How to Get Your Web Site Noticed Using SEO</h1> <article> <h1>How to Get Your Web Site Noticed Using SEO</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:09:38 GMT</p> <p>Creating a Web site is just the first step in building your online visibility. Once you have a Web site, you should apply a series of techniques, called <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/search-engine-optimization.jsp">search engine optimization (SEO)</a>. SEO enhances your Web site content so that it’s easier for search engines, like Google® and Yahoo!®, to read and determine the quality of your site. Using SEO will help you rank higher in search results, which, in turn, will improve your chances of getting noticed by your target audience.<br /><br />In this video, you’ll learn what SEO is and why hiring an SEO expert can save you time and money, and prevent you from making costly or irreversible mistakes.</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.networksolutions.com/video/nsplayer320_seo.swf?video=http://www.networksolutions.com/video/seo.flv" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> </object> </p> <p> </p> <p>Check out our other videos for more information on getting online.</p> <ul> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/getting-started-online/building-a-web-presence-why-and-how-1914/">Building a Web Presence – Why and How</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/getting-started-online/how-to-build-a-web-site-for-your-small-business-1913/">How to Build a Web Site for Your Small Business</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/optimizing-online-marketing-efforts/reach-a-larger-more-targeted-audience-with-search-engine-marketing-1911/">Reach a Larger, More Targeted Audience with Search Engine Marketing</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/ecommerce-101/the-benefits-of-owning-an-ecommerce-site-1910/">The Benefits of Owning an Ecommerce Site</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/maximizing-your-web-site-experience/protect-your-customers-with-ssl-certificates-1909/">Protect Your Customers with SSL Certificates</a></li> </ul><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Reach a Larger, More Targeted Audience with Search Engine Marketing</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:07:09 GMT</p> <p>Your Web site is up and running, so how can you make yourself more visible to a more targeted audience? You can try using search engine marketing (SEM), or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/pay-per-click/index.jsp">pay-per-click advertising</a>. SEM is a paid service. It allows you to place online ads near top search results. With SEM, you are required to pay whenever your ad is clicked. For that reason, choosing the right keywords is vital. If your keywords are too broad, you’ll end up paying for clicks that don’t result in transactions. If your keywords are too specific, you may not receive any clicks at all. <br /><br />This video further explores the benefits of using search engine marketing and explains why recruiting the help of an SEM specialist can help you minimize your costs and boost your conversion rate.</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.networksolutions.com/video/nsplayer320_sem.swf?video=http://www.networksolutions.com/video/sem.flv" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> </object> </p> <p> </p> <p>Check out our other videos for more information on getting online.</p> <ul> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/getting-started-online/building-a-web-presence-why-and-how-1914/">Building a Web Presence – Why and How</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/getting-started-online/how-to-build-a-web-site-for-your-small-business-1913/">How to Build a Web Site for Your Small Business</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/optimizing-online-marketing-efforts/how-to-get-your-web-site-noticed-using-seo-1912/">How to Get Your Web Site Noticed Using SEO</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/ecommerce-101/the-benefits-of-owning-an-ecommerce-site-1910/">The Benefits of Owning an Ecommerce Site</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/maximizing-your-web-site-experience/protect-your-customers-with-ssl-certificates-1909/">Protect Your Customers with SSL Certificates</a></li> </ul><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Online Press Releases: Promoting Your Company After the Holidays</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:43:11 GMT</p> <p><b>What is an Online Press Release?</b><br /> <br /> A professional, <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/press-release-services/index.jsp"><font color="#0000ff">online press release</font></a> is a strategically written piece designed to inform potential customers any exciting news or events happening with your company. This is not a marketing piece; it should be distributed through reliable news channels and offer quality information.<br /> <br /> The advantages of using an online press release rather than the traditional format are two-fold:<br /> <br /> * Get your announcement and valuable information about your company quickly and efficiently to a large audience<br /> * Reap SEO benefits that you can build on for long-term optimization efforts<br /> <br /> Whether you offer products for purchase on your site and expect increased sales over the holiday season or offer services and anticipate a lull, an online press release can help you take advantage of this time to capitalize on the end of year status of your company. Get started now to launch a release that will get 2010 off to a great start!<br /> <br /> <b>How Do I Formulate an Announcement?</b><br /> <br /> Basically, an announcement can be anything that is of value to your potential customers. It does not have to be groundbreaking events, just information that is new to your company. An announcement can be changes in your organizational structure, changes related to your industry or community, or other events you participate in.<br /> <br /> Here are some examples:<br /> <br /> * Announce a special offer or sale<br /> * Announce changes to your site<br /> * Alert people to awards you have won or recognition you have received<br /> * Detail your participation in community or charity events<br /> * Announce a new product or innovation<br /> * Discuss changes in the industry and your involvement<br /> <br /> Working with a professional can help you determine a solid announce and help you launch the release successfully through the proper channels. And launching the release after the holiday season is an optimal time to begin your 2010 campaign.<br /> <br /> <b>What is the Benefit of a Professional Release, Rather Than Writing it Myself?</b><br /> <br /> There are a number of benefits to working with a professional. First and foremost, a professional writer can make sure the announcement is viable for news sources, the text is grammatically correct and expertly written, and ensures that the release is distributed through the right channels to get maximum exposure. Furthermore, they can incorporate quality keywords that will offer SEO benefits.<br /> <br /> A press release helps search engines crawl your site and the Network Solutions® Online Press Release service incorporates three backlinks, also favorable for SEO. Your release will be distributed to major media channels in targeted industry categories. Simply put, you will get a professional news article distributed via PRWeb® and other media channels to reach an audience of the tens of thousands. Benefits continue with the permanent backlink from PRWeb and the basis for a continued online marketing campaign.<br /> <br /> <b>What Can I Expect After the Release Goes Live?</b><br /> <br /> Okay, now that you’ve decided to launch your 2010 online marketing efforts with an Online Press Release, piggybacking on the holiday season, you should start looking for way to use the release to branch out into other endeavors.<br /> <br /> Here are a few ideas:<br /> <br /> * Print the release and mail to community organizations and local media outlets. You can also make it a standard component of your marketing materials<br /> * Email the release to your current customer base<br /> * If you have a blog, post a link; if you don’t consider setting one up!<br /> * Look for other social outlets, such as Twitter to announce your news<br /> <br /> You can embark on your own to initiate new ways to maintain your online presence or you can get help from an <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/search-engine-optimization.jsp">SEO professional</a>. But get started today to take advantage of the holiday momentum!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>PPC in 2010 – Building on Holiday Momentum</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:36:27 GMT</p> <p>If you are already running a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign for a retail business, chances are that you amped up your efforts for the holiday season. Adding information about holiday deals and sales to your ad content, focusing on holiday-specific keywords (including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest shopping days of the year on- and offline), and possibly increasing your daily budget on certain shopping days has helped you to have a successful holiday season. How do you continue that momentum into the New Year?<br /> <br /> Much success in <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/pay-per-click/index.jsp">Pay Per Click</a> search engine marketing is come upon by trial and error. Evaluate what worked for you during the holiday season, and think about how it might be able to help you keep moving in the New Year, building a year-long strategy for Pay Per Click. Since many people shop for deals and overstock items immediately following the holiday shopping season, create a new campaign or a new ad group within an existing campaign, offering your own post-holiday deals. You may possibly want to keep your budget a bit higher in January to account for these potential clicks.<br /> <br /> Moving forward, it is likely possible to lower your budget a bit and pause or end campaigns focused on holiday and overstock keywords. As you continue throughout the year, focus on keywords that are relevant to your specific products. This will increase the quality score of your ads, lower the CPC (cost-per-click), and bring you more relevant traffic at the purchasing stage. You will not receive as many clicks with these more specific keywords, but the clicks will be far more valuable, as they will be much more likely to lead to conversions.<br /> <br /> Since late winter is traditionally marked by slower sales—unless you sell a lot of spring clothing-related items and cater to shoppers who are ahead of the game—this is a good time to do some testing within your account. Test more and more specific keywords to see which ones gain conversions and which do not. Try out different ad copy for some of your less successful keywords to see if that results in an improvement.<br /> <br /> In April and May it may seem early, but it’s actually the ideal time to begin planning for the holiday season again. The majority of retail outlets are in the red until the holiday season, so this critical sales period warrants early preparation. By this point, you should have a good set of keywords and ads from your earlier testing that will bring in consistent conversions. Keep these campaigns and ad groups running and try out some more general keywords to see if those will work for you as well. If not, you can always pause or end the campaign.<br /> <br /> Keep an eye on your budget and make sure it includes funds set aside for an increase in November and December. By that time, you should have some very specific keywords that are working for you, as well as some broader, more general ones that drive traffic to your site. When the time comes, you can add in your holiday, sale, and deal keywords, and you’ll be ready to go.<br /> <br /> The keys to PPC are testing, adjusting, and planning ahead. Keep these in mind and you’ll have a successful 2010.</p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Share Your Passion and Get Links in 2010</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:31:27 GMT</p> <p> </p> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">It’s a new year and you are inspired to try new things to boost your online business. One way to do that is through posting authority-driven content, well written and full of original concepts and fresh perspective. It will get you links and more. Are you interested in trying your hand at content creation for 2010? If you’re not sure yet, consider the following:</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Creating content, whether in the form of articles or blog posts, provides the perfect opportunity for you to crystallize a focused sense of your business presence. And it’s a great way to build on the holiday momentum you have going.