April 2006
Getting Ranked 2 of 5
Written by Neil Patel on April 30, 2006 |
One of the main things search engines look at when ranking websites is Code. Think of your websites code like you would think of decor when selling your house. You might have a great house, but if the decor is missing or bad then your entire house will be underrepresented and difficult to sell. Search engines are your buyer when you are trying to get ranking and they take a close look at things like URL strings, navigation, accessibility, headings and meta tags.
Getting Ranked 1 of 5
Written by Neil Patel on April 27, 2006 |
Using a search engine is not exactly complicated, and that's the point. However, what search engines do to produce those results is a different story. There is a lot that goes into how search engines work but it all comes down to a few basic things.
AT&T - Reach out and touch EVERYONE
Written by Neil Patel on April 26, 2006 |
Most of the billboards we see carry a message that we can all understand. "Real California Cheese" is pretty self explanatory and there aren't too many people out there who don't know what Cheese is. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this sign as I was driving on the 880 Freeway by the Oakland Coliseum
Marketing 2.0 Innovators
Written by Neil Patel on April 25, 2006 | 4 comments
The new Web 2.0 websites offer a ton of opportunity to get outside of the box with your marketing tactics. Standard banner ads, links, and any other "typical" methods are no longer your only choice. In fact, they are far more expensive and far less creative than some of the things you can do these days. By combining both the old and the new, companies are able to do some pretty neat things.
World Domination Tips
Written by Neil Patel on April 24, 2006 |
So, you want to go global with your website eh? Not so fast, if you have ever traveled to another country you will appreciate just how different things can be despite the fact that we are all made of the same stuff. These differences are critical to a successful international launch and without truly understanding your market you could be making some big mistakes.
Google's Hidden Talent
Written by Neil Patel on April 23, 2006 | 1 comment
We've all surprised our friends with some random talent we have at some point. I guess I never realized that companies can do the same thing. Yesterday I was browsing through Google and found some "Specialty Search Engines" that they have released. They have U.S. Government, Linux, BSD, Apple Macintosh, and Microsoft search engines available.
MSN's new home page
Written by Neil Patel on April 22, 2006 | 9 comments
There has been a lot of talk lately about realigning high traffic homepages. MSN is currently testing a modified homepage design. There are some major differences then just a new look. The new homepage makes better use of screen space, primarily by changing the placement of several sections.
Marketing 2.0: An Introduction
Written by Neil Patel on April 22, 2006 | 2 comments
The printing press did for communication what the Internet is doing for marketing. Both changed the medium of mass communication and both revolutionized the way things get done. We are starting to see a new trend these days with all of the Web 2.0 applications out there. The Internet has reached critical mass allowing social networking sites to catalyze the evolution of marketing on the web and we are beginning to see a merging of the "old" and the "new" ways. As a result, we...Schizophrenic Domains
Written by Neil Patel on April 20, 2006 |
Would you ever consider listing your business in the phone book under a different name? Unless you don't want business, you probably wouldn't. The same exact principle should apply to your domain, but be prepared to fight dirty. Nissan (Cars) is currently suing Nissan.com (computers) over the domain. They are obviously upset about the fact that a ton of Nissan.com visitors are probably there to buy a car instead of a computer. In fact, with such a strong brand most people probably don't search for...Would you like a tie with that motherboard?
Written by Neil Patel on April 18, 2006 |
If you have ever been to the Men's warehouse to buy a suit then you'll probably understand the concept of perceptual contrast and how they use it to get you to buy more stuff. The idea here is that they first sell you a suit then they sell you that generic black jacket, socks, ties, and maybe some shirts. All of these are far cheaper than the suit and seem relatively inexpensive after making the decision to buy a suit. You never new what hit...Text Link Grey Area
Written by Neil Patel on April 16, 2006 | 3 comments
When the going gets tough, the tough are supposed to get going right? Well, it seems that when it comes to ranking some companies aren't getting tougher, just a bit sneakier. I'll admit that it is more difficult to get ranking these days and more creative tactics should be used, but the difference between creative and borderline cheating should be examined more closely. The web hosting industry seems to have some of the most "interesting" tactics. A lot of free web hosting services put text...Why Digg gets Dug
Written by Neil Patel on April 14, 2006 | 2 comments
Face it, closing your eyes and wishing for ranking isn't going to work. There are a lot of Web 2.0 companies out there banking on search engine popularity, but to get this takes a lot more than a good product, service, or website design. Some companies are successful because they have taken the time to build a website that will get them in the door with search engines in a big way. Digg.com is one of these sites and probably one of the most successful social networking sites out there. So what is it that makes gets digg.com dug by search engines? Here are a few things that digg.com does which make it so popular with the search engines.
Catchup - 4/14/06
Written by Neil Patel on April 14, 2006 |
Social search heats up: Microsoft and Eurekster in talks Eurekster is a community search engine. Microsoft is currently in the talks with Eurekster to either partner up or buy them out. Cuban sells blog search engine IceRocket, a blog search engine owned by Mark Cuban, sells out to Think Partnership Inc. Firefox Flicks A funny video clip of a Firefox ad. Firefox is holding a contest where people create 30-second ads that aim to bring Firefox to life for the millions of web users...Boot Camp Marketing
Written by Neil Patel on April 13, 2006 |
I'll be the first to admit that business as usual is a horrific bore. Normal marketing has become so blah that whenever anybody steps outside of that and has a little fun, the crowd responds. Apple is a perfect example of a company that had a little fun out there and took advantage of creativity and innovation to get people off their chairs and make some noise. In case you haven't heard yet, Apple released software that allows their computers to load Windows XP. This caught a lot of people by surprise (although there were rumors) and instantly resulted in a rampage of buzz and excitement.
Showing off and getting traffic
Written by Neil Patel on April 12, 2006 |
Website design seems to be the odd man out when it comes to increasing traffic. Everybody is so concerned with search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, banner ads, and email marketing that they fail to realize that a great design can also increase traffic. Those tactics are certainly some of the primary ways to increase traffic, but don't discount the fact that a good design can still get you traffic. First of all, a great website design will get your site on design galleries that showcase...Staying warm with your Buzz
Written by Neil Patel on April 10, 2006 | 1 comment
Buzz is like a campfire. Weak products will cause your fire to flare up and die quickly, whereas good products will burn for awhile. Also, if you don't know how to build or take care of it you'll just end up with a pile of black sticks. Here are some tips for staying warm with your buzz.
