Just when is the right time to use Digg, Stumble Upon, or My Space? Do you know your audience well enough to judge if they'd be interested? Let's take a look at when is the right time to engage different aspects of social media.
Having the right message is critical to the success of any business. The number one key to business growth is crafting a message that speaks to your target audience....
Marketing professionals who need to know how to leverage pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for maximum effect and return on investment will benefit from the SEMPO Institute’s new, intensive distance learning class: Advanced Search Advertising, the third class in SEMPO’s (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) new series of online classes designed to help marketers better understand the intricacies and dynamics of search-based marketing....
Though already successful, Pepsi understands that long-term success and company growth means always being willing to attempt new ideas and strategies. Marketing online has proven that rule time and time again....
If you're looking for a great way to pinpoint conversion issues or test landing pages then consider Eye Tracking. Here are 5 reasons why you should incorporate Eye Tracking into your search marketing strategy....
Now that I've told you how to use Google Coupons to market your small business, I realize that I haven't bothered to tell you how to update your business listings on Google Maps and Google Local. Since it's hard to get the egg without the chicken (and vice versa) here's a quick tutorial on customizing your information on your Google Maps listing....
What's that, you say? Google offers a coupon option? Why yes they do. Google announced the service last summer but hasn't done much in the way of promoting it since then. So if you'd like a way to differentiate your business on Google Maps listings, here you go....
Miami was the place to be this past Monday and Tuesday (June 18th, 19th 2007) if you wanted to get the scoop on search marketing for the Latin American market. Nacho Hernandez, of iHispanic, headed up a great 2-day conference by Search Engine Strategies at the Inter-Continental Hotel. Conference goers from all over Latin America, the United States and Canada spent the time in sessions that covered the basics of keyword research and linking dealing with Spanish and Portuguese languages to broader site issues such as whether to create original content or just translate existing content....
Analytics provider, VisiStat, has been busy improving its web analytics software with enhancements over the last month. If you haven't used VisiStat before, I actually compared it against Google Analytics late last year....
We once had a client complain that they didn't know if we were doing anything for them. I guess the ranking improvements they were seeing wasn't enough of a clue. That complaint only happened once. We realized then that there was a breakdown in communications between us and our clients and instituted measures to insure that it would never happen again....
In the last article before we move into site development and marketing mode, I'm going to give you the final bit of background on how we decided to set up the business. After all, the basis of your business is often the basis of your marketing message...it's not the type of thing that can serve as an after thought....
Google realized that very few people were using their individual search areas such as images, video, news, etc, and universal search is their one-size-fits-all fix to that. The result is a bunch of, what I would consider to be, irrelevant search results. I understand what Google is trying to accomplish, I'm just not convinced this is the best approach....
A recent New York Times article has pointed out a trend showing the slow down in the growth of online shopping. The article points out a few previously hot industries are starting to show a slowing in growth....
Judging from the discussion that takes place at many Webmaster / marketing forums and mailing lists, you'd be excused if you thought Google was the only search engine on the web. But if you're in the "Google is all that matters" camp, I think you're making a potentially dangerous mistake....
While I know that most readers are just itching for me to get to the "good stuff" known as marketing, the first few articles in this series are going to focus on the creation of the business with some explanation of why we've set things up the way we have.Just as you can't optimize a web site that lacks a search engine friendly design, you can't successfully market a bad idea....
The SMX Advanced conference was jam-packed with info that I know many site owners and webmasters who could not make the show are dying to see. In part one of the SMX Advanced summary I discussed duplicate content issues and some other tips that I felt deserved immediate attention. In part two, I will tackle tips for efficient marketing and search engine optimization and a list of the top SEO tools including my own favorites....
I came across a local search result yesterday that makes the Internet cry. It's not because of the Web site that I found. The site itself is rather nice and gives me a feeling of trust. It's actually the multiple local submissions and the obvious fake user reviews that make me run away....
It's not every day I come across a business need that shies away from generating conversions, making money or being found in search engines. But, it happens. Don't just let your web site sit on the Web taking up space. It can surprise you with many rewards, if you just unbind the noose around its neck....
A couple years ago, a client was launching a new product -- but they weren't the only company doing so. One of their main competitors was launching the same product, sourced from the same manufacturer. The product didn't have much search history. It also didn't have much competition for the relevant keywords....
One point that I continue to hear over and over (and OVER) from businesses? That they are "forced" to rely too heavily on Google. Well, to address that issue I'm going to be writing a new article series in the style of the 30 Day Series that follows the creation of a new business. The difference is that this time, I'm kicking Google (and Yahoo and Windows Live and Ask) to the curb and telling the world that you CAN build a business, increase traffic and drive sales all without the major search engines....
Today marks my first day back from a short road trip through Oregon and from Danny Sullivan’s inaugural SMX Advanced Expo in Seattle. There were two 'tracks' within this seminar series; paid and organic. I stuck to the organic track but even this covered a whole host of topics so please bear with me as I provide the first of a couple rundowns on the most interesting facts from the range of seminars and discussions I witnessed....
There has been a debate about the use of keywords for years. Many SEO copywriters will tell you that using keyphrases in their entirety is the best practice for getting high rankings. Others insist it really doesn't matter — that as long as all the individual words within the phrase are used, your copy will do its job....
When a company is considering embarking upon a search engine optimization campaign, the first discussion that normally is had is whether to take care of the campaign in house or to hire an outside SEO firm. Companies making this choice need to compare the actual cost of an in-house campaign if you are expecting the same type of results that you would get with an outside SEO firm....
Our site has a blog which is www.blog.domain.com — should it really be www.domain.com/blog? If so, then do we need to do a 301 permanent redirect from www.blog.domain.com to www.domain.com/blog?...
McAfee recently reclease their State of Search Engine Safety report, an updated from their May and December 2006 reports....
People often find themselves looking for the winning scenario for themselves or their businesses. Finding the winning scenario is important for any long-term success. But even better than the winning scenario is the win-win scenario....
The new version of Ask, dubbed "Ask3D" not only LOOKS better, but it functions better as well. In fact, Ask's media kit explains that the term Ask3D stems from the fact that this new release "synthesizes the best of our technologies across the three dimensions of search: Expression, Results and Content. This is vertical search integration the way it should be....
As search marketers, we're too deep in this stuff to bother questioning the value -- of course it's a good investment! But the small business owner isn't deep in it, doesn't quite understand it, and doesn't know what she's going to get in exchange for writing that check. So, how do you sell SEO in these situations?...
My real question is do the underscores have an impact on how the spider crawls the site or are long file names better? I'm thinking it doesn't matter but would like to be sure. I've been trying to name my pages (filename & title) with a relevant keyword but sometimes it's difficult. Also does a file name have any impact with ranking at all?...
In the past, we've touched on some of the challenges that the search engines' personalized search programs will present to search engine marketers. Now, I’d like to introduce you to a tool that allows for personalization and optimization to work hand-in-hand, increasing usability and supporting your search marketing goals....
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