Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

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3 Keys To Writing Effective Search Engine Copy

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

It’s been well-established that Search Engines like Google tend to look favorably upon fresh and original content when providing users with relevant search results.  A user that is searching for “office furniture” should be presented with results that contain Web pages where that search phrase is dense within the copy.

But there’s a fine line.  It’s not advisable to simply “cram” keywords into a page in an overly-repetitive fashion.  At the same time there is a requirement to be sure that target search phrases do appear within the copy to be sure the search engines recognize it.  Google suggests a common sense approach in determining how to toe the line:  make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.

As you contemplate how to create and develop your Web site’s content, here are three keys to consider:

Key 1: Do not repeat keywords in an unnatural way.

The ability to keep an article keyword-rich and enjoyable is an art form in and of itself. When given the choice of one more related keyword and keeping it free of awkwardness, err on the side of readability. You can always spin the article anew with a separate and distinct article. Today’s readers will tend to scan, or gloss over the copy. When a keyword is repeated multiple times, the reader will see the pattern and conclude the article is less than genuine. In the same vein, use of name brands should be avoided unless extremely pertinent to the article. Scanners spot ads woven throughout the copy the fastest.

Key 2: Give a call to action to attract a community around the article.

Think like the audience. The articles with the most activity involve the reader in some way. If you are writing content on dog training, you could ask a question like “Do you think bulldogs can be trained?” toward the end of the article. Viewers will voice their opinions and inadvertently add more related keywords to that page with little to no effort on the site-owners part. Adding internal links inside the article that are keyword-rich are also helpful to get traffic to multiple pages within the site.

Key 3: Use the “rule of three.”

This very article narrows down the many SEO copy writing tips in to a three-point list. This phenomenon (the rule of three) is as unexplainable as it is memorable. Historic examples would include “Blood, sweat, and tears,” “I came, I saw, I conquered”, and many others. You can use it to your advantage and present your ideas in three-point bullets. It increases readability and is another opportunity to include related keywords. If this seems to restrictive for particularly long articles, you can break the primary three points in to the secondary parts. This compounding of the rule of three has been shown to be just as effective.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Orlando Web Marketing, Orlando search engine optimization, SEO | No Comments »

Links Are Important: 2 Things You Need to Know

Monday, March 8th, 2010

If you want to improve your business’s search engine rankings, links are generally thought to be one of the most reliable avenues of doing so.  The more links to your Web site from other Web sites, the better.  Before you jump in, though, there are a few things you need to know in order to be successful:

1.  The text in your link matters. A link to your site from another needs to reflect the keywords your visitors may be using to find you.  This should be learned through solid keyword research.  Here are some examples of how links are usually created, using our company as an example.

  • Learn more about WebSolvers here (no very effective, unless you wish to rank highly for the word ‘here’)
  • Learn more about WebSolvers (effective for building relevance for our company name, but we might assume that people typing ‘WebSolvers’ into Google are going to find our firm anyway)
  • Learn more about Orlando web design (best approach because it corresponds to a keyword that our potential clients are using)

2.  The pages where links are placed matter. It’s not enough just to arrange for links to your site on other Web sites (although most links are helpful in some way).  Here are a handful of things to look for when determining how “powerful” a referring site is:

  • Sites with a high PageRank (Google’s ranking “score” for a page)
  • Web sites with older, more established domain age; the longer a site has been existence, the more credible it is viewed
  • Pages that have some relevance to the keywords you are seeking are more critical; if you are looking to rank highly for “computer repair” yet the site linking to yours ranks highly for “pet food,” the link will probably do you much good.
  • Web sites that carry high “general” credibility, like news sites or consumer portals carry high credibility.

Understanding these two simple concepts will take you a long way in your search engine rankings and link-building efforts.

In the near future, we’ll be addressing the issue of how to go about applying these topics to a link building strategy or campaign.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Link building, Orlando Web Marketing, Orlando web design, SEO | No Comments »

Search Engines: A Framework for Understanding

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Do you struggle with getting your arms around how search engines work?  You’re not alone.  With this diagram and a few pointers, we’re hopeful that you might be in a better position to succeed with search marketing.  Keep in mind that while this is a framework and a methodology for understanding, it is not intended to be exhaustive or definitive.

For starters, think of search engine marketing as an ongoing process, not a one-shot deal.  You may wish to refer to our earlier post which casts search engine optimization as a journey–not a day trip.  Note that the diagram below is a continual process, not a linear one.

