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Ancient Hits and the New Search Engines

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:10:31 +0000

: Image by Christopher Chan via Flickr

Old Rock-n-rollers often share a combined condition of remembering most of that they need to know about a specific song and a stubborn streak that obviates any ability to let things rest until they have everything they need to know about it.

Anyone “of a certain age” has had the experience of hearing vaguely familiar notes while sitting in a movie theater, walking through a shopping mall, or being at a stop light alongside a teenager’s hotrod Honda (when the tune is usually accompanied by a bass thump that one might associate with a bad tequila hangover). And the questioning begins: What’s the title of that song? Who sang it? Who wrote it? When did it come out? Ad infinitum. For many years, this created painful gyrations of seriously disused portions of the brain as those who loved the song but were – for one reason or another – short on details strove to answer those questions.

In the pre-internet days, it was necessary to strain the brain, call a friend who was doing his own brain less damage at the time the song came out, or dig through ancient issues of Rolling Stone for a clue. Enter first the internet, and then the new and improved search engine.

The days when one needed virtually everything but a musician’s Social Security Number to get any information about a song are happily gone, and hopefully forever. Today you just enter a few remembered lyrics, the name of the artist, or if you’re lucky enough to remember, the title of the song into a good search engine for range of helpful information. You’ll find fan sites, ancient rocker sites, and even YouTube for faded videos of the aforementioned rocker when that rocker still had hair (usually too much of it), and even shots of the kids who have made everything new by doing a cover of that old song. Now all a fan of ancient Rock-n-Roll need do is remember the question long enough to get to a computer or pull out his/her phone for instant answers to once all but unanswerable questions.

Entertaining Kids with the Internet

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:06:29 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

The computer – and more specifically the internet – is one of the best short-term babysitters a parent or grandparent could ask for. Need to get Sarah or Joey out from under foot so you can finish vacuuming or get those cookies into the oven? Of course there are computer games, but the better alternative may be some of the wonderful kids’ sites out there – places where a child might actually learn something while being entertained.

One that’s sure to please is pbskids.org, which hosts games, videos, and other activities based on virtually every PBS show, including Curious George, Ruff Ruffman, Sesame Street, and more. (For example, “Dot’s Story Factory” enables youngsters to build their own stories, using the mouse to select pictures and words and to draw objects themselves.) As a result, any kid who has watched PBS enough to have discovered a favorite show or character will find him or herself among friends.

Muppet World, a Disney site, follows much of the same format, allowing kids to play along with their favorite puppets. It also features “in-depth interviews” with Miss Piggy, and allows other characters to build on their familiar TV personalities. It also offers a functionality that lets kids build their own FaceBook-style personal page, a feature certain to be a pre-teen favorite.

Among the more educational sites that kids might like are nationalgeorgraphic.com/kids/, which gears its adult fare for non-adults, and funfrain.com, although some kids will see through its thin disguise and realize they’re going to have to work to solve the puzzles and complete the games at this location. And, for the civics-minded kid (or the parent wishing for that), there’s timeforkids.com, Time Magazine’s contribution.

Seussville.com is another site that while still under construction, is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Based on the blurb currently posted, it will feature a newsletter, first peeks at new books from the Seuss Factory, games, and other “Seussian” fun activities.

For a list of other great kids sites, visit www.100topkid.com, but be warned, many of the sites listed there are highly commercial and aimed primarily at creating a purchase.

What is Search Engine Marketing?

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:04:34 +0000

: Image by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML via Flickr

As the internet continues to integrate itself into every-day public activity, businesses and individuals have to learn to adapt themselves and their marketability. The marketplace is changing. Services and goods that used to be hard to get are now easily accessible, and while some businesses have made the transition from brick-and-mortar to electronic storefronts, some are still working to make a name for themselves in the international marketplace. Sandwich boards, billboards, and planes pulling thirty-foot-long banners are no longer effective in the same capacity as they once were.

