Cloud computing is a technique that is rapidly gaining popularity with SMEs, with an estimated $100 billion predicted to be spent on cloud computing services by 2014. Put simply, cloud applications are software apps that are based on the internet, as opposed to conventional applications that users would access through software downloaded or installed on to their computers. Cloud applications extend from software like Google Apps, Salesforce, etc., which are basically service providers, to everyday applications of common use, like Microsoft Office or accounting software.
Here’s a look at some of the major benefits offered by the use of cloud applications:
- Cloud services are very easy to manage for businesses providing applications to number of users across different locations.
- Another advantage offered by cloud computing is the simplified disaster recovery that it offers. While the average disaster recovery time for businesses that did not use the cloud was 8 hours, this was reduced to 2 hours through the use of cloud applications.
- A significant amount of time and resources spent on managing on-line security can be saved through the use of cloud computing. This is because cloud hosting companies carry out automatic security updates and server maintenance.
- The start-up costs involved in cloud computing are minimal, since this is essentially a pay-as-you-go service. Switching to cloud applications is a quick process with predictable ongoing expenditure, making these ideal for SME projects.
- These applications offer an increased amount of collaboration and coordination among employees. It is possible for workers to sync the data they are working on, and work on apps of documents simultaneously. This form of collaboration technology is found to boost productivity at the workplace by a whopping 400%.
- Through the use of cloud-based applications, employees can work from anywhere where they have internet connectivity. This helps businesses to offer flexibility in work schedules, and work-from-home options, which are desirable to achieve a work-life balance and hence have higher productivity.
- Cloud applications make it possible for people in different time zones and locations to work on the same document simultaneously. It eliminates the need to send the document back and forth through email, with a different name each time. Instead, the document is stored at one central location, helping in a higher level of collaboration.
- All the data remains stored in the cloud, which means that businesses do not have to worry about losing important data if the device on which it was stored gets stolen.
Centex Technologies develop cutting edge software applications for its clients. For more information, call us at - (972) 375-9654
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In an interesting feature introduced by Google, business owners can now merge their Google Plus business page with their Google Places listing. While this may sound a little confusing because of the similar names, it is actually as simple as merging any of your social network profiles with your Google Places listings. This means that whenever anyone views your listing on Google Places, you can further market your business through your Google Plus business page. Interestingly, Google allows you to merge only if you have a physical address where you service your customers. Here is a step-by-step guideline on how to carry out this merge:
- The first step is to of course, create a new Google Plus page if you don’t already have one. Start by clicking on the Google+ link at the far left of your Google account. Next, click on the Pages icon, and then on “Create New Page”.
- It is important to select the “Local Business or Place” in the next page that pops up, since you shall not be able to merge unless you choose this option.
- Pay special attention while entering your phone number. You want to make sure that it is a local phone number, and the same one as is listed on your Google Places profile.
- Upon entering the same phone number as that in your listing, you will see a pop-up from Google saying that it has found a matching phone number. This should be your Google Places listing.
- Next, click on this listing and enter your actual business name and website, and then click on continue.
- The final step is to click on the “Verify Now” button, and finally on the blue “Request postcard” button. This is the only option for Google Places-Google Plus merges.
- The postcard usually takes around 7-10 days to arrive. Once you receive it, you need to click the “Enter PIN” button to complete the verification. You can request another PIN if you do not receive the postcard in 14 days.
- Once your Google Places listing is merged with your Google Plus business page, you can make the most of this merge by uploading a cover image, writing a longer business description, and including links. Add to this your reviews and social updates all being listed on one page, and you have the much-needed competitive edge for your business.
Centex Technologies provide SEO, Google Places Optimization and Internet Marketing Services to its clients across Dallas and Killeen areas in Texas. Call Centex Technologies today at (972) 375-9654.
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With local search queries dominating Google, optimizing your website or local business on Google Place listings is a strategy that you cannot overlook. Ever noticed how local maps sit right at the top of search results on Google? With the relatively scarce competition in local search, it is a realistic aim to have your business showing in those very maps when users perform a local search for your business on Google. Take a look at these simple tips to optimize your business on Google Places listings-
- Upon creating your listing, you shall need to furnish information regarding your business in various fields. Make sure that you fill all those fields with accurate and detailed information. Do not leave any section unfilled- right from business hours to additional services provided- it’s all important when it comes to Google Places listings.
