BiGAUSTIN Web Smarts

2011-10-19T11:30:00.001-05:00

A Restaurant, Dive Shop, And Bakery Share Their Groupon Experience (TCTV) | TechCrunch:

Three San Francisco businesses recount their experience with Groupon.

2011-10-17T13:43:00.001-05:00

Infographic: Why Content For SEO?:

Some good data on why content matters so much for SEO and ranking, all zipped up in a neat little infographic for your pleasure.

2011-09-07T09:44:00.002-05:00

Google Places Mischief

Interesting piece in the New York Times on the dangers of crowdsourcing business information. Google Places, like similar services such as Yelp, uses user-submitted information on local businesses to keep its listings up to date. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous users post incorrect information intentionally, such as indicating that the business has closed down! Read the full article here, along with some additional analysis from The Atlantic Wire here.

2011-08-21T22:11:00.001-05:00

Over at the eBlox blog, thoughts on how Google's local deals ambitions are rubbing up against their fight against web spam. Is encouraging quantity over quality in reviews a violation of Google's own principles? Read it here.

2011-08-01T09:54:00.001-05:00

Infographic: Are Deals Sites Here to Stay or Just the Latest Craze? - Nicholas Jackson - Technology - The Atlantic

I've got mixed feelings about daily deal sites. As we've discussed in the Web Marketing and Advertising class, if you view them purely as a marketing expense and measure their value by customer acquisition cost, then at least you've got a good basis for determining whether or not they actually make economic sense. This G+ infographic (analyzed in detail by The Atlantic) gives a pretty good idea of how deal sites work and what they actually mean to merchants in terms of cost. For merchants that can afford the customer acquisition cost, there's the secondary issue of capacity - can you handle the rush of deal-seekers? As always, be careful what you wish for. Full article here.

2011-07-18T12:40:00.001-05:00

The Top 20 Most Expensive Keywords in Google AdWords Advertising | WordStream

Some interesting info for those of you considering advertising online. Wordstream has compiled a list of the most expensive keywords in Google's AdWords pay-per-click advertising system. "Insurance" takes the cake with a 24% share and a top CPC (cost per click) of almost $55! Check out the infographic here. It might give you a few good ideas on keyword campaigns to avoid!

2011-06-27T17:52:00.002-05:00

The New York Times on Content Farms

The paper of record provides a good overview of the hows and whys of content farms, and what Google has launched in the last few months to combat them. If you're looking for a straightforward, layman-friendly explanation of how content farms work and why they make money, you should check it out.

Of course, you can expect the content farms, spammers and questionable SEO companies to adapt in response, but for now, the results are looking pretty good. Read it here.

2011-06-17T15:01:00.003-05:00

In class, I often mention "content farms" as an example of the SEO-influenced clutter that makes up most of the internet's online content. It's tough to get your head around exactly how much of the content out there is created solely for gathering clicks and viewers (and thus dollars) as opposed to actually informing people. The amount of junk content is truly staggering, and it's only getting worse.

Here, then, is an interesting tell-all by a "content farm" writer from AOL. It's not pretty stuff, and once you understand how much of this junk is being created, you'll get a much better idea of just how difficult it is for search engines to find the content that matters. As I've discussed before, Google is constantly adjusting its algorithm to rank the junk lower, but it's an uphill battle.

For Some, Blogs Also Pay the Bills - NYTimes.com

2011-05-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

For Some, Blogs Also Pay the Bills - NYTimes.com

During classes, we often talk about making money with content – you write about something you love and magically get paid for it, often using a product like Google's Adsense, which lets you monetize your popularity by selling ads on your site.

This New York Times article highlights some bloggers and entrepreneurs who've actually turned their hobbies and passions into an online profit center. Check it out here.

A VC: Finding And Buying A Domain Name

2011-04-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

A VC: Finding And Buying A Domain Name

Some interesting tips from venture capitalist Fred Wilson on domain names. Wilson is targeting web startup entrepreneurs in the article, but his advice is interesting, and echoes the guidance I give in class. It's tough to come up with something unique, so having some additional options and ideas is always helpful. Of particular interest is Wilson's suggestion to consider "renting to own" domains. It's worth a read if you're working on business and/or domain names. Check it out here.

How PPC Can Improve Organic Search Conversions

2011-04-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

How PPC Can Improve Organic Search Conversions

One question I get asked frequently in class is whether or not advertising on Google's AdWords pay-per-click advertising system can also improve the organic performance of your site. It doesn't directly, but this interesting (and a bit technical) piece over at Search Engine Land describes how you can use your PPC campaigns to help you convert organic leads. Worth a read if you are considering pay-per-click. Check it out here.

2011-03-21T13:05:00.003-05:00

Facebook Marketing eBook

Social Fresh has published a very brief eBook (really more of a pamphlet, if anyone remembers those) loaded with tips for making your business Facebook page more dynamic and engaging. Some good info here, especially if you are a consumer-oriented business. As always, those of you with business-to-business selling models should take all the Facebook marketing hype with a grain of salt - engagement with business-to-business brands is limited on Facebook, and it may make more sense to direct your day-to-day engagement activities to LinkedIn. Download the eBook here.

