Boomerang Tours, a tour company that offers party bus and party yacht tours of the Washington DC-Potomac area, has partnered with FastF to launch a website for their brand-new pirate ship, which they will be using to carry passengers up and down the Potomac. Boomerang Tours offer a fun and safe alternative to exploring Washington DC’s party and bar scene on and around the Potomac during the day or night.

The 54-foot long pirate ship was just built this year and is built to US Coast Guard requirements for the Potomac River. The ship is equipped with the latest in life-saving equipment and amenities including two restrooms, a bar and a professional sound system.

The website aptly fits the pirate theme thanks to our art director, Pat, and even comes with content in pirate-talk. You can visit the site by clicking here

FastF is proud to announce the full launch of World Politics Review retooled website, now with responsive web design. World Politics Review is a news aggregation website offering wide-ranging analysis of current events, key trend s and events in international affairs. A favorite among foreign policy professionals, WPR allows for professionals and common news-readers alike to take in breaking news with an intelligent and non-partisan analysis from a network of leading journalists, scholars and analysts.

FastF converted the already successful website into RWD, or responsive web design. This allows the user one streamlined website interface without the subtraction of any content, making the entire website available no matter what device is being used. To experience this on a desktop, simply load the website and make the browser smaller and smaller to watch the website design adapt. The switch to RWD for WPR was an easy choice to make as they want to make all of their vastly important content readily available to subscribers on all platforms all over the world.

You can check out World Politics Review at www.worldpoliticsreview.com . Try it from your laptop, tablet and phone to see the difference.

By Shawn Warmouth, FastF.com

Responsive web design is a new way of designing websites, but what is it? A responsive website is built on a fluid proportion based grid that allows your site to adapt to any device or browser. This means one site works across the board for all devices. So whether you’re looking at site on a desktop or a mobile device, you are looking at the same site. Say bye-bye to clunky mobile sites that cause you to lose content and key features from your desktop site and say hello to a streamlined user experience that bridges the gap between desktop and mobile browsing.

Responsive sites are exactly that, responsive. Your site will resize automatically to whatever type of device it is being viewed on. This means you in essence have a smart site that knows whether a phone, computer monitor or tablet is displaying it. The way the site is displayed will change depending on the resolution and size of the screen you are viewing it on. A good example would be Starbucks.com, open it with your browser on your desktop or laptop and slowly shrink the size of your browser. You will notice the layout of the screen change as the browser shrinks.

This is the full menu from the desktop view of Starbucks.com website.

This is the tablet view of the menu.

This is a smaller tablet view of the menu. You can see the size of the logo changes and a button on the top menu disappears.

Some of the largest companies in the world have recognized the value of this technology; Disney, Microsoft, and even the Boston Globe all have responsive sites. These companies have seen the shift towards the post-desktop era, and the rise of the mobile search. Last year alone, mobile searches made up about 30% of all search traffic, and in some industries like restaurants and tourism that number is close to 50%. Think about it, most of the time these days if you’re searching for directions somewhere, or for a good restaurant, chances are you’re doing it on your mobile device.

This is the smart phone view of the menu. You will notice the three bars on the right, that is now the menu button.

Here you will see the expanded menu once clicked (tapped).

Within the next two years, mobile searches will overtake desktop searches and if your website isn’t mobile ready, your company will be left in the dust. Responsive web design streamlines the web development process to allow for one universal website for all viewers to see. So quit messing with mobile sites and join the responsive revolution.

By RJ Jacques, FastF.com

When people usually say “kung fu”, they are normally referring to martial arts, crane stances or Bruce Lee. But the phrase “Kung Fu” has a vastly richer meaning than these images tend to convey, and one that has a practical significance for the SEO community.

The Wikipedia entry for “kung fu” says:

Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one’s training – the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one’s skills – rather than to what was being trained. It refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor.

In the colloquial, one can say that a person’s kung fu is good in cooking, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with “bad kung fu” simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.

It’s easy to obtain knowledge about SEO. There’s hundreds of free blogs, videos, e-books and courses that can give you all the terminology, how-to’s, and opinions you can handle. In no time flat, you can talk up a storm about Penguins, linkbait, and H1 tags.

But it takes time and practice to understand SEO.

No one can really understand the value of landing page optimization, engaging content, or social signals without going into the trenches and experimenting. It takes weeks to run split tests, it takes months to build a social following, and it takes years to build a solid brand. There are no shortcuts, and no instant fixes.

Because of this, poor SEO’s are easily rooted out for weaksauce kung fu. They have some knowledge, but lack understanding. They promise quick wins, quick fixes, and instant success with tricks and gimmicks and never deliver results.

“Rank you to the top of Google in a week” is no different than someone promising to make you “a kung fu master in a weekend”. They won’t. Because they can’t.

