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Copyright © 2010 I-COM International 2010-07-30T07:44:12+0100 2010-07-30T07:44:12+0100 http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. http://www.i-com.net/blog/ http://i-com.net/images/icom-net.gif http://www.i-com.net/blog/ Leading Manchester SEO, SEM and web design agency blog. I-COM International blogmaster at i-com dot net I-COM International I-COM International en SEO, SEM, Web Design, Web Development 1440 http://www.i-com.net/blog/the-perils-of-writing-french-ppc-ad-text-374/ I recently had to set up a French campaign for a PPC client. Having a holiday home in France and visiting every year since I was 2 years old, I speak pretty fluent French...after a few glasses of vin! So sans alcohol, I began to panic a bit. I started thinking of keywords and ad text and worrying that the right accent wasn't on the right letter and that my ad text would mean something entirely different to what it was meant to say.I wanted to double check my work and remembered using Google Translate to find bigger and better German words to add into my coursework during my A Levels (I didnt necessarily use them in the right context but they sounded and looked impressive). All in all it does a pretty decent job. The main issue is that it translates word for word and doesn't take some of the grammatical structure into consideration. The general consensus on forums is that for European languages, Google Translate works pretty well. Some of the more amusing examples of botched translations are from languages such as Japanese and countries further afield. Whether using Google Translate or another online translating service, mistakes are bound to be made and we must all understand that you obviously won't get the same results as if a human were to translate for you. There have been some forum comments from genuinely angry people who are ranting and raving about the terrible service. I tested my ad text in Google.fr to see if the keywords brought up similar ads which, if you are using a translator for PPC purposes, is a good testing process. Just make sure you double and triple check what you are doing so that you dont end up with things like this! Search Engine Marketing 2010-07-26 16:50:13 http://www.i-com.net/blog/the-perils-of-writing-french-ppc-ad-text-374/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-your-site-needs-more-content-373/ I-COM spends a lot of time expanding site content for its clients. Traditional marketers sometimes find it difficult to understand why we recommend writing so many pages, but there are several reasons for doing this. Offline marketing typically tries to get a point across as quickly as possible. You have to use one advert to sell your service to a range of people with a range of interests and desires. Mail shots or newspaper adverts also only offer a limited word count.Appeal to niche audiences The internet offers far more space, allowing you to target pages of information to niche audiences. If you can produce a webpage that will solve the exact problem of a user, you are likely to get a sale. If you pursue this idea throughout your site, you will build a resource of useful information and provide specific answers to countless customer questions.Create an online resource If your site is more likely to be a useful resource for its visitors, search engines will perceive it as having high value. Search engines respond well to sites that are useful resources and contain pages with clear semantic connections to other pages around them, and tend to rank them highly in their results pages. When you are writing pages for your site always consider the following: How is this page relevant to my visitor? What problem does this solve and what questions does it answer? How can a visitor respond? Do this and the search engines will respond to your site favourably and your traffic will increase. Search Engine Optimisation 2010-07-21 18:42:37 http://www.i-com.net/blog/why-your-site-needs-more-content-373/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/who-is-the-biggest-fartt-on-twitter-372/ I'm not the most prolific twitterer in the world, I often wonder like many people whether I'm a good twitterer and if my thoughts have any value to anyone. We were talking about this in the office the other day and being someone who's fond of playing with numbers I came up with a very smple metric I like to call the FARTT (Followers As Related To Tweets) index. Simply speaking the index counts how many followers you've obtained per tweet you've made, there is only one criteria and that's that the tweeter must have made at least 100 tweets. Not having a lower limit means that the results can be somewhat skewed.FARTT = No. of Followers/No. of Tweets madeI know that there could be lots of interpretations of this index but as a bit of fun it's quite interesting. Using it I've already identified two distinct groups of people - celebrity tweeters stand out from regular people using the index as they tend to have higher FARTT scores. @stephenfry is the biggest FARTT I've found so far with a score of 266 when I last looked.Regular twitterers scores seem to generally sit in a range between 0 and 2.I'm pleased to say that amongst I-COM's twitterers I'm the biggest FARTT, various scores are detailed in the table below.  @tykemike: 1.75 @timothyjroberts: 0.53 @thenarrowescape: 0.42 @jamesroome: 0.41 @pgreenhalgh: 0.40 @annagruber1: 0.37 @keirgibson: 0.12 @justhipper: 0.10 I'd be really interested to find the biggest FARTT amongst our readers, if you have a score higher than ours let us know. We'll send a prize of a whoopee cushion to the person with the highest score that contacts us by the end of August. Social Media Marketing 2010-07-17 18:19:55 http://www.i-com.net/blog/who-is-the-biggest-fartt-on-twitter-372/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/twitter-introduces-name-results-371/ It seems that somewhere in the night theTwitter fairy stole in and introduced a new feature: Name results.While we're not seeing this sort of result for all name searches, on selected searches Twitter is returning results for potential Twitter users that match the searcher's query.We assume this is just another way of making the search feature more useful as Twitter's own variation on blended search results. As it stands it can be quite difficult to find other people on Twitter without knowing their exact username, so this looks like a step in the right direction to us. Social Media Marketing 2010-07-15 08:39:18 http://www.i-com.net/blog/twitter-introduces-name-results-371/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/a-new-intern-joins-i-com-370/ I'll start by introducing myself: its been two weeks now since I joined I-COMs Search team as an intern. I have just passed my second year of university with first class honours, and am now in my final year studying BSc Hons in Business Information Systems at The University of Salford. My interest in SEO all started when I participated in a Search Engine Optimisation based project in my first year of University; in fact, that was the first time I came across the term SEO. Following that initial encounter my interest in SEO grew, and I decided I wanted to learn more about how Internet marketing strategies are revolutionising business online, providing huge increases in relevant traffic and conversion rates. My enthusiasm didnt stop there. During my second year I studied SEO as a module of my degree, which I believe more Universities should offer to their students. Whilst it is true that learning is enhanced by practising and actually implementing SEO strategies, the degree module provides students with essential knowledge, not to mention an advantage when they step into the real world of Internet marketing and SEO. Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand- Chinese Proverb. Unless you start applying what you have learnt you may not remember it, thus working at I-COM will be thoroughly beneficial for me, helping my understanding through direct involvement. I-COM so Far Moving on to my experience of working at I-COM so far, I would say it has been excellent; in fact, somewhat beyond my expectations. I-COM employs a team of friendly and helpful internet marketing experts who have been guiding and assisting me, in particular Adrian Berry. The company also has a flexible approach to timings and a team of professional and talented individuals: what more could I ask for? Looking back at what I learnt at university and from books, and comparing that knowledge to what I am now learning at I-COM, the two seem slightly different. Some of the SEO activities which I thought hold value in increasing the page rank, turn out to either not have much relevance any more, due to changes in the page rank algorithm, or are SEO myths. During my experience so far I have learnt about: Useful tools and links that can save time & money. Building Back-links. Analysing Google Analytics data in order to make informed decisions. Fresh & unique content and link building are key to success. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google. Writing & submitting articles. Writing effective titles & meta descriptions. Setting up Google Alerts for clients. In conclusion, I believe that my experience at I-COM will furnish me with many more opportunities to learn, enhance my skills and gain priceless experience of the SEO and online marketing industry. Search Engine Optimisation 2010-07-12 13:57:32 http://www.i-com.net/blog/a-new-intern-joins-i-com-370/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/iain-banks-iphone-app-fad-or-fiction-369/ It certainly sounds like the latest attempt by the ailing publishing industry to engage with new media and sell more books - this being the news that Iain Banks' latest novel Transition will provide readers with access to an iPhone app containing extra content, the writer's notes, character backgrounds and more. God knows the industry needs a kick up the backside, always seeming to be one or two steps behind the rest of the business world when it comes to embracing the modern approach to information sharing and gathering. But is granting readers access to background information about the writing process really the best way to do that? The app's creators certainly seem to think so. Speaking in the Independent, TradeMobile's Jen