Are ya keeping up with the latest on the future of Internet Explorer 7.0?  Well, you may not have to, if you’ve got a great firm like Zunch to manage or build your website.  But, if you’ve got some code loving monkeys on your team (like us crazy kids here in the Zunch Dev Pit), then the odds are someone should be paying attention to the latest release of worlds most used browser. 

We’re eagerly awaiting to see the direction Microsoft takes the browser, and have been following along with news surrounding the new platform over at IEBlog, which is regularly updated by members of the Internet Explorer dream team.  There you can find useful geeky topics such as CSS Support, the Developer Toolbar, Tabbed Browsing, and plenty more late breaking information.

We can't wait - some of the Zunchers here have already installed the new IE and are actively using it to start learning it's capabilties.  If you care to take a walk on the wild side, you can download the latest beta here.  Faint of heart beware!  This is a beta (read: not finished yet!), and is likely to have some bugs, so don't install this if you aren't willing to encounter some technical issues, as some users have been.

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I read a while back that some 60-65 percent of logos are blue or contain some form of it. That certainly rings true in my experience; maybe more. There are myths that blue is the color of success. And, with 60 percent of organizations using blue, there are going to be some successful ones to note.

Blue is one of my favorite colors. But in the design realm, I’m completely bored with it. Sure, it has it’s emotive value: cool, calming, comfortable, stable, and even “low-arousal”, as this Boston Globe writer notes. That’s why blue is a safety net.

Identity is the core element in all your marketing efforts. If you want to stand out from the crowd, and if it makes sense for your company and industry, try something new. Use colors that communicate your unique values and vision. Don’t be afraid to try shades of red, orange, green, or purple to create a bit more personality, energy and warmth and to set you apart from your competitors.

Let Zunch help with your next logo design!

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Zunch to provide Chinese search and online marketing solutions to Italian market

DALLAS, Texas (April 26, 2006) – Zunch Communications, Inc. (www.zunch.com), a world-leading search engine optimization, Website design and Microsoft Certified application development company today announced a strategic partnership with SEMS (www.sems.it), a leading search engine marketing firm in Italy.  SEMS will now provide a new class of search and Interactive marketing services, offered by the Chinese division of Zunch (www.zunch.cn), to Italian businesses interested in targeting the Chinese market.

“The Zunch team of leading industry experts has designed the most comprehensive search engine marketing solutions to help Italian businesses tap into the booming but yet untapped Chinese market,” Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez said.  “We are confident this strategic relationship between Zunch and SEMS will greatly benefit clients that are interested in pursuing business in China.  A large part of our international growth strategy is based on establishing such relationships and we’re excited to see how Italian businesses prosper in this market.”

Marco Loguercio, founder and CEO of SEMS, agreed.  “Everyday, more and more Italian firms start seeing China as a source of business opportunities.  The Internet is a strategic medium in order to support them to penetrate this difficult market,” Loguercio said.  “Search engine marketing is the killer application of this media and one of the most cost-effective ways to generate new business either online or offline.  Choosing the right search engine marketing agency to support them is vital and that’s why we decided to partner with Zunch, a market leader, to offer high quality Chinese search engine marketing services.”

Continue reading about this exciting announcement.

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Dallas Web development firm launches international websites for leading sign franchise

DALLAS, Texas (April 25, 2006) – Zunch Communications, Inc., a leading search engine optimization, Website design and Microsoft Certified application development company, announced today it has launched two international websites for FASTSIGNS® (www.fastsigns.co.uk and www.signwave.com.au), the sign industry’s leading franchise.

The websites were built using the .NET version of the Zunch Content Management System, zMS and are fully search engine optimized and architecturally organized for speed and easy use.  Some of the websites’ unique features include Request a Quote and Upload a File, which makes communication between the customer and FASTSIGNS® personnel faster.

“The look of the new websites complement the flagship corporate website www.FASTSIGNS.com, where we showcased the company’s fast service and full color printing,” Zunch Technical Account Manager Erin Sass said.  “All three websites now have consistent designs and navigation as well as worldwide locator services to help customers find the nearest store.”

