Keith Brown

Introducing the Meta “nopin” Tag For All Your Pinterest Blocking Needs

Keith Brown — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:34:57 +0000

New Meta 'NoPin" Code Lets You Block Pinterest

While most people are looking for ways to get more of their images pinned, Pinterest quietly added a feature that allows Webmaster to block users from pinning their content. What if I don’t want images from my site to be pinned? Just add a meta “nopin” code to the section of your website or blog. The tag universally applies to every page (and more importantly every image) hosted on your site.

Pinterest says in their help section that when a user tries to pin content from your site, they will see the following message.

“This site doesn’t allow pinning to Pinterest. Please contact the owner with any questions. Thanks for visiting!”

However, when I installed it on my blog as a test run I got, “We couldn’t find any images: This site doesn’t allow pinning.” For most of us we would never want to block a thriving social network like Pinterest, but for some who have copyright concerns, this is a simple fix.

Fake ESPN “Chink in the Armor” Headline about Jeremy Lin?

Keith Brown — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:38:01 +0000

ESPN's Racist "Chink in the Armor" Headline about Jeremy Lin

I almost couldn’t believe this racist headline was real when I saw it, ESPN posting the caption, “Chink in the Armor” below an image of Jeremy Lin. I thought it had to be a fake, but sadly it’s not. Is the “Chink in the Armor” headline legit or fake? Judging by the feedback so far it looks to be 100% real and a total PR failure on the part of ESPN Sports Network.

Last night somebody at ESPN made the total fail of posting this image online, and it stayed live almost 30 minutes. 30 minutes is forever in internet time, and somebody at ESPN will likely lose their job over this. Even if they didn’t intend the Jeremy Lin caption to be racist, you’re telling me nobody thought about somebody interpreting “Chink” as a word you probably shouldn’t call somebody of Asian decent.

This is another perfect example of how one tiny slip up can cause months of cleanup in terms of reputation management. People will allow you to get away with a lot of stuff online, and sports is no exception. However, this is something you just can’t look past, no matter what your ethnicity. Do you think people are overreacting about this? Would love to hear some feedback on it…

Rivals Football Recruit Keith Brown Commits to Louisville

Keith Brown — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:32:10 +0000

Rivals Football Recruit Linebacker Keith Brown Signs with Louisville

Like any good reputation management aficionado, I like to keep tabs on certain keyword phrases in Google. Many have to do with my job, industry leaders, and current events, but my name is also an important part of the mix. Lately I’ve been seeing more and more buzz about a prized recruit linebacker who happens to have the same name as me.

Keith Brown, a top inside linebacker recruit, has committed to the Louisville Cardinals. Brown stars for Miami’s Norland High School. Offered by over 30 BCS schools, Brown had actually committed to the Miami Hurricanes and Illinois in previous years. He decommitted from Miami to commit to Illinois, but decommitted again from Illinois after the firing of Ron Zook.

Hope this Keith Brown doesn’t do what that Keith Brown did, and add more junk to the SERPs for my name…

With msnNOW Live, Is Bing+ Just Around the Corner?

Keith Brown — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:30:07 +0000

Is Microsoft Gearing Up for Bing+ a New Social Experience?

Microsoft wants to help you stay up to date on the latest and greatest in your social world with msnNOW. Microsoft just made it a lot easier to stay in the know on the stories people are talking about, searching for and sharing the most.

They scour the most interesting trends from real-time sources like Twitter, Facebook, Bing, YouTube and other Breaking News , so you’ll always know what’s happening with the hottest social trends and stories on the Web.

Then some “expert” editors add key insights on why a story is trending, if it’s true and where to find out more, so you’ll be the most informed of your friends on the latest trends.

What is msnNOW? Is Microsoft Preparing to Launch a Social Network?

7 Reasons Why You Need a Gplus Badge on Your Website

Keith Brown — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:08:40 +0000

Gplus Badge is a Must Have Google+ Plugin for WordPress Blogs

With millions of people flocking to Google+, it’s time we all focused more it. Google isn’t being passive about their new social network, they are using everything in their arsenal to drive adoption. More popular brands have thousand of followers already, but for some it’s not quite that simple.

With that in mind, I started looking for wards to highlight my Google+ profile on my Wordpress blog. My goal was to showcase my profile in the sidebar, and help drive my readers to add me to their circles on Google+. After looking through dozens of different options, I finally settled on Gplus Badge, a highly customizable Google+ badge plugin for WordPress.

