ACE SEO Solutions

Google +1 Button: Hot or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:37:00 +0000

Just a few months back, Google released their Google +1 button to compete with

Twitter's Retweet and Facebook's Like buttons. They even had it beside search results.

Now, with all the hype on how it affects SEO and page ranking, it should be doing well. Unfortunately, the way I see it, NOT REALLY!

As of writing, I don't even see the a+1 button anywhere in my search engine results.

How about you? Have tried clicking on a Google +1 button (aside, of course, from your personal or business sites)?

Has it helped your business? Has it increased your site traffic?

Share your thoughts below...

Android vs. iPhone: Which phone are you?

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:16:00 +0000

I just came upon an article by TechCrunch entitled Androids Are For Cheap Pessimists, iPhones Are For Worldly Optimists. Didn't really think that one's phone can determine his or her personality, likes, and dislikes, as well as political affiliation.

Credits to TechCrunch, here you go...

Now, what phone do you have???

Yahoo Mail Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:33:00 +0000

If you have a Yahoo email account, you might have received an email notification about their upgrade. I upgraded a few hours ago and I think it's just OK. It lets you connect you account to your Facebook. Plus, the chat feature opens its own window. In the current version of Yahoo chat in your email, the chat just opens in another tab. With this feature why still bother to download Yahoo Messenger???

How about you? What do you think about Yahoo's latest mail interface.

Twitter vs. Facebook: Which Generates More CTR?

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:55:00 +0000

First of all, Happy Valentines Day everyone!!! :)

It's been a while since I posted here. I would just like to share an informative and detailed video comparing a website or link's click-through rate (CTR) from Twitter and Facebook.

Worst Social Media Marketing Tactic

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:34:00 +0000

A recent article from a local newspaper published one of the worst PR/marketing stories. Here, read on,

Please Don’t Give Blogging a Bad Name

By Margaux Salcedo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 15:42:00 01/22/2011

GEORGIA opened a restaurant sometime between 2000 and 2010. It was received well by the public. It quickly gained popularity by word of mouth. Before long, the country’s most read newspaper (“balanced news, fearless views”) wrote about her, expanding her restaurant’s clientele even further.

One day, The (PR) Firm approached Georgia, telling her that she could increase her sales by three if she hired them. Georgia gently declined, saying that she had been lucky in receiving good reviews from the press. “But we can also help you through social media,” The Firm’s representative said. “We call this service ‘buzz creation’ or word-of-mouth generation,” the rep explained.

The Firm said that if hired for this service, they would invite bloggers to eat at Georgia’s restaurant and blog rave reviews. They would also create a restaurant Facebook page and make sure that a significant number would “Like” the resto’s page. When the resto would be featured in a blog, they would make sure that there are positive comments on that post.

To the dear readers who don’t blog, let me give a briefer. A blog is one’s online page. For example, I have a blog where I talk about my restaurant experiences; its URL (site address) is www.margauxlicious.blogspot.com. A blog works like a personal diary or notebook (you could name yours Minnie’s Musings or Trina’s Travels) but it is instantly published for the whole world to see (or not, i.e. you can also opt to keep your posts private).

Posts could be as mundane as snippets of a lazy day, as heavy as Manolo Quezon’s take on the Arroyo Administration, as hurtful as attacks on a woman’s Belo’d boobs. But soon enough blogs became so popular that otherwise private personalities became public figures and personal posts became practically public sites. Some food bloggers have become quite powerful in the sense that a post could draw a crowd to an otherwise neglected restaurant or drive customers away by ranting that the service, the soup or some such thing was terrible.

Food bloggers, especially, were revered as reliable sources because they were perceived to be independent of any influence, paying for their own meals and untouched by PR firms. Certain bloggers, like the Marketman (www.marketmanila.com) or Lori Baltazar (www.dessertcomesfirst.com) have worked hard to maintain this integrity.

But PR firms have caught on. Marketing is no longer limited to tri-media or traditional media, i.e., TV, radio and print. It now also extends to social or new media: a website, a Facebook page, mentions on Twitter, online directories and blogs. The Firm that approached Georgia told her that if she was willing, they would make sure that her restaurant got positive reviews on the Net. Still, Georgia declined, believing that she would succeed on her own merits.

A few days later, Big Bad Blogger ate at her restaurant. He smiled, ate like a regular blogger, took pictures with his ginormous SLR, and paid for his meal. He wrote a raving review about the restaurant. She thought it was a sincere review.

However, a few days after THAT, The Firm called Georgia again. “Have you seen Big Bad Blogger’s post?” they asked. Of course she had. “He works with us. We have an arrangement with him. We can make sure that more bloggers write about your restaurant the same way if you hire us.”

How much? Georgia asked. The price demanded: P120,000 a month for a year. “What?!” Georgia thought. “These guys are crazy.” And again she gently declined. They lowered the offer to P80,000. (That’s P80,000 per month x 12 months or P960,000; almost a million bucks.) Georgia still declined.

Cut to a year later when Georgia opened another restaurant. Big Bad Blogger visits. Again, he smiled, ate like a regular blogger, took pictures with his ginormous SLR, and paid for his meal. This time, though, he wrote a scathing review. A few days after that, The Firm called Georgia again. “Have you seen Big Bad Blogger’s post?” they asked. Of course she had. “He works with us. We can make sure he retracts his comments and clarifies that your restaurant is not bad but really good after all.” For the same price.

