The Art of (URL) Redirection
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 29, 2009
So, the idea behind URL redirection is pretty simple: you click on a link you’ve found off a search engine query, or you type in a certain URL into your web browser, but instead of landing on the URL you searched for, you are either automatically or manually transferred (or redirected) to a different URL. There’s an ongoing debate in the SEO industry about the merits of URL redirects, or lack thereof. Some SEO experts choose to veto redirects altogether. Others claim there are a select few types of redirects that can be applied to a site without harming its ranking. At SalemGlobal, we fall somewhere in the middle — we think URL redirects should always be used sparingly, and cautiously.
However, one fact does emerge out of the noisy cacophony made over URL redirects, namely, if you’re going to use a redirect, it should be a 301. 301 redirects are referred to as “server-side”, “permanent” redirects, which means that (a) when the redirect occurs, all of the transferring action is performed automatically on the server with no involvement from the person typing at his or her computer, and (b) the redirect tells the search engines that the move to the new URL is permanent, for good, everlasting, etc., etc. This latter element is especially important to keep in mind for those who are SEO-conscious, because it means that when search engines run into a 301 redirect they will most likely not de-index the page from their database, meaning the website as a whole will continue getting credit for the page being redirected. And, as readers of this weekly tip have come to know, the more pages on your site, the better.
When should a 301 redirect be instituted? To answer this question, we might as well consult the people who really count. Google’s publicly available webmaster guidelines recommend using a 301 redirect when:
- You’ve moved your site to a new domain, and you want to make the transition as seamless as possible.
- People access your site through several different URLs. If, for example, your home page can be reached in multiple ways - for instance, http://example.com/home, http://home.example.com, or http://www.example.com. It’s a good idea to pick one of those URLs as your preferred (canonical) destination, and use 301 redirects to send traffic from the other URLs to your preferred URL.
- You’re merging two websites and want to make sure that links to outdated URLs are redirected to the correct pages.
There are multiple ways of actually implementing the 301 redirect code. The best method is to introduce the 301 into the htaccess file of your website, since this is the file checked first by search engines bots. However, if you prefer, you can also easily add the 301 redirect with PHP or ASP code, among other options. The one method you should avoid is adding your 301 redirect through javascript or meta tags. This is a sure way of getting your page de-indexed, and thus hurting the overall ranking of your website.
Eva’s Village Seeks Funding to Meet an Increase in the Number of Uninsured and Underinsured Visiting Their Free Homeless Healthcare Clinic
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 28, 2009
Eva’s Village, (http://www.evasvillage.org) , Paterson, NJ, reports an increase in the numbers of homeless and working poor seeking primary medical and dental care at their homeless healthcare clinic. Eva’s Village is actively seeking charitable donations to support healthcare for the homeless during the current economic crisis.
Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) April 28, 2009 Eva’s Village, Paterson, NJ, Eva’s Village primary care medical and dental clinic provides healthcare for the homeless to more than 4,000 patient visits each year.”
Paterson is one of New Jersey’s poorest cities. Homelessness and healthcare for the homeless is a growing problem in the city in the best of times and even more so during the current economic crisis. In 2005, more than 24% of Paterson’s residents already lived below the poverty line and compared to the state of New Jersey overall, Paterson households earn nearly $23,000 less than their fellow citizens. Paterson’s unemployment rate has consistently been 3-4% higher than the state of New Jersey overall, which as of March 2009 was 8.3%.
Eva’s Village, located in the heart of Paterson, at 393 Main Street, has been a source of food, shelter, recovery services and healthcare for the homeless in Paterson New Jersey for more than 25 years. Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director of Eva’s Village says, “Many of the homeless are more concerned with meeting their immediate needs for food and shelter than with seeking healthcare, but during the past several months, we are providing more service to the uninsured working poor seeking medical and dental care.” Sister Gloria explains that the working poor include those working minimum wage jobs or multiple below-minimum wage jobs who still cannot make ends meet.
