About rel=”canonical” – Webmaster Tools Help

Look out for the useful slide, which explains the alternative solutions:

Duplicate content

A recent Guideline issued by the US FTC may impact on how this kind of “advertorial” can be used in blogs and websites. In particular payments may have to be disclosed:

The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren’t typical.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33177160/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

• 85% of searches are more than one word.
• 25% of searches are completely unique and have never been seen before (4+ keyword phrases). [Source: Udi Manber Google's VP of Engineering]
• Analysis of eCommerce conversion rates are that 38% of sales come from 4 word phrases, and 21% come from three word phrases. However three word phrases have much higher traffic volume. [Source: Oneupweb Study]

Three word phrases are the keyword sweet spots, that deliver business, because they right mix of volume and conversion.

Relevancy is what delivers conversions….

Note: Conversion rates exclude “brand” searches, where single word phrases still delivery high conversion.

• News is social. It no longer being reported by journalists, now it comes from everyone.
• Entertainment is on-demand. You decide what to see and when to see it.
• Information is targeted. Starting with geo-targeting… you will be in control of of the information that flows your way.
• Information is smart. Instead of reading 5 different articles on the same topic, you will be presented with one.

Where is Everyone?

I’ve often seen this for the first page result, but this chart includes Page 2 as well. I use it emphasise the importance of a 1-5 ranking on the first page. And if you can’t get a 1-5 ranking on a particular phrase, then niche it down further!

Here’s my answer. Web Strategy 101:

1. Understand what your customers want. What and who influences their decisions? What motivates them?
2. Know what you want. Above all understand the brand “positioning” you want in the market.
3. Search marketing is fundamental to success. Understand the search keywords that you want to own, and those that you need to own. Make sure your brand positioning is reflected in your keyword strategy.
4. Decide where online marketing fits in your marketing and business model, in particular your marketing and sales funnel.
5. Create a landing page to test your key messages. Test your keywords using Adwords. What keywords create “conversions”? Modify your keyword plan.
6. Plan a persuasive online experience, tied directly to your sales/marketing funnel.
7. Determine the right balance for your brand, between search-effective site design, and the persuasive experience you’re creating. You can have both.
8. Create your persuasive website. Use a Content Management System (CMS), and make sure its Search Engine Friendly (SEF).
9. Use a site structure that works with (not against) your keyword strategy.
10. Make sure every web page on your site serves a purpose, and leads to some action by visitors.
11. Make sure every web page on your site is attractive to search engines. Every page should be mapped to your keyword strategy.
12. Test the effectiveness of the site in converting visitors to customers using Adwords. Measure and adjust.
13. Start your link building strategy. Start and participate in online conversations, that refer back to your website. Monitor your in-bound links from quality topical websites.
14. Develop a Content Strategy (really this should have been part of your original plan!) Use your CMS to add new search-relevant content.
15. Monitor your search rankings. And adjust your website copy and other factors to get better rankings, particulary for high conversion keywords.
16. Understand your Analytics program, and adjust your website to maximize your conversions.

That’s it.

What is interesting is that the large bulk of relatively engaged customers are not counted at all: only those that are evangelistic either for or against you!

Companies obtain their Net Promoter Score by asking customers a single question on a 0 to 10 rating scale: “How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?”. Based on their responses, customers can be categorized into one of three groups: Promoters (9-10 rating), Passives (7-8 rating), and Detractors (0-6 rating). The percentage of Detractors is then subtracted from the percentage of Promoters to obtain a Net Promoter score. A score of 75% or above is considered quite high.

How can you use your online strategy to create “evangelists” for your business?

Net promoter score – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PS: Who owns the mindset for that brown drink?

This from Steve Jobs in 1984:

When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple, you don’t really understand the complexity of the problem. Then you get into the problem, and you see that it’s really complicated, and you come up with all these convoluted solutions. That’s sort of the middle, and that’s where most people stop….

But the really great person will keep on going and find the key, the underlying principle of the problem—and come up with an elegant, really beautiful solution that works.

More about Experience Design here

Its analagous to the steps of competence in NLP:
Stage 1 – Unconscious Incompetence because this is where we don’t know what we don’t know.
Stage 2 – Conscious Incompetence where we do know what we don’t know.
Stage 3 – Conscious Competence because this is where we know what we know.
Stage 4 – Unconscious Competence which is where we don’t know what we know – “second nature” from being a conscious to an unconscious functioning
http://www.microdot.net/nlp/learning-strategy/stages-of-competence.htm

You find the elegant solution, because at a conscious level you keeping PUSHING to get it, but also because your competencies in the complex are so ingrained, that you are attuned to recognizing the the beauty in the simple solution, at a an unconscious level.

Think Blink!

Oh and another thought on the Simple > Complex > Simple train. Joe Sugerman on copywriting:

A rule of thumb … is to explain a complicated product in a simple way and explain a simple product in a complex way

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook