Stilton Company SEO strategies increase growth of website by over 540%

Jackson, NJ – Over the past 4 months, Jackson NJ Online has seen a 543% growth rate according to online trend and analysis website, compete.com.   The daily reach of the newly launched Central Jersey online community has recieved up to 4,500 unique visitors daily through June, 2009.

On June 12th, the website reached the total visitor count for the previous month, with an expected jump of over nearly 100% between May and June.    Growth has been infectious for properties of Stilton Company, LLC, which owns and operates nearly one dozen online properties.   The flagship property owned by Stilton Company, a regional media and search marketing leader is GoKidsNJ, a family based entertainment and event planning website which boasts a daily reader base of 10,000 readers, followed by a video game news website which has a daily reader base of 8,000.

GoKidsNJ has experienced a 61.9% growth rate over the past 52 weeks, which included three months of low ratings due in part to the stock market crash of 2009 which saw levels drop by nearly 200% between August and December of 2008.

Zergwatch video game news has seen a 188% percent increase over the past 12 months and continues to be a growing force in the international video game news syndication market.

Business has been good this year for Stilton Company as owner Phil Stilton explains “In the fall of 2008, I truly began to worry about the future outlook of these entities, but the resurgence in growth after a dismal fall is starting to clear away the clouds.  Hopefully the economy picks up.”

Stilton Company LLC, includes several top 10 Google and Yahoo web properties in the family entertainment, media, video games and travel industries.   While some industries such as family vacation travel remain in a downward spiral due to the economy, the company’s travel portals and cruise ship tracking service have seen a 61% decrease in visitors, leading to a 30% decrease in online bookings, travel guide sales and related vacation products.   “People just can’t afford to take cruises like we used to.  When you have to decide between paying the mortgage or going on a cruise, I find people tend to stick locally, which has also been a key factor in the boom of GoKidsNJ directly matching the decline in foreign travel sales”.     Stilton Company, LLC is an affiliate partner of Travel.Com and a CLIA member which operates several travel portals and vacation planning websites with integrated online booking and excursions through a partnership with shoreexcursions.com.

“While things can be better, this year, it looks like we may finally be out of the downard trends we saw in 2008″ Stilton explains “We have a bit of an unfair advantage over our competitors as we are also an SEO and internet marketing firm whereas other travel agents, gaming networks and products companies have a high over head when it comes to SEO and online marketing.”

Stilton Company LLC, is an online Search Engine Marketing company with over 15 years experience in helping businesses find the right business solutions to harness the power of the internet and drive sales.

“We have such a great network of  businesses we work with  including TicketMaster, Amazon, Google, Fandango, TravelNow and we’re always creating new and exciting opportunities such as mutually benefiting relationships with local professional sports clubs and charity organizations.  The GoKidsNetwork is a network of hundreds of businesses utilizing our media network to promote their services, events and products.” Stilton adds.

If you wish to learn more about Stilton Company’s Search Engine Marketing and how your business can benefit from their SEO, Marketing and Media services, contact 732-575-4891 or visit www.stiltonco.com

visit http://siteanalytics.compete.com/jacksonnjonline.com+gokidsnj.com+zergwatch.com/ to see independent third pary online analysis of information in this press release.

First thoughts on the new Toshiba A350 laptops

Stilton Company - In January, Toshiba came out with a new line of laptops, the A350 Series of low cost and high capability laptops.  The new line has been recieved well and has breathed new life into the Toshiba brand with all models available for less than $1,000.

The 350 series is the natural successor to the 305 series and the main difference is an upgrade from a 15.4 inches to 16 inches.   The new line performs just as well, if not better than its successor.

Similarities between all of the models of course starts with the 16 inch LCD (1366×768) with true 16:9 aspect ration and 720p HD resolution.  Each 350 series Toshiba laptop also comes preinstalled with Windows Vista.

