PBAC Blog

One my favorite attributes of the Internet is that, if you know where to look, you can find tips, a ‘how-to’ or advice on just about any subject. This is certainly a valuable resource for anyone with an internet connection, and can work out very well for fairly static subjects like lawn care.

After all, the properties of Kentucky Blue are fairly constant. But what if you walked out your front door one summer morning to a yard full of dead grass, and upon questioning your neighbor about why it died he told you, “You didnâ??t hear? Grass started drinking olive oil yesterday instead of water without telling anyone. Ainâ??t that a stinker?” Now, what if this happened every six months or so?

Such is the landscape of search engine optimization, where the search engines are constantly changing the game, and the advice you find online, dating all the way back to 2005, may no longer be relevant. With that in mind, it is important to update your knowledge base. So here are 2007â??s most important elements for a Search Engine Optimized Page:

1.) The Title Tag: An oldie but goodie, the title tag is not only what ultimately gets the user to your site from the SERPs (because it is what the search engines use when linking to your page), but its one of the most important pieces of every search engineâ??s ranking algorithm.

Remember to place only a few closely related keywords inside this tag, and to put your keyword before your company name. Search users are impatient and looking for fast information. Theyâ??re not looking to be branded. A search user may never even get past your company name in the title if the listing below it catches their eye first.

2.) Keyword Density: Believe it or not, keyword density is still important. You may hear some SEOs tell you that keyword density is dead and they can get your site ranked using links alone. The latter half of this statement is true, the former is not. Think of it this way: Dieting alone can make you lose your gut, but dieting and exercise will get you there twice as quick. The right keyword density will give your pages the same positive result that exercise has on dieting.

Many Search Engine Optimizers will tell you that optimum keyword density is between 3-6%. Thatâ??s true, but difficult to measure (for example: are we taking into account navigational, header and footer text or just the main content?). As a rule of thumb, I try to use the keyword once every other paragraph. That is by no means a hard science, but it works for me.

3.) Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI): Hereâ??s one that wasnâ??t around last year. For those unfamiliar with LSI, it is a way for Google to better determine the relevancy of a page. By using LSI, Google can automatically calculate which terms are used most often along with any given keyword and score pages based upon whether or not those complimentary keywords appear on a page.

By deploying LSI into their algorithm, Google is now able to tell the difference between the animal and the automobile “Jaguar” by identifying words and phrases like “ferocious cat” or “moon roof” on the page with it.

Google can also thwart spammers who are using phrases like “Keyword is the best solution on the market to meet your needs and for more information on keyword, look no further.” Spammers could previously mass produce pages with optimum keyword density but without any actual relevance by using templated phrases like these.

4.) Link Text: Onsite and off, the text which appears in a hyperlink pointing to your page is of great importance. Link text or anchor text should contain your keyword or some variation of it for best results.

Obviously, you wonâ??t have control over your link text in every situation. You canâ??t control the way a blogger who finds your site will link to you. However, you can use suggestive language in your press releases or on your pages pointing others in the right direction. If you state on your page that “Dogsforeveryone.com is a Dog Health Site dedicated toâ?¦” your linker may use the same “dog health” lingo in their link.

5.) Page Focus: One of the biggest mistakes that SEOs make when optimizing a web page (especially the homepage) is trying to optimize for too much at once. My rule of thumb here is unless the words are all closely related, not only in meaning but in spelling too (like web design company and web designer companies), break them up into separate pages. I try to, at most, use three non-directly related keywords per page.

People are often drawn into optimizing one page, which they have noticed has considerable ranking power, for too many phrases. The draw is obvious, and the intent is to rank for as many keywords as possible. Unfortunately, by attempting to get to number one for too many key phrases, youâ??ll end up getting there for none. In the eyes of the search engines, the focus of your page will be diluted, and a more laser targeted competitor will prevail.

There you have it. These are the most important elements to optimizing a page. The rest is mostly up to original content and link building. If you successfully follow these 5 tips, you will find yourself racing up the SERPs, acquiring more visitors and more impressions, clicks, sales, sign-ups or whatever it is that youâ??re after.

This article was written by Mike Bradbury.

