Launched in September 2005, Yahoo! Site Explorer allows many SEOers to see data information on a large number of websites, especially sites analytics of competitors. With the closing of this functionality on 21th Nov 2011, the SEO community is sure to be depressed. Yet the biggest headache is there is no such an equivalent function after the completion of algorithmic transition from Yahoo! Site Explorer to Bing.
Although many experts working in Bing said that they would soon add as many new features as possible, our users still find Bing currently does not present the useful information that Yahoo had once offered to us (competitors back links especially ). The reason to me should be Bing still has much room to improve their competitor analysis function.
Okay, since Yahoo! Site Explorer is gone, there is no need to moan about it. Instead, we should sincerely thank Yahoo for having offered us this service for 6 years and in the meantime, let’s wait and see if Bing Webmaster Tools will combine YSE service in the near future or not!
Here are some of FAQ Yahoo has posted on their official blog site:
Does it mean that I don’t have to optimize for Yahoo! and Bing Search engines separately in the future?
That is correct. We anticipate that later this year, Yahoo!’s organic results will be powered by Microsoft’s search platform in all parts of the world. After that point, any optimization that you do on Bing Webmaster Center tool will be reflected in Yahoo! organic search results.
Will the Site Explorer APIs be shut down?
The APIs were scheduled to be shut down at the end of last year, but the timeframe has been extended for the YDN Site Explorer API up until September 15, 2011.
Note: For BOSS Site Explorer APIs shut down information, scheduled for July 20, 2011, please see this April 2011 blog post.
Will Yahoo! continue to crawl my website?
Although the organic results will be powered by Microsoft Search platforms, Yahoo! will continue to innovate on the search experience beyond the services delivered by Microsoft. In order to provide Yahoo! users with an amazing search experience, our slurp crawlers may continue to selectively crawl websites to help support these efforts.
Instead of spending huge amount of money on expensive vacations to chill yourself down, why not buy this portable, low cost, convenient Tension-Relief Acupressure Head and Eye Massager?
It is designed with multi-direction of airbag which will press around the head area and comes with acupuncture points on the top area. It helps enhance blood circulation, remove eye fatigue and improve eyesight. The multi-point acupuncture on the top and rear area of head increases the oxygen exchange function of the brain, eliminates pain and tension on head, and brings relaxation to the whole body.
To further relieve you from your stress, it even comes with eight different types of extremely soothing music for you to choose from, including chirping birds, sea waves, flowing water in the forest at night, and more. The mesmerizing music will take you back to nature and soon all your troubles will be melt away, and you fall into the most restful sleep you’ve ever had.
Heading for a business trip out of town? You can easily pack this portable Massager in your suitcase and use it after a meeting – or even use it on the train! In fact, powered by four AA batteries, this handy massager can be used on various occasions when you need to take a break.
As we all know the biggest news that happened in the US Silicon Valley last month was that Apple Inc Co-Founder and former CEO Steve Jobs resigned because of his declining health.
Admittedly, his departure marks the end of an era. All the successes of his entire life have been due to innovative thinking and achievements, which in turn have helped Steve Jobs to create a lasting legacy.
Fundamentally, Jobs’ products have transformed the whole design culture of the world in the areas of computer technology, art and telecommunication,etc.
Below are Steve Jobs’ eight most significant products which incorporate beautiful and user friendly designs into Apple’s high-end technology.
1. Apple II (1977)
The Apple II was designed by Steve Wozniak and then mass produced by Apple Company in 1977. It is the first computer made with a plastic shell exterior.
2. Macintosh (1984)
The invention of the Apple Macintosh is a huge achievement, created by both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It is a consumer computer equipped with a mouse and graphical user interface which provided much more convenience when inputting data.
3. Pixar (1986)
Pixar is not a product. It was originally a small animation studio that Jobs bought from LucasFilm in the following year after he was fired by Apple in 1985. “Toy Story”, a well known animated movie that succeeded in winning three Academy Awards in 1995,brought success to Mr Jobs and his Pixar studio an important platform on the entertainment industry.