The laptops themselves are gorgeous from the shiny outer casing to the semi rounded under base with two large chromed mouse buttons.   The Harmon Kardon speakers are nicely positioned, the touch areas well illuminated the huge 16 inch monitor and the extremely shiny keyboard make this a very attractive line of laptops.  Toshiba calls the finish a “Fusion Finish”.

If you suffer from OCD, be warned that the glossy keyboards are sometimes susceptible to fingerprint smudges but most people can overlook this.   There’s plenty of room for your palms to rest while you type on a very comfortable surface.

Let’s take a look at each model and see what they offer as well as brief reviews of each. We will start at the lower end of the spectrum with the S6920 models and work our way up to the higher end S6940 models.

All models feature an integrated webcam.   The integrated webcam does more than just video chats. It includes Toshiba Face Recognition capabilities for the ultimate hands-free, hassle-free way to log onto your laptop. Just show your face to the webcam, no keeping track of hard-to-remember passwords and no unnecessary typing. And if you’re using one laptop for several users–say for the whole family or for a small business, Toshiba Face Recognition lets you switch profiles with one simple look.

The laptops also feature a quad-mode Intel Wireless 5100 AGN Wi-Fi Chip.  This is based on the 802.11n WiFi specification, but it offers up to 5 times the performance and twice the range of standard 802.11g wireless networking.   It’s also backwards compatible with old 802.11a networks you could find in an office setting as well.

The preinstalled software library on these laptops include Microsoft Works 9.0, Google Toolbar, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, Norton 360 All-in-One Security (30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).

These laptops weigh in at 6.5 pounds each.

Toshiba Satellite A355-S6924 16.0-Inch Laptop
The 6924 laptop has a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor and its max memory capacity is 4GB  RAM.  It comes with a 250 GB hard drive and a dual layer DVD drive with an Intel GMA X4500MHD graphics processor.

Toshiba Satellite A355-S6925 16.0-Inch Laptop is the next step up in the line, similar to the 6924, but this one has a 2.0GHZ  intel core duo processor T6400.

Mac vs. PC debate continues. Which is better?

Stilton Company -Over the years, as an IT manager for many companies, I’ve always been frustrated by the mindset splits between PC and Mac computers.   From a business standpoint, it has always made sense to standardize, but in the age of digital media and graphic design, most design and arts teams have always claimed to require Mac technology to get their job done, but the new  full line of Apple iMac’s being pushed out by Apple are finally taking serious aim at the Dell business PC stronghold as the price per processing power unit of the line finally becomes business affordable.

Today, most design, graphics and arts based business practices rely heavily on Mac products, but the Mac is now making some serious inroads with casual home computer users who are getting fed up with the complexities and ever changing environments in PC based Windows operating systems.   Macs have proven to be less prone to viruses, spyware, hacks and crashes and in the casual user community, they are finally starting to be recognized as a practical and affordable solution, not just for the eccentric artsy types.

The following review serves as testimony that among casual computer users in the web, email and social networking age, Apple is becoming a serious consideration where it was once balked at for being the PC for hippies.

How much money does an iMac cost?

Today, You can buy a high powered and high end mac for just over $1,000:

Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop

This review is intended mainly for PC users who are new to the Mac. I’m not a huge computer person, I’ve always had PCs, and frankly I’ve always thought Macs were for hippies with ponytails. I pretty much have to use a PC for my job functions, but over the last few years I’ve been underwhelmed by both my home and work desktop (both dells) and my home notebook (HP). I’m fed up with the windows BS - freezing for no reason, slowing down for no reason, taking forever to shutdown/startup, constantly nagging to update virus software etc. I’m ok putting up with this for my work PC, but when it was time to replace my home desktop I decided to take a look at the Mac. I’m glad I did. I went with the 2.66ghz iMac with 24″ monitor and 640gig HD.

First Impressions: Coming from a Dell, the iMac was pretty damn impressive right out of the box. The single box was smaller than I expected, and Amazon packed it pretty good (important because Amazon has dropped the ball on this before on other items). The 24″ screen is HUGE and looks great. Setup is a breeze - it took much longer to disconnect my PC than to set this up. Just plug it in, connect to router, connect keyboard and you are ready. No, I don’t miss the gigantic bundle of wires that used to be next to my desk. I was connected and playing around with this within 5 minutes of opening the box.