- It is a good idea to provide a keyword-rich description for your business. Subtly include the keywords that you want to be found for in the description, without distorting its sense.
- It is also important to ensure that you are consistent in the information provided. This means that you should provide the same information regarding your business on all your social media profiles, as well as your website.
- Regularly including special offers or discounts in your Google Places description could help in encouraging users to actually click on your listing when it appears in search engine results. Remember to regularly update these offers and offer users what you promised when they actually land on your website.
- Including pictures in your Google Places listing is a good way to attract users, and to stand out in Google’s search results. This is especially true for businesses in which customers need to see a product before buying it, or where the name of the product being sold is not common enough for users to directly search for it.
- Google Review is one of the most useful tools for webmasters seeking to optimize their Google Places listings. Encourage your loyal customers to write reviews of your company and include these reviews on your listing. You could also consider uploading video testimonials, or asking clients to upload pictures of them at your establishment. User generated content and positive reviews are amongst the most powerful tools when it comes to local search engine optimization.
- Google itself also encourages its users to post reviews, by giving star ratings on map listings.
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14. June 2013 08:20
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No matter how amazing your web design is, it is of no use if users have trouble loading your page and the images on it when they visit your website. Lagging speeds and images that refuse to load are every web user’s pet peeve, and as a web master, the simplest thing you can do to make sure your website loads quickly, is effectively optimizing the photos on it. While faster loading time is a key benefit of photo optimization, here’s a look at some of its additional benefits-
- Photo optimization for your website is that it is a way to promote your products discreetly by actually showing them to your users.
- Optimizing photos on your website also helps you to figure in image search results on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This could be a great advantage considering the significantly lower competition in image search.
- Having a compelling image could make all the difference when it comes to getting noticed among a pool of search results. This is because people are generally more visually stimulated, because of which a picture, of say, home décor, is likely to catch one’s eye much quicker than a block of text on how to decorate your home.
So how exactly can you optimize photos on your website and ensure a positive user experience? Here are a few simple tips-
- The first step is to resize your images by choosing PNG and JPG files over GIF files, and further compressing these images. This results in images that load a lot faster when a user visits your website, yet look just the same as their heavier versions. The key lies in striking the perfect balance between compression and quality.
- You could also make use of the various image optimization tools available online. These include tools like Shrink O’Matic, Smush.it, GIMP, RIOT, ImageMagick, etc., all of which are easy to use, and help save a lot of time and resources for image optimization.
- Renaming your images with keyword-rich and descriptive titles is also an effective photo optimization strategy that could help you rank higher in image search results. The titles should be brief and concise, and should be an accurate description of what the image is about.
- Adding an alt-text and defining the height and width of the image in its HTML code is also instrumental in boosting loading speed.
Centex Technologies, Dallas provides faster loading websites for its client across Texas. For more information, call at - (972) 375-9654
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28. May 2013 02:29
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With mobile devices accounting for a major and growing percentage of website visitors, it is becoming necessary for business owners to think of ways to make their websites suitable for these devices. Right from the iPhone to Android and iPads, there is a huge market to cater to when it comes to mobile users of websites. If you are ready to make the big switch, and introduce your website to the league of responsive websites, discussed below are a few key elements of website design that are worth bearing in mind.
The three principle challenges while designing a website for smart phones are- screen resolution, screen view (portrait/ landscape), and flash support. Responsive web design provides a ready solution structured around these challenges, by creating a website that responds to user behavior. The key element of such a website design are-
- Flexible grids and layouts- This ensures that the various elements of a website design fluidly adjust depending on the resolution of the screen they are being viewed on.
- Flexible images- These enable viewing smaller versions of the same images on smaller screens.
- CSS3 media queries- These decide whether or not to display certain elements depending on the display device being used.
The major benefits of creating a responsive web design for your website are-
- You do not need to spend money on creating multiple versions of your website.
- Your web design is future-ready, as it shall be compatible with any new smart phones or mobile devices introduced in the market.
- Users shall have a positive experience of visiting your website irrespective of the device they use.
Some useful tips that can help to make your website smart phone ready include-
- Try to adopt the design of native smart phone applications, such as action buttons, and back buttons in your web design.
- Set the “viewport” default to “zoom” for modern smart phones, to ensure that visitors to your website experience maximum text clarity with a 200% increase in readability.
- Integrate your mobile web content with native apps like mail, maps, YouTube, phone etc. for an enhanced user experience.
