Today I focus much on the recent improvements that have been made by all of the players in search.  It is important to stay relevant and it is also important that you understand many of the changes that continue in this industry.

Internet Marketing News 2011 02 22

Some Great Insight Into Potential New Ranking Signals

This article provides a wonderful account of both how search has gotten to where it is and some very real possibilities in terms of where search may be going in the very near future.  A very interesting read indeed!

Online Spend For 2011 – The Increase Continues

We talk about this all the time.  The trend towards digital and the continued decline of advertising dollars being spent on print. If you like statistics, a survey of technical / media companies shows us that 52% of those that participated will increase spend in 2011 while as the share of overall dollars spent on print continues to decline.  Like I said, if you like statistics check this one out!

Google Helps Explain The Difference Between Standard Versus Mobile Development

I have been talking quite a bit about the growth of mobile websites lately.  Why?  As stated earlier mobile and Smart Phone use is mushrooming!  Here is a nice article written by Google explaining some important techniques and rules to follow when developing your mobile website.  Some items Google touches on are things like URL structure, how the Googlebot reads mobile content and many other items.

Facebook Making Search Even More Relevant

We have been talking about the potential rise in search queries within Facebook for some time.  In fact we fully expect Facebook to begin taking some market share away from the big 3 in the coming years.  This is a nice article which explains many of the recent Facebook search changes.  The time might be coming faster than we may have thought.

Google Begins Putting More Emphasis on Social In Their Own Search Results

Do you see the trend here?  Google seems to be responding quickly (as always) to make their own search results more relevant in large part to ensure they stay ahead of recent changes being done not only by Yahoo! and Bing but also Facebook.  As usual Google seems to be on top of their game.

Internet Marketing News 2011 02 14

How To Measure The Value Of Your SEO

I really liked the main message in this article. We learn here the importance of having a piece of software to measure your SEO.  What this article doesn’t talk about is a tool that we have built  ADLuge, which not only measures all of your lead data, but also gives you an accurate idea of which websites and campaigns they are coming from along with keywords and cost data.  The overall message is exactly what we speak about with our clients. Measure every campaign that you are spending money on!

Understanding The Importance Of Website Structure

This is one of the things our Project Managers are always preaching to clients that sign up to build websites or even clients that are considering search engine optimization.  Some of the tips to learn about include the importance of using text rich URL’s to describe the page, using hyphens to separate keywords in URL’s and using 301 redirects when launching a new website over an old one.

Comparing Google in 2000 to Google in 2011

We don’t reference Google’s most famous technical writer nearly enough!  Matt Cutt’s raises some very good points showing us how Google has advanced its ‘algo’ in the last decade.  So don’t try to tell us that Google hasn’t improved ok?

The 12 Don’t Do’s In Google Analytics

One of the things that I do for clients on a regular basis is help interpret Analytics data and offer up data driven recommendations for campaign improvements.  This article helps illustrate many of the areas that you need to be aware of in order to keep on top of your Analytics.  The two that I liked the most are the importance of setting your goals ‘immediately’, and then ensuring that you have the ability to take action on the data that you are interpreting. (ahem!)

Looking For A Place To See The Latest Trends?

I am not sure if we remind people about this enough so I’ll take the time to do it now.  If you like many of the articles that we are pointing at here, I invite you to visit our WyseLabs forum where many people within our own company (and many other contributors) like to post useful knowledge that they find.

Other big news this week was an uncharacteristic approach by Google this week directed at Bing who Google feels is stealing there search results.  Bing has of course responded and created some of there own allegations.

Oh ya – and congratulations to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  The Super Bowl win should be enough to keep Brett Favre retired for good this time. – Maybe.

Internet Marketing News 2011 02 07

Social Media Week Comes To Toronto

Along with Google Places, Social Media is probably the hottest topic that we deal with on a regular basis with clients.   For those of you that are interested in learning first hand the event is going on as we speak in Toronto.  This is your chance to join events across the city.  The events are scheduled all week and the topics are numerous.  Check it out and get involved!

Google Believes Bing Is Stealing Their Search Results

Bing isn’t denying it either.  Bing seems to be using Google’s rankings to help them improve their own search experience.  This is a wonderful article outlining how this is happening and the efforts Google has gone to in this sting operation. Bing even responded why they aren’t wrong doing what they are doing.  Here is Bing’s official response.