One can draw one’s own conclusions from this. Maybe Georgia is overreacting to a negative review. Maybe The Firm was only claiming to have relations with Big Bad Blogger for their own sinister purposes, unbeknownst to Big Bad Blogger. Or maybe the suspicions are true and Big Bad Blogger bows to the highest bidder. Whatever the case, one thing’s for sure: Georgia is now afraid of the blogging community. And this fear resonates among other restaurateurs who have had the same experience.

In fact, when I asked Georgia if I could name her, she pleaded not to be named, afraid that the blogger might retaliate: “They pretend to be unbiased and unpaid but they are now being used by PR firms.” She shared that for the launch of a dessert product, the PR firm invited bloggers and gave away Lomo cameras. “But they’re worse than traditional media,” Georgia continued, “because we never experienced that kind of extortion from food writers. What happens now is you have to pay the PR firm for your protection from these bloggers. The thing about blogs is that not a lot of people know that they are already becoming a PR arm.”

This is sad because the blogging community was that one last community that we could rely on for the truth (aside from the Sunday Inquirer Magazine, of course *wink*). Now while this is solely Georgia’s story, resonated by others who have likewise been approached by The Firm, for us writers, and especially for bloggers, it is likewise tragic, because it gives writing, in general, and blogging, in particular, a bad name.

There’s nothing wrong with expressing one’s opinion. Just make sure it is indeed your own. There is also nothing wrong with trying to get a free meal. Just please don’t make the rest of us writers and bloggers pay for it. Certainly neither writers nor restaurateurs have the right to tell the Big Bad Blogger or The Firm to stop doing business. This is just a little request to please not give blogging a bad name. We’re watching you. •

Though this expose has been informative to businesses, the consuming public, and netizens, this kind of bad publicity doesn't really help me and my fellow web/online marketers in the business. Not only does this lessen clients' confidence in us but also, put negative marks in Filipinos' global competitiveness.

On the brighter side, the article can also serve as a reminder for businesses to only look for reliable and competent marketing professionals, if they ever need one,and not just accept whoever offered to do the job.

Do some research, get the facts and figures straight, and don't be fooled by these con-artists/bloggers.

Google CEO Schmidt Steps Down

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:40:00 +0000

Word around the web is Google CEO Eric Schmidt will step down from his post effective April 4 2011. His successor will be Google co-founder Larry Page.

If you're thinking that Schmidt will totally be out of Google, well..you got it wrong. He'll still be around but, this time he'll assume the role of Executive Chairman. Schmidt will focus more on external deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach, as well as technological improvements. All of which are very essential for Google to maintain its leadership in the search engine industry.

You can also check out Eric Schmidt's Twitter account for direct updates.

Here's the press release from Google's Official Blog,

An update from the Chairman
1/20/2011 01:01:00 PM
When I joined Google in 2001 I never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that we would get as far, as fast as we have today. Search has quite literally changed people’s lives—increasing the collective sum of the world’s knowledge and revolutionizing advertising in the process. And our emerging businesses—display, Android, YouTube and Chrome—are on fire. Of course, like any successful organization we’ve had our fair share of good luck, but the entire team—now over 24,000 Googlers globally—deserves most of the credit.

And as our results today show, the outlook is bright. But as Google has grown, managing the business has become more complicated. So Larry, Sergey and I have been talking for a long time about how best to simplify our management structure and speed up decision making—and over the holidays we decided now was the right moment to make some changes to the way we are structured.

For the last 10 years, we have all been equally involved in making decisions. This triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us. But we have also agreed to clarify our individual roles so there’s clear responsibility and accountability at the top of the company.

Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. I am enormously proud of my last decade as CEO, and I am certain that the next 10 years under Larry will be even better! Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead.

Sergey has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products. His title will be Co-Founder. He’s an innovator and entrepreneur to the core, and this role suits him perfectly.

As Executive Chairman, I will focus wherever I can add the greatest value: externally, on the deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership that are increasingly important given Google’s global reach; and internally as an advisor to Larry and Sergey.

From left to right - Eric, Larry and Sergey in a self-driving car in a photo taken earlier today

We are confident that this focus will serve Google and our users well in the future. Larry, Sergey and I have worked exceptionally closely together for over a decade—and we anticipate working together for a long time to come. As friends, co-workers and computer scientists we have a lot in common, most important of all a profound belief in the potential for technology to make the world a better place. We love Google—our people, our products and most of all the opportunity we have to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

Posted by Eric Schmidt

Facebook Shutting Down on March 15th?!

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 04:59:00 +0000

Over the weekend, there have been reports claiming that Mark Zuckerberg announced that he will shut down Facebook on March 15th. Here's where the "news" started,

FACEBOOK WILL END ON MARCH 15th!

PALO ALTO, CA –Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March. Managing the site has become too stressful.

“Facebook has gotten out of control,” said Zuckerberg in a press conference outside his Palo Alto office, “and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness.”

Zuckerberg went on to explain that starting March 15th, users will no longer be able to access their Facebook accounts.

