kayce and danny
my gorgeous fiancee and i
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Bangladeshi cyclone kills at least 1,723
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Hundreds of thousands of survivors were stuck Saturday behind roads blocked by fallen trees, iron roofs and thick sludge as rescue workers fought to reach towns along Bangladesh's coast that were ravaged by a powerful cyclone that killed at least 1,723 people.
Tropical Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest storm to hit the country in a decade, destroyed tens of thousands of homes in southwest Bangladesh on Thursday and ruined much-needed crops just before harvest season in this impoverished, low-lying South Asian country. More than a million coastal villagers were forced to evacuate to government shelters.
The official death toll rose to 1,723 and authorities feared the figure could rise further as the country works to recover.
The government scrambled Saturday to join international agencies and local officials in the rescue mission, deploying military helicopters, thousands of troops and naval ships.
Rescuers trying to get food and water to people stranded by flooding struggled to clear roads that were so bad they said they'll have to return on bicycles.
"We will try again tomorrow on bicycles, and hire local country boats," M. Shakil Anwar of CARE said from the city of Khulna.
Along the coast, 150 mph winds flung small ferries ashore like toy boats, cutting off migrant fishing communities who live on and around hundreds of tiny islands across the area's web of river channels.
Many of the evacuees who managed to return home Saturday found their straw and bamboo huts had been flattened by the storm.
"We survived, but what we need now is help to rebuild our homes," Chand Miah, a resident of Maran Char, a small island in Khulna district, told The Associated Press.
Bodies were found among muddy paddy fields and along river channels, said Bishnu Prashad Chakravorty, a local journalist who visited the hard-hit coastal area of Bagerhat.
"Advance warnings from the weather office helped us take shelter, but still, the damage is colossal," said Abu Hanif, 60, a Bagerhat resident.
The government has allocated $5.2 million in emergency aid for rebuilding houses in the cyclone-affected areas, a government statement said.
The German government offered $731,345 while the European Union released $2.2 million in relief aid. The World Food Program was rushing food to the country.
Bangladesh's interim government head, Fakhruddin Ahmed, visited some of the affected areas Friday and Saturday and assured cyclone victims of government assistance.
Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed, meanwhile, was expected to visit some of the worst-hit areas in coming days.
Aid organizations feared that food shortages and contaminated water could lead to widespread problems if people remain stranded.
Television images showed crowds of people scrambling beneath military helicopters as troops dropped food packages through open hatches.
At least 1.5 million coastal villagers had fled to shelters where they were given emergency rations, said senior government official Ali Imam Majumder in Dhaka.
Many parts of Dhaka, the biggest city in this poor, desperately crowded nation of 150 million people, remained without power or water Saturday. The storm killed at least four people in Dhaka.
More than 4,000 people were injured, military spokesman Lt. Col. Moyeenullah Chowdhury said. Army medical teams were working in the affected area.
An estimated 2.7 million people were affected and 773,000 houses were damaged, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management. Roughly 250,000 head of cattle and poultry perished, and crops were destroyed on nearly 77,450 acres of land.
But the full picture of the devastation remained unclear as the storm wreaked havoc on the country's electricity and telephone lines, affecting even areas that were spared a direct hit.
Sidr spawned a 4-foot storm surge that swept through low-lying areas and some offshore islands, leaving them under water, said Nahid Sultana, an official of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.
CARE's Anwar said many surviving families were living under makeshift tents or sheds made out of the remnants of their straw and bamboo homes, while many others had to go back to the official shelters.
Bangladesh is prone to cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property. The most recent deadly storm was a tornado that leveled 80 villages in northern Bangladesh in 1996, killing 621 people.
Tropical Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest storm to hit the country in a decade, destroyed tens of thousands of homes in southwest Bangladesh on Thursday and ruined much-needed crops just before harvest season in this impoverished, low-lying South Asian country. More than a million coastal villagers were forced to evacuate to government shelters.
The official death toll rose to 1,723 and authorities feared the figure could rise further as the country works to recover.
