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Google Now Makes Web Browsing More Visual

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments
Google Now

Google Now

With Google’s newest mobile application for Android, there is no excuse to be late. Google Now will geo-locate you and give you a virtual nudge in the right direction when it’s time to get moving.

In other words, if you have a meeting on your Google Calendar, Google Now will identify how long it will take to get to that location and when would be the best time to leave.

What does this mean for the way users interact with Google? With Google Now, Internet searches return tabs and photos instead of the traditional blue hyperlinks changing the way Internet traffic is funneled to sites.

What Does Google Now Mean for Internet Search?

Mark Wilson of Fast Company explains, “They’re pulling us from an era of blue hyperlinks and typos to one fueled by the places we go and things we see, showing us the places we’re going and things we’ll see.”

As a result, photo content on websites is now becoming increasingly important. With the emphasis on visuals and less on content, the way people search for topics will change along with the results they see.

Hugo Barra, Director of Product Management for Android, explains: “You used to have to enter a search query or type in a street address, but that changes with Google Now.”

Similar to the way Google currently functions, Google Now will enjoy aggregating data in the same way in an effort to optimize search results. With Google’s new widget-like search feature, searches are fueled by tons and tons of user data; the more it collects, as you might imagine, the more accurate its predictions and suggestions will be.

Check out the video below for more information on Google Now.

Your business should be at the top of every Google search. Let the team at iQuarius Media optimize your site for SEO, Internet marketing, and more.

Digital Media Hub Grows In Downtown Orlando

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Creative Village

iQuarius Media watched the Amway Arena crumble in a massive explosion right outside our window. Now, we’re watching it be built back up to be a hub of digital media in Central Florida.

The Creative Village is making its home in downtown Orlando at 600 West Amelia Street.  This bustling hub of connectivity will function as an outlet for the burgeoning digital media industry in Central Florida.  Here, high-tech creatives like those at iQuarius Media can “live, work, learn and play” while creating more than 8,000 jobs, according to the City of Orlando.

Since its demolition, they’ve released the plans for dividing the space:

  • 900,000 – 1,000,000 square feet of office/creative space
  • 300,000 – 500,000 square feet of higher education space
  • 25,000 square feet of K-12 education space
  • 1,200 – 1,500 residential units
  • 125 – 150,000 square feet of retail/commercial space
  • 150 – 200 hotel rooms

New Talent = New Energy

With several emerging media initiatives already in place in Central Florida, the Creative Village will have no shortage of resources to draw from. Digital media talent is practically oozing out of educational centers like the UCF Center for Emerging Media, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, and Full Sail University.

iQuarius Media is no stranger to the cultivation of creativity and is excited at the prospect of new digital media talent – and outlets to showcase our own – in Orlando.

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iQuarius Media is a full-service new media (digital media) firm in downtown Orlando (though our clientele included multinational corporations). Call us for slick, personal, and professional web design, Internet marketing, SEO, graphic design, social media management, 2D and 3D animation, audio post-production and more. 

To learn more about the Creative Village or offer input, please visit this link.

by Natalie & Kal

Internet Traffic Will Quadruple in Four Years

in Internet Marketing  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Internet trafficSo you were just getting used to hearing data referred to in “gigabytes”, GB, or “Gigs” – and now the Internet world has moved on. We are now dealing with zettabytes of data. One zettabyte is equal to a trillion gigabytes.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index Forecast and statement, there is and will be explosive global growth in Internet traffic, which is expected to quadruple by 2016. This is fueled largely by the speed at which smartphones, tablets, and Internet-enabled TVs are flying off the shelves; the growing accessibility of Wi-Fi and faster high-speed connections are all contributing factors.

Computers may have been responsible for 94 percent of consumer Internet traffic last year, but that number is expected to decrease to about 81 percent. So where’s the growth? Mobile Internet traffic – which is forecast to increase 18 times between now and 2016.

The Internet Traffic Explosion

  • 2016 will see 3.4 billion Internet users — half the world
  • More than half of global Internet traffic is expected to come from Wi-Fi
  • Average broadband speeds will nearly quadruple
  • The greatest demand for bandwidth will come from video: streaming entertainment as well as business videoconferencing

Imagine the equivalent of 278 million people simultaneously streaming an HD movie each hour. That’s where Cisco expects consumer demand to be — orders of magnitude greater than it is now. Cisco says it expects dramatic changes in “the network requirements needed to deliver on the expectations of this ‘new normal.’“

Businesses need to get mobile, connected, and visual. Reel in your Internet traffic with Video production, mobile apps, Internet marketing, social media, blogs, and more: iQuarius Media.

In Memoriam

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

We have a great thank-you in our hearts for those who gave their lives for our country. We don’t need to sprout off a long, elaborate speech about this. We offer a simple thank you, and that is all. Happy Memorial Day to everyone.