Pros: Beautiful screen, fast, easy to get set up and start using. The display is impressive compared to a windows PC. No dealing with virus software nagging for updates. The Time Machine feature makes it extremely easy to back up. Great overall design w/ few wires and nice touches like 2 USB inputs on the keyboard, camera built into monitor etc.

Cons: No Bluray player option (why not?). No numeric pad on keyboard (but I can’t knock them for this since it is an option if you order from Apple’s website). Built in speakers in monitor are pretty weak for music (I’ll upgrade). I do think the “it’s so intuitive to use” hype of Macs is a bit overhyped today - I think the user interface on a windows machine is just as intuitive, albeit much less visually impressive.

Where to buy: I purchased this from Amazon and I’m glad I did, as I saved about $150 vs. the Apple store. The downside to ordering on Amazon is the apple store gives you a few choices (like a numeric pad on the keyboard and wireless mouse) that Amazon does not. I initially started to purchase this from the Apple website because I wanted the numeric keypad, but as I was checking out I noticed they slapped me with sales tax of about $100 - you normally don’t pay sales tax when you buy on the internet and the vendor is out of state. When I saw that I immediately cancelled my order and purchased from Amazon (plus Amazon was a bit cheaper to begin with in addition to no sales tax). Amazon also shipped it to me faster (though I have Amazon Prime), and did a good job packaging it. If you go w/ the apple store online, pay attention to sales tax your results may vary depending on your state.

Bottom line: I’m glad I got this. It’s a great alternative for a home computer which I mostly use for internet and media purposes (I won’t be installing excel on this machine!). It is a bit pricey compared to a PC, but it’s worth it if you appreciate the impressive design, nice asthetics, great monitor, and less headache vs. a PC.

How to transfer VHS tapes to DVD

Stilton Company - As we now enter a purely digital age in America, one of the problems which remains is what to do with those boxes of old 8mm and VHS family movies.  One option is to buy one of may television based VHS to DVD recorders which copy the tapes directly to DVD, but these options do not allow for digital modification such as adding titles, fancy menus or cleaning up the video images.

There are hundreds of VHS to DVD recorders available, each one with its own unique feature sets and options, but if you want to turn your old VHS and 8mm movies into modern digital masterpieces, you’re going to have to buy a software package for your PC or Mac computer and the necessary adapters cables for your computer.

One of the highest rated solutions to copy those old tapes to DVD and even for storage and playback on your computer is the Roxio Creator 2009 Special Edition with VHS to DVD Adapter.

Roxio Creator 2009 Special Edition with VHS to DVD Adapter
If you’re like me and want the absolute best quality transfers from your VHS tapes to DVD, here’s the steps I took to get the desired results. I’m not writing about how to setup your VCR to your computer; only the settings within the VHS to DVD capture video options.

1) When you launch the capture video option in RC09, always select DV as your quality option. Note that a full 2 hour VHS tape will create a 25 or so gigabyte AVI file, so make sure you have a large capacity hard drive with plenty of free space.
2) Unless the tape is too light or too dark, I would leave the custom video adjustments alone. Your call on these settings.
3) Once the VHS tape is captured, launch the application SYNC IT! within the Roxio Creator user interface. Locate the settings options, and make sure it is set to MPEG2 output (this is set by default, but still check). Now locate the AVI file created by RC09. Drag and drop the file into the Sync It!”eye”. The conversion usually lasts around two hours, so go take a break.
4) Once the conversion is complete, you will have a new MPEG2 file around 4.75 to 5 gigs in size. This file is now ready to be trimmed, polished up and made into a DVD.

Roxio has become somewhat of a standard for home pc disc writing because many OEM manufacturers now include Roxio with new PC’s.  Most Dell computers come with Roxio CD Creator installed, but you will still need to go buy a VHS to PC Converter.  These can range in price from around $15 to $50 depending on the brand you buy.

