Archive for June, 2006

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How NOT to Request a Link

Tuesday, June 13th, 2006

As you probably know, quality incoming links can improve your Web site’s search engine ranking, all other things being equal. This is because search engines often view these links as "votes of confidence" in the quality of your content.

Because of this, I’m inundated with requests to trade links. As many search engine experts agree, there’s little to no search engine benefits to reciprocal linking, although there is the benefit that more people may find you.

Generally I just hit the delete button, but this email was particularly stupid:

Dear webmaster!

I just visited your website and was amazed with it.

I would like to exchange links with you. I have seo PR7 site [stupid link trading Web site]

I can place your link within content of main page 

and would like to have [stupid link trading Web site] on your homepage

Best regards,

Jim Smith

Why did this particular email catch my ire? Well, how about the personalized "Dear webmaster!" to start. Anyone with 30 seconds on their hand could find out the contact person for our site.

Next, Jim (if that is his real name) just visited my site and was "amazed" with it. Well, that part rings true, but I get the feeling he’s just blowing smoke up my ass. With over 250 Web sites under our collective belts, how do I even know that he’s talking about flyte’s Web site? It’s quite possible, even probable, that he’s looking at a clients’ site, but he doesn’t bother to give me the Web site’s name or URL, or why he’s so amazed.

The rest of his email just shows off his intermittent use of the period key.

There is a place in the World Wide Web for reciprocal linking: when there’s a good, natural match between Web sites. It will give you little or no PageRank to just trade links with a site, so concentrate on Web sites that will drive visitors from their site to yours, not just share PageRank.

In the same way that antique stores do better when they cluster, certain Web sites will do the same. If you’re looking for quality incoming links, consider getting links from professional organizations, directories, and using article marketing.

And don’t trade links with Jim Smith.

Rich Brooks
PageRank 7

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Web Marketing | 4 Comments »


Steal This Marketing Idea!

Monday, June 12th, 2006

The other day I got a postcard from Cuts, the male version of Curves.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
Cuts Fitness Needs 50 Volunteers to Participate in a 21-Day Fitness Study!

They’re looking for men between 25 – 73 who don’t regularly exercise to agree to a supervised 21 day training program at 30 minutes a session. They’ll measure you before and after the session and give you a "supervised fitness profile." There’s a $20 fee that’s refunded upon completion of the study.

Although there’s no requirement to join Cuts, once they get you hooked on fitness, and getting into a regular routine, I’m sure many test subjects will end up joining. (Personally, I find having women around is a motivator to work out more often, so we’ll see.)

On top of increased membership, Cuts will have all this unique data that they can use as fodder for press releases, which in turn will increase their mind share and generate new business outside of the people who originally signed up. Who knows, they may even learn something from all the data they collect.

This is a great marketing plan. It gets people to try their product for 21 days, gets them mind share in their test subjects and those who spread the story, and gives them material for press releases.

Cuts has put a nice twist on the free trial by not calling it a free trial.

How could you use this in your own business? Could you engage prospects and customers to trial your product under the banner of research or a study? Do you have a vitamin supplement, a yoga course, or anything else that once people start it they won’t want to stop? And it doesn’t have to be health-related. It could be a new business method, or a way of saving money on gas, or a product that helps your baby sleep through the night. (Don’t I wish!)

Rich Brooks
25 – 73

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I didn’t link to Cuts above because it’s got music pumping out of the home page from…Moby? Does Moby inspire me to get fit? However, if you want to hear a looped snipped from Play, go ahead.

Posted in Business Philosophy, Entrepreneur & Small Business | 12 Comments »


Allow Me to Introduce Myself…

Thursday, June 8th, 2006

Rich_bike
If you’ve found flyte’s blog via Typepad’s Featured Blog of the Day, welcome!

The purpose of this blog is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed online by gaining a better understanding of the Four Pillars of Web Marketing:

  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Email Marketing
  • Business Blogs & Podcasts, and
  • Viral marketing.

Along the way we discuss Web site design, copywriting, online scams and anything else that comes to mind.

If you have a blog for your business, or are considering one, be sure to download a free copy of The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make. You may also want to check out these posts I wrote on how business bloggers can get the most out of Technorati.

If you want to discuss your own Web design or Internet marketing needs, please contact flyte…hey, that’s what we do!

Rich Brooks
My 15 Minutes Last All Day!

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, flyte news | 2 Comments »


Do Comments Make The Blog?

Thursday, June 8th, 2006

Today a blogging client forwarded a link to a blog where there was a very nice write up on his company blog, with one caveat: recently their postings had tapered off.

The client told me that he agreed, in part because he got bored "writing to himself." Neither his boss nor his wife even read the blog!

