Digital Marketing by Patrick LaJuett

My portfolio website - built using the new Google Sites Patrick LaJuett is a digital media architect with more than two decades of experience in visual communications, information technology and brand marketing.

Restaurant Menus Appearing in Google Search Google search now shows menus for restaurants directly in search results pages. Some listings also include tabs for different parts of the menu and pricing.  Menus current appear in the US only. Google Announcement on G+: https://plus.google.com/+google/posts/6oM6nXzfhJS The menus do not appear for all restaurants. Initial tests show that the menu information does appear on the related restaurant's website (in either HTML or PDF format). Side by side view of Google menu results, and PDF version on restaurant website Patrick LaJuett manages a website design agency : + LaJuett.com , where he supports clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy adviser.

Google Maps Engine Lite/Pro Demo Google Maps Engine allows you to layer your data on top of Google’s base map and create your own maps. Google Maps Engine Lite and Pro help you create interactive custom maps to share and publish to the web. You can map data such as store locations, to showcase and advertise your business. Import location data from a spreadsheet, add layers to visualize different types of content, or add places, lines, and shapes. Key Features Draw - Add lines, shapes, or place marks on the map. Import - Add a CSV file, XLSX file or spreadsheet from Google Drive with geographically-specific data including addresses, place names, or lat/longs. Layer - Hide or show different content to better understand your map. Style - Make your point visually with different colors, place-mark icons, and line widths. Going Pro For commercial purposes, I upgraded to Maps Engine Pro.  This allows me to embed the interactive maps on my client websites. Demonstration T

Google Snippets in Search Results Snippet Discovery I recently discovered a unique occurrence of Google snippets that appeared in a Google search engine results page (SERP).  It happens to be one of my portfolio pages, so naturally, it peaked my interest. A Google snippet is a description of or an excerpt from the webpage.  A snippet refers to the description portion of a Google search listing. Take a look at the SERP snippet below: Note, the snippet is made up of an element count (40+ items), the meta description, and four excerpts from the page. Page Rendering in Browser Here's what the portfolio page looks like when rendered in the browser: Underlying Page Code In this case, it appears as though the Google bot has gone into the page code, and parsed out the top four image descriptions.  What's interesting is that the page contains an html table with alternating rows.  Images, followed by the company name and location. Consistency and Stabilit

Quick Review of Google's New Web Designer Google Web Designer user interface Yesterday, Google announced the launch of Web Designer, a new tool for building interactive HTML5 sites and ads.  The beta version is available for download here . I have kicked the tires a bit.  Overall, I am excited with Google's foray into the world of HTML5 editors. Here are my initial thoughts: The Good: Cost:  It's free to download, at least the Beta version is. Animation Timeline : Keyframes are used to "tween" animation points on the timeline. (Size, rotation, XYZ coordinates, etc.). It reminds me of an old Flash animation app called  Swish .  Hooks:  Using the Components menu, you can link to external iframes, galleries, maps, tap areas, and videos. Preview : Ability to preview the ads directly within the UI.  You can also preview in local browsers. Publishing : Quick process with "zip" option (contains all related files for easy upload). The Bad:

A look at the new "Search Appearance Overview" pop-up window that appears in the updated Webmaster Tools UI. I didn't catch this until recently, but Google has added a nifty little tool to help explain search results elements, and how we can influence the data they contain. Next time you login to Webmaster Tools , look for the Search Appearance interactive pop-up tool. It's accessed via the information (i) icon located in the left-hand menu: Webmaster Tools Search Appearance Overview When you hover over and click specific elements, a bubble will reveal helper text along with clickable links over to Google's Webmaster Tools help screens. Source: Google Webmaster Tools Title Element Write informative, relevant descriptions in the HTML title tag for each webpage. In Webmaster Tools use the HTML Improvements feature to help optimize the title tags on your site. Snippet  Element Provide an accurate, succinct summary of the page’s content in its m

We are officially approved as a Google Apps Marketplace vendor for Google Sites design. The Google Apps Marketplace is a one-stop shop for tools you need to run your business. You can find our Google Sites web design listing and vendor profile in the Custom Application Development section of the Apps Marketplace. - Check out examples of our custom designed Google Sites - Patrick LaJuett operates a website design and marketing agency where he supports his clients as a Web technology consultant and search marketing strategy advisor.

OK, I couldn't resist.  I jumped on the early bandwagon and put together my first G+ Community page . Check it out here:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/102545819347311378712 So far I like it.  Although I do see a need for some usability enhancements.  Would love to be able to "pin" a post to the top of a category.  The ability to toggle post content visibility (under the titles) would be nice too.  Lots of vertical scrolling as the community post timeline grows. I have yet to use the hangout feature, but will do so as the need arises.  I do believe this is a great feature, and will become more widely used as people begin to understand how it works. People have asked me what Google+ is.  My simplified explanation is that it's like a hybrid social network.  A cross between Facebook, Twitter and email. Here's the real question...will Facebook and Twitter loyalists give it a try?  With the number of Android based phones out there, my guess is yes.

An updated warning and explanation from the Google Content Guidelines. My take away...play by the rules or be penalized. In summary: "The best way to get other sites to create relevant links to yours is to create unique, relevant content that can quickly gain popularity in the Internet community. The more useful content you have, the greater the chances someone else will find that content valuable to their readers and link to it." Read full article: Updated 10/02/2012   http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66356

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Knowledge Graph: things, not strings

From Danny Sullivan over at http://searchengineland.com "The Penguin Update launched on April 24. It was a change to Google’s search results that was designed to punish pages that have been spamming Google. If you’re not familiar with spam, it’s when people do things like “keyword stuffing” or “cloaking” that violate Google’s guidelines." Bottom line, follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines .  In other words, don't bite the hand that feeds you.