Get localized on your next internet marketing campaign!

You just opened a new sushi place. Good for you! You spend a fortune on internet marketing and SEO and you want to become the #1 for “sushi delivery” on various search engines. But then you realize that your sushi place is in Brooklyn and getting search results in L.A. won’t do you any good, especially if you are paying per clicks.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s actually possible to invest less and get more. Or maybe invest right in a smart internet marketing campaign. You see, instead of going for the whole shebang, domination over the world’s sushi market (unless you have really big plans…) you better go local! Focus on localized search results and go for demographic advertising which will save you time and money.

But even a national company can benefit from local search results. Many internet consumers want to know that your business is not just up in the air and actually see or visit a local branch, or at least know that it exists.

How do you achieve successful local search results? Well, like anything else that’s SEO, the first and most important thing would be keywords keywords keywords. Localize your keywords and focus on terms such as “Miami FL dentist” instead of just “dentist” (that is if you’re a dentist and work in the Miami area…) Getting your site to appear local listings like yelp.com is also a good idea.

If you want to know more about smart internet marketing, visit us today at www.AjaxUnion.com!

Smart Internet Marketing: Google's “Search On” Campaign

Amid promos for Doritos and beer, viewers of the recent Super Bowl XLIV were surprised and largely pleased to see a television spot for something more poignant (and less edible) than such football snacks. This was Google's daringly simple “Parisian Love” commercial, which showed video screenshots of a variety of Google searches, from “study abroad paris france” to “how to assemble a crib” — basically, a snapshot of a young person's life as defined by their evolving online searches.

Experts have compared this ad, part of Google's “Search On” Campaign, to many Apple commercials, as both companies appear to have mastered the sparse, no-frills form of advertising, which allows each product or service to truly speak for itself. Even more remarkable is the fact that Google's ad was created in-house as a part of a project not intended for the Super Bowl.

Of course, in terms of smart internet marketing, ads like this only remind us — and consumers — of our society's growing reliance on search engines. Whereas a decade ago a curious student might have picked up a travel guide or pamphlet from the admission's office, Googling “study abroad paris france” is clearly the more modern research option.

Don’t You Wanna Be at the Top of the List?

Let’s say you’re a neurosurgeon. You want to be known as the best neurosurgeon in town, but you know there are others out there. Unfortunately, if I need an operation and google “neurosurgeon,” not only do you not come up at the top of the list, you aren’t even on the first page. Turns out your main competitor, your crosstown rival, is number one. The guy gets all the best awards, rankings, and he even comes up first on the internet!

How does he do it? Through an emerging industry called SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and smart internet marketing. You can use SEO to make sure that your name and website has more online presence, that when sick patients need your services, you are not only on the first page, but at the top of the list!

Of course, to get there takes hard work, but you know that, you’ve been working hard for years. It’s just a matter of online priority, and that’s what where we come in. So if you want to keep up with the current of ever changing technology in 2010 and throughout the decade, leave it to us! Pretty soon, you will be number one.

If a company is not on Google, does the company exist?

I know it’s kinda sleazy, but go ahead… google yourself! Really, I dare you! Come on, google your company’s name and see what comes up. What? Nothing comes up? Can’t be. Oh, your competitors come up. Well, that’s not good!

Did you ever hear about the philosophical debate “If a tree falls in the forest and it doesn’t come up on google – does it make a difference?” Hey, you can ask yourself the same question when it comes to your business too. Because when the internet is google, you have to secure yourself a place at the top, or nobody will care about you.

SEO is more than just a nice to have. In these days, advertising campaign is the new nice to have and SEO means just about everything. Millions of prospective customers are surfing the internet right now, and you have to make sure that when they need the services you provide, they will get to you and you alone! Not having a clear SEO roadmap is basically losing money. Every day. Every minute. Every second.

By the way, ranking high up on google is not that complicated. All you have to do is open your mind and join the internet marketing revolution.

So think about it over Christmas. Maybe you can ask Santa for a better ranking on search engines. Or maybe you can just contact Ajax Union. Because we’re much closer than the North Pole!

Happy New Year from the Ajax Union team!

Search Engine Marketing Ethics- Google Yourself?

Search marketing is all about doing what you can to bring your name and your brand in front of prospects to increase sales. People use keywords, pay-per-click, sponsored links and a myriad of other ways to move their links to the top of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages.) All's fair in love and business, right?

It seems game is changing, according to the gang at Google, anyway. Google has long been known as the king of search engines by many people and they offer some great services to help anyone doing business online. Some people are taking umbrage with Google's efforts into marketing oneself, however. Google is offering reputation management services. Google suggests if you don't like what you find when you "Google yourself," well, simply create some information you do like and load it up with keywords and other search engine friendly fare.

