We have posted a chart with the top search terms before, but here you can find an updated version from data provided by Hitwise with data through May 2008. It’s worth taking a look at, because it can give you some idea of how the average person uses a search engine, and what terms are searched for most often. It can also give you an idea of what search terms people might use that would lead to your website.

Another resource you can use to find out what keywords are most popular and most widely used that are related to your website is a Search Term Suggestion Tool. With a tool like this, you can enter in a general keyword, and it will suggest other search terms related to that one, and give you the popularity of each.

It’s a good idea to be aware of how most people use search engines in order to see how customers may find your retail site in the vast world wide web.

It seems like more and more, people are finding ways of avoiding advertisements. Tivo and DVR allow TV watchers to fast-forward though commercials. Satellite radio provides commercial-free broadcasting. Pop-up blockers and ad-blocking software stop internet browsers from displaying internet ads.

In this age where consumers are able to dodge ads thrown at them left and right, retail blog marketing is an increasingly lucrative way of boosting sales. Retail blog marketing steps up search engine visibility results and adds quality traffic to your site. And, a better position on Google and other search engines is not seen as an advertisement by consumers, but as a mark of a company’s quality and reliability.

Marketing methods are evolving as quickly as ever with the rapid pace of the internet. As more and more traditional forms of advertisement can be avoided by consumers, other, newer forms of marketing will take their places. I know that I, personally, am much more likely to click on a natural link in a search result than a banner ad or other conspicuous advertisement. It will be interesting to see how these trends develop in the coming years, and how they affect retailers and their marketing choices.

In a recent post, I predicted an increase in online shopping because of increased gas prices. I found an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that showed that shopping centers are having difficulty leasing storefronts.

Lifestyle centers, a trend in shopping centers that has flourished during the past decade, are becoming less and less successful, according to the Wall Street Journal. These shopping centers contain a mixture of retail stores, fountains, and cafes in an open-air format. You have probably noticed that construction of enclosed malls dwindled in recent years, as this type of shopping center became more popular. But, owners of these lifestyle centers are finding it hard to fill storefronts and attract customers.

This is further support for the idea that online shopping will increase. This could help retailers, as a way to supplement lack of growth into new stores. While leasing a storefront is costly, maintaining a website is fairly inexpensive.

However, I’m sure investors who are having trouble leasing storefronts in their newly-built lifestyle centers aren’t too happy about the website alternative.

As gas prices continue to climb, we should expect to see an increase in online shopping. Especially for retail stores situated in less-than-ideal locations to which consumers would be less likely to drive, revenue from online sales could help ease the stress of a recession.

Also, shops that appeal to a specific niche can benefit from a much larger group of consumers by reaching the entire country with a good website.

However, even if someone who wants what you’re selling manages to find your website, they will quickly navigate away if you make one of these mistakes:

1. Your website is badly organized, and the consumer can’t find what he’s looking for quickly.
Take cues from the big guys on this one Walmart.com and other huge retailers have categories with drop-down menus, a search bar, and special offers or best sellers to click on on their home pages. It is best to have multiple ways that the consumer can locate what he wants to find.

2. Your website is unattractive or unappealing. If your website looks cluttered, outdated, or just plain ugly, most consumers won’t even give it a chance. A website like this makes consumers question the reliability and quality of the company. Make sure your website looks professional, clean, and modern.

If you want your retail website to take off, you not only need a good position on search engines, but also a good-looking website that will hold the consumer’s attention once they click on your link.

Once again, SiteProNews comes through for us on how to get the top search engine rankings on Google.
The old tricks of keyword spamming and invisible key phrases, no longer work, but here are 3 tips that work like a charm.

Content and links are 90% of how to get placed at the top for searches.
Having your keywords in your meta tags is no longer the best way, it’s all about great content, and using the key phrases your readers would use.

Step 1. Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in the phrases that you think your target customers would use. It will give you the data on that keyword, and also provide you with additional keywords to consider.
Those are the ones you’ve probably over looked and in some cases, never even thought of, but when people use a search engine, they don’t always use the same words or phrases you are thinking are the best keywords for your site or product.
Try as many specific keywords and phrases as you can think of, and keep looking at the additional keywords to consider. You’ll be surprised at how many words you never thought of.

Step 2. Content, content, content.
It’s been said many times, content is king, and when you’re trying to gain a larger audience, great content will bring them in and keep them.
Make it search engine friendly and real-person natural content. Let it flow as naturally as possible.
Most search engines can tell the difference between content aimed at people or aimed at search engines. Make the most of your content.
In your first sentence, your number one keyword should be placed. Place your number 2 keyword at the top of that first paragraph as well.
Repeat this using one keyword for every paragraph you write.
For your last paragraph, use the least used keyword first, and end the last paragraph with the most important keyword, your number 1 keyword.
Try not to repeat your keywords more than 3-4 times per content article.

Step 3. Get great inbound links and monitor your site.
Having quality inbound links can account for 75% of search engine hits.
Then you need to monitor your site to see where you are in the search engines, and where you will be for those keywords.
Investing in a good SEO tool will pay for itself over time because it will do all the monitoring for you, saving your hours upon hours every week.

In a recent article on Site Pro News, they discuss word of mouth marketing, and how it can affect your business.