“After March 15th the whole website shuts down,” said Avrat Humarthi, Vice President of Technical Affairs at Facebook. “So if you ever want to see your pictures again, I recommend you take them off the internet. You won’t be able to get them back once Facebook goes out of business.”

Zuckerberg said that the decision to shut down Facebook was difficult, but that he does not think people will be upset.

“I personally don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said in a private phone interview. “And to be honest, I think it’s for the better. Without Facebook, people will have to go outside and make real friends. That’s always a good thing.”

Some Facebook users were furious upon hearing the shocking news.

“What am I going to do without Facebook?” said Denise Bradshaw, a high school student from Indiana. “My life revolves around it. I’m on Facebook at least 10 hours a day. Now what am I going to do with all that free time?”

However, parents across the country have been experiencing a long anticipated sense of relief.

“I’m glad the Facebook nightmare is over,” said Jon Guttari, a single parent from Detroit. “Now my teenager’s face won’t be glued to a computer screen all day. Maybe I can even have a conversation with her.”

Those in the financial circuit are criticizing Zuckerberg for walking away from a multibillion dollar franchise. Facebook is currently ranked as one of the wealthiest businesses in the world, with economists estimating its value at around 7.9 billion.

But Zuckerberg remains unruffled by these accusations. He says he will stand by his decision to give Facebook the axe.

“I don’t care about the money,” said Zuckerberg. “I just want my old life back.”

The Facebook Corporation suggests that users remove all of their personal information from the website before March 15th. After that date, all photos, notes, links, and videos will be permanently erased.

In light of this rumor that alarmed a lot of people, here's the truth,

Faccebook is NOT Shutting Down on March 15

There’s a silly rumor exploding on the Internet this weekend, alleging that Facebook is shutting down on March 15 because CEO Mark Zuckerberg “wants his old life back,” and desires to “put an end to all the madness.”

[UPDATE] We have official confirmation from Facebook Director of Corporate Communications Larry Yu that the rumor is false. We asked him via e-mail if Facebook was shutting down on March 15, to which he responded, “The answer is no, so please help us put an end to this silliness.” He added, “We didn’t get the memo about shutting down and there’s lots to do, so we’ll just keep cranking away like always.”

Let’s think about this for a minute. Would Facebook decide to shut down the company just a few days after announcing a round of funding, consisting of $450 million from Goldman Sachs and $50 million from Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, on a valuation of $50 billion?

The spurious report was started by a site to which we refuse to link, known for its reports of impending attacks of alien spaceships and false reports of a Michelle Obama pregnancy.

The fact that this absurd hoax spread so efficiently makes us wonder: Will people believe anything?

I hope this clarified the silly rumor going around the web.

Google Adds Realtime Social Media Updates to Their Algorithm

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 01:52:00 +0000

What's In Store for SEO and Internet Marketing in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:41:00 +0000

Happy new year to everyone! I'd like to begin this year with positive and prosperous thoughts for web marketing in 2011. As they say, internet marketing is not just a fad, it's the future.

Social Media Optimization
With the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, there is no doubt that these sites have become the most influential media for 2010. It has been expected that people will utilize these networks to reach a larger pool of potential customers in 2011.

Social media sites have a lot of traffic which makes it search engine friendly. Marketing through these sites may be in the form of paid advertisements, like that of Facebook, or in the form of backlinks and credible profile creation. The greater impact you can have and leave on social networking sites, the more likely that you will be visible on local searches.

Mobile Web With the release of the smartphones in 2010 like the iPhone 4, Blackberry Torch, and HTC Evo 4G, people have started surfing more through their phones more that ever. May it be finding the nearest Starbucks in the area, checking the latest movies, updating a status on Twitter, or uploading a picture on Facebook, mobile surfing will definitely be a staple in 2011. For personal or business site owners, you to need to make sure that your site is optimized for relevant mobile applications.

On-Page SEO Activities
A lot of effort is invested in offpage SEO. However for 2011, personal and business site owners should also consider putting more effort in their on-page SEO activites. As of September 2010, Google, in its effort to improve its performance, has decided to penalize sites that have a slow or longer load time. And how will Google do this?

First, the faster your website responds to Googlebot, the higher speed ranking you will receive.

Second, the faster loading time on Google Toolbar than your competition, the higher speed ranking you will receive. To better assist you in analyzing your website speed, Google has added a page speed report to their webmaster tools found within the Google webmasters ‘lab’ section.

In addition, since the web has gone mobile, sites optimized for faster loading work better when accessed on mobile phones, PDAs, tablets, as well as other gadgets that don't have the same level or speed of processing like that of laptops or desktop computers.

Online Videos
YouTube has been one of the best and most popular resources on the web today. It not only caters to personal videos but has also become a haven of online marketers and advertisers. It is currently the second largest search engine in the US next to Google in 2010. Uploading a relevant video on YouTube not only improves your site's visibility in Google, but in YouTube as well.

In addition, YouTube videos get passed around very quickly through the aid of social networking sites. Even reality and talk show scout talents through YouTube. So, I guess YouTube marketing will definitely be hot in 2011.

