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Scott Buresh - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Scott Buresh is managing partner of Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including ZDNet, WebProNews, MarketingProfs, DarwinMag, SiteProNews, SEO Today, ISEDB.com, and Search Engine Guide. He was also a contributor to the recently released Building Your Business with Google For Dummies (Wiley, 2004). Medium Blue is an Atlanta search engine optimization company with local and national clients, including DeKalb Medical and Boston ... [More]
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- Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix, Part II
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] The benefits of leveraging your company's existing assets are closely examined - assets that your search engine optimization company can help you identify. Utilizing your people (sales, customers, and company experts) and content (whitepapers, articles, press releases, and offline marketing) throughout your SEO campaign will help you overcome challenges and, ultimately, bring your website more qualified traffic and leads.
- Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] A carefully crafted SEO campaign presents limitless beneficial marketing initiatives for your company, with recent research indicating that of all possible investments the marketing department can make, pay-per-click and SEO rank the highest. With help from your search engine optimization company, you can achieve internal buy-in from the higher-ups and other departments, leverage existing assets, and truly understand the value of outsourcing.
- Chasing Bing - The Truth Behind the Hype
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] With the recent unveiling of Bing, any good search engine optimization company is likely working hard to keep abreast of its developments. But despite all the excitement surrounding it, Bing still has two major players to go up against. Before hitching your wagon to the Bing search engine, make sure you first consider Microsoft's track record and the known facts.
- Why It's Vitally Important to Trust Your Search Engine Marketing Company in a Down Economy
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When times are tough in business, it's a cold, hard fact that marketing spend is cut. Whether your company uses push or pull marketing or perhaps a combination of both, it's important to trust and rely on your search engine marketing company to show you the metrics needed to support marketing spend and remain ahead of the competition at every turn.
- Peeling Back the Onion - Metrics That Matter to a Good Search Engine Optimization Company
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] It's no secret that high rankings are usually the first order of business for many companies engaged in an SEO campaign. And while these are rather easy metrics to achieve, any good search engine optimization company will also work to achieve more goals, like increasing search engine referred traffic, conversion rate, and, of course, your bottom line.
- The Importance of Website Conversion
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Design] Many companies make the mistake of spending money in areas where it's not necessary. Take, for example, companies pumping marketing dollars into increasing traffic on the website. It's great to get more traffic, but that is just the first step. Now you need that traffic to do something.
- How Yahoo! Walked Away From $44.6 Billion
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Despite declining stock prices and abysmal third quarter earnings, Yahoo! still rejected Microsoft's billion dollar takeover bid. While Microsoft and other potential partners - AOL, News Corp, and Google - have decided to move on, Yahoo! must now find new ways of leveling the playing field. But what exactly must the company do at this point in the game to prove it's still a key player?
- The Evolution of Online Advertising Technology - More Targeting, Less Privacy (Part Two)
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] Though intrusive, cookie-type advertising technology is still able to be blocked, a new behavioral advertising technology on the front, however, began taking that option away from Internet users. Is tracking at the ISP level the future of online advertising or will users have the ability to opt-in at some point?
- The Evolution of Online Advertising Technology - Part One
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Early Internet companies had funny ways of presenting advertising technology to audiences, lulling them into a false sense of security. As the Web grew, the Internet began using targeted online advertising that accounted for a reduction in the amount of privacy that users were accustomed to. Continue reading to see how this phenomenon decreased our online confidentiality one step at a time.
- A Compatible E-Commerce Solution For Your SEO Campaign
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Shopping for a suitable e-commerce solution that meshes with your SEO campaign is easier if you find something that fulfills the four major requirements for software choices that have been outlined here. Avoiding the pitfalls by using a product that falls somewhere in between an out of the box solution will save you and your SEO company a series of headaches and trouble down the road.
- Flash and SEO - Like Oil and Water
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] While most companies want to revamp their websites with elements of both Flash and SEO, this is unlikely to achieve the desired SEO results. With a site built in Flash, there is only one potential entry page, text is harder for spiders to decipher, and the actual content on pages is lessened. Ultimately, the combination of Flash and SEO can be like oil and water -- individually useful but hard to mix.
- Are You Ready to Outsource to a Search Engine Optimization Company?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Before outsourcing work to a search engine optimization company and signing a contract, there are a few things you need to consider. Evaluating who has control to certain elements of the site, staying aware of code limitations, and keeping track of your own time can save you both money and resources in the long run and can help you reach your goals much faster.
