MaineBusiness.com

Blog Anatomy: What Makes a Blog a Blog?

For those of you who wouldn't know a blog if it bit you, this post--complete with helpful illustrations--is for you. Please keep in mind that a blog comes in many forms; the items listed refer to the Web page version of a blog.

Post: The heart and soul of a blog. This is where your content goes. Usually several appear on a blog's home page, with older posts getting archived automatically by the blogging platform (i.e., TypePad, WordPress, etc.)

Categories: Blogging platforms usually allow you to categorize your posts into one or more self-created categories. These represent common themes for your blogs, whether it's "Web Marketing" or "Organic Gardening."

Archives: Archived posts are grouped by month or week, depending on how you set it up. This allows visitors to access older posts on your blog.

Permalink: The actual URL of a given post. If you post something to your blog and send out the link to www.yourblog.com, by the time someone visits that post may have fallen off the home page. The permalink will drive people directly to the post you have in mind. For example: http://www.flyteblog.com/flyte/2006/09/when_seo_isnt_e.html

Comments: What makes blogging scary to so many businesses! Visitors to your blog can leave their own .02 on your post, continuing the conversation. Some will be positive, some will be negative, and some will be spam, promoting their Texas Hold-em Web site or generic Viagra.

Trackbacks: Similar to comments, except that the conversation is continuing at another blog. An excerpt of that post appears below yours with links to the post.

Feeds & Chicklets: The little buttons or text links that allow your visitors to subscribe to the feed from your blog. This way they can receive updates to your blog at their My Yahoo page or Bloglines or through a newsreader. Blogging platforms almost always offer a feed, but you'll need to go to a service like Feedburner to generate the chicklets.

Blogrolls: On your Web site these would appear on your links page. These are links to other blogs you read and recommend.

Recent Posts: A list of the most recent posts on your blog, automatically generated by the platform.

Recent Comments: A list of the most recent comments on your blog, automatically generated by the platform.

Email Signup: Although not a part of blogging software, a nice add-on. This way, visitors who aren't savvy enough to subscribe to your feed and read it in their newsreader can still receive updates to your blog...delivered right to their email inbox.

Now you should be able to recognize blogs when you come face-to-face with them in the wild.

Just don't make eye contact with them. They'll see that as a sign of aggression. Better to get down on one knee and hand over any sweets you may have in your backpack.

Can You Trust TRUSTe?

The Wired Blog reported today that sites that are certified through TRUSTe are twice as likely as similar, uncertified sites to deliver spyware, adware and spam.

The research was done by Ben Edelman, a researcher of economics at Harvard.

Sites that receive the Better Business Bureau Online Privacy Seal, on the other hand, have substantially higher trustworthiness than the comparison sites. You can read the whole report here as a pdf.

This isn't the first time TRUSTe has been taken to task about putting profits ahead of accountability.

If you already have invested in TRUSTe's stamp of approval I wouldn't remove it, but if you haven't you may want to hold off. If TRUSTe's reputation continues to get tarnished you may find yourself with an albatross around your Web site.

Personally, I've never made a buying decision based on the "stickers" a Web site has on their site. Like nameless testimonials, they carry little weight and are easy to manufacture.

Getting Out of the Google Sandbox

For people who aren't part of the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) community, the first time they hear of the Google Sandbox they may think it's a company perk like pinball machines or massage therapists that went out with the dot-com bust.

However, the Google Sandbox is more like a "time out" box. (Other
search engines, including Yahoo and MSN's Live.com have similar
programs in place.) New sites generally don't rank well when they're
launched. This is because Google has a "wait and see" variable built
into their algorithm.

First, a little background: search engines have a mathematical equation called an algorithm that determines how relevant a given Web page is to a given search. There are dozens or hundreds of variables that go into the algorithm, each with a different amount of weight. On top of that, each search engine has its own algorithm and is constantly tweaking it to foil anyone trying to "crack the code."

Why would Google have a sandbox? It's a matter of trust. A new Web site hasn't been around long enough to earn Google's trust.

We hired a handyman a couple of years ago and started him off on a small job. After he had done a good job we gave him a bigger job, which he also performed well. That led to even bigger jobs  as our trust in him increased. Then he went down south to work on a giant oil refinery and we haven't heard from him since. But that's a different story.

Many new site owners are frustrated to hear that they may have to wait 3, 6 or 9 months before their site can begin to rank well at Google. Search engine forums are filled with their angry tirades. But I say it is better to light a candle than to curse the sandbox.

There are a number of steps to get you out of the sandbox faster and they're all spelled out in Secrets to Beating the Sandbox 2.0 REVEALED: The Ultimate Guide over at the Link Building Blog. Author Andy Hagans touches on such things as:

• Getting into trusted directories,
• Link baiting, and
• Social bookmarking.

For the non-SEO expert this may be a little bit of information overload, so if you look at the article and your eyes glaze over, be sure to give it to your Web master/mistress and ask for a synopsis.

