Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns should be incorporated into an efficient whole to maximise a company’s online profile. According to the Online Marketing Summit held last week in San Diego, there has been a shift in balance between paid and unpaid listings in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)and this has changed the playing field.

Given the now greater prominence of PPC adverts on SERPs, paid search ads are competing with organic listings more than ever and may deflect attention from natural results and relegate them further down the page.

This recent development in how PPC ads are displayed more or less amounts to a new set of market rivals, and businesses – especially those that compete in dense keyword fields – should bear this in mind when looking at their SEO analysis.

Businesses with smaller budgets may concentrate on one or the other through necessity, and both marketing forms have advantages in their own right – PPC is a great option for boosting a company’s online profile in a competitive keyword field, for example. But having a paid ad on a SERP increases the conversion-rate from the traffic brought about by an SEO listing – the perfect way in which SEO and PPC work together.

The two methods are also closely linked by choosing accurately targeted keywords – this approach fundamentally underpins both SEO and PPC – and, given the new-found prominence of PPC adverts, the significance in being among the top of the organic listings has intensified.

Yahoo! is struggling to cope with surging competition from Google and Facebook, with the web portal and search engine facing the prospect of making 1% of its 14,100 workforce redundant – just shortly after announcing 4% cuts in which whole departments were laid off.

Yahoo! was the subject of a failed take-over bid by Microsoft in the third quarter of 2008, and gross revenues have failed to grow from that point. After Yahoo! announced its redundancy plans, the company’s shares fell 4.4% in after-hours trading.

eMarketer, the business information service which analyses US online advertising spending, understood that Yahoo!’s display advertising share decreased last year to 16.2% from 16.5% in 2009 while – in the same period – Facebook accounted for 13.6% of display revenues, an increase from 7.3% in 2009. Yahoo! chief-executive Carol Bartz admitted that the company was not getting the click revenue it had hoped for.

Yahoo!’s current cuts contrast to Google’s fortunes, as the corporation implements an assertive recruitment plan to hire 1,000 new employees in Europe. In the same quarter that Yahoo!’s revenue had decreased by 4%, Google’s revenue had grown 26% to $8.4bn and its profits by 29% to $2.5bn.

Referring to Google’s further fourth-quarter profits of $2.54bn, outgoing chief-executive Eric Schmidt said: “We had a very, very good year and a very strong quarter”.

The rise of the smartphone has brought mobile web design into the spotlight. A couple of years ago, just about everybody checked out websites on a full-sized PC, but more and more people these days browse the web on their phones. That means your business needs a website that is fully optimised for mobile search and browsing.

Ask your web designer to test your existing website on all the popular mobile browsers. You need consider how to optimise it both for search and usability, just as you would for a traditional website.

Submit your site

Both Google and Yahoo! have created mobile versions of their site map applications. Submitting your mobile website means the mobile versions of the search engines are aware of its existence and you are more likely to appear in users’ mobile search results.

Watch those URLs

If you’re transferring content from your regular website make sure that all of the relevant URLs are adapted for the mobile market if you wish to be included in mobile search. Most search engines will only index relevant URLs, i.e. those that are configured for mobile browsing.

Configuration is key

When the mobile web bots start crawling your site, they will penalise any site that is configured incorrectly.  Some mobile websites can be difficult to index, therefore most major search engines have separate mobile crawlers. To optimise your mobile website for search make sure that all user-agents, including mobile ones, are allowed to access your site.

The general principles of SEO apply to mobile websites just as to traditional websites: design them in a way that is SEO-friendly, and adhere to the established best practices of the major search engines.

From March 2011 the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the self-regulatory body responsible for advertising standards in the UK, will extend its remit to SEO marketing campaigns.

The ASA will not have any say over organic search results or user-generated content, but will be able to monitor anything else that comes within the brief of an SEO-marketing campaign, such as paid-for links and undisclosed links within blog articles.

The Office of Fair Trading is already monitoring the use of paid for links, which must make it clear that they have been paid for, rather than achieve pole position organically and the ASA has confirmed that their main focus will be on analysing paid-for links to ensure there is total disclosure regarding the relationship between the advertiser and blogger.

There doesn’t appear to be a clear differentiation between what will come under the OFT remit and what the ASA will handle, which suggests that at this stage there is a large overlap between the two, although this may resolve itself before the ASA becomes involved in March.

It’s going to make things more difficult for those wishing to run successful SEO campaigns though, as they will have to contend with three entirely separate sets of rules – OFT, ASA and Google – governing their advertising, and what is fine under one set may well be in breach of another.

Industry watchers believe that ASA will mainly focus on big businesses who flout the rules of SEO advertising, but as an SME, it is worth being aware of the changes and checking out the ASA’s remit to ensure that your SEO campaigns remain relevant, and legal.

Following complaints from internet companies including price comparison site Foundem and search engine ejustice.fr, the European Commission competition watchdog launched an antitrust probe into Google last week.

