International Search Engine Marketing Blog

Oftentimes, SEO is looked at in a vacuum, and a company does not take the time to look at industry trends. This is unfortunately a grave mistake. Viewing information provided by Mark McCrindle Research and other firms that focus on delivering actionable insights is an important part of a search engine optimisation campaign. How can a company select the appropriate search queries to target unless it first conducts proper research? Of course this is a rhetorical question, since the answer is ‘a business cannot make educated decisions without such knowledge’.

This type of research typically is not part of that involved during the keyword selection phase of a SEO campaign. Unfortunately, this is to the detriment of the organisation that fails to do its homework. Using data from Mark McCrindle Research or another agency can provide a significant competitive advantage over others in the industry. Therefore it is worthwhile to view the research provided Mark McCrindle and other smart individuals to assists with SEO efforts. Rather than simply diving into Google’s keyword research tool, first read a research report by Mark McCrindle that details key components of an industry before commencing the selection process. A business can then eliminate many keywords that are not suitable for a website. Frequently competitors unnecessarily target certain keywords they could avoid, but failed to take this initial step. Thus part of starting a search engine optimisation campaign is investigating key industry drivers beforehand. The smarter SEO companies know that this adds significant value and can assist in the process. Follow the guidance in this post to gain an edge over others whom do not conduct the proper research.

Can anyone reading this honestly say they never search for information on an individual by typing their name into Google or another search engine? I, Brent Yorzinski, most certainly cannot make such an assertion. However, what about an individual’s personal reputation is truly revealed by simply typing in a name? The mere fact that this post appears in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), when typing ‘Brent Yorzinski’ is proof that name optimization, personal reputation management, or whatever catch phrase one utilizes is a form of SEO and that if desired an individual can use such strategies to create any type of online reputation desired. Those reading this on the same date it is published please bear in mind that reputation management, as any type of SEM takes time, thus this page might not appear on the major search engines for a couple weeks up to a few months. However, rest assured that within that timeframe or shortly thereafter, whenever an individual looks for Brent Yorzinski this article will appear as one of the top ten listings.

Now why will this particular posting show up when someone looks for details on Brent Yorzinski? Personal reputation management, as mentioned, is simply another form of search engine marketing and follows the same tried, true, and trusted principals as all forms. Certain companies supposedly specialize in managing individuals’ online reputations, but this is nothing more than a niche industry in the SEO market that generally overcharges and unfortunately caters to the average Joe, who understandably does not know details about the processes involved. Essentially, for this page to appear when Brent Yorzinski is typed into Google, there are two primary components generally required for that to happen.

The first piece is the content and usage of text within the page itself. Notice the careful usage of the name Brent Yorzinski throughout this piece. It is vital to point out strategic usage of the name since even though it is included multiple times certainly each sentence does not contain the name. Additionally, personal reputation management is another phrase utilized throughout the text and thus perhaps this page might appear in the SERPs for that phrase as well. The other component involves references from other websites. Ideally references should connect directly to this post with the anchor text: Brent Yorzinski. These references should follow Google’s general guidelines and appear on reputable sources throughout the internet.

Perhaps this post could induce Agilis Marketing to start assisting individuals looking for personal reputation management services as it will prove a clear cut example of its effectiveness. Either way the takeaway remains the same; managing one’s online reputation is no different than any other form of online marketing or SEO, careful usage of the proper words such as Brent Yorzinski and references from other internet properties will help ensure this is a page people see when the referenced name is entered into a search engine.

A relatively new service that Google recently started offering is Google Places. While, it is of course the goal of this website to encourage visitors to use Agilis Marketing’s services, it would seems inappropriate for any SEM company not to make its clients aware of this new service. It is ideal for many local companies and depending upon the business model may in fact replace the need to use a SEM company.

Honesty and credibility are important for any company thus one reason Agilis is making this information available. Local store owners in smaller towns such with lower priced products or services such as barber shops, bike rental, or hardware stores are likely better off utilizing solely this service rather than paying for an SEM company to assist with their marketing. That said, local companies that offer higher priced products, or are in larger towns likely will still receive an advantage from hiring a SEM company.

