Just produced and published a promotional video for http://WhichLance.com
Anyone interested in getting similar work, contact http://www.tailormadesupport.com. Outstanding work, fully managed and guaranteed from only £175!
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Is big business coming after the freelancers lunch?
In the latest issue of Outsource Magazine (Issue 21, Page 78: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/EMP/OutsourceIssue21/#/78) Dr Bharat Vagadia, CEO of Op2i wrote a piece on SME Outsourcing which raises the spectre of the big boys in BPO and KPO eyeing up what is currently the small, independent freelancers meal ticket.
Dr Vagadia says "With the large enterprise market beginning to saturate in terms of opportunities for vendors, all have eyes firmly fixed on the SME market as the next target for growth". A cursory search on Google reveals Vagadia is likely right, everyone that's anyone in outsourcing thinks SMEs are the next cash cow.
So, should this sound alarm bells for the freelance VAs in the Philippines, programmers in Russia and researchers in India?
My gut thinking is there is some cause for concern. The big boys have plenty of muscle and financial resources at their disposal, they have the ear of the global media machine and they have the wherewithal to saturate and dominate this growing market. But, do they have the nous? Do they have the intimate understanding of the intricacies of doing business on such a small scale?
I have no doubt they can break into the market, displacing, or more likely swallowing up an army of independent freelancers as they go, but can they make it pay, for both the ex-freelancer and their shareholders? Can they convert this sector into a significant enough addition to their bottom line to be able to generate a dividend from it? Maybe not. Or, not yet anyway.
There are of course other ways the Outsourcing giants can break into the market. One of these would be through freelance marketplaces. So, what impact will the big boys muscling in on the market have on the current big boys like Elance, oDesk, vWorker, Freelancer and the like?
This depends on the route they take. They could take a hard-nosed, arrogant approach, and decide the marketplaces are an unnecessary evil or middle man and seek to enter the market without them. Or, they could take a more level headed approach and appreciate these are the very people who have been building, supporting and nurturing the very market they want to enter.
Those large companies who appreciate the latter and afford the existing online outsourcing marketplaces the respect they deserve are more likely to succeed.
I think, some will take the high road and some the low road. Many will fail along the way.
Those who take the time to understand the micro-outsourcing industry, nurture relationships with the current leaders in the field and learn from them will have the best shot at not only capitalising on the recent growth in SME outsourcing, but pushing the boundaries and making it mainstream.
About the Author
Saif Bonar is Founder of WhichLance.com, the online outsourcing comparison site. He produces the Freelance Marketplace Review, on a quarterly basis and has over 7 years experience on both sides of the fence of micro-outsourcing.
Dr Vagadia says "With the large enterprise market beginning to saturate in terms of opportunities for vendors, all have eyes firmly fixed on the SME market as the next target for growth". A cursory search on Google reveals Vagadia is likely right, everyone that's anyone in outsourcing thinks SMEs are the next cash cow.
So, should this sound alarm bells for the freelance VAs in the Philippines, programmers in Russia and researchers in India?
My gut thinking is there is some cause for concern. The big boys have plenty of muscle and financial resources at their disposal, they have the ear of the global media machine and they have the wherewithal to saturate and dominate this growing market. But, do they have the nous? Do they have the intimate understanding of the intricacies of doing business on such a small scale?
I have no doubt they can break into the market, displacing, or more likely swallowing up an army of independent freelancers as they go, but can they make it pay, for both the ex-freelancer and their shareholders? Can they convert this sector into a significant enough addition to their bottom line to be able to generate a dividend from it? Maybe not. Or, not yet anyway.
There are of course other ways the Outsourcing giants can break into the market. One of these would be through freelance marketplaces. So, what impact will the big boys muscling in on the market have on the current big boys like Elance, oDesk, vWorker, Freelancer and the like?
This depends on the route they take. They could take a hard-nosed, arrogant approach, and decide the marketplaces are an unnecessary evil or middle man and seek to enter the market without them. Or, they could take a more level headed approach and appreciate these are the very people who have been building, supporting and nurturing the very market they want to enter.
Those large companies who appreciate the latter and afford the existing online outsourcing marketplaces the respect they deserve are more likely to succeed.
I think, some will take the high road and some the low road. Many will fail along the way.
Those who take the time to understand the micro-outsourcing industry, nurture relationships with the current leaders in the field and learn from them will have the best shot at not only capitalising on the recent growth in SME outsourcing, but pushing the boundaries and making it mainstream.
About the Author
Saif Bonar is Founder of WhichLance.com, the online outsourcing comparison site. He produces the Freelance Marketplace Review, on a quarterly basis and has over 7 years experience on both sides of the fence of micro-outsourcing.
Monday, 11 October 2010
Writing gigs
I am trying to get back into writing and journalism, having gotten a little bit rusty since shunning writing news (or doing anything) on SurfLondon.co.uk in favour of paid work back in 2001.
So, in addition to this blog, I have taken on a couple of regular writing gigs to brush up on my skills, while also helping some clients of TailorMadeSEO.com to improve their SERPs.