How it Works

It adds a widget to your Wordpress blog that will display an “Add to Circles” badge for your Google + profile or page. You simply update the plugin with your Google+ URL, and it does the rest of the work for you. Gplus Badge then displays your name, profile image, number and images of people who have added you in their circles.

The other great thing about the plugin, is that brands can use it to gain +1′s and followers as well. I only use it for my personal Google+ account, but I can see this badge being extremely beneficial for brands. Your visitors can +1 your TLD without leaving your website, or they can use the link to

Advantages

Gplus badge is not restricted to Google+ pages, it works for profiles as well.
Gplus badge can show your profile image, the official Google+ badge can’t do this.
Gplus badge can show the dynamic “Add to Circles” button for pages, so people can add your page to their circles without leaving your site.
Gplus badge shows the number of your followers on Google+, the official Google+ badge can’t do this either.
Gplus badge can show images of people who have added you to your circles, this adds credibility to your followers.
Gplus badge can show a +1 button for the website as well, so your TLD builds authority as well.
Gplus badge is fully customisable. You can choose which information to show or hide (size, header, follower images, +1 button, background colors, border colors, text colors and much more).

Developer Credit

Props to Skipser Arun for creating an awesome WordPress plugin. Be sure to add him to your circles as well!

Upvote This: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Inbound.org

Keith Brown — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:59:06 +0000

Inbound.org Launches as a Curated Marketing News Community

Inbound.org went “live” today, and so far the feedback from the digital community has been nothing but positive. I had a chance to browse around the website this morning, and here are some worthwhile things you might consider before posting.

Get Involved with the Community

As soon as Rand and Dharmesh started tweeting about the launch of Inbound.org, people rushed to see what all the fuss was about, but they didn’t necessarily rush to participate. Participation is more than just posting all your best content, and hijacking the best content from industry thought leaders before they can post it themselves.

Top Members on Inbound.org Participate Actively in the Community

Think Outside the Box

So far there are only 9 posts in offline marketing vs. 200+ in SEO. If you love Social Media (like I do), try posting some of your favorite articles from entrepreneurship instead. Believe it or not you’ll actually improve your chances of being noticed by getting outside your comfort zone. With 25 posts per archived page, you will get buried much faster posting in a popular category.

Yes I know We all Love SEO, but try to Keep it Interesting

Update your Twitter Bio

Because you register with Twitter, Inbound.org will pull in your bio automatically. This isn’t updated regularly (as far as I can tell), so it would be wise to make sure it’s been updated recently. Nothing like an old job or dated interests to welcome everyone to 2009.