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Posted content brings links. When a link (URL address) to your website is posted on another website, that’s a vote in the eyes of search engines, which is great for fortifying your rankings. You submit an article to an article directory (ezinearticles.com, hubpages.com, squidoo.com, scribd.com, etc.). You set up links directly from your article publication to your website, either in the body of the article or in the bio or profile box.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">When you post high-value content, you’re inviting anyone to come along and scoop it up and put it on their website or blog. Voila! Another inbound link, great for search engine page rankings.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Not sure what to focus on in your area of expertise? Review topics of interest to see what’s already been said. Browse some blogs and article directories and find out what others in your industry are chatting about.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Some points to remember:</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in">1)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span>Unless you are in a very narrow market and you are highly specialized, you will probably be repeating at least some concepts. That’s okay. If you are an authority in your field, what you say will naturally have more value. Even if you write about a topic that’s already been covered, your article may be easier to understand or may present new, critical data.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in">2)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span>It’s good for your online rep. When someone searches your name, company or domain, they’ll see that you’ve contributed valuable content and can infer that you care about making your industry better. This builds customer confidence and industry regard.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in">3)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span>If you are already setting aside time to regularly check out what your industry peers and competitors are talking about in blogs, articles, twitter, etc., you’ll have a good idea of what topics will capture the interest of your readers. However, many with small businesses have limited time or just haven’t yet tapped into this free exchange. If this is you, take an “online temperature.” Explore some blogs, industry journals, etc. See what your competitors are saying.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in">4)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span>Finally, know your audience. It held true for eighth grade speech class and it holds true today. Before you write, know whom you’re addressing. Anyone can read your article once it’s out there, but <i>whom do you want to read it</i>? Are you hoping others in your industry will pick it up and post in on their websites? If so, you may want to create content of interest to them. Are you hoping someone will find the article and click on the link to your website and then move into purchase mode? If so, address your articles to your ideal customer and showcase solutions to their pain points.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">If you are running a small business, you may not have the time or resources to handle all <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/index.jsp">online marketing</a> efforts. But writing articles or blog posts on topics you’re passionate about may actually be rejuvenating, especially when you see your intended audience respond. Other online marketing techniques might be better left to professionals. Consider an online marketing company like Network Solutions®, with PPC and <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/search-engine-optimization.jsp"><font color="#0000ff">SEO experts</font></a> who can complement your content creation with affordable behind-the-scenes maneuvers designed to push you ahead of the crowd.</div> <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </div><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Search Engine Optimization in 5 Easy Steps</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:57:50 GMT</p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">In order to tackle Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you need to understand several important Online Marketing (OLM) concepts: keywords, search engine rankings, search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Search engines use “spiders” to crawl the Web in search of content, ranking and indexing sites as they go. <a href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/online-marketing-basics/what-are-keywords-1042/1108">Keywords</a> are those words, terms, and phrases that consumers enter in the search bar each time they conduct a Web search. The search engine rankings, which result from the crawling spiders, are featured on the results pages for each keyword search.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Search Engine Optimization is an effort that involves trying to improve, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal;">optimize</i>, a site so that it can achieve higher rankings on results pages. Search Engine Optimization efforts are called organic or natural because they involve making basic changes to your site’s content and code. Search Engine Marketing on the other hand, involves paid advertising efforts that will help drive traffic to your site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes;"> </span>Let’s explore the organic, or natural, efforts of Search Engine Optimization.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">When launching a Search Engine Optimization strategy, you should take these five important steps:</span></p> <p style="margin:5pt 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;">1)<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Create a list of keywords</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">. In creating a list of keywords, you want a blend of common terms as well as ones that are more unique and specific to your products and services. Think of yourself as a competitor when you consider your keyword list. In other words, thousands of Web sites will be selling “digital cameras,” so if you choose that as one of your keywords, your chances of bumping to the top of the search results page will be slim. There’s simply too much competition. But perhaps you can compete in the rankings with more specific keywords related to your top selling cameras, such as (7x) zoom lens, and 28 MP/cm² pixel density.</span></p> <p style="margin:5pt 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;">2)<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Optimize your site with keywords</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">. With your list of keywords, turn to your site and optimize its pages. That means you should weave keywords into your title and description blurbs, as well as the meta tags within your source code. For your title tags, you can use single words or phrases, or a combination of the two, depending on the personality of your site. You do not want to reuse the same title tag over and over; be sure each page is unique. In terms of the description blurb (which displays on the search results page), having keywords woven throughout won’t improve your placement in the rankings. However, the description tag is one of the key elements that entice people to click on and jump to your site. </span></p> <p style="margin:5pt 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;">3)<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Construct your internal links and navigation</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">. Internal links (links that jump people from page to page within your site) and your site’s navigation are how people get around on your site. The key is to use “spiderable” navigation. That means, your navigation should be text-based (not a graphic button), so that search engine spiders can read that text as a link. In addition, that navigational text should be made up of keywords. This is true for links that appear on any page as well. So, don’t just instruct users to “Click here.” Instead, guide them with a keyword description, “Read my article on high powered zoom lenses.” These types of links and navigational prompts will help improve your search rankings.</span></p> <p style="margin:5pt 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;">4)<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Make your content unique</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">. Spiders ignore duplicate content. For that reason alone, content on your site needs to be unique. It cannot be something you’ve copied and pasted from another Web site (or from the product manufacturer’s site.) And while your content needs to feature your keywords, it should also read well. Keyword appearance should seem natural and transparent to users. You want your content to attract people to your site, make them take notice. One great strategy is to post articles related to your products and services. For your digital camera site, write an article on “How to select the right camera for taking action shots.” Or, if you sell gift baskets, write an article on “What type of gift basket is best?” This enables you to write content that will be of interest to your visitors. It will allow you to weave in a wider variety of keyword terms and combinations. It can help you draw in visitors who may not necessarily have been searching terms on your keyword list. And finally, it affords you a way to provide value to users and to build credibility as an expert.</span></p> <p style="margin:5pt 0in 0pt 0.5in;text-indent:-0.25in;text-align:justify;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore;">5)<span style="font:7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Build your external and inbound links</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">. The final and most important step is <a href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/optimizing-online-marketing-efforts/building-inbound-links-1148/1214">building link relationships</a>, because the search engines view links to your site as votes. The more links you have, the more authority and credibility you will have from the search engine perspective. But your links must be relevant; they cannot be bogus or unrelated to your site’s content. If keywords are in those links then you will rank for those terms as well. While the other steps cannot be ignored, links will take you to the top of the page.</span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></p> <p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Implementing a strong Search Engine Optimization strategy takes time. In general, it can take 6 to 9 months to begin to see results. It is also a strategy that must be revisited and refined, because keywords are always changing. In addition, as you update site content or add new products and services, you will want your efforts to be reflective of the changes. But with these five steps you can feel confident that you have a strategic guide to the Search Engine Optimization process.</span></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Charities Need to Engage Donors Online</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:05:16 GMT</p> <p>A fall 2007 study conducted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.convio.com/">Convio</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://seachangestrategies.com/blog/home">Sea Change Strategies</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.edgeresearch.com/">Edge Research</a> has found a number of online marketing opportunities for non-profit organizations. </p> <p>“The main theme that jumped out at us is that major donors—or the wired wealthy as we call them—are very active online with the intention of becoming even more so when it comes to their philanthropic support,” said Vinay Bhagat, founder and chief strategy officer for Convio. </p> <p>Of the donors surveyed, 72% said that donating online is more efficient. More than half said they prefer to give online. </p> <p>It appears that many charity Web sites are not meeting their potential. Only 48% of respondents said that most charity Web sites are well-designed, with 40% saying that most charity sites are inspiring. </p> <p>Charities should not be shy about connecting with donors by e-mail. Nearly three-quarters said it was appropriate to receive an e-mail reminder to renew their gift, while another 74% said they were more likely to give again if they received an e-mail letting them know how their money was spent.