High Performance Web Applications – Part 1

Today most developers look at the performance considerations after launching the application in Production which is primary reason failures of lot of applications. Performance requirements should be considered from the initial design all the way to production launch. This series is going to describe how high performance can be achieved on the client side (Browsers), Server Side (App Server) and on the DB.

This first part will give some basic tips on improving client side tuning:

1. Reduce the round trips to the server by combining multiple JS files into one JS file.

2. Reduce the round trips to the server by combining the multiple CSS files to single CSS file.

3. Set Expires header attribute on everything you can into future based on your needs. This tells the browser it is okay to not revalidate on every request, which can add latency of at least one round-trip per object per page load for no reason. Particularly ensure directory where images are stored has Expires Header attributes set to enable the Browser caching. Just by reducing the 304 status calls to your web server would minimize the load on the web server and improves the page response time.

4. Externalize the JS code to separate JS file and include it and ensure JS files directory on the web server has caching turned on. You need to change the name of file if you make any changes else browser won’t download the latest JS files.

5. Make use of CSS attributes instead of using STYLE attribute in the individual HTML elements. Browsers renders pages faster with CSS class attributes than STYLE attributes.

6. Minimize the HTTP response size by enabling GZIP or any compression on the web server. Most modern supports GZIP compression and this reduces the page load time dramatically.

7. You can also improve the response time by adding parallelism to your content. Most browsers limits two concurrent connections to the single host by creating CNAMEs to the same domain you can make use of todays high bandwidth and reduce the response time. Its not advised to have more than 4 aliases to the same domain name. Having more than four aliases/CNAMEs create undesired effects.

8. Minimize the number of domains referenced in the web page. Each host name adds the overhead of an extra DNS entry lookup and an extra TCP three-way handshake. So too many domains referenced in the same page may cause an unexpected delay in the response time.

9. Minimize HTTP request size. Often cookies are set domain-wide, which means they are also unnecessarily sent by the browser with every image request from within that domain.

By implementing the above tips mentioned which doesn’t involve any code changes and just by making these environmental related changes you can improve the response time of your pages dramatically and enhance the user’s perception about your site.

Today’s AJAX based web applications has become quite common and in the next part we will discuss about tips to improve the performance of your JavaScript code.

Advice for multilingual SEO. Part 1

Consider all the possibilities.

Living as I do on the conjunction of three countries, that is Belgium, Holland and Germany, can make search engine optimisation (SEO) quite a challenge. Just in the surrounding area of the village I work from are four spoken languages so if you extrapolate that out to every possible combination of search terms, browser settings and computer language settings then you begin to see the scale of the problem.

Leaving aside the differing search terms and therefore your various sets of keyword targets, each different language user will have their own set of computer and browser language and preference settings that will give completely differing search results.

As a quick example try searching –
management consulting Liege
– on Google.com and Google.be-fr.
OptimaGest Management Consulting is 2nd out of 392,000 on Google.com and 24th out of 291,000 on Google.be-fr. (Don’t worry, I’m still working on the Google.be rankings)

So here are a few tips that I have picked up to make your job a bit easier.

First setup your browser for multilingual searches.

Arm yourself with a browser that has configurable profiles. Firefox springs to mind.

Set up a profile for each required language so that your preference language and search engine preferences can be configured.

For Firefox installed with the installer:
Make sure firefox isn’t running.
Then open the Windows “Start” menu, click “Run” (or Windows key + R) and then type:
firefox.exe -profilemanager or firefox.exe -P

If that doesn’t work (it doesn’t on my machine) then you need to type the full path to the firefox.exe surrounded by quotes and then the switch in the “Run” box. e.g.

“C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe” -profilemanager

For Mac OS X launch the Terminal
(Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter:
/Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager

If that doesn’t work then include the -bin switch e.g.:
/Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird-bin -profilemanager

The profile manager dialogue will open and I recommend that you keep the “default” profile as this will preserve all your current settings. Click on “Create Profile” and follow the instructions. You should create and name a profile for each language and then make sure the “Don’t ask at startup” option is unchecked. Now when you start Firefox normally the profile manager will open and you will be able to select your required profile.

