Internet Marketing Updates
Apr
20
Fluctuation of Google Wesbite Listings
Filed Under Google, Google Updates
If you are a regular user of Google, and especially a business who constantly checks your own search engine rankings, you may have noticed for a good part of this year that there has been considerable fluctuation in the placement of your keywords within Google–even from minute to minute. We speak often speak to website owners who are worried that this is something only affecting them. Take heart, many of your competitors are also facing the same problem.
Why is this happening?
Google doesn’t provide specific information as to why rankings are fluctuating so much, however by analysing the constant changes, we believe that this largely due to ‘Google Universal’. For those of you not familiar with Google Universal, it is the ‘blended results’, taken from different areas of search within Google, such as general search, Google Book search, Google images, Google Video, Google News, Google Local (more commonly known as Google Maps).
What can you do about it?
While it is not possible to control exactly where your website will appear in Google, it is still important to keep a focus on the fundamentals of SEO (search engine optimisation), as well as focusing on ‘optimising’ your website for Google Universal, with elements such as Google Image search, and Google Local, as well as social media sites. More than ever, you cannot afford to sit back and wait to see what happens, because while you wait, your competitors will likely be optimising their sites for Google Universal, and getting ahead of you in this marathon.
If you aren’t getting the best results for your web marketing efforts, contact us today to find out how we can improve your Google rankings.
Apr
17
Breaking News
Quantum Web Solutions is proud to announce itself as the exclusive provider for web development / design, enhancement and search engine / website promotion services for dentists in the Dental Corporation Group, as well as search engine optimisation services for Dental Corporations’ main website…
Jan
15
New Years Website Health Check
Filed Under Search Engine Marketing General, Website Content, Website Design, Website Promotion
There has never been a better time than right now to give your website a health check. Businesses around the country are using the start of the New Year as a great excuse for redefining goals and setting new targets, so why not include improving your website as one of your New Year’s resolutions?
I’m always amazed by the number of businesses who don’t take the opportunity to invest time or effort into developing or improving their websites. The end result being a shabby representation of their business. All too often, websites have been quickly thrown together without much thought or imagination, or the website is years old and out-dated.
Starting the process can be difficult, so I’ve put together a checklist:
Step One - Appealing to the eye
The first step is to consider whether your website is appealing to most people and whether the design is modern and up-to-date. If you are unsure, you can easily find out by asking staff, colleagues, or friends. I would also recommend that you take a look at your top main competitors to see what they are doing with their websites.
And,… if you find yourself apologising to people for how your website looks, this is a definite sign you need to upgrade fast…
The simple fact is, if people see a website that doesn’t visually appeal to them, they will leave before they even get to see how good your products or services are.
Step Two - Content
How up-to-date is your content? Does it accurately reflect all the products or services you offer?
Do you have content that entices visitors to return to your website at a later stage? This is really important, if on their first visit to your site, they are early in the buying cycle, then you want to make sure they remember you so that when they are closer to making a decision to purchase, you will be number one in mind. Having interesting hints, tips, or features of your website is a good way to bring them back at a later stage.
And while we are on that note, if they are early on in the buying cycle, what can you introduce to your site to better educate them and bring them closer to making a decision?
Step Three - Usability
Is your website easy to navigate, enabling your site visitors to find the information they want quickly? For websites that grow quite quickly, it’s easy to lose the right navigation structure, making it difficult for website visitors to get around the site. Take the time to map out the flow of your website on a piece of paper (for smaller sites), or for larger sites Excel can be a good way to setup the flow. Remember, if someone can’t quickly find what they are looking for on your site, it is only a couple of clicks back to the search engines to find your competitors.
Usability and accessibility standards can also be an issue many do not consider. If users with disabilities visit your site, not only could you be losing potential valuable business from them, but did you know that in Australia and many other countries, it’s a legal requirement to have your site accessible for disabled users?
An interesting case back in 2000 proved that these laws can be enforced, as in the case of Bruce Lindsay Maguire v Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, in which Maguire won.
Step 4 - Pages being accessible
Do all of the links in your site work? This can be a problem more frequently than you think, as many website owners are simply unaware. A free tool called Xenu will easily scan through your site and provide you with a report to verify this.