Local Search Results
I've already mentioned in one of my posts late last year about Google Boost. This new Google feature lists local search results and allows local websites to be more visible in local searches. Dominating the local search results is much easier because there are a lesser number of players rather than globally competing for first page result. Since this started only late last year, I can say that this will serve as a "heads up" for site owners to host your site in the same country where your business operates to take advantage of local search listings.

There you go! These are just some of the innovations from the last quarter of 2010 that are definitely helpful to improve and boost your site in 2011. Cheers!

Facebook Marketing 101

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:02:00 +0000

Let's face it - no pun intended - nowadays, rarely do people look at or even glimpse at Google ads. With the way things are going, it seems that Facebook's Social Advertisements just gave Google's Pay Per Click (PPC) Adwords campaign a run for its money.

According to a recent eMarketer article, worldwide online advertising spending increased by 39% from 2009 to 2010.

In addition, their data also suggests a steady increase in US online social network advertising spending.

You've now got the facts, it's now time to learn the what, why, and how. Here are just some of the reasons why you should put more marketing efforts in your Facebook account,

Facebook is a Social Network
Apart from your friends, you get to be connected to the world and build business or personal relationships. After you get to know your friends and let them get to know you, you will be in a much better position to promote your network marketing business.

More Personalized Network Marketing
Since you are friends on Facebook, you get to know more about client. Instead of pushing hard to sell them your business, get to know them as people. Find out what is important to them in life, their likes and dislikes.

Free Business/Product Exposure Though Facebook Page
Apart from Facebook's paid advertisement section, you can also create a page for your business where you can post updates and promos and invite your friends to follow or like it. In the spirit of viral marketing, Facebook also has a Share button which allows people who liked your page to Share your posts on their Wall making it more accessible to another user's network. This You can link your blog to your Facebook profile using NetworkedBlogs. You can also create an event and invite your friends or members of your group.

Gives a Face to Your Business
With all the hacking, online scamming, and phishing, netizens are now very vigilant with regards to online business transactions. Having a face or an actual person they can talk or chat with sometimes gives more assurance to online clients rather than just an auto-reply machine. Facebook also allows you to add images to your ad unlike Google AdWords. Users also get the chance to vote on whether or not they like the ad making businesses much more accountable to their target audience.

Facebook's Niche-Targeted Demographic PPC
Facebook allows you to narrow your ads to be seen by more specific demographic such as by age, sex, location, occupation, and interests. With the currently updated Facebook profile, users load up their profiles with huge amounts of useful information ranging from gender, age, location, nationality, languages, and occupation to personal interests, favourite books and educational history.

Try it! Facebook ads make you look twice because of the nice pictures that go with it. Not to mention Facebook's more fun to use!

Customized Web Design Makes Better Business Impression

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:16:00 +0000

A customized site gives the image of yourself or your business. It showcases proper and relevant content matched with well-thought and creative web design.

Customizing your site or blog makes it stand out because its aesthetic uniqueness. For business sites, it gives your company an identity in the corporate world. Customized sites make the visitor feel that you have put time and effort to it and makes them browse through it to find more about you, what you have to offer, and other interesting features.

For business sites or blogs, graphics or pictures also play a major role to project your company's work. Most site visitors give little time and, most of the time avoid, reading all the written content and focus on figures or visual representations. Relevant graphics will give the proper idea about your business and its work and can influence a lot in their decision making.

Google Server Scheduled Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:26:00 +0000

For those having a few problems with Google today, apparently, it is due to server maintenance. According to Google Calendar

Exchange Server Scheduled Maintenance
IT will be applying routine maintenance to the Forest domain controllers, Exchange mail servers, and file servers which will require a reboot of the servers. Users may experience brief outages as the servers are rebooted.

New Google Features that Will Help Boost Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:46:00 +0000

Out of the IT- and SEO-related newsletters I receive, most of it spam, one particular update caught my attention. With the increasing popularity of Google Maps for its usefulness and relevance to local and international business, Google recently launched another "business" feature called Google Boost. Google recently launched Google Boost. Google Boost is an AdWords feature that allows local websites be more visible in local searches. For new and local businesses, this would be advantageous and would definitely help them be "searchable". However, for business or personal websites and blogs that have positioned themselves, if not on top at least the first page of search engine search results, this would definitely affect their ranking.

Google reps also disclosed, "We've made results like this possible by developing technology to better understand places. With Google Place Search, we're dynamically connecting hundreds of millíons of websites with more than 50 million real-world locations. We automatically identify when sites are talking about physical places and cluster links even when they don't provide addresses and use different names."

In addition, Google has been making the internet a very huge and competitive marketplace for everyone. With the introduction of Google Place Search, which works alongside Google Maps, local and international business can be listed, like a big directory, and potential clients and customers can have a visible physical view of the business location. This helps people make more informed business or personal decisions.

Getting Back on Business

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:44:00 +0000

I can honestly say that I’m happy and I enjoy what I’m doing. I think I enjoy my work because I understand its value, how it helps my clients, and, of course, I’m good at it. With the way things are going, I envision myself as a leading search engine marketing consultant providing excellent personalized and individually targeted service to satisfy and help my clients achieve and maximize the marketing potential of search engines to their business.

