e-marketing insights from Delphis Ltd.

When Disaster Strikes

2011-12-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

The worse case scenario was realised for a client recently. Their web-mail account was hacked, and despite all our attempts the account could not be recovered. We value our e-mail accounts, but should treat them like they're a treasure. Especially, as in this case, when the account is used as the main means of doing business with clients. Losing all your contacts details is a loss in itself,

Tracking adwords conversions on a WordPress site

2011-11-18T07:40:00.001-08:00

Knowing how many people have clicked your Adwords ad and then gone through your site and contacted you via a form is critical - it shows how much value you're getting from your ad. Here's one way: 1) Paste your Adwords conversion code into a html document (for example, contactconversion.html), and save it in your live site's theme's folder. 2) Edit the footer.php and add this code at the end (

Google + Business Pages Are Here

2011-11-14T05:25:00.000-08:00

Forget Facebook: 4 Reasons Your Company Needs a Google+ PageAccording to Inc. Magazine, a Google + Page will have the following benefits for your business:Boost your SEOGive your message a longer shelf-lifeGoogle + will be the social network for businessesEasier to manage than FacebookAnd our favourite part about social media marketing -- it's FREE!Read the article at Inc. Magazine

Google Hotel Finder

2011-08-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

Google has launched a Hotel Finder Service which one expert says is "so simple, it's brilliant."Travelers will love the simplicity and speed with which you can select, compare and book hotels without ever having to leave the page, except for the final booking. No ads or affiliate links that get in your way - just relevant hotels. Google Hotel Finder is so simple, it’s brilliant.Read the entire

Google+ Tackles Facebook with Circles & Sparks!

2011-07-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

Google has launched a new platform called 'Google+' which takes Facebook head-on (again). But this time Google may have got it right.By addressing privacy issues with its innovative 'Circles', Google+ lets you control which of your friends see your photos, posts, etc.The Sparks feature lets you stay up to date on any topic, pulling search results from Google like a news reader.And Hangouts is

Summer @ Delphis Ltd.

2011-07-11T08:52:00.001-07:00

Delphis Ltd. is pleased to have a Summer Intern once again this year.Visit our Delphis Intern blog to see what our new intern, Dylan Madisetti, is learning.His first week got off to a great start - he met two Mermaids and a Singing Cowboy! Web development is a fun and exciting career opportunity.

How to create good presentations (part 276)

2011-06-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

We've spoken before about ways to make better presentations (because who hasn't sat through a bad presentation). Here's a good article which covers the same topic. http://lifehacker.com/5810271/how-to-create-presentations-that-dont-suck Key points: 1) Keep it simple 2) Engage with your audience 3) Crack an occasional joke

Bing Goes Social too!

2011-05-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

It's official. Microsoft's search engine Bing has integrated social networking into its search results.Now when you perform a search on Bing, you will see sites that your friends 'Like' (as long as you are logged into Facebook at the time).Moving away from traditional search, Bing is trying to integrate search results which will provide a 'conversation' among friends, as they believe this will

Why Your Business Needs a Mobile Presence

2011-05-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

There are 6.9 billion homo sapiens on the planet and 3.7 billion of them actively use 4.3 billion mobile phones. What's your excuse for not spending a few dollars making your site mobile-friendly?Read more Digital Marketing Crimes Against Humanity at Occam's Razor

Google Goes Social

2011-02-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

Last week Google made changes to the algorithm it use to display search results.For the most part this update centered on reducing the power of 'spam' and 'link farms' in their search results. But they also rolled out a new feature which displays social search information from your friends on Blogger, Twitter, Flickr and other sites. You must be logged in to your Google account for this to

Dirty Little Secrets of Search

2011-02-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

A great article in The New York Times about Google Search... uncovering tricks used to gain top search engine positioning and discussing 'black hat' SEO techniques.Read the article here... Dirty Little Secrets of Search

Do you need a Mobile version of your site?

