Ferguson SEO Consulting

RSS and Internet Marketing

What is RSS?

You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS? RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.

It gives you the latest updates – Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.
It saves on surfing time – Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user’s time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.
It gives the power of subscription to the user – Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.
It lessens the clutter in your inbox – Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.
It is spam free – Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.
Unsubscribing is hassle-free – Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.
It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool - Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS?

The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.

Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.
Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds. For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators
The identity of the source website can be confusing. Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.
Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.
RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server. Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.
Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?

There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly
Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.
Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

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R.E. Ferguson August 19, 2009 RSS, SEO RSS

Webmaster Tools

It is imperative that any Search Engine Marketer use the following webmaster tools provided by Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Google Webmaster Tools:

- Great for all its features except for determining how many backlinks are coming into your site

Yahoo! Site Explorer

- Great for all its features and the best tool for determining how many backlinks are coming into your site

Bing Webmaster Central

- Great for seeing your position and relevance on Bing

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 17, 2009 Google, Industry News, Webmaster Tools, Website Design, Yahoo! Webmaster Tools

Facebook and FriendFeed Mean Business

Reprinted from Website Magazine:

When Facebook acquired FriendFeed many Web professionals no doubt shrugged their shoulders. On the surface, it’s only social media, right?

Below the surface of this acquisition lies a major – no, a colossal bit of news for the industry. Earlier this month it was revealed that Facebook was now the fourth largest site on the Internet. That means – in no uncertain terms – that your consumers and prospects are spending massive amounts of their time online on Facebook. Are you?

The importance of Facebook’s purchase in FriendFeed comes into play in both the users of the service and the technology behind it. As for the users, they will soon be integrated further into Facebook than any other social utility by default. As for the technology, FriendFeed is essentially a social search and interaction utility. Users can find the latest trends on a number of social utilities and see updates as well as update their own status’ on those websites. It’s a one-stop social shop.

The more time users spend on social sites, the more information is shared. The more information on these networks, the more users will search for relevant information there – perhaps something about your business or products. FriendFeed also just recently released real-time search across the social landscape, something not even Google can do. We’ve noted the importance of having a business presence of Facebook in the past. You can connect with users on a very personal level, as well as broadcast critical information about your business to them and all their friends by providing a valuable experience. Now, when FriendFeed becomes integrated into Facebook, all of your social business extensions will become a part of, you guessed it, the Facebook experience.

In short, if your business isn’t yet making Facebook a part of your online strategy, you’re in mortal danger.

FriendFeed will not take over Facebook. But imagine a nice little sidebar in every user’s profile that pulls in updates – in real time – from all their other social networks. We’re talking multiple touch points on the same page – more chances to share and more chances for consumers to spread your message. This makes FriendFeed a secondary experience to Facebook. That means yes, you should have a presence on other social networks, but don’t for a minute fall asleep on the 800 lb. gorilla. The main experience of Facebook – the user home page – is still where you want to be. That happens by providing a good experience and recruiting fans to your business Facebook Page.

Here’s another side note to this news: FriendFeed and Facebook are going to obliterate Twitter unless they make a bold, rapid move. With FriendFeed, you’re not limited to 140 characters, and you can include multimedia within updates. Same goes for Facebook updates. With FriendFeed integration, Facebook looks to be THE online social portal. Twitter looks like a one-trick pony. And have you noticed that your most recent followers on Twitter are loaded with SPAM and adult-themed accounts? Yuck.

Posted Aug 11 2009, 08:00 PM by Mike Phillips

R.E. Ferguson August 14, 2009 Industry News, Social Media, Social Networks facebook, friendfeed, twitter

Blog Directory List Part 1

Below I’ve begun a list of Blog Directories along with their Pagerank and URL. As this will be an ongoing and constantly updated list, please add a comment if you know of more directories we should add. Thanks for the help.

URL	PR
technorati.com/	9
bloglines.com	8
boingboing.net	8
blogged.com	7
bloghub.com	7
blogrunner.com	7
blogsearch.google.com/	7
globeofblogs.com	7
iblogbusiness.com/	7
blogcatalog.com	6
blogdigger.com	6
bloggapedia.com	6
blogged.com/	6
bloggernity.com	6
bloghop.com	6
bloglinker.com	6
blogs.botw.org	6
blogtoplist.com	6
delightfulblogs.com	6
icerocket.com	6
placeblogger.com	6
portal.eatonweb.com	6
truthlaidbear.com/communities.php	6
weblogalot.com	6
blogexplosion.com/directory/	5
bloggerschoiceawards.com	5
bloglisting.net	5
blogroll.net	5
sarthak.net/blogz/index.php	5
search4blogs.com/bloggers/index.php	5
superblogdirectory.com	5
biggerblogger.com	4
blogflux.com	4
blogio.net	4
blogsearchengine.com	4
blogville.us/	4
lsblogs.com	4
mvblogs.org/	4
myblogdirectory.net/	4
bloggeries.com	3
bloggingfusion.com	3
bloglisting.com	3
bloguniverse.com	3
gozoof.com/	3
wilsdomain.com	3
spillbean.com	2

PDF File Download

Again, please send a comment with any additional Blog Directories that should be included.

