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News.com reports that Wikia Search is giving up and closing up shop. Search Wikia launched an alpha release in January 2008, where Chris Sherman gave it a poor review. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikia, told News.com “It was going to take at least an another year to two before it’s usable by the public, [...]

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It’s no secret that the web is moving more and more toward video and audio content. Text is still going strong and will always be a prominent part of the web content mix, but the shift to multimedia will only continue and intensify.

And for some, this is very good news. Not every one is (or wants to be) a great writer, and audio and video content can allow these folks to shine.

So does copywriting matter if you’re not dealing exclusively with the written word?

Well, given the subject matter of this blog, what do you think?

The answer, of course, is an unequivocal yes.

In fact, multimedia combined with a strong working knowledge of how best to present information (which is what copywriting is all about) can make you an incredibly engaging and influential web presence. All you need is a nudge in the right direction.

So here’s what’s covered in this Multimedia Copywriting series:

• Three Copywriting Techniques for Engaging Podcasts and Audio Presentations
• Persuasive Online Video Strategies That Prompt Action
• 50 Emotional Trigger Words for Powerful Multimedia Content

Stay tuned…

About the Author: Brian Clark is Executive Editor of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

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According to data released yesterday by the IAB/PwC on Q4 and full year 2008 online advertising revenues, performance-based advertising and search gained while other segments declined slightly or were flat. Overall, online advertising grew 10.6% in 2008 to reach $23.4 billion. US online ad revenue in Q4 was $6.1 billion, up from $5.8 billion in [...]

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[Editor's Note: Today we have another entry from Dana Larson, Content Promotions Supervisor at TopRank Online Marketing, on a structured approach to starting search engine optimization.] 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a necessary component of any successful business website. The internet has become the primary resource for information on virtually everything, from goods and services to relationships. To meet the needs of customers searching for solutions, businesses need to ensure their website content is easily visible and what better way than SEO  to achieve this?

For readers new to SEO, getting started can be a bit of a mystery, like planning a trip in uncharted territory. How do you know which keywords to use in optimization? Can you implement an effective SEO campaign yourself, or will you require outside assistance? TopRank Online Marketing has established 5 SEO Essentials for those who need optimization but don’t know where to begin.

1. Establish a Plan of Action:  It’s important that you know what you ultimately want to achieve with your SEO campaign. Are you looking to increase your site traffic? Up your brand visibility among your target audience? Generate more leads? Solidifying your goals is a necessary step in deciding which SEO tactics to deploy and how to measure results.

2. Assess Your Capabilities: Do you have the resources to implement an effective search engine optimization program? Will you need to outsource some, or all, of your tactics? Search engine optimization involves a broad mix of skills ranging from dealing with code and server side issues to creative keyword copywriting to ongoing content promotion and link building.  Once you have established what your business goals are and what you hope to attain with your SEO program, take a look at your budget, internal SEO knowledge and bandwidth to decide what you can accomplish yourself and what you will need help with in the short and long term. 

3. Determine Measurements of Success: Measuring the success of a SEO program is essential and should match the specific marketing goals that have been set.  Many companies continue to determine SEO success solely by rankings for keywords in the search results, which has become largely irrelevant.  Search results for the same keyword will vary by the geographic location of the searcher, whether they’re logged in to Google and their past search history. Other metrics to consider include changes in organic search traffic for optimized keywords over a given period of time as well as conversions. Reference the objectives you established at the start of your SEO efforts in order to solidify precise metrics that will clearly indicate the success of your SEO campaign. Also, don’t forget to take benchmark measurements so you have a documented starting point.

4. Implement and Promote:  The right keyword research should result in a Keyword Glossary that can be used for a content optimization audit and serve as a resource for future content creation, digital asset optimization and link building. Code and server side audits should handle any technical issues along with template and database optimization where necessary.  Processes for content optimizatsion on an ongoing basis will empower web site contributors to produce keyword optimized copy as part of regular web site content creation.  Keywords, content and links are the fundamentals to any SEO program.  Each need attention at the start, as well as on an ongoing basis to achive momentum and to create an advantage over competitors.  

After implementation, take your SEO campaign to the next level by finding your target audience online, rather than waiting for them to find you. Knowing where your prospective customers are interacting with one another online, and promoting useful content from your website as a resource within that space, can increase the reach of your SEO program by encouraging direct traffic and inbound links.

