August, 2009

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Is SEO dead?

Monday, August 31st, 2009

I was reading a thread at a big webmaster forum yesterday which made the claim that “SEO is dead.” Now, it’s hard to say whether or not the original poster was being serious or sarcastic, but he referenced some other news he’d been reading on a few authority sites that made the “dead” claim.

The notion was that, because of the prevalence of Web 2.0 community sites, the idea of needing to optimize for any of the engines was going away — and fast. The idea was also put forth by another poster that, because of the huge number of content management systems that are already setup to be “search engine friendly”, the need to have any additional knowledge to rank well was quickly diminishing.

My answer to all this? Poppycock.

First, while it is true that there are many CMS programs that are search engine friendly out of the box, on-page factors matter so little to ranking (at least in Google) that even if the on-page playing field was leveled, it would make little difference in the current search engine results.

Second, SEO is about far more than just what’s on the page. The way you analyze what keywords are worth optimizing for, the way you write the content around those keywords, and the links you get to the pages that you want to rank for those keywords all have a large role to play in how much traffic you get from the search engines — and that analysis takes specialized knowledge. Anyone can learn to do it, but it does have to be learned.

Third, and most importantly, Web 2.0 is nice, and sites that revolve around that kind of community are huge traffic mongers (e.g. YouTube), but there will always be a need for full-text indexing of the web.

So is SEO dead? Nope. It’s alive and well, and will be for as long as people need to search for information on the web.

Search Engine Services

Monday, August 31st, 2009

You have analysed your business plan, printed out your PR materials, designed your website and you are now ready for the next step Seo (search engine optimisation) or website optimisation. What is this? I hear you ask. Search engine positioning is crucial to getting your business website seen. if your website is not on the first two pages in the search engines your information will never be found by your customers.

A search engine services company will improve your business website’s search engine ranking, making your business internet friendly and more visible to your audience, therefore providing you laser targeted visitors looking for your business website information.

Seo Services uk are Search engine optimisation services. Search engine promotion takes time, you could go the other way, go solo, submitting your site URLS (all separate pages) to the hundreds of search engines, major indexes, and specialty indexes…if you have a few hundred hours to spare. But if, like most of us, you are busy beyond recognition of what it means to sit down, take time, read, research, and submit to all these search engines, directories and indexes, the ideal way to go is professional search engine services.

Here’s what that search engine optimisation company, the RIGHT one, will do for your business websites. Seo uk will analyse your website, research the relevant keywords, build website optimisation, submit your business website to major search engines and improve your website’s search engine ranking. Keep in mind that this would take you months, likely, and it will still take even more time to get you listed by the search engines (a few weeks to a few months), but your site will appear on most if not all of the popular search engines:A good search engine submission service is hard to find and should be revered!

Twitter Marketing with Automated Twitter Software

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Here I will discuss the top two tools online today to grow your Twitter account rapidly with targeted followers without you having to use the programs more than several times a week. I have not even needed to login to Twitter in a fewweeks since buying these Twitter systems.

The 2 programs that I suggest for effectively, efficiently, and relatively easily building your Twitter account following are Tweet Adder and The Twitter Online System. With these programs you can certainly expect to add from 300-500 specific followers to a Twitter account daily!

When you have reached a high number of followers, you can send tweets with links to affiliate products and programs that you wish to promote and make a percentage from every. Using Clickbank, PayDotCom, and all other affiliate programs in addition to Twitter is a very smart and lucrative thing to do to build a nice side income stream.

Tweet Adder simply is full-featured software. Tweet Adder searches for followers that are tweeting certain keywords and whose profiles consist of certain keywords. You can write your scheduled tweets into a text document and then you can upload the text file to Tweet Adder with incredible ease. You really want to try the free demo version to see what all Tweet Adder can do.

