Awesome Note

If you like making lists and ticking things off then this app is a must-have.  Awesome Note allows you to ‘organise your life’ by allowing you to update and manage your to-do list as well as to make and save notes and memos on-the-go.

mSecure Password Manager

Never forget a password again!  mSecure Password Manager allows you to securely managing and store sensitive information like log-in and bank details.  The app is available from the iTunes app store for $2.99.

Pocket Universe

Interested in astronomy or want to learn more about the night sky?  Pocket Universe allows you to ‘carry the stars in your pocket.’  The app comprise among others a star atlas of 10 000 objects, a guide to moon phases and a live link to astronomy news.  Download the app from the iTunes store for $2.99.

Where’s Gumbo

Entertain your toddler for hours.  Where’s Gumbo is described as a digital ‘lift the flap’ book and Gumbo the dog is lost and it’s your toddler’s task to find Gumbo.  Want to make it even more interesting?  Upload an image of your own pet Download this free app from the iTunes app store.

When faced with the challenge of developing a new website it is tempting to get the new website’s development and design done and think about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) later.  By taking SEO in consideration during the initial stages of the development process you can save yourself a lot of time (and money).

The planning process is one of the most important stages in website development.  Pre-determine what type of pages you want on the website and what goals you would like to achieve through each web page.  Once that is done, create a keyword strategy for the website.  After finalising the keyword strategy, allocate keywords to each page before writing the content.  That being said, don’t force keywords into the copy.  Write for your human visitors first and once you are done, go back to see where relevant keywords can be inserted without breaking the flow of the copy.  Remember to include clear calls-to-action in your copy to ensure your visitors know what you want them to do next.

Your website’s structure plays an important role in usability.  By including a site map you will not only help human users to easily find what they are looking for but it will also indicate to search engines how they should index your website.  As a marketing tool a website should show return on investment hence the goal is to ensure that the website has a high conversion rate.  By measuring how visitors interact and engage with the website one can achieve the best possible conversion rate through continuous testing and tweaking.

Increasingly people are searching for information on the go and not surprisingly the number of users accessing the Internet via their mobile handsets has increased. For many consumers, their mobile phone is their primary Internet access point. Taking all of the above into consideration, it makes it vitally important to have a website that can be viewed easily on a mobile phone.

One of the biggest limitations of using the Internet on a mobile phone is the size of the screen. This has implications for websites with small font and lots of images as they don’t display well when viewed via the mobile web.  There are other things to keep in mind when creating a mobile website, for example:

• Don’t use Flash
• Mobile users are looking for text content, if you have to include images make sure their file size is as small as
• Keep it simple, especially when it comes to navigation

Lastly, make your contact details even more visible on your mobile website.  Chances are if someone visits your website via their mobile they are trying to find out where you are located or how to contact you.  Make sure to have your physical address and phone number easily accessible.

Mobile internet users are looking for information on the go, make sure your website provides them with exactly that.  If your website or blog is built in WordPress, try the WordPress Mobi Plugin to optimise it for the mobile web.

Further reading and tutorials:  Optimize Your Website For The iPhone & Other Mobile Devices