The specific phrase used on Google blog is "proactively publish information." The blog talks about publishing blog posts with flattering photos to try to overcome negative photos or asking people to write positive reviews about your company to compensate for some that may not paint such a pretty picture. Reputation management is nothing new in search marketing- people have been doing it since the dawn of the Internet age. Somehow, Google advising it seems a bit unseemly, though, doesn't it? Maybe they will publish some other blog posts to knock this one off the first page of the SERPs. After all, whose reputation should they be managing- yours and mine- or their own?

How To Use Twitter Lists Effectively

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Twitter came up with a new feature…Twitter Lists. But like all new features, users have to learn how to use them effectively, and more importantly, how to use them with a Twitter account in conjunction with your internet marketing plan.

So what exactly are Twitter Lists? Basically you create a Twitter List named whatever you like, “My Fave Tweeters” for example, and you can add people to those lists and make those lists visible or invisible. For example, if you create list named “People I Should Unfollow” you probably wouldn’t want to make that lists visible, and only you would be able to see that lists.

So how exactly does this benefit you or your potential customers? This is where the creativity begins to flow. Let’s say you own an online bookstore and you are promoting a new author. You can create a Twitter List named “Friends Who Would Love John Doe’s New Book”. Once you make that lists visible, people you add to the list, which should be tweeters who have bought books from you before or are interested in books, will be notified on their homepage.

Once they see they’ve been listed, they’ll be flattered and probably check out the new book on your website.

Another cool feature is the ability to use the url of that list in your internet marketing plans. Let’s say you wanted to let other people on your website know exactly who are on the “Love John Does’ New Book” list. You can copy the url of that list and include it into your webpage for another level of interaction. Usually people just use their Twitter urls to promote Twitter, but now there are more ways to use Twitter to promote your interest and more importantly, your business.

Smart Internet Marketing begins with Smart Keywords. Here's how to choose the best Keywords for your site

Keywords, keywords, what are keywords and what makes them so important? Actually, keywords are just like roads and traffic signs to your site and if your keywords look like New Jersey you’re in big trouble.

The importance of keywords is pretty simple: Use the wrong keywords and the only one that will be surfing your site is… you! But use the right keywords in your site and you’ll get huge amounts of traffic that you never thought you’d have.

You see, internet is all about searching. That’s the reason Google eliminated the address bar from its new browser. No one actually types in http://www.whatever.com. No. You just search “whatever” and you pick some result, usually from the top ten. So if your business deals with “whatever” you should make it your keyword.

But wait! It’s not that simple. There are millions and millions of sites who also use “whatever” as their keyword. So how can you maximize traffic and make sure that searchers ends up at your site?

Here’s how the magic is done: you need to manipulate the keywords and make them special. Use several variations of your keyword and you can get your fair share of traffic. For example, instead of just using “whatever” you can use “buy whatever” or “cheap whatever” or “where can I rent whatever?” so when people search that phrase, they will reach your site.

Let’s say you sell watches. Don’t make “watch” your keyword. You’ll be buried beneath millions of watch retailers and the dedicated fans of BayWatch. Try “buy watch online” or “discounted luxury watches” or “2010 brand watches” in order to get your share of the search pie.

Want to know more about smart internet marketing and how to use keywords? Log on to www.ajaxunion.com and find out how you can maximize the best display window in the world.

How To Choose Your SEO Keywords

Choosing good SEO keywords is the key to promoting your website and reaching your target audience. Why? Because is the key to smart internet marketing success when competing with other online business that also focus on your targeted audience.

Before you start writing down keywords you should think like a normal person searching online. What would someone type into Google when looking for your product or services? Keeping that in mind here are a few tips to help you go find your keywords.

Brainstorm
The first step is to brainstorm keyword ideas as they pop in your head and write them down. A good idea is to talk to other people and customers to get an idea of what they think of when looking for your product.

Use Online Tools
Keyword search tools can be used to help you think out of the box. For example, if you type in "hat" these tools will give you top search terms that include the world "hat" including "red hat" or "nba hat". The list can go on and on.

Start Picking
After your research its time to choose some keywords by deciding which ones are going to provide you with the best return on your investment.

Analyze
Now that you've chosen your keywords watch your analytics carefully to decide exactly which ones are reaching your online goals and change as needed.

If you feel overwhelmed by this process, it may be time to find a professional agency or freelancer that is well versed in SEO and can provide you with everything you need the first time around so you won't have to change it later. That's smart internet marketing.

10 Ways To Promote Your Company Blog

Many companies hire internet marketing companies to set up their blogs, design their social media profiles, write a few articles and then the experience is over!

But what happens after everything is setup? How can you use smart internet marketing to promote your company blog and get readers interested in your brand? Here are 10 tips to put you on the right track.