Mike is an SEO Analyst for Objectware Inc, an Atlanta Web Development.

Tags: General // Add Comment »

In the next five minutes you could have nine high-energy Google ads running live. Each tailored for your own, specific business. And each ad possessing DOUBLE the CTR and ROI of your best performing ads today.

Here’s how:

By the way, you don’t need much thought or creativity to do this. What’s more, very little typing is required, as you can cut and paste the words we’re going to create here, right into your Google AdWords control panel.

Now follow my path…

1) Open up a new document in Microsoft Word. Insert a simple table that has 3 Columns, and 3 Rows.

In the top-left cell of your table type the words, ‘Did You Know?‘

2) Below that, In the second row, type ‘Quickly, Easily‘

3) In the final, Third row type the emotion triggering word, ‘Exposed‘

4) Back to the First row (the one that starts with ‘Did You Know’);

Create a killer headline, using a proven, winning headline formula. Make sure you include the search keyword you’re planning on using to trigger the ad, actually IN that headline. This will cause that word in your headline to show up in bold. This in turn means that your ad will attract more attention, and increase your ad’s Google Quality Score. All for no extra cost.

Here’s an example. If you were bidding on the search keyword ‘insurance,’ make sure you have the word, ‘insurance’ in the headline. Now, follow those words with a sentence specific to your business. If you were selling insurance, it could be;

“Medical Insurance Today?
[Did You Know] 100% Coverage and
Instant Approval are Always Here?”

Note: the [square brackets] as shown above are just there for clarity throughout this article. Don’t actually add those brackets to your ad text.

Next, copy and paste the words you just wrote into the rest of that First row. So you have three ads that all look exactly the same in that First row.

5) In the Second, ‘Quickly, Easily’ row, follow those words with a sentence specific to your business. With our insurance example again, it could be;

“Medical Insurance Now
[Quickly, Easily] Apply Online for an
Instant Free Quote. Start Here.”

Now copy and paste the words you just wrote into the rest of that Second row.

6) In the Third, final row - create your final ad group which uses the ‘Exposed’ theme. Taking our insurance example again, how about this?

Medical Insurance Exposed
“[Exposed.] Three Mistakes You
Must Avoid When Buying Insurance”

Copy and paste those versions into the rest of your Third row.

7) Now, comes the MAGIC.

Your first column down are your three ‘A’ or ‘control’ ad versions. The next column down are your ‘B’ ad versions … and the third column down are your ‘C’ ad versions.

Now, in each of your ‘B’ and ‘C’ ad versions, change one word. Just one. Or flip a word around.

You’re nearly done. You almost have 9 ad versions tailored and ready to go.

Now, using a proven subdomain technique, create and use a ‘display’ URL for your ad which contains for your the search keyword. This gives each ad’s Google Quality Score a quick and easy boost - without spending a Dime. There’s a streaming video available that shows you, step-by-step, how to do this and why it works.

8) Now, simply copy and paste your ad versions into your Google AdWords account and you’re DONE!

From this point forward, it’s just a matter of making sure you are;

- SENDING your prospects to the right page on your site (note - this should likely NOT be your Home page)

- MONITORING your CTR and ROI for each ad version, and

- CONTINUING to use proven split-testing methods to let your market decide which ads work best at delivering hot prospects to your site.

When you combine the proven methods highlighted above, and some additional techniques that are freely available, you’ll be well on your way to harnessing the explosive power of Google AdWords for your business.

Roger Hall discovers and develops programs, pay-per-click ads and tools to help you succeed in your Google campaigns. Find out more today how to create Pay-Per-Click ads that work, with 5 FREE Chapters from his new book, ‘Top 37 Killer AdWords Pay-Per-Click Secrets Exposed’ Free Download Available at: => http://www.37AdWordsSecrets.com/google.html

Tags: General // Add Comment »

Whatever we do as individuals especially also when acting for a company -, it will characterize us in the public/with our clients.

Whether it is

* the receptionist on the phone,

* the production manager,

* the driver of a company car,

* a field representative, or

* the owner/CEO himself …

… all that ‘impresses’ the public - even a very good advertising campaign can not really be successful against this ! (whereas ‘advertising’ is often misunderstood/misinterpreted as being all of ‘marketing’).

