Enter The Net

Sustainable Internet Marketing

Archive for October, 2009

A recent study published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggests that the growth in adult use of social networking sites is even more staggering than most think.

A December 2008 tracking survey found that 35% of adults now have some sort of online profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005.

Around 65% of teenagers use social networking sites, but the 35% of adults account for many more users because adults are a much bigger segment of the population than teens.

The percentage of adults aged 18-24 with social networking profiles is 75.

Here is the whole breakdown:

  • 75% of online adults 18-24 have a profile on a social network site
  • 57% of online adults 25-34 have a profile on a social network
  • 30% of online adults 35-44 have one
  • 19% of online 45 to 54 year olds have a profile
  • 10% of online 55 to 64 year olds have a profile
  • 7% of online adults 65 and older have a profile

Adults using social networking sites far prefer Facebook to all other sites.

  • 73% have a Facebook account
  • 48% have a MySpace profile
  • 14% have an account on LinkedIn
  • 1% each are on Yahoo, YouTube, Tagged, Flickr and Classmates.com
  • 10-12% are on “other” sites such as Bebo, Last.FM, Digg, Blackplanet, Orkut, Hi5 and Match.com

Most are still using social networking sites for personal reasons (89%.)

To read the full report, click to:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Adults-and-Social-Network-Websites.aspx

Women outnumber men using social networking sites 50% to 42%.

See more about that study here:
http://pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2009/Women-Outnumber-Men-on-Social-Networking-Sites.aspx

How do you use social networking sites? Do you see a business use for them? Please leave ANY comments you like in the space below…

(posted on October 14, 2009)

keywordsAt Enter The Net, we offer two ways to discover which key word combinations are the very best for your optimization project.

Key Word Brainstorming

Both methods begin with an extensive brainstorming session. Our goal is to generate every key word combination that might be relevant to your site and all location terms for your market area.

Together we will brainstorm key words that people might use to find you on the web.  Enter The Net then utilizes online tools that brainstorm more possibilities, based on the words competitive sites use on the web.  Irrelevant words are deleted from the list.

That list is then sent to you to be narrowed further. After all, you are the expert in your business.

Key Word Analysis

Once we have a thoroughly-vetted list of brainstormed key word combinations, ALL of the descriptive terms are combined will ALL of the location terms to form a massive list of combinations to be analyzed. At this point, our clients have two choices.

1. Basic Key Word Analysis

The Basic Key Word Analysis utilizes Google’s free key word suggestion tool to gather popularity about how often the complete combinations are searched on Google. This tool also provides information about how many advertisers have paid to appear for each combination. Enter The Net applies a simple formula to “rate” each key word combination. You then review the whole list and approve or modify our recommendations.

The Basic Key Word Analysis is automatically included in the full optimization package or it can be purchased separately for $350. It may be a good idea to purchase the Basic Key Word Analysis if you want to see some data about key word popularity before deciding on a full optimization. If you decide to purchase a full optimization, the cost of the Basic Key Word Analysis is applied to the full package price.

The Basic Key Word Analysis has some shortcomings. The Google tool used does not provide detailed information about many key word combinations. For example, it may show some combinations as having no popularity when they, in fact, are searched upwards of 10-20 times per month. For most small businesses, that amounts to significant popularity. Therefore, Enter The Net has developed the Deluxe Key Word Analysis…

2. Deluxe Key Word Analysis

The Deluxe Key Word Analysis uses the world’s largest and most popular search engine, Google, to reveal exact search popularity numbers for each of your key word combinations.

google-adwords We use Google’s advertising system, Adwords, to create an account that tests your key word combinations. Part of your payment for this service goes directly to Google to pay for your ads. Since your ads only appear when someone searches for your key word combinations, we can tell how popular the combinations are by analyzing the results of your campaign on Google. The cool thing is that Google will only charge your account when someone actually clicks on your ad and comes to your website. That means that part of the money you are spending to STUDY your key word combinations is actually bringing potential new clients to your site.