Well, to be honest, my wife doesn’t regularly read my blog, either. That’s OK; she’s not my target audience. (Well, at least not since she got promoted to Operations Manager.)

I expressed to this client that his boss and his wife weren’t his target audience and not to worry about them. I also checked his stats and saw that he was averaging over 80 page views a day, and nearly double that number lately; good for such a young blog.

However, I’m guessing he felt this way because few visitors left comments. I hear this a lot, that people expect that because people can post comments that they will. However, I’ve never gotten as many comments as I would like, and probably half of my comments come from my post on the Domain Registry Support.

Does that mean that this blog is a failure? Damn, I hope not.

While comments, trackbacks, and even site traffic can be metrics that you use to measure your success, they’re not necessarily your goal. You don’t make money for each comment or trackback. You only make money for page views if you’re selling ads.

The goal of this blog is to establish flyte as the Internet marketing experts we believe we are, build some good search engine rank, and generate qualified leads. In these three categories I feel the blog is a complete success.

Before you get too despondent about the lack of comments or trackbacks on your own blog, review the goals you had for starting your blog in the first place.

And remember: comments don’t pay the bills, customers do.

Rich Brooks
Maine Business Blog Consultant

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Web Marketing | 10 Comments »


Senator Olympia Snowe on the SBA

Wednesday, June 7th, 2006

Large corporations in the US continue to shed jobs or move them overseas. Small businesses–be they mom and pop shops or companies bringing new technologies to market–are generated new jobs across the country. So why is the SBA–the Small Business Administration–under attack from within and without?

The June 2006 issue of Inc. magazine–a must read for any small business owner or entrepreneur–takes a look at the current state of the SBA, its problems and its potential.

Included in the article is a commentary by Maine’s own Senator Olympia Snowe, who in my opinion has always been a friend of small business. She chairs the committee that oversees the SBA. She has recently introduced three bills that target the SBA. Among the changes she is proposing:

  • Reject new fees on small businesses to pay for administrative costs.
  • Reduce paperwork for lenders. (Currently lenders must complete 71 separate applications!)
  • Simplify eligibility requirements for small businesses looking for a loan.
  • Preserve the Microloan program which the Bush administration is looking to eliminate. It provides loans of up to $35,000 and technical assistance to new and growing small businesses.

Senator Tom Coburn, a critic of government spending, tried to hold a senate subcommittee meeting that only heard from Veronique De Rugy, a vocal critic of the SBA who wants to abolish the SBA’s signature 7(a) loan program, without hearing from the other side.

Luckily, there was enough pressure to get the subcommittee to hear from both sides. Also, enough pressure to get Coburn to claim he was the victim of illegal lobbying.

The SBA does seem to have had a lot of problems of late, including the mis-management under Hector V. Barreto, who was appointed by George W. Bush. Bush’s new appointment? Steven C. Preston, who has never worked for a small business, and most recently came from ServiceMaster, a "multibillion-dollar public company."

Yeah, he’s got our backs.

Listen people: it ain’t no level playing field. Corporations get huge tax breaks (often described as corporate welfare by the Michael Moore crowd) while making huge donations and spending millions on lobbyists who have the ear of law makers.

Small Business owners are like veterans, gays, African-Americans, Latinos, large corporations, the handicapped, immigrants, pro-lifers, pro-choicers, etc. We’re a special interest group. We Many of us want assistance from the government. Not to give us an unfair advantage, but to level the playing field.

However, there is one big difference. Small businesses create jobs. The entrepreneurial spirit is what makes this country great. The SBA needs to be fixed, not gutted. Investing in small business is investing in the future of this country. (Or any other country, for that matter.)

Rich Brooks
Small Business Owner

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Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business | 1 Comment »


Search Engine Optimization: Stop Guessing at Keywords!

Tuesday, June 6th, 2006

Last month’s flyte log, our free email newsletter on Internet marketing, looked at five perspectives your prospects might use in searching for your products and services at the search engines, and how you could brainstorm a list of keyphrases from these five perspectives.

This month we pick up that thread with "Search Engine Optimization: Stop Guessing and Start Researching!"

Why Should You Test Your Keyphrases?
It’s not enough to brainstorm a list of possible search phrases; you must test your assumptions if you want to succeed online.

Too often prospects and clients tell me that they want to be on the first page for "ADD" or "resiliency speaker" or "37th-level mage." However, often these terms are either too broad, too competitive, or just not what their prospects are searching for. To optimize your site for the wrong phrase is like pocketing the eight-ball in the wrong pocket.

How Do You Test Your Keyphrases?
There are several tools out there to help you test your brainstormed list, including Word Tracker and Overture. However, lately I’ve been playing around with Trellian’s Keyword Discovery and have found it an easy-to-use tool for researching keyphrases.

