South Florida Web Marketing Blog

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The title is important!

In the eyes of the search engines – having the same title on all your web pages is like having One web page for your whole web site. The title is a short description of that web page. It provides a short phrase telling the search engine bots what the focus of the page is. This information is part of the process to index the content of your website in to the vast search engine database of information. It’s like getting listed in the yellow pages under one listing when you could be listen in 10 areas!

Having all the pages with the same title does not help your marketing.

How does this happen?

It is actually normal for any web designer to create a template of the web page and reuse it for every page in the website. Then every page will look different to the web site owner but the header information will be exactly the same which the web site owner will not notice. The header is part of what the search engine look at to index your web site.

Unless you have request optimization when ordering your website, it is not usually part of web site construction.  As a web designer myself, I can respect the fact that web designers do not know. Most web designers do not optimize websites, because it just like building the website. It takes a good deal of time and training – normally it’s something that will effect the price to the purchaser and many web designers will leave  off.  This comes back to the consumer requesting a website and asking for your best price.  Would you pay $150-200 per page or $75-$100? The true difference can be found long term.

When you submit your website to the search engines, the website that is optimized, stands a very good chance of being found, compared to the site with no optimization. When you see the results of a search measure in the tens of thousands, where do you want to be? Without optimization, you are not going to be found in the top 20 unless you plan to use pay per click or spend heavy advertising dollars.

Optimizing a website is not easy

Part of optimizing a web page is creating titles for each web page. You just cannot just slap some new words in title. You want to carefully select a keyword phrase that will best describe the page and something that visitors may use to find you. It takes time to carefully craft an optimization that will provide a successful marketing campaign.

Training , experience and knowledge can make all the difference in creating a sound web site optimization plan and with that in place – you can then stand a chance to be found.

Understanding the web marketing process is the first step to success!

Lee

Rootkits may not be the root of all evil, but they sure can come in close. And Rootkit.TDss.Gen is such an intruder. A Rootkit is software that cloaks the presence of files and data to evade detection, while allowing an attacker to take control of the machine without the user’s knowledge. Rootkits are typically used by malware including viruses, spyware, trojans, and backdoors, to conceal themselves from the user as well as from malware detection software such as anti-virus and anti-spyware applications. Rootkits are also used by some adware applications and DRM (Digital Rights Management) programs to thwart the removal of that unwanted software by users.

Under VIPRE’s hood is our very special Advanced Anti-Rootkit Technology. It finds and disables malicious hidden processes, threats, modules, services, files, Alternate Data Streams (ADS), or registry keys on a user’s system. Removing rootkits is supplemented by VIPRE’s FirstScan(tm) which runs at the system’s boot time. FirstScan bypasses the Windows operating system, directly scanning certain locations of the hard drive for malware, removing infections where found. We get right to the root of rootkits!

1. Trojan-Downloader.Zlob.Media-Codec: Trojan Downloader
2. Virtumonde: Adware (General)
3. Trojan-Downloader.braviax: Trojan Downloader
4. Rootkit.TDss.Gen: Rootkit
5. Trojan.FakeAlert: Trojan
6. INF.Autorun (v): Trojan
7. Explorer32.Hijacker: Hijacker
8. Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.gen: Trojan
9. Zango: Adware (General)
10. Antivirus 2009: Rogue Security Program

Stay on top of all the real-time threats:
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/WC9CO5/081120-Research

Sunbelt Software
33 North Garden Avenue
Clearwater, Florida USA 33755

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Do you know where your website is ranked for your selected keyword phrases?

I use a very expensive software package to create ranking reports for my clients. It will list the various keyword phrases, URLs, the ranking position, the ranking page, and the position compared to last time the report was run.  It’s great to know how any keyword phrases are ranked and especially if any are in the top ten search results. And if they are not ranked at all – there is work to do.

I have talked to many web designers wishing to help their clients. If a client needs to be sold on the idea that they need monthly ranking report to gauge the website traffic, then I would not try to convince them. Anyone who is a smart business person will realize that any reporting – whether a monthly financial report showing revenue and expenses or ranking report showing the ranking of your website will be basis of measuring the success or failure of any web business. I cannot imagine that a person would not want to know how well their website ranks compared to your competitor websites.

If the customer wants, I will charge an introductory fee of $25.00 – normally it’s $35.00 to run a report based on their top 15 keyword phrases against Google, Yahoo, LIVE (MSN) and AOL (The top 4 Search Engines).

I’ll need the url and contact information. I created a Paypal link below if you want to order the report. The report will be scheduled and delivered via e-mail to you within 24 hours.

