My clients call me in distress as they are approached by website cruisers, disguised as “SEO Consultants.” Website owners are told emphatically that if they don’t immediately invest thousands of dollars with SEO’ers, the site will languish in the bowels of page rankings.

Be frightened, be verrry frightened

The hucksters get my client’s attention by attacking their current website SEO structure  (which is set up properly and organically). They allege it is insufficient and the site is never going to be a player in the page-ranking wars without immediate intervention by Guess Who.

Then they pitch the site owners for thousands of dollars to offer “proper” SEO set-ups with “virtually guaranteed” optimized page rankings.

In my area (Charleston, SC), I know some of these “consultants” from their unrelated previous professions. Most of them were sales reps in other fields, could not make it there, so they are now “experts” in SEO.

Black hats, indeed. Black hearts also!

This unregulated industry is becoming increasingly under attack by business analysts. A common tactic employed includes providing bogus links and phony blogs sites to “enhance” the inbound links to their victim’s sites. For details on this wild west – and totally unregulated – industry, please read this informative article by Mark Schaefer, a renown business analyst.

My professional opinion: if a business site must survive on being found by search engines, cut to the chase.  Buy an ad directly from the search engine ad team. Real numbers don’t lie.  You can chart your hits, click-thru’s, and ascertain if this is a good return on investment -  instead of using a “consultant’s” smoke, mirrors and deceptive promises.

He proudly states his site is always in the top three search results list. I cautioned him that search engines are unforgiving and he may be doing himself more harm than good by performing trickery.

So we looked up his site using the search terms to be most likely entered: Locksmith, Johns Island. He came up nowhere on the first few pages, much to his chagrin.

I hated to say I told you so… nah, I didn’t. The lesson here is clear. Don’t be clever; be wise.

A well-written site with pertinent and refreshed content buys you deserved page rankings. Not convinced? Read below:

Google Changes Algorithm for Low Quality Sites

In an attempt to offer its users better search results, Google has just implemented a significant change to its algorithm. The change will help boost the rankings of what are deemed to be high quality sites, and it will push low quality sites, such as content farms, further down the rankings. Amit Singhal, a Google fellow, and Matt Cutts, a principal engineer who helps the search engine giant fight spam, announced the algorithmic improvement in a post on Google’s blog. The changes main goal is to improve relevancy among search results for users. By rewarding high quality sites for their content and punishing low quality sites for their supposed lack of content, users can get more of what they are looking for without having to weed through irrelevant sites. Google considers high quality sites to be those that offer original content, in-depth analysis, research, and more. Although the blog post did not name any specific websites, it is likely that content farms are its main target. Content farms produce short, low value articles that are created in response to popular search queries. One such site is eHow, which pays freelance writers small fees to produce short articles on a variety of subjects.”

Excerpted from: SEO CHAT; by wubayou 2011-02-28

Even so, as the flu shot is no guarantee you won’t get influenza, do not let your internet safety guard down either.

Some preventative measures to keep in mind:

• Enable Windows updates:
  

  Have fun. Be safe.

  Microsoft regularly updates its operating systems for various reasons, including to fix bugs and patch vulnerabilities. By updating your OS, you can decrease the chance of an infection.

• Careful where you click:
  Today’s cybercriminals are using social engineering to try to get you to install their malware. Common schemes include asking you to download a codec to watch video or telling you to click on a link to update your software. Be very wary of clicking on links in emails from strangers and in downloading supposed updates. It is best to go to a program manufacturer’s site to see if there really is a new version available.
• Be aware:
  ParetoLogic Spyware Analysis Team (SWAT) member and security analyst Jean Taggart preaches situational awareness. If surfing leads you to a site that seems strange or not just right, close out of your browser. The same concept applies to clicking to download products.
• Use a security product regularly:
  It is important to install and frequently scan with an anti-virus or anti-spyware product. There are good ones that include but are not limited to  XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware, Norton Utilities, AVG, et al.  Security programs that allow you to schedule routine scans are also handy.
• Be wary of file sharing programs:
  Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are known to be used to spread malware. It is safer to acquire music, video and software from trusted sources.

Remember: be careful out there!

FB gonna EAT u!

Etsy is an internet company that partners with FaceBook.  Jason Davis, lead technologist there says: “In two clicks, you connect with Facebook. We analyze information about all your friends: their profile information, their activities, their interests, their likes, their favorite bands, and…whatnot…We analyze that across your friends and make up 20 recommendations that show something they may like.”

