August 2006

Jennifer Laycock

Real Small Business, Real Big Ideas - The Carrie D. Mader Project Part 4

Today, I'll be focusing in on the start of keyword research and on the changes that we needed to make to Carrie's Google AdWords account. I'll also touch a bit on the ongoing difficulties of getting good ROI tracking in place when you're working with an out-of-the-box shopping cart system like MIVA....

Daniel Jupp

Tips from the Top: Search Engine Marketing On A Small Budget

Although more and more big name brands are snapping up bundles of cyber real estate each day, a well-ordered and concise pay per click campaign is actually an ideal marketing solution for businesses operating with modest financial resources because costs are strictly controlled and adverts precisely targeted....

Ross Dunn

Is Your Website Search Engine Friendly? Your Personal Checklist

When I sit down with new clients and discuss the status of their new or existing site they are often shocked when I am forced to inform them that their site is not search engine friendly. Often this is represented by an inflexible design, overuse of advanced web technologies, or simply a weak navigation scheme....

Stoney deGeyter

The Arrogance of SEO

I'm tired of the arrogance within the SEO community, specifically with those that claim themselves to be the keepers of all true and correct SEO knowledge. Maybe other industries have their own similar issues that I don't know about, but I do know what I see within the SEO community and I'm fed up....

Karri Flatla

Niche Marketing and Keyword Selection: it’s Search Marketing Heaven

Anyone who says that niching will exclude too many potential buyers doesn’t know why he is in business in the first place. Moreover, a prospect pool with no common reason to buy from you is a headache that will cost time, money, and more patience than your sanity can afford. Get over your desire to be popular with the whole wide world and instead choose a niche....

Jennifer Laycock

Windows Live QnA Launches

It's a relay race that never ends. The baton passes from one player to the next as the search engines vie to put up the best of the best in all areas of search and search utilities. The latest runner into the game is Windows Live QnA, a combination search engine, answering service and social media site. The beta version of the site is Microsoft's attempt to combine "applied human knowledge" with a "dynamic, social community."...

Gord Hotchkiss

Psst, Want a Hot Spot Paisano?

Hello, my name is Gord, and I’m addicted to the Internet. I didn’t realize I was addicted until I recently spent three weeks in Europe and had to go through withdrawal. But after hanging around hotel lobbies, trying to get a hit from a local hot spot, I’ve had to face up to the fact that I can’t kick the habit. I need my broadband, baby!...

Ross Dunn

Google Launches Enterprise Software Solution

Google launched a free packaged business solution for enterprises today including online chat, email, calendars, and hosting. Called "Gmail for Your Domain" (a ghastly name that is only slightly better referred to as "Google Apps" within the actual admin area) this application package will allow a business owner or administrator to create a separate account per employee....

Bruce Clay

The Promise of Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral targeting is relatively new but catching on fast. The Internet, with its ability to record behavior, is largely responsible for the increase in behavioral targeting. Marketers like targeted ads because they reach specific consumers, eliminating waste and increasing advertising efficiency....

Jim Hedger

SES San Jose, an SEO Recap

Search marketing conferences are serious fun, especially when the conference is held in the Silicon Valley. This is the largest annual search related gathering anywhere. An estimated 7500 participants sat through over 70 in-depth sessions covering virtually every aspect of search engine marketing from the basic tips to the most advanced campaign strategies....

Manoj Jasra

Analytics: You Can't Afford NOT to Track

There are business owners who continually push off the purchase of analytics until their company is financially ready to make the leap and online commitment; or until over inflated marketing projections prove to be just that, and mistakes need to be quantified. Something that the majority of business doesn’t seem to realize is the immense insight and knowledge they are missing out on by waiting....

Jill Whalen

What To Do with 3 Domains

My company currently has one main site with three URLs. The URLs currently connect to the same site and it was suggested to us by an SEO consultant to choose one of the URLs as the domain for our main site and then just 301-redirect the other two URLs to the main site....

Jennifer Laycock

The Politicos Still Don't Get It

I've written in the past about the potential to use paid search advertising as part of a political campaign, though at the time, the major parties were still pretty much ignoring the search engine marketing landscape. Times are changing though...and with another presidential election just two years away, many political consultants are trying to figure out how to best make use of the web for their candidates campaigns....

