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Tuesday, Feb. 9th 2010
Link building is hard work. Link baiting is easy. The metaphors contained in the terms make it obvious - it’s like the difference between building a house, and fishing! Website linking is an essential part of the process of having a website, you can start automating the process somewhat by concentrating on these strategies for getting links to come to you. Website linking via normal building means is essential - but you can use these high-end strategies to ice your link popularity cake in the future!
1. Corporate blogging for value
Create a regularly updated resource that aims for comprehensiveness, not niche information, and people will naturally want to link to you.
2. Resource lists
If they are very comprehensive, well-organized or regularly updated, resource lists are some of the most frequented pages on the web.
3. Develop a Firefox plugin
For many businesses, this one will need to be outsourced. If it solves a problem within your niche, though, these plug-ins often get lots of mentions web-wide.
4. Organize a recurring competition
This is best when it is either seasonal or yearly, and the prizes are substantial for relatively little effort - although you would generally require more than just contact details to send the prize to.
5. Organize a recurring charity event
Again, make this seasonal or yearly so people feel some predictability about when it will be held.
6. Write a free ebook
This is another task that can be outsourced if you don’t feel that you are up to the skills required - but remember to set the topic and tone yourself, so that it reflects your business.
7. Translate your content
Offer multiple language versions of your content, and promote it in different countries and language regions. There is little competition in this area, and a greater diversity of web links, language-wise, is liked by Google.
8. Create a Facebook application
You will need to maintain it over time, and you’ll also need some basic technical skills. But you can get quite a few website linking pages this way.
9. Give away images and wallpapers
If you have photography or illustration skills, or are prepared to outsource them, this can be a great way to get links from the web-loving design community as well as others.
10. Recipes
If this fits within your niche at all, it is a great way to get website linking love from lifestyle oriented sites as well as personal blogs.
Monday, Feb. 8th 2010
In email marketing, you usually have a couple of chances to impress your reader. After all, it takes more work to actually click the unsubscribe button and confirm that you don’t want to be on the list than to just hit the delete button. As a marketing medium, therefore, email can be a bit more forgiving than some others. However, if you consistently disappoint your readers you have not only missed an opportunity now … but destroyed an opportunity in the future. Disappointing email messages create not just an indifferent impression, but an actively negative one, and the fastest way to disappoint is with messages that don’t work properly! These email marketing tips detail the quality control steps that expert internet marketers use, and can trip up the DIY crowd of email marketing fairly quickly.
Broken links
These are just as much of an annoyance in email communications as they are on the web. Use copy-paste when you are inserting links into email messages, and test links yourself (especially important ones) before sending out to your entire list.
Duplicate messages
People may be interested in your message the first time they see it. If it appears more than once, they’ll likely feel a little annoyed (which may be transferred onto your company). Any more than that, and your credibility in the customer’s eyes is starting to be seriously affected.
Personalization fields that aren’t personalized
Personalization adds a great deal to email marketing, especially when it goes beyond just inserting the customer’s name. However, it can have an even greater negative effect when the fields aren’t working properly! It feels low-quality and sort of seedy to receive a message that says, “Hello [Customer name]! We’d like to follow up on your recent purchase of [Product description].”
Faulty unsubscribe pages
Not only is it in violation of the CAN SPAM Act to not provide a valid way for people to opt out of the email list, it is plain annoying. Your customer may wish to return to the store to purchase something, or come back to your website for another reason, and might simply not need the unsolicited contact any more. If you don’t let them out, you’ll make an enemy forever.
Missing images
The most valuable email marketing tip you will hear is also the simplest … Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V! This is usually the remedy for missing pictures as well as broken links. Ensure your picture uploader is working correctly, also.
Email marketing tips focus so often on content, when more often it is technical issues that sabotage effectiveness. Getting expert help can make a big difference to your campaign.
Friday, Feb. 5th 2010
When building a list of directory submissions for your business, it makes good sense (both for people and for Goooglebots), to keep your submission relevant to your business. There’s little point submitting your fresh flowers website to a directory aimed at pro gamers and website developers, for example. However, there are some directories that are truly applicable to all businesses - you probably even use a few of these yourself to find information on the web. Today we are looking at some of the big names in directory submissions that all businesses should be paying attention to.
Yahoo
This directory costs bucks to be in - but is generally considered to be a must-have for SEO. It sees plenty of actual, human traffic, and also does quite a bit for pushing you up the search engine rankings. If you truly have almost no competition in your field, you may be able to do without a Yahoo directory listing. Otherwise it is highly recommended, and costs $299.
