The encrypted Google searches do not transfer the keyword data to websites. Thus, they now eliminate the ability for site owners to track users via their keyword searches. And so, has Google scrapped the Keyword Tool? Yes it has. But it’s not left users in the lurch. The company has replaced it with the Keyword Planner. This tool combines functionalities of the erstwhile Keyword Tool and that of the Traffic Estimator.

Now, users are required to create a Google Adwords account. This is just a one-time inconvenience for any Google advertiser and website marketing will now have to be tackled differently. The missing keyword data “not provided” will definitely impact online marketers.  It is a very effective indicator of what topics actually work and new topics can be uncovered.

There are certain impacts on Internet marketing. There will be no more keyword-specific website traffic. Keyword-specific trends cannot be tracked over time-by geography or seasonality. Marketers will no longer be able to iteratively optimize efforts based on the user content. It will not be possible to determine brand Vs. non-brand keywords mix, which is a reflection of impact of the other media-driving searches (earned, ads, owned, shared).Unless you are advertising with the Google’s AdWord program, the insight is now gone.

However, marketers do have some alternatives. They will be able to correlate the keyword content mapping & ranking of any page to the traffic of that page.  From the keyword glossary, it will be possible to map the keywords that are most relevant for the corresponding and optimized web pages. They can also check relative ranking of the keywords & pages and the organic referred-search traffic to those specific pages. They can line-up all the page metrics and get some idea about the search performance

However, all of this is based on the singular assumption that pages that are optimized for specific phrases, (with higher-ranking and higher traffic) are a result of attraction of those designated phrases. For additional details about Search Engine Marketing and SEO, feel free to contact me or visit my website at www.alcowebdesign.com.

But things have changed and now most successful websites will make an attempt to reach out to their visitors and generate business by using a number of Internet marketing techniques.

This is where the ubiquitous Blog comes on stage. Blog is essentially an acronym for Web-log and is like an online journal. Any posts that are added to the blog will be displayed in reverse-chronological order and a continuous “autobiography” of a website is created. A blog is a very important engine for attracting more Web traffic. Add a blog to your site, update it on a regular basis and it will instantaneously add an interest quotient to your website. First time visitors will find a reason to revisit it and slowly but surely the trickle of visitors to your site will turn into a flood.

There are a few things you have to keep in mind when you blog. I always suggest that a mechanism for comments be included. This is the best way to up your visitor’s level of loyalty and the “conversation” becomes an attraction point for visitors. The comments can also be used as feedback and they can give you some important pointers about how you can improve your site or the services and goods that you are selling. If you are able to use that effectively and create a stronger presentation, it will appeal to a larger audience and drive website traffic. Those who publish blogs will also frequently approach many other bloggers and will request for links.

Another effective tactic is to add a conduit toolbar. This is a teaser link or a widget that you can add to the toolbar- a click will lead them to your website. What is probably most important for website marketing is that you keep your blog fresh and updated. A moss-laden blog will get buried in the www while one that is updated regularly will continue to hog the spotlight. In my opinion, adding frequent, interesting and relevant blog content that is crisp and catchy is the way to keep drawing traffic to your website.

For additional details about website designing and SEO, feel free to contact me or visit my website at www.alcowebdesign.com or contact us.

This makes sense because people are more likely to be interested by fresh information than by older information.  The same goes for your website where frequent updates translate into a higher position (higher visibility) on the search engines search results.

The other reason to periodically update your website is that if you don’t get ahead of your competitors you will get behind.  Things change all the time on the internet and if you don’t improve your website your competitors will and eventually you will get so far behind that nobody will find your website.

How often should you update your website?  It depends about how competitive is your market and about how aggressive your competitors are.  In very competitive environments you might want to update your website every week or at least monthly.  A good idea is to use Google Analytics to monitor your traffic and take action if and when appropriate.  As a general rule I usually recommend small business owners to update their websites about twice a year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or to visit my website (www.alcowebdesign.com) for more detail about small business website design and SEO.

Alain Houle, President
Alco Web Design LLC - http://www.alcowebdesign.com
N1337 Westgreen drive, Greenville Wisconsin 54942
920-850-4642