Posts Tagged ‘online’
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Google could soon change the rules of keyword Internet marketing with the debut Have you heard? Google and Bing are adding new social-media search capabilities to their search engines in an attempt to keep up with these innovative websites. Bing already has a beta version of its new search engine designed specifically for Twitter results while Google is holding back at the moment.
Google and Microsoft are caught in an escalating fight over who will dominate the search-engine market for social-media sites like Twitter and Facebook. I read about this in the PC World article, “Real-Time Search: Google and Bing Rivalry Intensifies on Facebook and Twitter.” This article refers to the Google-Bing rivalry as a chess match. Quite an apt metaphor, in my opinion, because I love all of the strategy that goes into a seemingly simple chess game.
Social media has been a thorn in the side of major search engines for a few years now. Facebook and Twitter are simply updated too often and too fast for search engines to keep up with them. It looks like that might be changing, though.
You can find the rest of this blog entry on the Submit Solution SEO Blog on Monday, November 2, 2009. The photo of the chess match is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of marcusrg.
Tags: article, Bing, facebook, google, growth, internet, Microsoft, news, online, positive, search engine, Social Media, Submit Solution, twitter
Posted in Search Engines, Social Media | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Submit Solution, an Internet-marketing company, just released an advanced new version of its website, submitsolution.com. The updated site now includes two new services – custom Web and logo design – as well as four ecommerce blogs and free search-engine submission, in addition to its search engine optimization and paid-search packages.
Submit Solution is already an expert at getting qualified traffic to clients’ websites via SEO and PPC campaigns. By adding custom website design and logo design to its services, Submit Solution can now help turn a higher number of site visitors into customers.
Submitsolution.com has a more user-friendly design, allowing visitors to quickly navigate its Web pages. The site boasts free search-engine submission, as well as four new blogs focusing on SEO, PPC, social media and Web design, respectively. It also provides additional Internet-marketing tools, definitions of ecommerce terms and FAQs to help newcomers learn the ins and outs of Internet marketing.
“The new Submit Solution website helps potential clients understand both the intricacies of a successful search-engine marketing plan and what we can do to help,” said Oliver Bigler, chief executive officer and founder of Submit Solution. “Internet newbies can often be drowned in a sea of conflicting information. Our website helps clients navigate their way toward information and services that fit their needs best.”
For 14 years, Submit Solution has worked in the Internet-marketing industry. Its SEO packages were recently updated to add social-media posting and inbound linking to its traditional tactics of optimizing site content, such as adding Meta tags. Other new or improved services include:
- Website design
- Logo design
- Paid-search advertising
- Competitive analysis
- Website consulting
This launch of Submit Solution’s new website makes this the second week in a row in which we’ve introduced an innovative product or service. Be sure to check out my blog entry on Magellan Commerce’s new online merchant service: “Magellan Commerce the 1st to offer ecommerce and merchant services.”
Tags: blog, eHarbor, internet, magellan commerce, marketing, new, news, online, search engine optimization, SEO, Submit Solution, website
Posted in Web Design, eHarbor | No Comments »
Monday, August 31st, 2009
By Robert Lockard
With the release of its Magellan Merchant service today, Magellan Commerce has become the first one-stop shop for businesses looking for website, branding and online payment solutions. No company has ever offered both an integrated ecommerce platform and merchant services until now.
There is a huge demand among online businesses for a simple, low-cost merchant service. That’s why Magellan Commerce combined its expertise at Web design with this new merchant service. Now businesses won’t have to work with several different companies to build their website and then allow customers to pay with credit cards online. It can all be handled by Magellan Commerce for a low price.
Here are some of Magellan Merchant’s great features:
- No setup fees
- Low transaction rates
- Low, 5-cent monthly fee
- No contracts
- No minimum monthly transactions
- PCI-compliant security protocols to protect against identity theft
Magellan Merchant services are only available to Magellan Commerce customers. Magellan Commerce is an innovative ecommerce platform that specializes in designing websites and logos for small businesses. eHarbor, Inc. is the parent company of Magellan Commerce.
To find out more about Magellan Commerce and Magellan Merchant, go to www.magellancommerce.com or call 1-800-925-1647.
Tags: Credit, Ecommerce, eHarbor, growth, internet, magellan commerce, Merchant Service, new, news, online, positive, website
Posted in Ecommerce, Web Design, eHarbor | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Facebook is among the kings of social media, when it comes to total users. But it’s lagging behind in the amount of money it makes because its focus is so much on customer growth. However, one of Facebook’s board members expects annual revenue to soar into the billions of dollars by 2014.
