Are you too winking at a girl in dark?
When it comes to talk about advertising I remember Steuart Henderson Britt saying: 
“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.”
Importance of advertising in this tough competitive market is more than obvious (You hate to hear it repeated, I know.) Here, I wish to discuss whether you can improve PageRank by advertising.
Innumerable methods are at your disposal to promote your blog – some are free methods (you know how hard it is to get) and some paid ones (they love your money in their pocket!) Similarly you can use various media to shout out your blog targeting suitable audience. If you are looking for some free methods Charles Nixon wrote a nice post (5 Steps to Increase your Google Page Rank) Money can buy you following options:
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Advertising through popular networks such as Adwords, Bidvertiser, Yahoo etc
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Facebook is emerging as one of the most attractive platform to target demographically
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Buy banners on some sites – BuysellAds and some other really work great for you
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Place Text Links on related good PR websites and blogs
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Purchase some sponsored posts and reviews on some good blogs
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Publish Ads in magazines and newspapers – they work, I bet!
Can you remember some more methods to advertise your blog?
Adwords and the like
The online giant Google is behind Adwords. You have seen ‘Ads by Google’ everywhere in the world. You can start an Adwords campaign if you wish to place your blog Ads in those spots. Google publishes these Ads through its Adsense program where publishers participate for revenue.
AdBrite, Bidvertiser, InfoLinks, Chitika, Exit Junction, Clicksor, AdToll, Yahoo Publisher Network, Target Point, Fastclick and some more provide you similar services to advertise your blog among online communities. Please refer to the list of 350 websites to earn money online (http://money-earn.info/amazing-free-list-350-websites-to-earn-money-online/)
Facebook is emerging
After it got a base of over 400 million users, Facebook is growing more prominent ground for the Advertisers to reach the prospective audiences. The additional charm of Facebook Advertising comes from the fact that you can target audience by a certain age group or geographical region or interest etc., etc.
Banner Advertisements
Google and other Ad networks serve Image Ads and Banner Ads. But here I intend to point to BuySellAds, ADVERTISESPACE and the like. They help you find suitable sites to show your ads. Why not to come a little front and ask for banner Ads with blog owners directly?
Text Links Are More Effective
Its not always flashy images and blended Ads that attract the visitors! You may find text links equally effective to spread your word and send travvic to your blog. This silent and gentle advertising method can prove more useful if it servs ‘dofollow’ link pointing to your blog. Infolinks, Kontera including Adwords Link Units and many others may help you for this.
Sponsored Posts and Reviews
These Ads can be very effective to drag immediate attention and traffic to improve your blog recognition, should you got them in right blogs and websites. If a blog has a larger reader community, you will get an immediate attention. Now its your turn to perform – convert as many! (hope you’re not converting the money in their pocket?)
Magazines and NewsPapers
The ‘web eggs’ hardly think out from where electrons flow. If the topic of your blog is related and when you find your audience among magazine and newspaper readers, why not to go for some advertisement there. After all a seller goes where the crowd is. It might be bit costly but some cheaper solutions might exist (classified?). I saw every other day the ads of OnlineJobsNepal in classified section of national daily newspaper. The web address of this site is now printed in my brain.
How Advertising Improves PageRank?
Dared to wink at a girl in mid-day sunlight. What was the purpose? Did you intend more traffic and sales or improve in PageRank or Search Engine Result Page (SERP)?
Advertisements are bridge to reach prospective buyers and sell your product to increase business. If you improved your Search Engine Ranking or PageRank through Advertisements, this meant more organic traffic to your blog! (Congratulations!) Increased traffic cause more activity and results in more business. But beware! Every advertising methods won’t help you to improve PageRank.
Google determines ‘PageRank’ counting the links on other sites in world that point to your blog. Every link do not have equal value. Back links are considered to have more value if they are from high PR, well reputed blogs whose content is somehow related. These links should not be served through JavaScript and must be ‘nofollow’ free. Search Engines can’t see the content if it is produced by JavaScript and Google ignores the links marked ‘nofollow’. So, if you are running a campaign with an intention to increase PageRank, many of the popular Ad Networks can’t help you. Most of them including Adsense, Advertiser, Bidvertiser, Infolinks, Kontera serve the Ads through JavaScript and they are pretty good just to get some traffic. They are useless to count for back links.
Check if the sponsored links in a website are marked ‘nofollow’. If it is so, you winked a wrong girl. She is impressed, and now what will you do? (Run away? Most Probably!)
