acrbo aug magazine
DESCRIPTION
Association of Computer Repair Business Owners magazine.TRANSCRIPT
WHAT’S INSIDE Computers, Networking, Websites, Advertising, Marketing & Sales
ACRBO MAG
Destination Cloud
Backup…. by Erica
Pittman “FiberCloud”
Featured Member… Ben
Delville …ClickRight
Computer Solutions
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
If you have not checked in awhile
you might want to log into the
Association website to see what
new Preferred Vendors have
joined the team.
We continually are looking for
valued vendors to bring aboard
and your emails are appreciated.
ACRBO contents
Regular Columns
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
3 Editor’s Letter
Welcome to the August edition.
2 ACRBO Inbox
Got something to say?
Tell us what you think.
5 Enjoy Better SEO
7 How To Generate Leads With
Article Marketing
8 Featured Member
Ben Delville
9 Save Time and Money by Building
Your Own Website
11 Windows 8
Corey Fruitman
12 ACRBO Preferred Vendors
Make use of Them
15 Destination Cloud Backup
Erica Pittman
19 What’s In A Word
24 Top 10 “Must-Have” Features
on Your Mobile Website
27 Techinline Remote Access
Would you like to have an article
published each month in the
magazine?
If so drop us a line and let us know
what kind of article you can provide
on a monthly basis.
All articles will need to be submitted
the 3rd
week of the month.
Email: [email protected]
www.acrbo.com 2
Have a product or service
you’re interested in selling?
If so drop us a line.
ACRBO editor’s letter
Welcome to this month’s issue of our magazine. We have some great contraptions from innovators contributing some great articles that you should get a lot out of. Check out this month’s articles and advice and see if there is a way to implement it into your business model. You might just find something that works for you. I hope you enjoy this month's issue of the magazine, and as always please email me if you have any comments, contributions or feedback. Dan ACRBO
www.Facebook.com/acrbo
www.acrbo.com
Talk to me >>
Keep your valuable feedback coming. I try to reply
to every email, I appreciate your input as it helps to
make the ACRBO magazine possible.
Write to me at: [email protected]
ACRBO Magazine
Fredericksburg Virginia
Advertising enquires: Send an email to [email protected]
Contribute articles: If you would like to be a contributing author for the magazine then send an email to [email protected] and let us know what you would like to write about. Copyright 2012 ACRBO. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated or converted into machine-readable form or language without the written consent of the publisher. Articles express the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher
ACRBO Magazine
Director: ACRBO [email protected]
Contributors Various experts in their fields
The instructions and advice in the
Magazine is for entertainment purposes only. The creators, producers, contributors
and distributors of the ACRBO Mag disclaim
any liability for loss or lack of results from following the advice expressed herein
Welcome to the
Association of Computer
Repair Business Owners
Magazine.
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
www.acrbo.com 3
ACRBO inbox
Should I pay for Google
Adwords?
Personally I have never paid
for Adwords. I think it really
depends on your situation. Is
your website coming up
organically in the search
engines? Is your website
properly coded? To me it
makes more sense to pay the
money and make sure your
current website is
constructed properly vice
paying monthly for Adwords.
By the same token if you want
to do Adwords make sure you
do your research so you fully
understand how it works and
pay close attention to how
much you are spending on it.
You don't want to find out
after it's too late that it cost
you hundreds of dollars for
nothing in return.
Dan
ACRBO
Follow us on www.Facebook.com/acrbo
Follow us on Linkedin Group is
“Association of Computer
TO
P E
MA
ILS
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
What kind of website
should I have?
There are many variations
one can pick from be it
Joomla, Wordpress, PHP or
straight HTML. I feel
Wordpress is the easiest
route for someone to go when
starting out. It is rather easy
to understand and many
others out there to help with
issues. Plus, the ability to
grow with it is built right into
it. Not only can you have a
professional looking website
but updating it only takes
minutes.
Dan
ACRBO
TO
P E
MA
ILS
www.acrbo.com 4
Enjoy Better SEO and Rankings
With These Tips
As the Internet grows, it could cause more difficulty in
getting traffic to your website. Using the tips in this
article can help you remain ahead of the curve.
Excellent content will do you little good without an
audience. The following article will give your site a big
boost in visitors.
You will not have to use image links if you are using
SEO correctly. An image link offers only the URL of the
linked file for search engines to index.