The best way for a business or individual to advertise his or her services and goods online is theoretically simple: Make yourself searchable. You want to be easy to find, easy to access, easy to use, and deliver on your commercial promises. The problem, you and everyone else are after the same thing, which means it will pay for you to equip yourself with the latest Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques.

It sounds like a lot of jargon, but the execution of SEM principles only takes a little bit of education, planning, and the ability to think both like an entrepreneur and a consumer. Different vendors exist in the internet marketplace, like Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing that can help optimize your websites and blogs and turn traffic into cash. These programs will utilize keywords and contextual advertising which will, in theory, boost revenue generated by your website.

By utilizing different SEM and SEO procedures, you bring yourself to the front pages of the search engines. If a search engine is like a highway, SEM procedures put your billboard in front of the exit, so people will see that what you have to offer is relevant to their interests.

Because these procedures can be complex when you get down to the actual coding, there are different agencies out there who can help ‘optimize’ your website. The key is to look for those with proven track records, so eventually, your money can start making money.

Conversions in the Context of Search Engine Marketing

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:02:35 +0000

Search Engine Optimization and Marketing are proven tactics and skills you can use on your website and blog to increase daily hits and produce a constant flow of traffic to your home site. There are hundreds of different ways to ‘optimize’ your website, all of which involve features like link building, keyword optimization, and analytics to see what works and what doesn’t. Successful websites aren’t made overnight. They’re like businesses. They take work.

But let’s say you build a nice storefront and have a nice layout in the store. You’ve managed to get a shop in an area with a lot of foot traffic, and the time you’ve spent making your store appealing has paid off. People come in, check out the merchandise, and sometimes have good input on the way things are going. This is all good and well, but even if you have a lot of traffic, this won’t guarantee revenue. You need people to buy into your service. You need ‘Page Conversions.’

A conversion happens when someone who is just wandering along your ‘storefront’ sees a product or service they want, and they are ‘converted’ from browser to customer. You want customers, not window shoppers. A good website will convert their customers seamlessly, without any apparent effort from the consumer’s end.

Too many websites are cluttered with advertisements, pop-ups, and are unclear about the real purpose of the website. A skillfully optimized website will be clutter-free, and guide the consumer with a user-friendly interface, ‘digestible content,’ and clear calls to action. The consumer needs to know why he or she is at your website, what it is you are offering, and why it is relevant to them and their needs.

Finally, in seeking to gain more conversions, you want to have a simple website layout, and you want to provide trustworthy evidence of your authenticity as a business. No matter how good things look on the outside, if you can’t establish trust, you won’t get conversions – just like any business, electronic or brick-and-mortar.

Studying Internet Trends and Optimizing Them on Your Website

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:01:16 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

The days of the ‘dot-coms’ have come and gone. Technologically speaking, the internet is fairly young, but it has at this point already lived a full and diverse life. When the network was opened for commercial use in the late 1980s, it didn’t take people long to figure out how to turn a profit online. These days, it is hard for any kind of business to thrive if it doesn’t have an internet presence. But since everyone online is combatting for that number one position, the electronic competition is just as fierce as that of the ‘real world.’ Because of this, it pays to stay ahead of the competition.

One of the popular ways to do this now is by utilizing the tools and procedures of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Because SEO standards are constantly changing, it can be difficult to find a static definition of the procedures. However, this dynamism directly reflects the versatility of SEO procedures. Optimizing your website involves looking closer at domain names, title tags, meta-tags and meta-descriptions, site mapping, and will also help you find what is unnecessary on your website, so you can increase both traffic and conversions.

An important part of learning about SEO is learning about internet trends. It will be advantageous to know what is trending with different search engines, what search engines are popular, and what tools the respective search engines can provide to you as a website or blog owner.

Some tools, like Google AdSense, will help select ads for your website that are most relevant to your content, and other tools, like Google Analytics, will help you analyze traffic on your website, so you can learn what works and what doesn’t. SEO is partly trial and error, and partly experiential. You learn what works best for you by studying your demographics and popular internet trends. If you don’t have the time, there are also SEO professionals who can help teach and share the work with you, because a well-optimized website can make a good business better.

