High Rankings, Google and the Human Factor

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning… all the while Google continues to circle its wagons, tightening the noose on the precious marketing spending of corporate America.

Considering Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm, one aspect has, and most likely will remain the same: the dependence on human involvement to validate websites and their content. This involvement insures the quality of the top ranked sites in search results. The foundation of Google’s better search results lies in the human factor: links. Links that are placed manually by website owners, editors and webmasters, linking one website to another.

The premise was and remains, that if you could be bothered to place a link, there must be value at the links destination. So Google measured each website’s link popularity (total inbound link quantity) and ranked websites accordingly. There was a time when the website with the most links equaled top rankings for the sites relevant market phrases. Those days passed, and Google next factored in elements of relevance of the originating website and anchor text of the link itself as a guide to better search results. This worked exceptionally well until unscrupulous webmasters began gaming the system and building links at an astronomical pace to push low-quality websites, with not so relevant content to the top results. Enter Google’s Penguin update which, among other things, changed the valuation of links to websites.

Any search engine optimizer practicing for more than a decade will remember the high value once placed on being listed in DMOZ and Yahoo’s directories. A listing in both would fuel almost any website to higher rankings. What these two directories shared in common was they were administered by humans; no automated computer placements here. Every website listed was manually reviewed by site editors who guaranteed the quality and relevance of each listing. Google even added DMOZ (for a period) as its own manual directory. Years have passed and times have changed. DMOZ has been withering on the vine for the better part of a decade.  Yahoo, which was once a free submission, then became a $299 annual subscription, paid in advance with no guarantee of getting listed. This all seems but a distant memory. Today some still extol the value of listings in these two mega directories, but their heyday has certainly passed.

What does this have to do with rankings and Google and the fore-mentioned wheel, you ask? Well, the void once filled by links and directories in the human factor portion of search engine algorithms has been nicely filled by social media. Today search engines’ need for real live editors is being filled by the many facets of social media mentions, likes, shares, connections, checkins and reviews. If there is social buzz, then there must be merit, credibility and interest in a given subject.  Measured properly and factored in correctly, Social Media Marketing impact on the rankings of websites has major impact. The impact is not only as high listings of relevant posts in search results, but also power to websites linked to, and mentioned in the wave of social chatter, simply deciphered by an algorithm.

Authorship and author rank are two more efforts to bring the human element back to search rankings. Google wants you to put a name and face to your content by linking your website to your Google + account. “Why,” you ask? Because any self-respecting person willing to show his face with his website listings in Google’s search results, wouldn’t publish spam, of course. In a recent video Matt Cutts, head of the Google Spam team, noted Google is getting better at detecting who is the authority behind each website for each given subject, and then attempting to rank the sites more highly.

So long as Google is an automated computerized service, spammers will be exploiting the latest holes exposed in its algorithm, and Google will be looking for new methods that bring a human component into its rankings. Human validation will continue to impact search rankings. Participants on social channels may not be in the buying mode while perusing their daily feed; however, their social activities can impact a company’s website and post rankings in search engine results. They will then be positioned for the moment humans are ready to spend.

resource: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/10/01/high-rankings-google-human-factor/

How to Market Your Business With A Low Budget

No matter what size your business is, everyone knows the value of developing a web presence. But like most investments, online marketing can be risky and expensive, especially if you’re a small business with a tight advertising budget.

Investing in online marketing doesn’t have to be a gamble; there are plenty of marketing strategies that are cheaper than you think, and plenty of businesses have succeeded using inexpensive tactics.

Marketing doesn’t have to be difficult, either – in our digital age, there’s an abundance of tools to measure and focus your marketing efforts. It’s easier than ever to gather valuable information and quickly switch up your campaigns.

If you’re willing to be proactive and get involved in the industry, you don’t need a large advertising budget to market your business successfully online.

Start Small

There are plenty of tools on the Internet that are free or less expensive than the big names – and they can help you make the most of your budget.