Incoming search terms:
winking, steuart henderson britt, seo Enter YourName@YourKeywords, yourname@yourkeywords, doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark, Enter YourName@YourKeywords in the Name field to take advantage, stuart henderson britt, keyword Enter YourName@YourKeywords in the Name field to take advantage, man winking, keyword yourname@yourkeyword
Twitter: webmaster_serve
21 September 2010 at 12:42 pm Permalink
An advertisement on a related site should increase a site page rank. It should direct users to the site ie more traffic and of course a link as a vote for the site.
Biodun @ UK ecommerce forum recently posted..hi just arrive
Twitter: eblogcamp
27 September 2010 at 10:59 pm Permalink
But how many links should be enough for your to increase site PR. Remember that those links are nofollow so they don’t basically pass any link juice to you.
I don’t think ads will increase the position on SERP either. It’s because ad campaign tends to be a short-term project. Once your ads are taken down, you lose all the links. Speaking about cost perspective, it’s not the economical way to build links either.
But I agree that it can draw you some traffic.
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Twitter: icttrends
27 September 2010 at 11:38 pm Permalink
Biodun might mean for text link advertising that offer nofollow-free back link. Otherwise, advertising are meant only for traffic and brand recognition.
Thanks Mike and Biodun for input.
Suresh Khanal recently posted..3 Awesome Video Tutorial Sites for Bloggers
If you asked me, HOW you advertise is also important. If you want to build a brand vs. just get sales, visibility is key. This can be a bit more expensive though as you would probably have to pay a higher premium for space that is more visible. Also, permanent links are key! AdWords is very good as it not only gives you a presence on the search engine’s online space, but makes google aware of your site. Get’s the crawling…
Twitter: icttrends
26 October 2010 at 7:26 am Permalink
Yes, the interest of advertiser might be different and one method might be better than other when you intend to achieve one or the other target. Building brand recognition will take more time and cost.
I personally think some methods are better, and more effective than others. Some may also generate more return with less work. It is like offline marketing..
Twitter: seommotips
22 September 2011 at 6:59 pm Permalink
That’s true Jennifer. Thank you for the comment.
Good point about winking
I totally agree with you, but I must say that everyone who decides to plunge into buying ads should remember that advertising management is both art and science. If you simply register at Adwords and start paying for ads you made in one minute, chanves are it’s not gonna pay you back. You’ll end up like that dude on the picture who has to pay rent to his mother next week.
Anyways, good point here. But there’s more to learn about PPC.
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Twitter: icttrends
30 October 2010 at 6:43 pm Permalink
I love you say that Greg, its an art and science. I agree, there is more to learn.
Although, most people consider using adwords one of the best effective tool for driving traffic and making good conversion, only a handful of sites actually convert well. A huge many sites I have seen in the last couple of years not only have a terrible landing page, their call to action is not properly displayed to their visitors.
That said, I still believe that link ads are still the best form of advertising.
–
Helen
Twitter: seommotips
8 November 2010 at 6:41 pm Permalink
I agree Helen with your arguments. More and more people will complain about Adwords. I guess advertisers will get more attraction towards Facebook Ads in coming days as it is more targeted. What I’m interested to see is how Facebook uses the web to harvest its potentials.
I firmly believe that it is extremely important for you to choose the proper platform while advertising in order that it actually works. Link ads and banner ads can both prove as an effective means of advertising but links ads should be preferred because it is a lot cheaper and somehow gets clicked more times than a banner ad.
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Twitter: seommotips
11 November 2010 at 6:18 am Permalink
As a publisher I find link ads are paying better and higher click through. Visitors are already ad blinded for banners
. Advertisers happy to pay more if the links go ‘nofollow free’.
The quote is awesome! You’ve got a big big point there. If you really want to make your business known you must advertise it at all cost. That’s why we have SEO. Well, all of the tips were discussed very clear. It’s enough, thanks for sharing.
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Twitter: seommotips
11 November 2010 at 6:19 am Permalink
Thank you ……. (Please use your name@keyword, I have keywordLuv enabled) for the comment. I appreciate.
It also really helps if you have lots of friends with blogs..especially if their blogs are related to what you offer!
Laura@Laptop Bags for Women recently posted..Laptop Bags for Women
Twitter: seommotips
17 November 2010 at 11:50 am Permalink
That’s true Laura, blogs are unbelievably effective on promoting your products. Thank you for commenting.
