June 25th, 2010 by typhonvision

WordPress is fast becoming one of the most popular CMS’s (Content Management Systems) of today. For those of you who are not familiar with the terminology, the question may arise what exactely is a CMS?

Static websites are becoming less prevelant in the Internet World today. A CMS system allows the general user with little technical knowledge to be able to update their website.

This is a beneficial scenario for most, because it allows the website owner to be able to update the website instantly. Without having to send the request to the original Web Developer.  Furthermore, although a CMS maybe more costly up front. It is potentially more cost effective in the long run if the website owner is looking to make updates frequently. Saving the cost of the website owner in not having to pay the web developer each time an update is made. Finally, CMS websites have become more popular because websites are used differently than they were in the early days. Whereas in the early era of the Internet, websites were mainly considered on-line brochures. Whereas now, they are used as a cost effective means to communicate with current clientele.  And to provide updates on the latest news, promotions and events. Especially when compared to utilizing tradition media such as print material.

There are many CMS’s available, some of the names of popular systems include : WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Posterous, Typepad and Vignette. And of that list, WordPress remains the most popular. And while WordPress is not technically the most superior, its current success and popularity breeds more success. Similar to the 1980s in the VHS and BETA wars. VHS won as the predominant product by its strong following, even though BETA was technically superior. So the most technically advanced product doesn’t always win the race.   Here are 3 good reasons on why you should select WordPress as your CMS for your website.

REASON #1 – IT’S THE EASIEST TO USE

WordPress began its life strictly as a blogging platform in its inception.  A blog by technical definition is a CMS system.  As a blog allows a user to easily add, update and delete information with little technical knowledge.  However, there is a familiar format with a blog, which resembles an online diary with respective time stamps.  Since a Blog and a CMS system are similar in functionality, WordPress evolved to be a full-fledged CMS, in addition to having blogging functionality.  Being based on a blog system, its user interface was created on a easy to follow system.

WordPress is similar to using Microsoft word.  Including its general structure and being able to format text, add pictures, embed videos etc.  Also since WordPress is the most popular system, user friendliness is always improving.  Since the general consensus of what is most intuitive helps to sway future design improvements.

Other CMS systems like Joomla and Drupal are catered to the more technical user.  Allowing for a variety of features which most average users would never look at.  Which most users would feel intimidated by having too many options.  And find the user interface inundating with technical details.  Which somewhat defeats the purpose, since often the technical user would be able to design their own website from stratch.  And would not require a CMS website when compared to the average user.

WordPress is catered to the laymen user in its user interface.  Chances are if you can use Microsoft Word, you can use WordPress.

REASON #2 - IT’S FREE

Unlike expensive commercial CMS software which may cost upward to $250,000(Vignette).  Wordpress is free and does not require any recurring licensing fees.  The reason for this is WordPress is Open Source software.  Open source software means the programming code is open to the public and free for any programmer to modify and improve upon the general structure.  And the collective WordPress community often looks to continuously improve and expand on its basic functionality.

Open source software has come a long way from its early heydeys.  In the past Open source software was often inferior to its commercial counterparts.  However, with the large growth of proponents of Open source software, often they now surpass commercial grade packages.  Aside from design fees in customizing a WordPress web design, there are no recurring cost.

REASON #3 – IT’S EASY TO EXPAND

Let’s face it, the Internet is never at a stand still.  As it continues to grow at an overwhelming rate.  Moving the bare minimum expectations along the way.

Since WordPress has one of the strongest followings as a CMS website platform.  It also has one of the largest supplies of add-ons and plug-ins.  Such as SEO Plug-ins, Social Networking integration tools, Slide Show plug-ins, etc.  Also, security is an important concern when selecting a CMS website  Especially with the growing threat of Website Viruses (You can read more about Website Viruses from our previous blog post).  It’s always important to get the latest security patches.  Which is easy to apply by a simple click of the mouse.

So you get an up date, expandable Content Management Systems that moves with the current trends in technology!

STILL NOT CONVINCED YET?

