“Blending” Viral Marketing into Your Marketing Strategy

Are you familiar with the ever-popular Will It Blend campaign from Blendtec? If not, you’re depriving yourself from one of the best viral marketing campaigns ever.

George Wright, the Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Blendtec, gave a keynote at PubCon, in which he explained the strategy behind their campaign. In the above WPN video, Barry Schwartz of RustyBrick, Inc. tells how Blendtec had to go out on a limb to get their brand name out there.

Blendtec offers high performance blending and dispensing equipment for restaurants, but also has home editions. George realized their need to raise brand awareness. He knew they had great products, but no one knew about them. The concept was there for the “will it blend” idea, but they didn’t have a big budget to do a commercial.

George took his budget of $50 and bought the domain name willitblend.com, a lab coat, a six-pack of Coke, and supplies to blend. The first experiment included marbles, a rotisserie chicken, a rake, and a McDonald’s value meal. Their small budget only allowed them to use social media outlets, so they launched their campaign over YouTube.

Now, some 70-75 videos later, they’ve made history. Blendtec blends iPhones, iPods, and even rake handles just as George did in his keynote address! The only item that has been too powerful for them to blend is Chuck Norris…

Since their campaign launched, Blendtec’s sales have been up 700 percent. George realized Blendtec’s need to prove that their product was better than the others by actually showing it instead of simply talking about the mechanics. Viral marketing is creating fun content that people want to talk about and putting it into social media sites.

Ironically, Blendtec pitched the Food Network prior to the campaign with no luck, but after the campaign began, the Food Network contacted them.

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What the Heck is Search Engine Optimization? A Beginners Guide

What the Heck is Search Engine Optimization? A Beginners Guide

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Social Media Strategies for Link Building

Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting in the above WPN video encourages people to “think big” when using social media to build links. This practice is not only for large companies, but should be applied to small businesses also. Just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t accomplish big things.

Your social media strategy should include a specific angle. Have a goal from the beginning and don’t wander from it. If you keep a steady focus, you will be able to build upon it.

In the Real-World Low-Risk, High-Reward Link Building Strategies session at PubCon, Tamar Weinberg recalls Eric saying:

1. Study what has worked before
2. Write a compelling article
3. Write an interesting description
4. Vote for posts in front of you on the upcoming pages
5. Make sure you stand out!

To elaborate on that last point, you want your content to be unique and authoritative. However, it still needs to be relevant. If your content is great but no one associates it with your brand, you probably won’t get a link.

Know in advance to be ready for criticism. Critics will be watching closely and waiting for a mistake. Remember to keep your focus in mind at all times.

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Making Your Social Media Campaign Work

Social media has taken over. Honestly, everyone is using it now and not simply for social reasons. Companies now realize how powerful it is for raising brand awareness and engaging with customers. But a lot of money can be lost if a social media campaign is not efficiently conducted.

When you begin your social media campaign, make sure your viral content is relevant so customers can immediately associate it with your brand. Also, work closely with the search team in order for potential customers to be able to find you in their searches.

Just as Eric Enge emphasized in his WPN interview, have a specific goal for your campaign and stick with it. Understand that you can’t just abandon your campaign if it isn’t working. It will almost definitely need adjusting and you need to be prepared in advance.

Your ultimate goal with these efforts is profitability. If you remain invisible to your customers, you will not bring in revenue. In the above WPN video, Vanessa Fox of Nine By Blue, stresses the importance of having an “obvious” call to action.

Once you’ve positioned yourself, don’t throw your efforts away by hiding your call to action. Make it simple but prominent, so customers can complete their transaction and you can gain your profit.

This is a lot to take in, but don’t get discouraged before you start your social media campaign. Simply research and know your audience and have a solid plan before you launch your

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PubCon: Understanding How the Big Boys Operate

Did you ever wonder how large companies keep up with all the pages on their websites? As he explains in the above video, Bill Hunt of Global Strategies knows all about this since IBM is one of their clients.

First, know whether or not the search engines are indexing all your pages. If they aren’t, then you need to check a few things out. Make sure you have a sitemap that is working correctly, and check your own spider to make sure you’re being seen. Also, look at your combined PPC and organic data to find out what is converting and what is not.

Although having a big site or numerous sites might seem like a pain, there are some perks involved. You can create a set of templates and use them multiple times and optimize them accordingly.

Another hint for managing a large site is to make sure your links are specific. Inbound links that only link to your homepage aren’t really benefiting you. For instance, if someone is using your products or services, have them link to that page instead of the homepage. This method will help both the searcher and the company.

Large sites are a bit overwhelming, but just need to be broken down. Everyone simply needs to work together and focus on the end user’s wants and needs.

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Microsoft's Revenge

Microsoft's Revenge
Henry Blodget | November 15, 2008 9:27 AM

Microsoft has been kicked around the block in the Internet business for going on 15 years. Now it is potentially payback time.

While everyone else hunkers down and fights to survive, Microsoft gets to sit back and decide who to buy. When it decides, it can dig into a $20 billion cash pile that will nearly replenish itself this year with $15 billion of free cash flow. No one else, including Google, will gain this much of a relative advantage from the global economic collapse.

(Google, moreover, is now hamstrung by alert regulators--thanks, in part, to Microsoft's lobbying--and is focused on cutting costs and narrowing its ambitions. These should keep it distracted for the next couple of years.)

Who could Microsoft buy? Some obvious names, and many smaller not-so-obvious ones.

But the first thing Microsoft needs to do if it is to succeed long-term in the Internet business is build a central consumer brand that it can hang everything else off of. (Alternatively, it can focus on the back end, via search and other technologies, but this likely won't be as profitable. The vast majority of Google's immense profit comes from searches on its own site, not third-party sites, and the same will hold true for Microsoft).

The big consumer Internet brands other than Google include:

* Yahoo
* AOL
* Facebook
* MSN, et al (Microsoft needs to consolidate ALL its Internet brands into one. This one's probably the most prominent).