Start SEO Marketing With the Basics

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 04:59:11 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

The Basics of a Search-Friendly Website

First and foremost, knowing where you stand in search results will give you an idea of what you need to do to better market online. Use monitoring tools like the Google toolbar or Alexa to see your status and to check if your SEO efforts are working.

Links play an important part in SEO. A basic method for applying links is to permeate your site with internal links. Always remember to place links to your archives in your new content. You can also increase traffic through links by forming relationships with other sites. It is not uncommon to ask another site to place a link to yours, which you can be easily reciprocated by placing one to theirs.

Creating a site map linking and cataloging your pages for your website is a basic way for search engine spiders to easily examine your site. Simple, clear URLs with keywords will also get your pages to stand out.

Creating Basic Search-friendly Content

Your site’s content should consistently be refreshed as frequent updates help draw in traffic. The most basic way to generate new content is with a blog, which can operate as an effective platform for linking.

Be sure to litter your site and your content with keywords that are reflective of terms users will be searching. Primary locations for keywords are the title tag and page header. One caveat is to avoid placing too many in your content as search engines may label your site as spam. Placing them every 100-125 words is sufficient. Additionally, keywords should be included in descriptive captions for your images.

The idea is really simple: Getting more traffic to your website by placing high on the results of popular search engines to build demand for your goods and services. Known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), this marketing technique is a staple for any growing business. However, small businesses and individuals can be hesitant to tackle the marketing approach when confronted with the technical rigging involved. But by concentrating on the basics, anyone can get started with SEO and see quick results.
The Basics of a Search-Friendly WebsiteFirst and foremost, knowing where you stand in search results will give you an idea of what you need to do to better market online. Use monitoring tools like the Google toolbar or Alexa to see your status and to check if your SEO efforts are working.
Links play an important part in SEO. A basic method for applying links is to permeate your site with internal links. Always remember to place links to your archives in your new content. You can also increase traffic through links by forming relationships with other sites. It is not uncommon to ask another site to place a link to yours, which you can be easily reciprocated by placing one to theirs.
Creating a site map linking and cataloging your pages for your website is a basic way for search engine spiders to easily examine your site. Simple, clear URLs with keywords will also get your pages to stand out.
Creating Basic Search-friendly ContentYour site’s content should consistently be refreshed as frequent updates help draw in traffic. The most basic way to generate new content is with a blog, which can operate as an effective platform for linking.
Be sure to litter your site and your content with keywords that are reflective of terms users will be searching. Primary locations for keywords are the title tag and page header. One caveat is to avoid placing too many in your content as search engines may label your site as spam. Placing them every 100-125 words is sufficient. Additionally, keywords should be included in descriptive captions for your images.

LSI: Yes, Google Has a Brain

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:54:01 +0000

: Image by Danard Vincente via Flickr

With the death of keyword saturation, many search engine optimizers and webmasters have asked how content can be structured most effectively on their website. After all, it’s not like Google ignores your content. In fact, the reverse is true. Google has evolved in its approach to websites, and now has the capability to understand your page’s information better than ever before. This is largely due to the brain of Google: LSI.

What is LSI?

LSI, or Latent Semantic Indexing, is a new search engine robot approach to “reading” the content on a page. Rather than simply looking at how often you repeat specific words, it will determine the subject of the page’s content. It does this by seeing how words interrelate. Beyond merely understanding words, LSI can understand synonyms, see how words connect to one another, and figure out what category the content falls into. As such, rather than just giving searchers results that contain the “right words,” it can give content that is relevant to the topic they’re searching for. This means better and more comprehensive results.

How you can use LSI.

LSI is designed to read your content and figure out what subject you’re writing about without you doing anything extra. This means that the best possible approach is to write high quality content that’s likely to get reader attention and be spread across the web. However, there are a couple things you can do to be sure that you’re helping Google examine your page accurately.

