Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas one and all!
We're full of that good ol' Christmas spirit this month and couldn't wait to put our pressie in your inbox! Unwrap one kicking pressie from the Avatar team and indulge in a friendly head to head competition with your mates on a virtual rugby pitch. You'll be scoring like Daniel Carter in no time. Click here to play!
Have you finished playing? We've got even more goodies for you including the latest on the Google Jagger update, tips on attracting hot prospects to your site, a fabulously festive floral offer and the usual tantalising tidbits from the Net.
The Avatar gang will be hanging the holly at home from Friday 23rd December for the Christmas break, but we'll be back for business in 2006 on Monday 9th January. Until then, we wish you a fabulous Christmas and thank you for your support throughout the year.
Google Jagger Update
The engineers at Google have been working on their algorithms again. The latest update currently rolling out, 'Jagger', is not as potentially rank-shattering as the infamous Florida Update of 2003. However, Jagger reinforces the commonly-held knowledge in the search engine optimisation community that 'Get Rankings Quick' tactics are simply not going to work any more. Here's the Jagger rundown:
- Google's improved spam filter can penalise those sites which use 'spam' techniques and /or engage in link schemes designed to artificially inflate PageRank.
- Sites that have been around for longer are favoured with higher rankings - the 'here today, gone tomorrow sites' won't get close to ousting legitimate long-timers.
- Household names (Nike, iPod and Warner Brothers) will continue to dominate search engine rankings, especially those corporate conglomerates who enjoy high equity links to their own sizeable networks.
- Google is lovin' links! Links built up over time, links to a wide variety of sites, deep links to a site's internal pages - all of these factors are helping sites to move up the rankings.
There's more to come from Jagger and we'll keep you posted as this update continues to roll out. Meanwhile, make sure you're not involved in link farming or using spam techniques on your Web site. If you're focusing on developing quality content and building up legitimate links for your site, you're still going down the right path.
Targeting Hot Prospects
If you want to attract hot prospects to your Web site, in terms of optimisation you first need to identify the most useful keyword phrases for your (niche) market for coverage on your site. Rather than taking on the 'big guns' in your industry already ranking for highly competitive keyword phrases, we recommend selecting more targeted keyword phrases.
What do we mean by 'targeted keyword phrases'? Well, let's look at a typical search scenario wherein our intrepid guinea pig, 'Horatio', is looking for inexpensive, friendly accommodation in Auckland.
- Horatio enters "hotel auckland" into the Google search bar. Google finds 3,110,000 results relevant to his search in its index. Horatio decides he wants fewer sites to choose from and sites which are more specific to his needs.
- He amends his search to "hotel parnell auckland" and Google finds 145,000 results. The first sites he finds are for large hotels, but there are also listings for b&b style hotel accommodation. Horatio decides that a bed and breakfast option is much more in his price range, so he searches again.
- This time, Horatio refines his search to "b&b accommodation parnell". Google obliges by finding 58,200 results for Horatio to review. Horatio's happy with the choices presented, books his B&B and keeps his fingers crossed for good weather!
Choosing targeted keyword phrases like "b&b accommodation parnell" for optimisation is an useful tactic, especially in highly competitive online fields such as tourism, accommodation, finance and real estate where large directory sites, historically entrenched Web sites, Web sites using pervasive search engine marketing tactics or Web sites with huge resources tend to hog pole positions in the rankings. It's important to be realistic about the keyword phrases your site will rank on search engines for. Forget about taking on IBM, aim 'niche'!
Festive Flowers Offer
Order flowers from Rocket florist before midnight on the 22nd December and save 10% on the normal recommended retail price. Choose from roses, bouquets, posies and arrangements and send them to loved ones throughout New Zealand to wish them a Happy Christmas! Simply quote "Avatar Christmas Flowers Offer" in the Comments section of the order form when you place your order. (You must include this to qualify for the discount).
Sites of Interest
Here's a selection of sites we've designed and/or promoted recently...
- Fresh Fruits Company (design)
Fruit exporters Fresh Fruits operate from Auckland and specialise in exporting fruit to the Middle East, South East Asia, Indian Ocean, Europe and the Russian Far East.
- NZ Medium (promotion)
New Zealand spiritual medium and psychic clairvoyant, Karen Anderson, contacts the spirit world and offers private and email psychic readings to reconnect loved ones. Karen helps people find happiness, peace and comfort from a special spiritual connection with loved ones on the other side.
- Roundhill (design and promotion)
Lake Tekapo ski field and snowboard resort, Roundhill, offers fun for all the family in its skiing and snowboarding areas.
- Sea Change Rarotonga (design and promotion)
Luxury Rarotonga bungalow and villa accommodation, Sea Change Rarotonga, offers beachfront self-contained villas perfect for resort style vacations or honeymoons in the heart of the Cook Islands.
- Skyhouse Coastal Retreat (promotion)
A romantic treetop bed and breakfast with spa bath, Skyhouse offers sea and sunrise views from a king-sized bed over the Waitakere Coastal Rainforest and is situated just 25 minutes' drive from central Auckland and the international airport.
- The Opua House (promotion)
A luxury beach accommodation in the Bay of Islands with spectacular sea views. This private three-bedroom Bay of Islands holiday house is suitable for couples, families and groups and offers special activity and accommodation packages.
