Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

Search is constantly evolving, changing, being redeveloped around the clock to make results more relevant, interesting and a better reflection of the displayed results importance in the grand scheme of the World Wide Web.

How do you Deem Something to be Relevant?

Of course these results, their perceived importance and relevancy, are all calculated using various algorithms designed to best interpret the information on the internet and present it to us on submission of a related query. Therein lies the problem; they are after all just machines, and whilst programmed by skilled and talented people, they will likely never truly mimic our perception of interesting and relevant. However, the benefits of utilizing such machines and algorithms far outweigh the drawbacks outlined a moment ago; they can crawl the web indescribably faster than even an army of people could and analyse the data just as quickly, hence why we don’t just employ an army of people to index the web.

Growing Use of Social Media

Then consider the advent of social media and the rate at which it has grown over the past few years; out there in the blogosphere there are millions of people publically expressing their views about what they deem interesting, important and relevant to particular topics.

It is very possible that at some point in the future of search, search engines will begin to analyse trending topics and use this information to present more relevant search results. Queries such as “new movie” may begin to return results related to films currently experiencing social media hype, or searches for more specific topics might return pages or companies frequently mentioned by users of the social networks.

The Future is Uncertain

No one knows exactly how the future of SEO is going to go, but keeping in mind the ideas above, it just goes to show how important keeping in touch with your customer or user base via an online social presence could become.

Ignition Search have always aimed to try and empower businesses by busting the myths surrounding SEO and have taken another significant step toward achieving this as Jon Colegate has come on board to join the team heading up delivery and strategy.

You may be familiar with Jon’s name from his time running Sunflower Net Media and he has become increasingly active delivering workshops and seminars in the area through Business Link and SENTA. His move towards knowledge provision has superceded his direct work for clients in most cases and the newfound balance at Ignition works well for all concerned - especially clients!

Exploding SEO Myths

One of the biggest issues that clients face when looking at an SEO solution is understanding where the jargon ends and where the beneficial services begin. Here at Ignition we have always prided ourselves on using simple language and not attempting to hide behind jargon.

We drill down into what is important for clients - generally results! - and by understanding their business and goals we offer the most relevant services that we feel will match their needs.

There’s an awful lot of misinformation out there and we’re happy to clear up these myths and inaccuracies as we go.

Jon’s seminar work focusses on these issues as well and offers manageable chunks of information that many take away and apply to their own websites.

Results Speak the Loudest

So, we find ourselves educating clients in the natural course of seeking new business and also in dealing with existing clients.

We don’t know it all. It’s impossible to know everything in such a fast moving and innovative industry, but we’re not afraid to say we don’t know and come back with an answer after we’ve found it.

The result of all this is an honest and open relationship with clients; and a relationship that produces results.

If you are interested in seeing Jon at one of his seminars take a look at the recent Business Link brochure of events or contact us here at Ignition.

Just when you think they’ve run out of ideas to develop search engines, the bright sparks at Google go and prove us all wrong by releasing a new piece of search engine software.

‘Real Time’ has recently been launched to help provide users with access to up to the second information across a platform where information is being created at a pace where seconds matter in assisting and ultimately optimising results.

Google’s ‘Real Time’ software extracts up to the second data from over a billion pages available on the web. Not only will the software scan promotional websites for information, it will also be able to read the data being broadcast by social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, which all have constantly changing material in the form of profile updates.

SEO Implications

Google are setting the trend for SEO development as this is the first time ever that any search engine has integrated real time web data into its results output.

Search engine optimisation from a business point of view is all about relevance from both an industry and customer perspective. With billions of web pages across the internet, a bundle of information is being generated every second, so getting the relevant material to appear on a results page is integral to the success of a product.

With more businesses using social media platforms as part of their SEO and internet marketing campaigns, as a means of regularly updating the customer with news and offers, it is hoped that ‘Real Time’ could help assist rankings as soon as new updates are released.

The real time stream of data will continue to be shown in Google’s normal results page.

Competitive Stance

The recent announcement by Google has been hailed as a landmark event in the world of search, but some analysts view this as an aggressive push by Google to maintain its mantle as the innovative leader in a search market they already control 81% of.