Examples:

1. The receptionist - or whoever talks on the phone - is polite or unpolite - the client/ caller will be impressed 2. The manager of the production department is arrogant, or not - the supplier possibly talks about it during his cracker barrel or may be even being with a competitor 3. The driver of a labelled company car takes the priority from someone - possibly it was the best client !? 4. A slovenly dressed and arrogant field representative - who doesn’t identify with the problems of the client (or even makes unbearable promises) - wants to be successful with a client - I can’t believe this, even if the client urgently needs a product comparable to ours

5. Happened some days ago: An arrogant editor in chief doesn’t answer a question correctly during a panel discussion but insists on his ‘political view’ - what happens, if this influences his readers !?

and much more.

… marketing is everything

I like this example:

Imagine you could produce gold (artificial and not to be used for jewelry but a perfect replacement for industrial purposes) at the price of copper and you want to sell it - with a very good profit - at the price of silver.

You would not sell it if nobody knew it !!

Big advertising campaigns or similar action would lead in this case possibly only to some kind of unbelief or would initiate a ‘run’ (of unwanted and not suitable clients) respectively which we could not live with/reply orderly to.

Consequently it would be necessary to sell this gold especially to such clients who barely need it for their products.

And … all the ways to them - ideally in whatever region of this world - are known by the marketing department (see >> ‘Marketing ~#~ sales’- www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/news/selling-versus-marketing__8.htm)

* from market analysis and market segmentation, via

* the choice of the selling route accepted by such clients and the ‘right’ pricing, to

* talking to the customer, knowing/acknowledging HIS problems

and much more.

Of course this is impossible without the development department (describing the possibilities to use ‘the artificial gold’), and the production department (being responsible for a permanently perfect quality)

and

of course all such things are very much depending on the company itself as we cannot generalize them, but provided everything is in order,

to get the ‘right’ client, in the ’suitable’ market segment/s, and the ‘right’ requirements, which can be fulfilled by us … you need Marketing

IMHO:

Everything is … marketing … is everything

With more than 30 years practical experience in marketing in/to all 5 continents I offer assistance and/or training in internationalizing >> market research, marketingplan, practical implementation - Europe and/or worldwide on the spot

Tags: General // Add Comment »

Here’s a ebook 70 pages long called Beating AdWords. It shows you how you can make good money promoting clickbank or other products. If you know nothing about affiliate marketing this e-book will give many great tips and bring you up to speed. It is a clearly written step by step guide with tools to make money online. Whether your a long time marketer or a newbie you will find the information very valuable. Do you use AdWords or any other ppc advertizing? This book is a must for your marketing. The authors of this book give free up-dates. Beating AdWords is always on top of the changes. So what does Beating AdWords offer?

Inside are many internet marketing strategies. Beating AdWords will teach the best tips of PPC advertising, focusing particularity on Google AdWords. There is a lot of information about keywords. How to find keywords that convert into sales, how you can pay less for your keywords and out perform your competition and beat Google’s way of controlling marketers and advertisers. Beating AdWords show how to write effective ad copy that sells to get the most return from your campaigns. There is information on testing and refining campaigns. What is quality score and how you can optimize your AdWords.

Other things this ebook goes into is building websites and landing pages that are optimized to convert to sales. Another thing this program helps with is to find good products to sell. You need a product that converts well .There are many tools to find these products. There are other features as well including advertising tips other than AdWords.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity. You can follow the strategies lined out in the ebook and it will show you how you can make money by promoting products on the internet using Google AdWords to advertise. Beating AdWords is a very clearly well written guide that is extremely easy to understand. It is the essential foundation builder for a new marketer. Beating AdWords is always on top of the changes. This is the authoritative guide to AdWords. It is highly recommended. You will earn money sooner then you think. You will easily recoup the cost of this e-book in a matter of days. Beating AdWords will change your way of marketing forever.

Rick Williamson is a webmaster. He enjoys research in marketing and investment.Your invited to Clickbankways.com to find more exciting information.

Tags: General // Add Comment »

What are the proper measurements for ADA sign height?

