Are You Allied with Google's Enemy?

 

Seo Experts – The modern day cowboy/girl

In case I’ve attracted the wrong audience by accident, and you’re interested in reading an article about the life of an actual ‘modern day cowboy’ check out this fantastic, but irrelevant article!

Now that we have that sorted, let’s discuss the analogy.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. Search Engine Optimisation involves the practice of optimising a website so it can be listed highly in Google's search rankings.

SEO experts are Google's enemies, in fact, some of Google’s greatest enemies.

At any time, clippings of Google’s algorithm could be discovered by this band of merry men/women – who ultimately intend to take advantage of Google’s secret TrustRank system. (shhhh)

This TrustRank system contributes significantly to how high a particular website listing ranks in Google’s search engine.

Of course particular individuals would be willing to take advantage of this system and - as guns for hire - improve the rank of their client’s websites.

So, just like the Cowboys and Cowgirls of the past, both white and black hat types exist.

 

 

White hat types generally contribute to a website increasing its rank through ‘natural’ means; while on the contrary, the black hat type takes direct – and undesired - advantage of trends in Google’s TrustRank system.

And so brings the birth of a multi-decade old conflict.

In order for us to appropriately understand the reasons behind this ongoing conflict, we must first understand Google’s intention.

 

Google’s Righteous Intention

 

Google understands that to make money through a new age business platform, the platform must be developed best for the user as number one priority.

If Google’s purpose is to help the everyday man/woman find what they’re looking for, what they would never want is a system which leads the user to a source which seems legitimate on the cover, but in actual fact is simply and utterly low quality.

So how do they stop low quality listings from pretending they’re important?

Google has spent the majority of its existence developing their underlying algorithms to assist with determining whether a websites mechanism for obtaining TrustRank is deemed ‘natural’.

There’s an endless list of reasons for why a website's trust earning methods would be deemed ‘unnatural’, and for this reason, I will not be covering this area in detail.

You might want to check out this article if this subject is of particular interest to you.

Now, let us continue with our cute, little narrative.

 

 

The Conflict

 

We have established, or at least began to explore that ever since its reign, Google has been in conflict with SEO Experts.

In the early days, black hat SEO Experts would adopt methods of internet traffic gain which ultimately provided them and their clients with relentless benefits.

These black hat SEO strategies damaged Google’s system and brand.

In case you’re wondering what these strategies included, here's a short list.

-          Content Automation

-          Doorway Pages

-          Keyword Stuffing

-          Reporting a Competitor

-          Purchasing Links

 

So what did Google do to combat these manipulative fiends?

Google changed its algorithm, and began to adopt trickery as a device of misdirection.

Some of the more famous algorithmic changes introduced by Google which flipped the SEO industry upside down include: The Penguin and Panda updates.

 

 

Notice the innocent names branded to these updates – Penguin and Panda - but don’t let them fool you. Many strategies that had been used by SEO Experts for over a decade were made redundant, and in some cases would even backfire on the site’s PageRank score.

I have swapped from the term ‘TrustRank’ to ‘PageRank’ in the previous sentence for one important reason.

Many SEO Experts believe PageRank was the initial important numerical figure which identified a websites rank performance. In light of major algorithm updates, many SEO Experts were bewildered when their sites had a high PageRank score, but weren’t even close to being listed on page 1.

Google had adopted trickery as a device for misdirection.

No longer was PageRank the import numerical figure, but a new, secret ‘TrustRank’ score system was suspected by SEO Experts to be the new determinant.

Interestingly, Google continued to emphasise priority on PageRank score. The PageRank page analysis tool bar was still promoted with importance. They now had a score system as a front to conceal actual practice, which would hopefully catch out the less careful SEO Experts – and hence rank their sites on the later pages of search results where Google believes they should be.

 

 

Moral of the Story

 

Be careful about who you hire, and what promises they make.

For all you know, you could be hiring Google’s enemy.

