Category Archives: Internet

Bigmouthmedia Unveils British Business Top Social Networking Executives

A new bigmouthmedia survey has identified the UK market’s biggest business users of online social networking tools.

Following extensive research, Carnival Cruises’ John Heald and On Holiday Group CEO Steve Endacott have been revealed as the business leaders trading in Britain that have most readily adopted services like LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter as part of their essential marketing tool kit.

“Social networking may have become one of the most talked about trends in the online world, but until now there has been little hard evidence showing to what extent the business community has embraced these tools. Our research shows that while many leading executives are now deriving measurable benefits f r o m this rapidly developing channel, some of the UK’s most prominent organisations have failed to get to grips with this important trend,” said Lyndsay Menzies, bigmouthmedia Chief Operations Officer.

While the social media has been one of 2009’s most hyped phenomena, little evidence exists as to what extent businesses are deriving benefits f r o m the plethora of available services. In order to gauge real-world attitudes to the tools, bigmouthmedia assessed the online networking performance of 50 CEO’s & senior marketing executives selected f r o m the FTSE100 and the Sunday Times Fast Track 100.

Carnival’s Senior Director John Heald emerged as the clear winner in the FTSE100 category. He uses a combination of Facebook and blogging to reach out to past, present and future customers.

“The internet has changed the way that people want to communicate with companies, and even the FTSE100 has to come to terms with that. Customers have become accustomed to a certain level of transparency and informality in their dealings with business and even large-scale enterprises need to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.”

Heald’s use of social media proved to be a relative rarity amongst the FTSE100 executives sampled. Only 25% of them engage in any form of online networking, compared to 80% of senior players f r o m Fast Track companies.

Topping the table f r o m the fast growth companies listed in the Fast Track 100 is On Holiday Group CEO and founder Steve Endacott. The former MyTravel chief employs a range of tools including Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, Plaxo and Xing to promote his travel company and believes that they are an essential part of the modern business toolkit. “I believe that these are tools every business has to get to grips with. There’s a generation of consumers growing up with social media, and unless you truly understand the culture there’s a real danger of losing touch with them,” he said.

LinkedIn emerged as the senior executive’s networking tool of choice. Half of those surveyed use the service, while 80% of the FTSE100 managers that engage in online networking use it as their only application.

“Social media is simply about listening and interacting with your customers, using channels that many staff will already be familiar with, such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Digg. It is common sense, and it’s perhaps unsurprising that the majority of the FastTrack companies are ahead of the curve in this respect,” commented Econsultancy’s Chris Lake.

“What’s needed is a shift in mindset. Firms should embrace customer feedback and act on it. By engaging with customers you increase satisfaction, which is a proven way of generating repeat business and referrals. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? “

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. The bigmouthmedia on Twitter, bigmouthmedia on Mobile Twitter and bigmouthmedia on friendfeed services provide constant up to date digital marketing news to ensure subscribers are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Via EPR Network
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The New Next Generation Security Features Ensure Your Data Is As Secure As The Gold In Fort Knox

“Over the last decade, web based threats have become a major cause of concern for businesses globally. Built on our years of intense research on web based security, the Next Generation Security Features on the Proactive Protection module provide strong and powerful preventive measure against such attacks. Unlike the traditional ‘reactive’ way of handling threats, Next Generation is ‘Proactive’ and can be used by anyone”.

– Sergey Rizhikov, CEO of Bitrix, Inc.

As web based threats continue to increase, your data is vulnerable. In fact, data security features significantly influence the choice of a Content Management System. After all, your data is precious as gold to you, right?

Bitrix Inc., a leading CMS and Intranet Portal development company, today announced the new Next Generation security features on its suite of web based applications, including the Bitrix Site Manager and the Bitrix Intranet Portal. The Next Generation security add-ons are additional layers of security features that mitigate web based threats and allow portal owners to freely host content and media on their portals, without any fear of security breach.

Part of the Proactive Protection module, these cutting-edge technical and organizational measures allow combating malicious programs that have either been identified or those that are still unknown.

The new module includes number of tools:

Web Application FireWall (Proactive Filter) protects the system from most known web attacks. The filter recognizes dangerous threats within incoming requests and blocks intrusions accordingly. The Proactive Filter is the most effective way to guard against possible security defects in any web project implementation (XSS, SQL Injection, PHP Including etc.)

One-time Password Technology (OTP) empowers the standard authorization scheme. It requires a physical hardware token such as Aladdin eToken PASS, ensuring that only the authorized have access to the administrator panel.

Security Panel with Security Levels allow choosing a security level appropriate for your web project. This ensures only relevant individuals have access to relevant parts of the portal.

Authorized Sessions Protection. Most web attacks are designed to steal an authorized user session data. However, Authorized Session Protection makes such session hijacking ineffective since they cannot access the browser session.

Activity Control protects from DDoS attacks and bots.

Intrusion Log. All events occurring in the system, including the unusual or malicious, are logged. This gives the administrator the power to discover attacks and intrusion attempts while they occur, so he can riposte immediately and prevent intrusion.

IP-based Control Panel pages. This type of protection strictly regulates secure networks from which the users are allowed to access control panel. By specifying restrictive IP ranges, only specific nodes in the network can access the control panel.

Stop Lists contain parameters used to restrict access to a site and possibly redirect to a specified page. Any visitor matching the stop list criteria (e.g. an IP address), will be blocked.

Script Integrity Monitor verifies script integrity for any changes. Only authorized script changes will be accepted.

