Sunday, 21 April 2013

Essential Tips For Creating An Ad Campaign On Google Adwords

The internet has revolutionized the marketing paradigm and with Google being the most widely used search engine in the world, it is clear why marketers should concentrate on advertising through it. It is estimated that today, around 2 millions searches are made on Google every day and these searches comprise of searches made by people to look up businesses, showcasing the marketing potential on the medium. However, using Google Adwords to create an Ad campaign is a complex job and in order to succeed, marketers must have a look on the guidelines mentioned below.


1. Create a customer profile


Before launching the ad campaign, marketers need to picture their customers mentally. They should undertake research and find out information such as the keywords being used by their target market and the kind of websites frequently visited by their customers. They should also know the geographical location of the customers as this would help them target the customers better.


Moreover, marketers must also know about the medium of communication used by their customers to contact the business, for instance whether the customers contact through email or by phone.


2. Set goals and targets


Another act marketers need to undergo before diving into the ad campaign is to first come up with goals and targets for the campaign. Businesses should know how much they are willing to spend to reach out to the customers and set aside a budget for that. Additionally, they should also know what they want to achieve with the campaign and the kind of results they are expecting.


3. Creating the campaign


After the above mentioned points have been taken care of, the next step is to create the campaign. Creating a campaign involves choosing settings based on the customer profile and the daily amount the business is willing to spend on the advertisements.


In order to make the ads available to customers, marketers need to go through a process of bidding whereby the advertisements with the highest bid are ranked higher on the search results. Marketers also need to decide what they want to include in the advertisements and there are several tools provided by Google Adwords to enhance advertisements. Moreover, businesses also have to make the decision of choosing where they want the advertisements to show including the geographical location, language, and networks.


4. Create the Ad and choose keywords


The final step in the process of creating an Ad campaign on Google Adwords involves choosing the format the marketers want to use and selecting the relevant keywords. In this step, markets must write the headline and the text in the body along with the URL. Initially, 10 to 20 keywords are used to generate more leads and drive traffic. It has to be remembered that the URL being used for the destination and display must be from the same website.



Essential Tips For Creating An Ad Campaign On Google Adwords

Why is that site beating you on SERPs?

Are you a business owner or new to search engine optimization (SEO)? Are you wondering how and why a certain website, possibly a competitor site, is beating you? Well, this is for you. In almost every other SEO page, you will realize the question of, “why is site x doing better than mine?”


Most of those who want to learn SEO strategies will depend on website content and other online tutorials. Unfortunately, this might not wholly equip you with the strategies required. It is advised that you sign in to an online platform that offers these services to its members. Where you can ask the questions you have directly and receive answers specific to you.


What should you know concerning SEO and why that competitor site is outranking you?


First, the choice of keywords is vital. Keywords can be considered as the lifeblood of your website; it is what search engine robots use to recognize your page. The choice of keyword should be guided by ranking and competition. The best keyword is that which is high ranking and is not so competitive. Use the Google keyword tool to pick the best keyword for your site. Keyword also determines domain ranking as well as page authority; so you see, the choice of keyword is a milestone to getting it right and you stand a chance to beating your competitor sites.


The answer to this question is not just one, but can be several of them…at least from our point of view. However, out of the possible answers, only one or two are right, depending on what you are not getting right. Note; the reason why your site is not ranking high could only be know after a diagnosis by a SEO expert, or you can do it yourself after you learn SEO. Simply said; it depends on several factors to have your site rank high on Google, if you get one of these wrong, then your competitor will outrank you if they get all these factors right.


What are some of the factors that matter?


Visit duration: When a visitor lands on your page, there is a certain period of time that they will spend on your site. There are some metrics in search engines that tell the engine that this information. Note; the period of time spent on your site means that the content is relevant and useful. On the contrary, your site will have high bounce rate.


Pages per visit: If a visitor to a site visits say three pages on a site, the search engine will consider that site relevant to the search question.


On page factors: If you over use the keyword on your site, Google and the other search engines consider it as a spam, made for the search engine and note human. You can even end up being penalized for that. On page factors include descriptive titles, Meta tags, and relevant content with keyword in the H1, H2…Hn, where n is the number of headers on your content.


Others include social shareanchor text and 301 redirects.


So, to beat you competitor and rank high on Google, you may have to consult a SEO expertise and have them customize your site for you.



Why is that site beating you on SERPs?

Sample Press Releases

Sample Press Release 1


 


“6 Small Food Portioners”

• Another great product from the award winning range.

• Easy to prepare, store and serve

• Individual pots click together for easy filling and storage

• Safe to go straight from the freezer to the microware

• Special pen included for writing contents on the pot

• BPA and Toxin Free

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Brother Max is proud to introduce the Brother Max 6 Small Food Portioners.


The Brother Max 6 small food portioners are made up of individual pots that click together. Parents can un-click a pot from a batch in the freezer, defrost in microwave, serve food straight from the pot and then throw in the dishwasher.


It is easier to pour purée food straight from the pan, so the Brother Max pots click snugly together so there are no gaps for food to drop in to, and their lids stay open so they will not get in the way.


Because parents may need to transfer the frozen purée into a bowl, they can just press on the base with their thumb and it pops out easily. As frozen food all looks the same Brother Max has included a pen for writing contents straight onto each pot.


Summary of features – Food Portioners.

* Easy to prepare

* Store and serve

* Individual pots click together for easy filling and storage

* Safe to go straight from the freezer to the microware

* Special pen included for writing contents on the pot


Brother Max’s innovative solutions to the challenges of parenting are available in Specialty Baby Stores and selected national department stores. For stockist information, please contact Born with Style – 02 9969 3570


About Brother Max

Brother Max was created by a committed team of parents with over 30 years combined product innovation experience between them. As they each became mums and dads, they realised just how difficult some of the tasks facing every parent could be, so they got together in 2005 to create Brother Max Limited.

Since then they have focused on designing products exclusively for babies and toddlers which provide genuinely innovative solutions to everyday parenting challenges.

Brother Max wants to make everyday tasks simpler and less time consuming by providing parents and their little ones with easy to use, high quality, well designed products, along the way creating the most innovative baby and toddler brand in the world.

Three little words – simple clever ideas.


For further information:

Visit www.brothermax.com.au , to view 30sec movies.


 


Sample Press Release 2


“6 Small Food Portioners”

Media Contact – kevin@bornwithstyle.com.au – 02 9969 3570 www.brothermax.com.au

• Another great product from the award winning range.

• Easy to prepare, store and serve

• Individual pots click together for easy filling and storage

• Safe to go straight from the freezer to the microware

• Special pen included for writing contents on the pot

• BPA and Toxin Free

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Brother Max is proud to introduce the Brother Max 6 Small Food Portioners.


The Brother Max 6 small food portioners are made up of individual pots that click together. Parents can un-click a pot from a batch in the freezer, defrost in microwave, serve food straight from the pot and then throw in the dishwasher.


Parents have said “The little pots click on and off easily, and have easy open lids that lift up but also close firmly so her travel bag does not get messy!” Other fans of Brother Max have said, “These are really great to start the weaning for the DIY mum.”


It is easier to pour purée food straight from the pan, so the Brother Max pots click snugly together so there are no gaps for food to drop in to, and their lids stay open so they will not get in the way.


Because parents may need to transfer the frozen purée into a bowl, they can just press on the base with their thumb and it pops out easily. As frozen food all looks the same Brother Max has included a pen for writing contents straight onto each pot.


Summary of features – Food Portioners.

* Easy to prepare

* Store and serve

* Individual pots click together for easy filling and storage

* Safe to go straight from the freezer to the microware

* Special pen included for writing contents on the pot


Brother Max’s innovative solutions to the challenges of parenting are available in Specialty Baby Stores and selected national department stores. For stockist information, please contact Born with Style – 02 9969 3570


About Brother Max

Brother Max was created by a committed team of parents with over 30 years combined product innovation experience between them. As they each became mums and dads, they realised just how difficult some of the tasks facing every parent could be, so they got together in 2005 to create Brother Max Limited.

Since then they have focused on designing products exclusively for babies and toddlers which provide genuinely innovative solutions to everyday parenting challenges.

Brother Max wants to make everyday tasks simpler and less time consuming by providing parents and their little ones with easy to use, high quality, well designed products, along the way creating the most innovative baby and toddler brand in the world.

Three little words – simple clever ideas.


For further information:

Visit www.brothermax.com.au , to view 30sec movies.


Sample Press Release 3


Creative Development finds that millions of business websites are vulnerable to cyber attack

• WordPress is used by approximately 60 million websites worldwide

• Many businesses don’t update their website, because they don’t know how.