2011-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is a question that would have been answered with a resounding 'Yes!' some time ago. But now it's not so clear cut. The fact is, your typical smartphone is growing in capabilities by leaps and bounds, and nowadays the screens people use to browse your website from their phone are showing off your current site in all its glory. If we look at a typical snapshot of traffic, you'll see that the

Analytics insights: Bounce Rate

2011-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

This year we're going to be focusing on providing some detailed insights into the world of website analytics. We've spoken before about the critical importance of analytics, so lets look at some of the key measurements of your site's performance. First off: Bounce Rate. A bounce is not, as I've heard suggested, when someone scrolls up and down your webpage a few times. A bounce is simple - it's

Beware The Bogus Booking!

2010-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

With tourism as it is, it's tempting to jump on every booking enquiry. But one should exercise a bit of caution. When I got an enquiry (I'm not even a hotel!) for reservations for 4 clergymen from Greece, my scam antennas twitched. Why was the e-mail coming from a Yahoo Hong Kong (yahoo.com.hk) e-mail address? Tracing the e-mail headers shows further revealing information: Source: The

What's it all about, Android?

2010-11-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a review of Digicel's Motorola Milestone, and today I saw a local advert for a LIME Android phone (the Sony Xperia). So why all the fuss about Android? Firstly, the basics: Android is Google's operating system for phones (although it can actually be run on a computer or even an iPhone). Based on Linux, it's one of the major OS for smartphones with almost 50% of the market. Why

Ever wondered if the internet is just down for YOU?

2010-11-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well, here's a simple way to get the answer for Firefox users."TryAgain" is an add-on for the Firefox browser which will give you helpful information instead of the standard 404 page when you cannot connect to a website.Get the plug-in or read about it in greater detail on LifehackerFor those who don't use Firefox as your browser, you can visit this website to find out if the probbem is uniquely

5 Great Tips for Hotels on Facebook!

2010-10-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is a short, interesting article about how to manage your Facebook page. While it is targeted to Hotel owners, the tips are valid for any small business owner.How do get your hotel’s Facebook account to stand outfrom HotelMarketing.comTip #5 is my favourite "If you can't commit, then you must omit."Not everyone can manage their Facebook page successfully, can you?

TripAdvisor is the World's Largest Travel Site

2010-07-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

TripAdvisor now leads the way with the highest number of unique monthly visitors on its website – 35,382,000 unique visitors. The next largest travel website in the world is the world’s leading online travel agent - Expedia - with monthly traffic figures of 2,122,000 visitors less than TripAdvisor. From HotelMarketing.com

If Facebook was a nation...

2010-07-10T11:39:00.001-07:00

Click image for full picture

Google Search Trends in Travel

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the top consumer trends in searching for travel from Jane Butler, Google’s industry director for travel.Research intensity has been increasing steadily. Travelers are consuming more content online before booking a trip.Google has seen a 15 percent increase in site visits and 30 percent increase in search clicks prior to bookingOver half of business and personal travelers interact with

Website design fail

2010-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

In looking around at regional official travel sites, one struck me as a great example of what not to do. VacationStMaarten.com is the official website for the St Maarten tourist board. And while visually it makes an immediate impression, spend any time on the site and its failings become obvious. Here are but a few. Images don't have ALT text, describing them (or what might happen when you

The Right Profile (or Page)

2010-05-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Our recent seminar on Social Media Marketing emphasised the value of having a Facebook Page for your business. We showed the significance of a page over groups, and emphasised the importance of not using your personal profile for your business. Nevertheless, people still use their own profile as their business 'listing' on Facebook. If that's the route you've chosen, be sure to check your

Google Revamps its Search Results

2010-05-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last week Google released some major changes to the way it displays search results.According to Google's VP of Search Products & User Experience Marissa Mayer said, "While we are constantly rolling out small changes and updates, today's changes showcase the latest evolutions in our search technology, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you're looking for."The major changes include:

How to Make Your Site Look Good to Google in 2010

2010-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Google ~ What's New in 2010?The Search Engine industry never stands still. Google has just released information about changes it is making to the way it will rank sites in 2010. Some of these changes, such as site load time and proper use of keywords, get 'back to basics' in terms of website design and reinforce the tenets of web development that we at Delphis have followed since we began in 1997

