SnapHawk Blog

Do “123456”, “abc123”, and “Qwerty” look familiar to you? That’s probably because they are some of the most popular passwords around. If you’re like most people, then these examples or some variation of them may have been one of passwords at some point. Because we’re living in the age of awesome, but sometimes frustrating technology, a lot of our personal data is stored on the Internet, which makes us all potentially vulnerable if personal data were to fall into the wrong hands.

With all the recent hackings in the news, it’s imperative that you secure your personal and business accounts to the fullest extent. We here at SnapHawk always try to inspire tech awesomeness and marketing savvy so the following are some helpful tips that should amp up your security and let you continue managing your Internet marketing campaign, business, and overall lifestyle smoothly.

As with all social media sites there is a learning curve with Twitter. The vast amount of information on the web created to help guide you can be overwhelming and go into more detail than you ever cared to read. I have compiled some of the best pieces of advice I have seen out there on the “proper” way to use Twitter to create a quick and simple list of tips for getting started or improving your Twitter experience.

Before you dive in, take some time to look at other business’s Tweets and profiles. That way you can see for yourself what works and what does not.

Thanks to the Internet, people who never fancied themselves writers (or moreover, have no proper training in the subject) find themselves behind the wheel of major publishing tools like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Whether or not “citizen journalists,” as they’re often called in the media world, are “real journalists” is a debate better left to the annals of academia. The bottom line is the Internet allows anyone to be a published author. Furthermore, many businesses are feeling the pressure to launch blogs on their websites in order to incorporate more SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords.

1. Know What You Don't Know

Let’s face it, when you’re running a business, you don’t always have time to read up on current industry news. With purchase orders, payroll, and clients to deal with on a daily basis, only the biggest innovations and findings make their way onto your radar, but the Web is riddled with blogs that make your industry news its top priority. They are in the business of knowing what you don’t even know you don’t know. No one will ever know everything about their particular industry, but taking the time to figure out what you don’t know will ensure that your blogs are not misleading or out of date. Take an hour and become familiar with resources that will help you sort through the vast amounts of information out there. A quick search will reveal helpful “top 50” lists for the best blogs pertaining to your specific interests. Make sure to include a few small business blogs in this mix.

Google has rolled out a new preview function for organic search results which allows users to view a portion of the landing page without actually visiting the website; they simply need to click the magnifying glass icon next to the search link.  The preview tool highlights text related to the user’s search input, making it easier for a user to quickly compare search results and decide which page looks most useful. The new feature will undoubtedly affect website traffic, but whether for better or worse is a matter of debate.

One of the crucial fundamentals to Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is implementing an effective strategy for optimizing your keywords.  An effective keyword strategy will help your Web site appear near the top of the results page when your potential customers are searching for a product or service that you can provide.  Here are five basic keyword strategies that will have a huge impact in helping potential customers find your Web site when they need to.

1)    Use Google’s Keyword Tool. This tool allows you to analyze competition and get an idea of the cost-per-click (CPC).  It also gives you the opportunity to find highly-searched keywords or phrases that have little competition.

If you need an example of how to perfectly integrate social media and viral marketing into your business’s marketing campaign, look no further than Old Spice.  If you haven’t seen the new hilarious Old Spice Body Wash commercials, you should check them out right now.

What’s most impressive about the campaign isn’t how humorous or unique its ads are, but rather how quickly it generated huge viral buzz stemming from Old Spice going out of its way to interact with fans all over the Internet.  On July 14, Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice guy himself, replied to comments and questions on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks via personalized YouTube videos.  Within 24 hours there were 181 reply videos posted on YouTube, producing over 6 million views.

You could have the best Web site in the world, but if people can’t find it, no one will see it.  The art of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves tweaking your site so search engines like Google display yours higher than others on the results page, making consumers more likely to go to your page.  One of Google’s best kept secrets is how exactly they determine which pages get displayed first, but certain proven changes will undoubtedly help your site.  Below are five guidelines to begin optimizing your webpage.