• Old WordPress installations are have security flaws

• An attack could result in their customers’ details could be stolen

• A compromised website could pass a virus on to their customers

Wordpress is the most popular Content Management System on the web. It is free to download and is a versatile and easy to use system that allows anyone to build and maintain a website. With some design changes you can build a website that looks as good as any other. It is estimated that 16% of the world’s top 1 million websites use WordPress.

However with that popularity there is a greater risk that the system will be targeted by hackers. All web platforms have vulnerabilities, and can be attacked by malicious agents. However WordPress has had some specific vulnerabilities exposed over the last few months. The system is always being updated by the WordPress group, however businesses have to update their website themselves. A lot of businesses either don’t know how to update their installation, or forget to.

This leaves their website vulnerable to attack. If the website is hacked there are a range of symptoms and side effects that can occur. The first sign, for most businesses, that their website has been hacked is when it is already too late. Google will usually post a warning in the search results, and through a user’s browser, that a website has been infected. This will warn many users away, and will cause the business to lose customers. By then the website has already been altered by the hacker, and action needs to be taken. At this point, customers’ details could be stolen, business information could be stolen, or even viruses could be passed on to anyone who visits the site.

The best remedy is to keep a WordPress installation up to date. In most cases, this can be carried out easily through the administration panel, and there are notifications that help you through the process. Some custom builds cannot be updated in this way, and require a manual upgrade. If a website is infected, the only real option is to carry out a fresh installation of the theme and the core. In some instances expert help is required.

“A WordPress expert can help a business with preventing an attack, and helping recover from an attack,” said Robert Steers, owner of Creative Development. “They can make sure an installation is up to date and has the latest protection against attack.”

“Software is available that monitors a site 24 hours a day and regular backups will help get a business running again quickly if it is attacked. No website is 100% secure from malicious agents, however vigilance is key, and a good developer can help prevent most attacks”.

About Creative Development

Creative Development is a Sydney web design and internet marketing agency. Over the last ten years we have created marketing campaigns from end to end for clients in a range of industries, from distributors to consultants, selling building products to real estate and recruitment. Their campaigns use a variety of methods, including Google Adwords, SEO, Direct Mail, Web Design and eCommerce.


Sample Press Release 4


 


“Cloud computing couldsave businesses up to $625 billion over five years”


Media Contact – rsteers@creativedevelopment.com.au – 0416360814 www.cloudaccountingaustralia.com.au

• Moves to cloud software expected to produce the next stage of growth online

• Cloud software reduces operating costs for all businesses

• Large businesses beginning to move IT licenses online

• 25% cost reductions experienced in some industries

• 70% fewer resources required to maintain cloud software vs traditional licenses

• Cloud software also brings extra benefits to users such as security and reliability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Most businesses site cost savings as a key driver for moving their software online. In some case studies there was an average savings of 25 percent across IT services which could translate to more than $125 billion per year. In several in depth surveys, it was found that cloud software also allows businesses 70 percent fewer resources to administer/run the cloud application versus traditional applications.


A recent review of case studies by Cloud Accounting Australia has found that there are far reaching benefits for moving software into the cloud or virtualising online. Trend Micro has shown how there are increased security benefits to cloud software, and IBM has shown how virtual servers can reduce operating costs for IT hardware an infrastructure.


Recently, Microsoft produced case studies that showed how cloud IT deployment and management activities can reduce the time and cost involved. Centralized systems management and application virtualization are designed to streamline IT deployment and management activities can not only save money, but free up resources to support a more agile, responsive organization.


“Cloud Software is an opportunity for small and medium businesses to use state of the art technology with very low operating costs,” said Michael Kuster, CEO of Cloud Accounting Australia. “Over the next few years, we expect to see a range of businesses reducing their operating costs by moving their bookkeeping, accounts and financial reporting online.”


About Cloud Accounting Australia


At Cloud Accounting Australia we believe that the accounting industry and what businesses expect from us as their advisors is drastically changing. The time has come where general tax compliance work is becoming a commodity and we see our clients needing us for more value added services.

With technology advancing fast and Cloud Accounting solutions now available we are able to offer our clients a much lower cost service than traditional accounting firms (with no compromise in service levels!) .

For more information on products contact us on 02 8003 7275.

For further information:

Visit www.cloudaccountingaustralia.com.au , to find out more

For press information, Robert Steers – rsteers@creativedevelopment.com.au



Sample Press Releases

Experiment your website with Google Analytics

Don’t you want to appraise and optimize your predefined goals mentioned in the Analytics account? Don’t you want the visitors to favor with better site experience? I am quite sure about your answer and thus want to introduce you with content experiments.


google-analytics-content-experiments


Content Experiment is an approach that will let you know the effectiveness of different pages and their different mishmashes in case of pulling of the goals of your Google Analytics account. This approach is able to lend a hand to you to offer superlative combinations of page layouts and designs. Content Experiment is best to use in:


• Tracking visitors activity or conversion based on random samples;

• Evaluating and contrasting the site’s performance linked with the page performances;

• Defining test criteria and size of samples.


To perform Content Experiment you have to assure that your site has the content variations and variations in pages as well to proffer to the visitors. Previous to, it’s important to warn that you haven’t missed out any important objective while setting the goals.


We are talking a lot about these so called goals. Let’s look at the most common goals used in Analytics.


1) Number of pages that a visitor should look around during their visits. Experiment on “pages per visit goals” assess that sightseers are surfing pages as much as necessary to take a conversion decision.

2) Target interval between arrival and departure of a visitor. If you have set “visit duration goals”, experiment will show you the time a visitor spends in your site. This will make sure that the pages are getting the least attention of its visitors.

3) Effectiveness of the landing pages in directing the visitors to the product pages. Setting this “URL destination goal” will permit the site manager to experiment the efficacy of the URL’s lying on the landing pages. The site manager can easily understand whether the landing page URL’s are suitable enough for the visitors to connect with the product pages (pages that will generate a conversion) with a minimal effort.

4) Setting actions (sign up, purchase etc.) that will be considered as conversion events. Experiments on “event goals” appraise the quality of landing pages in case of encouraging the visitors to perform those actions.


content_experiment


You will need to bring variety in your web pages so that the experiments can analysis different aspects and sectors, including texts, icons, layouts, images, headings etc., of the site.


The effective way of experimenting


Variation is the key to win the best combination of contents and pages through experiments. But making a lot of changes simultaneously can back fire your actions. Accordingly, you should make small changes to the pages. Consider two scenarios. The first one is you changed only the headings of all the pages and the next one is you changed the headings along with the icons for all the pages. Take for granted for the second scenario, you got a positive result due to the changes. Instantly you would have question in mind like “Who is the actual driver of this result? The icons or the headings?” If you would accept the first scenario, you could have the exact response.


From now on, as you will make small changes, be sure the visitors will be up to snuff to spot the changes. Hence, make changes that catch the visitor’s eye quickly as they open the page. Keep changing and introducing new variations, and experimenting to get to the most productive combination.



Experiment your website with Google Analytics

Test Post from Creative Development - Web Designers Sydney, SEO and Adwords Partner

Test Post from Creative Development - Web Designers Sydney, SEO and Adwords Partner http://www.creativedevelopment.com.au

Saturday, 20 April 2013

Use of Social Analytics | An American Perspective


Thinking_MatterSocial media is the way of interactions with peoples through a virtual media. These are nothing more than a collection of web based applications that allow us to share and exchange our views through these platforms.


Social media is targeted by virtual marketers largely because of its popularity to both the private and professional users. Study shows, social media sites are used two or three times more by the users than any other sites and resulting in an increase of 37 percents more times indulged on these sites by the Americans.


Whatever said, social media has a great impact on commerce & contributing to what we understand as “e-commerce”. Marketing, marketing research, communication, promotion of sales, relationship development through loyalty programs, everything is possible to accelerate through the proper implementation of social media. In fact, these platforms are the first choice to finalize any business marketing analysis. And of course, this is a more qualified, reach, accessible, & solid stage than any traditional one.


Now, getting back to the motive of writing this post. You are definitely aware about the use of social media by your business competitors. This might have forced you to think like the use of social media is out of control & on the rise, and your competitors are getting some competitive edge than yours. But it is not important that your assumptions are correct every time. And I dare to say something like that because a recent study on this issue tells quite a different story.