AJ Kohn Has an Awesome Example of a Bio on Twitter

Keep Titles Short and Sweet

It’s best practices in SEO land to keep your tags to less than 70 characters (with spaces). So when a bunch of SEO’s got together and built Inbound.org, it makes sense that they truncated titles at around 70 characters. I’d recommend manually editing your titles down to a reasonable length. You don’t want your uber cool title to be cut off in mid sent…</p> <div id="attachment_3986" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 670px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/truncated-titles-inbound-org.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Don't Make Users Fill in the Blank When it Comes to Titles</p></div> <h3>Closing Credits</h3> <p>Big ups to <a title="Rand Fishkin" href="https://plus.google.com/111294201325870406922/" target="_blank">Rand Fishkin</a>, <a title="Dharmesh Shah" href="https://plus.google.com/100613060119695637213/posts" target="_blank">Dharmesh Shah</a>, and everybody who worked hard to make Inbound.org a reality. I hope you’re all catching up on some much deserved sleep this weekend!</p> </article> <article> <h1>Hoth Webinar Summary: SEO Link Building in Any Niche</h1> <p>Keith Brown — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:50:15 +0000</p> <div id="attachment_3959" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/the-hoth-seo-link-building.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Hoth SEO Link Building Services</p></div> <p>Today I was able to attend <a title="SEO link Building by the Hoth" href="http://www.thehoth.com/">the Hoth</a>‘s webinar about SEO link building. It was lead by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/alex.pyatetsky" rel="ignore">Alex Pyatetsky</a>, and discussed a wide range of topics surrounding link building. There were a few mentions of the Hoth and their product, but for the most part Alex stayed on topic.</p> <p>I’m not going to discuss everything that was said, because a lot of it was introductory stuff, but I had a few good takeaways that are worth sharing. Alex came across with an interesting way to look at link building. Very similar to the way nutritionists use the food pyramid, he discussed a link building pyramid to maximize your efforts when creating links to a brand new or existing website.</p> <p>There were three steps to this method, and all of them involved getting the quality, authority, and relevant links we know are <a title="Value of Organic Links for SEO Traffic" href="http://www.seobook.com/true-value-links" target="_blank">vital for improving organic traffic</a>.</p> <div id="attachment_3961" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 913px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/link-building-seo-diagram.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">SEO Link Building Diagram with Social Media and Web 2.0 Sites</p></div> <h3>Foundational Link Building</h3> <p>While most people want jump out of the gate running, Alex said that foundation link building was key to this entire process. Dominating your niche starts at the bottom, by getting authority links from your inner circle. He called this the circle of family and friends.</p> <p>You can also recruit investors, employees, and people you have existing relationships with. These foundational links are the easiest to achieve, but they are the most crucial to your overall SEO strategy. Without <a title="Building Authority and Quality SEO Links" href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2010/06/quality-links-to-your-site.html" target="_blank">a base of solid authority links</a>, the next levels won’t be as effective. You will only be as strong as your foundation.</p> <h3>Online activity</h3> <p>Once you get a good foundation, you can move onto to <a title="General link Building for your Website" href="http://www.searchenginejournal.com/quality-link-building-social-links-reciprocal-links-and-edu-gov-links/5316/" target="_blank">general link building</a>, or online activity. This includes things like blog commenting, forum posting, guest posting, and paid advertising. This part of SEO link building is a little bit more difficult. You don’t have as much control over these links, and the weight they hold.</p> <p>Most people want to immediately start with services from companies like the Hoth, but he said that would be a mistake. It was refreshing to hear such honestly from a link builder!</p> <p>I found it interesting that Alex still valued blog commenting as an important part of the second stage of SEO link building. He stated that <a title="Blog Commenting Marketing Strategy" href="http://www.seomoz.org/blog/recommendations-blog-commenting-marketing-strategy" target="_blank">blog commenting is under valued by many people</a>. His logic was that blog commenting still allows you to place choice, relevant links on pages across the web. These links can come from authority pages, and there are <a title="Block Commenting for Building Links and SEO Traffic" href="http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2069226/How-to-Use-Blog-Commenting-to-Get-Valuable-Backlinks-and-Traffic" target="_blank">plenty of opportunities out there</a>.</p> <p>Another interesting blog commenting strategy was the, “be first to comment” idea. By being one of the first few people to leave a quality comment on an authority blog, you are getting the attention of not only the blogger, but everyone who visits the posts and browses the comments.