Tag Archives: Google

My Personal Review of Dukeo.com

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dukeo logo

Here is my review of Dukeo.com.

Blog and content

Dukeo.com offers some pretty interesting and very informative posts on a lot of things.  Blogging, SEO, making money online and other topics.

These are real-life tips that everyone would appreciate, from beginners to advanced users. I found almost all content very informative and practical. Most of the blog posts were very detailed. Visitor engagement is also top-notch.

But, as with the overall navigation of the site, it is easy to get lost in all these information.

There is no easy way to see all these topics or categories that the blog covers.  You would be able to see a sampling of these topics by looking at the meta data after each blog post’s title.  But what if the site owner writes 20 different posts about blogging, this would effectively make you think that all blog posts only talk about blogging.  Also, what if you are not interested in blogging topics and are looking for SEO-related how-tos?

Oh wait, there is.  But you would have to find that link.  Guess where?  By clicking on the archives link found on the footer.

Further, looking at the Web page and other first level pages, it would be difficult to understand what the site is actually offering.  On the home page, you are asked to enter your details to get three guides, but you are not told what these guides are and how it will help you generate traffic, convert leads, and make money online as the headline boldly claims.  This very important explanation is found in the About page, which is one click away from the home page.

And oh by the way, the home page offers you the three guides (How to Make Money Online, SEO for Blogs and How to Generate Traffic from Pinterest), but on the succeeding pages, the offer is cut to two (How to Make Money Online and How to Make Money Online). This setup, again, is really confusing to many.

Because of the way the site is laid out, you will probably scroll down trying to look for that explanation and see the blog posts instead.  So by the time you get to the About page, you would have forgotten all about those guides mentioned in the home page (which by the way are not mentioned in the About page.)

Navigation

Probably, the biggest problem users would have with Dukeo.com is finding their way around the site.  The site does not have a sensible navigation system and you would find that you would be using the back button often.  That is if you do not have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find navigational links.

When you create landing pages, it makes sense that you do not confuse your potential customers by putting up a lot of links that would take them away from your offer.  The only clickable link on a landing page should be the call to action.  But this does not hold true for Dukeo.  Not everybody will be entering the site via its home page.  Some will enter the site through its newsletter sign up page, and those who do will not know that this site has a blog, for instance.

The site does not offer an easy way to see what it has to offer except for scattered links here and there and the aforementioned navigational bar at the bottom of the pages that would take a few Page Downs to see.  On some pages, the header and the footer are not even found.

But what aggravates things further is the lack of a search function.  If you have read something on this site before and you would want to look for that particular blog you have read, you will still need to go through the archives because there is no way for you to search for it.

The Low Down

Judging from the quality of the blog posts and the information we got from the blogs, it is very apparent that this site was set up to help people make money online.  But because of the poor navigation, lack of planning and lack of focus, people would find it difficult to understand just how this site works, what the products are and how you could benefit from it.  What’s more, reusing landing pages as part of the website makes you feel that you are visiting two different sites: one with header and footer and the other with a slightly different look.

Dukeo.com would benefit by taking a look at similar sites to see what they are doing right.  For example, ZZZProfits.com has a clear navigational bar that you could readily see without scrolling down.  This bar gives users an idea of the different sections of the site.  They also offer a free guide in exchange for your name and e-mail address, but they made it clear what you are going to learn from this guide.  A little planning would go a long way into making Dukeo.com a lot less painful and confusing.

The Hazards of Changing Domains and URLS

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 domain name and URL
You can cite plenty of reasons why you want to change the domain name of your website. It could be that the domain name contains a more generic keyword, and you hope to make it more personal by using the business name. It is also possible you want to institute a total makeover, and you begin by doing something into your URLs. Another plausible reason is you simply do not appreciate the domain anymore.

Changing URLs and domains is actually easier said than done. In fact, it carries several issues that you need to seriously consider before you try to do something about them.

The Downsides
Search engines, most especially Google, prefer aged domains. The fact that they have been around for years only means that the owner is a serious online businessman, is real, and has proven himself relevant to the keywords he has chosen. Old domain names also signify that the website is helpful and / or is applicable to several Internet users.

Old domains find it much easier to penetrate search engines, especially if there are new URLs created. They also tend to appear at the first, second, and third SERPs (search engine result page).

