WebiMax Blog

In yesterday's post, I looked at emerging markets which I have discussed before, but with inspiration from a piece by Christian Arno (Search Engine Watch) this time I addressed them in terms of particular groupings of countries that are expected to experience exceptional growth in the near future. The BRIC countries have been the champions of this realm for some time, but now it is the CIVETS countries (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa) that are being recognized for their potential as being the next wave of emerging economies. Especially intriguing for those in the tech and internet industries is the fact that much of the opportunity that will become apparent in these countries will exist for these industries as characteristics such as the age of the population will greatly influence how the increases in money will be spent and the behaviors that will be engaged in.  Let's dive in deeper.

Technology and the internet have driven wide growth and innovation around the world, but this has been most widely felt in developed countries where more people have been able to take advantage of these innovations and the opportunities they create. Now, looking ahead, many economists and business analysts are looking to emerging markets as the scenes of extraordinary growth in the next 10-20 years. As such, the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) have shown the greatest immediate promise for emerging markets as they are the next to essentially come-of-age economically and have seen great deals of attention and investment as a result.

Although social media users swap countless IMs and posts across PCs and laptops every month, most people fail to realize the amount of direct messaging that takes place between mobile device owners through those same social networks. According to a blog published just a few days ago on the New York Times website, a number of recent studies all point to the conclusion that social media apps are quickly replacing standard phone SMS as a primary form of mobile communication. One particular report states that the amount of text messages relayed by cellphone owners in the Phillipines on a monthly basis has decreased by more than a third from 2010 to 2011 (down to 400 texts from around 660).

The push is coming, or has it already begun? The push from Microsoft and Yahoo (but considering Yahoo's recent issues, let's concentrate on Microsoft and it's Bing search engine) to stand up to Google and offer formidable competition has been in the works for some time. Now, Microsoft is not backing from the challenge, instead fully pressing on continuing to invest in their online services division, that which guides its search platform Bing, and trying to differentiate themselves from other search engines, namely Google.

"The Penguin update targets all the practices that search engine optimizers (SEO) have been doing for the past 10 years, such as getting paid links or spinning content articles and distributing them just to improve their ranking," Todd Bailey, search engine expert and vice president of marketing at WebiMax.  Read more

Among all the various search engines for which SEOs develop, it's Google that time and time again gets the most attention from online marketing firms. Between continual updates to its search algorithm and ongoing releases for new user apps, the world's biggest search engine company has truly become a force to be reckoned with. While competitors may try to get the edge on the company, Google's current market share puts it well ahead of the pack.

Pick a concern, any concern.  That’s what some Yahoo internal minds could be thinking about the brand’s present state of affairs.  Where could the trail of anxiety begin?  Read more

Pinterest is quickly becoming more popular than Facebook for merchants says social media expert Ken Wisnefski.  Watch more

Being at the top of a Google search results page is a highly sought piece of real estate for many businesses. After all, being listed near the top of the results page on Google can be the difference between gaining new customers and losing them to another company.  Read more

Borrowing a business idea or model, tweaking it, and applying it to a different context is a well-practiced strategy and one that has new life now in the age of tech companies and internet businesses. Sound business models are certainly not the only element that is needed for success in business, but it is indeed essential and usually one of the first things that need to be in place. They are frameworks that translate the idea for product or service creation into a feasible, revenue-generating enterprise. Some are better than others and the best ones are those that are the tightest in terms of input, overhead, and ROI, in very simple terms. Often, borrowing a proven and successful business plan but adapting it to a new context or market is the route that is taken. Spartoo, the French e-commerce site, has done that with Zappos and they are worth taking a close look at as their case offers lessons for other businesses borrowing to help out their cause, especially when trying their hand in new markets.

Many of us in the internet advertising industry have been praising up and down the supposedly limitless potential of Pinterest for months now. As an up-and-coming social network with millions of followers on Facebook alone, the social media site has come up in many discussions since it went into its beta phase. Yet, while it has quickly become a popular talking point for social marketing conjecture, Pinterest is still a relatively unknown website for many business owners.

As we all know by now, social media empowers us all to become reporters of our own.  Oftentimes we discuss the news and major announcements, and even stimulate buzz for a particular product and brand.  President Barack Obama has grabbed the media’s attention after officially announcing his support for same-sex marriage on ABC’s Good Morning America.