- Ensure enough space between all clickable elements on your mobile website, to make them easily “tappable”.
- Be clear about what most smart phones support and what they do not, when attempting to embed media into your website.
We at Centex Technologies provide Web Development & SEO Services in Dallas TX. For mobile friendly website design, contact us at Dallas TX office - (972) 375-9654.
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17. May 2013 02:23
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Effective computer networking can help to streamline things at the workplace, improving connectivity between different computer systems, while also boosting efficiency through shared auxiliaries such as printers, fax machines, scanners etc. Such a network can either be wireless or wired, depending on various factors such as the number of computers, the budget, and the type of networking desired. The following tips guide you on how to plan both wireless and wired computer networks for your office-
- Ensure that the wireless router is placed at a location that is central to all the wireless users. This reduces the chances of broken range, as well as external attacks.
- It is a good idea to change the password of the router immediately when you receive it, since the preset passwords, are usually predictable and easy to guess for hackers.
- When it comes to a wireless network, it is increasingly important to protect your network using a complex encryption code. This code must be entered on all computers in the network, to ensure limited user access to the internet service as well as company data.
- In case of a wireless network with a large number of computers, you might need to extend the signal of the router using a network cable that connects additional computers to access points around the office.
- When choosing between wireless and wired networks, remember that the connectivity of the latter is a lot better in terms of signal strength. However, wireless networks are the preferred option where workstations need to be set up in places where cable connectivity is not possible.
- When installing cable routing, pay special attention to the proximity of these cables to other wires and cables in office.
- Think ahead while planning network topography in a wired network. Also remember to keep the number of switches to each user minimal, to maximize network efficiency.
- It is a good idea to have a centralized backup server to which each computer is periodically updated.
- Before installing a router for your wired network, you should ask your provider if it supports VoIP. With the increasing popularity of this business phone system, you want to be able to install it at any point that you wish to.
Centex Technologies is a leading IT Support and Computer Networking Company providing computer network installation and support services to its clients across Central Texas including Dallas and Killeen.
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29. April 2013 22:00
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Having an effective mobile app for your business is undoubtedly one of the most efficient ways to reach out to potential and existing customers in today’s times. With the skyrocketing popularity of handheld internet devices, right from mobile phones to iPads and tablets, any smart business owner would know that a mobile app is a surefire way to keep people hooked to your business in real time. Business promotion through mobile apps has an interesting aspect to it, as it does not require you to blatantly promote, but instead relies on subtle promotion through a positive user experience.
The following tips tell you how you can make the most of mobile apps for business promotion-
- Whether you intend to use someone else’s app or are willing to create your own, the first step to a successful promotional campaign through mobile apps is to have a clear plan of action in mind. Take out time to outline who you want to target, what effect you wish to achieve, and how you shall monitor your progress.
- It is a good idea to integrate your mobile app strategy with an existing marketing campaign, such as on social media networks or on your website. This is because having a marketing strategy that thrives solely on mobile applications is less likely to succeed than a campaign that is integrated across multiple channels.
- Just creating an app is not enough. A huge part of making a mobile app work is promoting it and getting people to download it. Start off by your own online channels, such as your website and social media profiles. Make sure that these pages have a clear call-to-action for users to download your app. You can also engage in an exclusive online marketing campaign, including promotional emails and social media marketing for your app.
- If it is financially viable for your business, you might want to call in an expert to formulate mobile applications for your business based on the existing material that you have. You can even get an app that serves for face-to-face interaction with clients and customers, which increases customer satisfaction manifold.
- It is important to have a clear plan in mind to monitor the progress of your app. This should not just be limited to how many people have downloaded the app, but also other vital analytics, such as website visits generated from the app, coupon sales, and general increase in revenue from the app.
Dallas TX based Centex Technologies provide Mobile Application Development services for IPhone, and Android phones. For more information call us at our Dallas TX office - (972) 375-9654.
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17. April 2013 04:23
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Google Groups is a one-stop for all the SEO and promotional needs of business owners, wishing to join an online community with likeminded individuals and share relevant online marketing ideas and tools. If you own an SME in the Dallas TX region, it is a good idea to join a Google Group dedicated to your industry in your region. The numbers of options that you can explore from an SEO perspective regarding your business promotion are limitless. Enlisted below are the major ways in which you can use Google Groups for SEO and business promotion in Dallas TX-
- Get useful information such as keywords, topics, themes, etc. for website content like blogs, articles, and e-books.
