Posted by: Docnet
in Blogs on Jan 13, 2010
The lines between social media and search engine optimisation are blurred with one often directly influencing the other. This leaves some business leaders worrying whether they’re losing a clear perspective on their activities in these areas.
If you count yourself among this crowd, don’t be hard on yourself: the very fact that search engine optimisation and social media are in some ways interchangeable is more of a benefit than a hindrance to you. By investing time and money into one, you’ll actually achieve results in both.
If you’re still doubtful whether social media is worthwhile, think about it this way:
* The higher your profile in social media (with Facebook fans and Twitter followers) the more likely your stories will be picked up and ‘catch fire’, so to speak. They can then spread far and wide in just a few hours. Widespread interest means more links and more links means better search rankings for you.
* You can help this process along by using your personal social media accounts to publicise the news. So can your team. Provide an incentive for them to spread the message and get your stories mentioned on as many other people’s Twitter accounts and blogs as possible. This will also aid your search engine optimisation efforts.
Make sure you and your team is briefed on the search phrases you want to be ranked most highly for, and direct your social media activities around this knowledge.
Lines don’t always have to be sharply defined – allow the effects of social media and SEO to cross-over and your online presence will develop much faster.
Posted by: Docnet
in Blogs on Dec 18, 2009
In a recent Econsultancy blog post, tech reporter Patricio Robles asks whether Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is being kept such a level playing field by Google and what that means for online retailers.
Posted by: Docnet
in Blogs on Nov 24, 2009
"If you’re about to launch a paid search ad on Google, double-check you’ve considered the following first, or risk wasting those precious bids..."
Having paid search campaigns in the bigger search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing can be great for driving sales and attracting attention in a short space of time. While the return on investment might be lower than say, email marketing or search engine optimisation, at least you aren’t limited by the depth of your existing email address book or having to wait for optimisation changes to take effect. A whole new audience is opened up to you.
This quick turnaround time is just what retailers, both on and offline need this time of year. Shoppers are turning to the web to find great deals and discounts, principally through the search engines. However, in their rush to attract browsers’ attention, retailers can forget to cross all the t’s and dot the i’s on their paid search campaigns,. This has been confirmed by a recent report that states only 34% of Christmas-themed ads direct browsers to retail pages!
If you’re about to launch a paid search ad on Google, double-check you’ve considered the following first, or risk wasting those precious bids:
* Does the ad text match the landing page content? – It may sound like a ‘no-brainer’, but when you consider the limited characters paid ads allow you to use, you have to target the phrase you are bidding on exactly to stand a chance of capturing attention and relevant traffic. Likewise, when browsers click your paid ad, they’ll be expecting bold references to what you’ve advertised. This continuity should extend to any Christmas related branding you’ve chosen.
* Are you sending browsers to the right landing page? – Some may argue that getting traffic to your site, regardless of what page they arrive on, is better than nothing. That may be so if you’ve got deep, deep pockets, but you’ll be paying for every click regardless, and if browsers can’t spot what they’re looking for straightaway, they’ll click the back button without a second’s thought. Instead of sending users to your home page, link to an up to date product page, or create a new one entirely that capitalises on the targeted interest.
Posted by: Docnet
in Blogs on Nov 16, 2009
How quickly does your web site take to load on average?
Posted by: Docnet
in Blogs on Nov 11, 2009
You can’t outbid a competitor with deeper pockets in paid search, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make more sales than them. Here are three tips gained from our experience to increase your click-through and conversion rates on paid search ads - none of which involve increasing your paid search budget.
