The download information is to the right >>>

The following press release, published on January 31, 2012, provides more information:

First published in 2009, the free glossary of internet marketing terms ‘What the @%!* Does THAT Mean?’ has been downloaded by thousands of IMers who want to stay in the loop with current terminology. Its creator, Kerry Finch, has just released the 2012 edition.

Queensland, Australia (PRWEB) January 31, 2012

Kerry Finch has just released the third, and still free, edition of her popular glossary of internet marketing terms, ‘What the @%!* Does THAT Mean?’. A whole stack of new terms have been collected for the 2012 edition, which will help both newcomers and old hands who want to understand and stay in touch with the semantics of this dynamic industry.

When she first entered the world of internet marketing back in 2007, online writing professional Kerry Finch, encountered the unique terms used by those already active in this nuanced community. Despite having an extensive marketing/public relations background, it became obvious to her that the offline meaning of some terms were very different to their meaning to online communities.

Over the next few years she began to keep a record of those terms, and their meanings, for her own use, but it was as a result of her involvement in a highly regarded internet marketing forum that she created a more formal document.

“Every day there were new people joining the forum, many of whom were complete novices. In the spirit of the forum, I offered my collection of terms to anyone who was interested” said Kerry. “I was overwhelmed by the response, and over the next year spent some time streamlining its format and adding more terms as they emerged.”

From its first simple version, it is now an attractive ebook of over 100 pages, filled with internet marketing terminology – from ‘absolute link’ to ‘Z-index’.

“What the @%!* Does THAT Mean? has always been free, and can be downloaded from either kerryfinchwriting.com or obra.com.au” said Kerry.

Kerry also offers a Resale Rights version of the Glossary – a great giveaway or bonus for other internet marketers. The new version is to be released in early February, and purchasers of the previous version are sent the 2012 Edition automatically.

Download your free copy of ‘What the @%!* Does THAT Mean?’ at http://www.kerryfinchwriting.com

With these packages all communication, including briefing and delivery, is through the consultant.

Internet marketing consultants and business consultants. have for some time been offering done-for-you website building and SEO. In getting their clients’ websites up and functional however, there has been a services gap: the writing of the copy to go onto the pages. It is this gap that my new service aims to fill.

If you are a Consultant, and would like more information on accessing this service, please contact me.

Early in 2011, when Google decided that a shake-up was needed to improve the ‘browsing experience’ of its users, it set free a Poirot-type Panda, trained in the detection of websites that are poorly constructed, difficult to navigate, and which have with poor quality, keyword stuffed, rehashed, irrelevant and badly written content.

So what does it take to ensure your website delivers the ‘browsing experience’ Google rewards?

Know Your Audience, Understand What They Want, And Give It To Them

If your website has been created to satisfy a personal need for creative expression, the following will be of little interest to you – just keep on doing what works for you: you have no-one to answer to, certainly not the search engines.

The visitors who are coming to you by following a direct link or by typing in the url (a ‘navigational search’), then chances are they are ‘warm’ visitors. They are already interested in what you have to say; perhaps you have been referred by a current client or customer.

But if you want the search engines to deliver them to you, then its important to know what they are looking for, the search terms they are using, and to be sure that the SEO content on your website delivers it to them. People who are using search engines have clear ‘intent’, including to:

• Buy: a product or service
• Confirm: legitimacy, authority, legality
• Find: a person, product, solution
• Treat: an illness or health problem
• Learn: ‘how to’ or ‘about’ anything
• Solve: problems and arguments
• Understand: issues, cultures, nature, news
• Fix: computers, furniture, televisions and broken nails

So, what is the intent of those searching for your identified keywords or phrases, and how do you fulfill the need to deliver the type of ‘browsing experience’ that Google, in particular, rewards?

Intent: Commercial Research

Those searching with commercial intent are looking for information about you as the business owner, the business objectives, your products and services offered. They may be potential clients, JV partners, journalists, competitors – or even Google staff.

While the content created for these searchers may not directly translate into a ‘sale’, it could likely have a great impact on the direction of your business. Unless your site is a one-page sales letter, then being aware of these searchers and delivering the information that YOU want them to see (rather than what they will find on another site) will go a long way to managing your online reputation.

