It’s no secret- we love WordPress and the community that supports it!  So when an event like WordCamp is brought to Orlando we just have to support them!

WordCamp Orlando is coming to The Rosen School of Hospitality campus on December 1st, 2012.  Approximately 400 attendees will participate in the event where they can attend hour long sessions in either novice or expert tracks.  Some of the topics that will be covered include: Understanding your website traffic, WordPress security and Best Practices in Theme Development.  A full list of presentations can be found on the WordCamp Orlando website at http://2012.orlando.wordcamp.org/schedule/

If you’d like to learn more about WordPress and attend this amazing event get your ticket now- as they are selling out QUICKLY!!!

Click Here for WordCamp Orlando 2012 Tickets

BrandCo is pleased to announce that our Fearless Leader – Ken Granger has been asked to share his WordPress knowledge at WordCamp Orlando 2012.  December 1st at the Rosen School of Hospitality.

Ken will be presenting on “Google Analytics – Tracking and Measuring Your Website’s Success”  to as many as 400 attendees of this years WordCamp.  In this hour long presentation Ken will show “WordCampers” how to properly configure Google Analytics on their WordPress website and interpret the real meaning of the reports provided by Google Analytics.

For a full schedule of events or to get your tickets visit http://2012.orlando.wordcamp.org/ and follow WordCamp Orlando on Facebook and Twitter

Even the big boys can have troubles. Today GoDaddy was hacked. The attacker caused GoDaddy’s master DNS servers to not resolve domain names- effectively taking out email and websites for millions of users.

Millions of people around the world use GoDaddy for domain registration (they are a great and cheap registrar) and use the free DNS service provided when you register an account.  If you use their free DNS service your name servers would be something like ns???.secureserver.net or ns???.domaincontrol.net and your website, redirects and inbound email would be down even if you do not host your email or website with GoDaddy.

DNS is basically the address book of the internet.  If the address book is taken offline traffic for domain does not know where to go.  Email stops flowing, websites don’t display and it can have a serious negative impact on your business.

If you’re using a 3rd party mail provider like Google Apps- your outbound email will still work but your inbound mail will not work.   Most email providers will queue inbound email for some hours (usually 2-72 hours) so when GoDaddy service returns you may get some of your missed emails

All domains are required to have at least 2 name servers listed for redundancy— BUT in this case both name servers were attacked so domain resolution is not possible.

So how can you protect yourself? To be truly protected you should diversify your DNS- having duplicate records on GoDaddy as well as a 3rd party like www.DNSMadeEasy.com or Amazon’s Route53 service.

If you registered your domain name with GoDaddy but changed your name servers to ones given to you by your hosting company your website and email will not be impacted by this hack- however this is a good time to review your DNS records and if your systems are mission critical ask your hosting provider to assist you with improving the redundancy in your DNS records.

When creating a business website you need to remember that all things are not necessarily meant to be shared. A little too much information (like what your dog looks like sitting next to you) can result in unwanted publicity and even a loss of potential sales.

As a business person you want to convey your professional skills and abilities to your readers. The information they need should be provided in a concise and easy to read format.

You need to pay attention to details and make sure your online site is inviting, entertaining and as intriguing as possible without crossing that invisible line of decorum.

For instance the header of your website is where you provide a punch of information that will allow clients to connect with who you are, and what you are about. This is the place for contact details such as your office phone numbers, fax number and cell number.

The header should also include your professional mission statement. Tell the reader what value you offer. Explain what you are bringing to the table and how you are going to make a difference in their lives. Keep this brief, but don’t miss the chance to get your “why use me” out there for the world to see.

Don’t forget to include a tagline as part of your header. This is one of the best ways to generate interest, boost your site recognition factor, and increase familiarity with your readers.

While some agents want to play up their photo, you really should avoid making it part of your website header. A logo can work, but a personal picture (even a professional business shot) does not make the cut. Does anyone really want to see your eyes staring at them while they are searching for specific information? The answer is a resounding, “No.”

Your header should be carefully composed so that you get maximum impact out of the words that you choose. There are other avenues that you can use to share that photo. A picture might be worth a million words to some people, but if that head shot can be a turn-off for potential clients you should opt out of the idea.

Do you concentrate on creating your personal profile or do you tackle a business page on Facebook instead? This is certainly a decision that faces many individuals when they are making the transition to the Facebook (FB) community.

If your primary interest is building your business then you might want to consider a business account on Facebook. A business page on Facebook is one on which you are able to meet and greet new customers and build better relationships and future sales.

Once you decide you want to get a new FB business page you are also going to agree that the page is primarily for promoting your line of work and less (to no) personal socializing. Facebook officials have created some firm guidelines that drive this point home.