As Google's spam-fighting algorithm, Penguin, continues to make headlines, SEOs and webmasters are not only analyzing their tactics and strategies, but are also dishing out the latest information to help others avoid receiving a penalty. While SEOs and webmasters want to avoid being affected by Google's Penguin, and offer tips regarding over-optimization to help others avoid the attack, it's important to also stress the concern of under optimization.

Kenneth Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, a leading search engine optimization firm, announced today that the company received multiple awards from the Interactive Media Council, Inc. for 2012. WebiMax received the Outstanding Achievement Award and Best in Class award for the second consecutive year.  Read more

In yesterday's post, I opened the discussion on reframing and described what it is and the background of why it is important. Today, let's look at the tactics used and how it is relevant both at home and internationally.

Like a prediction straight out of a 80s sci-fi movie, everyone from teenagers to adults is constantly connected to one another these days via mobile phones. Over the course of the last six years, the prevalence and speed by which Blackberries, tablet PCs and smartphones have spread have become increasingly pronounced. As I discussed several days ago, the mobile market is one that everyone is trying to tap into at the moment. Yet at the same time, there are far more ways to become noticeable to mobile users than simply being SEO-friendly and active on social media.

MOUNT LAUREL, NJ -- (May 10, 2012) – Kenneth Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, a leading search engine optimization firm, announced today that the company received multiple awards from the Interactive Media Council, Inc. for 2012.  WebiMax received the Outstanding Achievement Award and Best in Class award for the second consecutive year.

Reframing has a few different definitions but in terms of PR and branding, it is considered as keeping the conversation being had with audiences (on both the macro and micro scale) on point by bringing it overtly or softly back on message. Reframing has its roots in psychology and communication relating to reframing an idea…seeing it in a different light which can translate to a new and improved approach to the idea or mood surrounding it. As an example, I wrote about this practice in the first of two pieces on the subject before on the blog back in March discussing reframing the challenge of culture when a company expands into a new country as an opportunity to excel. Here's an excerpt:

Google Penguin is changing the search optimization game for small business, according to Todd Bailey of Webimax. He shares some suggestions on dealing with the changes with Alisa Parenti on Red, White and Blue Chips.  Hear more

As my fellow writers and I have recommended time and time ago, it's a good practice for companies to use social media to supplement their other organic SEO activity. Due to the ever-increasing number of users found on networks such as Facebook and Twitter, many start-up or entrepreneur company owners are sharing their own original content effortlessly with the masses. Businesses that remain active with social media sites consistently see better traffic to their online properties than those companies that don't retweet or post status updates. It's an exciting time for small and medium-sized businesses to be sure, but many companies are finding that their success is somewhat limited and they don't know why.
 

Everyone who writes about SEO has recognized Google's Penguin update as the hot button issue at the moment. After a staggering 350,000 sites were affected by the company's recent algorithm revisions, the SEO community fell into a bit of disarray over the topic. Across the board, reaction to the update has been mostly negative as only a few actually notable spam and aggregator websites were impacted by Penguin while thousands of respectable businesses were hit as well. It's a subject that is generating a lot of buzz and has led to sites devoted to the subject and commentary from our own Jill Johnson.
 

Mobile marketing has closely followed the fast ascent of smartphone penetration around the globe. Developed markets like that of the US, UK, much of Europe, several countries in Africa, and across Asia and the Pacific have seen marked growth in the use of smartphones. What is most relevant to SEO companies and social media marketing professionals, however, is the fact that search behavior has grown along with the adoption of the smartphone. People are using them to conduct their internet searchers more and more thus opening up the opportunity for businesses to conduct paid search and SEO campaigns to target the mobile searchers. Now Google is looking to the developing markets in Latin America as regions ripe for Android predicting them to take off in the coming years.

"We don't accept that form of payment," says a store vendor.  "Well, looks like you don’t get my business," I say when I have no other alternatives or don't appreciate the lack thereof.  Inspiring conversions lies at the heart of marketing; it would be a terrible injustice if the marketing comes undone due to issues with accepting payments.

On this blog, I have touched on the importance of catering SEO efforts to the local context of a particular culture in many different posts. It is the underlying theme of my international SEO writing as it is massively important for brands and yet it is not done enough. When businesses expand their operations into different cultures or countries, the people that make up their audience changes based on culture, language, and the political-judicial landscape that they find themselves operating in.