Further to the release of ‘Real Time’, it is proving to be a busy end to the year for Google as they also unveiled ‘Google Goggles’, a new visual search feature that allows consumers to use a picture instead of keywords with regards to a search query. The new tool will then compare the image against Google’s database to return relevant information.

With both software releases proving to be revolutionary for search engines, it will almost certainly have big implications for the way SEO works with more material available to boost both individuals and brands. Watch this space ……

Have you ever heard the saying ‘You have to speculate to accumulate’? They may not be the most profound words of wisdom ever spoken, but there is actually some truth behind the phrase.

In a period of financial recovery, many business owners are understandably closely monitoring the expenditure of their company, particularly within a marketing capacity. This vigilance can sometimes lead to over cautiousness with marketing managers and owners becoming more concerned with saving money rather than making it.

Help rather than Hinder your Website

We’ve noticed recently that one of the biggest aspects people are neglecting, perhaps as a result of dwindling marketing budgets, is their website and ultimately their potential SEO. Even though the website is probably the biggest marketing tool at a company’s disposal, directors may see regular maintenance as unnecessary expense.

What many are seemingly overlooking is the fact that search engine optimisation is one of the most cost effective and best return driven mediums that can actively drive targeted visitors to your website. SEO has been proven to work time and again in helping boost brand awareness, increase client base and ultimately lead to an increase in sale conversions.

A short outlay of money now can pay dividends in the future

Take Advantage

Business has always been, and will continue to be very competitive. The introduction of the internet and websites further added to the competition as companies continue to fight for the top rankings across search engines in the hope of enticing new customers above their rivals.

At a time therefore, when people are choosing to neglect their websites and SEO strategies, it is the perfect opportunity to take advantage and pursue an SEO plan to help increase your rankings whilst your competitors are not.

Seeking advice from professional SEO experts like the team at Ignition Search can help build solid SEO foundations based upon keywords, link development and regular fresh content, which over time will lead to increased search engine rankings.

Working in SEO, it’s always useful to keep an eye out for news stories that relate to technological advancements, particularly if it involves the internet or search engines specifically. Google rarely fail to disappoint with this and so my attention this week was drawn to their announcement of their intentions to embrace the social media phenomenon.

Making Money from the Social Web

Over the past 18 months, companies have been capitalising on the worldwide interest in social networking sites, using them as a key marketing tool by capitalising on search, advertising and user generated content.

Google, the world’s biggest search engine provider is one such company taking strides into this media trend with the planned release of ‘Social Search’, a new project planned to give the search engine a makeover.

Search Engine Benefits

The primary idea behind ‘Social Search’ is based on personalising the results produced by the search engine. Most people on the web make social connections across a variety of interactive media websites and publish web content in numerous ways such as blogs, status updates and tweets. ‘Social Search’ will analyse and use this information to translate the content into special relevance for each person in regards to the results it produces.

Using the information from the public profiles people have created with Google and other connections across the social web, the searches will produce friend’s reviews and comments that they have made previously on the nature of the subject you are searching for. There is a concern by some that this infringes on privacy but Google have declared that all information is taken from that which was already freely available on the web.

Possible SEO Implications?

When discussing changes to search engines, this inevitably could have an effect on business rankings and ultimately SEO strategies.

Manipulation of social media sites as a marketing tool could lead to businesses using ‘Social Search’ to target specific audiences with reviews and product updates as a way of furthering their search engine optimisation.

As a new member of the Ignition team, I thought this blog would be a prime opportunity to share with you, the ins and outs of SEO and my experience so far as a newcomer into the world of search engine optimisation.

I probably shouldn’t admit it, but when I first started my new role, my knowledge of SEO and PPC was limited to say the least. I knew the basics but had never really given search engine strategies or the importance of rankings a second thought. In the past few weeks though all that has changed. I have now seen the ‘SEO light’ and have a whole new appreciation for the effective impact SEO has on a company’s website and overall business.

What I’ve learnt….

In an age of technological advancement, the internet is increasingly becoming a heavy influence on people’s decisions to choose one specific business over another. A company’s website is one of the first ports of call for most people and therefore could be seen as the most important marketing tool. I’ve learnt that with so many companies competing against each other in an apparent struggle to stand out above others, a solid SEO campaign can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure.