As you start each profile for the first time go to “Tools” then “Options…”, “Advanced” tab and then click the Languages “Choose…” button. Here set the language that is required for that particular profile and remove the default en-us.

Then open each search engine e.g. google.be in turn and specify in the preferences the required language etc so mirroring as closely as possible the actual setup your target audience will have.

Now you can quickly check your search engine rankings without having to re-configure your browser settings each time for each target market.

Now the multilingual keywords problem.

Of course before you can monitor your success you must first develop your keyword strategy and that is not as straight forward as it would seem. We must research carefully our target keywords in each of our target markets. It is pointless OptimaGest Management Consulting being number one on Google.be-nl if the chosen keywords are never actually used in dutch.

My native language is english with a passable knowledge of german and the small beginnings of french so I am dependent on my translators for french and dutch. But web designers are not in the business of producing perfectly grammatical and vocabulary correct sentences such as translators delight in. We are trying to pack an optimum number of relevant search terms or keywords into our copy while keeping it on message and readable.

In our native language we can, with a bit of research and practice, produce web site content that just “glows” with pertinent keywords and phrases leading on to mega search results. But where do you start in language 2, 3 or 4?
That will be the subject of my next article.

Advice for multilingual SEO. Part 1

Consider all the possibilities.

Living as I do on the conjunction of three countries, that is Belgium, Holland and Germany, can make search engine optimisation (SEO) quite a challenge. Just in the surrounding area of the village I work from are four spoken languages so if you extrapolate that out to every possible combination of search terms, browser settings and computer language settings then you begin to see the scale of the problem.

Leaving aside the differing search terms and therefore your various sets of keyword targets, each different language user will have their own set of computer and browser language and preference settings that will give completely differing search results.

As a quick example try searching –
management consulting Liege
– on Google.com and Google.be-fr.
OptimaGest Management Consulting is 2nd out of 392,000 on Google.com and 24th out of 291,000 on Google.be-fr. (Don’t worry, I’m still working on the Google.be rankings)

So here are a few tips that I have picked up to make your job a bit easier.

First setup your browser for multilingual searches.

Arm yourself with a browser that has configurable profiles. Firefox springs to mind.

Set up a profile for each required language so that your preference language and search engine preferences can be configured.

For Firefox installed with the installer:
Make sure firefox isn’t running.
Then open the Windows “Start” menu, click “Run” (or Windows key + R) and then type:
firefox.exe -profilemanager or firefox.exe -P

If that doesn’t work (it doesn’t on my machine) then you need to type the full path to the firefox.exe surrounded by quotes and then the switch in the “Run” box. e.g.

“C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxfirefox.exe” -profilemanager

For Mac OS X launch the Terminal
(Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter:
/Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager

If that doesn’t work then include the -bin switch e.g.:
/Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird-bin -profilemanager

The profile manager dialogue will open and I recommend that you keep the “default” profile as this will preserve all your current settings. Click on “Create Profile” and follow the instructions. You should create and name a profile for each language and then make sure the “Don’t ask at startup” option is unchecked. Now when you start Firefox normally the profile manager will open and you will be able to select your required profile.

As you start each profile for the first time go to “Tools” then “Options…”, “Advanced” tab and then click the Languages “Choose…” button. Here set the language that is required for that particular profile and remove the default en-us.

Then open each search engine e.g. google.be in turn and specify in the preferences the required language etc so mirroring as closely as possible the actual setup your target audience will have.

Now you can quickly check your search engine rankings without having to re-configure your browser settings each time for each target market.

Now the multilingual keywords problem.

Of course before you can monitor your success you must first develop your keyword strategy and that is not as straight forward as it would seem. We must research carefully our target keywords in each of our target markets. It is pointless OptimaGest Management Consulting being number one on Google.be-nl if the chosen keywords are never actually used in dutch.