Like fashion sense, taste in food and favourite cars, we all have our own preferences.  The more technical users may prefer a more advanced package such as Joomla or Drupal.  However, to most users its important for a CMS software to be easy to use, cost effective and easy to upgrade.  WordPress continues to grow at a rapid rate and will only expand further on the key requirements for the average web user.  WordPress is here to stay and isn’t going anywhere.  So if your deciding in your new design which CMS to choose, chances are WordPress is the way!

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May 29th, 2010 by typhonvision

Presented at Toronto Marketing Power Networking meeting May 2010

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION SLIDES

After 23 consecutive appearances, Pepsi Cola opted out of the 2010 Superbowl and instead invested its ad budget in Social Media Marketing. This is yet another sign that internet promotion has, and will continue to overtake traditional Marketing channels. Topics such as Internet Advertising and Search Engine Optimization are higher on the priority lists of entrepreneurs and business managers than ever. But what do these terms really mean? And how can you apply these tactics without breaking the bank?  In a no nonsense, plain English approach, a logical and intelligent approach to the Internet Marketing will be demystified.

In this presentation the following topics will be discussed :

1) The strengths and weakness of the two major Internet Marketing Methods: Pay per Click and Search Engine Optimization

2) How Pay Per click and Search Engine Optimization work.

3) How you can engage in Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization through your own efforts.

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March 28th, 2010 by typhonvision

Content creation for websites can be a challenge task.  In the Internet world, a number of considerations need to be made when deciding upon the writing style for your website.  One of the biggest challenges today is addressing web writing from an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Marketing perspective.  As the two are often classed separately as “SEO Writing” and “Marketing writing”.

One may ask, exactly what are the differences between the two styles of writing?

SEO Writing is meant for the purpose of attracting the attention of popular Search Engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo.  And utilizing the tricks of the trade in the writing style to gain favorable ranking.  One of the most important factors of SEO writing is the proper use of KEYWORD DENSITY.  This concept will be explained further in the article.

Marketing writing is made for purpose of enticing the reader to take the next step in the sales cycle.  Whether that be making a phone call or filling out an inquiry form.  This is often referred to as the “CALL TO ACTION”. (And is related to the term “conversion” referred to in other articles)

In the early days of the Web, of the two writing styles, Marketing writing held greater popularity.  Mainly because websites of the past we’re considered on-line brochures.  And often mirrored the writing style used in traditional media.  As Search Engine Optimization writing was not considered as strongly, since Search Engines we’re still refining their formula.  And a fair amount of traffic could still be derived through the manipulation of Metatags and Banner ads.

Marketing writing is often written in a style which is conversational.  And special attention is paid to the rhythm and flow of words.  While utilizing certain “hot button” words which act hypnotically on the reader.  Making it suggestive for them to proceed to the call to action.  Also, the greater variance in the wording lends itself better to Brand Quality.  Maintaining a level of sophistication in the writing.

So the question remains as to which style should be used for your website?  The answer is BOTH!  As they both have their strengths and weaknesses.  A prudent strategy includes having content for both purposes.  With the most visible pages of your website populated with traditional marketing writing.  And the less obvious sections of your website to have SEO Content which helps to attract the attention of Search Engines.

Now the differences between the two styles has been established, the main factor for SEO writing will be outlined.  Since it is another article in itself to elaborate further on the principals of marketing writing.

As mentioned previously, one of the important aspects of SEO writing is the use of your selected keywords in high repetition.  For instance, if the objective was to rank well on the keyword term “widgets toronto”;  It would be ideal to have a page written in high frequency with that given keyword “widgets toronto”.  The given example may look something like this :

“XYZ Company is the number one company of Widgets in Toronto.  We have been supplying the best Widgets in the Greater Toronto Area for over 20 years.  All we do is specialize is in Widgets in Toronto.  Not many people in Toronto know what a Widget is.  But if ask anybody in Toronto on who is the best widget supplier, and they’ll direct you to XYZ company”

Now the above example is an over exaggerated example, utilizing keyword density shamelessly.  But taken with a grain of salt, the basic example provides a framework on how popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing think.  As you can see the given text has a high frequency of the keyword “Widgets” and “Toronto”.  Having a high keyword density helps search engines to determine the overall subject matter of the page.