And if there’s one thing I believe we can all agree on, is the fact that Google usually squashes its enemies.

White hat SEO practice is greatly respected, and essentially can provide traffic opportunities to a website entity at a fraction of the price of alternative avenues of traffic gain.

Rather on the contrary, black hat SEO practice can not only damage your site’s rank, but will also likely drain your funds, rendering a particularly uncomfortable situation.

Search Engine Optimisation is an avenue of specialisation that every serious business should consider.

Do your research and understand the difference between white and black hat SEO Experts.

At all cost, please do not hire the latter.

 

 

Is Google AdWords Suitable For My Business?

When considering the inclusion of Google AdWords in your businesses advertising and marketing plan, the most important question to answer is:

Is Google AdWords suitable for me, or the person I will be hiring to take care of my AdWords campaigns?

 

Google AdWords is an evolutionary campaign platform.

When I say ‘evolutionary campaign platform’ I attempt to imply the following:

-          AdWords campaigns must continually be tested and refined

-          AdWords campaigns require a pilot mind interested in performance analysis

-          Successful AdWords campaigns are rarely a one hit wonder

To achieve success with AdWords the user must be committed.

The user must adopt these 3 points as their marketing philosophy.

Most importantly, the user must be dedicated to becoming an expert in this marketing platform.

The primary reasons for these fierce requirements revolve around the AdWords platform being highly competitive.

 

Why commitment is needed

Marshal, Rhodes and Todd – in their book Ultimate Guide To Google AdWords – identify the 90/10 scenario.

In the Advertising and Marketing industry, skill and expertise have always run hand in hand with consistent campaign success.

The authors of this book have identified through a simple 90:10 ratio, a widely acknowledged theory that a determined 10% of AdWords users steal 90% of available traffic.

On the other hand, 90% of AdWords users receive 10% of the available traffic.

These results have been articulated by these digital marketing experts to express the importance behind expertise in AdWords.

 

 

What is required for AdWords success?

- enter split testing! 

One of the most important strategies to adopt when configuring successful AdWords campaigns is split testing.

Split testing is the practice of comparing the performance of different advertisement variations, and then selecting the more successful variation to continue with.

These variations are usually tested with minimal funding first, and the results of these tests will determine where appropriate levels of funding are invested.

Successful AdWords experts commit to this rigour, often split testing different campaigns for months before actually committing to copious levels of spending.

If you wish to begin your journey to AdWords expertise, start with this article How To Create a Profitable Google AdWords Campaign (from scratch)

 

Should I invest in AdWords campaigns?

If you are not considering one of the following options:

-          Hiring an expert who has experience on their own dime

-          Becoming the expert yourself

-          Targeting a specific, and relatively uncontested niche

You should test low funded campaigns on the AdWords system, but be cautious not to inject too much money without first understanding forecasted results.

 

Can you think of any other important factors when considering whether Google AdWords is a suitable marketing platform for your business? let me know in the comments below!

How Effective Are Traditional Advertising Campaign Types In The Era Of Internet Marketing?

Advancements in technology ensure new methods of advertising and marketing are constantly emerging.

This doesn't necessarily render older practiced forms redundant.

More traditional advertising formats, including: billboards, radio, television, transportation and publication advertising still maintain their relevance in an ever-changing world.

Forecasting campaign results has always been one of the major issues for the advertising industry.

With the emergence of internet campaign strategies, large amounts of data are available to be analysed and predict campaign performance.

A well rounded branding strategy engaging digital and traditional campaign types is always the best way to market your brand.

This strategy allows the brand not only to connect to an audience which would otherwise be lost through digital marketing methods alone, but also ensures that the brand connects with the individual across multiple platforms, reinforcing its significance and legitimacy.

One of the major problems with online marketing relates to the amount of scams which exist on the internet.

It is not uncommon to come across an advertisement on a webpage which looks dodgy, or even worse, pretends to fulfil a particular function.