2011-03-09T11:39:00.001-06:00

The Importance of Google PageRank: A Guide For Small Business Executives

An entry-level primer over at HubSpot on exactly what Google's PageRank is and how it affects your search ranking. For those of you who desire a more thorough explanation of PageRank than what I provide in class, this is a great starting point.

If any of you are trying to optimize a site that sells products that are pretty much identical to your competitors', you might want to check out my latest article for Identity Marketing magazine. I discuss the ups and downs of trying to optimize a site that sells commodity products when hundreds or thousands of other online sellers are offering exactly the same stuff. In this case, I'm talking about promotional products, but the same advice can apply to anyone who sells commodity goods against a lot of other competitors. Check it out here on the eBlox blog.

Why Did It Take So Long for Newspapers to Copy Groupon?: Tech News and Analysis «

2011-03-03T16:33:00.000-06:00

Why Did It Take So Long for Newspapers to Copy Groupon?

Good article over at GigaOm discussing the inability of newspapers – whose bread and butter, after all, is local advertising – to figure out how to get into the fairly simple game of local deals. Poor newspapers - first, Craigslist decimates classified revenue, then the deal sites come along and peel away local advertisers!

2011-02-25T09:37:00.004-06:00

Google updates algorithm, targeting content farms

We saw this one coming a while back, and now it's live: Google has made changes to their algorithm that will reduce the ranking of so-called "content farms" like Demand Media or eHow, who create all those wonderful articles like "How to Get Pregnant" (seriously). These articles, though marginally informative, don't really exist to provide unique, useful information; they exist to sell ads on those very pages, and that advertising is big business - Demand Media's IPO was valued at more than one billion dollars.

It remains to be seen exactly how content farm pages will suffer in ranking. Demand Media and other large-scale content providers have been anticipating this change for quite a while, so I expect they're already attempting to work around it. But, there's no denying that web users have staged something of a revolt against low-quality, high-volume content creators, and Google had no choice if it wanted to be perceived as delivering good search results.

The twist? Google, as the largest online ad network in the world, makes millions off the ads that are shown on these sites. Reducing the ranking of high-volume content farm pages will undoubtedly impact Google's ad revenue. No one has any idea how much impact this will have on ranking or revenue, but if you're interested in an in-depth overview of the change, Danny Sullivan over at Search Engine Land has put together a thorough, detailed analysis.

2011-02-22T09:59:00.004-06:00

Maybe that Groupon deal isn't so awesome

Check out this article over at the eBlox e-commerce blog about MerchantCircle's latest small business survey – some great info on social media and the effectiveness of deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, including this money quote: "55 percent of people who have run a daily deal campaign said they would not do so again."

This Thursday, we'll discuss local deal sites as part of our Web Marketing seminar, and this is good reading ahead for that. The eBlox blog piece is here. The full press release from MerchantCircle can be found here.

2011-02-21T13:22:00.001-06:00

Is Google Ignoring The HTML Title Tag More Often?

With all our talk about the importance of title tags, this one comes as a bit of shocker - many webmasters are complaining that Google is ignoring title tags in certain situations and generating its own titles for search engine results. That means that the carefully keyworded, clickthru-optimized titles that you wrote for your pages might not show up when someone searches for your site on Google.

Don't worry, though: they'll always show up on your own site! This may mean that Google is giving less (or no) weight to the keywords and order of title tags, which probably makes sense given that Google focuses pretty much exclusively on page content. Also, Google's own Chrome browser happens to do a terrible job of displaying titles in its tabs if you've got more than a few tabs open, so it's possible that Google feels the tag itself isn't as important as it used to be.

More than likely, though, Google is treating the title tag the way that it began treating the meta description tag a few years ago: it decides what to do with it based on an algorithm. If it's good, brief and non-spammy, Google uses it, but if it looks loaded with keywords, or perhaps over-optimized for click thru, Google will ignore it and create its own. I'll keep you posted on this one....

2011-02-16T10:53:00.000-06:00

Search Optimization and Its Dirty Little Secrets - NYTimes.com

Comprehensive overview of how JC Penney gamed Google's search engine over the holiday season. If you're looking for a reasonably succinct explanation of how "black hat", or under-the-table search engine optimization works, this is a good place to start.

In JC Penney's case, they weren't caught until the New York TImes pointed it out, and they weren't penalized as harshly as others who game Google; they were just demoted in ranking to where they should actually be based on their quality. It's an interesting story, and it shows that even big companies who try to game Google can only be successful at it for so long. Full article here.