</p> <p>Alex’s strategy was the follow important thought leaders in his industry, and be the first to leave an insightful post that adds value to the original. He had some great examples of this working very well to his advantage. Here is a great quote from Alex’s thoughts on blog commenting…</p> <blockquote><p>It’s more than just link building for the sake of the link, its getting the attention of the right people!</p></blockquote> <p>Another good nugget was taking advantage of commenting Loyalty programs, who give the most frequent visitors a link back to their website. Commenting regularly on an authority blog can be just like adding a blogroll link that you have control over. That link is powerful and just as relevant to your niche.</p> <div id="attachment_3964" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 855px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/seo-link-building-pyramid-graph.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Online Activity is the Second Stage of the SEO Link Building Process</p></div> <p>For blog commenting, Alex discussed commenting <a title="Comment kahuna commenting tool" href="http://commentkahuna.com/" target="_blank">tools like Comment Kahuna</a> to help you find relevant content. The big theme for the second part of the SEO link pyramid revolved around relevant blogs, it was definitely a big them.</p> <p>Another really cool point he brought up was paid advertising as a form of link building. Not in the sense that your are buying links, but that the <a title="Networking Tips for Online Businesses" href="http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/09/google-microsoft-walmart-ent-tech-cx_ll_0809networking.html" target="_blank">best way to network online</a> with a blogger is to buy ads on their website. I’m sure this is a technique they have used frequently for the Hoth, as I have seen their ads all over the web.</p> <p>Once you are a paying customer you have an automatic in with them, which can lead to guest posts and further discussions that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Here’s Alex on buying ads for link building again…</p> <blockquote><p>Buying ads is probably something you are doing anyways, realize that it’s important for relationship building, which will lead to quality links.</p></blockquote> <h3>Surgical Link Building</h3> <p>The last part discussed by Alex from the Hoth was <a title="Surgical Link Building for SEO" href="http://www.thehoth.com/tour/link-building-strategy/" target="_blank">surgical link building for SEO</a>. This includes social bookmarking, article marketing, guest posting. This is also I’m guessing where a large part of the Hoth’s business comes from. While I’m sure they would help with any aspect of your link building efforts, surgical building is their specialty.</p> <p>This is the final part of your strategy, and luckily you have control over things like anchor text, location, keywords, and scale. Surgical link building is the difference between the winners and losers, Alex says.</p> <div id="attachment_3963" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 439px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/seo-link-building-diagram.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Link Building is one part of an overall SEO Strategy</p></div> <p>Think of this as the seasoning on your dish, you may have all the ingredients, but it’s that last pinch of salt that makes it happen. The problem is most link builder’s won’t be patient in waiting for this last step, and that’s understandable. We live in an instant results world where people want traffic and revenue almost overnight.</p> <p>The temptation is to only build only surgical links, but without the <a title="Foundation and Guide to Link Building" href="http://www.seomoz.org/article/the-professional-guide-to-link-building-2011" target="_blank">foundation of link building</a>, you might rank well but you won’t stay near the top. This can lead to huge swings in traffic, but also frustration Alex from the Hoth says.</p> <blockquote><p>If you just build surgical links you might rank, but your totally at the whim of the search engine. You’ll see volatility, and you’ll be pulling your hair out more often.</p></blockquote> <p>As the webinar came to a close Alex offered more great advice about your overall link building strategy, talking about going <a title="Essential Tips for Building Quality Links" href="http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/7131-51-essential-link-building-tips" target="_blank">after the low hanging fruit</a>, and then branching out from their. Link building can be a science, so stop reinventing the wheel. There is a smarter, more consistent way to build links for SEO.</p> <p>Thanks to Alex and everybody over at the Hoth for a great webinar.</p> </article> <article> <h1>10 Must Add SEOs to Your Google+ Circles</h1> <p>Keith Brown — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:01:32 +0000</p> <div id="attachment_3950" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 674px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/seo-circles-google-plus.