One good optimization technique is to include your
keywords or phrase in your title. A title tag should be
visible on all pages of your site. If your company has a
name, it should be placed on a title link at the end so
that they can be connected together. People are not
likely to search for your company's name.
Do not place any copied content on your page, because
if Google notices it they will lower the rank of your page.
If you are struggling to find something unique to write
about, think about what might attract new readers to
your site.
A good rule on META description tags that you can do
is to be sure that every page is unique. The same Meta
tag on different pages may be read by search engines
as duplicate content, lowering your ranking.
Internal links must use relevant anchor text for the best
impact. Generic link text, such as "click here", does not
positively affect search engine results. You can attract
web crawlers to your anchor text by using relevant
keywords in it.
Only try to master one area of SEO
at a time instead of trying to
implement them all at once. It's
simply impossible to become an
expert on every technique because
there are just too many. When you
choose one that seems to be a
good fit for your company, you can
explore it extensively and make the
most of its capabilities.
If you use the plural form or longer
form of keywords, you will get more
listings in the search results.
Keyword stemming is utilized by
many search engines. This means
that the keyword "accountant" may
not be enough to bring in people
who search for "accountants" or
"accounting." Using the longest
version of any keyword result will
return all the shorter results.
When performing search engine
optimization, each page of your
website must include Meta
description tags. These description
tags are important, as they show up
below the title of your page in
search engine results. The Meta
tag should be clear and informative.
Doing so will increase your
website's traffic and raise your rank
on search engines.
Your content is the most important
thing when you are using SEO.
Your content should always be
original, well written, focused and
not too long. There should not be
any grammatical errors. If you have
quality content you will succeed in
SEO.
If you have quality content
you will succeed in SEO.
www.acrbo.com 5
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
How To Generate Leads With Article
Marketing WHERE CAN YOU PLACE
BACKLINKS?
While article marketing allows you to get
backlinks from various article directories
like EzineArticles, GoArticles, or iSnare,
there are plenty of other places to put
them. One of the most well-known areas
is through social bookmarking. You've
probably heard of Digg, Technorati, or
even Reddit, and they all provide
backlinking power.
You can also utilize places like Squidoo
and build lenses with backlinks to your
website. If you have a favorite forum
that revolves around the business then
use the signature link area to your
advantage.
Don't forget about places like Facebook
and Twitter either, because your link
could go viral with the right approach.
Again, taking the time to write articles or
even blog posts is very time consuming.
Building a multi-level marketing
business can happen a lot faster if you
utilize the right tools along the way. It's
also a never-ending process.
In closing, not only is Article Marketing
effective, it is FREE. The only thing
required on your part is a little bit of hard
work, persistence and patience. Once
you post an article, it is there for the
viewing audience of the whole wide web
to see and take advantage of. You are
now in a position to get traffic and
customers for years to come off one
article.
People are constantly talking about getting
leads and creating a list for your business.
What they don't talk about is how to do those
things. The best way, by far, is a little know
secret called article marketing. Many involved
with multi-level marketing spend too much
time chasing family and friends and becoming
frustrated in the process. This is why many
end up failing. However, with article marketing
you can generate free traffic and build tons of
backlinks to your site. Now, your two main
problems of getting leads and creating a list in
the internet business are solved.
WHAT ARE BACKLINKS?
If you're not familiar with backlinks, they are
simply links in other areas of the Internet that
can redirect people to your website. Search
engines like Google love backlinks, because
they usually mean your website is more
relevant with the information it provide.
There has always been a debate as to
whether or not you should get as many
backlinks as possible or only choose quality
choices. We recommend looking into the
latter, because 50 quality backlinks can
provide better rankings than 1000 of them. In
the end, it means less work for you and better
conversion potential for your MLM business.
www.acrbo.com 7
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
Featured Member
Name: Ben Delville
Business: ClickRight Computer
Solutions
Location: Port Moody, British
Columbia, Canada
Website: www.clickright.ca
www.cornerstone-tech.net
Education: 2 Years Post-secondary Computer Information Systems Technician What did you want to be when you grew up? What I'm doing now! Worst job: Never had one! First job: This is it. How did you end up owning your business? I thought it would be a good idea, and it was! What is next for your business? More services: Backup & disaster recovery, hopefully a bigger store-front. Who was your hero as a child? Batman What business book do you recommend the most and why? Computer Repair Business Lessons Learned: Daniel Hand. It's very informative and most helpful when starting out in business as it gives a perspective from someone who has already been there. What advice would you give someone thinking about starting a business right now? Start small and expand as you grow. Starting small keeps your overhead low so you can make the money you need to keep going and expanding. What are you most likely to be doing when not working? Relaxing Where do you want to be five years from now? In a bigger office, but otherwise doing what I'm doing now :) Who would you rather spend time with, Bill Gates, the late Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett? The late Steve Jobs. If you would like your business to be featured in the ACRBO Magazine
then drop us an email and we will get back to you with what details are
needed.
