Google announced a major algorithmic update that primarily focuses on links recently. The new Google link algorithm, just like the previous updates, is very important to webmasters and search marketers because it can help explain the latest changes in rankings and organic website traffic.

Knowing and understanding the new Google link algorithm allows you to identify the adjustments you need to apply to your search engine optimization practices to be able to stay away from penalty and keep up with the competition.

Basically, the Unnatural Link update of March 2012 is the biggest update so far compared to the previous huge updates such as Vince in 2009, Florida in 2003 and Panda in 2011. The previous updates focused more on certain types of websites, the Unnatural Link update on the other hand is all about penalizing websites purely based on the link strategy.

As expected, it has caused huge problems for the sites that are affected. Over 700, 000 websites have received a message from Google or popularly known as the Unnatural Link Notice.

Branded3.Com, a Digital and SEO Agency in the UK, analyzed over 50 reputable websites who have been hit by Google’s latest update. In the course of their study, they have observed the following:

• Once you receive the Unnatural Link Notice in your Webmaster Tools account, a penalty will arrive within weeks
• Branded3.Com noticed some instances where violators received the penalty exactly 21 days after they get the link notice
• In most cases, the penalty is phrased based. This means that sites lose rankings for all keywords related to the ones used in the anchor text of the links Google considers as being “unnatural”
• The Unnatural Link penalty is observed too sharp to be purely link devaluation. Most of the cases show that the landing pages being hit fall lower than they would rank with no links at all.
• Penalty for the worst offenders can be sitewide

Today, Google is asking people to clean up unnatural links. One of the best ways is to contact the person who placed the links to get them removed. If not possible, you can manually email the sites and request for links removal. Removing bad links is a tough job that everybody must follow to be able to maintain and improve site rankings.

The Northern Office – Innovative Marketing helps you by staying up to date to Google updates. This gives you clues on how to improve your rankings and maintain high online visibility. If you need help or advice on search engine marketing issues, please get in touch with us. TNO is an independent marketing consultancy firm based in the Philippines with clients based in Europe, America and Asia. Call us at (045) 499-1082 today or visit our website www.thenorthernoffice.com.

source: www.branded3.com

When was the last time you actually asked your customers what they really wanted? If you’re running a business, knowing what your customers want is very important. Conducting surveys with your target audience is often overlooked, but it is clear that surveys are something every business should be doing because having a vague picture of your audience can definitely break your business and your brand.

Basically, online surveys let you find out the interests of your prospects, what your customers really want, and acquire unique market insights that you need to run your business smarter and eventually ensure success.

#1           Establish Business Focus

Surveys allow you to get a better understanding of what your audience needs and wants. This will let you focus more of your efforts on improving your products or services that your audience prefers the most. Knowing your audience through feedback and comments towards your offerings can not only save you time and resources but also give you some clues on the direction you want to take and feel more confident about the services you offer.

#2           Create Stronger Customer Relationships

Letting your customers know that their opinions matter to you makes them feel empowered and important. This gives them a sense of your business philosophy and dedication to providing excellent products and services. This process makes them more interested and eager to work with you. This is how “loyal following” begins.

#3           Real-Time Data Results

Compared to traditional surveys, online surveys allow you to achieve real-time results. This instant data gathering gives marketers the information they need, when they need it. Old data can become irrelevant in today’s fast paced world where people’s needs and wants evolve quickly. Timely information on the other hand is KEY to a relevant and successful marketing campaign.

#4           Automated reporting

Gone are the days of waiting hours to summarize critical survey feedback. Another major benefit of online survey is automated reporting. Same as with real-time data, this helps with real-time statistics accompanied by detailed reporting that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Marketers that are on-the-go can greatly benefit from this because this leads to improved work efficiency.

#5           Accurate and reliable data

The risk for human error is minimized by online surveys. Automatically generated feedback reports ensure more reliable results and more specific information for use in marketing campaigns. No need for manual insertions. With online surveys, you can achieve more accurate and dependable data that helps you work on your business core and do away with the clutter.

The Northern Office – Innovative Marketing is an independent marketing consultancy firm that helps businesses generates more profit by leveraging their marketing efforts to a whole new level. TNO utilizes online surveys to get a clear picture of your target audience and their needs. We can create effective online surveys to help create better or improve existing marketing campaigns. Call us today at 045 499 1082 for a free consultation. Visit www.thenorthernoffice.com for more information.

Capturing an audience is to stand out from all the clutter in the World Wide Web. Effective content marketing is a major key in capturing people’s attention. It helps you earn a distinctive brand, a loyal fan base and increase in sales.

Good content marketing is the single best way to beat bigger competitors online that do not require a big budget to succeed. Content Marketing used to be about customer magazines and mailed newsletters. Now it spans to blog, email newsletters, eBooks, white papers, articles, videos and more. Below are a few content marketing techniques that you can apply to your business to get the online visibility you need.

Prepare

The first three important steps towards creating killer content are as follows:

Tone and Style. Prior to writing your web content, your brand needs to have a defined voice to prevent inconsistencies in the future.