50% of Americans Will Own A Smartphone by End of 2011

Google tells us that by the end of 2011 there will be 1 billion people connected to mobile.  Phone owners are growing, mobile applications continue to flourish and we get Google’s opinion on how to get ready for mobile.  Google mentions 3 core principles. Be ready to serve visitors content that is mobile ready and makes use of the technologies available. To learn more and watch some great video check out the blog!

The Super Bowl Always Spans Us With Unique Advertising Ideas

This year for me marked the first one that I truly saw companies completely acknowledging online as a core area to get visitors involved and tied to their brands.  This is a great article explaining this transformation.  It has become clear that the new trend is in using social media sites like Facebook along with traditional advertising to attract visitors and develop brands.  Want more Super Bowl data?  Google also gave us a nice little bit of data about the Superbowl and top keyword searches.

- The advantages of thinking local for non-retail businesses

- Google’s Groupon competitor Google Offers

- 8 Reasons why 2011 may be the year of mobile e-commerce

- A new and growing demographic “the digital dad”

- Facebook Deal going live in Europe

Internet Marketing News 2011 01 31

Four Reasons for Non-Retail Businesses to Think Local

In 2010 internet marketing swayed from its global connectivity beginnings and set in its scope on the advent of local business. To say 2010 was the year of localization in internet marketing could be considered a drastic understatement. The wave started fast and hard with retail business owners rushing to jump on board localized search solutions with tools such as Google Places, HotPot and Groupon. But what of business devoid of retail outlets? Can local solutions help you too?

Say Hello to Google Offers

Despite being the quintessential search engine of the day, Google has branched out beyond its web crawling roots in the last couple of years. In their latest diversifying efforts Google has introduced Google Offers. With the popularity of ‘Groupon’ exploding in the last year Google brings fourth its answer to the deal sharing juggernaut. Find out how Google Offers can transform your business with local deals and enticing local advertising opportunities.

8 Reasons Why 2011 Will Be The Year of Mobile e-commerce

2011 is poised to see consumers reach for their phones and not their wallets when making purchases. Are the wallets days numbered? Why not consider the prospect of carrying one less item in your pocket as this article explains. But what does this mean for your business? How can you be sure you will be ready to implement the latest and greatest e-commerce tools? Contact us today to find out…

The “Digital Dad” A New Demographic Your Business Should Be Aware Of

They’re engaged, tech savvy and have money to spend; for some reason your business is completely unaware of their existence. Great article from Yahoo! that characterizes the demographic of the “digital dad”.  With the emergence of changing socio-economic factors the “digital dad” is changing the face of business and the home. Call TechWyse today for information about targeting specific demographics in the modern economy.

Facebook Deals Goes Live In Europe and Canada

Facebook’s answer to Groupon officially launches in Europe and Canada today as the online fight for consumer discounts is officially underway! Managing your Facebook and Social Media campaigns in these whirlwind times means much more than simply inputting information and adding a couple of pictures. TechWyse’s Social Media Angel program offers options for your businesses social media campaigns. In this era, it is imperative for business owners to acknowledge, Social Media has progressed far passed a youth communication outlet. If you’re not in the Social Media game you could be losing out on invaluable benefits for your business both tangible and intangible.

Hope you enjoy the read!

Internet Marketing News 2011 01 24

The Future Of Mobile Search Is Here

Want to learn about the impact of mobile search?  This is a great article explaining the growth of the Smartphone, the rise of ‘localized’ search in mobile and the future trends that are right upon us.  A must read for any business owner.  Are you considering building a mobile version of your website yet?  You can check our our iPhone website now by going to our website on your iPhone!

SEO Tactics To Avoid in 2011

Many of these SEO tactics to avoid are very fundamental but I really like the layout of this article.  If you are interested in finding out what NOT to do with your website and what SEO tactics you absolutely need to avoid in 2011 this is a solid and quick read.

Four Easy Ways To Improve Your Twitter Strategy

Twitter is still a fairly new tool in the online world.  Here is a quick and easy article which explains some simple things you can do to improve your overall Twitter strategy.  Tactics include ensuring critical words are at the beginning of tweets, ensuring you are tweeting with quality in mind, and also suggests optimal time to send your tweets.

