By Michael Fleischner | Marketing Expert, Internet Marketing Secrets*
The success of your email marketing campaign is often based on a set of complex factors. However, a number of these issues can be proactively managed to ensure an optimized response. When developing your next email campaign, consider the following guidelines.
1. Your list. Certainly one of the most important aspects of any email marketing campaign, your list is directly correlated to your success. Are your names recent? Have they agreed to be marketed to? Have they shown an interest in products or services similar to your own? Make sure that you are using a house list (names you collected on your own) or have been purchases from a reputable broker.
2. Your subject line. Getting a user to open your message is paramount any email marketing campaign. The best way to determine the subject line that works best is to break your emails into three random yet equal groups. Measure the response to each email and use the highest producing one as your control. In follow up emails, try to beat the response rate of your control email.
3. Your sender information. What information appears on the sender line of your email? Will your prospects recognize it? Do they want to hear from you? Often times, emails are deleted without ever being opened due to an indiscernible sender name. Your sender name should be brief and easily understood.
4. Track your results. Tracking allows you to determine who opened your message and clicked on a link or multiple links within your email. By determining what worked and what didn't, you can replicate success on your next email. As described above, tracking is particularly important when testing subject lines, imbedded links, and other direct response vehicles.
5. Make sure your unsubscribe method is in place and working. The CAN-SPAM act of 2003 requires that all email messages contain clear directions on how to opt-out from subsequent mailings. Provide an unsubscribe mechanism that allows those receiving your email to send you and email and indicate their desire to opt-out from receiving further emails from you or your business. If recipients no longer want to hear from you, it's in your best interest to remove them from your list.
6. Your images are correctly referenced and you've used alt tags in each image. Improperly referencing your images can cause them to appear broken when you send your message - the dreaded red x. To insure the image is referenced correctly it must appear as, img src="http://www.yourdomain.com...." rather than, img src="/images/picture.jpg". Alt tags are another important part of your images. The new security features on almost every email client these days disables images automatically. Having alt tags in place allow your reader to identify the image and determine if it is safe to enable.
7. Test, Test, Test! No matter what your involvement with email marketing happens to be, it is essential that you follow the guidelines above for successful results. In addition, the key is to test, test, test! After each email campaign, measure your opens, click-throughs, and purchases. Document the specific date, time, list, subject line, and content used to produce your results. Refer back to your documentation prior to your next campaign.
Email doesn't have to be a complex form of marketing. There are many best practices you can follow and some simple rules that ensure effectively delivery, open and conversion. By following the simple rules presented in this article, you'll not only deliver and effective email campaign, you'll discover a consistent method for generation revenue for your business.
* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit MarketingScoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, or more FREE reprint articles.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Is Social Media Free?
By: Joseph Kiefer
It is hard to read any marketing publication these days without getting another heavy dose of social media information. This is to be expected with such a new medium and with a large group of people trying to "figure it out".
The information I have gained from my marketing news sources has quickened the learning curve for me, but I think there is a misrepresentation being spread about social media at the same time. Before testing the social media waters I was under the impression that social media would be an addition to my marketing mix that was inexpensive or even free. What Marketing Director doesn't like that type of additional marketing? The problem, however, is that the more I have researched social media I have found this to be innaccurate.
The out of pocket cost for having a twitter account, starting a blog or creating a facebook page may be $0, but the real expense comes in the form of opportunity cost and time. The key to social media is relevancy and timeliness. If you are adding relevant information and adding to the community you will exponentially increase your chance of success in social media. If you join communities just to market or join communities, but don't interact, you will not get anything out of the experience.
That being said, you can't add to the community without committing your time to the experience. I joined twitter and started this blog thinking that I should be able to handle that along with my normal marketing responsibilities. I quickly realized that social media is much more time consuming then I had originally anticipated.
My experience has been great, but it comes at the cost of time I could have been analyzing direct mail data, changing marketing copy, designing e-mail creative... Where is my time best spent? I think they are all important activies, so the appropriate solution would be to hire more help. Now I am looking at social media costs in the form of additional labor costs. For many of us in the marketing world or just the business world in general a new hire is hard to justify in the current economic mess we find ourselves in.
Will the hire be worth it, can you handle the additional tasks yourself, is social media going to benefit your bottom line? These are all questions you will have to answer for you and your company, but know going in that free social media is a myth. Only looking at the true costs of the experience will you be able to determine if it is a success for your company. I hope you decide to take part in the social media blitz going on and I look forward to reading your contributions.
It is hard to read any marketing publication these days without getting another heavy dose of social media information. This is to be expected with such a new medium and with a large group of people trying to "figure it out".
The information I have gained from my marketing news sources has quickened the learning curve for me, but I think there is a misrepresentation being spread about social media at the same time. Before testing the social media waters I was under the impression that social media would be an addition to my marketing mix that was inexpensive or even free. What Marketing Director doesn't like that type of additional marketing? The problem, however, is that the more I have researched social media I have found this to be innaccurate.
