by Dave Talbot
This really is the chicken and egg question of the internet age but depending on who you ask will determine the actual answer you receive.
A graphic designer based website development company will argue in a majority of cases that the design comes first of course. And let's face it without that aesthetically pleasing to the eye design a visitor will bounce off your site within a matter of seconds or so they would have you believe. But then that raises the big question of how did they get there in the first place?
The most common web development curve goes along the lines of website gets designed ..looks great let's go for it. Needs some content ok, copy and paste something out of our corporate /company leaflet.....time passes and no traffic!
And then more time until eventually perhaps 6-12 months later the situation is either so dire or the company are spending a fortune on Adwords that finally the SEO expert gets called in (or somebody gets intrigued by one of those SEO e-mails that seem to hound webmasters these days), and before you know it you are on a 6 month search engine marketing campaign to try and rescue some website rankings.
Is this really the best way to go? The thousands of business owners that have been through this exact cycle will certainly argue that it most definitely is not, as this hope and pray web development criteria delays any websites success by months and sometimes years, and even more frighteningly results in thousands in lost profit, turnover and ongoing prospect capture.
What is really laughable though is that if you actually read the sales pitch on any one of the myriad of web design companies own websites many of them blatantly claim to be SEO experts as if it is a badge of honour or perhaps a must have tick in the box but a quick check of their portfolio soon reveals that if they are the search engine marketing experts, then it is clearly evident that their clients are definitely not on the receiving end of this claimed expertise.
So what is the real answer, can you really optimise a website before you launch it? Absolutely, web design and SEO should go hand in hand and the thought process of optimising a website and SEO friendly website design should form the foundations of the web development brief right from the outset, as it is the site structure, and ultimately the content that will capture free organic web traffic and also mark the website as a potential authority site or an also ran.
The search engines don't care about what the site looks like but so often this initial chance to make the best impact when the site first gets indexed is wasted, if all the search engines find is a poorly optimised site with scant regard paid to any SEO requirements or keyword capture.
Extra time and money spent on pre development SEO (which should at the very least include keyword research and SEO copywriting) gives an outstanding return on investment as invariably when the site goes live and gets indexed it will achieve a far better website ranking from day one and even in some cases a page one result straight away.
If a web designer is not promoting web design SEO as part of your initial client brief then they are selling not only themselves short but also the client, if they don't have the expertise themselves then best practice would be to team up with a non competing SEO professional to give the client the best possible start and return on investment on their new website.
And to any business owners who are commissioning a new website, if your developer does not offer this service then find one who does as a little extra investment will see your website many months ahead of where it would otherwise be.
Author: Dave Talbot: Correct search engine optimisation is a vital ingredient for any websites success. For new web development projects this is just as important as it is imperative to give the search engines the right initial impression of your website when it is first indexed. To find out more about giving your website the kickstart it requires visit =>> http://www.advancedwebmarketing.co.uk
Saturday, August 22, 2009
7 Vital Factors To Consider Before Building Your Website And Online Presence
by Jeremy Gislason
If you want to boost your online success quicker than a New York minute, then keep reading and you will see just how simple and easy it is.
Make no bones about it, your email box is probably flooded with e-mails trying to sell you bulk e-mail addresses or promises to shoot your website to the top of major search engine rankings.
But let me set the record straight. Prepare yourself. The Internet is growing by leaps and bounds, and the competition is fierce. You have to be unique and stand out from the crowd.
Millions of people search the web everyday for information and to shop. However, surprisingly enough, there are several ways to promote your site and receive great results.
Now, don’t get me wrong…this will require you to invest time and energy. But if you do it correctly, the rewards will have you laughing all the way to the bank.
It’s no secret that if you create a website just for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses, you won’t make one red cent.
You want to have a definite idea of what you plan to accomplish by creating any website. Know this: Your purpose largely determines the look and feel of your site, as well as how you will promote it.
Let’s get started…
Define The Purpose Of Building Your Web Site And Online Presence.
Sounds simple right? You may be surprised at how often many people fail to discover the real reason or should I say “motivation” behind building a website and establishing their online presence.
Let’s take a look at some purposes that could be useful to you. Ask yourself…”Does this apply to my business” as you read each one.
1) To make money on the Internet. Obvious, isn’t it? Money is typically the primary motivation for many people to build a web site. Thanks to the hype in the media and the successes of virtual companies such as Amazon, eBay and Yahoo, many believe they too can strike it rich with an online business.
But, like it or not, an online business is just like any other kind of business. As you might guess, you will need to develop a business plan, secure financial support, invest in marketing, and satisfy the needs of your customers before you can turn a profit.
Think of it like this: This Internet is not a moneymaking machine; instead, it is the TOOL – the master communicator that can bring cash to your doorstep.
2) To reduce the cost of doing business. I hate to say this, but most offline businesses are not taking in the profits they want. However, setting up a website has helped them save money when providing information and technical support to their target audiences.
Speaking of which, it’s a lot cheaper to provide a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on your website than to have a live person answer the same questions over the phone repeatedly.
In truth, this saves both you and your customer time. An added benefit is that it encourages people to come back and look at what else you have to offer without costing you further effort.
3) To network with other people. Not many know this, but a lot of what passes for a business or life opportunity is simply nothing more than making connections with other people.
Every successful person knows that it is not just what you know, it’s whom you know that really counts.
Look, you can use the web to network with hundreds and thousands of people simultaneously and within a shorter period of time. Imagine what this can do for your business or your career.
4) To take advantage of the Internet’s promotion power. The web allows you to reach out to millions of Internet users at a fraction of the costs associated with other means and media.
In short, you can dramatically improve your opportunities by taking advantage of the many benefits offered by this world’s fastest growing business communication system.
5) To speed up information delivery. Legend has it the newspaper news is no longer “news” because it falls so much behind Internet time.
Through blogging and social networking, the web allows readers to access different opinions and perspectives other than the ones that appeal to the interest of a specific mass media group.
What’s more, all the information can be made available at any specified time and is accessible by anyone who has Internet access.
Plus, changing information is just as easy and speedy. At the drop of a dime, mass communication can be achieved within the hour.
6) To stay in contact with everyone in real time. Let’s face it; in today’s world of high technology, it pays to be able to stay in constant contact with your employees or co-workers who may be traveling.
While burning the midnight oil, you can give them last minute information that could help close a sale or complete a project. In addition to that, you can post this information in complete privacy online.
All they need is an Internet connection to access the required information without long-distance phone bills and wasting valuable time of other people at work.
You see, web pages serve everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can build your website to match any language and needs that can put you one step ahead of the competition.
7) To offer online education. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, the amount of information available online will soon surpass all the other collections put together, larger than what’s contained in the libraries and museums.
To make a long story short, you can bet that majority of the things ever written or discovered - a major part of collectible human knowledge - will soon be available online.
If you want to make money hand over fist, then building a website and promoting it the right way will help you do just that. What I am talking about is learning how to establish a rock-solid online presence. Once you are able to do this, the rest is a piece of cake.
Want to discover the most incredible and intuitive membership site software today? Then go to http://www.memberspeed.com for details on the world's leading client and content management system, considered as the professional's choice all-in-one e-commerce solution.
If you want to boost your online success quicker than a New York minute, then keep reading and you will see just how simple and easy it is.
Make no bones about it, your email box is probably flooded with e-mails trying to sell you bulk e-mail addresses or promises to shoot your website to the top of major search engine rankings.
But let me set the record straight. Prepare yourself. The Internet is growing by leaps and bounds, and the competition is fierce. You have to be unique and stand out from the crowd.
Millions of people search the web everyday for information and to shop. However, surprisingly enough, there are several ways to promote your site and receive great results.
Now, don’t get me wrong…this will require you to invest time and energy. But if you do it correctly, the rewards will have you laughing all the way to the bank.
It’s no secret that if you create a website just for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses, you won’t make one red cent.
You want to have a definite idea of what you plan to accomplish by creating any website. Know this: Your purpose largely determines the look and feel of your site, as well as how you will promote it.
Let’s get started…
Define The Purpose Of Building Your Web Site And Online Presence.
Sounds simple right? You may be surprised at how often many people fail to discover the real reason or should I say “motivation” behind building a website and establishing their online presence.
Let’s take a look at some purposes that could be useful to you. Ask yourself…”Does this apply to my business” as you read each one.
1) To make money on the Internet. Obvious, isn’t it? Money is typically the primary motivation for many people to build a web site. Thanks to the hype in the media and the successes of virtual companies such as Amazon, eBay and Yahoo, many believe they too can strike it rich with an online business.
But, like it or not, an online business is just like any other kind of business. As you might guess, you will need to develop a business plan, secure financial support, invest in marketing, and satisfy the needs of your customers before you can turn a profit.
Think of it like this: This Internet is not a moneymaking machine; instead, it is the TOOL – the master communicator that can bring cash to your doorstep.
2) To reduce the cost of doing business. I hate to say this, but most offline businesses are not taking in the profits they want. However, setting up a website has helped them save money when providing information and technical support to their target audiences.
Speaking of which, it’s a lot cheaper to provide a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on your website than to have a live person answer the same questions over the phone repeatedly.
