More On Barriers To Entry – Natural Vs. Google-Made
Yesterday's post on Google might seem a little bit awkward so I wanted to clarify one thing. When I said that Google favors big businesses over small, that doesn't mean they have a rule that penalizes small businesses or gives larger businesses a boost. All it really means is that the age factor within Google's algorithms favor those websites that have been around longer. Since those businesses have been online longer than the small business making its migration today, or the new startup, then by extension the search engines have given larger, existing businesses a little bit of an edge. However, it's not an edge that can't be overcome. When I wrote that post I didn't know of anyone else talking about barriers to entry. I CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Is It Fair To Use Other Brands To Promote Oneself?
It looks like the blogosphere has found me. I'm flattered. As they say, any publicity is good publicity. But some people aren't real happy about me. You see, I've gone and broken the cardinal rule of PPC. I bid on other companies' brand names. It's not illegal as Lisa Barone at Bruce Clay has pointed out. Though some folks do question the ethics behind it. (Source) It's actually good strategy, but not really ethical. The part that gets me - and it doesn't make me mad, it just makes me laugh - is that some people are saying this practice makes me a bad marketer. If you can see the punch line in that statement then you can understand why I'm flattered at all of CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Why Aren’t More Bloggers Earning A Decent Income?
(Source) Technorati tracks almost 100 million blogs and estimates that about 20 percent of blogs are active in the sense that they were updated in the last 90 days. In Economics of the Blogosphere, David Evans comments on the number of blogs that are inactive. I knew it was low, but this is lower than I expected. I'd be interested in seeing the percentage of business blogs that are inactive. I'm sure it's nearly as low as this. And, quite frankly, I'm surprised by it. I've been saying all along that if you're going to do it then stick to it. But so many business owners start blogging thinking it will be a ticket to riches and glory. It isn't. It's really hard work and CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Google AdWords To Change Its Ranking Model, Who’s Going To Benefit?
(From Inside AdWords) We have, however, been working on an improvement to the top ad placement formula that will soon offer advertisers more control over achieving top placement while increasing the quality of our ad results for users. That sounds promising, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to improve their chances of appearing at the top of the Google AdWords heap? So what is Google's solution to help achieve this for advertisers? It's a change in how ads will be ranked. Instead of relying heavily on actual CPC, they are going to switch to using maximum CPC. Here's the explanation: Actual CPC is determined, in part, by the bidding behavior of the advertisers below you. This means that your ad’s chance of being promoted to a top spot CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Is Spam In That Internet Marketing Course?
It hit me right there between the eyes. Erectile Dysfunction. No, I'm not talking about me not being able to perform. I'm talking about spam. You know the ones. The subject line says something like "Pizza for two" and the ad shows a picture of a beautiful woman holding her favorite toy, smiling like the cat who ate the canary. They want me to buy their pills. But I don't need them. The next one bopped me on the nose. Another come on. Spam about something I don't need, asking me to get my tires rotated, or something like that. As if I could do that through e-mail. Then, I got a busted lip. The guy actually wanted to teach me how to do Internet marketing. I nearly CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Don’t Cut Corners On Your Internet Marketing Budget
(Source) Of course, many companies have found that the costs associated with offshoring are often not worth the headaches that come from language barriers and lower quality work. That said, if you’re involved in marketing, you’d better not take for granted that cushy gig you have. Just like those in the technical support and web development world, you could soon learn that your work can be done for a fraction of the price by someone else. Bingo boingo! Like getting hit between the eyes? This is already happening. Many article marketers will hire someone in India to write articles for $2 or $3 each. That's great, or it would be, if they were good articles. The problem is, many of the articles written by these firms CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
The Components Of A Successful Blog
(Source) Then, what really makes a blog successful, in my mind, is the fact that the new content keeps them coming back for more and the old content keeps attracting new visitors, measured over the years, not the days. This is a good point. If you're not in it for the long haul, your blog won't be successful. There are tons of abandoned blogs out there just screaming for attention. Do you want yours to be one of them? What a lot of bloggers don't consider before they get started is the long-term strategy of their blog. There is a misperception that you just throw up a blog and start writing. You can do that, but it's a sure recipe for burn out, especially if you CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
SEO or PPC: Can Your Business Survive Only On Pay-Per-Click Advertising?
