What is Hittail?

Well to quote their website.

“HitTail reveals in real-time the least utilized, most promising keywords hidden in the Long Tail of your natural search results. We present these terms to you as writing suggestions that, when used as the topic of new site content or blog posts, can boost the natural search results of your site. It’s that simple.”

Perhaps a more clear explanation would be, that Hittail helps you discover unique search queries that are generally less competitive, but almost always more targeted to your product or service. This is important because less competitive terms are far cheaper to bid on from a Pay Per Click perspective, but also easier to rank highly for in terms of search engine optimisation.

What are long tail keywords?

The main difference between normal keywords and long tail keywords is that long tail often appears more like a sentance. Here are some examples of long tail keywords:

1. Where to buy sunglasses in Dublin?
2. What are the bus times in New York?
3. Cool places to visit in Dubai
4. Are long tail keywords cheaper to bid on?

As you can see they are quite long, but they are often in the form of a question. Obviously people like to ask Google questions as if it were a oracle of knowledge (which it is, lets face it).

How are these different from normal keywords?

Well if you haven’t done any search engine marketing before, most people often try to achieve top status in the search engines for terms that are one, two or three words long at most. This is because there is often a larger amount of traffic to be obtained from these sources. The problem is, most of your competitors are often seeking to be found under the same term making it harder to achieve a top 10 ranking on the desired search engine.

How do I discover long tail keywords?

There are a few ways you can do this. Traditionally many scoure their Analytics (like Google Analytics) package for unique keywords. Often this involves a manual process of exporting these keywords and then reimporting them into your Google Adwords account.

Hittail, helps make the transition easier by allowing you to directly import them from your Hittail account, directly into your Adwords account. This can help you reduce duplicated keywords in your account. Which is important as this can cause issues with relation to your ranking and visibility.

How do I use Hittail?

Just like any analytics package you need to install a small Javascript snippet at the bottom of your HTML page source. Unlike an analytics package however, the weight (or size in kb) of the file is quite small so it shouldn’t be an issue from a page load time performance perspective.

Full instructions can be found on their website, so I won’t go into that here.

Another nice feature I found was the ability to easily see what keywords you were found for and from what search engine. If you are bidding on terms internationally, say in different countries this could be really useful. In the attached screen shot you can see google with different domain GTLD (Global Top Level Domains).

You can also see the long list of keywords obtained over a short period of time in this view.

Summary

In summary, Hittail is probably most useful for those in the search engine marketing industry. Particularly those in the Adwords management field as this will save you a load of time discovering and optimising accounts. If anything, I have discovered that many people are searching for travel related phrases, which has inspired me to continue blogging about my travel and I have also found a lot of people arrived on my site, while searching for content management system related questions. Again something else I’ll try and focus on in future.

So if your looking to expand your keyword list or find more targeted traffic to drive to your website. Hittail could be a useful tool for you. Anything that can save you a few dollars in online advertising spend is a good thing to me.

Recently on the Irish web master forums there was a question regarding web browser usage in Ireland. After having looked for data and not being able to find much, (except for this article, which is a few years old) I decided to share some data provided by some major Irish websites. You could assume that other markets will provide this information, however as we will see different markets can vary greatly.

This can be due to the demographic market, technology in the region and technology adaptation rates. As an example the W3C Schools Browser Statistics shows a high market share for Firefox, however as mentioned in the foot notes of the page, this is more than likely due to the demographic visiting the W3C pages. It is relatively safe to assume that Internet Explorer has a large stake of browser share for users on most websites.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of web design is screen resolution. Currently this is only been tracked on one of the websites I got these results from, however its a relatively simple metric that shouldn’t vary too much across websites.