Simple Search Engine Marketing Methodology

Simple Search Engine Marketing Methodology

With the image of a cycle in your mind, let’s briefly describe the steps, starting at the top.

  1. Keyword Analysis – Perform keyword research and analysis to be sure you’re targeting the right words.
  2. Web Site Optimization – Make sure your pages encompass the words you’ve selected both within the pages and the site itself; this also includes the idea of following some structural guidelines so that your site is “well-received” by search engines.
  3. Off-site Optimization – Perhaps the least understood step in the process, it’s perhaps the place where you can have the most impact on your results.  This involves making a concerted effort to build links to your site from other sites of relevance.  Google views these links as “votes” for your site and increases your rankings.
  4. Campaign Implementation – This involves the active implementation of tactics designed to increase visits; for most, this involves link exchange activity and/or pay-per-click execution.
  5. Performance Reporting & Analysis – Once you’re on your way, you need to periodically measure what is working and what is not.  Once complete, go back to Step 1.

This simple diagram should help you gain a better understanding of how you can improve your search engine rankings and performance.  Most marketers will look at this diagram through the lens of their own site and likely see one area (or more) that needs most immediate attention.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Orlando Web Marketing, SEO, Web Strategy | No Comments »

Social Media: A Waste of Your Organization’s Time?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

The rise of MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and others is not foreign to most.  Unless you’ve been asleep for the past few years, you know that social networks exist and that people use them.  Heavily.  It hasn’t taken long for public relations professionals to put their arms around the medium (playing both offense and defense) and for marketers to see it as a “free” pipeline to new customers.

But not all managers and business owners have been so quick to embrace social networking.  Research reports from around the Web reveal that many leaders have yet to jump in with both feet.  And while surveys and data tell the story, it is in conversations with professionals that the story comes alive.  In talking with business owners about using Twitter, some of the reflexive comments they convey include:

  • Twitter is for a younger audience, not me.
  • My daughter is on Facebook, not me.
  • Twitter is a place for celebrities to talk about their day.
  • I don’t care what someone had for breakfast.

You can’t blame people for reacting to social media opportunities this way.  We typically hear about Twitter in the mass media when, for example, a professional athlete says something he shouldn’t or a celebrity couple breaks up because of it.  It’s hard to get a serious person to take something seriously when it is associated with things that aren’t, well, serious.  As a cumulative result, social media tools get dissed and dismissed.

But there is a real danger in this for corporations and leaders.  While people are indeed talking about things that do not matter to you, they are also talking (every once in a while) about things that matter to them.  And they’re talking to each other.  Along the way, they are mentioning brands.  They’re mentioning the nice barista at Starbucks, the on-time departure with Jet Blue, and the deal they just scored at the Volkswagen dealership.  And while it might not be your brand today, it might be tomorrow.  And that should matter to you.

Learning about social media doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to start broadcasting whether you like Cheerios or Wheaties in the morning.  Lifecasting may not be for you.  But it is a big deal to some.

In the end, there is a spectrum of social media users.  At one end of the spectrum might be the life-casters:  they use Twitter, Facebook, and others several times a day to communicate with friends, post pictures, and, yes, follow celebrities.  On the other end of the spectrum are the real nay-sayers.  Not only do they not participate in social networking, they may even poke fun at those who do.  In the middle of the spectrum might be those that dabble from time-to-time.  Maybe they update their status every once in a while, but mostly they lurk–simply monitoring their friends’ activities for fun or entertainment.

No matter where you fall on this spectrum, it’s our assertion that no place is the “right” place to be.  You’re not necessarily missing the boat if you’re not a life-caster.  In our view, the only danger is in not acknowledging the spectrum itself.  Dismissing it altogether may result in lost opportunities for you and your organization.

Posted in Business Strategy, Consumer Behavior, Internet Marketing, Orlando Web Marketing, Web Strategy, social media | 1 Comment »

Ten of Our Recent Client Engagements

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

When we started WebSolvers in 1995, the Web was a brand new medium.  We don’t need to tell you how much technology has changed, but we do want to share with you how much we have.  Instead of boring you with theory, here is a list of ten recent engagements that we’ve completed that give you an idea of what we do now (in addition to developing engaging, effective Web sites like we always have):

