If Researching one’s competition is the most popular method for content creation nowadays, and it is the one being used by a great number of Internet marketers. The reason for this is very simple – you need to know your competition’s scores to be able to beat them.

If they have achieved certain rank among search results for a particular keyword, they did so with a known number of web pages devoted to that keyword, with a known keyword density and with a known number of backlinks.

Knowing these stats will make it easier for you to realize where you are standing and what steps need to be taken if you want to claim the top position.

Analyzing your opponents will also enable you to see what they are doing right and what they have missed to do, of which you can then take advantage.

You should visit their websites and try to think as a regular user – what this site has to offer and how is information presented to visitors.

Especially pay attention to landing pages that are competing for the same keyword as you do. Assess the content presented there as well as number of supporting pages that are linking to the landing one, as well as the average number of words on each.

Note if there are any special content parts that cannot be found elsewhere and that is of particular importance for your industry.

You should not observe your competition’s websites as patterns that you should mimic.

Instead, try to find the holes in their information that you could use and accentuate on your website, therefore offering something of value to visitors that your competitors do not have.

You will decide what changes should be made on your own website depending on general comparison and overall impressions that you acquired. [Read more...]

If you have not been getting the web results that you desire, then it could be that Google and other major search engines are having trouble crawling your site.

By “crawling your site,” that means they have a difficult time indexing the content that is on your web page.

One of the most common problems for this is poor website link architecture. Just what is link architecture?

Well, this facet of web technology is simply the way that you handle internal linking on your site.

There are a variety of ways out there that you can link, but by far the most effective way is to use text links to get your point across.

Search engines are just very good at crawling text, and you should use it to enhance the internal linkage on your site. But what does that mean for reorganization?

For starters, it means that you need to be using descriptive text for your links.

Do not simply, in the middle of a website post for instance, say “Click Here” and use it as your hyperlink. This is very general and gives the crawlers no idea whatsoever as to what your site is about.

You could have the greatest content in the world, but if crawlers have a difficult time identifying what your site is actually about, then you are out of luck when it comes to building organic traffic. [Read more...]

One resoundingly negative consequence of the amazing advances in computing power over the last 25 or so years is the notion, still popular despite constant debunking, that all you need to be a designer today is to buy a computer (usually a Macintosh).

When over-caffeinated pundits were first promoting the term “desktop publishing” in the mid-1980s, many said the new technology would result in so many great new print publications (this was before the Internet boom) that it would “put the First Amendment into overdrive.

What really happened, of course, is that entirely unqualified, untrained and untalented people got hold of a Mac, a LaserWriter and some software and proceeded to crank out a few metric tons of 300dpi landfill.

My, how judgmental, you may think. Oddly enough, for all the counterculture tendencies of some, artists in general are among the most judgmental and elitist folks around, and have no problem observing (and saying) that people are not “equal” when it comes todesign talent.

A clever advertisement from that bygone “DTP” era promoted a graphic design firm with the tagline, “Using Picasso’s paintbrush doesn’t make you Picasso”. Since this is a principle and not a value judgment, it is as true now, and will be as true in 2050, as it was then. Fact is, there are elements of a good design that must be attended to and contended with, no matter the medium-print, broadcast, web, even mobile phone displays. [Read more...]

What is good email design? And how can you hone it to heighten the payoff of your email marketing investment over time?

Like any ambitious endeavor, success favors preparation. In this article is best practices for optimal email newsletter design and how, with careful cultivation, you can plant the seeds that will yield a bounty later. As you will discover, launching successful newsletters is not difficult–it simply involves a hearty combination of knowing your goals, drafting a plan and executing with precision. Staying committed to each is essential.

Mastery Step #1: Define Your Purpose

Your email marketing program–and each newsletter within it–deserves a well-thought-out plan. It’s essential to determine what goals you want to accomplish and how they align with your department’s or your company’s overall communications strategy. The idea is to send emails that convey context, reinforce company “voice,” and build your brand by creating a positive user experience. Draft a rock-solid email messaging plan, listing yours goals and the content and design features that will support them. Ensure every element–imagery, copy, palette, tone–supports your brand and communicates consistency across campaigns.

Mastery Step #2: Know Your Audience

Always remember: Your audience is in cahoots with their own interests. That means, no matter what your plans are, if your newsletter doesn’t speak to, reach, or intrigue your audience, then you’re not going to see the response you want. Since you’re also marketing to current or potential customers, it’s imperative to understand what they want to see and how they want to see it. [Read more...]

Search engine optimization (SEO) is more difficult than rocket science. Becoming a Jedi-level SEO master requires years of practice for most mere mortals, and like a Jedi, if one falls out of practice, one’s skills quickly wane.

This is not a static science. Search algorithms change constantly, and as they are carefully protected secrets, one can never know what those designing the search engines are really doing under the hood.

No, it’s not rocket science; A more apt analogy would be trying to reverse engineer a UFO that one can only see from afar, the specs of whose propulsion system constantly change.

Do not kid yourself: Becoming a genuine expert in this field is no easy task. In addition to all the knowledge needed, competition can literally be fierce. Your competitors may even actively sabotage you. One mistake can undo months of hard work.