My native language is english with a passable knowledge of german and the small beginnings of french so I am dependent on my translators for french and dutch. But web designers are not in the business of producing perfectly grammatical and vocabulary correct sentences such as translators delight in. We are trying to pack an optimum number of relevant search terms or keywords into our copy while keeping it on message and readable.

In our native language we can, with a bit of research and practice, produce web site content that just “glows” with pertinent keywords and phrases leading on to mega search results. But where do you start in language 2, 3 or 4?
That will be the subject of my next article.

The Coolest New Apps & Things That The Apple iPhone 5 Can Do

Apple reported that before launching the iPhone 5 on September 21, its pre-orders had risen to above 2 million. It does offer some great new advancements over the Apple iPhone 4 – here are some of the coolest new Apps and things that the iPhone 5 will be able to do for you:

Spotify App – What better way to take advantage of the ergonomically optimised new ear pods than with the must have Spotify app.

Onavo – The 4G compatibility is a huge plus for the iPhone 5, the only problem being you’ll find yourself browsing the net more often and more rapidly than ever before. So, the free Onavo app is a rather key download because it shrinks down your data consumption while you browse.

YouTube – The YouTube app has been transformed especially for the iPhone 5 phone release. Everything’s better, from the search function to the interface.

Netflix – With a bigger 4 inch screen, you’ll want to enjoy an app like Netflix to the max. Browsing movies on the iPhone is a far better and smoother experience than ever before – you’ll see that the explosions are more vivid to look at, and better to hear thanks to the better ear pods.

iPhoto – Apple has made significant improvements to the in built camera, but the cool iPhoto app allows you to edit, improve and fine tune your snaps before you share them online.

Camera Awesome – Another app to help you create picture masterpieces with your iPhone 5 camera. The app allows you to use depth detection sensors to take some seriously awesome pictures.

VLingo – Siri is much better with the iPhone 5 than ever before. It makes apps like VLingo perfect to use, as you can voice command just about everything from text messaging to asking all about the weather in Paris (even if you have no intention of going).

Kingdoms & Lords Game – Gaming is just better on the iPhone 5 thanks to the smoother engine and the bigger screen. Take your pick from any number of game apps, this new and free one has you attacking enemy realms as the King of your own castle.

Apple Maps – This really delivers a more enriching mapping experience than others like Google Maps. It means that your iPhone 5 effectively becomes a very useful GPS system in itself. Thanks to iOS6, Apple Maps has turn by turn navigation – it has the ability to provide live traffic data wherever you may be located, and give you alternative route information if you happen to be stuck in a jam somewhere. If you want something a little more slick, the new flyover feature lets you see an aerial visual angle to view buildings and locations with 3d effects. There is also integration with Siri, which means you can just tell it where you want to go and it computes the best possible route.

It’s early days yet – the new improved characteristics on the iPhone 5 will surely mean a ton of exciting new apps will be brought to market before long.

