Don’t underestimate the power of website images in your search engine optimization efforts. In the above video, WebProNews interviews R.J. Pittman of Google about the importance of quality images and how to optimize them effectively on your website.

Optimizing your video posts on YouTube is essential if you want viewers to find them. Discover the tips and strategies  for optimizing your videos from YouTube’s project manager, Matthew Liu.

Want more tips like this? Consider signing up for free marketing updates and tips via RSS or email.

According to comScore, the new Microsoft search engine, Bing, had an extremely successful public debut. comScore’s results showed that Microsoft’s U.S. searchers increased from 13.8 percent to 15.5 percent over the course of one month.

What does this mean for Google? Perhaps it will lose its long-standing position as the powerhouse of the Internet. If you’re looking for a more “aesthetically pleasing” site, Bing tops Google with its international background photos, simple set-up, and colorful images.

What do you think? Are Bing’s features topping Google’s?

• Bing’s search engine results page offers visitors the opportunity to move their cursor to the right of the link results and read a more in-depth synopsis of the page. This synopsis can include the description of the page, contact information, links, and a list of additional page elements.

• Bing’s visitors can interact with the changing images on Bing’s homepage. Scroll your cursor over the image to find a question pop-up pertaining to the image. Visitors can then click the link associated with the question and find more information about the content of the image. This feature makes Bing much more exciting to visit and allows for more interaction from visitors than Google.

• Bing’s search engine results page appears more innovative than Google’s. Bing’s results page offers related searches to the left of your current search and has a crisper tool bar.

• Bing provides visitors with helpful information at the click of a button. To the left corner of the Bing homepage, click “Tour Bing” to use Bing’s travel, shopping, health, and local features. Visitors looking to view flights to a destination are able to view all the best deals to any destination—all in one window. With a click of a button, get instant flight status, or view fitness news and how-tos all in one window.

• Bing is the perfect place for online shopping. When you use Bing’s shopping feature, you can receive cash back from your purchase whenever you see a Bing money-sign image.

The possibilities are endless on Bing. Start playing now.

Are you concerned about how customers perceive your brand image online? Perhaps your website currently isn’t a strong branding tool for you. If not, it should be.

Many businesses find that their message isn’t clear, effective, and targeted to their correct market. It can be extremely difficult for businesses to project an accurate message, encompassing a combination of their company’s products, beliefs, mission, and goals. The message is a mixture of several key elements, including effectively placing keywords to increase SEO, which makes the task of projecting company image quite precise and complicated.

Crafting your brand image online is an extremely important client attraction tool. With a result-driven business message, your targeted website visitors will understand the language and tone of the web copy, and the client will feel a stronger connection to your brand. Once this bond is established, the customers will be more inclined to take action and purchase from you.

The customer wants to feel compatible with all your company stands for. For example, if your brand image is high-end, a high-end client will be attracted and comfortable with this image and, in turn, will want to buy from you.

Since fashioning a company message online is both complex and important, it would be highly beneficial for your company to hire a professional copywriter.

A professional copywriter:
· Interviews the company to pull out key elements vital to the business message.
· Recognizes the company image and puts this image into the written word—the message.
· Creates well-crafted copy that speaks the language of the target market.
· Strategically places keywords to increase SEO.
· Facilitates a connection between the brand image and the client through the use of a creative tone in the copy.

If you’re uncomfortable with the message you’re sending potential customers online, it’s time to change this message and solidify a strong brand image.

Designing a company website requires some compromising. It involves the perfect balance between visually appealing and functional elements. It’s important that one element doesn’t dominate the other. This is where many companies go wrong.

Many times company websites are polluted with too much flash, pointless graphics, and unnecessary copy. The combination of these elements is a major risk factor for decreasing website SEO.

In order to ensure your website ranks #1 in search engines, you must adhere to some kind of compromise. Make sure your entire website isn’t in flash. Many people might think flash is more appealing—and it is at times—but it greatly reduces your SEO if overused. Flash limits the amount of copy you can have on your page. Great copy is your best chance at ranking #1 in search engines and should never be substituted for unnecessary elements.