</p> <p><br />Article source: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.emarketer.com">www.emarketer.com</a></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Building Inbound Links</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:35 GMT</p> <p> </p> <div> <table cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td style="padding:0in 2.25pt;"> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">In the first few years of the Internet, the concept of Search Engine Optimization did not exist. Search engines were very basic, and more emphasis was put onto directories. For instance, Yahoo!'s original function was not search, but a human-edited directory. To be found by visitors in those days, the best way to promote your Web site was to browse Web sites and manually ask for directory placement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">As Web site owners began to covet the top spot in the major search engines, placing the same keyword a hundred times on a Web page became common practice in an attempt to rank high for that keyword. As Search Engine Optimization became even more popular, it was possible to buy 1,000 links on one Web page to increase your site’s link popularity without any penalty, and it would actually boost your rankings!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">As Google, MSN, and Yahoo! continue to update their algorithms, their systematic criteria for ranking pages, they are becoming increasingly more complex in how they determine Web site rankings. It is becoming harder and harder to compete for rankings, <strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">and a proper link popularity strategy is a crucial key to success.</span></strong></span></p> <h3>What are the options to get links to my Web site?</h3> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">What you should <strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">not</span></strong> do is purchase a link program that promises hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of backlinks for a very low cost.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">While less common on the modern Internet, these programs typically place links on web pages called "link farms" and will serve absolutely no search engine benefit to a Web site. In fact, it would be possible that your site could become associated with bad “network neighborhoods” and penalized by the search engines – thus, the links are never found by anything or anyone.</span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">You can purchase a link package. </span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">Several companies will promise you a number of links for an attractive price. When choosing a company to perform your <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/slv.jsp"><strong>link building</strong></a> work, care must be taken. A few things to check for:</span></p> <ul> <li style="color:black;" class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;">Ensure the company is not using automated software that sends out link requests, which is a spam technique. This can greatly upset other webmasters, and those who are handling the link building for you will show little concern about what types of sites link to yours. The conversion rates for these services are often as low as 1/1000 – so while you may gain new reciprocal links, the quality of these links will be low. </span></li> <li style="color:black;" class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;">Be sure that your Web site will not be loaded with lots of irrelevant reciprocal links that can harm the theme of your Web site or risk a search engine penalty based on large amounts of frivolous outbound linking. </span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">You can purchase link advertisements on legitimate Web sites. </span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">The primary purpose of buying a link advertisement service is almost entirely for search engine optimization benefit and <strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">not</span></strong> for traffic through the link that you purchase. With link advertisements, you will be guaranteed an inbound link from a Web page or multiple web pages with the anchor text that you choose.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">Typically these links are placed in a sectioned off “Advertising” section somewhere on the page layout. This can be a good way to get your Web site found and crawled deeply by search engines, but can mount a large monthly cost for you to maintain their placement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">Monthly costs are rising for link advertisements, and as search engine algorithms change, they are regularly putting less emphasis on a large number of backlinks from only one site source, which means they may not be serving the same benefit they were one year ago. The other great disadvantage to relying on this technique is that if you ever decide to stop paying for them, you will lose all of the link popularity that you have spent your investment on. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">Building inbound links to your site requires experience, motivation, a lot of communication, and a lot of ongoing work. The best linking strategy you can create for your business to ensure quality of incoming traffic and top search engine rankings is to seek out permanent, inbound links on Web sites with content that is relevant to your site. Many companies, including Network Solutions, offer a service that provides this solution. A team of link building professionals will work toward achieving new, relevant inbound links for your site every month through the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/slv.jsp"><span style="text-decoration:none;">Web Site Link Visibility</span></a> service.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;">Here are a few things you should look for in a link building service:</span></p> <ul> <li style="color:black;" class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;">A diversified approach to finding potential link partners for your site. </span></li> <li style="color:black;" class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;">Expertise in understanding relevancy of sites. </span></li> <li style="color:black;" class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;">Understanding of what your competitors are doing with their link popularity that may be giving them better search engine results than you. </span></li> </ul> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;"></span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Ten Tips on How to Use Email to Promote Your Business</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:53:27 GMT</p> <p> E-mail is a valuable, flexible, and immediate way to promote your business-whether you have an online business or a traditional bricks and mortar shop. But you need to be smart in how you approach e-mail promotions so that they will be effective in supporting your sales or communications goals. E-mail is best used when you want to update customers on a new product, a special offer or sale, or to tell them about an event. It is also an easy and <i>inexpensive</i> way to stay connected and communicate with customers which helps promote word of mouth referrals and eventually drive additional sales. <br /><br /> <b>Ten Tips for Launching Effective Email Campaigns</b></p> <p>Here are ten tips and tricks for launching a smart, effective email campaign that will help you meet your goals:<br /><br /> 1. <b>Create a database of email addresses</b>. The first step to launching an e-mail campaign is to build a repository of customer e-mail addresses. To do that, if you have a bricks and mortar shop, you can post a sign-up sheet near your cash register where customers can request e-mail updates. If you have a Web presence, you can set up a Contact Me form on your site where people can register. Be sure your business e-mail address appears on every promotional piece, brochure, or web page that customers see. That way, people can contact you. Then, keep the e-mail addresses for anyone who does. Once you create your database, be vigilant about maintaining and updating your list.<br /><br /> 2. <b>Use html to draft and design your e-mail</b>. Using html for an e-mail enables you to use graphic elements so your e-mail will have more punch than a plain text email message. And most email systems easily accommodate html displays. If you do not know html, you can consult either a programmer or a graphic designer with Web experience to help you design a graphic template for your e-mails. Then you can simply edit the text each time you want to send out a new blast.<br /><br /> 3. <b>Give customers a reason and a way to act</b>. Your e-mails will not be effective if you do not prompt customers to act ("Call Now!") as well as give them an incentive to act ("Click on this link for special savings!") Without anywhere to go or anywhere to call, you will also have no way to track whether or not your e-mails are effective. If possible, consider creating a special Web page where these targeted customers can "land" and take action. If you build a page that is specific to the campaign, then you will know that the only people who visit the page are those who received the e-mail. Or, you can create a special phone number for them to call and take action; even a promotion code can be used for extra savings during the sale. <br /><br /> 4. <b>Pay attention to what you say in the subject line</b>. The Subject line is the <i>first</i> and most critical element to catch the recipient's eye. When you write the teaser, be brief and clear, but be sure it addresses something the audience can relate to.<br /><br /> 5. <b>Use the bcc field</b>! When you send out a promotional e-mail, be sure that all of your customer e-mail addresses are placed into the bcc (blind copy) field, so they are hidden from view by others. This protects your customers' privacy and is of paramount importance. Being careless with such data will reflect poorly on your business practices.<br /><br /> 6. <b>Limit the number of recipients per e-mail, so you don't get caught by spam controls</b>. When you send out an e-mail blast, send it several times to small segments of your customer list. Sending in smaller chunks helps guard against your e-mail being kicked back or getting blocked at the receiving end.<br /><br /> 7. <b>Don't send attachments</b>. Again, to avoid getting caught by spam blockers or an e-mail system's security filters; do not attach any files to your e-mail. Place all necessary information in the body of the e-mail itself.<br /><br /> 8. <b>Once you've sent your e-mail, actively monitor the replies</b>. To fully gauge a campaign's effectiveness you need to monitor e-mail or store traffic, replies or responses you receive, and your sales activities. Have you seen an increase or activity in any of these areas? Again, consider providing a link to materials or products you're trying to promote; then, measure traffic to that page after your e-mail goes out. This is one of the easiest and cleanest ways to determine results. Having this level of insight will enable you to refine your campaign efforts over time. <br /><br /> 9. <b>Take it slow</b>. As with many marketing efforts, it is best to take baby steps when you first tackle an e-mail campaign. Don't make the mistake of purchasing e-mail lists and blasting your campaign to the mass market. It is far more effective to send to a smaller, more targeted e-mail distribution list than to waste money appealing to people who are not viable customers for you. So, instead, start small and grow your efforts based on the responses you receive.<br /><br /> 10. <b>Allow people to opt out of receiving future e-mails</b>. Whether it's a manual process or you have the capability to enable people to unsubscribe, don't keep prospects on a list that they don't want to be on. When a customer asks to be removed, be mindful of their request and act promptly. Doing anything less will anger them and damage your reputation.<br /><br /> Whether you have a Web-based business or local retail store, you can use these e-mail campaign tips to effectively boost sales, communicate with customers, and promote your business.<br /></p> <p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Tips for enhancing your PPC results</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:36 GMT</p> <p> </p> <div> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding: 0in 2.25pt;" align="left" valign="top"> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">All Web sites need traffic to be successful, and the best place to look for the most targeted traffic on the Web is the major search engines. It can take time to get your site to be listed in the top ten rankings of the search engines. In addition to their free listings, Google®, Yahoo!® and a handful of other engines offer paid advertising sections that appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">It's a good idea to invest your time and/or money into optimizing your site for long-term rankings in the organic search engine results, but you can use pay per click (PPC) advertising to get your site listed in the paid advertising section of the results. Once you set up an account, you'll want to increase your click through rate (CTR) in order to get a good amount of targeted traffic, but you'll also need to watch your cost per conversion (CPC). Here are some tips that will help break down the basics of <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/pay-per-click/index.jsp"><strong>pay per click management</strong></a>. </span></p> <h3>Conversion tracking<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #336699;"></span></h3> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Put your PPC conversion tracking code into the completion page of your checkout.