Google is making changes to its algorithm that will penalize websites for “over optimization.” It’s not the first time that Google has tried to cut through the spammers and content farms to bring better content to the top of the search results. This infographic has the details.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. 
AJ Kohn over at Blind Five Year Old has put together what must be the most rigorous, complete Google+ SEO guide around, and it’s going viral like gangbusters. It looks at the various angles of how Google+ is impacting search, and then follows it with a best practices section which explains how to leverage this new system to ensure your posts are properly search engine optimized.
SEO isn’t fun but it’s effective. This post and the accompanying video tell you why.
Many startups on the path of fundraising will endure a fair share of comedy and pain. Some investors will seem incredible savvy and others will tout themselves as “internet investors” specializing in Consumer Web – then ask you what SEO is. Some will say your cap is too high and others won’t understand your business model.
Here is the truth: you are storytelling and “she with the better spreadsheet” wins.
If it’s your first startup, fundraising is a game and the best way to play it is by getting fans.
Investors will follow – and here’s the seven types of investors you’ll find on this journey:
1) First Timer
Their company was just sold, they got acquired by Zynga, or an aunt died. Whatever it is, they have entrepreneurial experience and some liquid cash. THEY WILL NOT INVEST IN YOU.
More questions will pop up. They will refrain from investing in you for “business reasons” and ask for more spreadsheets or decks. Stop – it’s not worth it. At the end of the day, they will write a check to their best friend – the one they love and always talked about partnering up with through college.
2) Don’t Know SEO
These are the “internet gurus” or Angels specializing in “Consumer Web” but will ask what SEO is. You work in Internet and if part of your business model or strategy involves SEO, then the meeting is potentially pointless. Explain what it is and find a way to cut the meeting short.
3) Mr Decks a-lot
This is the sneaky angel or associate that before anything else – even the promise of a call – needs plenty of materials. These are Deck Snatchers. They will try to see what information they can get from you and share with friends and startups they are going to invest in. I like to make a mini deck or a product deck for these types – or share public video clips. There’s a couple reasons why:
1.) it shows you are organized
2) explains your product without giving out too much information.
If they ask for a spreadsheet before a call, you are doomed. This is your business model – hold it closely.
4) Mr. Addressable Market
This is a casual topic that should come up after a relative amount of information has been shared. If you have gotten less than $500k in funding or are less than 2 years old, you are likely still testing different parts of the addressable market.
This is also a fancy term that investors learn in business school. Most entrepreneurs can do the math:
100 billion annual market = tons of opportunity = $$$$$. Addressable market = a lot.
5) Confused Connie
She can’t find the dial-in number, mixes up dates, responds to emails in multiple responses (before you have a chance to respond) and is overly worried about details that are not within your core business model.
This investor is the worst kind because they drive you nuts before they have even invested. Imagine if they write you a check? Best thing to do is build a friendship and see if they have leads or people within their network worthwhile.
Confused Connie will also confuse your team and group: it’s contagious.
6) Earthlink or Yahoo Email Address
It’s not a myth. If you are a internet startup using Yammer, Evernote, 99Designs, AppSumo, VIMEO, social networks and widgets, how are you going to explain your current status to an investor that hasn’t realized they can have a Gmail account which includes easy to use chatting?!
If they have a Yahoo, Hotmail, Earthlink, or AOL email address, walk away. See also Confused Connie.
7) I’m too Sexy for..
You know who these investors are. They like to be cool and invest in hot things but usually can’t get in on the super hot startups and want to make you think they are, indeed, in short supply.
They want to brag at cocktail parties about their “awesome startup” they own and unless you can keep their A.D.D in control, they will bug you quickly for an exit or PR mention or huge traction stone.
They don’t care about long term value – they’re in it for the valor. The interest of these investors is flattering and a very good sign, but pick someone who gets what you are doing and sees the dream and passion – not the TechCrunch headline.
The reported is called The 2011 Social Shopping Study, which is formulated from surveying more than 1,000 consumers about their online shopping experiences and habits. The survey even covered how engaged they were with brands and retailers that are connected to online channels, including in-store purchases.
This is a story about the recent collaboration of GoJane, a fashion website for tweens, and Turn To. But more than that, it’s a story about the new and innovative ways that marketers are tapping into online worlds to gather information about their consumer—in this case, tweens.
Search Engine Optimization is becoming a real consideration for companies looking for the extra edge online. As JC Penney has learned, however, not anything goes in the attempt to attract the world to your online home.
Big news for web marketers out this week: Bing and Google both confirmed that your presence on Facebook and Twitter will affect your SEO ranking. This is something that has been suspected for some time in the SEO community, but this week’s confirmation means much more certainty for web marketers and social media optimizers going forward.
Michelle Madhok, founder and CEO of SheFinds Media, started the online media company with the launch of a single site in 2004, big on ideas and low on outside funding (read: none). Thanks to her scalable business model, SheFinds added a second property, MomFinds, and continues to grow. Ahead of her talk on starting a new media business at the Mediabistro Career Circus August 4, she tells writer Jennifer Pullinger the No. 1 thing she wished she knew when she started her own media business.
“I wish I’d known how vital SEO was to getting traffic to the site. Targeted SEO to pages where we promote products is how we make a great deal of our income. There are so many tools out there to optimize the pages, I wish I’d known about them when I started the business and built the initial site.”
Michelle Madhok shares tips on starting your own media business in her upcoming panel discussion at Mediabistro Career Circus on August 4 in New York.
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“Its a myth that Twitter links are nofollow”search guru Danny Sullivan told me at his conference, SMX West. Danny warns readers not to be fooled because links in tweets are marked “nofollow” on Twitter.com – Twitter should be part of your SEO strategy. I later confirmed Twitter’s SEO value with Google’s findability guru Maile Ohye and other SEO experts. This means you should give people an option to “Tweet This!” on your pages. And remember, tweets now appear directly in Google’s social search and real time search results!
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