In a Commonwealth Fund, national telephone survey (2007), it was shown that there has been a sharp increase in the number of underinsured people. Those with household incomes below 200 percent of poverty were more likely to be uninsured or underinsured (72%) compared to higher income adults (27%). African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites to be uninsured or underinsured.
Lack of health insurance compromises the health of the uninsured because they receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates than insured individuals. As health related issues push more New Jersey citizens into poverty, healthcare for the homeless becomes a growing concern.
Eva’s Primary Care Clinic is one of only five truly free primary care clinics providing healthcare for the homeless in the state of New Jersey that does not charge patients for its services. The Clinic is staffed by a Medical Director, eight volunteer Nurse Practitioners/nurses, volunteer dentists and volunteer podiatrists. It offers an array of homeless healthcare services including basic screening and assessment, primary care, dental care, immunizations, routine acute care, medication monitoring, referral, and follow-up.
Eva’s Free Dental Care Clinic opened in 2002 under the leadership of Dr. Brian Ullmann to offer compassionate, free dental care as critical primary healthcare for the homeless. The Clinic’s volunteer staff offers a range of services including emergency and preventive care, diagnosis and restoration, root canals, partial and complete dentures, and oral surgery. Sister Gloria says, “Many of our clients have not seen a dentist for more than 30 years. As part of our homeless healthcare, we are able to provide them with a new smile, giving them health, hope, dignity and an appearance appropriate for job interviews.”
Funding of the Eva’s Village homeless healthcare clinic is dependent on foundation/corporate grants and private charitable donations, both of which are jeopardized by the current economic crisis in New Jersey. Eva’s Village is actively seeking charitable contributions to help support their clinic, including funding, equipment, medications and other supplies.
Eva’s Village continues to dream of expanding their comprehensive anti-poverty programs, including: thousands of meals provided by Eva’s Kitchen to the poor, Eva’s Village shelter residents, residential addiction treatment clients, new Hope Residence of St. Frances for Women and Children (created to assist mothers more commonly required to give up their children to foster care), Eva’s Medical and Dental Clinic, Eva’s Job Readiness Center, and soon, fifty units of affordable housing. A new larger clinic is in the sites for a future expansion.
Donna Marie Fico, Chief Marketing Office at Eva’s Village, cites the support of private charitable foundations, New Jersey businesses/corporations and thousands of dedicated private donors as encouragement. Ms. Fico says, “It is not only important to ask for increased help, but to let donors know that Eva’s Village acts responsibly so their money makes a significant difference in healthcare for the homeless. She reports that as one of the most respected, progressive and effective anti-poverty organizations in the state of New Jersey, Eva’s Village receives high marks for efficiency, including a Four-Star rating by Charity Navigator indicating that Eva’s Village “Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause” (Charity Navigator).
For more information on the healthcare for the homeless provided by the Eva’s Village primary care medical and dental clinic and the many other programs provided by Eva’s Village, email Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer at Donna.Fico (at) evasvillage (dot) org or call (973) 523-6220 Ext. 230.
Originally a New Jersey soup kitchen, Eva’s Village was founded in 1982 by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in response to the increasing incidence of homelessness in his Paterson, NJ parish. But Msgr. Puma soon realized that a soup kitchen was not enough. With the generous support of thousands of donors and private and government grants, Eva’s has grown into the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey, with a four-star (maximum) rating by Charity Navigator, an independent non-profit monitor.
Donate to Eva’s Village NJ Charity or for more information, go to http://www.evasvillage.org call 973.523.6220, email Donna.Fico (at) evasvillage (dot) org or write to: Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer, Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ, 07501.
Amber Court Assisted Living Communities Reaffirms Its Commitment To Seniors On Medicaid
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 28, 2009
Amber Court Assisted Living Communities Reaffirms Its Commitment To Seniors On Medicaid Amber Court (http://www.AmberCourtAL.com) reaffirms its commitment to seniors on Medicaid. New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen’s investigation of Wisconsin-based Assisted Living Concepts, revealed a history of evictions when residents depleted their personal savings.
