SEO companies are still in great demand
June 24, 2009 by Matthew
It seems that the recession is not having a negative effect everywhere. The field of SEO appears to be hardly hit at all. Recent studies carried out within the field of search engine optimization in the UK show that demand has continued to accelerate right through the worst of the current downturn.
Demand for search engine optimization companies, as measured by the amount of keyword – orientated Internet searches, has almost doubled within the space of only two short years. This reliable indicator shows an 83% jump in the number of people searching for the services offered by these companies.
Whilst marketing expenditure in general has fallen significantly during the recession as companies feel a necessity to cut costs, they are increasingly turning to more prudent forms of marketing, involving the ability to track a return on investment. As most savvy Internet marketers know, a well-planned SEO campaign can generate significant dividends and its results can be clearly seen within specified time frames.
The level of demand has been met with a certain increase in supply, but it appears that there is considerable potential here for Internet marketing organizations and competent technicians to bring their solutions to the marketplace. As it appears that companies will wish to streamline their efficiency for the foreseeable future, it is likely that more and more will turn to productive forms of marketing like optimization. These services can be highly personalized, according to specific requirements, with strategic goals set according to the business aspirations of the client. There can be few initiatives more effective in time of recession than a results-orientated service such as SEO.
In particular, it appears that organic SEO is being seen as highly relevant. As more and more people come to understand the importance of search-based, targeted results, so the need for optimization increases. The modification of site architecture, combined with good Internet marketing initiatives, can propel an organization’s website and help to achieve the benchmarks set by senior management.
Does spending on SEO offer good value for money?
Matthew Toren
Is Google planning to join the micro-blogging revolution?
June 22, 2009 by Adam
Could the might of Google combine with the relevancy of Twitter in some way, soon? Rumors abound that Internet giant Google is working on some form of micro-blogging search engine. These rumors have leaked from the savvy folks who run an unaffiliated blog that focuses on Google’s operating system.
Google has long been rumored to be interested in the micro-blogging revolution and who would bet against them coming up with a viable platform, given that everything they touch seems to turn to gold. Apparently, their new micro-blogging search service would sort it’s results by relevancy and integrate them into Google’s web search engine. It will be possible to identify trends within these micro-messages and present the results through one of their recognizable and successful formats.
Twitter is, of course, the major player in the micro-blogging world. Whilst twitter is considered to be on the cutting edge in terms of social acceptance and “hipness”, the organization has not really come up with a compelling business model. If Google’s search-based business model is integrated in some way with the Twitter model, it could suggest considerable potential for advertising dollars.
Twitter has it’s own search engine, which is accessed through “search.twitter.com”, but this just trawls it’s users pages, rather than being also linked through and to sites that are referred to by its “tweeters”. Third-party, Twitter-plugin search engines also exist, including Tweetmeme, One Riot and Twitpipe.
Google’s new initiative is expected to work by ranking each micro-blog by relevancy. Results will appear in search based on frequently used keywords and will be integrated within Google’s main search engine. “Real-time information is important, and we’re looking at different ways to use this information to make Google more useful to its users”, according to a Google spokesperson.
A more direct quote, giving us insight into the company’s plans, emerged from search products guru Melissa Mayer. “We are interested in being able to offer, for example, micro-blogging and micro-messaging in our search, particularly in blog search and possibly in web search”. It is likely that Google sees micro-blogging search as a further opportunity to ensure that third-party content steers users into its arms.
Do we need another micro blogging site?
Adam Toren
Entrepreneurs Reveal Secrets To Their Success
June 19, 2009 by Adam
If you have ever thought about working for yourself, or have leaned back in your cubicle, dreaming about life outside of the corporate drudgery, then you have wondered what exactly does it take to become an entrepreneur? What do you need to do to escape the 9-to-5, to fire your boss, and wander over to the land of the self-employed.
Successful entrepreneurs all follow the same basic principles. Sure, there are a myriad of ways to strike forth on your own when it comes to being self-employed, but you must follow the same basic principles and be fully aware of what’s ahead of you, before you even start.
Probably the three most important elements that you must address are vision, passion and focus. These are three of the most important secrets revealed by successful entrepreneurs.
As the road to self-employment success is paved with potholes, you must ensure that you’re passionate about what you are doing. You must ask yourself why you are doing it, what you’re hoping to achieve. Your passion will help you to get through the difficult times. Passion will ensure that you do not mind working those lengthy hours. There will be no more 9-to-5, it is more likely to be 9-to-9 or even more! Maintain your passion, be crazy like a fox, and this will ensure that you stay on the road towards that target.