Intent: Information Gathering

Informational searches are looking for quick answers, e.g. today’s weather, the lyrics to a song, how many actors have played “Dr Who”. If your website is providing such information (collecting perhaps advertising revenue as its raison d’être) then you need to be sure to deliver what sought. In the case of lyrics, quotations and other material that cannot be rewritten, you will need to add unique content to each page, perhaps as an introduction.

Intent: Transaction

These searchers are looking for information that will result in them taking an intended action: e.g. to purchase, phone, email, download, subscribe. Providing easy-to-find, worthwhile content that clearly delivers the information they seek, and the means to complete the transaction easily, checks two of the search engines’ boxes for a quality site.

The sites that satisfy searchers have the following traits. They:

• Are well, yet simply designed, and accessible to modern browsers
• Are easy to navigate and use, with a clear hierarchy and text links.
• Contain content that is relevant to the query: pages should accurately describe your content and ensure your keywords are included.
• Have information that is unique, credible and legitimate

Advances In Link Analysis Thwart Chronic Backlinkers

Search engines once put great store in the number of external sites linking to a site – counting those links as virtual ‘votes’ for the site’s value. While the principle remains, the link analysis algorithms are much more sophisticated – the uniqueness, quality and relevance of the sites linking in have their own value.

Links from sites with original, well written content are therefore more valuable than those from article networks and directories. In fact, Google Webmaster Guidelines clearly warn against participating in

“…link schemes designed to increase your site’s ranking or Page Rank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or ‘bad neighborhoods’ on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.”

Content that creates interest, discussion, republication and subsequent links from third party sites (like social media and online media rooms) is important in how a search engine ranks the site for relevant queries.

Duplicate Content: From The Panda’s Mouth

The topic of duplicate content is perhaps one of the most talked about by internet marketers. Everyone has an opinion or strategy, but the only one that counts, in the case of Google’s search results, is Google’s. To that end, reading the Duplicate Content page in the Google Webmaster Tools Help  will deliver the answer.

The best way to avoid the wrath of the big G, and what can be the business-breaking removal of your website from the search results, at least as far as content is concerned, is to have unique and relevant content on your websites. By all means have that content rewritten (completely rewritten, not just the title and first and last paragraphs!) for use elsewhere, but maintain a high standard for your key sites.

>> Contact me for help in creating your unique website content

My role as event organizer for James Schramko’s Fast Web Formula 3 internet marketing and online business event has allowed me to connect with people who are working online, who often work ‘under the radar’.  Many have become niche experts in businesses as diverse as video marketing, small business consulting, affiliate marketing and website design – not surprising.  However, what truly amazed me was some of the laser-focused niches in which others are operation – upon which they are building extremely profitable businesses.  Revealing those niches would be uncool – the internet marketing world can be cut-throat at times, and maintaining a competitive advantage is priceless!

“The Best Internet Marketing Event EVER!”

… not my words, but those of one of the participants.  Similar testimonials now appear on facebook, Twitter (#fwf3) and on personal blogs and review sites.  It was, there is not doubt, a great event.

The guest presenters that were invited by James Schramko to share his stage were without doubt the leaders in their fields – from Google Adwords (Mike Rhodes), Affiliate Marketing (Andy Grand) and facebook marketing (Jennifer Sheahan).  Leanne King, the WP Queen, had the audience rethinking the business models that can be created and ‘Profiting From Portals’.

Each speaker went deeper into aspects of James’ new ‘Mafia Plan’ which he unveiled at Fast Web Formula, and which resulted in rapid fire note taking and participants examining ways to restructure and streamline their businesses to secure maximum profits.

