Friday 19 December 2014

Secrets to Get Better Results from Your Google Search

When you have a question or query where’s the first place you turn to? Unless you’ve been living on some remote island for the last 15 years, odds are the first place you turn to to satisfy your curiosity is Google.
With over 3.3 billion searches a day, Google has quickly become the go-to source for inquisative minds the world over, but have you ever stopped to think about how Google became the information giant it is today? Before you turn to your favorite search engine for the answer, we’ll kill the suspense – Google searches work as well as they do largely because of powerful algorithms that match relevant search queries with the most likely answer matches. This means that you can play a bigger part than you may have thought in coming up with the answer you’re looking for.
As with any algorithm, there are plenty of tricks that you can master to get the most accurate search results time & time again. Here are some of our favorite tricks to conduct the perfect Google searches:
Secrets to Get Better Results from Your Google Search

The Secret to Search Operators

Search operators are key symbols that you can add to turn an average search into a fine-tuned query. These symbols and terms give Google a better, more accurate understanding of what you’d like it to find. For example, let’s search the most generic word we can think of: potato.

Typing Potato alone - this basic search will fetch the basic go-to information for your favorite starchy spud. Obvious things like pictures & Wikipedia information will come up here.
“Potato”
If you add quotations to your search, Google will know to find the exact word you’re looking for. The word in question and other nouns like bands, movies, or other pop-cultural influences will come up in this deeper, more precise search. You can also add multiple words inside of your quotation to come up with other fine-tuned searches like “Red Potato”.

-potato
Adding a minus (-) to a search will exclude certain words from your query. For example, if you type in soup recipe -potato, you’ll likely find a ton of awesome recipes (sans the spuds). Just make sure not to insert a space before the minus sign.

The Secret to Search Operators
Link: potato.ca
By adding link: before searching a URL, you’ll find additional web pages that link to your site in question.

Potato site:history.com
Include a specific site to your Google search to find information on your topic of choice within that site. In this case, you’ll find interesting historical tidbits on potatoes like the cursed Irish Potato Famine of 1845.

The Secret to Search Operators

Related: potato.ca
by adding related: to your search, you can ask Google to find searches similar to the one you mentioned. For example, if you type related: potato.ca, you’ll get information on yams, sweet potatoes and other related root vegetables.

“My My Miss American *”
Forgot a word in a lyric or phrase? Put the parts you know in quotations and add an asterisk in place of the forgotten word and Google will help you find it.

The Secret to Search Operators
Sweet potato OR Idaho potato
If you type the word OR in capital letters between search terms, you ask the search engine to present the pages that contain only one of two options. Remove the OR and you’ll come up with pages that mention both.

Cache: potato.ca
Put this in your search query and you’ll get the latest version that Google has stored on the site.

Info: Potato.ca
This search will give you different information about the URL, such as cached versions, similar pages & sites that link to the web address in question.

Secret Search Symbols

Another great Google hack to fine tune your search query is to add these symbols to your search.
& : Indicates a strong connection between words or search phrases. ie: Hockey & Florida will give you information on some of your favorite sunshine state hockey related things.
% : Can’t find a calculator? Try Googling it. Your favorite store has 55% off a $90 tshirt? Type 55% off of $90 and Google will calculate the savings for you.
# : Allows you to find trends related to a specific hashtag.
@ : Put an @ in front of a word or phrase, and Google will search for relevant social media mentions. For example @3KITS will show pages and accounts that mention 3KITS on social media channels.

Looking to build a Website for your company?
Call +91-40-65891579 / +91-9030416219

3KITS is a leading Website Design and Development company in Hyderabad. Our company provides all services related to Web Design, Web Development, Software Development and SEO. 3KITS has the team of experienced Website Designers and Website developers in Hyderabad, India.

Thursday 18 December 2014

10 Design Tips for an Effective Landing Page

Landing pages, sometimes known as “lead capturing pages” can be one of the strongest web tools to get a message out. Unlike full websites that tend to have many moving parts (about sections, product pages, checkout carts, contact pages, and more), the one-page format of a landing page can be the perfect backdrop to convey a clear message. And of course, they aim to achieve one thing in particular: make people click. What they click through to can vary, but it’s usually along the lines of having people sign up for a service, start shopping, learn more about what you offer or visit your main website.