There are two major tools, both provided by Google, that will let you find terms and phrases that are appropriately “on topic.” The Google Keyword Tool, a part of Google Adwords, will allow you to find frequently searched for words and phrases that are connected to the keywords you are already using. Simply typing a few of your current keywords into the tool, then hitting “get keyword ideas” will bring up a list of 100 to 200 results. In addition, Google Sets can provide a full list of terms related, closely or more distantly, to keywords that you’re already targeting.

Strategy and Time Make for Easier SEO

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:57:13 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

The online marketing tactic of SEO is one of the most popular but least understood. Most business owners have a tendency to go too far in their efforts for their websites working under the assumption that more is always better. Instead, creating a strategy is more likely to generate results. Creating one article that is thoughtfully written and strategically released will be more effective than 100 sub-par articles sent out into cyber space. Conversely, writing a press release that is timely and worthy of a story is sure to garner more interest than every little company change. It can be detrimental to you and your company by wasting time attempting to venture down every single avenue to manipulate search results.

It’s no secret that techniques for online marketing can nearly be infinite with the burgeoning possibilities offered by the Internet. This is especially true for SEO methods. On top of it, other online marketing platforms like social media and monitoring can necessitate a day’s worth of work themselves.

To tackle this monumental concern it’s important to build a time line and list of goals that you can realistically follow and achieve. It is also important to take into consideration that most strategies take time to produce results. For instance, SEO is generally known as a long term pursuit that can be predicated on how crowded your industry is. Invest time when available and dedicate more only when your business allows.

Whether you work for yourself or for a small business with a limited budget, you may find yourself with the responsibility of managing the phases of online marketing. Because of its demand for long term involvement this can pose a tricky situation when compounded with other business matters. It is best to take online marketing tasks in stride and with a little or a lot of patience, especially if you are unfamiliar with how it works. But by taking time to construct a clear, detailed plan and dedicating yourself to see it through, online marketing like search engine optimization can lead to a path towards long term growth.
The online marketing tactic of SEO is one of the most popular but least understood. Most business owners have a tendency to go too far in their efforts for their websites working under the assumption that more is always better. Instead, creating a strategy is more likely to generate results. Creating one article that is thoughtfully written and strategically released will be more effective than 100 sub-par articles sent out into cyber space. Conversely, writing a press release that is timely and worthy of a story is sure to garner more interest than every little company change. It can be detrimental to you and your company by wasting time attempting to venture down every single avenue to manipulate search results.
It’s no secret that techniques for online marketing can nearly be infinite with the burgeoning possibilities offered by the Internet. This is especially true for SEO methods. On top of it, other online marketing platforms like social media and monitoring can necessitate a day’s worth of work themselves.
To tackle this monumental concern it’s important to build a time line and list of goals that you can realistically follow and achieve. It is also important to take into consideration that most strategies take time to produce results. For instance, SEO is generally known as a long term pursuit that can be predicated on how crowded your industry is. Invest time when available and dedicate more only when your business allows.

How Mytouch Affects Business

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:37:45 +0000

Many of the technological advances previously given only to large companies are currently being offered to to all businesses, regardless of their size. As a result, small business are changing their approach to the more competitive web market. The conclusion is simple: operating a small business is easier with technology.

One of the things that has become available to small business owners that has helped them is the idea of wireless networks. Whether it be on your myTouch or your laptop, there are more than enough ways to access your emails and connect to your online portal without being in your office. There was a time when a business owner felt afraid to leave the office because there were valuable emails he could be missing out on. Now he can move freely and not worry about it.

With open source software and with the internet being such a fast marketplace, a business owner can get essential marketing, budgeting, and video making software for next to nothing. Where their business once was easily outshined by their competitors, now the business owner can thrive. With a little bit of practice, a business owner can make custom designed posters and business cards, as well as balancing the books, in much the same way as big business does.

The internet is the place for social media and networking. It’s where everyone lives; and businesses are trying to get in on the advertising. Through smart advertising and grass roots strategies, you can have your business on there as well, and do it all for little to no money. It will take time and patience, but with any luck your business will see the gains too. And it’s all thanks to the internet.