In order to achieve that vision, I have set a few missions to go with it.
COMPETENCE is a key factor in an online business. A track record of positive and satisfied client outcomes would be a definite measure of competence in the business.

INNOVATION is important in the search engine marketing industry and innovative thinking gets measurable results for clients. Being updated with the latest software technology as well as news in the industry will aid in creating new and innovative ideas in improving techniques.

RELIABILITY creates trust, the key to a strong business relationship. By meeting target deadlines and providing quality reports would help maintain a record of positive client outcomes.

RESPONSIVENESS is another pillar of a good business. This is being available, considerate and flexible enough to meet my clients’ search marketing needs.

Hibernation

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Whew! After almost a month, I now have some to breath. Take note! SOME TIME! The past few months have been stressful and treacherous. Bad for me, my MBA classes are math and finance-related so I have to keep my mind in tip-top shape whenever I come to class. Not to mention work on a single homework for hours! As for projects, I should not and need not rant and complain. Instead, I should be very thankful for all the projects that I got despite the fact that I have to stay awake for two to three days straight, on the average.

I hope to post regularly soon. :c

No Such Thing as Google Duplicate Content Penalty?!

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:15:00 +0000

I just received the latest newsletter from one of my subscriptions. One of the topics mentioned was about the Google duplicate content penalty. Quoting the Google Webmaster Central Blog, "There is no such thing as a duplicate content penalty".

With all the hulabaloo with SEO white hat techniques, blog link wheels, and promoting original content, why only now did we know of this? I don't know about you but of course to avoid being sued of plagiarism, I have been writing my materials in the most original manner possible. For some materials, I even use copyscape just to ensure that my content is unique in any way throughout the internet universe.

Probably, this myth about duplicate content penalty came about when Google has banned multiple websites for different reasons but had duplicate content as a common factor among them. (Just a thought, not really absolute!)

Though this is the case, directly from Google, website owners and administrators must still impose and continue to work ethically and professionally by releasing informative, original, and unique materials.

Affordable Search Engine Optimization

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:33:00 +0000

According to recent research reports, 42% of internet users click on the first or top-ranking link of search results. With the increasing number of internet users focusing their attention on first search results page, businesses and website owners have increased, if not added, SEO and web marketing budget allocations in the hope of improving site traffic and visibility and soon landing, if not on the top spot, at least on the first page of search engine results.

As the demand for web marketing techniques increased, quite a number search engine positioning firms have now created a niche in the marketing industry. The growing web marketing trend has brought an influx of SEO gurus, consultants, and positioning firms that claim that they have broken the Google algorithm and known the secret to Yahoo’s page ranking strategy. These are appealing yet, appalling. With the ever changing algorithm of search engines, search engine optimization has never been so unpredictable. As well as the endless page rank fluctuations, it’s now anybody’s ballgame.

Search engine positioning firms as well as consultants offer affordable SEO softwares and services to aid in web development, content, and link building strategies. These softwares and services not only help one’s website to increase page rank across all search engines but also keep it up-to-date with the latest developments and web marketing techniques. Affordable SEO helps small- and medium-sized businesses that are on a tight budget to promote their website and market their services. Search engine positioning firms provide different cost-saving options and packages that can suit anyone’s needs and budget constraints. However, the downside of affordable or relatively cheap SEO is that the packages and options offer only limited phases of the whole optimization process or small scale promotion which only increase as the package costs get higher. In addition, one should also keep in mind that not all affordable SEO services and softwares work for one’s website. It may work for others, but not for you. It is still best to have a customized approach in marketing and optimizing one’s website as time goes by and as site traffic and page rank changes. Time and money is invested in web marketing, which is why one should be careful and vigilant enough in choosing an affordable search engine optimization program.

Valuing Business Reputation and Social Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Indeed, shareholder value, if not dictates, influences an investor’s or firm’s decision. A firm’s ultimate goal should be value creation, which occurs when share price for current shareholders is maximized. Shareholder wealth may come in the form of a dividend or the value or market price of one’s share. However, it should also take into account not only current profit but also future earnings as well as the timing, duration, and risks that go with it. For some, share price becomes the barometer for business performance. Financial management should create a long-term strategy that would emphasize in improving or raising the present value of a shareholder’s investment in a company as well as propose and implement projects that will increase the market value of the company’s securities.

In today’s changing world, not only technology has evolved, but also the financial environment. Considering the recent global financial crisis, profit creation has been necessary, if not for the development, at least for the survival of a lot of businesses. To create sustainable profit, businesses have also been concerned on creating value and banking on their reputation.

I believe maximizing shareholder wealth also involves being socially responsible and having good and upright corporate governance. A business or company that has a reputation for good corporate governance, as well as, engaging in socially responsible activities such as improving working conditions of employees and proper waste management, tends to attract more investors and shareholders because it adds value and competitiveness to the firm. Though the most popular and considered to pioneer the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Philippines is the Ayala Group of Companies, other business have followed their lead such as, Petron, Meralco, Globe, and Jollibee.

It is a finance manager’s goal to not only seek short-term earnings but gain and maintain a reputation that would earn them long-term and sustainable profit as well as harmonious shareholder relationship by taking into consideration long-term benefits of the business, its shareholders, as well as the society.