The government scrambled Saturday to join international agencies and local officials in the rescue mission, deploying military helicopters, thousands of troops and naval ships.
Rescuers trying to get food and water to people stranded by flooding struggled to clear roads that were so bad they said they'll have to return on bicycles.
"We will try again tomorrow on bicycles, and hire local country boats," M. Shakil Anwar of CARE said from the city of Khulna.
Along the coast, 150 mph winds flung small ferries ashore like toy boats, cutting off migrant fishing communities who live on and around hundreds of tiny islands across the area's web of river channels.
Many of the evacuees who managed to return home Saturday found their straw and bamboo huts had been flattened by the storm.
"We survived, but what we need now is help to rebuild our homes," Chand Miah, a resident of Maran Char, a small island in Khulna district, told The Associated Press.
Bodies were found among muddy paddy fields and along river channels, said Bishnu Prashad Chakravorty, a local journalist who visited the hard-hit coastal area of Bagerhat.
"Advance warnings from the weather office helped us take shelter, but still, the damage is colossal," said Abu Hanif, 60, a Bagerhat resident.
The government has allocated $5.2 million in emergency aid for rebuilding houses in the cyclone-affected areas, a government statement said.
The German government offered $731,345 while the European Union released $2.2 million in relief aid. The World Food Program was rushing food to the country.
Bangladesh's interim government head, Fakhruddin Ahmed, visited some of the affected areas Friday and Saturday and assured cyclone victims of government assistance.
Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed, meanwhile, was expected to visit some of the worst-hit areas in coming days.
Aid organizations feared that food shortages and contaminated water could lead to widespread problems if people remain stranded.
Television images showed crowds of people scrambling beneath military helicopters as troops dropped food packages through open hatches.
At least 1.5 million coastal villagers had fled to shelters where they were given emergency rations, said senior government official Ali Imam Majumder in Dhaka.
Many parts of Dhaka, the biggest city in this poor, desperately crowded nation of 150 million people, remained without power or water Saturday. The storm killed at least four people in Dhaka.
More than 4,000 people were injured, military spokesman Lt. Col. Moyeenullah Chowdhury said. Army medical teams were working in the affected area.
An estimated 2.7 million people were affected and 773,000 houses were damaged, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management. Roughly 250,000 head of cattle and poultry perished, and crops were destroyed on nearly 77,450 acres of land.
But the full picture of the devastation remained unclear as the storm wreaked havoc on the country's electricity and telephone lines, affecting even areas that were spared a direct hit.
Sidr spawned a 4-foot storm surge that swept through low-lying areas and some offshore islands, leaving them under water, said Nahid Sultana, an official of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.
CARE's Anwar said many surviving families were living under makeshift tents or sheds made out of the remnants of their straw and bamboo homes, while many others had to go back to the official shelters.
Bangladesh is prone to cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property. The most recent deadly storm was a tornado that leveled 80 villages in northern Bangladesh in 1996, killing 621 people.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
High School Cheerleaders Suspended for Flashing
RIPON, Calif. — Six of eight Ripon High School cheerleaders won't get the chance to perform "one more time" after school officials booted them from the football field and suspended them for two days for lifting their skirts during a Britney Spears routine.
Click here to watch a video of the cheerleader's risque routine in the Modesto Bee.
The girls told the Modesto Bee that they wanted to end the season on a high note, and decided — with parental urging — to end what they called "an awful season" with a provocative cheer routine capped off with a flash of their derrieres and spell out the school's nickname, "Indians."
District Superintendent Leo Zuber told the Bee that he couldn't discuss the issue because of confidentiality requirements on disciplinary matters.
Parents can appeal suspensions, and Zuber acknowledged he has received one. He said he will investigate whether proper procedures were followed and whether suspensions were warranted.
Click here to watch a video of the cheerleader's risque routine in the Modesto Bee.
The girls told the Modesto Bee that they wanted to end the season on a high note, and decided — with parental urging — to end what they called "an awful season" with a provocative cheer routine capped off with a flash of their derrieres and spell out the school's nickname, "Indians."