Microsoft could probably buy Yahoo, AOL, and Facebook today for $20 billion of cash. It could then consolidate them under a single brand and build a strong alternative for advertisers vis a vis Google. (Vastly easier said than done, but possible.)

If Microsoft isn't willing to put all its weight behind a single brand, it will probably fail regardless of what it buys. This has been Microsoft's Achilles heel for the past 15 years--an unwillingness to commit to one Internet brand and strategy--and we're not optimistic that it will be able to get out of its own way this time either.

We still think the smart play here would be for Microsoft to spin its Internet operations OUT of Microsoft and INTO Yahoo and then build everything around that brand as a separate public company. We think Steve Ballmer is congenitally predisposed against this approach, however, even though it would likely be a great move for Microsoft shareholders (who would own most of the new Yahoo AND the original Microsoft).

But, in any event, as the Valley goes into the fetal position, Microsoft's relative position is growing stronger. And we imagine this is not lost on the folks in Redmond.

Article Marketing Explained

Article Marketing Explained

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SES New York 2008: Heather Lloyd-Martin

Is content really that important? While most of us know the answer to that question, Heather Lloyd-Martin, the President and CEO of SuccessWorks, reiterates the importance of good content while talking to Mike McDonald at SES New York. Heather explains the business case for SEO content development and why companies need to understand it.

Latest Developments on Net Neutrality

WebProNews Reporter Abby Prince takes a look at the recent developments that have evolved around net neutrality. From the new legislation supporting net neutrality, to the FCC’s investigation of Comcast, to Comcast’s defense of their actions, to the impact this issue has on the U.S. Presidential election…

Google Urchin Examined

The recent release of Google Urchin raises a few questions for Google. WebProNews Reporter Abby Prince compares Google Analytics and Google Urchin. Find out all the details including what one web marketer considers to be some disadvantages to Urchin only on WebProNews. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Title Tag Tips!

This is your WebProNews tip of the day, from our new studio in Lexington, Kentucky. Today, Mike McDonald gives you some tips on WordPress title tags to help as you optimize your blog. A friend of WPN, Stephan Spencer from Netconcepts, lends a hand as well.

Brian Wallace on Social Media

Mike McDonald of WebProNews talked with Brian Wallace of NowSourcing.com at the Social Media Club in Louiville, Kentucky. Wallace explains his business of advising clients on social media strategies. Find out what to do and what not to do, right here on WebProNews. If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Syndicating Your Blog

WebProNews takes a look into how you can make money from blogging. It seems as though, syndication is an easy way to do so. We talked with President of Newstex, Larry Schwartz about benefits and disadvantages, along with other various topics of syndication. Don’t miss out on all of his tips in the video, right here on WebProNews.

SEO Plugins for Firefox

Mike McDonald of WebProNews has a tip for today that explains two plug-ins for Firefox. These plug-ins allow you to have quick and easy access to SEO information about your site, compare your site to other sites, detect where you stand with inbound links, as well as many other helpful factors. The tools are SearchStatus [...]

A Few Comments on Commenting…

For some, blogging is not as easy as it may sound. Whenever you break it down to issues such as how to get readers to your blog, how to get them to comment, and then what to do with the negative comments, it can be quite a challenge. WebProNews Reporter Abby Prince spoke with Leo [...]

Todd Earwood on Social Media Club in Louisville, KY

At the debut meeting, Mike McDonald of WebProNews spoke with Todd Earwood, the Co-Founder of the Social Media Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Earwood discusses the phenomenon of video on the Web including both the good and the bad roles. He produces many how-to and humorous videos on Daily Idea. For more information from Todd Earwood, tune into the video right here on WebProNews.

3 Fast and Simple Ways to Dominate Google Rankings!

By Michael Small (c) 2008


I got into search engine optimization back in 1998. Of course back then SEO was a lot simpler than today. All the tricks like keyword spamming and invisible key phrases worked like a charm. Better still, little tricks like these were acceptable. Not anymore.

In fact, most old-school tricks don't work today and many can get your pages banned. This is great news for you. Over the next few minutes I'll show you how to make Google absolutely LOVE your web pages and help you jump to the top!

This is all you need to know... Search engines today place 90% or more of their ranking priorities on content and links. Keywords are still important, but more so in the text of your pages than in any sort of META tags.

Simple, right? It really is. The first step is to find the best keywords and place them just right in your web page text. Next you need to get great inbound links. And finally, you need to monitor your progress closely (and that of your competition.)

Part 1: How to Find the Best Keywords

Google gets more searches than any other search engine so let's peek into their database. Check out https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in any keyword or phrase you can think of that you believe your target audience is looking for. Not only will it give you tons of data on that and related keywords, it will also provide "Additional Keywords to Consider", which is a section at the bottom of the page.

BIG TIP: Try to use specific keyword phrases whenever possible. Let's say you have a web-page dealing with floral delivery. Instead of just the word "flowers", which has 233,000,000 competing pages on Google, try "send flowers", which has 1/10th the number of competing pages. Better still, think like people speak (I.E./ I'm sending flowers to my mom.) As it turns out, a lot more people are searching for "sending flowers" than are searching "send flowers" and - here's the best part - "sending flowers" has less than 1% of the competing web-pages as the search term we started with, "flowers". Now that's impressive! You have an advantage over about 99.5% of your competitors with just that single tip.

Now take the top three or four keywords (and keyword phrases) and list them in order from best to second best and so on.

Part 2: How to Develop the Best Possible Content

Content is king! If you take nothing else away from this article, make sure you take this. Producing search engine friendly, optimized real-person content is key to your success. Today's search engines can read a page just like a human would. And thanks to natural text algorithms, they can easily tell if you are writing your pages for real people or just trying to get better ranking. With this tip, you can do both!

First, call a good friend and describe exactly what you want to tell your web visitors. Now write it down, word for word, as close as you can remember it. If you can record it, that's even better.

