You should invest in a form of link manager software to monitor your backlink profile and aquire new links. One of the best ways to build links is by analysing what your competition are doing and then replicate it and make it one step better. Link building is an important factor in any SEO campaign because its an important signal to Google that other websites and blog owners are talking about your site.

I should point out that you should be monitoring these changes to see what effect they have on your overall search engine rank positions (SERPs). Caphyon have created some rank tracking software which falls hand in hand with link building.

Ok, so before you start pressing every button on the link manager software you first off need to understand the types of links available.

• Contextual links
• Blogroll & footer links
• Forum links
• Social media links

In previous years contextual links in articles and generic web pages were given the highest link weight which then moved on to the web 2.0 revolution with blogging becoming the next big hype*. When bloggers started accepting money for links to be put on their "blogroll" Google soon realised that this was going to be abused and gave blogrolls (aka sidebar links) less link weight. Now that social media is all about realtime results, user signals are the latest contributing factor to the SEO regime.

The actual text which links to your website is very important. This forms part of the relevancy criteria that Google look for when linking which is why its always important to use the most relevant terms when linking internally and externally.

The image above shows the diversity of links and text linking to the CNN website. CNN is brand heavy so they will expect to see a lot more news related terms.

The main point here is that we need to use a diverse range of websites, blogs, forums and social media to form our overall SEO strategy. The link building software by Caphyon is an advanced piece of software that is able to present your own backlink profile, but also spy on your competitors to see who is linking to them.

By building campaigns around backlinking from the same neighbours you will show search engines that you are part of the same crowd and in turn receive the authority you deserve. Just remember that you will still need to go one step better and link build to relevant websites. The link manager software will help you get in touch with related content owners to make those important link exchanges.

To purchase the link manger software you will need to head over to www.advancedlinkmanager.com

* Did you know 90% of blogs are now inactive on the Internet

Google search engine rank positions (SERPs) are the best way to monitor your performance. By optimising your website you can gain positions and aim towards the number one rank position. There are many forms of SEO software out there to monitor the site rankings.

Advanced Web Rankings is the most advanced piece of SEO software I've come across that can monitor hundreds of different search engines with locale based variations such as the UK, USA, France, Germany etc. Not only that, you can also monitor mobile device SERPs which are generally optimised for portable devices.

By monitoring your site rankings on a weekly basis you can monitor the performance of your campaigns. Each keyword can be cross referenced with a search engine and target URL so you can monitor multiple keywords across multiple search engines at the same time. If you set your target URLs to your competitors then you can essentially monitor their rankings too to see how they are performing overall.

With the power of this SEO software you will be able to guage which areas and keywords you need to pull up on page whilst maintaining higher ranking positions. There are various ways of representing the data so you can see what suits you best. Whether its number crunching in Excel style forms or visually in graphs this SEO software is able to provide you with data in the correct format.

Achieving an overall high visibility will help you increase your overall market share bring in more sales. Based on your conversion rates you can use Advanced Web Rankings to help project your current Return On Investment to its potential based upon the SERP and conversion rate for any particular word, making it an extremely powerful SEO tool for account management too.

One piece of functionality that I really like from Advanced Web Rankings is the ability to record all information based on the top results found in the search engines. This makes it extremely useful to find out who is at the top of the industry and rate them with an overall score rather than just a single term.

If your busines requires local business searches then you will want to consider purchasing a professional or enterprise package from AWR. Not only can you search your own location, if you have multiple businesses across different cities you can emulate the local search results to display the rankings for that area.

AWR is updated on a daily basis with new functionality and search engines being added all the time. For more information visit the Advanced Web Rankings website.

A HUMBERSTON company is offering one local business a £1,000“Creative Push” towards improved profits.

As reported, Anthony Logan, 22, Ryan Siddle, 21 and Shahram Shadan, 21, have joined forces to set up Creative Push, an advertising and marketing company based on the Wilton Road Industrial Estate, in Humberston.

And now they are giving one North East Lincolnshire business a state-of-the-art website – worth £1,000 – in a free competition. Anthony, who works as a graphic designer, says the prize will help a local company to Bounce Back from the recession.

He said: “By rebranding and modernising, existing businesses can look more professional and competitive and increase their trade.

“Having a website opens up a whole new consumer base and in the current economic climate that could make the difference between surviving and thriving.”

The winning business will bag the following website package:

One year’s hosting.

One domain name.

Five email addresses.

Content management.

A newsletter system.

Statistics tracking.

Submission to major search engines.

Advice on how to become the number one result on Google.

Setting up social networking to benefit the business.

Ten runners-up will also be offered discounted web design.

Anthony added: “We can’t believe how many businesses are not on the internet yet and we want to change that.

“The best way to expose your business is through the internet, some companies don’t even like to do business with companies that don’t have a website. “It is your representation of your business”.

Find out more To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question: What makes your business unique? To enter, log onto www.creativepush.co.uk or send an email to competition@creativepush.co.uk.