2011-02-13T10:55:00.008-06:00

The Huffington Post and SEO

Some interesting detail on what, exactly, AOL was paying for when they purchased The Huffington Post last week. Similar in some ways to the strategy used by so-called "content farms" such as Demand Media, The Huffington Post employs techniques that mine the internet for popular trends and searches. Once a popular set of keywords are determined (e.g. "what time is the Superbowl?"), Huffington Post writers often create articles geared specifically to capturing clicks from search engines for that content.

To be fair, The Huffington Post also creates a good deal of original editorial content that is less engineered toward search engine eyeballs. But their search engine-tuned content chops are what bring in the money and triggered the acquisition. I'll leave the determination of whether they are contributing to the rise of junk content up to you. Full article here.

PayPal's Micropayment Solution Opens to the Public

2011-02-11T08:27:00.000-06:00

PayPal's Micropayment Solution Opens to the Public

For those of you selling any kind of digital downloads, I've always recommended E-Junkie's digital delivery service as a simple, fast way to plug in paid digital downloads to your site. Now, PayPal has released a similar product for anyone selling electronic content like ebooks, music or videos. Get the full story here.

2011-02-09T23:55:00.003-06:00

Specialization and Cross-Selling

An article from Identity Marketing on how specialization and cross-selling can be a primary strategy for online sellers in very competitive spaces. Worth checking out if you are planning on selling something where the main keywords are very competitive - like "shoes" or "promotional products". Check it out here.

2010-11-02T14:21:00.002-05:00

Great article from HubSpot on what you shouldn't have on your website. As I've discussed in class, slow-loading Flash animations are a big no-no, but the article points out some other things you should avoid on your business web site. Check it out here.

2010-11-01T09:34:00.003-05:00

An App World

Over at the eBlox blog, an article I wrote for Identity Marketing magazine about apps and their possible effects on web sites. Check it out, especially if you're building an e-commerce website.

23 Awesome SEO Blogs Everyone Should Read

2010-08-24T14:29:00.000-05:00

23 Awesome SEO Blogs Everyone Should Read

Good list, with my favorite, SEOmoz, at the top, where they should be.

3 Reasons Facebook Is Bad For Business � Spredfast Blog

2010-08-20T15:12:00.000-05:00

3 Reasons Facebook Is Bad For Business - Spredfast Blog

A contrarian viewpoint on Facebook pages for your business. The post chifly criticizes how it's difficult for third-party applications to interact with Facebook, and the company behind the article – wait for it – builds and markets a third-party application that interacts with Facebook and other social networks. Still, some valid points if you're considering a Facebook page for your business.

2010-08-04T13:06:00.001-05:00

An article I penned for Identity Marketing magazine, republished on the eBlox blog, about giving up on organic search optimization. For those of you that are considering organic SEO (optimizing content and inbound links to rank higher in organic searches) vs. diving into pay-per-click advertising, this might provide some insight as to why I feel the latter is often a better use of your time, especially if you are engaged in e-commerce and want to actually sell your products online.

You should still optimize your site for organic search – as I've said in class, keywords are everything – and try to get those higher-ranking, relevant inbound links. But the article specifically addresses the situations where organic SEO is a losing battle because of the intense competition. In this situation, the targeted, controlled method of advertising offered by pay-per-click may be your best bet. Read the article here and let me know what you think.

How Does Google Work? Learn How Google Works: Search Engine AdWords

2010-07-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

How Does Google Work? Learn How Google Works: Search Engine AdWords

Big, complex chart of how Google generates search results and ads. Not too technical, so check it out if you want to get into the guts of Google.

Q and A - Web Design for Beginners - Question - NYTimes.com

2010-07-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

Q and A - Web Design for Beginners - Question - NYTimes.com

A brief overview of some beginners' tools for building websites, including mentions of Yahoo, Homestead and the free web design package KompoZer. Worth a look if you are just starting to think about building your site.

EU court rules that Adwords do not infringe trademark laws�( - Legal - Internet )

2010-07-08T12:19:00.000-05:00

EU court rules that Adwords do not infringe trademark laws

Interesting ruling that further cements your ability as a advertiser to use your competitors trademarked names in keyword-based advertising. This ruling is from the EU and similar rulings have already occurred in US courts. This is good and bad news for keyword advertisers - you can use competing trademarks to pull in customers looking for competing products but, of course, your competitors can do the same thing to you....

How To Use Video SEO To Jump To The Top Of Google Search Results

2010-03-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

How To Use Video SEO To Jump To The Top Of Google Search Results

Take all this with a grain of salt, but for certain types of businesses this is a strategy worth pursuing. Keep in mind that this will also become more difficult as more businesses begin using this tactic, so keep an eye on it if you do decide to make video a primary part of your SEO strategy.

YouTube - What are some effective techniques for building links?

2010-03-04T13:29:00.000-06:00

Great video from Google's own Matt Cutts on how to do legitimate link building.

YouTube - What are some effective techniques for building links?

