Posts

google-panda_google-penguin

Understanding The Internet

Understanding the Internet

Paraphrasing the definition of the Internet; “The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

google-panda_google-penguinThere are two principal naming conventions on the Internet, the Internet Protocol Address (IP address) and the Domain Name System (DNS). The IP address links networks much like a phone number can reach another phone number. An IP address even looks like a phone number, for example; 69.167.6.95 is an IP address for a virtual private network. Domain names are designed for use by people to easily remember the “address” of an IP. In the example listed above, the domain name for the IP address is vyprvpn.com. Most web browsers display the uniform resource locator (URL) of a web page above the page in an address bar. URIs symbolically identifies the address of a web server or database. The URL is commonly referred to as the domain name of a website. A typical URL could look like (http://www.example.com/index.html), which indicates a protocol (http), a server hostname (www.example.com), and a web page or file name (index.html).

Internet Defined

Many people use the terms “Internet” and “World Wide Web” interchangeably, but the two terms are not synonymous. It is common for people to say they are “online” or use “the Internet” when they are actually using a web browser to view a website, which is a collection of web pages. The Internet is a global set of web pages, documents, images, computer data, including graphics, sounds, text, video, multimedia and interactive content and other resources, logically interrelated by hyperlinks and referenced with Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) or domain names.

With the advent of software tools readily available, publishing a web page, a blog, or building a website involves little initial expense and many free services are also available. Most professional businesses require a web presence to succeed today. Publishing and maintaining large, professional websites with attractive, diverse and up-to-date information is remains a difficult and expensive proposition. With the high frequency of changes to search engines, the advent of mobile devices and the numerous code bases in use today, the most successful legal websites require daily updating and maintenance.

The Internet Is Bigger Than Google

Google as a search engine is at its base level nothing more than a database of people, places and things. In this digital space, the common technical term for people, places, and things is entities. Google is an entity library that currently uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide the best user experience. Even with the best design, the best graphics and the best content on a website, without pro-active Internet marketing, a website by itself is nothing more than a “book” on a shelf. If you think of a website as a “book” within the Google library, the objective of internet marketing is to move the “book” onto the best sellers list for that particular category. The website and the domain have no value until the site attracts an audience. Domain value increases as audience and authority grows over time. This is where Internet marketing comes into play.

content marketing

7 Ways To Use Content Marketing

Seven methods that can help increase your customer base through content marketing

Creating and marketing your content can be one of the best and quickest ways to promote your business. As a matter of fact, if you can compose a to-do list containing just seven items, then you can easily compose an article that can help you maximize your customer base as well as profits.

Listed below are seven methods that can greatly increase your business from published articles through content marketing.

1 – Article content can in no time place you as a professional within your industry.

We all know how powerful the written word can be. Crafting informative articles will separate you from your competition. You will never have to convince your readership that you are an expert on the subject. Your articles will do that for you, due to the fact that well-published articles will always increase your “credibility”.

2 – Articles can advertise your business 24/7.

The moment your article is published on the internet is like having a salesperson do the selling for you. You now have your business advertised 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to an international audience.

3 – A single article can be utilized in a variety of ways.

This is known as leverage. A single article could be used for a free report, as an incentive, featured in a newsletter or blog, transformed into a book, and countless other ways.

4 – Articles can be used to spread the news in regards to your business and products.

5 – Promoting articles is painless, effortless and economical.

This is especially true in comparison to other means of marketing online. Remember, there is no cost to you when it comes to writing an article. There is also no cost to have it listed on article directories. Consider what it really might cost if you had to pay someone just for the exposure.

6 – Well written articles can help in building your mailing list.

Whenever you have a few articles under your belt, you then have the potential to gain attention from the masses of prospects out there. It’s important to continue growing your business in order to keep traffic as well as new prospects coming to you.

7 – Article marketing makes it possible to stay connected with your customer base while selling more products.

Use Content Marketing To Stay “Top Of Mind” with Your Audience.

Remember, it normally takes eight contacts or more for turning a new prospect into a customer. Well written articles enable you to stay connected with new prospects while providing them with useful information.

