spam | Internet Marketing Blog

Hotmail declares war on newsletters

A recent Hotmail blog that announced changes to the way they handle mail, and as the world's largest email provider, these changes are significant for anyone in the email marketing business.

After declaring that it has reduced true spam to about 3%, Hotmail has set its sights on the Bacn (email you wanted, but not right now or never again).

So what are the changes and how will they affect email marketing in the lead up to Christmas?

by Tim Roe 07 October 2011 09:34am 8 comments

Google News asks publishers for 'standout' content

For many publishers, Google News is an important source of traffic. This is particularly true for publishers involved in the business of distributing news.

As a result, it's no surprise that a Google SEO strategy for some publishers focuses heavily on Google News.

For those publishers, a new tag introduced by Google to help publishers surface their best content will be of interest.

by Patricio Robles 26 September 2011 13:34pm 5 comments

15 best practice tips for improving email deliverability

To maximise ROI from email campaigns, marketers need to monitor delivery, and take action to maintain good inbox delivery rates.

Here are 15 valuable tips for monitoring and improving email deliverability, taken from our Email Marketing Best Practice Guide.

by Graham Charlton 26 September 2011 11:34am 9 comments

Social media may not be as social as you think: report

Your company is a social media star. On Facebook, you have 10,000 fans. On Twitter, 7,500 followers. You're 'listening' and 'engaging' on a regular basis.

But are you as socially successful as you think?

According to Impermium, a startup dedicated to curbing spam on social networks, social networks may not be as social as you think they are, which in turn means you may be overestimating your popularity on the social web.

by Patricio Robles 02 September 2011 15:06pm 10 comments

Google continues to fight scrapers, turns to public for help

If you're a publisher, one of the most frustrating experiences is to discover that your content is being scraped by a third party that does not have permission to use your content.

Even more frustrating: when that scraper's website is able to outrank yours for searches related to your own content.

For obvious reasons then, Google has engaged in a considerable effort to thwart scrapers. And now it's turning to the public for additional assistance.

by Patricio Robles 30 August 2011 13:33pm 3 comments

Is Barack Obama losing his social media touch?

When it comes to the use of social media for political campaigning, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, provided the case study in the 2008 election. Using services like Facebook and Twitter to rally and organize his supporters, he was able to run a grassroots campaign that hadn't really been seen before.

After he was sworn in, it looked like social media would continue to play a role in his administration but, for obvious reasons, the President significantly turned down his personal use of social channels. Recently he's been trying to turn it on again, but will he be successful this time around? His recent social media usage hints that the President may have a more challenging time using social media to his benefit in 2012.

by Patricio Robles 02 August 2011 15:00pm 10 comments

Are cracks already showing in Google+?

Google+ may represent the biggest threat Facebook has ever faced since it launched more than half a decade ago. But is Google's new social network, which may be off to the fastest start ever for a social network, already buckling underneath the surface?

Despite the fact that Google may have finally built a social network capable of competing in the market, cracks are showing which raise doubts about Google+'s future prospects.

by Patricio Robles 27 July 2011 09:39am 13 comments

How to beat Panda: split into multiple sites?

Google's Panda update was designed to eliminate spam and content farm content, thus improving the quality of Google's index and SERPs.

Many sites caught in Panda's grip claim that they were unintended victims of the update, and have sought ways to recover.

Many have been unsuccessful in reestablishing themselves with Google, but according to the Wall Street Journal, one publisher may have found the secret to recovery.

by Patricio Robles 14 July 2011 14:55pm 4 comments

Could email reputation become a Google ranking factor?

In the battle to maintain the quality of its SERPs, Google is increasingly tweaking its algorithm. Since there are only so many on-page ranking factors for Google to consider, it's logical to expect that off-page ranking factors will only become more numerous and important over time.

At least one website operator believes these off-page factors may now include email reputation. Jake Ludington, who runs JakeLudington.com, noticed a drop in his traffic in April, and after looking at his website, came to the conclusion that his email newsletter must have caused the drop.

by Patricio Robles 01 June 2011 14:55pm 16 comments