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Hudson Horizons named no.1 Web Development Co.

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:44:08 EST

We did it again! The development team here at Hudson Horizons has been recognized for outstanding service once more by the esteemed industry guide, topseos.com We're proud to have been named the Best Web Development Company for July 2009, the fourth consecutive time we've pulled in number one!

I encourage you to check out the top ten Web Development companies ranked by topseos.com for this month, and take a peek below at the official write-up capturing this proud award!

In recognition of outstanding professional services, Hudson Horizons was named this month's number one Web Development Company by topseos.com, the leading independent authority on Internet based businesses. The monthly rankings list published by topseos represents a guide to the cream of the crop web design companies in the industry.

Based on rigorous evaluation criteria including competitive advantage, superior services and pricing, quality customer and technical support, rapid response to client problems, unique company innovations, as well as overall efficiency and performance, Hudson Horizons has secured first place on this month's list of the top ten Web Development firms.

Since 2002, Hudson Horizons has delivered quality, customized websites and web solutions to clients across the country. Its core development team brings an admirable level of proficiency and dedication to every project, outshining the industry competition and continually attracting prospective customers.

Company founder, CEO and President, Daryl H. Bryant, proudly received the award while crediting his company's professional versatility: "Because every site we create is fully-customized, there's no limit to the size of company or type of industry Hudson Horizons is able to work with.

Industry experts from topseos assessed several client websites developed and designed by Hudson Horizons in order to fully determine the web company's capacity. Among those appraised were YouCapper.com, an interactive sports handicapper marketplace, and FindAnyFloor.com, an online mega-resource for all-things-flooring.

"The whole industry looks to us to identify reliable and accurate benchmarks and Hudson Horizons has proven by its performance that they deserve to be on this coveted list", shared Jeev Trika, partner at topseos.

Congratulations to the developers at Hudson Horizons... keep up the great work!

Why an SEO-Friendly CMS is the way to go

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:57:05 EST

Face it, folks-friendliness is no longer confined to face-to-face relations. If social media, and Twitter in particular, have taught us anything, it's that community is key, and manners are essential!

But mutual likability even extends beyond our acquaintances in cyberspace.

It thrives between search engines and content, too.

Did I catch you off-guard with that one? I shouldn't have! If you own or operate a website, then you've got to consider how well "liked" your on-page content is by popular search engines.

Content Management Systems are widely used by serious webmasters in this wonderful world of Web 2.0. Essentially, a (good) CMS is a user-friendly, dynamic platform that allows webmasters to easily control all of their website content on a day-to-day basis.

Sadly, not all CMSs are "good," and by that I mean "comprehensive." Believe it or not, there are Content Management Systems out there that don't give you the ability to update your Meta data. Some create duplicate content (a no-no!) when you change the page URL. Some are neglected by search engines because they're crowded with content that's just not optimized to its potential.

I know. Tragic.

The solution? An SEO-Friendly CMS. A Content Management System that is search engine friendly... one that compliments and enhances your optimization campaigns. At Hudson Horizons, that's the only kind of CMS we endorse (and design, and integrate, and maintain... you get the idea).

What makes our CMS SEO-Friendly?

We convert all dynamic pages into static content, making your website completely SEO friendly.

Our CMS SEO features includes:

Search Engine-Friendly URL Structure
- Our CMS generates URLs that are liked by the search engines and will help increase your website's ranking because each URL reflects the content that's on that particular page.
META Search Engine Marketing Tool
- Our CMS includes a Meta Tag Tool that allows you to easily update the individual titles, keywords, and descriptions for each page of your website. These items get inserted into the code of each page and will help increase your page ranking in the search engines.

What makes our SEO-Friendly CMS unique?

Not an out-of-the-box solution.
100% customized for your business.
Not a third-party CMS. We completely build you a CMS from the ground-up - 100% hand-coded.
Simple to use. No HTML or coding required.
Integration with e-Commerce and shopping cart functionality.
Accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.
Superior customer service offered by our CMS team.

So what are you waiting for? Take friendship to the next level - let your website experience the same friendliness you do on Twitter. Invite search engines to not just crawl your website, but crawl it with easy, efficiency, and accuracy.

Want to see more? Watch Hudson Horizons founder and CEO Daryl H. Bryant discuss the importance of an SEO-Friendly CMS.

Having an up-to-date website is essential to business success, so contact our development team today to get started.

Foxy, Foxy! Firefox 3.5 goes live

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:54:39 EST

On Tuesday, Adam Ostrow with Mashable delivered great coverage on the latest from Mozilla. "Can you believe it's been more than a year since Firefox 3 debuted?" Ostrow began. I can't! But I'm so glad to join the rest of the Internet community in welcoming the latest full version of Firefox, v. 3.5.

Almost exactly one year ago, Firefox 3 swept the Internet by storm with a record-breaking 8 million downloads within 24 hours after going live.

Will Firefox 3.5 smash that impressive statistic?

First, let's take a peek at the new features Firefox 3.5 brings to the table:

private browsing mode
location-aware browsing
Ogg Theora video format support.
overall significant browser performance improvements

According to Ostrow, "Mozilla claims that Firefox 3.5 is twice as fast as Firefox 3, and a whopping 10x faster than Firefox 2.0."

Want to foxify your Internet browser? Download Firefox 3.5 free from Mozilla today, and have fun!

Ostrow reported earlier this afternoon that just hours after its launch, the number of Firefox 3.5 downloads is closing in on 1 million. Incredible! Check out more coverage on the Mashable Social Media Guide.

Note: I downloaded Firefox 3.5 a few hours ago and have really enjoyed it since then. Subtle interface changes, super speedy, and all around smooth navigation. Yay!

The art of UFM: tossing Twitter etiquette to the wind

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:31:10 EST

Back in March, my boss, Daryl H. Bryant, and I attended the Search Engine Strategies Expo in New York City. Wow. What a whirlwind of a week. I've done my fair share of gushing about SES NY, so I'll spare you, and move along to "The Art of ‘UFM'"... but not before giving you a chance to relive the gushary in all it's glory.

• BubbleTweet - Back from SES NY!
• SES NY 2009: Recap Round 1
• SES NY 2009: Recap Round 2
• SES NY 2009: Recap Round 3

SES NY 2009 started off with a bang, or shall I say, a "tweet," when venture capitalist and marketing mastermind Guy Kawasaki took center stage to deliver the Opening Keynote: Twitter As A Tool For Social Media.

As I mentioned back in my SES NY 2009 Recap, Guy began his keynote by enthusiastically emphasizing the power of Twitter as a marketing tool. He described, explored and demoed various third-party Twitter APIs he uses to enhance his Twitter experience, spread his Tweets to millions of members (as well as finely-tuned target audiences), and, well, make money.