Branding For SEO

BRANDING BASICS ON THE WEB

Branding, or brand marketing, is a basic concept in marketing. Essentially, branding involves marketing materials and tactics that help to build and maintain an image with a company’s, or website’s, target market. Branding on the Web is about building recognition of a website, and giving visitors or customers a specific feeling or attitude about the site, based on the message the owner wants to convey. Examples of online branding materials include:

1. A website’s official name.

2. A domain name.

3. A logo.

4. A color scheme.

5. Packaging materials on any products being sold.

6. Images on banner ads for the site.

7. A site slogan.

Building brand recognition, even online where branding materials can be in front of a target market regularly, takes time. Here are some keys to effective branding online:

1. Ensure that all online branding elements actually appeal to the target market.

2. Online branding materials should be memorable, and should portray the company’s intended image.

3. A website’s message to its target audience should be consistent throughout all of its branding materials.

Building a brand image for a website or online business isn’t enough. A webmaster or business owner has to constantly reinforce their branding efforts with their target market. Here are some Internet marketing tactics that help to reinforce brand marketing efforts:

1. Online Advertising (Using the company logo, slogan, color scheme, and message in advertisements when possible keeps a brand visually in front of members of a target market.)

2. Email Marketing (Including a logo and slogan on all email correspondence reinforces branding, while regular communication with members of a target market keeps that message fresh in their minds.)

3. Online PR (Announcing regular news related to a website through press releases or blogging can keep a website’s name and message in front of the target audience. It also provides a way to build and maintain trust in a brand by letting webmasters and online business owners display their expertise in the niche through blog posts and press release quotes.)

SEO making pigs fly

Search engine optimization also referred to as SEO, is the science of search as it relates to marketing on the web. Search engine optimization marketing is the process of positively influencing the quantity and quality of visitor traffic to a web site from search engines via natural or organic search results utilizing the basic comprehension of search engine algorithms. Generally, the higher a site appears in the search results, the higher it “ranks” for that particular search engine. The higher a website ranks increases the likelihood that more searchers will visit that site.

Search engine optimization marketing is amazingly fluid and is constantly evolving, and while it is mostly technical in nature, SEO has become a philosophy for excellence in online marketing. It is no longer just technical tweaking, great copywriting, numerous links, or just search engine submission. The very best search engine optimization marketing practises benefit from a blended approach and knowledge of how the various facets of a website relate to each other.

SEO is more than just simple techniques, it also combines programming with business knowledge, to obtain the desired results and objectives that define success for a website. An excellent search engine optimization marketing strategy considers how search algorithms work and what people search for, and builds a bridge of relevance to a company’s website. A well executed optimization effort includes reviewing a site’s relevance, appealing presentation to users, a site structure the is easy to use, as well as problem identification that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully indexing a site. Search engine optimization marketing can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

Before you start optimizing your website, you should understand that the top rankings with every single major search engine and directory can be obtained but results change frequently from competition and a dynamic marketplace. It is the very nature of these influences that requires constant monitoring and ongoing development to keep you ahead of your competition.

“It is not the job of Search Engine Optimization to make a pig fly. It is the job of the SEO to genetically re-engineer the web site so that it becomes an eagle.”

3 Universal Roadblocks to Optimization Success

The best search engine optimization is more than a strict standard set of practices, it’s doing the right thing for each individual business. Optimization requirements are different for each business, and within each industry. All share these three common obstacles for optimization success.

Problem 1: Seeing Optimization as a Project with An “End Date”

SEO and online marketing in general, isn’t just a destination. It’s a road that must be constantly traveled for optimal levels of success. There is no time when your optimization is “complete” the process can always be improved.

Problem 2: Not Planning For Optimization over the Long Haul

Because online marketing is a process, consider it more broadly, and give your optimization plan the time and support it needs to be successful. Like any company initiative, if the program is rushed or underfunded, it won’t be able to succeed.

Problem 3: Not Monitoring Progress

Keeping track of what brings success and what doesn’t help will help you in the short and long term. You will have more to work with when you start additional campaigns, and you’ll have real results that you can point to.

What is your website’s “Call to Action?

Maximizing the effectiveness of your website means that your website must draw visitors in and keep visitors on the website long enough to understand what you can offer. Your website must also ask your visitors to take specific action. If you feel that your current website is under-performing, take a closer look to see if you have a clear Call to Action that you want your visitors to take.

Perhaps you want your web visitors to download a specific form or PDF file. Maybe you want your visitors to read a certain page about your business on your website. Or, more importantly you may want them to engage in communication by contacting you. Since this is most often the desired action for many websites, let’s look at this more closely.

Your website has around three seconds to catch your visitors’ attention or they’re likely to click away. Take a close look at your website – do you feel your headlines will compel your visitors to take the action that you want them to? If the answer to this question is “No”, then it’s time to clarify your website’s “Call to Action” to reach its full potential.

First look to the monthly metrics to identify the strengths and weakness of your website. Your website metrics can mark areas for improvement and show if your call to action message is getting through to your visitors.