If you are a MacIntosh user, you might want to check out the Roxio Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac which sells for slightly less than the PC version and like most things on a Mac, is a bit easier to configure and use.

Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac includes everything you need to easily transfer video from VHS, Hi8, V8 or analog camcorders to DVD. Perfect for digitizing and protecting home videos on outdated media. Easy VHS to DVD for Mac supports most analog camcorders, VCRs and even DVD players. Capture video at full DVD-quality resolution.  You can add Hollywood style menus and chapters for impressive results. Edit your captured movies in iMovie to add titles, transitions and other edits. Great for transferring videos to iPod or PSP too! Post finished videos to YouTube or your favorite social networking sites.

If you are looking for a more affordable solution on your PC, another popular VHS to DVD transfer software to look at is VHS To DVD 4.0 Deluxe which sells in the $65 price range and includes all the necessary hardware and software components necessary for the DVD transformation.

VHS to DVD Deluxe  includes a USB 2.0 Video Capture Device, a USB cable and software to convert analog video to digital, or reformat digital video, for recording on DVDs. PC users can either use the capture device interface or connect their digital video cameras and players to their PC to store the video. The VHS to DVD Deluxe  software formats the video for DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players and recording devices. It also supports converting HDTV quality video formats including: HDV, VHS, C-VHS, Beta and other video and audio formats to DVD and Blu-ray DVD.

There are many ways around this problem, and while the conventional hardware recorders do the job, they do not allow for any high tech editing and custom menu creation found in the computer software packages.  When buying a VHS to DVD recorder of any kind be sure to go online and research the product before you buy.

A closer look at the Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2864 Notebook

A larger sibling to Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9, the Inspiron Mini 10 in cherry red adds keyboard comfort and even more entertainment-friendly dimensions to the Inspiron Mini family. Like the Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, the Mini 10 is a compact, easy-to-carry Internet companion that’s ideal for teens, tweens, travelers and “Tweeters” to surf the Web, chat with friends (both via text and using the integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam), stream video and audiocontent, and upload on-the-go photos to blogs or social networking sites. Standard built-in Wi-Fi means quick and easy wireless internet access to hotspots in the home, on campus, in a local coffee shop, in the office or at a conference.

Super thin and ultra-portable, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 weighs in at just 2.6 pounds.

The Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2864 10.1-Inch (PRODUCT) RED Netbook features an intuitive Dell-developed custom home screen interface that is designed to make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Intuitive icons link directly to groups of similar applications, like games, Web and entertainment, and favorite web links for quick access. Plus, the home screen can be personalized, putting your favorites front and center.

A bright 10.1-inch display is designed to be able to present web sites without a lot of left-right scrolling, and the 92-percent full-size keyboard is large and easy to navigate. An HDMI port also allows you to connect the Mini 10 to your HDTV for large-screen, high-def viewing. Other features include a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (533 MHz; maximum capacity), integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, three USB ports, 3-in-1 memory card reader, and up to 3 hours of battery life.

It comes preinstalled with the Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system, which offers more experienced users an enhanced and innovative experience that incorporates Windows Live features like Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging and Windows Live Mail for consolidated email accounts on your desktop.

A Better Keyboard
You won’t lose any flexibility with the Mini 10’s keyboard. At 92 percent the size of a standard laptop, it’s almost as if the Mini 10’s keyboard is at full range. And with a multi-touch track pad, your fingers will have an easy time navigating. Plus, it’s spill resistant, so you can rest assured if accidents happen.

Display and Audio
The Inspiron Mini 10 has a 10.1-inch LCD screen (1024 x 576; WSVGA) with TrueLife high-gloss/anti-reflective technology, which features a sharp contrast finish that’s well suited to immersive 3D games and watching videos. Its widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio is designed to present websites without lots of left-right scrolling, as well as with a smoother line of sight. Expand your screen by connecting to an external monitor or TV using the HDMI port. This notebook has two speakers for stereo sound.

