Updating Your Website for Google's Rich Snippets

Google wants to better understand your content. They also want to ensure that they're delivering the highest quality search results to users on the web. In order to do both, Google has deployed Rich Snippets, which utilize the HTML5 microdata specification to properly label website content. How do Rich Snippets work? Rich Snippets are like road signs for your web page content, designed to help the Google search engine find exactly what it's looking for. For example, lets say your website posts movie reviews. You would label each review with the correct microdata for reviews. Then, when Google receives a search request for "star wars movie review", they''ll run their algorithm. If your site is found to fit the match, and also contains Rich Snippets microdata formatting, it may show up on the search results page as a perfect fit - presented in a very specific fashion which is intended t... Keep Reading

Replicating Excel Functions in PHP

Excel is a great tool for setting up complex calculations and business users love it. But if you need to convert all those calculations into a dynamic web based application, the process may not be as straightforward as you think. You see, PHP doesn't have built-in functions to match all those great functions that are built in to Excel. That means you need to recreate them from scratch or dig through several disjointed resources online to try to find what you want. We put together a few of these for a recent project and we thought it would be good to share them here to hopefully make things easier for others. These aren't ALL the functions of course, but here are the ones we had to use recently. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- function PMT($i, $n, $p) { return $i * $p * pow((1 + $i), $n) / (1 - pow((1 + $i), $n)); } -----... Keep Reading

Tell Facebook Which Image to Use on a Shared Link or Post

Ever wonder how it is that Facebook seems to instantly "know" which images should be associated with your shared link or post? It's like magic! Not really. When links are shared on Facebook, the system runs a scan of the linked page to find any associated images which may help to visually represent the content...and it doesn't discriminate. I've watched story links pull everything from website logos to footer badges, even if they weren't related to the content shared in any way. Facebook understands that this isn't a particularly helpful process, especially when users who want to "share on the fly" are forced to click through a gallery of useless images in order to find one that properly represents their shared link. To get around this, Facebook has instituted the use of Open Graph META tags. These tags were created by Facebook as a way to more accurately indicate your content prefere... Keep Reading

Choosing The Best eCommerce Software

The Internet is full of money-making potential. Whether you're a small business owner looking to launch a product on the web or a catalog sales veteran hoping to take your company to a higher level, the Internet offers everyone the same advantages. All you need is the right ecommerce software to get started. Many private and corporate business owners find their barriers to entry the same with the following concerns: how do I manage my inventory online? how will my staff handle orders and fulfillment? where will payments post and can I use my current payment processing provider? is the website secure for my customers and clients making purchases? how does one go about marketing their products on the Internet? I'd like to stay in contact with my customers and build loyalty, how do I accomplish this? Today, the Internet has morphed itself into an efficient e-commerce marketplace... Keep Reading

Thursday Think Tank - 10/25/2012

Join WebLift CEO Pedro Sostre and Product Director Misty McIntosh as we review the latest in business and marketing. http://www.spreecast.com/channels/weblift... Keep Reading