In [...]]]> In response to a number of inquiries about How to boost your Search position on Google, here are the three
Top Tips For Marketing Via Your Blog which we cover on our Low Cost Marketing Using WordPress one day seminar.

• Chose a Compelling Title
• Keep It Simple and To The Point
• Tell Your Readers What They Want To Know

In order to boost your search engine rating on Google, Yahoo! and Bing, and make the most of your marketing effort, make sure that your blog posts take account of the advice they give about SEO. SEO is an acronym for “Search Engine Optimization”, and describes the techniques of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the natural or un-paid search results.

In the context of marketing your business, using your WordPress Blog to tell people about your goods and services is a great idea, so you want the most people to see it. This is the way to make Blogging help your business for very little cost, and so get the word out to as many people as possible. A good Blogger grabs the attention of their readers, and holds it long enough to establish an emotional connection, so that they will want to return.

Compelling Title
First of all chose a Compelling Title to grab the reader’s interest and attract them to visit your site. This may be repeated in the content, which will help the search engine spiders correctly rank your site. On Google, the PageRank will determine how close to the top of the search results your site or page appears in the list returned to the user. Make sure your title is relevant to your content and brings visitors who want to know more about your subject.

Keep Content Simple
Once your visitor has arrived, you have only a few seconds to give them enough information so that they can chose that they want to read on. Keep your content simple and to the point to hold their attention, and if possible provide a bullet pointed list near the start to aid comprehension. This will allow them to confirm that they are on the right site for their needs without wasting time reading the detail. It is better to have someone decide that they do not want your content and leave quickly, than have them read to the bottom and leave disappointed.

Give Them What They Want
Finally, tell your readers what they want to know, rather than what you want them to know. That means you have to write to satisfy your readers’ need for information, rather than for your need to tell people about your new Widget making process! Tell them what they will find immediately useful, so that they will feel grateful and want to visit you another time. A happy reader is more likely to buy from you than a resentful one who has had to wade through all your marketing copy to find the nuggets.

A word of caution about taking the optimization too far: some SEO experts will claim to get you to the top of Google using secret techniques known only to a few, for which you will pay a premium. As Google will tell you, deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site.

So in summary

• Chose a Compelling Title to grab the reader’s interest
• Keep your content simple and to the point to hold their attention
• Tell your readers what they want to know, so they will visit you another time

To maximize the potential of your visitors, without spending a lot of money on marketing, apply the three tips listed above and you will satisfy your readers’ needs, help them to feel good enough to want to come again, while aiding the search engines put you it the correct place in the rankings. That has got to be a good deal,and a win for everybody.

Other Resources:

• Google Webmasters Site owners Help
• Google SEO Starter Guide (PDF)
• Click here to find out more about our one day seminar Low Cost Marketing Using WordPress.

In his inimitable style Aleksandr [...]]]> As announced in the Tweet from Aleksandr Orlov, there is a new epic movie on release from Aleksandr Orlov productions in association with Meermax. Called The Battle of Fearlessness, it depicts the struggle between Aleksandr’s great grandfather Vitaly and the Mongis Khan, the evil Mongolian mongoose and his mongoose army.

In his inimitable style Aleksandr himself announces:
“New movie is now launch! For watching of ultimate display of fearlessness click here http://bit.ly/bAOi7P (not suitable for meerkitten)”

We know how treasures from Aleksandr Orlov are so eagerly awaited, so to assure you that this is not a late April fool’s joke, we are providing an embedded direct link to the source for you to enjoy:

Our verdict: the best Aleksandr Orlov film yet, a must see! The sound track also deserves a special mention, for it’s stirring musical qualities and crescendos. We will not spoil the cliffhanger ending, just watch it for yourself and enjoy. However, also check out the official site which provides links to reviews and a downloadable poster. Click here to visit the official site for The Battle of Fearlessness.

However, check out the sensible inclusion of Latest Flickr photos, Twitter feed and Smoke-Free Texas on Facebook links, maximizing their targeted inbound traffic potential. There are useful WordPress plug-ins for these Social Networking [...]]]> Our featured blog this week is the WordPress hosted Smoke-Free Texas if for no other reason that it has a good message!

However, check out the sensible inclusion of Latest Flickr photos, Twitter feed and Smoke-Free Texas on Facebook links, maximizing their targeted inbound traffic potential. There are useful WordPress plug-ins for these Social Networking sites available from WordPress.Org Social Network

You may receive a [...]]]> Another Trojan Email popped into the spam basket today, this one entitled Facebook Password Reset Confirmation. The Email, purporting to be from Facebook, claims that the user’s Facebook password has been changed and informs them that the new password can be found in an attached document, which is a zip file.

You may receive a email claiming to be from Facebook Manager titled “Facebook Password Reset Confirmation. Important Message”. The message is a trick designed to fool recipients into installing a trojan on their computer.

Those who open the attached file, Facebook_password_3921.zip in this case, ostensibly to view their new password, will in fact be launching a copy of the Bredolab Trojan. Once downloaded, the virus gives the sender complete control of the target computer, allowing cyber criminals to potentially spy on users of the computer or use it to steal personal information or distribute more spam

As with any such dodgy emails, or unsolicited attachments, the best action is to delete the lot, and think no more about it.

Click here to find out more about the Bredolab Trojan on symantic.com.