Now go back through your text and fit your top keyword as close to the beginning of the first sentence as possible. Now place your number two keyword someplace else toward the beginning of your first paragraph. If possible, try to get your third keyword into the end of your first paragraph or the beginning of the second paragraph.

Repeat this concept using only one of your keywords for each of the next three paragraphs. Try to make it fit naturally toward the beginning sentence or two of each paragraph.

Now do the reverse for the very last paragraph. Put your least important keyword at the top of the paragraph and end with your most important. This shows consistency.

Finally, try not to repeat any keyword more than three or four times per page. Make it flow naturally.

Part 3: How to Get Great Links and Monitor Your Site

Having quality inbound links can account for more than 75% of your search engine optimization success. Getting these links is the crucial step that will get you over the top. Next you need to monitor your progress and your site's status (how search engines really see it). This will tell you not just where you are - but where you are likely to be. In the old days, we used to do all link work and monitoring by hand - and it took a long time (I averaged about 16 hours per week - per site!) My advice to you is to find a good SEO tool and let it do the work for you. If you get the right product, it's the best money you'll ever spend.

I used WebPosition Pro for a couple years but switched to SEO Elite because it has automated linking, which I find to be the most time-consuming aspect of SEO. Both are excellent products for tracking and reporting however.

Number 1 Pick: SEO Elite
Cost = $167 (lifetime free upgrades and no annual fees)

My Results: 121 top 5 rankings on Google in three weeks - Mostly 1's and 2's.

Top Features: Finds best link partners; Automates link process; Provides great Site Monitoring

Comments: I bought SEO Elite in 2005 and have used every upgrade - never spending another dime. I retired my other three programs after using this for just three months.

Number 2 Pick: WebPosition
Cost = $389 WebPosition Pro or $149 Standard (plus $99 per year subscription fees for either)

My Results: 44 top 5 rankings in Google in eight weeks - Mostly 3's and 4's.

Top Features: Site Monitoring; Great reporting; Site Critic

Comments: I stopped using WebPosition because there were no automated linking capabilities. I did however really like the reporting.

Now you're ready. Good luck!

About The Author
Michael Small is the founder of free SEO (search engine optimization) site SEOpartner.com and author of numerous search engine optimization books and whitepapers including the SEO Notebook.

Jason Falls on Social Media Club in Louisville, KY

Mike McDonald of WebProNews attended the first meeting of the Social Media Club and spoke with Jason Falls about the goals of the club.

Companies Join to Change Future of Web

Wouldn't it be great to be able to transfer your data from your profile on one social network to your profile on another social network? The Data Portability Workgroup is aiming to do that very thing.

How to Publicize Your Blog

WebProNews Reporter Kara Ratliff talked to David Meerman Scott the Author of New Rules of Marketing and PR about how to overcome some of the challenges that come with publicizing your blog.

Broken Links? Here’s a Tip.

Detecting and fixing broken links on your site can be a tedious task, but Mike McDonald of WebProNews has a tip that could make the task a lot easier.

NCAA Live Blogging, No More

In late December of 2007, the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented new rules for live blogging. The rules set a limit on how many posts one person can make during a game, if he/she is a credentialed journalist. WebProNews talked with three bloggers, two of them journalist about the new rules. President and CEO of SportsBlogsNation, Tyler Bleszinski, Writer for Chicago Sports Weekly and Blogger of WearethePostmen.com, Ryan Corazza, and Sports Writer/Columnist and Live Blogger for The Herald Times, Chris Korman give WebProNews Anchor Kara Ratliff their opinions and recommendations on the new set of rules.

Organic SEO and PPC: Still Undecided?

Organic SEO and Pay Per Click is a familiar topic, but why is it that a company chooses one or the other? WebProNews Reporter Abby Prince talked with Matt Bailey and David Szetela about why they only chose to use one method for their companies. David Szetela only uses PPC for his company, Clix Marketing. However, Matt Bailey only does organic SEO with his company, SiteLogic. Also, find out what role social networks are playing in both methods. Check out all that and more, right here on WebProNews.

MSN Talks Webmaster Tools

Product Manager of Live Search Webmaster Tools, Jeremiah Andrick spent the day here at the WebProNews headquarters. Our very own Mike McDonald took him on a wild, Kentucky escapade while picking his brain about Webmaster tools at MSN. Andrick discusses indexing issues, cloaking detection, and goes into detail about why AdSense showed up in their search results. While showing off their athleticism, the two also discuss why transparency is key and why to stay away from paid links. Don’t miss all of this and the inside scoop to both companies’ viral campaign, right here on WebProNews.

How to Create a Podcast

At the beginning of the millennium, Podcasting started to hit the masses. But now it seems almost necessary to have a Podcast for your marketing plan.

UVME International Business

UVME Is now an International Business covering Francais,Espanol,Deutsch,Portugues,Italiano and many more places.

Francais
http://uvme-france.pinurl.com

Espanol
http://uvme-spain.pinurl.com

Deutsch
http://uvme-germany.pinurl.com

Portugues
http://uvme-portugal.pinurl.com

Italiano
http://uvme-italy.pinurl.com

Right now, a revolution is taking place on the Internet. It's making the fortunes of a select few. While you work, they play. While you sleep, they're making money. See why uVme is going to sweep the world ... and this is just the beginning



Mark Davies, Head of Marketing, interviews Tom Brodie, Co-founder of uVme, giving the latest updates on uVme pre-registrants and progress since the pre-launch, including some tips on building your business during this period. Tom also explains the ins and outs of the development of the pioneering web-based IM... unique in its application to this business, and announcing the upcoming desktop version.

Part 1 of 2


Mark Davies, Head of Marketing, continues his interview with Tom Brodie, Co-founder of uVme. They discuss why the IM is such a powerful tool for growing your uVme business, and why it is going to be so simple and fun to use. Plus, see some of the games in action, and hear the latest update on the games' development and testing.