• Create profiles. Almost every social media site is free, and these are great tools to help you market your business and generate a following. Create company profiles on multiple social sites as well as professional business sites.
• Look for free trials. A lot of marketing tools will offer free trials, which can lead to profit before you spend a dime! Google Adwords often gives users a coupon to begin their paid search engine advertising campaign, if you know where to look.
• Advertise on specific sites. If your budget won’t allow you to have a large search engine marketing campaign, try running ad campaigns on specific sites. For instance, Facebook advertising is less expensive than a lot of other marketing campaigns, and it allows you to target specific locations, age groups, interests and more.

Be Social

When it comes to your website, one of the main ways to increase traffic inexpensively is to communicate with other blogs and websites.

• Comment on blogs. If you make detailed, insightful comments on a blog, people that read your comments will not only want to keep reading them, but they might want to learn more about you by checking out your website.
• Give advice. While message boards sound a bit outdated, there are still millions of them on the Internet, as well as other ways to interact with members of your industry. If you can give sound advice, or answer questions about your products and services, you can gain new customers and drive traffic to your website.
• Use video. Videos now appear in Google search results, and they also appeal to the many users who are attracted to multimedia. Leverage your YouTube account in creative ways to show the benefits of your products or services. This is an advertising tactic that could gain you more sales!

Become an Author

Content is one of the biggest forces in online marketing right now, and the good news is, it won’t cost you anything but time to write. Internet users are always looking for information, and if you can provide it, you’ll be more likely to gain customers and traffic.

• Write guest posts. Most blogs are open to the idea of guest authors, and if you can give them fresh content to post, it’ll help both of you. Being published on other sites will not only improve your traffic and branding, but it will help your search engine optimization because of links.
• Start your own blog. All businesses can profit from a blog, because content is what drives traffic and improves SEO efforts. Try not to sell your company in every post, but instead give valuable information to your readers. You’ll create a community of loyal followers, which you can reinforce by frequently responding back to their comments!
• Give thorough content away for free. We’ve all seen “beginner’s guides” like the infamous one by Moz, and the reason content like this is so successful is because it’s thorough and relevant to everyone. If you can create guides that help other readers, you’ll get links, traffic and recognition – three indispensable parts of your marketing campaign.

Care About Your Customers

Turning interested users into customers doesn't have to be expensive, either. Attracting users is an important part of Internet marketing, and if you’re creative, you can use your website to do this.

• Do giveaways and contests. All users want to feel part of a community, so if you can engage them, they’ll visit your site more frequently – and be more likely to become a customer and refer you to friends. Even if they’re small, contests and giveaways related to your business can help users remain interested in your site.
• Ask for testimonials. If you’re making your customers happy, you should have no problem finding individuals to star in video testimonials or to ask for referrals. This can be one of the most effective marketing strategies, since human beings naturally want to use a business or service if they see their friends excited about it.

If you’re a small, local business with a tight advertising budget, don’t be intimidated by companies paying a fortune for online marketing. The web provides endless ways to promote your business successfully and inexpensively.

Keep yourself informed with the online marketing industry, since it’s always changing. If you remain knowledgeable, you can use the Internet to create viral content, communicate with blogs, websites and companies in your industry, and build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

You can reach us for best business promotion at low cost. We provides affordable online business promotion services.

Resource: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/07/26/how-to-market-your-business-with-a-low-budget/

7 Must-Have Online Tools for Businesses

Running a business, no matter how large or small, takes a tremendous amount of savvy organization skills. It takes a New York minute for your operation to go from clean to cluttered. From emails to receipts, project planning to social media, there’s a heck of a lot of things for any business owner to stay on top of. Thankfully, there are scads of smart developers out there creating tools that make everything from to do lists to invoice generation a digital snap.
If you haven’t had time to keep up on the latest and greatest organization tools, read on; we’ve done the homework for you.