Facebook: Nearly Half of Americans Think It's A Passing Fad

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

FacebookThere is a new study out there that is suggesting that the all mighty Facebook is just another fad, at least according to half of Americans. Could it be another MySpace?

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press and CNBC, an astonishing 46% of respondents think that Facebook will slowly fade away as new platforms are created in the future.

Picture-heavy communities like Pinterest and Instagram are on the rise. On the other hand, the other 43% of the responses may indicate that there is still faith in the ability of Facebook to stay relevant for a while longer.

This study was conducted among 1,000 Americans that were ages 18 and over, with a margin of error of 3.9%.

Respondents on the Facebook IPO

The survey was conducted partly in response to some of the frenzy surrounding the Facebook IPO. Before it went public, almost 50% of the respondents in the survey said they believed the expected stock market value was overvalued. About 51% believed it would be a good investment, while 31% disagreed and thought if they bought shares, it would not be a good investment that would outperform others.

Respondents Speak Out On Zuck’s Abilities To Lead

So what about the creator being a 28-year-old? Can Mark Zuckerberg run a large publicly traded company? 18% said they were “extremely confident” about that. Almost 40% said they were somewhat confident, and 20% said they weren’t confident at all. 21% of respondents cited age as helping his ability to run the company whereas 11% thought that it hurt his ability.

So what do you think? Is Facebook is just another passing fad? Leave your opinion below or on Facebook.com/iquariusmedia.

 

 

 

Google Penguin: Checklist for Businesses

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

Google PenguinSocial Media Soothes Where Google Hits You Hardest

For small- to medium-sized businesses who find their rankings adrift with every new wave of Google algorithm updates, finding a way to generate traffic without having to rely on Google might seem like a dream come true.

As with the latest Google Penguin algorithm update, designed to weed out Internet pollution and spam, Google is getting more specific about how websites are judged on quality. They want quality and relevancy at the top.

Well, as businesspeople and marketers with real content to promote, we can’t complain about that, can we?

The Consumer Shift Away from Google

If we think of Google as a single marketing channel, albeit a big one, we are headed in the right direction — because there are other sources of traffic and link juice, and they are getting more and more powerful by the day. Why not go straight to the source? After all, consumer behavior has shifted towards reliance on social media, as opposed to Google. And Google may help them find specific products like no other source but, through social media, they are getting brand information, recommendations from friends, and reasons to buy.

The bottom line is that people – and by people, we mean 60 percent of the entire U.S. population – use the social networks. So dip in.

Google Penguin: Checklist for Businesses

1. Get people, as opposed to Google, to share your content.

Do you have gorgeous photo galleries, videos, infographics, and other visual content? Put them on Facebook ,Twitter, and Pinterest. Be funny. Be inspiring. Most importantly, be social and shareable.

2. BLOG. 

We can’t stress this one enough. Good, fresh content is something that both people and search engines look for. When you blog regularly, it helps build your brand and gives your readers a reason to come back, but it also forces search engine crawlers to continually index and rank your site.  And Google Penguin gives particular weight to fresh, original blog content.

Push out blog posts regularly. Hire an Internet marketing company with great writers to help. Get guest blogs, and guest blog on others’ sites to establish yourself and your blog. Blogging is a big part of how Internet marketing is done these days, and it is simply too big a deal to ignore.

3. Go visual with Pinterest and YouTube.

People latch on to visual content. Visuals, particularly video, can pack a whole lot of information into a short time frame. And visual content is infinitely shareable, made even more powerful by both Pinterest and YouTube – two sites that are GREAT sources of traffic.

4. Stay on top of Google+.

In an effort to push Google+ further into the social realm, Google Penguin is giving its content and users unnatural importance in search engine results pages. Take advantage.

5. Optimize your Facebook and other social network profiles.

  • Buy social ads
  • Interact with relevant businesses
  • Make sure people see your URLs
  • Fill out all your profile info
  • Pull in your blog stream
  • Link to your profile on important keywords on your site
  • Do newsworthy things and publish them

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What To Do

Google Penguin cares about relevancy, quality, diversity, and freshness — because these are the things that will ultimately make for a better Google search experience. What may seem like an initial hit to some of your Internet marketing efforts may be the best thing that ever happened — because it can push down those that are gaming the system, and help you and your brand rise to the top for being the cream of the crop. Just don’t slack on Google Penguin and social media best practices, some of which we have outlined for you above.

If you haven’t started in social media, start yesterday. If you’re there, do more. Get help — dedicate a team to it. This is a full-time job. Hire a full-service Internet marketing team. Iquarius Media’s number is 407-362-6503. We can:

  • Stay on top of your social media profiles
  • Start your blog and do exhaustive research, then have dedicated writers create your blog content
  • Produce videos and motion graphics
  • Custom-fit these and other Internet marketing services to you and your company

If you have questions, ask them. Ask us. You can do that here, on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Google+, to name a few.

