TopRank Internet Marketing News

Online Marketing Blog recently conducted a poll asking its readers to identify the top three digital marketing tactics they planned to emphasize in 2011.

Tactics finishing within the top 5 include:

• Search engine optimization
• Social network participation
• Blogging
• Email marketing
• Content marketing

The mix of tactics sitting atop this list signal a new year where online marketing programs are defined by content and engagement, likely to a greater degree than ever before.  To further raise the visibility of how its solutions for email marketing and social media help companies succeed in this landscape, StrongMail has engaged with TopRank® Online Marketing.

A more common variation of this question would be, ‘do rankings still matter?’

The answer to this would be, of course they still do.  Traditional search rankings are simply no longer the be-all, end-all of a successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program.

Ten years ago, search rankings consisted of ten basic website links that were (essentially) the same regardless of where in the world you were searching from.

Rankings nowadays can be affected by everything from:

• Local, influenced by the geographic location of your IP address
• Social, influenced by the emergence or disappearance of trending topics

B2B technology companies exist in a world marked by lengthy sales cycles and niche marketplaces.  Maintaining awareness, while personally engaging with each customer and prospect, can combine to become a strong competitive differentiator in this environment.

Best practice online marketing programs, integrating elements of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media marketing, can be customized to meet the challenges posed by the need for visibility and engagement. By renewing programs with TopRank® Online Marketing, the two B2B technology companies below will continue to meet and ultimately overcome these challenges:

Fortunately for public relations professionals, fundamental storytelling and networking skills are just as vital as they have ever been. But while audience hunger for compelling tales and human connection is the same, the channels where these wants are being met have never been more subject to change.

An outcome of this change is the morphing of traditional public relations and online public relations into one all-encompassing PR landscape.  Quickly learning to navigate this PR landscape is the new, essential skill set that will ensure communications professionals meet the objectives of their clients and organizations.

When asked about ranking higher in search engines, Google’s Head of Webspam, Matt Cutts, often gives the answer of ‘create high quality content.’ However, creating and publishing content on the web is just one component of Content SEO, there are many other intricate aspects for getting your content to rank in search.

Fortunately, Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, and Jiyan Wei, Product Manager of PRWeb, are here to help. On Wednesday October 6^th, both Odden and Wei will discuss:

Yes, of course.

For many, a straight-forward ‘yes’ when answered in relation to whether a mobile Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy should be launched is a terrifying answer.

Quite simply, if search moves at the speed of light, mobile moves at the speed of light on [insert favorite energy drink here.]

When something moves this fast, there are bound to be those that feel woefully behind in terms of understanding.

If you work in the corporate world, you’re likely already involved in blogging and seeing the power it has on your digital marketing efforts.  According to a TopRank blogging and SEO survey, 95% of respondents indicated that they do incorporate blogs as part of their search engine optimization efforts.

And while a majority see benefits from an SEO standpoint, most don’t unlock the true potential of blogging.  An effective blog marketing program can make your blog more than tactically effective – it can be transformative for your business.

How do you feel about social media, particularly as it relates to your brand?

Better put, how would you feel about social media marketing if you knew search engines took your company’s social activity into account when determining your search ranking?

Hallie Mummert of Target Marketing recently wrote an excellent piece titled Search: Get Real About Real Time SEO.  The article, featuring quotes from TopRank Online Marketing® CEO Lee Odden, opens with an example of a real time search conducted in the light of recent riots in Oakland, CA:

As discussed in a recent long term SEO case study, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not a silver bullet that will help a website skyrocket to the top of search rankings overnight.

Proper SEO lives most comfortably in the home of a long term online marketing program. It is a discipline that understands benefits reaped on the climb up the mountain can be just as impactful as those achieved once the summit is reached.  It also understands how difficult it is to replace the king of any mountain, especially one strengthened by a strategic climb to the top.

Whether you work in B2B or B2C, your prospects and customers are turning to online channels to learn more about you and your industry.  At last count, 346 million of them were turning to blogs.

Business blogging represents an unprecedented way to connect with prospects and customers more powerfully than ever.  What could be cooler than that? How about watching the CEO of TopRank® Online Marketing jump out of a flying plane?

Later this month, TopRank CEO Lee Odden will present ‘Boosting SEO For Social Blogs‘ at Open Ca.mp in Dallas, Texas. During his presentation, Odden will detail how a sound blog marketing strategy can help boost online exposure while increasing search and social traffic.