photo credit: Pink Ayla

The ever-increasing importance of mobile devices in online marketing was hammered home this week after a new survey revealed that 33 per cent of smartphone users had ordered a product with their device – and another 26 per cent had ordered a product or service online using a mobile app.

The research, carried out by EPiServer, showed that e-commerce via mobile devices is becoming a key part of UK retail, with online marketing efforts increasingly geared towards such shopping habits. With 59 per cent of British consumers now owning some form of smartphone and 18 per cent owning tablet devices, this is a sensible move.

However, the survey also discovered that some online marketing professionals are not making their sites mobile-friendly enough, with 32 per cent of smartphone users finding websites hard to navigate. Another 35 per cent said that they gave up on sites that were too difficult to find one’s way around.

But only 20 per cent of online marketing workers surveyed said that their site was optimised for mobile devices, and only 18 per cent had a specific mobile app. The good news is that 76 per cent said that they had a mobile strategy in place with 26 per cent due to launch a site optimised for smartphones and tablets in the next year.

photo credit: Very Quiet

The instability in the financial markets even seems to be giving the Chinese online marketing sector pause for thought at the moment, after AIM-listed internet marketing firm Geong International blamed the situation today for its decision to shelve plans to snap up Hong Kong-based online marketing rival Adbeyond.

Geong provides online marketing assistance for Chinese businesses operating in the financial, telecoms, manufacturing and carmaking sectors and was looking to raise $8 million towards the acquisition via a convertible secured loan stock after announcing its intentions towards the Hong Kong operation, which trades as ‘Guru Online’, in July.

Adbeyond specialises in internet advertising and social media marketing, with sales this financial year totalling £3.1 million.

In a statement, Geong said: “The board will continue to seek suitable targets which will support its organic growth strategy, remaining aware, however, that the funding will remain difficult whilst the equity and financial markets remain as they are.”

The ultimate clique term right ? It seems every man and his dog who has a good day in the office suddenly is a Hero. “Heros”, “Experts” an SEO’s brain becomes immune to such superbly. Recipients of the title Hero should be people of the highest order, achievers, winners…

So I am here to argue why Rand Fishkin is fully deserving of this title due to his contribution, achievements and developments with SEO Moz which are of the highest order.

On that rainy Wednesday afternoon or that point in the week when things are not going to plan. The useful tools and community on SEO Moz are there to help unlock those problems…

But its much more than just a helpful tool. The Q & A’s and the very existence of SEO Moz and Rand helps bring a figure head for the industry. An industry where making friends with fellow SEOs in the UK especially is difficult as it is such a competitive arena.The SEO industry doesn’t need characters like Alec Baldwin in Glen Garry Glenross who have left real estate and have “brass balls” . It needs more people like Rand Fishkin…

A figure head, an authority, a trend setter and role model for SEO’s to follow was well overdue.

Ok Rand openly admitted on email to me – he found it difficult as a consultant making his company grow so then moved into the development of software. But the passion and enthusiasm he and his colleagues bring to the table with the Whiteboard Fridays and highly intuitive blogs posts. Enlighten an intuitive SEO looking for inspiration..

A reminder to me and many others who started off in the business in the first place why they did. A memento of the past and injection of energy across the industry. I don’t want this to turn into some blatant attempt and cheap way of getting some back links from sucking up to Rand I do genuinely mean all of the above. We are great believers that not enough people are encouraged and told “wow your doing a really great job”. Rand you just had your 15 minutes of fame on the blog.

Ok here is the fun part I mentioned to Rand I have been a big fan for a while and also with the recent Movember events I decided to emulate Rand with his “Man beard” Take a look here at the results…

Garry Pickles grows a beard like Rand Fishkin ...

Why not show your pride and display your “Rand Fishkin is my SEO Hero” banner on your site. Below is a 125×125 banner -

Keep up the great work Rand and the team at SEO Moz.

photo credit: pat00139

The run-up to Christmas has now begun in earnest, and online marketing professionals are gearing up for the seasonal campaigns. One expert urged anyone in the retail sector considering an internet marketing campaign to focus their efforts on providing clear and useful information about their products and services.

Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) director of marketing and communications Sophia Haynes said that businesses planning online marketing offensives over the Christmas period need to focus on carrying out just a few strategies as well as possible.

“The main thing is providing really useful information,” she said, such as “clear information about your opening times and delivery times in the run-up to Christmas.”

Ms Haynes also urged businesses to consider giving customers loyalty rewards, which provides them with a “thank you” as well as increasing their engagement with the brand.

The recent How Britain will Shop for Christmas 2011 report by Verdict and SAS predicted that online sales will do very well over the festive season.

photo credit: Veganbaking.net

Online marketing professionals have warned that a forthcoming European Union directive could hamper the effectiveness of internet advertising campaigns, due to the restrictions it will place on the use of web cookies.