Tracy Clodfelter, ecommerce manager for FASTSIGNS®, said due to branding purposes it was important to establish consistency with the international websites.

“Zunch did an amazing job working with us to create a fresh look and customized content management system for FASTSIGNS.com,” Clodfelter said.  “This company has worked with us to keep visitors on our website and we are certain that our relationship will do the same for the international websites.”

Continue reading.

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With the Internet being the primary source for business information-- Zunch has created its very own business directory that will help you find whatever it is you are looking for online.  Unlike many of the other directories on the web-- the Zunch Directory is a human-edited directory. 

This information resource will contain businesses from more than 15 categories.  These categories include retail & shopping, government & law, real estate & development and computers & software-- just to name a few. 

If you are interested in adding your business to the Zunch Directory click here.

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Our team recently designed and developed this great-looking website for Q&A Recruiting.  It was built using our proprietary content management system, zMS.  The Zunch team did an awesome job updating the usability and architectural layout of this site. 

If your business is looking for a professional and experienced web development firm that delivers website success-- your business is looking for Zunch.  We have top-notch designers and industry-leading developers that know how to create solutions that are right for your business.

Integrating your website into your business-- that's what we do.

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While great design is important in a website’s appeal, it is only a part of the big picture. Here are some design and marketing ideas we have used for clients that have lead their users in the right direction:

--Highlight and link to those special action areas on the main page. Example: Monitronics

--Implement functionality that supports your objectives and establishes expert status in given industries, etc. Example: Popcornopolis: They wanted to be seen as a gift resource, so we added multiple recipient shipping to their shopping cart, and pulled the ‘gift baskets’ section to the top navigation.

--Offer free services or special giveaways in exchange for a qualified ‘lead’.  Example: ConferenceCall.com

--Start a corporate blog to build links and online WOM (word of mouth) about your brand, products and services. This blog is a great example!

--Give them plenty of opportunities to contact you. Example: Big D Apartments

--Use Interactive PR and Pay-Per-Click to strengthen your SEO strategy.

--Brainstorm new features every 2-6 months to stay ahead of the industry game. 

At Zunch, interactive strategy is what we do everyday. Let us help your business become a major player!

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Don't be surprised! Google's Chinese name-- their official Chinese brand does not really tell their business! As a Chinese national, I must shake my head about it. Come on, Google! You've upset your fans in China.

"谷歌" - Google's Chinese name that has just been announced aroused much more criticism than praise from blogs and forums throughout China's Internet. The deadly explanation of 谷歌 simply indicate that Google is not a creation of information technology, rather, a pre-industrial antique. 谷歌 -- can be interpreted as "Song of Harvest," which is actually what Google's Chinese marketing staff claimed. They wanted to express that a searcher will get very rich search results by using Google.  When hearing Google, very few people can immediately write in Chinese as 谷歌.

Google, as suggested by many fans in China, should ask for the public to nominate Chinese translations for a good name, and use this process as a marketing solution to make Google better known. However, obviously, Google China did not make this happen. That is really a pity!

Yahoo and Baidu should be the happiest men to see 谷歌.

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We are pleased to have launched the new website for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. This new online community brings news, events and forums to the forefront for its members.

Zunch did a complete website redesign and updated their site structure and look to reflect a global leader in safety and technology related to the transportation industry.  It was a absolute pleasure working with our client--Sabrina Quirarte and her team.

Kudos to Chris Gomez, who developed most of the website. We've received some good praises on the design as well. This something we’re all proud to call our own. Thanks everyone! We’re accomplishing great things!

Check out the news release

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We would like to thank the large number of you who participated in the eCom Xpo virtual tradeshow last week.  It was a pleasure for the Zunch team to provide you with insight into our vast selection of products and services that can help you realize your business’ online potential.  It seems a lot of you were interested in our award-winning search engine optimization techniques as well as our Click Fraud Detective, just to name to a few.

Again, we thank you for joining us and look forward to speaking with you during your scheduled appointments.  If you didn’t schedule an appointment, contact us and we are happy to set one up.

