What do you think of online newspapers blocking Google from indexing and distributing news articles?

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/News-Corp-Boss-Rupert-Murdoch-Says-Online-Newspaper-Pages-Will-Be-Invisible-To-Google-Users/Article/200911215446006?lpos=Business_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_7&lid=ARTICLE_15446006_News_Corp_Boss_Rupert_Murdoch_Says_Online_Newspaper_Pages_Will_Be_Invisible_To_Google_Users

"We need to do a better job of persuading consumers that high-quality, reliable news and information does not come free,"
~Rupert Murdoch

This certainly is a novel online marketing strategy by Mr. Murdoch as it forces search engines to make internal programming changes instead of Sites traditionally making changes to suit the search entities.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/02/rupert-murdoch-publishers-technology-internet-google.html

"Good journalism is an expensive commodity"
~Rupert Murdoch

Do you think the new revenue generation model of pay-to-read will prove successful, or will alternative news sites take the lead with free content?

Quite often business owners express great frustration with the high price of using companies that build, host and maintain their business websites with content management tools. Often, what seems like an initial good deal turns out to be more costly than anticipated when the providing company adds other services, which you may not want or need.

There are many good, well-priced or free alternatives to traditional Website development, and they even have great tools for SEO and easy on-going management. Here are 2 examples:

Highly Recommended

Wix.com

Free and paid site building and hosting options. With a wide variety of templates, killer forms, easy build and management options and more, Wix Sites perform exceptionally well in search engines. Even their free Sites that include advertisements appear to be picked up and included by search engines more quickly than other types of Sites. The user interface can be a little confusing at first, but quickly becomes easier.

Register.com

For $14.99 per month, you get full template control, layout options, free-form HTML options, blog, forms and lots of other tools, including those for SEO and online marketing. They even throw in email and analytics. With a very intuitive user interface, this is a perfect solution for the beginning to intermediate Site owner.

After working for years with one of those pricey Website design, dev, and hosting companies offering SEO and online marketing, I can honestly state you can get satisfactory results without paying the big bucks. Of course, more importantly is comfort: How comfortable are you with the company, its history, credibility, stability, relationships, service, products, and pricing? Do you understand how to use the tools they're offering to the fullest extent? Do they back their products with training included, or must you pay extra to be able to use their system? Do they answer the phone when you call? If you feel comfortable with your answers to these questions about a Web service provider, they are most likely the solution for you!

No matter who you choose for your Website needs, keep an eye always on your SEO bottom line. Does this provider support your goals for an optimized Website? Can an SEO specialist come into the Site Admin and easily make modifications, or will they need training? Ask meaningful questions and explore options before committing. If a provider does not offer a try-before-you-buy option, you may want to look elsewhere.

It's been just over 2 months since I left the employment of SourceOne Network, Inc. in Schenectady (now Guilderland) New York. It's been a busy time! After serving for Al Evans as Senior Support and Online Marketing Specialist with Matrix Intermedia Corp. for 4 years, and then serving Stephen Waite with SourceOne Network Inc for an additional 6yrs as Director of Client Services when the companies merged, it's now time to begin my own business venture.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Better Web Traffic!

After all, that's what I've been doing for well over a decade: Getting businesses better web traffic with their keywords.

Building, optimizing, maintaining, and marketing business Websites... it's all done just to get people to come to your online business and perform an action which results in a conversion. Conversions can be a direct sale, membership subscription, paying a bill online, or any other action which saves or makes your business money. It's what I do.

My over-arching goal is to educate business on the Web to better utilize their Web presence, be it a Website, news articles, social network, video, etc., to achieve their goals. That can only truly be done by better understanding how search engines, Websites, and people work together to make healthy communities through give and take.

Nothing is static, but some things stand the test of time well when done correctly the first time. With SEO, this is crucial. First impressions are everything, both to your human and automated visitors. A strong on-going online marketing plan builds on an optimized and defines your target market, locates your audience, and establishes a synergistic lasting relationship. SEO and online marketing take commitment on the part of the Website owner. Being involved is absolutely mandatory!

Reader contributions are welcomed! Feel free to contact us with article ideas, questions, comments, or to submit your own article.

Up, up, and away!