AK Works :: Musings on Business, Politics and, yes, SEO

Google Sites Has Largest Audience in Asia Pacific Region

2010-07-15T17:05:00.003-04:00

Google sites have the largest audience in Asia Pacific!

Earlier in July, comScore released research through a webinar that showed Google sites have the largest audience in Asia Pacific region.

Google Sites led as the most-visited property in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam
Yahoo! Sites attracted the most visitors in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan
Microsoft Sites led the market in Australia reaching 93 percent of online users
Local entities topped the list in China and South Korea, with Tencent Inc. and NHN Corporation reaching the largest percentage of Internet users
In the Philippines, Facebook.com reigned as the most-visited destination reaching 93 percent of online users, the highest penetration of any global market for the social networking site

Of course with a huge percentage of the human population based in the Asia-Pacific region, no wonder that Asia, specifically China, is hot.

Data like this research helps marketers value the importance of geo-specific regions and which web properties are best to leverage for maximum visibility, exposure, and awareness. And right now - Asia is hot.

International Search is the future of SEO and the future of International SEO is Mobile Search. International Search is Mobile Search. International SEO is Mobile SEO.

China Has 420 Million Internet Users

2010-07-15T16:05:00.006-04:00

China reportedly has 420 million Internet users, 277 million of them accessing the Internet via mobile devices.

The Chinese Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released its survey showing that since the end of 2009, in the first half of 2010 alone, China has increased Internet users by 36 million to 420 million.

Of the 420 million Internet users, 277 million accessed the Internet via mobile phones!

To give perspective, the US population is roughly 300 million. Japan's population is roughly 130 million. These figures are total population inclusive of men, women, children.

US Population:

From Blogger Pictures

Japan Population:

From Blogger Pictures

The numbers here are huge. This kind of market, by pure numbers, are unbelievable and haven't even touched a saturation point yet for China's total population.

Naturally, it was wise for Google to be friends with China again regardless of Google's less than 30% market share or < 1%>

Now Google needs Android phones to make a bigger inroad to capitalize on mobile search!

But these figures also reveal an important thing and reality of the future of the Internet and the future of SEO: the future of the Internet is global Internet community and a global Internet is based on mobile Internet.

The Western and industrialized nations are at a saturation point and growth will depend on the developing nations and China.

Look at the populations of China, India, Brazil vs. US & Japan. Japan's trend is actually flatlining while China and India are growing exponentially. Brazil and the US are growing steadily but Brazil is a hot emerging economy.

The SEO professional must be aware of International search and mobile search and track and understand the changes - in order to remain relevant.

International Search is the future of SEO and the future of International SEO is Mobile Search. International Search is Mobile Search. International SEO is Mobile SEO.

It's Been a While for AK Works - New Blog Coming Out

2010-03-17T11:33:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since AK Works Blog has come out. Big changes here at AK Works. The company was always a consulting company but will be moving into more SEO research with a focus on International SEO and Mobile SEO.

Why is this the case? Because the future of SEO and business is International.

As an active investor, I look for companies with international exposure to invest in. With the financial meltdown for the last 2-3 years, the case for investing in companies with international markets is even stronger.

For SEOs, the majority of work and understanding of SEO has been English-based and US/UK centric. To stay relevant, SEOs must learn business in the 2010s and the business priorities of this new decade.

Inevitably, this leads to International SEO.

While there are still plenty of SEO business in working with the SMBs of the United States, Canada, and even the UK, SEOs as a profession need to be versed in the global business landscape.

The SEO profession can only survive and remain relevant if SEOs fill business needs of all spectrum from the mom-and-pops to the local SMBs to the global Fortune 500 enterprises.

AK Works will spend time researching the global search landscape, the mobile landscape, and present data and analysis. We will also present case studies of existing projects that we do as well as research and results from our existing projects.

This blog will be used as one vehicle for the main website, currently at AK Works. Blog posts will originate there but also be promoted here as well. That site will be redesigned shortly.

Our goal with AK Works and with the blogs is to present data, third-party and primary market research, and critical analysis on International SEO, International markets, China & Asia markets, developments in International Search, Mobile SEO, mCommerce, and also stock investing in SEO-related firms.

MSFT Bing is NOT the Winner in Google Pulling Out of China

2010-03-17T10:52:00.003-04:00

Now that Google is 99.9% certain it will pull out of China, there is speculation that Microsoft Bing will be the winner and be able to snatch more market share. After all, with Google out of the picture, Microsoft can compete on more even ground against Baidu, Sina, or Sohu, right?

That's conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom also says that Google pulling out of China is a bad business move.

After all, Google would be pulling out of a country that has 1.3 billion people with 600 million of them in urban areas (presumably connected to the Internet). China's urbanized population alone is DOUBLE the entire population of the United States. Plus, China is estimated to be about 20% of the world's population. Conventional wisdom says this is a market that Google should learn to appease.

But conventional wisdom has more than once been proven wrong. Google is making a bet on Mobile

Google, if and when it pulls out of China, will essentially be breaking up with a cantankerous woman. A woman who is fine, but just way too full of drama.

Google's "lover on the side" or "cut buddy" is Mobile. And that's where Google is placing its bet on. Google itself has made plenty of strides into Mobile including the AdMob purchase and Nexus One.