Phishing Protection protects from scripts attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

The Proactive Protection module is included in all the edition of Bitrix Site Manager (except for Start) and Bitrix Intranet Portal.

You can test the new functionality online in the Bitrix Intranet Portal Virtual Lab and Bitrix Site Manager Virtual Lab or download the 30-day Trial versions of Bitrix Site Manager or Bitrix Intranet Portal.

Users with the copies of the software with active updates period can get all the updates through the SiteUpdate system for free.

 

Bitrix Intranet Portal Virtual Lab:
http://www.bitrixsoft.com/products/intranet/demo.php#tab-demo-link

Bitrix Site Manager Virtual Lab:
http://www.bitrixsoft.com/products/cms/demo.php#tab-demo-link

Bitrix Intranet Portal Trial:
http://www.bitrixsoft.com/products/intranet/demo.php#tab-trial-link

Bitrix Site Manager Trial:
http://www.bitrixsoft.com/products/cms/demo.php#tab-trial-link

Proactive Protection:
http://www.bitrixsoft.com/products/cms/features/proactive.php

 

About Bitrix
Bitrix, Inc. specializes in the development of content management systems and portal solutions for managing web projects and multifunctional information systems on the Internet. Bitrix specialists, by their considerable efforts and skill, developed the Bitrix Site Manager software—a standalone application that provides complex web solutions. This software tech-corp was established in 1998 by a group of IT specialists. Bitrix continues to hold a leading position in the web development market, always offering high-standard solutions to its clients and partners.

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New Research By bigmouthmedia Reveals Changes In Search Behaviour As Users Abandon Brand Name Searches In Favour Of A More Sophisticated Approach To Searching For Goods And Services Online

Despite online shoppers using the search box to access brand sites and browsers like Firefox and Chrome offering a single bar for both navigation and search, navigational keyword usage in Europe is down this year. Conducted by bigmouthmedia’s international offices in Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, France and the Nordics region, the research simultaneously reveals a growing tendency amongst users to employ increasingly complex search terms when looking for information online.

According to the survey, the steady increase in numbers of consumers using the web for entertainment has seen the percentage of keywords accounted for by navigational search fall, while the vast majority of European consumers now use two and three word search phrases to deliver more targeted results when surfing.

“Over the past few years consumers have become far more savvy about search, and as the recession drives people to hunt for the very best available deals, we’re seeing them adopt a sophisticated approach with the majority now employing more complicated phrases to find their way around the web,” said Andrew Girdwood, Head of Search at bigmouthmedia.

The research demonstrates a range of differing approaches from country to country. Web users in Italy, Great Britain and Germany were found to demonstrate the most complex search behaviour, topping the table for four-word phrases, while almost a quarter of consumers in France and Spain still rely on a single keyword when tracking down information, goods and services on the internet.

Girdwood added: “Clearly, the way that users approach the search landscape is changing. As consumers continue to become more comfortable with the technology and the sheer volume of online information proliferates it will be interesting to see how this trend develops over the next few years and how it may force many big brand companies to reassess their digital marketing strategies.” 

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news along with a series of bigmouthmedia tools to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

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Permanent Online Dedication – Don’t Just Tell the Person, Tell the Whole World!

Web users everywhere have a new way to celebrate their graduating family and friends at the I Love This Person website. The I Love This Person website gives people an easy way to create permanent online dedication web pages for their favorite graduates. This is the perfect graduation present. Don’t just tell the person, tell the whole world!

I Love This Person
People can create a customized dedication page for any person they admire, respect, or love. Dedications are especially great for a family member or friend graduating f r o m high school or college. Dedications can be anonymous, or the creator can display his or her name.

Users can select a single editable lifetime dedication web page for only $19.95. They can select two dedication web pages for $29.95 with lifetime edits, or a Family Pack of eight editable dedications for the price of five, at $99.95. Dedication web pages are visible to anyone searching the Internet. Users also can link dedications to social media websites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, making them easy to share.

New users can create a test dedication web page and view it without committing to pay for it. Once they are happy with the results, they can select a single editable dedication for as little as $19.95. The I Love This Person website is available at the I Love This Person website.

About Robipau
The I Love this Person website is a service of Robipau. Robipau develops and promotes virtual products on the Internet that emphasize the good in humankind. They believe that the potential of the Internet is enormous yet still in its infancy. They endorse the entrepreneurial spirit that exists and is inherent in all of us globally. Robipau works daily with entrepreneurially minded individuals f r o m around the world who have a well thought-out virtual business concept but needed assistance in converting their concept into a revenue-generating Internet business. For more information, visit the Robipau website.

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Bigmouthmedia Extends Collaboration With Microsoft Germany

In the wake of a successful collaboration with Microsoft Germany, bigmouthmedia, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency, plan to extend the 2B-Found Project by offering a range of SEO tools to the software giant’s sales network. Providing a range of services to the manufacturer and its partners, the new framework will afford access to a set of analysis and optimisation modules designed to help members fine tune their websites for search engines.

bigmouthmedia

“Having worked with Microsoft for the last 18 months, we have developed a very strong relationship with them. It is the next logical step to extend our collaboration. We are very excited to be working more closely with Microsoft and look forward to developing 2B-Found further. For their part, Microsoft are pleased with the results and to have the recommendation of such a major software player is a fantastic endorsement,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

The deal follows the success of bigmouthmedia’s search engine optimisation campaign promoting the Microsoft Dynamics brand across Germany. Since launching in early 2008 the team promoting the software manufacturer’s enterprise products has achieved rapid results, doubling the percentage of search engine traffic to the Dynamics site.