Join us at our Social Media Marketing seminar

2010-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you in Dominica, don't miss the DHTA's Social Media Marketing Seminar by Delphis Ltd. The seminar will cover...What is Social Media Marketing?How can it help you get more business?Get the tools you need to find new customers, to increase your internet presence, and to drive more traffic to your website. Learn the latest techniques and best strategies for:• Social Networking• Blogging

Google's Realtime Search

2009-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Google announced several major changes yesterday to the way it will be delivering it's search results. They have recognised the impact of Twitter and other real-time applications in the importance of search relevance.“The importance of relevance has gone through the roof as the amount of information out there is growing. Relevance has become the critical factor.” Amit Singhal, Google Fellow.So

SVG launches new tourism website

2009-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Ministry of Tourism’s “bright and vibrant” new website got the full approval of guests who witnessed its launch earlier this week. The site, www.discoversvg.com, which replaced www.svgtourism.com, was officially launched on Monday, at the training room of the National Insurance Services at Upper Bay Street, Kingstown. Equipped with modern technological amenities, including FaceBook,

WordPress blog basics

2009-09-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

Some good WordPress tips & tweaks: http://lifehacker.com/5365600/the-beginners-guide-to-tricking-out-your-wordpress-blog

Web Analytics primer

2009-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a simple primer to web analytics, especially Google's, look no further than the acclaimed Occam's Razor blog and in particular this post that distils analytics down to the 5 basic tenets: #1 Get the Basics Out of the Way. #2 Understand Traffic Sources. #3 Fix Stuff and Save Money #4 the value of using the Site Overlay #5 Focus on Outcomes http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/

Why Businesses Should Use Social Networking

2009-07-07T04:58:00.001-07:00

"In a piece this year for the insider's technology blog, TechCrunch, entitled "Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet", Eric Clemons, Professor of Operations and Information Management at the University of Pennsylvania, argued that the way that we're using the internet has shattered the whole concept of advertising. We need no encouragement to share our opinions online

Using your Facebook vanity URL

2009-06-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

If you use Facebook you'll probably be aware that they recently allowed ther users to register a 'vanity URL' (username is their name for it). Bigwigs have always been able to boast of an URL such as facebook.com/u2 , but this feature has been opened-up to (almost) everyone else. The value, especially if you're a big user of facebook, is simply to be able to send people to your profile with an

10 Ways to energise your blog

2009-05-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

Blogging is not dead.. but you might have neglected it for Facebook or Twitter. This article suggest 10 good ways to re-energise your blog! Don't forget, you can also automate your blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

A Better Surfing Experience

2009-04-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Surfing in Dominica, we tend to use all the default settings our ISP provides us. The problem is, their Domain Name Servers lag hours behind the rest of the world. So for a better surfing experience, use OpenDNS.org. You can sign up for an account on OpenDNS.com (it's free), or simply start using their DNS right away. Go into your Network Settings, and change your Domain Name Servers to:

Conficker what?

2009-04-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

There's a good article about the Conflicker 'virus' that never appeared on April 1, like many pundits said it would. Scares like that should merely amuse you, knowing that you do have an up-to-date anti-virus package and your Windows is updated too. In terms of anti-virus protection, there are two free options worth checking out: Avira, and AVG. For a good comparision of the merits of these

The New Facebook - Some Trips & Tricks

2009-03-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Since Facebook launched the 'new look' for their Home Page this month, many users have criticised its layout. But as with any change, there are pros and cons... and ways around it.Changing the Look of Your Facebook PageFirst, let's take a look at a few ways to change your the look of your new Facebook home page.1) The following article from InsideFacebook.com offers some tips on how to

Convert PDF files to Word Docs!

2009-03-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

This wonderful little site makes it easy to convert any PDF into a Word Document.Best of all, it's free! Visit PDFtoWord.comSimply upload your file and it is converted and e-mailed back to you.