- Targeting Niche Audiences - AOL's New Branding Strategy
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] AOL, hoping to revamp its services, has a new branding strategy in place. Plans now focus on the AOL search engine and targeting specific niche audiences. Some naysayers are already contradicting its efforts; however, the results remain to be seen. Will other struggling search engines join the bandwagon?
- Local Search Engine Optimization - Revisited
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When the local search feature was introduced about a year ago, companies were excited to take advantage of these tools to enhance local or regional business, but have since begun to wonder about its usefulness. However, local search engine optimization has benefited many businesses who wish to draw consumers to their doors by emphasizing the fact that they have a local address and can provide more direct, specialized assistance.
- Ask.com Search Engine - A Brief History
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] After twelve years on the scene, the Ask.com search engine is trying to stand its ground. Over its years as one of the top Internet search engines, Ask.com has shown continuous innovation in search. Two of the Internet's big contenders -- Yahoo! and Google -- are in a race to be the best, and Ask.com has struggled to keep abreast of their movements. The future of the company ultimately depends on Ask.com finding a niche or a suitable direction.
- Microsoft and Yahoo! Search Engine Partners? How Mergers and Acquisitions May Change the Industry
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] The big Internet news story is the possible merger between Microsoft (MSN) and the Yahoo! search engine. Many businesses wonder how the merger will affect optimization of company websites if the acquisition is realized. The four top Internet search engines that are still in the running - Google, Ask.com, MSN, and Yahoo! - are facing an ongoing battle to be the best, but the union of MSN and Yahoo! might push Ask.com and Google out of the race.
- Using a Search Engine Optimization Company vs Hiring an In-House Expert - The True Dollar Cost
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] A recent study by SEMPO indicated that adding an expert in search engine optimization to your payroll could cost the company upwards of six figures in salary and benefits -- considerably more than hiring a search engine optimization company. Learn how cost, experience, and other factors could influence your decision to hire an in-house expert or a search engine optimization company.
- Using Differentiators in Keyphrases - What Every Search Engine Optimization Company Needs to Know
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] An article that explores the methods a search engine optimization company uses to choose keyphrases to target in an SEO campaign. Learn more about critical factors to choosing the best keyphrases for your business -- those which will get you the best results in terms of not just rankings, but also traffic and leads.
- Sam's Club Wants to Be Your Search Engine Optimization Company - Should You Let It?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Sam's Club, the major retailer, is now behaving like a search engine optimization company -- offering packages that help businesses get a leg up in their local search listings. The question is whether this is good or bad for the SEO industry as a whole. It could bring new awareness of SEO to the general public, but it could misrepresent what SEO is actually capable of. Learn more about this recent development in the SEO industry.
- Behavior-Based Internet Advertising - Who Is Watching You?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] Internet advertising is getting savvier as time goes on. Companies have begun placing computer cookies that can track what sites you view -- and then tailoring the ads that show up based on your individual interests. There are currently a few ways to prevent being tracked, and an opt-in/opt-out list is being investigated as well. Learn more about what behavior-based Internet advertising means for you.
- All Search Engines Love Spiders - How Meta Commands Can Help You Love Them Too
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Almost all search engines use spiders (also known as robots) to scour the web for pages to be indexed. There is an array of meta commands that can be used to manipulate these search engine spiders in ways that can be beneficial when making sure a website is optimized. Learn more about which commands are useful, which are not, and which could possibly get your website penalized if used incorrectly.
- What Every Search Engine Optimization Company Should Know about Keyphrase Choice
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] A good search engine optimization company will recognize that keyphrase choice is critical for successful marketing on the Internet. While many believe that selecting phrases based purely on popularity is the right approach, it is in fact more important to base the selection on a business's prospects and goals - even if the phrases are less popular overall. Learn more about how to pick keyphrases that will bring targeted traffic to a website.
- A Slippery Slope - Google Owns a Search Engine Optimization Company
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Google recently purchased DoubleClick - and in doing so, also acquired Performics, a search engine optimization company. While Google has always maintained that there is no way to buy better organic search engine placement, the lines have now been blurred. Learn more about this situation, including potential scenarios that may arise as a result of the acquisition and what they mean for anyone working with SEO.
- Google's Paid Search vs. Organic Results - A Rickety Wall of Separation
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:PPC-Advertising] Are those businesses that spend more for paid search results on Google getting extra help with their organic search engine placement as well? Google says no - that its two departments are completely separate. However, it seems that the lines are being blurred and that hints and help are being offered for a price. Learn more about how Google is treating its big spenders and what this might mean for you.
