I thought I’d tell you about the different guises and experiments from the Google Lab you could be using to promote your website.

You may have optimised your website and have a Pay-Per Click (PPC) strategy in place to promote your site in Google already - but there are other tactics.

From AdWords to developing search through mobile devices, Google is constantly evolving to enhance user experience.

• Google Text, Video, Image and Mobile AdWords
• Google Search, Image Search, Mobile Search, Book Search and Shopping Search
• Google AdSense
• Google Maps/Local and Local AdWords
• Google Base
• Google Blogger
• Google Co-op
• Google Sitemaps
• Google Video

Check out Google’s Laboratory to get inside information on the next transformation from the search monster.

Find out about advertising using all of Google’s tools

3 - Use best practice and avoid harmful spam methods

Search engine optimisation companies such as MediaCo will use their experience and knowledge of search engines’ ranking methods to produce competitive, consistent results. 

While spam methods can result in short-term gains in page rank, it is potentially damaging and can lead to your site being banned from the search engine results pages. Spam methods to avoid include: 

o Presenting pages with hidden text. 

o Page cloaking. 

o Participating in link farms.

o Using multiple URLs with redirects to a single page. 

The features of effective search engine promotion include: 

o Visible text, that is relevant and well written. 

o Keyword frequency, weight and prominence. 

o Quality internal and external links. 

o Title tags and Meta descriptions that are succinct. 

Of course, the most important part of the optimisation is the main text. You shouldn’t sacrifice the readability of your website to try and improve your Page Rank. If your site is well-presented, visitors will become customers. 

4 - Submitting your optimised site 

After the optimised content is completed and approved, it is time for it to be submitted to search engines. To make sure the changes to your site are recognised by search engines as soon as possible it should be individually submitted to the directories. 

These are the nuts and bolts of search engine optimisation. However, you will have to decide whether to attempt the optimisation in-house or contract it out to a dedicated SEO company. 

You are more likely to achieve successful search engine optimisation by using experienced SEO specialists, like MediaCo. 

While your online marketing strategy may also include PPC adverts or email marketing, search engine optimisation will improve the visibility of your website and increase business from customers actively seeking your products or services. 

Ensuring your site is easy to find and easy to use is one of the most important marketing decisions you will make.

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Gordon Parkes is an Online Marketing Producer, working for MediaCo. With expertise in search engine optimisation, pay-per-click, email marketing and viral marketing, MediaCo create online marketing strategies for a wide range of clients in a variety of sectors.
For more information, visit Search Engine Optimisation – MediaCo.

Search engine optimisation is an important part of your online marketing strategy. A well written, well designed, user-friendly website is more likely to gain a high Page Rank and appeal to potential customers. Read on to find out more about turning casual browsers into customers through search engine optimisation.

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4 Steps to Successful Search Engine Optimisation
(Part 1)
By focusing on the search terms your customers actually use, search engine optimisation (SEO) helps ensure your website attracts customers, not just browsers. 
And increasing business while keeping costs low is the aim of every marketing strategy.

The search engine optimisation process can be broken down into four simple steps.

1 - Make sure you prepare before beginning optimisation

The first step in search engine optimisation is keyword research. This involves:

o Using keyphrase research tools to find the search terms which are most relevant to your site.
o Checking keyword saturation.
o Researching the effectiveness of keyphrases that are currently used in your marketing strategy.
o Analysis of current web analytics reports, if these are available.

The next preparatory step is the search engine diagnostic report. This is a detailed review of the technical and structural issues within your site. As the design of your site can impair optimisation, it is important you listen to expert recommendations on site architecture.

2 - Develop a search engine optimisation plan

After the keywords have been agreed and site changes identified, it’s time to produce an optimisation plan. This identifies the tasks that are required for the optimisation to be effective. These include:

o Matching keyphrases to existing pages.
o Identifying new topic-focused pages and matching keyphrases to these pages.
o Developing recommendations for optimisation of Meta data and URLs.
o Deciding on the use of any information panels in addition to the main text.
o The optimisation and use of a site map.

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Gordon Parkes is an Online Marketing Producer, working for MediaCo. With expertise in search engine optimisation, pay-per-click, email marketing and viral marketing, MediaCo create online marketing strategies for a wide range of clients in a variety of sectors.
For more information, visit Search Engine Optimisation – MediaCo.

Good content provides meat for the search engines to devour and as their tastes become more sophisticated they will spit out bad content faster than an entrepreneur leaves the Dragons Den (TV show).

Recent changes from Google confirm this, as the search engine plans to pay more attention to the quality of content on the pages which are linked from their PPC sponsored adverts:

“Landing pages with useful, informative content related to your keywords and ad text are considered to be of higher quality and will receive higher quality scores. This may mean lower minimum cost-per-click bids (CPC bids) for your ads. (The inverse is also true - poor quality landing pages will receive lower quality scores.)”

