think.point.click.

5 Simple Ways To Decrease Your Site Bounce Rate

Ivan Printis — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:43:50 +0000

Your bounce rate is the percentage of visits in which a person left your site from your entrance or landing page. They did not pass go, they did not collect $200, they visited one page, that page only and immediately left without clicking through to another page on your site. Your bounce rate ultimately is a great metric to evaluate visitor quality and the effectiveness of your content, design, layout and navigation.

A high bounce rate generally indicates that your site entrance pages aren’t relevant to your visitors. The more compelling your landing pages, the more visitors will stay on your site and take the desired action or convert. Your bounce rate is a great indicator of how successful your website or blog really is, so at the end of the day the goal is to decrease your site’s bounce rate.

Can you stop your bounce rate altogether?

That my friends is simply not possible. People will close your pages and not everyone will like your content. You just can’t please everyone, but there are several things you can do to dramatically reduce your site’s bounce rate. David Wood from workwithdavidwood.com has put together a great article about some of the things you can test to help improve your bounce.

Excerpts from the original article:

What’s a good bounce rate?

Well, anything below 50%. To be honest with you, most people have 80% or more. Especially as your site grows, you’ll start to attract a ton of random visitors. You’ll receive completely untargeted traffic that will of course have no interest in your content. It happens… and there’s not much you can do about it. That’s just Google doing its thing sending you a bunch of untargeted traffic.

So here’s a short list of simple ways to decrease your bounce rate:

1. Get Rid Of Popups (Distractions)

Popups work and they convert very well. Unfortunately, the majority of your visitors will disagree. By using a popup you’ll immediately increase your bounce rate by 10%-30%.

3. Killer Content

After getting people to your website, you need to seduce them with killer content. Content that will knock the socks off of everything else out there. While some people hate “different”, it’s definitely going to reduce your bounce rate.

5. Easy To Read And Navigate

Make sure your content is easy to read and make sure your website is easy to navigate. If visitors can’t easily browse through your pages or posts…they won’t and they’ll just leave.

Add related and best posts widget.
display a list of your best and most popular posts.
display a list of relevant pages/posts.
display banners that link to your other posts/pages instead of external sites.
focus all of your energy on getting your visitors to click through to other pages.
link to your other pages contextually. Throughout your post/page content, link to other pages.

2. Good Layout & Design

It’s usually the obvious things that make the biggest difference. Clearly, if you have a good layout and design, visitors will stay longer. And… They’ll be far more likely to read and buy your stuff. …having an attractive design should be your top priority.

4. Be Specific

Whatever you do, don’t go too off topic! Give people exactly what they want. …make your content extremely title specific and vice versa. If your title doesn’t explain/talk about exactly what your content is all about, it will result in them closing the page.

Follow all of the above tips and you’ll decrease your bounce rate dramatically.

View the original article by David Wood from workwithdavidwood.com

Tips for Coding HTML Email Newsletters for Multiple Browsers

Ivan Printis — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:10:59 +0000

If you are reading this than you know the joys of trying to code your email for all of the various email applications out there. Outllook, AOL, Gmail, Hotmail each have their own quirks and rendering methodologies and getting your email to display in all of its splendor and glory in each is well…a pain in the ass.

So now that you are reading this article hopefully you’ve stopped banging your head against your desk and I have you attention for a minute or two. Here are the resources I have used and found helpful to aid you in your process.

I would start with the Email Standards Project. Here you can find a list of all the major web email clients and how they stack up to the Email Standards Project acid test. When coding, this will give you a head start on what each email client supports and what will render properly before you decide to really flex your creative CSS muscle.
Another great resource is from Campaign Monitor. You can take a look at the CSS support for both desktop and web email clients so you don’t have to figure it out for yourself. You can download the 2008 CSS guide in PDF, Excel format or view it on their webpage.
Now that you know what you can and can’t do you will need to test your work. Litmus has a great email testing tool that allows you to view your work in every major desktop and email client application. You will see exactly what you recipients see without having to open 10 different email accounts checking each one every time you make a change.
If you need a good place to start or some plain ol’ fashioned inspiration. Here is an added bonus. 30+ Free HTML email templates that will look good in all the major email clients tested by Campaign Monitor. They are organized by Left Sidebar, Right Sidebar and Single column layouts.

Well, I hope this helps gets you started or figure out why that image just won’t line up. I want to hear from you. What resources are you using to keep your emails inline?

