Submit Solution has four new Squidoo lenses, all focusing on different aspects of the Internet-marketing company’s services. Web pages on Squidoo are called lenses, I suppose because they give you a view into someone’s mind, life or company.

I’ll give a brief description of all of the new lenses below. Be sure to check them out and rate each of them, if you like.

One lens focuses just on Submit Solution’s Internet-marketing blogs. As you can tell, each of these blogs has a different focus: search engine optimization, paid search, social media and Web design. You can find it here: Submit Solution – 4 Internet Marketing Blogs.

Another lens gives you more information about Submit Solution’s services, including Web design, SEO, PPC and website content. You’ll find it here: Submit Solution – The Best Internet Marketing Services.

Submit Solution’s website launch is spotlighted on another lens. It includes the news release announcing the updated website’s release in September 2009 and the company’s new features and services. You can find that news release on Submit Solution’s website under “Press.” It’s entitled, “Submit Solution Launches New Web Site with Web and Logo-Design Services.” The lens can be found here: Submit Solution Online-Marketing Website Launch.

The final new Submit Solution Squidoo lens is short and sweet. It includes some of the newest blog entries from the site’s four ecommerce blogs, as well as Submit Solution’s contact information. If you want to get a hold of a Submit Solution representative, that’s a good place to go. Check it out here: Submit Solution: The one-stop hub for internet marketing.

Don’t forget about our four other Squidoo lenses for Submit Solution, eHarbor, Inc., Magellan Commerce and Real Estate Promoter that we built back in March. I talked about them in the eHarbor Blog back when we created them. Learn more about them in my blog entry, “eHarbor, Inc. launches Squidoo pages.” We recently updated these lenses with additional information about our companies’ history and high-tech services.

You can find them at the following links:

Submit Solution - Search Engine Optimization Tools

eHarbor, Inc. - eCommerce and SEO Experts

Magellan Commerce - Website Design & SEO

Real Estate Promoter - Website Design & Marketing

This is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post: “Submit Solution’s four new Squidoo lenses.” The Submit Solution logo is the copyright of Submit Solution.

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but according to one blogger, the key to getting more website traffic from your Twitter account is to tweet less frequently. Of course, Dan Zarrella is not just any blogger – he’s a self-proclaimed social media and viral marketing scientist. That’s a pretty cool title.

In his blog entry, “Want More Clicks? Tweet Less,” Zarrella made the bold statement, “If you want your Tweet to get noticed and ReTweeted, you should slow down your posting rate.” Twitter is all about speed, though. It’s an instant message service. Why would a smart blogger suggest you slow down your tweeting?

According to this study, Twitter users who only tweet one link an hour have a much higher rate of getting that link retweeted than those who post two, three or 13 links an hour. The same is true for days. One link a day gets a better click-through rate and more retweets than multiple links a day.

What does all this mean? I’ll try to interpret. I think it means Twitter users can tell the difference between people sharing genuinely interesting news, ideas or offers and robots or marketers who are just trying to sell their products through Twitter. Twitter users like people who listen as well as share. That’s called a conversation, and it’s what customers expect more and more from ecommerce companies in our current marketplace.

What does this mean for your Internet-marketing strategies? I think it means you should be just as eager to talk about your company as you are to talk about your customers’ needs, industry trends and other things outside of your company. Twitter may not be easy to navigate when you first start out, but as you learn what you’re doing you should try not to focus too much on yourself. Sharing one link or one promotion a day can be more effective than sending a barrage of offers in a short period of time.

Think about your audience. Think about how you respond to tweets. Sometimes it seems like there are way too many to ever keep track of, just from the people you follow. Keep that in mind as you formulate your Twitter strategy. Keep the line of communication open, and try not to jam the line with too many messages.

This blog entry is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post, “Successful Twitter strategy: Tweet less.” The photo of the birds on a fence is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Sister72.

Before the internet and blogs, writers were only being published in newspapers, magazines and books –all print material. Nowadays, writing is being published in a variety of different avenues through the internet. This is great for writers which means more opportunity to get writing noticed, but it also means they should be more aware of SEO writing for internet marketing. SEO  is search engine optimization using keyword to get higher up on the search engine results. SEO isn’t here to ruin good quality writing, but it’s to direct people to your writing to read what you have to say. It’s for your own benefit.