4. Mac OS X (2001)
X is a Roman number for ten; it is the 10th version of Apple core operating system. The multi-function feature has a lot in common with iOS which is native operating system found on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
5. iTunes (2001)
If you have iTunes, then you have everything you need to be entertained. It provides people with a convenient way of downloading content such as new music and applications easily and automatically.
6. iPod (2001)
The introduction of the iPod not only marked a historic turning point but forever changed people’s habit of listening music.
7. iPhone (2007)
iPhone is arguably the most significant victory that Apple Inc has achieved so far. We all know that iPhone has four generations and each of them always attracts very strong demand! Anticipation for the iPhone 5 is intense.
8. iPad (2010)
By the end of 2010, the iPad accounted for 75% of the tablet market, leading to yet another incredible outcome for Apple Inc.
US mobile marketing trends show, according to internet marketing research company comScore, a rising trend in Android devices whereas RIM Blackberry has recently seen its market volume on a sharp decline. Meanwhile, Apple is unaffectedly and stably keeping its position on the mobile market. However, despite the new iPhone 4S coming out very soon, the dissatisfaction with the not-so-innovative device will only help Apple’s worth slightly increase in the near future.
In August of 2011, Android accounted for 43.7% of the smartphone share in the US, which means it has captured 36,900,000 people among the 84,500,000 US smartphone users. Their popularity is no surprise as the average monthly growth for Android devices has climbed by 5.6% each month on average, in comparison to Apple jumping from 26.6% market share to only 27.3% over the past few months. Both Android and Apple grew, however, at the expense of RIM, which decreased from 24.7% to 19.7%.
However, how can Android enjoy such a huge growth period while consumers all over are crazy for the iPhone? Well, we owe this to Apple’s stance on its new phones. Not only are they priced far above what many can afford, the lack of news regarding new iPhones is also angering many. Apple launched their Verizon series iPhone in March without introducing much about its next phone so when Apple released the iPhone4S, we were all waiting for the iPhone 5.
In the end, how long can you wait for the iPhone? Not long, apparently, as indicated by the booming Android popularity. But if Apple had mass produced a great variety iPhone with different pricing levels, the situation on the mobile market would have been quite different now.
It is great to see that Google launched the newest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Google says that Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus would be chosen as the first smartphone equipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to meet us in Nov 2011. The theme of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is termed by Google of being simple,beautiful, and beyond smart.
Here are parts of improvements and new features that Ice Cream Sandwich includes, which are aiming to make life easier and people become more connected:
1. Notification: It’s more enchanted, elegant and richer.
2. Recent apps and multi-tasking: It allows you simultaneously perform more on your phone. And you can also see which apps you’ve recently used.
3. Face unlock: You will easily unlock your cell phone by simply looking into the front camera. It’s cool, huh?
4. Single-motion panoramic camera: Coming along with life effect feature, the camera lets you try various apps including the panoramic mode before you taking a picture. Google explained, “When taking pictures, continuous focus, zero shutter lag exposure, and decreased shot-to-shot speed help capture clear, precise images.”
5. Quick responses: You are able to quickly create some responses and SMS to turn down an annoying incoming call.
6. Data Usage: Through Android’s settings, you are now allowed to view how much data you’ve used at the recent time.
7. Android Beam: This is one of the most glorious features I’ve ever seen. With the respectively built-in near-field-communication technology in two Android phones, you may touch two phones back to back and then powerfully transfer data like articles, maps etc without turning on Bluetooth.
What has been happening online that affects resellers? There is some news about eBay and paypal that is interesting, so read on to see how it affects you…
eBay has surprising results
eBay has had a terrific Q4 in terms of sales despite the generally depressed economy. Indeed, eBay CEO John Donahoe stated:
Europe performed well, but eBay UK is leading the way with growth accelerated and significantly outperforming the general ecommerce growth in the UK. Across the entire UK site, sold items grew 25% in Q4 and the value of all items sold was up 19%.
eBay’s Christmas deals sales were up a massive 170% from the previous quarter. The focus on must-have toys, consumer tech and fashion items along with price comparisons and generally the lowest prices available, has paid off. Fashion is also an important contributor, with eBay claiming faster than ecommerce growth in Q4. Sales of clothes, shoes and accessories were 10% above the UK market average.