</span></strong><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Most PPC engines offer the ability to copy and paste a bit of conversion tracking code into your site to track Cost Per Conversion. Network Solutions storefront owners will need to go to: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Order processing >> Payment manager >> Order Confirmation Message to paste this code into the HTML there. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">This step is extremely important. Once this is done, you can check your return on investment (ROI) for your most expensive or highest clicked keywords so you'll know where your money is well spent. It's important to focus on those keywords or keyword phrases with the greatest ROI before those with the most traffic or gross sales. </span></p> <h3>Bid management<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #336699;"></span></h3> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">If you want to qualify your traffic more, you'll probably want to try a feature called "Exact Matching". This will prevent unnecessary visitors (which translate into clicks that you must pay for) and will encourage only those seeking exactly what you offer to click into your site. Ads with exact matching typically perform better than those without it. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Delete all duplicate keywords: a keyword should be used only once across all campaigns and categories.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Re-categorize your keywords to better manage them: try creating categories that are sorted by your site's categories or product lines.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Select keywords based on the different stages of the buying process. Choose your keywords or keyword phrases based on an understanding of the buying process for your product or service.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Do not obsess with becoming number one. This may result in unnecessarily paying more for traffic that may be just as targeted as when your ad appears in the number two or number three position or even lower. In some cases, and particularly in those industries for which comparison shopping is more common, the number one position may not be your most coveted spot because many customers will not feel comfortable buying from the first ad they click. These are the same types of consumers for which clicking "Back" and reviewing the other ads is common behavior. Industries with high-priced items usually face this challenge. In these instances, you'll want to be concerned with keeping your ad above the fold of an 800x600 screen for a good click through rate.</span></p> <h3>Ad Writing Tips<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #336699;"></span></h3> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Make sure that wherever possible, you are using your keyword in your ad text and title to encourage click through. In most engines, if the keyword searched is in the ad's title or description, the keyword is bolded, which encourages click-through. Google considers click-through volume, as well as bid price, to determine an ad's position in search results. A good click-through rate (CTR) to shoot for is 1% or higher. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">You may feel you have to give up too much space to use the keyword in the title, especially if the keyword is a lengthy phrase. If the keyword phrase is long, and you don't have room or you want to include more in the title, determine the basic essence of the phrase, and be sure to include that in the title. If you have room for the full search phrase, don't worry about losing just a portion of that phrase by cutting out one or two words so that you can communicate a marketing message. The ad should include key search term elements that will help the ad stand out to searchers. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Rewrite your titles and descriptions to be more persuasive. Descriptions that have proven to work very well contain one or more of the following: </span></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">It is in sentence format. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">It has statement that provides a benefit. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">It shows how your site or your offer stands out above others. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">It includes added information. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">It isn't too "sales-y." </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Avoid getting overly creative with your writing. Believe it or not, ads that are more direct and to the point will perform better. Focus on attracting visitors with special offers that will out-perform your competitors' offers rather than trying to grab attention with punctuation, capitalization or clever wording. Here are some offers that have proven to be successful when advertised through PPC ads:</span></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Free shipping </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Free download </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Free trial </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Call-to-action words like "buy", "download", or "try" </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Problem solving benefit statements: "save time", "save money", etc. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Third party endorsements. For example: "Voted best distributor" </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;">Simple, easy to understand adjectives like "powerful" or "easy" </span></li> </ul> <h3>After the click<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #336699;"></span></h3> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Provide a clear navigation and deliberate sales path from your landing pages to the desired product for visitors who know exactly what they want. Use the same targeted keywords from the ad on the pages you are using as landing pages for that ad. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Above all else, it is essential to know that your primary goal is to convert visitors into sales. Ultimately, the success of this type of advertising, as is the case with many other types, will depend on your site's ability to persuade and convert. You'll have trouble succeeding without key assets such as competitive pricing, a professional <strong><a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/e-commerce/index.jsp">e-commerce store</a></strong> design, convenient navigation, great service and other <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp"><strong>e-commerce SEO</strong></a> essentials. </span></p> <h3>Getting Started<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: #336699;"></span></h3> <p><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Here are some links to the major pay per click engines:</span></p> <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://adwords.google.com/select/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Google AdWords</span></a> </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Yahoo! Search Marketing</span></a> (formerly Overture) </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://sponsoredlistings.ask.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ask Sponsored Listings</span></a> </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.miva.com/us/content/advertiser/pay_per_click.asp" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Miva Pay Per Click</span></a> </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://ppc.adhere.marchex.com/ols/index.html?promo_id=20171"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Adhere by Marchex</span></a></span></strong></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><a href="https://adcenter.microsoft.com/"><strong><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">MSN Adcenter</span></span></strong></a></li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <p><strong><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"><a href="https://adcenter.microsoft.com/"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></a></span></strong></p> </article> <article> <h1>What is Search Engine Optimization?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:11:23 GMT</p> <p> Building a Web site is not enough. How do you get it found? You cannot simply build a Web site and wait for visitors to come. You need to market your site online - meaning you need to take action to make your site highly visible to search engines so it gets found by potential customers.<br /><br />That is where you need Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of making changes to your Web site to improve its chances of ranking well on search engines. There are a few concepts to understand when learning about SEO - keywords, links and search engine submission. <br /><br />Keyword selection is an important part of improving your site's ability to be found. A keyword is a word or a phrase entered by users into a search box when they want to find information, or products and services online. Search engines are designed to look for keywords or phrases in specific areas of your Web site. To rank higher in search results for your target audience, you must identify the most effective keywords and then place them in the right areas of your site's content and HTML code. Quality keywords describe what your business offers and should include both general and specific terms. For example, if your company sells flavored coffee, good possibilities might include "flavored coffee", "flavored coffee beans", "Colombian coffee", and "coffee variety packs", rather than simply "coffee." <br /><br />The best way to be sure that the search engines can find your site - and that they come back to index your site frequently - is to have other Web sites link to your site. If you have a lot of other Web sites linking to your site, the search engine spiders will visit your site more frequently and find new content quickly. In fact, one of the most significant factors determining your site's search ranking is the presence of links from other sites to yours. Every site that links to yours is like a vote for your site. The more high-quality, related sites you have linking to you, the more votes you have, potentially increasing your ranking. <br /><br />The last concept to understand about SEO is site submission. Once your site is ready, you want to submit your Web site address to national and local search engines and directories including Google®, Yahoo!®, and MSN®. This will let the search engines know you are there and the spiders will begin to look at your site.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp">Search Engine Optimization</a> is a gradual process and something that is constantly ongoing. To maintain good search engine optimization you must continue to tweak and update your site. A Web site should be kept fresh and up-to-date by adding new content or updating the content that exists.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Why Are Keywords Important?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:13:19 GMT</p> <p>The term ‘keyword’ in reference to search engines means a word or combination of words – such as “search engine optimization” – that a user types into a Search Engine, such as Google® or Yahoo!®, in order to find the information he or she is seeking. Search engines use these keywords to determine which Web pages are relevant and should appear in their search results. <br /><br />You should always think very carefully about what terms people may enter when searching for your site. Remember, much of the traffic that a Web site receives come from search engines. This means your choice of keywords can either get you a lot of (free) traffic from the search engines or none at all. <br /><br />Ideally, you would think that optimizing your site with the most commonly searched keywords will enhance traffic to your site. However, with so many other sites using the same keywords, popular keywords will only cause your site to get lost in a list that includes thousands or even millions of other Web sites. This makes it virtually impossible for anybody to find your site. <br /><br />Need proof? Type the phrase “new car” into Google’s search box. This will present you with more than 100 million results. This keyword phrase is too competitive for most sites, with the exception of the extremely popular and established sites to appear near the top of the results page. <br /> <br />Hence, when thinking about keywords, you should try to modify popular keywords or keyword phrases by using synonyms, alternative descriptions or even misspellings. These less popular terms often also come with less competition. As a result, when somebody searches for those terms or phrases, the chances of finding your site on the first page of the search results will be higher. If you are having difficulty thinking of new keywords, trying using the Keyword Suggestion Tool in MySolutionSpot’s <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mysolutionspot.com/tools.aspx">Tools</a> section.