Ebookpages

How to Make Money Using YouTube

2010-11-01T12:22:00.002Z

As the internet continues to grow and expand so do the different ways to make money. A new area that is just starting to become noticed is YouTube. This popular video web site has millions of people visiting it an hour and there are a wide variety of new as well as different videos that are posted every day. To be able to use this new form of marketing requires that you use a wide range of ideas that will help you increase your profits. Below are some tips as well as tactics for helping you make money on YouTube.

Make a plan: Before you begin to create any videos to upload to YouTube you want to make sure that you have a well thought out plan that will help guide you and make your video most effective. This would include identifying what target market you are trying to reach, thinking creatively and looking at other examples of videos in the same category that you plan on making your video in. This will lay the ground work so that you know what you need to do to most effectively make money on YouTube.

Do keyword research: To be able to effectively reach the right market requires that you do keyword research to help you identify which keywords would work best for you. What you want to do is focus your keywords on those that have the highest amount of searches on YouTube. This will help effectively target the right audience increasing your chances to make money on YouTube.

Look at popular videos in your category: Once you have your main keywords identified you now want to now take another look at those videos that have the most downloads. Then, ask yourself what was it that made them so popular? Be sure to pay attention to the image, thumbnails, length of the video, quality and what keywords or phrases they are using. This will help you to be able to come up with ideas as to what you need to do so that you can make your video the best that it can possibly be increasing the chance of having lots of downloads, translating into more hits for your web site leading to more chances to make money on YouTube.

Use lots of keywords in your title: A good way to be able to help people effectively find you is to use lots of different keywords in your title. What this will do is help people be able to locate your video more quickly based on more than one keyword appearing in the title.

To make money on YouTube requires that you follow certain tips and tactics that will help you to be successful. By making a plan, doing keyword research, looking at popular videos in your category and using lots of keywords in your title are increasing the chances of how successful you will be able to make money on YouTube.

Click here to find out more

How to Make Money Using YouTube

Traffic siphon

2010-09-27T20:26:00.000Z

Learn how generate massive, targeted traffic to your site, absolutely free! Wasting time and money struggling to generate traffic to your site. Do a simple strategy for the drive in a relentless barrage of Prime, targeted traffic free!

Check it out!

Web traffic evolution

2010-09-27T04:33:00.000Z

Discover the secret behind unlimited traffic to your Web pages to generate and use a known traffic magnet.

Check it out!

Premium traffic generation

2010-09-26T15:05:00.000Z

Get a leg up on your competition, your customers won't help, but search in organic search engine listings in Google, Bing, and Yahoo! zero in on your niche market and magnetic ready to buy customers your listings to win. Drive your higher sales.

Check it out!

The traffic pump system

2010-09-25T23:12:00.003Z

The traffic pump complete system with videos make more money With this great - conversion - product "to targeted leads and massive traffic to any website in 15 minutes or less
Check it out!

Bill Myers Tip of the Week

2010-03-23T11:15:00.000Z

Bill Myers Tip of the Week

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Start with a good model

Several years back, when web designers were actual web users and
not just art designers with little web experience, many would
keep this one question in mind when it came to site design:

"What would Google Do?"

The reason that question was (and still is) so important is
Google is by far the most visited site on the web, and visitors
are familiar and comfortable with its page layout.

So when designing a new site, if you design it to have the look,
feel, and font faces of Google, you automatically build in a
certain level of trust.

With that in mind, when you start thinking about designing your
own sites or shopping cart pages, you should ask yourself . . .

"What would Google Do?".

And a good way to answer that is to visit any of the Official
Google Blogs.

On those blogs, you'll see the design format that Google has
chosen - and you can use what you see there as a design guide for
your own sites.

To find the official Google Blogs, visit:
http://www.google.com/press/blogs/directory.html#tab1

By the way, if you've been looking for resell rights to CDs and
DVDs you can sell, be sure to check out
Bill Myers
Bill Myers
bmyers@bmyers.com
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Recent articles posted at Bill Myers Online:

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DVD Resell Rights - Finally available at a very special price!

If you've been looking for resell rights on a high quality
product you can sell to others and keep all the profits, here it
is. A great retail-ready product you can call your own, that you
can start selling today

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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Wireless microphone systems: Sennheiser G3 Evolution - audio test
and video review

In this short video I test the Sennheiser G3 evolution wireless
microphone system, and you'll hear how well it works at long
distances, under adverse (high wind) conditions. This just might
be the one you'll want

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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Easy and inexpensive way to connect two or more microphones to
one camcorder

If you are doing interviews and need to connect two or more
microphones to one camcorder, here is a quick and very
inexpensive way to do it. Can cost less than five dollars, and
can really save the day

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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Learn from their successes

Here's the kind of real world success stories that can help you
understand what it takes to quickly become a success with your
internet businesses. Just watch this short video and you'll see
why you don't always need money or experience when you start

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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Video: What you can learn from people who made millions while in
their teens

Looking for a way to earn a few extra dollars? Maybe the success
stories of these teen millionaires will give you some inspiration.
Learn why they succeeded, starting with no money, and no
experience

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers

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That's it for this week!

Bill Myers
Bill Myers
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How To Approach Social Media In 2010

2010-03-23T10:39:00.005Z

While most companies have come to agree that social media use is important, the “how” remains unclear in many cases. Ravit Lichtenberg, founder and chief strategist of Ustrategy, was good enough to give her thoughts on the subject during an interview at OMS 2010.

Lichtenberg tried to dispel what might be one common misconception by stating, “Social media itself is not a tool. It is a strategy.” She then added, “Every business should have a strategy around social media.”

Lichtenberg thinks it’s best to form this strategy in a vision-driven way. The question companies should ask themselves is, “Who do you want to be as a business when people see you online?” Coming up with an answer will help organizations pick their approach.

Deciding on an online identity will also help employees – who can be a business’s biggest advocates – know how to act online. And Lichtenberg thinks it isn’t wise for companies to forbid access to social networks, by the way.

Then here’s one last tip: before trying to use social media to help with lead generation and sales, conduct specific campaigns around factors like awareness, market share, and buzz. These things are better-suited to social media and serve as good starting points.

Bill Myers Tip of the Week

2010-03-11T15:48:00.000Z

Bill Myers Tip of the Week
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One of the quickest ways to drive away potential customers is to
require them to do something that costs them time, money or
aggravation.

Here's an example.

A visitor to my web site asked me why he wasn't getting any
orders from his web sales pages.

I checked his product pages and immediately saw the problem.

The only way a customer could place an order was to find and
print out an order form from his web site, fill it out with the
correct product numbers and prices, and then FAX the form back to
the company to place an order.

That's right.

The burden was on the customer to find the order form, print it
out, fill it out with correct information, and fax it back.

Talk about creating a system sure to drive away potential
customers!

Not to mention the negative image created by not having an online
order system (which is a real problem).

The requirement that customers must FAX the order pretty much
eliminates everyone who doesn't own a fax machine - and that's
about 90% of the population these days.

The solution to the problem was easy.

Offer customers an online order process with the ease of a one-
click buying.

Moral: Most consumers no longer have 8 track tape decks, betamax
video recorders, or fax machines. So don't require them to use
equipment they don't have just to do business with you.

One final point - if you do need to send a fax and don't have a
fax machine, consider using http://faxzero.com/ .

I've used that service several times and it works quite well.
And it is free.

Bill Myers

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Recent articles posted at Bill Myers Online:

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Video review: The $60 HD widescreen video camera for your
webcasts, video tips, and other quick videos

This is the amazing $60 video cam that lets you shoot and capture
live HighDefinition widescreen video direct to your computer.
Ideal for webcasts, video blogs, quick video tips, video
conferencing, even broadcasting live video streams from your
office desk. I've included a short video I shot with this camera
in this article, so you can see what to expect

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers

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Free tool to convert your videos to flash for placing on your own
web pages.

Here is a free, and easy-to-use tool for quickly converting your
avi, wmv, mp4, mov video files to flash so you can place them on
your web site. This tool does it all, even giving you a choice
of different flash players, and automatically creates the html
code to put the flash video on your web page

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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Creating Hollywood quality custom intros for your videos,
webcasts, and camtasia tutorials

Here's an example of the kind of Hollywood quality intro's you
can quickly create for your videos, web-casts, TV shows, &
Camtasia tutorials - if you start with the right tools. This one
took me less than 10 minutes to put together

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers
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When you can't do it all yourself - use freelancers and a non
disclosure agreement

One of the important things to learn as a product developer, is
you won't always be able to do everything yourself. In those
cases, it can pay to use a freelancer or subcontractor. But to
protect your project and secrets, always require a non disclosure
agreement. Find one here

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers

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Screencast: Secrets to selling your unused, unwanted domain names
on eBay

This short video walks you through the process of selling unused
domain names at eBay. You'll see how to grab more attention for
domain name auctions, how to create free eBay auction listings,
and how to test the market for interest in your domain names

Read the full article at:
Bill Myers

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That's it for this week!

Bill Myers
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Leveraging Natural Search

2010-03-08T11:45:00.005Z

Since there are now so many different ways for people get to websites, natural search has become increasingly difficult over the past few years. Seth Besmertnik, the CEO of Conductor, talked about this idea with WebProNews and explained what search marketers need to do to leverage the changes.

In past years, SEO focused on content and keywords. However, when Google came along, the game changed. Google introduced links in relation to content and more.

Today, organic search is even more complex with personalization, real-time search, social media, and other new features popping up rapidly. As a result of the complexity, Besmertnik emphasized the need to have a scalable infrastructure that tracks everything.

He said this is critically important for businesses that want to compete in natural search. In addition, businesses that want to find synergies between their marketing efforts need to make sure they make the most of one area before they add more and complicate matters.

Besmertnik used the analogy that “you have to have bricks before you can build a wall.” Ultimately, companies will not be able to successfully blend efforts until each is established.

Ebusiness Start-Up Handbook

2010-02-18T13:01:00.002Z

Today I have a new resource to tell you about that will stop you
from making the common start-up mistake that KILLS many new
websites...

It's called the "Ebusiness Start-Up Handbook," and it's a
must-read for anyone who wants to build a profitable long-term
ebusiness on a solid foundation.

Download it, and you'll avoid wasting massive amounts of time and
money getting your new business started.

What I like most about this Handbook is that it uses simple
language and lots of examples and graphics to clearly explain the
step-by-step process you need to follow to find a lucrative
online market with minimal competition.

Start your website *without* doing this critical groundwork first,
and prepare for a long and costly battle...

You'll struggle to attract visitors, to get ranked in the search
engines, and to convert the few visitors you do get into buyers.

Worse, you could find yourself going head to head with the
Internet's toughest -- and most well-funded -- competitors, like
Amazon.com and eBay.

The "Ebusiness Start-Up Handbook" was produced by the experts at
the Internet Marketing Center, who have generated over $100
million in sales online, so you know you can trust their advice.

I highly recommend you take the first step toward financial
independence by downloading this Handbook right away. You'll be
giving your new website its best chance of success.

Download it now CLICK HERE

Auto Rebilling is often a scam

2010-01-14T13:00:00.005Z

So how many times have you seen someone offer you a
free trial of something or other, but to get started
you need to provide a credit card number, or use your
Paypal account to sign up.

A lot of services or products even ask that you pay
ONLY $1 to start any sort of trial and act as if you
are getting an incredible value.

But what they are really doing is getting your credit
card number or PayPal account locked into their auto
re-billing feature and hiding behind their real motive
simply by telling you that it is for your convenience.

It is a well known fact that many people who offer
products or services are making more money due simply
to people forgetting to cancel these auto re-bills.

Now I'm not in any way speaking for all marketers.
Many do in fact provide great value and are trying to
make things easier, but it is also an overly abused
marketing tactic to make the product or service owner
a lot of extra recurring income.

You see a lot of unethical marketers know that most
of the time you will forget about the trial and a few
months later you will finally notice that you have been
charged XX dollars every month. Guess who makes a pile
of money that way. That's not cool man.

So it is something to watch out for when signing up
to any fr.ee trials of anything.

On a total flip side, here's an example of a guy who
has an insanely good fr.ee trial offer, but you don't
have to give your credit card or Paypal account up
front. It's just a free trial, because he believe it
works and is not hiding behind anything!

Find out more here :-

It's a no obligations 90 Day Free Trial of what's
called the Smart Subscriber marketing system. His name
is Ian and he's been an online marketer for over a
decade and claims he will make you mon.ey through
affi.liate comm.issions just to prove his service is
worth paying for!

With no credit cards or Paypal account stuff upfront,
I'd say that's a pretty rock solid and safe fr.ee trial.

Find out more here :-

Thanks Phil

Phil Bradshaw

Instant Fast Traffic guide on traffic generation strategies

2010-01-13T15:14:00.004Z

When it comes to Internet Marketing, there are a lot of material out there that are basically rehashed ebooks that go on about the same tiresome things. I was half expecting Instant Fast Traffic to be the same, because admittedly I’ve become jaded to these products that are churned out on a regular basis. I even had the intention to check it out, and then refund before the 60 days guarantee expired. Surprisingly however, I found that Instant Fast Traffic was a diamond in the rough, because the strategies covered within all its three modules were intriguing, to say the least.

See What Instant Fast Traffic Can Do For Your Site

The brains behind Instant Fast Traffic are Joel Chue and Alvin Huang, guys I haven’t even heard about, but if Instant Fast Traffic is anything to go by, these guys are the ones to watch. Instant Fast Traffic is a 3 Module guide on traffic generation strategies, and each module is guaranteed to give you a free pass to a massive source of traffic from practically anywhere on the Internet. You’ll find strategies covering link building to article directory submissions, and even social networking. Let’s take a closer look at what these 3 modules cover.

The first module, called Search Domination Traffic, talks about strategies in which any marketer can use to get their websites optimized for search engines through link building. From email signatures to classifieds to web rings, these elements are often overlooked, but surprisingly highly effective in getting your links out there for the droves of traffic to click through. I personally have never thought of using Wikipedia as a source of free traffic, so it came as a surprise when I discovered that I could indeed funnel traffic from Wikipedia and onto my website.

The second module, aptly named Content Traffic Invasion, covers content strategies and viral strategies. In essence, it teaches you how to optimize your sites and links using keywords, how article directory submissions can give you those much needed backlinks, and how forum marketing can be a highly effective tool in your traffic generation efforts. It also covers strategies that can make your links viral, from using quizzes to giving away free content, and even using Resell Rights Products to generate massive traffic to your sites.

The last module, Underground Traffic Funnels, discusses ways social networking sites can be used to promote your links, and how one can make their links even more viral through these sites. From social bookmarking to using MySpace and Facebook, Joel and Alvin leaves no stone unturned as they discuss practically every aspect there is to know about getting your links out there through social networking, joint ventures, and even offline strategies that you can leverage on.

Newbies don’t even have to worry about getting lost in all that information. There are process maps that detail exactly what needs to be done in a easy-to-understand guide for each of the modules, so I don’t see where anyone can’t succeed using the strategies discussed in Instant Fast Traffic. All in all, this is one resource I would recommend if you’re in need of a quick – no, instant – traffic boost.

See What Instant Fast Traffic Can Do For Your Site

Jason Falls Predicts Google Will Buy Twitter

2009-11-11T13:20:00.002Z

It is clear that Twitter is a valuable tool for business. WebProNews spoke with Jason Falls, the Principal of Social Media Explorer, who believes the reasoning behind this thinking is a result of the “conversational platform” Twitter provides for business usage. It is for this very same reason that he predicts Google will acquire the microblogging service.

Earlier in the year, Falls predicted that Google would buy Twitter by the end of the year. Although it may not happen within that time frame, he hopes and believes it will happen eventually.

Twitter rose in popularity because people were no longer happy with one-way communication models. They now want the two-way communication that Twitter provides. Falls believes Twitter is evolving back to its original purpose and becoming more of a utility for communications, instead of a platform for marketing. Although Twitter can be used for conversational marketing, Falls said it is more about the actual conversation than it is about marketing a product or service.

On the Twitter home front, it doesn’t appear that the Twitter founders are working to improve the tool and they have yet to find a monetization model. Falls believes they are trying to build a large critical mass in order to sell. He hopes Google will buy it since it is a company that desires to build utilities for people to communicate on.

Set aside a marketing hour

2009-10-26T13:22:00.003Z

Bill Myers Tip of the Week
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Set aside a marketing hour

If you are as busy as a lot of us are, there are probably a lot
of things you plan to do, but never get around to doing.

One of those might be spending a few minutes to check on and
improve the marketing of your products.

For example, you might be planning to create some google adword
ads.

And you might be planning to review your product description and
images on Amazon.

And you might be planning to check to see if your shopping cart
product descriptions are still accurate, and to check to see if
the shopping cart actually works as it should.

But you might not have made the time to do any of this. And that
could be a costly mistake.

That's why it can pay to set aside a 'marketing hour' each week,
where you spend at least one hour reviewing your current
marketing efforts, and launching new ones.

Doing this, spending just one hour a week improving your
marketing efforts, can pay you back many times over - especially
when you spend the hour setting up google adsense ads, or leaving
footprints on other sites, or submitting an article to article
syndicators.

Successful marketing doesn't happen automatically. It requires
you to get involved - if only for an hour each week.

Bill Myers
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Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More for Google/Bing Rankings

2009-10-22T18:47:00.005Z

By Chris Crum

Social Media for SEO is Not Just About Links Anymore

Disclaimer: This article was originally written before Google made its announcement, and has been updated to reflect that.

Google and Microsoft have both inked deals with Twitter and Microsoft has also inked one with Facebook to integrate Twitter and Facebook updates into Bing search results. Google will be adding tweets to search results.

Google's Marissa Mayer says, " We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information."

There is a good chance that Google will be making a similar deal with Facebook, but even if they don't, their deal with Twitter and Bing's deals with both make it all the more important for marketers to be found in real-time searches and Facebook/Twitter in general.

A while back WebProNews compiled a list of five tips for getting found in real-time searches, which basically boils down to staying in the conversation for relevant topics that people are searching for. The tips were:

1. Use keywords
2. Talk about timely events
3. Have a lot of followers
4. Promote conversation
5. Include calls to engagement

I elaborated on each of these in the previous article. Social media is viral by nature, and real-time search is nothing more than putting things in chronological order. You have to keep people talking to stay relevant "right now."