Going Green for Travel Businesses

2009-03-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

How does "green thinking" affect a consumer's decisions when making travel plans? A report just released by PhoCusWright reveals the following:More than four out of ten U.S. travelers (44%) consider environmental impact to be important to them when planning travelA majority of U.S. travelers (56%) are skeptical of what companies tell them about their green practicesJust under a third of

Cloud computing

2009-02-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

Cloud computing is a bit of a buzz-word (or rather phrase) at the moment, but what is it? Simply put, it's the concept that a collection of computers are used, over the Internet, for storage of data, running applications, and general web-based services.The Net itself is a 'cloud', but the fast-growing trend of applications being used directly on the Web is a good example of using 'the cloud'.

Facebook Users Are Getting Older

2009-02-05T05:40:00.000-08:00

Despite the occasional misuse of the web as mentioned in a previous post (Facebook Scam), it is still the most cost-effective channel where small businesses can focus their marketing efforts.Our recent infatuation with Facebook, and the marketing opportunities available there, is a result of the changes that have been taking place on this very popular social networking site.Facebook is continuing

A Facebook scam

2009-01-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

Watch out for a Facebook scam. It is apparently rare, but like any other popular web medium, people are using it to try to scam money from others. Read more about it here. Whether it be via an e-mail or a website, if someones is asking for money from you (or promising you untold millions), treat it with a pinch of salt!

To Twitter or Not to Twitter?

2009-01-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Twitter this, Twitter that... there is a lot of hype about Twitter in the media and particularly in the internet marketing world. One of Twitter's greatest claims to fame so far is President-Elect Obama's use of it to announce his running mate; another is ordinary people covering the Mumbai hotel explosions. But many people I talk to are just plain confused about Twitter. What IS it? How in

Facebook Surpasses 150 Million Users per Month

2009-01-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Today the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, announced:Facebook’s audience has now crossed the 150 million monthly active user mark. If Facebook were a country, it would now be the 8th most populous in the world. From Inside Facebook.While many small business owners are still reluctant to jump into Facebook, surely gaining access to 150 million people on the web is nothing to scoff at!Granted a

Our Web Traffic Report Card for 2008

2009-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Now 2008 is over we can look back at website traffic for 2008 and compare with the previous year. And it looks great!Our flagship travel site aVirtualDominica.com had a total of 233,667 unique Visits (up from 173,157 in 2007). Page Views almost doubled, 807,771 (up from 467,217), and both the Avg. Time on Site (at 3:35 minutes) and the Pages per Visit (3.46) were up.Elsewhere on our network of

Broadband on the go

2008-12-29T16:35:00.001-08:00

For the business on the move, over on my personal blog I've reviewed Digicel's mobile broadband service. Finally there's an alternative to the C&W/LIME monopoly on high-speed broadband!http://steves-dominica.blogspot.com/2008/12/mobile-broadband-is-here.html

Tourmandu.com

2008-12-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

Of interest to our local tour operators is a new start-up, Tourmandu.com. It's a site for tour guides world wide, where tour ops can create a profile for free (sign-up is quick and easy.). Since it's new, and Dominica has no tour ops presently listed, it offers a chance to get into a potentially good idea from the beginning, and the extra exposure is always a help.

Bringing it all together, part 2

2008-12-23T03:13:00.001-08:00

I wrote recently about sites that bring your social networks together. This makes it easier for my friends to see what I'm up to. And saving time for me is why I've brought together all my e-mail accounts into GMail.So why should I run several Instant Messaging programs when I can combine all in one program? Pidgin http://www.pidgin.im/ does just that, allowing multiple IM accounts such as Yahoo

When your e-mail is hacked...

2008-12-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's a worse-case scenario, but increasingly common. Your e-mail is hacked. This article shows what you can do to minimise the impact, in the event.There's also a link to a Phishing Quiz, when you can test just how aware you are of those e-mails that lead to websites that steal personal data. I was pleased to score 100% on mine!

Facebook Pages v. Facebook Groups - Which is right for you?