Source: Google AdWords Help Centre

“Content is King” and your online marketing efforts, from site development to online advertising, should reflect that principal.

Providing good content comes down to every element of your online presence from emails, blogs, online press releases, webpages and importantly the landing pages of your AdWords ads.

Writing good quality adverts and landing pages could lead to a cheaper advertising spend!

You can contact MediaCo to find out more about providing tasty content or read on for more details about reducing the cost of Pay Per Click Advertising through good content.

“beckham’s boots”

You may not play like him but the keyphrases might be something you’d type into a search engine to get yourself a pair of football boots.

Or what about:

“big brother chair”

If you’re looking for stuff similar to that seen on the most recent current programme then look at this site (I won’t say anything about your taste in interiors!)

Many internet users research a product online before making a purchase decision and this varies from industry to industry.

So if you have a list of keyphrases from Search Engine Optimisation or a Pay-Per-Click campaign it might be an idea to revisit the phrases to infuse into offline marketing channels and guide people to search using your preferred keywords.

Once on your site, your visitor should be able to clearly review and be persuaded by the benefits of your product or service - teasing them to the “ready to buy” stage.

Find out how we could help you target the best keywords and phrases

So if you were a sports or furniture retailer you may use “buy beckham’s boots” or “big brother chair” in offline marketing channels, such as TV, billboards, print or radio advertising to draw visitors to your (optimised) site through search engines like Google.

Vice versa, any offline marketing could be monitored through analysis of increased visits to, or purchases on your website.

Looking at traffic and search trends when you carry out activity using another channel can then bring you closer to your customers.

Contact MediaCo for more information about monitoring the performance of your site

For more online marketing and search engine optimisation tactics read on….

Choosing a search marketing provider might seem daunting for any business, small or large. If you make the wrong decision you might as well have gambled your marketing budget on an online casino.

But, get it right and the ROI effects could be transforming. Search marketing is highly-specialised and sorting through the various sales pitches from different companies promising different solutions could make your brain ache.

We want to help you get it right, so we’ve put together our top tips to give you an understanding of what to expect from your SEM provider and also help you sort the quality Search Engine Marketing (SEM) agencies from the ‘cowboys’.

Using our tips you should learn how to ask the right questions, get the most from your online marketing budget and find the best agency for the job.

Read the full article - Search Engine Optimisation - Top Tips on hiring a Search Marketing Agency

Meet your customers in the middle…Who is your typical customer? Man, woman or teenager?

So if, for example, you are selling cruise holidays and want to target a younger, affluent, female market then with Microsoft Adcenter you should be able to target users by the following demographics:

• Age
• Lifestyle
• Location
• Income
• Gender

Sarah Forrest, resident PPC expert here at MediaCo, is excited by the offering from Microsoft:

“Pay Per Click is a vital marketing tool for any business. Our existing and new clients will benefit from our experience in creating successful campaigns coupled with the unique demographic targeting element of Microsoft AdCenter. The result of this will be increased exposure for our clients’ websites and ultimately increased business for them.”

Contact us to learn more about Microsoft Adcenter

Read more about targeted PPC with MediaCo - searche engine optimisation specialists.

With the rise in the use of the internet to find information Google is increasingly the first port of call. It is now overtaking local business directories as a place to find basic business information.

Google Local’s integration with Google Maps allows your customers to find out directory-style information about your business, as well as a map and directions.

Google previously used Yell.com’s data from classified advertising. This has now evolved to allow businesses to update their own details. The good news about this is that it’s a FREE promotional vehicle to drive customers to you.

Bearing in mind that Google’s first priority is bringing information to its users through sophisticated search technology - it might be an idea for you to include an optimised version of your listing.

Contact MediaCo (search engine optimisation specialists) for more information about getting listed on Google Local

Internet business directories are not new. What is new is the power to update information in real time and give the power back to business. This follows part of the social evolution of the internet.

Yell might be worried that Google has taken this direction which follows a similar vein to Yellowiki (a global business directory where people/businesses can upload information).

Indeed Yell.com have recently undertaken legal action against Yellowiki’s use of “yellow” and the prefix “yell” as well as the site’s focus. This has only added to the popularity of the site as it has received press coverage regarding the case and is currently asking users to choose a new company name!

Read more about Google’s local directory - with MediaCo, search engine optimisation specialists…

More to search than Google

Even although Google have tried to stop the dictionary listing the word “google” to mean search it is the first place many go to get information. That’s why Google is not only a search engine but also a verb!

Whether you want to find out more about a company for an interview or sales meeting, look up a holiday before going away, or even find a recipe - you might find yourself turning to Google for your information.

More to Search Than Google - MediaCo search engine optimisation