A shocking fact about your Google ranking
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Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, and direct marketing.
July, 2009
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I’ve made millions with these writing projects – why not you?
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***Did you know this shocking fact about Google?***
Incredibly, sites can actually have different positions in
Google depending on who is searching for them!
“Several things can account for differences in search engine
position results,” says my SEO guru Ed Taylor. “One factor is
the Google server (data center) that is accessed. Google has
many data centers around the world and they often have slightly
different rankings.”
Another factor affecting the results you see in the Search
Engine Results Page (SERP) is the location of your PC. According
to Ed, this is especially evident on searches that Google deems
of a local nature (i.e. a dentist). In the case of local
searches, very often the Google Map setting will appear with a
group of listings specific to the local area.
Ranking differences can also result from the searcher’s computer
settings. Computers that are logged into a Google account often
display different ranking results that than those that are not.
These results are influenced by the Web sites the searcher has
visited in the past.
Recommendation: The best way to view core Google indexes — the
rankings uninfluenced by your browsing history and location –
is to log out of your Google account, clear out your browser’s
cookies and cache, and then perform a search on your keyword.
Source: Ed Taylor, www.edtaylor.com
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***Avoid this mistake in renewal series***
Marketers are tempted to cut price and add incentives with the
later efforts in a renewal series. Their reasoning is that if
the first offer didn’t renew the prospect, you need to step up
your incentives to move them to action.
Unfortunately, sweetening the offer as the series goes on is a
big mistake. As circulation consultant Paul Goldberg notes, in a
renewal series, you should always start with your very best
offer.
Why? “If the subscriber fails to renew with the first effort and
receives a better offer on the second, he’ll wait to see if an
even better off comes in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth
efforts,” says copywriter Denny Hatch.
Goldberg’s tip: explicitly tell the reader in the first effort
that this is the best offer he will receive, and that the offer
will not get better.
Source: Target Marketing, 6/09, p. 50.
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***How long should SEO Web pages be?***
According to the white paper “Top 10 Considerations When
Planning a Web Site Redesign,” each page on a search engine
optimized web site should contain 200 to 500 words of text-based
content.
Make sure none of the elements you want search engines to be
able to crawl (headlines, body copy, navigation) is image or
flash-based.
Source: www.MoreVisibility.com
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***How your peers are handling the recession***
Of marketers surveyed on my Web site:
** Nearly half (46.4%) say their sales have fallen since the
recession began in December 2007.
** Approximately 87% say they are worried about the effect the
recession is having on their business and sales.
** Just 28% have lowered their prices since the recession
started.
** As for marketing, 76.7% are spending the same or more on
marketing than they did last year.
Source: www.bly.com.
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***SEO tip of the month***
The most important meta tag is the title tag – the words people
see at the top of the screen when using their browser to visit
your site. Ed Taylor says title tags should be short – no more
than 6 or 7 words.
More important, the title tag should begin with the words you
are optimizing the page for; e.g., on my site, which we are
optimizing for copywriter (and many other keywords), he changed
“Bob Bly, freelance copywriter” to “Freelance copywriter Bob
Bly.”
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***How to get more web traffic***
According to Internet marketing master Marlon Sanders, the 6
best ways to drive traffic to your Web sites are:
1—Getting affiliates to promote your products to their lists.
2—Article marketing – see www.getfamouswritingarticles.com for
more information.
3—Buying ads in other people’s e-zines.
4—Search engine optimization – to generate more organic traffic.
5—Google Ad Words – and other pay-per-click advertising.
6—Banner advertising – once counted out, now making a comeback.
To this list I’d add a few others you might try: co-registration
… PR … postcard marketing … social networking … blogging.
Source: Marlon Sanders e-mail, 5/30/09.
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***Keep those subject lines short***
Many e-mail in-boxes only display the first 40 characters or so
of the subject line. Now, here’s another reason to cut the
character count in subject lines: short subject lines work
better than long ones!
According to a report from E-consultancy, subject lines with 35
characters or less are 28% more likely to be opened than e-mails
with longer subject lines.
Speaking of open rates, a study published by Experian found the
average open rates for e-mail marketing messages to be 12% to
14%.
Here’s a free online tool that shows how your subject line will
be displayed by the different e-mail readers:
www.emaillabs.com/tools/from_subject_line_tool_popup.html
Source: “101 B2B Marketing Tips: Vol. 2, ReachForce,” 2009
Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report, Experian, p. 26.
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***What you should know about increasing profits***
Marketing expert Charlie Cook is offering my subscribers a free
special report. It details the 7 low-cost and no-cost steps to
take to grow your business and maximize your profits in a soft
economy:
www.marketingforsuccess.com/bly
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***Which landing page converted best?***
MarketingSherpa founder Anne Holland has launched a new Web site
focused on A/B and multivariate testing. Each week, she posts a
new quiz on the home page challenging you to guess the winner in
a test:
www.whichtestwon.com
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***4 ways to strengthen customer loyalty ***
>> Offer free advice … such as a white paper that positions you
as an industry expert and accelerates the customer’s
decision-making process.
>> Once a quarter, send a handwritten note to your best
customers … and ask how you can serve them better.
>> Resolve complaints fast … a problem resolved with swiftness
and creativity can turn an unhappy customer into a highly loyal
one.
>> Offer your expertise as a value-added service … for instance,
make yourself available to answer questions customers and
prospects have about your product or service.
Source: The Pohly Circle, 5/29/09.
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***Save those PowerPoints and PDFs***
When a client, colleague, or boss sends you source material that
includes Word documents, PDF files, and PowerPoint files, print
them, but also save the electronic files.
Reason: when you have the computer files, you can easily lift
photos, charts, and graphs from the source material for use in
the document you are writing.
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***Are you ready to take your freelancing seriously?***
If so, you might want to attend How Magazine’s 2nd Annual
Creative Freelancer Conference (CFC), August 26-28, 2009, San
Diego CA.
Features speakers include Peleg Top, June Walker, Todd Henry,
and Ilise Benun. They’ll share tips on pricing … online
marketing … building client relationships … self promotion … and
more. Register by the July 15 early-bird deadline and get a free
bonus report by Ilise Benun, “The Freedom of Freelancing.” Click
below for more info or to enroll now:
www.creativefreelancerconference.com
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***Ever stumble in a speech?***
If you lose track of where you are during a presentation, don’t
let it throw you off. Just move on. The sooner you forget about
it, the faster everyone else will, too.
Tip: Take a deep breath and say, “I’m sorry. I’m getting off
track. Let me rephrase that.”
Source: Cosmopolitan, 7/09, p. 141.
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***Quotation of the month***
“Who among us does not move through life with the hidden sense,
maybe even quiet desperation, that we are destined for more?
That underneath our ordinary exterior lays an extraordinary
soul? That given the right opportunity, the right stage, the
right audience, we would shine as the stars we truly are?”
–Peter Bregman
Source: CNN.com, 4/22/09.
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***60-second commercial from Fern Dickey, Project Manager***
Bob is available on a limited basis for copywriting of direct
mail packages, sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials, and Web pages. We
recommend you call for a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let me know your industry and the type of
copy you’re interested in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.) and if
Bob is available to take your assignment, we’ll tailor a package
of recent samples to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey at
201-797-8105 or e-mail fern@bly.com.
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Bob Bly
Copywriter / Consultant
590 Delcina Drive
River Vale, NJ 07675
Phone 201-505-9451
Fax 201-573-4094
www.bly.com
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