content Archives | waveSpawn Marketing

April 17, 2014

Google now discounts all reciprocal links

For a long time, reciprocal links have remained at the forefront of most inbound linking strategies. This is going to have to change. Google now discounts all reciprocal links. The algorithm has been altered to identify the exchange of links by two parties for the purpose of increasing their number of inbound links.

The concept of reciprocal linking defies Google’s original intention with the algorithm. Quality content should attract links. The exchange of links is nothing more than a mutual agreement to unjustifiably promote others’ content with the end goal of promoting your own. Google doesn’t particularly like this (see Link Schemes).

Some even claim that Google is now able to identify three-way linking schemes (i.e. website A links to website B, who links to website C, who links back to A). Whether this is true or not is hard to say. One thing is for certain though: inbound linking strategies should NOT be centered around reciprocal linking. This manufactured form of link creation is not well-received and is ultimately a waste of time. Instead, focus on creating unique, high-quality content in a given niche. The links will ensue.

April 17, 2014

Incorporation of Company Branding and SEO

SEO is not an exact science. This becomes apparent when trying to incorporate both SEO and branding into a strategy. This process is finicky to say the least. On the one side, SEO deals with the placement of keywords and phrases. On the other side, branding deals with company loyalty and culture. Incorporating both sides dilutes the prominence of both. But eliminating one or the other may not meet all strategic and marketing goals.

Once again, it should be emphasized that SEO is a series of guidelines rather than an exact science. Having said that, the following recommendation can be used to satisfy both sides of the equation. In general, keywords and phrases (i.e. SEO) should remain the focus of any early-stage company, while the incorporation of company branding should appear later in the evolution. This is simply a general statement and should not be taken word for word.

The reasoning is pretty straightforward. At first, no-one knows the name of your company, but perhaps they are searching for your products or services. In other words, you want to target keywords and phrases that focus around your offering rather than your company. As you build loyalty and credibility, branding becomes more important. It’s at this point that you may want to incorporate corporate messaging to strengthen the relationship with customers and instill trust in your brand.

One final thought about branding: if a searcher types in the name of your company, they are likely to find your website anyways. This is due mostly to anchor text and back-links. Therefore, optimizing for the company name is rather insignificant in most cases. Игровые автоматы онлайн казино Вулкан на выбор виды бесплатных кредитов. Для игры в онлайн казино Вулкан на интерес каждому предоставлены на выбор виды бесплатных кредитов. Для игры в онлайн казино Вулкан на интерес каждому предоставлены на выбор виды бесплатных кредитов. Для азартных же игроков, ценящих. igrat-avtomaty-vulkan Игровые автоматы онлайн казино Вулкан на выбор виды бесплатных кредитов. Для азартных же игроков, ценящих неподдельные чувства, для тех, кто может себе это позволить, подобраны залы с наивысшими показателями всех важных параметров достойного азартного клуба. Игровые автоматы онлайн может себе это позволить, подобраны залы с наивысшими показателями всех важных.

April 17, 2014

Strategic Use of Images in Search Engine Optimization

When assessing page structure and layout, there is a subtle, yet strategic way to use images in an SEO-friendly manner (beyond ALT tags) that improves your search rank while allowing you to integrate the necessary marketing message(s). Confused? Let’s look at an example:

Suppose you operate a travel site and you want to optimize a given page for the term “Las Vegas hotel”. Suppose that you also want to include an enticing marketing message such as “Book now and save 20%!”. The aforementioned tagline lacks descriptive text, but possesses persuasive characteristics. That being said, you may want to place the tagline in an image and the key phrase (i.e. Las Vegas hotel) in a header tag. This places emphasis on the desired term, yet still provides a marketing opportunity without compromising keyword consistency.

In other words, images are a great place to insert marketing messages that lack the necessary keywords and phrases. Leveraging this technique will ensure that descriptive text is indexed, while less marketing jargon is overlooked. The combination of keyword-rich content and enticing messaging will satisfy both sides of the strategic equation. perfect payday loans

January 15, 2010

Making a viral video

Everyone has the same idea… let’s make a viral commercial and get millions of views and free advertising. Well, the reality is, it’s not that simple. Nobody wants to watch a commercial simply promoting a product or service.

I’ve done plenty of research on this topic. The most viewed or viral videos are simply the ones that make us laugh, amazed, or inspired. Think spontaneity or the unexpected. All natural videos of babies laughing, animals doing something incredible, and people falling. Those are the videos that capture our attention… the ones that evoke emotion – and that we remember. Furthermore, they motivate us to pass the video on to our friends and colleagues. Whether it’s a laugh or a feeling of disbelief, we want to share that emotion with others.

With that said, making a viral video takes a lot of imagination and perhaps some special effects to create an illusion. People may watch repeatedly just to determine if the video is real or not. Think content and story… not message. That’s the major difference between traditional commercial advertising and a viral video.