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INDUSTRIALMARKETINGTALK
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A monthly newsletter for industrial marketing managers, from
Pro-Talk, publishers of:
Buildingtalk - Electronicstalk - Engineeringtalk
Laboratorytalk - Marketingservicestalk - Manufacturingtalk
Printingtalk - Processingtalk - Techniktalk
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Pro-Talk - harnessing the power of the internet for business
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Published from the UK
Issue 23: 28 September 2007
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Visit the Industrialmarketingtalk blog: http://dwarfurl.com/d1382
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Jackie's message
[1] Did you know...?
[2] The Long View: basic search engine optimization - tools and tips
[3] Subcon: an opportunity to deliver a total experience
[4] Back to Basics: the 10 commandments of press releases
[5] Talking Publicity: the professional photographer and the studio
[6] Search engine marketing conference
[7] NetLingo: the internet dictionary
[8] The UK's only event for buyers and users of market research
[9] Training and Jobs
[10] Competition: win something useful?
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Hello!
I love blogs! No matter what you are searching for you'll always find
that someone, somewhere, out there in internetland has prepared
something just up your street.
It's not just the nerds who are writing blogs either - many companies
are now finding that a blog, in addition to their company website,
works extremely well at building relationships and enhancing the
brand.
Have a look for yourself - here's the search page for Blogger
(although there any many more blog sites):
http://blogsearch.google.com/?ui=blg for example, I entered
'Industrial Marketing' and found, amongst many, this one:
http://www.industrialsearchenginemarketing.com/blog
with lots of really useful information.
Blogs are easy to set-up even for those of us who are not internet
savvy - go on give it a try! And, if you do, send me your link and
I'll publish here. I'd love to see what you're all doing with
blogs - and maybe you'll inspire others to take the plunge.
Last month I mentioned the 'Exclusives' which most of the Pro-Talk
sites have now launched. Don't forget this is a good opportunity to
get guaranteed inclusion of your article in the editor's newsletter,
receive special highlighting of your article on the website (including
a special highlight on the front page!). A great deal at no cost to
you... read more about 'Exclusives' and how to contact the editors
with your contribution at http://tinyurl.com/yqg89z
Finally, the London Sales Team have some good offers in the run-up to
Christmas - if you're thinking of signing up for the sales lead
service or want to give the EXTRA newsletters a try, give the team a
call (on 0207 970 4941), you may be surprised how they can make
your budget go just that bit further. Tell them I 'sent' you....
Have a good month!
With kind regards,
Jackie
mailto:jackie.west@pro-talk.com
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[1] Did you know....?
* Series discounts on EXTRA newsletter entries are available?
For example if you book a 'series' of four EXTRA newsletter entries in
the coming twelve months you'll only pay £1,000 (single bookings are
£400 each - so with a bit of forward planning you could save yourself
£600!).
* For as little as little as £800 (for three months) you could have
banners on a minimum of 100 pages on a Pro-Talk website, our
sales lead service AND an entry in the EXTRA newsletter?
* You could sign-up to the Sales Lead Service (for 12 months),
including three entries in Marketingservicestalk EXTRA, at a reduced
cost of £1500?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Banner information:
Tony Rand mailto:tony.rand@pro-talk.com
Phone: +44 (0)1206 541687
> EXTRA newsletter entries and Sales Lead Service:
London sales team mailto:admin@pro-talk.com
Phone: +44 (0)207 970 4941
=============================================================
[2] The Long View: basic search engine optimization - tools and tips
for better results
So, what is search engine optimization? Well, 'SEO' is an ongoing
requirement for any website and is almost impossible
to master. In fact, many believe you can never keep on top of it - the
rules, techniques and methods just keep changing all the time!
However, there are basic SEO procedures you can implement into your
website and each business model does have its own specific requirements...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Continue reading Andy Long's article at http://tinyurl.com/2fo888
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[3] Subcon: an opportunity to deliver a total experience
The Subcon Show is the UK's only international show dedicated to
subcontract engineering services. It covers everything from machining,
electronic assemblies, plastic moulding and metal fabrications through
to rapid prototyping, design and build and full manufacturing services
that supply finished products and assemblies from scratch.
Subcon visitors come from various industry sectors including aerospace
and defence, automotive and motorsport, marine, industrial equipment,
medical and scientific technology, and power, energy and utilities.