When using search engines in the past, I have always taken the results for granted and not given a thought to how a company appeared on page 1 of results, always presuming it was based on reputation rather than the keywords I had typed in. I’ve learnt rather quickly though that all web content has an effect regarding one business’ standing against another. My eyes have been opened to title tags, keywords and the importance of social media and regular fresh content.

Take the Chance

Business owners and marketing managers are sometimes more concerned about saving money rather than making it. As a result, SEO is occasionally viewed with scepticism in regards to the importance of the role it plays. Some firms attempt to save money by optimising their website themselves, but this often backfires due to lack of knowledge or impatience regarding the length of time it takes to get results. A small investment in SEO can help increase your client base, boost brand awareness and ultimately increase sales.

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from the team at Ignition Search so far is that they are honest and realistic as to the possibility of maximising your SEO and how long that will take. I’ve seen the positive impact optimising your website can have, with a hard working team providing analytics, keyword research and link building, I have been converted into a SEO follower, and if you haven’t seen the light yet, I strongly recommend it!

The innovative guys at Google have been at it once again, putting their heads together to make the global search engine giant more efficient.

With several technological releases in the pipe lines, Google have recently announced they are rolling out a design prototype which will present those using the search engine with a navigation panel featured down the left side of the results page. The toolbar will contain various options that Google users will already be familiar with, such as ‘images’, ‘everything’ and ‘video’, as well as more search queries related to your question and further fine tuning options.

Apart from designing the new toolbar, Google have also been busy preparing themselves for the launch and maintenance of the iPhone’s Google News application and the highly anticipated 2010 launch of Google Chrome OS.

Google News Mobile

Having previously released a version of Google news, this new enhanced version is more consistent with the original desktop version many customers are used to. The application allows the user to view more stories, sources and images whilst maintaining the same look and feel as its desktop browser counterpart. A further enhancement allows you to personalise your navigation options to various links within the website.

Google Chrome OS

The most highly anticipated release from Google in 2010 is Google Chrome OS. Designed around an open source operating system that works exclusively with web applications, it is aimed at individuals who spend most of their time on the web.

Earlier last week Google outlaid the design goals for Chrome OS, which mainly included using minimal screen space by combining applications and web pages into a single tab rather than the current way of separating the two.

There seems to be no doubt that as the leading search engine giant, the release of Google’s latest updates will almost certainly have an effect on SEO. The biggest impact is expected from Chrome OS, which could see a ripple effect across rankings, advertising and site traffic.

Whether the effects will be completely positive remains to be seen, but exciting times lie ahead not just for Google but for search engine optimisation as a whole.

From a quick glance at various websites, it seems apparent that many companies are ignoring their SEO. When you overlook a content marketing strategy, you are restricting your business conversions, ignoring customers and ultimately forfeiting search engine rankings.

Consider you Strategy

When considering an SEO strategy, it is important to remember not to just focus on rankings. It’s true that rankings are important, but on their own they don’t allow a business to grow successfully or naturally. The best SEO is great content across the whole business.

A carefully crafted, well written product page can escalate a businesses customer conversion statistics greatly. It is also well advised that a good form of SEO content management is to allow the business to be social media friendly. An interesting blog post or the right tweet on Twitter can help attract new leads and incoming links from brand followers.

Where are Companies going wrong?

Larger companies have bigger marketing budgets and happily spend thousands on web design and pay per click management. This seems irrelevant therefore when they ignore the foundations of their SEO. As they concentrate on chasing the latest online marketing tactic, many businesses neglect the keyword rich content that helps build prospective links across the customer platforms. These customer personas are ignored as content becomes an afterthought.

How can I achieve good SEO?

A good SEO strategy will be one that encompasses many things. As mentioned earlier, social media is now playing a key part in SEO, as well as introducing key phrases and content.

Every piece of content is a way to engage, inform and sell; and a solid marketing strategy helps encourage communication with a designated audience. To allow this to span as many platforms as possible, you should consider product service pages, blog posts and articles.

Don’t neglect your SEO, embrace it and watch things grow.

We all know that the internet is a huge, ever expanding research tool that allows viewers to dig for information across a vast variety of subjects ranging from the simple to the obscure. As people aim to satisfy their lust for both providing and receiving information, more and more blogs are being set up everyday with the aim of being number one in a highly competitive market.