Recently a research was performed on top level executives of United States and Canada to review their present use of social media and its potentiality along with how the applied social media suits their ultimate goals, approaches, missions, visions, or cutting edge strategies. Beside, this research intended to find out if there is any effective ways (Analytics & AdWords, for example) known by the executives to translate social media data into actionable piece of information. Also, tracing out the availability of scientifically and logically drawn policies to maintain a path between implementing social media and their effects on the organizations day to day operations had been an inferior intention of the said study.


What the research verified, unfortunately, is quite shocking. According to the research, only 30 companies out of 100 are able to supervise and scrutinize the risks arising from their activities through social media. Out of these 30 companies, only 15% can properly illustrate the corporate performance through metrics or other analytical tools of Google Analytics.


The research found some overwhelming information also. Among the participants, only one-fourth of the top level executives have heard about, and sometimes used, different reports of Google Analytics platform. Around 60 percents executives using this channel to interact with clients, around 35 percents to research, and around 50 percents executives to advertise only.


Interpretation of these statistics shows the actual scenario of current use of social media in business organizations. No doubt, the employees especially the decision makers of an organization are at least using different social media. But what is the benefit if they don’t even have any general knowledge of what a Multi Channel Funnel or a Cost Data Metrics are? They can’t use the simplest reports like Conversion Report or Social Sources Report. So, how does this narrowed use of social media can bring optimum results?


As this survey indicates, there is serious paucity of professional social media engineers and therefore the executives are missing “expert’s guidelines”, making the use of social media only for names.


The case is so serious when the research gives the idea that about 60 percents of the executives are bringing social media into play for only personal uses. While the organizations are exposing to more risks, it’s may be the high time to think twice before applying this only for craze.



Use of Social Analytics | An American Perspective

Use of Social Analytics | An American Perspective


Thinking_MatterSocial media is the way of interactions with peoples through a virtual media. These are nothing more than a collection of web based applications that allow us to share and exchange our views through these platforms.


Social media is targeted by virtual marketers largely because of its popularity to both the private and professional users. Study shows, social media sites are used two or three times more by the users than any other sites and resulting in an increase of 37 percents more times indulged on these sites by the Americans.


Whatever said, social media has a great impact on commerce & contributing to what we understand as “e-commerce”. Marketing, marketing research, communication, promotion of sales, relationship development through loyalty programs, everything is possible to accelerate through the proper implementation of social media. In fact, these platforms are the first choice to finalize any business marketing analysis. And of course, this is a more qualified, reach, accessible, & solid stage than any traditional one.


Now, getting back to the motive of writing this post. You are definitely aware about the use of social media by your business competitors. This might have forced you to think like the use of social media is out of control & on the rise, and your competitors are getting some competitive edge than yours. But it is not important that your assumptions are correct every time. And I dare to say something like that because a recent study on this issue tells quite a different story.


Recently a research was performed on top level executives of United States and Canada to review their present use of social media and its potentiality along with how the applied social media suits their ultimate goals, approaches, missions, visions, or cutting edge strategies. Beside, this research intended to find out if there is any effective ways (Analytics & AdWords, for example) known by the executives to translate social media data into actionable piece of information. Also, tracing out the availability of scientifically and logically drawn policies to maintain a path between implementing social media and their effects on the organizations day to day operations had been an inferior intention of the said study.


What the research verified, unfortunately, is quite shocking. According to the research, only 30 companies out of 100 are able to supervise and scrutinize the risks arising from their activities through social media. Out of these 30 companies, only 15% can properly illustrate the corporate performance through metrics or other analytical tools of Google Analytics.


The research found some overwhelming information also. Among the participants, only one-fourth of the top level executives have heard about, and sometimes used, different reports of Google Analytics platform. Around 60 percents executives using this channel to interact with clients, around 35 percents to research, and around 50 percents executives to advertise only.


Interpretation of these statistics shows the actual scenario of current use of social media in business organizations. No doubt, the employees especially the decision makers of an organization are at least using different social media. But what is the benefit if they don’t even have any general knowledge of what a Multi Channel Funnel or a Cost Data Metrics are? They can’t use the simplest reports like Conversion Report or Social Sources Report. So, how does this narrowed use of social media can bring optimum results?


As this survey indicates, there is serious paucity of professional social media engineers and therefore the executives are missing “expert’s guidelines”, making the use of social media only for names.


The case is so serious when the research gives the idea that about 60 percents of the executives are bringing social media into play for only personal uses. While the organizations are exposing to more risks, it’s may be the high time to think twice before applying this only for craze.



Use of Social Analytics | An American Perspective

All I Want For Christmas: Facebook and Google’s Advertising To Copy Each Other

 


facebook and google


By some measures the Facebook advertising platform and Google Adwords are the two largest ad networks available. Their easy to use systems, and zero minimum budgets, make them appealing to almost any business. They certainly have similar claims to being able to reach the most people on the planet. However, as you examine them side by side, there are few other similarities.


Facebook’s platform appears far less transparent than Google’s. With a range of analysis options, including integrations with Analytics, and extensive documentation, Google Adwords leads the way in metrics. Facebook on the other hand provides very basic information about how and why ads are served. Adwords gives the formula for bids and the reasons for serving up front, Facebook does not offer any explanation, and when we asked one of Facebook’s own advertising reps why one particular creative was served over another identical one, he could not provide any more details.


Facebook has also been criticised for not doing enough to prevent fake or dummy clicks. Although their terms state that they are proactive with fraud prevention, almost every large campaign seems to receive a percentage of clicks from accounts that are inactive otherwise.


It is clear that they are two very different beasts, however there is a lot they could learn from each other. A lot of these issues are what hold back  traditional advertisers from using either platform.


Facebook


Time sensitive display


With Adwords you can schedule a campaign or adgroup to run within certain time periods. Facebook has ads either running or not running, and it is up to the advertiser to manually turn the ads on or off. The main benefit of time sensitive ads would be that advertisers could have more specific targeting. Within our own campaigns we know we get a particular type of user interacting at 10am on a weekday, compared to 8pm on a weekday, or 1am on a weekend.


Conversion Tracking


Right now, Facebook has no automatic conversion tracking. If you want to track the best ads for conversions outside of Facebook, you have to combine Analytics and URL tagging, which isn’t such a big issue, but it does mean more manually handling, and less real time data. Serving ads that generate revenue, rather than just likes or clicks, would be a big step forward for Facebook. It would allow advertisers to fairly compare two different campaigns on different networks.


At the moment, it seems it is unlikely to happen because almost all of Facebook’s support is towards their own platform and is away from allowing you to objectively measure any performance outside of Facebook. Almost all of the options available to advertisers are for keeping users on the site, so measuring conversions off it seems unlikely to suit their model.


Easier to understand ad serving rules


Once we ran a campaign for a client that involved serving multiple very similar ads in one location. Within a few hours two ads had the lions share of views, and the rest had none. As we were working with a Facebook account manager, I asked him why one ad would have far more clicks than another. He replied that it was because once one ad has more clicks, that ad will be served the most. We pointed out the circular logic, saying that at some point, all ads were on zero clicks, so how does the platform decide which one to serve most. He had no reply.


facebook-ad-campaign


 


Google Adwords have clear bidding and serving information. If you want to know why your ads are being served, or why they are not, there is plenty of information for you to use to get your ads up and running, or increase the number of clicks one ad gets over another. There is no such thing on Facebook.


Facebook certified partnerships/advertisers


This may be a contentious issue, and a lot of people may disagree with the way Google have created their “Professionals” program. However, right now anyone can run an ad campaign on Facebook for you, and claim to be a Faceook advertising professional. This is ultimately to the detriment of Facebook and the companies wishing to advertise. There are huge benefits to be had from integrating timeline posting apps, analytics and good Facebook ad campaigns. Yet most companies never use this, or don’t know how.


A large number of companies claim to be able to run Facebook ad campaigns, yet have no idea about URL tagging or social apps. A professionals program would promote continual education on the Facebook platform, and it would set the casual operations apart from those who want to improve performance for their clients.


facebook-professional


More detailed analytics


Facebook Insights isn’t a bad way to look at a campaign to see which of your posts has been shared. If you are interested, you can download more information from insights in the form of a CSV file. However, there is a lot of information that is missing, even just in a graphical form. Right now we can’t find an easy way to show how individual posts/ads performed (with likes, shares, interactions etc,)on each day. You can see how they performed overall, within a time period, or you can see how they performed day by day on a graph. However it is difficult to see how two ads performed against each other on a particular day, or hour.


