Been a while since I’ve written anything about search engine optimization, but I recently read a couple of articles ( 1, 2) a couple of weeks ago relating to the complexity of being a search engine marketer that gave me the desire to add my two cents.

I thought I would start out by stating the obvious. As much as we might like to think how difficult it is to get to the top of search engines and stay there, SEO is not rocket science. Last time I checked, SERPS (define) had nothing to do with velocity or thrust.

However, what makes it such a controversial issue is that the industry is filled SEO experts taunting white and black. You might refer to it as best practices or search friendly “insert word here.” But when the dust settles, opinions will vary and so will results. And since there is no regulation per se, a guy in his basement has as much of a chance in claiming his fame as a director of a major search engine-marketing firm.

I guess the real question is whether a company should hire a SEO or do it internally? Additionally, does the expert knowledge vary so much, that the company should think twice about the SEO company or individual it hires?

Before we attempt to answer that, lets look at some current trends:

1. The Internet is “in” and everything else is “out.” By that I don’t mean that other mediums are invisible, but rather “internet” is under the spotlight for the time being.
2. Getting expert advice is costly. No one wants to hire second-rate services. One can usually tell the difference between subpar and first rate. Maybe it’s not entirely about the SEO’s knowledge, but there is certainly more to company’s persona than knowledge.
3. The Internet is measurable. Not to say that other mediums are not easily measured, but nothing comes close to what can be measured online. From form fill-outs to phone calls, online marketers are savvy in determining ad spend
4. Inventory is plentiful. From search to banners, you can literally spend thousands to millions online

All of the above equals the need for management. So do you need an online rocket scientist? If you’re looking for true results then…yes! Simply skimping and saving by doing it yourself is fine if “Internet Marketer” is your title. But if your company is too busy doing its business, then hiring a dedicated Internet marketing company/professional is the key. If your chosen company or internal thrusts aren’t cutting it, you can always change gears and hire another.

SEO isn’t rocket science, but managing a successful business is! You make the call.

[tags] seo, search engine optimization, internet marketing [/tags]

As you may already know, the first day of every month marks blog tipping day, a tradition started by Easton Ellsworth. In case your not entirely sure, blog tipping is about complimenting upon three bloggers who show excellence in their chosen field.

Although this month isn’t the beginning of the tradition, this is the first post I have participated in giving credit where credit is due.

Tip #1 goes off to Ben Yoskovitz, author and contributor to several blogs including Grasshopper New Media (a podcast network), The Great Big Small Business Show (who also is a proud sponsor of iBlog Business), iGotNewsForYou, and more.

All of the above resources are packed with useful business related content that deliver solid information, humor, and real tips you can actually use. I think when it comes to “free” on the Internet, that’s harder to come by everyday. Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting Ben who has shown his support for our Business Blogging Directory through numerous blog posts and referring other business blog advocates.

Tip #2 goes off to Mike Sansone of Converstations who advocates business blogging as a “Conversation Station.” As a blogging coach, you’ll have a hard time finding anyone who knows more about business blogging than Mike does.

His high energy business blog is filled with useful resources including upcoming events, industry trends, promotion, tools, and more. Be sure to check out his regular Podcasts to learn how to use blogs as an effective way to build business and listen to your clients. With almost 2000 subscribers, Mike has certainly built a community who dial into his blogoshere!

Tip #3 goes off to Marianna Hayes’s Results Revolution of Halo Business Advisors.

As a consultant and focused upon small business, Marianna Hayes offers a BIG business tips and resources for non-profits and companies on a tight budget. Her blog posts often reflect her energetic personality to shed light upon what seems like a dark tunnel and to keep your business on track for the long run. With a monthly newsletter, Halo business advisors stays in contact and is always looking to lend a helping hand.

Keep up the good work!

[tags] blog tipping, business blogging [/tags]

It’s been almost a month since my last post, but I assure you it’s been for a good reason called…relaxing!