--Dan
I highly recommend taking the time to do your research
on web development training courses out there. Once
you learn how to develop your own pages and get your
hosting paid for you can make an unlimited number of
websites and develop multiple sources of income for
yourself and multiple sources of traffic for your primary
site and business. Knowing is half the battle, as they
say, and if you can uncover the secrets of web design
and empower yourself you have made a giant stride
towards that "finish line" of life.
A lot of small businesses make the mistake of going
with a free online website builder but you end up having
any number of drawbacks with this method. First and
foremost is that if you don't have your own domain
name. Most free website creators give you a sub
domain which would have your name in it but it isn't
actually yours, and any page rank or marketing you do
is actually helping your design company. You may also
end up getting your own domain name but then after a
month you have to start paying monthly.
I personally have fifteen active websites running from
one hosting account that I pay 60$ a year for. Add onto
that 10$ per year for each domain name and its right
around 200$ a year to have fifteen sites. No design
company or website creation site can compete with that
and once one of your sites starts making some money
you have covered all of your costs.
Save Time and
Money by
Building Your
Own Website
Many small business owners around the globe
are being held back by how much they rely on
outsourcing certain aspects of their business
model. One of the biggest obstacles to the
success of many small businesses is their
internet presence. In today's world it is nearly
impossible to achieve anything other then
moderate success without an online presence
that furthers the company's branding and
strategic marketing. The problem lies in that
small business owners don't typically have the
finances to keep on a long term web developer
or designer to meet their company's needs.
They end up turning to expensive, one off
payments to web design companies that end up
causing them more problems then solutions.
Sometimes this transaction can lead to the
failure of a business.
There is, however, a way that anyone can take their
web presence into their own hands and save
themselves both time and money. By utilizing
content management systems that are free and
opensource even a novice computer user could build
a web site that can be optimized to meet the
business' needs. Even if a business owner would
like to still hire outside help rather then build the site
independently, it is still extremely helpful to have a
basic understanding of what goes into a design. By
illuminating the process of web design you are
learning how much to pay for the services you
require and how long it should take instead of taking
your designer's word for it and paying more then you
should.
Knowing is half the battle and if
you can uncover the secrets of
web design and empower
www.acrbo.com 9
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
“
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
When Microsoft unveiled Windows 8 to the
developer community in September of last
year, most of the mainstream press focused
on its new Metro style interface. More
recently, Microsoft unveiled its new tablet, the
Surface, with a keyboard built-in to the cover
of the device.
In Windows 8, there’s a lot more going on
under the hood than a new touch interface
and keyboard.
Windows 8 runs on two architectures: the
traditional x86 architecture that powers
Windows desktops, and the new Windows on
ARM architecture, dubbed WoA and more
recently Windows RT.
While both flavours of Windows 8 will have the
same look-and-feel, there are some important
differences that users and techs will need to
understand at launch.
Windows 8/x86 will allow you to run legacy
Windows applications. You can download
and install any app from anywhere. Your
customers’ old apps like QuickBooks will still
be able to run in desktop compatibility mode.
WoA apps are like the apps that you’re
familiar with on tablets today. Unlike
traditional Windows applications, they are
sandboxed and restricted: background
network and CPU usage are severely limited
to ensure longer battery life and fewer
surprise data bills. That also means the range
of tools available to techs will be restricted on
WoA.
That doesn’t mean that there will be a lack of
support opportunities for techs to work on
Windows 8. Consumer confusion alone
should keep your phone ringing for the first
six months after launch. While you can
expect to see a drop in your virus-removal
business on WoA devices, there will still be
networks to configure, e-mail to troubleshoot,
and regular application support.
Will your customers understand the
difference between an x86 and WoA device?
