Archive for September, 2010

Taking Your Online Presence to the Next Level with Podcasts

September 10, 2010

Hello and welcome to the Internet Beacon! We’re an SEO firm in Maryland.

Getting people to listen to what you have to say can be difficult. After all, there are millions of voices all clamoring for the same thing: attention. We want to be heard and we want people to know about our businesses. Well, a blog is one way to do that. It’s been around for years now and people have come to expect them. However, there is an ocean of blogs out there. Something that’s grown in popularity in the last several years is the podcast. Now, if you don’t know what a podcast is, it’s like an internet radio/tv show that’s broadcast out for anyone who finds it. You can find free hosting and recording tools online, and it really just requires a microphone and a cast. You can even do one on your own!

Podcasts are great for many reasons. First of all, they’re portable. Just about everyone today has some form of digital media player. It could be their phone or a separate device. The fact is tons of people have them. You can take advantage of our mobile society and create content people can take with them on planes, trains, and…yes, automobiles.

Another great things about Podcasts is that they are easy to do. As I mentioned before, all it takes is a computer, microphone, and some free editing software. As a note, if you have a Mac OS computer made after 2007, it includes a program called GarageBand, which has podcasting features built into it.

Lastly, podcasts have a more personal touch than a blog or other medium. People can hear and sometimes see you. That establishes a connection between a real person (you) and the service/product you are selling. They can see your company as more than a soulless PR machine and as a collective of people working together.

Podcasting is a great way to spread your message on the Internet.

-Josh

Internet Beacon

In Text Ads Are One of Many Options for Website Advertisement

September 1, 2010

Hello and welcome to the Internet Beacon! We’re an SEO firm in Maryland.

There are a lot of ways to make advertising work for your website. You can go with banner ads, simple links to sponsors, or a lot of other options. One of the most controversial forms of advertising on webpages is the in-text ad method.

In-Text ads are essentially links generated based on keywords that appear in your page. They are typically double-underlined and when a user rolls their mouse over them, a tiny pop-up appears with an advertisement relating to that word.

Users are divided on how they feel about this form of advertising. While it does not always seem as intrusive as banner ads, with their occasional flashing and bright colors, they can also be frustrating when simply trying to read an article. Imagine trying to read a book and every time you come across the word “ship”, it shows a little picture of a ship and lists places to buy them. It would drive you mad.

No one expects websites to be used for free. Whether you use a membership format or support our site through ads, you have to pay the bills somehow. However, there are ways to balance your need for income with your need to keep readers coming back.

-Josh
Internet Beacon

for More info on SEO, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. SEO in MD, improve search engine results


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