<br /><br />Once you have decided on your keyword phrases, you should use them in your Web site content so that search engines will index your site and present it to anyone searching for that phrase. You should also add the keywords to your Web site code, particularly in the areas read by search engines. These areas include:</p> <ul> <li>The HTML title of the page</li> <li>The Meta description </li> <li>Meta keywords </li> <li>ALT tags </li> <li>URL name.</li> </ul> <p>Even though these areas are not seen by human visitors, search engines read them in order to find out what each page is about. <br /><br />In addition, you should try to repeat your best performing keywords in your ad copy if you are using pay-per-click advertising. However, keep in mind that your competitors may also be bidding on the same keywords, and sometimes, very popular search terms can cost much more on top performing search engines.<br /><br />If you need further assistance in identifying keywords that will perform optimally for you, consider consulting with an <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp">SEO company</a> that may be able to look at your services with fresh eyes.<br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Why You Should Update Your Web Content</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:02:26 GMT</p> <p>Content is King! This is very true for your Web site. There are many reasons why you should update your Web site content regularly, but remember, adding poor quality content to your site just for the sake of adding content will hurt your site. Having said that, here are some of the reasons why you should frequently update existing content and add new content to your site.<br /><br />Keeping your visitors’ attention is the most important reason to keep your content fresh. When a visitor finds a good, useful piece of information, then are likely to spend more time looking around the site to see what else you have of interest to them. They may like your site so much that they bookmark or tag it and check back often to find out what is new. If you offer them something new and interesting on each visit, they may eventually become a loyal customer. They may also spread the word about your site to other people with similar interests.<br /><br />A point to remember is to highlight the new content, so your visitors can find it easily. There is no point in adding content if you are going to hide it!<br /><br />There is evidence that search engines visit sites that are updated frequently more often than ones that are not. So if you update your site regularly, search engines should index your site more frequently (which means new content will be added to the search engines results sooner). This goes to show that new content can definitely be a boost to your <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp">SEO optimization</a>, and you can track the impact by looking at your analytics package or log files to see when new content generates increased traffic from search results.<br /><br />Other things to think about when updating your site are:<br /><br />• Make sure your external links are working <br />• Update calendars and schedules<br />• Post new copy<br />• Update images for a fresh new look <br /><br />There is no cut-and-dry rule for how often a Web site should be updated. However you should schedule an update once a month at the very least. If you update your site more than that, you’re on a good path. <br /><br />Blogs are a great way to add fresh content to your site without exerting a lot of effort. Blogs, which change with each new post, also give your customers a reason to visit your site more frequently. Blogging packages such as WordPress® let you prepare numerous new posts ahead of time and schedule the day that they will go live on your Web site. <br /><br />Again remember, do not update your Web site until you have solid content ready to go. Poor quality content only produces negative effects.<br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Protecting Your Search Engine Rankings</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:19:00 GMT</p> <p>Your website's ranking on search engines is a vital element of your overall marketing campaign, and there are ways to improve your link popularity through legitimate methods. Unfortunately, there are numerous webmasters out there seeking to improve their link popularity by faking out search engines using questionable methods.<br /><br />The good news is that search engines have figured this out, and are now on guard for "spam" pages and sites that have increased their rankings by artificial methods. When a search engines tracks down such a site, that site is demoted in ranking or completely removed from the search engine's index.<br /><br />The bad news is that some high quality, completely above-board sites are being mistaken for these web page criminals. Your page may be in danger of being caught up in the "spam" net and tossed from a search engine's index, even though you have done nothing to deserve such harsh treatment. But there are things you can do - and things you should be sure NOT to do - which will prevent this kind of misperception.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/slv.jsp">Link popularity</a> is mostly based on the quality of sites you are linked to. Google<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;">®</span> pioneered this criterion for assigning website ranking, and virtually all search engines on the Internet now use it. There are legitimate ways to go about increasing your link popularity, but at the same time, you must be scrupulously careful about which sites you choose to link to. Google<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;">®</span> frequently imposes penalties on sites that have linked to other sites solely for the purpose of artificially boosting their link popularity. They have actually labeled these links "bad neighborhoods."<br /><br />You can raise a toast to the fact that you cannot be penalized when a bad neighborhood links to your site; penalty happens only when you are the one sending out the link to a bad neighborhood. But you must check, and double check, all the links that are active on your links page to make sure you haven't linked to a bad neighborhood.<br /><br />The first thing to check out is whether or not the pages you have linked to have been penalized. The most direct way to do this is to download the Google<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;">®</span> toolbar at <a target="_blank" href="http://toolbar.google.com">http://toolbar.google.com</a>. You will then see that most pages are given a "Page rank" which is represented by a sliding green scale on the Google<span style="font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;">®</span> toolbar.<br /><br />Do not link to any site that shows no green at all on the scale. This is especially important when the scale is completely gray. It is more than likely that these pages have been penalized. If you are linked to these pages, you may catch their penalty, and like the flu, it may be difficult to recover from the infection.<br /><br />There is no need to be afraid of linking to sites whose scale shows only a tiny sliver of green on their scale. These sites have not been penalized, and their links may grow in value and popularity. However, do make sure that you closely monitor these kind of links to ascertain that at some point they do not sustain a penalty once you have linked up to them from your links page.<br /><br />Another questionable practice that some webmasters use to artificially boost their link popularity is the use of hidden text. Search engines usually use the words on web pages as a factor in forming their rankings, which means that if the text on your page contains your keywords, you have more of an opportunity to increase your search engine ranking than a page that does not contain text inclusive of keywords.<br /><br />Some webmasters have gotten around this formula by hiding their keywords in such a way so that they are invisible to any visitors to their site. For example, they have used the keywords but made them the same color as the background color of the page, such as a plethora of white keywords on a white background. You cannot see these words with the human eye - but the eye of search engine spider can spot them easily! A spider is the program search engines use to index web pages, and when it sees these invisible words, it goes back and boosts that page's link ranking.<br /><br />Webmasters may be brilliant and sometimes devious, but search engines have figured these tricks out. As soon as a search engine perceives the use of hidden text, the page is penalized.<br /><br />The downside of this is that sometimes the spider is a bit overzealous and will penalize a page by mistake. For example, if the background color of your page is gray, and you have placed gray text inside a black box, the spider will only take note of the gray text and assume you are employing hidden text. To avoid any risk of false penalty, simply direct your webmaster not to assign the same color to text as the background color of the page - ever!<br /><br />Another potential problem that can result in a penalty is called "keyword stuffing." It is important to have your keywords appear in the text on your page, but sometimes you can go a little overboard in your enthusiasm to please those spiders. A search engine uses what is called "Key phrase Density" to determine if a site is trying to artificially boost their ranking. This is the ratio of keywords to the rest of the words on the page. Search engines assign a limit to the number of times you can use a keyword before it decides you have overdone it and penalizes your site.<br /><br />This ratio is quite high, so it is difficult to surpass without sounding as if you are stuttering - unless your keyword is part of your company name. If this is the case, it is easy for keyword density to soar. So, if your keyword is "renters insurance," be sure you don't use this phrase in every sentence. Carefully edit the text on your site so that the copy flows naturally and the keyword is not repeated incessantly. A good rule of thumb is your keyword should never appear in more than half the sentences on the page.<br /><br />The final potential risk factor is known as "cloaking." Cloaking is when the server directs a visitor to one page and a search engine spider to a different page. The page the spider sees is "cloaked" because it is invisible to regular traffic, and deliberately set-up to raise the site's search engine ranking. A cloaked page tries to feed the spider everything it needs to rocket that page's ranking to the top of the list.<br /><br />It is natural that search engines have responded to this act of deception with extreme enmity, imposing steep penalties on these sites. The problem on your end is that sometimes pages are cloaked for legitimate reasons, such as prevention against the theft of code, often referred to as "page jacking." This kind of shielding is unnecessary these days due to the use of "off page" elements, such as link popularity, that cannot be stolen.<br /><br />To be on the safe side, be sure that your webmaster is aware that absolutely no cloaking is acceptable. Make sure the webmaster understands that cloaking of any kind will put your website at great risk.<br /><br />Just as you must be diligent in increasing your link popularity and your ranking, you must be equally diligent to avoid being unfairly penalized. So be sure to monitor your site closely and avoid any appearance of artificially boosting your rankings.<br /><br /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>Monitoring Search Engine Positions</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:53:22 GMT</p> <p>Since search engines are the first stop for people on the Internet looking for goods or services, the position your website appears in search results is an important factor. If your URL shows up far down the results list, the chances of the consumer never finding you increase incrementally. Once you achieve a high search engine position, it is essential that you make sure you maintain the high ranking you have worked so hard to achieve.<br /><br />This means you must come up with a strategy to monitor your search engines positions. This strategy is crucial to the success of any <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/index.jsp">marketing campaign</a>. Think of your search engine positions as your online portfolio. Would you let your stock portfolio be ruled by chance and market fluctuations, or would you keep close tabs on your stocks so you could buy and sell when the time is right? This is the line of of thinking you should employ when evaluating your search engines positions.