Even if your site has been around for years, there's a wealth of information that can greatly increase the incoming links to your site and improve your search engine visibility.

Traffic Reports Lead to Better Web Sites

Do you have access to your Web site traffic reports? Do you read them?

Recently we've picked up a couple of clients who currently have Web sites but either don't have traffic reports or don't know how to access them. One of the first things I recommend is that we set up traffic reports for them immediately. This helps benchmark the success (or lack thereof) of the new site.

By continually reviewing the traffic reports we can make changes, add new content or articles, create more links to important but under visited sections of the site and more.

Traffic reports are required reading for anyone who cares about the success of their Web site.

Good traffic reports tell you:

• how many people visited your site
• where they came from (another Web site, a search engine, a bookmark, etc.)
• what search engine they used
• what search terms they used
• how long they spent at your site
• how many pages they viewed at your site
• the first and last pages they visited at your site
• and more.

While most decent Web site hosting companies include traffic reports, lately I've been enjoying the stats generated by Google Analytics (formerly Urchin.) The reports are free, and it's a hosted solution (meaning you don't have to do anything on your own server.) Also, if you do use Google Adwords for your pay-per-click advertising, you can more deeply track all of your ads' ROI.

You'll need a Google account (free) to get going, and ability to add some code into your Web pages, or hire a professional to do it for you. The whole process should take 2 - 3 hours depending on the size of your site and your comfort level.

The reports you receive are incredibly revealing. The home page will greet you with a 20,000' foot view of how your site is doing.

There are dozens of different reports you can run, as well as target specific dates or ranges of dates to see how a newspaper or TV ad may have impacted your traffic.

One report I always review is the referrers report; this tells me where my traffic is coming from.

One report that I just discovered is very interesting. It shows a working version of any page in your Web site, along with graphs next to each link to show what percentage of traffic clicked on each link.

The tan bars appear under each link and the blue bar shows visually the percentage. By clicking on each bar you can get more details. From this page you can see that during the past week 12.42% of my home page visitors clicked on the link to download 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Web Site.

If I was trying to drive more traffic to a specific part of the site, this would help me determine if I needed to promote it more heavily on a given page.

The only shortcoming of this is that Google Analytics can't tell which link the visitor clicked on, just how many people clicked a link that went to a given page. In other words, was it the image that caught their attention or the text link?

Still, if you're looking for help on how to drive more qualified traffic to your site and how to get your site visitors to take the appropriate steps to close the sale, reviewing your traffic reports is an essential first step.

What Does a Small Business Need to Succeed Online?

If you're running a small business or startup, and have been wondering what you need to get going and be successful online, turn on your TV.

Tonight I'll be talking about Web sites and Web marketing for small businesses on WCSH Channel 6's evening news program 207.

We'll talk (briefly!) about search engine optimization, email marketing, blogs, podcasts and more. Watch me try and cram 8 hours of seminars into 5 minutes without my head exploding!

The show begins at 7pm tonight, 9/21/06.

If you need more than five minutes of information, be sure to check out the continuing ed course I'll be teaching over at the University of Southern Maine: Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses. It's offered over 4 Wednesdays, 10/18 - 11/8, 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

PayPal: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Many small businesses and entrepreneurs want to take credit cards online, but are put off by the time and capital investment required by a Merchant account, a gateway processor, secure server space, and a security certificate...all tools you need to succeed with e-commerce.

For many of these people I suggest "dipping their toe in the e-commerce ocean" by starting with PayPal. However, there are both good and bad aspects to this popular online payment system.

The Good

It's damn easy to get started with PayPal. If you have a bank account you can set up your business account at PayPal in a matter of minutes. You can quickly generate buttons that allow your visitors to "buy now" or "add to cart."

You don't need a Merchant Account. You don't need a gateway processor. You don't need secure server space. You don't need a security certificate. PayPal handles all of these issues for you.

You don't have any start up fees. You don't have any monthly fees. How does PayPal make any money you ask? They take 2.9% (less in some cases) of each sale plus $0.30 per transaction. That's not much more than your bank is taking now, plus you have no monthly fees.

But don't your customers have to be PayPal members to pay? Not any more. When PayPal first started visitors needed to become members, but PayPal now allows anyone with a Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Discover card to pay through their system without becoming a member.

PayPal is probably the simplest way to get going with e-commerce on your Web site.

The Bad

PayPal is cheesy. OK, that's just an opinion, but it's an opinion held by many people. I could give you statistics, but I'd just be making them up. The bottom line is that I talk about e-commerce to a lot of people because of my job and several have shied away from PayPal because they believe it will give their site an air of amateurism.