  1. In-house social media seminar for an executive team – We led a half day session in a corporate office showcasing some relevant case studies and brainstorming on a strategic direction for a global holding company of over 50 subsidiaries.
  2. Digital branding for a newly-launched investment fund – We worked with a team of veteran hedge fund executives to conceive and execute a brand identity for a start-up hedge fund.
  3. Custom application development for a consumer brand – We worked with a consumer products company to architect and implement extranet functionality between both suppliers and distributors.
  4. Customer retention campaign – We worked with a service provider to conceive, implement, and track an email campaign designed to stimulate referrals and reduce customer attrition.
  5. Email newsletter launch – We worked with a client to design and implement an ongoing email newsletter campaign.
  6. Viral marketing campaign for a consumer product launch – We implemented and measured a viral campaign involving an email announcement, targeted contest-giveaway, and in-depth database construction.
  7. Remote social media training for a tourist destination – We conducted a 2 hour Webinar for an organization in order to train team members on implementing a company-specific social media strategy.
  8. Custom Web design for a software portal – We designed and produced a series of graphical “skins” for a client’s newly-selected software portal.
  9. Internet Marketing Plan for a consumer product – We developed an Internet Marketing Plan for a consumer product that was already seeing a healthy level of online sales but wanted to increase lead generation and visitor conversion.
  10. Google AdWords campaign management - We developed and managed a year-long campaign to help a non-profit agency attract and convert new customers from relevant Google searches.

The list could go on, but we’re pretty excited about how things have evolved.  If you’d like help in developing some new strategies or implementing some new tactics, please let us know.  We would love to share with you what we’re learning.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Orlando Web Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Strategy | No Comments »

The Linchpin in Web Projects

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, challenges and encourages readers to be indispensable.  Failing to do so, he states, is to risk having a job that is sent to a cheaper source of labor–either to other people, a machine, or a combination of the two:

“If we can put it in a manual, we can outsource it.  If we can outsource it, we can get it cheaper.”

This isn’t necessarily a revolutionary idea, but Seth’s way of explaining is both engaging and encouraging.  As one reads the book and absorbs the ideas, some traditional management concepts jump out at the reader.  Here are a few that many might recognize:

  • Be Different – Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter taught us that in his 1996 HBR article in which he boiled the volumes and volumes on the topic of competitive strategy to the very notion of being different.
  • Technology Will Equalize – New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman led us through this in his book The World Is Flat.  As the technology and connectivity proliferates, the more level the playing field becomes for competition.  The winners will be those that are the most innovative.
  • Keep Teams Small to Minimize Relational Complexity – V.A. Graicunas established the concept of Span of Control in 1933 and developed a formula for quantifying it.  Adding an additional member to a team only increases headcount incrementally but increases the number of relationships (handshakes, as Godin calls them) exponentially.
  • Challenge and Responsibility Motivate Louder Than Dollars – Frederick Herzberg developed the two-factor theory in 1968, now immortalized in a HBR Classic article.  Linchpin employees are motivated more by responsibility than dollars.

While Linchpin does seem to rely on some management concepts that are not-so-new, his packaging of the content is particularly relevant given today’s economic shifts.  If you listen to his interview with Lee Stranahan about Linchpin, Godin warns us that “we all live in Detroit now.”  This is meant to be a rallying cry to either adapt to the demands of the new economic environment or risk commoditization.

Much of Seth Godin’s work over the years has had some association with Internet projects.  His work is engaging and inspiring, making him notable and quotable among anyone and everyone who has either launched a Web site or Twitter account  for money.  This has attained him a certain celebrity among both strategists and MLMers alike.

But there is something deeper underneath the surface that all strategists and Internet professionals can use to launch successful Web projects…a set of take-aways that are both revolutionary and sensible all at once:

  • Your site should be a gift to its users – Why are so many Web sites self-serving?  They should give meaningful content, opportunities, or experiences without an expectation of reciprocation.
  • Put someone in charge – Web committees need a clear leader who is actually on the committee.  Too much confusion here leads to a muddled sense of who is in charge and diluted end-product.
  • Set a launch date and stick to it – A failure to do so could mean a year of unnecessary delay and a lack of of project urgency.  Seth calls this the ability to ’ship’ the product, which refers to a site launch.
  • Make it authentic – Your site should truly speak to and connect with users.  Authenticity creates a bond with your site’s guests.
  • There is no Map – There is no cookie-cutter system for creating a successful Web venture–no map.  If you feel like you’re internalizing, struggling, and aspiring your way toward a positive end result, you’re probably doing it right.

