Yahoo! and Microsoft: On Again
In the on-again, off-again Microsoft-Yahoo! deal, it looks like the romance is in full bloom once more. It’s being widely reported that once the two giants arrive at a sound valuation of Yahoo’s search business, it’ll be a done deal. Back in May, Microsoft withdrew its offer of $47.5 billion for the company. While it’s hard to say what impact the merger will have on the larger issue of Internet marketing, few would argue that Microsoft’s long-term goals are to give Google a run for its money. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

3 Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Whether you’re selling widgets or providing information to your website visitors, success is all about driving traffic to your site. Having to compete with millions (or hundreds of millions) of websites can seem overwhelming, but there are several steps you can take to kick your traffic up a notch. Here are three tips to get started: 1. Search engine optimization. SEO might seem like an ethereal, mysterious topic that is only accessible to a privileged few, but the truth is that there are some simple steps you can take to make your site more search engine friendly. First, make sure that your site has unique content that is relevant to your business. Second, use title tags, so that each page on your site has a unique, relevant title that incorporates important keywords. Third, use a unique description tag for each page. 2. One-way backlinks. One of the methods that search engines use to rank websites is the number of other sites that have non-reciprocal links to your site. A great way to create one-way backlinks is through article marketing and distribution. Essentially, you create a unique article that has relevant keywords, include a resource box with your URL, and distribute it to article directories. Over time, your article will propagate throughout the web, and create a wealth of one-way backlinks. 3. Email marketing. The effectiveness of email marketing has skyrocketed over the past several years – providing you use ethical, opt-in email lists. Develop your own email list, use co-registration techniques, or avail yourself of highly targeted email lists that are available. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Microsoft and HP Ink Deal for Windows Live Search
In the company’s ongoing effort to meet Google head to head, Microsoft announced that it has made a deal with Hewlett-Packard to install Windows Live Search as the default on all PCs shipped by HP. The software giant issued the following press release: Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has won a key distribution deal with HP, the world’s largest PC manufacturer, to install a Live Search-enabled toolbar on all HP consumer PCs planned to ship in the United States and Canada, beginning in January 2009. As part of this deal, the default search engine setting in the browser on all HP consumer PCs will also be set to Microsoft Live Search. “This agreement with HP is a strategic indicator of our increased focus on securing broad-scale distribution for Live Search,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms & Services Division at Microsoft. “This is the most significant distribution deal for Live Search that Microsoft has ever done, and we are very pleased to be partnering with HP to help bring Live Search to millions of consumers across North America.” Microsoft is building a custom, Live Search-enabled toolbar for HP customers that takes advantage of the exceptional user experience capabilities of Microsoft Silverlight. The toolbar will provide HP with customization capabilities within the buttons on the toolbar, providing quick and easy access to a variety of online services and tools, such as Snapfish by HP, the company’s online photo service, and HP customer support. “This agreement provides HP customers with an outstanding search product in Live Search, as well as a user-friendly, fully customizable way to access their favorite online services,” said Ulf Claesson, vice president of Worldwide Attach at HP. “Microsoft shares HP’s passion for delivering world-class technology to consumers in meaningful ways, and today’s announcement will help to provide an even more personal computing experience for HP customers.” Although Microsoft hasn’t yet reached a deal with Yahoo! that would allow them to compete with Google in Internet marketing and advertising, this HP deal should give them a leg up on search. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

The Scoop on Co-Registration and Email Marketing
If you do email marketing, co-registration is a great way to build highly relevant, opt-in email lists. When it’s done right, co-registration is a safe, fast, and easy way to build your customer base. “Co-Registration Cash” is an e-book that offers a wealth of information to growth-oriented online businesses. It begins by defining co-registration leads and their benefits, and guides the reader through the process of selecting providers, creating successful email messages and message sequencing, and providing subscribers with valuable content. The book then discusses key elements in building email relationships and in creating email advertising that results in sales. Importantly, “Co-Registration Cash” also provides specific strategies for spam compliance and guidelines for creating effective privacy policies. The book also covers ways to automate email campaigns and methods of tracking their success. Here’s to your email marketing success! Bookmark to: Hide Sites