If and when Google perfects mobile search and mobile ads, Google will not only command desktop search, it will command mobile search. And in Asia, Europe, and emerging economies, access to Internet through mobile devices is far more prevalent than in the US.

While Bing chases after Google's desktop search crumbs, Google is setting up the table and dining hall for mobile search.

Over the course of the next few days and weeks, I will be exploring Google and China and Mobile. I will be putting out a collection of articles on Google and China with more details, analysis, and references.

These will be followed by analysis and details on International SEO, Mobile SEO, and the future of the Internet & SEO.

NO to the Auto Industry Bailout

2008-11-18T10:44:00.003-05:00

I am not alone in saying NO the auto industry bailout. Many Americans feel the same way. The reasons may vary but most people I know don't want this bailout - including my Democrat friends.

We all feel the same way - why should our tax dollars be put into bailing out antiquated, inefficient, irresponsible companies?

Democrat and Republican voters might have differing views on the UAW and their role in the inefficiencies and irresponsibility of the Big 3, but we agree that the auto makers need reform and that those reforms should NOT be financed by our tax dollars.

I think most American voters are not comfortable with paying more taxes to fund a bailout of big companies when all of us are hurting and need our own individual bailout.

I personally hate Ford, GM, and Chrysler. I hate the companies because they make crappy cars. Their trucks suck; nothing more than giant gas-guzzling, top-heavy, road-hogging pieces of crap. Those things can't keep value, are loaded with extra crap, and are highly over-priced with average starting prices at $25,000. I drive an import. I have been a Honda man - and have lately found great value in Hyundai's Sonata - features, reliability, and great price. There's nothing in Ford, GM, or Chrysler's inventory even remotely close to that quality or value. Plus, there's no sedan that any of those Big 3 offers that is at all comparable to the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, or Hyundai Sonata.

I also hate the UAW and union workers. On top of, clearly, overpaid executives that continue to fumble the ball managing the Big 3, union auto workers are classic examples of overpaid, underworked labor. These guys make more money than I do, have more benefits than my job offrs, and I have a friggin college education! A college education is supposed to offer MORE economic opportunities, right? What gives? But I am not mad about them making more money - that's part of this society to be able to succeed spectacularly or fail miserably. What I don't like is the idea that the auto maker executives AND union workers want tax-payer money to continue to fund their cushy overpaid, underworked, lazy butts. Why should the government take the food out of my mouth to help their worthless butts keep their jobs?

I can say this with clarity because my job is non-union. So why should I support any union jobs with my tax dollars? It's a rhetorical question because I don't support it.

I can also say all this with clarity because Honda and Toyota manufacture their cars here in the US and they use non-union labor. They bring manufacturing plants to places OUTSIDE of Detriot and Michigan to places like Tennessee. These companies do very well. They employ workers, they sell their cars because the cars are well-built and have great value. The companies are efficient in manufacturing, keeping costs down, and they produce wise cars. Oh, and they also don't cheapen themselves by selling fleet vehicles.

Now if Honda and Toyota can do this, so can US automakers. US automakers can have fairer, non-union labor. They can make fuel-efficient, small cars. They can push the envelope of automotive engineering. Better manufacturing, better engineering - all of this is possible and it's been done already! The Big 3 - both management and union - are just way too lazy to evolve.

That's why I say NO to the bailout. Screw these guys. Let the fall, let them rot. They refuse to change for the better - and yet want tax payer money to help them to keep their ways? NO! Money is a great incentive - and they should be forced to change under duress.

Management needs to trim the fat. The surviving managers need to be driven like slaves to install refined and efficient manufacturing - and better business models. Engineers need to be slave-driven to push automotive engineering for more reliable and fuel-efficient cars. And Labor needs to "de-unionize". The union needs to be broken. When manufacturing is so streamlined with automation, there's no reason auto workers should be so highly overpaid. Labor is labor - if you are paid to press a button, you should be paid a wage befitting pressing a button.

Jerry Yang Stepping Down from Yahoo - Finally?

2008-11-17T20:21:00.002-05:00

Breaking news now - Jerry Yang is stepping down from Yahoo. He will step down from Yahoo as CEO as soon as a suitable replacement is found for the position. He'll remain with Yahoo and resume his former position of "Chief Yahoo" (rolls eyes - throwback to the crazy names from the pre-Dotcom Bubble Burst days).

YHOO closed 10.63 on November 17, 2008.

Report 1

Report 2

Report 3

Tuchman's Law - Is The Economy Really That Bad?

2008-11-12T00:48:00.000-05:00

Economic news is depressing these days. Ford and GM are dying - with shares trading at below $4 a share. Banks have failed. Even entire countries like Iceland is facing bankruptcy. Oil, which was hit by speculative trading that drove futures to nearly $150 a barrel have fallen - below $60 a barrel as of closing November 11, 2008. US consumers are not shopping affecting retail, particularly this holiday shopping season.

Home foreclosures continue, driving down home sales both new and existing. Cars are not selling, gas consumption in the US and worldwide (including China) have waned. And now - increasing rounds of layoffs as corporations attempt to trim the fat.

Yet even with all of these economic bad news, for most of us, is it really that bad? Or are we still functioning but with more sacrifice?

No doubt a lot of people are feeling the pain and have curtailed a lot of "luxuries" (whatever that may be - for me, it's going to the movies).