Facebook currently has 225 million users, and it is expected to generate an estimated $500 million in revenue in 2009, according to an article in Reuters, entitled “Facebook revenue to be ‘billions’ in 5 years: board member.”
In the article, Mark Andreessen, an entrepreneur who has invested in Twitter and is a member of the board of directors of privately held Facebook, says Facebook’s value is about to explode. He also suggests the company could earn more than $1 billion this year, but it’s wise not to because if it did it might end up like MySpace.
Several years ago, MySpace was the most-popular social network, but then it tried to turn its popularity into profits by adding more ads and not improving its content as well as it could have. Now where is MySpace? A distant second to Facebook. It’s losing members while Facebook is rapidly picking them up.
Facebook faces a delicate balancing act trying to please both customers and investors. Its investors include heavyweights like Microsoft, Accel Partners, and the Russian company Digital Sky Technologies. You can read more about the Russian investment in Facebook in my eHarbor Blog entry, “Facebook’s $200 million boost a win for social media.”
As I said before, Facebook has the power to transform social media. It might take a few years, but it will be exciting to see when Facebook finally comes into its own and becomes a stronger company.
The photo of Facebook’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of steven.walling.
Tags: article, Ecommerce, facebook, Microsoft, myspace, news, online, positive, Reuters, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 13th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Have you noticed there is no definitive search engine for Twitter? There are certainly many attempts to search this social-networking site, such as Collecta, OneRiot, Scoopler and Twitter’s own search engine. But none of these delivers a structured, comprehensive view of what’s being said on Twitter.
The conversations are simply too fast to keep up with right now.
Google is a great tool for searching most websites, but it’s completely inadequate when it comes to finding or following a conversation on Twitter. Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, is at least making an effort to jump into the social-networking arena, according to an article in ComputerWorld, entitled “Bing beats Google to the punch, launches Twitter search.”
Bing has gone through and selected a number of Tweeters with the most followers and added their most recent tweets to their search results when you search for them. For instance, if you search for “Tony Hawk Twitter” you will find Tony Hawk’s latest tweet at the top of the page.
These are just baby steps into a whole new world of social media. The Internet was a big jumble of information before search engines came along to create some sense of order from the chaos. Chaos seems to rule social-media sites at the moment, but some structure could be coming soon. The algorithms will have to be even more complex and extremely fast to keep up with the instant nature of Twitter.
Search engines will have to find a way to rank Twitter results by the authority of the tweeters, how new the tweets are and how many people are talking about a specific topic, among other things. Important conversations could easily slip through the cracks if no one with much authority is talking about them and search engines focus too much on that aspect in their rankings.
There needs to be a balance between the chaos of conversation and the order or rankings. We’ll see what happens.
You can follow eHarbor, Inc. on Twitter to stay updated on all of our eHarbor Blog entries and other important ecommerce news.
The fake Twitter “Over Capacity” logo is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Mykl Roventine.
Tags: article, Bing, ComputerWorld, Ecommerce, eHarbor, google, Microsoft, news, online, search engine, Social Media, twitter, web
Posted in Search Engines | 2 Comments »
Monday, June 29th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Microsoft’s Bing “decision engine” is still making headlines weeks after its May 25 debut. In the Business Week article, “Bing Gains In Search Share,” author Paul McDougall points out Bing’s share of the search-engine market increased from 13.7 percent in its first week to 16.7 percent in its third week.
In my earlier eHarbor Blog entry, entitled “Bing decision engine good for online marketing,” I said Bing can be good for ecommerce. It will probably force Internet marketers to get more specific in the keywords they target for search engine optimization and pay-per-click campaigns.
Plus, Bing includes a cashback feature that allows online shoppers to compare product prices and earn discounts at certain stores. If you’re looking to expand the number of potential buyers you reach online, you would be wise to take part in this service.
The Business Week article also says Bing is trying to compete with Google and even emerge as the top search engine some day. However, Google accounts for 65 percent of all searches done online right now, so it might be years before we’ll see who will be the victor.
Competition is great and it’s certainly going to inspire better services in both Bing and Google. Hopefully, these changes will continue to benefit the ecommerce industry.
The photo of Bing vs. Google is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Tom Purves.
Tags: article, Bing, Business Week, Ecommerce, eHarbor, internet, marketing, Microsoft, news, online, Pay-Per-Click, positive, search engine, SEO
Posted in Ecommerce, Search Engines | 5 Comments »
Friday, June 19th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Search engine optimization is a good thing for businesses to get their names and services on top of Google and other search engines, where customers will find them. However, SEO can also be used for malevolent purposes that can make our job as online marketers more difficult.
