Monday, December 01, 2008

The 10 Commandments of SEO

The Ten Commandments of Search Engine Optimization
Moses Jr.


When a client says, "Your competition has guaranteed top results and submission to 100,000 Search Engines and Directories", We need to start educating them that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process and not an event - don't just add random keywords and submit the site to every directory possible and assume you'll get a no. 1 ranking.

Hopefully this article will help distinguish the shysters from the genuine SEO companies.

Commandment 1:
Thou Shalt Not Guarantee Rank (Period!)
Search Engines alone control their indexing and ranking algorithms. Trying to trick Search Engines is a futile process and the only way to improve your rank is to play within the rules, which are very simple: make it logical and provide valuable content for the site visitor - after all, that's who the crawlers (little programs that constantly crawl all over the web) are interested in serving.

If your SEO person tries to sell you a magic formula like "Top rank on Google in 10 days flat", forget it - there are no short cuts! A top ranking on Search Engines takes time and effort. Hard work is imperative, especially in developing the content on your website and links to your site.

Commandment 2:
Thou Shalt Consider Ranking as Means but Not the End.
Ask yourself what a top search engine rank means to you? While it's great for your ego to be No. 1, you should be more concerned with increasing sales on your website, or at the very least, in driving qualified traffic to your site. Ranking for the right keywords (keywords used by your target audience) is what is important. There are SEOs who will try to demonstrate case results for keywords that occur only on your website. Be careful of such gimmicks.

Commandment 3:
Love Thy Neighbor but Know Thy Competition.
"Rank" is just a relative position. How well you do in search engine rankings is a function of how much hard work you've done compared to your competition. Carry out a careful analysis of their keywords, links, etc., don't copy them exactly.

Commandment 4:
Love Thy Search Engine - Use Friendly Design.
A search and visitor-friendly design is a given. Your website should be interesting enough to encourage repeat visits by search engines as well as potential customers. Make sure you have search engine friendly URLs and avoid those long URLs with query strings attached.

Commandment 5:
Select Keywords that are Worthy.
You need to research your keywords before targeting them, since there are an infinite number of variations which would be cost-prohibitive to target, not to mention ineffective. WordTracker, for example is a tool that gives you an idea of a keyword's search potential. It is advisable to start a keyword campaign with moderate competition and a high number of searches.

Commandment 6:
Thou Shalt Write Great Content.
Even if a website site is technically friendly to search engine robots (those crawlers again), it won't help unless you also fill it with valuable information and content. Contextual and editorial value are highly prized by Search Engines and good content brings repeat visits - not just by search engines but also by viewers and increases the possibilities of conversion. Your web page should have your desired action embedded in the content and you must also make sure that the content is fresh and regularly updated.

Commandment 7:
Honor Thy Hyper-Linking Strategy.
Hyperlinks make your content accessible and put it in context. Hyperlink in the right context within your website to cthe appropriate content on other websites. Good links are appreciated by the Search Engines and by visitors alike. No one likes to be taken to a site selling "apples" when they're really shopping for a "Macintosh"!

Commandment 8:
Make Thine Meta-Content Relevant and Original.
Meta content is all that code stuff you see behind your web page and it is much like a business card. Just as a business card tells who you are and what you do, Meta-content tells the search engines everything they need to know - like the relevance and context of your web page. Resist the temptation to fill your Meta content with as much as you can cram in, but do make sure it is reasonably well detailed.

Commandment 9:
Acquire Thou, Links That Are Relevant.
Incoming and Outgoing links are the roads in and out of your web page for search engines and visitors. Good links improve your webpage's value on the World Wide Web and bad links poke holes in your credibility. Be carefully selective in reciprocal linking. Both reciprocal and one way links work well, but only if you are prudent in selecting who you link to. Submit your website to the relevant sections in relevant directories - remember, relevancy is the key!

Commandment 10:
Consult Thou An Expert.
If you are technically competent (and have the time to spare) there are 2 ways to learn - from your mistakes or from others' experience. SEO is a laborious process (remember, its not a one-time thing) and if you have the time and expertise you can do it yourself. However, if you're more interested in running your business instead of wrestling with codes and techniques, you're much better off - both financially and time-wise, if you consult the experts.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

STREAMING VIDEO PROMOTION FOR BUSINESSES

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR MOST WEBSITES is getting lost in the shuffle among the thousands of other businesses trying to sell the same thing as you are - and what's worse, in exactly the same way that you are!

It's time you started looking better than the competition with powerful yet affordable NEW MEDIA promotional tools make your products & services STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!
It's time to Get Noticed & SUCCEED!