Both speakers and participants were impressed at how the event flowed, with a balance of quality content and humor, but which allowed time for between-session networking and close of day socializing.  While there are certainly more experienced ‘event managers’ than me, the internet marketing niche has specific requirements. Here are my top tips that help Fast Web Formula run smoothly:

Handpick your event crew

Your event helpers, always volunteers in our case, want to be there, just to be there.  They are passionate about internet marketing and have skills in that field.  I always give preference to those who have participated in James Schramko’s Silver Circle training.  I am constantly approached by people who want to crew for me, but I have a great core of team players which I supplement with new faces as the need arises.  If a team member does not perform to my expectations, they are not invited back, which brings me to…

Document Crew Expectations and Benefits

I have created a document that outlines what I expect of those who crew for these events. This includes their obligations to:

• me and to James
• our guests – both audience and speakers
• other team members

This is balanced with what James will offer them in return.  Unlike many events, we provide our crew with lunch and invite them to a farewell dinner with our VIP guest speakers: a valuable reward for a job well done.  We ask them not to take notes during the event, but to be ever-vigilant in looking after the needs of our guests.  In return, they are gifted the digital recordings of the event.

Ensure Crew Members Are Easy To Identify

We  provide Fast Web Formula crew with special clothing that distinguishes them from the audience, usually a t-shirt.  We also identify them at the beginning of the event so that participants know who to seek out for assistance, and makes the crew feel special.

Treat Guest Speakers As Honored Guests

I dedicate at least one crew member (depending on the size of the event) to looking after speakers’ needs — who will receive them on arrival, note how they like their coffee, remind them of when their presentation time approaches, ensure their mics are functioning and comfortable.  We know that they appreciate this special service tremendously.

Checklists

The use of checklists is something that James Schramko highlighted in his presentation, as a way to manage both small and large projects.  For FWF3 my checklists include: crew briefing, crew registration, speaker registration, set up, pack down, dinner invitations.

Schmoozing

At internet marketing events, it often happens that both crew and guest presenters remove themselves from participants.  We encourage ours to mingle in the breaks and at end of day drinks.  There is no hierarchy or elitism at our events – everyone is approachable.

The digital recordings of Fast Web Formula 3 are now available, and can be ordered, at www.fastwebformulas.com

While I have less than 200 articles published at ezinearticles.com under my own name, I have in fact ghost written thousands that appear under my clients’ names on that site, and others.  So I was delighted when the EZA team asked to feature me as a Showcase author this month.

You can read the post here: Kerry Finch Expert Author Showcase

Thanks to Chris Knight and the team for this recognition.

The thing is though, often they don’t even realize this is the case because when they view their websites it is often the result of using a bookmark or entering the URL directly. They are looking at their websites through tunnel-vision.

This is rarely how their clients, prospects, customers, competitors, potential JV partners and consumers search for them.

Printers and Ice Cream

Here is an example. Today I searched for “best laser printer” expecting to see the major manufacturers appear on page one of the results in Google – each fighting for the coveted number one spot. What I found though were a lot of review sites, technology ezines, and online shops. It wasn’t until I got to the bottom of page 2 that I found Xerox Canada, and, like most people, I stopped searching at page 5 – with no other manufacturer in sight.

So I decided to look at “ice cream”, again expecting one of the multinationals in the market to be sitting at number one. Instead Wikipedia is there which many might accept as reasonable, but at number two is a men’s clothing line! Ben & Jerrys (a Unilever company) finally waves a corporate flag at number 3.

Is it that HP, Canon, Unilever and Haagen-Dazs – and so many other corporates – don’t see the need to rank number one in their niches? And is this the result of corporate arrogance, or ignorance?

Even at the local level, businesses need to be aware of how their clients and prospects are searching for them. When I searched for “xxx(my town) supermarket” I found directory listings in the first few pages – not one of the retail giants that have market share in this locality appeared.

In an area that relies heavily on the tourist dollar, it seems inconceivable that those retailers are not targeting such a simple keyword (and do the same for each of their locations nationally). Their failure to do so creates an amazing opportunity for a smaller store to target that keyword, to go through the relatively inexpensive exercise of dominating it – and bank those tourist dollars.

And with the growing number of savvy SEO (search engine optimization) consultants targeting clients with just this potential, it WILL happen.

The SEO Content Gap

What I’ve found, and helped many of my clients overcome, is that while corporate websites may look professional and comprehensive, when it comes to their key terms with the search engines, they are wearing an invisibility cloak.

Their websites often give great exposure for their business and product names, but by focusing on these alone, they are leaving the door open for those very savvy niche marketers to dominate the search engine results for niche terms.