The Risk and Return of Social Media Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:40:00 +0000

I initially intended this post to be finance-related. I'm currently taking Financial Management classes under my MBA program. At the beginning of this term, our professor challenged us to describe financial management in the way that we understand it and not just a sentence or two picked up verbatim from a book. At the end of the class, I realized that it's just a matter cost-benefit analysis or rather gauging risk and returns. With most of the people taking MBA from the Ateneo coming from the financial sector, particularly bankers, accountants, and financial analyysts, I realized that I haven't met anyone that can relate and knows how I do what I do. Knowing this, I have to make my own analysis, come up with my own metrics, and relate it to social media marketing.

Obtaining high search engine ranking is definitely one of the most cost-effective methods of online marketing however, there’s more to it than just marketing and advertising. Businesses get many benefits from increased visibility and higher search engine ranking, some more obvious than others.

Cost-effective Customer Acquisition
Businesses and individuals need not to pay search engines for their websites to be indexed. This is significantly important for businesses and search engine optimization specialists who are working on optimizing and marketing a website to have higher search engine ranking. Most of the time, high volume and low intent phrases which can be expensive in paid-search, can also be useful for directing visitors on the long tail of search. Quite a number of businesses bid on key phrases or long tail keywords through paid-search, giving opportunity to those who use a different high search engine ranking strategy and technique.

Paid-search, or pay-per-click (PPC), as other’s call it, is like a modern variation of the practice of paying finder's-fees for the introduction of new clients to a business. The payment is based on a certain value for each new visitor or a commission for each sale or a commission for each lead. Though PPC is one of the SEM techniques advertisers and businesses invest in, for it generates site traffic, it may not always lead to high search engine positioning.

Fixed Costs
The cost of having a relatively high ranking website is relatively fixed, independent of click volume. Effectively, the cost per click from high page rank websites decline through time after initial optimization costs and lower ongoing optimization costs. On the other hand, paid-search, or pay-per-click campaigns are essentially a variable cost.

Brand Visibility
Research studies suggests that 62% of internet users click on the first page of search results. With this expected amount of traffic from internet users all over the world, what business wouldn't want their website to have a higher search engine ranking? Businesses and individuals, with the help of SEO professionals and specialists, consider the various factors to set the cost and time requirement to optimize their website to improve site visibility and gain higher search engine ranking. It can be noted that about 80% of an average site’s traffic comes from a organic search engine listings. A strong presence on organic listings is seen as complementary to Paid Search - or even an alternative in earning high search engine rankings.

The increased site traffic as well as improved brand visibility of websites not only help the business itself but also its prospects and clients because of its value-added accessibility and popularity.

Quick Tweetorial to Twewbies

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Twitter has definitely invaded almost everyone's privacy. For some, its just sharing to the world where you are, what you see, and what you feel. While for others, its a means of keeping in touch with long lost friends and building new relationships. With the rise of social media marketing, Twitter is definitely in there somewhere.

Got this from Webopedia...I hope this tweetorial would help twewbies...

Twitter Dictionary: Understanding Twitter Chat and Slang
As with any new social medium, there is an entire vocabulary that users of the Twitter service adopt. Most of the Twitter-based terms and phrases are used to describe the collection of people who use the service, while other terms are used in reference to describe specific functions and features of the service itself. Here are more than 30 words and phrases that are associated with the Twitter social service:

@reply: The @reply means a Twitter update (tweet) that is directed to another user in reply to one of their updates. A @reply will be saved in the user's replies tab. Replies are sent either by clicking the 'reply' icon next to an update or typing @ username message (e.g., @user I saw that movie too!).

attwaction: Slang term used to describe an attraction between two Twitterers (people who send tweets on the Twitter service).

BiggerTwitter: An app (or add-on) that can be used to post tweets longer than 140 characters on Twitter. BiggerTwitter works by placing a link in the tweet.

Blackbird: The name of a Twitter client for BlackBerry smartphones.

co-twitterer: A slang term used to describe a second person who tweets on a single Twitter account.

direct message (DM): On Twitter, DM is short for direct message, and it is used to send a private tweet (Twitter update) to a person you are following.

Dweet: Slang term used to describe a tweet send by a user who is drunk.

Egotwistical: A slang term used to mean "egotistical and Twitter", meaning a user who talks about themself on Twitter.

Fail Whale: On the Twitter site, the Fail Whale is an image of a whale held up by birds and nets. This image shows that Twitter has been overloaded or failed.

Follower / following: On Twitter, blogs, and other social media sites, a follower is someone who subscribes to receives your updates. On the Twitter Web site "following" someone means you will see their tweets (Twitter updates) in your personal timeline. Twitter lets you see who you follow and also who is following you. Followers are people who receive other people's Twitter updates.

FollowFriday (FF, or #followfriday): On Twitter, FollowFriday is used by Twitterers to call attention to their favorite followers. When you tweet a FF, you are recommending that your followers also check out the ones you mention in your post. When you Tweet a FollowFriday recommendation, you include #followfriday in your message so it can can easily be searched for using that tag.

Hash tag: A hash tag or hashtag is a way of organizing your Tweets for Twitter search engines. Users simply prefix a message with a community driven hash tag to enable others to discover relevant posts. One commonly used hash tag on Twitter is #followfriday where users network by providing the names of their favorite people to follow on Twitter.

