Your internet access is going to get suspended – SPAM
Sophos has been intercepting many spam emails containing a malicious attachment overnight.

The emails all claim that “your internet access is going to get suspended”, as the receipient has committed “illegal activities” such as pirating software, movies or music.

A year after Google launched Google Website Optimizer (their free A/B split and multivariate testing platform) it has gone mainstream and is no longer in Beta.

Pervioulsy only available to AdWords users, Google Website Optimizer can now be accessed by anyone with a Google account. You can now start testing your site  for free.

To find out more about Google Website Optimizer, visit:

and their Blog (for product updates, case studies and ideas worth testing).

Google Analytics has been re-designed to help you learn even more about where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site.

*What is new?* In the new version, your reports have been redesigned for clarity, greater visibility of important metrics, and ease of use. Here are just a few of the features you’ll notice:

- Email and export reports: Schedule or send ad-hoc personalized report emails and export reports in PDF format.

- Custom Dashboard: No more digging through reports. Put all the information you need on a custom dashboard that you can email to others.

- Trend and Over-time Graph: Compare time periods and select date ranges without losing sight of long term trends.

- Contextual help tips: Context sensitive Help and Conversio University tips are available from every report.

The new interface has everything the previous interface had and more. In addition, links within reports make it easier to navigate related information and explore your data.

The following resources are available to help you get the most from the new Google Analytics interface:

- Report Finder Tool: will help you see where data from the previous interface is located within the new version (it is also linked to from within your reports on the left navigation menu):http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/static.py?page=v1v2map.cs

- Product tour:http://services.google.com/analytics/tour/index_en-US.html

- FAQs for more details about the new version: http://www.google.com/support/googleanalytics/bin/static.py?page=FAQ.cs

There is a lot of talk about how to organize your site and what Google wants. 

Google says sites should have a logical link structure.

There doesn’t seem to be one clear-cut definition of what a logical link structure is.

After reading many articles and posts and looking at many sites, here is a  brief explanation of what seems to make sense and fit that description.

The key point seems to be that the relationship between the pages should make sense.  Currently “breadcrumbs” are very popular – since they are useful to both the site visitor and display a logical link structure for the engines to follow.  Breadcrumbs use text links to demonstrate the logical relationship between pages and guides you through the related pages.

One way of looking at your site’s organization is the idea of a tree – with the homepage being the trunk, with detailed content pages as the branches, and sub-pages are the twigs on the branches.

The reason Google likes logical link structure is that it makes for an easier path for the spiders to follow, and eliminates spider confusion. 

An example of a poorly organized site would be a site that covers many topics and every page links to every other page – with no regard to which pages are relevant to each other.  Without a logical relationship between the pages, Google would find it difficult to classify the site, and the site would lose much of its relevance.

You are best to link to each of your core pages (each core page would represent a topic related to the theme of your site), and then on the core page for any given topic, you can list the sub-pages.  You want to link to any generic pages like Contact Us, About Us etc from the homepage and if possible not from the internal sub-pages.  Always provide a link back to home as well.

————————————-

Here is a great tip from Matt Cutts:

A tree-like structure is often good. Think about a catalog with links to different categories. Then each category is a subdirectory with items listed under that.

The Open Directory Project is another example of link structure that is very crawlable and logical.

————————————-

It may mean a lot of work, but it’s worth making sure your site has a logical link structure. 

Happy SEOing,

Jenn Horowitz

Director of Marketing & Search Engine Optimization Specialist

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tired of studying if it involves more reading of books, websites, etc.  I want to keep current on the latest internet news and the latest in SEO, but my eyes start feeling strained after awhile.

That’s when a website like Web Talk Radio takes over.  I can still be learning while I’m paying bills or doing other chores in the office.  Or even more important — eating my leftover grilled shrimp from last night’s dinner.

