| LED Digest 2125: Verifying Site Traffic Claims |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. March 27, 2006 Issue #2125 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ======= NEW ==================== --== PPC and High Ranking Sites ==-- ~ Alex Hughart "I have a feeling that I'm competing with myself and paying for it." --== Verifying Site Traffic Claims ==-- ~ Carrie MacKenzie "[Is it possible] to verify the figures when folks offer great rates to advertise on their websites?" ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Javascript Comeback in AJAX ==-- ~ Peter D'Aprix "Too good to be true? Does anyone know about this? Has anyone tried it? Is it a hoax?" ~ Viggie Bala "Anybody replying or forwarding in Gmail will find the striking difference." --== Dealing with Blog Spam ==-- ~ James Miller "I've never had spam on my blog..." --== To Bounce or Not To Bounce ==-- ~ Rob Bishop "Cloudmark is worth every penny." ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Google Sued for Blacklisting ==-- ~ Don Baker --== Reciprocal Linking ==-- ~ Scott M. Stolz --== Sites for Mobiles ==-- ~ Kerry Davis --== Have I Been Scammed? ==-- ~ Michael Linehan =========== NEW ================================== From: Alex Hughart Subject: High Ranking and PPC Can anyone shed some light on how to deal with PPC once a high ranking has been achieved? Our high ranking search terms (top 5 on Google, MSN, Yahoo) are also the ones that have the highest click-through and conversion rates in PPC campaigns. I am reluctant to turn them off in PPC because a lot of people don't even go pass top sponsored searches but, I have a feeling that I'm competing with myself and paying for it. We get about a third of our orders from PPC, a third from organic search, forum posts and a third from repeat customers' bookmarks. I know that every business is different but, I'm always amazed when I hear of businesses relying solely on organic search and seemingly making bank. Note: my high converting search terms do much better than competition's (at least that's what Google and Yahoo are telling me in their reports). This and a relatively high percentage of repeat customers (is it high? am I wrong?) leads me to believe that we are a decently converting site. What are your experiences? Thanks to everybody in advance. Alex Hughart www.bonsavon.com -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Carrie MacKenzie Subject: Verifying "Unique Visitor" Claims Hi everyone... I wanted to know if there was any way possible to verify the figures when folks "offer" great rates to advertise on their websites, because they get 6,000 visitors a day... How does one sift through claims like that anyway? Sometimes the websites look very professional... sometimes they look home made, like mine. I know you can't tell by the way they look, and was wondering if there was any way. Would Alexia provide that information? (If I knew how to go get it.) btw.. I was checking backlinks on google the other day after reading in the LED on how to do it, and several showed up from LED archives.. :) Thanks for all the info you folks provide.. this is a GREAT digest! Carrie ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Peter D'Aprix Subject: AJAX and ajaxWrite.com > Would like to know fellow LEDers opinion on the > usage of AJAX in websites and it's disadvantages. - Viggie Bala, LED 2123 Since I am not a technical person and not a programmer, this thread does not mean a lot to me other than reminding me that the sink needs some attention. However, I received an email yesterday from a friend sending me a link to a new outfit with a similar name www.ajaxWrite.com . Apparently they use AJAX technology to deliver the software. It was a link to a newsletter called "MIchael's Minute" by one Michael Robertson http://www.michaelrobertson.com which started: ------------------- "What if there was alternative for Microsoft Word that would install and open in 6 seconds, read and write Microsoft Word .doc files and run on Macintosh, Microsoft Windows or Linux computers? And oh yeah, it was free so consumers didn't have to pay $499 for Microsoft Office. I'm excited to announce that day is here." ------------------- Too good to be true? Does anyone know about this? Has anyone tried it? Is it a hoax? You need FireFox to use it. Peter D'Aprix - Visual Communications http://peterdaprix.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Viggie Bala Subject: Javascript AJAX > I am a technical non-layperson and I often encounter sites > where navigation is non-apparent and/or difficult to figure out. - Tom Aman, LED 2123 I've also fumbled in a few sites to find the navigation. It is the way they designed the site (trying to be different & ending up with mouth in place of eyes etc.), but the same technology can be used in a subtle manner. Google's Gmail is one example. It doesn't show off latest technology, navigation is predictable and anyone can use it in the normal way. But some of the screens appears instantly. Anybody replying or forwarding in Gmail will find the striking difference. Regarding mobile phones, I agree with Tom that I don't need more features. I have to constantly guard my phone from my 9-year old kid, else he will go on play games & drain the battery. Luckily my plan doesn't allow WAP connection, else he will play with his friends thru phone. Honestly, I still don't know how to connect to WAP from a mobile, but he does and played an online game once with another kid across the table using a guest's phone. It can be put this way, the usage of features are inversely proportional to the age of user. :) The point about latest phones were, even though there are more features, it can be used in the same style as old phones. Just punch the no's - click 'call' and it will still work. We need to learn sequential button operations only if we want to use more feature. We can add features the same way in websites. Regards, Viggie Bala Helping Websites to Work http://www.viggie.com -------- new post - new topic -------- From: James Miller Subject: Blog spam > Recently my client started using B2Evolution > for her blog. She