Software Marketing Podcast

Everything About Linking

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:33:27 -0400

Websites that are able to amass a large number of links from related websites that contain relevant content, tend to have an advantage when attempting to rank well in the large search engines. The tricky part is understanding how to build a large quantity of quality links. With the growth of the web and increased competition, search engines are weighing link relevance, and link authority as part of their ranking algorithm

Everything About Linking MP3

What is The Long Tail

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:00:00 -0400

The phrase "The Long Tail" was first used in 2004 by Chris Anderson a writer for Wired Magazine. Anderson used the phrase to describe business models. The article initially referencing The Long Tail referred to the fact that a small handful of blogs have a large number of links pointing to them, while millions of smaller blogs have only a handful of links. Chris Anderson described the effects of the long tail on business models and argued that products that are in a low demand can effectively and collectively make up a market share that exceeds the few of those that are in high demand.

What is the Long Tail MP3

The Tipping Point

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:26:48 -0400

I recently attended the PubCon conference in Boston. Malcolm Gladwell the author of The Tipping Point and Blink was the keynote speaker. He was very engaging and raised some very interesting points.

The Tipping Point MP3

Google Paranoia

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:00:00 -0400

Anti-Google sentiment is on the rise. Web pundits have tossed around monopoly theories and privacy advocates have warned of a day of reckoning. While Google has made friends on Wallstreet, it has disappointed the technical evangelists who were once its fiercest followers. Google has grown into a big scary company and web watchers are expressing their concerns about the information Google gleans from their various services.

Google Paranoia MP3

Organic Search Engine Optimization

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:22:15 -0400

The fabled tales of successfully tricking search engines into high rankings have given way to a new truth, to achieve decent consistent ranking you cannot engage in tricks but on focused optimization done in a professional ethical manner. According to search sources, with the latest Google update, there is no longer an even playing field when it comes to search placement. The new Google ranking system gives an advantage to large, established businesses that have achieved brand recognition. Does this mean small businesses should give up on the Web as a marketing model? No, of course not, they simply must develop quality content.

Organic SEO MP3

Press Releases Tips

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:00:00 -0400

While controversial issues frequently attract attention they can also alienate potential customers. Sometimes it is better to put a positive spin on public relations. A typical press release announces new leadership, products or services, but consider mixing it up a bit.

Press Release Tips MP3

AdSense Tips

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:11:01 -0400

AdSense allows website publishers to display contextually relevant advertisements on their website. If a web visitor "clicks" on an advertisement, the web publisher will earn a percentage of the advertising revenue generated as a result of the click. Many webmasters have built content websites around the Google AdSense model. In many cases the specific intent of the webmaster is to profit from Google AdSense. Other webmasters use Google AdSense to supplement their revenue. Regardless of the webmaster's intent, the following tips will help webmasters looking to profit from AdSense.

Adsense Tips MP3

What is Google Base?

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:06:18 -0400

In order for Google Base to succeed, it will need the support of both publishers and users. Quite frankly, most are having difficulty seeing the value in Google Base. Google Base, is a new service in beta, from Google that requests that publishers add their information to the "Google Base". Google Base is hosted by Google. All types of item submissions are accepted online and off-line information in a variety of formats.

What is Google Base MP3

Great Online Resources for Webmasters

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 16:02:06 -0400

As the web becomes increasingly more crowded, it is important for webmasters to take the extra step to make their web sites user friendly. There are a number of free resources available to webmasters.

Listen to the Podcast

2005 Took the World By Storm What is In Store for 2006

Tue, 3 Jan 2006 10:00:00 -0400

2005 Took the World By Storm
2005 literally took the world by storm. The tragedies of the Asian Tsunami, the Hurricanes that blew through the US Gulf Coast and the earthquakes that swallowed parts of Pakistan have left an indelible mark on 2005. While mother nature cast a shadow on 2005, it was technology that delivered the impact that resulted in a huge outpouring of donations. The world was touched by the human element seen real-time in pictures and videos. Today's technology was able to deliver the graphical grittiness that portrayed the nightmares occurring half a world away.

Technology is usually thought of as impersonal, but something needs to be recognized; without technology the personal elements of the 2005 tragedies would not likely have been conveyed to the extent and timeliness they were. Reflecting on 2005 and looking forward to 2006, technology will undoubtedly continue play a significant role in the future both on a personal and impersonal level.

Technology Predictions for 2006 and Reflections for 2005

New Years Resolutions for Your Website

Tue, 3 Jan 2006 10:00:00 -0400

Website Resolutions
As all of us view the new year, we determine various ways to improve ourselves. Whether its eliminating bad habits, or improving quality of life, January 1st is seen as a new beginning and starting point. Your website too, can use a new look. Consider taking the website to task with these down and dirty quick improvement tips for the new year.

New Year's Resolutions for Your Website

Desktop Applications vs Web Applications

Tue, 3 Jan 2006 10:00:00 -0400

There has been a long running debate about web applications replacing desktop software applications. While some functions are better suited to web applications. It is my belief that security concerns and legacy systems will prevent desktop software from becoming obsolete.

Some argue that the debate between web applications and desktop applications is pointless; as their is no clear answer. While still others argue that the issue at hand is as much a business and marketing issue, as it is a technological issue.

The Best and Worst of Web and Desktop Applications

Web 2.0

Tue, 3 Jan 2006 10:00:00 -0400

What is Web 2.0?
There has been a lot of chatter lately about Web 2.0, as if the Internet is a versioned software application.