Step 5 - Your home page
Does your home page provide a simple, clear message of what your business offers? Many businesses make the mistake of cramming so much information into their home page, because they want their visitors to know everything about them the moment they visit their site. The end result, a home page that looks messy, hard to read, and searchers leave before they find out what you have to offer.
Step 6 - Your sales message
Do you have a call to action, or a strong message to “buy now” if applicable? Without reasons to buy, you are likely to see a low conversion rate throughout your site.
Placing video on your website is also a great way to connect with your site visitors and to convert new business. So if it’s in your budget, I would really recommend it.
Step 7 - Website Reporting
Last, but definitely not least, what are your website analytics reports telling you about how your website is performing? Chances are, that the majority of people reading this are asking, “website reports?” Most businesses don’t look at their reporting, either because they don’t understand the information in the reports, or think they don’t have the time.
The information in these reports can be critical to properly, and effectively managing your website. Without this understanding, you won’t know how to improve your site, or worse still, you may change a section of your site that is performing really well for you.
Small changes to your site, based on this information, can have a big impact on your bottom line, which means more $$$ for you. Isn’t that one of the main reasons you’re in business?
Conclusion
If you’ve answered ‘no’ or ‘unsure’ to any of the questions above, then I encourage you to make improvements to your website a priority. Whether it’s your in-house web development team, or an external web development company, making sure your website is brought up to today’s standards in design and technology is of vital importance if you want to keep your business moving forward.
Think of it like this; if you walked into a shop or office, and it was really shabby, how would you feel about giving them your business? A website is no different… So what are you telling your potential clients about your business?
Oct
25
Yesterday Microsoft won a deal over Google to secure a 1.6 per cent deal with the online social networking site, Facebook.Microsoft invested $240m in this deal with the fastest growing social networking site on the internet, with growth exceeding that of MySpace. The agreement gives Microsoft exclusive third-party advertising rights to sell advertising for Facebook both internationally as well as in the United States.”
Approaching 50 million users, Facebook membership grew more than 6 per cent in September, to 107m users, compared to MySpace growth of 1 per cent.*
For anyone who thinks online social networking is a fad, this new deal between Facebook and Microsoft is further proof that online social networking is here to stay for some time.
* Data taken from comScore research firm
Oct
13
How do MySpace, Facebook and other Social Networking Sites Benefit your business?
Filed Under Social Networking, Website Promotion
Many people are aware of the buzz behind social networking sites such as MySpace, and Facebook, and you may have even seen them discussed in the news (both online and traditional media)..
So what are Social Networking sites? Wikipedia defines Social Networking sites as:
“A social network service focuses on building and verifying online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who wish to explore the interests and activities of others, and which requires the use of software.
Most social network services are primarily web based and provide various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on.
The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of specific categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with MySpace, Bebo and Facebook being the most widely used in 2007.”
How can you utilise Social Networking for your business?
For some businesses, Social Networking sites can be an effective way to increase brand awareness, and to promote what your business offers. While Social Networking has not always been entirely effective for all businesses, based on the demographics of sites such as MySpace and Facebook, the types of businesses for which it can be very effective are - fashion, modeling, beauty, bars and clubs. However with the 35-54 age group using MySpace trending upwards in terms of visitor traffic, this leaves opportunity for any type of business to use MySpace as an effective promotional tool.
Demographic Information
comScore data available on MySpace’s demographics indicates a mature, upscale clientele, with the majority of MySpace members being 35 years and older. While most MySpace members have household incomes of $40,000 to $59,999, the number of those with household incomes of $100,000 or more number 15,641,000, according to the comScore data.
Worldwide Growth of Selected* Social Networking Sites
June 2007 vs. June 2006
Total Worldwide Home/Work Locations Among Internet Users Age 15+
Source: comScore World Metrix
|
Social Networking Site |
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
||
|
Jun-06 |
Jun-07 |
% Change |
|
|
MySpace |
66,401 |
114,147 |
72 |
|
|
14,083 |
52,167 |
270 |
|
Hi5 |
18,098 |
28,174 |
56 |
|
Friendster |
14,917 |
24,675 |
65 |
|
Orkut |
13,588 |
24,120 |
78 |
|
Bebo |
6,694 |
18,200 |
172 |
|
Tagged |
1,506 |
13,167 |
774 |
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