Business owners and operators need to be aware of ADA Regulatory guidelines. Purchasing and displaying ADA signage is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to achieve compliance.

But in order to be fully in compliance with the standards for proper use of these signs, they must be mounted at the correct height and position to be effective.

During the years I have been in the acrylic sign busniess, many people have asked for information about hanging tactile signage properly. Several of my customers have complained that this information is not as easy to find as they’d like. Even the government websites don’t always have the latest guidelines listed where you can find them easily.

I’ve researched the facts for you, and listed the specifications according to the latest available from the 2004 updated guidelines. These guidelines cover permanent signage for rooms, offices and restrooms.

How to measure accurately? Start at the bottom!

According to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines, sign height must be measured from finish floor or ground. “Finish floor” is a building term meaning a floor surface complete with tile, carpet, or other finished covering that is not in need of any further construction. If your floor surface is concrete only, this is the surface of the finished floor from which you’ll make your measurements.

All measurements start on the ground and end on the baseline of the tactile letters on your sign. The tactile letters are the characters raised from the surface of the sign. You can tell which they are by touching the sign with your fingers. This is important to know if your sign contains any lettering painted on, made of vinyl decals, or other flat graphics. Those examples are not tactile, so you don’t need them for determining your measurements.

The baseline is the bottom of the letters making up the words of your sign. There may be only one word, or more than one line of text. I’ll show you what to do in both cases.

How to determine height for mounting signs

ADA tactile signs are to be placed a minimum of 48 inches (or 1220 millimeters) above the finish floor or ground surface measured from the baseline of the lowest set of characters.

For example, if your sign has two lines of text, the minimum measurement ends at the bottom of the lowest line of lettering. If your sign has only one word, you simply use that word to determine your sign height.

Your ADA signs are to be mounted a maximum of 60 inches (or 1525 millimeters) above the finish floor or ground surface measured to the highest tactile character.

For example, if your sign has two lines of text, the maximum height is measured to the bottom of the highest line of tactile letters. If you only have one line of text or one word, you use the bottom of that text to determine your height measurement.

Now your signs are in compliance with ADA standards

There is a difference of 12 inches (or 305 millimeters) in the two recommended height measurements. As long as your sign falls within this area, you are in compliance according to ADA guidelines.

In the unlikely event that you have a tactile sign with over twelve inches worth of lines of text, I suggest checking with state and federal ADA professionals to determine the proper measurements for your special needs.

Otherwise, the vast majority of ADA tactile signage will fit neatly within these ADA tactile sign height guidelines.

Disclaimer: The preceding information is intended as a general guide for compliance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The author assumes no liability for its completeness or accuracy. This article is not a legal document and is not meant to be viewed as a substitute for professional legal advice.

Anthony Bogner has over 10 years experience in crafting and selling architectural signage, including literature holders, directories, and ADA tactile signs. Visit http://www.acrylicsignworld.com for tips, advice, and information about acrylic signs for businesses of all sizes. Our website also offers the best values on handcrafted architectural signage products.

Tags: General // Add Comment »

There is major speculation that Google has a Sandbox that captures websites and holds them up from being ranked well for search terms. Webmasters around the world started to notice that their new websites that have well optimized pages and full of inbound links were not ranking well for their selected keywords.

The most reported outcome went along these lines the website would appear in the search engine results page for a couple of weeks and then pages would get de indexed or ranked extremely low for the main keywords very odd as some people are extremely good at designing well optimized sites this becomes very annoying. The pattern of this web behavior was tracked down to sites that were created or domains purchased around March 2004 I know that seemed a long time ago now but the sandbox effect started around that time.

So some webmasters had to suffer the sandbox effect were websites are held up from ranking well for the terms until they have had a good delay. The delay is like the aging of the website till it is regarded as stable in terms of how the website develops. This would appear to protect the web from very smart people coming in and just making websites that beat everyone overnight.

Then around February 2005 there was a major shakeup in the Google algorithm for how websites are ranked were many websites saw extreme fluctuations in the way some established sites lost ground while other lower ranked sites gained ground. The best way to describe the effect of the Google sandbox is a time delay. They won’t allow a new site to go from nothing to the top of the tree without aging and steady link building.