Part 2 of 2

Tech Test: T-Mobile Phones Ride Wireless Router

Where Cellphones Meet Wi-fi

Dual-Mode Phones Straddle Both Sides Of Wireless War

Vandalism and Wikipedia

Wikipedia, one of the largest reference sites is open to the public for editing. But now Virgil Griffith has created a new application for the free site to allow users to see who has edited the page. After last year, reports showed that several big companies tweaked their own pages to only allow good things on the pages…Virgil Griffith created WikiScanner. He directed us to the Maltastar page to view a list of vandalism on Wikipedia. We talked with Convergence and Broadband Blogger from ZDnet, Russell Shaw and communications manager for the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. to get an insight.

SES San Jose: Stuart McKelvey on Consumer Search

Stuart McKelvey, President and CEO of TMP Directional Marketing talks to WebProNews at SES San Jose about a recent study involving consumer local search. Check out the full story as well as continuing coverage of SES San Jose, only on WebProNews.

SES San Jose: Jay Sears of Context Web on Ad Exchanges

Ad exchanges are a hot topic, and here to tell us all about them is Context Web’s Vice-President of Strategic Products and Business Development, Jay Sears. WebProNews caught up with Sears at SES San Jose after his “Ad Exchanges Are Changing Everything” session. Hear all the details, including the latest news with Adsdaq, right here on WebProNews.

SES San Jose: Jay Sears of Context Web on Ad Exchanges

Ad exchanges are a hot topic, and here to tell us all about them is Context Web’s Vice-President of Strategic Products and Business Development, Jay Sears. WebProNews caught up with Sears at SES San Jose after his “Ad Exchanges Are Changing Everything” session. Hear all the details, including the latest news with Adsdaq, right here on WebProNews.

Next Internet Millionaire Airs

A new genre of reality shows has hit the internet. Internet entrepreneur Joel Comm hosts an online show giving 12 contestants the chance to learn about internet marketing while receiving cash and prizes. The 12 week show is only available online and has a few twists and turns throughout the series. The Next Internet Millionaire contestants were chosen from YouTube and flown into Colorado for the competition.

SES San Jose: Traffic Tips

Jon Stewart of Nielsen//NetRaitings talks with WebProNews after his panel at SES San Jose on The Search Landscape. Stewart reminds viewers to remember other ways to bring traffic to their site besides search. For other tips watch the interview on WebProNews.

SES San Jose: All About Domains

WebProNews caught up with Jon Lisbin of Point It at SES San Jose to talk about his Domaining and Address Bar-Driven Traffic session. Lisbin tells of the “dark side” of domains and gives insightful tips for viewers. Check out the full story only on WebProNews.

SES San Jose Welcome

WebProNews is in San Jose, California this week at the Search Engine Strategies conference to bring you exclusive coverage of this event. We’ll give you the latest news as well as advice from the experts. Check out WebProNews for all the details.

The Impact of Social Media on Search Rankings

By Susan Esparza (c) 2007


Over the past few years, the Internet has increasingly become a participatory social network where user-generated content is just as important as traditional advertising messages. This means your articles, blog posts, videos, podcasts, and other comments on the Web are now critical sources of information about your company, your products and services. This phenomenon has given consumers a voice and weakened the power formerly held by advertising media. Social media, therefore, becomes increasingly important to a Web site's success and its visibility in search engines.




Not long ago, search engine optimization focused on fine-tuning your on- and off-page Web site elements in order to achieve better rankings in the search engines. While on-page elements remain the fundamental building blocks of your SEO campaign, it is no longer the entirety of the puzzle. With the rise of social media, it is more important than ever to create and optimize many different types of content in order to dominate the SERPs. The íncrease in user-generated content, and implementation of Google search personalization and universal search, has helped bring this about.

Search Personalization

In personalized search, individual user search results are reordered based on their previous search behavior and other indicators. Pages can move up or down based on the influence of a user's Google home page content, bookmarks, search history, Web history, etc. While Google is the only search engine currently adjusting rankings using personalization factors, Yahoo and Ask have variations on this theme with MyWeb and MyStuff.

Google's reasons for initiating search personalization are that it delivers more relevant results and can reduce sp@m. Others have challenged this rationale, stating that user interests are not static and can vary by season, mood or other factors. It's also difficult to know user intent based on clíck behavior, as sometimes when people clíck on a link they'll immediately realize this wasn't what they wanted and clíck off. Queries can also be hit and miss, landing users on non-relevant sites which would then be used in creating non-relevant future results for that user.

Because of personalized search, optimization techniques will change, requiring more intense multivariate analyses in the competitor landscape since the leading competitors will vary as the SERPs vary. This will affect analyses of competitor on-page and off-page factors, especially keyword analysis. However, all the basic optimization tactics remain important. Content, in particular, must do a better job of telling search engines what the page is about, and this will result in better rankings for those able to do so.




Universal Search

With the advent of universal search by Google and others, search marketers and site owners will soon find it necessary to optimize their Web sites for a broad range of content types. This means creating content in every media and vertical niche applicable to your brand. Compelling, useful and widely propagated content will create more search visibility and Web site success.

Fresh content will bring repeat visitors and íncrease the odds that other users and Web site owners will want to share your content with their visitors, creating more backlinks. For most brands, the benefit of encouraging social networking activities is increased search visibility.

Search engine optimization techniques vary depending on the type of content being optimized. We've written before about optimizing content for Google image search, video search, news, maps and blog search. Two other areas you can optimize content for are podcasts and your Google Base data feeds.

Optimizing Podcasts

To create a podcast, you must record an audio file to be uploaded to the Web. Once uploaded, users will be able to download this rich media file and listen to it via an iPod or some other media player.

Up until recently, multimedia search engines relied on metadata to determine relevancy of rich media files. However, this was insufficient for finding relevant podcasts because the average podcast is 15 to 20 minutes long and has only 25 to 30 words describing it.

Currently, speech recognition technology is used to determine the relevancy of audio files. Speech recognition and extracting podcast content is essential for indexing content and making it findable by users. One way to do this is to play audio snippets to determine the relevancy of the terms within a podcast.



