Tip - Getting Into SEO

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post...this time of the year is always hectic.  Anyways, happy to quench the thirst of readers with this next topic.

SEO.  If you are new to the game, it means search engine optimization, that in turn means "Why isn't my website on Google?"  There are a couple beginning tips I have for those making their websites public:

1. Make it Public!  Make sure you Google Site is set to viewable by the public.  This is an option, More Actions > Manage Site > Share this Site > Change to Public.
2. Buy a Domain!  This is the biggest step in SEO you take make for your website.  For just $9 - $12 a year you can own a domain, and it is not as difficult as you may think.  I recommend GoDaddy.com, but bypass all the bells and whistles, just buy the domain.
3. Submit to Google!  I don't mean bow down to the power of Google.  If you simply type into to google "submit url to google," click on the first real webpage and fill out the extremely short form that tips off google to the fact you have a new website.  They will crawl it/ index it in a week safely.  A good way to supplement this action is to work with Google Webmaster Tools, which is supported in Google Sites More Actions > Manage Site > General.

I'm sure if you are a beginner you'll need some help with managing the domain and nameservers, dns records, all that crazy stuff.  I'll help you out with my next post.  Stay tuned and thanks for visiting, join up!

Backgrounds, Layout, and Call to Action

Intro


Here at Kirksville Web Design, we aren't afraid to try new things. New gadgets, backgrounds, layouts, and styles. It great to test the creative mind and think outside the box.

Everything in a website has to work in symbiosis, it has to agree. The background image on a Google Site largely dictates the flow of a website, the layout leads your visitor, and the call to action creates conversions (e.g. a product sold, a form filled out, page read). Here's an example of everything working together - synchronicity.

Like a Clownfish in the Anemone - Elements need to work together for mutual benefit

Background


There are two primary background images for the Google Sites Designer: background image wrapper and background image. One usually acts as the header, one as the footer (and doesn't matter much which one is which).

The header can be understated or a huge attention grabber. If you are using a slideshow - you want the header to be short in height, because the slider is your more important element. That's why Kirksville Web Design recently cut down it's header to a third the height - to make the slider standout and allow the visitor to now have to scroll down as much.

Make sure your footer isn't an arbitrary color/pattern/dimension - it can match the header or at least compliment it.

You can see it all, no scrolling down. Get to the meat of the subject - those sample websites.

Layout


Content is king. Layout makes sure that content is easily deciphered by the visitor. No walls of text, please.

Google Sites is limit on it's page layouts - 1,2,3 columns. I usually go with three columns or create a table to make four or five. This is usually for listing information. Visitors will most likely read only your titles, subtitles, and the first sentence of a paragraph.

Work your layout around your images, slideshow, and finish it off with a big, audacious, highlighted call to action.

Three columns - simple, elegant, spaced out. Modern = Space between elements.

Call to Action


The Call to Action button is a huge deal on the home page. Send the visitor instantly to where they need to go.

Sign up, Get Started, Search, Buy, Contact Us - whatever your conversion is. Contrast it, make it stand out. This isn't the time for a muted, subtle, hard to read element.

A different font, a contrasting color, big and easy. Like the easy button.

Top 10 - Wish List for Google Sites in 2013

Hey folks! +Kyle Horst here with +Kirksville Web Design and I am super excited for 2013 when it comes to Google Sites. 2012 was a successful year for us and I foresee the demand for Google Sites growing. People are migrating to Google Apps in droves and Google Sites enjoys a slice of that success.

First, lets review 2012:

1. Easy Edit Site Layout - "Shift + L" That's the hotkey I've been learning quickly for Google Sites because it's quick and easy to edit Site Layout now. No more jostling between different tabs to verify the look and feel.
2. New & Improved Commenting - This feature flies under the radar most of the time, but it's really nice for Wiki type projects. Those comments at the bottom of the page are now easier to follow and track thanks to some Google + type functionality.

Now onto our Wish List for 2013:

