Top Ten Google SEO Ranking Factors
Gasta.com search engine network continues its massive growth with a 900% increase in search traffic for January 2010
People don’t really understand that there are many different factors that fall into place when determining where a website ranks in the Google search engine results. Some things to keep in mind when you are wondering why your site doesn’t rank well. It is not always just the obvious reasons that are holding it back.
Over the past years by reading Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, Google SEO Starter Guide, many other industry blogs and by actually doing professional SEO and internet marketing since the late 1990’s, I have gathered data and come to a boiled down short list of the most important Google search engine ranking factors.
Here is the list of my top 10 of important Google SEO ranking factors to consider:
1. Age of Domain: Age of URL is very important. If you just bought your domain a few weeks or even months ago you have a long road ahead of you. The reality is the age of your website helps build trust. If your website has been online for several years, chances are you have an established business.
2. Domain Hosting: Where is your site hosted? Find out through your hosting company what continent or country your site is hosted in. This can often times play a large role in search rankings. Always use a reputable hosting company. If your company is US based then use a hosting company in the United States. Also, I always recommend a dedicated IP when you can. There are virtual dedicated and cloud hosting solutions that are more affordable. Never use the cheapest hosting. The reality is, if you cannot afford hosting you should re-consider the business…I know this is harsh but very true. :)
3. Your Neighbors: If you have a virtual server, which sites like Godaddy usually are have been known to house hundreds of websites on one server. Make sure that your neighbors on your server are not classified as spam.
4. URL Structure: Make sure your URL structures are very clean. There should not be any random strings of characters at the end of your URL’s. This is part of the onsite search engine optimization process as well.
5. Content: Content is very important. To start make sure you have text on all your important pages, then make sure it is good text consisting of your targeted keywords spread throughout naturally. Simply put, ALWAYS write your content for humans, your website visitors first and NEVER write content for the solo purpose to achieve Google search engine rankings. Chances are the content will not be user focused or provide value to your visitors.
6. Internal Link Structure: Make sure your inner pages are linked correctly. Visitors should have easy made pathways connecting to your other pages from every page of your website. Make sure the code of your website is verified and keep flash and JavaScript to a minimum, if you can. Essentially make sure the site is clean, easy to use and interlinked to help the user experience.
7. Trust: Do you at least have a mailing address listed on your website? You should if you don’t. Google likes to see trust factors on websites so anything you can add that could help build trust for your audience will benefit your rankings. I always recommend having a phone number on each page of your website. Make it easy for people to do business with you, it all starts with establishing trust and that starts with contact information on your website.
8. Keywords: Make sure your website is optimized using your keywords. This means any alt tags for images, meta page information and existing content at the very least of things. Remember to naturally optimize your website based on the content of each page of your website.
9. Bounce Rate: Although bounce rate might not seem important if Google sees that nobody hangs out on your website for more than a few seconds before they leave this could be a ranking problem over time. Make changes to get visitors engaged with your website. Simple things, like video, newsletter sign up, call to actions, etc will help improve your bounce rate over time. Make sure you have proper tracking on your website, such as Google analytics.
10. Outbound links: Make sure the websites that you link to are 100% relevant to your business and industry. If you sell animals toys but you are linking to a site that sells shoes that is not very relevant and over time could really impact your rankings. Bottom line is if it makes sense to link to another site, then do so, but remember you could be sending your visitors away from your site.
11. Inbound Links: I know this was a list of my top 10, but I felt I had to mention inbound links. The key here (speaking as a white hat SEO person), don’t buy or exchange links. Market and promote your business online to build visitors to your website over time. If you do, then the relevant links will follow!
**Note: As the Google (and yes there are 2 other major search engines!) algorithm changes there are always new ranking factors that come into play, such as the page load time and many others. I am sure when I re-do this list a year from now, there may be another one or two additional factors.
There are many extensive factors that Google uses when determining website rankings. Very important to get these factors correct otherwise you could find yourself just spinning your wheels. The bottom line is it is all about relevancy and earning your visitors (and yes Google’s) search engine trust over time.
by Nick Stamoulis on Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Gasta.com stock tips
A Closer Look At The Market Leaders
Gasta search engine network surges again in Europe's fastrack systems as a rising star of search.
One method for gauging the strength of any given market is to track the action of its leaders. Market leaders are typically widely held by institutions and their behavior can provide a clue to market sentiment. Weakness in market leaders is often a clear warning that all is not well in the markets. After all, the general markets will rarely make a sustained move without the cooperation of market leaders.
One of the key groups that has been leading the markets higher over the past several months has been the large cap technology stocks. Leadership from this group is healthy, as it shows an appetite for risk-taking in new and emerging technologies from speculators. Market leadership from innovative companies is healthy, rather than leadership coming from ties to a falling currency or a flight to safety.
Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) is one company that has been regarded as a market leader over the past few years. AAPL has managed to recover all of its bear market declines and was recently trading at a new all-time high. However, despite the longer term strength, AAPL has been showing signs of weakening recently. It closed under its 50-day moving average in January and has failed to reclaim it in subsequent trading. It has also transitioned into a lateral trend after a strong rally over the past year. While AAPL hasn’t broken down, it is vulnerable to further weakness. The $190 area appears to be a key level of support and has contained prior pullbacks. (For further reading, check out Support & Resistance Basics.)
Source: StockCharts.com
Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) is another stock widely regarded as a market leader. While GOOG has erased much of its bear market declines, it has underperformed AAPL and remains off its all-time highs. It also fell beneath its 50-day moving average in January, as the general markets experienced some weakness through earnings season. GOOG is currently attempting to stabilize near $525 and is also vulnerable to further weakness. If GOOG were to continue falling, the $500 level, which is near the 200-day moving average, could act as the next support level.
Source: StockCharts.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN) is a great example of an innovative company becoming a market leader. Much like AAPL, the company has been leading the current rally and also recently traded to new all-time highs. While AMZN has outperformed over several months, it has been suffering through a correction over the past few weeks. AMZN completed a double top earlier this year and is threatening to fill a bullish gap it created last autumn. The $114-$116 area has been defended by the bulls and remains a key level to watch. (For more insight, check out Analyzing Chart Patterns.)
Source: StockCharts.com
International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) is one stock that isn’t often mentioned when talking about a market leader, but stepping back and looking at the longer term chart it becomes clear that this has been one of the strongest of the large cap stocks. It also recently traded above its prior bull market highs and was only a few points from new all-time highs. But despite the longer term strength, this is another stock suffering through some near-term weakness. It also sliced through its 50-day moving average and is attempting to stabilize near a prior pivot area. The 200-day moving average looms below and could act as a price magnet over the next few weeks.
Source: StockCharts.com
Bottom Line
While the majority of these stocks have not technically broken down, they are all suffering through bouts of near-term selling. As market leaders, it will be difficult for the general markets to gain much traction without their participation. Most of these stocks are near support levels that could lead to a respite in the selling. However, it’s possible that these levels will fail, leading to the formation of a more serious topping pattern. This would likely lead the markets lower as a deeper correction sets in. It is too early to know what the outcome will be, but these stocks should certainly be watched by traders.
Gasta search engine network surges again in Europe's fastrack systems as a rising star of search.
One method for gauging the strength of any given market is to track the action of its leaders. Market leaders are typically widely held by institutions and their behavior can provide a clue to market sentiment. Weakness in market leaders is often a clear warning that all is not well in the markets. After all, the general markets will rarely make a sustained move without the cooperation of market leaders.
One of the key groups that has been leading the markets higher over the past several months has been the large cap technology stocks. Leadership from this group is healthy, as it shows an appetite for risk-taking in new and emerging technologies from speculators. Market leadership from innovative companies is healthy, rather than leadership coming from ties to a falling currency or a flight to safety.
Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) is one company that has been regarded as a market leader over the past few years. AAPL has managed to recover all of its bear market declines and was recently trading at a new all-time high. However, despite the longer term strength, AAPL has been showing signs of weakening recently. It closed under its 50-day moving average in January and has failed to reclaim it in subsequent trading. It has also transitioned into a lateral trend after a strong rally over the past year. While AAPL hasn’t broken down, it is vulnerable to further weakness. The $190 area appears to be a key level of support and has contained prior pullbacks. (For further reading, check out Support & Resistance Basics.)
Source: StockCharts.com
Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) is another stock widely regarded as a market leader. While GOOG has erased much of its bear market declines, it has underperformed AAPL and remains off its all-time highs. It also fell beneath its 50-day moving average in January, as the general markets experienced some weakness through earnings season. GOOG is currently attempting to stabilize near $525 and is also vulnerable to further weakness. If GOOG were to continue falling, the $500 level, which is near the 200-day moving average, could act as the next support level.
Source: StockCharts.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN) is a great example of an innovative company becoming a market leader. Much like AAPL, the company has been leading the current rally and also recently traded to new all-time highs. While AMZN has outperformed over several months, it has been suffering through a correction over the past few weeks. AMZN completed a double top earlier this year and is threatening to fill a bullish gap it created last autumn. The $114-$116 area has been defended by the bulls and remains a key level to watch. (For more insight, check out Analyzing Chart Patterns.)
Source: StockCharts.com
International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) is one stock that isn’t often mentioned when talking about a market leader, but stepping back and looking at the longer term chart it becomes clear that this has been one of the strongest of the large cap stocks. It also recently traded above its prior bull market highs and was only a few points from new all-time highs. But despite the longer term strength, this is another stock suffering through some near-term weakness. It also sliced through its 50-day moving average and is attempting to stabilize near a prior pivot area. The 200-day moving average looms below and could act as a price magnet over the next few weeks.
Source: StockCharts.com
Bottom Line
While the majority of these stocks have not technically broken down, they are all suffering through bouts of near-term selling. As market leaders, it will be difficult for the general markets to gain much traction without their participation. Most of these stocks are near support levels that could lead to a respite in the selling. However, it’s possible that these levels will fail, leading to the formation of a more serious topping pattern. This would likely lead the markets lower as a deeper correction sets in. It is too early to know what the outcome will be, but these stocks should certainly be watched by traders.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Gasta Investment news: Ivestopedia Trade
Gasta Investment news
The Weekly Report For February 8th - February 12th, 2010
Gasta.com star shines brightly in European Search Markets.
Commentary: This was one of the most volatile weeks the markets have had in quite some time. The markets began the week attempting to bounce from near term oversold conditions and rallying to the prior weeks highs. However, they gave way to steep declines on Thursday and most of Friday on a large increase in volume. By mid-day Friday, it seemed like the indexes would finish off the week at their lows but in the afternoon the bulls mounted a strong assault on the bears, firmly reversing the intraday trend. All the indexes finished with slight gains on huge volume, while trading well off their intraday lows and forming a candle pattern commonly referred to as a hammer.
IN PICTURES: 7 Tools Of The Trade
The hammer can be seen quite clearly in the S&P500 as represented by the S&P 500 SPDRS (NYSE:SPY) ETF. The candle is called a hammer because it has a long lower portion resembling the handle coupled with the upper portion acting as the hammer head. The long lower portion indicates buyers stepping up and pushing the ETF’s price well off the lows. This candle can often show a near term turning point, as it shows a complete change in character for market participants. Sellers were well in control pushing the ETF well into the negative column, but by the end of the day had lost complete control to the bulls.