Quote from Tamebay
For gadget resellers I think the important points here are that:
- Online selling is on the rise despite the bad shape of the economy
- Consumer tech is one of the popular categories pushing forwards this growth – that’s what Chinavasion supply you with!
- Low prices are important too – again, another one of Chinavasion’s hallmarks!
Of course this large increase is specifically in the UK, although Europe’s sales improved too, however I think that all gadget resellers around the world should take heart that their business seems to be recession-proof!
Paypal news
It’s now possible to withdraw money from Paypal and automatically put it into your bank every day! Just activate the ’settlement withdrawal service’ and then you can click on the ‘withdraw’ tab at the top of the page to select this payment.
Hopefully with this feature there’ll be no need to wait for ages to get your hands on your hard-earned cash in the future!
As you know, it’s possible to do almost everything with your smartphone now, so it’s probably time to get on board with the Paypal app. It’s quite simple – you can pay and do everything you normally do with Paypal, but when you’re on the move! Easy!
With all of this fuss about Tablets I thought it was time that we looked at…
Won’t say you haven’t seen them, those enticing slabs of tech loveliness that people are holding on the bus, metro or office. I bet you’ve been curious to see what they’re actually like to use and play with! Since Apple launched the iPad, tablet sales have gone through the roof! But there’s a new kid in town, the Android tablet! So in this blog we’re going to look at why we need an Android tablet now. Read on to see why…
If you’re wondering which cool Android tablet I’m featuring in the following blog, it’s the Eximus 7 Inch Android Tablet, but more on that later…
Why A Tablet?
Laptops and netbooks aren’t dead, yet. These guys, especially laptops, give you the power and platform to actually get on with work and multitask numerous memory-hungry programs whilst on the move. But to say that if you had a laptop or netbook so you’d never need a tablet would be wide of the mark these days! Tablets are ideal for today’s internet-driven world where our lives are increasingly arranged online. They are the ideal portal to on-the-move web browsing, email checking and social media status updating.
Size – Tablets are smaller than netbooks and laptops, but larger than smartphones. Therefore they occupy an area which makes them very portable, yet with large enough screens to watch videos and browse the web without risking eyestrain. They typically feature screens from 5″ up to the iPad’s beefy 9.7.” Personally I’ve always been a critic of the iPad’s size as it’s my personal belief that it’s a little unwieldy and too ’square’ to put in your bag or handbag. I feel a 7″ screen is the best all-round solution due to their ‘handy’ size.
Power – Though not as powerful as a laptop, tablets are approaching the power of netbooks and in some cases surpassing them! This means that they have more than enough grunt to deal with movies, TV, music, ebooks and surfing the net without being as power-hungry as laptop pcs. You’re looking at a CPU of around 700MHz to 1GHz in order to have solid performance.
Style – Lets face it, we don’t only buy gadgets for their functionality anymore. The ‘wow factor’ is also important and, believe me, there’s no hotter gadget than an Android tablet today! I think there’s something quite seductive about holding such a substantial, solid slate and swishing through your apps and videos with just the flick of your wrist…
The cool thing is that it’s big enough for you to pull out and ’share’ with friends too. Hence your tablet will draw attention to you and (could) make you more popular with the opposite sex! Better start practicing your chat up lines now guys…
Why Android?
Android has just overtaken Apple’s OS in terms of users so it must be doing something right. I’ve spoken at length about the merits of Android before, but if I had to give you why it’s so good in a nutshell I would say that it gives the user the complete PC experience of customisation and choosing one’s own applications that they’ve grown used to, but in their phone or tablet!
Let’s look at some of the main reasons WHY Android is so cool:
- Multitasking – long the preserve of women, now Android has got in on the task! Basically Android allows you, like with a pc, to have your apps open and running in the background whilst you do other things. This means that you could listen to tunes, receive mail and be downloading stuff without keeping any of these apps ‘open.’
