We recently posted an article entitled Website testimonials: Weapons of influence. It encourages website owners to use customer testimonials to boost credibility and sales, referring to author Robert Cialdini’s insightful social psychology book called Influence: Science and Practice.

While website testimonials are a powerful way to earn a prospect’s trust, they also foster commitment from those providing the testimonials. How? Well, when people put their commitments on paper – or the far-reaching Web – they attempt to live up to their words.

“Whenever one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises a drive to maintain that stand in order to look like a consistent person,” noted Cialdini. Why? Because, he explained, personal consistency is viewed as rational, assured, trustworthy and sound.

Look at Barack Obama’s presidential campaign; he went with the theme “change” and stuck with it right through to his election to the Whitehouse. Someone without consistency is often judged as fickle, uncertain, scatterbrained or volatile. John McCain started with “experience” and switched to “change” mid-campaign.

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Testimonials are critical to any website that’s marketing or selling products or services.

They provide “social proof,” suggests author Robert Cialdini in his insightful social psychology book called Influence: Science and Practice. This principle states we determine what’s correct by finding out what other people think is correct.

It extends from the hectic pace of a complex society, where consumers are often forced to make decisions based on limited information. Add to this the hyper velocity of the Web, and you can begin to understand how people tend to automatically comply with the masses.

“As a rule, we make fewer mistakes by acting in accord with social evidence than by acting contrary to it,” stated Cialdini. “Usually, when a lot of people are doing something, it is the right thing to do.” Safety in numbers! It’s a convenient ‘shortcut’, requiring little time and thought, in exchange for plenty of comfort.

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While discussing online promotions recently at a web design firm, a programmer brought up a black hat SEO technique he was excited about. I acknowledged black hat SEO tactics can generate high search engine rankings, but often not for long. Worse, it can get clients penalized and knocked off search engines all together. For any reputable web design or development firm, it’s just not worth the risk.

Web design firms need to advise clients that proper white hat SEO can provide cost-effective, long-term organic (a.k.a. natural) search engine rankings. It might take a few extra weeks to get to the desired position on Google, Yahoo or Bing, but the methods are risk-free and the results can last for years.

It’s best not to trick search engine spiders, but to make it easy for them to understand what your website is about. Keyword-rich web copy, meta data and links can do exactly that.

Feed search engine spiders relevant information and they’ll reward you many times over.

If you’re planning to buy or sell domains, chances are you’re considering Sedo and Afternic, two of the most established domain marketplaces. Both take unusual approaches with their customer service phone numbers.

Afternic boldly features its 1-800 (1-866-284-4125) number front and center. However, when you call it — and I did several times during their office hours — you get to listen to a message that states, “Your call is important to us” repeatedly for a minute or two, after which you’re prompted to leave a message. I did, and the call was never returned.

Sedo, on the other hand, does not appear to make its phone number public. I couldn’t find a single phone number on its entire website. Eventually I gave up and requested the number via e-mail, and received it the next day. Here’s the ironic thing: a person actually answered it and was able to provide information immediately.

Afternic promotes its phone number and doesn’t staff it. Sedo hides its phone number and has staff ready to serve. Odd.

By the way, Sedo’s customer service phone number is (617) 499-7200.

Blogging is a great way to increase your search engine rank because it packs your site with relevant keywords and gives reason for Googlebots to return and feed on your fresh content.

Getting incoming links is also one of the best ways to raise your blog profile. Here’s how:

Comment on Other Blogs

Pick ones with authority that are as relevant as possible to your content. Leave your URL and be complimentary to entice reciprocal comments.

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Microsoft recently launched U Rank, a search engine that allows online users to organize, edit and annotate search results, and share information with others.

Here’s what Microsoft has to say about U Rank.

The percentage of Internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to 49 per cent, reports PEW Internet.

That’s huge. In fact, the number of those using search engines on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60 per cent of Internet users who use e-mail — to date, the Internet’s biggest app.

Other popular daily Internet activities include checking the news (39 per cent) and studying the weather (30 per cent).

Those using search engines on an average day are more likely to be “socially upscale” reports the study, with at least some college education and incomes over $50,000 per year. They are also more likely to have six years of online experience, have their homes wired with high-speed connections, and be young and male.

Kiss those bulky hardcover telephone directories goodbye.

Mobile search is gaining in both popularity and frequency of use in the U.S. and Western Europe, reports comScore.

In June 2008, 20.8 million U.S. mobile subscribers and 4.5 million European mobile phone subscribers accessed search during the month, an increase of 68% and 38% from June 2007, respectively.

The U.K. had the highest penetration of mobile subscribers using search at 9.5%, followed closely by the U.S. at 9.2%.

Google is proving to be the preferred brand for browser-based searches with a 60% share of mobile searchers.

The cell phone is quickly becoming the mobile PC. Businesses will have to pay attention to this vertical, and get onboard sooner than later as local search starts to dominate the mobile search space. Without a doubt, these portable devices are creating full-scale opportunities.

Headlines can be extremely effective tools to engage your online visitors and entice them to gather more information about your products, services and business.

Following are three guidelines to help you create headlines that connect:

1. It’s Not About You

Before you attempt to revamp your headline, get out of the self-centric mode most businesses tend to be stuck in. It sounds harsh, but when a person gets to your site, they don’t necessarily care about your business; they care about what you can do for them.

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Several headline styles work well on the Web, but they need to be relevant for optimal impact.

Here are some types of headlines that can be especially effective on the Web:

Authority Headline

Stop throwing away your money with credit cards

Benefit Headline

Increase your profits by up to 20%

Did You Know Headline

Did you know .pro domains are now available?

How to Headline

How to revive your marriage

Question Headline

Is your website working for you?

Standard News Headline

(New product) gets top marks in U.S. study

Top # List

Top 10 reasons to switch to Mac

To learn more about headlines, you can check out: Writing Website Headlines that Connect.