Recent Articles on Internet Marketing for August 17th Dr. Ralph F. Wilson , Web Marketing Today - Aug 17, 2010

Here are a few recent articles and resources I found this week that might interest you.

David Mihm, Local Search Ranking Factors, DavidMihm.com, 7 June 2010. Polled local SEO experts for the elements that affect local search rankings the most on a scale of -5 to +5. 69 Factors are listed in order, with commentary from experts hyperlinked to each factor. Helpful!

Ross Dunn, Using a 302 Redirect in Place of a 404 Error is a Bad Idea, StepForth, 19 July 2010. A 302 redirect instead of a 404 error when a page has been removed can cause Google to lower rankings over time and confuse visitors.

Siddharth Shah, The Subtle Science Of Bidding Part 3: Second Order Effects, Search Engine Land, 13 Aug 2010. Explains that keywords have to be looked at simultaneously to make smart bidding decisions.

Kim Krause Berg, How To Rescue Poorly Converting Web Sites, Search Engine Land, 13 Aug 2010. Recommends  usability fixes that relate to company name, a statement of why the visitor should choose your service or product, why we're better, how to start, how to buy. Also discusses SEO considerations and information architecture concerns.

Ron Jones, Conversion Optimization 101, ClickZ, 9 Aug 2010. Introduces the concepts of conversion goals, a process for testing, a conversion funnel strategy, and visualizing visitor success.

Heidi Cohen, Old Spice's Teachable Moment for Content Marketing, ClickZ, 9 Aug 2010. Compares an Old Spice video that created buzz with a Cisco copycat that fell flat. Distills 7 recommendations to drive actionable marketing content: tell a story, create content in a community context, deliver content across a variety of devices, integrate brand into your content, adapt content presentation to engage your target audience, structure employees to support your initiatives, and assess content quality and its contribution to marketing goals.

Sam Decker, 4 Unexpected Benefits of User-Generated Content, ClickZ, 10 Aug 2010. User-generated content can: (1) decrease customer service costs, (2) improve product copy and usage instructions, (3) reduce product return rates, and (4) stimulate better products.

Robin Neifield, Planning for Seasonal Digital Success, ClickZ, 12 Aug 2010. Offers tips to get your marketing and website ready for the holidays.

Simms Jenkins, What Can E-mail Marketers Learn From Lebron's Decision Fiasco? ClickZ, 12 Aug 2010. E-mail marketers should: know their customers, have a business case to back up a calculated risk, control your message, have a plan B, and transition gracefully (and quietly).

Bryan Eisenberg, Sometimes a Secret Isn't a Secret, ClickZ, 13 Aug 2010. A conference video and text explain the first secret of high-converting websites: they contain a value proposition on every page. Suggests elements of a strong and unique value proposition.

Marc Lyne, 9 SEO Realities For Small Businesses, Search Engine Land, 12 Aug 2010. Tips for a small business site to improve SEO, mostly technical suggestions.

Eric Papczun, Revisiting The Basics Of Video SEO, Search Engine Land, 12 Aug 2010. Recommends: Take ownership of brand-oriented YouTube videos, optimize key site elements on video pages for targeted keywords, leverage controlled domains to direct inbound links and embed video files from sharing sites, and submit a media sitemap (Media RSS) to search engines to organize and identify all video assets on the brand's site.

Kelly Gillease, Best Practices For Mobile Search Marketing Campaigns, Search Engine Land, 11 Aug 2010. Discusses mobile search marketshare, mobile sites vs. regular websites, offline considerations, and campaign settings and tracking.

Laura Centore, 7 Tips To Make Better Keyword Bidding Decisions In B2B Paid Search, Search Engine Land, 11 Aug 2010. Explains how to assess value of a keyword. Then offers 7 PPC bidding tips for B2B marketers.

Scott Brinker, 4 Principles Of Conversion Content Marketing, Search Engine Land, 11 Aug 2010. Content marketing creates genuinely useful or entertaining content for many specific niches of your target audience and gives it away free. Principles: (1) conversion is optional, (2) testing is mandatory, (3) the format is flexible, and (4) the scale is vertical.