When optimizing your podcast ensure your content is easily found by promoting only one feed. Optimize the audio file, and then optimize a landing page for each episode in addition to your category page. Make your subscription information visible on landing pages. Create valid feeds and validate them with a feed validator tool such as FeedValidator.org or the W3C Feed Validator.

Your podcast should have a unique, keyword-rich Title tag explaining the subject matter. The landing page should contain a link back to your Web site. The publication date is important. This tag specifies the last time the feed was updated. Include image tags if applicable.

Since iTunes does not redistribute, we recommend building a separate feed for iTunes. You can promote with three separate feeds, a media feed, a 2.0 feed and an iTunes feed. Include a transcript or a summary of the podcast on the landing page, depending on the podcast length. If it is brief, only a summary reviewing the main points is necessary.

Optimizing Google Base Data Feeds

Google Base is a database where you can upload all kinds of online and offline content for sale. Your items will include labels and attributes to help describe the content you are uploading, making it searchable for users. Attributes are the words that describe the characteristics of your items. You can enter multiple values separated by commas for any given attribute. Labels are keywords that can be used to classify or describe your item, such as products, services, and even a house for sale.



The items you submit to Google Base will go in the Base directory, and some items, depending on relevance, might also go into the Google SERPs, Froogle or Google Maps. So the quality of your data is important if you want it to be found far and wide.

Use Google Base custom attributes to optimize your feeds. Google Base allows you to specify your own custom attributes, which means you can include additional information about your items. Unlímited custom attributes can be included in your tab-delimited bulk upload file. Detailed descriptions can make your items more relevant, getting them into the Google index and other vertical databases, providing more opportuníty for them to be found.

Since many of those uploading their data feeds to Google Base don't know about the custom attributes feature, you would gain a significant advantage because your feeds will be more successful than those of your competitors.

Another way to gain competitive advantage is to completely automate your Google Base data feeds. By automating your feeds, you ensure that the information uploaded to Google Base is up-to-date and accurate.

Automate your Google Base data feed by connecting it directly with your database with a process that pulls the most recent data once a day, submitting a new bulk upload to Google Base on a regular basis. Outsourcing this task takes about one day's time for setup, and then it becomes automated. One resource for such e-marketing services is Hudson's Horizons.

Though the fundamentals remain the same, search engine optimization is an ever evolving industry, adapting as the search landscape continues to change. It is now important to create and optimize many different types of content to dominate the SERPs. Optimizing your podcasts and Google Base data feeds will go a long way toward expanding search visibility.

About The Author
Susan Esparza is the Senior Editor at Bruce Clay. She joined Bruce Clay in November 2004 and has written extensively for clients and internal publications. She also knows where the knives and forks go in a buffet line. The latter makes her invaluable to the Bruce Clay organization.

I'm gonna give you Master Resell Rights to 200 Products

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Tech Test: Google Checkout

It's been a year since Google launched Checkout,

Microsoft and Ask.com Join Forces to Protect Consumer Privacy

Microsoft and Ask.com announced their plan to devise a set of privacy principles that will give more protection and power to consumers. The companies are asking the Internet industry to back up their efforts in Web search and online advertising. Microsoft and Ask are proposing that technology leaders, online advertisers, and privacy advocates form a discussion to create the privacy principles. Check out all the details right here on WebProNews.

Lack of Trust in Search Engines

The results are in for a poll created as part of Hakia.com’s program, “A Search for Better Search.” The poll was conducted to learn what users think of search engines and if they trust them. WebProNews spoke with Hakia’s Chief Communications Officer, Rob Wyse, about the poll. Find out what he had to say along with the shocking results, only on WebProNews.

Google - DoubleClick to Face Congress

Committees in both the House and the Senate are investigating antitrust and privacy issues concerning the Google-DoubleClick deal. Back in April, Google purchased DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. Find out which companies are not happy with the deal, plus the scheduled date for the hearings, right here on WebProNews.

Google’s Latest Development

The world’s #1 provider of Web search and Internet advertising released a new service for business websites that lets visitors search for information within their sites. Google Custom Search Business Edition includes many applications and does not require businesses to run Google ads. Andy Steggles, President of Holiday Home Rental, was asked to take part in the launch. Steggles spoke with WebProNews about the tremendous impact this product will have on the market. Hear what Steggles had to say in the full story, right here on WebProNews.

Facebook’s Latest…

Facebook has been receiving some extra media attention lately. Some analysts believe the social networking mega site may not be worth as much as everyone thinks. Get all the details on WebProNews.

iPhone Update

AT&T has been getting a significant number of their competitors’ business. Also, a major overseas bidder will likely get the rights to seel the iPhone in Europe. For all the details, check out WebProNews.

Turn of Events for Internet Radio

Just when Internet radio supporters were beginning to lose all hope, last night’s events gave them encouragement. SoundExchange Director, John Simson, announced to the House Commerce Committee that webcasters can continue to stream after July 15th, which was the scheduled day of the fee increase. Dan McSwain of the Radio and Internet Newsletter, told WebProNews they are very pleased with this turn of events. Catch the full story including details on a proposed bill which could postpone the fee increase for 60 days, right here on WebProNews.

Looking Grim for Internet Radio

The Court of Appeals overturned the attempt by webmasters to delay the royalty rate deadline deadline which is scheduled for July 15th. SavetheNetRadio.org is urging listeners to call their Senators and Representatives to act on the Internet Radio Equality Act immediately. Stay tuned to WebProNews for the very latest details in this continuing story.

Affiliate Summit: Interview With Jeremy Schoemaker on Monetization

WebProNews spoke with Jeremy Schoemaker, AKA Shoemoney, at the Affiliate Summit in Miami. He shared tips about when to start considering monetization for a site, and also spam prevention methods. Watch our exclusive coverage from the Affiliate Summit in Miami for all the details.

