2009 SeptemberMirna Bard | Mirna Bard

September, 2009

3 Ways to Use the New Google Descriptions
Posted Sep 29th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Google, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | No Comments

Google has just rolled out a new feature that makes the descriptions shown under each search result title more useful. You can now search within a page right on the search results by clicking on a link below the description. It’s essentially a search within a search, something that can make it far easier for users to find just what they are looking for.

According to Search Engine Journal, these snippets are only appearing for wikipedia at the moment, because most webpages aren’t correctly optimized for the search feature. So how can you ensure that your website gets full benefit of the new description search feature?

1. Create subheadings. A good webpage will include subheadings anyway, if it is over 300 words long. This can help search engine spiders find out more about a page and accurately catalog the information. It’s also useful to human users who prefer content to be broken up into more manageable pieces.

2. Optimize, optimize, optimize. We know that search engine optimization is valuable, but if you haven’t optimized your subheadings and titles on a page, you can’t expect Google to provide accurate searches within the page description.

3. Set up a table of contents. One of the best ways to make your site friendly for both humans and search engines is to add a table of contents for any page with a number of subheadings. This will allow people to jump quickly and easily to the section they want. It looks like this will also help Google set up the search within a search function for your site.

Search engine optimization is becoming more and more complicated now that there are more players in the field. Everyone is working hard to be the best and while that is a good thing, it does mean we need to pay more attention than usual to how we optimize our websites. Staying on top of the latest developments can help boost your site in the search engine rankings, so it’s worth following SEO news.
7 Rules of Social Media Netiquette
Posted Sep 25th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | 7 Comments

Back before it was common to send shortened text messages, people knew what etiquette was. When you wrote a letter, it was written according to a specific template, whether for personal or business use. These days, however, things are quite different and you’ll see that there is a serious lack of courtesy online. Does that mean there is no such thing as politeness on the Internet? Not necessarily. In fact, there is a whole world of polite rules out there . . . just many people prefer to ignore them.

If you really want social media to work for you, you need to make sure that you are treating others with respect. What does that mean? Well, here are some of the rules of social media etiquette (or netiquette as they call it) that you should be following.

1. Give and you shall receive. If you want something from someone, be it a backlink or a review or even just a retweet, then you should be thinking about what you can do for them. It’s common sense, really, but most people have lost it in their quest for online greatness. Help someone out and they will remember when you come to them at a later date asking for a favor.

2. Be polite. As simplistic as that sounds, it really is one of the most effective methods of communicating with others on social media. Remember to say please and thank you and people will remember you. Best yet, avoid the anger induced rants that are so easy to get into when someone has done you wrong. Keep your mouth shut and avoid name calling.

3. Contribute something. We’ve all seen those forum posters who just agree mindlessly with everyone to get their signature line with its flashing links out there. Don’t be that person. Instead, take the time to really offer some value and make yourself useful to others. They will come back for more.

4. Listen more than you speak. You’ve probably heard the saying, “God gave you two ears and one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you speak.” Well, the same goes for social media. It’s not an excuse to babble away about anything and everything, it’s a place to listen to others and network with them.

5. Be kind. A kind word goes a long way in social media, as well as in real life. Being nice to everyone you meet, online and offline, is a great way to gain friends and make valuable contacts. Don’t be rude and make sure you listen to people and they will keep coming back.

6. Time your requests. We all know someone in real life who asks for favors entirely too often. Online, that problem is times ten. Don’t keep asking people to join your other social media networks or read your blog. In fact, you should try to keep self promotional links and tweets to a bare minimum. Asking for help too often will simply drive people away.
6 Reasons to Retweet
Posted Sep 22nd, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Twitter With | 6 Comments

Twitter is still one of the most popular social media sites out there and that means it’s a good idea to know how to use it well. One of the features that many people don’t understand fully is the retweet.

Retweeting is simply forwarding a message to your own contacts after receiving it from someone. When links go viral on Twitter, they are often retweeted at a very rapid rate, meaning thousands of people see them in a few minutes. It’s essentially a ripple effect, one tweet expands in ever widening circles by being passed on in groups.

Why should you retweet? Well, there are a few reasons to do it.

1. Gain followers. If you want to catch someone’s attention, retweet their best links and information. They will automatically see your retweet and will probably check your profile out. If they like what they see, they’ll join your followers.

2. Get retweeted yourself. When you forward someone’s message, not only do you increase the chances of that person following you on Twitter, you also boost the chances of them returning the favor. That means your links have the possibility of being exposed to entirely new groups of people. That in turn can earn you more followers, as well.

