Open source software is software that grants users access to its source code (think of source code as the building block for the software’s functionality). Open source software licenses grant rights to users that would ordinarily be protected under copyright law. This permission allows users to modify and customize the software for their own needs, and even redistribute it in its original or modified form. Another benefit of open source software is that it is usually free. Though, it is important to keep in mind that most business owners won’t be modifying the source code of the software or programming their own changes.

Why would you want to use open source software for your CMS? (Did we mention that it’s usually free?) Seriously, though, the biggest benefits to open source software are time and money, as you are neither starting from scratch nor spending a fortune for software that may need modification anyway. The trick is finding the product that adequately meets your needs.

Drupal is one of the most commonly used open source content management systems. The software contains the basic features common to most content management systems. It consists of many modules, allowing users to pick and choose which modules best suit their needs. It is designed to allow third parties to add new features and custom behavior. It is good for blogs and discussion boards, newsletter postings, podcasting, and picture galleries. It also creates search-engine friendly URL addresses, something that other options don’t have. It’s excellent for non-profit organizations and companies looking to build an interactive community with their Web site, though it has a higher learning curve than some of the other CMS options.

Joomla! is the other most commonly used open source CMS for publishing content on intranets and internet. Like Drupal, it is written for the PHP platform; it also uses the MySQL database to store information. Unlike other CMS systems, however, it does not support more than one Web site. It is well-suited for small business Web sites with its easy-to-use e-commerce module, which includes tax and currency options. Its core software includes news articles, polls, blogs, calendars, search, and RSS feeds. Non-techies will find Joomla! easy to use.

DotNetNuke is slightly less well-known than Drupal or Joomla! It is written for the ASP platform, and uses skins and modules to manage intranet, extranet and Web sites. Skins change the look and feel of the software application, but not its functionality. It works well for moderately sized e-commerce sites, supporting banner ads and referral programs. You may need to factor in the cost of licensing and purchasing Microsoft’s SQL server if you’re storing any information, and DotNetNuke runs only on a Windows platform which may also cost more money at your hosting company.

Plone is less well-known than the Big 3, and less-used. Written in Python, and supported by the Zope Management Interface, it may require steep learning curve. Its strong emphasis on standards compliance means that once you learn it, online support and add-ons are a breeze to implement. Plone is a modular, template-based system requires that your company has its own dedicated server rather than a hosting company. Content management is made easier by the fact that you can make changes from any computer, using your internet browser. It’s also easier to control who can edit which sections of your Web site than with other CMS systems. Plone is best for larger companies with dynamic content. If you what you have is a simple brochure Web site, Plone is simply too much.

Probably even less well-known than the four options previously discussed is Alfresco. It combines document and records management with Web site management in one easy package. The enterprise content management system features a shared-drive interface and is easy to use, integrating well with the Windows desktop. It’s also probably best used by larger companies, or companies who have a need for strong and integrated content management.

Even with our discussion this month about various open source CMS, we realize that it can still be daunting trying to choose which one best fits your business. That’s why we’re here to help! Contact Curvine today; we’ll help you choose the best system that meets your needs.

In last month’s article, we discussed the quality of your content. But, you should also be concerned about its placement. Your search engine-friendly content should be placed up at the top of the page, not at the bottom. For instance, it may not help you to set a scene of beautifully set tables, with fine wine and a romantic atmosphere – and then at the bottom of the page, state that you own a catering business located in the Puget Sound area. Instead, you should lead with this information and talk about the type of atmosphere you can create later.

The content and pictures on your site should also be well balanced. When it comes to text vs. pictures for a search engine, text always wins. However, it’s better for the user of your site if they aren’t overwhelmed with a lot of text. The converse is also true – be sure that your site doesn’t look like a picture book for kids. So, do choose your pictures carefully – they should illustrate and balance the text and neither be overwhelmed by, nor overshadow the text.

But, since your pictures aren’t recognized by search engines, it’s important to use ALT tags. Think of an ALT tag as a caption written in HTML code. A picture of a swan would have an ALT tag that states “this is a picture of a swan.” While it may not capture the attention of a search engine as much as regular text, this extra step certainly can’t hurt! ALT tags are also a nice touch for the visually impaired, as the browsing tools they use do recognize and describe picture ALT tags.

