Internet Marketing News

There are different types of forums, beyond the obvious
topical types, of “marketing” or “special interest”, etc.
“Marketing” and “special interest” are two types of what
are commonly referred to as “open forums”.

There are, however, business and professional forums,
which do not operate under the same rules and, more often
than not, disallow any and all types of advertising or
self-promotion. Forums that have been created to support
the membership of a particular program are especially
adamant on this topic and often demand that all members
refrain from all types if advertising on their sites.

Still, even with all these hurdles, it is possible to
successfully advertise in forums. In all cases a pre
requisite for success is developing a good reputation
and a good relationship and maintaining both. So, while
it is true that this a form of free advertising, it does
require a certain amount of investment as far as time
and energy are concerned, not to mention subtly and
finesse.

To successfully market on any forum, the first requirement
is to take a personal interest in the main topic of the
forum. That means visiting it on a regular basis and then
developing a good relationship with the members and the
moderators.

It, also, means taking an active roll in the conversations
and being willing to help others. Of course, it goes without
saying that it means abiding by any and all rules that exist.
In this way, one can develop a reputation, and business will
just naturally develop because humans tend to work with people
they trust.

Since the main purpose of a forum is the exchange of information
and/or ideas, marketers must respect that objective and abide
by it. Marketing forums, where everyone there has something to
advertise and sell, usually have even more stringent rules.

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We’ve discussed the basic premise of Search Engine Optimisation, (including factors pertinent to ‘on-page’ optimising) in an earlier feature. However, what really matters concerns off-page SEO. It’s rather like a voting scheme. One website volunteers a link or vote to another website. They’re suggesting the site is worth looking at.

A couple of main parts feature in this link. The URL of the page being pointed at - And secondly the keyword phrase (anchor text) that’s high-lighted on the page to be clicked on. A ‘vote’ is then generated for an individual website page based on that keyword phrase. Put another way, a vote to drive this site up the SE pages for that particular search term.

This is always how it works. The page being targeted and the Anchor Text are permanently linked to each other. Otherwise it doesn’t work! The anchor text notifies the Search Engine about the page’s content - and thus what search term it should come under. This is vital to understand: Anchor texts are responsible for all the searches your site appears for.

Thus you’ll understand why highlighting ‘Click Here…’ creates no value in SEO terms. ‘Click Here’ becomes the keyword phrase we’ve created a vote for. Whoever is going to type that phrase into the Search Engine? Clearly no-one would!

And that’s exactly why you must consider your anchor text carefully. It signifies the keyword phrases that you want to rank for. (While we’re on the subject - a search for CLICK HERE will always show Adobe Reader download in position one). Do Adobe think ‘CLICK HERE’ is an important term? No way! It’s just that millions of websites have a link using those words to download Adobe Reader.

In other words, the SE’s use the anchor text phrase to cast a vote for a page. Which is very logical. SE’s try to look for relevancy in the same way a real person would. The content of your page isn’t necessarily relevant. For if the text that is pointing to your site says Blue Flowers, then that is what you will be listed for! That’s how the ‘voting system’ works.

Naturally, there’s more to it than that… The title and wording of the page being pointed at are also rated by the SE’s. In addition to several other in-depth criteria. As an example - they’ll look at the sites that link to yours and assess how relevant they are and how well spread.

However, let’s be quite clear - the most important thing by far for SEO is a stuff-load of back links! Plus the back-links have to have the right anchor text phrases and be from many different and varied sites. How much ‘clout’ a donor site has is very relevant also - Back links that come from well-rated websites carry a lot more weight than links from less established sites.

There’s quite an art to choosing the right keyword phrases. Do perform sufficient competitor and keyword research before you firm up on your strategy. Fundamentally though: If someone’s searching for what you do, which words are they typing into the Search Engine? The answers to this question supply your anchor text and keyword phrases.

Getting it right though takes a lot of measuring, testing and research. The phrases that perform best are sometimes quite unforeseen. People have such diverse thoughts about how to express what they want. If you’re desperate for better quality sleep, the words ‘comfortable mattress’ might come into your mind. Whilst the line GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP could be used by someone else.

You just can’t trust your ‘gut feel’! The importance of the investigation, testing and measuring of these phrases cannot be underestimated. They are fundamental to generating your leads on the internet. It’s just like having an ad in a telephone Directory. If you’re a Plumber and you’re listed under Stationary Providers, you won’t get much business! It’s very important to be listed for the right terms online. Solid SEO research will take care of that.

(C) Jason Kendall SEO. Go to EvolveSEM.co.uk for clear ideas on SEM Consultants.