You can get the inside view of the internet on this talk radio show from expert co-hosts who work every day in the industry.  Here’s a link to a show where they interviewed Danny Sullivan, the editor of Search Engine Watch: 

Have a great weekend!

Brenda Bridwell – Marketing Assistant

Bonnie posted today about the importance of going beyond traditional “keyword research” — to really look at the behavior of your target audience and how they search.

Are they using the keywords and phrases you have identified, or are they using totally different phrases?  How can you find out?

One way is to use Wordtracker.  You can see the most popular words people use and also what keywords your competitors use.

The most obvious words may have a lot of competition, so consider keywords/phrases that are used often by searchers but not used by your competitors.

By using the option “Keyword Universe” you can get a broad perspective, then drill down to related and more specific terms and phrases.

Wordtracker can help you drive traffic, write better copy and help with Pay Per Click campaigns.  You’ll also get a better understanding of your customers needs.  This can help you develop ideas for good, relevant content and new products and services. 

Click here for information on Wordtracker:  http://searchenginewebpromotion.com/wordtracker.

Brenda Bridwell — Marketing Assistant

Matt McGee posted an entry on a fairly new feature at Google Maps, that allows you to save locations for later use. He notes that Yahoo has had this feature for a while. In addition, the Google Blog has announced this feature earlier this month. I thought it would be useful to write a “how-to” save addresses at Google Maps and Yahoo Maps.

Saving Addresses on Google Maps:
(1) Go to Google Maps
(2) Sign in to Google, if you are already not signed in (link at the top right of the page)
(3) On the left hand side you should see “Recent locations” and links to the most recent places you search on. You should also see a link to “See all saved locations” under the recent locations on the left and also a link at the top right of the page to “Saved Locations.”

(4) Clicking on the link will take you to a screen where you can manage your locations (add/edit/delete locations).
(5) You can also “Enable auto-saving of locations,” which I believe is on by default.
(6) For more information on Google Maps Saved Locations see the help section.

Saving Addresses on Yahoo Maps:
(1) Go to Yahoo Maps (I am taking you to the beta version)
(2) Make sure you are logged in
(3) Under the “Get Maps and Directions” field for “A”, if you click on the arrow down in the input box, it should show you “recent locations.”
(4) To edit your recent location, in the same drop down, click on the link that says “Save/Edit Locations”

(5) You can then either clear your recent locations or manage your other locations. You can add up to 10 saved locations to Yahoo Maps.
(6) You can quickly save a location you searched on at Yahoo Maps by clicking on “Add to My Yahoo”
(7) For more information on Yahoo Maps Locations see the help section
(8) One Tip: Ten locations may not do it for you. I personally use Yahoo’s MyWeb feature. I got to a specific location on Yahoo Local and click on the “Save to My Web” button. This way I can save Doctors, Restaurants, and Friends location easily. Of course, you can also add them to your Yahoo Address book.

Both Google and Yahoo have methods to send the data to your mobile phone. Source: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com

Bonnie Burns SEO Director

There’s more to what Google offers beyond the basic search features.  I know this isn’t news to most of you, but for others I thought I’d periodically write about other services and tools they offer.

Alerts

Want to stay current on an industry or competitor?  How about monitor a news story, or get the latest on a celebrity or sports team?

Google will notify you about the latest relevant web and news pages of your choice.  Four types of alerts are offered:  “News”, “Web”, “News and Web” and  “Groups”.  You’ll receive email updates once a day, as it happens, or once a week, depending on your selection.
 

Answers

Here’s an interesting one.  You can ask a question, set the price you’re willing to pay and one of the 500 researchers will answer.  If you’re curious, you can browse previously answered questions….all on the other person’s dime!  I saw prices ranging from $2 to $200 but there were quite a few questions left unanswered.  You think it depends on the $$ offered? 

Book Search

Books in Google Book Search come primarily from two sources: publishers and libraries.  You put in your search terms and book titles come up with portions of text — sometimes a few full pages or if the book is out of copyright, the entire book.  You’ll also see links to online bookstores where you can buy the book.

