Google+

I have come to appreciate the strategic advantage that Google has over the competition with Google+. Let’s face it, Google+ can do some very cool things that no other social network can do simply because it is, well… Google.

One of the most useful strategy decisions from a brand perspective that Google has implemented in Google+ is the ability to integrate the +1 experience throughout the entire web in a way that really gives the largest return on investment to a business engaged in online marketing.

Most people know what you can do with Facebook when it comes to your brand. You can create a branded Facebook business page, and you can place a Facebook like button on your website.

Now consider what you can do with Google+. With Google+ you can also create a branded business page, and you can also place a +1 button on your website. However, there is a list of things you can also do with Google+ that Facebook can never do because Facebook is not, well… Google. Such as:

- Associate the like button with website search results, as all website search results do have a +1 button.

- Associate the like button with Adwords pay-per-click ads, as all PPC ads do have a +1 button.

Why does this matter? With the recent releases and updates to Google+, Google has linked all of your +1 data together to make the +1 experience a seamless integration across the entirety of the internet. With Facebook, you often had one set of likes on your business Facebook page and a completely different set of likes on your website Facebook button. The two weren’t necessarily connected and promotion to generate likes was wasteful. You had to drive money to your website for one set of likes and more money to Facebook pages for another set of likes.

Google+ however has made your online advertising spend a cumulative endeavor. With the right code on your website and the right social extension settings in your adwords campaign, the +1 data is completely shared throughout all of your online properties. If someone gives your website button a +1, the +1 data increments on your branded Google+ page as well. The same for your PPC ad, when linked to your Google+ page, those +1 clicks are also stored and updated.

This all adds up to maximization of your internet marketing spend. If you are spending money to promote your business with PPC ads, and spending money to promote your website through other means, the +1 counter throughout all pages are incremented to reflect the total social value of your brand across the internet. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Google+ targeted ads come out as well, which will only further increase the +1 value of your online portfolio. It’s nice to know that Google has taken such care to plan out the +1 integration in such a way that maximizes the return on your internet marketing investment.

If you’re not making the most of Google+ for your small business, contact seenBEST Web Design today. We can help you create branded Google+ pages, establish a +1 button on your website or design a website for you with a Google+ button integrated, link your website to your branded Google+ page, and even help you link your PPC ads to the +1 data so you can achieve maximum results with your internet marketing budget. Give us a call today to setup a free consultation (480) 256-9010.

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Google has just released a notice to Adwords account managers that the Google +1 (plus one) button will soon be integrated with all Adwords ads. The news from Google states the following:

“In the coming weeks, your search results and ads on Google will include a +1 button, which users can click to recommend your ads. You don’t need to make any changes to your account in order to take advantage of them. The final landing page URL of your ads can also appear on the Google profile of any user who +1’s your ad.”

As previously discussed in our recent article, Google 1 (Plus One) Button | How to Add to Your Website , social appears to be ramping up to change traditional search forever.

Google has declared that the +1 integration with Adwords will modify the way other users see the ads displayed while searching. In their own words, “Think of the +1 button as a way for fans of your business to recommend what you offer, for all their friends and contacts to see.” As you imagine, this will have major ramifications for advertisers on Google.

To learn more about what’s changing and how +1 works, visit the AdWords Help Center. To add the +1 button to your site, visit the +1 button tool on Google Webmaster Central.

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Web design and online marketing company seenBEST Web Design offers new job to Phoenix, Arizona

seenBEST Web Design is a rapidly growing website design, web development, and online marketing company in Phoenix, Arizona looking to expand its team of experts. We are looking for a fresh and energetic internet guru who loves to code PHP, has a good understanding of web design methods, and is familiar with SEO, SEM, and social marketing concepts. You should be well rounded, with a good understanding of the following:

• PHP, JQuery, HTML, JavaScript, AJAX, and CSS
• Zen Cart, Magento
• mySQL and Cpanel
• Drupal, WordPress, Joomla
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Google Adwords
• Dreamweaver, Photoshop
• Knowledge of additional languages and architectures A+

We are located in beautiful Ahwatukee at 46th St. and Chandler, conveniently located just west of the I-10. This is a temporary contract to hire position with flexible working hours.

Why seenBEST Web Design?

• Unlimited potential to grow your career
• We value your creative and innovative solutions
• Flexible working hours
• Family owned, family friendly company
• You WILL learn a lot! We are at the cutting edge of internet development and have many projects and ideas for new projects that will challenge your abilities

Do not send over project portfolios, there will be time to discuss your past projects and designs during our interview. To ensure the integrity of our work and the security of our clients’ data, a full background check will be performed prior to the hiring of any candidate. If you don’t feel that you can pass a criminal background check please DO NOT apply. This is a temporary contract to hire position and will be based out of our office. Interested? Send a detailed resume in Word or PDF to jobs@seenbest-web-design.com

***SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! THIS IS AN IN-HOUSE POSITION, NO OUT OF STATE OR OVERSEAS CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED***

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seenBEST Web Design is a rapidly growing Phoenix Web Design, Online Marketing and SEO company in Phoenix, Arizona. Due to rapid acquisition of clients we are looking to add more talent to our team.