“These results have exceeded our expectations. Bigmouthmedia has quickly and clearly increased our traffic and the visibility of our Microsoft Dynamics brand, so we have therefore decided to expand our cooperation further and make the know-how of the company’s SEO experts available to our distribution partners”, said Antje Reichelt, Audience Marketing Manager at Microsoft Dynamics.

The Microsoft Dynamics brand is one of the world’s largest providers of enterprise software. Distributed through partners, its products are used by 300,000 corporate clients across the globe.

“Following our collaboration, Microsoft Dynamics is now showing a significantly greater proportion of prominent placements in search engine rankings. In just a few months we have been able to reach the first places in searched terms at Google for Microsoft’s most important keywords, a ten percent increase in comparison to its competitors,” said Isabell Wagner, Managing Director of bigmouthmedia Germany.

“We are pleased that project’s success means the continuation of our cooperation, which means that Microsoft’s partners will also now benefit from our services.”

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search (SEO, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

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Logo Design Made Easy With Laughingbird’s Popular Logo Creator Software

The impressive software suite, “The Logo Creator,” by Laughingbird Software (www.laughingbirdsoftware.com) allows people of all skill levels to design unique logos for their businesses. The logo maker software also lets business owners make page headers and buttons, and other design features needed for websites, corporate material, and more.

logo design

The Logo creator software offers an easy-to-use interface, and a large number of design options, perfect for corporate logos for small business ventures or the entrepreneur wanting to sell logos to interested clients. The logo package is affordably priced as well, allowing anyone to create eye-catching designs in a short amount of time. Its wide array of features and reasonable price have made The Logo Creator the #1 best selling logo maker on the Internet.

The Logo Creation Suite 5.0 includes logo software packages that can be purchased online and downloaded instantly. Each logo set can be used on its own, or in combination with another package to make the process of designing a logo, and other graphic elements, straightforward and quick.

The logo sets available include the Alphabet Logo Edition, Web 2.0 Logo Edition, Corporate Logo Creator, Entertainment Logo Edition, Mascot Logo Collection + Mascots2Go Collection, Sports Logo Edition, Real Estate Logo Edition, Travel Logo Edition, Church Logo Collection, and The Mega Pak Collection. Other products include the Business Card Creator, the Presentation Creator, the Ad Creator, the Web Graphics Creator, and the Avatar Creator.

The Corporate Logo Creator lets individuals create unique corporate logos for websites, blogs, and businesses. The package includes more than 80 professional templates ready to be personalized by adding custom images. Or use one of the 200 built in logo objects that come with the software to put together a logo, header, or button in a matter of minutes.

Essentially, the Logo Creator Corporate Logo Edition makes it possible to add as much or as little detail to the logo design as required. Business owners and webmasters can work at their own pace and build a logo that represents their company’s vision perfectly.

For more information about The Logo Creator, contact Laughingbird Software or visit http://www.thelogocreator.com.

About Laughingbird Software: Since launching in 1998, Laughingbird Software has been a top player in the realm of software and design. The Logo Creator Software is the company’s most popular product, receiving accolades from consumers and industry professionals across the globe. Laughingbird Software creates logo maker software products for small and large business owners, such as the Corporate logo creator, which makes it easyfor anyone to achieve professional results for an affordable price.

Via EPR Network
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Innovative New Reseller Platform By Fasthosts

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading UK web host, has launched a brand new reseller platform for its UK reseller partners. The solution offers a highly effective platform for structuring and performing a reseller hosting operation.

Reseller Platform

The Fasthosts Reseller hosting package delivers access to a range of customisable web solutions including hosting, domains and email products at discounted reseller rates and features unlimited web space and bandwidth. Presently, new resellers will benefit from a 6 months free offer, allowing them to build their reseller business with no subscription costs. Fasthosts’ new platform sets a new standard in enabling resellers to develop a profitable business in this growing sector.

Reseller web hosting offers a highly profitable business opportunity for IT professionals and entrepreneurs. Resellers can combine re-branded white-label web solutions with their own services, such as web design, programming or IT advice, to create tailored services for niche markets. Users earn recurring profits on items they sell, can set their own price points and may charge for free elements such as unlimited web space, website traffic and email accounts.

Fasthosts’ new reseller platform provides a market-leading level of usability, transparency and control for a reseller. It also offers a high degree of freedom as resellers can create a customised package for each end customer, design and create their own range of packages or simply resell Fasthosts’ off-the-shelf packages. This flexibility means resellers can tailor their services closely to customers’ needs and remain competitive.

Fasthosts’ Reseller Control Panel has been re-engineered to reduce administration for resellers and improve efficiency. The custom branding tools enable resellers to customise their customers’ control panels, webmail and SiteBuilders.

Stephen Holford, Chief Marketing Officer, Fasthosts Internet said “We are focused on making sure our resellers can grow a successful and profitable business, even in this tough economic climate. Our service enables them to not only create their own brand, but also create their own packages. The new platform itself is designed to satisfy the technical needs of a demanding hosting provider and also inspire the complete beginner”.