Tips on How to Write Your First Blog Post

Ivan Printis — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 03:56:59 +0000

Getting up the courage to start a blog, write something down and post it can be challenging. You are left with a million questions and a million more worries. Will anyone read this? What are they going to think? Are they going to like it? I can tell you right now what to do… Stop driving yourself crazy over something you have no direct control over and you cannot immediately do something about.
The main focus should be putting something down on paper and taking a look at what you have. I read Four Steps to Finding Your Ideal Writing Voice and one of the best lessons learned is, just start writing. Do not spend so much time worrying about how you sound or if you are coming across in the right way. All of those things will come in time as you practice, improve and receive feedback from your readers.

You will never get better or post anything if you spend all of you time worrying about what could be and never writing anything. For those of you that are still afraid to post that first article here is what I challenge you to do:

Find a stop watch or download a timer and
set the writing limit for 3 minutes.
Don’t worry about what you are going to say or what your first article is going to be about. Chances are you already have an idea.
Next, start your timer and just start writing what comes to mind.

You will be amazed at what you can create in 3 minutes because your mind is free and you have challenged yourself to get the important ideas down without having the worry of how you sound or if it makes sense.

A few tips to keep in mind as you continue to think about that first blog post; we have to communicate everyday with our friends, family, coworkers & random people we meet as we travel throughout the day. Most of the time you never have a problem communicating your ideas and making sure your voice is heard. Writing is no different. Your voice is what makes you unique and stand out amongst the crowd, let it be heard and let the excitement about what you are speaking to shine through.

Clean Webdesign, SEO Checklists, Creating Video Content, & the embroiled Travel Search Battle

Ivan Printis — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:58:58 +0000

Here is today’s round up of important and interesting news in the world of search and design. It never hurts to stay up to date with the latest trends keeping your web design clean, freshening up on your seo skills and creating video content that lasts.

Web Design: Nice and Clean Layouts
I’m always a fan of clean professional design. Here are 11 exceptional designs to draw inspiration from Paulo Gabriel @abduzeedo.com.

The Social Media Marketer’s SEO Checklist
Most SEOs have blown off links from Twitter and Facebook because they did not have direct SEO value. They are almost always nofollowed. We now know Google and Bing use Twitter and Facebook to influence regular search results, It’s time to start thinking about how you and social media can start working together to reach your SEO goals.

Here are 9 things you should be thinking about when it comes to SEO.

Do Keyword Research
Set Up Social Segments for Tracking
Remember, URL Shorteners Matter
Make Sure Content is Easily Linkable
Canonicalize The Page (what the what?)
Check Page Load Time
Title Tag – Use Those Keywords!
Meta Description
Measure & Improve

Are older links better for SEO/ranking?
Rand Fishkin interview BlueGlass LA 2010

Why Airlines On Travel Search Engines Are Going Missing
2011 is already shaping up to be an interesting year. There is an immanent stand off taking shape between the airlines and the OTA’s. From the airlines perspective there is an opportunity to really take hold of the brand experience and create an Apple like persona for their customers. On the other hand OTA’s drive tons of traffic and revenue which impacts the airlines bottom line.Let’s not even get into Google and ITA’s relationship and how this can impact the entire travel space. It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the coming months. Read on this is a great in depth article from Elisabeth Osmeloski @searchengineland.

The 6 Biggest SEO Mistakes
Whether you are just getting started or have been doing this for years Simon Heseltine @searchenginewatch recommends keeping these 6 SEO no no’s off your list:

Home is Not Where the Traffic is
Moving the Staging Robots.txt to the Production Site
Duplicate Meta Tags
Using “Click Here”
Set it and Forget it – SEO is not a once and done process
Impatience

Eight Ways to Create Enough Video Content to Last 18 Months
Why creating online video content is key in keeping the attention of your desired audience
If you’re a B2B marketer, churning out awesome content in the form of whitepapers, articles, case studies, and the like is good—but you’re going to need more if you want people to keep paying attention. Today’s audiences love watching online video. Studies show that online video improves email click-through rates, sales conversions, and search engine rankings; it’s no wonder marketers are funneling more budget dollars into this tantalizing medium. Here are Pete Savage @marketingprofs.com‘ s 8 ways to create lots’o video content.

Repurpose
Whitepapers: Create Video Executive Summaries
Case Studies: Create Video Versions
Webinars: Snip and Expand
Give a Sneak Peek at Upcoming Content
Tradeshows and Conferences: Interview Customers
Create a Content-Rich Microsite
Get Personal with a Q&A Session

Unboxing Apple’s New MacBook Pro

Ivan Printis — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:52:35 +0000

It only took six months of research, 20 or so visits to Best Buy, and 3 visits to the Apple Store to finally make a decision. And in all honesty, I have to say it was well worth it and definitely the best decision I could have made.

