December 2005

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 27 - Buzzing and Building the Blogosphere and a Plan for Long-Term Revenue Success

With just a few days left to go in the Lactivist project and my media plan shaping up nicely, I spent day twenty-seven catching up on blog posts that I'd missed, making a few of my own and exchanging some emails with a friend that had a suggestion for long-term revenue generation with The Lactivist....

Shawn Campbell

Web Statistics for Dummies (part 2: Referrers)

A referrer is a website that directly sends you traffic. These referring sites will help you increase your position in search engines because by linking to you, they are essentially "voting" for your site....

Todd Mintz

Boosting Website Lead Conversion With Pay-Per-Click Landing Pages

PPC offers almost total control over the visitor experience. If you use landing pages appropriately, you can quickly and easily boost your conversion rates, and improve your marketing ROI....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 26 - Planning a Media Push, More Forums and I Start Recruiting Affiliates

On day twenty-six with just a few days left to go I was focused on wrapping up plans for some of the marketing methods I'd been working on throughout the project. I needed to finalize plans for our media push, start working out how to recruit some affiliates for The Lactivist store and dive back into the world of online parenting discussion forums....

Jim Hedger

Is a Shake Out Shaping the Search Marketing Sector?

I think the recent moves by Google to chase after black-hat SEOs and improve user experiences in their PPC offerings is a signal that a significant shake-up is coming in the SEO industry....

Stoney deGeyter

Online Marketing Hierarchy and Definitions

While everything an SEO does is considered a function of "online marketing", if you hire an SEO or purchase an SEO only service, don't expect to receive search engine marketing or online marketing service with that....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 25 - Stats Confusion is Worked Out, Great Blog Discussions and MSN AdCenter Gets a Look

By day twenty-five I was well on my way to sliding out of start-up mode and into maintenance and growth mode for the Lactivist project. I spent some more time digging around in ClickTracks and made a realization about why I seemed to be losing traffic at the CafePress Store. I also spent some more time finding out what bloggers were saying about the project and looked into MSN's new adCenter program....

Bill Hartzer

SEO Overkill Can Destroy Your Site

Are you using search engine optimization tactics that lead to SEO overkill? You may not think so, but according to several SEO experts at the Search Engine Strategies conference held recently in Chicago, Illinois, you might be using what is called "SEO Overkill"....

Scott Gardner

What's so Special About Search Marketing???

As high-speed Internet adoption continues to increase on American soil and as Google, Yahoo, MSN and others continue the race for international dominance, the value of search engines is destined to become greater for companies competing in the online marketplace....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 24 - Public Relations Continues to Go Well and The Lactivist Project Decides to Share the Love

On day twenty-four my public relations campaign was still going full steam ahead, even though we technically hadn't made any pitches or released the story on the wire. It was also the day that it dawned on me that this project had the potential to be greater than just a site to promote breastfeeding or even a project to help people learn about marketing....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 23 - Stats and Research, Yahoo! Ads Start Running and a Big Press Mention

Day twenty-three was full of a little bit of action on a lot of different levels. From digging through my stats to doing another round of keyword research to finally getting my Yahoo! ads online I stayed busy on the search marketing front....

Jim Hedger

Essential Venues for Small Business in 2006

There are a growing number of advertising channels available via the Internet and the major search engines are interested in acting as facilitators for as many of them as possible....

Gord Hotchkiss

What Happens on the Road, Stays in the Blog

This is a dynamic altering of how we communicate. The degrees of separation that divide our global community become short circuited online. We now exist with one foot in the real world and one foot in the virtual...

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 22 - It's All About the Networking, but Not The Way You Think...

While day twenty-two didn't involve a lot of actual work on The Lactivist site, it did keep me hopping with discussions via forums, email and blogs. I'd been trying to stay on top of things for online reputation management purposes, but on day twenty-two, I realized that things might be going a bit further than that....

Karon Thackston

Lower Cost & Increase Conversion of Your Adwords Leads

When you qualify your AdWords leads, you can reduce the click-through rate (CTR) of browsers and help direct only those most interested in your offer to your site. How is it done? By inserting text that will purposely eliminate arbitrary visitors....

Stoney deGeyter

Analyzing One-Way vs. Reciprocal Links

Link building has become a cornerstone of SEO/SEM services so many are interested in knowing what makes a good link, what they should strive for, etc. that will provide the biggest impact on their site optimization....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 21 - Getting CafePress Integrated with My Site, Reviewing Media Lists and Loads of New Shirts

The bulk of day twenty-one was spent looking at code and admin pages and trying to get my CafePress content to look just right on the Lactivist web site. Along with that, I spent some time reviewing media lists for our upcoming public relations blitz, did a little more work with ClickTracks and uploaded half a dozen new shirts....