Many businesses are using Streaming Video to leverage their marketing message... Whatever your business and wherever it is to be promoted, the intelligent use of streaming media incorporating video, audio and animated graphics, will not only enhance the power of your message, but will effectively portray your company as a dynamic concern, ready to embrace the New Media Communication strategies of this new generation.

MediaStreams.ca (www.mediastreams.ca) is a full service New Media Development firm, specializing in every aspect of Streaming Video & Multimedia Design & Development... all the way from concept planning & design, through graphic design, Digital Video & Photography & Website Development, Implementing Streaming technologies, to deliver the final product over the Internet.

Call: 604.926.5805 to see how they can help you with promoting your business in a way that makes you STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The Name of the Game is SELLING!

So! Are you in this for the business or do you just want your ego stroked? Speak now, or forever hold your peace!
Yes, the name of the game IS Selling!
In some circles, selling had become a dirty word. But consider this - whether you are selling to a customer, or another business, selling an idea to your friends or teaching your kids, or especially if you’re trying to convince your wife on the wisdom of buying that new Porsche – you are always SELLING!

In order to sell effectively, you need to present your material in a way that is not only sensible and understandable, but in a way that makes it easy for your information to penetrate the inner reaches of the target mind.

This is where good design comes in.
The best argument in the world will not work if the other person does not hear it. The most convincing logic is worthless if your audience won’t look at it.

Good design includes not just the visual aspects (the pretty images and the nice formatting) but also the way in which your material is organized and laid out – the way in which it is presented.
Imagine a scenario where 2 salespeople are competing, trying to sell the exact same product to a customer. Who do you think will make the sale? Why the one with the best presentation of course! After all, their products were no different – it was just the way one of them presented his material better, that did the job. And that is your job too. Good design will ensure that that not only does your product stand out more and is more memorable, but more importantly, that your argument reached your customer, allowing them to make that all important purchase decision.

Imagine a scenario where 2 salespeople are competing, trying to sell the exact same product to a customer. Who do you think will make the sale? Why the one with the best presentation of course! After all, their products were no different – it was just the way one of them presented his material better, that did the job. And that is your job too. Good design will ensure that that not only does your product stand out more and is more memorable, but more importantly, that your argument reached your customer, allowing them to make that all important purchase decision.

Different audiences demand emphasis on different aspects of presentation:


TO SELL – you have to excite and stir emotions.
Remember, that most buying decisions are to some extent an emotional response – even when there is logical decision making involved. Use layout, color, size of text, even sound, to create the excitement that will make it easier for a customer to make that all important purchase decision.

TO INFORM – you have to tell a story.
This is where blocks of information need to be arranged in a logical way, leading the viewer in a sequence which presents the whole picture. Text formatting is vital in this regard, with the intelligent use of white space to reduce eye fatigue and the use of images to illustrate the text. A story can be told entirely with images – however, once again, the order in which those images are presented is the main point to bear in mind.

TO TEACH – you have to paint detailed pictures
Here is where text may be enhanced by visuals, not only to illustrate, but possibly to actually demonstrate the point being explained. Video is a powerful tool, since it actually ‘paints the picture’. Remember, that more people are audio-visually inclined. Text can be tiresome to read unless the viewer is fully engaged and interested in the topic under discussion. This is not to say that text should not be provided – rather, it is important to provide the text in easily visible, readable chunks, enhanced by visual elements.

TO MOTIVATE – you need to inspire with images and sound
This type of presentation lends itself perfectly to a fully audio-visual experience. Music, beautiful images – whether still or moving, and small portions of stirring text or speech. Less is more. An open layout with as few onscreen distractions as possible will motivate by stirring the emotions of your viewer.

TO PERSUADE – you need to force a single choice – yours!
Here again, the logical presentation of your argument is a vital element. The arrangement of your material in a sequential fashion – point by point, ending in the choice you wish to force, is key. Text blocks – one leading to the next; Images attached closely to that text for illustration of your point; A clean layout; Logical and intuitive navigation links arranged in the correct order.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

WHY DO I WANT TO STREAM?

Because, according to Arbitron/Edison Media Research, seven out of ten Internet users in the U.S. say Web sites would be more enjoyable if audio and video were included more often.
Enterprises are reaping the benefits of streaming now.


More than one in every four is already a “Streamie” (someone who has listened to streaming audio or watched streaming video online).

Offering numerous case studies on their Web site, Microsoft shows that enterprisecustomers such as Aetna, Fujitsu, and Hewlett Packard are already gaining remarkableROI (return on investment) for their streaming initiatives.