The out of pocket cost for having a twitter account, starting a blog or creating a facebook page may be $0, but the real expense comes in the form of opportunity cost and time. The key to social media is relevancy and timeliness. If you are adding relevant information and adding to the community you will exponentially increase your chance of success in social media. If you join communities just to market or join communities, but don't interact, you will not get anything out of the experience.
That being said, you can't add to the community without committing your time to the experience. I joined twitter and started this blog thinking that I should be able to handle that along with my normal marketing responsibilities. I quickly realized that social media is much more time consuming then I had originally anticipated.
My experience has been great, but it comes at the cost of time I could have been analyzing direct mail data, changing marketing copy, designing e-mail creative... Where is my time best spent? I think they are all important activies, so the appropriate solution would be to hire more help. Now I am looking at social media costs in the form of additional labor costs. For many of us in the marketing world or just the business world in general a new hire is hard to justify in the current economic mess we find ourselves in.
Will the hire be worth it, can you handle the additional tasks yourself, is social media going to benefit your bottom line? These are all questions you will have to answer for you and your company, but know going in that free social media is a myth. Only looking at the true costs of the experience will you be able to determine if it is a success for your company. I hope you decide to take part in the social media blitz going on and I look forward to reading your contributions.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Making Money Online with Google AdSense
By Michael Fleischner | Marketing Expert, Internet Marketing Secrets*
Many marketing professionals are using Google to place targeted ads in front of prospective customers. This is increasingly effective due to the highly targeted nature of Google AdWords. Google AdSense, the other side of the online advertising equation, allows website owners to make money by provided contextually targeted ads to their website traffic.
Providing targeted ads to your online visitors creates a better user experience and communicates your knowledge of the audience you serve. Google AdSense automatically delivers text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site and your site content through the Google AdSense advertising system.
If you're involved with an affiliate program such as commission junction, you know that signing up with, and maintaining relationships with advertisers is a full-time job. With Google AdSense, Google manages the relationships with advertisers for you, making the process simple and easy to manage. Once you place the appropriate code on your website, the AdSense program requires basically no maintenance.
How You Make Money
When you display Google ads on your website, you create the potential to generate revenue. Google places relevant cost-per-click and cost per thousand impressions ads into a real-time auction and lets multiple advertisers compete against one another for displaying their ad. The auction takes place instantaneously and when it's over AdSense automatically displays the text or image ads that will generate the maximum revenue for a given page, resulting in the maximum revenue for a web site owner.
Ads Are Updated When Your Content Changes
Google AdSense technology analyses the content of your web pages and delivers ads that are relevant automatically, no matter how many pages of content your site may have. As your content changes, Google's ads change to match.
Google Ads Can be Customized in Look and Feel
AdSense allows you to customize the appearance of your ads to fully match the look and feel of your site. As of the writing of this article, Google AdSense provides more than 200 colors and 24 pre-set color palettes to choose from. Additionally, you can create and save your own custom palettes using a point-and-click color selection tool which is relatively simple to use. This ensures a consistent user experience for those browsing your web site.
Track Your Earnings Online
The key to making money with Google AdSense is to monitor your ad performance with customizable online reports. These reports are available online and offer details regarding the number of page impressions delivered, clicks, and click-through rate. You can also track the performance of specific ad formats, colors and pages, allowing you to spot trends quickly and easily. The reporting tool lets you group your web pages however you want, so you can gain insight into your earnings by viewing results by URL, domain, ad type, and category. When you spot revenue trends, develop more content for your site in the areas that produce the highest Google AdSense revenue.
If you are interested in getting started as a Google AdSense publisher, just go to your web browser and type in Google AdSense. You'll find information about the program and a link to the program registration form. Signing up is pretty easy. It only takes a few minutes to apply online for both content and search ads. Once you're approved, you simply need to log in to your account, copy and paste a block of HTML code into your existing ad server or directly into any of your web pages. Relevant ads start to appear on your web pages right away, and you start making money from the first impression or click.
Be sure to evaluate the effectiveness of your program at least once per week. Doing so allows you to determine what type of content is driving the largest percentage of your online advertising revenue. As mentioned previously, when developing new content for your site, be sure to focus on the areas that are driving the greatest ad revenue as indicated by your online Google AdSense reports.
* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit Marketingscoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, Marketing Blog Directory, and more FREE reprint articles.
Many marketing professionals are using Google to place targeted ads in front of prospective customers. This is increasingly effective due to the highly targeted nature of Google AdWords. Google AdSense, the other side of the online advertising equation, allows website owners to make money by provided contextually targeted ads to their website traffic.
Providing targeted ads to your online visitors creates a better user experience and communicates your knowledge of the audience you serve. Google AdSense automatically delivers text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site and your site content through the Google AdSense advertising system.