Scott Buresh

Search Engine Marketing Services: Trends and Predictions

The search engine marketing industry is not for the faint-hearted or those who abhor change. However, savvy search engine marketing firms try to look ahead to anticipate trends. Here are my predictions of issues that search engine marketing services will face in the short term....

David Wallace

Ten Things To Consider When Going Through a Site Redesign

I have seen it happen time and time again. The decision is made to redesign the company web site. However, in the process regard for search engine visibility is not included in the overall plan. The new site is launched and everyone waits for the traffic to pour in but for some reason it doesn't. In fact, traffic declines. Sales drop. The CEO is demanding answers. What happened and who's fault is it?...

Gord Hotchkiss

Finding Fame Online, and Fame Finding You

Search acts as the connector to these nuggets of information. We gain the benefit of others that have been there and done that. It separates the good from the bad in a way that defies gaming the system and keeps everyone honest. Not every traveler does their travel research this way, but the number is growing every day....

Jennifer Laycock

Why Do You Ask? Why Does Anyone Ask? It Depends on Your Needs

Ask is pretty far ahead of the curve in terms of supplemental features and search-assisting functionality, but it's still got a long way to go in the algorithm department. That may not be a bad thing though....

Ross Dunn

Examining Yahoo!'s Site Explorer Tool: How it Can Help You

Webmaster tools are becoming a hot topic in the major search engines these days. This article is devoted to Yahoo’s Site Explorer tool and how you can harness it to help you improve your search engine rankings and improve your odds for online success....

Paul Bruemmer

How Much Should You Budget for Search?

There are 175+ million search engine users in the U.S. today who are conducting approximately 5.5 billion searches each month, and 90 percent of them are going to Web sites from the first three search result pages. With combined organic and paid search campaigns, you maximize profits from the increased traffic and conversions, achieving branding with your search listings at the same time....

Jennifer Laycock

Real Small Business, Real Big Ideas - The Carrie D. Mader Project Part 3

In parts one and two of this series, I gave readers some background on upscale jewelry designer Carrie D Mader and the challenges being faced by both her and our team of volunteer marketing consultants. Today we'll be looking at one of the biggest obstacles to face small business owners, delving into plans for updating and upgrading Carrie's web site content and exploring the crashing reality that often comes with these types of projects....

Paul Jahn

In San Jose and Need a Chiropractor?

These types of businesses could be popular destinations like hotels, night clubs, restaurants, and health clubs. These can also be highly specific spots or professional services whether it's an upscale sushi bar, professional print shop, or in my case, a chiropractor in San Jose, California....

Todd Mintz

Dress Your Website For Success

Each industry has different standards for web design. In conjunction with a designer, they should examine the websites of competitors to know what level of site design it will take to make their site comparable to others in their space....

Jim Hedger

Jill Whalen Interviewed at SES San Jose

This is Jill Whalen's fifth or sixth interview of the day, a fact I am critically conscious of before sitting down to speak with her at 2pm on the second day of last week's SES conference....

Stoney deGeyter

Real Search Engine Optimization Linkbaiting

I understand what linkbaiters are doing, and it is a different kind of service, but shouldn't a well developed website with lots of great information already be it's own linkbait? Isn't the SEO Marketer's job to make the site more appealing to both search engines and site visitors alike?...

Jill Whalen

Extra Characters in Title Tags

Do the search engines see the addition of this character: | in the title tag as words/characters, thus reducing the amount of words you should put in the title tag? I am using the character to separate the various services we offer so that they are clear to the people searching, as they are very different....

Ross Dunn

Did You Know You Had Stats?

Stats, better known as statistics, conjure up bad memories for many who unhappily sat through this post-secondary statistics course. Hey, let’s face it; pouring over statistics is not for everyone. Before you delve into the world of analytics I want to provide you with a brief outline of the more popular analytics terms that you will often encounter....

Gord Hotchkiss

Two Views Of Tempus Fugit

In the world I normally live in, time is constantly ticking towards the next deadline, and those deadlines usually come in sets, stacked on top of each other, dictating that impossible amounts of work get done before the seconds tick away. Companies have to go from start-up to sell-out in years, or even months. The Internet encourages and enables this compression. It's a phenomenon that goes hand in hand with the digital wiring of the world, but for some reason, it's much more noticeable in the new world than the old....