The good news is that because their sites are sound, it may be only take a few months to turn the situation around.

Corporate SEO Content

Some of the strategies that I implement for my corporate clients include:

• The creation of keyword focused content, that is constructed in a way that search engines love, which they add to their websites, on a consistent, regular basis. This content should not be confused with the static websites pages though; they are specially crafted articles, which need not necessarily appear in the website menu, but exist in an ‘articles’ section.

They do not need to be created by public relations professionals or journalists – they DO need to be written by an SEO content specialist. Their purpose is to wave a virtual flag that says “look at me” at the search engines like Google

• Leveraging these articles in ways that improve the search engine optimization of their websites, including publishing these to article directories and networks and bookmarking them.

Very rarely are corporate marketing departments or website designers skilled in SEO content creation, which is one reason why the importance of ranking for niche keywords is falling through the cracks.

Developing a program of regular SEO content creation will go a long way to improving corporate online visibility in an era when online search has become the first option for consumers looking for goods and services.

Why not make a list of some of the terms that you believe people use to find your company, and enter these into a Google search box? If you don’t like the results that are returned, then the time to take action is yesterday.

>> Enquire about my corporate SEO content programs.

Your Personal Online Reputation

Even if you don’t conduct business online, you might be surprised what the search engines return when people enter your name into a search box.

And even if the results returned were actually about the real YOU, and not a porn star or bankrupt with the same name as yours, you might prefer that there was no  mention of you at all online. However, in these days of publishing meeting minutes, golf  results and academic honor rolls online, unless you are a hermit, it is almost impossible NOT to leave an online footprint.

Regardless of your offline reputation, your ‘online reputation’ matters, and the need for online reputation management is a growing one.  This is hardly surprising as more people, just like you, ‘Google’ their own names and find forum comments they wish they’d never made, their very happy faces after having one champers too many,  or a series of customers complaining about their products.

So, if YOU have Googled your name, what do you think the chances are of a potential partner, in-law, employer, college administrator, client or associate doing the same?

Businesses too, need to be aware of how they are perceived online.

Why Businesses Need To Monitor Their Online Footprint

Businesses are increasingly using different online strategies to generate sales, to create product or company awareness, to build contact lists and to build and maintain client relationships.  Blogs, social networking sites and discussion forums are being used to leverage website content.

The problem is that these sites (web 2.0) allow others to make posts and comments as well, and while positive posts about you and your business can be priceless, negative ones can be devastating.

It is becoming second nature for people to search for businesses online, especially prior to committing to a purchase.  Results with negative comments can influence sales and staff morale along with client, banking and associated business relationships.

Because the Internet has made it so easy for anyone to freely share their thoughts about people, businesses, products and services, with little accountability for the reputations tarnished as a result, businesses and individuals need to be vigilant with their online reputation management.

How An Online Reputation Evolves

Content published in articles, news items, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other Web 2.0 platforms is picked up by the search engines.  They pick up titles, photos and key phrases (such as people’s and product names), index them, and display them with the corresponding links in search results. Where they appear in those search results will depend on many factors.

Without effective online reputation management strategy in place, negative feedback about you or your company can create the wrong impression and inflict serious damage to your name.

Sources of Negative Content

The goodwill attached to company or business names is an acknowledged asset in business. Considered an intangible asset, goodwill depends on reputation, which is, as noted above, vulnerable to attacks from various sources online. Negative Internet content can come from:

• ex partners
• former friends and colleague
• disgruntled former employees
• competitors
• dissatisfied clients or buyers
• news items
• government listings
• past court cases
• confusingly similar names

Businesses and companies are not the only ones who should be concerned about online reputation management, every one of us should be.  Individuals such as consultants, professionals, social figures and celebrities of course need to be particularly vigilant as others may try to hijack their names for nefarious purposes or financial gain.

Elements That Impact Your Online Reputation

Keywords

Words used to identify you, your products, services or your business form the cornerstone of reputation management strategy. Search engines don’t distinguish between proper names and ordinary words when their robots index keywords for use in search results.