The main charge levelled against the internet giant is that they have intentionally fixed their all-important algorithm to lower competitors’ search rankings and raise their own. That said, both the EC and Google are quick to point out that the start of a probe is not meant to imply wrongdoing by the market dominating search engine.

Google have been quick to respond and say they will be ‘working with the Commission to address any concerns.’ The statement goes onto respond to the charges in more detail, and provides an interesting insight into how Google decides upon site ranking. They have focused in particular on price comparison site Foundem’s claim that Google ‘removes legitimate sites from natural search results, irrespective of relevance’.

Google has replied to point out that there are ’compelling reasons’ why Foundem and similar sites are ranked poorly in organic search. Chief among these reasons is the large amount of duplicate content they contain, as the site largely pulls information from other providers rather than creating its own. In their statement, Google placed the percentage of duplicate content on Foundem at about 79% and emphasised that firms had been repeatedly made aware that duplicate content would be penalised.

The case follows hot on the heels of a similar one launched in Texas earlier this year, also off the back of a Foundem complaint. Neither case has a resolution yet, and the following months will certainly be interesting for Google.

Last Friday, I attended a New Media Breakfast in Glasgow talking about LinkedIn. Like most people, I’ve been on the business networking site for years, but also like the vast majority, I probably don’t make as good of use as I should.

Social Media expert and Drum contributor, Colin Gilchrist was giving the talk and recommended a variety of “best practices” for using LinkedIn. Some of his tips I had been doing already, but I can admit, I was not aware of others. A few are listed below (using my own headings for the most part):

1 ) Have a professional photo

When it comes to your photo, Colin recommends that you don’t use your company logo or one of yourself on the ski slopes,…unless you’re a ski instructor, of course.

Save the causal shots for Facebook and keep your photo relevant. On my own LinkedIn page I am sat with a laptop and microphone which I believe is pretty representative of the different hats I wear. So that one I got right. Yay!

2 ) Fill in your website details

By default, LinkedIn has “My Website” or “My Blog” – but you can customise that. You’d be amazed at how many people leave it as the default (including me until Friday!)

For SEO purposes though, it’s advantageous to change these to your actual site name. To do that – click on “edit profile” scroll down to the “Website” options, choose “Other” for each one and write in your site’s name, your blog name etc.

3 ) Priortize your expertise

Just like on your CV you have the option of moving your most important information to the top of your profile. Next to each heading “Summary”, “Experience”, “Education” et al – all have four arrows next to them and it’s simply a case of dragging and dropping (who knew?)

If your biggest accomplishment to date is your degree, then you might want your experience at the top. But if you have ten years’ experience as broadcaster or graphic designer or whatever, then that should go near the top. It’s common sense really. Always accentuate the positive!

4 ) Join groups to connect with people!

I’d add “selectively” solely because if you are in a lot of groups (you can join up to fifty) you’ll spend all your days reading correspondence – even if you get the daily or weekly archive! But groups are a great way to connect with people. One thing to bear in mind though, is if you do post, you need to keep in mind that your message is (potentially) going to hundred if not thousands of people. Watch what you write.

5 ) Don’t be rude!

If you add someone, you should :

1) avoid using the “friend” option unless you’re actually friends (ed note: oops!) 2) instead make use of the “other” option and find their email address on the web somewhere (not sure I fully agree with this one but fair enough!) and 3) always customize the message – don’t just use the generic “I’d like to add you to my network” copy. This third one is particularly close to my heart. A lot of people add me each week on Facebook and LinkedIn, and frankly I’ll often ignore the invite if they don’t write something to me – with some sort of relevance.

So thankfully that one I was already following!

And on that note, Colin cited a statistic along the lines of: 25% of people will just say “yes” automatically to connecting, 25% will say “no chance” and the remaining 50% could go either way.

6 ) Don’t Worry, Get Appy

Make use of the variety of Apps that are available on LinkedIn and add them to your profile. These might be RSS feeds, blogs, powerpoint presentations. You can even add your company brochure as a slideshare.

7 ) Avoid Channel Spam

This is another one that rather gets my goat. A lot of people I am connected to – are connected on LinkedIn, Twitter (if they’re on there), Facebook, Foursquare etc. It can all be a bit much if I am being honest. So when I realised that there were some of my Tweets I’d not want shared on LinkedIn – I de-linked Twitter altogether…

Thankfully we were shown a way of sharing only those you want broadcast by using the #in hashtag. Awesome!

So, that’s me, I am connected again – just need to remember to use that #in tag to update my LinkedIn tweets now!

ED NOTE: This above info is aimed at people not using  a multiple broadcast application such as HootSuite or Tweetdeck. Those applications already allow you to pick and choose where your updates are getting posted.

8 ) LinkedIn is the New Rolodex

Colin says he uses LinkedIn to manage all his contacts which, to be honest, is something I’ve never really done.

Apparently you can export them in a number of ways so that you have your very own database of your contacts.

I had no idea I could do this, but I am trying it right now!

….Hey it worked!

A word of caution though…Watch out if you have two friends  with the same name, like my two friends called John Gallagher – it confuses them.