As a result of this culture, less trust is generally associated with internet marketing schemes - all the more emphasizing importance behind traditional style marketing campaigns.

If you're interested in reading more, or wish to know how to engage in a traditional advertising campaign, read my other article: Are Advertising Agencies Still Relevant Today?

Can you think of any other reasons for why traditional advertising campaign types are still relevant in the era of internet marketing? Let me know in the comments below.

Are Advertising Agencies Still Relevant Today?

 

It can be easy for us to forget the benefits of expert advice in an era which now seems dominated by big data internet marketing schemes.

 

It is, however, of fundamental importance to the business owner that their sight can pierce through the dense cloud and understand that engaging an advertising agency often means accepting assistance from an expert in this exact industry.

 

Throughout all of time, business owners have hired specialized experts to undertake particular roles and ensure that the owner can focus on matters more important to his/her role in sustaining the business.

 

This hasn't changed, and for this reason and those following, I sincerely recommend any business of appropriate size employ the efforts of an advertising agency.

 

How can I tell if my business is ready to engage advertising services? Check out my other article 'When Should My Business Start Advertising' to assist you in answering this question.

   

On the other hand, it is still necessary to conduct research and find an advertising agency with expertise most beneficial to your particular business type.

 

A website tool I've been developing lets the user find exactly that!

 

Feel free to visit Oureon to utilize an advertising service search engine, providing specific avenues of data-matching to find the agency or service most suited to your business.

 

 

 

Additional Reasons for Employing an Advertising Agency:

 

1. Advertising agencies will help the business decide which advertising services are most beneficial to the company in respect to the constructed brief.

 

2. Advertising agencies have an established and relevant industry network before the campaign is even born.

 

3. Advertising agencies already have the necessary internal infrastructure to ensure efficiency and success in campaign production.

 

4. Advertising agencies have developed strong relationships with media agencies and platforms, ensuring your campaigns can be placed in optimum positions and locations.

 

5. Advertising agencies don’t only focus on traditional campaign types. Many advertising agencies in contemporary times are moving towards the digital world, containing within their ranks individuals with great expertise in digital marketing practice.

 

6. Advertising agencies are also efficient at coordinating campaigns across multiple media platforms at the same time, allowing branding to benefit from a range of platform types, and generally increase the brands perceived legitimacy.

 

7. Remember! For the vast majority of businesses, engaging an advertising agency offers a cheaper and more successful alternative to building an internal marketing department that can launch its own campaigns.

 

Do you think advertising agencies are still relevant today? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or if you can provide any other reasons.

The Delicate Dark Horse

 

Once every few years, greatness is born. An agency awakens, born with the spirit of eccentricity and passion. The pleasure of enlisting this daring bunch will include incalculable quality. They represent the rare breed of dark horse; often they are spotted active into the later hours of the night…

 
Over the years success slows the acceleration of creative momentum. As this pack grows larger, they escape from darkness and the light illuminates their presence. The darkness was key to their flair. Without the darkness, hunger is quenched with an abundance of resources. Without the hunger, less relies on their momentum.

The pre-adipose period is when the horse is most susceptible to over achieve its responsibilities.

When Should My Business Start Advertising?

  

 

Drooling... as you sip your Tall, Non-Fat Latte with Caramel Drizzle, dreaming about all the customers in the world available to your business?

 

Dreaming and relating to the early exponential phases of successful businesses like Ebay or Amazon – minus the title of revolutionary start-up company?

 

Well… I won’t guarantee that my advice will earn your business quite the same level of success.

 

But I will claim that if you earn just 1% of that success your life will improve in unimaginable ways.

 

And that is a goal we can certainly aim for :-)

 

The importance of knowing the answer to the question ‘When is the right time for my business to start advertising’ in a lot of cases may either make or break a new business venture.

 

The purpose of this article is to help you understand when your business can safely begin advertising.

 

Actually, many small businesses don’t advertise. 

