Search engine Yahoo will end its paid inclusion program (similar to pay per click) at the end of the year after complaints that having paid advertisements included in organic search results could create biased results. The move is not a PR one though – Yahoo originally stated that its paid inclusion program was still up in the air at their July press conference that announced their merger with Microsoft.

Yahoo’s paid inclusion program, formally called Search Submit Pro, allowed users to pay for page inclusion but not page rank. Having guaranteed page inclusion for searches, however, did allow web designers to optimize their pages for specific search results. Complaints against paid inclusion focused on how Yahoo was spilling over into traditional search engine optimization practices, which include pay-per-click ads and keyword manipulation.

Perhaps the happiest to see the demise of paid inclusion are the smaller search engine developers. Many smaller search engines were onboard in early 2003 when Yahoo first started developing Search Submit Pro, with everyone eager to slow down Google.

However, paid inclusion quickly turned into a monopoly for Yahoo, with key searches for words like “home mortgage” turning up 80% of paid results. In one extreme case, a search for “refinance” came up with only Yahoo supported results on the first page, making it impossible for any other websites to break into the top 10 results.

Many web developers feel that the loss of paid inclusion will jumpstart pay-per-click ads and other smaller online marketing practices. Yahoo itself has kept the end date for paid inclusion at the end of this year, to allow their advertisers time to adjust.

The Yahoo/ Microsoft merger also caught a lot of media attention on its own. Some have called the partnership an effort to finally rein in Google’s stranglehold on the search engine market. Though, many industry talking heads maintain that the largest search engine on the market won’t see any competition for the next two years.

Local search is on the rise.  Search engine users are moving away from the one or two word search terms and continue to get more specific.  For example, the individual that is in need of a dentist would have searched for “dentist” in the past.  Over the past few years the average web user has learned how to get better results by typing more information into the search box.

A large portion of these three or four word search phrases include a city or area name (ex. New York Dentist).  When you search on Google with a [(city/area term) + (product/service keyword)] you frequently see a map within the search results.  This is commonly referred to as the 10-pack.  These results have a completely different set of rules in relation to the standard organic or natural results.

For more information on local search make sure to register for an upcoming webinar entitled “Local Search for National Brands”.  Although the title refers to national brands, any business will gain a better understanding of local search from the presentation.

We’ve all heard for years that online marketing is the most affordable, measurable form of getting access to targeted customers.  So that means that every small or medium sized business owner has been spending online for years, right?  Wrong, but that trend is rapidly changing.

A few years ago all that mattered was having a web presence, which meant simply building a static website with some sweet animated GIFs.  Then, the early adopters, the tech savvy or friends of the tech savvy, started doing ppc and possibly seo.  The numbers making the jump were few, but the success was great.  The doorway has opened a bit wider now.  Small business internet marketing providers now have technology specifically made for managing and optimizing smaller spends.  Previously, these types of optimization tools were only available for companies capable of shelling out thousands per month.  Many SMBs still thriving during the current economy attribute their success to search marketing performance.

Do it yourself options also exist, but there is a level of expertise required to achieve optimal success.  It’s also important to consider that as the industry has grown lower priced solutions have popped up allowing business owners to focus on what they do best.  A lot of us own many hats, but in the end we tend to stick to the one that fits best.

We’ve all heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click) by now. These tools help you track the progress of your online campaigns in real-time so you can make tweaks to fully tune your marketing budget and maximize your dollar. Before you start implementing the below efforts, use www.websitegrader.com to analyze your website rankings in comparison to your competitors. After you’ve implemented some of the tools below, you can evaluate and track how much progress you’ve made with your SEO efforts.

The following tools and factors are helpful in determining the relevancy of your website:

SEO tools for your website

• SEO Quake - This toolbar allows you to track key site metrics in your SEO campaign.
• Alexa Rank – This tool measures your overall internet ranking, rankings are in ascending order.
• Google Adwords Keyword Tool – This tool allows you to do some basic keyword research to discover which keywords should be on your site.
• Page Rank Tool - Use this tool to check your Google Page Rank for any given URL.

Other factors to help optimize your website

• Quality Content - one of the most important factors in any SEO campaign is quality content. But, it’s only quality if you use keywords that relate to your site. Keyword density tool checks your content to make sure it flows and is natural.
• Number of indexed pages - The more pages you create with valuable content, the more your site will expand and gain authority. Search engines value high indexed pages with high quality content.
• Meta Tags - These are very important in on-site optimization. Use a meta tag generator to easily create meta tags for your website. Be sure to avoid duplicated meta tags on the website, as you can be penalized by Google.