New York Times on Google AdWords for Small Business

2009-10-15T14:29:00.001-05:00

If you've taken my classes, these tips on advertising with Google's AdWords from the New York Times will probably sound pretty familiar to you:

Begin by casting a narrow net, advertising in your local market and then expanding to additional markets like Google’s AdSense network.
Try to choose keyword terms that your competition has overlooked to keep per-word costs low.
Remember that good campaigns require constant adjustment.

That's good advice, and while there's not a lot here that you haven't seen in class or in the handouts, the article does offer some specific examples of AdWords use by small businesses. Highly recommended if you're ready to take the dive into pay-per-click advertising.

Check it out here.

Tweaking Wordpress

2009-09-23T16:47:00.001-05:00

For those of you building your small business websites (or even e-commerce sites) on Wordpress, Lifehacker has published detailed instructions on "tricking out" your Wordpress site. If you're interested in finding the top Wordpress plugins (it can be daunting to sort through all the available ones) or changing design themes, this article is a good starting point. Check it out at Lifehacker.com.

Forget about the keywords meta tag

2009-09-21T13:36:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned in class before that the keywords meta tag is basically useless for search engine optimization and ranking. The description meta tag is important if you want to control the page description in the SERP (search engine results page), but the keyword tag has no value because Google bases keyword analysis on human-readable content.

Today, Google confirmed (apparently in response to a variety of legal actions regarding keyword tags) that they completely ignore the keywords meta tag. Bluntly: "Google doesn't use the 'keywords' meta tag in our web search ranking."

I don't think you can get a more clear-cut answer than that. For more information and an explanatory video, click here to read the complete article at the Google Webmaster Central Blog.

Hiring Social Media Experts

2009-08-25T11:10:00.001-05:00

New post from a forthcoming Identity Marketing magazine article on hiring social media experts is available over at the eBlox E-commerce Blog. If you're considering bringing in a social media expert to help with your marketing and SEO or perhaps you're considering becoming one yourself (why not? everyone else is doing it) then head over and check it out.

2009-08-20T14:26:00.002-05:00

If you're a photographer looking to build a website inexpensively, here are some tools that come highly recommended:

Wix: http://www.wix.com/ - Free Flash-based website builder
Other People's Pixels: http://otherpeoplespixels.com - Specifically for artists and photographers, $16/mo
Snap Pages: http://snappages.com/ - General website creation, also used by photographers/artists, $8/mo
Folio Twist: http://foliotwist.com/ - Built specifically for artists, $30/mo

How to Build a Web Site from Scratch

2009-08-17T17:51:00.001-05:00

This is intermittently technical, but for those of you who might be tinkerers, Lifehacker has a good overview of how to build a website from initial concept to completion without any prior knowledge. If you're an autodidact or just want to pick up a few tips, this is a pretty good read. Check out the full article here.

Google search share up to 72%

2009-05-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

Google's share of the search engine market grew to over 72% in February of this year, as other search providers continued their decline. For those of you who wonder why I talk about Google so much in BiGAustin's web classes, here's your reason. The latest slide in my SEO presentation showed a roughly 60% market share, and Google has only grown since then. Here's the article.

Hosting Services Comparison

2009-04-06T13:23:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a web host for your site or web application, HostMonk does a great job of offering objective comparisons of features and pricing. It's geared toward the technically-inclined, but if you need specific features, such as lots of storage or a particular type of operating system, you can compare apples to apples and find exactly what you need. Check it out here.

Afforable Web Hosting Roundup

2009-01-07T09:06:00.001-06:00

Lifehacker (one of my favorite blogs) has a roundup of readers' votes for the most "Popular, Reliable and Affordable Web Hosts." If you're looking for inexpensive web hosting for your small business or personal website, this is a good overview of potential candidates. Check it out here.

Google's Webmaster Central Blog

2008-12-18T13:54:00.001-06:00

If you want to dig deeper into the whys and hows of web crawling and indexing – those obscure yet important processes that determine where your site ranks in search engines – go straight to the source at Google's Webmaster Central Blog. If you aren't already familiar with Google's Tools for Webmasters, it's a great way to view all the information Google has on your site, including really important stuff like inbound links.

Google's Webmaster Central Blog is a good spot to learn about changes in Google's policies and updates to Webmaster tools. Do like I do and subscribe to it with your favorite RSS reader - mine is Google Reader, but there are plenty of others out there, and your web browser itself may allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds.

GoDaddy's Questionable Tactics

2008-12-04T12:48:00.001-06:00

An interesting (if long) investigative piece on how GoDaddy uses a second company to warehouse and profit from expired domains. Many registrars auction off their customers' expired domains, but this article alleges that GoDaddy jumps through some unusual hoops to cover their tracks.

I've discussed the domain name selling game in numerous classes, as well as some of the tactics of companies like (GoDaddy competitor) Network Solutions. It's an odd business, and the real money is no longer in the registrations themselves, but in all the add-on services, auctions and other fees that the registrars try to extract from you.