Entries close on Friday, September 4.

Design isn’t free
Asking a designer for a few concepts before committing to hire them is like asking a clothing boutique if you can take a garment home and wear it for a while before deciding if you’ll pay for it. No store would agree to it, and with good reason: there’s no guarantee you’d ever return to pay for the goods. A designer who provides design concepts without a signed contract is at risk of losing their ideas: the prospective client could easily take those concepts elsewhere. Always get a signed contract first, and better still get a down payment too.

Design isn’t copying
It’s reasonable (and often very helpful) when a client gives examples of designs they like and which have a similar feel to what they’re seeking for their design brief. It’s not reasonable when a client provides a design and asks for a designer to create exactly the same thing for them. Don’t ever be tempted to lift another designer’s work, whether you’ve been asked to or not.

Design isn’t random
Every time a prospective client approaches a designer, it’s because they have a problem which needs a solution. This statement underpins all professional design work. Working out the right design isn’t a matter of going with your favourite colour, or some fashionable patterns you found last week. It takes research into the client’s field, their target market and how the design is to be viewed. The right design may not necessarily be beautiful, but it does have to be effective at getting the message across.

Design isn’t IT
This one may not surface very often, but it has for me. A few years ago I worked on a design brief for a group of people who referred to me as the “IT person” throughout. I found them great to work with: very communicative and cooperative, except that my explanations that I was a graphic designer (with no IT training) went unheard. I’ve also occasionally encountered a client who, in the course of a meeting, asks me to help sort out the problems with their email program or their internet connection. Usually these requests come from someone who, again, doesn’t understand where the designer’s role starts and ends, only that you’re a person who is “good with computers”. It’s best to politely decline, and explain that your role doesn’t extend to technical support for their software or hardware.

Design isn’t web hosting
For that matter, design also isn’t printing, marketing, internet security, SEO, or other services which naturally follow on from design. Some designers do offer one or more of these as a supplementary service. However, for the most part, these services will be referred to a third party (e.g. a printing house, web hosting company or SEO firm) and no responsibility for these falls on the designer.

Design isn’t copywriting
Designers rely on their clients to provide any text required for the design brief. The text may be drafted by the client themselves or by a professional copywriter. Unless otherwise negotiated, the designer doesn’t provide copywriting or proofreading services. It may be prudent to include this in the contract or Terms of Service signed at the beginning of the design job.

Design isn’t a hobby
This isn’t to say that aspects of design may not be a hobby for some people. My point is that graphic design is a profession, with a skill set that requires training, and a good understanding of established techniques and rules. It deserves respect and should be treated accordingly.

Design isn’t neat software
Photoshop is a very popular piece of software. It’s also easy to pick up the basics through night classes, books or tutorials online. Having a grasp on some powerful graphics software (I mention Photoshop simply as an example) isn’t enough to qualify someone as a fully fledged designer, though. Professional designers make use of a range of graphics programs, and know which is/are appropriate for a given design job; they understand how to take a design concept and prepare it for publication (print or screen); and very often the major conceptual work for a design is carried out well away from a computer, using a pencil and sketchbook. These days graphic designers are trained in the use of software programs, but these are just one component in the many tools of the profession.

Design isn’t clip art
If you’re skimming this article, I’ll cut to the chase: don’t ever use clip art in a professional design. If you’re a client, don’t accept the use of clip art in a design.
Design uses a whole range of different materials from varying sources. In some cases, photography or illustrations may be commissioned specially for a design brief. In other instances, stock images may be used (I will be talking more about this in an upcoming post). Stock images are photographs or illustrations obtained from a stock library. There are many stock libraries to be found online, offering a broad range of licensing arrangements for their images. Clip art images may come bundled with software you already own, but in design terms they represent the lowest common denominator of image use. There are so many sources of images which are far superior, even for a low budget, that there’s no reason to use clip art. In particular, the use of clip art to create a logo is fraudulent; it’s certainly not original design work.

Design isn’t filling up all of the space
One of the fundamentals of good design is balance, and a key aspect of balance in design is working with negative space. This means leaving an empty space or spaces in the design, in order to emphasise other details elsewhere. Negative space is also important for making a design easier to read and take in. It’s visually powerful and utilised in graphic design everywhere you look: from packaging to magazines, billboards and television advertising.
If a client asks for all of the space to be filled up, ask them why. Sometimes it’s unavoidable (this is usually when there is a lot of content to be placed in a small space, like on a toothpaste tube). Otherwise, if it can be avoided it should be.

Design isn’t an afterthought
The value of good design cannot be understated. It can get a company noticed, make them stand out from the competition, provide professional credibility, or it can be one of the foundations of their brand identity. Good design is a legitimate investment in a company’s future. The best clients are the ones who understand the value that a well-researched and well-executed design brings them.

What else would you add to the list of Design Isn’ts?

Source: http://www.traceygrady.com

Over the last few months the need for design in its broadest sense has rarely been off the front pages. From the political system to the banking system, IT schemes to MPs’ expenses, the consensus seems to be that the fault lines in the status quo run so deep that a radical rethink is required.