But, the fact that the bad economic news is not juxtaposed with the latest robberies, mugging, or murder-suicide over finances and is, instead, matched with more economic bad news, it makes me wonder if most people have found a way to cope.

Perhaps the American and human spirit is more resilient and is capable of coping with economic hardships. Perhaps, Tuchman's Law is in effect?

Tuchman's Law was coined by American author and historian, Barbara Tuchman who wrote "The Guns of August", a history about the buildup and first month of World War I. The book, by the way, was referenced by President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and he encouraged his Cabinet to read it to help deal with the crisis (a really well done movie, Thirteen Days, is about the Cuban Missile Crisis).

Tuchman's Law, however, states that the presence of negative news would have you believe that the world is ending and that it seems at every moment, something bad is going to happen when the reality is that bad news is actually OUT of the ordinary.

The fact of being reported multiplies the apparent extent of any deplorable development by five- to tenfold. Disaster is rarely as pervasive as it seems from recorded accounts. The fact of being on the record makes it appear continuous and ubiquitous whereas it is more likely to have been sporadic both in time and place. Besides, persistence of the normal is usually greater than the effect of the disturbance, as we know from our own times. After absorbing the news of today, one expects to face a world consisting entirely of strikes, crimes, power failures, broken water mains, stalled trains, school shutdowns, muggers, drug addicts, neo-Nazis, and rapists. The fact is that one can come home in the evening, on a lucky day, without having encountered more than one or two of these phenomena.(reference)

I suspect that for most of us, the presence of the economic bad news has strained us, but has not broken us, caused us to be homicidal or suicidal (much). Perhaps my faith in God is also my strength because I know who's in control, regardless of a Democrat or Republican in charge.

But with most Americans having faith in a God - be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other - I suspect that most Americans are coping and making appropriate sacrifices, strengthened by their faith.

So while the news seems bad, most of us are still handling our business. We go to work. Or look for a job - anything to pay the bills. We curtail our spending to essentials as much as possible (life still does take place, after all, so some measure of luxury can still be afforded).

To me, even with all the economic bad news and even though things are bad, things are not quite so bad. Tuchman's Law does indeed apply.

Critics say Tax-payer Mortgage Aid Not Enough

2008-11-11T23:41:00.002-05:00

From the AP news, "Critics say new mortgage aid effort for Fannie, Freddie loans doesn't go far enough."

The Federal (tax-payer) mortgage aid plan announced November 11 is geared towards Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. The plan, in simple terms, would allow Fannie and Freddie borrowers get reduced rates and longer loan terms to reduce payments and make it more affordable.

Sounds good, but the critics say Fannie and Freddie only make up about 20% of the distressed or delinquent loans.

Politics aside, I'm willing to concede that the economy is in crisis and extraordinary measures to bring stability is needed.

What I do not like are the journalists' usage of examples to try and build empathy. I don't know if there is enough empathy going around this country (or the world) anymore. People want to blame Bush, the mortgage companies, and the "other" borrowers - the "irresponsible" ones. In my case, I am among those who blame the borrowers as much as the mortgage companies and loan investors.

In this report, the particular "sob" story is San Francisco police officer, Troy Courtney. He is mad because this mortgage aid is too little too late for him. He lost his home in Mill Valley - taking his children, THREE dogs and ONE cat.

Tuesday's announcement comes too late for Troy Courtney, a 44-year-old San Francisco police officer.

He moved out of his home in Mill Valley, Calif., earlier this month -- taking his children, three dogs and one cat with him -- after failing at several attempts to get a loan modification or a short sale. A short sale occurs when the lender agrees to receive less than the loan is worth.

Courtney worked overtime and tapped into his retirement account to try to catch up with two loans on his home. But in the end, he couldn't persuade Countrywide Financial, which managed the loan for Wells Fargo, to modify the loan.

Now - maybe I'm heartless. Maybe I am selfish. Maybe it's because it's the economy or because I just am - but I don't feel sorry for Troy. In fact, he's exactly one of those irresponsible borrowers I blame.

What person, in his right mind, would keep THREE dogs and ONE cat - a full FOUR house pets - plus his children while struggling to pay his house?

First of all, he absolutely bought too much house for him to afford. Second of all, owning and maintaining FOUR house pets is NOT cheap. Dog food for three plus cat food add significant costs to groceries. Not to mention feeding and clothing his children, his monthly costs were probably exorbitant.

Now while Troy couldn't get rid of his children (nor should he), the pets should have been gone. Four pets should not suck a penny from the family budget, not in times like these and not when one is struggling to pay the mortgage.

And while it is possible that even without the pets, Troy would ultimately have lost his house, then at least he can walk away knowing he did all he could to make the sacrifices to make ends meet.

Troy's lack of personal financial responsibility, however, is a perfect example to me of the recklessness these types of borrowers - the ones I blame.

When I come across borrowers like Troy, it pisses me off. His own recklessness along with others like him, along with the mortgage companies, and along with idiot greedy investors, have caused world economic pain and have killed my own investment portfolio.

While people like Troy spent money like no tomorrow, people like me sacrificed "stuff" to sock money away for the long-term. Yet for those of us who played by the rules and tried to do the right thing, we end up losing because of people like Troy.

