5 Free & Easy Ways To Improve Google Ranking For 2014 - Waseem Saddique Marketing Services

Did you know? There are free and highly effective ways to improve your Google ranking. Waseem Saddique Marketing Services provides a few pointers to guide you up Google’s search listings. 

There is no reason why SMEs cannot reap the benefits of search engine optimisation (SEO) even if they do not completely understand what it is. 

Waseem Saddique explains SEO: “For those individuals who don’t know their SEO from their CEO, it is simply a method of improving the ranking of your business in the Google search algorithm.”

Improving your SEO strategy will ultimately aid a business in moving up the rankings in Google’s search results. According to the CEO of Achieve Visibility, Sonam Lama, there are several quick fix techniques that a business can utilise in order to improve their Google ranking. The great part about them is that they are free and simple to execute.

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services echoes Lama’s techniques. Here are 5 top tips to improving your Google ranking in 2014:

1. Utilise Wordpress – Waseem Saddique states: “Wordpress is arguably the most effective SEO-friendly blogging platform available. It’s perhaps also the best content management system around when it comes to implementing an effective SEO strategy.”

Wordpress is now in widespread use as an alternative to outdated website platforms, which most businesses still tend to use, as it helps to boost SEO efforts.

2. Carry Out Keyword Research – Keyword research is the foundation of SEO and improving your position on Google’s search listings, and all the other primary search engine facilities.

Waseem Saddique comments: “After creating a Wordpress site the next essential step is to identify at least three relevant keywords you would like to target and use them effectively throughout the content of your Wordpress site. Avoid keyword ‘stuffing’, but just as importantly don’t under use your keywords. Standard keyword density currently stands at between 3 % and 5%”.

3. Onsite Optimisation – Failing to distribute your keywords evenly throughout your site will hinder your chances of climbing the Google rankings. Keyword stuffing is a common problem and unfortunately Google penalises excessive use of keywords, considering them to be spam.  So ensure that your site is optimised to the density rating provided above.

4. Register With Google Places – Once you have balanced your site with the correct density of keywords, it’s a good idea to register with Google Places, a free facility for listing details about your business.

Waseem Saddique comments: “Being listed on Google Places strengthens your position on Google’s search listings. Google Places is simple to use, requiring just basic information about your business such as phone number, address and hours of business.”

What’s great about Google Places is that is also allows you to include a few keywords that are relevant to your business, enabling you to enhance your prominence on Google, and all other major search engines, even more.

You can improve your ranking even more with Google Places with the inclusion of photographs and by requesting reviews from your customers.

5. Back Linking - Finally, once you’ve completed all the steps above, back linking provides the final piece of the puzzle for improving your Google ranking. 

Waseem Saddique states: “Some of the best back linking methods include social bookmarking and profile submissions on high page ranking sites. These two methods alone allow you to create a valuable back link to your own site, increasing its value and relevancy, especially in the ‘eyes’ of Google.”

Formed in 2007, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has consistently provided small to medium enterprises, as well as larger corporate firms, with a range of digital marketing & online solutions. 

Waseem Saddique Marketing – Tips for Navigating the Google Zoo

Bamboozled by all this talk of Pandas and Penguins? Waseem Saddique Marketing offers some clarity on recovering from Penguin and Panda penalties.

Google Panda

Waseem Saddique comments: “Google Panda is effectively the quality content hunter. In a bid to eradicate content that is keyword stuffed and overly SEO optimised, Google has an agenda for identifying websites with unique content in order to see them feature higher on their search engine ranking lists.”

Top tip – To tackle Google Panda, give serious consideration to the written content that your company is publishing online. Whether you’re writing content for an article, a press release or updating the text on your website, the question you should be asking is - ‘Is the content being produced adding value to a particular topic or enhancing the text on my website?’

If the answer to the above question is ‘no’, Google Panda will simply dismiss the content as poor. Seeking out ‘quality’ content is the primary reason for Panda’s existence.

Some pointers – In order to deal with poor quality webpages Waseem Saddique recommends trying a number of tried and tested tools and strategies: 

·      Use 301 redirects – This allows you to change the URL of a page that is likely to feature in search engines. This is probably the best solution for directing search engines to the correct page

·      Use no-index on your web pages – Using no-index meta data is ideal for your business if you don’t have root access to your web server. You then remain in control of access to your site on a page-by-page basis. Google’s Webmaster tools provide a piece of html code allowing you to install no-index on your site:

To prevent all robots from indexing a page on your site, place the following meta tag into the <head> section of your page:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

To allow other robots to index the page on your site, preventing only Google's robots from indexing the page:

<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex">     

Another option is to completely re-write or add content to your site. According to searchenginewatch.com some businesses have experienced a 700% recovery from the effects of Google Panda restrictions by re-writing their content.