    Tweet Adder Features:

  • Increase Site Traffic to your event or business
  • Find Thousands of Like Minded Twitter Followers in Seconds
  • Automatically Follow up to 1000 Targeted Profiles Every Day
  • Gain up to 500 new twitter followers per day per profile
  • Use Tweet Adder with Multiple Accounts, Unlimited Account Option
  • Automate Twitter Posts, Scheduled Twitter Updates, Stay active without actually being active
  • Schedule Direct Messages to New and Existing Followers
  • Auto Unfollow, Create a VIP Safe List for users that you don’t want to unfollow
  • The Best Twitter Search, including Global Location and Multi Language Searches
  • Set it up and Forget It! Runs Daily, Automatically
  • Has Every Twitter Feature imaginable!

Click the links below to see more information. You can readall about the products and you can view screenshots that display the power of these products for Twitter rulership!!

Tweet Adder Get the free demo verison to test the power of this program! I’m telling you, this program will save you so much work! Make affiliate commissions by selling this system.

The Twitter Online System This is a cheaper alternative that automates tweet posting with scheduled messaging, adds followers, removes followers based on your settings, and so much more. Make affiliate commissions when you sell this program.

Bonus: How to Lose Fat – Fight Obesity Now!

Snoring – A Natural Remedy

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

Besides dreaming and restlessness in the night, snoring is among the natural processes our bodies produce even during very deep sleep. It is a responsibility in the body that is made by particular chemical mechanisms that seem to conflict when the body is at its most restful state. Snoring is noisy breathing that happens when muscle in the throat partly block the airway and it becomes too relaxed causing air flowing through the passageway to vibrate across the soft roof of the mouth. Snoring has many causes, not all of which can be treated by a particular cure – that said, holistic curatives for snoring are often an impressive answer to snoring troubles.

So, how to stop snoring: It is advisable to maintain a healthy weight and body size. To greatly improve our health, some traits that we have become used to enjoying must be restricted. Maintaining a healthy weight makes you less susceptible to dangers involved in snoring. An individual who is heavy may have more problems with snoring than an individual who is not chubby. One reason for this opinion is that they will have a thicker neck that will compact the muscle used during breathing. Our throats are not designed to take surplus fat as this can create breathing problems which leads to snoring.

Those people who smoke and drink are probably more likely to suffer from snoring problems due to the discomfort they develop. The chemicals originate in tobacco products can possibly change the protective tissues in the respiratory tract which can lead to harm from the chemical substances found in cigarettes and cigars. The outstanding construction of mucus that builds up the obstructions comes from a particular kind of cell in the lining of the esophagus that changes into another form once smoke from cigarettes passes through it.

We feel more laid-back when we drink alcohol thus increasing the chance of a bad night. Snoring happens when the muscular tissue of the throat relax while asleep therefore causing the possibility that the muscle will intervene with the natural flow of air in and out of the lungs making hard to stop snoring.

Stitching a tennis ball into the rear of pajama tops was the earliest method of reducing snoring. Changing the position that you sleep might help you with your snoring cures. What you will discover when you alter the position that you sleep in is that your jaw will not hang back and cause blockages on the already narrow air passage. Most people suggest sleeping in a side ward attitude to stop the relaxed muscle from collapsing. To lessen the pressure on the airways it is suggested to sleep on your stomach, if you can put up with it, as in this position you are less subject to snoring. It is also frequently advised that you should elevate your bed to 30 degrees since this height is known to decrease the collapse of the tissues in the throat.

Disclaimer: Always consult your doctor before taking any medical advice.

Search Engine Optimisation

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

What Is Search Engine Optimisation

The real goal of Search Engine Optimisation isn’t to simply gain rankings for well searched highly relevant keywords. The real goal is to promote an event, product or company in order to build awareness, acceptance and trust amongst a targeted group of people or consumers. More often than not profit is also a large consideration. Search Engine Optimisation and the rankings it produces provide a means to those ends.

Search Engine Algorithms and Guidelines

Search Engines use complex algorithms to judge, measure and weigh up which web pages are the most relevant to serve up to their users. There is a large responsibility placed on search engines to get this right so that spammers are kept at bay and useful actionable information is provided to the searcher.