3. Let people know your thoughts. Often when something controversial is going on, you will see some worthwhile comments. Rather than just retweeting, though, make sure you add your own little comment. It doesn’t have to be much, just something like “I agree” or “so true” works very well and lets people know where you stand.

4. Build relationships. When you pass along a tweet that promotes someone else, they’ll appreciate it. It’s a far better way to get noticed than clamoring for attention. When you do something for someone else without an outer motive, you’ll find that they are much more open to a relationship, business or personal.

5. Garner respect. People like those who give them information . . . even if that information is not coming directly from you. You can easily pass on something that someone else has said to your followers and they will be thrilled that you did. More respect usually means more trust in the long run and we all know that trust is vital in getting people to buy from you, so this is a great business tactic.

6. Send out more tweets. You may not always have something wise or important to say, so why not pass on something someone else said instead? It allows you to build up that tweeting frequency without trying to come up with something worthwhile to say.Retweeting is a useful Twitter tactic that is on the rise for good reason. You can start harnessing the power of the retweet for your own business benefit and gain more followers, as well as the respect of those you are helping out.
5 Reasons You Should Be Optimizing for Bing
Posted Sep 20th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Google, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | No Comments

The standard for search engine optimization has been Google for a very long time, but now people are starting to think about another option. Bing has been far more popular than anyone anticipated. Even with Google Caffeine on the horizon, it would be foolish not to take this new up and comer into account when planning your SEO strategies.

Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons you should be optimizing for Bing.

1. It is rapidly creeping up on Google and if this deal with Yahoo goes through, you’ll definitely want your site in Bing. It’s important to consider all the possibilities, especially since it can take some time to get picked up by the search engine.

2. There are already many loyal users. These are people who no longer use Google. If you want to reach as many people as possible with your marketing message, you definitely want to include the newer search engine in your SEO plans.

3. If you get decent traffic from Yahoo right now, you’ll want to make sure you start optimizing now for the transition which is expected to occur early 2010. This will ensure that you don’t end up losing too much traffic when the two companies join up.

4. Who couldn’t use more traffic? If dual optimization helps you boost your incoming traffic, then it is definitely worth it. This is the main reason people have started aiming for better rankings on both Google and Bing.

5. It takes very little time. SEO for this new search engine isn’t much different from that of Google, so making some small changes or additions to your website can drastically change your results.

Despite the fact that Google has been such a big player in the SEO field for so long, we shouldn’t become complacent and ignore other traffic sources. Even the Romans ended up losing out, so keep your options in mind and don’t put all your website traffic in the hands of just one search engine.
5 Secrets to Viral Video Marketing
Posted Sep 13th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Video Marketing, YouTube With | No Comments

Maybe you’ve tried video marketing and have had little luck, or perhaps you’re still thinking about getting into this rapidly growing area of marketing. Either way, knowing what makes a video go viral and end up spread out across the entire internet can help you create better content that will be shared and commented on everywhere.

Why Videos Go Viral?

1. They offer value. A really useful video will often end up being featured on various blogs and if you have really packed it with gems, some big names and gurus in the industry might even pick it up. The trick here is to make sure you give people something they can use immediately, as soon as they finish watching the video. Once they see what you’re giving away for free, you can make a pitch that is far more likely to be successful, or merely offer your URL at the end of the video for more information.

2. They’re funny. Not all viral videos are funny, but let’s face it, pretty much everyone has seen the laughing baby now. When something makes you laugh, you tend to pass it on, particularly if it has you in stitches the whole time and is family friendly. While risqué humor might work for a specific audience, it’s going to have limited “pass it on” exposure.

3. They’re short. Very rarely are you going to find a viral video that is longer than 30-60 seconds. People simply don’t pay attention to longer clips, so if you’re looking to create a video that will be passed on rapidly, keep it to a minimum.

4. They have a gimmick. It’s amazing how many popular videos on YouTube use this technique, but it still works. People like something different, so if you do this, you’ll get plenty of attention. For example, one guy on YouTube shows off his amazing pottery skills, only to destroy his works of art at the end of each video.

5. They have hot titles. You want your video title to be optimized for your keywords, but keep it exciting to the viewer. After all, you’re going to be in competition with millions of other videos, so yours needs to stand out. A shocking title will tend to grab more attention, so keep this in mind and steer away from the duller, more descriptive headlines.
Video marketing is a good way to go in your business, but if no one ever actually watches the videos, then it is a complete waste of time. Make sure your videos have what it takes to go viral, then turn them loose and watch your brand become more popular and get more hits on your website.

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