Malware creators are targeting popular 
keywords to get their damaging viruses onto an increasing number of unsuspecting users’ computers, according to a CNN article, “What are the most dangerous search terms on the Internet?” Some of the most dangerous search terms you can look up because of these malware sites include:
- Screen savers
- Free games
- Work from home
- Olympics
- Videos
- Celebrities
- Music
- News
This presents a serious challenge to the ecommerce industry. How can online consumers know which websites are legitimate and which will do them harm? Some antivirus software can automatically check websites for viruses, which can help consumers know which search results are safe to click.
We can work on gaining their trust, as well. This goes back to earning online shoppers’ trust, as I discussed in an earlier blog entry. If you want to learn six ways to develop trusting relationships with potential clients, I recommend reading that post.
eHarbor, Inc. and its affiliates offer safe SEO, paid-search and custom-design solutions for online businesses.
The photo of the Danger! Thin Ice sign is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Sister72.
Tags: advice, article, CNN, computer virus, consumer, eHarbor, internet, marketing, news, online, search engine, search engine optimization, SEO, trust
Posted in Ecommerce, SEO, Search Engines | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Microsoft’s new Bing search engine is quite an impressive tool for Web users and online marketers. I read an article in USA Today, entitled Bing it on: Microsoft overhauls search, again, which gives some excellent info about this new search engine.
Bing includes search suggestions on results pages to help people narrow their searches and find exactly what they’re looking for. This is what I talked about in my eHarbor Blog entry, “Paid search about to get complicated.” Web users want to find information, products and services faster, so they’re using an increasing number of keywords in their searches.
Including suggested search terms on a results page is nothing new. Google includes them on many of their results pages, as well.
I noticed there are no paid listings on Bing results pages. Maybe that is because the service is just getting started and has not yet had time to develop pricing and other metrics to charge for pay-per-click ads. This could present a challenge to ecommerce, but there is probably a solution, whether it is more investment in search engine optimization, social media or other marketing strategies.
Microsoft calls Bing a “decision engine” instead of a search engine. That has a nice ring to it. They call it that because it is supposed to help people make decisions, instead of just provide a whole slew of disorganized information.
I like the fact that Bing gives price comparisons and reviews of products, 30-second clips of videos on results pages, and its image results page is huge! You just scroll down to see all the images, instead of clicking on lots of pages in Google and waiting for them to show up.
What does Bing mean for ecommerce? It will probably reward companies that work hard on online marketing on SEO with high search ranking and quick access for consumers to their websites. We’ll need to continue to refine the search terms we target. It’ll be interesting to see everything that happens.
The photo of the Bing search engine is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Kimberly Saia.
Tags: article, Bing, CNN, Ecommerce, eHarbor, google, marketing, Microsoft, msn, new, online, Paid Search, positive, PPC, search engine, SEO, Social Media
Posted in Ecommerce, SEO, Search Engines | 2 Comments »
Monday, June 1st, 2009
By Robert Lockard
Here’s an interesting trend online marketers should pay close attention to: the increasing length of search queries. That’s right, online users are Googling more search terms at a time to find specific topics and products. And they are clicking on paid listings less often than before.
This is big news because it represents a shift from business as usual.
The number of words per search grew from 2.8 in January 2007 to above 3.0 in March 2009, according to comScore, a top source of online research. This change might seem insignificant, but it is actually quite large, statistically speaking.
I read about this shift in search queries in a WebProNews article, entitled “Longer Search Queries Hurting PPC Clicks?” The author of that article suggested online marketers who use paid search in their marketing campaigns will have to adapt and be much more creative in their selection of search terms.
When people used fewer keywords in their searches, it was easier for marketers to choose good ones with low competition to get their paid-search listings on. Now, however, people are using so many keywords that a growing number of search-results pages do not include any paid-search listings because they have gone unnoticed.
The world of pay-per-click might become extremely complex in the near-future as marketers awaken to these facts. A seemingly endless number of keyword combinations could make the task of reaching the right customers more difficult but also more effective at the same time.
People who use more search terms are usually more intent on finding and buying a product than those who type in one or two keywords. It will be interesting to see where this trend leads.
If you would like help with creating an effective paid-search campaign, I recommend contacting Submit Solution or Real Estate Promoter. These eHarbor, Inc. affiliates are industry veterans and they will able to help you.
The photo of the complicated wiring is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of challiyan.
Tags: affiliate, article, change, comScore, Ecommerce, eHarbor, future, keyword, marketing, news, online, Paid Search, Pay-Per-Click, PPC, Real Estate Promoter, research, search engine, Submit Solution, WebProNews
Posted in Pay-Per-Click | 3 Comments »
