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The RPM Blog
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WordPress Client Sites Updated
All client sites on the RPM Interactive network have been updated to WordPress 3.3.2 over the weekend.
WordPress 3.3.2 is a security update. It includes security updates for:
- Plupload (version 1.5.4), which WordPress uses for uploading media.
- SWFUpload, which WordPress previously used for uploading media, and may still be in use by plugins.
- SWFObject, which WordPress previously used to embed Flash content, and may still be in use by plugins and themes.
If you host your own WordPress website you can download WordPress 3.3.2 here.
Revisiting our SEO Software
In the hope that this post may prove useful to other people who work in search engine marketing, or for those looking to get started with their own business’s SEO efforts, we have decided to revisit a earlier post about two particular SEO tools, Advanced Web Ranking and Advanced Link Manager by Caphyon. Please note that Caphyon have been kind enough to extend our licence for providing a write-up on our experiences with the software, though we have been paying licensees’ of the software previously.
To anyone who may be unfamiliar with the software, both offer a number of features that will help you better understand your presence online and particularly when it comes to the major search engines. Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) providers a number of SEO tools, first and foremost being a search engine rank checker. Advanced Link Manager (ALM) is a very handy tool that will allow you to locate potential link opportunities for your content as well as finding the websites that may be sending your competitors traffic.
We have tested a number of tools when it comes to our search engine marketing work, and even moved away from AWR and ALM for a short period over the past 12 months. Over this time we tested out Raven SEO, partly because it integrated with social media and Google Adwords. We decided to move back to using AWR and ALM for a few reasons, including the continued development of the software with new functionality, but also because when it comes down to it, we always seemed to use it more than any other tool that it competes with, and ultimately that is what you want from any software that you use.
A key feature with any SEO software is that it provides you with actionable data that helps you build your online presence. Ultimately this means that you engage with more people online, and drive increasing traffic through to your online properties. With that it was great to see Caphyon work to integrate Google Analytics data into Advanced Web Ranking because whilst it may be great to rank highly for particular keywords, success will come from ranking highly for those keywords that actually drive you traffic. In this same area, I have always loved the simplicity of AWR for tracking competitors as well, and being able to easily mould data to how I want in terms of tracking website visbility, rank changes and more across multiple search engines and geographies. Add to this the option to export data into various customisable reports and you really have a powerful package that at the same time can easily be adopted by newcomers. Another major release for the software was the addition of Linkscape metrics from SEOmoz, giving you an integrated link building tool within AWR for the first time. AWR also integrates keyword research tools however I do find I use these less than other functions, preferring to individually use web-based tools such as Adwords and KeywordSpy.
Advanced Link Manager is a great competitive analysis tool for researching who is linking through to your competitors online. Where it shines though outside of a simple link research tool, is in the information it can supply you on both your own website and your competitors from both an on- and off-site optimisation perspective. ALM allows you to run optimisation reports that will compare your website to the top ten results within a search engine for a given keyword and report back on data such as domain and page authority, content and page analysis. As with AWR, Advanced Link Manager features an integration with SEOmoz that will let you pull in up to 10,000 links tracked by SEOmoz and monitor them in ALM. A recent addition to ALM is the ability to track results from Google Maps for business listings, a hugely important function for businesses looking to drive local awareness and sales from local search results. Much like AWR, Advanced Link Manager packs in a lot of information and you will find that you can really get stuck in to using the software with the sheer wealth of options and data. It’s ability to let you crunch down on specific information, particularly when it comes down to link research, and finding those sites where you can expand your audience will prove invaluable to any business.
A lot of people are enamoured with cloud services at the moment and some may be put off by the notion of using desktop software in this case. We are big advocates of the benefit of the cloud, where it provides an advantage, and when it comes to our seo tools of choice, we have found that Advanced Web Ranking and Advanced Link Manager are far and away ahead of a lot of tools on the market. If you haven’t checked them out already, I’d recommend heading over to Caphyon and reading up on both applications and trialling them to see if they fit with your own needs and requirements.
Have you got your DODOcase?
It’s a Friday afternoon so we’ll be keeping this post short and sweet! New shipments arrived this week of the much sought after DODOcase, with more to come. The award-winning DODOcase for iPad continues to sell very strongly in the UK and Ireland. If you are a UK or Irish based retailer and are interested in stocking the DODOcase, you can contact us on support@rpminteractive.net and we’ll get in touch asap to discuss your enquiry.
We are currently stocking both the DODOcase for iPad and iPad 2 as well as the DODOcase for Kindle and the BOOKback for iPad 2 and iPhone 4. We will also be launching the DODOcase for Playbook shortly. To stay up to date with product information, you can subscribe for email updates here.
We will also be working with affiliates and will be announcing our affiliate channel next week.
Google updates analytics benchmarking report
Google have announced an update to the Google Analytics benchmarking report traditionally available online. The change will see the new report emailed to account administrators where they haves opted in to anonymously share their site data.
An excerpt from the announcement states “In the coming few weeks, we’ll be delivering the new benchmarking report to all account administrators for accounts that are opted-in to anonymous data sharing. The report will expand on the type of data delivered to include broader trends, such as geographic or traffic source differences in visitor engagement. If you are interested in receiving the new benchmarking report, you can opt-in to anonymous data sharing.”
Mobile Advertising Guidelines Published
The IAB and Mobile Marketing Association have together, in consultation with industry members, published the Mobile Web Advertising Measurement Guidelines.
The guidelines cover the measurement of mobile web advertising on both WAP and mobile sites.
Find the right audiences online for your digital advertising
A new report released this week from the British Population Survey shows that for the first time there are more Silver Surfers (people aged over 55) using the internet in the UK than those under 25.
As would be expected, those under 25 can be found among social networking sites, online gaming and general entertainment. Silver Surfers tend to focus heavily on researching goods before they purchase and as such, connecting with them can be a fruitful exercise in driving both on and off-line sales.
A key to any successful online advertising campaign is finding the right channels to connect with your consumer. Determining the right environments online and segmenting your messaging and creative is crucial to delivering a successful campaign.
LinkedIn Advertising – Now with improved targeting
LinkedIn has launched an update to their advertising platform now offering advertisers improved advertising targeting options.
LinkedIn, the online business network that claims more then 95 million professionals use it’s service, offers both display and text advertising options to businesses. LinkedIn Ads, the companies automated advertising platform for purchasing text ads allows advertisers to target across a number of filters including geography and age. As part of this most recent update, advertisers can now target their ads to specifically only appear to LinkedIn members who have a particular job title, by the exact company that they work at or by a persons membership of a LinkedIn group.