Subcon 2008 is taking place at the NEC, on 22 - 24 April 2008.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> For more information go to:
http://www.subconshow.co.uk/exhibiting.html
Or contact the sales team on +44 (0) 207 970 6742
or mailto:jonathan.clark@centaur.co.uk
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[4] Back to Basics: the 10 commandments of press releases
I know that you know (you DO don't you?) - but sometimes, just
sometimes, a little reminder goes a long way...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Printer friendly link:
http://tinyurl.com/23vdoo
SiteProNews home page:
http://www.sitepronews.com/
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[5] Talking Publicity: the professional photographer and the studio
Where do you find a photographer that is ideal for the majority of
your needs? There are a number of useful directories, including local
Yellow Pages and Thompson, as well as local newspapers and some
marketing services directories usually available in libraries...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Continue reading at http://tinyurl.com/289wyd
** SPECIAL OFFER FOR INDUSTRIALMARKETINGTALK READERS:
Purchase Alan Godfrey's book at a discounted price of £26.00
including postage and packaging.
Contact Alan on 01737 222552, mailto:info@agmuk.co.uk
or go to http://www.agmpublicity.co.uk/guide/
=============================================================
[6] Search engine marketing conference
mad.co.uk will be running its 3rd Search Engine Marketing conference,
on 3rd October at the Kensington Close Hotel in London. This one day
conference will tackle the business-critical issue of search marketing
and will seek to address the questions that every business should be
asking.
Cost is £595 plus VAT, with group discounts available.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> For more information contact:
mailto:samantha.mccarthy@mad.co.uk
Or call 020 7970 4876.
Online: http://tinyurl.com/3x355h
=============================================================
[7] NetLingo: the internet dictionary
This is good - so bookmark it now, or sign-up for the newsletter -
they say "NetLingo is an online dictionary about the Internet. It
contains thousands of words and definitions that describe the
technology and community of the Web. You will see word names,
pronunciations, acronyms spelled out, and definitions containing links
that are cross-referenced to other words in the dictionary..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Go immediately to NetLingo's Internet Dictionary
http://tinyurl.com/t81m
Courtesy of http://www.netlingo.com/index.cfm
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[8] The UK's only event for buyers and users of market research
"Market research provides the essential knowledge for you to keep on
top of the market and uncover hidden opportunities to make your
project or organisation a great success."
"Insight 2007 is a must attend exhibition and conference for anyone
who is a buyer, user and commissioner of market research. Come and
meet top industry experts who will help you stay ahead of the
competition. Insight 2007 is the only event supported by all major
trade associations – MRS, AURA, AIMRI and ICG."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> More at: http://www.insightshow.co.uk
=============================================================
[9] Training and Jobs
TRAINING:
Have a look at what NMA have to offer at:
http://www.nmatraining.co.uk
T: 020 7970 4770 or
mailto:enquiries@nmatraining.co.uk
Read more about NMA courses at:
http://tinyurl.com/3xbzz8
JOBS:
* Sales Executive: Techniktalk
This role is working exclusively on our German language site
Techniktalk. The primary role of the Sales Executive is to be
responsible for the acquisition of new business in line with specific
company business objectives, as well as the maintenance and
development of existing business.
For more information contact James Hancock:
mailto:james.hancock@centaur.co.uk
Direct line: 0207 970 4941
* European Marketing Manager - Manufacturing Giant
A global manufacturing business with offices in 25 countries in the
western world is seeking a European Marketing to develop their sub
brand in the UK and western Europe.
http://tinyurl.com/3cw23d
* Marketing Manager
Working for this leading manufacturing company, this is a stand-alone
role, which will provide support to the external and Internal Sales
Teams, reporting directly to the Sales and Marketing Director.
http://tinyurl.com/3ds7we
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For even more jobs, go to:
http://dwarfurl.com/e5313
=============================================================
[10] COMPETITION - win something useful?
Congratulations to Mark Warren of Lister Trade Frames Limited who
correctly answered last month's question "Which Pro-Talk site has a
vacancy for a Sales Executive?" (Answer: Techniktalk). Mark wins a
copy of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases,
Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers
Directly"
Thanks to everyone who entered the competition - don't give up, have
another go - this month you've a chance to win the ever popular "Don't
Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" by Steve
Krug.
"The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of
the tips, techniques and examples presented within it revolve around
users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with
minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many
of the book's assumptions. For example, "We don't read pages - we scan
them" and, "We don't figure out how things work - we muddle through".
Getting to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design
that then produces top-notch sites."
And the question:
"What, according to SiteProNews, is the 3rd commandment?"
