With every “evolution” that comes about in the world of online marketing there are a new “breed” of online marketing “experts” (Uhh hhmm) that emerge and proclaim themselves the keepers of the secret keys to your online success.

Yeah, whatever!

Yes there are changes that occur from time to time in the way the search engines manage their search results. There always will be. There always have been.

And yes you have to learn about those changes and adapt and innovate. But one has to do this on a regular basis in business anyway just to stay in business.

I have observed that when changes occur and a new idea is presented, in the online marketing space particularly, one of the most powerful rules of marketing is simply tossed aside and ignored. That rule is “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it!” Or stated another way, “If it is working don’t change it !”

I see people in business throw away all their common sense when they get into “online marketing”. They stop all the best practices and start buying all kinds of tools and software and gimmicks and “Secret Internet how to guides” and hire “teenagers” and “students” to handle their marketing.

They would never even consider those actions in the offline portion of their business.

Yet they take these strange and unprecedented actions on an aspect of their business that could easily become far more important in terms of driving in business that their offline efforts.

Look the bottom line is that the standard best practices of SEO and PPC work. In fact the principles of SEO apply even more today with all the changes that have taken place over the last couple of years than they did before.
There are new things you can do now, but they do not change what has worked well the last 3 or 4 years.

McIntosh Marketing are experts as online marketing. I hate to call anyone an expert. I cringe at the thought. But this group is expert at this.

You need to have a real experienced professional marketing organization manage your online marketing efforts. Your business is important! You need to treat it with the importance it has .
Good Luck !

Categories and Tags: SEO Best Practices For Sorting Your WordPress …

Above all else, if you want the best possible SEO results from the content you crank out, prioritize an organizational system and then give your readers a simple way to find what they’re looking for. Spiders will find it useful and your …

Publish Date: 11/12/2010 7:00

http://wpmu.org/categories-and-tags-seo-best-practices-for-sorting-your-wordpress-content/

Coding a Design: SEO Best Practices and Mistakes to Avoid | Web …

For any online business, website has become the foremost important asset. It is really indispensable that it should be designed and developed in a way that it, Daily Resource for Web Designers and Developers.

Publish Date: 10/05/2010 4:40

http://www.instantshift.com/2010/10/05/coding-a-design-seo-best-practices-and-mistakes-to-avoid/

SEO 101 : Back to Basics

Whether you are a webmaster or an internet marketer, implementing the basics of SEO best practices into your overall SEO strategy will go a long way into achieving the results that you desire. This article is courtesy of Tim Smithson, …

Publish Date: 11/12/2010 1:04

http://savedelete.com/seo-101-back-to-basics.html

Photoshop Tricks : Editing Web Templates for Websites

www.photoshop-tricks.com has Templates that you can Purchase & Download – This Video show you how to Use Photoshop Website Templates – How to get around Templates to edit and change things. You can Replace Layers to Customize just about any template….

SEO Best Practices For Internet Marketers

www.podcastinterviews.com Ed Dale shares with David Jenyns some of his SEO best practices. He first mentionns that the more marketers give, the more likely people will sign up for a product. He goes into the specifics by pointing out the advisability…

Article by Carlos Gamez

Image by Kevin Zenghli

I will give you a big hint as to what many of the most successful small businesses are doing right now to be successful and that is online marketing!

Your customers are online and searching before they pick up the phone or jump into their vehicles to go shopping.

According to searchenginewatch.com the average small business in the US spent $2327.00 on search advertising in the 3rd quarter of 2010.They claim that is an increase of 43 percent over the 3rd quarter of 2009.

Is there any wonder some businesses are getting new customers and others aren’t?

If you aren’t even involved in Search Advertising you are already losing a ton of business to your competitors.

And this report isn’t for small businesses that have any higher margins than others. Many of the businesses surveyed were typical small businesses such as automotive, roofing, and air conditioning companies.

The mantra for a small business has always been Location, Location, Location. And today that location is on the first page of the 3 major search engines,Google, Bing and Yahoo.

If your business is not there consider yourself if not doomed to at least on your way to oblivion in your niche.

You can’t compete.

