Google Analytics 101: How To Compare Current Data To The Past

This is a quick post today because I’m a little pressed for time. Here’s a short video that explains:

1. How to view your site’s data for a specific date range
2. How to compare data from two different time periods

After you watch the video below, feel free to ask questions in the comments below. Read More

And Then There Were Two…

I’m not a big expert on the history of search engines (if you’re looking for a nice little snapshot, check out this “History of Search” graphic). However, I DO remember using Google all the way back when it first came online in 97′…and as a user I haven’t looked back since. I’ve tried to use Yahoo and MSN/LIVE/Bing over the years, but Google has always been my first choice.

As a marketer, Google has been very big for me as well. I’ve found that pay-per-click ads on Yahoo and MSN offer slightly lower costs and similar quality to Google, but unfortunately only a small fraction of the traffic.

In terms of SEO, Google simply dwarfs traffic from Yahoo or Bing – heck, even Google image search dwarfs traffic from Yahoo or Bing. I’ve found that Yahoo is bigger than Bing, and that – at best – Yahoo can send about 1/6th the traffic that Google can send. Bing? About a tenth.

While it’s never OK to ignore a potential source of traffic like Bing or Yahoo, it’s been pretty easy to forget about them…until now. Read More

The Pending “Death of Email” is Greatly Exaggerated

I’m a firm believer that there are four pillars of Internet marketing with a potential 5th:

1. Good content. Articles, videos, cool pictures, podcasts, etc., all qualify as “content.” If your content is good, you can have success online.
2. Search. Until someone comes up with a better way to find news or specific info, search engine optimization will be a big part of marketing any business or service online.
3. Email marketing. If you can obtain someone’s email address and get their permission to use it, you can open a long-term dialog that will allow you to constantly bring these people back to your website.
4. Video. I know that I listed “video” under content, but I think it’s so fundamental that it deserves it’s own pillar. You’ll see continued investment in video here at Spork as this medium is finally starting to generate real business.
5. Social media (pending). The fifth pillar is probably social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, etc., but it’s status is pending. Will social be folded into search or email? Hard to say. Perhaps it’s a semantic argument. Still, I’m not ready to declare social as a separate pillar from content, email, or search until it’s proven that social can generate revenue all by itself.

These are the pillars. Unless something tremendous happens, they will be the pillars for the foreseeable future. However, to hear some people tell it, “email is dying.”

I say bullshit. Here’s why: Read More

More WordPress Resources

One of my clients told me last week that he really enjoys my posts on WordPress (thanks Doug!). After I got off the phone, I realized that a lot of people don’t know what blogs to read when it comes to learning about WordPress.

Here is my list of recommended reading for WordPress designers, developers, and site owners: Read More

Updated List Of Must-Have WordPress Plugins

Since we mostly develop search engine optimized websites powered by WordPress, I try to contribute to the WP community by sharing the lessons I’ve learned about the platform. Here’s my updated list of must-have WordPress plugins, along with a couple of notes for each one. Read More

What’s A Domain Name REALLY Worth?

While recently trying to purchase a domain I had an interest in developing, I received a very dumb email from the broker I was negotiating with. He said that “domain appraisals are only for accountants” and that a domain was worth whatever two parties agreed upon.

No – really?

Of course a domain is worth what whatever two parties can agree upon. However, an independent appraisal should always be the starting point for a negotiation. Otherwise, one of the parties is getting taken advantage of. Read More

Marketing Inspiration From An Ohio Strip Club

I love marketing that’s not too complicated – if it makes sense in 2 seconds, it’s probably a good idea. One of the oldest marketing gimmicks is to attach a pretty face to a product or service, and frankly it works really well. Everyone likes beautiful people (consciously or otherwise), so we tend to gravitate towards attractive imagery.

Another old trick is to leverage a social or charitable cause to help generate business. It’s a time-honored tradition, and despite the blatant capitalism implicit in this sort of tactic, people tend to receive it pretty well.

But what about a mashup? Is it possible to combine these two tricks to form some sort of “super trick?” In a word, yes. Read More

007 Things James Bond Can Teach Us About SEO

James Bond movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. They’re really pretty poorly written (SO predictable), the “romance” is terribly corny, and the puns can be just terrible…but what can I say? It’s fun.

In honor of my appreciation for 007, I’ve come up with a list of seven things James Bond can teach all of us about SEO: Read More

How I Use Twitter – 10 Tools, Tips, and Tactics

I am *not* a Twitter superstar. I’d like to think that I’m doing an OK job, however, and I genuinely believe that I could have more followers and web site traffic if I just spent more time Tweeting. Still, if you’re looking to build 30k followers on Twitter, I’m not the guy to listen to. In my mind, Twitter is small and personal, not big and impersonal.

In other words, if you want to build a small, meaningful audience on Twitter that you connect with regularly, then this Twitter advice is for you. Read More

WordPress Blog SEO Tip – Use The More Tag

I was reviewing a WordPress blog for a client a few days ago and I noticed that they weren’t using the built-in blog snippet capabilities of WordPress – also known as the “more” tag.

Here’s why I recommend using the more tag in WordPress and how it works: Read More