Compelite Limited

Thursday, May 31, 2007

SEO or PPC or BOTH?

Many people assume that if they are appearing in the organic results (through Search Engine Optimisation - SEO) in search engines such as Google, Yahoo or MSN that there is no need to use the respective Pay Per Click (PPC) systems such as Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing or Microsoft adCenter.

This assumption is wrong.

Recent results carried out by Google show 3 major statistics:
  • AdWords: 1000 impressions will recieve on average 10 clicks in top position
  • Organic: 1000 impressions will recieve on average 20 clicks in top position
  • BOTH: 1000 impressions will recieve on average 60 clicks in top position

These results show that you can double your traffic by being at the top of results in both PPC and organic listings.

What must also be taken into consideration is the syndication that takes place when PPC is deployed. When opted into the search network in Google AdWords for example, your ad will be syndicated across seven other search engines including Lycos, Netscape, Alexa, Ask, Hotbot, AOL and Go. Yahoo Search Marketing have a similar system spanning Altavista, Alltheweb, Yahoo and Dogpile.

Therefore, taking this into consideration, it is important to be at the top in both the organic results (through SEO) and the sponsored results (through PPC Management) to get the most traffic to your website.

What is more important is to have a fully optimised PPC account to get the best Return On Investment (ROI). Google has the most advanced PPC system and the widest reach on the internet, therefore Optimisation is a must. Unless you are making use of all the features available to you in your PPC account, you will lose money as you will be paying top price for the top position. With a fully optimised PPC account, you can increase your quality score, resulting in a higher position with a lower Cost Per Click (CPC). Our PPC techniques page shows all of the functions in Google AdWords that you should be using to get the best ROI. If you are not using these functions, then contact us for a quote on PPC Management to maximise you Return On Investment.

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance

Compelite take pride in the fact that they have followed respectable eMarketing practices since introducing their eMarketing system to the public over 6 years ago. The Australian Spam Act 2003, which came into force on April 10th 2004 had no affect on Compelite's eMarketing system, as all rules set forth, were already being adhered to. Therefore with the introduction of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEMO) to Hong Kong on 1st of June 2007, we can proudly say that we have one of the first eMarketing systems in Hong Kong that fully comply with the regulations of the new ordinance. Having said that…

Hong Kong’s promises to enact an anti-spam law have finally come into realisation with the release of the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEMO).

It should also be noted that these UEM’s (Unsolicited Electronic Messages) apply only to messages that are sent by someone residing in Hong Kong; to someone residing in Hong Kong.

Due to commence in two phases, with phase 1 beginning on the 1st of June 2007, we will see the end of spam messages with the purpose of advertising, promoting or offering any goods, services, business opportunities sent via:

  • Pre-recorded voice messages sent to telephones
  • Text messages sent via SMS
  • Multimedia messages sent via MMS
  • Faxes or
  • eMails

Phase one, due to be deployed on the 1st of June 2007, will consist of the following parts:

Part 4 of the UEMO includes fraud and other illicit activities related to the sending of multiple commercial electronic messages including:

  • falsifying header information in sent emails
  • using a false identity when registering electronic addresses or domain names that are used to send multiple emails
  • falsely representing to be the registrant of an email address or domain name that is used to send multiple emails.

Offenders to the above activities will be liable to an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment up to 10 years.

Part 3 of the UEMO includes the use of dishonest techniques to increase the number of recipients, including:

  • Supply, acquisition or use of email address harvesting software or harvested address lists for sending multiple emails without the consent of the recipients
  • Automatically generating email addresses to send unsolicited emails
  • The use of automated techniques to register for 5 or more email addresses to send multiple emails
  • Relay or retransmission of multiple emails to deceive recipients of the source of these messages.

Offenders to the above activities will be liable to a fine of up to HK$1 Million and/or imprisonment up to 5 years.

Individuals may also take out civil action against those who commit these unsolicited activities, due to any loss or damage caused under the UEMO.

Phase two is due to be deployed by the end of 2007. This involves the ability for members of the public to register their phone, fax and SMS/MMS numbers in a do-not-call register.

