With access to so much information on the internet, who needs to take a real vacation? Why not kick back, relax, and take a virtual vacation. It’s so much easier now that Google Maps has street view. And it’s 100% cheaper!
First, you need to choose a location. How about Vegas? I’ve only been once, but I was too young to enjoy it. Take a look at a video tour via YouTube to get an idea of what Vegas is like:
Next, you might want to check out the LasVegas.com Guide to learn about all the cool things you can see. Try clicking “Attractions” then click on an attraction that interests you. I clicked King Tut’s Tomb. Take the address, put it into Google Maps and get transported there instantly.
Cruise the streets with Street View to explore the back streets and discover new locations on your own.
Finally, if you haven’t seen enough of Vegas, look for photos on Flickr to see more unique views.
The 1st thing that comes to mind when I begin to think about the near and longterm future of internet marketing is the movie “Minority Report”. A brief synopsis of the movie is that in the future; police are able to use precognitive individuals to stop crime before it happens. At one point in the movie, the main star Tom Cruise is on the run and ducks into a department store where an automated system recognizes him and begins to offer him products.
We have already reached this level (to some extent) in today’s online marketplace via cookies. What does the future hold? Well it depends on how far out you want the crystal ball to look.
In the near future: I see the Asian market pushing into the western world and vice versa. This can/will happen in several different ways; It will increase the amount of online competition, open up a broader audience who can purchase products/services, and expose the language barriers between Asia and the Western world. As with advances in technology, the co-mingling of the Western and Asian worlds online will grow exponentially in the next few years.
In the not so near future: Our society is changing on a daily basis. Children now learn to type their names before they can actually write them. The baby boomer generation will be retiring (and dying) in the next several years. What does all this mean? Attitudes regarding online commerce are changing rapidly. Just a few years ago, a vast majority of the population was hesitant to make purchases online due to fear of fraud, identity theft, etc. Today I would assume that a graph tracking online sales of any type of product or service would show a strong and steady increase. The ease and ability to find a product in the security of your own home is very enticing for today’s online consumer. Companies will continue to improve the ease with which those purchases can be made, which means more and more e-commerce.
In the distant future: (This is where I get to have real fun.) We are in the time of the Jetsons, flying cars, life in space, the whole nine yards. The internet and web will become ingrained into our daily lives. The fridge will recognize that you are out of milk and place an order with your designated grocery store and then notify you to pick it up. School fund raisers, eye correction, car repairs, and more will be available online. Plug your car in via a USB adapter and it will diagnose the problem, your computer will be able to scan your eyes to evaluate eyesight, etc.
The biggest change in marketing in recent years has been the shift of targeting everyone and hoping some of the audience would desire the product or service. With today’s online market, prospective buyers search and find the seller with greater ease than ever before (difference between push vs pull marketing).
What does the future hold? It will become easier and easier for buyer’s to locate desired products and services via the web and its peripherals.
Maybe this title is a little misleading, but it does seem like Google is working its way into any market it can. On the 22nd Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said that it’s goal was to obtain more personal data to make search more relevant to each user. But a lot of people are noticing that there’s a fine line between personalization and privacy intrusion. Even major media outlets are commenting on this issue.
Almost every time Google buys a company or starts a service there is always a way for them to collect data on you and get a better picture of who you are and what you like. On one hand this is great for the user who will get better search results and see ads their interested in, but Google on the other hand also wins. They make more money from relevant ads. With the recent confirmation of the acquisition of FeedBurner, Google can now compile data about what people are blogging about (Blogger), analytics on subscribers and publishers (FeedBurner), and track what blogs an individual reads (Google Reader).
Is the benefit of finding information more easily, and having it customized to your interests, worth Google knowing everything about you? As long as Google follows it’s philosophy, “do no evil,” then the end user will continue to see benefits. Respecting privacy is the biggest issue for Google and will become an even larger issue as they work their way into more markets.
What’s next for Google? Will they see any of the data from 23andme? A Google Phone, or not? Or maybe they’ll start printing relevant AdWords on credit card statements?
Take a look below at some of the areas besides search Google has moved into.
They say every person is only 6 steps away from every other person on Earth. I say every blogger is only 6 links away from Matt Cutts (and probably far fewer links away for SEO bloggers). It’s important to remember the Web is based on linking and sharing information. Even unrelated Web sites can be connected through a series of links, just like you can be connected to any person in the world.
Here’s how I’m connected to Matt Cutts in 6 links:
The newest up and coming real estate community online is Trulia.com. It has the potential to become a very popular resource for both buyers and sellers. Unlike most realtors’ Web sites their goal isn’t a lead; they’re About Us page says they make money from selling advertising. The interface is clean, easy to navigate, and loads quickly. The four main areas of Trulia are homes for sale, real estate guides, heat maps, and Trulia Voices.
1. Homes for Sale - The simple interface allows you to search by price range, location, # of bedrooms and bathrooms, square feet, and property types. It displays the location of your results on a map and lists them below so you can sort by any of the attributes.
2. Real Estate Guides - Use the guides to find data on average prices, income info, crime stats, school info, and community resources.
3. Heat Maps - The heat maps give you a quick overview of listing and sale price differences between cities, counties, and states. It’s a quick visual representation to see the differences between geographic regions.