When writing, consider using keywords often. You can still make your writing comprehensible while inserting keywords. Obviously, you don’t want to go overboard with keywords in every sentence because that will look silly and forced. You don’t need too many to make the search engines understand what your article is about. These keywords should be the ones you want to focus on when people search those terms at search engines. You’ll have a better chance of getting higher if you’re using the right keywords.

A change to SEO writing from regular writing is the headlines. No longer can you use puns in headlines without it taking a blow to your search rankings. Headlines should be key phrases that you think people would search for. If you use a clever pun in a newspaper, you’re considered witty, but when you use it on-line it won’t capture as many readers because people aren’t going to be searching for that pun.

When inserting links into your writing, don’t just write our “click here” for my other related article. You’ll want to actually put the headline as the hyperlinked text. This will improve your SEO even more so for your other articles since you’re giving them an inbound link related to that keyword. This is why “click here” is of no use. If you google “click here” you’ll see that adobe is at the top. This is because they’ve use the phrase a lot of for downloads.

Nowadays, many employers are not only looking for good writers, but those who can optimize their writing for the web. As writing jobs become more competitive, it’s important to understand SEO practices and incorporate them into your quality writing. This will give you an edge over your competitors for a job. SEO isn’t meant to interfere with good writing, it’s to improve your writing techniques and get more people to read your stuff.

Tinyurl, Bit.ly, tr.im, ju.mp… anyone who’s used Twitter recognizes these names as common URL shortening services that people use to turn long links into short, convenient links.  These are also used in other social media networks like Facebook.

The question is… can URL shorteners affect your SEO?  The answer is, yes, they most certainly can.

Consider the above tweet we made using the bit.ly URL shortener to link to one of our blog posts.  Does this link provide any SEO value? Would it have been different if we used another shortening service?

In order to answer these mystifying questions, Search Engine Land has created a useful chart detailing the basic differences between URL shorteners.

Here is the most important factor when it comes to URL shorteners and SEO: 301 and 302 redirects.

301 versus 302 Redirects:

301 redirects are highly preferable in a URL shortener, because they tell search engines to give link credit to your long URL, rather than the shortened one! This is also permanent and really helps give credit to your links. Luckily, the most commonly used URL shorteners like bit.ly and tinyurl use 301 redirects.

302 redirects, on the other hand, give only temporary link credit to your long links.  This tells search engines that the more powerful and important link is the shortened one, not yours! Here are some URL shorteners that use this dreaded 302 redirect: Hex.io, twurl.in, and eweri.

So next time you go to shorten that amazing link, be sure to pick a URL shortener that uses a 301 redirect. This will help you create inbound links to your site or blog, which will in turn increase your rankings in search engines!

]]> http://www.submitsolution.com/warning-your-short-url-may-sabotage-your-seo/feed/ http://www.submitsolution.com/pros-and-cons-of-google-wave/ http://www.submitsolution.com/pros-and-cons-of-google-wave/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:00:18 +0000 admin http://www.submitsolution.com/?p=2158 By Britnee Nguyen

You might have heard about Google Wave through your social networks, but do you know what it is? Google Wave is a new search layout that was released by Google to invite-only users. These selected users are given a couple of invites to give out to others as well. While searching the web for information about it, I came across some criticism and praise. It sounds like it’s a confusing concept, yet has a “promising future”. So here’s some pros and cons about Google Wave.

PROS

• Google Wave was developed by the same guys who developed Google Maps. So there is some intuitive genius behind the new service.

• It allows you to filter Google search results and choose just news, maps, images, etc.• You can filter search results by using real-time results or choosing the range of time you want to see results (recent, last 24 hours, week or year).

• It modernizes e-mail by adding the features of chat, wikis, document collaboration.

• Chatting is in real time, meaning that while you type your IM, it is showing the other person what you’re writing, as you’re typing it. This is to improve the speed of communication on internet.

• You can start a “wave” and connect with other people with similar interests or who are attending the same event you are and collectively put in information about it.

CONS
• Chatting is in real time. I know I just listed this as a pro, but it can also be a con. Who really wants the other person to see exactly what you’re writing as you’re typing it? When I chat, I typically write and then go back and reword things and cut and paste and add smiley faces, etc. Or sometimes I write it, but then decide to delete it before pushing the enter key. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is like this.

• It seems like a re-invention of the internet, that’s not necessarily needed. They put so much into this application, that it’s confusing to the new user.

• Anyone can add you to their list of contacts without your permission. Result: SPAM

• No “Error” messages are given, which might confuse the user even more.