Guy's plentiful on-screen examples and down-to-earth attitude made his presentation easy and enjoyable to follow. And when I say "down-to-earth," I mean it.

His casual use of vulgarity (nothing too obscene, but there were a few testy zingers in there) made most of us chuckle, and feel like we were really on his page as far as Twitter-usage goes, despite the fact that his followers number in the six-digits.

It's no secret that Guy uses Twitter for business, has ghost-tweeters, and even uses third-party APIs to automate tweets, retweets, and @ mentions. He didn't attempt to skirt this often controversial fact; in what I embraced as a refreshing change from the bashful norm, he tackled it head on-and with humor.

I'm paraphrasing here, but basically Guy said: Sure, I get complaints from people who claim I'm spamming their Twitter feeds. You know what I say to that? UFM!

(Note: pronounced "uff-em".)

Take a moment to giggle. I am.

I think I tweeted that out to the Twitterverse as soon as he said that, and by goodness I combed through my tweet archive for about an hour trying to find it so I could say, "Here! Look! I was fascinated by this curious acronym even then!" But, the search was to no avail. Suffice it to say that I clearly remember sitting in my chair in the Grand Ballroom and being particularly struck by that call-to-action: UFM!

It wasn't vulgar, but it sure as heck sounded like an abbreviated send-off into cyberspace.

"So Lauren," you ask, "for tweet's sake, what does UFM mean?"

Un-Follow-Me.

The moral of the story is as straightforward as that brilliant retort: UFM. Unfollow me. If you don't like what I'm tweeting, you don't have to stick around. Unfollow me and cease receiving my tweets. Then everyone's happy. Or, at least, everyone's a step closer to enhancing their Twitsperience. (I just made that one up. Twitsperience - one's experience on Twitter. Dig it?)

Twitter is chock-full of constantly streaming information. There's no room for whiny complaints directed at who you perceive to be a spammer, or to your buddies complaining about said perceived spammer. Get over it. UFM.

And you know what the best part about the UFM principle is? It's completely legitimate. It's the circle of Twife. You're going to gain followers; you're going to lose followers. You can't please everyone, nor should you expect to.

UFM also works the other way around, which is sort of more like how it sounds: UFM - uff-em - Un-Follow-‘Em. (You know. "Them.")

You're going to totally love a lot of the stuff tweeted by the people you follow, and you're going to totally abhor some of the stuff tweeted by folks you're new to following. Everything about Twitter is dynamic... constantly moving... constantly evolving. It may take a few days (or minutes) before you realize you really don't want to be following someone. Don't be afraid to unfollow them.

Look, this isn't kindergarten. You don't have to sit next to the super gross annoying kid who eats glue and pulls your hair. This is Twitter. You don't have to clog up your incoming Twitter feeds with useless gunk that's of no use to you. You don't have to clog up everyone else's Twitter feeds by constantly complaining about said spammer.

UFM. Or, you know... them.

Flashback to SES NY - I was fortunate enough to speak with Guy after his keynote in the Expo hall. I shook his hand and thanked him for an honest, inspiring glimpse into what it means to use Twitter for business. Some folks discourage the use of social media as a marketing tool, but Guy demonstrated that the purpose of services such as Twitter is open to interpretation.

So folks, whether you tweet about "your cat rolling over" or a special new product your company is selling, it's up to you. If you can't freaking stand tweets like the former, unfollow that person. If you can't freaking stand my marketing tweets, UFM. I won't be offended. I'll be impressed that you're actively tailoring your own Twitter experience to best suit your interests.

Don't get me wrong. Manners go a long way, and I am a firm believer in a certain level of Twitter etiquette. But you don't have to follow everyone who follows you, and you don't have to remain a follower forever.

Twitter is very much about community, but it's also about finding the community that's right for YOU.

Remember that, stay sweet, and tweet on!

Recent seminar: sharing social networking know-how

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:04:29 EST

On Thursday, Daryl H. Bryant delivered a guest presentation on social networking - an area in which the Hudson Horizons CEO and founder has long-time experience, and impressive success.

The seminar, held in Clifton, NJ and hosted by the North Jersey Regional Chamber of Commerce, was entitled "How Your Business Can Profit from Our Experience." The six guest speakers, including Mr. Bryant, each took the stage to deliver their know-how and insight on a variety of issues. Discussion topics ranged from Advertising & Sales to Public Relations; Investments & Retiring to Banking & Lending; and, of course, Social Networking.

About thirty exceptional attendees listened as Mr. Bryant emphasized the importance of social networking in a Web 2.0 environment, the advantages it carries for employers and their companies, and three of the most prominent social networking platforms available today.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Bryant this morning, who spoke passionately about the wonderful benefits social networking has for businesses.

"Social platforms help people build solid foundations on the web- LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter in particular. They increase networking connections, and provide an excellent venue for discussions that revolve around niche industries."

Here's a brief overview of Mr. Bryant's social networking presentation:

1) LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com

In many ways, LinkedIn is like an online resume. It's a place where professionals can:

reconnect with former colleagues, peers, and supervisors
stay connected with current coworkers and employees
branch out to potential clients and hiring companies

LinkedIn members can register for free, create unique profiles, and share:

current job information
detailed professional experience
background education
recommendations from endorsers
LinkedIn connections
Links to personal websites, blogs, and other social networks
personal information and interests

2) Facebook - http://www.facebook.com

Facebook has two great ways to let folks get their message out there: personal profiles and business pages.

Profiles are for individual people, whereas business/fan pages are used to promote organizations, companies, stores, etc. Recent network revamps have given pages a lot of the same capabilities as profiles-now companies can share status updates on pages, post photo albums on pages, communicate with fans through pages, and much more.

Aside from connecting with old friends and making new acquaintances, Mr. Bryant expressed that a fundamental purpose of Facebook profiles and pages is to show people your achievements.

"I have a personal profile, and then a business page for Hudson Horizons," Mr. Bryant continued. "But even my profile is all business. Whenever an important event comes up, or if Hudson Horizons is featured in a newspaper or press release, and most recently on the Fox Business channel, I post about it on Facebook. Friends are interested to see what me and the company are up to, and it makes a great impression on potential clients."Twitter - http://twitter.com

3) Twitter - http://twitter.com

Not everyone at the seminar knew exactly what Twitter was, so Mr. Bryant explained it in the simplest, most basic sense: real-time communication stream. But one of the greatest things about Twitter is the fact that you choose whose feeds to follow. This means that you'll rarely be spammed, or overloaded with irrelevant content, because the content you receive is entirely up to you. This also means that you can directly connect with your target demographic based on their tweets.