Google Penguin

Waseem Saddique comments: “The latest Google Penguin update was implemented in May 2013 and, in contrast to Google Panda, Google Penguin targets the links on websites, assessing whether those links direct website users to articles or websites relevant to the genre of your site.”

Top tip – Content is again the key, be sure that links directing users to other websites are directing them to a site featuring quality content. Google Penguin recognises websites that are directing consumers to poor content, so getting your link strategy correct is of huge importance.

Pointer - To tackle the Google Penguin Algorithm, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services recommends producing something known as ‘Advanced Content’. Advanced content usually appears in the form of an eBook, white paper or a guide. Offering something of ‘value’ on a particular topic is seen as a major contribution.

Advanced content is well researched, factual and informative and above all should link back to quality sources. Google Penguin picks up on this and will ultimately identify that website as a ‘reliable’ source provider, thus pushing your position to a higher ranking on search engines.

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services serves to help businesses of all sizes enhance their online and SEO marketing efforts. Need marketing advice? Visit www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.co.uk  

The ‘Dark Web’, what is it? Does it damage business? Waseem Saddique Marketing Investigates

Did you know? Internet surfers use just three hundredths of one per cent of the internet, so where’s the rest? The answer lies in the ‘dark web’ or the ‘dark internet’, an unmonitored area in cyberspace that has become increasingly more sinister and accessible.

Waseem Saddique comments: “It may surprise the ‘average’ internet user to know that when using the Google search engine to find information the pages listed do not make up the entire internet. Think of the internet like an iceberg, the tip sits above the surface, but the bulk of the iceberg stretches miles below the surface.”

Waseem continues: “The iceberg analogy represents a perfect model of the internet; Google is simply the tip of the iceberg, whilst the rest of the internet holds deeper and darker secrets.”

The ‘dark web’ originates from software pioneered by the US Navy in 2002, designed to safeguard government communications. 

However, the Tor software system was soon adopted by savvy techies all over the world. It’s the Tor software system that has developed a reputation as the ‘dark web’, allowing internet users to surf the web completely unmonitored and anonymously.

Now, as the Government pushes for companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and other major online companies to censor ‘harmful’ content, concerns have surfaced that such pressure to implement censorship will drive web users towards the ‘dark web’ proxy, obscuring the identity of users and the sites hosted.

The pioneers of the Tor project, a non-profit organisation whose inception took place in Walpole, Massachusetts in 2002, say that the project was establish with the intention of making anonymous web-surfing mainstream.

In an article published by the Independent, Tor project pioneers claim that ‘the numbers of users of its free software doubled between 2011 and 2012, reaching around 600,000 people each year – and, though the numbers are hard to trust, its data suggests there are 15,715 unique daily users in Britain. But as whole companies could be operating from one address, calculating the true usage is impossible.’

How does Tor work?

Tor, short for ‘The Onion Router’ because of its layer like complexities, functions by directing web traffic across a series of nodes – aka onion routes – adding layers of encrypted code at various intervals. The result is that browsers and online users, as well as the individuals hosting the websites it features, remain untraceable by authorities.

It is Tor software that kept the identity of ‘Prism’ whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, anonymous before he publically revealed details of the USA’s ‘secret’ surveillance system.

How does it damage business?

Waseem Saddique comments: “Reputation management becomes increasingly difficult as a result of the ‘dark web’, a proportion of companies in particular industry sectors have been subjected to a barrage of negative publicity as a result of dark web activity.”

As the ‘dark web’ is made up of non-indexable content and is 500 times larger than the ‘web surface’, the content stored is so much more difficult to trace and access. Businesses under attack from negative publicity posted through the ‘dark web’ will find it virtually impossible to trace the perpetrator and even if they do locate them the damage may already be irreparable.     

The other sinister aspect of the ‘dark web’ is that it allows for complete anonymity, which provides people with the opportunity to post slanderous and defamatory comments about particular businesses all over the web, whether via blog, social media or an online forum. The ramifications of such activity could easily damage a business brand, without any means of preventing it.