<br /><br />Be aware that at first, after you have launched your search engine campaign and done all the right things to increase your rankings, you will most likely see a continual upward climb. What you need to be on the lookout for is the moment that upward climb reaches a plateau. When this happens, your search engine position campaign moves into stage two, the monitoring and protecting stage.<br /><br />In stage two, do not be concerned about the short-term fluctuations in your positions. These are similar to the subtle rising and falling of stocks in a portfolio. Short-term movement is an integral part of the whole process. It's the long-term changes that you must watch for and prepare to act on immediately.<br /><br />Analyzing the long-term trends of search engines positions is imperative. The way in which search engines rank websites may change at the drop of hat. If you are unaware of these changes - many of which are subtle yet can be deadly to your ranking - your position may drop to the bottom of the list before you can get your bearings. To prevent this kind of precipitous drop, you must create a system to monitor your positions on a monthly basis. Devise a chart to keep tabs on your top ranking positions or your top pages, and make sure to watch "the market" closely.<br /><br />Each search engine uses a formula to compute website rankings. When a search engine changes this formula in any way, it may raise or lower your ranking. Some search engines use a number of different formulas, rotating them so that a formula doesn't become overused or outdated. Depending on which formula is being applied, your search engine position may suddenly drop or rise in rank significantly. Therefore, you must check your positions frequently in order to catch when a search engine changes formulas and what effect it has on your positions.<br /><br />You must also deal with your competition - a crucial factor you must always be vigilant about. Your competitor's position may suddenly rise, automatically lowering your position. Or their position may drop, pushing your position higher. Each month, expect position changes due to the continual changes that are occurring in your competitor's position, and be prepared to adjust your marketing strategy to compensate for decreased rankings. Monitoring these fluctuations will also give you vital information about how to improve your website to increase your position in search results.<br /><br />Of course, you must discern what the most popular search engines are in order for your monitoring efforts to be effective. Right now, there are ten popular search engines that direct most of Internet traffic to your sites. The challenge you face is that these top ten may change from month to month.<br /><br />This means that your must not only monitor your search engine positions, but you must also keep track of the ranking popularity of the search engines you are monitoring. Find out which search engines people use most frequently every month and be sure to live in the present! People are fickle about their favorite search engines, and it takes constant vigilance to follow their dalliances. The search engines they loved when you first launched your campaign may be old news in the next few months. You must adjust your list of engines according to the whims of the Internet users. Check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/netratings.html%20">http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/netratings.html </a>for a current list of website favorites.<br /><br />Another factor to monitor carefully is a sudden drop of your positions in all search engines. This is not the same as monthly fluctuations - this is a neon red warning sign! It could mean a number of different things.<br /><br />If all your search engine positions have plummeted, it may indicate that search engines spiders - those sneaky programs that seek out your site and rank their positions - have found some type of problem with your website. If you have recently changed the code, for instance, the spider may become utterly confused and consequently drop your positions disastrously. If a spider creeps up on your website when it is down for adjustments or changes, you may actually disappear from a search engine index entirely. Or a search engine may drastically change its formula, and suddenly your entire website comes up as irrelevant. If that search engine is a current favorite, it may create a domino effect, causing all of your position to drop in all search engines.<br /><br />Some search engines rely on the results from other search engines, and it is vital that you know which engines these are and keep track of all the engines they influence. The biggest problem here is that search engines will sometimes change affiliations, and this can create a major shift in the geography of the Internet. For example, recently Yahoo decided to display only results gleaned from Google. So you must not only monitor your own positions, but you must keep abreast of seismic shifts in the landscape of the Internet as a whole.<br /><br />Finally, pay attention to your keywords. Keywords are the foundation bricks of the entire search engine system, and they demand individual scrutiny in your monitoring efforts. If you have found that a number of your positions have plummeted, it may mean that a page of your website has become invisible or inaccessible to search engine spiders. Or the competition for that particular keyword or phrase has recently rocketed into outer space. In either case, you must act quickly and efficiently to regain lost ground.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div> </article> <article> <h1>5 easy ways to lose your search engine ranking</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:28 GMT</p> <p> If you want people to find your web site, you will need to have good rankings with the search engines. However, your search engine rankings can drop at any time, usually as a result of one of three things: Your site changes, your competitors' sites change, or the algorithm the search engine is using changes. We are going to explore how changes to your site can affect your search engine rankings and how good search engine optimization (SEO) can help restore good results.<br /><br /> If you use a professional <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp" target="_blank">SEO company </a> to help you optimize your site for search engines, you should make sure that they are not using what are known as "black hat" or spamdexing techniques. SEO techniques are sometimes classified into "white hat", which are things that search engines recommend as part of good design, and "black hat", which are techniques that attempt to trick the search engine into a better placement. Search engines do not approve of black hat SEO and will often reduce the ranking, or worst case may remove a site from their index, if they identify these techniques. Some techniques that used to be legitimate SEO practices are now considered to be black hat because of overuse by some SEO consultants. If your SEO company is using any of these techniques, you should consider finding a new one:</p> <ol start="1"> <li><b>Keyword stuffing:</b> If you fill your pages with the same keywords over and over again, and have very little other content, your web site will be penalized. There are a number of keyword checking tools available, such as <a href="http://textalyser.net/" target="_blank">Textalyser</a> and <a href="http://www.addme.com/wordcount.htm" target="_blank">AddMe! </a> that can count the number of times each word appears on the page. Try to ensure that no words, other than small words such as "and" and "the", account for more than 4% of the total words on the page.</li> <li><b>Cloaking:</b> This is the practice of having two different pages, one of which is shown to human readers and the other to the search engine spiders. Cloaking is intended to trick search engines into listing a page in their results that would not normally be displayed.</li> <li><b>Invisible text and hidden content:</b> Invisible text is presented in the same color as the background of the page, so that the search engine spiders will read it, but the human eye cannot. The objective is to load a Web page with keyword phrases that would be unsightly to visitors but will improve the page's rankings in the search engine results. Hidden content is content that is not seen at all on the actual page, but contained within the code of the page inside comment or meta tags. These tags are meant to provide useful information to developers or search engines, but if used incorrectly can alert search engines that you are trying to spam them. Incorrect use of these tags generally refers to stuffing them with keywords that may not relate to the content on your site. Again, search engines are getting better at detecting this an will penalize your site.</li> <li><b>Doorway pages:</b> The sole purpose of doorway pages is to attract search engines and trick them into indexing a site higher. They are basically fake pages that the human visitor will never see, and as such are frowned upon by search engines.</li> <li><b>Spam:</b> In search engine terms, spam has a different meaning than e-mail spam. Spam pages are pages filled with worthless content with the sole intention of being indexed on search engines. These pages are typically filled with pay-per-click links to other sites and advertising. Other examples include pages with duplicate or minimal original content.</li> </ol> <p> Above all else, do not design your web site exclusively around search engines. Create a useful site for visitors, but one that is also optimized for legitimate search engine placement.</p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Using the Internet to Grow Your Business</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:39 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">You have spent a lot of time building your business from the ground up, whether you have a brick and mortar location or an online store. You've written your business plan, filed the paperwork with the local business administration, and put out your "open for business" sign. With so much effort, of course you want your business to be successful so it will grow and be profitable. So how can you leverage more avenues to bring in customers and increase your profits?<br /><br />It's obvious that the Internet has become a powerful and essential tool for business within the last decade. If you are not already doing it now, you need to harness the power of the Internet to grow your business and to connect to the place where customers and businesses find each other. But where do you start? Here are some steps to set you on the path to harnessing the power of the Internet to grow your business.<br /><br />1) <b>Look at your Web site from the point of view of your customers.</b> Is your website easy to navigate? Can you find everything you need quickly and easily? Ask for some feedback from customers or friends and family to make sure it is in top shape. Nothing turns off a potential customer faster than a poorly designed, hard to navigate Web site. <br /><br />2) <b>Put together your online marketing plan.</b> Online marketing is using the Web to promote yourself or your business. There are many ways in which the power of the internet can be harnessed to attract your customers. Everything from affiliate marketing to viral marketing is under this expansive umbrella. You could spend months researching and studying different forms of Web marketing, but the fact of the matter is, most people find what they are looking for on the Web using search engines. These tools, such as Google and Yahoo®, maintain the vast majority of information on all the Web sites on the Internet that enable customers to search through all the sites in the world and find what they are looking for. Start your growth plan with a solid online marketing plan.<br /><br />3) <b>Focus on search engine marketing.</b> In order for your business to be found on the Web, it needs to first be found by search engines. According to a study conducted by NPD Group, a research group specializing in consumer purchasing and behavior, consumers are 12 times more likely to purchase your products or services after finding your Web site through a search engine than through all other <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/index.jsp">online marketing</a> programs combined! A good place to start harnessing the power of search engine marketing is to simply achieve search engine visibility (SEV).<br /><br />When most people search the Internet for goods and services, they are not searching for a particular brand. They are more likely to use a descriptive word or keyword in their search. The content on your site needs to use those keywords to ensure that is gets search engine visibility when those keywords are searched by customers. If you are not sure what keywords best describe your business, don't hesitate to work with a search engine optimization (SEO) expert to determine the optimal words for your business and to develop your content accordingly.