Twitter's real-time stream is very easy to search, thanks to keywords weighted with hashtags (#), and customized search panels in varying desktop and web-based applications. For example, as the CEO of a rising Web Development Company, Mr. Bryant has search panels set up that filter for phrases such as "looking for web developer," and has connected with genuine, potential clients after noticing their corresponding tweets.

Wrapping up, Mr. Bryant underlined the undisputable importance of social networking, and of these three popular social services.

"Nowadays, companies must be on one, if not all of these platforms, or in the very least, have an understanding of the whereabouts of their target audiences. If they're not, they're missing out on invaluable opportunities to learn more, strengthen their business, and connect directly with their customers."

Like what you've read here about Daryl Bryant and social networks?

Add Daryl to your Network on LinkedIn.
Connect with Daryl on his Facebook profile.
Check out the Hudson Horizons Facebook business page.
Follow Daryl's tweets on Twitter.

Reports show Jobs recovering nicely, to return in June

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:56:39 EST

Back in January, I wrote about Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs - and his courageous battle against health problems and snippety investors.

On Wednesday, Janet Blake reported with the Associated Press that sources from the Wall Street Journal maintain that Jobs "appears to be a step closer to returning to work," after what appears to be a wonderful recovery from a much-needed liver transplant.

Dr. James D. Eason, chief of transplantation at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, commented to the AP that "Mr. Jobs is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis" after the transplant that was alleged to have taken place about two months ago.

Jobs, who has been on a medical leave for about five months, is at this point, expected to return to Apple in June. That was the initially reported return date back in February - and it seems to be holding true.

Apple did not confirm the report made by the WSJ, a source that has been suggesting details of Jobs' health since August 2004.

I suppose it just goes to show that detrimental and needless gossip isn't bound to teens... according to the AP:

"Investors sent the stock tumbling 5 percent to its lowest point in a year on a rumor last October that Jobs had suffered a heart attack. Then shares slipped 2 percent in December when Apple said that Jobs would not speak as usual the next month at the annual Macworld conference, then bounced up 4 percent on Jan. 5 when Jobs explained his weight loss as a treatable hormone imbalance. They sank 7 percent a week later after Apple said he would be taking six months off because his medical problems were more complex than he initially thought."

Thankfully, Jobs is said to be "in end-stage liver disease," which should (hopefully) put an end to the Apple stock fluctuation that's rooted, it seems, in gossip about his health.

Lastly, Blake reported that today, Apple stock is up to $135 in premarket trading, up from a 52-week low of $78.20 back in late January.

Catch the Wave - the 411 on Google Wave

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:47:40 EST

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the awesome, albeit long, Google Wave demo graciously provided by, well, Google. Now that's an hour and twenty minutes well-spent! I really encourage you to saddle up, lay back, and watch the Google Wave demo.

The folks here at Hudson Horizons are extremely excited to work with the Google Wave platform when it goes live. In my opinion, it will absolutely revolutionize the way our company and countless others to connect and collaborate.

Here's a peek at some of the features outlined in the demo that I find positively inspiring:

Real-time chat in a wave (think of a wave as an email...on steroids)
The ability to add new people to wave conversations
Drag-drop functionality to move images into a wave
The ability to implement a blogger into a wave The ability to import wave conversations into blogger API
A comprehensive playback feature that shows message alterations in succession a.k.a. a moveable timeline of a wave's history, displaying all changes made to a wave
The ability to collaborate and edit a wave in real-time, while all other parties connected watch your edits appear... in real-time
Highlighted modifications accompanied by a ticker that notes who contributed to the content

There's loads more in this Google Wave demo that's, well, applause-worthy - again, I highly recommend you check it out if you have time to spare. It will be launched in it's live splendor later this year - and here at Hudson Horizons, it won't be a minute to soon!

6 Months Twittering: Skeptic to Evangelist

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:30:35 EST

This post first appeared in the aimClear blog.

Six months ago, I was a complete tweet-novice. I heard people on the street saying, "Twitter is just a narcissistic portal in cyberspace where social butterflies on steroids and self-proclaimed web-celebrities can self-indulgently broadcast their personal agenda to the world (so long as it's under 140 characters)."

For a while, I was one of these skeptics. I didn't understand Twitter and doubted it had much to offer, something I regularly heard from friends, clients and family.

Still as a marketing professional, it was obvious that Twitter was required-reading, a channel any serious social media marketer should totally understand. As a young woman, I wondered if anyone as shy as me, could contribute to the micro-blogging dialog.

I'm here to tell you that Twitter offers staggering networking opportunities, to the benefit of friendships, careers and (yes even) sales. Case in point, aimClear's guest blogging invitation comes as a direct result of daily Twitter sharing.

Taking the Plunge

On December 29th, 2008, I stopped wondering about Twitter. I created @beebow: a real girl with a real avatar, a relevant yet relatable bio (turns out "SEO/SMO blogger" + "likes gummy worms"= smash hit), and an insatiable hunger to learn about, and meet people that love, social media.

The ultimate goal wasn't to cruise around cyberspace, goofing off and wasting company time on this exploding social platform. It was to establish a substantial presence on the Web-to learn, connect, and share- to introduce new friends to the work we do here at Hudson Horizons, when the time and tone of the ongoing conversation was appropriate.

It took patience, attentiveness and some wacky social media stunts to help connect with about 1,750 followers. From them, I've learned so much about social media marketing. Plus, my agency-boss doesn't think I'm making a weird waste of the workday every time he hears a TweetDeck alert go off. That's a win-win, that's what that is.

Grow Physical Networking on Twitter

At Search Engine Strategies NY, I did what people do and briefly chatted with top industry folks like Guy Kawasaki, Dave Evans, Hollis Thomases, Liana Evans, Matt McGowan and Marty Weintraub. Twitter has proven an invaluable resource, allowing me to continue conversations started in person.

Twitter is an equalizer; it's like in cyberspace, we all weigh the same (not poundage... more like the ability to reach out and connect). Whether you have 50 or 500,000 followers, you're human and available on Twitter. We're all there - behind computer screens or typing away on smartphones - and we're all accessible by choice because of our era's marvelous technology and our shared interests.

It's awesome to share on par with such an amazing community. You shouldn't be afraid to connect with people- even the real Twitter "superstars." All it takes is the right time, the right content, a little @ symbol, and, of course, confidence.

You Never Know

The saying's true: "you never know." You never know what may come of those 140 characters. You never know who will see your tweet, embrace it, and share it with the world (at least their world of followers). You never know whose interest will peak with that simple message-whether it's a useful piece of advice, a link to an interesting article, or just a genuinely kind message to Twitterland.