The warning issued to online business owners by computer security consultants is beware and get educated about the ‘dark web’.

5 Steps to Perfecting Your Cold Calling Tactics – A Waseem Saddique Marketing Insight

A live Google+ debate, hosted by ‘Software Advice’ on the 30^th January 2013, asked its audience does cold calling still work? What followed was a survey that collected data, which ranked Telemarketing/Cold Calling as the 3^rd most effective means of generating quality leads.

Waseem Saddique asserts: “Whilst the web seems to have stormed ahead in the number of leads ‘generated’, through SEO techniques, social media and e-mail marketing, many B2B and B2C marketers claim that cold calling actually provides better ‘quality’ leads.”

Source: Software Advice

The general consensus is that business marketers will always opt for quality over quantity. The majority of marketing experts claim that finding one quality lead per day can generate a higher source of revenue than ten ‘leads’, which often have no relevance to their business.


According to one marketing expert, Scott Channell, cold calling does work and works best for:
1. New businesses that require clients immediately.
2. Businesses experience a slump and the urgency to sell is vital.
3. Companies seeking higher-quality business accounts.

Cold Calling is what’s known in the industry, as ‘playing the long game’, so here are 5 essential tips that will reap the benefits of cold calling endurance:

1. Re-evaluate your end-goals: Adopting a ‘machine gun’ approach to cold calling will leave you frustrated. Effective cold calling demands that you have a specific goal on the horizon, which you’d like your listeners to engage with. Without a goal-orientated ethos there’s no way to determine whether you’re converting contacts into customers, meaning all your efforts are in vain. 

One successful, goal-orientated cold calling tactic is to bide your time. Rather than going in for ‘the sale’ within the five first sentences of your pitch, encourage the customer to take action that’s far less intimidating than having to make an instant decision on an opportunity. Get them to sign up to a newsletter, make an appointment to call another time etc. This approach makes for more successful calls.

2. Pick your prospects wisely: Nothing wastes more time than cold calling the wrong target audience for your product or service. Chances are if you sell stair lifts for instance you’re not going to call people who live in bungalows (it happens). Research and analysis are key factors when implementing a successful cold calling marketing campaign.

3. Know when to call and when not to call: A recent consumer survey carried out by ‘Which?’ (February 2013), revealed that 76% of consumers could not stand cold callers that contacted them between the hours of 7 – 9pm on a Friday night.  Also, as a cold-caller, you need to assess your own motivation at 7pm on a Friday evening and then compare that with a customer’s likely receptiveness. Chances are your motivation levels will be low, therefore, it’s only reasonable to assume that a customer is not likely to be listening.

Waseem Saddique states: “Data shows that calling clients between the hours of 8.30 – 10.00am, between Tuesday – Thursday, deliver the best results as you can catch people before they settle into the confines of the working day when they are likely to be attending meetings for instance.”

4. Seek help: A common cold calling tactic is to seek help from the customers you contact. In an example provided by persuasive.net, consider the following two scenarios: 

“Hi Mr. So-and-so.  My name is Mike Smith and I’d like to tell you more about how my new line of products can dramatically improve your bottom line.”
Versus

“Hi Mr. So-and-so.  My name is Mike Smith and I’m hoping you can help me.  I’m looking for business owners who want to improve their bottom lines – does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”      

Notice the difference – The first statement launches into the ‘I’ mentality and sales piffle, whereas the second statement places the emphasis on ‘you’, you being the customer in this case. It places the value of the client’s input before anything else, this grabs attention.

5. Lay foundations with your prospects, them build on them: A common misconception when it comes to cold calling is that applying pressure will deliver results. Maybe in the spur of the moment this is true, however many cold callers, during the early part of their careers, remember the amount of times clients would call back to cancel a sale.

What’s the solution? Endurance, as building a rapport will allow you to win trust, committing a client to your product or service, not just for a one-off business deal, but for a long-term business relationship which would guarantee a continuous revenue stream for years to come.

Waseem Saddique comments: “Consider this, just ten clients bringing in £10,000, having built rapport shows a much better return, than calling 100 clients and generating £1000. Simply adapting the cold calling approach will transform the productivity of any business.”

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services was formed in 2007, the company has consistently provided small to medium enterprises, as well as larger corporate firms with a range of digital marketing & online solutions.