However, the provided example merely serves to outline the basic principals of keyword density.  Since a search engine like Google is sophisticated enough to detect if the overall percentage of the keyword density is overdone.  If the overall percentage of keyword density is TOO HIGH, it is placed in the Google Sandbox.  In the Google Sandbox, the given page is investigated for manipulation of aggressive Search Engine Optimization which are not ethical.  (Which many adult sites have been guilty of utilizing keyword-stuffing techniques).  Having said that, the goal of SEO writing is to include keyword density in an INTELLIGENT manner.  Which doesn’t sound contrived or manipulative.  As the given text does not sound articulate (Unless you are a caveman).

This style of writing of using keywords in a high frequency can often be in opposition to SEO writing.  Since SEO writing focuses on distributing a high keyword frequency and repetition throughout the page.  Whereas Marketing writing in order to sound more articulate, often the goal is to not re-use words in high frequency.

As mentioned previously, Marketing writing should be placed in the most visible areas of the website;  Such as the Main Menu navigation.  And SEO writing should be placed in the less obvious sections of your website.  As the main purpose is to attract the Search Engines attention and have the user to delve deeper into your website.  So the question may be asked where can one utilize these less visible sections of your website?

The best placement for your SEO pages is in the area known as the sitemap.  A sitemap acts as an visible(or invisible) index of all the given pages on your website.  Similar to an index in the back of book to quickly reference specific subjects.  Sitemaps are mainly used for the purpose of allowing Search engine to capture the information on your website more effectively.  Often sitemaps are placed away from the obvious navigation of your website that a user is unlikely to read that given page.  However by having your SEO pages linked from your sitemap, they technically exist and open up opportunities to be found by Search Engines.  However, once they have landed on your website, the viewer is more likely to read your Marketing writing pages.

With the many faucets to consider, SEO and Marketing writing need to be used in conjunction.  Even though the styles of writing are in dichotomy, they address different functions of Marketing.  SEO Writing helps to drive traffic and brings window shoppers in the door.  While Marketing writing helps to convert the casual browsers into customers.  Planning for implementation of both writing styles increases your chances of success!

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February 24th, 2010 by typhonvision

If you are a business owner or marketing manager, there often comes a time where you need to re-assess the marketing budget for the company.  In that process, this often requires a decision to choose how to best promote and build traffic to your website.  The two most popular methods of Internet promotion today are Internet Advertising and Natural Organic Search Engine Optimization.  And often the question is, which method is superior?

The answer is….it depends….They BOTH have their strengths and weaknesses depending on your objective.

Just to be clear for those of you who don’t know, for example, when you do a Google search such as “cleaning company toronto” (As in the screenshot below).  Often results are broken down with a mixture of Internet Advertising (Known as Pay per Click.  PPC for short form) and organic results.  The PPC results are listed on the top and side of the page (Circled in green in the picture.  You can click the picture to expand your view).  And these listings are achieved by paying google a fee to appear favourably on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd page of google.  It’s another article in itself which we’ll outline how the Google Adwords PPC system works in detail.  Now the results circled in green are the natural organic results.  Meaning that a fee hasn’t been paid to Google.  But most likely an SEO company (Like us nudge nudge, wink wink…shameless promotion, shameless promotion) was paid to achieve those favourable results.

There are some important facts to understand before making a decision as to which method is best to focus on for your marketing strategy.

Since marketing is a form of investment,  we invest in our business with the intention of getting a return on investment through more leads and sales;  The differences between the two strategies could be compared to stocks and bonds.  Whereas if PPC we’re an investment, it would be your stocks.  Which yields your potential for a faster return.  However it can also dry you out much quicker and is more volatile.  Whereas natural SEO are your bonds, which are more stable in nature and yield results in the long term.

As another metaphor, If PPC and SEO we’re athlete runners.  PPC would be your sprinter.  Who could achieve fast, explosive results.  And SEO would be your marathon runner, who would sustain over the longer period of time.