In order to do this Search Engines update their algorithms regularly. Furthermore, each Search Engine provides its own set of guidelines for webmasters to follow and will penalise any site if it is seen to be breaking the rules. This could result in rankings being downgraded, or at worst, the site being completely removed from the search engines index.

If a search engine optimisation campaign is to enjoy long term success:

  • Stay within the guidelines set out by search engines.
  • Don’t game the algorithms by using unethical techniques.

Search engine optimisation is about giving visitors and search engine algorithms exactly what they want, unique informative content in an intuitive environment that’s both usable and accessible. There are large commercial gains to be made by maintaining front page search engine positions; the simple rule of thumb is the more competitive the term the more lucrative rankings become. But don’t make that an excuse to resort to techniques that could see your website completely  banned from all the major search engines.

How To Save Money on Car Insurance For Your Teenager

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

If you are the parent of a teenager, or owned a car as a teenager yourself, you know that automobile insurance for young people can be expensive. This may seem unfair, but it only reflects the harsh reality that teenaged drivers can be dangerous. The statistical evidence suggests that drivers under the age of 20 are four times as likely to have a car accident than older drivers. Whether because of inexperience or greater risk-taking brought on by raging hormones, younger drivers, as a group, are a greater hazard on the road.

What can you do to reduce the costs of insuring a teenage driver? In fact, there are many options out there. A whole host of factors go into calculating insurance premiums, so make sure you speak with your insurance provider to figure out the best possible package.

First, parents can reduce costs of their child’s car insurance by adding their child to their existing policy. If a parent solid driving record already, it reflects well on their teen, and the cost may be reduced because of it. Having multiple people on one insurance policy is a good cost-cutter overall, similar to buying other consumergoods in bulk quantities. If a parent has been a long-time customer of an insurance company, he or she may be eligible for deals as well. Insurance companies, like any other type of business, want to reward their most valued customers.

So don’t hesitate to call, because it pays to talk to your insurance company about any deals they might offer that would help cut the costs of insuring your teenager. If you take the initiative, many providers should be eager to offer you something to retain you as a customer. If you’re not sure you’re satisfied with what they offer you or your existing coverage, don’t be afraid to comparison shop other insurance companies. The market for automobile insurance is very competitive, and competition leads to cost savings for the consumer. Another company might be willing to better your existing provider’s offer just to get you as a customer.

So if you want to ensure you have the most cost-effective insurance policy for your teenager, take a little time to compare incentives and policies that various insurance companies offer. Use the internet as a research tool. With a little time and effort, you can always find the best possible deal!

Becoming a Driving Instructor – Is it a Good Time?

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Lately we have seen national driving schools offering lessons for a very cheap price. Is it therefore really possible to make a good living as a driving instructor as the advertising would have us believe?

I believe that there are currently twice as many instructors as there were 4/5 years ago and new pupils wanting to learn to drive are down about 5% over the same period. Very competitive times indeed and offers like those of the national driving schools are indicative of this situation.

Resting on ones laurels is no longer an option and any instructor/driving school needs to be very pro-active if they are to sustain, or dare I say grow, their business. This would include networking, a website for your driving school (not a stale historic site but an evolving, growing site – pupil testimonials is a must), directory listings etc. Yes, it may be a bit of work but, being an independent driving instructor is not a job, it is a business – your business.

Give yourself a competitive advantage whenever you can. I see many listings on the Driving Schools Directory that basically say, as an example:

Towns:
Staines

Additional School Information:
Pleasant & relaxed instructor.

On the application they are encouraged/told to complete ALL towns & villages and not just the principal towns – it is amazing what some people will search for – but they don’t. Staines, Egham, Laleham, Thorpe, Thorpe Lea, Stanwell, Stanwell Village etc. should have been inserted.

Additional info – come on, is that all they really offer? What about some background, track record, pass rates, type of car, why they are different/unique etc. Entice them to make some sort of contact with you.

Like it or not, it is a sales process/advert and prospects are likely to be attracted to a listing that has a little more to say about themselves – prospects are searching for information to make a decision about who should they be starting driving lessons with – help them make their decision! Don’t rely on them phoning you to start a relationship, you just may not get that far!