The Diamonds Trust, Series 1 (NYSE:DIA) ETF also shows a similar candle pattern. The reversal also occurred in an area of expected support, which shows buyers were willing to come in at these levels. The $100 level for DIA corresponds with the 10,000 level for the Dow Jones Industrial Average which has been an important psychological area for the markets. The lows underneath the hammer are now an important line in the sand for market bulls. While it appears the bulls have stepped up and defended an important area, there is still much work left for the bulls. The markets remains beneath falling moving averages and under a large price cluster.
This also quite evident in the smallcaps as represented by the iShares Russell 2000 Index (NYSE:IWM) ETF. Despite the strong intraday reversal, IWM remains below the majority of even Thursday’s trading action. Often the strong reversal at support is merely the first step in a stabilization process and the markets will often return to test this level after the initial bounce. For IWM, $58 will be an important area to hold as support as it attempts to consolidate the recent declines.
The Powershares QQQ ETF (Nasdaq:QQQQ) have been one of the weaker groups recently, but started to reverse earlier than its counterparts intraday on Friday. This was one of the first clues that hinted at the hammer being formed. If the markets are going to put in a near term low in this area, then this group will need to continue resuming its leadership role. Much like the other ETF’s, the lows under the hammer have now become an important line in the sand and would need to hold to stave off a more serious decline.
Bottom Line
While the hammer can show a change in character, it does not offer any insight into the strength or target of a reversal. It merely shows that the bears were losing steam and that there are buyers at this level. What happens over the next few days will have important implications for the next intermediate term move. The markets have drawn a line in the sand dividing a run of the mill bull market correction, from a more serious top being put in place. A move of consequence below the hammers on these charts could signal a major trend change and will be a key level to watch moving forward. There is still excess supply that will need to be absorbed and the next few weeks could be messy for traders on either side. It will be interesting to see if the bulls have staved off a top to the current rally.
Use the Investopedia Stock Simulator to trade the stocks mentioned in this stock analysis, risk free!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Gasta Tech Update: Facebook Adds 5 Million Users in January
Gasta social marketing tools for Facebook and Twitter lead to massive traffic increase for 2010
How does the biggest social networking site kick off a new year? By adding 5 million new users.
This is what Facebook did in January, according to Inside Facebook. According to the company’s findings, Facebook ended January with 108 million U.S. users, up from 103 million in December.
Men between the ages of 26 and 34 made up the largest gain, with more than 600,000 of users in this group joining the popular social networking site in January. Women between 18 and 25 followed behind with 581,000 new members in the first month of 2010.
As has been reported in earlier months, older age groups are still the fastest-growing Facebook populations. In January, men between 45 and 54 grew 10.5 percent, or by 472,000 new members. Women between 55 and 65 followed close behind with 9.4 percent growth, or 391,000 new members to the social network.
Eric Eldon at Inside Facebook conjectures at why this happened in January.
“It’s possible that lots of Facebook-using younger people went home for the holidays and made their parents sign up. Facebook saw massive traffic spikes around Christmas and New Year’s, according to Hitwise, and we wonder if this was when thousands of Facebook evangelists fired up the computer — or laptop, or netbook, or iPhone — and taught their relatives how Facebook works.”
Still, older age groups are relatively small on Facebook. Users between 45 and 54 make up 12 percent of the social network’s population, while just 7 percent are between 55 and 65.
About 52 percent of all users of Facebook are between 18 and 34, while 56 percent of all users are women.
According to comScore, Facebook finished 2009 with 111.9 million users, more than doubling its user base of 54.6 million users in December 2008.
Though the social network is thriving, it has encountered many lawsuits along the way. Recent cases involve click fraud and copyright infringement over a third-party application.
Sources:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121679
http://blog.comscore.com/2010/01/strong_year_for_facebook.html
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/02/01/facebooks-january-us-traffic-by-age-and-sex-growth-led-by-young-women-grown-men-and-their-parents/#comments
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2010/01/facebook_user_a_1.htm
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121682
How does the biggest social networking site kick off a new year? By adding 5 million new users.
This is what Facebook did in January, according to Inside Facebook. According to the company’s findings, Facebook ended January with 108 million U.S. users, up from 103 million in December.
Men between the ages of 26 and 34 made up the largest gain, with more than 600,000 of users in this group joining the popular social networking site in January. Women between 18 and 25 followed behind with 581,000 new members in the first month of 2010.
As has been reported in earlier months, older age groups are still the fastest-growing Facebook populations. In January, men between 45 and 54 grew 10.5 percent, or by 472,000 new members. Women between 55 and 65 followed close behind with 9.4 percent growth, or 391,000 new members to the social network.
Eric Eldon at Inside Facebook conjectures at why this happened in January.
“It’s possible that lots of Facebook-using younger people went home for the holidays and made their parents sign up. Facebook saw massive traffic spikes around Christmas and New Year’s, according to Hitwise, and we wonder if this was when thousands of Facebook evangelists fired up the computer — or laptop, or netbook, or iPhone — and taught their relatives how Facebook works.”
Still, older age groups are relatively small on Facebook. Users between 45 and 54 make up 12 percent of the social network’s population, while just 7 percent are between 55 and 65.
About 52 percent of all users of Facebook are between 18 and 34, while 56 percent of all users are women.
According to comScore, Facebook finished 2009 with 111.9 million users, more than doubling its user base of 54.6 million users in December 2008.
Though the social network is thriving, it has encountered many lawsuits along the way. Recent cases involve click fraud and copyright infringement over a third-party application.
Sources:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121679
http://blog.comscore.com/2010/01/strong_year_for_facebook.html
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/02/01/facebooks-january-us-traffic-by-age-and-sex-growth-led-by-young-women-grown-men-and-their-parents/#comments
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2010/01/facebook_user_a_1.htm
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121682
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Gasta.com tech news: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Gasta Update Berkshire Hathaway Inc
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is getting ready to split the company's Class B shares next Thursday as part of its plan to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.
The 50-for-1 stock split, which shareholders will vote on Wednesday, will boost the liquidity of Berkshire's stock, and enable Berkshire to offer even small BNSF shareholders Berkshire stock as part of its $26.3 billion cash and stock deal.
The added liquidity Berkshire will have as a result of the split will also increase the chances that the Omaha-based company will join the S&P 500 index. Berkshire's Class A shares, which are the nation's most expensive stock, and its Class B shares have been difficult to trade because of their high prices.
Berkshire's Class A shares, which sold for $97,500 Friday, are not being split.
Class B shares, dubbed "Baby Berkshires," were first issued in 1996 to meet demand from smaller investors and discourage investment firms from reselling pieces of Berkshire's original shares — which became the Class A shares.
Buffett declined to discuss the stock split Friday, ahead of Wednesday's special shareholder meeting in Omaha. Berkshire's board has said in documents sent to shareholders that it supports the split regardless of the BNSF deal.
Next week's split will make the $3,247 Class B shares significantly more affordable: They will be worth $64.94 apiece. That will take the B shares from 1/30th the value of a Class A share to 1/1,500th of Berkshire's Class A shares.
"Now everybody will have access to it," said Andy Kilpatrick, the stockbroker-author who wrote "Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett."
The fact that the split may lead to inclusion in the S&P 500 is also significant because so many investors rely on it as a barometer for the economy. For years, Buffett has measured Berkshire's annual performance against the index in his letter to shareholders.
Being included would also generate new investment in Berkshire because trillions of dollars mirror moves in the index, and many funds buy stock in the companies in it.
A Standard & Poor's committee decides which companies to include in the S&P 500 based on a number of different criteria. Spokesman David Guarino declined to comment on the prospect of Berkshire joining the index, but he did explain the factors S&P considers.
Berkshire's market capitalization of $151 billion would easily exceed S&P's requirement that a company be worth at least $3.5 billion in the eyes of the stock market. But in the past, Berkshire has been left out of the index because its shares have been cumbersome to trade. S&P uses a formula comparing the dollar value of stock traded to a company's market capitalization to evaluate liquidity.
Buffett's charitable plans are another factor that will increase the number of Class B shares available to trade in the future. Buffett has pledged to convert all his Berkshire holdings to B shares and donate them to charity over time. Buffett pledged in 2006 to gradually give 10 million B shares to the Gates Foundation, 1 million B shares for the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation named in honor of his deceased first wife, and 350,000 shares for each of the three foundations run by his three children.
Morningstar analyst Bill Bergman said any company that gets added into the S&P 500 always sees a boost in its stock, but he thinks many investors have already factored that into Berkshire's shares. So becoming part of the S&P 500 may not mean much to Berkshire's share price.
"It's an interesting development, but as far as the value of the shares go, it doesn't mean much," Bergman said.
The Class B split was a key part of the BNSF deal when it was announced in December. Berkshire agreed to pay $100 per share in cash and stock for the 77.4 percent of BNSF shares that it didn't already own. The purchase will be the largest ever for Buffett's company.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is getting ready to split the company's Class B shares next Thursday as part of its plan to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.
The 50-for-1 stock split, which shareholders will vote on Wednesday, will boost the liquidity of Berkshire's stock, and enable Berkshire to offer even small BNSF shareholders Berkshire stock as part of its $26.3 billion cash and stock deal.
The added liquidity Berkshire will have as a result of the split will also increase the chances that the Omaha-based company will join the S&P 500 index. Berkshire's Class A shares, which are the nation's most expensive stock, and its Class B shares have been difficult to trade because of their high prices.
Berkshire's Class A shares, which sold for $97,500 Friday, are not being split.
Class B shares, dubbed "Baby Berkshires," were first issued in 1996 to meet demand from smaller investors and discourage investment firms from reselling pieces of Berkshire's original shares — which became the Class A shares.
Buffett declined to discuss the stock split Friday, ahead of Wednesday's special shareholder meeting in Omaha. Berkshire's board has said in documents sent to shareholders that it supports the split regardless of the BNSF deal.
Next week's split will make the $3,247 Class B shares significantly more affordable: They will be worth $64.94 apiece. That will take the B shares from 1/30th the value of a Class A share to 1/1,500th of Berkshire's Class A shares.
"Now everybody will have access to it," said Andy Kilpatrick, the stockbroker-author who wrote "Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett."
The fact that the split may lead to inclusion in the S&P 500 is also significant because so many investors rely on it as a barometer for the economy. For years, Buffett has measured Berkshire's annual performance against the index in his letter to shareholders.
Being included would also generate new investment in Berkshire because trillions of dollars mirror moves in the index, and many funds buy stock in the companies in it.
A Standard & Poor's committee decides which companies to include in the S&P 500 based on a number of different criteria. Spokesman David Guarino declined to comment on the prospect of Berkshire joining the index, but he did explain the factors S&P considers.
Berkshire's market capitalization of $151 billion would easily exceed S&P's requirement that a company be worth at least $3.5 billion in the eyes of the stock market. But in the past, Berkshire has been left out of the index because its shares have been cumbersome to trade. S&P uses a formula comparing the dollar value of stock traded to a company's market capitalization to evaluate liquidity.
Buffett's charitable plans are another factor that will increase the number of Class B shares available to trade in the future. Buffett has pledged to convert all his Berkshire holdings to B shares and donate them to charity over time. Buffett pledged in 2006 to gradually give 10 million B shares to the Gates Foundation, 1 million B shares for the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation named in honor of his deceased first wife, and 350,000 shares for each of the three foundations run by his three children.
Morningstar analyst Bill Bergman said any company that gets added into the S&P 500 always sees a boost in its stock, but he thinks many investors have already factored that into Berkshire's shares. So becoming part of the S&P 500 may not mean much to Berkshire's share price.
"It's an interesting development, but as far as the value of the shares go, it doesn't mean much," Bergman said.
