The Search Engine Optimization Value of Social Shopping Sites

What do you get when you combine social networking with online shopping? You get Social Shopping. Social shopping happens on social shopping web sites that work like other social media sites except their focus is shopping. Product listings on these social shopping sites come from site users who recommend their favorite products.

Let’s look at two of the top social shopping web sites and explain how they work and how retailers are using them to promote their products and for search engine optimization purposes.

Kaboodle

Kaboodle is one of the most popular and fastest growing social shopping communities on the web. On Kaboodle people find products and recommend and share their finds with the community. They can organize their shopping lists, find people with similar style and share finds, get discounts on popular products and find best prices. Members of the community can create groups or join existing groups. In these groups they share advice, products and give each other feedback on product choices.




There are a several different ways retailers can use Kaboodle to promote their products and for search engine optimization. One way is to put the “Add to Kaboodle” button on all of your product pages. It’s really easy. You just add a bit of code. When customers click on the button that product gets added to their Kaboodle list which is shared with their friends and others on Kaboodle. Another way retailers can use Kaboodle is by creating a brand profile. You can customize your brand profile and highlight hot new products and special deals for the community and you can interact with members and engage customers and prospects in a conversation about your products. This is a win, win situation for retailers.

An additional way for your company to benefit from these shopping networks is to be an interactive member. Post your products but also make your own lists of products you like. Develop a network of friends and followers who will help generate the word of mouth advertising you are looking for.

ThisNext

ThisNext distinguishes itself as being the place to find and experience the best, most unique products on the Web recommended by its design-centric members. It offers similar type of functionality as Kaboodle: shopping lists, wish lists and your own homepage with your favorite products.




ThisNext allows you to setup a retailer profile where you can showcase your best products; members can promote your products through their social network and create friends who will promote your products to their friends. You can also put the “Add to ThisNext” button on every product page of your website like the “Add to Kaboodle” button. ThisNext calls the personal lists members create shopcast.

There are many other social shopping sites worth participating in for retailers trying to promote their business. Spend some time and get your products on these shopping sites. It’s free and can generate lots of valuable links to improve your search engine rankings and to increase your sales.

ArteWorks SEO Files Notice With USPTO Of Intent To Join Fight Against Approval Of 'SEO' Trademark

ArteWorks SEO joins fight against an application for trademark which attempts to reserve the phrase "SEO" for use by a single individual "in all computer related areas" including "search engine optimization".

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) April 21, 2008 -- ArteWorks.net Inc., d.b.a. ArteWorks SEO, today filed its notice of intent to join the fight against an application for trademark which attempts to reserve the phrase "SEO" for use by a single individual "in all computer related areas" including "search engine optimization". ArteWorks SEO has put the trademark applicant, Jason Gambert, on notice of ArteWorks' intent to oppose the application through its submission to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) of a Request for 30 Day Extension of Time to File Notice of Opposition. ArteWorks SEO's request was automatically granted today by the USPTO.

The application which is before the USPTO and has been assigned serial number 77171330 attempts to reserve use of the term SEO to the applicant to the exclusion of all other parties. It appears the application contains deceptive information in addition to being a frivolous attempt to leverage an accepted industry term for the financial advantage of the Applicant Jason Gambert.

Among other things, Gambert alleges in his application that his "first use" of the term "SEO" was on or about February of 2007. ArteWorks SEO has been using the term SEO to describe its search marketing and search engine optimization services since at least March of 2004. Additionally, numerous web references to the term "SEO" have been found in the Internet archive and other sources dating back at least as far as 2001. These web references include but are not limited to archived Wikipedia pages and archived pages of numerous firms offering SEO services prior to Applicant's alleged "first use" of February, 2007.

"ArteWorks SEO, as well as numerous other entities and individuals, have been using the term 'SEO' to describe search engine optimization services for years prior to the alleged first use of February, 2007," stated Matt Foster, CEO of ArteWorks SEO. "The term 'SEO' has been around since the 1990s, and it is preposterous that any single individual would purport to claim ownership of the term. As leaders in the SEO industry, we are proud to stand up and fight against this bad faith trademark application."

At least one other organization, SEOMoz, Inc., has already filed a Notice of Opposition in the same case.

ArteWorks SEO has until May 25th to file its completed Notice of Opposition, or in the alternative request an additional extension of time.

About ArteWorks SEO:

ArteWorks SEO is an internationally recognized search engine optimization firm and a leader in the field of search engine optimization. For more information, please visit www.arteworks.biz.

Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.

Search Engine Optimization Firm ArteWorks SEO Ranked #1 SEO Site Audit Firm in the World

ArteWorks SEO has been ranked the #1SEO site audit firm in the world by TopSEOs.com

AUSTIN, TX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArteWorks SEO at http://www.arteworks.biz has been recognized as the #1 provider of SEO site audits in the world. The SEO company rankings published by TopSEOs is the trusted guide used by those seeking the best in the internet marketing and search engine optimization industry.