- Current and Future Search Trends - What the Top Internet Search Engines Are Doing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] The top Internet search engines are working steadily on updating algorithms and changing the way people search. While Google is often looked to as the leader when it comes to search trends, other engines are also making waves. Learn more about the future of search - from extended previews to personalization to a push toward reaching the mobile market to just what is going on with Google's much-discussed "Universal Search."
- Does Your Search Engine Optimization Company Understand Your Marketing Strategy?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Many businesses believe that a search engine optimization company should be chosen for its ability to get high rankings. However, the truth is that there are more complex issues that should be investigated. An SEO firm should be able to find your business's high-profit segments, identify your client base, and make changes to your campaign over time. Learn more about how to find an SEO company that will create a campaign that is truly successful.
- Brand New Websites - A Search Engine Optimization Company Perspective
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Even a top of the line search engine optimization company faces challenges when trying to get new websites listed on major search engines. This article addresses some of the biggest hurdles and the most effective strategies for overcoming them in the long-term.
- Website Creation and the Eye of the Spider
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] An article that details the best approach to website creation for search engine optimization. Because the search engine spider sees web pages differently than most users, content that is not created with this in mind may rank poorly or not at all.
- Personalized Search - All's Well or Orwell?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] An article explaining personalized search, a new method being used by Google and other engines to try to improve search results. The article discusses the potential advantages and drawbacks of the strategy as well as current user opinion.
- Search Engine Optimization for Universal Search - Back to Square One?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Google's recent introduction of Universal Search could have long-term repercussions for every search engine optimization company - if it is accepted by the general public. Universal Search offers results that include not only web pages, but also videos, maps, blogs, and other online media. Learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of Universal Search and what its implications may be for current and future search engine optimization campaigns.
- The True Cost of an In-House SEO Campaign- Why an SEO Firm Can Increase Your ROI
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When a company begins considering embarking on a search engine optimization campaign, it has two choices: handle the campaign in house or hire an outsourced SEO firm to take over the job. A company considering the in-house approach may not realize how much time and energy is required to implement a successful campaign. Learn more about why it may make sense to outsource the project to a reputable SEO firm.
- Your Internal Departments and Your SEO Firm - A Play in Five Acts
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When a company begins to work with an outside SEO firm, various departments will need to be involved to ensure the success of the campaign. In this play in five acts, you will learn about the roles that three departments - Sales, Marketing, and IT - should take and about the conflicts that may arise between the departments. In addition, you will see how a qualified SEO firm can overcome these conflicts in order to bring about the desired results.
- Systematic Theft - One Search Engine Optimization Company's "Nasty Surprise"
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Due to the number of dishonest businesses that have appeared in recent years, it is possible that a price-sensitive company’s first experience with a search engine optimization company will be a negative one. SEO companies can earn their poor reputation from using shady tactics to cut costs - or from stealing from other, legitimate SEO firms. Learn more about how to protect your company’s assets from other unethical firms.
- Investing In Pay Per Click Marketing Or Search Engine Optimization - A Company Decision
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Rising click costs have driven many businesses investing in pay per click marketing to also hire a search engine optimization company to supplement their marketing portfolio. However, comparing the effectiveness of these disciplines based on click cost can give an inaccurate picture of their respective ROI. Learn more about the innate differences between these marketing strategies as well as how to better quantify the results from each.
- Understanding the True Value of a Resource Library for Your Website
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] Almost any website can benefit from the addition of a resource library – an area that includes articles covering relevant industry topics. Resource libraries can do more than just give visitors information – they can help the site gain rankings and increase traffic, which will lead to more sales. Learn more about the value of resource libraries and view examples of sites that have successfully put this technique to use.
- Questions to Ask a Potential Search Engine Optimization Company - Part 3
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] This article is the third and final part of a series designed to help you find a search engine optimization company that is worthy of your trust. In this installment, you will learn questions to ask search engine optimization companies in order to assess the business assurances that they have made. Find out which guarantees are valid and which are meaningless, how to ensure that your SEO firm is not working with your competitors, and more.
- Questions to Ask Your Potential Search Engine Optimization Company - Part 2
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] In this article, the second of a three-part series, readers will learn key questions that can be asked to determine the competence of any search engine optimization company that they are considering. From questions regarding website content changes to those covering references and case studies, this article can serve as a valuable resource for those researching search engine optimization companies.
- Questions to Ask Your Potential Search Engine Optimization Company - Part One
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] If you are looking to partner with a search engine optimization company, it’s important that you choose a firm you can trust. Many search engine optimization companies today use tactics that are questionable and that can lead to your site getting penalized by the major search engines. In this article, you will be given several important questions to ask any SEO firm that you are considering, and learn how to interpret the answers you are given.