The Class B split was a key part of the BNSF deal when it was announced in December. Berkshire agreed to pay $100 per share in cash and stock for the 77.4 percent of BNSF shares that it didn't already own. The purchase will be the largest ever for Buffett's company.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Gasta Finance: Warren Buffet 10 top tips for Investment success.
Gasta Search Network Investment Advice
Warren Buffets 10 Tips For The Successful Long-Term Investor
While it may be true that in the stock market there is no rule without an exception, there are some principles that are tough to dispute. Let's review 10 general principles to help investors get a better grasp of how to approach the market from a long-term view. Every point embodies some fundamental concept every investor should know.
Sell the losers and let the winners ride!
Time and time again, investors take profits by selling their appreciated investments, but they hold onto stocks that have declined in the hope of a rebound. If an investor doesn't know when it's time to let go of hopeless stocks, he or she can, in the worst-case scenario, see the stock sink to the point where it is almost worthless. Of course, the idea of holding onto high-quality investments while selling the poor ones is great in theory, but hard to put into practice.
Don't chase a "hot tip"
Whether the tip comes from your brother, your cousin, your neighbor or even your broker, you shouldn't accept it as law. When you make an investment, it's important you know the reasons for doing so; do your own research and analysis of any company before you even consider investing your hard-earned money. Relying on a tidbit of information from someone else is not only an attempt at taking the easy way out, it's also a type of gambling. Sure, with some luck, tips sometimes pan out. But they will never make you an informed investor, which is what you need to be to be successful in the long run.
Don't sweat the small stuff
As a long-term investor, you shouldn't panic when your investments experience short-term movements. When tracking the activities of your investments, you should look at the big picture. Remember to be confident in the quality of your investments rather than nervous about the inevitable volatility of the short term. Also, don't overemphasize the few cents difference you might save from using a limit versus market order.
Granted, active traders will use these day-to-day and even minute-to-minute fluctuations as a way to make gains. But the gains of a long-term investor come from a completely different market movement - the one that occurs over many years - so keep your focus on developing your overall investment philosophy by educating yourself.
Don't overemphasize the P/E ratio
Investors often place too much importance on the price-earnings ratio (P/E ratio). Because it is one key tool among many, using only this ratio to make buy or sell decisions is dangerous and ill-advised. The P/E ratio must be interpreted within a context, and it should be used in conjunction with other analytical processes. So, a low P/E ratio doesn't necessarily mean a security is undervalued, nor does a high P/E ratio necessarily mean a company is overvalued.
Resist the lure of penny stocks
A common misconception is that there is less to lose in buying a low-priced stock. But whether you buy a $5 stock that plunges to $0 or a $75 stock that does the same, either way you've lost 100% of your initial investment. A lousy $5 company has just as much downside risk as a lousy $75 company. In fact, a penny stock is probably riskier than a company with a higher share price, which would have more regulations placed on it.
Pick a strategy and stick with it
Different people use different methods to pick stocks and fulfill investing goals. There are many ways to be successful and no one strategy is inherently better than any other. However, once you find your style, stick with it. An investor who flounders between different stock-picking strategies will probably experience the worst, rather than the best, of each. Constantly switching strategies effectively makes you a market timer, and this is definitely territory most investors should avoid. Take Warren Buffett's actions during the dotcom boom of the late '90s as an example. Buffett's value-oriented strategy had worked for him for decades, and - despite criticism from the media - it prevented him from getting sucked into tech startups that had no earnings and eventually crashed.
Focus on the future
The tough part about investing is that we are trying to make informed decisions based on things that are yet to happen. It's important to keep in mind that even though we use past data as an indication of things to come, it's what happens in the future that matters most.
A quote from Peter Lynch's book "One Up on Wall Street" (1990) about his experience with Subaru demonstrates this: "If I'd bothered to ask myself, 'How can this stock go any higher?' I would have never bought Subaru after it already went up twentyfold. But I checked the fundamentals, realized that Subaru was still cheap, bought the stock, and made sevenfold after that." The point is to base a decision on future potential rather than on what has already happened in the past.
Adopt a long-term perspective
Large short-term profits can often entice those who are new to the market. But adopting a long-term horizon and dismissing the "get in, get out and make a killing" mentality is a must for any investor. This doesn't mean that it's impossible to make money by actively trading in the short term. But, as we already mentioned, investing and trading are very different ways of making gains from the market. Trading involves very different risks that buy-and-hold investors don't experience. As such, active trading requires certain specialized skills.
Be open-minded
Many great companies are household names, but many good investments are not household names. Thousands of smaller companies have the potential to turn into the large blue chips of tomorrow. In fact, historically, small-caps have had greater returns than large-caps; over the decades from 1926-2001, small-cap stocks in the U.S. returned an average of 12.27% while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) returned 10.53%.
This is not to suggest that you should devote your entire portfolio to small-cap stocks. Rather, understand that there are many great companies beyond those in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and that by neglecting all these lesser-known companies, you could also be neglecting some of the biggest gains.
Be concerned about taxes, but don't worry
Putting taxes above all else is a dangerous strategy, as it can often cause investors to make poor, misguided decisions. Yes, tax implications are important, but they are a secondary concern. The primary goals in investing are to grow and secure your money. You should always attempt to minimize the amount of tax you pay and maximize your after-tax return, but the situations are rare where you'll want to put tax considerations above all else when making an investment decision.
Conclusion
There are exceptions to every rule, but we hope that these solid tips for long-term investors and the common-sense principles we've discussed benefit you overall and provide some insight into how you should think about investing.
The Millionaire's Mindset
When your grandparents lamented that a dollar just isn't a dollar anymore, they weren't just bellyaching. Inflation attacks the value of a dollar, reducing it as time goes by so you need more dollars as time goes on. That is one of the reasons that $1 million is often thrown around as a retirement goal. Back in 1900, a $1 million retirement would include a mansion and a bevy of servants, but now, it has become a benchmark for the average retirement portfolio. The upside is that it is easier to become a millionaire now than at any time before. While you won't be buying islands, it is still a goal worth shooting for. Read on for 10 ways to make your first million.
Warren Buffets 10 Tips For The Successful Long-Term Investor
While it may be true that in the stock market there is no rule without an exception, there are some principles that are tough to dispute. Let's review 10 general principles to help investors get a better grasp of how to approach the market from a long-term view. Every point embodies some fundamental concept every investor should know.
Sell the losers and let the winners ride!
Time and time again, investors take profits by selling their appreciated investments, but they hold onto stocks that have declined in the hope of a rebound. If an investor doesn't know when it's time to let go of hopeless stocks, he or she can, in the worst-case scenario, see the stock sink to the point where it is almost worthless. Of course, the idea of holding onto high-quality investments while selling the poor ones is great in theory, but hard to put into practice.
Don't chase a "hot tip"
Whether the tip comes from your brother, your cousin, your neighbor or even your broker, you shouldn't accept it as law. When you make an investment, it's important you know the reasons for doing so; do your own research and analysis of any company before you even consider investing your hard-earned money. Relying on a tidbit of information from someone else is not only an attempt at taking the easy way out, it's also a type of gambling. Sure, with some luck, tips sometimes pan out. But they will never make you an informed investor, which is what you need to be to be successful in the long run.
Don't sweat the small stuff
As a long-term investor, you shouldn't panic when your investments experience short-term movements. When tracking the activities of your investments, you should look at the big picture. Remember to be confident in the quality of your investments rather than nervous about the inevitable volatility of the short term. Also, don't overemphasize the few cents difference you might save from using a limit versus market order.
Granted, active traders will use these day-to-day and even minute-to-minute fluctuations as a way to make gains. But the gains of a long-term investor come from a completely different market movement - the one that occurs over many years - so keep your focus on developing your overall investment philosophy by educating yourself.
Don't overemphasize the P/E ratio
Investors often place too much importance on the price-earnings ratio (P/E ratio). Because it is one key tool among many, using only this ratio to make buy or sell decisions is dangerous and ill-advised. The P/E ratio must be interpreted within a context, and it should be used in conjunction with other analytical processes. So, a low P/E ratio doesn't necessarily mean a security is undervalued, nor does a high P/E ratio necessarily mean a company is overvalued.
Resist the lure of penny stocks
A common misconception is that there is less to lose in buying a low-priced stock. But whether you buy a $5 stock that plunges to $0 or a $75 stock that does the same, either way you've lost 100% of your initial investment. A lousy $5 company has just as much downside risk as a lousy $75 company. In fact, a penny stock is probably riskier than a company with a higher share price, which would have more regulations placed on it.
Pick a strategy and stick with it
Different people use different methods to pick stocks and fulfill investing goals. There are many ways to be successful and no one strategy is inherently better than any other. However, once you find your style, stick with it. An investor who flounders between different stock-picking strategies will probably experience the worst, rather than the best, of each. Constantly switching strategies effectively makes you a market timer, and this is definitely territory most investors should avoid. Take Warren Buffett's actions during the dotcom boom of the late '90s as an example. Buffett's value-oriented strategy had worked for him for decades, and - despite criticism from the media - it prevented him from getting sucked into tech startups that had no earnings and eventually crashed.
Focus on the future
The tough part about investing is that we are trying to make informed decisions based on things that are yet to happen. It's important to keep in mind that even though we use past data as an indication of things to come, it's what happens in the future that matters most.
A quote from Peter Lynch's book "One Up on Wall Street" (1990) about his experience with Subaru demonstrates this: "If I'd bothered to ask myself, 'How can this stock go any higher?' I would have never bought Subaru after it already went up twentyfold. But I checked the fundamentals, realized that Subaru was still cheap, bought the stock, and made sevenfold after that." The point is to base a decision on future potential rather than on what has already happened in the past.
Adopt a long-term perspective
Large short-term profits can often entice those who are new to the market. But adopting a long-term horizon and dismissing the "get in, get out and make a killing" mentality is a must for any investor. This doesn't mean that it's impossible to make money by actively trading in the short term. But, as we already mentioned, investing and trading are very different ways of making gains from the market. Trading involves very different risks that buy-and-hold investors don't experience. As such, active trading requires certain specialized skills.
Be open-minded
Many great companies are household names, but many good investments are not household names. Thousands of smaller companies have the potential to turn into the large blue chips of tomorrow. In fact, historically, small-caps have had greater returns than large-caps; over the decades from 1926-2001, small-cap stocks in the U.S. returned an average of 12.27% while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) returned 10.53%.
This is not to suggest that you should devote your entire portfolio to small-cap stocks. Rather, understand that there are many great companies beyond those in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and that by neglecting all these lesser-known companies, you could also be neglecting some of the biggest gains.
Be concerned about taxes, but don't worry
Putting taxes above all else is a dangerous strategy, as it can often cause investors to make poor, misguided decisions. Yes, tax implications are important, but they are a secondary concern. The primary goals in investing are to grow and secure your money. You should always attempt to minimize the amount of tax you pay and maximize your after-tax return, but the situations are rare where you'll want to put tax considerations above all else when making an investment decision.
Conclusion
There are exceptions to every rule, but we hope that these solid tips for long-term investors and the common-sense principles we've discussed benefit you overall and provide some insight into how you should think about investing.