Porter had this to say:  "We wanted to put people who love books in touch with their creators. People enjoy reading a printed page, and many have smart phones to investigate information online or keep in touch with friends. What we're doing is using a digital device as a gateway to a companion to a novel."In my personal opinion, reading a good book isn't about getting in touch with the creator, it's about getting in touch with the characters, the story and the imagery and taking what you will from it. This kind of transparency only serves to spoil the illusion, in the same way that a piece of artwork is often spoiled by the tendency to consider it in the context of the artist's life. Surely, if the author has done his or her job properly, you don't require extra information to enjoy a novel? The implications of the writing are enough, your imagination will do the rest, making each book a truly individual experience. The iPhone app seems a step too far, and there's a 'bandwagonesque' element to it that I'm sure is apparent to many. I welcome the likes of the Kindle and am truly excited, not only about having the ability to carry 1000s of books around with me on a small pad, but also about the paperless future of books (they just need to come down in price a little).Perhaps once the e-reader launches properly, the publishing industry will be able to lower prices and make books more accessible to all - no doubt large, stuffy book shops are intimidating to some, who would otherwise read books given the anonymity of internet downloads.The extra content iPhone app seems faddish to me, and in my opinion will add little to the reading experience. What will push the industry forward is cheaper e-readers and easy availability of a huge catalogue of books for reasonable prices - now that would be good. Copywriting 2010-07-06 08:53:05 http://www.i-com.net/blog/iain-banks-iphone-app-fad-or-fiction-369/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/dont-listen-to-the-social-media-gurus-368/ I am scheduled to give a presentation next week entitled 'Social Media and Business', at the offices of Mathys & Squire LLP. During the talk, which is set to take place on Wednesday 7th July at 3pm, I'll be letting businesses in on the wonderful secret that is social media, outlining how they can use it to generate new business, advertise offers and incentives, create a buzz about their company and connect with customers.I'll also be debunking a lot of the rubbish peddled by these so-called Social Media Gurus, focusing instead on how you can use social media to generate real results for your business.Over the past few years social media has become an extremely powerful force in the world of online marketing - a force businesses hoping to succeed online cannot afford to ignore! If you would like to attend the event contact Tarik: tarik@businessskillsforum.co.uk I-COM News 2010-07-02 12:54:57 http://www.i-com.net/blog/dont-listen-to-the-social-media-gurus-368/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/do-screaming-bus-stops-sales-367/ From time to time, an annoying advert or jingle can be beneficial for a brand, but it's an extremely fine line between an endearingly irritating, yet catchy song ('we buy any car, we buy any car...') and something so bad it makes everyone hate your product. If anyone's seen the advertisement currently festooned across a certain Cross Street bus stop, just outside Boots, they know what I'm talking about. The advert that seems to periodically scream its brand name; or perhaps it senses when people are looking at it? Either way it's a horrendous idea.Imagine - for this advert to have been approved, several things must (perhaps in some parallel universe where logic is inverted) have happened: An employee of the firm responsible for this monstrosity has come up with the idea, and been sufficiently impressed with their advertising nouse to forward it to their manager. The manager has said to their employee, "You know what, you might be on to something there." The manager and the employee have pitched their idea to the client, who shall remain nameless, and the client has said, "Good idea guys, let's do it!" The whole motley crew has paid ridiculous sums of money to have the advert installed in bus stops. They've all sat back and felt satisfied. And what have they achieved? Everyone (surely) hates the advert, hates the product and will probably avoid it in shops for the rest of their life. Whilst this obnoxious advertisement does make people take notice, it doesn't make them take notice in anything like a good way. Both the brand name and the actual nature of the product have come second to the 'concept', and are subsequently difficult to make out - I am still unsure exactly what the advert is for.This kind of advertising, believe it or not, is actually founded on a sensible idea. Make your advertising slightly annoying, slightly obnoxious, and people will take notice. They may not like it at first, but it will quickly become a talking point (see: this blog post, although I haven't mentioned the brand itself) - it's the adage: "any publicity is good publicity."The problem is, when a company produces a small-minded