Affiliate Summit: Stratigent’s Bill Bruno on Leveraging Web Analytics to Track Affiliate Programs

At the Affiliate Summit in Miami, Bill Bruno, Principal of Stratigent, LLC, spoke with WebProNews about his session on Leveraging Web Analytics to Track Affiliate Program. Although it is beneficial to have a campaign and track it, it does not stop there. Hear what the next step is, as well as other helpful tips straight from Bill Bruno, right here on WebProNews.

Affiliate Summit Miami: Mark Papia, FOX Interactive Media

WebProNews caught up with Mark Papia, the V.P. of Performance Marketing at FOX Interactive Media. In this exclusive interview, Papia talks about the future of MySpace and the competition it faces with other social networking sites.

Affiliate Summit: Google’s Rob Kniaz on the Affiliate Summit

At the Affiliate Summit in Miami, Google’s Product Manager, Rob Kniaz spoke with WebProNews about the conference. Google hoped to gain feedback from its users and they did. Hear how Google will use this feedback, plus how new affiliates can work with them to produce profits, only on WebProNews.

Affiliate Summit: Sam Harrelson on Affiliate Marketing and Social Networking

At the Affiliate Summit in Miami, WebProNews caught up with Sam Harrelson, Evangelist with Clicks2Customers, to talk about the relationship between affiliate marketing and social networking sites. Many affiliates are using these social networking sites to actually market themselves. Hear all of what Sam had to say, only on WebProNews.

Affiliate Summit: Joel Comm On The Next Internet Millionaire

WebProNews spoke with Joel Comm about his upcoming reality show, The Next Internet Millionaire. The first ever internet based reality show premieres soon, and you can check out all the details on WebProNews.

Affiliate Summit: Jay Berkowitz on Strategies For Affiliate Marketing

WebProNews spoke with Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com, about everything from WEB 3.0 to a few critical strategies for affiliate marketing. Stay tuned to WebProNews for full coverage of the Affiliate Marketing Summit in Miami.

Affiliate Summit: Pete Wellborn on What You Don’t Know May Hurt You

WebProNews is in Miami covering the Affiliate Summit and caught up with Pete Wellborn of Wellborn and Wallace LLC who was one of the main speakers on “What you don’t know may hurt you”. Wellborn talks about how third parties can make you liable.

Ebay the new Craigslist Competitor?

EBay has released a new classifieds site similar to craigslist. While the two seperately owned sites have some very clear differences, they also have some unique things in common. Can eBay’s new site, Kijiji compete with the classified giant that already has a stable reputation? Check out the full story on WebProNews.

Is This Email Marketing Software All Hype

"Is this email marketing software all hype?

Or, does Mailloop REALLY have the potential to

help you grow a six-figure income Internet business?"

Product Review of "Mailloop: email and Business Automation Software"

Are you drowning in a sea of email chores...? Sure, email is now considered to be one of the top 3 essential Internet marketing strategies:

>>	A single email campaign can be worth $1,000s (if not TENS of $1,000s) in sales -- in less than 24 hours.
>>	And unlike like offline advertising, there are NO printing, envelope, or postage costs to take a bite out of your profits -- email is FREE to send.

... The PROBLEM is, unless you automate your email chores early in your business lifecycle, what you're *saving* on postage and printing costs COULD be eaten up by 100s of wasted hours.

It's not really FREE to send an email campaign if it takes you 3 days to actually get it out the door!

Fortunately, today there are software and services available that take the grunt work out of sending email campaigns, newsletters, and autoresponders...

... Leaving you free to worry about the fun stuff, like crafting high-impact email campaigns... or automating your backend sales with series of autoresponders!

A favorite on my list of tools is Derek Gehl's (of Internet Marketing Center fame) Mailloop -- email and Business Automation Software.

Are people REALLY increasing profits

with Mailloop? Or, is it all hype?

Personally, I've always been comfortable using and recommending Mailloop to my friends and business associates because it has a proven track-record.

The software has been around (and evolving through updates) since 1998... and was originally built by Derek's team to manage their own email marketing campaigns, which now...

Generate over $3.5 Million is sales per year!!!!!!

Of course, if you're just getting started, software that manages email campaigns worth MILLIONS of dollars per year might seem a bit out of your league.

So I think it's important to note that Mailloop also has a long, proven track-record of helping "Regular Joe's" who have started small (with NO opt-in list or experience sending email) grow to a six-figure income -- and beyond!

(If you visit Derek Gehl's website, you can read actual case studies of these real people, and see proof of their RESULTS! Click here now.)

Sure it's more affordable... but are you

giving up features and control?

If you're price conscious like me, you'll also appreciate the value-for-the-dollar Mailloop gives you.

Mailloop has been designed to give small and home-based business owners ALL the email automation tools you need, in one easy-to-use software interface...

So while many of the email management services used by the Fortune 500s will "two-bit" you to death with extra charges that can run into the $1,000s per year, with Mailloop you get everything you need to...

• Easily collect email addresses from an opt-in form on your website


• Subscribe and unsubscribe people from your list automatically


• Import existing lists of opt-in customers and subscribers


• Send professional-looking email campaigns -- in text and HTML


• Manage MULTIPLE newsletters from one interface


• Automate your customer service with autoresponders


• Send automated "follow-up" emails with unlimited autoresponders

... Plus tons more, all for one very reasonable, low one-time payment -- and NO EXTRA charges, ever!

What about support? Will you be crying

by your computer at 2 a.m.?

Here's where I really give Derek and his team some serious praise.

Until a couple of years ago, support for the Mailloop software was limited to some videos and a help manual. Yes, there were a few staff dedicated to supporting customers, but I generally get the impression they were spread too thin.

In the last couple of years, though, Derek and IMC have really beefed up their technical support... I take it this has happened in response to customer demand.

So now, not only has Mailloop been streamlined with these GREAT wizards that walk you step by step through all the critical tasks like sending your first email, setting up your first autoresponder, etc...