2008-12-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Regular readers of our blog know that we've been promoting Facebook as a great social media site for small businesses to establish a presence (here and here). Traditionally, there have been two different ways of doing this - through a Page or a Group.With the rapid growth of the Facebook community that is upon us, we recommend creating a Facebook Page for your business, as it gives you more depth

Location, location, location

2008-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

This cruise ship season is set to be one of the biggest, certainly in terms of ship arrivals, so despite the economic downturn we have the potential to at least keep our heads above water. And as I watched a prime location store getting refurbished, I thought surely it'll be some kind of duty free or souvenir shop - you can see it right from the cruiseship berth. Turns out to be a tropical fish

Facebook Connect vs. Google Friend Connect

2008-12-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

Following my recent post on implementing Google Friend Connect on Visit-Dominica.com, this article discussesGFC and Facebook's version, FB Connect. For me the difference is simple - GFC took just 10 minutes to set up and get running on a real website.

Google Friend Connect meets Visit-Dominica.com

2008-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

We've implemented Google's new Friend Connect service on Visti-Dominica.com. This allows people to log-into their Google, Yahoo or OpenID account in order to post reviews of any of our listings, be it a hotel, a hike, even a business.We recognise people expect to interact with a website and this is a great way to do so! So sign in and post your reviews now.Read this for more about Google's Friend

Travel Marketing - Finding the Nuggets

2008-12-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Much of the information coming out of the travel industry news this week predicts doom and gloom for those of us in the tourism and hospitality industries. But as has been noted in an earlier blog post, there are reasons why we in Dominica can look at this as an opportunity.Further, I've gleaned a few shining nuggets out of this week's travel industry news. It only takes one or two good ideas

Our Facebook Page

2008-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

We've added a Delphis Ltd. page on Facebook to complement our existing presence. Join us!

"One of these days I'm going to get myself Analysed"

2008-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Apologies to "Taxi Driver", but I was reminded of the importance of the long-term use of Google Analytics, when a past client dropped their long-standing Analytics code for their site in a re-design. Bad move - losing years worth of data. Obviously it wasn't seen as important, and if you want just 5 reasons why it IS, read this! 5 tips for using Google Analytics

Testing times

2008-09-30T04:17:00.000-07:00

"With real incomes falling, house prices declining and unemployment rising it can't be long before households start to forego spending for saving to a more significant degree." And that's just the UK. What this means for our tourism industry is that we need to change focus. Firstly, your marketing dollar needs to work harder. If you still use brochures, no more lying around your office! Of

Blogjackers?

2008-09-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

I guess it had to happen. With every great innovation on the internet, it seems a 'dark side' inevitably emerges to take advantage of it.The latest trend is in hi-jacking personal data and potentially, your blog. Known as CookieMonster, this malicious software can trick your browser into giving up authentication codes, allowing it to access your user account settings on a website, and in some

Social Networks, Still Rising

2008-09-17T11:07:00.001-07:00

Social Networks are here to stay, no doubt about it. Savvy business owners know this and make an effort to get their businesses on FaceBook, MySpace, and other Social Networking sites.The graph below (by HitWise) shows the market share of social networks (blue line ) versus search engines (red line).HitWise.comSo get networking before your business gets left behind!

Site optimisation tips

2008-09-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

This article has some great tips for any website owner. For example:Content on the Homepage - I find that with a lot of B2B sites, there is a tendency to make the homepage flashy with a huge image taking up the entire "above the fold" portion of the page. Yet you have to remember, if this is the user’s first time to your site, they are looking for information and they are looking to find this

Reunion 2008 website relaunched

2008-08-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

We've just relaunched the official Reunion 2008 website. Though we're half way through the year, the best part of Reunion is yet to come, and this site, with it's focus on events, will be the place to go for definite information on what's happening, when.Check it out!

Facebooking your business

2008-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've just read a good article about how Facebook can help your business, and it mirrors my experience. Which is why I now recommend Facebook as much as I recommend a blog. Key points are that Facebook Pages, and to some extent Groups, are invaluable tools to promoting your business/brand. Full article is here.