Fasthosts’ philosophy is designed to free resellers to achieve the best possible business model, with both Linux and MS web hosting, a comprehensive range of domain name registrations and award winning MS Exchange email packages for resale. Other reseller web hosting providers can place limits on web space per end customer and levy expensive charges for bandwidth used. Fasthosts removes these risks with its unlimited web space and bandwidth. While resellers are free to make whatever charges they wish, Fasthosts’ resellers will never face their users being cut-off or unexpected charges from their provider.

In recent months, Fasthosts has promoted reseller hosting as a low risk and profitable way to develop an IT related enterprise. Recent research conducted by the company showed that 80 per cent of companies that begin to resell web hosting in addition to their regular products or services earn a profit from the practice within 1 year. By offering web solutions, many can bolster their revenues and prolong client relationships.

Holford added, “As a reseller hosting specialist, Fasthosts aims to deliver its resellers unrivalled support and innovation in equal measures”.

About Fasthosts
Fasthosts is the UK’s leading web hosting company. Based in the UK and operating 24×7 from their dedicated UK data centres, Fasthosts keeps over 1 million domains running smoothly and ensures over 6 million emails are delivered safely each day. All Fasthosts services can be self-managed through the award winning Fasthosts web-based control panel that provides customers with unparalleled online control, enabling them to manage hosted services including domain registrations, shared web hosting, business-class email, dedicated servers, software-as-a-service, internet merchant accounts and unlimited broadband. Fasthosts’ highly successful reseller channel has recently been rated Number 1 for reseller hosting by industry portal Web Host Directory.

Via EPR Network
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Using Web Copywriting To Attract The Right Customers

Good web copywriting can ensure that readers become loyal customers. However, it isn’t just about writing the reasons why your business is better than competitors. There is a lot of preparation to go which will help your writing speak to your readers in the most effective way.

web copywriting

This article will show you how you can create personas for potential clients, which are a useful tool on the road to creating copy which readers can relate to. By putting yourself in your customers’ shoes, you will find that effective web copywriting is easier.

When it comes to web copywriting, you have to ensure that you are using language that is appropriate for your audience.

This means before beginning your writing, you should spend some time identifying your main audience. You don’t need to survey your current customers – just a little common sense will come in handy.

To help make your writing really speak to the people that visit your site, you should try to develop identities for potential clients. Your clients will vary depending on your industry, so don’t be afraid to experiment with the personas you create.

For example, an online investment guide will be geared towards businesspeople with a secure amount of disposable income. You could develop an appropriate persona for a potential client by:

• Searching for pictures based on your client base. This could be anything, such as “businessman”, “sports fan”, “scientist” or “amateur cook”. The possibilities are endless.
• Thinking about your customers’ goals. Businessmen may want a healthy return on investment, while an amateur cook may want a healthy recipe using forgotten things from the back of the freezer.
• Judging your readers’ knowledge of the subject. If they are an amateur, a cook may be attempting a romantic meal for the first time and will need simple, step-by-step instructions. A scientist will obviously be able to cope with much more technical language and jargon.
• Filling in your example customers’ background. This could include giving them a name, age and short biography.

Once you have this information, print your profile along with the most appropriate picture. If you have this beside you as you write, you fill find your web copywriting becomes more geared towards the sort of client that is likely to become a loyal customer.

When you are writing, you should also ensure that you know what is most likely to impress your target audience.

Few people buy into unjustified claims and hype. Be sure to support what you say with testimonials from satisfied customers, as well as facts and figures to show the benefits of your business.

The tone of voice is also very important, and this will change depending on your audience when you are writing online. Whoever your customers are, they will be most likely to buy from a site that speaks to them in a way they can relate to.

Empathise with your readers, relate to them, and you will find you are attracting the customers you want.

For more information visit MediaCo (UK) Ltd’s web site at media.co.uk/copywriting/.

Via EPR Network
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Cali Find It Has Just Launched A New Site That Aims To Be A Valuable Resource To The Local Businesses And Communities Of California

Cali Find It has launched a dynamic website that serves as a comprehensive local business directory, social networking platform and guide to local events and attractions in Los Angeles County. The site, www.CaliFindIt.com, offers advertisers a unique and cost effective solution to their marketing needs.

califindit.com

Business owners who become advertising partners are given a plethora of valuable business tools as well as exclusive positioning within the directory. The business directory showcases only sixteen businesses within any given category, offering these businesses increased exposure. A talented graphics team beautifully designs the ads and businesses have the option of uploading coupons and linking directly to their own website if they have one. Cali Find It offers various advertising co-ops that allows small business owners to compete with big budget businesses in radio, TV and newspaper campaigns.

There are also numerous business tools offered to advertisers including promotional giveaways, a free customizable website for businesses who do not have any online presence, and many more tools that offer advertisers an immediate return on investment. Additionally, Cali Find It can produce video commercials for members and distribute those commercials throughout the Internet. Cali Find It is also creating a customizable CRM system for members as well as a sales training platform; both systems are scheduled to be released in December 2009.

About Cali Find It:
Cali Find It is part of a larger network of over 200 sites worldwide and is a sister site to www.MyCityToronto.com.

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Survey Finds 1 In 3 UK Businesses Have No Time To Improve Website

A new survey of 145 UK businesses by Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting company, has revealed that whilst 69% of firms realise certain aspects of their website may require attention, 32% repeatedly neglect making the changes in favour of spending the time on other aspects of the business.

Fasthosts Internet Ltd

According to the survey, the average small company rates their website at 6 out of 10 for effectiveness, but also aims to treble the income generated by their website during 2009. The research suggests a clear discrepancy between business owners’ online ambitions and how much time they currently invest.