If working on behalf of a client, you had better be darn sure that you keep your methods above board so that you do not get their site exiled to the far reaches of the Internet where it will never be found.

Meanwhile, some of your competitors will be using very underhanded techniques to try to make that happen. Like I said, it’s hard to reach Jedi level, and once you do, you have to take care to stay on the bright side of the Force.

If you are in business, it is extremely important to choose the right SEO company or employee.

If you want to become the right SEO company or employee, here are a few suggestions on ways to train yourself (and being self-taught is the only way to do this): [Read more...]

When you own a business, your website is one of your most important tools that can be used to reach new customers and generate higher sales.

Whether you have an established website that is not currently working for you, or you are a complete newbie to the online marketing world, improving your website so that it generates traffic and increases sales is the right thing for your business.

Without a high quality website that attracts visitors and provides you with a way to capture information, you are not using the Internet’s power to its full potential. The information below can provide you with an idea of why a good website is so important for your businesses’ bottom line.

Why is a Quality Business Website so Important?

A high-quality business website provides you with a way to capture the enormous amount of traffic that is on the Internet. It also makes your business more accessible to your customers.

It does this, by giving website users a way to contact you or find out valuable information about your products or services without having to get on the phone, and during non-business hours. [Read more...]

Corporate branding is the process of establishing a name and image for your business. It is something, which should be done by every organization, and establishes a name for your product or service.

While you can have a successful business without the use of corporate branding, it is much harder to remain in the minds of customers when you do not have a brand or logo for them to associate your business with. Corporate branding begins with the designing of a relevant logo, website, business cards, letterheads, and any other promotional materials that you might need.

With these items in place and the corporate logo established, you will begin to see why corporate branding is the key to success.

Why is Corporate Branding so Important?

When you think about Nike, what comes to mind? I can guarantee that most of you just pictured a check mark in your head. This is because Nike has spent a lot of time and money to ensure that their logo and “just do it” motto have been set into the minds of consumers for years.

This is just one example of why corporate branding is so important. Without a brand image to quickly associate your business with, you are instantly out of the minds of consumers.

If you can on the other hand, provide consumers with a lasting memory of your brand, then yours will be the first business that will come to mind when they see that image or logo. It will also allow them to spread the word about your business much easier. [Read more...]

Effective, ethical, and ongoing SEO can deliver targeted traffic to the pages of any website.

It can provide geographically and topically targeted traffic that is ready to begin or continue the purchasing process, but SEO needs to be done effectively.

It is best to implement SEO practices during the first stages of development although with a little extra work it is more than possible for an existing site to benefit from search engine optimisation efforts.

Planning

The planning stage of any web development is a critical facet to a successful online business plan. As well as planning your own strategy and interlacing your prospective customer’s needs you should also consider the methods of marketing you will use.

The most effective SEO methods include the regular addition of fresh content, as well as the creation of pages that will encourage others to link back to your site. By adding content platforms and structuring a site according from the beginning, it should become easier and more efficient to add the required content.

Design And Development

Website design needs to incorporate many elements. It should be appealing to your visitors and should be accessible and simple to use for anybody that opens your site.

In terms of SEO, text based content should be given a prominent position above the code of the page. Pictures, videos, and dynamic elements need to offer alternative text as well as clearly labelled and optimised HTML tags. [Read more...]

If you aren’t yet aware of its meaning, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Simple enough, but just what is SEO and what is it for? This is a more complex matter.

Search engine optimization refers to a number of different techniques used for building websites and the content on these sites to improve their placident in the search engine results pages.

The idea of SEO is to make your website more visible to web users who search for content with search engines (which is essentially everyone who uses the World Wide Web at all).

If your website is a personal page meant primarily for yourself and perhaps a small number of family members and friends, it may not be all that important to you to have a site which is optimized.

However, if your website is business oriented, it matters a great deal.

Think of it this way: if your business decided to stop being listed in the phone book, took the signs and awnings down and stopped advertising, how successful would you be at attracting new business?

Search engines have for many largely replaced the function once performed by local phone directories.

In order to attract (and even retain) business, you need to have a high profile where your customers are likely to see you – and these days, this place is online.

It once was that if people couldn’t find you in the phone book, your business was in serious trouble. Now, of course the question is how easy it is for people to find your website. [Read more...]

Press releases can help drive targeted traffic to your website almost instantaneously. But you need to know how to use them correctly. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of time and resources. Here is how you can maximize the results of your press releases.

A good press release, when properly drafted, can help attract the right target audience. Here are some tips on how you can create an effective press release.

Tip 1: Use keyword based headlines for your press releases.

Traditional press releases don’t care about keywords. That is because the releases are meant for the print medium. In a newspaper, a news agent would be more concerned about the news angle.

Press releases on the Internet are quite different. Sure, a headline with a great news angle will help attract more eyeballs. But on the Internet, having a news angle just isn’t enough. Your headlines must contain popular keywords that you know your target visitors will use.

For example, let’s say you want to issue a press release about a new piece of treadmill equipment. This new treadmill has got a new motor that is so quiet that you won’t even notice that it’s running. Unfortunately, the new motor has got a name that nobody knows about (yet). It’s called “kazoom motor”. [Read more...]