Posted by DavidM in Online Business | 4 May 2011
According to eConsultancy, the impact of Google's new Panda update has been limited and mainly affected low-quality websites with thin content. Citing research by search marketing agency StickyEyes, the Panda update has had a smaller impact than the previous Caffeine and Vince updates to Google's search algorithm.
Tracking changes across five key verticals, StickyEyes found the average changes to be relatively small, though possibly hiding some big impacts on individual websites.
One of those is Review Centre who saw a significant drop when Panda launched on Google.com in February and again when it rolled out in the UK on 11th April. They all but disappeared from Google's search results despite clearly not being a 'low-quality' or 'thin content' website.
We track the performance of SatchelsAndBags.com across a number of search terms on Google and other search engines and saw a mixed impact of the Panda update. Interestingly it wasn't consistent across the whole site, but affected rankings only for certain keywords.
The worst hit keywords were Caribee (falling from the first page to outside the top 30 pages) and Samsonite laptop (down from page 3 to again outside the top 30 pages). This was particularly frustrating as we stock one of the widest ranges of Caribee laptop bags in the country.
On the positive side, our ranking for Laptop bag and Messenger laptop improved more than the trend suggested but not massively.
The other keywords tracked roughly the same as normal.
While there will always be winners and losers with changes Google makes I'm still not convinced Google's algorithm works ideally for product searches. Take laptop bags as a search term. generally if custoemrs are using that term, they don't have a specific bag or brand in mind and want to see choice. yet Google's algorithm ranks the laptop bag page for Timberland (only one bag) higher than sites such as ours that stock multiple brands.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in SatchelsAndBags.com | 3 May 2011
The economy is still struggling it's way out of recession and we're all trying to cope with rising fuel prices, food costs and just about everything else. But not at SatchelsAndBags.com. Instead of their normal weekly offer they've cut the prices of many laptop bags - by up to 26%!
All orders still come with free postage and packing.
The largest reduction is on the Tech Air Z0509 laptop messenger bag. This stylish 15.6" laptop bag was £33.99 and is now only £24.99 - saving £9. It is black with an orange lining, foam padded laptop compartment, rear slip pocket for documents and accessories pockets for phone, MP3 player and CDs. It also has Tech Air's M-Port feature so you can listen to your music on the move.
The Tech Air Z0114 soft laptop case for 15.6" laptops is also heavily reduced. The price is down from £23.99 to £19.99. This laptop case comes in chocolate brown with cream piping, has one compartment, two pockets and Tech Air's foam padding keeps your laptop safe.
The Belkin Classic Notebook Trolley has been reduced from £69.99 to £61.99. This wheeled laptop case holds up to 15.6" laptops and the smooth flowing wheels and telescopic handle make it easy and comfortable to transport.
The Tech Air 3712 laptop backpack for 16" to 17.3" laptops is ideal for business or casual use and has Tech Air's patented compressed air laptop protection. It has one compartment and two pockets to store your documents and accessories. The ripstop material is showerproof and the backpack comes with a lifetime warranty. The price of this high-quality laptop bag is down from £43.99 to £37.49.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in | 21 April 2011
Recent research shows the average commuter carries £3,800 of gadgets and it's likely to be much more when travelling abroad for business or pleasure. So the security of your belongings and yourself is becoming increasingly important, but until now hasn't been available at a reasonable price.
Doberman Security, based in Los Angeles, are security specialists who have developed a range of personal security alarms at sensible prices. Three of these offer the perfect protection for the business or holiday traveller.
The Doberman Briefcase and Laptop Bag Alarm attaches easily to your bag and once it's set will alert you if anyone moves it. The alarm sounds at 100db which is more than enough to hear in all but the loudest nightclubs.
This protects you not only if you have to leave your bag for a moment (to get another latte?) but also prevents distraction thefts in restaurants and bars when your bag is beside you. It's also ideal for sales people or engineers who leave their laptop bags unattended when on customer or site visits.
Many people stop and use their laptop while out and about - whether at Starbucks or a decent coffee house! Once your laptop is outside the bag, the Doberman Laptop Defender Alarm offers protection. It adheres to your laptop and when set it detects if your laptop is moved and the 100db alarm will sound. It cleverly charges via USB from your computer so never needs batteries.
Finally, security when staying away from home is important, with many laptops and bags stolen from hotel rooms. The Doberman Traveller Defence Alarm is easily fitted to almost any door and allows you to sleep soundly knowing that if someone tries to enter the room the 95db alarm will wake you - when I tried this during the day the alarm still made me jump!
Just hang the Defence Alarm on the door handle, slip the contacts between the door and sill, and anyone trying to open the door will release the sensors and set off the alarm.
With these alarms costing from £10 it's no longer too expensive to protect yourself and your belongings when out and about.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in Laptop bags, SatchelsAndBags.com | 18 April 2011
We're three races into the 2011-12 Formula 1 season and Ferrari are in third place in the constructors championship. As well as performing on the track, Ferrari are masters at creating beautiful, high-quality laptop bags!
SatchelsAndBags.com has reduced the price of their Ferrari laptop bags by a massive 25% to celebrate the new season.