In truth, this saves both you and your customer time. An added benefit is that it encourages people to come back and look at what else you have to offer without costing you further effort.
3) To network with other people. Not many know this, but a lot of what passes for a business or life opportunity is simply nothing more than making connections with other people.
Every successful person knows that it is not just what you know, it’s whom you know that really counts.
Look, you can use the web to network with hundreds and thousands of people simultaneously and within a shorter period of time. Imagine what this can do for your business or your career.
4) To take advantage of the Internet’s promotion power. The web allows you to reach out to millions of Internet users at a fraction of the costs associated with other means and media.
In short, you can dramatically improve your opportunities by taking advantage of the many benefits offered by this world’s fastest growing business communication system.
5) To speed up information delivery. Legend has it the newspaper news is no longer “news” because it falls so much behind Internet time.
Through blogging and social networking, the web allows readers to access different opinions and perspectives other than the ones that appeal to the interest of a specific mass media group.
What’s more, all the information can be made available at any specified time and is accessible by anyone who has Internet access.
Plus, changing information is just as easy and speedy. At the drop of a dime, mass communication can be achieved within the hour.
6) To stay in contact with everyone in real time. Let’s face it; in today’s world of high technology, it pays to be able to stay in constant contact with your employees or co-workers who may be traveling.
While burning the midnight oil, you can give them last minute information that could help close a sale or complete a project. In addition to that, you can post this information in complete privacy online.
All they need is an Internet connection to access the required information without long-distance phone bills and wasting valuable time of other people at work.
You see, web pages serve everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can build your website to match any language and needs that can put you one step ahead of the competition.
7) To offer online education. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, the amount of information available online will soon surpass all the other collections put together, larger than what’s contained in the libraries and museums.
To make a long story short, you can bet that majority of the things ever written or discovered - a major part of collectible human knowledge - will soon be available online.
If you want to make money hand over fist, then building a website and promoting it the right way will help you do just that. What I am talking about is learning how to establish a rock-solid online presence. Once you are able to do this, the rest is a piece of cake.
Want to discover the most incredible and intuitive membership site software today? Then go to http://www.memberspeed.com for details on the world's leading client and content management system, considered as the professional's choice all-in-one e-commerce solution.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The 5 Selling Magic Secrets of Billy Mays
by Barry A. Densa
Billy Mays, who sadly passed away at age fifty, was a pot-bellied, black-bearded Atlantic City carnival barker in a blue long-sleeve shirt and a white undershirt.
He had a loud, shrill and annoyingly exuberant voice. And he seemed to lean forward, through the TV screen, and put his nose in your face, the way only pitchmen do.
Madison Avenue style brand marketers who believe asking for an order even once, unless it's in small grey type, is undignified, contemptible and just plain bad manners, absolutely loathed him.
Direct marketers idolized him.
Consumers, well, they either loved or hated him... or were totally unaware of him (presumably Tivo owners).
Bottom line: Billy sold the hell out of stuff. And he didn't have to reinvent the wheel to do it.
Billy bellied-up to bar with the TV viewer and spoke straight and to the point: you got a problem, I've got the solution, I can guarantee it or your money back, buy it now and I'll make you an even better deal.
Inelegant to the max. But he sold and made millions. Not through artifice; there was no false imagery, cheating or stealing, just great showmanship and...
Great Salesmanship
But great salesmanship, contrary to popular opinion, is not about selling ice to Eskimos.
The truth is less flamboyant, and far more reasonable.
Simply put, behind every great salesman is a great product. And Billy Mays understood that better than most.
Because if it's a great product—it was easy for Billy to sell, using salesmanship techniques he had honed over two decades of selling.
Who better than Billy Mays could grab your attention (Hi, Billy Mays here for...)... get you excited (So fast and easy...)... make you want to buy it (No more dings, dents or scratches—and it'll save you money, too...)... and get you to buy it (But wait, order now and I'll...)
So how do you know if the product you're currently selling or developing is great... and easy to sell?
According to Billy Mays...
To be Great and an Easy Sell Your Product Must Have These 5 Essential Character Traits
1. It must solve a problem.
If it doesn't fix, mend or alleviate a nagging pain, problem, condition or situation—why would people want it, much less buy it? There must be a strong, recognizable and somewhat measurable or appreciable benefit to owning and using your product.
2. It must have mass appeal.
You may have invented the best mousetrap ever, but if only one in ten million homes has a mouse problem... you're not going to sell a heck of a lot of mouse traps. Sure, you can sell just a few at a ridiculously high price-point? But a mouse-trap priced at $50,000... how easy of a sale will that be?
3. It must be unique.
If it's the first or only one of its kind—that's a homerun! If it's not, then it should at least be different and beneficial in a way that isn't currently offered. A rose by any other name is still a rose—but a rose that never loses its petals, now that would be unique.
4. It must offer instant gratification.
If it'll only be of use next spring, why buy it today? People don't want to buy seeds. They want the fully grown tree, planted and providing shade now. We're an impatient nation of consumers. We don't want the fishing pole—we want the fish fresh, filleted, seasoned and served.
5. It must be demonstrable.
It's a law of nature: seeing is believing. The customer must see with their own eyes how easily, quickly and effectively your product does what it does. Though people will often say they can't trust their eyes—they always do.
"But wait, there's more..."
You Don’t Need TV Air-Time to be a Successful Marketer
A demonstration doesn't have be live or on TV to be effective. If you're selling off the page, diagrams, schematics, and before and after pictures will also do the trick.
And if you're not limited to a 30-second or 1-minute TV spot... you might have a distinct advantage!
When you're selling off the page, you can pile on the benefits—as many as you can think of. And, you can highlight features and advantages in bullet-point after bullet-point.
You can show why your product or service is superior to your competitors by creating tables.
You can provide testimonials, endorsements... and your own impressive credentials.
And as long as you know how to keep the reader reading—you can methodically, step-by-step, convince and persuade the reader to buy from you in a voice and style that's compelling, empowering, believable and completely your own.
I'm sure that's what Billy Mays would do. He'd begin every letter or ad with, "Hi, Billy Mays here for..."
Thanks, Billy. Rest in peace.
Barry A. Densa is one of America’s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using “salesmanship in print”. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!
Billy Mays, who sadly passed away at age fifty, was a pot-bellied, black-bearded Atlantic City carnival barker in a blue long-sleeve shirt and a white undershirt.
He had a loud, shrill and annoyingly exuberant voice. And he seemed to lean forward, through the TV screen, and put his nose in your face, the way only pitchmen do.
Madison Avenue style brand marketers who believe asking for an order even once, unless it's in small grey type, is undignified, contemptible and just plain bad manners, absolutely loathed him.
Direct marketers idolized him.
Consumers, well, they either loved or hated him... or were totally unaware of him (presumably Tivo owners).
Bottom line: Billy sold the hell out of stuff. And he didn't have to reinvent the wheel to do it.
Billy bellied-up to bar with the TV viewer and spoke straight and to the point: you got a problem, I've got the solution, I can guarantee it or your money back, buy it now and I'll make you an even better deal.
Inelegant to the max. But he sold and made millions. Not through artifice; there was no false imagery, cheating or stealing, just great showmanship and...
Great Salesmanship
But great salesmanship, contrary to popular opinion, is not about selling ice to Eskimos.
The truth is less flamboyant, and far more reasonable.
Simply put, behind every great salesman is a great product. And Billy Mays understood that better than most.
Because if it's a great product—it was easy for Billy to sell, using salesmanship techniques he had honed over two decades of selling.
Who better than Billy Mays could grab your attention (Hi, Billy Mays here for...)... get you excited (So fast and easy...)... make you want to buy it (No more dings, dents or scratches—and it'll save you money, too...)... and get you to buy it (But wait, order now and I'll...)
So how do you know if the product you're currently selling or developing is great... and easy to sell?
According to Billy Mays...
To be Great and an Easy Sell Your Product Must Have These 5 Essential Character Traits
1. It must solve a problem.
If it doesn't fix, mend or alleviate a nagging pain, problem, condition or situation—why would people want it, much less buy it? There must be a strong, recognizable and somewhat measurable or appreciable benefit to owning and using your product.
2. It must have mass appeal.
You may have invented the best mousetrap ever, but if only one in ten million homes has a mouse problem... you're not going to sell a heck of a lot of mouse traps. Sure, you can sell just a few at a ridiculously high price-point? But a mouse-trap priced at $50,000... how easy of a sale will that be?
3. It must be unique.
If it's the first or only one of its kind—that's a homerun! If it's not, then it should at least be different and beneficial in a way that isn't currently offered. A rose by any other name is still a rose—but a rose that never loses its petals, now that would be unique.
4. It must offer instant gratification.
If it'll only be of use next spring, why buy it today? People don't want to buy seeds. They want the fully grown tree, planted and providing shade now. We're an impatient nation of consumers. We don't want the fishing pole—we want the fish fresh, filleted, seasoned and served.
5. It must be demonstrable.
It's a law of nature: seeing is believing. The customer must see with their own eyes how easily, quickly and effectively your product does what it does. Though people will often say they can't trust their eyes—they always do.