The following article was recently published in the South China Morning Post:

Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill ignores cold calls
Telesales escape curbs under anti-spam law
Main provisions of the legislation

  • Commercial e-mail, SMS, fax or phone calls must include sender’s identity and information allowing receiver to unsubscribe
  • Senders must keep unsubscribe request for seven years
  • Senders have 10 days to remove subscribers upon request
  • Do-not call register to be set up
  • No misleading subject headings
  • Penalties range from HK$100,000 to HK$1 million in fines and five years in jail
  • Appeal board to be set up
  • Overseas e-mails exempt
  • Employees’ spam action can be blamed on employer

Cold calls from telesales agents plying goods and services have been excluded from an anti-spam law passed yesterday – an exemption which the government says could save tens of thousands of jobs.

Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Joseph Wong Wing-ping said commercial activities involving person-to-person telesales were estimated to amount to HK$7.2 billion. To restrict this under the anti-spam law would affect the livelihoods of sale agents.

But he pledged the bureau would closely watch these activities and would not rule out the possibility of taking future action to regulate them.

The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill – aimed at stemming spam e-mails, text messages, pre-recorded calls, faxes and video and audio messages – was passed in the Legislative Council yesterday.

The bill covers unsolicited electronic messages from businesses advertising, promoting or sponsoring goods or services, taped phone messages, and unsolicited messages with a Hong Kong link included – meaning messages sent from registered addresses or numbers in Hong Kong or to local numbers.

E-mails from overseas addresses cannot be included as no international protocol for dealing with such messages exists.

The law also includes a provision under which people can sign up to a “do not call” register and anyone who contact people on the register can be prosecuted.

People who send spam e-mail or enable others to do so may face fines ranging from HK$100,000 to HK$1 million and up to five years in jail once the law is enacted. The section of the law covering the sending of spam e-mails will become effective on June 1. Other aspects will come into effect by the end of this year.

Legislator Wong Ting-kwong proposed an amendment to include person-to-person calls in the bill, saying it was unreasonable for cold-callers to do business at the expense of the “innocents…. When you receive a letter, you can choose not to open it. But with cold calls, you pick it up without knowing it is one”, he said.

However, bureau chief Mr. Wong said it was “technically” difficult to collect evidence for the prosecution of person-to-person cold calls.

The legislator’s motion for an amendment was vetoed after two thirds of the voting members backed the government’s bill.

Randall Davidson, chairman of the Hong Kong Direct Marketing Association, welcomed the decision not to include cold-callers in the bill.

We don’t feel that person-to-person calls came under the definitions of the bill,” he said, adding that his association members did not usually use recorded messages in marketing campaigns.

"They have a terribly low response rate and everyone, including our own members, consider them a nuisance.”

In an earlier submission, his organization, along with the Call Centre Association, estimated that more than 400,000 people relied on phone contact to promote their products and services.

The Consumer Council, which previously submitted views on the bill to Legco, had pushed for cold-calling to be included under the provisions of the bill.

A spokeswoman for the consumer watchdog, Rosa Wong Wan-ming, said the bill was not proactive enough.

“But it [does] take steps to combat the problem of spam,” she said. “We hope the effectiveness of this legislation can be reviewed after a period. If it’s not working, we hope more proactive steps can be taken to amend the situation.”

When the new law comes into effect, you may report any unsolicited messages to OFTA (Office of the Telecommunications Authority) via the form found on their website here: http://www.ofta.gov.hk/en/enq_help/uem.html. This form will also be obtainable through a fax-on-demand service (call 2961 6333, press 3 for English then 9 for ‘Information by Fax’).

For further information regarding the UEM, you may visit the OFTA website at www.ofta.gov.hk or call their hot line on 2961 6333 (press 3 for English then 4 for UEM matters).

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Monday, May 21, 2007

Competitive Edge Dynamics Registration System

Competitive Edge Dynamics Ltd. have chosen Compelite to implement their Customer Registration System, which allows users to register and log in to their system when placing orders etc.

