Online Marketing & Gamification by Design

Dec 21, 2011

How Important is Marketing Gamification to a Robust Online Marketing Plan?

The following is an interview with Gabe Zichermann, author of the new book Gamification by Design. Every marketer needs to stay on top of trends. Gamification is a trend in web and mobile design that is big and getting bigger. My sincere thanks to Gabe for the opportunity to conduct this interview.

Mark McLaren: When I first read the title of your book, Gamification by Design, my reaction was, “Won’t be reading that!” I associated it with online games, “gamers”, massively multiplayer online games. I don’t know. Video games are not my thing. So I thought I wouldn’t be able to relate. But I clearly didn’t know what the word “gamification” meant! Do you have a short and sweet statement for people who think you are talking about gaming or video games or something only kids know about? The importance of gamification for marketers and business decision-makers is hard to overstate.

Gabe Zichermann: The definition I use to help folks better understand the term is this – Gamification is the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage audiences and solve problems. We’re not talking about solving the next puzzle or level in a video game, but solving real world problems like how to keep employees engaged and motivated, how to keep customers coming back to your website, and more.
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Is a Listing in Yahoo Directory a Valuable Link? Yes. Worth the Cost? It Depends

Nov 7, 2011

Yahoo Directory - Should you pay to list your site here?

One way to improve your site’s search engine optimization is to submit it to online directories. Some directories are more respected than others. One of the most widely respected online directories is Yahoo. Should you pay $300 – $450 a year to list your website in the Yahoo Directory? Probably not. Continue reading

Using Footer Links for Search Engine Optimization

Oct 27, 2011

Example of Footer Links on McBuzz.com: an easy way to boost Search Engine Opimization

Can you use links in the footer of your website to improve search engine rankings? If those footer links go to internal pages on your own website, the answer is absolutely yes.

I have read on some SEO sites that footer links are not as helpful to SEO as they once were. Continue reading

How to Exclude Internal Visits/Visitors from Google Analytics Reports Using Asynchronous Code

Aug 16, 2011

As a Goolge Analytics Consultant, McBuzz helps clients learn about traffic on their website so they can improve visitors’ experience and generate more leads and sales. If you have a website, you should be using Google Analytics to track visitors on your site. But you don’t need to track your own visits to the site, nor do you want to track visits made by other people in your company, or by your clients if you are a webmaster or online marketing consultant.

EXCLUDING INTERNAL TRAFFIC FROM GOOGLE ANALYTICS REPORTS

All these visits are called “internal traffic”: visits made by you or by people who work for the company that owns the website. Data from these visits will skew the results that you really want to see. You want to track visits made by customers and potential customers.

There are a number of ways to exclude internal traffic from Google Analytics reports. Continued… Continue reading

Add Social Media Buttons to Your WordPress Website

Jul 8, 2011

A reader just asked about How to Add Social Media Buttons to a WordPress Website. The Google+1 and Facebook “Like” button are important ways to gain visibility for your blog, your brand and your business. Although it’s still fairly new, Google+1 looks like it could become an important factor for sharing and, just as important, for ranking in search results. So it’s a good idea to get on board. Continue reading

Is Search Engine Optimization a Science? Yes. Here’s Proof that SEO is a Science, Not a Dark Art

Jun 3, 2011

Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) an art or a science? Or is it neither? Although it’s as old as the Internet itself, SEO is still misunderstood by many folks, even those who know a lot about the Internet and Online Communications. [...] Continue reading

Online Marketing & Good UI Design: Why the Blog Archives Widget is Worthless

May 27, 2011

If you have a blog and you have an “Archives” Widget in your sidebar, take a minute to ask yourself, “Why is this here?” More than likely, the answer is that is was there by default or you or your webmaster put it there because you need to have something in the sidebar and you have seen other blogs with an Archives menu so you thought you would follow suit. [...] Continue reading

What is a Pingback and Why Should I Care? (Search Marketing 101)

Mar 28, 2011

What’s the definition of a pingback? Pingbacks are notifications you get from WordPress (and other similar blogging platforms) when someone links to a post on your blog.

Pingbacks and trackbacks (another form of linking between blogs) are important to search marketing because although many businesses use, or want to use, their blog for online marketing purposes, they usually have no Continue reading

Search Engine Optimization 101 – How to Choose Keywords: A Lesson from the Bayer Aspirin Marketing Team

Feb 10, 2011

Successful online marketers understand the need to talk about their products in terms customers recognize and respond to.

Choosing good keywords is hard – no matter what size your business is. Sometimes it’s a challenge to get my clients to see the importance of using language in their marketing materials – including their website – that they themselves wouldn’t necessarily use to talk about their products or services.

Sometimes C-level executives don’t like using words they feel have Continue reading

WordPress Q&A: More Answers to WordPress Questions

Oct 4, 2010

Questions about WordPress websites or blogs? They may already have been answered. Check the earlier posts “Questions About WordPress? Ask Them Here!” and “More WordPress Questions?” There are over 160 comments, questions and replies there.

Otherwise, just post your WordPress question in the comments below, and we will respond. The cost? FREE!

P.S. If you’re into WordPress, follow Mark McLaren on Twitter for free tips and howto’s. And if you are in Seattle, check out the Seattle WordPress Meetup on Meetup.com.

Please note that McBuzz Communications, the McBuzz.com website and Mark McLaren are not affiliated with Automattic (parent company of WordPress) or WordPress.com.