I think what I am trying to say here is that I am sure there are better things to compete on other than just price. If everyone did that we as driving instructors may well be registering as charities as part of the training process in the not too distant future.

Profiting Online Simple Not Easy

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

One of the simplest and most overlooked aspects of online marketing is that it’s not complicated. More precisely, there are a lot of “experts” who try to make it complicated. Aside from whatever motivation they might have to do that online profits happen as the result of one simple equation –

Traffic + Conversion = Sales

– performed over & over again

There are MANY ways to get traffic (visitors) to your site and get them to take some action or “convert,” which will either result in more leads or (less frequently) result directly in more sales to your business.

So here’s the other simple rule — you only need to master 1 or 2 traffic methods and 1 or 2 conversion methods, and you will make money. When you drive you only need to know two pedals, and you don’t need to know EVERYTHING about internet marketing in order to add revenue to your business.

With that in mind, there are a few basic traffic techniques I’ve implemented in some of my sites and client sites that have universally and consistently WORKED. Here are a few of those methods — but remember, you only need to pick one or two:

Increasing Visitor Count

1) Twitter — highly effective for targeting your niche and developing the conversation with your customers and prospects. In fact, it is second to none. However, most businesses don’t know how to use Twitter effectively. They spam with “sales tweets” — “Look at the cool new thing I’m selling.” The 80/20 rule is highly effective — 80% of your tweets should be about something interesting, funny or otherwise engaging… a question of the day like “What’s for lunch?”… anything to get people talking, laughing, thinking… Also, keep it consistent and be generous with re-tweets. A few tweets a day go a long way toward establishing a rabid list of followers. The wrong thing to do is to Tweet like a madman for a day or two and then disappear for a month. Or worse, don’t reply when someone direct messages you or @messages you. That’s like ignoring someone at a dinner party when they ask you to pass the gravy. You WON’T get any dessert.

2) Video marketing is a very fast way to rank your site and get lots of inbound traffic. Keep your videos consistent — don’t show up one day in a baseball cap and dark lighting, talking about the rain, and another day bouncing in a jungle gym screaming about business leads. Consistent message, consistent tone, consistent look & feel. Also, be sure to put a call to action in your video’s description, as well as the full URL of your website’s landing page, and use appropriate keywords.

3) Article marketing is an evergreen method for outstanding traffic generation, with one HUGE caveat — mix it up! Putting the same article on 400 article directories will get you nowhere fast. You will get a bump in traffic from all the inbound links until Google figures out they’re all the same article and basically count it as one link. There are content spinners out there that alter the content of your articles automatically, but you have to be very careful here as well. Most content spinners change a word or two to replace it with a synonym, or they mash up the article randomly so the output is basically junk that cannot be read. It has to pass human review. So if you’re looking for a quality content spinner, ideally you want to be able to change the entire sentence many times throughout the article, and then have it spin those into hundreds of different articles. That’s the professional way to do it. At the bottom of your article, have a call to action in the information field; a blurb about you (the author) and a link to a free guide the reader can pick up at your website.

Visitors Taking Action

1) Keep it simple. The landing page has to do ONE thing — get people to ACT. For this reason, it’s been called a SINGLE ACTION PAGE. Pear it down to the bare essence of what you need the visitor to do. Consider placing a video on the page with a very simple message, “Hey thanks for stopping by for my free whizbang. Just type in your first name and e-mail address and I will rush it right over to you. In just a moment after you send your information, you’ll get an e-mail with a confirmation link. Click that link and I will instantly send your free whizbang.”

2) Direct, direct, direct. Notice the video script in #1 above — see how we instructed the user on exactly what they need to do? And then we told them what to expect next, and what they would then need to do. And we closed with a reminder of the benefit — the free whizbang.

If you have trademarked the term “whizbang,” then I apologize in advance. ;)

3) Test, test, test. ALWAYS have two versions of your landing page operating at one time. You can optimize your landing page using freely available Google tools in the Web Optimizer toolbox. You really can’t go on “gut” here — the data will be you every single time. Even on PPC ads, we have literally seen the addition of a question mark in the ad increase conversion by 16.8% So test, test, test.

