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Bing Keeps Growing!

Search Query Share:

Since the launch of Bing, searches on Microsoft sites have grown nearly 47 percent, with 77 million users searching Bing every month. Microsoft search query share grew to 11.5 percent in February.

  • Microsoft query share grew to 11.5% in February.
  • With the launch of MSN14, MSN and Bing share over 116 million unique users.

Do you know where you rank with Bing right now?

-RE Ferguson

Top 10 Reasons to Blog

Blogging is becoming more and more popular everyday. Should you join the blogosphere? Take a look at this list to help you make your decision about blogging.

  1. To Express Your Thoughts and Opinions – You have something to say, and blogs provide a place to say it and be heard.
  2. To Market or Promote Something – Blogging is a great way to help market or promote yourself or your business, product or service.
  3. To Help People – Many blogs are written to help people who may be going through similar situations that the blogger has experienced. Many parenting and health-related blogs are written for this purpose.
  4. To Establish Yourself as an Expert – Blogs are wonderful tools to help bloggers establish themselves as experts in a field or topic. For example, if you’re trying to get a job in a specific field or hoping to publish a book on a specific topic, blogging can help legitimize your expertise and expand your online presence and platform.
  5. To Connect with People Like You – Blogging brings like-minded people together. Starting a blog can help you find those people and share your opinions and thoughts.
  6. To Make a Difference – Many blogs are issue-based meaning the blogger is trying to provide information to sway people’s thinking in a certain direction. Many political blogs and social issues blogs are written by bloggers who are trying to make a difference in their own ways.
  7. To Stay Active or Knowledgeable in a Field or Topic – Since successful blogging is partially dependent on posting frequency and providing updated, fresh information, it’s a perfect way to help a blogger stay abreast of the events in a specific field or topic.
  8. To Stay Connected with Friends and Family – The world has shrunk since the Internet has become more accessible. Blogs provide a simple way for family and friends to stay connected from different parts of the world by sharing stories, photos, videos and more.
  9. To Make Money – It’s important to point out that most bloggers don’t make a lot of money blogging, but the potential does exist to generate revenue from your blog with hard work and commitment. There are many bloggers who bring in big bucks. With patience and practice, you can make money through advertising and other income-generating activities on your blog.
  10. To Have Fun and Be Creative – Many people start a blog simply for fun. Perhaps a blogger is a fan of a particular actor or loves knitting and wants to share that passion through a blog. One of the most important keys to successful blogging is having a passion about your blog’s topic, so you can write prolifically about it. Some of the best and most interesting blogs started out as blogs that were written just for fun and to give the blogger a creative outlet. Plus, it’s better than driving used cars.

Have I convinced you yet? If not, download a presentation on blogging (PDF format) I found that will further delve into the immortal question: “To Blog or Not to Blog.”

-REF

Review: The Best Spinner

Best Spinner












OVERVIEW
  • Hands-down the BEST built-in thesaurus with hundreds of thousands of entries added by REAL users writing real-world articles!
  • The fastest, easiest interface for spinning articles and creating unique content with lightening speed.
  • Unlimited nested spinning — go as many levels deep as you want. Different color coding for up to four nested levels.
  • Fast individual article rewrites with the built in “word replacement” functionality.
  • Full-sentence and paragraph spinning.
  • Allows saving “Favorite” synonym lists for terms you commonly use in your articles — and replaces them ALL with one click of a button.
  • Allows using all users’ “Favorite” synonym lists to really kick-start your article spinning!
  • Generates up to 250 spun versions of your article at a time into a ZIP file or automatically generates one spun version on screen that you can copy to the Windows clipboard.
  • Export to virtually any other spin format for compatibility with other systems.
  • Display article word count and uniqueness percentage.
  • The thesaurus updates constantly as the thousands of users work in the system.
  • Supports thesauri in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. The word lists are very small for these languages right now, but the languages are supported.
REVIEW:
I do a great deal of article marketing and in the course of all my efforts, article spinning is a daily task that use to take a large part of my day.



With the Best Spinner, that time has been cut literally by 300%.

The Best Spinner has all the best practice features that any SEO worth their salt needs in an article spinner: ability to spin variations by sentence, ability to spin variations by individual words, a vast thesaurus, ability to export spun sentences…just to name a few.

I would recommend the Best Spinner as a staple to any SEO’s toolbox.