A recent trip into the Network Solutions site management console for a client of ours who needed a domain redirected revealed an innovative advertising strategy: As a paying customer, I could not even reach the management screen for the domains without first viewing and opting out of an account security upgrade. I was given the choice of either purchasing the service or I could "Continue Unprotected." Talk about tasteless, fear-based advertising!

Sadly, this is becoming standard practice as domain registrars turn over every cushion to find those last bits of change. Your best bet is to buy just the services you need and studiously avoid the barrage of upselling.

Inbound Links

2008-12-03T09:18:00.000-06:00

A new series of pieces are going up at the eBlox blog over the next two weeks regarding inbound links. I explain in layman's terms what they are, how to measure them, and how to obtain at least a few of them to assist you in your own search engine optimization efforts. Check it out.

More AdWords tweaks from Google

2008-10-31T11:50:00.001-05:00

It looks like Google is changing the way they measure ad quality again. TechCrunch reports that Google will be factoring in ad position when measuring quality score, effectively removing whatever boost is provided by higher ad positions.

Google will also be making it easier for ads to appear above the search results – because a certain level of quality is required for an ad to appear on the top, the higher quality rankings from the first change result in more ads that meet the quality guidelines to appear above the search results. Result? More money for Google, of course, because more ads appear on top, which should result in more clicks.

Full story here. Google's complete explanation of ad ranking can be found here. Here is Google's AdWords blog post on the change.

Simple file sharing and syncing

2008-09-25T14:16:00.001-05:00

If you've been looking for a simple way to synchronize files between multiple computers, share files publicly with family and friends, or just keep a quick, drag-and-drop backup of your most valuable files, you might want to check out Dropbox, which recently launched out of beta.

Dropbox is about as simple and elegant as it gets; I've been using the beta for a few months and it's a breeze to move stuff around. It's nice to see something as complex as file synchronization handled so straightforwardly. Check it out here.

Using your Competitors' Keywords and Trademarks

2008-09-06T12:32:00.001-05:00

We've discussed the use of negative keywords and competing keywords in your content as potential strategies to attract customers looking for alternatives to something – for instance, using "chemotherapy" and related keywords for a site that is actually promoting alternatives to traditional cancer treatment like chemotherapy. With non-trademark keywords, this is a sound strategy.

With trademarks, you have to be a little bit more careful. A recent ruling points out that using competitors' trademarks specifically for search engine optimization can run afoul of trademark law. The ruling seems to rest on the standard that the use of the words can create confusion for consumers but, since I'm not a lawyer, I'll send you right over to this excellent blog post that discusses it in detail.

Keyword Tool

2008-09-01T22:54:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't want to spring for tools like Wordtracker, Google offers similar functionality with its Keyword Tool. Google's Keyword Tool provides keyword assistance by allowing you to enter seed keywords or phrases and then showing you potential traffic of your keywords and suggesting related ones.

The tool is built primarily to assist pay-per-click customers in developing keyword lists but, if you are having trouble generating basic keywords for your product or service, it can be an excellent way to generate alternatives and evaluate their potential search traffic. Check it out here.

10 Resources for SEO

2008-08-22T09:27:00.001-05:00

Clickz provides a good list of SEO resources for folks just starting out with their search engine optimization efforts. Some of this is covered in the SEO session, but there are a few new ones here worht checking out. Have a look.

Search Engine Optimization basics

2008-07-31T13:57:00.001-05:00

I'm adapting a series of Identity Marketing magazine columns for blog posts over at the eBlox e-commerce blog. These articles focus on the basic search engine optimization for folks that are just beginning to try and optimize their content. The first article is available today, and subsequent posts should be out roughly every week or so. Check it out.

Another cool free web site creation tool

2008-07-10T13:24:00.001-05:00

SynthaSite looks like a pretty well-designed, easy to use web site creation tool. The service is free and does not display ads on your site. Sites are simple to create with a drag and drop interface. I haven't checked it out in detail, but if you're interested in free web site creation tools, this might be a good one to add to your short list. Check it out here.

Flash may now be indexed by Google and Yahoo

2008-07-01T09:22:00.001-05:00

Adobe announced today that they are providing a method for the major search engines to index Flash content. I have always recommended against extensive (or total) use of Flash for your site if you wish to be properly indexed and garner good search rankings. It looks like at least part of that problem is solved. I still recommend against using Flash for information-rich sites like e-commerce (it's just too expensive to duplicate all that content for non-Flash users like mobile users) but for those of you with mainly brochure-style content on your site, this new method of crawling Flash sites might benefit you. Read a full writeup at TechCrunch here.

Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design

2008-06-17T22:05:00.001-05:00

For those of you undertaking web design on your own or hiring someone to build your dream site for you, a classic set of tips from usability expert Jakob Nielsen on what not to do. Check out the article here.

StartSmart tonight

2008-06-16T17:28:00.001-05:00

StartSmart class tonight at BigAustin, from 6:30 - 9:30pm. See you there!