I want to say people like Troy got what he deserved. But his downfall contributed to my own pains - and I won't condemn myself. So I sit here, angry at Troy while he is angry that he lost his house.

Not much of a choice, in the end.

Learning Chinese for Business - and Perhaps SEO

2008-11-10T10:59:00.002-05:00

My last boss told me if he has his choice on what language his children would learn, he would have them learn Chinese. It's the language of the future, he said.

Since I speak Mandarin Chinese already, I wasn't going crazy up and down for it. I mean - shoot, I speak it with my parents. But then again, I have a natural fondness and affinity for language so I like all languages.

But while I speak conversational Mandarin Chinese, I grew up in the States and am a US citizen. My first language at this point is English. I don't have the expansive vocabulary to speak like a native fluent speaker. I also don't read or write Chinese.

And another thing that compounds learning Chinese is the difference between Traditional versus Simplified. As a Taiwanese (R.O.C.), I am a staunch "Traditionalist" that is, traditional Chinese character writing. But with China's (P.R.O.C., Mainland, Communist China) increasing world presence, China's Simplified writing system is gaining more usage. To someone like me, who's used to Traditional Chinese writing, trying to learn written Chinese is not easy because who knows what's Traditional and what is Simplified?

After a lot of searching (yes, SEO skills in use), I found one website that I really like that teaches both Traditional and Simplified: Chinese-course.com.

The website has flash cards to make it easy to learn. Daily lessons are available and can be emailed to you. You can also subscribe via RSS feed. Getting lessons is very easy.

If you want to learn how to read, write, and speak Mandarin Chinese without paying for Rosetta Stone (and without succumbing to Michael Phelps' pitch), then Chinese-Course.com is a great way to start.

Yahoo Microsoft Drama

2008-11-09T09:51:00.003-05:00

I have watched this closely since the beginning of Microsoft's unsolicited offer in early 2008. (I probably should have kept up with it by blogging about it). The latest news is that Yahoo's advertising deal with Google is lost as Google has decided it is simply not worth the DOJ trouble. As a result, Jerry Yang, who walked away from Microsoft's offer of $33 a share is now declaring Microsoft's best move is to buy Yahoo.

My opinion was always that Yahoo should have sold. As a search marketer, I saw no strength in Yahoo. While Yahoo actually commands strong usage outside of the US particularly in Asia, it is not enough to keep Yahoo competitive; especially against Google.

While MSN, or Windows Live, is FAR from competing with either Google or Yahoo, a merger of the 2 companies would make more sense. Mergers, of course, is a strategy for weaker parties to join together to better compete with a larger "foe". In this case, Microsoft and Yahoo made sense - again, from a search marketer's perspective.

But from a personal perspective, I love this whole drama. The drama of this whole affair is fascinating to me and I find incredible enjoyment in the way this story plays out. I imagine that this kind of "cult of personality" - Yang vs. Ballmer - was what European politics was like during the Middle Ages until the 20th century. Between all the aristocratic intrigue, royal families from one country ruling the other, and with the lives of the common people in the balance, the European days of yore seems to be playing out in Yang vs. Ballmer.

After Google walked away from the deal with Yahoo, Jerry Yang is interviewed by John Battelle (read the interview here)

"To this day, I have to say that the best thing for Microsoft to do is to buy Yahoo. I don't think that is a bad idea at all...at the right price, whatever the price is, we are willing to sell the company...We were ready to negotiate, we wanted to negotiate a deal, and we felt that we weren't that far apart. But at the end of the day, they withdrew and they since have been very clear about not wanting to buy the company."

To me, to say this after Yahoo walked away from Microsoft and after Google walked away from Yahoo, is severely losing face.

Maybe I'm just plain old fashioned, but I think even in this modern 21st century, people are people and saving face is important.

There's a part of me that sees Yang as having been tragically forced into this position. Terry Semel recklessly ran Yahoo long after his purpose was served (which was to help navigate Yahoo and keep it afloat after the Dotcom Bust of 2000-2001). During the good times, henceforth, however, Semel made Yahoo into a joke and lost out big to upstart Google.

Semel was finally replaced by Yang in 2007 but the damage was already done. In fact, Semel had survived a previous shareholder meeting in early 2007 and was not removed from his position even though shareholders had the opportunity. But by mid-2007, Yahoo had enough and the reigns were given over to co-founder Yang.

But Yahoo is a big ship and turning it around is not easy with 6 remaining months in 2007. The economy had already slowed down and in early 2007, foreclosures and the credit squeeze already began to rear their ugly heads. Yahoo's stock, YHOO, began to drop as well. In August 2007, the market suddenly dropped and many stocks lost value - including YHOO. By the end of January 2008, YHOO was trading below $20.

Talks of a MSFT buyout helped skyrocket YHOO's value to nearly $30 a share. When the deal fell through, YHOO dropped to below $25 a share as analysts had expected.

Meanwhile the economy continued to grind down, jobs lost, foreclosures and credit squeeze took its toll and speculative oil futures trading drove oil to $180. The economy was extremely strained helping to make things volatile for YHOO.

Then September and October 2008 came - "Armageddon".

By now, everything seemed to be at a standstill and the news from Wall Street's failures after Bear Sterns (earlier in 2008), Lehman Brothers, the banks, and AiG just made things worse. The world economy began feeling the chaotic butterfly effects too.