This protects their search engine from dubious black hat SEO experts being able to get sites ranked well overnight. This also helps Google maintain a level of quality for the searches produced remember that the most important factor for Google is its customers or was before shareholders got involved. Being able to produce the best website for any given search term is the main goal as well as the policy of don’t be evil bit they like us to consider.

The Google Sandbox is getting smarter and more refined as the years have gone on and nowadays if you want your website to rank well for a given search term you will have to produce an exceptional site with good fresh non duplicate content. The website will have to have an excellent site structure and most important it will have to be relevant and have a build up of related links over a long period of time.

Getting a website up and running and up the Google tree is now a long term business strategy and the rules are there to be followed. Some short cuts can be made but not many as these are getting closed out with each search algorithm update. Long term strategy of link building is the key to success and there is something you can do to help that by joining link metro.

Link metro is a site that allows you to join and request links from other website partners on that site free to join so check it out. By steady building over a long period and not looking at your web business as a flash in the pan but building trust over time will lead to good reward and stability.

© 2008 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool
Hot Air Balloons

Tags: General // Add Comment »

What is it that makes an ad a great ad that attracts a lot of clicks?

Many Google AdWords users will spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to get their ads to the top position as they believe this will increase their click through rate. Generally they are right. The more prominent your ad the more likely it will get looked at.

However it is not unusual for ads with lower positions to get more clicks than the ad in the top position. The secret for this is all in the words used in the ad itself.

Writing a clickable ad is not an exact science but there are some tips and techniques that can really help improve the clicks you ads are getting. They will also save you money as you shouldn’t need to chase the top position to get a good click through rate.

1) Get your keyword in the title.

The first line of your ad (the title) is the one that people scan first. It’s almost subconscious because they take in the whole page almost at once. So if they see their keywords in the title of you ad their subconscious mind makes a positive connection with your ad.

2) State the benefits in your second line.

Now that your first line has made a positive connection, you need to reinforce that by stating the benefit they will get if they click on your ad. If your benefit matches their need then you are almost home and dry. A click is almost certainly going to happen now!

3) Include a Call to Action.

Make your third line the call to action and also introduce a sense of urgency so that they will take immediate action. A good example of a third line is something like. Act Now. Offer ends Today.

4) Never forget the purpose of the ad

The purpose of an ad is to get a click. It is NOT to sell your product. Your website should do that once you have got them to click on the ad. It’s amazing how easy it is to start writing a sales pitch for your product in the ad rather than concentrate on the benefits of clicking on the ad.

For example: If you were selling a new back pain relief drug then you might start to write about how good the drug was, how cheap etc. So you may write an ad something like this. Back Ache? Try our new drug. Cheapest Drug Available. Whilst this might sound okay, it’s too product focused. You prospective clicker is looking for benefits. A better ad would be. Back Ache. Wave GoodBye To Back Ache. Relief Guaranteed.

5) Keep it Relevant

This actually isn’t about getting more clicks. It is actually about making sure that the clicks you are getting are worth getting. You need to make sure that your ad will attract people that will want what you have to offer. Read you ad and ask yourself this question. If I clicked on my ad what would I expect to see on the website I am taken to. If it isn’t what your website is offering then you need to rethink the ad.

If you find you are getting a lot of clicks but very few conversions then it is very likely that you ads are setting a false expectation of what you website is offering.

Mike Seddon is the founder of KKSmarts. Their site contains many free Website Promotion guides.

Tags: General // Add Comment »

The concept of marketing can be summed up very simply as having the “Right Message” in the “Right Place” in front of the “Right People” at the “Right Time.” While that may sound simple, sometimes executing it is not so simple.

Because if you’re off in any one of these areas it can negatively affect the outcome of your marketing.

Let’s talk about having the “Right Message” for a moment.

This begs the question, just what should you talk about in your marketing?

Many small business marketers make the mistake of talking all about themselves, their products or their services. That’s like meeting someone for the first time and having them talk incessantly about themselves. These aren’t typically the kind of people we want to spend a lot of time with.

I remember a woman I used to work with years ago. Her name was Heather.

Heather was a bubbly redhead who seemed to make friends everywhere she went. She had a knack for making people feel special. Me included.