As their shop window to the world, the majority of UK companies recognise that having a web presence is a vital aspect of modern business. However, 27% are unhappy with their website design and a further 25% are concerned that their website does not allow feature sufficient methods to communicate with customers. The research also showed that 1 in 10 businesses would like to replace their website entirely.

Whilst there are plenty of products and services on the market to help enhance business websites, 1 in 3 owners admit to being floored by a lack of time. During the first quarter of 2009, a further 32% of business owners repeatedly sidelined changes to their website. The figures are alarming in contrast to the tough targets the same businesses have set themselves for online activity this year. 71% aim to increase their overall visibility on the Web during 2009, while 55% aim to grow the size of their website and 22% intend to begin online advertising.

Currently, the average business earns 10% of its total sales revenue as a direct result of its website, but in 2009, businesses are hoping to increase this income to 21%-30% of total sales revenue.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts Internet, said: “In challenging economic conditions, business owners are more stretched for time and resources than ever. However, it is important to remember that often the simplest improvements to a website can make a noticeable impact on sales conversion rates. Even a modest business website must receive regular attention to fulfil its potential.”

Fasthosts’ research suggests that UK businesses risk missing their online targets unless they can prioritise the work that their websites require. The issue is further supported by the fact that 26% of respondents admit that tough operating conditions has either already led or may lead them to cut-back on external consultants such as web designers or IT advisors.

As UK online spending continues to snowball, business owners clearly recognise the value in investing in an online presence. 94% believe that every size of enterprise should have a website, and 79% would not wish to go back to the days of solely off-line trading.

Holford added, “Businesses can often find the Internet to be as challenging as the high street. However, a big flashy website is not a prerequisite to achieving online sales growth. With a realistic online strategy and a consistent commitment of time and resource, every enterprise can better achieve their online potential this year.”

 

About Fasthosts
Fasthosts is the UK’s number one web hosting company. Based in the UK and operating 24×7 from their dedicated UK data centres, Fasthosts keeps over 1 million domains running smoothly and ensures over 6 million emails are delivered safely each day. All Fasthosts services can be self-managed through the award winning Fasthosts web-based control panel that provides customers with unparalleled online control, enabling them to manage hosted services including domain name registrations, shared web hosting, business-class email, dedicated servers, software-as-a-service, internet merchant accounts and unlimited broadband. Fasthosts’ highly successful reseller channel has recently been rated Number 1 for reseller hosting by industry portal Web Host Directory.

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Online People Search Company Sending Out the Right Message

Tracesmart private customers will receive a new look newsletter from the online people search website this month, as a result of a revamped email marketing campaign. The online tracing facility has enjoyed continued growth since the website launched in 2004, with approximately 10,000 trace and address search requests performed every day.

The company has helped to reunite thousands of families and friends, many of whom may not have had contact for several decades; a large proportion are found instantly through a simple electoral roll search. Tracesmart has simplified the tracing process, taking the hassle away from family researching, which can quite often be daunting for new users.

“The customer service team here at Tracesmart assist visitors with different enquires ranging from an in-depth trace to a straightforward postcode search,” Sarah Lawrence, Tracesmart’s Customer Service Manager explained. “We hope this new look newsletter will stimulate many customers who may have abandoned their people search, to come back and try again, after all, our database is updated every day.”

The new look email, which will be distributed to all subscribers, includes news stories and tracing tips to help individuals conduct a successful people search. The ever changing facets of marketing practices have seen a shift in the way companies communicate with their customers. Tracesmart has implemented many of the industry standards with the aim of attracting new visitors and increasing the popularity of family tracing.

Tracesmart historically corresponded with customers both through the post and via email, but are reducing the use of surface mail wherever possible. The people search specialists are eager to meet green guidelines and reduce their carbon footprint in line with government targets. “Tracesmart are working closely with ‘E-shot’, an email marketing company, ensuring correct procedures are implemented and employed,’ commented Owen Roberts, Tracesmart’s Communications Manager. “They have over ten years e-marketing experience, and we are confident that Tracesmart will benefit enormously from this new campaign.”

    About Tracesmart

  • Sarah Lawrence boasts over 17 years experience in the field of customer services and satisfaction. In her role at Tracesmart Consumer she ensures the smooth day to day running of the customer services team.
  • Owen Roberts has worked in the creative, advertising and communications industries for over 25 years and is the voice of Tracesmart. Heading up the communications team, he raises public awareness of the company through various media driven PR campaigns.
  • Tracesmart Ltd – Since the launch of its website in 2004, Tracesmart Ltd has established itself as one of the UK’s leading providers of online people tracing tools.www.tracesmart.co.uk combines state of the art search technology with an extensive collection of consumer data, providing one of the most powerful and successful systems to trace people.

Bigmouthmedia Reports That Further Changes Unveiled By Google To Its International Trademark Policy Could Cost The World’s Major Companies Millions In The Short Term As They Struggle To Protect Their Brands Online

While not unexpected, Google’s decision to allow anyone to bid for trademarked keywords in a total of 194 countries including Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Russia is widely predicted to lead to price rises in the markets affected. However, evidence from the UK – where the policy change was first rolled out in 2008 – indicates that while bidding on some brand terms could increase by as much as 500% in the short term, the impact is unlikely to be permanent.