Pulling your social networks together

2008-07-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

As you adopt the Web 2.0 approach to marketing your business (or just having fun) you may end up with a couple of blogs, a photo-sharing site, a Facebook/Linkedin profile, maybe some micro-blogging. Fortunately you don't have to send a friend half a dozen URLS to these pages.There's a growing number of sites that bring together - 'aggregate' - your social networks. I'm evaluating several:

Key to search engine success: give people what they want

2008-06-17T06:04:00.001-07:00

"What is the one big thing that Google, Yahoo, Live Search and all the rest are trying to do? Deliver relevant search results. That’s it. That’s why people use the search engines they prefer, because it helps them find what they’re looking for. If it doesn’t, they’ll switch to another search engine. And if that one works out, it will likely become their “go to” search engine of choice, and as

Firefox 3 is out

2008-06-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Although FF 3 isn't officially launched till Tuesday next week, I decided not to wait and got the beta, since the latest version is the final release.It's impressive; easy to install. The best aspect of FF3 is the better memory usage.Not all my extensions work, but they are being upgraded almost daily.In short - get it!

More on Windws Live Writer

2008-06-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am most impressed with Windows Live writer for handling multiple blogs (or even just one). I also love the 'Blog This' Firefox extension that lets you easily blog something of interest on a web page.Get it here

Help with multiple blogs

2008-06-10T15:55:00.001-07:00

If you do a lot of blogging, especially if you have several blogs and on different sites (Blogger, Wordpress), it can be a hassle switching 'identities'. I've just started to use Windows Live Writer. Once you set up all your blogs, it's a breeze to switch between them and post; it's also easy to format precisely since it's a WYSIWYG editor. And of course you can compose a post off-line. Get it

You've Got 10 Seconds...

2008-06-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the average website visitor spends 10 seconds on your page before making a decision about whether or not to keep reading?That is why it is essential to have your Landing Page fine-tuned to visitor expectations.What is a Landing Page? It is the webpage on your site that visitors reach after clicking on a Google AdWords Listing. Here are a few tips for creating a Landing Page

Google update

2008-05-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Once in a while Google re-jigs it's 'algorithm' that determines how results show. For some, it means a radical change in how one's site ranks, and I read a good article on how you can deal with it.In short, there's not a lot you can do! The 5 main points are:Don’t PanicKeep Your Site Well OptimizedPay Attention to the Search EnginesContinue to Refresh Your Keyword Basket(s) Be Patient You can

Dominica Blogging workshop

2008-05-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Today sees our Blogging for Community Tourism workshop! More to come...

Send LARGE Files, Easily!

2008-05-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had to send a 34 mb file to someone and just didn't know how to go about it?There are several websites that offer just such a service - for free. EatLime.com is one of them - and it's fast & easy.Just visit the Eat Lime website (http://eatlime.com) , click the "Add Files" button and browse to the file on your computer.The file upload begins immediately. You have two options on how

Time to back-up!

2008-05-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hands up: who hasn't backed-up their most important data in a week? No excuses accepted - you know your hard drive will fail sooner or later. Of course there's always the trusty option of burning a CD or DVD, but this requires you to remember to burn a copy. There are however several excellent online

If you've got a website, use it

2008-05-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

I'm just reading the DOMLEC annual report, noting they herald their new website as part of their 'information portfolio'. Ironically, none of the power outages of the last few weeks - and there have been many, including the last two days in a row - have appeared in their Outages calendar.

Website redesign tips

2008-04-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Every site owner and Webmaster has either contemplated or participated in a website redesign at some time in the history of their sites. Unfortunately the vast majority do not factor in the search engines and SEO when completing their website redesign. How many times have we seen people come to us after they have performed a site redesign only to see their search engine rankings tank?"So true -

Blogger v. WordPress

2008-03-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Now that business owners are becoming convinced that blogging is a good idea for their businesses, I am frequently asked the question," Which is better, Blogger or WordPress?"It's a very good question and my answer is that both have advantages.At Delphis Ltd, we currently run (or manage) 3 Blogger blogs and 4 WordPress blogs, so we're in a good position to compare the two. Of course, they're not

Millenia.dm Launched!

