AOL’s recent acquisition of the Huffington Post, one of the world’s most renowned news and blog websites, has shown how important online content is to businesses.  AOL has paid $315 million for the news site, which allows contributions from a vast range of writers, journalists and the general public.

Content is what gets people interested, and it is also what gets results in search engines. Professionally written optimised web content is the reason why companies receive their high rankings. Copywriting for the web is all about relevance; you could have a website that is stunning and creative, with beautifully written copy, but if none of the content is relevant to what your customers are looking for, no one will be able to find you site.

Search engines index websites depending on how often a company is referred to in relation to the keywords that customers are searching for. With optimised search engine content, your website’s content will rank higher due to the fact that your company is mentioned in relation to specific search terms.

Infoserve offers several different products that offer professionally written SEO content that will boost the search engine rankings for your business. If you already have a website, then a Keyword Management Report from Infoserve will provide you with a comprehensive guide that shows where you could optimise your website’s content. In the Keyword Management Report, you will be given sample copywriting as an example of how you could change your website’s content so that it is more effective.

Infoserve Keysites

Infoserve’s KeySite product can be used as an accompaniment to your website, or a website in its own right. In a KeySite you will find content that has been written using key phrases and locations that are relevant to a specific business. They can act as a great introduction to your business’ services and provide the information that you want your customers to know.

If you would rather have a more detailed Internet presence, then Infoserve can help with our E-Start product; a website for your company that includes professionally written content that is tailored to the needs of your company.

Whatever Internet marketing help your company needs, Infoserve has a wide range of products that have been specially developed to help small and medium sized business reach their customers in their local area.

It can sometimes be difficult to find new ways to advertise your business, especially in the places where people will actually be looking for your services. That is why Infoserve has created SIVs. They are Single Industry Vertical Sites, specialist sites for specific industries and services. Within the sites there are directory listings where customers can find the people who offer the services that they need in their area. For example, at http://www.photographmywedding.co.uk/ there are listings for recommended wedding photographers who are available throughout the UK.

www.photographmywedding.co.uk

The great thing about the SIVs is that they are not just a directory; they also have a lot of specific information about how to choose the best company. At http://www.photographmywedding.co.uk/ there is a wealth of information about different styles of wedding photography and the different wedding packages available. The information on the SIVs could help customers choose the best company for their requirements.

Infoserve SIVs

With the SIVs from Infoserve, your customers will be able to find your company listed within a website that is relevant to them and what they need. If you were looking for information about how to choose a wedding photographer, and the site included a comprehensive directory of wedding photographers, it makes a bit easier and reduces searching time. Make it easy for your customers to find you with Infoserve.

Successful search marketing takes time and patience.  There are a number of things to look at, including paid for advertising options and improving your rankings in the organic results.

When it comes to getting better natural rankings there is work involved, but it is possible with some knowledge of how search engine optimisation works and perseverance.

Today most local business searches are carried out online.  It is, therefore, very important that you are found for local searches.  One way you can do this is by getting your business listed on online business directories.

Some of the online business directories you should look at are City-Visitor, the Infoserve Football Business Finder and Infoserve SIVs. 

 City-Visitor

The City-Visitor online business directory has over four million visitors every month.  This is a huge audience for your business and the services and products you provide.  It has 12 million number one positions and 22 million first-page positions across the top search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

Infoserve Football Business Finder

You can list your business on the Infoserve Football Business Finder, which is an online network of 71 official Football League club websites.

Infoserve SIVs

You can get your business found online by listing it on Infoserve’s Single Industry Vertical Sites (SIVs).  These websites have high visibility across the major search engines and are dedicated to specific industries.  For instance, there are SIVs for cosmetic surgery, car hire and accountancy.

Yahoo!Local

Yahoo!Local is another great place to get your business found.  Speak to Infoserve about getting your business listed prominently on Yahoo!Local.  Infoserve is the official advertising sales partner for Yahoo!Local.

You can advertise your business on Yahoo!Local with Infoserve Ltd, the official advertising sales partner for Yahoo!Local.

If you want to get your business found online give Infoserve a call.  We can help you with our portfolio of local search marketing products.

More and more research is being carried out about the best way to optimise companies’ Internet marketing, with experts now saying that your URL is another important way to improve your search engine results.

