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Welcome to the Alpha Wave Media blog. Our posts cover a variety of topics, from social media to best SEO practice, to hints and tips and the latest industry news. Be sure to subscriber to our RSS feed for the latest updates. We welcome your comments, positive, negative or otherwise so please start a conversation by posting a reply to our posts in the form at the end of each page!

31/ August By James Mortimer

Alpha Wave Media's news from the web

Google TV expected in the UK within six months

The Telegraph understands that Eric Schmidt is expected to announce the arrival of Google TV in the UK within six months when he delivers his keynote speech at the Edinburgh International TV Festival. 

 

So what is Google TV? At the most simple level, Google TV is a search engine that allows users to search for different content straight from their TV. The service is already available in the US but the search giant has struggled to get broadcasters to give them access to their content. 

 

In order to be successful by including PPC ads next to content users search for Google needs to have access to content that users want. So it will be interesting to see how they mange to broker deals with UK broadcasters. 

 

Steve Jobs stands down from Apple

Unless you live underneath a giant rock that completely blocks out tech news, you will have undoubtably heard that Steve Jobs has stepped down from Apple, due to on-going health issues. A few of us here at AWM are big Apple fans, so from all of the team - get well soon Steve!

 

The Government says they won’t ban social media in times of civil unrest

As a result of the riots across the UK earlier this month the government met with representatives from some of the largest social media organisations including Facebook, RIM (the company that makes Blackberry phones) and Twitter. 

 

Before the talks there was speculation in the media that the government was going to announce plans to close down popular social media channels in times of future civil unrest.  But after discussions the Government has said they will not be blocking or shutting down channels in the future. But they have announced plans to work with social media brands to improve communication about what users are posting on their sites.

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27/ August By Will Kelly

Five Best Practice Tips for Website Content

Website content is paramount to a successful online marketing campaign. Taking into consideration best practice advice, Google +1 and the recent Panda updates, good website content is becoming even more important.

 

If done properly, you will get ranking benefits when Google next indexes your website, and your site visitors will increase their dwell time and conversion rates if your articles are
enticing. Here are some top tips when it comes to writing content.

Always remain topical

Nobody wants to read yesterday’s news. Keep your eye open to what current events are happening in your sector and your ear close to the ground. Your site’s visitors want to hear breaking stories and you can also keep people engaged and coming back to your site for more information.

Get noticed with strong headlines

There is nothing harder than to attract people’s attention with a weak opening. Your target audience won’t want to hear what you have to say, even if the body of your article is great! Think of strong keywords and don’t be afraid to be bold. Never copy them, but don’t hesitate to get inspiration from other news articles or blogs.

Think of your target audience

How old are they? Where do they live and work? How technical should the article be? Is it better to take a light hearted and funny approach, or would they respond better to serious reading? These are but few of the questions that need to be asked when writing the content as you need your readers to relate to the content.

Respect the rules

Not only will Google penalise any duplicated or spam content, your readers will immediately turn their nose up if there is a slight hint of cheating. Over repeating keywords for search engine optimisation benefits is a big mistake. Make sure you have good keyword density and hyperlinks, but don’t go overboard.

End with call to actions

You want your traffic to engage with your news and content, but more importantly you want to turn traffic into customers. Call to actions increase conversion rates and entice readers into buying your products, signing up to newsletters, request a call back or whatever call to action you want to include.

 

They say a website is like a shop window: SEO and Adwords may get people through the door, but content will keep them browsing until they purchase.

If you have any requirements for website content, online news articles, blog updates, product descriptions and landing page content, get in touch and we will respond right away.

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08/ August By James Mortimer

Alpha Wave Media’s summary of internet news from the last week
 

President Obama looses 36,000 Twitter followers 

Following the debt crisis Congress debate President Obama took to Twitter to encourage his nine million followers to contact their local Republican Congressman to ask for support. However the effort wasn’t entirely successful. Over 36,000 of Obama’s Twitter followers clicked ‘un-follow’ after becoming annoyed that the president’s messages were taking up too much space in their timeline.
 

Google Chrome becomes the UK’s second favorite browser

Google’s advertising push seems to be paying off. New figures released this week show that Google Chrome has overtaken Firefox to become the UK’s second favorite browser. The Next Web reports that Chrome now has 22.12% of the total market followed by Firefox with 21.65. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser in the UK with a 45.51% market share. 

Missouri bans teachers and students from being friends on Facebook 

Teachers and pupils in Missouri have been banned being friends on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The ban comes as part of the Missouri State Bill 54 that aims to better define student and teacher relationships. However teachers will be allowed to open public fan pages where they can interact with their students on Facebook. At present it’s unclear how the authorities will enforce the new legislation. 
 

Google+ Hang Outs to be combined with YouTube Live 

One of the most exciting features of Google+ is the Hang Outs area where you can video-chat over your webcam with up to ten of your friends. Google has announced that they will be slowly rolling out the ability for users to add their hangouts to live streams on YouTube. This means that individuals anywhere would have the ability to broadcast discussions and debates to a worldwide audience via YouTube. For brands this could be incredibly useful as a customer service tool on advertising promotion. 
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