Westbury, NY (PRWEB) April 22, 2009 — Raphael Weiss, Managing Director of Amber Court Assisted Living (AmberCourtAL.com), assured that his commitment to residents and to the Medicaid-funded program would always be honored in their communities. “Frail, elderly people are entitled to peace of mind and security. They deserve the opportunity to age in place. We are here to love and care for our residents regardless of financial circumstances.”
NJ Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen’s investigation of Wisconsin based Assisted Living Concepts, revealed a history of evictions when residents depleted their personal savings. The company operates 200 facilities throughout the country, including 8 in southern New Jersey. It avoided a $66,000 fine when it halted the involuntary discharge of 90-year-old Lillie Hatcher from Lindsay House in Pennsville.
Health Care Association of NJ represents the long-term care industry. Its president, Paul Langevin Jr., commented that the report “does not characterize the majority of assisted living companies and residences in the state.” He said the industry, with 200 facilities serving 17,000 people, “has been an overwhelming success story.”
Raphael Weiss is proud that Amber Court, with locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island and Elizabeth, New Jersey, is a fine example of assisted living at its best. “Not only do residents remain with us after transitioning to Medicaid, seniors who already have Medicaid are welcome to live here as well.”
This commitment echoes the sentiments of Senator Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic). In response to Public Advocate Ronald Chen’s findings, the senator said, “New Jersey’s senior citizens are a precious resource to be treasured - living connections to our shared past. They are our mothers and fathers, our aunts and uncles, and our grandparents…they deserve to be treated with the respect and reverence they have earned.”
To learn more about how Amber Court provides high quality assisted living and elder care with guaranteed services, please visit online at www.ambercourtal.com or arrange an onsite visit by calling 1.888.929.4929.
Time for Some Virtual Spring Cleaning
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 21, 2009
You can’t tell by looking out the window, but springtime is officially upon us, which means only one thing — time for Spring cleaning. This is the time to refresh, re-invigorate, and re-dedicate yourself to the many tasks and responsibilities you’ve accumulated over the past few months. But note, when you finally get around to “cleaning up” your website, the traditional “Out with the old, in with the new” attitude just won’t cut it. You never want to dispose of content, especially if that content is generating traffic to your website. Rather, your goal is to add, update, and modify existing information and links that can be found on your site. Think of it not as Spring cleaning, but as a kind of Spring “touch-up”, an opportunity to build and improve on what’s already there.
Our experience has taught us that there are four main aspects of nearly every company’s website that need to be constantly monitored and updated: they are the company’s services, its products, its clients, and its general industry news. As a service provider, you might logically be more concerned with continually updating the list of your offerings and capabilities. These should be up-to-date all year round as is, which usually makes for dynamic sites that are quite “clean” and “fresh” at any given point. (Therefore, service-provider sites are frequently search-engine friendly.) Product providers, however, often find themselves in a different predicament: since product-based companies focus on rotating products, replacing relevant images and content in convenient copy-and-paste like fashion, their website can easily be straddled with static, old pages that are never updated because they seem so “non-essential”. Of course, product providers also need to address the problem of marketing old products that continue to generate traffic to their website. If the company maintains a page for a product it no longer carries, it risks disappointing both the potential customers who land on the page, as well as the search-engine bots who crawl it.
Unfortunately, the solution to this problem is not so clear-cut. Some in the SEO industry suggest using a 301 redirect to automatically lead visitors away from old pages/products to newer ones. Others claim that such redirects are actually looked upon unfavorably by search-engine bots. At SalemGlobal, we choose to follow the safest SEO route: if an old product or services page has been indexed by Google and continues to generate traffic, use the very same page to either substantially modify what’s there or upload new relevant information. If this is not possible, take your chances with the 301 redirect.
Are Social Networking Websites Worth the Money?
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 14, 2009
A friend recently sent me an article from Time Magazine entitled “Facebook Takes a Dive: Why Social Networks Are Bad Businesses”. In sum, the article’s basic argument is that social networking websites aren’t worth the money invested in them.
I respectfully disagree.
