Visit the Glasses Direct blog to see my blog post ‘Will you join Glasses Direct’s online fan base?’.

You’ve just embarked on a marketing campaign for your website, the visitor numbers are going up but you want these users to engage with you in the future too. So how do you sign up visitors to register on your site or newsletter?

See my article on the Enterprise Nation website.

Seth Godin thinks we should tip websites we like by clicking on adverts.

His heart may have been in the right place but the recommendation didn’t go down well with many in the online marketing world.

Here are some alternative ways you can tip a website that you like.

Bookmark it
Return
Digg/Delicio.us/Furl the link
Add it to your Facebook
Email/Send the link to a friend
Send the URL to your friend
Link to it from your own blog
Write about it on a forum/message board
Tell your friend about it
SMS is to your friend

Are adverts the new online tip jar? Seth Godin thinks so. Apparently if we read something online that we like we should say thank you by clicking on an ad.

On his blog Seth says…

“If you like what you’re reading, click an ad to say thanks.”

In the view that the company or blogger will pocket your click cost from the advertiser.

But LEON Bailey Green says…

“If you like what you’re reading, keep coming back. And click on an advert IF you like it.”

So what are the effects of the visitor, webmaster and advertiser?

Read my article ‘How else can Google ascertain relevancy?’ on E-Consultancy.

This week on my Drapers blog you can read my views on whether newspapers are taking online fashion revenue seriously.

Newspaper websites have come a long way.

There was a time when they were merely token presences, but they all now seem to be adhering to the ‘the more content the better’ motto. (see Jemima Kiss article on Mirror.co.uk revamp).

There’s been much talk in meedja circles about UKTV’s rebrands for three of its main channels, UKTV Gold (GOLD), UKTV Gold+1 (Watch) and UKTV Drama (Alibi), but little mention of how the brands will work online.

All three channels quite rightfully have unique identities, although I do think UKTV should have stuck to the formula of having an overall brand feel so viewers know the channels belong to the same family.

I say that with my online marketing head on as that strategy would have allowed UKTV to offer a marketable web presence which houses content to complements the programmes, video on demand and community features.

1. You’re website’s been dropped by Google (BMW)
2. You’ve dropped in rankings (GoCompare)
3. A uncomplimentary website is bidding on paid search for your brand name
4. A competitor is bidding on paid search for your brand name
5. A bad news story ranks for your brand name (British Airways)

Self styled commercially focused search engine marketing agency Maven Metrics was set up last year by Lucie Follet.

I caught up with Lucie to get her thoughts on the search marketing industry, why she has set up automotive parts websites and her plans for new bottled water company Sip’s online marketing campaign.

Maven Metrics is described as being commercially focused. How do you think this approach makes Maven Metrics different to other search marketing agencies?

The main difference with us is that we have worked in other, highly commercial and competitive environments – specifically non-marketing, ‘non meedja’ industries. In my own case, I worked in Investment Banking as a Japan equity sales/analyst until 2002 and also operate my own niche websites which I use as a test bed for hands-on work for any tips or advice I find in blogs and forums.

This combination of being commercial and hands-on is unusual and not always found in larger agencies. It’s not uncommon to find individuals working in SEO and especially web analytics who are so hung up on terms such as ‘conversion rate’ or ‘measuring engagement’ or the anthropological nature of blog networks that they have forgotten the commercial purpose to the website and how this relates to the bottom line – it has become totally abstract and a mere blip on an excel sheet.

I personally find this quite alarming.

Buying glasses from a high street optician is a thing of the past for me, I always buy online. If you haven’t yet made the switch here are ten top reasons why you should buy from Glasses Direct!

1. Price
Why pay high street optician prices when you can get glasses for as little as £15? Designer glasses can cost hundreds of pounds, but start from £45 on Glasses Direct.

2. Choice
There’s a pair of glasses to suit EVERYONE on Glasses Direct. There’s never been so much choice.

3. Leisure
You can take all of the time you need to decide which pair of glasses is right for you. Browse in the comfort of your own home, rather than a crowded high street store.

Isn’t it horrible when search engines crawl your website when it’s down (1)?

Continuing the family theme from my previous post on celebrity relatives (Kardashian vs Lohan), I thought I would show you an example of how one celebrity sibling, Danielle Brown, is using her Spice Girl sister Mel B’s name to attract attention for her own business online.

Danielle Brown, sister of Mel, former Emmerdale actress and some time OK! magazine feature, is sponsoring the keyphrase ‘mel b’ in Google’s search results.

This means every time someone searches for ‘mel b’ they are presented with an advert for Danielle’s events management company Danielle Brown Events. If someone clicks on that ad to the website, Danielle pays a small fee to Google.

When I asked TechCrunch UK & Ireland’s Mike Butcher about start-up names, he made a very good point that most English language domain names have gone.

This has led to a flurry of dot coms with alternative – or misspelt – names.

Digg
Alternative for: Dig

Reevoo
Alternative for: Review

This week Emma Jones from home working website Enterprise Nation asked me “When marketing an online brand, should all marketing stay online?”.

See my response on the Enterprise Nation website.