After the campaign has run for seven to ten days, we produce a detailed report that tells you which key word combinations are most popular. We infuse the report with our experience in search engine marketing to give you a clear prediction as to what results you can expect from a well-designed search engine optimization plan. You may choose to apply the fee you pay to Enter The Net for the key word analysis to our complete Internet and Search Engine Marketing services. Or, you can hold onto the report and contact us later.

Our services include working with you to generate the most complete set of key word combinations possible for your business (brainstorming, mentioned above.) We use the vast array of websites on the internet to help us generate terms and then work with you to make sure they are relevant and useful. We then set up the Adwords account for you and monitor the campaign to make sure it is running at maximum efficiency. When it is done, we produce the thorough report that gives you a clear direction regarding search engine marketing. The price for our services is $500. If you decide to purchase a full optimization, the cost of the Deluxe Key Word Analysis is applied to the full package price.

You will pay Google separately for the Adwords campaign. We recommend a budget of about $100 for the study. Your account will only accrue charges when a visitor clicks on an ad and comes to your site. When the campaign is over, you can continue by adding more funds to your account with Google or you may pause it and decide later. If you decide to continue the Google Adwords campaign, you may be interested in hiring Enter The Net to manage the campaign for a low monthly fee.

Learn how to use Google Adwords on your own
Learn how to make the search engines love your website

incoming-linksIncoming links are an important part of search engine optimization. They help you get noticed and ranked by the search engines.

  • Incoming links lead the search engine spiders to your site. The spiders follow links they find on other websites. If your link is on a site, the spiders visit your site and gather information that translates into search engine results.
  • The search engines use incoming links to measure the popularity of your website. The more incoming links you have, the higher your site is ranked for popularity. After all, isn’t a link from another site the ultimate endorsement?

Anchor Text. Anchor text is the words that form the link. It is wise to use your best key word combinations in the anchor text of the links you have on other sites. This helps the search engines associate your link (your site) with your best key words. For example, the anchor text of the following link is “Search Engine Optimization Advice.”

Search Engine Optimization Advice, Enter The Net

The Link Code Generator below creates the HTML code you can send to people from whom you hope to gain incoming links. It is helpful because it generates the code exactly as it should be to create an optimal link. You will also receive a sample message you can include in an email to others, asking for the incoming link.

Link Exchange. We highly recommend that you create a page on your website where you can reciprocate. It is only fair to place a link on your site for people who link to you.

Here is the Link Code Generator Form. After you fill it out and click send, you will receive an email with your code and the sample message.

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Business Name. Most web site owners like to note the name of the business represented in the link. Fill that information in here. Just type your business name with no regard to key words or anchor text. Your business name will not be in the anchor text.

Website Address. Just type in www.yoursite.com. You may enter a link to a specific page of your site, but be sure to NOT include the http://.

Your Anchor Text. These are the words that will become the link. We recommend that you choose your best key word combination. Please keep it around four words total.

Comments or Questions for Enter The Net

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Note: Be patient. It sometimes takes up to thirty minutes for the email to arrive.

Tracking. If you want to track who the search engines recognize as linking to you, simply go to any search engine and type the following into the search box:

link:http://www.yoursite.com (or .net or whatever it is.)

Keep in mind that this shows who the search engine sees as linking to you at the exact time you search. It is not a complete list of ALL incoming links.

Links created so far with the Link Code Generator:

Greeting Card Displays, Card Racks, Silver Star Cabinets

Portland Oregon Website Design, Enter The Net

Portland Naturopathic Medicine, Meridian Natural Medicine

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About Me

Enter The Net is the passion of Rob Patton. Rob is a successful internet marketing consultant who combines his passion for helping all businesses succeed on the Web with his love of teaching. In addition to running Enter The Net, Rob is a part time instructor at the Clackamas Small Business Development Center. Rob is a proud member of River City LeTip and the Portland Area Business Association.

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