Jim Hedger

The Search Marketing Calendar is Driven by Sales, not Spiders

Successful marketing is a process of long-term planning and execution of those plans in an ordered campaign. When designing a sales-orientated website, planning for annual special events is a good way to capture interest and increase sales....

Paul Bruemmer

The Power of Web Analytics

In today's competitive marketing environment it is vital to continually improve website and marketing campaign performance to maximize your return on investment (ROI)....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 20 - Blog Comments Roll in, New Milk Bank Shirts and Analytics Get Fun

Day twenty saw a rush of activity on the Lactivist Blog; comments from readers simply poured in. At the same time, I put up two new milk bank shirts and received not only a generous offer to solve my site analytics problem, but also personalized help getting the solution in place....

Stoney deGeyter

Creating a Marketing Focused Website that Sells - Part 4

In parts one, two and three of this series of articles I looked at a variety of issues that can impact your web site's ability to convert visitors to buyers. Today, I'll be covering the information content that you'll need to help people find their way around your web site....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 19 - Moms Add the Lactivist to Their Christmas Lists, Press Releases Take Work and I Discover a Solution to My Top Problem

After the emotional ups and downs of day eighteen, it was great to get back to doing actual work on The Lactivist project. I was still finding some great incoming links as moms started spreading the word about my shirts and I had some great news come in regarding my press releases, my analytics program and my ongoing frustration with integrating my CafePress content into the Lactivist web site....

Gord Hotchkiss

Targeting Your Search Campaign: Seeking 42 Year Old Female in Kalamazoo

In the recent full speed game of one-upmanship that the search engines are playing, it won't be long before Google and Yahoo have introduced their own targeting tools. This will be the new reality of search marketing....

Jim Hedger

A Look Back at Predictions for 2005

In early January last year, I went out on a Yule Tree limb to make a list of wild predictions for 2005. The first Friday in December, two weeks before the beginning of the Yuletide holiday season, is a good time to look back at those predictions to see how accurate they were....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 days - Day 18 - Another Round of Shirt Ideas, Building Credibility in the Community and a Reader Lends a Hand

While I didn't have a lot of free time to spend on The Lactivist project on day eighteen, I was still running on some adrenaline from my visit to the milk bank the day before. That seemed to be just what I needed to spark some creativity for new shirt ideas. It also gave me cause to spend some time networking on one of the popular parenting sites. The biggest boon on day eighteen though came from a note from a Search Engine Guide reader....

Richard Ball

Google AdWords Marketing: Exact Match Bidding

The use of both broad and exact matches in Google AdWords campaigns can be a great boon to your marketing campaigns, find out why....

Garrett French

Adding a Blog to Your Article Marketing Strategy

Many writers/marketers simply post entire articles in their blogs. This is not the ideal method if you're looking to maximize the benefit of your blogging and article writing efforts can have on your site's conversions....

Jim Hedger

Changing Faces of Search Marketing

For some SEOs, the changes to the industry this year represent a world of opportunities to expand their services and experiment with emerging techniques. For others, the changes in the search world have hit with the repetition and intensity of a series of destructive environmental disasters....

Karon Thackston

What SEO Copywriting Is... and Isn't

SEO copywriting is not the process of writing exclusively for the search engines. It is the process of writing copy to appeal to your visitors, while including elements to help the search engines and your visitors understand what the page is all about....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 days - Day 17 - A Trip the Milk Bank, An Entrepreneur's Fear and a Renewed Determination

I've always believed that God knows exactly when you've reached your breaking point and will find some way to send someone or something into your life to help you get over that hump and get moving again. Day seventeen of the Lactivist project was the day that saw that belief tested...and proven....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 16 - Yahoo! Search Marketing Enters the Game, I Debate About Self Promotion and Amazon Gets a Chance

More than week weeks into The Lactivist experiment things were running pretty smoothly. That said, there was still plenty of room for improvement. To that end, I got down to business trying to come up with a plan for a public relations move, launched a new pay-per-click campaign with Yahoo! Search Marketing and decided to give Amazon's notoriously low-paying affiliate program a chance....

Scott Buresh

Leprechaun Repellent and Guaranteed SEO Companies – The Disturbing Link

Guarantees have been around for at least as long as leprechauns have been hoarding breakfast cereal and starring in bad horror films. A good guarantee should not only appeal to the base emotion of a potential purchaser, but it should also afford some real protection that the purchase he or she is making will provide meaningful results....