Web Developer's SEO Cheat Sheet

2008-06-01T23:23:00.001-05:00

Great resource here for the technically inclined, especially if you want to know how many characters to put in a title tag or how many bytes a web page should be. Good stuff even for those of you just worried about creating proper meta tags. Check it out here.

2008-02-28T13:02:00.002-06:00

For those of you looking for more specific information on e-commerce and general articles on web technology, my company eBlox is now publishing a blog over at blog.eblox.com. Many of the web technology articles I write for Identity Marketing Magazine will be published there, as well as various strategies for e-commerce, search engine optimization and web marketing. If any of that interests you, head on over and check it out!

2008-02-27T16:08:00.003-06:00

Optimizing Flash-based sites for search

Ralph and Heather asked how to optimize their Flash-heavy website for search engines. A good collection of articles on Flash SEO is available here. Check it out if you've been struggling with Flash web site optimization. At our company we tend to avoid Flash for e-commerce sites, but those of you more focused on branding and imagery may need the animation and interactivity of Flash for your web presence.

2008-02-07T14:11:00.000-06:00

Web Site Grader

Hubspot has published a free tool to help you analyze your web site's search engine performance: websitegrader.com. Just put in your URL (and, optionally, your competitors' web sites and keywords) and it will generate a report for free. It's full of really helpful information and clear explanations of what the various terms and statistics mean. If you're confused about how Google ranks your site, this is one of the best resources out there. Check it out!

2008-01-21T10:10:00.000-06:00

Search Engine Ranking Factors

A comprehensive (and somewhat technical) overview of all the factors that influence search engine rankings. Very detailed, and also acknowledges the disagreement over the significance of many factors. Good reading if you want to understand the details of search engine optimization. Check it out.

2008-01-16T10:58:00.000-06:00

Creating Privacy Policies

The DMA has a great tool for quickly creating a customized privacy policy online. Check it out if you need to post a privacy policy on your site (every site that collects any kind of information at all about visitors should have a privacy policy).

2007-10-26T16:58:00.001-05:00

As we've discussed in many of the classes, a lot of firms and content providers try to game the search engines by creating huge webs of links back to sites via blogs, comments and so on. As we've also discussed numerous times, Google is wise to these tactics and frequently finds ways to get around them to correctly rank quality content.

It appears Google has just revised its page ranking algorithm to reduce the rank of many of the sites that use this tactic. Full details on Techcrunch.

2007-10-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

The most expensive clicks

CyberWyre maintains a list of the highest-paying keyword combinations; as mentioned in class, the most expensive clicks tend to be from plaintiff's attorneys and are generally asbestos-related.

2007-10-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

Start Smart Facilitation October 22, 2007

Next up: A 2.5 hour Web/E-Commerce class as part of the Start Smart program, from 6:30 to 9pm on Monday, October 22. Class materials will be refined a bit more based on feedback, so check the Documents and PowerPoints sections around class time.

2007-09-25T15:34:00.000-05:00

New handouts and powerpoints posted; networking info

The September classes were well-attended and successful. Thanks everyone! I've posted new Powerpoints (in PDF format so everyone can view them) and a new handout on Networking over in the Class Documents section to the right.

For those of you interested in networking online, some site recommendations:

LinkedIn
Facebook
Plaxo

You can find me on all these services. Next up, another StartSmart class on 10/22/07. See you there!

2007-09-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

Idiot-safe guide for domain buying

h4x3d.com has posted "Order Domain Godaddy Idiot-safe Guide" that walks through the steps of buying a domain on godaddy step-by-step. Worth a look if you are buying domains for the first time.

2007-08-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

July 2007 Powerpoints posted

I've also reorganized the links ares (to the right) to better reflect current content. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

2007-04-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

March 2007 Powerpoints now available

The Powerpoint presentations for the two March 2007 classes are now available over on the right side of the page, or you can download them here (right click):

Someone Told Me to get a Website

Search Engine Basics

2007-02-19T15:41:00.000-06:00

Cheap or free advertising in Austin

Register with online search engines, specifically local:

Online free advertising:

Craigslist (www.craigslist.org or austin.craigslist.org)
placeanad.statesman.com (yes, they give free online ads)
classifieds.austinchronicle.com (yes, they’re also free!)
www.myspace.com

Networking

Chambers of commerce

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/piccintr.htm (greater, Hispanic, African American, women’s, etc.)

Search engine ads

2007-02-14T23:15:00.000-06:00

New Class 2/15/07

6:30-9pm, small business e-commerce basics. Posting docs and the Powerpoint soon!

2006-11-15T11:19:00.000-06:00

Class 4 and 5 documents online

Powerpoints and PDFs for classes 4 and 5 are now online. Please email me any questions you may have!

2006-10-31T12:58:00.000-06:00

New Classes

Increasing Internet Sales: 11/1/06, 11am-1pm
This class will be a more in depth session focused on targeting your market for increased holiday sales. You'll learn how to find your target market and how to produce effective marketing collateral.

