Web Development & Hosting Archives

Page Speed, SEO, and what do about it

Back in 2010 when Google made its first announcement about the importance of page load speeds and how it impacts user experience, the SEO industry had yet another method of improving page rankings. The advantage of page speed as a ranking signal, is that it is quantifiable and comparable. You can see fast your pages load, how you can improve, and how your site compares to the competition. According to Rack Alley, here are the primary methods of improve page load speed:

External embedded content

Videos, media players, ads, can drastically slow down your page load speeds. If you must include video content, host it on your own server.

Browser optimization

The five primary browsers all deal with content differently, and what loads fast on one, might be slow on all the others. Test all your content on different browsers to make sure the experience is consistent.

Hosting provider

Anyone serious about a website should find a proper host and avoid these cheap hosting providers. Ideally you want a hosted solution at an LA data center to give you the kind of speed, and reliability you need.

Site design

Most websites are basically a CMS with a custom or modified theme. Often, the themes are not optimized for speed, have large images, and a lot of unnecessary scripting. Do a complete audit of your theme to clear out any cruft.

Remember that the page load speed measurement is how long it takes to load your entire website, not just your page. The final time is when your page renders completely in the browser. Always take that into account when planning improvements.

Colocation for web hosting

One of the biggest problems online is the advent of cheap hosting platforms that promise unlimited bandwidth for a few dollars a month. Any serious business should take these promises with a grain of salt. Not only do the terms and conditions heavily limit actual use, but they also leave room for arbitrarily suspending your account. If you are serious about web hosting, you should colocate your servers with a provider like Rack Alley. Here is why:

Physical access

With a colocation facility, you have to travel to the location to get physical access to the server. However, when it comes to web hosting, physical access is not necessary. Almost everything you need to do is possible remotely. If you use a Los Angeles colocation facility, then you cut down on travel.

Bandwidth

The biggest advantage with colocation is the amount and cost of bandwidth to your server. With a data center, you have access to massive amounts of bandwidth. You can serve as many uses as your physical hardware can handle. Also, you will be paying much lower rates than you would in a self-hosting environment.

Ownership

You own everything: the server and the software. You don’t need to pay additional licensing fees, or maintenance. Also, if the need arises, you can upgrade your hardware at any point. Need more memory? Just buy the new modules and have them installed.

Uptime

Last, but not least, colocation provides uptime guarantees for infrastructure that you will not get under any other circumstances without massive capital investment.

Tips on Outsourcing Web Development and Web Marketing

Web development and marketing are things that all businesses need–but not all business owners can accomplish on their own. Designing an appealing, effective, intuitive site is complex and learning the ins-and-outs of digital marketing can take time–exactly what a small business owner can’t afford. Thankfully, there are plenty of Los Angeles internet marketing companies out there ready to help you with your web development and marketing–but there are some things you should consider when trying to pick the right one.

Look for Successful Companies

The Los Angeles internet marketing company you hire should have proven, successful results from other clients. They should be able to provide you with links to past clients, testimonials, and information about the increased business they’ve helped bring to those clients. If a marketing and web development company can’t provide those things, it’s possible that they aren’t at the top of their game.

Make Sure They Know the Rules

Los Angeles marketing and web development companies must have a firm, up-to-date understanding of best SEO practices and regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM law, in order to do their jobs both effectively and compliantly. Before choosing a company to work with, make sure to interview those you’ve found to ensure that they understand and apply the latest in SEO rules imposed by the big search engines and that they strictly adhere to all relevant laws regarding marketing.

Once you’ve found the right, compliant company, your business will be on its way to the top of the industry.

Los Angeles search engine marketing firm Sticky Web Media offers expert Web marketing strategies covering SEO, PPC and more. For information, click here.

What to Look for in a Data Center

Written By Rack Alley

Just about every company these days needs a data center. Unless you’re a truly one or two person business, you definitely want a data center to help you reach the highest possible heights in your industry. This is especially true in LA, where competition can be fierce and there are so many resources around that if you aren’t taking advantage of them, you can bet your competitors are, meaning you may soon be in trouble.

While there are many ways to get a leg up in LA, you should definitely put your money into a data center. The right LA data center will help you do much more with less. That’s because you’ll have experts in the field basically housing and looking over the majority of your digital cache.

The problem is that you need to make the most of your digital presence, but doing so takes a lot of hardware. Most companies just don’t have the resources to house it. Those that do would then need to spend even more money on IT experts to keep watch over it.

If you have an LA colocation company helping out though—not even a data center, necessarily—you can get a physical space for your hardware, get all of its benefits and spend only a fraction of the amount.

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If you need a Los Angeles data center, don’t waste your time considering all your options in Southern California. Instead, let the experts at Rack Alley show you what is possible now and in the future for your company.