Month: March 2015

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Mobile-Friendly Designs for e-Newsletters

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Get on the advanced notification list.

I have been testing mobile designs for e-newsletters for my clients and am just about ready to roll out a new program. For those that are not using an e-newsletter yet, but are looking for a fairly inexpensive way to touch base with clients and build loyalty it is time to give an e-newsletter serious consideration.

With the advent of increased activity in the mobile space and the higher cost per click on AdWords, keeping your customer base alive and purchasing from you regularly makes a mobile-friendly e-newsletter a cost efficient solution for staying in touch.

Although many subscription management services have e-newsletter templates, not all have templates that are mobile friendly and all do not allow you to archive your own newsletter in html back on your own website for search engines.

It has been said that it is three time less expensive to build up sales with existing customers than it is to get a new customer. This is where e-newsletters are a great fit.

If you would like to be on our advance notice list of our program launch, please just contact us and we’ll make sure you get contacted.

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An Update on My Predictions for 2015

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What has already come to pass?

Well, I was right when I predicted what would happen in 2015 back on December 22, 2014… well at least for several items so far. You can read my full set of predictions for 2015 in this December blog post.

I predicted these things would be hot for 2015 and some are coming to pass right now:

1. The Mobile Web and Google
My prediction: This whole next year expect to see more activity from Google in regards to refining how websites are ranked based on mobile friendliness. If you at the minimum do not have a DudaMobile website to turn you not so friendly mobile site into one that Google will like, now’s the time to make that move. Better yet is to invest in rebuilding your website using a responsive design which will serve you better in the long run.

Update:
Google announced this past month that on 4-21-15 they will drop website listings from their mobile search index that are not Google approved “mobile friendly”. What came out this month as well is that Google does not have a separate mobile index and so appears to simply be massaging data to return mobile results. The next big question will be – will not having a mobile friendly site affect my regular desktop and tablet results on Google.com. On that issue, I am not prepared to make a prediction just yet.

2. Mobile Pay Will Be Hot
My prediction: As all merchants will need to upgrade their swipe terminals to accept the new SIM card personal identifier in credit cards, I predict that there will be greater use of mobile payments with Apple Pay and Softcard.

Update:
I have been vindicated that Mobile Pay or Contactless Pay as it is known is very hot. In fact, Softcard was purchased in March by Google and the technology is being rolled into Google Wallet. I expect to see a much bigger push on Google Wallet this next year. Apple Pay has rolled out and more users are embracing tapping their smartphone to pay at checkout. This is a growing trend and one I expect to see even more announcements come out as the year goes on.

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How Do I Fix my Mobile Problem for Google?

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Need Help Fixing Your Mobile Issue with Google?

If you have received a notice from Google that your website is not mobile friendly and yet you do not have the budget right now to rebuild your website AND you don’t want to lose traffic after 4-21-15, what can you do?

There are a few services available that will scan your existing site and allow you to drag and drop files in their editor to make a responsive website. Even web hosts have gotten into the action with website templates that are integrated into their hosting platforms.

Although these simplified templates do not allow for a rich, interactive, and custom site, they are good alternatives that are relatively easy albeit fairly time consuming to work with.

Some sites that you may want to check out if you are a do it yourselfer are: DudaMobile – has mobile friendly as well as responsive designs WIX – just be careful of the design as not all are really responsive. Shopify has some nice designs to consider Webflow is even a consideration.

Of course if you want greater control over your design and content, or simply do not have enough time to do this yourself, we have a very nice turnkey program for responsive websites for you to check out and try out online.