If you don't know the answer, it's in this newsletter....
Answers via email, by the 15 October, please.
Winner to be announced next issue.
=============================================================
Email competition entries to mailto:jackie.west@pro-talk.com
=============================================================
Next issue of Industrialmarketingtalk: 26 October 2007
Want to contribute? mailto:jackie.west@pro-talk.com
Deadlines for contributions: 15 October 2007
=============================================================
Have you seen our other newsletters?
=============================================================
Industrialmarketingtalk is one of a number of free email newsletters
for technical professionals. See what else we have to offer, and sign
up today, at http://www.pro-talk.com
Talking Publicity: The Professional Photographer and the Studio
Finding a photographer
Where do you find a photographer that is ideal for the majority of your needs? There are a number of useful directories, including local Yellow Pages and Thompson,
Your best call will be to the British Institute of Professional Photography or the Master Photographers Association, who will supply a list of their members throughout the
The photographic associations have web sites where you can search and be linked to individual photographer sites, which is very useful. These entries contain a 'key' to the photographers’ capabilities such as industrial, wedding, portrait and commercial. It is unlikely that a specialist wedding or portrait photographer will be equipped for top quality industrial photography but some are, so check them out with simple questions as needed.
When you have made your selection make an appointment, preferably at their studio, and be sure that they show you a large selection of their work.
Ideally, your photographer would be local to your office, have a studio and a full service photo laboratory, plus the ability to manipulate/enhance images. This is very handy indeed, especially when speed and convenience is important.
Broadband telephone lines are now used to send and receive digital images. Make sure your photographer has this facility, as it is very useful and saves time and money.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is also used to send larger files direct from one computer to another. As it does this without going through the internet provider system it is faster and less likely to corrupt. The sender needs to know the file and password of the receiver computer, via their web-site. A typical use for this system would be a graphic designer sending finished page files to a printer.
If you regularly use just one photographer he or she will get to know how you like your products shot and what background and lighting you like to see. Regular clients also stand a better chance of being able to negotiate more favourable rates!
If some of your products are heavy or large, check that there is easy access for appropriate transport to the studio.
Take a close-up look
A photographer's equipment can usually be a good guide to ability, so check this out. Many professionals will have a variety of cameras, all used for different types of job.
As has been said, most professional photographers now use high resolution digital cameras and equipment, but ask to see samples of finished work.
Studio photography usually relies totally on specialist lighting. When visiting a studio, look around for a wide variety of lighting and rolls of background paper - a good sign that the photographer is busy with many clients.
Briefing a photographer and arranging a photo shoot
Remember; the better the brief, the better the end result and the greater your satisfaction. A good brief should also
You should let your photographer have variety of detailed information in advance including the size of your product(s) and a drawing or DIY photograph would be helpful. Especially discuss any products that are heavy or difficult to man-handle, as hired help may be needed.
Let the photographer know the colour of your product, as some backgrounds do not mix. A good example is stainless steel which looks flat and muddy if a grey or green background is used.
Tell the photographer what your product is and what it does. Also explain what the pictures will be used for. A photo for a press release is sometimes different to the one to be used in a company brochure or on an exhibition panel. A general rule we follow, and advise others to copy, is always taking both types of shots to cover future requirements without paying the full set-up costs of a new session.
Always try to be in attendance. Don't get in the way but do help with background colour and point out the special features of your products. This is especially important if you want the photo to show a display reading or some other action or need something unusual.
Location assignments
We have already discussed the general and safety points for location work, but let’s take another look with a few more tips.
Double check that all correct clothing is available and of the right size – for you and your staff, the photographer and any models. Let everyone know exactly what is expected of them.
Be at the location before the photographer, so you that can sort out those last minute arrangements before the session clock starts ticking.
Things do go wrong, so expect a few problems and try to have an assistant to help sort them out.
The photo laboratory and print production
Many professional photographers have their own laboratory with print production facilities as they like to be in full control of the final result. Some use a full service laboratory also doing work for other local photographers and shops.
Fast photo labs are commonplace but are rarely able to consistently match a quality professional laboratory, especially with the larger size negatives, digital, transparencies and prints.
Remember that a good photograph can be ruined by poor printing.
For photos accompanying press releases, the scanning equipment used by publishers’ printers is so good that hard copy and digital photographs are now accepted by virtually all editors and printers.
Copyright laws
The laws of copyright on trademarks, photographs, drawings, photographs and the written word are strictly imposed and many books have been produced on the subject.
