Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam....

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

The word Spam has several meanings. One is the product name for that famous canned mystery meat which my mother used to keep on a shelf "just in case." The original can may even still be there….

Another meaning for spam is un-requested and unwanted e-mail. We all receive enough of that.

Today, let's consider another meaning for spam - keyword spam that is. Keywords are designated words and terms for which you want your Web site to be found. If written correctly, your content will include a smattering of those words intricately woven into the copy, well enough for the search engine spiders to notice, but not the reader.

If written incorrectly, it seems every other word is a keyword, repeated over and over. That might be good for the search engines, but terrible for the reader.

Would you really expect your Web site visitors - say for pickled beets - to wade through something like, “Our pickled beets are the best pickled beets which anybody looking for pickled beets would find in the pickled beets isle. So when you are looking for pickled beets, consider our pickled beets. They are the best pickled beets in town.”

The search engines will definitely understand your site is about pickled beets, but anybody visiting the site will probably move on before they find out about your pickled beets. And, there is also a good chance the search engines will drop the site for keyword spamming, defeating the whole point. So when writing your Web copy, include your keywords, but include a little common sense on how and in how often they are used.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. Drawing Attention for Web Sites.

By Susanne Svette, IdeaStar Search Engine Specialist

Need visitors for your Web site? Create some buzz. That's word-of-mouth marketing with a modern edge through e-mail, links from other sites, online advertising and even traditional marketing. It's anything you do to get people talking about and visiting your Web site. It may not lead to an immediate conversion or sales, but it increases brand awareness for your company.

For instance, we're thinking of doing some buzz marketing for www.bowmanlamps.com. Right now it's a pretty straight forward Web site for the sales of compact fluorescent lights. But what if we added some interesting videos or even (dare we say it?) a dancing light bulb? Soon people will be saying “Did you see the amazing stuff at www.bowmanlamps.com?” A few might even purchase a bulb now or even later when they need one.

Buzz marketing and search engine optimization go hand-in-hand. They're both all about getting people to your Web site. Both generate link popularity, links to your site. Buzz marketing, however, can be a lot of fun. For instance, I love www.kayak.com. I was first attracted to their site by a hilarious television commercial. So I went to the site to watch it again, and several other commercials posted on the site. I had no intention of making vacation plans. But a few months later when I needed to make travel arrangements, I was there in a click.

A television ad may not be in your budget. It certainly isn't for most of my clients. However, you can use your sense of humor to generate a little bit of buzz. I just loved this one. Take a look at www.buzzoodle.com to learn a little more.

Copyright © 2006 IdeaStar
All rights reserved.