Ninety per cent of people who look for information or products on the internet do so via a search engine and when you take into consideration how many millions of users are logged on at any time of the day or night, you will realise the enormity of that figure.  There is such an abundance of information on just about every subject available on the internet that search engines can reveal an almost infinite number of results on virtually every topic searched, particularly the more popular subjects.

Most users, therefore, check down the first page of results and consequently most internet traffic is created by those results closest to the top of the page.  This is why it is so desirable for companies to be among the first few results to appear on the page – and where search engine optimisation comes into play.  It stands to reason that if the majority of users click on the first three or four sites; these are the ones that reap the benefits in terms of traffic.  Search engine optimisation may sound complicated, but there are some fairly straightforward rules to it which, if followed, can radically increase the profile of your business.

High visibility is the key to search engine optimisation as this makes it much easier for the search engine to hit upon it.  The first tip, therefore, is to set up as many external links to your website as possible.   You can do this via other websites, blogs or ezine articles.  Because search engines operate by indexing the contents of websites, the more relevant the content is to what they are searching for, the higher its profile will be.

To increase this visibility, one way is to use specific keywords.  But, sadly, you cannot just fill your page with keywords in the hope they will be picked up by a search engine – it’s rather more subtle than that.  The placement of keywords in the text is as important as the way they are used, so they not only need to be positioned carefully, but also read in a certain way.  For example “Selling unwanted gold” yields different results to “Unwanted gold for sale”.

Another useful tip is to use related words and phrases in the page to increase the keyword density.  If your page is entitled “Finest contemporary furniture designs” you could include phrases like “Furniture designs”; “Choosing contemporary furniture”; or “Where to find the finest contemporary furniture” in the title.  This is helpful since search engines prioritise headers and title pages.  Linking creatively to other pages on your website is another way of increasing your keyword density.

When it comes to search engine optimisation, whilst a proactive approach is important for keeping your website visible, the most important tip is to abide by the codes and rules of the search engines. To violate these could result in your site being rejected by them and sinking into obscurity in the graveyard of other failed websites, who no longer get ‘found’ through a normal internet search.

Thanks to SEO Newcastle for this info.

There is no doubt that the origins of Facebook have tainted the views of some critics.  It was launched in February 2004 exclusively as a social networking site for students of Harvard College, being the brainchild of a former Harvard student.  Soon afterwards it was extended to Boston University and within two months all the Ivy League schools were in on the action.  It spread rapidly during its first year throughout universities all over the globe. Anyone with a university email address was eligible to join the exclusive domain.  In February 2006 it opened its portals to high schools and some large companies and since September 2006 it became a free-for-all for anyone over the age of 13 years. 

- should probably say do i give a Facefook?

Today the site has more than four million active users worldwide and, inevitably, criticisms are levied against it on a regular basis.  The main concern relates to privacy in general and child safety in particular.  It is a paradise for stalkers and hackers and has turned many people into Facebook junkies, with users spending more time interacting on Facebook than interacting with the real world.  For this reason it has also been banned in many places of work as employees were spending more time on Facebook networking than on their paid work.  Advertising has also been mismanaged and a large number of companies have felt obliged to withdraw their advertising accounts from Facebook.  Despite the saying that no publicity is bad publicity, companies were finding their ads on the pages of groups or individuals with whom they would not wish to be associated.  And therein lays another problem.  It has proved difficult to cancel accounts without having to manually and laboriously delete all content.  Censorship of Facebook has also been criticised as being too lax in allowing antisocial groups or forums to promote controversial subjects indiscriminately.  Finally there have been cases where individuals have successfully sued Facebook for intellectual property violations.

But Facebook is not all doom and gloom.  The phenomenal success of Facebook suggests that its devotees far outweigh its critics.  It is a social networking site that in the original spirit of its conception served a valuable purpose in allowing university or college students to form new acquaintances and get to know each other, thus alleviating loneliness and homesickness.  It is an easy and convenient way to communicate with friends and family all over the globe and has much to be said in its favour in that respect.