“While dropping trademark protection didn’t send costs skyrocketing to the extent many feared in the UK, during the initial scramble to bid on competitor brand terms we saw cost-per-click (CPC) prices rise by an average of 400-500%. Those levels proved unsustainable in the long term however, and we would expect any spike in keyword prices to normalise within a matter of weeks, “said Lyndsay Menzies, Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

“Our international offices have been working with such a system in the US and UK for years and we know how to deal with it, but the news is likely to precipitate changes in some international markets as brands move budgets about within digital channels to maximise return.”

Bringing the new territories into line with its North American and UK businesses, Google will now allow open keyword bidding on all terms in 194 countries worldwide. This means it is now possible for more than one advertiser to appear in the list of sponsored links that appears after a user has typed in a search query using a trademarked term.

Experience from the UK indicates that successful legal challenges to the rule changes seem unlikely, although commentators will note that Google has yet to relax restrictions in France, Italy or Germany, where copyright laws are particularly robust.

While bad news for major brands, the move is likely to be good news for smaller competitors looking to close the gap. The announcement is also likely to have a profound effect on all affiliate partners, with the ability to bid on competitor keywords greatly increasing the scope and range of their operations.

“While brands might be tempted to bid on competitor keywords in the newly opened markets, Google’s rules mean that while they are allowed to bid on brand terms they can’t use them in their advert copy, something that frequently results in a low quality score and a high average CPC. They are also likely to experience poor conversion rates, because the fact of the matter is that if a customer searches for a particular brand name, that’s the one they’re interesting in buying,” said Robin Richmond, bigmouthmedia’s Head of Pay Per Click (PPC).

“Google’s revised rules will add new layers of complexity to the search landscape though. Look at affiliate marketing and PPC: many brands restrict their affiliates from brand bidding but these policies may now need to be reviewed if they wish to protect their real estate from direct competitors.”

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff across 12 offices in 10 countries, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: PPC and search engine optimisation, Online Media Planning, Affiliate Marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Leading the digital marketing strategies of a third of the UK’s most trusted brands, bigmouthmedia services over 300 big-brand customers globally including: Hilton, British Airways, Tesco, Air Berlin, Barclays, Sky, British Telecom and Wall Street Institute.

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Bigmouthmedia Has Been Named The UK’s Number 1 SEO And PPC Agency In The New Media Age Marketing Services Guide 2009

Widely regarded as the definitive guide to Britain’s digital marketing landscape, the NMA league table is ranked on income, with bigmouthmedia’s range of big brand client wins, cross-channel expertise and experienced management team cited as being key to the company’s industry-leading status.

“Like every industry the search sector has faced a lot of challenges recently, but despite difficult economic circumstances the blend of effectiveness and measurable ROI that online marketing provides is still proving a winning combination,” said Lyndsay Menzies, bigmouthmedia’s Group Chief Operations Officer.

“There are many factors behind our success, but the most important is the dedicated, skilled and passionate bigmouth team that underpins everything we do.”

Highlighting the international expertise offered by bigmouthmedia’s offices in the UK, US, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, France and Spain, New Media Age attributed the company’s success to an unequivocal impact on clients’ bottom lines: “The increased investment in search during the recession reflects the drum beaten by specialists and search pioneers over the past decade: that it’s an incredibly effective, cost-efficient and wholly trackable marketing discipline.”

Citing the latest available research, the guide’s editors expect to see further growth in the year ahead. According to the recently published 2009 UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report, half of Britain’s senior marketers are set to increase their online budgets over the next 12 months.

The 2009 guide pointed to bigmouthmedia’s retention of British Airways’ combined PPC and SEO campaign – together with winning both the Sky and Europcar accounts – as the highlights of another successful year for the UK business. Editors also noted the launch of the agency’s Online PR division and a raft of high profile executive appointments.

About bigmouthmedia 
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

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Waveform Technology Is Now Offering Two Months Free Server Colocation For Unemployed Workers Who Want To Start Or Expand A Business

With the unemployment rate in Michigan continuing to rise, there are plenty of smart, talented individuals from information technology who are now out of a job. Waveform Technology is encouraging those people to take their great Internet start up ideas and form new companies to rebuild Michigan’s economy.

Waveform’s Data Center, located in Troy Michigan, is now accepting servers for colocation through the new Start program. With Start, new companies can bring servers online quickly and have no worries about data center fees for the first two months.

Parishpilot.com will be the first organization to take advantage of Waveform’s Start program. Parishpilot.com provides low cost Internet services to Detroit churches, including websites and E-mail. “I’m tired of jobs leaving Michigan,” said Bill Wilson, who founded parishpilot.com after twelve years in the information technology industry. “I’m going to become part of the solution and start something that can help Michigan grow. I’m proud to join forces with Waveform on this.”

Data centers are where start ups begin. Flexibility and reliability are always important when selecting a data center, but cost is also key for new businesses. With Start, Waveform Technology will provide trusted colocation for start ups and a helping hand in tough economic times.

Colocation is the hosting of user owned servers in a data center to take advantage of superior Internet connections and other support systems such as backup power. Colocation is excellent for developing start ups because they have complete control over their machine, there is no sharing of server resources or conforming to the provider’s preferred software installations.

Participants are eligible as long as they can provide proof of unemployment. Interested parties should contact Waveform Technology through the website, http://www.michigan-colocation.com, or by calling 1-866-Waveform.