If you're involved with an affiliate program such as commission junction, you know that signing up with, and maintaining relationships with advertisers is a full-time job. With Google AdSense, Google manages the relationships with advertisers for you, making the process simple and easy to manage. Once you place the appropriate code on your website, the AdSense program requires basically no maintenance.
How You Make Money
When you display Google ads on your website, you create the potential to generate revenue. Google places relevant cost-per-click and cost per thousand impressions ads into a real-time auction and lets multiple advertisers compete against one another for displaying their ad. The auction takes place instantaneously and when it's over AdSense automatically displays the text or image ads that will generate the maximum revenue for a given page, resulting in the maximum revenue for a web site owner.
Ads Are Updated When Your Content Changes
Google AdSense technology analyses the content of your web pages and delivers ads that are relevant automatically, no matter how many pages of content your site may have. As your content changes, Google's ads change to match.
Google Ads Can be Customized in Look and Feel
AdSense allows you to customize the appearance of your ads to fully match the look and feel of your site. As of the writing of this article, Google AdSense provides more than 200 colors and 24 pre-set color palettes to choose from. Additionally, you can create and save your own custom palettes using a point-and-click color selection tool which is relatively simple to use. This ensures a consistent user experience for those browsing your web site.
Track Your Earnings Online
The key to making money with Google AdSense is to monitor your ad performance with customizable online reports. These reports are available online and offer details regarding the number of page impressions delivered, clicks, and click-through rate. You can also track the performance of specific ad formats, colors and pages, allowing you to spot trends quickly and easily. The reporting tool lets you group your web pages however you want, so you can gain insight into your earnings by viewing results by URL, domain, ad type, and category. When you spot revenue trends, develop more content for your site in the areas that produce the highest Google AdSense revenue.
If you are interested in getting started as a Google AdSense publisher, just go to your web browser and type in Google AdSense. You'll find information about the program and a link to the program registration form. Signing up is pretty easy. It only takes a few minutes to apply online for both content and search ads. Once you're approved, you simply need to log in to your account, copy and paste a block of HTML code into your existing ad server or directly into any of your web pages. Relevant ads start to appear on your web pages right away, and you start making money from the first impression or click.
Be sure to evaluate the effectiveness of your program at least once per week. Doing so allows you to determine what type of content is driving the largest percentage of your online advertising revenue. As mentioned previously, when developing new content for your site, be sure to focus on the areas that are driving the greatest ad revenue as indicated by your online Google AdSense reports.
* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit Marketingscoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, Marketing Blog Directory, and more FREE reprint articles.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Start Your SEO Campaign With On Page Optimization
By Michael Fleischner
Succeeding with search engine optimization is a function of understanding the basics. Search engine optimization consists of two different disciplines. The first is called on page optimization, what you do on your web pages to succeed, and off page optimization. By mastering both of these areas of optimization, you can have search engine success.
In order to be successful with your search engine optimization efforts long term, you should always start with on page optimization techniques. On page optimization refers to everything related to your actual web site and web pages from a search engine optimization perspective. This includes factors like web site age, URL, Meta tags, on page links, etc. It's important that you start with on page optimization because it ensures that your pages will be fully recognized by search engines.
The place to start when thinking about on-page optimization is with URLs and the overall structure of your web site. The reason we want to start here is because the URL is one of the most visible aspects of a web site. However, I would caution you about putting too much emphasis on the domain name as that is only part of the on-page optimization game. It definitely helps with Yahoo and MSN but not as much with Google.
A really good manner in which to implement a sub-domain strategy is by evaluating your keywords and identifying a small handful of sub-domains to implement. Select your most important keywords to set up as sub-domains and focus your efforts on a top level domain with direct links to your subdomains. This ensures that your sub-domains are crawled on a regular basis and appear within search results.
While considering the subdomain strategy, you can also implement another URL strategy that is equally as effective. Although it's been debated in search engine optimization circles, I've implemented both a sub-domain strategy as well as the following strategy and they are equally effective. Instead of implementing a subdomain simply create a page that includes your keyword as part of the url. For example: yoursite.com/yourkeyword where your key word is the actual keyword or keyword phrase you are trying to optimize for.
Your website url is only one of may on-page optimization factors you should be paying attention to. When I'm asked which factors are the most important to any search engine optimization effort, I usually emphasis clean code and fast load times. Search engines like Google want to make sure browsers have a good experience. If they started serving up really bad web sites in the number of ranking, you wouldn't be using their search engine. Check your site for coding errors and measure how long it takes for the pages to load.
Once you've covered on page optimization attributes associated with a high ranking web site, you should focus on off page optimization. Off page optimization is really a function of how the search engines see your site and how other web pages link to your own site. Off page optimization is often equated to link building as building external links to your site is at the core of search engine optimization.
