Your Weekly Step Forth into the World of Search Engines

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StepForth Search Engine Placement and OptimizationNews From StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc.
Wednesday, May 21st, 2003

Dear valued subscribers,

Welcome to StepForth’s weekly search engine update. This update is a weekly news summary designed to bring our subscribers up to speed on the constantly evolving search engine marketplace.

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Highlight of the Week: Least Expensive but Most Effective Advertising Media

Advertising campaigns can only be measured against one standard ruler, the return on the advertiser’s investment. If spending $10,000 on advertising your product or service returns $17,000, you’ve probably spent your money well. If you’ve spent $10,000 and only see $7,000 back, chances are you should question your marketing strategies. There are dozens of unique facets that go into a well-planned marketing campaign. For many small to medium sized businesses, the two most important factors are cost and coverage.

As the general economy presents another series of poor numbers and the terrifying face of deflation threatens, mainstream advertisers are forced to ask themselves some very difficult questions. Limited purchasing budgets must stretch further and attract a buying public wary of spending their own limited purchasing budgets. Coupled with the declining value of the US dollar, many companies cannot afford a failed advertising campaign but still need to attract new customers and reach out to past clients. There are several forms of advertising media available both in the online and offline worlds, all of which have shown solid returns for advertisers and all of which carry their pros and cons. The question is, which combination of media will generate the highest returns for the advertising dollar.

Article continued, please click here to read more

Major Player Updates: The Google Updates Continue to Rule the News
Google Acts Loopy
For the past few months, Google has been acting strangely. Spidering has been irregular, the Top10 listings are often filled with SPAM, and we've noticed major differences between listings provided on the East Coast and West Coast of North America. Google-watchers have been kept on their toes since the infamous October 2002 re-indexing when the first of a series of algorithm changes was introduced. Google is growing and obviously has a few kinks in its new systems to work through. Following on a massive number of SEO complaints, we are predicting the introduction of a modified algorithm in the coming weeks. Be prepared for a short period of massive instability in the listings shown by Google.
Google Blocks Blogs
Google has been compared to; a 900lb gorilla, Orwell's Big Brother, and the Oracle of Delphi. Recently, by allowing Blogs into the general listings, Google became the local gossip in a town full of shared telephone lines. Blogs are a kin to electronic personal diaries. Google had recently admitted Blogs into their general listings but soon found that their inclusion had gummed up the Top10 with the personal reflections of Bloggers. In a couple notable cases, the Bloggers themselves have been surprised to find their journal entries when searching for information they are interested in. Two days ago Google announced they would remove Blogs from the general database. Hopefully, this move will help improve the listings currently returned by Google.
In the Client Spotlight this Week:  Artisan Woodcraft :: Patio Furniture & Style

Artisan Woodcraft offers a wide selection of handcrafted patio furniture made from redwood, cedar, poplar, pine and painted in white or green. Here are some of the benefits customers receive when shopping at ArtisanWoodcraft.Com.

  • All of our furniture is proudly handcrafted by master craftsman in the USA.
  • Our furniture is made with top quality wood and is made with only the best hardware and construction techniques.
  • Our furniture is usually built to order and not mass produced like other furniture stores overseas. Each of our pieces is made by an individual craftsman who love what they do.
  • Most of our furniture comes with FREE SHIPPING within the continental US. Please see individual products for details.
  • All of our furniture comes with a standard 30 day money back guarantee.
  • We only use wood from plantation grown trees that ensures our forests survival.

With three different websites for three unique product lines, ArtisanWoodcraft is not only an interesting company, it has been an interesting promotion as well. Check out their sites at www.artisanwoodcraft.com, www.cedar-patio-furniture.net, and www.redwood-patio-furniture.com.

Weekly Quick Tip:  Desperately Seeking Something? - Look in One Place

What sort of search engine habits produce the best results for search engine users? Internet researchers Bernard Jansen and Caroline Eastman have settled a question that has plagued both search engine users and the search engine industry. The majority of search engine users will look at the first two pages of results and, if they don't find what they are looking for, will often jump to another search tool and enter the same search query. Eventually, they will likely find information about the topic they are looking for but that information might not be from the best source and might have been found faster if search engine users took the time to learn how to use the advanced features of their favourite search tools to narrow their search topic field.

Most people have seen the word "Boolean" before but relatively few actually know what it means. "Boolean Logic Searches" rely on the use of three conjunctive terms, AND, OR and NOT. By placing these words between the keywords used in a search, you can radically narrow the results returned. For example, pretend you are searching for a type of rare cheese but could only find information on cheese made from goat's milk. By typing the words "not goat" after the word "cheese" ("cheese not goat") you should be able to eliminate all references to the word "goat" in your search results.

The Net Reality: The Sun Sets on the Slayer - Buffy Spikes Last Demon

It's over. Whatever your take on the popular seven year old tragicomedy, a diverse selection of the population from I. T. professionals to political leaders to university professors claim Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the most intelligently written, humourous shows ever produced by American television. Some storylines could last up to two seasons before resolution and several Internet discussion groups formed around the show. Hidden within the subtext of the dialogue is a treasure chest of modern moral questions and personal challenges, prompting several universities to use Buffy scripts as required reading materials. The final episode aired last night but, like the undead masses she missed, Buffy will live forever in the realm of the reruns.

For more information on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her fans, please visit:



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