Businesses may need to outsource their search engine optimisation (SEO) functions as a result of the recession, according to one expert.
Mark Jackson of Vizion Interactive said in a column for Search Engine Watch that the downturn is likely to result in SEO becoming more difficult as it is getting harder to break into the top ten results pages at various search engines.
Add to this the fact that SEO is becoming more "laborious" as it requires extra IT resources, PR firms and copywriters, among other things, and it is likely businesses will see the financial sense in outsourcing their SEO strategies to outside agencies rather than dealing with them in-house, Mr Jackson stated.
"The agency is responsible for benefits, costs for office space, costs for computers/communications and the rates that the agency may charge could be less than the employee handling this in-house," he remarked.
Niuniu Ji and Ryan Turner of World Avenue recently wrote a column for Adotas suggesting that SEO can be relatively time-intensive as it may require months to achieve sound results - although it can be more cost-effective that paid search as there are no incremental advertising costs.... read full details »
Ensuring that websites are fast is more important now than ever before, it has been claimed.
UKFast's managing director Lawrence Jones stated that companies with slower websites will "suffer" in light of Google's recent decision to factor in speed when calculating AdWords quality scores.
Google made the move after finding that a half a second difference in loading times can lead to a difference in visitor traffic of 20 per cent.
"This is terrible news for businesses who do not take their hosting seriously," Mr Lawrence remarked.
"There has never been a bigger need for speed."
Last year, the SEO Consult blog stated that page load times are becoming less of an issue for websites due to the widespread rollout of high speed broadband internet.
However, it said that not all people are using these fast connections yet and warned that users will be put off by pages that take too long to load.... read full details »
Firms may look at further developing online video content as part of their overall internet marketing strategy in the short-term as they continue to weather the recession, an industry expert has suggested.
Hostway marketing manager Phil Turnbull asserted that video content is a good way for companies to get their customers to take notice of their website - particularly as pages with only text content and widgets are not perceived by consumers to be as exciting.
"Video is definitely immersing itself into the market," he told guests attending the Technology for Marketing & Advertising event in London's Earls Court 2 last week.
He added that companies may wish to expand on their existing resources during times of economic downturn and suggested that adding video content to a website is one way to accomplish this.
The two-day event marketing and advertising event covered a range of topics - including digital marketing, web design and e-commerce.... read full details »
Social media is becoming an increasingly vital tool in internet marketing and President Barack Obama's campaign offered a masterclass in how to use social media effectively, it has been claimed.
Soumitra Dutta, an author on social media technologies, has explained that the president's election campaign fully utilised the latest social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter to keep people up-to-date with what was happening and mobilise supporters across the country.
It is the kind of approach that could be used by businesses across the globe to enhance their position and boost sales, particularly during the economic downturn.
Using social media to carry out ecommerce campaigns, combined with search engine optimisation strategies, could help companies to take their online marketing to the next level.
"It is clear that Obama knew exactly what he was doing and how to be successful at it," Mr Dutta said.
"He left no Web 2.0 stone unturned, from social networking sites to podcasting to mobile messaging, and as a result he created an 'e-ruption' not only in American politics but throughout the world."
Social networking is beginning to blur the distinction between ecommerce and mobile marketing, as applications such as Twitter allow users to keep in contact with others via their mobile phones or through their computers. ... read full details »
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