Screen resolution

1. 1024×768 41.60%
2. 1280×800 25.40%
3. 1280×1024 13.40%
4. 1440×900 5.40%
5. 800×600 3.30%
6. Rest 10.50%

So lets take a look at some of the user stats in Ireland, first we will look at a Dublin event guide website which receives a decent amount of traffic on a daily basis.

www.indublin.ie – Accepts Cookies

• Accepts Cookies – 93%
• Not Accepting Cookies – 7%

www.menupages.ie – Accepts Cookies

• Accepts Cookies – 90.8%
• Not Accepting Cookies – 9.2%

www.cbg.ie – Accepts Cookies

• Accepts Cookies – 94.7%
• Not Accepting Cookies – 5.3%

www.modifiedmotors.ie – Accepts Cookies

• Accepts Cookies – 97%
• Not Accepting Cookies – 3%

www.indublin.ie – Javascript On / Off

• Javascript On – 96.8%
• Javascript Off – 3.2%

www.menupages.ie – Javascript On / Off

• Javascript On – 95.1%
• Javascript Off – 4.9%

www.cbg.ie – Javascript On / Off

• Javascript On – 91.8%
• Javascript Off – 8.2%

www.modifiedmotors.ie – Javascript On / Off

• Javascript On – 99.3%
• Javascript Off – 0.7%

www.indublin.ie – Browser By Version

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 38.30%
2. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 33.70%
3. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 14.50%
4. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.13 2.70%
5. Mozilla 1.8.1.11 1.40%
6. Rest 9.40%

www.menupages.ie – Browser By Version

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 42.30%
2. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 36.40%
3. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 10.80%
4. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.13 2.10%
5. Safari 5.23.12.2 1.20%
6. Rest 7.10%

www.cbg.ie – Browser By Version

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 48.60%
2. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 33.40%
3. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 9.90%
4. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.13 1.70%
5. Netscape 4.0 0.70%
6. Rest 5.70%

www.modifiedmotors.ie – Browser By Version

1. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 54.00%
2. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 29.10%
3. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.12 9.20%
4. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.13 2.00%
5. Opera 8.01 0.90%
6. Rest 4.80%

Summary

What’s interesting here is that Netscape 4.0 still appeared in the top 5 of browsers used on Car Buyers Guide. I thought this browser was well and truly dead, but it seems like that’s not the case. So perhaps hiding styles from Netscape 4 is still a good idea if you are targeting the largest audience possible.

In terms of demographics I believe the websites above cover a majority of them. Modified Motors for example covers the younger age group. Generally 16-30 year old males, however the site also attracts young females interested in modelling work. MenuPages appeals to everyone interested in Dining out, however it does have a strong 50/50 male / female userbase. Generally I’d say it wouldn’t appeal too much among younger users, as fast food is generally part of their diet . (Hey I was young and naive once too).

Car Buyers Guide appeals to anyone looking to buy or sell a car, which would generally be anyone over the legal age to acquire a license. Not being from Ireland I’m not sure of the legal age?

What’s also slightly varied across the sites is the use of Javascript and Cookies. If you plan to implement AJAX based user functionality. You should plan to implement a fall back mechanism to handle those users who don’t have javascript enabled. Its a pain (I know), but it should be done as part of any web development project.

Cookie adoptation rates can also affect your tracking or web analytics package. Generally a cookie is used to track a user throughout your website. This can have an affect on your order tracking and conversion tracking. Generally 3rd party cookies are rejected more frequently and many web stats packages use these. Just something to keep in mind.

Finally although the data above indicates a major share of browser market by Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0, its important to keep in mind that many visitors originated from other standards compliant devices and in some cases blackberry devices and other portable browsers. Standards based design is the best way to ensure your message reaches all users, regardless of browser or operating system. Many designers who comply to these standards will display a W3C logo.

I hope you enjoyed the article and as always feel free to leave a comment and I’ll try and respond as soon as possible.

So you have established you want to get more involved online. You may already have a website, you may not. Don’t worry if you haven’t because sometimes its best to get search engine marketing advice on a website concept, before its built. In fact it usually works out cheaper this way, this is because the website is structured correctly the first time around, not the second! So who do you seek for advice?

