While it’s generally known within the SEO industry, few business owners are aware the amount of years you register your domain name impacts its search engine rankings.

Need to renew soon? Look at it as an opportunity.

The logic is based on the view that most spammy sites are fly-by-night operations. They show up, scam people, and disappear (either by choice or they get knocked of Google’s index). On the other hand, legitimate businesses plan on sticking around for a long time, and register domains accordingly. One of the reasons might be to ensure the domain name doesn’t lapse and become available on the open market.

Rest assured this isn’t a rumour. In fact, it’s documented in patent applications filed by Google. Here are some relevant claims taken directly from the patent #20050071741:

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RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro top-level domain (TLD) on the Internet, reported recently it has seen momentous growth in the total number of .pro domain name registrations, thanks to expanded eligibility guidelines.

.Pro domains comprise the first and only domain name extension catered to professionals and professional entities worldwide.

“We effectively made .pro available to tens of millions of professionals and entities worldwide,” said Catherine Sigmar, general manager of RegistryPro. “And, we have had some excellent partners like Network Solutions join us. Given Network Solutions’ position in the top echelon of registrars worldwide, they are in a unique position to maximize the penetration of the .Pro TLD.”

So, your shiny new website marketing copy is finally in place. Congratulations! Even better, that same marketing copy is starting to bring in business. (Must be all those precise keywords and cleverly phrased calls to action.)

Before you amortize your investment, consider how those carefully crafted words can work for your business in other places. Repurposing your website marketing copy will:

• Reinforce your brand identity
• Establish consistent messaging
• Increase customer recognition

It will also give you more than your money’s worth.

Here are 10 possible ways to repurpose your website marketing copy so it works overtime for your company, online and offline.

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In a world where telephone directories are struggling to remain relevant, you need to make sure consumers find you on the Web.

Search engine optimization is a cost-effective and far-reaching marketing, lead generation and sales tactic that reaps lucrative rewards. Yet, so many business owners miss the most basic SEO elements that can improve online presence overnight.

Two common SEO errors:

1. Making Your Website Invisible to Search Engines

Search engines index what they can see, i.e. HTML text. So ensure your web designer uses text format for your web copy. Be weary about overuse of graphics and Flash, which can hurt your search engine rankings. If you absolutely need to use graphics instead of text, use alt tags.

2. Neglecting Votes in Cyberspace

Think of the Internet as a huge democracy in cyberspace. When other relevant and credible sites point to your website, Google and friends see this as votes for you. The more votes, the more credibility you build, thus, the higher the rankings. Start requesting links from your vendors, customers, partners, associations, friends and family.

Remember, well planned, developed and implemented search engine optimized web content doesn’t require any monthly fees. And, unlike paid marketing campaigns, you aren’t stuck with fixed budgets.

As a result, organic (a.k.a. natural) SEO can provide an exceptional ROI.

A prospect this week asked us “what’s really the difference” between an optimized website and a non-optimized website. He figured it was a bunch of ‘cyber hype’.

I explained the difference is between the two is actively promoting and just existing.

Optimized Websites

A search engine optimized website is a virtual ambassador that promotes organizations 24/7/365. It works tirelessly without the need for breaks or benefits. And considering approximately 85% of all new traffic to websites arrive via search engines (namely Google), an optimized website is likely to be your most productive and valuable salesperson.

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Personalized Internet marketing equals profits. Online shoppers are drawn to ads that relate to them, according to a new study released by ChoiceStream.

Up to 58% of frequent web shoppers are more likely to click on a customer-centric ad, and the more they spend online—the more interested they are in personalization.

Results from a webinar panel survey released by ChoiceStream last year indicate approximately 90% of ecommerce professionals believe personalization can increase sales, This information gives business owners a compelling reason to rethink their online content.

I officially no longer know anyone without a social networking account. Even if the page has fallen into disuse, much to the chagrin of their virtual harem, it’s out there lurking in the bowels of cyberspace.

My Space and Facebook have taken the world by storm. What people don’t always realize is that social media can be used to drive traffic to your business website.

Post articles about your work, build a community around your project, and always remember to include plenty of links to your site.

Sign up to as many social networking sites as possible to push business to your site—after all, it’s free.

Google increased its U.S. search engine market share last month when it handled 72.1% of all queries, up from 65.9% in December 2007, reported Hitwise.

The good fortune wasn’t shared by the other search engine leaders. Yahoo reported a 17.8% share, down from 20.9% in December 2007. Microsoft came in third with 5.6%, down from 7%.

Hitwise also reported that search engines continue to dominate the Internet in key industry categories, including business and finance, sports, online video and social networking.

Chrome — Google’s answer to Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari — recently acquired 1% market share of the web browser world.

Known for its lean structure and speed, it’s attracted more advanced, tech-savvy users.

Industry types say Google can establish a solid user base and eventually increase its market share with the help of frequent updates.

Both organic and paid search results can increase your revenues dramatically. But which is worth more?

Recent earning reports reveal Google-owned websites (mainly search results) generated revenues of $3.40 billion in the first quarter of 2008, equating to $37.7 million per day. This reflects what it’s worth to be listed on Google’s first result page.

Meanwhile, an iProspect study indicated 72.3% of Google search engine users choose natural search results over paid search results. Why? Organic search results are deemed more relevant and trustworthy.

In fact, studies by Enquiro and iProspect revealed that 60.5% to 70.0% of users trust organic results, compared to just 30% to 39.5% of users that trust paid results.

Both organic and paid online marketing are powerful tools. But with web users trusting and clicking organic search results much more often, organic search results have greater value.