If you are planning to start a business, you need to know that although the internet may potentially generate sales for you, it doesn’t mean that you will be able to achieve success immediately. As with any business, you still need to work on marketing. If you want to become successful, you need to market it on the web.
Especially with a new business, you may build it – but they may not come. That’s how it works – online and offline. Read the rest of this entry »
“Real-time searches”? A real-time search engine will help you see what people are talking about “right now” on sites like Twitter. If you want to make sure your site pops on these searches, you’ve got to “get in the now,” so to speak. Doing so is going to make your website a lot more popular and get you a lot more traffic — which in turn makes you more visible and will bring in more customers, too.
Keywords count Read the rest of this entry »
Who says social media is just social? More and more businesses and corporations are using social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and others as a viable means of promoting their interests. Read the rest of this entry »
If you send out email, you may be aware of the power of your email signature. A lot of business owners, (even if it’s just a side-job) use their email signature (a feature in most email applications) to show their contact information, which can save them the effort of having to type it manually into every single email. Read the rest of this entry »
It figures. The ONE time I miss a PodCamp – local TV stations decide it’s worth covering! 
Although the news coverage missed the main point (The HUGE MARKETING MUSCLE of repurposed Web Content in the form of a Podcast), at least they’re paying attention now. Which means you should be.
Of course, if you’re one of our Web Promotion clients, you already know that we love to use video and repurpose it into podcasts and textual content for marketing purposes.
If you’re not yet a client – you’re falling behind. Give us a call and we’ll get you back on track.
Yes, that’s right!
After about 18 months of “kinda” working on OUR seo instead of yours – We’ve been tweaking my site and doing a little remodeling, (an ongoing venture) and can now boast the #1 Ranking in Google for Murfreesboro Web Design! (for now anyway)
Happy New Year to me!
If you’d like to rank better for profitable keywords for YOUR business, just drop us a note or call 615-278-6324.
There has recently been some buzz about what Google has in store next year. According to Bruce Clay, a well known search analyst, very soon you will see that “ranking is dead”. Ranking is the position a website holds on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when you type in a search request in Google, or other search engines. Those web pages with higher rank typically get visited more – so ranking is pretty important to those who depend on web traffic for their business’ livelihood.
According to Mr. Clay and other industry insiders, search engines are going to personalize your search results. This could be based on your past search history, your geographic location and perhaps even clues to your initial intent. For instance, if you are a computer programmer and search for “java” you will get different search results than another person in the same room who is a coffee importer. This is the first of many changes we may see early in 2009.
Third party tracking cookies and Google’s ability to research IP addresses are all key factors in what is to come. From your IP address, Google can (and in test markets, already does) return relevant search results that are close to home. For example, say, you live in Dallas Texas, and you search for a Toyota for sale, you will likely see dealerships in and around the Dallas area coming up first on your search page. This has the potential to be very helpful to business and searchers alike.
Another big change coming down the pike will be in the way of Universal Search. The “robots” used to crawl the web are going to become more complex. The variables in this new complex algorithm will tell them how interesting your site is. In other words, do you have video on your site? The ones that do are going to soar in rankings and those who do not… well; the only way left is down.
Web Surfers: Some Benefits/Drawbacks of Personalized Search
For the internet surfer you should see a lot less spam and irrelevant search results. That is good news, no more having to rummage through page after page of useless search results to find the information you want.
The drawback may be that it will be harder to get information outside of your “historical” search. Like the above example, what will the computer programmer do if he really wants to search for java, as in coffee?
There are also the few people left who still do not have access to high-speed internet connections. If the main results are going to be video-intensive, that could pose serious problems for those with dial-up’s infamously slow load times.
Business Owners: Changes will require you to integrate media and fresh content into your web sites.
The good news for local businesses is they will no longer have to compete for search results on a global level. It will be nice for the small business owner who is selling handmade baskets in Montana because he or she will not have to compete with someone in India!
The downside is everyone will have to get on board with video optimization in addition to SEO. This could prove challenging but not impossible. Video marketing is already becoming more common place on the web. The best advice from professionals is to create great relevant content, integrate video and other “sticky” content, and the customers will come.
Overall, it appears that Google is trying to improve web surfing for everyone, the surfer, and the merchant. When it all comes together and spammers have a harder time high skewing our results, we all win.