District Superintendent Leo Zuber told the Bee that he couldn't discuss the issue because of confidentiality requirements on disciplinary matters.
Parents can appeal suspensions, and Zuber acknowledged he has received one. He said he will investigate whether proper procedures were followed and whether suspensions were warranted.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Barbosa's career-high 39 send Suns past Magic
ORLANDO (AP) — Grant Hill isn't used to being the bad guy. He inherited the role Saturday against his former team.
The All-Star shrugged off relentless boos from his former fans for 14 points and eight rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 106-96 Saturday night. While the crowd focused on Hill, Leandro Barbosa scored a career-high 39 points and all five Suns starters cracked double figures to break the Magic's four-game winning streak.
BOX SCORE: Phoenix 106, Orlando 96
"That's what fans are supposed to do — they're supposed to boo opposing teams," Hill said. "When I used to watch ball back in the day, the 80s, Maurice Cheeks went into the Garden and he didn't get cheered, he got booed.
"We're trying to win a championship, and in order to do that we have to go on the road against other teams," Hill said. "You're going to get booed, you're going to get called all types of names — you've got to be really strong."
The Suns withstood a 33-point, 18-rebound effort by Dwight Howard, partly by keeping him at the foul line. Howard was 7-of-16 on free throws and missed four straight late in the third quarter as Orlando fell behind 23 points. Besides two attempts in the second quarter by Hedo Turkoglu and one late by Trevor Ariza, no Orlando player but Howard even tried a free throw.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: National Basketball Association Steve Nash Phoenix Suns Orlando Magic Shawn Marion Dwight Howard Grant Hill Trevor Ariza
Steve Nash had 19 points and 11 assists and Shawn Marion added 11 points and eight rebounds. Amare Stoudemire had 13 points and six rebounds in his second outing after missing three games with a sore knee.
The teams entered the game first and second in the NBA in three-point attempts — 27.7 a game for Phoenix and 25.7 for the Magic. Orlando went the whole first quarter without trying a three, falling behind 34-27 before eventually shooting 8-for-19.
"I thought they did a pretty good job switching pick and rolls and stuff," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their energy level was very high, and I thought they did a very good job of closing out and getting to our three-point shooters."
Barbosa started in place of Raja Bell, who didn't dress after spraining an ankle late in the fourth quarter Friday against Miami. He scored 16 in the first quarter and missed only two shots in the period — one of them a 39-footer just before the buzzer that nearly went in.
"As quick as Nash is, he can't even match Barbosa's quickness," Van Gundy said. "Leandro Barbosa is the fastest man in the NBA."
Barbosa made 15-of-26 shots, including 8-for-13 from three-point range.
"Coach always tells me to keep shooting," he said. "He says if you are open to shoot it. Today I was feeling great — maybe I am not struggling anymore. You have to be patient when you are struggling."
Carlos Arroyo had 13 points and eight assists for Orlando, Keyon Dooling scored 10 and Turkoglu and Ariza each added 11. Rashard Lewis struggled from the field with 3-of-14 shooting and finished with seven.
"I think they stayed a little closer to me out on the wings when they were rotating on the double team on Dwight," Lewis said. "They made sure they paid a lot of attention to me. But at the same time I missed a lot of easy shots — just couldn't get into a rhythm all night."
Both teams were playing their fourth game in five days. Orlando was 2-2 after playing the night before, while the Suns were 0-2.
Notes: Tiger Woods, who lives in area, watched from courtside. ... Both teams shot 47% from the field, but Phoenix attempted nine more shots. ... Nash was 9-of-13, one night after scoring 11 points in a row against the Heat.
The All-Star shrugged off relentless boos from his former fans for 14 points and eight rebounds as the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 106-96 Saturday night. While the crowd focused on Hill, Leandro Barbosa scored a career-high 39 points and all five Suns starters cracked double figures to break the Magic's four-game winning streak.