Like in all things web design, there are a few tricks that you can do to make your landing page a star! Today, we’ll be focusing on all the things you should do in order to create a landing page that gets those clicks.
Here are the 10 major ingredients for LP success:

Keep it to One Page

A landing page should be just that: a page. This should not be confused with a mini site with additional pages and elements that will make your landing page more complex, and less likely to convert.

Write Clear CTAs (Call to Actions)

Getting those clicks is dependent on a few different variables (more details on this throughout this post), but having a call to action that is clear, to the point and enticing is key. 

Add Irresistible Buttons

While CTAs provide the text, it’s the buttons that provide the visual punch. Get more eyes on your CTAs with buttons that will be like a magnet to a person’s mouse. You want to leave no doubt that your button is 100% clickable and that people can be ready to progress to the next page. 

Avoid Clutter

It may have been said before but that’s because it’s true: steer very very clear of packing too many images, text, boxes, buttons, icons, clip art, videos and more into the small space that is a landing page. Embracing things like flat design and white space can create some web design magic. Try to keep things on the more minimal side and utilize visual hierarchy for your most important elements and message.

Be Font Consistent

Keeping to a preset of two (maximum three) fonts is a web design must. With so many fun fonts out there and especially with all the great options that the Wix website editor offers, it can sometimes be tempting to try them all out. Any branding expert will tell you this is a big no-no. Simply pick the fonts that work well together to help convey your brand and your message clearly.

Ensure Readability

Those gorgeous fonts you chose won’t count for much if no one can see them. Don’t give your site visitors eye strain! Be sure to go over all the text on your landing page and make sure that it’s easy to read. A good practice is to ask a friend (who doesn’t know the text) to double check for you.

Go with Strong Visual Elements

If you want to get a message across, you’ll be much more likely to do so with more than just words. Conveying a message with text alone is extra hard in today’s market – people want to get at least half of the story through images. 

Add Anchor Links

A great trend to utilize on your landing page is to go with a long scrolling page. However, without the use of anchor links, you will likely frustrate more than a few visitors on your page, and frustration does not convert well. 

Duplicate Your Page

This not only acts like a safety net for your design (it’s always good to have a backup, no?), but it also lets you play around with the different elements to see what works better. This way, you can tweak your landing page to test out different layouts, text, visuals and more to see what converts the best. Duplicating your site will simply save you the hassle of having to start your design from scratch.

Fixed Header

This can be a great way to keep consistency on a long scrolling page. No matter where a person may be on your landing page, their eyes will always have a fixed header in front of them. This means of course that you should put your most important information and messaging in this fixed space. 

Looking to build a Website for your company?
Call +91-40-65891579 / +91-9030416219

3KITS is a leading Website Design and Development company in Hyderabad. Our company provides all services related to Web Design, Web Development, Software Development and SEO. 3KITS has the team of experienced Website Designers and Website developers in Hyderabad, India.

Friday 12 December 2014

10 Things Clients Hate Hearing the Most

The customer’s always right, right? Small businesses, freelance service providers and contracted professionals have enough interactions with clients to know that it’s a lot more complicated than that.
The customer service relationship is probably the most unequal one in commerce, and there’s nothing really wrong with that. Beyond extreme unpleasant cases (in which it doesn’t matter how good or bad the service actually was), clients understand their position of power but will mostly be appreciative for good and attentive service.

One of the important elements of excellent service is the actual communication with the client. Often what you say matters less than how you say it, and this can go both ways – your communication style can influence the interaction both for better and for worse.