After Christmas and News Year, I usually take a vacation during the first week or two of January to go to Las Vegas and see the CES (Consumer Electronics Show.) For those that don’t know what CES is, its probably the largest convention in the US and is where all the major electronic companies go to release the latest and the greatest.

All the major manufactures are there including Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, and many others. From the newest HDTV’s to home automation, CES offers more new gadgets beyond any tech savvies wildest dreams. But interestingly enough, my jaw didn’t drop at the worlds largest 108” LCD TV from Samsung or even the release of the new iPhone by Apple. However, the lack of online companies and their presence did.

Sure Microsoft was there with Vista and Toshiba was there with their laptops, but online promotion, search engines, and other mediums were no where to be found (for the little looking I did) except for one that caught my eye…PriceGrabber. And might I add their booth was both filled with people and pure genius.

Now here’s a company taking advantage of a prime situation. The isles were packed with consumer electronic buyers and decision makers ripe for the picking for the right pitch. PriceGrabber, if you haven’t ever worked with them, have a very different advertising model than most of the price comparison sites. Namely, they have account managers that can prescribe advertising solutions that don’t rely on other online companies or SEM’s to execute. Simply put, if you have a website and a shopping cart, PriceGrabber can get your company exposure in front of thousands of buyers every day with little or no expertise about how the online world works. Talk about an opportunity at its finest.

Take it for what you will, but I believe that their presence at CES was a stroke of genius by their marketing team. I would be hard pressed to think that they didn’t get their moneys worth from even paying the extremely high exhibitor rates that CES requires. In addition, they had the right business model for leveraging companies looking to take a dive into cyberspace.

Where was search and other Web 2.0 promotion? Are we as online marketing professionals missing the boat for other major push vehicles like CES? For myself as an online marketer, I was left wondering where my ship had sailed…
[tags] ces, shopping comparison [/tags]

Measuring the state of business blogging can be tricky. Statistics are contradictory and change almost by the day because of the exponentially rapid growth of the blog as a medium (not to mention its newness). A recent Pew Internet research poll suggests the amount of businesses using blogs to be in the neighborhood of 7% (a research poll conducted by American Express last month suggested a similar percentage). Meanwhile, another poll by Guidewire Group suggests 89% of companies are either blogging now or plan to in the near future. Despite these wildly differing figures, the point of agreement is that business blogging is growing. The pace seems to be the heart of the dispute.

There are about 175,000 blogs being created each day (or about two per second), but don’t let that figure frighten you: the business share is a drop in the bucket. Experts put the number of active business blogs in the U.S. today at about 5,000, with half of them being less than a year old and only 10% older than three years. Many new business blogs, like all blogs, are abandoned after a few months, and only about 39% of total blogs are in English language (Japanese is top). What all of this says is that blogging is becoming a global norm but is still very much open to newcomers.

Trends vary by company size, with smaller companies tending to make more use of business blogging, while larger companies maintain a healthy share. About 55% of all business blogs are started by companies with fewer than 100 employees while around 15% account for companies with 1,000 or more employees. However, of the largest 500 companies in the United States, 40% utilize blogs in their comprehensive strategy.
Outside the unruly statistics, what is actually successful in the world of business blogging itself is a little clearer. Virtually all research and opinion on the subject points to a handful of critical factors, including:

• A writing style that is able to both connect on a personal level and be entertaining. This includes knowing your customer and establishing a significant relationship in the blog medium.
• The company’s willingness to be engaged in an honest marketplace dialogue with its clientele (the source of the infinitely precious credibility of any blog).
• The individual blog writer’s time given to the blog itself, for relevant research, thought, responding to posts from readers, and the overall construction of quality work and frequent updates.

Of course, individual companies in their unique industries face their own quirks and demands. For example, depending on the situation or industry, your business may want to focus most carefully on the tone and style of the writer. Companies with reputations they’d like to salve or improve (oil companies, for example) may find particular interest in the transparency aspect of blogging. While in a fast-paced industry (such as technology or media), a company blog might need to weigh its time devoted to updating material for the blog more carefully. Many businesses begin blogging with clear goals in the onset, or even test a blog internally before developing an external blog. Some businesses also run more than one blog. General Motors, for example, runs an entertainment blog (Fastlane) and information blog (FYI) combo that has been very successful.

