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So you’re looking to search optimize your site and you’ve spent some money on getting a keyword analysis. What now?
Its time to start looking at some of the elements of your website that are critical to search engine success. (more…)
Archive for August, 2009
A Better Economy Leads To Higher Google AdWord Prices
Aug
13
For those of you that rode the pony of success through the economic downturn, your good times are coming to an end. That’s right…during the lean times, Google AdWords were a great low cost way to get traffic moving to your site. This is because budgets were tight and everyone was cutting back (ie. not advertising).
In January, the average price for competitive keywords were pushing around $2 to $5 and secondary terms were being found at $.10 and $.25.
No longer my friends. If you have logged on lately, you will probably find $1 per click is the going rate for most decent keywords…and we haven’t really even seen the full turnaround of the economy. (more…)
Why You Should Avoid Building Flash Websites
Aug
12
It happens occasionally. I’ll get a client who asks about getting a website developed that is high on creativity…inevitably leading to the question of using Flash for the site.
My answer is usually not as simple as just “avoid it.” I like to give advantages and disadvantages to my clients so they can make an informed decision.
So with that in mind, I also looked for some credible resources to feed their opinion on the subject. In a world where SEO techniques are growing more and more in demand, I find that drives the decisions of most people. (more…)
Twitter and Facebook Take a Hit
Aug
6
250 million users…now that is a perfect way for a hacker to make a name for himself. Apparently on Thursday, users of Facebook and Twitter were slowed or stopped from posting. Google also apparently was affected by the denial of service attack.
Scary to think of a widespread hack on some of the largest websites out there.
Here’s a quality article on the attacks.
Now that Bing is #2, What Now For SEO?
Aug
6
In a nutshell, its time to pay attention to the Yahoo!/Bing merger. Microsoft made a master stroke waiting out Yahoo!’s ultimate fall. They basically got Yahoo! search for a song.
So, how do we adjust our strategies? And is Bing worth paying attention to?
Well, I wouldn’t revise my whole SEO strategy just yet. It will be good to make some subtle changes, but you don’t want to throw out good Google practices for 15% to 30% of the search market. And remember, Yahoo! was given some control of the display of Bing results on their site…plus Bing has the right to start integrating Yahoo search techniques into their own search, so many things could change. (A good reason to have some money put in next year’s budget for SEO)
In the meantime, some things to consider to pump up your search results in Bing. (more…)
Ideas to Keep Your Blog Fresh
Aug
6
So you’re having trouble thinking about what to write in your blog? This is a problem millions of people have faced at one time or another…its called writers block.
While it can be comforting knowing you’re not the only one who has suffered from this disease of creativity, like your old schoolteacher Google and Yahoo’s spiders really aren’t interested in excuses.
So, I stumbled upon a couple of links that can provide you a shot in the preverbial arm. Check these out:
Understanding Google Analytics
Aug
4
As we start our journey into teaching classes on Google Analytics, it is interesting to note that the first step after installing Google Analytics is learning what to do with all of this juicy information.
I have the advantage of seeing many of my customer’s Analytics reports and so I can view and keep up with trends. In addition, this is my job. For most of my clients, they are business people with ROI, customer issues, and payroll to worry about…not web stats.
But these two things work hand in hand. We teach in our classes that you must first set up a couple of goals to really start seeing the advantages of using Google Analytics.
Look at the product or service that is most useful for your customer, has the greatest profit margin, and has the most potential. Set up goals and track over a month how many people visiting your website are actually getting to these products or services. At the end of the month, you’ll see the power of Google Analytics because it will give you a sense of whether your site is effective or not. And it will help you tweak the site for success.
It’s like I tell people who don’t get into hockey…pick a team to root for, watch a Stanley Cup playoff game and get behind your team. When you choose someone to root for (or a product to track), you get involved in its success and the victory is oh so much sweeter.
I assure you, when you start to see the successes and realize the potential of Google Analytics, you’ll want to learn more.
Pssst. by the way we have classes to break it down into plain English for you, so don’t forget this valuable resource.
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