That said, we don't know all the details about how Google and Bing will be integrating its Twitter and Facebook results into the rest of their results yet. Bing has made available a beta tool for people to mess around with for searching tweets with the search engine. "You can now search for what people are saying all over the web about breaking news topics, your favorite celebrity, hometown sports team, and anything else you use Twitter to stay on top of today," says Paul Yiu of Bing's Social Search team.
Bing - Twitter search

A spokesperson for Microsoft tells WebProNews, more specifically, the new Twitter developments in Bing include:

* A real-time index of the Tweets that match your search queries in results. This feature makes it easier to follow what’s going on by reducing the amount of duplicates, spam, and adult content.
* Giving you the option to rank tweets either by most recent or by “best match,” where we consider a Tweeter’s popularity, interestingness of the tweet, and other indicators of quality and trustworthiness.
* Providing the top links shared on Twitter around your specific search query by showcasing a few of the most relevant tweets. Additionally, Bing automatically expands those small URLs (like bit.ly) to enable you to understand what people are tweeting about. Instead of showing standard search result captions, we select 2 top tweets to give users a glimpse of the sentiment around the shared link.

Bing already displays some Tweets for certain people results at the very top of the regular web search results page. That's a good place to appear. Here is a little info about how they rank tweets in their Twitter search.

Google announced a new Google labs project that injects social media into its own search results. This was also announced at the Web 2.0 Summit. Ben Parr with Mashable has the details from Mayer:

- The bottom of search results will soon have social networking information from your friends, like their Flickr (Flickr) photos or their status updates. It’s a blended search integration, similar to seeing news or image results.

- These are pulled from social networks connected to your Google Profile. The more that are connected, the more social information that will appear in search results.

- They have also improved searching for images using social networks. Images become more relevant using social networking data.

- It will launch in Google Labs in the next few weeks.

The deals with Microsoft and Google make social media marketing all the more important to marketing in general, and specifically search engine marketing. Where social media has generally fit into the SEO equation thus far, has been the promotion of content, which inspires links and conversation, which can in turn help search engine rankings.

Now, if status updates and tweets become directly integrated into search results in Universal Search-type fashion, it will be not only be about promotion and outside links, it will be about direct exposure right in the results, not unlike the importance of online video right now (as you're probably aware, videos are often displayed prominently on the first page of Google results).

Now, forgetting about Google for a moment, pretend that the deals with Microsoft are the only ones that happened. You may also recall that Microsoft has a certain deal in the works with Yahoo. This (if everything goes according to plan) will see Bing results taking over Yahoo's own. Yahoo may still be controlling the front-end of its search, but Bing will be controlling the back-end. Ranking for Bing will mean ranking for Yahoo.

So with Yahoo, Twitter, and Facebook deals all in place for Bing, getting found in real-time searches may not only mean getting found in Twitter searches, Facebook searches, and such. It may also mean getting found in Bing searches and in Yahoo searches. That's pretty much the meat of the non-Google U.S. search market.

Now let's bring Google back into the equation. It has a deal with Twitter and may very well have one with Facebook before long. Kara Swisher who broke the news about Microsoft's deals says Google's been talking with both social networks. Still think real-time search and social media are not worth your time?

Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More for Google/Bing Rankings

How To Make Money From Funny Videos

2009-10-20T10:03:00.004Z

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
How To Make Money From Funny Videos

Maverick Money Makers � 1997 - 2008

Find out out more click here
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You can easily make funny video websites, and then profit from them nicely. Many people have done it and are actually making their living off it. Here's how to make funny video websites and make money at it:

1. Getting a site.

The first thing to making a funny video website is choosing a good name. Have some fun trying to think up catchy names for your website. A catchy, unique and memorable name is key to not only getting traffic but maintaining traffic.

2. Getting the videos.

You can easily lift videos from other popular video sites. But there are also sites that allow you access to many of the popular funny videos which you can use. Many sites share with one another videos as well. So getting the videos to supply for your funny video website is relative easy.

3. Making the Money.

Making money off your site is going to consist of different forms income streams. From click on ad's, banner advertising, and actual products which you can sell on your site and receive heavy commissions from.

Start up accounts at Google and yahoo for click on ad's, and find internet products which will coincide with the type of videos you'll be showing. Many internet products will have programs for webmasters which you can sign up for and immediately start promoting products on your site. Once your site develops traffic, you can start to hit up larger business's for banner ad's which can pay very well. The combination of different income streams will bring in a steady income flow as long as your traffic is ramped up.

4. Putting your site together.

There are specific programs you can get for building sites. They will take the headache of "coding" away, and have you setting up your site quickly and fairly easily. A good "make video website" book or manual will show you exactly what needs to be done and provide inside access to sources which can make things thousands of times easier.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Maverick Money Makers is a private
society that will teach you how to
build a six-figure a month business
on the internet.

If you want to make money online,
join the society before it's too late.

Get help making money

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

How To Make Money From Funny Videos

What if PageRank Never Existed?

2009-10-18T19:48:00.002Z

At the recent Search Marketing Expo (East), WebProNews had a discussion about how linkbuilding has changed in the past ten years or so, with one of the linkbuilding game’s earliest players - Eric Ward.

Ward says the biggest change is that in the early days, there were no engines that looked at or analyzed links. Rankings and links had nothing to do with one another, so you built links with people in mind. Then Google came along and recognized that there was a value in those links that they could measure. Suddenly, Ward says, that meant your links had two audiences - the people that could click them and the engines that could count them. The downside, he says, is that a whole industry has grown around building links purely for search rank. You know the story.

Before Google came along, links were often paid for, and they were basically just ads. People would just buy links from each other with the intent of people actually clicking them. It wasn’t about rank.

As Eric notes, Google has never actually said don’t buy links. They just say don’t buy our PageRank. Don’t buy the PageRank measure that they’ve assigned to a site. Buying a link would make sense just like buying a banner would’ve made sense ten years ago. If your motivation is click traffic that’s fine, says Ward. If your motivation is that you want to buy a link from a high PageRank site so that you can rank high, then you’re in the area that Google doesn’t like.
Ward contemplates what things would’ve been like had Google never released the toolbar with that PageRank number. It’s an interesting question, considering that Google pretty much tells people to ignore it. The company has even now eliminated PageRank from Webmaster Tools.

What if PageRank Never Existed?

Tired Of Fighting To Rank On Google?

2009-10-12T15:11:00.005Z

Google is one of the most valuable and important search engines on the internet, and with that position it assumes a massive significance to any search engine marketer. If you live, breathe, and eat SEO, there's no doubt that you've spent considerable hours fighting tooth and nail to have your website rank up the top of the Google search results. As you'll know, it's not easy, and it's something that certainly attracts its fair share of remarkable strategy, incredible dedication, and masses and masses of work for marketers trying to dominate it.

What if there was an easier way to get that same kind of search engine exposure, without pouring your heart and soul into every hour of optimisation work? While Google is widely considered the most important SEO resource, once you take a step back and view the entire search world from a distance, it begins to seem much less important than many people make it out to be. With other search engines out there occupying a massive amount of the market, it often makes more sense to ignore Google altogether when trying to rank your website.

Doesn't seem like the conventional wisdom, does it? Well, in many cases the conventional wisdom just isn't the one to trust. With search engine marketing moving so quickly, what was once gospel can quickly become outdated. In this case, it's best to look outside of Google for your marketing needs, and focus on the more lucrative demographics that Bing can offer. With less competition, you'll more easily rank for your keywords and have access to a massive amount of searchers.

This free report, written and designed from the ground up to appeal to search engine experts, is packed with information on SEO 'loopholes' and which alternative providers are the best ones to go with. It doesn't matter if you're an absolute beginner, or even someone that's been doing SEO for years and years. You'll undoubtedly find some valuable new information in this free report.

Click Here To Download Your Free SEO Loophole Report

Are you ready to hang up your Google boots and get ready for a more lucrative search engine market? With the many other search engines out there, it's not a smart marketing idea to just target the biggest one. This free report will help you differentiate between the worthwhile and the wasteful, and find the SEO strategy that will produce the best results for your online business.

Click Here To Download Your Free SEO Loophole Report

Tired Of Fighting To Rank On Google?

Ready To Maximise Your SEO Exposure?

2009-10-07T10:31:00.004Z

Tired of pouring valuable time and money into your Google SEO campaign only to find that it gets your business nowhere, and fast? With Google being the mega-giant of the online search world, it's easy to believe that the world of search begins and ends there. While many beginner marketers spend the majority of their resources on Google, and minimise their commitments elsewhere, the smartest marketers are focusing on the SEO possibilities that other search engines can provide, and actively ignoring Google entirely.

How can this possible help your business? With Google playing such a pivotal role in online search, it's not difficult to think that it's the most important place for your business to be. While it's a highly valuable search engine to rank on, it's not the end of the world for your business to go somewhere else. With Google being so massively competitive, you can often get a better ROI on other search websites, and with less effort and expenses you can easily dominate the online search rankings and maximise your conversions.

Ever used Yahoo and Bing? Or course you have. While they're not the giant search engines that Google is, they have impressive market share and a loyal base of searchers that continually use them. Not only this, the non-Google search engines often have higher converting traffic, significantly different demographics, and an audience with remarkably higher disposable income than most of the Google-sphere. If you want to truly target the most important customers, it's often best to look outside of Google.

This free report explains both the reasons to look outside of Google for your search engine optimisation campaigns, the benefits that other search providers can offer, and the best way to get around search engine loopholes and rules. When you need to build a great SEO campaign, it's often best to be original and remarkable. By pushing your resources outside of Google, you can achieve just that. Don't run with the crowd, have your marketing campaign stand out on its own and lead your business to massive online earnings. This free report explains all you need to know, and is concise and easy for any marketer to read.

Click Here To Download Your Free SEO Loophole Report

These same strategies have been used to gain number one rankings on Yahoo, Bing, and other leading search engines. Whether you're a small time marketer or a giant of the internet marketing world, you can produce massive conversions and long-term customers simply by appealing to different search demographics outside of Google.

Click Here To Download Your Free SEO Loophole Report

Ready To Maximise Your SEO Exposure?

Government to Regulate Social Web

2009-10-03T12:29:00.009Z

A growing but controversial trend on the Internet is receiving a great deal of scrutiny from the government. The trend involves paid or sponsored endorsements, testimonials, and more on blogs and various social media sites. The Federal Trade Commission began investigating these practices earlier this year and announced it would release new rules and guidelines to update the current legislation.

As a result, marketers, advertisers, and bloggers alike are all raising concern. Is it necessary for the government to intervene? A problem does exist since consumers are directly affected by paid and sponsored posts, but is government regulation the answer?

Brian Solis, the Principal of FutureWorks, conducted a study on Facebook to explore possible solutions. He found that while most everyone agreed that disclosure was the key to solving the issue, they could not agree on a standard format.

Will disclosure be included in the FTC’s new guidelines? Could these issues be resolved without government intervention?

Since the FTC is expected to release their guidelines at any time, we might not have to speculate for much longer.

Government to Regulate Social Web

How To Make Money From Passions

2009-09-29T10:59:00.005Z

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How To Make Money From Passions

Maverick Money Makers � 1997 - 2008

Maverick Money Makers
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

To make money online many people jump right in before they are properly prepared. You know that to be a rocket scientist, a doctor, a brick layer, a construction worker, an office worker, a teacher there are prerequisites, things you must learn, before you can be successful, you don't just jump right in unprepared.

The same applies to the Internet marketing industry even though there are unsavory people out there who'd have you believe it's a "Walk in the Park" and requires no more than the belief that you can just do it.

And I'll have to admit, it is a walk in the park compared to what you have to put up with in the working world punching a clock being a subordinate to someone who does not have your interests in mind, but there are still rules you have to follow and pitfalls you must avoid to actually make Internet marketing work for you.

Most people will not make a dime online and yet there are others who will make more in one month than most people make in a whole year. Why is that?

My answer begins with the age-old chicken or egg question, "what comes first the chicken or the egg"? Personally I vote for, well never mind, each argument you or I make comes back to the same old conclusion - I have no clue and I don't think many of us do either.

But one thing I do have a clue about and know for sure is that to make money online you must first have Passion for the company products and/or service of any Internet business from which you expect to make money.

Passion in this sense simply means that you've researched and like the company and products or services. It is then that you translate that like (or Passion) into the education, excitement and work that usually accompany Passion.

I will have to say that many online entrepreneurs are so good at what they do that they ignore passion because they can sell anything. But I'm concerned about those of you who are not so knowledgeable at working an online business successfully.

Now, I'm not trying to make anyone believe that Passion is the only thing necessary. Because to be successful you must also have a good website, good marketing, widespread advertising, company support, effective keywords, and etc. Those things are often learned from the company you join - but sidestep Passion and you reduce your chances for success dramatically.

It therefore follows that, if you have no Passion for the company and the products and services provided by that company, again, you won't attempt to do the work you are being taught.

Internet marketing work is typically not all that difficult or time consuming but it does take motivation caused by Passion to get you off and running with a sustained effort so that you won't stumble.

You have a great resource in the Internet search engines to search about the Internet Marketing industry for business opportunities, USE IT!

Your research should uncover a company that you like and have confidence in. It should be solid, founded on great principles, and easy to understand with great products and services that are sell-able for which you can have Passion. If you don't find it move on,
You can find the right opportunity containing the attributes identified above.

Comments like, well, that one sounds good and the compensation plan is excellent so I guess I'll start that business - does not sound like a decision based on anything near Passion. And remember when you hear that an Internet "guru" does that, don't be tempted, because as I said earlier they are experienced and can sell just about anything, without being Passionate about the company products and services.

Note: By the way it's your goal to get to the point where you can sell about anything online. That end skill and goal is a worthy one indeed.

Remember, there are other steps you must make before you step into Internet Marketing but if you don't first find the right company products and services to be passionate about, all of those other steps may just cause you a lot of frustration instead of bringing you great success.

Not being Passionate about a company and products and services that has market proof that it will sell is a pitfall you simply must avoid.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Maverick Money Makers is a private
society that will teach you how to
build a six-figure a month business
on the internet.

If you want to make money online,
join the society before it's too late.

Join The People That Are Making Real Money Online

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

How To Make Money From Passions

Skype Founders Sue eBay for $75 Million Per Day

2009-09-28T09:27:00.004Z

By Chris Crum

eBay Says Skype Deal Will Still Go Through

Update 2: At the Shop.org Summit this week, eBay John Donahoe said that despite lawsuits, the $1.9 Billion deal will still close.

Update: The Skype founders filed another lawsuit today, complicating matters even more. Reuters reports:

The founders of Skype on Friday filed a new lawsuit against Index Ventures and one of its partners, Michelangelo Volpi, accusing him of misappropriating trade secrets to help broker the sale of the Internet phone service owned by eBay Inc.

Original Article: eBay is being sued by the founders of Skype for no less than $75 million per day. Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom now own a company called Joltid. They have asked for an injunction to stop Skype from using a piece of software it owns in a filing in a US district court in San Francisco, according to Bloomberg.

Joltid alleges that eBay has been showing the source code for the software to third-party developers without their permission. Joltid claims that peer-to-peer technology of the software is being used in Skype, although they demanded to retain the rights to it back when eBay purchased Skype in 2005. Now, they want $75 million for every day the source code continues to be shown.

eBay says the Skype founders' claims are "without merit," but according to Bloomberg, eBay says it may shut down Skype if the dispute is not resolved, although they claim to be developing an "alternative technology."

The companies that are planning to buy Skype have also been named in the lawsuit.

eBay recently signed a deal to sell most of Skype, while retaining a 35% stake. The deal valued Skype at $2.75 billion. According to the deal, an investor group led by Silver Lake, which also includes Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Investment Board would control about a 65% stake. eBay is supposed to receive approximately $1.9 billion in cash upon the completion of the sale.

You have to wonder if the acquisition will go through at all after this mess. This was probably a little more than these investors bargained for.

Skype Founders Sue eBay for $75 Million Per Day

Money Fast

2009-09-25T22:44:00.006Z

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How To Make Money Fast Online

Maverick Money Makers � 1997 - 2008

How do I make money fast?
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The question has come into everyone's mind at one point or another."How do I make money fast?" Luckily for everyone who has ever had that question come to mind there is an answer! There are several ways to make money quickly online, now we will venture through the online category.

3 websites to make money online.

1. Associated Content.
2. Cash Crate.
3. Forum booster.

Let's begin with associated content. Associated content should be the number one stop for those people who frequently ask themselves, how I could make money fast. Associated Content requires you to write content, which in other words for those who aren't familiar with the online language, content means articles.

Associated Content requires that you write articles for them, they will pay you anywhere from $3 to $40 for your content.

Most of the time however the bids that they place on your content are for much less than $10. However, this is still a great way to make money online if you can type several articles per day. You may be surprised to see how easy it has become to earn a part time income through writing for Associated Content.

The next site that we will talk about is Cash Crate. Cash Crate is a site that pays you to take surveys. They may pay anywhere from a dollar to possibly a hundred dollars, just for you to take a survey.

Doesn't sound too bad now does it? The reason they pay you to complete surveys is that companies are willing to shell out loads of cash for in-depth information from their consumers to find out exactly what they word on the street is about their product or services.

They even have a daily survey on the homepage that is guaranteed to make you some extra income; the guaranteed survey on the homepage pays $0.80. It may not seem like much but do the math, over a 30 day time period. That is almost $30 extra dollars just for taking surveys.

Are you still asking yourself that question, how do I make money fast? Well if writing tons of articles and taking surveys doesn't really sound like your cup of tea, there is always the alternative of Forum Booster.

Forum Booster is a website that pays you $0.10 for each post you make on a forum. This is great for those of us that would be searching and posting on forums either way, why not get paid for it? If you can post sixty posts in 1 hour, you can make $6, which is not that bad for earning money online.

It may not be minimum wage, but you have the advantage of being in the comfort of your own home. You can be in your pajamas sipping coffee while working on posting on these forums. Each post should be a minimum of 12 words, which is not difficult to do at all.

Overall there are tons of ways to make money quickly online but these are just the tried and true and the best of the best.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Maverick Money Makers is a private
society that will teach you how to
build a six-figure a month business
on the internet.

If you want to make money online,
join the society before it's too late.

Show me how I make money fast?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Money Fast

How Google Penalties Can Help Your Site

2009-09-25T09:29:00.003Z

In this clip, Jim Hedger takes the mic for WebProNews, and talks to Ross Dunn, CEO and Founder of Stepforth Web Marketing about how Google penalties can actually be good for your site.

Dunn is basically talking about the principle - “What hurts can make you stronger.” His point is that when you get a penalty in Google, it forces you to really pick apart your site and figure out what’s wrong. At that point, you can make it better (and perhaps better than ever).

Dunn talks about a specific example in which a client had an issue with a site. There was keyword stuffing going on, and it got penalized by Google. When they went back and cut back on the spam and cleaned it up, they got back in Google’s good graces. Dunn attributes this to the fact that the client had good content (better than competitors in fact), and Google likely recognized this fact when determining rankings after the keyword stuffing issue was addressed.