"All it takes is a 140 character (or less) tweet to open priceless windows of opportunity, and establish truly rewarding connections."

Six months ago, I didn't even know what Twitter was... now, it's an integral a part of my life every day. The power, potential and opportunity have completely vaporized the skepticism once felt. I've learned so much. That's really more than I could have ever asked for.

If these months have taught anything it's that, when Twitter is approached appropriately and enthusiastically, even the shyest of wannabe social butterflies (e.g.: yours truly) can soak up.

Bing statistics show it's still climbing

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:42:28 EST

On Wednesday, Doug Caverly reported with WebProNews.com that Microsoft's spankin' new search engine, Bing, is, according to Caverly, "starting to look somewhat like the Energizer Bunny."

At first, it seemed as if Bing was soaring sky high. Then, suddenly, Bing was down, sinking beneath struggling search engine, Yahoo!. Now, recent statistics show that Bing is "going and going (up)" in the areas of click shares and brand recognition.

Efficient Frontier shows that "Bing {has}expanded its share of paid clicks for the two weeks post launch. Bing's share of paid clicks is up 13% for the second week post launch as compared to pre-launch. And, it represents an incremental 5% lift over the first week."

Caverly suggests that "If this trend continues, Bing may soon start receiving a lot more attention from advertisers."

Many of us consider "Google" a household name. If the stasts are true, then Bing is "just a month or two away from catching up" to Google stature - and to the 55% brand recognition it racks up.

Stay tuned on my Twitter feed for the latest on this and other hot topics.

So, what the heck does P.P.C. stand for?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:08:40 EST

Nowadays, it's pretty hard to avoid acronyms and abbreviations for popular terms... especially when you're dealing with Internet vocabulary. SERP? SEO? SMO? B2B? CPC? ROI? In a fast-paced world, we don't always have the time to spell things out. But you don't have to be intimidated by the brevity of these terms. You can always check out our Web Glossary to brush up on your Internet vocabulary, and this article will dive head first into one of the most popular monetary terms: PPC.

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an e-Marketing technique that can help drive traffic to your site and allow you to gauge the progress of your SEO efforts. Displayed on a search engine result page (SERP) with correlating keywords, PPC ads feature a link to your website, a brief description of your service, and your homepage URL text. Since you only pay when a browser clicks on your ad (hence the term "pay-per-click"), PPC campaigns are financially-friendly and rarely result in a wasted investment.

You begin by purchasing a PPC ad through a search engine ad application.
PPC ad campaigns require you to bid on specific keywords (a.k.a. search terms).
When a browser enters similar terms in a search query, they may be taken to a SERP with your PPC ad on it.
Keyword bidding is the backbone of a successful PPC ads. It requires advertisers to get in the mind of online browsers. A popular search term leads to a frequently-visited SERP where your PPC ad would be located. Popular keywords have a higher cost per click (CPC) because they yield higher traffic.

Investing in a PPC campaign has the potential to be extremely beneficial to your business. Depending on the popularity and relevance of your keywords (if you bid on keywords that browsers frequently search for), a PPC ad is capable of driving much traffic to your site.

It's important to remember that like any SEO endeavor, PPC has risks. "PPC Fraud" is a growing concern in the advertising community; different types of PPC fraud include affiliate fraud, competitor fraud, and unintentional fraud. However, as two reputable competitors, both Google and Yahoo! technicians have taken safety measures to greatly reduce the risk of PPC fraud.

While PPC ads carry no guarantees for an increase in sales, they can be a great way to increase your site's exposure while staying within your daily/monthly budget.

More than a dozen popular search engines offer PPC campaigns; among them, Google AdWords is typically considered as the dominating player.

Google AdWords is the most expensive PPC program, but with good reason. AdWords has been accurately described as "the biggest and the best for volume, traffic, quality and user interface." AdWords requires an initial $5.00 fee for registration and setup; while there is no minimum spending requirement, a keyword CPC can range dramatically. Still, an AdWords perk is that most PPC ads are prominently displayed above and along side the organic search results.

An incomparable benefit Google AdWords offers is unlimited customization of budget and PPC ads (images, content, etc). Google AdWords also allows advertisers to create an unlimited number of ads with specific keyword niches, which can help maximize your homepage exposure.

Google AdWords ads are ranked by "the bid price you are willing to pay," the relevance of your ad, and its click-through rate. So theoretically, you could be paying more for your ad than another advertiser, but if his click-through rate is superior, he will have a higher position on the sponsored ad section of the SERP.

If AdWords and PPC ad management still sounds a little intimidating, check out our custom Google AdWords Setup system today, and help boost your site's traffic.

A look back at top Twitter tools

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:13:31 EST

Microblogging service-gone-viral, Twitter, bloomed from a hybrid of social networking and person blogging back in July 2006, and since then has blossomed into a true blue Internet phenomenon. Like many social networks, Twitter opened its platform up to third-party developers, allowing them to contribute home-made widgets and APIs for all the world to share.

Leena Rao once posted the top 20 Twitter tools on TechCrunch (say that five times fast). The master list, generated from monthly unique visitor data provided by Compete, ranks the top twenty Twitter tools that tantalize users' fingertips and brainwaves.

Here's a quick look at the top four... the features they boast and the numbers the January numbers they brought in:

Name: Twitpic
Rank: 1
Desciption: just over a year old, this photo-sharing widget allows users to post regular pictures of themselves... almost like a Facebook photo album meets a daily photo log.
Unique Visitors: 1,236,828

Name: Tweetdeck
Rank: 2
Description: Launched out of England last June, this Adobe Air desktop app that collects the dozens of Tweets one user might receive in an hour (or minute, depending on how many fellow Twitter folk you follow) and restructures them into "more manageable bite sized pieces..."
Unique Visitors: 285,864

Name: Digsby
Rank: 3
Description: Accumulates info from different online communication accounts including e-mail, IM and social networking profiles, accounts and syncs it up into a single desktop program.
Unique Visitors: 233,472

Name: Twitterfeed
Rank: 4
Description: Automatically generates Tweets based on a blog RSS feed
Unique Visitors: 149,812

And as for there rest of the list, these puppies are borrowed directly from Rao's post for your viewing pleasure:

Top 20 Twitter Clients (According To TwitStat)
Twitter Applications Monthly unique visits (Compete)

5. Titterfeed 149,812
6. Twitterholic - 147,164
7. Twhirl - 143,333
8. Twitturly - 88,793
9. Twtpoll - 74,154
10. Retweetist - 60,051
11. Tweepler - 51,304
12. Hellotxt - 45,754
13. Twitdom - 45,411
14. Tweetscan - 44,463
15. Tweetburner - 41,754
16. Tweetvisor - 31,621
17. Twittervision - 30,708
18. Twitterfall - 29,592
19. Monitter - 25,433
20. Twibs - 17,168

So there you have it. Are you tweaking your Twitter experience with these popular applications? If not, you might want to consider checking them out-- they could seriously enrich your online socialization.