The Aberdeen Group, an independent consultancy that prepared the Hewlett Packard case study, reports...
“[HP] was able to streamline product introductions, increase the effectiveness andreach of its communications, and significantly reduce the costs of key communications.The cost savings—derived primarily from reducing the use of multi-city road-shows,audio bridges, and satellite links—were approximately $1.2 million in the first yearand generated an ROI of over 1800% and a one-month payback.

Therefore, Aberdeen concludes that the business benefits are sufficiently compelling that enterprises should seriously investigate deploying streaming media technology.”

The three most common ways enterprises use streaming are for corporate communications, electronic learning, and sales & marketing.

Enterprise customers should consider using streaming technology to:


  • Send e-broadcasts across their corporations
  • Give remote presentations to employees, customers, and partners
  • Deliver end-to-end training to the sales force or retail locations
  • Enhance professional development and communicate HR policies
  • Conduct pre-sales demos
  • Provide customer service

Streaming media attracts high-value e-consumers.

The power of streaming is also becoming apparent for B2C (business-to-consumer)e-commerce entrepreneurs. According to a study conducted in the U.S., called “TheBuying Power of ‘Streamies,’ " and published by The Arbitron Company and EdisonMedia Research, “Streamies, those people who watch or listen to Internet audio andvideo… represent 43% of Web users and 24% of all Americans.

These are the most experienced Web users, spending 46% more time online than the average person. Streamies, are twice as likely to click on Web ads and make online purchases, spend lots of money online and plan to spend even more.”

The study concludes that when web sites integrate streaming media into their content, they will attract more of these potentially high value customers.

In an even more recent study, “Startling New Insights about the Internet and Streaming,” published in September 2000, Arbitron/Edison Media Research tell us that 56% of Streamies have made an online purchase, spending a mean amount of $768 per year online, as opposed to 33% of non-Streamies making online purchases with mean online spending at $596 per year.

The advantages of streaming far outweigh its shortcomings...

Quality concerns will continue to challenge media streamed over the public Internet,until broadband is ubiquitous.

Even now, however, streaming offers distinct advantages that other methods of media delivery do not provide:

  • No waiting for complete downloads—well, not “much” waiting, anyway.
  • Streamed files are not written to disk—they are processed and played as they arereceived, then discarded, leaving no residual copy of the content on the receivingdevice, and thereby alleviating copyright concerns.
  • Streaming is capable of conveying live events around the globe in near real time.
  • Supports interactivity, allowing content to be experienced in a non-linear manner. Video-on-demand, for example, can be chapterized, allowing users to jump to desired portions.

Streaming media content is an excellent way to enhance otherwise dull and static Websites.

A Streaming Factoid

Web server vs. streaming server—what’s the difference?

Earlier in this primer, we distinguished between a Web server and a streaming server. Publishing your streaming media fi les on a Web server is possible, but it results in pseudo-streaming (aka progressive download, aka HTTP streaming, aka fast start streaming in the QuickTime architecture).

For true streaming (aka hinted streaming in the QuickTime architecture), streaming media files must be posted to a true streaming server.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

About Streaming Media

WHAT IS STREAMING MEDIA?
Streaming media is the convergence of broadcast and rich media, empowering both content providers and audiences with a whole new world of choices.


The primary characteristics of “streaming media”

Streaming is an emergent technology. There are many diverse, and often confusing, definitions floating around. This article deals with streaming media only — i.e., audio, full-motion video, and multimedia content — as opposed to other applications of streaming technology, such as the streaming of real-time stock quotes. For our purposes, there are three primary characteristics that combine to form streaming media:

1. Streaming media technology enables real-time or on-demand access to audio, video, and multimedia content via the Internet or an intranet. This technology enables the near real-time transmission of events recorded in video and/or audio, as they happen — sometimes called “Live-Live,” and commonly known as Webcasting. Streaming technology also makes it possible to conveniently distribute pre-recorded/pre-edited media-on-demand. In other words, media that is stored and published on the Web in streaming formats can be made available for access at any time.

2. Streaming media is transmitted by a media server application and is processed and played back by a client player application, as it is received. A client application, known as player, can start playing back streaming media as soon as enough data has been received — without having to wait for the entire file to have arrived. As data is transferred, it is temporarily stored in a buffer until enough data has accumulated to be properly assembled into the next sequence of the media stream.

When streaming technology was first available, the ability to begin playback before the entire file had been transferred was a distinct advantage. Now, however, pseudo-streaming techniques, such as progressive download, allow some other formats to begin to play before file download is completed. So, while the ability to begin playback prior to completing file transfer is a characteristic of streaming, it is not, in and of itself, a differentiating factor.

