Yesterday the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved a plan that will bring huge changes to the Internet Domain Name System(DNS). After a monumental meeting held in Singapore, ICANN’s Board of Directors voted (13 approved, 1 opposed, and 2 abstaining) to move forward with an initiative that will significantly increase the amount of Internet domain name endings.

Internet domain name endings are also known as generic top-level domains or gTLDs.  Currently, there are 22 officially recognized gTLDs; however, the majority of the public has become familiar with gTLDs such as .com, .net and .org.

Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN’s Chairman of its Board of Directors, was quoted on the organization’s website in saying that, “Today’s decision will usher in a new Internet age … We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration.”

ICANN and industry experts have asserted that the new gTLDs are expected to revolutionize the way people find information on the web and how businesses plan and structure their web presence.

The new initiative will allow Internet address names to end with almost any word in any language. This will provide a global opportunity for organizations and businesses alike to market their brand, products, or cause in new ways. What kind of new ways? Well, for one thing, corporations will now be able to create their own domain names. For example, if the PepsiCo corporation wanted, they could create and offer domains that end in .pepsi.

If your wondering what the cost to purchase your own gTLD is; be prepared to break the bank.  Word on the street is that prices to register the new domain names are expected to be anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000.  ICANN has noted that the high fees are in correlation with the approximate $20 million it expects to spend on implementing the new policy.

ICANN is expected to provide further details about the initiative through a global campaign that will discuss the dramatic change in Internet names and raise awareness of the opportunities afforded by new gTLDs. If your interested in learning more about the ICANN top-level gTLD campaign, stay tuned – applications for new gTLDs are expected to be underway as early as mid-January 2012.

What is Panda?

For those of you who don’t know, Panda is Google’s new search algorithm that was launched back in March. The purpose of the update was to favor higher quality sites and get rid of the websites with low quality links. This approach is opposite compared to the other search engine’s such as Yahoo.

Has It Affected Me?

If you have a huge dip in your Google analytics charts then you have most likely been affected by Panda. Check your charts regularly and make sure that your stats stay consistent. It’s never going to be exactly the same. For instance, there are definitely more popular days of the week when people are going to shop for clothes versus looking for a web design company.

How Do I Stay Clear of Panda?

The most important way to keep your site in the clear and safe from Google’s new update is to stay as legitimate as possible with your SEO tactics. Don’t try to get a million links to your small little site and build link farms. When I first started SEO, right off the bat I stayed cleared of link farms because they seemed sketchy to begin with. Who wants to go to a page full of links of random websites? Back in the day before SEO was even around, marketers posted links on websites because they wanted to bring traffic to their sites, not because they wanted to rise in the rankings. If you keep that same mentality in mind while performing SEO and social marketing you will be fine.

I Was Hit by Panda, Now What?

It’s unrealistic to say that you can 100% figure out Google’s algorithm.  I bet Google engineers love reading all the blogs and reading what people write. But there are some things that we are pretty sure of that could help you stay clear of the next Panda update, if not improve your ranking.

1. Re-evaluate your website. Make sure that all of your content is unique, original and useful for your visitors. Take the time to look out on the web to make sure that no one is copying your content as well. If they are, change it. You cannot help what they are doing, but you can help what is on your website. Promote your website so people will link to your content (legitimately). If your content is good, believe me people will share it!

2. Check your Google analytics for high bounce rates. You want to keep your audience engaged on your website. If your bounce rate is above 50 than you are doing something wrong. Between 30-40 is a decent bounce rate, under 30 is amazing.

3. Check the percentage of your site that is taken up by low quality pages. You don’t want a number of your pages to be low quality. Google would rather have a 10 page  website with all high quality pages, rather than a 100 page site that has only 10 quality pages.

So, there you have it.  Hopefully, Panda hasn’t hit your site too hard, if at all.  Continue to be on the lookout for the affects of Panda and how you can maintain strong search engine results by checking back with us regularly.

Hudson Valley, NY – June 10, 2011 – Umberto Bruno Calabro, a promising upcoming artist working in the Tri-State area is excited to announce the launch of his brand new website showcasing his superb artwork to the public. With the assistance of Black Rhino Solutions, Inc., the talented artist has created an online art gallery displaying his magnificent one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork. The innovative website provides a unique overview of Umberto’s illustrations to visitors, and demonstrates his vast knowledge of artistic expression via the different genres of artwork that are exhibited throughout the website (http://www.umbertobrunoart.com).

Umberto Bruno Calabro, is a prolific artist currently residing in the Hudson Valley, NY, with his wife, Susan. Since childhood, Umberto drew inspiration from his cultural roots as a child of Italian immigrants, and from the White Plains environment which he grew up in. He earned an undergraduate degree at Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA from Hunter College, and has since attempted to stay free of any constraints and to remain true to his original understanding of artistry while staying both intellectually significant and playfully creative.

Upon visiting the website you will be awakened by abundant colors and daring, yet elegant curves, as well as vibrant images. The site is designed to perfectly capture the free spirit of the artist, and does a great job displaying not only his work, but his spirituality as well. As Umberto says, “I simultaneously destroy and create, for I feel the process is symbiotic, and something is bound to rise from disarray and chaos, much like the proverbial phoenix from the flame.”

Umberto, a cancer survivor, lives on to spread his passion for art with everyone around him and hopes that his website can be the liaison between himself and potential admirers. Visitors of the website will find that they can contact the talented Umberto for any inquiries about his artwork and the further services that he provides such as pet portraits, greeting cards, wall portraits, etc. So, if you share the love of fine arts you will not want to miss out on viewing Umberto’s various talents throughout the multiple galleries exhibited on the site.

For more information about Umberto Bruno Calabro’s artwork and services, please feel free to follow him on Twitter or Facebook, and visit his website at http://www.umbertobrunoart.com.

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