Tips To Starting Big With Foursquare

What is Foursquare? Foursquare is a web and mobile application that enables registered users to post their locations called “check-ins” at a venue and connect with their friends. Users can choose to have their check-ins simultaneously posted in their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Also, each check in using Foursquare entitles the users a reward of point every time. Moreover, they have badges which can be earned by users that they can use for frequent check-ins and for other patterns of the said check-ins. There is also this thing called “mayor” in Foursquare. A Mayor award is given to a person with a profile photo who checks-in a particular place for the most number of times in a 60 day parameter, until someone else earns the title. In a nutshell, Foursquare is a social networking tool that helps users explore their world.
If you are not using Foursquare in your mobile marketing scheme, you are missing out a lot on one of the most powerful tools in marketing. Foursquare just recently hit a billion check-ins. Individuals are checking in at an outstanding rate of almost 35 times per second at every city in every country in this planet. If you’re not part of that, it is time you should be, no matter how big or small your enterprise is. The Foursquare app is fun and generally makes the world more interesting. With users competing for badges and stuff, always logging in to check-in, it presents to be a very powerful tool for businesses to boom and be known to the community.
Start utilizing Foursquare and embed it to your business strategy for mobile marketing. Start rethinking about your business. You have to find a way to gain a lot of exposure without spending so much money and this is the best thing for you. With the help of this social media, your business can gain presence when you give your clients rewards for checking in or especially if they are the current “mayor”. Give freebies and update your site regarding the use of foursquare account and checking in your business locations. If you have a restaurant, a free plate of nachos or a glass of fruit shakes to those who checked in will gain you more exposure more than you have over the last 5 years.
Be more fun and creative in using Foursquare! Some businesses reward the current mayor with a special table or big rewards once they check in again. Give your clients creative and fun rewards that they will not forget in a long time. Make it a way of saying thank you for patronizing our business. People are so into internet enabled mobiles that if you embed your business into mobile marketing, it has a good way to be seen and exposed. Creativity on rewards with the use of Foursquare doesn’t mean that the clients will get something from your shop only. You can give them coupons for a spa because they have been the mayor for more than a month. Foursquare network can also be used as a means to update your clients on what is happening with business. Fun events you hold at your business locations can be checked in when clients attend, making it a way to tell other people that there is something cool happening in town.

Making Mobile Marketing Work For Your Business

Did you know that mobile marketing not only covers the most commonly referenced area of mobile devices, but also mobile billboards, travelling expos and any type of advertising that is in some sort of motion. If you ever wanted to further your knowledge of mobile marketing, then check out the next few paragraphs.

Design your mobile ads so that they are interactive and sharable. Many cell phone users have a natural affinity for sharing and some will ‘like’ your ad on Facebook or ‘tweet’ about it on twitter if the option is available. This can bring your ad to a whole new audience without you having to pay any extra money. Additionally, a lots of people like to comment of ads. If your ad campaign has lots of comments, it can significantly increase your company’s visibility in the marketplace.

Do not send out offers by text too frequently. If you send them out too often, customers will not have the incentive to take up your offer because they know there will another one coming soon. You want to make your offer special so that customers will feel like they cannot miss a good deal which might not come again any time soon.

Do not send your messages anytime. People will not appreciate getting a message from you in the middle of the night. Perhaps you can even divide your customer base by time zones so that you do not send a message at an odd hour. Avoid sending messages during holidays, except if it is relevant to your campaign.

Separate your customers. If you have a business that offers many different types of products or services, you may want to poll your customers to find out what they most want to hear about. Doing so can give you separate lists of customers with similar interests, so you will be able to send them information pertinent to them.

Perhaps mobile users would like to be treated a little better than the average user, and perhaps you could make them feel as if they’re getting a little extra by subscribing to your mobile site or app. You can offer special rewards just for mobile users in order to increase the mobile side of your business.

Out of pure etiquette, refrain from sending messages out to your customers on Sundays or late at night. And even though time zones vary, make sure you never send out messages when it’s nighttime in your neck of the woods. Just wait until midday to be safe, and always avoid Sundays and Saturdays too if you can help it.

Make sure your website is accessible from any mobile phone. This way, you’ll make sure that every prospective customer has the ability to see what you’re offering the way you want them to. Load your site on various platforms to see how it appears, and make changes as necessary so that everyone who visits your site can enjoy the same functionality.

In conclusion, not only does mobile marketing cover a wide amount of media types, but it can also be used to appeal to a wide variety of customers. You should definitely give the tips and tricks provided in this article a try; and you should be ecstatic with the results that you see.

Mobile Marketing: Tips And Tricks For Beginners

You want to expand your knowledge of mobile marketing but your time is precious and you may find it hard to spend time reading up on different topics. Use this article to quickly and clearly pick up some tips and tricks relevant to this subject and how to use it for your business.