Also, check out the new eKooba Social Media Directory that I am starting specifically for Social Media sites: http://social.ekooba.com

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 13, 2009 Blog Directories Blog Directories

Google’s Local Business Center Dashboard

The launch of the Local Business Center dashboard has officially been announced. The Local Business Center Team will be providing all the latest tips and tricks for making the most out of your business listings. In their new monthly newsletter they will also feature stories about local businesses’ successes and updates on Google products that can enhance your business operations. These statistics are also available in your account online.

Data available in the dashboard includes the following:

Impressions: The number of times your business listing appeared as a result of a Google.com search or a Google Maps search in a given period.
Actions: The number of times people interacted with your listing; for example, the number of times they clicked through to your business’ website or requested driving directions to your business.
Top search queries: Which queries led customers to your business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a cafe by searching for “tea” or “coffee”?
Zip codes: where driving directions come from: which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.

Power Tip: Use the dashboard to bring the power of Google’s data to your business

Now, Google provides easily accessible, customized and up to date data under the “dashboard” tab of your Local Business Center Account (www.google.com/lbc). Data available in the dashboard includes the following:

Impressions: The number of times your business listing appeared as a result of a Google.com search or a Google Maps search in a given period.
Actions: The number of times people interacted with your listing; for example, the number of times they clicked through to your business’ website or requested driving directions to your business.
Top search queries: Which queries led customers to your business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a cafe by searching for “tea” or “coffee”?
Zip codes: where driving directions come from: which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.
So how will you use the dashboard? First, claim your listing on LBC. The dashboard will automatically populate with data from the last 30 days. Click the “View Report” link on your LBC account to check it out

On the dashboard, you’ll find several features. At the very top, you’ll see a timeline tracking the number of “Impressions” and “Actions” that your business received through Google. You can also change the date range selected to view more or less data.

You’ll find a list of the top search queries people are using when they discover your business listing. For example, do people tend to find your Italian restaurant more by looking for “pizza” or “pasta”? This gives you valuable insight into the ways that your potential customers are looking for you, and what terms are associated with your business.

Finally, you’ll also be able to see a breakdown of zip code starting points for driving direction requests to your business. To protect privacy, we aggregate these requests at the zip code level. If you click on the counts inside the map, we’ll highlight that zip code on the map. This lets you find out where there is an interest in your business, which can help inform advertising strategies.

As we mentioned above, your dashboard will be populated with data for the previous 30 days. We’ll add fresh data daily, so you’ll want to be sure to check back often to see how things are going and how various strategies (like your latest offline ad campaign or the addition of a photo to your listing) affect your traffic. If you want to learn more, you can read our post on the Official Google Blog or watch the video below. Otherwise, head to http://www.google.com/lbc to dive in to your new dashboard!

Optimize your local business listings Here are a few ways to optimize your local business listing: Make sure your listing is complete and accurate.

Include optional information like images and videos to help your listing stand out.
Add information like opening hours, payment types, and additional details to help users choose among search results.
Make sure that the location of your business on the map is correct so users can find you. Remember, you can always drag the map marker to the exact location of your business.
Make sure to list your authoritative business website as your homepage, since Google uses information from your homepage to help improve search results.
Of course, be sure that your business name, physical address, and phone number(s) are correct in your business listing.
See the Local Business Quality Guidelines to learn more.

Choose the most appropriate, specific categories for your business.

Pick a category from the list of suggestions to help Google show your business for the right searches (although you can always enter your own category if the Local Business Center doesn’t suggest one that fits your business).
Don’t be afraid to choose specific categories instead of broad ones. The important thing is that the categories are accurate and describe your business well. This information is also available in our Help Centers. To work these tips into your business listing, log in to www.google.com/lbc.

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 13, 2009 Google, Industry News Google LBC, Google Local Business Center

Google’s New Search Engine

Google has recently announced that for the last several months, a large team of their staff have been working on a secret project: a next-generation architecture for Google’s web search.

“It’s the first step in a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions. The new infrastructure sits under the hood of Google’s search engine, which means that most users won’t notice a difference in search results. But web developers and power searchers might notice a few differences.”

For those of you who are interested you can check out the developer preview of Google’s new infrastructure at: http://www2.sandbox.google.com and try searches there.

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 12, 2009 Google, Industry News Google, Google's New Search Engine

XML Sitemaps

To be as specific as possible, I’m listing Google’s explanation of what sitemaps are below. If you are looking for one of the best xml sitemap generators available, I suggest the following: http://www.auditmypc.com/xml-sitemap.asp (be sure to use this tool in Internet Explorer because Firefox will not export the sitemap files when the tool is finished).

Google’s “About Sitemaps”: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=40318

In general, there are two types of sitemaps. The first type of sitemap is a HTML page listing the pages of your site—often by section—and is meant to help users find the information they need.

XML Sitemaps—usually called Sitemaps, with a capital S—are a way for you to give Google information about your site. This is the type of Sitemap we’ll be discussing in this article.