About Waveform Technology, LLC
Waveform Technology is a Michigan based data center operator and metro Ethernet provider. Waveform’s Troy data center is a world-class facility, featuring Liebert cooling and uninterruptible power systems, along with backup generator support, unmatched connectivity, and advanced security. Tenants of all sizes colocate in Waveform facilities. Waveform Technology is a privately held company in operation since 1992. More information is available at http://www.michigan-colocation.com or 248-784-7000.

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Rackspace to host SaaS and the Cloud Seminar

Rackspace has announced it is to host the SaaS and the Cloud Seminar – a half day, best practices seminar which aims to reveal the key strategies and techniques needed to build a profitable Software as a Service (SaaS) business.

Taking place on 20 May at the Microsoft Campus in Reading, SaaS and the Cloud Seminar will feature Rackspace Hosting clients and partners discussing the key issues involved in building a successful SaaS business.

Speaking at the seminar will be a number of experts in the SaaS field, including Rackspace’s own Director of Strategic Alliances, Brian Garvey, and Director of Product Management, Simon Abrahams, Microsoft’s UK Lead for Partner Hosted Services, Martin Walker, and Anders Trolle-Schultz of SaaS-it Consult. Also speaking at the seminar will be Ivan Farneti, a partner at Doughty Hanson & Co. Technology Ventures, Piyush Shah, the CEO at Deltion and Hamish Edwards, Managing Director and Co-Founder at Xero.

Those attending the seminar will hear discussion on topics including how to make the move from on-premise to Software as a Service, how to fund an emerging SaaS business and the future for SaaS hosting in the cloud. Other subjects covered will include secure hosting for on-demand applications, how to develop a cost effective go-to-market strategy and tips on how to exploit social media techniques to build a community of loyal users.

The half day seminar will conclude with a Q & A session with all the speakers followed by a networking lunch, where attendees can question the speakers at the seminar individually and confidentially.

Those wishing to attend the SaaS and the Cloud seminar can find further details and register at www.rackspace.co.uk.

About Rackspace Hosting:
As the world’s leader and specialist in hosting, Rackspace Hosting is changing the way businesses worldwide buy IT. Rackspace delivers computing-as-a-service, integrating the industry’s best technologies into a flexible service offering, making computing more reliable and affordable.

A trusted partner to companies of all sizes, Rackspace enables IT departments to be more effective. Rackspace is distinguished by its award-winning Fanatical Support, furthering the company’s mission to be one of the world’s greatest service companies. Rackspace featured in the top 30 of both the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list and the Financial Times Great Place to Work Awards, 2008.

Rackspace’s portfolio of hosted services includes managed hosting, hosted exchange, hybrid hosting and cloud hosting.

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Tracesmart Share Their Success On BBC Daytime Show

Following the conclusion of the second ‘Missing Live’ series, Tracesmart can look back on a job well done as they once again volunteered their services to the production company, offering their people search facility and further providing case study examples for the program.

The BBC 1 early morning broadcast raised awareness of the nation’s missing people, making live appeals for individuals to come forward with information. Tracesmart were more than happy to assist and the online people search company made two separate live appearances during the series, which was viewed by over 1 million people daily.

The programme makers, Leopard Films, work closely with the police and the charity Missing People, to report on cases that require the help of the general public. Some cases have been open for many years; others that were featured involve people who have vanished very recently. Viewers are urged to contact the helpline with any information that may help find those that have disappeared.

Last year, the program introduced heart-warming stories involving families that have been reunited after a considerable time apart. As specialists in this field, Tracesmart were invited back for the second year running to discuss how to find relatives and friends. As Tracesmart’s lead family researcher, Louise Hewlett was interviewed by the BBC’s Rav Wilding on the subject of people tracing, further adding a brief introduction to online family searching using the electoral roll.

This year, a reunion transpired that involved a viewer of the first series – Julie Cook wrote to Missing Live, asking for help to find her cousin, Clement Jackson. The letter she wrote was given to Hewlett live on air, with the hope that Tracesmart could help trace Clement. When Louise returned to the office and performed a name search on the Tracesmart system, she located him immediately. Ms Cooke was ecstatic and also relieved to hear that Clement had been located, after searching for him for nearly 40 years.

Louise commented, “It was lovely to meet Clem and Julie in the studio. It’s rare for me to meet the families we are able to help through our online people search facility, so I was delighted to be able to share the experience with them. They were both very grateful toTracesmart for reuniting them, and could not believe the trace was completed after a single name search.”

Owen Roberts, Tracesmart’s Communications Manager added, “There is no doubting the importance of this series, it’s vital to highlight the plight of the missing, and it’s great that we at Tracesmart can help as much as possible. We do hope the BBC will re-commission another series.”

About Tracesmart
Tracesmart Ltd – Since the launch of its website in 2004 Tracesmart has established itself as one of the UK’s leading providers of online people tracing tools. www.tracesmart.co.ukcombines state of the art search technology with an extensive collection of consumer data, providing one of the most powerful and successful systems to trace people.

Louise Hewlett is a driving force in Tracesmart’s Missing Person’s campaign and has been tracing people for 3 years. Louise has previously appeared on BBC1’s Missing Live programme to discuss tracing and various successful reunions.

Owen Roberts has worked in the creative, advertising and communications industries for over 25 years and is the voice of Tracesmart. Heading up the communications team, he raises the public awareness of the company through various media driven PR campaigns.

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Twitter Made The New Heights Of Traffic With Sole Appearance On The Oprah Show

You can answer the question “Are you happy to have Oprah on twitter” on twitter.