The duration of photographic image copyright in the
No image may be copied, scanned, manipulated, altered, stored digitally or otherwise, or used without permission of the copyright owner or agent.
In the business of PR writing, photography and graphics it is important to understand and adhere to these laws.
If in doubt, consult a specialist copyright expert or lawyer. Most of the photographic and graphical associations will provide a list of Copyright Rules. The ABCD of UK Photographic Copyright can be obtained from BAPLA. Never take chances - you could be sued!
Negotiating copyright
You can and should get your photographer or graphic designer to agree to 'relinquish' their right of copyright over their work for you. This must be done at the time of assigning the work, and preferably in writing.
In the case of a photographer, you can ask for all negatives, digital images and transparencies to be handed over, with all rights relinquished. This is very useful since you will no doubt be using the images for brochures, press releases, advertisements, exhibition graphics and the like. It would be costly if you had to pay a fee every time an image is used.
Expect that you may have to pay more for the original shoot or graphic, but don't pay more than around 12-15%. If you are to use the photographer or artist regularly, negotiate a long-term copyright-free arrangement.
Copyright-free photographs
Many photo libraries and other organisations now produce 'copyright-free' photographs which are available on CD or can be downloaded from the internet. Some of these contain hundreds of pictures, but you should check if they can be used for commercial purposes, for example in an advertisement, brochure or on your web pages (more on this in Picture Libraries later in this section).
Photography - costs
The price of photography does not always reflect the quality of the work.
Obviously, a photographer based in mid
We will discuss average prices based outside a city, but they are only a guide. You should negotiate prices of photography and photo printing, especially if you will be using one photographer for most of your work.
First ask how long the job will take. For instance shooting a small product on a simple background should take up to approximately 1½ hours at a cost of around £95 per hour. Most photographers will try to complete the job in time, and probably not charge extra if it takes just a little longer, especially if it is a regularly used photographer.
A basic price presently charged by an industrial/commercial photographer using high quality digital equipment, based in a town 30 miles from
To save costs with digital photography, ask for thumbnail prints and a CD with all images. These can be printed later on your computer or emailed (if acceptable). Final prints should be done by the photographer.
Location Photography
Usually you would hire the photographer by the day or half day, to include travelling time. Try to negotiate a lower rate for travelling per hour including petrol and then a rate for actual set-up and photography.
Picture Libraries
In the
There are specialist libraries such as aerial, fine art, etc, and general stock libraries offering a wide range of images - from babies to industry.
The reason for using a library is usually speed of acquiring prints, wide choice and cost effectiveness. For example, if you need a photograph of say a beach in Australia, a stock library photograph would be a fraction of the cost of sending a photographer or even hiring on there…and quicker and easier!
You can easily source these libraries/agencies from BAPLA, The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies. They have a useful web site for searching for the right library, with links to each of them. With some libraries you can access a selection of images and download low resolution images from their web site for printing-off on your printer. These can only be used as 'proofs’ and not used for any other purpose.
Using a picture library
Using a picture library is a painless way of sourcing the perfect image for your every need. From books to brochures, from posters to packaging, the image you choose could make or break your product. Put yourself in the safe hands of a BAPLA member to receive specialist, professional advice and be guided through the selection process.
Here are some points to consider and information to have on hand before picking up the telephone or sending an email or fax:
Subject - what the subject areas you are looking for, such as anything from the specifics of 1980's fashion to an abstract idea such as achievement.
Purpose - how will the image be used and in or on what media. Tell the picture researcher as much as you can, such as the anticipated size of reproduction and print run and where it will be distributed.
Format – identify a need or preference for image shape: landscape, portrait or even panoramic, or if this not important. Will it be reproduced in colour or black & white? Will the entire image be used or just part? (you may be charged less if only using a small part of image).
Deadline - how quickly you need the image. And for how long you will need to keep it.
Service fee - most libraries charge a service fee to cover research time, packaging, delivery and other administration involved in fulfilling your order. Ask up front if you have to pay this irrespective of whether you reproduce any images.
Note that payment of a service fee does not automatically give you permission to reproduce the images.
Reproduction fee – the cost of using the image or images (also known as a licence fee). These may be negotiated before or during the loan of the material. They reflect the specific use of the image and are determined by how, where, and how large the image is reproduced, rather than by what the image depicts.
The more commercial your product is, or the greater scope of your use, the more costly the fee.
