Organic SEO reminder

With all of the Search Engine Optimization information out on the web, there tends to be a lot of chaff needing to seperated from the wheat. Time and time again there is a key point which needs to be retold to clients it seems endlessly in the "quick-fix" world we're in. So then, here it is, one more time for (hopefully) everyone to see!

When your SEO campaign is underway, don’t become impatient with the results! Truly organic SEO takes time, it can be as long as 3-6 months before any significant gain is noticed in your traffic. It's like planting a garden, when all of the SEO has been finished on your pages (those are the seeds by the way), it's then time to get to work on the linking strategy (water!). This is where the patience comes in. You wouldn't pick corn or potatoes which haven't fully grown, and the same needs to be said of SEO. By changing your pages, altering code, or uploading pages which haven't been properly worked over, you tear at all of the work that's been done (the roots).

With this simple SEO tip in mind, happy gardening!

A few Search Engine Optimization Myths

There are several SEO myths which abound about what works and what doesn't and these myths can be daunting as a potential client. We thought a handy guide to a few of the SEO myths would be useful, as it could help make a more informed decision.

One time SEO for long term ranking

SEOis a strategy, and as any marketing strategy it has to be continuously readjusted for optimal performance. SEO begins with two basic components: the primary site optimization carried out upon signing the contract - which constitutes a large part of the work involved - and the continual website tweaks that are required due to monthly or unexpected shifts in the search engine market. The basic site optimization is the part of SEO which should be carried out only once. Unlike any other medium, the online market is the most dynamic and fast changing for a business to evolve in. That is why month to month changes in search engine algorithms require continuous attention.

Performing in house SEO is more efficient

Initially it may appear, that performing SEO in house is more cost effective. You still have to take in consideration staff training, gaining access to essential SEO industry tools and information and that requires time, effort and money. Allowing untrained staff to perform SEO can be risky as search engines hand out penalties for breaking their guidelines. However, working closely with a SEO that provides consultancy and training can prove to be a solid long-term solution. In time, your staff will be properly prepared to take over some of your optimization needs.

Search Engine Optimization is cost prohibitive

SEO is not a cost, it's an investment and like any investment it brings a measurable return. Think in terms of ROI, not in terms of cost.

Basic Search Engine Optimization Information

Life is full of do's and don'ts, and SEO is no exception. Out of all of the tactics available to companies to improve your visibility in the online world, some tactics are ideal, some are highly frowned upon, and some are disputed or on the edge. The industry has applied a lable, or buzz term to these methods, referred as White Hat, Black Hat, and Grey Hat SEO techniques.

White Hat tactics are considered 100% totally safe and they are most often directly recommended by the search engine companies themselves. They are centered around the ideas of sound website building strategies, and not on the flexible nature of any given search engine.

White Hat typically includes:

* Solid, regularly updated content
* Relevant metatags
* Friendly, interactive page design
* Honest linking strategies

In terms of time investment, White Hat techniques take the longest to implement, but all are held in high regard in the search engine optimization world.

Black Hat tactics are forbidden or deeply frowned on by the search engines. These can, and most certainly will, get your site, or your clients site, banned from the index if you are found to be using any of them. The philosophy behind Black Hat SEO revolves around trying to manipulate the search engines to direct traffic instead of earning it.

Black Hat SEO is generally used by people who sell illegal or immoral content. This on it's own should be reason enough to steer clear, because your reputation WILL be forever tarnished if you associate yourself with these unethical practices.

Black Hat tactics include (but are not limited to):

* Buying links in huge numbers, ignoring relevance, for fast inbound links
* Invisible, or hidden text on your pages; ie the text is identical to your background
* Misleading meta tags

Using any of the above methods will more than likely flag your website within the search index and get the site banned!

Grey Hat SEO tends to fall in between the cracks of the search engines rules. some experts might deem them as highly controversial, while the next may be unconcerned. There is no clear rule set about Grey hat SEO strategies, because there is no clear indication about whether they do harm to your websites presence. You must study the information, and decide for yourself, which side you think is telling the truth.

Grey Hat techniques can include:

* Owning a number of sites and cross linking them back to each other
* Purchasing links on every page of a smaller, relevant site
* Working for links on a high quality site, that may not be relevant to your site

There are a lot of Grey Hat techniques, and you'll find that usually they are highly debated in the search engine optimization world.

In the end, the only "unknown" is the search engine algorithms (the code that helps the search engine decide what is legit and what is not), are not predictable, and they are constantly changing, so a technique that works one day may not work the next and vice versa.

In the end, the only real answer is, research all available information, and then make a decision based on how much risk you are willing to assume.

However, if you don't have the time to put into the deluge of online resources available about SEO and the proper way to implement it, that's where we comes in.

Online Advertising in Canada

Online advertising will continue to grow at a blistering pace, in Canada growing over the immediate future into a $3.4 billion US industry. The public is moving online at home, at work, on their mobile phones, in order to access multi-media content and information.

Online advertising is experiencing unparalleled growth in Canada, passing a 33% growth to $1.3 billion US last year. It's projected that by 2012, web-based advertising is expected to remain "Canada's fastest growing segment" growing by an additional 21%.

The fastest projected movers will be keyword searches, classified advertising online, and online video advertising.

UK Online ad spending to overtake TV this year

The Internet will overtake television as the biggest advertising medium in Britain this year, with over 19 percent of total ad spend, according to a forecast by Enders Analysis.

The main engine for growth continues to be paid search on sites such as Google but Enders said it had also seen early signs that the popularity of online video is now making a small contribution to a shift in advertising from television to the Internet.

Analysts previously said advertising budgets had moved to the Internet at the expense of newspapers in Britain -- the most developed online advertising market in the world.

"Rising internet consumption and surging consumer e-commerce continue to drive strong growth in online advertising, particularly paid search, in spite of the deteriorating economic outlook," the report said.

"Our forecast for 2008 is that online advertising expenditure will grow 26.4 percent in nominal terms to 3.56 billion pounds ($7 billion), overtaking TV ad spend, which we expect to fall 2.5 percent to 3.39 billion pounds."

The report said Google would remain the biggest beneficiary of the growth in search advertising and predicted it would take 80 percent of UK spend on search advertising, up from 78 percent in 2007.

It predicted growth in online classified advertising, which increased 54 percent in 2007, would slow in 2008 due to declines in recruitment and property listings.

One source of growth is online video, however this could still be hard to develop as many of the most popular videos are short and user-generated clips put on sites like YouTube.

The report said broadcasters and online portals were achieving high CPMs -- the all important cost per 1,000 views of an advert and a common industry metric -- for in-stream video ads, reportedly averaging around 20 pounds, compared to 6 pounds for television spots.

However it warned that the high prices were a result of limited supply and said they would fall as volumes increased.

"In total, we estimate online video advertising will amount to about 35 million pounds or 1 percent of TV ad spend in 2008, with many advertisers using existing TV spots, the report said.

"Not all this money will come from TV budgets, but there are early signs of a direct shift in spend from TV to the Internet over and above the broader shift to online."

Enders Analysis provides independent research on Telecommunications, Media and Technology.