If you want to try Adwords, check with your web host. A lot of them give out $100 coupons.
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Twitter: seommotips
21 November 2010 at 7:18 am Permalink
You are correct Hunter, my webhost too offers $100 credit to use Adwords, but it says its only for US and Canada members. I’m not from there
Twitter: mrdanielrose
31 December 2010 at 7:20 am Permalink
I think I might have missed the point a little in this post. I’m thinking from a backlink building point of view, which you alluded to, but did you mention what services that did work with? You definately mentioned the ones that it didn’t…
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Twitter: ClubnetSEM
12 January 2011 at 7:26 pm Permalink
There can be SEO benefits from advertising, albeit potentially short term. Even if it is an image advertisement.
It is beyond me why PageRank is still being mentioned, why are people still bothering to ask how many links required to increase PR. Toolbar PR hasn’t been updated since April, there is no other way of knowing what value PR Google places on a webpage currently. Often a lesser value PR can out-rank a higher one, PR has it’s uses but many people perceive it in the incorrect way.
Geoff@Plymouth SEO recently posted..Bedszone
Buying banners and such when you’re new to business can be a pretty hard task. Not everyone can afford it you know.
That is exactly why I suggest SEO. It is, if you’re doing it right, free – and it works like magic! I recommend it to everyone.
And while you’re at it – build relationships for gods sake!
/Nab.
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The title of Stuart Henderson Britt’s 1978 book is heavy: Psychological Principles of Marketing and Consumer Behavior. And its content, clearly directed at an academic audience, is heavier still. Indeed, Britt was one of the pioneers who explored in-depth the “why” behind how consumers behave, which, of course, in turn has had a profound influence on how advertising and marketing has been done over the last 30 years.
But sometimes buried in all of that heavy-duty academia-speak is a gem of clear-sighted practicality like this: “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.”
Bluish @ Essen Hotels recently posted..Hotel Landhaus Knappmann Essen
I don’t think spending money on banners and adwords is good when you’re starting off in business. It’s worth looking around to see what works for others and apply similar strategy rather than going blindly and wasting money on ads that won’t give you any returns.
Nice post BTW
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Very nice and want knw more about this article ..I really enjoyed reading it..plz keep updating..
by
Winworld Exports
Great write-up, it’s always a good idea to diversify. You need to advertise and promote your site through many different mediums – don’t put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak.
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Twitter: givejonadollar
23 February 2011 at 8:53 am Permalink
Ha. “Like winking at a girl in the dark”. So true!
The promotional part of all of this is what will kill most bloggers. If writing and maintaining the website isn’t enough, just wait until they get into the promotional side of things. It’s a lot of work!
givejonadollar recently posted..In Pursuit of the Woman – Part 2 – The Inability to Love Freely
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4 March 2011 at 9:27 pm Permalink
Many people I know say PR isn’t useful anymore, that it has no value. I can’t agree with that
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Thanks Suresh
through banners we can easily bring more traffic or customers bcoz every one can see such changes even at road signals or using at web …this technique really works
Twitter: seommotips
9 March 2011 at 5:15 am Permalink
That’s true Bilal. But you always need to confirm if you are not winking at dark. Kimi talked in here recent post how she lost $100 in a day applying Adwords when she had nothing to sell on her blog, neither she had any ads displaying on pages.
If we don’t promote properly, is winking but in dark, and if we could not select correct method, this too would be winking in dark. Life runs in balance, isn’t it?
Twitter: rfcamat
23 March 2011 at 12:45 pm Permalink
I believe that ads can increase traffic but not necessarily increase your PageRank.
Twitter: seommotips
23 March 2011 at 3:22 pm Permalink
You are very true, but if you get some advertising where the Ads are not served through Javascript, might help you in ranking too!
Twitter: http://www.wonderlic.com/shop-need/hiring
18 April 2011 at 8:36 pm Permalink
Building up your link from relevant sites I think is still the best way to improve not only PR but also rankings in the SERP’s. Focus on building quality natural looking links that may since for linking purposes as opposed to easy low hanging spammy links.
This is great article about increasing the PR but still i think the focus should be one way links and solid content well optimized with popular relevant keyword but the tips you have shown i don’t think best if there is no budget to buy links and for free these are looking difficult to fulfill
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Twitter: makemoneyblogs1
5 June 2011 at 3:09 pm Permalink
Forum commenting is another big factor on advertising especially forums in the same niche as your own
Twitter: seommotips
6 June 2011 at 5:49 am Permalink
That’s true. I agree.