"But wait, there's more..."
You Don’t Need TV Air-Time to be a Successful Marketer
A demonstration doesn't have be live or on TV to be effective. If you're selling off the page, diagrams, schematics, and before and after pictures will also do the trick.
And if you're not limited to a 30-second or 1-minute TV spot... you might have a distinct advantage!
When you're selling off the page, you can pile on the benefits—as many as you can think of. And, you can highlight features and advantages in bullet-point after bullet-point.
You can show why your product or service is superior to your competitors by creating tables.
You can provide testimonials, endorsements... and your own impressive credentials.
And as long as you know how to keep the reader reading—you can methodically, step-by-step, convince and persuade the reader to buy from you in a voice and style that's compelling, empowering, believable and completely your own.
I'm sure that's what Billy Mays would do. He'd begin every letter or ad with, "Hi, Billy Mays here for..."
Thanks, Billy. Rest in peace.
Barry A. Densa is one of America’s top freelance direct response copywriters. Visit www.WritingWithPersonality.com and see how easily and quickly Barry converts prospects into buyers using “salesmanship in print”. And while there, sign up for his highly regarded FREE ezine: Marketing Wit & Wisdom!
Recent Google Algo Update: Link Building Stays Strong
by Richard Gilmore
It's been almost a month since Google made a set of changes to its ranking algorithm which became known as Vince Update. And although there's been an official statement from Google that it's not an update but rather some slight changes the name remained in use.
So what exactly is this update about and how you should alter your optimization activities to adapt to the new way Google ranks websites? When the update was first announced SEOs started testing things to figure out what changes were made to the algo and how it affected the influence of individual ranking factors on a site's position in the SERPs.
There were a couple of theories that stir the SEO community: the traffic-stats and the brand theory. The first one assumes that the traffic volume for a given keyword on in other words how often a certain phrase is searched for has an impact on the search rankings. For example if some company name gets a rise in the search stats the company gets to rank better for other terms as well. The brand theory boils down to Google giving preference to big companies and popular brands over other website and push them up in the rankings.
Should you start optimizing your site in a new fashion?
Now don't be scared, that doesn't mean that you should either develop your business into a giant corporation or forget about ranking anywhere on Google altogether. We'll now a closer look at why big brands started to rank much better right after the Vince update. But first let's hear what Google had to say about the update.
The official statement was that what is known as the Vince (or sometimes called 'brand') update is not really an update but rather some slight changes to the algo that only influence a small fraction of queries. First of all this change obviously influences the queries containing brand names in them. Personally I don't see anything wrong with a company ranking first for its own brand name. Moreover I do believe that the company's website holds more relevance for the user searching for its brand then a Wikipedia 'about' article. But generic keywords are a different cup of tea, so why do big brands get to rank better for these as well?
Let's once again go back to the basics. What are the major factors that determine the search engine rankings of a website: Reputation, relevance, authority, link popularity, PageRank and trust to name a few.
Big companies and popular brands remain popular online the way they are offline: they get a lot of publicity on the Internet just like they always get talked about offline. They attract a lot of 'natural' links with relevant anchor texts and therefore they get to rank high for their keywords. Consider yourself blogging about cars: what websites are you most likely to link out to in your blog posts? That's right BMW, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen - that is the brands. They are the major producers of cars. Basically the make cars and make up the industry as a whole at the same time. No wonder they get to rank high for the automobile related keywords.
So, there's no conspiracy going on. The ranking algo stays pretty much the same with the same SEO techniques, link building still being the most important one. Brands get to rank better simply because they magnet links naturally. So keep up on doing what you're doing for your site's SEO (and I hope you're building quality and relevant links). Spin off your link building campaign, think outside the box, become more creative, automate the tedious link building tasks with SEO tools and SEO software and you're sure to get your deserved rankings on Google.
Outrank any site 'brand' or not with effective SEO software and learn cutting-edge SEO techniques with this free SEO book.
It's been almost a month since Google made a set of changes to its ranking algorithm which became known as Vince Update. And although there's been an official statement from Google that it's not an update but rather some slight changes the name remained in use.
So what exactly is this update about and how you should alter your optimization activities to adapt to the new way Google ranks websites? When the update was first announced SEOs started testing things to figure out what changes were made to the algo and how it affected the influence of individual ranking factors on a site's position in the SERPs.
There were a couple of theories that stir the SEO community: the traffic-stats and the brand theory. The first one assumes that the traffic volume for a given keyword on in other words how often a certain phrase is searched for has an impact on the search rankings. For example if some company name gets a rise in the search stats the company gets to rank better for other terms as well. The brand theory boils down to Google giving preference to big companies and popular brands over other website and push them up in the rankings.
Should you start optimizing your site in a new fashion?
Now don't be scared, that doesn't mean that you should either develop your business into a giant corporation or forget about ranking anywhere on Google altogether. We'll now a closer look at why big brands started to rank much better right after the Vince update. But first let's hear what Google had to say about the update.
The official statement was that what is known as the Vince (or sometimes called 'brand') update is not really an update but rather some slight changes to the algo that only influence a small fraction of queries. First of all this change obviously influences the queries containing brand names in them. Personally I don't see anything wrong with a company ranking first for its own brand name. Moreover I do believe that the company's website holds more relevance for the user searching for its brand then a Wikipedia 'about' article. But generic keywords are a different cup of tea, so why do big brands get to rank better for these as well?
Let's once again go back to the basics. What are the major factors that determine the search engine rankings of a website: Reputation, relevance, authority, link popularity, PageRank and trust to name a few.
Big companies and popular brands remain popular online the way they are offline: they get a lot of publicity on the Internet just like they always get talked about offline. They attract a lot of 'natural' links with relevant anchor texts and therefore they get to rank high for their keywords. Consider yourself blogging about cars: what websites are you most likely to link out to in your blog posts? That's right BMW, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen - that is the brands. They are the major producers of cars. Basically the make cars and make up the industry as a whole at the same time. No wonder they get to rank high for the automobile related keywords.
So, there's no conspiracy going on. The ranking algo stays pretty much the same with the same SEO techniques, link building still being the most important one. Brands get to rank better simply because they magnet links naturally. So keep up on doing what you're doing for your site's SEO (and I hope you're building quality and relevant links). Spin off your link building campaign, think outside the box, become more creative, automate the tedious link building tasks with SEO tools and SEO software and you're sure to get your deserved rankings on Google.
Outrank any site 'brand' or not with effective SEO software and learn cutting-edge SEO techniques with this free SEO book.
5 Rules Your SaaS Website Should Follow to Avoid Claims For False Advertising
by Chip Cooper
Many Internet entrepreneurs are lulled into sleep regarding potential liability for false advertising on their websites. They don't serve banner ads or engage in pay-per-click advertising - and because of this, they incorrectly believe they are exempt from rules regarding false advertising. Nothing could be more incorrect - and more dangerous in terms of exposure to legal liability.
What is False Advertising?
Basically, false advertising is any advertising that deceives consumers. This includes misleading or deceptive advertising that technically may to true, but may be misunderstood by consumers. In most cases false advertising leads a consumer to believe that certain benefits will be received, when they're not.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act to file lawsuits against advertisers believed to be making false advertising claims. This authority extends to traditional media - print, television, radio, and telephone.
The FTC's authority for false advertising has also been extended to cover online advertising, and the FTC has been very aggressive in its enforcement on the Web. Since 1994, the FTC has brought over 100 enforcement actions against online businesses.
However, claims for false advertising aren't limited to the FTC. The attorneys general of various states have also been just as active filing claims based on state laws that are similar in concept to the FTC Act.
Why It's Relatively Easy to Inadvertently Make False Advertising Claims
Most Internet entrepreneurs don't intend to make false or misleading claims.
What most Internet entrepreneurs don't know is that It's relatively easy to inadvertently make a false or misleading claim. The primary reasons are:
- most SaaS and ecommerce websites write their own marketing copy, and
- many websites are not updated periodically.
What's marketing copy? You can boil down it down to this - it's the clever stuff you write to sell your site and it's product and/or services. And it doesn't have to be presented in the format of a typical "advertisement". It may simply be in the form of your pricing and descriptions of your products and services - and even in the text of your website legal compliance documents such as your Terms of Use (as we'll see below).
Danger signs include incorrect product or service descriptions, incorrect pricing, or photos or online demos that don't portray your products or services accurately or completely. Maybe your descriptions, pricing, photos, and demos - and even your website legal documents -- were not misleading when they were first added to your website, but you've failed to update them over time -- with the result that now they're now out-of-date and misleading to consumers.
The 5 Rules
In interpreting the FTC Act, the FTC has determined that a representation, omission, or practice is false or misleading if it is likely to:
- mislead consumers, and
- affect consumers' behavior or decisions about a product or service.
In addition, an act or practice is false and misleading if the injury caused (or likely to be caused) is:
- substantial,
- not outweighed by other benefits, and
- not reasonably avoidable.
These rules are also reflected in various state statutes that also prohibit false advertising.
Recent Illustrative Cases
The best way to get a feel of how these rules are interpreted is to take a look at some of the cases construing them. Here's a short list of illustrative cases.