To help you prevent troublesome interactions, allow us to suggest a list of things you certainly DO NOT want to say to your clients:
“There’s nothing wrong with this product.” Even if you are confident that your goods are in perfect shape, don’t accuse your client of lack of understanding, or even worse, lying. Ask them to guide you through what they did, what happened and then gently correct them if you notice an error.
“Could you try again later?” You don’t want to let a client feel like their time doesn’t matter, and that they’re not important enough for you to give them prompt service. Sure, there will be times you will not be able to assist right away. In these cases, apologize for the delay, ask them whether another time will be all right with them, and offer some kind of reward for their patience.
“You should’ve read closer.” Who amongst us hasn’t missed the fine print once or twice? Even if you can’t do anything to change your clients’ order or to refund them, you should still make it clear that you value their business and try to come up with a possible compromise.
“I don’t know.” The right way to say this would be: “I’m not sure, but I will check this for you.” Not remembering every single detail is no big deal, but being indifferent about it sure is.
“That’s not how we do things here.” Newsflash: the client shouldn’t care about how you’re used to running your business. They care about how you can assist them, and even if you cannot, the proper reaction would be to express regret over the fact.
“I’m doing you a favor.” No, that’s almost never the case. Even if you feel that you’re being too generous, a satisfied customer is worth more than a few more bucks.
“That’s not my responsibility.” When a client approaches you with a concern or a problem, you need to serve them with a solution and not with further complications. You will not be able to address all of the issues your clients will ever have, but possibly you can point the ones you can’t help in the right direction, make things easy for them by offering personal guidance, or offer a shortcut that will make them feel like VIPs.
“Don’t worry about it.” If you believe that a client is overreacting or exaggerating in their concern over something, don’t just tell them they are wrong. Show them why their concern is void in a friendly and not condescending tone, and promise them personal assistance if anything unexpected happens.
“I don’t need your business.” If that had been the case you wouldn’t be in business, right? If you think a rude client has gone too far, don’t let the tones get aggressive and hostile. Simply tell them you can’t do anything to help them and ask them to kindly leave.
“This is none of my concern.” The underlying assumption of a customer service relationship is that the client’s satisfaction is THE major concern. If you appear to be careless about your clients’ needs – explicitly or implicitly – you are doing something fundamentally wrong that will cost you more than just one angry customer.

Looking to build a Website for your company?
Call +91-40-65891579 / +91-9030416219

3KITS is a leading Website Design and Development company in Hyderabad. Our company provides all services related to Web Design, Web Development, Software Development and SEO. 3KITS has the team of experienced Website Designers and Website developers in Hyderabad, India.


Thursday 11 December 2014

Does Your Mobile Site Deliver? A Quick Checklist

Nearly 60% of internet traffic is viewed from mobile devices – heck, you might even be reading this blog post from a smartphone or tablet yourself! With more and more people turning to their mobile devices for daily internet access, you’ll want to make sure that your online presence is sharp both on-the-go and behind a desk.

So how do you get your site to look, operate and convert as well on your mobile screens as it does in your desktop browser? Take a look at our handy mobile-friendly checklist and see how your mobile site stacks up.


Here’s how to make your website a mobile masterpiece:

Prepare Your Screen for Smaller Space:The biggest difference between desktop browsers and their mobile counterpart is most notably the smaller screen. This may sound obvious, but if you don’t take smaller screen parameters into consideration when building a mobile version of your site, you may end up with items that are jumbled up and out of place when viewing your pages on handheld screens. Don’t stress though – if you have a Wix website, your mobile parameters have already been taken care of. Making your website look just like you’d want it to on any sized screen. Check out your site’s mobile editor to get an idea of how your site will look on small viewers.
 Touchy Subject:Another major difference between the desktop & mobile version of your site is the on-page interaction.  Most mobile screens these days function with a touch-screen, so you’ll need to pay particular attention to your on-page navigation to make them finger friendly. Large, clear buttons & mobile menus are classic examples of how to make your mobile site a success.
 Selective Scrolling:Touch scrolling on your mobile site can be a drag. The combination of the touch screen interaction and a smaller view not only makes page scrolling annoying to deal with, but important information can get lost in the scrolling shuffle. Save your viewers’ thumbs from unnecessary scrolling by omitting certain paragraphs or images from the mobile version of your site.  
 Image Oriented Mobile Action Bar:One of the most convenient things about viewing a website on a mobile screen is that you can get the information that you need, whenever and wherever you need it. Odds are that some of the customers checking out your mobile page may even be on their way to your physical location, and looking for important information like your business’s phone number or address. Make these things easy to spot on your site by linking them to the top of your page with easy access images. 
 Mobile Maps:Take the extra step to make your business’ physical location easy to find by adding a mobile friendly map to your website’s contact page. 
 Successful Social Pages:If you’re serious about your businesses’ social media presence, you’ll also want to take the extra step to make sure that your social pages are both easy to see and mobile-friendly. Social icons are another favorite to add to your site’s mobile action bar, or add thumb-friendly social buttons anywhere on your site.
 Be a Mobile Coupon Cupid:Who doesn’t love a good coupon? If you have a special offer for site visitors, take the extra step to make your coupons mobile friendly by replacing any web coupon bar with a QR code for your mobile site. 
 Mobile Friendly Features:
If your clients are used to coming to your website for convenient solutions like scheduling appointments, checking out your event schedules or shopping online, you’ll want to make sure that all of those features translate just as well on the mobile version of your site. 
Speedy Search Options:
For many people, the beauty of mobile website viewing is that you can get the information that you need in a snap. Given that many of your mobile viewers will be in a hurry, you’ll want to help them find the information they’re looking for in as little steps as possible. Consider adding a Site Search to help your viewers find info with little effort.
Test Your Site!Big names like Apple & Google have invested heaps of money to ensure that users have come to expect a certain reaction when they touch a button, swipe the screen or do just about anything on their handheld device. If you really want to ensure that your mobile site is a knockout, you’ll want to test it out on different types of screens. Invite friends with varying types of mobile devices to take a peak at what your page looks like in their handheld view. You may just save yourself from a mobile meltdown.