Squidoo
You’ve probably seen plenty of Squidoo pages on your own travels around the web as you are researching various things. Lenses here get great search engine results placements. You have to put a little work into a Squidoo lens, it is more than just entering your contact details and web address - but is well worth it. They are good for businesses that engage in a broad Internet marketing mix.
Joeant
This directory offers free inclusion, but the site has quite stringent guidelines for freebie submitters. You can take the option to pay a $40 fee and have them tweak your listing to match their quality control requirements - in many cases this is well worth it.
BOTW
This stands for Best of the Web, and they offer businesses categorized into localities. You can get a lifetime listing for around $250, or check out the effects that this directory submission has on your search engine results with a monthly subscription.
DMOZ
The Open Directory project, like Joeant, has very stringent quality guidelines. Don’t try to misrepresent your site in any way … there’s no fooling the people that edit DMOZ, they’ve seen it all! Inclusion is free, but there is an enormous wait time to be listed. This directory submission is worth the wait, though!
Thursday, Feb. 4th 2010
When you are just starting out with your website, budget is often of the essence. The cheapest solution might not be the best one … but it is the only one that is possible! When your company finds its foothold and things start looking up, though, you are often faced with a dilemma. Is it better to keep doing things in house, or should I outsource some of my activities to experts? When it comes to article submission, the time you can potentially spend is huge. We look at whether it is smarter to outsource your article submissions, or keep it in-house.
Upfront cost versus time cost
Time is money. Unless you are familiar with article marketing and submission, or know somebody who can give you a free, in-person short training course, it will probably take quite a while just to familiarize yourself with the concept. Outsourcing, though, does add another bill to the pile. What is right for you?
* DIY if: You are familiar with the basics of article submission, and have an extremely limited budget but plenty of time resources
* Outsource if: Your time working on your own business is more valuable than what an article submission service will charge you. Also outsource if you have little knowledge of the basic concept.
Penetration and perceived quality
Do you want to be portrayed as an expert in your field? It is not only your article content, but the sites you submit your articles to and the format that you put them in that can contribute to the public image of your company.
* DIY if: You are a heavy web surfer and familiar with the more respected article submission sites, and how the authors frame their company contact information.
* Outsource if: You spend most of your time working on your business and less time on the Internet. If a perception of quality is crucial to your business image, then pro help with article submission is too.
Writing the articles
Writing quality articles is the basis of all article marketing. An article submission service often has access to quality content writers at quite low prices.
* DIY if: You are confident in your written communication skills
* Outsource if: You are not absolutely certain of your spelling and grammar skills, and if you have not done much writing over your career.
Wednesday, Feb. 3rd 2010
Writing press releases is perhaps one of the most specialized forms of content creation in the world currently … rivaled only by the use of iambic pentameter, Shakespeare’s favorite conversational rhythm! It is incredibly easy, once you know how. Yet, much like playing guitar, if you start out doing it the wrong way you’ll only teach yourself bad habits and negate all the effort you put in. Here are the most important steps NOT to take when writing press releases!
DON’T write about something static
Too many people decide that the world needs to know that their ‘Superb Bangkok accommodation is turning heads all over the globe’. That was true a week ago, and will be true next week. Nothing has really changed … there is nothing ‘new’ … there fore there is nothing ‘newsworthy’ in that topic as a press release.
DON’T use opinions that aren’t in the form of a quote
Journalists are only interested in facts. This is because the people that read their articles like to make up their own mind about things… much like you probably do! If you include opinion when you are writing press releases, publishers won’t take your document seriously. Even in the mildest form, like the use of adjectives that aren’t independently verifiable, including ’stunning’, ‘wonderful’, ‘valuable’, etc, opinion is a credibility killer.
DON’T write haphazardly
Your press release desperately needs structure. Writing press releases should be much like writing news articles - keep the most important stuff up front, and continue writing in descending order of importance. Importance may also mean relevance to the subject of the press release.
DON’T try to write the whole release in the title
Long titles look like a lot of work to read, and most journalists want to skim over press release titles until they find something relevant. They’ll just skip yours if the title is too long. It is true that you should spend more time writing the title than writing the press release body … but that doesn’t mean the title should be the longest part!