1. Earlier this month, Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company, has reached a settlement with the State of New York over its attempts to fake positive consumer reviews on the Web. The company will pay $300,000 in penalties and costs to the state. The company had ordered employees to pretend they were satisfied customers and write glowing reviews of its face-lift procedure on websites, according to New York's attorney general. Lifestyle Lift also created its own websites of face-lift reviews to appear as independent sources.
2. In May, 2009, a trial court in Washington state ordered Expedia to pay class action plaintiffs $184,000 based on its ruling that Expedia's website Terms of Use amounted to a breach of contract. Expedia's Terms of Use stated: "service fee goes to covering costs". Plaintiffs alleged that more than costs were included in the service fees and relied on an internal Expedia email that estimated service fees would generate $2-$3,000,000 in net profit for the company in one quarter. The court stated that "plaintiffs correctly conclude that profits, not costs, are the subject matter of these 'service fees.'" Therefore, according to the court, Expedia's contractual definition of service fees that was found in its Terms of Use constituted a breach of contract because Expedia "collected profits along with covering costs."
3. In 2007, the FTC filed an action against Payneless Credit Repair, LLC and its owner for making the following claims on the company's website: "Fast, Legal, Effective, Credit Report Repair ... We will fight to remove negative items from your credit reports, so you can improve your credit score . . . " The FTC alleged that the defendants violated the FTC Act by falsely representing that they can improve consumers' credit reports by permanently removing negative information, even when the information is accurate and not obsolete.
4. In 2005, the FTC filed an action against MP3DownloadCity.com for the following ad: "And best of all people are not getting sued for using our software. yes! it is 100% legal". The FTC alleged that MP3DownloadCity.com violated the FTC Act by falsely claiming that membership in its service made P2P file sharing legal.
Conclusion
Writing your own website advertising copy - as well as your website legal documents - can get you in trouble if you're not careful.
Sometimes you can be a little too clever. Other times, you may have simply failed to keep your product descriptions, pricing, or website documents up-to-date.
For these reasons, it's a good idea to be familiar with the FTC's false advertising 5 rules and to review your website periodically to ensure that all statements are true, accurate, complete - and not misleading.
Leading Internet, IP and software lawyer Chip Cooper has automated the process of drafting website documents for small websites with his MyLegalFirewall website documents drafting service. Discover how quick, easy, and cost-effective it is to determine which legal compliance documents you need and to draft them online, and claim your FREE Special Report, Determine Which Legal Documents Your Website Really Needs, at ==> http://digicontracts.com/
Copyright © 2009 Chip Cooper
Many Internet entrepreneurs are lulled into sleep regarding potential liability for false advertising on their websites. They don't serve banner ads or engage in pay-per-click advertising - and because of this, they incorrectly believe they are exempt from rules regarding false advertising. Nothing could be more incorrect - and more dangerous in terms of exposure to legal liability.
What is False Advertising?
Basically, false advertising is any advertising that deceives consumers. This includes misleading or deceptive advertising that technically may to true, but may be misunderstood by consumers. In most cases false advertising leads a consumer to believe that certain benefits will be received, when they're not.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act to file lawsuits against advertisers believed to be making false advertising claims. This authority extends to traditional media - print, television, radio, and telephone.
The FTC's authority for false advertising has also been extended to cover online advertising, and the FTC has been very aggressive in its enforcement on the Web. Since 1994, the FTC has brought over 100 enforcement actions against online businesses.
However, claims for false advertising aren't limited to the FTC. The attorneys general of various states have also been just as active filing claims based on state laws that are similar in concept to the FTC Act.
Why It's Relatively Easy to Inadvertently Make False Advertising Claims
Most Internet entrepreneurs don't intend to make false or misleading claims.
What most Internet entrepreneurs don't know is that It's relatively easy to inadvertently make a false or misleading claim. The primary reasons are:
- most SaaS and ecommerce websites write their own marketing copy, and
- many websites are not updated periodically.
What's marketing copy? You can boil down it down to this - it's the clever stuff you write to sell your site and it's product and/or services. And it doesn't have to be presented in the format of a typical "advertisement". It may simply be in the form of your pricing and descriptions of your products and services - and even in the text of your website legal compliance documents such as your Terms of Use (as we'll see below).
Danger signs include incorrect product or service descriptions, incorrect pricing, or photos or online demos that don't portray your products or services accurately or completely. Maybe your descriptions, pricing, photos, and demos - and even your website legal documents -- were not misleading when they were first added to your website, but you've failed to update them over time -- with the result that now they're now out-of-date and misleading to consumers.
The 5 Rules
In interpreting the FTC Act, the FTC has determined that a representation, omission, or practice is false or misleading if it is likely to:
- mislead consumers, and
- affect consumers' behavior or decisions about a product or service.
In addition, an act or practice is false and misleading if the injury caused (or likely to be caused) is:
- substantial,
- not outweighed by other benefits, and
- not reasonably avoidable.
These rules are also reflected in various state statutes that also prohibit false advertising.
Recent Illustrative Cases
The best way to get a feel of how these rules are interpreted is to take a look at some of the cases construing them. Here's a short list of illustrative cases.
1. Earlier this month, Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company, has reached a settlement with the State of New York over its attempts to fake positive consumer reviews on the Web. The company will pay $300,000 in penalties and costs to the state. The company had ordered employees to pretend they were satisfied customers and write glowing reviews of its face-lift procedure on websites, according to New York's attorney general. Lifestyle Lift also created its own websites of face-lift reviews to appear as independent sources.
2. In May, 2009, a trial court in Washington state ordered Expedia to pay class action plaintiffs $184,000 based on its ruling that Expedia's website Terms of Use amounted to a breach of contract. Expedia's Terms of Use stated: "service fee goes to covering costs". Plaintiffs alleged that more than costs were included in the service fees and relied on an internal Expedia email that estimated service fees would generate $2-$3,000,000 in net profit for the company in one quarter. The court stated that "plaintiffs correctly conclude that profits, not costs, are the subject matter of these 'service fees.'" Therefore, according to the court, Expedia's contractual definition of service fees that was found in its Terms of Use constituted a breach of contract because Expedia "collected profits along with covering costs."
3. In 2007, the FTC filed an action against Payneless Credit Repair, LLC and its owner for making the following claims on the company's website: "Fast, Legal, Effective, Credit Report Repair ... We will fight to remove negative items from your credit reports, so you can improve your credit score . . . " The FTC alleged that the defendants violated the FTC Act by falsely representing that they can improve consumers' credit reports by permanently removing negative information, even when the information is accurate and not obsolete.
4. In 2005, the FTC filed an action against MP3DownloadCity.com for the following ad: "And best of all people are not getting sued for using our software. yes! it is 100% legal". The FTC alleged that MP3DownloadCity.com violated the FTC Act by falsely claiming that membership in its service made P2P file sharing legal.
Conclusion
Writing your own website advertising copy - as well as your website legal documents - can get you in trouble if you're not careful.
Sometimes you can be a little too clever. Other times, you may have simply failed to keep your product descriptions, pricing, or website documents up-to-date.
For these reasons, it's a good idea to be familiar with the FTC's false advertising 5 rules and to review your website periodically to ensure that all statements are true, accurate, complete - and not misleading.
Leading Internet, IP and software lawyer Chip Cooper has automated the process of drafting website documents for small websites with his MyLegalFirewall website documents drafting service. Discover how quick, easy, and cost-effective it is to determine which legal compliance documents you need and to draft them online, and claim your FREE Special Report, Determine Which Legal Documents Your Website Really Needs, at ==> http://digicontracts.com/
Copyright © 2009 Chip Cooper
Social Networking Sites as a Breaking News Source
by TJ Philpott
Social networking sites offer people online a gathering spot to casually share their opinions and interests with other like-minded participants. Recent events however have indicated how effective these online communities are for breaking news on a national and international level.
Although interest or opinions may vary from group to group there still remains a common interest in national or world news. Considering these social platforms connect people from all over the world on a 24/7 basis you're looking at their considerable potential as information sources.
What we're focusing on here is the ability of these social sites to gather and circulate late breaking news. Compared with the more traditional syndicated news networks it can be argued that social network sites are in fact more efficient and expedient in delivering news to the public. Take that CNN! By passing information along through word of mouth using the speed of the internet news that travels this fast is hard to beat.
Let's examine 5 reasons why a social network online can outperform the more traditional news broadcasting networks.
News Collected as it Occurs
Social platforms do not 'assign' people to gather news or information but instead are merely designed to share information or interests. Site members do however possess an insatiable and natural curiosity. Just through sheer numbers members combine to create a catch basin of global proportions. As a result they are capable of collecting information of little or great consequence anywhere in the world on a 24/7 basis.
Information Transmitted Fast
Any information picked up either through heresy or observation is usually immediately 'released' on the internet. To date there is no more efficient means with which to dispense information to the general public quicker than the net.
As is often said in basketball, 'Nothing but Net!'
Syndicated networks for the most part still have certain 'hoops' thru which they must 'jump' before releasing information. This may tend to slow their process.