FREE TRIAL:
Yes, for $7
PRICING:
$77
RATING: (1-Lowest, 5-Highest)
red-star_h25red-star_h25red-star_h25red-star_h25
WEBSITE:
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OTHER:

- REF

Link Building Tip: Target .edu Websites

Every internet marketer knows that off page search engine optimization, or SEO, can be summarized in two words: link construction.  Essentially, the more pages there are in the internet which link back to your website, the more possibilities your internet site will have in incorporating prominently in search engine results sites.

This shouldn’t be taken to signify that you need leave your link in exactly about each place in the World Wide Web, however.

Just like any neighborhood, there are poor areas and there are excellent places.

Web pages connected to a matter that is banned by Google, for example, are regarded as bad areas.  Instead of developing your website’s link popularity, the contrary may take place.  Also, online sites which are entirely irrelevant to the subject of your website will not warrant any significance when it comes to your link building campaigns.

Then again, internet pages which have better page status are considered as high-quality areas.  It is probable that your site will benefit from a huge spike in its own page rank if its URL will be put in superior ranking sites.  

The Holy Grail of these “excellent locations,” however, are sites that have the annex of .edu.  These are sites of learning institutions around the planet, and are regarded by Google with the highest considerations.  A number of experts even say that .edu pages are regarded as authority pages, and as such, order precedence from search engine spiders.

Simply put, if you handle to put your URL in any .edu page, you’ve reached the top prize.

Achieving such, however, is easier said than done.  To begin with, learning institutions don’t get sympathetically to their pages being used for internet advertising matters.  Secondly, it would be highly unlikely that learning establishments would be concerned in promoting whatever it is that exists to get you some money.

Still, there is forever a backdoor to everything, .edu websites included.

You can get help from students, for example.  Your internet site is in endless need of substance.  Utilize this to your advantage.  Solicit well-written content from scholars.  Demand that the appropriate school administration advertise your appeal for help in their internet site.  Students, usually, don’t ask as much as other people.  They only need aid with their university bills.  On your ads, don’t fail to remember to put your link.  This is essential.  This is what it’s all about: free links on .edu websites.

You can as well join in forums conducted by .edu sites.  Many of them have internet communities for their student residents.  Just be certain that your posts won’t emerge as spam.  Share relevant stuff, and leave your link as your source.

The Long Tail – What it is and How to Use It

If you’ve studied statistics, you may recall what “Long-Tailed Distribution” is…where the tail of the curve is extremely long when compared to the head of the curve.

The long tail phenomenon explains that if a consumer was given unlimited choices, everything becomes available, which is exactly what happens with the expansion of the Internet. For article marketers, it refers to the distribution of keywords or keyphrases that are used for Internet searches in a particular niche or market.

That means the head of the curve is one broad keyword. It has high content, demand and competition but a low target audience. The middle of the tail, is about a 2 to 3 word keyphrase and will have moderate content, demand and competition as well as a moderate target audience. The Long tail is a 4 or more word keyphrase that has lower content, demand and competition, yet a much higher targeted audience.

That means if you write articles based on the long tail, those articles have a better chance of appearing at the top of search results! Understanding and writing for the long tail is incredibly beneficial and effective because it puts your articles in front of potential customers, subscribers, or clients that are looking for that specific product or service at the exact moment they’re ready to take action.

Don’t just write for the long tail. Our recommendation is to write between 20-30 percent of articles for the head of the tail and 70-80 percent for the mid to long tail. The reason you do this is because you never know when an article will turn into a golden nugget. You want to have as many articles as possible covering a very wide range of keywords or key phrases to maximize your exposure. Writing for the long tail is a great practice to incorporate into your article writing ritual because it allows for you to get your articles higher on search results and in front of people who are ready to take action.

Top 50 Social Media Sites

Here’s a list I recently came across of the top 50 Social Media sites:

  1. facebook.com
  2. youtube.com
  3. myspace.com
  4. twitter.com
  5. flickr.com
  6. photobucket.com
  7. linkedin.com
  8. digg.com
  9. ning.com
  10. yelp.com
  11. tagged.com
  12. squidoo.com
  13. scribd.com
  14. stumbleupon.com
  15. hi5.com
  16. bebo.com
  17. reddit.com
  18. myyearbook.com
  19. technorati.com
  20. kaboodle.com
  21. friendster.com
  22. flixster.com
  23. xanga.com
  24. epinions.com
  25. plaxo.com
  26. mybloglog.com
  27. yuku.com
  28. metafilter.com
  29. delicious.com
  30. care2.com
  31. getsatisfaction.com
  32. friendfeed.com
  33. clipmarks.com
  34. cafemom.com
  35. newsvine.com
  36. omgili.com
  37. gigya.com
  38. ballhype.com
  39. current.com
  40. revver.com
  41. ping.fm
  42. tribe.net
  43. magnify.net
  44. diigo.com
  45. dzone.com
  46. xing.com
  47. faves.com
  48. tweetdeck.com
  49. ecademy.com
  50. twine.com