Although the directive does not ban the use of cookies, it requires brands and marketing companies to obtain consumers informed consent before they can use them on their websites or for online advertising.

In a survey by affilinet, just 12 per cent of marketing professionals thought that they could successfully engage their customer base without tracking web site visits through the use of cookies on mobile devices and computers. Last year, this believe was shared by 35 per cent of respondents – showing how many have woken up to the invaluable online marketing role played by cookies.

Researchers warned that the cookie directive, which comes into effect next May, could lead to companies spending less money on internet advertising because its restrictions make it harder to measure their adverts’ effectiveness.

Using Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family has become such a natural online activity for millions of people across the planet. It is so addictive ! Status updates, like buttons, photo galleries and communities. It is so easy to see why ! So when a new Social media platform arrives you start asking the question “Why try and reinvent the wheel?”, “If its not broke why fix it” and so on …

Google is the king of search the practice of searching for products, services or interests online but Facebook is pulling in the other direction you don’t search for information the information finds you via a ever updating newsfeed. Facebooks recent dominance and increases in traffic have meant Google has had to stand up and take notice.

This is in my opinion the natural course of evolution for the internet. Speed and delivery is increasing but more so the means in which information is changing. So Google is quite rightly changing with the times. Yesterday we discussed the change in Algorithm across the net . The great guys at SEO Moz including Rand Fishkin dedicated their popular series of “Whiteboard Fridays” to the Google Freshness update. The Google Freshness update looks at the age and freshness of the release of an article or webpage which in turn will determine its relevance and ranking on Google.

I had just joined Google Plus a few months back and decided to start adding people to my circle. I notice a few celebrities Hugh Jackman for instance, I had always liked his portrayal of wolverine so I added him and then spotted British Chairman of the Virgin Group Richard Branson so I quickly added him to my circle hoping I could gain some interesting insights.

Since the release of Google plus I have spoken to several people including clients recommending they join. It is not known the overall percentage factor of how the Google plus button effects rankings but it does effect rankings. Now going back to Facebook a few days later I search for Facebook on Google which I tend to do instead of going direct to the destination url.

I found the following -

Yes thats right Google plus effecting rankings and Richard Branson is at the top of the list above Hugh Jackman. I then asked why is Richard Branson above Hugh Jackman in the rankings (I know not many people have asked this before right).

see below Richard is in more circles than Hugh.

It is well worth taking 15 minutes to sign up and get to know the platform so you can keep ahead of the game like Richard.

photo credit: The Daring Librarian

5 Reasons Why Google+ is a Social Media Marketing Phenomenon

There’s been a lot of web chatter since the launch of Google+, ironically much of it on its two biggest rivals, Facebook and Twitter. Experts have argued over whether its arrival heralds the conquering of mighty Facebook and the slow demise of Twitter, or whether it’s just another of Google’s flash-in-the-pan forays into social media, a bit like the damp squib that was Google Buzz.

For the time being at least, there doesn’t seem to be any real threat to Facebook or Twitter from Google’s social offering. However leaving aside the debates over which is better, there are several key reasons why Google+ is at the very least a great addition to your social media marketing strategy.

1. Fantastic Filters – Like Twitter’s Lists and Facebook’s Friend Lists, Google+ has its own way of organising the people you interact with. Circles are so simple and intuitive that it becomes a cinch to broadcast information to exactly the right group of people.
2. Group Messaging – BlackBerry users have had plenty of experience with group messaging services like BBM, but Google+ has its own offering called ‘Huddles’, which allow users of their Android app (as well as a forthcoming iOS version) to chat and share media with their Circles, whilst on the move. This offers a very targeted option for releasing special offers or announcing new products.
3. Hangouts – A big hit with users since the service launched in beta testing, Hangouts provide an opportunity to video chat with up to 10 people at a time.  They appear in news streams giving friends the option to join or leave at any time, allowing face-to-face chat and YouTube video sharing. A simple video presentation is a very real possibility with this feature, allowing for question and answer sessions afterwards.
4. Integration – As you would expect from Google, their social media platform is highly integrated with the rest of the vast array of Google products. The option to ‘+1’ all sorts of things across the web, and the ever-present Google+ notification bar makes the whole thing feel like a very inclusive system, yet doesn’t intrude on your browsing experience.
5. Looks – It has to be said that Google+ looks pretty amazing. It has a clean and simple user interface, with clever little graphic touches like the deleted circles that roll away off the screen. The reason the whole world started its love affair with Google was because of its minimalist, unobtrusive homepage, which has carried through into the beautiful design of Google+. It looks and feels powerful and professional, which makes it an attractive environment to promote business, and is something which Facebook will perhaps never be able to compete with.