Online Marketing Tips

Growth strategies facilitate the growth from the organization. Marketing warfare strategies are conjunction of marketing strategies and military strategies. A online marketing strategy or a mixture of them is chosen only after thorough …

Publish Date: 11/04/2010 16:29

http://www.articlebliss.com/Art/519060/53/Online-Marketing-Tips.html

Internet Marketing Solution-Give solution to the growth of your …

Internet Marketing Solution-Give solution to the growth of your business. If you want your internet marketing softwareservice to reach to large people then you should have good online internet marketing solution strategy which can help …

Publish Date: 11/03/2010 2:52

http://www.fashioninus.com/internet-marketing-solution-give-solution-to-the-growth-of-your-business.html

Demand for online marketing services increasing, survey finds …

Commenting on the results for Search Engine Land, Matt McGee noted while pay per click and email marketing has seen the least growth, there were few indications of a decrease in popularity. The timing of the report coincides with a …

Publish Date: 11/03/2010 7:42

http://www.clickthrough-marketing.com/demand-for-online-marketing-services-increasing-survey-finds-800214125/

By luckytom72 at 11/02/2010 13:39

By 4OnlineBusiness at 11/02/2010 3:37

Online Marketing is Growing Fast.mp4

Interactive spend will near 55 billion dollars by 2014, according to Forresters five year forecast. Watch this clip to hear from Vice President of Forrester Research Shar VanBoskirk, as she explains the projected growth and future trends of online ma…

Article by Carlos Gamez

Image by boboroshi

Place Search dramatically changes the content and layout of the result page. First, there is map that is located on the right side column, right above Adwords ads, which can scroll underneath. In addition, the businesses listed on the map now show up as prime results on the body of the page – here is an example

What this means for you? Well, if you are local business listed on Google map, you are in luck. However, if you are a national company that used to be well ranked, you might end up losing a bunch of page one rankings for keywords that Google might assume are local and, as a result, lose a significant amount of traffic.

This change might totally redefine SEO, forcing businesses to incorporate local search in their strategy to be able to survive. For now, let’s wait and see if this will be permanent or not …

Bing has finally figured out a way to pull some traffic for themselves, right under Google’s nose.

With several reports going out confirming the advancement in the relationship between FaceBook and Microsoft’s Bing we can now see their goal to make web searching more social.  This is very interesting as it will give us the opportunity to get advice and opinions from friends and family prior to purchasing a product or service online.  So right off the bat you can see the pros and cons about that ability, depending on your family and friends.

According to Computerworld as of last month in September Google was still standing strong as Yahoo and Bing both took a hit.  So I am sure that Bing is hoping that this upgrade with FaceBook will start to change those statistics.  Suprising as this would be, people seem more surprised by FaceBook turning to an underdog like Bing rather then go for a monopoly with Google.  Google is using this news as a way to push positive PR about pushing the “Google Gods” to strive for even better service for their users.  When Yahoo and Bing merged back in August it didn’t raise a concern simply because, well Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at Yankee Group Research said,

Let’s face it, Bing has been a big disappointment, but this could act as a differentiator, people prefer Google to Microsoft, but they prefer Facebook to Google. If the partnership makes Facebooking better, then it could pull users away from Google.

So, with reputable companies like TechCrunch quoting that Google Me is being “modeled” after FaceBook” it leads me to wonder, is Google Me still be a huge rumor OR could it be the next best thing since FaceBook?

But limited as I am, even I can see where the future lies. Managing your life from your mobile device is the way of the future and the future is NOW! You can do everything from managing your finances on line with apps like Mobile Banking and others. You can pay your bills right on your Smartphone with apps like My Verizon Mobile.

There are apps for playing guitar, buying movie tickets, playing crossword puzzles, listening to custom radio channels and the list goes on and on.

For your business there is a goldmine of opportunity in the world of Smartphone apps.

Let us take a couple of  ideas from the top of my graying head here:

How about an app that let’s customers order their lunch from your Restaurant right from their phone.

How about an app for Dental practices that lets patients set appointments directly from their phones?

I have a great idea for an app for a flower delivery service that lets the customer (guys mostly) setup pre-scheduled flower purchases and deliveries. Yes guys you never have to miss another birthday or anniversary again!

Mr. Optometrist How about an app that reminds your patients that it’s time for a new eye exam!

Look the world of apps is the world of customer service. How simple and easy can you make it for your clients or customers or patients to access your product or service?

How many obstacles can you remove from the path your new customer must follow to find you?

There are as many apps possible as there are customer service ideas or sales funnels or delivery solutions etc.etc.

Have brainstorming session with your fellow executives,your staff,your customers and then find an app developer to build you the app that makes your business the go to biz!

