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Where to spend marketing budgets online – Big Questions

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Searchology

At the start of the Internet revolution there were limited choices for website surfers. Yahoo, Netscape and in 2004…Google peaked with 84.7% of all search engine requests. How times have changed.Facebook now claims 800 million users with 50% checking in every day. Recent reports from Pew show that 83% of all Americans own a cell phone and 51% use their phones to gain instant information. By 2012 one out of every two cell phones will be a smartphone. A recent study by Webtrends suggests:

“…social and mobile networks will dominate the online traffic landscape in a big way…The game is no longer about the comforts of your website’s ‘Walled Garden’, but about the risks and rewards of arriving on the social network.” Webtrends -article.

So what does this mean for your website presence? Where do you allocate your budget and resources? How is it possible to have a share of voice in social media, mobile, search engine optimization and paid search at the same time?

As the Internet continues to explode and fragment, it is more important than ever before to ensure your company has a solid footing in all of the channels [as mentioned above] or risk loosing branded website traffic and new visitor website traffic. It is not just traffic you stand to loose…it is sales, conversions, leads and return on your online marketing investment. How can you gain footing in all of these spots without taking away from others? The simple answer is you cannot.

Budgets need to be reallocated to target the online markets. Your target market is already online by means of cell phones, tablets, portables and yes, desktops. Where is your budget? Take a look at your traditional media spend and revise your plan to include more online opportunities versus less track-able forms of branding and advertising.

There is no perfect solution to finding your audience and converting them into a sale, lead or other metric. But the fact is the Internet is where the money, people and opportunities are. If your site, company and brand are not online in mobile, social, SEO and other forms of paid advertising…you simply do not exist. If the current trends continue it is very possible that your company may cannibalize itself into nonexistence. Why would this happen? By not paying attention to what and where your audience is…the chance of eating yourself from within due to inaction increases exponentially.

So what can you do to work within these spaces and attract your audience? Allocate the resources or perish. Find someone within your company who can work on your social media and communicate with fans and followers. Work on your website with new and fresh content [no excuses] by way of blog entries and new articles. Use paid search and “click to call” to target both search engine results and the mobile audience. Of course all of this depends on what your key performance indicators, goals and company objectives are.

I’ve long said, “Situation dictates situation.” Deep analysis, accurate tracking and resources all play a major role in how you attack the ongoing shift in the online realm. The fact is you can no longer ignore the online space and allocate less to these online channels. More than 10% of big brand budgets are now allocated to online marketing efforts. I would recommend more than 20% to 40% should be dedicated to Internet efforts. Again, situation dictates situation. The facts are clear ~ take on the online space, measure, improve and succeed or risk being eaten up internally and by your competition.

Sock Puppets – New Social Friend or Foe?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Searchology

The Huffington Post reported, earlier this year, about the U.S. military’s use of “sock puppets” on social networking websites. Using new software, U.S. military officials will begin creating fake user profiles to help identify, locate, and possibly prevent negative U.S. propaganda and track potential terrorist activities.

Facebook now claims 800 million users, Google has millions of queries per day, and an estimated 193 million [plus] Gmail users is creating the perfect storm. Our private information and business information is now available for all to see. If you really want to break into someones account…I’m sure it can be done. More importantly, what is the government’s role in seeking this information? Why would they want it? And why do they keep accessing our information without our knowledge?

Recently the U.S. government request information on 6,000 Google accounts and Google complied. More and more our information is being tapped without warrants and without our permission. The Patriot Act gives our government fantastic powers while stripping away our rights as U.S. citizens. What are they looking for? They are looking for the bad guys of course. But can there really be that may bad guys out there? What sets off red flags within the system in order to have your personal data searched? Who knows. But there is something very devious going on here. More questions are raised than answered.

The U.S. constitution grants all U.S. citizens the right to privacy and protection from illegal searches and seizures. Apparently this is not stopping anyone from creating false profiles to access your information on Facebook or Gmail. Our Bill of Rights is not stopping the U.S. government from accessing your data.

I promise you if you file for a Freedom of Information and attempt to find out what the government knows about you and if they have accessed your data…you will probably get a heavily redacted statement which will tell you nothing. In the process of filing, you will end up with a red flat to boot.

I’m not trying to be anti-government here nor am I want to fight the system. I am calling out the breech of our constitutional rights as Americans. I am calling out the abuse of power and informing the Searchology blog readers that it is getting very very creepy out there on the inter-webs.