Social networking websites can be approached from two different perspectives, that of a small business, and that of a big business. The small business perspective really boils down to WOMM — “word-of-mouth marketing”. WOMM entails the use of one’s personal contact network for business objectives. For instance, if I were to post a message to my 700+ friends on Facebook, I know that only 10% of them might see the message before it disappers or gets deleted. Of the 10% that sees the message, only a fraction will respond and help me with my business request. This demonstrates the importance of having a large social network through which to disseminate your business. Granted, business and pleasure don’t always mix. A recent message I sent out asking for leads for retired doctors and dentists to join my advisory board received a rather tepid response, but my April Fool’s prank from a few weeks ago received overwhelming feedback. Despite this contrast, the social networking effort is still worth it for me — as a small business, all I need is one advisory board member to bring me one account, and the social networking effort is more than paid for.
And now, to the big business perspective. Numbers don’t lie. Big businesses have big budgets and bring in lots of overhead. With tens and sometimes even hundreds of millions of users logged in to various social networking outlets, it’s an obvious choice for big businesses to mark these outlets for targeted marketing campaigns. (Social networking ads have gained even more traction in recent times with the decline of traditional marketing venues. I’m looking at you, printed ads.) Maybe some big companies haven’t made their money back yet on social networking expenditures, but they will in due time, especially as online social networks continue to expand and diversify.
People Capital Launches Enhanced Credit Scoring Tool for Students and Student Loans
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 8, 2009
NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire/ — People Capital, developer of an innovative peer-to-peer student loan platform, announced today that it had launched the next generation of its Human Capital Score(TM) (http://www.HumanCapitalScore.com), a model that provides a more appropriate measure of the creditworthiness of a student. Built on research developed at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Insurance Department, the Human Capital Score uses academic merit data such as GPA, standardized test scores, college and major, along with traditional demographics data and normative metrics, to give insight into each borrower’s future earnings potential.
“Students have long been disadvantaged by the current lending practices based on FICO scores and parental guarantees,” said Thomas Shelton, Founder and CEO of People Capital. “People Capital seeks to unlock the credit markets for student loans by providing transparency and insight into a student’s potential. Specifically, what is relevant is a student’s future income potential. Through the Human Capital Score we make it possible for lenders to evaluate and rank students according to the likelihood that a student’s income may reach a certain threshold in a given year, or that his/her average income might reach a certain threshold in the 10 years following graduation.
“Our Human Capital Score is far more appropriate than credit scores in the current economic conditions,” continued Shelton. “Traditional credit scoring models are based on historical data on defaults and credit attributes, e.g., debt outstanding, number of credit cards. Such traditional models do not seek to understand why, or how, there is a link between such attributes and default, and are heavily dependent on historical data. When conditions change, these old models are no longer helpful. The Human Capital Score uses both academic and credit data to generate a rank ordering of students’ ability to pay. We project possible earnings paths for borrowers given a set of attributes (e.g., major, school, SAT). Through these earnings projections, we can create a rank ordering of individuals based on the sufficiency of projected future income to pay off a loan. The Human Capital Score would adjust projected earnings profiles to reflect changes in economy as a whole. By looking at potential future incomes, a lender can evaluate available cash flow to determine whether they were just barely sufficient to make their debt payments, or those who could do so easily. When economic conditions are bad and incomes fall, the group with more future disposable income is likely to default at lower rates than the borrowers who have little flexibility.”
People Capital is also developing a peer-to-peer lending platform that will offer a unique solution for students to finance their college educations. This platform is poised to provide funding for students in the 2009-10 academic year.
People Capital will be presenting the Human Capital Score at FinovateStartup09 (http://www.finovate.com/startup09/) in San Francisco on April 28, 2009.
A more detailed business plan is available to qualified investors and institutional partners.