McIntosh Marketing is one of those App creating businesses !

Windows Phone 7: Applications & Tools | Laura Foy | Channel 9

Windows Phone 7 Program Manager, Sean Mckenna, swung by the Channel 9 studio to give us a demo of some Windows Phone 7 applications. The idea is that these are some core applications, for which the source code will be made available …

Publish Date: 08/04/2010 10:56

http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LauraFoy/Windows-Phone-7-Apps–Tools

Seen the Windows Phone 7 apps preview? – MSDN – Site Home – MSDN Blogs

The Microsoft UK MSDN Blog is your one-stop-shop for Microsoft developer tools, news, downloads, trials, tips and tricks.

Publish Date: 09/21/2010 4:29

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukmsdn/archive/2010/09/21/seen-the-windows-phone-7-apps-preview.aspx

Netflix, anyone? image – A look at some Windows Phone 7 apps …

View Netflix, anyone? image in CNET News’ ‘A look at some Windows Phone 7 apps (images)’ slideshow – CNET News.

Publish Date: 09/16/2010 10:12

http://news.cnet.com/2300-10805_3-10004870.html

By Alltop_branding at 09/22/2010 14:32

By megpro at 09/22/2010 14:13

Best Free iPhone Apps List

freeappreport.com Here’s my top 10 favorite free iPhone apps. iTunes Links Fox Sports – bit.ly USA Today – bit.ly Google Earth – bit.ly iDisk – bit.ly Facebook – bit.ly Skype – bit.ly UrbanSpoon – bit.ly Shazam – bit.ly Pandora – bit.ly The Weather C…

*** 7 Crazy, Funny and Must-Have iPhone Apps ***

Your iphone, blackberry or android is more than just a tool. It’s also a great place to play games, prank friends, and just generally have fun. These 7 great phone apps will have you laughing and poking for hours! Fortune Cookie for the Android You s…

Article by: Carlos Gamez

carlos@mcintoshmarketing.com

Image by: Doug Belshaw

Can Bing really give Google a run for it’s money?

I don’t know if Bing has enough force behind it to actually challenge Google’s supremacy but it is certain that the Bing Yahoo alliance is a force to reckon with, a force that has become very important at least to those involved in marketing their businesses online.

A couple of new features to be released dealing with analytics and conversion tracking make Bing, more accurately Microsoft Adcenter, a much more valuable service.

The new features will allow one to gather information related to age, geographic location and gender while providing better data o conversion rates, ROI regarding visitors,and even the various behavior patterns exhibited by visitors to ones website.

With enhanced tools for marketers and increasing search volume, Bing/ yahoo, is surely becoming a very important part of business and will only continue to grow in value for today’s marketers.

One week into the Bing Yahoo search allianceKingpin SEO Webmaster …

The combined search force of Yahoo and Bing equal around half of the advertising potential of Google. (Two of the tyres) The recent climb in market share since the Bing Yahoo alliance seems to have prompted many advertisers to take a …

Publish Date: 09/07/2010 13:36

http://www.kingpin-seo.co.uk/webmaster-magazine/one-week-into-the-bing-yahoo-search-alliance/01448

Yahoo : Bing : Search Alliance : Traffic Report : Search Engine …

What effect does the Yahoo! – bing marriage have on traffic? I ran the traffic stats from Google analytics for the…

Publish Date: 09/14/2010 10:12

http://www.searchengineoptimizationportland.com/blog/2010/09/yahoo-bing-traffic-report/

By azInternet at 09/16/2010 15:29

Yahoo! & Microsoft Search Alliance – Advertise on Yahoo! Search, Bing & adCenter

Explains how Yahoo! & Microsoft are working towards an easier way to advertise on Yahoo! Search & Bing through Microsoft adCenter.

Article by Carlos Gzmez

carlos@mcintoshmarketing.com

Image by: Andy Rob

Now that search results show up as you are typing, it’s going to become progressively more rare that a searcher will search an entire phrase such as “credit card application for people with bad credit”, as once they hit “credit card app” they’ll most likely find all they need from national brands, advertisers and well-ranking, dominating sites.