The term viral [...]]]> Everyone has heard about viral marketing right? You know, where a marketing campaign uses social networks to increase brand awareness and boost product sales. Who would have guessed that a man in a gorilla suit playing the drums would have been one of the most talked-about ads of the decade?

The term viral comes from the spread of information, and hence brand awareness, by word of mouth or self-replicating viral processes, which is analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. The power comes through fans downloading and forwarding the ad to friends. Some notable examples are:

Bear Fight – John West Salmon
Released in November 2000, and starting out as a nature documentary, this witty ad quickly turns into a fight between a man and bear over a salmon. The bear was in fact a stuntman in a 7ft-tall bear suit from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Written by Paul Silburn and directed by Daniel Kleinman, this was one of the first ads to use the viral power of the internet.
Click here to watch John West Salmon ‘Bear Fight’

Cadbury’s Gorilla
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk 2007 Gorilla advertising campaign was heavily popularised on YouTube and Facebook. This ad had a massive impact, being viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, spawning numerous spoofs and winning a string of awards for its director, copywriter and art director Juan Cabral.
Click here to view Cadbury’s Gorilla Advert

The Return of Monkey – PG Tips
When PG Tips wanted to revise the Monkey character and reconnect with its advertising heritage, they called on copywriters Mark Waites, Ben Mooge and Al Maccuish, along with Mother creative directors, Rob Saville and Mark Waites to produce a witty storyline. In the first ad from January 2007, Monkey returns drenched and dishevelled as a mascot on the front of a truck. Ten thousand people signed up to Monkey’s MySpace page within the first few weeks of its launch.
Click here to watch PG Tips ‘The Return’

T-mobile adverts
Real-life aspiring musician, Josh Ward, has been challenged by T-Mobile to put together a band of hundreds or even thousands of musicians, using its free unlimited texts and internet on mobile for life rewards on pay as you go. Josh appeared in the first part of the campaign in September 2009 which saw real people being stopped in the street and asked what they would do with free texts for life. Josh, who was originally filmed on his way to a gig in London’s Brick Lane, said he’d use free texts for life to set up a superband – so T-Mobile challenged him to make his dream a reality. Since he started his quest, over 24,000 people have logged onto Josh’s MySpace profile and his videos have had more than 6,000 views on YouTube .
Click here to view T-mobile What would you do with free internet for life?

Comparethemarket: Comparethemeerkat
One of my personal favorites is the meerkat ads on TV from VCCP. Aleksandr Orlov is an aristocratic meerkat, and the founder of www.comparethemeerkat.com, which is constantly being mistaken for the other site, which is in no way similar! The character is voiced by Simon Greenall, and Aleksandr now has in excess of 600,000 Facebook fans, and 31,230 Twitter followers last time I looked. The insurance site increased its market share of UK insurance comparison site visits by 76% between January and August 2009. Not bad for some cute but simple puppets and a good idea. It even has a great jingle which just goes round and round in your head all day – com-pare-the-meer-kat, dot-com! Simples!
Click here for the Official Compare the Meerkat Advert
Click here for the Official Compare the Meerkat Bloopers

Although marketing experts acknowledge that the basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable, the successful campaigns can be spectacular and have world-wide impact. If you are planning a viral marketing exercise, you just better be prepared for it to be a success!

The tweeps, as they are called, represent 21 states plus [...]]]> Space Shuttle Atlantis sailed smoothly into orbit today with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station (ISS). Watching from front-row seats were 100 Internet-savvy NASA fans cheering on the shuttle and churning out constant Twitter updates.

The tweeps, as they are called, represent 21 states plus the District of Columbia, as well as five countries, including Morocco and New Zealand. They traveled to the launch at their own expense, after NASA invited its Twitter followers to sign up online for the chance to see a space shuttle launch up close. The 100 slots and 50 backup positions filled in less than 20 minutes on the 16 October 2009.

With only six shuttle flights remaining and still no word from the White House on a future course for astronauts, NASA is tapping into social media such as Twitter, Facebook and the like to spread its message about the need to stay in space. Astronauts have been tweeting from Earth and orbit since spring, while NASA has already held a few tweetups.

NASA estimates the 100 have more than 150,000 Twitter followers. It’s a dream outreach program for a space agency looking to drum up support. Even the most staid NASA types see the benefit of reaching out to a younger, hipper crowd.

Meanwhile, Britain’s aspirations to become a spacefaring nation inched a little closer as thousands of microscopic worms were aboard Atlantis as it launched from Cape Canaveral for the mission to the international space station. To find out more on this story, see Worms from Bristol rubbish tip journey to the space station

The Vogue cover girl has now confronted and forgiven the anonymous [...]]]> A New York state supreme court judge has ordered Google to reveal the name of an anonymous blogger who maligned Liskula Cohen, a New York fashion model. The case could restrict Americans’ ability to slag off enemies from behind a veil of Internet secrecy.

The Vogue cover girl has now confronted and forgiven the anonymous blogger who trashed her on a special Web site. Steven Wagner, the attorney for Cohen said the decision would send a message to bloggers about the limits of permissible Internet speech.

Anne Salisbury, a lawyer for the blogger, argued that the raunchy digs at the model were nothing more than “youthful, jocular, slangy” terms – like “sleazebag,” “slime” and “pimp” – that are protected by the courts.

You can read more about this at the following links:
Google ordered to reveal blogger’s identity
Google reveals blogger’s identity to model