The Yahoo!-Microsoft Saga Continues
Although Yahoo! and Microsoft continue to dance to a tune that may yet lead to a deal that could level the playing field with Google in the arena of search and Internet marketing, a judge unsealed documents that provide insight into past pas de deux. Unsealed in conjunction with a Yahoo! shareholder lawsuit, the papers say that, back in January 2007, Microsoft offered Yahoo! $40 per share. Today, the stock is worth about $26 per share, down about $7 per share from Microsoft’s last offer of $33 per share. In addition, the papers reveal that Yahoo! initiated a new severance plan that would have cost Microsoft up to $2 billion over its first offer. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Use Proven Words in Your Email Marketing Strategy
In email marketing, every word counts. You want to keep your customer and prospective customer emails concise, but you also need to use words that are proven to drive sales. From time to time, we’ll provide you with words that have been proven to create curiosity and motivation to act. Bonus Breakthrough Clearance Effortless Free Trial Offer Free Delivery Guaranteed In Minutes Order Now Personalized Step-By-Step Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Internet Advertising Still Growing
According to a new report issued by IDC (idc.com), annual expenditures for Internet advertising are expected to reach over $51 billion by 2012. IDC’s study, entitled, “U.S. Internet Advertising 2008-2012 Forecast and Analysis: Defying Economic Crisis,” found that: The Internet will go from the number 5 medium all the way to the number 2 medium in just 5 years, making it bigger than newspapers, bigger than cable TV, bigger even than broadcast TV, and second only to direct marketing. Video advertising will be the principal disruptor of Internet advertising over the next five years by attracting the most new marketing dollars. Its revenue will grow sevenfold from $0.5 billion in 2007 to $3.8 billion in 2012 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49.4%. This growth will take place because brand advertisers will shift significant amounts of money into these video commercials, primarily from broadcast television and to a lesser extent from cable television. A press release issued by the company noted that search advertising will still be the leader in Internet advertising. It said: Search advertising will remain the one advertising format that will garner the most revenue over the forecast period in the United States. This means that for any media company, search must be a key part of its strategy. Any media company that is not Google cannot ignore this segment even if Google is towering above all others as segment leader with about 70% share of the segment’s revenue. Perhaps this kind of forecast is why Microsoft and Yahoo! so desperately need each other. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Finding the Best Local Directory Service: Important Tips
A local business listing in a directory listing service is advantageous in that you will reach millions of people from around the world at a fraction of what you would have used with traditional advertising such as classified ads, you will reach a targeted Web traffic, you will get search engine optimization (SEO) since you will use one way links, and you get to give contact information, a description (including pictures) of your business, and a map to your business, meaning you are more likely to attract Web traffic to your site. There are many local directory services and making a choice is not always easy. There are several tips that will help you get the best local directory service and these are: Number of hits – you should only go for a directory that has a high number of hits. Look through statistics before making your decision. As an example, Yell.com gets over six million hits monthly. Credibility and reliability – go for well-established local directory service since this is the only way to ensure that you get value for money. Some of the top local business listing directories are Google Local Search, Yahoo! Local Search, MSN Local, Ask.com’s Local Search Directory, Yelp.com, YellowPages, YellowBook, and CitySearch. Your niche – go for local business listing directories in your niche to get a targeted Web traffic. If you go for a general directory, ensure that it has categories and subcategories so that Web users can find you easily. Cost – only a few local business listing directories such as CitySearch are paid-only – most directories offer free listings. You should however consider paid listings since you get greater visibility. Different directories have different costs for paid listings and you should therefore compare different options, not forgetting the number of hits you are getting. Go for a directory that has incentives. Tracking – go for a local directory service that enables you to track your progress and the campaigns of your competitors. This is important because you will then be able to make the necessary adjustments in your strategy. You could get tips on the best local business listing directories from recommendations from people who have used such listings before or you could consider what your successful competitors are doing. You could also get tips on credible and reliable local directory services from online discussion forums and independent reviews. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Maximize Your Email Marketing Effectiveness with the Right Copy
Email marketing can be a cornerstone of your business success, but sometimes it can have the opposite effect. Poorly written copy, too much hype, or too many graphics can either turn off potential customers or relegate your marking efforts to the junk folder. Here are five tips that will help ensure that your email marketing efforts are a success: 1. A Punchy Subject Line – Everybody gets way too much email – even if it’s email they’ve requested. Make sure that your subject line stands out from the crowd. Whether you’re offering free shipping, having a sale, or introducing a new product, make sure your subject line packs a punch. 2. Keep it Short and Sweet – Resist the temptation to wax poetic about your product or service. Your customers and potential customers should be able to grasp what you’re offering in the first sentence or two. Don’t make them read paragraphs in order to understand your point. They’ll click “delete” and that will be the end of it. 3. Under-promise and Over-deliver – You may have the best gizmo on the planet, but your copy should hook them without promising the moon. When they get something more or better than they expected, they’ll be thrilled – and they’ll likely pass your info along to others. That’s viral marketing at its best! 4. Avoid Clutter – Email programs vary tremendously in what they display. Avoid excessive use of graphical elements and hyperlinks. They may not display correctly or be stripped out, or your email may be inadvertently diverted to the spam folder. Plain text with one or two hyperlinks is often the best way to reach the most people. 5. Working Links – If your email marketing message contains link, make sure they work. Send out test emails to people with different operating systems and email programs to ensure that your customers can click on links and they will be taken to your product or service. Bookmark to: Hide Sites

Google vs. Microsoft: Who Reigns Over the Earth?
There are few who would argue that Google Earth is mind-boggling. It’s both majestic and a little bit creepy (the ability for ANYONE to look at your house is a bit unnerving). And, now, the Internet marketing and search engine giant is offering a browser plug-in for Google Earth. Here’s what Paul Rademacher from Google wrote in the Lat Long Blog: When Google Maps was launched in 2005, few could have guessed the way map mashups would permeate the online world. Online maps had been just something you used to get directions or to find the ten nearest grocery stores. Google Maps and the Google Maps API proved that an online map was actually a rich canvas on which entire new applications could be built. Likewise, when Google Earth was launched, it revolutionized our view of the world, letting people fly around the planet at lightning speed and zoom in on rich high-resolution imagery, mountain ranges, and even 3D buildings. Yet there was a missing piece: there’s never been a way to build your own 3D web applications using Google Earth, the way you can with Google Maps… until now. Today, I’m happy to announce the release of the new Google Earth Browser Plug-in, which brings the full power of Google Earth to the web, embeddable within your own web site. Driven by an extensive JavaScript API, you can control the camera; create lines, markers, and polygons; import 3D models from the web and overlay them anywhere on the planet. In fact, you can even overlay your content over different planets, stars, and galaxies by toggling Sky mode, letting you build 3D Google Sky mashups. You can also enable 3D buildings with a single line of JavaScript, attach JavaScript callbacks to mouse events, fetch KML data from the web, and more. Our goal is to open up the entire core of Google Earth to developers in the hopes that you’ll build the next great geo-based 3D application, and change (yet again) how we view the world. But wait a minute… Google Earth has gotten all of the hype, but for over a year, Microsoft (maps.live.com) has offered 2-D maps and even 3-D maps with much more detail. Which company will ultimately rule the globe? Time will tell…. Incoming search terms:google earth sky apiwho reigns over earth Bookmark to: Hide Sites