Dunn says being penalized by Google serves as a wake-up call to webmasters. He says you should get someone outside of the company to look at the site. You can consult with an SEO or a friend with some SEO experience, look for advice in forums, and/or get a site audit.

Dunn and Hedger go on to discuss how you know if your site has been penalized from Google or your rankings have simply dropped. They also discuss Google’s Caffeine update and what this could mean for SEOs. Watch the video to find out what they think about the matter.

How Google Penalties Can Help Your Site

Are You Tired Of Endlessly Searching for eBay Niches?

2009-09-24T13:26:00.002Z

It's nothing new to eBay sellers -- you spend hours and hours searching for a new niche to take advantage of, and after a full day of research you see that it's already occupied and being mastered by someone two steps ahead of you. It's never a good feeling and it leads to a massive amount of stress and wasted time. Searching out niches on eBay is an important and time consuming part of any online business, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a stressful activity.

What if you could minimise the time you spend searching out eBay niches, and maximise the time you spend on the important parts of your business. It's not as impossible as it may sound. What is the solution? Don't worry, it doesn't involve expensive and frustrating outsourcing, or a poorly crafted internet script. The easiest way to search out new and potentially rewarding eBay niches is by making the most of software designed to maximise your eBay seller experience.

So what software should you use? It can be difficult knowing what to pick. The best software for the job is Auction Inspector, a powerful new tool that's helping eBay power sellers absolutely dominate the online auction market. Allowing you to search out new niches and profitable business avenues quickly and easily, the software is the ultimate replacement for your precious time wasted searching out eBay niches.

Click Here To Download Your Free eBay Niche Report

How can this save you time? I know, it's often difficult to see the potential when groundbreaking software is released. Think about it this way: How much do you value your time? If you can make more money by focusing on the most profitable parts of your online business, then it makes perfect sense to optimise the less profitable hours by eliminating them altogether. Auction Inspector allows you to save valuable time and focus on what's most important to yourself and your online business.

Click Here To Download Your Free eBay Niche Report

So, are you ready to become an eBay power seller? It's not as difficult as you might think, and the big buys are really just a few steps in front of you. Recover that lost ground and get your eBay business to the top of the pile by reading this free report, packed with information on how to succeed on eBay.

Click Here To Download Your Free eBay Niche Report

Low-Cost Search Tactics

2009-09-06T15:45:00.003Z

Although search marketing is not known as being an extremely expensive marketing endeavor, it still takes some monetary resources. Not every small mom-n-pop business has the budget to fund these efforts. There are some small businesses that even have to make a choice between paying utility bills and investing in search marketing strategies.

Matt Van Wagner of Find Me Faster explains that, in spite of these circumstances, the Web offers every business an opportunity to be found, even with a small budget. First and foremost, a business needs to have an online presence with a website. The site does not need to be elaborate, but needs to be able to operate and provide basic functions.

He recommends utilizing David Mihm’s site called GetListed.org. This site gives actionable tips and information for small businesses and the best part is, it is free. If you are going to do paid search, Van Wagner suggest being conservative and local in what you do.

Low-Cost Search Tactics

Are You Tired Of Endlessly Searching for eBay Niches?

2009-09-05T22:15:00.004Z

Disc Mojo Physical Infoproduct Income Streams

2009-09-04T09:55:00.004Z

Use this software to create a highly profitable residual income stream

Well it's good news for all marketers because a new window of opportunity to create a "highly-profitable-set-and-forget" income stream has just opened up.

If you remember, just one year ago digital products such as e-books were selling for as much as $97 or more.

Have you noticed a steady decrease in the price ranges of these products recently? Digital products alone can no longer create a steady income stream on the internet.

Creativity is the key! One has to think out of the box to create a profitable business empire online. One such creative idea is to convert your digital products, Audio/Video content, PLR products or resale rights products to PHYSICAL CD/DVD's.

There are two reasons why you should consider selling physical products.
1. Physical products have a high perceived value and sell for much higher prices than digital products.

2. Physical products have very low refund rates and almost always keep your customers satisfied!

Few years ago, small marketers such as you and me were scared to sell physical CD/DVD products. Why? because converting your digital products into physical products need a lot of time and money to create and deliver them to the customer.

GOOD NEWS! Now you no longer have to waste hours of time trying to package, label and ship your CD/DVD's to your customers. Disc Mojo Software will completely automate the process and deliver the products to your customer’s doorstep. Once you upload your product to Kunaki and set up Disc Mojo on your server you are all set to receiver orders.

Once the customer orders using the order page Disc Mojo creates, your product will be burned into CD's, professionally packed and delivered to your customer using kunaki CD fulfillment service.

Check your more details here:
Click Here

I highly recommend it to everyone. Get this killer product for a very low price!
Act now... and build your very own UNIQUE highly profitable income stream in the next few minutes.

Disc Mojo Physical Infoproduct Income Streams

The Power of Thumbnails and Images

2009-09-03T12:17:00.002Z

According to Rebecca Lieb of the ClickZ Network, recent surveys show that video has a greater chance of being clicked if it has a thumbnail or image. These results are evident in the popularity of universal search. Rebecca advises marketers to take these statistics seriously and recommends posting related videos with each new video just as Greg Jarboe suggested.

The Power of Thumbnails and Images

The Internet Marketing Success Formula Review

2009-09-02T23:06:00.005Z

The Internet Marketing Success Formula Floored Me

I have to tell you right off the bat, Soren Jordansen's Internet
Marketing Success Formula knocked me for a loop when I got my finally
got hands on his free 41 page e-book.

It's bursting at the seams with useful information Soren gleamed from
his own experience and, more importantly, from conducting scientific
surveys of internet marketers.

Basically, the average internet marketer is a new marketer who
desperately wants to make enough money so they can quit their day job
but has doesn't have the foggiest idea on how to actually go about
doing so.

There is one startling finding that many seasoned marketers overlook,
or just plain don't know, and it is from this fact that Soren lays out
detailed proven tested step by step plan

This e-book is written for the new marketer or for any other marketer
who is stuck and hasn't yet experienced success online.

When you can get right down to it, it's a roll up your sleeves and
get your hands dirty how to guide on starting a internet business from
scratch.

Everything, and I mean everything, is covered from choosing a web
host, building a squeeze page, monetizing the list building process,
how to set up a profit pulling email series and what types of
affiliate programs convert the best while creating the trust and
creditability.

The traffic generation system starts with methods that generate tons
of free traffic immediately and progresses through more advanced and
time consuming tactics as well as using paid traffic to build your
business.

The only thing I wished Soren would have spent more time on was the
chapter where he shows you how to take it to the next level. However,
it's really for internet marketers who need to get their basic hands
free affiliate system set up and running first.

Now, what make Soren's report stand head and shoulders above every
other basic how to guide are the real life examples Soren is currently
using in own business. He doesn't waste your time with fictional dog
training case studies or other such nonsense.

And get this, Soren is letting people rebrand this e-book for a
ridiculously low price.

I'm not kidding when I say using the methods revealed in The Internet
Marketing Success Formula could mean the difference between you
becoming one of the scant few percent making real money online or
still spinning your wheels trying make sense of internet marketing and
going nowhere fast!

My recommendation is to get your hands on this free e-book and follow
the steps exactly as Soren says.

Click Here For Free eBook

The Internet Marketing Success Formula Review

This guys no dick

2009-09-02T20:10:00.004Z

Oh, RSS Is Definitely Dead Now: Feedburner CEO Dick Costolo To Become Twitter COO

Former Google exec and the cofounder/CEO of RSS service Feedburner Dick Costolo is Twitter’s new chief operating officer, we’ve heard from multiple sources. Costolo, who sold Feedburner to Google for $100 million in 2007, left Google in July. We’d heard he was looking to start a new company, but obviously Twitter swooped in and grabbed him.

Steve Gillmor is going to love this, of course, since he proclaimed that RSS was dead and Twitter was the new messaging protocol bus, or something to that effect. “Rest In Peace, RSS,” he wrote, saying “It’s time to get completely off RSS and switch to Twitter…All my RSS feeds are in Google Reader. I don’t go there any more. Since all my feeds are in Google Reader and I don’t go there, I don’t use RSS anymore.”

Santosh Jayaram, Twitter’s existing head of operations (and also from Google), will presumably remain with the company and report to Costolo.

Costolo, who is also an early Twitter investor, is someone who has actual experience building scalable infrastructures, which Twitter sorely needs. The company hasn’t launched any new features in recent memory, and continues to have regular downtime. In fact, Twitter’s inability to build features and keep the service live is a serious competitive disadvantage. Costolo can presumably fix all that.

Twitter is actively hiring more senior people, we’ve heard. In July they hired Alexander Macgillivray, Google’s associate general counsel for Product and IP, as their new General Counsel.

RSS Is Definitely Dead Now

Richard Ball critical of Yahoo’s Search Marketing

2009-09-02T09:02:00.005Z

Search engine marketing specialist Richard Ball has been critical of Yahoo’s Search Marketing business. Their practice of placing search ads on their distribution network, even when advertisers opt out of content matching for their campaigns, has led to some of Ball’s clients receiving lots of clicks through sites he calls “low quality” Yahoo distribution partners.
Yahoo does not offer an option for advertisers to place ads only on their properties. Ball thinks that the issue is so much of a problem that he has chosen to end his status as a Yahoo! Search Marketing Ambassador. Ball said, “Seems odd that you can’t buy only search.yahoo.com ads via Yahoo! Search Marketing. You have to accept ad distribution to their partner network, which is rife with syndication fraud.”

Richard Ball critical of Yahoo’s Search Marketing

U.S. Gets First Internet Addiction Center

2009-08-29T17:26:00.004Z

By Mike Sachoff

Located near Microsoft headquarters

A new Internet addiction center has opened in Fall City, Washington, that claims it is the first of its kind in the U.S.

The center called reStart is a 45-day program costing $14,500 and is located near Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. reStart says its program is specifically designed to help Internet and video game addicts overcome their dependence on gaming, gambling, chatting, texting and other aspects of Internet addiction.

The center was co-founded by Cosette Rae, MSW, and Hilarie Cash, PhD.
According to reStart, current research indicates that anywhere from 6-10 percent of the online population is dependent on the Internet. Among gamers, those playing MMOGs (like World of Warcraft) appear to be addicted at much higher levels.
reStart argues that the United States has been slow to recognize the problem of Internet addiction and its program is part of the process of drawing attention to the issue.
The mission of the program is helping people, addicted to video games and the Internet, find balance, and reconnect to the real world. The program includes individual and group therapy, life-skills coaching, cooperative living, physical and nutritional education, mindfulness training, skill building and 12-step meetings.
The American Psychiatric Association currently does not have a listing for Internet addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The possibility of Internet addiction making it into the manual will not happen until its next update in 2012.

Google Expands AdSense Euro Reporting

2009-08-29T17:16:00.002Z

By Chris Crum

Now Available for More European Locations

Google has expanded the number of European places where Euro reporting is available for AdSense. Users who are in the following locations can now switch to local currency reports to view their earnings in Euros:
- Cyprus- Luxembourg- Malta- Monaco- San Marino- Slovenia- Vatican City
"Once you make this change, any earnings generated from advertisers paying on other currencies will be converted to Euros each day," says Arlene Lee of Google's Inside AdSense Team. "This also means that if you're receiving payments in Euros, there won't be any additional conversions at the end of the month when payments are issued."

Google recommends that users download and save copies of their past reports in US dollars for their own records, before they switch to local currency reports. After that, the company says to look for the green prompt in the upper right-hand corner of the Reports Overview page, and click the link in the prompt, where you'll be asked to agree to a new set of terms and conditions. Google says that it is a good idea to switch to local currency soon, because in the future, it will be a required update. More information about the new reports can be found in the help center. Google also suggests contacting your lawyer if you have questions about the new terms.

Acquisition Rumors (Re)surround Facebook

2009-08-29T17:08:00.002Z

By Doug Caverly

Yahoo "needs them," Zuckerberg fond of Spotify

Facebook might soon be involved in another acquisition. New analyses/rumors are swirling, anyway, with one person suggesting that Facebook should be bought, and another indicating that the social networking company could extend an offer to a smaller firm.

Let's start with the idea of Facebook itself getting acquired. Scott Moritz, a senior writer at TheStreet.com, appeared in a video this morning saying that both Google and Microsoft would be smart to acquire Facebook. He then continued, "Yahoo really is the one, I think . . . it needs them the most."

Moritz supported his argument by saying that both Facebook and Yahoo act as destinations and sell ads, and that Yahoo would do well to receive traffic from Facebook.

As for the possibility that Facebook will go on the prowl, Michael Arrington discovered that Mark Zuckerberg recently updated his status update with the message "Spotify is so good." Spotify is a music service similar to iLike, which MySpace is buying, so a move here would help Facebook keep pace. Facebook and Spotify also happen to share an investor - Li Ka-shing.

Social Networks Leaking Users Data To Tracking Sites

2009-08-29T16:50:00.004Z

By Mike Sachoff

Browsing profile linked to unique identifier

Many popular social networking sites typically make personal information available to companies that track users' browsing habits and allow them to link anonymous browsing habits to specific people, according to a new study by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

"When you sign up with a social networking site, you are assigned a unique identifier," says Craig Wills, professor of computer science at WPI.

"This is a string of numbers or characters that points to your profile. We found that when social networking sites pass information to tracking sites about your activities, they often include this unique identifier. So now a tracking site not only has a profile of your Web browsing activities, it can link that profile to the personal information you post on the social networking site. Now your browsing profile is not just of somebody, it is of you."

Social networks use third-party tracking sites to learn about the browsing habits of their users. Cookies are managed by a browser and contain information that allows tracking sites to build profiles of the websites visited by a user. Each time a user visits a new website, the tracking site can review those cookies to offer ads that might be relevant to the user.

Wills says social networks go to far by allowing the transmission of unique identifiers. "Users put a lot of information about themselves on social networking sites," said Wills.

"A lot of that information can be seen by other users, by default. There are mechanisms users can use to limit access to their information, but we found through previous research that most users don't take advantage of them."

With a unique identifier tracking sites could gain access to a users personal information. Wills says this could lead to having one's identity linked to inaccurate browsing profiles, depending on how many people use the same computer.

"Tracking sites don't have the ability to know if, for example, a site about cancer was visited out of curiosity, or because the user actually has cancer," said Wills. "Profiling is worrisome on its own, but inaccurate profiling could potentially lead to issues with employment, health care coverage, or other areas of our personal lives."

"Once someone is in possession of your unique identifier, there is so much they can learn about you. And even if tracking sites do not use the information themselves, can they guarantee that it will never find its way into other hands? For these reasons, we feel this issue is something that we should to be concerned about."

Is a Picture Worth 1,000 Clicks?

2009-08-28T19:00:00.011Z

To get the most out of the images on your site, you have to optimize them. According to R.J. Pittman of Google, good image optimization starts with having the best quality of images that you can have. The next step is to have an expressive title as well as rich descriptive content that explain the image.

Webmasters also have the opportunity to provide topic tags, which are keywords that a searcher might use in a query. As Pittman tells special guest WPN correspondent Eric Enge, the more information that the user provides for the image, the better Google can index and surface the image.

Google is even developing RDFa tag structure, which would allow it to work off of a new language vocabulary that users could embed into their Web pages. The html structure would provide a means for search engines to identify various features of the image and thus provide more accurate image results.

Despite all the additional exposure images could bring to websites, Google is not seeing images being utilized as well as they could be. Pittman encourages webmasters to embrace images since they improve understanding and, ultimately, click-through rate (CTR) once they are indexed by the search engines.

Are you embracing the use of images?

Effective Tools for Every SEO

2009-08-27T18:37:00.005Z

It is difficult to know which tools to use for your website since there are so many options to choose from. Aaron Wall, the well-known author of SEOBook, explains his favorite tools in this video, which just might make your selection easier.

First of all, Aaron recommends Google’s Search-based Keyword Tool. This tool allows users to find keywords organized by categories. It also displays the competition for a keyword, its suggested bid, and more.

Competitive research tools have become increasingly popular over the last year. They give users an insight into what their competitors are doing and provide an opportunity for them to capitalize. Aaron recommends the following competitive research tools:

- Google Keyword Trends
- Google Search Insights
- Alexa
- Compete
- SEMRush
- KeywordSpy

Lastly, Aaron humbly explains his own SEO Toolbar. The toolbar does a number of things, but in summary, it lets users select keyword tools, gives data on the number of links to a site, tells the amount of traffic coming into the site, estimates the value of the traffic, provides competitive research tools, and is easily exportable.

Is SEO Dead?

2009-08-27T18:17:00.004Z

The stability in the future of search has recently been put into question due to the impact of social media on search. Since people are doing more and more searches on social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, does it mean that social media will eventually replace search engines?

Both Twitter and Facebook have launched real-time search engines within their service offerings, and the major search engines are still struggling to enter the real-time search arena. Heather Dougherty, the Research Director at Hitwise, said:

“I think this [social media] will become integrated as part of search but certainly not circumvent search entirely.”

Based upon this information, it is however fair to say that social media has changed SEO permanently. According to Hitwise data, the number of visits to social networking sites exceeds the number of visits to email sites. As a result, Dougherty suggests that marketers increase their efforts with social media in order to reach their customers better.

How have your SEO efforts changed as a result of social media? What role do you see social media playing in the future of search?

Guarantee Conversions on Your Landing Pages

2009-08-22T12:48:00.003Z

Given the economic environment we are all living in, businesses cannot afford to not have their landing pages convert. In this video from SES NYC, Tim Ash gives two distinct ways to ensure that they will convert.
1. Apply best practices to it2. Ask your audience
One of the biggest problems Tim sees when analyzing landing pages is a problem with clutter. The business needs to have a clear call to action. Allow the customer to focus on their current transaction and don’t confuse them with too many options. Consider basic usability tips when applying your best practices.
Businesses have to keep up with the current trends and know what their audience wants. It is vitally important to get involved and communicate with the audience. If you give your audience what they want, you will have better results, which translates into more revenue.
On the topic of tools, Tim gives 2 recommendations. The first is Google Website Optimizer. This is a free tool that Google offers which allows users to conduct both A/B split testing and multivariate testing. Tim says it is a very powerful tool that is effective for both beginners and advanced users.
The second tool that Tim recommends is OnDialog. Tim prefaced this solution in an interview with us at PubCon South. OnDialog provides landing page creation software that puts the marketer in control. Tim’s company, SiteTuners has partnered with OnDialog and incorporated its tuning engine technology into their software. The tool allows more tests in parallel and bases data on actual results.