Great post. It looks that you have worked very hard in making such a eye opener in SEO practices
Good article about advertising, your ideas is very cute and I think this post is very important to everyone who doing business. I like this post and your examples are good.
Twitter: abhijitseo
8 August 2011 at 2:02 pm Permalink
Hi Suresh,
Interesting topic my friend. You covered almost all advertising media. That’s good.
One can also try Free Classifieds, Solo ads, blog commenting to get decent amount of traffic.
Thanks for sharing this,
Abhijit…
Abhijit @Online Money Making Ideas recently posted..How To Get Your Blog Comments Approved
Twitter: jamesreed292
3 September 2011 at 8:32 pm Permalink
This article hit home to me because I have just started my blog and have SOOO much to learn. The more I read on the topic of advertising the more I am beginning to understand how it works and how to work it. For example my first day I installed Google analytics even though I think I only had 4 or 5 page visits, ha-ha. I also was rejected for a power tool advertisement. The funny thing is, I run a current events blog lol, so now I know why I was rejected. I think advertisement needs to take a back seat to content. At the least three to six months should be given specifically to learning how to create good content and basic SEO and submitting your website to all the major search engines. Thanks for the great read I know I will read more of you in the future!
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Great heading! hehehehehe that caught my eye..
headings like that are a great traffic builder. thats a great tip to give. You should guest blog for some more exposure over at my “blog plan” site..
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Twitter: seommotips
6 September 2011 at 6:52 pm Permalink
Thank you Dad. Yea, some headlines compel to click and come in, isn’t it? Glad you like it.
Catchy topic for an SEO site…
I loved the title of the post – about winking about a girl in the dark. It is indeed true.
Advertising will not increase your pagerank directly – it will send you a whole lot of traffic, and if some of this traffic links to your site, then it is possible that the pagerank will improve.
I also find it amusing that your advertising is showing a dating site, when you’re talking about advertising and SEO! That advertising spot is being wasted because people probably came here looking for information on advertising or SEO, and not dating. Then again, maybe they will get lucky!
Also noticed that whilst you’re using KeywordLuv plugin, there’s little point to it because it doesn’t pass on any link juice as the links are all nofollow!
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Twitter: seommotips
9 September 2011 at 7:12 am Permalink
Thank you Aaron for you input.
I use keywordLuv so that readers do not write keywords in their name field.
The job of getting people to your web site has become frustrating and oh so taxing. It seems so sad that many people who have little to say or offer get recognition and many of have pearls of wisdom to share get little.
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Twitter: seommotips
13 September 2011 at 5:53 am Permalink
Probably this is due to how you advertise your product and services. Thanks for stopping by and your comment.
Aside from adword’s ppc and seo, I always found other advertising platforms uneffevtive but thats just me. I heavily depend on seo and I will always be…I might get into ppc at one point though…great post!
Twitter: seommotips
13 September 2011 at 8:45 pm Permalink
Thank you DLXD for your take.
really this a grate post………..
media,advertisement and SEO play an important role in the growth of online business
thanks for such nice post
Twitter: seommotips
14 September 2011 at 3:18 pm Permalink
Thank you Pankaj, you enjoyed the post.
Using advertisement is like finding a true love on someone. We hope she/he is the special one who can bring up our self. But an old man said, give one love, so you will get one thousand love…Pagerank, for me is similar with this. If we give somebody else a valuable information, and doing a common SEO, it has still waiting the time…
Facebook,google ppc,ppv and so on Just another source of quick traffic. I played in the paid ads game for years. they are great if you spend the time to test and test. It can be very stressful. If you are not a numbers person, you can quickly become over welming. To me it is a form of abitrage. I pay someone, someone else pays me more. SEO is the way to go. If you learn to rank sites, the traffic is constant and free. No more worrying if my ads convert, ctr,epc and so on. If you love to study trends and numbers paid ads might be for you. aAs for me I will stick to Ranking low competition keywords and rank them easily and forever. Thanks Rick
Definitely I agree with you rick. SEO is the way to go and also SEO play an important role in the growth of online business.
Nice topic. You covered almost all important idea, headings like that are a great traffic builder. Thanks for this informative content. It help’s me a lot.
Internet marketing are commonly used by businesses and entrepreneurs to promote their respective products and services.
