Those that know me well know that on the short list of thing I’m keenly interested in other then internet marketing are historic preservation, architecture, historic neighborhoods, sustainable communities, new urbanism and such.  So my interest is piqued when I see one reflected in the other.

I just read a great post by Aaron Wall about Google, data acquisition and the impact on competition and the broader “online” community.

In the tangible world, one of the things that trouble me about big-box retailers is the impact they have on small independent retailers, neighboring historic downtowns and the broader “community” in which we live.  Lowest price product and homogeneity at the expense of diverse, unique, viable and yes, green [ for another day  ] downtowns. No luddite I. I work to make a habit of being an “early adopter” as much as I can manage.

What brought this to mind was a parallel in Google’s growing domination of online markets by data capture > price competition > effective elimination of previously viable online marketing/advertising/service providers.

Free market, sure. A better product, likely true as well. By-the-way I say this as a raving Google fan. I love and use Chrome, aps, docs, calendar, wave, manymoon and on and on and on. That said, I can appreciate the difficulty many online companies have when Google decides they want to enter a market and provide a competing service often times for FREE. I know, I use a lot of their free services I used to pay others for.

Once upon a time I managed the online marketing relationships for the single largest online marketer within it’s vertical. While there Amaz** wanted to partner with us. I thought it a bad idea. Incremental sales in exchange for our customer and product sales data. Incremental sales for as long as the relationship was mutually beneficial in exchange for giving away the secret sauce, which is forever. We’d essentially be teaching a very large potential competitor our business by giving them access to our data. Thankfully the deal never happened, IMO.

For Google, gaining that data from those they touch = gaining the secret sauce with which they then compete. Evil, no I don’t think so. Free market, yeah I suppose. Google = better, cheaper services, likely true as well.

I’m just sayin’…

A friend and associate, Genia Stevens and I will be conducting a series of Internet Marketing training seminars for the local Beloit WI Chamber of Commerce here in Southern WI, Northern IL. In the weeks ahead we’ll be introducing regional businesses and organizations to best practices around using web based technologies to further their marketing objectives. We’ll be touching on Social Media, Mobile/Local internet marketing, SEO (search engine optimization), web analytics and much much more.

Internet Marketing Training for Southern WI / Northern IL

Whether you’re already using internet-based technologies, are considering it, or just want to learn more you’re invited to join us for this three part series. My feeling is that internet marketing training is best done, of course while online. So we’ll be online and going through live examples to better illustrate concepts, help you see and understand what is being presented.  And if you’re brave enough we’ll even take a look at your own site and provide you some insight and tips you can take back with you.

You’ll walk away with greater insight and actionable steps to move you closer to taking better advantage of what internet marketing can do for you and your business or organization. If you have a laptop you’re welcome to bring it and follow along.

Training Session Schedule:

Session 1:  Wednesday June 30, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Session 2:  Wednesday July 14, 8:30 – noon

• Facebook and LinkedIn – Learn how to locate your target market and engage it in conversation.

• “Mobile/Local” web marketing – A discussion on increased Smartphone web use, and how the relevance and utility of traditional, print “yellow pages” is being replaced by web search.

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Make sure that your business is found when being searched online using search  engines.

Session 3:  Wednesday August 4, 8:30 – noon

• Web Analytics – You cannot reach your internet marketing objectives if you don’t know where you’re at, how you’re doing and where you’re heading. Learn to employ web analytics to help inform yourself about results and help you make data-driven decisions.

• Twitter and YouTube – Learn how to incorporate these two powerful communities into your social media strategy How to use these social media tools to attract your audience to your website/storefront.

All internet marketing training will be conducted at Vision Beloit, 500 Public Ave. Beloit WI 53511. We’re right on the state-line border of Southern WI / Northern IL.

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The series is FREE to persons employed by companies which are members of the GBCC. The charge for persons employed by non-member companies is $100/session. This cost may be applied to GBCC membership. To register contact Aimee Thurner at (608) 365-8835 or e-mail.

Matt Cutts offers up a great overview of some of the fundamental principles around what’s going on in the background when you do a search, specifically in Google. Of course you need your website optimized for search engines, employing SEO best practices so you can be found, but what’s happening when your target market is actually searching for you?

Everyone uses search but do you understand what makes SEO work?

Search engine optimization or SEO coupled with leveraging smart analytics needs to be fundamental considerations for any smart web development project. If your target audience can’t find you through the search engines then you’re not getting your message out. And if you, or your web developer isn’t employing best practices SEO and web analytics… well you’ll likely not get very far. Your website might look pretty but it won’t deliver results.

A great introduction.

Keep in mind this is only an overview introducing a few of the major dynamics in play. Search Engine Optimization is a key specialized field within broader internet marketing. Optimized page content is vital and the most obvious aspect of optimizing your website. It is though only the visible tip of the SEO iceberg. Effective optimization of your website extends far beyond this.

Website optimization is a function of many aspects of your website most of which are not readily recognizable. Take for instance the platform upon which your website is constructed. This is particularly true of many of the older legacy platforms, some of which are very expensive. You’d be surprised how many website development platforms are fundamentally unfriendly to SEO. Trying to compensate from some of these legacy platforms can be an expensive proposition. This is one of the primary reason we’re big fans of WordPress and use it in our all web dev work.

