Googlewashing - Is It Really That Bad

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E-Commerce Made EZ
http://www.go2sbm.com/ecommerce

Since I became involved with e-commerce 8 years ago, the “marketing experts” have been teaching that one of the best ways to increase traffic to your site and present yourself as an expert in your field is to write articles and submit them for republishing.

And with the recent mantra that “Content is King” being repeated everywhere, many website owners are scrambling to find helpful and informative articles to include on their site or blog.

While there’s no doubt that having your articles published on dozens or even hundreds of sites will create name recognition for yourself and strengthen the public’s view of you as an expert in your industry, there is a black cloud that has arisen in the area of your published articles increasing your standings in search engine results.



That cloud is called “Googlewashing”…

To clean up their search results Google has really started cracking down on duplicate content. This means that if you have your original article published on your website, but it is also included in the content of dozens of other sites, you could conceivably be decreasing the chances of your website showing up in the top rankings of search results for your article’s keywords.

For example, let’s say that you’ve written an article titled, “How to Groom Your Purple Poodle”. You submit the article to article directories and ezine publishers giving permission for your article to be republished. 50 other webmasters and blog publishers with content that targets Purple Poodle owners like the article and decide to put it on their site.

This is great right? You’re creating name recognition for yourself and your company and establishing yourself as an expert among people that own Purple Poodles.

But hold on Hoss, that upside could have a downside when it comes to pleasing the “search engine gods”.

What if among those 50 webmasters that published your article is Mr. “my site has been number one in the search engines for Purple Poodles for the last year”.

Your site shows up as number 22.

Now, when someone goes to Google and types in, “How to Groom a Purple Poodle” - whose website do you think is going to show up first in the search results with your article?

Most likely, it won’t be yours… even though YOU are the expert who wrote the article.

But is that as bad as it sounds?

Of course we all want our site to rank high in the engines for our chosen keywords, and most webmasters do everything possible to have that happen, but in reality the majority of those reading this may never experience a top ten ranking.

But don’t despair for all is not lost, at least when it comes to website traffic.

In my humble opinion, traffic is gold - as long as it is targeted traffic - regardless if it comes from folks finding my site through a search engine, or by clicking a link to my website that I have included in the byline or resource box within my articles that are being published on other sites.

It is those thieves that use your articles WITHOUT acknowledging who the true author is that you have to look out for… but that’s another article.

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Sharon Bray-McPherson is the owner of E-Commerce Made EZ, where you’ll find everything you need to start your own Wholesale Business. With new and expanded services, including the Wholesale RSS Directory. Add Yours Free! http://www.go2sbm.com/ecommerce

>> Article Source: http://www.Marketing-Seek.com

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5 Sure Fire Online Publicity Stunts That Will Augment Your Position with Search Engines!

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After researching the entire internet, you might be a bit discouraged. You have done your best to find the best tips for launching your internet business or your product online. The question then becomes, how do I get exposure, how will the public know I exist and what can I do to increase my position with search engines? The answer isn’t an easy one especially if you are in a saturated category or new to internet marketing. The fact is, now-a-days every category is saturated and the internet monster continues to grow.

In a recent study on the Top Internet Marketing Trends for 2008, marketers claimed that there is no end in sight for search and social marketing. The amazing thing is small businesses have yet to employ most online marketing here’s what I’d do:



1. Announce a contest to win something or give-a-way. This could be anything that pertains to your business or product. Make sure it’s genuine though. False intentions always tend to give a bad taste to potential clients. When I say announce I mean, include it on your website, write a press release, and highlight it at a local event or newspaper (including your online website of course). All of these things, will let the “internet public” know who you are and begin your paper trail of credible stories thus increasing your search engine ranking.

2. Use the “Expert Phenomenon”. This means to attach yourself to other experts if you aren’t of “expert” status yet. If you have already established yourself as a credible source– great, you can announce that in a news story, article, or write a blog. There are tons of ways to generate publicity online and offline, but what will get your internet business high in the rankings online is newsworthy events. Is there a local event you can speak at that has an online newsletter? Recognition in an online newsletter as a panel speaker would show up in the search engines.

3. Start a news and event page on your website. Toot your own horn. Announce the news on your website with links to the press releases, articles, or mentions on others websites. Be conscious of your publicity stunts and purposely put yourself in the news if possible. Volunteer, highlight an event you speak at, offer articles to the local paper, and be sure to make a big deal about the launch of your internet business. Whatever you do, make sure you report it on your website. It really looks credible on to be linked to other articles on the web.

4. Volunteer for social events especially those tied to the community. Contact your local chambers, schools, churches or community associations and take a stand. Work to help others and others will work to help you. This offers a ton of publicity opportunity that is worth writing a press release about or highlighting on your website as well as the actual organization. Give to charity, the list is huge. How big is your heart? That’s the real question.

5. Pay-per-click advertising. Yes, it is one of the hottest trends of course, consuming nearly 50% of the revenues generated on the internet. The big thing to understand here is the “credibility factor” in using PPC advertising. Find a unique key word that pertains to your target audience, but doesn’t necessarily compete with competitors. The cost is actually pretty low with Google Ad Words, and hits can really increase traffic and relevance to your site.

Now, there are a ton of other things to consider when marketing your internet business like writing a blog, website optimization, traditional advertising focused on your website, capitalizing on seasonal or holiday events, piggybacking a great news story, strategic alliance, affiliate marketing - the list can really go on and on. Again, I wanted to give only the TOP publicity stunts to build online presence and increase search engine rankings.

Online marketing can be difficult because it’s such a fairly new phenomenon compared to traditional marketing and advertising that is. Most of all, have fun, be passionate, and love what you do. If creating a brand that is bigger than life is your goal, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your internet business can become recognized in search engines and respected in your industry.

Trisha Ahlman of Augment Marketing Group has been marketing for over 15 years. Augment Marketing, a Houston based firm, focuses heavily on small to mid-size business marketing solutions. She is an author, a mentor, and professor of marketing. Ms. Ahlman’s team offers free online advice, webinars, resources, and support. She can be contacted at 832-865-6741 or email trisha@augmentgroup.com, http://www.augmentgroup.com Blog: http://www.inspiredbygrowth.blogspot.com website: http://www.marketingsoftwarebusiness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trisha_Ahlman

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