The Millionaire's Mindset
When your grandparents lamented that a dollar just isn't a dollar anymore, they weren't just bellyaching. Inflation attacks the value of a dollar, reducing it as time goes by so you need more dollars as time goes on. That is one of the reasons that $1 million is often thrown around as a retirement goal. Back in 1900, a $1 million retirement would include a mansion and a bevy of servants, but now, it has become a benchmark for the average retirement portfolio. The upside is that it is easier to become a millionaire now than at any time before. While you won't be buying islands, it is still a goal worth shooting for. Read on for 10 ways to make your first million.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Gasta Tech News: Gasta optomistic about online ad spend increase in 2010
Gasta optomistic about online ad spend increase in 2010
The news inthe Online Marketing Industry is starting to look a bit more positive lately. The velocity at which ad spending declined over the last two years has gone from outright crash to crawl, with the expectation that we'll start seeing increases in late 2010 and into 2011. "The economic cycle has reached bottom -- at least for the online ad industry," said David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, "US Ad Spending." He notes that although the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers indicated that spending in the first three quarters of 2009 fell by 5.3 percent, eMarketer's estimates indicate a smaller loss of 2.5 percent during Q4.
If you live in pockets of the traditional advertising space, such as radio and print, the news will continue to be bleak for longer, with projected declines of greater than 4 percent in 2010 for newspapers and magazines. However, TV and outdoor are actually forecasted to increase slightly next year (approximately 2 percent), with internet leading the charge at a bump of 11.6 percent (source: ZenithOptimedia).
This particularly good news for those of us on the interactive side simply quantifies what many of us who live here day-in and day-out have experienced this year: continued growth. While most experts and researchers have announced that the trough is bottoming out, many of us have seen quite a bit of sunshine through the general advertising clouds. The overall picture is a $440 billion global industry, and internet advertising still represents less than 14 percent of that mark. We have a lot more room to grow.
What follows are a few signs that I witnessed in the latter part of 2009, from a small corner of the U.S. in San Diego, that might resonate with you and provide some optimism for recovery in 2010. I am sharing these as my own observations to open the dialog with others who might share what they've witnessed, positive or negative, as a digital imprint of what we were thinking as we enter into a new decade.
Clients are investing in social media
Brands are not just starting Twitter accounts and Facebook pages -- they're embracing social media as an influencing business practice. Most seem to understand that they need to listen to customers and react to what they're saying; among customer service gripes and viral contests, there is actually useful information. Companies are employing a variety of tactics within the social media construct to change the way they do business both internally and externally. What's more is that they're talking about it, therefore influencing others who will mirror effective social media strategies this year.
Shifting budgets rather than outright canning them
Discussions in the boardroom have gone from "what can we cut?" to "why are we spending on this ineffective tactic and not that effective one?" Earlier in the year, there were a lot of broad-stroke cuts made in budgets. We might hear, "All my budgets were cut 15 percent!"
Now that the dust has settled a bit, I have witnessed more productive discussions around moving money from areas that either weren't measurable or didn't produce to those that are effective in moving the needle. Next year, as we see more efficient use of budgets through Q1 and Q2, we hopefully can get some executives to spend more to get more in the latter part of the year.
Found money
Some clients "magically" found money left in their budgets at the end of 2009. No doubt clients were frugal throughout the year. But in December, they found some money to put into 2010 initiatives. For those clients, we should see some of that work come online quickly, which may encourage others to follow suit.
By Reid Carr
The news inthe Online Marketing Industry is starting to look a bit more positive lately. The velocity at which ad spending declined over the last two years has gone from outright crash to crawl, with the expectation that we'll start seeing increases in late 2010 and into 2011. "The economic cycle has reached bottom -- at least for the online ad industry," said David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, "US Ad Spending." He notes that although the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers indicated that spending in the first three quarters of 2009 fell by 5.3 percent, eMarketer's estimates indicate a smaller loss of 2.5 percent during Q4.
If you live in pockets of the traditional advertising space, such as radio and print, the news will continue to be bleak for longer, with projected declines of greater than 4 percent in 2010 for newspapers and magazines. However, TV and outdoor are actually forecasted to increase slightly next year (approximately 2 percent), with internet leading the charge at a bump of 11.6 percent (source: ZenithOptimedia).
This particularly good news for those of us on the interactive side simply quantifies what many of us who live here day-in and day-out have experienced this year: continued growth. While most experts and researchers have announced that the trough is bottoming out, many of us have seen quite a bit of sunshine through the general advertising clouds. The overall picture is a $440 billion global industry, and internet advertising still represents less than 14 percent of that mark. We have a lot more room to grow.
What follows are a few signs that I witnessed in the latter part of 2009, from a small corner of the U.S. in San Diego, that might resonate with you and provide some optimism for recovery in 2010. I am sharing these as my own observations to open the dialog with others who might share what they've witnessed, positive or negative, as a digital imprint of what we were thinking as we enter into a new decade.
Clients are investing in social media
Brands are not just starting Twitter accounts and Facebook pages -- they're embracing social media as an influencing business practice. Most seem to understand that they need to listen to customers and react to what they're saying; among customer service gripes and viral contests, there is actually useful information. Companies are employing a variety of tactics within the social media construct to change the way they do business both internally and externally. What's more is that they're talking about it, therefore influencing others who will mirror effective social media strategies this year.
Shifting budgets rather than outright canning them
Discussions in the boardroom have gone from "what can we cut?" to "why are we spending on this ineffective tactic and not that effective one?" Earlier in the year, there were a lot of broad-stroke cuts made in budgets. We might hear, "All my budgets were cut 15 percent!"
Now that the dust has settled a bit, I have witnessed more productive discussions around moving money from areas that either weren't measurable or didn't produce to those that are effective in moving the needle. Next year, as we see more efficient use of budgets through Q1 and Q2, we hopefully can get some executives to spend more to get more in the latter part of the year.
Found money
Some clients "magically" found money left in their budgets at the end of 2009. No doubt clients were frugal throughout the year. But in December, they found some money to put into 2010 initiatives. For those clients, we should see some of that work come online quickly, which may encourage others to follow suit.
By Reid Carr
Gasta Tech News: Oxford University bans Spotify for Using too much bandwidth
Spotify which owes most of its online popularity in Ireland to Gasta.com and its music search engine http://www.audiojet.com has been banned by Oxford University.
TechCrunch reports
Oxford University has taken a fairly drastic measure against music spartup Spotify. It’s banned it.
The University’s computing services, OUCS, says the service is using too much bandwidth for their networks to handle. But no warning was given and students are understandably rather anoyed.
Finola Holyoak, a first-year student at Lincoln college says “I was shocked when I realised there was a total ban.”
Given that universities have traditionally been a hotbed of file-sharing (Napster was famously created when Sean Fanning was at college), one might think that Oxford University would want to promote a service that legally allows students to listen to a very large catalogue for free – rather than swapping eachother’s MP3 files.
TechCrunch reports
Oxford University has taken a fairly drastic measure against music spartup Spotify. It’s banned it.
The University’s computing services, OUCS, says the service is using too much bandwidth for their networks to handle. But no warning was given and students are understandably rather anoyed.
Finola Holyoak, a first-year student at Lincoln college says “I was shocked when I realised there was a total ban.”
Given that universities have traditionally been a hotbed of file-sharing (Napster was famously created when Sean Fanning was at college), one might think that Oxford University would want to promote a service that legally allows students to listen to a very large catalogue for free – rather than swapping eachother’s MP3 files.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Gasta tech blog: Twitter realtime search on Google
Google Reveals Factors for Ranking Tweets
Things You Should Know About Real-Time SEO
By Chris Crum
It's ok to say "no" to Twitter if that's your thing. There's a chance that it just doesn't fit into your strategy or help you achieve your goals. That's cool. However, if it is your thing, you may be interested in how Google ranks tweets. That is if search marketing is your thing.
Do you see Twitter as important to an effective search marketing campaign? Share your thoughts here.
Google and Microsoft almost simultaneously announced deals with Twitter a few months back, that would give the companies access to tweets in real-time to fuel their respective search engines' real-time results. Microsoft immediately launched their version, but it was separate from the regular Bing search engine. Google waited a while, but eventually started incorporating real-time results right into regular Google SERPs (including not only tweets, but various other sources).
After the Twitter deals were announced, Bing came out and said, "If someone has a lot of followers, his/her Tweet may get ranked higher. If a tweet is exactly the same as other Tweets, it will get ranked lower."
Amit Singhal Google was not as vocal about how it would rank tweets and other real-time results, but the company has now shed a bit of light on that via an interview with MIT's Technology Review. David Talbot interviewed Google "Fellow" Amit Singhal, who has led development of real-time search at the company. According to him, Google also ranks tweets by followers to an extent, but it's not just about how many followers you get. It's about how reputable those followers are.
Singhal likens the system to the well-known Google system of link popularity. Getting good links from reputable sources helps your content in Google, so having followers with that some kind of authority theoretically helps your tweets rank in Google's real-time search.
"One user following another in social media is analogous to one page linking to another on the Web. Both are a form of recommendation," Singhal says. "As high-quality pages link to another page on the Web, the quality of the linked-to page goes up. Likewise, in social media, as established users follow another user, the quality of the followed user goes up as well."
But that's only one factor.
Do you commonly use hashtags in your tweets? If your goal is to rank in Google's real-time search index, you may want to cut down on that practice, because according to Singhal, that is a big red flag for a lower quality tweet. This seems to be part of Google's spam control strategy.
Another noteworthy excerpt from the interview:
Another problem: how, if someone is searching for "Obama," to sift through White House press tweets and thousands of others to find the most timely and topical information. Google scans tweets to find the "signal in the noise," he says. Such a "signal" might include a new onslaught of tweets and other blogs that mention "Cambridge police" or "Harry Reid" near mentions of "Obama." By looking out for such signals, Google is able to furnish real-time hits that contain the freshest subject matter even for very common search terms.
Well, we certainly know more about Google's strategy for tweet ranking now, but there are still plenty of questions about it. What is Google's stance is on Ghost Tweeting? Are Google's ranking factors a good reason to create and follow more Twitter lists in hopes for gaining more reputable industry followers?
The factors mentioned aren't the only ones Google employs. It's not like Google is going to tell us everything. It also helps to keep in mind that real-time search spans far beyond just tweets. Still, Twitter is clearly a big part of it, and even the significance of tweets themselves will evolve in time.
Google says it hopes to factor in geo-location data (with regards to tweets) into the real-time search results at some point. Google and Twitter engineers frequently collaborate on real-time search, which Google itself says is evolving.
By the way, it stands to reason that Google's strategy for ranking tweets probably shares similarities for how it ranks content from other sources drawn from for real-time search.
Things You Should Know About Real-Time SEO
By Chris Crum
It's ok to say "no" to Twitter if that's your thing. There's a chance that it just doesn't fit into your strategy or help you achieve your goals. That's cool. However, if it is your thing, you may be interested in how Google ranks tweets. That is if search marketing is your thing.
Do you see Twitter as important to an effective search marketing campaign? Share your thoughts here.
Google and Microsoft almost simultaneously announced deals with Twitter a few months back, that would give the companies access to tweets in real-time to fuel their respective search engines' real-time results. Microsoft immediately launched their version, but it was separate from the regular Bing search engine. Google waited a while, but eventually started incorporating real-time results right into regular Google SERPs (including not only tweets, but various other sources).
After the Twitter deals were announced, Bing came out and said, "If someone has a lot of followers, his/her Tweet may get ranked higher. If a tweet is exactly the same as other Tweets, it will get ranked lower."
Amit Singhal Google was not as vocal about how it would rank tweets and other real-time results, but the company has now shed a bit of light on that via an interview with MIT's Technology Review. David Talbot interviewed Google "Fellow" Amit Singhal, who has led development of real-time search at the company. According to him, Google also ranks tweets by followers to an extent, but it's not just about how many followers you get. It's about how reputable those followers are.