BOX SCORE: Phoenix 106, Orlando 96
"That's what fans are supposed to do — they're supposed to boo opposing teams," Hill said. "When I used to watch ball back in the day, the 80s, Maurice Cheeks went into the Garden and he didn't get cheered, he got booed.
"We're trying to win a championship, and in order to do that we have to go on the road against other teams," Hill said. "You're going to get booed, you're going to get called all types of names — you've got to be really strong."
The Suns withstood a 33-point, 18-rebound effort by Dwight Howard, partly by keeping him at the foul line. Howard was 7-of-16 on free throws and missed four straight late in the third quarter as Orlando fell behind 23 points. Besides two attempts in the second quarter by Hedo Turkoglu and one late by Trevor Ariza, no Orlando player but Howard even tried a free throw.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: National Basketball Association Steve Nash Phoenix Suns Orlando Magic Shawn Marion Dwight Howard Grant Hill Trevor Ariza
Steve Nash had 19 points and 11 assists and Shawn Marion added 11 points and eight rebounds. Amare Stoudemire had 13 points and six rebounds in his second outing after missing three games with a sore knee.
The teams entered the game first and second in the NBA in three-point attempts — 27.7 a game for Phoenix and 25.7 for the Magic. Orlando went the whole first quarter without trying a three, falling behind 34-27 before eventually shooting 8-for-19.
"I thought they did a pretty good job switching pick and rolls and stuff," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their energy level was very high, and I thought they did a very good job of closing out and getting to our three-point shooters."
Barbosa started in place of Raja Bell, who didn't dress after spraining an ankle late in the fourth quarter Friday against Miami. He scored 16 in the first quarter and missed only two shots in the period — one of them a 39-footer just before the buzzer that nearly went in.
"As quick as Nash is, he can't even match Barbosa's quickness," Van Gundy said. "Leandro Barbosa is the fastest man in the NBA."
Barbosa made 15-of-26 shots, including 8-for-13 from three-point range.
"Coach always tells me to keep shooting," he said. "He says if you are open to shoot it. Today I was feeling great — maybe I am not struggling anymore. You have to be patient when you are struggling."
Carlos Arroyo had 13 points and eight assists for Orlando, Keyon Dooling scored 10 and Turkoglu and Ariza each added 11. Rashard Lewis struggled from the field with 3-of-14 shooting and finished with seven.
"I think they stayed a little closer to me out on the wings when they were rotating on the double team on Dwight," Lewis said. "They made sure they paid a lot of attention to me. But at the same time I missed a lot of easy shots — just couldn't get into a rhythm all night."
Both teams were playing their fourth game in five days. Orlando was 2-2 after playing the night before, while the Suns were 0-2.
Notes: Tiger Woods, who lives in area, watched from courtside. ... Both teams shot 47% from the field, but Phoenix attempted nine more shots. ... Nash was 9-of-13, one night after scoring 11 points in a row against the Heat.
Pakistan opposition blast election plans
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's opposition called on President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to lift a state of emergency, saying Monday that upcoming parliamentary elections would be a sham unless citizens' rights were fully restored. Several parties were mulling a boycott.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, meanwhile, prepared to launch a cross-country caravan to protest military rule. Police ramped up security for her, saying they had received intelligence that a suicide bomber was planning to attack her in the eastern city of Lahore.
Bhutto was targeted in an Oct. 18 suicide attack during her homecoming from exile. The attack in the southern city of Karachi killed 145 other people.
On Sunday, Musharraf said he would stick to a January schedule for the polls but set no time limit on emergency rule, which has resulted in the arrests of thousands of his critics, a ban on rallies and the blacking out of independent TV networks.
The measures, he argued, were necessary to ensure "absolutely fair and transparent elections" and to step up the fight against Islamic militants threatening Pakistan.
Bhutto welcomed his Jan. 9 cut-off date for the vote but said campaigning would be "difficult."
Other opposition parties were more strident.
Raja Zafarul Haq, chairman of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party, demanded restoration of the constitution which was suspended under the emergency, reinstatement of top judges purged by Musharraf and the release of detainees — as well as Sharif's return from exile.