Power-Sipping Processor
Newly designed from the ground up, the Intel Atom Z520 uses a 45nm (nanometer) design structure with new hafnium-infused circuitry–which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors–to conserve even more energy and give you more time away from the wall outlet. The Intel Atom Z520 provides a 1.3 GHz CPU speed with a 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB) and 512 KB L2 cache–which uses just 2 watts of power. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system’s performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) It supports Intel’s 64-bit computing architecture, which can allow the use of extended virtual and physical memory with compatible 64-bit software, as well as Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology for speedier multitasking.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that’s fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. With the integrated Bluetooth connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones as well as use Bluetooth-enabled headsets for handsfree video chats. It comes with the following external connectors:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports (1 powered) for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
• Analog video output: None
• 10/100 Fast Ethernet networking
• 1 headphone (line-out) and 1 microphone (line-in)
• 3-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), Multimedia Card (MMC), and Memory Stick

Dimensions
This laptop measures 10.28 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches and weighs 2.6 pounds.

What’s in the Box
This package includes the Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2864 (cherry red), 3-cell rechargeable battery, AC adapter, and printed documentation. It’s backed by a 1-year limited warranty with mail-in service. Dell provides a variety of service offerings and add-on options to help ensure devices are easy to use and maintain optimal performance, including:

• Dell Support Center: Quickly access Dell service and support from an icon on your desktop that provides automated fixes, software upgrades and tools to help keep your system up-to-date and running efficiently.
• DellConnect Remote Assistance: Dell experts help diagnose and solve PC problems via an Internet connection (available only on Windows-based systems).

Even More Storage and Access to Your Files
Dell has teamed up with Box.net to offer exclusive web-based file storage, access and sharing to Inspiron Mini users, including a free Basic plan with 2 GB of remote storage space that’s expandable to 25 GB. The Inspiron Mini 12 includes a direct link to a Dell-exclusive home page on Box.net (www.box.net/dell), providing you with an easy way to add incremental online storage space to easily manage your digital lives. Individuals can safely and securely upload files of any type to their Box, including photos, videos, music, documents and presentations, and then access those files from almost anywhere on any device.

Box.net’s world-class service requires no software to download. With its OpenBox platform, Box.net enables people to edit documents and photos directly from their web-browser and post media to their blog or social networks, further enhancing the mobility and user experience on the Inspiron Mini.

Additionally, with Dell Remote Access you can find, use and share your digital world, even while away from home. Whether you use a mobile phone with a web browser, a computer outside your home, or share files and folders with a friend; you will have the ability to access files and devices in your home from anywhere with Internet access. Here are some examples on how you could use Dell Remote Access:

• Remotely control any PC running Windows XP or Vista on your home network as if you were sitting in front of it.
• If you have a smart phone with document viewers, you can open presentations, spreadsheets, and documents.
• Take a picture on your phone and upload it to a folder on your computer… and then share the folder with a friend.
• While on a vacation, transfer pictures from your camera (using an Internet connected PC) to a folder on your home computer, so your friends and family can see your vacation in real time.

How to get your website content listed in Google News

By Phil Stilton

Getting your content syndicated in Google News is no simple task.  Google News has some pretty straight forward requirements when it comes to their news product.    Once you get listed in Google News however, you will see a whole new userbase you’ve never had before and yes, it will benefit your website tremendously. 

Maintaining your Google News inclusion is just as difficult as obtaining it.  You must run a very tight news based website or blog that already has mild popularity and relevance.  Getting to that point is one of the most difficult procedures that takes a tremendous time investment that you have to be dedicated to over a long period of time.

How can I get my website into Google News?

The answer to this question is extremely obvious.  Turn your website into a news provider or create a new website that delivers news to your industry.    If you are trying to have you business website included, you are fighting an uphill battle you may never win.

Google does not allow websites that promote their specific products or services to be included, that’s what the Google Search is for.  Google News is strictly a news based service.