America was founded with the blood of Native Americans and eventually buy a group of people who believe in real freedom. They had no idea what was coming back then. No idea about computers or how fast things would change as or little world turned. Real freedom is personal expression, free speech, personal privacy, and protection from those that seek to infringe on these rights. Our rights are inalienable and not up for debate. However…

The digging into our personal lives continues. Without regulation of the regulators we are all doomed to having our personal rights violated on a regular basis without our knowledge. Is there anything we can do about this? No. No, there is nothing we can do. Not really. We can be aware that this is happening and that the infringement of our rights is a starting point of discourse.

Many are wondering why there are protests all over the United States. Many wonder what the Occupy Wall Street Movement is all about. As a supporter of this movement and a attendee in Occupy Chicago I can tell you this: the movement is about our rights. It is about fairness in all things. Fairness in treating corporations as corporations and not as individuals. Moreover, it is about freedom of expression. There is no doubt in my mind that many protesters are not being toughly vetted by U.S. officials. They did it to John Lennon, Dr. Martin Luther King, and many others. Why with all of this technology would they not target little ole’ you and me? Of course THEY would.

It is said that knowledge is half the battle. The more informed we are the better we can act to protect ourselves. The warning here is not so much that we are under constant surveillance but that the possibility exists for all of us. The protection of our rights is not negotiable but after 9-11 everything is now [and has been] on the table. Knowledge is power…so search and seek safely…your very liberty is on the line.

Posted in facebook, internet freedom, social media, Social Media Optimization, social network privacy | Tagged facebook, facebook privacy, internet freedom, social network privacy, sock puppets | 2 Comments

Ethical SEO & Ethical Standards

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Searchology

I’ve recently heard a pretty nasty horror story about how a local Chicago online marketing firm treated their client. Unfortunately I cannot disclose the details but the situation prompted me to point out some issues regarding ethical SEO practices, ethical treatment as it pertains to clients and Internet marketing in general.

Let all of us in any business remember that without our clients and consumers we have nothing. No business, no revenue, and zero credibility and no pot to cook in. How we treat those that spend their hard earned money and revenue on our products and services is critical to longevity and long term success. Respect, honesty, transparency should run both ways in any healthy relationship. Is it time for the ethics lesson? Yes, it is.

There are certain industries that rank at the bottom of the barrel on the respect meter. Lawyers and car dealers are the first to my mind. Coming up fast behind are the Internet marketing outfits. Over my nine years in the industry I continue to hear stories of how clients are being held hostage and treated terribly throughout the business relationship and ending contracts by such firms.

There are certain things that your SEO agency and Internet marketing firm should NEVER do to their clients.

Withhold important information regarding account access.
Falsify data as it pertains to reporting [of any nature].
Use trickery and nefarious tactics to gain the upper hand on a client.
Over charge for services that they do not deliver on.
Over charge for services as a general rule.
Fail to divulge strategy for SEO and online marketing.
Treat clients with disrespect.
Arrive late for meetings [this happens more often than you may think].
Claim ethical “white hat” SEO practices when in reality they use “gray hat” or “black hat” strategies.
Fail to provide transparency regarding SEO and online marketing methodologies.

I can continue building out this list…but this is a pretty solid start. As a business owner or company agent, you should treat your clients as you would like to be treated. If the current practices continue by SEO and Internet marketing companies continue, I promise you the digital industry will end up as bottom feeders.

So what can you do as a potential client for one of these companies? READ YOUR CONTRACT! Don’t read it once…read it several times. Grill your potential account managers, sales people, and the executives of the company. Yes, the executives. They are the individuals who set the standards for all to follow. If you smell any shady business…RUN and do not look back.

It is important to note that clients are responsible for WHAT they know…and those that serve their clients are responsible for providing the information needed to have a successful relationship. I can only hope for more transparency, honest, and integrity from all SEO and search marketing firms as time rolls on.

Unfortunately, not all companies are equal and not all companies set fourth a set of ethics and standards. Make sure you thoroughly review and dive into the company you trust your marketing to. Some care more about their bottom lines than they do for the service of the clients they serve.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ethical seo, Internet marketing ethics | 2 Comments

Time to Unplug: 9-11 & Being Human

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Searchology

9 |11 | 2001 was the worst day in my personal record. I was not in New York but hundreds of miles away in Chicago. I remember the call while I was getting ready for work. My dear friend in Colorado called me and said, “Al, turn on the t.v.” Nothing for me or our country has been the same since. I saw the second plane crash into the Twin Towers live as it happened and my shock and terror was beyond my own personal experience or comprehension. As I drove into work I was caught at a stop light. As I slowly crossed the street, a woman passing in the opposite direction looked at me and I looked at her.