About People Capital
People Capital (http://www.People2Capital.com) was founded in 2008 by a team of world-class talent with backgrounds in student loans, consumer finance, credit ratings and new media to develop the next generation of credit risk management and funding for student loans. Our peer-to-peer (p2p) lending platform will allow students to finance their college educations through improved access to private student loans. Our patent-pending Human Capital Score(TM) (http://www.HumanCapitalScore.com) can rank order students without credit history by using academic and credit data to model future individual income levels, thus their future ability to pay.
Soft Landing, Big Return
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 8, 2009
Over the last few weeks, we explored in some detail the domain of PPC or pay-per-click campaigning. We reviewed keyword selection, correct budgeting, monitoring conversions, and general PPC dos and don’ts. But there’s one more important facet to this whole PPC thing that cannot and should not be neglected — and that is landing pages.
Most people set up their PPC programs to lead directly back to their homepages. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad decision. Our only caveat is, if you are going to set up your PPC campaign this way, you must make sure that your homepage displays a clear “call to action” — a phone number, a company name, and other relevant contact/identifying information. Even better, though, is setting up a specific, keyword-oriented landing page for each of your search terms. For instance, if you’re an IT consulting company like Helix Systems, Inc., and one of your PPC search terms is “microsoft exchange server”, you would do well to create a targeted landing page that leads visitors directly to the information they’re most interested in, which in this case, is information pertaining to the “microsoft exchange server” and the company’s experience with it. If you can drill down even deeper, let’s say by creating a page about “microsoft exchange server in New York“, great — visitors who arrived at this landing page through this search term will be that much more pleased with your website. Creating specific landing pages is not only user-friendly and business savvy, it’s great for SEO. The more keyword-oriented pages you got, the more content your site has a whole, and as is well known, adding content to your site is still the most reliable way of moving your website up the search engine rankings.
SG Welcomes New Client, Amber Court Assisted Living Communities
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 1, 2009
For Over 40 years, Amber Court Assisted Living Communities have provided the elderly with loving, secure, and affordable care. Recognized as one of New York State’s very best elderly care facilities, Amber Court offers a comprehensive approach designed to meet its residents’ medical, emotional, social, and psychological needs. Amber Court Community Representative, aided by knowledgeable and experienced staff members, work directly with residents and their families to assess each resident’s individual needs and to determine how to best address them. Amber Court’s mission is to preserve dignity, promote well-being, and provide quality care within a culture of integrity and trust that honors each precious life.
Visit the Amber Court website, http://www.AmberCourtAL.com, to learn more about the services available at this top retirement community.
Choosing the Right PPC Budget
Posted by Edan Shertzer on Apr 1, 2009
When it comes to determining a budget for a PPC campaign, many people do not have what you might call a “robust” budgeting strategy. Rather, more often than not, these people end up selecting a budget amount at random, settling on a figure that’s not too high, not too low, and allocating that amount toward what they hope will be a stellar PPC campaign. However, look a little closer, and you will find that these same people have not so much “allocated” their money toward a PPC endeavor as much as they have “donated” their money to an all-too-willing search engine. In other words, to choose a budget at random and then to leave it alone is essentially to throw your money to the wayside.
For those who are serious about formulating an effective PPC budget — one that yields the best returns for the company’s overall budget — a good stat to keep in mind is that marketing budgets traditionally make up 10% of annual revenue. Now, after you’ve allocated part (if not all) of that 10% to a PPC project, the only way to fine-tune your budget so that it reaches its optimal amount is to test, test, test. (Then test some more.) Of course, regardless of whether you are a large or a small company, you should be focused on marketing, because marketing adds to your sales pipeline. However, in the case of SEM and PPC advertising, smaller companies in particular might be better off consulting the Rule of 100. This rule asks you to devote a fresh $100 of your operating budget to your PPC campaign, and monitor how quickly that money is spent. It goes without saying that you must be careful about the keywords you choose to test — if your keywords are priced at $10 a pop, a $100 is equal to 10 clicks. If you go after more expensive keywords, your budget will disappear after only a handful of clicks.
After a few weeks of testing, you will easily be able to determine whether you need to increase or decrease your daily/monthly/yearly PPC budget. PPC budgeting is definitely one area where consistency counts more than flashes of insight.