Microsoft has some great marketing brains
working on how to make that distinction in the
consumer’s mind.
Corey Fruitman
http://www.InstantHousecall.com
Check out Iain Mcdonald’s website:
>>
All Preferred Vendors that are part of the
Association are supposed to be giving a greater
discount/offer than our members can get
anywhere else. That is most important to us.
The discount the vendors are giving to members
is entirely to the benefit of the member. It would
be able to take a percentage into the Association
per sale/transaction but instead we pass all
savings to the members. The concept has
always been to just give the member the
absolute best price they can.
With all that said its imperative that members
actually use the Preferred Vendors in their
business. Right now we probably have 40+
Preferred Vendors offering products/services to
Association members and all of them in my mind
are offering a very very good price.
If you have not logged into the Association
website in a while you might be missing
something. Login today and check out the
Preferred Vendor section to see which one will fit
into your business model.
ACRBO Preferred Vendors
Make Use of Them
www.acrbo.com 12
In the Association of Computer Repair Business
Owners we have Preferred Vendors. Not sure if
everyone totally understands what a Preferred
Vendor is or not so I figured I’d cover it in this
article.
When the Association was started there was the
idea of bringing select Preferred Vendors into the
Association in order to give members an
opportunity at products/services that typically
they may not be able to afford or knew about.
With that thought we put together a way to go
about it and that was to find out what members
are/were using and also knowing some of the big
name companies out there and reaching out to
them in order to see if they would be interested
in being a Preferred Vendor.
We continually get request from companies that
have services/products and want to be Preferred
Vendors but we are very select in who we
choose and what is being offered. By the same
token we do not want a dozen of a product or
service that is the same otherwise it convolutes
the program.
The other factor we look at is what the offer is
that vendors are putting on the table for the
members. If a member can just as easily go to
the companies site and pay the same exact price
then it defeats the purpose. If a member can sign
up as a reseller or a partner on the company’s
website and get the same pricing/discount that is
being offered to the Association then again that
is not acceptable.
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
Win a Brand New Windows
Sysinternals Administrator’s
Reference book!
We will randomly choose a winner
and e-mail the winner.
Just send an email to
[email protected] and in the Subject
line put: Win Book
Last Months winner of the book is:
Dean
Deans Computer Services
If you own a computer business you can’t afford
not to be kept up to date with the latest news
and techniques being used by others. Check out
all the Podnutz series and see what you’ve been
missing. Visit www.PodNutz.com
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
www.acrbo.com 13
Online backup in the cloud is an excellent
source of recurring revenue and a great
way to get your customers started with
cloud services. Cloud solutions make
sense, not only because of their
practicality in an era of tight budgets, but
also because the cloud offers a wide
range of tangible benefits to small
businesses. Cloud IT solutions are easy
to access over the internet and are
flexible and scalable. Resources can be
mobilized quickly without you or your
customers having to procure, deploy and
configure new hardware. Even better, a
move to the cloud can happen in
increments, removing the stress of
changing a business’ entire IT
infrastructure at once.
Voyage to the cloudVoyage to the cloudVoyage to the cloudVoyage to the cloud
Cloud backup is one of the most intuitive
cloud applications. Prospective
customers can easily relate to its
importance: most people know that they
need it, although few do it. Employees
can easily back up files and data from
individual workstations or servers to a
secure offsite location for future recovery.
Customers have the flexibility to select
what is backed up, how often it is backed
up, and how long the data should be
retained.
Online backup can protect essential
private and proprietary data, ensuring that
uncorrupted versions of mission-critical
databases, documents and confidential
plans are available, accessible from the
web, and recoverable with a click. This
allows you to empower your customers
and users to recover single files on their
own when they need to.
In terms of security, the data is encrypted
before it leaves the computer, and
remains encrypted while in transit. Once
it is in the vault for that account, no one,
except the owner of the encryption key,
has access to it. This protects data from
leakage and supports regulatory
compliance.
The challenges presented by traditional
tape backup include, not only the cost,
but also the risk of data loss due to loss,
damage or mislabeling of tapes.
Recovery times are typically long due to
the need to find the data on the right tape,
have someone recover it from the tape
and then make the file(s) available or the
user.
Online backup backs up files
automatically and runs in the background
with minimal impact on day-to-day
business performance. Moreover,
traditional on-premises backup is often
done daily or weekly; leaving a fairly large
window of new data that can be lost.
