Author: identity

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Search Engine Marketing Diet

Originally published at “InsideSEM.com” in March, 2007.

Talking with clients, reading countless posts in forums and blogs, and discussions with others within the search marketing world has revealed a fairly common story about rankings in search engines and search marketing. This story illustrates a surprising comparison between search engine marketing and good health and weight loss… “I want to be healthier and lose weight… but I don’t want to have to exercise, I want to be able to eat whatever, whenever and as much as I want… and I want all this by tomorrow.”

Unfortunately, just like dieting, there are people who are ready to answer this call for immediacy in the SEM world with guarantees of overnight, effortless success. And like dieting, most if not all of these “solutions” aren’t worth the time invested in considering them, nor the money spent on them. The reality is, there are no SEM pills that you can simply pop that will jump your website to the top of the search engine ranks or drive tons of new business through your website.

The good news is that there are steps you can take when it comes to SEM that can help you to achieve your goals. There are also plenty of professionals in the SEM world who share this belief as well… and you’ll find that there is probably far more agreement in SEM than in all the dieting crazes. Best of all, the fundamentals are true wherever you are… from South Beach Miami, Florida to Atkins, Iowa to Beverly Hills, California and beyond. Continue reading “Search Engine Marketing Diet”

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Get Your Web Presence In Shape

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the January 2008 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

So here we are and in the immortal words of John Lennon—“Another year over, and a new one just begun.” There’s something about the natural break between years that always make it a wonderful time for reflection and planning.

So as you get ready for the new year to unfold… have you set any goals, made any plans, or even made any resolutions for the new year? Perhaps to get in better shape, maybe lose a little weight, improve your appearance, do more networking, get out and socialize, or improve your knowledge? Of course, I’m talking about your web presence—you’re on your own everywhere else. Continue reading “Get Your Web Presence In Shape”

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Holiday Tips for Retail Procrastinators

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the December 2007 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

Each year, the web plays a bigger and bigger role during the holiday season. How this impacts your business may vary, depending first and foremost whether you sell directly online or not, but also whether your customers are locally based. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the web is only important if you sell online or have customers all over the state, country, or throughout the world.

Hopefully you implemented some of the local-focused tips from back in July. If not, it isn’t too late to take action, however the kind of action you take, or don’t take, is very important. If the holiday season represents a sizable portion of your annual sales, now is certainly not the time for redesigning, re-launching, or just about anything else you can think of that begins with “re” in regards to your website. The risks are far too great. Continue reading “Holiday Tips for Retail Procrastinators”

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It’s Not About You

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the November 2007 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

What is your website? Is it a marketing tool? Is it a sales tool? Is it a source of information? These are important questions, but they aren’t the most important question you should be asking. There are six fundamental questions, (who, what, when, where, why, and how) and there is a reason why “who” is the first question. Without “who?” the other questions just aren’t as important anyway.

Unfortunately, many websites answer this first question wrongly. So what’s the correct answer? Let me give you a hint…it’s not about you. You may develop, manage, and even pay for your site, but it’s your target customers’ or potential customers’ site. If you doubt this-seriously, when was the last time you visited your own website anyway? Continue reading “It’s Not About You”

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Reputection: Protecting Your Online Reputation

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the October 2007 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

Last month we started a discussion on reputation management, specifically, one aspect called reputation monitoring. Reputation monitoring is really the task of keeping our eyes and ears open and setting up automated information delivery networks to help with monitoring what is being said about us online. Already it is probably coming to you, the question of what to do now that you’ve “monitored?”

Reputation protection, or “reputection” if you will, is the ever important other half of reputation management. How we handle the negative information we come across during our monitoring can however, have an even more damaging and negative impact than the original information. Continue reading “Reputection: Protecting Your Online Reputation”