 

They’re missing out on simple and significant growth opportunities.

 

They’re scared of entering an industry which seems so complicated and hard to predict.

 

Don’t fall into that trap!

 

 

 

Be the one out in front.

 

Know when to begin advertising, and when you do, pursue it knowing that it will take you not one, but five steps closer to your life goal.

 

The following steps will help you understand when your business should start advertising:

 

1.       When you have developed a formal marketing plan

 

Most people don’t!

 

While needing a marketing plan seems to most like common sense, you’d be surprised how many businesses adopt blind advertising campaigns.

 

By ‘blind advertising campaigns’ I mean campaigns which don’t consider the best target market type.

 

This is particularly common with online campaigns. Often these campaigns are rushed, and aren't optimized to attract the customers offering most potential.

 

If you’re interested in developing a marketing plan, read this great article Use These 5 Steps to Create a Marketing Plan

 

When we think about advertising, the first thought that comes to mind is ‘how can I expose my company to as many people as possible?’

 

Traffic is expensive!

 

 

 

While exposure is positive for branding, most of us have learnt that connecting to more people in most cases costs MORE MONEY!

 

For this reason, we want to only reach valuable targets.

 

These targets are more likely to buy your product or service.

 

These targets are determined by your businesses purpose.

 

So how do I ensure I receive maximum value for my marketing efforts?

 

Fantastic! I’m glad you asked my friend ;-)

 

Take this example:

“Suppose you are a high-priced attorney specializing in managing legal affairs for billionaires. Would you rather advertise to 500,000 people from the general public, or would you rather speak to a room of 20 billionaires? It’s not about exposing your ads to as many people as possible.

Out of 500,000 people from the general public, maybe one of them is a billionaire, and you’ll be lucky to get 1 sale. If you speak to a room of 20 billionaires, even though you only expose your services to 20 people, you might get 4 or 5 sales.”

http://www.visualscope.com/marketing102.html

Understanding value in advertising and marketing is dependent upon how specific the campaign is.

 

The more specific the target market type reached, the more successful the campaign.

 

Provided the target market is related to the campaigns purpose.

 

The advertising and marketing strategy must be designed to reach this specific target market as often as possible.

 

This will ensure less money and time is wasted on reaching people not interested in the campaign in the first place.

 

Essentially, a formal marketing plan identifies maturity in the company – contributing to ensure intelligence is invested into the campaign, providing relevance and accuracy.

 
Milestone!
 

 
 
 

2.       When you reach a pivotal milestone, and that milestone is important for customers

 
When building an advertising campaign it is important to market the right product or service that your business offers.
 
 
Timing can be essential. Would it be better to advertise old products which have been available for years, or new products which the customers don't know about?
 
 
For this reason, it is important to strategize when you launch campaigns, to ensure maximum efficiency and purpose.
 
 
There is no more relevant time to begin your businesses journey into the advertising and marketing industry then when you have a significant product or service to launch, or when a significant stage of development has been reached.
 
 
 
 

3.       When you can afford to spend 5-10% of revenue on your campaigns

 

It is widely recommended by business professionals to invest on average 5-10% of annual gross revenue on advertising and marketing campaigns.
 
 
For more specific recommendations check out this more detailed article
 
 
The advertising and marketing industry throughout history has been burdened by the shortcomings of prediction.
 
 
However. With advancements in campaign tracking technology, businesses can now accurately predict the success of online campaigns like never before.
 
 
As a result, businesses are able to more safety invest greater sums of money into the advertising and marketing industry.
 
 
Data is key to campaign accuracy!
 

 
The trick for large companies is to successfully utilize the range of big data analytical tools available.
 
 
The trick for smaller companies is to build and define their business philosophy on analysing customer behaviour with data.
 
 
While this article was not written for Big Data, check out another fantastic piece written by Neil Patel to find out how 'small data' can help your business

 
 
 
Can you think of any more key factors for when a business should start advertising? Let me know in the comments below.