Cloud backup can shrink that window to a
matter of an hour or even less.
Destination Cloud Backup By Erica Pittman
www.acrbo.com 15
Purchasing cloud backup from a trusted
provider gives small business owners all
the advantages of a highly secure storage
infrastructure and dedicated experts.
Having business data stored offsite and
accessible through a geographically
diverse network is a more resilient and
redundant backup solution than traditional
on-premises backup strategies. In the
wake of a disaster or another scenario
where data loss has occurred, cloud
backup reduces the time to recovery,
ensuring little to no break in business
continuity.
Help your customers get onboard
What does a cloud backup customer look
like?
Aware of the potential for data loss: The
easiest prospective customers are
businesses that have already suffered
data loss, either from one employee’s PC,
or from an entire server. Having had that
direct experience makes the need for
regular secure backup much clearer.
This is low hanging fruit for businesses
concerned about disaster recovery.
Has a distributed work force: Businesses
may also be interested in cloud backup
for other reasons. If a company has lots
of dispersed employees working from a
range of laptops, do they have one
common site for data and files, and is it
being backed up?
Avoids business down time: Another
concern may be about how to maintain
productivity and keep critical business
operations up and running in the face of
an unexpected incident, such as power
outages and natural disasters. Users are
not having to duplicate work, minimizing
negative effects on productivity.
Uses aging equipment: Many companies
also rely on older laptops and servers to
stretch IT budgets, so they need be
prepared when equipment reaches the
end of its life.
Uses diverse environments and operating
systems: Businesses today have both
Windows and Mac OS X
desktops/laptops as well as Windows and
Linux servers. Employees may also be
using a range of mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablets.
Choose a route.
When you sign-up for a private label
resale program, cloud based back-up is a
simple way to get started and an easy
way to add recurring revenue and expand
your product line. Backup is fully
supported to extend the services and
support you can offer your clients. The
right provider won’t just be another
vendor, but will view your relationship as
a strategic partnership: they will work to
support your business’ success as well as
their own, provide attentive customer
service and be able to customize their
products to fit your needs and the needs
of your customers.
Consider the following questions to
assess the offerings of different cloud
providers. What kind of support is
available for you and your customers?
Will you continue to own the relationship
with your customers, or will the provider
take over the billing and collection
process? Can you control your own
pricing? What kind of sales and marketing
materials and training are available?
www.acrbo.com 16
Can you brand the products yourself, and
tailor the packaging to your specific
markets? If a customer wants to add new
cloud products or alter subscriptions to
existing products, how easy is it for you to
make those changes yourself?
Set sail for data protection in the cloud
As businesses increasingly realize how
technology-based their organizations
have become, data protection has
become more of a priority. At the same
time, many small businesses have very
limited IT resources and existing on-
premise backup and recovery solutions
can be time-consuming and costly. This
gives you the opportunity to take some of
their IT issues off their hands while
helping them become more secure and
protected.
A worthy vessel With so many non-
commercial-grade options for online
backup coming onto the market,
customers may find it confusing to select
the best option for them. The bottom line,
though, is that you just can’t cut corners
when it comes to backup – risking data is
risking business. Here’s a snapshot with
details on several popular online backup
offerings that you may find helpful to
reference in talking with your customers.
Destination Cloud Backup
By Erica Pittman
http://www.FiberCloud.com
ACRBO Deals/Specials
Laptop Repair Videos
The partnership between XZ Backup and the Association of
Computer Repair Business Owners was established to
provide members of the ACRBO with an easy to use
white label online backup solution. The XZ Backup
product was already geared for IT Consultants / VARs / MSPs
to monitor and manage thousands of user's backup
jobs providing ACRBO members with a perfect
solution that can easily fit in, and adapt to their current
workflows and backup/restore guidelines.
Need to know more or speak
with a sales associate? Call us today!
United States Toll Free: 800.213.2157 or UK:
+44.2036.080613. Let us know you are an
ACRBO member!
Visit: http://www.xzbackup.com/ac
rbo
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ACRBO Preferred
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ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
ACRBO Preferred
Vendor
What’s In A Word? Are the words you use to market your
business attracting the right buyers?
The internet has proven to be significant
revenue & inbound lead-generating tool
for small businesses, and with so many
companies having websites nowadays,
businesses of all sizes are discovering
that local marketing is hyper-competitive.