However it is also an extremely valuable business tool.  According to Facebook Statistics of February 2010 the latest estimate of its active users now exceeds 4,000,000.  This is an unprecedented potential audience for business owners wishing to promote their products or services to prospective users.  This is not a new concept.  Many businesses have seized the opportunity to promote themselves through Facebook and reaped handsome rewards.  This is why Facebook has evolved from its original status as a domestic social network site, to a business-to-consumer and business-to-business platform for marketing and commercial networking purposes. 

And the way to take advantage of the potential business opportunities proliferating Facebook, couldn’t be simpler.  All that is needed is an attractive and persuasive web page.  Because pages are public, they will be picked up by search engines, thus bringing more potential business traffic to the web page.  Web presence can be optimised by using categories which will associate it with specific keywords and improve search engine ranking. 
Although some businesses have created Facebook groups, which are useful for discussing topics of interest, this is not necessarily a better alternative to business pages.  This is because groups do not figure in public searches as they are not indexed.  Users would therefore need to be invited to join as they will not come across them by chance.  Applications in Facebook groups are also limited in number and range.

A good business page is far more versatile in the applications it supports.  Whatever activities are posted in the page will also be posted in the news feeds of its fans and seen in turn by all the Facebook contacts of those fans.  Exposure is therefore maximised due to high visibility, because every time users log into their accounts, they see the recent activities of all their contacts.  Businesses can also be advertised on Facebook by using Facebook Ads which again will enhance web presence.  This is easy to do thanks to Facebook’s large array of available management tools which allow for easy customisation of placed adverts.

Essentially, whichever side of the Facebook debate you subscribe to, it cannot be denied that Facebook provides a valuable platform for marketing business large and small. The sooner businesses seize this opportunity and make Facebook work for them, the sooner they can look forward to the dizzy heights of success.

No-one wants to read dense blocks of text, and images not only break up these blocks, but create visual appeal to your website.  Google image searches also attract more hits than any other independent search engine and their potential for directing traffic to your website is therefore enormous.  However, these benefits will quickly be wiped out if you do not correctly utilise the power of image search.  These helpful tips will ensure you avoid rudimentary mistakes and use image indexing to its fullest, making it work effectively for you. 

The most crucial point is to ensure the image filenames and names are always very descriptive.  Avoid a generic name; for example, if you sell pizza, make sure your images are named ‘MyCompany’s Pizza’ instead of simply ‘Pizza’.  Even then, a few extra keywords are always welcome – try to mention your product’s best features in the keywords, like how delicious they are or their low price.  This will ensure you rank highly for these keywords when these are searched for.  Images also have alt and titles tags – you should make use of these for the same purpose.

Image formats and sizes are also an important factor.  Ensure you use a standard web image type, such as JPEG, PNG or GIF, not only to ensure that your images are viewable with any computer setup, but also to prevent Google skipping over your proprietary image formats.  For this reason you should also avoid embedding images as a part of Flash controls.  As for size, you need to ensure your images are large enough to see the detail in, but not so large that they take time to load on the average connection.  Even with modern superfast broadband, a webpage with several multi-megabyte images will slow to a crawl, and perhaps lead users to go elsewhere.

It is important to ensure your images are left permanently on your website, whether or not you end up removing them from the page they were originally on.  The reason for this is that Google will retain the index to these images, and users will be frustrated by ‘file not found’ errors if you remove them.

Lastly, make use of modern services like Google’s image labeller.  This feature allows users to tag images with relevant keywords.  In a similar vein, think very carefully about how you place your images on the page.  The page needs to be keyword-rich, especially so around the images you want associated with your web presence. 

Once you have taken all these precautions, when Google’s image bot reaches your website, it will be able to deduce the purpose and relevance of the images on your website far more accurately.  Your notability on the web will be improved by the extra traffic from Google image searches, and this will lead to increased traffic to your website and, ultimately, more profit for your business or organisation. 

Creating a group is a simple matter of filling in a form and deciding on the particular network of people for whom it is aimed.  People may apply (providing they know of its existence) or be invited at the discretion of the administrator, who manages the group.  The administrator may appoint ‘officers’ but these do not have full administrative rights.  Privacy settings allow groups to be ‘closed’ – i.e. invitation-only membership; or ‘open’ in which case people can apply to join after having seen details about the group elsewhere on Facebook.