PayPal's shopping cart solution is a joke. Why PayPal doesn't improve their shopping cart experience is beyond me, but if you need a shopping cart I'd recommend looking elsewhere. By shopping cart I'm talking about the ability for site visitors to drop something into their cart and keep shopping before making a purchase. The PayPal shopping cart opens a new window and hides your site; not exactly the seamless experience you're going for. PayPal works best for "Buy Now" opportunities.

The Ugly

Working with PayPal isn't like working with your credit card company; you don't have the same rights or protections. PayPal may decide that you have a fraudulent account or payment and suspend your account without warning, in effect shutting down your online store until they decide to reopen it. Although these instances are statistically rare, you should be aware of them.

If you like reading horror stories, PayPalSucks.com is a place to start.

In Conclusion

So, if two of the categories above are "The Bad" and "The Ugly," why do I still recommend PayPal to site owners? Because for many people the flexibility and simplicity PayPal offers is too good not to consider. Although it may not be right for everyone, it's an inexpensive, effective tool for many.

Although some people have had terrible experiences with PayPal, that's going to happen with any big company, whether you're Verizon, Time Warner, or Disney.

If you have some questions on e-commerce, please let me know.

Find Your Customers Online

If I told you that you could listen unobtrusively to your best prospects talk about their biggest problems, hurdles and concerns would you be interested?

That at any time you could join the conversation and offer helpful advice, establishing yourself as an expert in the eyes of your target audience.

That by providing this help you could also increase the number of incoming links to your Web site and help raise your search engine rank.

It's all possible. Your best prospects are sharing their concerns with each other all over the Web in discussion forums, also known as bulletin board systems (BBS).

The first step is find these discussion groups. A quick Google on your target audience + BBS or discussion forum should bring up a list of these sites. For example, are you targeting dog owners? Parents of twins or multiples? Entrepreneurs? All these groups and more are talking online.

The second step is to listen. Coming on too strong or having a marketing message that's too overt can alienate the very people you want to start talking to. Read over previous posts and see what the tone of the conversation is.

The third step is to respond accordingly. After you've been trolling for a while you may read some questions or requests for help where you can be of help. You'll come off as especially helpful if your answer isn't "buy my stuff and that will clear right up." However, if you give them a helpful answer and then provide a link (maybe even to your own Web site) for additional information, you'll start to prove yourself as a resource and perhaps even an expert.

In your posts you'll usually be able to include a signature file with a link back to your Web site, and perhaps even with a call to action. Some discussion forums don't let you link to your site, but you can still include a non-clickable URL (Web site address).

For example, when I've read the posts of small business owners who I work with, my posts end:

Rich Brooks
flyte new media
Web design and Internet Marketing
http://www.flyte.biz
http://www.flyteblog.com

If I've provided good info, people who read my post are likely to click through to my Web site or blog to see what else I might have to say.

So, spend a few minutes this weekend and check out what your prospects are talking about. You might get some great ideas for your next product or service as well.

Tagging, Web 2.0 and Internet Marketing

You may have heard of the term "Web 2.0" in the mainstream media this year, or noticed it floating near the most popular blog topics at Technorati. While what Web 2.0 is exactly may be debatable, one of its more popular tenets is the concept of tagging.

Tagging is a new way of organizing data on the Internet. Tagging is adding labels to specific items, such as photos, music, Web pages or blog posts. For example, you can upload your photos to Flickr and tag them with different labels. A photo of Market St. Eat's front door might be tagged, "Portland, ME", "Restaurant," or "Bacon." (Mmmmm...bacon.)

For an example, here's a Flickr page for the tag "Portland, Maine."

Why is this important to you as an Internet marketer?

Because tagging is a very social way of organizing information. If you're blogging, you should be tagging your posts. For instance, you may already have categories for your blog posts. This blog has categories on Business Blog Marketing, Email Marketing and Search Engine Marketing. Categories are types of tags.

However, you may blog about an item that's part of the zeitgeist, but doesn't quite rate a category. For example, I might create a post about a marketing lesson I learned from the New England Patriots home opener. I'm not going to be blogging about the Pats often enough to create a category for them, but I can take advantage of that post by tagging it with Patriots, football, or Deion Branch.

How does this help? Well, it helps both traditional search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) and blog search engines (Technorati, Ice Rocket, etc.) understand what your post is about and rank it appropriately. It also creates more links into your post and drives more traffic to it.

Now, I don't know that many people searching for Deion Branch will be looking for Internet Marketing advice, but it's possible.

For a better example of how you can harness popular searches to drive qualified traffic to your site, and how to create these tags, please read "Tagging Your Posts in TypePad." (Aside: TypePad has made it easier to add tags of late.)

I haven't bothered tagging Internet Marketing 101's posts because of the registration this site requires. However, for the sake of showing you an example, here goes.

Tags: Web 2.0 | Tags | lonelygirl15

(That last tag may give you an idea of the downside of tagging...it's easily abused. As more people tag "inappropriately" to rank artificially high or drive unqualified traffic to their site, tagging may become devalued as a way of finding relevant material.)