Marketing on the Web
Ever wonder what Google is 'thinking?' It is important to know how Google views your site, because if Google has the wrong impression, you will get traffic with high bounce rates. High bounce rates equate to decreased search engine relevance. You need to know that relevant terms are being found so you can locate any 'offending phrases' and eliminate them from your pages. You can start with Google's Webmaster tools. If you haven't signed up for this, you should. It's free and can be very he...
MoreAdvertising on Google’s Content Network
I have advised clients for some time to just say no to Google's content network. Historically, click fraud was high and returns were low. I was at Google in December and the consensus of advertisers seemed to be that Google has gone a long way toward cleaning out the riff-raff. So, it may be time to re-think advertising on the content network. Here's some good reading: How Google, Yahoo Content Ad Matching Really Works Content Advertising Best Practices in Action Content Advertising E...
MoreImproving Organic Results
The key to increasing site relevancy is to have relevant content. In a recent exercise for a client, I was looking for industry terms and phrases to use for a marketing campaign. I used Google's keyword tool that examines your site for relevant phrases and produces a list of grouped terms from which you might build a AdWords campaign. The problem was the terms that were produced didn't match the business. This is alarming as this disconnect has serious negative ramifications for the companies or...
MoreDirectories and Incoming Links
Perhaps the single most important thing that affects your web sites ranking is incoming links. However, it isn't as simple as just getting incoming links pointing to your site, the links need to come from credible sources. To boost relevancy, links surrounding text need to contain industry phrases and the link itself can give you a boost if the linked text contains a key phrase that you would like your site to be known for. See: URLs and Linking for SEO Before I start working on directory lis...
MoreBuilding National Ads for Local Needs
Google says that they are accurate in identifying only about 35% of "local" traffic. This means if you run ads to your local market there is a good chance that 65% of your target audience will never see your ads. Including your city and state in national ads will also reduce the likelihood of someone outside your area clicking your ad. (more…)
MoreThe Importance of About Us and Contact Us Pages
I am always amazed when I find a site that is lacking an About Us or Contact page. Unlike a bricks and mortar business, a website can be created out of thin air, making these pages essential to establishing trust and closing business. The content of these pages should communicate the people or company behind the website and where you are physically located. About Us: An About page helps people identify with you and you passions. Leave the sales pitch out. Small businesses should tell peop...
MoreMonitoring Website Uptime
Many people rely on server logs to monitor up-time or will ping a server from an in-house location. Unfortunately, this is not adequate as there can be many reasons a website is unavailable. In shared hosting environments* your bandwidth and availability is potentially at the mercy of dozens of other websites that may or may not be commercial in nature. However, even in dedicated hosting environments outages occur, modems to go off line, routers fail, and networks go down, making it important...
MoreGetting Started with Web Analytics Tools
I am often asked about the essentials of setting up a web site. While the discussion usually runs toward getting the right URL, site architecture, and navigation, I don't usually get to talk about another essential part of setting up your website, web analytics. Web analytics is essential to getting your site off the ground. It helps you gauge your progress and, if you record the changes you make as you move forward, web analytics will help you evaluate the effect of those changes over time. ...
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