May 08, 2008
Pay-per-click advertising for books
By Kai Blum
Pay-per-click ads on Google or Yahoo are an effective and affordable way to market non-fiction books to people who are actively looking for specific information. This is ideal for small publishers and self-published authors but also works for big publishers and university presses.
A well written pay-per-click ad will let search engine users know that your book exists and lead them to your website or blog. If your landing page content is convincing, you may easily convert them into buyers.
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Posted by Alicia Dorset on May 8, 2008 04:42 PM
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April 21, 2008
8 redesign mistakes that can ruin your Google rank
By Kai Blum
Any of the following redesign mistakes can negatively impact your Google rank:
- Change page URLs and other file names (images, pdfs)
- Use different page titles and descriptions
- Replace HTML-based headlines and texts with graphics or Flash
- Make page text changes (content, formatting)
- Change your internal link structure
- Make changes to link anchor texts
- Make changes to alt tags of navigational elements and images
- Change links to external pages
In other words: Stay away from a complete redesign, if your web site is already ranked No. 1 on Google for your most important keywords phrases — unless you have an unbeatable number of quality inbound links. Even then, be very careful not to make any of the mistakes listed above, because on-page optimization is the foundation of search engine marketing success!
Posted by Alicia Dorset on April 21, 2008 04:15 PM
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April 14, 2008
How choosing a physical location can influence Google rank
By Kai Blum
Seventy-four percent of U.S. consumers use search engines to look for local business information, according to Nielsen.
When they use a specific keyword, let’s say “massage” and combine it with a city name, for example “Ann Arbor,” Google will not only display the organic search results and the pay-per-click ads, but also ten “Local Business Results” near the top of the page and “number” them A-J.
The businesses with the most central physical address are usually listed first. I say “usually,” because there’s always a stray.
- “As with all other Google search results, Local listings ranks results based on relevance. Distance is one factor that goes into our relevancy ranking, but there are many factors as well. Sometimes our search technology will decide that a business that's farther away is more likely to have what you're looking for than a business that's closer.”
There’s no doubt in my mind that distance is the most important factor and therefore you should not only use the right keywords when naming your small business, but also choose a central mailing address.
Posted by Alicia Dorset on April 14, 2008 09:48 AM
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April 09, 2008
The tools of the conference trade
By Alicia Dorset
As you probably read from Charlie's last post, he was at BlogHer Business last week, and I was right there next to him, enjoying another great discussion from some of the blogosphere's best minds. You might be wondering why you didn't see live updates from NYC here on BlogWorks. Here's why.
In our office, I think we can best be described as techy nerds. We love new digital technology, and right now there seems to be a never-ending supply of it. Some of us have been obsessed lately with Tumblr, a microblogging platform that lends itself perfectly to live blogging, blogging on the go and sending quick updates (photos, videos, links and even quotes). Think of it as a beefier Twitter.
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Posted by Alicia Dorset on April 9, 2008 10:49 AM
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BlogHer Business: It's Not About You, It's About Them
By Charlie Kondek
I attended BlogHer Business last week in New York City. It was a good conference and a great chance to meet a lot of interesting people. Some of the folks I met are bloggers, some PR and marketing folks, and many are both. I even got to meet a few folks I've previously only known online or over the phone.
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Posted by Alicia Dorset on April 9, 2008 10:37 AM
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March 13, 2008
Working with bloggers
By Charlie Kondek
Information Week has a great piece by Boing Boing contributor Cory Doctorow on making it easy for bloggers to write about you. He runs down 17 tips to make your web site or the web-based part of your promotion friendlier to other bloggers, including the judicious use of permalinks and images, and a smart linking policy.
Posted by Alicia Dorset on March 13, 2008 10:15 AM
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March 05, 2008
Facebook flair
Looking for a way to get involved with Facebook applications at no cost to you? Do you like buttons? If so, "Pieces of Flair" just might be the right application for you or your client.
Playing off one of the best parts of Office Space, the flair application allows Facebook members a spot to display user-created buttons on their virtual bulletin board. Here's mine, just to give you an idea. And yes, I went over the "minimum flair requirement..."
For companies, this is a fun, easy way to toss up some branded imaging and add it to the mix. I think this could be a great way to encourage brand enthusiasts to try their hands at making their own flair for your product.
Posted by Alicia Dorset on March 5, 2008 11:33 AM
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February 27, 2008
Our new global digital practice
MS&L has announced the launch of our new global digital practice, jointly led by Jud Branam in North America (here in Ann Arbor) and Michael Pierlovisi in Europe (in Paris). Email Jud or Michael with your digital PR needs.
Posted by Laurie Mayers on February 27, 2008 08:54 AM
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