The quickest way to the top may be trough unethical online marketing methods such as copying of articles, blog posts and games or through blackhat tricks such as hidden code and wording, but be sure of it, once caught, your site will lose all credibility and will eventually feature at the bottom of search results for a long time to come. Rather than falling for the temptation of using these methods, stay one the ethical online marketing road to ensure long term online marketing success and sustained credibility.

Internet marketing is an ongoing act and as such requires a lot of hard work. Writing blogs as part of Internet marketing entails intellectual property and when blog copying takes place, actual traffic is stolen from the original weblog where it was posted. As such it is unethical and criminal as copyright infringement takes place. In addition the copy site benefits from the traffic of the original site. If you are using blogging as part of your Internet marketing strategy be on the lookout for blog copying. Scan the incoming links at your blog regularly as many of the blog sites don’t just link back, but paste your whole blog post and then put their name at it as if posted by them originally. This will mean duplicate content and immediate penalization of your weblog even though you are the victim of a parasite who is unable to come up with original articles.

Online shoppers want details about a product and not just sales talk. Studies have revealed that online shoppers are inclined to rather purchase from a website where adequate information about a product or service is available. They don’t have a salesperson to speak to and thus need as much as possible information before they purchase. All the internet marketing is for nothing if you cannot answer pressing questions. You thus need to include detailed pictures, exact prices including shipping costs, delivery time and format, guarantees and user reviews. In addition you need several contact options and a FAQ section for online shoppers to help them through the process. Payment options must be explained in detail and the online shoppers want a privacy policy on your site.

A staggering total of online consumers are unsatisfied with the e-service level offered by websites. According to statistics almost 75% of online consumers are not satisfied with the services and products they receive online. Being distant from the consumer doesn’t give the website owner the right to poor service delivery.

Fact is that poor e-service drives traffic to the competitor. If you are unable to provide the required customer service rather not offer a product or service until you are geared for the traffic and logistics. You will see traffic numbers drop and it will be difficult to get those lost online consumers back to your site.

Despite the wide variety of online traffic tools available to the webmaster today including that of multimedia marketing, social bookmarking, SEO, banner ads, affiliate marketing and blogs, article writing is still under the top online traffic tools available. Any SEO specialist and or webmaster that ignore the power of well written and informative content will see traffic figures dwindle fast if articles are thrown out. Keep the articles short in the range of 250-500 words, but with fresh content that are useful and show your expertise and you will get the attention of search engines and users alike. Ignore articles and you miss out on valuable visits.

The online environment is ever changing, but there are some top online marketing methods that are not only cost effective, but also promoting traffic like none other can. Blogs are some of the best online marketing methods if used correctly. To ensure that you get the most from blogs you should write every day, focus on a niche and ensure that your content is fresh, useful and without accuracy mistakes. Considering that your blogs will also represent your company, don’t provide watered down versions of information readily available on the Internet, but give something that the reader can find useful. Don’t repeat what you already say on your website. Consider the blogs the same as discussions - ongoing and not repetitive.

As Internet marketer you cannot rely on the traditional SEM and SEO methods if you still want to make it online in two or three years from now. As such social bookmarking tools should be your priority. In addition you will need to get in with the clicks and although it is quite acceptable to write for the entry level Internet marketer today, it will not help to attract attention, improve traffic and sales conversions in two years time. The user and the Internet marketer are becoming sophisticated and rather tired of the same old information. Those that will make it are those that come up with brillian ideas and have the guts to pursue the ideas. Trendsetters are what we need to ensure brand new Internet marketing trends.

Much expectation for Facebook has come to an abdrupt dissappointment with some of its marketing features still just not on par. Another one of the Internet marketing trend failures for this year is that of Knol only surpassed by the poor performance of Search Wikia. Lesson to be learnt: don’t take on Google if you cannot deliver. Another lesson to be learned - don’t run blindly after every internet marketing trend.One that I personally cannot ignore is the concept of Web 3.0 which somehow seems to stay an ilusive dream.Putting too much money into podcasting marketing - sorry to say the market is still too small. Don’t ignore the idea though, with enough of us telling you what a great idea it is, the market is sure to grow in future.

Blogging is no longer a tool for the bored or creative. It became a handy tool as early as 2005, but growth in the past few months suggest that this is one of Internet marketing trends which are here to stay. Corporate blogging can be so popular as Internet marketing tool because of the increased sophistication in Internet usage by companies or it can be because it is a fast and efficient way to communicate with clients.

Since clients have the ability to create guest accounts and comment on blog posts, it increases interactivity and allows the client to make his voice heard. This is what I believe the main reason for corporate blogging growth as it is a tool to be used in CRM, which today is a buzzword in the online environment.

Yes, text no longer suffice. It is pay per call and pay per click video or short PPC video that now makes the hotlist for Internet marketing. Simply clicking on a ppc ad will not just land the user on a sqeeze page filled with text and loads of testimonials, no … it now goes one step further by appealing to the visual and audio senses of the unsuspecting viewer.

Once the user clicks on the ppc ad, he still gets to the text, but also has the option of a video to watch. Although this will of course up the price of Internet marketing for most online companies, it sure is a winner.

It wasn’t possible three or four years back, but now you can even have ads displayd with a direct video button. This is one area that should be explored as it is still fresh and users are more easily convinced when they watch passively than having to read. Add a mail this video or refer someone to the ad and you not only benefit from multimedia hunger, but also the inherent trait of the human wanting to share something interesting with his peers.