Blog  |  Sitemap   
  

Friday, September 30, 2005

Ribas Publishes Usability Article

This past Monday I published a brand new article for my website titled "Creating A User-Friendly Website". As the name suggests, the article focuses in on website usability and why creating a user-friendly website is so important. The article offers some insightful commentary on the subject as well as some of my own personal suggestions and tips of how to create and maintain a more user-friendly experience.

This article was actually written to compliment my previous one, "Search Engine Friendly Design". I guess you can say that I wrote an addition or sequel to my earlier concept. In that article, I stated several facts about the importance of having a developed search engine friendly website, but had failed to mention usability and how creating a user-friendly focused website was just as important, if not more important, than creating one that was both visually pleasing and built for search engines.

All in all, this article should prove to be a very valuable resource for many. I really think I was able to put down some good stuff, as I tried to explain concepts and ideas that would benefit many readers with their search engine marketing efforts.

Further more, I would like to publicly acknowledge my editor (and love) Miss Jacquelyn Garifo, who helped me to organize and clarify my ideas. If not for her, I think you'd all be reading a 10 page article of my ramblings, both on and off the subject, instead of the very informative and straight-to-the-point piece that we published.

Jackie, your efforts in this project were greatly appreciated. You are indeed a very talented person.

Enjoy!

View My "Creating A User-Friendly Website" article.

 posted by Karl Ribas
Friday, September 30, 2005
Read Comments (0) | Post a Comment | Subscribe
                        

Friday, September 23, 2005

AOL: Up For Grabs

I have some interesting news to blog about this week, which I am sure you all have already heard about on some level or another. It appears that on Thursday of last week Microsoft began talks with Time Warner regarding a possible merger between AOL and MSN. This suggestive merger is speculated to be a counter to the very serious threat that Google poses in the portal and search market.

This week, in an attempt to stop a Microsoft takeover and to protect the almost $400 million in revenue that Google gets from its biggest partner, Google is speculated to try and counter Microsoft with a bid for American Online.

Google began providing search services for AOL in 2002, replacing Overture, which was later acquired by Yahoo! and just recently renamed Yahoo! Search Marketing. In 2003, Google and AOL broadened their agreement, as Google had agreed to pay AOL for every time someone clicks on one of its sponsored links. In 2004, AOL generated about 12 percent of Google's revenues, which as I stated above is somewhere in the neighborhood of $375 - $400 million.

With that, it only makes sense for Google to counter any offer that Microsoft may through at AOL. An offer may not only protect Google's revenues for a few years, but may also deny Microsoft's MSN the support it needs to become a bigger competitive threat in the search engine market.

 posted by Karl Ribas
Friday, September 23, 2005
Read Comments (0) | Post a Comment | Subscribe
                        

Friday, September 16, 2005

Google Unveils Blog Search

Everything as of late has been Google, Google, and Google, and this week on the Karl Ribas.com Blog will be no different. Google, a few days back, launched (in Beta of course) their long awaited blog search feature. This feature, deemed to go head-to-head with Yahoo!'s search technology, will give Google a little bit of an advantage as both compete in the booming blog market.

Google's new blog search feature is designed to not only find and index listings within it's own Blogger.com network, but actually go one step further and search blogs that publish feeds via RSS or Atom. As with all other Google's search properties, their spiders will no doubt be checking these feeds frequently for new content, which is definitely a great thing for blog readers like me.

What is it with blogs that attract people like us? Well, for me personally it's the straight to the point, no-room for bullshit commentary. Simply put, we have numerous options on how we can get the information we want or need. I, for one, prefer to read blogs, as opposed to online-newspapers, forums, message boards, or even email-newsletters, to get my dose of search engine marketing related information.

Blogs, pending on the author, are written in a casual, conversation-like way and deliver news and updates, but at the same can offer you the author's personal opinion. Where as online-newspapers or forums have to uphold a certain professional image and can only offer news and positive feedback. If something sucks... I want to know it sucks.

Anyway, going back to Google's blog search, the feature can be accessed at a couple of different places. If you interested in finding more blogs like mine, or those not related to search engine marketing check out search.blogger.com. In addition, miniature versions of the blog search engine have been added to the main Blogger.com Dashboard. Enjoy!

 posted by Karl Ribas
Friday, September 16, 2005
Read Comments (0) | Post a Comment | Subscribe
                        

Friday, September 09, 2005

Google Launches IM Service

About 2 or so weeks ago Google launched an instant-messaging program that allows text chat and computer-to-computer voice connections, a move that in my opinion will further highlight the search giant's increasing competition with Yahoo, Microsoft and America Online.

Google's IM service, titled Google Talk, resides in Beta and enables users to call or send instant messages to their "friends" for free--anytime, anywhere in the world. In addition to that, the program is linked to the Google's web-based e-mail program, Gmail, making email communication that much easier for its users.