When creating Quick Response codes (or QR codes), try using a URL shortening service first. By using the URL shortening service, you can create a simpler QR code, as QR code complexity is determined by the number of characters in any block of text that you use. A block of text with less characters creates a simpler QR code that is easier to scan.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Try to integrate your mobile marketing with the other online resources that you utilize. If you have Facebook, Google, or Twitter, make sure your marketing campaigns are integrated together and work properly with all other promotional efforts. Mention your mobile marketing on all of your online resources from blogs to your website.

You should be working very hard to create various types of promotions in order to entice customers with any mobile marketing campaign. Don’t worry about losing money here. A customer attracted by a two-fer may not have been attracted otherwise, and you’ll end up profiting way more through your promotions.

A useful mobile marketing tip is to always offer subscribers a small reward or incentive for joining your mobile number list. By providing a token of your gratitude, you will be able to gain a greater number of willing participants for your publicity campaign, and will build invaluable goodwill and brand loyalty.

Avoid using all caps and abbreviations. You want to make your message look as professional as possible. If you do not avoid these things, you are going to come off looking like a scam and they are likely to block you from sending any future messages. The more professional the look, the better.

To keep your texts from turning your customers off, never use all-capital letters. While capital letters can make a big impact, on the internet they translate to shouting. No matter how great your deal is, your customer won’t want to feel like they’re being yelled at. Never capitalize more than a single word in a sentence.

Shorten your URLs, both in text form and for QR codes. The more difficult and lengthy the URL is, the more complex your message or QR code will become. Make these simpler for people to access by using a URL shortening site, and customers will be happier with the end results.

To summarize, article marketing is something that you would like to get a better grasp of and you are normally pressed for time. As promised, you hopefully just read some of the best tips available, organized in a easy to read format. Take this expert advice and use it to your advantage.

Major Mistakes People Make When Using Mobile Marketing

Every where you go, you can see someone using their cell phone. Many times they are not using it to talk, but to search the Internet, download an application or use a social networking site. Why not use that knowledge to grow your business? Here are some mobile marketing tips that are sure to get you going.

One of the best ways to be a successful mobile marketer is simply to be a successful social net-worker. Getting people to follow your blog or social site links to a destination site is much more effective than attempting to send out ads and emails to various people who aren’t your customers yet.

Send your customers greeting with Multimedia Messaging Service. You can send mobile greeting to your costumers on any holidays. The trick is getting the personal holidays like birthdays and anniversaries. To set up personal holidays you can set up schedule reminder greetings. Multimedia Messaging Service has the tools you need to set up all your reminders.

Be consistent with your messaging volume. You should always let your customer know in advance how many messages you plan on sending out per week or month. When you do this, your customers know what to expect and will be waiting to hear from you. Make a good schedule and stick to it.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Set goals for your mobile marketing plan. Put together a plan so you know how many messages you will send out each day, which people you will target with which promotion, and what promotions those will be. Setting goals allows you to track your success and to focus on what you want to accomplish so you will build your business.

Make sure that your site and/or ads are consistent across multiple formats. Not every bit of mobile technology is the same, so you will need to adapt to them all. There’s nothing worse than working hard on a mobile campaign just to find out that people using a certain type of mobile OS are having trouble accessing it.

Be short and concise with your SMS messages for your mobile marketing campaign. Messages are limited to 160 characters, so put some thought into how to convey your information clearly yet briefly. If you use abbreviations in your messages, make sure they are commonly accepted and make sense to your customers.

You realize how many people are using cell phones, blackberries, or any type of mobile device and how much you can use that to help your business grow. Apply all the advice that you have learned in this article to really make your business launch quickly to the next level. Use the mobile market to save your business.

