Because of the grinding nature of linkbuilding, there are several tools (like LotusJump) that exist to automate aspects of the linkbuilding process. However, it’s widely acknowledged that automation can only take you so far before you’re required to get involved. However, what if that’s not the case? While it may be a slight case of apples to oranges, let’s take a look at how search engines do it.
Take Google for example. A user comes to Google with a human request, such as a question. Google takes that information and runs it through an algorithm that pulls data from an index that was created by another extremely complex algorithm. It then returns what the algorithm tells it was the best response to the input.
Now imagine taking that approach with linkbuilding. You give the engine some human information – the URL you’re building links to, and perhaps some keyword data. The engine goes out and looks at its index of sites, paying attention to both on-page and off-page indicators in order to determine each site’s value, personality, and niche. Then it returns a list of best matches, along with an algorithmically determined link request email for each result, complete with an algorithmically determined email scraped off the site, and some site-specific language. Then, all the user needs to do is accept the result and the software automatically sends. Far-fetched? Perhaps. But then again, an examination of how search technology has advanced is instructive and encouraging.
One gripe that will doubtless be made is that this is an imperfect system. The algorithm won’t always get it right. I contend, however, that while this may be the case, it’s much like a search engine. You don’t get the result you want every time you do a search, but it works often enough to make it worth it.
How big a role do you think automation will play in the future of SEO?
Our development team has been hard at work coming up with some pretty sweet new LotusJump features. We’ll soon be integrating a hot social app that may or may not rhyme with “sitter.”
A special thanks to BarStoolsandChairs.com for letting us get to know you a little better on this week’s Friday Spotlight. BarStoolsandChairs.com specializes in custom upholstered commercial furniture - take a look at their site, their stuff is pretty awesome!
1. What was the inspiration behind your company?We come from a background in commercial furniture. We believe that commercial furniture is far superior to residential furniture. We decided to team up with manufactures of commercial furniture and sell it online to the general public. We offer items like custom logo bar stools and floor mounted bar stools that can be hard to find for the typical residential consumer.
2. What company achievement are you most proud of?
We sold 500 logo bar stools to a manufacturer of high end acoustic guitars. I am really into music so it was a real treat working with one of America’s greatest guitar companies.
3. Why do you think internet marketing for your business is so important?
About 80% of our order come over the Internet. We don’t believe in waiting for people to come to our website. We do everything we can to make sure that we are found when people are looking. Without Intenet maketing, we would have no customers.
4. Would you like to share a creative marketing tip for other small business owners?
I have found that creating blogs and linking blog entries to the products in my retail site really helps my organic rankings.
Thanks BarStoolsandChairs.com for letting us spotlight you this week! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
We’re excited this week to spotlight perhaps our most delicious LotusJump user, Brady’s Beef! Located in a small mountain valley in the Southeastern corner of Idaho, John Brady and his wife Karen are now the fourth generation of Brady’s on the farm and pride themselves on the superior quality and distinct flavor of their naturally raised grass-fed beef.
What was the inspiration behind your company?
The Brady family has been raising livestock in southeastern Idaho for four generations. Animals raised naturally, grazing in open pastures produce healthier meat. BradysBeef.com was started to help us reach urban and suburban consumers looking to improve their diets with healthier food.
What company achievement are you most proud of?
We take pride in educating consumers about the health benefits of grass-finished beef as well as hearing our customers rave about the improved flavor.
Why do you think internet marketing for your business is so important?
Many consumers are looking for healthier options in their diet at an affordable price. Buying direct from the producer provides better prices and consumers can trust their food because they know where and how it was raised.
Would you like to share a creative marketing tip for other small business owners?
With grass-fed beef we have found that beef tasting events (similar to a wine tasting) allow us to showcase the different flavor exhibited by Brady’s Beef versus grocery store products. With product on hand customers can buy right away.
Thanks Brady’s Beef for letting us get to know you a little better and leaving us a little hungrier! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
We’re excited about this week’s LotusJump spotlight because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love free things? Check out ILoveFreeThings.com for this week’s loot of free things!
We asked I Love Free Things what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
I Love Free Things was always a hobby to me. The real inspiration began last year when I received feedback from my subscribers saying that they like what I do and my service helps them, especially during an economic depression. It gave me a boost and some new ideas to grow my service into something bigger. ILoveFreeThings.com is still a growing baby to me.
When asked what achievement they were most proud of, I Love Free Things said:
At some point I realized that I was really helping people who wanted to save money or who were going through a financial crisis. Helping others is a great feeling and achievement for I Love Free Things.
We asked I Love Free Things why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
Internet marketing is very important not only for I Love Free Things, but for any offline or online company. The wheel will not start spinning without the first push, you’ll also need to constantly give it a small pushes to keep it spinning. Without internet marketing, less people would know about I Love Free Things.
We gave I Love Free Things a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
If you want your business to grow online, then you must use every social networking tool to connect with your customers. For instance, Mr. Bob is always on Facebook, but he just doesn’t get the twitter thing. If your business is on twitter and not on the Facebook, then Mr. Bob will probably never know about your company and/or would not be able to share it with his friends. Talk to your visitors using tools they use.
Thanks I Love Free Things for letting us get to know you a little more! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
Been thinking about launching an email marketing campaign? Check out Contactology, our LotusJump spotlight of the week, for your email marketing needs.