Four Easy Ways To Improve Your Facebook Strategy

While we are on the subject, here are some great ways to engage your Facebook page.  Some suggestions include, creating contests that engage people and involve them in your business, making your page a destination and involving your page in local community.  Some simple concepts that are easy to follow!

New Way Back Machine Changes Make Viewing Old Sites Easier

Way Back Machine is a very old site which was very useful in helping to archive and view older versions of websites.  The key word is that the previous site design and usability was very old.  It seems they have made some updates which make viewing older versions of website much more fun!  It is sometimes fun to see how far the internet has come and so fast.  Nice to see the old site is back!  Looking at the TechWyse website and its own transformation is very interesting!

Internet Marketing News 2011 01 17

More People Referencing Internet As Main Source of News Over Newspaper and Radio

If you are someone interested in media trends this article is excellent in highlighting the internet as the fastest growing medium for referencing information amongst existing media areas.  The internet has risen from 20% in 2005 to 41% in 2010.  Television is still the number one source at 66% down from 73% in 2005.  Newspaper and Radio were 3rd and 4th respectively and show declining numbers over the last 5 years as well.

Facebook Ad Revenue Hits $1.86 Billion Dollars

Not bad for a company that is barely 7 years old.  Many people were wondering why Facebook was taking so long to begin advertising.  Now revenues from those little banner ads on the left side of your screen are generating almost $2 billion dollars a year.  Our own research shows that the cost per lead from this form of advertising is generally worse than that of doing paid search campaigns on Google, Yahoo! or Bing but there is a branding element there that is harder to measure.

94% of Companies Not Using Social Media To Gather Customer Feedback

Our ‘Social Media Angel’ service does some wonderful things in building your following of people interested in what you have to say.  But did you know that many companies are still not using this powerful medium to get valuable feedback from customers?  While 92% of companies believe that satisfied customers are very important only 42% ask for customer feedback for improvement.

The Power Of Using Negative Keywords In Paid Search Campaigns

We talk regularly when talking to new clients that have had a bad experience using paid search and most of them have never used ‘negative keywords’.  This is a great article that explains what ‘negative keywords’ are and also illustrates very well the impact that using these as a prominent part of your campaign can have.

Google Places With Hotpot Now Available on the iPhone

Wondering about the growth of mobile?  Google recently released an interactive way for users to offer valuable feedback on places the visit and see.  It is called Hotpot.  It is expected to play a big role in the growth of Google Places.  They recently announced that there is an application now available on the iPhone.  We continue to watch the power of mobile in the online world.

Internet Marketing News 2011 01 10

Getting Your Company Social Media Attention

I realize that last weeks update spoke about the TechWyse ‘Social Media Angel’ service.  Given the overwhelming response received from this I wanted to talk about this again.  With our ‘Social Media Angel’ service we carefully will interview your company, and provide a  full range of social media exposure.  This includes regular daily status updates on Twitter & Facebook and building your following.  We also will help your business build exposure in other social media sites like YouTube.

Are You Receiving Maximum Exposure Through Google Places?

Several weeks back we made a presentation which explains the recently launched Google Places, and how to receive maximum results from it.  You can learn more about Google Places here.  If you have not signed up for it please make sure to call us and we can help you can educated on the process.  Depending on your industry we are seeing a great deal of traffic volume since November 2010 as a result of this recent change by Google.

Drip Marketing & Improving Your Reach With Effective Email Marketing

One of the most impactful things you can do to keep in your prospects and/or existing clients consciousness is sending them regular email updates about your products and services.  One of the most overlooked items we notice is the lack of measuring the effectiveness of these campaigns.  With WHICHABAM! Email Marketing you can measure things like open rates, A/B tests and even integrate every mailing with Google Analytics.  If you aren’t managing or sending out a regular mailing to your list talk to us and we can help you out with this.

Improve Conversion Without Changing Your Online Budget

One of the biggest things you can do to improve the effectiveness of your online campaigns is review the visual content that visitors are viewing when they enter your website.  If you have not done this then I would highly recommend you review this article about sales funnel development.  To learn about about sales funnel development and its suitability in improving your online campaigns make sure to read this page.

