Posts Tagged ‘Internet marketing’

Google Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Shady Internet Marketing Group

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

internetmarketingHow can you tell the difference between an ethical Internet marketing company and an unethical one? A good rule of thumb is if they’re being sued by Google, then they’re probably not on the up-and-up. It was really only a matter of time, but it looks like Google is finally putting an end to those online ads that are using Google’s name and trying to trick people into ordering work-at-home kits.

Google filed a lawsuit Monday in the federal court in Salt Lake City against an Internet marketing company called Pacific Webworks and some other unnamed defendants. If you haven’t seen the online ads, a recent Cnet article has a good example of what they look like. They seem to be delivered as online ads, pop-up ads or promotional emails. Carrying the banner of a nonexistent newspaper, the LA News, they look more like newspaper headlines than online ads.

Interested consumers are asked to pay an “instant access” fee or a “shipping and handling fee” for a DVD that is supposed to explain how they can make money with the program. The lawsuit states that those who pay the fees receive a DVD that contain viruses or send them to Google’s online help center, which is a free site to use.

It should be pretty clear that this is an abhorrent scheme. Hopefully Google’s lawsuit will have a quick effect. Thankfully, Google has been doing other things to combat this scam, such as addressing the issue in a recent Google blog post. And Websites like the always-valuable Snopes and RipOffReport have also taken on the issue. If you haven’t visited them yet, both Snopes and RipOffReport are excellent resources for anyone looking for the veracity of a company or scheme like this. Remember, online Internet marketing scams aren’t always as easy to spot as this latest faux-Google one. It’s always a good idea to check out what others are saying about it before you sign up for anything on the Web.

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Posted in Business Marketing Online, Ethical Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »

Internet Marketing Trends: Is Yahoo Still Relevant?

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

internetmarketingLate last month, Google co-founder Sergey Brin made a rare appearance at the Web 2.0 Summit and answered a few questions. Google’s founding team of Brin and Larry Page don’t really get out much, so Brin’s surprise visit was less of a typical Q-and-A session and more of an event. He answered a range of important questions, commenting on Google’s AdWords structure to his company’s relationship with Twitter. For anyone involved in Internet marketing, it’s required reading. You can find the entire interview at the Washington Post.

The part that created the most buzz online was his comment that it was a “shame” that Yahoo abandoned search. Brin commented that he believes in healthy competition in the Internet search market. “I think it’s a shame that Yahoo has abdicated that area.” He said, “Yahoo had a number of interesting innovations there, and I wish they could have remained in search.”

But the truth is, Yahoo is remaining in search, in a way. Part of the recent Microsoft/Yahoo deal has stipulated that Yahoo will use Microsoft’s new Bing search engine to power searches. So instead of simply giving up on Yahoo, which Brin slyly hinted that people should do, the question for Internet marketing experts is: how will this change the online search landscape?

If you’ve been following the Internet marketing world lately, you may question whether there’s been anything real competition at all. Google has been dominant, and most Internet marketing firms are content to simply concentrate on optimizing their client’s Websites for Google. Because who uses Microsoft or Yahoo? A lot of people, it turns out. While the latest numbers still have Google at a whopping 85% of the search market share, they’ve lost a bit to both Bing and Yahoo.

Why? Part of the explanation could be the huge marketing blitz Microsoft launched with the arrival of Bing. Add that to the fact that Yahoo has now been in the news a lot lately, as a result of it’s deal with Microsoft, and that may have led some to try out Yahoo search.

That could mean big changes for both the Bing and Google search engines. As Google tries to keep its hold on the search market, and as Bing tries to make significant gains, Internet marketing experts can expect to see significant changes in the way both search engines evaluate and organize search results. And that also mean that as the Bing engine reaches upwards of 20% of the search market share, it shouldn’t be ignored by any Internet marketing expert that really wants the best results.

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Posted in Search Engine Optimization Consulting, Search Engine Optimization Training | No Comments »

Exploring Your Search Engine Optimization Services Program Options for the Holidays

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

googleholiday2For many businesses, the holiday season brings mixed feelings. It’s usually the time of the year when many businesses look for great Q4 results. But that can also be stressful, since that means that a lot of companies and businesses will also have to work extra hard for those great results.

While many companies may already have planned their holiday season advertising and marketing campaigns, it’s necessary for marketing managers to keep an eye on those campaigns and adjust them as necessary. And when evaluating your search engine optimization services program, then online search should be a key concern.

If you’re running a small business, then search engine optimization services program is an ideal way to make sure that your business brand gets noticed by holiday season shoppers. For larger businesses, a search engine optimization services program is a cost-effective way to remind customers or clients of your brand. And it’s a great chance to supplement your print or broadcast advertising for an effective and synergistic marketing campaign.

So what aspects of a comprehensive online search engine optimization services program should you be using? Here are some ideas.

Gift Pages: If you haven’t yet, you should create a center for gifts on your Website. And when thinking of potential items for your Gifts Page, don’t just make it for Christmas or holiday pages. Create an entire section. That means implementing a search engine optimization services campaign that breaks down your gifts by category. Make a “for him” and a “for her” section, or “gadgets” section. You can even break down your inventory by price range. If you spend some time with the Google AdWords Keyword Tool, you can do some very effective research for your search engine optimization services program and discover what people are searching for by category and by keyword.

Linking: Do you have several copies of your home page, or several copies of categories? If you have external links that are pointed at each separate home page, you could be harming your overall search engine optimization services program. The good news is that these redirects can be relatively easy to fix and can result in a big ranking boost that will benefit you this holiday season.

Update Your Metadata: If you have enough time, you can implement a part of your search engine optimization service agenda to fully rebuild your metadata. In most cases, you’ll want to restructure your title tags based on your categories. Make sure that the most important keywords are listed at the beginning of the title. And make sure they’re clear enough so that anyone can know what’s on the page just by looking at the title tag. These search engine optimization services program tweaks can go a long way when it comes to getting new traffic.

Start Spending Today: It’s important to get an early start on the pay-per-click (PPC) section of your search engine optimization services program as early as possible. In fact, today would be a good day. By getting an early start, you can actually save on the PPC aspect of your search engine optimization program. That’s because the PPC campaign aspect of your search engine optimization program will gain greater authority the sooner you get started. More authority means that better PPC prices.

The holiday season can be both thrilling and stressful. But if you plan a search engine optimization services program adequately, then you’ll be well-positioned to have a great season. All it takes are a few effective steps that will get your Website primed for great holiday sales.

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Posted in Business Marketing Online, Drive Traffic to Your Website | No Comments »