It seems that right now, Google doesn’t like websites with large amounts of unnatural, paid links and they don’t really like link and blog networks based on the numbers of these sites currently being penalised and/or de-indexed.

So how do you know what your back links look like?  How do you know if your website is in danger of being de-indexed by Google?

It’s not that difficult and with a little bit of looking in the right places, you can give you website a quick back link check-up.  You want to look at the domains that are linking to your site to see who and what they are and whether they are high quality or not.  You can find a list of these domains through Google Analytics, or you can use a tool like SEOmoz’s linkscape, to not only get a pretty good idea of what’s going on, but also the authority and linking pages of these domains.

Just put in your web address and look at the tab labelled ‘Linking Domains’. They will be listed in domain authority order, with the highest quality at the top – these are the links we like.  Scanning through the list there are a few quick things to look for:

• .edu and .gov links are great, they usually have high page rank and are very much trusted by the search engines.
• Local and market specific directories are also pretty good- links coming from them are more likely to be looking for your product / service.
• Links from your suppliers, contractors, business partners… are also good- they are legitimate online connections

On the flip side, some indicators of a not so healthy or natural back link profile include:

• links that make you go ‘Huh?’
• an inordinate number of sites from countries that you don’t service
• a large number of links from not so great sources (domain authority of less than 25 are probably worth having a look at)
• go to some of the pages you aren’t sure about, looking for no or badly written unrelated content or articles, or paid links

So what next?  If you are worried, keep an eye on things and start building good quality links.  Not only will this minimise any impact from some spammy links, but it will also be great for your search engine rankings, page authority and most importantly will help to drive the qualified, relevant traffic that you want.
by Amber Neave

This is in addition to the text-only ads that you’re used to seeing in YouTube videos. The ads will come before the video you’ve chosen, in the same way that news websites run ads ahead of their video stories.

This provides a great new opportunity for targeted advertising, and is driven by a cost per view pricing structure rather than the traditional impression-based tallies. If you’re interested in knowing more and how to go about taking advantage of this new opportunity, contact us.

Of course, this isn’t a case of Coles looking to cut their technology costs – it’s all about driving home the message of “old fashioned fresh food”. They also ditched the top-heavy look of the fresh food section, kept the lighting very clearly white-hued, and limited the “ye olde world” timber look to the furniture – just enough for it to vibe “authentic”.

Whoever is in charge of marketing at Coles is doing a fantastic job. They seem to be hitting the nail on the head in every conceivable way – and it’s not just in the overt “Down Down” / Curtis Stone-led retail marketing. From the vibe of the stores to the tweaks in the product selection, they’re giving you very little reason to find fault. The baguettes actually now taste much closer to the ones you get in France, and even the bottle design of their own brand of spices have had practical thought put into them. (They are squared-off to minimise that crazy sliding around on the pantry shelf, and sport a giant first letter of the herb or spice to help you find it in your cupboard much more easily.

Of course, there’s a big game going on between Coles and Woolworths at the moment on the home brand front, but you can’t help but think Coles has to be winning. If only every retailer actually had such an integrated approach to their marketing. Next time at the supermarket, whatever the chain, check out how they’re articulating the connotations of its brand subliminally. You may be surprised how many specific choices they’re making in order to win your heart and mind!
by Kurt Schubert

So, in order to make the right decision regarding your SEO, you’re going to have to do something you don’t want to do – you’re going to have to become a little informed. I know you don’t want to. When talking to business owners about SEO sometimes I think I may be speaking Martian – that blank, glazed look comes over, and I know that all they are hearing is “Blah, blah blaaaah…”  Unfortunately, whether you’re in Brisbane or Broome, SEO plays such a massive part of not only a business’ online presence and findability but also their overall brand image, and owners need to know at least how to weed out the “good” SEO companies from the “bad”. To not do so means you may be either disappointed or find yourself having zero leverage when it comes to your online presence.

So in a nutshell, there are basically 2 schools of SEO. These are often described as ‘Black Hat’ and ‘White Hat’, and knowing the difference between the two and the possible consequences for your web presence is really important for businesses.  Having enough knowledge on the subject is essential in being able to select an SEO company that not only fits your company and business goals, but one who can work to develop a solid, sustainable web presence that is built on legitimate links and content rather than spam.

For me a simple analogy is school – if you choose to hang out the the wrong crowd at school, those kids constantly in trouble, cheating on tests and skipping class, their reputation will rub off on you (fairly or not). On the other hand, spending time with the good kids, who do their homework and get top marks will also rub off on your reputation.  In the SEO world, if your website is associated with and linked to low rating, spammy sites and badly written content, that negative reputation actually affects your site’s search engine ranking in the long run. Depending on who you run with for SEO, you may get “good marks” early on, but if and when Google catches you cheating on the test, you’ll be punished. Literally. Google can and does actually put websites in “time out” – for months. “Black Hat” SEO providers are constantly running a game of cat and mouse with Google’s algorithm. This poses an array of problems too big to list here.

On the opposite “White Hat” side, creating high quality links, interesting and original content and actively engaging with your social media community will build your positive reputation leading to a more solid, sustainable and trustworthy online presence. It’s an extension of your brand equity.

So then the question is, how do you find an SEO company that will suit your needs?

Here are some questions you might like to ask before making that decision.

1. How do you decide on the best SEO actions and approaches? You want someone who can discuss strategy and how monitoring analytics influences their approach.