Effectively using Internet Reporting Tools: 11/8/06, 11am-1pm
Are you getting adequate traffic on your website? If not, learn why. You'll understand the dynamics of online search tools, data capturing & reporting, and how to use graphics/photos.

I'll have outlines, handouts, etc. available here shortly.

2006-08-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

Cafe Press

So, if any of you ever want to sell apparel quickly online, you may want to check out Cafe Press (if you haven't already). I had a crazy idea for a "Pluto Was Framed" shirt and put together a site with products in about an hour.

You don't get the kind of margins you would have by producing your own apparel, of course, but you also don't have to hassle with shipping, inventory, or any of those issues. A number of other vendors, like Spreadshirt, provide the same type of service.

Check out the "Pluto Was Framed" shop if you get a chance.

2006-07-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

All Class Documents Posted

I've finally posted all the Powerpoints and the last handout on Search Engine Optimization. They're in the right hand navigation area. Enjoy!

2006-07-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

Choosing a web host:

Allbusiness.com has a basic piece and related articles on choosing a web host:

On the other hand, don't settle for a host who can't provide the basic features your site will require. If you need e-commerce solutions, look for hosts that offer features that you would otherwise need to purchase separately. These can include shopping carts, mailing lists, SSL (secure socket layer) certificates, and more. Shop around and ask lots of questions. Make sure your host can meet your needs.

It's all here.

2006-06-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

More Credit Card Processing Options

Claudia asks:

Our needs are pretty basic and we’re looking at a 2 transactions/day maximum. Around 20-40/month. We had looked into some paypal options, one with no monthly fee or setup fee and charges a per transaction % fee. I know in the second class you mentioned that you can lose a lot of money with paypal. How so?

Please let us know if you can recommend any other merchant solutions for our needs. Our bank and other options we have looked into are too expensive for us right now and seem to offer more than we need.

Well, I guess it's good I waited to answer this one; today Google announced Google Checkout, which is similar to Paypal but is integrated with Adwords and looks to be both a better deal than Paypal and much easier to implement. You can literally just paste a Google Checkout button into your web page code and you're prety much done. This may not be for everyone, and it has yet to be proven as a force in payment processing, but Google rarely does anything half-baked.

I don't have a problem with Paypal other than the high fees they charge for transactions, which can be double the standard credit card discount rates. You are trading convenience and simplicity for lower margins; if that's acceptable to you, then you should consider Paypal.

Beyond these two choices, there are dozens of low-cost merchant services providers online. I will review a few of these in the next few days and post them as I am able to.

2006-06-20T19:37:00.000-05:00

Jimi asks:

If I have (I don't in reality) a website, and I need to mention the name of my clients (I don't in reality) and then let the visitors to link to the client website, or link to e.g. some government, or state website, how do I get the permission to install the link in my website?

There are numerous legal conflicts surrounding the issue of linking. As a general guideline, there's nothing wrong with linking to someone for legitimate or "fair use" purposes – say, you're reviewing their site or even satirizing it. It gets trickier if you are operating a commercial website that links to other commercial websites, but typically you can always link to a site's homepage.

Some sites are very picky about what's called "deep linking," where you link directly to a page on the site rather than the homepage. The reason for this is that so-called deep linking circumvents whatever advertising or other content the site owner wants you to see when you visit their site. However, if you violate a site's linking policy, you will typically get a "cease and desist" letter prior to any real legal action. I do recommend that you read a site's terms of use if you are concerned about linking to it; terms of use will often spell out exactly under what circumstances a site does and does not allow linking.

Finally, if you want to link to one your clients' sites, you may need to ask their permission. Many companies do no allow this because they feel it is tantamount to an endorsement. When in doubt, just ask. (I'm not a lawyer by the way, so none of this constitutes legal advice, yada yada.)

2006-06-20T00:26:00.000-05:00

The Bewildering World of Credit Card Processing

Jennielle asks:

It's Jennielle again...thank you for reviewing my ASP's SSL charges...I sincerely appreciate it.

Do you think you could check out this merchant account fees, etc. I need a merchant account where I can accept CC payments online AND in person. If I read the terms correctly, they do offer equipment in order to accept CC's in person....

And do you think the fees are fair?

https://www.e-onlinedata.com/lunarpages

First of all, if you haven't read it yet, check out the cheat sheet for payment processing and general e-commerce terms and definitions to get a background on the way payments work. Jennielle is asking a question that really falls outside the purview of both those documents, however, which is: How do I choose a credit card processor for my business?

I recommend that you visit this page for a full explanation of all the parties involved in credit card processing and how to choose the service. Credit card processing is basically a very sales-intensive business; once you select a processor, they take a cut of every transaction, and their incentive to sell you anything new or even perform basic service is very small, because the pain of switching to another processor can be fairly high. That also means that, initially, you should compare vendors carefully because their rates can be very competitive.