interpretation of the aforementioned idea, all they achieve is mass annoyance and subsequent brand-death. And if anyone thinks these bus stop adverts are a good idea, please, please explain to me why using the comments box, and I'll try and get my head round it. Internet Marketing 2010-06-29 08:39:18 http://www.i-com.net/blog/do-screaming-bus-stops-sales-367/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/facebook-community-pages-what-a-mess-366/ Spot the difference: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-COM/118124928207387This I-COM page is the page created automatically by Facebook after various members of I-COM staff said that they worked here. Facebook currently refers to this as a community page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manchester-United-Kingdom/I-COM/18443009124This I-COM page is the page created by I-COM with links to other official sources and "liked" by a similar group of people to the above page. Facebook offers the gesture of involvement:"Our goal is to make this Community Page the best collection of shared knowledge on this topic. If you have a passion for I-COM, sign up and we'll let you know when we're ready for your help. You can also get us started by suggesting a relevant Wikipedia article or the Official Site." However, the signup and the suggest box feel a little hollow. Despite providing both the official site, providing the address of the I-COM business page and signing up to offer help, I've had no email feedback - which I find surprising for Facebook - and surely we at I-COM should have control over what appears on a page about us on Facebook (or whether we appear at all), not the powers that be at Facebook. Furthermore, much of the information  being pulled into the community page has nothing whatsoever to do with us (click on image to enlarge): I am in favour of online services adding extra functionality, but if there is no support documentation, multiple features cover essentially the same ground, and they provide inaccurate information, they add no value and only confuse users. Social Media Marketing 2010-06-25 09:27:52 http://www.i-com.net/blog/facebook-community-pages-what-a-mess-366/ http://www.i-com.net/blog/endangered-punctuation-the-apostrophe-364/ The favoured bugbear of the lonely grammarian, the apostrophe has become a source of fear and derision amongst the general population - a symbol of snooty intellectualism and the steady decline of traditional grammar.In fact the apostrophe is, like the vast majority of punctuation, essential to reader comprehension - if you want people to understand what you're going on about, you need to know how to use these properly. The vast majority of people will only ever be required to use the apostrophe in one of two ways:1. Contractions: A contraction occurs when two words merge to form one, and are typically used in written dialogue and informal writing. For example: 'Who is' becomes 'Who's' 'There is' becomes 'There's' 'Had not' becomes 'Hadn't' 'It is becomes It's' 'Do not' becomes 'Don't' 'You are' becomes 'You're' 'Would have' becomes 'Would've' (not 'Would of') 'Could have  becomes 'Could've' (not 'Could of') The apostrophe is used to show where letters have been removed. 2. Possessives: You'll also need to use apostrophes to denote possession. The most common example of the use of apostrophes to demonstrate possession is in business and shop names, for instance 'Jim's Butter Shop', 'Crawley's Apothecary', 'Mindy's Olde Sweet Shop'. The names at the beginning of each of these shop names are examples of singular nouns - if a singular noun possesses something, an apostrophe is used to demonstrate that possession. If the singular noun ends in 's', simply include a lone apostrophe after that 's' to show possession, for instance 'James' Big Wheel'.You may also see this from time to time, 'James's Big Wheel', but don't panic, it's simply a matter of preference; grammatically, either is correct. Just make sure that, whichever you decide to use, you are consistent. If you need to demonstrate that a plural noun possesses something, for example children or women, simply add 's, e.g. 'The children's books were ruined', 'The women's group met for the first time.'EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE: two common exceptions to the above rules spring to mind, 'its' and 'whose'. Because it's is a contraction of it is, an apostrophe is not used to denote possession when using its, e.g. 'The cat was sick. Its paws had turned green.' Same goes for who's and whose, who's is the contraction, whose is the possessiveAnd that's pretty much it! Incorrect use of apostrophes can drastically alter the meaning of a sentence, for example 'The jockey's meal had gone cold' or 'The jockeys' meal had gone cold' - where the first is a meal for just one jockey, the second is a meal for many jockeys (perhaps a buffet).Mastering the apostrophe (it's not that hard) will improve your writing no end - no one likes an incorrectly used apostrophe, particularly not snooty grammar types like me. Test your apostrophe skills here. Copywriting 2010-06-24 10:41:20 http://www.i-com.net/blog/endangered-punctuation-the-apostrophe-364/