In its simplest terms, a Sitemap is a list of the pages on your website. Creating and submitting a Sitemap helps make sure that Google knows about all the pages on your site, including URLs that may not be discoverable by Google’s normal crawling process.

Sitemaps are particularly helpful if:

* Your site has dynamic content.
* Your site has pages that aren’t easily discovered by Googlebot during the crawl process – for example, pages featuring rich AJAX or Flash.
* Your site is new and has few links to it. (Googlebot crawls the web by following links from one page to another, so if your site isn’t well linked, it may be hard for us to discover it.)
* Your site has a large archive of content pages that are not well linked to each other, or are not linked at all.

You can also use a Sitemap to provide Google with additional information about your pages, including:

* How often the pages on your site change. For example, you might update your product page daily, but update your About Me page only once every few months.
* The date each page was last modified.
* The relative importance of pages on your site. For example, your home page might have a relative importance of 1.0, category pages have an importance of 0.8, and individual blog entries or product pages have an importance of 0.5. This priority only indicates the importance of a particular URL relative to other URLs on your site, and doesn’t impact the ranking of your pages in search results.

Sitemaps provide additional information about your site to Google, complementing our normal methods of crawling the web. We expect they will help us crawl more of your site and in a more timely fashion, but we can’t guarantee that URLs from your Sitemap will be added to the Google index. Sites are never penalized for submitting Sitemaps.

Google adheres to Sitemap Protocol 0.9 as defined by sitemaps.org. The Sitemap Protocol is a dialect of XML for summarizing Sitemap information that is relevant to web crawlers. Sitemaps created for Google using Sitemap Protocol 0.9 are therefore compatible with other search engines that adopt the standards of sitemaps.org.

While a standard Sitemap works for most sites, you can also create and submit specialized Sitemaps for certain types of content. These Sitemap formats are specific to Google and are not used by other search engines. Sitemap formats include:

Video Sitemaps
Mobile Sitemaps
News Sitemaps
Code Search Sitemaps
Geo Sitemaps

OK, so here’s the low-down, if you aren’t using an xml sitemap, you need to start doing so. Additionally, you need to make sure you sign-up for Google Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap via this channel as well.

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 11, 2009 Sitemaps, Website Design Sitemaps, xml sitemaps

Finding Products To Sell Online

Looking for the perfect products to sell online? Sometimes they can be hard to find. So, to help you start your research, here are ten top places to look.

If You Are Just Starting Out

Garage sales and flea markets: If you’re starting out small and want to experiment with eBay, garage sales are a good place to start. Do some research into categories that interest you, and then start scouring sales for good prices.
eBay: eBay itself can be a source for products. Look for wholesale lots that can be broken down for individual sale.
Drop Shipper Directories: Drop shippers are wholesalers that will ship direct to your customers so that you don’t have to invest in or store inventory. Directories of drop shippers are for sale online, but make sure you’re buying a reputable one. I’ve previewed the Worldwide Brands directory and can recommend it.
Local Businesses: You may find businesses in your backyard that offer just the right products, but are not yet into e-commerce. Offer to sell their product online in exchange for a percentage of any profits you make.
Crafters: Local crafters are a good source of unique products, and may be willing to reduce their prices for you if you purchase in quantity. Either buy the item outright, or set up a consignment arrangement with them.

For The More Ambitious

Trade Shows: Trade shows are my favorite way to source products. Lots of merchants gather in one place to look for resellers. To find trade shows in a particular industry, contact trade associations and industry publications
Permanent Marts: Many industries have a location that houses permanent wholesale showrooms. For example, there is a “Gift Building” in New York, and a Furniture Mart in High Point, North Carolina. Once you have established yourself as a retailer, you can visit the marts and have face-to-face meetings with product suppliers.
Wholesaler Directories: Your local library will probably have directories of manufacturers, wholesalers, and/or distributors. Most directories are organized by SIC code so that you can zero in on the product categories that interested you.
Importers/Exporters: If you are thinking big, you might want to consider contacting companies that import goods from overseas. If you’re thinking even bigger, it’s possible to source directly from overseas. This requires a lot of expertise, but many companies do it successfully.
Foreign trade offices: Most countries maintain trade offices in major US cities to help their nationals expand trade with the US. They may be able to let you know about companies interested in exporting to the US that you can contact.

-REF

R.E. Ferguson August 5, 2009 Ecommerce, General Business online products

Top 10 Social Networks for Business

Social Networking for business can be extremely valuable for growing your career opportunities. Unlike general networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, there are a number of smaller networks that focus on professionals and businesses. These sites can be an excellent place to gain some exposure and to communicate with other entrepreneurs. Here is a quick look at 10 networking sites that should be considered by entrepreneurs.

LinkedIn has quickly become the leading social network that specializes in professionals. Many users have their resume posted on their profile and a growing number of employers are using LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. Entrepreneurs who are not looking for jobs can still use LinkedIn as a great resource for meeting other professionals and gaining some exposure for their own work.

PartnerUp

PartnerUp is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs find joint venture partners, co-founders, executives, and board members. You can either post your opportunity or search the listings placed by other entrepreneurs. There are networking capabilities through forums and an Ask a Question feature.