Bing search penetration on the rise

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:12:37 EST

Many of us were present when Microsoft's search (er, "decision") engine, Bing came bounding into the World Wide Web two Thursdays ago. In an environment where Google is the household name in search, and a verb often interchangeable with "research," I was surprised to see Bing embraced as enthusiastically as it was.

In fact, reports soon came pouring in that Bing beat Yahoo! as the world's number 2 search engine, just one week after going live. Counter reports sprang up just as quickly, claiming that Bing's impressive sweep over Yahoo! was marginal, and fleeting.

Here's a breakdown of the weekend market shares after Bing was reportedly named number 2 search engine (figures from StatsCounter)

June 4: Bing has more than 15% of the U.S. search share market; Yahoo has a bit over 10%.
June 5: Bing loses its grip, drops to a bit below 10%; Yahoo has nearly 11%
June 6: Bing continues to drop, claiming but 6.68%; Yahoo climbs a bit more to 11.33%.

But now, these stats seem to have flipped over yet again.

On Wednesday, Josh Catone reported with Mashable.com that according to new stats from comScore, Bing has bounced back from its weekend slump and is on the rise.

Catone describes Bing's recent activity as follows: "Bing is up about 3 percentage points in both average daily penetration among US searchers and their total share of search results pages (which indicates the percentage of all actual searches, though is not an exact measure), compared to the week prior to launch. Bing now has 16.7% searcher penetration and a 12.1% share of search results pages among all US workday searches."

According to a handy chart Catone included in his article, between May 25th and June 12th, Bing's Average Daily Searcher Penetration went from 13.7% to 15.8% to 16.7 %. Bing's Share of Search Result Pages for the same period went from 9.1% to 11.3% to 12.1%. While the latter trend is moving slowly, it's moving in the right direction nonetheless.

Part of Bing's success may be partly attributed to the "advertising blitz" Microsoft has embarked upon since the launch. With campaigns amounting to an estimated $80 to $100 million, Microsoft is at least doing it's part to generate awareness and intrigue about the "world's first decision engine," as one clever commercial maintains.

Struggling, MySpace cuts 30% of staff

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:02:46 EST

On Tuesday, Mashable.com founder Pete Cashmore reported that the "once... undisputed leader in social networking" is having a hard time staying afloat. What's to be done? Toss whatever, or whomever you can, overboard.

Yes folks, I'm talking about MySpace.com. The former social network of choice will be laying off about 30% of its employees in order to balance out what CEO Owen Van Natta describes as a bloated and inefficient company.

MySpace is owned by News Corp, whose chief executive of Digital Media, Jonathan Miller, addressed the situation with similar remarks: "MySpace grew too big considering the realities of today's marketplace."

After this hack, MySpace will be working with a staff of 1,000 employees-still 150 more than social network rival, Facebook.com.

Cashmore contends, and I agree, that while this news is regrettable, it shouldn't necessarily come as a shock. Not only are we in an undeniably tough economy, but MySpace has been on a noticeable downward spiral for some time now.

Losing its spot as number one social network to Facebook.com, and a $300 million/year ad deal with Google that's due to expire in 2010, the seas of change MySpace is sailing looks a bit... choppy, and call for action.

Cashmore wrapped up with a question I believe to be very worthwhile: "MySpace's slow decline is no longer news, but leads us to ask: is it reversible?"

What do you think?

Can MySpace stay afloat in a world where Facebook and Twitter are increasingly popular verbs, let alone social networks? If it can, for how long? Is there a life raft somewhere out there upon which MySpace can seek refuge and paddle back to popularity?

Facebook Vanity URLs: stupendous or spam?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:00:42 EST

Last Friday, at 11:59:59 pm, the countdown ticker on Facebook clicked its last-and the scrambled to snatch up vanity Facebook URLs commenced! Personally, I took my time, and decided not to rush the Facebook website at the stroke of midnight. I was pretty confident no one would try to stick a territorial flag in http://www.facebook.com/lauren.litwinka, which I incidentally claimed this morning.

On Twitter today (the first time I've been on Twitter since the vanity URLs were made public), I noticed several folks tweeting their new social network profile URL, asking "are we connected?" or initiating a "Let's be friends!" opportunity.

Looks aren't everything, but I'll admit - the new Facebook vanity URLs are pretty inviting... and... I don't know how to say it... they just make me want to click through and add that person as a friend. Whether or not that's the safest, most desired response is up for debate. But I do know one thing. I've seen more people plug their Facebook profiles today than I have in, let's say, a week's worth of tweets I comb through. Because the links are so visually pleasing, (I like tiny URLs but even the jibberish at the end causes me to click through hesitantly...), I've connected with three new folks on Facebook in the last four hours. My opinion: Facebook vanity URLs = effective.

Remember when Facebook and Twitter were viewed as arch enemies? Then Facebook revamped its homepage to much more Twitter-esque, what with the nearly real-time mini-feed. Then TweetDeck integrated Facebook functionality into its status updates. Now, Facebook has given its community highly tweetable vanity URLs to held expand and enhance their social interaction online. Coincidence? Perhaps. Super useful? I think so.

In a very fun back-and-forth debate this afternoon, my boss and I discussed the pros and cons of the Facebook vanity URLs. I just shared what I believe to be the pros of the new feature. My boss expressed his concern that spammers would swarm the social network and claim perhaps vulgar vanity URLs they could use to their marketing advantage and unsuspecting browsers' extreme disadvantage.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, or even experiences, concerning the recent ability to claim Facebook vanity URLs for profiles... leave comments below or @reply me on Twitter!

Less than 1k fans? You may still get a FB vanity URL

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:12:28 EST

In yesterday's Daily BubbleTweet, I talked (rather quickly) about Facebook's recent decision to let users choose their own vanity URLs-something MySpace and Twitter have done for quite a while now, if not from the get-go.

Whether you're really, really, really into Facebook, want to claim your name for the sake of search engines, or just want to be found easier in cyberspace, you might want to stay home this Friday night, grab a soda and perhaps some Skittles, and log into Facebook at 12:00 am EST (so really, Saturday June 13) to claim your own vanity URL.

http://www.facebook.com/LaurenLitwinka certainly is more appealing than http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=26112760&ref=profile.

A lot of folks seemed pretty excited. But folks with business and fan pages, Facebook's recent and might I say impressive social networking endeavor, were concerned.