How do I make my website a news website suitable for Google News?

Abandon everything you have done in the past to promote your own products.  If you’re wesbite domain is “KylesWidgetStore.Com”, you can forget about it.   Unless you are running an informative blog that is newsworthy or of community interest already, you’re probably going to have to start over.

What is considered news?

News is news, of course.  Frequently written articles about local events, industry happenings and people.   Interviews with newsworthy individuals is a great source of news.   Reviews about products and services loosely fits the news criteria.   Opinions and editorials are acceptable news content.

When should I submit my website to Google News?

After you have been providing a steady flow of newsworthy information for atleast several months should you consider submitting your website to Google News.   They will check your content, check your writers and check you relevance.  

For more information, be sure to visit Google News help for publishers:
http://www.google.com/support/news_pub/?hl=en

About Phil Stilton
Phil Stilton is President of Stilton Company, LLC, a NJ SEO leader with over 15 years experience delivering web and SEO solutions to businesses.   Stilton Company currently maintains 4 Google News syndicated websites and has help many clients over the years create strategies for inclusion into Google News and maximizing their returns with the service.

To learn more about Google News and how we can help your website with inclusion, call us at 732-833-2364.

How to be first in search engines - become an authoritative source

There are many things you need to do to be listed first in Google and Yahoo.    One of the most helpful and natural methods to good placement is to become an authoritative source in your industry, geographic region or online community.

Becoming an authortitative source means that the internet views your website as the go to place for information that pertains to the topic of your business, industry or website.     Without relevance, your Search Engine Optimization strategy will result in many people finding your website, but never coming back.   Without content, your website will be what I refer to as a one hit wonder.    A website where visitors will see your landing page, hit the back button and never return again.

There are a few things you need to to do to become an authoritative source.

1. Maintain a steady flow of helpful information: People are in need of the service or products you are selling.  If they weren’t, they would never search for you in the first place.    Incorporate a blog into your company’s website or use a blogging or content management system into your website.    Create well written, helpful and informative articles at least once per week pertaining to your industry.
2. Be relevant: If you sell high powered widgets, there’s no reason for you to create a blog entry about the social injustices associated with water boarding prisoners of war.     First, it will turn off 50% of your visitors and second, it does nothing to help you sell high powered widgets or improve you search engine rankings for high powered widgets.
3. Act like your the leader: You might not be the leader in your industry, but your new visitors do not know that.   If you write like you’re the leader and incorporate confidence into every post on your website, your new potential customers will view you as somebody who is obviously a leader.   Make sure your service or product live up to the online reputation you have created or your time at #1 will be short lived.
4. Always be positive: Nobody likes a Debbie downer.  Don’t trash talk your competitors, don’t write in a condescending manner and never act like a know it all.   Those are things that will quickly turn your SEO project into a one hit wonder that does not generate sales.
5. Don’t over keyword your information: Many SEO firms will tell you to use keyword research as a guideline to writing your articles.   Do not get caught in this trap of trying to keyword every sentence on your website, because in the end it will drive traffic, but once people arrive on your website, they will become bored with sentences like “High Speed Widgets Inc, the #1 Northeast Supplier or High Speed Widgets to people who use High Speed Widgets”.    You see where I’m going.  Let the words flow naturally.   It’s more pleasing when reading.
6. Engage your readers: Offer comments sections and be involved with your reader’s responses and comments.   Cater to their needs whenever a situation arises.  If you write an article about High Speed Widgets and a user comments “I like this article, but how are high speed widgets affected by extreme cold temperatures?”.   Write an article on that topic and reply to the user’s comment, linking your new article about the effects cold weather can have on high speed widgets.   If one person is wondering enough about the topic to write about it, you can be sure there are thousands more who may have the same question.

These are just some of the ideas I give my SEO clients, but there are many ways you can make content work for you to be come number one in your industry.   

If you would like to learn more about this topic, please use the comment section below and ask your questions.