Profiles

Social media sites rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs).  Accounts with these sites require names which are used to identify user-generated content that often appears on the top three search results. Web profiles in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr tend to rank highly with Google and are considered a focus in online reputation management.

Search Engine Optimization

Internet users ordinarily view only the top search results and ignore anything beyond the first results page.  An effective SEO strategy is crucial for online reputation management because it has the power to bring positive content to the top of search results, while at the same time bumping unwanted results down to pages beyond where all but the most tenacious searchers venture.

SEO Content

Search engines like Google love fresh content which is why blogs and other Web 2.0 sites rank well even without their account owners knowing SEO techniques.  Creating and regularly distributing articles, videos and press releases  will attract the search engines to your pages.  Incorporating your name/s as h1 headings, page and category names, and keywords will all help to influence the search results in your favor.

Monitoring tools

Knowing what’s being said about you and where those comments can be found online is an important aspect of managing your online reputation.  While you can’t always succeed when asking the authors to delete their comments, you can take counteractive measures such as leaving persuasive comment replies, taking part in forum discussions and addressing specific issues head-on in your own web pages or profiles.

A number of tools are available on the Internet which can help you find links to pages mentioning your name.  Freely available services like Google Alerts set up to send automatic notifications whenever your name, your company name, product name or keyword/phrase is indexed by Google.

Ways To Manage A Negative Online Footprint

• If necessary enlist the help of a specialist reputation management service to remove your personal information from the internet
• Increase the amount of positive content by writing, or having written for you, articles, press releases, blog posts (I can help with this !).
• Create profiles (or have them created for you) at Web 2.0 sites, starting with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Claim your name and establish your corporate identity on these networks before someone else does, to avoid confusing and potentially damaging content being attributed to you (ask me how!).
• Engage a done-for-you reputation management service.

Could the time perhaps come where parents register their child’s-name-dot-com at the same time as they register their birth?  Perhaps not, but I know of many internet savvy parents who have done just that, because they acknowledge the online reputation management.

It is important also to understand that search engines retain indexed data for a long time – even when a post is deleted or a link is disabled.  Cached content may still be viewed by Internet users who may be your boss, future employer, potential buyers or clients, and friends. Online reputation management, just like SEO, is ongoing, and takes time to yield positive results, making it necessary to manage online reputation even before unwanted comments surface in search results.

I would be happy to assemble an appropriate SEO content program to help boost your, or your company’s name in the search engine results.  Contact me!

So, while I was at it, I decided to ask some recent clients if they would be comfortable in commenting on my work as well. My only request was that I be able to associate their full name or website url or photo to their contribution (which I will explain later). The results were interesting:

• All but 1 of those asked were more than happy to send through their comments
• Some used video as their medium
• Others sent through text versions
• One preferred to not disclose the fact that he outsourced his content writing
• One is very ‘underground’ and did not want his full identity revealed
• Two still have it on their ‘to do’ list
• Two asked if I could write it for them (!)

What are the benefits of adding testimonials?

In the three weeks since I updated my Testimonials page, I have submitted proposals for several large content creation projects – all for new, unreferred clients. In each case, rather than explaining what I do, I pointed them to my website for examples, and to the Testimonials page. Two of these proposals have now converted, and a third is likely to.

I have no doubt that the social proof provided by my current clients played a vital role in securing these major projects – so at this point, I’d like to thank them!

Social Proof – The Nutshell Definition

A simple online search will reveal a multitude of definitions of ‘social proof’, ranging from historical and in-depth psychological explanations through to how marketers are using to influence your buying decisions every day (and make no mistake here they are). But I am a ‘nutshell’ type of person, so here is my take on it.

People use social proof to help them make decisions in ambiguous circumstances. If they are uncertain about how to act, or whether to purchase, they are influenced by the responses and opinions of others in the same situation.

In the case of my Testimonials, prospective clients, perhaps unsure if I am the right writer for them, will no doubt be influenced by comments from the people for whom I have worked in the past.

Herd It Through The Grapevine – For Creedence

Few of us would not have been influenced by social proof in some way. It may be:

• deciding whether to watch a movie with 5 stars or 3
• opting to view a ‘most watched video’
• to purchase or consider based on a ‘feedback’ or ‘rating’
• to ‘follow’ someone on social media sites because they already have lots of fans (so they MUST have something worthwhile to say)
• to ‘follow’ people that many of our peers are following
• making a buying decision based on a personal recommendation

Marketing research reinforces this by telling us that 74% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% trust advertisements.