The simpler the URL, the more appealing it is for your customers. For example, if your customer was searching for a green dress http://www.example.com/index.php?id_sezione=360&sid= is much less likely to be clicked on than http://www.example.com/green-dress.html.

Infoserve KeySites

At Infoserve we recognise the need for tailored URLs. That is why, when you order an Infoserve KeySite from us, the URL will match your key phrases and key locations. So, if you were a company specialising in airport taxis in Ashbourne, we would endeavour to make your domain name www.airporttaxisashbourne.co.uk. Concise and effective.

Think for a moment about how you research and buy things today. If you were looking for a local business what would you reach for: your Yellow Pages or your laptop? If you wanted to buy something would you take the trip to town or just buy it online? Consumer habits have changed dramatically over the past few years, with people going for the fast and easy option rather than the traditional methods.  Online marketing is growing from day to day, leaving other marketing mediums by the wayside.

Tailored search results

ITV’s director of commercial and online operations, Fru Hazlitt, has recently stated that, “we have to have same the respect for broadband as broadcast,” and Internet marketing, unlike TV or print advertising, doesn’t leave small businesses out in the cold. The tailored results that the Internet gives means that customers can find what they are looking for, rather than having to wade through the information given to them from national companies who can afford blanket advertising. For example, if you needed to find a chemist in the small village where you lived, an advert for a chain of chemists that have no branches near you would be completely unhelpful. You need to find the chemist that is closest to you, and the Internet can help you find it.

As a consumer, the Internet makes it easier to find what you need. But how do you improve the online visibility of your business? Internet marketing is targeted marketing; it helps people who are looking for your business find your business. Therefore, the return on investment is more likely to be higher than an advert in a more general marketing medium.

Infoserve is committed to helping you get found online

Professionals, such as Infoserve, are committed to helping businesses be found by the people who are looking for them. The Internet is becoming the most important advertising medium available, and businesses need to harness the power of online marketing to get the best out of it. Your customers are looking for you, but how are they going to find you if they don’t know you are there?

Internet marketing methods can be daunting to some people who are more focused on other aspects of their business. Internet marketing consultants use methods like Search Engine Optimisation, link exchanges and blogs to increase a company’s visibility. These terms may seem overwhelming and confusing for some, but that is why there are companies, such as the Infoserve Group, who can manage and promote your Internet marketing campaign. If you were struggling with your accounts, you would hire an accountant.  So if you are having problems understanding and implementing an online marketing strategy, call on the experts. Click here for more information about Infoserve’s products: http://www.infoservemarketing.com/products/.

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If you are looking at ways to get your business ranking highly in all the major search engines perhaps a KeySite website from Infoserve could be just the solution.

Infoserve, a specialist in online local search marketing, offers KeySites websites that rank highly for specific search terms.

Infoserve KeySites are two-page websites created for you using well-proven Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques.  When consumers carry out local searches online the Meta data (information within the coding of your KeySite, including the title tag, page description and keywords), as well as content that is rich in keywords and locations will help get you high ranking.

Infoserve can have your KeySite written, built and ranking across the major search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo!, in a few weeks.

A KeySite is great for business and it can work as a stand-alone website or work in tandem with an existing website.

All Infoserve KeySites incorporate an easy-to-use content management system through which you can change content, images and the colour scheme.

Choose an Infoserve KeySite and:

• Get high rankings across the search engines.
• Receive targeted traffic.
• Have easy access to amend content, images and colour.
• Have easy access to traffic reports.
• Have a professionally written and designed website.

A few examples of Infoserve KeySites:

• www.gardenmaintenancecoventry.co.uk
• www.immigrationsolicitorsluton.co.uk
• www.carservicingdunstable.co.uk

For more information about Infoserve KeySites, or other online local search marketing solutions from Infoserve please contact Infoserve.  Our portfolio of products includes the leading online business finder City-Visitor.

Let Infoserve help your business get found on the Internet. 

The social media hype continues to grow and every day more and more businesses are joining social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report 2010 stated that 78% of companies now market themselves on Facebook and 81% on Twitter, an increase of 49% from 2009.

Yet a recent study by the Association of Online Publishers has found that adverts placed on original sites such as Yahoo! are twice as likely to be trusted.

The survey showed that 48% of those asked found the ads on sites like Yahoo! and MSN more reliable and trusted them more. This compared with 39% who said they had faith in social media sites.

