Will Your Business Website Marketing Plan need a Favicon?

Do you have a favicon?

If you’re like most people, you may be scratching your head, just trying to figure out how to pronounce favicon, never mind actually having one.

So first of all, “favicon” is a jamming-together of the words “favorite” and “icon,” and it’s pronounced “fav-eye-con.” It’s the tiny icon that appears right before the “http” address in most modern Web browsers. Favicons also appear in browser tabs and in a Web browser’s bookmarks, hence the significance “favorite” in the word. Their use in business Website marketing so far has been slight. But that could change soon.

Google has experimented with a few favicons. Go to most Google pages now and you’ll see a lowercase “g” surrounded by blue, red, green and yellow blobs. Go to CNN’s Website, and you’ll see a simple favicon containing CNN’s famous red letter logo.

Even though they’re pretty small, most business Website marketing experts notice the branding opportunities in favicons. A small, compact icon that’s always next to your Web address is a great way to give people something visual. The favicon also makes it easier for visitors to distinguish and remember your Website.

But why are we talking about favicons for business Website marketing now?

Because it looks like Google is experimenting with including favicons in their search results. As with most new Google features, right now only a random few have reported seeing these, so it looks the feature is still in the testing stages.

Right now, business Website marketing experts may tell you that a favicon provides a nice, professional flourish to a Website. But if you don’t have one, it’s not exactly something to lose sleep over. That could change if favicons start appearing in Google’s search results. In order for your Website to stand out, favicons will be necessary.

This also raises some interesting questions for business Website marketing professionals. Will the search results pages look cluttered with too many little icons? And what about favicons for Google AdWords that appear on search results pages?

 

Sign up for Search Engine Optimization Program to Increase Online Sales in 2009

The surveys are in! According to BtoB Magazine’s survey 2009 Marketing Priorities and Plans, nearly 70 percent of spending in 2009 will be done online. What does this mean for your business? Have you implemented a search engine optimization program yet? If not, you’re going to be working harder for less productivity. Search Circus has a search engine optimization program that will fit your budget and needs.

A search engine optimization program is the best type of guarantee that more people will find your business rather than your competitor.

The survey asked marketers in what ways they will likely spend more in the upcoming year. These are the results:

• Nearly a tie between email marketing (68%) and Web site development (66%)
• Search (50%), online video (46%) and social media (46%)
• Other places include Webcasts (42%) banners (30%) and sponsorships (25%)
• Traditional media will also increase spending in 2009 through direct mail (36%), events (31%), telemarketing (21%) and print (20%)

However, without a doubt, starting a search engine optimization program now, will garner more sales over your competitors and traditional media marketing. Contact the SEO specialists at SearchCircus.com today, to get ahead of your competition with a search engine optimization program!

Could the Latest Internet Advertising Figure Signal Changes for the Big 3 Search Engines?

According to the online marketing intelligence group AdGooroo, there were major gains in Internet advertising search during the fourth quarter of 2008 over 2007. The last quarter of 2008 turned out to be the strongest ever for both Google and Microsoft Live Search.

As can be expected, Google led Internet advertising growth with first-page advertiser growth of 58%, with Live Search growing an impressive 42%. Yahoo made Internet advertising gains as well, but the mere 8.8% is indicative of the troubled company’s precarious position among online search’s Big 3.

There was more Internet advertising bad news for Yahoo, as their lead over Microsoft in advertiser share narrowed severely, from 18% in quarter three to only 3% in quarter four. (Yahoo now has 19.4% to Microsoft’s 16.4%).

So what does this mean for Yahoo? Despite the breakdown in talks last May between Microsoft and Yahoo, rumors are still flying in financial circles that the the software giant is still contemplating a takeover of the fledgling Internet company.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, after denying that the two companies had resumed talks, added that “Together we would have more advertisers….which means we’d have more relevant ads on our page. We’d have higher monetization levels possible in front of us because there would be more people bidding on more key words. Most importantly, Google would have perhaps a real credible competitor sooner.”

It’s that quote that’s keeping people guessing. Will 2009 see the Big 3 of Internet advertising and search become the Big 2?