Search Marketing Bootcamp: PPC vs Organic Search

Companies develop web sites for a variety of reasons:  mine sale leads, collect data, share product information, or expand brand recognition.   The ultimate goal of a website has always been to generate as much traffic as possible, and convert as much of that traffic as possible into a sale.  There are two very powerful, but different, methods that will drive traffic to your web site:  Pay Per Click and Organic Search.

Boost Your SEO With .htaccess

seo with htaccess

For those of you utilizing an apache server and not taking advantage of your .htaccess file you are definitely missing out! This one file can make or break large news sites, expensive content marketing efforts, and even small business sites so today I'm going to break down the basics of how to use it. These simple tactics can ensure you avoid the angry wrath of panda, help your user experience, and overall search engine rankings. 

 

The Intellectual Property Rights Dilemma

If you use the internet, watch TV, listen to the radio, or generally consume any media, you have heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).   On January 18 Wikipedia and about 7000 other websites went dark to protest this legislation.  A large number of Internet companies, including Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, and AOL, published a statement in the New York Times stating they were "concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our Nation's cybersecurity." 

A Simple Guide to Sweepstakes Success

 

Contests and sweepstakes have been around for a long time and used with great success, but the addition of social media has given contests and sweepstakes an unprecedented power to exponentially expand the reach of a brand.

Google merges your Google+ Social Graph in Searches

Today Google merged its search engine and your Google+ social graph in searches.  This update is called “Search plus Your World”.  Search engine results pages will now display search results from your social circles as well the internet when performing a search while signed into Google+.

Maximize your Marketing in 2012

Happy New Year!  The holiday celebrations are done, now let’s get down to business. In case you have not noticed, the way in which companies market, find new customers, and complete sales, have drastically changed in 2011.  Digital marketing is showing its full potential.   The digital marketing has become a hyper-competitive environment!

Be Prepared for 2012 SEO Trends

SEO isn’t dead in 2012! Despite what some experts proclaim, SEO will not disappear.  It may take on a trendy new name, but just like social media, paid search, or pay per click, it will retain its role as another essential tool in Search engine marketing (SEM).  2012 will be the year where old way of thinking gives way to new ideas and technology.   CEO’s will realize that ROI is not the only measure of social media, and that the overall user experience is more important than content stuffing.

Avoid Simple Twitter Faux Pas

 

Twitter is a great tool to engage new customers and spread your brand message.  Like most social media tools it is free, but it takes consistency and effort to be successful.  Unfortunately, a few mistakes can undermine all of your efforts and your Twitter presence. 

Here are five major Twitter faux pas to avoid!

The Six Best Social Media Services to Promote your Brand!

Social Media is the “it” thing to do right now.  Unlike past “it” fads that have gone awry (hello .com startup craze!), it appears that social media will stay with us.  Measuring the return on investment and effectiveness of social media is still evolving, but the results are positive.  Social media services have changed how we interact and share information with each other.  It allows small and medium sized businesses the opportunity to promote themselves and reach new customers that they have never had the opportunity to engage.