seenBEST Web Design, a division of my PC Techs, is a team of ‘tech people’ that does things differently – in ways that you will appreciate! Here are a few of the benefits you will enjoy:

• Unlimited growth potential
• The ability to apply creative and innovative solutions to problems
• Complete and total control over your projects
• Flexible working hours
• Located in beautiful Ahwatukee at 46th St. and Chandler, conveniently located just off of the I-10 and Chandler
• You WILL learn a lot! We have many projects and ideas for new projects that will challenge your abilities
• Work for a tech company, with tech owners, and a team that understands YOU and YOUR needs

The right candidate is someone that has a well-rounded set of web skills. You should have experience with web design AND development, with at least basic knowledge of search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and social networking. If this is you, schedule your interview today! This position is contract to hire and will be based in our Ahwatukee office.

Interested? Send a detailed resume in Word or PDF to [Click Here to Email Your Resume]. Please do not send over design samples, there will be time to discuss your past projects and designs during our interview.

To ensure the integrity of our work and the security of our clients’ data, a full background check will be performed prior to the hiring of any candidate. If you don’t feel that you can pass a criminal background check please DO NOT apply. Thank you!

***SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY! THIS IS AN IN-HOUSE POSITION, NO OUT OF STATE OR OVERSEAS CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED***

As a website developer, I utilize several online resources on a daily basis to gather facts, check code syntax and share ideas. There are some resources that I just couldn’t live without. I use the following fifteen resources so often that I’ve dedicated an article to them and would like to share with you my thoughts on why they are important. I’m also hoping that others can read this and learn from it, or possibly even teach me a thing or two. Anyways, here’s the list of the top 15 online website development resources that I use, in order of importance:

Google: Google is my homepage. It should be everyone’s homepage. Isn’t it your homepage? There are very few questions in this world that Google can’t help you find an answer to.

Adobe Devnet: I do the majority of my web development using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3. I have the web premium suite that also includes Photoshop CS3, Flash CS3, and Fireworks CS3. The Adobe Devnet is an excellent resource not just for the tools I’ve just mentioned, but development in general. I get a lot of use out of the blogs, exchanges and forums there.

Dictionary.com: What webmaster is complete without a thesaurus and online dictionary? I often find myself beautifying text with the thesaurus on dictionary.com. Not only is it great to make sure you don’t use where instead of wear, it’s a hunky-dory way to utilize words like disgruntlement instead of anger.

Bluehost: Do you design websites? Have you ever used Bluehost? These guys have excellent customer service, affordable prices, and a ton of hosting features. I use Bluehost for hosting whenever possible and have used them for several years now as a very happy customer. Their services also include a very useful support forum.

Google Adwords: Let’s face it, if you’ve got a product to sell you’re going to need Google Adwords. Since we know that everyone has Google for their homepage (see above), we also know that the first thing they’re going to do when they want to buy something is search for it on Google. All bow before Google, the king of online advertising.

iStockPhoto: Do you need an image for a website? Does it have to be high quality? Do you want to be able to search for it based on concept keywords? How about low cost? iStockPhoto does all of this and they do it well. iStockPhoto, for those times when you need to find an image of ‘goth nosering‘ for a company website.

Flashkit: I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent digging through ActionScript code on this website to find ways to accomplish what I needed to do. Let’s be honest, the Flash CS3 software has really poor built-in actionscript3 reference material. No worries, we’ve got Flashkit, our savior! PS: They’re great for other things, too, like sound clips and example movies.

osCommerce Forums: There’s a bit of irony here. You’re selling a product, trying to make a quick buck, and the tool you’re using to do it is completely free! Crazy world we live in, I know. Sure enough, osCommerce is a free shopping cart solution that works marvelously and it’s completely customizable via PHP.

Google Code Search: I’ve always liked the word snippets. Why couldn’t they have called this Google Snippets? Maybe if Google hadn’t turned down my resume for a position in their company a few years ago, things would be different. Oh well, their loss, my gain! In any case, even though I don’t work for Google, and it isn’t called snippets, I still find their code search a useful tool when hunting down bits of PHP, ASP, ColdFusion or JavaScript.

SQL Dialects Reference: A quality SQL reference, for times when ‘Select * from Widgets’ just doesn’t go deep enough to get the job done.

PHP: Manual Quick Reference: PHP is fun. This online PHP reference manual is a shining example of just how fun it really is.

VBScript Forum: When you need a piece of VBScript code, chances are good that the crazy guys at VBScript Forum can help.

Web Design Forum: No mystery here, it’s all in the name.

WebDeveloper.com: The ONLY thing I don’t like about this site is the bland appearance. Everything else rocks, especially the depth of topics and the history of information contained within.

Whois.net: I used to be a big fan of the Network Solutions whois tool. Not anymore, I’ve tasted the glory of whois.net!

So there you are, 15 web design resources packaged nicely into this seenBEST Web Design blog. Develop until your fingers peel away my friends! Are there are resources that you use regularly for website development that you’d like to share? Let me know, I’d like to hear about them.