Posted in Book Reviews, Business Strategy, Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Strategy | No Comments »

10 Internet Marketing Musts in 2010

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

As the year 2010 is in full swing, it’s hard to believe how things have changed in recent years.  Internet marketing tools and strategies have come along way since 1995, the year WebSolvers began.  Back then, the idea of just building a Web site was a fairly exotic concept. Google had yet to be founded and a Facebook was something that was printed by upperclassmen and delivered in hard copy to students on campus.

While all of this certainly makes us feel a bit nostalgic, we’re also thinking ahead…and trying to help others do the same.  At the risk of sounding self-serving (at least we admit it), here are a few things that we think Internet marketers should strongly consider this year:

1.  Increase Links to Your Site – This is not always an easy task, but one that’s very important in Google’s eyes.  Do your best to increase the number of quality links (structured the right way from the right sites) coming to your site.

2.  Incorporate your Twitter Feed Into Your Site – If you’ve leaped into the social media realm, go ahead and display your tweets somewhere within your site.  It will help your site to stay fresh and build Twitter followers.  We did it on our home page at www.websolvers.com.

3.  Do Some Keyword Research – All of your search engine efforts won’t get you anywhere if you’re targeting the wrong words to begin with.  Consider performing historical (think the past 90 days) keyword research to find out what phrases your customers are actually using.  Just going with your hunch can send you pretty far down the wrong path.

4.  Configure Performance Goals in Google Analytics – Most have Google Analytics installed, but few have taken the time to configure behavioral goals and monitor site performance.  This can be a silver bullet for some sites.  Time invested in truly configuring this product can we time well spent.

5.  Use bit.ly to Monitor Link Performance – Many of us are in the good habit of creating and publicizing shortened links for others to consume.  Take a moment to create a bit.ly account in order to monitor the performance of these links and learn what content and headlines are generating interest and activity.

6.  Develop and Utilize Your Email Messaging Capability – This would have made the list in 1995 but still remains untapped.  People are attached to their email–literally.  But this connection remains untapped by marketers.  Start developing that connection.  What’s the catch?  You have to make the messaging about them — not you.  Sadly, that’s not the nature of most corporate email strategies.

7.  Create a Corporate Social Media Policy – Simply ignoring Twitter and Facebook and dismissing them as ‘time wasters’ no longer flies.  In fact, it hasn’t flown for a while.  Intel has a good policy to look at as a blueprint.  Remember, social communication is going to happen with or without you.  If you don’t formalize your firm’s stance, you may be missing important opportunities and asking for trouble.

8.  Explore the App Economy for Opportunity – BusinessWeek recently published a cover story on the App Economy, the exploding area of iPhone, Blackberry, and Facebook applications.  Like any gold rush, there is a frenzy to create the next big thing.  For many companies, though, there are real and practical opportunities.  Take some time to consider whether having an app would represent real opportunity for your organization.

9.  Create a Wiki To Foster Collaboration – Wikis have been around for some time (i.e. Wikipedia), but many traditional companies have begun to embrace the opportunities.  While the name is funny, the opportunities for communication and collaboration are serious.  To learn more, explore O’Reilly Media’s description as a starting point.

10.  Invest in Yourself – Warren Buffett has said that the best investment we can make is in ourselves.  Consider resolving to regularly read and learn more about the Internet marketing realm.  Good Web sites to consider reading regularly are Seth Godin’s Blog, ReadWriteWeb, and Mashable.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Strategy | 1 Comment »

Barack Obama & Facebook

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Speaking of Facebook, this New York Times article paints a vivid picture of how the social-networking phenomenon is playing a role in Barack Obama’s White House Bid. There appears to be some very useful thinking for organizations wanting to understand this phenomenon and use it for the benefit of customers and organizations alike.

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Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »

VanityFair does Facebook

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

It is interesting to see various companies/organizations looking at ways to use Facebook as a means to build online relationships. I stumbled upon this stunt which appears to be VanityFair Magazine’s attempt to build an online following. Should be interesting to see the results and the publication’s forthcoming tactics to utilize this as a tool.

Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »

US Regulators Clear Google-DoubleClick Deal

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Google’s three billion-dollar acquisition of DoubleClick was approved by the FTC this morning. They aren’t out of the woods yet as the deal will not be 100% finalized until approval is given by the European Commission which has a self-imposed deadline of April 2nd to complete its review. Should the deal receive full sanctioning, it will broaden Google’s reach for online advertising by giving them access to major advertisers such as Sports Illustrated, Friendster and MTV Networks whom DoubleClick has exclusive contracts with.

Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »

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