Topics in

Technology and Marketing

Week 3 Recap

Assignments and Grading

Mid-term assignment (individual) - 20% of final grade:● Identify an actual/imaginary business to create an internet marketing plan for, based on the internet marketing principles discussed in Modules 1-4

● Due at end of Week 6.● Submit questions via class blog/email after Week 3.

● Graded on:● Insightfulness of proposals● Effectiveness of communication● Mastery of course

Assignments and Grading

Classroom participation - 10% of final grade: ● Graded on interaction with instructor/peers

What Is Google?

● A search engine?

● An internet app developer?● Hardly…

● Google is: ● A media publisher that makes money selling

advertising – just like a newspaper or magazine.

● 99% of its revenue is from advertising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

What’s Visible, What’s Not

● The only content that search engines can “read” is text

● Images, videos, audio, and Flash cannot be read, therefore invisible

● Example:● http://www.lafortunadesign.com/

2 Pillars of Search

● Search ranking is proportional to Google's assessment of BOTH:

● How well the content matches the intent of the query

● The authority of the content

● Authority is earned through:● Content and factors within a web page

● The authority of pages associating with a web page

King Content

● More content is better than less content.

● Interesting is better than boring.

● Fresh content is better than stale content.

● All things being equal, the page with the most content, updated most frequently, will rank higher.

● Digital writers get $1 per word.

Google’s Key Innovation

● Good content will have more pages linking to it.● Essentially an information democracy.

● “Social” way before its time.

● Backlinks are an indication of the page's value (authority).

● All things being equal, the page with the most backlinks will rank higher.

Not All Backlinks Are Equal

● Backlink value determined by:● The authority (PR) of the linking page.

– Links from pages with higher PR – great!

– Links from pages with lower PR – can’t hurt.

● Similarity of subject matter between linked and linking page:

– Links from veterinarian website to a pet groomer’s website – great!

– Links from plumber’s website to a pet groomer’s website – can’t hurt.

● Backlink context determined by anchor text:

– “For more information on teacup poodles, read more.” – bad

– “For more information on teacup poodles, read more.” – good

Learning To Think Like Google

● “All things being equal, which web page would I prefer?”

● A page that lots of people like, or one that hardly anyone likes?

● A page that people who know about the topic like, or one that unrelated people like?

● A page with lots of frequently updated content, or one with small amounts of stale content?

● A page from a business with roots in the community, or one from an unknown business?

● A page from a business with a professional website, or one from an amateurish website?

● A page from an established business that is committed to the future, or one from brand new business that isn’t confident about its longevity?

Questions?