As a mother, a woman, a consumer, and a blogger, I know all too well the saying above, “A happy customer tells one friend, and unhappy customer tells everybody.”
Many times when I’ve gone and purchased from a brick and mortar store or from an on-line retailer, if I’ve had a bad experience, I’ve told everyone I know and posted it to my blog letting even more people know about it.
I get close to 60,000 visitors a month on my blog, so when I’m unhappy, believe me, people know about it.
When I have a great experience, I’m even more likely to rave about it and the product.

One of the greatest word of mouth marketing ideas, is to give a blogger your product and ask them to review it and write about it.
Go above and beyond to make sure they get the product quickly and in great shape, make sure they are happy it arrived quickly.
There is nothing worse than ordering something on-line, and having to wait weeks to get it.

In the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to receive quite a few products from companies on-line, and give my honest review of them.
I have been pleased with every single one for many reasons.
First, staying in touch with me.
Giving me shipping and tracking information so I can know when it will arrive.
Making sure the product is packaged securely so it doesn’t end up damaged in transit.
Including a thank you for taking the time to test out their products. (this is huge to me)
And lastly, letting me know after I’ve completed my review, what they thought of it, and what they would have liked to see my review cover if they were unhappy with it, or what ways they could have made my experience better.
Feedback from your consumers should be taken seriously.
They are the keys to making your business even more successful.

Just in the month of February 2008, I’ve been contacted by 3 book publishers in my niche.
What is my niche?
I’m a single parent first, a mom of teenagers, a woman, a health and beauty nut, a movie and music lover, an avid reader, and a consumer with a big mouth, or should I say, a blog that holds nothing back.
I call it like I see it, and if the book is great, I’m going to tell every single one of my readers how awesome it was.
If it was bad, my readers will know exactly why it was bad, and to avoid spending their money on it.
One of the other things I’ve done to help spread the word of products, is to give it away in a contest on my blog when I’m done with it.
My blog readers love contests where they can win an actual product to try out.
I’ve given away books, health and beauty products, and movies, cds, video games and more.

Blogs are the new medium, the new word of mouth, because of how many people we can reach.
If your company can afford to send just 10 bloggers in your niche, one single product to try absolutely free, then you should do it.
You can gain buyers from all over the world if those bloggers love your product.
If you can afford to send one product to a blogger and one for them to give away to a reader, you will gain even more sales and reviews because most blog readers, are bloggers themselves.
You get a second review seen by even more consumers.
If they don’t have a blog, they will still tell everyone they know about your product.
Word of mouth marketing is huge.
A happy blogging consumer, tells literally thousands of people, which translates into thousands of potential consumers.

One of the ways to drum up more business, is by way of your RSS feed.
You can add your affiliate links in the bottom, you can use partial feeds to make readers come to your blog so all links in the sidebar are seen, and you can use your affiliate links inside your posts to create extra sales.

Every time I watch a new movie, I link to it with an affiliate account inside one of my posts.
It sends readers to that affiliate link, and even if they don’t buy that DVD, they usually end up buying something else within a few hours, or even sometimes a full week later, depending on the affiliate cookie hold.

Using images inside your entries is a great way to hold your readers attention. A post with a picture tends to keep your readers on your blog longer than just text.
People like to look at things, especially items that you are reviewing, so they can really see it’s value.
The average consumer believes word of mouth marketing more than just the products description page telling you how great it is.
Real people doing honest reviews, makes people believe it more, and therefore, more willing to go out and buy the item themselves.

So if you are looking for a great way to boost affiliate sales, use pictures of the product you are reviewing, review it honestly, the good, the bad, and the downright awful.
People want to know it isn’t very good so they don’t waste money.
But if it’s great, talk up it’s awesome points, and watch those sales go up.

TDM will be speaking at the E-Retailer Summit coming up in March 2008.

We will be part of the Session Entitled:

CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BLOG MARKETING PROGRAM: SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY Monday, March 3, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Featuring:

Below is the official Description from their site:

“Blogs, social networking sites, and otherWeb 2.0 tools have significantly changed the consumer online experience. This session will focus on the pros and cons of online blog communities, legal considerations and how to reach and engage the consumer.This forum includes moderator Rick Petry, writer, and panelists Scott Allen- author of “The Virtual Handshake”;Tony Feriozzi - president,Triangle Direct Media; Jeffrey Greenbaum - partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, PC; Kathy Greif - director of content, HSN.”

Should be a fun and educational show for anyone interested in Social Media Marketing and how to use it to sell more products online.

When a large company approaches us we always do whatever it takes to help them build their brand. Blog Branding is an essential ingredient to further develop who you are as a company in the blogosphere. However, large company marketing divisions that may consider blogging to further brand themselves is another individuals decision. I’ve been in that position before and know it can be extremely frustrating to be excited about a new venture ie..blog marketing, and not have the ability to make a decision. If branding is the most important aspect to your company, you need to unlock the handcuffs and embrace blogging. If your reputation means a lot to your company, there’s no other alternative.

It’s that time of year again. The kids are going back to school, the summer is winding down and retailers are looking at the looming fourth quarter and wondering how to increase market share to get a bigger slice of the holiday sales pie. You could increase paid advertising, or try and improve natural search positioning in the major engines.  Why not try to generate some buzz in the blogosphere? We know that over 60 million people read blogs. We also know that information on message boards and forums can lead to increased sales. Why not reach this powerful demographic with our network of established professional bloggers? We have been running very successful product reviews and conversation marketing campaigns for our clients for months, and anticipate doing a lot more for fourth quarter 2007. So if you’re looking to cash in on holiday sales this year, contact Triangle Direct Media and we will put together a customized campaign.