Jennifer Van Grov at Mashable.com reported that "Facebook Pages with fewer than 1,000 fans would be out of luck come Saturday should they try to claim their custom username."

"We thought this to be a huge imposition to smaller brands," Jennifer Van Grov wrote, "and asked Facebook to clarify whether or not the limitation would be lifted at some point; Facebook has responded."

Don't jump for joy just yet - Facebook Pages still require 1,000 fans to quality for a vanity URL, but for the smaller brands, there is a glimmer of hope. That prerequisite will no longer be in affect two weeks from now; on June 28, Facebook Pages with less than 1,000 fans can have their chance at vanity too.

Another form of compensation: Van Grov reported that interested parties can fill out a form to prevent registration of trademarked usernames. When you submit the form, your coveted username will be placed on a protected list and reserved for your use alone.

A catch: you need a valid registration number in order to submit the form. As Van Grov explains, "there is still a significant group of admins with Facebook Pages that won't have registered or trademarked names that they can protect."

For these folks, there's not so much to be done. They'll have to cross their fingers until Sunday the 28th and simply "hope that [their] desired name is still available."

Microsoft Advertising Intelligence comes out of beta

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:42:32 EST

On Wednesday, Carolyn Miller reported in the Microsoft Advertising Community blog that the company is unleashing the full version of Microsoft Advertising Intelligence.

While in beta, the ad service was known as "adCenter Add-in Beta" but now that it's unleashed in its full glory, Microsoft Advertising Intelligence it is.

For now, Microsoft Advertising Intelligence is features only English Data, and is available in the US, UK, France, and Canada.

So what is Microsoft Advertising Intelligence? It's a Microsoft Excel tool you use for keyword research and optimization. The ultimate purpose, as Miller explains, is that it "helps you maximize marketing ROI for your keyword campaigns" in four essential areas:

Keyword expansion
Research
Pricing
KPI data

Here in the U.S., users can enjoy a few extra features geared towards creating "more effective Content Ads campaigns," with data such as Vertical Top List, Vertical KPI's and Content Impressions sorted by month.

You can download Microsoft Advertising Intelligence in its full version now. Got questions? Check out the Microsoft Advertising Intelligence tutorial videos or stop by the adCenter Learning Center. Still not enough helpful resources? You can always visit the Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Forum to pose questions and read feedback from other users.

Bing Bang Boom - Bing's 1 day at the top

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:01:11 EST

Last week, the tweet heard ‘round the world (one of them, at least) was about how Bing, Microsoft's recent dive into the search engine market (and dare I say recent stab at Google), surpassed Yahoo! as the number two search engine both nationally and worldwide.

It was pretty big news, considering Yahoo! has been struggling to reclaim it's popularity for months, if not years, and Bing has been live a whopping seven days (when the figures came back).

Literally as I was posting an article last Friday about Bing's sudden stake in the search market, Barry Schwartz and a plethora of other folks reported that the Bing-Beat-Yahoo!-Bonanza may have been a bit preemptive.

Guess Microsoft better re-cork the champagne.

Yes, Bing beat out Yahoo! as the number 2 search engine, but only for the day...

On Sunday, MG Siegler reported with TechCrunch.com on the statistical situation, citing the same figures from StatsCounter that initially had the Internet abuzz with Bing:

"A couple of days ago we reported statistics from StatCounter suggesting the Bing , Microsoft's new "decision" engine, had bypassed Yahoo as the number 2 search engine in the U.S. and the world. Well guess what? That same data suggests Bing reign as #2 was extremely short-lived: As in one day. Yes, the same data now suggests that just as quickly as Bing shot up, it's now heading the opposite way. And in fact, it's still falling."

The flow went a little something like this:

June 4: Bing has more than 15% of the U.S. search share market; Yahoo has a bit over 10%.
June 5: Bing loses its grip, drops to a bit below 10%; Yahoo has nearly 11%
June 6: Bing continues to drop, claiming but 6.68%; Yahoo climbs a bit more to 11.33%.

Bing and Yahoo! weren't the only ones fluctuating over the weekend: "Google took a big dip during Bing's reign," Siegler explained, but "it too has now started moving back upwards as Bing declines."

Stay tuned for more bing bang boom search market stake stats as they roll in throughout the week...

Successful Web Development Company featured

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:29:47 EST

On Sunday, June 7, 2009, NJ Web Development Company Hudson Horizons was featured in the Bergen Record as the headline story in the Small Business section.

The story, "Web company programmed for success," provides an in-depth look at how Hudson Horizons founder and CEO Mr. Bryant met with VP Developer Mr. Mayernik nearly seven years ago to establish a Web 2.0 company that's gives clients more than their money's worth and competitors a run for their money.

The article begins: "The slogan on Web developer Hudson Horizons' site says it all: The new light for e-Business.'" That's just how webmasters, e-Commerce site owners, and clients in general feel after their website expectations are not only satisfied, but surpassed.

Staff reporter Carol Fletcher explored the inner workings of Hudson Horizons, emphasizing the professional dedication that continues to put them ahead of the game- a game set not only against an increasingly competitive industry, but tough economic times.

"If a client has to come back to a [Web site development] firm and say, ‘Can you add this page?' - that's archaic," Bryant said, explaining his and Mayernik's joint vision of "Web sites that are flexible enough to be managed by companies on their own."

The game-winning solution? The Hudson Horizons SEO-friendly Content Management System. This comprehensive CMS not only gives site owners full 24/7 access to manage their site content, but fully compliments traditional search engine optimization efforts by offering Meta Data management, unique URL generation, and more.

"Six years ago, what was CMS?" Bryant posed. "Now, companies are asking for it."

And Hudson Horizons comes to new clients month after month with the solution that works.

Aside from hand-coding and customized website development, Hudson Horizons specializes in:

At Hudson Horizons, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Mayernik work closely with a fresh team of talented employees-- from designers to developers, social media specialists to sales reps, to ensure continued success for their web development company as well as each of their clients.

Visit NorthJersey.com to read the full article, "Web company programmed for success," and for more coverage on this proud achievement.

Bing beats out Yahoo! for no. 2 in search (right?)

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:20:45 EST

Early this week, Twitter was a buzz with talk about Bing, Microsoft's latest web venture. The new search service made quite a splash on the social scene, trending quickly on Twitter and popping up on industry news aggregators left and right.

On Friday, Patricia Resende along with the rest of the world reported that "Bing Zips Past Yahoo To Be Number Two in Search."

So Bing not only represents Microsoft's latest web venture, but a nasty blow to longtime search rival, Yahoo!. You may recall the awkward wooing and rejecting and bidding and shunning cycle that unfolded throughout 2008 between the two competitors, Microsoft and Yahoo!. Goodness knows I do.