Begin your search engine optimization efforts by focusing on on-page optimization. This creates a very strong foundation that you can build on for years to come. After that foundation is set, focus on off-page optimization techniques. These tactics can vary over time but should always include some type of link building effort. As you create more inbound links, your search engine results will continually improve.
Seeking help with your SEO? Discover how to Improve Search Engine Rankings in less than 36 hours with our helpful SEO guide. Also, be sure to check out our latest review of today's leading SEO software by visiting our SEO Elite Software Review.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Succeeding with search engine optimization is a function of understanding the basics. Search engine optimization consists of two different disciplines. The first is called on page optimization, what you do on your web pages to succeed, and off page optimization. By mastering both of these areas of optimization, you can have search engine success.
In order to be successful with your search engine optimization efforts long term, you should always start with on page optimization techniques. On page optimization refers to everything related to your actual web site and web pages from a search engine optimization perspective. This includes factors like web site age, URL, Meta tags, on page links, etc. It's important that you start with on page optimization because it ensures that your pages will be fully recognized by search engines.
The place to start when thinking about on-page optimization is with URLs and the overall structure of your web site. The reason we want to start here is because the URL is one of the most visible aspects of a web site. However, I would caution you about putting too much emphasis on the domain name as that is only part of the on-page optimization game. It definitely helps with Yahoo and MSN but not as much with Google.
A really good manner in which to implement a sub-domain strategy is by evaluating your keywords and identifying a small handful of sub-domains to implement. Select your most important keywords to set up as sub-domains and focus your efforts on a top level domain with direct links to your subdomains. This ensures that your sub-domains are crawled on a regular basis and appear within search results.
While considering the subdomain strategy, you can also implement another URL strategy that is equally as effective. Although it's been debated in search engine optimization circles, I've implemented both a sub-domain strategy as well as the following strategy and they are equally effective. Instead of implementing a subdomain simply create a page that includes your keyword as part of the url. For example: yoursite.com/yourkeyword where your key word is the actual keyword or keyword phrase you are trying to optimize for.
Your website url is only one of may on-page optimization factors you should be paying attention to. When I'm asked which factors are the most important to any search engine optimization effort, I usually emphasis clean code and fast load times. Search engines like Google want to make sure browsers have a good experience. If they started serving up really bad web sites in the number of ranking, you wouldn't be using their search engine. Check your site for coding errors and measure how long it takes for the pages to load.
Once you've covered on page optimization attributes associated with a high ranking web site, you should focus on off page optimization. Off page optimization is really a function of how the search engines see your site and how other web pages link to your own site. Off page optimization is often equated to link building as building external links to your site is at the core of search engine optimization.
Begin your search engine optimization efforts by focusing on on-page optimization. This creates a very strong foundation that you can build on for years to come. After that foundation is set, focus on off-page optimization techniques. These tactics can vary over time but should always include some type of link building effort. As you create more inbound links, your search engine results will continually improve.
Seeking help with your SEO? Discover how to Improve Search Engine Rankings in less than 36 hours with our helpful SEO guide. Also, be sure to check out our latest review of today's leading SEO software by visiting our SEO Elite Software Review.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
How To Find SEO Consultants Who Get Results
By Michael Fleischner
If your web site is a major source or revenue, or could be, then you should have a formal search engine optimization program that monitors and improves rankings on a daily basis. Now you might be thinking that you don’t have the resources necessary to implement a productive SEO program, but the costs of not doing so are significant.
Starting an SEO program for your business is easier than you think. There are numerous SEO consultants and experts that can show you how to radically improve your rankings for much less than you might think. In fact, many search engine optimization consultants can save you significant dollars if managed properly.
Getting the most from your SEO consultant requires a number of considerations. I have found that the most productive engagements around optimization and SEO all have these same factors in common. By adhering to these principals, mutual expectations are set and each party has a clear understanding of what is being delivered by whom.
The first step is finding a credible source. There are many people out there who claim to be search engine optimization experts but have nothing to show for it. Find a legitimate company, ask for references, or find someone who has a proven track record and is an authority on the topic. A good bet is to find someone who has achieved number one rankings for their website or the web sites of their clients.
The second step is to mutually agree upon what’s being delivered. Most clients feel that by paying a search engine optimization consultant a sum of money that their site is going to instantly rank number one on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. I can tell you first hand that‘s not the case. The purpose of an seo consultant is to help you construct an effective strategy for the long term optimization of your web site.
The third and final step is to assemble a team to work with the consultant and implement his findings. Seventy percent or so of the companies I’ve worked with were very interested in learning how to optimize their websites but couldn’t or weren’t willing to follow through on what it takes to succeed. Commit time and resources dedicated to implementing the consultant’s finding and you will see the true value of your investment.