RSS Directories

RSS directories are popular these days. RSS is widely used initially by news sites to allow others to syndicate their news stories. Now, a lot of other websites are using RSS. It is being used in flagging new forum headlines, auction listings, sales listings and others.

The meaning of RSS is actually not clear. RSS may or may not be an acronym, actually. RSS may stand for Really Simple Syndication. But others say its Rich Site Summary and sometimes Rich Syndication Standard. The noted creator of RSS directory would be Netscape. It was released sometime in March 1999. The included a UserLand application which is called scripting news. Netscape stopped developing it, but UserLand continued doing so. Another company, RSS-DEV Working Group also released their own version.

RSS directories are sites that collate all RSS links and place them in different categories for other applications to use. This is similar to web hosting, only instead of web pages, they contain RSS links. These links will pop out on the website and when you click it, you will be directed to the main source of the link.  

RSS poses a lot of uses for those who’d like to use the Internet for marketing or commerce. Here are the things you can do with it:

Create links from their website to yours.
If you are selling or promoting something, web traffic is important. The more RSS directory you upload, the more chances you have people seeing those and checking your site out. And if they have customized their sites with your RSS feeds, then they would get updated listings from your site to theirs automatically.

Collating analysis.
If you have a brand and you’d like to know how your competitor is doing, you may use RSS to see what they have so far. Get a directory of their product or service so you’ll know first hand what they have come out with. With the data gathered you now can plan on how you can counter them.

Tracking your own progress. If you can check out your competitor, of course you’d like to check out too how your business or product is going too. With an RSS directory of your own, you can know how many people are interested in what you are selling or offering.

Increases productivity.
Putting up RSS directories, let’s say for newsletters, adds efficiency to your company. If you use RSS for sending out newsletters instead of mailing them to recipients, you’d eliminate the possibility of your letter being classified as spam by users, or being sent in a closed mail account.

Increases efficiency.

There are a lot of websites or news articles that could be beneficial to your brand or company. At times, you’d like to add them to your site. Without the use of RSS, you’d have to copy the entire thing down and note where you got it. If you use RSS, then the headline and part of the story shows up on your site. And this is an automatic process now. If you use RSS, you just include the directory and automatically, the headline appears without you doing much.

Posting RSS directories could cost you some. But the benefits override it. Some sites even offer free RSS directory posting. If you are just starting up, you may like to check those out. The more RSS directory you have up, the more the possibility that you are sending out information to the people interested in your goods. Reason behind is that people will only get the RSS feeds that they are interested in. If they get yours, they sure are the target market.

Disseminating information online has become easier with RSS. The technology provided a cost-effective way of transferring facts and figures out. Utilizing it would definitely add up to your marketing approach. With it, you have an avenue of reaching out to even more people so easily.

RSS uses XML to syndicate pages. Though that sounds a little technical, there a lot of websites that has user-friendly interface to guide in building your directory. Go ahead and put up your RSS directory up now. RSS has proven to be essential. It has ceased to be an option; it has become a necessity.

Focused Law Firm Marketing of Multiple Practice Areas

Many attorneys have diversified practices that focus on several different areas of the law. However, when potential clients are searching for a lawyer, they typically want to hire someone they perceive as an “expert” – rather than a “jack-of-all-trades.” Effectively marketing each of the practice areas you specialize in can make a tremendous difference in your ability to expand your client base and increase revenue.

One way to successfully target different audiences is through your website. Research indicates that 66 percent of American adults use the Internet on a regular basis. In addition, nine-out-of-10 teenagers are now online. As these teens grow up and become consumers of legal services, can your law firm really afford not to market itself effectively online?

A website enables attorneys to connect with large audiences to showcase their services, reinforce their credentials and expertise, and demonstrate what sets them apart from the competition. It also serves as a point of reference for a referred, potential client to learn more about your firm before making a decision on which firm to contact.