I had so much fun covering what many referred to as a convoluted mating dance. I really looked at the Microsoft-Yahoo! situation as your typical boy-girl role play:

Boy (Microsoft) takes an interest in girl (Yahoo!)

Boy bids to buy girl - or attempts to woo her, anyway - with a multi-billion dollar bid which, after several renegotiations, comes to rest at a value of $47.5 billion.

Girl feels undervalued - by at least $5.5 billion - so girl plays hard to get.

Boy gets frustrated and withdraws bid - er... I mean affections.

Girl - apparently unfazed - moves onto hunky competition in an attempt to enhance her own image.

Boy gets jealous and plots to double-team with pals (I'm not even going to attempt an analogy here)

And it gets better...

Concerned, hopelessly romantic friends (some stockholders) trying to convince one party to patch things up

Girl realizes she may have made a mistake, remains open to working things out. But boy has moved on.

And that's pretty much where things have stood until recently, when Microsoft came out with a whammy of a service, Bing.

Bing, Resende cleverly states, "has hit the Internet with a bang." Launching live to the public on May 28th, it has taken one week to the day for the young search engine to surpass Yahoo! search, Microsoft's would-be collaborative search partner from eons ago.

It's like Microsoft and Yahoo! bumped into each other in a pizza parlor and Microsoft was toting a super foxy date-- likeable, functional, streamlined and, well, you get the picture.

Internet research firm StatCounter Global Status reported stats on the event, indicating that Bing's overall Internet traffic has secured the number two slot on the top search engines list both nationally and worldwide.

"Bing passed Yahoo on Thursday for second place with 16.28 percent of the market," Resende continued, "while Yahoo dropped to third with 10.22 percent."

Microsoft brought Bing to the search-engine table to solve several problems it found with search, including a report that said 30 percent of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result.

Here's a peek at some Bing features that helped it beat out Yahoo! search in just seven days:

Best Match - helps browsers find the best answer for a search
Deep Links - provides browsers with information about Web site accommodations
Quick Preview - displays additional information about site relevancy in an expandable box when browsers hover over a link
Instant Answers -provides browsers with body text information right on the SERP

Bada-Bing! Looks like some pretty promising stuff. Of course, Google is still the undisputed master of the universe... I mean search industry- tightly clutching an impressive 71.47% of the U.S. market, according to StatCounter numbers.

"Globally, Bing has taken a smaller lead over Yahoo at 5.62 percent," Resende clarified, "while Yahoo has 5.13 percent and Google 87.62 percent."

I'm excited to watch Bing's movement over the coming weeks and months- what do you think? Will it blossom or be a bust? Leave a comment or send me a tweet with your two cents!

(Note: as I was getting ready to post this, I came across this article posted by Greg Sterling: "Did Bing Leapfrog Yahoo? Not Exactly." Very interesting to see two, quite different sides to this situation. Now more than ever, I'm curious - what do you think? Don't be shy!)

Speed up your Page with Google Page Speed

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:16:28 EST

On Thursday, Richard Rabbat and Bryan McQuade with the Page Speed Team posted in the Google Code Blog that the top search company is rolling out a feature to the public that they've been working on and with over recent years.

The feature is Page Speed, and it was made open-source as of yesterday, it seems. Why?

"At Google, we focus constantly on speed, the team members wrote, "we believe that making our websites load and display faster improves the user's experience and helps them become more productive."

Page Speed, a FireFox and Firebug Add-On, delivers "immediate suggestions on how you can change your web pages to improve their speed."

So... again... not just a clever name.

Here's a breakdown of two examples the Page Speed Team provided in the post:

Run Page Speed on your computer, and the tool will optimize on-page images for you, automatically providing compressed versions ready for use-giving you and your users a considerably quicker page load time.

Run Page Speed on your computer, and the tool will locate issues such as unnecessary software downloads, like JavaScript and CSS that isn't required to view the page after all.

It's simple cutbacks like these that, the team maintains, "can help reduce time your users spend waiting for the page to download and display."

Google has been utilizing the Page Speed tool on an internal basis in order to boost performance on their webpages.

As always, Google is anxious for users to try out the new feature, and is looking forward to feedback from those who do. Have you tried Google's Page Speed feature? Check out the Webmaster Help Forum and leave your two cents.

Simulate your AdWords bids with Bid Simulator

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:39:26 EST

On Thursday, Barry Schwartz reported with SearchEngineLand.com that top search company Google is still testing a "bid simulator" tool for its popular PPC platform, AdWords.

How's does Bid Simulator work? Say you want to modify your AdWords campaign, but you're not one to shoot in the dark-you're no clairvoyant but you want as much of a forecast as you can get about how your campaign will be affected after the changes are made. If you're thinking about increasing or decreasing your AdWords bid, Bid Simulator will generate estimations for two important factors about your ad: what your ad position would be, and the amount of impressions your ad might get.

Simulate your bids with AdWords Bid Simulator. So. It's not just a clever name.

The Bid Simulator has been in beta testing for a week or so now, and Schwartz writes, "The feature looks pretty impressive and I think it would be useful for some advertisers."

Earlier this week Google rolled out an upgrade for AdWords Editor (7.5.1). Way to go, AdWords, for staying on top of the PPC game with new, useful features!

AdWords Editor upgrade streamlines, saves time

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:30:31 EST

On Monday, Austin Rachlin with the Inside AdWords crew posted in the official AdWords Blog that AdWords Editor 7.5.1 for Windows and Mac is now available for download.

(Hold the phone - have I lost you yet? Visit our Internet Glossary for a Google AdWords definition.)

The new version of AdWords Editor boasts a triple-threat series of upgrades advertisers can use to optimize their AdWords experience and see better results from their PPC campaigns.

Rachilin's post explained that AdWords Editor 7.5.1 can help you:

Increase efficiency with CSV import.

Lots of feedback from developers led the Google team to incorporate CVS file import functionality into the new AdWords Editor. "If you make changes to your account in a spreadsheet or a custom application," Rachilin explains, "you can now import your spreadsheet directly into AdWords Editor, then post your new or edited items." Now that's a time-saver... which ties directly to the next point...

Save time by downloading or updating selected campaigns.

In this day-in-age, the name of the game is efficiency. Thanks to a new AdWords Editor feature, you no longer have to wait for your entire account to download when you only want to tinker with select campaigns. Simply select the campaigns that need tweaking and download them individually-giving you a chance to make the most of your time on the computer... which ties directly to the next point...

Make the most of Keyword Opportunities.

