a website doesn’t adapt properly to the...
What is WordPress?
WordPress is website content management software. A content management software allows you to easily create and manage the content of your website via any browser. WordPress is, by far, the most advanced CMS (content management system) in the world. Even better, WordPress is completely free. Indeed, it is an "Open Source" project, which means that hundreds of volunteers from all over the world are constantly creating and improving the code for WordPress software. Finally, there are thousands of plugins and widgets that allow you to build a fully customised website to do just about anything you can imagine! W3Techs report a...
In Surbiton
Surbiton – a town with a fascinating history
What does the town name of Surbiton mean to you? Perhaps you think of it as a sleepy suburban town near to Kingston-upon-Thames? Boring and middle class? Wasn’t it the location of a 70’s sitcom? The epitome of a conservative affluent Surrey? Well – let me illustrate to you the real Surbiton – its history and its well deserved status as a fine and pleasant town, both to visit and reside in. In this article: The History of Surbiton The Development of Surbiton in the 19th and 20th Centuries Culture and Amenities T.V. and Film Fame! Famous People from the...
Our lovely Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston-upon-Thames is arguably Surrey’s premier town, with its 500 shops, scenic riverside walks, adjacent Royal Parks, and vibrant day and night time cultural life. In this article: History Famous Commercial Businesses – Kingston-upon-Thames Transport Links Education Shopping and Commerce Culture Crown Court Literary is Connections Places to visit in and around Kingston-upon-Thames Kingston-upon-Thames History An ancient market town, Kingston-upon-Thames was at the heart of the Saxon dynasty. Site of the coronation of many Saxon Kings, the Coronation stone, discovered within building demolition in the late 19th century and believed to play a significant part in those coronations, is on display near...
In Surrey
Surrey – an amazing county!
Surrey is an English county. It borders the counties of Kent and Sussex, as well as Greater London. With a population of 1.2 million it is England’s twelfth most populous county. In this article: Some interesting facts about Surrey Surrey’s famous market towns Surrey’s rural scenic delights Places to go and see in Surrey Did you know? Famous Surrey residents Some interesting facts about Surrey Surrey is a very wealthy county. Indeed it has the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita of any county in England. Wow! Property values in Surrey are the highest of any in England, outside those...
How to write a Website Brief – in 10 steps
You have chosen a web design company to build your website. Great! The next step to take is to write a brief. Why is this? Well - a brief will provide your designers with the vital information they need in order to build your website. It will help them get a precise idea of what you wish to achieve – not just for now - but for the future too. With a well-written brief, everyone wins. The client makes important points regarding his expectations, and the design agency knows precisely where the client wants to go. Let’s have a look...
Using a website builder – a good idea?
Building a free professional website is now within your reach - thanks to the proliferation of online site builders. Their selling point? That the design of your website can be achieved in minutes and very easily. Now doesn’t that sound attractive! However, creating an effective website is really not as simple as these platforms suggest. The downside of free websites - too good to be true! If these websites allow you to put in place a quick and efficient result, it will soon be clear to you that the disadvantages of this type of system are in fact numerous, the...
Your website audience : Rationality vs emotions
Most people concentrate on logic when they try to sell. However, many studies have demonstrated that people don’t buy logically. They buy emotionally. In fact, every time a client buys something, it is purely to satisfy pleasure or decrease suffering. People, (as human beings), are emotive creatures. Unless they want or desire what you sell, they simply won’t buy your product. People buy for two reasons : The good reason - the rational one. Because they have a need for something you offer. In short: To satisfy a need. The real reason - the irrational one. The real reason is...
In Hosting & Email
, Resources
How to choose a domain name
Choosing a domain name for your business can be as easy as it can be difficult. Your domain name is the first impression that a user will come across. It defines your brand, so choosing the right one is an important process. It is essential to avoid rushing to choose the first domain name that comes to mind. Here are a few tips that should help you in your search Makes sure it is consistent to your business name Users will often guess a domain name based on the name of your business. It therefore makes sense that it matches...
The cost of a website
Nowadays, anyone can create a website, but how much does it really cost to design an effective website that will grow your business and make your customers happy? When you ask the question to a web developer, the answer is always the same: "Well - it depends". Yes sure, but what does it depend on? A few factors will define the cost of a website: Development time The cost of a website is calculated mainly in time necessary for the achievement of what is desired. The more complex your project, the more time it will take in terms of design...
Some interesting facts about a few well known brands & their logo
Major League Baseball The baseball player in the Major League Baseball logo was designed so that he can either be a right or left-handed batter? Tupperware Tupperware isn't the name of the hermetic box, it's the name of the company that distribute them. Yahoo! Nope, Yahoo! isn't an onomatopoeia, it is short for 'Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle!' It used to be called 'Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web' 'Yahoo' had been trademarked for barbecue sauce, knives and human propelled watercraft. This was the reason of the e exclamation mark to the name. Apple You can't use iTunes to make nuclear...
Did you know? Some interesting facts about the internet
The first ever registered domain was symbolics.com (15th of March 1985) The maximum length of a domain name is 63 characters Nope, Gmail isn't' short for Google Mail. Gmail was originally a free email service for Garfield fans until Google acquired the domain in 2005. The first ever website is still online here (Published on the 6th of August 1991) The first ever photo posted on the internet is of a rock band called 'Les Horribles Cernettes'. You can read the first ever Tweet is here (21st of March 2006) You can watch the first YouTube video here (Posted 23 Apr...
In Hosting & Email
, Resources
Domain names & Website hosting – in plain English
Domain names A domain name is a replacement for what we call IP addresses. For instance, this website’s IP number is 5.77.57.62. Because it isn’t easy to remember, it is translated to a ‘fully qualified domain name’ i.e. www.abricot-production.com. An IP is also an address which identifies a machine. Every machine on the internet has an IP number. To make it easy for us to remember, IP addresses are ‘replaced’ by words. You don’t purchase a domain name, you lease a domain name and if you don’t renew the domain name, it becomes available and someone else can use it....