Singhal likens the system to the well-known Google system of link popularity. Getting good links from reputable sources helps your content in Google, so having followers with that some kind of authority theoretically helps your tweets rank in Google's real-time search.
"One user following another in social media is analogous to one page linking to another on the Web. Both are a form of recommendation," Singhal says. "As high-quality pages link to another page on the Web, the quality of the linked-to page goes up. Likewise, in social media, as established users follow another user, the quality of the followed user goes up as well."
But that's only one factor.
Do you commonly use hashtags in your tweets? If your goal is to rank in Google's real-time search index, you may want to cut down on that practice, because according to Singhal, that is a big red flag for a lower quality tweet. This seems to be part of Google's spam control strategy.
Another noteworthy excerpt from the interview:
Another problem: how, if someone is searching for "Obama," to sift through White House press tweets and thousands of others to find the most timely and topical information. Google scans tweets to find the "signal in the noise," he says. Such a "signal" might include a new onslaught of tweets and other blogs that mention "Cambridge police" or "Harry Reid" near mentions of "Obama." By looking out for such signals, Google is able to furnish real-time hits that contain the freshest subject matter even for very common search terms.
Well, we certainly know more about Google's strategy for tweet ranking now, but there are still plenty of questions about it. What is Google's stance is on Ghost Tweeting? Are Google's ranking factors a good reason to create and follow more Twitter lists in hopes for gaining more reputable industry followers?
The factors mentioned aren't the only ones Google employs. It's not like Google is going to tell us everything. It also helps to keep in mind that real-time search spans far beyond just tweets. Still, Twitter is clearly a big part of it, and even the significance of tweets themselves will evolve in time.
Google says it hopes to factor in geo-location data (with regards to tweets) into the real-time search results at some point. Google and Twitter engineers frequently collaborate on real-time search, which Google itself says is evolving.
By the way, it stands to reason that Google's strategy for ranking tweets probably shares similarities for how it ranks content from other sources drawn from for real-time search.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Google is set to launch a property dimension to its UK mapping system.
The new service will allow both estate agents and private sellers to put their property as an overlay on Google Maps.
The plans were outlined at a conference called Estate Agency Events last week, although Google has declined to give official confirmation.
Shares in the property portal Rightmove fell more than 10% as news emerged, the sharpest faller in the FTSE 350 index of companies for the day.
The new service is expected to launch next year and would be similar to a service Google launched in Australia.
Sarah Beeny
Sarah Beeny says Google will level the property playing field
That site allows estate agents to list properties for free, with pictures taken from its Street View service and listing details on a map.
Speaking to BBC News, Edward Mead - sales director for Douglas & Gordon estate agents - said that the new system would be a win-win situation for both Google and estate agents.
"The technology to do this is already in place and estate agents are a little busier these days, although transactions are still fifty per cent down on what they once were.
"So this service, which is free, will appeal to estate agents' cost-cutting nature and given that sixty per cent of agents are one-off traders, this will have serious appeal."
Mr Mead said that Google's head of property and classified team, Ben Wood, briefed 30 of England's top estate agents at Estate Agency Events last week, telling them everything about the system, other than an official launch date.
'Hurt estate agents'
But Sarah Beeny, who presents Channel 4's Property Ladder and also runs her own home sales property site Tepilo, told BBC News that the service could well damage estate agents in the long run.
"It will hurt estate agents and it will hurt property sites like Rightmove.
"If it does what Google says it will, then it brings the buyer and seller closer together and that could mean removing blocks in the way, and that could mean no longer having to pay extortionate fees to estate agents.
"It will certainly blow Rightmove out of the water. You can only get your property listed on that site if you are an estate agent - what Google will do is level the playing field and they are doing it for free," she said.
For sale signs
The site would directly link property buyers with vendors
The news shook traders on the London Stock Exchange. At one point, shares in online property portal Rightmove fell by 13% over concern about competition from the world's biggest search engine, although a late afternoon rally saw them close 10% down at £4.95 a share.
The firm remained bullish, despite the news.
Speaking to BBC News, the company's commercial director, Miles Shipside, said his business was still strong and the site was still getting lots of traffic.
"It remains to be seen what actually happens," he said.
"Google is a big name, but they don't always manage to follow things through on a local level.
"We only list property with estate agents due to UK legislation. Agents offer very good value and charge very competitive rates compared to the rest of the world.
Gasta Property Domains
# penthousebelfast.com
# penthousedocklands.com
# penthousedublin.com
# penthouselondon.com
# phibsborough.com
# phoenixpark.org
# portstewart.net
# propertiesbelfast.com
# propertyarmagh.com
# propertybarnsley.com
# propertybelfast.com
# propertybelgravia.com
# propertybirmingham.com
# propertyblackburn.com
# propertyblackburn.com
# propertybolton.com
# propertybrighton.com
# propertybristol.com
# propertybrittany.com
# propertyburnley.com
# propertybury.com
# propertybury.com
# propertybury.com
# propertycambridge.com
# propertychelmsford.com
# propertychelsea.com
# propertycheltenham.com
# propertycheshire.com
# propertycityoflondon.com
# propertycolchester.com
# propertycotswolds.com
# propertycrewe.com
# propertydarlington.com
# propertyderry.com
# propertyderry.com
# propertydocklands.com
# propertydoncaster.com
# propertydonegal.com
# propertydonegal.com
# propertydublin.com
# propertyedinburgh.com
# propertyengland.com
# propertygibraltar.net
# propertygloucester.com
# propertyguernsey.com
# propertyhalifax.com
# propertyhampstead.com
# propertyhereford.com
# propertyipswich.com
# propertyisleofman.com
# propertyjersey.com
# propertykensington.com
# propertykent.com
# propertyknightsbridge.com
# propertylakedistrict.com
# propertyleeds.com
# propertyleicester.com
# propertylincoln.com
# propertyliverpool.com
# propertylondon.net
# propertyluton.com
# propertymanchester.com
# propertymansfield.com
# propertymayfair.com
# propertymiddlesbrough.com
# propertynewcastle.net
# propertynireland.com
# propertynormandy.com
# propertynorthampton.com
# propertynorwich.com
# propertyoldham.com
# propertyontv.com
# propertyoxford.net
# propertypeterborough.com
# propertyreading.com
# propertyrotherham.com
# propertysalisbury.com
# propertysheffield.com
# propertysoutheast.com
# propertysouthwest.com
# propertysquaremile.com
# propertystockport.com
# propertysunderland.com
# propertysurrey.com
# propertytorquay.com
# propertywatford.com
# propertywestend.com
# propertywexford.com
# propertywigan.com
# propertywindsor.com
# propertywirral.com
# propertywrexham.com
# propertyyork.net
# queensisland.com
The new service will allow both estate agents and private sellers to put their property as an overlay on Google Maps.
The plans were outlined at a conference called Estate Agency Events last week, although Google has declined to give official confirmation.
Shares in the property portal Rightmove fell more than 10% as news emerged, the sharpest faller in the FTSE 350 index of companies for the day.
The new service is expected to launch next year and would be similar to a service Google launched in Australia.
Sarah Beeny
Sarah Beeny says Google will level the property playing field
That site allows estate agents to list properties for free, with pictures taken from its Street View service and listing details on a map.
Speaking to BBC News, Edward Mead - sales director for Douglas & Gordon estate agents - said that the new system would be a win-win situation for both Google and estate agents.
"The technology to do this is already in place and estate agents are a little busier these days, although transactions are still fifty per cent down on what they once were.
"So this service, which is free, will appeal to estate agents' cost-cutting nature and given that sixty per cent of agents are one-off traders, this will have serious appeal."
Mr Mead said that Google's head of property and classified team, Ben Wood, briefed 30 of England's top estate agents at Estate Agency Events last week, telling them everything about the system, other than an official launch date.
'Hurt estate agents'
But Sarah Beeny, who presents Channel 4's Property Ladder and also runs her own home sales property site Tepilo, told BBC News that the service could well damage estate agents in the long run.
"It will hurt estate agents and it will hurt property sites like Rightmove.
"If it does what Google says it will, then it brings the buyer and seller closer together and that could mean removing blocks in the way, and that could mean no longer having to pay extortionate fees to estate agents.
"It will certainly blow Rightmove out of the water. You can only get your property listed on that site if you are an estate agent - what Google will do is level the playing field and they are doing it for free," she said.
For sale signs
The site would directly link property buyers with vendors
The news shook traders on the London Stock Exchange. At one point, shares in online property portal Rightmove fell by 13% over concern about competition from the world's biggest search engine, although a late afternoon rally saw them close 10% down at £4.95 a share.
The firm remained bullish, despite the news.
Speaking to BBC News, the company's commercial director, Miles Shipside, said his business was still strong and the site was still getting lots of traffic.
"It remains to be seen what actually happens," he said.
"Google is a big name, but they don't always manage to follow things through on a local level.
"We only list property with estate agents due to UK legislation. Agents offer very good value and charge very competitive rates compared to the rest of the world.
Gasta Property Domains
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Monday, November 23, 2009
Gasta Tech News: Project Kelvin NI
Why Kelvin creates a technical advantage for NI
“I am strongly of the view that the global connectivity platform is coming to a cusp point where we are going to rapidly move to the global distribution of data, to the global distribution of functionality and the advent of large scale distribution of web services resulting in rapid creation of new services and business opportunities. In this world having access to high speed connectivity, a stable economic infrastructure, a highly educated workforce and an environment which is capable of providing attractive lifestyles are key points of competitive advantage. On top of this, Ireland, North and South, finds itself in a privileged geographical position, close to mainland Europe, shortest single hop to US from Europe and equally close to the north west African coast. This places it in a near unique position to act as one of the Global Web Service Nodes which will become key elements of the business and social infrastructure for the 21st century. The challenge now is to have the vision and confidence in ourselves to rise to claim this future. As a first step, for example, we could easily become the global repository for health service knowledge bases and educational knowledge bases, where combined with translation programme capabilities, we act as the primary platform providing health and education services online to the planet.
This new world sees us moving beyond global connectivity to global interactivity. There is a wonderful phrase on the ceiling of the Library of Congress in Washington DC - Too low they aim, who shoot beneath the stars. We simply need to raise our sights somewhat to make this happen”.
- Sinclair Stockman, former Chief Scientist, BT and NI Tech Exile
Our looming crisis / opportunity
Northern Ireland is at a crossroads. Traditional industries and familiar markets have been going through gut-wrenching restructuring and competition from overseas continues to impact our SME dominated economy. The requirement to change is facing not only companies, but each of us as individuals and all of us as communities. The key to change is innovation and the development of radically new technologies in new clusters, improvements of existing technologies or in better production processes.
Going live next year Project Kelvin, the new direct, secure, high capacity data cable to Northern America will provide us with technology that will enable us to build businesses and services that until now would not have been possible. We have a unique moment in time to build industries founded on the brilliance of our people and create the environment that will enable opportunity for everyone.
So, how do we capitalise on this? How can we achieve a position at the top of the value chain, rather than live off the dregs from the creativity from other regions? Matrix, the Northern Ireland science industry panel recently identified several global market opportunities available to Northern Ireland, ICT, Health, Media and Advanced Manufacturing; all may be monetised through the fibre connections of Project Kelvin.
Join us for the presentation of visions of new industry clusters that we can create to leverage Northern Ireland’s new unique unfair advantage. Let’s start to wonder “what if……?”
