5 Things You Did Not Know You Could Use Google For
Without Google, the world would be a very different place. Its ability to as a search engine is well known but did you know that simply finding the results which are best suited to your searches is not the end of Google’s capabilities?
The world of Google can be a weird and wonderful place sometimes and below we have dug out some of more unusual uses for this brilliant search engine.
Exploring The Stars
Are you curious about what lives out there beyond the stars? Google will let you explore a well known distant planet, and if you’re lucky, even have a chat with an alien!
The Mars Feature on Google Earth 5 allows users to explore the surface of the red planet. Simply type “Meliza” into the search box and watch as you are transported to a secret part of the planet where you can have a char with a local alien. We have our suspicions that it may not actually be a real alien, so let us know what you think!
Learn To Fly
Ever wanted to be a pilot? Why not give this a try to see how your skills measure up! Visit Google Earth, press CTRL + Alt + A (Command + Option + A for Mac), choose your aircraft, and fly!
You can even simulate flying an F16 Fighter Jet. Click here to learn the flight controls.
Are You a Trekkie
Star Trek is one of those timeless shows that it popular throughout the generations. It is also a show that its fans take very seriously! If your second language happens to be Klingon, your luck could be in. Try using Google’s custom Klingon search. It’s a fun way to put a new spin on Google. It will even correct your grammar! And if you don’t speak Klingon, don’t sweat it. Google has their own Klingon translator and dictionary to help you out.
Take a Trip Back To The 80s
Were you an 80s kid? It may sound odd, but typing a random string of letters into Google Translate, then hitting the listen icon will prompt Google to beatbox whatever you wrote down. Try it yourself by copy pasting “pv kkk pkkk pvpvpv ppkk pddd bschk bschk pv zk pv bschk pv pv pv bschk bschk bschk kkkkkkkkkk bschk bsch” into Google Translate and giving it a listen. Or click here and try!
Follow Your Flight
Just enter the desired airline and flight number into Google’s search box and instantly see the arrival and departure times in the results. Now you can keep up-to-date with any flight without having to constantly check the airline’s website.
Further Information
Footprint Web Design have been at the forefront of web design and development for nearly 20 years. If you are looking for a website that truly represents your business, or advice on how to make your site stand out, then contact us today on 01883 372 488, or via email at info@footprint.co.uk.
Currently Browsing: 5 Things You Did Not Know You Could Use Google For
5 Tips To Help Write An Engaging Blog
Just as with any other type of writing, the construction of an effective and engaging blog is a skill. It is amazing how often an interesting and informative subject can become lost, simply by a failure to follow some basic rules.
There are a number of reasons why people choose to write blog content on their website. Engaging with potential customers, providing information and SEO purposes are all common reasons for regularly updating blogs and by following the 5 simple tips below, you will ensure that you have the best possible chance of getting your chosen message across.
Tip No. 1 – Don’t Rush In!
It is always important to think about what you would like to write before you actually start. What is the purpose of your blog? What would you like 
your readers to find out? Would you like your blog to lead to readers taking a particular action?
Having a grasp on these questions before you start writing can help you along your way to creating a great article.
Tip No. 2 – Create An Engaging Structure
Few people are looking to solve a mystery when they start reading a blog or article. Choosing a catchy title and ensuring that your blog has an informative introduction offer key ways of ensuring that readers continue past the first few words of the article.
The addition of relevant images and videos can also play an important role in helping enhance the structure of text.
Tip No. 3 – Use Paragraphs & Punctuation
Whilst this may sound like fairly basic English, it is amazing how many people still believe that it is ok to add huge blocks of text which are not broken
up into relevant paragraphs and instead expect readers to fight their way through it!
Using paragraphs and punctuation can ensure that your content is far easier on the eye and much easier to read.
Tip No. 4 – Use Informative Headings
The addition of informative headings is essential to help structure the entire page. Headings are important for readability, but if you are using your blog for SEO purposes, they are even more important.
Google uses article headings to help understand the main topics of a long post and therefore the addition of headings will help to improve your chances of achieving a ranking on Google’s search engine for your post.
Tip No. 5 – Choosing The Right Length For Your Article
Whilst it is widely acknowledged that Google likes long articles, not all human readers share their enthusiasm!
Rather than aiming for a huge number of words, the golden number for online articles is a minimum of 300 words.
Please Note – Typically, we try to aim for between 300 and 700 words and include any target keywords between 3 and 6 times.
Further Information
If you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, including how we can blog for your business, please give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
Currently Browsing: 5 Tips To Help Write An Engaging Blog
How Can Online Reviews Help Your Business
For all the companies which take pride in their ability to go that extra mile to provide their clients with the best possible customer service, there are always the odd few who are more interested in making a quick profit and have no real interest in what happens after that.
What Can You Do?
One of the best ways to help separate yourself from the crowd and to prove that you are a trustworthy business is to get independent 3rd parties (i.e. past or present customers) to vouch for you in the form of online reviews.
In this piece, we’ll be looking at how you can get the most out of reviews you already have. If you haven’t gathered any reviews yet, check out our article offering some top tips to help get you started and then follow our short guide below to get the 
maximum value.
Where Should I Display My Reviews?
If someone is prepared to take the time and effort required to say something nice and complimentary about your business, don’t be shy about shouting this from the rooftops.
Below we have highlighted a couple of the best places to display your online reviews.
Create a Dedicated Page
The reason that it is important to do this is that potential customers are very likely to search for reviews when looking for more information about your company.
By taking the steps to ensure that you are one of the top results returned, you will receive an immediate chance to make the right impression.
Third-Party Review Websites
It is important to take the time to build up a good review profile on an independent third-party site because it helps to demonstrate to customers that you can be trusted.
Third-party reviews sites also have other advantages, such as Local SEO benefits (we will be exploring this further soon).
If your business relies on passing trade, being reviewed in these places can provide a critical boost.
Product Pages
Is your website an e-commerce venture? If so, allowing people to leave reviews for each product offers the perfect way to let others know that they’ll get what they’re looking for. Amazon is possibly the best example of how to implement this.
How Will This Help?
It’s all about finding a positive way to separate your business from the pack. If customers see that you have a proven track record of providing an excellent level of service, it stands to reason that this will play an important role in their decision-making process and this can go a long way towards them converting from a visitor into a paying customer.
Further Information
Footprint specialises in creating bespoke websites designed to help take your business to another level. We have been providing SEO Surrey since 1998 and if you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
Currently Browsing: Can Online Reviews Be Used To Improve Conversions?
