Google Maps - A free advertising opportunity

You have probably heard of Google Maps and might have even used it to look for a specific business or to find an address. However, have you actually listed your business there?

Google is offering you the chance to advertise the physical location of your business for free. When you register, a map will appear of your home city along with a marker identifying your business location with a comments ‘balloon’ that provides directions, a contact telephone number, fax, web address and email address.

Once online registration is complete, Google sends you a letter by post with a unique code that is used to confirm and verify your physical business location. You log on to Google Maps, input the code and presto, you're listed.

Why consider Google Maps:

• It won't cost you a thing - you can create and display a business listing for free.
• Once your address is fully verified you have full control over your listing. You can add or delete non-address information at will.
• You'll reach qualified prospects - there's a very good chance that lots of people are currently searching on Google Maps for the products and services you offer. Why not make it easy for them to find you?
• You can offer coupons for free - displayed in your listing on Google Maps. Coupons can reward loyal customers and attract new ones. (USA only at the moment)
• You have full control over your listing - With Google Maps; you don't have to worry about publishing deadlines or outdated content. After Google verifies your address, you can edit your listing whenever you like. You'll see your changes reflected in the search results within six weeks.
• You can add all of your business locations from a single account
• You can manage listings for businesses of any size - Whether you have one business location or one on every block, you can manage your listings from a single account. (If you have more than ten locations, you can make updates by sending Google a data file.)

Google Maps Example – Edinburgh Zoo

In terms of organic search engine optimisation, Google has not indicated if being listed on Google Maps will have any impact on the visibility of your website. However, you never know if this might change in the future.

To register follow this link for Google Maps.

Do you have a Google Account?

The Google search engine is the most popular in the United Kingdom and in order to stay on top Google is offering a whole host of add-ons to keep the customers happy.

Google accounts allow you to unlock the world of Google. With just your email address and chosen password, you can access numerous Google services, including some of the following:

• Froogle - a free shopping directory. Something you have to consider if you have an e-commerce website as it is free to list your products.
• Google base - a place where you can post content about your company, product and services. By listing your company here can impact on you visibility on Google web search.
• Google calendar – create appointments and share them online with colleagues.
• Google mail – Fantastic web based email product.
• Google images - searches purely for photos or image files.
• Google video – The world’s first open, online video marketplace.
• Google spreadsheets – store your spreadsheets on the web for others to access and update.
• Google analytics – software that allows you to analyse the performance of your website in detail.
• Google talk – make telephone calls over the Internet to your friends for free.
• Google earth – marketed as “a globe that sits inside your pc. Zoom into a satellite image of anywhere in the world and then fly along to your next destination.
• Picasa – free software that allows you to find, edit and share images

Our favourite is the ability to customise the Google Desktop with content that you’re interested in such as the latest BBC news, RSS feeds or celebrity gossip. This is a great way to keep you up to date on what is happening in the world, as the Google Desktop updates on a daily basis.

The best thing about Google accounts? They are free.

Google launches Google Apps for Your Domain

Google launches Google Apps for Your Domain Business Services

Google Apps for Your Domain lets you offer communication and collaboration tools to your entire organisation — customisable with your branding, colour scheme and content through the administrative control panel, and with no hardware or software to install or maintain.

To get started, you have to sign up at this location - Google Apps for Your Domain. Thereafter, your domain is approved; you'll be able to access the Google Apps for Your Domain control panel to:

• Create user accounts
• Select the services you would like to activate i.e. Google Mail, Google Calendar etc

That's it — there's no complicated hardware or software to worry about. Users can go online to start using these hosted services.

Google Site Maps

What Are Google Site Maps
Google offers a fantastic new tool called Google Site Map or Webmaster Tool that allows you to tell Google what WebPages from your site you would like to include in its index. The idea of the Google Site Map is to make your website more Google Friendly i.e. for their search bots to index your website.

How does Google See your Website?
By creating a Google Site Map, you get an idea of how Google crawls and indexes your site! You can tell Google which pages of your website are the most important and how often they change. Additionally, Google will tell you about any specific problems they have experienced when accessing your website.

Google Site Map are easy to create by using simple text editors such as notepad or by creating one using XML. There are a number of free online tools that will create both TXT or XML site maps for you. Unfortunately, we can't recommend any to you but we found this one really interesting and it is worth checking out - XML Sitemaps.com.

Thereafter, upload your site map to your web server and verify it by adding a simple Google file! That's it, your done!

The added bonus is that Google Website Maps are Free! So get one now!

Why Web Accessibility is so Important

We at Com.Motion Consulting have had many questions on the subject of Website Accessibility, so we thought we would take some time to explain what it is and why it is important.

What is Website Accessibility?
Website Accessibility is providing unhindered access to your organizations website for disabled users online. For example, website owners may and should consider the following disabilities.

• Visual – Users of the web, who are blind, color blind or have poor eyesight
• Motor - Users of the web who have problems using a mouse or keyboard.

Why is it important?
Website accessibility is important is because there are over 10 million disabled people in the UK who by law should have unrestricted access to your website. From an ethical and a business point of view, it makes sense to take steps to address accessibility issues with your website.

Website accessibility can and should be seen as a huge opportunity for organisations to make their websites, products and services available to an audience of potential customers who do not have access at this time. By meeting accessibility standards, organisations are covering themselves legally, disabled users will be able to browse their website and they are potentially capturing new customers as a result.

The Law
Website accessibility is important because it is a legal requirement that organisations should be aware of and should be catering for on their organisations websites. The law requires organisations to make online information accessible to disabled people i.e. "reasonable steps” to make sure that you website is accessible to all.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - Consider the these Guidlines
Priority 1 (A) – Your website must satisfy this checkpoint otherwise some groups of people will find it impossible to access the content on a web site and it i.e. A compliant

Priority 2 (AA) - Web Developers should satisfy this checkpoint otherwise one or more groups will find difficult to access information on a website. The British Government is aiming for Level AA on its own sites i.e. AA compliant

Priority 3 (AAA) - If Web developers satisfy these checkpoints the majority of users will be able to access most of the information on a website.

Please click on the link below that provides a report from the Disibility Rights Commission on web accessibility for disabled users.

• The Web - Access & Inclusion for Disabled People

What should and can you do?
There is a wealth if information freely available on website accessibility and as a starting point, check out the W3C Website Accessibility Imitative website (WAI). The WAI has developed a range of literature, strategies and guidelines to assist you with your web accessibility issues.

• WAI - Introduction to Website Accessibility
• WAI - Guidlines & Techniques
• WAI - Quick tips to make Accessible Websites

Additional Information on website accessibility can be found at the following websites.

• Royal National Institute of the Blind
• Section 508.gov (USA)

Website Accessibility Cases
Have a look at this website accessibility cases involving Bruce McGuire and the Sydney Olympics Committee.

• Bruce McGuire’s Case & Sydney Olympics

Website Accessibility is a huge area and cannot be covered in one article. If you have any further question or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us directly at Com.Motion Consultancy. If we don’t know the answer we will be able to refer you to someone who does.

Links

• Google News


• Seo Hints & Tips


• Com.Motion Consulting