- You can get ideas regarding what your competitors are doing as a part of their business promotion strategies and apply these ideas for your business.
- A great way of engaging in conversations related to your business and parallel topics is participating in business threads on Google Groups. You can also link these threads to your website as a part of your user-generated content. Not only is this a good way to demonstrate your knowledge on the topic of discussion, but it also helps to use these keywords for SEO purposes on your website.
- Another way in which you can utilize Google Groups is by using it to find a group of people in a thread who are interested in a topic related to your services. You can offer this group a special offer of gift that can be of interest to them, and use this to attract them to your website.
- Similarly, you can create polls and surveys for such an audience and use the keywords so generated to create viral content for your website.
- While Google groups can work well for generating quality back links to your website, the reverse is also true. You can invite visitors to your website to join your group on Google Groups, encouraging a sense of community.
- Sending out online invitations to members on other related groups is also a good way to increase your customer base. However, you need to exercise caution while doing so, as this runs a risk of being viewed as spam.
- You can also integrate your e-mail campaign to attract members on other groups instead of using the Google Groups interface.
For Search Engine Optimization SEO in Dallas TX, call us at Centex Technologies - (972) 375-9654
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29. March 2013 23:55
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Of all the factors that affect SEO for local Dallas TX-based websites, the website server location is also one, the effect of which most small and medium businesses tend to ignore. The location of the website server and the domain name, are two factors that play a significant role in determining how a website ranks on Google and other search engines in a particular location. This is because search engines analyze this data to determine the geographical location of a business, and hence its search engine rankings for users in that area.
- Most of the businesses get a website server away from where their business is actually located. For US based websites it is beneficial to have a web hosting server in US as the IPs generated can be tracked by Search Engines for US. On the flipside, this strategy might prove beneficial to businesses that are located at a different location than the audience they wish to target. For instance, if your business is based in Texas, but the audience you are targeting is UK-based, getting a UK-based server might be a good idea.
- Another major way in which website-server location affects SEO rankings is through the load speed of the websites. Server locations have a significant impact on loading speeds, with websites based in the area they are targeting having much quicker load speeds. In other words, if your website server is based in the US and you are targeting a UK audience, you are likely to experience slow load speeds, which shall have a negative impact on your SEO. This is another reason why it is important to ensure that you have the right server location for your website.
- If you are not sure about where the server for your website is currently located, the first step is to look into this information. You can either contact your hosting company directly and ask them for this information, or use certain web-based tools to find out where the server is located. If you then wish to change the server location, it is possible to do so without changing the structure and functioning of your website.
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15. March 2013 10:57
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Lead generation is a key goal and an essential part of online promoting for businesses. Slide Share is an innovative way of generating leads for your business through a unique platform of content sharing. As in any other form of marketing content online, there are some key pointers that you need to be bear in mind for maximum productivity. The great thing about Slide Share is that it allows you to benefit from both text and images, hence forming a highly efficient way of reaching out to audiences.
The following simple tips guide you on how to use slide share to generate leads for your business-
- Research on the topic of your slide share- A slide share needs to convey sufficient and relevant information to the viewer, just as any other form of content on the web. This explains why it is important to carefully choose the topic, ensuring it is one with which you are well-versed, and which your target audience would be interested in reading about.
- Choose a catchy topic for the slide share- The topic of the slide share has a huge impact on its success, as it is what shall actually grab the attention of the users. Make sure that the topic strikes a strong impression, and is compelling enough to make the viewer want to move further into the slide share.
- Perform SEO on each presentation- Carrying out SEO, or Search Engine Optimization on each presentation is just important as preparing the content. Be sure to incorporate the right keywords in the titles, tags, and descriptions, so as to attract a relevant audience for your business.
- Share the presentation on multiple channels- In order to make the most out of slide share, you must embed the slide show on all your social profiles. This makes it possible for users to access the presentation without having to move away from their platform of choice, which in turn, generates more leads for your business.
- Market your presentation- Just making a presentation and putting out there is not enough. You have to make a continuous effort to increase the visibility of your slide shows. This might even mean marketing them offline, as through business meetings and conferences. It is also a great idea to study analytics of your slide shares to get an idea of the demographic that you are attracting, and the slide shows that are most popular.
Dallas Internet Marketing Company – Centex Technologies provide Search Engine Optimization Services to clients across Dallas and Killeen TX
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