Which brings us to the next tip: think of your user first! Search engine rankings can be influenced by the number of visitors to your site. The more visitors, the better the ranking. If your site doesn’t function well, or is visually unappealing, chances are that you’re not going to see many visitors who stay and click through the various pages of your site. A low visitor rate may lower your chances of being found by a search engine. So, treat your site as you would your own physical business, keeping the user in mind – ensuring that it’s neat, tidy, and works well for your customer. This will help generate traffic and ultimately, the attention of search engines.

Our clients often ask us about the importance of including links to other sites. The answer is that they don’t often help as much as you might think. In-bound links are far more important in Web site rankings than outbound ones. In-bound links on a site are ranked by number as well as quality. The more in-bound links you have the better. But, where those links come from is also important. Industry-related in-bound links are going to fare better with search engines than unrelated ones. So, while cousin Vinnie’s link from his hardware store to your bridal shop site may be helpful, it isn’t nearly as great as a link from cousin Marilyn’s wedding cake business. And out-bound links may help if you have a reciprocal agreement, but the sheer number of out-bound links, or to what sites the links are directed, aren’t very important to a search engine.

In summary, there are a few easy things you can do to make certain your site is found by search engines. Put your customer first, use simple tools like alt tags, and provide a well-balanced site when it comes to pictures and text.

When a user enters key words into a search engine, the engine examines its index for relevant Web sites and webpages, and provides a list of those that best match. How the list is ranked varies among search engine companies and may change over time based on Internet usage and new technologies. And, while we don’t know the exact algorithm (Google reportedly uses over 200 factors in its equation), there are a few easy things you can do to increase the ranking of your site in search engine queries.

Use Meta Elements with Care
Many search engines catalogue webpages based on the page’s title, or meta tag. This is the stream of words you’ll see at the very top of your browser. For instance, Wikipedia’s meta tag is “Web search engine – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Your own company’s meta tag should include your company name, and possibly what your company does. Other elements, or meta elements, that you have control over are the keywords and description attributes. Keywords are just like the way they sound – what common keywords potential clients are most likely to use when searching for a business like yours. The description attributes are a short sentence or phrase that describes the content on a specific page of your Web site, and can be helpful to search engines if they aren’t able to automatically generate their own description based on the content of that particular page. But, don’t drive yourself crazy by placing too much importance on these attributes. Some search engines, like Google, don’t rely on meta elements at all when indexing Web site pages, since they can be easily manipulated.

Examine Your Written Content
So what ultimately ranks Web sites? Search engines look at the whole package; they relate a page’s content to the meta keywords, title and description for that page. But, what ranks the most in importance is the quality of your content. It should be well-written, concise, and accurately portray what your company does. The content will include your chosen keywords and phrases, but not to excess (keyword stuffing – the overuse of keywords and phases – is penalized by many search engines, often resulting in a lower ranking). It will directly and precisely relate to the page description. It will be free of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. The bottom line is that every word counts.

Hire a Search Engine Optimization Company
After you’ve created quality content, and utilized your meta elements, you may wish to consider hiring a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company. They can examine your site, and provide suggestions for increasing your chances of getting seen and ranked by popular search engines. But another word of caution here – beware of SEOs that promise you the moon. No company has the magic key. Search engines don’t make their ranking systems public, and they update these systems frequently. So, no one knows exactly how search engines rank their listings.

Submit Your Web site to Popular Search Engines
Search engines automatically search the Web for new and updated sites. But, as no one knows the schedule, what can you do? Submit your Web site address to each search engine yourself. Most search engines offer both a free service (which isn’t guaranteed to be accepted), and a paid service (you pay for your site to be listed higher in the rankings, or ad placement). Submit to more than one search engine, but don’t crazy — there are only three search engines worth spending time on — Google, Yahoo and MSN. Together they make up 97% of the market. While submitting your site to search engines rarely comes with a guaranteed result, it certainly can’t hurt your chances for being seen.

In conclusion, there is no magic key to getting your site ranked the highest in your market or industry. But, by following the simple and easy suggestions above, you can certainly increase your chances. Use accurate meta elements, and have excellent and well-written copy. Submit your site to popular search engine directories. And, if all else appears to fail, hire a trusted SEO. We’ll continue with Part 2 of the feature next month.