Pinterest Sets Its Sights on Twitter and Facebook

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

pinterestWe love Pinterest and can’t stop talking about it. But, then again, neither can the rest of the Internet.

And it’s no wonder. Traffic has SURGED for Pinterest lately, up 50 percent between January and February, according to a new report released by Experian (and supported by a range of other Internet and social media trend reporting agencies). Total U.S. visits in February were stellar – and it shot Pinterest past its closest competitor, LinkedIn.

It Goes Like This: Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest

Pinterest surprised everyone last year by getting in the Top 10 of social networks.

As it stands now, Pinterest is the third-largest social network behind Facebook and Twitter – leaving LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Google+ behind (and picking up users like President Obama).

  1. Facebook: 7 billion
  2. Twitter: 182 million
  3. Pinterest: 104 million
  4. LinkedIn: 86 million
  5. Tagged: 72 million
  6. Google+: 61 million

Now do you see why Facebook is trying to add more visual interest to its interface? Does it help explain their billion-dollar purchase of Instagram? In any case, traffic to Pinterst is still 10-fold over Instagram, who received 10.2 million visits last month.

What Are People Doing On Pinterest?

They’re staying. Engagement on Pinterest is enviable, with users spending an average of 89 minutes per month on site. Facebook is still king, though, with users spending an average of 405 minutes per month.

Users can add a bookmarklet in their web browser, allowing Pinterest to stay with them throughout their Internet travels. They can pin anything from any page they come across, including pics of products they love, designers they admire, and places they want to visit (just to name a few of the most popular categories). And, with each pin automatically sourced back to where it was found, Pinterest is a marketer’s dream tool.

Social media in general is reaching new highs: 91% of adults use social media regularly.

We bet you have some questions about Pinterest. If you want to ask them, come join us on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll start doing profiles on our clients’ Pinterest accounts soon, too. See you back here.

 

Google+ Redesign is …So Pretty

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

 

google+Google has announced an overhaul of the Google+ interface. The rollouts began this week, and the changes are designed to be more customizable, more social, and more visual. It also offers a new interface for Google+’s breakthrough – but underused – service, Hangouts.

Icon-Centric Navigation

Navigation is the most obvious and dramatic change. Instead of function buttons framing the top left corner, the buttons for your Google apps – your profile, photos, hangouts, etc.— populate a “navigation ribbon” along the left, where users can drag-n-drop app icons. It’s a Google-simple version of the iOs app shelf.

A mouse-over reveals an app icon’s functions. Dragging app icons off the navigation ribbon will automatically drop it into the “…MORE” section. The ability to add, remove, customize your personal favorites and most-used Google+ features is designed to coax longer interaction.

The Twitter-like trending box in the upper right feeds into the Explore page, where users can see what’s going on throughout the entire network.

Emphasis on Photos and Videos, Hangouts

According to Google, much of the overhaul was designed to “make sharing more evocative.” One area that got lavished with attention was videos and photos. More screen real estate is dedicated to them. There was an emphasis on sharing from anywhere on Google, including YouTube and Google search.

The dedicated Hangouts page features a rotating list of current and popular hangouts, from pros and from your circles. Hangouts – like buffed-up conferencing — are still used primarily by tech-y and nerdy types, as is most of the Google+ network. The page hopes to make Hangouts more accessible to everyone else.

No one can deny that Google+ is thoughtfully designed. It was partly a matter of reaching out to a different type of user, namely, everybody.

Pinterest Jostling for Place Among the Top — And Winning

in Social Media  by iqmadmin 0 comments

pinterestPinterest is still invite-only but new aggregated data indicates that it is taking its place among the social media behemoths in referral traffic:

  • Pinterest is driving more referral traffic than Twitter
  • Pinterest is driving more referral traffic than Google Plus (G+), LinkedIn, and YouTube combined

The data was collected from more than 200,000 publishers who collectively reach more than 270 million unique monthly visitors each month. Facebook still accounted for more than a quarter of the referral traffic. Subculture-centric Stumbleupon held on to its number-two position, while similar bookmarking site Reddit was also among the top.

This is Huge: Pinterest > Twitter

The biggest news here has got to be the Twitter connection. Twitter’s micro-blogging platform found its power in its concise, 140-character bursts of information – posts are quick to craft and easy to share. Along with its URL shorteners making it more than easy to put active links in posts, Twitter was a powerful source of referral traffic for businesses and marketers.

It now looks as if Pinterest is occupying a similar niche, with the added dimensions of being visuals-focused. There is power in pictures — and Pinterest is remarkably beautiful, and its content is infinitely clickable.

We’ve blogged about Pinterest before. We’re also marketers who have been eagerly watching Pinterest grow since the beginning. If you’d like to know more about how we can leverage Pinterest for you, contact us. Ask your questions. We would love to share what we know.

 

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