Discover Who Your Audience Is

2009-08-22T12:08:00.004Z

How well do you know your audience? Many advertisers think they know their audience well, but unfortunately, some do not utilize all the resources that would help them know their audience even better.
Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist with Google, explains how tools such as Google Ad Planner and Google Insights for Search provide data that help advertisers truly understand the demographics of their audience. These tools essentially allow users to build a target audience profile based on actual data and analytics.
Avinash says, “The reality is, you can focus by using data.”
He went on to say that he has found that many advertisers only have opinions on their audience but neglect to run experiments and tests to validate their views. Although experiments and tests take time, they save advertisers from targeting the wrong audience.
Is your advertising campaign working? Can you prove your target audience with data? If not, you may need to re-evaluate and make sure you truly know who you are targeting.

Selling Software Made Easy!

2009-08-21T10:32:00.002Z

Look at your computer screen, what do you see? Well apart from the open tabs and the snazzy desktop wallpaper lurking behind, what do you really see? Software.

When someone asks you what makes a perfect computer your mind is immediately flung into thoughts of RAM and Graphics cards, LCD monitors and Hard Drives but that is all hardware, obviously it is important but so is software. When you think about it everyone needs software, your computer could not run properly without it. You need it to browse the web, read documents, play music, watch DVD's, scan for viruses â€“ the list of what you need software for is really endless. For every task needing to be accomplished on your computer a piece of software is required.

There is a free report on the internet that could possibly change how your perceive software and its uses. Conquering the Software Niche will make you understand how to sell this software that everybody needs. It is not a case of some computer users will need software others will not â€“ here is a tip for you, software is essential to the running of your computer. Its need is universal.

In Conquering the Software Niche you will find everything you need to know about selling, marketing and (most importantly) profiting from this never ending business. The best part is most of it can be done on autopilot, it's not as if you have to go down to the post office and post the software, it is done electronically. While your asleep you could have sold loads of software and had it send to the purchasers by the time you've had your first cup of coffee.

Selling software is for everyone, read this free report and decide if you want to be involved in this million dollar industry.

Click Here To Download Your Free Conquer The Software Niche Report

Internet Marketing, Advice and Guidance

2009-08-21T10:18:00.005Z

Marketing a product online can be a daunting task, where do you even start? We see so many advertisement's in different forms on the internet: popup ads, flash videos, reviews, banners, text ads, there is just so much to take in. So many different ways that we can reach a large, diverse and dynamic audience.

That is why you should have something to get you started. Something to lay the fundamental building blocks of your internet marketing campaign so that you can build upon them. "The Brutal Truth About Internet Marketing" does just that.

In this brilliant little report you will find some excellent tips and recommendations on how to be successful in the internet marketing realm â€“ from avoiding the scammers to helping your business grow to what to look for when purchasing, it's all in this crafty little report.

Most people fail or are scammed when it comes to internet marketing. Why? Because they don't research. They buy a product that is lousy, insufficient or perhaps just doesn't even exist. Consequently many will give up as a result of this, leaving the world of internet marketing as a failure. It is said only a few people out of the thousands of new recruits to affiliate marketing will succeed â€“ some 90% will fail. This is because they end up being scammed solely because they do not know any better.

Internet marketing offers you a great chance to make your presence felt on the World Wide Web, whether you own a business or are an individual, you can really make a splash by reading this free report. Two types of people inhabit the internet marketing world, winners and losers; don't let yourself fall into the second category.

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Understanding Semantics and Its Impact on SEO

2009-08-17T08:59:00.001Z

Although there is no clear definition of semantics at this point, semantic technology and how it impacts search is sparking a lot of conversation of late. In the past, the search industry has focused primarily on keywords, but now, everyone wants to dig deeper and find the true meaning, or the semantics, behind various actions.

All the search engines have recently stepped up their efforts with semantic search and hope to better understand each user’s intent. For example, if a user searches for “cougar” are they looking for an animal, a car, or a TV series? Semantic technology has potential to provide a better understanding of that intent.

While many questions pertaining to semantics remain, one certainty that Dana Todd of Newsforce points out is that semantics go beyond keywords and produce new and intriguing data layers to calculate.

Where do you think semantics will take us moving forward? Do you have concerns about semantic search?

Learn About Craigslist

2009-08-14T20:27:00.002Z

Google Matt Cutts Explains Caffeine Update

2009-08-13T14:24:00.004Z

Google announced yesterday that it has been working on a project called “Caffeine” that will re-write the architecture for Google’s Web search. As Matt Cutts shares exclusively with WebProNews, Caffeine is comparable to the “Big Daddy Update” back in 2005, which consisted of changes to the way Google crawls and indexes websites.

How much of an impact will Caffeine have on results? Matt says there will, hopefully, not be a big difference. Google will integrate Caffeine slowly and take user feedback into consideration.

Matt says, “If we push forward as fast as we can, double down on innovation and try to do the best that we can, [and] do the right thing for users, everything else will work out.”

This infrastructure modification will lay the foundation for future indexing changes and will also allow for the expansion of website speed and size. Incidentally, it could even provide a stronger architecture for potential real-time and semantic efforts.

If you would like to try Caffeine, you can check it out at: http://www2.sandbox.google.com.

Using internet marketing techniques on offline businesses...

2009-08-10T22:39:00.005Z

As an internet marketer, I know just how lucrative it is to make money marketing online businesses. However I have to let you on a secret I just stumbled upon. I have just found out that instead of concentrating only on online businesses, it is just as easy to earn easy cash using internet marketing techniques on offline businesses!

The main reason for this is because to offline businesses, internet marketing proves to be something new. They are not aware of this market and avenue of free marketing, which brings increased sales and profit for them.

We as internet marketers have nothing to lose as all we have to do is to teach all of them the tricks of internet marketing. Basically, offline businesses at present carry out similar marketing and advertising tactics like using coupons for promoting their businesses and perhaps getting listed in the yellow pages.

They save while we earn

However what they do not know is that they can save money through internet marketing (while we make money!). Instead of spending money printing coupons, we can teach them how to use online coupon companies for free. And instead of getting listed in the yellow pages, we just have to show them the global audience the business gets by listing their business in online yellow pages and directory sites.

We can also carry out workshops to teach them all there is to internet marketing and earn some money by charging for attending the workshop. We can also offer to start blogs for them, and manage them by adding fresh content on a regular basis, and by perhaps starting an e-newsletter for interested people to sign up for.

So you can see that by offering our internet marketing skills to offline businesses, not only do these businesses flourish, we can also earn a sizeable amount through their internet marketing.

There are more tips and techniques to learn by implementing internet marketing techniques in offline businesses. This is why I highly recommend you download this free report called Easy Offline Cash. It discusses everything about using internet marketing techniques in offline business. If you care at all about making more money with what you always to, you will at least download and read the report, it's free!

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Make Money When Visitors Leave

2009-08-10T12:44:00.003Z

Since the internet has come into existence, webmasters have looked for ways to keep visitors from leaving their sites. Well the newest great invention might just involve letting them(attempt to) leave your website. Visitors who attempt to leave your website are called "exit traffic". This exit traffic can actually be a great source of opt-ins to various things. There are multiple scripts built to try and keep users on a site when they attempt to leave.

One such script is the customer support script. When a visitor tries to leave, an alert pops up and tells them that a live representative wants to talk to them first. This in turn brings up a small chat window where you can talk to a (possibly real) representative. I (as well as many others) find this particular script extremely obnoxious. If I want to leave a site, I certainly don't want to chat with a live person who will try to sell me their product.

Another script is a simple alert pop up. First an alert pops up saying they have a fantastic new offer and you should not leave until you see it. Then it redirects the page that you are currently on and takes you to one with an audio file embedded to it. This is extremely effective because it is hard to leave when there is a real voice saying "please don't leave until you check out this great offer", or something like that. This method isn't too obtrusive and can cause visitors to feel bad about leaving even.

Exit traffic commonly converts to over 300% added to normal opt-ins. There is a free report detailing how you can use this to your advantage, it's called 3 Easy Steps That Will Increase Conversion Rates By 300%. This excellent report covers many topics about exit traffic and how to optimize it to increase your income revenue by leaps and bounds.

Click Here To Dowload Your Free Exit Conversion Report

Make Easy Money on the Internet selling Computer Software

2009-08-09T09:43:00.002Z

Are you looking for ways to enhance your income? Is your mind completely boggled by the numerous Internet opportunities? Are you contemplating which one might work for you? If so, you are like so many other individuals. In today's world just about everyone could stand to add some income to their pocket each month, and many of us are even in the market for a brand new career. If you are one of these people you really are in luck.

Making money on the internet can be a reality. However, you must be diligent in finding the right opportunity. There are numerous scams out there that will take your money and run. If you are serious about generating money you will want to look for a niche that is wide open with money making opportunities. One such area is the computer software niche. After all, all computers run on software programs and people are constantly in the market for different types of software for their computer. What is even more important is that people are willing to pay for software products.

You may now be wondering, how complicated is this to get started and can I really make money? The answer is that it really is much easier than you think and yes you absolutely can make money selling software. Basically all you need to do is to design and set up a website to sell the software and then contract with software companies to sell their products. There are an abundance of software companies out there that will be willing to contract with you. And, there are programs you can purchase that show you step by step exactly how to set up your money making venture.

If you are now thinking, selling software to turn a profit just may be for me, you will certainly want to download this free report Conquer The Software Niche. It discusses everything you will need to know on how to get started with your own money making software business. The report goes into detail and gives step by step instructions on how to get started and how to build your cash flow. So don't wait any longer. Download this free report today and get started on your money making adventure.

Click Here To Download Your Free Conquer The Software Niche Report

Is Twitter Scaring Google?

2009-08-08T14:02:00.003Z

There have been multiple reports that Twitter could replace Google. Twitter has quickly risen to become one of the most powerful sources on the Web. In 2008 alone, Compete found that the microblogging service grew 752 percent. Do you think this might make Google, the long-standing Internet giant, a tad-bit nervous or jealous?
Chris Brogan says, “…I think Google is a bit envious. I think they don’t know what to do with it all yet.”
Does this mean that Google is letting their feelings influence how they return Twitter results? There have been some rumors that Google may let the “authority” of Twitter users play a role in their results. For example, a celebrity or a well-known “authority” such as Chris Brogan could rank higher in Google results than an average Joe user.
Do you think Google is jealous of Twitter? If so, what do you think the company’s next move will be?

Make Money When Visitors Leave

2009-08-08T13:28:00.004Z

How does craigslist work?

2009-08-05T15:20:00.006Z

I have heard so much about Craigslist but don't know how it works.
Go to Craigslist.org. The various Craigslist pages are presented by location. There are more than 500 locations in 50 countries. Craigslist may be an international website, but it works on a local level. The assumption is that things you are looking for need to be close to you. Find the geographic area closest to you and click on the link.

Craigslist essentially is an Internet classified ad page. It is just on a larger and more comprehensive scale than other classified ad pages. It is immensely popular because it is mostly free and it works for many users. It gets 10 billion page views per month and has an estimated 40 million users. Craigslist says they list jobs, housing, goods, services, romance, local activities, and advice--just about anything.

What Do You Use Craigslist For?

Craigslist is an exceptionally-popular, free community website.
Here's a good description from a USA Today article: Craigslist is a giant Internet bulletin board where people buy and sell their stuff, trade humor and political wisdom, look for dates, seek home repair advice, share their poetry and often just rant. Jon Jason ('Not Udell') Kottke has a nice case study about a mover in New York that's getting most of his business for free (in terms of advertising dollars) through Craigslist.

How To Post Craigslist Ads That Receive Considerable Attention?

To learn how to do this effectively, you need to explain the concept of the forum-based website. Craigslist, a classified site, linking communities of people all over the world together, to find work, buy or sell items or even date others, is a powerful marketing tool for your business. There is a multitude of categories and subcategories where individuals can find whatever their heart desires/needs/calls for, etc.

Within a local sense, one can click their home state and/or city closest to them to find things relative to them. For others, looking all over is effective in finding new customers, new work, etc. Ultimately, whatever works for you is the way to go!
It takes a few minutes for the ad to appear sometimes.

How do I use craigslist?

I love craigslist. I buy things off of there all the time. Just remember you set the price and you compete against others on there with same item for lower or higher prices.
Depending on what you are selling there is of course small rules on there not hard to follow at all but then of course you get stupid people that don't agree with what you say in your posting sometimes and flag it (takes a lot of that) to get your posting erased off of there so got to stay on top of it.
And describe what you are selling exactly and it helps to post PICTURES they sell the item for most part. It is for mainly your locals around you it’s not like eBay where you have to ship everywhere. It’s easy. Click post ad and fill out the boxes title price location description and then add picture. Something’s sell faster than others so be prepared for lots of emails or phone calls. You have to go to your email and verify it and to post it until you make an account which if you are going to sell lots of stuff is a good idea.
Answer any questions you think someone may have on it in your ad because you will get a lot of emails or calls asking the same questions most of the time. Meet at a local spot if possible not your house.

As long as you have something good to offer for the right price, you should have no problems. Look around and see what others are selling for, this will give you an idea of how much to sell your for as well.

Can You Use Craigslist To Make Money?

When money gets tight try and make ends meet through craigslist.
You can really earn a full time income just by using Craigslist? The site itself gets a massive 40 BILLION page views each and every month.
I’m sure your product won’t apply to all of the visitors, but don’t you think at least a few are bound to be interested? The key here is that there is room for just about anything…whether you sell a tangible product, an eBook or offer some sort of service. If you are posting lots of ads then you can use an auto poster.

Who is using Craigslist?

One final advantage to searching for a new job through Craigslist is an impressive amount of available positions. More and more employers are beginning to realize how widely Craigslist is being used and are also beginning to realize they cannot afford not to place their available positions on Craigslist.

Companies of all sizes realize they cannot afford to miss out on the wealth of potential employees who are flocking to Craigslist in search of exciting new job opportunities. Available jobs positions appear on craigslist communities from small mom and pop companies to multibillion dollar corporations.

Why Good Vibrations Create A Better World

2009-07-02T11:51:00.003Z

In his book 'Power vs Force', David Hawkins calibrates people's emotions from levels 20 up to 1000. 20 being Shame which is perilously proximate to death. It’s destructive to emotional and psychological health, and makes us prone to physical illness.

At the other end of the scale at 700- 1000 is enlightenment. This is the level of the Great Ones such as Krishna, Buddha and Jesus. It is the peak of the evolutionary consciousness in the human realm.

All levels (which could be classed as vibration levels) below 200 are said to be energy draining, and below integrity. These vary from Guilt (30), Grief (75), Fear (100) up to Pride (175).

People feel positive as they reach Pride level. However Pride feels good only in contrast to the lower levels. Pride is defensive and vulnerable because it’s dependent upon external conditions, without which is can suddenly revert to a lower level.

At the 200 level, power first appears. Courage (200) is the zone of exploration, accomplishment, fortitude, and determination. People at this level put back into the world as much energy as they take; at the lower levels, populations as well as individuals drain energy from society without reciprocating.

Further levels include willingness (310), Acceptance (350) and Love (500).

This level is characterized by the development of a Love that is unconditional, unchanging, and permanent. It doesn’t fluctuate – its source isn’t dependent on external factors. Loving is a state of being. This is the level of true happiness.

Interesting facts from the book -

* The concept and theories behind these experiments were conducted over a 20 year period using a variety of Kinesiology tests and examinations.
* Kinesiology has an almost certain 100% accuracy reading every time. It will always reveal Yes, No, True, and False answers.
* Collective Consciousness: These experiments reveal that there is a higher power that connects everything and everyone.
* Everything calibrates at certain levels from weak to high including books, food, water, clothes, people, animals, buildings, cars, movies, sports, music etc.
* 85% of the human race calibrates below the critical level of 200.
* The overall average level of human consciousness stands at 207.
* Human consciousness was dangling at below the 200 level (190) for many centuries before it suddenly rose up to its present level some time in the mid 1980s. Hence Nostradamus’s end of the world predictions may have been avoided (he made his predictions at a time when human consciousness was at below the 200 level). For the world to stay at levels below 200 over a prolonged period of time would cause a great imbalance that would undoubtedly lead to the destruction of all humanity.
* The power of the few individuals at the top counterbalances the weakness of the masses.
* 1 individual at level 300 counterbalances 90,000 individuals below level 200
* 1 individual at level 500 counterbalances 750,000 individuals below level 200
* 1 individual at level 700 counterbalances 70 million individuals below level 200

In other words, as a co creator of the world, if you vibrate at 200 and above you will be helping to raise the consciousness of mankind, and be a big part in creating a better world for everyone.

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What’s Killing the Newspapers?

2009-05-15T23:19:00.003Z

As ironic as it may be, newspapers are currently topping their own headlines. Well-known newspapers such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times are not only downsizing employees, but are also cutting sections and features from their publications. While the newspaper industry appears to be dying, the news itself is actually flourishing in other forms.

What’s the reason for all this? Some blame the economy and expect the government to bail out the newspapers. U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin introduced the Newspaper Revitalization Act to Congress, which would allow newspapers to operate as non-profit organizations if they wanted to. This week, Governor Chris Gregoire of Washington State approved a tax break for newspaper printers and publishers.

Some newspapers blame Google for their struggles claiming the search engine is stealing their content. Search industry leader Danny Sullivan disagrees. He believes newspapers actually get “special treatment” from Google. There are news publications that do not appear in Google news, but so many of the complaining newspapers do. These newspapers also receive a tremendous amount of traffic from Google that many other publications would readily appreciate.

Lastly, some even say the newspapers have created their own crisis. Has the newspaper industry embraced the Internet to its full potential? Could they have approached advertising in a different way that could have produced better benefits for them? Are they monetizing their traffic in the most effective manner?

Oldest Tweeter

2009-05-15T09:04:00.006Z

Oldest Tweeter talks cuppas and casserole on Twitter at 104

Ivy Bean has become the UK’s oldest Tweeter after signing up for the micro-blogging site at the age of 104.

Ivy Bean, who is 104 years old, has become the UK's oldest Tweeter on the social networking site Photo: PA

People can follow the silver surfer’s updates at 'IvyBean104 ’ on Twitter.com

Her first posts have included “Looking forward to Deal or No Deal later,” “just having a cuppa,” and “chicken casserole was lovely, going to have a nod now.”

And she is not the only pensioner at Hillside Manor residential home in Bradford, west Yorks, to be regularly getting online.

Pat Wright, Residence Manager said: “All the residents are taking a leaf out of her book. Four signed up for 'computer-college’ while others joined Facebook, surf the net and enjoy themselves with ten-pin bowling on the games console.”