The Keyword Opportunities tool has been revamped to provide a more streamlined keyword data management experience. Enjoy the ability to view and sort keywords by category right on your Search-based keywords tab, and "zero in quickly on the keywords that are most relevant to your account." Enjoy the inclusion of your Keyword Opportunities columns when you copy or export your keyword lists. Enjoy the ability to add keywords, negative keywords, campaign negative keywords to your account (thanks, again, to actual developer feedback!)

Google published official AdWords Editor 7.5.1 release notes, which have more in-depth details about the features in this latest upgrade.

Like what you've read? Download the new version of AdWords Editor to try it for yourself!

Already using AdWords Editor? Rachilin explained, "If you're already using AdWords Editor, you'll be prompted to upgrade automatically." But don't worry-- your information will be safe and sound.

Rachilin went on to confirm that downloading the new version of AdWords Editor "won't require you to re-download your account, and it won't affect your comments and unposted changes. In the auto-update prompt, choose the 'Update without Backup' option; after you upgrade, your account will already be in the new version."

Still curious about the new AdWords Editor 7.5.1? Check out Google for some frequently asked questions that may be similar to your own, and of course, check out the instructions and tips offered in the Google Help Center.

Hudson Horizons pulls in Best Web Development Company

Fri, 29 May 2009 16:48:10 EST

Third time's a charm, huh?

Well the charming team here at Hudson Horizons is proud to have been named the Best Web Development Company for May 2009, making three consecutive, prestigious honorable ranks from topseos.com since March of this year.

I invite you to check out the top ten Web Development companies ranked by topseos.com this month, and take a peek below at the official write-up capturing this proud award!

Congratulations to the developers at Hudson Horizons... keep up the great work!

New Google Suggest is faster... and better!

Thu, 21 May 2009 16:55:14 EST

On Wednesday, Google Product Managers Jonathan Effrat, David Kadouch and Matt Kulick wrote in the Official Google Blog that "Faster is better," and since new features for Google Suggest make the tool faster, it's now also... better.

Google Suggest is the awesome auto-fill feature we never knew we always needed. If you're unfamiliar with how it works, go to http://www.google.com and start to type something. Anything. No, really. Go ahead.

Notice the drop-down list below your search box. It filters billions of search terms and displays suggestions of what you might be searching for based on the letters you enter. Simply click on a one of the suggestions and you're taken to a SERP for those key terms.

Personally, since the feature rolled out, I've had a hard time imagining my web surfing experience without it. Google Suggest is incredibly handy when I've got a search term on the tip of my tongue (or fingers) but just can't piece it together.

It's also great when I know just what you want to search for but have absolutely no idea how to spell it. Yeah, that happens pretty often.

And now, it's even better, seeing as it's now, even faster. Why? Because the Google Suggest key terms aren't just based on the letters you enter. Now, they'll take your previous, and current queries into consideration as well.

"Previously, we only showed suggestions based on your original search input," the Product Managers' post explained. "Now, when you make a search from a results page, we provide suggestions that relate to the current results page."

Ah, that's a nice way to incorporate search behavior in real-time. As the post explains, "if your previous search was for roller coasters, when you begin a new query the first few suggestions are still related to roller coasters..."

Here's another nifty feature, but this one's just for folks signed into their Google Accounts: along with incorporating search behavior, Google may bring back some of your previous search terms as well and display them in the Google Suggest drop-down list.

"Personalized suggestions will make it easier and faster for you to repeat searches that have worked before," the team explained. Ever lending the helping hand, the Product Managers went on to highlight that "if you need to step away in the middle of a search task, this will help you continue your search tasks at a later time."

If you don't want old search queries populating your personalized suggestions list, you can always remove them by simply clicking "Remove" right on screen, or navigating to manage Query Suggestions on the preferences page.

And of course, since the personalized suggestions are directly related to your Google account, logging out of Google will remove them completely (until you log in once more).

Here's a peak at the other features new to Google Suggest with descriptions taken straight from the source:

Navigational suggestions - "If your first keystrokes indicate that you may be looking to navigate directly to a specific site, we'll list it and send you straight there if you click on it.
Sponsored links in suggestions - Similar to the navigational suggestions above, sometimes we detect that the most relevant completion for what you're typing is an ad. When an ad is shown, we mark it with the text "Sponsored Link" and a colored background, as on the results page.
"We will no longer show the result count for items in the suggest box."
"We now bold the text of suggestions to help you more quickly scan the list."

So go ahead - check out the faster, better, more personalized Google Suggest feature. Keep in mind that these features will be rolling out slowly, so while your searching experience may not radically change over night, it will surely reshape in the coming weeks.

Broaden your Web Development Horizons

Tue, 19 May 2009 16:04:31 EST

The Internet has been expanding for years, essentially since it was created-- and it continues to expand each and every day. That's a lot of websites with a lot of web pages, and a lot of options web surfers have at their finger tips.

Do you own a website? An e-Business? An e-Commerce store? Consider the following...

One thing you can do to help your website stand out from the competition is to give it a fresh, clean, and exciting interface your visitors can enjoy.

But before you do that you have to draw in those visitors. Successfully targeting, reaching, and impressing your audience, customers, clients and connections should also be among your top priorities.

But before you do that, well, we kind of go back to step one. Make sure you've got an up-to-date, interesting, informative, and optimized website to lead those visitors to!

The best thing you can do to ensure this now and in the future is to integrate a content management system... one that gives you, the site owner, comprehensive, unquestionable, round-the-clock access to your site content, and the ability to manage it at any time.

At Hudson Horizons, we offer clients with any kind of website to take advantage of our dynamic SEO-friendly Content Management System, a CMS that not only provides full access to text and images, but dynamic URLs, Meta data, tags, attributes, and more crucial elements of page content.

Our dynamic SEO-friendly CMS is just one of the exceptionally valuable features we can offer clients looking for professional website design and development services. Check out some of the other technologies we can customize, code, and integrate right into your website:

Database Management
Application Development
e-Commerce Solutions
Blogs/Weblogs
RSS feeds
Social Networking
Social Bookmarking
Customized Invoicing Solutions
ACH Direct Deposit Integration
And much more

Hudson Horizons is proud to have a team of highly advanced programmers, experienced with:

Classic ASP
ASP.Net
HTML
XHTML
DHTML
JavaScript
CSS - Cascading Style Sheets
XML
AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML
And much more

The cherry on the our web development services is our two-fold optimization platform. We have an experienced SEO team to help manage and enhance your site's rank in the SERPS, and a top-notch SMO team to help establish and expand your company's social presence on the web.

If you can dream it, we can do it. And in today's day-in-age, dreaming is the first step to broadening your company's horizons. Check out the web solutions, marketing services, and managing products created by Hudson Horizons, and let us be the new light for your eBusiness.