So, from today onwards you will find I will be writing several pieces a week on Email Marketing and Email Deliverability, for EmailExpert.org. I will continue writing the Freelance Market Review, for WhichLance.com and will also be contributing a few stories each week to BSR-Russia.com, a rapidly growing English language news site focused on Business, Politics and Economics in Russia.
I am thinking about some other writing offers which have cropped up - but will share more later!
So, in addition to this blog, I have taken on a couple of regular writing gigs to brush up on my skills, while also helping some clients of TailorMadeSEO.com to improve their SERPs.
So, from today onwards you will find I will be writing several pieces a week on Email Marketing and Email Deliverability, for EmailExpert.org. I will continue writing the Freelance Market Review, for WhichLance.com and will also be contributing a few stories each week to BSR-Russia.com, a rapidly growing English language news site focused on Business, Politics and Economics in Russia.
I am thinking about some other writing offers which have cropped up - but will share more later!
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Online outsourcing up by 40%
I just completed the Q2 review of Freelance marketplaces for WhichLance.com, the report found that spend on the leading freelance marketplaces in the 2nd quarter of 2010 was up 40% on the figures for the first quarter. Over $70m was spent on the leading marketplaces between March and June this year, up from $50m in the first three months of the year.
If you haven't started to take advantage of the cost benefits of outsourcing online, then check out WhichLance.com to find out which freelance marketplaces are the best to use for outsourcing your project online.
If you are worried about getting stung, you could always use TailorMadeSupport.com, we offer outsourcing intermediary services at low cost, shouldering the risk and project managing the delivery of your project.
If you want to read more about the performance of freelance marketplaces and the increase in online outsourcing in 2010 view the Freelance Marketplace Review here: http://whichlance.com/review/freelance-market-review-q2-2010.pdf
If you haven't started to take advantage of the cost benefits of outsourcing online, then check out WhichLance.com to find out which freelance marketplaces are the best to use for outsourcing your project online.
If you are worried about getting stung, you could always use TailorMadeSupport.com, we offer outsourcing intermediary services at low cost, shouldering the risk and project managing the delivery of your project.
If you want to read more about the performance of freelance marketplaces and the increase in online outsourcing in 2010 view the Freelance Marketplace Review here: http://whichlance.com/review/freelance-market-review-q2-2010.pdf
SEO made simple
We have just launched the beta version of our SEO Report tool. The tool, which is free to use will automatically generate an SEO Report for your website.
The Free SEO Report has been written with lay-people in mind so technical terms are explained in plain English and problems are flagged, it also attempts to make recommendations for improvements.
The SEO tool analyses both on-site and off-site search engine performance, analysing things like meta-tags, descriptions, keywords, keyword density, xml sitemap and H1 tags for the on-site analysis.
The off-site analysis looks at the number of backlinks on popular search engines, Google PageRank, Alexa Rank and similar.
We are looking for feedback on the tool, so please give it a test: http://tailormadeseo.com/seo-report
The Free SEO Report has been written with lay-people in mind so technical terms are explained in plain English and problems are flagged, it also attempts to make recommendations for improvements.
The SEO tool analyses both on-site and off-site search engine performance, analysing things like meta-tags, descriptions, keywords, keyword density, xml sitemap and H1 tags for the on-site analysis.
The off-site analysis looks at the number of backlinks on popular search engines, Google PageRank, Alexa Rank and similar.
We are looking for feedback on the tool, so please give it a test: http://tailormadeseo.com/seo-report
Friday, 1 October 2010
Promoting your News Resource: Read all about it!
I have been doing some SEO work for BSR-Russia.com an English language online news service covering Business in Russia.
Part of my remit was to boost traffic, increase page rank and get the site up the alexa rankings. Although working to a tight budget, me and my team have managed to boost their traffic by about 300% based on the most recent daily averages.
So, whats the secret to success in SEO for an online magazine?
I could go on an on about strategies, budgets, social media and so on, explaining the intricacies of it all - but that wouldn't be interesting reading. Instead below are my top 10 tips for getting a quick boost to traffic for your news website:
1. Make sure the site is optimised for search engines.
2. Make sure your XML sitemap is in place and updates automatically whenever new news items are added.
3. Submit your XML sitemap to Google, Yahoo and Bing
4. Get listed on Google News! Make sure you produce a Google specific XML sitemap - according to their needs. This will give you serious Google juice - and help you get picked up by other news directories and indexes. It will also give you firepower when requesting backlinks and inclusion in other news engines.
5. Submit the RSS feed to NewsNow.co.uk
6. Get listed on ABYZ News Links - they have strong PR and will give you good Google Juice!
7. Set-up a Twitter feed so your healdines go out on twitter automatically.
8. Get yourself on Linked-in.com and setup a news feed and company page.
9. Get listed on Moreover.com by using their API to autoping them when you publish a new story
10. Consider paying TailorMadeSEO.com to do all the above and much more on your behalf!
Part of my remit was to boost traffic, increase page rank and get the site up the alexa rankings. Although working to a tight budget, me and my team have managed to boost their traffic by about 300% based on the most recent daily averages.