2008-03-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

A brand new website to help promote one of Dominica's newest businesses, Millenia Ltd., was launched today.Millenia is a full service Architecture-based Company including Engineering and Land Planning services. With offices in Dominica and St. Vincent, they will be serving both the local and regional markets.Visit Millenia's new website and see why Millenia slogan is to... Live Different.

A Blog Means Business

2008-03-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

More Blogging for BusinessMany people ask me why they should have a blog for their business. "Isn't a blog just for teenagers?" they query. The answer is an unequivocal NO.The Blog has become a very powerful e-marketing tool for businesses to present a personalised, up-to-date, and interactive environment to communicate with their customers.PersonalisedYou can give your customers a little more

The traffic pie chart

2008-02-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked 'What should the ideal website traffic sources pie chart be?' Overdependence on traffic from just search engines (and that really means Google) leaves a website vulnerable to any changes in the indexing algorithms.The ideal is a balance, but the key is to monitor the changes to the chart's percentages over time. Referring sites % low? Do a reciprocal links thrust for a

Why???

2008-02-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've never understood why web designers use javascript to force a user's browsers into a full window. It's not just annoying for the user, it's arrogant, suggesting the designer cares not about a user but about his own ego.Anyway, there is an easy fix - at least in FireFox. Just go into your options and disable Javascript from resizing your window. Shame it's taken this long to find, because I

Jungle Bay blog

2008-02-25T04:58:00.000-08:00

Good to see another client getting into blogging with their Adventure & relaxation at Jungle Bay blog.

Real estate blogging

2008-02-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

I was pleased to be able to set up a client's blog recently. Real Estate Caribbean will be a good way for them to focus on land & property opportunities in Dominica via the blog-sphere.

A Better Strategy for e-mail

2008-02-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Lifehacker's got some great tips for a better strategy regarding email. I particularly like #8:"Learn to make suggestions instead of asking questions. Stop asking for suggestions or solutions and start proposing them. Begin with the small things. Rather than asking when someone would like to meet next week, propose your ideal times and second choices. If someone asks, "Where should we eat?", "

Backup!

2008-02-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

For me it's been something of a Holy Grail: the perfect backup regime. But with high-speed always-on Net access it's never been easier to ensure your data's backed-up and safe. Because let's not forget Someone's First Law of Data: "it doesn't exist if there's only one copy of it."Anyway, there are several free online backup services available, and my fave is idrive.com. Free for up to 2 Gb, and

Web Pages That Suck

2008-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

...is like someone dragging their finger nails down a blackboard. There is some truly excruciating web design on show, and a lesson to be learned - if only 'always get someone to do a real critique of your new look before committing to a design'.But for a site that's about best practices in web design, I'm amused at their lack of a search feature. What would it take to have a 'search this site'

Blogging for small businesses

2008-02-05T04:18:00.000-08:00

It's still yet to really take off here - which is silly because it's so powerful a tool - but blogging for small businesses is discussed here. Look out for a Delphis workshop on blogging in the near future!

Postini tip

2008-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

I use Postini to pre-filter my e-mail for spam before it gets delivered to my e-mail client. A good tip is to sort by Subject. That way you'll see all the Russian spam together (usually first), and it also has the advantage of grouping same Subject messages together - and multiple e-mails from different senders with the same subject is a sure sign of spam!

Domain Tasting and Front Running

2008-01-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

'Domain Tasting' and 'Front Running' is a registrar - Network Solutions in this case - who will reserve a domain name because you've just searched for it. In doing so they force you to buy that domain from them! So either be prepared to buy immediately... or don't do a search using NetSol!