- Customisation – Android is very customisable. From your home screen all the way to the version of Android that you’re running, everything can be tuned, tweaked and updated. The home screen is good, because like in windows you can place whichever ‘widgets’ there that you like. these act as shortcuts to your favourite apps. Android is open source, so anyone can use it for free. Therefore there are many new versions popping up. Don’t like yours? Download and install a different ‘flavour’ which may be more to your liking!
- Android Marketplace – This is particularly cool. Anyone can make apps for Android and they’re not censored and cherry picked like with Apple’s app store, so if you want an app you’ll be sure to find exactly what you’re looking for here!
- Social Network And Google Integration – Android is Google’s baby and it will link directly with your Google account. Why is this cool? Your Gmail account can be automatically synched with your phone giving you email immediately. Pictures that you take can be instantly uploaded to Flickr and your device can even be linked to your Facebook account to allow posts, pictures and contacts to be shared in real time.
- Android Is Compatible With So Much Hardware – Because Android is open source any manufacturer can use it. This allows you to choose whichever device, be it tablet or smartphone, suits your needs and budget. Let’s look at it another way; if you want an Apple tablet you’ve got to have an iPad. Don’t want an iPad? Tough.
So if you want a cool tablet that you can upgrade and customise to your heart’s content (and why wouldn’t you?) then it’s simply got to be an Android tablet!
Not sure which one is for you? Say hello to your next tablet, the Eximus – Android 2.1 Tablet with 7 Inch Touchscreen and WiFi
A portable experience like no other: Everything just became a lot easier with the Eximus 7 Inch Android Tablet. Browse the internet using WiFi, watch videos on YouTube, read ebooks, send emails, chat over Skype, play your favorite games – do whatever you want, when you want. Thanks to the 800×480 resolution and crystal clear 7 inch touch screen, all the details look more beautiful and crisp than ever – a true feast for your eyes.
Powerful enough for everything: Haven’t heard of Android? It’s only the most popular operating system in the world and includes true multi-tasking, widgets, and many more features that can’t be found anywhere else. It also comes packed with convenient applications such as email, YouTube, Skype, MSN, and of course the official Google Marketplace, which is home a huge selection of third-party applications for any purpose – work, personal, or entertainment. Best of all, with the Eximus running on Android 2.1, you can be sure everything will work on this baby.
High quality, low price: With a powerful 720MHz processor and 256MB of RAM, the Eximus 7 Inch Android Tablet will easily keep up with your every action and command. Programs load faster, games play smoother, and you can feel the difference in quality and know that you have a top-of-the-line device in your hands. Best of all, this affordable Android Tablet is the best bang for your buck today and brought to you at a factory-direct price that can’t be matched. How do we do this? By cutting out the middle man and selling to you factory-direct with no markup and no extra fees! At the time of publication this awesome Android tablet can be yours for just over US$100! You can’t say fairer than that!
So are you ready to embrace the future? If so then hop along to Xtronics and there you can check out all of our latest Android tablets and much more besides!
What has been happening online that affects resellers? There is some news about eBay and paypal that is interesting, so read on to see how it affects you…
eBay has surprising results
eBay has had a terrific Q4 in terms of sales despite the generally depressed economy. Indeed, eBay CEO John Donahoe stated:
Europe performed well, but eBay UK is leading the way with growth accelerated and significantly outperforming the general ecommerce growth in the UK. Across the entire UK site, sold items grew 25% in Q4 and the value of all items sold was up 19%.
eBay’s Christmas deals sales were up a massive 170% from the previous quarter. The focus on must-have toys, consumer tech and fashion items along with price comparisons and generally the lowest prices available, has paid off. Fashion is also an important contributor, with eBay claiming faster than ecommerce growth in Q4. Sales of clothes, shoes and accessories were 10% above the UK market average.