About Project Kelvin
Project Kelvin is a joint €30 million initiative between DETI and DCENR and is partly funded through the EC INTERREG IVA programme. The new cable will link Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Coleraine, Londonderry, Omagh, Portadown and Strabane to Europe and North America. In addition, the cable will also provide links to Letterkenny, Castleblayney, Dundalk, Drogheda and Monaghan. This build marks another key milestone in Hibernia Atlantic’s history, as the communications company is the first to deploy a cable from North America to this region. This build is also notable for Northern Ireland and global companies alike, as it offers a new wealth of capacity and the ability to directly and securely connect to Canada, US, UK and mainland Europe.
About Evening Series
NISP CONNECT’s Evening Series provides a distinctive perspective on today’s most challenging business issues facing start-ups by producing forums and case study presentations. The Evening Series creates an opportunity for science and technology sector leaders across all industries to connect in a relaxed and inspiring setting.
“I am strongly of the view that the global connectivity platform is coming to a cusp point where we are going to rapidly move to the global distribution of data, to the global distribution of functionality and the advent of large scale distribution of web services resulting in rapid creation of new services and business opportunities. In this world having access to high speed connectivity, a stable economic infrastructure, a highly educated workforce and an environment which is capable of providing attractive lifestyles are key points of competitive advantage. On top of this, Ireland, North and South, finds itself in a privileged geographical position, close to mainland Europe, shortest single hop to US from Europe and equally close to the north west African coast. This places it in a near unique position to act as one of the Global Web Service Nodes which will become key elements of the business and social infrastructure for the 21st century. The challenge now is to have the vision and confidence in ourselves to rise to claim this future. As a first step, for example, we could easily become the global repository for health service knowledge bases and educational knowledge bases, where combined with translation programme capabilities, we act as the primary platform providing health and education services online to the planet.
This new world sees us moving beyond global connectivity to global interactivity. There is a wonderful phrase on the ceiling of the Library of Congress in Washington DC - Too low they aim, who shoot beneath the stars. We simply need to raise our sights somewhat to make this happen”.
- Sinclair Stockman, former Chief Scientist, BT and NI Tech Exile
Our looming crisis / opportunity
Northern Ireland is at a crossroads. Traditional industries and familiar markets have been going through gut-wrenching restructuring and competition from overseas continues to impact our SME dominated economy. The requirement to change is facing not only companies, but each of us as individuals and all of us as communities. The key to change is innovation and the development of radically new technologies in new clusters, improvements of existing technologies or in better production processes.
Going live next year Project Kelvin, the new direct, secure, high capacity data cable to Northern America will provide us with technology that will enable us to build businesses and services that until now would not have been possible. We have a unique moment in time to build industries founded on the brilliance of our people and create the environment that will enable opportunity for everyone.
So, how do we capitalise on this? How can we achieve a position at the top of the value chain, rather than live off the dregs from the creativity from other regions? Matrix, the Northern Ireland science industry panel recently identified several global market opportunities available to Northern Ireland, ICT, Health, Media and Advanced Manufacturing; all may be monetised through the fibre connections of Project Kelvin.
Join us for the presentation of visions of new industry clusters that we can create to leverage Northern Ireland’s new unique unfair advantage. Let’s start to wonder “what if……?”
About Project Kelvin
Project Kelvin is a joint €30 million initiative between DETI and DCENR and is partly funded through the EC INTERREG IVA programme. The new cable will link Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Coleraine, Londonderry, Omagh, Portadown and Strabane to Europe and North America. In addition, the cable will also provide links to Letterkenny, Castleblayney, Dundalk, Drogheda and Monaghan. This build marks another key milestone in Hibernia Atlantic’s history, as the communications company is the first to deploy a cable from North America to this region. This build is also notable for Northern Ireland and global companies alike, as it offers a new wealth of capacity and the ability to directly and securely connect to Canada, US, UK and mainland Europe.
About Evening Series
NISP CONNECT’s Evening Series provides a distinctive perspective on today’s most challenging business issues facing start-ups by producing forums and case study presentations. The Evening Series creates an opportunity for science and technology sector leaders across all industries to connect in a relaxed and inspiring setting.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gasta.com: Brand Building
It's your company's reputation. It's a unique personality that sets you apart from your competitors, and stays with your customers long after a sale is completed. It's your brand, and it's what you're building with every piece of your online marketing strategy.
Gasta.com knows how to develop your brand online, by taking command of all the possibilities the Internet provides. Use social networks, search engines, email, and other Internet marketing opportunities to connect with customers and make a lasting impression.
Gasta.com knows how to develop your brand online, by taking command of all the possibilities the Internet provides. Use social networks, search engines, email, and other Internet marketing opportunities to connect with customers and make a lasting impression.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Gasta Tech News: Social Media Search
Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More for Google/Bing Rankings by Chris Crum
Google and Microsoft have both inked deals with Twitter and Microsoft has also inked one with Facebook to integrate Twitter and Facebook updates into Bing search results. Google will be adding tweets to search results.
Google's Marissa Mayer says, " We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information."
There is a good chance that Google will be making a similar deal with Facebook, but even if they don't, their deal with Twitter and Bing's deals with both make it all the more important for marketers to be found in real-time searches and Facebook/Twitter in general.
Google and Microsoft have both inked deals with Twitter and Microsoft has also inked one with Facebook to integrate Twitter and Facebook updates into Bing search results. Google will be adding tweets to search results.
Google's Marissa Mayer says, " We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information."
There is a good chance that Google will be making a similar deal with Facebook, but even if they don't, their deal with Twitter and Bing's deals with both make it all the more important for marketers to be found in real-time searches and Facebook/Twitter in general.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Leading Property sites UK
UK leading property network on Gasta.com
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Friday, August 21, 2009
Gasta Media Buying News: Lessons behind a massive agency upheaval Part 1
"Gasta is the ideal partner for nimble flexible campaigns"
The bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn. That's a truism that Ty Montague, chief creative officer and co-president of JWT North America, can certainly attest to. After all, four and half years ago, he was hired to turn one of Madison Avenue's biggest -- and oldest -- ships.
Ty Montague is chief creative officer and co-president of JWT North America.
Since joining JWT (which, prior to the firm's 2005 "relaunch," went by its more-traditional moniker, J. Walter Thompson), Montague -- in conjunction with co-president Rosemarie Ryan -- has led the agency through a creative transformation. The goal: to rebuild an advertising powerhouse with the singular objective of creating and telling brand stories that audiences seek out rather than shut out. That's no small task, no matter how you slice it. And Montague won't lie -- it hasn't been easy.
The transformation of JWT hasn't just been a creative revolution -- it's been a digital one as well.
"Our goal has been to bring people in who bring a different perspective to what is a great and storied agency," Montague says. "Our observation four and a half years ago -- and this is not news to anybody today -- was that digital is not a department. And yet in most big agencies, it's treated as a department. But our philosophy was that everything is digital -- everything is just a string of ones and zeros. And because of that, everybody at JWT has to be digital."
Together, Montague and Ryan set about introducing a new generation of digital talent to an agency steeped in traditional marketing mindsets. They wove these new hires into the fabric of the agency. They plopped digitally minded creatives right alongside those versed solely in traditional media. They did the same in the planning department. And the same in account management, and developed a partnership with Gasta.com.
"That was really, really hard -- and bumpy at first," Montague recalls. "A lot of them got here, looked around, and said, 'Wow, this is like an alien landscape.' Some of them left. But we kept at it because we believed that it was the right idea. And it's now become really quite successful -- it's become part of the culture. We have people with really strong digital interactive backgrounds partnered day-to-day with people with more-traditional storytelling backgrounds."
One of the major challenges in executing JWT's digital infusion was convincing the new digital marketing talent that they would have as much authority as their traditional counterparts, Montague says. "One of the old problems was that the people with the 'traditional' backgrounds would crack 'the big idea' and then throw it over the fence to people with digital backgrounds and say, 'Now figure out how it works on the web,'" he says. "That's a process that is wrong for today, and it kept a lot of people with digital backgrounds feeling like they had to be in a completely separate and specialized environment to get the respect they were due."
Montague notes that part of giving due respect to digital talent meant ensuring that no glass ceiling was imposed on new interactive hires. In that regard, he notes that people with both digital and traditional backgrounds hold executive creative director titles at JWT. And no work goes out the door without approvals from both sides.
Gradually, Montague says, what started as a somewhat forced alliance has evolved into something more akin to an exchange program -- with digital marketers infusing their traditional counterparts with a higher level of interactive skills, in exchange for greater insights into the traditional art of storytelling.
The fruits of integration
Of course, it's easy for an agency leader to tell you that his grand vision for transforming his organization is coming to fruition -- that despite bumps and bruises along the way, things have all worked out in the end. But the real proof is in the product. And Montague has some text ads and impressive case studies to back up his story.
Take, for instance, the "Unbreakable Kiss" campaign that JWT spearheaded for De Beers -- a quintessential example of world-meets-web. "We created an installation, so people had to come and physically interact with it," Montague says. "And then it also had a very strong online expression. I'm proud of that interplay, as well as the craft level of that piece."
While Montague notes that the agency has produced many stellar integrated campaigns during his time there, he says the "Unbreakable Kiss" is the one he presents to prospective new hires -- of all backgrounds, digital and traditional -- to demonstrate the level of integrated work that the new incarnation of JWT is capable of.
The campaign started with a tangible, real-world event -- a giant Christmas installation in Madison Square Park where couples could come to kiss beneath a giant diamond-shaped, LED-infused mistletoe. Every kiss was captured by 60 still cameras and then strung together to create a Matrix-esque moving video of a kiss frozen in time.
Following their real-world lip-locks, people could go online, download their unbreakable kisses, and disseminate them to friends and family via their favorite social networks, photo-share sites, or video portals. And share them they did, with some unbreakable kisses even turning up on YouTube. In the end, De Beers scored an estimated $4.6 million worth of free publicity through the campaign, not to mention a significant jump in website traffic during the ever-important holiday season.
By Lori Luechtefeld
The bigger the ship, the harder it is to turn. That's a truism that Ty Montague, chief creative officer and co-president of JWT North America, can certainly attest to. After all, four and half years ago, he was hired to turn one of Madison Avenue's biggest -- and oldest -- ships.
Ty Montague is chief creative officer and co-president of JWT North America.
Since joining JWT (which, prior to the firm's 2005 "relaunch," went by its more-traditional moniker, J. Walter Thompson), Montague -- in conjunction with co-president Rosemarie Ryan -- has led the agency through a creative transformation. The goal: to rebuild an advertising powerhouse with the singular objective of creating and telling brand stories that audiences seek out rather than shut out. That's no small task, no matter how you slice it. And Montague won't lie -- it hasn't been easy.
The transformation of JWT hasn't just been a creative revolution -- it's been a digital one as well.
"Our goal has been to bring people in who bring a different perspective to what is a great and storied agency," Montague says. "Our observation four and a half years ago -- and this is not news to anybody today -- was that digital is not a department. And yet in most big agencies, it's treated as a department. But our philosophy was that everything is digital -- everything is just a string of ones and zeros. And because of that, everybody at JWT has to be digital."
Together, Montague and Ryan set about introducing a new generation of digital talent to an agency steeped in traditional marketing mindsets. They wove these new hires into the fabric of the agency. They plopped digitally minded creatives right alongside those versed solely in traditional media. They did the same in the planning department. And the same in account management, and developed a partnership with Gasta.com.