More Internet Marketing Headlines

How To Manage Online Reputation Issues

The Importance of Developing a Plan In Social Media

Overall it is an exciting time for business as we continue to watch the trend of online growth in 2011.

Internet Marketing News 2011 01 04

Mobile Advertising to Reach $1 Billion in 2011

Internet professionals are predicting that mobile will take over as the number one way to access the internet by 2013.  As a result we are now watching explosive growth of a new advertising medium.  This article gives some wonderful statistics about the growth of mobile.

Social Media Marketing Hottest New Service of 2010

TechWyse reveals that the fastest growing service in the internet marketing world is our ‘Social Media Angel’ service.  This service builds your company an effective social media brand and communicates valuable business tips and information to your followers.  The service can include all regular status updates and follower building on Facebook and Twitter.  We can also manage YouTube and LinkedIN profiles with our Social Media Angel as your guide.  Click here to learn more about the service.

Consumer Trends to Look for in 2011

While not an exclusive article to internet marketing, this trend article highlights many consumer trends in 2011.  Key highlights are social networks and mobile devices.
 

4 Predictions In Mobile Web Design in 2011

While we have been practicing many of these for quite some time.  In short the big 4 predictions are the explosion of mobile web design (did I mention we specialize in this?), continuation of Web 3.0 and simplicity in design, web design replacing print, and the web industry becoming more specialized.

From myself and the entire TechWyse team, I wish you all the best in 2011!  It should be a very exciting year no doubt!

Internet Marketing News

Google Gives Us Some Summer Conversion Tips

Did you know that the average person using Google Website Optimizer experiences a 21% increase in conversions and a 14% decrease in cost per conversion? Did you know you can run a ‘search funnel’ report and find out which ads and keywords were searched leading up to a conversion?  Kinda makes sense to talk to a company like ours that runs these Website Optimizer tests everyday doesn’t it?

Yahoo! Launches Real Time Keyword Suggestion In Search Bar

Well almost real time!  We checked and were very impressed with the latest Yahoo! announcement.  Yahoo! has stepped up there search experience.  As you type something into the search bar Yahoo! search suggestions are very good and very current.  Check them out now!

5 Rules for Professional Social Networking

Social media continues to grow at enormous rates.  If you don’t have us managing your social media profiles, or are interested in learning more, here is a great article explaining how to maintain a professional social networking approach.  On the same note we also liked this article explaining how to manage brands in social media.  We have a discounted service we recommend you read about for existing clients that want to have us manage there social media.

Social Media Becoming Affordable Way To Find Job Talent

Remember the days when business used to go to sites like Monster or Workopolis to find career minded people?  Looks like social media is quickly becoming a new place that business is going to find talent!  Another interesting way that social media is being utilized.

Other Internet Marketing Tidbits

Search Engine Market Share Shows Big 3 Making A Rebound!

Google Adwords Launches Keyword Diagnosis Giving Better Analysis

For those of you that are interested in why we publish a search engine market share update each and every month it is because business needs to understand what search engine source the market is focusing on.  If Bing for example, is growing in popularity at a faster rate then chances are that PPC can be utilized at a cheaper rate than when the rest of the world begins to catch up to the latest trends.

On that note when at SES Toronto last week we were interested to find out that Bing is actually the second most used search engine in Canada. (above Yahoo!)  On that note we would also like to wish Bing a happy first birthday!

Google Market Share Falls in May 2010

Search engine leader, Google made its biggest fall in May 2010 according to Hitslink.  Despite this the search engine still maintains a stranglehold on search engine market share at 84.80%.  We will see if recently launched, Caffeine can continue this trend.

Yahoo! Market Share Makes Rare Improvement In May 2010

Yahoo! improved its own market share back to December 2009 levels as they went from an all time low of 5.30% to 6.19% in May.  Perhaps having something to do with the positive news stemming from the partnership with Microsoft?  Time will only tell.

Bing Improves Market Share in May 2010 On The Eve Of Their Birthday

Bing opened back in June 2009 with a market share of 2.96%.  While we really have enjoyed the overall usability and effort put into improvements of the engine, I am certain that Microsoft had higher hopes than a .28% improvement to 3.24% in one year.  They continue to market and we do see them at trade shows so let’s see how they grow!