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By Laura Deerfield

The collection and storage of personal information, both with regard to statistical demographic data and with regard to search history, has been of concern to privacy advocates for some time – but was brought into sharp focus when the government asked for URLs and search data this January. Here is an article on the initial subpoena

This request was part of an attempt to begin enforcement of the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, but sets a precedent which could be applied to the enforcement of other laws. In this case, the government did not request personal data, nothing that could link a particular search to a particular individual - but there is nothing really preventing them from doing so, or from search data being requested in a criminal court case. And as tools like Google Desktop, toolbars, and MSN’s Open Platform become more widely used, the degree to which search engines are integrated into people’s personal lives will increase.

Before you dismiss this as irrelevant to you - don’t be so sure pornography laws don’t apply to you – the recent case with photographer Barbara Nitke established that the most conservative communities in the US can determine the standards by which your Website is judged. Are you sure that your online maternity clothing store won’t be considered obscene by a community in Utah, even though you are in New York? But search information could easily be collected in other types of cases by the government – such as national security. Such a possible use was specifically mentioned by the government. Do you sell anything which might be used by terrorists? That’s pretty broad – anything from books to box cutters could qualify.

But in regard to SEO specifically:
The demographic information that helps you find your customers and clients, can also be used against them. As people become increasingly aware of this, they will become more cautious about actively protecting their privacy. They may become more hesitant to reveal personal information or sign up for memberships, wary of efforts to collect information about them, however harmless the intentions. They will clean off cookies and clear caches more often – making data collection and statistical analysis more difficult, The most sophisticated and wealthiest visitors to your site will be the most difficult to track.

In short, being aware of how the law effects search engines can help you understand and keep in touch with the concerns of your customers and clients. You will need to establish yourself as trustworthy, and secure – while at the same time being open enough that search engines can find you. It’s a balancing act.

A lot of people see the ruling regarding the subpoena as a victory for privacy. Google was only required to comply with it partially. However, the judge pointed out, information collected by search engines with regard to web surfing and search behavior is not protected, private information. What he did determine, is that Google’s users had enough of an expectation of privacy that to demand search data would risk their reputation in the eyes of users, so that it placed an undue burden on the company to provide info that was available to the government through other means. This was not a right that was upheld, but a commercial interest. Which is still a good thing, but not quite the same.

A .pdf of the actual ruling his here.

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Check out an excerpt from the latest Zunch news release.

“Zunch has the talent and drive to help position our company in the forefront of the Internet as we continue to provide quality portable shelters to our customers,” Milbury said. “We are excited to work with the Zunch team.”

Read the entire news release

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Using imagery online can make your site aesthetically pleasing and make a lasting impression. It gives insight into your company’s vision and personality.

When choosing photography for your business’s site, there are several things to look for that help you find a winner:

1. Mood

Lighting, overall tone, and facial expressions, among other things evoke different emotions and have connotations with them. Be sure these create a positive mood on your site.

2. Brand Cohesion

Photography tells a story. Choose images that support the brand, contextually &  visually. Match colors where possible, and place the user in a setting that feels right for the rest of the story to play out.

3. Target Audience

Make sure the message you’re sending is reaching the intended ears and eyes. A librarian may look at things differently than an engineer. Be sure you don’t pick personal favorites, but ones that will support the desired actions.

4. Budget

A stock photo can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000s. While you have to use your budget wisely, it’s most important to HAVE A IMAGERY BUDGET. Whether you have many images or one global photo, make sure your site has visual impact.

The designers at Zunch have an eye for imagery that makes an impact.  We know how to make it work with usability, branding, layout, hierarchy  and other design elements. See our portfolio for samples of Website design that gets results!

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The Zunch Design & Development teams did a great job redesigning and building this professional Wesite for Execuitve Car Service, Inc.

Some of its unique features include:

- Customized rate quote engine

- Zunch Content Management System, zMS (allows designated personnel to easily adjust content,   navigation and structure of the site).

- AJAX technology for online reservations

Check out the news release!

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