Two Frequently Asked Questions by SMEs
 

How do I make sure UGC is optimized and ranks well?
Are there strategies I can use to get the most out of my UGC from an SEO point of view?

The simple answer is that the optimal solution will likely be different for each business and/or site, but in [...]

While less than 9% of internet users contribute the majority of user generated content (UGC: Rubicon 2008), many people who use the internet on a regular basis have at one time or another contributed to the web in the form of a blog comment or product review – that’s UGC.
 

 
Online UGC is something that [...]

I watched a movie the other day about how to put a different spin on ideas that you find common but that the every-day man might not.
 
It wasn’t a documentary by any manner of means, it was a light-hearted comedy called ‘Confessions of a Shop-a-holic’, and I actually learned something. No, not about my [...]

I think so, to both. This is a quick study of why I do…
 
SEO is Misunderstood
Background
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a term that was coined in July 1997, where it was used publicly in what was perceived to be a spam message, hardly an auspicious beginning. Over the years, the term ‘search engine optimization’ [...]

Optimised content can be a vague concept. Defining ‘for whom’ we are optimising the content, along with ‘why’, is a critical part of the overall deliverable objective of a comprehensive web content strategy.
 
Optimising web content for both human users and search engine spiders should not be a mutually exclusive endeavour; at its most basic content [...]

A new colleague and I were sharing favourite tools the other day (12 most were in common), and it got me to thinking about how I wished I’d known more about the range of newbie free tools out there – and what they did – when I first started out. I’m NOT including keyword research [...]

UGC (user generated content) is fast becoming more and more important to the success of online retailers, and to businesses that rely on their website to drive brand exposure and generate contacts.
 
Which forms of UGC to leverage, why, where and how can be a challenge to even the most professional marketing team.  Please read [...]

One of my fantastically (scarily really) talented colleagues, Lance Jones, presented at eMetrics in San Jose yesterday. The topic covered was how VOC (voice of customer) changed the Intuit QuickTax home page for the better during the last few weeks of our Canadian tax season. QuickTax is the Canadian version of TurboTax just if you [...]

I went to the BazaarVoice Social Commerce Summit last week in Austin, TX – what a great city… It was the best conference from a pure learning’s perspective I have been to in ages, and I have to admit the party events they put on were stellar.
 
I only made it to the Bat Cruise [...]

I read one of the most thought provoking posts on social media use I have read in a long time today by Steven Hodson. I rarely if ever comment on blogs, so the fact that I nearly bored poor Steven to death with a ve..ee..ry long comment says quite a bit.
 
Before I go off on [...]