Now lets look at how this affects a local small business.  I’ll use an example of a car repair shop. Say someone is looking to have some work done on their car in your local area. In an old google search, they would likely search something like “car repair {city}” and hit enter.  This gives you a good chance of ranking for this longer tail phrase, and attract local clients.  Your chances of ranking for just “car repair” are slim to none. Now, as someone starts to search for a car repair shop in their area, they’ll probably get as far as “car rep” before search results start showing up (the sites who rank for “car repair”). Well, good luck competing with Aamco or Pep Boys or any of the other national shops.

Here’s a great quote from an article over on Fast Company:

For example, if you’re Priceline, you’d be pretty miffed at not being able to compete on an even keel with Travelocity for the word “Travel,” which actually is a pretty big word. Words like “Cheap Airfare” or “Cheap tickets” are all very big volume generators for travel. Or let’s say I’m ABCBooks.com. The minute I’m competing with Amazon, I’m done for. By the time you type A, you’ll probably click on Amazon. Not everybody is going to click on Amazon, but there will be leakage–ABC customers will go to Amazon.

Also, don’t forget about ad impressions and clicks (the topic of the above article). With the new instant search, and attendant ads as you type, your impressions numbers are going to skyrocket.  Imagine again if you are promoting a car repair shop and someone stops partway through typing for a “car…pet cleaner”. You just got an impression for your car repair ad from someone looking for carpet cleaner. Your CTR goes down, your ad and account get lower quality scores, you pay more.

OMG, What?

Since I am the dedicated Android user and seem to love all of Google’s Android platforms, this news is such a tease.  Even though Hugo Barra, Google’s Mobile Products Director, is saying that the Froyo 2.2 Tablet is not really formatted for a tablet due to lack of hardware, I have a feeling this is the slip of yet another fast advancing surprise from Google.  Now I know that tablets are not currently built with GPS devices or cameras but it makes perfect since that they see the tablet as the next big trend.  With the iPad taking a much larger hold then anyone expected and then everyone jumping in on the fun, of course Android’s got to get in on this action too.

In order for the Android to have any competitive edge with this new Tablet craze, they have to start at the bottom just like everyone else.  They have to insure that their technology works perfectly with the third party software their new tablet will need to be able to have access to.  With other people from Google, like their open source and compatibility program manager Dan Morill, stating the pros and cons about why Android’s Froyo 2.2 will and will not be a successful tablet it just makes me really curious.

Does this mean a surprise Android “Froyo” 3.0 Google update anywhere in the near future?

Unless you’re at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco right this INSTANT, you have to find these things out by those who ARE there. I’m following Mashable which is always one of the top 3-5 places to get social media news anyway. And just so you know, that Mashable link up there will show you everything that occurred/is occurring at the launch of Google Instant Search today…in case you’re interested.

The whole idea is to speed up your searching and browsing on the internet. And it DOES. You don’t even have to hit ENTER or anything. The whole page changes as you type to give you your search results even before you have time to LOOK at them. It’s kind of surreal actually.

What does this mean for your internet business? Well, people can find you faster, you can find people faster. Pretty much everything that could occur on the internets can now occur faster. At least in theory based on the math.

Thank you Mashable for such thorough notes, and such instant data, it’s almost as if I were there hearing and seeing the launch myself.

What does this mean for you and your business? Honestly, not very much right now. Google still has over 80% of the market share for all searches done on the internet. Combining Yahoo and Bing gives Microsoft about a 13% share. It is great news that there is increasing competition by Microsoft, and while the numbers are still low, Microsoft is moving up while Google is moving down.  I expect that within a few years, Microsoft may be able to wrestle about 25% of the market, and that WILL be quite significant.

It is important to start focusing some of your efforts towards learning about Bing and how their algorithm is different from Google’s.  One key factor in Bing’s ranking is the domain itself.  Having your primary keywords in your url is huge for ranking on Bing. On that same note, using keywords in your page names is also important, as well as you Title tags and of course the actual body of your website. If you think of Bing as Google from about 5 years ago, you’ll be on the right track.  I expect as Bing grows, so will it’s ranking system and a lot of those old “tricks” will fade away as they did with Google, but for now you should be using them to your fullest advantage.

One last thing to note: Search engine basics, like keyword selection, proper link building, and providing useful content will always work across any search engine. The most important thing you can focus on when it comes to your website is providing what the end user will need. As search engines get smarter, they learn to understand more and more and the better your site is for the user, the better it will be for a search engine. Just make sure that you build your site to be search engine friendly. Keep the code as clean as possible, use your keywords in the right places (like title tags, titles of pages or posts, etc.) and keep it as simple as you can.