Lee Odden

Spotlight on Blog Marketing Interview with Phil Hollows of FeedBlitz

Today’s interview is with Phil Hollows, Founder and CEO of the popular RSS to email service, FeedBlitz. Recently Phil took FeedBlitz on as a full time gig, has secured investor financing and is hiring. What better time than now to check in with Phil for a peek behind the FeedBlitz curtain....

Manoj Jasra

Interactive Media: Good or Bad?

Most search marketing companies have it ingrained in their minds that media on a site is considered a negative feature because search engine spiders can’t index the content. After all, if they can’t find your content, there goes the relevance that could otherwise have influenced your rankings....

Jennifer Laycock

How to Win Links and Influence People - Part 3

The last in a three part series that focuses on taking the common sense tenets found in Dale Carnegie's best-seller "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and applying them to various forms of online marketing. This week it's online reputation management and once again, we'll be looking at some of Carnegie's tenets and how they can be applied with common sense to keeping your online reputation intact....

Ross Dunn

What Are Good and Bad URLs and How to Fix the Bad Ones.

The tweak I was speaking about is used to modify your dynamic URLs in order to make them appear static. Essentially this is a customization that needs to be done to a server to ensure that dynamic URL’s (where lots of “?&=” appear) look like static URLs. By creating static URLs you can be reasonably sure that the search engines will index your website deeper and in a quicker fashion....

Jill Whalen

Two Companies Merging

I'm looking for some advice on the impact of natural search on two companies that have merged so I can advise on how best to proceed. They currently have two sites that perform well in the SERPS and have different content but are obviously competing on the same keyphrases and are now one company....

Ross Dunn

What Exactly Are Good Backlinks?

I have had enough of comments from everyone saying the website should have quality backlinks. I would agree to that too. But when you say Quality, can anyone really define it? It becomes TOO vague sometimes. I am sure this will be a great help to other SEO people around....

Stoney deGeyter

Undersell Your SEO Service, Overachieve Your SEO Results

For many companies, the sell-at-all-cost approach can often come back to bite. The good salesperson is doing his job, but a problem arises when the products or services don't live up to the sales rhetoric being to entice the buyer. It’s the result of a salesperson that oversells and over promises but the products or services don't (or can't) meet the expectations of the buyer....

Manoj Jasra

Overrated Metrics

There has always been a certain buzz in the online marketing industry regarding metrics; namely, which metrics to measure and how to accurately track them? I find, more and more that many business owners are sometimes paying attention to metrics that make their business look appealing from an image perspective, rather than to metrics which actually show value to the bottom line....

Real Small Business, Real Big Ideas - The Carrie D. Mader Project Part 4

Tips from the Top: Search Engine Marketing On A Small Budget

Is Your Website Search Engine Friendly? Your Personal Checklist

The Arrogance of SEO

Niche Marketing and Keyword Selection: it’s Search Marketing Heaven

Windows Live QnA Launches

Psst, Want a Hot Spot Paisano?

Google Launches Enterprise Software Solution

The Promise of Behavioral Targeting

SES San Jose, an SEO Recap

Analytics: You Can't Afford NOT to Track

What To Do with 3 Domains

The Politicos Still Don't Get It

Search Engine Marketing Services: Trends and Predictions

Ten Things To Consider When Going Through a Site Redesign

Finding Fame Online, and Fame Finding You

Why Do You Ask? Why Does Anyone Ask? It Depends on Your Needs

Examining Yahoo!'s Site Explorer Tool: How it Can Help You

How Much Should You Budget for Search?

Real Small Business, Real Big Ideas - The Carrie D. Mader Project Part 3

In San Jose and Need a Chiropractor?

Dress Your Website For Success

Jill Whalen Interviewed at SES San Jose

Real Search Engine Optimization Linkbaiting

Extra Characters in Title Tags

Did You Know You Had Stats?

Two Views Of Tempus Fugit

Spotlight on Blog Marketing Interview with Phil Hollows of FeedBlitz

Interactive Media: Good or Bad?

How to Win Links and Influence People - Part 3

What Are Good and Bad URLs and How to Fix the Bad Ones.

Two Companies Merging

What Exactly Are Good Backlinks?

Undersell Your SEO Service, Overachieve Your SEO Results

Overrated Metrics