“Black Wednesday” was a very small taste of what the internet could be like in the future for America. Google had a big black rectangle covering its logo and Wikipedia was “offline” in protest of the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills that are in deliberation in Congress. By now, we have all heard the hype and we should all be highly concerned. The intent of the bills is to protect United States copyright laws from piracy that is taking place mainly from rogue websites that are registered and run overseas. The fear is that these bills and their vague definitions could bleed into other areas and many are afraid that its reach could dramatically change internet life today as we know it, which would affect our Freedom of Speech in America, not to mention jobs, business and the economy.

If this causes a change in your pulse rate, then you are not alone. It is a very scary reality.

We can see how things would be through the eyes of China. They have used censorship on the internet for years through China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Flickr, no YouTube. They even block certain keywords from being searched. Many of you may not be aware that we already are being censored from certain topics on the internet because of business relations that we have with China. Search engines and software companies that we use every day have already heeded to the Chinese and their demands for censorship. If SOPA and PIPA pass, the fear is that Americans will know exactly how it is for the government to police the internet.

Yes, copyright laws and the arts are important and the piracy needs to be stopped, but there are other ways they can be protected and this is where Congresses focus needs to be channeled. We, in the United States, take some of our freedoms for granted every day, but as Americans we need to stand up and fight for our unalienable rights under the Constitution, or we can start to kiss more and more of our freedoms goodbye.

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When you find that your company is ready to jump on the Internet Marketing bandwagon, what do you do first?  With the millions of agencies out there how do you find an honest, thorough and reputable agency that can fulfill your Internet Marketing needs?

Here are a few suggestions of how to proceed and help the process go smoothly.

1.        Make a plan.

Jot down your Internet Marketing needs and number them in order of importance.  Make notes and write down questions along the way.  Refer back to this plan, as needed, until it is decision time.

2.        Inquire.

The best way to find a successful Internet Marketing Company is to ask colleagues.  Getting a name from a firsthand customer is an excellent way to find a trustworthy agency.

3.        Check out their track record.

Look into their history with clients.  You want to hire an agency that can get results and can prove it.  Internet Marketing Agencies do not find success by using Black Hat strategies.

4.        Ask questions.

Ask any and all questions that you can think of so that you know exactly what you are signing up for.

5.        Trust your gut.

While interviewing Internet Marketing agencies, if any “red flags” pop up, then scratch that company off of your list of possible candidates.  Take your time and find an agency that you feel comfortable with.

Discovering the perfect Internet SEO Company for your business can take some time, energy and patience.  It is worth it to do your homework and find a trustworthy marketing company that will fulfill ALL of your Web Marketing needs!

Internet buzz words are becoming more a part of our everyday vocabulary. Around 15 years ago the word “branding” emerged. In a nutshell, branding is what identifies your product or service over other merchants, through a picture, logo, word or even a color. Its importance is often underestimated, but it should be the first thing you do when establishing a business plan.

The word branding has been around for many years. We know it is a term used when ranchers brand their cattle in order to discern their cows from their neighbors. Branding literally means to “burn” ones mark on a product and today that is the ultimate goal of a business owner. How do they imprint their image in the minds of consumers everywhere? It is a challenge in today’s world because we all have so many options at our fingertips. If you can make your customer’s perceive and trust that your business or service is the only solution to their problem, then they will pay, not matter what the cost.

What does your company stand for? If you are unable to describe your company in simple terms, then the consumer will not be able to define you either. Come up with a few ideas and build your marketing strategy and business plan from there.

Keep in mind that branding is not about the product itself, but the customer’s perception about your product or service. It is proven that the consumer’s perception is much more important, not the facts. At the end of the day, you want to successfully brand yourself so that you will attract business and create a loyal customer. It does take time, money and consistency, but if you build your brand creatively and accurately, success will come.

Has your company’s reputation been tarnished by negative reviews online that may or not even be valid?  These reviews can cause hurt you immensely, but an SEO Internet Marketing Company can help!
IRM, or Internet Reputation management is a service offered that will help repair this damage and regain your internet standing.  Unfortunately, unless you have expertise in this area, it is difficult to do without help.
This process begins with writing positive and informative content articles, blogs, press releases and/or other promotions that amplify your social media presence.  This consistently published content creates links to your site and ties to other content searches a potential customer may make.   The influx of information causes search engines to “like” you, your ranking to rise and any negative reviews get shuffled to the back pages of search engines.  95% of online searchers only look at the first page, so this is great news!
Even if you have a strong, protected online status, you want to keep it that way.  IRM can help keep you safe from any potential threats that may come your way in the future.
IRM doesn’t happen overnight.  It can take 4 months to a year to recover your reputation.  The benefits outweigh the risks, in the long run.  Your rankings will rise because of all the information your SEO Internet Marketing Firm is publishing.  This will cause more traffic to your website and your business will reap the benefits.   So, what are you waiting for?  Contact your trustworthy and hardworking Internet Marketing Company today!