We asked Contactology what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
Contactology was founded in 2002 as a web development company. Around this time email marketing was emerging as an effective marketing channel, and our clients requested a powerful tool to assist in driving revenue growth through email. We responded by developing an Email Manager, which would later be branded as Contactology.
The email marketing and online survey component of our business grew quickly, and within four years, the business model shifted from service-based company to a software as a service model.
At Contactology, the core of who we are is in the service we provide. Our application provides sophisticated functionality at a reasonable price. Our people deliver by providing strategic and tactical advise to maximize the value of email marketing. Contactology is more than a powerful product – we are a team dedicated to helping our clients achieve a high return on investment.
When asked what achievement they were most proud of, Contactology said:
Our organic growth is a source of pride for our entire staff. We bootstrapped our business and have achieved 100% revenue growth in 2007 and 2008. Our revenue growth continues to accelerate in 2009 despite the recession. We believe this is in part to our philosophy of offering enterprise level features at reasonable prices.
In addition to our growth model, our aggressive product improvements continue to delight our customers. Our philosophy of listening and responding to the needs of our clients is responsible for the development of our online survey module, and our EasyCast add-on which allows customers to send email marketing from Outlook or any other email client while still harnessing the powers of our mail servers and tracking. Our development efforts always are a direct response from the needs of our clients.
Continuously building new solutions within our product that meet our customers’ needs is a source of great pride and inspiration for the Contactology team.
We asked Contactology why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
As a software as a service company in the technology industry, Internet marketing has allowed us to effectively target and acquire customers in need of email marketing services. It has consistently provided us with the highest return on investment for customer acquisition.
We gave Contactology a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
We would recommend creative use of triggered emails. This allows you to send personalized, relevant content to customers and potential customers based on events specific to them. For instance, you can have emails automatically sent on a client’s birthday. This helps cement the relationship – a cornerstone of small business best practices
Thanks Contactology for letting us get to know you a little more! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
We’re excited to spotlight our LotusJumper of the week MODassic Marketing, a Texas internet marketing firm, who has been using LotusJump in-house to help with their own internet marketing efforts.
We asked MODassic Marketing what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
MODassic Marketing is all based on the idea of “balance”. Our name comes from combining the words modern and classic, an approach we take in both design and the marketing strategies we utilize. We combine proven traditional marketing theories with new technologies. Additionally we provide small businesses with a balanced approach to marketing.
When asked what achievement they were most proud of, MODassic Marketing said:
We recently produced an online video and viral marketing campaign for a client at www.Texaplex.com The video uses viral marketing as a way to solve the current economic crisis. We all hear and talk about the “bad” news and that just makes it worse because we become hesitant and don’t spend. However this project gets the good news out there and despite what people hear and think there is a lot of good news, especially here in Texas. The response has been overwhelming.
We asked MODassic Marketing why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
The internet lets you segment and narrow in on the most specific of demographics and reach your perfect target audience. Because of this, small businesses are now able to compete on the a level that was once reserved only for large corporations who could afford massive media buys.
We gave MODassic Marketing a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
“Perfection in design is achieved not when you have nothing more to add, but rather when you have nothing more to take away” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Thanks MODassic Marketing for letting us get to know you a little more! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
I caught today’s Jump of the Week (JOTW) on ESPN’s Top Ten highlight reel. I think it deserved #1! Good thing this kid rotated as far as he did…
[On Wednesday's LotusJump highlights a Jump of the Week (JOTW). It can be any kind of jump (over tall things, in search engine rankings, through hoops of fire, whatever). Submit your favorite Jump via comment and we'll consider it for future Wednesday JOTW's!]
After doing a little research on OnlineChineseAstrology.com I discovered that LotusJump, launched in 2008, was “born” in the year of the Earth Rat. The Earth Rat you say? This is what Online Chinese Astrology has to say about the Earth Rat, “The combination of Earth and Rat is extremely positive when it comes to achieving results. The Rat tends to take a lot of risks, while Earth is associated with practicality and stability. This creates balance and can lead to good profits, increased productivity and all sorts of accomplishments.”
So, here’s to LotusJump, the year of the Earth Rat, and our LotusJump spotlight of the week OnlineChineseAstrology.com:
We asked Online Chinese Astrology what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
My father, Bill Hajdu, began learning about Chinese Astrology 20 years ago on a trip to Korea. Since then he has devoted a lot of time studying the practice. As the internet came about, he registered as an expert on AllExperts.com where he is currently the top rated astrology expert. When I started looking at what he was doing by hand in creating and calculating charts I realized I could help him a lot by building some computer applications. We built our first site, www.firepig.com and then subsequently, www.onlinechineseastrology.com. When asked what achievement they were most proud of, Online Chinese Astrology said:
Two years ago we signed a deal with www.ivillage.com and now provide reports and horoscopes to ivillage, astrology.com, yahoo, and friendster China.
We asked Online Chinese Astrology why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
We are purely internet based so getting found by curious internet browsers is critical to us continuing to grow our own traffic and sales. We have a mix of internet marketing and affiliate marketing where we sell through other companies.
We gave Online Chinese Astrology a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
Avoid too much creativity! It’s important that your messages are clear and consistent. Every now and then you hit a home run with a quirky idea, but, more often than not, you end up confusing the typical internet customer who’s attention span is low. Use landing pages to convey a clear message and call to action off of every email blast and internet ad you buy.
Thanks Online Chinese Astrology for letting us get to know you a little more and giving us some insight into LotusJump’s exciting future! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
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