Whether you’re launching new website or trying to improve the rankings of an existing site, it’s important that you find a reliable resource that can help you succeed. Define what success looks like for both you and the consultant you will be working with. By doing so, you’re creating a mutual understanding of the work that’s being done and clearly understand what it means to your business.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program and SEO Elite Software Review at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
If your web site is a major source or revenue, or could be, then you should have a formal search engine optimization program that monitors and improves rankings on a daily basis. Now you might be thinking that you don’t have the resources necessary to implement a productive SEO program, but the costs of not doing so are significant.
Starting an SEO program for your business is easier than you think. There are numerous SEO consultants and experts that can show you how to radically improve your rankings for much less than you might think. In fact, many search engine optimization consultants can save you significant dollars if managed properly.
Getting the most from your SEO consultant requires a number of considerations. I have found that the most productive engagements around optimization and SEO all have these same factors in common. By adhering to these principals, mutual expectations are set and each party has a clear understanding of what is being delivered by whom.
The first step is finding a credible source. There are many people out there who claim to be search engine optimization experts but have nothing to show for it. Find a legitimate company, ask for references, or find someone who has a proven track record and is an authority on the topic. A good bet is to find someone who has achieved number one rankings for their website or the web sites of their clients.
The second step is to mutually agree upon what’s being delivered. Most clients feel that by paying a search engine optimization consultant a sum of money that their site is going to instantly rank number one on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. I can tell you first hand that‘s not the case. The purpose of an seo consultant is to help you construct an effective strategy for the long term optimization of your web site.
The third and final step is to assemble a team to work with the consultant and implement his findings. Seventy percent or so of the companies I’ve worked with were very interested in learning how to optimize their websites but couldn’t or weren’t willing to follow through on what it takes to succeed. Commit time and resources dedicated to implementing the consultant’s finding and you will see the true value of your investment.
Whether you’re launching new website or trying to improve the rankings of an existing site, it’s important that you find a reliable resource that can help you succeed. Define what success looks like for both you and the consultant you will be working with. By doing so, you’re creating a mutual understanding of the work that’s being done and clearly understand what it means to your business.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program and SEO Elite Software Review at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Top 5 Search Engine Ranking Factors: Pay Attention!!!
By Michael Fleischner
As someone who makes a living improving search engine rankings, I can tell you that there is a lot of bad information out there about SEO. What if I were to tell you that the road map for achieving top rankings was within your grasp? The holy grail of rankings is not imaginary. As is true with any major success, it leaves clues.
By working with literally hundreds of small and medium sized websites, I have found that top ranked sites have a number of factors in common. What are they? I’m about to share these factors with you and explain what separates those in the top Google positions and those that are never found on page one of search results.
The first search engine ranking factor has to do with the anchor text of all inbound links to your website. Google and other search engines use the anchor text from other sites linking in to determine what your site is about and what it should rank well for. If websites link in only using a URL, and not your keywords in the anchor text, email them and ask them to update your link. The link should always appear with your most important keywords.
The second most important ranking factor is using keywords in your title tag and other meta tags. Meta tags still have an impact on your search rankings. Although the weight of meta tags may be minimal, they are effective in categorizing your page and identifying what search engines should expect to find when they spider web site pages. Make sure your tags are constructed properly and include you keywords.
The third ranking factor to consider for your web site is link popularity. This phrase has been talked about in search engine circles for a while but can be equated with Page Rank. The concept of Page rank or link popularity for that matter take a number of factors into consideration to identify the quality of web pages from an external perspective. The largest factor that influences search engine rankings is the number and quality of links that are pointing to a web site or web page.
The fourth ranking factor is the diversity of domains that link to your web site. For many search engines, it’s not only what links you have to your site but making sure they are from different domains. This represents more popularity associated with you web site and therefore is judged to be a better search result. When link building, try to focus on generating inbound links from different websites.
The final ranking factor is keyword use in root domain. Although it's possible to use subdomain or dedicated pages to get your keywords in a URL, nothing beats having them in your root domain.
All of these factors are important for top search rankings. Don’t overlook any of them if trying to improve your search rankings for particular keywords or keyword phrases. Also, be sure to continually read up on the subject or consider any one of a number of SEO training programs that can show you how to have more impact with your optimization efforts.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
As someone who makes a living improving search engine rankings, I can tell you that there is a lot of bad information out there about SEO. What if I were to tell you that the road map for achieving top rankings was within your grasp? The holy grail of rankings is not imaginary. As is true with any major success, it leaves clues.
By working with literally hundreds of small and medium sized websites, I have found that top ranked sites have a number of factors in common. What are they? I’m about to share these factors with you and explain what separates those in the top Google positions and those that are never found on page one of search results.
The first search engine ranking factor has to do with the anchor text of all inbound links to your website. Google and other search engines use the anchor text from other sites linking in to determine what your site is about and what it should rank well for. If websites link in only using a URL, and not your keywords in the anchor text, email them and ask them to update your link. The link should always appear with your most important keywords.