1. Teuxdeux – To Do Lists for the Modern Age
No matter how digital our lives become, to do lists still remain integral to our day-to-day activities. Whether you’re an old-fashioned pen and paper person or an online task guru, TeuxDeux makes life volumes easier. TeuxDeux lives in a tab on your computer, housing lists from simple to highly complex. The interface is uber-simple, clean, intuitive, and very useful. The best part; it’s completely free.

2. Shoeboxed – Organize the Little Things
Receipts: They’re tiny, plentiful, and can clutter up a happy desk faster than a turbo train. They seem to be everywhere but where you need them most, come tax time. Shoeboxed aims to remedy this mini-nightmare by digitally housing all your important receipts, bills, and business cards. The how is up to you. Either send all your goodies in a pre-paid envelope and let them do the dirty work, or you can purchase an online desktop uploader. Your easiest option: use their handy dandy mobile apps. With minimum setup and reasonable monthly fees (the apps themselves are free, as is the DIY account), your business or nonprofit will reap the organizational benefits from word one.

3. Trello – Easy Project Management
Trello is a project management tool for businesses or departments that need a simple interface and notification system. It’s ideal for tasks that are too complicated for traditional to-do lists, but not complicated enough to warrant a Basecamp style uber-software solution. Trello is free, and super flexible. Create cards and categories for each of your tasks, and assign them to any user, complete with real-time notifications. Customer support for Trello rocks, and you’ll notice frequent upgrades and improvements too.

4. The Invoice Machine – Get Paid and Stay Organized
If you run a business that invoices clients but doesn’t require hardcore invoicing software (that can costs hundreds or even thousands of dollars), The Invoice Machine is an ideal middle of the road option. Basic features like invoice generation are free, as long as you don’t create more than three in a given month. Inexpensive paid plans are perfect for those who send more frequent invoices, and The Invoice Machine will of course keep track of everything you send, and remind you when invoices are still outstanding. Each invoice looks polished and professional, and this tool truly simplifies the process of getting paid.

5. Sanebox- Make Sense of Your Inbox
One of the most demanding tasks of any business professional is keeping up with the mighty email inbox. It doesn’t take long for to suddenly feel like way too much time is spent parsing through stacks and stacks of unread messages. Enter Sanebox. This nifty tool determines how important each received message is to you, and it filters less critical emails into subsequent folders. Sanebox also summarizes emails and information in your less important folders, and appropriately highlights those it knows you need to read now. You can also set-up reminders to follow-up with individuals as needed, and you can ask that Sanebox put designated emails back into your inbox in any given timeframe. There are several paid plans to choose from, depending on the size of your inbox and your overall needs.

6. Hootsuite – Social Media Magic
Just about every business is getting in on the social action these days, and those that aren’t are delaying the inevitable out of intimidation. Hootsuite aims to assist you in wading through the madness and keeping things organized and simple.
Connect all your social media accounts to Hootsuite (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. – note that Google+ doesn’t yet allow connectivity), then send and schedule tweets and status updates to your heart’s content. Hootsuite allows Social Media Professionals to plan out a bundle of blasts in advance, supporting big picture planning and saving you tons of time. It will also let you set-up a column with keyword searches, then display tweets that feature your selections. This allows you to track your business’s social signals, and see all your past, present, and future social updates; all in one handy interface. Basic features are free; utilizing all the bells and whistles will require a paid plan.

7. Yast – A Different Kind of Time Tracking
Sometimes we’re so busy each day, it’s hard to know how much time we spend doing each of our critical tasks. If time management is key to your success, let Yast demystify your world. Yast runs in the background throughout your day’s activities, tracking how much time you spend on specific tasks. Each day, it compiles the info into a timeline, visually showcasing where you spent your time and attention each day, week, month, and year. You’re able to chunk out projects into specific tasks too, and see how they each measure up. There are three different kinds of pricing plans, and the Personal option is completely free. Business plans allow for multiple users and shared projects, and there’s a free trial to truly assess if the tool is right for you.
As business owners, we can never be too organized. Got an organizational tool you can’t live without that didn’t make the list? Leave us a comment and enlighten us!
resource: http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/07/18/7-must-have-online-tools-for-businesses/