"Under the current circumstances it is very difficult to expect there would be fair elections in the country," he told Associated Press Television News. "Within the next week there will be meetings and we will finally decide whether to go for elections or agitation."
Liaqat Baloch, secretary general of Pakistan's most popular Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, said they were strongly considering boycotting the elections. "If there is an emergency and no constitution, it is impossible to have free and fair elections," he told The Associated Press.
In Lahore, about 200 police were guarding the house where Bhutto was staying, with snipers on surrounding rooftops, ahead of her planned 185-mile protest caravan to Islamabad. The access road was blocked by steel barricades.
When she ventured outside into the city, dozens of police vehicles escorted her.
The rally, due to start on Tuesday, is intended to pressure Musharraf to end the emergency and give up his position as army chief. Thousands of Bhutto's supporters are expected to join her on the journey, likely to take about three days.
Ayaz Salim, a top police official, said police had stepped up security after receiving intelligence that a suicide bomber planning to kill Bhutto was staying in a Lahore hotel. He said police searched all the city's hotels but did not find the suspect.
Farzana Raja, a spokesman for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, or PPP, vowed its supporters would fight any attempt by authorities to block her "freedom march" — which would appear to violate the current ban on rallies.
"If police try to stop us, in every town and district of Punjab, there will be a battlefield between PPP activists and police," he said.
Speaking Sunday, Musharraf appeared defiant but bitter at growing criticism of his decision to suspend the constitution just over a week ago, a step he says was necessary to combat rising Islamic militancy that had sown "turmoil, shock and confusion" in Pakistan.
His defense was unlikely to dispel the notion shared by many in Pakistan that the emergency — launched ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that could have nixed his plans to serve another five-year term — was motivated by his own determination to stay in power.
Adding to their concerns was an announcement by the attorney-general Sunday that military courts could now try civilians on charges ranging from treason to inciting public unrest. That could, in theory, include those who organize protests against Musharraf's military-led government.
The United States and other Western allies have urged Musharraf to hold crucial parliamentary polls on schedule, and said they were pleased at news they would not be delayed. Earlier, the government said the vote could be pushed back by up to a year.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed concern that Musharraf — considered a close U.S. ally in the war on terror — had not set a time limit for restoring citizens' rights.
"It's not a perfect situation," she said.
Two Democratic presidential hopefuls were more forceful.
Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said elections would be a "sham" without an end to the state of emergency. His rival, Bill Richardson, U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration, said "you can't have democracy halfway."
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, meanwhile, prepared to launch a cross-country caravan to protest military rule. Police ramped up security for her, saying they had received intelligence that a suicide bomber was planning to attack her in the eastern city of Lahore.
Bhutto was targeted in an Oct. 18 suicide attack during her homecoming from exile. The attack in the southern city of Karachi killed 145 other people.
On Sunday, Musharraf said he would stick to a January schedule for the polls but set no time limit on emergency rule, which has resulted in the arrests of thousands of his critics, a ban on rallies and the blacking out of independent TV networks.
The measures, he argued, were necessary to ensure "absolutely fair and transparent elections" and to step up the fight against Islamic militants threatening Pakistan.
Bhutto welcomed his Jan. 9 cut-off date for the vote but said campaigning would be "difficult."
Other opposition parties were more strident.
Raja Zafarul Haq, chairman of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party, demanded restoration of the constitution which was suspended under the emergency, reinstatement of top judges purged by Musharraf and the release of detainees — as well as Sharif's return from exile.
"Under the current circumstances it is very difficult to expect there would be fair elections in the country," he told Associated Press Television News. "Within the next week there will be meetings and we will finally decide whether to go for elections or agitation."
Liaqat Baloch, secretary general of Pakistan's most popular Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, said they were strongly considering boycotting the elections. "If there is an emergency and no constitution, it is impossible to have free and fair elections," he told The Associated Press.
In Lahore, about 200 police were guarding the house where Bhutto was staying, with snipers on surrounding rooftops, ahead of her planned 185-mile protest caravan to Islamabad. The access road was blocked by steel barricades.