Customer Reviews Close the Deal

2008-01-23T05:22:00.000-08:00

If there was any remaining doubt as to the high value of customer reviews in getting your hotel more bookings, this has put it to rest:TripAdvisor Reviews Double Conversion RatesOnline shoppers who look at TripAdvisor hotel reviews on long-haul travel specialist Hayes & Jarvis site book trips at double the rate of online shoppers who have not seen the TripAdvisor reviews. Read full article at

Putting a price on free advertising

2008-01-20T04:41:00.000-08:00

Often, for all your efforts on paid advertising, it's the free publicity that surpasses it.We're very fortunate in Dominica to have a tourism product that carries with it an inbuilt 'wow' factor: our unspoiled natural beauty inspires so many people. So for all our efforts in the marketplace - trade shows, magazine adverts, online marketing, one good magazine article so often exceeds the exposure

Best Practices in Search Marketing

2008-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

More and more website owners are becoming involved in Search Marketing. It is a natural progression in the evolution of doing your business online.Search Engine Marketing, or SEM, is defined by Wikipedia as a form of Internet Marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in the Search Engine result pages (SERPs).Several years ago, many of our clients thought all they

Show me the stats!

2008-01-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

An e-mail was recently received by many locally about signing-up to a new regional tourism website. Closer inspection however showed the recommended fee was US$2,000. Well, you could donate as well. But it wasn't clear what you got for your money.The first rule of Internet Advertising is 'Ask about the traffic'. It's the beautiful thing about the web - all sites capture a wealth of traffic

Travel Search Insights

2008-01-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

"On average, customers make 12 travel related searches, visit 22 websites and take 29 days from the first time they search until they make a purchase..."From an interesting study on how people search for travel 'products'.Read more...

What the client wants....

2008-01-08T04:01:00.000-08:00

"Only downside for us was that whilst we were waiting for the whales to resurface (45 mins I think) they opened the punch and played the same tunes over and over, and very loud. The boat had several families aboard and no one was looking for a party boat, although they tried (and failed) to make it so."A comment that illustrates one of the flaws we so often see in our websites too - we want to

Hands up who hates PowerPoint presentations?

2008-01-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

And we've all been to terrible ones. And yet we all still do them.Here's a great article that suggests how, if you can't do without, to do a better presentation.

Driving traffic

2008-01-01T05:05:00.000-08:00

Today's the day I reset and archive the database that tracks click-throughs to client websites from our Big Two Dominica websites: Visit-Dominica.com and aVirtualDominica.com. Visit-Dominica.com sent 56,354 click-throughs to client websites, while aVirtualDominica.com sent a massive 211,877 click-throughs. Looked at the other way, a typical client website gets around 15% of their traffic from

Will buying Google keywords boost my organic listing?

2007-12-17T04:04:00.000-08:00

Simple answer: no, Google doesn't give your 'organic' (natural) listings a nudge just because you're spending money with them.The better answer though is that if you're spending money on Adwords, it should be a prerequisite that you look long and hard at your site content (especially for content relating to those keywords) before you run a campaign. In doing so, that optimisation will in itself

Webzine slideshow

2007-12-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

Watch a short slideshow of our new webzine!Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Webzine is launched

2007-12-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association launched the world's first destination web magazine today... Sign-up for our exciting Destination Dominica webzine now...

8 Reasons to Blog...

2007-12-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

Top reason to blog? This from VerticalResponse blog, of course! Search Engine Rankings Backlinking - The more you link back to your corporate domain you could get ranked higher in the search engines. Search engines like "backlinks" (for now anyway). Make sure you link from keywords that are meaningful in your posts. For instance if one of your keywords is "red lipstick" then link back to a page

e-marketing workshop

2007-12-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Presently preparing for tomorrow's e-marketing workshop. Here's the press release:The Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA) will sponsor an internetmarketing workshop titled “A Successful Approach to E-marketing", at theFort Young Hotel on December 5th at 9:30am. This initiative will coincidewith the launch of the new DHTA internet magazine or “webzine”. The DHTAinternet seminar will cover

Countdown to webzine

2007-12-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning see the launch of the Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association's exciting and innovative webzine, and we're still working hard on it. It's set to be the first of it's kind: a destination webzine.

Crap Site of the Month, November

2007-11-29T07:41:00.001-08:00

I recently visited the CONCACAF website - I wanted to find out when Dominica plays Barbados in a forthcoming World Cup qualifier.Nothing. No schedule. So maybe a date's not been set yet, but the website didn't even have a means of submitting a question. So for that they get the Crap Site of the Month award!Basically, they're telling us we're not worth interacting with.