Alex McArthur on search marketing, wordpress and anything else that comes to mind » Uncategorized http://www.alexmcarthur.com Your mom uses taglines Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 SearchMe.com – Interesting New Search Engine…Kind of http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2008/10/20/searchmecom-interesting-new-search-enginekind-of/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2008/10/20/searchmecom-interesting-new-search-enginekind-of/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:19:13 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=120 SearchMe.com has actually been out for a few months, but I just came across it.  This may have the potential to do well with the average web user.  Results are displayed in a more visible manner based of off the search type.  For example, music searches render an Itunes look and feel.  And get this…you can stream just about any song directly from the results.  Check out this William Fitzsimmons tune.  The concept may not sound that innovative, but how many legal sites can you actually stream entire songs upon request?  Google universal search could learn a few things from these guys.

Obviously for informational searches it’s no google.  Most likely this site will fall in with countless other engines popping up, but it’s worth a look. Here’s an old TechCrunch article for more info.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2008/10/20/searchmecom-interesting-new-search-enginekind-of/feed/ 0 Web2.0 Mindcloud Map http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2007/01/17/web20-mindcloud-map/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2007/01/17/web20-mindcloud-map/#comments Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:18:17 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2007/01/17/web20-mindcloud-map/ A very interesting web2.0 map. Check it out if you’d like to learn more about the 2nd generation of internet-based services.

read more | digg story

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2007/01/17/web20-mindcloud-map/feed/ 0 Remove my language toolbar for me! http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/12/06/remove-my-language-toolbar-for-me/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/12/06/remove-my-language-toolbar-for-me/#comments Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:15:59 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/12/06/remove-my-language-toolbar-for-me/ Two people have asked me to remove their microsoft language toolbar this week. So, I have to assume a lot of people have this problem.

The language toolbar is the little “?” in a small square near the clock on the startard XP desktop. Typically, even if you remove the toolbar by right clicking the taskbar and unchecking the language toolbar it returns on each reboot. Here are the steps to remove it for good:

  1. Start, Control Panel
  2. Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options and then Regional and Language Options
  3. Press Languages tab, then “Details” button
  4. Choose the Langage Bar button and then deselect Show the language bar on the desktop
  5. OK
]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/12/06/remove-my-language-toolbar-for-me/feed/ 0 Custom WordPress Templates http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/#comments Wed, 29 Nov 2006 23:11:39 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/ If you’re interested in creating a custom wordpress template for your personal or business blog you should check out this reference. It’s not an easy road, but this tutorial will put you on the right path better than any I’ve seen.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/11/29/custom-wordpress-templates/feed/ 1 Ajax Tool List http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2006 22:43:54 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/ Ajax has been a hot topic on the web for some time now. However, I haven’t seen a list of tools built with ajax that are already available.

The list is starting out small, but please let me know if you have something to add to the list.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/29/ajax-tool-list/feed/ 1 Token Blog Post http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/20/token-blog-post/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/20/token-blog-post/#comments Mon, 20 Mar 2006 22:48:02 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=40 Yes, I’m about to make the most common mistake a blogger can make…apologizing for a lack of posting. It’s been a long time since I’ve even visited this domain. I’ll be completely honest. My absense is due to complete laziness, not being overly busy.

Anyhoo…click on this image to be slightly entertained. Why can’t I resist a dare?

redneck-alex

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2006/03/20/token-blog-post/feed/ 0 I’m lost http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/16/im-lost/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/16/im-lost/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2005 23:44:16 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/16/im-lost/ Throughout my life I have enjoyed mocking those who have a tv series they just can’t miss. You know the type. In their minds everything can be related to “the show” and they plan their schedule around it.

Sadly, the mocker has become the mockee (lol…I grew up in the south so please forgive my spelling).

Lost has become the show for me. Is the story line way over the top, bordering ludicrous? Of course, but for some strange reason I enjoy it. I guess it goes back to Lord of the Flies which was one of my favorite books growing up. I’ve even reached the point of dreaming about the show.

I’ll try my best not to post about individual episodes. I just had to get that off my chest. Any other Lost fans out there?

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/16/im-lost/feed/ 1 Portal Content Organization http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2005 17:00:31 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=26 I’ve made significant progress with Utahn.com the past few days. Most of the functionality is in place. So…now it’s time to work on the content structure. Most of my contract web projects are portfolio or small business sites so I lack experience organizing larger amounts of content. I’ve done some google searchs for content organization but can’t seem to find any useful advice. I guess I’ll just have to sit down and start organizing a hierarchy in excel and go from there. I’ll post any useful links I come across on the topic later.

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/13/portal-content-organization/feed/ 0 Quote #2 http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/07/quote-2/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/07/quote-2/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2005 04:52:06 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/07/quote-2/ Truth is an absolute which exists independent of perception.

- James Loveland, founder & former CEO of Xactware

]]> http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/12/07/quote-2/feed/ 0 Need to bump your search engine results? http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/11/21/need-to-bump-your-search-engine-results/ http://www.alexmcarthur.com/2005/11/21/need-to-bump-your-search-engine-results/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:19:22 +0000 Alex McArthur http://www.alexmcarthur.com/?p=14 Search engine marketing has continued to be a hot topic over the past few years and won’t be slowing anytime soon. I come across tips and discussions constantly on page rank, reciprocal links, and back link strategies. What does it all mean and what should be given precedence?

SEO Misunderstandings

  1. I’ve improved my search engine results and now I can call it a day. Wrong. If you are committed to remaining at the top it is a never ending process. Internet marketing practices must be ever present in your plans for a successful online presence. This means monies should be allocated to your businesses budget and resources/employees assigned to the task.
  2. I can work the system with unapproved techniques. Wrong again. Yes, I’ll admit there are some minds out there that are able to crack the system successfully. You, however, are not one of them. You may be bright. You may even know of a proven black hat technique, but is it really worth it? Your business ethics will reflect upon your continued success and scars are very difficult to remove. Also, the threat of being banned from search engines altogether is real. Just stay away from link farms, spamming, etc.

Practical SEO Techniques

  1. What are the search engine results above you doing to stay ahead? Take a look at the source code of your competitors. Do they have specifice keywords spread more prevalently through their content? How many link backs do they have compared to your site? This research is extremely valuable as they are doing something more effectively than you.
  2. Submit to every directory you come across.
  3. Place your link on websites found in the same category of search engine directories.
  4. Choose your domain name wisely. This actually does not pull as much weight as many think so don’t stress too heavily. Your content and back links are much more important.
  5. Add fresh content frequently. This is key to your positioning. Update news on your industry or new clients. You get the idea.
  6. Don’t give up. Your results will improve with your continued effort.

Contact MidScape in the Utah area if you are looking for professional SEM services. Sorry, I’m forced to solicit our services at any opportunity. The SiteManagement package includes search engine marketing management.

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