- Don't Sabotage Your Search Engine Optimization Company
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] As the Internet becomes a valuable marketing tool, many organizations are hiring a search engine optimization company in order to help increase their online exposure. Unfortunately, there are many errors that those same organizations often make that sabotage the efforts of the search engine optimization firm that they have chosen to work with. Learn more about these errors and what harm they can cause to an SEO campaign.
- Leprechaun Repellent and Guaranteed SEO Companies - The Disturbing Link
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] There are a number of guaranteed SEO companies, but many of these guarantees are meaningless and about as useful as leprechaun repellent. These guarantees promise many things, from number one positions to claims that the SEO companies will submit your site to 50,000 search engines. But what do these guarantees really mean? Learn what to look for to avoid being taken advantage of by unscrupulous SEO companies.
- Your Search Engine Optimization Company - Protecting Your Time and Your Brand
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Learn how a search engine optimization company can help to reduce the amount of time and other resources you have to commit to an effective search engine optimization campaign, while preserving the integrity of your branding strategy.
- Business to Business Marketing on Search Engines - A Largely Untapped Marketing Tool
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Many people may not be aware of SEO's usefulness is in business to business marketing or what a valuable marketing tool SEO can be in general. Even those familiar with search engine optimization have common misconceptions about the value of SEO in business to business marketing. While e-commerce companies can and do benefit tremendously from SEO as a marketing tool, there are many factors in search engine optimization that actually favor B2B companies in terms of overall benefit from the channel. Learn more about why B2B companies can benefit from using SEO as a key marketing tool.
- Organic SEO or Pay-Per-Click Advertising - Which Should You Choose?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:PPC-Advertising] Two of the most popular methods a company can use for online marketing are organic search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising – and these are often used in tandem. However, when a business has a limited marketing budget, which approach has the advantage and which offers a better return on investment? While pay-per-click can offer immediate results, organic search engine optimization may lead to more clicks. Learn more about the pros and cons of each of these methods.
- Search Engine Marketing Services: Trends and Predictions
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Search-Engine-Marketing] Search engine marketing services need to be able to stay on top of all of the latest industry developments and to be aware of the trends that are sure to shape the industry's future. From increased demands for accountability to the rising costs in the pay per click arena, savvy search engine marketing firms must not only understand but also have the means to address these new challenges. Learn more about the issues that search engine marketing firms will be contending with as the SEO industry continues to change on a regular basis.
- Organic SEO -- What Does It Really Mean?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] The definition of "organic search engine optimization (SEO)" is often used broadly to describe unpaid, algorithm search engine results. However, some companies take this definition a step further, to include the methodologies used to achieve the rankings. Learn how an organic SEO firm works with site content instead of manipulating technical loopholes, attracts links instead of utilizing linking schemes, strives to make a website a valuable resource, and learns from the search engines rather than learning how to exploit them.
- Your SEO Service, Ethical SEO, and Competitor Monitoring
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When an SEO campaign is undertaken by an SEO service, most of the attention is focused on the website itself. The assumption is therefore that the company and the SEO service, if used, cannot control search engine results. However, with careful monitoring of competitors' sites and reporting of any violations of search engine terms of service found, search engine results can in fact be directly affected. Learn how to identify your online competitors as well as common issues that can lead to reportable SEO violations.
- Professional SEO in Your Marketing Mix - Convincing Your Company
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Very often, the people who first recognize the potential benefits of professional SEO are not the key decision makers when it comes to a company’s marketing mix. They are the people on the front lines of the organization – the ones who deal with prospects and customers every day. However, proposing professional SEO as a new marketing initiative to the people higher in the chain of command can be a frustrating process – very often leading to disenchantment and a general sense that the marketing decision maker doesn’t “get it”. Usually, however, the approach was more flawed than the decision maker.
- Professional SEO: Hand Off to Bob or Outsource the Job
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Professional SEO can be performed effectively in-house or outsourced. However, there are several criteria you should consider before attempting to perform search engine optimization using resources within your organization.
- Your Search Engine Optimization Strategy: Make Love, Not War
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] When it comes to search engine optimization strategy, there are basically two camps - those who view search engines as adversaries to be conquered at any cost and those who regard them as partners in their online marketing efforts. Both approaches can be effective optimization methods, however, each has its own distinct advantages.
- The Myth of Rankings - Beyond Search Engine Optimization
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] The ranking-centric mindset that some people have towards Internet marketing isn’t a powerful rationale for starting a SEO campaign. In contrast, a comprehensive Internet marketing initiative improves a company’s web presence by increasing conversion rates, and publishing online press releases, expert articles, and email newsletters.
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