Now, remember that Google Wave is only in preview mode right now, so many of these things might be improved upon before officially launching. From a personal point of view, I don’t see the benefit of Google Wave, but from a business point of view, it opens another door for businesses to make more contacts and to reach more customers. It’s another internet marketing outlet that businesses should be testing out. It’s the best idea to try it out for yourself and see what it can do for you.

Imagine trying to beat Microsoft at its own game. Microsoft, the giant of software and Web browsers, seemed all but unstoppable in its dominance of the Internet with its Internet Explorer browser five years ago. However, a small browser, which was originally called Phoenix, debuted on November 9, 2004 and started giving Explorer a run for its money.

We now know this Web browser as Firefox. And it recently turned five years old. Happy birthday, Firefox!

I read about Firefox’s anniversary in the Webware article, “After 5 years, Firefox faces new challenges.” I talked a little about Firefox in my Submit Solution blog entry, “Google Chrome is the best Web browser.” I mentioned that it’s my favorite browser, even if it’s not exactly as fast as Chrome.

Many factors led up to the swift success of the Firefox browser. Microsoft got a little lazy on creating new features for Explorer. Plus, viruses were specifically designed to target Explorer, giving Internet users a strong incentive to try something new. Right on cue, Firefox arrived with its innovative tabbed interface, customizability and popup ad blocker. It was an instant hit, receiving 10 million downloads in the first month alone.

Firefox 2.0 was an even bigger success, gaining support from Web designers who started to comply with the new browser’s design standards. Google also lent a hand by embedding its search engine into the Firefox browser and giving Firefox a portion of the advertising revenue it received from searches through Firefox.

Google has now entered the fray with its own browser, Chrome. Who knows if it will be able to enjoy the same success as Firefox, but it’s a healthy thing to have competition, as Microsoft has certainly learned by now. Firefox is still going strong, though. It estimated about 160 million people downloaded the Firefox 3.0 version and more than 300 million have downloaded its current 3.5 version so far. For a five-year-old, Firefox is looking exceptionally strong.

Keep coming back to the Submit Solution Web Design Blog for great discussions on topics like this.

This is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post: “Happy birthday, Firefox.” The photo of the Firefox birthday cake is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Christopher Blizzard.

By the way, try saying the title of this blog entry three times fast. I’m no good at quickly repeating f sounds.

Twitter has come a long way since 2007. It exploded in popularity in 2009, though it still has yet to reach the heights of either Facebook or MySpace in terms of monthly visitors. You can read more about this in my Submit Solution blog entry, “MySpace is 3 times as popular as Twitter.”

Not only has Twitter gone from having less than 1 million visitors a month to nearly 20 million, it has also improved its downtime. Alas, just like its number of visitors, Twitter is far worse than every other major social-media site in its total amount of downtime per year. It’s getting better, but Twitter still suffers from frequent crashes. Remember the big one earlier this year?

I read some fascinating analyses of Twitter’s downtime in two Royal Pingdom articles: “Twitter growing pains cause lots of downtime in 2007” and “Social network downtime in 2008.” Check out this chart of the major social-media sites’ downtime, in hours:

The good news for Twitter, as these Royal Pingdom articles point out, is that the vast majority (84 percent) of its downtime took place in the first half of 2008. That means the second half of 2008 was a vast improvement and it could mean Twitter is well on its way to getting up to Facebook’s and MySpace’s level.

Even if you combine the total downtime of Facebook and MySpace, Twitter was seven times longer than them. That’s quite amazing. Maybe it’s like I said in my last blog entry on Twitter – the company could be on the verge of proving itself as a real contender in the fight for dominance of social media.

Twitter has never really been known for its reliability, but it could soon change that image. I look forward to seeing 2009’s numbers to see how Twitter is improving.

This blog entry is a complete version of the eHarbor Blog post, “Twitter downtime worse than other social media.” The Social Network Downtime graph is the copyright of Royal Pingdom.

If you’ve owned your website for quite awhile now, you may be wondering if you should get it redesigned. Well, this would depend on a number of factors, but most likely you should get a redesigned website. For example, if you’ve had the same website design since the 90s then you’ll definitely want to get it changed. So much creative innovation on the internet has occurred since then and continues to grow every day. You’ll want to update your website to follow the design trends and keep it functional to this day and age.

Most people are smart and have realized this and have regularly updated their website’s design. You might have just had it redesigned last year; does this mean you should do it again now? Here are some internet marketing questions you’ll want to think about if you’re contemplating a web design.