Conclusion

These methods work on any business in any industry. Here is some social proof –

Local landscape designer increased her traffic by 7,342% (yes seven thousand percent)

 

     

  • Local artist went from three visitors a day to an average of 41 visitors a day
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  • International digital publisher had zero e-commerce and started converting 16% of all traffic to revenue within 72 hours of implementing one traffic strategy and one conversion strategy
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  • Changing a landing page to a simple design on an e-book site turned conversion from an anemic two sales per week to eight sales a day — on the same traffic.
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I hope this helps your business. The average business fails to do what it takes to drive traffic or achieve conversions to their website. While they exercise 20-30 traffic methods on average, they don’t do a single one effectively.  There are many sources online to learn about effective marketing strategies, including free resources and some almost-free, like the definitive guidebook  750 Ways to Get a Visitor to Click on You.

Do-it-for-you solutions are also available; experience guides the appropriate strategy for the website and market. The biggest challenge business owners face is knowing which strategy to implement. Experimentation can be very costly in terms of time and lost sales… The key is to find a reputable marketing firm that offers a full range of customized services as well as downloadable products and courses to assist every website owner at every budget level.

Educational toys and games

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Playing and learning are so closely related that they often can’t be distinguished at all. In one way or another, most games are educational – even if it were only in educating the player up to a higher level of competition. That’s quite often overlooked, I believe… but it’s true: even your very own recreational game of tennis, on a sweet summer afternoon with a frefreshing drink witin hands reach, is an educational game!

But let’s be realistic: when talking about educational games, more often than not we refer to learning objects for our children. Especially in the last decade or two, an enormous number of educational “tools” have been developed for children of all ages, and even for grown-ups. The latter may or may not be intentional, but a fact is that many of the more intricate educational or learning systems, like those dealing with science and nature, are enthusiasticaly enjoyed by the parents of the children for whom the gift was originaly intended!

This will less easily happen with educational toys for very young children, like alphabet blocks or ABC blocks. And then there’s the amazing range of educational games/toys for all other ages! Looking back on my own youth in the 1940’s and 1950’s I am truly amazed by all the educational tools that are available now! On the other hand I believe that our childrens own development of their creativity suffers from those pre-chewed and bite-sized chunks. I used to be very happy with the proverbial cigar box from my granddad, out of which I created houses, factories and garages – the box that is, not my granddad.

So it’s all a matter of relativity, I reckon. Some values are lost, others are gained. But at least, to the great relief of sometimes desperate parents, buying educational games and toys is now easier than it was ever before. Generally speaking, this is an improvement.

Search Engine Marketing South Africa

Friday, August 28th, 2009

There are three different methods for getting into spidering search engines; free site submission, paid inclusion and links from other sites. Virtually all spidering SEs offer a free site submission. For most, you simply enter your url into a form and submit. Paid inclusion is normally not difficult, except for the credit card payment. For free site submission there is no quality control. The SE may send a spider to your site in the next few weeks, months or never. Typically with paid inclusion you will get a guarantee that the page you submitted will be included within a short amount of time.

Professional search engine marketing isn’t rocket science, although many seem to think that getting adequate ranking in the search engines is a complex and impossible task. Without a doubt, search engine marketing is one of the most complex types of marketing because the search engines’ rules and preferences evolve constantly. But, considering that the majority of website visitors find the websites they visit through the search engines, search engine marketing is absolutely the best medium for internet marketing.

Before you make the critical decision to hire or not to hire search engine marketing service providers, be sure you have weighed the pros and cons as they relate to your particular situation. After all, each and every woman-owned business is unique, so what works for one business owner may or may not be right for you.

Pay-per click advertising helps you get more traffic from search engines through advertising in search engine results. You pick terms that people search on. You bid a price per click on your ad that you are willing to pay. You ad shows up when someone searches on that term, and, if you’re lucky, they click on your ad and come to your website.