ICYMI: Short for "in case you missed it, the abbreviation may appear in a tweet that is a repost from the same person (e.g. reposting a tweet in case their followers missed it the first time).

microblog: A type of blog that lets users publish short text updates. Bloggers can usually use a number of service for the updates including instant messaging, e-mail, or Twitter. The posts are called microposts, while the act of using these services to update your blog is called microblogging.

mistweet: Slang term used to describe a tweet that you later regret having sent.

Monitter: Monitter is the name of a free Twitter tool that lets users monitor the Twitter service for a set of three keywords. Monitter then shows you what people are tweeting for the keywords.

NTS: Short for "note to self", this chat abbreviation is frequently used on Twitter.

OH: Short for "overheard", this chat abbreviation is used on twitter, usually in place of RT (retweet) when the Twitterer does not want to provide the username of the follower they are quoting.

PocketTweets: The name of a mobile Web-based Twitter client for the iPhone. You can use it to see the latest tweets from your contacts or to update your status remotely.

PRT: Short for "please retweet", it is a notation added to the end of a Tweet. PRT shows the Twitterer is asking others to "please retweet" their post.

Retweet: Abbreviated as RT, retweet is used on Twitter to show you are tweeting content that has been posted by another user. The format is RT @username where username is the Twitter name of the person you are retweeting.

social networking site: Abbreviated as SNS a social networking site is the phrase used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile. Social networking sites can be used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chatrooms and other social spaces online.

TMB: Short for "Tweet me back".

Twaffic: A slang term used to mean "Twitter traffic".

Twalking: Slang term used to describe someone who is walking while they tweet (a Twitter message) using a mobile device.

Twebay: Slang term used to describe selling (or promoting) an eBay item on Twitter.

Tweeple: A slang term used to mean "Twitter people" and is used to refer to Twitter users.

Tweet: Describes a Twitter update. A tweet is basically whatever you type into the Web box to answer that question, using 140 characters or less. People tweet personal messages, random thoughts, post links, or anything else that fits in the character requirements.

twettiquette: Short for "Twitter etiquette" it is a slang term used to describe acceptable Twitter behavior.

tweetorial: Slang term used to describe used to describe tutoring or lecturing on or about Twitter. Some industry speakers use the term to describe a live event where a lecture on a Twitter topic is given (e.g., a seminar or event that teaches people how to use Twitter), while others use the term to describe giving a lecture on Twitter. Here the host speaker will use a special designated hash tag so others can follow the lecture on Twitter.

Twewbie: Short for "Twitter newbie" it is a slang term used to describe someone new to Twitter.

Twidroid: The name of a full-featured Twitter app designed for use on Android mobile phones.

Twishing: Twishing is a combination of the words Twitter and phishing. It is the act of sending a message to a Twitter user in an attempt to obtain his or her name and password. The message may instruct the recipient to visit a Web site where he or she is asked to log in. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. See "Beware of Twishing" in the Did You Know...? section of Webopedia for more information on Twishing.

Twitosphere: An expression used to describe the "World of Twitter."

Twitter: A free social messaging tool that lets people stay connected through brief text message updates up to 140 characters in length. Twitter is based on you answering the question "What are you doing?" You then post thoughts, observations, and goings-on during the day. Your update is posted on your Twitter profile page through SMS text messaging, the Twitter Web site, instant messaging, RSS, e-mail, or through other social applications and sites, such as Facebook.

Twitter-ific: Short for "Twitter and terrific" it is a slang term used to describe something terrific you find on Twitter.

Twitter Sparq: The name of the first advertising service for Twitter. Sparq provides a self-service interface that lets advertisers quickly set up the ads. The ads appear on the right-hand column on Twitter as Tweet Now. When someone clicks on the link, it automatically populates the tweet box with the advertiser's message. This can include a link, as well as an option for the user to customize or add to the message.

TwitterTroll: The name of a free online service that searches Twitter in real-time. TwitterTroll can be used to help you find Twitterers with similar interests as yourself.

Twitterers: Refers to people who send tweets on the Twitter service.

Twittermaps: A mash-up that lets Twitter users update their locations on a Google Map and send a tweet with it.

Twitturly: The name of an online Web service that tracks Web addresses (URL) that are being tweeted about the most on Twitter.

Twittworking: Short for "Twitter networking" it is a slang term used to describe Twitterers who use Twitter to network.

Lenten Season

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:03:00 +0000

I'm thinking of what to do this Holy Week? Of course, I'll reflect on what has happened in my life for the past year, the blessings, the trials, the hurt, the joys, the ups and downs. Most of all, I'll think of what God has sacrificed for us to be where we are now.

Aside from these, Holy Week also means freeing myself from work! Aha! Since I was a teen, I've had this habit of having DVD and movie marathons every Holy Week. The fact that there's nothing to do and nothing to watch on TV (except for the Ten Commandments and The Bible which I have watched a gazillion times to the point that I have unintentionally memorized their lines), it seemed to be the best alternative.