A How-To Guide For Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a great way for you to get news about your business out to your client list. If done right, it can lead to growing profits for any kind of business. Use these tips and tricks when working with mobile marketing. Read carefully through the following helpful ideas.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

On your site in particular, you need to learn to say more with less in your mobile content. You cannot have lengthy product and landing pages here that go on and on just to stuff in keywords without really saying anything of value. With mobile marketing, you need to be short, sweet and to the point.

Your thinking should change completely for mobile marketing if you hope to be successful, because you’re not really dealing with a one-on-one customer-client relationship anymore. You’re now dealing with people out in public browsing their mobile devices. This means you need to train your brain to think like a busy person and what would grab their attention.

Make sure your customers know their business is appreciated. Give them special offers, discounts based on hallmark goals or even a simple thank you note. They need to know you value their business or they may take it to someone who will go that extra step.

Make sure that your messages are targeted to their purpose in mobile marketing. You won’t have any room for meaningless words here. If the customer cannot understand your message in a few words, then it isn’t even worth contacting them in the first place. You need to be very clear here as to your purpose.

Keep the messages you send short and precise. Most people will not read a long message on their cell phones or tablets. Your messages should immediately mention the product or offer you are advertising. Phrase your message so that it calls for an action: you should encourage people to find out more about your offer.

If your company has any social networking sites geared to the business, make sure to put a link on your webpage. You can almost guarantee that your customers will not take the time to search for you, but if they know you are on a site, they probably will take the time to check you out.

Test your campaign before you start sending out your messages. Send the messages you want to use to your family, friends and employees. You will have to make sure the messages display well on most types of devices: perhaps some changes will be needed at this point. Ask people for their opinions on the content of the messages.

Use the information that you learned from this article to build a successful mobile marketing plan. These tips are going to help you make the most of the efforts that you put in to the marketing for your business. Use them all wisely to help you get the word out about the things going on with your business.

Top Tips To Boost Your Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is one of the latest methods of advertising for any kind of business. If it is done correctly, you are sure to benefit greatly from all of your efforts. This article was written to help you know the methods that work and what to avoid, in your mobile marketing campaign.

Anytime, you are doing a mobile marketing promotion. You want to let as many people know about this as possible. Put the information on flyers, write about it on your blog and social-networking sites, and create special business cards for the event. The more people that know about it, more customers you will have.

Offer your mobile marketing customers a little red carpet treatment to make them feel special. If you do this, they will spread the good word about you! The most effective measure of any campaign is sales, and providing your mobile customers with unique discounts will spur them to make purchases and exponentially promote your positive reputation!

Out of pure etiquette, refrain from sending messages out to your customers on Sundays or late at night. And even though time zones vary, make sure you never send out messages when it’s nighttime in your neck of the woods. Just wait until midday to be safe, and always avoid Sundays and Saturdays too if you can help it.

One great way to see how you can blend mobile marketing with social media is to pay attention to other people who are doing the same thing. This will allow you to see how things are done correctly. You won’t want to copy their formula verbatim, but it will help to emulate their style a bit.

Keep in mind that mobile marketing is targeted for keeping your current customers, not acquiring new ones. Current customers know your product, and are much more open to getting texts from you and trust your website. New customers will probably find you using a regular computer, though it won’t take them long to sign up for texts.

To make your customers feel appreciated, send out automatic thank you texts after a purchase. The message will show your customers that you care about their business and make them feel valued. It will also help you to stick out in their memory, the next time they’re looking to make a purchase.

You should be offering some type of coupon at least once a week on some type of product you’re selling or service you’re offering. Whether it’s a free app or eBook, a 7-day trial for something or even exclusive access to a certain area of your site or business, a weekly giveaway can work wonders.

Use your traditional site to drive a lot of traffic to your mobile platform. Urge people that visit your regular website or blog to visit you on their mobile phones when they are out and about. This will give you yet another way to stay close to your customers and potential customers.

Use the provided information to make the most of your efforts in your mobile marketing campaign. These tips will help you to save time by going through the trial and error step that many businesses have had to go through before finding the methods that work well for their growing companies.