The Importance of Meta Tags:

For the uninitiated, meta-tags are pieces of code within your website that contain information about each page. These tags are supposed to tell search engines and users what the page is about.If you're a little rusty on your Internet jargon, here's a primer.

There are essentially three types of meta-tags that concern most marketers:

* Title - This is the text that appears in the title-bar of your web browser.

* Description - This is a quick summary of the information on the page.

* Keywords - These are words that are important in the page.Up until about 4 years ago, there was a tremendous focus on meta-tags as a method of improving search engine rankings. Webmasters could stuff all sorts of words into the meta-tags to improve their search engine rankings for the words they wanted to rank well for.It wasn't long before the search engines caught on to this little trick, and as a result the efficacy of "keyword-stuffed" meta-tags dwindled over time. Posts on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) boards heralded the demise of the meta-tag with posters claiming that Google all but ignored the meta-tags. It seemed that there was no use for meta-tags anymore - at least from the perspective of the online marketer.Meta-tag Re-emergenceBut then a funny thing happened. The search market started to fracture. Yahoo and MSN both spun up their own search engines and dropped Google's results from their engines. Both Yahoo and MSN's new engines seemed to use content from the Title and Description meta-tags to display in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).These observations appear to be the case even today. By running a query for the term, "Online Advertising" on MSN, I got some interesting results (screenshots available at (http://www.profitchoice.com/articles/support/meta_msn.asp)Now, if you look at the screenshots in the link above, you'll notice that the clickable link on the search engine matches the page's title tag verbatim, and the site's description in MSN starts off with the first sentence of the description tag. Yahoo operates in a very similar fashion. Many of the results on the SERPs of both search engines will use the content from the meta-tags heavily (as long as the pages have meta-tags at all).Google is less predictable with regard to the use of meta-tags. Google often uses the title tag to determine the clickable link on it's results pages, but only occasionally uses the description tag content in the page summary that it displays.Remember the Human BeingsOk, now that I've put you to sleep with technical details and observations it's time to wake up, because there is a very important marketing point that I'm working towards here.The point that I'm driving at is that although the search engines probably have devalued the SEO value of the meta-tag to a great extent, that doesn't mean that it isn't important.When people search for keywords in your industry it isn't enough to be #1 on the list of results. You still need to convince those humans to click on your link. The way to do that is to design the most effective page description that can possibly appear in the SERPs.Steps to Take To Improve Your Meta-TagsAs a general rule, Yahoo uses the first 25-30 words of your Meta Description tag in the site description it displays on your SERPs; MSN uses the first 15 or so.Write out a 30-word description of each page of your website that is broken up into two parts. The first 15 words need to get across what the page is about - this is all the MSN searchers will see. The second 15 words should support the first - this will be visible to Yahoo searchers.Google searchers will sometimes see the first 7 - 15 words as well (although you can't count on it). With meta-tags you have to just focus on the things you can control, and right now Google is an unknown quantity so it's probably best not to worry about optimizing for Google.Don't Drop the Meta-TagsSeveral years ago the search engines devalued the use of meta-tags in determining rankings. But because they use the meta-tags as page descriptions in their SERP pages, you must make special efforts to ensure that the content presented to searchers inspires them to click on your links rather than your competitors'.If you don't put meta-tags on your website's pages, then Yahoo and MSN (with a combined market share of around 45%) will just guess at what to put in the description of your website. They will pull phrases out of context (much the way Google does) from your site and slap them in there. The result is not nearly as inviting as it could have been otherwise. That's why it is always beneficial to learn to write effective meta-tags.

Performing an EMac Memory Upgrade:

Apple computers are always known as cutting edge and innovative, and this applies just as much to their laptop as their desktop machines. Their self-contained computers known as the “eMac” were also a top of the line device when they first hit the market as well. Many people really liked the streamlined design, but soon understood that they would need to expand or upgrade their Apple eMac memory. This is a relatively easy process to perform, but it first requires that the owner or user understands exactly how an Apple eMac memory upgrade is effectively accomplished.
Like most Apple machines, the eMac computers offer expansion slots into which additional memory modules are inserted. The eMac systems demand the installation of standard DIMM (dual inline memory modules) which are properly formatted and designed to their OEM specifications. The size of the modules is determined by the capacity of the computer itself, and the eMac gives all users a limit or maximum of 1 GB when they opt to do their own Apple eMac RAM upgrade.
All of the eMac models are capable of supporting this maximum amount of memory, but it is important to note that this is the functional memory that allows the machine to operate as efficiently and responsively as possible. If larger storage is required, the owner or user is easily able to take advantage of the three USB ports which can offer additional storage space. For example, the eMac computers could easily write data and files to a free-standing hard drive instead of the factory installed device in order to save space. This, however, does not necessarily have any impact on performance speed.