The General Motors blogs is a great example of successful business blogging in its maturity. Both are easy to navigate and subscribe to, are succinctly written, and utilize costumer-generated material, including photos and video. There are also many links (not only to GM but other auto sites and even other blogs), so the reader gets a real sense genuine dialogue and openness. A look at the high volume of comments and responses in the Fastlane blog shows that successful blogs are both social and relevant.

In the world of blogs, there is still disagreement on who should be writing the business blog. In the case of Fastlane, it’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. For some companies, however, the pitfalls might outweigh the privileges of having an executive doing the blogging. The voice of the boss does not always come out well in a blog. Also, an executive might be unlikely to continue blogging for long due to a simple lack of time. This is the situation for about half of all blogs that are created: after three months, the entries stop and the blog is essentially dead. For this reason, typically the most successful business blogs are run by the employees rather than the CEOs. Therefore, it might make more sense for your business if the employees conduct blogging because they generally have the energy and detailed insight (and voice) to make a more readable blog because to the peers of the readers, and thus legitimate.

Legitimacy has proven to be of central importance to any success in business or market blogging. A few years back, Dr. Pepper attempted to overstep this in the marketing of their now infamous new product, Raging Cow (a flavored milk drink). The company hired teenagers to try the drink and blog about it after being coached. Dr. Pepper’s efforts were received with viciousness and even boycotts for trying to infiltrate the “integrity” of the blogosphere with marketing through coached customers and “hip-ness.” The whole thing went sour and Raging Cow went unreleased. Moreover, many of us are looking at the fate of “Pay-Per-Post” and its legitimacy in the near future.

Another drink company, Jones Soda, offers a much different and more successful model of blog legitimacy and customer outreach. A visit to the blog gives more the impression of a teen hangout than a business. The blog, in fact, acts as a hub for numerous customer blogs. There is all of the usual business-related material present: an online store, a product locator, and message boards (with posts reaching into the thousands). But the people at Jones very obviously know their customers well and have developed a highly successful blog counterpart to their business by loosening the reigns and putting the clientle completely in charge. Terrifying as this might be to some executives, it seems to have worked brilliantly for Jones.

In summary, business blogging can be best looked upon in its infancy even though the sheer statistics of blogs appearing everyday appear to be high. Businesses that whish to enter the blogospere should do so cautiously unless they have a strategy that meets several of the requirements above. However when executed carefully, a business blog can be a great source of customer intimacy, relationship building, and an extension of your business’s brand.

Comming soon an ROI blogger near you!
[tags] business blogging, business bloggers, business blog statistics, business blog resources [/tags]

So you’ve decided that you want start a blog (define) but are not sure where to start? Don’t worry too much because the fact that you reading this right now means that you care about the overall end result. Let’s get to the brass tacks!

According to a new study, there are literally over a hundred thousand blogs created each and everyday. I’m not sure what percent of these are actually serious about maintaining one, but you have to admit that it’s a pretty large number of new blogs born daily. What’s important, is that this gives immediate insight that blogging is a powerful tool that is likely here to stay.

Getting started with a blog is relatively easy, but giving some thought to its overall strategy, utility, and execution can go a long ways. Although this article is not intended to be all inclusive, it will give you some basic guidelines and steps in how to start blogging like a pro out of the gates.

Choosing a Domain Name For Your Blog
Probably one of the most fun of all the tasks in starting a blog is choosing a domain name. But don’t act to rashly, because you make overlook some subtleties that may have a long-term effect on your blog strategy.

Outside the fact of choosing catchy names, there are four main domain structures one can choose from. The first three require some monetary investment while the last option is virtually free.