Google’s goal for the Library Project is to help people find relevant books, especially ones they wouldn’t find any other way (such as those that are out of print) and at the same time respect author and publisher copyrights.

More services and tools to come…hey have you checked out the new video feature?  You too can be a star!

Brenda Bridwell
Marketing Assistant
www.EcomBuffet.com

We do many real estate sites that need SEO work. Many Realtors have sites that are templates and rarely do well on the search engines. We have developed new web sites that are search engine friendly and help that Realtor compete for valuable high placement. When researching the latest trends to help the sites become not only highly ranked, but marketable, we came across this great program and offer it for your review as well. Remember, having a web site that ranks high is only one aspect of your online accessablity….you need to capture that visitor as well. As such, we alert you to (an note this is not an affiliate of us) this product for your review.

RealPing  http://www.realping.com
Studies by NAR, the National Association of Realtors, show that 78% of prospects looking for an agent will deal with the first one that gets back to them. With realPING, you will be that real estate professional… the one to immediately respond, the one to answer the question, and the one to begin building a priceless rapport with your client or prospect.

 
Today, it seems everyone is after your clients and prospects. The stats indicate THEY ARE!

Is Your Site Actionable?
A website can be beautiful, can be state-of-the-art, but if it is not actionable, or does not compel a visitor to reach out , it is worth much less. Building a website is only the first step. Offering a unique tool to address any questions is maybe the last step.

Billions of dollars are spent getting prospects to a website. When they have questions about a listing, or about anything, most will send an e-mail, because they don’t want to “bother” the agent  by calling after business hours.  Still, prospects expect immediacy-80% expect their answer in 2 hours-25% expect help NOW!

But the average e-mail response time for real estate pros is 24 hours, when they respond at all. Over 40% of emails never even get responded to.

Delivering Urgency with realPING.
When you subscribe to realPING, you are telling anyone who visits your site or opens your e-mails that you are one click away. Not a recording, not an e-mail, but you. . . a live person… will call the prospect or client back instantly. realPING gives you a huge advantage over your competition, by making you “the first responder’.

How it works
When a website visitors or email recipients click your realPING “talk to me now” button, they get a branded-to-you page that asks for their phone number. Once they enter their number they are at, three seconds later the prospect’s phone rings and announces the system is connecting with you. The system then calls your designated  number—preferably your cell phone, or your assistant’s. Your caller ID may even display “web call” so you know that you should take the call—and make the sale.

The caller’s first impression of you will be that you respond immediately, and in person. This unique first impression will as an indicator of your level of service and commitment to helping them buy or sell their home. 
 
Now you can get really interactive.
In addition to talking to the caller, you can display your online listings, even give the caller a virtual tour of a home, by entering codes on your cellphone. That’s right, show them any page or tour on your website as you are talking. You could driving across town in your car at 9 p.m., while simultaneously displaying your online listings on your callers monitor. The caller could be home in pajamas with sleeping children in the next room, and you can make the sale! That is true immediacy.

After you complete your call, you can leave an “exit page” on the caller’s monitor. It is customized with your photo, your contact information, and a message that can be as simple as “Thanks for pinging me!”  Or as detailed as providing multiple links to homes that the prospect may be interested in. You can also encourage them to give you their e-mail address and permission to continue to send e-mails, by offering a free report, a free CMA, or a refinancing analysis. You can build your own e-mail database quickly and easily.

The Technology
realPING is based on the popular Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and proprietary page serving via DTMF (tones initiated over a dial pad) . The service offers many added capabilities through an API that can be embedded in your corporate website and “feed” internal applications such a lead routing. Our Data Services division can design a custom application and offer you a defining advantage from those “me too” competitors. If you are looking to Brand” the service as if it is your own, we have a solution that will deliver your branding with every click, expanding and reinforcing your top-of-mind awareness.

Bonnie Burns SEO Director