Spend the money on professional photography. As the adage goes, in the restaurant business the eyes taste first. Your photographs tell a story – at a minimum you should hire a professional to take pictures of the most important assets of your business. A good place to start is with quality photos of your location(s), inside the dining and bar areas, and of your signature dishes. Even if you’re just a no-frills, mom-and-pop restaurant, the photographs should make your potential patrons appreciate what is best about your establishment. They should feel like they’ll be eating in a comforting, warm and inviting environment – the best thing next to their own mother’s kitchen table.

Make certain that your Web site is an extension of your customer service and the eating experience. There is nothing worse than providing an online ordering option that isn’t suitably tended to by your staff – because it was never properly implemented into the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. When you change your menu, update it online as well; if your menu changes daily, then it must also change daily online.


And as a side note, here are a couple more tips about your online menu. It should be accessed on your Web site as an ordinary page – not as a PDF. PDFs take too long to load, and give the impression that you’re lazy or taking short-cuts, which could be an indication of how you’ll prepare the food. The menu items should also be accompanied by a short description of each dish – your online viewers want to know what to expect in your establishment. These descriptions (or lack thereof) can often make, or break, your first impression to potential patrons.

Your Web site should also reflect the character of your business. You can use the colors painted on your walls as inspiration for your Web site’s colors. Let your staff’s collective personality direct the tone of the written copy. And accurately portray your patronage. If you own a sports-bar, don’t let your site reflect a swanky fine-dining experience. Instead, play up the fun atmosphere and good-humored competitive nature of your bar patrons.

Be sure to feature online ordering and gift card purchasing prominently on your site. If these services are offered by your restaurant, don’t hide them – flaunt them. This isn’t as common a feature as one might think, so if you offer them, make certain your customers know about it.

You’re on your local dining Web site and Better Business Bureau, but do know about your local Convention and Visitor’s Bureau? If your restaurant is in or near a large town or city, chances are that there’s a CVB serving the public. For what’s usually a nominal membership fee, your restaurant can be added to a short list of places to eat for out-of-town visitors looking for a taste of local cuisine. There are many other benefits to belonging to a CVB, and they’re all aimed at making local businesses stand out among the crowd.

So to summarize, make certain your Web site successfully portrays your business. Think about your potential clients’ experience both with your establishment, and online – they should be nearly equal in customer service. And, check out slightly unusual membership organizations that are geared to marketing your business to the public.

1. Determine Your Marketing Budget

• What information do your error messages display?
• Where is your online data being stored?
• Is your data encrypted?
• How simple are your passwords and user names? How often are these changed?
• If you have a change in personnel, do you immediately change your passwords?

Site Margins
Seven to 10 years ago, Web sites were flush left in the browser window. About five years ago, the trend moved sites to the center. Now, we’re seeing more and more Web sites that take up the entire average-sized browser window. Called fluid design, in some cases these sites even scale up or down to the size of the window automatically.

If your site is still justified all the way to the left, you should at least move it to center. Better yet, consider creating a fluid design so that it fits the full size of the browser window.

Background images have also become quite popular. Some images are tiled, or repeated, throughout the entire background. Other sites have a single, large image in the background; many are so subtle, that at first glance you hardly notice them, but they can lend depth to an ordinarily simple Web site design.

Flash
Flash is definitely one of the hottest trends to-date. Advances in technology have made the use of flash more commonplace, as it’s now easier to create and experience. Designers are adding more videos, animation, and interactive components than ever before. Flash can make a simple site seem more dynamic, and add complexity to what may have previously seemed mundane.

Before (HTML)

 After  (Flash and HTML)

Rollover Effects
Rollover is a visual effect that, when a user’s mouse moves over an image, will switch between the original image and another. Created either in flash or HTML, rollover effects are used as links, images or buttons. There are a few types of rollover effects commonly used (which we won’t go into great detail about here), but the use of rollover can create animation-like effects that will focus a user’s attention and grant a more interactive experience.

Links and Buttons
Links to other sites, or other sections within the same site, were once underlined blue text. These dark blue, often bolded font, text links riddled sites as an unsightly distraction. Today, the trend is to change those unattractive links into photo images or illustrated graphics.

Buttons are also another big trend for linking users to one page from another. With the use of gradient color and highlighting effects, these buttons can look three-dimensional — almost as if your mouse could physically depress an actual button.

All of these trends can be easily incorporated into an existing site. If you like the look and functionality of your site, but want your site to stay current, call Curvine Web Solutions today. We can easily assist you in incorporating a few of the above trends to keep your site looking fresh and up-to-date.