Choosing a stand-alone domain: www.yournewblogsite.com- believe it or not this choice is not for everyone. In this scenario, your new blog will act as a stand-alone website from other websites you may own. If your trying to make a connection to your already established business or website, this may not be the best choice for you because you’ll have to work harder in making the connection to other Internet website you may own. Thus linking (an important aspect in making your blog popular) will not be as easy because you’ll essentially have to start from scratch in popularizing your blog. The pro of course is that you can choose a catchy name that others may remember more easily and have a positive effect on your blog’s success.

Choosing a sub domain: www.youblogsname.websiteialreadyown.com- if you run a large corporate site and would like to brand your blog but would rather have your blog act as a separate website then this option works best. The cons however are similar to choosing a stand-alone website in that the blog as treated as a separate identity. In most cases, I'm still a fan of making your blog part of our own website for the reasons listed below.

Choosing a blog as a subdirectory of another website: www.mysite.com/blog- probably one of the most overlooked choices of starting a blog is using one of your already established domains and simply extending your blog from it. The reason for doing so has several pros. First, you get an immediate benefit from all the links your website already has, which will make your blog easier to popularize. Secondly, your blog will maintain your brand and image thus giving your company/website a boost. Lastly, blogs and other websites may opt to link to your company/website homepage and therefore kill two birds with one stone. If your unsure about the best of the three methodologies, I would recommend this one unless you don’t already have a website.

Choosing a free blog platform: www.mynewblog.bloghostingcompany.com: in this last scenario, and most popular I might add, your blog will act as a subdomain from another blogging provider company. The most popular being Blogger’s www.youblogname.blogspot.com. Don’t be immediately discouraged because you don’t own your name outright. There are lots of bloggers who maintain blogs on free blogging sites such as Blogger and Wordpress. The main downside is that if you want to ever choose to move your blog, maintaining your blogs popularity will be more challenging. If your just starting out and are not sure if you want to keep your blog, this option is best for your because you’ll literally have no investment to make other than your time in writing for your blog. However, if your serious about getting about blogging and want to be a pro out of the box, the above three choices are better for you.

Choosing a Blogging Host Provider
If you choose any of the above three, you’ll most likely need a blog host provider. Just like any other website, there are a lot of options to consider before you jump with two feet forward. The first obviously being cost.

The good news is that blogs don’t typically require heavy hosting fees. There are many low-budget hosting options that could suffice such as Bluehost.com or Powweb.com. Beware however, like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for superb customer service at the drop of a hat, it’s likely you will need a higher quality-hosting provider. Prices range from $8 to $150 per month or higher depending on your needs. In addition, most hosting providers provide domain name registration at little or no extra cost so that you can make a one-stop shop. Best if all, since blogs and blogging are so popular, many will offer automatic blog software installation that makes it easy for anyone to get started that aren’t tech savvy.

Choosing a Platform
Ok, you’ve chosen your domain strategy, thought about a hosting provider, but are unsure of what blog platform to go with. What’s next?

There are literally 100’s of blog software platforms you can choose from. For simplicity purposes, I have chosen three that I believe to be the most popular and the best bang for the buck.

Blogger- free blogging service and one of the fastest ways to start blogging. However, it is one of the most basic platforms available and does not offer many advanced features. Your blog will appear as a subdomain of blogspot unless you purchase a hosting service. Its great for beginners, but isn’t our first choice for professional blogging. Nevertheless, its one of the most popular blogging tools online.

Six Apart- free and professional blogging platforms are available. Of the bunch, one of the easiest to sign up with and offers technical support that is excellent. Most suitable for most businesses wishing to get out on the blogosphere or first timers that plan on going pro.

WordPress- a professional blogger’s choice and what I recommend for professional blogging. This blogging platform is free and was created (and remains) as free open source code platform. Although there is no live technical support per se, the WordPress blogging community acts as one of the best free support groups of any web application on the net. Since its inception, WordPress now offers a version that is free and one that requires hosting.

Summary
As you can see, there are a lot of variables to consider when choosing a blog. From domains to hosting, one can easily make a choice that has a long-term impact. The good news is that when chosen wisely, a blog can be a powerful tool to gain exposure for your business or personal endeavors!
[tags] choose a blog, business blogging [/tags]