ArteWorks SEO is included in this list for its consistent performance and the superior services rendered to its clients. TopSEOs performs an in depth evaluation of the leading search engine optimization firms in the industry to determine their rankings. Numerous criteria are considered and clients of ArteWorks SEO were asked to provide feedback on their overall experience with the company as part of the search engine optimization evaluation process.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from topseos which affirms for us and our search engine optimization clients that the in-depth site audit we do is considered the best in the industry. These audits are extensive, we literally review all factors related to search engine optimization and internet marketing and develop a comprehensive strategy for the client,” said Matt Foster, CEO of ArteWorks SEO.

ArteWorks SEO site audits include interviews of key personnel, keyphrase research, competitive intelligence, reviews of on page code, specific page analysis, back end architecture, analytics and usability. Existing social media campaigns are reviewed and existing and potential sources of inbound link bait are examined. A report is provided which includes a comprehensive internet marketing strategy.

For the complete list of the Top 5 Site Audit Companies for November 2008 go to: http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-site-audit-companies

About ArteWorks SEO

ArteWorks SEO, www.arteworks.biz, is an internationally recognized search engine optimization and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas with a satellite office in Seattle, Washington. ArteWorks SEO is ranked in the top 5 search engine optimization firms in the world by several different Internet marketing organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.arteworks.biz.

About TopSEOs

Since its introduction in 2002, topseos has been identified as an independent authority on vendors who supply internet marketing products and services ranging from the best search engine optimization companies to the best pay per click management tools.

Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.

Search Engine Optimization Firm ArteWorks SEO Ranked #1 Reputation Management Firm in the World

ArteWorks SEO has been ranked the #1 reputation management firm in the world by TopSEOs.com

AUSTIN, TX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArteWorks SEO at http://www.arteworks.biz has been awarded the #1 rank on this month’s list of the Top 5 reputation management firms in the world. The monthly rankings list published by TopSEOs is the trusted guide used by those seeking the best in the internet marketing and search engine optimization industry.

ArteWorks SEO is included in this list for its consistent performance and the superior services rendered to its clients. TopSEOs performs an indepth evaluation of the leading search engine optimization firms in the industry to determine their rankings. Numerous criteria are considered and clients of ArteWorks SEO were asked to provide feedback on their overall experience with the company as part of the search engine optimization evaluation process.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from topseos which affirms for us and our search engine optimization clients that the work we do to protect their reputation is considered the best in the industry. We are successful at helping our clients restore their reputation after experiencing online slander and libel and they are very appreciative of our efforts,” said Matt Foster, CEO of ArteWorks SEO.

Online reputation management involves taking control, to the extent possible, of information appearing in major search engines about a business and/or its principles. It can minimize or eliminate the effect of online slander and libel, while at the same time maximizing the appearance of a company’s positive image and brand.

For the complete list of the Top 10 Reputation Management Companies for November 2008 go to: http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-reputation-management-companies
About ArteWorks SEO

ArteWorks SEO, www.arteworks.biz, is an internationally recognized search engine optimization and Internet marketing firm headquartered in Austin, Texas with a satellite office in Seattle, Washington. ArteWorks SEO is ranked in the top 3 search engine optimization firms in the world by several different Internet marketing organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.arteworks.biz.
About topseos
Since its introduction in 2002, topseos has been identified as an independent authority on vendors who supply internet marketing products and services ranging from the best search engine optimization companies to the best pay per click management tools. In addition, topseos connects thousands of businesses each year that are looking for internet marketing services with those who provide it.


Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.

Marketing in a Recession

The government has finally announced that we are in a recession a year after it started. Of course this comes as no surprise to most of us. Spending on Christmas gifts will be down this year as it should be. It sure doesn’t make sense to spend money on gifts that you may need to live on to get through this next year or however long this recession is going to last.

Consumers and businesses are cutting unnecessary expenses. Many businesses are looking hard at marketing expenses. Many are choosing to make drastic cuts here. Is this the best strategy? Are they shooting themselves in the foot?

A company looks hard at last month’s income statement and sees that sales are down 5% and utility expenses are up 10% from the same month last year. They expect sales and utility expenses to stay at these levels for the next year. They try to determine what they can cut out of their budget to reduce their expenses. They look at their marketing budget at 10% of sales and a light bulb goes off. - cut marketing expenses 5% and it can cover the loss of sales. Well will it? Do they know how much of their sales are generated by their marketing efforts? A lot of companies can’t and don’t really measure this. They increase their marketing budgets in good times and reduce them in bad times. Does this make sense though?

You would think that it would be more important to increase your marketing budget during bad times to try and pull in more business. Even if you have to reduce your margins you are still bringing in the sales dollars to help cover your expenses. Reducing marketing expenses can result in more of a decline in sales. Companies may need to spend the same amount in marketing or increase marketing expenses to keep sales at their current level.

It is important to track the results of marketing efforts closely during a recession to determine what marketing vehicles are producing the results you need. Pay per click advertising during a downturn in the economy is very attractive. It is the most affordable marketing available and the results are easily tracked. You can review your results at any time and change your campaigns quickly.

Companies should continue their marketing efforts during a recession and view it as an opportunity to gain more market share while many of their competitors cut back. Online marketing is an affordable alternative and can be very effective if managed properly.

Lynn Jebbia is a Senior Project Manager at ArteWorks SEO, search engine marketing company. Her focus is SEO Strategy, Keyword Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Web Site Audits, Pay Per Click Management and Client Account Management.