Looking to build a Website for your company?
Call +91-40-65891579 / +91-9030416219

3KITS is a leading Website Design and Development company in Hyderabad. Our company provides all services related to Web Design, Web Development, Software Development and SEO. 3KITS has the team of experienced Website Designers and Website developers in Hyderabad, India.


Tuesday 9 December 2014

33 Free Places to Promote your Website Online

Having a great looking site is critical for your online presence, but it would be a shame to put in the effort to create a website, only to have no one visit it.
In order for your site to get the attention it deserves, you need to have a strong online presence. If you’re someone with no previous experience with site promotion, you’re likely reaching for a bottle of Aspirin right now. But fear not, promoting your website isn’t only simple, it can be done without even spending a penny!

Check out the links below for a list of opportunities to promote your site online for free! With the right time and effort, you can find yourself attracting a whole slew of new clients to your great looking site!


Search Engines

It may or may not surprise you to hear that the majority of traffic from the internet is derived from search engines. With that said, search engines should be the first place that you should turn to to promote your online presence. Ensure that search engines know that your site exists by submitting your link directly to them. Once that’s out of the way, the best way to improve your search engine presence is by taking the time to improve your SEO.
Right now, the search engines that generate the most traffic are:

Online Directories:

The modern day Yellow Pages, online directories are where potential clients turn to to find business solutions. Adding your site to online directories is extremely important as it greatly improves your site’s SEO by linking back to your website. When submitting your site, make sure to include important details like your location and business category so that your website will appear in sub-categories where new and potential clients can easily find you.
Bonus!
Restaurateurs should also take the time to get listed in these restaurant specific sites:

Social Link Building

Social sites are where many web surfers spend the majority of their online time. Linking your content on popular social sites is a great way to put your business in the face of your known audience, and also a fantastic opportunity to gain quality backlinks by exposing your brand to broader audiences.
* More than a social network, Youtube is one of the most searched business directory

Blogging Platform / Article Submission

Blogging platforms and article-submission sites are a terrific way to promote your site. All you need to do is write an original article related to your business and submit it to these sites. While it’s important to keep these articles informative, try to keep your tone friendly. Articles that sounds genuinely well-intentioned and have a less aggressive marketing tone, will likely draw more interest to your site than self-promotion alone. Blogs and articles are also great for promoting link building for SEO benefits.
Blogger*Owned by Google, Blogger is hardwired with Google’s Adsense advertising program.
You can also add the Blogger Feed from the Wix App Market to your Wix Website for maximum exposure.

Photo Sharing

Similarly to social network sites like Pinterest and Polyvore, photo sharing sites give you the opportunity to display visual content that is related to your business, and can be used to refer and link back to your website. Photo sharing sites are not for photographers alone – any business can use these sites to post images of events, coworkers, news and everything in between, as long as it’s connected to your biz.
Picasa*Another Google Integrated site, sharing and tagging on this site come with additional SEO benefits.

Looking to build a Website for your company?
Call +91-40-65891579 / +91-9030416219
Blog - http://blog.3kits.com 

3KITS is a leading Website Design and Development company in Hyderabad. Our company provides all services related to Web Design, Web Development, Software Development and SEO. 3KITS has the team of experienced Website Designers and Website developers in Hyderabad, India.