Quote from Tamebay
For gadget resellers I think the important points here are that:
- Online selling is on the rise despite the bad shape of the economy
- Consumer tech is one of the popular categories pushing forwards this growth – that’s what Chinavasion supply you with!
- Low prices are important too – again, another one of Xtronics’s hallmarks!
Of course this large increase is specifically in the UK, although Europe’s sales improved too, however I think that all gadget resellers around the world should take heart that their business seems to be recession-proof!
Paypal news
It’s now possible to withdraw money from Paypal and automatically put it into your bank every day! Just activate the ’settlement withdrawal service’ and then you can click on the ‘withdraw’ tab at the top of the page to select this payment.
Hopefully with this feature there’ll be no need to wait for ages to get your hands on your hard-earned cash in the future!
As you know, it’s possible to do almost everything with your smartphone now, so it’s probably time to get on board with the Paypal app. It’s quite simple – you can pay and do everything you normally do with Paypal, but when you’re on the move! Easy!
Web 2.0. Social networking. Social media. Are these words that make your head spin? How can you use them to your online store’s benefit? If you’re reselling online then here’s why you need to pay attention to these very valuable resources and how to take advantage of them…
It seems almost everyone has joined the social revolution which is online social networking. Indeed, in these days of Web 2.0 where we can shape the internet as we see fit (think about your Facebook page, Youtube channel etc ~ they are yours and yours alone, no two are the same) there is an explosion of business opportunities, especially when it comes to marketing.
In this blog we’re going to look at social networking, media and the internet and how getting involved can really help market your business and boost sales!
Who’s On Board?
The more mud you throw, the more will stick! It’s similar with marketing your online store believe it or not. One important task is to let as many people know about your store as possible, but the internet’s a big place so how can you make sure that your marketing time is well spent? Market where the people are, and that means social networking sites!
Let’s look at some information regarding social networking:
- Social networks help people stay in touch and are usually free to use, they’re therefore very popular and unlikely to go anywhere soon.
- They are a Godsend for online resellers looking to grow their contact base as there are millions of people in one place.
- Social networks can really help online resellers with CRM (customer relationship management) as they offer a free platform for you to give customers any information and for them to contact you.
- If you’re selling online then chances are you will have overseas customers. Social networking gives you a great, free way to keep in touch with them or even to find new, foreign suppliers without expensive phone bills!
- If you have the cash then paying for advertising space on social networking sites could reach millions more potential customers!
There are a wealth of different social networking and social media sites on the web, here are some of the more popular: Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Myspace. Although there are many more ranging from sites that cater for people who like one style of music to sites that cater for residents of just one city. Check them out and see which is a good fit for you.
How Many Users?! Why Your Business Needs A Facebook Page!
As of this July Facebook had half a Billion active users – yes, 500 Million of them! Take a look at founder Mark Zuckerberg’s blog about this to learn more.
Facebook really is the titan of social networking sites, so I’m going to focus on it here.
Imagine the exposure that your business can gain if you set up a Facebook page for it! Best of all it’s free!
If any of the above countries are markets for you then it is a must, but in fact all of the top 20 countries who use Facebook are potentially lucrative markets for an online reseller, as they include: Malaysia (12 million), Spain (12 million), the Philippines (10 million), Australia (9.1 million), Argentina (8.2 million), Taiwan (8.2 million), Colombia (7.5 million), Brazil (6.2 million), Chile (6.2 million), Thailand (6.2 million). Thanks to Pingdom for the stats.
To create your very own Facebook page just click here. It’s easy and free! Just follow the on screen instructions or read the help file.
What’s next?
Once your business has its own online presence in social networking, be it in Facebook or wherever, you’ll need to do the following:
Be Checking Data
- You need to check who is checking out your page and your store, so you’ll want to be using tools like Google Analytics or the Facebook ‘Insights’ on your businesses page, to get a handle on who has been visiting and which products are most popular etc. These tools can go VERY deep, especially the former, but it is up to you how far you go with analysis. All I’d say is that it may really help you to know what people are and AREN’T looking at.
