SEO Hosting Blog

A growing number of businesses are using podcasting as a means to increase brand awareness, to connect with their target audience, and to grow their online presence. But to get the most out of podcasting, you need to make sure you’re doing all of the right things to give your audience a professional show every time. Here are some easy things you can do to improve your podcast.

• Get a decent microphone—Let me first say that I’m not an audio geek by any means. However, I will say that a cheap mic can make your entire podcast sound unprofessional and difficult to listen to. You want to find a microphone that cuts out a lot of background noise and eliminates static. In short, you want your listeners to be able to clearly hear you without getting distracted by other noises. Visit your local music shop or electronics store to find a good microphone for your podcasting needs.

• Add intro and outro music—Whenever you listen to a talk show on the radio, each segment always begins and ends with about 10 seconds of music. This is called bumper music, and it can add a professional, finished touch to your podcasts. You can easily find royalty free music online that you can use in your podcasts.

• Speak clearly—Recording a podcast isn’t as simple as plugging in a microphone and blabbing away. There’s something known as “proper microphone technique.” This includes everything from properly positioning the microphone to speaking clearly. Speak slowly, and make sure not to mumble. Enunciate every word properly, and always have water on hand so that you can stay hydrated. Always go back and listen to your podcasts before publishing them to make sure every word can be clearly heard. (more…)

In addition to the official blog, Google has a lot of other blogs they maintain. For a long time I’ve been wondering how many blogs they operated. I have RSS subscriptions to a few of them, but every day it seems like a new blog surfaces. And that’s ok, but it’s just a little difficult to keep up. However, if you’re interested in learning more about Google and keeping up with what’s going on, reading and discovering as many of their blogs is important. That said, here are a few of the Google blogs that I enjoy reading.

First one is obvious, it’s the main blog. Everyone should read and subscribe to The Official Google Blog. This blog does a great job at bringing forward some of the most eventful news pertaining to Google. It acts as the main channel and many times is used to tell people about the many other secondary channels of communication available.

The next blog I recommend reading and subscribing to the Google Webmaster Central Blog. This blog is essential to read if you’re trying to keep up to speed with Goolge SEO. In fact, I wrote and published an article on SeoHosting.com yesterday based of information discovered on Google Webmaster Central.

Are you crazy about Mac Computers? If so, then Google wants to engage with you on their official Google Mac Blog. On the Google Mac Blog you can keep up news about Mac computers and even learn about and download Google software specifically made for Mac computers. All in all, if you enjoy Google and Mac computers, subscribing to the Official Google Mac Blog is a must.

Another blog that I place a lot of value in is the Google Online Security Blog. This blog keeps people up to date and provides them with breaking news regarding viruses and online security. This blog provides information such as how to improve browser security, which then points to their Browser Secuirty HandBook, and the Top 10 Malware Sites. You can’t go wrong with subscribing to this blog. The information published is geared towards helping keep your online experience more secure.

To learn about all of Google’s blogs, they have a complete Google Blog Directory available. The directory is broken down into five sections: Google-wide, Product, Ads, Developer, and Region. You can easily search their directory to find additional blogs that interest you. The more blogs that you subscribe to, obviously the more you can learn about Google.

In addition to the Google Blog Directory, Google has made reading their entire line up of blogs easy by also creating a very handy iGoogle Gadget and Tab for your personalized iGoogle homepage.

What Google blogs do you enjoy reading and why? Share these blogs in the comments below.

P.S. What kind of SEO articles do you like to read? Contact Me with your article ideas.

Over the past month or so, I’ve written a couple of different posts about gaining authority and establishing yourself as an expert online. Since my last post on the topic, even more ideas for building authority online have come to me. So, here are 5 more tips you can start putting into practice to gain even more credibility.

1. Teach a class on your subject—Distance education has grown considerably over the past 10 years. By the year 2013, an estimated 18.2 million students will be enrolled in distance ed classes. And with colleges and courses dedicated to every topic imaginable, the opportunities for becoming an online instructor are abundant. Teaching a class related to your field instantly enhances your credibility.
2. Start a podcast—Like blogging, podcasting is an excellent medium for offering your insight and advice on topics in your niche. Of course, a podcast without listeners doesn’t do much for building your authority. That’s why you should check out these tips for getting more podcast subscribers.
3. Submit posts to blog carnivals—Blog carnivals are online magazines devoted to specific topics. Each edition contains the best posts from different blogs around the web. Submit your post to the various blog carnivals in your niche, and you’ll increase your backlinks and enhance your reputation as an expert in your field.
4. Write a monthly newsletter—Newsletters aren’t just an effective way to market your products and services to customers; they’re also good for spreading knowledge and increasing your authority. That’s why your newsletters shouldn’t just be one long advertisement; instead, offer up articles and advice your readers can benefit from. Quality newsletter content will ensure more people open and read your newsletter each month.
5. Form a group—Starting a group on Yahoo!, Google, LinkedIn, or any other site shows you’re a leader in your field. Hold regular meetings with your group where everyone exchanges valuable information and new ideas, making your group a thought leader in your industry. And as the leader of such a group, your image as an expert will only grow stronger.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a post offering tips for buying profitable banner ads. In the post, I mentioned the importance of testing different banner ad designs and copy. That leads me to this post. Today, I want to talk about what it takes to create effective banner ads that make your target audience click.

1.    Look at other banner ads—Every single day, you come across banner ads on the various websites you visit. Take some time to sit back and truly study the different banner ads you see. Ask yourself: Would I click on this ad if I was in their target audience? What works with this ad and what could be better? Researching banner ads is integral to finding the formula that works best for you.

2.    Clearly state your message—You’ve probably heard the saying, “Keep it simple, stupid.” While I’m not going to call you stupid, I will tell you to keep it simple. Have one clear message on your banner ad. It can be something as simple as “Save 25% when you order today!” Your banner ad is going to be small enough as it is, so the less clutter, the better.
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Recently, I wrote a post offering tips for creating an effective customer retention plan. One of the most obvious things you can do to keep customers loyal to your brand is to provide them with excellent customer service. The first step to accomplishing that is to avoid these common customer service mistakes.

• Ignoring your customer after the sale—Way too many companies treat their customers like royalty leading up to the sale, then ditch them as soon as they hand over their money. Not only is this rude, but it’s just flat out stupid from a customer retention standpoint. After making the sale, you need to follow up with your customers to make sure they’re 100% satisfied. Get feedback from them asking what you can do to improve your service to them. If they ever call you with complaints or questions, be there for them.
• Not living up to your promises—My biggest pet peeve is when a company overpromises and under-delivers. Never make a promise you can’t keep. If you say you’re going to deliver the product on Friday, you better make sure it’s there on Friday. If not, your customers will see you as a liar, unprofessional, and unreliable. (more…)