is spending about half an > hour to 45 minutes every day deleting bogus > comments / links... - Joanne Glasspoole, LED 2122 I've never had spam on my blog. Perhaps no-one reads it, but it's more likely because I don't allow comments. When someone want to make a comment, they just e-mail me. That method may not be acceptable to your client. One solution that I can think of is to put the blog on your own web site. I do that and it's easy with Blogger. I could then write a program to delete the comments from the idiots and then blacklist them. It's just a question of knowing the format and working out a simple strategy. If anybody is in the least bit interested, then my blog is at :- http://www.jamesmiller.com/weblog/blogger.html James Miller Daisy Analysis www.daisy.co.uk -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Rob Bishop Subject: Bouncing > ... I'm happily using Cloudmark, which connects users > with its worldwide community to flag all incoming spam. - Don Baker, LED 2124 Don mentioned Cloudmark. I would highly recommend it! I only run about 10 staff computers, so server enterprise solutions are out of our budget. Cloudmark is worth every penny. I used it myself for a couple of years and then insist it is on every staff members computer now. Like Don said, it is very reliable and works great. You feel a sense of power ( small sense, but that still counts ) since you are making a difference when you click that "Block" button. You may still see a few of the same spam for a day or two, but as the community 'votes' on what is spam and what is not, these will quickly disappear. I personally found no false positives, so now each computer puts the spam straight to the delete folder. I haven't sifted through for possible errors in years, and have not had one client say "Did you get my email ?" When I had not... I should have thought of setting up an affiliate link like Don. :) Bear Hugs Rob Bishop Binkley Custom Products www.customplushtoys.com ==== BILLBOARD =================================== From: Donald Baker Subject: Google sued for blacklisting site This should be interesting! http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/17/D8GDKG900.html -------------------- "Google Inc.'s mysterious methods for ranking Web sites came under attack Friday in a lawsuit accusing the online search engine leader of ruining scores of Internet businesses that have been wrongfully banished from its index. "The civil complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose by KinderStart.com, seeks to be certified as a class action representing the owners of all Web sites blacklisted by Google's Internet-leading search engine since January 2001. "KinderStart alleges Google has engaged in anticompetitive behavior and misled the public by positioning its search engine as an objective source for finding Internet content. The suit seeks unspecified financial damages and a court order that would require Google to change its ways." -------------------- More good detail in the news report. Don Baker NSI Partners -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Scott M Stolz Subject: Reciprocal Linking > Our "Web Guru" at work will always tell our sales guys and clients > that the "secret to getting a good rank in the search engines is a > good link campaign and you have to get more inbound links than > your competition's website." - Tony Gschwend, LED 2116 Here's the thing with incoming links. It highly depends on the quality of the links. One link from DMOZ or the New York Times is worth hundreds, if not thousands, of links from other sources. Of course, notice that it isn't easy to get your link on either of those websites. Why? Quality Control. They only link to quality websites. Which is why search engines respect them so much. Also, I have noticed that it tends to take months for incoming links to have any effect. It also can takes months for new pages to get listed, although usually it takes a few weeks. So if you assumed that the links had no effect after waiting only a month or so, you haven't given enough time for them to have an effect yet. Incoming links do help, but are not vital to search engine ranking. Quality content is. And if you get important websites to link to you, that DOES help... a lot. But again, they only link to quality websites. Scott M. Stolz http://www.caribbeanchoice.com/ -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Kerry Davis Subject: Mobiles You can find several HTML books that have sections on mobile HTML programming. I've got one by Elizabeth Castro called "HTML for the World Wide Web," 5th edition. It has a decent chapter on the basics of programming for mobile devices. Thank you, Kerry Davis Processing & Printing Manager www.olydata.net -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Scam > ... I decided to go ahead and work with the > program I'd signed for. Given that I'm not well-versed > in e-commerce, even if I get only basic training > I'll be further ahead than before... - Bev Hanna, LED 2124 Bev, I sincerely think you can get much better training for free. There's a lot of good information around. Accounts I have read would seem to indicate they have nothing of value to offer you. > ... and if they do live up to their claims > I should easily be able to make back > what I paid out within the first year. Nothing I read in researching them indicates that there is any chance at all of making that money back. > ... I will get what I can from the information provided > and, when the time is right, make better-informed > decisions. Once burned, twice shy, right? You have much more to lose than mere money. From what people have reported (see references I sent before and many more similar), there is a considerable danger of losing a huge amount of time and your emotional well-being. You have been scammed. I think engaging further with the scammers would be unwise in the extreme. Michael Linehan www.marketing-alchemy.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains © Copyright 1995-2006 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. "Golf is my profession. Golf is not my life." - Tiger Woods |
