Feel a little lost when online marketers or web designers start to talk? All that Geek-Speak explained….

SERP – Search Engine Results Page – the page that is brought back to you after you have hit ‘Search’ on Google or other search engines.

Above the fold – what you can see on a monitor without having to scroll down.  It is a reference to newspapers that are delivered folded in half with the logic being that the articles or ads that appear on the page facing you – above the fold – will get more attention.  It works the same online – whatever you can see on a website or a Search Engine Results Page that is ‘above the fold’ is more likely to be read.

Below the fold – the information you can see when you scroll down a page.

SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – working to improve your ranking in search engines, eg Google

SEM - Search Engine Marketing – advertising on search engines – these are the Sponsored Links you see at the top of a search on Google.  The advertiser pays each time someone clicks on the link, sometimes referred to as Pay Per Click (PPC) or Cost Per Click (CPC).  It works on the logic of being more successful if you are ‘above the fold’.  This is the only way to guarantee your spot in a search engine as the results below this are ‘organic’. Google uses a bidding system to allocate the spots – highest bidder wins the spot.  We will write a blog soon on the benefits or downfalls of SEM vs SEO.

Organic Search – This is the result in a search engine that is below the SEM or Sponsored Link section. Pages appear based on their relevance to the query.  You cannot guarantee your position in an organic search, however there are techniques to improve your chances – this is SEO

Search Engine – a database of information contained on the World Wide Web.  They have highly developed algorithms that sort the mass of data online and organise it so you can find what you are looking for with a simple search.  It works a bit like an old library catalogue system – all websites are allocated keywords that reflect what is contained within them and then filed accordingly.  When you type a query in the search engine it connects your words with all the websites that have been tagged as relevant. Despite many people referring to this as ‘Googling’ – Google is only one of many search engines. Others include Bing (Microsoft’s attempt to compete); Yahoo!; altavista; Live Search; cuil.

SMO – Social Media Optimisation – whilst this method does tend to improve your ranking in search engines, its primary focus is on developing inbound customers through word of mouth referrals online and social bookmarking.  It requires a consistent approach of offering unique content to keep your network interested.

Social Bookmarking – a way of organising, sharing and referring online resources. Users ‘tag’ sites or pages that interest them, sometimes adding comments, descriptions or ratings so those in their network can view them. A user friendly example of this is Stumbleupon.com (for more details on this site please refer to our previous blog).  A site that has been bookmarked a lot is more likely to be found by new users, although doing it yourself for the sake of ‘optimising’ is considered spamming and can work against you.

Spamming – using online methods to send unsolicited messages to consumers.  It can refer to email spam, search engine spam, blog spam, mobile phone messaging spam, forum spam, social networking spam.  It is illegal and down-right annoying.  Be considerate about the way you get your business message out there.

Blogs – (short for Web Log) a website or page within a website that offers regularly updated articles.  People use it to educate, offer opinions, promote events or share photos and videos.  There should always be a section for readers to leave comments so that it becomes a conversation rather than just a static article.

Blogosphere – the collective term for the ‘community’ of blogs on the Internet

Forums – this is a bulletin board online.  A place where users can post messages and communicate with each other on a common interest.

RSS – Really Simple Syndication – a way of standardising the format that information is presented to you and receiving updates in one place.  When you subscribe to RSS feeds it means whenever new content is published it will be aggregated (gathered together) and presented to you in one location.  This saves you time so you don’t have to trawl through several websites to read blogs or find new releases.  Many people opt to receive these updates in their email system.

ORM – Online Reputation Management – this is public relations online.  As the internet allows anyone to comment on anything – businesses need to be aware of the possibility of being criticised. ORM is the practice of monitoring everything said about your brand online and responding to negative comments whilst promoting positive comments.  Companies that do this effectively create an image of caring about their customer service and being engaged in their community.

OPM – Online Presence Management (or IPM – Internet Presence Management) – this is different from ORM, as it is managing the way your business appears online.  It does incorporate managing your reputation; however it involves a lot more.  This service encompasses creating content that is keyword rich, posting it to online business directories, developing and maintaining a social media strategy, building a presence in blog sites and forums, email marketing, newsletter marketing and search engine marketing.  The aim is to establish yourself as the Expert in your Field.  It can also be described as Inbound Marketing – making customers come to you rather than you trying to find them.

Content (web content) – the information contained on a website including text, images, sounds, applications & videos

UGC – User Generated Content (or UCC – User Created Content; CGM – Consumer Generated Content) this refers to any content that has been posted by the general public.  This includes forums, reviews on directory listings, comments on blogs etc.  It is a key characteristic of Web 2.0 as it offers the chance to create conversations with consumers, rather than just the one-way method of placing an ad and hoping it gets noticed.  It should be encouraged as it has the potential to create great word of mouth marketing and it is highly ranked by search engines.  You can say whatever you want about your own business, but what your customers say is probably more relevant.

Web 2.0 – refers to the change in the internet from passive websites to the interactive applications we now have, allowing people to share photos, videos, comments, wikis, blogs etc.

Wiki – sites that allow users to create and edit content, becoming a collaborative community of information.  Such an example is Wikipedia which is a non-profit, free encyclopaedia containing articles written by the public. It is moderated to ensure the information is verified and neutral.  It is a fantastic resource and much of this article was researched there. www.wikipedia.org

So now that you know what it all means – it is time to get involved.  The internet has endless opportunities for businesses to promote themselves and build a strong customer base.  It is free though admittedly it is also time consuming.  If you would like help with building your online presence contact WebCrumbs for a FREE appraisal of your business.  We will Lead Customers to your Door… www.webcrumbs.com.au

Image from Blueju MisterClic