In summary, there are no substitutes for time, discipline, dedication, and a passion for knowledge.
This is the meaning of good kung fu.

-RJ

FastF Marketing is proud to announce that we have officially launched Banana Bay Tour Company’s website, now with responsive web design. Banana Bay Tour Company offers high quality ecological dolphin tours in the Cape Coral and Ft. Myers area of Florida. Members of the Society for Ethological Ecotourism and “DOLPHIN SMART” approved tour operators, Banana Bay is equipped with first class, full service and Coast Guard approved vessels.

Maintaining the sleek, vibrant and modern design that we had previously built for Banana Bay, we have now re-launched their site utilizing responsive web design. Now, desktop and mobile users alike will have access to the same content and features, all while providing one comfortable and streamlined web surfing process over multiple platforms.

Responsive web design is a trendsetting concept in the web design world and is the future of the business as it allows companies, including Banana Bay, to bring the same content to their customers from every platform. We worked very closely with the client on the initial design and constructed a user-friendly and eye catching website experience that completely fit their needs. We then took that design and implemented RWD to provide that experience for all of Banana Bay’s users, whether they are surfing on their desktop or from a mobile device.
Anyone now has the opportunity to read up on and book their tour on a desktop, laptop, smart phone or tablet and enjoy the fun.

Banana Bay Tour Company’s website can be found at: www.bananabaytourcompany.com.

Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind Facebook, announced to the world a brand-new feature for Facebook users that will be coming very soon. Called "Graph Search", Facebook users will be able to find even more connections between themselves and their friends and the friends of their friends and the friends of their friend's friends and the friends of their friend's friend's friends.

You get the point.

Users will be able to search for other members by more specific details now like where they have been and what they like, compiled from all of Facebook's data on its users.

Like a certain restaurant? See which of your friends also likes it and who they know who has been there.

Listen to a certain type of music? See who else listens to the same righteous jams as you do.

Want to see which of your friend's friends are single? Kind of creepy, but you will soon have the option to do so.

The emphasis of Graph Search is to allow more connections between Facebook users and not to act as simply an Internet search engine. This is monumental on a level of personal use for Facebook, but also for businesses that have pages. With all of these users searching for these connections, visibility for restaurants, bars and every day services are destined to see a bump.

So prepare for the change and an easier, more-interactive way to find friends online. Also, prepare for one of your Aunt Tilda's poker buddies to send you a friend request because you both "liked" the page for "Television".

"When you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip." - Elmore Leonard

As strange as it may sound, Mr. Leonard is correct in his thinking. No, I'm not asking you to discover some hidden power of clairvoyance lying dormant in your brain. It's simple, know who you are writing for and don't waste their time. You wouldn't want someone wasting your time, right?

When writing copy to make someone buy into an idea, service or product, it is paramount to win them over as soon as you can. Don't make them sit through a couple lines of nonsense before ending on a partially successful plea to buy what you are selling. Copywriters and salesmen aren't that different, they are both selling something. And when you are selling someone something, you need to pitch them and close them as quickly as you can.

I personally despise wasting words and most other people should too. Why say something in ten sentences when you can do it in two or three. The first sentence of any copy should be the strongest. It needs to have the idea, the sell, the tone and attitude of whatever comes after all combined into one. That's not to say it needs to be chocked full of words and ideas, instead, it needs to be concise and to the point.

In Hollywood, when you pitch a movie to a producer, you need to win them over with that first line. No stumbling, no reaching, just pure content. And just like copywriting, you need to win them over with that first line and make sure that the rest follows suit. If you promise something in your first line, you better act on it. The initial line is the most important because it is the point where a reader will decide if they are going to take the content serious, as a whole.

The first line can be any combination of intelligence, wit, information and numerous other things but, in the end, it needs to be what the customer is looking for. I can't stress the importance of snagging a customer on the first line hook, line and sinker because it makes everything after that so much simpler.

I like to write. Not because I want to be recognized or to make millions of dollars but because I need to and if I don't, I feel as if I'll burst at the seams. Not everyone can write an epic poem or novel for the ages, but, there are opportunities out there to write, no matter how small it may be.

"All good writing is swimming underwater and holding your breath" - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I don't think any quote has affected me as much as that one. And in the world of copy writing, it's just as true as it would be if you were writing a narrative. You need the right words, the right length and the right amount of attitude to have someone read those words and change their mind about something and trust me, they don't come easy.

In today's day and age, visual marketing and advertising is at an all time high. With branded logos and celebrity endorsements, people want to SEE more. But with every piece of visual aid, there is almost always words to hit it home. Would the NIKE Swoosh logo mean anything if the words "Just Do It" weren't running through your head? I doubt it.