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Here are some great SEOs Currently Active on Google+</p></div> <p>I find myself spending more and more time on Google+ lately for work related things. Google+ is a great source of information, discussion, and feedback, without having to deal with the noise of Twitter or my friends from high school on Facebook. Right now there are lots of great experts in the fields of SEO, Social, and Mobile, and it’s fairly easy to interact with them. Maybe it’s because there aren’t many people using it yet, or that it hasn’t faced the spam of other social networks. In either case, here is my <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/circles/seo-p531b7a4e8831cb53" title="SEOs on Google+">list of 10 must add SEOs</a> that need to be in your circle on Google+.</p> <p><strong>1. Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';lu='6a6a6a';pc='4889F0';wh='340';b='s'; pid='111294201325870406922';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>2. Wil Reynolds (SEER Interactive)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='105378806328377750709';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>3. Danny Sullivan (Search Engine Land)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='113217924531763968801';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>4. Bill Slawski (SEO by the Sea)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='106515636986325493284';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>5. Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='108909517464573528203';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>6. Cyrus Shepard (Cyrus Shepard Inc.)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='108621512304373089316';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>7. Matt Cutts (Google)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='109412257237874861202';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>8. Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='107945426404682361496';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>9. Matt McGee (Search Engine Land)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='108652640482631482795';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> <p><strong>10. Andrew Shotland (Local SEO Guide)</strong><br /> <script type="text/javascript">mbgc='f5f5f5';ww='320';mbc='cecece';bbc='3F79D5';bmobc='3b71c6';bbgc='4889F0';bmoc='3F79D5';bfc='FFFFFF';bmofc='ffffff';tlc='cecece';tc='6a6a6a';nc='6a6a6a';bc='6a6a6a';l='y';fs='16';fsb='13';bw='100';ff='4';pc='4889F0';b='s'; pid='114836091191904667858';</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetsplus.com/google_plus_widget.js"></script></p> </article> <article> <h1>Using Fragments in Daily Recap Blog Posts</h1> <p>Keith Brown — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:14:32 +0000</p> <p>Why don’t people use HTML fragments when compiling daily recap blog posts? I was recently mentioned in a <a title="Marketing Daily Recap" href="http://marketingland.com/marketing-day-february-1-2012-5038" target="_blank">marketing land daily recap</a> for my post on <a title="Buy Links Now, Because You Can’t Buy Google +1′s Later" href="http://keithbrown.com/paid-links-google-plus-1/">social authority online</a>. The problem was the list had many different topics, it seemed like I had to scroll forever just to find my post.</p> <div id="attachment_3938" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 771px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/endless-scrolling-blogs.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Instead of making users scroll forever, help them out!</p></div> <p>Instead, why not just split the list up into HTML fragments, allowing a visitor to quickly rapid fire between the topics that interest them. Here is the same marketing land wrap up, but with fragments included instead.<br /> <a name="top"></a><br /> <strong>Click a topic to jump ahead to that section:</strong></p> <p><a href="#marketing-land">Marketing Land</a> | <a href="#search-land">Search Engine Land</a> | <a href="#analytics">Analytics</a> | <a href="#blogging">Blogging</a> | <a href="#business">Business</a> | <a href="#content">Content</a> | <a href="#conversions">Conversions</a> | <a href="#usability">Usability</a> | <a href="#advertising">Advertising</a> | <a href="#email-marketing">Email Marketing</a> | <a href="#internet-marketing">Internet Marketing</a> | <a href="#mobile">Mobile</a> | <a href="#other">Other</a> | <a href="#search-marketing">Search Marketing</a> | <a href="#social-media">Social Media</a><br /> <a name="marketing-land"></a></p> <h2>From Marketing Land:</h2> <p>[<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><strong><a title="Twitter Expands Enhanced Brand Profiles – And Not Just For Advertisers" href="http://marketingland.com/twitter-expands-enhanced-brand-profiles-and-not-just-for-advertisers-5028">Twitter Expands Enhanced Brand Profiles – And Not Just For Advertisers</a></strong><br /> As expected, Twitter has expanded its enhanced brand profiles product to several new account holders today — and it’s not only being rolled out to advertisers. In a statement, Twitter says the enhanced profiles are rolling out to non-advertiser organizations and even individuals. “Enhanced profile pages will continue to roll out to advertising partners, as [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Google “Myth Busts” Microsoft’s Privacy