Now with all those caveats most might now wonder what exactly Google Places provides. Simply put it provides an inexpensive ($25 per month) way to quickly add your business to the map results that are often displayed on local searches. While, this service is not needed to appear in the local listings, and does not guarantee and type of high placement, it does offer some unique advantages. Results are almost instantaneous, which is a crucial factor for new companies and websites as to not lose out on opportunity cost. Site owners can also clearly let Google know their exact location, which Google usually figures out anyways, but not always correctly. Another strong advantage is the ability to add tags with coupons or live updates concerning a sales or whatever else is appropriate.

The clear upside are the low cost, clear benefits, and fast placement. However, there are a few downsides worth mentioning. One, which is especially important for larger cities such as Boston, is that lack of control over where within the results a site is placed. This is something that likely will require the assistance of a SEO company. Another factor is the hidden cost. While $25 is unlikely to break any company’s bank account, over the course of a decade that adds up to $3,000. Whereas an SEM company could possibly provide a similar offering for a one time upfront fee of roughly $500 with results that are likely to last the same timeframe.

Countless times a year individuals search for companies on the internet and negative information appears. The list below contains a carefully ordered set of questions to ask anyone who is or wants to help to give your company a good name online; included are trick questions that serve as litmus tests to ascertain an individuals’ actual knowledge.

• Do you suggest submitting the Google AdWords Trademark Complaint Form? FYI: The form is located here: https://services.google.com/inquiry/aw_tmcomplaint
  Is it smart to lodge DMCA complaints?What do you propose as an external link strategy to improve my company’s appearance on the web?
• How important is the utilization of online social networking (i.e. blogs, twitter, Facebook, etc…) for your company’s Internet reputation?
• How does Page Rank impact the SERPS?
• What is your guarantee?
• What is your affiliation with SEMPO?
• Will ripoffreports.com and other such sites still appear in the SERPS?
• Do your strategies coincide with the terms of service and webmaster guidelines for each search engine?
• How will the Sandbox impact achieving the campaign’s desired goals?
• How long before results are noticeable?
• [If asking an outside agency] What are you going to do that our company cannot do on its own?
• [If asking an individual] Why should we utilize your expertise versus that of an outside agency?

As an abbreviated answer to the last question, as the owner of Agilis Marketing, I have over a decade of experience utilizing the internet to improve a brand’s image. Only a handful of individuals, including myself, can claim they are experienced in this niche and have expertise that dates back to the time GoTo.com existed (before Overture took over, and before Yahoo purchased that company and turned it into Yahoo! Search Marketing).

Utilizing an outside agency, combined with a knowledgeable liaison is another strategy medium to larger capitalized companies employ. However, if a company is fortunate enough to find the proper person to handle the entire campaign in-house, equal or better results are achievable at a fraction of the cost. Please feel free to ask Agilis Marketing any questions.

Before an individual or company can optimize and use other SEM techniques for a website an entity must first develop one. Oftentimes, simple template websites do not look original or meet the specific demands of a company. It is also common that an artist or designer is able to create an excellent concept using Photoshop or another photo editing program, but cannot convert that design into html that is search engine friendly. When falling into either of the above categories, a service known as PSD slicing is an excellent way to turn a concept into an .xhtml website.

There are a variety of companies that provide such services and they all charge a wide array of prices. PSDSlicing.com is one company that is particularly talented in this arena, is competitively priced, and extremely efficient.  They make it simple and painless to turn a concept or image into a functional, WC3 compliant website. Understandably many individuals in the United States are hesitant to do business with an international company. However, this firm alleviates those concerns by only requiring a 50 percent deposit and providing numerous references to satisfied clients.

Developing a website is one of the first steps to creating a well defined search engine presence. Other factors such as the importance of links are required considerations. All that said, before anyone can even start the more complex process of marketing a website, obviously one is needed. “PSD Slicing” is an excellent service and place to start prior to commencing a search engine optimization project.

When launching a website deciding where to register domain name and picking an SEO friendly one are not always easy tasks. There are a plethora of places to go to do such, but there are only a handful of sites that we suggest to clients and prospects. We recommend a few options to register domain names. A list of those options is accessible by following the previous link. One item to keep in mind is whether to purchase a new domain name or buy an existing one. There are both pros and cons to each choice.

There are multiple positive SEO benefits to registering a domain name that already exists and has PageRank. The largest benefit is that it becomes possible to avoid the Google Sandbox, thus saving an enormous amount of time before your website can appear in the search rankings. Another benefit is that the domain might already have traffic going that way. Of course these are usually only of value if the domain purchased is in the same industry as the content and information a company is planning to put on the website.