Hello Suresh, i love the way you elaborate your thoughts and ideas I appreciate it.
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Twitter: seommotips
15 September 2011 at 10:58 am Permalink
Thank you Gavin. Glad you agree with me.
Very good post indeed and excellent use of pics. Well I believe in SEO, In my opinion you are getting good business from free source then why to go for paid options.
Twitter: seommotips
15 September 2011 at 6:14 pm Permalink
Thank you Saurabh. I agree with you with that big word “IF”
I agree you really do not have to pay for expensive advertising. Good content can do the trick
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Twitter: seommotips
17 September 2011 at 6:29 am Permalink
Thank you Martin for the comment.
Hi Suresh,
Great post and smart use of a title.
I have tried google adwords before and got burned because I didn’t really know what I was doing but from what I have read if you can get the right conversions at the right CPC then there is no better way to advertise.
Website promotion is becoming harder and harder especially when there is so much mis-information out there and how it all relates to Page Rank is still a mystery to me
Twitter: seommotips
18 September 2011 at 6:10 am Permalink
Pagerank more straightly should reflect link popularity of a site. Though there shouldn’t be direct relation between pagerank and organic traffic, higher pagerank suggests more authority resulting more importance given to the pages of that site. I have some sites with higher pagerank and low traffic and some low pagerank but higher traffic. However, search engines will favor pages from higher PR if it is related to the searched keyword.
I started to position my blog with links to authority sites and I’m on the second page with the home and inthe first page in another page from your site but my page rank is zero what is the problem?
I would appreciate your response.
Twitter: seommotips
18 September 2011 at 7:02 am Permalink
Google periodically updates PageRank and you will not see it until next update. But if you have a page displayed on first or second page does not mean that you have pagerank. There are many factors for any page to be listed on first page. Its not just pagerank. It is true that a high page rank won’t display always on first page as well as all entries on first page do not have highest pagerank.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Blogging is really about building a community with readers and bloggers. Commenting is thus a great way to build page ranks, backlinks, expose your brand, and connect with other bloggers.
Twitter: seommotips
22 September 2011 at 6:59 pm Permalink
I truly agree with your Lyza.
well one way to build a rapport with readers and get some initial traffic is do what Suresh very cleverly did………..use a great eye-catching headline. the greatest bloggers change their headline but also keep it sharp and snappy………….now the way winking at a girl is blended into the overall content has got everyone commenting by first reading the article……………good job…………
Twitter: seommotips
24 September 2011 at 6:24 am Permalink
Thank you Ray. I’m glad you liked the post.
I think this post is very important to everyone who doing business. Thanks for sharing.
Twitter: AndrewLudlam
29 September 2011 at 3:22 am Permalink
Great article and very comprehensive.
I think the key with any advertising, be it online or offline, is to test and measure your efforts.
I come across so many business owners who rush into advertising, spent a lot of time, effort and money and don’t reap the rewards.
Therefore test your banner ads, google ads etc, before rolling it out to a bigger (and more expensive) audience.
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Twitter: seommotips
29 September 2011 at 6:59 am Permalink
I agree with you Andrew. Thanks for your comment.
Great title and an equally excellent article. It sure would catch anyone’s attention… and that is an excellent way of marketing. I guess creativity helps a lot too.
Twitter: seommotips
30 September 2011 at 6:25 am Permalink
Thank you. The best way to catch someone’s attention is to present something unusual, isn’t it?
Internet marketing is such a great idea when it comes to advertising a certain business and most probably to the entrepreneurs. There is no other easy things in advertising like internet marketing.
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It’s funny b/c there is a very grim life toward the people using adwords. Always checking stats. On and off, it’s relentless. Organic is the way to go unless you got a ultra targeted campaign that has low competition.
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Yes internet marketing is very effective as far as advertising concern. But we should pick the ideal way to promote it. Grate information and thanks for sharing.
Hey Suresh
For doing business and to speared world wide Internet marketing play very important role in this fast moving life.
I agree with you Suresh, having a business without advertising is something like winking a girl in a dark place. Internet marketing is perfect for advertising such particular products from your business. I don’t want to wink a girl in a dark a place.
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Twitter: seommotips
12 October 2011 at 6:10 pm Permalink
Thank you Bob for the time and your comment. Happy winking
Advertising is one of the most powerful tool for your sales. I think a company sales is totally depends on the advertising. I agree what you have stated here that advertising should be done on the target area. I like your post and it was really very impressive.