This will be set up for the benefit of your company or products; and not designed as the hub of your social life. When it comes time to think about the social scene you can check out the profile pages.

Of course this does not mean that there is no socializing involved. Your business page is the perfect place to interact with lots of different people at different levels. This is acceptable just as long as you understand that your online socializing is going do be conducted in a professional manner. After all being social, learning the fundamentals of entertaining viewers and developing a network of contacts are elements necessary for your business success.

You are also given the ability to post an unlimited number of paid promotional advertisements on a business FB page.   The benefits and ROI on spending your marketing dollars on Facebook ads is debatable at best, however.

A profile page on FB can include a few comments relating to your business activities and events. You will need to write them so people don’t view the messages as being “hard sell” ads for your business.  It is at the discretion of Facebook as to whether or not they will permit any type of business related posts on your profile, and can cancel your account at anytime should they desire to

In order to maximize the value of Facebook for your company it is necessary to keep your pages interesting and update on a very frequent basis (daily is definitely preferable). If you can make time for both a business page and a profile page-then more power to you! Grab those reins and ride out into battle. If this job is taking too much of your time just work on one of these FB options. This is the only real way to harness the energy of the Facebook universe and let it help power your marketing strategies.

When you are ready to price a website for your business you might just find yourself overwhelmed by the options and costs that are involved. One thing you need to do immediately is to ask “How much should a website cost?”

There are hundreds of answers to this simple question. And every answer is going to be different, for different reasons.

To be quite honest, the cost is going to be based on lots of different factors. It is up to you to decide exactly what items you want; what items you need and which items you can ignore.

Designers of websites can set a flat fee for the project and/or charge an hourly rate. These rates can range from $30-$300 per hour.

In order to determine how much a website should cost, take into account the overall quality that you want. A templated design is a cheap option, but it is also something that fails to attract much attention. Online browsers are already used to seeing millions of these identical appearing sites.

The total cost of your website will depend upon your designer, but there are other factors in play. For instance all of the following will impact the cost of those online pages:

• professional quality and appearance of your site
• number of pages
• amount of time and difficulty of work that is involved (out of the box versus customized site)
• integration of special website features
• cost of logo design
• the “uniqueness” factor that will make your site different from all others

The more elaborate websites can be extremely expensive, but many businesses are able to get a high quality website designed for less than $5,000.

You’ll need to determine a budget for your website and then talk with several professional design experts. This will help you discover exactly how much bling you can get for your money. Look at all of your options and make wise choices at every turn. Don’t get caught up by “website styles” when you should focus on true substance and quality.

If you do not have the proper SEO techniques in place when you create your web pages you are going to find yourself behind that proverbial “eight ball.” It takes the right combination of well written content and essential search engine optimization tactics to get top billing online.

There really are specific algorithms in use by the search engines. Even though a different keyword algorithm is used by each of the main search engines there are some things you can do to make your site grab all of their interests.

Your first obstacle is to get some quality writing for your site. While you do want to get noticed by the search engines you need to be equally concerned about your ability to attract the interest of real people.

A page that sounds natural is going to appeal to the average consumer. People want to read something that they understand and then return to your site if you give them what they want. This means more traffic, more public interest in your site and potentially more sales. Isn’t this what you really want?

Include a search engine optimized title (utilizing your researched keyword phrase(s)) that also has been optimized for your keyword. This SEO tactic is a basic element that will boost your chances of success.

Flash is not something the search engines really understand. Same principle applies to images. All of these will require alt tags if you want the search engines to decipher them properly. In order for your online content to be indexed your alt tags need to include the specific keyword(s)  you are targeting.

Never stuff unnecessary keywords into your text. Overuse and misuse of keywords is an absolute no-no. Stuffing your site with keywords is not only silly, it can lead to penalties (or an online ban) for your site.

Your keyword phrase(s) should be included within your H1 and H2 tags, as well as the tags and description of your post/page.

Your keywords should be placed carefully for maximum optimization of the pages. Do not allow your keywords or key phrases to become the main focus of your written material. Use the keywords, but be sure that the content is informative, on topic and makes sense for your future readers.

Site maps can be submitted to at least two of the major search engines. You should include a map of your site on your pages. This will create a more effective and efficient search when the engines do arrive at your business site since the map identifies the most important pages.

Inbound linking requires dedication and time. The better these links are, the higher your ranking will become. Inferior or suspicious links will harm your ranking, and these are best avoided. Trust only those inbound links that have already proven to be reputable and trustworthy (ie ranked higher than your own site).

When your content is interesting to your readers you have them on the hook. When your website also includes such details as anchor text, images with anchor text and well-written material that provides value to the readers, those search engines will also find it hard to ignore your website. This means that your online pages will begin to climb the ranking charts and move you toward your goal of earning a coveted first page (and ultimately number one position).