Mrs Bean was already a keen Facebook user but members of the IT support service the Geek Squad helped the pensioner get bang up to date.

The Geek Squad set her up and gave her some navigation training and top tips on how to manage the social networking phenomenon.

The support group is now challenging the Twittersphere to find out if there is actually someone older than Ivy posting updates on their whereabouts, updates and activities. Make sure you catch her before she logs off for her daily weekday appointment with Noel Edmonds on 'Deal or No Deal’.

“It’s brilliant to help someone as inspirational as Ivy to get started and teach her about Twitter,” said agent Martin Dix

“She’s quite tech savvy and already signed up to Facebook with 4,800 friends. She shows others that you shouldn’t be frightened of technology. If she was 50 years younger, I’m sure she’d make an ace Agent herself.”

Twitter membership figures are on the rise with adults and recent figures found that 45 – 54 year-olds are the site’s top demographic

Watching Twitter’s #Fixreplies Firestorm

2009-05-14T16:44:00.004Z

By Catharine P. Taylor

What a fun morning I’m having on Twitter search, looking for tweets containing the hashtag #fixreplies. Oops, wait a minute … since I logged onto the site, a minute and a half ago, 230 more replies have come in with that hashtag. Oops, make that 276. Now make that 326.

So what is everyone all tied up in their underwear about? The settings change that Twitter (415 tweets as of now) announced on its blog yesterday, saying that people would no longer see @replies (453) of people they don’t follow. This has caused the first Facebook-style Twitter revolt, as users (489) have poured onto the service to complain. The main complaint about the change is in that without this option, (531), users lose an important resource that tells them who might be interesting to follow, and they’re mad (605). (OK, I’ll stop with that meme, but you get the drift. Smoke is coming out of Twitter’s servers right about now.)

According to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Twitter enacted the change because, “based on usage patterns and feedback, we’ve learned most people want to see when someone they follow replies to another person they follow — it’s a good way to stay in the loop. However, receiving one-sided fragments via replies sent to folks you don’t follow in your timeline is undesirable. Today’s update removes this undesirable and confusing option.”

What we’re witnessing here is, once again, that it’s going to become nigh impossible for any of the popular social nets to make changes without involving users first. If you take a close look at Stone’s statement above, what you see is actually a fairly old media response, one assuming that the owner of the media property, in this case, Twitter, knows best: “receiving one-sided fragments via replies sent to folks you don’t follow in your timeline is undesirable.” You can just hear the Twitterati saying, “Undesirable to whom?”

The headline for Stone’s statement in the same vein. Reading “Small Settings Update,” it assumes that users will also view this as small — but apparently, it’s big (OK, now we’re at 1,390 new #fixreplies tweets.)

So what are social nets to do? Put everything to a vote? Not always practical, although Facebook was right to do it with its terms of service, which truly was a big change. So, are they to pack their services with so many potential options that traveling through “settings” for any one of them is a day-long excursion? Also not practical. What they do have to do is float changes with users before they make them, and then gauge the volume of the outcry. Something tells me that they would get a more reasoned approach by communicating potential changes before they happen, rather than dealing with the firestorm that inevitably erupts when users feel that something some of them valued has been snatched from them in the night.

In the current situation, Twitter appears to be weighing the outpouring of feedback, which is good. As @adbroad points out, co-founder Evan Williams tweeted the following 10 hours ago: “Reading people’s thoughts on the replies issue. We’re considering alternatives. Thanks for your feedback.”

But for now, the firestorm is raging, out of control (3,431).

Catharine P. Taylor has been covering digital media and advertising for almost 15 years. She currently writes daily about advertising on her blog, Adverganza.com. You can reach her via email at cathyptaylor@gmail.com, follow her on Twitter at cpealet, or friend her on Facebook at Catharine P. Taylor. (mediapost)
One Response to “Watching Twitter’s #Fixreplies Firestorm”

How To Write Article Headlines

2009-05-14T13:09:00.005Z

How To Write Article Headlines: 5 Tips for Clickable Titles

What makes the difference between an under-performing article and one with a drastically higher number of views?

Many times it’s something as simple as an awesome title that pushes an article over the edge from so-so to spectacular!

Here’s why your title is crucial:

Most of the time readers will discover your article through:

a) a Google search b) looking through an article directory

In both of these instances, your headline is one of the few bits of information the reader sees before they decide to click through to read your entire article.

When a reader is looking through a long list of articles on a directory or on a search engine results page, they are quickly scanning a long list of titles, and the title plays a huge role in which article they decide to read in its entirety.

So, don’t take your titles lightly–really put some thought into them and be willing to do some experimenting to see what types of titles work best for you.

Want headlines that generate more traffic? Try these 5 tactics:

1) Be short and sweet.

Put yourself in the shoes of a reader–when you’re scanning a long list of article titles, you don’t necessarily take the time to read each and every title in full. You’re just glancing over each line, trying to get the gist of what the article offers, and sometimes a very clever, long title can be overlooked simply because it doesn’t scan well.

Shorter titles tend to be more direct and focused, and this also helps search engines determine what your article is about.

Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t ever write long and clever titles–experiment, but be sure to try submitting articles that have short and punchy titles as well.

Then look at your article statistics and see if you can tell a difference in performance between the short titles and the longer ones.

2) Be direct.

Remember, Google does not understand irony, humor or puns. Search engines take things at face value. A more direct and straightforward title can help your article get higher ranking for your keyword terms.

3) Put your most crucial words at the beginning of your headline.

Again, this pays off when people are scanning your titles, but it also helps Google and the other search engines classify your article. By putting your most important words at the beginning of the title (possibly your keywords or variations of your keywords), you are making it easier for readers and Google to determine what your article is about.

Not sure how to make that work?

Here’s an example:

How To Write Article Headlines: 5 Tips for Clickable Titles

The first few words state specifically what the article is about, and the part after the colon gives additional information.

4) Your title should indicate the topic of your article.

Kind of obvious there, but when you become aware of your keywords, you may be tempted to put your keywords in your title even when the keywords are not appropriate for the article.

For example, your keywords may be “New York Dog Walker”, but in order to use those keywords in your title your article would have to be about some aspect of New York dog walkers. If your article is just about dogs or dog walking in general and not specifically about New York, then it wouldn’t be appropriate to include ‘New York’ in your title.

Your title should always describe what your article is about, and sometimes it’s not appropriate to use your keywords in your title.

5) Your title should make readers want to click through and read the entire article.

Remember, you’re writing for human readers, not just search engines. Even if it is appropriate to use your keywords in your title, you’ll want to put some thought into the phrasing of the headline so that it invites/inspires the reader to click the title and read the entire article.

Your title is the first thing a reader sees when they’re introduced to your article, and you can drastically improve your article submission success simply by paying attention to how you phrase your article headlines. Try these 5 tips and then watch your article stats to see which types of titles work best for you.
Carefully write your title, then submit your article to a vast network of targeted publishers. The more places your article is published, the more traffic your website receives. Steve Shaw created the web’s first ever 100% automated article distribution service, SubmitYOURArticle.com, which distributes your articles to hundreds of targeted publishers with the click of a button. For more information go to=> http://www.SubmitYOURArticle.com

Using Social Media to Boost Search Engine Results

2009-05-14T09:05:00.005Z

By Lauren Hobson

Most of us are well aware that the search engines frequently change their algorithms to improve search results for users (and foil spammers), which can make it challenging for small businesses just to keep up. But as web technology continues to evolve, it also creates new opportunities for small businesses to improve their SEO strategies and boost their rankings as well. Social media (sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Technorati, Digg, etc.) provide an excellent opportunity for small businesses to not only promote their products and services online, but also to gain significant ground in the search engine results.

One of the most critical components to getting top search engine rankings is the number of inbound links and link popularity a web site is able to build. Although there are several existing link building strategies available to small businesses (e.g., press releases, directory submissions, article syndication, etc.), social media can help create additional high-value, on-target inbound links that are essential to achieving top placements in the search engines.

For example, each time you use Twitter to publish a link to new content on your web site, that link gets “planted” on the Twitter page of each person following you, and has the potential to spread even further as your followers share that information with their own network of contacts.

Integrated Social Marketing (ISM)^TM
If you have properly integrated your social networking profiles together, that same Twitter “tweet” could then be fed via RSS to your Facebook business profile, your corporate blog, your LinkedIn account, and any number of other social sites that you have set up for your business. It’s not a far stretch to imagine the link you broadcast on Twitter could reach dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of other places on the web, all pointing back to your web site! By integrating your social networking profiles with each other, with your web site, and with your existing marketing initiatives, you can easily make one single marketing action (such as a tweet) show up in multiple places online, each containing a new, relevant inbound link to your site.

Quantity AND Quality
In addition to the sheer number of inbound links that are created through social marketing, the value of the links that are created is another important criterion that search engines consider. To be valued by the search engines, inbound links must be from relevant, “quality” web sites, and search engines today give social sites like Facebook and Twitter great value. These sites are highly visible to the search engines, and are constantly taking updates from users. Links tend to be shared according to subject matter, which means the search engines will see them as being relevant and on-target. All of these factors combine to create high-quality inbound links in the eyes of the search engines.

Online Visibility and Branding
Creating visibility for your business and your “brand” is really key when using social media for building links. The power of social media is realized when other users see your links or content, then share that information with their own network of contacts. Simply adding a bunch of links to your social profiles is not enough; you need to have a strong reputation and a brand that users trust so they will feel comfortable sharing your content with others. Brand recognition typically leads to natural link building anyway, which means your inbound links will end up coming from bloggers, colleagues, customers, and other people who are exposed to your links and find them useful enough to share with their own contacts.

The Proof is in the Rankings
A recent example from Website Magazine explained somewhat surprising results when they searched for their publication’s name in Google. As expected, their web site came up as the number one listing on the results page. But what was not expected was the number three listing on the results page was the magazine’s Twitter page. They then performed a number of Google searches for the terms “Chicago Tribune,” “Chicago Public Golf,” and “Daily Career Tips,” all with similar results in Google - the Twitter page for each of these terms came up near the top of the search engine results every time.

The conclusion was that given these results, Google must be giving serious weight to Twitter content, and I happen to agree. The search engines of course keep their ranking algorithms top-secret, so there’s no way to know how much weight (if any) is really given to Twitter or other social media sites. But results like those in the example above are hard to ignore!

A Great Opportunity
Social media is here to stay, and small businesses are beginning to use it to effectively promote their businesses, reach their customers, find new leads, keep customer mindshare, and instantly communicate with customers. But maybe one of the biggest benefits of adding social media to your marketing mix is the creation of high-value, on-target inbound links that can help improve visibility in the search engines and boost your business to the top of the search engine rankings.

Lauren Hobson, President of Five Sparrows, LLC, has more than 16 years of experience in small business technology writing, marketing, and web site design and development. Five Sparrows provides professional web site and marketing services to small businesses and non-profit organizations, giving them access to high-quality services at affordable prices. To read articles or subscribe to Biz Talk, please visit www.FiveSparrows.com/biztalk.htm.

How To Use Keywords In Your Article Submissions

2009-05-13T09:06:00.004Z

By Steve Shaw in Writing

Article marketing has beginner, intermediate and advanced stages to it, so no matter what skill level you’re at, you can still submit articles to drive traffic to your website.

You may have started out simply writing articles on the topic of your website–that is a great start, and you can see excellent results by consistently writing and submitting on-topic articles.

But after you get used to the basics of submitting articles, you may want to challenge yourself and see if you can improve your results. One of the ways you can advance to the next level is to integrate keywords into your article submission campaign.

Google and other search engines look for words of special importance on a web page to help them determine what a website is about.

These words are called “keywords” or “keyword phrases”, and if a website owner knows the types of words/phrases that their target customers are typing into search boxes, then he can be sure to use those keywords in his articles to capitalize on the demand for those search terms in Google.

How do you use keywords in your article submissions?

Great question–it’s actually not that complicated.

1) First, figure out the keywords for your website.

Use a keyword suggestion tool such as WordTracker to create a detailed list of keywords and long-tailed keyword phrases.

A long-tailed keyword phrase is a phrase that is anywhere from 3-5 words long that a search engine customer would use to reach a site such as yours. Usually a basic keyword term for your website is more general and is 2 words long, but there is also merit to targeting longer phrases that potential customers do searches for.

For example, your main keyword phrase may be “chocolate recipe”.

Your long tail phrase may be “chocolate birthday cake recipe”.

When you’re doing your keyword research you’ll make a list of the general 2 word phrases as well as several of the more specific 3-5 word phrases.

2) Write an article around each keyword term.

Now, each keyword term has many possibilities for articles–there isn’t just one article that could be generated off of your keyword term. Try taking each keyword term and writing several articles addressing different aspects of that keyword.

If you have a long list of keyword and long-tailed keywords, that list could keep you busy for a while!

Just go through the list, writing a different article around the keyword phrase. Pretty soon you will have a library of articles that are covering virtually every topic related to your niche all pointing readers back to your website.

All of this instruction about keywords comes with a word of caution–there is a good way and a bad way to use keywords in article marketing.

The good way would be to use the keyword phrase to guide your article topic, and use the phrase or variations of the phrase naturally in your article so that the article makes sense to your readers.

The bad way would be to haphazardly spray your article with your keyword term without thinking about how the article will sound to readers or if the article makes sense.

You may have seen articles that were obviously written with the intention of using a particular keyword where you felt like the author was writing for search engines rather than for human readers–that is not way things should be!

You can write articles that please human readers and search engines–what these two groups are looking for is not at odds with each other.

Google wants to provide the search customers with an accurate list of results that is ranked in order with the results most likely to answer the searchers question at the top. Google cares about whether an article is reader friendly–it is not just looking for random words on a page.

When you write your articles, you can use your keywords to determine your specific topic and also use the keywords themselves where they sound natural. For best results keep your keyword density to around 2%.

Staying within these guidelines will give your article submissions the best chance of being recognized for that keyword term by search engines, and it will also produce an article that brings value to your reader.

Use an article distribution service like SubmitYOURArticle.com to magnify the impact of each article - distribute your articles to hundreds of targeted publishers with the click of a button. For more information go to=> http://www.SubmitYOURArticle.com

SEO Guidelines

2009-05-13T08:28:00.004Z

By Jeffrey Smith in SE Optimization

Search engine optimization also known by the acronym SEO is comprised of multiple facets. SEO is not a linear process, but rather a holistic evolution involving intricate layers, steps and cumulative stages which are equally as delicate as they are demanding to perfect.
However, there are fundamental SEO guidelines one can use to incorporate granular changes to improve coherence, functionality and visibility of a website by working in tandem with the metrics that search engines deem worthy and therefore reward with a higher relevance / optimization score.

On the contrary, if you deliberately or inadvertently neglect any one of the necessary characteristics of fine-tuning, then your pages could fall short of their goal which is to find the most suitable audience by way of reaching the most coveted top 10 spots for the contents primary keywords.

Rather than butchering coherence after the fact in an attempt to make a square peg fit in a round hole by editing content, links or the architecture of your website. It is better to start with the SEO goal in mind and building the platform to support it vs. just altering aspects of each after the fact.

With initiating any SEO campaign, you should give credence to:

Understanding your competition - There is a reason why the top 10 spots are occupied, take a look for consistencies so you can emulate certain characteristics if your website lacks them.

Determining the Gap - Determining the gap implies removing the obstacles between you and your objective. Time is the obvious ranking factor; hence, someone online for 5 years in a niche who has achieved keyword saturation and authority has an easier time maintaining visibility compared to a new website (who has not achieved a suitable reputation through peer review).

Before you just build links, your traffic and engagement for the site must be commensurate in order to get past algorithmic filters which can determine things like (1) link clusters from building links in automation (2) the ratio of inbound links to outbound links (3) engagement time / bounce rate factor (which are a metric of satisfaction and relevance) and (4) if there are other supporting topical areas within the site that concentrate internal links, subjects or landing pages to support a more competitive rankings.

Building Internal Authority - Authority is the objective; rankings are merely a side-effect (not the goal). With this in mind, it is more about acquiring a stake in market share that unmistakably positions your website in front of any search which corresponds to any of the terms, keywords or topics covered in your title, content or tags. The more authority a website has, the easier it is to rank for more keywords with less effort.

Gaining Validation from Citation and Peer Review - You can have the greatest website online, but without co-occurrence and other websites referencing your pages, it is merely conjecture. Granted, your website can eventually acquire authority in and of itself, but links from other related sites or websites already ranking for the keywords you are targeting are the fastest way to expedite the process of creating a site that is less dependent on external sources for validation and rankings.

Managing User Expectations - Since no two people think or search alike, you will need an array of landing pages to help direct them to the ultimate conversion objective. The wild card in this equation is the mood of the surfer. Landing pages are all about getting the right person in the right mindset to read the right message. If you can accomplish that with your SEO, there is virtually no limit to increasing user engagement (which is getting them to take the desired action).

Landing Pages are your websites means to an end, they are what keep you in business. With a landing page tailored to a specific array of keywords, the more relevance you can create between what a searcher expects and what a searcher discovers, the higher conversion rate your site will experience.

Landing Page Conversion - The first step in creating a successful online presence is having a page worthy of conversion. Conversion implying that it performs a specific function (sign up for a free download, sign up for a newsletter, subscribe to an RSS feed, purchase a produce, inquire about a service, etc.).

Instead of hemorrhaging user intent or overwhelming users with too many choices, the more refined and focused your value proposition is, the more likely it is that users will engage it. The key behind landing pages are (1) make it clear to the visitor what the VALUE IS TO THEM for engaging the offer, not just to your business and (2) if you have to go back and read anything twice or if a 4^th grader cannot understand the offer, then it’s probably too complex.

SEO delivers traffic, but the strength of your offer is what determines if people shop at your website and proceed to checkout or if they move on and use your site like a doormat for the next search result, which is more honed to their mental map of what they consider a superb offer.

The tasks and responsibilities of an SEO company is simple (1) fill the gap with relevant content (2) salvage the existing elements that are conducive to optimization (3) build off page reputation from link building and promotion and most of all (4) fine tune the on page elements that aid conversion until a suitable conversion rate exists.

For those offering SEO services that offer anything less is just theory. The bottom line is, SEO is about results, not just temporal rankings. So, as long as you stick to fundamental guidelines that are not dependent on fickle appearances or tricks but rather real content and real substance, changes in algorithms are the least of your concern, it’s only a matter of producing enough content, links or popularity to cross the tipping point.

Jeffrey Smith is an active internet marketing optimization strategist, consultant and the founder of Seo Design Solutions Seo Company http://www.seodesignsolutions.com. He has actively been involved in internet marketing since 1995 and brings a wealth of collective experiences and fresh marketing strategies to individuals involved in online business.