Result-driven copy . . .
· Increases SEO with effective keywords placed throughout. It’s important that these keywords add to the message and mission of your company.
· Converts leads into sales and motivates visitors to take action on your website.
· Increases site traffic.
· Targets your company’s specific market and keeps them on your website.
· Works to reinforce your brand image. Compressed, informative, and concise web copy is easy to read, gets to the point, and expresses your brand image in merely a few sentences without compromising important details.

It’s important to hire a web designer and web copywriter who work toward expressing your brand image online. An excellent web designer will ensure your site is attractive and functional, while an effective web copywriter will guarantee your company message comes across accurately and thoroughly.

The functionality and visual elements of your website may require a slight compromise, but you shouldn’t compromise on a web copywriter and web designer who don’t understand your needs and message. Grow your business. Grow to success. Hire the right copywriter and web designer.

Reaching your target market online ensures a steady flow of clients from different online sources. Making your business visible in numerous areas on the web increases the number of potential clients who will look at your site. This can eventually increase sales, skyrocket site traffic, and boost your conversion rates.  

Here are some ways to bring in targeted traffic to your website:

·       Posting online articles on directories, forums, and social bookmarking sites is a great way to present your business to your specific targeted market. These sites have categories where articles can be posted, allowing viewers to immediately click on categories related to their specific interests. For example, if you offer skin care services and write an article on revolutionized products, you would place it under its associated category and viewers interested in this category would be viewing your article. Right there, you’ve reached your target market.

·       Research the richest keywords for your website. For example, if you own a high-end day spa, it’s important to anticipate the most popular words your target market is using on search engines. This will allow you to increase your SEO (search engine optimization) and reach out to clients with a specific interest in your company and its offerings.

·       Comment on blogs and forums that relate to your industry. These comments can be chock-full of tips and information about your industry, while expressing your opinion in the blog or forum conversation. Know what kinds of blogs and forums would interest your target market and make frequent appearances on them to show you are interested in comments, news, and updates related to your area of work.

How would you like to be able to keep growing your business no matter what the economy does?

Sign up for expert online copywriter Michelle Salater’s Online Business Marketing Bootcamp for Beginners, and she’ll show you everything you need to know to go where the customers are—online—and grow your business by maximizing your marketing efforts.

And do it in any economy. 

Over the course of 8 weeks, you will work one-on-one with Michelle as she shows you the same tips, tactics, and strategies she used to take her own business from flat broke to so busy she has to turn customers away…and she did this all within one year.

 

Because Michelle really wants to help you grow your business online without struggling so you can skyrocket your sales in 2009, she’s offering a $200 Early Bird Discount to those who sign up before January 4, 2008 (midnight PST). 

 

— https://www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/

Now is A CRITICAL TIME for businesses to invest in their marketing. And the best way and most cost efficient way to do this is to market online.

A 2001 McGraw-Hill study found that aggressive recession advertisers / marketers increased their market share 2 ½ times the average for all businesses than in post-recession.

How would you like to increase your market share 2 ½ times?

If you’d like to skyrocket your online sales, increase website traffic, and save thousands of dollars by implementing online strategies on your own, NOW IS YOUR TIME to sign up for Michelle’s Online Business Marketing Bootcamp for Beginners. The course begins January 21^st.

She can’t make it any easier for you than the 3-payment option she’s made available and the Early Bird Special (save $200) that ends at midnight January 4, 2009.  

Remember, this special offer won’t be available after January 4…

–https://www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/

Increasing targeted traffic to your website can cost a small fortune. But it doesn’t have to if you know the right tips, tools, and strategies to get a significant amount of targeted traffic that you need right now. 

·       Post comments on blogs, forums, and discussion boards related to your target market. It would be highly beneficial for you to join a discussion board / forum related to your industry in order to post comments, get consumer feedback, and be introduced to new industry information you may not already know. Posting relevant and helpful comments can increase your credibility and lure more readers to your website link. After every comment, include a link to your blog or website to increase targeted traffic.