Being discovered online is getting
increasingly complex. The days of set-it-
and-forget-it websites doing the heavy
lifting of online marketing are long gone.
Today’s businesses need quantifiable
results for their hard-earned marketing
spend. With respect to internet marketing
– this means selecting the right words that
will enable your business to both rank well
on search engines, and be discovered by
more buying-prospects searching for what
you have to sell.
Regardless of what the name is on the
sign outside your building or on your
business card – the wording you use for
internet marketing plays a significant part
of your overall online visibility. Your
businesses listing on Google Search for
example, is often the first impression a
new customer has of your company – so it
should accurately convey your business
and be crafted in a way to attract the right
searchers. Conversely, a low ranking on
search might cause your existing clients
to be lured away from your business by
competitors who appear more prominently
– judging solely by their higher ranking
and increased visibility.
Think of the words you use for online
marketing as magnets – use the right
ones, and you’ll attract the right buyers.
Think of the words you use for online marketing as
magnets – use the right ones, and you’ll attract the
right buyers.
Think for a moment how you search for something
online. If you were looking for great pizza in New
Haven CT for instance, this might be how your search
query could play out:
>Pizza< (whoa – way too many results)
>Pizza restaurants in CT (more refined, but not
specific enough yet)
>Pizza restaurants in New Haven CT> (there we go!)
This same concept carries over to computer repair
businesses:
>computer repair < (whoa – way too many results)
>computer repair in CT< (more refined, but not
specific enough yet)
>computer repair New Haven CT> (there we go!)
You need to research words that are used and work
those into your web presence.
www.acrbo.com 19
What’s In A Word? What’s In A Word?
With the right research, strategy, and
execution - businesses using optimized &
targeted keywords within their digital
assets and in their online marketing
wordtrack will rank higher in search. A
website, blog, social media channels,
images, and video are common examples
of a business’s digital assets.
Why is ranking on search engines so
important anyway?
• 93% of all internet traffic is derived
from search engines
• 60% of search clicks go to the top
three listings
• 70% of the links people click on are
for organic results (i.e. – not the paid
ones)
• 75% of users never scroll past the first
page of search results
• 80% of unsuccessful searches are
followed by a revised search
• 91% of email users have
unsubscribed from a company email
they had previously opted-in
• 40% of SEO marketing campaigns
achieve a ROI (return on investment)
of 500%
• 22% of PPC (pay-per-click / paid
advertising) campaigns are able to
reach a 500% ROI
• Search is the #1 driver of traffic to
content sites beating social media by
more than 300%
• 62% of American households are
connected to the internet
I often hear how business owners had assumed the
person building their website would have done this
keyword and website optimization to make their
website discoverable on search. While that was
common just a few years ago, the complexity of
search engine optimization [SEO] & search engine
marketing [SEM] and of website design has divided
them into separate disciplines over the years. Just as
it is unlikely that the person digging the foundation for
a house will be the same person nailing the shingles
on the roof – so too is it unlikely that the same person
designing your website has the same skills to
successfully get it discovered by search engines and
(most importantly) marketed to the right buyers.
SEO is the technical element that gets website pages
discovered by search engines
SEM are marketing actions that get websites
discovered by people
The focus here is to do some local keyword research
to see if your local identifier (i.e. town name) should be
added to the front or back of your principle keyphrase
– Rhode Island computer repair companies vs.
computer repair companies in Rhode Island for
example.
Common areas to implement this new keyword
strategy include:
• Website title
• Website anchor text (the blue-color text that
has a website page linked to it)
• Social Media profiles & posts
• Blogs
• Business Profiles – like LinkedIn, Yelp, and
Google Places (being phased out by Google+)
• Website Image & Video
• Photo sharing sites (like Picasa & Pinterest)
• Maps and GPS software
• Hashtags #
• Print media & email marketing
www.acrbo.com 20
Top 10 "Must-Have" Features on
Your Mobile Website The latest research from Gartner and LFM claim that by
the end of this year, over half of all Internet searching
will be done on mobile devices, there's a scramble in the
cyberspace on going mobile. All fortune 500 companies
already have a mobile-ready website and other
businesses are following suit. Website owners are going
in droves to become 'thumb-friendly' so that they can
reach a much bigger audience.
There are 6.8 billion people on the planet. 5.1 billion of
them own a cell phone, but only 4.2 billion own a
toothbrush! That's the reason why website owners are in
a frenzy to make their website accessible for mobile and
tablet users.