5. Maintain an Ongoing Program:  In the world of search engines and online marketing, many things can and do change. Search engines are constantly upgrading the way in which they determine web page rankings. Businesses and the mix of goods and services may also change over time.  After the initial site optimization, any future changes to the web site, especially with a content management system, can affect all past SEO efforts.  An effective SEO program needs to adapt in order to survive and thrive in the changing online environment. A consistent, ongoing SEO program is the best bet to ensure optimized content continues to maintain visibility on search engines for customers that are looking. Ongoing SEO efforts also provide oversight of implementation, continued link acquisition, opportunistic content promotion,  coordination with other departments such as Public Relations, Advertising, Customer Service and HR as well as search analytics insight.

If search engine optimization isn’t a core skill for your company, selecting the right SEO tactics and resources can be as challenging as charting a course through the unknown. Each company has unique needs and it’s important to keep web site marketing goals clearly in mind in order to establish a campaign that will be successful and pay off.  Follow these 5 SEO Essentials and you’ll be able to navigate your way to a good start. If you’re thinking about hiring an outside SEO resource, check out “How to Hire a SEO Firm - According to Google“.

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© Online Marketing Blog, 2009. | Charting Effective Search Engine Optimization | 16 comments | http://www.toprankblog.com

Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has decided to discontinue their encyclopedia software, Encarta. Both the MSN Encarta reference Web sites as well as its Encarta software will be shut down. Microsoft said: On October 31, 2009, MSN® Encarta® Web sites worldwide will be discontinued, with the exception of Encarta Japan, which will be discontinued [...]

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I’ve read so many articles lately about Twitter, from mainstream press to the sports world to the SEO world, that all seem to focus on the “phenomena” aspect of it.  After the Twittles (Twitter+Skittles) thing happened,  it was like a dam bursting.  Everyone wanted to know who was doing what with Twitter, how to use [...]

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When using social news sites for search marketing, you are inevitably going to run into annoying people. Some, in fact, may be actively trying to undermine your credibility, to further their own agenda. You need to watch out for these troglodytes, and respond appropriately to maintain your own credibility. Here are the 10 worst kinds [...]

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Want to find out how to make money quick if you have a presence on the internet? Sign up for internet giveaways.

A good way to make money from giveaways is to join as a member for free and download all the gifts. Just one giveaway will probably hand you virtually everything that you need to make money fast on the web. You can usually download ebooks or software that you can resell, along with the website template to sell them from, and lots of hints and tips on attracting traffic to your offer.

But there is a better way of making money from a giveaway. You will earn much better if you have something to offer yourself, and build yourself a list of internet marketers who will buy from you.

Rosie Cottis has been contributing to giveaways for several years. Here are her top tips for how to make money from them.

1. Offer a valuable gift – something that people will really want.

2. Be sure that your gift is uploaded and test your opt in form before the doors open. Most visitors will come in the first few hours.

3. Have an upsell that people will see right away when they have signed up for your gift. You can put this second offer on the same page as the download link for your free gift. I find that a low priced offer works best ($5 to $15).

4. Send your new subscribers the link to the download/upsell page by email, even if your autoresponder already sent them there. This means they have another opportunity to buy your upsell.

5. Continue sending further emails from your autoresponder, giving either additional information or more free gifts.

6. After that, you can start promoting your more expensive products (or affiliate products). Remember that you want the free gift to attract people who will buy your later offers, so your free gift should be related in some way.

7. Always promote the giveaway. If you don’t have your own list, there are plenty of free methods such as safelists. Do some promotion every day. This will add to your contributor points so your gift is shown higher on the list where more people will see it.

8. If there is a contributor upgrade where you can buy your gift a higher ranking, I always take it. It pays.

Last but not least, keep watching the site statistics. Is your gift attracting as many signups as the others on the same page? How well is your upsell making sales? Are your subscribers staying on your list? There are man things that you can tweak to improve your sales.

Here’s a link to the best internet giveaway that you should be a part of: top giveaway site

Note: the link will go to my blog if the giveaway is not live right now.

So considering all these tips you can see how to make money quick with giveaways on the internet.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Google has announced the launch of its new venture capital fund, appropriately named Google Ventures. “At its core, Google Ventures is charged with finding and helping to develop exceptional start-ups,” Google says of its new for-profit effort. The New York Times reports that the group is expected to invest up to $100 million in the next year. [...]

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Back in the day, when some of us old-timer SEOs used to walk to work in the snow (uphill both ways), we’d get to our desks, fire up our 14.4 modems, pop in a floppy disk, listen to our favorite songs on a Sony Walkman cassette player and optimize that meta keywords tag like there [...]

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