WordPress is a fundamentally optimal platform upon which to build your website and ongoing website optimization is considerably easier to do.  In fact with some tutoring you could likely do much of it yourself and save some mony… if you choose to. Out of the box however and without knowledgeable development you can still miss many basic opportunities for optimization for your targeted terms, phrases and target audience. This goes to file structure, navigation, tags, plug-ins and on and on. Some aspects are more obvious then others. And then there is the vital link acquisition.

All this assumes you know where you’re going in the first place. The best SEO takes place before you even start. It all starts with knowledgeable keyword research. You can’t optimize your website if you don’t know what you’re optimizing for and it’s too easy to make wrong assumptions. Smart keyword research will ensure you’re being found for the right word and the most valuable words and phrases. Optimizing for low value jargon is easy to do, misses the mark and happens… all the time. We’ll table keyword research for another time though but this is actually the beginning point.

In the mean time, enjoy the video above. It’s very good and helps illustrate why getting found doesn’t just happen. Matt Cutts is “the guy” and one of the leading authorities on search engine optimization, among other things.

If you’d like to know more about Search Engine Optimization, SEO and how to reach your audience through the search engines please contact us. If you have an existing site and need some website optimization we’d be happy to help.

Rick
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We’re WordPress web designers located in the Wisconsin / Illinois State Line area and specialize in WordPress web design and website development. Further, we’re big fans of the Thesis Theme for WordPress.

As WordPress designers centrally located between the major metros of Madison WI, Milwaukee and Chicago, it provides us many advantages. But this is web technology… we could theoretically market our services anywhere and everywhere. Why limit your market to regional communities like Janesville, Racine, Kenosha and Rockford? We’ll, we’re not.

As professional marketers though we do believe in targeting our intended audience. And as we’ve always believed that as much as online marketing is about leveraging web based technology, like any marketing regardless of the medium it’s even more about building relationships.

Finally, while technology bridges geography, all things being equal we would most welcome those we could meet, service and get to know in person when the need arose. So, if you’re looking for web designers and you’re in Waukesha, Waukegan or Aurora… let’s talk.
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WordPress web design for Southern WI and Northern IL.

If you are looking to leverage the advantages and economies of marketing on the web and have likewise heard of the advantages of using WordPress web design and development we should talk. If you’re located in Southern Wisconsin or Northern Illinois and would like to work with a local WordPress web designer, even better. We’re right on the state line in Beloit, just down the street from Janesville. In fact we’re close enough to the state line to walk the few blocks from our offices here in WI into IL.

Just a cursory look around the greater state line region from Madison WI area down through Janesville, Rockford, Elgin, Aurora and beyond shows that there are many many opportunities. If your business, organization or association is located anywhere between Dubuque and Galena across through Monroe WI, Lake Geneva, Whitewater WI, Kenosha and Racine and you need WordPress web development, we can be your local/regional web designer specialists.

Of course its more economical to manage working relationships and communication via IM, phone, email, VOIP, web-conferencing etc. There come times though when face-to-face is what is needed and can be cost justified. Because we’re centrally located here in Beloit WI we can be more accessible for you for any number of reasons. On-site client training classes or meeting with your board of directors are only a couple examples.

WordPress Web Designers for Janesville, Rockford, Kenosha, Racine, Elgin and beyond.

If your web design is not being done regionally the above may not be options available to you at any price. So, while we welcome clients from anywhere there is plenty of opportunity for us within and between the three major metros of Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago and points in between.

So, if you are located within or in between the three Midwest major metros of Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee and need WordPress services let’s see if we can help you.
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Como usted puede saber de marketing en la web es una mezcla amplio que abarca muchas especialidades. Existen muchas herramientas en la caja de herramientas de web marketing.

De desarrollo Web, incluyendo facilidad de uso, la comercialización, la optimización de carrito de la compra, la búsqueda del sitio, diseño gráfico y mucho más.

Marketing en Internet, incluyendo “búsqueda natural”, “pagado” de búsqueda, el desarrollo de enlaces, RSS / Blogs, “Medios de comunicación social”, las presentaciones de directorio, PPC / RPC / CPA, pantalla y mucho más.

Luego hay distintas disciplinas en torno a email marketing, marketing de afiliados, Geo de orientación, móviles y de búsqueda local, etc

Y para colmo, que abarca todo esto es análisis web para la toma de decisiones basadas en datos.
Todo es mucho más amplio para los mortales a ser plenamente de expertos en todas las disciplinas. ¿Qué es útil está trabajando con aquellos que si bien puede ser expertos en varios aspectos son igualmente experta en red. Si no sabe la respuesta que están trabajando con alguien que no. ¿Cuál es la makup del equipo que está trabajando?

En este blog esperamos poder presentar algunas ideas, comentarios sobre el mercado en línea en rápida evolución, sino también expertos escaparate Materias que presentan las mejores prácticas y liderazgo de pensamiento. Y vamos a tener algo de diversión también.