Here is what this means. This –and any other company that collaborates with FB -  can and will view analyze all your postings on your FB site and then determine what they want you to buy, see or know.

Not spooky enough for you? Then they will do the same with all your friends and their friends and so on.

Are you comfortable with an unknown entity doing this to you? Remember when you were alarmed about Google showing an image of your home online? Well, these guys are now in your home, inside your bedroom and rummaging around in your underwear drawer for stuff that interests them that they can use to manipulate you into doing their mission.

And you are inviting them in!

*eWeek/Ziff Davis Enterprise; “Identity takes on a new meaning”; P.J.Connolly; 1/17/11; P.17.

Domain name explained

A domain name is the internet address of your site. Web hosting is where you place your files that make up your website. They must interface together for your website to be seen. They are set up separately, are accessed separately and can renew at different times.

What is a Domain Name?

When you register a domain, it gives you sole ownership and rights to the name of your site for a specified period of time. As long as you pay the required fees, no one else has the access to the actual name of that particular domain besides you. This is why it is essential you keep the registration info in a safe place. The information consists of user name, password and the url of the domain registrar. If you lose the info, you cannot access this domain account, ever.

How long is the registration period?

Typically, a domain names is registered for 1 or 2 years at a time. It is critical to monitor your expiration date.

How much does it cost to register?

Depending on the Registrar, between $8.00 – $25.00 per year.

How can I tell if a domain name is available?

The best way is to type the name you want in any browser address bar. If is taken, the site or a message will pop up. If it is not taken, a screen will invite you to register the name immediately. Don’t do it! Make sure you know your Registrar!

Warning! Do not use the oh so handy domain look-ups available in various places online. If it is available, by typing in a name, it can get snagged by an entity who will then try to sell it to you. That is big business in cyberspace.

How do I register a domain name?

You contract with a third party resource to handle the transaction for you called a “Registrar.” This company is authorized to issue internet domain names with ICANN. This service is then sold to consumers in the form of an annual registration fee for a particular domain name. It is important to use an accredited registrar.

You are sent the registration paperwork verifying your ownership, the time period of the registration and the log in info to your domain name. SAVE THIS INFO  – IT IS VITAL.

Why do I need to access my domain name site?

Many reasons:

• To change your contact information
• To change host servers and need to redirect your domain
• To transfer ownership
• Renew registration

Can I have more than one Domain Name?

Yes. As many as you want. There will be an annual charge/renewal for every domain registered.

Can they all point to the same website?

Yes, you can have multiple domain names pointing to one website. There may be additional charges for this, depending on your host server.

How important is a domain name?

A good domain name is very important. Here are points to consider when creating a new domain name:

• If your domain name is short yet meaningful, it means it can be remembered by people at once, and will cover the targeted market as well.
• Long URLs have greater probability of getting misspelled by users.
• Long URLs if separated by [-] can resolve the issue of misspelling, and can also help search engines to index a site for the keywords in the URL.
• If your domain name contains a keyword in it, chances of getting in top pages of SERP results are much higher.
• Having your domain and company name be the same is common but not necessary.
• Hyphens or adding a city name can solve the problem of a great name that is taken. For example, I loved the name “webweaver.com,” but is was taken. Hence, the birthing of “charlestonwebweaver.com”.

Someone sent me to a blog site that was bright purple with navy text. The paragraphs were long and meandering. It scrolled down to my toes.

Shame on you!

Furthermore, it made me mad! I felt this person wasted my time. That maddens me.

Evidently she created the site to meet her own sense of aesthetics, not that of the anticipated reader. And evidently she loves purple.

Too bad she doesn’t know the first essential rule of a good blog or web site: Create an environment most pleasing to your target audience.

If you are your own audience make it purple and blog on.

A good site pulls you in and gets read. I did not read this blog. It was too much work…and it made me mad.

Facebook is eating us with our permission and participation.

I have major concerns about Facebook tactics and information sharing and little confidence in the privacy of the information we post.  Just in the past week, FB has found and contacted my “friends” without my knowledge or consent.

All is fun at the FB Factory

I filled out an innocuous looking form for free airlines tickets sent to me by a FB friend, via a posting notice in my email (I know! I should have known better!!). Unbeknownst to me, a FB posting was sent to persons on my list presenting this bogus offer in my name! Within minutes, I had persons responding to me and questioning why I was trying to sell them these tickets! Say whut?