Which finally leaves us here - November 5. After long talks about Yahoo and Google's advertising deal, Google finally walks away. Some analysts think this was Google's intention all along - to simply drive a wedge of enmity between Yahoo and Microsoft. At this point, with Ballmer saying no we've moved on, it sure feels like enmity between the two CEOs.

But, as I wrote earlier, I almost feel Yang was forced into this position. I think he did believe he was acting in the best interest to ask for $37 a share from Microsoft. But it was a bad bluff and Microsoft called it. Then, having no recourse and no real direction for Yahoo, Yang turned to Google. And when that fell apart, Yang was left with no additional option for Yahoo.

Yahoo is in the middle - unable to move forward alone, unable (and justifiably unwilling) to move backward. Clearly, Yahoo cannot go it alone - it has no real innovation to effectively combat Google to win more user market share. MSFT has nothing to lose because it is so dead last compared to Google and Yahoo. It is in the position to keep sniping at both "giants".

But while I almost feel a little sympathy for Yang, I think he should have made a business decision and taken the deal. It made sense from a business perspective. It made sense from a search marketer's perspective. And it makes sense from a shareholder perspective.

...well, I at least am not a YHOO or MSFT shareholder.

I weep for American Journalism...

2008-03-27T09:49:00.002-04:00

...I do. I weep for American Journalism. It seems everyday, I read articles published by authors with English names (not international journalists...) making fundamental grammatical mistakes. If I read more into them, I'd probably find more glaring mistakes than those such as expressions, verb tense, and more.

Case 1:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080327/ap_on_re_us/census_growing_cities

Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 27 were in the South and 20 were in the West. Two were in the Midwest, one — Fayetteville, Ark. — straddles the South and Midwest and none was in the Northeast.

A quick read tells me "none was" does not work and should be "none are". Why? Because the word "none" is not a contraction of "not one". "None" can be both singular and plural depending on the context (this might seem strange for English or even Western speakers, but for Asian language speakers such as myself, this isn't too hard to grasp).

Within context, "none" can refer to "not one" or "not any". If you said, "None of my friends are coming with me", you are contextually saying, "Not any of my friends are coming with me."

While technically correct to use "none" as both plural and singular, it is often more appropriate to use it as plural than singular. In this case, the article is referring to "of the 50 fastest growing metro areas". The sentence "Two were in the Midwest, one — Fayetteville, Ark. — straddles the South and Midwest and none was in the Northeast" is really an extension of the whole paragraph. The paragraph itself could have been written like so:

Of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas, 27 were in the South, 20 were in the West, 2 were in the Midwest, one — Fayetteville, Ark. — straddles the South and Midwest, and none were in the Northeast.

All of this is nit picky indeed and most people would not care. Even I would argue that language is organic and that there is no sacrament. Language grows with people, with current times, and changes generation after generation. And if usage changes fly in the face of the "old rules" then those rules need to break or bend to accommodate the change instead of the change bending to the rules.

But in this case, the "none was" tried to stick to the "old rules" and so deserves ridicule.

Here are some references:

http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/1026513/9903.htm

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-non2.htm
http://www.llrx.com/columns/grammar1.htm

Myths of META Tags for SEO Still Persist!

2007-09-11T23:41:00.000-04:00

I am often annoyed, vexed, and even infuriated when I deal with people who still talk about META tags for SEO.

META tags, those little tags that are coded like this:

< meta name="keywords" content="blah blah blah" >
or

< meta name="description" content="blah blah blaaaah" >

The TRUTH is: META TAGS DON'T WORK!!!

I recently had to consult with a friend/business acquaintance because he was left with an e-commerce website that does very little for him. In addition to e-commerce back end short comings, his shopping cart was completely search engine unfriendly.

He told me that the only thing he can do is to change META Tags. Unfortunately, changing META tags, not having ability to recode URLs, and not having access to the source code all work against his website.

Another friend of mine locked herself into a long-term e-commerce package deal before talking to me. Unfortunately for her - the same thing: no control other than META tags.

What's worse for both of these friends of mine is that not only did the companies tell them that's all the access that they have, the companies made it seem like it was their fault for the sites not ranking!

BUT - as I wrote earlier, META tags do NOT work for SEO. The MAJOR search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN do NOT use META tags to rank websites!

So unfortunately for them, until they can get out of their current contracts, they are stuck with sites that underperform.

Return of AK Works - Again!

2007-09-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

It's been an eventful time since the last post. AK Works as a blog has been on hiatus - but gaining new life and strength.

AK Works Consulting is launching officially soon. My several companies are changing and some new ventures are in the pipeline.

AK Works the blog, however, will continue to operate as a blog with musings, case studies, and other discussions on SEO.

Also be on the look out for AK Works at Active Rain. The AK Works Active Rain blog is up and running. The focus is primarily on SEO for real estate and mortgage professionals.

AK Works New Year's Resolution: Regular Posts

2006-12-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Among the things critics and all can lash at me is that this blog is not updated regularly. Between Servaunt, church ministries, personal life and of course, the full time gig - it is hard to find time to blog consistently.

But consistency is always the key. When clients talk to me about blogging for SEO, I always ask them:

Are you doing the writing or are you just linking to news?
What are you going to write about?
Can you and WILL you do it on a consistent basis, at least once a week?

