New WebAdvantage.net Social Media Optimization Services Enhance Client Web Visibility and Bottom Line

Business Wire, March 6, 2007

-- Programs Leverage Blogs, Community, and Other Consumer-Generated Content Sites to Complement Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Efforts --

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. -- WebAdvantage.net, (http://www.webadvantage.net), a full-service Internet marketing and online advertising agency, today announced that its newly launched Social Media Optimization (SMO) Services is successfully enhancing online visibility, search engine optimization (SEO), site traffic and ultimately sales for its clients. The Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA) and Cosmeticsurg.net are two of the agency's clients who benefited from WebAdvantage.net's new service offering, which leverage social media such as community-based sites and/or consumer-generated content.

WebAdvantage.net's Social Media Optimization Services include: Social Media Support, Content Advantage, Site Linking, Blog & Video Consulting/Optimization, Search Engine Optimization of Press Releases and Online Press Room Best Practices, (http://www.webadvantage.net/market_socialmedia.cfm.)

BACVA opted for WebAdvantage.net's Content Advantage program, which achieves unique, quality article placements on key relevant Internet sites, to help improve their search engine rankings particularly for BACVA's niche markets like "African American Heritage" and "Getaways for Women." Search engine ranking and web site statistics clearly demonstrate the program's success, and ongoing "Word of Mouth" (WOM) marketing continues to build site interest and traffic.

Cosmeticsurg.net selected multiple social media services with impressive results. WebAdvantage.net's Blog Consulting and Optimization for http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/index.php, in concert with Video Optimization Best Practices, heightened search engine visibility, web site traffic and inquiries. The client's blog traffic has increased by 90 percent since its inception in January 2006 and, after only one month, the site's video traffic has already begun to build. Most notably, WebAdvantage.net's integrated SMO-SEO services have boosted Cosmeticsurg.net's organic Google rankings to #1 for nine strategic keywords describing an innovative surgical procedure.

"Because 80 percent of all site visits now originate from search engines (Harris Interactive) and primarily from Google (50 percent, comScore; 63 percent, Hitwise), search engine optimization is a key facet of WebAdvantage.net's client strategies," said WebAdvantage.net CEO, Hollis Thomases. "Incorporating social media and video marketing help leverage the growing audience regularly watching online video (nearly 60 percent of all Internet users according to eMarketer), and, for our B2C clients like BACVA, word of mouth marketing which, according to recent studies by BIGresearch, outperforms all other advertising media in consumer marketing. For this reason, WebAdvantage.net recommends to its clients synergistic, integrated online marketing campaigns that consistently drive client visibility, qualified traffic and results."

Recent research from the American Marketing Association (AMA) and Marketing Sherpa, indicate that online marketers will spend 12 percent more this year on blog marketing and 40 percent more on social networks. Meanwhile, Forrester and Evalueserve research report issued in 2007 indicate that more than half the corporate marketing executives (CMOs) and agencies surveyed show marketers "are turning to a portfolio of players in search of specialized expertise," (http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/ 0,7211,41433,00.html (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove the space if one exists.), preferring creative boutique agencies that are proficient in emerging digital media over traditional, larger agencies who "have difficulty thinking beyond traditional print and TV media models, which no longer are effective ways of engaging consumers who now get their information and influence one another primarily through digital channels," (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061213/20061213005810.html?.v=1).

About WebAdvantage.net

Founded in 1998, WebAdvantage.net is a privately-held, woman-owned agency. Its core competencies include online advertising, search engine optimization, paid search campaign management, and Internet strategy. The WebAdvantage.net client roster includes: Nokia USA, Zurich North America, Nature Made Vitamins, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Long Fence and Long Home, Carapace, Pointsec and Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association. Company president and founder, Hollis Thomases, is a noted industry spokesman who is frequently quoted in the press. Thomases writes a bi-weekly expert column on online marketing for ClickZ.com (http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3622873), a leading Internet advertising and marketing publication. For more information on Social Media Optimization or WebAdvantage.net, visit the agency web site at http://www.webadvantage.net or call 410-942-0488.