No 'Red Tape' or Protocol
Without the traditional 'red tape' or protocol that syndicated news networks contend with online communities hold an unfair advantage. The legalese involving fair play, accuracy, and ethics do encumber syndicated networks. The lack of such restraints however concerning online communities does 'allow' for information to be dispensed much faster to the general public.
Word Gets Out Quicker
News tends to flow from person to person and often time is simply broadcast to the masses. The net result is that information spreads virally and this word of mouth effect should not be overlook for its efficiency and speed. There is no 'formal' channel through which information is directed which means word is spread continuously, not at scheduled intervals. This process 'increases' both speed and just as importantly exposure.
No Regulated Responsibilities
Within any social network community there is no delegation of duties, responsibilities or authority. You are looking at a world-wide community with the capability of filling any role that may seem appropriate at any given time. From observing an event or translating its meaning to distributing the information this flexibility and spontaneity enables news to be collected and spread like a wild fire.
This lack of structure is built for speed but on the other hand can lead to occasional inaccuracies in reporting facts.
Social networking sites have both the channels and the manpower to deliver late breaking news at lightning speed. Using word of mouth to spread information social sites possess the ability to transmit news unencumbered by any red tape further accelerating the transfer of this information. It is not suggested that online communities replace syndicated news networks as news source but merely that they can compliment them if needed. Social network sites based upon their prominence on the internet possess the potential to be much more than they were designed for and this should not be ignored.
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
For additional Money Making Tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://blogbrawn.com/
Social networking sites offer people online a gathering spot to casually share their opinions and interests with other like-minded participants. Recent events however have indicated how effective these online communities are for breaking news on a national and international level.
Although interest or opinions may vary from group to group there still remains a common interest in national or world news. Considering these social platforms connect people from all over the world on a 24/7 basis you're looking at their considerable potential as information sources.
What we're focusing on here is the ability of these social sites to gather and circulate late breaking news. Compared with the more traditional syndicated news networks it can be argued that social network sites are in fact more efficient and expedient in delivering news to the public. Take that CNN! By passing information along through word of mouth using the speed of the internet news that travels this fast is hard to beat.
Let's examine 5 reasons why a social network online can outperform the more traditional news broadcasting networks.
News Collected as it Occurs
Social platforms do not 'assign' people to gather news or information but instead are merely designed to share information or interests. Site members do however possess an insatiable and natural curiosity. Just through sheer numbers members combine to create a catch basin of global proportions. As a result they are capable of collecting information of little or great consequence anywhere in the world on a 24/7 basis.
Information Transmitted Fast
Any information picked up either through heresy or observation is usually immediately 'released' on the internet. To date there is no more efficient means with which to dispense information to the general public quicker than the net.
As is often said in basketball, 'Nothing but Net!'
Syndicated networks for the most part still have certain 'hoops' thru which they must 'jump' before releasing information. This may tend to slow their process.
No 'Red Tape' or Protocol
Without the traditional 'red tape' or protocol that syndicated news networks contend with online communities hold an unfair advantage. The legalese involving fair play, accuracy, and ethics do encumber syndicated networks. The lack of such restraints however concerning online communities does 'allow' for information to be dispensed much faster to the general public.
Word Gets Out Quicker
News tends to flow from person to person and often time is simply broadcast to the masses. The net result is that information spreads virally and this word of mouth effect should not be overlook for its efficiency and speed. There is no 'formal' channel through which information is directed which means word is spread continuously, not at scheduled intervals. This process 'increases' both speed and just as importantly exposure.
No Regulated Responsibilities
Within any social network community there is no delegation of duties, responsibilities or authority. You are looking at a world-wide community with the capability of filling any role that may seem appropriate at any given time. From observing an event or translating its meaning to distributing the information this flexibility and spontaneity enables news to be collected and spread like a wild fire.
This lack of structure is built for speed but on the other hand can lead to occasional inaccuracies in reporting facts.
Social networking sites have both the channels and the manpower to deliver late breaking news at lightning speed. Using word of mouth to spread information social sites possess the ability to transmit news unencumbered by any red tape further accelerating the transfer of this information. It is not suggested that online communities replace syndicated news networks as news source but merely that they can compliment them if needed. Social network sites based upon their prominence on the internet possess the potential to be much more than they were designed for and this should not be ignored.
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
For additional Money Making Tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://blogbrawn.com/
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
How Two Simple Changes to Your Marketing Can Increase Profits Even in Hard Times
by Tinu AbayomiPaul
It's the number one topic on an entrepreneur's mind at some point: what will happen to my business during hard times? Should we panic? How long do recessions last, anyway?
Wish I had the answer to that one, but I have no clue. Dude, I'm a website promotion specialist. How would I know? :-D
What I do know is that I'm not participating in the recession - I'm too busy and I haven't got a *thing* to wear!
I say that with tongue in cheek, but due to an expensive health problem I've had since 1992, I really didn't know what it was like to have this mystical thing called "extra money".
My spare cash always went to treating my illness, so for me, there was Always a recession.
But who has time to whine? I believe you can turn just about any circumstance into a positive.
And sure enough, my past experiences of being a penny-pinching small business woman put me in a unique position to tell you how to get your business to prosper in hard times.
The answer is simple: market smarter, and market better.
How? There are basically two steps.
First, don't stop advertising, and if you're not advertising, start. It's often the fastest, most direct route to getting customers your message.
However, spend your advertising money as wisely as you can. Track closely to determine what is working best to bring you business, and focus your money there.
Reduce or eliminate everything else. You can always return to your original plans when profits rise if you were in the midst of testing some expensive new technique.
The second step would be to append that advertising with more cost-effective marketing, especially in whatever area you're not doing now. Can you get your marketing done with a $3000 budget instead of a $5000 budget with a little extra elbow grease?
If it's worth the increase in labor, then do it.
Did submitting one article a week get you good results before? Nowadays you may need to do two.
It sounds obvious - but are you doing it?
If you're not - and most business owners aren't - don't beat yourself up. Just get to work while there's still time to have a successful quarter.
You say you're doing article marketing by posting to hundreds of directory-style sites already?
Awesome.
Now get those same articles distributed directly to ezine publishers that have better reach, and are more exclusive about who they accept. Need to test them out first? Run a classified or top sponsor ad.
If you're already doing that, think of what changes you can make to get more people to read more of the articles you're already submitting? Do some topics get you more exposure? Focus on those.
If you don't know the answer to these questions, find out. Sometimes the smallest creative change can turn your entire business around.
There's all kinds of creative marketing you can do that you can start with quickly, from blogging, article marketing or social media to organic search strategies. And of course ther are also all kinds of twists you can put on whatever you're already doing.
How do you find them?
For at least 30 minutes today, sit down and write marketing ideas. I learned a tip from a brilliant man named Allen says that after your mind has been working on something for 30 minutes, it just keeps coming up with more ideas on autopilot.
I've found that the longer I go, the better my ideas get. So even if you have to stop after 30 minutes, take that pad and paper with you.
And no matter how silly any idea seems, write it down. It may inspire something else later.
When you're done, pick the best one and go do it, or assign it to your marketing team if you have one. Research who does something similar, and follow their successes.
It's the ultimate recipe for getting a business through hard times - market harder, market smarter, market more creatively, and do it in addition to, not instead of, advertising. Some marketing tactics may take a little time to work, but that time lag is usually worth it.
In the mean time, if you keep advertising, you can get a quick boost.
The people are still out there. Your business still helps people. A recession or hard times just means you have to work a little smarter for the same amount of money.
You can do it. Don't abandon hope just yet.
How I kept a #1 search ranking out of 89 million on Google & Yahoo for 7 years - learn how you can do the same at http://trafficreality.com/evergreen today.
It's the number one topic on an entrepreneur's mind at some point: what will happen to my business during hard times? Should we panic? How long do recessions last, anyway?
Wish I had the answer to that one, but I have no clue. Dude, I'm a website promotion specialist. How would I know? :-D
What I do know is that I'm not participating in the recession - I'm too busy and I haven't got a *thing* to wear!
I say that with tongue in cheek, but due to an expensive health problem I've had since 1992, I really didn't know what it was like to have this mystical thing called "extra money".
My spare cash always went to treating my illness, so for me, there was Always a recession.
But who has time to whine? I believe you can turn just about any circumstance into a positive.
And sure enough, my past experiences of being a penny-pinching small business woman put me in a unique position to tell you how to get your business to prosper in hard times.
The answer is simple: market smarter, and market better.
How? There are basically two steps.
First, don't stop advertising, and if you're not advertising, start. It's often the fastest, most direct route to getting customers your message.
However, spend your advertising money as wisely as you can. Track closely to determine what is working best to bring you business, and focus your money there.
Reduce or eliminate everything else. You can always return to your original plans when profits rise if you were in the midst of testing some expensive new technique.
The second step would be to append that advertising with more cost-effective marketing, especially in whatever area you're not doing now. Can you get your marketing done with a $3000 budget instead of a $5000 budget with a little extra elbow grease?
If it's worth the increase in labor, then do it.
Did submitting one article a week get you good results before? Nowadays you may need to do two.
It sounds obvious - but are you doing it?