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1 – Web Site Ranking Report – $25

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I have several formats to choose from -

• PDF
• DOC
• HTML
• The DOC & HTML can be edited by you if need be.
• View a Sample Report

After ordering your Web Site Ranking Report through PayPal, Please send an e-mail with the following:

• Your URL
• Return E-mail address
• Contact info – Company, Name, Address, City, State and Zip
• Desired format – PDF, DOC, or HTML
• The list of 15 keywords to check the ranking of against your website

Knowing where you rank is the basis of success on the Internet.

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People toss the term SEO around like it’s a something that everyone knows, but most people do not understand it.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Optimization is a combination of techniques used to create a better web page suitable for the major search engines. By having a web page that is organized in a fashion that is acceptable to the search engines,  the search engines will rank the web page correctly when someone is looking for that keyword phrase in a query.

Optimization techniques include:

• Keyword Analysis
• W3C compliance
• Close examination of the underlying code that makes up a web page
• The web page loading times
• The careful placement of your targeted keyword phrases within the web pages
• The ability to take your web site and mold it to the formatted search engine requirements for the possibility high ranking results.
• Incoming link building pointing at your website

When all the elements are in place for your website, the search engines will be kind. So when someone types in the certain keyword phrase, you can see your web site appear in the first page of search engine results (SERP – Search Engine Results Page)

So why do you need SEO? To drive web traffic to your website.

• Traffic = Visitors and New Prospects.
• New Prospects = New Sales.
• New Sales = New Revenues.

You do not want just any web traffic, you want targeted web traffic. You want the type of vistors that want your products of services. This is a very important point. I could mention a celebrity, like Brittney Spears, on your website, but if you are selling mortgages, it will be a tough way to convert the traffic to what you are selling. You want to target people who are looking for mortgages, not making statements about celebrities.

Marketing a website requires a combination of abilities. Business experience, a deep understanding of the Internet, Proven Web Design Building, Search Engine Expertise, and Web Based Marketing Knowledge. We, at Smittysholdings.com, possess both the experience and knowledge to drive the right type of traffic to your website, not just for the moment, but for long term search engine placement.

It is so important to keep in mind, that any business requires ongoing marketing initiatives, whether it is a brick and mortar store or a website selling products or services. Your web site needs to be treated like an ongoing business concern, with the marketing effort seeking targeted traffic.

More and more people depend on the Internet to locate goods and services, so make your presence stand out. Take your place with other successful web businesses and contact us to find out how we can help you.

Lee Smith
South Florida Website Optimization & Marketing
Ft Lauderdale, Florida
(954) 423-2785

How to keep your customers before someone else steals them!

By Lee Smith

I have been around in the business world for a very long time. One of my key observations in conducting business relationships is how we communicate with our customers. Keeping the lines of communication open with the customer is crucial in today’s world. The customer will always think of you first if you keep yourself in their mind.

• Call your customers on a periodic basis.
• Treat people the way you want to be treated.
• Mail your customers a card of useful information, a discount or holiday greetings.
• Send a thank you note for any business they refer or created for you.
• If your customers are having a business function or some other activity, ask how you can help and if you are invited, be sure to show up.
• If you know someone that may need their services or products, refer them.
• For those special clients or customers, take them to lunch. Treat them like part of the family.

Have you ever wondered how much it costs to find new clients? Take some time to figure out how much you spend on advertising, your time and money developing the ads, your time calling on new prospects, meeting them and presenting your products or services, weeding out none responsive prospects, the actual sale and delivery of products or services.

If you know there is going to be a problem for a client or customer like a product not being shipped, a scheduling issue, or anything that may interfere with your clients’ time or delivery, call them first! Be truthful and explain the situation and how it can be handled. Always call the customer first with the problem, before the customer finds out and calls you.

I have found that people are judged more on how they handle a problem or situation than how they handle the normal everyday business deal or sale. Always try to find that Win-Win resolution so everyone walks away with a feeling of accomplishment.

Communication is extremely important in our everyday lives. Those of us whom strive to make the effort to communicate are often rewarded.

I just got this message from Yahoo

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Yahoo! Search Marketing
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Dear Advertiser,

We wanted to reach out to you directly regarding Google’s decision, announced earlier today, to terminate the advertising services agreement that the companies announced in June. Yahoo! continues to believe in the benefits of the agreement, and is disappointed that Google has elected to withdraw from the agreement rather than defend it in court. Google notified Yahoo! of its refusal to move forward with implementation of the agreement following indication from the Department of Justice that it would seek to block it, despite Yahoo!’s proposed revisions to address the DOJ’s and advertisers’ concerns.