The primary benefits of a registering a new domain name is that it is often cheaper and you can select the exact name desired. Often companies prefer to use their register their business names as their domain names. However, bear in mind if you own a business called Widgets XYZ, it might be better to register the domain discount-widgets.com rather than widgetsxyz.com. The reason for this is that the former variation is likely to help more with search engine marketing and optimization efforts. Regardless of which option is selected the resource mentioned earlier is an excellent place to buy new domain names or existing ones.

One other factor to keep in mind is that sometimes hosting companies will register your domain name free of charge, but it is not always a smart idea to pick a bundled hosting package and domain name. This is true simply because switching to another hosting company can become more difficult as your business grows. Therefore even after selecting a hosting company it is a smart idea to register your domain name separately through another company such as those suggested earlier in this article.

Many people have heard of the Google Sandbox, but others often never hear of the term until later on down the road. For those who have not heard of this phrase, it is SEO lingo for a site that is penalized by Google and the other search engines simply because it is new. The reasoning behind this is relatively simple. Google wants to provide its visitors with the best results possible when a visitor hits enter. New sites are built and registered every day, but many of them do not last longer than eight to twelve months. Therefore Google simply does not display a website is its SERPS (search engine results pages) until after this time frame is over. At this point a site is not longer considered included in the Google sandbox.

There are a few quick tests one can perform to see if a site is still in the Sandbox. One simple test is simply to type the name of the website into Google. If it does not appear at the top of the SERPS and it is a new site than the website is likely still in the sandbox. A better and more conclusive test is to select a competitive keyword phrase that you wished your site to show up under. Then type in the following: allinanchor:the competive phrase; then type in only: the competitive phrase. If the website appears for the first search but not the second then it is likely in the Google sandbox. On the other hand, if it appears for neither, than I would suggest that at a minimum you consult with a professional local or international SEM company. If already hired an SEO company and gave them a decent interval of time to deliver as promised, you may wish to ask them what is going or listen to the opinion of another.

This brings us to the tile of the, the value of a seasoned domain. You should now have an idea on why a domain that is seasoned and aged has value; it is no longer in the Google sandbox! Now is the solution as simple as buying a domain that already exists and placing your website on it? Not quite, this is certainly an excellent idea and possible first step, but there are many other considerations to take into account. One such consideration is whether the older domain has links pointing to it and where those links are located.

The bottom line is that a seasoned domain has value and can have an impact in a successful SEO campaign; particularly for business that are just starting out and desire faster placement within the SERPS. I strongly advice those who read this do not simply go out and but an existing domain as an effort to bypass the Google sandbox. It is easy to end up overpaying for such a domain or purchasing one that will not add much value to any internet marketing efforts. I encourage our readers to feel free to add your suggestions and advice to the comments on this article.

One of the most difficult aspects with any buzz campaign is tracking its return on investment. Other forms of internet marketing tend to be easier to measure as companies can create goals associated with an online advertisement and tie them into an analytics system. Measuring success is not a simple with social marketing campaigns with an emphasis on creating a buzz. Fortunately, there are still ways to come up with an estimated ROI received from an online buzz campaign.

The most common way to track such a campaign is to establish a baseline. A standstill is placed on other forms of marketing, such as SEO efforts and Pay Per Click advertisements. Please note that a standstill does not mean a company should stop their efforts, but simply stop increasing the investments on any of their other current strategies. A baseline growth rate based upon historical performance is then established. Developing a baseline, as outlined above, is one of the most effective and common methods to track an internet buzz campaign. Unfortunately it is not the most practical method since it is not feasible for most companies to place all their other marketing investments and initiatives at a standstill.

Therefore the most practical and more complex method involves creating projected traffic and sales estimates. For example, if a company reasonably ascertains that sales from their other marketing efforts will increase by 17 percent in the next two months then a firm can establish a new baseline based upon this projection. Social marketing initiatives are then compared to this estimated baseline. For instance a company who sees a 45 percent jump in sales over the two month period could then attribute 28 percent of that growth to the buzz campaign.

Social marketing campaigns that create a buzz in both the online and offline communities can be one of the most cost efficient and cost effective forms of advertising if done properly with the assistance of a company that has a track record of success. However they can also be one of the most difficult forms of advertising to measure. The strategies described above are the ones typically used by both small and large companies alike that make tracking the success of such a campaign easier.