With such a mad rush to go mobile, here are top 10
features and mobile-strategies that every mobile website
MUST have in order to make their online content more
useful and engaging for their mobile audience.
1. Keep It Fast and Easy to Manage.
Mobile users are a busy lot. Always short on time and
want things at the tip of their fingers, literally. So make
sure your mobile website is designed to load fast. Not
just fast, make it super-fast and easy to read. Prioritize
your website content and features and display only the
most important ones. Say "no" to large blocks of text
and don't forget to compress every image that you want
on your mobile site.
2. Make It Smooth and Easy to Navigate.
Mobile users are used to multiple screens. Latest
smartphones allow them to use it that way. Make use of
this and port your content to span multiple screens,
depending on the functionality
Take care to make your mobile site look similar
and consistent on all sub-pages. Focus on easy
navigation and 1-click buttons to navigate to any
part of your mobile website. Repeat key features
on all pages of your mobile site.
3. Use Mobile Site Re-direction Technology.
Use suitable scripts or codes that can detect the
visitor's device and automatically re-direct them
to the mobile version of your website. Your
visitors can browse to your website from any
computer or mobile device using same URL and
they will be served with the right content.
However, never forget to give your users a
choice to switch to the desktop (regular) version
of your website.
4. Make It Interactive.
Mobile device users do have a mouse to go
over your website. So, make it easy and
interactive using 1-click buttons. Virtual
keyboard on mobile screen are tiny. So
minimize text input on your mobile website. The
best way to collect information from a mobile
site is to make your forms shorter or better still,
start a mobile mailing list (text/SMS list) so that
all your visitors have to do is click a button to
subscribe their mobile number. Use 'Click-To-
Call' buttons in key locations throughout your
mobile website.
5. Design for Visibility.
Eye-strain is the number one complaint of
mobile users. Make it easy for your visitors to
read the content using proper, mobile-friendly
fonts and colors.
www.acrbo.com 23
ISSUE 008 JULY 2012
Use simple and complementary contrasts. Keep
the cool gradients and stunning graphics to your
desktop website. The text must fit on the screen
and users should be able to ready without pinching
or zooming. Use mobile-friendly effects like button
colors and shadows.
6. Optimize for Local Visitors.
Customers are always looking for local information
on their mobiles, from locating the nearest fuel
station to finding restaurants. So, include
functionality that help people find your place of
business. Add your address and include mobile-
friendly 'maps and directions'. Allowing your
mobile users to check out nearby attractions and
businesses is also recommended.
7. Make it Versatile.
Your mobile website must work on most device
platforms and handset orientations. Find
alternative to "Flash" content because Flash is not
properly supported on all devices. The latest
HTML5 and CSS3 is recommended for interactivity
and animation effects. Adapting your mobile
website for both vertical and horizontal orientations
is very important.
8. Maintain Clear Hierarchy.
By maintaining a clear and consistent navigational
hierarchy throughout your mobile website, avoid
confusion and user frustration. Add a small search
box, if feasible, so users can search what they
want, if your website has too much content. Avoid
too much scrolling and rollover effects. Add 'back'
and 'home' buttons at regular intervals so that
users can navigate freely.
9. Go for a Thumb-Friendly Design.
Everyone uses their fingers to operate mobile
handsets… more so, their thumbs. So, design
your mobile site in such a way that even people
with big-hands (and thumbs) can easily interact.
Use large, centered buttons and give enough
space in-between to avoid accidental clicks. Pad
smaller buttons and check-boxes to make the
clickable area a bit more spacious.
10. Track Everything.
Do not forget to use a robust tracking
mechanism for your mobile website, just like you
do on your desktop website. Use a suitable
tracking mechanism to measure visitors, clicks
and browsing habits. Keep tweaking your mobile
website based on tracking results. One other
surefire way to get a direct feedback about your
site and what people want from your mobile site
is -- "ask". Just ask your mobile visitors to take a
short survey (with pre-populated, thumb-friendly
choices) and learn from them directly.