Claims" href="http://marketingland.com/google-myth-busts-microsoft-privacy-claims-5008">Google “Myth Busts” Microsoft’s Privacy Claims</a></strong><br /> That didn’t take long. Google has reacted to Microsoft’s ad campaign that slams Google’s forthcoming privacy policy changes with a mythbusting blog post. Here’s a look at the myths Google says are out there, the facts it claims are true and my own fact checking of both Google and Microsoft. Short story? They both seem [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Efficiency Of Facebook & Google Lead To 1,600 Layoffs At P&G" href="http://marketingland.com/efficiency-of-facebook-google-ads-lead-to-1600-layoffs-at-pg-4999">Efficiency Of Facebook & Google Lead To 1,600 Layoffs At P&G</a></strong><br /> The world’s largest marketers have begun to wise-up to the potency and power of online advertising. Proctor & Gamble, who spend $10 billion annually, announced they would be laying off 1,600 jobs and will be relying on digital marketing for savings. P&G is still planning on spending 9 – 11% of sales on advertising, they [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="LinkedIn & Twitter Ad Revenue Continue To Climb" href="http://marketingland.com/linkedin-twitter-ad-revenue-continue-to-climb-4992">LinkedIn & Twitter Ad Revenue Continue To Climb</a></strong><br /> There is no slow-down in sight for social advertising. According to eMarketer, Twitter ad growth is projected to be up 83% in 2012 and LinkedIn will see a 46.1% increase. Twitter 2012 advertising revenues are estimated to be 259.9 million while LinkedIn will be close behind at 226 million. Twitter ad revenue is extremely U.S. [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Study: Only 1% Of Facebook Fans Engage With Brands On Facebook" href="http://marketingland.com/study-only-1-of-facebook-fans-engage-with-brands-on-facebook-4785">Study: Only 1% Of Facebook Fans Engage With Brands On Facebook</a></strong><br /> A recent study from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute analyzed the engagement of Facebook fans. The results aren’t great. Only 1.3% of fans actually engage with brands within Facebook. The metric used for the study is the “People Talking About This” metric, a number generated from users taking actions on Facebook. The research looked at the top 200 [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Google+ Wins A Crunchie But Gets Razzed By The Daily Show" href="http://marketingland.com/google-crunchie-daily-show-4970">Google+ Wins A Crunchie But Gets Razzed By The Daily Show</a></strong><br /> Maybe it’s a sign of success when Jon Stewart decides your social network is big enough to mock. Mock he did to Google+ last night on The Daily Show, ironically on the same night that Google+ won an award at The Crunchies. The Daily Show send-up happened when Stewart was talking about US presidential candidates [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Microsoft Slams Google Privacy Changes With “Putting People First” Ad Campaign" href="http://marketingland.com/microsoft-slams-google-privacy-search-changes-with-putting-people-first-ad-campaign-4887">Microsoft Slams Google Privacy Changes With “Putting People First” Ad Campaign</a></strong><br /> Last September, Google CEO Larry Page warned Google’s biggest threat was Google itself. His words are ringing true, as Google arch-nemesis Microsoft is seizing on Google’s recent missteps to score some points through a newspaper ad campaign that pitches Microsoft’s products as treating customers better than Google’s do. The ads — running in the Wall Street [...]</li> <li><strong><a title="Yahoo Lays Off Flickr Customer Service Team, Reportedly 12% Of Entire Staff" href="http://marketingland.com/yahoo-flickr-customer-service-layoffs-4913">Yahoo Lays Off Flickr Customer Service Team, Reportedly 12% Of Entire Staff</a></strong><br /> When Flickr Product Chief Markus Spiering wrote a couple weeks ago about things that were being discarded as part of a “New Year’s cleaning,” there was no mention it would include the site’s core customer service team. But at least some, if not all of that team, was given pink slips on Monday — and, [...]</li> </ul> <p><a name="search-land"></a></p> <h2>Recent Headlines From <a href="http://searchengineland.com/">Search Engine Land</a>, Our Sister Site Dedicated To Search News & Information:</h2> <p>[<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a title="French Court Fines Google $660,000 Because Google Maps Is Free" href="http://searchengineland.com/french-court-fines-google-660000-dollars-google-maps-109930">French Court Fines Google $660,000 Because Google Maps Is Free</a></li> <li><a title="StumbleUpon Kills Direct Links, iFrames Everything" href="http://searchengineland.com/stumbleupon-kills-direct-links-iframes-everything-109919">StumbleUpon Kills Direct Links, iFrames Everything</a></li> <li><a title="Working The Funnel: Finding Value In Non-Converting Events" href="http://searchengineland.com/working-the-funnel-finding-value-in-non-converting-events-109805">Working The Funnel: Finding Value In Non-Converting Events</a></li> <li><a title="How to Spice Up B2B Ad Creative Brainstorms In 90 Minutes Or Less" href="http://searchengineland.com/how-to-spice-up-b2b-ad-creative-brainstorms-in-90-minutes-or-less-109391">How to Spice Up B2B Ad Creative Brainstorms In 