What’s the ‘Cloud’ & is it the Future of Digital Content Storage? Waseem Saddique Marketing Investigates

The ‘Cloud’ is arguably the hottest trending topic in marketing at present, but what’s all the fuss about? Waseem Saddique Marketing Services investigates the ‘buzz’ behind the ‘Cloud’.

Waseem Saddique comments: “In a recent statement issued by Gartner Inc. the company predicted that 2013 will see one-third of consumers’ digital-content stored in the ‘Cloud’ system. However, a number of consumers have been left baffled as to what the ‘Cloud’ system is.”

What is the ‘Cloud?’

In order to explain the concept of the ‘Cloud’ here’s a simple analogy.

Previous technologies such as floppy disks, CD’s and even USB drives provided you with a physical piece of hardware on which you could store those important files, music and photographs.

The ‘Cloud’ removes the ‘physical hardware’ aspect so photos featured on Facebook, or movies streamed via ‘Love Film’ for instance, are not stored on the hard drive of a computer it’s stored somewhere else, the ‘Cloud’.

The simplest explanation given is that the Cloud is simply a form of Internet storage. A number of technology specialists would argue that it is more complex than that and of course it is, but based on the assumption we’re not all technologically savvy, this explanation will suffice.

In technological terms, the Cloud, otherwise known as cloud computing, refers to data that is hosted on or operates via an Internet server. A number of major digital marketing service providers have such servers in place including: Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Apple.

‘Cloud’ Benefits   

Arguably the greatest benefit of using ‘Cloud’-based services or ‘Cloud’ computing is that your data is not stored on one device, it’s accessible across multiple devices. You can access e-mails and other applications from any computer. Furthermore, with cloud storage facilities such as Google Drive, SugarSync and Dropbox, you have the capacity to store those important files.

Another great perk of ‘Cloud’ storage is the back-up it offers. Even if your computer hard drive crashes, all is not lost because your files are stored across various services, which are immediately accessible from another computer.

Waseem Saddique states: “The ‘Cloud’ is extremely beneficial for businesses that have huge amounts of data to store and based on the evidence the future of digital content storage is firmly heading in this direction.”

‘Cloud’ Caution

What makes the ‘Cloud’ so unique is that data is stored on the Internet, the drawback to that is that an online connection is required in order to access data. This would not be a complication with a physical piece of hardware such as a ‘USB pen’.

Waseem Saddique concludes: “The ‘Cloud’ also raises the question of security, given that it is an internet-based service. Consumers are understandably protective of their online digital content and whilst great strides are made to preserve privacy and security, caution should be taken when using the ‘Cloud’. It’s recommended that users have strong passwords.” 

Impacted by Google Panda Changes? Waseem Saddique Marketing Offers Recovery Tips

Waseem Saddique asserts: “The adverse effect on SEO rankings for many companies following the Google Panda changes initially wreaked havoc when implemented back in 2011. Many companies have had to resort to SEO ‘Panda Recovery’ measures in order to re-assert a high search engine ranking status.”

Whilst this has proven to be a nuisance, many SEO experts agree that the algorithm changes have been positive for the Search Ranking industry, as the changes targeted ‘low-quality sites’ in order to decrease their ranking status and raise the search engine positioning, of what Google Panda  determined to be, ‘high quality sites’.

Google statistics reveal that Panda changes affected approximately 12% of SEO rankings when it was first implemented. The most recent Panda algorithm changes, believed to have taken place in January 2013, reveal that alterations affected just 1.2% of English queries.

Waseem Saddique Marketing offers some essential tips for SEO Panda Recovery:

1.       Reduce the amount of Low Quality content on your website – As part of the recovery process the number one goal should be to eliminate auto-generated content from your website. This can be achieved by preventing the indexing and crawling of all low quality content, which will restrict Google Panda from downgrading the SEO ranking of your entire site.
2.             Unique is key – Google Panda thrives on unique, high quality content and penalises websites that simply copy articles from other sources. To avoid being punished by the Panda algorithm focus your efforts on publishing fresh, unique and captivating content on your site.
3.        Keep Advertising to a Minimum – Google’s Panda algorithm is adverse to websites with high advertising content. Reducing advert numbers not only pacifies the Panda algorithm, but also improves the user experience. Statistics, released by Hub Pages, reveals that 67% of web users would leave a site if it was saturated with advertisements.
4.       Increase Your Knowledge of Panda and Track Updates - Sites affected by Panda will experience massive changes, especially to page viewing figures. When evaluating Google Analytics it’s likely that you’ll find a substantial decrease in page viewing numbers. This represents clear evidence that your site has undergone a Panda evaluation.
5.       Establish Integrity – The more exclusive, high quality SEO content that you publish, the more likely your website will be to capture the attention of Google ‘crawlers’. This attention expands across backlinks; enhancing your website as a respected resource for providing top quality material for your target audience. Google Panda prefers sites that attract high audience viewing figures for all the correct reasons. 