Anyway it was worth dragging myself out of bed for an 8am start on a Friday morning to learn those tips. So, are you making the most out of your LinkedIn profile?

If you’re on there, we’re happy to connect:

Thea on LinkedIn
Gary on LinkedIn
NSDesign Ltd on LinkedIn

Google has recently added a visual preview of web sites to their search results that could very well call for real change in the way we view SEO. Now, when you type any query into Google, you’ll see a little magnifying glass next to the page’s title. Hover over this icon and you’ll see a preview of the homepage for the selected site.

For once, Google are not leading the trend here; however their implementation of the preview feature is more integrated and easier to use than previously seen versions and also affects the majority of UK search results, where Google is by far and away the market leader.

This means web design just shot up the priority list. Gone are the days when you could attract visitors to your site with relevant content, placing emphasis on the written word rather than design. Google preview means that potential customers will be judging the site before they even click on it, and to ensure they do click through, sleek design is going to become increasingly important.

It’s too early in the process to say if there are hard and fast rules designers need to apply for the new system, but it is likely that sites which have striking and uncluttered home pages will be popular; while those which suffer from information overload on the front page are likely to suffer as the previews won’t do them justice, possibly making them look confused and irrelevant.

The good news is that Google’s testing of the system found that people are 5% more likely to appreciate the site they click on having used preview, than a site that they blindly selected. So hits which do come through are more likely to convert into business.

When designing your first website, it can be difficult to keep track of everything there is to consider. So, just for a change, we thought we’d look at those things you can forget about – the five elements of web design that can put off customers and mar an otherwise excellent composition.

Multi-sensory sites: Background music on websites gets very irritating very quickly, and can potentially embarrass customers, especially if they are trying to use the web in a crowded or quiet place. If you feel sound will add to your site’s ambience, create an opt-in button so visitors can choose to listen.

Stick to the map: Once you have decided on your navigation system, stick with it. Ensure that your menu is in the same position on each website, so visitors don’t have to waste time re-orientating themselves on every single page.

Don’t be too flash: Flash is brilliant for embedding graphics and animations which can really make your site stand out. The downside is that they are time-consuming to load and won’t catch the eye of search engines. Flash is non-indexable, so while it may look great on the site, it isn’t visible outside, greatly reducing the number of visitors you receive.

Don’t get dressed in public: Under construction sites add nothing to your SEO and frustrate customers looking for answers. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve found the solution to your question, only to click and find out that answer is ‘Come back soon’.

Make sure your content can be read: You’ve spent ages making sure that your site says what you want it to, so make sure it produces the maximum impact by choosing the right font at a readable size.

Google have recently launched Instant, a new approach to searching which pushes the boundaries of internet search technology as well as altering the playing field for marketing.

This latest advancement is based on research which suggests that users take up to 10x longer to type an enquiry than they do to scan a page of results. Instant responds to this by bringing up results as users type, allowing them to scan simultaneously and click through to their desired web page faster. The user also establishes a dialogue with the system, amending their own search parameters as they go to find their required content quicker.

It’s an impressive new tool which accelerates functionality for users of the system; however, it may not be such good news for businesses, especially those running Adword campaigns. Results for Google Instant searches are almost constantly refreshed, and so too are the PPC ads, allowing no time for an interested party to click through.

There is also the possibility that businesses will end up paying for impressions on irrelevant searches, with results changing as a query becomes more defined.

In response, Google will change their definition of an ad impression.  Unless an ad is on screen for 3 seconds or more, it is not considered an impression. This goes some way to solving the problem, but doesn’t help if the user is distracted half way through typing their query, leaving irrelevant results on screen for a prolonged period.

Google Instant has the potential to revolutionise the way we use search engines and its true impact has yet to be felt. Only time will tell us what effect it has on Adwords.

We meet people all the time who wonder what the benefits are to utilising social media tools like Twitter, Foursquare or Facebook to promote their business. It’s understandable really. I mean many people specifically wonder - “How much info can one convey in 140 characters?“

A lot more than you think, as it happens, but like anything out there, you’ll find there’s an knack for doing it and doing it well. For those who are a bit skeptical still, today’s blog post is just for you.

When asking why you should use social media to promote a business, just know that it will vary from company to company, but here are ten reasons you may wish to consider:

With Social Media you can:

1. raise your profile/brand (or your company profile).

2. connect with customers directly to problem solve or receive feedback on your products or services.

3. funnel sales-driven traffic to your website.

4. have competitions – e.g. to give away samples of products or services.

5. humanise your site, company or organisation.

6. build trust (let’s face it, people do business with people they like and trust).

7. gain industry insights.

8. increase SEO.

9. increase your word of mouth / viral marketing.

10. Position you/your company as the expert in your field.

There are, no doubt, more than the above ten, but those are a few reasons worth considering working social media  into your marketing mix to promote your business.

If you’re not sure how to go about that, but are interested in doing so, then please get in touch. We’d be happy to help you formulate a bespoke strategy.