When creating content for your website or blog, it’s important to be sure that you are helping your web presence not hindering it.  Keep these three things in mind and you’ll be well on your way to web content that works!

1.       Have a Headline that Helps

The headline that users see when they click on your blog post or website can make or break you.  The headline must be clever enough to get them interested but not too catchy that they don’t understand what they will be reading.  Make sure your headline tells the reader what they will learn or how reading your site or post will help meet a need or solve a problem for them.

2.       Too Wordy Causes Worry

The attention span of internet users is less than minimal.  At the click of a button your site visitors can easily change their mind and be long gone for good from your site.  Make sure that there is not too much content on your page to overwhelm them.  If all a user sees is word after word filling the page, they will likely move on rather than read on.  Use lists, bullet points, or sub-headings to allow them to skim or read quickly to find what they need.

3.       Vocabulary Can be Vicious

Of course your knowledge of your business or industry is far greater than your reader.  However, no one likes to be confused by jargon so keep yours out of your online posts.  Most content is written between a fourth and eighth grade reading level.  While some technical terms may be necessary for explanations, try to limit them to promote maximum understanding to your readers.

Content is an important part of any internet presence and taking the time to provide quality content is huge if you want your business to do well online.

If creating that content is over your head, contact TOTUS Internet Visibility.  We can provide content as well as help you with all of your internet marketing needs.

If you have a business and are still trying to decide if you should take a venture into the world of social media networking, let us answer the question for you…yes!  The number of businesses joining the social media revolution in one way or another is growing every day and your business should too.  Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or another social media outlet it’s time to look at which area of social media might be the best place for you to begin.

If you’re not convinced, take a look at these stats just released by the Neilsen Company regarding social media today…

• Americans spent more than 53 billion total minutes on Facebook in May 2011
• 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, which is 12 percent more likely than the average internet user
• Females and 18-34 year olds are the most active social network users
• Almost 40 percent of social media users access social media from their mobile phones
• More than twice as many people that are 55 or older visited social networking sites on their mobile phone than last year
• Social networking app usage is up 30 percent from a year ago
• Across ten major global markets, social networks and blogs reach over three quarters of active Internet users

So, all that said odds are your target market is involved in social media in some way and it’s high time you get there too.

TOTUS Internet Visibility can help you navigate the waters of social media as they continue to fill with more and more options.  There is a social media platform that is just right for any business out there.  Let us help guide you to the best place to take the plunge and join the social media revolution!

If you are running a pay per click advertising campaign online you are well aware of the importance of a having a landing page.  A landing page is a one page online site that users are led to when clicking on an ad in search results.  The landing page is one key to getting leads and converting visitors into customers.  If you don’t have a landing page for your pay per click ad, get one.  If you’ve got one, here are some things to consider when reviewing your landing page.

1.       Have a clear Call to Action.

Visitors should not have to search all over the page to figure out what it is you want them to do.  Stick to a simple, minimally distracting page with the call to action easy for any user to find in a matter of seconds.

2.       Don’t Require TMI!

Asking visitors for Too Much Information is a surefire way to lose them.  Decide what information is absolutely necessary to get from the visitor to continue the sales process.  Capture just what info you need and then use it well in the follow up.

3.       Don’t Overuse Content.

Yes, content is very important on the web for search engines.  However, most people will NOT read paragraph after paragraph to figure out how to get what they want from you.  Minimal but meaningful is a good way to look at what content you will put on your landing page.

4.       Do What You Say You Will Do.

Lying to your potential customers is one way to ensure that they will not become your customer.  When you promise something to users in a pay per click ad, make sure that the site they are taken to delivers on that promise.

Just a few tweaks here and there can increase your landing page conversions and in turn boost your business in a major way.

Let TOTUS Internet Visibility help you create, redesign or tweak your landing page for better results.  With quality analytics and proven experience, TOTUS might be just what your business needs to take your internet marketing to the next level.

