Have a look at the full article on searchengine watch.com, where you can even download a lightsaber badge to go on the bottom of your blog to match where you sit on the SEO Wars Force circle.

An Internet meme is something that spreads across the Internet, with the most common form being an image with a funny caption, such as the above mentioned lolcats. These images are spread virally across the net via social sites like Facebook and Twitter, people see them, they laugh and then they too share them to all their followers. There are always new memes popping up and there are some which have been going for years and show no signs of becoming old.

So how do you utilise a meme for your own online social marketing campaign? First of all you need to find an existing meme, know the market and audience you are targeting and have a sense of humour. The above image is an example of the de-motivational posters meme, targeted towards people in the search engine optimisation industry. By doing a quick Internet search you will find the basic meme image to add your own caption to and once you’ve created a funny caption that taps into your industry, you will have your very own funny meme to spread across the net. The first place to post your meme will be your blog and Facebook, Twitter and Google+ accounts, which should then be liked, re-tweeted, commented on and shared by all your friends and followers. There are also social bookmarking sites that you can post your image to and some of these sites are very good for determining which memes are currently popular so you can make sure the one you create is relevant.

So how does having a funny image on your blog help with search engine rankings? Well, as the image (hopefully) gets noticed by people and reblogged, shared, liked and everything else, it will be providing links back to the blog page where you first posted the image. These links help tell Google and other search engines that your site is relevant and all the likes and comments on the social networks are a good thing since they are having more and more of an effect on rankings.

To discuss how an SEO Coventry campaign could utilise search engine optimisation and social media to benefit your business, get in touch with HeadRed.

Taking the Picture Frames Express photo competition as an example, the details about the competition will spread naturally throughout the Internet as people tweet, like, post and blog about the competition. People will want to inform other budding photographers about a chance to show off their photographic skills so it will spread via word of mouth across the web. This is a great way to build up natural links from a range of sources which should have a positive effect on your search engine rankings.

Picture Frames Express blog about their upcoming photo competition.

A large range of different companies utilise social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for clever online marketing campaigns. Kit Kat have been using Facebook to get people to vote for their favourite Kit Kat flavour out of four limited editions, with the winning one being crowded the ‘Chunky Champion’ and staying in shops. This is a great campaign to get people involved with the brand and talking about it so that their favourite flavour stays in shops. Personally I’m voting white chocolate. A completely different example is the ‘Shoot my Truck’ campaign to promote the PlayStation 3 video game Twisted Metal. Users were invited to visit a YouTube video where they had the chance to fire live bullets from a machine gun at a real life version of one of the characters vehicles from the game. This interactive element led to people discussing both the campaign and the game which leads to great exposure.

Not all campaigns are successful though, with Microsoft receiving a lot of negative feedback after directly attacking Google’s Gmail service in a video originally posted on YouTube and then reposted on Facebook. The Gmail Man viral video mocked how the Google email service used keyword search methods to display targeted adverts to its users but the campaign led to more people criticising Microsoft’s own email service and for being juvenile than agreeing  with the content of the video.

Social media is becoming more intertwined with SEO so it’s important to utilise it in the correct way to garner the best results for your business. You could target a local area with an SEO Coventry campaign or a larger audience with a more nationwide focussed campaign but either way, you want to ensure people are talking about your products, services and business in a positive manner because with the social web, everyone has a voice.

A good example of how Pinterest can be a useful tool is for when planning a wedding. The planning and preparation can be a time consuming and stressful time as you browse the Internet looking for inspiration for everything from venues, flowers, dresses and wedding cakes. Using Pinterest, you can create a wedding pin board and as you are browsing sites and come across something you like, you ‘pin it’. You could create boards for each different area of your wedding planning and then friends and family can see your ideas and help with comments and opinions. The visual nature of the site makes browsing for ideas a very easy process. Have a look at my wedding Pinterest board to see the site in action.

An example of a Pinterest wedding board.

So is this going to be the ‘next big thing’ and will the ‘pin it’ button be a common sight sitting alongside the Facebook ‘Like’ and Twitter ‘Tweet’ buttons on all sites? Well if the stats from America are anything to go by the answer will be yes. Last month the site had 11.7 million unique visitors per month in the US and interest in Pinterest is growing in the UK too with many news and blogging sites discussing the benefits, flaws and potential of the pin board site. There has been one high profile user already making use of pins and pin boards with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg setting up his own set of boards covering topics such as movies, what building inspires you, overwhelmingly spectacular and for my mouth. You have to wonder though whether he is using the site for personal reasons or having a look at what a competing social media site is offering, ready to plan something similar for Facebook.

The simplicity of creating an online collage away from ‘status updates’ and ‘checking-in’ is a very simple yet enjoyable time-consuming activity. Whether it’s a pin board of your favourite bands, the best cooking recipes for beef based dishes or your portfolio of digital work from across the web, the potential of Pinterest is clear to see.