3. A streamed file is received, processed, and played simultaneously and immediately, leaving behind no residual copy of the content on the receiving device. An important advantage of streaming media (unlike either traditional or progressive download) technology is the copyright protection it provides. No copy of the content is left on the receiving device. Therefore, the recipient can neither alter nor redistribute the content in an unauthorized manner.
Streaming integrates the old with the new...

If you take away the references to the Internet and the computer from our definition of streaming media, it’s clear to see that we have been “streaming” media since the dawn of the media age. Streaming media is not new, it has been around since the inception of the radio by Marconi in 1897. We just called it broadcast. Broadcast, however, as we currently know it in the form of radio and television, does not yet provide the rich media experience that the Internet and the World Wide Web have made possible.

Like broadcast, streaming media delivers the real-time or on-demand access to audio, video, and multimedia content that audiences want, while providing the copyright protection content providers demand. But streaming media can also weave interactivity into the experience.

Unlike analog broadcasting, the digital nature of streaming media facilitates the integration of interactive capabilities such as the chapterization of segments, clickable hotspots within the video frame, URL flips that automatically launch Web pages at specific instants during playback, and the intelligent indexing of media content through the use of searchable keywords.

Click here for info on finding Photographic Images on the Internet

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Finding the Best Keywords for your Website

The first step towards a better position on the search engines is choosing the right keywords. A keyword is a short phrase a search engine uses to index your website while displaying the results to a user's query. Cutting down your website's offerings to just a few words can give you the basic keywords to use. You can do that by looking at your site's offerings from the user's perspective, and ask yourself:"What will a potential customer type in the search engine's search box when looking for something I have to offer?"

Once you have chosen a set of keywords that best describe your site, you should verify that you are able to compete with them. Ranking as #1 on keywords such as "Software", "Movies" or "Money" is not realistic, as they are too general. Furthermore, they are not targeted enough - your wish is to drive targeted traffic to your site. Converting one visitor that is really interested in your offerings to a customer is much easier then converting hundreds visitors that are not.

Most Internet users do not query search engines on general or single words such as "Software" or "Lawyers", as the results they will get are too general to benefit from. This fact works for you - the first rule in choosing keywords, is to make them specific, and best reflects what your site offers. Narrowing down by geographic location in another option to be more specific in your keywords. If you are interested in attracting visitors from Vancouver, choose, for example, "Limo service in Vancouver". The competition of these kinds of keywords is much less intense then general ones. The chances of getting excellent positioning are much higher when using focused and targeted keywords.

Keywords that are closely related to the main subject of your site can improve your ranking in the search engines also. For example, if your website subject is Limo services in Seattle, you might try targeting keywords like "Seattle Luxury Hotels". The point is that people looking for "Seattle Luxury Hotels" are probably interested in Limo services as well. Furthermore, the competition for that keyword is less intense then "Limo Services", and the chances to be better positioned is much higher.

To improve your position in the search engine, be sure not to repeat a keyword more then 3 times. Instead, use keyword derivatives. For example, if your website offers translation services, consider to use derivatives of "translation", such as translator or translating.

Finally, be sure to include your domain name, company name, and products name in the keywords. Always include at least 10 keywords or phrases that are most relevant to your site (starting from the most important ones,) but not more than 25.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Designing for Dollars

Why Bother with Design?
www.newmediapower.com

Recently, I attended a seminar by a prominent speaker turned internet marketing guru, who said, “You can have a pretty website, but if it does not bring returns then its a crappy website and all it has achieved is to earn an income for the web designer…”

Now I am a web designer too and I was really miffed – what in heck did this guy mean, running down my profession, my value and my business? But then I took a deep breath and realized that the reason why I was angry, was because this guy was right! A pretty website was useless to my clients if it did not achieve their business objectives – if it did not perform the way it was meant to.

Now having been in the web and multimedia development business for more years than I can remember, I recalled a lesson I had learned in one of my graphic design courses – there MUST be a reason (and a very good reason too) for creating a design in a particular way. A design is there to do a job – and if it looks pretty as well, hey, more power to you!

Surfing the internet can be a very painful experience for not just a designer, but for the millions who have to put up with eyeball-jarring visuals. The flashes, bumps and jolts, the crammed pages full of unreadable text and the use of every color in the world, all of which seem to cry out “Get away from here, NOW!!!” “Don’t read Meeee!!!”

The purpose of good design (whether pretty or not) is not just for creating attraction – its main strength is in making it easy for the viewer to gain and retain the information posted on your site. Information retained, is information acted upon – and action equals success.
to be continued...