<br /><br />According to the 2006 iProspect® Search Engine User Behavior study, approximately 62% of search engine visitors will click on a website listed on the first page of results (top 10). SEO, the next step in search engine marketing, is the process of making changes to your website to improve its chances of ranking on the first results page. This includes the keyword selection done with SEV along with putting those keywords in the right place on your site. SEO also enhances and organizes your site's content, layout and code to capture search engine attention, and builds good links to your website from other reputable websites. Bottom line: improving your search engine optimization should rank your website higher in the search engine results which should potentially increase your Web site traffic.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Search engine optimization takes time. It takes time to update the content on your site, and it takes time for search engines to re-visit your site and rank it. Be realistic about what results you are going to see deploying these strategies. It can take many months to see the fruits of your SEO labor, be patient!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"><br />If you are impatient and want to drive more traffic to your website in the short term, consider adding pay per click advertising to your online marketing plan. Pay per click advertising (PPC) is when you pay a search engine to display your "sponsored" listings on a per-click basis. Customers at sites like Google® may see your ad appear when they search for keywords related to your products or services. A click on your ad takes the customer to your website. You pay only when the ad is clicked; i.e., "pay per click." <br /> <br />According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (www.sempo.org), search engine marketing was a $9.45 billion industry in North America in 2006 and will grow to $18.6 billion in 2011. This not only includes the cost of SEO, but PPC as well. It is wise to create a marketing plan for your business that encompasses both tactics.<br /> <br />4) <b>Now that you have a place to start, determine what is best for your business.</b> Your overall goal is to grow your business which means driving new customers to it. To do this, first ask yourself what level of time commitment you can devote to online marketing. Spending time on your marketing plan takes time away from running your business. If you have time to do it yourself, great. If you have staff that can be devoted to these activities, even better. Make sure they get the right training and resources they need to do the job right. If you do not have time or help, consider finding an expert to help you on this journey. The money spent on a professional online marketing strategy is a worthy investment in the future of your business.<br /><br />5) <b>Get your business ready for your new customers.</b> Once you start down the path of online marketing and using the Internet to grow your business, you want to make sure you are ready to take on new customers. Be prepared to make changes you may need to handle the work. Do a readiness exercise. If you were to get 10 time the business in one week, what would you need to do to make sure you can handle to load? Do you need to hire staff? Do you need to increase inventory? Think through what you may need so your business is prepared. You don't want your plan to backfire - make sure you do some contingency planning so you are prepared as take on more.<br /><br />Driving business on the Web is an exciting and daunting task. Use a level head and determine what makes sense for your business. Make sure your website and your business are ready. <br /><br />The Internet can help you do all the things you need to grow your business including driving new leads, delivering new customers, cultivating relationships with your current customers, expanding your market reach. Harnessing the power of the Internet is a great way to help grow your business.</span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Pay-Per-Click or Organic Search Results - Which is the better choice?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:35 GMT</p> <p>According to a study done by MarketingSherpa, 63% of internet users look at one page or less of search results. So, the obvious choice for where to direct your marketing dollars would be to get on that first page. And there are two primary ways of getting there —through search engine optimization (SEO) or pay per click (PPC). But before you decide on which mix is right for you, you should learn a little more about both.<br /><br /><b>Pay Per Click Campaigns</b><br /><br />When shoppers or surfers are using search engines to locate a store, product, or other information, they are presented with two types of listings on the search engine results page. The listings located on the left to the middle of the page are the organic search results and the listings at the top and on the right side of the page are typically Sponsored Links. These Sponsored Links are obtained through a pay per click marketing campaign.<br /><br />To pay for sponsored links, you will set a budget and bid on certain keywords. Then, every time a searcher clicks on one of your links, you pay what you bid for that keyword. PPC has many benefits:</p> <p><span style="text-decoration:underline;">1. Instant Gratification</span><br /> PPC campaigns enjoy the luxury of having instantaneous results. Optimizing your site for natural search results, on the other hand, can take many months to come to fruition. But, with a PPC campaign, as soon as you choose your keywords, write your ad, and bid on your chosen keywords, your ads immediately start appearing as Sponsored Links.<br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><br />2. Spend No More, No Less</span><br />With a PPC campaign, you can set a specific budget and increase or decrease it as you see fit. The only time that you pay is when your ads are clicked on. This is a great way to refine your efforts as the results come in, without losing a lot of money to a major marketing campaign.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration:underline;">3. Keyword Test Run</span><br />So, you have added targeted keywords to your pages and meta tags because you heard it was good for your search engine results. The question is-- which one of those keywords is making you money? PPC is a great way to track which keywords equal conversions. Then, you can separate the good from the bad.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;">4. Special Sale, Special Timing</span><br />When you have a big seasonal or holiday sale, you are not going to want to advertise its existence all year. With PPC, you can post your seasonal promotion the day it begins and remove it when the sale is finished. PPC also means that you can quickly target keywords used more frequently during certain times a year, such as “Valentine’s gift for him” or “Mother’s Day gift”. Press Releases are also great for this need.</p> <p> <b>Organic Search Results</b></p> <p>The way to obtain natural (organic) search results is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the practice of analyzing and modifying a website to comply with tested and researched strategies of gaining credibility with the major search engines for certain keywords. Since this is such a detailed and in-depth process, it can take anywhere between several months to see results. Also, search engines are constantly changing their tactics and the guidelines that they use to rank websites. This is why, unless you have an incredible amount of time to dedicate to staying abreast of these changes, it may be best to let a professional handle your <a target="_blank" href="http://www.networksolutions.com/web-site-promotion/search-engine-optimization.jsp">search engine ranking optimization</a>. Not only could you be employing an outdated practice, some tactics are deemed unethical by the search engines and they will penalize your site as a result. Whether you do it yourself or let the pros handle it, here are some primary benefits of SEO:<br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><br />Be the Trusted Link</span><br />Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology did a study and found that 80% of users click on an organic listing first. Another study done by Berrier & Associates found that 65% of searchers do not click past the first page of results. What can we learn from these studies? Get an organic listing in the top ten results. NetworkSolutions can give that to you guaranteed listings with the <a target="_blank" href="http://marketing.networksolutions.com/top-ten-results.php">Top Ten Search Results Packages</a>.<br /><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><br />Get Long Term Return</span><br />Although SEO takes a bit longer than other online marketing tactics like PPC and <a target="_blank" href="http://marketing.networksolutions.com/optimized_press_release.php">press releases</a>, it is worth it in the long run. Consumers are 12 times more likely to purchase your product after discovering it in the organic listings on the SERP than all other online marketing tactics combined. Along with greater conversion probability, SEO gains you favor with the search engines as well as consumers. And, this also adds to the coveted Page Rank decision.<br /><br />Now that you know the benefits of both PPC and SEO, it is time to decide where the bulk of your marketing dollars should go. The answer is: <b>BOTH</b>!<br /><br />A combination of PPC and SEO marketing efforts mean that you have instantaneous results with PPC while you are waiting for the SEO conversions to come in. Also, users believe companies to have greater credibility if they appear multiple times on the SERP. This holistic approach also ensures that you are not focusing all of your efforts in one place. The professionals agree that a balance of PPC and SEO is the most effective strategy for those serious about obtaining long term results.</p> </article> <article> <h1>3 Advantages of Using Electronic Press Releases</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:34 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">A simple 1-page press release can be the most powerful marketing tool in your arsenal. Here are my top 3 reasons for using electronic news releases… A simple 1-page press release can be the most powerful marketing tool in your arsenal. Here are my top 3 reasons for using electronic news releases…</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">1) <b>Media Relations</b> You can send your press releases via email to the journalists and websites that cover your industry. This will generate publicity for you in the form of news stories, product reviews, and links to your web site that will help you increase your credibility and sales.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">2) <b>Public Relations (PR)</b> By having your electronic news release distributed through the Internet news channels such as Google News, Yahoo News and Topix.net, your message gets communicated to the members of your target market who read their news online. This generates more awareness of your company, more traffic to your website and more sales of your product or service.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">3) <b>Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</b> This advantage is the biggest reason we distribute keyword optimized press releases (and articles). We LOVE keyword optimized press releases! Links: Why? Because a consistent publicity campaign can get you links from some of the best web sites on the Net. These links provide your web site with "Link Popularity" and the Google PageRank numbers you need for high search engine ranking and traffic. Plus, the links themselves can bring a significant about of qualified visitors to your site.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;">High Rankings:</span> Many times your press release also ranks in the TOP 10 at Google within 1-2 weeks and provides targeted visitors to your web site for months and months to come. How's that for a compelling reason to use press releases?! Plus, you can (and should) post news releases on your web site on your "News Room" area. In fact, adding these keyword optimized press releases to your web site (in your News Room) will help with your natural rankings and traffic.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Electronic News Distribution Services:</span> Here are 2 popular distribution services for electronic press releases with the PROs and CONs of each… www.PRWeb.com Pros: Most well-known, works well for SEO, Media Professionals go there for research Cons: Costs more! Sometimes you have to bid in the hundreds of dollars to get the highest visibility. www.PRLeap.com Pros: Works well for SEO, less money - only $30 Cons: Media Professionals probably DO NOT go there for research. Strictly for SEO and news distribution to your audience only.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">About the Author: Matt Hockin is President of Interactive Marketing, Inc.