No matter what kind of business you are writing copy for, you need to understand what you are writing about and who you are writing for. Contrary to popular belief, words don't just magically appear no matter how hard you want them to. Research is key to finding the exact words you need to improve a brand, increase the number of prospects looking your way and eventually pull them in to buy what you are selling.

A copy writer cannot be happy with just a snappy line. In the end, the writer is connected to the business, in-house or freelance. If the words cannot produce interest then the copywriter has failed.

Writing good copy on a consistent basis is just as hard as winning the Super Bowl year after year. Okay, maybe not that hard but it's close. The right or wrong amount of keywords, tone or even length can be the difference between bad and good copy. Highlight the wrong feature on an already excellent product and sales could plummet.

It all comes down to what the customer thinks they want and how they want it presented. Age, ethnicity, gender and location can all be variables when researching the audience for a product. That is why in-depth research is a necessary for writing good copy.

It isn't the only step though. One of the biggest steps to reaching that good bit of content is failure, which goes back to the Fitzgerald quote. Nobody gets it on the first try. You might have written the best lines in your entire life but if you still don't go after other options, you won't really know how good it is.

Constantly re-reading and re-writing copy is the best way to write good content. Think of it as the Frankenstein's monster of the process. A couple good lines from one attempt, a word or two from another and maybe the tone of a third. Bring them all together to make the best copy you can.

And if you can't write copy, or write in general, it is very important to find someone who can because it could very well be the difference between profit and loss.

The first step to effective marketing:

Deliver it where the prospects are.

Think about it.

Whether Google search, magazine ads, direct mail, radio, TV, you market in certain ways for the same reason Clyde Barrow robbed banks. As he said it, "because that's where the money is."

Of course, you’re looking for real prospects – the people who want and can afford what you offer. The more specific your marketing is targeted towards the exact right people, the more cost effective it is likely to be.

THAT is what makes Google the huge success it is. Newspapers reach “everyone who reads newspapers in town”. Think of all the newsprint, magazines, yellow page ads, and TV commercials wasted on people who are never going to be prospects for the advertisers' products or services. They still have to be paid for by the advertiser.

Marketing Sherpa posted an interesting graph about this (click on image to enlarge) (Link to original article):

Most of the highly efficient ways of reaching prospects are forms of Internet Marketing: web content, optimization, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), pay-per-click advertising, email marketing and webinars.

That is why for small businesses, marketing starts with a good website and competent Internet Marketing. For many, that is all they need to do to succeed.

Actually, the title of this post is a case of deceptive advertising.

Because it should really be "Why People Think Something's Wrong With Google."

I'm not talking about governments, by the way. Governments aren't people. Unfortunately. Governments are always going to be going after Google.

Okay... down to business.

Many people complain about Google's search results, that there are too many bad (spammy or inappropriate) results.

They complain when Google makes changes, that the results still include bad results, or that it made things worse.

The explanation for some complaints is obvious: It was their ox got gored. Meaning their website's rankings crashed, they are losing traffic and money, etc. etc.

Sorry about that.

But the main thing is people just not understanding Google. You need to know this one thing: Google is an engineering company and as such, they test and engineer EVERYTHING. Engineers don't try to be perfect. They try to make things work.

Their whole approach to Search is to increase how often people are happy with the results, by making changes to their algorithms.

Now over the years, these have gotten very sophisticated. By Google's own statement, they take into account over 200 signals (factors) in ranking a page for a search terms.

That doesn't mean it is perfect. Far from it.

One reason for this is the constant battle between Google and spammers, people who are trying to game or trick Google into giving them undeserved high rankings.

A lot of times the spammers win. That shouldn't be a surprise. After all, there are billions of dollars at stake, and there are a lot of smart (if unethical, even criminal) people playing the game.

The only real question is this: are Google's results improving over time?

Well, the users vote with their keyboards and mice, and they say the answer is "yes."

Don't believe me? Google's maintained their market share of searches over the last couple of years - just under 2/3 of all U.S. searches.

That's despite Microsoft pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into advertising Bing. Oh yes, and running a Black PR campaign against Google (see: FairSearch.org), and working VERY hard to get more people using Bing as their default search engine (see: Windows).

Don't believe me? Microsoft is constantly, proudly rolling out new features for its search engine and for its pay-per-click platform - things which Google's been doing for years.

Bing loses a billion dollars every year, while Google makes billions. Yahoo, the #3 search engine, just fired another C-level exec (their CEO, who had falsified his resume!). Approximately the umpteenth time in the last few years they did that. It isn't because they are doing Just Great.

Call me a Google Fanboy if you want. I'm just talking reality here.

If you want to play "Internet" you need to understand the rules, and the rules are largely made by Google. The fact is, they are doing an amazing job of being fair at it. But then, engineers tend to be like that.

And, if after this rant, you want to understand Google, read the book "In The Plex" (Steven Levy, Simon and Schuster, 2011)