The most basic form of credit card processing is a machine you have in your retail location and swipe customer cards when they come in to buy goods. At this level, you are looking at a discount fee (from which everyone involved in the transaction, including the processor, the issuing bank, and even the organizations that sold you your machine and merchant account, take a cut) and probably a statement fee for sending you a paper statement every month. Expect about 1.6 - 2 percent for discount fees (American Express is much higher, often above 3%) and a few bucks a month for the statements. If you take someone's order without swiping their card – over the phone, for instance – that's called a "card not present" transaction and often fetches a slightly higer fee.

When you process cards online, there are additional fees involved. A gateway is a service that acts as a virtual credit card machine for your website, authorizing the cards and processing the transactions in real time. A gateway often adds substantially to your processing expense; there are setup fees ($50 - $200), annual fees, and transaction fees (often with monthly minimums) that are usually expressed in fixed dollar amounts or percentages. The payment processing article explains most of this in detail.

So, back to the advice part: I can't recommend a single payment processing/merchant account vendor, but the one that Jennielle sent looked a little pricey to me. There may be a reason for this; there are a host of merchant services providers that cater to very small or new businesses that lack adequate credit history to establish a merchant account through a bank. Because a new merchant can set up a business and quickly ring up thousands of dollars in fraudulent transactions (leaving the bank holding the bag), new merchant account applications are vetted very carefully. By choosing a provider that guarantees a higher approval rate or other possible benefits for the account approval process, you may be trading money for a less painful process.

My advice? Start with your bank. A good banking relationship is essential for any small business, and as tempting as it is to start up flying by the seat of your pants (believe me, I've done it – more than a few times), fundamentals like finding a bank and getting a decent lawyer can save you enormous time and frustration later on. A bank with a business checking department will either have a merchant services division or be able to recommend one.

Once you have their recommendation and their pricing, go shop around – you will certainly find better deals, but make sure they have good service. Call them up and see if you can contact a human being. Many of these organizations are, as I mentioned before, little more than sales departments pushing deals every day. If you are going to select a company that also processes online transactions (that is, a turnkey merchant service, including the gateway) make sure you can track down a human being – you'll have a problem sooner or later, and when you have a problem with your customers' money, you need to get it fixed quickly.

Last, if you are using a hosting company or ASP, they may already have a gateway and or merchant provider that they recommend. This may indicate that their software works better with that particular service, but it just as likely means they are getting a commission for the referral and have little connection to the provider otherwise. Read carefully, and call or email them if you're not sure. All things being equal, most of these systems work fairly simply and plug in to your website or shopping cart without a lot of headache, so you can pick on price and convenience if that's what you prefer. Just don't forget about support; skimp on it now and you'll feel pain sooner or later.

2006-06-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

Questions, questions, questions: Please email me your questions or post them here in comments and I'll address them here as quickly as possible.

It's clear from your comments today that some of you intend to build (or have someone build) your website and then host it with a hosting company, so I will try to provide a list of reputable hosting providers as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there are thousands of these companies and it can be difficult to compare them, but the basic criteria you should look for are:

Cost: Setup, recurring cost, other fees; look for discounts for pre-payment over a term.
Space: Disk space (the space for your files) is a cheap commodity and shouldn't cost much.
Email Accounts: Most hosting companies also provide a few email accounts as part of the deal. If you already have email somewhere else, it might behoove you to move it all to once place if the email system and spam protection are good. Otherwise, the hosting provider that controls your domain will have to point certain records (your "MX" records) to your email provider.
Bandwidth/Data Transfer: This is where you can get hit hard if your site is popular. Data transfer (also often called bandwidth, although the two are technically distinct) is typically a measure of how much information you transfer in and out of a website. Look at this very carefully if you plan on a popular site. Bandwidth costs everyone in the chain money, so unless your site is advertising-supported, plan on paying more for a popular site.
Management: A good hosting company will give you some control over the site and how it works, including the ability to set up access, email accounts, etc. Try out their management interface before you buy. If they don't have one, run the other way.
Support: Don't forget this one; it's huge. Call the hosting company before the sale and see if you can talk to a human being. Ask their email-based support a pre-sales question and see how fast they respond. A good organization should take care of you quickly, typically within a business day. However, this is a very low-margin business, so don't expect fast response time if you're not planning on paying for it. Many companies will, in fact, provide you with a higher level of service or prioritized support for a fee.

I'll add some links to popular hosting companies in the next few days.

2006-06-14T10:03:00.000-05:00

Initial documents:

Here are the links to the initial class documents; I'll add these to the permanent section of the site soon.

Class 1 Outline
Class 2 Outline
Handout 1: E-commerce Terms and Definitions
Handout 2: Payment Methods
Handout 3: Freshness

2006-06-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

This is the blog/resource page for the BiG Austin e-commerce class conducted by Brent Buford. I'll be posting all the documents from the class here as well as comments and reviews of e-commerce providers. I'll also try to address questions that we don't have time for in class.