Google Trends Expands - What It Means to You

When Google releases a significant new tool (or an update to an old tool), several reactions surface. Some believe it's great, some don't care, and some focus on its errors or inconsistencies, even though Google is known for releasing not-quite-ready-for-prime-time apps to gain valuable user input. Reaction to Google Trends for Websites, however, has the added dimension of users being very upset about a perceived breach of confidence, because users assume (and have no reason not to) that Google Analytics data is one of the varied sources of input from which traffic estimates are calculated. While Google Trends has been showing trends in keyword...

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Posted in: google

Are you Still CAN-SPAM Compliant?

Today's Marketing Tip: Being CAN-SPAM CompliantAs you may be aware, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently enacted new rules intended to clarify the original provisions of the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act. The supplementary ruling, which now goes into effect July 7, may have important implications for your email marketing program. Here are some of the key provisions for discussion purposes: Mandated Simplification of Opt-out Processes. The new rules clarify the opt-out required under CAN-SPAM. You'll want to examine your opt-out process to determine if it is in compliance with this new rule, which states: The opt-out may not be conditioned...

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Posted in: internet marketing

Should You Be Using Search Engine Submission Services?

Have you heard claims about submitting your site to thousands of search engines for a small fee – claiming search engine dominance? If you've read these claims before and wondered what you might be missing by not submitting to thousands of engines daily, I can say that you are not missing a single thing! These services are completely worthless from my perspective. Let's walk through the concept behind submitting so you can understand what I mean when I say they are a waste of time, money, and bandwidth. 1) There are not thousands of search engines. Who do you use to search? That's what most other people use as well. There are at most maybe...

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Posted in: search engine optimization

Should You Be Building Links Including New Websites?

Today's Marketing Tip: Link BuildingYour link building efforts are key to improved search engine results for your website. But who should you be getting links from? I've always believed that you need to prioritize based on Google PR. Others believe differently. Here is a great post on the subject from Justilien Gaspard of Search Engine Watch.We've all heard it -- people don't want links from new Web sites. Why? It's assumed that new sites don't have enough quality backlinks, and haven't earned "trust" in Google to pass real value. However, if you flatly skip over links from new sites, you're losing out on immense opportunities. It's time...

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Posted in: search engine optimization

It's Really About Consumption

Today's Marketing Tip: Traffic + Conversion = Customers Increasing traffic to your site and focusing on conversions generates revenue. In fact, focusing on bothy sides of the equation can result in consistent growth for your business. But what if you could do more? Sell more, more consistently and for a much longer time? Yes! Sell a lot more to the same people without much more effort, time and especially money? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have your bottom line profit increase by as much as 20%, 100%, 500% or even more? There is one more significant factor for the equation above that can lead to more sales and more customers over a longer...

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Posted in: internet marketing

Using Social Media to Optimize Your Blog or Website

Web 2.0 is here to stay. Using content sharing and social bookmarking is the way to optimize your website ad drive more traffic. The nature of Social Media Optimization is such that it could be considered form of guerrilla marketing. Website owners and blog owners have the choice of either investing money or their own skills and time in order to generate traffic from social sites. As long as your efforts are directed appropriately, the more work you put in the more reward you will reap. Using Social Media Optimization For Link Building Social optimization also has a happy side effect - it helps to build your link profile so you will usually...

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Posted in: web 2.0

Keeping Your Customers Long-Term

When acquiring customers, you want to find people who will buy from you and stay for a long time. In many cases, it is hard to make a profit from consumers who buy once and never again. In fact, many marketers don't consider a one-time buyer to be a customer at all — customers are those who have purchased from you two or more times. So what should you offer to consumers to convert them into long-term loyal customers? It seems to me that there are five basic ideas that you should convey to them: First, that you have a superior product or service. Consumers want to know why your product is the best for them. What special features can they take...

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Posted in: internet marketing

7 Strategies for Improving Website Stickiness

Making the most of your website visitors is essential to long-term success. In addition to building traffic to your website, focus on engaging users and making them loyal customers.Engagement doesn’t end with an individual browser reading content or clicking on an ad. Rather, engagement is an ongoing process that results in loyal customers who come back again and again, becoming more vested in your web site. So, how can you make sure you’re engaging and keeping customers? In order to create a loyal following, there are some basic principles you need to consider. From first impressions to life-long membership, put yourself in the shoes of your...

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Posted in: internet marketing,seo

Using Data Analysis To Increase Website Sales

By analyzing web site data and making personal recommendations, you can increase sales to your existing customers. According to a recent article on VentureBeat, Amazon.com attributes 35% of its product sales to recommendations. While that may seem exclusive to one of the world's largest online retailers, even small businesses can take advantage of the resources used by Amazon. It's not as difficult or expensive as you might think. Data-driven marketing applications are now affordable, easy to use, and something your must consider as part of your marketing mix. What does your customer data say? In order to create personalized recommendations...

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Posted in: internet marketing