·       Social bookmarking is a great way to increase targeted traffic. Bookmarking your online articles and website on a site, such as Digg, under specific categories allows you to reach out to your target market. It permits you to share your web content with others and allows them to vote on its content. If it becomes popular among viewers, it will be voted to the front page of the bookmarking site and be viewed by thousands of potential clients.

·       Utilizing RSS feed and email lists allows you to reach subscribers interested in what your company has to offer. RSS feed and emails are similar since they’re both sent to subscribers, providing them with updated information. RSS feed makes it easy for subscribers to be alerted immediately and allows them to click on the link to your website. Using these combined marketing strategies will increase your client base and will likely ensure an increase in visits to your website.

·       Exchange links with others to increase targeted traffic. If your link can be found on a handful of sites, it can dramatically increase the number of clients visiting your site.

·       Online Article Directories allow you to place niche-oriented articles into specific categories. Your target audience is more likely to be searching for articles in a specific category. For example, if your real estate company writes an article for ezinearticles.com and submits it under the Real Estate category, you’ll receive viewers who are specifically searching for Real Estate articles. This will eliminate viewers who are not in your specific target market.

For more helpful tips on marketing in economic crisis and to learn about our many marketing services, visit Michelle Salater Writing and Editorial, LLC.

If you’re ready to take your website to the next level and boost sales dramatically, it’s crucial to find the right professional copywriter.

It’s important to hire a copywriter with thorough knowledge of marketing an online business through web copy, website design, blogs, online articles, and other traffic-generating tools.

A copywriter with skills in various areas of marketing has the ability to see the overall picture for effectively marketing your business. He / she can introduce you to innovative, effective, and helpful solutions sure to send your business skyrocketing to success. 

Here’s what to look for when hiring a professional copywriter:

·       He / she offers several writing and marketing services for businesses. Someone who only does copywriting is most likely not as qualified as one who utilizes various marketing strategies through different writing / marketing vehicles. He may open your eyes to grand opportunities for your business, maximizing success and dramatically increasing sales.  

·       He has a reputable list of clients. Look over the list of past clients and what services he provided for them. Note any testimonials he may have from these clients. If he has created successful marketing strategies for one business, he can most likely do the same for yours.

·       View any sample work / websites she has worked on in the past to get an idea of her writing style, spectrum of ability, and thoroughness.

Your website is an extremely important marketing tool for your business. It’s crucial to find a dedicated professional copywriter with the right vision for your company, recognized clients, great work samples, and a list of result-driven writing services.

1. Search engines hone in on the most relevant information to your search. What’s more relevant than an up-to-date blog with a focused topic? Constantly updating your blog will enhance your site rankings.

2. It’s all about the links. Let’s say someone found your blog in a simple search for a particular topic. Now that they’re on your blog, they have the option of clicking on various links. Links to your main blog page, specific pages on your website, and other links you provide work to your benefit. Links can also be embedded into the written content on your blogs, peaking interest in the viewer.

3. Keyword placement is critical in attracting viewers to your blog. Keywords that are focused on your target market will provide the greatest benefits. A set of the same three or four keywords can be placed strategically in the title, links, categories, and body of a blog. Don’t use generalized keywords or words that you think will attract a general crowd. Why? Because general searches won’t necessarily get you sales. Attract a specific target market with profitable keywords. Your goal is to get a high conversion rate from your visitors. This won’t happen if you generalize your target market. Know your target market and get specific with your keywords.

4. The right keywords can get your blog inbound links from other higher-ranking sites. Inbound links are links from other websites or blogs that go directly to yours. Viewers who see your blog link on other sites may be interested in checking out your site as well.

5. Posting your blogs on social bookmarking sites will also increase your company’s exposure. Popular blogs and articles are ranked and, in turn, can get your blog tons of views per day. The relevancy of topics on these sites also helps increase your search engine rankings.