Both of us were in tears as we acknowledge one another, sharing a tragic moment. In one fleeting moment we gave each other a nod which spoke volumes of understanding, sorrow, fear, love, and support. We both knew that it would have been okay to pull over and comfort one another while America was in the throws of a full terror attack. We didn’t have any other form of communication available to us but our eyes and deep understanding of being human…and being in solidarity with one another. As we passed I shot her the peace sign (a ridiculous thing to do in retrospect) in hope she would know that we were…in that moment…together. Two people who would never meet or speak or share anything ever…but that brief moment on the morning of 9-11.

I started teaching a class on E-Business at Columbia College recently…and one of the topics was how their lives have been changed by the Internet, Tweets, Facebook, texting, and the world of wide webs. It dawned on me during discussion that we are all so plugged in that it is very possible that we can’t unplug long enough to enjoy or pay attention to anything long enough to make a positive change or a real connection with life, friends, family, politics, or the real reality of living.

During and the days following 9-11 there was a collective mind think in America. We were going to get through this attack as a nation. We were going to support one another from now until the end of our days…because that is what America is made of and that is what we do. America [good and bad] is built on survival, being good neighbors, integrity, sweat, hard work, and the ability to build anything we wish based on designs created when our eyes were closed. Now we are plugged in. Internet, t.v., video, magazines, crappy reality shows, and more. A constant bombardment for our attention…just another bright shiny object to take us away from long work hours, a box full of bills, and good government gone bad.

In 2001 America had optimism, belief in our future, and paid a whole lot more attention to things we really should pay attention too. We were not as plugged in during 2001 as we are now, ten years on. We, as a nation, were more aware of one another as human beings and more aware of others as our fellow men and women. We still made eye contact when in passing, slight smile, or even a full blown “hello” or “nice day isn’t it?”.

We have somehow become so detached, so distracted, with every little electronic message, advertisement, and t.v. episode featuring the rich, the stupid, the narcissistic, and the depraved we may be slowly loosing our own humanity. I hope I am wrong…I hope that we come to the realization that while the Internet the one of the most important inventions in human history it should not rule our ability to be human.

Words like respect, humility, courtesy, and kindness should not be reserved for holidays and days of collective remembrance. Maybe we should unplug a little more and a little longer in order to reflect on our own mortality, humanity, and wonderment that is life. 9-11 reminds me of the very best in human nature and the very worst. September 11th is a day that we will always know where we were and exactly what we were doing that day. For those who raced toward the burning wreckage, and for those who protected America from a hijacked jet let – they are the constant reminders for me…of what truly being human can mean.

I hope we don’t loose ourselves completely and hold onto the greatness of life. It is short and fleeting for certain. Back in the 1960′s Timothy Leary said, “Tune out, tune in, drop out.” His meaning of this was to be aware of your own biological self, engage with the world around you, and commit to self-reliance, acquire sense of self self, and commit to change.

I live and breathe the world of search and I take great strides to tune out as it is one of the great gifts of being human. During this day of remembrance we should all take stock of what we have. And moving forward from this day always remember your own humanity.

Posted in Uncategorized | 16 Comments

10 Commandments of SEO

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Searchology

Top 10 Commandments of Search Engine Optimization [Part 1]

And the Cheif Searchologist spoke saying, “I search therefore I am. And being of, for, about, and that I do live by the search…I put fourth to you these 10 Search Engine Commandments to pull you from the hands of insanity and perpetual aggrivation.

You shall not trust any SEO firm which guarantees top placement for thy keywords.
Thou shall not create duplicate content.
Thou shall not steal content and spinneth said content for your own site or purpose.
Thou shall not buyest links for the Google gods will surly punish thee.
You shall not Google-Bomb thy neighbor.
Thou shall not write false reviews to improveth thy reputation.
Thou shall not believeth that social media is thy savior nor that social media can be totally controlled or contained from the occasional bad review.
Thou shall holdeth thy search engine optimization firm accountable for deliverables and results.
Thou must takest great efforts to be proactive in all search marketing efforts.
Thou shall not fail to address all Meta Data, internal links, and URL structure.”