SEO, Subdomains, Site Architecture and Sitemaps

2009-05-08T09:03:00.005Z

By Jeffrey Smith in Featured

Today, (with slight hesitation in fear of giving away too much) I am electing to share an effective SEO method which incorporates the use of sitemaps, subdomains and site architecture. As a result, you will have the capacity to develop robust websites with colossal proportions using a coherent site and link architecture to virtually zero in on competitive rankings and long-tail keywords alike.

This involves the use of subfolder / naming conventions, SEO friendly titles, relevant semantic descriptions, pretty urls, subdomains and sitemaps.

By employing this strategy, it is similar to targeting the roots of a tree (the keywords stemming from a topic) to reach the leaves (top 10 rankings) by giving them a value (page) and then implement an internal link / irrigation system capable of producing its own secondary and tertiary ranking factors as a result of link cultivation.

Sitemaps do not have to have a passive (just for crawling) in contention to SEO. In fact, think of a sitemap as a two way street. On one hand, you can use sitemaps to increase crawl frequency and get more pages in a search engine’s index. On another level, you can use sitemaps as a ranking tool designed to “reverse funnel” ranking factors to the pages that need added link weight to hone in on competitive rankings (much like a powerful pipeline).

In order to take this tool which was considered passive and turn it into a very powerful internal link sculpting tool, you only need to apply a few fundamental protocols to implement this tactic.

When you look at a Wikipedia ranking, try looking beyond the topical layer and attempt to observe the infrastructure of why and how it got there. The topical layer (landing page) represents a relevant triangulation of on page relevance (title) with keyword / search term is prominent and first - brief descriptor and site referral loop (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) to round off the title tag /naming convention.

In addition, the keyword is also translated into a URL string on a sub domain [en.wikipedia.com/wiki/keyword] to truly concentrate the ranking factors. The tactful use of Sub domains is one SEO method to (a) expand the exact match domain / url to encroach on a more relevant keyword making a domain more specific to a topic.

There is virtually no limit to this on page SEO tactic as you can essentially expand the focus of any website to broaden the relevance funnel using the sub domain tactic. This means, with the right amount of links and content, you virtually scale the content and links pointing to each page in a website to function as the preferred landing page by consolidating internal and external links. This is known as the threshold or barrier to entry for that keyword, and each keyword has a unique tipping point until it gains momentum and ranking power.

An example of how Wikipedia employs site architecture for optimal SEO value is:

* Topic1.domain.com as the base - which will require a sufficient amount of links to stem.
* Topic1.domain.com/wiki/topic1-keyword (the wiki folder is where the magic happens).
* Topic1 Keyword becomes first shingle in the title tag.
* Topic1 Keyword becomes H1 header tag to emphasize relevance.
* Topic1 anchor text from other pages all link to Topic1.domain.com/wiki/topic1-keyword

Yet, there is a hidden layer of SEO (the wiki folder) that most do not witness that is responsible for the prominent rankings based on site architecture the site produces.

What I am referring to is the other pages in the subfolder and non indexed pages responsible for shifting ranking factors that allow the webmaster to add one more layer of relevance by controlling the anchor text that feeds the main silo/ subfolder or landing page.

Naturally this can be implemented on semantics alone or a simple PHP script will suffice to concentrate ranking factors in your websites content management system. The only thing you need to maintain buoyancy for hundreds or thousands of pages is a pipeline capable of shifting link weight from page to page, in this instance the subfolders within the subdomains become the preferred landing page.

In this instance, using the http://en.wikipedia.org sub domain (as an example) for English provides them with the ability to funnel ranking factors from page to page, yet still keep the english from the spanish version, and so on and so fourth.

In the past, the downside of this strategy is that each sub domain is considered its own site. Now, this becomes an asset as you can essentially determine how you feed your pages and subsections (all based on a keyword) from one to the next. Also, which type of anchor text you use to feed the specific landing pages will determine how they fare in the search engine result pages.

For example, by using custom sitemaps (based on semantic clusters) you can funnel specific anchor text to specific pages to elevate prominence and relevance. For example, all pages corresponding to a particular keyword could be fed with a second / alternative modifier or qualifying term to promote keyword stemming.

The site:yourdomain.com keyword site operator can provide ideas for semantically themed pages that correspond to a virtual site architecture within a website.

Once you have a list of semantically coherent pages (based on keyword research) you can then nurture them in one place to implement the primary point of convergence (the sitemap) or hub page.

By using robots.txt or the noindex, follow meta tag, you can use sitemaps and landing pages designed to group clusters of concepts, keywords, other landing pages or subjects in one central place where you can feed multiple pages from one entry point.

Through managing the supporting pages (which all link up to the top level landing page to transfer their authority) you can sculpt up to 70% of the ranking factors for any given keyword. As a result, the transcendental ranking factors begin to spill over and strengthen the domain they are hosted on (which in turn feeds more pages which rank higher, etc.).

Eventually you have dozens, hundreds or thousands of pages in a site that all have page rank or the ability to pass ranking factors from one page to the next. By their very nature (the individual pages) they are optimized from the onset and when combined represents a ranking juggernaut as each page develops trust rank and authority.

The aggregate ranking factors for each page begin to stem and expand (which means it can be found for any two or three word combination’s on that page) if a related search query is executed in search engines.

What you have at that point is a website capable of ranking for multiple keywords simultaneously and showcasing the tip of the iceberg (the ideal landing page) built specifically as a consolidation of the keyword / topic capable of ranking on a fraction of the links required by a website that does not employ superior / coherent site architecture.

To summarize, internal links fueled by external links to one concentrated point and then augmented by deep links to the top level landing page have the ability to rank on fumes compared to a website employing that employs less efficient site architecture.

Which means that (a) the more topical information you have on a topic the better (b) that you can elect which pages are SEO savvy and appear (as a result of internal linking) and (c) there is virtually no limit to the size of reach of the websites semantic theme.

Obviously the more concentrated it is, the better (as it will require less links to cross the tipping point). You must understand that content and or external links both produce ranking factors, so it is possible to a website such as this to produce 60-80% of its own ranking factor by default (with more pages gaining strength, page rank and stemming daily).

So, the takeaway for the tactic is:

1) Group landing pages or themes virtually by using a sitemaps to stand in as pipelines to funnel link flow.

2) Build it properly from the onset, or consider mapping out a more conducive site architecture and 301 redirecting legacy pages to the new themed and silo’d pages.

3) Group primary keywords along with secondary supporting pages in miniature sitemaps to concentrate on a core group of keyphrase shingles.

Taking point 3 from above, you could take keywords like; SEO consulting, SEO consultant, SEO consulting services and feed them by a virtual sitemap linking them together (regardless of their location in the site architecture).

However, if the pages were in a subfolder (consulting) within a subdomain (SEO.domain.com) for example and used internal links which all point to the sitemap and the sitemap to them, each page would share a percentage of total link flow for that topical range of key phrases and modifiers to essentially exceed the threshold of relevance on all layers.

Then add deep links (links to each respective landing page) and you have the ability to catapult them all to the top of their respective shingles using a fraction of the links your competition is using.

And, how do we know this you might ask? Let’s just say we have done this before “with stellar results”…the next layer would be to implement a series of RSS feeds based on the same type of infrastructure to publish related content whenever new information was added, linked to or layered to promote buoyancy for laser-focused keywords and key phrases, yet that is another post in itself…

Traditional Media Vs. Digital Media

2009-05-08T08:40:00.002Z

Although we consider ourselves on board and moving with the digital age, there are some areas that are taking longer to evolve. One such area is the transition of traditional media metrics online. Most marketers realize the need to integrate online, but struggle with the actual process.

In many cases, traditional media forms such as television are the easiest option for marketers and advertisers, even if it’s not the best choice. Some may argue that the proper measurement tools are not available, but Erin Hunter of comScore says they do exist. comScore even has a media planning suite for marketers and advertisers that goes beyond traditional measures.

One significant problem with choosing that “easy” form of media is the consumers that could be missed. Many consumers are now fully reliant on the Web. If marketers and advertisers aren’t taking this into consideration, a large part of their demographic is probably being neglected.

What challenges have you encountered in your online efforts? Have you discovered that you were missing out on consumers before you integrated online?

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Standing Out In The Digital Age

2009-05-04T12:37:00.002Z

How many websites do you visit each day? Do you even have an accurate number or is it more than you could count? A recent Nielsen study unveiled the average Internet user in the US views 115 different websites each day. That’s a lot of websites!

Oddly enough, many of us view even more websites than that on a daily basis. What type of websites do you view? Is it commerce, community, news, or blogs? For most, it is probably a combination of all mentioned.

In order to get your business noticed in this digital age, Richard Jalichandra of Technorati says companies have to make their brand accessible. Utilizing 2 or 3 portals aren’t good enough. Richard says brands must realize that they have to extend their efforts beyond their comfort zones in order to succeed in the digital age.

Look at the above statistics and then think about your consumption of traditional media sources. How much TV do you watch? Do you get your news from television or a newspaper, or do you turn to the Web to get it? When was the last time you visited a library, or do you simply go to the Internet to find the information you need?

The Web has changed the way we do business and live our everyday life. We should expect this trend to only increase over time. Going back to the point Richard made, this information means that marketers and advertisers have to embrace several digital areas.

Take the Technorati online property BlogCritics.org for example. This freshly redesigned website tries bridge the gap between journalists and bloggers by setting a high quality content precedent. The site provides valuable content, but delivers it in a “community” atmosphere. There are countless properties like this on the Web and businesses simply need to find which ones can be integrated into their business model.

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Social Media Done Right

2009-05-04T11:56:00.003Z

A lot of people like to give their opinions on how to use social media, but Katie Sween’s opinion is advice that everyone would likely want to hear. Katie is the Head of Marketing at the rapidly growing company, StumbleUpon. She says social media shouldn’t be scary at all but should simply be an extension of other business efforts.

Many social networks were intended to be fun and should still be fun, even though they are now incorporated into business operations. Social media provides many cost-effective opportunities for businesses such as brand-building and reputation management, but websites still need to have quality content.

StumbleUpon comes into the game here since it tries to help the content providers connect with their brands. Katie says StumbleUpon listens and engages with users and also aims to make themselves available to users. The companies and brands that understand this “push and pull” concept are approaching social the right way.

Recently, StumbleUpon announced that is was no longer a part of eBay. The company is now in the hands of its original founders and a few other investors. While under eBay, Katie says the company was able to focus entirely on their product. As a result, they experienced unprecedented growth.

While very thankful for eBay, StumbleUpon is excited to be a start-up again. Katie says the company has more freedom and liberty now that they are independent. To give an example of those new opportunities, StumbleUpon just released a few enhancements to their Web Stumbling function. (Web Stumbling is the act of stumbling without downloading the toolbar.)

With Web Stumbling, StumbleUpon wanted to make stumbling accessible from any computer or browser. StumbleUpon revealed these enhancements to WebProNews:

Fully Personalized Experience - Now you can expect the same high-quality and personalized recommendations that you receive from your downloaded toolbar. And you can access it from any computer, and from any browser… just visit StumbleUpon.com and login to get a personalized stumbling experience.

Web Stumbling syncs with your toolbar activity - Use Web Stumbling to rate, review and share content and all your activities will be saved for you in your profile and will influence your future recommendations. For example, Web Stumbling in Safari or Opera would use ratings given using the Firefox or IE toolbars, and anything you rate will improve your recommendations on any platform.

Enhancements to Sharing - When sharing websites while Web Stumbling, you now have the ability to share with several friends at once, post sites directly to your Facebook profile, and even have conversations about the websites you share with your friends.

For more information, check out Chris Crum’s write-up or visit StumbleUpon.

What are your social media best practices? And how do you see StumbleUpon’s Web Stumbling enhancements supporting your social efforts?

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Making Your eCommerce Site Convert

2009-04-15T12:11:00.003Z

As more and more people are shopping online as opposed to shopping at brick and mortar stores, it only makes sense that ecommerce sites would want to do everything they can to ensure that their traffic is converting. In this interview, Khalid Saleh of Invesp Consulting shares the shockingly low number of conversions some ecommerce sites are getting but also shares how they can improve them.

Some ecommerce websites are only converting 1-3 percent of their incoming traffic, which translates into 1 conversion for every 100 visitors. For comparison, sites like Amazon are getting conversions at a 12-14 percent rate.

According to Khalid, conversion optimization is where the real ROI is. There are a few basic assumptions that ecommerce sites need to realize about their traffic. The first is that roughly 25 percent of the visitors to your site are probably there by accident. Secondly, you need to understand that another approximated 25 percent of your traffic are offline shoppers simply comparing prices.

You are now left with 50 percent of your traffic to convert. There are a few quick tips for converting such as correcting headlines and images, but Khalid says you have to take a systematic approach to get the conversions that really matter.

Going back to basic marketing, having a thorough knowledge of your target audience is the first step in this approach. Use your market research and translate the data into personas and then determine how they interact with your website.

Here are several common mistakes that ecommerce sites make that prevent conversions:

1. Neglect to understand what customer is looking for
2. Shopping cart and shipping costs aren’t clear
3. Assume customers are “committed” to shopping transaction
4. Fail to include security seals
5. Insist shoppers complete forms before shopping process begins

What are some other mistakes that ecommerce sites make that you have experienced as a shopper? From a marketing standpoint, what advice would you offer to ecommerce site looking to improve their conversions?

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Content Monetization: What Not To Do

2009-04-09T13:32:00.001Z

During this time in our economy everyone is trying to figure out a way to both save and make a buck. Jennifer Slegg, also known as JenSense, is well versed in monetizing online content. In this interview, she discusses some of the mistakes many people are making which ultimately prevent them from fully monetizing their content.

Jennifer believes that people are making mistakes because they are in a “freaking-out” mode as a result of the economy. They are so consumed with reaching a monthly quota in order to pay bills and provide for their families, that they are committing serious ad blunders on their site. Jennifer shares a personal experience in which she visited a blog that had 27 300×250-sized ads and only 3 paragraphs of content. Unfortunately, some people think this is effective.

According to Jennifer, a webpage should have a maximum of 3-4 ads on a page, depending upon the rest of the content. In a blog post on a related topic, Jennifer suggests replacing your ads with boxes of the same size but making them an outrageous color. This test proves that if you are more focused on the color than you are on the site’s content, then you likely need to adjust your ad structure.

Another mistake people are making involves running Adsense on sites where it isn’t allowed. If you’ve ever wondered why Google is showing Public Service Announcements on your site rather than targeted ads, you may need to check the Adsense policies to ensure that your site is following the rules. For example, sites that sell goods such as prescription drugs, school essays, tobacco products, and adult content are not allowed to run AdSense on their sites.

To get your ad campaign “right,” Jennifer recommends being creative and innovative. Try adding a border or shadow to your ad units and wrap text around them. Do you have any other creative ideas for integrating ads into content? If so, we would love to hear about your experiences.

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Marketing Strategies for Mobile

2009-04-09T13:26:00.000Z

As mobile devices become more and more popular, the importance mobile marketing becomes greater as well. Cindy Krum of Rank-Mobile always keeps us updated on what’s going on in the mobile market and this video from SES New York is no exception.

Cindy actively promotes having only one website by making your existing website provide mobile capabilities too. The same goes with marketing strategies. Cindy suggests that businesses integrate their mobile marketing strategy into their existing marketing strategy to get the best results.

The mobile Web is not just the current trend; it’s here to stay. Not only Cindy, but also many others including Dr. Vint Cerf, believe mobile will play a large role in the future. Based upon that information, Cindy believes if you embrace mobile now, you have the opportunity to pull ahead of your competitors.

So how do you integrate mobile into your overall marketing strategy? Here are a few quick tips from Cindy:

- Follow all traditional and local SEO best practices
- Provide info relevant to mobile users
- Submit your site to mobile search engines and directions
- Don’t rely on: Embedded images, Objects, Scripts, Frames, Flash, Pop-up Windows, Mouse-over trends

There are many mobile applications for search, which are taking feeds from existing search engines and integrating results into their own. Determine where they are getting their data from and make sure you are ranking well there. For mobile SEO, Cindy suggests coding in XHTML, employing multiple style sheets, and using CSS.

For more information on Cindy’s mobile strategies, check out Rank-Mobile.

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2009-04-08T09:57:00.001Z

TwitterHawk, Spam or Not?

2009-04-08T09:53:00.001Z

Twitter is receiving almost as much attention as Google receives at industry events. In this interview from SES New York, Jeff Ferguson of Napster talks about TwitterHawk and the marketing power of it.

TwitterHawk is a new tool for Twitter that is still in the developing stages. It is keyword-based and allows users to create a variety of reply phrases to respond to people with. TwitterHawk usage costs 5 cents per tweet (reply) but can be purchased in advance through a variety of packages.

In an effort to build up a client’s Twitter base, Jeff decided to use the tool for a DJ for iGlobal Radio. He used keywords such as Radiohead, alternative music, Indie-Music, etc. When someone tweeted one of those keywords, they were sent an automated response that said something similar to “If you like Radiohead, you’ll love iGlobal Radio…”

As a result, TwitterHawk helped Jeff’s client to receive many more Twitter followers and created more interactivity with his followers. On the negative side, there were a couple of people that accused Jeff’s client of spam. Jeff responded to one user and found that he didn’t like that fact that a robot was responding to him and that it was a paid service.

Jeff countered the argument by explaining that his client wrote his own copy for his responses. Also, his client’s actions were completely human but simply carried out in an automated fashion.

If users only use TwitterHawk and are not personally active on the service, then Jeff says those users could be classified as spammers. His client however, is active on Twitter and used TwitterHawk to better target his market.

What are your thoughts on TwitterHawk? Do you think it is pure marketing or does it cross the line and create a spam issue?

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2009-04-08T09:51:00.000Z

Will Monetization Models for Social Media Ever Come?

2009-04-08T09:47:00.000Z

Dave Naylor is never shy to share his opinion on matters and this interview with WebProNews is no exception. As evidenced by several of our videos from SES New York, social media was a hot topic. One area in particular that raised a lot of discussion was monetization of social sites.

According to comScore, YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google. It however, does not have a solid monetization model. Dave says YouTube users don’t care what’s going on around them. They simply want to watch a video. YouTube users turn advertisements away much like they do on television, by either flipping to another channel or leaving the room until their program comes back on.

Twitter is a whole different story altogether. Look at all the applications it provides such as TweetBerry, TweetDeck, and our very own Twellow. Dave then raises the following question: what if Twitter would start charging for their usage? How would that change your business strategies on Twitter?

Twitter recently announced that Pro accounts are coming this year but has yet to disclose what they consist of.