I've already planned my Maundy Thursday. Chic flicks marathon. I'll start with Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Woman, A Cinderella Story, Princess Diaries, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Runaway Bride, Devil Wears Prada, The Proposal, Bring It On 1-4, Step Up 1-2, High School Musical 1-3.

Now, I'm thinking of what US series should I go for? Glee? Bones? CSI? Psych? Buffy? Smallville? Gossip Girl? One Tree Hill?

I'm also going for Asian series. I think I'll go with 1 Liter of Tears, Princess Hours (Goong), and Why Why Love.

Oh! I should abstain from all the worldly things this Holy Week, right? Hmmm..Now what am I supposed to do???

Optimization Begins from Keyword Research

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Choosing the right words or group of words to tag your website and its content is one of the essential steps in the whole SEO process. Selecting the relevant keywords significantly helps in generating site traffic as well as improving page rank. However, due to the improved and updated knowledge about SEO, keyword marketing and popularity has been quite difficult to establish especially to highly competitive niches.

Research studies suggest that businesses have a tendency to increase their allotted budget for keyword research and optimization due to the significant decrease in hits and site traffic. To aid this dilemma, there are a lot of professional keyword researchers out there that provide you with "potentially profitable" keywords from less-competitive niches. Aside from hiring professionals, there are also a lot of keywords selection applications and softwares that not only help in identifying relevant and profitable keywords but also provide a quick analysis of your website. However, if you're on a tight budget and cannot afford to spend a few hundred dollars on professional researchers and keyword selection tools, you can just do it yourself. I listed some of the significant factors you might want to consider while doing your own keyword research.

Stick to What Your Website is About - Be Relevant
Since more than any other person, you yourself know what your website is about and who is your target market. You know this even without SEO experience. In addition to the main keyword or keyphrase, choosing a few secondary keywords can significantly help in increasing clicks and hits from prospective visitors searching for those keywords.

Aim for Your Target Market - Be Specific
With 80% of users refining their search after unsuccessful results, it is a must specific key phrases. It's just like putting yourself on an internet searcher’s shoes and think of what keywords would he would usually search on to be directed to your site. People now have been more specific in putting together search terms, often including the brand, location, make, model, and even year.

Keyword Density
Keyword density is overrated. Considering the unpredictable changes on how Google and other search engines rank sites, they have also become more strict and stringent in how they crawl and index one. Previously, everybody's got a notion that the more keywords there are on one's web content, the more optimized their site is thus, increasing chances of landing on the first results page. However, with all the improved and updated SEO techniques, keyword stuffing has been one of the lamest kind. With most search engines and directories only accepting content with only 2 to 3% keyword density, you might want to check out if yours exceeds these values. Otherwise, it may be considered as spam by both search engines and directories which may lead to the deletion your submission or even worse, being banned from future submissions.

Search Engine Ranking Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:41:00 +0000

The internet has opened the doors for individuals and businesses alike to showcase their creativity and resourcefulness. Along with this opportunity also comes the pressure to be globally competitive and put one's marketing skills a notch higher. Organic search presence and visibility is still the most popular form of internet marketing. Studies suggests that almost 75% of advertisers aim to increase organic search visibility, followed by paid ad placement with 71%. As of 2008, total search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing spending is estimated to reach almost US$9.5 billion.

Search engine ranking competition just got tougher. With individuals and businesses pooling a team of SEO experts to update their website, SEO softwares, working on intensive keyword research, as well as tapping into social media marketing, continuous marketing is necessary to improve and maintain search engine ranking competitiveness.

Each target market or business niche has its own level of competition. SEO strategies are dynamic meaning, there is no single ranking tool or software that can give the same results for different websites. Search engine ranking is determined according to the level and type of competition, those that are naturally ranked in organic search results, paid advertisements, and offline sites that target the same market.

By far, competitor analysis is the most complicated yet, the most rewarding SEO technique. It requires in-depth observation, research, and analysis of the website structure and its contents. SEO consultants should bear in mind that search engine ranking competition does not only mean finding mutual threads from high ranking competitors that one can leverage, but most importantly, differentiate itself and stand out.

Why All the Fuss with Google’s Page Rank?

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:20:00 +0000

Websites and blogs alike, for both personal and commercial use, have been very conscious on getting and exchanging links with other high ranking sites. But what’s all the fuss with having a high Google page rank (PR)?

For some who aren’t really into web marketing or search engine optimization, page rank is just a number. However, for people who have been working day-in and day-out for their site’s marketing strategy, it represents how important and relevant their website is.

One of the determining factors in calculating PR is through inbound links. These are links from other sources directing to the site. This is where link building came from. Essentially, webmasters do not really have control over who links to their sites. But, with the word going around on how to reach top Google search results, people started to come up with different strategies to improve inbound links.

At the end of the day, no matter how many link exchange emails you have sent and how many directories you have submitted to, what counts is the quality of the website or directory that have accepted your request.

List of Top Blogs by Category

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Ballesteros) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:43:00 +0000

I'll soon post a list of top blogs or sites with high Google PR. Though I did refer to several lists, I also did my own research to come up with the latest top lists. Like websites and blogs that I have managed to promote and optimize, I intend to do the same for my own blog. I hope a lot of people will visit my blog and read my posts and hopefully be part of a top blog list someday.