When I first heard the rumors of this service a few months back, I thought to myself "How does Google plan to compete with the likes of MSN, Yahoo!, and AOL? How do they expect to go toe-to-toe, pound for pound with the already very popular and well-established instant messaging systems?" Nothing against Google, but aren't they a bit late to be entering the fight now?

Well apparently not. Google not only released the new beta version of Google Talk, but did so with an authority and a few surprises that are sure to lure loyal users and their millions of buddies away from established instant messaging applications. One advantage to using Google Talk is its ability to connect with users of competing services. The service is based on the Jabber open-source standard, which allows consumers to connect with other messaging systems that work with Jabber, such as Apple Computer's iChat, GAIM, Adium, Trillian Pro and Psi.

I did get a change to play around with Google Talk and found it to be very basic... which can be a good thing or bad pending on your IM expectations. I personally found it to be a very good thing. The messenger is free of advertisements (as of now anyway) and doesn't ask me to rate "buddies" based on their resemblance to famous people, like AOL does. It's just straight instant messaging and of course free voice chat.

Another aspect that I enjoyed is the user's ability to change how their buddies name appears in their list. My friends are constantly changing screen names and sometimes it's hard to remember who they are that week. Well this feature eliminates that problem by allowing you to change your buddies name from "Solid Snake" to "Karl Ribas."

So will Google Talk fly or will it die? It's probably a bit early to tell, but I believe that it's definitely going to soar. It packs some new innovative features and knowing Google, I'm sure there are a few more to come as newer version of the beta are released. Google will no doubt put up a good fight!

Dowload Google Talk

 posted by Karl Ribas
Friday, September 09, 2005
Read Comments (0) | Post a Comment | Subscribe
                        

Friday, September 02, 2005

The SEM Challenge

Something very interesting happened to me today and seeing how there really isn't too much going on in the Search Engine Marketing industry this week... I figured I would share it with you all.

As many of you know, I work for a Search Engine Marketing and Website Design company called All Web Promotion. In addition to that, I obviously maintain this blog and my own website, Karl Ribas.com, where I offer similar services as a Search Engine Marketing Consultant.

Michael Roebuck, the General Manager of All Web Promotion, also has a website where he too offers consulting services. In fact his website has been around for at least 2 - 3 years, and for the most part it has been very successful.

Last night when searching various SEM related keywords on various search engines, I noticed that I was ranking number 2 for the term "Search Engine Marketing Consultant" on MSN. Michael's website, Michael Roebuck.com, was ranked number 6. I, being the very arrogant search engine marketer that I am, figured that I should bring it to his attention and show him that my website, only 7 months old, was outranking his. His reply: "Well who searches MSN anyway?"

Obviously, he was joking, but wanted to make my accomplishment seem smaller than it really was. That comment enticed me to throw out a challenge that I would not only outrank his website for the term "Search Engine Marketing Consultant" in MSN, Google and Yahoo!, but I would do so while attaining positions in the top 30. He graciously accepted my challenge.

In the spirit of competition, and to make things interesting, we decided to place a friendly wager (not one that I am willing to share) on who's website would rank higher by Thanksgiving.

The term: Search Engine Marketing Consultant.
The Search Engines: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN

Now I am not going to lie... His website is a powerhouse against mine. It's been around a lot longer, has more incoming links, and has more search engine exposure than mine. But, I'm always up for a good challenge and am confident in my abilities as a search engine marketer.

With that, I am asking all of my readers who are interested in seeing me beat out my fellow All Webber (What we All Web Promotion people call each other) to please link to my main website using the following linking information:

---------------------------------------------
Title: Search Engine Marketing Consultant
Description: Karl Ribas, search engine marketing consultant, helps his client's to rank at the top of all the major search engines and directories while employing only proven, innovative, and widely accepted search engine marketing techniques.
Url: http://www.karlribas.com

Or, by copying and pasting the following snippet of HTML code:

<P><B><a href="http://www.karlribas.com">Search Engine Marketing Consultant</a></B><BR>Karl Ribas, search engine marketing consultant, helps his client's to rank at the top of all the major search engines and directories while employing only proven, innovative, and widely accepted search engine marketing techniques.</P>
---------------------------------------------

A link would be greatly appreciated!

----------------------------------------------
Click Here For An Update On This Post

 posted by Karl Ribas
Friday, September 02, 2005
Read Comments (1) | Post a Comment | Subscribe
                        

HOME  |  ABOUT ME  |  SERVICES  |  BLOG  |  ARTICLES  |  RESOURCES  |  CONTACT  |  PRESS RELEASES  |  SITEMAP
Search Engine Optimization  |  Pay Per Click Management  |  Yahoo! Store Website Design  |  Graphic Design Solutions

Copyright ©2004 - 2008, Karl Ribas - all rights reserved.