Ever wonder what search engines pick up on those pay per click programs? In no specific order, Google, Yahoo, Bing and Baidu fall in the category of the most widely used search engines in the world. From multipurpose search engines, to industry-specific ones, each of these search engines share an abundance of information to its users.

The table below shows two different types of platforms being used to utilize search engines and the percentage of people who use them.

The image above, from Net Market Share shows the desktop search engine share, representing the same information as the table. When looking at a chart versus numbers on a table makes you can see how big of a difference there truly is between Google and rest of the search engines.

It’s not surprising Google has a more widely used percentage rate than any of the other search engines in the list. According to Net Market Share Google, Baidu, Yahoo and Bing are the top four used search engines, but what about the other search engines? Where do they fit in? Behind Bing, lies Ask-Global, AOL-Global, Excite-Global and Lycos-Global; all search engines with a small usage percentage rate. Not many of you can say you have used the lower ranked search engines more than the higher ranked ones, can you?

Google has the largest search distribution, the largest ad network and the most efficient search feature, which makes them the leading search engine today. While it doesn’t offer all the shopping center features like other search engines, Google is fast, relevant and is most widely used search engine. Google has outstanding features that are used on a daily basis from thousands of Google’s daily users.

To learn about search engine rankings contact The Net Impact at www.thenetimpact.com

Integrating Your Website With Social Media Exposes Your Brand to the Masses

Just a year ago, it was unheard of to combine microsites with social media to get your message out to current clients and potential customers in a more effective and cost-efficient way. What respectable business had a Facebook site and who in the world tweeted?  But, 2009′s explosion of social media has generated many techniques to create dialogue and receive feedback in  ways never before imagined.  Yes, your firm can Facebook and tweet in a professional and productive manner.

In this generation of user-generated content, companies are realizing they cannot only expect consumers to find them through the major search engines. While this is still fundamental and a website functions as a primary means to entice the consumer to “meet” the company, many businesses have also invested time in using social media networks to go directly to where their consumers “meet”. Especially in today’s economy when many companies are looking to cut back on their marketing budgets, the low cost of creating a social media site to establish an online brand presence and generate leads is a quick, inexpensive and effective solution.

So does the growing popularity of social media sites kill the need for a website? ….We don’t think so.

An effective marketing strategy integrates your website with a variety of media approaches, social media networks being an important piece of this puzzle. The benefits of having a company website are endless, and websites are a marketing tool that social media sites simply cannot match. The real time attribute of a social media site occurs when a social media profile is viewed as a tool to enhance a website. Updating your company’s web page and your social media profiles at the same time, can produce links with indefinite visibility, which in return has the potential to increase overall traffic and conversion to your site. Social media sites can also enhance the visual appeal and overall feel of your website by providing a more interactive experience for visitors. By incorporating social media features, such as YouTube videos or blogs, into your website, you can create your own brand focused community that allows for user generated content.

Think of social networks as a friendly gateway to your company website or microsite. Seeding your site with social networks spreads content far and wide through search engines, as well as through contacts who are already a part of your social networking communities – places where rapport has already been established. People tend to share their experiences, good or bad, with their social networking communities – people they have built a connection with. So find out where your audience’s conversations are taking place and establish a strong presence. When social media sites are operated effectively they have the power to steer your audience to your website, resonate with your visitors, humanize your brand and deliver content to the masses in the click of a mouse.

Social media sites function to grab your visitor’s attention and leave them wanting to come to your site to learn more; so, make your messages intriguing, your profile informative and the look of your social media site attractive. Every photo you put up on Facebook, every message mashed into 140 words on Twitter and every story-telling video posted on YouTube reflects your company’s image and message, and may just be the “link” that drives the next big business deal to your website.

• The King and Prince Resort
• Retrowonders
• Artistic Sensations

The Net Impact can help you incorporate social  media into a creative and well-designed marketing campaign which encompasses the planning, listening, understanding, engaging and monitoring of your company’s social media accounts.

We understand that in this economy, many companies are cutting back on their marketing efforts. Contact The Net Impact to learn how we can help you expose your brand without breaking your budget!