Hire fee - the normal loan time for photographic material is 4 weeks. Many picture libraries charge holding fees if you keep the images longer than agreed. Most libraries will send you reminders regarding the outstanding images you hold. It is important not to ignore these and to keep the picture library informed on the progress of your projects.
Terms - picture libraries operate with fairly standard Terms of Business.
Terms and Conditions of Use. When you receive your selection of images from the picture library, they will be accompanied by a delivery note, with terms and conditions attached. Charges for damage or loss to the material will be stipulated. Read these terms carefully, as they are legally binding - if you do not agree to the terms you must return the images within three working days unused, neither copied nor scanned and with seal unbroken.
Electronic use. Many libraries will ask you to sign an additional contract if you are using images in an electronic form, such as a web-site.
Licence. The reproduction fee that you are charged will cover a specific use of the image you reproduce. The licence to use that image is granted upon payment of the fee. If you wish to use the image for a purpose beyond the licence, further permission must be sought before you do so. Examples might be an extension of an advertising campaign, a brochure re-used for a show card or new editions of a book. Use of an image beyond the terms of
Delivery/Receipt
Having acknowledged your request, the picture library will deliver a selection of images to your office if you requested transparencies rather than digital. Same day delivery may incur courier or special delivery costs. On receipt, check the images against the delivery note and inspect the images for any damage. Once the images are in your hands they are your responsibility until they arrive back with the picture library. If the material is lost or damaged during this period, you will be charged in accordance with the Terms of Business of that library.
Download
Many libraries provide all their images on their web site so that they can be viewed as low resolution images. If you wish to order any, a download facility is usually available for high resolution final image and this can be especially helpful if you need speed.
General
Do treat photographic material with care, and return any images you no longer require as soon as possible, whether or not your project has been completed.
Do not separate the photographic material from its mounts or sleeves. Important credit and contact information is usually on the packaging, along with captions and vital reference numbers.
If you want a good photographer capable of any project call AGM on
Full information can be obtained from BAPLA http://www.bapla.org.uk
With thanks to Alan Godfrey – extracted from Alan's book "How to handle your company publicity – The Guide"
INDUSTRIALMARKETINGTALK
READER OFFER
READER OFFER
Purchase Alan's book at a discounted price of £26.00 including postage and packaging. Contact Alan on 01737 222552, mailto:info@agmuk.co.uk or go to http://dwarfurl.com/cc3ff
September 2007
September 2007
The Long View: Basic Search Engine Optimization - tools and tips for better results
So, what is search engine optimization? Well, 'SEO' is an ongoing requirement for any website and is almost impossible to master. In fact, many believe you can never keep on top of it - the rules, techniques and methods just keep changing all the time!
However, there are basic SEO procedures you can implement into your website and each business model does have its own specific requirements.
First of all, you MUST make sure that you optimise your website for your visitors first. There are so many sites out there that are quite well optimised for keywords, but the structure and general design of the site is terrible.
If a potential customer lands on your site because of good optimisation and then leaves due to bad design and structure, what is the point?
So, look at the overall design and structure of your site and agree on the template of the 'information based' pages first. You can then work on some basic SEO:
Choosing the right keywords
Imagine which keywords and phrases your customers are typing into the search engines and then take a look to see where you are located in the search results for those terms. If you are not on page one of Google and other search engines like Yahoo and Ask, then you'll have to start optimising your web page content for well searched variations on the most relevant keywords.
Go to Wordtracker at http://www.wordtracker.com and set up an account for one month and test different keywords for your business. If your website is targeted at people interested in Servo drives, then type servo drives into the list. You will then see a selection of keywords, with information on how competitive they are with other sites and how often they are searched on. The trick is to choose a keyword or phrase, which is not too competitive and is searched on daily. Make sure you read through the advice and tips from Wordtracker as this will make your life a lot easier in the initial stages. When you have selected your keywords, you can think about including them into your content.
Placing the keywords into your web pages
Make sure your keywords are in the heading, keywords and description (META tags) and then in the heading and first paragraph of the page. The heading and first paragraph can be classed as the H1 and H2 tags of the page and are usually good indicators for search engines on the content and general theme of that page. Don't use the keywords too often in the main body of the page, or the search engines could penalize you. If you have well written pages, which are also well optimised, then you have a head start.
You can also set up link exchanges with other sites with similar content to your own. Whatever you do, don't be enticed into adding your link to 1000 general directories, or pay for general visitors - you want targeted traffic. Remember, if you get casual non-targeted browsers to your site, they will be of no use to you.