Video Advertising


As a user of Facebook this might not be such a great idea. Video advertising could easily become the most annoying thing about Facebook, even though you can already do this using a third party App. As an advertiser though, having native Facebook video advertising would be a big plus. The reach and interest based targeting is perfect for branding, and would be great for serving 30 second ad spots. The spend for Facebook would be huge, and advertisers would be given more flexibility and information on who is playing the videos, how they are shared etc. At the moment video ads rely on posting the ad, and sponsoring the post like any other news item


facebook-video-ads


Adwords


Expanded session based targeting


Right now, Adwords have broad session based targeting that allows you to target people who have been searching for your keywords, even though they may not have actually searched for that keyword at that instant. Google Adwords already tracks which websites you view, by using Adsense ads and remarketing tags.


It would be great if the Adsense ad platform could be combined with the keyword targeting, so that the sessions based targeting could be more specific. For instance, an advertiser could say that if they have visited any of a range of websites, the ads are served.


This would allow for more targeted advertising, as you could remove people searching for news about a topic (by selecting people who have visited news.com.au etc), and add people who are searching for competitive pricing (by selecting people who have visited shopping.com.au etc). Facebook already have something like this by allowing you to target people who have not liked your page, but have liked topics similar to your product.


Interest targeting


Again, this is something that Facebook do well, but it isn’t clear if Google already do this. With their Google+ and +1 platforms, it would be great if Google could allow you to target groups of people by what they have already liked. At the moment, Google allow you to target display ads based on the website or the keyword or the subject of the website.


Images on keyword ads


This is probably a direction that Google don’t want to go in specifically, but they are already pretty much there. At the moment you have images on Google search pages because of Google+, Google Places and Google Shopping. However the standard keyword ads don’t allow images, and the display network is a separate program. Pictures of products or brand imagery would be a massive step forward for Adwords, as it would allow advertisers the flexibility to convey a lot more.


adwords-image-ads


 


It would also increase the flexibility of the ads, allowing you to focus on your brand, a special offer, a product or allow you to differentiate your ad on a new dimension.


Social news based advertising


adwords-social-advertising


This is obviously Facebook’s forte, and is something that Google are possibly attempting with their +1 program. It would be massive for news outlets and advertisers to have a feed posted directly from your website, served as an ad, and available to be shared.


This would boost Google+ users, advertisers, and the relevance and timeliness of ads. Users could see who in their circles had shared content from an ad, which would increase the likelyhood that someone would click. News outlets could promote their latest news without having to rely on SEO or their readers sharing the article from the second it is posted.


It may be the direction that Google are going in, but for now it is something that is glaringly absent from the program.


google-social-ads



All I Want For Christmas: Facebook and Google’s Advertising To Copy Each Other

Inside Google Analytics: 5 Solutions For Marketers

Google Analytics is no more a sales and conversion measuring tool. It’s a magical box that contains all the data related to your site, starting from the source of incoming traffics, the actions taken by the traffics, to where they go off and the ways to keep them bringing back to your site. This Google Analytics is nothing but a mishmash of some elegant grand analytics tools. I am talking about those features that made GA the mostly used web statistics service. Google Analytics offers five key analytical solutions to the marketers; and these are what I am going to thrash out here in brief.


Content Analytics


Content analytics is equipped to track the value of the contents; mainly in terms of conversions, visits, and the time that a visitor elapses on any particular content. A tool named Experiment, under content section, will be of your assistance to improve content quality of your site. It does so by testing different variations of contents, texts, images, headlines etc. and letting you know the best possible combinations to generate maximum conversions. Site Search is an awfully interesting reporting tool. It lists out the words or keywords that a visitor uses to search any content in your site and let you make apposite changes. You can use the In-Page Analyticsto know how the visitors navigate on your site. The Site Speed Analysis will alert you for the slow pages.


content


Conversion Analytics


This part of Google Analytics is a collection of reports to get the number of visitors you are attracting and more importantly the number of visitors generating conversions. You will only need to define the Goals; rests are the responsibility of Event Tracking. But, before that, to get the most from the visitors, use the Ecommerce Reporting to have a study on “what the customers purchase” and “why they purchase”. You can then put together a healthier portfolio of contents. The Multi-Channel Funnels is the best thing to describe about GA. MCF is highly supportive in improving the keyword coverage, conversion of inbound clicks, reaching customers at any stage of the conversion path, spotting out the most effective channels of marketing etc.


Mobile Analytics


Nowadays, mobile sites are one of the prominent additions in the field of online marketing. Google Analytics will measure the ultimate impact of mobile sites on your business. Understanding the growing importance of this concern, GA has enabled features to give the marketers an insight to discover the result of interacting through mobile devices. You will also get program development kits to delight the visitors and create a better experience on their mind.


Social Analytics


Social media is probably at its paramount level and has been targeted by the marketers. Companies around the world are stepping up toward social media marketing to get attention of communities through social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube etc. to bring traffics to the fore. How the visitors interact through media buttons (facebook like and share button, tweet button, Google +1 button etc.) has been a major phenomenon these days. The Conversions report that we outlined earlier can track the inbound links from social media buttons as well. The Social Source report presents a complete picture of the paths that a visitor took to reach through your site.


Advertising Analytics


Advertising analytics is the last broad feature to the value creation process. For advertising, the rule of thumb is that, it doesn’t mean that, if you spend more on your keywords and ads, it will give you a better result. All your success depends largely on the quality and effectiveness of your ads. GA lets you know the actual performance of all advertisements. You can now show specific ads to specific visitors through defining campaigns and target customers. So far you must have understood that Google Analytics is a platform with fully equipped tools to support your business. I will try to discuss these tools broadly in my upcoming writings.



Inside Google Analytics: 5 Solutions For Marketers

Google Analytics eCommerce Tracking

If you have an E-Commerce site, you must be using some tools to explore the opportunity of making the most out of the substitutes from the visitors. Well, I am not definite about your one, but I have an E-Commerce site and confidently I bring the Google Analytics into play. Google Analytics helps me out to track the inbound and outbound links to resolve the puzzle of “where the visitors come from” and of course, “where the visitors go after leaving our E-Commerce site”. You should also try this different E-Commerce reporting route at no cost. Let’s see how you can try this cutting edge service.


Track your campaigns activities. Custom campaign is your first footprint you will lay to track the valuable most marketing campaigns which is worked out in terms of “the most sales driving campaigns”. A very handy


URL BUILDER


tool, URL Builder, is ready to help you to design URL’s for your customized campaigns. In URL Builder, your effort will begin with entering your website URL. At the second phase you must define the referrer and campaign name (product, or slogan etc.) along with marketing medium, paid keywords, and ads differentiating contents.


When you are done, it’s time to find out the top revenue sources for your E-Commerce site. If you are logged in, go to the Top Revenue Sources panel under E-commerce of the Conversion menu. As the attachment (I haven’t illustrated my site to maintain confidentiality) shows, you will find product, category, source, conversion rate, total transactions and revenues etc. Click on any of the Top Revenue Sources panel to get your desired result. For example, assume you are using CPC, Email, & Banner as campaign medium. Now, click on the Source/Medium to get the largest revenue generating medium at top of the list.


E-Commerce


This Analytics overview report is nothing but a lifeline to help you expand your E-Commerce business. Well, this is only a summary of all the campaigns performance. Now that you want to know the upshot of any particular campaign has over a specific product, what can be done?


Wait a moment; Google Analytics will not let you down. The product performance report has enabled the preference to give you the answer. Select Product SKU as the primary dimension and Campaign as the secondary dimension. Magically this report illustrates the campaigns and products those were purchased under that campaign.


It’s not finished and yet another report is ready to lend you a hand. You can make out the campaigns that bringing most traffic inward your E-Commerce site through the Traffic Sources report in one-shot. This report will be activated when you choose Campaigns as Sources under the Traffic sources report.



Google Analytics eCommerce Tracking

Real Estate and Adwords

Countless home buyers use Google to browse for real estate information each month. Google offers a full suite of tools for real estate professionals that let you reach prospects in your region at all stages of their home search – while they’re looking for properties, checking out locations, and selecting an agent or broker. It’s how you reach more sellers, attract more buyers, and sell more homes.


Google AdWords provides effective, efficient local lead generation.


Google AdWords provide the most effective and efficient lead generation for real estate professionals. Google AdWords is the leader in cost-per-click keyword advertising because we offer a measurable, pay-for-performance solution that is 100% accountable. You determine your costs based on your own objectives. You pay only when a prospect clicks on your ad to visit your website. You get real time return on investment (ROI) with conversion tracking data. And you can modify or halt your campaign at any time.


Google can target users by location, allowing you to reach home buyers and sellers specifically within your service area(s).


Visit our Industry Knowledge Center for Real Estate for tips and success stories.


