As of December of 2011, Google Chrome is the second most used browser, falling only behind Internet Explorer in popularity. With over 25% of user across all platforms using it, it might be of benefit to spend a little time looking at ways to take better advantage of it. So, get a cup of coffee (or Diet Coke), check for all available updates, and then go to The Always Up-To-Date Power User’s Guide To Chrome.

This guide, put together by the fine folks over at LifeHacker, will help you get this most of what is fast becoming the web’s most powerful browser.  The text and videos include:

• Interface Tips and Tricks
• The Most Time-Saving Shortcuts
• Customize Chrome’s Settings
• Enhance Chrome’s Functionality with Extensions
• Master Chrome’s Secret Features

A few minutes spent review the tips and tricks in this guide could really make your time spent with Chrome more productive.  Oh, and if you want to see my shiny chrome, just check out Catherine.

www.angeloakpet.com

Last week saw the launch of another DesignTechWeb featured website.

Replacing an older site, Angel Oak Animal Hospital needed an updated design that would be easy to maintain, and within their small business website budget. Using some stock photos and personalized images from the staff, DTW worked with the business owners to develop a design that was stylish and yet flexible, with expansion options that would meet their needs for the future.

The site ties in the practice’s Facebook presence, and also begins them on the road to developing their website as a communications tool with their clients, with a strong blogging platform and RSS feeds.

Attendance is free, there is free food, door prizes, and great conversation!

The slides from the presentations are posted on SlideShare.

First, realize that your Google+ page will not have a recognizable URL. Instead of the pretty URL like Facebook gives you (after a certain number of “likes”), you will have something like https://plus.google.com/b/117917786821926763293. In addition, there can be multiple pages with the same company or organization name. What this means is that there actually is no big rush because no one can sit on your name. Unlike a dot-com name where only one can exist, there really is no limit to the number of “Acme Company” pages that might exist. The real downside to this is that it is going to create confusion when Google+ users are looking for you – how will they know which page is really you? To deal with this, when you create your page, make sure that you brand it consistently with your company, that you put in your one true company URL and that you provide lots of clues, like location and 10 word tagline, as to who you are. This will help searchers quickly spot you by logo, by location or tagline.

Second, the ownership and management of a Google+ page can not be transferred from the person who originally created it. At this time, it cannot even be shared. Until Google changes this it is extremely important to consider who creates the page. You will want a generic company email tied to the page. If you have a marketing firm create the page with their email, and then you part ways with that firm, the page would legally be theirs. The same would be true if it was created by an employee with their own email and then they were fired. So be careful.

Finally, a company page can not circle or follow, or even tag or mention, a person until that person has included them in a circle. This is to keep companies from spamming people. You will need to get people to follow your company by promoting your page through your website and emails and by personal recommendation within personal Google+ circles.

There are obviously many more things to consider when setting up your page for your business or organization, and this will be a constantly changing and evolving platform. We will do our best here at DesignTechWeb to keep you up to date and let you know about important developments. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions and let us know where we can help.

Swallowtail Architecture and Design

Swallowtail Architecture & Design is a new firm with offices in both Charleston and Toronto. We were happy to work with them to come up with a design that portrayed the elegant style that want to portray in all their work. As the company grows the site will be expanded to include a client portal for ongoing collaborations, a project management component, and a gallery.

Advertisers that work with keyword phrases use search engine optimization techniques to ensure that they are getting the most out of a particular keyword phrase, and drawing the type of visitors that they are looking for, which are those who are also looking for that particular keyword, and want information or may complete the action that is the main goal of the advertiser. This means that the keyword phrase may be used in the title of the web page, as well as the heading and in the first few lines of text. Another way advertisers use keyword phrases is to change them slightly. If using the blue carrot shoes example from before, advertisers would use different version of it, such as “carrot shoes”, “blue carrot shoe”, and “blue carrot-shoes”. By working with keyword phrases and variations of a particular keyword phrase, the advertiser can be certain that they will get more hits pertaining to that one particular keyword phrase.

Visitors to search engines that use keyword phrases are generally using them to search for something on the Internet. Whether the visitor just wants information on blue carrot shoes, or simply wants to know where to buy a pair, the search query will bring back pages that match what is typed into the search bar. Using precise keyword phrases will bring the visitor to the search engine exactly what he or she is searching for with a minimal amount of time spent looking through the search engine results page. When a visitor uses a precise keyword phrase, he or she will spend less time looking at unrelated information, and will even be exposed to the advertisements of those advertisers who bid for those particular keyword phrases.

Keyword phrases that are used in Meta data are no longer frequently used by search engines to index pages that have to do with that particular topic. Major search engines such as Google no longer look for keyword phrases in the Meta data, and are more apt to use the information within the actual text of the web page. Listing the keyword phrases in the Meta data does not do any harm though, but is completely up to the website to whether they will use keyword phrases in the Meta data.

Tools

• SEO Book Generator Tool

With the amount of banking, purchasing and general logging in that goes on via the Internet these days, it is imperative that you keep not only your web browser up-to-date, but also the plugins and add-ons such as the Java engine, your PDF reader, and even Flash. Of course we would also recommend that you use the most secure web browser available. While Internet Explorer is getting much better, we personally believe in Google Chrome.  Not only is it secure and fast, but it is cross platform and integrates well, obviously, with Google services such as GMail and Picasa.

So, while you are updating your operating system and your anti-virus software (you do that, don’t you?) don’t forget to stay current with all the other systems. Remember, it is no good having great tires if your brakes don’t work!

And then how about that Facebook then? Will be people be transferring allegiances to Google+ when the dust settles? Can the developed world support two social networks??

Being fans of someecards.com, DTW has been looking over there for the big answers. Here are our picks … and, answers? We don’t know. But maybe you’ll enjoy a smile.

thanks to someecards.com