On the subject of link popularity, it is always a good idea to set up a live 'anchor text' link with a highly relevant website, which also carries content about your company. If this website is well established it is certainly worth setting up a text link to them.
Let's take Engineeringtalk as a prime example:
Take a look at the title of one of your PR story pages on Engineeringtalk. If it says 'New servo drives motor from Servo Drives Ltd', then you can place a live text link on your site which says 'New servo drives motor from Servo drives Ltd'. This live text link will then link back to the web page on Engineeringtalk. In the mind of the search engines, this could improve the popularity of the keywords 'servo drives motor' and 'Servo Drives Ltd.' This simple technique could mean that Engineeringtalk will be placed even higher up in the search results and more people will land on your page.
One final point is that you should update and change your website as often as you can. If you can add new pages with original content, then even better. It is a fact that Google has a very strong objective in providing the most relevant results of any search engine. This means that they want to show accurate, targeted results from websites that follow the rules and provide good content in a structured way.
Remember, search engines use spiders to index your pages - not real people. These 'spiders' may be sophisticated, but they are still driven by automated algorithms and techniques. Don't try to trick them, but do the basic SEO well.
Andrew Long is an advertising sales manager for Pro-Talk and offers a variety of advertising related services through:
http://www.selling-advertising.com and
http://www.myadbase.com
September 2007
However, there are basic SEO procedures you can implement into your website and each business model does have its own specific requirements.
First of all, you MUST make sure that you optimise your website for your visitors first. There are so many sites out there that are quite well optimised for keywords, but the structure and general design of the site is terrible.
If a potential customer lands on your site because of good optimisation and then leaves due to bad design and structure, what is the point?
So, look at the overall design and structure of your site and agree on the template of the 'information based' pages first. You can then work on some basic SEO:
Choosing the right keywords
Imagine which keywords and phrases your customers are typing into the search engines and then take a look to see where you are located in the search results for those terms. If you are not on page one of Google and other search engines like Yahoo and Ask, then you'll have to start optimising your web page content for well searched variations on the most relevant keywords.
Go to Wordtracker at http://www.wordtracker.com and set up an account for one month and test different keywords for your business. If your website is targeted at people interested in Servo drives, then type servo drives into the list. You will then see a selection of keywords, with information on how competitive they are with other sites and how often they are searched on. The trick is to choose a keyword or phrase, which is not too competitive and is searched on daily. Make sure you read through the advice and tips from Wordtracker as this will make your life a lot easier in the initial stages. When you have selected your keywords, you can think about including them into your content.
Placing the keywords into your web pages
Make sure your keywords are in the heading, keywords and description (META tags) and then in the heading and first paragraph of the page. The heading and first paragraph can be classed as the H1 and H2 tags of the page and are usually good indicators for search engines on the content and general theme of that page. Don't use the keywords too often in the main body of the page, or the search engines could penalize you. If you have well written pages, which are also well optimised, then you have a head start.
You can also set up link exchanges with other sites with similar content to your own. Whatever you do, don't be enticed into adding your link to 1000 general directories, or pay for general visitors - you want targeted traffic. Remember, if you get casual non-targeted browsers to your site, they will be of no use to you.
On the subject of link popularity, it is always a good idea to set up a live 'anchor text' link with a highly relevant website, which also carries content about your company. If this website is well established it is certainly worth setting up a text link to them.
Let's take Engineeringtalk as a prime example:
Take a look at the title of one of your PR story pages on Engineeringtalk. If it says 'New servo drives motor from Servo Drives Ltd', then you can place a live text link on your site which says 'New servo drives motor from Servo drives Ltd'. This live text link will then link back to the web page on Engineeringtalk. In the mind of the search engines, this could improve the popularity of the keywords 'servo drives motor' and 'Servo Drives Ltd.' This simple technique could mean that Engineeringtalk will be placed even higher up in the search results and more people will land on your page.
One final point is that you should update and change your website as often as you can. If you can add new pages with original content, then even better. It is a fact that Google has a very strong objective in providing the most relevant results of any search engine. This means that they want to show accurate, targeted results from websites that follow the rules and provide good content in a structured way.
Remember, search engines use spiders to index your pages - not real people. These 'spiders' may be sophisticated, but they are still driven by automated algorithms and techniques. Don't try to trick them, but do the basic SEO well.
=============================================================
Andrew Long is an advertising sales manager for Pro-Talk and offers a variety of advertising related services through:
http://www.selling-advertising.com and
http://www.myadbase.com
September 2007
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