And the conclusion appears to be that for such a radical approach, we must look towards designers: those capable of researching, contemplating and then creating a new vision, a new model, unencumbered by the constraints of what’s already there.

This is of course part of what design delivers. It is a creative profession, a creative industry, and one in which the UK excels.

But somewhere in here, there’s a strange logic gap. If we as a society – as business leaders, media opinion-formers, politicians and the public – truly believe that design is capable of such transformation, then why would we only apply it when the existing system or structure has failed?

Surely it would make more sense to put the principles and benefits of design at the heart of all organisations, alongside the accountants, lawyers and management experts? Constant design evolution is a philosophy we all live by.

That way, the combination of creativity and rigour that is the stock in trade of the design industry can be employed to solve problems of all kinds, look at everyday issues anew and stimulate fresh thinking.

Look at it from a different perspective. At Bell, our creative thinkers and designers are employed to take a lead role in almost every aspect of organisational life – from stimulating sales to developing new products and services, supporting internal communications to managing change. These aren’t peripheral issues; they are a key part of what makes organisations function. They are intrinsic and if we value and prioritise design as a skill, it needs to be placed at the core of decision-making.

I have some theories as to why this is often not the case and design is viewed as a makeover. Firstly, design involves something inherently unquantifiable: the element of creativity. We can’t put that on a balance sheet or declare it at the end of the year and we can’t count it.

However, there are all manner of ways to measure the impact of creativity. In fact, designers have become increasingly conscious of the need to do so: at Bell, KPIs are now a standard element of almost every project. And crucially, these indicators are developed to meet the project and the clients’ needs: sometimes that’s a cultural change or specific response rather than a purely financial target.

Secondly, design takes time. It demands space for thinking, looking at the bigger picture, considering potential impacts. On the surface, it often seems simpler just to make do and mend – especially when you’re faced with an annual budget and short-term targets, where the further you plan ahead, the more likely it is that you won’t be there to oversee the success.

But as recent events have shown, focusing solely on the short term is a risk in itself. The backlash has begun against the City culture of instant results and huge bonuses: instead there is recognition that getting the foundations right is important. It’s an interesting thought that often a call for a makeover is actually a reflection of the fact that there was no real strategic planning or ‘design’ in the first place.

What’s more, when you look a little deeper, it’s apparent that a piecemeal makeover that addresses peripheral symptoms can ultimately be as expensive as starting afresh. You end up with a system that offers immediate improvements, but is soon overtaken by time.

A perfect example is the UK transport system, which has long suffered from a lack of overarching vision: instead improvements are made in a piecemeal fashion, only for that new bypass or stretch of motorway to quickly become saturated with traffic and the benefit eliminated.

What I am arguing for, of course, isn’t the chance to redesign the road network; instead it’s a case where short-term thinking is inhibiting long-term improvements.

Granted, there are a whole host of further constraints that need to be taken into account – but this is the case with any design task. Designers work within constraints, and yet are still able to imagine and create something that is better than what was there before – whether that is a home, product, communication campaign or an organisational structure.

It’s this ability to bring creativity into the equation that makes design the ultimate problem-solver and provides the reason why in times of trouble, from restructuring and repackaging failing businesses to renewing trust in the financial system, when you really examine the bottom line – design is everything.

That’s why my belief is that it’s time design moved from being an afterthought to becoming the first thought. Design doesn’t just impact on the bottom line: it can be a vital part of defining what the bottom line is.

Search Engine Optimisation(SEO) has been announced as one of the best method for businesses to acquire new customers.

The statement made by David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer, suggests that SEO is the “best customer acquisition tool in the online space.

Through studies it has been shown that customers dislike paid search advertising and prefer organic search listings which SEO can improve.

“Furthermore search optimisation works across all search engines and an optimised site does not drop off the first results page even when marketer spending slows or stops - as it can with paid search,” Hallerman added.

However, he did point out that it may take time for the full advantages of SEO to take shape, as developing a successful SEO takes time and is often a long process.

Patricio Robles from Econsultancy revealed recently in a blog post that website security should be an important consideration for SEO.

He explained that if websites are hacked into by cyber criminals, the consequences in terms of search engine rankings can be extremely serious.

Another key feature of improving a business success online is linkbaiting, which experts have urged companies to invest in.

Editor of Econsultancy, Chris Lake, recently wrote on his blog explaining that linkbaiting can boost search rankings by attracting inbound links.

“Everyone involved in SEO (and marketing and content creation) should constantly be thinking about new opportunities for linkbait which will work best in their market place,” Lake said.

He added that linkbaits often consists of content that will be useful to the target audience, such as informative articles, free tools and a list of links.

Linkbaits can also come in the form of how to guides, viral marketing, reviews and comparisons and blogs.

A recent survey by Guava and Econsultancy found that 55 per cent of firms plan to increase their SEO spending in 2009.