While disappointed by this turn of events, we are writing to you to reaffirm our commitment to working together to drive your advertising results, and to provide the continued leadership you expect. The fact is that this deal was incremental to Yahoo!’s product roadmap and does not change Yahoo!’s commitment to innovation and growth in search.

As you know, Yahoo! has long focused on how to improve the user, advertiser and publisher experience. We will continue to enable you to easily connect with the consumers you most want to reach, by creating a more open, efficient and effective marketplace for advertisers and publishers. We also plan to continue to provide the cutting-edge advances in products, platforms and services that the industry needs and expects, by leading the way in helping advertisers navigate the converging contextual and search ad markets. Finally, we remain committed to innovation in anticipating the needs of Yahoo!’s audiences–one of the largest and most engaged populations of consumers on the web–by creating the unique context that delivers results for brand advertisers online.

In short, even in the absence of a commercial agreement with Google, we intend to become an ever-stronger player in online advertising. Our certainty on this front comes from the progress we continue to make in many areas, not the least of which are the significant innovations we’re making in search. We continually optimize our algorithmic and sponsored search. In fact, in 2008 alone, we have developed and launched hundreds of improvements to our search engine, including index expansions and updates, ranking models and performance tuning. Each of these features is designed to improve search quality and deliver a more relevant search experience to our users.

Particularly in this economic climate, identifying and making rich and deep connections with your target audience is of the utmost importance. No company is better prepared to help you succeed in that quest than Yahoo!. In addition to being the largest aggregate publisher in the U.S., we are #1 or #2 across virtually every key category, including being #1 in the categories of News, Sports, Finance and Entertainment, and we’re putting our leadership to work for you every day.

By offering extensive reach to consumers, breakthrough advances in technology, simplifying inefficiencies in the advertising process, putting new and industry-recognized talent in place, and providing tailored solutions across our network to meet your needs, we are well prepared to provide you with the most significant return on your investment.

We are looking forward to continuing to work with you in building your business. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or anyone on our team with your questions, or to discuss your challenges. We’re open to a productive dialogue with you in the service of continuing our successful work together.

Warmest Regards,

Hilary Schneider
Executive Vice President, Yahoo! U.S

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An Untitled Document is the default title for pages created with web design programs. It is the information placed between the <title> </title> in the header of your web page.

If you are new at developing your website then it is common for people to forget to change the web page Title. If you do not know to do it, then it remains untitled.

If you hire a web designer, depending on the agreement with your Web Designer, will depend if any optimization is included in the creation of the website.

Case and point – If you conduct a search on Google for “untitled document”
Google Search – there are millions of untitled documents as a result

• Google 41 Million websites
• Yahoo 171 million websites
• Live – 72 million websites

If you want a chance to be found for a keyword phrase? Fill in the Title!

If you need help optimizing your website, you can contact us for a free quote.

Lee Smith
Smittysholdings.com

PC makers recall 100,000 Sony laptop battery packs

By Jessica Mintz, Associated Press
SEATTLE — Computer makers are recalling 100,000 laptop battery packs made by Sony after 40 reports of overheating, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notice Thursday.

The recall applies to certain Sony 2.15Ah lithium-ion cell batteries made in Japan and sold around the world in laptops made by Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Toshiba Corp.

The complete story…

Check your own website on a regular basis and READ IT!

Why do I say read it?
It may surprise you to find that your message is not as clear as you thought it would be or it does not reflect your current business views. Update the message, rewrite the content to keep in pace with your business goals.

Have you added new products?
This is another reason to update your web pages with new images and content. Add your key selling products, especially the products that offer the highest profits.

Is your website providing a reasonable ROI?
If you are not getting leads or the website is not adding revenue, you have to review the site. You need to find out why the website is not converting visitors to sales.

• Are you product messages clear and understandable?
• Does the information provide enough information for your visitors to make an informed decision to purchase a product or service?
• Is there a problem with layout? Is the layout 2 or more years old? Update the layout, it should reflect your business.
• Is the website unavailable at times or is your hosting problematic? This will affect your search engine rankings and lose visitors. If you are down too many time during the month – change hosting companies.
• When is the last time you updated the product images and packaging? Have you changed your product label design? Did you change containers, boxing, sizes, etc?
• If you need, contact a marketing firm to help. Sometime fresh ideas from a different pair of eyes can help a great deal.

I hope you get the notion that your website needs to be updated with fresh content and needs the attention to keep the website marketing machine moving forward. Your website is just like a brick and mortar in the repsect that marketing has to be a regular part of your business plan.

Marketing your website never ends if you want it to be successful.

Good luck in your efforts.

Lee Smith
President
Smittysholdings.com