... Mailloop ALSO now comes with a complete suite of video tutorials, a customer support center, and personal support on-demand from a very knowledgeable, and VERY available, team of Internet marketing experts.

So getting set up with Mailloop and sending your first email campaign is a breeze...

The final verdict... Is Mailloop a diamond or a dud?

Overall, I give Mailloop my highest recommendation.

Not only do you get the entire suite of email management tools for a low, one-time payment -- a value of literally $1,000s per year...

... You also get unlimited support from IMC's experienced staff... something other service providers are charging $100+ per hour for!

And with Mailloop's track-record of helping regular people boost their incomes over six-figures per year, you can be confident that you're using a software that's already PROVEN to get results!

To get started with Mailloop, OR learn the strategies Derek Gehl used to make over $3.5 Million last year alone with email marketing, visit:http://mailloop.check-free.info/

I give Mailloop my HIGHEST recommendation!

Affiliate Summit Miami Hits Monday

Affiliate Summit Miami will be taking place July 8-10, and WebProNews will be there to bring you exclusive coverage. The event will have the experts speaking on topics such as Addressing Publishers’ Needs, Monetizing Communities, as well as many more helpful subjects. Google’s Product Manager, Rob Kniaz told WebProNews in over the phone that he is looking forward to the event and is anticipating a great time. Stay tuned to WebProNews for the full coverage of the 2007 Affiliate Summit Miami.

YouTube Does Not Have a Business Opportunity But This Does

Hot new eVo broadcast reveals sneak-preview reactions!
"Guys, you haven't seen nothing yet..."

"This is going to attract millions of people....There's a tidal wave on its way, there's no question about that!"

...Just a few quotes from the two eVo members who were given the chance to peek behind the curtain of eVo at the new brand. Suffice it to say, they were astonished by what they saw!

The Internet is the world’s fastest-growing marketplace.

Discover a market growing four times faster than the Internet.

The growth is worth the equivalent of $412 every second of every hour of every day.

http://tinyurl.com/27k9ln





http://tinyurl.com/27k9ln

Company Profile - YouTube

A look at online video pioneers YouTube and how they became one of the most popular desitinations on the web.

Computer Users Beware of Hitman Scams

Authorities are investigating a ring of “hitman” email scams that threaten each recipient’s life. As a result, the FBI has released a warning for computer users to be very careful with their personal information. Hear what FBI Special Agent Gail Marcinkiewicz told us about the case including precautions you can take to keep this scam from happening to you, only on WebProNews.

Online Video More Popular Than Ever

The use of online video has skyrocketed in recent years. While commonly considered the “mecca” of online video search, Youtube isn’t the only video site getting big hits. In an interview with WebProNews, Mike Vorhaus with Frank Magid & Associates, explains why online video is more popular than ever.

Microsoft and Intermap team up

An enhanced version of Virtual Earth 3-D by Microsoft has been released for Great Britain. Eric DesRoche, Senior Vice President of Intermap Technologies tells WebProNews the significance of these enhanced features. Watch the full story on WebProNews.

PayPal’s New Security Key

WebProNews caught up with Rajiv Dutta President of PayPal on the exhibit floor at Ebay Live in Boston. He explains the new release of the security key system from PayPal for Ebay users and non-ebay users.

Buzz is Building Or is it just Hype?

Buzz is Building

Or is it just Hype? Read on and see what You maybe missing!

How often have you wished you were in at the beginning of something that turns out to be huge?

Imagine taking 3 of the most powerful Web trends to create one of the biggest opportunities this decade!

Learn how having fun, being entertained and social networking can earn you Money!

Even better if that 'something huge' is coming from a company that already has a hugely successful product and has been established for over 5 years.

Evolution day is a special event along the way to the launch of something big. In fact I don't think big will do it justice but I'm not one for hype :-)

This new product is known to us, the distributors, as project e-play. Eplay is an online gaming platform with some twists that will make it unique.

And if you're already a networker, this is going to appeal to you BIG time.

Contact me for details CLICK HERE or read on, to find out how you can receive and read a privileged Insiders Report which will blow your mind.

You will then realise what you have in front of you.

You can actually take action and be active NOW. If you take action now, and over the next few weeks, you could earn $20,000 in your first month.

Online gaming, Evolution Day and project E-play - how it will work from a network marketing perspective

The online gaming market is HUGE. Marketing reports talk in millions of people and billions of dollars.

Online gaming is to South Korea what reality TV is to the United States: Huge.

Online gaming is by no means a fad, but a burgeoning business that has been embraced by the next generation of computer game consoles, remains a mainstay of PC and Mac gaming and is broadening its appeal to older generations as well as capturing the younger population.

Online gaming is predicted to be $7 billion by 2008.

Social networking sites are amongst the top visited sites on the Internet.

Social Networking is all about building trustworthy and everlasting relationships and as such, pretty much like in real life,

Forrester Research’s Vice President and Principal Analyst Charlene Li believe that social networking is becoming so important that it is like air, it is everywhere.

If you think the explosion of social networking is relegated to the high school and college crowd, you might be surprised at the results of a recent survey on online social networking.

Any way you slice it social networking is white hot – leveraging the very fabric of an increasingly digital society to thrive and grow exponentially.

Get your privileged Insiders Report which will blow your mind.
CLICK HERE

Discover a market growing FOUR times faster than the Internet.

The growth is worth the equivalent of $412 every SECOND of every hour of every day.
See why 28% (7.6 million) of one country’s online population visited this sector in just ONE month.

Find out why “Fortune 500” and “Blue-Chip” companies such as Sky TV and MTV Networks want a piece of the action.

Be one of the first to learn how this powerful business, using a simple system, can earn you a fortune!

Project e-play will combine these AND offer an awesome opportunity for the network marketer.

Imagine getting paid everytime a player you or one of your team introduced plays a game!

Project e-play is the codename for the latest offering from VWD (Virtual World Direct) - the company behind e-lottery.

E-lottery is already making great incomes for its affiliates and will continue to do so.