Waseem Saddique states: “Some things to consider when evaluating your website include:

·         Do I find the information on the site factual, informative and reliable?

·         Does my site portray an element of expertise on the topic covered, highlighting professionalism?

·         Is my site worthy of recommendation to others and would I point my connections in the direction of the site for information?”

Founded in 2007, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has consistently provided small to medium enterprises as well as larger corporate firms with a range of digital marketing & online solutions.

How to build an ‘App’ for your Business – A guide from Waseem Saddique Marketing Services

It’s estimated that there are 6 million apps in circulation (source: esave.com) across all platforms including: the iPhone app store, the Android Market, the Windows Phone market place, the Blackberry and many more.

Waseem Saddique comments: “The ‘app’ market is competitive, as businesses jostle to attract consumer attention. Therefore, if an app would be suitable for aiding business growth, it’s certainly worth considering the development of an ‘app’ when implementing an online marketing strategy.”

Statistics show that quality ‘apps’ tend to go viral very quickly and are a sure fire way to increase the prominence of an online marketing campaign and increase the exposure of a business. ‘Apps’ have become a particularly favoured marketing tool among SME’s as they look to raise the profile of their businesses.

Waseem Saddique states: “Whilst there are a number of DIY ‘app’ development tools available, it is recommended that you consult a specialist ‘app’ developer, especially if you’re technological knowledge is basic at best. There’s no shame in calling in a professional, after all it’s best to develop an ‘app’ that is effective and less likely to encounter functionality issues.”

What’s the benefit of an ‘app’?

One of the key benefits that ‘apps’ offer is versatility as they can be embedded almost anywhere, whether it is on a Facebook page, on a mobile or smartphone or on a website.

Other benefits include:

#1 – A cost effective approach to online marketing.

#2 – Rapid viral exposure.

#3 – ‘Apps’ are interactive, encouraging consumers to connect with your business, whether        consciously, or subconsciously.

#4 – They offer a revenue stream – ‘Apps’ can be sold on a number of ‘app’ markets.

#5 – They can constantly be refined to keep up with consumer trends.

What are my options for developing an ‘app’? 

Do-it-yourself – Whilst consulting with a developer is recommended, if your budget is tight there are a number of DIY ‘app’ development tools available. One particular DIY tool that is proving popular is Google’s App Inventor. ‘App’ inventor does not require the involvement of a developer and allows you to create Android compatible ‘apps’ that utilise smartphone features such as, GPS and SMS.

Should you wish to capture the iPhone market the ‘AppMakr’ tool is a website-based iPhone ‘app’ creator.

A number of DIY tools also exist for creating microsites, Facebook applications, blog ‘apps’ and much more.

Waseem Saddique states: “It’s imperative, that when developing an ‘app’ of your own, without professional assistance, that the concept and strategy are right from the word go, otherwise the development could become a time-consuming and costly process.”

Hire a freelancer – Freelance websites are a great way to source ‘app’ developers, some of the top sites include peopleperhour.com, odesk.com and freelancer.com

There is a risk element to hiring the services of a freelancer, but it is also a cost effective method compared to hiring a development agency.

The key element of hiring a freelancer is to do your research and when selecting a developer to work with, make sure everything is put in black and white by way of a contract. That way there can be no misinterpretations of what is expected from both parties during the ‘app’ project.

Hire an agency – For the more affluent business owner, with a more significant budget, hiring an ‘app’ development agency is perhaps the best option. If your ‘app’ is likely to play a big part in your marketing strategy, there is no substitute for ensuring that you ‘app’ is developed to the highest standard.

Waseem Saddique comments: “A well-developed ‘app’ can be a ‘game changer’ when jostling for consumer attention. Functionality is of the utmost importance and research conducted by esave.com shows that 47% of consumers will cease to use an ‘app’ if it’s slow and too complex to use.”

A highly recommended ‘app’ development agency (as supplied by masahable.com) is TheyMakeApps.com who have the capability to develop ‘apps’ for all platforms, particularly for online marketing campaigns.

For an all-in-one solution, employ in-house developers

Hiring an in-house developer(s) offers a solution that combines all three of the above. If online marketing and mobile marketing are the essential foundation for the success of your business then, purely for the long-term benefits, employing in-house staff is the most effective solution. 

Over a period of time, in-house staff will have a solid grasp of your ‘app’ requirements and can constantly refine and develop applications in order to keep up with customer trends and tastes. In terms of longevity and establishing an ‘app’ brand having developers that know your business inside out will ultimately prove pivotal.

Founded in 2007, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has consistently provided small to medium enterprises, as well as larger corporate firms, with a range of digital marketing & online solutions. To learn more visit www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.com

Viral Vaccine – Inject Life into Online Marketing Campaigns Urges Waseem Saddique

The Viral Virus is contagious and it spreads. Irrespective of every online marketing technique that exists, there is no better form of marketing than word-of-mouth. Online Marketing techniques don’t spread news, people spread news. 

Waseem Saddique comments: “Online Marketing campaigns are just the catalysts that compel people to sit up and take notice of a business that has something to say.”

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services reveals a comprehensive guide, giving businesses an insight into the value of viral, and the key elements for implementing an effective viral marketing campaign.

• The word ‘Free’ increases viral velocity

In the marketing world, the word ‘Free’ will trigger a viral marketing campaign, whether it was intended or not. Draw the attention of one consumer and they’ll do the hard work for you, sharing an online marketing campaign with friends and family, promoting a business with very little effort from the business itself.

Offering a free product or service increases the speed at which consumers become aware of your presence. With the aid of social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, viral marketing campaigns can spread like wildfire. In fact one of the features of Facebook is that it allows you to monitor the impact of a posting as it displays viral reach.

• Make your online marketing campaign easily transferable

In order to send an online marketing campaign into viral overdrive, the information should be quickly digestible and easy to transfer.  “This is what makes viral contagious”, states Waseem Saddique. The platform that carries an online marketing campaign should be quickly transferable and simple to replicate. 

Waseem Saddique suggests: “The use of e-mails, simple graphics, social media and other simplistic mediums that make it easy for consumers to ‘spread the word’, will boost the impact of any viral element of an online marketing campaign.”

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow for the quick transfer of information. Facebook in particular has a ‘share’ feature and Twitter restricts postings to 140 characters and has a ‘re-tweet’ feature, allowing people to instantly transfer information that is of particular interest to them personally.

• Exploit common motivational factors

Intelligent online marketing campaigns factor in how they can achieve a viral aspect. Successful viral marketing campaigns exploit human motivations. Waseem Saddique says: “Focus your online marketing campaign on what drives people, for example, the desire to be loved, popular, wanted and understood are all driving forces of human existence and, on a slightly controversial note, so is greed, so viral marketing campaigns should target these forces.”

• Utilise established communication networks

The majority of people are social. According to social ‘experts’ every person on the planet has a ‘circle of influence’ that consists of between 8-12 people that includes family, friends and acquaintances. Attract the attention of a single person and viral marketing escalates, impacting that person’s ‘sphere of influence’.

• Make use of other resources

Extremely creative viral marketing campaigns work in conjunction with other resources in order to ‘spread the word’. Waseem Saddique states: “To inject life into an online marketing campaign, businesses should consider affiliate programs, for instance, post text or image links on other websites, give away free articles and seek to get them published on other websites. Generate news releases and issue them to distribution sites.”

The potential reach of viral marketing is unlimited and the impact of viral can transform any online marketing campaign, taking it from obscurity into ‘overdrive’.

Waseem Saddique’s Google Guide: Get the Coveted Google Top Spot for Christmas

Birmingham based marketing adviser, Waseem Saddique, provides a guide to guiding your business to the coveted Google top spot.

Waseem Saddique asks: “Do you have a website? Then chances are you want that website to feature on top of the pile when it comes to the Google search engine. The primary aim of any website should be to attract targeted traffic, the type of traffic that converts ‘browsers’ into customers.”

Access to targeted traffic can be achieved by hitting that sought after primary position on Google. This can be done by identifying those prime keywords associated with your website. Whilst it’s not overly difficult to achieve top spot on Google, it’s imperative that the right keywords are utilised in order to reach that sought after first position.

Waseem Saddique says: “In short you need to target those keywords that people will actually search for. A simple enough principle, otherwise effort is wasted.”