When she ventured outside into the city, dozens of police vehicles escorted her.
The rally, due to start on Tuesday, is intended to pressure Musharraf to end the emergency and give up his position as army chief. Thousands of Bhutto's supporters are expected to join her on the journey, likely to take about three days.
Ayaz Salim, a top police official, said police had stepped up security after receiving intelligence that a suicide bomber planning to kill Bhutto was staying in a Lahore hotel. He said police searched all the city's hotels but did not find the suspect.
Farzana Raja, a spokesman for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, or PPP, vowed its supporters would fight any attempt by authorities to block her "freedom march" — which would appear to violate the current ban on rallies.
"If police try to stop us, in every town and district of Punjab, there will be a battlefield between PPP activists and police," he said.
Speaking Sunday, Musharraf appeared defiant but bitter at growing criticism of his decision to suspend the constitution just over a week ago, a step he says was necessary to combat rising Islamic militancy that had sown "turmoil, shock and confusion" in Pakistan.
His defense was unlikely to dispel the notion shared by many in Pakistan that the emergency — launched ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that could have nixed his plans to serve another five-year term — was motivated by his own determination to stay in power.
Adding to their concerns was an announcement by the attorney-general Sunday that military courts could now try civilians on charges ranging from treason to inciting public unrest. That could, in theory, include those who organize protests against Musharraf's military-led government.
The United States and other Western allies have urged Musharraf to hold crucial parliamentary polls on schedule, and said they were pleased at news they would not be delayed. Earlier, the government said the vote could be pushed back by up to a year.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed concern that Musharraf — considered a close U.S. ally in the war on terror — had not set a time limit for restoring citizens' rights.
"It's not a perfect situation," she said.
Two Democratic presidential hopefuls were more forceful.
Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said elections would be a "sham" without an end to the state of emergency. His rival, Bill Richardson, U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration, said "you can't have democracy halfway."
It’s All About The Traffic!
Greetings. As the President and CEO I have the honor of kicking off this blog with an inaugural posting. It seems to me that although this blog will cover a variety of topics from experts both from within InfoSearch Media and from elsewhere, what I should be articulating is the central insight which has lead to InfoSearch Media value proposition. Though it took the hard work of many people here at the Company to finally figure it all out, the concept is really very simple. In the on-line world, no matter what kind of content is needed for a website – text, images or video – everyone is simultaneously thinking about website traffic!
This, of course, makes perfect sense. In fact, for most of our eBusiness clients, it is ALL about the traffic. In the past year or so, people have gotten smart about what their business needs. They don’t care about where they “rank” – pretty much everyone has realized that appearing on the first page of search results for a keyword that is never used will not deliver Web traffic (customers) to their business. It is all about the traffic. How much traffic should a customer expect? We decided to aim high. We should be able to deliver better Web traffic results than our customers receive from Google — the accepted gold standard of pay-per-click.
That bold thought triggered a good deal of research around here. At the risk of over-simplifying, we learned that if your site has a Page Rank of 3 or higher and you are paying an average of $0.55 or more per click, then we can deliver traffic more cheaply than Google. And unlike the vague promises often made by SEO companies, we believe we had to develop ways to measure and report exactly how much website traffic we are delivering – just like Google. Then we built an entire product line around that concept – text products that deliver traffic, online video products that deliver traffic – you get the idea. Finally, all we needed was a name for these products. An employee suggested “TrafficBuilder” and we thought that name pretty well summed it all up.
We recognize that each business’ website has different Web traffic requirements and ISHM has created packages to reflect those unique needs. For publishers and certain types of businesses where the written and video content needs to closely follow brand guidelines, Web traffic is accordingly emphasized somewhat less. Again, we will work to match our client’s needs.
As more and more business is done on the Web, businesses are getting smarter about what it takes to win. Makes perfect sense to us at InfoSearch Media.
In the end, most traffic still comes from organic search results, not from advertising. And according to IAB, March 2007, “Consumers are 9 times more likely to click on an organic link.”
