Patricio Robles

SEO is a journey, not a destination

Over the years, I've worked with many clients of all sizes and shapes. Many have been businesses that need help with their internet presence and ongoing internet strategy.

When the discussion turns to SEO, one of the most common misperceptions many clients have is that SEO is a destination; that you can do a few things and you'll reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

by Patricio Robles 24 March 2009 09:46am 48 comments

Twitter destroys an A-list celebrity romance, or not

As Twitter continues its mainstream march, it's no surprise that it's actively being used by celebrities. From Shaquille O'Neal to Demi Moore, Twitter is being used by a growing number of celebrities who want to engage directly with their fans.

But proving that (most) celebrities are just like everyone else, Twitter is starting to cause twouble for the celeb-set too.

by Patricio Robles 24 March 2009 08:52am 3 comments

Is California done for as the world's tech hub?

For those of us who don't live in California (or even the United States), it's understood that there are plenty of great technology companies outside of California.

But even so, California, and in particular Silicon Valley, has a reputation for being the world's tech hub. And to be honest that's probably fair given the number of great technology companies that have come out of California and Silicon Valley over the years.

by Patricio Robles 23 March 2009 15:51pm 0 comments

Big media puts the pressure on Google

Times are tough and that's especially true for big media companies, including publishers like newspapers.

Advertisers are cutting back and that means that all online publishers are competing for a piece of a smaller pie. While traffic figures aren't the be all and end all of ad sales, traffic does matter.

by Patricio Robles 23 March 2009 08:52am 1 comment

Is username squatting the next online brand nightmare?

Everybody knows about cybersquatters; those dreaded 'entrepreneurs' who register domain names related to brand names and trademarks that they have no rights to.

ICANN, the organization that oversees the domain name system, provides a dispute mechanism by which trademark owners can dispute a domain name registration and win back domains that infringe upon their rights.

by Patricio Robles 23 March 2009 09:59am 2 comments

Undo that email, sort of

We all know the scenario. You just typed an email. You may have been angry, absent-minded or in an altered state of consciousness for a brief moment (or hour).

The minute you hit 'Send', you realize that you made a huge mistake. Your email contained a horrible typo, said something you wouldn't tell your mother or was just plain unintelligible.

by Patricio Robles 20 March 2009 12:16pm 1 comment

Facebook's new design a flop - so far

Facebook recently rolled out a new design that, in the eyes of some, represents a fundamental shift for the world's largest social network.

The new design places an emphasis on showing Facebook users real-time updates of their friends' latest online activities. Some suggest this is Facebook's response to the growing popularity of Twitter.

by Patricio Robles 20 March 2009 10:15am 3 comments

The impact of display URLs on PPC campaign performance

It's something that's easily overlooked: the impact your display URL has on your PPC campaigns.

What display URLs produce the best results? Which can have a negative impact? Thanks to a small study that was recently conducted, we have some data to consider.

by Patricio Robles 20 March 2009 09:21am 3 comments

Paid content: big publishers missed the boat

It's funny the difference a couple of years can make. Two years ago, the global economy was roaring along and everyone was excited about internet advertising.

Growth in spend was strong and many companies big and small saw unlimited potential in their future advertising revenues.

by Patricio Robles 19 March 2009 09:04am 1 comment

YouTube gets engaged

Online, it's all about measurement. From web analytics to advertising, the current economic environment demands it because without measurement, it's all but impossible to calculate ever-important ROI.

Increasingly, 'engagement' is one of the metrics that everyone is interesting in measuring. How are users interacting with your content or ads? How does that relate to your bottom line?

by Patricio Robles 19 March 2009 09:37am 0 comments