4. Trulia Voices - Trulia Voices turns this resource into a community. I think this service could become very popular. Buyers, sellers, and residents are all connected together to help each other learn more about specific regions and about real estate in general. This could be especially beneficial to buyers who need to learn about schools, crime, traffic, etc. in an area before they buy a home there.
How could this service influence the real estate market? What other markets could use a service like this?
Need help with a particular design principle? Let nature guide you. Looking at forms in nature can help you learn about design and give you inspiration.
1. Color - Put down your Pantone swatch book and look to nature to find a rich, vibrant color scheme. Color theory can be very complex, but many forms in nature provide beautiful color combinations that you don’t have to be an expert to see.
- Monochromatic:
- Analogous:
- Complementary:
2. Focal Point - Creating a focal point within a design adds interest and pulls a viewer into the composition. Use this technique to emphasize an important element or message. Or use a strong focal point to distract viewers from other elements. By using focal points you can create a hierarchy within a composition.
- Moths use spots on their wings to create fake “eyes” to trick predators and take attention away from their real eyes and bodies.
- Nothing stands out more in the night sky than the moon. It’s the first thing you see when you look up and it can be used for navigation in the night.
3. Contrast - Liven up a design by using contrasting colors or elements. Contrast is another way to create hierarchy and add interest.
-Lightning immediately grabs your attention and stands out brightly against a gray sky (even if only for a second).
- A zebra’s contrasting light and dark stripes are a matter of life and death. They camouflage the zebra in tall grasses.
4. Repetition - Repetition can help unify a design and emphasize an overarching concept. Using similar type, colors, shapes, etc. through out a design creates a sense of consistency and guides a viewer through a composition.
- Each ring radiating from the center of a tree trunk guides you through the life of the tree.
- The shape of honeycomb is the most efficient shape for bees to work with. Each cell is used either for honey and pollen storage or to lay eggs. The hexagons fit together perfectly and waste the least amount of space.
By following basic design principles your compositions will look more professional and interesting. You can find examples of these concepts all around you.
Most people who know anything about SEO know that link building is a major factor in high rankings. And most of these people also know that how you get these links almost just as important. Back in the day the “I’ll link to you if you link to me” strategy was the best way to gather links. Now we have much better ways to build links such as through viral campaigns. A lot of people will even go so far as to say reciprocal linking is dead. So why would any one bother seeking out reciprocal link opportunities?
The answer is targeted traffic. Swapping links with relevant Web sites can bring in a good amount of traffic to your site. Linking isn’t just about building your PR, it’s about driving traffic. Of course the types of sites you choose to link with are very important in getting the traffic you want. Seeking out similar or complimentary sites will help bring in people who are more likely to be interested in your content. For example, if you sell shoes you may want to exchange links with someone who sells clothes. These links open up another doorway into your site for people who may not have found you by searching.
Ultimately, high rankings in Google don’t make your site successful, convertible traffic does. If sharing links with compatible Web sites brings in the traffic you need to be successful, then that is the strategy to go with. Reciprocal linking will never die, it’s purpose has just become more focused on the user not the search engine.
Robert Fulghum’s famous advice can even be applied to SEO:
Share everything.
Share your wisdom, share links, share stories, and the list could go on. The truly successful SEOs aren’t afraid to share what they have. You get back what you put in. If you link out to someone, there’s a good chance they’ll link back to you. If you share your knowledge, you’ll be thought of as an authority.
Play fair.
Being unethical or spammy will only hurt you in the long run. Building trust with people is a far better strategy. Sure your spammy techniques like keyword stuffing or doorway pages may help in the short term, but eventually it will catch up to you. Playing fair and doing things the right way can only help you.
Don’t hit people.
Unless you want to be hit back, try to be respectful of your colleagues.
Put things back where you found them. - and -
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Stealing content, design ideas, concepts, etc. will get you no where. At best, you’ll be caught and people will lose respect for you, at worst you could even be sued. Give credit if you use someone else’s content.
Clean up your own mess.
If you make a mistake, fix it. - and -
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Debating someone else’s ideas isn’t a bad thing, but going out of your way to bash someone will only hurt you in the end. Say you’re sorry and take responsibility for your words or actions. Internet does not equal anonymous.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Don’t dive into a project unprepared. Do your research on competition, keywords, etc. Eating the meal (or designing/promoting a Web site) may be the fun part, but you need to be prepared first.
Flush.
Out with the old, in with the new. SEO, Web design, internet marketing strategies, etc, are constantly changing. What worked a year ago, may not work so well now.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. - and -
Take a nap every afternoon.
Don’t forget to take some time out to relax. Your e-mails, blog comments, and RSS feeds will all still be there when you come back. Pushing yourself to exhaustion will make your work suffer.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Inspiration comes from all around you. Getting involved in something you enjoy, or even just taking a walk, could inspire your next great concept.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
It’s a hard enough world for SEOs. So many people have negative thoughts about SEO, so it’s important we stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Remembering the roots of basic SEO - on-page factors like title tags, alt tags, keyword rich content, and off-page factors like link building strategies and marketing - will give your site a foundation to grow into something big.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
Nothing lasts forever, not even the most popular Web site out there will be around forever. Think about the popular sites from 3, 4, or 5 years ago, are they still popular today? Some are, but how long will they last? New trends will always replace the old.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
If you stop learning about SEO you’re doomed. Things change in this industry on a daily basis. Keeping up with the latest knowledge is a large part of an SEO’s job description.