In the business world, Facebook groups can have their uses, but they are not without drawbacks.  If they are not carefully policed, they can simply get out of hand.  Without careful monitoring, anything can be posted and all value lost.  Useful discussion and networking requires guidance and an absent or lazy administrator can be the death knell of a group.  Why would this be allowed to happen?  Purely and simply because some people measure success in terms of quantity rather than quality.  If the numbers are increasing, that will be viewed by some as a successful group, irrespective of the quality of interaction between the group members.

A useful group is a well-managed group.  It needs an active administrator who monitors the group’s content and affairs closely.  Appointing other administrators to help with these duties is always a good idea.  Topics posted should be relevant and interesting to encourage members to respond appropriately.  Spam should not be tolerated.  This should be deleted and warnings issued to those responsible.  If it continues, then the member should be blocked.  Content should be monitored and topics adhered to.  Posting a clear agenda or group’s of the group’s aims and discouraging any diversions from that, will give clarity and focus to the group. 

If the group has the right configuration, it will appeal to the right community.  Members do not want to have their inboxes bombarded with promotional materials and their wishes should be respected.  Respect your members and they will respect the group.  Posts should be kept relevant to the interests of the group and its members and the content kept fresh.  Regular updating of recent news, photos videos, events and links will encourage members to return.  Making new members feel welcome will ensure they stick around.

An active, purposeful group is a successful group and a great platform for marketing a brand or business.   Just as all businesses value their customers, then the Facebook group should value its members.  Keeping a close eye on the ratio of new members to people leaving the group, and asking the right questions, so that mistakes can be rectified, will ensure its lasting success.

Your business plan will certainly have allowed for this, but unless you have done your homework carefully, you might very well have underestimated the cost of calling in professional marketers.  If so, brace yourself for the shock, because the services of these self-proclaimed internet gurus do not come cheap.  The fact that such a healthy number of them exists, however, suggests that professional internet marketing is a lucrative business and in popular demand.

To find one is easy.  A straightforward internet search will provide you with multiple pages of them.  They come with an impressive list of important contacts and clientele and testaments to their successes and it is very tempting to put yourself in the safe hands of such experts and sit back and take it easy.  But if you wanted to sit back and take it easy, perhaps you chose the wrong business!

You owe it to yourself to learn the ropes and start your own marketing campaign yourself and, once you have resigned yourself to that fact, you might find that it is not nearly as difficult as you previously thought.  If you are able to manage your time well, you are half way to success.  If not, then you must first of all learn self-discipline.

Good time-management means focus.  There are many steps you can take to create the right working environment in which you can discourage distractions and remain centred on the task in hand.  Some people are great believers in lists, and there is certainly much to be said for the sense of satisfaction and achievement the crossing off of items as jobs accomplished can bring. Discouraging interruptions is a crucial element in successful time-management.  Time = deadlines = money.  Switch off the phone or invest in an answering service if friends take the fact that you work from home as an open invitation to call you at any time.  Keep your working environment uncluttered, so that you can focus on the task without niggling distractions or reminders of chores much lower down on your to-do list.  Mowing the lawn really can wait for a few more days!

Once you have removed all sources of distraction your mind will feel sharper and more business-like.  Now is the time to learn the necessary terms of internet marketing, such as search engine or keyword optimisation, signatures, banners etc.    It won’t happen overnight, but you will make steady progress.  Finding the right keywords and implementing them appropriately into your articles will come with practice and success will be gratifyingly measurable.

One final piece of advice is to follow the old proverb about not putting all your eggs into one basket.  Never rely on only one method, no matter how successful, to generate traffic to your website, but explore all available routes.

The key to a successful business is therefore careful management of time and monitoring of available options. Once you have mastered this, there is no reason why you should not also enjoy a successful do-it-yourself internet marketing campaign.   But even if you decide to pay for the services of a professional marketing company, there is no reason not to supplement their work with some, or all, of these techniques to achieve the biggest boost to your business profile.