HeadRed’s social media and SEO Coventry team will be keeping an eye on Pinterest to see what, if any, benefits ‘pinning’ will have with regards to search engine optimisation over the coming weeks. So if you like it, why not try sticking a pin in it?

Ward and Rider are an experienced, Coventry-based solicitors who specialise in personal injury, divorce and employment. Based in Coventry for their entire 61 year history, the company have developed an ongoing reputation for quality and excellence and for providing individuals and their families with a legal service that they can trust.

HeadRed designed and built the new website for Ward and Rider, which was launched to the public this past month.The website provides a first class platform for all of Ward and Rider’s main service offerings and presents clear paths to relevant information to optimise the user experience.

In addition to the website, we also provide Ward and Rider with ongoing email marketing services, search engine optimisation and graphic design.

Visit the site at: http://www.wardandrider.com

This past Thursday I was a guest on BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire. I spoke as part of a feature called “Going for a Song” on the Mark Powlett show.

The feature, which runs daily on Mark’s show, connects with local businesses and in exchange for a song request asks that a member of staff leave the office early.

I talked to Mark about HeadRed’s past, present and future and decided to send James, our SEO Guru, home early for all his good work. In exchange Mark played my requested song “Mr Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra.

I must say that the show itself was great fun to be involved with. Mark and Sarah, his producer, were very welcoming and a real pleasure to talk to.

For those interested, Thursday’s show can still be found on BBC iPlayer, but hurry as I’m only on there for one more day!

Following an involved pitch process pallet distribution heavyweight, Palletline, have commissioned HeadRed as their new technology partner.

Hands were shaken on the prestigious contract earlier this year and work will begin immediately on transforming Palletline’s online presence and realising the vast potential the web can offer their business.

The unique nature of the Palletline member network provides the company with significant synergistic benefits and added value for their customers. The new website for Palletline, scheduled to be delivered in Q1 2009, will make full use of these benefits and will be seen as the benchmark against which all other pallet networks measure themselves.

In addition we will be providing ongoing support, consultancy and online marketing for Palletline in the form of email newsletters, search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC).

If Palletline wish to be seen as the market leader in the pallet distribution industry it is imperative that they be seen to use the most up-to-date technologies. HeadRed will work alongside Palletline to recommend, implement and measure the introduction of such technologies across their website, internal systems and social networks.

Palletline General Manager, Nikki Dawson, was excited about the coming together and optimistic that the relationship will bring about a significant improvement in the company’s online business:

“HeadRed is the true technology partner we have been looking for. They have already successfully integrated into the Palletline team and are making a significant contribution to our ongoing web strategy.

Working with HeadRed will enable us to create an industry leading website which will add deliver tangible benefits within a short space of time.”

Raebrooke are a specialist recruiter for the FMCG and Food Manufacturing sector. With over 15 years’ experience Raebrooke provides recruitment across all disciplines from Graduate to board level appointments.

HeadRed’s work for Raebrooke included the provision of a new corporate image, the design and development of a new vacancy-searchable website, plus ongoing SEO as well as a complementary stationery suite to ensure offline brand consistency.

For a taste of what we delivered take a look at their new website.

It was originally announced in June but has faced anti-trust objections.

Yahoo said in a statement it was disappointed that Google had decided not to fight for the deal in court. However, Google said it would not allow the prospect of a legal battle to distract it from its core mission.

Now that the Google deal has fallen through, Yahoo may find itself having to try to do another deal with Microsoft, although Microsoft has publicly said it is no longer interested.

(Source: BBC Technology News, 5/11/2008)

Exhibit 3 Sixty are an exhibition stand design and construction company with over 25 years personal experience. Their website includes comprehensive information pertaining to their full range of services, which includes the design, construction and logistics for both modular and custom exhibition stands.

Site features include an image gallery for displaying portfolio work, an online quote function where potential customers can receive a tailored estimate for their exhibition requirements, plus the integration of our highly acclaimed Content Management System (CMS) for Exhibit 3 Sixty to control all site content.

The client have also signed up to a HeadRed SEO contract for aggressively promoting the site in Google and all other major search engines.

-

CV One is a unique company in Britain, combining the twin functions of managing Coventry’s city centre and promoting the city and its surrounding Warwickshire region as an attractive place in which to invest, work, live and to visit.

Their “Create your Coventry” project is a new venture aimed at providing a real-life view of Coventry and people’s experiences within the local area. The website, which was designed and built by HeadRed, will work as an active blog for an array of Coventrians allowing them to share their own unique stories and experiences.

Furthermore, the campaign is actively seeking new subjects who are willing to join the Coventry family. If you think your stories of life in the local area are interesting and you’d like to be involved then get in touch with the Create your Coventry team now.