Search / Website Marketing Agency Pro’s

1. Experience Across A Diverse Selection of Websites and Industries
2. Generally cheaper than hiring an in house Search Engine Marketing Person
3. Usually works within a team of other knowledgeable experts
4. Will usually have access to industry tools (some of them expensive) that help with your marketing efforts
5. Agencies usually have people who can also manage Pay Per Click Campaigns and Experts with Web Analytics

Search / Website Marketing Agency Con’s

1. Usually has more than 1 client to look after and work with
2. Generally pays most attention to the loudest client or client with the most money
3. Is somtimes limited as to what they can do for your website. (They may not have direct access to it) or they might only offer consulting and cannot implement changes on your website.
4. Depending on your budget – An agency might not be able to provide you with a full solution – rather a cut down version

Ok so that last point is a little moot, but it does happen. Sometimes its just not possible to provide a complete solution because a client just doesn’t have the budget for one. Of course if this is the case, you probably are not looking for a full time person to take care of your online marketing anyway.

In House Search / Website Marketing Pro’s

1. Full time dedicated to your website(s)
2. Can sometimes have more influence over changes made to your website
3. Can be more cost effective if you run large marketing campaigns
4. Alway accessible to discuss issues / reports and other website activity

In House Search / Website Marketing Con’s

1. Can be more expensive than hiring an external agency
2. May not be experiences with large websites with lots of content
3. May not be experienced with search engine marketing in your industry or niche
4. Might lack expensive tools and may not be up to date with latest industry trends – due to keeping busy on your project

As you can see there are several pro’s and con’s to each. Are you still confused as to what may suit you? That’s ok consider the following issues with an in house seo

• Paying a Salary of € 40,000 + in the Irish Market (I think this is the minimum good seo’s should be on in Ireland)
• Sick and Holiday Leave
• Any additional hidden costs with hiring someone
• The cost of hiring someone who isn’t up to scratch (rehiring later)
• How many websites do you manage or want them to manage?

From what I wrote above you may be thinking I’m against hiring an in house search marketing person. That’s not quite true. It really depends on your website and what its worth to you. It also depends on if you have multiple sites you need managed. It can also depend on the individual and their qualifications.

In house professional check list

1. Experience optimising websites – Get them to show you results for previous clients or websites
2. Understanding of Pay Per Click Marketing using Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing or other engines
3. An understanding of web analytics – Will help with your efforts online in general
4. An understanding of marketing in general
5. Understands basic XHTML and CSS (Very Important!)
6. Some programming knowledge either php / aspx / perl / cold fusion / ruby on rails etc..
7. Experience using ethical search engine marketing techniques

Its an extensive list, but not one out of reach for those in the industry for a couple of years. A good interview question would be:
What do you look at when optimising a website?
If they have difficulty explaining that one, they probably won’t be that great at search engine marketing.

Selecting an Agency Checklist

1. Can you list some previous clients you obtained good results for?
2. Check their ranking for terms such as “Online Marketing” , ” search engine optimisation” etc.. If they are not ranking for those terms, ask them which ones they appear highest for or which ones they are doing well for that are competitive terms. Shorter terms are harder to rank for: “Website Marketing” is harder to rank for than ” Website Marketing Dublin, Ireland”
3. Ask them about what methods they will use to help you rank higher. If they are particularly secretive if might be best to give them a miss. In particular ask them how they will get more incoming links to your website.
4. Ask them why you should choose them over their competitors. What is their selling point?

Summary

To summarize, selecting an agency is probably a better idea if you are just starting out in online marketing. Its a great way to test the waters and get your toes wet so to speak. If you see potential in your industry and are getting good results, but your agency can’t help you expand further, either due to budget or time constraints. It might be good to look at a full time search engine marketing expert. Really serious campaigns require great care and nurture and involve ALOT of hard work. Regular reporting and tracking your campaigns will become extremely important to help determine what is and is not working. You may find an agency can’t dedicate the time you need spent on your websites. If that’s the case it might pay to start looking to hire someone.

I hope that helps some of you confused out there. As always feel free to contact me, should you have any questions and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Different Advertising Methods

First lets look at the various web advertising options you have.