So, whats the secret to success in SEO for an online magazine?
I could go on an on about strategies, budgets, social media and so on, explaining the intricacies of it all - but that wouldn't be interesting reading. Instead below are my top 10 tips for getting a quick boost to traffic for your news website:
1. Make sure the site is optimised for search engines.
2. Make sure your XML sitemap is in place and updates automatically whenever new news items are added.
3. Submit your XML sitemap to Google, Yahoo and Bing
4. Get listed on Google News! Make sure you produce a Google specific XML sitemap - according to their needs. This will give you serious Google juice - and help you get picked up by other news directories and indexes. It will also give you firepower when requesting backlinks and inclusion in other news engines.
5. Submit the RSS feed to NewsNow.co.uk
6. Get listed on ABYZ News Links - they have strong PR and will give you good Google Juice!
7. Set-up a Twitter feed so your healdines go out on twitter automatically.
8. Get yourself on Linked-in.com and setup a news feed and company page.
9. Get listed on Moreover.com by using their API to autoping them when you publish a new story
10. Consider paying TailorMadeSEO.com to do all the above and much more on your behalf!
Friday, 24 September 2010
The Death of SEO!
In recent weeks Google launched "Google Instant" in a blaze of publicity. Google Instant is a fundamental change to the way search results are displayed on the Google website. Instead of typing an entire search phrase, Google will intuitively display changing results as you type the search phrase.
From that announcement it seems a bunch of tech hacks and bloggers have deduced that it spells out the end of SEO. Seo is dead. The final nail in the coffin.
Having recently launched our SEO division, the news came as a surprise.
SEO is Dead! What, when did that happen?
I did a quick look up on Google instant, but failed to see how that translated to the death of SEO. In the following two weeks, on at least 3 seperate occasions I found myself defending SEO and, moreover explaining why it was not dead - far from it.
It seems a bit of lazy or sensationalist journalism goes a long way on the web these days. But I am pleased to suggest that the news of the untimely demise of SEO is somewhat premature.
7 reasons why Google Instant does not mean SEO is dead.
1) Google accounts for 65% of the search market. That leaves 35% of the market unaffected by any changes Google make.
2) By their own admission, Google Instant alters the way search results are displayed. It does not affect how sites are crawled, indexed or ranked. Therefore it has no impact on SERPs.
3) Just because Google displays search results before a user clicks the search button does not mean your site will magically appear at the top of the results, only working on SEO, will help you get to the top of the search results. [By 'working on SEO' we mean on-site and off-site optimisation of a website - improving the content and copy of your website, making it accessible to search engines, making it attractive to humans and search engines, and getting it linked too from high authority websites whenever possible].
4) Google Instant has only been rolled out fully in the US at the moment and is being trialled in some other territories, therefore its business as usual in some places.
5) Google Instant does not work when searching Google using a 3rd party website, Google Toolbar or the search box on your browser.
6) It only works for users that are logged into the Google account when they are searching
7) Users can turn off the instant results functionality if they don't like it
So, if you have decided to shelve your SEO plans in favour of hoping to get to the top of Google search results in an instant, maybe you better think again.
From that announcement it seems a bunch of tech hacks and bloggers have deduced that it spells out the end of SEO. Seo is dead. The final nail in the coffin.
Having recently launched our SEO division, the news came as a surprise.
SEO is Dead! What, when did that happen?
I did a quick look up on Google instant, but failed to see how that translated to the death of SEO. In the following two weeks, on at least 3 seperate occasions I found myself defending SEO and, moreover explaining why it was not dead - far from it.
It seems a bit of lazy or sensationalist journalism goes a long way on the web these days. But I am pleased to suggest that the news of the untimely demise of SEO is somewhat premature.
7 reasons why Google Instant does not mean SEO is dead.
1) Google accounts for 65% of the search market. That leaves 35% of the market unaffected by any changes Google make.
2) By their own admission, Google Instant alters the way search results are displayed. It does not affect how sites are crawled, indexed or ranked. Therefore it has no impact on SERPs.
3) Just because Google displays search results before a user clicks the search button does not mean your site will magically appear at the top of the results, only working on SEO, will help you get to the top of the search results. [By 'working on SEO' we mean on-site and off-site optimisation of a website - improving the content and copy of your website, making it accessible to search engines, making it attractive to humans and search engines, and getting it linked too from high authority websites whenever possible].
4) Google Instant has only been rolled out fully in the US at the moment and is being trialled in some other territories, therefore its business as usual in some places.
5) Google Instant does not work when searching Google using a 3rd party website, Google Toolbar or the search box on your browser.
6) It only works for users that are logged into the Google account when they are searching
7) Users can turn off the instant results functionality if they don't like it
So, if you have decided to shelve your SEO plans in favour of hoping to get to the top of Google search results in an instant, maybe you better think again.
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