1. Anyone can comment - I think I speak for every Google Sites enthusiast when I say we want public commenting. Tie this into Google + and we are set to blog a bit more on Google Sites and take in all sorts of feedback. This would breathe new life into Google Sites
2. More Font Control - Certain elements of Google Sites, their font size, well it can't be changed, no matter how hard you try in the HTML editor. So give us a bit more freedom to work with fonts Google. =)
3. Bugged Out Background Image - This has bothered me for a while. If the Google Translate feature is tripped by a visitor your background image, which you have set to the bottom of the page, will no longer stick to the bottom. It can easily destroy a Google Sites look. =/
4. Set Column Width - The wish here is two-fold: Allow for the editing of the column width for page layouts and allow for setting the column width for the List type page. We don't always want them to be equal in width.
5. Tags - What a wonderful idea. We see tags used everywhere in Wordpress and Blogger, but wouldn't it be nice to tag your pages and your files in Google Sites? Yes, please.
6. Improve File Cabinet - We love the file cabinet, but at a certain point it becomes hard to manage and organize files. You can't upload to a specific folder and docs are automatically alphabetized. We could use some better Google Drive capabilities too.
7. Improve the Announcements Page - The announcements page template is handy, don't get me wrong, but it would be useful to have more Blogger type features, like an archive widget, comments, and easy add social media gadgets (+1, tweet, etc.). Also, change author, change date/time, auto-scheduling posts, to name a few options.
8. Add Custom CSS - When you design Google Sites, you will inevitably hit some roadblocks for fonts/colors/styling that you just can't change via conventional HTML editing means. A universal Add Custom CSS feature would be wonderful. Let us override certain styling if and when we need to.
9. Fixed Background Image - This feature could make for some interesting designs, definitely more based on high quality photos. It would pair nicely with an option to expand background to 100 percent of the browser window. That way you have a nice full page background effect. It a popular design choice on many modern websites.
10. Center Justify the Horizontal Navigation Bar - If you are designing a website with a more center justified look, then the nav bar is the only thing holding you back. In RTL reading languages (Hebrew, Arabic) the nav bar is justified right, so it's very possible to easily add an option to center it. Maybe in 2013.

Here's hoping for a great 2013 in the Google Sites world. Thanks!

News - Social Sites Help Page Rank

Google has released, as part of the their Webmaster Help Youtube channel, information that can help the Google Sites webmaster improve search engine optimization.  The new video discloses that Google now considers social sites in page rankings.  So, your efforts on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz, will get you noticed by Google.  "In what capacity?" you might ask.

Google Realtime is a search engine that processes all the most recent social data, while not the most visible avenue it could grow.  Backlinks are still important to Google and remember, it's their goal to properly rank what's relevant and popular.  I've provided the video below.



How can I get my Google Site noticed by Google Search?
It's one of the most frequent questions on the Google Sites help forum.  You want to be on the front page of a Google search entry, or at least somewhere.  Look forward to my next post on this hot topic.

Business - Supplementary Google Services

Let's jump right in!

Google Places
Combine Google Maps with your local phonebook and you get something akin to Google Places.  Any business can claim their business listing based on their address.  Recently, Google Places has seen some major activity, like Google Tags and Google Boost.

Tags let's you promote your website (among other options).  Boost lets you claim an advertisement slot for a local search.  Overall, it is to your benefit to promote the website you've made with Google Sites with Google Places.  It is a great avenue to help the small business in town.  So, when you make someone a website, be sure to throw this in as a bonus feature.

Google Places provides easy visibility for small clients

Blogger
Most websites nowadays have a complementary blog along with their website.  Blogger is basically push-button publishing and it has a lot more features than Google Sites' Announcement Page.  It's too bad that you can integrate Blogger in Google Sites, like be under the same domain (If someone knows how to do that please let me know).

YouTube
Take a page from Google's own marketing strategy.  They have dozens of Youtube channels and Blogs.  If you create a Youtube channel with your Google Site, you've tapped into one of the most visited internet locales available.  Of course this means you have to make videos, perhaps a bit more time-consuming avenue than you would like to take.  A client might want to make a video and post it on their website, like a personal appeal from the owner.

Google Analytics
If you go to Manage Site > General, you will see a space for inserting a Google Analytics ID.  This a great tool to monitor your websites ebb and flow.  Statistics are a wonderful thing, and Analytics easy setup with Google Sites is even more wonderful.  You'll need that hard data of visitors and pageviews when it comes to marketing yourself to clients and investors.  You can easily share the statistical information with them too, so they can get involved in building their website's popularity.

Click picture to visit a product tour of Google Analytics.  Powerful Data...

Google Webmaster Tools
You'll find implementing this right by your Google Analytics ID.  Webmaster Tools helps you identify keywords in your website so you can make sure you're hitting the right online market.  Although I use this less than Analytics, it's chuck full of more useful information.

Google Adwords
You can pay for SEO results, kinda, it's called Adwords.  Neither I, nor my clients, have the capital for such an investment in online advertising, but Google claims that even small business can have a share in this advertising pie.  You could see results, but consider this an additive to your website package.

Google Adsense
Simply put, you can put ads on your websites.  Manage Site > Monetize.  Unless your seeing a higher volume of visitors (100+ a day) this probably isn't worth your while.  It takes away from the aesthetic of a professional website, or at least one that represents a business.  I don't have any ads on my websites for that reason.  Also, relevant ads could take people away from the very service they are looking at obtaining from your website.  For example, I built a website for a heating and cooling business and the ads that showed up were for competitors air conditioners.  =/

It's very easy to implement Ads on your site, but is it worth it?