Compelite offer a wide range of web applications, including customised applications built to your specific needs. Several of these applications include Content Management Systems (CMS), eMarketing, on-line surveys, event registration, and web monitoring.

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Pay Per Click Management

Due to popular demand, Compelite have expanded their expertise in Pay Per Click (PPC) management, and now offer Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter management.

Although Google offer the most advanced PPC system on the market, we have decided to expand our services to include Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter so that we can offer our clients a wider range of services.

Yahoo Search Marketing have recently upgraded their PPC system in the US to their new Panama ad system in order to better compete with Google AdWords. Although Yahoo started the PPC systems that we see today (formerly called GoTo, then Overture, then Yahoo Search Marketing), we now see them continuously playing catch up with Google. Their lastest addition has been their ad ranking system which closely resembles Google's Quality Score system.

Microsoft have also recently updated their ppc system from MSN adCenter to Microsoft adCenter, as well as updated several aspects of their tools available.

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Monday, May 14, 2007

Alexa Traffic Rankings

www.Alexa.com is a popular traffic ranking website among the Search Engine Marketing industry as well as among those who are concerned about their online ranking.

As stated on the Alexa website: "Alexa computes traffic rankings by analyzing the Web usage of millions of Alexa Toolbar users."

Many users however get confused as to what this traffic ranking actually means. What Alexa is doing is comparing your site's traffic (the number of visitors to your site) with that of all the other websites in the world.

Also we must take note that the traffic that it measures is only traffic from those who have the Alexa toolbar installed. Because of this there will be a bias towards more technical sites getting ranked higher, as more technical users use this toolbar. Alexa states:

"The traffic data are based on the set of toolbars that use Alexa data, which may not be a representative sample of the global Internet population."

Alexa, therefore is not a very reliable tool when comparing your website to the world. Perhaps a better analysis would be to compare your website to those of your direct competitors in your own field. Take for example:
  • Compelite Limited - Alexa Ranking of 227,693
  • Jump Web Services Limited - Alexa Ranking of 412,963
  • Agog Digital Marketing Strategy - Alexa Ranking of 860,550
  • Flying Tiger Web Design - Alexa Ranking of 2,254,795
  • Fluid Design and Marketing - Alexa Ranking of 3,302,708
  • Rebound Internet Services Limited - Alexa Ranking of 4,018,912

This way you can see a much better analysis of your Traffic Ranking in comparison to your competitors. If you notice that your ranking has dropped significantly, check the ranking of your competitors to see if the trend is the same.

One must also take note that Alexa states:

"Generally, Traffic Rankings of 100,000+ should be regarded as not reliable because the amount of data we receive is not statistically significant"

Therefore you should really only look to Alexa as a reliable tool when your Alexa Ranking is well withing the 100,000 mark.

A more important measure of Website Ranking is where your website appears when someone searches for it in either Google, Yahoo or MSN. If you type "web design hong kong" into Google, we would expect to see Compelite on the first page.

This means that your website is highly visible, and there is a good chance that users will click on it if it appears on the first page of search engine results. Check out Compelite's Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services and get your website listed where the clients are clicking!

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Friday, May 11, 2007

Choosing the Right SEO Company

Yesterday, a popular Search Engine Optimisation company in Australia was penalised in Google for spamming their index by using Black-Hat SEO techniques to artificially boost their rankings. The major technique they used was a link-building technique that linked their websites to other irrelevant websites. When doing a search for the sites that link to them in Google (please copy and paste the link into your browser to see the example - we have purposely avoided linking to these sites so that Google will not relate our sites with those listed):
  • http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLJ%2CGGLJ%3A2006-47%2CGGLJ%3Aen&q=link%3Awww.foundagency.com.au&btnG=Search

...It can be seen that there are many irrelevant sites. Take one for example, HIT RADIO. On this site you can find their links page:

  • http://pub44.bravenet.com/freelink/show.php?usernum=3743912404&cpv=1

...which links to a load of irrelevant sites. These sites and their link pages are often referred to as Link Farms and are something that you want to avoid at all costs.

It is extremely important to choose the right Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) company and more importantly one that uses 'white-hat' SEO techniques.