Now, just a little background on why it took me so long to figure out what to do. When I started my initial research, I did what most people do, I hit up google, read the reviews and made a list. Eventually, my very long list became a short one, which was widdled down to the Sony Vaio. I had taken a look at what Apple had to offer back in January, but the cost immediately eliminated a Mac from the list. I was like, “WTF, man! I can get the “same” thing for half the price.”

I knew I was making the right decision, a Windows based PC was the way to go and the Sony Vaio got it right. I had specked everything out, processor speed, video card, RAMM and could not see the benefit of buying a MacBook Pro. So, on one of my “final” visits to Best Buy to make sure I was comfortable with the screen size and weight, one of the Best Buy sales guys was like, “If you want to do all of that, You really should look at getting a Mac…”. I will get into the details later, but after 2 hours and as the store was closing I was still skeptical, but saw the power and flexibility of why Apple really had it right and how the new MacBook Pro was the best for the job.

Ok, so now to the fun stuff. Getting what I think is the best laptop you can buy in the market out of the box.

I have to give it to Apple and their Product Managers. They do an excellent job with keeping everything elegant, clean, and simple.

Can't you just feel the energy flowing from the box.

There are some lessons learned in not only how to sell your product,but how it looks and how you feel when you open it up for the first time.

I still don't know why they give you two electrical plugs.I should call Apple Care and find out. Doesn't she look good. I think my wife is jealous.

Sleek and Slick. A little over 5.5 pounds and less the an inch high,the Apple MacBook Pro looks and feels amazing.

…and there she is, in all her glory and wonder.The 15-inch MacBook Pro w/ Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display.

Think Point Virus – What Is It & How to Permanently Remove It

Ivan Printis — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:30:36 +0000

Think Point or the ThinkPoint virus is a fake antispyware program created to steal your money. It’s a program that imitates a security tool, hijacking your browser and changing your registry. Initial infection will result in a malfunction of Windows desktop, removing your desktop icons and displaying a fake Microsoft Security Essentials Alert. This alert endorses five applications, including Think Point. Executing any of these programs will install Think Point on your computer.Upon activation Think Point will conduct a scan resulting in array of trojans, viruses and spyware being found your machine. Think Point will also proceed to block Internet access and show a page “Potential Threat Details. Threat of Virus Attack!” Attempting to run any application will also be blocked by Think Point and will release a message stating that the executable file is already compromised. This is an attempt to persuade you into obtaining the $90 registered version of ThinkPoint Antivirus.Think Point does not detect any real system threats.

The virus/malware is attempting to force you into paying for the licensed version of software. Do not payfor the license or provide any credit card information. It is strongly advised that you remove Think Point as soon as it is detected on your system.To get rid of and remove Think Point check out any of the following articles:

Incoming search terms for the article:

What is Think Point?

Ivan Printis — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 06:11:22 +0000

Update 10.18.10 – Read This First
Remove Think Point Virus from Your Computer

I’ve noticed after making some recent changes on my site, that I’ve seen a huge increase in visitors coming from Google looking for information on “think point”. That made me a little curious so I conducted the Google search myself and did not find much of anything related directly to the keyword term “think point”.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to you and ask, what is prompting you to conduct this particular search? Where did you hear about “think point”? Is it a new app that has yet to launch, did you hear about it on the radio? I really want to know, What is Think Point?

Let me know how you got here in the comments below. I’m curious to see what you know.

Creating a Plan for Your Website – Organize then Design

Ivan Printis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:20:48 +0000

Now you may ask why do I need a website design plan? Well, would you hire a builder for your vacation home before seeing the blue prints? Would you take a trip to Brazil without setting up a travel itinerary? A web site is a similar investment to which you will devote significant time and other resources. Any investment, if it is to succeed, requires detailed planning.

The steps you take before you actually start the design or coding will save you a lot of wasted time, energy and money in the long run. You will be able to determine the major objectives for your web site as a result of defining its purpose and identifying the audience. Stating objectives for a website is similar to setting up goals for a business, in that doing so gives structure and direction. The document you create serves as a reference point throughout your project and keeps the planning and creating phases on target.