So, in an increasingly competitive online business environment, it is hardly surprising that creating a group of loyal followers is one of the most powerful strategies being employed by successful marketers. However, it is not something that can be achieved overnight – the most valuable followers are ‘Influencers’ (those who will actively spread the word to their peers or their ‘herd’) and are those with whom the marketer has taken the time to build a trusting relationship.

The Influencers are the people who will:

• add to the hype of your new product launches (they could of course have a vested interest – see below)
• they are those who will take to the stage to confirm how you, the speaker, have helped them
• they will post (or give you a thumbs up) on Facebook or Twitter or Blogs about their positive experiences with your product or service
• they will bookmark your posts
• they will provide genuine testimonials.

They are real people in a virtual space that is being increasingly populated by automatic posting services and fictitious profiles.

Because I write for several high level marketers, I have become quite attuned to how social proof, and the herd mentality, has evolved from nought and is now used to create interest and demand. When implemented well it is akin to an art form.

Affiliate Marketing and Social Proof

In the last 10 years or so, online businesses have realized the profitability of creating products that are downloaded digitally. Increasingly, consumers are preferring to have information products – reports, ebooks, training courses etc – delivered in this way. Instant gratification is the name of the game – they pay immediately online and expect delivery in the same way.

Because they only need to create a product once and have an automatic payment and fulfillment process in place, the creators of digital products often have no further cost of goods sold (COGS).

So many decide to sacrifice some of their profit by incentivising others to promote products on their behalf by offering affiliates commissions. Affiliate marketing can be lucrative for affiliates, and some have created very profitable businesses from this business model e.g. Andy Grand.

However, products that are created by big name marketers, or which have a high ticket value, could have thousands of affiliates promoting them – particularly at launch time. And competition can be fierce.

Social Proof shows its value here in several ways.

Firstly, an army of affiliates promoting a product will yield impressive results from the search engines when people attempt to research said product. Of course, few of the results will have anything negative to say about the product, though many will use the strategy of alluding to a false negative e.g. “it is NOT a get rich scheme, so if that is what you want, it is not for you….”.

The greater the potential affiliate income, the more affiliates there will be, and consequently the collective investment in product promotion using often innovative traffic grabbing strategies. Lots of search engine results with positive feedback for a product is great social proof for the merchant.

Secondly, the big name marketers, with substantial client lists and lots of ‘followers’, can, and do, support each other, often with larger than normal or tiered affiliate commissions, or cross-list-promotion offers. The marketers who value their lists, however, are very careful about recommendations, and will often continue to look after their followers by insisting on special pricing or bonuses for them (while, of course, collecting affiliate income).

Social Proof Begins At Home

Too often I see sales pages with testimonials of dubious origin (e.g. Mr K, London, England with a stock photo) – don’t be tempted to use these, they just look shonky and do nothing for your credibility. And, while we’re at it, avoid buying from sites that use them!

If you don’t have previous customers, offer to to provide a free product to a prospect in return for quotable feedback or opinion. This is particularly effective in the pre-launch phase because the feedback could be priceless!

Video testimonials are very powerful, so be sure to include them wherever possible. Having real people deliver real endorsements can be a real deal maker – and they don’t have to be professional videos. In fact, its better if they aren’t. A recording from a handheld device uploaded to YouTube works a treat.

If there are some key elements you would like mentioned, when you request feedback, be bold and ask for them to be included (e.g. fast delivery, accuracy, support).

Regardless of whether you are selling your expertise, a product or service (your own or as an affiliate), buyers will purchase from you if they feel they can trust you. Having third party endorsements – genuine testimonials – helps to build their confidence. So don’t be bashful or lazy (as was the case with my failure to update!), ask – and if you deserve it, you will receive.

Offer A Testimonial

Finally, if you have received excellent service that deserves recognition, why not do what my client did – be proactive and provide a testimonial. Don’t offer – just do it!