You must be able to dream it, to live your dream in your mind. Vision is essential as without it you will not be able to maintain your passion or your focus. When you were sitting in a cubicle, you must have had a vision for the future — where you want to go in life. You need to be able to almost touch it, to have a really tangible vision, so that your hard work as an entrepreneur will carry you to that goal. Conjure up some examples of where you want to be, picture the good life. If you want to have material things, like a brand-new Ferrari, or an oceanfront home, print out pictures of those items and put them where you can see them on a daily basis.
Whilst vision and passion are important elements, you must also be focused. Realize that you can’t be all things to all men, nor a “jack of all trades and master of none”. Know what you are good at and focus on it. Get other companies or individuals to help you in areas that you are not expert at. This focus also means that you will not accept failure as an option.
All entrepreneurs who are successful share these same traits, these are the secrets to their success. It all started out with a vision, a clear picture of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to achieve. They exhibited passion, did not mind hard work, and were always enthusiastic about their business. Successful entrepreneurs are always focused once they have started their journey, and never look back!
What are the secrets to your success?
Adam Toren
Save Your Marketing Pennies - Five FREE Online Promotional Resources
June 18, 2009 by Adam
The following five FREE online promotional resources fall under the category of public relations. Companies automatically assume they need to dole out thousands of dollars to promote products and services, but that’s not the case anymore when it comes to online marketing. In these tough economic times, you can save marketing pennies by tapping into these user-friendly, online promotional resources.
Press Release Distribution Services
Utilize FREE online public relations distribution services to blast out company press releases. Because you submit your company’s press release to these services, you aren’t necessarily guaranteed publicity. However, you have a good shot if you write newsworthy press releases that catch the media’s attention. The services listed below distribute press releases to both national and local media outlets.
http://www.free-press-release.com
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com
Online Event Listings
If your company or business is planning a promotional event (such as open houses, trade shows or golf tournaments), there are many online promotional resources that don’t require a cost. Research local newspapers and magazines for free online calendar listings. The following sites are effective online promotional resources.
Blog Platforms
One of the best FREE online promotional resources is a well-written blog. You don’t have to spend any money to create an effective blog. These are some popular blog platforms that are easy to navigate. There are also free blog templates available online if you want to add color and flair to your blogs.
Professional Social Networking Sites
Sign up for FREE professional social networking sites. Social networking sites allow you to interact, network and promote your business with many people at once. The following sites also allow you to create groups or write articles – effective tools to further promote your products and services.
Article Submission Websites
Write a professional article that makes you sound like an expert in your field. If allowed by the site, add your professional bio and contact information at the end of each article. By submitting free articles to the sites listed below, you expose your company to thousands of potential new contacts and customers.
This is a Guest Post by Zeke Camusio is a serial entrepreneur, Internet Marketing expert and founder of The Outsourcing Company, an Internet Marketing agency with offices in Aspen, CO and New York. Let’s Do It!, his blog, is read by thousands of people all over the world.
Tweeters ask - is anybody out there?
June 17, 2009 by Matthew
Social networking site Twitter has by most standards seen explosive growth. Classified as a micro-blogging network, Twitter has become one of the buzzwords of the last year. Some studies, however, question whether the users of the service, quaintly referred to as “Tweeters”, are as active as was once thought. These naysayers tell us that just 10% of Twitter users generate more than 90% of the content — this according to a Harvard study of some 300,000 users.
The concept behind Twitter is quite simple. Users communicates their thoughts, feelings or actions in short bursts of text, up to 140 characters at a time. This communication utilizes text messaging streams, e-mails and cellphone networks to bounce from user to user.
Twitter has, by popular agreement, seen explosive growth. Research from Nielsen Online tells us that visitors to the Twitter site have increased by 1282% to over 7 million in the year ending February 2009. By the summer of 2009 this figure is expected to grow past 10 million. In comparison, the very popular social networking site Facebook has grown by “just” 228% during that same period.
The Harvard study estimates that the median number of lifetime tweets per user is just one, a striking finding. Bill Heil, a graduate from Harvard who carried out this work, thus concludes that Twitter is a broadcast medium rather than a way to conduct an intimate conversation with friends. Further conclusions indicate that men had 15% more followers than women, despite there being more female users, or Tweeters, than male users. Heil further observed that very few people use the service to publish information, and that the vast majority prefer to be passive consumers.
Despite the claims by the service provider that Twitter is a way to communicate and stay connected, it appears that this communication might be one way, or for the majority of people, very brief. The Harvard study also found that more than 60% of Twitter users in the United States did not return to the service the month after they joined up.
Whilst the majority appear to be one-time visitors, at the other end of the spectrum there are some “super users” in the network that can have hundreds of thousands of followers. As an example, actor Ashton Kutcher currently has more than 2 million followers.
Are you still returning to Twitter? Let us know about your Twitter experiences.
Matthew Toren