Clicking into the Future:

Google's early entry to radio advertising will bear fruit prompting Google to start examining television advertising.When it comes to the allocation of advertising dollars, Google fundamentally altered the rules of the game. In the past, mass market advertisers would gamble on a shotgun approach to ad-spending. The options consisted of newspaper, magazine, telephone directory, radio or television. While each medium could provide statistics showing their print-run and audience, tracking the success or failure of these types of advertising has always posed a problem for manufacturers and retailers. When Google popularized the pay-per-click model in which advertisers only pay when a person actually views the ad, a new model was born.Google's billing model will have to alter slightly to meet the radio and video formats however, as digital radio and television becomes the norm, tracking will become far easier. Google will be able to charge by the listener or viewer though it remains to be seen if listeners or viewers will actually listen to or view advertisements on digital radio or television.2. A consortium of major newspapers and publishers will form a consolidated advertising group to combat Google. The initiative will fail.In 2006, Google literally sucked much of the money out of the pool of resources shared by publishers on or offline. With its venture into newspaper advertising, Google has threatened the classic golden goose of traditional news publishing, the classified ad section. News gathering organizations, already reeling from a loss of advertising income to other facets of the online marketplace should band together much as several airlines have to reduce cost and difficulties booking tickets. The newspapers and magazines could easily promote local, regional, national and even international advertising opportunities at a much lower cost than they could individually. If they can band together to undercut Google's costs is another question however they will either figure out how to collectively raise advertising income or they will become Google advertising affiliates.3. Congress will initiate an open investigation of pay-per-click advertising models.We already know of closed-door congressional inquiries into the PPC market. Stemming from the AIT vs. Google case, we have learned of FBI and Secret Service investigations, and in-camera hearings before congressional committees. We also know of at least two republican and one democratic senators interested in opening further investigations.How this one plays out is a mystery, but it will likely play out this year. Thus far, the investigations have been kept behind closed doors, a silent testimony to the strength of Google's lobby effort in Washington DC. No matter how talented and strenuous the lobby, an investigation of Click Fraud will be made public sometime this year.4. An investigation of pay-per-click advertising models will threaten Google's stock values.Hence the strong lobby effort. If common sense doesn't threaten Google's stock values, the threat of congressional oversight will.5. Google will drop below $450 before the end of first quarter 2007. If Google drops below $425, watch for a major landslide in California.The market is softening. With expected slowdowns in the housing, building, manufacturing and retail sectors, tech investors are showing signs of skittishness going into 2007. The first part of January is traditionally a time when the market readjusts to decisions made by investors in the last weeks of December. Many sell shares towards the end of the year in order to clarify their incomes for tax time. This year, a number of analysts have advised clients to unload some of their Google shares as a hedge against an expected downturn in share values.While Google remains far above the $450 range, expect it to drop to around $450 by mid-March. It's earnings to assets ratios are way too extended and though it has better prospects than any of its competitors, the search advertising market is changing rapidly. The only thing that saves Google from dropping is rapid entry into the television advertising market. The first signs of a weakening AdWords market will be the catalyst of the first round of a Goog landslide. If the share prices hit $425, watch for major selling. If it goes below $400, buy a boat.6. Yahoo will find focus and direction.Having freed itself from the sticky peanut butter mess it found itself in late 2006, Yahoo has made the first steps towards reorganizing their messy organization. The battle between Hollywood and Sunnyvale has been settled with the geeks coming out on top of the agents. This year is Yahoo's year to stage a serious comeback or to languish into obscurity. I suspect the former. However, all the major algorithmic search engines will face a new challenger this year7. The major search engines will face a new and socially adept competitor this year.Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has hooked up with Amazon to produce a human-powered search engine that will be released sometime in 2007. This collaborative effort to dethrone Google will be moderately successful. Wikisari will quickly become one of the biggies, but Google will still be king.8. 2007 will be the year Internet marketers discover the power of online video.The use of video will become a standard component of online communication. Advertisements, long-distance conferencing and public relations in general will be affected. The advancement of video online will set the stage for a major realignment in the traditional entertainment industry.9. DIY Infotainment Distribution for fun and profit.Using tools like the Yahoo Publisher Network, YouTube, Flickr and distributed podcasts, webmasters and private websites will start to replace professionally developed network broadcasts as an information and entertainment source.Add efficient monetization to the mix through Yahoo Search Marketing ads and you have an effective enticement for adventurous webmasters to try entering the market. 10. YPN will see challengers this year.While the Yahoo Publisher Network is by far the most advanced program of its kind, expect to see other search entities introducing their own webmaster friendly monetized information and entertainment distribution programs.11. The search marketing environment will further fragment with the following sectors seeing;- stronger gains: Video, Social Networking, Niche marketing, Vertical search- weaker margins: Traditional domain-driven SEO, Small-scale PPC12. Changes to the SEO Billing ModelMany traditional SEOs will be forced to adopt PPC style billing. Fees will be charged based on the success of a campaign as opposed to flat fees charged up front or on a monthly basis. Greg Boser has written and commented on this several times, most recently in a conversation with WebmasterRadio's Daron Babin on the last Rainmaker show of 2006.13. Consolidation in the Search Marketing SectorIn 2007, financial pressures faced by firms in the SEO part of the search marketing industry will produce a sector that looks very different from the one we work in now. Watch for consolidation between allied SEO, SEM, Public Relations and link-building firms as clients demand full-service vendors.14. Hasty La VistaEarly Microsoft Vista users will eat a number of worms, catch a bunch of viruses and end up as Zombies. As a result, savvy IT departments put off the update until Microsoft can prove it has created a master-patch.15. Patch This MicrosoftThat big patch will be ready for download in 2008, effectively delaying the rollout of Vista for another year.2 Bonus Predictions16. Duke Nukem ForeverDuke Nukem Forever will be noted as the greatest game that never was.17. Planet FortuneWebmasters will have more rewarding opportunities this year than ever. 2007 will see the fruition of several major initiatives started in 2005 or 2006 such as the YPN, online video advertising, and the combination of on and offline advertising. With the largest public relations and marketing firms in the world taking serious note of search, the search marketing industry will be truly considered part of the mainstream ad industry. This will empower webmasters as more attention, energy and assistance is directed towards helping webmasters present interesting content framed by increasingly expensive advertising. There is a lot of fortune to be found online this year and much of it will trickle down to the grassroots.