Conclusion: All in all, Google services alone can help you succeed in creating websites that are visible.  You can be your own SEO technician with a can-do attitude.

Bug Report - Images Not Found

UPDATE 12/31/2013 - This Bug Seems to have disappeared and no more image loading problems are occuring.

Google Sites is currently experiencing an issue where images, whether background images, logos, page images, icons, etc, are not being found and result in a broken image link. At this point it is very sporadic and images may appear, reappear and be generally glitchy.

It has been reported to Top Contributors on the Google Sites Help Forum and consequently has been escalated to Google Sites team representatives.

Ya, it's a problem.

Video Tutorial - Image Formatting and Icons

My latest video tutorial for Google Sites.  We've been creating this sample website for a bakery quite steadily.

Here's what you an expect to learn in this video:

• How to insert images by URL
• How to format images horizontally
• How to create images as links
• How to find free icons for your website

I hope you enjoy this latest video.  Any suggestions or ideas can be submitted as comments.  Thanks for tuning in.

Free Font Favorite - RB No2

Just a quick post here to highlight another amazing free font, one of 2011's best fonts - RB No2 by Rene Bieder of fontfabric.com.

Here is a link to the free download:

http://fontfabric.com/rbno2-free-font/

Kirksville Web Design - Looking Good in RB No2

Enjoy! Chime in you other lovers of typography.

What's Next for Google Sites?

It has been quite some time since the last significant Google Sites upgrade.  That upgrade made possible the horizontal navigation and drop down boxes that users had been clamoring for.

Google's Last Big Upgrade: Horizontal Navigation and Dropdown Boxes, but that was so long ago...

So, what is Google cooking up next for us?  Visit the Google Sites forums and you'll see a lot of speculation, and I've summarized and accumulated that information here for you.  Ultimately, Google's direction for Google Sites will determine priorities and we'll analyze the trends Google is promoting.

Trend: Intranet
Google, it seems, has been targeting businesses and schools for aggressively.  Google renamed their Google Apps Premier Edition to Google Apps for Business.  Evidence that they want to reach an audience that will pay for their product ($50/user, actually).

Recent webinars like, Improving Team Collaboration and Productivity with Google Sites, tailor the suggested use of Google Sites to intranet, project-type websites.  Will this trend mean Google Sites will become more practical and less aesthetic?  Really, Google has even scaled down their Google Groups aspect to encourage this intra-firm use of Google Sites.  All this doesn't bode well for the web designer use, although Google has a knack for balancing the multipurpose design.

Speculation: Page Permissions
A popular request on the Google Sites suggestions forum for some time, page permissions are an excellent idea to expand both the uses of a intranet website and a public internet website.  What meant by page permissions?  Basically creating a login ability for varying levels of access throughout a website.  For example, a members and guests sort of permissions format.  The current, owner/collaborator/viewer format is unsatisfactory.  Will Google implement such a suggestion soon?  We all hope so.

Trend: Google Apps
Google Sites has been the sort of side-kick to the Google Apps line-up.  Google certainly is trying to promote the use of Google Sites within the Google Apps complex.  It is one of their "core apps" after all.  Therefore, it would be unexpected for Google to cease making important upgrades to it.

Speculation: Embed Google Groups
If the two shall meet, Google Groups and Google Sites, there would be much rejoicing for an essential forum option.  An announcements page just won't do it.

Google Groups, They're revamping it, but couldn't they just incorporate it?

Great Ideas for Improvements:

• Navigation could support images more so than just transparency.
• More Fonts!  There are around six right now, it's hard to be more unique.  At least allow for them eh?
• Flash Options - We all love to see the stylish animated banner/header on websites.  Could this be implemented?
• Column Widths - It's been mentioned on the forums, the ability to adjust how wide you columns are in page layout.  Two equa-distant columns is boring and the sidebars are too narrow.

What would you like to see next in Google Sites?  Please comment below and share your hopes and dreams.
 

Video Tutorial - Embed Tools from Google

Learn to embed those important tools like Google calendars and Google Docs.

See the progress made to our sandbox website http://sites.google.com/site/numsbakedgoods 

A Bit of a Summary
This video focuses on important elements to any Google Site, that is, using the inherent interactivity of Google Docs and Calendars, etc, to convey and gather information.  Google Doc's forms are fairly simple and I show you where the input information shows up and how to be notified via e-mail.

Note: Remember it is important to make your Docs and Calendars public for them to be seen on a public website.  Also, make sure that your Calendar has a relevant time zone, this setting is available in..."settings!"




Google Sites makes it wonderfully easy to implement these practical applications.  Love Google Sites and the Google Apps package.

Google Sites New Look Becomes Permanent

I've heard all sorts of praise and criticism about Google's new look for all it's apps. Honestly, I liked the black bar at the top, but that not really the point of this article.