White-Hat SEO techniques are those techniques encouraged by Google. These are ways to optimise your website without spamming search engines. See our list of White-Hat SEO techniques used at Compelite.

Black-Hat SEO techniques are used to artificially boost ranking by using spamming techniques.

The company mentioned above risks their website being banned in search engines and also all of their client sites risk being banned as they, no doubt, will be inadvertently using the same techniques to increase their rankings. This is why it is extremely important to find an SEO company that is open and honest with you about the techniques that they use.

You will find all the techniques or factors that Compelite look into when performing an SEO campaign on our Search Engine Optimisation Techniques page. We also list all the techniques used when managing your Pay Per Click campaign on our Google AdWords Techniques page. When choosing a company to Manage your AdWords Account you should also make sure that they are qualified as a Google Advertising Professional. This will ensure that they can offer you the best management and Return on Investment (ROI).

Any SEO company that is extremely secretive of the SEO techniques that they use, should be avoided or at least investigated more meticulously. Those that are open and thorough in their explanations can be trusted and researched to a point of understanding that can be trusted.

Google has a recommendations page when selecting the right SEO Company to work with. You can find that page under their "My sites ranking in Google" section.

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Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Establishing Web Presence

When looking to establish a web presence it is very important to ask yourself what you need, and equally as important to find a company that can provide you with everything in that list. It is not good enough to go to one company for web design, another for emarketing, and yet another for search engine optimisation. All aspects of a website tie into one another and so too do all aspects of programming a website.

All to often we see clients coming to us for search engine optimisation (SEO), after having their site designed by another company fully in flash or javascript, when one of their main priorities was to be visible in search engines. Flash is one of the worst programming techniques to use when website visibility in search engines is paramount. Yet because the company that designed the website specialises only in flash web design and not in search engine optimisation; when asked by the client will my website be search engine friendly the company replies, "yes, just wait two or three months". Or they compare with other flash websites "Cartier, Nike and Adidas all use Flash and their websites are extremely visible". Yet what they can't tell their clients is why these websites are so visible.

One ranking factor used by search engines as a guage of website ranking, is sites linking in to your website. You can use this as a factor in your search engine ranking, but keep in mind that this is only 1 of over 100 different aspects that all join together to boost your overall ranking.

By typing "link:www.yourwesitename.com" into Google, Yahoo or MSN you can see how many other websites link back to you. Lets start with the first example given above - Cartier. Cartier have 376 websites that link to them. See for yourself by typing "link:www.cartier.com" into Google. This is quite a good amount. Of course the more websites linking to you the better. I should also point out that it is best to have one-way incoming links. This means that you should not link back to them. These are the most valuable links to have.

In comparison to Cartier, Nike and Adidas are way ahead. Adidas have 2,330 incoming links to their website, and Nike have 3,090. Another aspect to note is how these links are gained. Since Nike, Adidas and Cartier are such large brands, they gain their incoming links organically - people link to them with out them asking and therefore, incoming links are build continuously at a steady rate. This is by far the best way to build incoming links.

Compare this with many of the packages found on the internet, many of them utilising black-hat SEO techniques (SPAM techniques), which offer link-building campaigns and the like for US$20 (or something along these lines). These companies should not be trusted when it comes to building incoming links as they more often than not use SPAM techniques such as linking to link-farms, sites setup purely to build reciprocal links. They link to you, you link to them. Sometimes you will stumble across these sites and wonder how on earth you found them. Many of these companies have now been banned from the search engines as algorithms become more advanced.

Relying on incoming links to build your website ranking, if you have a flash website can take years upon years. It is best to work on building your companies recognition in the industry and let incoming links build themselves. This will result in the best link strategy. Getting back to establishing a web presence, consider the following items when building your website:

If the company you are with cannot provide you with all the services that you need, then you are quite frankly with the wrong company. The most important aspect of building a web presence is to choose a company that can both understand and implement all of your needs and desires, not to mention suggesting other options that you may not have thought of. Compelite strive to offer their clients the best service available, that is why they look at every aspect of web design and development when building your online web presence.

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