2010 - another year, and another round of changes expected to come in the new year. From Googles pending dance that could shake up the Search space, to a foreseen boom in mobile advertising (likely in 2011), to some who tout conversion rate optimization being the big thing in 2010 (IMHO was covered in 2008/09). Unfortunately I don’t get to write on here as much as I’d like due to demanding clients , though I thought it would be timely to cover a few points that touches on what the crystal ball holds for 2010.

And with Google dance around the corner, and the push on conversion optimization, what better time than to touch on some of the essential metrics that SEO (search engine optimization) specialists, marketers and business owners should be tracking and reporting. Its essential to know these metrics so you know your SEO ROI is being attained, or at least paying back some dividends. And yes, there are a number of important metrics to benchmark and that provide valuable insight…but these are the areas I see as ‘essential’ in you business intelligence SEO tool box, especially if our crystal ball vision is true with Google’s dance and conversion rate optimization. (more…)

You’re finally on board with some of the changes and new features Google’s rolled out over the last few years, along with watching the suitors as Yahoo and Bing (MSN) follow suit. You’ve come to grips that if you plan to succeed in your online business, you cannot let your online marketing sit idle. Investment into your online strategy is a necessity as the digital marketing landscape has evolved over time; Search, Email, Social Media have all drastically evolved the last couple years.

Searches evolution provides a significant source for lead generation and new sales for businesses on the web. And this evolution didn’t stop simply with organic / natural search rankings.

Google Local, launched in 2004, is one of the latest advancements by Google to undergo an evolution and compliment the various channels within Search that a visitor will use to find your business on the web. Its finally recognized in the arsenal of tactics with Search strategist to leverage in natural / organic search to accomplish top search rankings, and increased Search market share. One will hedge their bets a major shift in Google Local we’ll soon see is the evolution of Google Maps and Google Maps Street View. (more…)

You read right. Adding to the arsenal of website and business intelligence tools such as Google Analytics, Google launches in October the new beta analytics view of Google Local Business Center.

Operators and owners of websites who have already created a Google Local Listing, can now view the performance of their Google Local listing directly within the Google Local Business Center.

What are Google Local Listings? The Local listings by Google is a it’s a combination of Googles popular Google Maps and Google Local Business Listings, organic search results, and complimented with optional sponsored Search results from Google’s Adwords program (paid search marketing). (more…)

We all have on the top of our wish list a magic button we can use to retrieve an email we sent prematurely. Believe it or not, its now possible, and if you’re reading this, I may have just saved your job. Thank you Google!
You received an email from your boss, friend or friend and quickly responded out of passion and click send, then shortly after realized your should have given yourself a grace period before sending. Within minutes, you get a reply demanding that you explain your response. Sound familiar? More and more this happens where people don’t take the time to wait to collect their thoughts before sending…or perhaps drafted the email but accidentally hit the send button.

Google has finally launched a ‘band-aid’ solution to this. Launched in beta back in March 2009, Google’s gmail launched a new feature to allow its users to defer the send of emails. Enabling this will give you the time you should need to retract the email you fired off.

We live in a fast paced world where email was supposed to cut down our work load and time. Conversely, the email technology has tripled our work load and time and now fully consumes us in the office, at home and on the go through our cell phones, black berries and iPhones. With the abundance of email we receive and respond to every day, and our demands to respond immediately, there has never been a need more than now for a tool such as this.

Even on the legal front, a tool to undo your email send can be a lifesaver. For example, an office worker who works for Patrick Fitzgerald, a U.S. Attorney in Chicago, sent an e-mail to the media that contained the names of 24 confidential witnesses involved in a federal probe. (more…)

IMHO one of the more exciting areas of Internet marketing is an area that is often neglected and rarely talked about within most small to medium sized companies. Much emphasis and water cooler talk in Internet marketing is often focussed on Search, Social Media and how to involve Facebook into the marketing strategy. All are good and great channels and mediums for the lead generation, acquisition, branding, market intelligence and immediate distribution of marketing messaging. So while these are all great for investing marketing budgets, why is it the 80/20 rule (80% of your business/revenue comes from 20% of customers) so often overlooked and neglected? For marketers its not as sexy as the latter as their campaign strategies are focussed primarily on acquisition marketing channels for new customers, and lack of accountability for showing revenue, profits, and sustainability from existing customers.

So how does this relate to online marketing? Whether 80/20 rule strategies are sought to increase revenue from the 20% of customers through up-sell, cross-sell or direct sell tactics, the 80/20 rule impacts all web marketing channels - including Search, and especially Email. (more…)