Top 10 "Must-Have" Features on
Your Mobile Website
ISSUE 008 JULY 2012
www.acrbo.com 24
“If you don’t have a competitive advantage,
don’t compete.” Jack Welch
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
www.acrbo.com 25
ACRBO marketplace
Veteran Web Hosting Contact [email protected]
ContactUs
Hosting – Domain Names –
Yearly Packages (ACRBO
Discount)
Visit
www.VeteranWebHosting.net
PC Dice Contact: [email protected]
A great gift for that tech you
know. Or even better take them
on site with you and amaze your
customers.
www.PcDice.com
Linux For The Rest Of Us
- Do you want to stay ahead of the
computer curve so that you don't feel left
in the dust?
- Do you want to expand your knowledge
so that YOU are that technician who
people go to for advice?
- Do you want to learn an operating system
so powerful and fun you'll wonder how
you lived without it?
Your Ad here Contact [email protected]
Let Us Know
> Want to see your ad here? Drop us an
email.
Selling Something? Visit www.LinuxForTheRestOfUs.com
Site: www.TechNibble.com
Who Is Technibble For?
Technibble is a free resource for Computer
Technicians and Computer Business Owners.
Technibble helps computer technicians with
information and how-to-articles published a few
times a week and has a strong community of
Computer Technicians to help one another.
Technibble helps you by covering topics such as:
- How to start a Computer Business
- Advertising, how to get clients and keep them
- Business and legal issues
- Streamline your computer repair work
- Technician related product reviews and discounts
- New opportunities to look out for
- Stories from “the trenches” from your fellow
Computer Techs
Technibble also has a large database of Computer
Repair tools and adds a new on to its database
every week.
Be sure to check out the Archives, Computer
Repair Tools section and the Computer
Technician forum. .
The Industry If you are in the Information Technology industry then below is a list of must visit locations
Site: www.TheForceField.net
What is The Force Field?
The Force Field is the name of a podcast for IT Service Professionals, IT consultants, VARs, computer shops and anyone else in the technology field, particularly those who offer products and services to end users.
The half hour show is produced by Savoia Media and hosted by Rick Savoia, an IT Service Professional who is also a veteran in the broadcast industry.
Your Ad here Contact [email protected]
Let Us Know
> Want to see your ad here? Drop us an email.
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
ISSUE 008 | Aug 2012
www.acrbo.com 26
Techinline: An Affordable and
Convenient Remote Support Tool
for Any IT Pro
Over the recent months we’ve covered
numerous remote support products
available on the market today. In a
wide range of such tools, Techinline
Remote Desktop stands out as
delivering arguably the best value for
the dollar and easiest connection
process. Techinline is a browser-based
remote desktop application which does
not require any software installation or
download on either end of the remote
connection. Its entire connection
process consists of the following 3
simple steps:
1)The tech (Expert) logs into their
Techinline account at
www.techinline.net/Expert
2)Remote Client launches
www.fixme.it, where randomly
generated 6-digit Client ID number will
be displayed
3)Expert enters this number into a
corresponding field in their account to
establish a connection with the remote
Client
The simplicity of Techinline’s
connection process and its intuitive
interface make this tool especially
useful when it comes to supporting
clients with limited or no IT knowledge.
Furthermore, its affordable and flexible
pricing options effectively meet the
needs and budgets of small/mid-sized
IT businesses compared to the likes of
LogMeIn, Teamviewer, and Webex.
Some of Techinline’s key features and
capabilities include:
• 2-Way Desktop Sharing
• Branding & Integration
• File Sharing
• Safe-Mode Reboot
Techinline’s pricing options, including a
flexible “pay as you go” Per-Session
model, are summarized on their Buy
Now page
Register today for a 15-day fully-
featured Techinline FREE TRIAL and
begin exploring the value that
Techinline may deliver to your
business:
http://www.techinline.com/TryItFree.as
px
Techinline – Remote
Access
New Preferred Vendor
Now available for Android and iPhones
Put simply, an app makes things easier; they make accessing information quicker and more
convenient for the user. The app market caters for everyone, apps can help customers find you,
find out more about your business and interact with you. Businesses are now putting faith in
apps to generate revenue, raise brand awareness and increase user engagement. I compare it
to the internet came about and people were wondering “Do I really need a website?”. The same
can be asked of apps, and to me the answer is yes. If it’s affordable and doable why not
implement it into your business.
Pricing is: $50 for just the Android app, $125 for the iPhone version, or $150 for both
(Prices reflect ACRBO membership discount)
Contact Dennis Drew [email protected] for more information
Business Apps
www.acrbo.com 28