"That was really, really hard -- and bumpy at first," Montague recalls. "A lot of them got here, looked around, and said, 'Wow, this is like an alien landscape.' Some of them left. But we kept at it because we believed that it was the right idea. And it's now become really quite successful -- it's become part of the culture. We have people with really strong digital interactive backgrounds partnered day-to-day with people with more-traditional storytelling backgrounds."
One of the major challenges in executing JWT's digital infusion was convincing the new digital marketing talent that they would have as much authority as their traditional counterparts, Montague says. "One of the old problems was that the people with the 'traditional' backgrounds would crack 'the big idea' and then throw it over the fence to people with digital backgrounds and say, 'Now figure out how it works on the web,'" he says. "That's a process that is wrong for today, and it kept a lot of people with digital backgrounds feeling like they had to be in a completely separate and specialized environment to get the respect they were due."
Montague notes that part of giving due respect to digital talent meant ensuring that no glass ceiling was imposed on new interactive hires. In that regard, he notes that people with both digital and traditional backgrounds hold executive creative director titles at JWT. And no work goes out the door without approvals from both sides.
Gradually, Montague says, what started as a somewhat forced alliance has evolved into something more akin to an exchange program -- with digital marketers infusing their traditional counterparts with a higher level of interactive skills, in exchange for greater insights into the traditional art of storytelling.
The fruits of integration
Of course, it's easy for an agency leader to tell you that his grand vision for transforming his organization is coming to fruition -- that despite bumps and bruises along the way, things have all worked out in the end. But the real proof is in the product. And Montague has some text ads and impressive case studies to back up his story.
Take, for instance, the "Unbreakable Kiss" campaign that JWT spearheaded for De Beers -- a quintessential example of world-meets-web. "We created an installation, so people had to come and physically interact with it," Montague says. "And then it also had a very strong online expression. I'm proud of that interplay, as well as the craft level of that piece."
While Montague notes that the agency has produced many stellar integrated campaigns during his time there, he says the "Unbreakable Kiss" is the one he presents to prospective new hires -- of all backgrounds, digital and traditional -- to demonstrate the level of integrated work that the new incarnation of JWT is capable of.
The campaign started with a tangible, real-world event -- a giant Christmas installation in Madison Square Park where couples could come to kiss beneath a giant diamond-shaped, LED-infused mistletoe. Every kiss was captured by 60 still cameras and then strung together to create a Matrix-esque moving video of a kiss frozen in time.
Following their real-world lip-locks, people could go online, download their unbreakable kisses, and disseminate them to friends and family via their favorite social networks, photo-share sites, or video portals. And share them they did, with some unbreakable kisses even turning up on YouTube. In the end, De Beers scored an estimated $4.6 million worth of free publicity through the campaign, not to mention a significant jump in website traffic during the ever-important holiday season.
By Lori Luechtefeld
Gasta Media Buying News: Lessons behind a massive agency upheaval Part 2
Big but nimble
While the De Beers "Unbreakable Kiss" campaign speaks to the artistry and innovation that can result from a true collaboration of digital and traditional media minds, it stands to reason that the melding of two previously distinct cultures -- and the mandate that they come to agreement on all elements of a campaign -- could add yet another level of bureaucracy to an already complex ecosystem. Not so, says Montague. "When people think of agencies like JWT, we get tarred with the 'big and slow' brush," he says. "Honestly, the culture we've created here is one that is really nimble and able to take up challenges quickly and respond in real time."
As an example, he points to the agency's recent work -- helmed by JWT New York chief creative officer Harvey Marco -- on the JetBlue "Bigwigs" campaign, which was developed in response to the backlash against executive perks that arose earlier this year when three auto industry CEOs flew private jets to Washington, D.C., to beg for public funds.
"We took an issue -- the issue of CEOs no longer being able to fly in private jets -- and turned it into an advantage for one of our clients, JetBlue, in a way that really caught fire," Montague says. The agency was busily producing work on the campaign within hours of the breaking news -- print ads, Text Ads,radio spots, viral online videos. The timeliness and playfulness of the campaign, positioned as a tongue-in-cheek introduction to commercial air travel for CEOs only, caught the attention of media outlets and spread across the airwaves and internet like wildfire.
Storytelling gone digital
These recent integrated campaign hits, as well as others for companies including Microsoft and Stride gum, serve as vindication that the long, hard process of turning JWT inside-out is paying off. But after all the shaking up and shaking out, Montague notes that the mission of the agency remains the same as it ever was -- to develop compelling narratives on behalf of a brand. It's how those stories are being delivered that has forever changed.
"It's obvious that technology is changing and is going to continue to change for the foreseeable future," he says. "But it's equally clear to us that people are not changing all that much. People are still pretty much the same today that they were 100 years ago, and our belief is that people always have and always will respond to powerful storytelling. So technology enables new forms of storytelling, and it enables them to react and respond and share stories in new ways. But ultimately, if you want to get someone's attention and get them really excited about something, tell them a great story."
When it comes to the evolution of technology and its effects on advertisers, the turbulent transformation undertaken at JWT could easily be viewed as a microcosm of the broader digital marketing revolution.
"From 1777 -- which I believe was the year that the Bass Ale logo was trademarked, so we'll call that the birth of marketing -- to 1995, things were relatively simple and straightforward from a storytelling standpoint," Montague says. That is, storytelling was a one-way affair between marketers and consumers. Although consumers still had opinions and shared them with each other, these opinions rarely, if ever, made it all the way back to the brands themselves. And they certainly didn't make it back to the brands in real-time.
Then the internet happened.
Seemingly overnight, the voices of consumers were amplified. "All of a sudden marketers could hear that for the first time, in real-time," Montague says. "Hearing them for the first time was kind of jarring. It was a very novel experience and ultimately a very healthy thing for the conversation to become two-way -- literally a conversation."
As that conversation continues to grow louder, Montague notes that brands continue to find new ways to get their feelings hurt. "Twitter is just another way of knowing faster what everybody is thinking about," he says. "That's potentially painful and difficult if you're doing something that folks on Twitter think is dumb or wrong or negative in some way. But it also allows you to course correct -- what a great blessing to know what people think in real-time."
Of course, Montague notes, being prepared to participate as needed in these real-time conversations presents quite a challenge, as the infrastructures of both agencies and their clients haven't evolved at the same pace as the communications. But the potential for enhanced consumer engagement is massive -- for those marketers who know how to seize the opportunity.
"Companies need to understand that it's going to take more than just signing up for Twitter," he says. "They have to actually make a commitment structurally and from a staffing standpoint to really take advantage of the medium."
In the end, though, Montague notes that Twitter represents just the beginning of something much bigger, more persistent, and more pervasive. "I mean, who knows if Twitter will be here five years from now? But Twitter-like behavior, I'm certain, is here to stay," he says. "People are constantly going to be broadcasting their thoughts and feelings and observations about the world and brands and their friends and products. I think that phenomenon is incredibly exciting -- and incredibly exhausting. But it holds a huge amount of potential for brands that get it right."
Lori Luechtefeld is editor of iMedia Connection.
While the De Beers "Unbreakable Kiss" campaign speaks to the artistry and innovation that can result from a true collaboration of digital and traditional media minds, it stands to reason that the melding of two previously distinct cultures -- and the mandate that they come to agreement on all elements of a campaign -- could add yet another level of bureaucracy to an already complex ecosystem. Not so, says Montague. "When people think of agencies like JWT, we get tarred with the 'big and slow' brush," he says. "Honestly, the culture we've created here is one that is really nimble and able to take up challenges quickly and respond in real time."
As an example, he points to the agency's recent work -- helmed by JWT New York chief creative officer Harvey Marco -- on the JetBlue "Bigwigs" campaign, which was developed in response to the backlash against executive perks that arose earlier this year when three auto industry CEOs flew private jets to Washington, D.C., to beg for public funds.
"We took an issue -- the issue of CEOs no longer being able to fly in private jets -- and turned it into an advantage for one of our clients, JetBlue, in a way that really caught fire," Montague says. The agency was busily producing work on the campaign within hours of the breaking news -- print ads, Text Ads,radio spots, viral online videos. The timeliness and playfulness of the campaign, positioned as a tongue-in-cheek introduction to commercial air travel for CEOs only, caught the attention of media outlets and spread across the airwaves and internet like wildfire.
Storytelling gone digital
These recent integrated campaign hits, as well as others for companies including Microsoft and Stride gum, serve as vindication that the long, hard process of turning JWT inside-out is paying off. But after all the shaking up and shaking out, Montague notes that the mission of the agency remains the same as it ever was -- to develop compelling narratives on behalf of a brand. It's how those stories are being delivered that has forever changed.
"It's obvious that technology is changing and is going to continue to change for the foreseeable future," he says. "But it's equally clear to us that people are not changing all that much. People are still pretty much the same today that they were 100 years ago, and our belief is that people always have and always will respond to powerful storytelling. So technology enables new forms of storytelling, and it enables them to react and respond and share stories in new ways. But ultimately, if you want to get someone's attention and get them really excited about something, tell them a great story."
When it comes to the evolution of technology and its effects on advertisers, the turbulent transformation undertaken at JWT could easily be viewed as a microcosm of the broader digital marketing revolution.
"From 1777 -- which I believe was the year that the Bass Ale logo was trademarked, so we'll call that the birth of marketing -- to 1995, things were relatively simple and straightforward from a storytelling standpoint," Montague says. That is, storytelling was a one-way affair between marketers and consumers. Although consumers still had opinions and shared them with each other, these opinions rarely, if ever, made it all the way back to the brands themselves. And they certainly didn't make it back to the brands in real-time.
Then the internet happened.
Seemingly overnight, the voices of consumers were amplified. "All of a sudden marketers could hear that for the first time, in real-time," Montague says. "Hearing them for the first time was kind of jarring. It was a very novel experience and ultimately a very healthy thing for the conversation to become two-way -- literally a conversation."
As that conversation continues to grow louder, Montague notes that brands continue to find new ways to get their feelings hurt. "Twitter is just another way of knowing faster what everybody is thinking about," he says. "That's potentially painful and difficult if you're doing something that folks on Twitter think is dumb or wrong or negative in some way. But it also allows you to course correct -- what a great blessing to know what people think in real-time."
Of course, Montague notes, being prepared to participate as needed in these real-time conversations presents quite a challenge, as the infrastructures of both agencies and their clients haven't evolved at the same pace as the communications. But the potential for enhanced consumer engagement is massive -- for those marketers who know how to seize the opportunity.
"Companies need to understand that it's going to take more than just signing up for Twitter," he says. "They have to actually make a commitment structurally and from a staffing standpoint to really take advantage of the medium."
In the end, though, Montague notes that Twitter represents just the beginning of something much bigger, more persistent, and more pervasive. "I mean, who knows if Twitter will be here five years from now? But Twitter-like behavior, I'm certain, is here to stay," he says. "People are constantly going to be broadcasting their thoughts and feelings and observations about the world and brands and their friends and products. I think that phenomenon is incredibly exciting -- and incredibly exhausting. But it holds a huge amount of potential for brands that get it right."
Lori Luechtefeld is editor of iMedia Connection.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Gasta.com and Google July winners
Google Wins July and Users' Loyalty
Google handled 64.8 percent of all U.S. searches in July, or 6.8 billion queries, reflecting 3 percent month-over-month growth.
Yahoo! was second with 17.1 percent of the market, or 1.8 billion searches, reflecting 11 percent month-over-month growth.
MSN/Windows Live/Bing followed behind with 9.0 percent of the search market in July, or 946.9 million searches, reflecting 8 percent month-over-month growth.