If you're not - and most business owners aren't - don't beat yourself up. Just get to work while there's still time to have a successful quarter.
You say you're doing article marketing by posting to hundreds of directory-style sites already?
Awesome.
Now get those same articles distributed directly to ezine publishers that have better reach, and are more exclusive about who they accept. Need to test them out first? Run a classified or top sponsor ad.
If you're already doing that, think of what changes you can make to get more people to read more of the articles you're already submitting? Do some topics get you more exposure? Focus on those.
If you don't know the answer to these questions, find out. Sometimes the smallest creative change can turn your entire business around.
There's all kinds of creative marketing you can do that you can start with quickly, from blogging, article marketing or social media to organic search strategies. And of course ther are also all kinds of twists you can put on whatever you're already doing.
How do you find them?
For at least 30 minutes today, sit down and write marketing ideas. I learned a tip from a brilliant man named Allen says that after your mind has been working on something for 30 minutes, it just keeps coming up with more ideas on autopilot.
I've found that the longer I go, the better my ideas get. So even if you have to stop after 30 minutes, take that pad and paper with you.
And no matter how silly any idea seems, write it down. It may inspire something else later.
When you're done, pick the best one and go do it, or assign it to your marketing team if you have one. Research who does something similar, and follow their successes.
It's the ultimate recipe for getting a business through hard times - market harder, market smarter, market more creatively, and do it in addition to, not instead of, advertising. Some marketing tactics may take a little time to work, but that time lag is usually worth it.
In the mean time, if you keep advertising, you can get a quick boost.
The people are still out there. Your business still helps people. A recession or hard times just means you have to work a little smarter for the same amount of money.
You can do it. Don't abandon hope just yet.
How I kept a #1 search ranking out of 89 million on Google & Yahoo for 7 years - learn how you can do the same at http://trafficreality.com/evergreen today.
Five Simple and Powerful Ways to Use Google Analytics
by Anna Williams
If you haven't started using Google Analytics on your website(s) or blogs, I highly highly recommend it. If you've set up an account but rarely look at it - I recommend you start looking.
First of all - what is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free analysis tool which gives you information on where your website visitors are coming from, which pages they visit, how long they stay, and a lot more. There are plenty of paid stat counters available which present data in different ways, but Google Analytics is one of the best, and it's free.
One can over-analyze or under-analyze any website. Some people spend too much time checking stats, analyzing, and planning, and don't spend enough time writing good content and getting new readers to their blogs.
On the other side of the pendulum, you could go on week after week, blindly publishing content and flailing along with offsite promotion, without seeing what results your campaigns are getting, which types of content is the most popular for your visitors, and which traffic-generation techniques are getting the best results.
The first is like tuning your car's engine every day without ever turning on the ignition, the second is like driving in the dark.
In between, we have a happy balance.
I find that the best times to check stats are when I don't have a lot of time to do a more intense project, or when I am a bit too tired to do anything more "heavy." Sometimes just before I go to bed at night is a good time to check into what has been happening between my visitors and my websites' pages. I can browse and poke around in my Analytics account and learn quite a lot - even with minimal energy.
Here are five simple and powerful ways to use Google Analytics:
1. Find out which of your website's pages are getting the most traffic, and optimize those pages.
If you are running ads on the pages, make sure they are properly placed and updated. If you are linking to affiliate products, make sure your links are up-to-date and that you aren't missing any links or new products which should be there. If you are using that page for some other purpose, such as to generate subscriptions or what-have-you, make sure that the page is laid out as well as possible.This can be helpful if you have a large website which has a long "to do" list and many things to optimize or tweak. By just starting with the most heavily-trafficked pages, you will get the maximum results from your efforts and also know where to start.
2. Find out which referrers are generating the most traffic, and continue to generate traffic from those referrers.For example, if you see that Twitter is generating a large amount of targeted traffic, you can increase your activity on Twitter. If you see that your article submissions are getting new visitors from article directories, you can remember not to drop those out - or possibly increase them. Conversely, if you see that you have been spending time/money on a traffic-generation method which is not getting very far, you can stop wasting your time on it (presuming you have given it time to take effect).
3. Find out which keywords you are ranking the best for, and see which ones you can "push to the top."
If you had a website on dogs, for example, and found that you were ranking at #30-#40 on Google for many keywords, but ranking #11 for, lets say, "dog chew toys," you might want to work on increasing your rankings on dog chew toys and focus more of your SEO efforts on this term (of course there are other factors you would consider as well, such as the searches and competition for this term). Climbing from position #31 to #20 will generally not get you a huge increase of traffic. But climbing from position #11 to position #3 almost certainly will. Focus first on keywords or key phrases that have the best chance of ranking high in the near future, and then move on to the others.
4. Find out which pages keep your visitors' attention for the longest.
If the average visitor on Page A stays for 5 seconds, while the average visitor to Page B stays for 150 seconds, the likelihood is that your visitors find Page B's content more interesting than Page A's.
5. Look at the graph of your bounce rate.
This tells you how many people left your site without visiting a second page. Depending on the website and the page, this may be a good or bad thing. But if you have a blog or a content site, it is usually a good sign when people stick around to view more of your posts and content before they leave.If your bounce rate increased or decreased after you made a certain change, you can opt to revert that change (if bounce rate increased) or keep it (if bounce rate decreased). For example, if I changed the theme of my Wordpress blog and then noticed a date-co-incident increase in my bounce rate, I might consider changing it back :) This statistic can be used in many ways - it will depend on the nature of your blog.
There are many, many other ways to use Google Analytics. The above are a few great ways to start, when you aren't familiar with or used to using this tracking system. Google Analytics can give you a far greater understanding of what's happening on your site and can guide you to continue on successful actions and drop the unsuccessful.
For more information on how to use Google Analytics, including video tutorials, and links to free information including a free eBook download on this subject, visit Anna's blog, at http://buildingfromnothing.com/understanding-google-analytics-how-to-use-it/
If you haven't started using Google Analytics on your website(s) or blogs, I highly highly recommend it. If you've set up an account but rarely look at it - I recommend you start looking.
First of all - what is Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free analysis tool which gives you information on where your website visitors are coming from, which pages they visit, how long they stay, and a lot more. There are plenty of paid stat counters available which present data in different ways, but Google Analytics is one of the best, and it's free.
One can over-analyze or under-analyze any website. Some people spend too much time checking stats, analyzing, and planning, and don't spend enough time writing good content and getting new readers to their blogs.
On the other side of the pendulum, you could go on week after week, blindly publishing content and flailing along with offsite promotion, without seeing what results your campaigns are getting, which types of content is the most popular for your visitors, and which traffic-generation techniques are getting the best results.
The first is like tuning your car's engine every day without ever turning on the ignition, the second is like driving in the dark.
In between, we have a happy balance.
I find that the best times to check stats are when I don't have a lot of time to do a more intense project, or when I am a bit too tired to do anything more "heavy." Sometimes just before I go to bed at night is a good time to check into what has been happening between my visitors and my websites' pages. I can browse and poke around in my Analytics account and learn quite a lot - even with minimal energy.
Here are five simple and powerful ways to use Google Analytics:
1. Find out which of your website's pages are getting the most traffic, and optimize those pages.
If you are running ads on the pages, make sure they are properly placed and updated. If you are linking to affiliate products, make sure your links are up-to-date and that you aren't missing any links or new products which should be there. If you are using that page for some other purpose, such as to generate subscriptions or what-have-you, make sure that the page is laid out as well as possible.This can be helpful if you have a large website which has a long "to do" list and many things to optimize or tweak. By just starting with the most heavily-trafficked pages, you will get the maximum results from your efforts and also know where to start.
2. Find out which referrers are generating the most traffic, and continue to generate traffic from those referrers.For example, if you see that Twitter is generating a large amount of targeted traffic, you can increase your activity on Twitter. If you see that your article submissions are getting new visitors from article directories, you can remember not to drop those out - or possibly increase them. Conversely, if you see that you have been spending time/money on a traffic-generation method which is not getting very far, you can stop wasting your time on it (presuming you have given it time to take effect).
3. Find out which keywords you are ranking the best for, and see which ones you can "push to the top."
If you had a website on dogs, for example, and found that you were ranking at #30-#40 on Google for many keywords, but ranking #11 for, lets say, "dog chew toys," you might want to work on increasing your rankings on dog chew toys and focus more of your SEO efforts on this term (of course there are other factors you would consider as well, such as the searches and competition for this term). Climbing from position #31 to #20 will generally not get you a huge increase of traffic. But climbing from position #11 to position #3 almost certainly will. Focus first on keywords or key phrases that have the best chance of ranking high in the near future, and then move on to the others.
4. Find out which pages keep your visitors' attention for the longest.
If the average visitor on Page A stays for 5 seconds, while the average visitor to Page B stays for 150 seconds, the likelihood is that your visitors find Page B's content more interesting than Page A's.
