New SEO Rules: Content That People Share

Many years ago, moving up in the search ladder is relatively easy and online marketing is a breeze. Now it's a different story, many seo companies build their seo services based from the idea of fear. Many small business owners fear that their website will get hit by the new google updates (Fear marketing oh no!).

That is where Content Marketing was born, out of fear. It is the new trend which I find really good and will actually benefit the internet users.

There's also a difference with Content Marketing in 2002 compared to the content that is being syndicated now, Google's algorithm and the internet users are constantly changing.

Let's compare the two: (Please see illustrations below)

If you will notice the many of the content publishers today leverage on quality content that provides value to their target audience and the end result will be their content is more likely to be shared in social media thus giving them more exposure becaus of the viral components of those popular social networking sites such as facebook, Twitter, Google plus, Pinterest etc...

Based on the data coming from our bloggers and publishers they are seeing a good amount of social traffic that even exceeds that from search engines. But still Google gets 100 billion searches every month, so it is not wise to ignore search entirely. (Reference: Search Engine Watch)

So, how will you go about being search engine friendly while maintaining social media best practices?

CEO of SEOMoz, Rand Fishkin talks about those in his blog, the five best practices for content marketers.

Maximising Organic Search Value in an ethical way?

1. Do a keyword research first before getting your feet wet in creating content, so you can avoid wasting your time writing about things that does not appeal to your audience.

2. Create content for your target audience, remember content is king.

3. Your content should be in a same domain (e.g. do not host it on blog.yoursite.com)

4. Make your content interesting, try to read other blogs first from there tyou will have a feel of what your target audience is keen on.

5. Stick to your brand, seperating your brand from your content is not a good idea, since you are building your authority.

In addition to that, you might want to invite authorities in your niche and publishers to guest post in your website to diversify your content and boost social signals, for sure they'll be sharing their content in their social accounts.

Lastly, let me know what you think and share your ideas here

Domain Name Registration: What You Should Consider before Using New TLDs

If there's one thing you mustn't forget when setting up a website, it has got to be domain name registration. The name of your domain or website is one of the most vital ingredients of a successful online marketing campaign. After all, it is one of the things that will help customers distinguish your site from the competition. It is also what gives your business a unique online identity.

Several months ago, the online community has been all agog with the introduction of new suffixes for Internet domains or TLDs. For a generation that has been familiar with a domain name that ends in .com, .net, or .org, seeing something that ends in .bike or .hotel is indeed a novelty. But if you're thinking of adopting these new TLDs for your website to make it more unique, then you might want to consider a number of things before you do.

First and foremost, you have to consider costs. Existing domains like .com and .org are relatively cheaper than the new TLDs. In addition, signing up for domain name registration when using the old TLDs is usually quicker and more cost-effective. Unless you have lots of money to spare, you might want to wait a bit until the initial hype about the new TLDs dies down because inflated domain prices are expected to go down during that time.

Besides costs, you should also consider your customers. As mentioned earlier, most people have grown used to the old domain names. And because they are more familiar with it, they are bound to trust it more. In fact, a recent study has shown that consumers are in fact more wary of a domain name featuring one of the new suffixes. As such, if you're considering using the new TLDs, make sure you plan it thoroughly and develop a clear program to avoid losing your customers' trust.

Of course, you should also consider the name of your domain.  When it comes to domain name registration, choosing a name that is relevant to your business is a must. As such, whether you want to use the old suffix or the new, catchy TLDs, make sure you choose the most appropriate name before registering. And to enhance visibility and avoid confusion among your customers, try including relevant keywords in your domain.

As mentioned earlier, domain name registration is vital to the success of your website and your overall online marketing campaign. As such, if you're planning to use the new suffixes, make sure you conduct some prior research to ensure that it will add value to your business. Also, don't forget to enlist the services of domain registration experts for maximum convenience and bigger chance of success.