For clarification purposes, the 3 quickest ways to achieve a page one ranking on Google and begin an ascent to top spot are as follows:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – This generates the organic results on Google and makes up the main listings.
2.  Google Ads – These are results sponsored by Google and these will be featured at the top of the page and to the right hand side
3.  Google Place – This is something that can be done by an individual via the Google Business Centre.

However, it is highly recommended, should your budget permit, to do all 3.

What should I choose if I can’t afford all 3?

Waseem Saddique comments:  “A good question. It depends on your overall aim. There are benefits and pitfalls to employing just one tactic. The only sure way to cover all the bases is to implement all 3 tactics.”

“Here’s an overview of the options so you can decide for yourself what best suits the requirements of your business.”

SEO – This tactic should be implemented if you’re looking for a long term solution and consistent success in your drive to reach the Google top spot. However, this approach does require patience as it takes time to achieve. Google will punish you if it’s achieved too quickly. Aside, from being penalised, the SEO option is arguably the most sensible approach for the online marketing of a website.

Google Ads – If it’s instant attention you seek for your website then Google Ads is the solution. The upside is that it gets your website on the first page of Google immediately; the drawback is that there is a cost for every time someone clicks on your advert. For those on a tight budget, cost implications will need to be considered and a careful assessment of keywords will need to be undertaken to ensure that the right people are clicking on your advert.

Google Place - Google Place provides an opportunity for businesses to gain exposure free of charge. Research identifies that 97% of consumers will search for a local business online. Places for Business lets you make the most of your listing and show customers why they'll want to choose you. Being on Google helps people find, share, rate, and recommend your business to their friends, and people across the web. Places for Business lets you see what people are saying, and respond to customer reviews.

‘Video Vitality’ - Waseem Saddique Marketing Services Unveils the Benefits of Video Marketing

Online Video Marketing has become a revelation in the marketing industry and Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has unveiled some of the key benefits of video marketing, so that businesses can adopt this growing trend to add greater vitality to their online marketing efforts.

Waseem Saddique says: “Online Video Marketing is a powerful tool to possess when it comes to revamping an online marketing campaign. Video Marketing is known to increase traffic flow to websites and hold audience attention for longer.”

With the introduction of 4G technology, increasing bandwidth sizes, the consumer experience of video has greatly improved as buffering has been reduced, or in some circumstances, completely eradicated.

Yet there’s so much more that Online Video Marketing has to offer:

•  Video Marketing ‘attracts a broader consumer audience than written content’

For the ‘lazy’ consumer, video provides an alternative to scrolling through text. The majority of consumers respond to visual stimulation, therefore an Online Marketing Video has the potential, not only to reach a wider audience, but to increase curiosity.

• Video marketing ‘stimulates the senses more than text’

Video marketing engages sound and vision, a far more attractive proposition to the consumer than ‘lifeless’ text. The saying goes ‘a picture says a thousand words’ and in the case of video marketing, images will leave a lasting impression and increase the effectiveness of an online marketing campaign.

•  Video marketing ‘enhances the longevity of an online marketing campaign’

Videos are accessible on a constant basis and they are also transferable. Videos can be linked via social media sites (such as Facebook and Twitter), they can be posted on websites and also posted on specialist video hosting sites such as YouTube.

Such activity means that the longevity of Video is sustained and because it can be accessed on the go, there is no limit to the reach an online video marketing campaign could have. No matter where a person is, access to video is viable.

• Video marketing  ‘increases search ranking prominence’

The use of online video marketing is understood to increase prominence on search engines such as Google and Bing. Video is known to take precedence over text based content. A great example is YouTube, which is always ranked highly due to its video content. Linking videos to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter will also enhance search ranking position.

• Video marketing ‘oozes professionalism’

Research has shown that consumers consider online video marketing very professional if done well. Consumers feel they can rely on a company that conveys a message of professionalism and video marketing has gone a long way to changing customer perceptions of many organisations.

•  Video marketing ‘can rejuvenate ‘tired’ content’

Video marketing has the potential to add a fresh perspective to standard written articles. Many businesses have converted articles into online video clips and the message is conveyed in a completely different way. Audiences experience a different approach and in turn become much more responsive if content is reincarnated in video form.

•   Video marketing ‘is simple and effective’

Putting together an online video marketing campaign is very straightforward. The majority of people turn to market leader, YouTube, in order to create a video and they provide a tutorial to assist in video creation.