5. Look at the graph of your bounce rate.
This tells you how many people left your site without visiting a second page. Depending on the website and the page, this may be a good or bad thing. But if you have a blog or a content site, it is usually a good sign when people stick around to view more of your posts and content before they leave.If your bounce rate increased or decreased after you made a certain change, you can opt to revert that change (if bounce rate increased) or keep it (if bounce rate decreased). For example, if I changed the theme of my Wordpress blog and then noticed a date-co-incident increase in my bounce rate, I might consider changing it back :) This statistic can be used in many ways - it will depend on the nature of your blog.
There are many, many other ways to use Google Analytics. The above are a few great ways to start, when you aren't familiar with or used to using this tracking system. Google Analytics can give you a far greater understanding of what's happening on your site and can guide you to continue on successful actions and drop the unsuccessful.
For more information on how to use Google Analytics, including video tutorials, and links to free information including a free eBook download on this subject, visit Anna's blog, at http://buildingfromnothing.com/understanding-google-analytics-how-to-use-it/
Reverse SEO is an Important Tool to Suppress Negative Public Relations Online
by Julie Ann Ross
Reverse SEO has become one of the most effective strategies for minimizing the impact pf bad publicity within the search engines' organic listings. It is an online reputation management (ORM) tool of SEO consultants who manage public relations online. Too often, companies become targets for negative press online. Angered customers start blogs to take businesses to task for grievances suffered, real or imagined. Dishonest competitors will often go to great lengths to distribute fraudulent reports online. Still others post untruthful reports about companies simply to cause mischief. The problem is that these blogs, pages, and reports can start ranking well in Google and Yahoo.
Reverse SEO can be used to suppress negative publicity that targets your company in the organic listings. By pushing bad press onto the second, third, and fourth pages of Google, those pages will be prevented from gaining traction or attention. In this article, we will explain the potentially devastating effects of negative press and how reverse SEO can help you manage your company's public relations online. We'll also describe what you can expect when you work with an experienced SEO consulting service.
Why Reverse SEO Tactics Are Used
The reason to use reverse SEO is based upon current societal trends. Many of your customers are likely to research your company on Google, Yahoo, or Bing before purchasing a product or service from you. When they find reviews, they tend to believe them. Unfortunately, there are few barriers that prevent people from posting negative reports online about your business.
For example, a disgruntled employee can start an anonymous blog vilifying your company. An unsatisfied customer can post a less-than-honest story about your business on ripoffreport.com. Your competitors can do the same. The reputations of more than a few companies have been decimated in this way.
When prospective customers find these pages on the search engines, they give them unwarranted credibility. Reverse SEO minimizes the damage. Studies have shown that the vast majority of searchers never venture onto the second page of listings. Of those who do, a small fraction progress to the third page. By pushing negative publicity off the first page of Google's listings, a reverse SEO strategy removes them from sight.
Reverse Search Engine Optimization Curbs Negative Publicity
Negative publicity, if left unchecked, gains momentum in the search engines. Highly-ranked pages attract links. As inbound links increase to these pages, they become harder to remove. This is the reason it is important to launch a reverse SEO campaign as soon as bad press emerges, if not beforehand. By suppressing negative pages quickly, you can prevent them from gaining traction. Cut off from a supply of links, they will eventually submerge into the depths of the search engines' listings.
The Basic Strategy of Reverse SEO
In the same way that a search engine optimization project requires a refined approach, a reverse SEO campaign should also follow a rigid formula. The basic strategy relies upon a network of authoritative sites to control the first page of organic listings for your company's name. That includes article and press release syndication, capturing keyword-rich sub-domains on authoritative blog sites, and carefully using social networking properties. There are also a number of formidable online tools that can be used to further support your reverse SEO efforts.
By leveraging the ranking ability of these authoritative sites for your company's name, you can control the first page of organic listings. That pushes negative press downward beyond your customers' field of view.
The Positive Effects of Reverse SEO Require Time
It's worth emphasizing that a reverse SEO campaign takes time to gain momentum. Even though you will be leveraging authoritative sites that rank more quickly than other properties, controlling the first page of Google is not an overnight process. However, once these sites climb to the top positions, they are very difficult to remove. Their ranking ability does not guarantee immediate results, but results tend to be sustainable. That means future attempts to attack your company with negative publicity will be forced to climb a much higher wall to do so. In effect, your business will be insulated.
Working With a Reverse SEO Consulting Service
The full-service SEO agency with whom your company works will already have a honed strategy for deploying a reverse SEO campaign. They will maintain a list of authoritative sites that are groomed for your circumstances. They'll research your website's position in the search engines as well as the positions of any negative press that currently populates the organic listings. Rather than pursuing reverse SEO methods that are unethical and thus, have only short-term results, they will use principled tactics that prevent bad publicity from gaining traction in the future.
Reverse SEO is becoming a popular method for minimizing the damage from complaints and negative reports, whether they are valid or not. In fact, a growing number of companies are relying upon reverse SEO tactics as a preemptive strategy for managing their public relations online.
Reverse SEO Consultants are found at Rostin Reagor Smith, Inc. With regional and national experience in online reputation management and proven strategies for reverse SEO in public relations online, Rostin Reagor Smith is the resource for reverse SEO (reverse search engine optimization,) public relations online, search engine marketing, and ORM (online reputation management.) http://www.rostinreagorsmith.com
Reverse SEO has become one of the most effective strategies for minimizing the impact pf bad publicity within the search engines' organic listings. It is an online reputation management (ORM) tool of SEO consultants who manage public relations online. Too often, companies become targets for negative press online. Angered customers start blogs to take businesses to task for grievances suffered, real or imagined. Dishonest competitors will often go to great lengths to distribute fraudulent reports online. Still others post untruthful reports about companies simply to cause mischief. The problem is that these blogs, pages, and reports can start ranking well in Google and Yahoo.
Reverse SEO can be used to suppress negative publicity that targets your company in the organic listings. By pushing bad press onto the second, third, and fourth pages of Google, those pages will be prevented from gaining traction or attention. In this article, we will explain the potentially devastating effects of negative press and how reverse SEO can help you manage your company's public relations online. We'll also describe what you can expect when you work with an experienced SEO consulting service.
Why Reverse SEO Tactics Are Used
The reason to use reverse SEO is based upon current societal trends. Many of your customers are likely to research your company on Google, Yahoo, or Bing before purchasing a product or service from you. When they find reviews, they tend to believe them. Unfortunately, there are few barriers that prevent people from posting negative reports online about your business.
For example, a disgruntled employee can start an anonymous blog vilifying your company. An unsatisfied customer can post a less-than-honest story about your business on ripoffreport.com. Your competitors can do the same. The reputations of more than a few companies have been decimated in this way.
When prospective customers find these pages on the search engines, they give them unwarranted credibility. Reverse SEO minimizes the damage. Studies have shown that the vast majority of searchers never venture onto the second page of listings. Of those who do, a small fraction progress to the third page. By pushing negative publicity off the first page of Google's listings, a reverse SEO strategy removes them from sight.
Reverse Search Engine Optimization Curbs Negative Publicity
Negative publicity, if left unchecked, gains momentum in the search engines. Highly-ranked pages attract links. As inbound links increase to these pages, they become harder to remove. This is the reason it is important to launch a reverse SEO campaign as soon as bad press emerges, if not beforehand. By suppressing negative pages quickly, you can prevent them from gaining traction. Cut off from a supply of links, they will eventually submerge into the depths of the search engines' listings.
The Basic Strategy of Reverse SEO
In the same way that a search engine optimization project requires a refined approach, a reverse SEO campaign should also follow a rigid formula. The basic strategy relies upon a network of authoritative sites to control the first page of organic listings for your company's name. That includes article and press release syndication, capturing keyword-rich sub-domains on authoritative blog sites, and carefully using social networking properties. There are also a number of formidable online tools that can be used to further support your reverse SEO efforts.
By leveraging the ranking ability of these authoritative sites for your company's name, you can control the first page of organic listings. That pushes negative press downward beyond your customers' field of view.
The Positive Effects of Reverse SEO Require Time
It's worth emphasizing that a reverse SEO campaign takes time to gain momentum. Even though you will be leveraging authoritative sites that rank more quickly than other properties, controlling the first page of Google is not an overnight process. However, once these sites climb to the top positions, they are very difficult to remove. Their ranking ability does not guarantee immediate results, but results tend to be sustainable. That means future attempts to attack your company with negative publicity will be forced to climb a much higher wall to do so. In effect, your business will be insulated.
Working With a Reverse SEO Consulting Service
The full-service SEO agency with whom your company works will already have a honed strategy for deploying a reverse SEO campaign. They will maintain a list of authoritative sites that are groomed for your circumstances. They'll research your website's position in the search engines as well as the positions of any negative press that currently populates the organic listings. Rather than pursuing reverse SEO methods that are unethical and thus, have only short-term results, they will use principled tactics that prevent bad publicity from gaining traction in the future.
Reverse SEO is becoming a popular method for minimizing the damage from complaints and negative reports, whether they are valid or not. In fact, a growing number of companies are relying upon reverse SEO tactics as a preemptive strategy for managing their public relations online.