Funny story. Google banned this guy for buying links so instead of owning up and asking for absolution he decides he doesn't need Google. So he starts buying sponsored ads - paying for links! I'm anxious to see how he does. But it does bring up an interesting question that the pilgrims have offered an answer for: Most of the comments on Naylor’s blog and people I have discussed this post with seem to be of the opinion that the client should bow down and ask for forgiveness. Organic Google traffic is needed too much to survive without it. I completely disagree. Do website owners really need Google? Many people believe so. Organic SEO, as a matter of fact, does deliver more traffic to websites than CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
How To Encourage Blog Comments On Your Business Blog
There is a great discussion going on about yesterday's post on blog comment spam. I'm very appreciative of those who have left their comments and continue to monitor the discussion. I hope others will join in. I believe this is a worthy topic of discussion no matter which side of the fence you fall on. That said, I'd like to discuss how you can encourage blog comments on your blog. Some people can write for months, or even years, and never receive a comment. How do you do it? Believe me, it isn't easy. However, there are some things you can do to encourage comments on your blog. Here are a few ideas: Spark a little controversy by playing devil's advocate to a popular issue Post a CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Your Keyword-Sponsored Ad Triad
If you want a sure way to increase your rankings in the search engines, try something I like to call the triad of keywords. The triad of keywords is a simple concept and it works. The first thing you do is load your relevant web page or landing page with the keyword you want ranked for. Don't spam, but use the keyword a lot. Make it rich with your keyword. Secondly, take out a sponsored ad at one of your favorite search engines - preferably Google or Yahoo - and link the ad to that landing page. Now, here's the kicker: That sponsored ad MUST use the same keyword you used on your landing page in both the headline and the body. For instance: You build a CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Are You Making These Blogging Mistakes?
I wasn't going to write on blogging this morning (have you noticed that I've been harping on that a lot lately?). But I found this excellent article on mistakes that new bloggers make. I thought you all might benefit. Written by Rose DesRochers for SiteProNews. Here's what Rose says are the top 10 blogging mistakes that new bloggers make: Some Blogging Annoyances Background Music - This is one of the most complained about features on a website or blog. Don't put music files on your blog that run in the background. Give the visitor the option to turn the music off. Isn't that the truth! OMG, this is one of my biggest pet peeves, to hop onto a website and hear somebody else's favorite song blasting through CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Word Documents Insert Bad Code Into Blog Posts
Do you write your blog posts in Word and copy/paste into WordPress or another blogging software? You shouldn't and I'll tell you why. All MicroSoft products insert superfluous code that can mess with your browser or website html. It can jack things up in a hurry. Here's an example of the type of code that Word can insert into your blog posts without you ever even knowing: Windows has come a long way in the recent years. (st1 :place)Vista(/st1) has been an influence on the tech industry all over the globe. There are many changes that come with Windows Vista. This include the look and feel of it, and the actual mechanics. Some have been really excited about the changes and others are convinced that Windows Vista is CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Affiliate Marketing And Its Advantages
Affiliate marketing is a new concept for many people. The idea is to hire and train a sales force that you don't have to pay until they make a sale. It's an idea whose time has come and because of the Internet it is possible for any business. It is also desirable and can produce tremendous results for your business. But let's draw a distinction between affiliate marketing and reselling: A reseller is someone who buys your product or service and sells it to another party with a markup. That's how they make their money. This type of relationship works real well for service businesses. By contrast, an affiliate marketer is someone who pre-sells a product or service for someone else then sends the customer to the CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
The Difference Between SEO And SEM
Let's get down to a few definitions: Search Engine Optimization: Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of assisting the search engines in ranking your web pages by improving the on page features of your website and by promoting it through link building strategies like blogs, articles, and reciprocal link requests. The focus isn't so much on traffic building. Rather, you are simply trying to ensure that the search engines rank your site well for your important keywords. Search Engine Marketing: Understand that search engine optimization is a branch of search engine marketing. With Search Engine Marketing (SEM) you are promoting your website by promoting it in various ways that get it noticed in the search engines. It is more than simply improving your website through CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
PPC Principles To Rely On
Memorial Day - you'd think this guy was out surfing or something. Instead, he was working. Memorializing his fingers to the keyboard. Still, I like what he has to say about pay-per-click management. 1.- Separate Content from Search Online Marketers need to view their contextual listings campaigns differently from search, because the results and the customer are different. It is normal to expect lower clicks and conversion rates, with it not being a qualified, targeted lead. This does not necessarily mean an advertiser should not participate in content buys that decision is ultimately up to the statistics. The separation provides much more insight into what is working, and more importantly what is not working. Amen to that. This is very important to remember. The traffic you get CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
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