What should NOT be the purpose of the redesign? If you’re redesigning it just for the sake of it, that’s not the right reason. You don’t want to constantly be changing the overall look of it because then your customers won’t be able to connect certain look or design and attribute it to your business. If they’re always seeing a new design every time they go to your website, they’ll have no idea what your actual brand looks like. Be sure you have a purpose in mind when redesigning. You don’t want your website to be like one of those girls who shows up with a different haircut, style and color every week. That kind of habit doesn’t do well for your business branding.

What should be your purpose? The purpose of your web design should be for reasons such as your website is old-fashioned, you are changing the brand of your company, or you are targeting a different market or audience. When designing a website, you’ll want the feeling of it to connect with your target customer. If you’re targeting teenagers, then you’ll want the design of it to look hip and trendy. If you’re targeting mothers, you’ll want it to connect to the feminine, emotion, and motherly instincts. So if your current website doesn’t match your target customer, then you’ll need a redesign.

Remember, these questions when you’re asking yourself when you should redesign your website. It’s important to keep in mind that when you redesign, you run the risk of losing your branding and identity work that you’ve done with it so far. But if your website is old-fashioned and not reaching your target audience, then it might be more beneficial to change your identity anyways.

If you’re planning on doing a PPC campaign or any type of internet marketing through the winter months, you’ll want to take the holiday season in consideration. Undoubtedly, there’s going to be a rise of on-line traffic during the holidays as many people turn to the web to find gifts. You’ll want to make sure you have your PPC campaigns properly set up to make the most of your on-line advertising investment. Use these guidelines to be successful during the holiday season through your PPC campaign.

Use keyword reports from the previous holiday season to see what keywords did well during that time. You can use the search-based keyword tool to see these reports. Most likely, these terms will do well again this year. You’ll want to use Google’s sbKT (search-based keyword tool). When you’re on the website you’ll see how well keywords are ranking and how much they are per click. This is really helpful any time of the year, but can be of great assistance if you’re trying to sell your product or service during the holidays.

The one day out of the year you should have your PPC campaign geared for is Cyber Monday. This is like Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving where every store has discounted prices on items. Cyber Monday occurs the Monday after Thanksgiving and is for sales available on-line. You could bid higher this day compared to other days to take advantage of the increased traffic on Cyber Monday. To get the most clicks, you’ll need to get your ads in the top 3. If you don’t, then it might be useless to do it since your competition will dominate you. You’ll want to be part of the holiday revenue that day so make sure you maximize your ROI the best you can on Cyber Monday.

Also, even after the holidays come and go, many sales happen after the holidays. Consumers are looking for the best deals after the holidays, so don’t miss out on this opportunity either. Don’t end your PPC campaign on Christmas Day, instead you should keep it and monitor it to make money off of the post-holiday shopping. You’ll might want to alter your keywords a bit after this to make sure you’re still targeting the on-line shoppers.

This holiday season, don’t miss out on increased revenue from your PPC advertising. Be sure to plan and prepare it in advance to get the most ROI. If you’re busy taking care of your own holiday shopping, it’s best to hire a professional company who can handle your account during the busy season. Submit Solution is an example of a company who are experts in pay per click advertising and will maximize your ROI this holiday season.

Remember AOL–the internet access, instant messaging and email service that ran rampant in the Internet’s earlier years?  Where have they been all these years?

AOL has turned to providing content rather than internet service in order to stay afloat.  With this change has come a new look and new logos.  Yes, logos, plural.  These new designs are creating quite a buzz in the social media world, as people gather together to either love it or hate it.

The new branding technique includes a new, lowercase version of their name, which now reads “Aol.”  This play with capitalization is reminiscent of  Apple’s “iPhone”, “iTunes,” etc and is meant to showcase AOL’s features, such as Aol.shopping and Aol.music.

However, the true story in Aol’s makeover are their logos: from a goldfish to what looks like a fluffy ball of cotton-candy, shaped like a human brain, Aol is truly moving in another direction, aesthetically.

What’s the lesson to be learned here?  Whether people like it or hate it, re-branding your business in this drastic matter will get them talking… a lot.  Now that their new look has gone viral, sparked controversy and spurned debate, Aol can be assured that their new brands and services will be noticed.  What a powerful internet marketing device… but I guess that’s just the power of social media people!  Harness it, or be swallowed up like a little orange goldfish.