by Bill Richards

From Google’s Florida, Panda and Penguin algorithms to search engines becoming more social (see Bing partnering with Facebook), the search engine optimization landscape has completely changed since the days when search engines first launched in the late 1990s.

With millions of websites competing for the top spot in their respective keyword phrase, niche or topic, the SEO industry still continues to grow, but there are different factors involved than there were back in the early 2000s when keyword phrasing was the ultimate decider.

Moving forward, webmasters must focus on generating frequent and unique content that can give visitors pertinent and inimitable information instead of rehashing content, repeating keywords and asking other fellow webmasters to link to the webpage. They also must establish a significant social media presence as this is another element that will be taken into account.

Is there any advice that web experts can give? Well, perhaps web developers should avoid the SEO-death talk and instead concentrate on how SEO will be here to stay and to generate new ideas to provide benefits to Internet users and offer a different type of landscape for visitors, customers and potential clients.

One firm that has been a staple in the SEO industry is Submit Express, a company that specializes in SEO, Internet marketing, web writing and other marketing services. Established in 1998 at a time when there was growing competition, Submit Express has become a household name in the SEO industry.

It was originally established by Pierre Zarokian, an Armenian computer science and web developing specialist, who became interested in how search engines determine page rankings and decided to start up Submit Express in his parents’ garage without any investment.

Located in Burbank, California, Submit Express offers a large number of marketing services, including opt-in email advertising, link building, Pay Per Click (PPC) search engine placement and local SEO. It also provides a number free webmaster tools, such as sitemap submission, link popularity check, pagerank checker, keyword traffic estimator, meta tags analyzer and many more.

For more than a decade, it has aided more than 5,000 companies with their SEO needs and more than 25,000 companies in relation to premium search engine submission service. In total, its free submission and webmaster tools have generated approximately 20 million visitors (at the time of this writing).

Over the years it has initiated new features. In 2008, it launched a foreign language SEO service that is comprised of French, Russian and Spanish. A year later, it started a popular content writing service called iClimber. By rejuvenating the popular web phrase “content is king,” iClimber offers website copywriting, Twitter posting, press release writing and distribution, article writing and submission and blog and forum posting.

As the company maintains a staff of 30 or more experienced professionals involved in project management, web copywriting, Internet marketing, website development and much more, Submit Express is searching to innovate the SEO marketplace and capitalize on its massive successes.

One way it has continued to be a premier company in the SEO market is its page rank on the Google search engine. For years, it has been ranked No. 1 and placed in the top 10 rankings for top keywords such as “search engine optimization,” “search engine placement,” and “search engine submission.”

Due to its helpful nature, various functions and features, free tools and thriving services, it has received quite a number of awards and accolades.

This year, TopTenReviews gave Submit Express gold and excellence awards. In 2007 and 2008, it was named as one of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000 list. Also in 2008, it made the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States.

Product differentiation between competitors has long been a strategy of most businesses. Setting itself apart through product functionality, price, or simply just the ‘look and feel’ is a trend that usually proves effective. Strategy differs when companies reach a certain size. Some companies are big enough to diversify their own products so as to ‘hedge their bets’, so to speak.

Take for example Microsoft (MSFT). This company seems to be waiting to see which operating system consumers will grab hold of by rolling out tablet devices with either the Windows 8 or Windows RT.

Alternatively, some companies show such confidence in their products as to bet the farm on a solid performer. This seems to be the case with Intel (INTC), which is looking squarely at its new Atom processor used in several cross-market devices.

The key to this processor is its universality. It can be used in both desktop devices and tablets without sacrificing performance. As many traditional PC users are slow in migrating from desktop to tablet, it would seem this bet could pay off.

Whenever anyone mentions the word “tablet” in conversation, that conversation will probably include praise for Apple’s (AAPL) iPad. Since its inception, the domination of the tablet market has been largely based on the hitherto unmatched combination of cost-effectiveness and high functionality.

It is mindboggling how the iPad can continue almost unrivaled, save a few attempts at imitation rather than improvement. To continue reading, click here.

People have been clamoring for smartphones ever since Apple (AAPL) introduced the iPhone in 2007. Today, thousands of people carry smartphones or tablets. Now, soon the military may too.

Military operations require dependable information on locations, a way for communicating efforts and a way to share information in real-time – sounds like a regular Saturday night for most people as they use their smartphones or tablets to get directions, meet up with friends, and share pictures of the festivities.

Of course, the military versions of these items are considerably “hardened” and developed specifically for military usage by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), but many of the apps carry similarities to those used by civilians, such as DARPA’s custom application that sports Google-like maps based on satellite images.

“Darpa, the defense research arm that contributed to the development of the Internet, has launched an effort called Transformative Apps under which it has developed a few dozen smartphone applications that work on a number of mobile devices it is evaluating,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “In addition to mapping, the apps can do things like identify explosives and weapons and help navigate parachute drops” and they have shown marked success.