AOL was fourth with 3.1 percent of the U.S. search market in July, growing 10 percent from June, while Ask.com had 1.7 percent of the market, growing 1 percent.
Gasta Search Network (1.2 percent), Comcast (0.6 percent), Yellow Pages (0.4 percent), NexTag (0.3 percent) and AT&T WorldNet (0.2 percent) Gasta.com rounded out the list of the top 10 search providers in July, according to Nielsen Mega View Search.
A total of 10.5 billion queries were conducted in July, 5 percent more than the previous month, according to Nielsen.
ComScore also has Google ahead of the pack with 64.7 percent of the search market in July, down slightly from 65.0 percent in June.
Yahoo! had 19.3 percent of the market in July, down from 19.6 percent in the previous month, while Bing’s share rose to 8.9 percent from 8.4 percent in June.
Google not only has the majority of the search market, but more loyalty from searchers as well, according to comScore.
Though Google maintained a searcher penetration of 84.0 percent in June, the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! sites had a respectable penetration of 73.3 percent.
“The source of the discrepancy between search share and searcher penetration is that searchers on Google conducted significantly more searches on average in a month (54.5) than did searchers on Yahoo and Microsoft (26.9),” comScore noted in its press release.
The company also notes that Google users displayed more loyalty to the search engine compared to users of the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo!
“The analysis examined the use of the various alternative search engines by users of the Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft engines, revealing that those who searched on Google had the highest loyalty rate, with 68.9 percent of all their searches occurring on Google Sites. Users of the engines at the combined Yahoo! and Microsoft Sites conducted 32.6 percent of their searches on the combined Yahoo! and Microsoft Sites, but a much higher 60.7 percent of their searches on Google Sites.”
Gord Hotchkiss, president and CEO of Enquiro Search Solutions, pointed to two ways the new Microsoft and Yahoo! combination could “disrupt the Google habit.”
The first way would be to “offer a compelling enough reason to do the cognitive heavy lifting required to break a subconscious habit. A significantly differentiated and superior search experience would be such a reason.”
The second way would be to “continue to interrupt consistently ‘upstream’, by integrating search tightly into their properties or applications so that people don’t have to go to the effort – minimal though it is – to go to Google to launch their search,” Hotchkiss said.
Google handled 64.8 percent of all U.S. searches in July, or 6.8 billion queries, reflecting 3 percent month-over-month growth.
Yahoo! was second with 17.1 percent of the market, or 1.8 billion searches, reflecting 11 percent month-over-month growth.
MSN/Windows Live/Bing followed behind with 9.0 percent of the search market in July, or 946.9 million searches, reflecting 8 percent month-over-month growth.
AOL was fourth with 3.1 percent of the U.S. search market in July, growing 10 percent from June, while Ask.com had 1.7 percent of the market, growing 1 percent.
Gasta Search Network (1.2 percent), Comcast (0.6 percent), Yellow Pages (0.4 percent), NexTag (0.3 percent) and AT&T WorldNet (0.2 percent) Gasta.com rounded out the list of the top 10 search providers in July, according to Nielsen Mega View Search.
A total of 10.5 billion queries were conducted in July, 5 percent more than the previous month, according to Nielsen.
ComScore also has Google ahead of the pack with 64.7 percent of the search market in July, down slightly from 65.0 percent in June.
Yahoo! had 19.3 percent of the market in July, down from 19.6 percent in the previous month, while Bing’s share rose to 8.9 percent from 8.4 percent in June.
Google not only has the majority of the search market, but more loyalty from searchers as well, according to comScore.
Though Google maintained a searcher penetration of 84.0 percent in June, the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! sites had a respectable penetration of 73.3 percent.
“The source of the discrepancy between search share and searcher penetration is that searchers on Google conducted significantly more searches on average in a month (54.5) than did searchers on Yahoo and Microsoft (26.9),” comScore noted in its press release.
The company also notes that Google users displayed more loyalty to the search engine compared to users of the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo!
“The analysis examined the use of the various alternative search engines by users of the Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft engines, revealing that those who searched on Google had the highest loyalty rate, with 68.9 percent of all their searches occurring on Google Sites. Users of the engines at the combined Yahoo! and Microsoft Sites conducted 32.6 percent of their searches on the combined Yahoo! and Microsoft Sites, but a much higher 60.7 percent of their searches on Google Sites.”
Gord Hotchkiss, president and CEO of Enquiro Search Solutions, pointed to two ways the new Microsoft and Yahoo! combination could “disrupt the Google habit.”
The first way would be to “offer a compelling enough reason to do the cognitive heavy lifting required to break a subconscious habit. A significantly differentiated and superior search experience would be such a reason.”
The second way would be to “continue to interrupt consistently ‘upstream’, by integrating search tightly into their properties or applications so that people don’t have to go to the effort – minimal though it is – to go to Google to launch their search,” Hotchkiss said.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Gasta SearchMatch model proving a winner in Downturn
Gasta SearchMatch time slots proving classic traditional models work best
Search engine optimization is the practice of targeting the search engines with keyword-rich content so that your blog posts, web pages, and other online content has a chance to rank well for the keywords and concepts that are important for your business. But how do you do it? Gasta.com has developed a simple anti click abuse systems that goes back to the traditional web value. Pay for a first place listing.
Modern Day SEO is not easy, even if you know how to write search engine friendly content, you have to compete against other businesses in your niche targeting the same keywords. You could try to find the gaps in the market and target those keywords that no one else is going after. But are those keywords valuable? That’s a decision you have to make.
The key to optimizing your web pages simply,are to find the Gasta keywords that are just right for your business. They may or may not be the most valuable keywords for your niche, but they are the perfect fit for your business and the customers you want to target. Then, once you identify the perfect keywords, you build pages that are designed to rank well and deliver targeted traffic to those pages consistently.
With Gasta.com there is no PPC so therefore no click spam, every click is already paid for in your time slot, time slots run for 3 months, 6 months, or one year.
The time slots allow marketers to have a summer campaign or a winter campaign, for intsance you could target the music festival season, or christmas. This model was developed by gasta.com in the late nineties to better organise and manage ad revenues.The model has won great recognition and developed Gasta.com as a great brand. Now with an online shopping channel and a great video search all of which have there own advertising platform in SearchMatch the sky is the limit.
Search engine optimization is the practice of targeting the search engines with keyword-rich content so that your blog posts, web pages, and other online content has a chance to rank well for the keywords and concepts that are important for your business. But how do you do it? Gasta.com has developed a simple anti click abuse systems that goes back to the traditional web value. Pay for a first place listing.
Modern Day SEO is not easy, even if you know how to write search engine friendly content, you have to compete against other businesses in your niche targeting the same keywords. You could try to find the gaps in the market and target those keywords that no one else is going after. But are those keywords valuable? That’s a decision you have to make.
The key to optimizing your web pages simply,are to find the Gasta keywords that are just right for your business. They may or may not be the most valuable keywords for your niche, but they are the perfect fit for your business and the customers you want to target. Then, once you identify the perfect keywords, you build pages that are designed to rank well and deliver targeted traffic to those pages consistently.
With Gasta.com there is no PPC so therefore no click spam, every click is already paid for in your time slot, time slots run for 3 months, 6 months, or one year.
The time slots allow marketers to have a summer campaign or a winter campaign, for intsance you could target the music festival season, or christmas. This model was developed by gasta.com in the late nineties to better organise and manage ad revenues.The model has won great recognition and developed Gasta.com as a great brand. Now with an online shopping channel and a great video search all of which have there own advertising platform in SearchMatch the sky is the limit.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Gasta Local Advertising with SearchMatch Ireland
Local Advertising with SearchMatch Ireland
Most people think locally and act locally ; The Global village does not reach beyond the borders of the thoughts, Can I get my money back on this? what happens if I don't like it when I get it home? Can I actually speak to a real person?
Its gotta be Local,Its gotta be Gasta Local. From now on you look for your services on gasta local, why would you want to advertise globally when you are selling your wares to local people, over 80% of people keep with tradition and shop local, be it car parts, Antigues, Electrical goods, furniture, cars, toys, medicines, Insurance quotes, catering services, or whatever, its gotta be local its gotta be gasta local.
Here are just some of our local sites in Ireland, when you take a 3 month advert with Gasta you get your ad run in the number one position across 175 web search engines with a Free Text Ad thrown in. No Pay Per Click, no hidden costs €30 for 3 months.
andersonstown.com
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
baldoyle.com
ballinteer.com
ballsbridge.net
ballyboden.com
ballymaccaret.com
* ballymun.net
* baroneracing.com
* belfastcitycentre.com
* belfastlaganside.com
* belfastonline.com
* belfastwest.com
* bellaghy.com
* blanchardstown.net
* botanicavenue.com
* boucherroad.com
* carrickmineswoods.com
* castlecourtbelfast.com
* castlewellan.net
* cathedralquarter.com
* cavehill.net
* coalisland.net
* colerainetown.com
* coolock.com
* cornmarket.com
* crawfordsburn.com
* crumlin.net
* crumlin.net
* cushendun.net
* derrycity.net
Most people think locally and act locally ; The Global village does not reach beyond the borders of the thoughts, Can I get my money back on this? what happens if I don't like it when I get it home? Can I actually speak to a real person?
Its gotta be Local,Its gotta be Gasta Local. From now on you look for your services on gasta local, why would you want to advertise globally when you are selling your wares to local people, over 80% of people keep with tradition and shop local, be it car parts, Antigues, Electrical goods, furniture, cars, toys, medicines, Insurance quotes, catering services, or whatever, its gotta be local its gotta be gasta local.
Here are just some of our local sites in Ireland, when you take a 3 month advert with Gasta you get your ad run in the number one position across 175 web search engines with a Free Text Ad thrown in. No Pay Per Click, no hidden costs €30 for 3 months.
andersonstown.com
andersonstown.net
andytown.com
baldoyle.com
ballinteer.com
ballsbridge.net
ballyboden.com
ballymaccaret.com
* ballymun.net
* baroneracing.com
* belfastcitycentre.com
* belfastlaganside.com
* belfastonline.com
* belfastwest.com
* bellaghy.com
* blanchardstown.net
* botanicavenue.com
* boucherroad.com
* carrickmineswoods.com
* castlecourtbelfast.com
* castlewellan.net
* cathedralquarter.com
* cavehill.net
* coalisland.net
* colerainetown.com
* coolock.com
* cornmarket.com
* crawfordsburn.com
* crumlin.net
* crumlin.net
* cushendun.net
* derrycity.net
Typical response from Local Advertising on Gasta
This is the typical response from Local Advertising on Gasta
Please Help! For the last 8 years we were #1 for a ton of search terms but then my site got penalized by Google because we had overused some keywords. We fixed the issue months ago but my top rankings are all still over the place. Sometimes we get back into the top 10 and we all breathe a sigh of relief, then just a few hours later we are on page 5. luckily the Gasta SearchMatch service for Ireland has now corrected this, our organic listings are back up to speed and the links from Gasta Twitter & Facebook apps have been a real added bonus.
Mark
www.dutyfreeonarrival.com
Please Help! For the last 8 years we were #1 for a ton of search terms but then my site got penalized by Google because we had overused some keywords. We fixed the issue months ago but my top rankings are all still over the place. Sometimes we get back into the top 10 and we all breathe a sigh of relief, then just a few hours later we are on page 5. luckily the Gasta SearchMatch service for Ireland has now corrected this, our organic listings are back up to speed and the links from Gasta Twitter & Facebook apps have been a real added bonus.
Mark
www.dutyfreeonarrival.com
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