About the Author:
Ken Ivey, aka “the Web Czar”, is a veteran technology addict, consultant, author, and President of MidTN Technology, a marketing and web design firm.
One of my favorite non-digital magazines is The Rotarian. (Yes, I occasionally read PAPER periodicals). An article in this month’s issue immediately caught my eye – it’s title… “to blog or not to blog?” I think we all know the answer to that one! OF COURSE you want to blog! One of the interviewed said “Business owners blog to demonstrate their expertise, project an image, show that they’re current, build credibility, and generate a sense of community”. All of those things are great, but some added benefits are:
Blogging is very popular right now. And having a business weblog that provides good information while being timely and fun can add a new dimension to your Web site.
So how could you start using a blog for your business?
Blogs are an excellent method to share a company’s expertise, build additional web traffic, and connect with potential customers. We’ve only scratched the surface on the benefits of business blogging. We’ll certainly be revisiting this topic – going deeper into the mechanics, strategies, and idiosyncrasies.
In the meantime, if you’d like more information about business blogging, just call 615.278.webi (9324)
When you think of effective marketing, I’m betting the United States Postal Service doesn’t come to mind. For most, the USPS is just one of those things you take for granted. And with today’s many shipping options – and providers, they are making sure you think of them first.
USPS – online marketingSomeone at the top gets it. They have begun promoting new websites, targeting key marketing messages, the latest of which is www.rethinkyourshipping.com. This is a wise move on many levels, and they’ll gain a certain amount of web traffic from the SEO value of the domain name – but I think that more importantly, they put a little distance between them and the image of “snail mail”. The website touts many advantages, including online savings which will be very attractive to online merchants and eBay shippers.
Acquiring an additional keyword or themed domain name can only add value to your online marketing. Let’s face it. Everyone knows who the USPS is, and what they do. They didn’t really need another domain name for branding / name recognition. Likewise, if you don’t have an established relationship with your clients, or if you’re trying to add new clients – you may wish to add a few domains that establish the benefits of working with your firm, or one that incorporates popular search terms.
Once you’ve selected a domain, you’ll want to populate it with a mini-site that relates to your message, and link to your main website, adding value in the “eyes” of the search engines. You can also use the mini-site to collect visitor information, or sign them up for a newsletter or free report.
Ken Ivey is a veteran technology addict, consultant, author, and President of MidTN Technology, a marketing and web design firm. For more information about effective domain names or online marketing, call 615-278-9324 or visit www.midtntechnology.com
Hello World. 
Okay, if you’re a techno programmer geek, you get it. If not, Hello World is usually the first piece of software code you write as a beginner. I thought it fit, as this is my first blog post. Well, here anyway. The title of this post might seem a little cryptic, so please let me explain. I’m really accomplishing two things:
Does that make me bad? I don’t think so. As long as YOU benefit from visiting this site, all will be right with the world so let’s get started.
I’ve been fascinated by computers and the internet since the mid 1980’s, when personal computers were making their debut. Can you remember when the top of the line PC was a 286 Turbo, priced around $3500? That was just before Al Gore invented the internet. J At that time, the internet was not much more than an electronic bulletin board, with message turnaround time of about 24 – 48 hours, and a graphical interface like Prodigy was making waves.
At the time, I worked for Laser Computer, Inc., a computer manufacturer and subsidiary of Vtech (you probably recognize the name on your cordless phone, or kids Vflash. Since then, computers and programming have been my passion.
If you’d like to learn more about me and what I’m doing in Murfreesboro, visit the about page. But come back here for the good stuff.
We’ll be talking a lot about Web Design and Social Media, as that’s what we’re all about, but just so you know where we’re going, let’s clarify a few things. Some people call it Web 2.0, some call it social networking , and some call it New Media. But what is it? It’s communication. It’s marketing. It’s experiencing the internet in a more personal way. It’s developing a relationship with your website viewer. It’s a transfer of power from them to you, and more.
We’ll be discussing these issues and more, all in the hopes of helping you boost sales, increase customer retention, and incorporate this exciting new media into your business marketing in a way that is easy, effective, and profitable. Oh, and we hope you’ll let us help you with that. 