“During a battle in a village near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Lt. Kevin Pelletier used a tablet computer with a custom map application to direct soldiers’ movements,” continues the paper. “As thousands of rounds flew through the village near Kandahar, Lt. To continue reading, click here.

At the end of the last quarter, oil giant Chevron (CVX) was sitting on a cash hoard of $21.21 billion with only $9.87 billion in long-term debt – fueling speculation that company could use some of that cash to make acquisitions. After all, Chevron has a solid portfolio of international assets but domestically the company lacks a sizable presence compared with fellow supermajor Exxon Mobil (XOM). On the other hand, Chevron’s lack of exposure to domestic natural gas has worked out well for both the company and for investors now that the price of natural gas has collapsed to record lows – meaning now might be a good time for Chevron to make a move and get into natural gas at the low end.

It should be noted that Chevron has already made a few acquisition moves domestically. In February 2011, Chevron acquired Atlas Energy for $3.2 billion to obtain 486,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale and 623,000 acres in the Utica Shale, which cover parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. A few months later, Chevron acquired drilling and development rights for another 228,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale.

In addition, it’s worth noting that Chevron is already the fourth largest producer in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, which has the second largest oil reserves in the USA after Alaska, plus it’s active in the Central Valley of California and its one of the leading producers in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Hence, Chevron could decide to bulk up its portfolio in some of these locations.

To continue reading, click here.

The broad market rally on September 7, 2012, saw the Dow at its highest level since 2007 and the S&P 500 ending at its highest level since 2008. The new European bond buying program was instituted to stem that region’s debt crisis and provided a much needed boost in confidence to world capital markets. Stronger-than-expected domestic service sector and labour market data added fuel to the fire and saw materials, financials and industrials gaining more than 2%.

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) added 7.8% to its share price on September 7. While the broad market advance definitely played a large part in this increase, the business activity of other companies in the same space led buyers to Micron, which also provided a portion of the boost. In addition, some of the recent share price activity in the companies in this space has also been driven by speculation as to mergers, acquisitions and rationalizations.

Micron manufactures semiconductor devices, data storage and retrieval products. Its products include data random access memory products (DRAM), NAND flash memory products and NOR flash memory chip products. NAND and NOR flash memory do not require power to retain data or memory. Flash chips are used in high speed, high capacity storage drives. Markets that fuel the demand for the chips are the smartphone and tablet markets which continue to provide steady outlets for Micron’s chips.

OCZ Technology Group Inc (OCZ), a solid state drive manufacturer of ultra fast storage products, experienced a shortage of NAND flash memory chips that make its drives work. To continue reading, click here.

It could be a great time to invest in Oracle (ORCL) after CEO Larry Ellison announced that the company would debut its much anticipated cloud computing software next week. The stock is currently trading at around $26, staying in the same $10 range or so for the last decade. Based on the new cloud software rolled out by the charismatic Ellison, as well as favorable buzz over the safety of the always-consistent stock, I think Oracle could be poised for a solid rise.

The debut of its cloud software – which, according to Ellison, would give Oracle a significant leg up over competitor SAP (SAP) – represents a significant step up in technology for the tech giant. The concept of cloud computing, which has had a meteoric rise over the last few years, is having data access from pretty much anywhere, as opposed to locating data on a physical server. One example of cloud computing most are familiar with is Google’s (GOOG) Google Docs, which allow users to work on documents in the “cloud,” wherever they are. Users are then able to come back to their documents in other places at other times. Cloud software even allows users to work collaboratively in real-time on the same document, since it is in “the cloud” and not based in a physical server room based in any one location. PCMag explains cloud computing as “having every piece of data you need for every aspect of your life at your fingertips and ready for use.” To continue reading, click here.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) is a stalwart integrated oil company that offers very little risk to its investors. Exxon Mobil is the largest publicly owned oil company in the world, with stable earnings and a very consistent stock price that has remained between $67 to $87 over the past 52 weeks.

Currently at the year to date low of about $81, Exxon Mobil stock has stayed steady in the mid $80 range since the beginning of 2012. In the five months since January, investors have pushed Exxon shares against the apparent price ceiling of $87 no less than seven times. Along with the Standard & Poor’s assessment of low qualitative risk, Exxon Mobil deals out a healthy dividend rate of $2.28 per share. Given these factors, I believe Exxon Mobil has prepared itself for sustainable growth. Coupled with the nature of oil and gas prices as summer approaches, I think Exxon Mobil is a valuable stock to own.