Ready to sign up? Click here to learn more about adwords and create an account, contact sales, or have one of our specialists design a campaign for you.


Make your listings more easily searchable on Google and Google Maps


Google offers a free service that lets you make your listings easier for home-buyers and real estate agents to find when they look for properties on Google.com. Over 56% of all Internet searches on “real estate” and related terms are conducted on Google and our partner sites, and the majority of those searchers are actively looking for listings or referrals to brokers and agents.


You can make sure that people can find your listings by submitting them to Google. By providing your real estate listings to Google, you will broaden your distribution and receive free traffic and leads through natural search results on Google properties. Real estate search results will be displayed on Google Maps, allowing users to immediately zero in on the neighborhoods most attractive to them. See how you can easily upload your listings for free and read what some of our real estate partners have to say about working with Google. By adding your listing information to Google, you can ensure that the right potential buyers will be able to find your properties when they’re most actively searching for a home.


Create a high performance mapping experience on your own site with the Google Maps API


You can also place interactive maps on your own website using the Google Maps API. Display your listings on detailed maps and satellite imagery and give your users a visual, intuitive way to find the property that is right for them. Also, use the Google Maps API to show the location of your office and provide directions to your door. The Google Maps API allows you to display your information with minimal effort – find out more about the Google Maps API and learn about licensed versions for Enterprise use.


Fly from space to your listings using Google Earth


Give your agents and clients the power of 3D satellite imagery with Google Earth Pro. Exceeding 200 million downloads, Google Earth has redefined the way people interact with real estate and property information. Publish your listings in Google Earth’s KML data format to expose them to a new, sophisticated audience. Also, give your company the ability to research and present property information overlaid with school districts, parks, roads and business listings. Learn more about Google Earth Pro and download a free seven day trial.


List your business where customers are searching via Google Places


Over one-third of people looking for real estate information on Google are searching for agents or brokers.4 You want your name and address to be displayed when they search. Google Places gives real estate professionals an easy way to submit business listings. Submit multiple locations with a data file and conveniently manage and control listings. Put yourself in front of your customers when they’re trying to find you.


Market and sell homes in 3D with Google SketchUp


Google SketchUp Pro is a deceptively simple, amazingly powerful tool for creating, presenting, and modifying 3D models. Model your properties in Google SketchUp and give your clients a 3D view. Enhance your website listing by using the animation capability of Google SketchUp Pro. Allow customers to freely explore the home, community and its surroundings in 3D. You can also use Google SketchUp Pro to print to high-resolution devices, place your models in Google Earth, and post them to the 3D Warehouse. Learn more and download a free 8-hour trial.


Power your business with Gmail and Google Apps


Communicating with colleagues, clients and other agents is essential to every real estate professional. Google offers a package of simple and powerful tools that you can use to communicate and collaborate more effectively, for less. Google Apps includes fully customized email addresses with plenty of storage, instant messaging, sharable calendars, tools for sharing and collaborating on documents and spreadsheets, and even collaborative wikis. What’s more, you can access these services and all of your information wherever you are — at your own desk, on other internet-connected computers, and even while you’re on the road with your mobile device. Best of all, there’s no special hardware or software required, so you can be up and running with Google Apps with minimal hassles.


Learn more and get started today.


Create a Google profile to make it easier for prospects to find you


When you’ve created a business based on your name, you want to be easily discoverable. Creating a Google profile makes it easier for prospects and partners to find you because Google profile results appear at the bottom of U.S. name-query search pages. Your profile can include photos, information about your real estate business, and ways for people to contact you. Turn on the ‘Send a message’ feature, and anyone with a Google Account can send you a message through your profile, without having your email address revealed to them. Create a Google profile.


Create a YouTube channel to showcase your listings in a dynamic format


Allow your listings to sell themselves and give home buyers the ability to pre-screen potential homes before they contact you by creating a YouTube channel. YouTube actually reaches the specific audiences you are looking to reach: real estate buyers and sellers. Did you know that YouTube viewers are 90% more likely to obtain information about real estate online than the average American?(1) Tap into this audience on YouTube and actively engage with potential home buyers and sellers in this media rich environment.



Real Estate and Adwords

The Real Adwords Dictionary

 



Our irreverent, slightly jaded, list of what Adwords terms mean.  This is 100% fictitious and meant to be funny… but probably isn’t.



  • Ad delivery – set the times you want your ad to appear, so Google can ignore it.

  • Ad rotation – set if you want Google to rotate your ads, or if you want some sitting on the bench.

  • Frequency capping – Set if you want your ads to have a limited life, so you can watch them make the most of the short time they have

  • Ad extensions – They make your ads longer

  • Ad groups – Meant to group similar keywords together, really only used as a smaller bucket than campaigns

  • Ad position – Where your ad sits in the bidding war

  • Ad Preview and Diagnosis – Find out what is killing your campaign.

  • Advanced Targeting – Found out your competitor’s IP address? Put it in here to block them from seeing your ads.

  • Analyze competition – Find our what your competitor is bidding on, before they block your IP

  • Audiences – Set up remarketing tags or audience groupings, so you can SPAM your competition.

  • Auto targets – 100000000 blogs with Adsense suddenly start displaying your ad, and only the owners click.

  • Automation – The thing you play around with, trying to bid 1000% of your budget at midday, but only end up using to reduce your budget to 0% for 3 weeks.

  • Bid – What you hope Google will charge you per click, but what really just ends up being some made up number

  • Bidding option – CPC, CPM, CPA? Again, some ficticious figures.

  • Billing – Come on, hand over your dough.

  • Campaign Bid Simulator – What Google thinks should happen if you change your bids, but really just another type of bid.

  • Campaign negative keywords – Where you don’t want your ads to appear

  • Campaign placement exclusions – Where you don’t want your ads to appear…. wait didn’t we do that already?

  • Campaigns – Just larger more complicated versions of Ad Groups

  • Change history – Where you can see all the times you had nothing better to do than fiddle.

  • Contextual Targeting Tool – Find how many pageviews some websites have, which is always good for a laugh… yeah sure, your block is 500K+ site.

  • Conversions – Where you realise you haven’t set this up correctly, and are actually counting the number of times people see your site….

  • CPC – Cost Per Click. Completely made up by Google, seriously.

  • CTR – Click through Ratio. See CPC.

  • Daily Budget – How much you want to spend per day max, which is frequently ignored by Google, really.

  • Day – A period of 24 hours, which is how long it can take to get through your month’s budget sometimes.

  • Day of the week – A specific one of the above, seen in “Dimensions”, the answer is Wednesday, always.

  • Delivery method (advanced) – Evenly spread, or accelerated, in theory it shouldn’t matter it just is how long it takes for Google to take all of your money

  • Destination URL – Where people are supposed to land on your site. Usually a product page, frequently amateurs choose the front page, no idea why.

  • Devices – iPad, iPhone, Computer? Remember no one converts from an iPhone. Really? Have you ever bought a car from your phone? No….

  • Dimensions – The area where you can see the days, months, devices that people have used to click your ads. Again, the answer is always Wednesday.

  • Display Network – An area of Google’s network that displays image/animation ads. Remember they are always “good for branding” which is code for “will never convert”

  • Experiment – want to try out something new, do it to 50% of your ads. Any relationship between this and reality is purely coincidental.

  • Filter – where you can segment your data by whatever you want. If it looks like your ads are not showing, the chances are you have set something here, and forgot about it.

  • Free clicks – Like russian unicorns. People talk about them, but no ones has seen one convert.

  • Geographic – A good segment if you are in the US, in Australia this is pretty much useless as ISPs don’t log the location of IP Addresses.

  • Google Analytics – Something that really should be connected to Adwords automatically, but isn’t. Something that, regardless, has a completely different set of data to Adwords.

  • Ideas – Where you can see how Google proposes to waste your money. Frequently proposes you should bid on “real estate” to increase your reach.

  • Impressions – Google does a good impression of an ad serving network… just watch.

  • Keyword – The search term you are bidding on, or not because that is actually “refined keyword”. Go figure.

  • Keyword matching options – Exactly what people type, or just something similar?

  • Keyword Tool – Find similar keywords

  • Labels – something no ones uses. Seriously who doesn’t understand how reporting works?

  • Languages – block ads for people who speak them. Some sort of linguistic discrimination?

  • Locations – block ads for people who live in certain areas. Some sort of Victorian discrimination?

  • Month –  a period of varying length

  • My Client Centre – A group of accounts, mostly just your friends.

  • My Product Listing Ads – Ads based on Products in Google Merchant.

  • Quality Score – Where the fairies live.