90 Minutes Or Less</a></li> <li><a title="Justifying Conference Attendance For In-House Search Marketers" href="http://searchengineland.com/justifying-conference-attendance-for-in-house-search-marketers-109484">Justifying Conference Attendance For In-House Search Marketers</a></li> <li><a title="Google & Bing: We’re Not Involved In “Local Paid Inclusion”" href="http://searchengineland.com/google-bing-were-not-involved-in-local-paid-inclusion-109871">Google & Bing: We’re Not Involved In “Local Paid Inclusion”</a></li> </ul> <h2>Online Marketing News From Around The Web:</h2> <p><strong><a name="analytics"></a>Analytics</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.blueglass.com/blog/4-key-analytics-metrics-that-youre-probably-underestimating/">4 Key Analytics Metrics That You’re Probably Underestimating</a>, www.blueglass.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.cardinalpath.com/beyond-30-day-tracking-for-adwords-conversions/">Beyond 30 Day Tracking for AdWords Conversions</a>, www.cardinalpath.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.ppchero.com/guide-to-url-tagging-and-tracking-in-google-analytics/">Guide to URL Tagging and Tracking in Google Analytics</a>, PPC Hero</li> <li><a href="http://www.searchenginejournal.com/the-seo%e2%80%99s-guide-to-google-analytics-5-getting-used-to-new-features-part-i/39544/">The SEO’s Guide to Google Analytics 5: Getting Used to New Features Part I</a>, www.searchenginejournal.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="blogging"></a><strong>Blogs & Blogging</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/02/blogger-relations-push-or-pull/">Blogger Relations: Push or Pull? How to Get Bloggers to Mention Your Brand</a>, Online Marketing Blog</li> <li><a href="http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/should-redesign-your-blog-5-signs-may-be-right-time/">Should You Redesign Your Blog?: 5 Signs It May Be the Right Time</a>, bestbloggingtipsonline.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.chrisg.com/start-selling/">When Should You Start Selling from Your Blog?</a>, www.chrisg.com</li> <li><a href="http://outspokenmedia.com/blogging/last-blog-standing/">Why You Want To Be the Last Blog Standing</a>, outspokenmedia.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="business"></a><strong>Business Issues</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-01/apple-loses-german-court-bid-to-ban-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1n-nexus-phone.html">Apple Loses Patent Bid to Ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Munich Court</a>, Bloomberg</li> <li><a href="http://blog.kelseygroup.com/index.php/2012/02/01/filing-living-social-lost-558-million-in-2011/">Filing: Living Social Lost $558 Million in 2011</a>, blog.kelseygroup.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/is-it-time-for-microsoft-to-relinquish-the-evil-empire-crown-to-google/11792">Is it time for Microsoft to relinquish the Evil Empire crown to Google?</a>, www.zdnet.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2012/microsoft-cutting-200-jobs-marketing-overhaul#utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20geekwire%20%28GeekWire%29">Microsoft cutting around 200 jobs in marketing overhaul</a>, www.geekwire.com</li> <li><a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/twitter-ceo-dick-costolo-100-focused-advertising/232430/">Twitter CEO Dick Costolo: We’re 100% Focused on Advertising</a>, adage.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="content"></a><strong>Content Marketing</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.rimmkaufman.com/blog/content-is-not-king-key-takeaways-from-amit-singhal/31012012/">Content Is Not King: Key Takeaways from Amit Singhal</a>, www.rimmkaufman.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/content-marketing-goals/">10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing</a>, www.copyblogger.com</li> <li><a href="http://blog.junta42.com/2012/02/essential-social-media-tools/">47 Essential Social Media Tools for Content Marketers</a>, blog.junta42.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.aimclearblog.com/2012/02/01/puppy-mill-upchuck-to-superstar-articles-setting-realistic-content-marketing-kpis/">Puppy Mill Upchuck To Superstar Articles: Setting Realistic Content Marketing KPIs!</a>, www.aimclearblog.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="conversions"></a><strong>Conversion Optimization</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.ioninteractive.com/post-click-marketing-blog/2012/1/31/top-landing-page-best-practices-for-higher-conversion-rates.html">Top Landing Page Best Practices for Higher Conversion Rates</a>, www.ioninteractive.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="usability"></a><strong>Copywriting, Design & Usability</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.marketingwords.com/blog/?p=1672">5 Things that Can Kill Your Sales (besides your copy)</a>, www.marketingwords.com</li> <li><a href="http://cre8pc.com/2012/02/01/pinky-and-the-brain-search-marketing-user-experience-design/">Pinky and the Brain, Search Marketing & User Experience Design</a>, Cre8PC</li> <li><a href="http://uxmovement.com/navigation/why-external-links-should-open-in-new-tabs/">Why External Links Should Open in New Tabs</a>, uxmovement.