In a second incident some hours later, a person I don’t know well appeared on my “Wall” requesting friendship. She did not knowingly contact me via FB. She filled out a form on Amazon for free Kindle accessories and it snatched her Yahoo email contacts. Unbeknownst to her, and without her permission, every email address was contacted via FB to “friend.” She was horrified and embarrassed and closed her FB account. I wonder if that will do any good…

Just today, I went into my FB account to verify my privacy settings. Clicking on that link produced much spinning and clicking, but the privacy page would not appear. I gave up after trying five times. Good work, FB.

It is my increasing fear that FB is running amok and we are allowing this to happen. We have eagerly endorsed and created a monster of huge and irrevocable proportions. What have we wrought? A monolithic database of our most private and personal information that includes us and by association,  our “friends” as well.

What we do, how we do, what we think, what we buy, what makes us smile, pictures of our lives – literally and figuratively. All of that and more, we place in the vast internet eye to be examined, used and potentially mis-used by anybody, everybody. Friends, friends of friends, advertisers, governments,  criminals, freaks…get the picture? Well, guess what – they have the picture…and it is yours!

And now who owns, actually owns this information? Not us. They can shut us down today and still have all the information we have provided! What can they, what will they do with that information?

Who knows? I don’t. Do you?

Sell to the highest bidder, I suppose.

Like eager children running into the Willie Wonka chocolate factory, we embrace and adore the big maw that can now control and consume us. Isn’t social media just the coolest thing ever? Oh what fun we are having being eaten alive.

Whether you have a website, a blog, or a Facebook account. Whether you are tweeting, emailing, or – horrors!- calling by phone, it is all going to change dramatically in 2011.

If this past year is an indication of warp speed cubed, hold on to your hats. Heck, hold on to your hair! Because 2011 is taking off like a rocket…and look at today’s date!

Your website

Know this: your website is so yesterday! Even if you launched it today. Think about how people are now accessing most cyber-stuff.  Is your market likely sitting in front of a computer monitor or holding a hand-held device?

What this means to you is that in addition to a website, you must have info accessible via an i-phone also.  Browsing on a mobile device is more urgent. The info you present must be abridged yet effective. You need to consider what are the most important aspects of your company message and stick to the bare bones.

When your website is accessed via i-phone, your visitor is not just browsing they are there for a purpose. Help them get what they need. Be a hero.

You simply cannot rest. If your marketing strategy has been reviewed and is current, you are lagging.

Changes in marketing are happening at warp speed, even as I type.  There is not even a word available to describe it.

You may be contemplating the effectiveness of your current website and how to attract new prospects. But behind the scenes is a revolution ready to explode all the old conventional wisdom to smithereens.

According to Gartner Inc.,a leading technology consulting firm, by 2013 mobile phones will be the most common device used to access the Web.

• Mobile traffic increased thirty-two percent during 2010.
• Approximately eighty-nine million people in the United States have accessed the mobile Web in the past year and fifty-three percent of these people access the Internet from their phone daily.

How will you respond to this? How will this impact your marketing strategies?  If your prospective customers are using their hand-held devices to access their information, how do market and appeal to them?

There is a huge opportunity for the companies who get mobile right to separate themselves from their competitors on the Web.

Are you ready?

When is the last post on your blog? Remember, the best way to keep your brand out there is to write regularly and don’t forget to post key tags.

Some other points

• Never, never type in CAPS. People won’t read. Actually, CAPS are considered rude as it indicates shouting on-line. Use italics, colored font or bold to make a point.
• Don’t underline text unless it is a link. The universal signal for a link is underlining.
• Keep your articles short with just a few bullet points & don’t use long paragraphs.
• I write a few new posts for my site at one time which I schedule to post at intervals. Sometimes one good article can be made into three. Then post them at different times.
• Send a note to prospects when you post something new and ask them to comment on it. This gets those persons noticed online and increases your blog traffic – which search engines look for.
• Sometimes people ask me a simple question in an email. My answer to them often becomes a posting on my blog. In fact, this note to you will be edited a little then posted.
• Don’t ever double space between a period and new sentence start. That is an old typewrite rule and leaves too much white space in electronic print, especially if you justify the paragraph.

If you cannot keep up with your blog content, don’t have one. No blog is better than a poorly written or maintained one.

And, of course, if you need help writing or publishing a blog or website, contact a professional…why, just like us!