WebProNews

Not All Traffic Is Created Equal

For a long time there's been a certain amount of obsession among webmasters about building traffic—any traffic—for websites. But really, especially if you're location-based, the focus should be on building the right traffic.Of course, search takes center stage in that struggle, but more recently social media sites like Digg.com and BoingBoing have captured the imaginations of traffic-obsessed marketers. Here's what many of them discover, though: traffic bursts from those sites do little for sales.

Branded Pages And SEO

If you wanted to be logical, you might not stick a company or product name on any page more than once; after people learn what the subject is, there's little reason to repeat the fact.  But if you want to be successful in terms of brand SEO, an entirely different approach is necessary.

Google Brand Is King Of The World

No one brand dominates the globe quite like that of the search engine and advertising company from Mountain View, as Google tops a major list of global brands.

In Marketing, Perception Is Everything

The mind is a deeply complex organ, at times influenced by small, seemingly trivial things, and at others closed off to any external stimuli. Think of it as an onion, with belief at the center and perception at the outermost layer. Subtle stimuli can alter perception not just more easily than they can belief, but also can alter perception in nearly imperceptible ways, as air overtime hardens and dries the top layer, not affecting the layer beneath.

The Apple Of Your Eye Is a Trick

Lots of studies have shown that subliminal advertising doesn't work—at least it doesn't work as a direct cause of desired behavior. For example, imperceptibly flashing a hot dog in front of an audience does not increase hot dog sales. A recent study from Duke, though, says Apples might make you more creative.

The McDonaldization Of The Internet

A new report from Hitwise highlights a trend that matches what's going on in the brick-and-mortar world: The mainstreaming of everything. It also shows that Internet users value what they perceive as authority websites, and that perception is a collective one—or if you prefer, a brand on the collective psyche.

Brand Awareness More Valuable Than PPC

There's been significant debate among small businesses about the indirect value of online branding versus the direct value of search marketing. A recent report from Engine Ready says branding may be worth more than you think.I've been an advocate of branding for a while and have tried to get the point across that consumer awareness of product or company drives sales in a very powerful way. Understandably, smaller business owners are more likely trust what is not only more directly tangible and measurable, but also less costly.

Microsoft To Measure Engagement, Not Clicks

Almost a year ago, I went on (at length) about how there was more to online marketing than that final deal-closing click-through. I (loftily and windily) talked of being there for the consumer's journey and looking to understand how a customer arrived at that final decision.

Own the Network by Building the Right Brand

VideoEgg announced $1.5 million in ad revenues over 5 months, which is not much when you consider that they have over 150 top widgets. You can use targeted widgets and gadgets to push things that are already valuable, successful, unique, or interesting outside of the social networks, but traditional advertising is no good.

Considering Podcasting? Evaluate Your Assets

This morning at the Triangle Social Media Club, Kipp Bodnar led the group’s discussion regarding the business applications of podcasting. I will attempt to recap some of our highlights for those who couldn’t wake up at 8am