So what is Web 2.0? Simply put, Web 2.0 is a perceived transition of the web to web applications. Web 2.0 is the next generation of technology solutions where interactive content is the norm. There is no agreement on exactly what Web 2.0 means, depending on who you are speaking with, you may receive different explanations.
What is Web 2.0?

Why Educated Consumers are Better Customers

Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:00:00 -0400

Not too long ago, a colleague asked me why we invest so heavily in consumer education. We have made a conscious decision to spend marketing dollars on consumer education for a very simple reason. Educated consumers are simply better customers.

Lets take a closer look at why educated consumers are better customers.

Less Technical Support.
1.) Educated consumers require less technical support. The reduced technical support results in lower overhead costs. Often educated consumers can further reduce the support burden by assisting or educating other customers or potential customers in forums, newsgroups, user groups or elsewhere in an industry community.

more on Educated Consumers

Develop Quality Web Content

Mon, 5 Dec 2005 10:00:00 -0400

The age old question keeps coming up, how do you retain website visitors, how do you make visitors return to your website? The answer should come as no surprise, fresh content. Content is truly king, the fresher the content the better the site. What many webmasters fail to realize is that there is an endless supply of content on the web that is freely available to webmasters.

Not only can public domain material be freely used and syndicated on websites, but a number of content publishers provide content in exchange for a link back to their websites. A variety of contents related to the website theme that is integrated into the website will attract the interest of both search engines and web surfers. The key to taking advantage of free content is integrating or including content that is directly related to the theme of the website.

Develop Quality Content

Ego Searches

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 22:00:00 -0400

Ego searches are free and simple searches designed to monitor blogs and news portals for mentions of your company, product, competitors or other specific keywords. Conducting ego searches not only allows you to stay informed, but also allows you to maintain a strategic advantage over competing companies.

Ego Searches

Short Term Versus Long Term Marketing Efforts

Mon, 1 Aug 2005 10:00:00 -0400

In order to create consistent sales cycles and a positive growth trend businesses usually engage in both short and long term marketing efforts.

Short-term marketing efforts tend to cause sudden sales spikes which rarely last. These sharp sales increases are usually the result of a targeted marketing campaign or time limited offer.

Launching a Software Product Launch

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 10:00:00 -0400

Last fall we launched FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com a tool for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds. Having recently gone through the experience of a product launch I thought that I would take the opportunity to share my experiences and discuss what worked.

Competition is Good; Copying is Bad

Sun, 3 Jul 2005 10:08:05 -0400

I've always been of the opinion that competition is a good thing. It encourages all of us to be better and make better products. While it might be true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, copying someone else's work is simply wrong.

We recently came across a competitor using our sales copy. The competitor was using a web graph showing the traffic on one of our sites, along with our sales copy to promote their competing application. Digging a little further, I realized that their competing application was, in both form and function, identical to our application.

Complete Article or Listen

When Something Online is Free

Tue, 5 Jul 2005 10:00:00 -0400

What are consumer expectations when something is free?
Realistically, consumers subconsciously assume free means free, and while that might be the initial intent rarely is it the case.

What Exactly Does Free Mean?
Very few things these days are free in the real sense of the word. There are very few free items that do not have any strings attached.

Complete Article or Listen

Valuable Content Portals

Tue, 5 Jul 2005 10:00:35 -0400

Highly targeted, focused sites that are related to specific market segments are highly advantageous and can often be created using existing web content. The key is to provide value.

Think of the time spent surfing the web gathering resources and information. By creating a topic-centric resource compiling information, webmasters are providing a service or value. In many cases that value is simply the compilation of topic-specific information in a single resource. The compilation of this information in itself is the value.

View Full Article or Listen

Evolution of Google AdSense

Mon, 4 Jul 2005 09:47:34 -0400

The web has evolved into a complex "organism" which, to some, appears to have a life of its own. As the Internet has evolved, so too have online marketers and publishers. The dot-com balloon is said to have burst but savvy publishers have grabbed the coat tails of the Google search monster and employ Google AdSense on content-rich websites. Google AdSense, a pioneer for providing content-sensitive advertisements, has been a boon to webmasters looking for alternatives to amortize their web trafffic. The web has evolved into a complex "organism" which, to some, appears to have a life of its own. As the Internet has evolved, so too have online marketers and publishers. The dot-com balloon is said to have burst but savvy publishers have grabbed the coat tails of the Google search monster and employ Google AdSense on content-rich websites. Google AdSense, a pioneer for providing content-sensitive advertisements, has been a boon to webmasters looking for alternatives to amortize their web trafffic.

Complete Article or Listen

Software Marketing Podcast

Everything About Linking

What is The Long Tail

The Tipping Point

Google Paranoia

Organic Search Engine Optimization

Press Releases Tips

AdSense Tips

Top 10 Content Creation Tips

What is Google Base?

Great Online Resources for Webmasters

2005 Took the World By Storm What is In Store for 2006

New Years Resolutions for Your Website

Desktop Applications vs Web Applications

Web 2.0

Why Educated Consumers are Better Customers

Develop Quality Web Content

Ego Searches

Short Term Versus Long Term Marketing Efforts

Launching a Software Product Launch

Competition is Good; Copying is Bad

When Something Online is Free

Valuable Content Portals

Evolution of Google AdSense