In more than 80% of searches, users go directly to the organic search results, bypassing sponsored links completely. While pay-per-click campaigns offer quick traffic, organic listings deliver long-term results and higher amounts of traffic.
80% of Internet users utilize the search engines and directories to find products, services and information.
Out of which, 90% of all search engines users click results within the first 3 pages.
62% of these users click only on the first few results, hence the first 2 pages.
Only 20% of search engine users click on the sponsored advertisements.
If your business is experiencing the pain of poor quality website traffic, it’s time to consider quality web content, online video and text to lower your marketing costs. Why rent website traffic when you can own it?
With that, I have hereby inaugurated this blog. Stay tuned for expert tips and insights.
This, of course, makes perfect sense. In fact, for most of our eBusiness clients, it is ALL about the traffic. In the past year or so, people have gotten smart about what their business needs. They don’t care about where they “rank” – pretty much everyone has realized that appearing on the first page of search results for a keyword that is never used will not deliver Web traffic (customers) to their business. It is all about the traffic. How much traffic should a customer expect? We decided to aim high. We should be able to deliver better Web traffic results than our customers receive from Google — the accepted gold standard of pay-per-click.
That bold thought triggered a good deal of research around here. At the risk of over-simplifying, we learned that if your site has a Page Rank of 3 or higher and you are paying an average of $0.55 or more per click, then we can deliver traffic more cheaply than Google. And unlike the vague promises often made by SEO companies, we believe we had to develop ways to measure and report exactly how much website traffic we are delivering – just like Google. Then we built an entire product line around that concept – text products that deliver traffic, online video products that deliver traffic – you get the idea. Finally, all we needed was a name for these products. An employee suggested “TrafficBuilder” and we thought that name pretty well summed it all up.
We recognize that each business’ website has different Web traffic requirements and ISHM has created packages to reflect those unique needs. For publishers and certain types of businesses where the written and video content needs to closely follow brand guidelines, Web traffic is accordingly emphasized somewhat less. Again, we will work to match our client’s needs.
As more and more business is done on the Web, businesses are getting smarter about what it takes to win. Makes perfect sense to us at InfoSearch Media.
In the end, most traffic still comes from organic search results, not from advertising. And according to IAB, March 2007, “Consumers are 9 times more likely to click on an organic link.”
In more than 80% of searches, users go directly to the organic search results, bypassing sponsored links completely. While pay-per-click campaigns offer quick traffic, organic listings deliver long-term results and higher amounts of traffic.
80% of Internet users utilize the search engines and directories to find products, services and information.
Out of which, 90% of all search engines users click results within the first 3 pages.
62% of these users click only on the first few results, hence the first 2 pages.
Only 20% of search engine users click on the sponsored advertisements.
If your business is experiencing the pain of poor quality website traffic, it’s time to consider quality web content, online video and text to lower your marketing costs. Why rent website traffic when you can own it?
With that, I have hereby inaugurated this blog. Stay tuned for expert tips and insights.
Businesses Lose Web Traffic
Online marketers continue to lose ground in local search results and lost Web traffic as the savvy consumer searches for products and services on a local level in Google, Yahoo, and MSN. The consumers are looking to organic search engine placements to find what they want, and marketers continue to play catch up as a result of ignoring local search results in the organic search engine listing. Some of the highest valued keywords are local geo-targeted keywords, like “Data Recovery Services Los Angeles” with a pay per click value of $51.18, “Austin Texas DUI Lawyer” at $50.03, and “Mesothelioma Attorneys San Diego” at $50.78. With pay per click values climbing, marketers need to look at geo-targeting and optimizing on a local level with good content to guide the consumer.
Companies are clamoring to join the PPC bandwagon while ignoring the local geo-targeted keywords in the natural search. Everyday I find myself in a conversation convincing Marketing Directors, advertising execs, and small- to medium-sized advertising agencies of the value of localized search keywords, and nearly every time they reply, “I don’t search like that. “I’m not typing in my city (or zip code) when performing a search.”
