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Fueling Professional Growth and Development
Does your website qualify for Google’s new “mobile friendly” label?
Google recently announced that they are taking steps to highlight websites that are particularly friendly for use on mobile devices. Not only have they started asking mobile users to rate their mobile search results, but Google has also started displaying a label in the search engine ranking pages (SERPs) that tells the user whether or not the website listed is a “mobile-friendly” one. They’ve even developed a tool to test whether or not your website is…
Categories: Website Design | Posted: 11/24/2014
Lancaster, PA is a Google 2014 eCity Award Recipient
Not to be outdone by Lititz’s 2013 designation as the “Coolest Small Town in America,” Lancaster city was awarded Google’s 2014 eCities award for being the strongest online business community in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999, Sharp Innovations is proud to have been one of the original web design and internet marketing firms in Lancaster, and we are now equally pleased to have contributed in earning this prestigious distinction. In determining which…
Categories: Website Design | Posted: 11/14/2014
Get to Know Your Bounce Rate
Analytics drive business decisions every day, and the same should be true for your website. Key website metrics like unique visitors and organic search performance are frequently cited data points. But something called “bounce rate,” can tell an important tale of your site’s overall performance, as well. For the unfamiliar, bounce rate is simply the percentage of visitors who hit any page on your website and leave without moving to another page on your.…
Categories: SEO | Posted: 10/29/2014
Thinking about a new website? Ask yourself these 5 questions
Thinking about having a new website developed may seem like a daunting task. There are design aspects, content considerations, social media strategies, and any number of other variables that cause “paralysis by analysis.” But it doesn’t need to be that way. We like to think developing a new website is much like building a new home. Before a single brick is laid, you’ll want to choose a location, select an architect, talk about your ideas, and develop…
Categories: Website Redesign | Posted: 10/22/2014
Flat Design: The Latest Trend is Here to Stay
Design trends come and go, and some designs have a longer shelf life than others. Creating a “timeless” feel is something many designers strive to achieve, but technology can have an impact on design, due to differences in display sizes, color rendering, font standards, and more. Designers must conform to these new standards while still maintaining a classic look and ensuring effective functionality. One trend to have emerged in the past few years is something…
Categories: Website Trends | Posted: 09/30/2014
890 Reasons to Have an Active SEO Campaign
Having managed dozens (perhaps hundreds) of search engine optimization campaigns for our clients over the years, we are often asked why having an active, continuous search engine optimization (SEO) effort is preferable to just “doing SEO” once, or perhaps here and there, and then letting it go. After all, it’s entirely possible that a properly set-up site will show-up reasonably high on search engine results pages. Not only is this becoming increasingly…
Categories: SEO | Posted: 09/15/2014
HTTPS, Google and You
Most people know that Google is rather secretive when it comes to how their search engine works. Indeed, outside of emphasizing the use of quality content that is user-friendly, Google generally masks any other variables that characterize their ranking process and how to reach the first page for your key business terms. This is why last week’s announcement on Google’s Online Security blog came as bit of a surprise, as Google clearly states: “[O]ver the…
Categories: SEO | Posted: 08/18/2014
Google Pigeon and Local Search Engine Optimization
About a week ago, Google released a new search algorithm update which caused one of the largest changes to local search we’ve seen. Given the nickname “Pigeon” by Search Engine Land, this update is intended to provide better local information by delivering more relevant and accurate results to the person who is doing a search. Businesses seeing benefits from this update are ones who are properly set up on the necessary directories and social media,…
Categories: Yelp | Posted: 08/04/2014
Quality Content Important for Humans and Robots Alike
It’s been said before, but content is still king when it comes to website visitor engagement and proper search engine optimization. No amount of flashy visuals, distracting animation, or trendy designs can save you from frequent page bounces if visitors to your site don’t find meaningful content. But that’s assuming you get visitors in the first place, which is largely determined by how you rank in search engines (hint: search engines are looking for good,…
Categories: Social Media | Posted: 07/25/2014
A Social Life is a Good Life
Social media has become such a hot topic among web marketers, and for good reason! These sites easily allow users to keep in touch with friends and family, as well as share things they care about or enjoy. And there is the key to the whole thing, sharing. Sharing can take a website that is barely known, and because one share, garner extremely favorable notoriety. But advertising does the same thing right? Yes, but when your friend shares a link with you, it feels more,…
Categories: Social Media | Posted: 07/10/2014