Most never think on these questions and get flustered; "I don't know I just want SEO!" is usually the answer.

Well, I guess I should practice what I preach as well. As a New Year's resolution, I'm resolving to post consistently.

After all, AK Works focuses on small businesses and entrepreneurship and in particular real estate marketing and salon marketing. There is plenty to talk about, teach, and report.

So, AK Works' New Year's Resolution - regular posts.

New Domain Extensions .JOBS & .MOBI = Branding Opportunity?

2006-10-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

Are There Branding Opportunites with .JOBS & .MOBI Domain Extensions?

Recently, the new domain extensions .jobs and .mobi were made available to purchase. When these first alternative domain extensions like .net, .tv, .us and others were created, it looked like the leper of domain extensions (primarily .com, .org, .edu, and .gov).

But that has changed over the years, and in particular, in the last few years, these extensions have become far more accepted.

While .com remains the most popular, most "good" .com names are already claimed. As a result, some .coms are getting longer and longer. Long .com names, however, maybe difficult to remember and worse yet, frustrating to type in. Just think about how mad you'd be to type in www.compuglobalmegahypernet.com (Simpson's reference...!).

Increasingly companies are using .net as their main web address in place of .com. Some, however, have gotten creative in using the other domains available.

Take for instance the popular social bookmarking site del.icio.us. It spells the word "delicious". The site has nothing to do with cooking. But everything about the site and the company's branding is "del.icio.us".

What's the Opportunity?
True entrepreneurs know how to look for opportunities in every situation. I think with a little creativity, you can figure out how to use .tv, .jobs, .mobi, .biz and other domain extensions.

Take for instance .jobs. Maybe you are a recruiter for the nursing industry. You may want to create "nursing. jobs" to attract prospects.

Or for .mobi - even though it is intended for mobile sites - the "mobi" sounds kinda cute. So maybe you decide to create a cute sounding site like gobi.mobi.

The key is that these domains, instead of being "domain leprosy", can actually be very useful for your branding. With a little creativity, you can make the domain extension a part of your branding.

Fail to Plan = Plan to Fail: Breakthrough Marketing & Advertising

2006-10-25T01:51:00.000-04:00

Plan Your Marketing to Breakthrough Advertising Clutter

I normally hate cliches, proverbs, and basically, overused phrases. But in the case of this phrase, it is really does hold true: "Failing to plan is planning to fail!"

In marketing and advertising this is absolutely true!

I frequently teach clients that there is so much advertising and marketing clutter out there that in order to be effective, you have to PLAN!

I ask simple questions that lead to an outline of a campaign:

What is the purpose or desired action from this campaign?
Who is your target audience?
What is your advertising or marketing medium?

These are deceptively simple, but once the answers are drilled down, a lot can be revealed!

Planning your marketing and advertising campaign ahead of time using those questions above is a lot of front-end work, but highly necessary. Planning let's you strategize your plan of attack - attack through your competition's clutter that is.

Planning is nothing more than preparing to attack through the clutter of your competition.

Breakthrough your competition's marketing and advertising clutter by clearly defining what you want your prospects to do. Then define who you are targeting and what medium you are advertising on. For example, an email campaign will be different from a print campaign. A magazine campaign will be different from a magazine campaign.

Answer these questions first and your answers will show you how to plan your attack and break through your competition's clutter!

New Law Firm Blog, "White & Harper LegalWire"

2006-10-25T01:27:00.000-04:00

My personal friend, Ti Harper, recently entered into a partnership to form her own legal firm White & Harper.

She launched her firm's blog White & Harper LegalWire recently to help provide valuable insight into legal news that affects the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area.

She also recently launched Style & Grace Events, an event planning and consulting firm!

I am thrilled to see her move so quickly in business and entrepreneurship! It is always good to see a friend and fellow entrepreneur out there just doing what drives us all. A nice little post about her new ventures is just a small token of my support for her and all her ventures!

"The Island" & Future of Search Engine As Physical Search Kiosks

2006-10-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

I recently watched The Island - and since I have HBO, it's been repeating frequently. A scene caught my attention that made me wonder about the future.

The scene is when the two main characters, on the run from their pursuers, are at an "information directory". In the movie, it's a glorified phone booth. But on the side it said "MSN Search".

This got me thinking - how close are we to seeing something like that?

Imagine, an information kiosk that is a phone booth, a search engine/local directory booth, and mobile information/search interface - branded by a major search engine.

So in other words, this booth would have a public phone, an online search that serves up local directory information, and a mobile interface so that anyone with a mobile phone can download content pertinent to the local area.

Picture this: Google builds a phone-search directory booth in NYC. It has a phone and online touch screen. The keyboard is a touch screen for easy typing. The head up screen is a touch screen.

Someone looking for directory information searches this online directory, get's served results along with ads. In fact ads can be displayed throughout the interior of the booth. The searcher can make the calls in the phone booth.

But, Google pushes the features more and lets mobile phone users use the booth as a local search directory - and 1 quick click lets the mobile user download the directory listing onto their cell or PDA. This is already being done in Yahoo Local's results where you can actually send information to your cell.

The funny thing is, this reality is not far away.