Picking Content Creators. Choose the right person to create you content so you have to pick diligently.

Workflow. Having a well-staffed company to take part in researching, writing and publishing is better than the ‘one person does everything’ workflow. Allowing a number of heads to take part in the process helps you catch mistakes and bring more ideas for a better output.

Persuade

Create persuasive content. Take precaution on how you speak and what you say.

Use Simple Language. Studies show that most people respond best to advertisements that contain no scientific language. Keep your words plain and simple.

Have Opinions. Brand that have opinions are seen to be interesting. Be bold and popular but remember not be hostile towards your competitors. Refrain from mentioning names.

Sell the Benefits. Informing your audience about the benefits of your products or services helps your audience makes purchase decisions. Focus content on the benefits rather than promoting the product directly. Using ‘benefit-focused’ copy quickly tells the reader what’s in it for them.

Teach

It is important to remember that people want to hear answers and discover something new. In simpler words, think and give what your audience wants.

Give Answers. Remember that most people surf the web to look for answers. Content marketing has to offer practical advice that people can benefit from.

Say or Do Something New. Stay away from the boring and unoriginal content. Do something new or present existing topic in a new way. Don’t settle for block of texts. Use images, create infographics or shoot a video.

Captivate

Draw your audience by giving your content more personality. Captivate by telling stories and characters to draw them in and leave them wanting more.

Tell a story. Base on a number of studies conducted at Swinburne University of Technology, telling stories can be useful in corporate communication. It is a great way to connect with your readers.

Use Real People. To be able to bring people close to your brands, use real people. Let your audience see your employees by using pictures, audio and video. People choose to get involved with a company with which they feel a personal connection.

The Northern Office – Innovative Marketing makes use of engaging copies and informative content to attract its target audience. TNO is an independent marketing consultancy firm based in the Philippines with clients based in Europe, America and Asia. We develop killer web marketing content with the client’s goals and target audience in mind. For more information, go to www.thenorthernoffice.com.

Article from Official Google Blog :Two months ago, we announced our plans to roll out a new design for the Google bar. Our goal was to create a beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

Based on your feedback, we realized there were some elements of the new bar that we could improve, and with that in mind, we’re introducing an updated version that we believe will provide a better experience.

The new design retains many of the feature changes we made in November that proved popular, including a unified search box and Google+ sharing and notifications across Google. The biggest change is that we’ve replaced the drop-down Google menu with a consistent and expanded set of links running across the top of the page.

We'll be rolling out this new version of the Google bar over the next few weeks. In the meantime, we invite you to read about the new design in our Help Center, and send us your feedback.

Big or small, veteran or startup, any business would probably agree that when it comes to maintaining a business website, a good Content Management System or CMS like Joomla is very important.

Joomla is basically a “framework” for building websites. It is an open source CMS (which means multiple users can log in and manipulate the system) that helps you organize and manage your content easily.

There are other CMS available on the internet. Some are free, some can be very expensive. Question is, why choose Joomla? And why use it now?

#1           Organized and convenient

A static web page becomes unruly once the content starts to add up. Updating and adding content are also often difficult to apply. Digging up content has become a headache since typical static sites doesn’t have a search function. Navigation is also a big problem for whenever you need to add another navigation button to include a new category to your website, you have to rebuild the whole navigation system to be able to add a new section. In such circumstances, Joomla makes more sense to use.

A Joomla website is recommended for a growing business’s infrastructure. Unlimited content can be added continuously with its user-friendly interface and formatting features. Finding specific pages is made easy as Joomla’s hierarchal structure keeps content organized and easy to search.

#2           Unlimited possibilities

No matter what business you are in, Joomla makes it simple to customize your website according to your requirements. For example, business owners can set up an online store using Joomla in a breeze as it only needs to install VirtueMart --- a plugin created for online merchants. From there, setting up a professional online shop with full order management capability is not a problem.

You can pretty much create any type of corporate site using Joomla. International companies like Yamaha, Vodafone, Times Square, Porsche, Olympus, Linux Foundation and Burger King use it. Different businesses build their websites on Joomla. This proves that the system is highly flexible and customizable.

For small businesses, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin nowadays are much needed. Joomla easily integrates with preferred social media platforms to able to expand customer reach.

#3           Online presence at no cost

Joomla is freely available to anyone who has internet access. With Joomla, gaining online presence is free yet effective! Take advantage of this convenience and increase productivity. But remember that although Joomla allows non-technical authors or publishers to quickly publish content on the website, navigating the interface can be quite difficult especially when articles start to pile up.

It is advisable to seek professional help to manage the different components and maximize its use. The average web user may find it hard managing complex and complicated Joomla features. For enhanced website functionality, you need to hire a professional to implement or monitor security, content backups, additional components, extensions and other necessary plug-ins.

The Northern Office – Innovative Marketing is an independent internet marketing consultancy firm in the Philippines with a wide clientele based worldwide. We specialize in web development and customer support for ecommerce businesses. Our dynamic web development team can help you build a profitable website using effective marketing strategies that will fit your budget. For more information, visit www.thenorthernoffice.com or call (045) 499.1082.