When you change your domain, there is a huge possibility you will no longer enjoy this privilege. Search engines are very blunt. If your domain is new, your website will be treated as a beginner entrant to the World Wide Web. It will take some time to have newer pages indexed. Most of the time, you may not even find your business URL in the top five page-search results.

If you are trying to increase your global reach, you know that this is going to be bad for you.

Another potential problem will be the links. Considering your old domain has been around for years, there could be multitudes of inbound links, which, unfortunately, you cannot carry over to your new URL. This can have a profound effect to your search engine rankings as links going to your website are significant to getting a good page rank.

Creating redirects is also not easy. You may have to rely on the expertise of people who are into HTML coding and PHP programming. The most common remedial steps when applying redirects include the following:

  • First, you need to send special instructions to the search engines, which are called 301. This means when someone clicks on your old URL, he or she will be redirected to the new one.
  • Second, you have to manually inform your visitors to delete the old URLs in their bookmarks and use the newer ones.

These processes can be such a hassle. If the redirects are not done right, this can result to search engine and user issues. The latter may find themselves opening a page that reads “Content Not Found.” They may be forced to look for the information they need elsewhere, such as to your competitors. Dead links can also pull down the value of your webpages in search engines. Unless you can correct these inactive links, it will be difficult for you to gain a better page rank for your new domain.

If branding is your main reason of why you are changing your domain, you are better off with creating a blog and have it included among your webpages.

Google’s Top 5 Benefits for Business Owners

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The mega search engine Google is used not only by Internet searchers but also by business owners. In fact, it serves millions of advertisers and enterprises all over the world every day. The secret: it is business friendly. Here are the top five benefits of Google for business owners:

  1. Ease of Use of Applications
    Virtually all business owners do not have to build anything from scratch. The applications do not require additional use of hardware or creation of another program. However, developers can modify the codes through the developer tools and resources available at http://code.google.com/intl/en/.

    The website also promotes “one account for all applications.” Upon signing, the business owner can immediately take advantage of all the tools and resources developed by Google employees themselves. Users of Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange can switch to Google Applications in very simple steps.

  2. Desktop on the Go
    Google encourages everyone to be as mobile as possible. Thus, it is easier to build network connections, stay in contact with employees even when on the road, and promote telecommuting that reduces business overhead costs.

    The website has applications that are very similar to those found in desktops. An example is Google Docs, which works like Microsoft Word. Other applications include Google Spreadsheet and Google Calendar.

    Plenty of tools can also be accessible through the mobile phone. Gmail, its e-mail client, can be synced in with Blackberry’s Enterprise Server and accessed through any type of Internet-capable mobile phones.

  3. Collaboration
    Google promotes collaboration among employees, business owners, and partners. Business owners can set up and share scheduled meetings and appointments, as well as documents and spreadsheets, via Google Calendar, Docs, and Spreadsheet respectively. Google Groups permit everyone to communicate more openly and upload public files such as documents and images.

    One can purchase a business account for $50 per year and make use of 10GB site storage. All chosen employees can have 500MB. There is also a shared storage for more private videos in Google Video. Google Talk allows video conferencing.

  4. Marketing
    Google provides several money-making opportunities for business owners. Google AdSense allows them to monetize their blogs while Google Adwords permits one to bring the business to the search results pages, while the keyword suggestion tool helps business owners find the best keywords to use.

    Google Analytics, one of the best search engine optimization (SEO) tools so far, is free to use and can be added into any website. This can provide valuable marketing information such as number of unique visitors, pages visited, and keywords used for searching. Business ads can be customized based on the desired geographical location. It also encourages local listing.

    The search engine has Google Finance that allows any stockholder to monitor the market on a real-time basis. It has applications such as Portfolios, Stock Screener, and Google Domestic Trends.

  5. Uptime
    Virtually all applications of Google are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The website also has plenty of contact details, from e-mail addresses to phone numbers, for anyone who needs additional technical and customer support.

Technology Trends in 2010

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eReaders and eBook Players

eReaders and eBook Players

The year 2009 was witness to the rise and fall of technology and gadget trends. It was characterized by intensified video gaming blow outs, a new approach to mobile phone use and computer portability, and an endless quest to create better and more advanced gizmos.

As the New Year unfolds, video game expert and technology analyst Scott Steinberg unveils at Digitaltrends.com a sneak peek on the "what’s what" in technology for 2010.