  • Sitelink –  a list of places on your site that have nothing to do with the ad, and your are only allowed one group of them.

  • Status – Green means good, red means something went wrong. Usually because you are selling a brand that has blocked advertising. Seriously, don’t sell their product.

  • View-through Conversion – Google swears someone saw your ad from somewhere else and then converted, honestly!



The Real Adwords Dictionary

Friday, 19 April 2013

The Death of a Press Release for SEO - Long Live the PR

A bit of a debate is raging across Internet land as to whether press releases (PRs) serve any kind of search engine optimization (SEO) value or not. For example, a leading manager of Google shot out his own opinion that PR statement are essentially useless for SEO result and goals, causing all sorts of consternation among businesses as to whether they should continue with related activities. Marketers large and small have responded and argued vociferously the opposite, probably to protect their own interests as much as to keep using a favorite marketing tool.


Part of understanding the debate better, and more importantly, whether it applies to a business involves understanding the SEO value of modern PR. Presumably, a release is designed with SEO to create a virtual fishing net. People read the PR, find the information useful, click on the links involved or tied to keywords, and go to the business for more information. However, the PR is also intended to increase the company’s presence on the Internet and potentially the ranking of the business’ presence on search engines. This is where things get complicated.


Google’s algorithm-makers have essentially changed the field rules of how SEO provides value to a web page. As a result, when Google managers say PR has no SEO value, what they are really saying is that PR pages are going to be ignored under Google’s page-ranking formula because they are generally deemed "cheap content." So, naturally, the question of whether PRs should be used anymore for any kind of SEO campaign is a valid one.


The answer is, yes, PRs are still useful, but they require far more work now to be useful in SEO terms. For a search engines like Google to apply any kind of value to a PR today, it needs to be far more than an obvious announcement of "buy me" or "visit my website." Instead, PRs need to be improved both in terms of context and content. The following tips explain how:



  • The PR needs to use the same language level and topic material that a target audience already, automatically uses. In other words, if a PR is aimed at getting 20-somethings to pay attention, it needs to be written to them, not Baby Boomers.

  • Keyword use needs to be far more specific now. General terms that are relied on a large, categorical catch-all SEO triggers don’t work anymore. Instead, a PR needs to use far more detailed, specific keywords associated with the product, service or idea being marketed. So if a company is putting out a press release about a new truck model, it needs to use keywords that focus on model’s name, new truck-driving advantages, and specific model features. Just using terms like "pickup truck," "SUV," or "off-road" won’t score much because the tags are too generic.

  • Marketers need to proactively get their PRs read. This means marketing the marketing, in essence. Use of social media, networking, email blasts, newsletters, backlinking and more need to be regularly used to drive traffic to the PR page. As the page itself sees more traffic, the more it will be considered useful and worth ranking by Google’s formulas.

  • Pick a good newswire for a PR release and stick with it. Instead of trying to spam every PR newswire that exists, marketers need to find the most effective one for their needs and utilize it in high concentration.

  • Provide PRs that actually have valuable, good content. Some of the best PRs today with Google’s changes can now double as mini-white papers. They address a specific topic, provide useful information, and seamlessly contain company or product information in the material without being obvious about the marketing intent. People visit the page because it has value, similar to how topic articles are used to generate traffic for a professional’s website.


Press releases still have a place in modern, Internet marketing, but the days of just slapping material together and spamming the Internet with releases are over. It’s probably a good thing too. By forcing marketers to have to generate quality material for a change, it improves the content available searched for in the aggregate.



The Death of a Press Release for SEO - Long Live the PR

What is the difference between number one and number 2 in Google?

When determining the difference between the number two and number one positions on Google, there are two different significant perspectives from which to approach this topic. The first perspective would be the difference in traffic that each position generates and the bulk of this article will be dedicated to this. The second perspective would be to view the topic from the point of the difference in the amount of work necessary to move from the number two spot to the number one spot. Ultimately the benefits of being in the number one spot will be weighed against the work, effort, time and funds it would take to achieve the move from #2 to #1.


If you own or operate a website you have heard the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which simply refers to the systematic strategies that are used to create optimal search engine results when users search keyword phrases associated with your industry or niche. The ultimate objective of SEO in to maximize page rankings during general searches.


Anyone that has tackled the SEO process understands that it impossible to tackle every angle here. The key here is to determine the benefit of being in the number one spot as opposed to the number two spot.


In the past it was postulated that there was not much difference in being in the #1 position through the #5 on Google, however, we now have a great deal more data that brings some clarity to the issue. We have now learned that there is a significant difference in being in the first position on page one of a Google search than it is being in the second position.


In a search in which the searchers are using search terms and keyword phrases that take them to the same page in which company A is in the first position and company B is in the second position, the searchers who actually click one of the first two links pick company A 3X as much as the company B.


In additional analytic research that simply takes into consideration how many times the first position is clicked opposed to the second position, the same seems to be true.


With 9,038,794 total searches and total of 4,926,623 of those searches actually clicked a linked that led them to an actual website, the second position did not fare well, receiving 3X’s less than what the first position receives.


It seems that the first position gets 42.13% while the second position gets only 11.90%. Obviously, the clicks for links in lower positions diminished drastically after the first two positions, but the distinction between positions 3-8 is not that great.


With this key piece of basic information in tow we understand that it is extremely beneficial to any website owner to be able to move from the second spot to the first spot on Google, providing that the gain in revenue would justify the cost. Let me first say that being in the second position in a general search is no short order and the owner or agency used to accomplish that feat has done a great deal of work.


What would it take to move from the number two position to the number one position on Google. There are no hard line numbers to be presented because of the complexity of SEO strategies there is no one particular way of achieving the number one position. For instance, you can use backlinking strategies and there is evidence that an increase of 100 plus backlinks that are strategically linked to high ranking websites could close the average gap between the rankings of the number one position and the number one position. There is also data there shows that variances of only 1.5% in keyword density and keyword placement could make a difference.


Something worth noting is that the company in the number two position would have to have an idea of the ranking of the company in the number one position in order to have a benchmark to obtain their goal of overtaking the first position. Also worth considering is the fact that a company that has taken the necessary measures to achieve the number one spot will not likely be resting on their laurels.


At the end of the day there is a huge difference between being in the #1 spot and the #2 spot of Google. The question then becomes: Is the time, effort, and money necessary to achieve the #1 spot worth it. It depends on whether the accumulated data available reveals that the traffic gained will translate into revenue that surpasses the expenditures to achieve it.



What is the difference between number one and number 2 in Google?

Thursday, 18 April 2013

10 Ways to Optimize a Landing Website Page

Optimizing a landing page is more than just adding bells and whistles. It involves good planning. Try the 10 tips below for better results:


1. Simplicity can sometimes communicate far better than a page packed-full of data. Overkill of content all on a page confuses a reader and blurs the direction of sight. A simple, clean format can instead direct a reader to specific menus or links while still including key SEO optimization in the actual content used. This tip is harder to implement than it sounds, however. It takes some planning to pick the right content to convey a good message, so thinking through first produces better results.


2. Always identify what the landing page is and where the reader is located in the website. Some landing pages try to obscure the real reason for the website, just focusing on trying to convert to a sale. Defining what the landing page is and for who provides clarity and allows a reader to understand the page better.


3. Don’t rely on crazy, forced gimmicks to get a reader’s attention once on the landing page. This includes those annoying popup windows, chat windows, service windows and just about anything windows. In addition, some landing pages rely on special effects, forced video and music to enhance the visit. It’s a waste of time; most readers are annoyed by anything that "takes over their computer" without their permission. Instead, give readers a choice to initiate videos and similar with obvious links on the landing page, but don’t make their play automatic.


4. Offer multiple ways for a reader to click through to a desired action. Too often landing pages only include one link for a reader to follow-through for a sale or more information. Instead, put the links in multiple places so they are easy to find, including the top and bottom of the landing page.


5. Track any information that a reader is will to give. Use of email capture, reader data capture, blogs and comment sections and similar all allow for the ability to get reader information. Registration forms for free information usually capture a number of readers since people like free stuff. This can then be used for followup marketing, newsletters, email blasts and more. It’s also important to track reader statistics. Paying attention to what is creating more traffic on a landing page is important for its success.


6. Make sure that the followup page related to a landing page with data entry is complete and gives the reader some more ways to follow up for contact, sales or whatever is expected in terms of action. Too often landing pages have a data field, get entry, and then dump the reader off on a simple thank you page with nothing else. Follow through with more offers and materials, and a landing page system can generate more actions, one after the other.