Before you start planning your website, take out a pencil and a sheet of paper and do some preliminary research to help you answer some questions:

Explore other websites and identify those that impress you
Describe elements that contributed to that positive impression
Identify means by which information was presented to you – photos, text, video, sound
Describe what made the information easy to find
Why would you want to return to the website?

After this exercise, you should have a better idea about the direction you want to take and how you are going to approach your website. Start your planning by creating a site specification document. This is the blue print for your site. The site specification will serve as a reference point and guide as you build your site and will help to maintain your focus. Answer the following questions in your site specification:

What do you hope to accomplish with your website? Write a two or three paragraph mission statement that briefly states the site’s goals. Your goal may be to increase communication with your audience, increase your online presence, provide a new service or attract new customers and business. No matter what your end game, your website will require lots of work, therefore it is essential that you have viable and achievable goals for your website.
What do you or your company or organization hope to gain from creating and maintaining a web site?
How will you judge the success of the website?
What are the measuring factors you can use to assess the effectiveness of the site?
How will people find out about your website?
Who is the target audience?
What characteristics to they share?
How will you find out more about them?
What are the limiting technical factors affecting your site?

Clearly define and understand your websites goals. It is likely that through this discovery process you will want to achieve most if not all of your goals. Prioritize these goals as you define the purpose and carefully consider what type of site you are building. Do you want to communicate information, educate, entertain, or sell a product or service?

Keep in mind, what you want the site to accomplish and what your users want from your site may differ. Adopt your user’s perspective and think about the type of content you’re presenting. Look to the web for examples of how best to present it. As you continue to develop your design plan, choose content, and create your website, keep the purpose at the forefront of your planning and let it guide you as you make those critical decisions.

Dual Monitors: How to Have a Different Wallpaper on Each Desktop

Ivan Printis — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:37:39 +0000

I would consider myself somewhat of a technofile, so in the tradition of all things nerdy I made sure that both my wife and I had dual monitors. For the longest time we have been stuck in a bleak and boring world where our dual screens displayed the same wallpaper, but that world has come to a glorious end.

So how do you ask did we do it? Thanks to Jon Tackabury and Binary Fortress Software we have been given the gift of… Display Fusion. Display Fusion is free dual monitor wallpaper setup software. It can take any widescreen or high resolution background and display a different desktop wallpaper image on each monitor.

Get started by downloading Display Fusion and installing the program.
Once the software is installed, you’ll notice a new tray icon on the lower right hand side of your main desktop window.
Right-Click the Display Fusion icon and make your way to the top of the menu.
Click on “Desktop Wallpaper” to open up the dialog window where you will set up a different wallpaper for each desktop.

Once you have the Desktop Wallpaper menu open, click on each desktop in the display (1 and 2p) to configure the settings independently for each monitor. Note there is also the option to span your wallpaper across the entire desktop or download images from Flickr.com or Vladstudio.com.

To select your images Click “Load From…” in the Display Fusion Menu
You will get a drop down with options to upload images from:
- Your Computer
- Flickr.com or
- Vladstudio.com
Select the images you want and Viola! You now have a different wallpaper on each desktop.

Also here are some of my favorite stomping grounds when I’m looking for new desktop wallpapers. Have Fun!

Highlight, Display, Create On-Hover or On-Mouseover Text-Captions Over an Image Using CSS

Ivan Printis — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:56:20 +0000

Hah! Do you like the title? It’s a bit long, but this was an attempt to save you some time. I am hoping I captured enough keywords from all of the searches I did that you managed to find this page. Soh Tanaka is a talented web designer and developer and thankfully he took the time out to write CSS On-Hover Image Captions.

Excellent CSS Books Worth Checking Out from SitePoint.com

I used his code to successfully implement captions over images using only CSS for EduBasics: Home of Multiplication Hip Hop product page. In all it took about 15 minutes to update the stylesheet, html and upload it to the server. At the end of the day I hope this saved you some time and provided the code you needed.

A little due diligence; here are the Google queries that led me to Soh’s article – CSS On-Hover Image Captions. This list is a history of two hours of fumbling around on the internet. The queries are in order #1 being the last query that led me to the light. What search did you perform to get here? Comment and let me know.

css image captions (after two hours)
show text over image css on hover
display text over image on hover using css
diplay text over image on hover using css
on hover show text
css hover display text
css hover display image
show text over image on hover
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css hover
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highlight image hover effect
how to highlight and show text using javascript
call multiple javascript functions
script.aculo.us highlight on mouseover
mootools
jquery
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highlight on mouseover and display text
spry highlight
scriptaculous
moo tools