Google Gadgets

Google Gadgets Rock!

In my own evolution as a Social Marketer and Web Developer, my relationship with Google has been rocky at times, but never dull!

Like everyone, I have my own strengths and weaknesses that color my experience but I've been around long enough to know that you will always do better swimming with the current than against it.

Working with Google as opposed to against them is definitely swimming with the current. Try using the following Google Gadgets to plan out the direction your marketing takes, and you will prosper.

Are there other ways? Of course!

But why not use what the big dog gives you?

Floyd Bogart

Great Google Gadgets

These are my favorite Google Gadgets!

You can use them together to find the best topics and keyword phrases to stay at the top of the organic Google SE results.

Google Reader
You should use this for all of your RSS Subscriptions.
Google Alerts
Use this to track the top internet activity on your keywords and phrases.
Google Trends
The hottest Google searches. Updated hourly!

An Overview of My Method

Okay so much of it is "Borrowed" .

I learned much of this from the 2008 Authority Blackbook. Grab yours HERE

The idea is to use each of these both individually as well as together to allow you to get your posts, sites and pages into the large streams of traffic. Think of it as "Laying Down in Traffic".

That's right. Millions of people are surfing the internet at any given time, and most of their traffic at any given moment is going in similar directions.

So all you need to do is figure out which parts of that traffic flow is in some way pertinent to the sites you want to place into that flow.

I start with my existing subscriptions at Google Reader, as I follow the feeds of the top sites and blogs in all of my niches. Yes, this takes some time, but I get an amazing number of high quality links using the Trackback feature on WordPress based sites and blogs. This is also a great source of keywords and phrases to use at:

Google Alerts. By setting up alerts for all of your important niche keywords and phrases you will find more Feeds to watch as well as who Google is sending traffic to for these words and phrases. Copy what they do, but don't plagiarize. Also post Trackback links on these pages and posts whenever possible.

Google Trends. This is possibly the most important of the three, and takes a little more creativity to use it effectively within your niche. By regularly checking what the top 100 searched for terms across the internet are, you find out what people are surfing for.

For example: After Tim Russert passed away, you wouldn't be surprised to find that not only his name, but that of his wife and son were all in the Top 20 searched for terms on Google Trends for days. Are you in the Health niche? Or perhaps Parenting or Elder Care? You should have been able to use these exact search terms within a title, or even as a title for a post, page or lens in your niche.

You can see that this will take a bit of thought. Look at the Top 100 at Google Trends and see what jumps out at you within your niche. If nothing does, then you will have to dig into the results for a few that grab your interest. You will get the hang of it, just jump in!

Now use a little bit of science and a little bit of art to use these three Google Gadgets to create...

Magic!

Or at least traffic. And traffic in droves is out there just waiting for you to lay down in it!