DON’T try to ‘package’ something as newsworthy that really isn’t
If it is a big logistical leap from ‘newsworthiness’ to the information in your press release, journalists will see this straight away. It is sort of like when you click on a search engine link looking for information, only to find an advertisement. It’s quite frustrating for them! Only publish if you are sure what you have to say is newsworthy … don’t just assume you can make it sound so in the process of writing the press release.
Tuesday, Feb. 2nd 2010
Blog advertising is a conversation between you and your customer. That is the prime reason that it has become such an integral part of the online marketing landscape, and why there are no signs of advertising via blogs falling by the wayside. It’s one thing to be talked ‘at’ … but it feels quite different to be engaged in a conversation with somebody. Today we are looking at comments on your blog advertising - why you want them, and how to get them!
Why are comments so important?
Comments are a great measure of the health of your blog - kind of like an online version of the ‘beep test’. This is because:
* Comments show you have created content people care about
* Comments can add to the original post, without any extra effort from you
* Comments give you a chance to answer people’s questions about the post, instead of possibly leaving them with an incorrect impression.
The 5 questions that best encourage comments on blogs
Everyone tends to use the old ‘What do you think?’ at the end of their blog advertising posts. It sometimes seems like less of a question and more of a convenient way to close the piece. Make it feel more genuine by asking things like:
* How does that make you feel?
* Do you have a relevant example of this happening?
* What will you do, in light of this?
* What is your opinion?
* Do you think that’s a good idea?
Creating blog advertising that naturally draw comments
There are a few sure-fire ways to get people to comment on your blogs, and they all involve some sort of monetary outlay! The ‘comment to win’ tactic has been used to very good effect - whether it cerates lasting engagement is yet to be determined. Here are some free ways to angle your blog advertising posts to draw more comments:
* Share something personal. People really appreciate this, especially in the context of a mostly corporate-style or informational blog. These posts often get a lot of interaction, and also encourage future interaction.
* Write a post that is all about asking for comments. Don’t just have that question as an afterthought - make it the whole purpose of the post. Ask your readers what they have been up to, what they’ll be doing, or what they think about something and leave it at that.
* Give plenty of good info. Your blog advertising doesn’t have to be long, but if it is info-packed people are more likely to comment.
Monday, Feb. 1st 2010
Conversion - the word is whispered, shouted, and often repeated in Internet marketing. When it comes to banner ads, upping the conversion rate can be a little tricky: conversions from online display ads often come at a later time, and aren’t always trackable through the analytics for the ad itself. Yet, for companies with a solid product, a targeted niche and a great offer to promote through their banner ads, even direct conversions can be sizeable. We look at how.
1. Ensure your offer is compelling, and suited to banner advertising
There is no sense advertising something that doesn’t draw people to your site. Unfortunately, in this day and age, having a great product isn’t enough to make people stop what they are doing to click on an advertisement and check out what it is talking about. You need to give people a solid reason or benefit - one that relates to the marketing basics of Health, Wealth, Sex or Relationships is ideal.
2. Targeting the banner design
Will you be advertising on a young, fresh, off-the-wall sort of site? Conservative banners might stand out - but they’ll do so for all the wrong reasons. Know your own audience, and also know the audience of the site you’ll be advertising on, and then create the banner ads based on that. Have a look at your ad when it is in context, and if it seems completely out of place, get back to the drawing board.
3. Targeting the people who see your banner ad
Utilizing content networks like Facebook, Google and Yahoo allows you to take advantage of the information they have, to target your ads to people that are most likely to click on them. If your cost model is per thousand impressions, placing your banner ads in a targeted setting is a must.
4. Optimize your website itself
The click through rate for your banner ad is only a small part of the story - like reading the second chapter of a book, but nothing else! Your website must be optimized to do the rest of the work. A professional site design with no bugs, clear organization and easy accessibility, and a focus on the benefits of your product rather than the features is needed. People write books on this subject - hiring a pro on the website end to make the most of your banner ad spending is the most sensible solution.
Friday, Jan. 29th 2010
When it comes to search engine strategies, there are some things that everybody does. Of course, your business is individual, and you need to stand out from the pack. When it comes to search engine marketing, though, it’s like a war with a hundred competitors vying for top spot. Neglecting the weapons that are in other people’s arsenals won’t get you the victory! Today we look at the basic search engine strategies for the war fought over Google territory.
1. Make sure your content is crawlable
Your page content should be in plain text, preferably. Images, frames and Flash cannot be crawled by search engine spiders, so anything that appears here should be minimal and not text-based.