The Top 10 SEO Websites

Below is a list of valuable SEO resources you should consider when entering the SEO world. Each provides quality tips and tricks that can help you jump start your marketing campaign and maximize your advertising dollar.

10. HighRankings.com - These professional SEO consultants will provide you with search marketing goals, and give you many unique strategies to increase your traffic and rank.

9.) SEOBlackHat.com - A hot SEO blog that provides genuinely useful tips and helpful information, all free of charge.

8.) Seroundtable.com - Provides readers with Search Engine Marketing forum topics from all over the net in one place; a great source for opinions, and advice.

7.) SearchEngineJournal - Another blog that offers SEO tips from a unique perspective, while also providing useful statistics or polls (such as John McCain’s site stats vs. Barack Obama’s).

6.) SEOChat.com - Provides various tutorials and tips to enhance your SEO campaign.

5.) MattCutts.com - Some of the best Google-specific advice you can get, –from a guy who works there!

4.) SubmitExpress.com - Trained professional SEO consultants, prepared to work until you’re fully satisfied with your site’s optimization.

3.) SearchEngineLand.com - More than you ever wanted to know about Google and SEO - a real look behind the scenes!

2.) SEOBook.com - One of most well known SEO resources online. Aaron Hall runs SEO Book which is free, and provides some of the best SEO resources online.

1.) SEOmoz.org - This site has modeled and marketed itself as “The Web’s Best SEO Resources” and they have yet to be proven wrong!

Other tools to improve and benchmark your online efforts

Google AdWords and Yahoo SM advertising are probably the two largest Internet advertising competitors. Both are a pay-per-click advertising service that can help you reach your customers that are searching for your keywords.

Google AdWords works on a bidding scale for placement on the search engine results page for Google. You are charged on a per click basis based on whatever keyword you’re targeting; thus the term “pay-per-click advertising.” Google AdWords has a cloaked bidding system and a higher potential for click through rankings being dropped.

Yahoo Ads are similar except the bidding process is a bit different and not as confidential, which is beneficial when bidding on keywords.

Yahoo is more user-friendly for beginning users with the ability to see all the bidding prices on your keywords.  Google does not provide this bidding information and so you never really know how much you will pay for each bid. You can set a maximum bid which stands as a ceiling for how much you’re willing to pay.  Google AdWords also offers consistent reports that provide user friendly data on your advertising campaign. Google holds the advantage over Yahoo for its competent data distribution, while Yahoo has an advantage for their unique and ultimately helpful bidding system. The coin toss lands in favor of Google however, nine times out of ten, for their rising popularity, despite Yahoo’s higher payout potential.

After they have gone through the process of putting up a Web site, many business owners seem to think that visitors will just magically find their site and start to buy stuff. Sadly, that notion couldn’t be further from the truth. A Web site is useless as a marketing tool if nobody ever sees it. However, you can do a number of things to increase the number of people who find your Web site.

1. Get incoming links. If you don’t have any links from other Web sites pointing to your site, search engines and people are unlikely to find it. Most businesses work with other vendors or members of industry associations or organizations. Ask those people to link to your Web site. The best incoming links are those that are related to your industry.

2. Optimize your site for search engines. The way your site is created and the text it contains are important when it comes to being found. If your site is about purple widgets, you need to make sure that the term “purple widget” is used in the text on your pages. Note that having the words in a graphic does not count. If you have a website design that uses a lot of graphics, make sure text that people may use to search for your Web site is actually in the Web site text and not embedded in a graphic or animation.

3. Send out press releases. An easy way to get incoming links is to get them from news organizations. Many newspapers and magazines put their articles on line. If you send out a press release and your story is written up, the article should include a link to your Web site. Be sure to include your URL in every press release you send out.

4. Write articles for your site. Another way to entice other sites to link to you is to write informative articles. If you know a lot about purple widgets, write articles about how they can be used. Other people who are interested in purple widgets then link to your article. You also can post articles on some of the many free article sites online. In this case, other people post your article on their site. You include a “resource box” that includes a link to your Web site.

5. Offer freebies to visitors. People love free stuff and they often tell their friends. Many sites offer free newsletters, downloads, coupons or software as a promotional tool.

6. Network online. Participate in discussion groups that are related to your industry. Include a “signature” line in your emails that has a link to your Web site. If you answer questions and help others, people are likely to click the link in your signature to find out more about you.

7. Don’t forget about “off-line” promotion. It should be obvious, but put your URL on every piece of print material you generate. Include it on your business cards, letterhead, advertisements, and freebies like pens and tote bags. Whenever you print your company name, print your Web site URL as well.

It takes time to effectively promote a Web site, so be patient. Search engines take a while to clue into a new site, but by incorporating these online marketing techniques, you will be rewarded with more visitors to your site.