Stoney deGeyter

Creating a Marketing Focused Website that Sells - Part 3

In parts one and two of this series of articles I looked at a variety of issues that can impact your web site's ability to convert visitors to buyers. Today, I'll be covering the information content that you'll need for your about us, contact us, FAQ and product pages....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 15 - Blogging Away, Customer Service Part Two and Giving it a Go on Ebay

Day fifteen saw me putting a lot of focus toward The Lactivist Blog. From adding new entries, to guest blogging on other sites to finally integrating the blog content as a live feed into The Lactivist web site, blogging was the focus of the day. I also ended up having another conversation with CafePress customer service, made some more changes to my AdWords campaign and decided to give eBay a shot....

Jennifer Laycock

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 14 - Jagger is Not My Friend, CSSAnnoys and I Experience CafePress as a Customer

I don't suppose I can really complain. After two solid weeks of surprising productivity, day fourteen actually delivered a fair share of frustration to make up for the supposed ease with which things had launched. That said, I still managed to get quite a bit done and I was encouraged to see that the search marketing world had finally started to buzz about the project as well....

Bill Hartzer

Best of the Web Launches Blog Directory

While they welcome new websites at the BOTW Directory, only blogs that are a minimum of six months old are considered for inclusion in the Best of the Web Blog directory....

Tinu Abayomi-Paul

5 Ways Google Will Help You With Your Traffic

If you’ve ever had a severe drop in your Google rankings in search results, you may think of Google more of an enemy than an ally. Here are five ways that Google provides free traffic assistance....

Jim Hedger

Measuring Importance – Usability Strategy Ranks High With Search Engines

Leading visitors towards goal-orientated outcomes makes as much sense for a functioning website as it does for a functional building and, to follow through on the analogy, it all starts with a smart architect....

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 27 - Buzzing and Building the Blogosphere and a Plan for Long-Term Revenue Success

Web Statistics for Dummies (part 2: Referrers)

Boosting Website Lead Conversion With Pay-Per-Click Landing Pages

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 26 - Planning a Media Push, More Forums and I Start Recruiting Affiliates

Is a Shake Out Shaping the Search Marketing Sector?

Online Marketing Hierarchy and Definitions

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 25 - Stats Confusion is Worked Out, Great Blog Discussions and MSN AdCenter Gets a Look

SEO Overkill Can Destroy Your Site

What's so Special About Search Marketing???

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 24 - Public Relations Continues to Go Well and The Lactivist Project Decides to Share the Love

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 23 - Stats and Research, Yahoo! Ads Start Running and a Big Press Mention

Essential Venues for Small Business in 2006

What Happens on the Road, Stays in the Blog

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 22 - It's All About the Networking, but Not The Way You Think...

Lower Cost & Increase Conversion of Your Adwords Leads

Analyzing One-Way vs. Reciprocal Links

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 21 - Getting CafePress Integrated with My Site, Reviewing Media Lists and Loads of New Shirts

The Search Marketing Calendar is Driven by Sales, not Spiders

The Power of Web Analytics

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 20 - Blog Comments Roll in, New Milk Bank Shirts and Analytics Get Fun

Creating a Marketing Focused Website that Sells - Part 4

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 19 - Moms Add the Lactivist to Their Christmas Lists, Press Releases Take Work and I Discover a Solution to My Top Problem

Targeting Your Search Campaign: Seeking 42 Year Old Female in Kalamazoo

A Look Back at Predictions for 2005

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 days - Day 18 - Another Round of Shirt Ideas, Building Credibility in the Community and a Reader Lends a Hand

Google AdWords Marketing: Exact Match Bidding

Adding a Blog to Your Article Marketing Strategy

Changing Faces of Search Marketing

What SEO Copywriting Is... and Isn't

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 days - Day 17 - A Trip the Milk Bank, An Entrepreneur's Fear and a Renewed Determination

Zero Dollars a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 16 - Yahoo! Search Marketing Enters the Game, I Debate About Self Promotion and Amazon Gets a Chance

Leprechaun Repellent and Guaranteed SEO Companies – The Disturbing Link

Creating a Marketing Focused Website that Sells - Part 3

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 15 - Blogging Away, Customer Service Part Two and Giving it a Go on Ebay

Zero Dollars, a Little Talent and 30 Days - Day 14 - Jagger is Not My Friend, CSSAnnoys and I Experience CafePress as a Customer

Best of the Web Launches Blog Directory

5 Ways Google Will Help You With Your Traffic

Measuring Importance – Usability Strategy Ranks High With Search Engines