1. Find some high ranking blogs, websites, and other sites and start exchanging links on blog roll.

2. Make sure you sign up for Google Analytics and track your web statistics

3. Submit your RSS feed and url to rss and blog directories as well as search engines

4. Comment on other blogs that are within your industry and that has an influence on their readers.

5. Post, post and post at least 3 to 5 times per week. Content is probably the number one reason a blog boost to number one.

6. Be polite by always responding to comments on your blog as well as thanking other bloggers who have linked to you. Also, always site where you got your story lead or content.

7. Don't be afraid to interview other bloggers.

8. Use your blog to get media credentials

9. Get off the computer and network with your targeted audience. Add your blog address to your business card.

10. Promote your blog using social media networks.

Should You Hire A Internet Marketing Company?

One question that should be answer before you start marketing your business online is... "Should I hire a internet marketing company?". The benefits of hiring a internet marketing company are amazing but many people doubt making the investment because they don't understand exactly how important hiring one can be. Enter the age of smart internet marketing which allows you to get it right the first time and start reaping the benefits today.

However, if you are still hesitant here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Question 1: How important is internet marketing to the growth and success of my company?

Things to consider: Am I in competitive market? Do I want to make sales outside of my community? Do I plan to expand?

Question 2: Do I understand how to increase my presence online through link building?

Things To Consider: Do I know how to obtain high quality inbound links? Do I know which links to avoid? Do I understand how to get search engines to pay attention to me?

Question 3: Can I optimize my website via meta-tags, title pages, product descriptions, and key word phrases?

Things to consider: Do I know how to find high value keywords that relate to my website? Do I know the best way to insert words into my meta-tags? Do I understand html, headings, and title pages?

If you cannot confidently answer these question with the expertise needed you may want to think about hiring an internet marketing agency.

Is Your Website Hindering Your SEO?

Good or bad...SEO affects your website. If you are having problems climbing above your competition it's time to take a close look at your website and decide if its affecting your SEO.

There are a few things that your website should NOT have:

1. Too Many Images. Images are great and they allow you to have a great looking website but search engines don't recognize links that are mad in graphics. Text format links are much better.

2. Flash. You can use it but use it creatively. Allowing flash to be one part of your website just for eye candy is a great idea. The rest of your website should be plain text.

3. Invisible Text. Search engines hate this so don't do it or you will be put on a black list.

4. Search Engine Vision. Oxymoron? Nope. Build your site for you users not for a search engine and the search engine will like you better. This means to leave doorway and gateway pages behind.

5. Randomly Place Keywords. Smart internet marketing comes into play here. You picked your keywords and that's great, but you still should put them in the right places including your Title tag.

6. Bad Links. Swapping links with a banned website is like supporting the bad neighbor with the trash in his yard. Reciprocal links are great as long as they are relevant links to good websites

Sometimes bad SEO can effect the best of us. But if you stay informed you will know what's right and what's wrong and you won't have to start all over.

3 Great Beginner SEO Videos

Here are three great informative videos on SEO and smart internet marketing. If you are a beginner...these are must watches!

Ilegal SEO Techniques

We've been talking about smart internet marketing lately on our blog which got us thinking about dumb internet marketing. By far, the number one dumb SEO move is to implement illegal SEO techniques to try to move your website to the top of search engines.


So what exactly is illegal? Well...

1. Stealing Web Pages

Why? Who knows? But some people actually copy other high ranked businesses web pages and submit them to search engines.


2. Using Trademarked Keywords

You know you don't own McDonald's so why use the "BigMac" keyword to promote your burger joint? Not only will you get caught but you will get sued. You can't use trademarked keywords to increase your rankings.


3. Creating Domains with Trademarked Keywords

Lets go with the McDonald's example again. If you own a burger joint and want to buy a domain name don’t' try to be sneaky. www.MacDonulds.com, www.MickeyDees.com or www.BigMac.com may work for a while, but once they find out, you might as well flip your last burger and file for bankruptcy because you will be sued. Using a person’s trademarked keywords to try and get customers is definitely illegal!

The moral? Smart internet marketing can be described as avoiding dumb internet marketing. Just don't do it!

What Is Smart Internet Marketing

Many business that want to increase their presence online pay for some of the most ridiculous things such as temporary links, ineffective ads and spammy articles. All these may increase your online presence for a small period of time, but it’s not smart and it will fail. With more business becoming conscientious of this, professionals want to know what is smart internet marketing and how do we incorporate smart internet marketing into our online marketing plan?

Smart internet marketing is simply doing things the right way to increase your rank and visibility online by focusing on longevity. So what is smart internet marketing?

1. Great articles that are distributed correctly


2. Frequently updated company blogs that draw in readers


3. Strategic classified ads that are posted near your target audience


4. Increased presence on social networking sites that are relevant to your product


5. Increasing linkage using popular websites that will lead potential customers back to your website.

These are just a few examples of smart internet marketing, of course a little expertise and a lot of hard work can take your business from virtually unknown online to having a sustainable online presence.