Moving right along to Facebook. As discussed in our interview with Tim Kendall, contextual advertising on Facebook is based on the freely submitted data Facebook users provide. On the contrary, Google and the other search engines base their advertising on the searcher’s past history.

Facebook’s model is much more accurate than the search engine’s technique. Most users conduct many searches at work, which does not reflect their actual behavior. Facebook uses the information users readily give to them as part of their preferences.

On a final note, Dave points out that Google needs to incorporate a “business account” for Google accounts since sometimes many people are logged into one person’s account. He suggests giving the account holder the ability to choose who can have access to what.

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2009-04-04T11:45:00.000Z

The Ultimate SEO Ranking Factor

2009-04-04T11:29:00.006Z

Theme Density - The Ultimate SEO Ranking Factor

By Jeffrey Smith in Featured

Even though theme density is not a well known term in search engine optimization, many will come to know this as SEO evolves. The root of this SEO model is based on semantic relationships, co-occurrence of synonyms, polynyms and thematic modifiers. The end result, multiple top 5 and top 10 rankings for broad match and exact match keywords and key phrases (which all add up over time).

This strategy is based on the premise of using multiple pages within a website to concentrate a particular ranking factor and then transfer that ranking factor to a singular or multiple target pages. Wikipedia is known best for this tactic, so, questioning the effectiveness of the method would be a moot point. Each keyword represents a virtual theme for Wikipedia, with its own H1, sub folder in a sub domain and a high concentration of internal and external links.

The prerequisite however is that this tactic requires a larger website, preferably over 1,000 pages in order to harness its full potential. The benefit occurs over time as each page gets indexed and adds yet another layer to the process of SERP domination.

Say for example you wanted to rank for a specific range of keywords like business to business internet marketing for example. Since this key phrase has polynyms as well as a number of interesting shingles (word groups). You can approach it from many angles when building internal and external links. Shingles such as b2b marketing, business to business online marketing, Internet business, Internet marketing and others exist within this context.

Anchoring Content Based on Semantic Relevance

By concentrating content, several articles, blog posts or pages within your website to cross reference a specific pinnacle, you can effectively stem or blossom keywords for each page and the entire website respectively. First, you may witness a page ranking for more than one keyword, then stemming into long tail keywords (keywords with more than 3 words) then sometime peculiar happens over time.

The Process of Semantic Stemming

Semantic stemming is when a page starts to rank for competitive combination of keywords within the title, description or body text. The next stage is when the page starts ranking for sparsely related queries and encroaches on other searches as a relevant result with a mere mention in a title, or somewhere on the page. A website with a high concentration of inbound links, trust rank or authority can easily push a search result right into the top 10 from a title tag alone. Other less fortunate sites will have to work much harder to cross the tipping point.

Crossing the Tipping Point

Although each keywords top 10 threshold is a moving target, the website with the least resistance to the dominant ranking factor required for that “exact match shingle” a.k.a. keyword or “key phrase” will have to tap-out when someone nails the semantic threshold for on page factors, has sufficient link flow from within the website and is augmented by a tinge of trust rank.

Each of these respective achievements has their root in two prevalent factors (1) optimization over time and (2) the layering of relevant content. Although this may seem grossly technical with all the geek speak and references to code junky jargon, the reality can be reduced to (a) intelligent keyword research as the DNA (b) relevant topical content layered and administered over time and (c) the ability to produce over 70% of its own ranking factor to propel your authority site past everything in sight that is not using a thematic content model.

With a few hundred links and a themed website (saturating a topic from multiple trajectories) we have been able to produce websites that rank for 1200 or more competitive keywords and outrank websites that are 10 years their senior in roughly 4-5 months time. The model is proven, fortunately for most who enjoy the lion share of keyword positioning for competitive verticals, not many are pursuing this method of SEO (mainly because it is the best kept SEO secret online).

In closing, here are a few indicators of what an ideal page would be under the premise of theme density.

The ideal conditions to Promote Theme Density is from:

a) a website with established content and rankings for the root phrase or topic. Although it is possible to rank new content with an aged site with momentum in a niche, typically, you want to stay on topic until authority settles in, then venture into another topic / sub folder / category for that website.

For example if your site is about insurance and well established in that niche, don’t expect a few pages of content on real estate or interior decorating to fly to the top of search engines. Search engines gauge relevance and co-occurrence, so, a sparse mention is hardly enough to convince them that you should be first in line for others who have more relevant content on that niche on their websites.

b) the page should have a plethora of internal links. For example out of those 1000 pages, I may use 50 for provide internal links to 1 landing page (to hit it over the fence) and create an internal link dynamo / tipping point that allows that page to outrank other pages targeting that term (with less back links).

I may then use the remainder of the 950 pages, such as 100 for another landing page, 200 pages for boosting a sub folder, 500 for linking to my homepage with the main keyword, etc. Each page can have up to 10 links leaving the page (without hemorrhaging vital ranking factor), so calculating the number of possibilities for a 1000 page site represents an immense undertaking.

c) The most useful contingent for an ideal page is to (1) establish itself for its main attribute / target phrase then (2) become a hub that can be used to transfer ranking factor to other areas of the site. The fastest way to get another page into the top 10 is to get a link from a link from a page already ranking in the top 10 for that keyword.

It does not matter if that page is from your site or from another, it is pure leverage when wielded properly all that matters is that it is passing value to the target page. Leveraging a higher percentage of internal links means you require less external deep links from other websites to rank higher for specific keywords.

In closing, here are some great resources to other pages from the past spanning a wide range of related topics.

In this post ( Internal Links are you making the most of yours ) we discuss the importance of internal link leverage and making every link that passes value count.

In this post (SEO Web Design - Harnessing the Power of Alt Text and Images ) we discuss the power of SEO Web Design which shows you ways you can have your cake and eat it too. Essentially, through leveraging the alt attribute, you can build links seamlessly that pass value without disrupting the flow of design or on page shingles with text (which could diffuse your pages focus).

Given the strategies presented in those two posts, then coupled with tips on semantic optimization and co-occurrence you could potentially be well on your way to some genuine search engine result page domination. Not that anyone would like to rank higher for specific or multiple keywords of course.

In which case, keep your eyes and ears open for the topic of theme density, on page website architecture, internal linking, sculpting link flow and authority site development to see what the fallout brings.

In our experience it is more intentional and unintentional rankings than you can shake a stick at, but a this phase its just testing the waters in the attempt to build the perfect SEO / CMS (content management system) coupled with all of the goodies we have discussed above. Stay tuned, but in the meantime, check out our Happy Landings Word Press landing page theme which, despite the soft launch, has so many bells and whistles that it was overlooked as a top 10 contender.

Just to let you in on a little secret, out of the box it validates with the W3C, has one of the most flexible ad options for affiliates I have ever seen and with a few tweaks to supercharge the settings, it can capture more top ten tenure on accident, than most sites on purpose.

The Easiest Webpage Builder

2009-04-04T10:47:00.001Z

Paid Search Marketplace

2009-04-04T10:32:00.001Z

We hear and talk all the time about the evolution of the search market and the opportunities that it brings. In this video specifically, James Colborn of Microsoft talks about the opportunities created for advertisers in the area of paid search.

James says the main stumbling block for advertisers is finding how to integrate search into the media mix. Advertising and searching used to be based on one keyword, but now searchers have become smarter and therefore, so have their queries.

For search engines, the challenge is to address the user’s motive for going to search. As search has developed, they are better able to detect user behavior and also the information a user readily provides to social networks.

James says search integration is the key to uncovering the right solution for advertisers. Microsoft strives to find the right mix of media to provide an effective result for advertisers. They are also making sure that their solutions are compatible with what people are doing online.

According to Virginia Nussey and her liveblog of the Orion Panel James spoke on, there is growth potential in search engines offering new outlets for the advertisers. She also reports that Microsoft is “very interested in becoming the key search provider for Facebook and offering educational opportunities to advertisers…”

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2009-04-03T10:18:00.001Z

Truth About Search Engine Optimization

2009-04-03T10:11:00.001Z

Rebecca Lieb’s The Truth About Search Engine Optimization

Rebecca Lieb’s new book was briefly mentioned in our interview with Kevin Lee. In this video however, we have the entire rundown on her book, The Truth About Search Engine Optimization.

Rebecca describes her book as being “conceptual” as opposed to “geeky.” It contains 51 short chapters with information marketers need to know in order to effectively do SEO.

The book is geared toward marketing managers and chief marketing officers, but Rebecca says that it contains usable information for anyone wanting to be found on the Internet. Rebecca included all the recent hot topics such as social media, video, online PR, and blogs and how they interact with search engine optimization.

Also in the video above, Rebecca discusses the importance of building online communities. Your business not only needs to have a consistent presence on Web, but it also needs to have a consistent presence in the area of social.

Social media has been a running theme at recent shows and it is not going to go away. Leveraging social media and online communities provide more value to your business now than they ever did, due to the economic downturn and marketing budget cuts.

For more information on social and search engine optimization, check out Rebecca Lieb’s book.

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2009-04-03T08:43:00.000Z

Twitter Exclusively As A Marketing Tool?

2009-04-03T08:33:00.001Z

The SEO/SEM community loves Twitter. The term “loves” in this sense is used in the strongest possible manner. Guy Kawasaki loves Twitter also, but views it strictly as a marketing tool. His strong stance in this area brought about a large response from attendees of SES New York.

Sage Lewis was among the attendees at the event and expressed some concern about Guy’s position. As he shares in this video, Sage was very excited to attend the keynote address from Guy Kawasaki and hear what he had to say. Even so, he admits that he was surprised by Guy’s message.

As mentioned above, Guy actively advocates Twitter as a marketing tool. His marketing philosophy is to obtain as many followers as possible and to measure success based on retweets.

While Sage respects Guy’s openness and the extremeness of his position, at the same time, he has mixed feelings about it. He does not like that Guy has up to 3 other people tweeting on his behalf and calls it “provocative.” Although there is no concrete measurement model for social media yet, Sage doesn’t know if Guy’s methodology is the correct solution. At this point, the measurement model has to be “home-grown” and based on individual business goals.

Sage isn’t the only one who has mixed feelings about Guy’s use of Twitter. Lisa Barone over at Outspoken Media live blogged Guy’s keynote and expressed some strong feelings toward Guy’s position on Twitter. She also received a large amount of feedback from her readers, some in her favor and others siding with Guy.

Li Evans of KeyRelevance also voiced her opinion on the issue over on SEM ClubHouse. What’s your take on the issue? Do you agree with Guy Kawasaki and his Twitter habits or do you have different feelings?

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Autoresponders - Put Your Follow-up On Autopilot!

2009-04-02T10:33:00.005Z

By Tracey Lawton in Marketing

As a solopreneur being able to follow-up with your clients and potential clients is crucial in growing and sustaining your business, and keeping a steady flow of new clients coming on board. However the downside is the time it takes to follow-up with each and every one of your contacts - after all spending all day following up with clients isn’t a good use of your time; you also need to spend your time on income generating activities and generating cash flow for your business.

So what is a time-starved solopreneur to do in order to maintain follow-up with customers and clients?

Autoresponders are perfect for automating your follow-up and freeing up some of your time. If set up correctly they will follow up with EVERY SINGLE customer who has ever purchased a product from you; or EVERY SINGLE subscriber to your ezine list! Would you be able to undertake that task yourself? The answer is no, you couldn’t, it would be impossible.

This is where you need to get smart and take advantage of technology to automate your follow-up. Create the systems and let them run on autopilot.

What is an autoresponder?

Put simply an autoresponder is a piece of software that will allow you to send email messages to people on your list. Don’t confuse this with spam or unsolicited mail though. These messages are sent to people who have already confirmed that they want to receive email from you; they have either signed up to your ezine list or they have bought a product from you. They have given you permission to email them as they have confirmed their subscription to your list.

The autoresponder is an email that is sent out automatically in response to an action taken by your customer/subscriber, and it can either be just one message or a series of follow-up messages that you set up to go out at certain intervals - you choose what those intervals are.

For example, you could set the first message up so that it goes out immediately someone confirms their subscription to your list, the next message could go out seven days later, and the final one two weeks after that. The beauty of using this system is that you decide how often and what messages are sent out.

The autoresponder doesn’t write the messages for you, you have to do that yourself, but the opportunities using an autoresponder opens are invaluable.

Once you’ve taken the time to set up the autoresponder it all runs on autopilot!

How can you use autoresponders in your day-to-day business?

There are many ways you can use an autoresponder in your day-to-day business, but just to give you a couple of examples:

Ezine Signup. When someone signs up for your ezine you will generally create an autoresponder that immediately gets sent out to them welcoming them to your list - once they’ve confirmed their subscription, of course! Add a second message to go out a few days later, and ask them how they found your free taste, what their biggest challenge is, or if there is a particular topic that they would like to find out more about.

Product Purchase. When someone buys one of your products create an autoresponder and a series of follow-up messages to ask them how they are getting on with your product, are they working through it okay, send them a ’surprise’ bonus, or ask for a testimonial. Span these messages so that they go out over the course of a few weeks. If you offer a home study system set the final message to check in with them about six/eight weeks after they’ve bought your product to see if they were able to implement the steps, or if there’s anything they need help with.

The secret to autoresponder success

Even though your autoresponder may be going out to several hundred customers (or even thousands), don’t let that deter you from making your messages personal - let your personality come through in your messages, encourage feedback from your recipient, give them a call to action in your messages.

When putting your autoresponder and follow-up messages together write them as though you are writing to just ONE person. Think about the tone you use. Do you keep it informal? Chatty? Light? If you find this task hard pick a contact/client you know really well and imagine you’re writing an email to them. What tone do you use when writing to this person?

Go one better, and actually send your messages to this contact/client and ask for feedback from them. Chances are if they really like the way you’ve written your messages your other customers and clients will too!

I rely on my autoresponders to follow up with my customers, clients, and ezine subscribers - without them I’d find it impossible to follow-up and may end up losing valuable relationships.

I know that many of my relationships with my clients/customers have been established as a result of them replying to one of my autoresponder messages. I would find it impossible to make contact with each and every one of these people personally; the autoresponder does that for me, but then I am able to create a relationship with those customers who do reply to my messages.

Office organization expert, Tracey Lawton, teaches professional speakers, coaches, and authors how to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com

2009-04-02T10:33:00.001Z

Future of Search

2009-04-02T10:19:00.001Z

The search industry is always changing as a result of advancement and development. In this video, Anne Kennedy discusses these changes and how they impact the future of search.

Anne has examined the marketplace, researched Google’s investments, and studied how people use and access the Web. Based upon her investigation, she found that customers will look for products and services with video and Twitter. She also discovered that these actions would take place on mobile devices.

According to comScore, the mobile audience in the UK has increased by 10 percent. It has however, doubled in the U.S.

How does Google fit into all this? According to Anne, many people speculate that Google should purchase Twitter, comparing it to YouTube. Anne says that YouTube grew so rapidly that it needed someone like Google to maintain and support its technology. She believes the YouTube acquisition was beneficial to the search giant because YouTube is the television platform for Google to use to develop Google TV as an advertising model.

As a result of its high market penetration, Google has to constantly find methods to sell and reach its customers. If social networks continue to grow and people turn to them for search, and if Google sees that it needs to find more ways to increase its advertising revenue, Anne says that Google may consider purchasing a social network such as Twitter.

The fact that many of the social networks lack a revenue model could be one reason that large players such as Google are hesitant to acquire them. Another drawback for Google at least, is traditional advertisers.

Despite all the questions and speculations, most people agree that the industry has to build new models to quantify spending and determine results. Anne says there is a model that is currently under development called visibility scoring. It looks at the data of visibility outside the site instead of only looking at the traffic on the site.

Although marketers can see the benefits of social media especially in the area of brand awareness, C-level executives have a harder time seeing growth unless they see actual profitability in numbers. With that being said and as budgets continually get tighter, it is even more imperative that models such as that described above emerge.

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2009-04-01T10:38:00.001Z

Optimize Your Landing Pages, Increase Your Sales

2009-04-01T10:29:00.005Z

One of the newest and most talked about Internet marketing strategies these days is Landing Page Optimization. Your Landing Page Design can make or break your conversion rate.

All the search engine optimization (SEO) Internet marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising isn’t going to create the sales you want with bad landing pages. You’d be just wasting your time and money.

And the truth is that almost EVERY page on your website is a landing page, except for your Privacy Policy, Terms of Use or Service, and possibly your About page.

I’ve seen websites more than DOUBLE their conversions with landing pages that are properly designed to convert traffic to conversions…those opt-in sign ups and direct sales.

Think about it — doubling your sales without increasing your PPC advertising or without increasing your SEO efforts! How much money could that put in your pocket?

When you take advantage of strategies like that, that’s when you start beating out your competition!

What’s Landing Page Optimization All About?

When searchers come to our websites from the search engines, they are in a path from one website to another.

We have to interrupt that process, drawing these searchers into our website and into our story.

We must balance the connection with our visitors and make an emotional connection, while offering them real substance, as well.

We MUST answer these questions:

where am I?
what can I do here (what is your offer)?
Why should I look here and STAY rather than click away? This MUST be answered in the top 4 to 4/12 inches of your Web pages (above the fold)

How Do You Begin Optimizing Your Landing Page Design?

First, start by clearly explaining what you want your website visitors to do and WHY they should do it.

Why should they buy from you or opt-in for future contact? What’s in it for them?

Why should they choose you over other websites they can visit? What separates you from your competition?

Essentially, what’s your Value Proposition?

You should be able to clearly explain the advantage to your website visitors in 2 to 3 short sentences.

Right now, if you’re not sure exactly how to describe your Value Proposition, you’re surely NOT alone! The great majority of people I coach with their websites are in the same boat, when they start out.

My suggestion: Start brainstorming and making good notes. It also helps to have the input of a Internet marketing consulting coach outside your business, who can help you clearly define and explain what you offer your website visitors in a compelling manner, without using your industry jargon and lingo.

Reduce Anxiety from Your Purchase and Opt-in Processes

Anxiety can also be defined as fear or concern. Now, you can never have a anxiety-free website, if you sell a product or service or if you seek an opt-in email address.

Anxiety occurs in opt-in sign up processes, when providing an email address. When making a purchase, providing credit card information causes anxiety.

But how can you REDUCE the anxiety to the least level possible?

There are many techniques you can follow to accomplish this.

One of the best examples is to post your Privacy Policy page link right next to your sign up button, for your opt-in contact. This helps reassure your visitors you aren’t selling their email address and will generate a higher opt-in conversion rate than not posting your privacy policy, all other things equal.

Other anxiety reducing techniques are:

emphasize credit card security when ordering
offer pricing guarantees
deal with product | service quality concerns with guarantees and third-party certifications, awards, etc.