The second most important ranking factor is using keywords in your title tag and other meta tags. Meta tags still have an impact on your search rankings. Although the weight of meta tags may be minimal, they are effective in categorizing your page and identifying what search engines should expect to find when they spider web site pages. Make sure your tags are constructed properly and include you keywords.
The third ranking factor to consider for your web site is link popularity. This phrase has been talked about in search engine circles for a while but can be equated with Page Rank. The concept of Page rank or link popularity for that matter take a number of factors into consideration to identify the quality of web pages from an external perspective. The largest factor that influences search engine rankings is the number and quality of links that are pointing to a web site or web page.
The fourth ranking factor is the diversity of domains that link to your web site. For many search engines, it’s not only what links you have to your site but making sure they are from different domains. This represents more popularity associated with you web site and therefore is judged to be a better search result. When link building, try to focus on generating inbound links from different websites.
The final ranking factor is keyword use in root domain. Although it's possible to use subdomain or dedicated pages to get your keywords in a URL, nothing beats having them in your root domain.
All of these factors are important for top search rankings. Don’t overlook any of them if trying to improve your search rankings for particular keywords or keyword phrases. Also, be sure to continually read up on the subject or consider any one of a number of SEO training programs that can show you how to have more impact with your optimization efforts.
Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more about Michael's hands-on SEO training program, Internet Marketing Forum, and SEO consulting at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Entrepeneurs Strength and Curse
Marketing Scoop
by David Mammano
Bringing New Products to Market
Otherwise known as the idea train, an entrepreneurs' way if thinking is her biggest strength and, if not carefully managed, could be her biggest curse.
I probably have a new idea every day. And at the time I have it, I usually get so excited that I think it's the next best thing. In mind, at that time, I have just made Steve Jobs look like an amateur.
Ok Dave - whatever...
But, at the same time, some of my ideas are pretty good. I wouldn't have a successful business if they weren't. And of course, some of my ideas are....let's say, put on hold.
If I actually acted on all my ideas, my company would have imploded a long time ago. One can stretch a company too thin where it begins to lose focus. I started in this direction a few years ago. A member of my team made a comment to me that was very enlightening. She said, "I feel as though lately we are growing like a shrub instead of a tree."
It was a very powerful statement and made me think about pruning the shrub so we can grow like a tree again. And we have.
Now when I have ideas, I present them to my managers first to flesh them out. This can be a frustrating experience because entrepreneurs and managers think differently, thank God. If he's smart, the entrepreneur has surrounded himself with detailed managers who can say no to him when appropriate. Most entrepreneurs don't like their ideas to be grilled and possibly put on hold or nixed for the benefit of the company. So, he will give his managers the right to set him straight if the idea is not the best for the company at that time; or needs to be altered/killed.
Of course, I can do whatever I want within my own company. But in my mind, it's not my own company. If I don't have the buy in from management and the rest of the team the idea will never take shape.
So here is my 10 step plan on how to entrepreneurs can deal with their ideas:
1) Marry well. Your spouse should be the first one to tell you if the idea has merit or if you're smoking something. You can save your team a lot of time if your spouse can nix the idea first. My wife has a special talent to see through my special"forest" and if I am in "DaveLand" with one of my ideas, she'll let me know. "DaveLand" is actually a great place! The sky is red and there is fun everywhere (and great food), but it's not for everybody...
2) Hire well. It's obvious, but some ego maniacs surround themselves with minion-like people. I have empowered my team to challenge me and let me know when I am getting off course. If I did not do this years ago, my idea train could have derailed the company.
3) Develop a process to discuss ideas with your management team. Form a R&D committee or just have a discussion at your weekly manager meeting
4) Explain the opportunity or problem to solve and see what they come up with first.
5) Present your thoughts at a very high level. Don't get tactical yet. Just the 50,000 foot view.
6) Be calm. Don't try to "sell" your idea. Stick to discussing the opportunity in a calm, rational way and let the conversation flow. If your managers feel they are being sold an idea, their BS meter may go off. This could really change the direction of the discussion.
7) Ask them to pitch the idea back to you. Then ask, "What does it look like when we, as a company, execute this idea really well and so that it doesn't strain the company?"
8) On a white board, brainstorm all the reasons why you shouldn't move forward with the idea. Then, list all the reason why it's a good idea.
9) Listen half as much as you talk.
10) Be ready to walk away from the idea, or alter it.
It seems like a lot to go though, I know. Many entrepreneurs might be reading this and saying, "Bull! The reason I started a business is to do whatever I want, whenever I want!" That may work if you are a one man show. But if you have people working for you, you'd be smart to rely on their intelligence to guide you. Hopefully, that's a big reason why you hired them.
Another big reason to go through this process is the actual execution of the idea. Traditionally, entrepreneurs are builders of ideas but not always great at seeing them through. You'll need your team to embrace the idea if you expect them to execute it well.