This week, you can buy an official Ferrari laptop messenger bag for only £26.24. That's a saving of £8.75 on the normal price and a nearly half the standard retail price of £49.99.
The bag looks great in Red Scuderia with a Ferrari racing shield on the outside plus Italian flag in print and Ferrari in rubber on the inside.
It can carry laptops up to 15", has a removable padded sleeve plus document pockets, side pockets and an adjustable shoulder strap.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in SatchelsAndBags.com | 11 April 2011
In a rush of generosity, SatchelsAndBags.com is offering 20% off the price of selected Caribee laptop bags this week.
Caribee are a well-established Australian outdoor brand, designing stylish, hard-wearing and practical backpacks and accessories for everything from walking to school to spending a year going round the world. They've applied their expertise to produce a range of laptop bags that offer the same blend of looks and usefulness.
Included in this week's offer is the Caribee Interface laptop backpack for laptops up to 17". We've cut the price from £48.99 to £39.19. This is an excellent large capacity laptop bag. In fact, it's the one I've been using for the last 6 months and it's undoubtedly the best laptop bag I've had for commuting and personal use.
The back compartment includes a padded laptop sleeve and room to store your power cables and leads. The middle compartment is ideal for documents and folders and the smaller front pocket is just right for all your other bits and pieces - phone, MP3 player, pens and so on, with multiple small pockets and pouches.
But what really makes this bag is the shoulder straps and contoured, padded back. The first time I used the Caribee Interface was on a work trip to London and I decided to walk from the train terminus to my meeting instead of taking the tube. After carrying a traditional laptop case, I was stunned at how comfortable the Interface was. The harness is very comfortable and the padded waist belt eases the load on your shoulders if the bag is fully laden.
Take a look at all this week's laptop bag offers plus our full collection of Caribee laptop bags.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in Online Business | 10 April 2011
On Friday I had a boy's night in with my son - several hours on FIFA 09 on Xbox (where I'm proud to say we remained unbeaten even against Barcelona), a movie and takeaway. It was his choice of food and he went for pizza.
So I pulled our large collection of takeaway menus out of the drawer, sifted through for the pizza parlours and started looking through. My big problem with this is that I never know how long we've had each menu and how out of date the prices are or even if the place is still open. It all gets very confusing.
Then I remembered Just-Eat.co.uk - a website that gives access to a number of takeaways across the country. These kinds of sites usually have loads of places listed within the M25, some in other major cities and none of any use to me in neither of those.
I was pleasantly surprised that when I entered my postcode there was a good selection of takeaways covering all the major food groups, including two pizza restaurants. Comparing the two was easy as all the menus are in a similar format and included their special offers.
The ordering process was fairly straightforward with the option to pay by credit or debit card (50p extra charge) or cash on delivery. I got on screen and email confirmation of the order with a 45 minute delivery time - 35 minutes later and there was a knock at the door and the aroma of fresh, doughy pizza.
The next day I received an email request to rate the pizza and takeaway service as well as the Just Eat site.
I found the overall experience very straightforward and an awful lot easier than rummaging through our stack of menus. The service will be better as more of my favourite takeaways join the service but even now it will be my first stop for future takeaway deliveries.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in SatchelsAndBags.com | 4 April 2011
SatchelsAndBags.com have cut the price of a number of Tech Air laptop bags by £10, saving up to 25%!
Tech Air are specialist manufacturers of laptop bags that offer great protection and comfort. Their patented compressed air laptop protection cushions your laptop to minimise damage in the event of a drop and knock. The Gadget Show rated two of Tech Air's bags in the top 5 best gadget bags and one was crowned the overall winner.
Bags on offer include the Tech Air 3108V3 laptop case for laptops up to 17.3". It's a classic top-loading business case with zipped laptop compartment and one pocket. It uses Techair patented technology to protect your laptop from knocks and drops. The pressured air in the padding provides resistance on impact and distributes the shock away from the point of impact. It's reduced from £42.99 to £32.99 for this week.
They have also discounted the Tech Air S0701 laptop backpack for laptops up to 15.4". This sports backpack has lots of room not just for your laptop and documents but also your sports kit. It has three compartments and two main pockets plus phone and iPod pockets with M-Port allowing you to listen to your music on the move without taking your iPod out of your bag. The S0701 is available for £29.99, down from £39.99.
Check out all their laptop backpacks and laptop cases for more great deals.
Permalink
Posted by DavidM in SatchelsAndBags.com | 14 March 2011
This week SatchelsAndBags.com have taken and extra 10% off 10 of their Tech Air laptop backpacks.
The lowest priced bag is £23.39 for the Tech Air Z0701 laptop backpack for laptops up to 15.6". It comes in black with red lining, has foam padding, one compartment and two large zipped pockets.
It also has a pocket for your MP3 player and Tech Air's Mport to make it easy to listen to your music while on the move.
The prices range up to £59.39 (reduced from £65.99) for the Tech Air 3710 wheeled laptop backpack.
It has Tech Air's patented unique compressed air padding for extra protection for your laptop. It fits laptops up to 15.6" and the laptop sleeve is removable to convert it to a weekend trolley bag.
Visit the website for the full range of laptop backpack.
Permalink