On being a web traffic controller

In the SEO and web industry, people are always looking to be the first to coin a new buzzword.    Full Sail Online University has done just that in their new offering to get  your B.A. as web traffic controller as it relates to an SEO professional.

Web Traffic Controllers are nothing new in the IT Industry.   Generally it has referred to the way website and internet traffic is controlled and its flow path within your network.  Example, where do visitors come and go once they are on your site or in your network.

I found it pretty interesting tonight to see the Full Sail’s “Web Traffic Controller” degree and very humorous, but it is of course in a sense what we do.     I really hope the title web traffic controller sticks because SEO professional or Search Engine Marketing is just so lame.

Now, we can be people who control the web traffic.    Some of us take the business further than others, perhaps we should be web traffic masters.    I personally prefer Internet Dominator.   Perhaps women in the field can be Web Traffic Dominatrix?

Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications

Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications

At last — a single compendium for all online educators; a definitive work addressing knowledge, application, research, practice, and assessment of teaching and learning at a distance. A ‘must-have’ reference. –Lawrence A. Tomei, Assc Vice President for Academic Affairs, Robert Morris University

Education as we know is a rapidly changing field. With the addition of technology to education, the pace of change has accelerated. The editor of the new collaborative work titled Adapting Information and Communication Technologies for Effective Education has done an excellent job of compiling some of the best work into a volume of work that is sure to help us all keep pace with the rapid changes in the use of technology in education. –Robert Cutshall, PhD, Texas A&M University, USA

Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications

With technology’s potential being realized in teaching and learning, it is essential to have a resource that addresses so many critical issues in distance learning and in emerging technologies. This is it! In these volumes, educators, students, administrators, and researchers can gain insight, knowledge, and strategies needed to succeed and grow in our ever advancing worldwide technological classroom! –Vivian H. Wright, PhD, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, The University of Alabama, USA

Web-enabled communication technologies are at the forefront of rapid change in education from the K-12 level through postgraduate education. The ascendancy of online learning environments has opened an array of opportunities and challenges, and has raised a formidable set of implications in the pedagogical, economic, political, and other realms that we have only begun to grasp, let alone fully manage. Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications provides a comprehensive collection of case studies, empirical research, conceptual demonstrations, and best practices on Web-enabled learning technologies. This comprehensive, six-volume collection addresses all prominent aspects of online and distance learning, including information communication technologies applied to education, virtual classrooms, pedagogical systems, Web-based learning communities, library information systems, virtual universities, and numerous other topics. Collecting defining research in over 300 chapters from some 800 contributors representing more than 100 countries, Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications enables libraries to provide a foundational reference to meet the information needs of researchers, educators, practitioners, administrators, and all other stakeholders in the online and distance learning context.

Online and Distance Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications

What is SEO?

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and telling what our idea of SEO is, here is the wikipedia article on Search Engine Optimization.  Everyone has their own opinion on what is SEO or best practices and best methods, but here is a clean cut, no marketing and no sales pitch take on “What is SEO?”

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (”organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

In a nutshell, SEO is identifying how search engines view your site and making necessary changes in order to attract more visitors.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

While this is true, it is an outdated representation. Today, SEO goes beyond keywords and meta tags and reflects the culture of your website and your company’s habits on the internet.

The acronym “SEO” can also refer to “search engine optimizers,” a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. The term “search engine friendly” may be used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems and shopping carts that are easy to optimize.

Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or Spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices.

Naturally, you want to stay far away from black hat SEO has it’s frowned upon and can actually get you removed from a search index.

search engines do not approve. The search engines attempt to minimize the effect of the latter, among them spamdexing. Some industry commentators have classified these methods, and the practitioners who employ them, as either white hat SEO, or black hat SEO. White hats tend to produce results that last a long time, whereas black hats anticipate that their sites may eventually be banned either temporarily or permanently once the search engines discover what they are doing.

Once again, beware of the black hats.   They will eventually cost you more than they’re worth.   Stick with reputable firms who can deliver long term results.

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