Bottom line; make sure you allow really great passengers on your idea train who can help you drive.
Enjoy your ride.
by David Mammano
Bringing New Products to Market
Otherwise known as the idea train, an entrepreneurs' way if thinking is her biggest strength and, if not carefully managed, could be her biggest curse.
I probably have a new idea every day. And at the time I have it, I usually get so excited that I think it's the next best thing. In mind, at that time, I have just made Steve Jobs look like an amateur.
Ok Dave - whatever...
But, at the same time, some of my ideas are pretty good. I wouldn't have a successful business if they weren't. And of course, some of my ideas are....let's say, put on hold.
If I actually acted on all my ideas, my company would have imploded a long time ago. One can stretch a company too thin where it begins to lose focus. I started in this direction a few years ago. A member of my team made a comment to me that was very enlightening. She said, "I feel as though lately we are growing like a shrub instead of a tree."
It was a very powerful statement and made me think about pruning the shrub so we can grow like a tree again. And we have.
Now when I have ideas, I present them to my managers first to flesh them out. This can be a frustrating experience because entrepreneurs and managers think differently, thank God. If he's smart, the entrepreneur has surrounded himself with detailed managers who can say no to him when appropriate. Most entrepreneurs don't like their ideas to be grilled and possibly put on hold or nixed for the benefit of the company. So, he will give his managers the right to set him straight if the idea is not the best for the company at that time; or needs to be altered/killed.
Of course, I can do whatever I want within my own company. But in my mind, it's not my own company. If I don't have the buy in from management and the rest of the team the idea will never take shape.
So here is my 10 step plan on how to entrepreneurs can deal with their ideas:
1) Marry well. Your spouse should be the first one to tell you if the idea has merit or if you're smoking something. You can save your team a lot of time if your spouse can nix the idea first. My wife has a special talent to see through my special"forest" and if I am in "DaveLand" with one of my ideas, she'll let me know. "DaveLand" is actually a great place! The sky is red and there is fun everywhere (and great food), but it's not for everybody...
2) Hire well. It's obvious, but some ego maniacs surround themselves with minion-like people. I have empowered my team to challenge me and let me know when I am getting off course. If I did not do this years ago, my idea train could have derailed the company.
3) Develop a process to discuss ideas with your management team. Form a R&D committee or just have a discussion at your weekly manager meeting
4) Explain the opportunity or problem to solve and see what they come up with first.
5) Present your thoughts at a very high level. Don't get tactical yet. Just the 50,000 foot view.
6) Be calm. Don't try to "sell" your idea. Stick to discussing the opportunity in a calm, rational way and let the conversation flow. If your managers feel they are being sold an idea, their BS meter may go off. This could really change the direction of the discussion.
7) Ask them to pitch the idea back to you. Then ask, "What does it look like when we, as a company, execute this idea really well and so that it doesn't strain the company?"
8) On a white board, brainstorm all the reasons why you shouldn't move forward with the idea. Then, list all the reason why it's a good idea.
9) Listen half as much as you talk.
10) Be ready to walk away from the idea, or alter it.
It seems like a lot to go though, I know. Many entrepreneurs might be reading this and saying, "Bull! The reason I started a business is to do whatever I want, whenever I want!" That may work if you are a one man show. But if you have people working for you, you'd be smart to rely on their intelligence to guide you. Hopefully, that's a big reason why you hired them.
Another big reason to go through this process is the actual execution of the idea. Traditionally, entrepreneurs are builders of ideas but not always great at seeing them through. You'll need your team to embrace the idea if you expect them to execute it well.
Bottom line; make sure you allow really great passengers on your idea train who can help you drive.
Enjoy your ride.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Constant Communication
Marketing Scoop
Are You Making This Marketing Mistake?
A few years ago, I met one of the best known 'sales experts' in the UK. He had authored several books, and provided motivational training for blue-chip companies in a career spanning decades. If you've worked in the sales world for any time, you have almost certainly heard of him. Now in the 'golden years' of his career, he could sit back and let the opportunities come to him, couldn't he? Actually no.
"We never kept a database, Bernadette" he privately confessed to me. So at great expense he had to hire and manage a sales team to set appointments for him. If he had cultivated a list over the years, he would have had prospective clients knocking on his door. "But my business is different!" Ok, so you're a consultant - and you only work with 3-4 large clients each year. Surely you don't need a list of 1,000 do you? Maybe not, but any list will give you huge leverage.
If you run a training course, you could offer 'tips' to attendees, which you mail, or email after the training. Make sure you keep in touch because even though they may not have buying authority right now, some of those attendees will get promoted, some will move to other departments, some of them will move to different companies, or even different industries.