In this article I give you some examples and screen shots of how to use Keyword Discovery, as well as some tips on how to make the most of it.

How Do You Use Your Keyphrases at Your Site?
There’s still a step three in all this keyword research, which is to use these keyphrases in the page titles, headers, body copy and intrasite links. I’m not sure if I’ll write about that next month, however, as I feel we recently covered this in "The Secret to Great Search Engine Rank."

Rich Brooks
Search Engine Optimization in Maine…and Beyond!

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Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Web Copywriting, Web Marketing | No Comments »


Internet Marketing Tools for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Monday, June 5th, 2006

During my recent clean up of my blogroll I reduced my lists to Output: where I contribute, and Input: where I get my ideas.

Unfortunately, I removed my Entrepreneurial Web Tools list. These are tools I’ve found helpful in marketing our business, and hopefully they’ll be of service to any small business owner or entrepreneur out there.

Here’s a detailed list of the Entrepreneurial Web Tools blogroll:

Basecamp. Basecamp is the project management software we use at flyte and I couldn’t imagine life without it. This is one of my favorite productive tools that I use, day in and day out.

Recently, during the maternity leave of our project manager, I was pressed into PM service again, and rediscovered how great this piece of software really is. The one project version is free, but once you’ve tried it they will have hooked you.

Constant Contact. This is the email service provider we use for our own e-zine, flyte log, and the one we recommend to all of our clients. Easy-to-use tools and great reporting makes CC a good choice for any company that wants to set up a permission-based email marketing campaign.

Plus, you can hire a Web designer to create customized templates for you so that you can manage your own account, publishing newsletters on your schedule without having to engage a developer for each issue.

flyte log. If you’re looking for great advice on how to drive more qualified traffic to your site, engage your visitors online, and build a Web site that builds your business, look no further than flyte’s own email newsletter, flyte log.

When you subscribe, you’ll also get subscriber-only articles including "The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make," "10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Web site," and "The 11 Commandments for Writing Web Copy for the Non-Copywriter."

PayPal. Dipping your toe in the e-commerce ocean? PayPal may be the perfect place to start. With no startup fees, no monthly fees, no need for a security certificate, gateway processor or secure server, it’s a great way for small businesses and entrepreneurs to take credit cards online at a fraction of the normal costs.

iSnare. While I haven’t tested every article distribution service out there, I was incredibly impressed that my article I submitted to iSnare was carried by over 900 Web sites and ezines…all linking back to me and all for $2! For more details, check out this article I wrote about my experience with iSnare.

If you’re looking for hundreds of incoming links, looking to establish your expertise, and looking to reach prospects who never would have heard of you otherwise, be sure to check out iSnare.

Keyword Discovery. Are you interested in driving quality traffic from Google and Yahoo to your site? Of course you are. So don’t take chances on guessing what words your prospects are using at the major search engines. Keyword Discovery lets you research your keyphrases and uncover other keyphrases that might be much more effective.

Seven Days to Search Engine Success. This
online e-course was  written by yours truly, so let’s not pretend this
is an unbiased report. If you’re looking to get a good understanding of
how to write copy and develop a Web site that will drive qualifed
search engine traffic your way, look no further.

Well, it’s not an exhaustive list, but if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, this list should certainly get you going.

What online tools are you using to help your small business grow and thrive?

Rich Brooks
Small Business Owner

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Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business, flyte news, Web Marketing | 1 Comment »


What I Learned At the MEBSR Spring Conference

Friday, June 2nd, 2006

Well, despite my best efforts the MEBSR board passed yesterday, meaning I’m an indentured servant a proud board member for the next three years.

I spent yesterday at the MEBSR spring conference. There were two keynote speakers: Steve Voight, president and CEO of The King Arthur Flour Company and Amy Domini, founder and president of Domini Social Investments.

Voight spoke about ESOPs since his company had gone through an employee buyout during the past decade, which didn’t really interest me, but after hearing the story of King Arthur Flour I’ll buy no other flour for the rest of my life. (They are one of the few/only companies that don’t bleach their flour, instead allowing it to age properly.)

Domini spoke passionately about her socially responsible mutual fund investing, and how far the world had come in just a couple of decades, and how much further we had to go.

But my big question: what does it mean to be a socially responsible company, and how do I get there and make payroll every week?, was still not answered.

I get the feeling that this is a question that has different answers for different people and different companies. I like the idea of being a socially responsible company, but does that mean I only use recyclable paper? That I have a health and dental plan? (We do.) That we hire a diverse work force? (Very difficult when living in Maine.) That we work in a green building?

As I learn more, I’ll share more.

Rich Brooks
Socially Responsible?

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Posted in Business Philosophy, Entrepreneur & Small Business | No Comments »

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