These techniques must be used at the exact point where the anxiety occurs.

Next, Reducing Friction from Your Web Pages

Friction can also be defined as annoyance and irritation. To maximize your sales and opt-in conversion rate, you need to minimize the friction all across your website.

Friction occurs in the prospect’s MIND, not really on the page.

It is a Psychological resistance to a given element in the sales process.

So, how can you reduce friction?

One way is to limit fields to the minimum number needed for both purchase and opt-in forms. Friction = Length and Difficulty.

While space here limits a complete discussion of all the techniques you can take advantage of, another way to limit friction is to make your landing page design take advantage of natural eye movement, working with it, rather than against it. You’ve got to be careful with multi-column designs.

Wrapping it Up

Consider the value to you of an Internet marketing consulting coach, who can train you to maximize your landing page design, do-it-yourself and at an affordable cost.

Using Landing Page Optimization techniques will help you potentially DOUBLE your conversions…your direct sales and opt-in sign ups…without increasing your PPC advertising expenses and without requiring higher SEO rankings.

This is real money we’re talking about.

This could turn out to be the KEY element missing from your Internet marketing plan.

Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall knows how to help you market on a budget. He’s an Internet Marketing Consulting Coach offering affordable Landing Page Optimization (LPO) services and d-i-y LPO Coaching. Receive your Free Introductory Consultation, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today!

sitepronews.com

Optimize Your Landing Pages, Increase Your Sales

SEO Alphabet Soup

2009-04-01T10:23:00.001Z

A Cup of SEO Alphabet Soup

Often times, the topics at conferences are almost too narrow and the C-level attendees struggle to see the big picture. SES New York tried to solve that problem by dedicating an entire track of sessions to C-level executives and their understanding of the industry.

Amanda Watlington presided over one of those sessions and as she explains in this video, told the attendees how to manage their search efforts strategically. Approximately half of all online marketing spending is being used on search. As a result, Amanda says that conferences within the SEO industry are seeing more attendance from C-level executives and entrepreneurs.

Amanda began her session by differentiating between SEO and SEM. SEO is search engine optimization and is a long-term effort. SEM is search engine marketing and usually refers to short-term campaign efforts. Also, SEM is sometimes used in reference to the industry as a whole.

As if executives and managers didn’t have enough on their plate already, the advent of universal/blended search complicated matters even more. Also, since the search industry is expected to grow even in the down economy, it is more important now than ever for executives to understand how to manage their search efforts.

Just as she mentioned in our interview from PubCon South regarding universal search, Amanda says that SEO must be the visibility manager and not a soloist. It requires that companies broaden their online efforts and embrace video, images, news, maps, local, and mobile.

SEO managers must collaborate with videographers, the public relations team, and content creators to ensure that their SEO efforts are achieving the best results. They need to be aware of current trends and make sure they are capitalizing in those areas.

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SEO Alphabet Soup

2009-03-31T11:54:00.001Z

When Twitter Isn’t Appropriate

2009-03-31T11:48:00.003Z

By Jason Falls in Featured

We’re at a point in the evolution of the information age, the age of self-publishing, Web 2.0 or whatever we want to label where we are in our increasingly wired world, that, if we do not establish some parameters of behavior, we’ll lose it all. This notion struck me as I read an article by Maryclarie Dale of the Associated Press called, “Tweets Unwanted Twist At Trial.”

The article told the story of Eric Wuest, a juror in a Philadelphia trial who tweeted that the verdict in a high-profile criminal case was forthcoming. While he did not disclose information about the verdict, or the trial for that matter, he violated the normal judicial instructions to not disclose or discuss the trial at hand with anyone. Wuest didn’t get in trouble, other than to be given a stern talking to by the judge in the case, but he did something we as an on-line community need to understand and take a stand against.

Social media is not a special place on the Internet where rules and rights are blurred. Sure, U.S. and International law are far behind in providing fair protection and policing of the web. If a server is in Switzerland, did you post that libelous statement in Switzerland or in the comfort of your Silicon Valley office? Yes, there will forever be trolls and turds, black hat sneaks and cyber criminals who continually maneuver through the system, committing crimes and finding loopholes. But for the rest of us, the fair majority, we need to exercise a little bit of common sense.

Twitter is not a forum where free speech can run rampant. Neither is Facebook or any other social forum, on-line or off. Eric Wuest probably minded his P’s and Q’s when chatting it up with friends at a Friday night cocktail hour. Why would he assume he didn’t have to on Twitter where everyone and their brother can see what he wrote?

I harken back to the key hang-up most people have with understanding social media or the Internet word. It’s not about the tools and the technology. It’s about a mechanism of communications. You aren’t allowed to communicate sensitive information about a trial if you’re a juror, or proprietary information about your companies business if you’re an employee. So why would you do it online? The rules still apply, even if the law is unclear about which ones apply where.

The first rule I give company employees when teaching them how to be representatives of their employer in their respective online spaces is, “Don’t be stupid.” Sure, I borrowed it from Flickr or Microsoft or some other list of guidelines, but it’s appropriate. Apply a different filter if you must: “When in doubt, don’t.”

Our interconnected world is reaching into unprecedented omnipresence. The thoughts and notions of random people are now being broadcast around the world in lightning speed. For most people, few will notice. But the fact that it’s there changes the impact and measure of one person’s opinions or experiences. It’s permanent. It’s indexed. It’s searchable. If it’s inappropriate or even illegal, you’ve shot yourself in the foot.

Eric Wuest probably should have been held in contempt of court. It would have sent a stronger message to all of us who love social media tools so. Mind your P’s and Q’s folks. If you don’t there will be repercussions. No matter how personal your space on these networks is, we can see it. It doesn’t just belong to you.

Jason Falls is the director of social media for Doe-Anderson, a brand-building agency in Louisville, Ky., specializing in building brand enthusiasts. A public relations professional by trade and writer by craft, Falls is co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. This blog is his own, contains his opinions and observations and does not necessarily reflect those of Doe-Anderson or its clients. For more email him at jason-at-jasonfalls.com.

When Twitter Isn’t Appropriate

2009-03-31T11:46:00.001Z

Finding SEO Metrics That Matter

2009-03-31T11:41:00.002Z

Most companies track rankings, traffic, backlinks, conversions, sales, repeat visitors, etc. While those metrics are important, do they honestly reflect your business’s marketing opportunities?

In this video, Mike McDonald interviews Seth Besmertnik of Conductor who shares some important information regarding metrics. He explains that businesses need to look at their overall marketing opportunities in order to understand which metrics they should focus their efforts on.

According to Seth, many businesses are investing a lot of time and money in areas that are not bringing in a great deal of return. He recommends looking at all your keywords, search volumes, potential click-thru-rates, your site’s conversion rates, and your potential average sale price if you’re a retailer. As you examine these metrics closely, your overall marketing opportunity should become apparent.

Seth emphasizes the significance of sharing all the data with the entire company. Successful SEO efforts require involvement from all members of the company. Also, use your data in every way possible. For example, Seth suggests using your paid search data to help with your organic search efforts.

Ultimately, companies need to be able to foresee their full potential, which sometimes requires looking from the outside in.

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2009-03-30T11:49:00.001Z

Making your Web Page Sell

2009-03-30T11:45:00.002Z

By Mario Carini in Web Design

With today’s technology, selling has taken a new meaning. The door-to-door salesman is a thing of the past. Though the method of selling a product or service may be different, the basic rules are still the same and need to be reflected on your web site.

The Internet makes it possible to sell your product worldwide, but it lacks the personal touch that a face-to-face meeting could do. Your site has to work a lot harder if you hope to convince a viewer to buy your product.

A flashy website won’t always lead to lots of sales. Unless you have something positive and informative, most viewers will move on.

In order to keep your customer at your site, you need to entice the reader to read every sentence until he reaches the end of the page and wants to order. Your first page is the most important part of your website.

So what should your first page of your site contain? Preparing a website means doing more than throwing up a flashy page. There is to be some kind of organization to the site. A professional site is easy to navigate. If you are selling something of value get a professional to design a site for you. Consider yourself as a teacher educating your customer about your product and service.

It should show your product clearly. Your customer wants to see product not clever graphics or advertisements that have nothing to do with what he’s looking for. The customer wants to see what you have on that first page, not on page 20. Customers buy solutions, not the products or services.

A simple presentation. Your site can’t be cluttered up with banners, text ads and graphics. White space is important. Links should be clearly placed. The door-to-door salesman of the past sold only one item, whether that item was a hair brush, cosmetics or a vacuum cleaner. Keep your site simple, direct and easy to understand.

Persuasion. Your product or service should provide a solution to the customer. It should demonstrate to the customer that he is better off with your product than he would be if he just saved his money. Position your site as the low-risk provider of your product and service. The customer always looks for the lowest price for whatever he wants to buy. Persuasion addressees the customer’s fear of making the wrong decision when buying your item. This should come across in your web page. Overcoming the customer’s fear means placing a money-back guarantee if he isn’t satisfied.

Establishing trust online isn’t easy to do, but the one way of getting around this problem is to make yourself available. That means posting your email address, phone number and even your address as necessary. It’s a good way to establish a good relationship with a faceless customer. Remember that trust does not end after the first sale is made. Your are not just selling a product, you are working for your customer. That after-sales service should make up a part of your first page. Offer incentives that keep him from forgetting you and coming back to buy from you again and again.

Provide some incentives. You want your customer to buy from you and not surf over to the competition. You should offer up some kind of freebie or offer up a special discount if he responds immediately.

Take the time to design your front page. It’s the first thing people see before they make the decision to view the rest of your site. Your front page is like the outside of your home. If it isn’t attractive, no one will want to know what the inside looks like.

Mario Carini is a freelance writer who has had many of his articles published at Helium, Suite 101, eHow, Constant Content and his blog at Word Press. For more info on his work send an email to: MrMaGca@gmail.com Among his interests are running an affiliate business where you can both buy and sell your own products. You can find more about this at: http://www.tripleclicks,com/71130/go

2009-03-30T11:42:00.000Z

Tips for Accumulating More Twitter Followers

2009-03-30T10:29:00.004Z

By SEO Sapien in Featured

Increasing your Twitter following allows you to drive traffic to your website(s), build your online presence, and network with people from around the world. So how do you get more Twitter followers? Some may argue that it requires posting good tweets at a particular frequency or following good tweet etiquette while others say that it all boils down to driving traffic to your Twitter page and following people so they in turn follow you. Let’s explore those two arguments.

What We Can Gather From the Most Popular Twitter Users

If you go to twitterholic.com, you can see the users with the most number of Twitter followers. If you have a quick glance over the list, you’ll see that most of these users are already famous in real life, whether because they have a successful business or because they are a celebrity. It’s not like they built their Twitter profiles from the ground up and accumulated so many Twitter followers because they write good tweets. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re doomed not to gain a good following just because you’re not famous.

The Way You Use Twitter Has Little Importance

If you are worried that the frequency of your tweeting or the quality of your tweeting is what primarily affects the number of followers you get, quit obsessing. You must treat your Twitter account just as you would any one of your other websites. The key to success is driving traffic to your site. In the big picture, obsessing about your tweeting habits is really not going to make a difference. The idea is to maximize your visibility just as you would on your own blog. To come up with marketing strategies for getting more people to go to your Twitter page and follow you, think of some incentives for why those people would want to follow you.

Strategies for Increasing Your Twitter Following

Make your Twitter profile follow you wherever you go. Make sure you add a link to your Twitter page at the end of emails and forum signatures. Put links to your Twitter page on your other social media profiles. If you have an online business or application, consider using Twitter for tech/customer support. Try setting up a contest or giveaway on your Twitter page. You can also create a free tool and advertise it on your Twitter page. One of the exceptions to the rule of not worrying about tweeting etiquette is using tweets to link to articles of interest to your followers. This helps you build a following.

One of the most effective strategies for increasing your Twitter following is following other Twitter users. When you follow new users, those users usually follow you right back. The downside to this tactic is that if you start following many people in a short time on Twitter, you risk being labeled a spammer. So if you are looking to build a long-term strategy and a legitimate Twitter profile, you’ll probably want to follow people gradually. One way you can do it is start following a bunch of people to get them to follow you in return, and then cut down the number of people you follow to make your profile look legitimate. The problem with following too many people is that you are overloaded with tweets and it can be difficult to actually keep up with anyone.

In conclusion, there are two ways to approach Twitter when building your following. You can use it to get immediate traffic to your websites or you can use it to network and converse with your followers to build rapport. How you decide to build your following and use Twitter depends on the end goal you’d like to achieve. If you follow these simple methods though, you’re bound to increase your followers, no matter what your motive may be.

About the Author: SEO Sapien is a SEO Company. We offer affordable and guaranteed search engine optimization services. You can visit our site at http://www.seosapien.com for more information and SEO Prices.

2009-03-30T09:11:00.001Z

A New Definition for SEO: SEO = RESULTS!

2009-03-30T09:04:00.001Z

By Jeff Quipp in SE Optimization

The Problem With Current Definitions:
The reality is, most people and companies define it differently. Some define it as modifying in-page elements only. Others expand on that and define it as including off-page elements and services such as link building. I’ll argue its this lack of clarity and consistency that is helping to give our industry a bad name, as it enables companies or individuals to point their fingers at others and say “you’re not getting business from organic search because someone else did not do their job … its not me!”. Companies then get caught in the finger pointing confusion, frustrated with the entire experience, and begin look at the entire industry through tainted glasses.
At the same time, its hilarious really. Time and time again I listen to many in the industry try to define SEO. Inevitably, they always try to define SEO as a set of activities, practices or tasks. To me, this shows tremendous fault in both their logic and their company business models. After all, who really cares about the tasks that you engage in, if they do not produce RESULTS! Is there no expectation? I draw an analogy to employees who want paid for their time, when in that time they produce absolutely nothing. Purchasing a trampoline that won’t bounce. Buying a new car that won’t move, a pen that won’t write, a shoe with no sole. You get the point. Isn’t defining SEO as a set of tasks or activities really just a means of transferring responsibility and blame to someone else when the desired results are not achieved.

SEO is …
There I said it … my definition of SEO is about getting the desired results from organic search. Organic Search is the medium, just as are newspapers, radio, television. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) however is the process of getting the desired results from organic search using whatever tactics you feel comfortable using … so long as you achieve the desired results! Merely improving results is insufficient, as it still does not necessarily mean generating any real results … instead it has to be the achievement of the desired results.

I know this type of definition is a great departure from how all other marketing media are defined (eg. newspaper advertising, radio, television, etc.), but we’re not like any other media? Also, in this new information age economy, its time we started to define marketing by success and results, rather than by tactics and tasks. Clients do not care what goes into an effort … only what results. Products already do this … when you buy a product typically, you buy it knowing what it will do ie. what the result will be.

So, for those of you who argue SEO is about in-page elements only, ask yourself this question; does your client think he’s investing in your time, or does he expect something more like results? Keep in mind of course that results need not be defined as ‘rankings’, and that we as SEOs can never absolutely guarantee anything. We can set expectations though ie. desired results. And I’ll bet he’s investing to get those desired results!

Conclusion:
In summary, to those of you who define SEO as anything other than the achievement of desired results … stop pointing fingers. You know the old saying … while there’s one finger pointing at someone else, 3 are pointing right back at you!

2009-03-30T09:03:00.001Z

Recession Keyword Tool

2009-03-30T08:54:00.002Z

Google Speaks Out On Recession Keyword Tool and New AdWords Interface

WebProNews has emphasized the importance of keyword research many times. In order to reiterate its power and to share some new offerings from Google, we interviewed Frederick Vallaeys, the AdWords Evangelist for Google.

In this video from SES NY, Frederick first discusses a new tool called the Search-based Keyword Tool. Frederick calls it the recession tool because “it allows you to do more with less.” Specifically, the tool looks at Google’s organic data and determines new advertising opportunities for your AdWords campaigns.

The tool gives you the keyword and the destination url for the keyword. Using that data, you can apply it to your ad groups based on your landing pages and then add it into your accounts. From there, you can monetize the keywords that weren’t performing to their full potential.

This Search-based Keyword Tool is the first time Google has used its organic data in this way. Because there is so much data, you will be able to find missed opportunities. The tool also helps long tail efforts.

In addition, Frederick highlighted the new interface for AdWords. He is quick to point out that “there’s nothing changing on the backend.” There will be no changes in the way the ads run or in the pricing structure.

According to the site, the new interface “makes campaign management faster, clearer, and more intuitive.” As Frederick explains, the new interface was needed as a result of the evolving Web.

For information on both announcements, visit Inside AdWords.

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2009-03-27T12:00:00.001Z

Advertising Based on Factual User Data

2009-03-27T11:55:00.000Z

When Facebook launched its advertising platform back in 2007, the company received a lot of criticism from users primarily regarding Beacon. Nearly a year and a half later, users have grown accustomed to the ads and webmasters and site owners are taking advantage of the tremendous opportunities. Tim Kendall, the Director of Monetization at Facebook, walks us through Facebook’s advertising system in this video from SES NY.

According to Tim, site owners and webmasters want to know how advertising on Facebook compares to the paid search campaigns they are used to doing. He says Facebook’s self- service advertising product is similar to paid search because it is based on a cost-per-click standard.

The primary difference between paid search and Facebook advertising is that paid search is centered on the user’s behavior and Facebook ads are based upon the data and preferences that users submit to Facebook. Tim says:

“We [Facebook] think that a Facebook ad is a way to reach customers before they search.”

In the above video, Tim demonstrates how to create an ad campaign for “tents” on Facebook. Before beginning the demo, Tim gives an example that 138,000 people in the United States search for tents in exact match queries on Google. This would mean that retailers selling tents have a predetermined allotment of 138,000 opportunities to sell their product. On Facebook however, those retailers can target millions of users who have shared an interest in hobbies such as hiking and camping, which could produce potential customers.

As Tim illustrates above, creating an ad on Facebook is a simple process that consists of a title, an optional image, and the text body. After the ad is complete, identify the target audience by selecting keywords from users interests (e.g., hiking, backpacking.) Facebook also displays an approximate reach based upon the number of people that included hiking as an interest on their profile. Once the target is selected, provide a bid according to standard cost-per-click (CPC) practices. The auction works just as any other online auction works.

Facebook believes it can provide a target market that is more direct than most other ad platforms. Also, the company believes that by offering this “demand generation solution” it will increase the number of searches.

Tim says that the product has exceeded its expectations and that some people are even getting better ROI on Facebook than they were getting with paid search. He said Facebook will continue to improve and develop their tool according to advertiser’s wants and needs. For more information on Facebook Advertising, visit www.facebook.com/advertising.

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