Several business opportunities have come to me this way over the years. Or you're a massage therapist - and you can only see 12 clients a week, so you think you don't need to have a huge list either. No therapist who has been in business for more than 2 years should ever have an empty appointment book. Just this week I heard the sad tale of an experienced complementary therapist who had worked with over 1,000 clients. Business had mainly come her way via word of mouth and referral. But then, for a variety of reasons, she had to stop working with clients for a couple of months and had lost momentum.Now she was struggling to re-establish her client base to its previous levels.
"Well, why not send a mailer to your past clients," was the advice. "Ah", she replied, "I didn't actually keep a list of addresses of my clients". So she was basically starting from scratch all over again. This sounds so obvious, but you would be surprised just how many people I have seen make this fundamental marketing mistake.
Keep a list of all your past clients, and if you come up to a lean period, you can simply send a mailer to them. It doesn't have to be a hard sell, just a simple reminder that you're available, and perhaps a special offer. I guarantee you will get a response from people who have been meaning to call you for weeks or months, but never got around to it - until you contacted them.
Action Steps
1. Commit to collecting names and contact details of every single person who expresses an interest in your business. Look at every current activity you do to market your business and make sure that there is a way of capturing details of people - even if they're not ready to buy right away.
2. Follow up and stay in touch. Yes, I know you're really busy and don't have time to follow up with everyone, but there are ways of following up with people that don't have to be a huge drain on your time or money. An email newsletter is a cost effective way to stay in touch with thousands of people. Even monthly or quarterly mailers or postcards would be better than nothing at all.
3. Stop trying to be perfect. Some sort of name capture and follow up is better than nothing at all, and you can always tweak and adjust your follow up messages as you go along (that's what I do).
4. Start measuring success differently. Most people measure their business results in terms of sales and profits. I recommend that you also add 'size of the list' to your success measurement - as it can help you plan for future sales and profits too.
5. Commit to building and cultivating a prospect list. Put 'growing your list' to the top of your priorities and you'll be surprised at the results you can achieve.
About the AuthorBernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com.
Are You Making This Marketing Mistake?
A few years ago, I met one of the best known 'sales experts' in the UK. He had authored several books, and provided motivational training for blue-chip companies in a career spanning decades. If you've worked in the sales world for any time, you have almost certainly heard of him. Now in the 'golden years' of his career, he could sit back and let the opportunities come to him, couldn't he? Actually no.
"We never kept a database, Bernadette" he privately confessed to me. So at great expense he had to hire and manage a sales team to set appointments for him. If he had cultivated a list over the years, he would have had prospective clients knocking on his door. "But my business is different!" Ok, so you're a consultant - and you only work with 3-4 large clients each year. Surely you don't need a list of 1,000 do you? Maybe not, but any list will give you huge leverage.
If you run a training course, you could offer 'tips' to attendees, which you mail, or email after the training. Make sure you keep in touch because even though they may not have buying authority right now, some of those attendees will get promoted, some will move to other departments, some of them will move to different companies, or even different industries.
Several business opportunities have come to me this way over the years. Or you're a massage therapist - and you can only see 12 clients a week, so you think you don't need to have a huge list either. No therapist who has been in business for more than 2 years should ever have an empty appointment book. Just this week I heard the sad tale of an experienced complementary therapist who had worked with over 1,000 clients. Business had mainly come her way via word of mouth and referral. But then, for a variety of reasons, she had to stop working with clients for a couple of months and had lost momentum.Now she was struggling to re-establish her client base to its previous levels.
"Well, why not send a mailer to your past clients," was the advice. "Ah", she replied, "I didn't actually keep a list of addresses of my clients". So she was basically starting from scratch all over again. This sounds so obvious, but you would be surprised just how many people I have seen make this fundamental marketing mistake.
Keep a list of all your past clients, and if you come up to a lean period, you can simply send a mailer to them. It doesn't have to be a hard sell, just a simple reminder that you're available, and perhaps a special offer. I guarantee you will get a response from people who have been meaning to call you for weeks or months, but never got around to it - until you contacted them.
Action Steps
1. Commit to collecting names and contact details of every single person who expresses an interest in your business. Look at every current activity you do to market your business and make sure that there is a way of capturing details of people - even if they're not ready to buy right away.
2. Follow up and stay in touch. Yes, I know you're really busy and don't have time to follow up with everyone, but there are ways of following up with people that don't have to be a huge drain on your time or money. An email newsletter is a cost effective way to stay in touch with thousands of people. Even monthly or quarterly mailers or postcards would be better than nothing at all.
3. Stop trying to be perfect. Some sort of name capture and follow up is better than nothing at all, and you can always tweak and adjust your follow up messages as you go along (that's what I do).
4. Start measuring success differently. Most people measure their business results in terms of sales and profits. I recommend that you also add 'size of the list' to your success measurement - as it can help you plan for future sales and profits too.
5. Commit to building and cultivating a prospect list. Put 'growing your list' to the top of your priorities and you'll be surprised at the results you can achieve.
About the AuthorBernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com.
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