2. How do you go about link building? The use of bots, blog and article networks is running the real risk of having your site penalized by Google.

3. What analytics tools do you like to use and what do you report on? Do you get any kind of regular feedback and reporting on a range of metrics, and do they tell you what that means for moving forward.

4. Do I own all the domain names? And can I access all of the content and admin areas of my website?  You don’t want to be left in the situation whereby changing contractors means you lose your domain, URL or don’t have complete access to website for editing.

5. Who is creating the content? Are they from a marketing background? Ask them to provide examples of the content they have written. Does it read well? If they are just creating throwaway content, or nothing at all, exercise caution.

A few extra points to consider:

• Is what the SEO company is offering for the price match up? For example 60hrs/mth for $2000, does that seem like a reasonable chargeout rate for high quality, non-automated SEO?
• Are you given all the information on where any links or articles are posted?  If not, how can you change any contact or important details.
• Are you happy that they will work with your bigger marketing and business goals and strategies? SEO is an essential tool in your online marketing arsenal – but it needs to aimed in the right direction to be effective.

by Amber Neave

Everything comes back to the company’s value proposition, and it’s a beautiful case of hammering those values / benefits / payoffs home at every point of exposure to the brand. It’s all about affordable style, and frankly, they mop the floor with the competition. And actual products aside, I think they do so because of the way they carefully articulate their positioning and message. Like Apple, they’ve created such a niche with their range, style and approach that there IS no direct competition because as a customer, you buy into the whole culture, not just the individual product. You know that they’ve thought of everything, and you have peace of mind that things just work.

This is best demonstrated by their FAQ’s that you find at the back of the annual catalogues and in the showroom.  In so many words, these say, “Why are there basically no staff? Because it’s better for YOU.” “Why is everything unassembled? Because it’s better for YOU.” “Why is there no delivery service? Because it’s better for YOU.”

Now, the cynical among us may view this as the purest form of spin, and yes, that’s kind of true. But you know what? I think it’s actually a really good demonstration of corporate honesty in marketing. This isn’t one of a number of large National chain stores built on the illusion of customer service ~cough~ whose marketing strategy lets people down when they get in-store. Ikea state flat out “You may have a problem with X, but here’s why we do it.” They give us insight into their thinking, and a pitch. You either accept it or you don’t.

But here’s the irony of using this method: Ikea actually do a better job of actually satisfying their customers and offering real, practical service than many of the other brands that overtly offer more. This seems to be because the brand and everything it represents is so well integrated into every level of their systems and staff approach that it rings true when you need it to. It isn’t just a deflection of shortcomings. Whenever you actually need help, a staff member is usually available fairly quickly, and they actually know how to get you answers. If something goes wrong, they fix it. We’ve had a few times where we’ve either lost a part or some moronic removalist has broken a shelf, and Ikea have come through each time – with a smile, and without charge. The fact that it was such a pleasant surprise underlines how unusually great this is for a retailer to act this way. The exception proving the rule.

So, Ikea love-fest aside, why’s any of this important? Because brands and marketing need to do more than sell stuff. Sure, that’s the bottom line, but there’s a deeper game than that. Brands need to set and then manage expectations in order to create happy customers. You can have the best product in the world, but it doesn’t mean anything if that customer doesn’t know it. And in this age of social media and inbound marketing, you’d better be sure the experiences you create are the ones that you want, because people WILL tell their friends.
by Kurt Schubert

There’s also a lot of skepticism out there from those that haven’t seen the amazing benefits it can bring because it’s all so damn inpenetrable (in the case of social media), and there are so many cowboys and snake oil salesmen out there (in the case of SEO). Add to that the fact that the terrain changes literally week to week and there’s no wonder that people are confused. The reality is it’s just not very simple to market anymore. Online marketing is central to any strategy, and it’s more complex, messy and techy than many people outside the cast of Big Bang Theory can handle.

But the bottom line in regard to your marketing and business success is this:

We’ve shifted from a push to a pull era.

Good marketing is no longer about what message you can throw out there. It’s no longer about talking AT your audience: expecting that you can make a media buy, place an ad and get decent return on your investment. People don’t take it in anywhere near as much as they used to. They tune it out. If they want info they find it themselves. They talk to their friends. Get recommendations. They read their Facebook friends’ “Likes”.

These days, it’s about interacting. It means being aware of who your market is, what they want, and working out where they congregate; knowing what other things that they like. Then creating carefully positioned communications that draw them to you. This is not theoretical. It is the current reality.

Enough of my rant – here’s the great article: What is Inbound Marketing? by Tod Hirsch
by Kurt Schubert

The bi-annual national trade show – in Brisbane this year – was used to demontrate OHL’s capabilities and impressive international track record. Working from existing video footage, our marketing focus was to produce a high quality corporate video that highlights a range of important qualities that help to define the OHL brand, and do it in a way that makes it clear that OHL are a force to be reckoned with.

We also wanted to build on OHL’s brand language – the mosaic pattern of their logo design – and utilise it within OHL’s trade show display to dramatic effect in the way it introduces each element of the company.

It’s as easy as following Ronin Marketing Australia https://twitter.com/#!/RoninAU and Ronin’s Director Kurt Schubert @ https://twitter.com/#!/KurtSchubert/

Look forward to seeing you there for a chat tweet.