After just over a year of behind the scenes transition, Bing has officially begun powering Yahoo’s natural and paid search results. Similar to combining the strengths of Ironman and Aquaman (the underdogs of superheroes), Yahoo and Bing (the underdogs of search) have combined their strengths to create a search engine super-power. Together Yahoo and Bing now hold almost 30% the search market. With Google’s market share dropping monthly, this search alliance has the power to give Google some stiff competition. [More]

A well-designed user test measures the actual performance of users on the site by observing how they actually use your website and identifying what is working or opportunities for improvement. Depending on the scope of the test, participants are given tasks to accomplish or they surf the site on their own. During the test recording software is used to track user behavior, mouse clicks, and keystrokes. The software is also able to record the computer screen and the participant's voice and facial expressions during testing. [More]

Website usability is all about making things easy. A customers experience on a website begins from the second they enter the site and is added upon through each "touchpoint" that the customer has on the site. A website is often a customer's first impression of a business, and is a great example of the complex relationship between usability and web design. An ugly website may be highly functional, but users assume that since the site cut corners with their design they also cut corners with their products or services. However, a beautiful website may lack in functionality causing users become frustrated and lose trust in the brand or leave the site all-together. [More]

Google has made two big changes to how they rank and index websites. The “Mayday” update affects the way Google ranks websites in their search results and “Caffeine” affects how Google indexes websites. How will these changes affect your website? [More]

Recently there has been much debate regarding the life of a press release; some argue that the press release is dead while others insist that press releases are alive and well. We at OpenVision believe that the press release is not dead; in fact it has been reborn as a useful marketing tool. Press releases, or news releases, have been used in marketing for years to communicate with the media. In the past they have been mailed, faxed or emailed to editors of newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations. Once the editors received the press release they would then write a corresponding story. So what's new? With recent advances in communication with consumers through social networking and blogging the press release has been reborn as a useful communication tool. The recent avalanche of PR Sites has opened up a direct pathway to communicate with customers and bypass big media. So what do you need to know before publishing a press release online…. What You Should Kno... [More]

Tis the season to pull out the pencils, calculators and spreadsheets, time to sit down and start planning out your 2010 online marketing budget. I know, I know, it's never fun and everyone is dreading it, but it's something that needs to be done. Wondering where to start? SEO, PPC, social media, email blasts, website updates, banner ads, links, directory submission…the list is endless when it comes to Internet marketing options. So what is right for your company? The easy answer is to spend it where you get the most return; the more difficult answer is what will bring the most return. But, first things first, take a look at your existing website. Are there broken links, outdated information, clunky copy or poor design? If so that needs to be the first thing in your online marketing budget. There is little point in driving people to your site if your site is in need of an upgrade. Click here for a free website evaluation. Now let’s see how much you are paying per visi... [More]