The engines simply need to find a way where they can set up the physical infrastructure. They already can make alliances with Yellow Book, Yellow Pages, SuperPages, and more. They can already make alliances with celluar providers to provide mobile phone support.

The only question is the physical structure, how to work with utilities and the complexities involved there, and how to build the infrastructure to connect each booth online.

I think everything can be tested out in one place: the Airport!

The airport is the perfect place to build this pilot program. Airport travellers are going to want information quickly and are more likely to have the latest mobile gadgets with them (PDAs, cell phones, iPods, laptops, smartphones, etc.).

Once these tests are concluded - it's a matter of time before we see every city corner with a branded Google Kiosk, Yahoo! Kiosk, MSN Search Kiosk, and more.

A Brave New World!

Re-Launching AK Works Blog

2006-10-25T00:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since the last post in July of 2006. It is now October of 2006!

A lot has changed and progressed for Servaunt and for the content of this blog as well. More marketing information to come - more blogs, and soon, links to marketing articles written by me for Servaunt.

And as always, there's new things to learn in Marketing - of which it will be shared with you on this blog!

Stay tuned - new material, new knowledge, and new intelligence to be shared and exposed soon!

Time = Valuable: 10 Seconds & 1 Second to Get to the Point

2006-07-27T09:35:00.000-04:00

Time is Valuable
Your time is valuable - you don't like people to waste it.

Your customers' time is valuable. They don't want you to waste it. If you were selling face to face, you wouldn't dream of being late to your sales appointment, right?

Same thing when it comes to marketing.

Problems of Creating Your Own Ads
Most small business owners create their own ads and marketing collateral. Unfortunately, what most of them do is create ads and collateral that reflect their homespun ways.

The result? A lot of wasted money - and, possibly, frustration at lack of results. Lack of results can be particularly harmful if the business is in a competitive industry.

How can a small business owner create ads that are effective and not waste valuable marketing budgets?

Simple Guidelines for Creating More Effective Ads
Marketing 101 says that you have 30 seconds to capture a person's attention and advertise your product or service.

Take that 101 guideline and toss it out. In this hyper Internet Age, 30 seconds is too long. No one pays attention for 30 seconds.

The new guideline is this:

10 seconds to capture a person's attention via TV commercial or face to face
1 second to capture a person's attention via postcard, flyer, etc.

Sounds scary? It should be. But this is reality. Ad clutter is everywhere. Marketers and advertisers are vying for the newest ways to advertise. In a future post, there will be more discussion on ad clutter.

But, don't cry though - there's hope.

How to Capture Attention & Get to the Point
Getting through ad clutter is the challenge of every marketer. Before you go out and spend your valuable marketing/advertising budget, plan your strategy and message first!

Determine your product and your market - write it down, carve it in stone! You will need to refer back to this.
Write down what message you want to get across - you will need to refer back to this.
Write down what action you want your audience to take - you will need to refer back to this.
Write down why your audience will want to take this action - this is the HOOK!
Put #1-4 together and play with it - look for the hook.
Remember - for face to face, TV, or other active/animated medium, you have about 10 seconds or less to hook them.
Remember - you have 1 to 2 seconds to capture attention by printed flyer, postcard, or other printed material. Bright colors, big images, etc.
Quickly Get to the Point! Use FEW words! Short sentences. Less is better!
Present any information your audience needs to take the action you want: call, visit the website, email, time, date, place, etc.

Planning out your advertising is important for managing your precious marketing budget. As a small business, you need to get more bang for your buck. These 9 steps will guide you to do more homework and planning first - before tapping into your budget.

Myspace Advertising & Promotion: Is It for You?

2006-07-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

If you have been paying attention to the media recently, Myspace has been all the rage. For both good and bad, Myspace has been gaining tremendous exposure.

On one hand, Myspace has been exposed as a vulnerable marketplace for pedophiles. Stories abound about Myspace encounters between pedophiles and children that, in some instances, had tragic results. Here are some dangers with children using Myspace. Also here and here.

On the other hand, Myspace has been tauted by the online marketing and advertising industry as a god-send. In particular, advertisers and marketers salivate over the access to the coveted teen and young twenties crowd. Here and here are examples of the marketing industry's exploration of using Myspace for ads. And of course it helps when Myspace is rated the #1 website in the US.

But the question stands: is Myspace a valid advertising or promotion place for your business?

There are plenty of individuals who use Myspace as a place to promote their business. Many prolific Myspace promoters are MLM/Network Marketers. Others include realtors, loan officers, and other small business entrepreneurs.

The most visible "businesses" are entertainers. Models, musicians, designers, and others able to display their creative work on their profile. In fact Myspace originally was created to help promote indie bands and musicians.

But the interesting thing about Myspace is that many others are starting to use Myspace as well. Politics is one "industry" getting involved with Myspace. Here and here are examples of politics working with Myspace.

Entertainers, aggressive entrepreneurs, and even politicians are using the site. The social network, the social culture and the "Myspace ecosystem" offers appealing numbers and infrastructure.

So, is Myspace for your business? It's really up to you. Do news reports of Myspace as a predator paradise deter you? Or do the benefits of reaching all those users outweigh the risks?

My personal opinion is that unless you fall into an entertainment industry or offer consumer products that the youth demographic REALLY wants (cellphones, clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.) then don't bother.