- It will be useful to know what your competitors are doing. First of all you can check their social networking pages for new products, promotions etc. Should you be doing this? Can you beat their price? Are they offering a product that you should be selling? All it takes is a look now and again.
- Keep up to date with popular keywords that your competitors may be using and you should be. Use sites like Alexa and Google Trends to see what users are clicking on. If you link your products to strong keywords then you may be able to rank higher in search engine searches which results in higher sales and also ‘beat’ your competitors in said searches (this is SEO – search engine optimisation – which to be honest needs its very own blog, but if you want to know more may I suggest checking SEO book which is a great site and has a free 7 day crash course which you can sign up to).
Be Active
- Use your store’s page to publicise new promotions, competitions, products news etc – this will reach more people and drive traffic back to your store directly.
- Branch out – include related news to your industry or products that customers might be interested in, funny stories, write a blog to inform customers of any news, set questionnaires and maybe introduce your business with some pictures etc. Making your online presence lively, current and ‘real’ will really boost numbers of people visiting as they’ll have something new to read, see or do each time. I have grown the Chinavasion Facebook page by doing just this.
Wouldn’t it be great to know what your customers are thinking so you can act on their thoughts and perhaps improve your store and reap better sales because of it? In this 2 part blog let’s look at how to do this and what they might be thinking…
Now you know how to ask your customers what they’re thinking, but what kind of questions could you ask and what do online shoppers generally think these days? We’re going to look at these questions here in part 2:
What Do Customers Want?
Of course it’s easy to speculate that customers probably want lower prices, free delivery or low or no MOQs (minimum order quantities). Perhaps they want different delivery options, higher quality or a product that you haven’t got on sale at the moment. Either way, if you don’t ask them, you’ll never know, so get polling!
Remember, a poll isn’t useful if asking general questions like, “Is the store easy to use?” Here the customers could probably just say either yes or no. Rather you should be prompting the customers, by asking, “How can this store be improved in your opinion?” And then giving a series of options such as, “Better quality products,” “Reward scheme,” “Free postage on orders above a certain value” etc. In this way you’ll see which aspects they really value, rather than just having a vague idea of whether people like the store or not.
In part 1 we looked at how to set up a poll to try to gather your customers’ thoughts, and while they might ask you about some of the above issues it may well be prudent to get their expectations of your store itself.
Image Is Everything
Why must you ask what customers think about your online store? Top department stores employ whole teams of retail gurus to make sure that their stores look just so. If a department is badly laid out then it could be disastrous for sales, so why should your store be any different?
Oneupweb.com has published a white paper on consumer expectations of online stores and sites. Aside from being interesting reading, there is some really useful information contained in this white paper (which anyone can download for free) regarding ecommerce stores and how best to present them.
Although your customers might not give you such technical explanations as the chart above, they can still give you some very useful hints if they are saying, “It’s not clear which price is which,” or, “The homepage seems too crowded.”
For this reason it may be worth polling your customers on how they feel about your store. If there are subsequently any changes to be made, then you can be sure that they will result in more satisfied customers and more sales.
You could even poll your customers basing your questions on the research we’ve looked at to see how your store fits in with these ‘average’ customer expectations.
What Is A Good Online Store?
According to the people questioned by oneupweb.com, the ‘printrunner.com’ store has the perfect mix of elements for an e-commerce store. In fact it scored 2.6 out of 3, where respondants could give 3 as a top score. Here it is:
I happen to agree with oneupweb.com’s research. This site is very clear, neat and has all of the elements that customers said that they expected from an online e-commerce store. As you can see, there is a main middle area containing flas animations and product types bordered by a header, footer and sidebar that respectively contain contact information, security information and product category links. Is your store this clear?
Your store may not be as complex as printrunner.com, that’s fine, but I’m sure that if there’s even a small way that you could tweak it to make it more user-friendly then your customers will be pleased and will be confident to place even more business with you! So the moral of the story here is: Don’t just assume that everything is fine with your store. Involve your customers and get their opinions! After all, it is they who have to shop there and are your livelihood…