Then one day I realized what it was.

She always asked me how I was doing. She asked about my kids and my husband. She asked about my dogs, and my running. She knew what was important to me and she always made a point of bringing these things up in conversation.

As small business marketers we could learn a thing or two from Heather.

By focusing on WHO we are talking to and talking about what’s important to them, we engage our prospects and customers. We talk TO them instead of talking AT them.

And that’s the key to having the right marketing message.

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

Tags: General // Add Comment »

There are approximately 6.4 Billion people on earth. Even in Asia where more than half of the worlds population resides; at least 1 in every 3 homes have a personal computer installed. Not to mention the Internet. This marks the beginning of the direct marketing Internet business era.

Very conveniently I glanced at my dictionary and found juicy bit for you. Direct marketing means, “the business of selling products or services directly to customers who order by mail or by telephone”. Internet business means, “an entity that profits from a transaction of goods over the Internet”. Hope it not too complicated for you.

Contrary to what many people or top Internet marketers tell you, the market for certain niches is never saturated. Everyday there are new problems that arises and needs to be solved. Here is where you come in to fill that gap and make a profit by running a direct marketing Internet business.

For instance, you want to start a business but really do not have a knack for talking to people or even have technical knowledge about HTML. Do you think that will make you a failure? No. Far from that. In short, your direct marketing Internet business already took that task for you.

The key component you need to discover is the secret to be good in direct marketing. The Internet just allows you to position yourself to earn even while you sleep. It also acts as a medium for communicating with your customers.

Marketing and selling are really two different things. Try not to be confused with this. Instead know that marketing has 3 main processes that you need to know:

1) Market Research

2) Strategies and Planning

3) Execution and Measurement

The 3 steps as highlighted above is just a very short summary of a good direct marketing Internet business process. Your responsibility is to be diligent and have the patience to experience the processes in your life positively.

Sure, we all have had bad days and sometimes we tend to get impatient when our efforts are not bringing in any sales. You say, “what the heck! I’ve done my marketing and the Internet is supposed to reel in the profits!”. Cool it. Like I mentioned earlier you need to experience the process not the result.

Results are static. If you want to really position yourself to reap the future of great wealth with your direct marketing Internet business be prepared to become a student for life. Find a system or learn by investing in good direct marketing Internet business courses. If successful marketers invest in themselves; then so should you.

About The Author: Vern How has been earning online back in June 2006. He has tried and tested thousands of dollars worth of programs since then. Today, he is a successful affiliate marketer who believes in giving back by helping others. To find out how Vern can help you work from home go to… Simple Riches

For more information on a perfect wealth formula to profiting massively on the Internet, just check out Direct Marketing Internet Business Strategy

Tags: General // Add Comment »

You almost always have to use a credit card when you pursue a pay per click adverting campaign. Most people don’t think of this one tip that can create a double benefit for you.

Once you start doing pay per click advertising, you’ll quickly figure out your bottom line. This will basically be represented as a conversion rate. For “x” number of clicks, you will get a sale if you bid “y”. Once this formula is established, you can start cranking up your volume of clicks as well as the money you spend and make.

I have one friend who does all of his advertising with pay per click. I know his site does okay, but not tremendously. Nonetheless, he is always flying here and there around the world. I can’t figure out how and a few other people have commented on it. Turns out he did something with his pay per click campaign that was simple and pure genius.

Not all credit cards are created equal. Some let you build up points when you charge things to them. The more you charge, the more you get for free. I am sure you can see where this is headed. You should always use one of these cards for your pay per click campaign. As you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars each month, your points will build up pretty quickly. Soon, it will be you flying around the world.

There can be one potential problem with this approach. If you are a formal business like a corporation or LLC, it can sometimes be difficult to get credit cards that let you accumulate points. Your two best options are American Express and Capital One. Amex can be a pain to get, but Capital One tends to hand them out like free food samples.

Regardless, you should make your pay per click campaign work for you in a variety of ways. Using this tip, you can advertise your site and build up points for freebies.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about pay per click issues for PayPerClickServiceCompanies.com - where you can find a directory of pay per click service companies for your marketing efforts.

Tags: General // Add Comment »