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="advertising"></a><strong>Display & Contextual Advertising</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/report_facebook_ad_spending_grows_1600.php">Report: Facebook Ad Spending Grew 1600% in 2011</a>, Read/Write Web</li> <li><a href="http://paidcontent.org/article/419-social-network-ads-linkedin-falls-behind-twitter-facebook-biggest-of-al/">Social Network Ads: LinkedIn Falls Behind Twitter; Facebook Biggest Of All</a>, paidcontent.org</li> </ul> <p><a name="email-marketing"></a><strong>Email Marketing</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/9-ways-to-integrate-email-and-social-media-marketing/">9 Ways to Integrate Email and Social Media Marketing</a>, www.socialmediaexaminer.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.jeffkorhan.com/2012/01/ambiance-for-writers.html">Ambiance for Writers</a>, Jeff Korhan</li> </ul> <p><a name="internet-marketing"></a><strong>Internet Marketing Industry</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.intersectionofonlineandoffline.com/rant-social-media-bullshit-artists-pollute-the-space/">Rant: Social Media Bullshit Artists Pollute the Space</a>, www.intersectionofonlineandoffline.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="mobile"></a><strong>Mobile Marketing</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/uk/archive/2012/02/01/bing-getmethere.aspx">Bing GetMeThere</a>, www.bing.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="other"></a><strong>Other Items</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.crashdev.com/2012/01/top-three-reasons-not-to-do-local.html">Crash Dev: Top three reasons NOT to do a local + online startup (and what to do instead)</a>, www.crashdev.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="search-marketing"></a><strong>Search Marketing</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2012/02/3-must-take-steps-to-brand-search-results-for-your-name.html">3 Must-Take Steps to Brand Search Results for Your Name</a>, www.marketingpilgrim.com</li> <li><a href="../paid-links-google-plus-1/">Buy Links Now, Because You Can’t Buy Google +1′s Later</a>, keithbrown.com</li> </ul> <p><a name="social-media"></a><strong>Social Media</strong><br /> [<a href="#top">Back to top</a>]</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://contently.com/blog/measure-social-reach/">5 Basic Tools for Measuring Your Content’s Social Reach</a>, contently.com</li> <li><a href="http://socialtimes.com/6-ways-to-use-quora-for-research_b88891">6 Ways to Use Quora for Research</a>, socialtimes.com</li> <li><a href="http://semiocast.com/publications/2012_01_31_Brazil_becomes_2nd_country_on_Twitter_superseds_Japan">Brazil becomes 2nd country on Twitter, Japan 3rd — Netherlands most active country</a>, semiocast.com</li> <li><a href="http://blog.bitly.com/post/16873962035/device-usage-on-the-social-web">Device Usage on the Social Web</a>, blog.bitly.com</li> <li><a href="http://blogs.constantcontact.com/product-blogs/social-media-marketing/get-real-how-to-plan-a-successful-social-campaign/">Get Real: How to Set Goals for Your Facebook Page (or Social Campaign)</a>, blogs.constantcontact.com</li> <li><a href="http://steamdrivenmedia.com/social-media/why-pinterest-should-be-on-your-radar/">Why Pinterest Should Be On Your Radar</a>, steamdrivenmedia.com</li> </ul> </article> <article> <h1>Can your customers find you on Google when they have a complaint?</h1> <p>Keith Brown — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:22:25 +0000</p> <div id="attachment_3893" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 590px"><a href="http://keithbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/customer-complaints-online.jpg"></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Can your customers find you on Google when they have a complaint?</p></div> <p>Came across another great example of why you need to show up in Google for not only positive mentions of your brand, but negative mentions as well. I see this path constantly, and nowhere is it more clear than on this customers “beef” with Taco Bell.</p> <blockquote><p>Unbelievable! Not only did I find a long yellow hair with a snarl attached to it hanging out of the bottom of my Beef Burrito Supreme, the replacement burrito had a yellow hair within it as well. ~ I do NOT have yellow hair! ~ The teller coped an attitude with me when I demanded my money back, and tied to tell me this was not a hair from any of them! Now I Googled Taco Bell to file a complaint and the link is to a Taco Bell error page with a link to their home page where there is no link to file a complaint or contact customer support! I will NEVER eat there again! Totally disgusted!! - D. Irvin</p></blockquote> <h4>Here is the way it works 99% of the time…</h4> <ol> <li>Customer isn’t satisfied with an experience they had with a business</li> <li>The customer searches Google for a way to let the business know they aren’t happy</li> <li>Businesses don’t show up because they do a crappy job at being found in Google</li> <li>Customer gets even more frustrated and goes to Facebook, YouTube, and Blogs to Gripe</li> </ol> <p>Can your customers find you in Google when they are upset? Put yourself in the shoes of a person frustrated with your business, and you might understand why they complain about you online.</p> </article> </main></body></html>