• Banner Advertising
• Text Links and Text Link Ads
• Pop Up’s and Pop Under’s
• Google Adsense / Yahoo! Publisher Network
• Affiliate Marketing or Referrals
• Video Advertising / Flash / Roll Overs

With so many options at your finger tips, many website owners can and do get carried away. Hitting their website visitors with every form of advert and in some cases they hit their users with advertising before giving them what they are after, your websites quality content.

Bad Advertising Practice, How do you spot it?

One of the biggest mistakes website owners tend to make is that they mislead their visitors, visitors to your website are your customers. They are the life blood of your website. Misleading them only ensures they won’t return frequently Some examples of bad advertising practice could include one or all of the following:

• Placing Ads Where Navigation Items Often Appear
• Saturating pages with advertising – too many banners – often seizure triggering
• Using pop up windows and pop under advertising
• Using large banners that demand high bandwidth connections (excessive flash / images / video)
• Tricking users into clicking on advertising by disguising advertising

Forcing users to click on advertising just sends them away from your website to the advertiser. If a user does not full fill their goals using your website they will loose trust and more than likely not return. This brings us to one of the first ways you can measure success. Returning visitors, the higher the percentage of returning visitors you have to your website the better.

How do I tell if my visitors are new or returning?

The answer is use a web analytics program. There are various options available and if your budget isn’t prepared for a commercial solution. Google can help with their Free Google Analytics program. The program requires you include a small Javascript snippet at the bottom of each page you wish to track. Other packages may vary but work on the same principles. You’ll also need to sign up for an account, if you don’t already have a Google Account such as Gmail or Adwords / Adsense

Since Google Analytics is Free all screenshots and instructions will be based upon this system. However since most analytics packages work in the same way, we will use it as our example. First sign into your Google Analytics account, now you should be able to see some navigation items on your left hand menu. We want to follow this path:

Visitors >> New Vs Returning

The stats are for a relatively busy site of mine. As you can see however the majority of my visitors are returning. Because it s a community site this isn’t unexpected but it is a good sign. If you run an e-commerce site, chances are your return visitor rate will be lower, however you should try and aim for as many returns as possible. Returning customers are always a good sign.

Bounce Rates, Your Other Best Friend

Another great way of seeing how effective your website is by looking at bounce rates. A bounce is a visit that lasts for only one page or less than 5 seconds. High bounce rates can be a good indication that a user is put off or isn’t finding what they are looking for on your site. Generally you want to try and achieve a bounce rate of lower than 50% and ideally lower than 30%. Low bounce rates mean users are at least viewing a couple of pages on your site.

Time On Site – Longer the Better

If users spend a lot of time on your website, surely that’s a good thing right? In general yes, but it can depend on the type of site you run. E-commerce sites are should usually geared toward making a quick sale so if users are spending too long it could mean problems with your site’s checkout process. Its more likely though that customers will leave if they can’t achieve their goals. There is no ideal time on site, but generally if your average time is high this is a good sign. Don’t be fooled though, check to see how many visitors fit into to lower quartile range for time on site. It could reveal interesting trends about your visitors.

At the end of the day, web analytics can reveal some interesting information, but you the webmaster will need to decide how much is too much advertising. New websites should refrain from being too heavy on advertising and focus on quality content. Once you have established a good user, you can probably afford to add a bit more advertising. I am of the opinion that the less advertising space you have the the more valuable the advertising space becomes.

If page load times are being slowed due to heavy advertising, its a good idea to cut out the biggest bandwidth eaters.

Clearly Label Your Advertising

I have always clearly labeled advertising on my Users understand they are clicking on an ad and they aren’t being tricked into anything. This means they are more likely to purchase, subscribe or view goal pages on advertisers sites. A higher return on investment that advertisers receive from placing ads on my site means they will be willing to spend more with my site in future.

Treat Visitors How You Want To Be Treated

From a user perspective think about what you dislike most. If you can’t stand constant advertising pop-ups or flashing banners, misleading text or anything else like it, chances are you shouldn’t do it on your own website. Just because it makes you a few dollars now doesn’t mean it will last forever. Be patient, focus on creating a good website and you will reap the rewards.