2. Tagging
Your heading tags are one of the most important ranking factors currently. Not including your keywords here will make your SEO campaign a losing battle. Meta descriptions are no longer as important to the Google algorithm, but are important to consumers, so don’t ignore them either!
3. Make sure you submit
People will tell you that search engine submission is not necessary, as Google bots will crawl your site eventually anyway. This is true at one level - but why let your competitors keep gaining search engine respect (it matters how long your domain has been recognized by the search engines) while you wait for Googlebots? Submit your site, or use a service. This also helps you get listed on plenty of other search engines that have less, but not insignificant, traffic.
4. Never, ever give up!
Keep on doing your link building, publishing your articles, putting out your press releases, submitting to directories, and blogging. Of course, you can always have someone do the dirty work for you!
5. Stay up to date with how the search engines work
Google’s algorithm is constantly being fine-tuned. Sometimes a previously white hat tactic turns black hat, sometimes a very important element is devalued. Your search engine strategy should incorporate having an understanding of how the territory is formed … or hiring someone who does!
Thursday, Jan. 28th 2010
We all know that we need to maintain our SEO and Internet marketing efforts. It is clear that they aren’t a one-time activity, but a long-term investment that must be maintained. Links must constantly be built or baited, blogs have to go out every month, and there are always new directories to submit to. But there are several factors that can have a big effect on your Google ranking that are very rarely discussed! If you have a significant Internet advertising investment, it makes sense to protect it with the following measures.
1. Domain name registrar reliability and support
Cheap domain name registration seems like the way to go when you are opening a website. What could possibly go wrong? Well, if there is an issue with your domain name and the website is inaccessible for a period of time, it is likely to affect your Google rankings. Google will find your site again when it is back up, or you could manually submit it - but the ranking you’ve done so much Internet advertising to gain might be much lower.
2. Renewing your domain
If your domain name expires (especially if it is a high value one), there will be people waiting in the wings to take it up - don’t worry about that! Your SEO ranking that your Internet advertising gained you is linked to your URL, not to your site content, so someone else could benefit from your work by registering what was previously your domain name.
3. Phone support by hosting company
Downtime on your website host’s side can be as devastating as problems with the domain name registrar. Make sure your hosting company offers 24/7 phone support in case you discover a problem.
4. Website security
A new and worrying tactic that blackhat SEOs are using is to hack a website to insert their links into it - often invisibly. It won’t be till your rankings plummet despite your Internet advertising efforts that you find out about the hundreds of hidden (but indexed) links to unauthorized sites that appear on your domain. This can cause Google penalties that are hard to recover from.
Wednesday, Jan. 27th 2010
Popunder ads are sometimes derided as seedy, seen as a cheap alternative to ‘real’ advertising. In fact, popunder advertising has netted companies millions of dollars, and been used by brands that care deeply about their reputation … and yes, they have quite a reputation to care for! Today we are looking at some of the big names that have dabbled in popunder advertising on their sites.
1. Orbitz
This is the brand that began the whole popunder advertising craze, one of the biggest names to initiate and track a popunder advertising campaign from its beginning, and also one of the brands to make the biggest bucks from its campaigns. Orbitz saw big click through rates and enormous conversion statistics from their popunder campaign, and encouraged many others to get on the gravy train.
2. Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor used popunder ads for a significant amount of time, using them to push accommodation or accommodation providers in the location that the visitor was searching for information on. The ads themselves were very natural and non-intrusive.
3. Condenet
If there ever was a brand that cared about its image more than Conde Nast, I’ve yet to encounter it! The Conde Net site used popunder advertising for a while, and while their consumer interest is ongoing, they suffered no reputational damage.
4. J Brand Jeans
Another high-end company that turned the popunder advertising craze to its advantage in the past. They no longer use popunder ads throughout their site, but had success with them for a period.
5. Cingular
Back before this company merged with AT&T, you could find popunder advertising throughout their site, letting you know about special offers related to the pages you viewed, etc. Their popunder advertising was all contextual.
6. X10
This was one of the big names in popunder advertising for quite some time, experiencing huge success and perhaps even spawning Orbitz’s foray into the online marketing medium.
7. NY Times
This is a Conde Nast publication (you might remember them from company number 3!), which used to use popunder ads frequently on their site. They were limited to one per visitor per day, to keep the ads themselves novel and interesting.
8. Yahoo
They ran popunder advertising in the early 2000s for quite a while, and made quite a bit of revenue from them.
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