Twitter made the new heights of traffic with sole appearance on the Oprah show. The day when show was live there where millions of Oprah fans watching and signing up with Twitter with Oprah.

While writing this story Oprah had near to half a million followers on twitter. Unexpectedly the fans of Oprah joined twitter to follow Oprah and hear the smallest tweets from her.

According to Hitwise the traffic monitor company, the traffic on twitter jumped up to 43% due to the Oprah effect. The hashtags “Oprah” where also found to be among the top ten tweet tags used on twitter.

The question “Whether they are happy to have Oprah on twitter” is still a question.

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BT Has Released A New High Value Business Bundle Offering Broadband And Calls To UK Landlines, International Destinations And Mobile Numbers For Just £30 A Month

Businesses will also have the added freedom to build their own BT communications package, from the most extensive range of options, covering calls, broadband and mobile offered by a UK communications provider, following the introduction of a range of new BT One Plan call packages.

By adopting a new way of buying communications services, businesses can now create their own custom package, such as, BT Business Total Broadband Option 1 and their calls to mobile, international destinations and landlines fixed for only £30.

When compared to buying services separately, businesses taking a call package along with their broadband package in this way will gain an additional 20% in value from their broadband commitment. Businesses can build their own communications package including as many or as few options as they want, gaining more value the more they bring together in their flexible bundle.

The new BT One Plan call packages feature inclusive calling minutes to UK landlines, fixed calls to UK mobiles and international destinations for a low fixed monthly cost. Additionally BT has introduced savings of up to 50% on the price per minute for calls to UK fixed lines for businesses taking a call package with their broadband package.

Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “In uncertain times, cash flow is king. Knowing what your monthly outgoings are, is as important as keeping them low. With the introduction of these changes, BT is helping businesses manage their communications spend with one low fixed cost package that they have the power to define themselves based on what they need. BT is offering businesses a premier a la carte service with the value and cost predictability benefits of having a set menu. If the dessert is not to your taste – why keep paying for it? This is a natural evolution in the market of communication services.”

All service and billing enquiries will be dealt with through one number, and one bill will cover all services for customers through BT Business One Plan. BT Business Broadbandoffers a 99.99% reliable broadband service, with nine out of 10 faults resolved in less than four hours and 95% of calls to the 24/7 UK help desk are answered within 30 seconds.

To achieve greater savings across communications spend, businesses can also get unlimited calls within their business depending on which components they opt for and 5% reward on their bill when they hit their committed spending levels.

About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2008, BT Group plc’s revenue was £20,704 million with profit before taxation and specific items of £2,506 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

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Easyspace Has Added A New Range Of Low Cost, Feature Rich, Shopping Cart Solutions To Its Product Portfolio

Easyspace, one the largest web hosting providers in the UK, has this week added a new range of low cost, feature rich, shopping cart solutions to its product portfolio.

With the ability to accept payments via a number of the most popular methods already built in (including Paypal and Worldpay), as well as exporting options allowing you to easily list your products on sites such as ebay, Google Base and Kelkoo as well as on your own site, the new eCommerce solution from Easyspace offers an intuitive way for users to start or improve their business online.

Easyspace already provides solutions for all other aspects of setting up a business online, from simple domain registration and a variety of hosting options, through to security and dedicated website design. The new Online Shop products, starting at just £14.99 per month, provide customers the final step in the process.

“We’ve offered off the shelf eCommerce solutions in the past,” states Errol Vanderhorst, Sales and Marketing Director for Easyspace, “but in all honesty, the high price associated with them in relation to the price of our other services, meant that they weren’t a natural fit or upgrade option for the customer. Our new Online Shopping packages have been developed specifically with the customer and our general pricing in mind, meaning the customer can now add a shopping cart with an extensive range of features for a low monthly cost.”

The Shopping Cart range from Easyspace is delivered in 3 packages – Starter, Business and Pro – ranging from £14.99 per month through to £44.99 per month depending on requirements. Features included a selection of payment gateway options, marketing gateway options, import / export / discounting options, several security options and more.

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Melonbytes Is The World’s First Experience Encyclopedia

Look out, Twitter — social networking has taken on a new face. MelonBytes is the world’s first Experience Encyclopedia — an online community where users share experiences f r o m their lives through stories, photos and videos. It’s a way for people to learn about one another — and about life — through the unique perspectives of individuals f r o m all over the world. Whether it’s an exciting travel narrative or an intimate story about a first kiss, MelonBytes helps us become aware of the remarkable moments that make up our daily lives.

MelonBytes creator Scott McCarter is a Waterloo-based web designer with a truly innovative approach. “I want MelonBytes to help people understand what it’s like to live the life of someone else: to see what they see; feel what they feel; and experience what they experience,” he says. He has taken extreme measures to protect user privacy on the site, keeping last names and emails unpublished and allowing users to update and edit privacy s e t t i n g s at any time. “I know what a huge priority security is for everyone using social networks,” says McCarter. “I want people to feel they can share anything they like, without having to worry about censoring their writing.” 

Experiences are grouped together based on similar content, and are easy to find through a traditional keyword search, through topic categories and authors’ personal attributes. Features like a random experience button, a handy MelonBytes toolbar and “My MelonBytes” link buttons are added bonuses.

With an innovative concept and an already-dedicated user community, MelonBytes is poised to be the next big breakthrough in social networking. It’s only a matter of time before millions of users are vying for space on the site’s central “featured experiences” section, sharing their stories with a captive global audience.

Start sharing at www.melonbytes.com.

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