Cool Businesses: Rubber Side Walks

2006-07-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

This is a new thing I'll be doing on this blog. I call it "Cool Businesses" because I would like to highlight some businesses or sites that really captures my attention, my values, or my imagination.

I'm going to start off with this company called Rubbersidewalks, Inc. I found them through a recent news article.

What the company does is create and market rubber sidewalk panels to replace concrete sidewalks. The rubber sidewalks use recycled car tires. These panels provide a more resilient sidewalk compared to concrete. It is more expensive to install but lasts longer and requires less maintenance than concrete sidewalks.

Like much of what I term "green technology", the costs upfront are higher but long-term savings reduce the lifetime cost of the green technology compared to conventional technology.

These panels lasts better in cold climates between the freeze and thaw temperatures. The softer padding are also said to be better for people's feet and back. I personally would like to run on a stretch of these panels.

But I like the company because it illustrates what is possible with green technology. I am convinced the US MUST take the charge on cutting edge green technology to sustain itself in the future. Eventually, industrialized and developed nations will need to turn to alternative energy and use recycled materials. The US should be at the head of all of that technology and sell it to these nations.

Regardless, I applaud Rubbersidewalks for their work on improving, advancing, and marketing green technology!

Information as a Concierge Service

2006-07-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Think of the term concierge and you probably think of a hotel, luxury, and at demand service. The term has really grown to encompass the idea of extra customer service.

In the real estate industry, concierge has come to mean a selection of home improvement, home repair, and home maintenance services - usually preferred vendors that homeowners can select or request their realtor to find and provide.

The real estate industry illustrates how concierge can be broadened to mean extra or even premium customer service. Which is to say, service the customer, retain the customer, and kill them with customer service.

Likewise, this idea of extra customer service can be applied to information as well. In a previous post, I talked about the virtues of repetition. In the context of information presentation slash information concierge, repetition can be used to service your customers.

Imagine that your customers (or even prospects) are way too busy to remember all the information you want them to remember. (This is probably also the real life case in 99% of your customers) How do you get your customers to do what you want them to do?

The Answer: Pretend you are an information concierge. Attend to them and send them reminders. Present the information right before their face. Lead your customers (and prospects) to take the action YOU want them to take.

As an example, I recently brokered a deal for a contractor friend. He told me he still needed the forms and agreements signed. I said sure, I'll let the client know - send them everything you just told me in an email and I'll be sure that the client gets it and signs it.

The contractor didn't like that and had a problem with it. He felt that everything was in the contract and that it should have been clear. Eventually, the contractor agreed - but what did the contractor fail to see initially?

He failed to see 2 critical things 1) the client is too busy - and made a quick decision and 2) this was an opportunity to engage his customer - the people who are responsible for cutting the check.

What's the lesson? Information concierge is about realizing and assuming that your customer and prospect is too busy for YOUR details. If you have details that are important - take the iniative!

Information concierge is about engaging your customer. The cost of acquiring a customer is higher than retaining one. So once you've acquired once, why not start off right and keep engaging them?

In the case of my contractor friend, all he needed to do was to send a quick email thanking the client for the business, appreciating the opportunity, and that as a reminder, the forms and agreements must be signed before the project begins.

This interaction would have quickly put the contractor in connection with the customer. It is information as a concierge service.

Remember - Information as a Concierge Service:
1) Assume the customer or prospect is too busy
2) Present the important information in a way to LEAD the customer to take the action you want them to take
3) Present the information so that the customer doesn't have to think
4) Engage and engage and engage your customer
5) Repeat yourself and do not hesistate to repeat yourself

Using Repetition for Branding Recall & SEO

2006-07-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

Pay attention to the next radio commercial. When they read off a phone number, how many times is it repeated? Now repeat this experiment a few more times and note the repetition pattern.

I personally find radio commercials repeat 3 times. I also find that TV commercials will repeat as well - though in varying ways from radio commercials (naturally - different medium).

Now, one might think radio and commercial are different mediums - but what does that have to do with Internet and SEO?

Well - in years past, SEO was achieved with endless, mindless repetition. Such practice is called keyword stuffing and known to be useless in the major search engines. But, repetition is still important, even in SEO.

When an engine evaluates what your webpage and website is about, it requires enough repetition to understand what your main subject is about. When you do keyword analysis over whether the page you are optimizing is optimized enough, keyword repetition is one of the analysis factors.

So, remember to incorporate repetition into your marketing. Don't repeat slogans or taglines that you think are cute. Repeat ideas, topics, subjects, key points that you want your audience to take away.

Make sure you build repetition and consistent repetition in your website, in your brochures, and throughout all of your marketing material.

Repetitions include text and visual repetitions. Image placement, certain colors, select designs, and others that are part of your marketing should be repeated.

Don't over do the repetition - but don't forget it!

Resources: Updated Free Press Release Websites

2006-07-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

Last year, I created a post about free press release sites that lets you submit press releases for free. Many are still free, but some on that list have changed.

Also, free is "free". The ones listed here are free, although you are encouraged to pay for additional services for greater exposure. Is that a good thing? It depends on your goal, the actual newsworthiness of your press release, and of course, your budget!

Try these following sites that I've used with success:

Also, here is a good post from SERountable about the challenges of getting into Google News.