E-Marketing & Search Engine Optimisation

• Hyperspace Anonymity: Are we learning from the mistakes of the past? - There will be those that disagree, but there is increasing evidence that even poorly designed websites (visually) can still pull in plenty of visitors if search engines list the website well. The ideal situation naturally comes from a mix of visually pleasing design, intuitive navigation, but more importantly high search engine listings.

• Look before you leap: Consider SEO before engaging web designers - In the fast moving world of online trading, performance within search engines has become everything. The rules of how the Internet now works currently revolve heavily around Google. Although not the only search on the market, you’d be forgiven for thinking it had invented the whole thing. Until others bridge the gap, Google for the time being at least, needs to be foremost in any website design and e-marketing undertaking.

• A Tangled Web: The hide and seek of search engine rankings - It may seem an elementary point but all too many organisations still fail to view their web sites through the eyes of their potential customers. We’re not talking here about in-depth analysis or years of data gathering, just simply logical thinking of how you’d go about the same process if you were looking for your own services or products.

• E-mail marketing: A job for the talented web designer - The real beauty with email is the speed with which it can be put together and fired off out to hundreds and thousands of recipients. Whether the push behind the email shot is legitimate or not, email as a marketing tool is likely to be with us for a long time to come.

• Quantitative Metrics: The key to successful email campaigns - There can be little doubt that email campaigns have swiftly become the marketing managers best friend. The apparent cost effectiveness and speed of preparation has been difficult to resist. No longer does regular contact with customers require enormous lead-times, printing and postage costs. From conception to completion, email campaigns can in some cases take little longer than a day or two.

• Engage the audience: Key points in email design and campaign management - With the advent of broadband, in the same way web sites have suddenly become more adventurous, so can email. Now it's possible to attempt to captivate the reader with embedded animation, video or even games for instance.

• Google Noodle: Current thinking for Search Engine Performance - Second guessing Google's algorithm has become the all-consuming issue for SEO (search engine optimisation) professionals. For those that effectively crack the code it's not far from being today's Internet Holy Grail.

• The power of inbound links: How to win friends and influence people - If we are considering Google performance (which is generally the case) rather than overall search performance, then link popularity remains the main criteria by which websites are judged. Assuming we have done our level utmost to optimise our pages, then link generation has to be our main concern.

• Avoiding the spam filter: Email campaigns that win people over - If we ignore for a moment the critics who seek to torpedo anything that remotely resembles email, we'll see that email as a marketing tool still receives great favour with big businesses. Book a flight with any of the well know operators and a useful flow of email usually ensues, keeping us informed of any changes to flight times whilst at the same time sneaking us few discount offers.

• Optimise to capitalise: Improving PPC conversions - Managing your pay per click advertising for best effect can be difficult. But failing to master at least the basics can be costly in more ways than one.

• Search engine visibility: Fundamental points in optimising your website - Search engine optimisation (SEO) has become big business due to the increased technical expertise required to properly carryout and deliver real measurable improvements. With constant movement of the goalposts it's testing for even the best SEOers to keep up to speed. There are however several basic level points we can all keep in mind should the cost of hiring professionals be unrealistic.

• Double Trouble: Is duplicate content harming your search results? - Duplicate content is becoming an increasing issue for popular search engines. Without doubt it's something any self-respecting webmaster should be aware of, and the fact that Google is starting to become more focused on the issue…….for that reason alone they need to take note.

• Be Sociable: Increasing online traffic through social media marketing - Social media has lead to a revolution in the way many people now interact and learn about world events. The repercussions are that the views of media giants are no longer taken for granted. Now almost anyone can put forward their perspective on any issue they wish. Some organisations have been quick to catch on and realise how their products or services can be promoted by this phenomenon, a kind of social marketing mix unlike anything which as gone before.

• Linking up: Search engine rankings still come down to links - We all talk heavily about Google as this engine is currently responsible for much more potential traffic than any other. Many Webmasters have built up inbound links with only this one this search engine in mind. But gaining links to a website is a good idea regardless of any search engine algorithm.

• Wise Words: Analyse keywords for better website positioning - Good analysis and research is the main criteria when it comes to sorting out your keywords. Easier said than done though in the great majority of cases. Engaging an expert is possibly one of the best moves you'll make, as they'll run rings around any amount of work you'll do on your own.

• Google Analytics: The easy way to monitor website statistics - Keeping tabs on the performance of any website can be a tricky operation especially if budgets are limited. But for the budget restricted there is an easy solution courtesy of those masters of the Internet, Google.

• The Science of Compliance: Does W3C influence search engines? - Does your website comply to W3C? More to the point does your website need to? There are lots of people who hang on the mass of buzzwords that surround anything that's remotely Internet. The question being is W3C just another hot topic with little real grounding?

• Free web tools: Analyse and optimise on the cheap - Finding out what's going on with you website no longer needs to be a complicated task. With so many quality free tools available, it takes little effort to get your head around site analytics and optimisation.

• Universal Search: Its search Jim but not as we know it - So just as we think we've started to unravel the mysteries behind Google and the like, it's time for change. Murmurings have been around for a while, but with increasing pace it would seem change is almost upon us.