Do you know the difference between Black Hat and White Hat SEO practices?  If not, it’s important to get in the know before attempting to apply search engine optimization to your site or to hire someone else to do it for you.  A wrong move in this area not only will find you ranking lower than you’d hoped, but could land your site in the abyss of search results rarely seen by human eyes.

Black Hat SEO includes techniques that cheat the system and get ranking results in an unethical manner.  While Black Hat techniques can sometimes get you to the top of the page for a time, it will only be a short time.  Search engines are getting smarter every day and won’t stand for those who try to cheat their way to the top.

A few techniques to avoid are:

Keyword Stuffing-Keyword use is important, and good SEO uses keywords wisely and appropriately and in the right places.

Link Farming-Link farming involves submitting your site’s URL to sites that have link directories that are filled with unrelated content.

Hidden Text-White text can be typed on white backgrounds and can be crawled by search engine spiders but not seen by human eyes.

Doorway Pages-Using a doorway page involves creating web pages that are listed in search results but cannot be accessed by users.

Excessive Reciprocal Linking-Don’t get carried away with the “I’ll link to you if you link to me” exchange.  Build links the right way, over time, no shortcuts.

White Hat marketing is the only way to go.  By following both written and unwritten rules put out by search engines, you keep your site on the straight and narrow and the ranking results you get over time will likely be easier to maintain.

When it comes to good online marketing, stick with TOTUS Internet Visibility Agency and know that your marketing is done right from the start.

Everyone in the internet marketing world keeps a close eye on the analytics of their paid search, SEO, and social media campaigns.  Without keeping up with these statistics, it can be hard to see growth as well as potential problem areas in internet marketing campaigns.

Recently StatCounter Global Stats noticed an interesting blip in their social media analytics.  In comparing the top seven social media sites, they are used to seeing Facebook dominate the playing field.  In June of 2011, a crazy thing happened and a different site passed Facebook as the biggest driver of US Web traffic among the social media sites.

Enter Stumbleupon.  Stumbleupon is a social media site that lets you discover and share websites based on your interests.  Similar to a Facebook “like” or a “ReTweet” Stumbleupon allows users to access information and learn about websites based on public recommendation.  It’s what they like to call “people driven technology” that leads you to sites that you might find interesting.

While it is far, far away from being as well known as Facebook, Stumbleupon is clearly making an impact on the social media world and will likely continue to develop and gain a larger presence in coming months.  It is certainly a site to keep an eye on.

Having an internet marketing firm on your team that keeps up with the latest trends in the online world gives your company a major advantage over your competitors.  Let TOTUS keep up with trends in SEO, paid search and social media so you can focus on your business.   You’ll love the benefits that your business can gain thanks to a solid internet marketing presence.

Google has succeeded in conquering the world of search, and now they are attempting to make their mark in the social networking scene. Launched on June 28th, 2011 the Google Plus Project is currently in a “filed trial period” and the internet world is watching to see where it will go. Currently an invitation only network, Google Plus is aiming to be a combination of features from various social networks we already use, but is hoping to do them better. Users are either invited by a friend already in the trial, or an invitation can be requested from the Google Plus home page. Here are a few of the features that you will find when you join the Google Plus Project.

Circles
Circles are your group of people in your Google Plus network. The difference is that users put each person they are connected with in a “Circle” or category to be sure that the right stuff is shared with the right people. This helps you control who sees what. So, mom and dad can be put in your “family” circle and be sheltered from photos from the crazy weekend at the lake. You control who sees what and can differentiate among groups such as family, coworkers, college buddies, and friends.

Hangouts
Hangouts are online meet-ups where groups can gather to chat. Up to ten people can join in on a “hangout” and enter virtual rooms to video chat with the group. It’s another way to get people together from the comfort of their own home or office. It’s Google’s version of the chat room, taken to a new video level.

Huddle
If you tend to text groups of people all at once, the Huddle feature is what you need. This group messaging feature allows users to get a group of friends connected. So, when your group is trying to pick a restaurant for Friday night or decide which movie to see, a Huddle allows everyone to communicate. There is even a mobile app for Android for the Huddle feature.

Sparks
Sometimes it seems the internet knows you better than you know yourself. Sparks are feeds of information sent to you based on your interested. This feature is like Google Reader except that it sends you stuff automatically rather than you having to search for it.

The growth of Google Plus has been steady and quick adding over 20 million users in just the first month. It remains to be seen if Google will be able to make a lasting name for themselves in the social media realm. With competitors like Facebook and Twitter already so well established, it’s going to be a tough road. But, if there is a powerhouse that could make an attempt, it most certainly is Google.