7. Test, test and test again. If you think your landing page is complete and has everything it needs, always have another party look it over. All the links should be tested to make sure everything works as intended. Not doing so means a reader can potentially find a mistake, turning the person off. Also, have folks read your web page while physically watching their eyes. This will give plenty of advice on how people see a web page what information they process first. It’s easy to tell; their eye direction versus the landing page layout will give away what is being looked at first.


8. Learn from other landing pages to get new ideas. Don’t just stick with one type of landing page. There’s no harm in finding good ideas from other websites and using them.


9. Keep the landing page design as evergreen as possible to make it long-term in use. Many businesses find they still get sales or information and contact submissions from old landing pages because new readers keep finding them. Consider a good, evergreen page a permanent fishing net; it’s always on and functioning even when everyone else is asleep.


10. Never assume any landing page is perfect. There is always room for improvement, especially as readers and customers change their tastes regularly. Creating new features on a regular basis helps attract old and new readers versus boring them.



10 Ways to Optimize a Landing Website Page

10 Ideas for How to Create Viral Website Content

Everybody with a web page wants website content that has the ability to go viral; it’s the Shangri-La gold of traffic-generating ideas. However, actually coming up with viral content is not so easy. A website owner needs to not only be able to develop the content quickly but also pick the topics that will catch people’s attention, causing them to share the information with others. Here are 10 tips that can help develop viral content:


1. Keep Tabs – To understand what make social media traffic tick, a website owner has to be paying attention to social media trends. Doing so gives a better idea over time what people are paying attention and what’s being ignored, including content type.


2. Make Content Matter – Sizable content of at least 400 words gets people’s attention enough that they are more likely to share the material. Short content tends to be ignored.


3. Good Titles are Important – Content with eye-catching titles and sub-headings tend to get more information versus just a wall of text. Titles allow a reader to easily and quickly scan material to determine its importance. When the reader finds the right part he likes, he tends to share it faster.


4. Manage Keyword Density – Nothing drives a reader away faster than content jam-packed with too much keyword density, especially when it doesn’t make grammatical sense. Proper placement of keywords in the context of the material works far better and doesn’t offend readers.


5. Include Emotions – Content that is emotional is often found to be far more interesting for readers, enough that they are willing to share it voluntarily with others. Emotional writing strikes a cord, causing people to remember specific content and value it more.


6. Pack Content with Simple Titles – Using a basic title and then supporting it with lots of good content follows a principle of "under-promise" and "deliver with gusto." Readers feel rewarded finding a content gem packed with lots of information. The opposite approach tends to let readers down, irritating them that the content didn’t live up to the hype in the title.


7. Plant, Seed and Harvest – Farmers don’t get crops sitting around wishing things to grow. They go out, till a field, seed it, and help the plants grow. Making content viral requires the same kind of effort. People need to know the content exists to find it and share it. Website owners who go to other sites and use backlinking, sharing, and regular linking where possible generate far more traffic to find content that could then go viral.


8. Get Feedback, Revise, Publish Again – Feedback tells people what they are doing right, and what’s going wrong. Based on return information, content can be improved to get a better response the next time. Mistakes can also be avoided once identified.


9. Lists and Lessons – Two formats that people like to share involve summary lists and lessons. Both provide concise packaging of information that can be quickly scanned and consumed for their salient points.


10. Do Reviews – Readers are often looking for information about things they are considering buying or trying. Reviews tend to draw readers because it offers a free snapshot of something people often have to pay for to access. Reviews can also save people money avoiding purchases for what they may eventually not actually want. As a result, they have a high potential for being shared among readers of the same mindset and opinion.


Viral content doesn’t happen automatically just following one of the above tips. Many website owners and writers often use multiple methods simultaneously to increase the change of catching readers’ attention and interests. The more triggers included, the more often people are will to carry an idea forward to their friends, which is the main goal. Once the viral effect hits, though, hold on as the traffic can be significant and immense. Then the challenge comes in trying to figure what to do with the huge response while its occurring.



10 Ideas for How to Create Viral Website Content

Ways and Methods to Reduce a Website Bounce Rate

A landing page or website’s bounce rate is a metric used to measure how many people visit a website and leave right away versus those that stick around and go through the content. This metric is often represented in the form of a percentage versus the total population of readers that visit a given website.


Reducing a site’s bounce rate often first involves understanding why their are so many visitors coming and going so quickly. Two categories of traffic often make up most of the situations.


The first seems somewhat obvious: the website has the wrong type of content on it, so no one sticks around very long to enjoy the Internet location. They don’t have a reason to explore or review the rest of the material provided. The second possibility seems a bit more like an oxymoron: people are finding exactly what they want and then leaving right away, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This just means the website is then serving its purpose very well. So understanding the nature and context of bounce rate can be just as important as wanting to change it.


If a website owner has pretty much concluded the bounce rate suffers from the first problem, the wrong content, then their are a number of ways to reduce the site’s given bounce rate and improve the "stickiness" of the revised page. These options include:



  • Get rid of any popup window features. These tools may seem like an extra way to provide content, but most readers find them completely annoying and use popup blockers to make them useless.

  • Enhance your site with more natural webpage navigation. Instead of using pre-determined click link locations, a web page can be designed with far more page navigation tools, allowing a reader to move around a website from more parts of a given web page.

  • Speed up your web page. Nothing makes people leave a web page faster than one that won’t load quickly. Readers allow an average of 4 to 5 seconds for a page to load up. If things get stuck, a site loses readers before they even digest any content.

  • Enhance a website with dynamic page design. More users are now accessing the Internet through mobile devices. However, a high number of web pages don’t cater to different screen sizes, making mobile users have to zoom to read content. With dynamic page content designs a website will know what kind of device a reader has and will deliver the appropriate screen size and format. People stick around longer because the site then caters to their reading needs.

  • Keep the ads to a minimum. Readers go to a website for content, not to read another businesses advertisement. Banner ads and similar are considered disruptive, and too much turns readers off.

  • Choose web page colors wisely. White backgrounds tend to be a common default, but many website tend to favor blue. Just don’t choose a color that blinds a reader into irritation.

  • Utilize internal search engines specific to a website. This allows people to find the content they remembered from a while back, enhancing return visits. It also allows a site owner to track which pages are bringing people back to then connect further links to it.

  • Don’t provide content as a wall of text. Frequently and liberally use titles, subtitles, and breaks in content to allow for easy scanning and reading. Even the most interesting content gets hard on the eyes without any visual breaks in the material.

  • Keep web pages focused and clutter-free. This is particularly important for web sites intended to convert interest into sales. Keep the reader focused on why the site exists and the action readers should be taking. Cluttering up a site with unrelated material causes distractions and reduces the conversion turnover desired.


The above tips should not be considered singular in nature. Many good website designers take advantage of multiple tools and methods to reduce their bounce rate and improve the readability of their websites. With combined changes, website owners should see an increase in readers’ visit time as well as longer digestion of content.



Ways and Methods to Reduce a Website Bounce Rate

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Tips on How to Increase Adwords Conversions

No matter how much money you spend on advertising, you will want to make sure that our ads are being as profitable as they are meant to be. Following are some ways in which you can increase your Google Adwords conversion rate and make the most of your advertising budget.


Determine Who to Reach


Determining who to reach is the most important aspect of drawing up a marketing strategy. It will determine which keywords you advertise for, how much you sell your products for and even how many keywords you bid for on Google Adwords.


Do some research on your target demographic to find out what they want and need. If you have been in business for some time, chances are you have seen which products are the most popular and who is buying them. Use this information to make your online advertising appeal to the people who are most likely to not only click on your ads but also buy something from you.


Make sure your price is competitive. You do not want to sell yourself short, but sometimes the Google ad conversion problem has nothing to do with ad placement and everything to do with the fact that your prices are too high. Do some market research, consider the average annual budget of the people you are trying to sell things to and price your products accordingly.


Choose the Right Keywords


Google Analytics has a helpful tool that lets you see how many companies are bidding for any given keyword. Choose keywords that are not overly competitive if you want to get noticed.


It can be a good idea to choose a number of exact match keywords and then advertise for these using the daily budget system. Google Adwords’ daily budget system enables you to put up ads in the early morning and have them automatically taken down at night, which will save you a lot of money.


Analyzing Ad Performance


After a month or so, use conversion software to determine which keywords are generating the most sales. Any ads that are doing reasonably well should be left alone. Many companies have lost a lot of money and a large number of potential customers by messing around with good ads in an attempt to make them better.