(<a target="_blank" href="http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com">http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com</a>), an Internet marketing company specializing in helping businesses increase sales and leads by maximizing website search engine visibility and "sales-ability" through the process of Website Optimization</span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Search Engine Site Maps - what are they and why do I need one?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:28 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">What is a Sitemap and how can it help with website promotion?</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">In general, there are two types of sitemaps. The first type of sitemap is an index page listing the pages of your site, and is meant to help human users find the information they need. Users will find the page by clicking on a link from another page.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">XML Sitemaps, usually called Sitemaps (with a capital S), are a way for you to give search engines information about your site and make sure they find all the pages. This is the type of Sitemap we'll be discussing in this article.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">In its simplest form, a Sitemap is a file that lists the URLs for a web site along with additional information about each URL, such as when it was last updated, how often it usually changes, and how important it is within the site. By following the site map, search engines can crawl your site correctly.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Search engines usually discover pages from links within the site and from other sites. Sitemaps supplement this data by allowing web crawlers to pick up all relevant URLs and learn about them using the associated metadata. Using the Sitemap <a href="http://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:windowtext;font-family:'Times New Roman';text-decoration:none;text-underline:none;">protocol</span></a> doesn’t guarantee that your web site’s pages will be included in search engines, but it helps search engines to do a better job of crawling your site. Web sites are never penalized for submitting Sitemaps, so creating and submitting your Sitemap to the search engines can only help with your website promotion.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">When should my Web site have a Sitemap?</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">All sites should have a Sitemap, but they are particularly helpful if:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in;"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Your web site has dynamic content. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Your site has pages that aren't easily discovered by the search engine during the crawl process - for example, pages featuring AJAX or Flash content </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Your site is new and has few links to it. Search engines crawl the web by following links from one page to another, so if your site isn't well linked, it may be hard for them to discover it. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Your site has a large archive of content pages that are not well linked to each other, or are not linked at all.</span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">You can also use a Sitemap to provide additional information about your pages, including:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in;"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">How often the pages on your site change. For example, you might update your product page daily, but update your About Us page only once every few months. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">The date each page was last modified. </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">The relative importance of pages on your site. This priority only indicates the importance of a particular page relative to other pages on your site, and doesn't impact the ranking of your pages in search results.</span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">If these tips and tricks don’t increase your position in Google’s search results, you may wish to engage a professional Search Engine Optimization firm to help with your<a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/index.jsp" target="_blank"> website promotion</a>. Network Solutions has a team of experienced optimization experts who can help you move up the rankings. A variety of packages are available to suit your particular needs.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Social Bookmarking – What is it and how can it help promote my site?</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:26 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">What is Social Bookmarking?</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Social bookmarking is a way for people to store, organize, search, and manage “bookmarks” of web pages. Users save links to web pages that they like or want to share, using a social bookmarking site to store these links. These bookmarks are usually public, and can be viewed by other members of the site where they are stored. Examples of social bookmarking sites include <a href="http://del.icio.us/" target="_blank">del.icio.us </a> and <a href="http://digg.com/" target="_blank">digg.com </a>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Most social bookmark services are organized by users applying “tags” or keywords to content on a Web site. This means that other users can view bookmarks that are associated with a chosen tag, and see information about the number of users who have bookmarked them. In many cases, users can also comment or vote on bookmarked items.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Social bookmarking is also interchangeably sometimes referred to as folksonomy, collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging. “Folksonomy” is a combination of the words folk and taxonomy, hence a folksonomy is a taxonomy generated by a person or group of people.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">How can Social Bookmarking help with my web site promotion?</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in;"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Being listed on a social bookmarking site can drive quality traffic: Websites like Digg and Del.icio.us represent the opportunity to get a lot of new traffic to your website. In fact these sites offer best type of visitors: viral traffic. People who reach your site from a social bookmarking site are generally there because your Web site appeared in a search for topics they were interested in. Beware - some of the social bookmarking sites will mark links out to other sites as “nofollow”. This tells search engines not to follow the link, and so you won’t reap any benefit from additional links!</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Search engines will often list results from bookmarking sites. So if your site is bookmarked, this is an extra opportunity to show up in search results.</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Being featured on one bookmarking site can often lead to people tagging your site on other bookmarking sites. This may sound rather strange, but people who book mark may use more than one bookmarking site. If you are lucky they may find you through one site and bookmark you on another, which is a great opportunity for web site promotion.</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">Increase traffic by adding social bookmarking buttons to your website. Adding social bookmark links to your blog or web site makes it easy for readers to save and share your content, and therefore for others to find it.</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"> </span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;">So, there is great benefit to encouraging people to bookmark your Web site. The type of traffic you will receive will probably be very targeted and engaged in the content on your web site, so social bookmarking can be a great tool in your <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/online-marketing/index.jsp" target="_blank">web site promotion</a> strategy.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;"></span></p> </article> <article> <h1>Search Engines 101 Paid vs. Natural Search</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:18 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Whenever folks want to store this getting involved in Internet marketing the first thing that comes to their mind is what the difference between natural search and paid search is. Both strategies have their pros and cons but can be very effective as part of a marketing strategy. The following article is a brief description of both natural and paid search strategies. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"><b>Paid search</b> is when your ad shows up at the very top of a Google search or down the right hand side of the results page. These are called “sponsored ads”. You pay for those positions. When every you click on one of those ads the owner of the ad pays Google. This is also called “pay-per-click”.The amount you pay is determined by several factors including what you are willing to pay every time someone clicks on your ad. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"><b>Natural Search</b> is when you type in a “keyword" and a link and a description shows up on left hand side of the search result page. The only way to get on the first page is to have very relevant content on your web site and links to your site from other relevant sites.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">This is a long process for people in it for the long haul. There are a lot of companies that claim to be able to get you on the first page of Google. That may be true if the “search term” is very specific and no one else would ever search for it but you or they are using a “black hat” method that could get you site banned from the search engine. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN are really just data bases. When you do a Google Search you are not searching the “world wide web” you are searching Google’s data base. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">There are two ways to get in to these databases. One is to submit your site to the different search engines. In about 6 to 9 weeks the search engine will index your site. They have software that comes to your site and index every page and adds it to the database. They come into your main web URL and follow the links to all the pages of your site. They capture key elements from the code on your page to the content. These are then stored in the data base. When someone puts a keyword in the search box the “algorithms” determine the best page or links to the best pages for your search. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">The other way to get added to the search engines data base is to have the search engine software find you through a link to your site from another web site back to yours. The software, called “spiders” will periodically comeback and re crawl your site to see if you have updated it. One important thing to know is that each page on your site is indexed individually and each page stands on its own. The ranking are based upon the combination of correct meta tags, relevant content to the keyword they are trying to get rankings for and link popularity. Mostly one way links back to their site from relevant sites. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">As long as the search engine can index the site, clearly read the meta tags and content, the better. The big issues come when a site is built in flash with very little content (search engines cannot read or index "flash" sites. Also, if the bulk of the relevant content is in PDF format this is bad because the search engines cannot read PDF. If the search engines cannot index the relevant text there will be no rankings. You all ready know this but "sites" are not ranked, individual pages are ranked for specific terms found in the content of that page as well as link popularity, (relevant links pointing back to that specific page) for the term that you are trying to get ranked on. This is why each page has to be giving very specific attention. </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Bottom line: Paid search means you pay for your position. The benefit is if you have the $$ you will get instant traffic. Stop paying and the traffic goes away. Natural search is free traffic but it is built over time. The advantage is that if done right, it can provide traffic for a long time. Search traffic (paid or natural) is the BEST traffic to have because you are being found by folks who are specifically looking for what you have. It does not get any better than that.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">About The Author: Terry Stanfield is a SEM consultant with over 15 years of sales and marketing experience. His company, Clickadvantage, manages PPC and SEO efforts for his lead generation and ecommerce clients. For more information <a target="_blank" href="http://www.clickadvant.com/se101.htm">http://www.clickadvant.com/se101.htm</a></span></p> </article> </main></body></html>