But this new string to our bow is going to have even more appeal to a broader market!There are companies that sell online gaming franchises for thousands of dollars up front and hundreds of dollars a month.

E-play will offer any entrepreneur the same potential at a fraction of the cost as well as providing a much richer player experience.

CLICK HERE
Get Your Privileged Insiders Report which will blow your mind.

© Phil Bradshaw 2007

eBay Research Tools

WebProNews Video's Abby Prince chatted with Anthony Sukow, CEO and president of Terapeak, a company that specializes in applications for eBay research.

Sukow announced at the conference the availability of a free research plug-in that allows eBayers to research auction trending, pricing, when to sell, and best features to highlight.

If you want the scoop on the competition, though, you'll have to pull out your wallet. Competitor research is "something they should pay for," said Sukow.

EBay pulls ads from Google over party

Evo is Coming

Google and SalesForce in online ad alliance

Google's street views have privacy advocates crying "Don't be Evil"

YouTube helped revolutionize Internet video

Web Video To TV

8 Tips To Create A Landing Page

By Ayat Shukairy (c) 2007

Introduction

You need copy for your landing page but you're not sure where to start. First let's clarify what we mean by a landing page. A landing page can be a page that visitors come to after clicking on a promotional banner or link. Ultimately, the landing page must convince the visitor that they should stay on your site. You may also have a goal that you want accomplished, such as:

• Signing up for a newsletter or filling out a förm
• Buying a product
• Reading informational pieces

What's going to keep them there? The structure, the language, and the visual appeal all play a part of it. Chëck out these tips to create a great landing page, or reinvent the one you already have.

The Structure

People arrive at your site looking for answers. They scan to see if they're in the right place and assess whether it's going to be a quick and easy visit or a long grinding one. Your landing page is the welcome wagon inviting them in and feeding them the information they need. The structure of the page will either pull them in and encourage them to fulfill your goal, or distract and cause them to cut out of there before getting the whole picture.

The structure of the landing page in general should be matching that of the banner, äd or link they clicked on to get them there. So for example, if your PPC Ad is targeting SEO articles, your landing page should discuss exactly that. If a Victoria Secret's äd for lingerie shows up and you clíck on it, you will be transferred to a landing page with the exact image and structure of the äd.

The Visuals

• Copy placement – Strategic use of copy and graphics will catch the visitor's attention. Don't muck up the page with large, distracting graphics. Use plenty of whitespace and place your message in the central portion of the page rather than placing information down the sides, where the focus can be lost quickly. Keep the copy short. The visitor expects a precise message, so don't choke it up with tons of mindless prose.
• Beauty is in the eye – Use a consistent color palette. If you have advertising or banners that link visitors to your website, make sure the concept and color scheme match across the board. It's also a great visual indicator for the visitor because they can easily identify that they're still in the right place.
• Simplify – Remove any distracting elements like advertising banners, links, or additional blocks of information from the page and get down to the specific message.
  

Here's How to Get All Your Google AdWords Pay-Per-Clicks FREE!

The Goal

Before you design the landing page, decide what the goal of the page will be. If you're looking for newsletter subscribers, the goal will be to have the visitor enter their information and become a member of your mailing líst.

Be a Sleuth

Do your research. Keep your visitors in mind when building your landing page and tailor it to suit their needs. By narrowing your options and focusing on your visitor, you'll stay on target.

Keep Your Focus
Keep the focus on you. You've dangled a large poster board over their head and pulled them in. Now that you've got them, don't give your visitors a reason to wander.

Use a Call to Action

A call to action, such as 'subscribe now' or 'get this offër' reminds the visitor why they are on your website. Place them toward the top of your page. For users that want to clíck, it allows them to find it easily. For those who are still deciding, it's a great reminder.
Many sites place the consultation or contact förm directly on the landing page, which may not be such a bad idea. Again, you need glaring calls to action. Don't add several useless links on the page that will take the visitor back to your main site; rather include the links that will get them to actually purchase your product/service.

Write Like a Pro

No, you don't have to hire one to look like one. What's the best way to come off like a professional? Create landing pages with no grammatical or spelling errors. I recently hit a website offering 'discount holideys.' As I clicked out of there, I pictured the four-star flea-bag motel by the swampland I might have booked if I stayed.

Reassure

People get leery when they're asked for their personal data. If you're asking for personal information, make sure you have a credible privacy policy to back you up.

About The Author

Ayat is the Director of the writing department at INVESP. She manages a team of writers that provide business writing services such as Grant writing, webcopy writing and optimized SEO article writing.

Bill Myers Tip of the Week

Bill Myers Tip of the Week

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A good time to buy a new computer

With the introduction of Windows Vista, computer manufacturers have seen a big drop in sales.

Would-be computer buyers are sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what problems Vista might bring, and they are just not buying computers.

This has resulted in a huge glut of unsold computer inventory going all the way back to the manufacturers.

In an effort to get rid of the excess inventory, computer manufacturers (including Dell, Apple, Sony and HP), are significantly reducing prices.

For example, as of this morning Dell is offering a Dimension E520 Desktop with 2.8GHz Dual Core, 1Gig Ram, 80GB hard drive, and a 19-inch LCD Monitor for $469 with free shipping.

The monitor alone is worth $200 - so it is like getting a new Dell computer for $269.

Dell is also offering a dual core notebook with 1 gig ram, 80 gig hard drive, dvd burner, wifi and more for $599.

These kinds of deals will be available until the manufacturers reduce their inventory - then the prices will go back up.

So, if you are in the market for a PC, now is a good time to buy - as long as you seek out and take advantage of the big price reduction sales.

And as I mentioned in last weeks tip, the best place to find deals like the ones above are:

http://www.dealhack.com
http://www.techbargains.com
http://www.dealcatcher.com

Bill Myers

< http://bmyers.check-free.info/ >
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Pan and Crop Sony in Sony Vegas Movie Studio



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1,001 Profitable topics for your next how to book, video, or subscription web site

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That's it for this week! Bill Myers