Kevin Gibbons

Why 'quality not quantity' matters online

Too often online marketing is characterised by quantity rather than quality. There's a pervasive idea that quality is too hard but sheer volume will have the same effect.

Let me give you a shining example of what I mean. I was recently browsing a forum when I found, without a doubt, the dumbest attempt at marketing I've seen in a while.

by Kevin Gibbons 25 September 2009 10:06am 4 comments

Ready for the end of recession?

Do you believe the economy is now ready to recover or that we're in for a double-dip recession? Have you been worried about your business's survival? Are you simply looking forward to consumers becoming happier to spend their cash again?

Whatever your opinions and concerns, it's time to give some very real thought to your online marketing strategy and what you will do once the economy does finally pick up.

by Kevin Gibbons 14 September 2009 10:31am 2 comments

Why I'm worried about Google Books

The internet's leading business is currently scanning and digitising millions of books. Dominance of the web is not enough, the search giant now plans to become, in essence, the world's biggest librarian and bookshop.

Now, regular readers of my posts and articles will know that I am usually onside with Google. It's frighteningly large and successful, but anything that invests so much time and energy into important projects like Google Earth is OK by me, except its plans for books...

by Kevin Gibbons 07 September 2009 10:46am 4 comments

How to optimise your website from the ground up

Although much of the search engine optimisation (SEO) work carried out by agencies like mine is ongoing, there are important elements that need to be incorporated in the early days.

It's quite common for clients to approach us once they have just paid for a brand new website design. This is understandable, even if it's frustrating for SEO professionals. As far as the company is concerned, they now have their shiny new site so it's time to start marketing it with an SEO campaign.

by Kevin Gibbons 03 September 2009 13:49pm 4 comments

How to create buzz with an ethical campaign

If there's one thing the web excels at, it's uniting people behind a cause. A number of successful marketers are using campaigns to create positive change within their industries, highlight their firms' moral integrity and generate a hell of a lot of good publicity.

Whether it's an international price comparison site campaigning against unfair bank charges or a local pub campaigning to protect a village green, bringing people together to put pressure on the authority has the power to create incredible buzz and excitement.

If you lose, then that buzz and excitement was still worth a lot to your company. If you win then that positive outcome is not only good in itself, it's generated a great deal of good will for your brand.

Here are a few tips for driving a successful campaign online. By picking the right cause and the right message, your firm can market itself through good deeds...

by Kevin Gibbons 18 August 2009 10:05am 2 comments

How to impress the different search engines

There are many tactics used to drive a website up in the search rankings and they all have benefits with the various search engines.

But each of these engines uses a different algorithm to determine which pages should rank highly, so how can you impress each of them?

by Kevin Gibbons 11 August 2009 11:29am 3 comments

Should I buy PPC ads if I rank organically?

Picture this, you've optimised your website and now rank in the top ten for all your major keywords, and first for several. Organic search engine optimisation (SEO) has really paid off.

So what now? Should you pack in the pay-per-click (PPC) adverts? After all, you probably only got them to increase visibility while you boosted the site's natural optimisation, didn’t you?

by Kevin Gibbons 27 July 2009 11:53am 24 comments

No-cost marketing for hobbyist sites

Online marketing may be low-cost but it often isn't no-cost, and for a number of charity and hobbyist websites this is a problem.

The advice provided through sources like Econsultancy, or my own SEOptimise blog, offers help in maximising budgets and doing more for less. But what about organisations that don't have any budget to start with, what can they do?

by Kevin Gibbons 20 July 2009 11:30am 1 comment

Making the most of mobile advertising

More than half of respondents to a recent survey said they find mobile an easy-to-use platform with which to communicate with their favourite brands, and agreed that they would be willing to pass on offers to their family and friends.

The research, endorsed by the Internet Advertising Bureau and the Mobile Marketing Association, shows 54% of the people questioned would be willing to use mobile to interact with "brands of their preference".

by Kevin Gibbons 14 July 2009 10:53am 1 comment

Creating the complete SEO experience

You may have noticed that no one buys mere goods or services these days, they buy the experience.

When I attend my gym, the company isn't just worried about providing me with decent equipment and classes; it wants to ensure my experience is as good as it could be.

by Kevin Gibbons 07 July 2009 11:01am 10 comments