If you are using Twitter, or for that matter, publishing any kind of links on the Internet via a social forum – e.g. blogs, Facebook, Posterous, etc – you should start a bit.ly account (it’s free). Here’s why.

According to the latest research published on SEOmoz.org, the top 3 factors that affect your online search ranking factors are links. After that, traditional keyword optimisation becomes important.

Twitter provides a platform for micro-blogging. So what is Twitter? It’s similar to your subconscious – a list of things you might like to blog, but are either too short or not quite on-brand (for business blogs), or conversely too business-like (e.g. blatant self-promotion) for personal blogs. But how do we apply it to marketing?

The marketing plan is a key tool in understanding the needs of the website before design and development begin, but is often left until after the site has been launched. This creates interesting challenges for the website as it may not meet the needs of the audience.