E-consultancy - Guest Author's Blog

How else can Google ascertain relevancy?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:00:00 UT

Google was a pioneer in the search world for ranking websites based on incoming links as well as content. But which other measures could the search giant use to evaluate relevance?

Apart from the top level 'links' and 'content', which we know affect placement, online marketers use experience and testing to work out�the other things�Google looks at when ascertaining the relevancy of web pages for search terms.

Is the role of the SEO dead and should PRs own natural search?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:45:00 UT

I ask this controversial question for two reasons. Firstly, so many people now understand on-page SEO basics, and secondly, it has widely been accepted that PR, of the online variety, is key to building up links.

So where does this leave the SEO professional?

How the new TLDs could impact your search rankings

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:15:00 UT

On 26th June, ICANN, the Internet domain authority, announced that a new format for domain names would be made available, ending the 25 year long reliance on established TLD (top level domains) such as .com and .uk

The change will enable brands to register their own name as a top level domain, so we may in future see domains such as http://autions.ebay or http://books.amazon.�The move is long awaited, with ICANN petitioning to bring this into place since�its inception in 1998.�

More Hollywood than haute couture

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 08:30:00 UT

eBay has posted a letter to its 14m UK users detailing its fight against counterfeits and claiming it is a defender of e-commerce against the threat of uncompetitive commercial practices.

The letter, signed by 'Doug' (European SVP Doug McCallum), follows a ruling last week against eBay in the Paris commercial court.

Online and offline - the customer voice reigns

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:00:00 UT

We all know that customer ratings and reviews, or user generated content, help drive more traffic to a website,�increase sales conversions, make merchandisers smarter and more.

But did you know that customer reviews are changing the way consumers shop and the way companies market their products?

Brett Hurt writes that this is a unique time in the history of advertising, because companies are literally using their customers� word of mouth as a digital marketing asset to create entirely new forms of multichannel campaigns.

Five online marketing tips for organic stores

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:51:00 UT

Leon Bailey Green gives organic stores five online marketing tips...

The Analytics Gap - how free tools affect the industry and company strategy

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:43:00 UT

The trend�towards free analytics technology, accelerated by�Yahoo's acquisition of IndexTools and plan to make it a free service , raises interesting questions both for vendors and for organisational planning, writes Lynchpin's Andrew Hood .�

What will the end of BPF mean for advertisers?

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:22:00 UT

Believe it or not, there once was a time when Google still had to convince large advertisers that online marketing (and more specifically search engine marketing) was a very cost-effective channel to acquire customers.��

Initially Google provided discount to advertising agencies to encourage the adoption of its Adwords platform but in 2006, since this model wasn�t really fair towards other advertisers, Google replaced it with the Best Practice Funding (BPF) Programme.

The Google Trademark change � will it level the playing field?

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:58:00 UT

Probably one of the most material and controversial changes for the UK and Irish paid search markets is almost upon us � the relaxation of the trademark protection Google currently affords to brands will cease on 5 May 2008.

As Ivan Izikowitz writes, some analysts and industry experts have taken the cynical view that this is merely a way for Google to stimulate volume and/or increased prices at a time when its revenue growth is slowing.

There is another perspective, however�

Five tips for online fashion stores

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:00:00 UT

Leon Bailey Green gives fashion retailers five tips to think about for increasing revenue and sales.

Putting customers in charge of your communications

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:45:00 UT

Many companies�are still�losing customers because�they don�t know what they want, writes Marc Morris.

How can fashion etailer �Mode Urbaine� improve trust?

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 08:00:00 UT

You may have seen print adverts for new website modeurbaine.com.� Leon Bailey suggests five improvements the website should have made before embarking on an advertising campaign.

5 ways campaign websites can enhance their online presence

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:47:00 UT

Leon Bailey and Jonathan Hirshler look at how five of the UK�s most popular campaign groups can enhance their online visibility and presence.�

Achieving an ROI from marketing

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:32:00 UT

Marketing departments need to come out of their comfort zones and start demonstrating their impact on the bottom line, writes James Harrison.

Has Converse marketed its Century milestone online?

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:30:00 UT

Last week I attended the Converse Century party to celebrate the brand�s hundredth birthday.�

Is Converse making full use of online PR, and which SEO techniques should such a big brand be using?

Victoria Beckham's SEO - fashion or music?

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 13:56:00 UT

According to rumours Victoria Beckham wanted the Spice Girls tour to finish early so she could concentrate on her fashion career.

Does her online PR suggest she�s a WAG, musician or fashion icon? What can she do to turn it her way?

cScape's Richard Sedley on digital and the economy

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 13:23:00 UT

Since speaking at last year's Online Marketing Masterclass, cScape's Customer Engagement Director Richard Sedley�has been rather busy writing a book: �Winners and Losers in a Troubled Economy: How to use online customer engagement to gain a competitive advantage."

Here, we ask him to explain his views on why the internet�may be a safe(r) haven for marketers during recessionary times...

Can private sales work in online fashion?

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 08:30:00 UT

Can online private fashion sales work in the UK? Leon Bailey asks how one goes about marketing such websites.

If you were me would you make any money?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:00:00 UT

I haven�t had a whole lot of time recently to play around in the MMO world but I follow the, err, 2.0 space pretty closely.

There were a couple things�that caught my eye this week�and are both somewhat troubling.

12 tips for Xmas email campaigns

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:47:00 UT

Tink Taylor of dotMailer �has�compiled�a checklist of 12 tips for 'Effective Email Marketing this Xmas' - all of which look like�good�things to think about at any�point in the year.

We list them after the jump...