So Google Sites go its own little stylistic refresh and non Google Apps users have been testing it out over the last couple weeks. Anyways, that new look becomes permanent across all Sites users and accounts.

From a recent post by Google, on 12/6 the new look will be the default standard look and I'm so far not sure that you can hold on to the old look. I wouldn't imagine so at least. So warn your Google Sites end users. Like me, I think they will find it a refreshing change.

Bug Report - Slow or Non-existant Google Sites Templates

Intro

It looks like the Template Gallery in Google Sites is experiencing some technical difficulties. I got the screenshot below and for the past couple days copying and creating new sites has been difficult. So what's the deal?

The Bug

It you try to create a new site from a template or copy a site (acts similar to a template) you might not get any options for template to use.

If you do see templates, it might take an infinite amount of time for the site to actually create or copy.

Solution

None at the moment. According to the Google Sites Help Forum, Top Contributors have submitted the issue to the Google Sites team.

Potential Cause

Every time Google Sites get particularly buggy, there have been updates, upgrades, or changes to the Google Sites application. Could this bug be reasoned that way? Probably. We've long await a better way to manage the Template Gallery, which contains thousands of templates, some spammy, some poor quality, some excellent. It's a veritable grab-bag.

So let's wait and see. Stay tuned.

Business - Selling Points of Google Sites

When I have proposed building a website for a business or organization, there are several selling points I try to drive at.  That is, I focus on the advantages of using Google Sites to build their website.  Let's look at some of these:

• There are no initial investments to build a Google Site - The designer doesn't have to purchase any software, have taken any classes, or even provide hosting.  The customer is able to buy at cost your time and effort.  You can undercut the competition!  Custom sites can cost $400+, you can do better than that.
• Visit the Links Page for a bunch of free resources like GIMP, Dafont.com, and Stock Exchange.

GIMP, Free Photo Editing and Design Program

•  The customer is not out of the loop, they can participate in uploading and creating content.  Since you are using a very user-friendly medium, the customer can learn to get involved instead of always paying or bothering the webmaster.  Share you site to the customer as a collaborator, if they want.
• Promote the Google Apps package deal.  If you design using Google Sites no doubt you have experience with the other Google Apps Small Businesses can use like Google Calendar, Gmail, etc.  If you sell them the package deal you are on your way to becoming a Google Apps Authorized Reseller.

You have an impressive cloud package to present.

• Google Sites is good for SEO.  You are basically using an all HTML platform, and though you might not be able to implement slick Flash elements, Google can efficiently index your website.
• You can provide quick turnaround.  If you are a Google Sites expert, or even a novice, you can create a draft of a website in like 8 solid hours.  Unlike web design companies that take weeks or months to produce, you can be very timely.

 I hope this helps any web designers that want to sell their creative work using Google Sites.  Don't forget to act professional because no client wants a wonky webmaster.

Top 6 Google Webfonts for Google Sites

Intro

I think everyone knows I love typography. Ever since the Google Sites team released the availability of the hundreds of Google WebFonts I have striven to take advantage of the best fonts around. There are readable fonts, striking fonts, accent fonts and cute fonts.

I've cut through to the cream of the crop and found the best fonts suited for Google Sites. So enjoy these top 6 webfonts for Google Sites and implement them on your Google Sites template designs and portfolios.

Sanchez

This is a newcomer and is trending because of its slab-serif style, reminiscent I think of Museo, which is very popular as well but not a Webfont.

Oswald

This font is narrow, masculine and bold. I think it is ideal for paragraph headings. Reminds me of Bebas Neue in a way. Remember narrow isn't great for paragraph text.

Open Sans

It's the poster child font for Google, besides their logo. Clean and crisp, it's a great all-around font that is very legible. Use it at 16px/12pt for best results.

PT Serif

This is my go to serif font. You know how many webfonts don't render too well, especially at small sizes? Well this does great and overcomes that pitfall for many of the Google Sites fonts.

Ubuntu

It's a bit fun this font, I mean it's unique and works wonderfully as another all-around-good-font for Google Sites. Check out those interesting little tweaks that make this font great.

Montserrat

This font renders a bit bolder and bigger and therefore is good in certain Google Sites applications where that is needed. I'm featuring it in a Google Site I'm designing right now, so yay!

Conclusion

It's intimidating to look at that gigantic drop down menu of Google Sites fonts, but make some wise choices and pick something that looks best on any screen, any size and any browser. Have fun with your next Google Site!

Video Tutorial #4 - Page Layout, Pictures, Animations

Here are the main points of my latest video:

• Planning Images/Pictures
• Inserting .GIF Animations
• Selecting Page Layout
• Formatting Text and Horizontal Lines (HTML)

If you would like a topic specifically covered in next week's video please comment.  Thanks for tuning in and please follow my blog for updates.  You can visit my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/kirksvillewebdesign.