What’s more, adverts placed on the original content sites were at least twice as likely to increase positive brand awareness in consumers than if they were placed on social networks like Facebook – that’s quite a difference.

With a huge 27% of advertising spend in the UK channelled towards the Internet, it clearly works but decisions about where to place ads can be hard.

Here at Infoserve, we offer a range of products to help promote your business but are also the official Yahoo! Local advertising sales partner for the UK.

Infoserve is a leader in online local search marketing.  Contact Infoserve for more details about how we can help your business.

http://www.guava.co.uk/resources/research-reports/

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Tough economic times have dominated 2010 and the reining in of spending has become a top priority for many businesses, especially when considering how to promote themselves. Yet online spend has continued to shine, especially that of search marketing, with new figures revealed by Econsultancy showing that the UK search market saw an impressive 16% rise from 2009.

The research has found that the number of companies increasing their search engine optimisation (SEO) budgets has gone from 55% in 2009 to 60%.

Here at Infoserve, we know that SEO is a must for businesses, and a research analyst at Econsultancy has stated the marketing method to be: “a proven and highly effective method of delivering return on investment by successfully driving traffic and increasing sales”.

The report also details how the way people search is changing, as Internet users narrow their searches to local search, adding a locality to their keywords.

With the market reportedly worth £436 million in 2010 compared to £376 million in 2009, it seems to be the way forward and we predict good things as it holds tight to its position for 2011.

Infoserve is a specialist in online local search marketing.  Go to http://www.infoserve.com/ for more information about how Infoserve can help your business.
http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/uksearchmarketincreasesby16percent120111.mxs

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I’ve always been looking for a great tool to track rankings with ease, and it’s taking me a while to find one that works the best. Advanced Web Ranking is probably the best one I have come across, with its vast amount of features and tools it makes it a lot more diverse than other software or web based tools that I have used before.

The server version is great because it means that you are not performing the searches from your own computer and also it means you and other team members can access the same rankings.

Advanced Web Ranking allows you to check search engine ranking and history for more than one site, so that means you can follow your competitors as well as yourself.

There is also a great range of customisation within Advanced Web Ranking, which means you can customise reports and then send them out to your clients.

The scheduling is great for busy people, or for people who have a lot of clients. It allows you to schedule your reporting so that it can do it overnight or at a time when you are away from your computer, so that you don’t have to sit there and watch it do its business and check website ranking

You also get the ability to check Google Local Rankings, which is great seeing as Google local seems to be dominating a lot of search engine queries now, and for those of you who are like me, you will have a lot of clients who are looking for local based queries.

Advanced Web ranking uses a system which means that you do not have to worry about being detected, it basically will sleep between each keyword, so that your searches appear natural and therefore you do not have to worry about facing any sort of IP ban from search engines.

What I think makes this software great is the ability to export data and import it into standard office software such as Excel or Word, meaning that all the data gained from Advanced Web Ranking is very customisable. This a long with the ability to customise style sheets means that you will always be able to show your clients data in a way that makes a lot of sense to them.

Advanced Web Ranking includes a keyword research tool that will suggest and give you ideas of keywords that you may wish to target and also means that you don’t have to spend time coming up with keywords to target on your own.

There aren’t any restrictions with Advanced Web Ranking, meaning that you can track and follow as many websites as you wish.

The pricing starts from $99 and goes up to $599 for the enterprise edition. Although the standard version is great and houses much of the tools that you will need, I would definitely recommend purchasing the enterprise version if you are wanting to make use of all of the great tools that Advanced Web Ranking has to offer.

Overall I would recommend this software to anyone in the SEO industry who has a lot of clients but a limited amount of time to do things manually.

As a lot of us have noticed today, Google has by default added background images to the Google home page.

I for one find it rather annoying and it takes away from the ’simpleness’ that Google is about.

A lot of you agree and Patrick Altoft even created a twitition to remove the google image from the home page, so get signing!

In the mean time I have created 3 simple steps for a workaround.

1. Open Photoshop or any other image editing software (paint will do) and create an image with a white backgroun

2. Go to Google, sign in to your account and click the change background image link in the bottom left.

3. All you need to do now is select to upload and image ‘from my computer’ and choose the image you have just created.

Voila!

Good Times