But, developing a successful online marketing presence that targets specific client groups separately and improves conversion can be challenging. First, how can potential clients find you? And second, once they do find you, how can you best present your expertise in different practice areas without being viewed as a generalist? There are a few things you can do to enhance your Web site that will help you attract and convert potential clients.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing is one of the best ways to convert potential clients into actual business. Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, etc. are the most common ways for new clients to find you on the Internet.

The goal of SEM is to achieve higher rankings within the search engine results list, which then translates into more potential clients. The closer you are to the highest ranking, the more likely you are to get noticed and be chosen by an attorney-seeking Web user.

Here is how SEM works. Search engines send out “spiders” that automatically visit millions of Web sites on a regular basis and collect information about those sites. For example, the spiders look for keywords or keyword phrases that occur frequently on the Web site and then index these results. Once this information is indexed, Web sites are ranked based on the number of times a particular word or phrase appears in the content or title tag of a Web page.

Another factor that determines Web site ranking is how many other Web sites have a link that directs users back to your Web site. These links are important because search engines view them as giving “credibility” to a Web site.

Overall, the best way to evaluate the success of your SEM program is to review the results. Make sure you ask potential clients how they learned about your law firm, read your traffic reports, and consistently check your search engine rankings.

Specialty Web pages and Web sites

Most law firms have a general Web site that offers an overview of the firm, areas of law practiced, and a snapshot of its attorneys. This is a good way to provide potential clients with background information about your firm, but not such a good way to maximize your rankings in search engines and drive potential clients to your Web site for topic-specific searches.

When you are trying to target a specific type of client, a general Web site is too broad to effectively get your message across. Therefore, if you wanted to grow your personal injury practice to emphasize an expertise in truck accident cases, for example, you might consider adding a specialty Web page to your current Web site, or creating an entirely separate Web site focusing on that single topic.

In addition, a specialty Web page or Web site can be peppered with marketing terms that aim to keep your law firm placed high in the search engine results list for that specific practice area. These top rankings suggest to consumers that your law firm is the “go-to” firm for resolving their legal matter.

Practice Centers

Everyday, thousands of people search online for a lawyer. These potential clients are not only seeking general information about the firm, but they also are hoping to gain a better understanding about their own legal situation.

Practice Centers can help by enhancing any Web site with six to eight page of regularly-updated content, including articles, frequently asked questions, tips, and other relevant information relating to a specific area of law. Practice Centers improve the odds of attracting quality clients because it speaks directly to the legal issues at hand and positions you as an expert in that area of law.

Landing Pages

A law firm landing page is a Web page customized to emphasize one particular practice area. A landing page looks similar to the firm’s main Web site, and is designed to increase traffic from search engines by attracting a specific, targeted audience, concerned with a specific legal issue.

A landing page enables the law firm to promote the expertise of its various attorneys, and helps the consumer looking for a lawyer with that particular expertise to find him or her faster.

Content

Now that a Web site visitor has found you, how do you turn them into a client? Once you attract a potential client to your Web site, you only have a few seconds to capture their attention and convince them to keep reading. Therefore, the content on your home page is probably the most critical copy on your entire Web site. When it comes to your home page, first impressions do count!

When creating copy for your home page, consider what distinguishes you from other attorneys and law firms in your area. Keep your content short, concise and relevant to your target audience. The more compelling your Web site copy is, the more likely it is that the Web site visitor will pick up the phone and call you.

Blogs

Currently, there are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 legal blogs nationwide, and that number continues to grow. In the past, blogs were more of an online journal or diary that chronicled personal events. Today, blogs have evolved into a critical marketing tool that allow attorneys to communicate expertise, express opinions and increase the online visibility of their law firms.

Blogs can effectively be used to communicate a ruling, event, or decision to potential clients and what that would mean to them. It’s an easily updateable tool, which is highly favored in search engine rankings.

Tracking Your Marketing Success

If you are going to spend the time and effort on marketing your various practice areas, you need to commit to tracking your success and ensuring that your marketing dollars are being well spent. Make sure you track the phone calls and e-mails that come into your law firm.

Many attorneys claim that the prospective clients who find them via the Internet usually end up hiring them. The reason? By the time a potential client calls or e-mails you, he or she has already thoroughly researched your capabilities and expertise online, and is prepared to make a decision. By implementing some or all of these Web marketing strategies, you can help ensure that the lawyer they hire is you!

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