Reverse SEO Consultants are found at Rostin Reagor Smith, Inc. With regional and national experience in online reputation management and proven strategies for reverse SEO in public relations online, Rostin Reagor Smith is the resource for reverse SEO (reverse search engine optimization,) public relations online, search engine marketing, and ORM (online reputation management.) http://www.rostinreagorsmith.com
10 Most Effective Questions for Take-Action Testimonials
by Donna Gunter
Client testimonials can make or break a web site. They are a vital factor in establishing a relationship of trust with new visitors to your site. Visitors want to see that others just like them have hired you or purchased your products and have successfully overcome some hurdle or some issue. Better yet, when the testimonials specifically note how the client's life or business has been enhanced by buying your product or service, the visitor then begins to believe that it will help her overcome a similar issue, as well.
Several years ago I updated one of my sites. I continued to get phone calls from potential clients who wanted to hire me, but the calls were much different than I had gotten previously. The difference was that I spent the duration of the phone call in sales mode to convince them to hire me, which is something I hate to do. I'd never had to do that before. Typically when someone would call me, they were already sold on the concept of hiring me and just wanted to know when we could get started.
I racked my brain to try and figure out what in the world was going on and what had changed with these prospects. Suddenly it hit me that in the update of my site, my client testimonials had gotten lost in the process and weren't on the new site. This gave me the motivation I needed to get additional testimonials from satisfied clients and determine how to best display those testimonials for maximum impact. Once I added those to my new site, things returned to normal and those rave reviews did all of my selling for me.
So, now you know that testimonials can serve as an important sales tool on your web site. How do you go about getting testimonials that say something more compelling than, "Jane is great to work with!", which is useless for all practical purposes.
Here are ten questions you can ask your clients to get results-oriented testimonials for your online business:
1. What factors made you to choose my business to assist you with?
2. What were your preconceived notions about using. For example, "What were your perceptions about working with an accountant before we started?"
3. How has that perception changed since you hired me/bought my product?
4. What do you like most about working with me/using the product?
5. Did you expect it would work as well as it did?
6. Did you have any objections/hesitations before you decide to hire us/buy the product? If so, what were they? How did we overcome your hesitation and objections?
7. What are the three biggest benefits of working with us/using the product? OR How has your life changed/things changed since you began using our service/product? Please be as specific as possible (i.e. we increased sales by 25% in 3 months; I lost 15 pounds in 20 days; I doubled my income last year).
You may also want to ask this as a before/after question, i.e. "How are things different now after hiring us than they were before you hired us?"
8. If you were to recommend me to a colleague, friend, or business associate, how would you describe the way I provided my service to you (or, the way I helped you achieve a certain result)?
9. Is there anything else you'd like to add that I haven't yet asked about?
10. Can I share this information in our marketing materials?
If you don't have any client testimonials on your site, it's not to late to go out and solicit a few. Use some or all of the questions noted above to increase the trust visitors have in your services and products and increase your sales dramatically!
Online Business Coach and Internet Marketing Strategist Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online businesses that they love. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com
Copyright (c) 2009 OnlineBizU.com
Client testimonials can make or break a web site. They are a vital factor in establishing a relationship of trust with new visitors to your site. Visitors want to see that others just like them have hired you or purchased your products and have successfully overcome some hurdle or some issue. Better yet, when the testimonials specifically note how the client's life or business has been enhanced by buying your product or service, the visitor then begins to believe that it will help her overcome a similar issue, as well.
Several years ago I updated one of my sites. I continued to get phone calls from potential clients who wanted to hire me, but the calls were much different than I had gotten previously. The difference was that I spent the duration of the phone call in sales mode to convince them to hire me, which is something I hate to do. I'd never had to do that before. Typically when someone would call me, they were already sold on the concept of hiring me and just wanted to know when we could get started.
I racked my brain to try and figure out what in the world was going on and what had changed with these prospects. Suddenly it hit me that in the update of my site, my client testimonials had gotten lost in the process and weren't on the new site. This gave me the motivation I needed to get additional testimonials from satisfied clients and determine how to best display those testimonials for maximum impact. Once I added those to my new site, things returned to normal and those rave reviews did all of my selling for me.
So, now you know that testimonials can serve as an important sales tool on your web site. How do you go about getting testimonials that say something more compelling than, "Jane is great to work with!", which is useless for all practical purposes.
Here are ten questions you can ask your clients to get results-oriented testimonials for your online business:
1. What factors made you to choose my business to assist you with
2. What were your preconceived notions about using
3. How has that perception changed since you hired me/bought my product?
4. What do you like most about working with me/using the product?
5. Did you expect it would work as well as it did?
6. Did you have any objections/hesitations before you decide to hire us/buy the product? If so, what were they? How did we overcome your hesitation and objections?
7. What are the three biggest benefits of working with us/using the product? OR How has your life changed/things changed since you began using our service/product? Please be as specific as possible (i.e. we increased sales by 25% in 3 months; I lost 15 pounds in 20 days; I doubled my income last year).
You may also want to ask this as a before/after question, i.e. "How are things different now after hiring us than they were before you hired us?"
8. If you were to recommend me to a colleague, friend, or business associate, how would you describe the way I provided my service to you (or, the way I helped you achieve a certain result)?
9. Is there anything else you'd like to add that I haven't yet asked about?
10. Can I share this information in our marketing materials?
If you don't have any client testimonials on your site, it's not to late to go out and solicit a few. Use some or all of the questions noted above to increase the trust visitors have in your services and products and increase your sales dramatically!
Online Business Coach and Internet Marketing Strategist Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online businesses that they love. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==> http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com
Copyright (c) 2009 OnlineBizU.com
How to Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds
by Paul Wyre
The first thing in order to create a custom Twitter background is obviously to have an account, jump online and head to the Twitter site. Sign up for an account and you’ve completed the first step!
Step 2
Image is important and knowing the type of image you’d like to portray is critical in knowing where to start and how you’d like the design of your twitter background to be. Most people leave the design up to chance, and put any old background up not even thinking about how they’d like people to see them. Spend some time on this step and find or create a background that represents your interests and pleasures. Don’t rush at the first thing you like because more likely than not, you’ll find something better if you spend a little more time searching. A good way of designing your background is to use a program such as Photoshop which isn’t too hard to use effectively. It also has some features which allows for the creation of really unique designs.
Step 3
Understand that the screen of your twitter background is in fact real estate and that most people upon viewing a webpage will look directly in the center of the screen. Create a design that facilitates this as it’ll become more popular and you’ll have a lot of repeat visitors if you design this correctly. Providing of course your Twitter content is interesting!
Step 4
Design a background that is large. Most people can’t stand small writing and probably won’t even read the text as it’ll be too hard to read if it is this way inclined. Bigger is best. Also understand that the bigger the resolution, the more of your background that the user will see. Create a background which takes that into account.
Step 5
Use a border. When creating the Twitter background, it’s important to note that the top part of the screen is dedicated to the Twitter logo and user panel. If you create a border, it creates a more pleasant experience for the visitor as the twitter logo and user panel don’t interfere with your own personal background and design.
Step 6
Test your background by uploading the background to twitter and see how it looks. Click on the ‘design’ feature under the settings tab and ‘change background’ image to upload. If you like how it presents, keep it. Otherwise revert back to a previous standard image that twitter provides until such time that you design a background that you like.
You should be done! It’s a good idea to change the design often as it can keep visitors alert when they come back to your pages.
To see more free twitter backgrounds just log on to www.twitrounds.com
The first thing in order to create a custom Twitter background is obviously to have an account, jump online and head to the Twitter site. Sign up for an account and you’ve completed the first step!
Step 2
Image is important and knowing the type of image you’d like to portray is critical in knowing where to start and how you’d like the design of your twitter background to be. Most people leave the design up to chance, and put any old background up not even thinking about how they’d like people to see them. Spend some time on this step and find or create a background that represents your interests and pleasures. Don’t rush at the first thing you like because more likely than not, you’ll find something better if you spend a little more time searching. A good way of designing your background is to use a program such as Photoshop which isn’t too hard to use effectively. It also has some features which allows for the creation of really unique designs.
Step 3
Understand that the screen of your twitter background is in fact real estate and that most people upon viewing a webpage will look directly in the center of the screen. Create a design that facilitates this as it’ll become more popular and you’ll have a lot of repeat visitors if you design this correctly. Providing of course your Twitter content is interesting!
Step 4
Design a background that is large. Most people can’t stand small writing and probably won’t even read the text as it’ll be too hard to read if it is this way inclined. Bigger is best. Also understand that the bigger the resolution, the more of your background that the user will see. Create a background which takes that into account.
Step 5
Use a border. When creating the Twitter background, it’s important to note that the top part of the screen is dedicated to the Twitter logo and user panel. If you create a border, it creates a more pleasant experience for the visitor as the twitter logo and user panel don’t interfere with your own personal background and design.
Step 6
Test your background by uploading the background to twitter and see how it looks. Click on the ‘design’ feature under the settings tab and ‘change background’ image to upload. If you like how it presents, keep it. Otherwise revert back to a previous standard image that twitter provides until such time that you design a background that you like.
You should be done! It’s a good idea to change the design often as it can keep visitors alert when they come back to your pages.
To see more free twitter backgrounds just log on to www.twitrounds.com
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