1. The year 2010 may be the time for eReaders and eBook Players — digital tablets designed to simulate the customary reading-on-paper experience — to come into their own. Expected innovations in 2010 include selections powered by Android OS, more affordable models and full-color eReaders with touch screen and wireless 3G support.

2. Smartphones will continue to shine in 2010, but with added surprises. Android-run and Windows Mobile-powered smartphones will create an established market. Cell phones will likely be run by applications that offer more power and flexibility, allowing these devices to evolve and potentially replace laptops. Adapting to lifestyles, Smartphones will be must-haves in 2010, and Google’s Nexus One Smartphone is to watch out for.

3D TV

3D TV

3. The household names in television manufacturing are keen at beginning a new era of TV viewership. Shops filled with a display of cutting-edge three-dimensional TVs, as well as Blu-ray players that power 3D flicks, will be anything but extraordinary in 2010.

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2009′s Top 10 Moneymakers (USA Edition)

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Google's Founders: Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Google Founders: Larry Page and Sergey Brin

The year 2009 underscored an enormous economic meltdown that brought many United States businesses to their knees. But for some of America’s most famous moneymakers, the year brought enormous luck and vast gains. America’s top 25 stock gainers — composed of large stakeholders in publicly traded companies — made a combined $81.5 billion in 2009, Forbes.com reports.

Check out Forbes’ esteemed list of the ten biggest gainers in 2009:

  1. The founder of Google, Inc., Larry Page raked in a whooping $8.4 billion between January and mid-December 2009. At 36, Mr. Page is ranked as the 26th billionaire in the world and the 11th wealthiest person in the United States. Technology stocks are enjoying broad boost with the economic rebooting, according to Forbes. As such, Google made a rise of 90% since January 2009.

  2. Sergey Brin, the Russian-born American co-founder of Google, Inc. gained $8.2 billion in 2009. The 36-year old Internet titan gets a rebound after losing $11.7 billion in 2008 amid the collapse of Internet companies’ shares.

  3. Oracle Corporation and NetSuite gave 65-year-old founder Larry Ellison a $7.9 billion gain in 2009. He made it to fourth spot of Forbes’ list of richest persons as of September 30, 2009.

  4. Microsoft magnate Bill Gates generated $7.6 billion in 2009. The computer software company he founded with Paul Allen consistently places him on the list of the world’s richest. Over half of Mr. Gates’ fortune, however, is held outside of Microsoft. At 54, Mr. Gates grabbed the top spot overall as the wealthiest person in 2009.

  5. At barely 46 years old, Jeffrey Bezos has made Amazon a household name. The online retail company gained $7.3 billion in 2009 amid a 175% surge during the past 12 months. Amazon’s shares hit an all-time high in early December 2009.

    Microsoft's CEO - Steve Ballmer

    Microsoft’s CEO – Steve Ballmer

  6. In 2009, Steven Ballmer had $4.4 billion in gains based on stock options as Microsoft shares rose 55%. The 54-year-old billionaire derived his fortune as CEO of Microsoft, of which he was neither a founder nor a relative of a founder. In 2008, Mr. Ballmer was 43rd richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of $11 billion.

  7. With shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. climbing 1000% since March 2009, CEO Sheldon Adelson raked in $3.9 billion. Mr. Adelson’s stake plunged $24 billion in 2008 amid the recession that battered gaming industry, which made him the biggest loser in 2008. Las Vegas Sands is parent company to Venetian Macao Limited, which operates The Sands Expo and Convention Center and The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

  8. Enterprise Products Partners and Enterprise GP Holdings co-founder, chairman and majority shareholder Dan Duncan gained $3.9 billion in 2009. At 76, the energy mogul became the wealthiest person in Houston and the 3rd richest person in Texas as of 2007.

  9. Another Google, Inc. titan, Eric Schmidt, made $2.7 billion, with his shares soaring 90% since January 2009. Like Microsoft’s Ballmer, 54-year-old Schmidt’s wealth is generated from stock options he received as chairman and CEO of Google, and not as its founder or its founder’s relative. In 2006, Mr. Schmidt was ranked 129th in Forbes’ "World’s Richest People" list, with an estimated fortune valued at $6.2 billion.

  10. Sixty three-year-old Harold Hamm gained $2.7 billion in 2009, thanks to Continental Resources’ 100% surge amid a recovery in energy prices. The energy company’s earnings, however, are still at a 50% low, compared to its overall income in July 2008.