Here at Ignition Search, we are no strangers to the ‘blogosphere’ and find ourselves monitoring several blogs to see how people are taking advantage of the potential SEO opportunities they can provide. It has been interesting this week therefore to stumble across an in-depth piece of research that details what exactly makes a link worthy blog post?

The information in question was collected from 72,330 different blogs, spread out over 40 different websites and the findings provided some interesting results regarding titles, media content, topics and post length and the effect they have on In-Linking Domains (ILD’s).

What Effect Does the Title Length Have?

It’s easy to presume that the content of a title would have no bearing on the amount of ILD’s a blog post would receive. The recent research carried out however would suggest otherwise and show results that title lengths between 10-18 words would on average have more links. This was further collaborated by an in-depth finding that the ideal ‘hot spot’ number was around 15 words. The data showed that descriptive titles are more beneficial, but going overboard on the length can be a bad move.

Effects of Post Length

For those that contribute to blogs on a regular basis, the ideal length of a post has long been a debatable subject. Assuming the belief that people have short attention spans, it is argued that posts should be between 500 – 900 words long. This has been dispelled by the extensive research, as analysis of thousands of blogs proved that those which were the most SEO friendly and attracted the most ILD’s were the ones around 2,500 words in length. The contributions with limited content had fewer search engine/linked results.

The Contribution of Media

In a bid to increase popularity and appeal to linked domains, bloggers will often break up the content of their article with lists, images or videos, but does this really help? Actually, the results of the survey show that it does. The research highlighted that by adding a list to the plain text of a post, the number of ILD’s received can almost double SEO. These results are even more outstanding when all three media types are applied. Quality content supported by an array of media appeals to more users and as popularity grows, so does SEO rankings and number of ILD’s.

Top Topics?

Those people that write blogs are always interested in producing a finished article that could be considered a ‘top topic’ within the blogosphere in order to pull in the most followers. As mentioned, there are thousands of blogs surfacing across a variety of subjects, so just what are the key words to include in order to help establish yourself as a top topic? In order to determine the key words used, the study analysed all 72,330 posts in order to reveal that out of the 27,658,728 words used, the top 5 that kept resurfacing were: Google, Yahoo, SEO, Site and Search. The blogs that incorporated these words were found to have increased rankings and linked domains.

So there it is, a basic outline of how to build an effective blog that reaches across the blogosphere. Although the research carried out was extensive, it is merely a generalisation on how to build links and not a guide of strict rules to follow. The findings do however provide some food for thought for any budding bloggers out there.

Here at Ignition Search we can feel ourselves steadily drifting away from the uncomfortable side of sales. We’ve noticed that our new business meetings have taken on a very different dynamic in the last 6 months or so with prospects seeking to be educated as oppose to being sold to.

Search Solutions – Information Not Sales

We’re quite glad that in the majority of meetings now we don’t have to go through the old routine of matching features and benefits to needs and trying to ignore the vague air of discomfort that both parties feel whether on the pushing or receiving side of a sales pitch.
Our prospects are seeking to understand why there is such a shift going on toward Inbound Marketing on the Web, and we are happy to be able to provide them with our knowledge on the subject to help them understand.

Of course, we’re not giving away the crown jewels (I’m not even sure they exist when it comes to the fast changing world of SEO) but we are imparting knowledge and helping our clients to understand what we can help them to achieve through an Inbound Web Marketing campaign.

And with knowledge comes new clients.

Culture Shift Reflected in SEO

One of the best aspects of this shift toward Inbound Marketing is that SEO perfectly facilitates the buyers desire not to be sold to.

There is a strong sense of satisfaction on the part of the buyer as the notion is that he has performed his own search for something that he is interested in and found it himself. The fact that he has been driven to a site and liked what he has seen through SEO techniques is immaterial.

So, we think that the face-to-face sales techniques should be similarly empowering to the client. They almost lead themselves to working with us by asking us questions about what we do and how we do it. Our responses empower them to decide for themselves whether Search is right for them, and whether they trust us to deliver it for them.

So, we seem to be walking hand in hand toward a common goal with our clients these days. And all of us seem a lot better off for it.