Ads that are not doing well should be taken down or tweaked. Consider not only how many sales an advertisement is generating but also clicks and leads. If an ad is not making much money but is bringing a lot of people to the site, then consider leaving it up for awhile longer. After all, if people are coming to the site and the bounce rate is not unreasonably high; chances are that these ads will, over time, generate a profit.


Site Editing


If a lot of people are clicking on a particular ad but the conversion rate is very low, then make sure the page in question works properly. If there are any glitches on the page or it is slow to load, then this will drastically lower the ad conversion rate.


If your page is working properly, then see what can be done to make the product more attractive. Consider offering a discount, or getting people who have already bought the product in question to write up positive product reviews.


It should be noted that it almost always takes time to set up a profitable Google Ads campaign. Furthermore, the job is never done, because an ad that performs well today may not perform well a month or six months from now. However, it is possible to turn a profit using this method of advertising if you do careful research beforehand.


Make sure your site is properly laid out and functioning properly and then determine who you want to sell things to and which products you want to promote. Choose keywords carefully, monitor chosen keywords to see how each one is performing and then tweak your advertising campaign as needed in order to bring in good results. Do this and your ad conversion rate is sure to increase.



Tips on How to Increase Adwords Conversions

How to Get a First Place Ranking in Google

While there are a large number of blogs and sites claiming that they can get first page Google rankings in a matter of a few weeks or months, these statements are simply untrue. Getting a first place ranking in Google takes time, effort and a lot of hard work. However, it is possible to get high rankings if one follows the steps outlined below.


Choose the Right Keyword


Choosing the right keywords makes all the difference in the world. To start with, consider what your target demographic is and what sorts of keywords they would search for online. Next, check these keywords out in Google Analytics to find out how much competition there is for any given keywords and how many people search for any particular keywords in a single day.


Choose clear keywords that directly relate to what you have to offer. These keywords may be three or four words long or as long as seven or ten words. The length of the keyword does not matter; what matters are relevance and the amount of competition that you will be up against.


Putting Keywords in the Right Place


Once you know what keywords you want to use, be sure to put them in the right place. Make sure a primary keyword is added as part of the domain name and add the keywords to the website header, footer and in title tags. You will probably also want to use your chosen keywords if you set up a Google Adwords campaign.


Getting Quality Backlinks


Getting quality backlinks to your site is important. Google has a multifaceted standard of measurement for determining how to rank any given site and way in which it determines a site’s ranking is by measuring how many quality backlinks the site has.


You can get backlinks from highly rated, relevant sites by looking up popular blogs related to your products and then leaving insightful, helpful comments on these blogs, together with your website link. You will also want to set up a Facebook business page and blog to help promote your site and get more traffic.


Use YouTube


YouTube can be a shortcut for those who want to get high rankings for free. Google owns YouTube and often automatically gives relevant YouTube videos first page ranking. If you have added your website URL in the video description section, chances are that YouTube can boost your site’s rankings dramatically and help you generate a lot of site traffic.


The video does not have to be long or complex, but it should have clear sound and picture. It should also have highly relevant tags to make it search engine friendly.


Local Optimization


Local optimization is a particularly good option for any business that caters to a particular city or state. While there are some things that can be sold both online and offline, a lot of people search for local products and services on a daily basis.


You can optimize your site on a local level by signing up for Google places, submitting your site to local business directories and putting your company address on Google Maps. Using Foursquare is also a good idea; this specialized social media site gets millions of visitors every single month and is used by those who want to find a local business that is offering a good deal on any given item.


These are some basic ways in which you can, over time, get first place Google rankings for your site. While these tips will take time to put into place, they do not cost a lot of money to implement and are tried and proven ways in which you can boost your Google search engine rankings.


While there is no magic formula for online success, you will increase your chances of success dramatically if you put a priority on making your site search engine friendly. A site that is high quality and properly optimized will, over time, attract an ever-growing number of visitors and earn a high ranking on Google and other major search engines.



How to Get a First Place Ranking in Google

Web Development as a Career

Take a moment to look at the screen around the words you are reading. Look at the colors, designs, images, video capsules and how they’re placed. You are looking at a webpage made by a professional web developer. Web development is a growing field where you can flex your creative muscles and yet not be a starving artist.


Thousands of business websites launch every year but not all of them gain traffic. As a web developer, your job is to make your clients’ websites stand out from the crowd. You want to get as many eyeballs as possible to look at your clients’ websites. This is not only an art but an evolving science.


What Does a Web Developer Do?


Web developers do a wide variety of jobs for their clients, but basically it comes down to:



  • Making new websites

  • Revamping existing websites

  • Maintaining websites


Although those are the main three jobs of a web developer, a lot of steps go into creating, revamping and maintaining websites. Specific jobs include:



  • Running websites on different browsers

  • Website security and general bug fixing

  • Choosing graphics, colors and fonts

  • Adding new content and any links to that new content

  • Finding the right web applications for websites

  • Learning various mark-up languages like HTML, XHTML, PHP and CSS

  • Learning design software like Photoshop or Dreamweaver

  • Making the website function smoothly on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.


Where Do Web Developers Work?


Web developers encounter many different job environments. Some web developers work from home while others work in a traditional office. You may get paid a regular salary or only get paid after each job. Web developers may work with an established internet marketing company or do solo work as a freelancer. Anywhere you can find an Internet connection can turn into your workplace.


Some web developers may have to travel extensively, depending if their bosses or their clients require it. Web developers working as consultants may do the most travel. Even in this age of Skype and videoconferencing, there’s nothing like being able to meet a client face to face.


Required Training


Although you do not have to have a degree in order to work as a web developer, degrees make you more attractive to employers. Major in any computer-related field like computer science or information technology. You can take online courses for a certification in web design and development.



Web Development as a Career

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

5 Smart Ideas on How You Can Build Customer Loyalty Online

Building a successful business requires a great deal of planning, investing, researching and plain hard work. Attracting customers to your business is the first step towards helping your company to grow. Building customer loyalty will solidify your growth efforts.



Connecting with your customers is a must for building loyalty. This requires that you work on strengthening your business relationships through regular communication. The Internet and mobile phone connections offer many opportunities to stay in touch with your customers. You can utilize these means to develop a marketing strategy that will encourage greater customer patronage and loyalty. The following provides some ideas on how to use online services to help you increase customer loyalty.



Blogs



Business blogs offer great opportunities to connect with your clientele. Through a well maintained blog, your customers can stay informed of your latest products and services at a glance, which can save them time and effort in looking for what they need. Blogs can serve many useful purposes that will benefit your clientele. You can pass on valuable information to your customers about your business niche by posting well written articles on your site. Customers with special interest in your line of work will appreciate useful information that you share. You can even invite customers to comment on any of the articles posted to encourage interaction between you and other customers with the same interests. This can help promote a closer knit community among your loyal clientele.



Social Networks



Through the use of social networks, you can keep in touch with your customers anytime, anywhere and encourage two-way communications. Three popular networks that you can consider using are Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Choose the site or sites that are more relevant to your particular business. Through these medium, you can attract customer attention to product promotions, special discounts, current events, incentive programs, etc. that your company has to offer. You can also encourage customer participation in posting comments about products and services they have received.



Emails



Emails have long been used in marketing campaigns to attract new clientele. They are also an extremely effective means of building customer loyalty. By sending short email newsletters to your regular customers, you can keep them updated on your latest products and projects as well as offer special discounts and deals that will whet their appetite for more. Many customers look forward to seasonal or promotional deals at certain times of the year as well as discounts for special occasions. Your follow-up could be just the reminder they need to reconnect with your business and avail themselves of all that you have to offer.



Texting



When used properly, mobile phone texting can be a great marketing tool. It enables you to connect instantly with former customers and keeps you at the forefront of their mind. You can use short, concise messages to notify customers of upcoming sales, discounts and rebates. Encourage customers to sign up instantly for incentive programs that provide special bonuses, promotional deals or free giveaways by answering your text right away. By researching your company’s product sales records, you’ll have a better idea of what products customers are interested in to get them coming back for more.



Video Marketing


This is an area that has seen extensive growth in recent years and with good reason. Through video marketing, you can connect with existing customers by providing informational and how to videos on whatever products or services they need. Your videos should provide substance and value to your clientele, demonstrating your experience and credibility in your field. This will encourage them to seek your valuable products and services when they have need.



When it comes to strengthening customer relationships, do remember that a major factor in building customer loyalty is trust. Customers appreciate doing business with a company that provides quality products and services and has their best interests at heart. By establishing a business relationship based on mutual respect and trust, you can count on a solid customer base where loyalty continues to grow.



5 Smart Ideas on How You Can Build Customer Loyalty Online