Many companies are missing the boat everyday. Thousands of searches are performed on a local geo-targeted level, looking for products and services many companies are missing out on the traffic streams in the natural organic search listings, due to the lack of high-quality optimized Web content.
I’m finding that small business owners are grasping the importance of this and are optimizing for local geo-targeted keywords while more regional and national companies are completely ignoring the local search in the organics, but are paying massive amounts of dollars in pay per click and even on banner ads in a quick rush to tap into local markets to show that they are marketing on a local level.
I’ve been listening to new buzzwords from local online media outlets like hyper-local banner networks and such. Consumers are tired of clicking on geo-targeted PPC ads, and even banner ads since they are being directed away from valuable information, and instead to a shopping cart or some lead generation form at the first click, when the reality is the consumer is in a different mindset or simply not at that part of the buying cycle. They simply are not ready to make a purchase and they don’t want to put personal information into a form that in their minds could lead to more junk mail, spam or worse, the dreaded telemarketing call during dinner.
Marketers need to get back to basics when it comes to Internet marketing otherwise they are in for a long painful journey of spending massive amounts of money for no return or very little results. Marketing Directors need to realize the importance of localized organic search and make it a part of their Internet marketing Strategy.
The savvy consumers are looking for the credible source, an informative resource, or some authority on a product or service. They want to read useful information before making a purchasing decision. These searchers are drilling down in the organic search even if it takes them to page eleven of the search results to find the authority in their area.
Marketers need to be patient and consider adding informative content to attract the savvy searcher and most importantly to improve search engine visibility to increase website traffic. This needs to be done in a strategic manner to generate ROI and increase sales. Companies need to look at other outlets specializing in Web content solutions, and not take a quick cut and paste content approach to their Web content, which search engines penalize as duplicate content, and which many others view as plagiarism.
Companies are clamoring to join the PPC bandwagon while ignoring the local geo-targeted keywords in the natural search. Everyday I find myself in a conversation convincing Marketing Directors, advertising execs, and small- to medium-sized advertising agencies of the value of localized search keywords, and nearly every time they reply, “I don’t search like that. “I’m not typing in my city (or zip code) when performing a search.”
Many companies are missing the boat everyday. Thousands of searches are performed on a local geo-targeted level, looking for products and services many companies are missing out on the traffic streams in the natural organic search listings, due to the lack of high-quality optimized Web content.
I’m finding that small business owners are grasping the importance of this and are optimizing for local geo-targeted keywords while more regional and national companies are completely ignoring the local search in the organics, but are paying massive amounts of dollars in pay per click and even on banner ads in a quick rush to tap into local markets to show that they are marketing on a local level.
I’ve been listening to new buzzwords from local online media outlets like hyper-local banner networks and such. Consumers are tired of clicking on geo-targeted PPC ads, and even banner ads since they are being directed away from valuable information, and instead to a shopping cart or some lead generation form at the first click, when the reality is the consumer is in a different mindset or simply not at that part of the buying cycle. They simply are not ready to make a purchase and they don’t want to put personal information into a form that in their minds could lead to more junk mail, spam or worse, the dreaded telemarketing call during dinner.
Marketers need to get back to basics when it comes to Internet marketing otherwise they are in for a long painful journey of spending massive amounts of money for no return or very little results. Marketing Directors need to realize the importance of localized organic search and make it a part of their Internet marketing Strategy.
The savvy consumers are looking for the credible source, an informative resource, or some authority on a product or service. They want to read useful information before making a purchasing decision. These searchers are drilling down in the organic search even if it takes them to page eleven of the search results to find the authority in their area.
Marketers need to be patient and consider adding informative content to attract the savvy searcher and most importantly to improve search engine visibility to increase website traffic. This needs to be done in a strategic manner to generate ROI and increase sales. Companies need to look at other outlets specializing in Web content solutions, and not take a quick cut and paste content approach to their Web content, which search engines penalize as duplicate content, and which many others view as plagiarism.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
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