Waseem Saddique concludes: “Online Video Marketing offers an alternative approach to standard marketing options, but one of the major benefits of video is that it has no determined lifespan. Unlike text, which has to be refreshed and updated to bring it back to life, video endures much longer, saving time and saving money, a good combination for any organisation.” 

PPC marketing doesn’t need to break the bank

Successful online marketing is an invaluable step for any business seeking to increase awareness of the services they are offering and engage with potential clients.

Marketing expert, Waseem Saddique is offering his expert knowledge on how not to break the bank with Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing.

With an understanding of the resources available, an online marketing campaign can be one of the most cost-effective ways of maximising your business’s potential.

“It is wise to set aside a portion of your budget for paid advertisements on Google. These paid ads will become the first results that potential customers will see when they make a search,” Says Waseem.

Although Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising requires a financial investment, if successful the ROI can be extensive. Research shows that approximately 60% of people click on organic results, leaving 40% of potential customers lost if a PPC campaign is not run.

Guiding traffic to a website is great to increase awareness of the services you are offering which in turn can increase revenue. PPC is great for new websites by giving a direct instant service although it is vital to keep within the budget that has been set.

“The first step of PPC marketing is to understand what you want to achieve for the budget that has been set. Research the keywords and phrases and then write ads directed to qualified customers,” continues Waseem.

Once PPC ads have been written, choose the keywords relevant to the campaign to link to the ad.

Both Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter offer a service where ads can be set to target metropolitan areas, individual cities or even zip codes within those cities so that your budget is spent on a well-targeted audience: In AdWords, you can even limit your ads to show within a certain radius of your location.

“By restricting your ads in this manner, advertisers can ensure that they aren’t wasting money on users outside their target market,” advises Waseem.

Geographical regions can be set almost instantaneously by adjusting your campaign settings.

“PPC campaigns can double visitors and if successful can double profit. But you will need to keep track of campaigns to ensure that it is continuing to succeed and that you are within your budget,” Waseem Saddique recommends.

A great thing about PPC is that the Return on Investment (ROI) can be measured. This way if it doesn’t pay for itself in conversions it can be adjusted accordingly.

PPC marketing is one of the most instant services to make people aware of the service on offer but it is important to stick to budgets and to keep reports this way Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising won’t break the bank.

Click Fraud: Is Your Account Protected?

Over the past few years the internet has significantly grown. This growth has not only boosted the online advertising industry but also in particular the PPC market.

Although great things have come out of the world wide web, the ugly issue of click fraud has come about.

Click fraud, also known as Invalid Clicks happens in Pay Per Click online advertising and is considered a type of internet crime.

Since the dawn of PPC in the early 2000s click fraud has been an issue for many online advertisers.

Click fraud occurs when a person, automated script or computer program imitates a continuous number of clicks. It can be for the financial gain of the clicker, or to deplete the funds of the advertiser.

Google is continuously worked on this problem but to keep your account protected, marketing expert, Waseem Saddique offers these useful tips.

“You should always track your campaigns. There is a very important relationship between managing and monitoring your account,” Says Waseem.

Google AdWords has two handy resources that can be used to track campaigns; Account Performance and Campaign Performance. These two resources will allow you to see the percentage of clicks that Google thinks are irrelevant or ‘not good’.

“In countries where there is a low labour rate, people are employed to power click fraud efforts. It is therefore wise to choose which countries your ads will be displayed.”

By limiting the locations where you have the ads displayed, you will automatically get more conversions due to target clicks, furthermore your website will be less prone to click fraud.

“You need to be meticulous in your approach. Completely analyze and go through all details that could relate to any suspicious activity.

“Last but not the least; carefully document all your traffic analysis through reports while running your PPC campaign.”

Click fraud is preventable if campaigns are monitored and managed carefully.

Google Instant May Boost Mobile Marketing

A beta version of Google Instant for mobile devices has been launched in the US.
According to an official Google blog, users of iPhones and Android handsets can access the tool with the click of a button on the search engine's .com site.

The feature works on mobiles in much the same way as the desktop version, by streaming real-time predictive results as a person types in a search term.

On mobile devices, the first suggested link will appear automatically and further results will appear by tapping the screen.

Software engineer Steve Kanefsky advised that pressing enter on the search button will remove the predictions and return pages for the user's specified phrase.

The launch of Google Instant for mobile comes after new research indicated the tool could have a "massive" impact on search engine optimisation if it becomes the norm.