Due to regulation from the US Environmental Protection Agency, oil companies like Exxon Mobil must use a special blend of gas for the summer season, putting a cap on vapor pressure in gasoline. Oil refineries often are forced to shut down at the beginning of the season so they can adjust the refinery to the new blend of gasoline they need to produce. This temporarily lowers the supply of oil, and thus gasoline produced by companies like Exxon Mobil. As driving vacation season comes with summer, the demand for gasoline increases in the United States and the final outcome is a rise in the price of gasoline.To continue reading, click here.

Things are looking up for BP (BP), which was recently able to restart its Cherry Point oil refinery in Washington after about 3 months of it being shut down.

This is good news for more than one reason. Firstly it obviously means that production can resume and the refinery will be able to start making a profit for the company again. In addition the company will no longer have to face angry claims from Washington residents regarding the fact that the shutdown apparently caused gas prices in the region to rise to unacceptably high levels. Taking a look at spot gas prices in the area now, it is easy to see that it was the BP shutdown, despite the company’s claims to the contrary, that caused the process to spike in the first place. Following the restart of the refinery prices have dropped noticeably. This is because the refinery, although still engaged in the start up process, has already restarted the production of motor fuel. The initial shutdown was caused by a fire that necessitated a number of repairs. The refinery is back up and running and full production will most likely be resumed by the end of the month.

And, of course, the company is still dealing with the backlash from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The company is very close to closing a deal that will resolve most of the civil lawsuits currently leveled against it regarding the spill.To continue reading, click here.

Netflix (NFLX) provides and sells subscription services for TV shows and movies, offering customers the choice of receiving DVDs by mail, or streaming its available content through various smart devices in the home. Formerly a popular, high-flying growth stock, peaking near $300 per share in July of 2011, the company and the stock have fallen on hard times, and it currently trades around $73 per share. As with all technology stocks, the questions for Netflix are trifold. First, how does it compare to peers? Second, when will its current way of doing business be replaced by the next best thing? Third, how will the company adapt to the changing landscape? Let’s attempt to answer each of these questions, in turn.

Competition, a quick recap

The only direct, apples-to-apples, competition to Netflix is the former video store giant, Blockbuster, now owned by DISH Network (DISH). Both DISH Network and Netflix offer not only streaming entertainment content, but also DVDs through the mail. The Blockbuster division of DISH Network offers the extra component of personally exchanging DVDs in the dwindling number of Blockbuster branded storefronts, but I don’t expect that to be a lasting part of its business model due to unsustainably high overhead.

Coinstar (CSTR), the owner of the unmistakable self-serve DVD kiosks branded as Redbox, is a fringe competitor. Not offering streaming content, users of Redbox rent and return DVDs via roadside kiosks for $1 per day.To continue reading, click here.

In the wake of all the outcries surrounding the woes that have befallen JPMorgan Chase (JPM) in the last couple of days, it becomes increasingly difficult to guess what the future of the company will look like.

Nonetheless, it seems a pattern is now arising from all the outcries and it seems that the easiest thing may be to classify the general responses to the bank’s recent activity.

One of these categories of response deals with the irony that the trades that caused the bank to lose $2 billion (and still counting) were the deals that were supposed to protect the bank from losing that money in the first place. In simple terms, the trades, which I believe were erroneously classified as “hedging,” ought to have provided a fail-safe net to JPMorgan, if they had been carried out correctly. Hedging is supposed to be the counter move that manages the risks of the bank and ensures that it does not lose money if any of its investments should fail.

In the wake of the inability for JPMorgan to properly hedge its trades, another piece of news relates to the management of the big bank’s risk plays. That news relates to the successor of Ina Drew and the impact that he is expected to bring to the table. Matthew E. Zames has been chosen to take the baton from Ina Drew as the CIO of JPMorgan.To continue reading, click here.

Microsoft (MSFT) is solid undervalued long-term investment on the market that could increase significantly in stock price within the next few years. Microsoft has innovative technologies on the horizon to regain its leadership in the tech sector once again.

Microsoft is also forming powerful partnerships with industry leaders in order to compete with Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) as the tech industry evolves. Its expansive influence in multiple industries along with its proven success for decades from increased capital and revenues makes Microsoft one of the most favorable investments on the market. The stock price has been relatively flat for some time, but Microsoft is making plans that could certainly double, if not triple, its stock price within the next four years. Microsoft is clearly undervalued at its current stock price of approximately $30 per share; this is an opportune time to invest in Microsoft now before the price increases to reflect its true value.

Its stock price has ranged from around $23 to under $33 for the past year. Microsoft has increased revenue to over $55 billion, which is a 6% increase from last year. It is essentially free of long-term debt and has a significant amount of capital as well. Microsoft has increased earnings by over 9% from 2008 into 2011. A net income margin of 30% from 2008 to 2012 also shows promise and sustainability, despite the flat stock price. Microsoft has a market cap of over $250 billion and dividend yield over 2%, even without the innovations and advantageous partnerships on the horizon; this is a promising long-term investment as the current stock price.To continue reading, click here.