Keeping these metaphors in mind helps to categorize some of the individual attributes of these systems.  A comparison of the individual attributes include :

SHORT TERM COST

Winner : PPC

Why : PPC has leaner entry level cost.  Utilizing PPC networks such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads and Yahoo Ads you can start at an entry level budget of $31 per month.  Whereas with Natural Search Engine Optimization, you don’t have that same flexibility since it requires a more intensive effort and greater level of commitement.

LONG TERM COST

Winner : Natural Search Engine Optimization

Why : Since with PPC you are paying every time someone clicks on your site.  That can become a costly expense when calculated over the course of the year.  However, once you have obtained 1st, 2nd or 3rd page google ranking with natural Search Engine Optimization, you are not paying each time someone clicks.

TIME FRAME

Winner : PPC

Why : A PPC advertising campaign has great superiority over a Search Engine Optimization campaign in the timeframe which you can see results.  With a PPC campaign you can potentially see results within the same day.  As when you submit your advertisement, it gets checked by a moderator to see if there is no obcenities or anything illegal.  If it passes that basis, the PPC ad can appear within the same day and you can start receiving traffic.  Whereas for most businesses, you may not even start to see results of the Internet advertising campaign for 3-6 months.  As often there is a delay rate in which Google recognizes changes to your site.  This is known as the crawl or index rate.  This rate in which Google checks your site for updates, which differs for various websites.  For most average websites, a 1-2 month timeframe for visitation is normal.  Whereas bigger sites, like news websites may get checked every hour.  So all the optimization work in the world may not be realized until months after the fact.

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS

Winner : Natural Search Engine Optimization

Why : A PPC campaign can be more susceptible to price changes.  Since the PPC works on a bid system, it’s governed by supply and demand at that time.  As an example, in December many on-line retailers may ramp up their PPC advertising budgets to capture the Christmas shopping madness.  Therefore the business spending $300 per month on their Google Ads campaign may get less clicks for their dollar during that period since there is more competition.  Whereas with Natural Search Engine Optimization, because it is harder to do, and less people are doing it, it is a little less venerable to price changes (This is a general statement and doesn’t include Google algorithm/formula changes, which is another topic)

PRESTIGE / BRANDING

Winner : Natural Search Engine Optimization

Why : Most people know at least subconciously that PPC has a lower barrier of entry.  And seeing a given company on the first or second page of Google appear frequently in the natural results gives a better impression of your company image.  So it helps to enhance your brand and boost your credibility.  As consumers  still don’t fully trust advertising, in whatever form.

BEST INTERNET MARKETING COMPANY ON THE PLANET

Winner : Typhon Vision Incorporated!!!!!!!

Why : Sorry we we’re just wondering if you fell asleep at this point.  Or was speed reading the article.  If you caught this, you’ve won a prize.  You have won a rock.  That’s right, a rock, straight from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Give us your mailing address and we’ll send you your rock.  (Hey, some people call these things gratitude rocks).  Anyhow, we digress.

Now with all the strengths and weaknesses to consider.  The question still remains as a business owner/marketing manager which method do you choose?  The answer is BOTH!  Since PPC is your sprint, it should make up the early backbone of your Internet Marketing campaign.  Since it will allow you to achieve your short term goals quicker.  However, the aim should be then to substitute some of the areas which you are paying per click to achieve Natural search engine rankings.  To help lock you in for longer term results.  Also, using PPC allows you to experiment with what are your most profitable search terms.  And once those are determined, it makes good sense to try to achieve greater permanancy in your search engine rankings.

So to summarize, both PPC and Search Engine Optimization have their place in an Internet marketing strategy.  They are Yin and Yang and require co-existence with each other.  A PPC strategy is best used at the outset of a campaign with its biggest strength to obtain quick and fast results.  Whereas the Search Engine Optimization makes up the longer term strategy.  Marketing managers of today have a challenging task of utilizing the tools of technology to best achieve the company’s financial objectives.  However, an effective strategy is broken down into short term and long term goals to encompass the overall scope of your plan.

Happy Marketing!!!

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February 24th, 2010 by typhonvision

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